Wonderful little piece of Baptist history and early Americana. The present original ordination sermons preached for Daniel Merrill by one of the most influential ministers of the era, Samuel Spring, is further autographed by Merrill to Rev'd Ebenezer Kellogg.
Daniel Merrill [1765-1833] served in the American Revolutionary War from 1781 until its close in 1783 and then spent the next six years studying for the work of the ministry at Dartmouth College. He preached his first sermon at Sedgwick in 1791 and, to his great astonishment, a revival commenced immediately. He preached as an itinerant evangelist / revivalist for the next 18 months before being asked to plant the church at Sedgwick. There had been no established work there previously.
From 1804-1805, Merrill underwent a change of view on the subject of baptism and threw in his lot with the Baptists. He preached a series of seven sermons on the subject and let his church know, graciously, that this was his conscience, and he would lead them or go depending on their choice. Nearly the entire congregation followed him and the church joined with the Baptists from thereon. Leaders of the young Baptist denomination in the United States came up to Maine and baptized Merrill and the entire church in one day.
It is our understanding that the Baptist History Preservation Society is in the process of making the place of this baptism an historic site and having it marked with a memorial.
Spring, Samuel. A Sermon Preached at the Ordination of the Rev. Daniel Merril, in Sedgwick. Sept. 17, 1793. by Samuel Spring. Newburyport. Edmund M. Blunt. 1794. 50pp.
Original side stitched pamphlet. Some wear and chips to front edge, but solid and clean overall. Rare.