THE FEENCH CHUKCH IN BOSTON 159 



view of the fact that it was deemed essential to enact in 

 the laws of Massachusetts Bay, 1651, that "whosoever 

 shall be found observing any such day as Christmas, or 

 the like, either by foibeariug labour, feasting, or any 

 other way upon such account as aforesaid, every such 

 person so offending shall pay for every such offense, five 

 shillings as a fine to the county." 



It is known, moreover, that while Pastor Daill6 was Liturgy not 



' ' Liked 



admired and esteemed by the English, many of whom 

 sometimes came to hear his eloquent sermons, yet the 

 stricter class of the Puritans could not be expected to 

 favour a liturgical worship that reminded them of what 

 they would fain forget, or observances which savoured to 

 them of popery. Samuel Sewall, who was next door neigh- 

 bour to one of the Huguenot merchants, Jacques Leblond, 

 enters in his famous diary a gentle protest against one of 

 these practices: "This day I spake with Mr. Newman 

 about his partaking with the French Church on the 25th 

 of December on account of its being Christmas day, as 

 they abusively call it." Another surmise may be made, 

 namely, that the selectmen, who represented a govern- 

 ment that was a combination of Church and State, did not 

 wish any other form of church organization to become so 

 firmly established as to own a house of worship, and 

 treated the French precisely as they did the Baptists who 

 desired to build meeting houses : with this difference, that 

 they were much more kindly and lenient in disposition 

 towards the French, and did not persecute them as they 

 did those of kindred blood who took their stand for 

 liberty of conscience. There are, indeed many evidences 

 that the French had the cordial regard of their Puritan Regard for the 

 neighbours. " 'Tis my hope," said Cotton Mather, ^'"^"'^^ 

 " that the English churches will not fail in respect to any 

 that have endured hard things for their faithfulness to 

 the Son of God." This hope was realized. WTiile the 

 plans for a church building were delayed for a decade, 

 until after the death of the good minister, Daill6, who had 



