ead. The
last town-regulations may be read; or, far more exciting, a new marriage
may be published. Or a darker scene may follow, and some offending
magistrate may be required to stand upon a bench, in his worst garments,
with a foul linen cap drawn close to his eyes, and acknowledge his sins
before the pious people, who reverenced him so lately.

These things done, a deacon says impressively, "Brethren, now there is
time for contribution; wherefore, as God hath prospered you, so freely
offer." Then the people in the galleries come down and march two
abreast, "up one ile and down the other," passing before the desk, where
in a long "pue" sit the elders and deacons. One of these holds a
moneybox, into which the worshippers put their offerings, usually
varying from one to five shillings, according to their ability and
good-will. Some give paper pledges instead; and others give other
valuables, such as "a fair gilt cup, with a cover," for the
communion-service. Then comes a psalm, read, line after line, by some
one appointed, out of the "Bay Psalm-Book," and sung by the people.
These psalms are sung regularly through, four every Sunday, and some ten
tunes compose the whole vocal range of the congregation. Then come the
words, "Blessed are they who hear the word of the Lord and keep it," and
then the benediction.

And then the reverend divine descends from his desk and walks down the
aisle, bowing gravely right and left to his people, not one of whom
stirs till the minister has gone out; and then the assembly disperses,
each to his own home, unless it be some who have come from a distance,
and stay to eat their cold pork and peas in the meeting-house.

Roll aside the panorama of the three-hours' Sunday service of two
centuries ago, lest that which was not called wearisome in the passing
prove wearisome in the delineation now. It needed all this accumulation
of small details to show how widely the externals of New-England
church-going have changed since those early days. But what must have
been the daily life of that Puritan minister for whom this exhausting
service was but one portion of the task of life! Truly, they were "pious
and painful preachers" then, as I have read upon a stone in the old
Watertown graveyard;--"princely preachers" Cotton Mather calls them. He
relates that Mr. Cotton, in addition to preaching on Sunday and holding
his ordinary lecture every Thursday, preached thrice a week besides, on
Wednesday and