Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 3.

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[p. 105] of his pastorate. The picture of him now in the possession of the First Parish represents him in his bands and wig at about middle life as a man of amiable nature, to whom the good things of this world were not wholly displeasing. But he was also possessed of much force of character, and of independent mind. A sermon of his in favor of inoculation for smallpox showed some courage in that day when it was thought that the use of this preventive agency was flying in the face of Providence. More important was the calmness of his judgment and his critical discrimination upon the subject of witchcraft. He published a pamphlet about this, making a careful analysis of a case of witchcraft which had occurred in Littleton, in which he exposed the tricks which two sisters had played upon the easy credulity of the community and equally upon that of their parents. I am struck too with the poise of his mind in the religious excitements, so-called, which were inaugurated by Rev. Geo. Whitefield. In 1742 he published a pamphlet called ‘A Direction to my People in relation to the Present Times,’ in which the excesses of emotional fervor are declaimed against and a religion founded on truth and soberness is commended.

During Mr. Turell's ministry, in 1759, the church voted to read the Scriptures in the congregation. Until this time the service had consisted of psalm-singing, the short and long prayers, and the sermon. In his time also the Tate and Brady version of the Psalms was substituted for that of the Dunster version, and singers' seats were built for the choir. The singers were chosen by the chorister, and the selectmen ‘approbated’ them,—for our fathers used that barbarous word.

During his ministry he baptized 1,037 persons, married 220 couples, and admitted to the church 323 communicants. But these bare statistics tell us little of the influence for good of a man who for more than half a