,,an  ,,address1  ,,delivered  ,,at     
,,the ,,interment  ,,of  ,,mrs4         
,,harriet ,,storrs1  ,,consort ,,of     
,,rev4 ,,richard ,s4 ,,storrs1          
,,braintree1 ,,mass4  ,,july #aa1 #ahcd4
  ,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,,codman1 ,d4 ,d4  
,printed for private distribution4      
,,boston3 ,,munroe ,,and ,,francis4     
#ahcd4     ,,address4   ,there are some 
events1 in the providence of ,god1 so   
completely overwhelming as to render it 
extremely difficult1 almost impossible1 
to give utterance to the full feelings  
of the soul through the medium of words4
 ,language refuses its aid to relieve   
the burdened heart2 and the oppressed   
spirit finds itself more inclined to the
 deep silence of grief1 than to the     
expression of its sorrows by the human  
voice4  ,when the heart-rending         
intelligence reached us of the event    
that has filled our souls with grief and
 dismay1 we felt that no language could 
relieve our distress or mitigate our    
sorrow4 ,we were dumb3 we opened not our

 mouth4 ,our hearts bled--and they bled 
most freely in silence4 ,but the        
solemnities of the occasion await us1   
and the usages of society demand1 that  
we should attempt to give utterance1 in 
the presence of our fellow creatures1 to
 those feelings1 which we can pour out  
before our compassionate ,god and       
,saviour in sighs and tears1 without the
 intervention of set forms of speech4   
,but where shall we find words to       
express the depth of our affliction8    
,where shall we find language to depict 
the character of the dear departed--or  
to administer comfort and support to the
 beloved survivors8  ,mysterious        
,heaven6 how unsearchable are thy       
judgments1 and thy ways past finding    
out6 ,we bow before that holy and       
righteous ,being1 whose inspiration gave
 us understanding1 and who has the      
undoubted right to resume the gift which
 he bestowed4 ,we know that all his ways
 are just and equal1 and that he will   
not hold us accountable for any act1    

committed in the absence of that mental 
and moral power by which we are enabled 
to distinguish between right and wrong4 
,on the painful and distressing         
circumstances1 by which our ever        
lamented and beloved friend is numbered 
among the silent dead1 we will dwell no 
longer than to express an entire and    
unwavering conviction1 that her         
character and present condition cannot  
in the least degree be affected by the  
manner of her removal from this         
sublunary state4 ,we have not the shadow
 of a doubt1 that the spiritual         
intelligence1 which once beamed upon us 
with such mild and gentle lustre1 and   
which was1 for a short season1 shrouded 
in darkness1 is now rekindled by the    
same gracious hand that so mysteriously 
overshadowed it1 to burn1 with          
increasing and never-ending brightness1 
with seraphs that surround the throne of
 ,god4  ,it is utterly impossible for   
the speaker to do justice to the        
character of our much loved friend1     

though it has been his privilege to have
 known her worth for nearly thirty      
years4 ,the circle of christians which1 
at the time of his first acquaintance   
with her1 then resided in our           
metropolis1 many of whom are now in     
heaven1 were distinguished for deep and 
ardent piety4 ,surrounded as they were  
by fashionable and increasing errors1   
they maintained their integrity and held
 fast their attachment to the doctrines 
of grace4 ,the precious names of ,mrs4  
,waters1 and ,mrs4 ,mason1 and other    
aged saints1 are embalmed in the memory 
of many a child of ,god4 ,with these    
venerable pilgrims was associated a     
young disciple1 who1 with all the       
loveliness of youthful attractions1     
separated herself from the world1 and   
consecrated herself to the service of   
her ,god and ,saviour4 ,from the prayers
 and conversation of these aged saints1 
through the blessing of ,god1 she seemed
 to receive a peculiar unction of       
spirit1 which was strikingly            

characteristic of her future course4 ,in
 all plans of usefulness1 which1 though 
small and few when compared with those  
which distinguish this stirring age1 no 
one took a more decided and active part4
 ,her peculiarly affectionate manner    
ingratiated her with many1 who were won 
by her mild and lovely spirit to        
congeniality of sentiment and effort4   
,her usefulness at that period1 in the  
sphere in which she moved1 was by no    
means inconsiderable2 but the great     
,head of the church had still more      
important and interesting duties for her
 to perform4  ,there are few situations 
in life that present more promising     
fields of usefulness to a pious1 devoted
 female1 than that of the wife of a     
minister of a united parish4 ,even the  
pastor himself1 with his additional     
opportunities of affording instruction  
from the sacred desk1 can scarcely exert
 a greater or a happier influence upon  
the minds and hearts of his             
congregation1 than is often produced by 

the more humble1 but not less important 
labours of his devoted companion4 ,her  
influence is not unfrequently greater   
than his1 especially upon her own sex1  
and upon the tender1 opening minds of   
the lambs of the flock4 ,in the         
promotion of benevolent enterprize1 by  
female associations1 and in maternal    
counsels and prayers for the children of
 the church1 she finds her appropriate  
and successful sphere1 though upon the  
whole congregation1 in their varied     
seasons of prosperity and adversity1 her
 silent but benign influence is felt    
like the dew of ,hermon1 like the dew   
that descended upon the mountains of    
,zion4  ,from the more diversified and  
exciting scenes of usefulness in a city 
our departed friend was called to the   
more arduous and self-denying labours   
that devolve upon the conscientious wife
 of the pastor of a country parish4     
,with what untiring zeal1 with what     
scrupulous fidelity1 she discharged     
these duties1 ,i need only appeal to    

this crowded1 this weeping1 this        
afflicted assembly6 ,from lisping       
infancy to hoary age1 the testimony is  
one and the same4 ,the children of      
affliction remember with affectionate   
gratitude her tender sympathy and her   
active benevolence4 ,with the spirit of 
her divine ,master1 it may be truly     
said1 that in all their afflictions she 
was afflicted4 ,mothers1 with their     
youthful charge1 will never forget her  
wise counsels and her fervent prayers4  
,the aged and infirm will pour out their
 benedictions upon her memory1 and even 
babes and sucklings will lisp the       
praises of one1 who watched with        
maternal solicitude over their cradles1 
and taught them to pronounce the name of
 ,jesus4  ,but1 great and painful as    
this bereavement is to this afflicted   
people1--their griefs are almost        
forgotten1 when we turn to the chief    
mourner in this scene of deep and       
heart-rending calamity4 ,god help thee1 
my brother6--,the ,god of ,jacob1 the   

,angel of the ,covenant sustain thee6   
,that your brethren1 your people1 the   
church of ,christ1 your numerous and    
attached friends1 feel for you1 you     
cannot doubt4 ,could they have averted  
the dreadful blow1 how readily would    
they have hastened to your relief4 ,but 
no human precaution could turn aside the
 fatal stroke4 ,dethroned reason will   
find opportunity to escape the most     
vigilant eye1 and to elude the most     
watchful care4 ,but dwell not1 my       
brother1 on circumstances which were    
beyond human control1 and which affect  
not in the least degree the             
accountability of the dear departed4    
,bury in the grave1 to which we are soon
 to assign these precious relics1 as far
 as possible1 the memory of the awful   
circumstances that attended their       
dissolution1 and think only of the      
bright and happy spirit1 of what she    
was1 and what she is4 ,o6 she was every 
thing which a fond husband could desire 
in a companion of his life and labours2 

truly a help-mate for him in his        
temporal and spiritual concerns1 in his 
family1 and in his parish2 in the social
 circle1 and in the widely extended     
plans of usefulness in which the devoted
 servant of ,christ is sometimes engaged
 beyond the limits of his congregation4 
,my brother1 in the repeated domestic   
bereavements which you have sustained1  
you have indeed been greatly afflicted1 
but you have also been greatly blessed4 
,to the lot of but few does it fall to  
have been united to two such companions 
to cheer them in their pilgrimage       
through this vale of tears4,a ,their    
sainted spirits are waiting to receive  
you to those blessed mansions where     
reason holds her unclouded empire1 where
 sighing and sorrow can never come1     
where death can never enter1 and where  
sin can never defile4  ,but not yet1 my 
brother4 ,the ,lord hath need of you to 
work in his vineyard4 ,from your        
repeated and heart-rending trials you   
will be better qualified1 than ever for 

that important work which the ,lord has 
assigned you in his ,american ,israel4  
,go on then1 my brother1 and spend and  
be spent for ,christ2 and when you shall
 have performed your appointed service1 
you shall be welcomed by those whom you 
have loved on earth to the society of   
the redeemed--to the vision of          
,jesus--to the presence of ,god4  ,and  
you1 the dear and only child of the     
lamented dead6 ,my heart bleeds for you4
 ,your loss is indeed irreparable2 but a
 mother's prayers are your legacy1 and  
they are better than thousands of gold  
and silver4 ,how much she loved you1 and
 how closely you were entwined about the
 fibres of her heart1 is abundantly     
evident from the affecting fact1 that   
maternal solicitude1 struggling with    
departing reason1 directed her to the   
bed of her sleeping child to bid him a  
last and long farewell4 ,although the   
affecting circumstances of her removal  
can never be obliterated from your      
memory1 think less of them than of the  

pious counsels1 the holy example1 the   
fervent prayers of your much-loved      
mother4 ,let these dwell on your mind1  
and they will be a restraint1 a comfort1
 and a support to you under all the     
various trials of life to which you may 
be called4 ,god bless you1 my dear      
child6 ,may your life be spared to your 
surviving parent1 to console him in his 
deep affliction1 and to be the prop of  
his declining years4  ,the near         
relatives of our departed friend claim  
and receive our tender and affectionate 
sympathy4 ,more especially do we feel   
for that afflicted sister1 who1 while   
she mourns with us on this affecting    
occasion1 has the additional trial of   
watching around the sick bed of a       
beloved husband1 deprived also of the   
exercise of his reason4 ,may she be     
supported1 in this season of her deep   
affliction1 by the consolations of that 
holy religion1 which are neither few nor
 small4  ,and may all the relatives and 
the numerous christian friends of the   

deceased1 whether present or absent1 be 
graciously sustained under this painful 
bereavement1 and bow1 with humble       
submission1 to the will of ,god4        
,friends of this ,church and            
,congregation1 with you too we heartily 
sympathize4  ,you have been called in   
divine providence to repeated trials4   
,we bear record to your disinterested   
regard to the cause of evangelical      
religion in our growing country1 in     
consenting to the arrangement by which1 
for a definite period1 you have been    
deprived of the immediate services of   
your beloved pastor4 ,you have hitherto 
had the consolation1 and it has been one
 of no small importance1 of the presence
 and laborious efforts for your good of 
the partner of his life4 ,with what     
exemplary patience1 with what admirable 
self-denial1 she sustained the peculiar 
trials of her situation1 watching around
 the couch of a dying brother1,b        
administering to the comfort of your    
late youthful pastor1,c adopting into   

her family the orphan and the           
fatherless1,d while her best earthly    
friend was laboriously employed in the  
service of the church1 are well known to
 you all1 and ought to be suitably      
appreciated4 ,how far she fell a        
sacrifice to these painful              
deprivations--to this uncommon          
self-denial1 is known only to ,him1 who 
is best acquainted with the intimate    
connection between the body and the     
mind4,e ,that she died in your          
service--in the service of her          
family--and in the service of her ,god  
and ,saviour1 cannot admit of a doubt4  
,you will delight1 ,i know1 to cherish  
her memory1 to dwell upon her virtues1  
and to imitate her example4  ,and now1  
my respected hearers and friends1 it    
only remains1 that we deposit these     
precious relics in yonder receptacle of 
the dead6 there to rest1 till the trump 
of the archangel awake the sleeping     
dust4 ,then1 when the millions of the   
dead shall burst the cerements of the   

grave1 we doubt not that the bright form
 of our departed friend1 arrayed in     
immortal youth and vigour1 will ascend  
to meet the ,lord in the air1 and enter 
with him into his glory4   ,,footnotes3 
,footnote ,a3 ,mrs4 ,sarah ,strong      
,storrs1 the first wife of the bereaved 
husband1 was the daughter of ,rev4      
,nathan ,woodhull1 of ,newtown1 ,long   
,island2 married ,april #b1 #ahab--;died
 ,april #f1 #ahah1 aged #be years4      
,eminently devoted to the service of her
 ,lord in life1 and sweetly cheered by  
his presence in death4  ,footnote ,b3   
,rev4 ,charles ,b4 ,storrs1 ,president  
of the ,western ,reserve ,college1 who  
left the world for heaven1 after five   
weeks sickness at ,braintree1 ,sept4    
#ae1 #ahcc4  ,footnote ,c3 ,rev4        
,edwards ,a4 ,park4  ,footnote ,d3 ,the 
two little sons of ,rev4 ,c4 ,b4        
,storrs4  ,footnote ,e3 ,her feelings on
 this subject are briefly noticed in her
 diary4 ,after alluding to the          
circumstances of the case1 and to what  

she believed to be the ruling motives of
 her husband in his request to his      
people for liberty to engage in the     
service of ,home ,missions1 she says3-- 
,i think in no instance of my life have 
,i felt more entirely willing to be in  
,god's hands1 and to have him dispose of
 us as he pleases4 ,my trembling head at
 times anticipates evil to my dear      
husband--and my selfish heart1 in       
anticipating the days and nights of     
loneliness that await me1 is ready to   
say1--',how can ,i give thee up8' ,but  
,i would not dare to cherish these      
feelings4 ,god has an entire right to do
 with us as he pleases--and ,i would    
love him for doing just as he does4 ,but
 ,o6 strengthen us for our coming       
trials6     ,,note4   ,mrs4 ,storrs had 
been for months declining in health--a  
fact more evident to herself than to    
others1 because she still continued to  
discharge her usual domestic duties with
 alacrity and cheerfulness4 ,but often1 
the conviction of her mind on this      

subject extorted from her the remark--my
 constitution is breaking up--,i cannot 
long live4 ,though the remark had never 
fallen from her lips in other years1 it 
was too little heeded by her friends4   
,it was on the evening of ,march #eth1  
#ahcd1 that she was suddenly seized with
 a delirium that indicated inflammation 
on the brain4 ,a physician was          
immediately called1 and his skilful     
applications seemed to be blessed2 the  
disease yielded2 and after a few days1  
,reason resumed its seat2 not however to
 hold it as formerly1 but only to sway a
 broken sceptre1 and fill the minds of  
friends with constant alarms4 ,from this
 time till the first of ,june1 the      
struggle between disease and nature was 
constant1 and the issue doubtful2 but on
 the whole1 it was evident that the mind
 was losing its power of judgment1 and  
submitting to the control of a          
bewildered imagination4  ,her most      
judicious friends judged it expedient to
 change the scene1 and try the effect of

 new objects and the revival of old     
friendships on her disordered system4   
,she herself1 having been often         
benefitted by the fatigues and various  
occurrences of journeying1 consented to 
the measure with some cheerfulness4 ,and
 on the #abth of ,june1 we left our     
home1 and leisurely pursued our way to  
the western part of the ,state1 calling 
freely on those friends she had long    
known and loved1 and sharing largely in 
their kind attentions4 ,but nothing     
could restore to her mind its balance4  
,occasionally cheerful for an hour--but 
habitually brooding over some imagined  
impropriety of conduct1 or deficiency of
 faith and love1 she fancied herself a  
burden to the world1 a curse to the     
church1 and an alien from ,god4 ,it was 
,july #gth when we reached home4 ,and by
 this time1 the disease had advanced so 
far1 as to leave but short intervals    
between the ravings of delirium4 ,her   
agonies1 in her oft repeated language1  
were inexpressible4 ,her bodings were   

fearful4 ,and it was on the morning of  
the #ajth instant1 between the hours of 
five and six o'clock1 that she eluded   
the long continued vigilance of her     
family1 and secured time enough to      
execute a deed1 which of all others she 
most abhorred when of sane mind--a deed1
 which she believed to be right1 because
 dethroned reason left her a prey to the
 imagination that the honor of ,god1 and
 the interests of ,zion demanded it4    
,inscrutable mystery6 ,a more devoted   
friend of ,jesus--a more humble and     
self-denying disciple--a more laborious 
and consistent co-worker with the       
saints--a more prayerful and active     
promoter of the great ,cause of         
,benevolence--is rarely to be met with  
in any age1 or in any land4  ,aside of  
all the fond partialities of one who for
 fifteen years has known the blessedness
 of the most intimate companionship with
 so eminent a child of ,god1 ,i deem it 
duty to say1 in present circumstances1  
that her duties were always her         

pleasures--her religious privileges1 her
 sweetest delights--her grand aim1 in   
all things1 the glory of ,god2--her     
trust was reposed in his promises       
alone--her hopes were founded on        
,christ--and her only desired reward    
was1 the consciousness of honoring the  
religion she professed4  ,she rests with
 prophets and apostles4 ,so saith the   
,spirit1 and her works do follow her4   
,r4 ,s4 ,,storrs4  ,braintree1 ,july    
#ae1 #ahcd4     ,,obituary ,,notice4    
,,written ,,by ,,rev4 ,b4 ,b4 ,,edwards1
 ,,and ,,published ,,in ,,the ,,boston  
,,recorder4   ,died at ,braintree1      
,mass4 on ,thursday morning1 ,july #aj1 
,,mrs4 ,,harriet ,,storrs1 wife of the  
,rev4 ,richard ,s4 ,storrs1 in the #dhth
 year of her age4 ,she was a daughter of
 the late ,mr4 ,samuel ,moore of        
,charlestown4 ,her mind was first deeply
 convinced of the importance of personal
 piety in listening to the sermons of   
the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,griffin then minister of
 the ,park street church4 ,she became a 

member of the ,old ,south church1 when  
the ,rev4 ,joshua ,huntington was its   
pastor4 ,the depth of the loss sustained
 by her friends and by the church of    
,christ1 cannot easily be estimated4 ,in
 her character was that rare union of   
lovely natural qualities with           
intelligent1 elevated piety1 which      
sweetens domestic life2 throws such     
charms over the intercourse of          
friendship as all persons can feel but  
none describe2 and which exhibits in a  
most striking manner what that state was
 from which man fell1 and to which the  
grace of the ,holy ,spirit can restore  
him4 ,the path of her life was covered  
over with evidences of her kindness4    
,every where she lived for the happiness
 of those around her4 ,her benign       
inquiries1 her cheerful footsteps1 her  
sweet smiles1 the same in joy and grief1
 those mysterious lines on the          
countenance1 which almost ally the      
sympathies of humanity to the purity of 
angels1 seemed to say to all whom she   

met1 that she was their servant for     
,jesus's sake4 ,she was truly the light 
and joy of her domestic circle1 shedding
 the calm and steady lustre of true     
piety2 in her humility apparently       
unconscious of the blessings which her  
presence afforded2 and always prompt to 
give all the glory of any goodness in   
herself and others1 to her ,lord and    
,redeemer4 ,she discharged the          
interesting obligations1 which devolve  
on the wife of a clergyman1 with        
singular readiness1 kind feeling and    
success4 ,she was aware of the          
responsible and delicate nature of many 
of her duties1 and habitually looked for
 guidance to the great ,head of the     
church4 ,he was graciously pleased to   
hear her prayers1 and to bless her      
labors4 ,her name will long be like     
precious balm in the hearts of          
multitudes1 who testify1 with entire    
unanimity1 to the value of her labors of
 love4  ,for several months past1 her   
soul has been full of trouble1 for she  

thought that ,god had laid her in the   
lowest pit1 in darkness1 in the deeps1  
that his wrath was lying hard upon her1 
that she was cast out of his sight1 and 
should never again be permitted to look 
towards his holy temple4 ,she longed for
 death and it has come2 and we doubt not
 that her glorified spirit is in that   
land where the inhabitant shall not say 
,i am sick1 where they hunger no more1  
neither thirst any more2 and where ,god 
shall wipe away tears from off all      
faces4  ,the funeral of ,mrs4 ,storrs   
was attended on ,friday afternoon in the
 meetinghouse of the first church in    
,braintree4 ,we never saw evidences of  
more unaffected and heartfelt grief1    
than were exhibited by the large        
congregation convened on this occasion4 
,prayers were offered by the ,rev4      
,messrs4 ,gile of ,milton1 and ,perkins 
of ,weymouth1 two appropriate funeral   
anthems were sung1 and a very           
interesting and affecting address was   
pronounced by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,codman of 

,dorchester4          99       99       
99       99       99  ,transcriber's    
,notes  ,page #g3 ,changed hasiened to  
hastened   7how readily would they have 
hasiened to your relief47