Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/298

294 which forms one of the most striking pictures in the march of the Revolution. Samuel Adams wrote of this to his friend Dr. Warren:

As many of our warmest friends are members of the Church of England, I thought it prudent, as well as on some other accounts, to move that the service should be performed by a clergyman of that denomination. Accordingly the lessons of the day and prayer were read by the Reverend Doctor Duch6, who afterwards made a most excellent extemporary prayer, by which he discovered himself to be a gentleman of sense and piety, and a warm advocate for the religious and civil rights of America.

John Adams wrote also and warmly of this to his wife:

It seemed as if Heaven ordained that Psalm to be read on that morning [Psalm XXXV, being the opening Psalm in the Psalter appointed for the day of the month]. After this Mr Duche, unexpectedly to everybody, struck out into an extemporary prayer, which filled the bosom of every man present. Episcopalian as he is, Dr Cooper himself never prayed with such fervor, such ardor, such earnestness and pathos, and in language so elegant and sublime, for America, for the Congress, for the province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially the town of Boston.

On ii May, 1775, the second Congress meeting in the State House, Mr. Duche again " performed Divine Services," for which he was unanimously voted their thanks. Duche was present with his Vestry and presided at the meeting at his house, on 4 July, 1 776, when they requested the Rector and Assistant Ministers of the united churches to omit the petitions in the Liturgy for the King of Great Britain, as inconsistent with the action had by Congress resolving to declare the American Colonies to be free and independent States. On 8 July he was appointed Chaplain to Congress with a direction to attend on them every morning at nine o'clock, " in consideration of his piety, as well as his uniform and zealous attachment to the rights of America." This he resigned on 17 October.

But when the British entered Philadelphia at the close of the following year, his heart failed him, and the beautiful picture of his devotion in 1775 and 1776 to his country became painfully marred, and was made significant by a weak letter to Washington, which the latter was charitable enough "to suppose was rather dictated by his fears than by his real sentiments."