The biographical remains of Rev. George Beecher, late pastor of a church in Chillicothe, Ohio, and former pastor of a church in Rochester, New-York

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BIOGHAPHU'AL RKMAINS

KEY. GEOEGE BEECHER,

LATE PASTOR OF A CHURCH IN CHILLICOTHE, OHIO.

AND FORMER PASTOR OF A CHURCH IN

ROCHESTER, NEW-YORK.

NEW-YORK

LEAVITT, TROW AND CO.. 194 BROADWAY

BOSTON : CROCKER AND BREWSTER.

PHILADELPHIA : PERKINS AND PURVES.

CINCINNATI : WM. H. M«»ORE.

I 844.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1844, by

LEAVITT, TROW & CO.

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District -of

New-York.

J. F. TROW & CO., Printer*,
33 Ann-rtreet, New-York.

(Slji0 llolume

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

TO THOSE CHURCHES TO WHICH THE SUBJECT OF

THESE MEMOIRS

MINISTERED AS A PASTOR.

CATHARINE BEECHER.

C 0 xN T E N T 8 .

Memoir, . , 5

Further Extracts from Letters, . . . 146

Essays ox Christian Perfection, . . 167

Sermons, ••...... 20"i

BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS.

It is probable that there is no class of writings
which have proved more interesting and profitable,
than religious biography; and this is the reason
why works of this description are so abundant.

In looking over the list of those which have
excited the most interest, we find that a great por-
tion of them contain the history of men, who have
filled a large space in the public eye, as distin-
guished for talents and piety, or as stationed on a
field of labor, where their movements were attended
by circumstances of peculiar interest. This vol-
ume does not claim to belong to this description.
The subject of it was, indeed, a good man, and a
faithful minister of Jesus Christ, but has neither
occupied a distinguished position in public regard,
nor has his field of labor, or the incidents of his
life, presented any thing of peculiar interest to
attract public notice.

But there is another class of biographical wri-
tings, which, though less striking in character and
2

6 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

incident, are none the less interesting and useful
to the great mass of readers.

Their merit consists in presenting the history
of a mind which has been called to contend with
infirmities of temperament and habit, and to en-
counter circumstances of temptation, which are in
the range of ordinary experience, while the m.o-
tives and -influences which secured success, are
presented with a warmth and distinctness that
shed light on the path of common Christian expe-
rience, and afford aid to all who are aiming to
walk in the strait and narrow way.

The lives of such men as Brainerd, Martyn,
and the noble army of confessors, who have toiled
on the missionary field, present interesting inci-
dents, combined with high attainments and invigo-
rating examples. But they are in circumstances
in which few common Christians are placed, and
of course do not so powerfully appeal to the mind
in the every day trials, which the majority of read-
ers feel to belong to their own lot.

But the biography of more humble individuals,
such an one, for example, as Harlan Page, stands
entirely on another ground, and writes lessons of
instruction more generally applicable, and thus
more widely felt.

It is believed that the following record presents
an experience which is peculiarly calculated to
aid those, who, while compassed with infirmities,
are still aiming at high attainments in Christian

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 7

character. It is not the detail of striking incident,
it is not the development of a wonderful intellect,
it is not a story of remarkable trials and deliver-
ances, it is not the exhibition of illustrious piety,
which has long cheered and illumined an extended
sphere. It is the history of a mind which, embar-
rassed with infirmities of temperament, with the
impediments of habit, with the weakness and dis-
couragements of disease, found motives and in-
fluences that imparted unwonted strength and
vigor, and secured remarkable success, and these
are so presented as to awaken hope and encourage-
ment in all, who, amid similar embarrassments,
are pressing forward to the mark for the prize of
their high calling.

In addition to this, it is believed that there are
some portions of this individual's history, as a
minister of the Gospel, which are somewhat pecu-
liar, and that his example in these respects may
have a useful tendency, as it regards the influence,
health, and usefulness of any who may be led to
follow it.

These considerations have had weight in de-
ciding to present this volume to the public eye.
There are other reasons of a more private nature,
which have also been deemed worthy of regard.
There is a class of intelligent and cultivated minds,
now scattered over the nation, who once were
gathered, with the subject of this memoir, in the
venerable walls of Yale. They were the objects

8 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

of his Christian solicitude, the subjects of his
prayers and labors, and some among them, here-
after, may shine as stars in his crown of rejoicing.
To these, this volume will bring back memorials
of the past, forgotten words of Christian faithful-
ness, touching the chords of distant years, and
awakening echoes in the heart unknown to the
world around.

There is another class who were united with
him in preparing for the ministry, and who
shared with him in the anticipations, hopes, and
plans, which arise to the young novitiate as he
looks ahead to the labors of pastoral life. To
them, this brief history of his successful career,
will come with some sadness, that it was quench-
ed in noontide energy, with more of cheering
encouragements, that their fellow disciple ac-
complished so much, and was so ready to depart
to his higher service above.

There are three conorreg-ations, one of them a
very large one, to >vhom he stood in the relation
of a pastor. Deeply interested himself in the
people committed to his care, and possessing, as
he did, confiding frankness, ardent enthusiasm,
and generous sympathy, he of course secured from
his people strong personal attachment to an unusual
degree.

There are many who have been cheered by his
sympathy in hours of sickness and depression,
many whom he has consoled in seasons of deep

REV. GEORGE BEECJIER. 9

affliction, many whom he has guided and enlight-
ened in hours of mental darkness and distress.
To these, the imperfect remains of his ministerial
labors will come, clothed with sweet memories and
sacred associations unknown to other minds. And
those large classes of children, whom he has met
to teach the power and wisdom of their Creator, as
exhibited in the wonders of nature, and those
whom, with such interest and perseverance, he
trained to sing, with taste and skill, the praises
of God, and those whom he watched over in
the Sunday School and Bible Class — such, as they
are now entering the active scenes of life, will
greet this memorial of their teacher, pastor and
friend with tender and grateful recollections.

There are those of both sexes, now in the meridi-
an of life, who, in the large schools with which he
has been connected, were playmates of his child-
hood and companions of his youth. These have
roamed with him over stream and wood and rocky
cliff, witnessing his enthusiastic love of nature's
works, and sharing the buoyant hopes and exult-
ing freshness of youth. Such will turn over these
pages and find how all this enthusiasm and love of
nature were consecrated to his great Master's ser-
vice ; and as the memories of childhood and youth
soften the heart, it may find no unprofitable moni-
tions in these memorials of their early companion
and friend.

And there is a large circle of family connexions.

10 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

a father and ten brothers and sisters, who for four
and twenty years have missed not a single golden
link from the fraternal chain of family love ; sis-
ters, who watched his infancy, or shared the
sports of his childhood ; brothers, who have stood
side by side with him in the ministries of the altar,
or who were following him to these duties ; from
these he was severed by a blow as sudden as the
bolt from heaven. He is gone ! — the affectionate
son — the warm-hearted brother — the earnest Chris-
tian— the faithful minister ; — and, with yearning
hearts, they look around for some memorials of
the departed, that his spirit may yet seem to dwell
among them.

It was with reference to these calls of the heart,
that this biography was commenced, and without
any determination, as to whether it should be for a
private, or public record. When it was completed,
the opinion of suitable judges led to the belief, that
while thus meeting other demands, the minister of
the Gospel and the common Christian would find,
in these pages, much that would quicken their
faith and cheer their spirits, as they trace the path
of the good man in his course to heaven.

The subject of this memoir was the third son of
the Rev. Lyman Beecher and Roxanna Foote, and

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 11

was born at East Hampton, Long Island, in the
year 1809.

His childhood was spent in Litchfield, Conn.
He was fitted for college at Hartford, Conn., under
the care of his brother Edward, pursued his col-
legiate course at Yale College, and studied his
profession at the Theological Seminary at New
Haven.

It was durinor his course in collecre that he be-
came permanently interested in the duties of per-
sonal religion.

There are no other events of his early life which
demand special notice, and it is designed to con-
fine this memoir exclusively to the years of his
ministerial life.

Possessing strong social sympathies, he was, from
early life, in a habit of transmitting his thoughts
and feelings to some relative, or intimate friend ;
and these records furnish the means of presenting
a brief outline of his character and history after
he became a pastor.

The following statements are necessary, as con-
necting links, to unite the particulars contained in
the extracts which follow.

On the removal of his father to Lane Seminary,
he accompanied him, and soon after was settled in
Batavia, twenty miles from Cincinnati. The state
of the church to which lie ministered was such,
and the difiiculties to be met so many, that it was
considered by his friends, who advised his location

VZ BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

there, as missionary ground, where he would learn
to " endure hardness as a good soldier."

He labored there four years, and then was advised
by his father and other friends, to stop his labors
awhile, and spend some time in study, as much of
his collegiate and professional course had been in-
terrupted by ill health, and he felt the necessity of
repairing consequent deficiencies. At this time he
was married to Miss Sarah S. Buckingham, of Put-
nam, Ohio, and spent a part of the succeeding
year in reading, hearing lectures, and study,
at Lane Seminary.

While thus engaged he received a call from the
Brick Church of Rochester, to preach there, with
reference to his settlement as their pastor. He
went on there, and, after preaching some months,
was regularly installed as their minister.

After some years, it was decided by physicians,
that the climate had such an effect on the health
of his wife that it was unsafe for her to reside there,
and that removal to a more congenial climate was
indispensable.

During his residence at Batavia, he had preached
at Chillicothe, and was urged to remove and settle
there. After some years, on learning his deter-
mination to remove from Rochester, those who
were most anxious for his services in Chillicothe,
being formed into a separate church, invited him
to become their pastor. He accepted their call,
and there finished his course as a minister of Christ.

REV. GEORGE BEECHERo 13

The following extracts from his letters contain
a short sketch of his experience, as a country minis-
ter in a retired place. The object aimed at is, in
the first place, to give a short history of his minis-
terial life ; and in the next place, to present, promi-
nently, those points in his Christian experience,
which, it is supposed, have a practical bearing on
results afterwards developed. Should there occa-
sionally appear some repetition, or apparent same-
ness, it may be borne in mind, that the particular
object aimed at could not otherwise be so clearly
developed.

Batavia, 1835.

When I gave myself to the service of Christ, I
relinquished ambition and its rewards for the higher
honor of serving him. I relinquished all right, or
desire to amass wealth, esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures of earth.
Were I willing to live for myself, to seek honor
and reputation from men, and to obtain an abun-
dance of this world's goods, I believe I could se-
cure them. I believe I could compete successfully
with men of the world in the ranks of political
aspiration. But I despise it. I despise all that
can be offered in comparison with the glory of
*' turning many to righteousness."
2*

14 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Batavia, 1836.

Want of health is a much greater hinderance to
me, in preparing for the pulpit, than want of in-
clination; and when I am in a weak state of body,
unless I have friends with whom I can converse,
and thus become excited by the collision of intel-
lect, I cannot raise myself to the point of writing
with ease. You know I told you I have begun to
write out my sermons. I wrote two or three, and
found myself so embarrassed and cramped for the
want of language, that I commenced a different
course, which I am now pursuing diligently.

I first purchased Milton's works, and set myself to
the study of them ; and having finished them once,
I am now studying them more slowly and critically.
Then I determined to try the mode which Cicero
says he pursued, in order to acquire fluency in
style, that is, to translate from one language into
another. I took my Cicero, last week, and began
with the first oration, and wrote it out in as good
English as I could, endeavoring to free it from
Latin idioms.

The next day I took another oration, and then
I thought it would be better to write out a transla-
tion of some entire Latin work, as copiousness in
writing is what I most need. I have therefore
selected from Cicero's Tusculan Questions, one
of the most interesting treatises of this author. It
is on the immortnlitv of the soul, and is the most

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 15

interesting work of antiquity on this subject. It
presents the argument, as a philosopher, destitute
of religion, contemplated it, aided by all the light,
which the most learned of his own and former times,
in Greece and Rome, could throw upon it, I am
going to translate this into as elegant English as I
can, and when I see you again, I will read it to
you, with the illustrative notes, written by Prof.
Stuart, of Andover.

I find already, that this course has been of great
service. I can have a much greater choice in
my language, and am more accurate in the selec-
tion of terms to express the exact shade of thought.
If God spares my life and health, I hope to become
a good writer, and thus I can do good on a greater
scale ; for the press is becoming the great en-
gine for moving the world, and I feel as if every
man, who can exert an influence in this way, is
bound to qualify himself to do it. I feel that I
owe it to my Saviour, who has given me talents,
and put me into the ministry, to do good on as
extended a scale as possible.

t have had much ill health, and did not know
but I had become averse to study and mental disci-
pline, but I find that I never loved study half so
well, as since I have been able to resume my long
intermitted habits. I can study from morning till
night, and then read in the evening, and take de-
light in it all. But the most delightful part of the
day to me, is from five to six in the morninor. I rise

16 BIOGRArHICAL REMAINS OF

before five, and then spend an hour and a half in
devotional reading and exercises. And it is then
that I have sweeter meditations of heaven than ever
before.

Since I have pursued this course, I find a con-
stant increase in the depth and uniformity of
my religious feelings. I trust that I do habitually
live near to -God, and take delight in approaching
to him, and in meditating on the rest he has pro-
vided for his children in heaven.

We do not love Him enough — not half enough
for our own happiness, for " praise is pleasant."
I have often thought of the expression of Evarts,
when near death. After a season of apparent
stupor, he suddenly broke out : " Oh praise him,
praise him, praise him in strains that ye know not
of!" It seemed as if his mind was so filled with con-
ceptions of the infinite perfections of God, that no
language could express the intensity of his emo-
tions.

Batavia. .

During the last week, I made an effort to resus-
citate our Temperance Society, which had fallen
to decay, and to reorganize it on the principle of
entire abstinence. We had a spirited meeting,
and took forty-five names to commence with.
This is an encouraging indication. But I cannot

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 17

tell you how distressed I have been at the low
state of religion, and the prevalence of vice here.
But I daily pray for the salvation of God ; and I
cannot but hope, before long, to see the influences
of his blessed Spirit with us. My own feelings
have been coming more and more into that state
which I desire, and I hope God is preparing to
bless my labors.

I was preaching this afternoon to those without re-
ligion, and after presenting the most solemn truths,
they seemed so perfectly indifferent and listless, that
I could not endure it any longer ; I stopped, and
could not refrain from tears. I besought them to lis-
ten and attend to their own condition and danger.
There is nothing like the power of sympathy, and I
found the old Latin maxim of oratory correct : '* If
you wish me to weep, you must weep yourself" This
sudden burst of feeling ran like electricity over the
house. Almost every head fell, and all my church
were in tears with me. It refreshed my soul to
find that the fountains of feeling were not entirely
dried up. Yet when I came home, I could only
go, in the anguish of my heart, and entreat God to
work here for his own cause, for I can do nothing.
Oh who can endure to labor in vain, and spend his
strength for naught ! Thanks be to God, he has
said that his word shall not return unto him void.
And yet it may be " a savor of death unto death"
to many souls ; and '' who is suflicient for these
things?"

18 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Batavia.

I HAVE the last week been reading Wilberforce's
Practical View. I do admire the work and the
man. The style I think perfect for an address on
the subject of practical religion ; so free from
technical phrases, so easy and flowing, so classical
and chaste; so clear, discriminating, and copious
without diffuseness. It is fitted to interest by the
fascination of its style, as well as to insinuate itself
into the heart by its affectionate and sincere spirit.
I could not but wish that our friends B. and S.
could be persuaded to read it, for it discriminates
so clearly between external correctness and amia-
bility of temper, and real vital piety. Can you not
induce them to read it? You had better make the
effort, for none can tell the result.

Under the influence of this work, I prepared a
sermon from the text, " Be not conformed to this
world," which was as searching and close as any I
have preached this long time. I feel sad when I
look over this town and see the coldness of Chris-
tians in it. With none to co-operate with me, and
with great temptations from my own heart, I feel
almost disheartened ; and yet I must stand as a
watchman, and be responsible for the souls of my
people. And my example, too, must be holy. If I
do not show my own heart to be fixed on heavenly
things, how can I expect my people's to be ? I
believe God has placed me here, where I am obliged

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 19

to Stand so much alone, that I may be taught not to
trust in man. I pray that I may learn the lesson
patiently.

Batavia.

It is a dark but glorious evening ; the God of
Glory thundereth, and his lightnings enlighten
the world ! His cloudy pavilion is spread over
the heavens, and his awful voice is full of majesty !
Oh how I love to see the lightnings streaming
down the darkened heavens, and to hear the
thunder rolling and echoing in the clouds !
Never do I feel that God is so near, as at such a
time, and when a peal of thunder breaks forth, it
sends a thrill of exquisite joy through my whole
system.

A hot, sultry, wearisome day has been suc-
ceeded by cool air and refreshing showers. Thus
he watereth the earth from his chambers, and oh
that my thirsty soul may be refreshed from the
fountains of his love !

Batavia.

Many thanks for your letter, and the delightful
theme it presented. The rest of heaven ! Oh

20 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

what a source of joy and peace in this world of sin
and sorrow ! To think that such worthless sin-
ners may be raised to glory and honor and immor-
tality, and be made pure and holy, " without spot,
or wrinkle, or any such thing," it is enough to fill
the heart with joy unspeakable !

I am glad you love to dwell on this theme, and
that you take pleasure in the interchange of Chris-
tian feelings. Why should we not speak of our
heavenly home to each other ? Do we not hope
soon to be there, and enjoy it together ? Are we
not soon to join in its songs of praise, and enter
upon its glorious employments ? Are we not poor
wanderers, seeking speedily to be restored to this
our home ? If we should chance to meet each
other in a far distant land, after years of absence
from our country, should we not speak of this loved
land, and the friends we have left here, and of our
anticipated return ? And do we not omit duty,
and deprive ourselves of one of the most delight-
ful sources of enjoyment, when we neglect to
speak of our heavenly home, its employments and
joys ? Sometimes, when I have been laboring
long, and am fatigued and almost discouraged,
the thought that this home is so near, this rest so
soon to be enjoyed, nerves my soul to new strength
and activity. Oh how true is it, that, if in this
life only we have hope in Christ, " we are of all men
most miserable."

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 21

Batavia.

It is a beautiful morning, calm, still and bright.
The sparkling sun lies upon every herb and flower,
making them fresher and sweeter, and dressing
them in rich jewelry. I have just been out in my
garden, and gathered of " every flower that sweet
embroidery wears," and set them on my table.
Look at this sweet bouquet ! Here is the rich
Double Gillie Flower, with its rose-like petals and
fragrant perfume, and the Sweet White Rocket,
delicately tinged with purple, and the Nutmeg
Honeysuckle, rich in its perfume, and the graceful
Daisy, the " wee, modest crimson-tipet flower" of
Burns, and the Pansy " freaked w^ith jet," and the
Rose Sanguinea, with its rich crimson, and the
Oak Geranium, emblen^ of true friendship ; and
here they shall stand by me this day, that every
sight of them may remind me of my friends, and
give me the happiness of at least an imaginary
meeting.

I should like to make a little spot, like Milton's
Eden, with its bower, where

" On either side
Acanthus, and each odorous, bushy shrub
Fenced up the verdant wall ; each beauteous flower
Iris all hues, Roses and Jessamin

Reared high their flourished heads between, and wrought
Mosaic ; under foot the Violet,
Crocus and Hyacinth, with rich inlay
Broidered the ground, more colored than with stone
Of costliest emblem."

22

BTOORAPHIOAL REMAINS OF

I am tempted to neglect duty by my love of
flowers, more than by any other thing. It is a per-
fect passion with me, and I take an exquisite de-
light in raising and watching my flowers.

Batavia.

During the past week, the Lord has been pleased
to bless my efforts in the conversion of one young
man of very promising talents and fine character,
who I hope will become a minister of the Gospel.
I saw him on Monday, and conversed with him for
the first time, and tried to induce him at once to
devote himself to the service of God. He has
been piously educated, and I urged this consider-
ation upon him. When I spoke of his parents
and their instructions and prayers, it produced a
very great effect. He covered his face and wept
for some time, but he could not come to the
decision which I urged. Tuesday I saw him
again. He was greatly distressed, but yet was
unwilling to decide. The next day I found him a
new man, humble, and decided to live for God,
yet fearing to trust to his own resolution. But he
said it was the happiest day he had ever experi-
enced.

This evening, he attended our prayer meeting,
and when I called on him, he prayed with much

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 23

feeling, though with some embarrassment Thus
you see the Lord has not left me wholly without
encouragement. My heart has been cheered and
happy this week, more than for some time past.

I know that it is better to spend the first years
of a man's life in a small town, where he can have
more time for study than in a large place. Espe-
cially is it so with me, who am so much more fond
of exciting labor, than of patient and laborious
study.

We had the second meeting of our temperance
society last week, and had seventy-nine members
added, making one hundred and twenty-four in
the whole. Yesterday I organized a Juvenile
society for children under fifteen years of age,
and have about forty members. Every thing is
going on now as well as I could expect, and I
have abundant reason for gratitude to God for all
his croodness to me.

Bati

This is our communion season, commencing
to-morrow; and it is the custom, in this part of the
country, to have two or three sermons before the
Sabbath, so that I must preach twice to-morrow,
and thrice on Sunday ; and, as yet, I have been
able to prepare only one sermon. Now, if, like

24 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

some of my brethren, 1 could turn over a pile of old
sermons, and draw forth one or two for the occa-
sion, I should be little troubled. But I must make
them de novo, originate, elaborate, arrange, and
prepare for delivery, and alas ! there is not a ser-
monizing thought in my head, as big as a wheaten
straw. I have been trying to cudgel my brains
into activity, and the more I try, the more they will
not obey. 1 first laid hold of Butler. This was
very good, but did not set me on the right train of
thought. Now, if I only could run in and talk
with you and C. about anhour, I could come home
and write with ease. I take my pen as the next
best to talking, only I cannot have the benefit of
the bright thoughts you might suggest.

But how can writing a letter prepare the mind
for making a sermon? Why, thus: the mind, in
order to act with vigor, must be in a cheerful state.
The feelings must be awake, and the intellect ac-
tive. Now, with me, nothing effects this so
quickly as social intercourse. For this reason T
sometimes go into company, in order to think out
a sermon better than I can do it when alone.

Another reason is, that intercourse with my
friends prepares my mind to appreciate the love of
Christ. I have ever aimed to make my earthly at-
tachments assist the heavenly, and I find that the
more ardent is my affection for my friends, the more
I love my Saviour ; and when I cannot feel love to
him, I cannot feel much emotion towards them.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 25

To enjoy the society of my friends, or to call
them to mind by writing to them, is the best pos-
sible preparation for prayer and communion with
Christ.

But oh ! what intense affection will exist in
heaven, when every one will be like the Saviour,
and his love will bind them together, even as
Christ is in the Father, and the Father in him.
Did you ever examine the full import of the lan-
guage in the 17th chapter of John? There is a
fulness of meaning in it that demands study, and
meditation, and prayer. We shall all be one as
God and Christ are one ! How perfect, how pure,
how intensely joyful the union of such holy minds,
and what a society will they form !

The care of both the singing schools now de-
volves on me. I met the children the first time
this morning. I think I shall make a good class
of singers from among them. They are much in-
terested and seem glad to come.

Batavia.

Since our communion season, last Sabbath,
there has been an increase of feeling among Chris-
tians here, which leads me to hope for a better
state of things. My dear friend M. has commenced
making efforts with the younger members in both

2^ BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

the churches, and has engaged them to meet weekly
for prayer. This will keep up a right state of feel-
ing among them. And I am going to the married
ladies of both churches, to try and unite them in
a prayer meeting. I never felt so little desire for
a revival in my church, as distinct from other
churches, in my life. All sectarianism seems hate-
ful to me, and I want to unite all the dear Chris-
tians of this town in praying and doing good, that
thus there may be a revival in both churches, and
extending to the whole town.

Batavia.

I ATTENDED the prayer meeting at the Methodist
church, and, at the request of the brethren present,
I conducted the meeting. The old man, who asked
me, was once the most violently prejudiced against
Presbyterians of any in town ; but this prejudice
is now almost gone with him, and with many others.
I do not think that there ever has been such a
thing in that house before, as a Presbyterian minis-
ter leading a Methodist prayer meeting. It was a
very good meeting. Almost all my church were
out, and many young people. Such meetings,
more than any thing else, are likely to produce
revival ; and if 1 can see a revival of pure and un-
defiled religion, 1 do not care which church it is

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 27

in. If souls are saved and God is gloritied, it mat-
ters little by what agents he effects it ; and if he
sees fit to lay me aside, and employ some other
one, his will be done. I wish to be willing to be
nothing, and content to be lightly esteemed among
men. The praise of men is too much an object
of desire with me, and leads me often into tempta-
tion.

Batavia, Sahhath, P. 31.

I HAVE been to a prayer meeting in the Method-
ist church this afternoon. I find that I cannot
preach in the afternoon, if I take charge of my
Bible class in the morning, and therefore I preach
in the forenoon and evening. This gives me the
afternoon to rest; and I intend to go regularly to
the Methodist prayer meeting, and lead my church
there, and try if we cannot unite in prayer and
effort for a revival. I cannot but hope, that a joint
meeting of our churches, may be the means of
awakening new interest in religion throughout the
town.

I am delighted with the encouraging prospects
of my Sunday School, which has steadily increased
since I took the superintendence of it. The chil-
dren come with great regularity, and listen to my
instructions with eagerness. I can hold the eyes

28 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

of the smallest children as long as I wish to ad-
dress them. My own class in the school is in-
creasing in numbers and interest, and I am more
encouraged by the Sunday school than by any
thing else. The young men are coming steadily
to church, and listen to preaching with much in-
terest. I feel satisfied to stay and labor as long
as God chooses to keep me here.

Batavia.

Last week I visited Cincinnati, and, on my ar-
rival, I learned that the dearest friend and com-
panion I had in this region, was dead. He was
one of the loveliest men I ever knew. Oh, how
many sweet hours have we spent in singing toge-
ther, and in speaking of the joys he has entered
upon ! But three weeks before, I was at his house,
and parted from him in perfect health. I returned
and he was gone, and I was left to mourn over his
loss. I have never felt so keenly the death of any
individual in my life. I feel that it is the begin-
ning of that which I must soon know — the sunder-
ing, one after another, of the dearest earthly ties.

But O, how sweet the thought, that we are all
one family ; and when friend after friend has gone
home, how near and how sweet will heaven appear
to us ! A new attraction is added, to draw us up-

IIEV. GEORGE BEECHEK. 29

ward from earth, and to keep our thoughts above.
How could a person, who has seen almost alj
whom he loved here, going home to heaven, keep
his thoughts away from his rest, or cease to long
for the hour of his release! I have thought of the
petition of the apostle John in the Revelation, as
most touching all beautiful in this aspect. He
had survived all his companions in the ministry, all
the friends of his youth, all the beloved compan
ions of his sufferinors were sfone to their rest, and

too '

he was left alone; and when he that testified these
things, said, "Surely I come quickly," his heart
responded with deep emotion, " Even so, come
Lord Jesus !"

After all that grace will ever do to free us from
earth, how strong will be the influence of earthly
affections ! They will exert almost as much power
to draw down to earth, or to raise the thoughts to
heaven, as the love of Christ. Let us constantly
endeavor to have our hearts raised above the world,
by our attachments, rather than drawn down-
ward. Thus will our life be hid with Christ in
God, and when he appeareth, we shall appear with
him in glory.

Batavia.

With regular exercise, I am able now to study,
or write, or read nine or ten hours each day, a

30 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

thing I have not been able to do for years. I have
lately also been adopting the cold water system,
relinquishing tea as well as coffee, and I find the
effect very beneficial to my health. It is exceed-
ingly pleasant to be able to pursue this course, for
when I have my health, study is my delight. I
would be glad to sit in my room all day if I could,
and study from morning to night. Having been
so long deprived of the privilege, makes me value
it the more highly.

This week, when I could not write, I have been
reading Addison's Spectator. Many of the essays
are very instructive, and all of them amusing, I
like very much his essays on Milton's Paradise
Lost. This, you know, was the first critique
which brought the Paradise Lost into general favor.
The more I see of this work, the more I admire it.
Nothing in our own language, or in any other, can
equal the condensation of the style, the splendor
of the images, the gorgeous richness of language,
and the sublimity of the thoughts. I anticipate
great pleasure, in reading this delightful work
with you, and studying all its allusions to the
classics, which is needful to complete the interest
in readinof it.

Batavia.
During the last week I have entered upon a
new office, that of instructor and guardian. I told

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 31

you of the death of my dear friend C, a few weeks
since. He left a widow and five children; the old-
est, a boy, a little over thirteen, had just begun to
study, when his father died, and the family removed
where there was no school. I felt sorry to have
him deprived of a school at his age, and told his
mother I would take him and instruct him, if she
would permit. So he now is my room-mate and
ward. He is an interesting boy, and I feel pecu-
liarly attached to him for his father's sake. His
mind has been very susceptible on the subject of
religion for some months past. This evening I
have been talking and praying with him, and hope
he will become a Christian soon. I wish to ad-
vance him as far as I can, while I remain here,
that he maybe able to instruct his sisters at home.
It is "most delightful to be doing for a departed
friend what would gladden his heart if he were
here. I often feel that my friend C. would re-
joice, and does rejoice in heaven, that his son is
with me, with whom I believe he would have in-
trusted him rather than with any other person.

Batavia.

To-DAY I feel perfectly happy. Every thing
around me, all that memory calls up, and all that
hope anticipates, is full of the goodness of the
Lord. He has guided my feet through the dan-
gers and temptations of my childhood, and guarded

32 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

me by his own hand. He crovvneth me with the
blessings of his goodness, and my cup runneth
over. And when I look forward, I see every
thing in this life occurring by his direction, and
with his assuring pledge that it shall work for my
good. I know that we shall be happy, for infinite
wisdom and power and love are engaged in order-
ing all our way, and in providing for every want.
This morning, as I was praying for my friends, I
heard the robin singing its sweet, plaintive notes.
It was the song that had delighted my childhood.
It told of the opening freshness and beauty of
spring, and it called up all the joys of early days,
when my heart beat exulting at the first note of
the robin, or when the first green blades of grass
waked a thrill of delight; when, with sister H., I
used to roam the fields, scarcely unlocked from the
frosts of winter ; and on the little sunny hill-sides,
or by large rocks, or pebbly streams, gather the
first children of the spring. Oh, what happiness
did God give me then, when I could not provide
for myself! I could not but go back and recount
the mercies of God from my childhood, and praise
him for them; and I felt a sweetness in recalling
the memory of departed joys, that I have rarely
experienced. It is sweet to trace the hand that
gave them, and call to mind his exceeding precious
promises, that he will crown our days on earth
with goodness, and then, that through interminable
years we shall drink of the river of his pleasures.

RE\^. GEORGE BEECHER. 33

Batavia.

During the past week I have been to Cincinnati,
have mingled in society almost constantly, and
have often longed to be alone. That sweet hymn
of Cowper expresses my feelings :

" Far from the world, O Lord, I flee," &c.

How sweet to be alone with Jesus Christ, where
none can hear the expression of your feelings, and
then confide every thought and desire to him ! I
desire no higher happiness than to be alone with
him, to think of his love to me and mine. I have
preached twice to-day, one sermon on the greatness
of the love of Christ, and another on the influence
it exerts on the character. I preached on the same
subject at Cincinnati on Thursday evening; it is
so sweet a theme that I love to dwell upon it, and
though I have preached on this subject in differ-
ent places, six times within a few weeks, it seems
as new and interesting as ever ; and why should it
ever become trite or uninteresting T It will be our
theme, and the source of our highest joy for ever,
and why should it not fill the heart with ever new
delight '?

Batavia.

When in college, I used to feel as if no one
cared for me, or could feel respect or affection for

34 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

me ; and I made application, with fear and trem-
bling, to a young man to be my room-mate, whom
hardly any one would room with, because I thought
that nobody else would room with me ; and when
I saw young ladies whom I admired, I always
felt as if it would be vain to seek their friendship.
But since that time I have found that, with all my
great defects, those around me have loved me,
and those, too, whose discrimination and oppor-
tunities of judging are not limited.

I wonder if in heaven we shall ever be so sepa-
rated from those whom we love, as to feel regret at
parting ; or whether our temporary absence on
errands of love, will not serve to make us still
more blessed.

This I think is the meaning of the passage
" They shall go no more out ;" that is, they shall
never be permanently exiled from heaven, nor sepa-
rated from those they love. There shall be no
such separation as shall awaken one sensation of
sorrow, or cause one tear to flow, but "perfect
love and friendship reign through all eternity."

This morning, long before light, I awaked, and
the thought of the love of Christ " held my eyes
waking, so that I could not sleep." O what an
inexpressibly lovely being our Saviour is ! what a
combination of glorious perfections !

I mean to preach this evening from this passage,
*' The love of Christ constraineth us." I wish to
present to Christians and to sinners, the infinitely

REV, GEORGE BEECHER. 35

glorious and lovely character of our Saviour. Yet
what heart can conceive, or tongue utter it, but one
baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire !

Batavia.

From few of my friends have I ever received
expression of Christian feelings. Almost all seem
to feel, that restraint must be imposed upon the
soul, when religion is the theme, lest there should
be something to offend fastidious and worldly
tastes. Thus it is, that Christians meet, and con-
verse, and correspond, and know little or nothing
of the history of each other's Christian life. In-
stead of confessing faults one to another, and pray-
ing one for another, each seems to conceal as much
as possible, all that passes in the soul. This, I be-
lieve, is wrong. While we ought not to blazon to
the world our experience, we ought to be ready to
give to every one a reason of the hope that is in us.
There is, among Christians of the present day,
very little of that ardent love for each other, which
characterized the early Christians, and which
Christ prayed might subsist among all his disci-
ples : " That they all may be one, as thou. Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one
in us." Christians treat each other very politely,
talk on the general topics of religion, but how rare-

36 BIOGRAPHICAL IIKMAINS OF

Jy does heart meet heart, and the real ardor of
Christian love bind the souls of Christians togeth-
er. Your tendency to concealment, so far as it
partakes of this character, you should strive to
overcome, especially when it interferes with the
happiness of others. A communicative and frank
disposition, is far more fitted to win the con-
fidence and affection of the world in general, than
a retired one. Especially is this true of those in a
grade of society below us. If you wish to be
greatly useful, you must become communicative
to those whom you would influence. *' He that
would have friends, must show himself friendly,"
saith the proverb; and in like manner, he who
would draw out the feelmgs of others, must ex-
press his own. Just for illustration, let me be
egotistical a moment. I had a friend in college,
whose mind, for sometime, had been interested in
religion, but v/ho had forbidden any one to speak
to him on the subject. I introduced it one day, in
my own room ; he immediately said, " George, you
know I cannot talk on this subject, there are cir-
cumstances which forbid me to do it." *' I know
it," I replied, and then with all the ardor of a full
heart, I told him how I had felt and prayed for
him. He heard me with deep feeling; the guard
was down, ere he was aware, and he poured out
his whole soul to me. I have tried this often, and
never found it to fail ; and whenever I wish to gain
the confidence of another, I unfold mv own feel-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 37

ings first, and this draws them out to express their
own. Confidence begets confidence in all men,
and the most wary, suspicious, and reserved may
thus be led to open their hearts to you.

In order to do any person good, you must know
something of their secret feelings, and you must
seek to obtain this knowledge from all whom you
wish especially to benefit. You have a very good
opportunity to do this among your scholars. Se-
lect individuals, and determine to find out their
character and secret feelings, then open your own
heart to them ; let them see you, understand you,
and learn that you confide in them, and you will
soon gain unlimited control over them.

Batavia.

You recollect I spoke to you of my plan of
spending a year in Cincinnati, to study. Last
Friday, father and the other professors met, and I
laid the subject before them. After discussing
both sides of the question, about an hour, they
unanimously agreed, that I ought to take a year
for studying. The reasons are these. My course
of education in college, was interrupted by ill
health, both sophomore and junior years, so that I
was obliged to leave during the summers. In the
vacation of the first term of the senior year, I lost

38 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

the use of my eye, and this rendered study impos-
sible for two years ; during which time, to a great
degree, I lost my habits of mental discipline.
When I commenced my theological course, I had
no means of support, and was obliged to devote a
part of every day to the charge of a school, so that
I lost almost all opportunity of learning Hebrew.
At the close of my second theological year, I came
with father to this region. T was settled at Bata-
via when my health was very poor, and I have been
able to study but little. I have just contrived to
keep my mind from rusting, while I have nearly
regained my health, so as to be able to study. I
have never been able to spend time enough in
study to systematize my knowledge, and as I have
formed no habits of writing, they consider it of the
greatest importance that I should take time for this
object. At the present day, ministers can exert
more influence by the press than in the pulpit, and
every man ought to be able to write with clearness
and power. This I cannot do, and shall never
learn, until I am placed in more favorable circum-
stances. Habits of study must be formed, and
this cannot be done when subjected to the distract-
ing cares of a large church.

They thought that the question was to turn on
the amount of usefulness I might be able to effect,
during a whole life ; and in this view, one year
spent in training would double, or treble the
amount of my usefulness. T should then be fitted

REV. GEOEGE EEErHLR 39

to take any station which might be open to me,
and fill it with far better success, than I could with
my present illy trained mind. Besides, while I am
depressed by the consciousness of deficiency, when
in intercourse with others, I cannot have energy
to go forward, as if I were well trained, and able
to arrange and present all my knowledge properly.
Indeed, the question seemed to be, whether I
should be a first, or second-rate minister ; and in
the present day, when so much is to be done, they
thought that every man should, if possible, be
qualified lor the first rank.

At the present time, too, great effort is making,
to lower the standard of ministerial education, and
shorten the time of study ; and my stopping in my
labors and devoting a year to study, may have
some influence in elevating the standard, both in
the seminary and abroad. These reasons coin-
cide with my own views, and so far as I was able
lo comprehend the matter, I was decidedly con-
vinced that I had better studv another vear.

Bataria.

Let us provoke each other to love and good
works, and not be influenced by the desire of
popularity, lest we love the praise of men more
than that of Gorj. What ;i dreadtu) reward was ii

40 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

when the Pharisees sought to be seen of men, and
obtained what they sought — human favor with the
abhorrence of their God. I shrink with fear from
the thought of preaching, or studying from this un-
worthy motive ; for in exact proportion to its in-
crease will my love for Christ, and desire for his
favor, diminish. The only path to true greatness
is to seek the -favor of God, to study to show my-
self approved to him, rightly dividing the word of
truth.

Since I returned home, I have told some of my
people that I must leave them. They are greatly
afflicted, and some refuse to be comforted. I have
tried to lead them to look to God, and rest upon
him, and this morning I preached from Paul's ex-
hortation, " Be careful for nothing, but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
let your requests be known to God, and the peace
of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your minds and hearts ;" but all I can do, does not
seem to relieve their minds, though they all say
they think it is right for me to go, and will part
Vv'ith undiminished confidence and affection.

I can assure you it is hard, to sunder the ties
thus entwined around the heart. The attachment
between the pastor and his people is one of the
strongest and most pleasant upon earth. In addi-
tion to the Christian affection which subsists be-
tween the true disciples of Christ, there is the habit
of lookinor to him for guidance and instruction.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 41

To them he stands as Christ's ambassador. In
all their afflictions, he is present to soothe and com-
fort; and some here, with whom I have been, when
crushed by grief, or brought low by sickness, I
know will be very sorrowful when I leave. I dread
the day when I must part from them, to be their
pastor and guide no more.

Batavia.

Every day I find the ties that bind me here
stronger than I had ever anticipated. My own
church, and the best Christians among the Meth-
odists and Baptists, feel sad, and I have had to
sit down and weep, two or three times, when I have
thought of leaving. Indeed the only way in which
I can have any peace is, not to think, but patiently
wait the unfolding of God's providence. And then,
the prospect of the dissolution of my pastoral rela-
tion has brought it all in review, and I am filled
with sorrow and shame and sadness, at the re-
trospect. O, I am not fit to be a minister of the
Gospel, and if I could bear to do any thing else I
would. But I feel as Paul did, " A necessity is
laid upon me ; yea, woe is me if I preach not the
Gospel." I feel myself unfit, and wish that I could
escape so fearfiil a responsibility. But when I
think of unv other pursuit T cannot hear to ex-

42 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

change the preaching of the Gospel for it. But,
thanks be to God, who, when he put me into the
ministry, knew all my defects, and promised to be
with me and help me. I know he will give me his
aid, and I shall yet increase in usefulness, and by
past defects learn how to conduct better in future.
I hope that I shall press onward toward the prize
of my high calling.

Batavia.

I HAVE just come from the sanctuary, where I
have been administering the communion to my
church, probably for the last time, as their pastor.

Four years ago, this day, I commenced my
labors here, and next week my pastoral relation
will be dissolved.

It has been a pleasant yet mournful Sabbath.
All my church were weeping, and yet I believe
that Christ-^was with us to bless us.

It is with real pain that I leave this church. I
have lived among them happily, and believe I have
secured the affection of all, even of some who at
first were disaffected. But God has so pointed
out the course of duty that I feel no doubt what I
oufifht to do.

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 43

In the year 1836, while resident at Batavia, he
was called to labor a short time in Chillicolhe. At
that time, there was only one Presbyterian church
in that place, which, after some years, was divided,
and a portion of it was formed into a new church,
of which, eventually, he became pastor.

At this time, a large number of the church were
desirous to secure his settlement among them ; but
as he had decided to spend a year in studying, he
declined.

The following extracts are from letters written,
at that period, from Chillicothe.

Chillicothe, 1836.

It was a most miserably dull journey to this
place ; and, were it not for the company of a friend,
who entered with me the second day, and stayed
with me at the taverns, I should have been dreary
enough. As it was, we had much interesting con-
versation, and the time passed far more agreeably
than could have been expected. My companion
was a very intelligent Irish young gentleman, who
was educated at the University at Dublin, and ac-
customed to the most elevated and refined society.
He was well acquainted with Miss Porter, the
authoress, and other distinguished literati. He
told me that I was more like persons whom he was

44 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

accustomed to meet in Ireland, and less like Amer-
icans in general, who possess more secretiveness
than any other nation. I always thought I was more
like the Irish than like the Americans.

We had a long conversation on the character of
Jesus Christ, and I found that his views were re-
markably correct.

He had the "exquisite perception of what is beau-
tiful, affectionate and noble in it, which an ardent,
generous and independent mind, who had studied
the Bible for himself, would have; and yet he is
not a Christian. His mind is like Moore's, in his
exquisite perception of the thoughts and images
of the Bible. I urged him to devote Tiimself to
Christ, to serve and obey him, I promised to write
to him, and he engaged the same to me. I mean
to pray and labor for his conversion, and cannot
but hope that I shall succeed. While at the tavern
he took my Bible, and sat down with me in the
bar-room, and while I was reading in Martyn'slife,
he read in Isaiah with evident and earnest atten-
tion.

ChiUicotlie, 1836.

Sunday, P. M. — I preached this morning from
" Woe unto them when I depart from them, saith
the Lord." I tried to show this church how they
might make God depart from them. If you remem-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 45

her the sermon you heard from me, on grieving the
Spirit, you will know the general style of my ser-
mon, except that this morning, I was plainer and
more direct. I do not wonder that Paul used to
pray that " he might open his mouth boldly," for
there is no temptation greater, than to shrink from
a faithful declaration of the duty and the guilt of
a church, especially of a church that is intelligent,
wealthy and aristocratic.

But, by the grace of God, I did tell them their
sins and their duty, so that I do not think they will
easily forget. I told them, that when a church be-
came proud, and felt that because they were rich,
intelligent, and stood high in the world, they were
more important than other churches, and must have
a greater man for a pastor, God would not bless
their efforts ; and if they sought popularity, and for
this end, refused to examine what was duty, as in
the case of slavery, and other such topics, because
they were unpopular, that though they might gain
the praise of men, and have this reward, Gud
would leave them. Or, if they should shrink from
enforcing discipline, because offenders were rich,
or honorable, or influential, they would provoke
God to depart from them. I can assure you there
was a most solemn attention. I do not know how
they will like it, but I have done my duty, and I
leave the work with God.

46 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

ChiUicothe, Nov. 19, 1836.

This evening we have had another prayer meet-
ing, and the feeling among Christians appears deep-
er than at any previous time. We have had meet-
ings every evening since Saturday, and have ano-
ther prayer meeting to-morrow night. I shall
preach on Thursday evening, and probably every
evening till Sunday. I shall not leave now, till next
Monday, for the Lord has given me a work to do
which I cannot leave. I have M^ritten that I shall
not come home until next week. This evening I
have been delighted and refreshed, by a conversation
with a good pious elder. I never heard such a
flow of sweet devotional thought, full of Scripture
and hymns, breathing love and heavenly fervor, in
language simple, beautiful, and often elegant. He
is a German, and has the German accent, and such
a heart of love and tenderness I never met before.
I felt as though I could love and embrace him, and.
sit at his feet and hear him for hours. Such de-
lightful thouo-hts of heaven, and the fulness of its
joys, such parental tenderness towards Christians
around him !

There are some most precious Christians in this
place, and it would be delightful to live here where
there are some who could co-operate with me, and
labor with the impenitent, both by prayer and con-
versation. I can always work, where there are
those who are ready to unite with me. I am able

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 47

to take the lead, and teach them how to work ;
point out their fields of labor, and devise plans of
doing good. For this I am much better fitted, than
for the labor of a missionary, which must be in de-
tail, a constant succession of personal, unaided
efforts for years. I have worked in this way nearly
four years ; and I am satisfied that I can work in
another field with a far greater effect ; and if the
Lord opens the way for my removal, it will be my
duty to go.

Chillicothe, 1836.

I HAVE been surprised at the attachment which
a large part of this church have formed toward me,
during the short time I have been with them.
On Monday I shall go round and call on those who
are most desirous of my coming here, and explain
matters to them, and induce them to bear patiently
for a time, their disappointment. I tell them if
they think me worth having now, I shall be worth
twice as much after another year's study, and that
then they will have an opportunity to gain my la-
bors, should they continue to desire them. I do
not trouble myself as to the future. That I leave
to the Lord to direct as he pleases. But so far as
devoting a year to study is concerned, I am satis-
fied it will be the best thing I can do for my per-
manent usefulness.

48 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Chillicothe, Dec, 1836.

I HAVE been visiting to-day, and find it harder,
every day, to loosen the hold this people have on
me. The appearance of seriousness is such, that
I consented to stay until Thursday, and shall preach
to-morrow evening. I believe that God is working
by his Spirit Here, and that if any minister could
come here now, and labor and visit, there would be
a revival. 'Tis hard to leave them in this state,
and harder still to give them wholly up ; but as yet
I see no proper reason for altering my decision.

Tuesday, 27. I find it far more difficult to bear
the admiration bestowed by friends, than the re-
proaches of enemies. There is a constant tendency
to feel a higher pleasure in human approbation
than in that of God, and to think of myself more
highly than I ought to think. And yet it is not
possible for a man, who understands himself, to be
ignorant of his real capacities of speaking and in-
fluencing mind. The great thing to be aimed at
is, not to undervalue ourselves, but to attach a
proper value to what we really possess. I have
tried to meet this tendency to self-esteem, by bring-
ing all my mental qualifications before God, and
thanking him for their bestowment, while I con-
sider how little I have improved the capacities for
usefulness he has given me ; and thus, pride for
high attainments may be changed into shame for
so little improvement.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 49

To consider what I have received from God, and
not to glory as though I had not received it ; and
then to contrast what I am, with what I might and
ought to have been ; this I find aids me to think of
myself soberly, and as I ought to think. But I am
daily tempted, and I need your prayers, that I may
be kept humble, and never be led to exalt myself.
Oh, I do so love a humble and lowly frame of
mind ; it is so sweet to feel my own nothingness,
and to see God working by me for his own glory,
that I fear to have my heart become proud and
self-confident; I desire to be like a little child in
his hands.

The result of my labors in Chillicothe, has en-
couraged me, and inspired me with new hope of
success in laboring in the ministry. I have re-
ceived a little note, signed by nine young ladies,
who have recently become pious, thanking me for
my efforts to do them good. I can assure you that
my heart was cheered by this expression of gratitude.

In the summer of 1838, he was married to Miss
Sarah S. Buckingham, of Putnam, Ohio ; and soon
after took up his residence at Lane Seminary, for
the purpose of prosecuting the designed plan of
study. But before he had completed the time he
designed to devote to this object, he received a
call to preach in the Brick Church at Rochester,
with a view to his settlement there.

50 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Circumstances were such, that it was deemed
expedient for him to go on for the purpose. The
following are extracts from letters written during
his journey, and after his arrival at Rochester.
Some extracts, also, are from his private journal.

Pittsburg, Feb. 25, 1838.

After a very cold and fatiguing ride, we arrived
at this place, at one in the night. We were al-
most frozen, and went immediately to the stage
office to engage a passage, but found the stage full.
As the stage left only three times a week, and the
next stage was on Saturday, we were obliged, in
order to avoid travelling on the Sabbath, to wait
from Thursday till the next Tuesday. Though
the inconvenience, delay, and expense were great,
we concluded to reconcile ourselves to the disap-
pointment, and try to find some good Christian
friends to make our stay more comfortable. I first
called on Dr. H., the pastor of the first Presbyterian
church, who is a friend of father's. He appeared
at my call; a tall, stately, dignified man, with
manners rather reserved. I told him who I was,
and of my detention in the city, and just then Mr.
S., the minister at Alleghany town, came in, and I
found they were holding a series of meetings every
evening. Mr. S., who was to preach that evening,
told me I must preach for him. Dr. H. did not

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 51

seem to feel much interested, and said we must set-
tle the matter between us. I finally consented, and
preached that sermon you have heard, on inconside-
ration. When we returned. Dr. H. told me, in a
very cordial manner, that he should engage me for
the rest of the week to do most of the preaching,
that friend G. and myself must stay at his house, and
he would take his pay in preaching. We accord-
ingly removed to his house, where I have been
delightfully situated ever since. On Friday I
preached again, but felt very unwell. Still, I
preached with ease and interest. I became ac-
quainted with several ministers, and dined that
day with Mr. R., of the second church, who is a
very agreeable man. Saturday evening I preached
again to a large audience. I sat up in the even-
ing till twelve o'clock, preparing my sermon for
Sunday forenoon. My text was " The way of trans-
gressors is hard." I went through the analogical
argument, involving an analysis of the laws and
operations of mind, as exhibited in this life, and
the natural results of the same laws in a future
state, something after the manner of Butler. The
audience was large, and apparently attentive and
solemn. I was too much fatigued to preach in the
afternoon, but in the evening I preached to a
crowded house, from the text, " There remaineth a
rest to the people of God," and I never witnessed
more solemn and deep attention.

The family I am in is very pleasant. The

52 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

youngest daughter made me think of sister I., and
love her for her sake. G. and myself have en-
deavored, by our prayer^ in the family and our
conversation, to show how deep an interest we
feel for the spiritual welfare of the children of
the family, and I cannot but hope that our visit
may result in good to some of them. It is de-
lightful to be placed where I can labor unem-
barrassed by the discouragements of my past
course. I feel like a new man, for God blesses
my labors, people seem to love to hear me preach,
and solemn impressions are made. I am ready
to enter on my labors at Rochester Vvith new ardor
and hope.

Dr. H. treats me like a father, and Mrs. H., too,
has shown all the kindness of a mother. When I
was sick, and retired to my room, she came to fix
my fire, and minister to my wants, with the kind
and affectionate manners so grateful to the heart.
I feel that I shall leave kind and warm friends
behind, when I depart

Since writing the above, I have preached once
more on Monday evening. The house was full
and attentive, and on my return, Dr. H. took me
into his study, and told me he had a little sum to
present from some friends, in return for my labors.
I told him I did not need it, and did not expect it.
He replied that I was better off than most minis-
ters, if I did not need money, and that I must take
what was offered, as an expression of kind feeling

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 53

from his people. He then handed me fifty dollars,
saying that it was a donation from one gentleman,
who was much interested and affected by my
preaching. When asked to contribute something,
he took out fifty dollars, and when it was objected
to, as an unnecessarily large sum, he said he had
determined to give it when he heard me preach.
This, and the other offerings, made up a very hand-
some sum.

Before parting with the family of Dr. H, we
sung the hymn, " Blest be the tie that binds our
hearts in Christian love," and we parted, several
of us in tears. I never became so much interested
before in a family, in so short a time, or parted
with such regret. It seemed like leaving my home
again to go among strangers.

Rochester, March 7, 1838.

On Friday night last, I arrived at this place,
and soon a number of the brethren of the church
were gathered to receive me. All seemed to re-
joice that I had come, and welcomed me cordially.

From what I learned from the brethren, I con-
sidered that the church, having been without a
pastor for a long time, and dependent principally
on protracted meetings for revivals, were rather
prone to act from impulse, and to be inconstant.
4

54 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

I therefore prepared two sermons from 1 Cor. xv.
58: ''Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord." I took up, at full length, the
effect of acting from emotion, and of making this
the measure of Christian character, and the effect
of acting from principle, and urged the importance
of the latter, and set up the true standard of piety,
as being a firm, unwavering, e^eient purpose of
living to do the will of God, at all times and sea-
sons. I learned that the sermon was approved, as
correct and useful to the church. I called on
brother E. of the first church, this morning,
and told him the plan of my sermon. He seemed
pleased, and I think we shall work together very
pleasantly. Yesterday I commenced visiting, and
shall continue every afternoon to visit, converse,
and pray with the church. I am preparing to
preach a course of sermons, illustrating the neces-
sity of personal holiness to efficacy in prayer, in
action, and in example.

I feel that I have committed myself, and set
before my people a high standard of Christian
character, by which they will judge me ; and now
I must live a holy life, or else my influence will be
lost. A necessity is laid upon me, for the eyes of
this church, and of the city, will be upon me, and
if I am not spiritually minded, prayerful, humble,
and gentle, I shall do injury, and be useless as a
minister. But who is sufficient for these things?

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 55

My habits are so imperfect, my temper quick, my
nature impulsive, my thoughts earthly. Oh, if
Christ does not aid me, I shall sink ! Nothing but
the fervent piety, produced by constant communion
with him, can give me the victory. I must live a
life of prayer, and must study the Bible, to be im-
bued with its spirit. O Lord, uphold me with thy
hand : I flee unto thee !

Rochester.

Every afternoon, I visit with one of the elders.
It is easy to perform pastoral duty, where there are
such elders as I have to assist me. The Session
consists of just such men as I could wish to be
with me, and there are a great number of devoted
men in the church.

Yesterday I met some excellent women. They
are poor, and received me with great joy. Some
of them said, they had never before received a
pastoral call. They have been some time without
a pastor, and my predecessor was in poor health '
You cannot think what refreshment it gives me, to
go around and witness the fervent piety of God's
children, to hear of their trials and difficulties,
and to give them counsel and pray with them.
My heart grows more and more interested in the
work of the Lord every day.

56 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

It is a practical feeling now, and not one of
mere theory, I desire more and more earnestly to
imitate perfectly the meek and gentle and lovely
spirit of Christ ; so humble, so unostentatious, so
regardless of his own interests and reputation, so
unwearied and constant in his labors! Oh that I
were more like him ! I do try every day to
become conformed to his likeness. I especially
desire to become more meek. My impetuosity of
feeling and nervous irritability can never be over-
come, but by a most diligent and unwearied course
of self government and watchfulness and prayer.
I am laboring to become more gentle — to speak
mildly — and to be less positive in my opinions.
But it is a hard conflict, and one where I need the
constant assistance of God.

Rochester, March 17, 1838.

During the past week, I have visited about
twenty families of my church, and find most of
them in a progressive state of religious action and
devotedness. With others it was different.

Some did not enjoy the duty of prayer. One
could not do so, from having wrong views of faith:
and because she could not exercise faith by direct
volition, was discouraged.

Another had, during sickness, enjoyed a very

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 57

heavenly frame of mind, but on recovery, the
cares of household affairs, which had accumulat-
ed during her sickness, occupied her mind, and
she was led back to worldliness. One had four
sons without piety, had become cold and worldly,
and was living without family worship. I strongly
urged the obligation of resuming this duty. One
young man, who had studied for the ministry,
having studied Phrenology, drank in infidel princi-
ples, from some who have written on this subject,
and rejected revealed religion as a vain thing.
This shows how important it is for a minister to
be acquainted with Phrenology, that he may point
out the fallacies of infidels, who pervert it to their
own ends.

Another Christian had grown cold and worldly,
by removing from one place to another, thus losing
intercourse with Christians and declining in piety.

I found a great deficiency in almost all parents,
in faith and efforts for the conversion of their chil-
dren. Few seemed to feel that children of from
four to twelve will become pious, or to labor for it.
I must preach on the subject.

Last evening the prayer meeting of the church
was held, and notwithstanding the unpleasant
weather and darkness and mud, a large portion of
the church were there. I urged very strongly
that they should begin, immediately, a course of
systematic action for the conversion of souls around
them; that every one should immediately select

58 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

some one as an object of prayer and constant
labor, and induce them to attend the various
meetings. There was much interest manifested,
the prayers of the brethren showed a right spirit,
and I hope good will result from the meeting. If
this church can be properly trained to labor, there
will be a constant revival. My great object is to
lead them to enter upon the work of the Lord /or
life, so as not to waver, or decline.

Thus I have again committed myself; and if my
example does not correspond to my exhortations,
they will all be in vain. I need the constant and
special assistance of my Saviour. I think I have
some increased in the consecration of myself
wholly to him, and am beginning to learn to be
humble. Still I need constant watchfulness and
prayer, that I may be kept from falling. I cannot
bear the burden of so great a church, and lead so
holy a life as will lead them on to higher spiritu-
ality, unless I pray and meditate on eternal things
more than I have done. I must give myself wholly
to my duties, that my profiting may appear
unto all.

Rochester.

I THINK my heart is becoming more deeply in-
terested in my work. I feel more and more desi-
rous to please Christ, and to do every thing for his

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 59

glory. I wish to have all my efforts such as he
will approve, and to preach in such a manner as
will secure his love. When I look at my charac-
ter, I see great changes are needed, to make my
example illustrate the spirit of the gospel. I am
greatly deficient in meekness and gentleness. Yet
I can become meek. Those who have had feel-
ings as strong as mine, have learned to control
them. The Apostle John had, at first, a quick
and hasty temper, but how sweet and gentle did
he become ! Henry Martyn was irascible and vi-
olent, but he became emphatically " the meek
man." By God's help, I am determined to labor
to attain this calm, and peaceful, and gentle spirit,
and to show the loveliness of holiness in my life.

This afternoon, I heard of some things said of
me by a ministerial brother, in whom I had great
confidence, which pained me, and weakened my
confidence in him. One thing I ought to notice
in the effect produced by this. When I found
that there was an implication that I was deficient
in talents, my pride was at first wounded. Let
me take care that I do not estimate myself more
highly than I ought. I am in danger on this point.
Attention from others, and some flattery, have
made me liable to fall. May God preserve me. I
have been to Christ and prayed for grace, that I
may not cherish any unkind feelings towards this
brother, but ever maintain a meek, and gentle,
and humble spirit.

60 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Rochester.

Since last Sabbath I have had no elasticity of
mind. I have spent the usual hours m my study
every morning, but my health oppresses my mind,
so that it will not work. The labors of the Sab-
bath were severe and tired me extremely. After
writing my sermon on personal holiness, which I
completed Saturday noon, I rested through the af-
ternoon. But Sabbath morning, I began another
upon inconsideration, and became much excited,
writing till it was time to preach. I returned at
noon, and finished it by afternoon service, writing
under intense excitement. Then I preached
again in the evening. All this fatigued me, both
in body and mind. On Monday I attended ses-
sion meeting, at 8 in the morning. Then, a
prayer meeting of the clergy of all denominations,
at 9 o'clock, after which we had a discussion on
the means of promoting the observance of the Sab-
bath, till 12. At 2 o'clock, I attended a funeral
and spoke. At 3, 1 attended a meeting of session,
to examine candidates for admission to the church.
One was an Irish girl of a Catholic family. She
witnessed a good confession. This is the second
we have received from Catholic families, and there
are others to be received. In the evening, I at-
tended the meeting for inquiry. Fourteen were
present, seven or eight of them persons recently
interested in religion. The others were persons

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 61

having the Christian hope, or professors who had
declined from duty.

Tuesday and Wednesday, my body clogged and
chained my mind. I can only, at such times, con-
tinue to perform duty as if I had enjoyment in re-
ligion, and wait till the clouds pass away.

The meetings for discussion respecting the ob-
servance of the Sabbath, continued Tuesday and
Wednesday. A number of merchants and millers
were present, and the question respecting provid-
ing means to transport their merchandise on the
six week-days, was fully discussed, and all the dif-
ficulties pointed out. At last it was unanimously
agreed, that it was the duty of Christians to attempt
so to arrange their business, as that their property
should not be transported on the Sabbath. I ex-
pect much good will result from this meeting. It
was a delightful thing to see ministers and Chris-
tians of all denominations, mingling in full and af-
fectionate consultation upon the great interests of
the Redeemer's kingdom. It tends greatly toi
unite our hearts in Christian love.

Rochester, April.

Yesterday I preached the last of my course of
five lectures on the importance of eminent holiness.
In the afternoon I preached on the love of Christ,

^ BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

from Ephesians iii. 17, 18 : " That ye, being root-
ed and grounded in love, may be able to compre-
hend with all saints what is the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height; and to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge."

My object was to enable my hearers to conceive
that state of mind in Christ, which could have
prompted him to create such a race of beings, with
the knowledge that their sin would render it neces-
sary for him to suffer for them all that he after-
wards endured.

I presented the grand outline, commencing with
the creation of a race of free beings, their fall, and
restoration from sin, and then the higher design of
unfolding the character of God our Saviour, in
such an aspect as to induce them all to love him
henceforth and for ever ; thus preventing the intro-
duction of any more sin, and rendering it possible,
without danger, to extend the bounds of the intelli-
gent universe without any limit. The subject so
filled my mind on Saturday, that I could not write
my sermon, and in order to let off steam, I sat
down and wrote a letter to one of my sisters — but
by Sunday morning, I had become so far cooled
down, that I could draw out my plan.

In the afternoon, I presented what Christ had
done to restore men from their degradation, and in
the evening, I reviewed the afternoon sermon, and
endeavored to present the great and glorious design
ofChrist, with reference to the whole universe. I

REV, GEORGE BEECHER. 63

never saw an audience listen with more interest.
I spoke with perfect ease, and seemed to see the
whole subject in one distinct picture.

The Sunday before, I gave my people, in the
evening, the sermon on Heaven. It was listened
to with almost breathless attention, and I have been
urged to preach it again. There is some comfort
in preaching where every sermon is appreciated,
and produces its appropriate effect. It is easy to
write, and easy to preach to such a people.

There is a state of more cordial affection here,
among Christians of all denominations, than I have
seen in any other place. There is a meeting, every
Monday, of ministers of all denominations, to pray
for the blessing of God on our labors. Each of us
tells the subject of last Sunday's discourse, and
then unite in prayer ; and then we talk of other
matters relating to the cause of Christ in the city.
Thus, every week, we learn the state of things in
the city, and learn to love and pray for each other.
The session of my church meets every Monday
morning, at 8 o'clock, to pray together, to devise
plans of usefulness for the coming week, and to
stir each other up to love and good works. If any
of the brethren seem remiss, we visit them, and
thus the Session is, as it was designed to be, a board
of overseers, watching the flock over whom the
Holy Ghost has appointed them,

I have never seen a church that came nearer to
the primitive standard, and here T find it not so

64 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

difficult to live a holy life. I have tried hard to do
it ill other places, but seemed to stand almost alone,
and could not breast the current. But here, I have
those who will help me, men of tried experience
and piety and wisdom, upon whom I can lean.

Rochester.

I DESIGN a series of plain, practical directions
in regard to the hinderances of religion in the
family. This evening I presented two of them —
the neglect of family prayer ^ and the icant of sys-
tem. The latter I particularly urged, as being
destructive to fervent piety and religious enjoyment.
I pressed the duty of arranging every thing in the
family, so as to have all the affairs tending to one
point, that of giving full time to children and do-
mestics to attend private and social prayer and the
study of the Bible, so that all the arrangements of
the family shall be subordinate to the cultivation
of religion. The more I think of it, the more I
feel, that this is the vital point in the family; and
that, to enable parents to maintain a high degree
of holiness, and to bring the children to become
Christians early, there should be such a systematic
arrangement of affairs as to make every person in
the house feel, that religion is the first and all-
controlling end for which they are living, A fa-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. Oo

mily, thus managed, is the best place for the culti-
vation of piety on earth. I long to begin house-
keeping, that our house and all our affairs may be
dedicated to God, with the hope that the influence
of our family may be so holy that all who abide
with us may feel it.

Rochester.

Last night, I preached on the subject, " The
fear of man bringeth a snare." I had little time for
preparation, owing to a meeting in the afternoon,
and consequently did not speak with ease, nor han-
dle the subject properly. I was ashamed of myself,
and felt almost a wish that I need not preach any
more. But this was partly the result of the inordi-
nate love of human estimation. I preached against
it in others, but had it to struggle within myself.
May God make me humble, for this spirit alone can
enable me to draw near and commune with him.
The proud he knoweth afar off.

In reading the life of J. B. Taylor, the other
day, I noticed that he made an earnest effort to
obtain full assurance, and at length attained it.

I do not feel doubt as to my own prospects, nor
anxiety for more confidence. I feel that it is of
less importance to secure this, than to do the will
of God, and to gain daily and near access to him
in prayer. This I desire to do, and am deter-

65 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

mined, by his assistance, so to live, that I can " en-
ter into the secret place of the Most High, and
abide under his shadow." I long to know more
of God, and to become so holy that he can dwell
with me, and grant me communion with himself.
When I look at every thing in this world — my
friends, ease, honor, and even on my own dear
wife — I feel that they are nothing compared with
God. I sometimes find my heart becoming too
much absorbed by earthly affection; sometimes
the desire to acquire more property, for a short
time enters my mind ; sometimes I wish to have a
pleasant house and every temporal comfort, but
then I feel again, that I am a pilgrim and stranger,
and all these things seem of little value. I think
my sense of the nearness of eternal things increases
continually, and that I act more in view of them.

Sunday.

It is a most lovely spring day, so bright and
joyful ! All nature seems so lovely ! Just now
I heard the plaintive warble of the robin, the
first bird of spring. Oh, it is like my child-
hood, when the robin's note told of the broken
power of Winter, and of Spring's gentle reign !
How much there is that is lovely and delightful
in this world, when our hearts respond to the
tones of Nature's voice, and sin does not de-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 67

stroy the deep calm ! My Father is seen in every
thing around. The bright sun, like the light of
his countenance, cheers the earth, and the voice
of his love is on every breeze. It is a fit day for
the holy Sabbath's rest, that blessed type of hea-
ven. I have prepared my sermons, and feel quiet,
and free from anxiety.

Yesterday, I saw a scene of sorrow which still
is telling me that this world is not my home.
The little child of brother B. is dead. I called
in the morning, and the little sufferer stretched
out its hands to me, and I carried it in my arms
till it fell asleep. It seemed to look to every one
for help ; with silent eloquence stretching out
its little hands, as if we could give it relief
In the evening I called as it was breathing its
last. I stood by, as its breath grew shorter and
shorter, till it ceased, like the expiring of a flicker-
ing flame. It seemed to fall asleep as gently, as in
its mother's arms. The Saviour was taking it to
his own fold, where the rude storms of earth should
not visit it, nor sin defile.

There is nothing so mysterious as the sufferings
of an infant. Why should it suffer? It has done
nothing amiss, and yet it lies and groans and
writhes in agony, and the parents' intense desires
to relieve it, are all in vain. In some fearful way
sin is the cause. God has taught us that sin can-
not be checked without suffering, and that even the
innocent are involved. Before even one could be

68 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

restored from its power, the Son of the Father, a
perfectly innocent being, must come down and
suffer ; and Nature repeats the same sad story at the
dying couch of every infant. It suffers for the good
of the parents — a severe yet healthful discipline.

Rochester.

This evening, I preached from Psalm xvii : 15.
" 1 shall be satisfied when I awake with thy like-
ness." This subject always rests my mind, and re-
freshes me. The anticipation of the day when every
longing shall be satisfied, is most soothing. Oh
that I may live more as a stranger and pilgrim !

The pressure of duties in preparing sermons, and
in visiting, renders it difficult to maintain a near
and abiding view of heaven ; and I am sometimes
led into a state of mere formality. It is difficult
to maintain spirituality of mind, under the pres-
sure of such constant labors. But if I decline in
spirituality, every thing else goes with it. May
the Lord strengthen me for this arduous work !

Rochester.

During the past week I have suffered much
from dyspepsy, which has unfitted me for study,
and depressed my spirits. Sometimes I have

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 69

felt almost like shrinking from the labors I have
undertaken here, as too great for me. My throat
and lungs have several times troubled me, after
speaking, and I have feared that this climate might
affect my health. Every day, I feel drowsy and ac-
complish but little. And then I have been trou-
bled with irritability, and once I became excited
before a large company of young people, and spoke
with a degree of harshness and positiveness that
was unchristian. At home, my soul was bowed
down with shame and sorrow, as I confessed my
sin to Christ. Oh my wretched habits ! when shall
I conquer them, and live constantly near my Re-
deemer ! Oh my Saviour, wilt thou keep me, for I
feel that without thee I am weak and wretched and
helpless 1

To-morrow I must preach, and I have but one
sermon prepared. I feel no energy or activity of
mind, and I am too desirous of producing some-
thing new and striking. I will try to bring forth
the truth of God with plainness and sincerity, so
as to approve myself to him.

RocJiester.

This evening we had a delightful prayer meet-
ing. Though the weather was cloudy and the
streets muddy, more than two hundred were pre-

70 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

sent. All things indicate the presence of the
Lord with us. This morning I enjoyed a delight-
ful season in prayer, and especially in meditating
on the 14oth Psalm. I have been much distressed
with dyspepsy to-day, and all the week have been
unable to write or think with profit. But still, I
have had a sweet consciousness of desiring to do
the will of God, and a feeling of cheerful and pa-
tient resignation to him, in thus being sick, and
prevented from studying as I desire. I have been
tempted to feel hardly toward a brother Christian,
who, as it seems to me, has treated me rather dis-
honorably. But I trust I have put the evil feeling
down, and can pray for him with sincere love. I
called on him to pray in meeting to-night, and en-
tered with pleasure into his prayer. God grant me
a meek, and humble, and forgiving spirit.

Rochester, June 29, 1838.

Yesterday I was installed as pastor over the
Brick Church. Hitherto, the connection between
us was one that could easily be dissolved. Now,
we are bound together by solemn vows of mutual
assistance and devotedness. I am now the pastor
of this church, and their hope and affections will
rest on me, their eyes be turned to my example,
and their conduct be influenced by it. Especially

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 71

will the children and young people look to me for
instruction and example. I must be a holy man.
Woe is me if I am not! And yet, I am very far
from that state. Now, I do again devote myself to
Christ. I am his minister, and his flock is com-
mitted to me. I will strive to live continually
under his guidance, and to enjoy his light in my
soul.

Rochester, Nov. 20.

Since I last wrote in my journal, many events
have occurred of importance to my eternal inte-
rests. The depressing effects of ill health and hot
weather, the ensnaring influence of prosperity, the
society of my friends, and my anxiety for my wife's
health, so occupied my thoughts, that, through the
summer, I accomplished but little in my Redeem-
er's service, and laid the foundation for the afflic-
tions which have visited me. On September 14th,
my first child was born. It was feeble, and after
some weeks, was attacked with violent spasms,
ending with dropsy in the head. Its life was
closed November 6th, seven weeks and four days
from its birth. It was a most painful trial to give
up all the hopes I had cherished. But the care of
my wife and child had made me selfish, engrossing
my thoughts and time, and unfitting me for my

72 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

duties as a pastor, and therefore my Saviour took it
from me. I believe the effect of this chastisement
has been for my good. I have prayed and read the
Bible more, and given myself more entirely to my
work as a pastor, than before. I have made some
progress in growing in grace, since that time, but
am far behind what I was at former periods. There
are many faults in my character, which fill me with
shame. There is a great want of meekness and gen-
tleness in my manners, I am often harsh in speak-
ing, and I have not brought my body under so as to
control all my propensities. I often lose time and
clearness of mind by excess in eating. It does
not seem as if I took more than I need. I rarely
satisfy my appetite, and yet I suffer afterwards.

Another great fault is, unwillingness to make
pastoral visits. I have a great dread of this, and
always have had. Naturally, I am timid and bash-
ful in society, and now, it is with great pain and
effort that I undertake to visit ; and when I am des-
titute of bodily energy, I give it up almost wholly.
I feel that it is wrong, and yet I do not reform.

Rochester J Nov. 21.

I SPENT a season yesterday in self-examination
and prayer, which has been of great service. It
brought me nearer to my Saviour, and enabled me

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 73

to rest on him as a weak and guilty sinner. It was
good to feel my own unworthiness, and confide my
interests wholly to him. Oh, I desire to know him
more and more, and to abound in love, till I am
rooted and grounded in him.

Rochester, Sabbath, Dec. 2.

During the past week, I have enjoyed a calm
and uniform state of religious feeling. I have not
been obliged to make such efforts to keep my
thoughts and feelings aright. My mind flows into
the channel of heavenly things without effort. I
have prepared a sermon for Christians this week,
pointing out the evidences against piety. I have
had strong desires for God's blessing all the time I
was writing it. I long to present ?)i7/ ichole church
before God.

Rochester.

This afternoon I rode out to a green-house, six
miles distant from the city. There, among the
beautiful plants and flowers, my soul was revived.
Their silent beauty speaks to my heart, and I feel
peace and joy while I am with them. I purchased
a number to keep in my room for company, while
I am separated from my beloved wife.

74 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

3Iay 1, 1839.

I HAVE been appointed delegate to the General
Assembly at Philadelphia, and have been looking
forward with interest and anxiety to that meeting,
and praying for protection from the temptations
I shall meet there. I heretofore have always been
where I could lean on others, and act by their ad-
vice. In college, brother) Edward was my guide ;
in the seminary, Dr. Taylor, and at Batavia my
father. In Presbytery, I never felt that I could ex-
ert influence, because I considered myself as a
youth, and that every one so regarded me. As I
did not think my opinions would have much weight,
I gave them without reflection. This prevented
me from acting with dignity, and forming a habit
of deliberate action. Now, I am in a different po-
sition. The pastor of a large church, in an influ-
ential Presbytery, my opinions will have weight,
and more will be expected of me. I must watch,
and in all things act as becomes a minister of Jesus
Christ. My natural disposition is ardent, my habit
of thought impulsive, my mode of generalizing too
rapid, and these lead me to form and express opin-
ions without sufficient care and reflection. This
detracts from their weight on other minds. Now,
I am bound to honor Christ with all my powers, to
deliberate carefully, to advise judiciously, and to
exert as much influence as possible to promote his
cause.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 75

I am in some danger of being influenced by party
spirit, at this time. Such scenes as have occurred
before in the General Assembly, may be acted over
again, and unmoved by the influence of friends or
party, I must study to show myself approved of
God.

The subject of Slavery will come up, and demand
that I act with decision. I am apt to yield to the
suggestions of friends for the sake of peace, and
not to adhere so steadily to my own views of what
God directs.

In view of these circumstances, I resolve in the
strength of God :

1. That I will act independently, relying on God
and not on men. I will open my mind with hu-
mility to instruction from ajiy quarter, and then
commit my way to God, that he may direct my
steps.

2. I will not be influenced by party spirit, nor
sustain any measure because those with whom I
sympathize, wish it, but will seek simply what I
believe to be the will of God.

3. I will abstain from frequent speaking, and
will pray much during the session of the Assembly ;
and when I do speak, will not do it without con-
sideration and prayer on the subject.

4. I will attempt at all times to speak in a kind
and gentle manner, to maintain love for all, even
for those who I think violate the clearest rules of

he Bible, and will pray for God to direct them.

76 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

5. For this end, I will abstain from speaking of
the faults of others, or canvassing their conduct
with others, nor will I attribute any bad motives to
those who differ from me, if I can discover a good
one ; attempting in all things to conform myself to
that charity described in the 13th of Corinthians.

Lastly, I will examine myself by these resolutions
to see where I fail, and pray for strength to keep
them.

Neic-York, May 10.

During my journey, the hurry and bustle of rapid
travelling and crowded boats and cars, rendered
meditation and prayer almost impossible. I felt
confused, and unable to fix my thoughts on any
thing, though I endeavored to maintain the spirit
of prayer. But in all the journey I did nothing to
save souls, and spoke to no one on the subject of
religion, except when I read the Bible and con-
ducted worship on the canal packet.

When surrounded by a crowd of strangers, I feel
timid, and disposed to remain silent and unknown,
and yet I am distressed by feeling that I am sur-
rounded by immortal minds, most of them without
God, and still am doing nothing for them. Would
Paul, would my Master be silent in these circum-
stances ? I am determined, by God's help, to do
every thing his providence opens before me, so that
I may diffuse blessings in all my course.

KEV. GEORGE BEECHER. 77

Philadelphia, May 22, 1839.

Since I have been here I have been enabled
generally to maintain a spirit of reliance on God
and obedience to him. I think I have been ena-
bled to observe all the resolutions formed in view
of my duties in the Assembly. But I have found
the temptation to act from regard to human opin-
ion very strong, and sometimes fear I have yielded
to it.

I have been assisted, in discussing matters before
the Assembly, to maintain a calm manner, and
have spread every matter before God, and sought
his guidance, especially in regard to the subject of
slavery. On this there has been much discussion,
and I have been compelled to take an independent
course, and not identify myself either with aboli-
tionists or anti-abolitionists.

Rochester y June 19.

I HAVE abundant reason to bless God for his pro-
tecting care and love to me, during my absence
from my people, and for his grace to my church.
For the greater part of the time I have lived near
to Christ. In the society of my dear brother Ed-
ward 1 was greatly profited and refreshed, and in
the society and affection of my sisters and friends,
5

78 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

some of whom I had not seen for years, 1 was
greatly cheered. God has filled my cup with
blessings, rich and abundant. Since my return, I
have enjoyed much comfort in prayer and studying
the Bible, and have felt increasing desire to learn
more of God, and to attain higher degrees of holi-
ness.

I find that I am in danger of making the doc-
trine of entire sanctification too frequent a theme
of argument, instead of holding up the truths that
will tend to lead my people to become more holy.
1 am perfectly convinced that God does require
our entire sanctification, that it is possible, and that
he has made abundant provision for it, in the
promises, and the gift of his Spirit. But I am not
satisfied that it ever has, or ever will be attained
in this life, though I am sometimes inclined to think
that it will when I look at God and his promises.
But when I look at myself, I feel as if it never
would. I know one thing, however, for which I
bless God, and that is, that I shall reach the point
ofperfect holiness at the end of my course, and
that, even now, I may maintain a conscience void
of offence toward God and man.

I have long been convinced that a far higher de-
gree of holiness than is attained by the most devot-
ed Christians of the present day, may be obtained
by all the church, and that the promise of the
Spirit to the latter days, gives us reason to expect
It now.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 79

I have felt sure that the errors of perfectionists
have arisen from being deluded by the Great Deceiv-
er, in their pursuit after a real, glorious object,
which they perceived to be set forth in the Bible
as attainable by all. It has seemed to me that in
regard to the brethren at Oberlin, their efforts to
raise a higher standard were very important.
Whether their theory is true, I know not.
Whether the state to which some of them profess
to have attained is one of entire sanctification, I
am not qualified to say, for I do not know the real
state of their minds, nor have I opportunity to ob-
serve their conduct. But I should judge by their
writings that some of them had learned by experi-
ence, that rich and full assurance of love, which
Mrs. Edwards enjoyed, as described by President
Edwards, and that which James B. Taylor also
attained. It is a state in which the whole soul
feels only the promptings of love, so as to be con-
scious of acting from no other principle ; when the
feeling is that described by Paul, " the love of
Christ constraineth me."

This point I have not yet reached, but I believe
I may reach it as certainly as any other Christian,
and this state, by the grace of God, I am deter-
mined to reach. I know that the promises of God
ensure it, that the Holy Spirit is ready to lead me
to it, and that Jesus Christ desires thus to trans-
form me, that my soul may thus dwell in God and
God in me.

80 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Rochester.

When I returned home from Philadelphia, it
would have done your heart good to see the affec-
tion with which I was welcomed by my people.
The Lord has given me the heart of all my church.
The children, too, all crowded around me. I have
them now all organized into classes, to meet on
Wednesday for religious instruction, and on Satur-
day for instruction on miscellaneous subjects.
These meetings are fully attended. Yesterday,
about eighty were present. Next Saturday I shall
begin a course in Natural Theology, showing them
various objects through my compound microscope,
illustrating the wisdom and benevolence of God.

I forgot to tell you that I have purchased me about
twenty pots of beautiful flowers. I expect them
home from the green-house to-day. I have a fine
large flower-stand, and when they are all well arrang-
ed they will afford me good society in the absence
of my dear wife. My shells, too, are very beau-
tiful,and when arranged will appear very rich.

Since the breaking up of my family, I have felt
more of the Gospel in my heart than before, for I
have been compelled, as it were, to seek relief from
loneliness in communion with Christ, and thus he
has blessed the trial to the good of my soul. Some-
times, when in my solitary room, my heart seems
struck with sadness, as a sense of loneliness comes
over me, till I go and pour out my heart to my
Saviour, and then I do not feel alone.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 81

Rochester, Aug. 19,1839.

My general health is far better than it usually
has been in summer, and I am able to accomplish
a far greater amount of labor with less fatigue than
ever before. Probably this is more owing to the
peace of mind which I enjoy, and the steady health-
ful activity of all my faculties. I do not need to
rouse myself up to a high pitch of excitement, to
be able to preach with earnestness and deep sin-
cerity, for I feel it continually. Nor, in visiting,
do I have to struggle against sloth and timidity, as
I once did, every time I attempted to visit. It is
easy now to go from house to house, to speak of
Christ and to pray to him. I feel that he is work-
ing in me that sweet and perfect liberty of love,
which casteth out fear, and gives peace to the soul.
And yet I never felt so much my own littleness. I
seem like a little insect before the infinite God. It
seems almost incredible that he should have bowed
from his high elevation, to become allied to such
degradation and depravity as exists in me.

Last Sunday, I preached from the words, " Be-
hold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
on us, that we should be called the sons of God."
It does seem astonishing, that the infinite God
should condescend to call us his sons, and when I
think what a price was paid to bring us into this
relation, I am utterly amazed. But we shall know
more of this mystery as eternity shall roll on. As

82 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

the heavens are high above the earth, so are his
ways above our ways, and his thoughts above our
thoughts.

In hearing a recent lecture on the fixed stars,
showing their amazing distances, I thought, what
an apt illustration of the infinite love of God, the
heights and depths and length and breadth of which
passes all comprehension !

Nothing contributes so much to my increase in
knowledge, as the study of the Bible. It is strange
that Christians will deprive themselves of the com-
fort and strength which the word of God affords.
It is easy to maintain holiness, if they will but keep
their minds in contact with God by studying the
Bible. We must spend as much of our time in
studying his word, and in prayer, as we do in the
society of our friends, if we wish our minds to be
assimilated to his, for in no other way can we be-
come like him. It is long-continued and frequent
intercourse, that makes two minds become united
in feeling and affection, and thus it is that we must
live in Christ. As the fathers ate manna in the
wilderness, so must we eat of Christ, that living
bread that came down for the life of the world ;
and we must eat it daily, as they did, or we have
no life in us."

After a period of exhausting labor and excite-
ment, in his pastoral office, he writes thus : —

KEV. GEORGE BEECUER. 83

In a body unstrung by disease, and exhausted by
excitement, it is impossible to feel the calmness and
peace indispensable to equanimity of temper. Still
I have been able to govern my temper better than
at previous times. I have tried to restrain myself
from speaking unkindly or irritably, and for the
most part have been preserved from it ; yet I am
troubled by a sense of great deficiencies in all
points, and have not strength of body or mind to
feel or think. I have been so long accustomed to
consider religion as consisting chiefly in a right
state of feeling, rather than in a calm and steady
purpose of obedience, thai it is difficult to shake it
off; and when I am not in a state of religious en-
joyment, from bodily weakness, and feel the fear
of guilt, Satan takes advantage of it to goad me on
to act beyond my strength, and then a reaction
takes place.

I am in danger of being thus driven on till my
nervous system is shattered, and then to feel a
nervous dread and abhorrence of the course which
injured me. I have been thus broken down two
or three times in my past life, and suffered a ner-
vous dread of all feeling and action for months. I
cannot judge how much I ought to do and feel,
nor how to distinguish between what is sloth and
what is mere fatigue.

Sometimes I feel tempted to look forward to
seasons of personal enjoyment, independent of my
labors for Christ ; then I anticipate spending time

84 BTOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

with my friends in mere social enjoyments^ to
possessing property and devoting myself to its im-
provement, and sometimes I am secretly willing
to wear out prematurely, that I may retire to the life
of selfish enjoyment which I might then secure, in
cultivating flowers, music, and friendship. My
taste and social feelings draw strongly upon m.e,
and tempt me to give up, at least in part, to them.
I am enthusiastically fond of flowers, shells, poetry^
music, and every thing of that kind ; and am often
tempted to set my heart on them. My social affec-
tions are very strong, and insensibly lead me away.
My desire of approbation is strong, so that I am con-
stantly tempted to seek the applause of men rather
than the approval of God. This leads me, in the
society of others, to conform too much to their
views and feelings, and to shrink from introducing
religion when I might do it with propriety. My
bodily health being feeble, I have a great aversion
to steady, self-denying effort ; to work, as Paul did,
in much weariness and painfulness, in watchings,
fastings, and labors, for Christ's sake. Oh, if
Christ do not hide me in his pavilion, I cannot be
safe a moment ! I never felt, as I do now, the
need of " abiding in Christ."

In view of these things, and in his strength, I
do most solemnly covenant with my Lord and
Master, to consecrate to him, from this time, my
whole spirit, soul, and body; to devote my whole
energy of body and mind to the advancement of

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 85

his kingdom in this world, to the elevation of holi-
ness in his church, and the extermination of every
form of corruption and impiety. I will wage an
interminable warfare with my own proud, selfish,
and sensual propensities, and seek constantly for
complete and perfect sanctification. I will fight
fearlessly against every form of iniquity, all licen-
tiousness. Sabbath-breaking, dishonesty, covetous-
ness, love of money, ambition, oppression, slavery,
and every other public or private sin. I will study
the Bible as my guide, and the Bible as my only
guide, and will strive to derive my spiritual know-
ledge from studying it with prayer.

I will henceforth strive to adapt myself to all
men, that I may save them, and feel that I have
nothing else to live and labor for ; and to this cov-
enant, in the strength of Christ, I now sign my

name.

George Beecher.

Rochester, Aug. 26, 1840.

My shells, presented to me by Brother Parker,
of the China mission, have arrived safely. There
were eight boxes, like the two I had before, and in
them all but two shells were broken, and those of
little value. The collection is very beautiful, and
nearly all new. In the whole there are probably
between four and five hundred shells, well selected.

86 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAlxXS OF

and many of them of rare species. It is a splendid
present ; but I had no letter from Brother Parker,
as I hoped and expected.

I have been greatly favored lately by the society
of a Mr. W., the author of a work on conchology
that I gave to C. ; he has given me the names of
all my shells, and also has delivered a course of
lectures, and I have copied his notes, so that I am
beginning to understand the science. I have given
him a set of my fresh water shells, and he is to
exchancre with me, and send me those I have not,
in return. He has also given me a letter to a gen-
tleman in Salem, Mass., who has many fine dupli-
cates, and who wishes for American fresh water
shells, of which he has none. He also gave me
letters to two gentlemen in Troy who wish to ex-
change. Now, I wish W. would hire the boys to
collect all the shells they can find in the river, and
clean the inside, and put them in boxes, subject to
my order, for I shall want a large quantity for ex-
change.

Mr. W. says my collection is unusually rare and
valuable. I had several in my last boxes that he
did not possess, though his cabinet numbers above
five thousand species, and I have some that he had
never seen before.

He is an exceedingly gentlemanly and interest-
ing man. His grandfather was chaplain to George
the Third, and he was brought up at court. He
used to carry the basket and scissors every morn-

UEV. UEORGE BEKCUER. 87

ing for the Princess Charlotte to cut flowers in
the green-house. If she had lived, he probably
would have been one of her household officers.
He was an intimate friend of Lord Byron, whom
he describes as a very interesting man, and a noble
friend. He showed me a ring, which Byron gave
him at his departure for Greece from Paris, con-
taining his miniature.

This Mr. W. lost all his property by the failure
of his banker, and soon after his wife, a daughter
of Admiral Stilson; and though his family friends,
some of them among the nobility, offered him a
support, he refused to live dependent, and came to
America. He is well educated, intelligent, gener-
ous and refined, and I hope he is also a Christian.

I have found an old gentleman, also, down at
the mouth of the river, who is a collector of land
and fresh water shells, with whom I have made
some exchanges. I now have ninety-five genera
and four hundred species — which, for one year's
collection, is a good beginning.

Rochester, Sept. 20, 1S40.

Father arrived last night, and Dr. Wisner was
here, and I had an opportunity of consulting them
together. After stating to them the opinion I have
obtained of the medical men, both here and in

^

BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Ohio, they gave it as their decided opinion, that it
was a very clear case, and that the providential
indications were, that I ought to remove. But the
thought of giving up my church is very painful.
When I thought of it last evening, while surrounded
by so many whom I love, I could scarcely refrain
from tears, and the evening was one of sadness to
me.

The affection of my church towards me appears to
increase continually, and it seems almost cruel, when
they are talking to me and setting off their hopes
for the future, to tell them that I am to leave them.

Rochester, Sept. 24, 1840.

Never have I seen the time when it seemed to
me as if my presence were so much needed as
now. Many in my church are hungering and
thirsting after righteousness, and some in other
churches too, who have been coming to me for
instruction. As these meet me, they tell me they
cannot bear to have me leave, and it seems to me
to be harder than ever. You cannot tell how
painful it is to break all these ties, and yet I feel
that I am doing right. The Lord has some plan
in our removal, which we cannot now understand,
and he will make ail things work together for good
to this church and to his own glorious cause. I

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 89

bless God that I feel such assurance in my Saviour,
that I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of
the Gospel of Christ. My soul rests upon him,
and his word is sweet to my taste. I feel that I
am growing in the knowledge of my Lord and Sav-
iour, and the more I know of him the more I long
still to know. What a blessed thought, that ** the
love of Christ passeth knowledge !" When ages
have passed away, and our comprehension has ad-
vanced beyond what we can now conceive, still it
will be, that "the love of Christ passeth know-
ledge;" and so on, through eternity. Well, we
have become pupils in a blessed school, under an
infinitely glorious teacher !

Rochester, Oct. 1840.

The die is cast, and I am now preparing to
leave, as fast as I can. On Monday, I told the ses-
sion my decision ; they said they had long been
expecting it, and thought I was acting right,
though they much regretted the necessity. To-
day I have had a meeting with the trustees, ses-
sion, and leading men of the church, told them my
decision, and have been trying to induce them to
devise and execute a plan for putting their finan-
cial concerns in a more prosperous situation in fu-
ture. Next Sundav, T shall announce my decision

90

BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

from the pulpit, and preach a sermon on the duty
of every person's contributing to the support of
the gospel, after which, the plan will be submitted
to the church.

When this is done, I shall feel that my work
here is accomplished, and that the Lord lets me
depart in peace. I shall have done a good work,
sufficient to have warranted my removal here, and
shall be ready to return to Ohio with more expe-
rience and knowledge and love to Christ. I love to
look over the indications of Providence in bring-
ing me here, and now, in making my way so plain
in this removal. I have not a doubt as to the cor-
rectness of my decision in coming here, or as to
my present duty in removing. It has all been by
God's own ordering, for I did not seek to come
here, nor have I sought to remove, but have held
myself ready to go or stay, as he should direct by
his providence. And he has fulfilled his pro-
mise, " In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy steps." How blessed and safe, to
be thus under the keeping of him, who can go
before us as a guiding pillar of cloud and fire !

Rochester, Oct. 5, 1840.

Two of my brother ministers of the city called
to learn the truth respecting reports they had heard

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 91

in regard to my perfectionism, and both were sat-
isfied that there was no foundation for the stories
they had heard. At the suggestion of brother E.,
I preached on the subject, and sent a request to
brothers E. and B. to give notice in their pulpits,
which they did. The house was fulJ, and, so far
as I could learn, the sermon was satisfactory to
all, though brother H. did not fully agree with me
on some points. In the afternoon, we had a deep-
ly interesting communion service, and afterwards
I made my request for a dismission. This was
granted without opposition, as they were satisfied
that I was doing right ; but there never was a time
when they seemed to love me so strongly, or when
I was doing so much good.

Brother H. proposed, that the church should
meet and pass a resolution expressing their confi-
dence and attachment, and refuting the rumor, that
our separation was caused by doctrinal differences.
My heart was also greatly comforted by the kind
feelings manifested by my ministerial brethren in
the city, last week.

While on his journey, he writes thus :

My heart panteth after God, as the hart panteth
for the water brooks. To-day, while travelling, my
soul seemed constantly to go forth to the Saviour.

92 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

and the thought of his love filled my eyes with
tears. 1 do long after a full and perfect consecra-
tion to him, and I hope, more than ever before,
that I shall attain to the fulness of the stature of a
perfect man in Christ Jesus.

The following is from a member of the church
to which he ministered at Rochester, who was
aware that an impartial statement was desired by
those who sought information from him on the que-
ries presented.

'' Mr. Beecher commenced his labors as a pas-
tor of this church, in March, 1838, was installed
the 28th of the June following, and continued his
ministry till the 6th of October, 1840. During
his ministry, the church was increased by the ad-
dition of eighty-one members upon certificate, and
one hundred and one by profession. Before he
assumed the pastoral care of the church, we had
been somewhat accustomed to preaching, distin-
guished rather for its strong and vivid appeals to
feelings and passions, than for solid instruction ;
and some of us felt that the state of the church,
with respect to the ministrations of the pulpit, was
somewhat vitiated, and that it was desirable to
create a relish for preaching of a more instructive
character. Mr. Beecher seemed peculiarly quali-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 9o

fied for the post assigned him. He was active and
ardent, and capable of addressing himself with ef-
fect to the sympathies of his audience, while, at
the same time, he was able to instruct them in the
simple and profound truths of revelation. Though
not always equally happy in his efforts, he was
never uninteresting, and sometimes, in my judg-
ment, he was surpassingly powerful.

*' He was guileless and affectionate in his inter-
course with his people, and was truly an honest
man in all his ways. Sometimes, owing to ab-
straction of thought, he fell under the suspicion of
being inattentive to those around him ; but his
chief defect was precipitancy. His ardent feel-
ings led him to fall at once into every proposition
that seemed to promise good to the great cause in
which he was engaged. He left many warm
friends here, who still remember him with great
affection. You probably are aware of the action
of this church, on hearing of his death, when our
present pastor preached on the occasion to a
crowded house. In regard to the plan inquired
about, it was adopted just as Mr. Beecher left us,
and has been continued ever since with complete
success. He was not the originator of the plan,
but was very efficient in securing its adoption. It
was this : Every member of the church and con-
gregation, who was willing to do so, was called
upon to pledge himself to pay a certain sum, such
as he thought proper, wteMy, for the purpose of

94 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

sustaining the Gospel. The names of the contri-
butors were entered in a book provided for the pur-
pose, and the sums contributed were deposited
from Sabbath to Sabbath, with an envelope, on
which was written the contributor's name. This
was placed in a little box at the doors of the
church. The payments are entered the following
Monday. If the contributors become a little lax,
they are quickened by a printed note from the one
who has charge of the book. Occasionally, we
have to stop the church, and give them a little talk
on the subject. We have not owed a dollar since
the plan was adopted. Our pastor has his one hun-
dred dollars at the commencement of every month,
and the other expenses are all punctually met."

After it became known that it was his design
to leave Rochester, the church in Chillicothe,
which had been formed from a portion of the
church where he had labored some years previous,
invited him to become their pastor, and he was, a
short time after, established there. He kept no
regular journal, after this time, and wrote but few
letters, so that there are very limited records of
his own, in reference to his ministry and private
history, the last three years of his life.

On April 3, 1842, he made the following entry
in his journal :

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 95

** Since I removed to Ohio I have been greatly
blessed in my labors to build up a church, and
have enjoyed a continual revival, during both win-
ters I have spent here. This past winter, about
forty have been added to my church, which now
numbers ninety-three. And now by the help of
Christ I again dedicate myself wholly to him."

A letter was addressed to a member of his
church, asking for information in regard to his la-
bors there. The following are extracts from the

reply :

ChiUicothe, June, 1844.

I NEED not tell you how gratifying it is to the
members of his church, that they are to possess a
tangible memorial of the character and labors of
their late beloved pastor. You know not with
what enthusiasm they speak of him, and as the
year has rolled around, and brought us nearly to
the season when his tragical death occurred, we
seem again to feel all the sorrow of that awful pe-
riod.

It would be far from telling the whole story of
the good done by Mr. Beecher, merely to recount
the numbers added to his church, for he exerted
much influence upon the whole community. His
popular talents and unequalled zeal in every good

96 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

effort, seemed to provoke other churches to good
works ; and members of other denominations have
more than once acknowledged the effect upon
themselves of his influence, in stimulating to ac-
tive exertion. He loved to do good, and so he
but accomplished that good, he cared not what
church, or what instrumentality gained the credit
for it among men.

His church here, at its formation, December
1839, consisted of twenty-six members, and were
without a pastor until the following November,
when Mr. Beecher come to labor with us. At that
tim.e, there were only twenty members, eight
having removed from the place. So humble were
the elements for building up a church, that many
predicted that it would perish in a year, and the
general feeling in the community was, " What do
these feeble Jews ]" We considered it arrogance,
in our situation, to invite Mr. Beecher, whom we
knew to be pleasantly situated in Rochester, but
upon hearing that he contemplated leaving that
place, on account of the health of his wife, we
ventured to address him on the subject. We were
aware that, after a visit he made some years ago,
he felt a special interest in this field of labor. Af-
ter some interchanges of letters, he gave us a de-
cided reply in the affirmative. The sensation
produced by this intelligence, among our little
number, will never be forgotten. We were over-
whelmed with joy.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 97

The next matter of anxiety was, Is his mind
prepared for the change ] Will he not be utterly
disheartened when he comes among us? In Ro-
chester he left a numerous and wealthy church, and
external circumstances altogether inviting. Here,
we had no building dedicated to the worship of
God, and no church-going bell to draw us to the
sanctuary, no choir trained to lead the congrega-
tion in the praise of God ; but we were a scattered
few, assembled in a school-room for religious wor-
ship. We feared he had not counted the cost.
But we little knew the man of our choice.

At the] first prayer-meeting, only six or eight
were present, and at the next only a few more.
Our pastor had learned our anxiety on his account.
It was then that we began to understand more
fully the peculiar character of the man. Such un-
wavering trust in God's word and promises, such
confidence in the power of the Gospel, such entire
independence of apparently unpropitious circum-
stances, and withal such energy of purpose, began
to show forth in him that night, as we never before
had witnessed. The memory of that evening is
fresh as if but yesterday, when with his earnest
manner he assured us, that he would rather have
a church of only three or four Christians, who
were active, faithful and prayerful, than a church
of four hundred members of an opposite stamp.
He wished not to enter into other men's labors,
but to lay the foundation for himself In conclu-

93 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

sion he made the appeal of Gideon to his army,
" Whosoever is fearful or afraid, let him now turn
back." We left the place, ashamed of our faithless
fears, and with higher hopes and purposes than we
had ever felt before.

In a few weeks, he began to see some fruit of
his labor. D.uring the ensuing winter, thirty-one
were added to his church by letter, and nineteen
by profession. The next summer, his health failed,
and he left his people and visited the Virginia
springs.

By the next winter, the basement room of our
church was finished, and he and his people were
rejoiced in these comfortable accommodations.
The second year, forty-nine were added to his
church, seven from other churches, and the rest
were the fruits of his ministry. The last year,
fifty-five were added, eight only from other church-
es. The last year of his life, he ordinarily preached
twice on the Sabbath to his people in town, and
then rode six miles into the country to preach a
third time. Previous to that time, he preached
often in different places, on Sunday afternoon or
evening. In his ordinary routine of labor through
the week, he attended the Monthly Concert and
Sunday School Concert two Mondays in the month,
and the other two were devoted to a prayer-meet-
ing. Tuesday evenings were devoted to the ladies'
sewing society. His presence was expected as the
life and spirit of the meeting. He interested him-

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 99

self in all their plans and efforts, and he was always
consulted in all matters, either of taste or expedi-
ency. During the evening he read a portion of
Scripture, gave us spiritual counsel, and closed
with singing and prayer. Wednesday evening
was devoted to a Bible class for the church mem-
bers. Thursday evening he devoted to the tem-
perance cause, in which he took a particular in-
terest. On Saturday evening he met the choir.
During the first winter he taught singing to a class
of children, inviting all to come, who wished to do
so, from any other church, as much as from his
own. The failure of his lungs prevented his con-
tinuing this after the first year.

Our choir has been considered here as remark-
able for their skill and taste in performing. The
credit of this was due entirely to Mr. Beecher,
who trained them with much labor ; and this was
one of the many proofs he gave of his remarkable
tact in accomplishing whatever he undertook.
As his Sunday labors were so great that he could
not attend Sunday school, the latter part of his
ministry here, he met them Saturday afternoons.
In periods of unusual religious interest, he held
meetings every evening, preaching every other
evening, and having inquiry and prayer-meetings
the alternate evenings.

His active and devoted spirit had looked with
ardent desire upon the adjacent fields in that vicin-
ity, which seemed white for the harvest, and he^ k

100 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

longed to enter in and reap. Six miles from town
in a school-house, at North Fork ^ For a year be-
fore his death, he preached at this place — at first,
every third Sabbath — and at length every Sunday.
In the February before his death, he held a pro-
tracted meeting there, going out every night to
preach for them. There was a deep interest awa-
kened in the whole region around, and among all
denominations, and quite a number of conversions
took place. In May, a church was organized
there, as a branch of his church in the town, and
preparations were made to build a house of worship
there. Mr. Beecher was deeply interested in this
church, and their hearts were bound up in him.
There were several other points in this region,
where he intended to direct his labors, as soon as
he had strengthened and built up this new church.
He was not satisfied with using all his strength,
but several times was heard to say, " Oh that I
could only preach in two or three places at the
same time." So eager was he in his great Mas-
ter's work !

One of the most marked peculiarities of his
preaching while here, was his superiority to the
opinions and prejudices of men, in cases where
duty required him to encounter them. He held
back no unpalatable truth, even when aware that
it would cause agitation and painful excitement,
and when by opposing popular prejudices or sins,
he awakened wrath, he flinched not, but kept up

REV. GEORGi: BEECHER. 101

an uncompromising warfare with sin in every
shape. He was told, that with a little more policy,
his popular talents, and his ability to preach in a
style so fascinating to many who admire ideas
dressed in beautiful language and imagery, would
secure large congregations and build up a popular
church. He replied, that he was aware of that,
and was not insensible to the praise of men, but
that he was not at liberty to preach to please men,
by keeping back any of the counsel of God, nor
might he seek his own praise in preaching the cross
of Jesus Christ.

The limited space of this letter will not allow
any thing like an expression of the many develop-
ments of his remarkable character which were
made here, but we wish his friends to know that
his works and virtues are appreciated by his sor-
rowing people. Were you to ask the cause of their
devotion to him, they would speak of him as the
one who first guided their steps into the path of
life, and established their goings ; they would speak
of the rich feast for the intellect and the heart
which from Sabbath to Sabbath they received from
him. Many would tell you of seasons, when pass-
ing through deep waves of affliction, had it not
been for their pastor, the waters had gone over
their souls. It was the lot of his people to suffer
severely in various ways, while he was with them,
and his affectionate heart melted with sympathy as
he bore the burdens of his church. In pecuniary
6

102 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

difficulties they repaired to him for counsel, and
not unfrequently found not only sympathy but
more substantial aid. At times, even his own elas-
tic spirit was bowed with the trials and anxieties
that came upon him and his people. From his
constant activity, and unwearying benevolence, it
is impossible to think of him now as at rest. We
can only imagine him a burning spirit^ bound on
errands of zeal and love, and swelling with delight
in doing good.

The following extracts, one written a few months
previous to his leaving Rochester, and the other a
few months before his own death, exhibit his filial
character, and also the spirit with which he bore
one of the heaviest afflictions of his life.

Rochester, 1840.

My dear Father — Your welcome letter came
last night; and filled my heart with joy. I re-
joice that the Seminary is prospering in your hands,
and that, after so long a time of darkness and un-
certainty, a steady light is beginning to rise upon
that institution. The Lord increase and prosper
it an hundred-fold !

It also gave me great pleasure to find an oppor-
tunity afforded to assist my dear father in trouble,
and to make some returns for the unbounded kind-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 103

ness and love that have watched over me from
childhood, and made me what I am. Yes, my
dear father, there is nothing that gives me higher
joy than the privilege of testifying my love to you,
and assisting you to the full extent of my power.
I cannot express to you, in words, the feelings of
my heart, but I can say that, next to my Saviour,
my beloved father stands first in my honor, love,
and gratitude. The forming of my intellect, the
commencement of my Christian character, and my
capacities for usefulness, have been chiefly owing
to your efforts, and I love to think that through
eternity I shall know and rejoice in the agency
which my father has had, in all my usefulness and
happiness. In me, and in all your sons, you are
transmitting your influence down to another gene-
ration, and it will be felt after you have gone home
to your reward.

I wrote thus far, and had to stop to complete my
sermons for the Sabbath. I have been delivering,
on Sabbath evenings, a course of, sermons on
Atheism, and several on the being and attributes
of God. I have finished those on the natural attri-
butes of God, and am now beginning on the con-
stitution of the human mind, before I take up the
subjects of the wisdom, moral power, and benevo-
lence of God, all of which involve a previous con-
sideration of the nature and laws of the human
mind. I can find no books that treat of the cha-
racter of God, with any clear conceptions of his.

104 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

intellectual and moral nature. In almost all, the
physical omnipotence of God seems to absorb all
others, or at least has such a prominence, that, like
the sheaves of Joseph's brethren, they do obeisance
to it, so that I am not assisted by them, but must
mark out my course entirely for myself. Indeed
no system of theology has been written upon the
principles of philosophy which we adopt, and to
attempt to apply our philosophy to the statements
of most theological writers, is like putting new
cloth into an old garment.

The news from C. was most cheering. I have
had the fullest confidence in God, that he would
restore him, and bring him to the sphere for which
he was consecrated to God by our dear mother
and yourself. I could only weep and give thanks
at the abundant goodness of our gracious Saviour.
Soon, I trust, we shall greet him in the ministry of
the glorious Gospel. Dear Father, if all your sons
are blessed in their labors as you have been, what
a constellation of brightness will you gather around
you when you present us to the Saviour !

In one of his letters he says, " My mother died
when I was too young to remember her. I have
often longed for the warmth and tenderness of a
mother's love, but have never found it." After his
ft^«f^-«e©©nd marriage, these affectionate yearn-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 105

ings seemed fully supplied, and the mutual affection
of mother and son, was a source of much enjoyment
to both.

In many of the oft-recurring questions of practi-
cal duty, there was no person whose judgment and
opinions exerted more influence than hers. In
the management of the property committed to his
control, in arranging the size and style of domestic
accommodations, and in many other minor ques-
tions of duty and propriety, he found it a relief
and a pleasure to seek the guidance of one so
highly revered, not only by himself but by every
member of her family.

The notice of her danger did not reach him in
season to enable him to arrive at her residence
until she had departed. As he entered the house,
a friend met him, saying, " She is gone !"

With a tearful smile, he cheerfully replied,
" Yes, but I know where to find her !" The pro-
phetic expression in four months was verified, and
he found her in heaven !

Soon after her death, he thus writes to a rela-
tive:

ChiUicothe, 1843.

Mother had been with us six weeks, watching
with Sarah, Roselle, and our little boy, who were
in turn attacked with the typhoid fever. On her
return, some in her own family were seized with it,
and after watching and nursing again, she herself
was attacked by this disease. Her strength, feeble

106 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

at all times, and more so from the fatigues of long
care of the sick, sunk under the disease, and last
Sunday, after a sickness of about a week, she fell
asleep, as peacefully as an infant. Her closing
days were a most beautiful illustration of the pas-
sage, " Mark the perfect, and behold the upright,
for the end of that man is peaceJ^ So perfectly
calm, happy, and peaceful was her spirit to the last !

Strong in death, she comforted all around her,
and without the slightest fear or anxiety, " finished
her course.''

Her life, the last year, had been becoming, more
and more, a beautiful illustration of the Gospel.
Her humility, spiritual-mindedness, and active be-
nevolence were constantly increasing, and made
her one of the loveliest women I ever knew. I
could not have loved my own mother more than I
loved her. Her last visit, especially, endeared her
to me. Her constant kindness, her affectionate
advice and reproofs, were just such as an own
mother would have given. She loved me, and I
loved her most ardently in return. But her loss
does not make me sad. I could not but rejoice at
this exhibition of the power of the grace of God, in
sustaining one who used so much to fear death, so
as completely to annihilate the fear of it, not only
in her, but in all who saw her. Her children said
in the midst of their tears, "The sting of death is
taken away — it is not terrible to die."

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 107

The preceding extracts serve to present a more
correct and vivid sketch of his character and min-
isterial life and habits, than any formal biographical
delineation could do.

There is only one particular in his character
and history which demands any special prominence,
and that is, the advantages secured by him from
attending to the natural sciences, and the pursuits
connected with them. Few are aware how much
a clergyman may effect in this direction, both in
securing enjoyment, health and usefulness to him-
self, and in promoting enjoyment for others. This
cannot be estimated justly, without remembering,
that the main current of temporal happiness is
made, not by securing great and exciting pleasures,
but by a constant succession of Z/^/^/e gratifications.
Those friends who remember the hundreds of
times in which this lover of nature has appeared,
bearing his tin box of botanical specimens and
wild flowers, or his choice bouquet of garden flow-
ers, and the exulting smile with which they were
presented to admiring friends ; those who remem-
ber with what pleasure he scattered among his
friends and parishioners, his seeds and roots and
plants, and received like favors in return ; those
who knew how he enjoyed the society of scientific
men, and with what pleasure he gathered, arranged,
and exchanged his shells ; those who remember
his early morning labors in his garden and green-
house, and how often he found solace and health-

1U8 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

ful exercise, when so oppressed with disease, that
nothing else would excite and charm ; those who
have seen the poor negro bringing some beautiful
wild plant, or singular shell or insect, as a testimony
of gratitude, or the humble laborer sending some
cherished flower as an expression of regard ; those
who have seen the effect of his example, in awak-
ening a taste for the .beautiful, and in increasing
the cultivation of fruits and flowers, wherever he
went ; such only can calculate the aggregate of
happiness thus gained and bestowed.

And when, in addition to this, it is seen how
earnest and faithful he was, in making all his em-
ployments and enjoyments subserve the great end
of his ministry; how these tastes brought him into
contact with many interesting minds whom he
could have reached by no other means, and under
circumstances peculiarly favorable to social influ-
ences ; how by these pursuits he was enabled to in-
terest and instruct children, and waken in their
young minds a taste for such healthful and elevat-
ing amusements, a still higher estimate must be
formed of the value of these modes of relaxation to
a minister.

His taste for music, and his ability to aid others
in cultivating this art, were also made eminently
the means of enjoyment and usefulness among his
friends, his parishioners, and especially among
young children.

A clergyman who makes himself a recluse in

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 109

his Study, and never appears among his people,
except on those occasions when his ministries
must be exclusively solemn and professional, little
knows what a delightful field he leaves uncul-
tivated, when he forsakes the social influences
gained by joining in the cheering pursuits of sci-
ence and taste among his people and friends.

In reviewing those extracts from his private
journal, which record his struggles in overcoming
constitutional peculiarities, and their effects on his
habits and manners, it is consoling and encourag-
ing to have witnessed, as his nearest friends have
done, his remarkable success. In early life, it is
probable that a stranger, thrown into his society
in certain circumstances, and knowing only his
transient exterior, would have called him opinion-
ated, hasty in temper, and possessing an overween-
ing estimate of himself.

How much he had to contend with in modifying
habits formed while destitute of religious principle,
in regulating strong passions and quick impulses,
and especially in controlling the impatience and
nervous irritability occasioned by disease, few can
conceive, who have not been similarly tried.

But the results of these efforts, towards the close
of his life, were manifest to all. The humble pa-
tience with which he heard his faults pointed out,
or his productions criticised, the gratitude he man-
ifested for Christian faithfulness in these respects,
hi>s meekness under provocation, his generous for-
6*

110 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

giveness of injury, his subdued and gentle manners
in his family, his peaceful spirit, his cheerful resig-
nation, were best understood and realized by those
who came the nearest to him.

The winter before his death, his family, one after
another, were smitten with severe and protracted
sickness, which threatened the lives of those he
loved most. In every trying hour his mind seemed to
seek and to find that perfect peace in God which
passeth the understanding of those who have never
known its power. The mother, so much beloved
by him, on returning from her last visit, made this
remark : " None but those who have lived in the
family with Mr. Beecher, as I have done, can know
what a holy man he is."

It only remains that a few of those incidents be
narrated, which become interesting because of the
fact that they were indications of his preparation
for the sudden summons that awaited him, or be-
cause they were among the last events of his life.

Some months before his death, he heard a friend
narrating the triumphant expressions of a person
whose life had been apparently worldly, but whose
death was joyful. He remarked, that the mere
manifestation of certain emotions in a dying hour,
was the humblest part of the evidence of a prepa-
tion to die, and then he earnestly added, "Oh, let
my life, and not my death, witness for me !"

At another time, a friend was remarking on
some phenomenon, as what would probably very

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. Ill

much affect the minds of those persons who were
expecting that the present year would be the close
of this world's history. After some remarks on
the fallacy of such interpretations of Scripture, he
referred to the coming. of the Son of Man to each
individual who, this year, would be called to die ;
and then exclaimed, *' Oh, how I should rejoice to
know, that my Saviour would come for me this
year !"

A short time before his death, a friend, observ-
ing him among his flowers, inquired whether he
did not fear that these pursuits would engross too
much interest. " No," said he, " I feel that God
gave them to me, and that it is right for me to en-
joy them ; but I have not set my heart upon them.
I can give them all up without the least uneasiness,
if he sees best."

The day before his death, he came into the room
of his eldest sister, (who had just stopped on a
journey to spend a day or two,) bringing with him
two family circulars, which, by a singular coinci-
dence, had just arrived, one from the East and the
other from the West. These circulars consist of
a folio sheet, which, by agreement, is started once
a month, by the brother or sister who lives at the
extreme east or west of the family dispersion. In
this sheet, some member of each of the nine dif-
ferent families writes a short letter to their parents,
brothers, and sisters, and then re-directs and mails
it to the next family. By this arrangement all the

112 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

brothers and sisters aim to address each other and
hear from each other, once a month. After his
sister had read the two circulars, he took them into
his study, and on the last day of his life, using his
pen for the last time, alas, how unconsciously ! he
addressed, for the last time, all those he most ten-
derly loved. And with what cheerful anticipations,
and how far from any apprehension that death was
standing at his side !

In the circular going farther West, he wrote
thus : —

*' Dear Brothers and Sisters, all hail ! —
I only wish I had you all here, and every room in
my house full. When think you, Henry and
Charles, shall I see your faces ? Can you not come,
one or both, this summer 'I Our new house is com-
plete, except a few fixtures and a little painting,
and will be ready for every body that will come, in
two or three weeks, so do make haste. Then^ I
will give you an exhibition of horticulture equal
to yours. I have set out peaches in many varieties,
and shall have some to spare you next season, as
I have commenced a nursery this summer. I have
also the best varieties of plums, apples, pears,
gooseberries, currants, and cherries in abundance.
Of garden vegetables I have the best varieties.
Of flowers I have a beautiful assortment of large
double pinks, and carnations, and other items too
numerous to mention. I should like to have a list

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 113

of your roses and such flowers, and, if you have
any to spare, to receive a box from you in the fall.
*' With much love from us to you all,
" Your affectionate

" George."

From the circular going to his friends in the
East, the following is extracted : —

** Dear Brother William : — I do wish you
and your wife, with your whole troop of children,
could come and spend the summer with us. We
have room enough for you all, and we can keep
you as long as we can induce you to stay with us.
" Sarah has tolerably good health, and my boy
is quite well. He has black eyes, and is a very
sprightly, affectionate child. We are now very
pleasantly situated, and only wish the society of
our friends to keep our house full, and then we
shall have all the earthly comforts we can desire.
My dear Sisters, and Aunt E., I have room enough
in my house and heart for you all, and hope I shall
yet see you here, and be somewhat filled with your
company. Aunt E., I shall hold on to my claim
to half your time, as I was your first child.
*' Affectionately yours,

'' George.'*'

That day, the first of July, 1843, was exces-
sively hot, and he once complained of the effect of
the heat in producing debility and discomfort.

114 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

At evening he took his sister into his flower-gar-
den, and pointed out his favorite flowers in beds
and in pots. While thus engaged, a brother min-
ister of the place called, and while passing among
his flower-beds, in reply to a similar remark from
his friend, he said, " Yes, I often think, while tak-
ing care of my flowers, how much this work is
like our moral labors ; the weeds grow so easily,
and so much care and labor is needed for the flow-
ers !"

Soon after, they all went to the observatory on
the top of his house. As he stepped out upon the
roof, he remarked, " We are come up to the house-
top at the hour of prayer." Here they sat, for half
an hour, watching the beautiful hills and valleys
around, and the changes of the evening sky, mean-
time conversing on some recent events in the reli-
gious world of great interest and importance.

He assisted his sister in descending, with, to her,
his last words and looks of affectionate tenderness,
and then went to an evening meeting of his
church.

In the course of the exercises, one of the elders
remarked on the unusually small number of deaths
that had occurred in their church the past year,
and that this exemption could not continue ; that
some of them must soon be called away, and that
he himself had, at times, felt that he might be the
first one summoned. Immediately their pastor fol-
lowed with a similar strain of remarks. And in

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 115

alluding to the uncertainty of his own life, he ob-
served that such had been his health, that he had
never expected to live to be forty ; that the antici-
pation of the nearness of this event gave him no
anxiety ; that he every day felt more and more
weaned from the world, and ready to depart and
be with Christ, which was far better than life, and
that it made little difference to him when the time
should come. He then spoke of the happiness of
heaven, and quoted the lines :

" Then let the moments fly —
They'll waft us sooner o'er
This life's tempestuous sea ;
Soon shall we reach the peaceful shore
Of blest eternity."

He was more than usually excited, and shed
tears as he spoke.

The closing hymn of the evening, which was
his especial favorite, will appear more striking
from the fact, that it was the very hymn with which
he first entered the kingdom of Christ. In a letter
to one of his younger brothers, he mentions that
the hopes and joys of religion first visited his heart
while singing this elevated song. He was always
the leader of his choir, and it was not unfrequently
the case, that the interest awakened by his previ-
ous exercises and the enthusiasm of his own feel-
ings while singing, would so affect his people, that
one voice after another would drop off, from emo-
tion, and he would sing almost alone.

116 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

This evening, this delightful hymn, following
such touching remarks, produced this effect, so
that when the two last verses were sung, his voice
bore the burden of that triumphant strain, with
which he entered and closed his Master's service
on earth.

The hymn is as follows :

Awake and sing the song

Of Moses and the Lamb !
Wake every heart and every tongue,

To praise the Saviour's name !

Sing of his dying love,

Sing of his rising power,
Sing how he intercedes above

For us, whose sins he bore !

Sing, till we feel our heart

Ascending with our tongue !
Sing, till the love of sin depart,

And grace inspires our song !

Sing on your heavenly way,

Ye ransomed sinners, sing !
Sing on, rejoicing every day

In Christ the eternal King.

Soon shall we hear him say,
" Ye blessed children come !"

Soon will he call us hence away
To our eternal home !

There shall our raptured tongue

His endless praise proclaim ;
And sweeter voices tune the song

Of Moses and the Lamb !

REV. GEORGE BEECHEK. 117

On going out from this meeting it was remarked
by more than one of his people, that if their pastor
had known that he was to die that night, he could
not have conducted the services more appropri-
ately.

As he entered his chamber on his return, he
found his wife reading a tale of some suffering
Protestants, during a season of persecution, and as
he entered, she was just finishing the scene of a
sudden death f?wm the explosion of a bomb. As she
laid the book down, she said, *' Oh, how dread-
ful !" He inquired what it was ; and on being
told, he said that it did not seem dreadful to him,
and continued to remark on a sudden and violent
death, just as one would suppose he would have
done, had he known the dreadful scene awaiting
her he was thus preparing. He then, as was his
custom, prayed with his wife, and retired to rest.

The ensuing morning was extremely warm. He
rose before the sun, and going out of his chamber,
performed his last act of tenderness in closing the
blinds, that his wife and child might sleep undis-
turbed.

Soon after, he went to the market, where he was
greeted by many of his fellow-citizens, who, ere
the setting sun, were to follow his lifeless body to
the grave.

On his return, noticing the birds destroying his
fruit and injuring his plants, he went for a double-
barrelled gun, which he scarcely ever had used, out

118 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

of regard to the timidity and anxiety of his wife in
reference to it.

One of the elders of his church was passing, and
saw him discharge one barrel at the birds. Soon
after, he heard the fatal report, and saw the smoke,
but the trees shut the rest from his sight.

Meantime, his wife heard the first discharge, and
felt some anxiety, and when she heard the second,
was so troubled, that she was about starting to go
and entreat her husband not to use the gun any
more, but was deterred by other considerations.

In about half an hour after, the family assembled
at breakfast, and the nurse was sent to call him.
She returned saying she could not find him, either
in the house or garden. After waiting awhile, she
was sent out again, and in a few moments returned
exclaiming, " Oh, Mr. Beecher is dead ! Mr.
Beecher is dead ! "'

All the family, who were able, rushed after her
to the spot, and in a short time returned, exclaim-
ing, " Yes ! he is dead ! he is dead !"

In a short time a visitor in the family, and a
neighboring laborer, attracted by their cries, raised
him up, and bore him to the house. At the back
porch, he was met by his sister. His face was
pale but slightly marred, his eyes were closed, and
over his countenance rested the sweet expression
of peaceful slumber. They bore him to the par-
lor sofa, and there the same hand that often had
rocked his cradle slumbers, now — oh, with what

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 119

thronging memories ! — adjusted his head upon the
pillow of death. Others came ift, and his family
retired ; and as his people, one after another, ar-
rived, the voice of lamentation broke forth, and
was heard from every quarter of the house.

Then followed the coroner's inquest, then the
hasty decision that his body should be removed to
the future residence of his wife, and the hurried
preparations for the funeral and journey, until three
o'clock, when, all arrangements being made, he
was borne from his newly finished house, through
his blooming garden, to the new church, planned
and just completed under his directing eye.

His coffin was placed beneath his pulpit ; in his
wonted seat were the four clergymen of the differ-
ent denominations of the place, and around was a
crowd of sympathizing friends and fellow-citizens
The sermon and prayers were finished, the choir
he himself had trained sung their parting hymn,
and at about five the funeral train started for
a journey of over seventy miles. That night
will stand alone in the memories of those who wit-
nessed its scenes !

At about ten in the evening, heavy clouds gath-
ered lowering behind, and finally rose so as nearly
to cover the hemisphere, sending forth rautterings
of thunder and constant flashes of lightning.

The excessive heat of th? weather, the darkness
of the night, the solitary road, the flaring of the
amps and lanthorns, the flashes of the lightning,

VZO BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

the roll of approaching thunder, the fear of being
overtaken in an unfrequented place, and the lights,
extinguished by the rain, the sad events of the day,
the cries of the infant boy, sick with the heat, and
bewailing the father who ever before had soothed
his griefs, all combined to awaken the deepest
emotions of the sorrowful, the awful, and the
sublime.

After about three hours of apprehension, the
clouds passed around to another quarter, and the
cavalcade proceeded without delay. It was de-
signed to stop and rest over the Sabbath, and tra-
vel through the next night. But the gentlemen
in attendance decided, that owing to the extreme
heat of the weather, the greatest haste was indis-
pensable. Expresses were sent on, to have a grave
prepared, and every thing in readiness.

At about sundown the carriages containing fa-
mily relatives from Putnam, met and joined in the
train. At dusk the citizens met the procession at
the entrance of the town; it moved directly to the
church-yard, and there, amid many sighs and tears
of relatives and sympathizing friends, his last jour-
ney was completed, and beside the new-made grave
of his beloved mother, he was laid to his long and
last repose. To the skeptic, or merely worldly
man. what a scene is here presented ! What
crushing of hopes and plans ! What darkness, de-
solation, and agony !

The minister, in the very noontide of success,

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 121

just having gained the acquisitions, mental disci-
pline, experience, and power of self-control, which
he had toiled a whole life to secure ; his feeble
church, by his aid just emerging from innumerable
difficulties, and resting all their hopes on him ; an
aged father and brothers rejoicing in his happy
location, and forming plans of co-operating aid in
their great work ; the domestic circle, just ready
to realize the most cherished plans of earthly com-
fort; all — all are blasted in one moment! and
for what ?

But, to the confiding Christian, how different
the scene ! This life is but the training for an in-
troduction to the complete action of a universe of
minds, whose happiness is to depend, not on cir-
cumstances, but on character. Every mind is to
be disciplined till it can learn to be happy, just
where God shall place it, be it high or low, with
ten talents or one, with ten thousand opportunities
of enjoyment, or only a few. An indispensable
part of this training \s suffering. Like the Great
Captain of our salvation, we are to be " made per-
fect through suffering." When fully prepared for
the eternal career, we are to go forth, as kings and
priests, to everlasting thrones and endless min-
istries.

The gracious Saviour saw his servant prepared
for nobler duties and higher services, and so, with-
out one anxious thought, without a foreboding fear,
without a single pang, he takes him home, to glo-

133 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

ries, which " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor
the heart of man conceived."

The crushed hearts, even of the keenest suffer-
ers, even in the first moments of quivering agony,
feel the balm distilling from the very hand that
smites. It is the tender Saviour, who himself
" hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows;"
who " seeth the end from the beginning ;" whose
plans are never changed, whose purposes are never
broken, who " bringeth light out of darkness," and
causeth all things to work together for good to
them that love him." It is no accident — it is no
mistake — it is no interruption.

It is a part of that vast, eternal scheme of be-
nevolent action, which unites the good on earth in
the plans and ministries of the world unseen !

Oh, how much stronger and better than all the
wisest and most labored arguments for Christian-
ity is such a scene as this ! Take from us Christ
and his teachings, and what have we left ? What
confusion ! what dismay ! what despair ! But give
us Christ, and the aid and hopes of his Gospel, and
even the most stricken heart can rise under the
blow — can look up, yea, can even rejoice !

*' Thy brother shall rise again," saith Jesus, and
to all who weep around he saith, " Rejoice, in-
asmuch as ye are made partakers of the suffer-
ings of Christ, that when his glory shall be re-
vealed, ye may be glad with exceeding joy."
Deeper than all sophistries, all mazes of crooked

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 123

reasoning, is the heart's triumphant knowledge^
when in its utmost strait and agony it looks
around for the Saviour, and finds, " he is here !"

And in those long arid weary after-hours of lone-
ly desolation, when " lover and friend " has de-
parted, when every source of earthly enjoyment
has ceased to charm, when ten thousand yearning
memories of joys departed pass, like obscuring
clouds, over every worldly good, above them all
shines the light of His countenance, " in whom
is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are
pleasures for evermore."

Thou art gone to thy home in the land of the blest,
Where sighing shall cease, where the weary shall rest ;
Thy cares are all ended, thy toils all are o'er,
Thou shalt suffer and sorrow no more !

But we, in our mourning, still long for that ray
That gleamed through our darkness, that gladdened our way
Bright star, how we loved thee ! thy kind ray is o'er ;
Oh, lost one ! thou'lt cheer us no more !

Thy smile is departed, thy wann grasp is gone.
Thy flowers are all withered, and cold thy hearth-stone ;
Thy home is deserted, thy welcome is o'er,
Thy voice ! we shall hear it no more !

But oh, that bright home of the good and ^he blest !
We are bound to its bourne, we are seeking its rest ;
Thou waitest our coming upon its fair shore :
We follow, — to lose thee no more !

124 BIOGRAPHICAL REiMAINS OF

There is one incident connected with this histo-
ry, which is here presented for the use of mothers.
The humble, wearisome, and anxious toils of the
nursery sometimes need glimpses of the future, to
impart to them their true dignity and value. Let
any mother who feels that she is of small value,
and that her duties and cares are of little account,
ponder over such incidents as these.

On the east end of Long Island, in one of the
most secluded spots in this country, more than
thirty years ago, a mother, whose rare intellectual
and moral endowments were known to but few,
made this simple record :

" This morning I rose very early to pray for my
children ; and especially that my sons may be min-
isters and missionaries of Jesus Christ."

A number of years after, a friend who was pres-
ent thus describes this mother's dying hour :

*' Owing to extreme weakness, her mind wandered
and her conversation was broken, but as she en-
tered the valley of the shadow of death, her soul
lighted up and gilded its darkness.

" She made a feeling and most appropriate prayer,
and told her husband that her views and anticipa-
tions had been such, that she could scarcely sus-
tain them; and that, if they had been increased,
she should have been overwhelmed ; that her Sav-
iour had blessed her with constant peace, and that
through all her sickness, she had never prayed for
life. She dedicated her five sons to God, as min-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER, 125

isters and missionaries of Jesus Christ, and said
that her greatest desire was, that her children might
be trained up for God.

"She spoke with joy of the advancement of the
kingdom of Christ, and of the glorious day now
ushering in. She attempted to speak to her chil-
d^n, but was so exhausted, and their cries and sobs
were such, that she could say but little.

" Her husband then made a prayer, in which he
gave her back to God, and dedicated all they held
in common to him. She then fell into a sweet
sleep, from which she awoke in heaven."

The prayers of this mother have been answered.
All her eight children have been *' trained up for
God." Her five sons are all " ministers and mis-
sionaries of Jesus Christ," and this son is the
first of her offering whom she has welcomed to
heaven.

The following remarks are designed to Exhibit
the particular points of practical benefit, which it
is hoped may be gained by considering this indi-
vidual case of Christian experience.

It is conceded by all Christians, that the great
object of Christ's mission was, to save men from
their sins ; to secure a peculiar people, zealous of
good works. And the mode by which he designed
to accomplish this, is through the instrumentality

126 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

of his followers, who are addressed as the salt of
the earth, and the light of the world, who, by show-
ing forth their good icorhs, are to save men, and
thus to glorify their Father who is in heaven.

It is no less conceded, that the greatest hin-
derance to the progress of the gospel, is the incon-
sistent lives of the professed followers of Christ,
There is so little difference, in spirit and conduct,
between professed Christians and worldly men, so
many occasions to say, "What do ye more than
others'?" that there is a constant tendency to skep-
ticism induced by the very class of men appointed
to convince mankind of the reality and excellence
of Christianity. The grand desideratum is, some
influences which shall elevate the standard of
Christian character. In the present case, we have
the experience of a man, who was placed in no pe-
culiarly favorable circumstances for the develop-
ment and exhibition of Christian character, but
who, on the contrary, probably had to contend
with much greater embarrassments than the major-
ity drpersons are called to meet. He experienced
the difficulties which result from uncommonly
strong and quick passions, the temptations inci-
dent to a disease, which peculiarly induces ner-
vous irritability, and the embarrassments arising
from the habits of years, induced by such influ-
ences, unchecked by religious principle. It is true
that, as a minister, and in the alliances of the fam-
ily, he had some peculiar advantages. But then,

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 127

a minister's position, if he be at all popular, is at-
tended with as peculiar temptations. He is ex-
ceedingly exposed to the baleful influence of flat-
tery and admiration. Looked up to, by most
around him, as a guide, both in opinion and prac-
tice, and accustomed to little collision, or contra-
diction from equals in position, he is exposed to
strong influences tending to engender pride, self-
confidence, and an overbearing spirit. In this case
were added the temptations of outward prosperity.
With the exceptions of the trials incident to dis-
ease, his life was prosperous, and his naturally
cheerful and sanguine temperament found enjoy-
ment, without alloying evil, more than is common;
while to these were added, the temptations, that
few ministers experience, from possessing pecu-
niary means which made him independent of his
people.

It was in such circumstances, and with these
embarrassments to oppose, that his nearest person-
al friends witnessed, in the few last years of his
life, such a transformation of character, that he
became exemplary in the very respects where he
had been most deficient. This change was so
marked, that, to his nearest and most thoughtful
Christian friends, it became a matter of interesting
inquiry, as to the peculiar views and influences
that seemed so powerful. In the discussions re-
specting Christian perfection, as taught at the

123 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Obedin Institution, Ohio, the course he took, led
many to charge him with hoI(3ing the peculiar
views inculcated there, and in reference to this,
his personal friends have repeatedly remarked that
if he held them, and such were their effects,
that they were of God, and must prevail.

The articles from his pen on this subject, which
follow, show that he did not regard himself as hold-
ing any views in this respect that differed from
those held by Evangelical Christians generally.
It is certain that his opinions were taken from the
Bible alone, so that he neither received them of
man, nor was taught them by man.

The following, it is believed, will exhibit the
-peculiar influences which secured the results in his
Christian experience, that are worthy of consider-
ation.

In the first place may be mentioned, such j^rac-
tical views of Jesus Christ, as an ever-present,
sympathizing friend, and such habits of commu-
nion with him, as are presented both in the forego-
ing extracts and in the articles which follow.

It is believed, that the Christian world, to a wide
extent, are suffering weakness, from the want of
such influences. In many cases, Christians ad-
dress their worship solely to the Father, and Jesus
Christ is never the object of communion or con-
templation, till at the close of their devotions, their
petitions are urged in the name of Christ, and

KEV. GEORGE BEECHER. 129

sought for his sake. Now, that this last mode of
worship is proper, and that it has repeated Scriptu-
ral sanctions, there can be no doubt.

But, on the other hand, the Apostles and early
Christians gave a prominency to Jesus Christ dis-
tinctively from the Trinity, which has too much
passed from the church. The Apostle John says
of Jesus Christ, " This is the confidence that we
have in him, that if we ask any thing according to
his will he heareth us. And if we know that he
hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have
the petitions that we desired of hi?n." This, and
several other passages show, that the Apostles were
in the habit of directing their worship directly to
Jesus Christ, and in obedience also to his direc-
tions. For in his last instructions, after telling
them that he was the way, the truth, and the life,
that no man could come to the Father but by him,
that the Father was in him, so that whoever had
seen him had seen the Father, he says, *' whatso-
ever ye ask in my name, I will do it ;'' " if ye ask
anything in my name, /will do it;" he clearly
intimates the fact, that praying to him is praying to
the Father, who dwells in him ; and that when this
is done, he, by his own power and authority, will
fulfil these requests. And history records, that
the early Christians were in the habit of meeting
to pray and sing praises to Christ as God, while
the most ancient specimen of human composition

130 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

in the form of prayer, which has descended from
the Apostolic age, the Litany, consists of petitions,
all of which, with but four or five exceptions, are
directed, distinctively, to Jesus Christ, and not to
the Father.

In this present instance, it will be noticed, that
it was communion with Jesus Christ distinctively,
a strong personal affection to him, an abiding sense
of his presence, a realizing apprehension of his
peculiar character as a sympathizing friend, who
has been in all points tempted as we have, which
were regarded by him as the grand source of
strength, encouragement, and success. Many hold
this truth in theory ; with him, it was a practical
truth, realized and adopted.

The second thing to be noticed, as among the
chief influences that secured the results contem-
plated, is the view he cherished of the object which
Christ came to secure, and of the mode by which
it is to be attained. The experience of many
Christians would lead one to suppose, that the
grand aim of Christ's mission was to secure love to
God as the chief and almost the sole thing, which
distinctively constitutes piety. With this idea,
their chief attention is directed to the state of their
will and affections towards God, and if these, in a
good degree, are such as they desire, they are sat-
isfied. They consider that this is the root, and if
it is but planted, the fruit will come by a natural

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 131

process, and with little effort, so that watering and
cherishing the root, is almost exclusively the object
of care and attention.

But the subject of this memoir looked at the
matter in a different light. He regarded the ob-
ject of Christ's mission to be, to save us from sin,
to secure perfect obedience to the whole law of
God, and that this law consists of two parts, one
just as binding as the other ; that we are as much
bound to love our neighbor, and perform all our
duties to him and to ourselves, as we are to love
God, and perform our duties to him ; and that when
a man violates the law of benevolence in neglect-
ing his own highest good, or the rights and happi-
ness of his neighbor, he as much transgresses law,
and removes evidence of piety, as when he ne-
glects to render what is due to God. It is true,
that love to God is " the first and great command-
ment," because God has the first claim, and obe-
dience to this part, gives aid and strength in ful-
filling all those duties to our fellow beings and to
ourselves, included under the second portion of this
universal law.

Now, piety towards God, as it is exhibited in
the retirement of the closet, to Him who reads the
heart, is what can never be presented as an evi-
dence of Christian character to mankind. For
this reason, it is obedience to the second part of
the divine law, which alone can convince men that
the first part is obeyed. Now, the largest portion

133 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

of the infirmities exhibited by Christians to the
world, result from that selfishness which does not
think of the feelings and rights of others. We are
absorbed in our own interests and plans, we are
seeking each to accomplish given ends, and we are
thoughtless of the rights, the wishes, and the
wants of others. Thousands of selfish things are
done, and benevolent things left undone, by con-
scientious persons, simply because they are so ab-
sorbed in their own concerns, that they do not
tliinh of them. Now, the grand object of Christ's
mission is, to change this selfish current of the
mind, to induce that benevolent state of feeling,
which makes a man live out of himself, as it were,
and in the happiness of others. We are required
indeed to love ourselves, to take care of our own
interest, and as our own welfare is especially com-
mitted to our keeping, it is our business to give more
time and attention to it, than to the welfare of any
other single individual. But then, we are to love
our neighbors as ourselves, by giving to their rights,
feelings, and wants, just such attention as they
deserve, just such as we should claim as due to
ourselves in the same circumstances.

The specific practical duties enjoined by Christ
and his Apostles, are but extended developments
of the great principle, " thou shalt love thy neigh-
bor as thyself" This implies that we are to re-
gard our own happiness and take proper care of it,
and also requires us to pay the same regard to the

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 133

welfare of our fellow men. The specific rules
forbidding sloth, intemperance, and other personal
vices, relate chiefly to our own happiness, while
the rules forbidding theft, deceit, and all other
social, or public evils, have reference mainly to
the welfare of our neighbors. To these are added
commands in reference to specific duties owed to
God, such as love, fear, prayer, praise, and atten-
tion to the outward religious ordinances of his
appointment. Now it will be observed that it is
only a certain portion of these commands that are
selected as the test of Christian character, such as
emotions of love to God, delight in prayer, regular
attendance on private devotional exercises, and
efforts to promote religion by personal influence, or
by money ; and if in these respects a person is
tolerably consistent, it is taken for granted that he
is a pious man. And ministers and church offi-
cers, in examining to decide who shall be admitted
to the church, too often confine themselves to
these points. And if, withal, a man is prominent
in the public exercises of devotion and a leader in
benevolent enterprises, he is regarded by himself
and others as giving evidence of a high degree of
piety.

But if, on investigation, it is found that such a
man is selfish and exacting in his family, or in his
business, or that he is passionate and unreasonable,
so that he is so absorbed in his business and money-
making, or even in benevolent enterprises, as to

134 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

neglect his family, or that he is careless of the
interests and feelings of others, the world around
very soon come to such conclusions as these : —
These professors of piety have no more benevo-
lence than we have, and in many cases not so
much. They read their Bibles and attend meet-
ings, because it is the fashion, and because it is
required of them, in order to feel safe and be es-
teemed Christians. They take the lead in religious
duties, because they love to be conspicuous, and
they like, too, the influence and credit secured by
promoting these benevolent objects; but when they
cannot " be seen of men," where is their benevo-
lence? They seem more selfish, in every-day life,
than many who make no such professions.

So, in the case of a woman, who is punctual in
her attendance on religious ordinances, and is
active in benevolent efforts out of her family, her
conduct in private is as closely scrutinized. Does
she govern her temper and tongue? Does she
watch over the habits, opinions and pursuits of her
children? Is the law of kindness ever her guide,
so that she is ready to give up her own convenience
and plans to accommodate others? Is she one who
thinketh no evil, hopeth all things, and never
takes up an evil report? Is she ever ready to put
the best, rather than the worst, construction on
the motives and conduct of others ? Is she cheer-
ful and patient in the minor trials appointed by
Providence, as well as in the gfreater evils of life?

REV, GEORGE BEECHEK. l35

If these investigations are not satisfactory, the
observer quietly concludes that if piety consists in
benevolent feeling and action, that home is the
place to cultivate and exhibit it, and if it is not
seen there, all these out-door observances arise
from the desire to be seen of men.

Thus those who profess to be the lightof the world,
are aiding to enshroud it in deeper darkness.

A great portion of such defects in Christian
character, arises from the want of a correct stand-
ard of duty, in practical matters. In those cases
where the cliief evidence of piety is sought by
introspection, the examination of the state of the
will and affections towards God, the question as to
what right and icrong is, in daily practical duties,
becomes a matter of but little interest and inquiry.
The lax and imperfect notions formed in early life,
the false standard of the world around, the blinding
influence of self-esteem, the deep aversion all feel
to discovering wrong in themselves, combine to
sustain a course of negligence and inattention.
Meantime, the pulpit, which should be the remedy
for this difficulty, has never yet assumed that full
power, which it was designed to wield in this res-
pect.

How rare is it to hear from the pulpit a full and
correct exhibition of the principles which would
convince men of sin in regard to the government
of the tongue in domestic life ; the exercise of pa-
tience, and submission, and cheerfulness, in the

135 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

minor trials of business, or of the family; the dutj
of men in regard to protecting the good name and
interests of their fellow-creatures ; the duty of pre-
serving our own health, and the health of the fam-
ily, by obeying those laws of temperance, regulari-
ty, neatness and care, which God has made known
by experience, and by the instructions of science ;
the duties of veracity, of industry, of punctuality,
of honesty, and of fidelity; the political duties of
Christians; the relative duties of husband and
wife, parent and child, brother and sister, teacher
and pupil, employer and employed, neighbor, citi-
zen and friend; the duty of good manners, which
are the outward exhibition of Christian benevo-
lence; in short, all those practical virtues, for
which a text can readily be found in the writings
of Christ and his Apostles !

It is not until the pulpit holds up the standard
faithfully in all these matters, that either Chris-
tians, or the world, will be properly " convinced of
sin."

Another grand cause of the difficulty under con-
sideration is, the almost utter neglect, by Chris-
tians, of certain precepts of the Gospel. What is
the meaning of such passages as these ? " If thy
brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his
fault alone." *' Brethren, if any man be overtaken
in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an
one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted." " Confess your faults

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 137

one to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed."

In listening to the conversation of family friends,
or of Christian professors about their absent Chris-
tian relatives or friends, it is common to hear de-
fects of character or practice pointed out, with
the nicest discrimination and accuracy ; but if the
inquiry is made, " Have you ever presented the
subject thus to the Christian friend whom you
are thus criticising?" a negative answer is almost
universal. Let the question be urged in the oppo-
site direction, " Have you ever been in the habit
of seeking to learn from your friends the infirmi-
ties which in their eyes lessen the benefit of your
example?" and in most cases it will be found that
no such course has been pursued.

It would seem as if the homely, but striking rep-
resentation of the old philosopher, was nearly as
true of Christians as of others : " Men carry a bag
hung over their shoulders, and in the part behind
they put their own faults, and in the part before
they put their neighbors' faults."

Now, if it is a fact that a large part of the self-
ishness exhibited by Christians, is consequent on
not thinking of the feelings, wants, and wishes of
others, how important it is, that those around them
should remind them of what they forget. If ano-
ther large portion results from an imperfect stand-
ard of duty, how important that others should pre-
sent the true standard, and thus exhibit consequent

138 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

deficiencies. If the pulpit is unmindful of this
part of religious instruction, how still more impor-
tant is it, that Christian friends should not fail !

In suggesting this view of the subject, there is
need of discrimination in order to prevent misun-
derstanding. For this reason, it is necessary ex-
pressly to disclaim that injudicious, gross, and in-
jurious application of the scriptural directions quo-
ted, which is sometimes witnessed in periods of
religious excitement, when, without any regard to
the rules of delicacy and decorum, the class of
persons most of all unfitted for the office, under-
take the duty of reprovers to their brethren. And
as much so, those indecorous and imprudent con-
fessions of defects of temper and conduct, to pro-
miscuous assemblies, or to unsuitable persons,
sometimes practised in supposed obedience to
Apostolical injunctions. The duty required of
Christians, in these passages, is one which de-
mands not so much good judgment, (though this is
very important,) as it does a knowledge of the per-
sons addressed, of their opinions, habits, and char-
acter, and above all, a truly benevolent state of
mind in the person who performs the duty, as ex-
pressed in the inspired command, that this duty be
done " in the spirit of meehiess, considering thy-
self, lest thou also be tempted." It is rarely the
case that any but the nearest family, or personal
friends, have such a knowledge of the individual,
as to enable them to escape prejudice, or false

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 139

opinions, or to speak with that knowledge of the
case which is indispensable. And most of the at-
tempts to do good to others, by striving to correct
faults, fail from a deficiency in that " meekness "
and that want of " considering thyself lest thou
also be tempted," which alone can soften the pain
of such interference,

Christian friends often excuse themselves for the
entire neglect of this duty, by saying, that such
efforts will do more harm than good, and that they
have tried without success. But in a great major-
ity of such cases, the trials have been made in the
wrong time and manner, or in a wrong spirit.
The faults have been disclosed in moments of ex-
citement, or if the one addressed was disposed to
justify or retaliate, have been followed by heated
discussions, or impatient contradiction. And
more than all, the previous spirit of meekness and
of tender forbearance, and allowance for the fail-
ings of others, arising from a sense of our own
weakness and infirmities, has not been cultivated
as a preparation for the discharge of this duty.
Nor, in many cases, is that wisdom that cometh
from above obtained, by seeking guidance in
prayer. No person can claim exemption from this
duty, till it has been attempted in the right spirit,
and in the right time and manner. Nor can it be
known whether good can, or cannot be done, till
the effort is properly made.

There are few amiable persons, still fewer real

140 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Christians, who will not take such efforts kindly,
when they are convinced that they arise from a be-
nevolent feeling, and are done in the spirit of hu-
mility and meekness.

But these duties can be much more readily and
faithfully discharged, if, instead of imposing on
Christian friends the necessity of obtruding
their cautions and admonitions, we seek them our-
selves. This is the true mode by which Christians
can be brought to " confess their faults one to an-
other, and to pray one for another, that they may
be healed."

When a Christian becomes so anxious to cause
his light to shine, as to be willing to go to those
who have the best knowledge of his defects, and
seek instruction of them, in meekness and pa-
tience, the world around him will speedily see his
good works, and thus be led to glorify his Father
who is in heaven. And if those who are appointed
to examine persons for admission to the church,
would oftener bear in mind that the Master's de-
claration is, " by their fruits (not their feelings) ye
shall know them," it would more frequently be the
case, that inquiries would be made in regard to the
defects of character and conduct in the family,
and the efforts made to overcome them, and less
stress be laid on states of mind, which often are so
evanescent and uncertain.

The church of Rome, by its errors on the sub-
ject of good works y has driven Protestant Chris-

REV. GEORGE BEEt;HER. 141

tians, in many cases, to the opposite extreme. The
fear of trusting to externals for salvation, has led
to as dangerous an error, by the trusting to frames
and feelings. The result is, that a great portion of
worldly men do not believe in the reality of spirit-
ual religion. They read the teachings of Christ,
and see that it is the fruits which he decides to
be the evidences of piety, and so, whatever a man
•professes, as to his feelings and purposes, they look
solely at the character and conduct, and count him
to be the best Christian who is the best man in all
his personal, domestic, social, and civil relations.

It is in reference to these points, that the sub-
ject of this memoir has left an example, which, to
his family and personal friends, to private Chris-
tians and to ministers of the Gospel, is worthy of
serious consideration.

The marked change in his habits and character,
the last three or four years of his life, can be traced
distinctly to his views and habits in these respects.
To him, the great concern was to follow the ex-
ample of Christ, and live, not for Iiimsef, but for
others. To him, that consecration of the will and
affections to God, which he taught as the begin-
ning of Christian life, consisted in the deter-
mination in all things to follow the commands of
Christ, actually carried out. To him, repentance
consisted not in the mere feclijig of contrition; it
included the forsaking of sin. To him, love to
God was not the emotion or the purpose only ; it

142 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

included the appropriate effects. " This is the love
of God, that ye keep his commandments." " If a
man love not his brother whom he hath seen, how
can he love God whom he hath not seen?" He
believed that the great aim of Jesus Christ, in re-
gard to his people, was to stop them from sinning ;
and this was the definite point at which he aimed
for himself and for his people, with the same ear-
nestness and the same definiteness with which
worldly men aim at any earthly plan. In regard
to himself, to find out what his defects of character
and practice were, and to overcome them, was his
cliief concern, the subject of inquiry with his
friends, the chief object in communion with his
Saviour, and the interest which took precedence
of every other in his pursuits. It was his sinceri-
ty and earnestness in these efforts, which made it
so easy for his friends to approach him with coun-
sels. All their efforts were met with a generous
patience and gratitude, that invited rather than re-
pelled such attempts. To one who often had ful-
filled this office of Christian affection, he once re-
marked, that he wished he could always enjoy such
counsels ; that he was grateful for them, and felt
his affection increased rather than diminished by
such Christian faithfiilness.

This record of Christian experience, then, pre-
sents a subject for anxious inquiry to those who are

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. ]4{i

the professed followers of Jesus Christ, but who,
to all observers, differ very little from thousands
who make no such professions. When we exa-
mine the New Testament, in reference to this mat-
ter, and read the description of those who are
called the children of God and disciples of Jesus
Christ, they are represented as being a peculiar
people; as living not for time, but for eternity; as
having their treasures and their hearts in heaven;
as not conformed to the world ; as the salt of the
earth, and as the light of the world.

And the Saviour teaches us that many who pro-
fess to be his, will at last hear the declaration, "1
never knew you." He teaches that the way to
eternal life is " strait and narrow ;" that many
seek to enter in and are not able, that there be few
that find it."

Is there not great reason to fear, then, that mul-
titudes of those who claim to differ from the world,
and to be the real disciples of Christ, are deceiv-
ing themselves, while, at the same time, they are
leading others to destruction 1 Is it possible that
men and women who seem as much interested as
the world in making money, in dress, in furniture,
in amusements, and in the various pursuits of this
life, are "the strangers and pilgrims who are seek-
ing another and better country, even a heavenly
one," who " are walking by faith and not by sight ?"
Let these declarations of our Lord be deeply pon-
dered by all who profess his name. ** By their

144 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that
saith to me in that day, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth
the will of my Father which- is in heaven."

It is not improbable that these pages may meet
the eye of some friend or acquaintance of the sub-
ject of this memoir, who never has felt the power
of true piety in his own mind, who sometimes
doubts whether in all cases it is any thing more
than a delusion.

Let such an one for a moment consider, whether
the transfer of such an experience, as is here re-
corded, to his own mind, would not be so com-
plete a transformation, that it could properly be
described as a " new creation," a ** new birth,"
in which " old things have passed away, and all
things have become new."

This daily and delightful communion with an
unseen Saviour ; these earnest aspirations for com-
plete conformity to his character ; these renewed
and constant struggles to overcome bad habits, and
to conform every feeling, thought and action to
the perfect standard ; this deep contrition for defi-
ciency ; this devotion of the mind to one engrossing
object, of promoting piety and virtue in his own
mind and in the minds of others ; this using the
world so as to make every pursuit secondary and
subordinate to one great aim ; what could be newer,
stranger, more unknown, or more unwelcome to a
worldly spirit?

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 145

Time was when he, whose course is here re-
corded, was as thoughtless, as worldly, as indiffer-
ent to all these interests, as any one whose eye may
rest upon these lines. What is to be said of a
change so complete and entire, which will not
exactly correspond with the instructions of the
Divine Teacher, " Verily, verily, I say unto you,
ye must be born again?"

True it is, that every mind, in experiencing such
a renovation, developes its experience according
to its own peculiar conformation. A tranquil, un-
impassioned mind will not have precisely the same
experience, as to emotion, as an enthusiastic tem-
perament. A phlegmatic mind will not present
the same Christian experience as an»active, ener-
getic mind. But in the grand essential their ex-
perience will be the same. The mind w hich here-
tofore has been wholly engrossed by the pursuit of
worldly good, through the influence of love and
trust toward an unseen Saviour, comes under a
steady, abiding principle of obedience to Ms will,
as the dominant engrossing purpose of the soul,
and which actually does control the habits and
conduct.

And this it is, which the word of God teaches
is the indispensable condition of eternal life, so
that every mind that leaves this world without it, is
lost for ever !

146 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

ADDITIONAL EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS.
Batavia, March 9, 1837.

You speak, in your letter, of your sometimes
doubting, *' whether a Christian can be so selfish
as you find yourself to be." Do these doubts pre-
vent your comfort in the duties of religion 1 Do
they cloud your vision, and prevent your confiding
approach to God in prayer 1 If they produce this
effect, they injure your Christian character, and
retard your growth in grace. I was preaching
yesterday, on a subject which you need to think
of much : — '* We have not an High Priest who can-
not be touched with a feeling of our infirmities,
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in every time of need." Now, let us
consider daily, this High Priest of our profession.
He was in all things like his brethren, that he
might be a merciful and sympathizing High Priest,
to have compassion on them that are ignorant and
out of the way, for that he himself was compassed
with infirmity. He knows all our temptations, our
natural defects, and our acquired habits, and when
we sin, he is not surprised nor disappointed. He

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 147

expected to meet with just such treatment, when
he undertook to save us. If we meet with ingrat-
itude in a cherished friend, we cannot forget it, or
bear with it, because it is unexpected, and destroys
our confidence in him ; but we do not feel less
disposed to persevere or to give up our efforts for a
child, because we see it often stubborn, ungrateful,
and rebellious. Every parent expects to meet with
this, and is prepared for it, and it awakens not so
much anger as pity, when it is seen. So with our
Saviour ; he sees our defects, and our daily sins,
more in pity than in anger, and he is not discour-
aged nor disposed to relinquish his work, because
we sin so often. It is very necessary for us to
keep this in view, that we may be able to come
with boldness to him, for mercy and grace to help.
The Lord Jesus knew that you would be wayward
and selfish and ungrateful often, before he should
perfect you in holiness, and yet he determined to
undertake the work and overcome all obstacles.
Therefore let not your inward corruptions or out-
ward temptations discourage you, but while they
make you humble and penitent, let them only keep
you near to Christ, and make you depend more
absolutely on him.

Every day of my life do I learn more and more,
that without him, I can do nothing, and whenever
in our hearts this becomes the habitual state of
feeling, then we are safe.

I am glad that you do see more and more of the

148 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

sinfulness and inveterate depravity of your heart.
Nothing is so needful, to make us appreciate the
riches of the love of Christ, as a deep conviction of
our own guiltiness, and nothing will make us so
willing to spend our lives in laboring for Christ, or
so completely annihilate self-esteem, and desire for
worldly honors.

Batavia, April 30, 1837.

I HAVE just been preaching on one of the most
delightful subjects, the love of God for his church,
from Isaiah xlix. 14-16. How natural the expres-
sion of despondency in these verses! Such, I
doubt not, you have often felt, and been discour-
aged and distressed. But how beautifully does
God dispel these fears, by the assurance of the most
ardent and abiding affection ! The strongest tie of
life, the love of a mother for her helpless and de-
pendent infant, for whom she has suffered, and en-
dured toil and watching, she may forget ; " yet,"
says our God, " will I not forget thee, for I have
graven thee upon the palms of my hands, that thou
mayest be continually before me." How can we
be troubled, when we realize that God is watching
over all our interests with such tender assiduity ?
How much peace and joy do we lose by doubting
the promises of our God ! How needful it is to

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 149

bring before 3our mind these sweet and precious
promises when you are despondent. I am sure
that almost all your occasional depressions may be
prevented, or removed by proper management;
and as I have had no little experience in this way
myself, I think I know how to meet the difficulty
in your case. I recollect, when I used to suffer
thus, brother E. told me, I should one day see why
God afflicted me, and that one reason might be, to
enable me to understand better that kind of suffer-
ing in others; and I have been glad, since then,
that I was led through such seasons, for I have
been able to appreciate and remove distress from
others, that I could not otherwise have reached.

Batavia.

Readixvg Mr. Finney's sermons is just the thing
I would not recommend to one of your temper-
ament, who are disposed to look on the dark side of
your own character and prospects.

These sermons I have read, and they produce
in me the same feelings of discouragement as in
you ; and the reason is, they are harsh, in their
mode of presenting the trutli. When you read the
same truths in the Bible, and see the high stand-
ard there presented, you do not feel the same dis-
couragement, because the mode in which they are
S

150 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

communicated produces, not a feeling of discour-
agement, but of desire and holy longing and hope.
But Mr. Finney urges duty, removed from the aids
which the Bible throws in to cheer the drooping
heart. When the Bible requires you to do duties,
it at the same time tells you, that God's grace shall
be sufficient to you, and that his strength shall be
perfected in your weakness. It brings before you
the Lord Jesus, as your friend and intercessor,
and the high priest of our profession ; and thus
relieves the distress of conscious weakness and
guilt, by encouraging assurances of assistance,
forgiveness, and love. You are apt to separate
these two things, and to look only at duty to be
done, your own inability, and your great deficien-
cies in every respect, and thus your heart sinks
with discouragement. But I beseech you, remem-
ber, that the gospel system is one which, while it
requires perfect holiness as the thing to be aimed
at, where faith and love to Christ exist, accepts the
least degree of it. It does not depend upon your-
self whether you make advances in holiness and se-
cure eternal life ; if it did you might despair. But
when you have given your heart to the Saviour,
his language is, " I will make an everlasting cove-
nant with you." He promises that you never shall
perish, and that none shall pluck you out of his
hand. This is the difference between the law and
the gospel. If you were under the law, and re-
quired to be perfectly obedient, as the condition of

REV. GEORGE BEECHER, 151

pardon, then nothing but unbroken obedience
could be accepted, and the responsibility would
rest wholly upon you. But now Christ takes the
responsibility of securing your salvation on himself;
he promises to keep his children from falling, and
to present them faultless, before his presence, with
exceeding joy.

One other direction I would advise you to fol-
low. Think less of yourself, your own deficien-
cies and sins, and more of Christ ; his character,
his love, and his sufficiency. Thus love will draw
and constrain you, when threatening and reproof
would do you no good. I do wish I could sit down
by your side, for I believe that I could so present
the character of Christ, that you would love, and
hope, and rejoice. May he open your eyes to see
him, to feel his love, and thus to relieve your mind
of all its darkness.

In regard to the insuperable ennui of which you
complain, I have had it, and know all the distress
produced by trying to shake it off, and failing, and
from a sense of guilt in indulging in it. Respect-
ing this, it is important to keep in view, that it re-
sults from physical and not from moral causes, and
is therefore involuntary, and not criminal. When
it comes upon you, do not feel that you are to
blame, nor take any additional burden, by unavail-
ing regret. It is a thing to be submitted to, as a
trial from God, just as sickness or any other ca-
lamity. Whenever you suffer it, let the first thing

J 52 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

be, to arm your mind with patience to endure it^
just as long as God shall see fit ; in the next place,
do not try to urge yourself to feel much on any
subject. Feeling must be dead while the nervous
system is in this state, and every effort you make
tends only to increase despondency, and to plunge
you into deeper gloom. The great thing to be at-
tempted is, to bear it with as little pain to our-
selves, and with as little loss of time as possible.
When I am in this state, I never try to study.
Such seasons are almost the only ones in which I
read novels or plays ; but when I am in this state,
I sometimes sit down and read as steadily as I can,
through the whole evening, and then lie down and
sleep as soon as possible. There is a depression
of the nervous system which requires this kind of
excitement. I could recommend your reading
Shakspeare, Irving's writings, and Scott's novels,
and these I think are almost the only times when
it is right to read them. The time m.ay thus be
profitably employed; for this acquaintance with
general literature is really valuable, and every well
educated person ought to be so familiar with the
standard English classics, as to be able to converse
intelligibly upon them. If you cannot do even
this, then learn to be still, and do just nothing at
all, and be satisfied with doing nothing until you
feel better.

REV. GEORCIE liEECHER. 153

Batavia.

May the blessing of the Lord my God rest upon
you, and cause you to know that love of Christ
which passeth knowledge, and grant you that joy
which is unspeakable and full of glory. He has
been with my own spirit, *' and with the visits of his
love, vouchsafe my inmost soul to cheer." I have
rarely enjoyed so much of the calm and perfect
peace, which God has promised to him whose mind
is stayed upon him, as for a few days past; and
never have I been able so to enter into the secret
tabernacle of the Most High, and commune with
him with such perfect freedom. I have realized
what David meant when he said, " My soul follow-
eth hard after thee, thy right hand upholdeth me."
Yesterday morning, while praying for some of my
friends, my soul approached near to God, with an
earnestness and intensity of desire that I never
felt but once before. So that it seemed to me that
my petition was granted. There is a kind of as-
surance, which I believe God gives to his children
when they are pleading with him, which makes
them know as really that their petitions are grant-
ed, as though he had spoken to them in an audible
voice. There is nothing irrational in this. God
has access to our minds, and can communicate his
thoughts and feelings to us, as easily as we can do
it by language to each other. This view has, in-
deed, been made the occasion of enthusiastic and

154 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

false views, and it needs to be guarded with great
care. Mere impressions made upon the mind, are
not to be taken as the operations of the Spirit. We
are to try our spirits, whether they be of God. But
if these impressions are made on our minds in view
of God's promises, when our souls approach very
near to God in fervent prayer, if they prompt to
action in securing the things we desire, if they
make us meek and humble, instead of exalting us,
if we are living a holy life, and finally if they are
not transient, but permanent impressions, so that
when we enjoy similar nearness to God, our con-
fidence and hope is not diminished but increased,
then I believe they are prompted by the Holy
Spirit and may be safely trusted.

You ask. How are you to know whether you are
actuated by a desire to please Jesus Christ? I
will try to tell you. Not by examining every par-
ticular action to ascertain whether, in doing it,
you were acting for him ; for in most of the ac-
tions we perform, we cannot be thinking of him,
while we perform them, nor is there any definite
specific purpose, that the thing to be done shall be
for Christ. But I will illustrate by an example.
How do I know that 1 wish to please a dear friend ?
Not by thinking all the time, now I am doing this to
please my friend. But my feelings are manifested
thus. Suppose I should find that I should not do
as I propose, if I find it would displease my friend ;
suppose my mind, when at liberty from care,

REY. GEORGE BEECHER. 155

naturally reverts to this friend, and that a desire to
please him actuates me more than any other prin-
ciple, so that the mere intimation of his wishes
would secure cheerful and joyful compliance.

Now just change the person, and suppose it to
be Christ and yourself Would you refrain from
doing a thing if you supposed he would be grieved
at it? Would you not attempt a thing, however
self-denying, if you thought it would please him?
Do your thoughts revert to him oftener than to
any other being? When you form plans for the
future, is there not a consciousness that you desire
his favor, more than that of any other being, and
could you not relinquish them all for his sake ? If
it be so, then " the love of Christ constrains you."
It is the general course of life, and the habits of the
mind, that are to decide this question, and not any
particular actions taken by themselves.

Batavia.

You say that you act from a sense of duty, and
a desire of " the recompense of reward;" both
these are right motives ; both have scriptural sanc-
tion, and ought to influence every child of God.
But the constraining love of Christ is a stronger
and sweeter motive to action. Yet the emotion of
!i)ve may not always be felt, when love is really the

156 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

spring of all that we do. Our hearts may be going
on, constantly striving to please the Saviour, even
when we do not feel any perceptible emotion in
the contemplation of his character. Some minch
never can feel ardent emotion of any kind ; they
are rather influenced by calm., uniform feeling,
rarely rising above the ordinary level. They act
from duty till it becomes a habit, and are as really
constrained by the love of Christ as those who feel
strong emotion. Indeed I think that kind of piety
which is the result o^ fixed principle is the most
likely to be permanent and uniform. When per-
sons are actuated by feeling, and depend on this,
they must inevitably have seasons when the stimu-
lus of strong feeling cannot be sustained, and if
they are not under the influence of a sense of duty,
and a fixed, habitual purpose of heart to serve Godj.
they will waver and grow cold. Emotion is desir-
able in some cases, to enable the mind to bring all
its energies to bear upon some great but temporary
object ; to stimulate the faculties to their highest
pitch of energy ; and to give a degree of courage
and decision, not usually felt but from high emo-
tion, and such as cannot be habitually maintained.
The thing to be desired and sought is strength of
purpose — a resolution increasing in energy and
compass every day, corroborated by acts of self-
denial, by contemplation of the love of Christ, of
the joys of heaven, of the miseries of the lost, of
the dangers of a ruined race around us. of the

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 157

shortness of life, and of the great work to be done.
»A11 these should be considered, and" used, to increase
the strength of our determination " to know no-
thing save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
Strong emotions of love are often bestowed by God,
for the purpose of cheering and refreshing the soul,
and of stimulating it to higher attainments. He
unfolds his blessed character, and draws the heart
to himself In prayer he gives the sweet assur-
ance of his presence and favor. He opens the
glorious promises to our minds, and enables us to
lay hold on them, till we become " partakers of the
divine nature." In such seasons the emotion is
intense and delightful ; " though we see him not,
yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory." Something of this blessedness the
Saviour has permitted me to enjoy for a week past.
I have been able to approach nearer to him, and to
behold with unveiled face his glory, and to feel
more strong, delightful affection for him than ever
before in my life. And oh, how dreadful did it
then appear to sin against him ! and how did my
soul long to be kept by his almighty power from
falling, and to rest sweetly, with the confiding
trust of infancy, on his omnipotent love ! It is
at such seasons, more than at any others, I feel the
blessedness of Christian affection; the thought that
my friends are becoming like him, that in them I
may watch the unfolding lineaments of his divine
character, that together we may speak of his 1(

158 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

and bow before him in prayer, that in time, and
through eternity, allied to him and to each other
through him, we shall go on with unbroken and
ceaseless progression in knowledge, purity, and
happiness for ever ; this has filled my heart with
" joy unspeakable and full of glory." Day by day,
without ceasing, " do I bow my knees to the God
and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, that he would
grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to
be strengthened with might by his spirit in the
inner man, that Christ may dwell in your heart by
faith, that, being rooted and groimded in love, you
may comprehend what is the breadth, and length,
and depth, and height, and know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the
fulness of God."

Batavia.

The subject you mention in your letter, respect-
ing the knowledge which the spirits of the blessed
will have of each other in heaven, is one of deep
interest. I have thought much respecting it, and
will try to present to you some of the reasons
why I think we shall know our friends in heaven.

In the first place, this seems to be inevitable, if
our memory is continued to us. That we shall
have this faculty is most sure : for to suppose mem-

REV, GEORGE BEECHER. 159

ory destroyed, is to suppose that saints in glory
will have more imperfect minds, and minds less
like God, than those they had on earth. For the
power of recalling past events is one particular in
which our mind resembles God's.

Again, the extinction of memory would annihi-
late the highest source of joy to the righteous.
Should the saint forget all the scenes of trial and
difficulty through which God led him, in bringing
him to Heaven, half of the ground of his gratitude
would be destroyed.

Could he forget his sins, forgiven through the
blood of Christ, all that constitutes the peculiar
joy of the redeemed would be annihilated. But
memory does remain in every mind, when we arrive
in heaven. If the scenes of earth are as visibly be-
fore the mind, as though they passed but yester-
day, how can such beings associate together, and
not know each other ? Suppose you and your sis-
ter had been separated for years, till each had so
changed as to be unknown to the other, and by
accident you should be thrown together, and com-
mence conversing upon the events of your past
lives ; how long, think you, would it be befcre
you would discover that you were sisters ? Any
one who knows with what rapidity one train of
thought reveals another, and how a trifling inci-
dent may recall long passages of life, would see
that a few moments of familiar, confidential inter-
course, would reveal your relationship. Now, in

160 BIOGR.4PHiCAL REMAIJNS OF

heaven there will be no concealment. Holy minds
never desire to conceal their feelings and history ;
especially when the history of their' lives will so
much illustrate the glory of God, How long,
then, with the intellectual powers we shall possess
in heaven, will it be before we shall know every
saint and all their secret history ?

But again, the Bible says, that " they that be
wise shall shine as the brightness of the firma-
ment; and they that turn many to righteousness,
as the stars forever and ever."

What is the meaning of this? It is that they
shall be held in high estimation in heaven. But
why will they be so esteemed ? Because, the
heavenly inhabitants will know the history of their
labors, and will bestow upon them that affection
and honor which their fidelity deserves. Now,
where one has been the means of saving another,
and is honored "for it in heaven, can it be that the
soul, redeemed by his instrumentality, will not
know him ?

Again, when the day of judgment arrives, all
the universe will be assembled together; and we
are told that the history of every mind, extending
to the most secret conduct, will be revealed. Now,
could we hear all the events of a person's life, and
not recognize him ? And if we know our friends
once, shall we not know them forever ?

Again, St. Paul, in writing to the Thessalo-
nians, says : " Brethren, T would not have you ig»

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 1(11

norant concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, as others who have no hope ; for, if
Christ died and rose again, even so those that sleep
in Jesus shall God bring with him." Now, the
amount of this passage, with which he exhorts
them to comfort one another, is this. When your
pious friends die, you are not like those who have
no hope of seeing them again, for you shall be re-
united to them, and together be ever with the
Lord. Now, the mere fact of being together
would be no comfort, if they were to be as perfect
strangers. Most manifestly, he intends to comfort
them, under the grief produced by separation, by
assuring them that those sundered ties of affection
shall be reunited in a better world. The husband
and wife, parent and child, brother and sister,
bound together by the bands of Christian affection
here, we are assured, shall be reunited in endless
friendship there. It is plain, then, to my mind,
that we shall know each other in heaven, far more
perfectly than we do here.

But it may be a question, whether we shall know
each other immediately after death. As to this, I
think there is little doubt. For, in the first place,
there is no conceivable reason why minds ac-
quainted on earth should not know each other im-
mediately in heaven.

It does not require that we should see each
other with bodily eyes, to recognize the action of
our minds. Two persons, who know each other

162 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

perfectly, will recognize, in a composition, the
style and modes of thought and feeling peculiar to
each, and so it may be in heaven. -Spirits may
commune with each other, and understand each
other's thoughts far better than they could do here.

But further, it is manifest that the events of
earth are known in heaven. Angels attend the
saints as ministering spirits, and when one is re-
leased from earth, his attending augel conveys him
to heaven, nor does he forget him when he arrives
there. And is the new-born heir of heaven ushered
unknown into its courts ? Is there no interest
among the redeemed, to know who their new com-
panion is ? Are all the laws of our social nature
annihilated, so that there will be no solicitude to
know the name, character, and history of one who
is now to be their companion forever ? Are the
lips of the new inhabitant of heaven sealed, and
his heart shut up from all communion with those
around him ? Who does not see, that unless we
cease to be social beings, and lose all our sympa-
thies, every being in heaven will speedily become
acquainted with their new friend, and know his
whole history ?

When a stranger arrives in a little town, how
long is it before all the people know of him all that
may be known, and this, too, from mere idle curi-
osity ? But substitute for this, the intense ardor
of holy love, and the warm desire to welcome him
to our joys and sympathies, let perfect confidence

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 163

be felt on both sides, and how short the time be-
fore we should know every stranger ! This is the
state of society in heaven. Each is eager to com-
municate joy to the other ; each is willing to un-
veil his whole soul to another, and thus all are
perfectly acquainted.

Batavia.

You speak in your letter, of guardian angels. I
suppose the Bible teaches it clearly. It repre-
sents the angels as ministering spirits, sent forth
to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation.
And of those little ones, who believe in Christ, it
is said, " Their angels do always behold the face of
my father who is in heaven." "The angel of
the Lord encampeth round about those who fear
him, and delivereth them." " He shall give his
angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall
they bear thee up." Angels were about Elijah,
ministering to him in the wilderness. Angels were
in waiting, to convey the parting spirit of the poor
man to Abraham's bosom. Indeed, the chief
business of angels, in this world, seems to be, to
watch over the people of God, and assist them in
their course to heaven. What a solemn yet pleas-
ant thought is it, that about our path are guardian
spirits ; that they hover unseen by our sleeping

164 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

pillow; that they are present to sympathize in our
hours of joy and sorrow. With what dignity does
it invest the humblest child of God! The poor,
despised slave, groaning beneath the scourge, may
have angelic ministers in attendance to serve him,
or to convey his parting spirit to eternal day. But
how much more solemn and delightful the thought,
that God is ever with us, watching all our ways,
and forming an impartial estimate of all we do!
How do we forget this ! And yet, when our
hearts are drawn to him by love and daily com-
munion, how unutterably delightful is the feeling
that he is with us every where ! How does it af-
ford the most cheering society, and make us feel
that we are never alone ! When we thus realize
his presence, all nature speaks of him, and all the
works of his hands afford hiijher delight.

Batavia

Butler is one of those inexhaustible series of
thought, which, when you have dug through the
rough crust that envelopes the precious ore, will
develope more and richer treasures of thought and
enlarged principles, than any other book I know of
in our language. I never read his Analogy with-
out having new trains of thought and investigation
suggested, and T feel that he is always new. I

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 165

can read him now, with about as much ease as any
writer in the language; indeed, the condensation
of thouorht, the interweavino- of sentences, and the
transitions to collateral trains of thought, are in-
teresting to me, as introducing me more perfectly
to the author's mind. He wrote in the strictly
analytical style, and gives you the trains of thought
as his own mind wrought them out. You see in
him the movements of a gigantic mind, conceiving
the outlines of a great plan of argument, never be-
fore thought out, laying out his path, and pursuing
his steady course with a clearness and power rarely
found in any other writer. Most other men have
discovered detached truths, or enlarged systems
already established. But Butler struck out a new
track. His philosophy was clear, and free from ,
the obscure technics of that age. His principles
led him to conclusions which struck at the root of
existing systems of philosophy and religion, and
which demolish those crude theories which have
burdened and obscured the systems of theology.
Yet it is a singular fact, that, until very recently,
this bearing of his Analogy was not perceived.
He has been read and recommended from genera-
tion to generation, by the very men by whom the
principles derived from him are considered as her-
esy. The whole theory of the origin of sin, the
question whether sin is the necessary means of the
greatest good, and almost all those points discussed
in recent theolocrical rontrovprsies, are all brought

166 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

out and presented by him. His works, for a theo-
logian, ought to occupy the place that Blackstone
does to the lawyer, and should be read over every
year. I am determined to do it myself.

The writing out of an analysis of this work will
afford to you much mental discipline, and fix the
principles of the subject more deeply and accu-
rately than any other method.

The distinctness with which the course of rea-
soning will thus be brought before the mind, the
close attention required to follow him, the discrim-
ination demanded in selecting the important points
of the argument, and divesting it of extraneous
matter, and the process of writing it down, all af-
ford most excellent discipline.

tEV. GEORGE BEEGHER. 167

VIEWS ON CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.
I.

" Not as though I had apprehended, either were
already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended by
Christ. Brethren, I count not myself to have ap-
prehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting the
things that are behind, and reaching forth unto
those that are before, 1 press forward to the mark
of the prize of my high calling in Christ Jesus
my Lord.

" Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be
thus minded."

Most of the disputes and differences of opinion,
among real Christians, respecting Christian char-
acter and attainments, arise from misunderstanding
the terms by which different individuals express
their views. Not unfrequently, persons will con-
tend most strenuously on a subject where they are
perfectly agreed, because each is deceived by the
language of the other, and thus supposes him to
hold great and radical errors. This misappre-
hension is not a little increased by excited passion,
pride, self-will, and a desire of reputation, which
are aroused in the heat of controversy. Many are
led to misapprehend the views of those whom, if

168 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

they could converse with them, they would ap-
prove and love. But because they receive flying
rumor for truth, and too readily take second-hand
statements of their principles, they gain false and
distorted views of the whole subject.

In no instance has this been more apparent, than
on the subject of Christian perfection. From the
day in which this term was first applied to a par-
ticular state of Christian character, it has been
misrepresented and perverted. It is greatly to be
regretted, that when this term produced so much
misapprehension in the days of Wesley, it should
acrain have been brought into use to describe Chris-
tian character ; because no term has a greater va-
riety and latitude of meaning in its several uses
than this, and by no word can less be known as to
the real conception of the writer.

A slight reference to the diversified use of this
term in the Bible, will illustrate this.

Noah is called a just man, and perfect in his
generation ; yet Noah sinned grossly. Job is
called a perfect and upright man. *' Mark the per-
fect man and behold the upright." In all these
cases it is plain that a general course of integrity
and holy living is intended by the term perfect.

God said to Abraham, " Walk before me and
be thou perfect." " Be ye perfect, even as your
Father in heaven is perfect." Here complete
moral purity is required. " My strength is made

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 169

perfect in weakness." Here the sense is, that of
complete adequateness to all our wants.

" The law made nothing perfect." Here the
sense is, that the law did not furnish a complete
system of means for the salvation of men. *' The
God of peace, after ye have suffered awhile, make
you perfect, establish, settle you." " For the per-
fecting of the saints, till we all come to a perfect
man." Here the word refers to a mature Chris-
tian, in opposition to the wavering, inconstant state
of the new convert.

" To the spirits of just men made perfect."
Here the sense is complete deliverance from all
defect of constitution or character. " To make
the captain of our salvation perfect through suffer-
ing." Here the idea is, that of entire adaptation
and fitness for the work he was to perform.

If we attempt, by a term so diversified in its uses
as this, to prove any thing with respect to the pos
sible, or actual attainments of Christians in this
life, we shall become involved in fruitless disputes,
and " find no end, in wandering mazes lost."

We must, therefore, confine ourselves to the use
of the term in particular cases, and learn by ex-
amination of the whole bearing of passages, their
true meaning. There is a state spoken of in the
New Testament, which is called perfection.
" Leaving the first principles of the doctrine of
Christ, let us go on to perfection." " Howbeit,
we speak wisdom among them that are perfect."

170 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

" He gave Apostles for the perfecting of the saints/^
" Let as many of us as be perfect be thus minded."

The question here arises, What is this state?

We must first consider the different senses in
which the term perfect may be applied to a moral
agent. Any thing may be called perfect, when all
its parts are complete, and it fully answers the end
for which it was designed. In this sense, a moral
agent, like man, is perfect, when all his constitu-
tional powers and actions, fully correspond with
the original design of God in his creation ; that is,
when his intellect is sound, not biased by passion,
or blinded by prejudice, or darkened by error;
when his susceptibilities are all in a healthful state,
not inordinately excited, or predisposed to wrong
action, and when the icill is fully subjected to
the decisions of reason and the moral sense. This
is absolute perfection, and is found only among the
holy angels and the spirits of the just made per-
fect.

There is a secondary sense, where a being is
considered only with reference to the demands of
law upon him, as regulated by his present ability,
and then the term perfect is used in the sense of
obeying the commands of God with all the powers
a being possesses, aided by all the knowledge
within his reach, however great or small that ability
or knowledge may be.

Perfection, in this use, relates ^\m'^\y io the state
of the will as conformed to the law. This is the

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 171

only possible state of perfection for man in this
world, and to no other can he attain, and this is
what God commands every man to attain, and what
every man may attain. But there is another sense
still, in which the love demanded is called perfect,
when it is so confirmed as to be the uniform, generic
state of a man's mind, producing habitual con-
formity to God's will, and near and intimate com-
munion with him. In this case, though at times
there may be deviations in feelings and conduct,
from the perfect, abstract standard of rectitude, or
imperfections arising from ignorance and inexpe-
rience, yet they do not amount to deliberate and
wilful disobedience. This is a state of perfection
which Christians have attained, and which the
Apostle urges them to attain. It differs from the
preceding one only in its permanence and con-
trolling power.

This state of the Christian may be more clearly
understood by carefully examining the difference
between the state into which he is brought when
he is converted, and this more perfect state which
he attains by '' patient continuance in well doing,"
as well as by studying the experience of those who
have attained this state. What, then, is the state
of the believer, when God first delivers him from
the power of darkness, and translates him into the
kingdom of his dear Son ?

He is called, in view of this change, a new
creature ; old things have passed away, and all

172 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

things have become new ; he is created anew m
Christ Jesus unto good works, that he should walk
in them. These expressions will be better under-
stood, if we consider what God promises to do for
all those who become his children. In Romans it
is said, *' What the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con-
demned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of
the law might he fulfilled in us, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit." With this design
in view, he promises, " Then will I sprinkle clean
water upon you, and ye shall be clean." *' I will
circumcise their heart to love the Lord their God
with all their heart."

Now this is what God undertakes to do for
every one who is chosen in Christ Jesus, and there-
fore they are said to be chosen in him before the
foundation of the world, 'that they should be holy
and without hlame before him in love. This is the
actual result at which God aims, and yet man has
to be active in the work. Hence Christ demands
of every one who becomes his disciple, that he for-
sake father and mother, and brother and sister, yea,
and his own life, as the condition of union with
him. He must come out from the world, and be
separate, and keep the commands of Christ, as
Christ kept his Father's commandments. These
things are indispensable to being received as a dis-
ciple of Christ. Hence every believer, in view of

REV. GEORGE BEECHEK. 173

this change, is called a new creature; old things
have passed away, and all things have become new.
He has crucified the flesh with its affections and
lusts, is dead to sin and alive unto God ; sin hath
no more dominion over him. All these things
show, that, at his conversion, the Christian is
brought into a state of perfect obedience to the law
of God (using the term in the sense of entire con-
secration of will). God has accomplished in him
what the law could not do, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in him. The law is
now written in his heart, he is cleansed from his
filthiness, he has a new heart and a new spirit, has
cast away all his transgressions, and walks in the
statutes of life.

But his condition at conversion is still that of a
child. Though his will is right, he is still very
ignorant and inexperienced. He is under the in-
fluence of very strong habits arising from former
sins, and their power over him is great. He is
constantly liable to fall from his steadfastness, un-
der the assaults of Satan, and of his inordinate
propensities, which the Apostle calls the body of
sin and death. But if he presses on to become
perfectly free from all remains of former corrup-
tion, if he repents and returns to Christ as soon as
he sees that he has sinned, and by experience, by
watching his own heart and the wiles of the
Tempter, by increasing in knowledge of God's
will, and in apprehension of the character and love
9

174 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

of Christ, he at length reaches a point where the
Saviour grants him such manifestations of himself,
and such abundant measures of the influences of
the Spirit, that he becomes filled with the love of
Christ, and is rooted and grounded in love. His
soul is made perfect in love, so that he mounts up
on wings as eagles, runs without weariness, and
walks without fainting. At this point, his sense of
the presence of God is not long suspended. He
walks in the light, as God is in the light. His
peace is uniform and unbroken. He is conscious
of no interruption in his full conlmunion with his
Saviour, in whom, though he sees him not, he re-
joices with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

The state of such a mind will be best described
by referring to the experience of such an one as
Paul. In the earlier stages of his Christian course,
after he had become dead to sin by the body of
Christ, he was, for a season, brought under bond-
age again by the law, and sin deceived him, and
by it slew him, so that, for a time, he found him-
self utterly unable to overcome his sinful propen-
sities. He found a law in his members warring
against the law of his mind, and bringing him into
captivity. But from this state he was again raised by
a clear view of Christ, so that he could say, " Thanks
be to God, who giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ." From that time he found
that the law of the Spirit of life had made him free
from the law of sin and death that was in his mem-

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 175

bers, and which before had gained the victory over
him. His experience from this point, is that of a
confirmed Christian. He was sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise, and obtained the gift of the Spirit
as the earnest of his glorious inheritance.

The next question is, How is this state to be at-
tained? Not by any mere unaided strength of
human resolutions, or efforts, or purposes. " When
I would do good, evil is present with me. I de-
light in the law of God after the inward man, but
there is another law, bringing me into subjection
to the law of sin."

This state is attained by the power of God,
through his Spirit working in us, and this interpo-
sition of God is secured only by those who believe
in Christ and trust him for the fulfilment of his
promises. " Who are kept by the mighty power
of God through faith." " He that abideth in me,
the same bringeth forth much fruit." *' Without
me ye can do nothing." " In whom, though now
ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory." This active faith
secures an abundant gift of the Holy Spirit, by
which the believer is led into the full enjoyment
of God.

" After ye believed, ye were sealed with the
Holy Spirit of promise." Now he that hath
wrought the self-same thing in us is God, who also
hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit."

176 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

From the preceding, we see the reason why so
few attain this elevated Christian character.

Many think it is the result of some peculiar act
of sovereignty, and not attainable by all. Some
think it was peculiar to the days of the Apostles.
Some think it is not to be enjoyed in this life, or
not until very near death. They are not surprised
to see Satan bruised under the feet of the Christian,
at the hour of death. They are not surprised at
such a death-bed as that of Payson, but they do
not seem to suppose that it may be granted to the
Christian to live always in that state which he was
in near death. They have never felt that Christ
came to deliver us from this present evil world ;
that the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath
appeared, teaching us that denying all ungodliness,
we live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present evil world ; that Christ came to deliver us
from this present evil world ; and that he was called
Jesus, because he came to save his people from
their sins.

Very many professing Christians have never
known what it is to be born again, as children of
Christ. The terms of discipleship they have never
weighed, nor counted the cost. They have been
awakened to a sense of danger, have seen eternal
wrath threatening them, and have longed to es-
cape. They have regarded Christ as a Saviolir
from hell, but not as a Saviour froin sin. They
have never through Christ died unto sin. They

REr. GEORGE BEECHER. 177

have never received him as the source of their hap-
piness in this life, nor crucified the flesh with its
affections and lusts. To such, the attainment of
such elevation of piety and communion with God,
seems impossible ; and to them it is impossible,
until they are born again, and lay the foundation
of repentance from dead works, and faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ.

From the preceding, we see that the Christian,
in this life, never becomes a perfect being in the
highest sense of the term. There is a wide differ-
ence between being in a perfectly holy state of
mind, at any given period, and professing a per-
fect character ; and a wider still between having a
perfect character and becoming a perfect being.
Now the Christian neither has a perfect char-
acter, nor is he a perfect being ever in this life.

He still has tendencies to sin, so that if he were
not upheld by Christ, he would go back to the
deepest pollution. He is constantly liable to have
unholy thoughts and desires arise in his mind,
though he may not yield, and may resist them. He
still is a depraved being. His constitution and
habits, both of body and mind, are essentially viti-
ated and corrupt, and he is only enabled to abstain
from actual transgression by the constant help of
Christ. He may love with all the strength he pos-
sesses, and do all that he believes to be his duty,
and still he is liable to err through ignorance and
the influence of former sinful habits, and he never

178 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

will escape from the evil influence of past habits of
sin, till he gets to heaven. He, to the last, is obliged
to mortify his body, and bring it under, and to
watch and pray, lest he enter into temptation.
Now, in the sense in which men generally under-
stand the term perfect, it is as improper to affirm
of any man that he is perfect, as to say of a lame
man, who is able to walk only when held up by a
friend, that he is a perfectly sound man.

From the preceding remarks, it is manifest that
for any man to affirm, positively, that he does not
sin, or has not sinned for any length of time, is
presumptuous and unauthorized. A man may so
live that he can say that he has the testimony of
his conscience, that in simplicity and godly sin-
cerity, not with fleshly wisdom, he has had his
walk and conversation in the world, that he has a
conscience void of oflfence, that his heart con-
demns him not, that he is not conscious of disobey-
ing God in any thing, that he enjoys the constant
light of God's countenance, and walks in the light
as God is in the light, that he is made perfect in
love, so as to have all fear cast out, and to enjoy
the spirit of adoption.

But for him to say, positively, that even for one
day he has lived without sin, appears to be unau-
thorized and presumptuous, and for these reasons:

There is no example of the kind in the Bible.
The apostle Paul says he could not do it, and
expressly forbids any one to do it. It is assuming

KEV. GEORGE BEECHER. 179

the prerogative of searching the heart, which be-
longs to God only. It is assuming that we are
perfectly fair and impartial judges of our own char-
acter and conduct. It is assuming that we under-
stand fully the extent and bearing of God's law on
our whole life, and have before our mind a perfect
recollection of every thought, word, and action
during the time of which we affirm; and no man
can possibly do this. Such an assumption tends
greatly to promote self-confidence and spiritual
pride. Lastly, it tends to bring the true scriptural
doctrine of sanctification by faith in Christ, into
contempt.

In view of this subject, as thus presented, we see
that sincere, devoted Christians are substantially
agreed on the doctrine of sanctification, or Chris-
tian perfection in this life. The high state of re-
ligious experience, before described, has long been
known and sought for and attained, by Calvinistic
Christians, under the terui oHhefull assurance of
hope. Many have lived and enjoyed this, without
interruption, for years. Our Methodist and Mora-
vian brethren have known and experienced the
same thing, under the names o^ perfect love, and
Christian perfection. But they distinctly explain
the term, so as to obviate the objectionable mean-
ing conveyed by it. And at the present time,
those who seem to be antagonists on this subject,
as it seems to me, agree in fact. All the New
England divines and Calvinists believe, that the

180 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

remarkable experience of Mrs. President Edwards,
was a genuine and wonderful instance of true and
genuine Christian attainment. But the brethren
at Oberlin publish this very account by Presi-
dent Edwards, of that case, and tell us that it is
just what they mean by perfect sanctification.

All the church have glorified God for the grace
^iven to Payson in his dying hour, and held up his
experience as an encouragement to others. And
yet some of the brethren point out this very case
as the state, which, by the blessing of Christ, they
have attained, and as what they mean by entire
sanctification. Now here are pious and excellent
men, agreeing fully as to the things and are con-
tending merely about terms^ while Satan triumphs^
that he can thus obscure the glorious truths for
which both contend, in the smoke of the conflict.
It ought not so to be.

VIEWS ON CHRISTIAN PE-RFECTION,

II.

" Be ye holy, for I am holy."

" Be ye therefore pferfect, even as your Father
who is in heaven is perfect."

These two passages show that God requires of
us perfect holiness. By many, it seems to be taken
for granted, that God, under the gospel dispensa-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. I8l

tion, has relaxed the requisitions of his law, and
that Christians are no longer under obligations to
live a perfectly holy life. This error is the source
of great deterioration in the style of Christian
character in the church. It is therefoi-e proper to
inquire, first, What is the meaning of the two com-
mandments given in the above passages, which are
substantially the same?

The holiness, thus required, is no quality or
faculty of the mind itself It is no part of our con-
stitutional powers. It is nothing created and
placed within us, to act like a kind of mainspring.
It is not a taste, or instinct, that leads us to love
what is right and hate what is wrong, as we like or
dislike certain kinds of food. It is no state of in-
tellectual views, like a sudden revelation of a new
light. It is no peculiar state of emotion, awakened
in us by some supernatural power, affording con-
vincing evidence that we are sanctified, as some
suppose.

But it is a supreme preference of God our Sa-
viour as the object of our love, the submission of
i)UY intellect to his, the awakening and quickening of
our emotions to correspond with his, and the entire
submission of our loill by obedience to him in all
tilings.

This, then, includes the regulation of all our

thoughts and opinions by the revealed will of God,

involving, as the indispensable means, the careful

examination of the word and the providence of

9*

182 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

God, in order to learn our duty. It also includes a
constant state of right emotion, in kind such as
corresponds with those of God, and in degree as
strong as the nature of the objects presented, and
our present capacity for feeling, ivill admit. Love,
reverence, gratitude, admiration, joy, and all other
spiritual emotions are to be perfect, in the sense
above explained. It includes, also, the constant
habitual submission of the will to God, implying
active obedience to every requirement, as soon as
it is understood, and a cheerful acquiescence in all
the events of Providence.

This is the holiness required, and in order to be
perfect, it must be fully equal to our capacity, and
it mu^ be constant, and never intermitted for a
moment. No deviation in thought, motive, feeling,
vi'ord or action may be admitted by the will, where
it has the power to control. There must not be
the consent of the mind to any thing, which in the
slightest degree, contravenes the law of God.

The next question is. Are mankind under obli-
gations to attain this perfect holiness?

That every man is under the highest obligations
so to do, is manifest, in the first place, from the
law of God ; and secondly, from our nature and re-
lations to God.

Thenature of the law, and the character of God,
render this requisition universally and eternally
obligatory on all. For it is the only rule that is
right in itself: nothing but supreme love to God,

REV. GEORGE BEECHER, 18U

and impartial love to man, together with the exter-
nal conduct manifesting this love, is right, or ac-
cording to the dictates of reason and common
sense. Next, it is the only thing which God, as a
perfectly holy being, can require, or approve. It
is the law which he has given to all worlds, uni-
versal and eternal, and has never been abrogated.
The gospel was intended, not to suspend or lessen
the obligations of the law, but to sustain and en-
force it. Christ magnified the law, and declared
that heaven and earth should pass away, before
one jot or tittle of it should fail. The apostle,
likewise, teaches that God sent his Son, '' that the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the fiesh, but after the
Spirit."

This subject presents the Gospel standard of
sanctification, and enables us to understand such
requirements and declarations as these : " And
the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; and I
pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless, unto the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ." " I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service."

This subject also teaches us how we may obtain
a correct estimate of our character and actual at-
tainments in holiness. Such questions as the fol-

184 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

lowing, will enable us to understand our real con-
dition :

Do I constantly control every thought by the
word of God, banishing every foolish, vain, proud,
envious, or revengeful thought that may intrude
contrary to my will and wishes, and do I constantly
aim to maintain the opposite train of thought ?

Do I cultivate my intellect to the full extent of
my capacity, endeavoring to know more of God in
every possible way, both in his works and in his
word? Do I trace the hand of God in the works
of creation, and in the movements of his provi-
dence, so that my msind is continually instructed
by him ?

Do I employ every possible means to know what
is my duty in every thing I do ? Are my opinions
and investigations unbiased by my wishes and
feelings, so that I am not led into erroneous views
by them ?

Are my feelings, in view of the truths I do know,
such as God requires, and as strong as the subject
and my capacity of feeling render possible? Do I
love all that I see of God, as much as I can love?
Do I feel gratitude as strong as I can feel, in view
of all his mercies? Do I hate all that is evil in
myself, as entirely as my capacity will allow, and
the subject demands ?

Do I feel towards every beingjust such emotions
as God desires, loving them with benevolent regard,

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 185

desiring their happiness as much as my own, wil-
ling to labor for their good, pitying their ignorance
and wickedness, and longing to relieve and save
them?

Do I cherish any emotions of pride, anger, envy,
revenge, covetousness, or other forbidden passions'?

Do I control all my bodily appetites, so as con-
tinually to present my body as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable?

Do I always do every thing which I know to be
duty, whether I discover it by the word or provi-
dence of God?

Do I employ every moment of my time in the
best manner I can, in the circumstances in which
I am placed ?

Am I as kind, as meek, as generous, as self-sa-
crificing as I am able to be ? Do I employ all my
time, talents, and property, only to glorify God and
promote the happiness of my fellow-men, and in
the way which will enable me to accomplish the
most for this end ?

Am I perfectly satisfied with all the events of
Providence, allowing no feelings of discontent, but
always rejoicing that God reigns and orders all
events according to his own will ?

In view of these inquiries, it is easy to perceive,
that it is a mark of presumption and ignorance,
rather than of humility and self-distrust, for a man
to affirm that he lives a perfectly holy life. Know-
ing the deceitfulness of the heart; the limited

186 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

sphere of our intellectual vision often leading- us
to become engrossed with one aspect of truth, to
the neglect of others ; the wiles of the arch de-
ceiver, blinding us to the view of the claims of
God, our own character, and the exceeding strict-
ness and purity of God's law ; who can say that he
lives without sin, and not afford a strong presump-
tion that he is ignoranl and self-deceived ? Even
the Apostle Paul, mature as he was and eminent in
Christian holiness, did not dare to decide positively
respecting himself 1 Cor. iv. 3-5: " But with me
it is a small thingthat I should be judged of you, or
of man's judgment ; yea, I judge not mine own self;
for I knbw nothing by myself; yet am I not here-
by justified ; but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the
Lord come, who will brinor to liorht the hidden
things of darkness, and will make manifest the
counsels of the hearts : and then shall every man
have praise of God."

From this we see the fallacy of the principle,
that a man may judge by his own consciousness,
whether he loves God with all his heart, and his
neighbor as himself The Saviour says, " By this
shall ye know that ye love me, if ye keep my com-
mand7nents. He that keepeth my commandments,
he it is that loveth me." Now, to depend upon
mere consciousness, when we are so liable to take
limited views of truth and duty, is presumption.
Nothing hut the most strict examination of our

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 187

own thoughts and feelings, motives and actions,
for a long course of time, can furnish any correct
knowledge of our own character.

The question now arises, When does Christ de-
sire his children to become perfectly holy 1

Always. He is the same yesterday, to-day, and
forever. All his commands and exhortations have
respect to ihe present time. " Be ye perfect" now.
" Be ye holy, for I am holy," noiv. He came into
the world to destroy the power of the devil, and to
make his people holy ; and his glory before the
world, depends on the holiness of his children.
See Col. ii. 15 ; 1 Pet. iii. 2.

What, then, are the means for attaining this state
of holiness ?

They are, first, the ivord of God. " Sanctify
them through 'thy truth." Being " born again,
through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of
the truth.' ^

Next is prayer. '' Pray without ceasing."

Next, are the ministrations of those whom God
has appointed to watch over his church.

Next, is the regulation of providential events,
prosperity, adversity and change.

Then, there is the agency of angels. They are
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those
who are heirs of salvation.

Lastly, there is the directing, controlling and
employing of all these hy the Holy Spirit.

188 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

What are the obstacles to be encountered in" the
attainment of entire sanctification ?

They are, ignorance of the real character of God,
and his truths and dispensations, from inattention,
from false systems of philosophy, and from false
interpretations of Scripture.

Next, unbelief in regard to the testimony of
God.

Next, the force of long-established habits, the
influence of bodily appetites perverted by indul-
gence, the wiles and corrupting influence of the
Tempter, and lastly, the influence of worldly rela-
tions, customs, business, wealth and ambition.

How are these obstacles to be overcome by the
Christian, and these means of sanctification to be
made available?

By faith in Jesus Christ. This presents the all-
important doctrine o^ sanctijication by faith alone,
which corresponds with the fundamental doctrine
of justification by faith.

The regular discussion of this last topic is not
written out in any article to be found among his
papers. There are several memoranda prepara-
tory to writing, and several sermons and other wri-
tings, which contain his views on this subject, in-
troduced incidentally-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 189

By comparing all together, the following (in his
own language chiefly, but not exclusively,) is pre-
sented as the general outline.

ON CHRISTIAN SANCTIFICATION.

For [the bread of God is he that came down
from heaven.

And Jesus said, I am the bread of life ; he that
Cometh tome shall never hunger, and he that be-
lieveth on me shall never thirst. These and other
passages establish the position that Jesus Christ is
the true source of spiritual life. He is the heav-
enly manna, the true bread from heaven ; and the
life of the Christian is to be sustained, day by day,
by partaking of this spiritual bread.

The way in w'hich this bread becomes available
or nourishing, is hy faith. In the same chapter,
the same great truth is thus stated : where it is de-
clared to be the will of the Father, that every one
that believeth on the Son shall have everlasting
life.

Again, in the 57th verse : " As the living Fa-
ther hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he
that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is
the bread which came down from heaven. He
that eateth of this bread, shall live forever."

190 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

The grand truth that runs through these and
many other passages is, that Christ is the author
of the believer's life, and of his continual vigor.
The Christian is to be sustained by him through a
spiritual union with him, as complete as the physi-
cal one would be if he ate his flesh and drank his
blood ; and that this life is not the result of a sin-
gle act, but of constant communion with him and
dependence on him, just as the fathers received
daily supplies of manna from heaven.

The terms faith and belief, in the Bible, are
used in the common popular sense, signifying, not
mere intellectual assent, but including all the feel-
ings and actions which result from the belief of
any fact.

A man believes his house is on fire and his fam-
ily in danger, when he rushes forth to save him-
self and them ; nor would any thing else be deemed
belief of this truth.

A man in a leaky ship, believes he will sink in
it, when he forsakes it ; and so long as he remains
in it, when escape is possible, he does not thus
believe.

Faith in Jesus Christ, then, is such belief in
what he teaches, as is attended with appropriate
feelings and conduct.

It is manifest from Scripture, that this faith ex-
ists in different degrees. The apostles prayed,
'•' Lord, increase our faith." And in all their wri-
tings they exhort and pray that faith may abound
more and more.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 191

From this it is manifest, that the truths which
Christ taught, both as to our duties to God, to our
fellow men, and to ourselves, and those motives
that appeal to fear, gratitude, and love, which he
has presented, are not fully apjjrehended and resil-
ized, and, of course, that the feelings and conduct
which depend on a realizing sense of such truths,
do not exist. The increase of faith, then, is an
increased apprehension of the truths Christ teaches,
and such a feeling of their reality as alone can
produce corresponding feelings and actions.

To secure this, the Spirit of God acts in con-
nection with the agency of man. It is man's part
of the work to use all appropriate means, such as
daily communion with Christ, diligent study of the
Bible, with all the aids for understanding it within
reach, attendance on all the ordinances and minis-
trations appointed for this end, and a constant
effort to discharge every duty as fast as it is ap-
prehended.

And both the word and providence of God teach
us, that the aid of God's Spirit is proportioned to
the diligence and faithfulness with which man per-
forms his part of the work.

And such is the aid promised to those who will
faithfully follow this course of effort, that every
real Christian may set out on this course, with the
confident hope of securing, in this life, that ele-
vated state of Christian experience described in
this article. So that to us, as well as to Christians

192 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

in the Apostles' days, the language addressed, by
them to their converts may be used : " Whom hav-
ing not seen, ye love ; in vi^hom, though now ye see
him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy un-
speakable and full of glory."

*' Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priest-
hood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye
should show forth the praises of him who hath
called you out of darkness into his marvellous
light." For you who were dead in trespasses and
sins, hath he raised up together, and made to sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, and are built upon the founda-
tion of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone; in whom
all the building, fitly framed together, groweth to a
holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye are builded
together, for an habitation of God through the
Spirit.

Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father
and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for
our sins, that he might deliver u& from this present
evil world, according to the will of God and our
Father.

And you that were sometimes alienated and ene-
mies in your minds by wicked works, yet now hath
he reconciled in the body of his flesh, to present
you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his
sight.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER, 193

Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of
good w^orks.

Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto
obedience. .

" And the very God of peace sanctifyyou wholly,
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and
body be preserved blameless unto the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ."

The compiler of this memoir, in connexion with
a subject which has excited so much feeling and
contention, would present these suggestions for
consideration.

Allowing that the views presented in the preced-
ing pages are correct, and that the chief point of
difficulty has arisen from differences as to terms,
rather than as to the thing signified, still there
seems to be other matters which, perhaps, have con-
tributed greatly to increase alarm and evil tenden-
cies.

One is, what most men of reflection would con-
sider a philosophical theory, contrary to experience,
and contrary to the received use of language.
The following statement of this theory, has been

194 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

examined by Prof. Finney, and others of the insti-
tution he is connected with, and is allowed by
them to be the correct expression of their views
on the subject. " Perfection, Entire Consecration,
Entire Sanctif cation, signify the existence of a
governing purpose to act with perfect benevolence.
When this purpose is first formed, a man is regen-
erated, or becomes pious, and then every action is
conformed to what he believes to be the will of God.
If, in any case, he violates conscience, this gov-
erning purpose is at an end, and he is in precisely
the same state as he was before regeneration, ex-
cept that there are causes in operation in his mind,
(understood by the writer to be intellectual views
and habits of thought, feeling, and association,)
which, together with God's promise, make it cer-
tain that this governing purpose will return, so
that a man is always either perfectly obedient to
the divine law, or not obedient at all. The differ-
ence between a very elevated Christian and a very
imperfect one, consists in the frequency with which
the governing purpose ceases, and the length of
interval between the several renewals."

According to this theory, a generic governing
purpose never exists in the mind, except when it
actually secures the complete and entire conformity
of all subordinate volitions ; and whenever any
subordinate volition is contrary to this generic
purpose, that purpose is at an end. Thus, if a
man has made a determination never to speak

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 195

harshly, or never to omit reading a chapter in the
Bible each morning, or always to refrain from food
which he supposes has once injured him, and either
by carelessness, or the power of temptation, should
occasionally fail, at each failure the governing pur-
pose no longer exists. Or if a man starts on a
journey for some end, and is determined to stop for
no other object, and he should on the road hear of
some case of distress that demanded aid, and go
back some miles to assist, his main purpose has
ceased.

Now those who hold this theory, may say, that
according to their use of terms, and their view of
mental phenomena, no man has a generic, govern-
ing purpose in his mind, unless it governs all sub-
ordinate volitions perfectly, at all times. But this
theory and use of terms is contrary to the expe-
rience and language of all mankind, and no man
can adopt it, without making it certain that he will
be universally misunderstood, even if he does mean
only what possibly may be metaphysically true in
his understanding of terms.

From this theory comes the widely extended
impression, that those who hold it, teach that a
man is ?i perfect Christian, or no Christian at all;
that a man either is serving God with all his heart,
as perfectly as he can, or not serving him at all ;
that all who are obeying God at all, are obeying
him with all their present powers of obedience,
which is all that God requires.

196 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

In addition to this metaphysical theory, there' is
a use of terms in regard to " faith in Jesus Christ,"
and " the gift of the Spirit," which appears mysti-
cal, and tending strongly to fanaticism.

In reading the writings of those who hold the
theory above exhibited, we find them calling upon
the church to attain a perfect Christian character,
so as to be entirely free from sin, and then present-
ing, as the only mode of doing this, perfect faith in
Jesus Christ.

Now the term "faith," in the Bible, is used to
signify, sometimes the mere intellectual state of
belief, or conviction ; sometimes it is used to sig-
nify the effects of this belief on the feelings; and
sometimes it includes both the intellectual state
and its effects on the feelings and conduct. Some-
times it is limited in its use to o?ie part of these
effects, such, for example, as an affectionate, con-
fidential reliance on Jesus Christ, as the Saviour
of the soul ; because, when this exists, the cor-
responding emotions and actions will follow as nat-
ural results.

Sometimes it is used for the effects of faith on
the actions. Thus, when the impotent man was
laid before Christ, it is said, " when he saw their
faith,'^ that is, the effects of faith, which are called
by the same name as the cause which produces
them.

The Bible assumes throughout, that if men do
believe with the heart, that is, if they have a clear

REV. GEORGE BEECHER, 197

view of Christ's character and teachings, and their
purposes and intentions are fully conformed to
them, that all the appropriate /ee/m^s and actions
will come as inevitable results. So that the same
name is given sometimes to a part of what is thus
inevitably connected, and sometimes to the whole.

Now when, by these writers referred io, faith in
Jesus Christ is spoken of as the only mode of st'^
cnx'ing perfect obedience, it must signify a merely
intellectual belief of all that Christ teaches about
himself, and about our duties to him and to each
other, or it must include more, and signify this in-
tellectual belief and its appropriate effects on the
feelings and actions.

It is probably used by these writers in the latter
sense. In this case, in order to become perfect
men, we must have a true view of the truths Christ
taught, and have the feelings and actions which
correspond to them. But to understand truly all
that Christ teaches, and to believe it, so as to have
the corresponding feelings and actions, is to be per-
fect, and thus we have the childish proposition,
that in order to be perfect, we must be perfect.

But there is still something needed in order to
secure this faith, and that is what they call ** the
gift of the Spirit," or " the promise of the Spirit."
This is defined, by them, thus: " The gift of the
Spirit, is that influence from God the Holy Ghost,
which produces a realizing sense of divine truth,
not attainable by human means/' The conditions
10

198 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

for obtaining this gift are, " an entire consecration
of the will to the service of Christ, and a belief in
the promise that this gift will be bestowed, and in
the certainty of its fulfilment if the promise is
believed." That is, when the will is entirely con-
secrated, this gift will be bestowed, if a man be-
lieves that it is promised, and that God will keep
his promise.

From this it appears, that in order to be per-
fectly sanctified, we must have perfect faith in
Christ ; in order to have this faith, we must have
the gift of the Spirit; in order to have this gift, we
must have our will entirely consecrated, and must
believe that this gift is promised by God, and that
God will keep his promise. But how are we to
believe in this promise? If by applying the laws
of exegesis, we learn from the Bible that this gift
is promised unconditionally to all Christians, thien
all who take the Bible for a guide will believe it
so soon as this is made clear; and in this view all
that is wanting to the entire sanctifieation of the
whole church, is the texts and the true exegesis of
them.

If the promise is conditional, what is the condi-
tion ? Here is^ the mystical point, and nothing
definite is yet to be obtained.

The most definite idea within reach, is what
amounts to moving in a circle. If you will believe
the promises with a right state of character and
feelings, you will have the gift of the Spirit, and that

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 199

will secure faith in Christ, and that will secure
perfect obedience. That is, the thing to be gained
is the sole condition of bestowing it, and in order
to get it yoQ must have it.

From this blind and mystical way of teaching
result blind efforts to do something, or to feel
something, they know not what ; and in certain
minds the results are mysticism and fanaticism,
and in others painful and injurious mental action
and feeling.

If the compiler has not correctly understood
those writers, it is not because all proper attention,
time, and effort have not been given. After read-
ing their papers, and conversing with their leading
teachers, these definitions were presented as the
supposed expressions of their views, and by them
conceded to be correct.

The great body of Christians, of all evangelical
sects, hold to the possibility and duty .of attaining
that high state of Christian character described
in the articles preceding. In order to attain this,
they believe that " faith in Jesus Christ" is indis-
pensable, consisting in a correct intellectual belief
of the truths and motives he taught, connected with
appropriate feelings and actions, as the fruits or
inevitable results. They believe that these truths
are never fully understood and realized without
the aid of the Holy Spirit, and that this assistance
is proportioned to the diligence and faithfulness
which man himself exercises in seeking entire con-

200 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

formity to the will of God by the use of all appro-
priate means.

If those who so strenuously urge the duty of
entire sanctification as a neiv mode of presenting
truth, mean the above, it is what they hold in com-
mon with most other pious men. If this is not
their view, and they mean something else, cer-
tainly it seems desirable that they should not at-
tempt to be teachers and reformers until they have
the matter so arranged and defined that intelligent
persons, honestly seeking to know what they mean,
and using appropriate means, can succeed in the
attempt.

In selecting from the writings of the subject of
this memoir, no reference could be had to the sub-
jects or to the character of what he has presented
in the pulpit. So few of his more recent sermons
were written out, that the selection could be made
only from a very small number, and those not his
most popular discourses.

He always complained that he was embarrassed
and restrained by being confined to a written dis-
course, and both he and his people were best satis-
fied with a well studied sermon delivered extem-
pore.

The excitement of the occasion, in the pulpit.

RKV. GEORGE BEECHER. 201

supplied to liim illustration and language he could
never command in the composure of study, so
that his writings consist, in most cases, of the sim-
ple thoughts; and, even in his most completely
written sermons, the places which the audience
who heard them would have selected as specimens
of eloquence or fine writing, are to be found only
in the short expression, " here extemporize."

The four sermons which follow, on the existence
and attributes of God, present the subject in a
mode which is not common, and which excited
much attention and interest, particularly those on
the omnipotence and omniscience of God. To
these, two sermons are added, as specimens of his
practical preaching, and they are on topics on
which it is far too rare to hear instructions from
the pulpit.

As it was the great aim, in regard to his own
Christian experience, to cause his light to shine,
by rectifying every fault, exhibiting every virtue,
and practising every duty, so he sought to train
his people in the same course, especially during
the latter years of his ministry. In examining the
brief notes and skeletons used by him in preach-
ing, there will be found instructions and admoni-
tions on almost every practical duty.

The care of health, the control of the appetites,
the regulation of expenses, the rules of honor and
honesty, which should guide men of business; the
obligations of Christians in their political affairs,

202 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

the peculiar duties of each domestic relation, and
all the multiplied obligations resulting from our
many other social relations, are drawn out with a
distinctness, and earnestness, and variety, rarely to
be found in pulpit services. It may here be men-
tioned, that, in preparing for the press, the altera-
tions have been limited simply to arrangement,
omissions, and the correction of verbal inaccuracies.

TENDENCIES OF ATHEISM.

Psalm xiv. 1. — The fool hath said in his heart,
No God. They are corrupt, they have done abomi-
nable works, there is none that doeth good.

The cause and effect of Atheism are disclosed in
this passage of God's word. A depraved heart
cries ?io God ; and having banished him from its
thoughts, and thrown off restraint, gives way to its
desires, corrupts itself with abominable practices,
and does evil, and only evil, continually.

It is true that every Atheist is not an openly im-
moral and vicious man. The restraints of public
sentiment and salutary laws, based upon Christian
principle, combined with an enlightened self-inter-
est, may prevent him from plunging into vice and
crime, when all religious restraints are cast off; but
it is equally true, that the Atheist does not owe his

ttEV. tiEORGK BEKCHEK. 203

freedom from vice to his system of belief, but to
other external and counteracting influences.

In examining Atheism as a system, we are to
look at its tendencies. By these, and these alone,
must we judge of its merits. Any system which
tends, when universally adopted, to promote happi-
ness, is good, and that which tends to promote
misery, is evil.

By this standard God invites us to judge of his
works, laws, and providential administration. By
this, he will test all schemes opposed to his, and
demonstrate to the intelligent universe, that his
own plans are productive solely of happiness, and
that misery is the inevitable result of opposing
systems.

It will be my object in this discourse to examine
the tendencies of Atheism as a system, irrespective
of the character of those who adopt it. They may
be, and in many cases are, moral and amiable men,
in all their social relations, but this will not alter
the tendencies of the system, when developed in a
society where no religious restraints exist to pre-
vent crime.

There are two ways in which the tendencies of
a system may be decided : the one by comparing
its principles with the known laws of mind, the
other by an appeal to facts,

I shall first endeavor to show from the laws of
mind, that Atheism is injurious to the intellectual,
moral, and social nature of man.

204 BrOGKAPHICAL R K:\I.il AS Ot

And secondly, by facts, corroborate this position,
and show that its political tendencies are destruc-
tive to the social system, annihilating every fabric
of human government, and plunging society into
the vortex of anarchy and confusion.

In the first place, Atheism is injurious to the
intellectual nature of man.

It greatly limits the sphere of scientific investi-
gation, at one blow annihilating the whole spiritual
world, and the department of science connected
with it.

The human mind, examined in regard to its fac-
ulties, their mode of action, and ultimate destiny,
opens an unbounded field for thought and inquiry,
comprising one of the most interesting studies in
the range of intellectual pursuits.

But the mind of man, by the atheistical system,
is reduced to a mere physical organization, acting
according to material laws. Inquiry into the mode
of disciplining its powers, and training it to the
greatest perfection, is set aside by affirming it to
be entirely controlled by physical causes, and
therefore any attempts to regulate and govern it
otherwise, would be as futile as efforts to direct the
movements of the whirlwind.

But the bearing of mental philosophy upon the
formation of character for ct cm it 7/ /imparis to this
science its greatest interest.

This Atheism annihilates, by affirming that there
is no future state of existence to be affected by our

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 205

conduct here. All questions respecting the ulti-
mate progress of mind, in knowledge, power, and
moral purity, are at once set aside, since, on this
system, the mind perishes with the body.

That most interesting department of moral sci-
ence, which contemplates mind as the subject of a
moral government, under the control of wisely
adapted laws, administered by a superior mind, for
the promotion of its entire purity and happiness, is
also annihilated.

Man is not the subject of a moral government,
but is acted upon, as the brutes, by instinct, or, as
the vegetable kingdom, by physical laws.

All inquiry respecting the agency of spirits, good
and bad, the effect they exert upon our minds, and
the results which will follow from their action
throughout eternity, is also relinquished, since the
existence of spirits is wholly derived from a revela-
tion from the God whose existence is denied. The
field of scientific investigation is reduced to ascer-
taining simply the phenomena of matter, and thus,
half the universe, with all pertaining to it, is at
once annihilated.

The compass of investigation in the material
world, is equally contracted, as all manifestation of
contrivance and design is denied, and the mind is
limited solely to the discovery and classification of
facts.

The Atheist, by the very statement of his prin-
ciples, forbids the question why are these things so
10*

S06 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

formed. We may not ask, for what was the eye of
man constructed, or what is the design of the curi-
ous mechanism of the ear. These questions would
lead to the discovery of contrivances and adapta-
tions of surpassing ingenuity and beauty, proving
clearly the agency of a wonderful inventive mind.
The atheistic philosopher is in the study of natural
science, what the annalist is in history, a mere
recorder of facts.

Suppose him to stand up as a demonstrator of
anatomy, exhibiting to his class the construction
of the human body. They are astonished and de-
lighted with the multiplied and wonderful adapta-
tions and contrivances presented, and eagerly in-
quire, why was this muscle placed in this position,
and what is the design of these valves, or of that
artery or of these veins? For w^hat is this curious
structure of auricle and ventricle intended? For
what is this spinal column designed, so constructed
as to give strength and support, and yet admitting
of motion in all directions, and guarding its spinal
cord so that it can bend in every way without
injury?

Their teacher replies, " Young gentlemen, you
are greatly mistaken. There is no design or con-
trivance here. This structure is a mere accidental
combination of atoms in this form. You must con-
fine your investigations merely to the shape and
position of the various bones, muscles, nerves,
tendons, and veins Any questions as to their de-

-REV. GEORGE B LECHER, 207

sign would imply a designer, and there is no cre-
ator or contriver of the material world !"

Such a philosopher would be like a mechanist,
who should describe the framework, wheels, and
levers of a machine, without giving any informa-
tion as to their uses or adaptations, or as to the
design of its construction. Suppose such a man
to transmit an account of his machine to the patent
office, omitting all mention of the design of any
part of it, or of the object for which the whole was
contrived ; would he be called an intelligent artist,
or a stupid blunderer ? Yet this is the fair repre-
sentative of an Atheist philosopher, when acting
according to his principles.

The most ennobling subject of study in the uni-
verse, and that which gives more grand and en-
larged conceptions than any other, is the character,
attributes, and plans of God. The study of the
developments of any great mind tends to enlarge
and elevate our own. Associating with a man of
expanded views enlarges our own field of thought.
lie that walketh with wise men shall be wise.

What, then, must be the effect of studying the
attributes and acts of an infinitely wise, powerful,
and benevolent Being, whose plans comprehend
the movements of the material and moral universe
for eternity ! To be able to read his thoughts,
study his designs, and enter into his feelings, is
the most elevating of all possible pursuits, assinii-

208 BIOGRAPHICAL REaiAINS O*

lating man to the image of his Creator, But this
the Atheist wholly abjures.

Atheism also lends to enfeeble the reasoning
powers, by removing the foundation of correct
moral reasoning on every subject. There are two
kinds of reasoning : one which is employed in all
departments of physical science, and the other is
applied to subjects which rest on the evidence of
consciousness, and the accumulation of probabil-
ities. In the first, or demonstrative reasoning, we
assume some fundamental truth, as self-evident,
and incapable of clearer proof than attends the
bare statement — such, for example, as that the whole
is greater than a part. In the latter, which is
called moral reasoning, there also are intuitive
truths to which the mind assents as soon as stated.
Among these are the following : that the evidence
of the senses and of consciousness is to be trusted ;
that no effect can exist without a cause; and that
the adaptation of means to an end proves a design
and a designer. Whenever a mind is found un-
able to perceive and believe these fundamental
axioms, it is considered as disordered, and incapa-
ble of reasoning. If a man should deny that the
whole of a thing is greater than a part, or that two
things which equal a third thing equal each other,
he would be incapable of reasoning on mathemat-
ical subjects.

Now, the Atheist denies some of those intuitive

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 209

truths which form the basis of moral reasoning,
and is thus disqualified to argue on subjects estab-
lished by it.

He denies that the adaptation of means to an
end is proof of design. He denies also that the
testimony of our own consciousness is to be trusted,
affirming that when man is conscious of perfect
freedom in mental action, that he is not free, but
subject to uncontrollable necessity.

By his habits of sophistry, the Atheist also im-
pairs his power of accurate discrimination, and
often involves himself in mazes of uncertainty and
doubt, from which he cannot extricate himself.
All reasoning that involves the contradiction of our
senses, or of our own consciousness, is necessarily
sophistical.

The Atheist affirms that men are coerced by
motives in their choice, so that, in the given cir-
cumstances, they have no power to choose other-
wise than as they do. But the testimony of con-
sciousness contradicts this, and in his daily inter-
course with his fellow-men, the Atheist constantly
assumes that they have power to act otherwise than
as they do, and are coerced by no necessity. If a
man insults and strikes him, it would be deemed
an additional insult if the excuse was offered, that
he had no power to do otherwise, but was com-
pelled by motives to act as he did.

The Atheist professes to hold that there is no
cause for the effects around him, and no intelligent

•210 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

designer of any of the works of nature. But every
development of science bears witness against this
assumption. A wonderful and glorious designer
is testified by all things around him. He hears it
in the moving planets, uttering, with still but cer-
tain voice, the praise of their Creator.

He perceives it in the richly garnished earth, in
the perfume of gentle flowers, in the grandeur of
the forest, in the murmur of the insects, in the
voices of summer birds. He feels it in every beat-
ing pulse, in every movement of his lungs, in every
movement of the well adjusted mechanism of his
own frame.

In the silence of his chamber, under the open
glories of the heavens, in the solitude of deep for-
ests, on the shore of the restless ocean, in the flash
of darting lightnings, in the peal of awful thunder,
in the sighing of summer breezes^ in the roar of
wintry storms, the voice of nature speaks to every
sense of the being of a God.

Amid this conflict between his own false as-
sumptions, the voice of nature, and an abused
conscience, his mind can never rest. He flies
from one absurd theory to another, certain of no-
thing, and looking for something more plausible and
firm, like a goodly vessel drifting without helm or
anchor, the sport of every wind, and liable to be
dashed on every rock in its course.

Not less pernicious is the^endency of Atheism,
as it respects the moral nature of man. Respect-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. '^11

ing the excellence and desirableness of virtue, the
Atheist professes to be as fully convinced as the
Christian. In what it consists is a matter to him
of great uncertainty and doubt. But probably the
greater part of the most intelligent Atheists would
admit that benevolence toward our fellow men, and
temperance in the indulgence of our propensities,
are necessary to our own happiness, and to the
welfare of society. It will not be denied that the
natural tendency of man is to indulge his appetites
and passions to such a degree as is inconsistent
with his own good, and with the welfare of others.
Children, when unrestrained, are selfish, and dis-
posed to seek their own gratification, unmindful
of injury to themselves or others. The young are
in constant danger of excesses, injurious to the
health of body and mind. In riper years, avarice,
ambition, revenge, and other passions, are contin-
ually tending to become controlling principles.

To resist these tendencies, demands the watch-
ful care of parents in early life, and habitual self-
control in more advanced age. To form virtuous
character, constant influences must be exerted, to
modify or change the natural current of the soul.
But Atheism removes those restraining influences
by which the mind is most powerfully induced to
avoid evil, and thus leads to the formation of per-
nicious habits. Nothing so enables a person to re-
sist temptation, as a belief in the practicability and
obligation of so doing. A conviction that resist-
ance is hopeless, inevitably discourages all effort,

'rll''^ BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

and a sense of inability removes the feeling of obli-
gation. But Atheism affirms, that man cannot re-
sist the impulse of impetuous desires and passions.
He claims that the strongest desire always governs,
by unavoidable necessity. When a man adopts
this opinion, he will not attempt to oppose the cur-
rent of passion. Where defeat is sure, he will
make no effort. He becomes listless and inefficient,
and passively resigns himself to his fate.

Nor can he feel the sense of obligation to make
effiDrt ; for without the power to alter or modify his
destiny, the attempt would be folly. But without
a sense of obligation and responsibility, self-govern-
ment is impossible. This part of the Atheist's
creed, therefore, binds a man hand and foot, and
delivers him, a passive, resistless victim, to every
storm of passion and impulse of appetite.

Atheism, also, annihilates conscience. Man can-
not feel blame for that which he feels to be una-
voidably necessary. Were a man compelled by
force, to strike a dagger into the heart of his dearest
friend, he would feel distress, but no remorse.
Whatever crimethe Atheist may commit, if he really
believes his principles, he can feel no remorse. He
can only mourn that he is the victim of a stern ne-
cessity, compelling him to do evil. But a man
whose conscience is annihilated, we regard as a
monster, and give him up as the hopeless slave of
sin. A man who can rob, murder, destroy domes-
tic purity, and yet feel no self-reproach, is regarded
as a prodigy in crime, whose reformation is all but

KEV. UEORGL UEECHtK. *2J3

hopeless. But every consistent Atheist is such a
man.

The fear of pimishment in a future state is an-
other powerful restraint upon the commisssion of
crime. Cicero says that the founders of the Ro-
man government found it necessary to adopt a sys-
tem of religious belief, embracing the punishment
of crime in a future state, as indispensable to the
welfare of society. When all fear of consequences
in a future state is removed, nothing remains but
human laws, to hold in check the furious passions
«»f depraved man. But before the impetuous tor-
rent of anger and revenge, or the strong current
of ambition and avarice, envy and malice, human
laws are like cobwebs. The Atheist's creed throws
away this powerful princi})le of restraint, and hush-
es his fear of retribution by holding that death is an
eternal sleep.

A removal of the fear of God, and of a sense of
his presence, takes off still more the restraints of
depravity. Nothing'is more dreadful to a criminal
than the inspection of a being of infinite purity,
with knowledge to detect and power to punish
sin.

Let the conviction be deeply engraven on the
soul, that there is no place, not even the shadow of
death, where the workers of iniquity can hide, and
it is an abiding restraint to guard from gross sin.
Take away the restraints which God's being and
presence exerts over the corrupt heart, and you let

'^14 BIOGRAPHICAL UEMAIXS Ot

loose the tornado upon the billows of depravity, till
they burst every barrier which human ingenuity
can invent. " Oh," said a criminal in the state
prison, to the chaplain, ** had I, fourteen years ago,
but believed this one verse, Thou, God, seest me,
I should not now have been in this prison."

Atheism also destroys the most powerful restora-
tive influence, by which a corrupt and degraded
mind can be purified and elevated. It is a fact,
which observation clearly establishes, that a fallen
mind, unaided, never raises itself to purity and vir-
tue. By his own solitary efforts, the dishonest will
never relinquish fraudulent practices, or the impure
forsake corrupting pleasures. The mind, by lonjr
indulgence, loses the conception and love of virtue,
and becomes habituated only to sensuality and de-
basement.

When the missionaries visited^ the Sandwich
Islands, they found the inhabitants so sunk in vice
that they had not even the words to express ideas of
justice, purity, benevolence, and holiness. They
had not known these traits of character, and lan-
guage could no more suggest the idea of them,
than description could convey ideas of color to the
blind. The missionaries, first of all, showed by
example, the character they were required to
imitate, and then applied the motives by which they
could be animated to attain it.

Now the character of God is the light of the
world. The exhibition of his perfections has given

KKV. GEORGE BEEOHER. 215

10 man the only perfect example of benevolence,
purity, long-suffering, self-denial, and humility.
The embodied image of perfection in the person of
Jesus Christ, is like the sun shining upon the dark-
ness of this world's corruption. But few of the
most hardened infidels have dared to deny its glori-
ous beauty and sublimity. Even the infidel and
profligate Rousseau has left his tribute to the per-
fection of this character. He says, "The death
of Socrates, peacefully philosophizing with his
friends, appears the most agreeable that could be
wished for ; that of Jesus, expiring in the midst of
agonies and pains, abused, insulted, and accused
by a whole nation, is the most horrible that could
be feared. Socrates, in receiving the cup of poi-
son, blessed, indeed, the weeping executioner who
administered it; but Jesus, in the midst of excru-
ciating tortures, prayed for his merciless torment-
ors. Yes, if the life and death of Socrates were
those of a philosopher, the life and death of Jesus
Christ were those of a God !"

Such a character as Jesus Christ, believed in,
as an ever-present and watchful inspector of our
conduct, yet a sympathizing friend, to assist in
restoring us from the degradation of sin, will exert
the most powerful transforming influence conceiv-
able. Such a friend is needed to awaken hope in
a mind enslaved by sin.

The strength of sensual and selfish habits, like a
second nature, in a mind weakened by indulgence,

•21(5 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

often defies the strongest energies of the human
soul. Repeated resolutions and repeated failures
bring upon the victim of vice the most overwhelm-
ing discouragement. Try to persuade the intem-
perate man to relinquish his ruinous excesses, and
while he will admit the truth of your strongest
representations, and weep in view of the sufferings
he is bringing on himself and on his family, and
promise to break his habits, the next demand of
appetite finds him its slave, till a deep and set-
tled despondency unnerves his soul and paralyzes
all effort. In such circumstances nothing can
rescue him from destruction but the encouraging
presence and cheering counsel and aid of a judi-
cious friend, who, while presenting the evils of his
course, still sympathizes with his wretchedness,
and bears his repeated failures and broken vows
with long-suffering, gentleness, and patience. If
any thing can inspire hope and nerve the enfeebled
soul, it is the presence of such a friend. Now this
is the attitude in which Christ presents himself to
every mind, bowed with conscious weakness and
despairing of success against long-established hab-
its. He comes with the voice of kind sympathy,
of tender encouragement. He promises to endure,
with patience, all failures and provocations, if we
will but give our whole souls to the effort of per-
fect reformation. He demands that with this firm
inward purpose, we yield ourselves to his direction,
just as a patient resigns himself to his physician,

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 217

and then he assumes the responsibility of securing
perfect transformation and recovery. Sorrow for
past sin, determination to forsake it, and confi-
dence in him as our deliverer, is all he demands
to secure our restoration to moral purity.

But this remedial influence the Atheist spurns
with scorn. It is to evade repentance and reliance
on the Saviour, that his proud spirit dares to deny
his guilt and efface from his mind all evidence of
his being. If, then, he becomes involved in vice,
or sinks in the depths of crime, there is no Al-
mighty Friend to come near his struggling spirit,
and aid his escape from the horrid pit. Repelling
the hand that would raise him to life and purity,
sullen, despairing, and alone, he plunges to the
bottomless abyss.

The consciousness of self-degradation, and of
the loss of estimation from others, and the hope-
lessness of ever rising to respect, affection, and
honor, are the greatest hinderances to the elevation
of a corrupt mind. Yonder wretched woman,
shut out from pure society, shunned by the virtu-
ous, abhorred by the good, feeling an utter hope-
lessness of relinquishing her sinful course and re-
turning to a life of purity, " I am an outcast," she
exclaims; "no one loves me ; no one cares for
me. If I die, they will bury me like a brute, and
no tear will be shed at my grave. If I live on,
none will regard me with sympathy or speak words
of tenderness. If I attempt to regain my charac-

218 BIOGRAPHICAL KEMAINS OF

ter, none will lend me aid. Every virtuous woman
will shun me, and there is nothing before me but a
life of unutterable shame, agony, and remorse."
The history of such miserable slaves of vice, as re-
vealed to those who have sought to restore them,
has disclosed agony the most intense, where the
insupportable anguish of the present and the ray-
less despair of the future, often has ended in self-
destruction.

Now, suppose such a mind, longing to shake off
the bondage of sin, and regain purity, respect, and
usefulness, should meet a gentle and virtuous wo-
man, ready to listen to her sorrows, and rejoicing
to cheer her broken spirit with hope and encour-
agement, and to aid in restoring her to virtue,
honor, and respect, among the most pure and re-
fined of her sex, how would the clouds of despair
break away, and the light of hope shed peace and
joy into her agonized heart ! With what energy
of purpose would she break away from her loath-
some associates, and join the pure, to imitate their
character and share their joys!

It is in such a ruined condition that the Lord
Jesus Christ meets us, when borne down with a sense
of our degradation, oppressed with the conscious-
ness of guilt, and despairing of ever rising to the
society of the pure, and attaining honor and love
among the holy. He comes with tender compas-
sion, to assure us that though all others should for-
sake us, he will not cast us ofT. If we will but

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 219

yield to his control, and accept his assistance, he
will exalt us to stations of honor, beyond all that
eye hath seen, or heart conceived. He will re-
ceive us into intimate alliance with himself, share
with us his own honors, bestow upon us perfect
peace, open before us fields of unbounded know-
ledge and activity, love us with everlasting affec-
tion, and make us shine forth as the stars of the
firmament forever and ever. From this glorious
prospect the Atheist turns with scorn. Better is
it, in his estimation, to sink with the brutes, into
everlasting annihilation, than to acknowledge a
sinful character, forsake sin, and rely upon a re-
deeming God to obtain eternal life.

Therefore it is, that the dominion of evil habits
must remain unbroken forever, and his soul, either
without an eifort be swept into the vortex of utter
pollution and crime, or be borne down by its re-
sistless force, in spite of struggles and cries for
aid. Man, without the help of God, is the hope-
less slave of every appetite and passion that may
gain dominion over him, and through the long
eternity before him, must lie down in everlasting
despair.

In view of this subject, we may see that the con-
dition of the Atheist, and of all rejectors of reve-
lation, is one involving the deepest misery, and one
which demands the tender sympathy and fervent
prayers of every Christian. There is a tendency
but too common among Christians, to regard with

220 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

abhorrence the Infidel and Atheist, and to shrink
from all contact with them.

But, my brethren, such feelings are not accord-
ing to the example of Christ our Saviour. He
prayed for those whp were inflicting on him the
keenest agonies, and mocking his intensest suffer-
ings; and when he had risen from the dead, he
commanded the first offer of pardon and salvation
to be made to them. The first act of his almighty
power, in giving repentance and remission of sin,
was to those who had been his betrayers and mur-
derers. The Atheist is of all men the most to be
pitied. He shuts himself out from the study of
the glorious works of God. Nature, to him, is a
sealed book, where no words of wisdom and love
raise his mind to an Almighty Creator and Father.
Life, to him, is a gloomy desert, cheered by no
hope of future and eternal joy. Sufferings and
sorrows beat upon him, but he sees them only as
the irresistible decrees of inexorable fate. He
bids farewell to those whom he has loved most
dearly, and lays them in the grave without the
faintest hope of meeting them again. When
stripped of his friends, he is a wretched, lonely
outcast, with no Almighty Father, no compassion-
ate Redeemer, no ever present Comforter, to cheer
his soul. And when the dark hours of life are
drawing to a close, he looks forward only to deeper
darkness, and more dismal gloom.

Oh, ye, who have found rest in a Saviour, who

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 221

can look on all the glorious objects around you,
and, '' smiling say, my Father made them all " —
who are supported in the hour of sorrow, by an
ever sympathizing friend, and sustained in death
by his almighty arm — pity the lonely, bewildered
Atheist, beclouded by error, enslaved by habits of
sin, delivered over a captive to the Great Deceiver,
to be bound in chains of darkness for ever ! Adore
the grace that rescued you, and pray for its mighty
energies to deliver him.

And now, to all who have begun to tread the
path of the scoffer, and to cherish his bewildering
doubts and dark uncertainties, I lift the warning
voice. At this opening gateway to hell, I would
stand and cry aloud, Young men, to you I call ;
avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Oh, come not near the path of the Atheist, listen
not to his sophistries, believe not his delusive
dreams! Your intellect, now unfettered, may
range the paths of science, and, studying the wis-
dom of their Almighty Author, be led to love and
obey him. But adopt the Atheist's creed, and you
darken your mind, destroy the foundations of correct
belief, enfeeble your reasoning powers, and shroud
yourselves in the bewildering mazes of doubts and
sophistry. Avoid the path, for death is there.

Now, your mind is uncorrupted, your moral

feelings unblunted by vice, your conscience yet

unseared. But Atheism will deaden your moral

susceptibilities, stupefy your conscience, and give

li

222 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

you over J a hopeless slave, to unrestrained appe-
tites and passions. Yield to its suggestions, and
you embark your temporal and eternal destinies
in a frail vessel, upon a stormy sea, without com-
pass to direct your course, with helm unshipped,
and sails rent, and gloomy clouds overcasting your
sky, and hiding every guiding star. The winds
rage, on every side are rocks and breakers, and the
shore is strewed with fragments of unnumbered
wrecks. Deep thunders utter their voices as pre-
sages of the approaching storm. Go forward, and
your bark, with all your hopes and joys, will be
dashed on the rocks of perdition, and the surges
of despair will beat over your ruined soul for ever.
Take, then, the Gospel as your refuge, and its sure
word of prophecy will direct your course over life's
rough ocean. Upon its opened page every shoal
and rock are clearly marked. Adopt it as your
guide, and He who gave it will hold the helm, and
with the voice of authority, say to the stormy waves,
he still. The gentle breezes of his love shall fill
your sails, and waft you, with your richly laden
freight, into the peaceful haven of eternal rest.

REV. GEORGE BEECUER 2*23

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, AS PROVED BY HIS
WORKS.

Ro3f. i. 20. — For the invisible things of him,
from the foundation of the world, are clearly seeti,
being understood by the things that are made, ev^n
his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are
without excuse.

The evidence of the being of a God does not
rest upon the authority of Revelation alone. It
can be derived from sources lying back of it, and
prior to it ; for the very idea of a Revelation as-
sumes the existence of a God from whom it pro-
ceeds.

In entering, therefore, upon the discussion of
the evidence of the existence of the Divine Being,
we must, for the present, dismiss Revelation, and,
reasoning from the nature of the objects around
us, derive evidence of the existence of a Great
First Cause.

The Apostle, in the text, adopts this mode of
reasoning, and goes back, previous to Revelation,
to the works of God, which have clearly manifested
his being from the creation of the world.

In the present discourse I shall follow the course
marked out by Paul, and show the evidences of the
existence of God, in the exhibitions of intelligence
and design in the material universe.

224 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OP

When we lift our eyes to the heavens, we see
unnumbered bodies of vast magnitude, and at in-
conceivable distances, stretching far beyond the
vision of man, and yet so arranged as to aiford
evidence that they belong to one system, and are
connected by a mighty bond of union, as parts of
some grand design. As we approach and fix our
attention on the system of which our own planet
forms a part, we begin to discover the arrange-
ment and movements of these mighty worlds.
First is the central orb, of a magnitude surpassing
the united contents of all the planets that surround
it, and which holds by its attraction those bodies
in their orbits, while some power of inconceivable
energy compels their uniform motion in vast cir-
cles from age to age. Around these planets, with
equal harmony, revolve the minor satellites, in their
appointed courses.

While contemplating this vast system of moving
planets and satellites, we cannot but ask, what
power first imparted motion to these immense
masses of matter ? They possess no innate power
of motion, and some external force must have im-
parted their inconceivable velocities. And when
put in motion, why did they not pursue their course
for ever in their natural straight lines? What
hand turned them into their curving orbits, and
made them move with undeviating regularity from
age to age ? What skill balanced so accurately
the attractive and repulsive power that neither can

REV, GEORGE BEECHER. 225

they be drawn into the sun by its powerful attrac-
tion, nor be driven from it by their great projectile
force 1

We are compelled in solemn awe to confess that
*' It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth,
that spreadeth abroad the heavens as a curtain,
and stretcheth them out as a tent. He leadeth
forth their host by number, he calleth them all by
their names, because he is great in power."

Descending from the heavens to the world we
inhabit, we find it constructed with the clearest
marks of design, as the habitation of sentient be-
ings. For this purpose it is divided into land and
water, affording residence for different classes of
animals ; the land, to give support to innumerable
orders of vegetation, for the nourishment of the
animal tribes ; the water, composed of two gases
which, in one mode of combination, have power to
melt the firmest rocks and dissipate into vapor the
solid structure of the globe, and yet are so com-
bined as to afford a healthful fluid for sustaining
vegetable and animal life.

For this purpose it is diffused by springs and
subterranean streams over the earth, so that in all
parts of the habitable portions, by digging or bor-
ing, water may be found for the sustenance of man
and beast.

This fluid is so dense as to retain its form under
the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere, and
yet so rare as to admit the passage of bodies through

226 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

it, thus rendering it the pathway for the commerce
of nations, and at the same time a residence of
innumerable tribes of living beings. To prevent
the stagnation of this fluid, the heavenly bodies are
made to influence it, changing the position of the
largest masses, while the process of evaporation
raises smaller portions, to be distributed in health-
ful moisture and refreshing rains over the whole
earth, imparting vigor to vegetation, and replenish-
ing the springs among the hills, and the streams
through the vallies.

Surrounding the whole earth is a soft and health-
ful fluid, the atmosphere, indispensable for the
support of animal and vegetable life, and yet com-
posed of two gases, either of which alone would
destroy it ; or, if slightly modified in proportions,
would immerse us in an atmosphere of corrosive
acid, consuming our bodies and decomposing all
vegetable substances. Still these two gases, com-
bined by no necessary affinity, are ever held in
steady friendship by the same Almighty Power that
formed their alliance for the good of mankind.

And then, over all, the glorious sun pours forth
its exhaustless streams of light, imparting warmth
and vigor to the animal and vegetable creation,
giving freshness and beauty to every plant and
flower, while the secret, mysterious influence of
the galvanic fluid, diff*used through earth and air,
contributes to the same great design.

Who, on looking over this glorious system, can

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 227

say that all this goodly structure has no design ;
that in all these wondrous adaptations, no vast intel-
lect contrived, or almighty power executed, the
plan ? Who, that is not wilfully blind, can fail to
discover the impress of Him who rideth upon the
whirlwind and directeth the storm ; who covereth
himself with light as with a garment ; who sendeth
forth the waters from his chambers, and giveth the
deep its appointed bound ; who causeth the grass to
grow for cattle and herb for the service of man; who
speaketh in the thunder, and sendeth forth the
winged lightning as his minister !

If, from this general outline of the earth's struct-
ure, we turn to examine the varied organizations
of the vegetable and animal kingdoms which in-
habit it, we find the marks of design growing upon
us at every step.

The first consideration to arrest our notice is,
the indications that all this immense variety con-
stitutes one great system, connected by links that
blend the different orders, and give each a relation-
ship to the whole. Commencing with man, the
most finished of nature's works, and descending to
the brutes, we first meet the connecting link in the
monkey tribes, a strange caricature of humanity,
showing us how, in physical structure, we are
closely allied to the lower animals. By gradual
changes we are led from beasts to the birds, on
one hand connected by the bat, a union of bird and
beast ; and to the fish, on the other hand, connected

228 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

by the seal, half beast and half fish. From tliese
we descend by connecting links to the insect
tribes, to reptiles, and to the invisible animalculoe,
which in their lowest stages are joined to the vege-
table world, by links semi-animal and semi-vege-
table.

In tracing these various orders, in downward
progression, we cannot but feel that they all consti-
tute one great family, so closely united by their
Creator, that every discerning mind shall perceive
their common origin as parts of one great system.

The mere classification of these different orders
and classes, and the detail of their history, consti-
tutes a science, the knowledge of which is deemed
an evidence of superior intellect. A Newton, a
Bacon, and a Cuvier, have rendered their names
immortal, by merely observing and classifying the
works of Nature, and developing the laws of their
organization. All concede to these works the evi-
dence of design, and to the authors the possession
of great intellect. But does the mere discovery
and classification of these things prove the exist-
ence of a great mind ; and does the construction
and arrangement of the whole system afford no
evidence of an intelligent author 1 Does the mere
description of a machine, entitle a man to the name
of a mechanic, and to the praise of skill and inge-
nuity ; and does the machine itself afford no evi-
dence of design and intelligence?

But in proceeding to investigate the more minute

REV. GEORGE BEECHER.. 229

parts of the system, we shall see the evidences of
design brightening at every step.

First, then, let us examine the vegetable king-
dom, endowed with powers to arrange the unor-
ganized particles of matter in forms adapted to
the sustenance of animal life. Without this con-
trivance all the races of animated beings would
speedily perish.

But this, by wonderful processes peculiar to
itself, prepares the gases and mineral substances
to become the food of man, beast, bird, and insect.
For this end, vegetables are furnished with absorb-
ent vessels to draw up moisture and various salts
from the earth, and with leaves to inhale the at-
mosphere, and change a portion of the sap into the
substances needed by the plant, and also to expire
all those parts which are useless for its nourish-
ment. And for the propagation of their species,
each is furnished with an apparatus for the pro-
duction of seed containing the germ of the future
plant, and so contrived as to be scattered in vari-
ous directions, and exposed to the agents which
cause them to vegetate. Thus, from age to age,
the earth has been covered with a verdant carpet
of luxuriant vegetation, beautiful to the eye, health-
ful in its influence on the atmosphere, and adapted
to give nourishment to the vast multitude of the
animal tribes which inhabit it. As we proceed to
the animate creation, we meet the lowest form of
animal organization, in the Zoophytes, so allied
11*

230 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

both to animals and vegetables, as to be named for
both, and called animal vegetables. From the
lower species we rise to others more perfect, end-
lessly varied, and yet so uniform, as to evince how
unnumbered the expedients of the great Author of
all in securing the same results.

All these differing systems are so allied as to
give proof of a uniform plan of one mind, and yet
so diverse as show that it was no chance organiza-
tion after a single model, but the work of a mind
whose resources and contrivance are endless.

Advancing higher in the scale of being, we reach
the more perfect organization of the warm-blooded
animals, endowed with various degrees of instinct.
In these we still find a general uniformity of struct-
ure, and yet such constant diversity in particulars,
as fills us with wonder at the wonderful resources
of the mind that adapted each part of every animal
to other parts, and also the whole animal to the
place it occupies in the general system.

Common to all these diverse species, we find
contrivances adapted to accomplish some specific
end. Thus every species has its own peculiar di-
gestive system, all tending to secure the same end,
the preparation and assimilation of food. This
system consists of an apparatus for grinding the
food into fine portions, and a liquid to mingle with
it, before it is carried into the stomach. When
conducted to the stomach, it is supplied with a
fluid so wonderfully compounded that no eflforts of

REV, GEORGE BEECHER. 231

science have been able to imitate it, of such vari-
ous power that substances of the most opposite
character are dissolved by it. Thence, by an im-
mense multitude of minute vessels, the most nutri-
tive parts of the food are drawn off, and mingled
with the blood, and carried to the heart. But be-
fore it is sent out by the heart for distribution, this
blood must be purified by the atmosphere. To
accomplish this, respiratory organs are constructed,
consistingof innumerable air-cells, so thin that the
air can act through them, on the blood, and yet so
strong as not to be ruptured by its pressure. Thus
purified, the blood returns to the heart, which,
acting like a forcing pump, drives it into every
part of the system.

The conductors of this vital fluid are the veins
and arteries, which are elastic tubes meandering
and branching to every part of the body, and sup-
plied with curious valves, so constructed as to allow
the blood to flow forward in its intended course,
and oppose its re-flowing backward to the heart.
After performing its appropriate duty, in conveying
nourishment throughout the body, the blood is re-
ceived by the veins from the arteries, and con-
ducted back to receive fresh supplies from the
stomach, when it again enters the heart, and is
driven to the lungs to be there purified and prepar-
ed for a new journey through the body. The posi-
tion of the arteries and veins indicate equal skill in
their structure. The arteries, that are subject to the

232 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

impulsive action of the heart in sending out the
blood, and which if ruptured would destroy life,
are placed deep in the system, and carefully pro-
tected from the ordinary injuries that might affect
the^body ; while the veins in which the blood flows
back to the heart more sluggishly, are more on
the surface, except where they are so large that
rupture would endanger life, when they are sunk
deeper, and protected by muscles and bones.

Connected with this, is the secretory system,
formed to separate those ingredients from the blood
which are needed by each particular part ; some of
the glands being employed to secrete matter for the
nourishment of the bones, others for the skin, the
hair, the nerves, and the various other parts of the
body. In every portion of the body is distributed
another set of organs to carry off useless matter in
perspiration and other modes. Connected with the
other organs, and necessary to the vigor of the
whole, is the brain and nervous system. The brain
is protected by a strong bony cavity, and from it,
transmitted through the strong tube in the back,
runs the spinal cord, which branches out to various
organs of the body, and spreads over every part of
the skin. The brain is constructed to be the or-
gan of thought, feeling, and will, and the nerves
convey sensations from every part of the budy to
the brain, and communicate from the brain those
motions that are caused by the will.

Who can look on this complex system, so full of

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 233

wonders, and say that these have no design ; that
this curious fabric is the chance combination of
unintelligent atoms ! What man can avoid the
conviction that he is fearfully and wonderfully
made, by the great Master of Life and Author of
all things !

Turning in another direction, let us examine
the indications of design in the different parts of
organized bodies, in their relation to each other,
and to the whole system.

In observing the structure of different animals,
we are struck with the strictest adaptation of each
particular part to the other parts, and also to the
peculiar habits and circumstances of the animal.
Thus, if a skilful comparative anatomist is pre-
sented with barely a single tooth, he can determine,
from its size and construction, what was the size
of the animal to which it belonged, what was its
shape, its internal structure, and its modes of life.
Thus, if the tooth be a grinder, deeply indented on
its upper surface, it is known to belong to a car-
nivorous animal, and to have been constructed for
cracking bones. When this fact is known, the
structure of the jaw is manifest. It must be of
great strength, and deeply indented for the pow-
erful muscles necessary for the breaking of bones.
But this is always connected with a short neck of
great strength, short legs, and feet divided into
toes, and possessing claws to hold the prey. On
the other hand, if the grinder be comparatively

234 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

smooth, or only slightly ridged, the animal is
known as one that feeds on vegetables. Con-
nected with this habit of life, is a structure corres-
ponding to it, a long neck and head, long and
slender legs, feet covered with hoofs, or some simi-
lar substance, and an internal arrangement fitted
for the digestion of vegetables. When the teeth
of the mastodon were discovered, it was supposed,
at first, as the tooth fitted a carnivorous animal,
that an exception was found to the general rule, as
the animal was in reality herbivorous. But when
the skeleton was examined, it was found that the
animal must have lived on the larger branches of
trees, and that these teeth were constructed for
crushing them, like the teeth of carnivorous ani-
mals.

In these arrangements, the works of nature are
uniform. The teeth of a carnivorous animal are
never found connected with the frame and internal
structure of a grass-eating quadruped. Nor are
the long neck, slender legs, and hoofed feet of the
graminivorous animals, connected with the stom-
ach, teeth, and strong jaws of the carnivorous
ones. The uniformity is so perfect, that a single
bone will enable us to detect the form, size, and
habits of an animal which has been extinct for
ages.

A similar adaptation of the entire structure of
each animal to its mode of life, also affords the
clearest indication of design. The bird, destined

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 235

to live in the atmosphere, and fly from place to
place, is fitted by its conformation for this mode of
life. Its bones are formed of the firmest material,
to secure the smallest size united with the greatest
strength, and are filled with air, instead of the oily
substance contained in the bones of quadrupeds.
Their muscles, also, are adapted to impart great
strength to the wing, in proportion to the rest of
the body, that it may sustain, unwearied, its long
flights. The feathers are light and porous, and yet
possess sufficient strength to support it in the air,
while its shape is fitted to offer the least resistance
in its movement through the atmosphere. None
can examine this, and not be convinced that it is a
wonderful machine expressly designed for flying
through the air.

Equally curious and perfect is the adaptation of
the fish to the denser element it inhabits. Its spe-
cific gravity corresponds exactly with the fluid in
which it lives, while it is provided with an appa-
ratus by which it can secrete air within itself and
then expel it, to enable it to rise or sink at pleas-
ure. It is also provided with organs of motion by
which it can dart with great swiftness from pla!be
to place.

The structure of the whale is a curious instance
of an animal constructed to live in the water, and
yet to require the constant support of the atmo-
sphere. It is a warm-blooded animal, ha\ing a
circulatory and respiratory system, and for this

236 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

reason is compelled to come frequently to the sur-
face for air, while the breathing holes are so formed
as to be closed under water, to prevent strangula-
tion. Inhabiting the coldest region of the polar
seas, it is covered with a thick coat, formed of mi-
nute cells, filled with oil, defending it equally
against intense cold, and the great pressure to
which it is exposed in the immense depths to which
it dives.

The examination of every class of animals will
serve only to increase the evidence of similar adap-
tations. The waterfowl is furnished with webbed
feet for swimming, and with long legs and neck to
enable it to seek food by the margin of streams.
The bird of prey is endowed with strong talons
and beak for seizing and rending its prey. The
animals of cold climates are provided with a thick
covering of fur, and the warmer countries with a
thinner covering of hair. Every thing around us
discloses the infinite wisdom of that Glorious Mind
who planned the whole, and fitted each being to its
appropriate place.

Turning from the evidences of adaptation, let
us examine more minutely some particular contri-
vances that give striking exhibitions of skill and
contrivance. The eye of man is a wonderful in-
strument, which art has never been able to equal.
Go to the optician, and ask him to construct an
instrument with which yon can examine objects at
a great distance, and he will furnish you with a

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 237

telescope constructed for this purpose. Demand,
further, that he shall so construct this telescope
that it shall adjust itself so as to enable you to
look with equal ease and distinctness at objects
near and at a distance, and also connected with an
apparatus that shall regulate the amount of light
admitted into it, and by its own operation diminish
the light when excessive, and increase it when it is
too feeble. He will tell you such a demand is be-
yond the reach of human skill. You must turn to
Him only, who so fashioned the eye as to discern
with equal distinctness near and distant objects,
and at the same time to exclude or increase light
as it is required.

Among many other curious contrivances, may
be mentioned the trochlear muscle, which directs
the motion of the eye by a contrivance like a pul-
ley. The bill and tongue of a woodpecker, the
trunk of the elephant, the tusks of the babyroussa,
are all contrivances fitted to the shape or habits of
the animal, as compensations or conveniences.

Among the insect tribes similar marks of con-
trivance and design appear. The bee constructs
its comb on the strictest mathematical principles,
her cells being of that form which will. contain the
greatest amount of honey in the least space, and
yet secure the most compactness and strength.

The white ant lives in communities, with a well
organized government, that secures a division of
labor. The beaver constructs its dam, and the

233 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

bird its nest, with a skill man would vainly imitate,
and yet without experience or instruction. The
birds of passage pursue their way for hundreds of
miles, in a straight course, without chart or compass,
and never miss their way. Even the dull tortoise
is endowed with instinct to regain its home, when
separated by thousands of miles. The horse, mule,
cats, and other animals, have shown the same in-
stinct, returning long distances, by unknown paths,
to the place from which they were taken.

But there is a still more wonderful contrivance
than all. It is an agent that thinks, feels, reasons,
remembers, and chooses ; that can range the vast
fields of science, trace the comet in its distant
flight, wing its way from star to star, through the
utmost bound of creation. It can combine and
arrange facts, detect principles, and deduce the
laws by which all bodies are regulated. It can
call up from the recesses of the past, the thoughts,
words, hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows of years
gone by. It can dart forward through the future,
lift the veil from its dark regions, and discern the
scenes of coming ages. It can exult with joy, and
be agonized with sorrow ; can rise with the elastic
spring of hope, or sink with the leaden weight of
despair; be soothed by the self approval of con-
scious rectitude, or lacerated by the lashings of
guilt and remorse. It can arrange matter in forms
of wondrous ingenuity and beauty, and subject to
its control the various powers of nature. It can

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 239

hold in subjection the feelings, hopes, passions, and
will of man ; enchaining them by eloquence, terri-
fying them by threats, inspiring confidence by su-
perior talent, awing into obedience by the energy
of its emotions or strength of its will, directing
the destinies of empires, and transmitting its in-
fluences from generation to generation.

And has such an existence, so varied and mighty
in its energies, no author or contriver ? Is it a
mere chance-combination of matter 1 Does mat-
ter think, and feel, and choose 1 Has it powers
of perception, reflection, and skill? Or, if mind
be but a peculiar organization of matter, is there
no intelligence or design exhibited in contriving
so wonderful an agent? Can any honest intel-
ligent man look over all these things and say, there
is no design in them all ?

If any one of these contrivances had been ex-
ecuted by man, would any one deny that it was a
work of design ? Would any rational man believe
that a telescope or microscope has no contriver,
or that a rope and pulley was the work of ac-
cident ? What then is to be said of the human
eye, constructed with such ingenuity that, even to
imitate it, requires more skill than the best opti-
cian ever possessed.

A few years since, a physician of New-York in-
vented a mode of constructing glass eyes, which
should externally be an exact counterpart to the
human eye, and so accurate was the resemblance

240 RIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

that the false could not be distinguished from the
true. Even the Atheists acknowledge this to be
a wonderful contrivance, and never would have
ventured to call it a work of chance, and yet the
same men, calling themselves philosophers, would
deny that a real eye afforded as much evidence of
a designer as the colored glass.

But, say these philosophers, no man ever saw
God, or saw him make any thing— how then is
there any evidence of his being? But how many
ever saw one of these glass eyes constructed ? Not
one in a thousand ; and yet who ever doubted that
they were made and had a maker ? And it is not
because the senses or the testimony of others as-
sure us of it. We arrive at this conclusion from
the marks of design evinced in the contrivance
itself

But again, the appearance of this world is just
what it would be, if it were the work of an intel-
ligent Creator.

It is a fact that, aside from Revelation, no more
and no other evidence can be conceived of, to prove
the existence of an intelligent Creator, than that
which already exists ; and if it is asserted that this
does not prove it, it is equivalent to asserting that
no possible evidence from the works of nature can
prove the existence of the Creator. Man, by his
works, can prove his existence and intelligence,
but God can furnish no such evidence !

Suppose a man had privately constructed a ma-

REV. GEORGE BEECHEU. 241

chine, and, without revealing the fact to any per-
son, had placed it for exhibition in a public place,
could any who saw it doubt that it was made by
some man of intelligence and skill ? Who, then,
can inspect the curious structure of the human
frame, and doubt whether it was contrived by a
being infinitely superior to man ?

In view of this subject it may be remarked, that
an Atheist must either be ignorant of the structure
of material objects, or destitute of common sense,
or wilfully determined to shut his eyes to evidence,
or insincere in his professions of unbelief

It is not possible for a man, in a sound state of
mind, to examine the curious mechanism of nature,
and not be impressed with the conviction that it
has an author and contriver. And he, least of all
men, is worthy the name of a philosopher, who can
study any department of natural science, and yet
deny the being of its great Author.

Again, it may be observed, that the Atheist
stands upon the most dangerous ground conceiv-
able. By his theory and conduct he contradicts
the first principles of intuitive belief, and acts in
opposition to all those rules of common sense by
which he regulates his worldly affairs. Should he,
in his daily pursuits, act on the assumption that
the adaptation of means to ends proves no design
or contriver, he would be deemed insane. It is
only when this kind of evidence would lead him to
a God, that his fear and dislike make him reject

242 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

the conclusion. But he will find, to his eternal
loss, that God's laws are uniform, and that as he
sows so he will reap. As, in worldly affairs, he
would bring suffering and shame on himself, by
rejecting the evidence of design in the works of
man, so will he be borne down before an in-
telligent universe for rejecting the evidence of
a God.

Again, it is remarked, that if there be this evi-
dence of God's existence and agency, on every
hand, then those who glorify him not as God, are
without excuse.

If he has made you, he has a will in regard to
you, and you are bound to inquire what his will is,
and to conform to it.

If he created you, then, too, you are entirely at
his disposal, and you must be prepared cheerfully
to submit to his will, or be crushed in your attempt
to resist his government. He has feelings, plans,
and preferences, and unless yours are conformed
to his, you can never be happy. For to live with
a being whose character and plans are opposed to
yours, and be entirely in his power, is misery.
Hence those who are living as if there were no
God are acting the part of folly and madness. God
has made the world to illustrate his attributes, and
written upon the heavens the signature of his name,
and he who attempts to efface it is contending with
almighty power and infinite wisdom, and his defeat
must be certain and dreadful.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 24^5

THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD.

Rev. XV : 3. — And they sing the song of Moses
the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, say-
ing. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord
God Almighty !

The power of God, under the direction of wis-
dom and benevolence, is the safeguard of the uni-
verse. Here is found the security of all those holy
minds that repose beneath the shadow of his
throne.

While the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth, they
cannot but rejoice ; for he can provide for every
want, and ward off every danger.

Here, too, is the safeguard of the holy from the
incursions of sin. Like the virtuous and obedient
of every government, they dread the triumph of
lawless violence, trampling on the rights, and mar-
ring the peace and joy of the community, and de-
sire to see a government invested with power ade-
quate to protect the innocent from the selfishness
or malignity of those who would disregard law,
and sacrifice to their own interests the happiness
of others.

Without such power vested in the government,
the weak can have no defence against the strong,
or the ignorant and inexperienced against the sa-

•244 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

gacious and crafty. With joy, therefore, we may
look upward and join the song of heaven: " Hal-
lelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth !"

But how inadequate are our conceptions of the
power of God ! How low, for the most part, are
the thoughts of all Christians, as to the extent, ful-
ness, and the majesty of this attribute of God !
And how little does the thoughtless sinner con-
ceive of the power of him with whom he is con-
tending, and whose wrath he defies !

In presenting to your contemplation those attri-
butes of God which are inherent in his nature, and
are exhibited by the rnere inspection of his works,
I shall first exhibit some of these evidences of
God's physical omnipotence.

In speaking of the omnipotence of God, we are
not t0 confound the power which he exerts over
matter, with that influence by which he controls
mind. These are as different in their nature, as in
their modes of action. Power over matter is an
inherent quality of his nature, inseparable from his
existence, and having no limitation, except in
those things to which physical power cannot be
applied, and those cases which imply contradic-
tions. Physical power cannot be applied to mind ;
and, therefore, the assertion that God is physically
omnipotent, does not imply that he can control
mind at all. Nor does physical omnipotence im-
ply that God can work contradictions, such, for
example, as that he can make a thing to exist and

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 245

not to exist at the same moment of time, or endow
any thing with fixed properties, and make it act
contrary to these properties while they still exist.
Thus, he cannot make unorganized matter think
and feel, and still remain unorganized and en-
dowed only with its present properties.

Moral power, on the contrary, is the influence
which God can exert over intelligent beings by
motives.

The assertion that God is physically omnipotent,
however, conveys no clear or definite conceptions
to our minds. We form our ideas of power, not
by words, but by the contemplation of its effects.
Thus, we judge of the power of a steam engine,
by its effects in propelling a boat, or raising great
weights, or moving large quantities of matter. In
the same way, we are to judge of the power of
God, by observing the effects which he produces
upon matter.

The illustrations of his omnipotence must be
derived from the energy exerted by his agents, and
from the magnitudes and movements of the bodies
he has formed and sustains.

Let us then examine the exhibitions of power
presented by some of the agents which God has
created.

The first agent that presents itself is the luind.
The atmosphere, though soft and gentle in the
balmy breath of summer, when roused to the im-
petuous motion of the hurricane and tornado, is
12

24G BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

possessed of fearful energies. When let loose
upon the sea, it rears its giant billows to the hea-
vens, and tosses the gallant ship from wave to wave,
or drives the ocean against the rock-bound coast,
with the impetuous force of artillery.

Upon the land, its force is marked with desola-
tion, as, marching through the forests, it uproots
the firmest oaks, riving and scattering their
branches to vast distances. Houses are demo-
lished, cities desolated, men and animals borne
upward like feathers, and then dashed again upon
the earth. Ancient towers rock to their founda-
tions, and the firmest structures men can rear,
groan beneath the tempest's blast But it is God
who bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures,
and holdeth them in his hand. He commandeth
and raiseth the stormy wind, he lifteth the billows
of the ocean, he hath his highway in the whirlwind
and rideth upon the storm, and the clouds are the
dust of his feet.

Another illustration of power may be derived
from the force of moving waters.

In a valley in Switzerland a glacier dammed up
the course of a river, and blocked up the valley
through which it flowed from a large lake. The
thawing of the ice in the spring, released the im-
prisoned waters, first in a gentle stream, and then
in an irresistible torrent. Pouring forth with im-
petuous fury, it made its way towards the lake of
Geneva, distant forty miles, arriving there in six

REV. GEORGE BEECUER. 247

and a half hours. In its progress, it tore up rocks
of the size of large houses, and bore them more
than a quarter of a mile. One of the fragments
moved, was sixty paces in circumference.

The force of the waves upon the stormy coast
of the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands, is
immense. In the winter of 1802, on one of these
islands, a mass of rock eight feet long, seven feet
broad, and five feet thick, was dislodged from its
bed and carried to a distance of eighty feet or
more.

At Plymouth, in England, in a violent gale, so
great was the force of the sea, that eight thousand
tons of stone were fairly lifted by it and thrown
from the outside, over the wall of masonry called
the breakwater, into the sound. The breakwater
itself suffered severely ; many large blocks of gra-
nite, weighing from three to nine tons, being firmly
dovetailed together, were displaced and washed
into the sound. Over two hundred and fifty ions
of this masonry were thus displaced, and carried
to the north side of the breakwater.

In the Shetland Islands a ledge of porphyry rocks,
that had resisted for ages the progress of the At-
lantic, which beat against it with the forceof artil-
lery, at length yielded, and the waters forced their
way through, forming the breach called the Grind
of Naver. This is widened every winter by the
overwhelming power of the surge, which separates
large stones from its sides, forcing them to a dis-

*248 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OK

tance of one hundred and eighty feet, piling them
up like an immense quarry.

Rocky islands have been completely destroyed
by the furious attacks of the stormy ocean, and
have left only a few pillars projecting above the
deep to mark their former position.

The rock-bound shores of England and Scot-
land are receding every year before the steady and
resistless assaults of the waves. Where, a few
years since, were large towns and sea-ports, the
ocean holds undisputed sway. Off the coast of
Weybourn, there is now a depth of twenty feet, at
one point in the harbor, where forty years ago stood
a cliff fifty feet high, with houses upon it. Such is
the mighty power which wind and water together
can exercise upon the firmest structures of the
globe. None but He, who shut up the ocean and
set bars and doors to its fury, can say to its wa-
ters, " Hitherto shalt thou come and no farther,
and here shall thy proud waves be stayed."

" The Lord on high is mightier than many waters,
yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. He sitteth
King upon the floods, and stilletii the noise of their
waves. He discovereth the foundations of the
waters, and breaketh up the foundations of the
great deep. He commandeth and raiseth the
stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves
thereof are still."

Another symbol employed to illustrate the power
of God is, fire.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 249

The intense energy of this agent, in consuming
or melting bodies, we see in ordinary operations.
But of its intensity in large conflagrations, or when
evolved by chemical agents, few can conceive.
The combustion of the two invisible gases, hydro-
gen and oxygen, which, when thus united, form
water, as exhibited by the compound blow-pipe,
produces a heat so intense as to melt the hardest
and most infusible substances known. Even the
diamond is instantly consumed by it.

The heat evolved by a large galvanic apparatus,
is still more intense. No substance has been sub-
jected to it, which has not been instantly melted
or consumed.

The furious and uncontrollable power of fire, in
desolating cities, and sweeping over forests, defies
all the resistance of man. No physical agent,
except electricity, so instantly annihilates human
strength, decomposes animal and vegetable sub-
stances, and destroys life.

But its most terrific power is seen when the vol-
cano manifests its energies. Raging in subterra-
neous caverns, it generates those gases whose ex-
pansive force shakes the earth to its centre. Coming
in contact with the solid rocks and earthy matter
of the globe, it converts them into lakes of liquid
lava, which roll and heave in the volcano's
breast. Stewart, the missionary, describes the
crater of a volcano in the Sandwich Islands, as a
vast cavity on the summit of a mountain, half a

250 BIOGRAPniCAL REMAINS OF

mile in diameter, and filled at one extremity with
liquid lava. While he was looking at it, the mass
began to heave and roll its burning waves, dashing
them upon the rocky shore, and sending sheets of
fiery spray into the air. When this burning liquid
rushes forth to desolate the earth, then we see the
most tremendous agencies of fire. In the eruption
of Etna, in 1669, a stream of lava rolled over the
surrounding country, overflowing fourteen towns
and villages. Arriving at the walls of Catania, the
burning flood accumulated, till it rose to the top
of the rampaits, sixty feet high, and then rolled in
a fiery cascade into the city.

In the eruption of 1766, a gentleman went out,
with his servant, to an eminence, to watch the
progress of a stream of lava two and a half miles
broad. Suddenly he saw two small currents de-
tached from the main body, and flowing toward the
point where they stood. They had just time to
escape, when they saw the hill where they had been
standing, which was fifty feet high, surrounded,
and in a quarter of an hour, melted down into the
burning mass, so as to flow on with it. Such are
the energies of fire. How great, then, the power
of that Being, whose throne is as ftames and his
wheels like burning fire. " For a fire is kindled
in his anger, that shall set on fire the mountains
and burn to the lowest hell."

Another manifestation of the power of God is
seen in the phenomena of electricity. In the form

REV. GEORfiE BEECHER. 251

of lightning the terrible effects of this agent are
well known. The sturdiest oaks are shivered to
splinters, and the strongest buildings are demol-
ished in an instant.

In the Shetland islands, a rock one hundred and
five feet long, ten broad, and four in thickness, was
instantly torn from its bed, by a flash of lightning,
and broken into fragments. One of these, twenty-
eight feet long, and seventeen broad, and five in
thickness, was hurled fifty yards. Another, about
the same size, was thrown still father into the sea.

In 1772, in the island of Java, a bright cloud was
observed at midnight to cover a mountain. It
emitted globes of fire, so luminous that the night
became as the day. Every thing, for several
leagues around, was destroyed by it. Houses were
demolished, plantations buried in the earth, hun-
dreds of people were killed, besides great numbers
of cattle.

All nations have regarded this agent with terror,
and in the sudden and tremendous energy of its
action, nothing is so like the direct stroke of God's
hand. It is viewed as the messenger of his wrath,
and man quails before the flashes of his eye and
the deep voice of his thunder.

Thus he maketh the lightnings with the rain, and
bringeth the wind out of his treasures. He direct-
eth them to the ends of the earth, and maketh a
way for them with his thunders. The Lord utter-
eth his voice in the heavens, and that a mighty

252 IJIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

voice. He thundereth marvellously, yea, he tliun-
dereth with the voice of his excellency. The voice
of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of glory
thundereth. The voice of the Lord is full of ma-
jesty, the voice of the Lordbreaketh the cedars, he
breaketh the cedars of Lebanon, and discovereth
the forests. Out of his throne proceed lightnings
and thunderings and voices. His lightnings en-
lighten the world, the earth saw and trembled.

Another awful manifestationof the power of God
is seen in the varied phenomena of volcanoes. Im-
agination cannot conceive the awful grandeur, ma-
jesty, and terror, of a great volc;mic eruption.

In the eruption of Vesuvius in 1779, the jets of
lava, mixed with stones and scoria, were thrown
to the height of at least ten thousand feet. These,
falling, red hot and liquid, covered the cone of the
mountain and the whole valley, forming a body of
fire two and a half miles in breadth, casting a heat
for six miles around. In 1783, Mount Heckla, in
Iceland, experienced the most tremendous erup-
tion ever known. On the 11th of June, the moun-
tain threw out a torrent of lava which, flowing into
the river Skapta, dried it up. The channel of
the river was between high rocks of from four to
.«ix hundred feet deep, and was two hundred feet
broad. Not only did the fiery stream fill this im-
mense chasm, but overflowed the adjacent fields.
On issuing from this rocky gorge, it was arrested for
a while by a deep lake, which it entirely dried and

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 253

filled up. Then, advancing again, it readied some
ancient lava full of subterraneous caverns, pene-
trated and melted down a part, and where the
stream could not find vent, blew up rocky fragments
one hundred and fifty feet high. Sometimes the
streams of lava spread themselves out over wide
plains into broad burning lakes, from twelve to
fifteen miles wide, and one hundred feet deep.
No less than twenty villages were thus destroyed,
besides those overflowed with water. Of the two
branches which flowed in opposite directions, the
greatest was fifty and the least forty miles long.
One was fifteen and the other seven miles broad.
The ordinary height of the currents w^s one hun-
dred feet, and in rocky defiles was over six hun-
dred feet; equalling in volume a vast mountain,
and longer than the ranges of many basaltic hills.

Another most frightful volcanic eruption took
place in the island of Sumbawa. It commenced
in April, and continued till July. The explosion
was heard over nine hundred miles in one direc-
tion, and seven hundred in another. Out of a
population of twelve thousand in the island, only
twenty persons survived. Violent whirlwinds car-
ried up men, horses, and cattle into the air, tore
up the largest trees, and covered the sea with
floating timber. The ashes was carried over three
hundred miles, and in such quantities as to darken
the air, and around the island of Sumatra, hun-
dreds of miles distant, the ashes were two feet
12*

254 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

thick and many miles in extent. The darkness
produced by the falling of the ashes, was deeper by
day than the darkest midnight. The sea suddenly
rose to a great height, rushing to the estuaries
and then suddenly subsiding. All the Moluccas,
Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, to the distance of a
thousand miles, felt the tremendous motion.

The following is an abridged account of an
eruption of a volcano in the island of Hawaii, taken
from the Missionary Herald, 1841 :

" The process of filling up the vast crater contin-
ued till it became one entire sea of ignifluous mat-
ter, raging like old ocean lashed to fury by a tem-
pest, and exhibiting a scene awfully terrific. The
infuriated waves sent up infernal sounds, and
dashed with such maddening energy against the
sides of the aw^ful caldron, as to shake the solid
earth.

" Soon the villages around were thrown into con-
fusion by sudden exhibitions of fire, on a scale so
grand as to leave no doubt that the molten flood
was about to pour itself down from a height of
four thousand feet, and run over the country to
the sea-coast, and no one knew in what direction.

On Monday it began to flow out of the crater,
and on the next Wednesday evening, the burning
tide reached the sea, having averaged in speed
half a mile an hour. Conceive to yourself a river
of from one to five miles broad, of deep gory red,
after flowing awhile under ground, breaking out

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 255

like an overwhelming flood, sweeping forest, ham-
let, plantation, and every thing before it, passing
on with loud detonations, fearful hissings, and a
thousand unearthly noises, till it reaches the sea,
where leaping a precipice of fifty feet, it pours it-
self in one vast cataract of fire, not less than half a
mile wide, into the deep below. The two antago-
nist and gigantic forces produced effects on a scale
inconceivably grand. The atmosphere was filled
with ashes, spray, and gases, while the burning
lava, as it fell into the water, was shivered into
millions of minute particles, and being thrown
back up into the air, fell in showers of sand all
over the country. The coast was extended more
than a mile into the sea, and three hills of scoria
and sand formed there, the lowest two hundred,
and the highest three hundred feet high. For
three weeks, this terrific river of fire disgorged it-
self into the sea with little abatement. Multitudes
of fishes were killed, and the waters of the ocean
heated for twenty miles along the coast.

The breadth of the stream, where it flor\ved over
the land, was from one to five miles, acc«3rding to
the face of the country ; and the depth of the
stream was from ten to two hundred feet. Indeed,
if you can imagine the Mississippi converted into
liquid fire, of the consistency of fused iron, moving
onward, sometimes rapidly, sometimes sluggishly,
now widening into a sea, and anon rushing through
a narrow defile, and winding its way throuah

256 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

mighty forests and ancient solitudes, you will have
some idea of the spectacle exhibited. During the
flow of this awful river, night was converted into
day, in all eastern Hawaii. The light rose and
spread like morning on the mountains, and its
glare was seen on the opposite side of the island.
It was distinctly visible for more than a hundred
miles at sea, and at the distance of forty miles fine
print could be read at midnight. The brilliancy
of the light was like a blazing firmament. During
the early part of the eruption, repeated shocks of
earthquake were felt for several days. The roar
of consuming forests, the rushing of devouring
fire, the startling detonations, the hissing of escap-
ing steam, the rending of the earth, the shivering
and melting of gigantic rocks, the raging and
dashing of fiery waves, the murmurings, and bel-
lowings, and unearthly mutterings, coming up from
the boiling deep, the rain of ashes and fiery scin-
tillations, the varying atmosphere, black, murky,
livid^ and blazing, the sudden rising of lofty pillars
of flame^ the upward curling of ten thousand col-
umns of smoke, the majestic roll of dense, dingy,
lurid, or parti-colored clouds, all these seemed
tokens of a burning world, the departing heavens,
and a coming Judge.

But what is this volcanic energy, compared
with the power of Him who lights these quench-
less fires, and ministers their supply of ever burn-
ing fuel ! He toucheth the hills and thev smoke :

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 257

his anger setteth the mountains on fire. The
mountains quake at him, the hills melt, and the
earth is burned at his presence ; yea, the world
and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before
his indignation 1 and who can abide in the fierce-
ness of his anger 1 His fury is poured out like
fire ; the rocks are thrown down by him. The
mountains flow down at his presence, the earth is
shaken out of its place.

But the most awful exhibition of power ever
witnessed on earth, is seen in the earthquake. No-
thing strikes such terror into every heart as this.
When the solid foundations of the globe give way,
there is no refuge from danger. Height is use-
less where the mountains are shaken, the firmest
rocks thrown down, and even the earth itself rent
asunder. To all other dangers men may become
accustomed, but it is said that those who have
once experienced the shock of a heavy earthquake,
are those most terrified by the signs of another. It
is impossible, by description, to convey an ade-
quate conception of their effects. Imagination
must aid in adding to the simple detail of facts.
The precursors of an earthquake are terrible,
causing faintness of heart in all who observe them.
Sudden gusts of wind arise and sweep over the
country, followed by a dead and awful stillness.
Violent showers descend, and the sun appears red
through the hazy atmosphere. Lightnings and in-
flammable gases proceed from the earth. Hollow,

258 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

rumbling noises are heard beneath, like carriages
rolling over pavements, or like distant thunder.
Animals utter cries of distress, and run about with
the wildest exhibitions of terror, while a sensation
of dizziness, like sea-sickness, is experienced by
men.

Then follow the shocks, with fearful power, des-
olating earth and affrighting the sea. In an earth-
quake in 1835, in Chili, vessels one hundred miles
distant felt the shock, and the sea retired in the
Bay of Conception, leaving all the shoals visible.
Three hundred miles distant, the Island of Juan
Fernandez was violently shaken and overwhelmed
by vast waves. Flames rose from the sea, and il-
lumined the island during the night, while on the
continent the earth opened and closed rapidly, and
more than three hundred shocks were felt.

The earthquake at Lisbon was one of the most
terrible that ever visited the south of Europe. It
began Nov. 1st, 1755. A sound of thunder was
heard under ground, and immediately after a vio-
lent shock threw down the greater part of the city.
In six minutes, sixty thousand persons perished.
The sea retired, leaving the bar dry, and then rolled
in mountain waves fifty feet above its usual level.
The mountains around were impetuously shaken,
some opened at their summits, which were split
and rent in a wonderful manner, while huge mass-
es of rock were hurled into the subjacent valleys.
A great concourse of people had collected for safe-

REV, GEORGE BEECHER. 259

ty upon a new quay built of marble, when sudden-
ly it all sunk down with the multitude, and not
one of the bodies ever appeared on the surface.
Many boats and small vessels were ingulfed, and
no fragments ever reappeared, and the place of the
quay was covered with six hundred feet of water.
This shock was felt in Africa, through all Europe,
and even to the West Indies.

In 1692, the Island of Jamaica was visited with
a violent earthquake. The ground swelled and
heaved like the rolling sea, opening in numerous
cracks and closing again rapidly. Many people
were swallowed up; some were caught by the mid-
dle and crashed to death by the closing earth.
Some were first ingulfed, and then cast up with
great quantities of water. At Port Royal, where
more houses were left standing than in the whole
island besides, three quarters of the buildings, with
the ground on which they stood, sank down with
their inhabitants beneath the water. A tract of
more than a thousand acres sank down in less than
a minute, and the sea rolled in over it. But the
power of earthquakes in elevating vast masses and
entire tracts of country, is still more wonderful. In
the Delta of the Indus, immediately after an earth-
quake the inhabitants beheld, where once had been
a plain, a long and elevated mound fifty miles long,
fifteen broad, and ten feet high.

In an earthquake on the coast of Chili, Nov.
1822, the shock was felt simultaneously twelve

260 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

hundred miles from north to south. The morning
after, it was ascertained that the coast around Val-
paraiso had been elevated from three to four feet ;
the whole coast from the foot of the Andes having
been raised. There was thus added to the conti-
nent, fifty-seven cubic miles in bulk. This equalled
a weight of one hundred thousand pyramids, each
weighing six million tons. But this was a trifling
part of the weight thus raised. The whole mass
between the surface and the expansive power was
also raised by its force. Suppose the thickness
only two miles, the matter thus upreared must
have been more than two hundred thousand cubic
miles in bulk !

Who can contemplate such exhibitions of power,
and not stand in awe of Him at whose presence
the earth shook and trembled ; the foundations
of the hills also were shaken ! The Lord also
thundered in the heavens, the Highest gave forth
his voice. Then the channels of the sea ap-
peared, the foundations of the world were discov-
ered, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the
breath of his nostrils.

Rising now from these minor agents, let us con-
template the immense power manifested in the cre-
ation and regulation of the vast bodies that consti-
tute the solar system, and in their inconceivable
velocities and momentum.

The very idea of creation implies power of
which we can form no just conception. That the

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 261

mere will of the Creator should cause material bo-
dies to spring from nothing into existence, is a sub-
ject of unbounded wonder. But this is so beyond
our comprehension, that we are more impressed
by contemplating the power that sustains and
moves the universe by his almighty energies.

It is difficult to form any just conception of the
quantities of matter composing the solar and stel-
lary systems. We can, at most, only approximate
to it by beginning with lesser magnitudes, and ad-
vancing to greater.

A power that could seize the eternal hills and
tear them from their solid bases, is almost incon-
ceivable. The power which, in the earthquake,
rears vast mountains and islands, affords some idea
of it. But conceive of a force that could up-
heave a whole continent with all its load of moun-
tains, rocks, and streams. And yet, what is all this
to His power who takes up the world and holds it
in his hand ! Let us attempt to form some esti-
mate of the magnitude of the earth we inhabit,
whose diameter is eight thousand and its circum-
ference twenty-four thousand miles. Suppose we
could ascend a mountain, so high that the eye
could take in, at one view, an extent of forty miles
in every direction. Such an area, containing five
thousand square miles, is but the forty thousandth
part of the earth's surface. And if one such land-
scape as this should pass before the eye once an
hour, for twelve hours each day, it would require

262 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

more than nine years to complete the survey of the
earth's surface ! What, then, must be the immense
masses of rock, and soil, and water, contained in a
solid globe whose exterior surface is so vast !

If we leave this earth, to traverse the system to
which it belongs, we meet Saturn, which is nine
hundred times larger than this earth, encircled
with a ring two hundred thousand miles in circum-
ference, which would reach nearly from this earth
to the moon, and also attended by seven satellites.
Another planet, which to us seems only a bright
star, is fourteen hundred times larger than this
earth, with an attending train of four moons.

All the other globes, constituting our solar sys-
tem, excluding the sun, contain twenty-five hun-
dred times as much matter as the earth. But the
sun itself is two hundred and fifty times larger than
all the rest of the solar system put together ; so
that it is capable of containing within itself all the
bodies which revolve around it.

But when from these we pass to the fixed stars,
we find our imagination lost in the contemplation
of their number and magnitudes. Each star is
probably a separate sun, surrounded by worlds like
our own, and at distances from us and each other
which would require millions of ages for the swift-
est cannon ball to traverse, and over which light,
moving ninety-six million miles in eight minutes,
could not pass in many years.

These immense suns and systems are the work

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 263

of Almighty God, and to these he appeals as the
evidence of his power.

Lift up your eyes on high and behold, who hath
created these things, that bringeth out their host
by number ; he calleth them all by names, for that
he is strong in power. I am he, saith the Lord,
that raaketh all things ; that stretcheth forth the
heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by
myself I, even my hand, hath made the heavens,
and all their hosts have I commanded.

But let us now contemplate a moment, the
amazing velocities and momentum of these bodies.
Conceive yourself placed in space, thousands of
miles from Saturn, where its vast magnitude would
fill the heavens. You see its sublime ring, revolv-
ing around the approaching world, and its seven
moons, each turning on its axis, and revolving
around the greater planet, now passing along in its
course around the sun at the rate of twenty-two
hundred miles an hour. It approaches, and in an
instant it has shot past you, and receding far into
space bends around in its mighty orbit. Jupiter,
with still vaster bulk, is moving onward at the rate
of twenty-nine thousand miles an hour, Venus trav-
els seventy-six miles an hour, while Mercury passes
at the rate of one hundred and fifty thousand miles
an hour, or seventeen hundred and fifty miles a
minute.

A ship will move at the rate of fifteen miles an
hour, a race-horse some thirtv miles an hour, a

•264 DIOGllAPHICAL REMAINS OF

bird can fly sixty miles an hour, the hurricane will
drive one hundred miles, and a cannon ball goes
at the rate of eight hundred miles an hour. What,
then, is that power which took these mighty orbs
and propelled them with such inconceivable velo-
cities on their ceaseless course !

Contemplate the sun revolving on its own axis,
around it all the planets, each turning on its axis,
with their revolving satellites, all turning on their
axes, and all flying in inconceivable swiftness
around the central orb, while the sun itself leads
on this moving train around some still more dis-
tant central point, amid the countless sister suns
that shine or glimmer in the evening sky.

Thus the heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament showeth his handy work. Day
unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night
showeth knowledge.

He hath made the earth by his power, he hath
established the world by his wisdom, and hath
stretched out the heavens by his* discretion. He
stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and
hangeth the earth upon nothing.

By his Spirit he garnished the heavens. He
holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth
his cloud upon it. The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astonished at his reproof. Lo, these are
parts of his ways, but how little a portion is heard
of him.

In view of these illustrations of the almi^htv

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 265

power of God, we see how blessed are all those
who put their trust in him.

Under the protection of such a being, no real
danger can reach them. The sun cannot smite
them by day, nor the moon by night. No human
power can harm them, for the Lord their God will
hide them in the secret of his presence from the
wrath of man. When they cry to liim in their dis-
tresses, he will bow the heavens, and come down
for their deliverance. He will cover them in the
hollow of his hand. None shall be ashamed that
wait upon him, for he giveth power to the faint,
and to them that have no might he increaseth
strength. For even the youths shall faint, and the
young men shall be weary. But those that wait
on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall
run and not be weary, they shall walk and not
faint.

How safely, then, may we intrust all our inter-
ests to his protection! And how foolish to fear
those who oppose us in our Christian course ! Who
art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of man, who
is as grass, and forgettest the Lord thy Maker that
planted the heavens?

We see, also, how terrible it will be to have God
for an eternal opponent and enemy. Rebellious
man, it were well for you to think with whom you
are contending ! Hast thou an arm like God, or
canst thou thunder with a voice like his? Hast
thou seen the treasures of hail which he has pre-

266 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAIx\S OJ

pared for the day of battle and war ? Canst thou
lift up thy voice to the clouds, that the abundance
of waters may cover thee ? Canst thou send
lightnings that they may go, and say unto thee,
here are we?

Let Him send forth his whirlwinds, breaking in
pieces the dwellings of men, tearing up the lofty
forests, bearing men and beasts into the air, and
dashing them against the earth.

What is your strength to battle with the storm ?
But if the breath of his mouth spreads such deso-
lation, how can you endure when he rises himself
to contend with you? Go forth, and meet the
power of the mighty ocean, when his winds have
raised up its mountain waves. See that goodly
ship, that is borne like a feather upon the giant
billows. She nears the rocky coast. Her affrighted
crew cast out their anchors, and the firmest cables
snap like a thread. Onward she drives with head-
long fury, and dashes among the boiling breakers.
See the struggling crew, on broken fragments,
borne toward the iron-bound shore. They mount
the crest of yonder black wave, and now they
come sweeping with fury upon the rocks, and now
their crushed and mangled bodies drift back with
the returning wave, to tell the impotence of hu-
man strength.

But remember that the Lord on high is mightier
than the noise of many waters, yea, than the
mighty waves of the sea.

REV. GEORGE BEECllER. 267

Stand forth — defy him to send forked lightnings,
or wrest the gleaming bolts from his hand, and
hurl back on him the arrows of wrath. Try your
strength with the sweeping fire, desolating cities,
and consuming the wealth of thousands. Put forth
your puny arm to arrest its progress, and see how
like a feeble insect, writhing in a fiery furnace, is
the strength of man before its eddying waves.
How, then, will you conflict with Him, before
whom goeth the devouring fire, the fierceness of
whose anger setteth on fire the mountains, and
burns to the lowest hell?

Go where the earthquake is overwhelming cities,
heaving mountains from their base, and rending
asunder the firm earth. What will your strength
avail, when the solid ground is shaking and gaping
beneath your feet !

Listen to the wild shrieks of terror and despair,
as thousands sink with their shattered dwellings into
that vast chasm, and the earth closes over them !

And yet what is this to the terrors of His power,
who shaketh the earth, and removeth it out of its
place; at whose presence* the heavens tremble, and
the earth is dissolved and melteth away? Stand
by the crater of yonder volcano, and look down
upon that red flood of boiling lava ! See the rocks
and burning ashes, raining showers of fire around
you ! See the heaving mass of lava struggling for
a vent, till the solid mountain bursts, and the fiery
stream gushes forth, bearing desolation in its path !

268 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Go forth to meet the advancing tide, to be shrivel-
ed to ashes before its consuming heat. But what
is this to that fiery storm that will beat upon the
wicked forever, and that lake of fire whose burning
waves forever dash on the rocks of despair !

Sinner, think with whom you are contending ;
for " our God is a consuming fire !"

Oh ! when he arises to take hold on vengeance,
when he calls forth all the agents of his wrath to
execute judgment, when the mountains shall quake
at his presence, and the hills melt and the earth be
removed out of its place, then where will you
stand ?

Now, because his wrath delays, you may, like
the hardened Atheist, dare to stand up and chal-
lenge God to strike you dead. But when the
measure of your iniquity is full, and the long-suf-
fering mercy of God pleads no more, then will
Death come upon you with his troops, and your
guilty soul, driven away in its wickedness, will be
reserved " under chains of darkness to the judg-
ment of the great day."

In that closing scene, death and hell, obedient
to the voice of their Sovereign, shall give up their
dead. The reanimated bodies of the lost, receiv-
ing their souls called forth from the gloomy prison
house, amid the convulsions of a perishing world,
will stand before the throne of judgment. Then
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 269

the earth also, and all things that are therein, shall
be burnt up. As you are borne aloft to the judg-
ment seat, you shall see around you the kindling
elements, and the earth glowing like a vast fur-
nace, in the awful conflagration. Then shall you
hear from Jesus Christ himself, " Depart from me,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
devil and his angels ;" and, cast into the lake of fire,
the smoke of your torment will ascend for ever and
ever.

Sinner, listen to the warning voice of Mercy.
Can thy heart endure, or thy hands be strong, in
that day ? Think with whom you must contend,
before the storm shall burst upon you. Flee to
the city of refuge. Look where the Saviour stands,
with heart of love and voiceof compassion, calling,
" Come unto me, and I will give you rest. He
that believeth in me shall never perish."

Here is the only refuge from the tempest, the
only shadow from the heat. Fly to him, while yet
he holds open the door of mercy, and calls you to
enter in, and then, at that day of doom, you may
look forth, secure from the devouring storm, amid
the wreck of matter and the crush of worlds.

270 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

THE OMNISCIENCE OF GOD.

Rom. xi. 33. — O the depth of the riches both
of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How un-
searchable are his judgments, and his ways past
finding out !

Werr we about to place ourselves under the
government of another country, an important ques-
tion would arise in regard to its rulers. What is
their character for intelligence and wisdom 1 Do
they understand the interests of the people for
whom they legislate? Are they able to extend a
watchful supervision over every part, and provide
for the life and happiness of all their subjects?
The importance of these questions, would be in
proportion to the extent of the territory, the num-
ber of the population, and the greatness of the
power intrusted to the government.

To one, then, who contemplates the boundless
extent of God's empire, the unnumbered intelli-
gent beings who inhabit it, their complete depend-
ence on him for the supply of every want, and
the unlimited power he exercises over them, these
inquiries are of infinitely great moment. Is our
God and King endowed with knowledge adequate
to the superintendence of so vast an empire ? Can
he comprehend the innumerable wants of so many

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 271

living beings? Can he devise for them all the
resources of life and enjoyment 1 Will not his
mind be distracted by the care of so many worlds
and systems, and the superintendence of so many
intelligent beings, and such multitudes of beasts,
birds, fishes, insects, and reptiles? Shall we not
be neglected, and miserably perish for the want of
needful inspection?

To these anxious inquiries nature and revelation
alike return a cheering answer : '' Great is our
Lord, and of great power, and his understanding
is infinite !"

True, the conception of so vast a mind is far
above us. " His judgments are unsearchable, and
his ways past finding out." But still he has exhib-
ited parts of his ways before us, that we may in-
spect them, and become convinced that we are
safe in the hands of such a Being.

Let us then endeavor to enlarge our view of the
omniscience of God, that our joy and confidence in
him may be increased, and every rising fear for
ever dispelled.

In presenting before you some views of the know-
ledge of God, for your contemplation, I shall en-
deavor to show —

That God is perfectly acquainted with the con-
stitution, structure, and laws of all material bodies ;

That he knows the nature, operation, and laws of
all minds ; and

That he knows all events that have transpired

272 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

during an eternity past, all that are occurring at
each present moment, and all that will take place
through an eternity to come.

First. God understands the constitution of mat-
ter, organized and unorganized.

There was a period when matter had no exist-
ence, when the Creator had only in his mind the
plan of the system he was about to create.

According to this plan, his creating energy im-
parted all the properties and qualities of organized
bodies. The chemical arrangement of all the
particles composing every mineral, vegetable, and
animal existence he planned and executed. The
composition of air and water, the principles of at-
traction and repulsion, in fluids and solids, of
crystallization, of evaporation, of electrical and
galvanic influences, and the definite proportions in
which all the particles of matter combine, were
fixed by him. And man, by discovering, arrang-
ing, and classifying the facts, is only prying into a
few of the secrets of his vast laboratory.

But God understandeth perfectly the way thereof,
and he knoweth the place thereof. For he look-
eth to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the
whole heavens, to make weight for the winds, and
he weigheth the waters by a measure. When he
made a decree for the rain, and a way for the
lightning of the thunder, then did he see it and de-
clare it, he prepared it, yea, he searched it out.

But not onlv does he understand the chemical

REV, GEORGE BEECIIER. 273

combinations of all bodies, but he knows the prin-
ciples that regulate their relations to each other.
He has established the laws by which vegetables
and animals receive their origin, structure, and
growth. At their first creation, he endowed them
with fixed properties, and established immutable
laws by which they should ever after be controlled.
The vegetation of the seed, the progress of the
plant to maturity, the mode of deriving its support
from the earth and the atmosphere, are results of
the curious contrivances which he invented, so
that the study of botany and vegetable physiology
are only further developments of his plans.

He gave command, and the earth brought forth
the herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree
yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his
kind. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,
and herb for the service of man. He visiteth the
earth and w^atereth it. He prepareth them corn
when he hath so provided for it. He watereth the
ridges thereof abundantly ; he maketh it soft with
showers ; he blesseth the springing thereof.

The organization of animal bodies is also his
work. His intellect contrived the various struc-
ture of all the tribes of beast, and bird, and fish,
and insect. The science of physiology and com-
parative anatomy are but the classification of the
facts in this department of God's works. To this
wide field of natural science God directed the mind
of Job, when he would unfold to him his own

274 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

knowledge compared with the ignorance of man.
" Who hath sent out the wild ass free, whose house
I have made the wilderness, and the barren land
his dwelling? Gavest thou goodly feathers to the
peacock, or wings and feathers to the ostrich,
which leaveth her eggs in the earth and forgetteth
that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast
may break them, because God hath deprived her
of understanding ? Doth the hawk fly by thy wis-
dom and stretch her wings toward the south ?
Doth the eagle mount up at thy command and
make her nest on high ?"

Thus to him are familiar all the principles and
details of every science, from the laws that guide
the heavenly orbs to the structure of the minutest
animalcula that, with myriads like itself, inhabits
a single drop of water.

The structure of the globe we inhabit, and of
all the unnumbered worlds that fill the boundless
empire of God, with all their infinite varieties of
forms, and of beings that inhabit them, are all
familiar to his mind. He traces the wandering
comet, and leads forth the trains of countless stars,
and calleth them all by their names.

Secondly. The nature and laws of all the minds
in the universe are perfectly known to God. The
mind of every angelic being, and of every man,
was made after his own. He knows what power
of intellect, what strength of emotion, what capa-
cities of execution, what susceptibilities of joy and

REV. GEORGE BEECflER. '275

sorrow, he has imparted to each one. He under-
stands the effect which all external influences will
exert upon the character, and how each mind will
act in all possible situations. He knows the exact
condition in which every being is placed, the temp-
tations which will befall him, and the power of re-
sistance which he possesses. He knows the com-
parative strength of every mind, and the influence
which one can wield over another. Every thing
which can in the remotest degree afiect the hap-
piness of any one of his creatures is known unto
God, because he has created all, and appointed
unto them the bounds of their habitation.

Thirdly. God knows every thing that has tran-
spired in all past time, all that is now occurring,
and all that will ever take place in future. He
has existed from eternity, and his presence has per-
vaded every part of the universe. He remembers
the time when he alone inhabited eternity, before
the mountains were brought forth, or any bright
star shone in the firmament, or man or angel had
awaked to being.

All that passed in the fellowship of the Blessed
Trinity, all the mutual counsels and plans that
were devised, the beginning of the work of crea-
tion, the continued accessions to his vast empire,
with all the events that have occurred through
these vast dominions, are clearly before his mind.
The thoughts, and feelings, and actions, of every
anael and ofeverv man, are written in the book of

2TG BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

his remembrance, and no record has ever been
effaced. He saw the first sinful thought in the
breasts of angelic beings who revolted, and watched
its progress to the full development. He knew
the machinations of fallen spirits against the race
of man, and saw their efforts to seduce from alle-
giance. The record of these events is still vivid
in his mind. No oblivion dims the clearness of
his memory, or effaces the records of the past.

All passing events are under his inspection. In
the remotest worlds, among the bright armies of hea-
ven, among the rebellious spirits of hell, and in this
world of revolt, he is present, beholding and sustain-
ing all . For it is he who giveth life and breath to
all, and provideth for the wants of every living thing.

From the most stupendous events that amaze a
universe to the most minute that is hid from all ;
from the destruction of suns and systems to the
death of a worm ; from the motions of the heavenly
spheres to the sportive play of the insect tribes — all
are under his inspection. The eyes of all wait
upon him, and he giveth them their meat in due
season. Not a sparrow falleth to the ground with-
out his notice, and the very hairs of our head are
all numbered. No thought of any heart escapes him,
for God will bring every work into judgment with
every secret thing. He reads the emotions that glow
in the breasts of the high archangels that bow and
worship before his throne, and sees the first glim-
mering light of holy affection that awakes in the

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 277

heart of the wandering sinner. He detects every
daring plan of malignity in the great arch-enemy,
and watches the secret thought of selfishness that
rises in the heart of a child.

Nothing is beyond or beneath his observation.
He knoweth our downsitting and uprising, and
understandeth our thought afar off. There is not
a word in our tongue but, lo ! he knoweth it alto-
gether. He hath beset us behind and before, and
laid his hand upon us. Such knowledge is too
wonderful ; it is high ; we cannot attain unto it !

But the knowledge of God is not limited to the
history of the past, and the events of the present.
With all-seeing inspection he reads the future as
clearly as the present and the past. How his mind
can discern future events, we cannot conceive.
Our knowledge of the future is only derived from
uncertain reasonings upon probable events. But we
know not what a day may bring forth. No human
mind, and probably no mind but God, can read,
with the certainty of knowledge, coming events.
But to him belongs the faculty of foreseeing, as
well as of remembering. To a being who had no
faculty of recalling past events, it would seem as
wonderful that they should be known, as the power
of foreseeing the future appears to us. We possess
one, God exercises both. Nor is it by a process
of reasoning that he obtains his knowledge, as
many seem to suppose. His perceptions of the
future are intuitive, and not derived from the slow
13*

278 BIOGRAnilCAL REMAINS OP

process of reasoning. There are some things
which no reasoning from previous causes could
discover, such, for example, as the volitions of free,
intelligent minds. The events which can be pro-
duced by physical causes, may be made certain by
necessity, and therefore be fully known by under-
standing these causes. But the actions of free
agents are never necessary, and are not produced
by external causes, but proceed from the inherent-
ly active power of the mind itself Here is an in-
dependence of all physical or external causes, as
absolute as that possessed by God himself; and, pre-
vious to the formation of a character, there may
be no possibility of knowing, from circumstances
and causes, what will be its future action. God
alone possesses the faculty of discovering the fu-
ture with entire certainty, without any process of
reasoning. This prerogative he claims for him-
self. " I am God, and there is none like me, de-
claring the end from the beginning, and from an-
cient times the things that are not yet done. I
have declared the former things from the begin-
ning, they went forth out of my mouth, and I
showed them, I have, even from the beginning,
declared it ; before it came to pass I showed it
thee."

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear ? He
that formed the eye, shall he not see ? He that
teacheth man knowledge, shall he not know? For
who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 279

his counsellor, hath taught him ? With whom took
he counsel, or who instructed or taught him know-
ledge, or showed him the way of understanding?

Blessed be the name of the Lord forever, for
wisdom and might are his, and he changeth the
times and seasons, he removeth kings and setteth
up kings, he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and
knowledge to them that know understanding. He
revealeth the deep and secret things, he knoweth
what is in the darkness, and light dwelleth with
him.

In view of this exhibition of the omniscience of
God, we are led to reflect how vast is the intellect
of our Creator ! The knowledge of all finite
beings is acquired. Time was, when the highest
archangel knew nothing. His capacity of obtain-
ing knowledge was great, but his mind had but
just opened on God and his works, and he knew no
more than an infant.

Observation, experience, testimony, and reason-
ing, are the only things by which finite minds can
gain knowledge, and these demand time and study.
Hence, all finite knowledge is progressive, imper-
fect, liable to be mingled with error, and needing
to be corrected by the accumulating results of ex-
perience.

But the mind of God possessed from eternity all
its present stores of knowledge. Observation and
experience have added nothing and corrected no-
thing. The present and the future were as clear-

280 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

ly before his mind in ages past, as at this moment.
From ancient times he discovered the things which
are not yet done, by the intuitive powers of his vast
intellect, and comprehended from the beginning of
events all that ever will or can be known.

The properties of all existences, both material
and spiritual, are learned by men with much study
and painful thought, and when all is acquired that
with present capacities can be known, they dimly
see vast fields of investigation stretching on, more
boundless than those already explored ; just as the
astronomer sees faint outlines of unnumbered suns
and systems, where his telescope can detect no
distinct forms. The essential properties of matter
and mind no human intellect has learned. Nor
has it detected the modes by which such agencies
as light, heat, electricity, and attraction operate
to produce their effects. We can ascertain facts^
and here our intellect finds its limits. But the
mind of God discerns the essences of matter and
mind, every hidden property that ever has or ever
will be developed, the modes and reasons of their
action ; and the natural effects of all causes are
clear before his mind.

Human intellect, by the labor of a long life, can
acquire only an imperfect outline of one or two
sciences, just enough to discover how little can be
known. As Newton said, after a long life employed
in various successful discoveries, " I seem to my-
self like a child, walking by the side of the vast

REV. GEORGE BEECHEU. '281

ocean of knowledge, who has collected and ar-
ranged a few of the shells and pebbles from the in-
finite multitude that lie around."

But God, at one glance, sees all that can be
known of every science and every art. Astrono-
my with its wonders is but a limited account of
his operations, as from his lofty throne he moves
the mighty wheels of suns and planets, and sus-
tains their courses. Philosophy, natural history,
and chemistry are but the transcript of a page or
two of the vast book of Providence. The know-
ledge man acquires of the past, is but a few scat-
tered facts on the surface of this world's history,
while God comprehends all the events that have
transpired in all ages, in all worlds, and among all
orders of existences, from the vastest to the most
minute. The intellect of man can attend to but
a single train of thought at a time, and becomes
bewildered with a multitude of cares.

But at one and the same moment, God is think-
ing of all events that are transpiring in every
world, down to the floating of the smallest particles
of dust, or the secret thought of the humblest child.

How utterly beyond our conception is such in-
tellectual power ! Think of a mind that watches
the rolling of such countless worlds, and holds
them in their appointed courses, and yet, at the
same moment, supplies the vital energy to every
plant and animal that inhabits them ; notices the
most minute occurrences in their complicated

282 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Structure, traces the blood in each beating pulse,
supplies the nervous energy to each fibre, supports
the digestive and assimilative operations, wards off
danger, and preserves health and strength to every
being in every world !

Who that studies the structure of his own intri-
cate system, can refrain from exclaiming, " I am
fearfully and wonderfully made !" or from admiring
the skill and care that keeps in safe action all its
functions ! But multiply this complicated mech-
anism by the eight hundred millions of human be-
ings upon this earth, and add to this, all the count-
less tribes of beasts, birds, fishes, insects, and an-
imalculae, and multiply this sum by the millions of
millions of worlds that fill the Creator's empire,
and then consider the sum of all the thoughts that
are passing in all the minds of all intelligent be-
ings, the infinite variety of circumstances that
must be considered to form an estimate of the mo-
tives and character of each act, the inconceivable
multitude of events that must be arranged to pro-
vide for the complex wants of each of these living
beings, and what must be the powers of that intel-
lect, which at every moment is thinking of all, and
attends, without confusion or perplexity, to the
wants of all, and who fainteth not neither is weary
with these cares ! There is no searching of such
understanding, and with David we can only ex-
claim, " Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
it is hitrh, I cannot attain unto it !"

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 283

In view of this subject, how competent is such
a being to be the Governor of the universe ! Were
all created beings to be assembled, in one vast con-
clave, to elect their sovereign, what qualities would
be presented as essential to that station? Possess-
ing themselves a derived and dependent existence,
they would demand one whose power was adequate
to sustain the existence and supply the wants of
every living thing. Ignorant and short-sighted
themselves, they would ask for one whose capacious
mind could, without weariness, superintend the
multiplied and complex interests of so vast a gov-
ernment. But where can such a being be found,
but in our Creator ? He is worthy to be God over
all, for he can listen, without distraction, to every
call that rises from all the myriads of beings that
wait upon him, and his power can furnish them
their meat in due season.

Such an assemblage would demand, also, that
he should know the nature of every mind, its
wants, its weaknesses, its liabilities to temptation,
that it may be placed in its appropriate situation
for securing happiness. And he should know,
also, the circumstances of every community, and
the influence of each individual upon it, so as to
appoint the situation of each one conformably to
the highest good of the whole. This knowledge
is possessed by God alone, and he only can act as
the just and impartial dispenser of rewards and
penalties, giving to every man according to his
deeds.

284 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

But to do this, the thoughts of all hearts must
be known. His eyes must be upon the ways of
man, and ponder all his goings. All the causes
that conspire to produce each action must be in-
spected, in order to estimate rightly the merit or
demerit of each act, and the amount of reward or
punishment deserved. God only can do this with
perfect certainty, and therefore he alone is quali-
fied to act as a righteous judge, and to reward
every man according as his work may be.

They would seek, also, for one to govern who
could detect the plans of malignant and selfish
beings, and guard the virtuous against their de-
vices, and in God alone they would find one, whose
all-discriminating mind can bring to light the hid-
den things of darkness, and make manifest the
counsels of all hearts, and defeat the wiles of de-
praved and malicious men and angels.

Thus, in every intellectual perfection, is our God
worthy to be chosen by the free and joyful suffrage
of all virtuous intelligent minds, as their Sovereign
King. And in view of his dominion, we may join
the triumphant song, " The Lord reigneth, let the
earth rejoice, let the multitude of isles be glad
thereof!"

We see, also, in view of this subject, the su-
preme folly of those who attempt to sit in judg-
ment on the plans and actions of God.

Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it,
Why hast thou made me thus ? Canst thou by

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 285

searching find out God 1 Canst thou understand
the Almighty unto perfection ? It is high as
heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell,
what canst thou know? The measure thereof is
longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out.
Lo ! these are but a part of his ways !

It is folly, then, for feeble, short-sighted man, to
attempt to read or understand the reasons that con-
trol the actions of God. True, when a part of his
ways are revealed, we may understand it, but
" how little a proportion is heard of him !" How
little does the highest archangel know of him !
How little will he ever know through the ages of
eternity !

The higher we rise in intellect, and the inore
extensive the fields of vision, the more objects
shall we see which we cannot understand The
astronomer, gazing with the naked eye, perceives
thousands of stars distinctly, but there are multi-
tudes whose lights combined give but a dim and
indistinct whiteness to the sky. As he applies the
telescope, he then discovers clearly myriads before
obscure now emerging into distinct forms. But
still greater numbers, entirely lost to the naked eye,
appear in indistinct masses, and as he directs more
powerful glasses to these, new stars burst out upon
his sight, while still beyond, the same dim and
cloudy light shows more and more of Jehovah's
empire yet to be discovered. So will it be with

286 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

the study of the works and plans of God. Infi-
nitely more will remain unknown than we have
discovered, and faith will find occasion for stronger
exercise at each advancing step of our existence.

How presumptuous, then, for man, yet in the
infancy of his being, to find fault with the works
of God, or with his Revealed Truth, because it
does not coincide with his vain fancies. Should
we hear a company of children discussing the polit-
ical and financial aflTairs of this nation, gravely ad-
vancing opinions respecting this or that measure,
debating the expediency of every law, and passing
judgment on the conduct of public officers, we
should be amused at the absurdity, and laugh at
their childish folly. But this would be pre-emi-
nent wisdom, compared with the conduct of those
self-conceited men, who gravely debate the pro-
priety of God's conduct, and with look of learned
sagacity, pronounce that this and that fact, asserted
in Revelation, is inconsistent with the character of
God, as taught by their own reason, and is there-
fore to be rejected. " He that sitteth in the heav-
ens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in
derision." It were easier far to assume the place for
which our ignorance and inexperience fits us, and
rejoice that we may be taught of God like little
children.

In this view of the subject, how ridiculous and
presumptuous the conduct of those who refuse to
acknowledge the truths of the Bible, till they can

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 287

understand the reasons of all its doctrines. The
Bible is a record of facts respecting the character
and actions of God, the character and destiny of
man, and the means employed by God to secure
man's ultimate happiness, and the happiness of the
universe. The infidel, strutting with consequen-
tial air, boasting of his philosophy, scarce deigning
to cast a glance at its doctrines, asserts that they
are absurd, inconsistent, and incomprehensible.
He cannot understand why God has made such a
law, and established such a penalty, how Christ
can be both God and man, nor how he could make
an atonement for sin. And can you, vain man,
explain any one of the ten thousand mysteries that
surround you ? Can you understand how he
stretcheth the north over the empty place, and
hangeth the earth upon nothing ? Dost thou
know how God causeth the light of his cloud to
shine ? Dost thou know the balancing of the
clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect
in knowledge? Have the gates of death been
open to thee, or hast thou seen the doors of the
shadow of death? Where is the way where light
dwelleth, and as for darkness, where is the place
thereof? Can you tell how he binds the firm
rock, or holds the waters together ? Can you un-
derstand how he established the courses of the
planets, and by what power he maintains their mo-
tion ? Can you tell how his rain and light and
heat cause the grass to spring forth, and the tender

288 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

herb to bud? Do you know how he leads the
wild-fowl over its long, trackless journey through
the air, or how he gives knowledge to the timid
bird to construct its nest and guard its young?
Do you understand how the bee is taught to con-
struct its cell according to the abstruse rules of
science, or the beaver to erect its curious habita-
tion, or the ant to provide her meat in summer and
lay up stores in harvest ?

Whither can you turn, on what object in nature
can you fix your eye, where you will not find won-
ders that neither you nor any human intellect can
explain ?

And can you expect the revelations of the plans
of God, which have reference to unnumbered
orders of intelligent beings, through eternal ages,
will contain no facts whose bearings and reasons
you cannot comprehend ? Were it thus, you
might be sure it could not be the work of God.
A system devised by man might be understood by
his fellow man, in all its bearings, but a revelation
of the plans of God, must contain facts whose
connexions will be interwoven with other truths,
which demand ages for their full development, and
therefore must be incomprehensible to finite intel-
lect.

Come, then, to the study of God's word, not ex-
pecting that all will be easy of explanation. Ex-
pect that the works and the word of God will alike
contain truths too deep for your present capacity to

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 289

fathom, and opening fields for boundless investiga-
tion and delightful study through all your future
being.

In view of this subject, how blessed the condi-
tion of those, who have allied their interests to God,
and committed their souls to his protection. He
knows all their wants, his eye is upon their goings,
to direct their steps, and to guard them from every
real danger. To all their requests his ear is ever
open, and his heart attent. His foreseeing care is
preparing for their future residence mansions of
light, whither he will conduct them, crowned with
glory and honor. The storehouse of his know-
ledge shall be unlocked to them, and their intellect
shall feel the impulse of his almighty mind. The
vast fields of his material kingdom shall be spread
out before them, with God for their instructor, to
develope its hidden wonders, and explain its deep-
est mysteries. From the book of his remembrance,
the history of the past shall be unfolded to their ad-
miration and praise. No more through a glass
darkly, but face to face, they shall see as they are
seen, and know as they are known. The objects
of his peculiar care, his knowledge shall be em-
ployed to defend and bless them for ever.

" Then shall they see, and hear, and know
All they desired or wished below,
And every power find sweet employ
In that eternal world of joy."

290

BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

We also see, in the light of this subject, how ter-
rible the condition of those who are rebels against
the government of God. His eye is ever upon
them, to mark all their hidden iniquities, and to
bring to light their deeds of darkness.

When Bonaparte reigned in France, the police
employed spies to watch the conduct of every man
in the empire. No man could speak, or write, or
act, without being liable to have it all reported to
the government. The household servants often
were spies upon their employers, and sometimes
the wife upon the husband, and the children upon
their parents. No rank or condition of life was
free from this ever-vigilant inspection. No plot
could be devised but the government learned it,
and arrested all engaged in it. Men feared to
breathe their thoughts to their dearest friends, and
stood in constant fear of a government that thus
had access to their most secret actions.

But, sinner, you are under a more watchful in-
spection every moment than any human govern-
ment ever exercised, an inspection that looks, not
only at your external actions, but reads the secret
thoughts and purposes of your heart. God knows
every sinful desire you cherish, every selfish, re-
vengeful, envious or impure purpose you have form-
ed, every wicked action you have committed, and
every word you have spoken. For there is not a
word upon your tongue but lo! he knowethit alto-
gether.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 291

How would you tremble, if in your secret cham-
ber, resting upon your bed, you should hear the
voices of invisible beings around you, and feel their
influence over you ! But God is ever present. He
has beset you behind and before, and laid his hand
upon you. Go where you will, you cannot escape
his omniscient eye. The veil of darkness cannot
cover you, noi can even the shadow of death hide
you.

Nothing that you have ever thought, or spoken,
or acted, is forgotten by God. It is in the book
of his remembrance, and the day is coming when
he will disclose it all to you, and to an assembled
universe.

How you would start and turn pale to hear pro-
claimed to this congregation all the thoughts you
have cherished, and all the actions you have per-
formed for a single week ! If your name should
be called aloud, and the recital be commenced of
all that God has seen in you the past week, you
could not hold up your head for shame. But re-
member, God knows all, and soon the whole intel-
ligent universe will know all.

There will be no possibility of your deceiving
God, when he begins to deal with you in judg-
ment. Now, you may cover yourselves with the
cloak of religion, and by professions of piety de-
ceive your fellow men, but you cannot so deceive
God. He will bring into judgment every work and
every secret thing, and reward you according to

392 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

your works. It is infinite folly for you to practise
hypocrisy or self-deception. You must submit to
an inspection that shall pierce through every false
disguise, and bring to light your real character.
You will be rewarded or punished according to
your deeds, not according to your professions.
Careless, barren professor, beware and take warn-
ing in time, before God shall search out your ini-
quity, and hold it up before you, when repentance
will be in vain.

Careless sinner, would you rest secure and
thoughtless, if God should call you into his imme-
diate presence ?

But he knows all your ways as fully as if you
stood disembodied before his throne. At the dread
day of retribution, he will call up all your sins to
your remembrance. You have forgotten them,
but God has not, and your judgment now for a
long time lingereth not, and your damnation slum-
bereth not. Why will you disregard the warning
of God ? He knows the danger that is before you.
Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no
covering. He sees you hastening thither, and lifts
up the voice of warning, *' Turn ye, turn ye, for
why will ye die?" He knows what a mind like
yours can suffer, through the ages of eternity. He
looks down through the long period of the future,
and sees what it is for the lost soul to writhe under
the gnawings of remorse, and be consumed by the
fierceness of his holy indignation.

KEV. GEORGE BEECHER. 293

He knows what that spirit may enjoy in the pure
society of the blest, the expanded intellect glowing
with delight in the discoveries of ever new wonders,
the heart kindling with fervent love in fellowship
with saints and angels and himself for ever. He
sees the glowing rapture with which the redeemed
shall return and come to Zion, with songs and
everlasting joy, to join with those that, day and
night, with song and choral symphony, circle his
throne rejoicing.

Wretched wanderer ! will you refuse to believe
the warning, or to accept the offers of mercy?

Then shall the joys of heaven fade forever from
your view, and, amid the ever-augmenting horrors
of eternal despair, shall you learn the madness of
disbelieving the declarations of an omniscient
God!

ON SLANDER AND EVIL SPEAKING,

James iv. 11. — Speak not evil one of another ^
brethren. He that speaheth evil of his brother , and
juclgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and
judgeth the law; but if thou judge the lau\ thou
art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

There is no one fault that is more universal,
even among those who profess to be Christians,
than that of evil speaking.
14

294 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

The remains of a selfish and envious disposition
are continually breaking out in the renewed man,
giving sad proof of that moral depravity seated up-
on the soul. There is no sin, either, which is com-
mitted with more thoughtlessness than this. Chris-
tians will meet together, even in a prayer meeting,
and edify one another by a preliminary discussion
of the character and faults of some one of their
brethren or neighbors ; and the practical applica-
tion of many sermons is found in judicious criticism
of the defects of some member of the congre-
gation or church.

Few who have not watched themselves are
aware how easily they are led into this sin, and
how frequently they indulge it, and few think how
great a sin it is against God and their brethren, or
of the great evil resulting from it, to their own
souls, and the interests of the Church.

It is proposed, at the present time, to set before
you some of the common forms of evil speaking;
and to point out to you its injurious effects, and
the great guilt incurred by practising it.

The first and most aggravated form of evil
speaking is slander.

By slander I mean, the circulating the faults of
others through a community. Slander includes
both the speaking of those things which are false,
and those which are true, to the injury of another,
and without any benevolent intention.

It may be duty, sometimes, to speak of the con-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 295

duct and character of men, that the unwary may
be guarded against them, and that they may not be
able, by fair speeches and cunning deceit, to be-
guile the innocent. Benevolence may demand the
tearing of the sheep's clothing from the wolf, and
the disrobing of Satan of his angelic garb. But
such cases are rare, and constitute not one thou-
sandth part of the slander that is circulated.

When injurious reports are once set in motion
respecting another, there are many who feel them-
selves at perfect liberty to repeat them again, and
feel no obligation to inquire into their truth or
falsehood, provided only they do not originate them.
They are eager to carry the first news of a re-
ported evil deed, 'and congratulate themselves when
they happen to light upon one who has not heard
it, that they may enjoy the pleasure of rehearsing
the precious news.

With such persons, there is no deliberation, no
weighing of the probability of the story, no inquir-
ing into its authority, no allowances made for exag-
geration. If the report is current, that is enough,
and with hearty good will they put the trumpet of
rumor to their lips, and strive to swell a louder
blast.

Such persons rarely stop to reflect upon the mo-
tive that prompts them. Did they do so, they would
perceive that envy, the deepest and most malig-
nant, is cherished in their hearts; that there is a

296 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

secret joy that another has fallen, that they may
rise by the contrast.

Such a spirit is the bane of society. Such per-
sons are the carriers of every idle report, the scav-
engers that collect and retail all the faults of their
fellow men. Their eyes are always bent upon
spying out some defect, their ears open to hear
some evil rumor, and their tongues ready to pub-
lish, with swift alacrity, all false reports, lying ru-
mors, exaggerated truths, and perverted facts.

Of such conduct it is said, *' He that hideth
hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth slander,
is a fool ;" and of such persons David, filled with
righteous indignation, says, " Whoso slandereth
his neighbor, him will I cut off." This is the
charge that God brings against the wicked, **Thou
sittest and speakest against thy neighbor, and slan-
derest thine own mother's son."

The injury that one such man or woman can do,
is incalculable. Strife and dissension are fo-
mented, for " where there is no talebearer the
strife ceaseih."

The ties of affection are sundered, for '^ a fro-
vvard man soweth strife, and a whisperer separateth
chief friends." And again, " He that repeateth a
matter separateth very friends."

It breaks communities into factions, fans the
flames of party spirit, divides churches, alienates
Christian brethren, blasts character, and carries

REV, GEORGE BEECHER. 297

with it wide-spreading desolation. Such a tongue
** is a world of iniquity, and is set on fire of hell."

The misery that such a course pursued will pro-
duce is immense, and those who practise it are
classed with those who are full of envy, murder,
debate, deceit, whisperers, backbiters, haters of
God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil
things.

But there is another form of evil speaking,
which is not regarded exactly slanderous, because
there is no malicious intention. It is the exercise
of an empty brain, destitute of materials for profit-
able conversation, and belongs to those of whom
it is said, '' A fool's mouth is known by the multi-
tude of his words." This odious vice is that of
tattling, and it is one that the wise and judicious
sometimes fall into, without reflecting on the com-
pany with which they thus are associated.

Of this kind is all thai contemptible scandal
which so often forms the small talk of little neigh-
borhood circles, where the character of every one
in the community is anatomized and dissected, and
every detected fault held up in the most luminous
manner. Here, all the foolish reports that ill-
minded persons think fit to raise are discussed,
and all the petty foibles of each individual are ex-
amined with microscopic accuracy.

Enter such a circle, and you can tell in a short
time, how many times one person has been to a
party, how often another has entertained company,

298 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

and a full inventory of the bonnets, apparel, mirrors,
carpets, horses and carriages of the whole society,
so that it might be supposed, by a transient listener,
that they were a company of tax-gatherers, making
out a list of taxable property.

Here, too, may be learned all that can be known
of the private history of individuals, or of the man-
agement of their household affairs. Such a neighbor
or acquaintance has children who are not too
well governed, another is not overstocked with
neatness, such a couple are not so well united as
they might be, such a person's temper is none of
the best; and with all this may be heard, why this
person made such a journey, or that one incurred
such an expense, or how much this person spends
in a year, and how much another wastes.

•Nearly allied to this, is a fault which the Bible
denominates evil surmising. This includes the
insinuation, the mysterious look, the indirect ques-
tion, the knowing look, the sly wink. For exam-
ple, inquiries are made respecting a man's charac-
ter, and such replies are given : " Perhaps it is best
to say nothing ; he may be good enough, after all.
Where one cannot speak well, it is best to say no-
thing." But enough is said already to soil a man's
character and injure his reputation.

Again, the inquiry will be made, whether a re-
port about a certain person has been heard ; and
then, when curiosity is excited, a mysterious or
commiserating look, hands over a neighbor's

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 299

character to suspicion, rumors are started, and
character tarnished.

Again, it is remarked that such an one is in-
creasing in riches, and making a show in the
world, and a hope expressed that his wealth was
all honestly obtained. Enough is said to weaken
confidence and injure character.

Inquiries are made respecting another, and the
reply is, " I have heard reports, but I hope they
are not true, but / should not wish to associate
with the persons she does." A charitable wish,
the sincerity of which would be better proved by
silence.

Thus, without any exactly malicious design, as the
result of mere carelessness, or to pass away an hour
in conversation, the characters of multitudes are
injured, the foundations of confidence and affec-
tion are shaken, and the seeds of strife are sown
broadcast over the community.

Another form of this hydra monster is that of
censoriousness. The motives of every person are
scrutinized, and the worst construction put upon
them. Thus, for example, it is the opinion of one
that it is the duty of every man to join an abolition
society, and every one who fails to do it is set
down as a time-server, or as possessing a man-
fearing spirit; and it is predicted, that when the
tide turns, he will turn with it. Or it is intimated,
that if he had more piety and less love of popular-
ity, he would take a different course. Another

300 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

considers the efforts for moral reform of pre-emi-
nent importance, and, indulging this censorious
spirit, wishes that a Christian brother had courage
enough to aid an unpopular object, or that his min-
ister would not be withheld by false delicacy, or
love of popularity, from preaching on the subject.

Another deems that the government of the ap-
petites is the chief Christian duty, and where oth-
ers fail in meeting his views of duty, they are
spoken of as fond of good living, or incapable of
self-denial, or destitute of piety. One Christian
thinks there ought to be great plainness of dress
and furniture, and if others pass the bounds he
has marked down, they are reproached as proud, or
worldly-minded, their religious character is im-
peached, and their prayers and counsels sneered at
as being insincere. Thus, too, in regard to vari-
ous modes of indulgence, such as dress, visiting,
and the use of money, censorious remarks and im-
peachment of motives and character are allowed.

Now, my brethren, I wish to show you the great
sin of such a course of conduct as this.

Suppose, in the first place, that all that is said
about others in these various respects, is true.

Suppose that there are all the defects that are
represented, and that every thing which you think
to be wrong is so. Still, you are none the less
guilty for speaking about it to others.

That spirit of love which Christ enjoins you to
cherish, demands of you, that if your brother sin.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 801

you go and tell him his fault between you and Mm
alone.

You have no right to go to other persons and
talk about his faults. The duty is a personal one,
and God has given you a specific rule to direct
you in every case. " Brethren, if a man be over-
taken in a fault, ye that are spiritual restore such
an one in the spirit of meekness, considering lest
thou thyself also be tempted. Bear ye one ano-
ther's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love
is the fulfilling of the law. And whatsoever ye
would that men should do unto you, do ye even so
to them." Now, how would you feel if your faults
were blazoned to the world ; if brethren and sisters
of the church, instead of coming to you in the spirit
of meekness, to tell you your faults, and try to re-
store you, go round among each other, and discuss
your faults, till, before you are aware of your fail-
ings, you find the whole church standing aloof
from you, and regarding you with suspicious eye ?
Would you not feel grieved and injured ? Would
you not say that they ought to have come to you,
and frankly told you your fault, and not spread it
abroad to your injury?

Such conduct is a violation of the royal law of

love. It is a contradiction of that, charity that suf-

fereth long and is kind, envieth not, vaunteth not

itself, thinketh no e\il, rejoiceth noL in iniquity,

14*

802 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAIx\'S OF

beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all
thinofs, endureth all things.

But in cases where the fault is not a deliberate
violation of God's express commands, or is one of
those peculiarities of constitution, or weaknesses
that belong to all mankind, then there is no kind of
excuse for you, when you sit down and dissect char-
acter, and hold up defects to ridicule. It is a most
cruel thing to expose the weakness and infirmity of
any man, and will excite the virtuous indignation of
every noble-minded person on earth. Much. more
will it provoke the deep displeasure of an infinitely
holy God.

My brethren and sisters, how^ w^ill tattling, back-
biting discourse appear, when it is all revealed at
the day of judgment? IJow would it appear now,
if it could be read aloud to this congregation ? I
have sometimes sat and listened to the dissection
of character, carried on in an under-tone, as if
persons were asham.ed to speak loud; and in a
short time how much the character of some indi-
vidual, perhaps a brother or sister in the same
church, was tarnished and exposed !

The eflTect of this evil speaking, upon all who
hear it, is to degrade the character of the person
spoken of in their eyes. Now^, if you speak of a
Christian before his brethren in a disparaging
manner, you lessen his influence in the church;
you destroy the fervor of affection toward him;

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 303

you prevent his usefulness among his brethren.
But if you speak of him before the impenitent, you
may be ruining souls by it. You may be implanting
a prejudice in their minds, that will prevent the
effect of their instructions and example, or, in
some cases, destroy respect for religion. You may
be preparing the way for the ruin of that soul. Oh
how many have been lost by this careless and sin-
ful conduct of God's people ! Some thoughtless
remark made against a Christian brother, has pre-
judiced the mind of a listener, and prevented him
from hearing instruction. Especially is this influ-
ence most injurious when it is used toward those
whom God has appointed to be officers in the
church, to whom many look for counsel and ad-
vice. Some remark against a minister, uttered
thoughtlessly, may have awakened a prejudice
against him that shuts the heart of some immortal
being against all his instructions. Some fault
found with a pious elder, because you have not
been pleased with every thing he has done, may
have destroyed his influence with those he other-
wise might have saved.

But remember, my brethren, that the things
which are done to the disciples of Christ he con-
siders as done to himself *' Inasmuch as ye
have done it to one of the least of these my breth-
ren, ye have done it to me." Especially does
Christ consider dishonor done to his ministers and
the officers of his church as an insult to him.

304 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

'* He that heareth you/^ said he to his disciples,
" heareth me, and he that despiseth 3/ou despiseth
me, and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that
sent me." Whenever, therefore, you have spoken
evil of a Christian brother or sister, and especially
of an ojHicer of Christ's church, you have spoken
against Christ, and he feels the injury inflicted
upon him through his members.

But again, when you indulge in this habit of
speaking evil of the brethren, you do great injury
to your own soul. You destroy in your own heart
that fervent love for the children of Christ which
you ought to cherish. You can never love a man
when you have been speaking evil of him. You
poison the fountain of your own affections. You
form a habit of looking away from yourself, and of
comparing yourself with others, and foster your own
pride and self-righteousness by discovering their
defects. You soon begin to feel that you are bet-
ter than they, and to thank God that you are not
as other men are.

But the sin of censoriousness in particular de-
mands our careful examination, because it is that
into which the most devoted Christians are in great
danger of falling,

A cold and slothful Christian, having a low stand-
ard himself, is not half so much in danger of judg-
ing harshly of his brethren, as one whose feelings
are intense, and whose desire for the purity of the
church is ardent.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER 305

When the heart is longing to see religion pros-
pering in the church, it awakens grief to see any
thing in a brother that retards its progress. Then,
if this conduct is persisted in, there is danger of
becoming provoked, of pronouncing a harsh judg-
ment, and of speaking with severity. And then it
is very natural to go to those who are like-minded
with us, and consult together, and mingle our
feelings and sorrovvs. But in doing this it is al-
most sure that a harsh, censorious, and finally a self-
righteous spirit will be generated. It is of great
importance, therefore, to look upon the origin of
this sin, and guard against it.

It may proceed, as I have said, from a real love
to the cause of Christ, and from sincere grief that
his name is not honored, but it becomes a wrong
spirit, when it leads us to assume to ourselves the
prerogativeof passing judgment upon our brethren,
and of determining their motives, and insisting
upon conformity to our standard.

Censoriousness is almost always exercised re-
specting those things which are of a doubtful na-
ture, when real Christians differ as to their pro-
priety.

In those things which are expressly forbidden,
there is little doubt among Christians whether he
who persists in them is destitute of the spirit of
Christ.

But there are multitudes of actions where there
is no fixed and determinate rule established in the

306 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Bible, and where we can only judge of the correct
course by its general spirit.

Thus, the regulation of our food, our dress, our
furniture, our conversation, our habits of inter-
course, and our social relations, are matters left by
Christ to the decision of each one for himself,
subject to the judgment of God ; if he makes a
false conclusion, from a wrong state of heart, God
alone is his judge. Now, habits of education, dif-
ferences of natural disposition, of intellectual vigor,
of external circumstances, make a thousand shades
of difference in judgment on these points. With
regard to dress, there is all the diversity of senti-
ment, from the plainest and coarsest garb of the
ascetic, who, in a hair-cloth shirt, with a rope gir-
dle, does penance for sin, to the gorgeous robes
of a monarch who lavishes a fortune upon a single
dress.

In all these various grades, there will be an en-
tire difference of opinion as to what constitutes
propriety in dress. So in the arrangements of a
house, its ornaments and furniture. One may think
the log cabin, with a chair and table and a bed,
sufficient for all the wants of man. Another, with
abundant means, may demand a splendid palace,
with a most costly array of furniture. In every in-
tervening rank, there will be a different opinion as
to what constitutes plainness, and where it is a
duty to begin retrenchment. So in the habits of
social intercourse. One may think that any inter-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 307

«

course with society is dangerous, and go to the
monkish extreme of perpetual seclusion in the
cloister, while another may feel at ease in con-
science, and rejoice in his augmented opportuni-
ties of usefulness, while surrounded by the crowded
multitudes of a royal court. In all these points,
no individual is at liberty to affix the limits of
gratification to another.

No man may impose his standard upon another,
to bind his conscience. To his own master he
standeth or falleth. This is the ground expressly
assumed by Paul in the 14th of Romans, '* Him
that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to
doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he
may eat all things, another who is weak eateth
herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that
eateth not, and let not him that eateth not judge
him that eateth. Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant. To his own master he standeth or
falleth."

This case establishes a principle of universal
application. No one may make his conscience the
rule to another in things not expressly commanded.
In all such things every man is to judge for him-
self, and decide what is his duty, according to the
circumstances in which he is placed, according to
the word of God as he understands it, and not as
others read it.

Now, censoriousness begins the moment we

308 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

•

insist upon others conforming to our standard in
things not positively commanded.

Tf we declare that those who do not conform to
our rule are sinning against God, we set up our-
selves as judges. This is the reason assigned in
the text why we should not speak evil of our bro-
ther, or judge our brother. We assume the place
not of a doer of the law but a judge. We assume
a prerogative which belongs only to God, and which
he has never commissioned us to exercise.

Now, in doing this, we act contrary to the ex-
press commands of Christ : ''Judge not, that ye be
not judged; for with what judgment ye judge ye
shall he judged, and with what measure ye mete it
shall be measured to you again. And why behold-
est thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye,
and considerest not the beam that is in thine own
eye? Thou hypocrite ! cast out first the beam
from thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly
to pull out the mote from thy brother's eye."
When you have purified your own soul, perfectly,
and are free from sin, then you may begin to sit in
judgment on your brethren. Let him that is without
sin cast the first stone.

Do you ask if you are never to speak of the faults
of a brother to another person ? There is one
case when you may do it. When you have gone
to him who offends, and he will not hear you, then
you may tell it to one more, and go with him to

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 309

restore your erring brother, and if he will not then
hear you, you must tell it to the church. But you
may never make it the topic of conversation
among brethren.

You may not speak evil of Christian brethren,
except in the cases where God requires it, and in
the manner which he prescribes.

But as a still farther reason why you should ab-
stain from this habit of censoriousness, let me add,
that its effect upon your own character is most dis-
astrous.

It destroys all that meekness and gentleness
which are the cardinal graces of the Christian.
You become harsh and severe, and lose your influ-
ence over others.

It tends to make you spiritually proud. Censo-
riousness never begins till the heart has become
elate with pride, and as soon as you indulge it,
pride receives a most rapid growth. The habit of
looking at the defects of others makes you forget
your own. The harsh judgment you pronounce on
them is attended with a secret self-gratulation that
you are not guilty of such things, that you are a
more consistent Christian. Indeed, no man would
dare to set himself up as a reprover, and pass se-
vere judgment, unless he felt himself to be more
free from sin than he whom he reproved, or else
was a hypocrite endeavoring to hide his own sins.
The very act of censuring severely, implies in you
an assumption of superiority. If you see your

310 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

brother sin, and cherish a right spirit, you will
rather mourn over his fall, and in meekness in-
struct him, if, peradventure, God will give him
repentance.

But the effect of this conduct on the person re-
proved, or of whom evil is spoken, is another rea-
son why we should watchfully avoid it. Private
and affectionate admonition, administered without
assumption of superiority, will be kindly received
by the real children of God. But bitter rebuke,
or open proclamation of their sins, will exasperate
and alienate their hearts from you. It destroys the
unity of the Spirit and changes harmony into dis-
cord.

Finally, it gives great occasion to the world to
reproach the church.

They find Christians, who profess to love one
another, speaking harshly of each other, retailing
the faults of their brethren, holding them up to
ridicule or contempt, and they learn to despise the
whole church, to disbelieve all their professions of
attachment, and to feel that they are no whit better
than the rest of the world.

And now, my dear brethren, T pray you to ex-
amine yourselves seriously and prayerfully on this
subject. Have you never been guilty of slander?
Have you never circulated reports respecting the
character of others, that you knew would injure
them t If so, you have been actuated by a self-
ish, wicked spirit, and you ought sincerely to re-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 311

pent of it. And remember, brethren, you are
bound, in regard to those injured, to make all the
reparation in your power, openly and honorably be-
fore God and man.

Have you never been guilty of tattling and scan-
dal ? Have you never sat down with your neigh-
bors and friends, and taken up the character of this
or that neighbor or acquaintance] Have you
never spoken openly of faults of Christian profes-
sors, even before the impenitent? Have you not
often said those things of your Christian brethren
that would wound their feelings, and tend to de-
grade them in the eyes of others? If so, you
have acted cruelly, and in direct violation of the
royal law, " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy-
self"

Have you never been censorious? When your
brethren have not come up to your standard, or
have done things that you considered wrong, have
you not put the worst and not the best construc-
tion on their motives ? Have you not taken the
matter up and discussed it in your families? Have
you not spoken harshly and unkindly of your breth-
ren, and in a manner calculated to wound their
feelings ?

If you have, you have been setting yourself up
above the law as a judge, and while you were con-
demning another were violating the fundamental
law of love.

My dear brethren, in doing these things, you

319 B[OGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

have spoken evil of Christ. You have injured the
members of his body, those whom he loves with an
everlasting love, and whom he has promised to pu-
rify and present faultless in heaven.

How do you suppose the Lord Jesus looks upon
such conduct? Do you not think that sometimes
when you have been speaking against your breth-
ren, and calling it zeal for religion and the honor
of God, he would say to you, " Ye know not what
manner of spirit ye are of"? When you stand
with your dear brethren, purified by the blood of
Christ, and unite in the swelling anthem of praise
in heaven, think you it will afford pleasure to re-
member how you spoke against them on earth,
with what contempt, or ridicule, or censoriousness
you held them up before others? Oh, it seems to
me that I should be ashamed to meet a brother
in heaven whom I had thus unkindly used on
earth !

It is only in the light of the judgment day that
we look on this thing aright. It may seem a tri-
fling matter here, but it will be awfully solemn
there. Remember, my brethren, that for every
idle and slanderous word you must give an ac-
count to God, and that by thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words condemned ; and pray
earnestly, " Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth,
keep the door of my lips, lest I sin with my
tongue."

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 313

ON THE RELATIVE DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS
AND OF THOSE EMPLOYED.

Ephesians vi. 5, 6, 7, 8. — Servants, be obedient
to them that are masters according to thejlesh,
with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as
unto Christ. Not with eye-service, as men plcasers ;
but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of
God from the heart ; icith good will doing service,
as to the Lord, and not to men ; knowing that
lohatsoever good thing a man doeth, the same shall
he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

And ye masters, do the same things unto them,
forbearing threatening ; knoicing that your Master
also is in heaven ; neither is there respect of per-
sons with him.

The term servant, in this and similar passages,
is sometimes claimed as signifying the same as the
word slave. That it sometimes has this last mean-
ing, there is no doubt, but it is by no means the
most common use in the New Testament, as may
be seen in the following passages : *' Christ took
upon him the form of a servant;" " Whoso com-'
mitteth sin is the servant of sin ;" '* Whosoever
will be chief among you, let him be your servant ;"
** Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in
peace."

314 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

There are but two or three places in the New
Testament where the word unequivocally means
slave, and then it is shown by the context, and not
by the word itself.

The common, ordinary use of the word servant
is, any person who, for any reason, is bound to ren-
der obedience and service to another. Thus, Paul
says, " The child differeth in nothing from a ser-
vant."

The direction here given is, therefore, one of
general import, and is applicable to all, in every
station, who are under obligation, either by con-
tract or by law, or by divine authority, to render
service to another person ; and it is a rule, which
will be just as important for the regulation of so-
ciety when the last vestiges of slavery have been
forever banished, as it was when the Apostle spoke.
It applies to all agents, clerks, apprentices, domes-
tics, and all who are employed by others to do
work for them. The relation is one which is
found in all departments of society, and will con-
tinue to exist on earth and in heaven. Under
laws which enforce slavery, this relation has an
appendage, which is always iniquitous, unjust, and
oppressive, viz., the servant is made the property
of his master, having no right to control his time,
his labor, his family, or his intellect. All are
placed entirely under the control of the master,
and this is an utter violation of the great law of
benevolence.

REV, GEORGE BEECUEU. 315

But let US now examine the duties of those,
who, in any circumstances, are acting as the ser-
vants of others. In the first place, this divine
command requires obedience. Obey your employ-
ers, however the relation may have originated. If
it is a voluntary one, then obey according to the
true spirit and intent of your engagement. If you
are employed as an agent to transact business, ex-
ecute with fidelity the instructions of your em-
ployer. If you are a clerk, or an apprentice, obey
in all things pertaining to your duty to them, as
faithfully as you would obey Christ. If you are
voluntarily acting as a domestic in a family, obey
those who are the head of the family, in all things
which it belongs to them to control. If you are
involuntarily bound, either as apprentice, or as
slave, obey in like manner. In the next place, this
direction teaches the manner in which this service
is to be rendered; " in fear and trembling, with
singleness of heart, as unto Christ."

That is, while you sustain this relation, act as
becomes it, " in fear and trembling, as unto
Christ." Treat those you serve with respect, not
talking about them reproachfully, not speaking to
thom disrespectfully. This direction is often vio-
lated in the shop, and in the family, by insolent
and disrespectful deportment towards employers.
Your service is to be rendered " in singleness of
heart," with a single aim and intention to do your
duty to them. Let your mind be decided to pro-

316 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

mote the interest of those who employ you, just
the same as if it were your own. Throw your
whole mind into your work, and do it heartily and
with good will. If you are in a family, do all in
your power to make it prosper. Feel an interest
in those who employ you, and in their children.
Show them that you are not actuated by a mere
desire to obtain wages, but that you wish, as a
friend and a Christian, to make them happy, and
do them all the good in your power. If you are
a clerk, or an apprentice, or a journeyman, or an
agent of any kind, let your aim be single to benefit
your employer.

Again, the direction requires that you perform
duty, " not with eye-service, as men-pleasers."
Eye-service is that which is performed well only
when the eye of the employer is watching. This
forbids a man hired in the field to loiter when his
employer is gone, or the domestic in the family to
slight her work when those who hire her are away.
Wasting food, or leaving things out of place, or
neglecting any part of appointed duty, are viola-
tions of this rule in the family. Goingoff to play,
being idle and careless, making disturbance and
trouble toothers, are violations of this rule in the
shop or store. Moreover, do not labor as if your
only object was to please your employer. You
have a higher responsibility than this. You are di-
rected to do the will of God, as the servants of
Christ. In every station, you should act as if Je-

«EV. GEORGE BEECHER. 317

sus Christ had appointed you to that place, and
you were acting directly in his employ, and doing
all for him. For this you are assured, that for every
good thing that you do, in the station in which you
are placed, you shall receive the reward from God,
whether you be bond or free. This shows that the
directions are given to the free, as much as to the
bond.

Obeying these directions and doing service in
this mode, the labors of your station will become
easy and delightful.

For, in the first place, it will secure respect and
confidence from all around. Fidelity and single-
hearted devotion to the duties of our station, al-
ways command respect. The saying of Themisto-
cles is true, that the man honors the ofhce, and not
the office the man.

In the next place, if an employer is unreasona-
ble and unkind, the labor and trial is lightened
by doing it all for Christ. Thus you secure the
feeling, that all that you do is for his sake, and
that he considers it as done for him. Again, such
conduct powerfully tends to honor religion. No-
thing shows the power of true holiness more than
conscientious faithfulness in an inferior station.
Respectful deportment, strict fidelity, content-
ment, and humility, secure the feelings of all in
favor of religion. Hence, when masters are not
pious, such a course has a powerful influence to
15

318 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

win them to the service of Christ. Many exam-
ples might be given to illustrate this.

This passage shows the perfect adaptation of the
Gospel to the condition of the human family. In
every age, the larger portion of mankind have been
in a subordinate condition. If men, therefore, are
not faithful in subordinate stations, society must be
in perpetual jar and confusion. Heads of fami-
lies, contractors, manufacturers, tradesmen, farm-
ers, all are dependent on those in subordinate sta-
tions, and it is faithfulness alone that keeps the
wheels of society in motion. And such obedience
as is here required, alleviates the feeling of infe-
riority or degradation, which a proud heart is apt
to feel, by keeping before the mind the noble ob-
ject of doing every thing for Jesus Christ, If a
person is under the necessity of being a servant, it
is pleasant to act for one who is generous, kind,
faithful, and interested in his welfare. All this he
finds in Jesus Christ.

In these directions, we perceive that God clear-
ly requires subordination and submission to author-
ity, on account of the station, and not with refer-
ence to personal character. If a person is em-
ployed by another, he is bound to submit to his di-
rections in all lawful things, whatever may be his
character or conduct.

We see also the wonderful adaptation of the
Gospel to alleviate the miseries of slavery, by se-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 3J9

curing a course of conduct that wins the good
will and cultivates the conscience of the master.

After having enjoined upon those who are serv-
ing others, to discharge their duties faithfully, the
Apostle next turns to their employers, and points
out their duties. And, in the first place, it is de-
clared that the relation of employer and those em-
ployed is not one of mere pecuniary interest,
which can be discharged by the performance of
the money contract. The servants are required to
act with sincerity, fidelity, and single-heartedness,
for the good of their employer, and then, on the
other hand, the employer is required "to do the
same things unto them." The relation is a moral
one, constituted between individuals in this world,
as parts of a great plan of moral influence, to form
characters for eternity. Every man who has ano-
ther in his employ, exerts a powerful influence
over him in all his actions, and is bound to exert
it in obedience to God.

Not only the heads of families and masters of
clerks and apprentices, but contractors on canals
and railroads, stage proprietors, and all those who
employ others in trade, manufactures, agriculture,
or commerce, have great responsibilities resting
upon them, for the character and actions of those
who are committed to their care. The civil law
holds men responsible for the acts of those they
employ. And thus God holds the employer respon-
sible for the conduct of those under his control

320 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

The fourth command expressly recognizes this ob-
ligation, in reference to the Sabbath day. Employ-
ers, then, are bound to see that a right religious
influence is exerted on all in their employ, to in-
struct them in their families, to guard their morals
in the shop, store, or fields, to persuade or require
them to attend public worship, to furnish them
with a Bible and religious books, to converse with
them personally on their temporal and eternal in-
terests ; in short, to act like one to whom the
formation of character for eternity has been com-
mitted.

In doing this, they are required to be kind and
patient, " forbearing threatening, knowing that
your Master is in heaven." Those whom we em-
ploy are to be treated with tenderness, as sinful
beings, and liable to temptations like ourselves.
Allowances are to be made for previous unfavora-
ble circumstances, and for consequent mistakes of
ignorance. Many, in this respect, are exceeding-
ly unreasonable, finding fault for unavoidable mis-
takes, and having little patience with just such
sinful tempers as they themselves indulge every
day.

Bear in mind one rule, in dealing with those
whom you employ. Act towards them as you
tcould wish your Master in heaven to act toivards
you.

Expect always to find some failings in thejn, and
bear them with patience and kindness. Labor

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 321

to eradicate their faults, and remember that you
are ever responsible for your moral influence over
them.

Treat them with politeness, and thus secure, by
the surest method, respectful treatment from them.
It is not enough that you pay them their wages,
you are bound to labor to do them good. Hence,
be not harsh in reproving, and avoid threatening.
It only provokes to wrath, and leads to resistance.
Be kind and sympathizing, and show the same in-
terest in their welfare which you wish them to
show in yours.

Give to them that which is just and equal. Pro-
vide comfortable accommodations for lodging and
a proper supply of healthful food. Those whom
you employ are as much entitled to kind treat-
ment in this respect, as your own family. Pay
them a full and proper compensation for their la-
bor. There is a great selfishness in this respect
exhibited in society, grinding the face of the poor,
by beating down wages to the lowest rate. For-
eigners, sempstresses, and many others, suffer in
this way.

Pay your wages punctually and in current funds.
The wages of the poor is their daily bread. The
Jewish law required every man to pay his laborers
at sunset. There is much suffering occasioned by
thoughtlessness and inattention in this matter; for
what may seem a small matter to the wealthy, is
of great importance to the poor. In regard to

322 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

current money, some men will purchase poor mo-
ney, at a discount, and then pay their laborers
with it. This is shameful. The poor laborer has
but little, and that little should bring its full value.
Always strive to satisfy those you employ in this
respect.

The motive urged upon the employer is, " know-
ing that you have a Master in heaven, neither is
there respect of persons with him."

Your Master is no respecter of persons, and the
day of reckoning is not far distant. He will not
ask whether you were master or servant; he will
only examine the fidelity with which you dis-
charged your duties. In his sight, all are equally
servants, appointed each to particular duties, and
required to occupy till he come. Then, he will
judge you by the same rule that tries your servant,
and with what judgment you judge you will be
judged, and with what measure ye mete it shall be
measured to you again. In view of this subject,
we see the bearings of such precepts on the sub-
ject of slavery. They show it to be a system of
fraud and injustice. The cry of laborers, who
reap down the fields, crieth against the master,
who keeps back their wages. The faithful discharge
of the reciprocal duties of master and servant
here laid down, would annihilate the institution of
slavery. The slave would become a cheerful, obe-
dient, faithful laborer, and thus gain the respect
and affection of the master. The master would

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 323

feel that before Christ, who is no respecter of per-
sons, he is on the same level as his slave, and
would treat him as a man and a brother, and pay
him fairly the worth of all his labor. When this
is done, a legal title is of no value, and would speed-
ily be relinquished. Thus it was that slavery was
abolished in the Roman empire, in about two cen-
turies, by the spread of Christianity.

WRITTEN ON THE APPROACHING DEATH OF
HIS FIRST-BORN CHILD.

Psalm xxxix. 9. — I teas dumb and opened not
my mouth, because thou didst it.

This psalm was written by David in a time of
great affliction. God had laid his hand upon him,
and made him to feel deeply his own weakness,
and the vanity of life. It is probable that he was
suffering under a severe disease, for, in the elev-
enth verse he says, " When thou with rebukes dost
correct man for his iniquity, thou raakest his beau-
ty to consume away like a moth ; surely, every
man is vanity ;" and in the last verse, he prays,
" Oh, spare me, that I may recover strength, be-
fore I go hence and be no more." In the midst
of this de6p affliction, he expresses his perfect, un-
murmurinof submission to the will of God : '' I

324 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OP

was dumb and opened not my mouth, because thou
didst it."

The sentiment conveyed in this passage, and
which I wish to set before you, is this :

The consideration, that affiictions come from the
hand of God, should make the Christian submit to
them leith cheerful resignation.

This will appear, if we consider the character
and attributes of God, and contrast them with our
own.

In the first place, it is to be considered that
God is perfectly benevolent.

His works and his word equally declare this.
He is the fountain of life and happiness, from
which flow the streams that gladden the hearts of
all living beings. He lives but to dispense joy to
other minds. His exhaustless resources are ade-
quate to the supply of every creature throughout
eternity. Standing as the source and centre of all
being, and their only point of rest, he surveys with
infinite delight the happiness he is dispensing and
purposes yet to dispense through eternity. From
his own infinite fulness, he will pour out streams
of happiness that shall spread and deepen till they
form an ocean of blessedness encircling the uni-
verse.

Now, when we contemplate our interests in the
hands of such a Being, who can fear, who can
complain? The child reposes with confidence in
the limited affection of its parents, and feels no

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 325

doubt or fear. But what is parental tenderness
compared to the love of God '? A woman may for-
get her sucking child, that she should not have
compassion on the fruit of her womb, but God will
not forget his people. He has graven them on the
palms of his hands, ihey are as the apple of his
eye. Such being the benevolence of God, what
reason is there for uncomplaining submission to
his chastisements. Shall we receive good at the
hand of the Lord, and shall we not receive evil 1
For we know that this which appears to us as evil,
is only one means of securing for us a greater
good.

It is not the expression of unkind, or vindictive
feeling. God, in his chastisements, does not smite
in wrath, but in love. He doth not willingly
afflict or grieve the children of men ; but as a fa-
ther pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them
that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he re-
membereth that we are dust. If, therefore, we
endure chastening, God dealeth with us as with
sons. He is endeavoring to make us partakers
of his holiness, and the chastisement is as strong
a proof of his love, as the abundance of his favors
in prosperity. How then does the consideration
of the perfect benevolence of God, change the as-
pect of our afflictions ! We can submit cheerfully
to what is painful, when we know that it is the
effect of love, and not of cruelty or wrath. We
can look up through our tears, and read in our
15*

326 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Father's face the expressions of affection and pity
and tenderness.

When we contemplate the character of God, as
unfolded in the person of Christ, this aspect of
tenderness is heightened in beauty.

He stood by the grave of one beloved, and
while he saw the deep anguish of friends, although
he knew he could and should soon relieve it, he
wept with them. He bore our griefs and carried
our sorrows.

In all our afflictions he is afflicted, and the an-
gel of his presence saves us and sustains us. He
was compassed with infirmity, and subject to sor-
row, that he might convince us that he could
sympathize with us and would never unneces-
sarily afflict or grieve.

If any higher proof were wanting, than the de-
clarations of our God, that he never inflicts suffer-
ing upon his creatures willingly, we have it in the
atonement of Christ. Here the full-orbed com-
passion and love of God shines forth. Here, the
ocean of his benevolence bursts its barriers and
rolls its tides of mercy over a ruined world. And
this mercy was purchased by the sufferings of our
God.

That his creatures might not suffer he suffered ;
that man might not weep he wept ; that sinners
might not be punished the chastisement of our
sins was laid on him, and by his stripes we are
healed.

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 8*27

Can a Being whose love is so strong as to stoop
to degradation and suffering and death to prevent
the misery of others, willingly inflict pain upon
them ? When we stand by the suffering Son of
God, and see his agony and hear his groans, and
know that all this was to prevent the suffering of
men, is it not enough to silence every rising mur-
mur, and to check every word of complaint ? Can
such a Being make us suffer unnecessarily ? No,
he cannot, I know that when he smites me, it is
love that prompts it, and 1 bow and kiss the rod as
the symbol of his affection.

When I look at the perfect benevolence of my
God, I feel assured that there is not one drop of
bitterness in my cup which could be removed
without injury to myself. I know that when I am
permitted to stand before him in heaven, and hear
the explanation of his providential acts toward me,
none will shine with brighter lustre, or awaken
emotions of deeper gratitude, than the afflictions
with which he visited me on earth. Therefore,
when smitten I will be dumb and open not my
mouth, O God, because thou doest it.

Again, when we contemplate God as a Being of
infinite wisdom, the reason for perfect submission
is increased.

We might be assured of the good intentions of a
person, who by great error in judgment, had in-
volved us in deep suffering; but though we might
free him from blame, we could not rejoice in his

328 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

conduct. We must be satisfied, not only that the
sufferings that befall us are sent by infinite love,
but we must also be sure that wisdom has rightly
directed them.

This assurance we have, when we look up to
God. He is wise in heart, and sees with perfect
clearness the end from the beginning.

He contemplates, not the present effect only of
all events, but their bearings upon our happiness
in all possible circumstances, and in all coming
time.

He knows, with the minutest accuracy, the
state of our hearts, and what means are best
adapted to secure the result which his love desires.

A physician might comprehend the disease and
yet not know how to reach and remove it; or he
might have remedies, but be so ignorant of the
real nature of the disease as to be unable to apply
them judiciously. But it is not so with God. He
sees every thought, every habit, every evil propen-
sity that needs to be rectified ; and he has all
possible means at his disposal, and knows how to
apply them. With what willingness would we
trust our bodies to a physician in whose know-
ledge and skill we had entire confidence.

With what readiness should we take the most
unpleasant remedies, when we were sure that they
were exactly the thing to effect our cure. Now
God is a perfect physician to all the diseases of the
mind. He knows what part is affected ; whether

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 329

the heart is fixed too strongly on the world and
needs to have its grasp relaxed, or whether pride
has raised us up and rendered it necessary to
humble us, or whether sloth has enervated and
made it necessary to arouse us by sharp rebukes.
And he sees exactly how to apply the remedy. He
knows when to lay his hand upon us and prostrate
us by sickness, when to take away our property
and leave us destitute, or when to remove some
object of affection, some loved companion, some
darling child, some cherished support. In every
case, we may be sure that God did not mistake the
nature of our disease, nor did he misapply the rem-
edy, nor did he make it more severe than was ne-
cessary to effect the cure.

The remedies that are applied, too, are not to
be transient in their results. They are adminis-
tered with reference to their effects throughout our
whole existence.

The eye of God rims through the whole course
of our being in a future state, contemplates all the
circumstances in which we shall ever be placed,
understands perfectly what character will be neces-
sary for our highest usefulness and happiness, and
applies the means to prepare us for that station,
and those employments to which he has destined
us. Therefore, the apostle says, our light afflic-
tion, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a
fiir more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

330 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

Thus afflictions, in their effects, are to compass
eternity, and exalt our joys for ever.

When we contemplate, therefore, the unerring
wisdom of God, we feel sure, that in nothing could
our afflictions have been changed for the better.

They are exactly the thing we need. They come
at the moment when it was best they should come.
They extend to just that degree that renders them
most fitting to secure their appropriate design.

But there is still another reason for unrepining
submission to the afflictive providence of God, in
ihe fact, that he is an almighty Being.

We are sure, when we look to him, that he has
omitted nothing that was for our good, through
weakness, or incapacity to perform it. His om-
nipotence places him above all compulsion and all
resistance. He doeth his will in the armies of
heaven and over the inhabitants of earth, and
none can stay his hand, or say to him. What doest
thou ? Whatever his love prompts and his wisdom
directs, his power can execute. No effort of ours,
therefore, could have prevented the events that
have occurred.

He is equally the Lord God omnipotent over
mind and matter. The hearts of all are in his
hand, and as the rivers of water, he turneth them
whither he will ; so that he can cause the afflic-
tions he sends to secure their appropriate re-
sults. No suffering will be inflicted, without the

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 381

same love insuring that the good designed shall be
secured.

All things shall work together for good to them
who love God. This is his promise, and his pow-
er renders it practicable at all times to accomplish
it.

Now let us contrast this character of God with
our own feeble, ignorant, and selfish character, and
the duty and wisdom of patient submission will
appear most conspicuous.

We are ignorant, short-sighted beings, and
therefore utterly incompetent to decide what is
best for our own present interest, much less what
will be for our highest happiness through eternity.

We usually desire the course which will avoid
present suffering.

When sickness has prostrated our strength,
when we are racked with pain, and our intellect
darkened by disease, we desire immediate relief
We look not beyond, to see the moral effects that
are to result from this discipline, but, impatient of
restraint, desire to regain our strength and enter
upon our accustomed pursuits. If God should
grant us our desire, it might be ruin to our souls,
or greatly diminish our enjoyment through eter-
nity.

A mother is sitting by her suffering, dying
child. Every pang of the little sufferer inflicts se-
verer pain upon herself. She longs to relieve it,
she longs to retain it in life, to enjoy its society, to

332 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

train it up for happiness and usefulness. Her lim-
ited wisdom would at once suspend the suffering,
and restore the little one to health ; but the far-
reaching vision of God sees that those sufferings of
the infant and its death, are the very means by
which the parents are to be sanctified, their useful-
ness augmented, and their glory and joy increased
through eternity.

God may see that to spare its life is to expose
it to severer suffering, to destructive temptation,
to endless death ; and, before the flower has begun
to bloom, he transplants it to the paradise of heaven,
where it shall grow and bloom and bear fruit for
ever.

Who, then, when he reflects upon his utter ig-
norance of his own wants and means of happiness,
would wish to take the direction of events from
the hand of God? Who would refuse to drink the
cup of sorrow, as well as of joy, when he knows it
is so wisely mingled ? Who would utter a com-
plaint of any affliction, however painful, when he
knows that, had it been otherwise, it would have
produced less happiness to him, and less joy to
God's holy universe 1

But, especially, who would wish to direct, or
change the plans of God, when he thinks that they
are plans affecting the complicated interests of un-
numbered minds, throughout endless ages; when,
under the guidance of infinite wisdom, events ap-
parently the most trivial here, are necessary links

REV. GEORGE BEECIIER. 333

in a chain of glorious blessings, reaching through
eternity; when to alter in one point the providen-
tial events affecting a single individual, may di-
minish the happiness of multitudes for ever?

Confidence and submission are the states of
mind most appropriate to a created being.

His nature is adapted to the constant exercise of
these feelings, and in no other way do all his pow-
ers blend in such sweet harmony.

When a finite being sets himself to scan and di-
rect the plans of God, he is soon involved in inex-
tricable labyrinths. He sees around him causes
operating, which he cannot control, the workings
of a plan which he cannot comprehend, and whose
results he cannot alter or resist. If he measures
his confidence in its author by what he sees, he is
endlessly perplexed. Doubts and fears harass him,
and yet he feels that he cannot help himself.
Whether events, to him, move on right or wrong,
he cannot stay their progress. A power, as irre-
sistible as that which moves the planets, is control-
lino- all, and bringing forth results whose bearings
he cannot comprehend. In such circumstances, a
spirit repining, or resisting, or one which vvill not
be satisfied till the reason of every thing is under-
stood, must be miserable. Man was made to sub-
mit to God and confide in him. The responsibility
of controlling the movements of Providence, he is
not fitted to bear, and if he assumes it, he will be
crushed. But when he gives up questioning the

334 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

propriety of the acts of Providence, when he ceases
to assume the direction of events, when he stills
every rising murmur, and quietly submits himself
and all his interests to the direction of God, he enters
anew world. Because he has taken the position for
which his Creator fitted him, peace, like a river,
fills his soul. His weakness is adapted to rely
upon Omnipotence. His ignorance needs an infi-
nitely wise Being upon whom to confide, and he is
happy, because he rests upon one whose attributes
meet the wants of his nature, whose resources sup-
ply him in the points where he himself is most de-
ficient.

This afi'ords him perfect quietness, because it
relieves him from all responsibility in devising
plans, or controlling the results afiecting his pres-
ent and eternal interest. It brings him where he
has nothing to do but learn the will of God and
obey it, with the full assurance that in this course
lie will secure perfect happiness. It places him
where his weakness and ignorance instinctively
prompt him to desire to be placed, where his
wants are supplied and his happiness cared for, by
one whose wisdom and power and love infinitely
surpass his own, and where, like a child, he may
rest upon his parent.

The effect of this course of unmurmuring sub-
mission, shows that it was that to which man was
adapted by his Creator, and proves clearly that
there is a natural fitness in a finite beino- submit-

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 335

ting without a murmur to a Being of infinite wis-
dom and love and power.

Where men have refused to do it, and plunged
into the depths of proud philosophy, attempting to
mark out the course which the Creator ought to
pursue, they have found no end, in wandering
mazes lost. The actual course of Providence so
crossed the prescribed plans, which, in their wis-
dom, they had dictated, that they have been driven
from point to point, without rest, and at length in-
volved themselves in the thick mists of skepticism,
or the deep darkness of infidelity. The events of
God's providence, contemplated through the medi-
um of a proud and unhumbled spirit, present a
map as involved and inexplicable as the perplexed
and intricate courses of the planets, to the philo-
sopher who understood not the true system of
astronomy. There are some events which God
explains to us and unfolds the reasons of them ; but
there are innumerably more, which man cannot
comprehend, and where he can only find peace by
resting with confidence in God. To the eyes of a
Voltaire, the world presented a perfect maze of
inexplicable events, making him cry out against
God, and curse himself, and wish that he had
never been born. To a Payson, it was a beautiful
system, because in every thing he saw the opera-
tions of an infinitely wise God, some of whose plans
he could comprehend, but all of whose ways he
could confidently trust, and wait their full devel-

336 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

opment in a future world, sure that he would bring
light out of darkness, and order out of confusion.

Thus, every Christian finds, that w^hen he sub-
nnits implicitly to God, peace, passing all under-
standing, fills his soul. He is assured of happiness,
because a God of infinite wisdom and love is on
the throne. He has no anxiety, for he has cast all
his care on God. Every event ministers joy, be-
cause God hath done it.

So the penitent sinner finds it, when he first sub-
mits himself to God. Before, every thing in the
character and works of the Creator was involved
in darkness. His attributes inspired him with
terror. He had no peace. But when he uncon-
ditionally surrendered himself to him, when he
ceased to question the justice and benevolence of
his plan, when he became dumb and opened not
his mouth, because he felt that God had done right,
then his soul was filled with holy joy. Then he
had assumed his appropriate place, as a depend-
ent, ignorant being, and found rest by committing
all his interests to the protection of an infinite
God.

How can it be otherwise than this ? God exists
clothed with attributes that place him beyond the
power of any, or all created beings, to affect him,
or change his plans. He has designs which he is
able to accomplish, and which, with irresistible
certainty, he is rolling on to their full completion.
To resist is destruction. To be dissatisfied is to

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 337

be for ever restless under their progress and final
triumph.

But when we have given up all our plans, when
our interests are merged in those of God, when
our will is subject to his, and our happiness is
found in his glory, then we are certainly and un-
changeably happy. No event can then annoy, for
all things are parts of his great plan, and from
them all he will still educe good. No plan of his
can interfere with our good, for every plan has for
its object the distribution of the highest possible
amount of happiness to every obedient mind. Our
interests, therefore, with those of myriads of other
holy beings, are the very object for which God is
acting. Strong as are the movements of his be-
nevolence, is his design to bless us, with all others
who repose in him. Sure as the throne of God, is
our happiness, for infinite wisdom and almighty
power are employed in securing it. What though
events may take place that we cannot now under-
stand, we know they are for our good? What
though, in the progress of God's plans, ours are
broken up ? When we gave ourselves to God, we
expected to relinquish all our own plans and merge
them in his, and w^e are not disappointed. We
are just as sure that those parts of his system which
cross our present feelings, are for our good, as
those which accord with them. Till you can de-
feat the plans of God, you cannot annihilate the
sources of happiness of him whose mind is thus

338 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

staid on God. His own interests are secondary-
God's are first, and most to be desired ; and when
God is satisfied, he is happy. When the designs
of God are accomplished, his highest interests are
secured.

We see, therefore, the first and m.ost necessary
ingredient to a life of perfect happiness, is an ab-
solute, unqualified, unmurmuring submission to
the will of God.

This is the only way to find support in affliction.
Nothing can soothe the bed of sickness, but a sweet
confidence in God, and submission to his will.

Nothing can sustain under bereavement of
friends, but the full surrender of all our interests
to the entire disposal of God. Then, it matters not
what results may happen — they are parts of God's
plan, having reference to the welfare of his chil-
dren, and the soul can rejoice in them even when
its own individual wishes and plans seem to be
sacrificed.

We see, further, how great an obligation is im-
posed upon one who has been afflicted, to give up
himself and all his interests, to the disposal of God.

An event has occurred, under the direction of
God, which is designed to have a direct and spe-
cific bearing on his particular case. It is not,
like the other influences, which are a general pro-
vision equally designed for all, but a particular
event, sent directly to one individual, for one pur-
pose.

REV. GEOllGE BEECHER. 339

Its application cannot be mistaken, its design
cannot be misapprehended.

God intended it as his own particular call upon
that heart. He found that the ordinary events of
his providence were not sufficient to raise the soul
above the ensnaring influences of the world, and
in his infinite wisdom and love, he has sent that
which, of all means, is best adapted to release the
heart from the grasp of earth, and raise it to heaven.

Whoever here present has been afflicted, it is
the voice of thy Father to thee, calling thee to re-
turn and seek thy happiness in him. He has
dashed thy hopes, embittered thy joys, shaded thy
prospects, that you may turn from the failing foun-
tains of earth, and drink from the water of life that
floweth from the throne of God and the Lamb.

Return, O wanderer, return !

Thy Father calls for thee ;
No longer now an exile roam,

In guilt and misery.

340 BIOGRAPHICAL REMA1^S OF

Extract from the Scioto Gazette of July 6th, 1843.

DEPLORABLE CASUALTY AND DEATH.

A GENERAL gloom pcrvadcs our city to-day,
owing to the sudden, unexpected, and shocking
casualty, by which one of our most respected, en-
terprising, and useful citizens was instantly de-
prived of life.

About eight o'clock this morning the Rev.
George Beecher, pastor of the second Presbyterian
Church, in this city, was accidentally killed, as
described in the finding and verdict of a coroner's
jury, of which the following is a copy :

State of Ohio, Ross County.

We, the jury, having been duly sworn and af-
firmed, by John R. Tucker, Esq., coroner of said
county, diligently to inquire, and true presentment
make, in what manner the Rev. George Beecher,
whose body was found this morning in the garden
of his late residence in Chillicothe, came to his
death, after having heard the evidence, and upon
full inquiry concerning the facts, and a careful ex-
amination of the said body, do find as follows, to
wit :

That the deceased, on the morning of this day,
went into his own garden where his body was
found, with a short double-barreled shot gun, with
common flint lock, and which belonged to himself,

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 341

for the purpose of shooting birds, which were
gathering his fruits and buds ; that he made one
shot at the birds from one of the barrels of the gun,
that the other barrel was loaded with powder and
shot, and that in a short time afterwards (between
five and ten minutes) he raised the barrel of said
gun to his mouth, for the purpose, it is believed, of
blowing into the empty barrel of the gun, at which
time, and during which act, the barrel M'hich was
loaded accidentally went off, discharging its whole
contents in at the left corner of his mouth, the shot
passing obliquely upward through the brain and
skull, and out through his hat, causing instant
death. And we, the jurors aforesaid, upon our
oath, do find and say, that on the morning of this
first day of July, A. D. 1843, at Chillicothe, in the
county of Ross, the whole contents of one of the
barrels of a gun loaded with powder and leaden
shot, were, by mere accident and casualty, and in
the manner aforesaid, discharged into the head of
the said George Beecher, passing through the brain '
and skull, by means of which said discharge into
his head as aforesaid, the said George Beecher
then and there instantly died. Given under our
hands this first day of July, 1843.

R. DOUGLAS, Foremaiu J. S. ATVVOOD,

A. CARLISLE, J. LIGGETT,

Dr. C. a. TRIMBLE, J. P. CAMPBELL,

R. W. DEMING, Dr. V^^M. WADDLE,

Dr. J. COATS, S. W. ELY,

A. PEARSON, Db. \VM. FULLERTON.

16

342 BIOGRAPHICAL REMAINS OF

By this most lamentable accident, our commu-
nity has lost a member who, within the brief pe-
riod of three years, (being about the time he has
resided here,) has done more than any other indi-
vidual towards the improvement of our city, and
has also been instrumental in furthering the cause
of morality and religion, to a degree equalled by
few.

In the very flower and prime of life he has been
suddenly cut down, just as it seemed to his friends,
judging in the blindness of human prescience, he
had got ready to live. • Mr. Beecher was unusually
ardent in the furtherance of any work which his
hands found to do, and many there are who will,
at the mention of his honored name, " rise up and
call him blessed."

The Court of Common Pleas, holding their June
session in this city, adjourned, through respect to
the deceased, when a meeting was called, of which
the Hon. Thomas Ewing was chosen Chairman,
and John L. Green, Esq., Secretary. After the
appointment of a committee to report suitable re-
solutions, the meeting adjourned till two o'clock,
P. M. At that hour, a great number of persons
convened, and resolutions, eloquently representing
the sentiments of the community on the afflictive
event, were offered by R. Douglas, Esq., which
were unanimously adopted. Mr. Douglas made
some appropriate remarks.

At three o'clock this afternoon, a funeral sermon

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 343

was preached by the Rev. Mr. Woodrovv, after
which the remains of our friend, in charge of his
afflicted widow, were conveyed towards Putnam,
at which place it is designed to inter them.

The following is an official copy of the proceed-
ings of the meeting above alluded to.

At a meeting of the citizens of Chillicothe and
strangers present, assembled to consider of their
mournful bereavement, in the sudden death of the
Rev. George Beecher, and to consider of such
measures as may be proper and expressive of their
sense of this afflicting event, by motion of R. Doug-
las, Esq., the Hon. Thomas Ewing was called to
the Chair, and John L. Green was appointed Secre-
tary, On motion of Allen G. Thurman, Esq.,

Resolved, That a committee of three be ap-
pointed by the Chair to prepare and report to the
meeting resolutions appropriate to the occasion.

Whereupon, the Chair announced Messrs. Wil-
liam Creighton, Richard Douglas, and Allen G.
Thurman, Esquires, such committee. Mr. Doug-
las, from the committee appointed for that pur-
pose, reported the following preamble and resolu-
tions, which were unanimously adopted :

Whereas, it has pleased an all-wise Providence
suddenly to take from us, in the midst of life and
health, our late respected citizen, the Rev. George
Beecher ; and as this meeting is desirous of ex-
pressing to the family and friends of the deceased,

344 BlOGRAl'HICAL. REMAINS OF

its deep concern for the affliction which has so sud-
denly befallen them ; therefore,

Resolved, That we sympathize with the friends
and family of the deceased, in their so late and sud-
den bereavement, and offer to them our deepest
condolements upon this sorrowful event.

Resolved, That, in view of the sound and ar-
dent mind of the deceased, and his untiring labors
in the field of moral and religious reform, we con-
sider his loss to this community as a public ca-
lamity.

Resolved, That, as a further mark of respect,
we recommend to the members of the different pro-
fessions, and all others so disposed, to wear crape
on the left arm for thirty days.

Resolved, That a copy of the proceedings of
this meeting be signed by the Chairman and Secre^
tary, and sent to the family of the deceased, and
also published in the different newspapers of this
city.

Thomas Ewing, Chairman

John L. Green, Secretary.

The following resolutions, copied from the
Rochester N. Y. Democrat, were passed on Sab-
bath afternoon, the 9th inst., by the members and

t

REV. GEORGE BEECHER. 'M5

congregation of the Presbyterian Church in that
city, of which Mr. Beecher was pastor, previous to
his removal to Chillicothe, in consequence of the
announcement from the pulpit, of the melancholy
intelligence of his death, by casualty :

Resolved, That the members of this church have
heard with deep sorrow, the affecting tidings of the
death of their late beloved pastor, the Rev. George
Beecher, and they tender to the widow and other
relatives of the deceased, and to the church to
which he ministered, their heartfelt sympathy, in
the heavy affliction, which, in the course of an in-
scrutable Providence, they are called to endure.

Resolved, That in the death of this beloved ser-
vant of Christ, the church has lost an active, de-
voted, and successful minister, and the world a
man, prominent for his intellectual powers and
acquirements, and his high moral worth.

Resolved, That th^ preceding resolutions be en-
tered on the records of the church, and that the
pastor be requested to transmit a copy of them to
the widow of the deceased, and the Second Pres-
byterian Church of Chillicothe.

THE END.