RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Woods Word of God
deacon in 1890 and priested in the following year; was assistant at St. Ann’s, Brooklyn (1888-90), chaplain and professor of philosophy at Lehigh University (1890-96), acting rector of St. John’s, Dresden, Germany (1894-95), and rector of St. Stephen’s, Philadelphia (1896-1904), since 1904 of Emmanuel Church, Boston, where he has introduced the so-called ‘‘ Emmanuel Movement,” for the cure of ailments physical or mental wherein the influence of mind is a factor. He has written Genesis in the Light of Modern Knowledge (New York, 1898); Religion and Medicine (1908); The Living Word (1908); and The Christian Religion as a Healing Power (1909; in collaboration with S. McComb).
WORCESTER, JOHN: Church of the New Jerusalem; b. in Boston Feb. 13, 1834; d. at Newtonville, Mass., May 2, 1900. He became pastor of the New Church Society at Newtonville, Mass., 1869; instructor in theology in the New Church Theological School, Boston, 1878, and its president, 1881. His works embrace A Year’s Lessons from the Psalms (Boston, 1869); Correspondences of the Bible: the Animals (1875; new ed., extended, 3 vols., 1884-89); and Lectures upon the Doctrines of the New Church (1886).
WORCESTER, NOAH: Unitarian; b. at Hollis, N. H., Nov. 25, 1758; d. at Brighton (now part of Cambridge), Mass., Oct. 31, 1837. After serving for some time in the Continental army (1775-77), being present at the battles of Bunker Hill and Bennington, he taught for four years (1778-82) at Plymouth, N. H., and then settled at Thornton, N. H., where he was town clerk, justice of the peace, and member of the legislature. In 1786, just after having published at Newburyport his Letter to the Rev. John Murray Concerning the Origin of Evil, he was licensed as a Congregational minister, and in the following year was ordained to the church at Thornton, where he remained until 1802. From this year until 1810 he was missionary for the newly established New Hampshire Missionary Society, and as its first chosen evangelist traveled throughout the wildest portions of the state. In 1810-13 he was supply for his brother’s church at Salisbury, N. H., but his Bible News, or Sacred Truths Relating to the Living God, his only Son, and Holy Spirit (Concord,
1810) was censured by the Hopkinsians as anti- .
Trinitarian, though he sought to defend his position in his Impartial Review of the Testimonies in Favor of the Divinity of the Son of God (1810). Two years later he issued at Boston his Respectful Address to the Trinitarian Clergy, which so attracted the Unitarian party headed by W. E. Channing (q.v.) that Worcester was invited to become the editor of the newly founded Christian Disciple (later The Christian Hxaminer). He accordingly removed to Brighton, where the remainder of his life was passed, editing The.Christian Disciple in 1813-18 and the quarterly Friend of Peace in 1819-29. As a result of his Solemn Review of the Custom of War, published under the pseudonym of “ Philo Pacificus”” (Cambridge, 1814), he was able, in 1815, to establish the Massachusetts Peace Society, of which he was secretary until 1828.
In addition to the works already mentioned, Worcester wrote Familiar Dialogue between Cephas and
Bereas (Worcester, 1792); Solemn Reasons for De-
clining to Accept the Baptist Theory and Practice
(Charlestown, 1809); The Atoning Sacrifice a Dis-
play of Love, not of Wrath (Cambridge, 1829); The
Causes and Evils of Contentions among Christians
(Boston, 1831); and Last Thoughts on Important Sub-
jects (Cambridge, 1833); besides many sermons,
tracts, and contributions to The Theological Magazine and other religious publications.
BrstiogRapuy: H. Ware, Jr., Memoirs of Noah Worcester, Boston, 1844; W. B. Sprague, Annals of the American Unitarian Pulpit, pp.191-199, New York, 1865. WORCESTER, SAMUEL: Trinitarian Congre-
gationalist; b. in Hollis, N. H., Nov. 1, 1770; d. at
Brainerd, Tenn., June 7, 1821. He was graduated
from Dartmouth College, 1795; licensed to preach,
1796; was pastor of the Congregational church at
Fitchburg, Mass., 1797-1802; and was pastor of the
Tabernacle church in Salem, Mass., 1803-21. He
was a man of clear mind, firm will, and steadfast
Christian principles. In 1821, for the sake of his
health, he made a visit to the South, to the mission-
ary stations among the Cherokee and Choctaw Indians, where he died.
Dr. Worcester was distinguished by the vast amount of labor which he performed in connection with the foreign missionary enterprise. Either he or Dr. Samuel Spring, or both together, originated the idea of forming the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and were intimately associated with it. The detailed plan of the board was doubtless formed mainly by Dr. Worcester. He wrote the first ten, which are in some respects the most important, annual reports of this society.
As an author he was noted for his logical acumen, and vigorous, pointed style. Besides his sermons, reviews, and essays, he published three controversial Letters to Rev. Dr. William E. Channing (Boston, 1815).
BrsuiocrapHy: S. M. Worcester (his son), Life and Labors of Rev. Samuel Worcester, 2 vols., Boston, 1852; W. B. Sprague, Annals of the American Pulpit, ii. 398-407, New York, 1859; W. Walker, in American Church History Series, vol. ili. passim, ib. 1894; idem, Zen New England Leaders, pp. 388-389, ib. 1901.