WADSWORTH, Benjamin

Publick Worship

      1704 1704 - WADSWORTH, Benjamin. Publick Worship a Christian Duty. In Two Sermons, from Heb. 10.25. Now or Never, The Time to Be Saved. In One Sermon, from Heb. 3.7,8. Boston: Printed by B. Green for E. Phillips, 1704. 16mo, contemporary full brown calf over wooden boards; pp. 84 (of 92+). Housed in a custom clamshell box. $2400. Exceedingly scarce first edition—bibliographers report only one other copy—of these sermons on worship and conversion by one of early 18th-century New England's most prominent preachers and the future president of Harvard, in contemporary binding. Both this and the only other known copy are imperfect. The Reverend Wadsworth was pastor of the First Church of Boston, founded by John Winthrop in 1630 and at the turn of the 18th century "considered one of the most important positions in New England Wadsworth was considered religiously moderate. His sermons were popular with his congregation, and he remained Pastor at the First Church for over thirty years" (Harvard Library). He later served as Harvard College's eighth president. The second-oldest building on Harvard's campus bears Wadsworth's name; the residence served as General George Washington's first headquarters in 1775. In these sermons, Wadsworth enjoins upon his hearers the responsibility of observing the Christian Sabbath by attending public worship (at least twice; for "how often we should meet on the Lords day for publick worship, whether twice or thrice, or more or less, is not expressly commanded in the Scripture "). Wadsworth also exemplifies the Reformed theological understanding of "scriptural warrant" as he delineates the elements of public worship as those expressly mentioned in the pages of the Bible. Appropriately, given his future service to Harvard, Wadsworth reflects on the importance of education—"There can be no true devotion, or worship acceptable to God, without solid substantial knowledge"—and also makes an impassioned plea for conversion: "Don't stand all the day idle. Art thou diligent about bodily concerns, and idle about spiritual ones? How shameful, how unreasonable is this?" Wadsworth's sermons thus represent Reformed preaching's hallmark emphases of instruction and exhortation. Originally the work ran at least 92 pages; the pagination in this copy runs (not continously) through page 104, and Shipton & Mooney report, "The only copy located is imperfect." Evans 1197. Early owner signatures and poetic inscriptions. Collector's small ticket. Text block split. Interior with mild embrowning, light chipping to edges (minor loss to last two leaves); without leaves A3-4, E2-5, I5-6 (i.e., pages at the conclusion to the preface and near the beginning of "Publick Worship," near the conclusion of "Publick Worship" and near the beginning and the conclusion of "Now or Never"). Expected age-wear to original American binding. Exceedingly scarce, with only one other copy reported by bibliographers. [Attributes: First Edition]