Edward Hitchcock sermon no. 171, "Concert in Benevolent Efforts," 1823 June

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Creator	Hitchcock, Edward, 1793-1864
Title	Edward Hitchcock sermon no. 171, "Concert in Benevolent Efforts," 1823 June
Dates	1823-06
Abstract	Edward Hitchcock's sermon on concerted action, based on Isaiah 41:6-7 (They helped every one his neighbor; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage....). Hitchcock noted on the first page that he had delivered this sermon once at Conway, Massachusetts "Before the Benevolent Societies." He explained that irreligious and worldly men have always understood more clearly than real Christians the principle that there is more power in "united or associated effort" than in "individual and unconnected exertions" and that the power of a group is a geometrical magnification of the mere number of individuals involved. Hitchcock provided a series of examples to illustrate the use of this principle to advance the interests of false religion (especially the Roman Catholic church), the interests of worldly concerns (the East India Company, for example), and the interests of the enemies of religion. The most notable instance of the latter was Illuminism (lead by Voltaire and Rousseau, among others), which in the last half century had propelled Christians to employ this same principle in their own defense against "heathenism & mahometanism." Hitchcock called for more vigorous exertions.
Physical Description	1 item (16 pages)
Languages	English
Place of Creation	Massachusetts
Genre	Sermons
Subject	Hitchcock, Edward, 1793-1864 – Sermons
Subject	Sermons, American – Massachusetts – 19th century
Subject	Associations, institutions, etc. – Christianity – Sermons
Subject	Benevolence – Religious aspects – Christianity – Sermons
Subject	Charities – Christianity – Sermons
Part of	Edward and Orra White Hitchcock Papers
Finding Aid	View the finding aid for this item's collection
Repository	Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Shelf Location	Box 7 Folder 13
Access and Use	Public Domain: This material has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. While Amherst College Archives & Special Collections claims no rights or authority over this material, we do ask that any publication or use of this material cite the Archives & Special Collections at Amherst College as the source of the images and the repository where the original documents can be found.