The Joseph Buckminster sermon consists of a single bound manuscript sermon (16 pp.) delivered by the Congregational minister on September 29, 1786. The sermon, entitled "Faith our Victory over the World," concerns 1 John 5:4 and the role of faith in dealing with the pressures of daily life. It elaborates on this theme, and fervently offers hope to the congregation that they "should rest in Hope" and "obtain the Victory over the disorders and commotions of [the] prison Ground" (p. 16). The cover of the sermon contains a note that the 103-year-old manuscript was presented to William C. Todd by one of Buckminster's descendants on February 7, 1889.
Reverend Joseph Buckminster was born in Rutland, Massachusetts, in October 1751. Buckminster descended from ministers on both sides of his family, and entered Yale College at the age of 15. After receiving his bachelor's degree in 1770, Buckminster remained at Yale for further study, after which he moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he was ordained in 1779. In 1782, Buckminster married Sarah Stevens. The couple had several children, including Joseph Stevens Buckminster (1784-1812), who became a notable minister himself. Following Sarah's 1790 death, Buckminster married Mary Lyman in 1793. Joseph Buckminster died in June 1812.
