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CHRISTIANITY 


AIYD 


STATESMANSHIP, 


WITH 


KINDRED     TOPICS. 


BY 

WILLIAM  HAGUE,  D.D., 

AriHOH    OF    "  HOME    LIFE,"    "  GUIDE    TO    CONVBKSATIOW    OIT    THB    KEW 
TESTAMENT,"  ETC. 


A  NEW,  REVISED,  ENLARGED,  AND  IMPROVED  EDITION. 


«  •  • 


BOSTON: 


GOULD     AND     LINCOLN, 

59    "W  A  S  Hllf  GTOK     STEEET. 

NEW   YORK:    SHELDON   AND    COMPANY. 
CINCINNATI  :  GEORGE  S.  BLANCHARD. 

1865. 


>(w  I 


v^ 


I.  . 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S65,  by 

GOULD   AND  LINCOLN, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


Seriram  Smith 

M^TQh  15,  1S34 


PUBLISHERS'  PREFATORY  NOTICE. 


Of  the  Articles  that  compose  this  work  several  were  sent 
forth,  originally,  from  the  press  of  the  present  publishers  ;  and 
afterward,  by  our  permission,  in  connection  with  others  that 
were  furnished  by  the  author,  were  issued  in  a  volume  by  a 
pubhshing  house  in  New  York.  Before  the  immediate  demand 
for  the  work  could  be  supplied,  the  business  of  that  house  was 
suspended ;  and  the  stereotype  plates  passed  into  the  hands  of 
a  creditor  whose  line  of  business  had  no  connection  with  the 
book  trade,  and  they  have  been  "  carefully  boxed  up  "  in  his 
cellar  until  within  a  recent  period.  Having  purchased  them  as 
soon  as  an  opportunity  was  offered,  we  may,  perhaps,  fitly  con- 
nect with  this  reissue  a  few  reminiscences  that  seem  to  us  note- 
worthy. 

When  the  work  was  issued  in  New  York,  a  number  of  copies 
were  consigned  by  the  pubUsher  to  his  trade-correspondents  in 
Richmond.  It  happened,  at  the  same  time,  that  an  article  of  a 
couple  of  columns,  especially  commendatory  of  the  author's 
treatment  of  the  slavery  question,  appeared  in  the  New  York 


IV  p  UBLISHERS'  PREFA  TOR  Y  NOTICE. 

Tribune.  This  was  sufficient  to  make  trouble  for  "  the  trade  " 
in  Richmond ;  the  public  journals  denounced  the  books  as  "  in- 
cendiary," and  they  were  treated  as  if  they  had  been  like  "  those 
fabulous  dragons'  teeth,  which,  being  sown  up  and  down,  may 
chance  to  spring  up  armed  men."  Every  copy  was  sent  back 
to  the  Publisher,  and  the  people  of  the  South  were  solemnly 
warned  against  receiving  any  work  that  might  afterward  pro- 
ceed from  that  source.  Such  was  the  inthralment  of  the  book- 
trade  nine  years  ago. 

The  article  entitled  "  Christianity  and  Slavery,^  being  a  re- 
view of  Kev.  Doctors  Fuller  and  Wayland  on  Domestic  Slavery, 
was  first  sent  forth  from  our  press  in  1847,  in  pamphlet  form. 
It  was  extensively  read  in  the  Southwest,  and  nearly  the  whole 
was  republished  as  extracts  in  the  newspapers  during  the  dis- 
cussions that  were  called  forth  by  the  celebrated  "  Compromise 
Measures  '*  which  were  consummated  by  the  passage  of  the 
Fugitive  Slave  Law  in  1850. 

The  interest  awakened  by  the  review  at  that  time,  was,  in  a 
degree,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was  the  first  ai^umentative 
work  that  affirmed  the  position  (in  consonance,  however,  with 
the  doctrines  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  in  England  and  Amer- 
ica) that  Apostolic  Christianity  actually  abolished  slavery,  the 
relation  of  owner  and  chattel,  whenever  both  of  the  parties 
acknowledged  the  supremacy  of  the  law  of  Christ,  as  members 
of  a  Christian  church.  This  review  was  read  before  the  "  Bos- 
ton Conference,"  and  its  publication  was  called  for  unanimously 


P  UBLISHERS'  PREFA  TOR  T  iVO  TICE.  V 

by  their  vote.  The  manuscript  was  carefully  read  by  Dr.  Pal- 
frey of  Cambridge,  who  commended  the  pamphlet  to  public 
attention  in  the  columns  of  the  Boston  Kepubhcan,  expressing 
the  opinion  that  the  argument  was  well  grounded,  and  that, 
hitherto,  too  much  had  been  conceded  to  the  pro-slavery  writ- 
ers who  claimed  for  their  cherished  institution  the  sanctions  of 
Christianity, 

The  positions  taken  in  the  pamphlet  were  afterwards  dis- 
cussed in  the  columns  of  the  New  York  Independent,  by  the 
editor,  Rev.  Dr.  Thompson,  and  also  by  Eev.  Dr.  Cheever,  who 
examined  them  thoroughly,  and  corroborated  every  one  of  them. 
Both  of  these  distinguished  writers,  in  their  subsequent  and  per- 
manent contributions  to  the  religious  literature  of  the  country, 
have  been  pleased  to  acknowledge  their  indebtedness  to  this 
review. 

Rev.  Theodore  Parker  spoke  of  the  discussion  as  being  timely, 
adequate  to  the  occasion,  a  contribution  of  permanent  worth  to 
the  cause  of  human  freedom ;  and  of  its  publication,  also,  as  a 
■welcome  service  in  behalf  of  the  threatened  freedom  of  the 
Northern  press.  The  particular  relation  to  this  great  contro- 
versy sustained  by  Mr.  Parker,  as  the  defender  of  those  princi- 
ples of  abstract  right  and  justice  that  shine  by  their  own  light 
and  which  "  Nature  herself  teacheth,"  imparts  a  special  value  to 
this  commendation  of  a  work  proceeding  from  one  whose  theo- 
logical opinions  were  so  different  from  his  own,  and  setting 
forth  the  relations  of  primitive  Christianity  to  slavery.     This 


yi  PUBLISHERS'  PREFATORY  NOTICE. 

testimony  Is  especially  worthy  of  record  here,  because  there 
are  many  who  regard  Mr.  Parker's  position  in  behalf  of  hu- 
man freedom  as  being  in  advance  of  the  teachings  of  Christ 
and  the  apostles,  —  as  being  a  natural  development  of  the  free 
thought  of  the  nineteenth  century,  according  to  the  law  of  hu- 
man progress  which  is  ever  unfolding  itself.  We  only  repeat, 
however,  what  has  been  suggested  by  many  readers,  when  we 
say  that  the  argument  of  the  review  has  been  of  service  to  some 
minds  by  showing  them  that  the  self-evident  truths  uttered  by 
the  oracles  of  reason  illustrate  the  moral  teachings  of  Jesus  by 
their  harmony  with  those  teachings,  and  confirm  the  claims  of 
the  Prophet  of  Nazareth,  as  the  prophet  of  the  human  race, . 
not  only  for  his  own  age,  but  for  all  time. 

The  article  entitled  "  God  and  the  Constitution/*  in  the  form 
of  a  note  (G),*  is  styled  "  A  Memento  of  1850."  It  appeared  at 
that  time  as  a  contribution  to  the  discussion  that  agitated  the 
whole  country  in  relation  to  the  "  Fugitive  Slave  Law,"  and 
elicited  a  friendly  communication  to  the  author  from  the  Hon. 
Charles  Francis  Adams,  affirming  the  validity  of  the  argument, 
and  expressing  his  sense  of  its  appositeness  to  the  wants  of  the 
public  mind.  He  regarded  it  as  a  clear  and  popular  statement 
of  those  great  fundamental  principles,  which,  in  spite  of  all  op- 
position, must  finally  shape  the  policy  of  the  Government. 
This  fact  seems  quite  noteworthy  in  this  place,  —  when  we  re- 
member that,  at  that  day,  the  political  position  of  Mr.  Adamg 

*  Page  372. 


P UBLISHEES'  PREFA  TOR  Y  NOTICE.  VU 

Tras  deplored  hy  many  persons  as  being  "  unstatesmanllke,"  as 
a  needless  sacrifice  to  "  a  mere  idea"  of  all  political  influence, 
and  of  all  those  civil  preferments  of  which  his  "  antecedents  " 
would  warrant  the  expectation.  It  is  evident  that  Mr.  Adams 
understood  this  matter  perfectly,  and  that  the  temporary  sacri- 
fice was  made  with  "  all  his  heart,"  and  with  unwavering  faith 
in  the  future.  His  cherished  hopes  are  now  realized,  and  the 
rejected  principles  vdth  which  he  identified  his  civil  fortunes 
are  now  guiding  the  policy  of  the  country  in  its  passage  through 
a  stormy  revolution  to  a  state  of  enduring  prosperity.  His  ex- 
position and  defence  of  principles,  as  the  American  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  in  London,  will  occupy  a  prominent  place  in 
our  national  history. 

Appendix  IV.,  (p.  400),  is  a  fragment  of  the  controversial 
discussions  that  were  so  rife  in  1847,  and  is  worthy  of  special 
notice  as  a  memorial  of  the  disposition  that  was  then  expressed 
by  the  wealthy  men  of  New  England  to  ward  oflf  those  Issues  of 
civil  war,  which  they  foresaw,  by  the  voluntary  sacrifice  of  their 
property  in  carrying  out  a  plan  of  emancipation.  Of  this  class 
of  men,  the  Hon.  David  Sears,  of  Boston,  stood  forth  as  a  rep- 
resentative ;  and  his  letter  to  Ex-President  Adams,  referred  to 
in  the  note,  deserves  remembrance  as  an  indication  of  an  en- 
larged spirit  of  conciliation  on  the  part  of  the  opulent  men  of 
the  North,  which  met  with  no  sympathetic  responses  from  the 
men  of  the  South. 

The  lecture  on  the  relation  of  "  Christianity  and  the  Turkish 


VIII  P  UBLlSHERff  PREFA  TOR  Y  NO  TICE, 

Power "  was  delivered  before  the  "  Boston  Mercantile  Libary 
Association "  and  the  Albany  "  Young  Men's  Association "  a 
few  months  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  Crimean  war.  With 
this  lecture  there  is  connected  a  reminiscence  somewhat  amus- 
ing, as  well  as  instructive,  the  significance  of  which  we  cannot 
set  forth  more  clearly  than  by  quoting  the  leading  editorial  arti- 
cle of  the  Albany  Evening  Journal,  January  23d,  1855,  with 
its  singular  title : 


"  Clerical  versus  Diplomatic  Sagacity. 

"  A  year  ago  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hague,  in  a  lecture  before  the 
Young  Men's  Association,  predicted  the  war  that  is  now  raging 
in  the  East.  *  It  must  come '  was  the  emphatic  prophecy  which 
closed  his  review  of  the  questions  then  in  controversy.  Two 
weeks  afterward,  a  gentleman  just  returned  from  Europe  (at 
one  of  whose  courts  he  had  served  as  American  Minister  Pleni- 
potentiary) delivered  a  lecture  before  the  same  association,  and 
upon  a  kindred  topic,  —  European  Politics.  He  also  put  on  the 
mantle  of  prophecy.  But  after  a  very  elaborate  and  profound 
review  of  the  condition  of  the  Old  World,  his  prediction  was, 
*  There  will  be  no  general  war  in  Europe  on  the  Turkish  ques- 
tion.* 

"  As  a  matter  of  curiosity,  now  that  events  have  so  singularly 
confirmed  the  clerical  prophecy,  it  may  be  worth  while  to  com- 
pare the  two. 


P UBLISHERS'  PREFA TOR Y  NOTICE.  ix 

"  '  No  war '  —  predicted  by  the  diplomatist :  "  Now,  I  hazard 
the  opinion  that  there  will  be  no  general  war  in  Europe  on  the 

Turkish  question And  before  the  season  shall  arrive  when 

a  regular  and  efficient  campaign  can  be  undertaken,  it  is  quite 
probable,  as  it  seems  to  me,  that  diplomacy  will  have  found  a 
way  to  appease  the  wrathful  demigod  of  the  North." 

"  '  War  *  —  predicted  by  the  clergyman  :  "  From  his  icy  and 
inaccessible  seclusion,  the  Northern  Emperor  watches  every 
flitting  shadow  on  the  disk  of  European  politics,  and  fears,  with 
reason,  lest  the  hatred  of  Russian  influence  cherished  by  the 
Greeks  within  the  Turkish  Empire  should  relax  his  hold  upon 
that  empire  and  baffle  his  darling  policy.  On  this  account  he 
has  ventured  to  disturb  the  peace  of  nations,  and  has  sought  by 
a  daring  step  to  gain  a  foothold  whereby  he  may  bring  the  whole 
organization  of  the  Greek  clergy  more  thoroughly  under  his 
dominion,  and  so  be  able  by  their  instrumentality  to  crush  the 
democratic  element,  and  tread  out  the  last  spark  of  religious 
liberty  among  the  people.^  Having  taken  this  step,  he  will  not 
go  back ;  and  western  Europe  cannot  let  him  go  forward.  Is 
not  war,  then,  inevitable,  in  spite  of  all  diplomacy  ?  It  must 
come.' 

"  The  statesman  looked  merely  upon  the  political  surface,  and 
judged  erroneously.     The  divine  with  political  events  combined 

1  The  emancipation  of  twenty  millions  of  serfs,  and  the  recent  decrees 
of  the  Emperor  in  favor  of  religious  toleration,  signalize  a  new  era  of 
Russian  history. 


X  p UBLISHER^  PREFA  TOR  T  NOTICE. 

the  moral  influences  which  lay  at  the  basis  of  the  controversy, 
and  judged  aright.  The  conclusions  of  each  were  the  infer- 
ences naturally  deduced  from  the  premises  of  each.  The  cler- 
gyman's superior  accuracy  consisted  in  his  superior  appreciation 
of  what  was  involved  in  the  controversy,  and  his  better  knowl- 
edge of  the  character  of  the  controversialists.'* 

In  addition  to  these  allusions  to  the  history  of  the  articles  that 
compose  this  volume,  there  occurs  a  reminiscence  pertaining  to 
the  literary  life  of  the  Kev.  Dr.  Wainwright,  late  Bishop  of  the 
Eastern  Diocese  of  New  York,  so  illustrative  of  the  genial  spirit 
of  that  distinguished  prelate  that  we  gladly  embrace  the  oppor- 
tunity to  record  it  as  a  tribute  to  his  memory.  The  incident, 
as  stated  by  Dr.  Hague  in  an  address  before  the  American  Con- 
gregational Union  in  New  York,  was  reported  in  the  columns 
of  The  Independent. 

While  engaged  in  gathering  the  materials  for  his  splendid 
volume  entitled  "  Lives  of  Prophets  and  Apostles  "  (issued  in 
quarto  form  from  the  press  of  the  Appletons),  Dr.  Wainwright 
sent  to  our  author  a  friendly  note  containing  a  request  that  he 
would  prepare  for  the  projected  work  an  article  on  the  Life  and 
Character  of  St.  Peter.  The  request  was  complied  with,  the 
article  was  accepted,  and  the  thanks  of  the  editor  were  returned. 
Soon  afterward,  during  an  interview  with  Dr.  Wainwright  in 
New  York,  his  reference  to  the  recent  correspondence  called 
forth  from  the  writer  of  the  article  the  following  remark :  "  I 
must  confess,  Doctor,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised,  on  the  recep- 


P  UBLISEEIiS'  PREFA  TOR  Y ITO  TICE.  XI 

tion  of  your  note,  to  perceive  tliat  you  had  passed  by  so  many 
eminent  writers  of  your  own  church  to  commit  the  character 
of  '  the  chief  of  the  apostles '  to  the  treatment  of  *  an  outsider/ 
How  could  you  venture  to  intrust '  the  Head  of  the  Succession  * 
to  the  hands  of  such  an  ecclesiastical  heretic  ?  '*  The  doctor  in- 
stantly replied,  with  his  usual  animation,  "  That  will  do,  —  that 
will  do  ;  say  no  more  about  it.  I  wanted  a  truly  catholic  arti- 
cle.    I  have  got  it,  and  I  am  satisfied  ! " 

The  discourse  on  "  Christian  Union  "  was  delivered,  for  the 
first  time,  at  Constantinople,  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  before  a 
convention  of  the  American  missionaries  from  the  stations  near 
the  Mediterranean,  which  had  been  in  session  during  the  pre- 
ceding week.  It  was  repeated  in  Boston  at  the  "  Odeon,'*  by 
request  of  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers,  who  was  then  officiating 
there  as  minister  of  the  congregation  that  afterward  reared  the 
structure  known  as  the  "  Winter  Street  Church.'*  It  was  orig- 
inally issued  from  our  press,  and  was  weU  received  by  the 
Christian  public. 

The  discourse  on  "  Christianity  and  Pauperism "  was  de- 
livered in  the  Old  South  Church,  Boston,  before  the  Howard 
Benevolent  Society,  and  may  be  regarded  as  a  memento  of  the 
life  of  an  eminent  citizen;  Moses  Grants  Esq.,  who  called  for  its 
publication,  and  ws^s  active  in  promoting  its  circulation.  His 
name  is  still  firagrant,  among  all  classes  of  society  in  Boston,  and 
in  fact  through  New  England,  as  that  of  a  man  whose  perse- 
ver?mce  in  doing  good   was  really  heroic,  —  who  illustrated, 


XII  p  UBLISHERS'  PREFA  TOR  Y  NO  TICE. 

throughout  a  protracted  career  of  usefulness,  the  true  idea  of 
Christian  beneficence. 

As  the  volume,  of  which  we  now  send  forth  a  new,  enlarged, 
and  greatly  improved  edition,  has  been,  as  we  have  stated,  kept 
out  of  print  from  near  the  time  of  its  first  publication  by  the 
course  of  events  to  which  we  have  referred,  we  have  noted  these 
memoranda  to  tell  the  story  of  its  fortunes  and  the  cause  of  its 
absence  from  the  marts  of  trade.  Although  it  has  suflTered  ban- 
ishment and  imprisonment,  and  has  dwelt  in  forced  seclusion 
during  the  gloomy  period  of  the  war,  it  goes  forth  again,  wel- 
coming the  light  of  the  new  era,  rejoicing  to  bear  witness  anew 
to  those  great  principles  that-  have  been  honored  of  late  on  so 
many  battle-fields  by  the  blood  of  self-sacrificing  patriots,  and 
which,  in  spite  of  all  reverses,  are  destined  to  prevail. 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

PAGE 

CHRISTIANITY  AND  STATESMANSHIP        .....       17 

II. 

CHRISTIANITY  AND  THE  TURKISH  POWER      ....     55 

III. 

CHRISTIANITY  AND  TRADITIONISM  [  .       ,       ...       .88 

IV. 

CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS  IN  THE  APOSTLE       ....     121 

V. 

CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS  IN  THE  MISSIONARY .       .       .       .137 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

VI. 

PAGE 

CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS  IN  THE  STATESMAN    .       .       .^     .    187 

VII. 

CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS  IN  THE  CITIZEN  .       .       .     '  .       .208 

VIII. 

CHRISTIANITY  AND  PAUPERISM .235 

IX. 

CHRISTIANITY  AND  LIBERAL  GIVING         .       .       .       .       .258 

X. 

CHRISTIAN  UNION .274 

XI. 

CHRISTIANITY  AND  SLAVERY         .       .       .       .       .       .       .293 


CONTENTS,  XV 


APPENDICES. 

APPENDIX  I. 

PAGE 

NoTB  A,  The  Harvest  op  Tkaditionism 349 

Note  B,  A  State  Church 354 

Note  C,  Duty  to  the  Government 358 

Note  D,  Slavery  .       .       , -362 

Note  E,  Mohammedan  and  Christian  Powers     ....    365 

Note  F,  Commerce  and  Slavery  .......        368 

Note  G,  God  and  the  Constitution .372 


APPENDIX  II. 

Note  A,  The  Principalities 377 

Note  B,  Origin  of  the  Hungarians 382 

Note  C,  Mohammed's  Brigantines     .......  383 


APPENDIX  ni. 

Note  A,  Right  of  Private  Judgment 385 

Note  B,  Gibbon's  Great  Mistake 387 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Note  C,  Beausobre  on  the  Fathers 389 

Note  D,  The  Bible  Alone 891 

Note  E,  Conversions  to  Rome 394 

Note  F,  The  Religious  Sentiment         ...       .       ,       .  397 


APPENDIX  IV. 

Letters  to  the  Editor  of  the  Raleigh,  N.  C,  Biblical  Re- 
corder   .....  .......    400 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  STATESMANSHIP. 


PSALM  II. 


1.  Why  do  the  heathen  ra^e,  and  the 
people  imagine  a  vain  thing  ? 

2.  The  kings  of  the  earth  set  them- 
selves, and  the  rulers  take  counsel  to- 
gether, against  the  Lord,  and  against 
his  anointed,  saying, 

3.  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder, 
and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us. 

4.  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens 
shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them 
in  derision. 

5.  Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them  in 
his  wrath,  and  vex  them  in  his  sore  dis- 
pleasure. 

6.  Yet  have  I  set  my  King  upon  my 
holy  hill  of  ZJon. 

7.  I  will  declare  the  decree :  the  Lord 
hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  art  my  Son ; 
this  day  have  I  begotten  thee. 


8.  Ask  of  me,  and  I  shall  give  thee 
the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession. 

9.  Thou  shalt  break  thom  with  a  rod 
of  iron ;  thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces 
like  a  potter's  vessel. 

10.  Be  wise  now  therefore,  O  ye 
kings :  be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the 
earth. 

11.  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear,  and  re- 
joice with  trembling. 

12.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry, 
and  ye  perish  from  the  way  when  his 
wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed 
are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in 
him. 


This  spirit-stirring  Psalm  is  a  grand  old  mission- 
ary chant,  and  belongs  to  that  class  of  Psalms  that 
are  denominated  Messianic^on  account  of  its  cele- 
brating the  advent,  the  character,  and  the  destina- 
tion of  the  Messiah.    It  speaks  of  him  expressly ; 


18  Cheistianitt  and  Statesmanship. 

and  this  fact  would  impress  more  strongly  every 
ear  accustomed  to  the  English  tongue,  if  the  word 
anointed  had  given  place  to  the  word  Messiah  as  a 
proper  name ;  for  the  Hebrew  term  Messiah,  the 
Greek  term  Christ,  and  the  English  term  "  anoint- 
ed,'' have  the  same  signification.  The  sacred  oil 
of  consecration  which  was  poured  on  the  head  of 
Prophet,  Priest,  and  King  gave  rise  to  the  use  of 
the  word  as  a  proper  name  when  applied  to  that 
expected  Deliverer  who  was  to  unite  all  these 
characters  in  himself.  This  Psalm,  with  several 
others,  forms  a  part  of  that  body  of  prophecy 
which  from  age  to  age  threw  gleams  of  light 
athwart  the  moral  gloom  that  enshrouded  the 
earth,  and  nourished  the  hope  of  Israel  that  a 
brighter  day  would  dawn  at  the  appointed  time. 
Who  can  tell  how  often  it  was  read  in  the  closet 
and  in  the  family,  how  often  it  was  chanted  in  the 
temple  or  the  synagogue,  and  what  earnest  long- 
ings it  awakened  in  many  a  heart  to  see  that  day 
"  which  kings  and  prophets  waited  for,"  and 
which,  at  last,  was  hailed  amid  the  songs  of  angels 
by  the  humble  shepherds  of  Bethlehem  !  It  was 
often  quoted  by  the  Apostles,  it  was  interpreted  to 
them  by  the  scenes  which  their  times  unfolded, 
and  it  strengthened  their  faith  as  they  saw  that 
the  opposition  which  they  encountered  for  their 
Master's  sake  had  been  so  clearly  foretold.  How 
touchingly  did  they  introduce  it  into  their  devotions 
amid  the  stormy  trials  which  Luke  has  described 
in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  Acts !  The  prophetic 
view  of  the  Psalm  reaches  onward  far  beyond  our 


Chrtstiajtity  and  Statesmanship.    .        19 

times  to  the  ultimate  triumph  of  Christianity ;  and 
if  understood  and  felt  by  us,  it  will  animate  our 
zealj  and  will  enable  us  to  discern  on  the  front  of 
the  darkest  cloud  some  trace  of  the  bow  of  promise, 
to  see  it  now  and  then  spanning  a  threatening  sky 
with  its  arch  of  beauty,  and  shining  forth  as  the 
sign  of  the  covenant  which  God  has  established 
with  his  Son  that  this  revolted  world  shall  be  made 
his  own  spiritual  empire. 

It  may  aid  our  conceptions  of  the  spirit  and 
power  of  this  Psalm,  to  consider  its  structure  as 
designed  of  old  to  be  chanted  in  the  temple- 
worship.  We  may  notice  the  adaptation  of  the 
different  parts  to  the  end  in  view  as  we  read  the 
whole  in  accordance  with  the  version  of  Dr.  J. 
Pye  Smith,  which  has  the  advantage  of  preserving 
much  of  that  regularity  of  rythm  which  belongs 
to  Hebrew  poetry. 

The  second  Psalm  was  a  responsive  song,  in- 
tended to  be  sung  by  different  choruses.  The  first 
chorus  chanted  the  first  two  verses. 

Why  rage  the  Heathen — and  the  peoples  contrive  vanity  ? 
The  kings  of  earth  have  set  up  themselves. 
And  the  princes  are  firmly  leagued  together 
Against  Jehovah  and  against  his  Messiah. 

The  third  verse  was  sung  by  another  chorus,  rep- 
resenting the  rebellious  governments. 

Let  us  burst  their  bands  asunder 
■  And  cast  their  cords  away  from  us. 

The  fourth  and  fifth  verses  were  sung  by  another 
or  third  chorus. 


20     ^  .    Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

Sitting  in  the  heavens  he  will  laugh ; 
The  Lord  will  have  them  in  derision  ; 
Then  will  he  rebuke  them  in  his  wrath, 
And  in  his  sore  displeasure  he  will  vex  them. 

The  sixth  verse  was  sung  by  one  speaking  in  the 
name  of  God. 

But  I  have  anointed  my  king 

Upon  Zion,  the  mountain  of  my  sanctuary. 

The  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  verses  were  sung 
by  one  in  the  name  of  the  Messiah. 

I  will  declare  the  decree  :  Jehovah  hath  said  unto  me, 

My  Son  art  thou ;  I  this  day  have  begotten  thee. 

Ask  from  me  and  I  will  give  the  nations  thine  inheritance, 

And  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  thy  possession. 

Thou  shalt  break  them  with  an  iron  scepter ; 

As  the  vessels  of  a  potter  shalt  thou  dash  them. 

The  tenth,  eleventh,  and  twelth  verses  were  sung 
by  the  choruses  combined. 

Now,  therefore,  ye  kings,  be  wise ; 

Be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth  ; 

Serve  Jehovah  with  reverence 

^nd  rejoice  with  trembling. 

Bo  homage  to  the  Son  lest  he  be  angry, 

And  ye  perish  by  the  way  ; 

When  his  wrath  is  but  a  little  kindled. 

Blessed  are  all  who  trust  in  Him. 

What  profound  emotions  must  have  been  aroused 
by  such  a  service  as  this  in  the  breasts  of  those 
Hebrew  assemblies  which  were  anciently  gathered 
upon  the  Mount  of  Zion  within  the  walls  of  the 
temple !  What  glowing  hopes  blended  with  solemn 
awe  touching  the  contested  fortunes  of  their 
Messiah's  reign !  With  these  mingled  feelings, 
what  cause  have  we  even  now  to  sympathize! 


Cheistiantty  and  Statesmanship.  21 

Let  us  open  our  eyes  to  the  lights  and  shadows  of 
these  scenes,  which  even  the  old  seers  under  the 
guidance  of  divine  inspiration  descried  but  dimly 
in  the  distance,  which  are  yet  dramatically  unfold- 
ing themselves,  while  each  successive  act  discloses 
its  relation  to  a  far-reaching  plan  and  a  grand  ulti- 
mate issue.  Two  ideas  stand  out  in  bold  relief 
upon  this  page  of  lyrical  prophecy.  To  these  let 
us  turn  our  attention.     They  are — 

I.  The  chaeactee  of  the  oppospiion  oeganized 

AGAINST   THE   EINGDOM   OF   THE   MeSSIAH. 

II.  The  ceetainty  of  its  festal  defeat. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  while  the  ancient 
Jewish  prophets  described  the  expected  "  Desire 
of  ITations,"  who  was  to  appear  in  the  "  fullness  of 
time,"  in  the  most  enchanting  aspect,  they  speak 
of  him  also  as  being  destined  to  meet  the  most 
wily,  complicated,  and  deadly  opposition.  Al- 
though they  delighted  to  employ  the  fine  graphical 
powers  with  which  they  were  gifted  in  picturing 
him  to  view  as  the  Prince  of  Peace,  meek,  lowly, 
"  altogether  lovely,"  as  the  messenger  of  truth  into 
whose  lips  peace  was  breathed  from  the  fullness  of 
the  divine  nature,  as  aiming  only  at  spiritual 
victories  and  conquering  the  world  by  light  and 
love,  yet  they  declare  that  he  shall  be  despised 
and  rejected  of  men,  the  dread  of  kings,  the  butt 
of  malice  ;  and  they  prepare  the  mind  of  the  reader 
to  expect  that  his  followers  would  be  hated  among 
all  nations  for  his  name's  sake. 

Thus  we  know  it  was  from  the  beginning.     The 
extraordinary  star  which  shone  over  Judea  led  the 


22  Chkistianity  and  Statesmanship. 

Persian  Magi  to  the  land  of  promise',  and  as  they 
traversed  the  metropolis  inquiring  for  the  young 
child  whose  birth  the  star  had  signalized,  this 
"  sign  from  heaven,"  instead  of  arousing  Herod  to 
seek  a  Saviour  for  himself,  only  quickened  into 
life  the  fear  of  an  infant  rival  whom  he  sought  to 
destroy.  Thirty-three  years  after  that  event  we 
see  another  Herod  who  had  declared  himself  a  foe 
to  Pilate,  suddenly  changing  his  position  and  be- 
coming the  friend  of  the  Roman  governor  by 
means  of  a  common  co-operation  with  the  Jewish 
Sanhedrim  in  bringing  Jesus  to  the  cross. 

Why  is  this  ?  exclaims  the  inspired  Psalmist,  as 
with  prophetic  ken  he  looks  through  the  vista  of 
the  future — why  do  the  Heathen  rage  against  the 
celestial  messenger  ?  Why  are  the  people's  leaders 
leagued  to  baffle  the  plans  of  their  Deliverer? 
Why  do  the  rulers  wage  war  against  Him  who 
comes  to  preach  peace  and  to  dispose  the  hearts 
of  men  to  order  and  justice  ?  'No  reason  is  here 
assigned.  If  all  the  reigning  dynasties  were  sum- 
moned to  answer  at  the  bar  of  Him  who  is  judge 
of  all  the  earth,  how  could  they  plead  with  Him  or 
justify  themselves!  The  case  admits  of  no  ade- 
quate explanation  except  that  which  is  found  in 
the  rebellious  spirit  of  that  "  carnal  mind  which  is 
enmity  against  God,  and  not  subject  to  his  law." 
Selfishness,  in  the  form  of  ambition,  the  pride  of 
place,  or  lust  of  power,  dreads  being  disturbed  in 
its  long  enjoyed  possessions.  It  scorns  the  rule 
of  righteousness.  It  turns  away  with  disgust  from 
that  humane  religion  of  the  Messiah  which  asserts 


Cheistianity  and  Statesmanship.  23 

for  the  poor,  the  weak,  and  the  down-trodden  the 
inalienable  rights  of  humanity.  It  seeks  to  sub- 
jugate man  and  nature,  God  and  heaven,  to  itself. 
It  recognizes  the  religious  sentiment  in  the  human 
soul  only  to  make  that  element  of  power  subservi- 
ent to  its  schemes  of  complete  supremacy.  It  is 
the  life  and  soul,  the  inspiring  genius  of  nearly  all 
of  the  political  governments  of  the  world,  which 
have  ever  assumed  the  right  to  break  the  bands  of 
divine  legislation  at  their  pleasure  and  to  ally 
themselves  to  systems  of  religion  which  allow  their 
thrones  of  iniquity  to  claim  fellowship  with  the 
Almighty. 

Now,  keeping  in  view  the  lofty  expectations 
touching  the  dignity  and  power  of  the  Messiah 
cherished  from  age  to  age  by  the  Jewish  people, 
is  it  not  a  very  remarkable,  yea,  a  wonderful  thing, 
that  this  Psalm,  which  was  sung  for  centuries  in 
their  public  worship,  so  clearly  proclaimed  in 
grand  and  solemn  verse  the  terrible  truth,  that  the 
Statesmanshvp  of  the  world  would  set  itself  in  array 
against  that  divinely  anointed  King  in  whom  their 
hopes  were  centered;  that  it  should  not  merely 
anticipate  the  truth  that  the  governments  of  the 
earth  would  be  firmly  leagued  together  against  the 
benign  aims  of  Christ's  kingdom,  but  that  it 
should  expatiate  on  this  one  fact  as  if  it  had  been 
seen  to  involve  the  chief  historical  feature  of  the 
Christian  era  ?  This  prediction  is  so  directly  op- 
posed to  aught  that  human  reason  would  have  sug- 
gested touching  the  fortunes  of  a  kingdom  to  be 
established  on  earth  by  the  power  of  God,  and  yet 


24  Chetstianity  AND  Statesmanship. 

it  has  been  so  fully  verified  by  the  whole  course  of 
events,  that  we  can  not  but  discern  in  it  the  breath- 
ings of  a  divine  inspiration.  If  we  retrace  the 
history  of  Christianity  for  more  than  eighteen 
centuries,  how  strangely  do  its  successive  scenes 
fulfill  this  prophecy  which  had  been  sounded  out 
with  air  the  majesty  of  liturgic  service  for  a  thou- 
sand years  before  the  advent  of  Him  whose  triumph 
it  celebrates  !  Surely  in  this  profound  accordance 
of  prophecy  and  history  there  is  much  that  is 
worthy  of  attention.  It  will  justify,  undoubtedly, 
a  more  ample  investigation  than  that  which  the 
limits  of  these  pages  allow  us  to  attempt. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  prophecies  which 
set  forth  our  Lord's  public  character  exhibited 
chiefly  those  mild  and  winning  qualities  which  are 
always  suggested  to  the  mind  by  his  distinguishing 
title,  "The  Prince  of  Peace."  It  was  said  of  Him 
by  the  prince  of  prophets:  "He  hath  done  no  vio- 
lence ;"  "He  shall  not  strive  nor  cry,  nor  cause  his 
voice  to  be  heard  in  the  streets."  He  was  to  be 
anointed  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor.  He 
would  not  "break  the  bruised  reed;"  the  smoking 
wick  he  would  not  extinguish,  but  would  fan  the 
dying  spark  into  flame,  and  bring  forth  truth  unto 
victory.  He  was  to  be  distinguished  by  meekness 
and  gentleness  as  a  minister  of  grace  nnto  men. 

This  ideal  character  he  fully  realized.  The 
grandeur  of  his  miracles  was  subordinated  to  the 
spiritual  aims  of  the  gospel  which  he  preached. 
That  gospel  was  hailed  with  a  popular  welcome ; 
vast  multitudes  followed  him,  not  only  in  the  city, 


Chkistianity  and  Statesmanship.  25 

but  throughout  the  country ;  crowds  hung  with 
rapture  on  his  lips ;  ''  the  common  people  heard 
him  gladly."  Whence  then,  arose  the  deadly  op- 
position that  he  encountered  ?  It  was  not  from  the 
masses  of  the  People,  but  from  the  Government, 
administered  by  the  Sanhedrim,  the  princes  and 
priests  of  Judea.  They,  having  subordinated  the 
institutions  of  religion  to  their  secular  ends,  and 
made  these  the  measure  of  truth,  looked  with  ma- 
lignant wrath  upon  the  signs  of  that  success  with 
which  the  Messiah  gained  the  ear  of  the  nation ; 
.they  trembled  at  the  responses  which  the  public 
heart  gave  back  to  his  teachings,  and  the  immedi- 
ate aim  of  all  their  schemes  was  to  cope  with  the 
power  of  his  popularity.  How  often  would  they 
have  laid  hands  on  him  but  that  "  they  feared  the 
people."  It  was  this  terror  that  long  held  the  gov- 
ernment in  check,  and  it  was  overcome  at  last 
only  by  the  aid  of  the  traitor  who  delivered  up 
his  Master  amid  the  darkness  of  the  night  in  the 
silent  recesses  of  Gethsemane. 

The  inspired  Apostles  followed  in  that  Master's 
steps ;  they  preached  the  same  gospel ;  the  popular 
masses  hailed  it  with  a  welcome ;  but  the  organized 
government,  mad  upon  the  idolatry  of  power,  dread- 
ing change,  believing  in  nothing  but  what  would 
subserve  their  low  aims,  tracked  the  disciples  whith- 
ersoever they  went,  like  beasts  of  prey  thirsting  for 
blood.  It  was  easy  for  these  preacher?  to  gain  au- 
dience with  the  people  until  the  government  of  the 
people  cried  them  down  as  rebels  and  revolutionists, 
making  impious  war  upon  the  established  religion. 


26  Cheistianity  ai^d  Statesmanship. 

This  remark  applies  to  the  Roman  Empire  gener- 
ally, which  took  within  its  scope  nearly  all  of  the 
civilized  world.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Chris- 
tianity gained  wider  conquests  under  the  reign  of 
the  bad  emperors  than  it  did  under  the  reign  of 
those  who  were  comparatively  good  ;  for  the  former 
were  so  much  engrossed  with  their  vicious  pleas- 
ures, that  they  were  not  inclined  to  interfere  with 
religious  liberty ;  while  the  latter,  devoted  to  a 
staid  conservatism,  intent  on  preserving  their  polit- 
ical power,  watching  against  whatsoever  might  be 
productive  of  any  moral  change,  and  jealous  of  the 
rising  Church,  which  did  not,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
acknowledge  the  civil  ruler  as  its  head,  became 
themselves  the  projectors  and  agents  of  the  most 
relentless  persecution.  The  tyranny  of  Caligula, 
for  instance,  which  was  at  once  the  scourge  of  the 
empire  and  the  disgrace  of  paganism,  left  larger 
scope  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel  than  did  the  more 
statesman-like  government  of  the  watchful  Anto- 
nines.  But  when  the  emperor  and  court  of  Rome 
became  nominally  Christianized,  the  case  seemed 
to  have  been  reversed ;  but  that  change  was  more 
an  appearance  than  a  reality.  As  might  have  been 
expected,  the  Christianity  that  was  established  by' 
law  was  not  the  simple,  spiritual  Christianity  of  the 
'New  Testament,  but  a  cold,  formal,  worldly,  polit- 
ical religion  which  was  not  worth  the  blood  of  mar- 
tyrdom to  p'ropaJgate ;  and  it  was  not  very  widely 
propagated  in  the  long  run.  It  had  in  it  no  true 
missionary  spirit.  From  the  days  of  Constantine 
to  the  era  of  modern  missions,  Christianity  gained 


Christianitt  and  Statesmanship.  27 

scarcely  a  single  new  realm  beyond  the  bounds  of 
Constan tine's  dominions ;  there  her*  career  was 
checked.  He  attempted  to  spread  Christianity  in 
Persia;  but  his  missionaries  were  regarded  by  Sa- 
por, the  Persian  king,  as  political  spies,  and  there- 
fore were  put  to  death  by  royal  decree.  Throughout 
the  vast  extent  of  India,  China,  Africa,  and  the  isles 
of  the  sea,  the  gloom  of  heathenism  brooded  over 
the  millions,  and  until  a  very  recent  period  its  fatal 
blight  has  rested  upon  the  dense  mass  of  successive 
generations  without  a  sign  of  relief.  The  Christian 
government  of  Home,  so  called,  has  been  employed 
meanwhile  in  preserving  order  at  home,  and  in  per- 
secuting unto  death  all  those  who  would  not  mold 
their  religious  system  into  conformity  with  her  can- 
ons, nor  worship  the  images  of  wood  and  gold  which 
she  has  set  up.  Alas  !  what  untold  thousands  have 
her  courts  and  inquisitions  doomed  to  die  as  her- 
etics, because  they  acknowledged  Christ  alone  as 
Eing,  and  his  inspired  Word  alone  as  the  standard 
of  their  faith.  The  plaintive  wails  of  the  humble 
Madiai,  imprisoned  by  the  most  liberal  government 
of  Italy  for  the  crime  of  reading  the  Scriptures  to 
their  neighbors,  have  not  yet  died  away  upon  the 
ears  of  Christendom,  and  attest  more  mightily  than 
volumes  of  argument  the  unwelcome  truth,  that  the 
Rome  of  "the  dark  ages"  and  the  Rome  of  the 
nineteenth  century  possess  the  same  stern,  relent- 
less, unchanging  and  unchangeable  character. 

JSTor  does  the  spirit  of  these  remarks  find  a  verifi- 
cation only  in  the  government  of  Pome,  imperial 
or  papal,  but,  also,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  in 


28  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

every  Protestant  government  under  which  Chris- 
tianity has  been  defined  by  the  State,  established 
by  law,  and  defended  by  the  sword.  Such  a  relig- 
ion is  very  different  in  all  its  outward  manifestations 
from  the  religion  of  the  Apostles ;  the  Church  is 
subordinated  to  the  State,  to  the  Priesthood,  to  Pol- 
itics, Wealth,  and  Worldliness ;  and  we  see  that  the 
Messiah  does  not  march  before  such  a  Church  to 
give  it  victory;  for,  as  Macaulay  has  justly  ob- 
served, Protestant  Christianity  has  gained  scarcely 
an  inch  of  ground  in  Europe  as  yet  for  more  than 
three  hundred  years  since  the  death  of  Luther.* 
Even  the  Protestant  government  of  England,  with 
her  constitutional  monarch  at  the  head  of  the 
Church,  has,  in  conformity  with  the  maxims  of 
pagan  policy,  maintained  Popery  in  Canada  and 
Idolatry  in  India,  while  from  that  latter  heathen 
country  she  expelled  her  own  Christian  subjects, 
when  Carey  and  his  associates  first  entered  there 
upon  the  work  of  missions,  lest  they  should  disturb 
the  quiet  of  her  Eastern  Empire.f  By  a  singular 
combination  of  events,  it  turned  out  that  the  Danish 
government  was  pleased  to  protect  them  at  her 
little  settlement  of  Serampore ;  and  yet  that  same 
government  has,  since  then,  imprisoned,  in  Den- 
mark itself,  ministers  of  the  gospel  who,  in  faith 
and  in  spirit,  are  the  brethren  of  those  very  mis- 
sionaries. In  regard  to  the  policy  of  both  those 
great  states,  we  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  a  brighter 


*  See  Appendix,  A,  p.  349. 
t  See  Appendix,  B,  p.  354. 


Cheistianitt  and  Statesmanship.  29 

day  has  already  dawned.  ^Nevertheless,  even  at 
this  hour,  throughout  the  most  of  European  Chris- 
tendom, the  kings  are  "  setting  themselves  up,"  and 
the  rulers  are  taking  counsel  against  the  supremacy 
of  the  Messiah,  and  acting  in  sleepless  concert  to 
baffle  every  plan  for  the  evangelization  of  the  people. 
The  companies  of  humble  exiles  daily  passing  by 
our  doors  to  seek  a  home  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota, 
and  the  neighboring  States — the  groups  of  men  and 
women  banished  from  their  native  lands  for  the 
crime  of  being  baptized  on  a  profession  of  their 
faith,  and  of  being  united  to  churches  unconnected 
with  a  state-establishment — bear  mournful  testi- 
mony that  the  storm  of  transatlantic  persecution  for 
conscience'  sake  has  been  but  little  softened  by  the 
spirit  of  the  age,  that  it  is  sweeping  along  its  path 
of  desolation  at  the  height  of  its  power. 

If,  in  connection  with  this  subject,  we  transfer 
our  thoughts  to  this  continent,  we  are  struck  by  the 
similarity  of  aspect  which  its  history  exhibits. 
From  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus  until 
the  dawn  of  our  national  birthday,  nowhere  in  this 
hemisphere,  with  a  very  narrow  territorial  excep- 
tion, was  there  allowed  a  place  of  quiet  and  free- 
dom for  those  who  would  own  no  Lord  of  conscience 
but  Christ,  no  judge  in  religion  but  his  Word.  As 
it  was  in  this  respect,  it  is  now  throughout  South 
America,  where  you,  my  brethren,  would  be  im- 
prisoned or  killed  for  attempting  to  form  yourselves 
into  a  church  according  to  the  command  of  Christ, 
however  peaceably  you  might  order  your  lives  in 
civil  things.    It  is  there,  under  the  supremacy  of 


30  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

Papal  rule,  as  it  is  in  many  parts  of  Protestant 
Europe,  the  governments  will  freely  license  drink- 
ing shops,  theaters,  brothels,  and  gambling-houses  ; 
but  a  church  and  ministry,  formed  simply  to  diffuse 
the  gospel,  would  be  persecuted  unto  bonds  and 
death. 

The  more  closely  we  survey  the  records  of  the 
past,  from  the  point  of  view  furnished  by  the  ]N^ew 
Testament,  the  more  clearly  will  we  see  that  the 
gloomy  landscape  which  this  prophetic  Psalm  de- 
picts, with  all  its  somber  hues,  looms  up  into  prom- 
inence, bearing  upon  its  face  the  characteristic 
features  of  world-history  from  the  opening  of  the 
Christian  dispensation  to  the  unfolding  of  those 
scenes  which  are  now  passing  before  our  eyes.  It 
has  often  been  said,  that  the  reason  why  the  world 
has  not  yet  bSen  evangelized,  is  to  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  churches  of  Christ  have  "  slept  as  do 
others,"  and  have  forgotten  the  great  commission. 
Whatever  degree  of  truth  may  be  involved  in  this 
statement,  it  is,  on  the  whole,  but  a  very  partial 
and  stinted  statement  of  the  truth.  There  is  ample 
ground  for  the  position  that  the  great  reason  of  the- 
limitation  that  has  been  set  to  the  progress  of 
Christianity  is  to  be  found  in  that  union  of  Church 
and  State,  which  is  a  chief  element  of  the  grand 
apostasy.  Civil  government,  ordained  of  God  for 
the  protection  of  men  in  civil  rights,  to  punish  the 
evil-doer,  and  to  enable  the  well-disposed  "  to  live 
quiet  and  peaceable  lives  in  all  godliness  and 
honesty,"  has  been  perverted  from  its  true  design 
and  employed  in  closing  every  avenue  against  the 


Chkistianity  and  Statesmanship.  31 

progress  of  pure  religion.  Hence  we  see  the  signif- 
icance of  that  petition  which  Paul  commended  so 
earnestly  to  the  churches  of  his  time,  when  he 
called  upon  them  to  pray  that  "  a  door  of  utter- 
ance" might  be  open  to  him.  Let  but  the  govern- 
ments of  the  earth  be  restricted  to  their  proper 
sphere  ;  let  but  the  principles  which  two  centuries 
ago  were  embodied  in  a  civil  State  on  the  shores 
of  the  JNTarragansett  become  universally  prevalent ; 
let  but  the  race  at  large  enjoy  its  rightful  heritage 
of  free  churches,  free  schools,  and  an  open  Bible, 
and  then,  as  sure  as  it  is  that  there  is  moral  power 
in  truth,  that  "  the  residue  of  the  Spirit"  is  with 
God,  that  the  gospel  is  his  message,  that  the  prom- 
ises of  Scripture  bear  the  impress  of  his  veracity, 
just  so  sure  is  it  that  "  the  kingdom,  and  the 
power,  and  the  glory,  and  the  gredtness  of  the 
kingdom  under  the  whole  heav^"  shall  be  given 
unto  Christ  for  an  everlasting  heritage,  and  "  unto 
Him  shall  the  gathering  of  the  people  be." 

This  remark  prepares  our  way  for  the  considera- 
tion of  the  other  great  truth  which  this  inspired 
ode  so  joyously  celebrates.  For,  while  the  Psalm 
is  so  gloomily  descriptive  of  the  dreadful  antagonism 
between  the  kingdom  of  Christ  and  the  spirit  of 
this  world's  Statesmanship,  it  takes  on,  nevertheless, 
a  tone  of  triumph.  It  reveals  a  more  cheering 
scene.     It  asserts, 

II.  That  these  opposma  counsels  and  alliances 

SHALL  ALL   BE   ULTIMATELY  BAFFLED.      It  declares  this 

in  strong  terms  :  "He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens 
shall  laugh :  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision." 


32  Ohristianitt  and  Statesmanship. 

This  expression  contains  a  bold  rhetorical  figure 
which  is  common  to  all  languages,  and  is  employed 
to  denote  power  that  is  irresistible.  Thus  a  more 
ancient  poet  says  of  the  leviathan  that  sporteth  in 
the  stormy  deep  :  "  He  laugheth  at  the  shaking  of 
a  spear  ;"  and  thus  we  often  say  of  an  impregnable 
bulwark,  "  It  mocks  resistance."  When  applied 
to  any  opposing  force  whatever,  whether  it  be 
physical  or  moral,  it  denotes  one  that  is  unconquer- 
able. The  array  of  opposition  which  this  world 
presents  to  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  seems  to 
us  so  mighty  and  enduring  as  to  mock  our  feeble 
efi'orts ;  but  it  is  destined  to  be  overcome,  and  that, 
too,  by  moral  means.  We  say  by  moral  means ; 
by  the  spiritual  forces  which  He  has  originated  and 
will  effectually  wield  ;  for,  in  order  to  this  happy 
consummation.  He  is  enthroned  "  upon  Zion,  the 
mountain  of  his  sanctuary."  This  figurative  phrase 
designates  the  position  of  the  Messiah  as  the  Head 
of  a  spiritual  church.  Hence,  .in  allusion  to  it, 
Paul  says  to  all  true  believers :  "  We  have  come 
unto  Mount  Zion  ;"  that  is,  we  have  abjured  all 
other  supremacies,  and  have  acknowledged  the 
rightful  dominion  of  Christ  as  King  of  kings.  His 
scepter  is  "  the  truth  ;"  his  chosen  instrumentality 
for  the  achievement  of  his  work  is  his  revealed 
Word.  By  that  he  will  make  manifest  his  character 
and  his  power.  By  that  He  is  to  be  made  known 
universally  as  the  Son  of  God.  By  that,  and  not 
by  the  schemings  of  state  policy,  nor  by  a  deluge 
of  material  fire,  as  some  of  the  modern  Adventists 
suppose,  is  his  divine  sovereignty  to  be  displayed. 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  33 

"  He  shall  smite  the  earth  by  the  rod  of  his  mouth, 
and  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay  the 
wicked."  In  accordance  with  this  idea,  He  said  to 
Pilate,  ''  I  am  a  King ;  to  this  end  was  I  born,  and 
for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should 
bear  witness  unto  the  truth  :  every  one  that  is  of 
the  truth  heareth  my  voice."  His  resurrection  from 
the  dead  is  spoken  of  in  the  Psalm  before  us  as  the 
era  of  his  reign ;  a  fact  which  Paul  fully  declared 
in  his  discourse  delivered  in  the  synagogue  of 
Antioch,  in  Pisidia,  as  recorded  in  the  thirteenth 
chapter  of  the  Acts.  The  term  "  begotten,"  in  the 
sixth  verse  of  the  Psalm,  is  used  like  other  Hebrew 
words  in  the  same  form  in  a  declarative  sense ;  and 
the  import  of  the  whole  phrase  is,  "  This  day,  I 
declare  that  I  have  begotten  thee."  This  comment 
is  illustrated  by  the  words  of  Paul  in  the  opening 
paragraph  of  the  Epistle  to  thePomans  :  "  He  was 
declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power  by  his 
resurrection  from  the  dead."  "  With  great  power," 
it  is  said,  did  the  Christian  churches  once  bear  wit- 
ness to  this  truth ;  and  it  is  their  great  work  to  do 
so  still,  until  this  gospel  shall  be  universally  victo- 
rious. Man  was  led  away  from  God  by  a  lie  of 
Satan  ;  he  is  to  be  restored  by  ""  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus  ;"  ruined  by  that  word  of  the  Tempter,  he 
must  be  rescued  by  the  word  of  the  Lord ;  lost  by 
unbelief,  he  must  be  saved  by  faith.  When  quick- 
ened by  the  Spirit  he  awakes  from  the  long  sleep 
of  moral  death,  is  "  translated  into  the  kingdom  of 
God's  dear  Son,"  and  hails  Him  as  the  Sovereign  of 
the  eoul  and  the  rightful  Sovereign  of  the  universe. 


34  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

But  here  the  inquiry  meets  us,  How  does  this 
view  of  the  mild  and  gentle,  the  exclusively  spiritual 
character  of  our  Lord's  sovereignty  accord  with  the 
stern  martial  air  of  this  Psalm,  which  breaks  upon 
the  ear  like  that  which  reverberated  over  the  battle- 
fields of  republican  France  in  the  tones  of  the  old 
Marseilles  Hymn?  This  stirring  strain  of  warlike 
sound,  so  full  of  menace,  so  prophetic  of  destruc- 
tion, startling  the  imagination  with  scenes  of  fall- 
ing dynasties  and  the  wreck  of  empires,  what  means 
it  ?  The  opposing  powers  are  seen  mustering  their 
forces  :  "  He  shall  rebuke  them  in  his  wrath.  He 
shall  laugh  at  them.  He  shall  have  them  in  de- 
rision. He  shall  smite  them  with  a  scepter  of 
iron.  He  shall  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's 
vessel."  Is  all  this  descriptive  of  the  Prince  of 
Peace  and  of  the  progress  of  a  moral  kingdom  ? 
Undoubtedly.  These  spirited  stanzas  express  a 
great  idea  which  history  is  constantly  realizing. 
They  portray  the  firm,  unrelaxed,  and  iron-like  ad- 
herence of  the  divine  government  to  the  principles 
just  now  announced  touching  the  supremacy  of 
Christ's  revealed  Word.  Men  and  nations  must  pay 
homage  to  its  authority,  imbibe  its  spirit  and  prac- 
tice its  precepts,  or  sufi'er  the  terrible  destruction 
consequent  on  the  rejection  of  it.  Its  principles 
must  be  received,  its  laws  must  be  obeyed,  the  in- 
alienable rights  with  which  it  invests  every  human 
conscience  must  be  respected,  the  limitations  which 
it  sets  to  the  responsibility  of  governments  and  in- 
dividuals must  be  realized  in  the  organization  called 
a  State,  or  else  the  State  itself  will  nourish  in  her 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  86 

bosom  the  fires  that  are  destined  to  consume  her. 
If  at  this  day  the  venerable  founder  of  Khode 
Island  were  to  be  raised  from  the  dead  and  commis- 
sioned to  go  on  the  errand  of  a  new  apostleship  to 
every  government  on  the  face  of  the  earth ;  if  he 
were  bidden  to  take  a  'New  Testament  in  his  hand 
and  to  say  to  those  who  bear  rule,  "  If  ye  will 
honor  this  book  as  the  law  of  laws  ;  if  ye  will  respect 
that  soul-liberty  which  it  proclaims  as  the  gift  of 
God  to  every  human  being ;  if  ye  will  confine  the 
administration  of  your  government  to  civil  things, 
and  maintain  the  ordinances  of  justice  between  man 
and  man,  ye  shall  surely  prosper,  but  otherwise  ye 
shall  surely  perish,"  he  would  only  have  announced 
a  short,  simple,  and  Christian  theory  of  government ; 
his  mission  would  probably  be  rejected  with  scorn 
by  the  great  majority,  but  the  menace  which  his 
lips  would  have  uttered,  God's  providence  shall 
certainly  verify.* 

In  order  to  be  fully  impressed  with  the  force  and 
bearing  of  this  prophetic  announcement,  behold 
what  a  heaving  sea  of  national  convulsion  and  des- 
olating waste  the  history  of  Christendom  has  ex- 
hibited ever  since  the  Christian  dispensation  was 
ushered  in !  Does  not  the  oracle  here  describe  it 
truthfully  ?  Turn  your  eyes  to  the  first  fulfillment. 
When  the  Jewish  nation  rejected  their  Messiah, 
He  wept  as  he  beheld  the  sacred  city  from  the 
height  of  Olivet,  while  he  exclaimed :  "  O  that  thou 
hadst  known,  even  thou,  in  this  thy  day,  the  things 

*  See  Appendix  C,  p.  358. 


36  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

that  belong  to  thy  peace ;  but  now  are  they  hid 
from  thine  eyes  !"  He  uttered  the  dirge  of  Jeru- 
salem. Regarding  the  Jewish  Church  without  the 
spirit  of  true  religion,  as  a  body  without  life,  He 
had  already  said,  "  Where  the  carcass  is,  there 
will  the  eagles  be  gathered  together."  His  predic- 
tion was  soon  fulfilled.  See  the  Roman  eagle,  at 
the  beck  of  the  Almighty's  hand,  spread  his  wings, 
soar  aloft,  scent  his  prey,  hover  over  Judea,  then 
pounce  upon  the  fated  carcass.  See  the  doomed 
nation  reeling  under  the  weighty  sentence,  plucked 
from  its  place,  broken  to  pieces,  while  the  frag- 
ments now  lie  scattered  over  the  earth  from  pole  to 
pole. 

This  same  gospel  of  the  Messiah  was  carried  by 
the  Apostles  and  the  first  disciples  abroad  over  the 
Roman  Empire,  within  whose  mighty  grasp  the 
elements  of  civilization  and  social  order  seemed  to 
be  held  together.  The  simple  religion  which  they 
taught  would  have  renovated,  sanctified  her,  and 
saved  her  in  her  greatness.  It  would  have  extir- 
pated that  slave  system  which  was  the  immediate 
cause  of  her  weakness,  which  rendered  her  vast 
framework  like  a  hollow  shell,  so  that  it  collapsed 
when  pressed  against  by  the  hordes  of  northern 
barbarism.*  Rejecting,  or  rather  perverting,  the 
simple  truths  of  Christianity,  she  had  within  her  no 
conservative  power,  and  therefore  fell  with  a  grav- 
itating force,  like  the  typical  millstone  which  the 
prophet  of  Patmos  saw  a  mighty  angel  casting  into 

*  See  Appendix  D,  p.  362. 


Cheistianity  and  Statesmanship.  37 

the  deep,  while  he  said  with  a  loud  voice,  ''  Thus, 
with  violence,  shall  Babylon  the  great  be  thrown 
down,  and  be  found  no  more  at  all." 

At  the  close  of  the  first  century  a  series  of 
celestial  messages  were  sent  forth  from  that  same 
isle  of  Patmos  to  the  churches  of  Asia,  warning 
them  against  the  sin  of  departing  from  the  Word 
of  Christ,  and  of  molding  their  doctrines  into  con- 
formity with  a  corrupt  public  opinion ;  at  the 
same  time  pronouncing  the  doom  of  utter  extirpa- 
tion unless  they  should  repent  and  return  to  the 
simplicity  of  their  first  faith  and  their  first  works. 
They  repented  not ;  they  assimilated  themselves  to 
the  worldly  communities  around  them ;  and  be- 
hold, in  due  season,  the  banner  of  the  conquering 
Mohammed  is  unfurled.  His  hostile  armies  sweep 
over  all  the  lands  which  the  feet  of  the  Apostles 
had  trodden  in  the  Eastern  world,  even  with  the 
besom  of  destruction,  and  the  nominally  Christian 
churches,  according  to  the  Word  of  Christ,  were 
cast  out  like  "  salt  that  had  lost  its  savor,"  and 
therefore  "  good  for  nothing,  but  to  be  trodden 
under  foot  of  men."  The  Christianity  of  those 
times  was  not  worth  preserving,  and  in  regard  to 
its  influence  on  the  moral  health  and  weal  of 
society,  the  religion  of  Mohammed,  in  spite  of  all  its 
errors,  was  a  decided  improvement. 

The  ages  roll  on,  and  we  see  that  Western 
Europe  has  received  a  corrupt,  licentious,  and 
military  religion  under  the  name  of  Christianity, 
and  thus  becomes  prepared  to  exhibit  practically 
on  a  broad  theater  a  terrific   illustration  of  the 


38  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

truth  of  those  words  of  Jesus  which  sound  so  much 
in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  this  Psalm :  "  They 
that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword." 
The  nominal  Christianity  of  those  times  had  no 
power  to  regain  her  realm  by  moral  means,  and 
attempted  to  do  it  by  the  hand  of  violence.  Popes, 
kings,  princes,  barons,  knights,  gentlemen,  soldiers, 
monks,  hermits,  tradesmen,  and  peasants  were  all 
aroused  to  move  in  massive  legions  for  the  rescue 
of  Jerusalem  from  the  grasp  of  the  Mohammedan 
infidel,  into  whose  hand  God  had  abandoned  it. 
But  the  voice  of  Providence  sounded  out  a  decree 
like  that  which  fell  upon  the  ear  of  John  from  the 
lips  of  the  mighty  angel,  who,  standing  with  one 
foot  upon  the  sea  and  the  other  upon  the  land, 
lifted  his  hand  toward  heaven,  and  swore  by  Him 
that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  "  The  time  shall  not 
be  yet."  Oh!  what  pen  can  adequately  depict 
the  fearful  scenery  of  those  crusades  in  which 
rank  upon  rank  of  the  Christian  hosts,  millions 
upon  millions,  like  living  waves  of  an  exhaustless 
deep,  poured  themselves  upon  the  shores  of  Asia 
to  be  dashed  to  pieces,  to  perish  there,  and  leave 
only  their  blanched  bones  for  a  memorial !  De- 
spite the  thunders  of  the  Yatican,  the  vows  of 
chivalry,  the  prayers  and  curses  of  the  priesthood, 
the  blended  enthusiasm  of  youth  and  age,  we  have 
lived  to  see  the  Holy  Land  still  owning  the  sway 
of  a  Moslem  scepter.* 
And  among  those  nations  of  "Western  Europe 

*  See  Appendix  E,  p.  365. 


Ohkistianitt  and  Statesmanship.  39 

how  have  their  dynasties,  ever  since  their  recon- 
struction from  the  fragments  of  the  Roman  Empire, 
been  dashed  and  broken  one  against  another! 
Spain  had  her  "  time  of  visitation ;"  the  simple, 
spiritual,  free  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament 
was  offered  to  her,  but  was  resisted  by  her  States- 
manship ;  the  yearnings  of  her  people  after  Chris- 
tian freedom  were  repressed ;  she  became  a  land 
of  inquisitions,  of  martyrs,  of  terror,  and  of  blood. 
She  nourished  the  passions  which  consumed  her; 
and  she,  the  land  of  beauty  and  fertility,  of  riches 
and  of  power,  of  poetry  and  of  song,  is  now  the 
most  abject,  the  weakest  and  basest  of  all  king- 
doms, cherishing  the  mad  ambition  to  recruit  her 
physical  energies  by  drinking  the  blood  of  Africa. 
France  had  her  time  of  visitation  ;  the  same  mes- 
sage was  borne  to  her,  and  it  was  treated  with 
malicious  mockery  by  her  statesmen.  She  crushed 
the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses,  who  loved  and 
preached  the  truth ;  with  one  fell  swoop  she  con- 
signed the  noble  Huguenots  to  a  shameful  death ; 
and  so,  for  the  lack  of  that  balmy,  healthful  influ- 
ence which  was  emanating  from  them,  the  way 
was  prepared  for  that  overwhelming  baptism  of 
blood  which  was  administered  by  the  hands  of  a 
rampant  infidelity  in  the  storms  of  her  revolution. 
The  same  religion  of  Christ's  Word  was  offered  to 
England;  she  gave  it  more  ample  room,  as  is 
shown  by  the  very  existence  of  her  noble  body  of 
'dissenting  churches ;  and  though  its  field  of  action 
has  been  stinted  by  a  blind  hierarchical  Statesman- 
ship, yet  the  elements  of  moral  life  which  it  has 


40  Cheistianity  ant>  Statesmanship. 

diffused  through  the  masses  have  been  the  great 
conservative  power  of  the  English  people,  have, 
saved  them  from  the  chaos  into  which  France  has 
been  plunged,  and  have  been  the  source  of  that 
relative  greatness  which  now  pertains  to  English 
nationality. 

In  its  relation  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ  our  own 
country  occupies  a  peculiar  position  among  the 
nations  of  the  world,  distinguished  as  it  is  for  fur- 
nishing larger  scope  than  others  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a  free  Christianity,  by  means  of  free 
churches  uncontrolled  by  the  craft  of  Statesman- 
ship. And  who  of  us  can  not  see  that  our  national 
destiny  turns  on  the  question,  whether  American 
Christians  shall,  or  shall  not,  be  faithful  to  God 
and  humanity  in  using  aright  this  gift  of  freedom  ? 
If  we,  too,  should  falter  in  our  allegiance  to  the 
supremacy  of  Christ's  revealed  Word  ;  if  we  should 
cease  to  sympathize  with  the  sublime  aims  of  a 
free  Christianity  ;  if  we  should  become  corrupted 
by  the  subtile  spirit  of  skeptical  philosophies,  or 
that  of  Popery,  or  that  of  conservative  tradition- 
ism,  or  that  of  worldly  politics,  which  sometimes 
combines  all  these  evils  in  itself,  we  also  will  lose 
our  moral  coherence,  and  our  unity  as  a  people 
will  be  severed  into  fragments,  and  become  as  the 
*'  chaff  of  the  summer's  threshing-floor,  which  the 
wind  driveth  away."  *  In  this  Word  of  the  Lord 
is  our  hope  ;  it  is  all  our  salvation.  According  to 
the  manner  in  which  we  treat  it,  wull  he  "  magnify 

•  See  Appendix  F,  p.  368. 


Cheistianitt  and  Statesmanship.  41 

it^'  in  our  prosperity  or  our  ruin.  It  can  not  be 
rejected  or  perverted  by  any  soul  with  impunity, 
nor  opposed  by  any  nation  without  its  suffering 
condign  vengeance.  It  can  not  be  withheld  from 
any  class  of  men  without  guilt.  If  it  be  legally 
denied  to  the  poorest  slave,  the  law  which  does  it 
wall  in  due  time  become  a  rod  in  the  hand  of  the 
Messiah  to  smite  and  break  the  States,  which  in 
their  pride  of  power  have  said,  "Let  us  break  his 
bands  asunder,  and  cast  his  cords  away  from  us." 
Whatever  stern  necessities  may  be  deemed  by 
the  legislators  of  slave  States  to  be  grounded  in  the 
law  of  self-preservation,  let  them  see  to  it  that 
every  rational,  immortal  creature  within  the  realm 
of  their  jurisdiction  shall  be  able  to  open  the  eyes 
of  his  mind  to  the  light  of  Heaven,  and  to  lift  up 
his  voice  as  a  voice  of  song  while  he  takes  up  the 
joyous  strain  which  came  from  the  lips  of  a  fet- 
tered Apostle,  when  he  exclaimed,  "  The  word  of 
God  is  not  bound." 

And  what,  O  friends  and  brethren,  what  if  that 
last,  most  fearful  issue  which  a  Christian  patriot 
can  dread  should  befall  us  as  a  nation — what  if  the 
worst  should  come,  and  all  our  hopes  of  a  glorious 
nationality  should  perish  in  the  wreck  of  our  con- 
federacy—  would  the  fortunes  of  Christ's  kingdom 
perish  with  us  ?  "Would  the  last  and  only  hope  of 
humanity  be  buried  in  our  sepulcher  ?  'No ; 
never.  When  the  star  of  Judea  fell  from  the  firma- 
ment, it  seemed  to  many  as  if  the  light  of  true 
religion  had  been  forever  extinguished.  But  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  over  the  gloom  with 


42  CriRTSTTANITY   AND    STATESMANSHIP. 

healing  in  liis  beams.  The  proudest  empires  of 
earth  must  crumble  into  dust,  but  the  kingdom  of 
the  Messiah  shall  have  no  end.  If  Christian 
America  prove  faithless  to  her  high  trust,  "  the 
generations  to  come,"  nevertheless,  will  rehearse 
the  solemn  lesson  of  her  history.  They  will  learn 
more  effectually  than  we  shall  have  done,  what  is 
the  sure  corner-stone  of  a  nation's  welfare,  and  will 
lay  to  heart  the  awful  commentary  which  shall 
then  have  been  furnished  in  another  saying  of  our 
divine  Teacher:  "Whosoever  shall  fall  on  this 
stone  shall  be  broken ;  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall 
fall  it  will  grind  him  to  powder." 

But  of  this  terrible  result  there  need  be  no  serious 
apprehension.  The  cheering  lights  of  prophecy 
and  all  the  analogies  of  history  forbid  the  fear. 
This  continent,  so  wondrously  hidden  from  the  eyes 
of  Europe  till  God's  own  set  time  had  come,  has  not 
been  reserved  to  become  the  scene  of  such  a  gloomy 
ruin.  Brought  to  light  just  when  the  civilization 
of  the  old  world  had  become  effete^  had  been. 
"  weighed  in  the  balances  and  found  wanting,"  the 
foundations  of  a  Christian  Republic  were  laid  on 
these  shores  amid  the  prayers  and  tears  of  faithful 
men,  whose  souls  were  as  serene  in  the  threatening 
tempest  as  in  the  calm  sunshine,  simply  because 
they  believed  in  God.  It  is  ours  to  pursue  the  path 
which  they  opened,  to  work  out  the  glorious  desti- 
nation which  they  saw  by  the  eye  of  faith  ;  and 
surely  we  would  be  the  unworthy  sons  of  such 
sires,  the  unworthy  heirs  of  such  an  inheritance,  if 
we  could  be  scared  away  from  our  exalted  sphere 


Cheistianitt  and  Statesmanship.  43 

of  action  by  the  front  of  battle  lowering  before  ns, 
or  by  the  muttering  thunders  that  roll  around  our 
cloud-covered  horizon. 

But  what  are  the  chief  lessons  which  the  theme 
of  this  great  missionary' ode  suggest  to  us?  Al- 
though we  may  bestow  upon  them  but  a  momentary 
glance,  let  us  not  fail  to  give  to  them  a  serious  con- 
sideration. 

I.  It  is  our  duty,  as  Christian  citizens,  to  acknowl- 
edge practically  the  moral  supremacy  of  Christ  in 
the  personal  relations  which  we  sustain  to  the  civil 
government,  as  really  as  in  any  other  relations 
whatsoever.  "  Christ  or  Caesar?"  This  is  the 
question  which  addresses  itself  to  our  consciences 
in  these  times  as  sternly  as  it  was  addressed  to  the 
consciences  of  men  in  the  first  century  of  the  Chris- 
tian era. 

When  Pontius  Pilate  sat  in  judgment  on  the 
unoffending  Jesus  of  E'azareth,  he  was  conscious  of 
a  hard  struggle  between,  his  heart  and  his  con- 
science. He  saw  that  the  prisoner  was  the  victim 
of  bigotry,  and  that  from  wounded  pride  the  Jewish 
aristocracy  sought  his  death.  On  the  charge  of 
sedition  brought  against  Christ,  Pilate  poured  de- 
served contempt.  After  a  full  examination  of  the 
case,  he  exclaimed,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  him." 
Nevertheless,  when  the  cry  was  raised,  "  If  thou 
let  this  man  go,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend,"  the 
ruling  passion  of  the  Poman  governor  was  success- 
fully addressed  ;  ambition  swept  all  before  it ;  the 
love  of  honor  made  him  a  moral  coward ;  he  cringed 
before  the  priesthood  and  their  hired  mob,  whom  he 


44  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

alike  despised,  and  abandoned  Christ  from  the  fear 
of  displeasing  Csesar. 

This  event  was  the  chief  era  of  Pilate's  history, 
and  may  have  been  the  turning-point  of  his  destiny. 
A  similar  probation,  However,  is  still  allotted  unto 
men,  and  to  the  hearts  of  all  the  hour  of  temptation 
still  brings  home  the  question,  Christ  or  Csesar? 
The  Statesman  in  his  elevated  sphere  of  action  is  still 
obliged  to  face  the  alternatives,  to  hear  its  voice, 
and  to  give  the  answer  which  shall  be  for  weal  or 
woe.  The  citizen,  as  he  approaches  the  ballot-box, 
hesitating  between  the  call  of  duty  and  the  clamor 
of  party,  when  he  casts  his  vote,  gives  the  reply 
which  determines  his  position  as  a  servant  of  God 
or  Mammon,  of  Christ  or  Caesar.  The  legislator, 
when  he  lifts  his  hand  as  the  sign  of  a  final  decision 
on  some  grave  measure  which  involves  far-reaching 
moral  consequences,  is  forced,  no  less  than  was 
Pontius  Pilate,  to  choose  whether  he  will  obey  the 
truthful  oracle  within  him,  or  will  shrink  before  the 
terror  of  that  party-cry,  "  Thou  art  not  Csesar's 
friend."  In  the  history  of  nations,  it  is  a  rare  case 
to  find  Statesmanship  on  the  side  of  Christ  and  his 
cause,  but  it  has  generally  verified  the  saying  attri- 
buted by  ancient  prophecy  to  the  rulers  of  the 
earth :  "  Let  us  break  his  bands  asunder,  and  cast 
away  his  cords  from  us." 

In  the  days  of  Pilate,  the  leading  power  of  the 
world  whose  claims  were  in  conflict  with  those  of 
Christ  was  the  imperial  power  of  Pome.  It  was 
all-pervading,  and  touched  all  relationships  in  civil 
and  religious  things.    To  be  a  Christian,  a  man 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  45 

needed  a  true  martyr  spirit,  which  would  lead  him  to 
count  not  even  life  dear  to  himself,  so  that  he  might 
be  faithful  to  his  Master.  In  spite  of  such  high 
demands,  the  new  religion  conquered,  and  gained 
mighty  hosts  of  converts  from  every  rank  and  class 
of  men.  The  Apostle  who  said,  "  "We  wrestle  with 
principalities,  and  powers,  and  spiritual  wickedness 
in  high  places,"  could  add,  nevertheless,  "  JSTow 
thanks  be  to  God  who  always  causeth  us  to  tri- 
umph." 

In  our  own  time  and  land,  the  leading  power 
whose  claims  come  in  conflict  with  those  of  Christ  is 
the  Slave-Power.  Throughout  this  country  its  influ- 
ence is  pervasive.  In  its  practical  workings  we  see 
three  hundred  thousand  men  ruling  twenty  millions, 
with  a  despotism  as  subtile  and  complete  as  that  of 
the  English  aristocracy  which  sways  the  masses  of 
our  father-land.  Within  its  own  realm  it  is  the  foe 
of  common  schools,  of  a  free  press,  and  aims  to  keep 
the  majority  of  the  whites  in  a  state  of  ignorance, 
lest  they  should  verify  the  adage  that  "  knowledge 
is  power."  It  subordinates  the  federal  government 
to  its  own  purposes,  and  uses  the  physical  force  of 
the  free  States  to  hold  slaves  in  subjection.  It  has 
long  done  violence  to  the  spirit  of  the  age  and  the 
moral  sentiment  of  the  North  by  insisting  that  the 
District  of  Columbia,  the  common  territory  around 
the  Capitol,  should  be  a  public  slave-market.  It 
still  enlarge th  itself;  it  breaks  solemn  compacts  at 
its  pleasure ;  it  fortifies  a  terrible  system  of  slavery- 
propagandism  within  the  bulwarks  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, and  aspires  to  rule  a  continent  that  shall  ulti 


46  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

mately  give  law  to  the  world.*  In  regard  to  all 
the  principles  and  schemes  of  such  a  power,  every 
man  among  us  is  responsible  to  God  for  the  ex- 
pression of  his  opinion,  the  exercise  of  his  influence, 
the  casting  of  his  vote ;  and  in  every  case  where 
action  is  necessary,  every  man  must  meet  the  alter- 
native involved  in  the  question,  "  Wilt  thou  obey 
the  law  of  Christ  or  of  Csesar  ?"  In  the  moment 
of  decisive  action,  Pontius  Pilate  officially  aban- 
doned Christ,  and  yielded  to  what  he  thought  to  be 
the  demand  of  Csesar,  then  called  for  a  bowl  of 
water,  washed  his  hands,  and  disclaimed  his  guilt ! 
But  water  could  not  cleanse  him  from  the  moral 
stain  that  was  upon  his  soul ;  and  :whosoever  now 
imitates  his  style  of  action  by  sacrificing  right  to 
expediency  may  see  the  time  when  he  will  exclaim, 
"  If  I  wash  myself  with  snow-water,  and  make  my 
hands  never  so  clean,  yet  shalt  Thou  plunge  me  in 
the  ditch,  and  my  own  clothes  shall  abhor  me." 

C83sar !  who  and  where  is  he  ?  Once  the  name 
denoted  the  power  which  found  its  impersonation 
in  Nero  or  Domitian.  These  men  have  died,  but 
the  rule  of  Csesar  is  not  dead.  The  dominant  power 
of  the  world  around  us,  which  regards  the  law  and 
the  spirit  of  the  world  as  supreme,  is  the  real  anti- 
Christian  Csesar,  whatever  titles  it  may  wear.  In 
some  places  Wealth  is  the  reigning  power  which 
rules  public  opinion  and  gains  the  homage  of 
society.  In  others.  Fashion  is  enthroned,  makes 
genius  her  prime-minister,  and  receives  the  worship 
-  «  * 

*  See  Appendix,  G,  p.  372. 


Cheistianity  and  Statesmanship.  47 

of  the  multitude.  "Whatever  form  the  government 
of  Caesar  may  assume,  in  many  things  it  will  come 
into  collision  with  the  government  of  Heaven,  so 
that  the  true  Christian  has  daily  need  to  remember 
the  maxim  of  his  Master,  "  Render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  that  are  Csesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things 
that  are  God's." 

II.  It  becomes  the  churches  of  this  land  to  regard 
with  an  interest,  more  concentrated  and  intense 
than  has  yet  been  seen,  the  evangelization  of  this 
continent  considered  in  its  relation  to  the  ultimate 
triumph  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.  "We  have  seen 
that  the  great  outward  antagonism  to  the  benign 
aims  of  Christianity  is  found  in  that  organization 
of  social  power  which  takes  the  form  of  political 
government,  in  the  administration  of  which  the  few 
rule  the  many,  and  close  every  avenue  through 
which  the  light  of  truth  can  reach  the  masses  of 
the  people.  But  it  is  our  happy  fortune  to  live  in 
a  land  where  the  ruling  power  is  wielded  by  the 
people  themselves.  Here  this  old  antagonism  can 
exist  but  in  a  comparatively  limited  degree ;  for, 
although  trading  politicians,  senators,  and  repre- 
sentatives may  betray  their  trusts,  as  they  have 
sometimes  done,  the  people  still  hold  the  remedy 
in  their  own  hands.  Here  public  opinion  is  a 
power  behind  all  organized  forms  of  government, 
and  it  can  make  or  break  these  forms  at  its  pleasure. 
Here,  midway  between  the  two  great  oceans  of  the 
globe,  is  a  continent  exhibiting  a  spectacle-  the  like 
of  which  the  sun  never  shone  upon  before.  Here 
Christianity  has  her  chosen  way  of  operation  by 


48  Cheistianitt  and  Statesmanship. 

direct  appeal  to  the  individual,  and  by  direct  access 
to  the  millions  without  "  let  or  hindrance."  "Was 
there  ever  a  time  or  place  that  opened  to  the  friends 
of  truth  such  a  bright  career  ?  Did  God  ever  call 
with  stronger  emphasis  to  his  people  than  he  does 
to  every  one  of  us,  saying,  "  Son,  go  work  to-day 
in  my  vineyard  ?"  Who  does  not  see  that  the  grand 
business  assigned  to  us  is  that  which  was  of  old  re- 
garded as  the  primary  business  of  every  disciple 
and  every  church :  the  diffusion  of  a  pure  Chris- 
tianity among  these  millions  teeming  with  life, 
hope,  and  joyous  energy?  Let  but  the  hills  and 
valleys,  the  fields  and  prairies,  the  towns  and  cities 
of  this  continent  be  thickly  set  with  self-governed 
churches,  acting  in  concert  to  do  the  great  Master's 
work,  and  then  shall  we  be  a  self-governed  nation, 
before  the  outgoings  of  whose  influence  the  schemes 
of  despotism  and  idolatry  that  have  so  long  cursed 
the  earth  shall  give  way,  just  as  the  icy  solitudes 
of  the  north  are  melted  beneath  a  summer's  sun, 
are  clad  in  robes  of  beauty,  and  echo  the  carol  of 
birds  and  the  song  of  the  reaper. 

And  yet,  far  be  it  from  us  to  intimate  that  the 
enlarged  missionary  spirit  that  aims  directly  at  the 
evangelization  of  the  world  is  to  be  at  all  repressed 
in  subordination  to  any  narrow  economy  touching 
what  we  are  wont  to  call  the  "  Home-field."  Our 
Lord  himself  has  said,  "  The  field  is  the  world,"  and 
his  great  commission  commends  the  wants  of  the 
world  at  large  to  the  heart  of  every  disciple.  The 
expansive  love  that  takes  the  weal  of  our  whole 
common  humanity  within  its  scope  is  the  only 


Christianity  and  Statesmanship.  49 

element  of  moral  power  adequate  to  the  emergencies 
that  confront  ns  within  our  far-reaching  borders. 
Let  but  the  comprehensive  missionary  spirit  that 
prays  and  toils  at  once  for  the  whole  of  Heathendom 
be  stinted  to  a  narrower  sphere,  and  it  would  lan- 
guish for  the  want  of  genial  aliment.  God  is  mag- 
nanimous, and  he  honors  magnanimity.  ''  Attempt 
great  things,  expect  great  things,"  and  you  will 
surely  achieve  them.  Attempt  little  things,  expect 
little  things,  and  you  will  not  get  even  these ;  for, 
"  to  him  that  hath  shall  more  be  given,  but  from 
him  that  hath  not  shall  be  taken  away  even  that 
which  he  seemeth  to  have."  Let  our  churches  turn 
away  their  eyes  and  hearts  from  the  Heathen 
nations,  and  they  will  not  have  the  moral  force 
that  is  needed  for  the  rough  work  at  home ;  let 
them  encourage  the  generous  impulses  of  their  sons 
and  daughters  for  foreign  conquests  to  the  cause  of 
Christ,  and  the  re-acting  influence  of  the  enterprise 
abroad  will  inspire  the  hosts  at  home  with  a  kin- 
dred spirit,  and  invest  the  whole  array  with  a 
power  that  will  mock  resistance. 

HL  Li  relation  to  the  work  before  us,  it  becomes 
us  to  guard  against  a  two-fold  error  to  which  we 
may  be  liable.  Let  us  beware  on  the  one  hand  of 
being  elated  by  expectations  of  an  easy  service  and 
rapid  victories ;  let  us  beware  on  the  other  hand 
of  being  discouraged  by  apparent  reverses,  by 
"hope  long  deferred,"  or  by  shouts  of  triumph  in 
the  camps  of  the  enemy.  There  are  certain  popular 
modes  of  speech  in  which  we  may  be  prone  to  in- 
dulge, touching  the   "  age  of  progress"  in  which 


50  Cheistianitt  and  Statesmanship. 

we  live — the  triumphs  of  science  and  art  in  this 
nineteenth  century.  These  animating  words  are 
sometimes  spoken  as  if  intended  to  suggest  the  be- 
lief that  the  mountains  are  so  fallen  and  the  valleys 
so  exalted,  that  a  broad  and  smooth  highway  is 
opened,  along  which  the  Church  may  march  as  on 
a  gala-day,  to  take  possession  of  an  Eden  as  her 
heritage.  Is  there  not  danger  of  an  illusion  here  ? 
These  mighty  agencies,  to  be  sure,  are  changing 
the  face  of  nature  and  the  interior  relations  of 
mankind ;  but  they  can  not  regenerate  the  heart, 
they  can  not  sanctify  or  save.  They  are,  no  doubt, 
imparting  power  to  the  people,  and  sapping  the 
thrones  of  despotism. 

But  suppose  that  by  the  wielding  of  some 
magical  wand  we  could  dissolve  the  despotisms  of 
the  earth  to-day,  without  the  moral  regulation  of 
pure  Christianity  society  would  blindly  rush  into 
that  state  of  anarchy  from  which  it  would  again 
blindly  seek  relief  beneath  the  wings  of  imperial 
power.  Democracy  itself  would  reel  with  the  in- 
toxication of  atheistical  philosophies  and  of  a 
worldly  spirit,  fulfilling  the  sentence  of  the  proph- 
et :  "  They  are  drunk,  but  not  with  wine ;  they 
stagger,  but  not  with  strong  drink."  The  demon 
of  rebellious  passion  in  the  human  heart  can  not 
be  charmed  out  of  it  by  intellectual  culture,  nor  by 
the  richest  abundance  of  physical  good  that  Four- 
ierism  can  crave.  A  free  distribution  of  the  elements 
of  wealth  will  not  make  spendthrifts  rich,  nor  will 
the  finest  physical  condition  that  art  can  reach 
make  a  peaceful  and  happy  world.     Ko;  never. 


Chkistianity  and  Statesmanship.  51 

The  gospel  alone  can  accomplish  this.  But  let  it 
be  remembered  that  the  gospel  is  a  remedy  that 
the  disordered  soul  does  not  naturally  love,  that  it 
is  ours  to  press  this  remedy  on  hearts  that  repel  it ; 
and  to  do  this  in  spite  of  the  lying  cheats,  the 
spells  and  sorceries,  with  which  many  a  vaunting 
superstition  and  many  a  godless  philosophy  are 
united  to  baffle  us.  Can  this  be  an  easy  service  ? 
Shall  it  be  thought  strange  if  the  contest  be  long ; 
if,  to  the  eye  of  sense,  the  issue  seem  often  doubt- 
ful, or  even  if,  now  and  then,  the  opposing  hosts 
shall  raise  the  laugh  of  scorn,  or  renew  the  taunt- 
ing songs  of  Gath  and  Askelon  ? 

Still,  let  none  be  discouraged  by  temporary  de- 
feats; by  portentous  signs  in  the  political  firma- 
ment. The  Saviour  has  bidden  us  to  anticipate 
them.  He  predicted  moral  earthquakes,  convul- 
sions, wars,  and  tumults,  but  said  to  his  disciples, 
"  Be  ye  not  troubled."  If  any  supposed  that  these 
terrible  prophecies  related  only  to  the  lifetime  of 
the  Apostles,  the  revelations  of  Patmos  were  suffi- 
cient to  undeceive  them ;  for  however  dark  may 
be  their  interpretation,  evidently  they  take  a 
mighty  sweep  of  revolving  ages  within  their  scope. 
Even  now  the  Eastern  skies  are  vailed  in  murky 
gloom,  and  fearful  signs  portend  those  gathering 
storms  which  shall  rock  empires  to  their  base  ! 

Whatsoever  turn  may  be  given  to  the  course  of 
events  now  in  process,  the  attempt  of  Kussia  to 
extort  from  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  a  concession 
which  shall  involve  an  acknowledgment  of  the 
Czar's  assumed  position  as  protector  of  the  Greek 


j52  Cheistianity  and  Statesmanship. 

churches  in  the  Ottoman  Empire,  indicates  a  pro- 
found and  deliberate  policy  on  the  part  of  the 
strongest  despotism  in  Europe  to  bring  the  relig- 
ious sentiment  of  mankind,  as  far  as  it  may  be  pos- 
sible, into  complete  and  perpetual  subjection  to 
the  imperial  will.  It  denotes  the  sleepless  vigil- 
ance and  the  far-reaching  forethought  with  which 
the  accursed  union  of  Church  and  State  is  guarded, 
and  with  which  the  slightest  tendencies  toward 
religious  liberty  are  resisted.  For  it  is  not  be- 
cause the  rights  of  Greek  Christians  in  Turkey  are 
invaded,  that  the  Autocrat  of  the  ITorth  has  become 
alarmed,  but  it  is  because  the  liberal  government 
of  the  Sultan  is  fast  opening  the  way  for  the  growth 
of  a  spirit  of  independence  among  the  people,  and 
that  with  that  spirit  of  freedom,  a  natural  senti- 
ment of  aversion  to  Russian  despotism  is  spreading 
among  the  Greeks  themselves.  These  feel  them- 
selves to  be  "  the  rising  nation  of  the  East."  The 
enterprise  of  their  publishers  is  extraordinary  ;  the 
popular  literature  of  Europe  is  circulated  by  the 
Greek  press,  and  two-thirds  of  the  students  in  the 
University  of  Athens  are  subjects  of  the  Sultan, 
professing  the  Greek  religion.  Who  can  estimate 
the  enlightening  and  liberalizing  influences  which 
flow  from  these  sources  throughout  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  Turkish  dominion  ?  And  who  does  not  see 
how  mightily  these  influences  must  tend  to  weaken 
those  bonds  of  sympathy  between  the  Greek  Chris- 
tians of  Turkey  and  the  Greek  Church  of  Russia, 
which  the  court  of  St.  Petersburg  so  greatly  de- 
sires to  strengthen?     Unless  these  influences  can 


CirRISTIANITY    AND   STATESMANSHIP.  .      53 

be  arrested,  Eussia  well  knows  that  her  cherished 
hopes  of  obtaining  a  firm  grasp  of  the  Ottoman 
Empire,  by  the  agency  of  the  Greek  Christians 
within  its  borders,  must  be  ultimately  blasted. 
Yexed  and  exasperated  because  he  has  not  been  able 
to  establish  an  efficient  espionage  against  the  spread 
of  liberal  ideas  in  Turkey,  the  Czar  has  at  last 
resolved  to  risk  every  thing  for  one  mighty  efibrt  in 
behalf  of  religious  consolidation.  Hence  it  is  that 
he  has  put  forth  his  claim  to  the  political  pro- 
tectorate of  the  Greek  religion.  Hence  it  is  that 
Prince  Menschikoff  has  spoken  of  the  "  Catholico- 
Greco-Kussian  worship  of  the  Eastern  Church," 
and  thus  has  employed  a  phrase  which  the  Greek 
Patriarch  of  Constantinople  resented  on  account 
of  its  breathing  a  spirit  of  usurpation.  These 
schemings  of  Muscovite  diplomacy,  be  assured,  are 
"  no  child's  play,"  nor  the  mere  amusement  for  the 
leisure  hours  of  princes ;  but  they  are  parts  of  a 
profound  plan  that  is  worthy  of  the  grandeur  of 
imperial  genius.  May  Heaven  interpose,  as  of  old, 
to  baffle  the  counsels  of  the  mighty,  so  that  the 
chariot-wheels  of  their  policy  shall  drag  heavily, 
and  the  wise  be  caus^ht  in  their  own  craftiness. 

A  little  while  before  our  Lord  left  the  earth  in 
a  visible  form.  He  told  his  disciples  that  the  Psalms 
spake  of  Him.  Here  is  brought  to  view  this  first 
Messianic  Psalm,  and  we  perceive  that  its  sound  is 
like  that  of  a  heavenly  oracle  answering  the  cry  of 
a  perplexed  inquirer,  who  asks  with  faltering  lips, 
from  amid  scenes  of  gloom,  "  Watchman,  what  of 
the  night  ?"    It  tells  of  a  long,  dreary,  stormy  night 


54  Christianity  and  Statesmanship. 

of  arduous  contest.  But,  then,  it  hails  the  sign  of 
promise.  It  descries  the  gleam  of  morning  ;  it  re- 
joices in  the  effulgence  of  a  glorious  day ;  it  ends 
with  a  song  of  triumph.  It  directs  the  downcast 
eye  of  a  desponding  soul  to  the  supremacy  of 
Christ  as  the  rock  of  its  rest.  "  Blessed  are  all 
they  that  trust  in  Him."  Let  this  sentiment  dwell 
deeply  in  our  hearts  and  throw  out  its  cheerful 
sunlight  around  us.  Fear  not  the  portents  of  a 
threatening  sky,  for  He  liveth,  and  is  "  Head  over 
all  things  to  the  Church."  Where  he  bids  us  go, 
let  us  go  ;  what  he  bids  us  do,  let  ns  do  it.  Let 
our  whole  life-work  be  as  an  anthem  of  faith,  taking 
its  key-note  from  this  song  of  salvation.  Ye  shall 
not  labor  in  vain.  "  For,  if  ye  be  Christ's,  the 
day  shall  be  yours  ;"  yea,  "  all  things  are  yours," 
because  He  is  the  heir  of  the  universe,  and  "  ye 
are  joint-heirs  with  Him." 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  TURKISH  POWER. 


The  subject  of  this  lecture  has  been  suggested 
by  the  leading  event  of  the  passing  season.  For 
several  months  the  attention  of  the  civilized  world 
has  been  turned  toward  Constantinople.  The  old 
Queen  City  of  the  East  has  loomed  up  anew  within 
the  scope  of  general  observation,  and  has  been,  as 
she  was  wont  to  be  of  old,  the  chief  centre  of  polit- 
ical interest,  enfolding  in  her  doubtful  destiny  the 
cherished  hopes  of  the  Moslem  races,  and  the  for- 
tunes of  Europe.  It  is  a  fact  still  fresh  in  the 
memory  of  all  of  us,  that  when  the  report  of  the 
signal-gun,  heralding  the  newly-arrived  steamer, 
reverberated  along  our  shores,  every  ear  was  intent 
to  catch  the  first  announcement  of  the  news  from 
Paris,  where  it  was  long  an  undetermined  question 
whether  the  sovereign  ruler  of  thirty  millions 
should  be  called  a  president  or  an  emperor ;  but 
now  the  volcanic  fires  that  roll  in  the  depths  of 
that  great  political  crater  are  in  comparative  re- 
pose ;  the  scene  of  the  grand  European  drama  of 


56  Cheistianitt  and  Turkish  Power. 

the  nineteenth  century  is  removed  from  the  border 
of  the  Seine  to  that  of  the  Bosphorus,  where  the 
royal  heir  of  a  power  that  was  once  the  terror  of 
Christendom  asks  counsel  for  his  safety,  and  rallies 
for  mortal  combat  the  last  energies  of  a  decay- 
ing empire.  In  the  year  1453,  his  great  ancestor, 
Mohammed  II.,  amid  the  storm  of  battle,  solemnly 
swore  that  he  would  find  either  a  throne  or  a  grave 
in  Constantinople  ;  after  a  lapse  of  four  centuries, 
in  the  year  1853,  the  youthful  Abdul  Medjid  has 
solemnly  sworn  that  he  will  yield  no  more  to  the 
demands  of  Russian  despotism,  but  that  he  will 
maintain  against  the  Northern  Czar  the  rights  of 
his  sovereignty,  or  be  buried  beneath  its  ruins.  All 
honor  to  the  brave  !  The  spectacle  is  sublime.  God 
speed  the  right ! 

The  rise,  progress,  and  present  position  of  the 
Turks  in  Europe  present  to  us  a  wide  field  of  ob- 
servation, which  deserves  to  be  regarded  with  more 
than  ordinary  interest.  To  a  lecturer  it  displays  an 
aspect  that  is  at  once  attractive  and  perilous.  The 
attraction  lies  in  the  relative  importance  and  the 
practical  bearings  of  the  subject  itself.  The  peril 
lies  in  the  difficulty  of  bringing  a  subject  so  vast 
and  so  many-sided  within  the  limits  assigned  to  a 
single  discourse,  so  that  it  shall  have  an  impress  of 
unity,  shall  stand  clearly  forth  in  its  own  individ- 
uality of  character,  and  be  made  to  subserve  the. 
purposes  of  entertainment  and  i^tility.  Many  a  lec- 
turer who  has  attempted  a  subject  requiring  histori- 
cal illustration,  or  has  attempted  to  discourse  direct- 
•  ly  on  history  itself,  has  felt  his  mind  glowing  with 


Christianity  and  Tuekish  Powee.  57 

warmth  that  he  could  not  impart,  and  has  utterly 
failed  of  his  aim  because  he  has  forgotten  that  an 
array  of  facts,  dates,  and  names,  although  very 
proper  for  a  school-room,  are  out  of  place  in  a  lec- 
ture-room ;  that  to  those  who  have  already  studied 
the  subject,  such  an  enumeration  is  tedious,  and 
that  to  others  it  conveys  scarcely  a  ray  of  new  light 
or  a  particle  of  useful  information.  It  is  not  an 
agreeable  situation  in  which  an  audience  finds  it- 
self when  a  speaker,  whom  it  is  their  aim  to  follow, 
becomes  lost  from  view  in  the  mazes  of  recondite  re- 
search, or  swamped  in  a  bog  of  uncertain  speculation. 
It  is  my  wish,  however,  to  exhibit  the  original  es- 
TABLisBBiENT  in  conncction  with  the  present  position 
of  the  Turks  in  Europe  by  means  of  such  historical 
lights  as  I  may  be  able  to  throw  around  it,  so  far  as 
they  may  enliven  our  conceptions  of  the  real  im- 
portance of  the  present  crisis,  or  aid  in  forming  an 
opinion  as  to  the  course  of  events  which  is  now 
hastening  forward  to  some  great  consummation 
that  shall  hereafter  be  regarded  as  a  memorable 
epoch.  With  this  view,  let  me  ask  you  to  accom- 
pany me  in  imagination  to  a  distant  scene  which 
may  furnish  a  stand-point  from  which  to  survey 
with  advantage  the  historical  landscape  that  lies 
before  us. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1839  it  was  my  fortune 
to  pass  a  few  weeks  in  Constantinople.  Our  late 
countryman,  Mr.  Khodes,  was  then  acting  as  naval 
constructor  to  the  Sultan,  being  in  that  office  the 
successor  of  Henry  Eckford,  of  ITew  York.  While 
walking  one  day  in  the  navy  yard  in  company  with 


58  Chkistianitt  and  Turkish  Powee. 

Mr.  Rhodes,  mj  attention  was  drawn  to  a  youth  of 
delicate  frame  and  somewhat  languid  air,  who  was 
amusing  himself,  as  bojs  are  wont,  in  roving  about 
among  the  curious  objects  of  the  place,  and  in  witness- 
ing the  din  and  stir  of  the  workmen's  operations.  It 
was  Abdul  Medjid,  the  present  reigning  Sultan,  who 
was  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  is  now,  therefore, 
but  a  little  over  thirty ;  a  youthful  sovereign  certain- 
ly, considering  the  difficulties  with  which  he  is  call- 
ed to  grapple,  the  skill,  tact,  and  force  of  character 
which  his  emergencies  now  demand.  It  was  then 
a  prevailing  sentiment  in  Constantinople,  that  if 
the  young  prince  should  be  deprived  of  his  father 
in  early  life,  his  reign  would  be  a  stormy  one  ;  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  expected  that  the  old  factious  dis- 
cords would  break  forth  afresh,  and  that  Russia 
would  embrace  the  earliest  opportunity  to  find  a 
pretext  for  war,  in  order  to  realize  the  aim  of  her 
ambition  to  possess  a  city  of  which  the  Emperor 
Alexander  was  wont  to  say,  "  It  is  the  key  of  my 
house." 

On  the  following  day  I  was  favored  with  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  father  of  Abdul  Medjid, 
the  Sultan  Mahmoud,  who  was  generally  ac- 
knowledged to  be  the  most  talented  and  accom- 
plished sovereign  in  Europe.  At  that  time  he  was 
earnestly  engaged,  by  the  aid  of  American  skill,  in 
enlarging  his  navy,  and  was  pursuing  his  object 
with  the  ardor  of  an  absorbing  passion.  On  Fri- 
day, the  fifth  of  April,  1839,  a  large  war-ship, 
pierced  for  240  guns,  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
worldj  after  having  received  some  repairs,  was  to 


CHEISTIANIXr    AND   TuEKISH    PoWEJi.  59 

be  towed  from  the  navy  dock  into  the  stream  ;  and 
the  hour  was  set  so  that  the  Sultan  might  be  pres- 
ent on  his  return  from  the  mosque  to  the  palace. 
Mr.  Rhodes  kindly  informed  us  of  the  appointment, 
and  placed  us  in  a  favorable  situation  for  witness- 
ing the  spectacle.  At  one  o'clock,  several  boats 
filled  with  Turkish  officers  were  seen  gliding  rapid- 
ly toward  the  dock ;  and  soon  afterward  the  Sultan 
appeared  in  his  state-barge,  seated  on  a  cushion 
beneath  a  gorgeous  silk  umbrella  which  was  held 
over  him  by  his  attendants.  The  barge  itself  was 
elegantly  constructed  on  the  model  of  a  Turkish 
caic,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length, 
glittering  with  burnished  gold,  and  impelled  by 
forty  oarsmen  of  distinguished  skill,  whose  noble 
forms  were  shown  to  great  advantage  by  their 
beautiful  costume.  As  the  barge  reached  its  des- 
tination, the  sovereign  arose,  stepped  forward  with 
a  quick  and  graceful  movement,  and  took  his  posi- 
tion with  his  retinue  under  a  canopy  of  blue  silk 
spread  over  the  pavement  of  the  dock-yard.  His 
form  and  mien  seemed  fully  to  realize  one's  finest 
conception  of  embodied  majesty.  He  wore  a  red 
cap  fringed  with  blue,  a  blue  cloak,  and  white 
gloves.  He  walked  about  near  the  ship,  conversed 
respecting  her  in  an  animated  manner,  and  seemed 
to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  occasion.  His  fea- 
tures fully  expressed  a  strongly-marked  character. 
They  were  regularly  formed.  His  large,  black, 
piercing  eye  beneath  a  finely  arched  brow — his 
mouth  indicative  of  persuasiveness  and  firmness, 
his    complexion    somewhat    pale,   yet   apparently 


60  Cheistianitt  and  Turkish  Powee. 

beariDg  the  hue  of  health,  his  dark,  flowing  beard 
sweeping  his  breast,  in  unison  with  a  grand  and 
well-proportioned  frame  befitting  royalty,  consti- 
tuted an  image  of  manly  beauty  that  could  proudly 
endure  the  scrutiny  of  the  rudest  or  the  most  culti- 
vated taste. 

In  the  society  of  my  friend,  Hon.  S.  G.  Arnold, 
of  Rhode  Island,  together  with  a  group  of  travelers 
and  residents,  an  hour  had  been  passed  in  waiting 
for  his  arrival,  during  which  time  the  conversation 
turned  on  the  eventful  history  of  this  extraordinary 
man.  From  his  earlier  years  he  had  braved  the 
etorms  of  adversity.  While  yet  an  infant,  he  had 
been  bereaved  of  his  father,  the  Sultan  Abdul 
Hamid,  who  died  in  the  year  1Y88,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Selim,  cousin  of  Mahmoud,  the  oldest 
male  heir  to  the  throne.  Selim  is  distinguished  in 
history  as  the  first  Sultan  who  had  a  clear  concep- 
tion of  the  absolute  necessity  of  adjusting  the  polit- 
ical and  social  state  of  Turkey  into  harmony  with 
the  progressive  spirit  of  the  age.  He  projected  a 
plan  of  reform  ;  but  with  his  clear  intellect,  nature 
had  not  endowed  him  with  the  nerve  and  force  of 
will  essential  to  executive  genius.  The  Janizaries 
ruled  in  Constantinople,  just  as  the  old  Praetorian 
Guard  once  ruled  in  Rome,  when  it  made  emperors 
mere  puppets  to  carry  out  its  decrees.  As  soon  as 
this  proud,  rude,  military  order  caught  a  glimpse 
of  Selim's  plans  of  reform,  they  deposed  him,  and 
elevated  the  only  brother  of  Mahmoud,  Mustapha 
lY.,  whose  weak  and  pliant  character  furnished  a 
guarantee  of  their  supremacy.     This  was  accom- 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  gi 

plished  in  the  year  1807,  when  the  old  Janizary 
power  won  its  last  triumph. 

From  this  era  the  course  of  events  became  pre- 
cipitous. On  the  banks  of  the  Danube  there  was 
then  residing  the  ruler  of  a  province  who  stood  first 
in  rank  among  the  military  chiefs  of  the  empire. 
This  was  another  Mustapha,  surnamed  Bairactar, 
or  standard-bearer,  the  Pacha  of  Kudschuk.  He 
resolved  that  Selim  should  be  restored  to  his  throne, 
and  the  Janizaries  subjected  or  destroyed.  He 
marched  with  an  army  of  40,000  men,  chiefly  Al- 
banians, upon  Constantinople,  and  by  a  well-con- 
certed movement  came  suddenly  thundering  against 
the  gates  of  the  Seraglio,  where  the  deposed  mon- 
arch was  confined.  He  boldly  forced  his  way,  and 
having  reached  the  third  gate,  demanded  the  ap- 
pearance of  Selim,  when  the  eunuchs  of  Mustapha 
threw  the  corpse  of  Selim  before  him,  saying,  "  Be- 
hold the  Sultan  whom  ye  seek."  Bairactar,  moved 
with  grief,  threw  himself  on  the  corpse  with  loud 
and  bitter  lamentations,  until  he  was  reminded  that 
it  was  then  no  time  for  tears,  but  for  vengeance. 
He  rushed  forward  with  his  men  into  the  presence- 
chamber  of  Mustapha,  whom  he  found  sitting  on  his 
throne,  as  on  a  gala  day,  surrounded  with  his  high 
officers  of  state.  The  victorious  rebel,  far  from 
being  overawed,  dragged  Mustapha  from  his  impe- 
rial seat,  saying,  "What  dost  thou  there?  yield  thy 
place  to  a  worthier.''  That  hour  ended  the  brief 
reign  of  Mustapha,  and  on  that  night  the  cannon 
of  the  Seraglio  announced  to  Constantinoj)le  the 
enthronement  of  his  brother  Mahmoud. 


62  Cheistianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

But  Mahmoud  himself  had  narrowly  escaped  a 
violent  death  by  fratricidal  hands.  Amid  the  ex- 
citing scenes  of  the  day  it  had  occurred  to  Musta- 
pha  that  by  the  murder  of  his  brother  Mahmoud  he 
would  be  himself  the  last  and  only  prince  of  the 
Ottoman  race ;  that  thus  his  person  would  be  ren- 
dered inviolable,  inasmuch  as  the  Turk,  who  has  no 
reverence  for  persons^  has  the  most  profound  relig- 
ious reverence  for  the  sacred  dynasty.  Eager  to 
possess  himself  of  such  "  a  charmed  life,"  he  gave 
orders  for  the  execution  of  his  brother;  but  the 
doomed  prince  was  nowhere  to  be  found :  a  faith- 
ful slave  had  concealed  him  in  the  furnace  of  a 
bath ;  his  hiding-place  was  not  discovered,  and 
after  the  lapse  of  a  few  hours  he  arose  from  his 
miserable  prison  to  an  ancestral  throne  which  he 
was  destined  to  establish  on  new  and  firmer  foun- 
dations. Ere  long  the  counselors  of  Mahmoud 
put  Mustapha  to  death ;  and  thus  Mahmoud  him- 
self, as  the  sole  representative  of  the  Ottoman  race, 
was  endowed  with  that  "charmed  life"  which 
threw  its  potent  spell  over  the  millions  of  his  sub- 
jects, and  inspired  him  with  courage  to  dare  the 
worst  in  carrying  out  that  line  of  policy  to  which 
the  amiable  Selim  had  been  made  a  sacrifice. 

The  first  great  achievement  of  Mahmoud  was  the 
reduction  of  the  pachas,  who  ruled  the  provinces, 
into  settled  and  harmonious  relations  with  his  im- 
perial throne.  They  had  aimed  at  a  kind  of  reck- 
less independency,  and  had  reigned  over  their  ter- 
ritories with  a  savage  despotism,  somewhat  like  the 
feudal  lords  of  France  in  the  middle  ages.    Devoid 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  G3 

of  public  spirit,  they  acted  on  the  most  narrow 
and  selfish  maxims,  and  their  mutual  jealousies 
weakened  the  whole  fabric  of  the  empire.  He 
marked  out,  more  clearly  than  had  been  done  be- 
fore, the  bounds  of  their  authority,  and  brought 
them  into  a  state  of  closer  dependence  on  the  cen- 
tral government.  Badly  as  the  pachalics  have 
always  been  managed,  the  changes  which  he  intro- 
duced into  their  administration  were  real  improve- 
ments. 

He  next  approached  the  dread  alternative  that 
now  lay  directly  before  him  ;  the  thorough  reform- 
ation^ or  rather  extirpation  of  that  Janizary  power 
which  had  for  ages  ruled  and  now  threatened  to  ruin 
all  the  interests  of  the  empire.  On  account  of  the 
sanguinary  issue  of  the  struggle,  his  treatment  of 
them  has  been  regarded  by  some  as  a  savage  spe- 
cimen of  the  worst  features  of  Oriental  despotism. 
We  can  not  assent  to  the  justice  of  the  accusation. 
Mild  measures  were  urged  in  earnest,  and  urged  in 
vain.  They  drew  down  destruction  on  themselves. 
Let  us  look  at  his  position  in  the  light  of  obvious 
facts. 

While  that  consecrated  military  order  opposed 
every  improvement  as  a  detestable  innovation,  the 
Sultan  Mahmoud  saw  his  whole  military  system 
becoming,  by  its  relative  weakness,  the  jeer  and 
mock  of  his  enemies.  He  saw  his  best  troops  cut 
down  by  an  armed  rabble  in  Greece,  although  that 
same  victorious  rabble  fled  in  terror  before  the 
disciplined  troops  of  his  own  Egyptian  viceroy. 
That  fact    spoke   volumes.      The   reformation    or 


G4  Christianity  and  Tuekish  Power. 

abolition  of  the  Janizaries  was  resolved  upon.  De- 
lay would  be  folly  ;  the  momentous  hour  had  come. 
The  FIRST  step  was  taken  in  1826,  by  increasing  his 
artillerists,  or  topegees^  to  the  number  of  30,000  men. 
Trained  to  the  exercise  of  guns  under  the  best  tu- 
ition of  Europe,  these  troops,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  were  hated  by  the  Janizaries,  and  they 
hated  the  Janizaries  in  return.  Having  gained  an 
important  point  in  the  establishment  of  a  reliable 
body  of  troops  educated  in  European  discipline, 
Mahmoud  urged  on  his  reform  of  the  fierce  and 
haughty  Janizaries. 

His  SECOND  step  was  an  order  that  a  limited  num- 
ber of  soldiers  should  be  selected  from  each  of  their 
regiments  to  be  drilled,  armed,  and  equipped  in 
the  European  method.  The  most  intelligent  and 
effective  officers  were  gained  over  by  the  Sultan. 
The  men  were  pleased  at  first  with  the  prospect  of 
enlarged  pay ;  but  when  the  attempt  was  made  ac- 
tually to  carry  out  the  experiment  of  exchanging 
the  Janizary's  loose  slipper  for  strong  leather  shoes, 
his  flowing  chashJceens  that  had  floated  balloon-like 
around  his  person  for  woolen  trowsers  scissored 
out  with  reference  to  effective  movement  on  the 
battle-field,  his  ample  and  gaudy  jubhee  and  hay- 
neesh  for  a  tight-bodied  blue  jacket  hooked  closely 
in  front,  the  old-fashioned  turban,  to  his  eye  so  pic- 
turesque and  to  his  head  so  comfortable,  for  the 
closely  fitted  and  rimless  red  cap  with  its  blue  tas- 
sel dangling  from  its  crown,  when  in  addition  to  all 
this  he  was  called  upon  to  stand  in  the  ranks,  to 
face  about,  to  march,  to  handle  his  arms  according 


CHEISTIANrrY    AND   TuEKISH    PoWEK.  Go 

to  tlie  most  approved  tactics  of  tlie  Franks,  it  seem- 
ed to  him  that  the  cup  of  his  humiliation  overflow- 
ed ;  the  charm  of  life  was  gone,  and  death  itself 
seemed  better  than  such  disgrace.  Bigotry  is  con- 
tagious, blind,  relentless.  In  any  age,  when  that 
kind  of  conservatism  which  has  been  so  elegantly 
designated  on  the  floor  of  our  national  'senate  as 
*'  Old  Fogyism,"  becomes  a  thoroughly  organized 
institution,  having,  as  has  been  aptly  said,  "  its  eyes 
in  its  hind-head  instead  of  its  fore-head,"  when  it  is 
armed  with  a  sense  of  dignity,  the  pride  of  power, 
and  the  sanctions  of  conscience,  a  radical  reforma- 
tion is  nearly  impossible;  it  is  "a  thick-skinned 
monster  that  no  weapon  can  penetrate  and  no  dis- 
cipline can  tame."  It  was  so  in  the  case  before  us. 
The  untamed  passions  of  these  men  which  had  been 
for  a  moment  soothed,  flamed  up  anew.  The  Jani- 
zaries began  again,  as  they  had  been  wont,  to  mur- 
der every  one  suspected  of  being  friendly  to  re- 
form, to  fire  their  dwellings,  and  to  exult  over  the 
ashes  of  peaceful  habitations  as  the  memorials  of 
triumph.  But  the  savage  ferocity  that  for  more 
than  four  hundred  years  had  swept  off  every  obsta- 
cle in  its  way  was  now  encountered  by  a  sovereign 
whom  danger  could  not  intimidate,  and  who  was 
equal  to  any  emergency.  To  his  clear  and  com- 
prehensive glance  it  was  evident  that  the  crisis  of 
his  destiny  had  arrived,  and  he  had  too  much  great- 
ness of  soul  to  quail  before  it.  He  saw  that  he  must 
introduce  into  his  empire  the  elements  of  progress, 
that  he  must  infuse  into  it  those  new  energies  which 
would  enable  it  to  keep  pace  with  the  advancement 


66  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

of  society  in  the  nineteenth  century,  or  that  it  must 
gravitate  speedily  into  an  abyss  of  ruin.  To  that 
necessary  advancement  this  old  military  organiza- 
tion had  opposed  itself  in  resolute  desperation,  and 
he  or  it  must  perish. 

The  THiRD  step  in  the  execution  of  his  plan  im- 
mediately followed.  That  was  an  order  to  the 
whole  body  of  artillerists  to  assemble  in  the  garden 
of  the  Seraglio.  The  sacred  standard  of  the  Prophet, 
which  is  never  displaye  dexcept  in  cases  of  great 
emergency,  was  there  unfurled,  and  all  his  faithful 
followers  were  bidden  to  rally  around  it.  The  ap- 
peal was  answered  with  a  loyal  spirit,  and  now,  for 
the  first  time,  the  heart  of  Mahmoud  was  elate  with 
the  assurance  of  victory. 

The  FOURTH  act  of  this  drama  soon  disclosed  itself 
with  a  tragic  aspect.  The  rebellious  Janizaries 
were  summoned  to  appear  before  the  banner  of  the 
Prophet  as  a  sign  of  submission.  They  refused  to 
obey.  Thrice  was  the  summons  repeated.  They 
not  only  refused  obedience,  but  put  to  death  the 
grand  vizier,  and  two  other  high  officers  of  the 
crown  who  had  borne  the  royal  mandate.  All 
hope  of  treating  with  this  array  of  ruthless  barba- 
rism was  now  abandoned  ;  the  final  order  was  given 
to  the  artillerists  to  march  upon  them  ;  and  as  soon 
as  they  were  driven  into  their  barracks,  a  destruc- 
tive fire  of  bomb-shells  and  cannon-balls  was  poured 
in  upon  them.  Those  who  escaped  from  the  burn- 
ing barracks  were  smitten  down  by  shot  or  sword, 
without  stint  or  quarter.  The  same  course  was 
followed  up  throughout  the  provinces,  so  that  in  a 


CHEISTIANIXr   AND   TuEKISH    PoWER.  67 

few  weeks  not  a  Janizary  jvas  left  to  rehearse  the 
story  ;  the  order  was  utterly  destroyed  ;  the  last 
spark  of  its  life  was  trodden  out  in  the  remotest 
corner  of  the  land,  and  from  that  day  Turkey,  hav- 
ing abjured  the  spirit  of  her  old  Moslem  policy, 
arose  to  make  good  her  claim  to  an  honorable  posi- 
tion in  the  realm  of  European  civilization. 

The  hopes  that  were  awakened  by  this  signal 
movement  were  not  disappointed.  Under  the  fos- 
tering care  of  Mahmoud  the  cultivation  of  literature 
was  encouraged ;  the  physical  resources  of  the  coun- 
try were  gradually  developed;  common  schools  and 
schools  of  agriculture  were  established ;  the  latest 
improvements  in  naval  architecture  were  adopted 
under  the  eye  of  a  naval  constructor  from  New 
York,  and  men  of  genius  from  France,  Germany, 
Italy,  and  England  found  a  welcome  at  Constanti- 
nople. Above  all,  in  spite  of  the  intolerant  spirit 
that  had  been  the  growth  of  ages  throughout  the 
Mohammedan  world.  Religious  Liberty,  which  has 
reared  its  noblest  trophies  on  our  own  soil,  Relig- 
ious Liberty,  without  which  civil  liberty  can  not 
exist,  without  which  life  itself  to  every  high-souled 
man  is  a  moral  martyrdom,  without  which  exist- 
ence itself  is  but  a  form  without  power ;  Religious 
Liberty,  after  having  been  driven  from  the  nations 
of  Europe,  that  professed  to  glory  in  the  banner  of 
the  Cross,  found  an  asylum  under  the  folds  of  the 
Crescent,  where  the  exiles  of  every  land  were  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  repose  and  safety.  It  is  this  one 
feature  of  the  reformed  Turkish  policy  that  puts  to 
shame  the  oppressive  systems  of  Russia,  Austria, 


G8  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

and  all  southern  Europe,  wliicli  awakens  a  respon- 
sive sympathy  in  the  breasts  of  American  freemen, 
and  touches  a  chord  that  vibrates  throughout  the 
whole  realm  of  civilized  and  Christianized  human- 
ity. To  this  sentiment  Turkey  has  continued  faith- 
ful. She  has  protected  those  American  missionaries 
and  teachers  whom  surrounding  nations  would  havQ 
persecuted ;  she  has  thrown  the  shield  of  her  power 
over  the  brave  Kossuth  and  his  companions  in  the 
hour  of  peril,  despite  the  frowns  and  threats  of  her 
allies  and  her  enemies ;  and  for  these  deeds  of 
moral  heroism  America  stretches  out  her  hand  to 
the  Moslem  in  the  spirit  of  brotherhood,  and  bids 
him  a  God-speed  in  his  career  of  magnanimity, 
charity,  and  honor. 

And  now,  having  set  before  us  the  modern  posi- 
tion which  Turkey  has  assumed  in  the  scale  of 
nations,  it  may  be  well  briefly  to  trace  the  rise, 
growth,  and  fortunes,  from  its  origin  to  its  establish- 
ment in  Europe,  of  a  national  power  which  has 
played  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  affairs  of  the 
transatlantic  world. 

It  seems  at  times,  from  various  hints  and  allusions, 
to  be  a  popular  impression  that  the  Turks  acquired 
their  firm  footing  in  Europe  in  the  year  1453,  by  the 
conquest  of  Constantinople.  I  know  not  how  to  ac- 
count for  such  an  impression,  unless  it  be  owing  to 
the  influence  of  such  vague  outlines  of  history  as 
are  found  in  school  compends,  and  works  of  similar 
character.  Some  time  since  I  observed  in  an  inter- 
esting volume,  from  the  pen  of  an  American  travel- 
er, a  statement  to  this  effect.    Writing  of  the  Bos- 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  G9 

phorus  he  says,  "  It  is  full  of  historic  interest,  for 
it  has  witnessed  the  assembled  armies  of  Darius, 
the  celebrated  retreat  of  Xenophon,  the  armed  mob 
of  phrensied  crusaders  rushing  by  thousands  to  the 
Holy  Land,  and  finally  the  desperate  legions  of 
Mohammed  II.,  making  at  this  spot  his  victorious 
entry  into  Europe."  It  is  a  pity  to  spoil  a  sentence 
so  well  balanced  and  so  finely  turned ;  but  the  writer 
could  hardly  have  been  aware  that  the  Turks  had 
obtained  a  firm  establishment  in  Europe  nearly  a 
century  before  Mohammed's  conquest  of  Constan- 
tinople. That  fierce  warrior  did  not  cross  the  Bos- 
phorus  from  Asia,  but  set  out  upon  his  campaign 
against  the  Greek  capital  from  Adrianople,  which 
was  then  the  European  capital  of  the  Turks.  A  few 
minutes  perhaps  may  not  be  misspent  in  tracing 
the  origin  and  development  of  this  singular  nation, 
which  has  of  late  displayed  a  vitality  astonishing  to 
both. friends  and  foes. 

The  decline  of  the  Tartar  power  in  Asia,  upheld 
as  it  had  been  by  the  house  of  Zinghis  Khan,  left 
an  open  field  for  the  growth  of  the  Ottoman 
dynasty. 

Its  first  development  was  in  the  conquest  of 
Bithynia  by  the  Caliph  Othman,  whose  father, 
Orthogrul,  had  emigrated  from  Persia  as  the  head 
of  a  nomadic  tribe  containing  four  hundred  fami- 
lies. The  indolence  of  the  Greek  emperor  at  Con- 
stantinople enabled  Othman  to  establish  a  kingdom 
in  Bithynia.  Prusa  fell  before  the  arms  of  Orchan, 
son  of  Othman,  1326,  and  furnished  the  first  occa- 
sion, by  means  of  its  architecture,  baths,  and  lux- 


70  Cheistianity  and  Tuekish  Power. 

urieSj  to  induce  the  Turks  to  resign  their  olden 
style  of  camp-life,  and  acknowledge  the  benefits  of 
a  civilizing  culture.  Prusa  became  a  Turkish  cap- 
ital, adorned  by  its  grand  mosque,  and  its  university 
attracting  students  from  Persia  and  Arabia.  Under 
the  reign  of  Orchan  the  dominion  of  the  Turks,  not 
yet  worthy  the  name  of  an  empire,  reached  the 
shores  of  the  Bosphorus  and  Hellespont  on  the 
Asiatic  side,  and  thus  stood  face  to  face  with  the 
empire  of  the  Greeks.  Although  the  name  of 
Orchan  is  now  enrolled  next  to  Othman,  as  the 
second  on  the  list  of  Turkish  Sultans,  yet  he  claim- 
ed for  himself  no  higher  title  than  that  of  Emir ; 
but  he  was  the  leading  conqueror  of  his  time,  and 
by  the  success  of  his  arms  Asia  Minor,  which 
had  once  owned  the  sway  of  Christian  rulers, 
now  hailed  the  establishment  of  a  new  Moslem 
power. 

The  first  entrance  of  the  Turks  into  Europe  was 
solicited  hy  the  JEuropeans  themselves.  In  the  civil 
wars  that  raged  at  the  period  of  which  we  are 
speaking  between  the  two  great  factions  of  the 
Greek  court  of  Constantinople,  headed  by  the  elder 
and  the  younger  Andronicus,  each  party  sought 
against  the  other  the  assistance  of  the  Turks  from 
the  opposite  Asiatic  coast ;  and  at  last,  John  Can- 
tacuzene,  who  had  been  the  guardian  of  the  younger 
Andronicus,  and  regent  of  the  empire,  was  so  situated 
as  to  be  obliged  to  seize  the  throne  himself,  or  per- 
ish by  the  hands  of  factious  enemies.  Cantacuzene 
was  a  keen  diplomatist ;  he  won  the  favor  of  the 
Turkish  prince  of  Bithynia ;  and  after  he  had  as- 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  71 

sumed  the  imperial  purple,  yielded  his  daughter 
Theodora  as  the  bride  of  Orchan,  who  allowed  her 
to  retain  her  national  religion — such  as  it  was — in 
the  harem  of  Boursa.  About  the  year  1353,  Soli- 
man,  son  of  Orchan,  recrossed  the  Bosphorus  with 
a  troop  of  10,000  horse,  as  the  friend  and  ally  of 
the  Greek  emperor.  The  Turk  achieved  his  object, 
rendered  most  valuable  service,  and,  having  the 
power^  asserted  the  right  to  hold  the  fortresses  of 
Thrace,  and  to  establish  a  strong  colony  at  Galli- 
poli,  the  key  of  the  Hellespont.  It  was  an  example 
of  "  the  annexation  of  territory,"  quite  as  honorable 
as  any  that  has  bee  n  furnished  in  our  times  by  the 
English  government  in  India ;  and  the  cabinet  of 
Washington,  in  its  negotiations  with  Mexico,  never 
followed  more  faithfully  the  beck  of  "  manifest  des- 
tiny." When  John  Cantacuzene  resolved  to  abdi- 
cate the  throne  of  Constantinople  in  favor  of  John 
Palseologus,  an  hereditary  sovereign,  it  was  his 
last  advice  to  the  factious  and  weakened  Greeks 
to  beware  of  rousing  against  themselves,  by  open 
resistance,  the  arms  of  the  disciplined  and  enthu- 
siastic Moslems. 

Ere  long  the  news  of  the  death  of  Orchan  was 
joyously  received  by  the  Greeks,  who  soon  learn- 
ed, however,  that  the  Turkish  power  was  not  con- 
centrated in  a  single  leader,  but  that  it  lay  in  the 
courage,  union,  and  energy  of  the  nation.  Orchan 
was  succeeded  by  his  son  Murad,  or  Amurath  L, 
who  proceeded  to  enlarge  the  European  heritage 
that  he  had  received  from  his  father's  hands,  anS 
soon  extended  it  from  the  Hellespont  to  Mount 


72  Cheistianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

Hsemus,  from  the  Danube  to  the  Adriatic.  The 
wild  tribes  of  Bulgaria,  Servia,  Bosnia  acknowl- 
edged his  sovereignty  ;  and,  although  Amurath  re- 
frained from  attacking  Constantinople,  we  may 
learn  much  as  to  the  relations  of  the  parties  from 
the  one  significant  fact  that  the  emperor,  John 
Palaeologus,  and  his  four  sons,  deemed  it  expedient 
to  obey  the  Turkish  monarch's  summons'to  attend 
his  court  and  camp.  He  chose  Adrianople  as  his 
European  capital;  and  thus  nearly  a  century  be- 
fore the  fall  of  Constantinople,  that  proud  and 
queenly  city  saw  herself  completely  surrounded  by 
the  ensigns  of  Moslem  power,  and  in  relation  to 
Christian  Europe  placed  in  a  state  of  forlorn  and 
hopeless  insulation.  During  the  reign  of  Amu- 
rath, from  1360  to  1389,  the  course  of  events  had 
drifted  to  this  portentous  issue. 

And  here  we  must  notice,  for  a  moment,  the  rise 
of  that  Janizary  power  which  was  organized  by 
Amurath,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  abolished  twenty- 
eight  years  ago  by  the  late  Mahmoud,  It  is  worthy 
of  remark  that  this  order  was  not  composed  orig- 
inally of  Turkish  soldiers,  but  of  young  Christian 
captives,  selected  for  symmetry  of  form,  strength, 
and  valor.  They  were  taken  from  the  conquered 
provinces,  as  well  as  levied  from  Christian  vessels 
that  passed  by  Gallipoli  on  the  Hellespont ;  they 
were  educated  and  disciplined  for  this  specific  pur- 
pose ;  and  when  assembled  in  martial  array,  were 
consecrated  and  named  by  an  eminent  Turkish 
dervish,  Al-Hadge  Bectash,  with  fitting  ceremony. 
Having  cut  off  the  sleeve  of  his  coarse  linen  tunic, 


Chkistianity  AjNd  Turkish  Power.  73 

he  placed  it  on  the  head  of  the  Aga,  as"  the  rep- 
resentative of  the  whole  corps,  and  then  pro- 
nounced this  solemn  benediction:  "Let  them  be 
called  yeni-seri  (or  new  soldiers) ;  may  their  coun- 
tenance be  ever  bright,  their  hand  victorious,  their 
sword  keen !  May  their  spear  always  hang  over 
the  heads  of  their  enemies,  and  wheresoever  they 
go,  may  they  return  with  a  white  face.''''  The 
benediction  was  a  prophecy  which  was  literally 
fulfilled.  At  that  time  no  prince  of  Christendom 
maintained  a  body  of  infantry  in  regular  pay  as 
well  as  daily  discipline  ;  and  it  is  no  wonder,  there- 
fore, that  throughout  Europe  the  name  of  Jani- 
zary was  pronounced  with  respect,  that  it  inspired 
universal  terror  after  the  last  league  of  the  Scla- 
vonian  tribes  had  been  crushed  in  the  battle  of 
Cossova. 

As  Amurath  was  walking  over  that  battle -field 
flushed  with  victory,  he  called  the  attention  of  his 
grand  vizier  to  the  fact  that  a  large  proportion  of 
the  soldiery  of  the  fallen  Christian  army  wQre 
beardless  youth.  "  Had  they  been  older,  they 
would  have  been  wiser,"  said  the  minister,  and 
would  not  have  ventured  to  oppose  your  arms." 
At  that  moment  a  Servian  soldier,  who  was  lying 
among  the  slain,  sprang  forth  and  with  a  dextrous 
stroke  ended  the  life  of  Amurath. 

But  by  the  death  of  that  brave  prince  the  rising 
Turkish  power  received  not  the  slightest  shock. 
He  was  immediately  succeeded  by  his  son  Bajazet, 
who  was  honored  with  the  soubriquet  of  Ilderim, 
or  Lightning,  on  account  of  the  fiery  energy  of  his 


74  Cheistianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

characterl  He  carried  forward  the  plans  of  his 
father  with  a  mighty  hand  throughout  the  most  of 
his  reign,  from  1389  to  1403,  a  period  of  fourteen 
years.  He  extended  his  territories,  not  only  in 
Asia,  but  in  Europe.  He  crossed  the  Danube,  sub- 
dued Moldavia,*  passed  the  gates  of  Thermopylae, 
and  added  Greece  to  his  dominions.  At  Gallipoli 
his  galleys  commanded  the  Hellespont.  Thus  the 
great  crisis  of  Europe  in  that  century  was  hasten- 
ed. He  directed  his  march  against  Sigismund,  king 
of  Hungary,  who,  being  related  to  several  European 
monarchs,  his  cause  became  the  cause  of  Europe. 
France  and  Germany  were  at  last  aroused ;  and 
at  Nicopolis,  the  confederate  army  of  the  Chris- 
tians, numbering  100,000  men,  were  met  and  de- 
feated by  Bajazet.  The  slaughter  was  immense. 
The  greater  part  of  that  army,  who  had  boasted 
that  if  the  sky  should  fall  they  could  support  it 
on  their  lances,  were  slain  upon  the  field  or  forced 
to  find  a  sepulchre  beneath  the  waves  of  the 
Danube.  For  Christian  Europe  there  seemed  to 
be  no  help,  and  it  is  not  easy  for  us  to  conceive 
of  the  awful  dread  which  paralyzed  the  West- 
ern nations  when  Bajazet,  with  savage  pride,  de- 
clared that  he  would  march  to  Home,  and  would 
feed  his  horse  with  a  bushel  of  oats  from  the 
altar  of  St.  Peter.  !N"o  wonder  that  Constanti- 
nople trembled ;  but  the  progress  of  the  conquer- 
or was  checked,  not  by  arms,  but  by  a  terrible 
fit  of  the  gout  in  his  hands  and  feet.     Gibbon  cool- 

*  See  Appendix  A,  p.  377. 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  75 

ly  remarks  on  that  fact,  that  "The  disorders  of  the 
moral  are  sometimes  corrected  by  those  of  the 
physical  world,  and  an  acrimonious  humor  falliDg 
on  a  single  fibre  of  one  man,  may  prevent  or  sus- 
pend the  misery  of  nations." 

I^evertheless,  it  was  the  purpose  of  Bajazet  to 
seize  the  old  capital  of  the  Caesars,  which  now  rep- 
resented the  Homan  empire  in  the  East,  although 
its  territory  was  contracted  into  a  corner  of  Thrace, 
not  more  than  fifty  miles  in  length  by  thirty  in 
breadth.  The  Ottoman  prince  spoke  of  the  prize 
as  already  his  own,  and  was  preparing  himself  to 
possess  it,  when  a  truce  of  ten  years  was  purchased 
by  an  annual  tribute  of  30,000  thousand  crowns  of 
gold,  and  the  consent  of  the  timid  emperor,  John 
Palseologus,  that  Bajazet  should  establish  a  Turk- 
ish cadi  and  a  royal  mosque  in  that  grand  old  me- 
tropolis of  Eastern  Christendom.  The  truce  was 
ere  long  suspended,  and,  as  it  has  been  well  said, 
"The  savage  would  have  devoured  his  prey  had  he 
not  been  overthrown  by  another  savage  stronger 
than  himself."  On  the  plains  of  Angora,  Bajazet, 
at  the  head  of  400,000  men,  yielded  to  the  superior 
genius  of  Timour,  or  Tamerlane  the  Tartar.  Nine 
months  after  that  defeat  the  Ottoman  monarch  died 
of  apoplexy  at  Antioch,  in  Pisidia,  and  was  con- 
veyed with  royal  pomp  to  his  own  mausoleum  at 
Boursa. 

Constantinople  was  now  threatened  by  the  Tar- 
tar power ;  but  Timour  was  diverted  from  its  easy 
conquest  by  his  grand  project  of  invading  China, 
in  order  to  avenge  the  expulsion  of  the  house  of 


76  Christianity  and  Tukkish  Power. 

Zhinghis  Khan ;  when  in  the  vicinity  of  Otrar,  a 
sudden  fever,  aggravated  it  is  said  by  the  excessive 
use  of  iced  water,  removed  the  monster-scourge 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  His  power  perished 
with  him ;  it  had  swept  over  the  world  like  the 
blast  of  a  sirocco,  but  it  left  no  permanent  institu- 
tions, while  the  Ottoman  dynasty  bent  like  a  young 
sapling  beneath  the  storm,  stood  erect  again  in  the 
vigor  of  a  healthy  life,  and  in  the  pride  of  inherent 
strength. 

But  now  throughout  Europe,  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  at  least,  there  was  a  respite  from  the  dread 
of  Turkish  invasion.  The  two  great  Moslem  pow- 
ers of  the  earth  had  come  into  conflict  with  each 
other.  The  Mogul  defeated,  dishonored,  and  crip- 
pled the  Turk,  and  then  passed  away.  Such  a 
combination  of  events  no  human  sagacity  could 
have  anticipated ;  and  that  was  the  favorable  op- 
portunity for  the  nations  of  Christian  Europe  to 
have  arisen  in  concert,  and  to  have  expelled  the 
Asiatic  hordes  to  their  native  home.  'No  warlike 
enterprise  could  have  been  more  easily  achieved, 
and  to  any  one  who  calmly  surveys  the  scenes  of 
history,  the  most  remarkable  feature  in  the  condi- 
tion of  Europe  in  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century  was  the  disgraceful  apathy  which  allowed 
this  propitious  period  to  pass  away  without  one 
united  effort  to  rescue  the  choicest  lands  of  Chris- 
tendom from  the  grasp  of  the  invader.  So  far  from 
such  an  attempt  being  made,  the  Greek  and  Latin 
churches  were  fighting  theological  battles,  anathe- 
matizing each  other,  and  fostering  those  factious 


Chkistianitt  and  Tuektsh  Power.  77 

animosities  which  blast  all  public  spirit,  all  mag- 
nanimous sentiment,  and  thoroughly  consume  the 
moral  life  of  nations.  A  people  who  can  make  no 
sacrifice  of  mutual  jealousies  for  the  sake  of  free- 
dom deserve  to  be  enslaved  ;  and  in  a  degenerate 
age  like  that,  so  mean,  so  debased,  so  treacherous 
to  the  hio^her  interests  of  civilization  and  human- 
it  J,  European  society,  we  may  be  assured,  had  not 
much  to  lose  by  the  advance  of  the  Moslem  power, 
but  very  much  to  gain  by  the  rough  schooling  of 
adversity. 

In  the  light  of  these  truths  a  student  of  history 
may  see  in  the  ultimate  fall  of  Constantinople  the  ret- 
ributions of  a  righteous  Providence,  and  discern  the 
workings  of  those  eternal  moral  laws  that  enfold  all 
national  destinies.  When  the  grand  vizier  of  Ba- 
jazet  advised  his  sovereign  to  delay  his  attack  on 
that  queenly  capital,  a  great  principle  lay  at  the 
basis  of  his  counsel.  He  saw  that  religious  feuds 
engender  weakness — as  they  always  must  where 
church  and  state  are  united  iii  one  political  system 
— that  by  the  natural  law  of  deterioration  the 
Christian  factions  would  consume  each  other's 
strength,  and  that  then  the  prize  would  be  pos- 
sessed without  an  effort.  The  pith  and  substance 
of  his  advice  might  be  fairly  put  into  a  phrase 
of  Napoleon  on  a  certain  occasion :  "  When  the 
pear  is  ripe  it  will  fall  into  my  hands."  In  the 
year  1422,  Amurath  11. ,  grandson  of  Bajazet,  im- 
patient of  this  ripening  process,  led  200,000  men 
against  Constantinople  ;  after  his  first  repulse  a  do- 
mestic revolt  at  Boursa  called  him  awav  into  Asia. 


78  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

But  in  1444:  that  same  Amurath  stood  at  the  head  of 
60,000  men  on  the  field  of  Yarna  to  encounter  the 
Hungarians  under  King  Ladislaus,  who,  yielding 
to  the  advice  of  Julian,  cardinal  legate  of  Rome, 
had  violated  a  treaty  sanctioned  by  the  most  solemn 
oaths ;  and  when  a  copy  of  it,  as  a  monument  of 
Christian  perfidy  was  displayed  in  sight  of  the  con- 
tending hosts,  the  Turkish  Sultan  lifted  his  eyes 
and  hands  to  heaven,  and  called  aloud  on  "  the 
prophet  Jesus  himself  to  avenge  the  mockery  of 
his  name  and  his  religion."  In  spite  of  Hungarian 
bravery,  which  broke  the  Turkish  wings,  the  tide 
of  battle  was  turned  by  the  sturdy  phalanx  of  the 
Janizaries,  and  the  pride  and  flower  of  Eastern 
Europe  was  crushed  on  that  day  beneath  the  tramp 
of  Moslem  infantry.* 

"The  pear"  was  now  nearly  "ripe."  It  was 
left  by  Amurath,  who  was  more  pleased  with  the 
quiet  of  cloister  life  than  with  the  cares  of  the 
court  and  camp,  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  his  son 
Mohammed  IL,  who  achieved  the  final  and  endur- 
ing conquest  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1453. 

The  character  and  education  of  Mohammed 
qualified  him  well  for  the  wants  of  his  times,  con- 
sidered from  a  Moslem  point  of  view.  Twice  dur- 
ing his  boyhood  he  had  acted  as  regent  during  his 
father's  temporary  abdication,  and  he  commenced 
his  reign  at  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  able 
to  converse  in  Arabic,  Hebrew,  Persian,  Latin, 
and  Greek,  and  seems  to  have  possessed  all  the 

*  See  Appendix  B,  p.  382. 


Cheistianttt  and  Turkish  Powee.  79 

qualities  adapted  to  command  the  admiration  of 
his  countrymen  with  a  single  exception.  That  ex- 
ception was  the  lack  of  a  sincerely  orthodox  enthu- 
siasm in  behalf  of  the  Mussulman  faith ;  but  he 
always  observed  a  convenient  distinction  between 
his  private  sentiments  as  a.  man  and  his  avowed 
religion  as  a  prince.  He  was  a  keen  diplomatist, 
gifted  with  an  elegant  address,  disposed  to  act  on 
the  modern  philosophical  maxim  of  Hochefoucault, 
that  speech  is  a  faculty  given  to  man  for  the  pur- 
pose of  vailing  thought.  He  was  a  consummate 
politician  as  well  as  an  able  warrior,  combining  an 
intense  devotion  to  sensual  pleasure  with  the  love 
of  elegant  literature  and  of  martial  glory. 

The  first  step  in  the  plan  of  action  for  the  con- 
quest of  the  capital  was  taken  in  1452,  by  gather- 
ing materials  of  wood,  stone,  and  lime  from  the 
forests  of  Nicomedia,  the  quarries  of  Anatolia,  and 
the  kilns  of  Cataphrygia,  for  the  erection  of  a  for- 
tress at  Ausomaton,  five  miles  from  Constanti- 
nople, on  the  European  side  of  the  Bosphorus, 
just  opposite  to  a  fortress  which  Amurath,  his 
father,  had  erected  on  the  Asiatic  side.  In  vain 
did  Constantine,  the  last  Greek  emperor,  remon- 
strate against  this  proceeding.  Mohammed  replied 
to  the  Greek  ambassador,  "When  my  father  tri- 
umphed on  the  field  of  Yarna,  he  vowed  to  build  a 
fort  on  the  western  shore,  and  that  vow  I  am  bound 
to  accomplish."  It  was  accomplished,  and  a  tribute 
was  levied  on  every  Christian  vessel  that  afterward 
passed  those  straits. 

The  winter  in  which  the  year  1453  began  was 


80  Christianity  aistd  Turkish  Power. 

Bpent  by  Mohammed  in  the  palace  of  Adrianople. 
But  the  siege  of  the  Greek  metropolis  occupied  his 
thoughts  by  day  and  haunted  his  dreams  by  night. 
Topographical  drawings  of  the  city  and  its  en- 
virons, of  the  proper  places  on  which  to  erect  a 
battery,  spring  a  mine,  or  lift  scaling-ladder,  to- 
gether with  the  consultations  of  his  friends,  en- 
grossed all  the  energies  of  his  nature.  Even  the 
science  of  the  Christians  was  pressed  into  his  ser- 
vice, and  at  Adrianople  a  foundery  was  built  under 
the  direction  of  a  Dacian  or  Hungarian  machinist, 
for  the  casting  of  cannon,  which  proved  to  be  supe- 
rior to  any  ordnance  of  the  Greeks. 

After  a  winter  of  feverish  anxiety,  operations 
were  begun  with  vigor  in  the  opening  spring,  and 
a  siege  of  forty  days  decided  the  fate  of  Constan- 
tinople. Five  ships  from  the  Grecian  isles,  from 
Sicily  and  the  Morea,  was  all  the  succor  that  Chris- 
tendom afforded  to  the  devoted  city  !  But  the 
courage  of  desperation  is  terrible,  and  the  resist- 
ance of  Con  Stan  tine  and  his  heroic  band  astonished 
both  friends  and  foes.  For  a  moment  Mohammed 
was  confounded.  But  his  genius  triumphed.  The 
city  was  inaccessible  to  his  galleys  on  the  side  of 
the  Bosphorus,  but  by  means  of  a  plank-road,  be- 
smeared with  the  fat  of  sheep  and  oxen,  sixty  gal- 
leys and  brigantines  were  carried  around  the  city 
on  rollers,  a  distance  of  two  miles,*  and  launched 
in  the  inner  harbor  of  Golden  Horn. 

It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  27th  of  May  that 

*  See  Appendix  C,  p.  383. 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power  81 

Mohammed  assembled  bis  officers,  announced  bis 
final  orders,  and  promised  rewards  to  successful 
valor.  About  tbe  same  time  Constantine  address- 
ed bis  officers  in  tbat  last  speech  which  has  been 
called  the  funeral  oration  of  the  Koman  empire. 
Early  on  the  29th  the  assault  of  the  Turks  was 
commenced,  and  after  eight  hours  of  hard  fighting 
Mohammed  passed  through  the  gate  of  St.  Romanus 
with  a  splendid  retinue  in  all  the  pride  of  triumph ; 
and  in  the  evening,  as  he  walked  through  the  deso- 
late palace  of  the  Caesars,  was  heard  to  repeat  two 
lines  of  a  Persian  poet  expressive  of  the  mutability 
of  human  fortunes : 

*'  The  spider  hath  woven  his  web  in  the  palace  of  power. 
And  the  owl  hath  sung  her  watch-song  on  Afrasiab's  tower." 

From  that  memorable  day  Adrianople,  the  Euro- 
pean, and  Boursa,  the  Asiatic  seat  of  Ottoman 
sway,  sank  into  mere  provincial  towns,  and  what 
was  once  the  chief  city  of  Christendom  became 
the  home  of  a  royal  power  which  then  shook  the 
world,  but  now  crouches  at  the  feet  of  Christian 
thrones  to  beg  protection  from  the  grasp  of  the 
Northern  Czar. 

And  now,  within  a  few  months  past,  while  the 
Turkish  empire  was  sustaining  peaceful  relations 
to  Europe,  we  have  seen  the  autocrat  of  the  North 
stepping  forth  from  his  place  in  the  character  of  an 
imperial  agitator,  and  urging  upon  the  Sublime 
Porte  a  demand  which  can  not  be  admitted  with- 
out a  sacrifice  of  dignity,  of  right,  and  of  securit3\ 
Impelled  by  a  spirit  of  ambition  which  runs  in  the 


82  Christianity  akd  Turkish  Power. 

blood  of  the  royal  family  of  Russia,  he  has  assumed 
to  be  the  protector  of  the  religious  liberties  of  the 
Greeks ;  and  has  required  of  the  Divan  a  formal 
recognition  of  his  political  right  to  that  dangerous 
relation.  They  needed  no  such  protection ;  they 
asked  none.  Just  as  if  the  Emperor  of  Austria 
should  assume  to  be  the  protector  of  the  rights  of 
the  Catholics,  and  should  demand  of  our  govern- 
ment that  there  should  be  given  to  him  a  special 
guarantee  that  the  religious  privileges  which  they 
have  enjoyed  "aJ  antiqud'^ — to  cite  the  phrase  of 
Prince  Menschikoff — "  be  secured  them  forever,  on 
the  basis  of  the  statu  quo  at  present  existing." 
"Would  not  the  demand  be  resented  as  an  insult  ? 
Ay;  the  defiant  spirit  that  gleamed  in  the  eyes, 
warmed  the  hearts,  and  nerved  the  hands  of  Cap- 
tain Ingraham  and  his  gallant  crew  in  the  harbor 
of  Smyrna,  would  thrill  through  the  nation  from 
Maine  to  California,  and  would  send  back  a  short- 
er answer  than  would  consist  with  diplomatic 
courtesy. 

ITow  it  has  been  said  by  some,  that  enlightened 
and  enlarged  views  of  the  future  would  naturally 
turn  the  tide  of  sympathy  in  Christian  America  on 
the  side  of  the  policy  of  Russia,  inasmuch  as  un- 
der her  fostering  care  the  Christian  Greeks  would 
become  the  dominant  power  of  the  East,  and  would 
overspread  the  ruins  of  a  declining  Moslem  empire 
with  the  bloom  and  culture  of  a  true  Christian 
civilization. 

But  let  us  beware  of  these  specious  reasonings. 
Let   us  look  beneath  the   surface.      What  is  the 


Cheistianitt  and  Turkish  Powek.  83 

primary  and  supreme  aim  of  Russia?  The  lights 
of  history  and  observation  enforce  on  us  the  con- 
viction that  she  esteems  it  to  be  her  peculiar  mis- 
sion, as  the  conservator  of  the  peace  of  nations,  to 
crush  out  the  last  spark  of  life  in  the  democratic 
element  of  the  Old  World.  She  has  baffled  all  the 
hopes  of  republicanism,  inspired  by  the  revolu- 
tions of  1818  ;  she  has  arrayed  her  power  on  the 
fields  of  Hungary  against  the  best  and  bravest 
champions  of  constitutional  liberty  that  ever  trod 
upon  an  European  soil,  and  has  cherished  in  her 
heart  a  deadly  grudge  against  Abdul  Medjid  be- 
cause he  dared  to  ofi'er  an  asylum  to  those  martyrs 
of  freedom  who  were  driven  into  exile  from  their 
native  lands.  As  the  Emperor  Nicholas  has  said  to 
more  than  one  American  traveler,  he  believes  that 
there  are  "  only  two  kinds  of  strong  government  in 
the  world,  the  government  of  the  people  and  the 
government  of  an  absolute  monarch ;"  and  the 
more  clearly  he  perceives  the  power  of  democracy 
in  the  'New  World,  the  more  firmly  does  he  resolve 
to  resist  its  triumphs  in  the  Old.  His  menaces 
against  Turkey,  we  may  be  assured,  are  not  called 
forth  by  any  acts  on  her  part  to  control  the  relig- 
ious liberties  of  her  Greek  subjects  ;  but  it  is  her 
sympathy  with  freedom,  her  magnanimous  policy 
of  civil  and  social  progress,  her  supreme  desire  to 
press  onward  in  that  grand  march  of  improve- 
ment on  which  she  has  already  entered  in  har- 
mony with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  that  consti- 
tute "the  head  and  front  of  her  ofiense"  in  the 
eye  of  a  despotism  which  in  the  name  of  "di- 


84:  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

vine  right"  exults  over  the  fallen  fortunes  of  hu- 
manity. 

Yes !  this  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  story 
which  explains  the  movements  of  Russia  at  the 
close  of  the  year  1853.     Let  us  look  at  the  matter 
a  little  more  closely.     Most  of  us  are,  doubtless, 
familiar  with  a  conversation  of  I^apoleon,  reported 
by  O'Meara,  in  which  the  French  emperor  uttered 
the  prediction,  that  Turkey  would,  in  the  natural 
course  of  events,  in  due  time  fall  into  the  hands 
of  Russia.     "The  only  hypothesis,"  he  said,  "on 
which   France    and    England   would    ever    unite 
would  be  for  the  prevention  of  that  issue  ;    but 
even  that  union  could  not  ultimately  prevent  it." 
This  prediction  has  made  a  deep  impression  on  the 
minds  of  multitudes.     But  there  is  one  short  sen- 
tence in  that  conversation  which  states  the  alleged 
FACT  on  which  the  prediction  is  based.     The  sen- 
tence is  this  :  "The  greater  part  of  the  people  in 
Turkey  are  Greeks,  who,  you  may  say,  are  Rus- 
sians."    Time  was  when  this  sentence  contained 
the  truthful  statement  of  a  fact,  and  a  fact  which 
was  the  germ  of  a  prophecy.     But  it  is  a  fact  no 
more.     The  Greeks,  long  schooled  in  adversity,  are 
now  the  rising  nation  of  the  East ;  but  in  propor- 
tion as  intelligence  becomes  diffused  among  them, 
they  exhibit  a  gradual  change  of  sentiment,  aspire 
to  a  state  of  higher  nationality,  and  express  a  strong 
antipathy  to  Russian  rule.     The   hosts  of  youth 
who  resort  to  Athens  and  other  Europeans  capitals 
for  education,  carry  back  to  their  homes  ideas  of 
freedom  and   progress  that  work   their  way  like 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  85 

leaven  through  the  popular  masses.  From  his  icy 
and  inaccessible  seclusion  the  Northern  emperor 
watches  every  flitting  shadow  on  the  disk  of  Euro- 
pean politics,  and  fears  with  reason  lest  the  hatred 
of  Russian  influence  cherished  by  the  Greeks  within 
the  Turkish  empire  should  relax  his  hold  upon  that 
empire,  and  baflOle  his  darling  policy.  On  this  ac- 
count he  has  ventured  to  disturb  the  peace  of  na- 
tions, and  has  sought  by  a  daring  step  to  gain  a 
foothold  whereby  he  may  bring  the  whole  organ- 
ization of  the  Greek  clergy  more  thoroughly  under 
his  dominion,  and  so  be  able  by  their  instrumental- 
ity to  crush  the  democratic  element,  and  tread  out 
the  last  spark  of  religious  liberty  among  the  peo- 
ple. Having  taken  this  step,  he  will  not  go  back ; 
and  Western  Europe  can  not  let  him  go  forward. 

Is  not  war,  then,  inevitable  in  spite  of  all  diplo- 
macy ?  It  must  come.  And  we  say,  let  it  come ! 
Oh,  let  the  Moslem  crescent  wave  still  longer  over 
the  races  to  whom  it  is  now  the  guarantee  of  peace- 
ful progress,  rather  than  give  place  to  the  North- 
ern banner  which  flaunts  the  cross  of  Christ  in  the 
face  of  the  civilized  world  as  an  ensign  of  oppres- 
sion! 

And  while  I  breathe  this  heartfelt  wish,  I  am  not 
unmindful  of  my  position  as  an  American  citizen, 
a  Christian,  and  a  Christian  minister ;  but  I  would, 
nevertheless,  in  some  degree  reciprocate  the  spirit 
of  the  benediction  with  which  the  Sultan  Mahmoud 
once  greeted  one  of  our  own  countrymen.  It 
was  called  forth  by  an  occasion  of  great  interest  to 
the  public  of  Constantinople — the  first  launch  of  a 


86  Christianity  and  Turkish  Power. 

vessel  of  war  built  by  an  American  naval  arcliitect. 
At  the  appointed  time,  while  Mr.  Rhodes,  then  act- 
ing under  the  direction  of  Henry  Eckford,  was  pre- 
paring for  the  launch,  the  Sultan  Mahmoud  with 
his  attendants  arrived  at  the  navy  yard.  After  the 
lapse  of  several  minutes,  a  pacha  approached  Mr. 
Rhodes,  and  informed  him  that  the  Sultan  had  sent 
him  to  inquire  whether  more  men  would  not  be  re- 
quired to  assist  in  the  work.  Mr.  Rhodes  replied, 
ISTo ;  that  he  had  men  enough.  The  answer  was  re- 
ported to  the  Sultan,  who  appeared  to  be  very  much 
surprised,  inasmuch  as  he  supposed  that  a  body  of 
a  hundred  men  or  more  would  be  needed  to  start 
the  vessel,  by  dragging  it  from  its  place  with  ropes, 
after  the  old  Turkish  fashion.  Thinking  it  quite 
impossible  that  so  few  men  as  he  saw  at  work  were 
sufficient  for  the  purpose,  and  that  the  question  or 
the  answer  had  perhaps  been  misunderstood,  he 
sent  the  pacha  back  to  ask  if  it  would  not  be  agree- 
able to  Mr.  Rhodes  to  have  a  body  of  soldiers  or- 
dered up  from  the  barracks.  Mr.  Rhodes  in  his 
haste  replied  rather  abruptly,  that  he  needed  no 
help,  and  wished  to  be  let  alone.  This  answer  was 
also  reported  to  the  Sultan,  who  seemed  to  be 
rather  more  astounded  than  before.  But  ere  suffi- 
cient time  had  elapsed  for  sending  another  message, 
the  ways  were  all  prepared,  the  blocks  knocked 
aside,  and  when  the  noble  ship  glided  forward 
majestically,  "like  a  thing  of  life,"  as  if  hasting  to 
be  embraced  by  the  placid  waters  of  the  Golden 
Horn,  Mahmoud  could  not  restrain  his  emotions ; 
lifting  his  hand  toward  heaven,  he  exclaimed,  "God 


Christianity  and  Turkish  Power.  87 

is  great !  God  is  great !     God  help  him  if  he  is  an 
infidel !" 

This  expression  was  significant.  It  was  in  har- 
mony with  "  the  signs  of  the  times."  It  indicated 
a  power  at  work  in  the  course  of  events,  by  which, 
as  by  a  series  of  convulsive  shocks,  the  Moslem's 
prejudice  and  pride  have  been  made  to  give  way 
before  the  march  of  Christian  civilization.  And 
now,  in  the  midst  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when 
the  nominally  Christian  governments  of  continen- 
tal Europe  are  arrayed  on  the  side  of  kingly  and 
priestly  despotism,  if  we  behold  a  Mohammedan 
power  whose  tendencies,  aspirations,  and  civil  pol- 
icy favor  the  cause  of  religious  freedom,  of  liberal 
culture,  and  of  popular  progress  on  that  power, 
whatsoever  name  it  bear,  let  our  benedictions  rest ; 
let  it  be  our  prayer  that  "  the  stars  in  their  courses" 
may  fight  for  it,  and  that  the  day  may  soon  come 
when,  having  completed  that  process  of  moral  trans- 
formation which  has  been  so  hopefully  begun,  it  may 
take  its  proper  place  as  a  part  of  Christ's  universal 
heritage,  and  be  hailed  as  an  acquisition  of  strength 
and  beauty  to  the  domain  of  Christendom. 


CHRISTIANITY 


AND 


TR  ADITIO  NISM. 


It  has  often  been  remarked,  by  attentive  observers 
within  the  realm  of  philosophy  and  poetr}^,  that 
there  is  a  beautiful  analogy  between  certain  objects 
in  the  world  of  matter  and  the  world  of  mind,  on 
account  of  which,  the  contemplation  of  them  awaken?i 
a  kindred  feeling,  which  we  agree  to  denominate, 
according  to  the  relative  intensity  of  its  character, 
the  emotion  of  beauty  or  sublimity.  It  has  some- 
times been  questioned,  whether  those  emotions  be 
the  more  strongly  aroused  in  the  human  bosom  by 
the  objects  of  outward  nature,  or  by  that  class  of 
actions  in  the  history  of  man  which  develop  power 
of  character,  and  enkindle  the  admiration  of  moral 
greatness.  He  who  has  gazed  upon  the  heaving 
ocean,  or  stood  all  eye  and  ear  at  the  foot  of  the 
mighty  cataract,  or  amidst  the  tempest's  play  amongst 
the  mountains,  has  heard  the  live  thunder  leap  from 


Christiamtt  and  Traditionism.  89 

peak  to  peak,  or  looked  upon  the  "  Alpine  palaces 
where  nature  sits  enthroned  in  icy  halls/'  might 
well  doubt  the  while  whether  his  soul  were  sus- 
ceptible of  an  emotion  more  awful  and  profound. 
Nevertheless,  when  such  an  one  is  called  to  turn  his 
thoughts  to  a  series  of  actions  which  exhibit  the 
loftiest  attributes  of  mind,  which  constitute  an  era 
in  the  history  of  the  race,  and  connect  themselves 
by  links  which  extend  through  intervening  centuries 
with  the  events  of  the  present  hour,  he  cannot  but 
feel,  that  to  such  deeds  of  spiritual  might,  there  is 
added  a  moral  grandeur  which  causes  them  to  take 
a  still  deeper  hold  upon  the  soul  of  man,  to  awaken 
a  nobler  homage,  an  emotion  still  more  sublime. 
He  certainly  felt  this  to  be  true,  who  asks, 

"  Is  aught  so  fair 
.    In  aU  the  dewy  landscapes  of  the  spring, 
In  the  bright  eye  of  Hesper  on  the  morn, 
In  nature's  fairest  forms,  is  aught  so  fair 
As  virtuous  friendship  ?  as  the  candid  blush 
Of  him  who  strives  with  fortune  to  be  just  ? 
The  graceful  tear  that  streams  for  others'  woes  ? 
Or  the  mild  majesty  of  private  life. 
Where  peace  with  ever-blooming  olives  crowns 
The  gate ; 

^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 

Look  then  abroad  through  nature,  to  the  range 
Of  planets,  suns,  and  adamantine  spheres, 
Wheeling  unshaken  through  the  void  immense, 
And  speak,  O  man !  does  this  capacious  scene, 
With  half  that  kindling  majesty,  dilate 
Thy  strong  conception,  as  when  Brutus  rose, 
Kefulgent  from  the  stroke  of  Caesar's  fate, 
Amid  the  crowd  of  patriots ;  and  his  arm 
Aloft  extended,  like  eternal  Jove. 


90  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

Wlieu  guilt  brings  down,  the  thunder  calle(i  aloud 
On  Tully's  name,  and  shook  his  crimson  steel, 
And  bade  the  father  of  his  country,  hail ! 
For  lo,  the  tyrant  prostrate  in  the  dust, 
And  Rome  again  is  free." 

Magnanimity,  heroism,  self-sacrifice,  put  forth  for 
any  cause,  whether  on  behalf  of  virtuous  friendship 
or  the  honor  of  one's  country,  invest  a  character 
with  a  certain  aspect  of  moral  greatness,  which 
must  challenge  the  esteem  even  of  an  enemy.  How 
strongly,  then,  must  we  feel  this  to  be  the  case, 
while  looking  upon  the  condition  of  men  in  a  be- 
nighted age,  when  Superstition  had  enthroned  her- 
self on  the  ruins  of  all  that  was  just  in  social  order, 
ennobling  in  freedom,  and  rational  in  religion ; 
when,  throughout  her  wide  realm,  which  she  desig- 
nated Christendom^  no  one  durst  utter  aloud  those 
words  which  are  said  to  be  "  spirit  and  life/'  except 
at  the  peril  of  martyrdom  ;  when  he,  who  was  called 
the  vicar  of  Christ,  had  so  united  the  church  and 
the  world  in  a  base  idolatry  that  it  seemed  as  if  the 
tempter's  wish  had  been  realized,  long  after  it  had 
been  uttered  on  the  mount  of  vision,  where,  pointing 
to  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  he  said  to  Jesus,  "  All 
these  will  I  give  thee,  if  thou  wilt  fall  down  and 
worship  me  ;" — while  at  such  a  time,  we  see  a  single 
mind,  catching  at  first  some  faint  gleams  of  light 
from  the  oracles  of  God,  becoming  gradually  more 
illuminated,  then  fired  with  a  holy  zeal  for  the  cause 
of  God  and  truth  and  man,  at  fearful  odds,  waging 
war  with  principalities  and  powers,  and  spiritual 
wickedness  in  high  places,  till  at  last,  though  beaten 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  91 

down  and  prostrate,  it  sees  the  triumph  from  afar, 
and  hails  the  coming  victory,  we  cannot  but  be 
struck  with  the  sublimity  of  goodness,  and  stand  in 
awe  of  what  is  great  and  majestic  in  human  charac- 
ter. Such  is  the  order  of  sentiments  with  which 
we  look  back  upon  the  career  of  John  de  Wycliffe, 
the  herald  of  the  Reformation,  the  star  which  ai  ose 
upon  the  brow  of  a  long  and  gloomy  night,  the  har- 
binger of  approaching  day. 

In  asking  the  reader's  attention,  at  this  time,  to 
the  character  and  influence  of  Wycliffe,  it  is  not 
merely  with  a  wish  to  do  justice  to  one  to  whom  we 
are  all  much  indebted,  but  chiefly  to  awaken  an 
interest  in  the  principles  and  conduct  of  a  man, 
whose  life  is  a  volume  of  instruction.  In  itself  con- 
sidered, his  character  has  much  of  intrinsic  dignity, 
formed  as  it  was  of  piety,  learning,  philanthropy, 
enthusiasm,  sobriety,  which  all  rendered  beautiful 
that  martyr-spirit  that  appeared  in  him,  calm,  firm, 
self-possessed,  feeling  ever  "  the  rocky  grounds  of 
his  strength,"  meek,  humble,  bold,  resolute,  immova- 
ble, daring,  and  able  to  stand  against  the  world. 
But  in  its  relations,  his  character  possesses  a  high 
moral  interest,  for  to  him  belongs  the  glory  of 
having  struck  the  first  notes  which  touched  the 
heart  of  Christendom  and  aroused  that  reforming 
spirit,  which  became  "  a  spirit  of  judgment  and  a 
spirit  of  burning,"  which  spread  electrically  through 
Europe,  breaking  up  the  thraldom  of  ages,  and, 
extending  its  alarms  to  the  Vatican,  caused  even 
there  the  faltering  inquiry  to  be  made,  "when  shall 
the  desolation  cease  ?"    The  Waldenses  had,  indeed, 


92  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

amidst  their  mountain  fastnesses,  remained  faithful 
to  the  truth  ;  but  they  could  only  hope  for  security 
for  themselves,  nor  could  they  effect  any  aggressive 
movement  against  the  reigning  corruptions.  Wy- 
cliffe  stood  quite  alone  in  his  ovt^n  times,  deriving 
no  light  or  strength  from  the  dissenting  Christians 
of  the  continent ;  and  though  there,  the  name  of 
Luther  is  inscribed  on  the  foremost  banner  of  the 
Reformation,  yet  it  has  happened  (as  Fiddes  ob- 
serves in  his  Life  of  Cardinal  Wolsey)  that  Wycliffe 
vras  like  a  physician,  vf^ho  applied  the  first  successful 
remedies  against  an  inveterate  disease,  and  Luther 
was  like  one  who  came  in  at  last  to  carry  forward 
what  had  been  begun,  to  its  consummation,  and  so 
bore  away  the  palm  and  glory. 

The  village  of  Wycliffe,  in  the  north  part  of  York- 
shire, seems  on  the  most  probable  evidence,  which  is 
sustained  by  the  authority  of  Leland,  to  have  the 
honor  of  being  the  birth-place  of  the  Reformer.  In 
our  times,  the  appellation  of  Wycliffe  is  used  as  a 
surname  ;  but  in  his  day,  it  designated  a  locality, 
and,  according  to  the  old  Saxon  usage,  he  was  usu- 
ally called  John  of  Wycliffe.  The  date  of  his  birth 
is  generally  referred  to  the  year  1324 ;  and  we  know 
nothing  of  his  youth,  except  that  his  name  was  en- 
rolled as  a  student  at  Oxford  in  1340.  Queen's 
College,  of  which  he  became  a  member,  was  founded 
that  year,  for  the  students  of  the  northern  counties  ; 
but  he  was  soon  transferred  to  Merton,  the  most 
eminent  of  all,  where  the  chair  of  divinity  was  filled 
by  Thomas  Bradwardine,  afterwards  archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  a  man  of  extensive  learning,  and  very 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  93 

celebrated  for  his  writings  against  the  Pelagians,  in 
view  of  which  Dr.  Gill  speaks  in  his  praise,  and 
calls  him  a  second  Austin.  Possessed  of  extraordi- 
nary talents,  and  a  liberality  of  mind  far  beyond  his 
age,  he  was  well  fitted  to  be  the  instructer  of  such  a 
youth  as  Wycliffe,  and  though  he  made  no  formal 
opposition  to  Popery,  he  did  much  to  foster  an  inde- 
pendent spirit  of  inquiry. 

Around  the  walls  of  Merton,  the  spirit  of  Duns 
Scotus  still  lingered.  His  fame  had  filled  Europe, 
and  to  be  enlightened  by  his  wisdom,  thirty  thousand 
students  gathered  around  his  chair.  He  was  entitled 
the  subtle  doctor  ;  of  scholastic  learning  he  had  ex- 
haustless  stores,  of  which  we  may  mention  as  a  proof, 
that  when  the  University  of  Paris  was  agitated  with 
the  question,  whether  the  Virgin  Mary  was  born  in. 
original  sin,  Scotus  settled  it  by  producing  two  hun- 
dred arguments  in  the  negative.  The  devotion  of 
his  students  to  him  must  have  been  very  great,  for 
Brucker  affirms  that  they  used  to  say,  "  Had  the 
genius  of  Aristotle  been  unknown,  that  of  Scotus 
could  have  supplied  its  place."  This  was  the  highest 
possible  eulogium  ;  for  the  scholars  of  that  age  were 
distinguished  by  their  passion  for  logic  and  meta- 
physics, and  the  study  of  Aristotle  comprised  all 
that  they  thought  worthy  of  the  name  of  learning. 
The  living  philosopher  could  not  have  received 
more  homage  from  his  disciples  at  Athens,  than  his 
name  drew  forth  from  the  students  of  Oxford  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  In  their  view,  a  man  might 
pretend  to  study  the  Scriptures,  and  become  a  bibli- 


94  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

cist ;  but  unless  he  understood  Aristotle,  he  could 
never  understand  the  Bible. 

At  that  time,  the  sciences  were  divided  into  two 
classes,  called  the  trivium  and  quadrivium,  the  first 
embracing  grammar,  rhetoric  and  logic  ;  the  second 
music,  arithmetic,  geometry  and  astronomy.  With 
the  exception  of  music,  the  studies  of  the  first  divi- 
sion were  most  diligently  pursued  ;  within  their 
sphere,  the  power  of  the  human  intellect  seemed  to 
be  concentrated  ;  and  though  we  may  regard  their 
subtle  exercises  of  the  dialectic  art  as  profitless,  yet 
it  must  be  conceded,  that  the  world  has  never  beheld 
instances  of  sharper  wit,  or  of  logical  powers  more 
finely  trained.  Long  and  fruitless  their  wars  of 
words  may  seem  to  us  in  retrospect,  but  woe  to  the 
man  who  should  have  ventured  to  engage  in  them, 
if  deficient  in  memory,  or  invention,  or  the  industry 
which  was  requisite  to  master  the  technicalties  of 
their  favorite  science.  Instant  defeat  would  have 
followed  the  want  of  knowledge,  strength  or  skill, 
and  however  wise  or  strong  a  man  might  be,  he 
could  avail  but  little  with  the  leading  men  of  those 
times,  unless  he  could  hold  his  ground  with  the 
scholastic  doctors  in  the  use  of  their  own  weapons. 
The  riper  youth  of  Wycliffe  was,  therefore,  most 
profitably  spent  in  close  investigation  of  the  Aris- 
totelian philosophy,  and  acquiring  those  implements 
of  logical  warfare,  which  he  was  destined  to  wield 
with  such  signal  success  in  the  cause  of  truth  and 
humanity.  According  to  the  testimony  of  his  oppo- 
nents, he  was  unrivalled  in  debate,  the  proudest 
wranglers  stood  in  awe  of  him  ;  in  their  intellectual 


Christianity  and  Traditiomism.  95 

tournaments  he  was  sure  to  come  off  victorious,  so 
that  Knighton,  a  contemporary  and  bitter  foe,  writes 
of  him,  "  in  philosophia  nulli  reputabatur  secundus  ; 
in  scholasticis  disciplinis  incomparabilis." 

But  whilst  we  admire  the  talent  of  Wycliffe,  dis- 
played in  his  rich  learning  and  in  those  mental  feats 
which  were  the  wonder  of  his  time,  we  observe,  with 
the  greatest  pleasure,  his  early  devotion  to  biblical 
studies.  This  constituted  the  peculiarity  of  his 
character,  and  here  lay  the  secret  of  his  strength. 
Firm  in  his  belief,  that  the  Scriptures  were  given 
by  inspiration  of  God,  and  that  each  man  is  account- 
able for  the  manner  in  which  he  treats  them,  he  was 
soon  prepared  to  broach  the  first  element  of  Protes- 
tantism, which  is,  their  sufficiency.  Seeing  that  they 
are  adapted  to  all  the  race,  both  "  low  and  high, 
rich  and  poor  together,"  it  was  natural  that  he 
should  reach  the  second  fundamental  principle,  which 
is  the  right  of  private  judgment.  In  the  assertion  of 
these  two  principles.  Protestantism  essentially  con- 
sists.* Firmly  holding  these,  he  was  furnished  with 
a  standard  by  which  to  try  the  church  herself,  the 
institutions  of  his  time,  the  pretensions  of  the  pope, 
the  decrees  of  councils,  the  canon  law,  and  the  popu- 
lar doctrines.  Thus  he  learned  to  "  try  the  spirits'^ 
whether  they  were  of  God.  Hence,  sprang  those 
clear  conceptions  of  the  enormity  of  prevailing  evils, 
the  mental  independence,  which  enabled  him  to  rise 
superior  to  all  human  authority,  to  divest  every  sub- 
ject of  the  factitious  glare  or  obscurity  which  the 

*  See  Appendix,  A,  p.  385. 


96  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

priesthood  had  thrown  around  it, — the  moral,  ecu 
rage  which  enabled  him  to  brook  a  nation's  preju- 
dice, and  to  confront  a  graceless  hierarchy,  who  sat 
on  the  throne  of  church  dominion,  clothed  with 
unearthly  terrors.  O,  there  is  that  in  the  earnest 
study  of  the  Bible  which  humbles,  yet  exalts,  which 
leads  the  soul  to  feel  itself  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  dilates  it  with  a  sense  of  his  glorious  majesty. 
Then  his  word  worketh  effectually,  his  voice  is  om- 
nipotent. To  such  a  mind  there  can  be  no  terror  ; 
life,  death,  tribulation,  peril,  sword,  principalities, 
powers,  sink  to  nothing  before  it. 

If  Wycliffe  possessed  extraordinary  force  of  cha- 
racter, here  is  to  be  found  its  explanation.  But  for 
his  devotion  to  the  Scriptures,  he  would  have  been 
as  another  man.  Guided  by  those  rival  authorities 
of  the  Bible,  the  canon  law,  which  was  a  digest  of 
ecclesiastical  decisions,  or  the  decrees  of  the  pope, 
he  would  have  had  no  light  or  strength  or  motive 
to  resist  the  reigning  corruptions,  or  else  would 
have  struck  only  at  the  branches,  and  not  at  the 
root  of  the  evils  which  desolated  Christendom.* 
With  a  lofty  piety,  which  was  nurtured  by  commu- 
nion with  inspired  minds,  with  genius  and  talents 
and  knowledge,  all  quickened  by  a  study  of  the 
divine  word,  his  life  was  a  memorial  of  the  power 
of  that  word  to  form  the  character,  and  of  the  power 
of  a  character  so  formed,  to  affect  the  destinies  of 
the  human  race. 

A  more  ample  survey  of  his  career  than  it  is  pos- 

*  See  Appendix,  B,  p.  387. 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  97 

sible  for  us  to  take  at  this  time,  would  furnish 
instructive  proofs  of  this.  Let  us,  however,  mark 
its  influence  in  the  case  which  first  brought  him 
into  open  collision  with  the  spirit  of  his  own  age. 
This  was  an  attack  on  the  order  of  mendicant 
monks,  which  he  commenced  at  Oxford,  in  1360. 
In  his  day,  the  monastic  system  was  thriving  in 
full  vigor,  and  perhaps  it  is  difficult  for  us  to  con- 
ceive adequately  of  the  extent  of  its  influence.  By 
its  aspect  of  sanctity  and  self-denial,  it  was  artfully 
addressed  to  that  religious  sentiment  which  exists  in 
man  universally,  and  which,  while  in  Europe  it  had 
taken  on  the  form  of  Christianity,  had  become  re- 
volted and  shocked  at  the  vices  of  the  clergy. 
When  avarice,  arrogance  and  ambition  reigned  in 
the  cathedral,  many  were  struck  with  veneration  on 
beholding  an  order  of  men  seeking  seclusion,  extoll- 
ing a  meditative  life,  and  turning  their  backs  on  all 
the  attractions  of  wealth,  and  all  the  "  pride  of 
place."  Such  a  device  took  well  with  the  Romish 
church,  which  has  always  sought  to  extend  her  sway 
by  appealing  to  every  feeling  in  the  bosom  of  man, 
and  to  address  the  moral  sentiment  by  the  ostenta- 
tion of  virtue.  But  "  truth  will  out,"  nature  will 
develop  itself,  and  human  depravity  scorns  to  be 
bound  by  ecclesiastical  canons.  When  veneration 
for  the  monks  had  made  them  rich  in  endowments, 
their  profligacy  became  manifest  unto  all,  their  credit 
sunk,  and  the  church  lost  much  of  her  honor  of  sanc- 
tity. In  the  century  preceding  the  time  of  Wycliffe, 
Grossteste,  bishop  of  Lincoln,  described  the  Anglo- 
Norman  monks,  as  "  belonging  to  the  dead  rathe'* 


98  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

than  the  living,  as  the  tenants  of  a  sepulchre,  appear^ 
ing  in  the  habiliments  of  the  grave,  and  as  deriving 
all  their  vitality  from  an  infernal  inspiration."  In 
such  a  case,  the  device  of  a  new  order  of  monka 
seemed  exactly  adapted  to  meet  the  church's  exigen- 
cy, and  the  appearance  of  a  class  of  men  who  had 
bound  themselves  to  own  no  property,  to  devote 
themselves  to  charitable  works,  to  live  by  alms,  to 
imitate  the  poverty  of  Christ,  and  who  were  known 
by  the  name  of  mendicant  friars,  or  begging  breth- 
ren, attracted  general  attention  and  reverence.  At 
first,  some  of  the  more  enlightened  thought  that,  at 
least,  by  their  itinerant  preaching  they  might  da 
much  good,  and  therefore  favored  them.  Among 
these  was  Grossteste,  but  he  afterwards  became  their 
decided  foe.  Their  mock  poverty  excited  disgust ; 
vaunting  themselves  of  the  favor  of  the  pope,  they 
contemned  the  civil  power,  and  were  seen  to  be  mere 
tools  in  the  hands  of  the  pontiff  for  the  exercise  of 
his  dominion.  The  spirit  of  Wycliffe  was  stirred 
within  him,  as  he  saw  their  increasing  influence,  and 
the  fearful  use  they  made  of  it,  and,  not  content  with 
pointing  out  their  gross  abuses,  he  struck  at  the 
foundation  of  their  order.  It  was  a  fortunate  cir^ 
cumstance  for  him  that  they  were  accustomed  to  ex- 
patiate on  the  poverty  of  Christ  as  the  model  of 
their  imitation,  for  this  led  him  in  his  conflict  with 
them  to  enter  fully  into  the  scriptui-al  argument,  to 
draw  forth  the  Bible  from  its  obscurity,  to  hold  it 
up  as  the  lamp  of  heaven,  the  standard  of  faith,  and 
rule  of  duty,  while  he  marked  the  contrast  between 
its  teachings  and  the  usages  which  church  authority 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  99 

had  sanctioned  ;  in  effect  he  thundered  forth  the 
startling  appeal  of  the  prophet,  "  What  is  the  chaff 
to  the  wheat  ?  saith  the  Lord."^" 

The  result  of  this  controversy  was  most  benign. 
While  it  displayed  Wycliffe's  courage,  in  attacking 
those  of  whom  it  was  said,  that  "  a  lord  would  more 
patiently  bear  a  severe  censuring  of  his  least  offence 
than  mendicants  the  soft  and  mild  reproving  of  their 
greatest  sins,"  who  had  long  presided  over  the  In- 
quisition on  the  continent,  and  who  were  called  "  the 
confessors,  the  preachers,  and  the  rulers  commonly 
of  all  men,''  it  at  the  same  time  enabled  him  to  scat- 
ter broad-cast  the  seeds  of  that  scriptural  truth, 
which  alone  could  cause  a  prostrate  church  to  rise 
up  from  her  bondage  of  death,  "  regenerated  and  dis- 
enthralled." 

After  this,  Wycliffe  appears  to  have  advanced  fast 
in  honors.  He  was  made  master  of  Baliol  College, 
and  presented  to  the  living  of  Fillingham  in  the 
diocese  of  Lincoln.  He  was  much  esteemed  by  Is- 
lip,  who  succeeded  Bradwardine  in  the  see  of  Can- 
terbury, and  by  him  was  made  warden  of  Canterbury 
Hall,  which  he  himself  had  founded.  Soon  after, 
Islip  died,  and  was  succeeded  by  Langham,  who  had 
himself  been  a  monk,  and  was  a  great  friend  of  the 
religious  orders.  By  him,  Wycliffe  was  deposed  on 
some  frivolous  pretences.  Strong  in  a  good  con- 
science, he  appealed  to  the  pope  for  justice,  but  in 
vain. 

Soon  after  this,  Providence  presented  him  with 

*  See  Appendix,  C,  p.  389. 


100         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

an  opportunity  of  striking  an  effective  blow  at  the 
power  of  popery  in  England.  How  absolute,  how 
awful  that  power  had  been,  may  be  seen  at  a  glance, 
by  the  oath  of  king  John,  pronounced  while  kneel- 
ing before  the  people,  with  his  hands  held  up  be- 
tween those  of  the  legate  :  "  I,  John,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  king  of  England,  and  lord  of  Ireland,  in  order 
to  expiate  my  sins,  from  my  own  free  will  and  the 
advice  of  my  barons,  give  to  the  church  of  Rome,  to 
pope  Innocent  and  his  successors,  the  kingdom  of 
England,  and  all  other  prerogatives  of  my  crown. 
I  will  hereafter  hold  them  as  the  pope's  vassal.  I 
will  be  faithful  to  God,  to  the  church  of  Rome,  to 
the  Pope  my  master,  and  his  successors  legitimately 
elected.  I  promise  to  pay  him  a  tribute  of  a  thou- 
sand marks  yearly,  to  wit,  seven  hundred  for  the 
kingdom  of  England,  and  three  hundred  for  Ire- 
land." The  people  of  England  were  ashamed  of 
John  for  taking  such  an  oath,  but  their  own  blind 
superstition  was  the  occasion  of  it ;  for  when  the 
pope  laid  the  nation  under  an  interdict,  the  king 
was  as  effectually  cut  off  from  the  charities  of  so- 
ciety, as  was  the  Jewish  leper,  who  was  forced  to 
exclaim,  "  Unclean,  unclean."  After  Innocent,  the 
popes  did  not  uniformly  exact  the  promised  tribute  ; 
but  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak.  Urban  Y.  de- 
manded of  Edward  III.  the  feudal  homage,  the  trib- 
ute, and  thirty-five  years'  arrearage,  admonishing  him 
that  in  default  of  payment,  he  would  be  cited  in  due 
form  to  appear  in  person  at  the  court  of  the  sovereign 
pontiff.  This  demand  roused  the  better  part  of  the 
nation  to  resistance.    The  king  refused  to  comply, 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  lOl 

sustained  by  tlie  advice  of  Parliament,  which  had 
been  for  years  increasing  in  power  and  dignity. 
Nevertheless,  the  monks  were  exasperated  at  what 
they  considered  an  insult  cast  on  the  head  of  the 
church,  and  vindicated  the  pontiff's  claim.  Wycliffe 
could  now  indeed  enter  the  lists  boldly,  for  favored 
by  the  collision  between  the  king  and  the  pope,  he 
had  been  made  royal  chaplain,  and  in  his  published 
reply,  he  appears  as  the  first  man  in  England,  since 
the  days  of  Augustine  the  first  propagator  of  those 
corruptions  there,  who  ventured  openly  to  maintain 
the  sufficiency  of  the  Scriptures,  the  inferiority  of 
the  canon  law,  the  peccability  of  the  pope,  and  his 
liability  to  the  guilt  of  mortal  transgression.  Honor 
be  to  the  memory  of  the  man  who  stood  forth  in  a 
dark  and  trying  day,  to  promulgate  in  our  father- 
land those  principles  which  were  destined  there  and 
here  to  gain  so  complete  a  victory. 

At  the  period  of  which  we  speak,  Wycliffe  was  in 
the  fortieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  honored  with 
the  aid  and  friendship  of  John  of  Gaunt,  Duke  of 
Lancaster,  the  most  powerful  noble  of  the  realm.  A 
coincidence  of  design  brought  them  together,  for 
while  the  Duke,  as  a  politician  and  statesman,  was 
disturbed  at  seeing  bishops  and  priests  intruding 
themselves  into  secular  offices,  Wycliffe,  in  the  true 
spirit  of  a  Christian  minister,  was  inveighing  against 
the  worldliness  of  the  clergy.  In  one  of  his  essays 
he  writes,  that  "  prelates  and  great  religious  posses- 
sioners,  are  so  occupied  in  heart  about  worldly  lord- 
ships and  with  pleas  of  business,  that  no  habits  of 
devotion,  of  praying,  of  thoughtfulness  on  heavenly 


102        Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

things,  on  the  sins  of  their  own  hearts,  or  on  those 
of  other  men,  may  be  preserved  ;  neither  may  they 
be  found  studying  and  preaching  of  the  gospel,  nor 
visiting  and  comforting  of  poor  men."  An  effort 
being  made  at  this  period,  by  the  Parliament,  to 
check  clerical  ambition  by  confining  the  most  im- 
portant of&ces,  which  had  been  held  by  churchmen, 
to  the  laity,  we  may  easily  conceive  that  the  name 
of  Wycliffe  was  not  in  high  repute  with  the  dignita- 
ries of  his  own  order. 

Nevertheless,  his  opportunities  for  extending  his 
sentiments  were  increasing.  He  received  the  de- 
gree of  doctor  in  divinity,  and  was  elevated  to  the 
chair  of  theology  at  Oxford.  In  that  age  the  doc- 
torate was  not  distributed  so  freely  as  at  the  present. 
He  who  wore  it  earned  it,  and  it  was  worth  some- 
thing to  him.  It  was  truly  a  literary  honor,  and  the 
candidate  for  it  passed  a  rigid  probation.  Sur- 
rounded with  his  pupils,  as  doctor  in  theology,  "Wy- 
cliffe communicated  those  principles  which  took  root 
in  the  genial  enthusiasm  of  many  a  youthful  heart, 
and  produced  in  succeeding  years  a  rich  harvest  to 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  progress  of  humanity. 

In  point  of  honor,  however,  a  still  higher  office 
awaited  him,  and  one  which  opened  to  him  a  fine 
field  for  observing  the  intrigues  of  courts  and  the 
character  of  the  papacy.  At  this  period,  the  papal 
court  was  held  at  Avignon,  and  while  the  pontiff  as- 
sumed the  right  of  filling  all  ecclesiastical  vacancies, 
there  seemed  to  be  abundant  proof  that  his  partiali- 
ties were  for  Frenchmen  rather  than  Englishmen. 
This  led  the  court  and  parliament  of  England  to 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  103 

clierish  a  bitter  jealousy  of  the  court  of  Avignon, 
for  the  proud  rivalry  between  France  and  England, 
never  glowed  more  warmly  than  now.  This,  of 
course,  was  favorable  to  Wycliffe  in  his  war  against 
popery,  and  tended  to  protect  him  against  the  prel- 
ates at  home.  Edward  and  the  Parliament  denied 
the  pontiff's  right  of  election,  and  thence  arose  the 
need  of  a  mutual  embassy  to  settle  the  disputed 
points.  Wycliffe  was  appointed  one  of  the  ambas- 
sadors on  the  part  of  England,  and  thence  was  called 
to  reside  three  years  at  Bruges,  where  the  negotia- 
tion was  conducted.  Here  he  had  opportunity  to 
become  acquainted  with  some  of  the  chief  actors  in 
the  political  scenes  of  Europe,  and  returned  better 
qualified  to  prosecute  the  great  work  of  his  heart 
and  life.  Possessing  a  knowledge  of  men  as  well  as 
of  books,  he  had  successfully  discharged  the  trust 
committed  to  him,  and,  as  a  proof  that  he  had  arisen 
in  the  estimation  of  his  sovereign,  the  royal  patron- 
age was  exercised  in  his  behalf  by  appointing  him 
to  the  Prebend  of  Aust  in  the  collegiate  church  of 
Westbury,  Worcester,  and  to  the  rectory  of  Lutter- 
worth. 

But  no  negotiation  seemed  to  bind  the  pontiff. 
He  found  means  to  evade  every  restriction,  and  the 
taxes  which  he  derived  from  ecclesiastical  benefices 
amounted  to  five  times  more  than  the  king  received 
from  the  whole  produce  of  the  realm.  The  struggle 
continued  till  the  death  of  Edward,  and  it  is  remark- 
able that  the  first  Parliament  under  Richard  11.  re- 
ferred to  the  judgment  of  Wycliffe  what  seemed  to 
them  the  douhtfui  question,  whether  it  would  not  be 


104  Christianity  and  Teaditionism. 

lawful  in  the  kingdom,  for  the  sake  of  self-defence, 
to  detain  its  treasures,  "  that  it  might  not  be  con- 
veyed to  foreign  nations,  though  the  pope  himself 
should  demand  the  same  by  virtue  of  obedience  said 
to  be  due  to  him,  and  under  pain  of  his  censures." 
Such  a  reference  of  the  question  was  a  proof  of  the 
confidence  reposed  in  the  judgment  of  Wycliffe,  who 
in  a  most  lucid  manner  maintained  the  affirmative, 
showing,  that  neither  from  the  law  of  reason,  nor 
that  of  Christianity,  which  is  the  law  of  laws,  had 
the  pope  the  least  claim  to  such  lordly  dominion. 

Such  an  expression  of  respect  must  have  been 
grateful  to  Wycliffe,  now  that  the  storm  of  persecu- 
tion was  beginning  to  beat  upon  him.  The  prelates 
and  monks  had  been  long  watching  for  an  opportu- 
nity to  arrest  the  course  of  one  whom  they  were 
now  denouncing  as  a  mischievous  heretic.  When, 
therefore,  Courtney,  a  man  of  high  rank,  of  daring 
spirit,  and  intolerant  bigotry,  became  Bishop  of 
London,  Wycliffe  was  summoned  to  St.  PauFs  to 
answer,  before  his  ecclesiastical  superiors,  to  the 
charge  of  heresy.  The  place  was  much  crowded,  so 
that  Wycliffe,  attended  as  he  was  by  his  friends,  the 
Dake  of  Lancaster  and  Lord  Percy,  the  Earl  Mar- 
shal, could  scarcely  get  access  to  his  seat.  Courtney 
was  much  irritated  at  the  appearance  of  the  crowd 
and  the  attendance  of  the  noblemen,  and  intimated 
a  wish  that  he  had  taken  means  to  prevent  their 
admission  to  the  court.  The  Duke  resented  this  as 
an  insult  and  replied  that  the  authority  of  the 
Bishop  of  London  might  not  be  sufficient  to  control 
his  conduct.     Lord  Percy   asked    Wycliffe  to  be 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         105 

seated,  as  he  might  have  much  to  answer.  This, 
Courtney  opposed.  High  words  followed,  the  meet- 
ing broke  up  in  a  tumult,  and  Wycliffe  departed, 
the  most  calm  spectator  of  the  stormy  scene. 

The  prosecution  was  then  suspended,  but  ere-long, 
England  resounded  with  the  roar  of  the  pontiff's 
bulls.  They  were  addressed  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  Bishop  of  London,  the  King,  and  the 
University  of  Oxford,  denouncing  Wycliffe  as  a 
heretic,  a  preacher  of  doctrines  subversive  of  the 
church,  and  requiring  him  to  be  delivered  up  for 
trial.  The  result  was  a  council  at  Lambeth,  before 
which  the  Reformer  was  cited.  But  how  wonderful 
must  have  been  the  impression  of  his  doctrine  on  the 
people  and  the  court !  What  dismay  filled  the 
synod,  when  the  crowd  pressed  their  way  into  the 
chapel,  proclaiming  their  attachment  to  the  person 
and  opinions  of  the  Reformer  !  In  the  midst  of  this 
excitement.  Sir  Lewis  Clifford  entered  with  a  mes- 
sage from  the  queen  mother,  forbidding  the  bishops 
to  sit  in  judgment  on  the  doctrines  of  Wycliffe. 
The  assembly  was  broken  up,  and  thus  again  was 
the  Reformer  delivered  from  the  mouth  of  the  lion. 
The  council  became,  according  to  the  courtly  Wal- 
singham,  "  shaken  as  a  reed  with  the  wind,  soft  as 
oil  in  their  speech,  to  the  open  forfeiture  of  their 
own  dignity  and  the  injury  of  the  whole  church." 

It  might  have  been  reasonably  expected  that 
another  volley  of  papal  indignation  would  have  been 
discharged  upon  England,  but  this  was  prevented 
by  the  death  of  Gregory  XL  in  1378,  and  as  then 
Europe  became  distracted  with  the  contentions  of 


106  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

the  two  rival  pontiffs,  Urban  VI.  and  Clement  YII., 
Wycliffe  had  occasion  to  write,  "  Trust  we  in  the 
help  of  Christ,  on  this  point,  for  he  hath  begun  al- 
ready to  keep  us  graciously,  in  that  he  hath  clove 
the  head  of  Antichrist,  and  made  the  two  parts  fight 
against  each  other.  For  it  is  not  doubtful  that  the 
sin  of  the  popes,  which  hath  been  so  long  continued, 
hath  brought  in  this  division."  Again,  he  says, 
"  Simon  Magus  never  labored  more  in  the  work  of 
simony  than  do  these  priests  (popes)  ;  and  so  God 
would  no  longer  suffer  the  fiend  to  reign  in  only  one 
such  priest,  but  for  the  sin  which  they  had  done, 
made  division  among  two,  so  that  men  in  Christ's 
name  may  the  more  easily  overcome  them  both." 
Wycliffe  rejoiced  in  that  division,  because  it  tended 
to  diminish  the  reverence  of  the  world  for  the  see 
of  Rome,  and  prompted  honest  ministers  of  Christ 
to  speak  the  truth  more  boldly.  The  necessity  of 
such  an  event,  to  unseal  the  lips  of  many  witnesses, 
may  be  seen  from  the  fact,  that  during  this  doubtful 
contest,  there  was  a  wide-spread  feeling  of  distress 
among  the  people,  lest  they  should  fail  of  salvation 
in  case  they  should  die  without  being  united  to  the 
true  vicar  of  Christ. 

At  this  period,  Wycliffe,  who  was  ever  active, 
abounded  in  labors,  being  engaged  in  writing,  teach- 
ing, preaching,  visiting  the  sick  and  poor  in  connec- 
tion with  his  rectory.  His  health  gave  way  under 
such  exertions,  and  while  at  Oxford,  he  was  attacked 
with  a  sickness  which  threatened  to  be  fatal.  This 
intelligence  was  not  ungrateful  to  the  monks,  and 
they  flattere  ^  themselves  that  as  he  approached  the 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         107 

eternal  world,  he  might  be  disposed  to  counteract 
the  evil  of  his  life,  by  confessing  the  wrongs  which 
he  had  done  to  them  and  to  the  church.  A  deputa- 
tion of  eight  persons  was  sent  to  visit  him,  consisting 
of  one  doctor  from  each  of  the  four  orders  of  friars, 
and  from  senators  of  the  city.  When  they  entered 
his  chamber,  they  beheld  him  lying  weak  and  help- 
less on  his  bed.  After  some  general  observations 
they  came  to  the  point  in  hand,  remarking,  that  he 
was  undoubtedly  conscious  of  having  inflicted  many 
injuries  on  the  mendicant  friars,  and  that  now  as  he 
was  about  to  leave  this  world,  they  hoped  he  would 
not  refuse  to  utter  his  repentance,  and  to  retract 
those  charges,  which,  amid  the  excitements  of  life, 
he  had  laid  against  the  brotherhood.  The  Reformer 
lay  calm  and  silent  till  this  address  was  ended. 
Unable  to  lift  himself  up,  he  waved  his  hand  to  his 
servants  to  aid  him.  Then  fixing  his  eyes  on  the 
deputation,  he  exclaimed,  with  all  the  energy  he 
could  command,  "  I  shall  not  die  but  live,  and  shall 
again  declare  the  evil  deeds  of  the  friars !"  The 
disappointed  monks  retreated,  and  Wycliffe  recov- 
ered, to  do  all  that  his  prediction  implied. 

On  his  restoration  to  health,  the  Reformer  resumed 
his  chair  in  theology,  his  pulpit,  his  pen  and  his 
parochial  visitations.  Though  the  sickness  of  which 
we  have  spoken  impaired  his  constitution  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  that  malady  which  terminated  his 
life,  yet  he  seems  to  have  been  "in  labors  more 
abundant."  In  1381,  he  called  the  attention  of  the 
University  to  his  exposition  of  the  Eucharist.  Re- 
garding the  prevalent  doctrine  of  transubstantiation, 


108  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

which  was  received  on  the  ground  of  church  autho- 
rity, as  opposed  to  the  evidence  of  the  senses,  of 
reason  and  of  Scripture,  he  did  not  anticipate  much 
progress  of  the  human  mind  until  it  was  delivered 
from  such  a  vassalage.  The  simple  doctrine  of  a 
figurative  representation  of  Christ's  body  in  the 
eucharist  was  the  one  which  he  defended,  and  in  this 
far  surpassed  Luther,  who  invited  the  faith  of  the 
people  to  repose  in  the  ingenious  scheme  of  consub- 
stantiation,  which  represented  Christ's  presence  to 
be  diffused  through  the  elements  like  fire  in  red  hot 
iron.  Wycliffe  exhibited  the  ordinance  in  its  native 
majesty,  as  a  divinely  appointed  emblem.  The 
priesthood  were  shocked.  The  chancellor  of  the 
University  called  a  convention,  the  majority  of 
whom  were  monks,  who  succeeded  in  suspending  the 
teachings  of  the  doctor  in  theology.  Surrounded  by 
his  disciples,  Wycliffe  was  lecturing  on  the  obnox- 
ious topic,  when  the  officers  entered  to  announce  his 
exclusion  from  his  chair.  He  arose  in  calm  dignity 
and  announced  his  intention  of  appealing  to  the  civil 
power. 

Political  affairs,  however,  took  such  a  turn  that 
no  civil  interference  was  exercised  in  behalf  of  Wy- 
cliffe. The  court,  under  Eichard,  were  disposed  to 
propitiate  the  clergy  on  account  of  their  enormous 
wealth,  and  this  became  a  favorable  moment  for 
the  enemies  of  Wycliffe  to  prosecute  their  design. 
Under  the  auspices  of  Courtney,  a  synod  was  called 
to  check  the  spreading  heresy,  and  then  a  convoca- 
tion at  Oxford,  before  which  the  Reformer  appeared 
in  his  own  defence.    His  judges,  though  neither  con- 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  109 

vinced  nor  satisfied,  yet  durst  not  proceed  to  vio- 
lence, well  knowing  how  firm  a  hold  he  had  upon 
the  affections  of  the  people.  They  dissolved  his 
connection  with  Oxford,  but  they  could  not  extirpate 
his  principles.  He  retired  to  Lutterworth  to  diffuse 
his  doctrines  by  preaching  and  writing. 

It  might  be  naturally  inferred  from  Wycliffe's 
po'pularity  that  he  was  gifted  with  the  power  of 
holding  intercourse  with  the  multitude  by  preaching. 
It  is  true  that  he  delighted  in  the  exercise,  revered  it 
as  the  appointment  of  Christ,  and  was  offended  with 
the  indignity  with  which  the  church  of  Rome  had 
treated  it.  She  supplied  the  people  with  ceremonies, 
but  withheld  the  bread  of  life.  So  low  had  this  or- 
dinance sunk  in  the  century  preceding  Wycliffe,  that 
Archbishop  Peckham  complained  to  the  clergy  that 
the  people  were  as  the  "  poor  who  seek  water  and 
there  is  none,  and  their  tongue  faileth  for  thirst ;" 
and  the  improvement  which  the  metropolitan  sug- 
gested was,  that  a  summary  of  subjects  be  given  to 
each  priest,  and  that  he  be  required  to  deliver  four 
sermons  during  the  year  in  his  own  parish  !  But 
Wycliffe  had  impressive  views  of  the  dignity  of  the 
work.  In  vindicating  it,  he  exclaims,  ""  Christ,  when 
he  ascended  to  heaven,  commanded  it  especially  to 
all  his  apostles,  to  preach  the  gospel  freely  to  every 
man.  So,  also,  when  Christ  spoke  last  with  Peter, 
he  bade  them  thrice,  as  he  loved  him,  to  feed  his 
sheep  ;  and  this  would  not  a  wise  shepherd  have 
done  had  he  not  himself  loved  it  well.  In  this 
stands  the  office  of  the  spiritual  shepherd.  As  the 
bishop  of  the  temple  hindered  Christ,  so  is  he  hind- 


110         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

ered  by  the  hindering  of  this  deed.  Therefore 
Christ  told  them  that  at  the  day  of  doom,  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah  should  better  fare  than  they.  And 
thus  if  our  bishops  preach  not  in  their  own  persons 
and  hinder  true  priests  from  preaching,  they  are  in 
the  sin  of  the  bishops  who  killed  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ/'  To  a  reflecting  observer,  what  an  interest- 
ing object  must  it  have  been,  to  behold  this  man, 
who  was  skilled  in  all  the  subtleties  of  learning,  a 
match  for  the  ablest  dialecticians  of  the  times,  able 
to  lead  the  way  in  translating  the  Scriptures  into 
his  native  tongue,  qualified  to  solve  the  knotty  ques- 
tions of  Parliament,  and  to  treat  on  behalf  of  his 
country  with  the  ambassadors  of  foreign  courts, 
standing  up  amidst  a  rude  and  untaught  peasantry, 
who  hung  upon  his  lips  to  receive  the  words  which 
make  men  wise  unto  salvation.  The  ease  and  ener- 
gy with  which  he  filled  so  wide  a  sphere,  prove  that 
he  deserves  to  be  ranked  with  minds  of  the  highest 
order  that  any  age  or  country  has  produced. 

His  method  of  preaching  (to  use  the  term  of  the 
times)  was  ^^  postulating,^^  in  distinction  from  "  declar- 
ing.^' The  latter  mode  consisted  in  announcing  a 
subject  and  proceeding  to  deliver  an  essay  upon  it. 
The  former  was  expository,  consisting  of  remarks 
upon  an  extended  passage  of  Scripture,  designed  to 
prepare  the  way  for  an  application  suited  to  the  im- 
mediate wants  of  the  auditory. 

The  great  work,  however,  which  employed  the 
thoughts  and  filled  the  heart  of  Wycliffe,  in  the  lat- 
ter period  of  his  life,  was  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  into  the  English  language.     He  was  the 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  Ill 

first  man  who  gave  an  English  Bible  to  the  world. 
Before  his  time  only  fragments  existed.  The  first 
attempt  was  made  in  the  seventh  century,  by  Ced- 
man,  an  Anglo-Saxon  monk,  who  presented  to  his 
countrymen  a  poem  narrating  the  leading  events  of 
the  Old  Testament  history.  Then  followed  in  the 
eighth  century,  the  Anglo-Saxon  version  of  the 
Psalms,  by  Aldhelm  and  Guthlac,  and  a  translation 
of  John's  gospel,  by  the  Venerable  Bede.  The  Dur- 
ham book,  a  manuscript  copy  of  the  Gospels  in  Lat- 
in, with  a  Saxon  version  interlined,  belongs  to  the 
age  of  Alfred.  Several  other  manuscript  versions 
of  parts  of  the  Scriptures  existed  in  the  ninth  and 
tenth  centuries,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to  give  to 
the  people  the  Bible  in  their  own  language,  so  that 
the  enterprise  of  Wycliffe  was  quite  a  novelty  in 
that  day.  Surely,  if  by  his  life  he  had  accomplished 
no  other  object,  he  had  lived  for  a  noble  purpose. 

This  great  work  accomplished,  he  could  say  with 
joy,  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace."  Though  he  bewailed  the  reigning  evils,  yet 
he  had  a  serene  faith  in  the  triumph  of  truth.  Truth, 
he  said,  must  prevail ;  "for  to  overcome  truth,  would 
be  to  overcome  God."  Thus  he  waited  his  time. 
He  died  at  his  rectory,  on  the  last  day  of  December, 
1384.  Having  been  struck  with  a  paralysis,  while 
performing  divine  service,  he  was  immediately  de- 
prived of  consciousness,  until  a  voice  from  on  high 
said  to  his  spirit,  "  Come  up  hither." 

It  is  a  most  wonderful  circumstance,  that  Wycliffe 
Was  permitted  to  die  peacefully  at  home.  Two  con- 
siderations may  account  for  this  ;  first,  the  degree 


112  CHRISTIANirY  AND   TraDITIONISM. 

of  interest  which  was  absorbed  by  the  contentions 
between  the  rival  popes,  and,  second,  the  power 
which  the  Reformer  had  with  the  people,  a  power 
which  had  already  caused  the  failure  of  the  prelates 
in  all  their  efforts  to  destroy  them.  But  what  a 
spirit  of  consuming  vengeance  was  shown  to  have 
been  smothered  in  some  bosoms,  when  it  broke  forth 
at  the  council  of  Constance,  like  the  eruption  of  in- 
fernal flame.  That  council,  called  to  establish  the 
interests  of  religion,  by  a  pope  who  had  been  a 
pirate  in  his  youth,  and  continued  to  be  one  of  the 
most  reckless  profligates  of  the  age,  at  his  bidding 
designated  Wycliffe's  doctrine  as  "  the  abomination 
of  desolation  standing  in  the  holy  place  f  and  while 
they  proved  their  hatred  of  heresy,  in  the  burning 
of  John  Huss,  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  they  establish- 
ed for  Wycliffe,  beyond  all  dispute,  the  honor  of  be- 
ing the  Father  of  the  Reformation,  the  spring  of  those 
renovating  influences  which,  as  they  spread,  mocked 
all  resistance,  when  they  commanded  that  in  case 
his  bones  could  be  distinguished  from  those  of  the 
faithful,  they  should  be  taken  from  the  place  of  their 
thirty  years'  repose,  and  "  cast  out  to  be  trodden 
under  foot  of  men."  They  were  reduced  to  ashes, 
and  then  thrown  into  the  river  which  runs  through 
Lutterworth.  It  was  a  happy  thought  of  one,  who 
said  that  "  this  furnished  an  emblem  of  the  spread 
of  his  doctrine  ;  for  as  those  ashes  were  carried  into 
the  Severn,  the  narrow  seas,  the  ocean,  so  did  his 
doctrine  flow  from  the  province  to  the  nation,  and 
from  the  nation  to  the  many  kingdoms  of  the  world." 
In  reviewing  the  history  of  Wycliffe,  and  survey- 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         113 

ing  the  vast  sphere  which  he  filled,  as  a  lecturer  in 
theology,  a  royal  chaplain,  a  popular  preacher,  a 
faithful  pastor,  a  powerful  writer,  the  translator  of 
the  Bible,  as  the  expounder  and  defender  of  Chris- 
tian faith  and  freedom,  the  chief  value  of  his  exam- 
ple will  be  lost  to  us,  unless  we  feel  the  vivid  illus- 
tration which  his  life  presents  of  the  truth  which  the 
Psalmist  expressed,  when  he  cried,  "  Thy  word,  0 
God,  giveth  light."  What  object  can  be  more  in- 
teresting to  behold,  than  a  mind  like  his,  so  lofty 
and  enlarged,  so  far  beyond  his  age,  at  a  period 
when  men  were  "  groping  in  the  day  time  as  the 
blind,"  when  the  light  in  them  was  as  darkness,  di- 
recting their  views  to  those  very  doctrines  which  now 
shine  out  as  the  brightest  stars  in  the  firmament  of 
revealed  truth.  Insisting  strongly  on  the  suffi- 
ciency OF  the  Scriptures,  and  the  right  of  private 
judgment,  he  brought  to  light  those  elements  of 
power,  which  had  their  developments  in  the  great 
reformation  under  Luther,  and  inculcating  as  he  did, 
the  great  article  of  justification,  by  faith  in  Christ 
alone,  the  necessity  of  regeneration  by  the  Spirit, 
the  atonement  of  Christ  offered  on  Calvary  once  for 
all,  and  the  spirituality  of  the  church,  his  preaching 
glowed  with  those  truths  which  touch  the  deepest 
springs  of  feeling  in  the  soul  of  man.  It  is  pleasing 
to  perceive  what  a  strong  illumination  had  fallen  on 
his  mind,  while  turning  toward  the  Scriptures,  as  the 
source  of  instruction  ;  what  clear  conceptions  he  ob- 
tained of  their  authority,  their  sufiiciency,  and  the 
true  spirit  of  an  interpreter.  "  I  am  certain,"  says 
he,  "  from  the  Scriptures,  that  neither  Antichrist  nor 


114  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

all  his  disciples,  nay,  nor  all  fiends,  may  really  im- 
pugn any  part  of  that  volume  as  it  regards  the  ex- 
cellency of  its  doctrines.  But  in  all  these  things,  it 
appears  to  me,  that  the  believing  man  should  use 
this  rule  ;  if  he  soundly  understands  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, let  him  bless  God  ;  if  he  be  deficient  in  such 
a  perception,  let  him  labor  for  soundness  of  mind. 
Let  him,  also,  dwell  as  a  grammarian  upon  the  let- 
ter, but  be  fully  aware  of  imposing  a  sense  upon  Scrip- 
ture which  he  doubts  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  de- 
mand ;  for  such  a  man,  according  to  St.  Jerome,  is 
a  heretic.  And  much  more  he  who  rashly  blas- 
phemes, by  imposing  a  meaning  upon  the  Scriptures 
which  the  Spirit  himself  declares  to  be  impossible. 
If  we  had  a  hundred  popes,  and  all  the  friars  were 
cardinals,  to  the  law  of  the  gospel  we  should  bow, 
more  than  to  all  this  multitude."^ 

Truly,  it  was  the  study  of  the  Bible,  which  con- 
nected with  other  learning,  made  him  the  man  that 
he  was,  which  endowed  him  with  power  as  a  preach- 
er, and  enabled  him  so  to  address  the  human  con- 
science, the  imagination,  and  the  heart,  as  to  awake 
an  echo  in  the  bosom  of  the  nation.  For  who  can 
be  so  well  prepared  to  address  the  conscience,  as  he 
who  has  felt  that  the  gospel  commends  itself  to  his 
own  conscience,  and  has  habitually  brought  that 
faculty  into  contact  with  its  truths  in  all  their  origi- 
nal grandeur  and  vividness  ?  Who  so  fit  to  address 
the  imagination,  as  he  who  has  studied  the  glowing 
poetry  of  David  and  Isaiah,  and  drank  at  the  foun- 

*  See  Appendix,  D,  p.  391. 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  115 

tain  of  their  inspiration  ?  Who  so  well  prepared  to 
address  the  heart,  as  he  who  from  the  mirror  of 
God's  word  sees  the  very  recesses  of  the  human 
heart  reflected ;  has  marked  the  image  of  his  own, 
has  mourned  over  its  deformities,  and  felt  within 
him  the  renovation  of  the  Spirit  ?  It  is  tho  study 
of  the  Bible  which  thus  gives  man  power  with  man. 
It  was  this  which  quickened  the  energies  of  Wy- 
cliffe's  spirit,  strengthened  him  for  his  great  conflict 
with  the  principalities  and  powers  of  darkness,  and 
spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places  ;  enabled  him, 
unawed  by  the  man  of  sin,  to  raise  his  reproving 
voice  in  majestic  tones  which  broke  the  sleep  of 
Christendom,  and  roused  a  kindred  spirit  in  many 
thousand  bosoms.  It  was  this  which  fitted  him  to 
break  the  fetters  of  tradition,  to  disenthral  the 
church  from  its  vassalage  to  the  priesthood,  to  make 
the  pillars  of  the  papal  throne  to  tremble,  and  to 
preside  as  the  master-spirit  of  a  storm  which  was  the 
precursor  of  a  new  creation  in  the  moral  world. 

It  only  remains  that  we  consider,  for  a  moment, 
how  the  principles  of  Wycliffe  have  fared  since  his 
day.  They  were  soon  carried  from  England  to  the 
continent.  They  found  a  favorable  reception  with 
all  who  sympathized  with  the  spirit  of  the  Waldenses. 
When  Wycliffe  ceased  to  bear  aloft  the  torch  of 
truth,  it  was  seized  by  such  men  as  John  Huss  and 
Jerome  of  Prague.  Colomesius  has  published  a 
letter,  which  our  Reformer  wrote  to  Huss  the  last 
year  of  his  life,  and  Jerome  we  know  was  a  true- 
hearted  disciple  of  Wycliffe.  From  these  great 
lights  many  inferior  ones  were  kindled,  till  by  the 


116         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

time  Luther  appeared,  faint  gleams  at  least  were 
seen  both  in  the  palace  and  the  cottage.  Under 
Luther,  Protestantism  triumphed,  but  unfortunately 
Luther  never  saw  what  the  old  Waldenses  before 
him  had  seen  so  clearly,  that  the  essential  principles 
on  which  he  insisted,  the  sufficiency  of  Scripture 
and  right  of  private  judgment,  if  followed  out  to 
their  legitimate  issue  in  the  ecclesiastical  economy, 
would  break  all  formal  connection  between  the 
church  and  the  state,  and  forbid  the  existence  of  a 
religion  established  and  enforced  by  law.  Indeed, 
Luther  did  not  apply  these  principles  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  church,  but  sought  only  by  their  aid  to 
emancipate  the  essential  doctrines  of  Christianity 
from  the  bondage  of  church  authority.  Therefore 
he  says,  in  his  work  on  Galatians,  "  Wherefore  if 
the  pope  will  grant  unto  us,  that  God  alone,  by  his 
mere  grace  through  Christ  doth  justify  sinners,  we 
will  not  only  carry  him  in  our  hands,  but  will  also 
kiss  his  feet  ;  but  since  we  cannot  obtain  this,  we 
again  in  God  are  proud  against  him  above  measure, 
and  will  give  no  place,  no,  not  one  hair's-breadth,  to 
all  the  angels  in  heaven  ;  not  to  Peter,  not  to  Paul, 
not  to  a  hundred  emperors,  nor  to  a  thousand  popes, 
nor  to  the  whole  world."  With  these  views,  we 
need  not  wonder  that  when  Protestantism  conquered, 
it  seated  itself  in  a  legal  establishment,  upholding 
an  orthodox  creed,  and  a  state-paid  priesthood. 
Notwithstanding  all  the  boast  of  freedom,  if  a 
Christian  teacher  had,  in  the  exercise  of  the  right 
of  private  judgment,  denied  any  baptism  to  be  valid, 
except  that  which  was  voluntary,  and  received  as  a 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.  117 

profession  of  personal  faith^  he  would  have  been  an- 
swered, "  hear  the  church," — "  hear  the  church  f 
and  the  Reformers  would  have  said,  as  Calvin  did, 
"  the  church  hath  taken  unto  herself  the  power  to 
alter  this."  In  fact,  even  under  the  auspices  of 
Protestantism,  church  authority  was  exalted  over 
the  Bible,  as  far  as  the  ecclesiastical  economy  was 
concerned,  while  the  right  of  private  judgment  was 
set  free  only  in  the  interpretation  of  Christian  doC' 
trines.  Two  results  followed.  On  the  one  hand, 
there  was  a  visible  church,  formal  and  cold,  with  a 
dead  creed,  a  body  of  orthodoxy  without  a  spirit. 
On  the  other,  the  individual  reason,  boasting  of 
liberty,  and  not  impressed  with  reverence  for  the 
authority  of  the  Bible,  inculcated  a  rationalistic  in- 
fidelity under  the  name  of  Christianity.  Thence,  it 
has  been  remarked  by  Reinhard,  "  Were  Luther  to 
rise  again  from  the  grave,  he  could  not  possibly 
recognize  as  his  own,  or  as  members  of  the  society 
which  he  founded,  those  teachers  who  in  our  church 
would  fain  now-a-days  be  considered  as  his  succes- 
sors. He  founded  his  church  in  Saxony.  We  come 
together  to  thank  God  for  its  foundation,  but  alas ! 
it  is  no  more  I"*  In  England,  too,  where  Protes- 
tantism boasted  of  being  more  staid  and  sober  than 
in  Germany,  there  was  less  of  reckless  speculation 
in  the  church,  but  still  more  of  a  disposition,  where 
the  controversy  with  Rome  was  not  involved,  to 
give  supremacy  to  church  authority  in  matters  of 
faith.    The  supreme  authority  of  the  Scriptures  over 

*  Reinliard.  iiber  die  Kirchen-Verbesserimg,  1800. 


118         Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

the  conscience  of  the  individual,  a  great  and  distin- 
guished doctrine  of  primitive  Christianity,  found  its 
shrine  and  defenders  amongst  those  who  dissented 
from  all  legal  establishments,  and  who  maintained 
the  spiritual  and  voluntary  character  of  the  church. 
This  principle  gave  to  Dissent  its  moral  power,  and 
proved  its  diffusive  energy,  by  modifying  the  opinions 
of  multitudes  within  the  pale  of  the  Establishment. 
Thence  the  devoted  friends  of  church  authority  have 
become  alarmed,  and  at  Oxford,  where  Wycliffe 
lived,  and  learned,  and  taught,  have  raised  anew 
their  standard,  and,  in  lifting  up  the  cry  of  "  primi- 
tive Christianity,"  hope  that  they  have  uttered  what 
shall  prove  to  be  rallying  words  to  a  declining 
church.  But  the  august  Christianity  which  they  so 
revere  as  "  primitive,"  is  not  that  which  Luke  has 
pictured  in  his  thirty  years'  history  of  the  early 
church,  but  that  whose  form  is  composed  of  the 
various  elements  which  existed  prior  to  the  council 
of  Trent.  At  Oxford,  where  the  seeds  of  the  Refor- 
mation were  sown,  men  are  decrying  the  Reformation 
itself  I  One  of  the  most  enthusiastic  and  honored 
members  of  that  school  has  said,  "As  to  the  Re- 
formers, I  think  worse  and  worse  of  them ;  Jewell 
was  what  you  would  in  these  days  call  an  irreverent 
Dissenter.  Really,  I  hate  the  Reformation  more 
and  more,  and  have  almost  made  up  my  mind  that 
the  rational  spirit  they  set  afloat  is  the  ipevdongocpTjTrjg 
of  the  Revelations."  Again  :  "  I  shall  never  call 
the  Holy  Eucharist  the  Lord's  Supper  ;  nor  God's 
priests  ministers  of  the  word  ;  nor  the  altar  the 
Lord's  table ;  nor  shall  I  ever  abuse  the  Roman 


Christianity  and  Traditionism.         119 

Catholics  as  a  church,  for  any  thing  except  excom- 
municating us."* 

In  our  own  country,  at  its  first  settlement,  Protes- 
tantism was  for  the  most  part  established  by  law. 
Of  course,  it  was  not  a  Protestantism  true  to  its  own 
first  principles,  the  sufl&ciency  of  the  Scriptures  and 
the  right  of  private  judgment,  and  it  has  engendered 
here  the  same  fruits  as  in  Europe  ;  in  one  class  of 
minds,  a  supreme  reverence  for  tradition  and  the 
church,  rather  than  the  Bible,t  in  another  class,  a 
disposition  to  exalt  the  authority  of  reason  over 
that  of  the  Bible. 

With  the  one  class,  the  Oxford  doctrines  are 
gaining  ground,  and  preparing  the  way  for  another 
generation  to  look  back  to  Rome  as  the  true  "  mother 
of  us  all,"  with  the  other  class,  every  fresh  conceit 
of  a  foreign  philosophy  is  hailed  as  a  proof  of  the 
"  progress  of  humanity."  The  one  class,  feeling  like 
men  without  firm  footing,  without  a  light,  without  a 
guide,  and  tired  of  the  dissensions  of  those  around 
them,  turn  with  longing  eyes  to  the  boasted  unity 
and  infallibility  of  the  holy  apostolic  church ;  the 
other  class  are  quite  at  ease  amid  the  elements  of 
strife,  call  the  discord  harmony,  and  are  saying, 
"  Let  every  man  be  his  own.  church.":}: 

If  we  were  called  to  select  an  emblem  which  should 
characterize  and  grace  the  publications  of  the  one 
class,  who  prefer  the  light  of  church  tradition  to  the 
light  of  the  Bible,  we  should  picture  a  mariner  at 

*  Fronde's  Remains,  Yol,  I,  p.  379,  <fec. 
t  See  Appendix,  E,  p.  394. 
J  See  Appendix,  F,  p.  396. 


120  Christianity  and  Traditionism. 

sea  taking  an  observation  to  ascertain  his  course, 
holding  up  his  glass  toward  a  meteor,  which  he  had 
mistaken  for  the  polar  star ;  for  those  of  the  other 
class,  who  look  at  every  thing  by  the  light  of  their 
own  reason,  rather  than  by  that  of  revelation,  we 
should  select  the  emblem  of  a  Dial,  and  a  man  with 
a  sage  philosophic  air  examining  it  in  the  night  to 
ascertain  the  true  time  by  the  light  of  his  own  candle. 
While  these  two  rival  principles,  the  authority  of 
church  tradition  and  the  authority  of  reason,  are  in 
process  of  development,  happy  will  they  be,  who 
shall  be  found  at  last  to  have  bowed  only  to  the 
authority  of  GodJs  word, — that  word  which  he  hath 
magnified  above  all  his  name,  of  which  it  hath  been 
said,  though  heaven  and  earth  pass  away,  yet  shall 
it  not  pass  away  ;  which  is  pure,  enlightening  the 
eyes,  sure,  making  wis^  the  simple  ;  which  shall 
judge  every  man  in  the  last  day,  and  prove  that  the 
world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God,  and  that  the  wisdom 
of  the  world  is  foolishness  with  Him.  May  we  under- 
stand it,  love  it,  obey  it,  preach  it,  exemplify  it,  and 
so  link  our  destinies  to  its  cause,  that  we  shall  share 
in  all  the  honors  of  its  triumph. 


CHEISTIAN  GEEATNESS 


TS  THE 


APOSTLE    PETER 


"  Its  apostles,  lowly  fishermen  I"  This  brief  sen- 
tence, from  the  lips  of  an  eminent  orator,  enfolds  an 
argument  for  Christianity,  by  bringing  to  view  an 
impressive  contrast  between  the  splendor  of  its  early 
triumphs  and  the  humble  means  employed  for  its 
propagation.  The  Christian  history  affords  no  finer 
realization  of  the  spirit  of  this  argument,  than  that 
which  is  embodied  in  the  life  and  character  of  St. 
Peter.  Of  obscure  parentage,  a  Galilean  by  birth, 
bred  to  hard  manual  labor,  unknown  in  his  youth  to 
the  leaders  of  society,  destitute  of  every  scholarlike 
accomplishment,  it  has  been  his,  nevertheless,  to  wield 
a  sceptre  of  moral  power  over  the  civilized  world  ; 
and,  having  achieved  a  sublime  mission,  to  leave 
among  men  a  name  which  still  dwells  on  the  lips  of 
millions  throughout  those  realms  which  once  owned 
the  dominion  of  the  Csesars,  but  where  the  names  of 
the  Csesars  are  now  recalled  only  by  the  mute  me- 
morials of  a  perished  empire. 

A  peculiar  and  well-marked  character  has  always 
distinguished  those  who  "  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships 
and  do  business  on  the  great  waters."  In  our  day 
they  are  known,  as  a  class,  by  a  certain  freedom  and 


122  St.  Peter. 

boldness  of  soul,  a  generosity  amounting  to  self-for- 
getfulness,  a  highly  sensitive  nature  having  in  it  a 
dash  of  the  poetic  element,  a  genial  enthusiasm  with 
a  tone  of  lofty  daring,  a  passionate  impetuosity, 
strangely  chastened  at  times  by  a  serious  spirit  and 
a  power  to  execute  the  most  sober  purposes.  The 
alternate  rest  and  stir,  the  tedium  and  excitement, 
the  tameness  and  sublimity  pertaining  to  the  scenes 
of  sea-life,  have  operated  on  men  in  every  age  with 
a  degree  of  uniformity  in  producing  this  style  of 
character,  of  which  Peter,  in  his  earlier  days,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  a  fair  representative.  All  the 
nobler  features  of  it  he  retained  to  the  last ;  but  his 
Master's  discipline  so  effectually  raised  what  was 
low,  and  strengthened  what  was  weak,  that  he  be- 
came "  as  another  man."  A  hint  of  this  great  change 
to  be  wrought  in  him,  was  given  by  our  Saviour  on 
his  first  meeting  with  this  disciple  ;  for  he  said  to 
him,  "Thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas,"  or  as  the 
Greeks  express  it,  Peter — that  is  a  rock  :  intimating 
that  he  who  was  naturally  rash,  fitful  and  impulsive, 
should  become  a  man  of  adamantine  firmness,  of 
granite-like  strength,  able  to  sustain  the  weighty 
burdens  that  were  to  be  laid  upon  him,  and  to  resist 
the  shocks  of  a  hostile  world. 

Some  of  the  most  interesting  events  in  St,  Peter^s 
history,  are  associated  with  "  the  sea  of  Tiberias." 
It  was  only  sixteen  miles  in  length,  and  four  in 
width  ;  yet  was  called  a  sea,  as  the  Jews  denominat- 
ed any  large  collection,  of  waters.  Indeed,  we  some- 
times do  so  ourselves  ;  as,  for  instance,  a  certain  ex- 
panse in  the  Hudson  river  is  called  "  Tappan  Sea." 


St.  Peter.  123 

The  original  name  of  the  lake  was  Chinnereth,  from 
a  city  on  its  banks  which  is  mentioned  in  the  Book 
of  Judges.  This  was  corrupted  into  Gennesaret. 
On  the  site  of  this  old  city,  Herod  built  a  new  one, 
which  he  named  Tiberias,  in  honor  of  the  Roman 
emperor  ;  and  this  new  city  gave  a  new  name  to  the 
lake,  as  we  are  reminded  by  the  use  of  the  phrase  in 
John's  gospel.  A  fine  sheet  of  water  is  always  a 
beautiful  addition  to  a  landscape  :  but  when  we  can 
connect  it  with  the  names  or  fortunes  of  those  whom 
we  delight  to  honor,  the  charms  of  the  scenery  are 
wonderfully  enhanced.  Then  memory  loves  to  lin- 
ger around  it ;  the  plains  or  mountains  that  encircle 
it  have  new  beauty,  and  all  its  shores  are  sacred. 
Under  the  magic  spells,  which  such  associations  awak- 
en, must  the  disciples  have  indulged  many  a  retro- 
spect of  Gennesaret.  There  the  pious  fishermen, 
who  had  been  accustomed  to  live  upon  its  surface, 
had  been  called  by  the  Saviour  to  be  "  fishers  of 
men."  There  they  had  seen  marvellous  displays  of 
their  Master's  power.  There,  in  the  sunshine  and 
in  the  storm,  in  the  soft  moonlight  and  in  the  dark 
night-tempest,  they  had  communed  with  Nature  in 
her  varied  aspects  of  grandeur  and  of  loveliness  ; 
but,  more  than  all,  there  they  had  seen  their  Lord 
walk  upon  the  deep  as  if  it  had  been  a  marble  pave- 
ment, and  when  he  said  to  the  rough  surges,  "  Be 
still  I"  all  were  hushed  to  peace.  There  Peter  had 
received  his  call  to  leave  the  employments  of  his 
youth,  and  to  enter  the  school  which  was  to  fit  him 
for  his  apostleship.  It  was  on  that  occasion  that 
the  disciple,  awe-struck  by  a  view  of  Christ's  divine 


124  St.  Peter. 

majesty,  revealed  as  it  had  been  in  the  miraculous 
draught  of  fishes,  fell  trembling  at  his  feet,  exclaim- 
ing :  "  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0 
Lord  !''  At  once,  the  calm  voice  of  Jesus  soothed 
the  agitation  of  Peter's  spirit,  and  inspired  him  with 
a  holy  confidence  as  it  announced  the  exalted  mis- 
sion which  he  was  destined  to  fulfil. 

If  the  genius  of  a  Salvator  Rosa,  so  much  at  home 
upon  the  sea,  were  employed  in  placing  on  the  can- 
vas, scenes  in  the  life  of  Peter,  with  what  power 
would  it  set  before  us  the  contrast  between  the  atti- 
tude of  the  trembling  disciple  while  prostrate  on  the 
shore,  and  that  bolder  one  in  which  he  afterwards 
appeared,  when,  with  unshrinking  step  he  trod  the 
threatening  billows,  that  there  he  might  greet  and 
adore  his  Master !  It  was  night.  The  storm  was 
on  the  deep.  "  The  ship  was  tossed  with  the  waves." 
The  skill  and  strength  of  the  Galilean  crew  were  not 
an  equal  match  for  the  raging  elements.  The  ter- 
rors of  the  hour  would  naturally  awaken  a  feeling 
of  wonder  that  their  Lord  should  have  "  constrained" 
them  to  embark  on  an  errand  to  which  the  powers 
of  heaven  seemed  so  adverse.  Confidence  and  hope 
were  fast  dying  away  ;  a  sense  of  loneliness  had  al- 
ready given  place  to  a  mental  gloom  more  terrible 
than  the  roar  of  the  tempest,  when,  dimly  in  the  dis- 
tance, a  human  form  was  seen  moving  at  ease  upon 
the  agitated  waters.  It  came  nearer  ;  it  was  clearly 
discerned  by  all ;  one  thought  flashed  on  every  mind, 
and  that  thought  was,  "  This  cannot  be  flesh  and 
blood."  A  solemn  dread,  which  is  common  to  men 
when  confronted  in  any  way  with  the  supernatural, 


•  St.  Peter.  125 

took  full  possession  of  every  breast ;  and  doubtless, 
it  was  with  tremulous  tones  that  they  said  one  to 
another,  "  It  is  a  phantom."  There  they  stood  gaz- 
ing on  that  strange  sight,  each  realizing  in  himself 
the  words  of  the  ancient  Temanite — "  In  thoughts 
from  the  visions  of  the  night  fear  came  upon  me,  and 
trembling,  which  made  all  my  bones  to  shake  ;  then 
a  spirit  passed  before  my  face  ;  the  hair  of  my  flesh 
stood  up  ;  and  I  heard  a  voice."  But  the  voice 
which  they  heard  was  of  no  unearthly  sound.  Calm- 
ly, sweetly,  and  in  tones  familiar  to  their  ears,  it  ad- 
dressed to  them  a  message,  such  as  stormy  winds  had 
never  wafted  before  :  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid."  The 
heart  of  Peter  answered  to  that  appeal  ;  for,  what  a 
sublime  faith  was  that  which  filled  his  soul,  when, 
rising  superior  to  all  mortal  weakness,  or  mortal 
strength,  he  sought  permission  to  hasten  and  meet 
Jesus,  while  yet  he  lingered  on  the  swelling  surge  ! 
He  asked  for  no  promise,  no  pledge  of  help  ;  but 
when  Christ  bade  him  "  come,"  with  what  buoyant 
energy  he  stepped  from  the  quivering  plank  upon  the 
forbidding  wave  !  What  a  moment  of  triumph  was 
that !  Not  Moses  himself,  when  he  stretched  his 
mystic  rod  over  the  Eed  Sea  ;  not  Elijah,  when  from 
the  top  of  Carmel  he  called  fire  from  heaven  to  at- 
test his  mission,  can  be  said  to  have  taken  firmer 
hold  on  the  arm  of  Omnipotence,  or  to  have  exerted 
a  more  kingly  sway  over  the  powers  of  nature.  In 
the  picture-language  of  ancient  Egypt,  a  pair  of  feet 
walking  on  the  water  was  the  emblem  of  an  impos- 
sibility ;  and  the  scene  of  this  eventful  night  must 
have  interpreted  to  the  mind  of  Peter  the  sense  and 


126  St.  Peter.* 

scope  of  that  remarkable  promise — "  Nothing  shall 
be  impossible  to  you." 

In  surveying  human  character,  we  find  no  feature 
of  it  that  calls  forth  from  every  beholder  an  admira- 
tion more  profound  than  that  high-souled  "  decision," 
which  John  Foster  has  so  nicely  analyzed,  and  so 
beautifully  developed  in  one  of  his  immortal  essays. 
When  it  appears  on  great  occasions,  even  in  a  bad 
or  doubtful  cause,  and  on  a  conspicuous  theatre  of 
action,  it  wins  universal  applause  ;  but  when,  apart 
from  the  gaze  of  men,  it  rises  superior  to  the  pre- 
judices of  education,  to  popular  opinion,  to  worldly 
ambition,  allies  one's  fortunes  with  those  of  truth 
alone,  and  then  comes  forth  to  brave  obloquy,  scorn, 
and  death  itself  at  the  bidding  of  conscience,  it  ex- 
hibits the  highest  degree  of  moral  sublimity.  Espe- 
cially is  it  so,  when  the  enduring  courage  which 
pertains  to  decision  of  character  is  not  pre-eminently 
the  gift  of  nature,  but  is  seen  to  spring  from  moral 
causes,  and  to  inhale  its  life  from  the  realm  of  spir- 
itual truth  where  faith  expatiates  as  in  a  congenial 
element.  In  such  an  aspect  of  true  dignity  does 
Peter  appear  before  us  when  he  boldly  avows  his 
belief  in  the  Divine  mission  of  our  Saviour.  Havino; 
been  called  upon  by  his  Master  to  state  what  was 
the  public  sentiment  touching  this  point,  he  declared 
that  it  regarded  Jesus  in  no  higher  view  than  that 
of  an  ancient  prophet  revisiting  the  world  ;  then, 
being  questioned  as  to  his  own  belief,  he  expressed 
his  calm  conviction  that  the  man  of  Nazareth  was 
God's  promised  Messiah.  That  moment  was  a  great 
era  of  his  life.     In  this  fearless  confession  Jesus  re- 


St.  Peter.  127 

cognized  the  spirit  that  could  "  bear  all  things,"  that 
could  stem  the  current  of  popular  error,  wrestle 
against  principalities  and  powers,  and  "  endure  unto 
the  end."  Then,  with  a  remarkable  force  of  expres- 
sion, did  he  pronounce  his  disciple  "  blessed,"  con- 
firmed him  in  his  apostleship,  and  gave  to  him  a 
clearer  revelation  than  had  before  been  made  of  the 
exalted  ministry  to  which  he  had  been  chosen. 

No  one  who  considers  the  temperament  of  Peter, 
what  brilliant  hopes  of  an  honored  and  successful 
apostleship  had  been  awakened  within  him,  can  be 
surprised  at  the  signs  of  worldly  ambition  which  he 
sometimes  betrayed,  and  for  which  he  received  the 
most  keen  reproofs.  He  had  been  taught  to  believe 
that  the  Messiah's  kingdom  would  shortly  come  ; 
but  as  to  the  nature  of  that  kingdom,  and  the  char- 
acter of  its  triumphs,  his  views  were  very  dim.  The 
glowing  imagery  of  the  ancient  prophets  he  had  un- 
derstood somewhat  literally  ;  and  the  announcement 
that  his  Lord  should  be  crucified  as  a  malefactor 
jarred  so  harshly  against  the  tenor  of  his  expecta- 
tions, that  he  regarded  it,  probably,  as  a  figurative 
expression.  The  predictions  of  his  Master,  on  this 
point,  he  never  understood  until  the  facts  ultimately 
explained  them.  How  hard  must  it  have  been  for  him 
educated  as  a  Jew  to  look  for  that  "  anointed  king  " 
who  was  destined  to  restore  the  throne  of  David  to 
more  than  its  former  splendor,  to  construe  aright 
any  intimation  that  the  throne  of  the  true  Messiah 
was  to  be  a  cross,  and  that  a  wreath  of  thorns  was 
to  be  his  diadem !  No  wonder  is  it  that,  with  his 
views,  he  even  "  began  to  rebuke  "  his  Lord  for  hint- 


128    .  St.  Peter. 

ing  at  a  fate  so  mysterious.  After  he  had  visited 
the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  where  Moses  and 
Elias  had  come  to  confer  with  Jesus,  where,  instead 
of  a  frail  tabernacle  of  flesh,  a  celestial  glory  had 
invested  him,  where  a  voice  like  the  voice  of  the  Al- 
mighty had  uttered  the  testimony,  "  This  is  my  be- 
loved Son,"  no  wonder  is  it,  that  the  disciple  should 
be  questioning  to  the  very  last,  even  on  the  final 
journey  to  Jerusalem,  "  what  the  rising  froifi  the 
dead  should  mean."  Neither  is  it  any  wonder,  if 
we  study  the  character  of  Peter  by  the  light  of  his 
previous  history,  that  when  he  found  all  his  bright 
imaginings  dispelled  in  an  instant,  when  he  saw  his 
Master  captured  by  his  foes,  dragged  to  the  high- 
priest's  palace,  and  treated  with  scorn  as  a  weak  im- 
postor, by  a  triumphant  government,  when  he  found 
that  his  own  sword,  instead  of  being  made  omnipo- 
tent for  defence  like  a  blade  "  bathed  in  heaven,"  had 
been  bidden  back  to  its  sheath — no  wonder  is  it,  we 
say,  that  he  should  have  become  as  another  man  ; 
that  his  courage,  which  had  been  nourished  by  false 
conceptions,  should  have  abandoned  him  ;  that  his 
reason  should  have  fled,  like  a  pilot  swept  from  the 
helm  by  a  resistless  wave,  and  that  he  who  had  just 
defied  all  the  powers  of  earth  to  move  him  from  his 
loyalty,  should  have  reeled  from  his  giddy  elevation 
into  an  abyss  of  hopeless  despondency.  The  fall  of 
Peter  is  an  event  well  adapted  to  instruct  mankind 
in  every  age,  but  not  to  excite  that  feeling  of  won- 
der which  springs  from  the  contemplation  of  a  mys- 
tery. 
The  "long-deferred  hope"  of  Peter,  that  Jesus 


St.  Peter.  129 

would  triumph  over  death  hj  baffling  his  enemies, 
or  by  causing  them  to  quail  before  some  word  of 
power,  like  that  beneath  whose  blasting  energy  he 
had  seen  the  fig-tree  wither  away,  probably  inspired 
him  with  enough  of  curiosity  and  courage,  in  spite 
of  his  unhappy  mood  of  mind,  to  linger  around  the 
high-priest's  hall  of  judgment,  in  order  to  witness 
the  scenes  of  the  trial  which  was  fast  hastening  to 
some  fearful  issue.  He  would  fain  have  kept  him- 
self apart  from  the  throng,  that  he  might  avoid  the 
peril  of  being  recognized.  The  exhaustion  which 
had  caused  him  to  sleep  amid  the  chills  of  the  night 
in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  had  now  brought  on 
that  sense  of  cold  which  led  him  to  approach  the 
fire  of  coals  which  the  officers  had  kindled  on  the 
pavement  of  the  court.  A  gleam  of  light  fell  on  his 
anxious  features  ;  and,  at  once,  a  maid  of  the  palace, 
whose  quick  eye  caught  their  expression,  charged 
him  with  the  crime  of  discipleship.  One  thouglit 
now  engrossed  his  soul ;  that  thought  was  conceal- 
ment ;  and,  in  obedience  to  it,  the  lie  by  which  he 
denied  the  charge  leaped  from  his  lips  as  quickly  as 
the  sword  had  leaped  from  its  scabbard  in  the  gar- 
den. More  ill  at  ease  than  ever,  he  walked  out  into 
the  porch,  where  another  maid  appealed  to  the  men 
around  him  with  the  exclamation,  "  This  fellow,  also, 
was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ;"  and,  doubtless,  for  a 
moment,  he  supposed  that  he  had  quelled  all  sus- 
picion after  he  had  backed  his  denial  by  his  oath. 
But  when  the  high-priest's  servant,  whom  Peter  had 
struck,  recognized  his  assailant  with  the  cry,  "Did  I 
not  see  thee  in  the  garden  with  him  ?" — when  the 


130  St.  Peter. 

attending  officers  took  note  of  his  Galilean  accent 
with  the  taunt,  "  Thy  speech  bewrayeth  thee,"  his 
chafed  spirit  rose  to  cope  with  the  emergency,  and 
driving  back  his  accusers  with  denials,  oaths,  and 
curses,  he  broke  away  from  the  perils  that  lurked 
around  that  ill-fated  spot. 

To  the  group  who  witnessed  his  style  of  action, 
Peter  must  have  appeared  as  a  brave  and  determined 
man.  Had  he  been  a  hypocrite,  a  mere  worldling, 
like  Judas,  he  would  have  plumed  himself  on  his 
daring  and  his  success.  He  would  have  justified  his 
conduct  by  the  law  of  necessity,  and  solitude  would 
have  been  less  painful  to  him.  But  when  alone,  he 
came  to  himself.  The  shrill  cock-crow  which  hailed 
the  morning's  light  fell  upon  his  ear,  and  "  opened 
all  the  cells  where  memory  slept."  His  eye  had 
met  his  Master's  glance,  and  that  had  moved  the 
deepest  springs  of  sensibility  within  him.  He  went 
out,  he  shrunk  from  the  sight  of  friends  as  well  as 
foes  ;  he  writhed  in  the  agonies  of  self-rebuke,  and, 
by  himself,  "  wept  bitterly." 

After  the  record  of  this  event  the  allusions  to 
Peter  in  the  New  Testament  are  very  brief,  until  he 
is  brought  to  our  view  again  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias. 
Having  become  assured,  while  in  Jerusalem,  of  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  he  returned  to  Galilee  ;  the 
other  apostles  accompanied  him,  and  were  assembled 
at  his  house  in  Capernaum.  For  purposes  of  hospi- 
tality, in  order,  probably,  to  procure  the  means  of 
entertaining  his  brethren,  he  excused  his  absence 
one  evening,  by  saying  "I  go  a  fishing."  With 
hearts  all  sympathy,  they  replied,  "  We  also  go  with 


St.  Peter.  131 

thee."  So,  as  the  darkness  and  stillness  of  the  night 
favored  their  design,  they  seek  the  lake  instead  of 
their  beds.  Bred  to  their  business  from  early  youth, 
they  were,  no  doubt,  expert  fishers  ;  but  now  they 
labored  in  vain.  The  night  wore  heavily  away.  In 
the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning,  they  observed  a 
stranger  standing  on  the  shore.  He  hailed  them 
with  a  friendly  voice,  saying,  "  My  sons,  have  ye 
any  thing  to  eat  ?"  They  answered,  "  No  ;  we  have 
toiled  all  the  night,  and  have  caught  nothing."  He 
encouraged  them  to  try  again  ;  "  Cast  the  net  on 
the  right  side  of  the  ship,  and  ye  shall  find."  They 
did  as  they  were  bidden,  and  at  once  the  net  was 
full.  This  effect  of  the  stranger's  advice  revealed 
his  character.  "  The  beloved  disciple  "  was  the  first 
to  discover  it.  Love  is  eagle-eyed,  and  the  heart 
often  gives  a  hint  to  the  head.  In  this  discovery, 
John  "  outran  Peter  ;"  for  John  was  more  calm, 
collected,  and  discerning.  But  as  soon  as  that  short 
sentence,  "  It  is  the  Lord,"  fell  on  Peter's  ear,  he 
was  all  zeal,  all  himself  again.  That  one  fact  filled 
and  fired  his  heart ;  and  forgetting  all  danger,  the 
net  of  fishes  and  the  need  of  his  assistance,  he  thought 
only  of  being  at  his  Master's  feet.  Girding  on  his 
outer  garment,  he  plunged  into  the  sea,  hastening  to 
meet  Him  whom  he  adored. 

On  that  shore,  a  breakfast  had  been  provided  for 
the  company  ;  and  this  social  repast  became  an  era 
in  Peter's  history.  In  the  presence  of  his  brethren 
our  Lord  now  turned  to  the  fallen  apostle — to  him 
who  had  said  in  their  hearing,  "  though  all  m&a  for- 
sake thee,  yet  will  I  never  forsake  thee  " — and  asked 


132  St.  Petee. 

of  him,  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more 
than  these  ?"  That  was  a  searching  question.  Peter 
felt  it.  He  knew  its  meaning.  He  remembered  his 
frailty.  He  could  boast  no  more.  But  he  was  con- 
scious of  an  honest  love.  And,  aware  that  Christ's 
piercing  eye  was  on  him,  he  durst  boldly  avow  it. 
But  he  could  go  no  further.  He  could  draw  no 
comparisons.  He  could  not  glory  over  his  fellow- 
disciples.  He  was  humbled,  yet  strengthened.  He 
only  answered,  "  Yea,  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I 
love  thee."  That  was  enough.  His  tone  and  manner 
were  beautifully  chastened,  and  the  delicate  inquiry 
involving  a  comparison  with  others  was  not  repeated. 
On  receiving  this  reply,  Christ  immediately  raised 
Peter  from  the  degradation  of  his  fall,  confirmed  him 
in  the  apostleship,  and  renewed  his  commission. 

But  where  Peter's  sin  abounded,  "grace  much 
more  abounded  ;"  and,  as  Peter  had  thrice  denied 
his  Master,  when  Christ  forgave  him  he  intended  to 
confer  on  him  a  threefold  confirmation  in  his  sacred 
ofi&ce.  Hence  he  demanded  of  him,  a  second  and  a 
third  time,  an  avowal  of  his  love.  This  threefold 
repetition  awakened  in  Peter's  mind  sad  reminis- 
cences, opened  afresh  the  fountains  of  penitential 
grief,  and  drew  forth  from  him  an  appeal  to  Jesus, 
as  the  searcher  of  all  hearts,  for  a  recognition  of  his 
sincerity.  Thrice  he  received  from  his  injured  Lord 
a  special  apostolic  charge  ;  and  now,  reinstated  in 
the  sight  of  all  his  brethren,  he  could  sing,  "  Thou 
hast  restored  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation,  and 
hast  upheld  me  with  thy  free  Spirit ;  therefore  will 
I  teach  trangressors  thy  ways,  and  sinners  shall  be 


St.  Peter.  133 

converted  unto  thee."  From  that  hour  onward,  to 
the  close  of  his  career,  he  rose  superior  to  the  weak- 
nesses of  his  nature,  betrayed  no  more  the  fitful 
impulses  of  his  early  character,  and  nobly  sustained 
the  dignity  of  his  Christian  name.  His  quick  and 
fiery  temper  was  disciplined  to  a  rock-like  firmness 
under  his  Master's  hand,  and  he  became  as  a  mighty 
lion  tamed  to  the  harness. 

After  the  apostles  had  witnessed  the  ascension  of 
our  Lord  from  Mount  Olivet,  they  returned  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  were  assembled  for  many  successive  days 
in  that  "  upper  room  "  which  had  already  been  con- 
secrated as  their  place  of  worship.  From  that  time, 
Peter  appears  as  their  chosen  leader.  Although  he 
was  never  clothed  with  a  formal  or  official  supre- 
macy, he  was  well  fitted  for  a  leadership,  which  all 
freely  conceded  to  him.  At  his  suggestion,  a  new 
apostle  was  elected  to  fill  the  place  of  Judas.  At 
the  great  festival  of  Pentecost,  when  men  of  all 
nations  were  convened  at  the  Jewish  metropolis,  the 
college  of  apostles  were  gathered  around  Peter  while 
he  proclaimed  the  truths  of  Christianity.  Under 
the  influences  which  attended  his  first  discourse, 
three  thousand  converts  were  added  to  the  church. 
Not  only  did  he  stand  forth  in  the  public  view  as 
the  counsellor  of  his  brethren,  the  expounder  of  their 
doctrines  in  the  temple  and  the  synagogue,  but  as 
their  orator  and  advocate  in  halls  of  judgment. 
The  transformation  of  character  in  him  and  in  them, 
was  wonderful.  Jesus  had  said  to  them,  "  Behold, 
I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  among  wolves  f  and,  if 
at  any  time  in  field  or  forest  we  should  see  a  harm- 


134  St.  Peter. 

less  sheep  confront  the  ravening  wolf,  it  would  not 
be  a  spectacle  more  strange  than  that  which  was 
seen  in  Jerusalem,  when  the  men  who  had  fled  terror- 
stricken  from  their  Master's  side,  stood  serenely 
forth  in  Sanhedrim  and  courts  to  speak  in  his  name, 
to  vindicate  his  doctrines,  and  to  enforce  his  pre- 
cepts. If  the  modern  reader  would  receive  a  true 
impression  of  the  sublimity  of  those  scenes,  let  him 
imagine  a  poor  Castilian  peasant  summoned  to  the 
gloomy  court  of  the  Spanish  Inquisition  ;  not  turn- 
ing pale  with  fear,  but  standing  there  with  a  calm, 
undaunted  aspect,  and  speaking  forth  words  of  truth 
with  the  simplicity  of  a  child,  the  energy  of  a  prophet, 
and  the  noble  bearing  of  a  martyr. 

When  we  consider  the  apostolic  eminence  of  Peter, 
the  moral  grandeur  of  his  position,  the  unsullied 
character  which  he  exhibited,  the  dignity  of  his 
public  life,  we  are  tempted  to  wish  that  the  sacred 
history  had  shed  a  clearer  light  on  the  closing  period 
of  his  earthly  course.  We  know  not  the  time  or 
manner  of  his  death.  His  epistles  indicate  that  he 
lived  to  an  advanced  age.  The  learned  and  diligent 
Michaelis  has  shown  good  reason  to  believe,  that  he 
wrote  them  from  the  Chaldean  Babylon,  and  that 
there,  amid  the  scenes  around  which  clustered  hal- 
lowed memories  of  Ezekiel  and  Daniel,  he  spent  the 
last  days  of  his  apostleship.  The  renowned  temple 
in  Rome,  which  bears  his  name,  is  said  by  some  to 
have  been  built  on  the  site  of  his  tomb.  There  is 
no  proof,  however,  that  his  mortal  remains  were 
ever  laid  in  a  Roman  sepulchre  ;  but  we  are  rather 
led  to  the  conclusion  that  He  who  caused  the  body 


St.  Peter.  135 

of  Moses  to  be  hidden  from  the  Israelites,  permitted 
also  the  body  of  the  Apostle  to  rest  in  some  quiet 
seclusion,  that  none  might  be  tempted  to  offer  his 
saintly  relics  the  incense  of  an  idolatrous  worship. 
From  his  home  in  the  far  East,  he  sent  his  last 
epistle  to  the  great  Christian  family,  declaring  to 
them  that  his  Lord  had  shown  him  that  he  "  must 
shortly  put  off  this  tabernacle."  That  tabernacle 
has  long  since  mingled  with  its  kindred  dust ;  but 
his  works  survive  it,  his  name  is  still  fragrant,  his 
recorded  words  are  living  oracles,  and  as  an  inspired 
apostle,  "  having  authority,"  he  still  sits  on  his  throne 
judging  the  tribes  of  Israel. 


CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS 


IN 


THE    MISSIONAEY. 


ACTS  XIII.  36. 


"  For  David,  after  he  had  served  his  own  generation  by  the  will  of  God,  fell  on 

sleep." 

Fathers  and  Bketheen  of  the  Missionary  Union  : 
The  year  that  has  passed  since  we  were  last  as- 
sembled has  been  marked  by  two  events,  to  each 
of  which  belongs  the  dignity  of  an  historical  era. 
One  of  these  events  is  the  completion  of  the  half 
century.  While  now,  as  from  a  "  mount  of  vision," 
we  look  back  upon  the  scenes  which  it  has  un- 
folded, we  hail  with  joy  new  proofs  of  the  fulfill- 
ment of  those  promises  which  woke  the  lyres  of 
ancient  prophets,  and  catch  new  glimpses  of  a  pro- 
found plan  for  the  redemption  of  our  fallen  race 
which  the  Almighty  is  urging  forward  to  a  glorious 
consummation.  l!^ever  before,  within  as  brief  a 
period,  has  man  acquired  so  great  a  power  over  the 


138  Christian  Greatness 

elements  of  material  nature ;  never  before  have 
those  great  truths,  which  are  the  germs  of  auspi- 
cious changes  in  society  and  government,  been  so 
vridelj  spread  among  civilized  nations ;  and  never 
before  has  Christianity  gained  such  substantial  con- 
quests in  those  vast  Eastern  realms  where  the  su- 
perstitions of  Boodh  and  Brahma  have  brooded,  for 
so  many  centuries,  over  the  minds  of  benighted 
millions. 

It  was  a  law  of  ancient  Israel,  that  every  fiftieth 
year  should  be  hallowed  as  a  jubilee;  and  surely 
the  Christian  Israel  has  never  had  more  fitting  oc- 
casion than  that  which  is  furnished  by  the  present 
time,  to  lift  up  the  song  of  triumph  and  of  hope. 
At  the  opening  of  this  period,  a  "darkness  that 
might  be  felt"  covered  the  face  of  Europe ;  the 
moral  earthquake,  which  convulsed  France  to  its 
centre,  vibrated  throughout  Christendom ;  the  old 
world  was  rocking  on  its  foundations,  and  the 
wisest  of  statesmen,  philosophers,  and  philanthro- 
pists despaired  of  the  fortunes  of  the  race.  But 
amid  those  scenes  of  portentous  gloom,  the  Scrip- 
ture was  verified  which  saith,  "Light  is  sown  for 
the  righteous ;"  the  spirit  of  missionary  heroism 
was  then  kindled  afresh,  as  with  the  breath  of  the 
Almighty  ;  the  churches  of  Christ  were  then  rally- 
ing for  a  concerted  onset  against  the  powers  of 
darkness  in  those  lands  where  their  sway  had  been 
undisputed ;  the  small  beginnings  that  were  the 
jeer  and  mock  of  worldly  wisdom  have  thriven 
into  an  enterprise  which  has  won  the  homage  of 
the  world ;  a  deep  presentiment  of  defeat  has  struck 


In  the  Missionaet.  139 

through  the  heart  of  heathenisra,  and  the  Chris- 
tians of  Europe  and  America  call  to  each  other  in 
joyous  songs,  that  celebrate  the  spreading  victories 
of  the  Cross. 

The  other  event  to  which  we  have  referred  is  the 
death  of  that  distinguished  leader  of  the  missionary 
enterprise,  Adoniram  Judson,  whose  eyes  were 
closed  upon  the  scenes  of  earth  on  April  12th,  1850, 
while  on  a  voyage  to  the  Isle  of  Bourbon,  and  whose 
mortal  remains  were  then  consigned  by  friendly 
hands  to  an  ocean  grave.  Th«  narrative  of  his  ca- 
reer forms  an  important  part  of  the  early  history  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  His  life  and  fortunes  are 
identified  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  American 
Christian  missions.  To  him  may  be  applied  the 
words  of  God  respecting  the  patriarch  Abraham : 
"I  called  him  alone,  and  blessed  and  increased 
him."  As  soon  as  he  had  welcomed  to  his  heart 
the  quickening  hopes  which  Christianity  inspires, 
he  desired  to  impart  them  to  the  perishing  heathen  ; 
his  desires  were  soon  ripened  into  a  heroic  pur- 
pose ;  and,  having  been  blessed  with  talents  emi- 
nently practical,  he  immediately  concerted  measures 
for  carrying  that  purpose  into  effect.  The  prose- 
cution of  those  measures  was  steadily  carried  for- 
ward through  forty  successive  years ;  and  then, 
having  "  served  his  generation  by  the  will  of  God, 
he  fell  on  sleep."  His  works  live  after  him.  He 
has  left  a  fragrant  name,  and  his  biography  is  to  us 
a  priceless  heritage.  His  life  is  an  epoch  from 
which  a  new  missionary  era  is  to  be  reckoned. 
Eighteen  centuries  ago,  when  the  Apostle  of  the 


140  Christian  Greatness 

Gentiles,  having  heard  the  imploring  cry  of  the 
Macedonian  suppliant,  "  Come  and  help  us,"  em- 
barked from  the  shore  of  Troas  to  obey  that  call  of 
Heaven,  if  a  Livy  or  a  Yirgil,  just  arrived  from  the 
court  of  Augustus,  had  gazed  on  the  vessel  as  she 
spread  her  sails  to  cross  the  ^gean  sea,  neither  of 
them  would  have  seen  in  the  fact  before  him  any 
thing  worthy  of  commemoration  in  history  or  in 
song,  although  we,  who  survey  the  past  at  a  glance, 
can  see,  in  that  event,  Christianity  passing  over 
from  Asia  to  Europe ;  so,  doubtless,  when  our  own 
Judson  first  left  these  shores  on  a  missionary  er- 
rand, his  embarkation  suggested  nothing  to  the 
worldly  poet  or  historian  deserving  of  special  note, 
but  to  our  retrospective  view  it  exhibits  a  glorious 
fact  in  human  history — Christianity  going  forth 
from  her  asylum  in  the  new  world,  to  react  with 
renovating  energy  on  the  old.  Yes ;  we  see  that 
Christianity,  which  has  here  turned  the  wilderness 
into  a  garden,  looking  back  to  the  continent  whence 
she  sprang,  and  moving  forth  to  repair  the  ancient 
wastes,  to  cause  the  desolations  of  Asia  to  rejoice 
in  the  bloom  and  freshness  of  a  new  spiritual  life 
from  on  high. 

Among  the  means  of  instruction  which  the 
Divine  Spirit  has  employed  in  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures, biography  holds  an  important  place.  Of 
true  history  it  has  been  well  said,  it  is  "  the  biog- 
raphy of  nations.  There  are,  too,  distinguished 
men,  whose  memoirs  embody  the  life  and  spirit 
of  a  whole  people,  or  of  a  particular  period.  Biog- 
raphies of  great  men  may  be  divided  into   two 


In  the  Missionary.  141 

classes  :  the  first  embracing  those  who  truly  repre- 
sent the  spirit  of  their  age ;  the  second  comprising 
only  those  who  struggle  for  the  triumph  of  truth 
against  their  age.  To  the  first  class  belong  the 
biographies  of  such  men  as  Peter  the  Hermit  or 
St.  Bernard,  at  whose  beck  nations  rallied  to  en- 
gage in  crusading  wars ;  the  biography  of  Napo- 
leon, the  representative  of  martial  genius  and  the 
idol  of  millions ;  the  life  of  Thomas  Jefferson, 
whose  words  and  deeds  embodied  the  prevailing 
spirit  of  American  democracy.  In  the  second  class 
of  biographies,  we  may  properly  place  that  of  John 
de  Wyclifie,  whose  course  on  earth  was  a  contest 
for  one  momentous  truth — the  supremacy  of  God's 
Word  as  the  standard  of  faith ;  that  of  Luther,  and 
of  Melancthon,  who  struggled  for  the  great  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  a  living  faith,  instead  of 
dead  ceremonies ;  that  of  Roger  WilKams,  whose 
commonwealth  embodied  the  clear  conception  of 
the  universal  right  of  man  to  religious  liberty,  as 
an  essential  element  of  Christianity.  This  latter 
class  of  men  do  not  represent  the  spirit  of  their 
age  or  the  opinions  of  a  people ;  they  are  prophets 
of  the  future ;  they  represent  ideas  which,  strug- 
gling for  mastery,  become  the  property  of  succeed- 
ing times.  They  identify  their  fortunes  with  the 
success  of  a  principle ;  they  enshrine  in  their  hearts 
some  great  truth,  unwelcome  to  their  generation, 
and  feel  themselves  impelled  to  go  forth  as  its  her- 
alds, to  conquer  as  its  champions,  or  die  as  its 
martyrs.  Among  the  men  of  this  high  order,  as 
far  as  the  elements  of  character  are  concerned, 


142  Christian  Greatness 

Adoniram  Judson  holds  a  distinguislied  place,  al- 
though he  was  permitted  by  the  benignity  of  Provi- 
dence to  share  the  fortunes  of  the  former  class.  In 
the  very  prime  of  his  manhood  he  became  a  be- 
liever in  Christ ;  and  then,  looking  abroad  over  the 
face  of  the  earth,  his  thoughts  were  engrossed  by 
this  one  appalling  fact,  that  the  majority  of  his 
species  were  groping  amid  the  gloom  of  paganism. 
In  connection  with  this  fact  he  meditated  deeply 
on  that  last  command  of  his  risen  Lord  which 
made  the  evangelization  of  the  human  race  the 
great  life-work  of  his  disciples.  At  once  the  path 
of  duty  shone  clearly  before  him.  To  him  the  writ- 
ten mandate  was  a  call  from  Heaven,  and  his  an- 
swer to  it  was  as  devout  and  prompt  as  was  that 
of  the  converted  Saul  to  the  voice  which  addressed 
him  from  the  skies.  'No  angel's  message,  no  vision 
of  the  night,  no  new  revelation  was  needed  to  mark 
out  his  course ;  the  wants  of  humanity  moved  his 
sympathies  ;  the  Great  Commission  gained  the 
homage  of  his  conscience  ;  and  although  the  drift 
of  public  sentiment,  the  prevailing  opinions  of  the 
Church,  and  the  counsels  of  human  wisdom  sup- 
plied no  genial  encouragement,  it  was  enough  for 
him  to  know  that  he  was  treading  in  the  footsteps 
of  inspired  apostles,  and  walking  in  the  light  that 
beamed  from  the  oracles  of  God. 

And  now,  we  who  are  assembled  here,  who  have 
been  accustomed  from  year  to  year  to  observe  his 
doings,  to  sympathize  with  his  hopes  and  fears,  to 
pray  for  his  success,  have  met  as  mourners  at  his 
funeral.     We  say  one  to  another,  "  A  great  man  is 


In  the  Missionary.  143 

fallen  in  Israel."  Although  he  lived  far  from  us, 
he  was  knit  to  our  hearts  by  subtile  ties  far  stronger 
than  those  of  family  or  kindred  ;  although  Burmah 
was  the  land  of  his  adoption,  we  felt  that,  as  by  a 
spiritual  presence,  he  lived  among  us — that  his 
form  and  countenance  were  as  familiar  to  our 
thoughts  as  if  he  had  belonged  to  our  own  house- 
hold circle.  E'evertheless,  our  sorrow  for  his  loss 
is  tempered  and  elevated  by  the  joy  that  springs 
from  remembering  what  great  things  he  lived  to 
accomplish  ;  so  that,  instead  of  calling  for  a  solemn 
and  plaintive  dirge  to  express  the  emotions  awak- 
ened by  this  occasion,  we  would  rather  unite  in  a 
song  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  for  the  guardian 
Providence  that  so  long  watched  over  him  for  the 
extraordinary  gifts  with  which  the  Divine  Spirit 
enriched  him,  "  for  the  good- will  of  Him  that 
dwelt  in  the  bush,  and  for  the  blessing  which  came 
upon  the  head  of  his  servant,  and  upon  the  top 
of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separated  from  his 
brethren." 

Desirous  as  we  are,  at  this  time,  to  commemo- 
rate the  services  of  our  departed  missionary,  to 
treasure  up  in  our  hearts  the  spirit  of  his  great  ex- 
ample, it  shall  be  our  aim,  so  far  as  we  may  be 
able  in  the  time  allotted  to  this  service,  to  contem- 
plate 

THE  PROMINENT  POINTS  OF  HIS  HISTORY THE  CHAR- 
ACTER WHICH  IT  DEVELOPED— AND  SEVERAL  LESSONS 
WHICH   IT   SUGGESTS. 

Adoniram  Judson  was  born  at  Maiden,  in  the 


144  Cheistian  Greatness 

neighborhood  of  Boston,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1788. 
He  was  the  son  of  a  Congregational  clergyman,  and 
was  favored,  of  course,  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood, 
with  the  means  of  religious  knowledge.  His  early 
youth,  however,  furnished  no  evidences  of  true 
piety :  so  far  from  this,  when  he  was  graduated  at 
Brown  University,  in  the  year  1807,  he  was  not  a 
believer  in  Christianity.  If  not  an  avowed  Deist 
of  any  particular  school,  he  was  skeptical  as  to  the 
reality  of  divine  revelation.  The  first  impulse  of  his 
mind  toward  a  better  state  appears  to  have  sprung 
from  a  calm  conviction  of  the  folly  and  the  peril  of 
suspense  in  relation  to  a  subject  so  momentous  on 
the  part  of  one  who  is  neglecting  the  means  of  in- 
vestigation. On  this  account  he  devoted  himself 
to  a  sober  inquiry  respecting  the  evidences  of  the 
Christian  religion,  of  which  the  result  was  a  thor- 
ough change  of  his  opinions.  The  way  was  thus 
prepared  for  his  conversion,  by  which  we  mean  the 
cordial  submission  of  his  heart  to  the  teachings  of 
the  gospel.  This  happy  issue  did  not  follow  at 
once.  While  lingering  in  this  city,  he  happened, 
one  day,  to  take  down  from  the  shelf  of  a  private 
library  a  volume  which,  at  that  time,  was  a  favor- 
ite household  book  among  Christian  readers.  It 
was  "Human  !N'ature  in  its  Fourfold  State,"  by 
Thomas  Boston,  a  minister  of  Ettrick,  in  Scotland. 
The  work  was  perused  by  young  Judsou  with  pro- 
found attention,  and  from  it  he  derived  new  views 
of  sin  and  of  redemption.  His  spiritual  nature  was 
now  agitated  to  its  very  depths,  and  in  this  state 
of  mind,  without  having  obtained  the  mental  peace 


In  the  Missionary.  145 

which  he  craved,  he  sought  admission  to  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  Andover,  with  the  hope  of  re- 
ceiving that  knowledge  of  the  truth  which  maketh 
wise  unto  salvation.  He  was  not  disappointed. 
His  request  having  been  complied  with,  after  a 
short  period,  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  were  dis- 
closed to  his  view  in  all  their  divine  simplicity, 
and  the  gloom  of  skepticism  gave  place  to  an  intel- 
ligent and  joyous  faith. 

'No  one  will  wonder  that  after  the  experience  of 
60  great  a  change  he  should  have  wished  to  diffuse 
the  light  which  he  had  received,  even  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth.  Another  book,  that  now  came  in  his 
way,  was  destined  to  exert  a  mighty  influence  upon 
his  life  and  character.  The  celebrated  discourse  of 
Dr.  Buchanan,  entitled  "  The  Star  in  the  East," 
kindled  the  spark  of  Mr.  Judson's  missionary  zeal 
into  a  flame,  intense  and  unquenchable.  It  im- 
parted to  his  deep  and  indefinite  longings  a  practi- 
cal aim,  and  seemed  like  the  voice  of  God  sum- 
moning him  to  his  field  of  action.  At  such  a 
bidding  he  was  ready,  like  Abraham,  to  go  forth 
alone,  "not  knowing  whither"  he  might  be  led; 
but  in  disclosing  his  views  to  others,  he  found  in 
Samuel  J.  Mills,  Samuel  Nott,  and  Samuel  I^eweli 
congenial  spirits,  whom  the  Head  of  the  Church 
was  preparing  for  the  same  exalted  destination. 

At  that  time  there  was  not  an  association  of  any 
kind  on  the  continent  of  America  to  which  these 
young  men  could  look  with  an  assurance  of  counsel 
or  support.  The  churches  of  this  country  had  been 
planted  by  men  who  had  fled  as  exiles  from  European 


146  Christian  Geeatness 

oppression,  and  their  minds  had  been  engrossed  in 
seeking  security  and  freedom  for  themselves.  Some 
efforts  had  been  made  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
Jr*agan  natives  in  their  immediate  neighborhood, 
but  there  had  been  no  attempt  to  penetrate  the  vast 
realm  of  Heathenism  on  the  old  continents,  and 
there  was  but  a  dim  conception  of  the  enlarged, 
aggressive  spirit  of  Christianity  which  is  breathed 
forth  in  the  words  of  "  the  Great  Commission." 
No  wonder  is  it,  then,  that  Mr.  Judson  resolved  to 
seek  aid  and  co-operation  across  the  Atlantic.  He 
opened  a  correspondence  with  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society,  received  answers  of  encouragement, 
and  was  invited  to  visit  England.  E^evertheless,  a 
memorial  in  behalf  of  himself  and  his  youthful  co- 
adjutors was  addressed  to  the  Massachusetts  Asso- 
ciation at  Bradford  in  Jime,  1810,  the  result  of 
which  was  the  formation  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions.  Under 
their  direction  he  sailed  for  England  in  the  year 
1811,  in  order  to  arrange  a  plan  of  co-operation  be- 
tween the  two  societies.  He  was  captured  by  a 
French  privateer,  was  imprisoned  at  Bayonne,  was 
released  on  parole,  obtained  an  imperial  passport, 
and  proceeded  to  London  for  the  prosecution  of  his 
errand.  We  have  reason  to  rejoice  that  no  concert 
of  action  was  effected ;  that  the  new  society  was 
tirged  to  pursue  an  independent  course,  and  that 
hence,  from  the  day  of  weak  beginnings  and  of 
doubtful  existence,  it  has  put  forth  an  influence 
which  now  encircles  the  globe  like  a  zone  of 
light,    and   has    gathered    a   moral    strength    by 


In  the  Missionary.  147 

which  it  shall  outlast  the  greatest  of  earthly  em- 
pires. 

After  Mr.  Judson's  return  to  America,  he  so- 
licited an  appointment  from  the  board,  which  met 
at  Worcester  in  September,  1811,  having  fully  de- 
termined that  if  his  request  were  not  granted 
he  would  enter  the  missionary  field  under  the  pa- 
tronage of  the  London  society.  The  board  was  im- 
pelled to  a  decisive  movement;  and,  having  con- 
cluded to  attempt  a  mission  in  Burmah,  amid  many 
conflicting  hopes  and  fears,  bestowed  appointments 
on  Messrs.  Judson,  l^ewell,  Kott,  and  Gordon 
Hall.  It  was  a  deed  of  unpretending  character, 
but  never  to  be  forgotten ;  the  capital  link  in  a 
chain  of  grand  events  whose  memory  coming  ages 
shall  "not  willingly  let  die." 

And  here  our  thoughts  naturally  revert  to  her 
whose  name  will  ever  awaken  the  most  refined  and 
elevated  conceptions  of  a  true  womanly  character 
and  of  a  sublime  moral  heroism.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  Ann  Hasseltine  identified  her  earthly  for- 
tunes with  those  of  our  adventurous  missionary, 
and  by  her  own  footsteps  marked  out  that  path- 
way, through  an  untrodden  field  of  enterprise,  in 
which  a  noble  company  of  her  countrywomen  have 
since  followed,  and  around  which  they  have  shed 
an  imperishable  lustre.  In  abandoning  the  sweet 
associations  of  a  'New  England  home  which  domes- 
tic affections,  intellectual  culture,  and  refined  so- 
ciety had  invested  with  more  than  an  ordinary 
charm,  in  order  to  carry  the  blessings  of  the  gos* 
pel  to  a  distant  land,  to  a  sickly  clime,  and  a  de- 


148  Cheistia:n  Greatness 

graded  nation  of  idolaters,  she  did  not  follow  at  the 
beck  of  any  high  example,  nor  enjoy  a  gleam  of 
light  from  any  honored  precedent,  but,  like  the 
companion  of  her  covenant,  pursued  her  course 
over  a  trackless  v^aste,  guided  by  faith  alone ; 
"  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,"  as- 
sured that  his  providence  would  go  before  them 
as  a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night. 
And  so  it  was.  Although  in  the  view  of  a  cool, 
worldly  prudence  she  appeared  only  as  the  victim 
of  a  poetical  illusion,  the  sport  of  a  wild  spirit  of 
religious  romance,  the  history  of  her  life  has 
proved  that  she  had  formed  a  just  conception  of 
the  work  which  she  undertook  —  of  the  means 
suited  to  its  accomplishment ;  that  she  was  ani- 
mated not  only  by  a  lofty  enthusiasm,  but  also  by 
a  true  practical  wisdom,  whose  combined  forces 
urged  her  forward  in  her  career  with  an  ardent 
energy  ''  which  the  nature  of  the  human  mind  for- 
bade to  be  more,"  and  which  the  dignity  of  the  ob- 
ject "  forbade  to  be  less."  One  of  the  finest  tributes 
ever  paid  to  the  character  of  American  females  has 
been  drawn  forth  by  our  missionaries  from  an  emi- 
nent English  prelate,  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  who 
has  attested  his  high  estimation  of  their  virtues, 
their  accomplishments,  their  piety,  and  of  the 
mighty  influence  which  they  are  exerting  on  the 
moral  destinies  of  Asia.  They  form  an  order 
of  women  to  whom,  at  some  distant  day,  the 
pen  of  history  will  do  justice,  as  having  been  the 
glory  of  the  nineteenth  century :  and  at  the 
head    of    that    order,    wreathed    with    unfading 


In  the  Missionary.  149 

honors   will  stand   the   name   of  Ann    Hasseltine 
Judson. 

Soon  after  he  had  received  his  appointment,  Mr. 
Judson  was  married  at  Bradford  on  the  5th  of 
February,  1812 ;  on  the  16th  was  ordained  in  the 
Tabernacle  Church  at  Salem  ;  and  in  company 
with  his  wife,  together  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newell, 
embarked  at  that  port  in  the  brig  Caravan,  under 
the  command  of  the  generous-hearted  Capt.  Heard, 
on  the  nineteenth  of  the  same  month.  Their  voy- 
age was  prosperous  ;  they  soon  became  naturalized 
to  the  sea,  and  were  able  to  employ  all  their  time 
in  studious  preparation  for  their  work.  The  cabin 
of  the  Caravan  became  a  consecrated  and  memor- 
able place,  and  may  be  properly  called  the  cradle 
of  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  enterprise. 
There,  amid  much  devout  study  and  many  prayers, 
occurred  that  remarkable  change  in  Mr.  Judson's 
opinions  as  to  the  constitution  of  the  Christian 
Church  which  brought  him  into  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  Baptists  of  this  country.  Going 
forth  from  his  native  land  to  rear  Christian  churches 
where  no  foundation  had  been  laid,  and  where  he 
could  not  proceed  "in  another  man's  line  of  things 
made  ready  to  his  hand,"  it  seems  not  strange  that 
he  should  have  sought  light  from  the  oracles  of 
God,  and  should  have  studied  with  profound  atten- 
tion the  principles,  the  teachings,  and  the  practices 
of  the  inspired  apostles.  Expecting,  as  he  did,  to 
meet  at  Calcutta  the  venerated  Dr.  Carey,  and 
Marshman,  and  Ward,  the  pioneers  of  Christian 
missions  in  India,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  their  dis- 


150  Christian  Greatness 

tinguishing  sentiments  should  have  arrested  his  at- 
tention. What  he  regarded  as  apostolic  baptism, 
they  treated  as  an  innovation  of  later  times.  He 
had  been  charged  to  baptize  converted  heathen 
and  all  their  infant  offspring  ;  they  would  adminis- 
ter the  solemn  rite  of  dedication  to  none  but  be- 
lievers on  a  profession  of  personal  faith.  Accus- 
tomed as  he  was  to  habits  of  independent  thought, 
revering  the  Scriptures,  too,  as  the  only  and  suffi- 
cient rule  of  faith,  we  do  not  wonder  that  he 
resolved  to  examine  these  questions  thoroughly, 
and  to  follow  with  unfaltering  step  whithersoever 
Truth  should  lead  the  way.  His  investigations 
led  him  to  embrace  the  doctrines  which  we  pro- 
fess ;  his  reasons  have  been  published  to  the  world, 
and,  whatsoever  may  be  thought  of  them,  none 
can  doubt  that  his  conduct  in  this  instance  illus- 
trated the  purity  of  his  motives,  and  exemplified 
that  lofty  conscientiousness  which  is  an  essential 
element  of  true  Christian  heroism. 

Mr.  Judson  and  his  company  arrived  at  Calcutta 
on  the  18th  of  June,  and  accepted  the  hospitalities 
of  the  missionaries  at  Serampore,  with  whom  they 
entered  into  friendly  deliberations  as  to  the  field 
which  they  should  occupy.  Their  counsels,  how- 
ever, were  suddenly  embarrassed  by  their  receiving 
from  the  local  government  an  order  directing  them 
to  return  immediately  to  the  United  States.  The 
East  India  Company,  a  body  of  merchants  which 
had  received  its  first  charter  of  incorporation  from 
Queen  Elizabeth,  on  the  last  day  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  had  gradually  acquired  a  vast  territorial 


"^    In  the  Missionary.  151 

influence,  and  was  now  holding  m  its  hand  the  po- 
litical destinies  of  India.  Intent  only  on  the  estab- 
lishment of  its  power,  it  was  jealous  of  the  hum- 
blest effort  to  diffuse  Christianity  among  the  native 
population  ;  and,  although  a  benign  Providence 
has  rendered  its  prosperity  subservient  to  the  pro- 
gress of  true  religion,  it  has  at  various  times  com- 
mitted the  moral  errors  which  are  ever  incidental 
to  the  policies  of  men  whose  highest  law  of  action 
is  derived  from  the  oracles  of  Mammon,  and  who 
honor  commerce  as  the  supreme  interest  of  hu- 
manity. 

In  these  trying  circumstances,  our  missionaries 
petitioned  the  government  to  modify  its  order  so  as 
to  allow  them  to  go  to  the  Isle  of  France,  which  is 
often  called  by  its  older  Dutch  name,  Mauritius — 
an  island  of  almost  circular  form  in  the  Indian  sea, 
somewhat  less  than  fifty  miles  in  diameter,  and  in- 
habited chiefly  by  the  descendants  of  old  French 
families.  It  had  lately  fallen  into  the  possession 
of  England  ;  but  at  the  period  of  which  we  speak 
the  English  claim  to  it  had  not  been  confirmed,  as 
it  was  afterward,  by  a  treaty  with  the  government 
of  France.  Here  it  was  that  the  little  group  of 
persecuted  missionaries,  after  many  perils  and 
many  interpositions  of  a  guardian  Providence, 
found  their  first  field  of  labor  in  the  Eastern  world. 
The  island  arose  before  their  view  in  the  "  great 
wide  sea"  as  a  welcome  refuge,  like  that  hillock,  in 
a  wider  waste  of  waters,  where  the  wandering  dove 
of  Noah  "  rested  the  sole  of  her  foot"  and  plucked 
the  leaf  of  olive  which  was  a  presage  of  better  days. 


152  Christian  Greatness 

But  although  at  the  Isle  of  France  they  were 
treated   with  great  kindness,  although  thej  were 
urged  to  make  it  a  permanent  residence,  and  re- 
ceived a  promise  from  the  Governor  that  he  would 
befriend  and  patronize  the  mission,  yet  they  could 
not  regard  it  as  a  field  suited  to  their  wishes.   They 
desired  to  preach  Christ  to  pagans  who  had  never 
heard  of  him,  and  to  occupy  some  moral   centre 
whence  the  light  might  radiate  afar.     With  these 
views,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  left  the  island,  which 
had  become  associated  with  tender  recollections, 
especially  as  the  burial-place  of  Mrs.  Harriet  E"ew- 
ell,  who  fell  a  victim  to  the  incidental  hardships  of 
her  voyage  thither,  in  the  very  prime  and  bloom 
of  her  life.     They  embarked  for  Madras  with  the 
hope  of  obtaining  a  passage  to  Penang ;  but  as 
Madras  is  the  seat  of  one  of  the  presidencies  of 
Hindostan,  they  fled  from  it  in  haste,  driven  by  the 
fear  that  the  order  for  their  return   to  America 
would  be  renewed.     The  first  opportunity  of  escape 
from  the  dreaded  dominion  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany was  furnished  by  an  old  unseaworthy  vessel 
vessel  bound  to  Rangoon  ;  in  this  they  ventured, 
and,  after  a  perilous  voyage  of  twenty-two  days, 
arrived  safely  at  this  chief  port  of  the  Burman  em- 
pire.    Thus  were  they  led  in  a  mysterious  manner 
to  the  land  of  their  original  destination ;  all  friend- 
ly counsels  and  all  hostile  oppositions  were  render- 
ed alike  subservient  to  their  earliest  wishes,  that 
they  might  bear  the  light  of  truth   to  the  most 
deeply  necessitous,  and  raise  the  standard  of  the 
Cross  in  some  chief  citadel  of  Oriental  heathenism. 


In  the  Mission aky.  153 

The  American  missionaries,  having  taken  their 
position  beyond  the  bounds  of  British  India,  now 
breathed  more  freely ;  they  enjoyed  the  favor  of 
the  viceroy,  and  devoted  their  whole  energy  to  the 
acquisition  of  the  Burman  and  Pali  languages.  In 
the  course  of  the  following  year  intense  exertion 
had  impaired  the  health  of  each  of  them  ;  but 
neither  medical  skill,  nor  rest,  nor  change  of  air 
and  scene  imparted  an  influence  so  balmy  and  re- 
viving as  did  the  intelligence  received  from  this 
country,  that  our  churches  had  answered  to  their 
appeals,  and  that  the  Baptist  General  Convention 
for  missionary  purposes  had  been  formed  under 
auspicious  circumstances.  There  are  many  among 
us  here  who  remember  what  a  genial  enthusiasm 
was  awakened,  from  Maine  to  Georgia,  when 
Luther  Rice  returned  to  his  native  land  to  aid  in 
organizing  our  missionary  operations.  He,  too, 
had  been  a  student  at  Andover,  had  joined  the 
Judsons  in  Calcutta,  had  united  with  them  in  their 
change  of  sentiments  and  of  ecclesiastical  relations, 
and  had  left  them  in  the  Isle  of  France  on  this  new 
mission  of  love  to  the  Baptists  of  the  United  States. 
His  labors  were  not  in  vain  ;  he  was  hailed  with  a 
universal  welcome,  and  in  recalling  that  period  of 
his  ministry,  he  had  reason  to  say  to  many  a  church, 
in  the  language  of  an  apostle,  *'  Ye  received  me 
even  as  an  angel  of  God." 

The  reinforcement  of  the  Burman  mission,  three 
years  after  its  establishment,  gave  a  fresh  impulse 
to  the  mind  of  Mr.  Judson.  At  first,  when  he  had 
found  himself  surrounded  with  people  of  the  Mon- 


154  Christian  Greatness 

golian  race  who  had  never  been  touched,  as  yet,  by 
the  slightest  influence  of  European  civih'zation,  a 
strange  gloom  invested  every  scene  ;  this,  however, 
was  gradually  dispelled  by  an  engrossing  interest 
in  his  labors  and  by  indications  of  success.  The 
arrival  of  Mr.  Hough,  carrying  with  him  a  printing 
press,  which  was  a  present  from  Dr.  Carey  and  the 
brethren  at  Serampore,  shed  new  light  over  his 
prospects.  It  is  difficult  for  us  adequately  to  con- 
ceive of  the  profound  delight  with  which  the  soli- 
tary preacher  at  Rangoon  hailed  the  accession  of  a 
fellow-worker,  and  also  of  that  mighty  instrument- 
ality of  which  he  was  wont  to  say,  "every  pull  of 
the  press  sends  a  ray  of  light  through  the  empire  of 
darkness." 

From  that  time  Mr.  Judson  pursued  his  daily 
work  with  renovated  energy  under  the  inspiration 
of  brightening  hopes.  Judging  from  the  tone  and 
spirit  of  his  letters,  "  the  mountains  and  the  hills 
were  breaking  forth  before  him  into  singing."  He 
had  favor  with  the  rulers  and  the  people.  A  spirit 
of  inquiry  was  spreading  itself  around  him.  Even 
the  emperor,  who  had  come  into  collision  with  the 
priesthood,  had  been  heard  to  ask  for  light  respect- 
ing "the  new  religion."  Although  no  conversion 
had  occurred,  yet  while  the  press  was  pouring  forth 
editions  of  tracts,  catechisms,  and  gospels,  the  heart 
of  the  missionary  was  elate  with  confidence.  It 
was  early  in  the  year  181T  that  he  first  heard  from 
the  lips  of  a  Burman,  and  that,  too,  an  intelligent 
and  respectable  man,  the  acknowledgment  of  an 
eternal  God.     "  I  can  not  tell,"  said  he,  "  how  I 


In  the  Missionary  155 

felt  at  that  moment."  This  first  gleam  of  intellec- 
tual conviction,  touching  the  great  error  of  Boodh- 
ism,  he  welcomed  as  the  harbinger  of  that  full  efflu- 
ence of  light  which  is  jet  to  irradiate  the  moral 
firmament  of  Burmah. 

In  spite  of  many  difficulties  arising  from  Mr. 
Judson's  unfortunate  detention  while  absent  on  an 
errand  to  Chittagong,  and  also  from  the  recall  of 
the  friendly  viceroy  of  Rangoon  by  the  court  of 
Ava,  the  good  work  went  forward,  slowly,  but 
surely.  The  thirtieth  of  April,  1819,  became  mem- 
orable in  the  history  of  the  mission.  Until  then, 
the  missionaries  had  lived  in  comparative  seclu- 
sion, and  had  put  forth  no  efforts  of  2l  public  char- 
acter. On  that  day  a  new  step  was  taken  involving 
new  hazards.  A  zayat  w^as  opened  for  preaching 
and  worship.  There,  about  two  months  afterward, 
a  small  assembly  was  gathered  to  witness  the  re- 
ception of  the  first  Burman  convert  into  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Moung  Kau,  a  man  who  was  thirty- 
five  years  of  age,  openly  renounced  Boodhism, 
made  a  satisfactory  confession  of  his  faith  in  Christ, 
then  left  the  zayat,  proceeded  with  the  company  to 
a  small  lake,  on  whose  margin  stood  an  immense 
image  of  Gaudama,  and  there,  in  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism, "  witnessed  a  good  profession."  On  the  fol- 
lowing Sabbath,  the  fourth  of  July,  this  first 
Burman  disciple  received  the  Lord's  Supper, 
which  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  administered  in 
two  languages.  Moung  ]N^au  adorned  his  profes- 
sion, rendered  to  the  church  much  valuable  service, 
and  remained  faithful  unto  death. 


156  Christian  Greatness 

We  have  now  traced  the  course  of  Dr.  Judson 
from  the  scenes  of  his  youth  to  those  of  his  riper 
years  ;  from  the  time  of  his  first  aspirations  after  a 
missionary  life  to  the  successful  establishment  of 
the  mission  in  Burmah.  The  subsequent  portion 
of  his  history  is  more  crowded  with  stirring  inci- 
dents, with  vivid  contrasts,  with  narratives  of  dar- 
ing and  endurance,  of  perils  and  escapes,  such  as 
are  fi.t  materials  for  an  epic  poem ;  but  that  part 
which  has  passed  in  review  before  us  discloses  most 
clearly  his  principles  of  action,  his  cherished  aims, 
the  force  of  his  genius,  the  ruling  spirit  of  his  life, 
the  leading  qualities  of  his  mind  and  heart.  It 
will  be  sufficient  for  our  purpose,  therefore,  to 
glance  hastily  at  the  course  of  events  from  the  pe- 
riod which  we  have  reached  to  the  close  of  his 
earthly  career. 

Previous  to  the  opening  of  the  zayat  in  Ran- 
goon, two  young  men  of  Boston  had  joined  the 
mission.  These  were,  Mr.  Wheelock,  of  the  sec- 
ond church,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Hev. 
Dr.  Baldwin,  and  Mr.  Colman,  of  the  third  church, 
under  the  care  of  Rev.  Dr.  Sharp.  Within  a  sin- 
gle year  Mr.  Wheelock  fell  the  victim  of  a  fatal 
disease.  Within  three  years  Mr.  Colman  followed 
his  friend  to  the  tomb ,  but  in  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1820  he  was  Dr.  Judson's  companion  to  the 
imperial  court  at  Ava.  A  strong  impression  pre- 
vailed at  Rangoon  that  a  friendly  visit  to  the  emperor 
might  incline  him  to  favor  the  new  religion,  and  to 
protect  the  converts  from  persecution.  The  drift 
of  events  during  several  years  had  fostered  in  the 


In  the  Missionaey.  157 

breasts  of  the  missionaries  the  most  sanguine  hopes 
of  this  result.  They  performed,  therefore,  a  tedious 
voyage  up  the  Irrawaddy  with  the  utmost  cheerful- 
ness, and  their  elated  expectations  inv-ested  all  the 
scenes  of  nature  with  an  aspect  of  beauty  and  love- 
liness. [N^othing  that  ever  came  from  Dr.  Judson's 
pen  was  written  in  a  more  animated  style  than 
were  the  pages  of  his  journal  while  on  the  way  to 
Ava.  But  when  the  visit  had  proved  to  be  an  en- 
tire failure,  when  the  emperor  had  dashed  to  the 
ground  with  deep  disdain  the  printed  leaf  w^hich 
proclaimed  an  eternal  God,  and  had  bidden  the 
splendid  volumes  which  they  offered  away  from 
him,  their  spirits  sunk  to  a  depth  corresponding  to 
their  former  elevation,  and  they  were  for  a  time 
paralyzed  by  the  chill  of  disappointment.  They 
imagined  that  no  Burman  would  dare  avow  a  re- 
ligion which  "  the  golden  feet"  had  spurned,  that 
further  labor  would  be  w^asted,  and  that  a  more 
hopeful  field  must  be  sought.  One  of  the  most  in- 
structive spectacles  in  the  history  of  missions  occur- 
red at  Rangoon,  when  the  Burman  disciples,  instead 
of  shrinking  from  the  company  of  the  missionaries, 
as  it  was  supposed  they  would  do,  rallied  around 
them,  encouraged  them,  pointed  out  the  brighter 
aspects  of  the  enterprise,  and  besought  them  with 
tears  and  arguments  not  to  forsake  a  post  to  which 
God  himself  had  so  evidently  led  them.  The  coun- 
sel of  the  Burman  Christians  prevailed,  and  their 
faith  saved  the  station  from  abandonment.  This 
was  "after  the  manner  of  God,"  who  honors  the 
zeal   of  his   people  more   than  the  patronage  of 


158  Christian  Greatness 

kings,  and  was  in  analogy  with  the  ways  of  Him 
who  committed  the  destinies  of  his  cause  on  earth 
to  the  lowly  fishermen  of  Galilee,  but  who,  when 
invited  to  appear  at  the  court  of  Herod,  turned  his 
back  on  majesty  and  left  the  royal  sinner  to  his 
doom. 

The  following  year  a  Christian  physician.  Dr. 
Jonathan  Price,  joined  the  mission.  He  visited 
Ava  in  his  professional  character,  and  was  favor- 
ably received  by  the  emperor.  This  event  opened 
the  way  for  Dr.  Judson  to  go  to  Ava  as  a  mission- 
ary ;  and  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  arrived  at  Ran- 
goon, it  was  decided  that  they  should  remain  there, 
and  that  he  should  fix  his  residence  at  the  capital. 
The  state  of  the  mission  was  now  more  hopeful 
than  ever.  On  all  sides  the  signs  of  the  times  in- 
dicated prosperity.  But  these  bright  skies  were 
soon  overcast  with  clouds  and  tempests.  For  many 
years  the  British  power  in  Hindostan  had  been 
making  constant  progress  amid  the  storms  of  war, 
and  now  it  was  destined  to  establish  itself  in  Chin 
India.  When  it  became  evident  that  the  Burman 
emperor  was  making  preparations  to  invade  Ben 
gal,  it  was  resolved  to  anticipate  the  blow ;  and  an 
army  of  ten  thousand  men,  under  the  command  of 
Sir  Archibald  Campbell,  attacked  and  seized  Ban- 
goon.  Messrs.  Hough  and  Wade,  then  residing  at 
that  station,  were  imprisoned  under  armed  keepers, 
who  had  been  charged  to  massacre  our  brethren  as 
soon  as  the  first  shot  should  be  fired.  But  the 
panic  created  by  that  shot  was  so  intense  that  the 
keepers  fled,  and  by  this  means  alone  were  the  lives 


In  the  Missionary.  159 

of  the  prisoners  saved.  When  the  news  of  that  de- 
liverance reached  this  country,  our  temples  re- 
sounded with  the  strains  of  thanksgiving,  chasten- 
ed and  subdued,  however,  by  the  fearful  suspense 
which  remained  as  to  the  fate  of  our  friends  in  Ava. 
For  two  years  that  suspense  was  unbroken,  and  be- 
cam.e  more  agonizing  by  the  lapse  of  time.  At 
last  the  welcome  news  arrived  that  the  lives  of  the 
missionaries  had  been  preserved.  But  who  can 
adequately  describe  the  profound  and  mingled 
emotions  which  swelled  the  hearts  of  American 
Christians,  the  smiles,  and  tears,  the  fervent  pray- 
ers and  hymns  of  praise,  tokens  of  sympathy  too 
deep  for  words,  which  distinguished  our  assemblies 
at  that  period  when  the  revolting  scenes  at  Ava 
were  fully  disclosed?  Every  form  of  evil  which 
the  most  lively  imagination  had  suggested,  except 
that  of  death  itself,  had  been  bitterly  realized  by 
Dr.  Judson  and  his  companions  in  sorrow.  Loath- 
some prisons,  galling  fetters,  famine,  tortures,  bar- 
barous insults,  the  separation  of  husband  and  wife, 
the  confiscation  of  goods,  exhausting  sicknesses, 
and  bloody  tracks  of  lacerated  feet  over  burning 
sands — these  are  the  leading  features  that  mark  the 
picture  of  missionary  life  in  Burmah  during  the 
progress  of  the  English  war.  And  yet,  amidst  the 
peltings  of  the  storm,  these  Christian  martyrs  could 
encourage  each  other  to  calm  endurance ;  their 
souls  rose  superior  to  the  overhanging  clouds 
charged  with  the  elements  of  destruction,  like  those 
birds  of  the  tropical  climes  which  are  observed  to 
soar  above  the  sweep  of  the  passing  hurricane,  and 


160  Christian  Greatness 

to  pour   forth   their   sweet   sougs   in   the   serener 
regions  of  the  upper  atmosphere. 

A  tribute  of  honor  is  due  to  Sir  Archibald  Camp- 
bell for  his  generous  treatment  of  our  missionaries 
at  the  close  of  the  war.  In  the  treaty  of  peace 
which  followed,  he  demanded  their  surrender  at  the 
hands  of  the  Burman  emperor,  who,  having  become 
sensible  of  the  value  of  Dr.  Judson's  services  as  a 
translator  and  interpreter,  had  expressed  an  inten- 
tion to  retain  him.  The  English  general  not  only 
welcomed  him  to  the  hospitalities  of  his  camp  and 
table,  but  presented  him  with  an  eligible  site  of 
land  for  a  missionary  station  at  Amherst,  the  cho- 
sen seat  of  the  English  Government  in  Burmah ; 
and  afterward,  when  Mrs.  Judson  died  and  was 
buried  there,  he  expressed  a  sense  of  her  extraordi- 
nary w^orth,  and  his  sympathy  with  her  bereaved 
husband,  in  terms  v^hich  reflect  more  honor  on  his 
character  than  the  victories  acquired  by  his  arms. 
In  the  retrospect  of  life,  it  must  have  seemed  to 
Dr.  Judson  an  occasion  of  gratitude  to  God  that 
the  British  power,  which  had  driven  him  from 
India,  was  now  wielded  by  one  who  was  disposed 
to  throw  around  him  its  protecting  shield. 

After  the  restoration  of  peace.  Dr.  Price  returned 
to  Ava.  He  was  favorably  received  as  a  physician, 
and  became,  also,  the  tutor  of  several  youths  be- 
longing to  royal  and  to  noble  families.  His  hopes 
were  sanguine  as  to  his  future  usefulness,  but  in  the 
year  1828  he  died  of  pulmonary  consumption.  Of 
him  no  memoir  has  been  published,  and  the  entire 
destruction  of  his  papers  during  the  Burmese  war 


In  the  Missionary  IGl 

has  rendered  it  difficult  to  supply  the  deficiency. 
To  the  mission  his  loss  was  irreparable.  He  was  a 
man  of  extensive  attainments  and  of  remarkably 
fine  address.  At  Ava  he  engaged  the  confidence 
of  the  court,  and  of  him,  in  connection  with  Dr. 
Judson,  it  was  attested  by  Mr.  Crawfurd,  the  En- 
glish envoy,  that "  it  was  in  a  great  measure  through 
their  influence,  in  surmounting  the  unspeakable 
distrust,  jealousy,  and  it  may  be  added,  incapacity 
of  the  Burman  chiefs,  that  the  peace  was  ultimately 
brought  about."* 

During  several  succeeding  years  Dr.  Judson  was 
busily  engaged  at  Amherst  and  Maulmain  in  the 
work  of  translation,  in  the  revision  of  the  Burman 
Scriptures,  in  the  preparation  of  a  Burman-English 
dictionary,  and  in  public  teaching  at  the  zayat. 
At  this  time,  when  Burmah  proper  was  closed 
against  him,  a  new  field  of  missionary  influence 
was  unexpectedly  opened  to  his  view.  Early  in 
the  year  1828  the  church  atf  Maulmain  received 
Moung  Thah-byu  as  a  candidate  for  baptism.  As 
Mr.  Boardman,  who  had  lately  joined  the  mission, 
was  about  to  establish  a  station  at  Tavoy,  an  old 
Burman  town  on  the  Tavoy  river,  containing  a 
population  of  about  nine  thousand,  he  took  this 
young  convert  with  him,  and  baptized  him  there. 
Although  the  name  of  this  man  sounds  to  our  ears 
like  the  name  of  a  Burman,  yet  he  was  of  another 
race — the  Karens — a  people  as  nomadic  as  the 
Arabs  in  their  habits,  scattered  abroad  through  the 

*  Crawfurd's  EmlDassy,  vol.  1,  p.  160. 


162  Christian  Greatness 

rural  districts,  the  mountains  and  the  jungles  of 
Burmah  and  Siam.  Their  condition  is  singular. 
They  have  no  written  language,  no  priests,  no  tem- 
ples, no  ritual,  and  although  some  of  them  are 
Boodhists,  the  great  majority  of  them  believe  in 
the  existence  of  an  Eternal  God,  sing  hymns  to  his 
praise,  and  in  the  scale  of  moral  virtues  are  supe- 
rior to  the  heathen  around  them.  According  to 
the  testimony  of  Mr.  Mason,  who  has  thoroughly 
mastered  all  that  may  be  known  of  their  history, 
they  have  been  long  walking  after  the  traditions  of 
their  fathers,  which  had  nourished  in  their  breasts 
the  expectation  that  teachers  would  come  from  afar 
to  instruct  them  in  the  true  religion.  The  hopes  of 
the  church  in  Maulmain,  that  the  convert  whom 
they  had  received  to  their  fellowship  would  be 
among  the  first  fruits  of  a  spiritual  harvest  gather- 
ed from  the  Karens,  have  been  amply  realized. 
They  seem  to  have  been  "  a  people  made  ready  for 
the  Messiah."  The  annals  of  modern  missions 
exhibit  no  instance  of  a  more  rapid  and  amazing 
triumph  of  the  gospel ;  for  it  is  with  a  feeling  of 
grateful  joy  that  we  record  the  fact,  that  Dr.  Jud- 
son  lived  to  see  the  day  when  there  was  reason  to 
believe  that  eleven  thousand  Karens  had  embraced 
the  faith  of  Christ  "  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

Eight  years  after  he  had  buried  the  wife  of  his 
youth,  Dr.  Judson  became  united  in  marriage  to 
Mrs.  Sarah  Boardman,  widow  of  the  Kev.  George 
Dana  Boardman,  who  had  fallen  by  the  hand  of 
death  four  years  before,  while  in  the  prime  of  man- 
hood and  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness.     This  union 


In  the  Missionary.  163 

was  in  all  respects  a  happy  one.  The  qualities  of 
her  mind  and  heart,  her  thorough  education,  her 
congenial  tastes,  her  aptness  to  teach,  her  elegant 
Burmese  scholarship,  the  strength  of  her  domestic 
affections,  and,  withal,  her  love  to  the  missionary 
work,  well  fitted  her  to  be  the  companion  and  the 
wife  of  one  whom  she  honored  as  "first  among  the 
best  of  Christians  and  of  men."  In  the  discharge 
of  daily  duties,  in  the  endurance  of  trials,  in  liter- 
ary studies,  in  counsel  and  in  action,  they  were 
mutual  helpers,  and  for  a  series  of  years  enjoyed  a 
degree  of  happiness  far  beyond  what  their  peculiar 
circumstances  might  have  furnished  reason  to  an- 
ticipate. But  in  the  year  1845,  Mrs.  Judson's 
health  became  impaired ;  a  voyage  beyond  the 
tropics  was  ordered  by  the  physicians,  and  after  a 
painful  deliberation,  her  husband  resolved  to  ac- 
company her  to  her  native  land. 

They  had  not  been  long  at  sea  before  every  hope 
of  her  recovery  was  blasted,  and  he  recoiled  from 
the  prospect  before  him  of  committing  her  remains 
to  an  ocean  grave.  But  he  was  spared  that  trial. 
Mrs.  Judson  died  while  the  vessel  was  lying  at  the 
Isle  of  St.  Helena,  where  a  large  circle  of  Christian 
friends  followed  her  to  the  tomb,  and  sought  in 
every  way  which  sympathy  could  suggest  to  soothe 
the  heart  of  the  bereaved  missionary. 

There  are  few,  if  any,  of  those  who  are  assembled 
here  who  do  not  remember  with  what  a  thrill  of 
joy  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Judson  in  Boston  was  wel- 
comed. On  the  15th  of  October,  1845,  he  stepped 
ashore,  and  at  once  the  intelligence  flew  as  on  elec- 


164  Christian  Greatness 

trie  wings.  His  friends  were  invited  to  meet  him 
at  the  Bowdoin  Square  Church  on  the  evening  of 
the  second  following  day,  and  that  large  edifice  was 
crowded  with  men  and  women  eager  to  behold  the 
form  and  countenance  of  the  veteran  warrior  re- 
turned from  the  field  of  his  conflicts.  A  scene  of 
equal  interest  is  rarely  beheld  more  than  once  in 
any  man's  lifetime,  and  an  exact  parallel  to  this  can 
not  recur  within  the  period  allotted  to  the  present 
generation. 

The  greeting  which  Dr.  Judson  here  received  was 
a  fair  example  of  what  awaited  him  in  other  places; 
it  was  but  the  first  touch  of  a  sympathetic  chord 
whose  vibrations  were  felt  throughout  the  whole 
country.  Thousands  who  had  been  born  since  he 
had  left  his  native  land  hastened  to  grasp  his  hand, 
and  addressed  him  as  one  whose  name  had  always 
been  familiar  to  their  lips.  He  who  had  gone  forth 
weeping,  ''  bearing  precious  seed,"  while  worldly 
wisdom  pronounced  his  errand  a  chimera,  and  pre- 
dicted that  his  mission  would  be  a  failure,  had  now 
returned,  amid  universal  acclamations,  with  the 
laurels  of  victory  upon  his  brow.  His  journey  was 
a  triumphal  march.  It  indicated  a  state  of  the 
public  mind  which  he  had  never  before  witnessed. 
It  was  not  the  response  of  a  great  people  to  a  bene- 
factor who  had  blessed  them^  but  it  was  a  spontane- 
ous tribute  of  honor  to  a  moral  hero  who  had  given 
up  his  life  to  bless  others ;  it  was  the  grand  expres- 
sion of  a  public  sentiment  toward  the  cause  of 
Christian  Missions  which  he  himself  had  done  so 
much  to  create. 


In  the  Missionaky.  165 

During  Dr.  Jndson's  stay  in  this  country,  he 
evinced  a  fine  susceptibility  of  deriving  enjoyment 
from  every  thing  around  him.  From  reminiscences 
of  the  past,  from  scenes  of  nature,  from  social  in- 
tercourse, from  the  study  of  men,  manners,  cus- 
toms, and  society,  he  drew  incentives  to  thought 
and  subjects  of  conversation.  His  power  of  obser- 
vation was  quick  and  comprehensive,  and  nothing 
seemed  to  be  too  great  or  too  minute  to  minister  to 
his  mental  activity  and  his  happiness.  It  was  evi- 
dent to  those  who  were  favored  with  the  opportu- 
nity of  associating  with  him,  that  his  long  delay  to 
revisit  the  home  of  his  youth  had  not  arisen  from 
any  thing  like  coldness  or  stoicism  in  his  nature, 
but  simply  from  devotion  to  his  great  object. 
Nothing  here,  however,  could  wean  his  affections 
from  the  churches  of  Burmah,  and  he  soon  became 
impatient  to  return  to  the  sphere  of  his  daily  toils. 
He  desired  to  make  every  visit,  every  event,  sub- 
servient to  his  life-work.  While  sojourning  in 
Philadelphia,  he  became  favorably  impressed  with 
the  character  of  that  gifted  lady  whose  graceful 
pen  he  wished  to  employ  in  writing  a  memoir  of 
his  lately  deceased  wife,  and  the  result  was  a  pro- 
posal of  marriage,  which,  on  her  part,  was  consider- 
ately accepted,  and  which,  as  the  course  of  events 
has  shown,  received  the  approbation  of  Heaven. 

After  Dr.  Judson's  return  to  Burmah,  he  resumed 
the  labors  which  had  been  interrupted  by  his  ab- 
sence, and  pursued  them  during  the  three  following 
years,  until  his  health  became  entirely  broken 
down.     A  change  of  climate  was  necessary,  and  he 


166  Christian  Greatness 

resolved  to  embark  for  .the  island  of  Bourbon.  It 
was  impracticable  for  Mrs.  Judson  to  accompany 
him,  and  to  her  the  pang  of  parting  was  rendered 
especially  painful  by  the  fear  that  he  would  never 
return.  The  native  Christians  of  Maulmain  were 
all  opposed  to  his  departure,  expressing  the  gloomy 
presentiment  that  their  beloved  teacher  would  be 
buried  in  the  sea,  and  also  the  wish  that  his  grave 
might  be  made  where  they  could  visit  it.  In  those 
fears  Dr.  Judson  did  not  participate,  but  in  the  end 
they  were  all  realized.  He  regarded  himself  as 
being  constitutionally  tenacious  of  life,  and  longed 
to.  inhale  the  ocean  air,  believing  that  he  might  yet 
be  restored  to  complete  his  literary  tasks,  and  then 
to  devote  succeeding  years  to  the  ministration  of 
the  gospel. 

But  God  had  otherwise  ordained.  The  pangs  of 
disease,  which  became  gradually  more  intense,  were 
soon  revealed  in  their  true  character  as  heralds  sent 
from  Him  to  summon  a  faithful  servant  from  his 
toil  to  his  reward.  Thus  far  he  had  been  borne 
onward  triumphantly  through  a  long  and  arduous 
career;  only  one  more  contest  now  remained,  only 
one  more  victory,  and  that  the  victory  over  Death. 
For  this  he  was  prepared.  In  anticipation  of  pro- 
tracted tortures  aggravated  by  a  quick,  nervous  sen- 
sibility, he  could  pray,  like  his  Divine  Master, 
"Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from 
me ;"  still,  it  was  his  to  welcome  the  bitter  draught 
with  the  smile  of  resignation,  and  thus,  "  although 
he  were  a  son,  yet  learned  he  obedience  by  the 
things  he  suffered." 


In  the  Mission aey.  167 

Soon  after  the  vessel  had  set  sail,  and  while  iii 
sight  of  the  Tenasserim  coast,  there  Was  a  relief 
from  pain,  and  a  slight  resuscitation  which  threw  a 
gleam  of  light  over  the  prospect  ot  recovery.  But 
this  was  only  like  a  calm  in  which,  sometimes,  the 
devastating  storm  gathers  its  energies.  Racking 
pangs  followed  in  quick  succession.  To  Mr.  Ran- 
ney,  his  coadjutor  in  the  mission  and  his  faithful 
companion  in  this  trying  scene,  he  said  a  few  words 
expressive  of  the  gratification  afforded  by  the  pres- 
ence of  a  Christian  brother.  Mr.  Ranney  an- 
swered, "  I  hope  you  feel  that  Christ  is  now  near, 
sustaining  you."  "  Oh,  yes,"  he  replied,  "  it  is  all 
right  there.  I  believe  that  he  gives  me  just  so 
much  pain  and  suffering  as  is  necessary  to  fit  me  to 
die ;  to  make  me  submissive  to  his  will."  After 
this  expression  there  was  a  period  of  more  than 
forty  hours  replete  with  mortal  agonies.  It  was 
followed  by  a  placid  calm,  in  which,  without  a  sigh 
or  sign  of  suffering,  he  expired.  The  manner  of  his 
death  was  in  keeping  with  the  sublime  spirit  and 
style  of  his  life,  and  sheds  a  lustre  over  the  retro- 
spect of  his  whole  career — just  as  the  setting  sun 
flings  back  his  splendors  over  the  eastern  sky,  gild- 
ing every  cloud  and  mountain  height  of  the  broad 
landscape  with  a  mild,  celestial  glory. 

Fathers  and  brethren,  you  will  doubtless  unite 
with  me  in  the  expression  of  the  sentiment,  that  in 
the  review  of  our  course  on  earth  it  will  appear  to 
"US  an  inestimable  privilege  to  have  been  permitted 
to  live  in  the  same  age  with  such  a  man  as  Adoni- 
ram  Judson,  to  have  been  co-workers  in  an  enter- 


168  Christian  Greatness 

prise  so  worthy  to  fill  a  mind  and  heart  like  his, 
to  have  b«en  called  to  commemorate  a  life  so 
fruitful  in  immortal  deeds,  and  to  contemplate  a 
character  so  rich  in  the  elements  of  moral  great- 
ness. Sensible,  as  I  am,  how  inadequate  must  be 
any  effort  of  mine  to  portray  that  character  in  few 
words,  so  as  to  realize  your  own  conceptions  of 
what  he  was,  yet  I  am  impelled  to  undertake  it, 
because  the  occasion  demands  of  us  such  a  tribute 
to  his  memory  as  it  may  be  in  our  power  to  offer, 
because  from  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth 
will  speak  in  spite  of  conscious  weakness,  and  be- 
cause it  becomes  us  to  hold  up  to  the  view  of  all  so 
bright  an  example  of  the  graces  which  dignify  our 
nature,  of  the  heroism  which  true  religion  inspires, 
of  the  moral  grandeur  with  which  an  enlightened 
faith  invests  our  poor  fallen  humanity. 

To  a  philosophical  and  an  observing  mind  there 
is  much  that  is  interesting  in  the  study  of  human 
character,  under  whatever  phase  or  form  it  may 
appear,  whether  in  the  bad  or  the  good,  in  the 
pirate  or  the  saint,  in  the  monarch  or  the  beggar ; 
just  as  in  the  realm  of  natural  history  the  inquiring 
eye  will  find  a  lesson  in  the  structure  of  an  ele- 
phant or  a  worm,  in  the  life  and  habits  of  the  eagle 
that  soars  toward  the  sun,  or  of  the  insect  that  lies 
couched  in  the  bosom  of  a  flower.  But  then,  in 
looking  over  the  wide  domain  of  human  history, 
the  boundless  landscape  embracing  myriads  of 
active  beings  like  ourselves,  it  is  only  here  and 
there,  at  distant  intervals,  that  we  see  looming  up 
to  view  a  character  of  marked  individuality  which 


In  the  Missionary,  169 

forcibly  arrests  our  attention,  concentrates  our 
thoughts  upon  itself,  challenges  our  homage  or  our 
hate,  and  by  its  great  achievements  kindles  within 
us  an  eager  curiosity  to  search  out  the  secret  of  its 
movement,  to  explore  the  interior  springs  wherein 
its  strength  has  lain.  Prophets,  apostles,  martyrs, 
lawgivers,  reformers,  projectors,  discoverers,  and 
successful  leaders  in  the  path  of  enterprise  consti- 
tute a  class  of  heroic  men  whom  nations  delight  to 
honor ;  and  if  all  of  these  who  have  appeared  in 
the  course  of  ages  were  gathered  into  a  single  com- 
pany, they  would  seem  but  as  a  diminutive  group 
compared  with  the  teeming  populations  of  the 
globe.  Each  one  of  them  who  serves  his  race 
faithfully,  finds  his  place  of  eminence,  not  by  court- 
ing fame,  but  by  doing  his  own  life-work  in  that 
spirit  of  self-forgetfulness  which  is  essential  to  true 
humility ;  and  then,  when  he  is  seen  to  have  coped 
with  appalling  difficulties,  to  have  trampled  down 
great  temptations,  to  have  baffled  mighty  adversa- 
ries, and  to  have  accomplished  what  sages  pro- 
nounced to  be  impossible,  the  power  of  his  charac- 
ter is  felt  universally,  and  his  example  rises  like  a 
star  in  the  moral  firmament  to  shed  its  radiance  on 
the  path  of  succeeding  generations. 

Now,  in  looking  back  upon  the  course  of  the 
half  century  which  has  just  been  completed,  our 
eyes  rest  on  Dr.  Judson  as  a  distinguished  charac- 
ter ;  and  he  first  draws  our  attention  while  in  the 
prime  of  life,  as  a  Christian  philanthropist  rising 
superior  to  the  prevailing  spirit  of  his  times,  to  the 
opinions  both  of  the  church  and  the  world  around 


170  Christian  Greatness 

him,  proposing  to  himself  an  object  which  but  few 
could  then  appreciate,  and  pursuing  it  with  a  stead- 
iness of  purpose  commensurate  with  its  dignity. 
Scarcely  had  he  received  Christianity  as  a  divine 
revelation  ere  he  saw  that  Christ  had  committed 
the  evangelization  of  the  heathen  world  as  a  sacred 
trust  to  his  disciples  ;  and  no  sooner  had  he  admit- 
ted this  conviction  than  he  hastened  to  realize  it  in 
action.  The  recorded  words  of  Christ's  last  com- 
mission swayed  his  decisions  as  effectually  as  if  he 
had  stood  with  the  Eleven  on  Mount  Olivet,  as  if 
he  had  heard  them  pronounced  with  the  voice  of 
authority,  and  had  fallen  prostrate  in  worship  at 
the  feet  of  the  heavenly  majesty.  Had  he,  like 
John  at  Patmos,  been  visited  by  an  angel  directly 
from  the  skies,  flashing  celestial  splendors  around 
him,  and  repeating  the  written  mandate  as  with  the 
trump  of  God,  he  could  not  have  felt  more  strongly 
the  obligations  that  rested  upon  him,  he  could  not 
have  obeyed  with  more  alacrity,  nor  moved  forward 
in  his  rugged  pathway  with  a  step  more  unfaltering. 
It  is  not  wonderful,  therefore,  that  to  the  eye  of 
a  distant  observer  he  should  have  appeared  simply 
as  a  "  man  of  faith,"  pressing  forward  in  his  adven- 
turous race  of  life  under  the  impelling  power  of 
that  one  mighty  principle.  But  a  clearer  view  of 
his  history,  a  comparison  of  one  part  with  another, 
will  make  it  evident  that  he  was  distinguished  not 
so  much  by  the  simplicity  and  strength  of  his  faith, 
although  that  faith  acted  with  an  intensity  which 
kindled  his  affections  into  a  glow  of  enthusiasm, 
and  subordinated  all  the  passions  of  his  nature  to 


In  the  Missionary.  171 

itself,  as  by  the  combination  of  his  faith  with  a  cool 
practical  judgment,  which  qualified  him  wisely  to 
select  the  means  adapted  to  his  chosen  ends ;  and 
also,  by  the  union  of  that  faculty  of  judgment  to  a 
strong  executive  will,  which  enabled  him  to  carry 
out  his  far-reaching  plans  to  their  issues,  with  a 
determination  that  no  obstacles  could  daunt,  with 
a  patience  that  no  disappointment  could  exhaust. 
As  it  has  been  justly  said  of  JS^apoleon,  that  he 
united  in  himself  the  calm,  calculating  power  that 
belongs  to  the  Northern  temperament  with  the 
enthusiastic  ardor  and  fervid  imagination  that 
belong  to  the  Southern,  so  that  his  style  of  action 
was  in  keeping  with  the  grandeur  of  his  concep- 
tions, it  may  be  said  with  equal  truth  of  our  ven- 
erated leader  in  the  missionary  warfare,  that  he 
combined  the  enthusiasm  of  faith  with  such  a  clear, 
serene  judgment,  and  with  such  a  manly  energy  of 
will,  as  fitted  him  to  grapple  with  seeming  impossi- 
bilities, to  "  speak  of  things  which  were  not  as 
though  they  were,"  and  to  bring  to  an  undertaking 
which  required  for  its  success  the  interpositions  of 
Omnipotence  the  same  apt  and  careful  forethought 
as  would  befit  the  cabinet  of  the  statesman,  the 
camp  of  the  warrior,  or  any  arduous  work  that  lay 
within  the  scope  of  human  enterprise. 

Wherever  these  interior  elements  of  character 
become  subordinate  to  some  one  grand  conception, 
they  always  produce  that  degree  of  perseverance 
amidst  difficulties,  which,  in  the  retrospect  of  a 
long  series  of  actions,  gives  an  impression  of  dra- 
matic unity  to  the  life,  and  awakens  in  us  the  emo- 


172  Christian  Greatness 

tion  of  sublimity.  In  every  age  the  epic  muse  has 
found  her  choicest  themes  in  the  struggles  of  the 
good  and  brave  who  have  pursued  some  noble  aim 
against  adverse  fortunes,  and  have 

"  plucked  success 


Ev'n  from  the  spear-proof  crest  of  rugged  danger. 

When  we  pore  over  the  story  of  Christopher  Co- 
lumbus, who,  in  his  early  solitary  musings,  vividly 
conceived  of  this  new  world  as  lying  beyond  un- 
known seas,  and  resolved  to  seek  it,  that  he  might 
rear  upon  it  the  banner  of  the  Cross,  how  deeply 
are  our  hearts  stirred  within  us  while  we  see  the 
constancy  with  which  he  "watched  thereunto  with 
all  perseverance ;"  how  he  met  the  objections  of 
titled  ignorance ;  how  he  bore  ridicule ;  how  he 
rendered  misfortune  subservient  to  his  work  ;  how 
he  sustained  the  rebukes  of  priestly  pride  and 
courtly  arrogance ;  how  he  sought  aid  from  princes 
and  welcomed  the  sympathy  of  the  poor;  how  he 
prayed  for  help  from  on  high  and  cast  himself  on 
the  care  of  Providence  as  he  steered  his  bark 
through  many  a  tedious  vigil  of  the  night  across 
the  boisterous  deep !  He  appeared  like  other  men 
in  scenes  of  business,  in  conversation,  and  in 
action,  but  his  one  great  object  was  ever  present  to 
his  thoughts,  and  in  spite  of  neglect,  of  disappoint- 
ment, of  ingratitude,  in  spite  of  opposing  storms 
and  threatening  death,  he  persevered  and  conquered. 
His  eyes  beheld  the  promised  land,  and  his  great 
mission  for  mankind  was  accomplished.  E^ot  less 
worthy  of  admiration  for  his  dauntless  perseverance 


In  the  Missionary.  173 

is  he  who  left  the  home  of  his  youth  to  plant  the 
standard  of  the  Cross  in  the  stronghold  of  Gaudama ; 
who  formed  his  plans  in  the  solitude  of  his  closet ; 
who  derived  but  little  aid  from  the  counsels  of 
experienced  age ;  who  felt  no  genial  sympathy  of 
public  sentiment  quickening  the  pulsations  of  his 
heart ;  but  who,  like  another  Columbus,  went  forth 
in  the  night  of  adversity,  guided  only  by  the  lights 
of  Heaven,  and  shaping  his  course  by  those  eternal 
truths  which  God  had  set  as  stars  in  the  firmament 
of  revelation  to  throw  their  gleams  along  a  path- 
less waste. 

And  here  it  becomes  us  to  acknowledge  with 
devout  gratitude  his  habitual  reverence  for  the 
authority  of  God^s  Word;  the  great  controlling 
power  which  was  exerted  over  a  mind  of  such 
mighty  energies,  by  its  clear  apprehension  of  the 
momentous  principle  that  the  Bible  alone  is  the 
supreme  and  sufficient  rule  of  faith  for  all  in  mat- 
ters of  religion.  For  that  religious  sentiment 
which  is  an  essential  element  of  human  nature, 
when  it  predominates  in  a  man  of  strong  character, 
becomes  an  impulsive  force  that  works  out  immense 
results  of  good  or  evil,  according  to  the  direction 
which  it  takes ;  and,  unless  it  be  enlightened  and 
guided  by  the  oracles  of  God,  is  likely  to  render 
any  one  who  possesses  more  than  ordinary  intellect 
and  passion  a  prodigy  of  superetition  or  fanaticism. 
Its  effects  are  varied  by  the  opinions  and  spirit  of 
the  times ;  in  one  age  it  produces  monasticism,  in 
another  crusades,  in  another  inquisitions:  now  it 
forms  its  votary  into  a  Simon  Stylites  earning  hea- 


174  Christian  Greatness 

ven  by  penance  and  beggary,  now  into  a  Peter  the 
Hermit  summoning  the  faithful  unto  battle,  and 
now  again  into  a  Torquemada  purging  the  earth 
from  heresy  by  fire  and  blood.  In  studying  the 
lives  of  men,  we  are  often  astonished  to  see  how  an 
obscure  event  becomes  a  crisis  of  history.  The 
flight  of  a  bird  from  the  mouth  of  a  cave,  saving 
Mohammed  from  the  sword  of  his  enemies,  affected 
the  destiny  of  millions ;  and  but  for  the  seemingly 
accidental  conversations  of  Loyola  at  Paris,  the 
renowned  Xavier  would  probably  have  yielded  to 
the  power  of  Luther's  influence,  and  have  become 
a  champion  of  the  Protestant  faith.  Who  can  tell 
how  different  from  what  it  was  would  have  been 
the  earthly  career  of  Dr.  Judson,  how  different  the 
color  and  complexion  of  his  character,  had  he  not 
been  led  in  the  very  prime  of  his  manhood  to  form 
just  conceptions  of  the  religion  revealed  in  the 
'New  Testament,  to  yield  his  whole  soul  to  its 
supreme  authority,  and  to  cling  with  all  the  affec- 
tions of  his  ardent  nature  to  "  the  simplicity  that 
is  in  Christ  ?"  A  soul  like  his,  touched  with  a 
spark  of  some  "  strange  fire,"  and  inflamed  with 
zeal  for  some  false  system,  might  have  become  an- 
other St.  Francis  founding  a  new  order  of  ascetics, 
or  another  Loyola  training  a  new  school  of  courtly 
propagandists,  or  another  Xavier  traversing  India 
with  a  lofty  martyr-spirit  to  teach  the  crucifix 
rather  than  the  cross,  to  convert  nations  by  sacra- 
ments rather  than  the  gospel.  But  we  have  rea- 
son, on  this  occasion,  to  bless  the  Father  of  lights 
for  the  grace  bestowed  on  his  servant,  that  in  the 


In  the  Missionary.  175 

day  of  doubt  and  inquiry,  when  he  was  feeling 
after  truth,  if  haply  he  might  find  it,  the  word  of 
inspiration  was  made  known  to  him  as  a  divine 
counsellor,  the  oracle  of  his  faith,  the  conservative 
and  guiding  rule  of  his  conduct;  that  he  "  rejoiced 
in  its  testimonies  more  than  in  all  riches,"  and 
that  he  counted  nothing  dear  to  him,  so  that  he 
might  give  to  pagan  millions  those  recorded  mes- 
sages which  are  as  leaves  from  the  tree  of  life  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations.  If,  in  a  coming  age, 
some  Allston  should  wish  to  employ  his  pencil  in 
picturing  forth  a  single  action  that  should  express 
at  once  the  great  aim,  the  chosen  means,  and  the 
true  spirit  of  the  modern  missionary  enterprise,  he 
could  scarcely  select  a  more  fitting  scene  than  that 
which  Heaven  witnessed  with  a  smile,  when  Ado- 
niram  Judson  was  seen  kneeling  by  the  side  of  that 
table  over  which  he  had  long  bent  his  frame  in 
studious  application,  holding  in  his  hand  the  last 
leaf  of  the  Burman  Bible,  with  his  eyes  uplifted, 
and  with  a  countenance  radiant  with  joy,  thanking 
God  that  his  life  had  been  spared  to  achieve  this 
work,  and  imploring  the  Divine  Spirit  to  make  the 
silent  page  a  messenger  of  life  to  many. 

The  leading  features  of  Dr.  Judson's  character, 
when  we  regard  him  as  a  public  man,  have  an 
aspect  of  such  stern  and  simple  grandeur  that  they 
throw  into  the  shade  those  delicate  traits  which  dis- 
closed themselves  to  the  eyes  of  all  who  knew  him 
in  social  and  domestic  life.  Indeed,  the  higher 
qualities  of  which  we  have  spoken  are  rarely  found 
in   intimate  union  with  the   gentler  virtues,  with 


176  ChEISTIAN    GrEATI!TOS8 

that  childlike  tenderness,  that  genial  sympathy, 
that  nice  regard  to  the  sensibilities  of  others,  which 
throw  a  charm  around  the  scenes  of  home  and  the 
circles  of  friendship.  We  are  never  surprised  to 
learn  that  these  are  utterly  wanting  in  men  of  iron 
sinew,  formed  for  daring  and  endurance.  Just  as 
when  we  have  gazed  upon  some  lofty  mountain 
that  towers  sublimely  to  the  skies,  it  seems  not 
strange  if,  on  a  close  survey,  the  fine  proportions 
and  the  beauty  of  outlines  shall  have  vanished,  so 
that  we  can  touch  nothing  but  rugged  rocks  and 
tangled  thickets.  But  to  find  the  ascent  of  an  Alp- 
ine height  enriched  with  fruits  and  flowers,  with 
sheltering  vines,  refreshing  springs,  and  singing 
birds,  must  fill  the  breast  of  every  beholder  with  a 
sentiment  of  pleasing  wonder.  A  kindred  emotion 
has,  doubtless,  been  awakened  in  the  hearts  of 
many  who  have  long  contemplated  Dr.  Judson 
from  a  distant  point  of  view,  and  have  afterward 
been  favored  with  opportunities  of  personal  inter- 
course. Then  it  has  been  seen  that  the  elements  of 
his  nature  were  admirably  balanced,  that  his  social 
affections  were  commensurate  with  his  intellectual 
powers,  and  that  his  many-sided  mind  filled  a  wide 
sphere  of  being.  Of  him  it  could  not  be  justly 
said,  as  it  once  was  of  an  eminent  moral  philoso- 
pher, that  he  loved  man  in  general,  but  no  human 
being  in  particular ;  nay,  his  heart  was  a  well- 
spring  of  tender  affections,  his  eye  took  within  its 
scope  the  whole  wide  range  of  human  relationships, 
and  he  was  sensitively  alive  to  the  happiness  of  all 
around  him.    In  this  respect  he  resembled  his  Di- 


In  the  Missionary.  177 

vine  Master,  who,  while  on  earth,  although  he  was 
employed  in  a  mission  that  involved  the  eternal 
destinies  of  a  fallen  race,  could  find  congenial  joys 
in  the  friendship  of  Martha,  Mary,  and  Lazarus, 
and  who,  amidst  the  agonies  of  the  cross,  could 
commend  th^  temporal  welfare  of  his  mother  to 
"that  disciple  whom  he  loved." 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  proper  to  observe 
that  in  regard  to  the  social  qualities  of  Dr.  Judson, 
his  susceptibility  of  the  pleasures  of  friendship,  his 
powers  of  conversation,  his  combination  of  mental 
energy  with  the  most  winning  gentleness  of  expres- 
sion, many  of  us  received  impressions,  during  his 
sojourn  in  this  country,  which  could  have  been  im- 
parted by  no  study  of  his  history,  by  no  sketch, 
however  vivid  and  graphical.  Whensoever  we  see 
a  man  who  is  distinguished  for  singleness  of  aim, 
we  are  often  struck  with  a  certain  eloquence  of 
manners  which  can  not  be  described,  and  which 
when  found  to  be  in  keeping  with  the  tenor  of  his 
life,  discloses  the  heart  more  truthfully  than  the 
best  efforts  of  the  pencil  or  the  pen.  The  evan- 
gelist Luke  seems  to  allude  to  the  impression  of 
character  made  by  the  personal  appearance  of  our 
Lord,  in  a  single  phrase  which  Dr.  Campbell  has 
translated,  "  he  was  adorned  with  a  divine  grace- 
fulness." The  soul  reveals  itself  not  only  in  words, 
but  in  the  tones  of  the  voice,  in  the  animated  coun- 
tenance, in  the  kindling  eye,  in  every  feature,  in 
every  movement.  Although  it  may  not  be  safe  to 
judge  of  men  by  the  outward  appearance  merely, 
yet  there  are  signs  of  character  which  are  seldom 


17S  Christian  Greatness 

mistaken,  which  no  art  can  counterfeit,  and  which 
make  impressions  that  we  can  neither  resist  nor 
erase.  And  no  one,  probably,  has  been  permitted 
to  enjoy  Dr.  Judson's  society,  and  especially  to 
kneel  with  him  while  conducting  the  worship  of  a 
family,  who  has  not  left  his  presence  with  some 
new  conviction  of  the  depth  of  his  piety,  of  the 
breadth  of  his  philanthropy,  of  his  childlike  humility 
as  a  Christian,  and  of  his  real  greatness  as  a  man. 
N^or  can  we  omit  to  notice,  while  we  consider 
the  variety  of  situations  in  which  our  departed  mis- 
sionary was  placed,  the  versatility  of  his  talents, 
which  enabled  him  to  be  at  ease  and  at  home  in 
every  position  which  he  was  called  to  occupy. 
Every  one  who  has  considered  the  subject  is  well 
aware  that  the  qualifications  requisite  for  a  trans- 
lator of  the  Scriptures  into  a  foreign  language 
embrace  a  wide  sphere  of  acquisitions.  As  a 
scholar  and  a  critic.  Dr.  Judson  did  not  allow  him- 
self to  fall  behind  the  advancing  spirit  of  his  times  ; 
and,  if  we  may  credit  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Craw- 
furd,  the  English  envoy  to  the  court  of  Ava,  who 
had  ample  means  of  judging,  he  had  no  superior 
in  the  empire  as  a  thorough  master  of  the  Burman 
language  and  literature.  At  the  same  time,  his 
knowledge  of  the  world,  of  men  and  things  around 
him,  his  wide  scope  of  thought,  and  his  powers  of 
communication,  gave  a  particular  value  to  all  his 
opinions  on  matters  of  secular  interest,  and  com- 
manded the  respect  of  the  most  distinguished  men 
with  whom  he  was  led  to  associate  in  private  and 
in  public  life. 


In  the  Missionaey.  170 

Notwithstanding  repeated  attacks  of  disease,  it 
was  his  cherished  hope,  as  it  was  also  that  of  his 
friends,  that  his  days  would  have  been  prolonged, 
that  he  would  have  been  permitted  to  finish  the 
works  which  had  long  tasked  his  pen,  and  give 
himself  to  the  ministry  of  the  word  without  inter- 
ruption. Whensoever  we  have  thought  of  his  ripe 
experience,  his  familiarity  with  the  language,  cus- 
toms, and  mental  habitudes  of  the  Burman  people, 
we  had  fondly  imagined  with  what  zeal  and  effect 
he  would  consecrate  his  advancing  age  to  the  work 
of  oral  teaching.  But  this  pleasing  picture,  which 
glowed  before  the  imagination  in  such  lively  colors, 
has  been  suddenly  marred.  In  the  sight  of  God 
his  work  was  done,  and  he  was  called  to  his  rest. 
Yet  so  intent  was  his  soul  upon  that  work,  that 
the  voice  of  the  summons  which  bade  him  away 
fell  upon  the  ears  of  anxious  friends  sooner  than 
upon  his  own.  But  when  it  was  heard  by  him, 
how  cordially  was  it  welcomed !  He  was  ready. 
To  him,  death  came  not  as  the  "  king  of  terrors," 
but  as  a  commissioned  servant  to  conduct  him 
home.  He  has  fought  a  good  fight,  he  has  finished 
his  course,  he  has  kept  the  faith,  he  has  died  in 
triumph.  The  veteran  soldier  sleeps  in  his  chosen 
sepulchre.  They  laid  him  in  the  ocean  bed  where 
none  can  break  his  repose.  They  could  write  no 
epitaph,  they  could  raise  no  memorial,  but  they 

"  left  him  alone  in  his  glory," 

where  the  winds  shall  moan  his  requiem  until  the 
last  trump  shall  sound,  and  the  sea  shall  yield  up 
its  treasured  trusts. 


180  Chkistian  Greatness 

And  now,  fathers  and  brethren,  while  we  com- 
memorate the  life  and  character  of  our  venerated 
missionary,  let  us  open  our  hearts  to  the  lessons 
suggested  by  this  occasion ;  and  especially  let  it 
be  ours  to  apprehend  more  vividly  the  nature  of 
THAT  MORAL  HEROISM  which  he  SO  Hobly  exemplified, 
and  which  befits  the  period  in  which  we  live.  In 
the  classic  ages  of  the  past,  the  epithet  heroic  was 
applied  only  to  those  who  achieved  deeds  of  mar- 
tial valor.  The  verse  of  Milton  has  well  expressed 
that  truth : 

"  Conquerors  who  leave  behind 
Nothing  but  ruin  wheresoe'er  they  rove, 
And  all  the  flourishing  works  of  peace  destroy, 
Then  swell  with  pride,  and  must  be  titled  gods, 
Great  benefactors  of  mankind,  deliverers, 
Worshiped  with  temple,  priest,  and  sacrifice." 

The  usages  of  language  illustrate  mental  history, 
and  the  application  of  the  idea  of  heroism  to  grand 
projects  of  benevolence,  to  the  champions  and 
martyrs  of  Truth,  designates  the  era  of  Christianity. 
The  thought  gleamed  on  the  mind  of  Kapoleon 
amid  the  reflections  of  his  exile,  and  was  uttered 
in  those  weighty  sentences  which  he  addressed  to 
the  Count  de  Montholon  while  at  St.  Helena. 
"  The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  mystery  which 
subsists  by  its  own  force,  and  proceeds  from  a 
mind  which  is  not  a  human  mind.  We  find  in  it  a 
marked  individuality,  which  originated  a  train  of 
words  and  actions  unknown  before.  Jesus  is  not  a 
philosopher,  for  his  proofs  are  miracles,  and  from 
the  first   his   disciples    adored    him.     Alexander, 


In  the  Missionary.  181 

Caesar,  Charlemagne,  and  myself,  founded  empires  ; 
but  on  what  foundation  did  we  rest  the  creations 
of  our  genius  ?  Upon  force.  Jesus  Christ  founded 
an  empire  upon  love,  and  at  this  hour  millions  of 
men  would  die  for  him !  I  die  before  my  time, 
and  my  body  will  be  given  back  to  the  earth,  to 
become  food  for  worms.  Such  is  the  fate  of  him 
who  has  been  called  the  great  J^apoleon.  What 
an  abyss  between  my  deep  mystery  and  the  eter- 
nal kingdom  of  Christ,  which  is  proclaimed,  loved, 
and  adored,  and  is  extending  over  the  whole  earth  !" 
"Wonderful  words  to  be  spoken  by  those  imperial 
lips !  They  reveal  the  truth  of  things  as  it  must 
appear  in  the  light  of  eternal  realities.  Is  it  not 
possible,  think  you,  that  the  martial  hero  who  ut- 
tered them  may  have  wished,  as  he  awoke  to  a 
calm  retrospective  view  of  his  course,  that  he  had 
acted  a  more  Christian  part  in  the  great  drama  of 
life,  and  that  other  words  than  these  had  sounded 
the  key-note  of  his  moral  history  ?  Whatever  may 
have  been  his  secret  wish,  we  welcome  his  testi- 
mony as  a  tribute  of  honor  to  the  enterprise  which 
unites  our  hearts,  to  the  heroism  which  true  philan- 
thropy inspires,  and  to  the  character  of  a  man  like 
him  whose  aims  and  deeds  we  here  devoutly  cele- 
brate. 

Yet  let  us  remember  that  it  belongs  not  to  the 
missionary  alone  to  cherish  and  develop  this  he- 
roic spirit  in  some  distant  land  or  some  conspicuous 
sphere.  In  the  early  ages  it  gave  a  lofty  tone  to 
whole  communities  of  Christians ;  it  was  breathed 
forth  in  their  social  intercourse,  in  their  daily  pur- 


182  Christian  Greatness 

suits,  in  their  style  of  life  and  conduct.  But  in 
our  time  the  genius  of  enterprise,  even  among  "  the 
sons  of  the  church,"  needs  a  new  baptism  from  on 
high.  Their  hardy  courage,  their  spirit  of  adven- 
ture and  of  self-denial,  must  be  hallowed  by  a  loft- 
ier aim.  In  the  pursuit  of  perishable  wealth  they 
put  forth  mighty  efforts  which  would  take  on  an 
aspect  of  heroism,  if  they  were  subordinated  to  a 
worthy  moral  object.  For  the  sake  of  gain  they 
are  willing  to  become  exiles  from  home,  to  under- 
take the  most  arduous  pilgrimages,  to  brave  the 
perils  of  the  stormy  deep  or  gloomy  desert,  to  dare 
the  blasts  which  sweep  over  the  icy  solitudes  of  the 
north,  if  they  may  but  rob  wild  beasts  of  their 
costly  furs,  or  risk  life  amid  the  malaria  of  Africa 
if  they  may  but  pick  up  gold-dust  from  her  burning 
sands.  In  the  pursuit  of  wealth  the  mind  embold- 
ens itself  to  meet  the  march  of  pestilence,  and 
infection  seems  to  have  been  disarmed  of  its  terrors. 
For  this  end  families,  too,  are  broken  up  and  scat- 
tered over  the  earth ;  one  makes  his  home  on  the 
ocean,  another  in  India,  another  in  the  mines  of 
California,  and  a  fourth  seeks  his  fortune  in  the 
new  ports  of  the  Pacific.  With  what  inflexible 
will  do  they  wrestle  with  difficulty,  with  disease, 
with  the  pains  of  absence,  with  bitter  disappoint- 
ments ;  and  oh,  how  elevated  and  ennobled  would 
be  the  elements  of  such  enduring  character  if  they 
were  truly  consecrated  to  the  interests  of  the  Mes- 
siah's kingdom,  and  were  thus  made  subservient  to 
the  real  progress  of  humanity!  And  surely,  in 
these  latter  days,  while  "the  signs  of  the  times" 


In  the  Mission  art.  183 

beckon  us  on  to  bolder  attempts  in  the  great  battle 
which  has  long  been  waged  with  the  powers  of 
darkness,  "with  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  pla- 
ces," now,  when  mountains  fall  and  valleys  rise 
before  the  march  of  Science,  so  that  our  antipodes 
become  our  neighbors — now,  when  America,  which 
was  but  lately  at  the  very  "ends  of  the  earth,"  is 
rising  up  to  be  a  great  central  power,  stretching 
forth  her  gigantic  arms  to  reach  the  continent  of 
Asia  on  the  one  side  and  the  continent  of  Europe 
on  the  other,  the  chief  want  of  the  times  is  a  manly, 
generous.  Christian  public  spirit,  which  shall  per- 
form heroic  deeds  amid  the  stir  and  din  of  secu- 
lar business,  and  aim  to  subordinate  the  realms  of 
Agriculture,  of  Commerce,  of  Art,  of  Literature, 
and  of  Labor  to  the  grand  design  of  Christianity 
in  the  renovation  of  our  fallen  world. 

Last  of  all,  let  us  resolve,  with  a  firm  faith  in  the 
promised  agency  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  to  carry  for- 
ward the  work  which  has  heen  so  well  hegun  hy  those 
who  have  gone  hefore  us.  Let  it  be  our  prayer,  that 
the  mantles  of  the  ascending  prophets  may  fall  on 
worthy  successors,  until  that  favored  generation 
come  who  shall  celebrate  the  universal  triumph  of 
the  Redeemer. 

It  is  deserving  of  remark  that,  after  a  long  lapse 
of  ages,  it  has  devolved  on  the  men  of  the  last  cen- 
tury to  push  forward  the  conquests  of  the  Cross 
among  the  older  nations  of  the  world,  beyond  those 
eastern  lands  which  had  bounded  the  progress  of 
Christianity  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  Wonder- 
ful as  were  the  victories  of  our  religion  in  the  first 


184  Christian  Greatness 

century,  they  scarcely  reached  beyond  the  domin- 
ion of  the  Caesars,  which  was  then  called  "  the 
whole  world."  Yet  far  beyond  it,  stretching  east- 
ward, lay  the  older  Pagan  countries  overspread  by 
Boodhism  and  Brahminism ;  and  these  were  left, 
as  they  had  been  long  before,  from  time  immemo- 
rial. Afterward,  when  Constantine  established 
Christianity  as  the  religion  'of  the  State,  it  became 
a  territorial  creed,  hemmed  in  by  the  boundaries 
of  the  empire.  And  thus  it  has,  in  a  great  degree, 
remained,  until  the  missionary  spirit  of  modern 
times  took  up  the  work  nearly  at  the  point  where 
it  was  left  by  the  last  of  the  Apostles,  and  won 
new  trophies  in  those  old  domains  of  Boodh  and 
Brahma. 

With  this  fact  in  view,  we  can  not  but  be  struck 
with  an  analogy  between  the  progress  of  science 
and  Christianity.  It  was  at  the  close  of  the  first 
century  of  the  Christian  era  that  the  Emperor  Tra- 
jan, having  beaten  back  the  northern  barbarians 
beyond  the  Danube,  engaged  in  the  work  of  extend- 
ing the  improvements  of  civilization  and  the  arts 
of  peace  in  those  dreary  regions.  Among  the  me- 
morials of  his  reign,  travelers  have  beheld  with 
admiration  the  remains  of  a  ship  canal,  cut  through 
the  solid  rock,  around  the  rapids  of  that  noble  river. 
But  at  the  death  of  Trajan  the  work  was  left  unfin- 
ished, and  for  seventeen  hundred  years  has  remain- 
ed in  that  condition.  The  empire  had  then  reached 
its  culminating  point ;  its  energies  were  spent ;  it 
had  begun  to  decline  and  fall,  and  it  had  no  power 
or   resources   adequate  to  the  completion  of  the 


In  the  Mission  art.  185 

plans  which  Trajan  had  projected.  Beneath  the 
tramp  of  barbarian  hordes  Roman  civilization  lay 
crushed  during  revolving  centuries,  and  the  chisel- 
ed rocks  bore  witness  of  a  fallen  empire  unable 
to  finish  what  it  had  begun.  But  under  the  auspi- 
ces of  Christianity,  Art  and  Science  have  plumed 
their  wings  anew,  to  go  forth  and  repair  the  old 
and  desolate  wastes.  Within  the  memory  of  living 
men,  an  impetus  has  been  given  to  the  world's  af- 
fairs by  means  of  which  the  enterprise  of  Trajan 
has  lately  received  its  finishing  stroke.  That  im- 
pulse came  forth,  not  from  the  banks  of  the  Tiber, 
but  of  the  Hudson ;  and  the  invention  of  Robert 
Fulton  has  achieved  the  significant  result.  Thus, 
too,  has  it  been  in  the  history  of  Christianity.  The 
men  of  our  own  times  have  been  called  to  set  their 
hands  to  the  work  of  God,  just  where  its  early  her- 
alds left  it,  and  have  urged  forward  the  triumphs 
of  our  religion  beyond  those  borders  which  marked 
the  termination  of  her  first  victorious  career.  The 
new  impulse  has  proceeded,  not  from  Rome,  or 
Constantinople,  but  from  London,  from  New  York, 
from  Boston,  and  from  the  chief  seats  of  Christian- 
ized Anglo-Saxon  power. 

Seeing,  then,  that  brightening  signs  indicate  an 
accelerated  progress  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  — 
that  the  voice  of  Providence  is  summoning  us  re- 
newedly  to  be  co-workers  in  this  glorious  cause — 
let  us  devoutly  aim  to  do  our  life-work  faithfully, 
to  follow  in  the  steps  of  those  "  who,  through  faith 
and  patience,  have  inherited  the  promises."  Let 
it  be  ours  to  bear  a  part  ii  the  fulfillment  of  those 


186   Christian  Greatness  in  tue  Missionary. 

old  prophecies  which  have  long  shed  hopeful 
gleams  across  the  night  of  ages,  that  thus  we  may 
be  prepared  to  unite  in  those  heavenly  anthems 
that  shall  celebrate  the  final  triumph  of  the  Re- 
deemer, unto  whom  "shall  the  gathering  of  the 
people  be." 


CHRISTIAN  GREATNESS 


IN 


THE    STATESMAN 


JOB  V.  26* 

Thou  Bhalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  a  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  com  cometh  in  his 

season." 

This  declaration  of  an  Eastern  sage,  touching  the 
aspect  of  sublimity,  beauty,  and  fitness  which  in- 
vests the  termination  of  a  protracted,  upright,  and 
useful  life,  was  suggested  to  us  by  the  last  words 
of  that  venerable  man  and  renowned  statesman, 
the  intelligence  of  whose  death  cast  a  pall  of  gloom 
over  this  nation,  and  awakened  in  millions  of  hearts 
a  sense  of  painful  bereavement.  He  fell,  struck  by 
the  hand  of  death  in  the  place  of  his  own  choice, 
in  the  hall  of  legislation,  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try ;  and  as  he  recognized  the  stealthy,  fatal  stroke 
of  the  dread  messenger  who  came  to  summon  him 
away,  he  had  only  power  to  express  his  conviction 
of  the  fact  by  exclaiming,    "This  is  the  last  of 

*  A  Discourse  occasioned  by  the  death  of  Hon.  John  Quincy 
Adams. 


188  Christian  Greatness 

earth — I  am  content"  'No  similar  event  could 
have  produced  a  sensation  so  profound  as  this  ;  the 
business  of  Congress  was  suspended,  the  avocations 
of  common  life  throughout  the  city  were  inter- 
rupted, all  amusements  ceased,  all  local  and  party 
feelings  were  merged  in  the  general  grief,  and  from 
the  Capitol  to  the  circumference  of  this  country,  one 
chord  of  patriotic  sympathy  was  touched  and  made 
to  vibrate  in  mournful  response  to  the  blow  which 
smote  down  a  chief  leader  of  the  people,  and  extin- 
guished one  of  the  ruling  lights  in  our  moral  hem- 
isphere. 

It  would  not  be  right  to  allow  such  an  occasion 
to  pass  unimproved.  It  hath  its  voice.  To  give 
it  then  a  tongue  is  wise  in  us.  In  this  event  God 
speaks.  Great  men  are  his  gifts.  He  raises  them 
up  to  achieve  the  purposes  of  his  wisdom  and  his 
goodness.  The  mind  of  capacious  intellect,  of 
great  forecast,  of  nice  discernment,  connecting  the 
faculty  of  patient  attention  to  details  with  that  of 
splendid  philosophical  generalization,  illumined  by 
varied  knowledge,  united  to  a  heart  of  tender  sen- 
sibility and  of  lofty  courage,  endowed  with  the  love 
of  truth,  honor,  rectitude,  together  with  well-bal- 
anced powers  of  conception  and  execution,  is  one 
of  the  noblest  objects  of  his  creation;  and  the 
fitting  combination  of  events  to  give  it  ample  verge 
and  scope  is  all  of  his  ordering.  The  removal  of 
such  gifted  men  from  the  earth  in  the  prime  of  life  or 
in  the  culmination  of  their  manly  strength,  is  often 
spoken  of  in  the  sacred  Scripture  as  a  severe  judg- 
ment on  any  people;  as  was  the  case  when  the 


In  the  Statesman.  189 

prophet  of  God  announced  a  nation's  doom  by  the 
threatening,  "  The  Lord  doth  take  away  from  Ju- 
dah  and  Jerusalem  the  stay  and  the  staff,  the  judge 
and  the  prophet,  the  prudent  and  the  honorable 
man,  the  counselor  and  the  eloquent  orator ;"  for 
then,  it  is  added,  "children  shall  be  their  princes, 
and  the  people  shall  be  oppressed."  When,  there- 
fore, we  see  a  man,  whom  the  people  all  "delight 
to  honor,"  in  whose  soul  patriotism  is  an  essential 
element  of  his  inner  life,  whose  tastes  and  gifts 
qualify  him  for  high  statesmanship,  whose  heart 
maintaineth  its  integrity,  who  walks  upon  the 
heights  of  power  with  serene  self-command,  who  is 
unseduced  by  flattery  and  undazzled  by  bribes, 
who  loves  peace,  and  yet  recoils  not  from  the  strife 
of  stormy  passions  if  the  voice  of  duty  call  him  to 
it,  who  blends  with  stern  gigantic  powers  a  sweet 
childlike  simplicity — when  we  see  such  a  man  pre- 
served to  his  country  through  times  of  trial,  and 
yielding  to  her  service  the  ardor  of  youth,  the 
strength  of  manhood,  the  maturity  of  age,  and  at 
last,  having  passed  beyond  the  bounds  which  have 
been  set  to  the  career  of  a  mortal  race,  bowing 
cheerful  assent  to  the  majestic  summons  which  bids 
him  away  from  the  scenes  of  his  toil  to  a  higher 
sphere  of  being,  we  can  not  but  acknowledge  and 
adore  the  Providence  which  so  long  spared  him  to 
the  world,  and  blessed  his  country  with  the  price- 
less heritage  of  his  character. 

Melancholy  as  is  the  day  which  brings  home  to 
a  nation's  heart  a  sense  of  the  loss  sustained  by  the 
departure  of  such  a  chieftain,  yet  the  mind  can  not 


190  Christian  Greatness 

long  linger  to  pore  over  this  aspect  of  the  event. 
Recovering  from  the  first  shock  of  surprise  and 
grief,  it  is  naturally  led  to  contemplate  the  moral 
sublimity  of  such  a  death,  and  to  admire  that  di- 
vine benignity  which  ordered  a  termination  of  such 
impressive  beauty  to  a  life  so  eminently  instructive 
and  useful.  In  the  course  of  nature  every  thing  is 
beautiful  "in  its  season,"  the  bud  and  bloom  of 
Spring,  the  fall  of  the  fruit  in  Autumn,  the  garner- 
ing of  the  shock  of  corn  full  ripe.  So  when  the 
aims  and  purposes  of  life  have  been  fulfilled,  when 
the  exhausted  faculties  of  the  body  fail  through 
weakness  to  obey  the  behests  of  the  active  spirit, 
Death  has  the  natural  beauty  which  pertains  to  fit- 
ness, because  it  is  so  seasonable ;  because,  however 
suddenly  it  may  come,  it  is  nevertheless  iimely. 

Although  the  history  of  the  deceased  ex-Presi- 
dent is  familiar  to  the  public  mind,  a  brief  review 
of  it  will  be  in  accordance  with  our  present  pur- 
pose. His  native  place  is  a  few  miles  from  Bos- 
ton, in  the  town  of  Quincy,  a  part  of  it  which  was 
formerly  included  within  the  bounds  of  Braintree. 
He  was  born  July  11th,  1767.  In  tracing  the 
course  of  one's  life  it  is  often  found  that  some  occa- 
sion of  early  youth  has  quickened  the  whole  emo- 
tive nature,  has  given  to  the  thoughts  their  chief 
direction,  and  a  permanent  complexion  to  the 
character.  One  event  appears  to  have  exerted  so 
mighty  an  influence  on  the  mind  of  young  Adams. 
This  was  the  first  public  reading  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  to  which  he  was  a  listener,  with 
rapt  attention,  when  a  boy  in  only  the  ninth  year 


In  the  Statesman.  191 

of  his  age,  as  he  stood  amid  a  crowd  convened  be- 
fore the  old  Boston  State  House.  Its  principles 
were  congenial  with  the  spirit  of  his  mind,  and 
took  immediate  possession  of  his  heart.  To  him 
they  were  no  vague  abstractions,  but  momentous 
truths  instinct  with  vitality  and  power.  They 
were  to  him  ever  afterward  "  the  lively  oracles" 
of  eternal  justice  and  true  humanity,  which  awoke 
an  echo  in  the  depths  of  his  conscience  ;  they  were 
the  fundamental  positions  of  all  legitimate  and 
righteous  government,  essential  to  the  peace  of  the 
world  and  the  progress  of  the  race.  He  lived  for 
these  principles ;  he  felt  that  to  aid  in  giving  them 
free  course  and  effectual  sway  was  the  main  work 
committed  to  him,  and  to  this  great  aim  he  was 
found  faithful  unto  death. 

In  the  year  1778,  before  young  Adams  was 
eleven  years  of  age,  he  embarked  for  France,  in 
company  with  his  father,  who  had  been  appointed 
a  commissioner  to  the  court  of  Yersailles,  in  order 
to  obtain  a  recognition  of  our  National  Independ- 
ence. The  drift  of  events  favored  the  design  of 
this  commission,  so  that  Mr.  Adams  and  his  son 
returned  home  the  following  year.  After  the  brief 
interval  of  two  months,  however,  Congress  directed 
Mr.  Adams  to  return  to  Europe,  as  minister  pleni- 
potentiary, to  treat  for  peace  as  soon  as  Great 
Britain  should  become  disposed  to  bring  the  war  to 
an  end.  Again,  therefore,  the  father  embarked  for 
a  foreign  land,  taking  with  him  his  son,  John 
Quincy,  to  whom  a  residence  abroad  under  such 
auspicious  circumstances  was  of  inestimable  worth 


192  Christian  Greatness 

as  a  part  of  his  education,  preparing  him  as  it  did 
to  move  with  ease,  and  to  feel  at  home  in  the 
sphere  of  diplomacy,  wherein  he  afterward  yielded 
immense  service  to  his  country.  Two  years  after 
this  period  we  find  him  in  Russia,  acting  as  secre- 
tary of  legation,  under  Mr.  Dana,  minister  of  the 
United  States  to  the  court  of  St.  Petersburg.  It 
is  evident  that  his  mind  was  keenly  alive  to  the  les- 
sons which  were  suggested  by  passing  scenes ;  for 
in  a  letter  addressed  to  him  by  his  excellent 
mother,  in  1783,  she  takes  occasion  to  say,  "  The 
account  of  your  northern  journey,  and  your  observ- 
ation upon  the  Russian  government,  would  do 
credit  to  an  older  pen."  In  these  extraordinary 
advantages  conferred  on  one  so  youthful,  it  be- 
comes us  to  recognize  the  hand  of  Providence, 
training  him  up  for  his  great  work  of  diplomatic 
statesmanship.  The  stirring  scenes  through  which 
he  passed,  the  alarms  of  war,  the  perils  of  the  sea, 
infested  by  armed  foes,  the  sublime  aspects  of  na- 
ture which  he  contemplated,  the  intellectual  ex- 
citement of  Paris,  the  political  discussions  which 
were  then  so  keenly  agitated,  the  conversations  of 
Dr.  Franklin,  the  constant  care  of  a  venerated  pa- 
rent, all  combined  to  invest  him  with  those  rare 
influences  which  tended  to  quicken  the  energies  of 
his  nature  into  a  precocious  yet  healthful  develop- 
ment. At  that  early  period  he  attuned  his  ear  to 
foreign  languages,  made  himself  acquainted  with 
European  opinions,  habits,  and  manners,  and 
cherished  in  his  heart  a  profound  detestation  of  the 


In  the  Statesman.  193 

vices  and  the  despotisms  which  exhaust  the  life  of 
society  in  the  Old  World. 

Permitted  by  his  father  to  return  to  Massachu- 
setts in  1Y85,  he  entered  the  University  of  Cam- 
bridge, at  an  advanced  standing,  and  graduated  in 
1787,  at  twenty  years  of  age.  He  immediately 
commenced  the  study  of  law,  under  Chief  Justice 
Parsons,  of  Newburyport,  and  entered  upon  his 
professional  career  in  Boston,  at  the  end  of  the 
three  years'  course. 

About  four  years  from  that  time,  in  1794:,  Mr. 
Adams  was  appointed,  by  President  Washington, 
resident  minister  near  the  court  of  the  United  JS^eth- 
erlands.  He  remained  in  Europe  until  1801,  em- 
ployed in  executing  errands  of  diplomacy  in  En- 
gland and  Prussia,  and  as  a  public  minister  in 
Holland.  In  the  character  of  foreign  ambassa- 
dor, he  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  Washington,  who 
paid  him  the  tribute  of  the  highest  praise  for  the 
skill  and  the  success  with  which  he  discharged  his 
many  trusts. 

In  the  year  1802,  Mr.  Adams,  having  returned 
to  this  country,  was  elected  a  senator  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  in  the  year  following  became  a  senator 
in  Congress.  In  1806  he  accepted  a  professorship 
of  Rhetoric  in  the  University  at  Cambridge,  and 
delivered  a  course  of  lectures,  which  are  now  ex- 
tant in  a  published  volume.  He  resigned  his  seat 
in  Congress  before  his  term  expired,  and  in  1809 
was  nominated  by  Mr.  Madison  as  minister  to  Rus- 
sia.    He  was  abroad   during  the  last  war   with 


194  Christian  Greatness 

England,  and  was  one  of  the  commissioners  at 
Ghent  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace. 

After  having  returned  to  this  country  he  became 
secretary  of  state,  under  President  Monroe,  and 
was  the  leading  spirit  of  his  administration.  In 
the  year  1824  he  was  elected  President  of  the 
United  States  by  a  vote  of  the  House  of  Eepre- 
sentatives.  In  that  exalted  station  he  displayed 
the  same  high  moral  qualities  as  had  distinguished 
him  in  narrower  spheres  of  action.  Divided  as  the 
people  of  this  country  were,  by  feelings  of  the 
most  impassioned  partisanship,  he  rose  superior  to 
them  all.  I^o  local  or  clannish  prejudices  swayed 
his  official  appointments  ;  no  man  was  placed  under 
the  ban  of  proscription  for  his  political  sentiments, 
or  for  the  open  expression  of  them ;  liberty  of 
thought  and  of  speech  were  honored  as  inalienable 
rights,  as  essential  elements  of  a  manly  character ; 
and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  the  administration  of 
John  Quincy  Adams  adorns  the  annals  of  American 
history,  and  commends  itself  to  the  grateful  remem- 
brance of  future  ages,  as  the  realization  of  a  lofty 
idea — even  of  that  pure,  high-souled  impartiality, 
which  becomes  the  chief  magistrate  of  a  nation, 
and  which  enters  into  every  just  conception  of  the 
dignity  that  belongs  to  that  exalted  office. 

Having  completed  one  presidential  term,  in  182^ 
Mr.  Adams  returned  to  his  home  in  Quincy,  after 
nearly  forty  years  of  active  and  arduous  public 
service,  which  had  achieved  most  important  results 
in  the  history  of  our  republic.  But  "his  eye  was 
not  dim,  nor  was  his  natural  force  abated."    A 


In  the  Statesman.  195 

mind  like  his  could  not  rest  in  indolence.  The  at- 
mosphere of  public  life  was  as  a  native  element, 
and  even  its  agitations  habit  had  made  more  con- 
genial than  quiet  inactivity.  In  this  he  was  a  won- 
der unto  many.  Just  as  the  mariner,  who  has  been 
educated  to  make  his  home  upon  the  stormy  deep, 
although  fortune  may  have  blessed  him  with  a 
quiet  retirement,  can  not  bring  his  tastes  to  har- 
monize with  the  dull  monotony,  but  welcomes 
again  the  excitement  of  his  ocean-life  with  all  its 
toils  and  perils — so  the  venerable  ex-President, 
with  a  physical  frame  kept  strong  by  manly  disci- 
pline and  temperance,  with  a  mind  whose  joy  was 
in  activity,  welcomed  the  scenes  of  public  service, 
the  duties  of  legislation,  and  conferred  dignity  on 
the  office  of  the  people's  representative  by  accept- 
ing it  after  he  had  enjoyed  the  highest  honors 
which  his  country  could  bestow,  at  a  period  when 
the  fires  of  ambition  had  ceased  to  burn,  and  when 
the  emoluments  of  place  could  offer  no  temptation. 
But  behold  what  a  mighty  and  youthful  energy 
he  carried  into  the  execution  of  his  duties !  The 
youngest  aspirant  after  fame  and  position  could  not 
have  been  more  studious,  more  punctual,  more  un- 
tiring, more  deeply  interested  in  all  the  passing 
questions  of  the  day,  or  the  great  problems  of  the 
age,  more  keenly  sensitive  to  all  the  elements  of 
life  and  stir  around  him.  What  a  noble  spectacle 
did  this  eloquent  old  man  present  when  he  took  his 
place  again  in  our  national  Congress,  so  enriched 
with  all  the  lore  of  experience  as  well  as  of  schools, 
universities,  and  courts,  acting  his  part  in  full  sym- 


196  Christian  Greatness 

pathy  with  men  of  the  second  and  third  generation 
after  him,  revered  by  men  of  every  state  and  party, 
the  pride  even  of  his  opponents,  considered  as  a 
man  and  a  citizen ;  now  listened  to  with  mute  at- 
tention while  he  poured  forth  the  treasures  of  his 
wisdom,  and  now  again  quelling  the  fury  of  angry 
passions  when,  all  bonds  of  restraint  having  been 
sundered,  the}^  had  been  lashed  into  a  fearful  and 
overwhelming  tempest.  It  was  a  kind  and  wise 
Providence  that  placed  him  there  for  good,  and  the 
devout  Christian  patriot,  while  he  admires  the  in- 
strumentality, may  well  exclaim,  "It  was  thou,  O 
God,  who  didst  cause  the  voice  of  thy  servant  to 
be  heard  higher  than  the  voice  of  many  waters ; 
thou  didst  still  the  noise  of  their  waves,  the  noise 
of  their  waves  and  the  tumults  of  the  people." 

Adhering  rigidly  to  the  habits  of  his  youth  even 
in  advanced  age,  rising  early,  so  as  to  give  the  first 
hours  of  the  day  to  study  and  meditation,  Mr. 
Adams  preserved  his  mental  faculties  in  all  the 
vivacity  of  their  prime,  and  in  the  greatness  of 
their  strength.  The  ambition  of  his  last  days  was 
of  a  noble  sort ;  it  was  to  leave  the  field  without 
putting  off  his  armor ;  to  die  at  his  post — to  die  as 
a  faithful  servant,  "having  his  loins  girt  and  his 
lamp  trimmed  and  burning."  Above  all  things  he 
dreaded  a  life  of  indolence  or  uselessness.  God 
favored  his  wish.  It  was  fully  realized.  While 
his  mind  was  acting  in  the  plenitude  of  his  powers, 
while  his  heart  was  throbbing  with  the  pulsations 
of  his  wonted  patriotism  and  his  warm  affections, 
his  exhausted  frame  gave  way ;  his  spirit  forsook 


In  the  Statesman.  197 

its  earthly  abode  for  that  higher  realm,  where  it 
may  expatiate  forever  in  the  light  and  bliss  of  im- 
mortality. 

"His  last  days  were  his  best."  The  lustre  of 
his  character  increased  more  and  more  unto  the 
end.  It  was  not  for  him  in  the  retrospect  of  his 
course  to  appropriate  the  sentiment  which  the  great 
English  poet  has  attributed  to  a  distinguished  prime 
minister : 

"  Had  I  but  served  my  God  with  half  the  zeal 
I  served  my  king,  he  would  not  in  mine  age 
Have  left  me  naked  to  mine  enemies." 

The  ex-President  served  his  country  with  a  zeal 
which  never  flagged,  but  he  served  his  God  first  of 
all ;  and  at  last,  when  he  fell  beneath  the  shaft  of 
death,  received  not  only  the  free  tributes  of  love 
and  honor  from  his  friends,  but  the  profound  re- 
spect of  his  enemies,  while  he  left  a  name  to  be  em- 
balmed in  the  memory  of  a  nation. 

"  His  last  days  were  his  best."  An  interesting 
occasion  once  brought  this  reflection  to  my  mind 
with  an  impression  not  to  be  erased.  On  the  Fourth 
of  July, '1843,  having  been  invited  to  officiate  as 
chaplain  at  the  Boston  celebration  of  the  national 
independence,  I  repaired  to  the  council-chamber  of 
the  City  Hall  half  an  hour  before  the  time  for  form- 
ing the  procession.  While  reclining  alone  near  the 
window,  the  venerable  old  man  entered  the  room, 
and  ere  long,  taking  his  seat  beside  me,  began  to 
converse  with  a  childlike  animation  and  simplicity 
of  manner.     After  touching  on  a  few  reminiscences 


198  Christian  Greatness 

of  the  past,  he  exclaimed,  "  This  is  one  of  the  hap- 
piest days  of  my  whole  life.  Fifty  years  expire  to- 
day since  I  performed  in  Boston  my  first  public 
service,  which  was  the  delivery  of  an  oration  to 
celebrate  our  national  independence.  After  a  half 
century  of  active  life  I  am  spared,  by  a  benign 
Providence,  to  witness  my  son's  performance  of  his 
first  public  service,  the  delivery  of  an  oration  in 
honor  of  the  same  great  event."  It  was  evident 
that  his  heart  was  full  of  religious  gratitude,  and 
even  then  the  sentiment  of  my  text  associated  itself 
with  his  history,  while  his  own  lips  testified  that  he 
was  the  heir  of  its  promise,  "  Thou  shalt  come  to 
thy  grave  in  full  age,  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh 
in  his  season." 

In  endeavoring  to  make  a  just  improvement  of 
the  present  occasion,  several  reflections  suggest 
themselves. 

1.  Let  us  cherish  a  spirit  of  sincere  gratitude  to 
the  Almighty  Giver  of  all  good  gifts,  in  that  he 
raised  up  for  the  service  of  our  country  and  our 
age  a  princely  mind,  so  remarkably  adapted  to 
their  necessities.  If  a  fine  adaptation  of  means  to 
ends  prove  design,  then  the  extraordinary  fitness  of 
Mr.  Adams  to  meet  the  calls  of  our  infant  republic, 
to  occupy  positions  of  delicacy  and  of  difficulty, 
and  in  his  very  youth  to  serve  her  with  success 
where  the  highest  wisdom  and  experienced  skill 
were  requisite,  proves  a  beneficent  design  on  the 
part  of  God  toward  us  as  a  people,  and  demands 
devout  thankfulness  from  us  to  the  All-wise  De- 
signer and  Dispenser  of  the  benefit.    It  is  only  in 


In  the  Statesman.  199 

the  retrospect  of  a  long  life  that  we  can  see  such  a 
blessing  in  its  just  lights,  in  its  true  relations  and 
proportions,  so  as  to  appreciate  it  worthily.  We 
need,  as  from  an  eminence,  to  take  in  a  broad  view 
of  the  whole  landscape  of  his  life-history,  in  order 
to  understand  the  relative  importance  of  the  sphere 
which  he  occupied,  and  the  dignity  of  the  ends 
which  he  achieved.  These  are  not  clearly  manifest 
while  we  are  in  close  proximity  to  a  living  charac- 
ter. 1^0  doubt,  while  Washington  was  in  daily  con- 
tact with  his  countrymen,  there  were  many  of  sober 
mind  who  thought  that  if  he  were  suddenly  re- 
moved, some  substitute  might  be  found  who  could 
with  equal  success  occupy  the  vacant  station.  But 
now,  when  the  history  of  that  age  is  fully  before 
us,  when  we  read  it  a  glance,  when  the  many  ele- 
ments which  composed  its  intellectual  and  moral 
forces  are  analyzed  and  distinguished,  we  all  ac- 
knowledge that  Washington  was  without  a  paral- 
lel ;  that  the  world  possessed  no  other  who  could 
have  stood  in  his  place,  could  have  wielded  the 
moral  sceptre  of  his  influence,  and  have  fulfilled 
his  glorious  mission  to  mankind.  So,  too,  when 
we  contemplate  the  extraordinary  education  and 
political  talents  of  that  young  man  to  whom  Wash- 
ington intrusted  the  honor  and  welfare  of  his  coun- 
try in  foreign  courts,  and  the  bright  career  of  the 
young  American  minister  in  coping  with  the  vet- 
eran diplomacy  of  European  monarchies,  we  can 
not  but  recognize  a  Divine  hand  in  ordering  all  the 
events  of  his  previous  life  so  as  to  prepare  him  for 
the  emergency,  and  to  qualify  him  by  a  perfect 


200  Christian  Greatness 

discipline  for  an  elevated  and  perilous  theatre  of 
action. 

Again,  when  by  a  series  of  strange  events  the 
most  discordant  jealousies  were  brought  into  stern 
conflict  at  the  Capitol,  when  by  the  aggressions  of 
the  slave  power  even  the  right  of  petition  was  de- 
nied, when  the  surges  of  excited  passion  were 
threatening  to  sweep  away  the  established  bul- 
warks of  freedom — who  but  he,  uniting  in  himself 
the  fervor  of  youth  and  the  obdurate  patience  of 
manhood  with  the  dignity  of  age  and  lofty  station, 
could  have  effectually  checked  their  proud  impetu' 
osity,  could  have  ruled  the  agitation  of  the  most 
fiery  spirits,  and  called  them  to  the  sober  consid- 
eration of  those  great  fundamental  principles  with- 
out which  all  government  is  tyranny,  and  all  lib- 
erty but  a  name?  It  was  God  who  placed  him 
there  to  guide  the  whirlwind  and  direct  the  storm, 
to  plead  for  truth,  law,  right,  justice,  and  human- 
ity, and  thus  to  "  turn  back  the  battle  to  the  gate." 

2.  Let  us  endeavor  to  honor  and  emulate  that 
high-souled  rectitude  and  honesty  of  purpose 
wherein  lay  the  secret  of  his  courage  and  his 
strength.  However  much  men  might  differ  from 
him  in  judgment,  they  confided  in  his  sincerity  and 
his  truthfulness.  He  made  up  his  mind  in  obe- 
dience to  great  principles ;  he  followed  where  they 
led,  and  was  bold  to  proclaim  and  act  out  his  own 
convictions.  Sometimes  he  agreed  with  one  party, 
then  with  another;  yet  he  did  not  mean  to  steer 
his  course  by  the  illusive  lights  of  party  policy, 
but  by  the  fixed  eternal  star  of  absolute  truth.     For 


In  the  Statesman.  201 

this  one  thing,  his  realization  in  actual  life  of  a 
stern  republican  virtue,  the  individuality  of  con- 
science, let  his  name  be  ever  fragrant,  let  his  ex- 
ample be  prized  by  the  remotest  age  as  a  rich 
moral  legacy  to  the  youth  of  his  own  country,  and 
to  the  friends  of  liberty  throughout  the  world. 

Prominent  among  the  features  of  his  character 
was  his  habitual  confidence  in  the  power,  and  in 
the  final  triumph  of  truth ;  hence  in  the  dark  and 
trying  day  he  was  not  ashamed  or  afraid  to  be  her 
champion,  whether  he  stood  with  many  or  with 
few.  He  had  faith  in  that  saying  of  an  ancient 
eage,  which  was  first  uttered  in  the  ears  of  a  king : 
"  Great  is  the  truth,  and  stronger  than  all  things ; 
all  the  earth  calleth  upon  the  truth  and  the  Heaven 
blesseth  it ;  all  works  shake  and  tremble  at  it,  and 
with  it  is  no  unrighteous  thing."  However  feeble 
might  be  his  voice,  he  felt  that  a  right  and  faithful 
testimony  is  never  lost.  'No  !  thanks  to  God,  it  can 
never  die.  It  may  be  overborne,  it  may  be  smoth- 
ered by  the  hands  of  violence,  it  may  seem  to  be 
lost  amid  the  din  of  strife  and  the  clamor  of  a 
crowd,  but  it  shall  find  responses  in  the  deep  re- 
cesses of  many  souls,  and  there  shall  its  echoes  be 
redoubled  and  prolonged,  until  it  break  forth  from 
other  tongues,  and  be  caught  up  by  listening  mul- 
titudes, and  sent  abroad  like  the  voice  of  mighty 
thunderings,  and  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  of  God 
in  the  ears  of  a  convinced  and  subject  w^orld. 

3.  It  becomes  us,  too,  in  view  of  this  occasion, 
to  open  our  minds  to  fresh  impressions  of  the  in- 
estimable  worth   of  parental   influence   over   the 


202  Christian  Greatness 

strongest  minds,  in  early  laying  the  foundations  of 
an  enduring  character.  It  is  said  that,  after  the 
revolutionary  war,  when  the  French  officers  were 
assembled  to  take  leave  of  the  commander-in-chief, 
they  desired  an  opportunity  to  pay  their  respects 
to  the  mother  of  Washington.  This  was  granted 
to  them  at  a  public  entertainment  in  Petersburg, 
Yirginia.  Such  was  the  effect  produced  on  their 
minds  by  her  simple  manners,  her  noble  bearing, 
and  the  power  of  her  conversation,  that  as  she  re- 
tired from  their  company,  there  was  heard  among 
them  the  spontaneous  expression  of  the  sentiment, 
"No  wonder  that  America  has  such  a  general, 
since  he  had  such  a  mother."  And  we  may  truly 
say  that,  whosoever  contemplates  the  spirit  that 
animates  the  history,  and  is  breathed  forth"  in  the 
published  writings  of  that  excellent  woman,  the 
mother  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  will  be  disposed 
to  apply  to  the  deceased  ex-President,  the  expres- 
sion of  a  similar  sentiment.  An  accomplished 
lady,  possessed  of  sterling  sense,  looking  through 
appearances  to  the  reality  of  things,  governed  by 
a  lofty  patriotism  and  high  religious  principle,  she 
was  capable  of  leaving  the  impress  of  her  charac- 
ter on  the  mind  of  her  son ;  and  it  is  instructive 
to  observe  how  strictly,  even  to  the  latest  age,  he 
cherished  the  opinions,  and  exemplified  the  virtues 
which  she  inculcated  on  him  during  the  period  of 
boyhood.  The  nicely  adjusted  system  of  action, 
the  untiring  industry,  the  love  of  knowledge,  the 
love  of  country,  the  moral  fearlessness,  the  con- 
tempt of  fashion,  the  simple  tastes,  the  religious 


In  the  Statesman.  203 

reverence  which  appeared  in  him,  were  all  embod- 
ied in  her  strongly-marked  character. 

Apprehensive  that  her  son's  early  residence 
abroad  might  subject  his  heart  to  corrupting  in- 
fluences, she  seems  constantly  to  wTite  in  view  of 
that  perilous  liability ;  and  in  a  letter  addressed  to 
him  while  in  Paris,  in  the  twelfth  year  of  his  age, 
she  says,  "  Dear  as  you  are  to  me,  I  would  much 
rather  you  should  have  found  your  grave  in  the 
ocean  you  have  crossed,  or  that  an  untimely  death 
cross  you  in  your  infant  years,  than  see  you  an  im- 
moral, profligate,  or  graceless  child." 

In  another  letter  addressed  to  her  son,  in  his 
fourteenth  year,  she  illustrates  with  an  eloquent 
energy  the  great  duties  which  he  owes  to  himself, 
his  parents,  his  country,  and  his  God,  and  espe- 
cially one  lesson  of  the  tirst  importance,  that,  ''the 
only  sure  and  permanent  foundation  of  virtue  is 
religion." 

At  a  later  period  she  seeks  to  kindle  in  his  soul 
a  generous  love  of  freedom,  and  says,  "  Let  your 
observations  and  comparisons  produce  in  your 
mind  an  abhorrence  of  domination  and  power,  the 
parent  of  slavery,  ignorance,  and  barbarism,  which 
places  man  upon  a  level  with  his  fellow-tenants  of 
the  woods: 

*♦  A  day,  an  hour,  of  virtuous  liberty 
Is  worth  a  whole  eternity  of  bondage." 

At  a  still  later  day  she  is  found  rousing  in  him  a 
spirit  of  devotion  to  his  country,  saying,  "I  hope 
you  will  never  lose  sight  of  her  interests,  but  make 


204  Christian  Greatness 

her  welfare  your  study,  and  spend  those  hours 
which  others  devote  to  cards  and  folly,  in  investi- 
gating the  great  principles  by  which  nations  have 
risen  to  glory  and  eminence  ;  for  your  country  will 
one  day  call  for  your  services  in  the  cabinet  or 
field.  Qualify  yourself  to  do  honor  to  her."  In 
looking  at  the  portrait  which  these  letters  present 
of  the  mother  of  Mr.  Adams,  it  is  interesting  to  ob- 
serve that  its  more  delicate  lights  and  shades  were 
reproduced  in  her  son,  a  reflection  often  suggested, 
and  especially  by  the  fact  that,  inhaling  as  he  did 
the  spirit  of  the  Revolution,  he  inherited  from  her 
a  burning  hatred  against  the  government  of  En- 
gland as  an  oppressive  power,  which  neither  the 
lapse  of  time  nor  the  infirmities  of  age  could 
quench. 

To  mark  the  connection  between  great  effects  and 
their  obscure  causes,  to  trace  the  mighty  river 
which  bears  a  nation's  wealth  upon  its  bosom  to 
the  little  rill  in  the  mountain's  side  that  a  man's 
hand  may  span,  is  as  quickening  to  the  intellect  as 
it  is  profitable  to  the  heart ;  and  surely  it  is  worthy 
of  being  remembered  by  every  American  parent, 
that  the  solid  and  splendid  qualities  which  were 
developed  in  the  life  and  character  of  Mr.  Adams, 
sprang  up  in  the  home  of  his  childhood,  and  put 
forth  their  first  bloom  in  the  sunlight  of  a  Christian 
mother's  influence. 

4.  Moreover,  it  is  especially  fitting  at  this  time 
that  we  should  bear  witness  to  the  fact,  and  tell  it 
to  our  children,  that  those  virtues  of  which  we 
have  spoken  were  daily  nourished  by  a  firm  faith 


In  the  Statesman.  205 

in  the  Christian  revelation,  and  by  a  devout  study 
of  it  as  the  inspired  Word  of  God.  The  sentiments 
which  he  received  on  this  subject  in  his  youthful 
years  he  often  subjected  to  the  test  of  scrutiny,  but 
never  abandoned.  He  clung  to  them  as  the  light 
of  life  and  the  hope  of  glory.  While  acting  as 
American  minister  at  the  court  of  Russia,  he  wrote 
a  series  of  letters  to  his  children.  They  were  never 
published ;  they  exist  only  in  manuscript,  and 
several  years  since  I  was  permitted  to  peruse  a 
copy  of  them.  It  is  interesting  to  notice  how  earn- 
estly he  commends  to  them  the  habitual  study  of 
the  sacred  Scriptures,  and  how  reverently  he  ap- 
peals to  them  on  any  question  whereof  they  profess 
to  speak.  Whether  we  should  agree  with  or  differ 
from  his  interpretation  of  particular  passages,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  read  these  letters  without 
bearing  away  a  deep  impressibn  of  the  fact  that  the 
writer  was  seeking  to  derive  his  religious  opinions, 
not  from  the  creeds  of  a  church,  or  from  the  wis- 
dom of  men,  but  from  the  simple  Word  of  God's 
own  inspiration. 

In  the  realm  of  religion,  as  well  of  ethics  and 
politics,  he  thought  for  himself;  and  yet,  like  the 
poet  Milton,  desired  to  slake  his  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge at 

"  Siloa's  brook,  wliich  flowed 
Fast  by  the  oracle  of  God." 

He  was  not  content  with  a  moral  philosophy ; 
he  sought  a  vital  Christianity.  He  has  been  known 
to  urge  on  others,  with  great  force  of  thought  and 
expression,  that  view  of  the  nature  of  sin  which 


206  Cheistian  Greatness 

philosophy  can  not  impart,  and  which  the  mind  can 
not  apprehend,  except  by  seeing  it  as  the  trans- 
gression of  a  divinely-revealed  Law,  invested  with 
God's  awful  and  eternal  sanctions.  His  hope  of 
immortality  sprang  from  no  self-complacent  trust 
in  his  personal  merits,  but  in  the  grace  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  is  well  expressed  in  a  stanza  of  his  own : 

"  My  last  great  want,  absorbing  all, 
Is,  when  beneath  the  sod. 
And  summoned  to  my  final  call, 
The  mercy  of  my  God.'* 

Mourning  his  departure  "  as  one  mourneth  for  a 
friend,"  it  is  a  joy  to  us  that  this  lamented  patriot 
and  chief  has  left,  throughout  the  whole  circle  of 
his  social  and  domestic  relations,  a  reputation  so 
unblemished,  a  name  so  dear  to  friendship,  an  ex- 
ample so  munificent,  as  a  heritage  to  the  youth  of 
his  native  land.  Of  *he  acts  of  his  political  life 
different  opinions  will  be  entertained  according  to 
the  points  of  view  from  which  they  shall  be  re- 
garded ;  yet  we  doubt  not  that  the  more  closely  his 
character  and  course  shall  be  studied  and  consid- 
ered as  a  whole,  the  more  evident  will  it  appear 
that  some  parts  of  his  public  conduct,  which  have 
been  attributed  to  a  reasonless  caprice,  were  dic- 
tated by  those  high,  unbending  principles  of  action 
which  are  far  superior  to  the  common-place  max- 
ims of  mere  worldly  prudence,  and  which,  when 
announced,  command  the  homage  of  every  con- 
science. He  has  sunk  beneath  the  weight  of  years, 
but  the  regret  awakened  by  his  death  is  like  that 
which  follows  the  man  who  is  cut  off  in  the  midst 


In  the  Statesman.  207 

of  his  days,  and  whose  work  remains  unfinished. 
May  those  who  are  touched  with  sadness  by  the 
late  intelligence  of  his  death  strive  to  imitate  all 
that  in  him  was  noble  and  "  of  good  report,"  and 
then 

"  The  cloud  that  wraps  the  present  hour 
Will  serve  to  brighten  all  our  future  life." 


CHRISTIAN  GEEATNESS 


IN 


THE   citizen; 


MATTHEW  XX.   26-67. 

••  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  let  him  be  your  Minister  ;  and  whoso- 
ever will  be  Chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  Servant." 

A  GEEAT  man  has  fallen  in  our  midst !  A  man 
who  has  been  long  accounted  "  a  leader  in  Israel,"  a 
distinguished  citizen,  a  pure  patriot,  a  true  philan- 
thropist, in  whom  our  hearts  "  safely  trusted,"  and 
whom  all  of  every  rank  in  this  community  delighted 
to  honor,  has  been  called  away  from  the  scenes  of 
earth  to  his  home  in  heaven.  On  the  last  Wednes- 
day night,  five  minutes  after  the  clock  had  struck 
eleven,  the  spirit  of  Friend  Humphrey  was  sum- 
moned to  leave  its  earthly  tabernacle.  His  depar- 
ture was  not  unexpected.  To  him  it  was  welcome. 
After  protracted  and  excruciating  pains  that  had 
racked  his  strong  and  manly  frame,  almost,  one  may 
say,  to  the  whole  extent  of  its  capacity  to  suffer,  dur- 
ing several  successive  months,  he  had  often  longed 
for  the  final  hour  as  an  era  of  release,  and  was  pre- 
pared to  hail  the  last  pang  as  the  herald  of  his  trans- 
si  tion  from  the  furnace  of  "  refining  fires  "  to  those 

*  Occasioned  by  the  death  of  Hon.  Priond  Humphrey,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


Christian  Greatness.  209 

realms  of  joyous  life  which  had  long  been  familiar 
to  the  eye  of  Faith  and  the  aspirations  of  Hope. 

An  event  like  this  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass 
away  without  notice  or  improvement.  His  death  is 
felt  as  a  bereavement  not  only  in  the  domestic  cir- 
cle, and  in  the  church  which  he  loved  as  the  home 
of  his  religious  affections  ;  it  is  lamented  by  the 
whole  community  as  a  common  loss.  It  touches  a 
chord  of  sensibility  which  vibrates  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  a  widely-spread  acquaintanceship. 
It  stirs  the  breast  of  many  an  aged  citizen  with 
quickening  recollections  of  the  past ;  it  calls  forth 
many  a  spontaneous  tribute  of  regard  from  the 
young  who  have  often  been  greeted  by  his  friendly 
smile,  and  who  loved  "  to  do  him  reverence,"  Hav- 
ing been  a  resident  of  this  city  from  the  days  of  his 
youth,  for  almost  half  a  century  he  has  traversed  its 
paths  of  business  with  the  mien  of  manly  honesty  and 
the  step  of  Christian  dignity  ;  he  has  participated 
in  the  administration  of  its  government  with  an 
energy  that  never  flagged,  with  a  prudence  and  firm- 
ness adequate  to  every  emergency  ;  with  the  increase 
of  his  wealth  and  the  ripening  of  his  experience  he 
has  exhibited  a  fine  example  of  an  enlarged  public 
spirit  and  of  generous  sacrifices  for  the  public  good  ; 
he  has  been  the  friend  of  the  poor,  the  shield  of  the 
weak,  the  companion  of  the  strong,  the  steady  pa- 
tron of  the  manifold  forms  of  benevolent  enterprise  ; 
and  thus,  as  a  good  man,  as  a  useful  citizen,  he  has 
shed  a  lustre  around  the  whole  sphere  of  life  in 
which  he  moved,  having  nobly  realized  in  action 
that  ideal   character   of  true    Christian    Greatness, 


210  Christian  Greatness. 

which  our  blessed  Master,  in  the  words  cited  as  my 
text,  commended  to  the  admiration  and  the  love  of 
all  his  followers. 

And  now  "  a  standard-bearer  hath  fallen,"  We 
shall  see  his  face,  we  shall  hear  his  voice  no  more. 
But  he  has  left  a  fragrant  name  ;  his  whole  career 
furnishes  an  illustration  of  that  kind  of  moral  excel- 
lence, upon  which  memory  loves  to  muse,  and  which 
it  is  always  refreshing  to  contemplate.  Is  it  not  fit- 
ting that  we  should  pause,  and  open  our  minds  and 
hearts  to  the  lesson  of  his  life  1  The  philosophy  of 
this  lesson  is  set  forth  in  that  significant  precept  of 
our  Lord,  which  I  have  announced  in  your  hearing. 
Let  us  turn  our  thoughts  to  its  import,  aptly  expres- 
sive as  it  is  of  that  power  of  moral  character  so 
steadily  exerted  in  our  midst  by  our  departed  friend, 
through  a  long  series  of  years. 

It  appears  from  the  narrative  of  the  Evangelist, 
that  on  a  certain  day,  a  woman,  who  was  well  known 
and  highly  honored  amongst  the  disciples,  used  the 
privilege  of  a  mother  to  approach  our  Lord  in  order 
to  ask  special  favors  for  her  two  sons.  She  request- 
ed that  they  might  occupy  places  of  eminence  and 
honor  in  the  kingdom  that  he  was  about  to  es- 
tablish. In  this  request  she  betrayed  a  spirit  of 
worldly  ambition  ;  and  when  her  errand  on  be- 
half of  the  two  apostles  became  known  to  the 
rest,  a  kindred  spirit  was  kindled  in  their  breasts, 
and  uttered  itself  in  the  mutterings  of  offended 
and  indignant  jealousy.  The  chief  instructions 
which  Christ  delivered  in  the  course  of  his  min- 
istry, were  usually  suggested  by  occasions  as  they 


Christian  Greatness.  211 

arose  ;  and  now  He  takes  the  opportunity  to  ex 
hibit  to  the  view  of  those  around  Him,  the  pecu- 
liar character  and  the  sublime  moral  aims  of  the 
new  dispensation  ;  to  declare  to  them  that  his  king- 
dom wa&  entirely  dilBferent  from  that  of  any  earthly 
royalty  ;  that  high  positions  were  not  to  be  given 
away  as  personal  honors  or  marks  of  friendship  after 
the  fashion  of  court-patronage,  but  that  in  his  sight, 
unostentatious  usefulness  is  true  greatness  ;  so  that, 
to  reach  the  highest  point  in  the  scale  of  greatness, 
is  to  descend  to  the  greatest  self-denials,  and  to 
perform  the  greatest  amount  of  service  to  Him 
and  to  his  people.  With  what  simplicity  of 
speech  and  manner  was  this  far-reaching  truth  in- 
culcated !  Jesus  called  them  unto  Him,  and  said, 
"  Ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise 
dominion  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exer- 
cise authority  upon  them.  But  it  shall  not  be  so 
among  you  ;  but  whosoever  will  be  great  among 
you,  let  him  be  your  minister  ;  and  whosoever  will 
be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant.  Even 
as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto, 
but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
many." 

While  we  give  ear  to  a  lesson  so  benign  as  this, 
are  we  not  struck  with  that  aspect  of  sublime  moral 
greatness  which  invested  the  divine  teacher  who  ut- 
tered it,  whose  life  beautifully  exemplified  it,  and 
who  expects  his  sincere  followers,  in  imitation  of 
himself,  practically  to  realize  it?  His  doctrine  is 
that  in  the  moral  realm  where  He  is  the  acknow- 
ledged sovereign. 


212  Christian  Greatness. 

real  usefulness  is  true  greatness. 

The  occasion  demands  that  we  allow  our  minds  to 
dwell  upon  it.  Let  it  be  our  aim  to  illustrate  it  by 
regarding  it  from  several  points  of  view.     . 

1.  To  seek  to  be  useful  in  the  highest  degree,  is 
to  cherish  a  true  sympathy  with  the  greatest  and 
the  best  of  beings.  It  is  to  be  like  God.''  "  His 
greatness  is  unsearchable,"  his  resources  are  infinite  ; 
He  is  dependent  on  none,  He  can  receive  no  benefit 
from  us,  or  from  any  creature  ;  yet  the  mighty 
agencies  of  his  vast  dominion  are  busily  tasked  in 
our  service,  and  the  most  subtle  elements  of  nature 
are  laid  under  contribution  to  promote  the  happiness 
of  sensitive  existences.  Behold  the  workings  of 
his  Providence  ;  what  a  profound  and  complicate 
machinery  1*  When  we  have  gazed,  at  times,  with 
the  imaginative  eye,  upon  that  dread  symbol  of  it 
which  rolled  in  grandeur  before  the  rapt  prophet  by 
the  river  Chebar,  we  have  been  mute  with  awe  in 
view  of  the  lofty  sweep  of  those  mighty  fiery  wheels, 
circled  within  wheels,  instinct  with  life,  full  of  eyes, 
moving  through  all  heights  and  depths  with  electric 
speed  and  spontaneous  power,  as  if  animate  in  every 
part  with  one  seraphic  soul.  God's  providence 
never  faileth,  never  tires,  reacheth  from  heaven  to 
earth,  and  supplies  with  equal  ease  the  wants  of 
angel  or  of  insect.  Everywhere,  throughout  the 
realm  of  nature,  "  all  things  are  full  of  labor  ;  man 
cannot  utter  it ;"  the  universe  teems  with  life  and 
motion,  and  whether  you  look  at  the  obedient  orb 
that  whirls  along  its  ethereal  pathway,  or  at  the 


Christian  Greatness.  213 

mote  which  dances  in  the  sunbeam,  you  see  that  one 
law  ruleth  all,  and  that  each  subserves  the  ends  of 
divine  beneficence. 

What  an  instructive  application  did  our  Saviour 
make  of  this  general  truth,  when  he  said  to  his 
audience,  "  My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I 
work !"  It  is  true,  indeed,  when  he  said  this,  he 
had  just  been  performing  a  miracle  which  required 
the  exertion  of  omnipotence  ;  but  in  regard  to  con- 
stant and  useful  activity,  he  bids  us  to  imitate  God, 
who  "  maketh  his  sun  to  rise,  and  his  rain  to  descend 
upon  the  evil  and  the  good,  upon  the  just  and  the 
unjust,"  that  thus  we  may  be  the  children  of  our 
Father  who  is  in  heaven.  Will  not  every  true 
Christian  heart,  think  you,  give  back  a  sympathetic 
answer  to  this  sublime  and  comprehensive  precept, 
which  bids  us  listen  to  those  responsive  testimonies 
that  break  upon  the  ear  from  the  incessant  chime  of 
nature's  harmonies  throughout  the  boundless  range 
of  created  agencies  ?  Yes  !  Let  us  remember,  then, 
that  when  we  stoop  to  the  humblest  services  which 
the  cause  of  religion  or  the  wants  of  humanity  calls 
for  at  our  hands,  we  begin  to  rise  toward  the  highest 
standard  of  true  greatness  in  the  sight  of  God  ; 
who,  though  he  be  great,  "  despiseth  not  any,"  who 
condescends  to  regard  "  the  raven's  cry,"  and  "  hath 
respect  unto  the  lowly." 

2.  In  relation  to  this  subject,  however,  what  we 
learn  of  God  from  his  works  and  providence,  is 
beautifully  illustrated  by  the  example  of  Christ,  in 
whom  divine  wisdom  and  goodness  were  embodied  ; 
whose  life  expressed  God's  own  idea  of  moral  excel* 


214  Christian  Greatness. 

lence  in  man,  and  exemplified  that  true  greatness  of 
"which  the  life  of  every  Christian  should  be,  in  its 
appointed  sphere,  a  practical  realization.  For,  while 
we  admire  the  lesson  itself,  as  it  comes  to  us  from 
the  lips  of  Jesus,  our  admiration  is  enhanced  when 
we  survey  the  earthly  career  of  Him  who  came  from 
heaven  "  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister." 
His  course  was  one  of  useful  service.  He  went  about 
doing  good.  "  He  pleased  not  himself,"'  but  it  was 
his  chief  joy  to  do  his  Father's  will  in  blessing 
others.  In  the  dignity  of  his  nature  he  stood  above 
all,  yet  He  stooped  below  all ;  and,  although  He 
declared  himself,  as  the  Son  of  God,  the  rightful 
Lord  of  every  creature,  He  said  to  the  men  in  whose 
midst  he  moved  on  errands  of  love,  "  I  am  amongst 
you  as  one  that  serveth."  As  you  read  his  history, 
when  is  it  that  He  is  seen  to  disclose  those  aspects 
of  character  which  make  the  deepest  impression  on 
you ;  which  rouse  and  sway  your  spirit  by  their 
expression  of  lofty,  god-like  excellence?  Is  it  in 
his  occasional  association  with  the  great  "  leading 
men ''  of  the  age  ?  Is  it  in  his  visits  to  the  rulers 
of  Judea,  who  sometimes  courted  his  society  ?  Is  it 
in  his  attendance  at  the  public  celebrations,  or  in 
his  reclining  as  a  guest  at  the  festivals  of  the 
wealthy?  Is  it  when  by  a  word  He  controls  the 
rage  of  hostile  priests,  or  holds  the  power  of  the 
government  in  check,  until  his  hour  shall  have  come  ? 
No  :  these  are  not  the  scenes  around  which  the  heart 
fondly  lingers  with  emotions  of  the  most  profound 
reverence  and  adoring  love.  These  are  not  the 
themes  which   Christian  poetry  has  devoutly  em- 


Christian  Geeatness.  215 

balmed,  which  the  Church  has  celebrated  in  her 
songs,  or  which  christian  art  has  chosen  for  the 
commemorative  picture  ;  but,  as  the  subjects  of  such 
immortal  works,  you  hear  of  "  Christ  healing  the 
sick,''  "  Christ  blessing  the  children,"  "  Christ  open- 
ing the  eyes  of  the  blind  ;"  instructing  a  sinful 
woman  at  the  well  of  Samaria,  or  receiving  the 
tribute  of  grateful  tears  with  which  a  forgiven  peni- 
tent bathed  his  feet.  These  are  the  scenes  which,  as 
at  the  bidding  of  creative  genius  they  have  been 
spread  upon  the  canvas,  have  drawn  throngs  of 
willing  pilgrims  from  afar  to  gaze  upon  them  with 
sentiments  of  devotion,  to  enjoy  the  rapture  which 
they  inspire,  and  to  confess  the  power  of  a  moral 
greatness  that  attests  the  presence  of  the  true  Mes- 
siah. 

3.  The  doctrine  of  which  we  speak  becomes  in- 
vested with  another  aspect  of  dignity,  when  we  con- 
sider that  the  great  end  for  which  a  Christian  is 
called  by  the  divine  word,  taught  by  the  divine 
Spirit,  and  practically  educated  under  the  discipline 
of  Divine  Providence,  is,  that  he,  may  benefit  his 
generation  by  a  course  of  useful  service.  No  one 
can  feel  this  truth  too  deeply,  or  too  highly  estimate 
its  importance.  The  more  widely  we  extend  our 
observation  of  the  universe,  the  more  clearly  we 
perceive  that  everything,  whether  it  be  grand  or 
minute,  is  created  with  some  capacity  of  useful  ser- 
vice.! The  sun  was  not  made  to  shine  for  itself,  but 
for  the  benefit  of  a  system  of  worlds.  The  soul  of 
man,  with  all  its  interior  resources,  and  the  fine 
adjustment  of  its  faculties,  was  never  qualified  to  be 


216  Christian  Greatness. 

happy  in  an  isolated  state  ;  the  law  of  its  being 
requires  it  to  find  its  happiness  in  imparting  happi- 
ness to  others.  By  reason  of  sin  it  became  spiritu- 
ally dead  to  this  glorious  aim,  and  all  its  sympathetic 
sensibilities  were  shrivelled  under  the  fatal  blight ; 
but  when  it  becomes  the  subject  of  "  the  new  crea- 
tion in  Christ  Jesus,"  we  may  be  sure  that  this  great 
change  ia  wrought  for  no  inferior  end.  He  would 
not  redeem  it  for  an  object  lower  than  that  of  its 
original  creation.  The  principle  of  the  divine 
arrangement  was  couched  in  the  benediction  pro- 
nounced, of  old,  upon  the  faithful  patriarch  :  "  I  will 
bless  thee  and  make  thee  a  blessing."  Such  is  the 
destination  to  which  our  Master  beckons  us.  And 
since  it  hath  pleased  Him  thus  to  exalt  us,  to  qualify 
us  to  participate  in  his  happiness,  to  fulfil  the  minis- 
tries of  his  own  love,  to  cover  the  rough  wastes  of 
this  disordered  world  with  the  bloom  and  fruitage 
of  heavenly  grace,  does  it  not  become  us  to  be  earnest 
in  performing  this  our  life-work  ;  to  have  our  posi- 
tion in  the  world  clearly  recognized  by  the  things 
which  we  accomplish,  and  so,  to  be  preparing  daily 
to  hail  the  hour  of  death  as  marking  the  era  of  our 
advancement  to  a  higher  and  a  boundless  sphere  of 
joyous  activity  ? 

4.  In  accordance  with  these  views,  let  it  be  re- 
membered that  whosoever  is  endowed  with  superior 
powers  of  mind,  advantages,  of  situation,  or  means 
of  usefulness,  ought,  therefore,  to  be  the  greatest  ser- 
vant. For  these  gifts  render  one  more  fit  to  serve. 
Unto  whom  much  is  given,  from  him  shall  much  be 
required ;    and  the  rule  of   Christ's  kingdom  is, 


Christian  Greatness.  217 

"  every  man  according  to  his  ability."  Is  it  fitting 
that  he  who  has  ten  talents  should  yield  no  larger 
returns  than  he  who  has  but  two  ?  And  yet,  how 
often  do  we  see  that  he  who  is  most  stinted  in  the 
means  of  working,  brings  in  the  amplest  revenue ! 
Surely,  if  there  be  anything  that  we  possess,  on 
which  we  are  disposed  especially  to  value  ourselves, 
any  element  of  character  or  condition  for  which  we 
desire  the  appreciation  of  others,  in  that  very  direc- 
tion we  are  expected  to  achieve  the  noblest  services. 
If  we  set  a  high  estimate  on  any  particular  gift  or 
endowment,  we  sink  relatively  low  in  the  sight  of 
God,  unless  that  very  power  have  fitting  verge  and 
scope  in  the  cause  of  religion  and  humanity.  If  it 
seem  to  us  that  our  "  great  strength  lieth "  in  any 
department  of  knowledge,  or  in  our  professional 
skill,  in  our  inherited  wealth,  or  in  our  faculty  of 
making  money,  and  we  hoard  up  our  acquisitions  for 
ourselves,  the  more  we  gain,  the  poorer  and  the 
meaner  will  we  appear  in  the  sight  of  Heaven  ;  and 
the  more  terribly,  at  last,  will  conscience,  from  its 
deepest  recesses,  echo  back  the  sentence  that  shall 
be  sounded  out  from  the  judgment-throne  of  the 
Universe.  The  talent,  wrapped  in  a  napkin,  when 
it  comes  to  be  unearthed,  will  be  a  witness  against 
our  perverted  stewardship.  In  the  end  we  must 
be  deprived  of  that  which  we  idolize  and  abuse  ; 
for,  the  final  decree  will  be,  "  Take  away  the  talent 
from  him,"  and  it  shall  be  added  to  the  stores  of  the 
faithful  servant  who  will  use  it  with  skill  and  gather 
its  increase. 
5.  Moreover,  let  it  be  observed  that  the  realiza- 


218  Christian  Greatness. 

tion  of  this  idea  of  Christian  greatness  in  the  pursuits 
of  life,»implies  a  willingness  to  be  useful  in  any  ca- 
pacity, or  to  occupy  any  position  which  our  Master 
may  designate.  Too  many,  no  doubt,  are  the  sub- 
jects of  a  mental  illusion  in  regard  to  their  desire 
of  usefulness.  A  fine  ideal  standard  of  moral  great- 
ness glimmers  before  the  eye  of  Fancy,  soothes  and 
charms  them  now  and  then  in  hours  of  reverie,  and 
makes  the  heart  occasionally  to  throb  with  an  ardent 
longing  after  its  attainment.  But  these  vivid  con- 
ceptions rarely  pass  out  of  the  dreamy  realm  of  con- 
templation into  that  of  practical  life.  There  is  a 
failure  at  the  point  of  action.  There  is  a  want  of 
sober  calculation,  or  a  want  of  executive  energy. 
Habitually  fastidious  in  the  choice  of  place,  circum- 
stances, or  associations,  they  aspire  to  this  or  that 
inviting  station  ;  they  imagine  a  combination  of 
elements  which  would  be  very  agreeable  if  it  were 
only  practicable,  and  then  fancy  how  much  good 
they  would  do  if  all  these  conditions  could  be  well 
arranged.  But  if  that  spirit  of  holy  ambition  to  be 
useful,  which  the  words  of  my  text  inculcate,  really 
dwell  in  us,  we  will  be  sure  to  "  serve  our  generation 
by  the  will  of  God  "  in  some  manner,  wheresoever 
we  may  be  ;  we  will  attempt  at  once  the  thing  to  be 
done  which  lieth  at  our  hand,  however  humble  may 
be  the  service  ;  we  will  gain  strength  by  wrestling 
with  difficulties  ;  we  will  learn  wisdom  from  defeat, 
we  will  reap  profit  from  adversity,  and  will  subject 
the  petty  and  rasping  annoyances  of  our  condition 
to  the  higher  aims  of  life. 
And  here,  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that  upon  the 


Christian  Greatness.  219 

truth  which  I  hare  just  uttered,  our  Master  hath  laid 
a  special  stress.  Although  in  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world,  it  is  common  for  men  to  choose  their  places 
of  honor,  power,  or  trust,  to  ply  all  the  arts  of  in- 
trigue in  order  to  obtain  them,  yet  it  is  the  law  of 
Christ,  that  in  his  kingdom  "  it  shall  not  be  so." 
It  is  not  this  or  that  position  which  renders  his  true 
servant  happy,  but  love  to  the  service  itself.  And 
"  real  love,"  as  they  tell  us  that  Plato  was  wont  to 
say,  "  is  a  great  enterpriser."  Where  the  love  of 
Christ,  as  a  principle  of  action,  rules  in  the  heart,  it 
not  only  makes  a  man's  service  voluntary^  but  leads 
him  to  prefer,  above  all  others,  the  place  to  which 
his  Master's  providence  appoints  him.  His  service 
is  no  slavish  task-work.  His  usefulness  is  the  free 
development  of  an  inner  life  that  allies  him  to  the 
"  ministering  spirits  "  of  heaven.  Throughout  the 
domain  of  nature,  soulless  things  are  useful  ;  the 
brook  that  slakes  your  thirst,  and  the  rock  that  shel- 
ters you  ;  the  brutes  also,  following  their  instinctive 
tendencies,  like  the  ox  or  the  horse,  are  useful.  But 
in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  he  who  serves  effectually, 
chooses  usefulness  as  the  object  that  attracts  his  af- 
fections, and  as  the  greatness  that  satisfies  his  am- 
bition ;  chooses  it  for  Christ's  sake  as  the  proper 
aim  of  his  being  ;  chooses  it  with  an  obedient,  grate- 
ful, and  joyous  spirit,  as  the  only  pursuit  congenial 
with  the  aspirations  of  a  sinful  man  "  redeemed  from 
the  bondage  of  corruption,"  to  participate  in  "  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  sons  of  God." 

It  is  fitting,  certainly,  that  on  an  occasion  like  the 
present,  this  subject  which  our  Lord  commended  to 


220  Christian  Greatness. 

the  consideration  of  his  followers,  should  be  allowed 
to  detain  our  attention,  and  should  be  held  before 
the  eye  of  the  mind  until  it  shall  have  assumed  a 
clearly  defined  form,  and  shall  have  been  surveyed 
in  its  relations  to  religion,  to  character  and  life. 
Because,  it  must  be  obvious  to  all,  that  the  departed 
friend,  whose  loss  we  so  deeply  deplore,  is  endeared 
to  the  memory  of  those  "  who  knew  him  best  and 
loved  him  most "  as  a  noble  example  of  this  idea  of 
Christian  greatness.  This  is  his  chief  distinction. 
This  is  the  sentiment  that  must  give  form  to  his  ap- 
propriate epitaph.  Simple  in  his  aims,  unostenta- 
tious in  his  manners,  childlike  in  his  spirit,  never- 
theless, he  was  "  great  among  us."  He  was  great 
"  before  the  Lord,"  and  in  the  eyes  of  men.  He  did 
not  seek  greatness  as  an  end,  but  it  came  as  an  ef- 
fect, according  to  the  moral  laws  which  God  has  or- 
dained ;  it  followed  as  naturally  as  a  man^s  shadow 
will  follow  him  when  he  walks  erect  in  the  sunlight* 
It  is  not  of  any  single  action,  or  series  of  actions, 
standing  out  in  a  marked  distinction  from  the  line 
of  his  daily  conduct,  that  we  predicate  this  quality 
of  greatness  ;  but  it  is  of  a  long,  well-sustained,  in- 
fluential course  of  active  life,  considered  as  a  whole, 
that  we  afi&rm  this  excellence,  and  thus  pay  to  it  the 
just  tribute  of  a  eulogy,  in  comparison  with  whose 
enduring  worth  the  titles  of  honor  that  selfish  am- 
bition covets  are  but  as  childish  mimicry. 

For  the  reason  that  we  have  just  suggested,  the 
history  of  his  life  may  be  briefly  told.  Let  us  notice 
the  points  by  which  its  outline  may  be  traced. 

Friend  Humphrey  was  born  at  Simsbury,  Hart- 


Christian  Greatness.  221 

ford  County,  Connecticut,  on  the  eighth  of  March, 
1787.  His  father,  Noah  Humphrey,  was  a  respected 
and  upright  christian  man,  of  Welsh  descent,  whose 
days  were  spent  chiefly  in  the  quiet  employments  of 
his  farm,  which  lay  along  the  banks  of  the  Farming- 
ton  river.  That  New  England  homestead  was  the 
birth-place  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  seven  were 
sons.  Of  those  sons,  only  one  now  remains.  Dr.  Gi- 
deon Humphrey,  of  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  whom 
we  are  permitted  to  behold  in  our  midst  to-day.  Of 
that  family  group,  the  oldest  boy  entered  the  revo- 
lutionary army  when  fourteen  years  of  age.  Friend 
was  the  youngest ;  and,  before  he  had  reached  his 
seventh  year,  was  bereaved  of  his  father  by  the  hand 
of  death.  For  several  succeeding  years  he  remained 
with  his  mother,  lightening  her  cares  with  filial  as- 
siduity. An  old  proverb  says  that "  the  boy  is  the 
father  of  the  man  ;"  we  see  a  gleam  of  this  truth  in 
the  remark  of  that  favored  mother,  who  was  heard 
to  say  that  her  youngest  boy  was  the  best  man  she 
could  obtain  to  take  the  care  of  her  garden.  Even 
then,  useful  labor  was  his  pleasure  and  his  recre- 
ation. 

Perhaps  it  was  this  trait  of  his  youthful  character 
which  commended  him  to  the  attention  of  Judge 
Burt,  of  New  Hartford,  a  friend  of  the  family,  who, 
as  it  is  said, "  took  a  fancy  to  the  lad,"  and  who  pro- 
posed to  his  mother  to  take  the  charge  of  him,  in 
order  that  he  might  train  him  up  to  a  useful  trade. 
The  advice  was  followed,  and  this  event  became  the 
turning-point  of  his  history.  The  business  of  a  tan- 
ner was  begun  in  Connecticut  \  but  Judge  Burt,  who 


222  Christian  Greatness. 

was  truly  a  religious  man,  removed  to  Lansingburg, 
in  this  neighborhood,  and  thither  young  Humphrey 
accompanied  him.  There  he  was  awakened  by  the 
divine  Spirit  to  a  sense  of  his  sinfulness,  was  led  to 
embrace  by  faith  the  Saviour  as  revealed  to  us  in  the 
gospel,  and  there  made  a  profession  of  religion  by 
being  baptized,  and  by  uniting  himself  to  the  church 
in  the  nineteenth  year  of  his  life.  Soon  afterward, 
he  removed  to  this  city,  and,  ere  long,  entered  upon 
that  mercantile  career  in  which  he  so  fully  verified 
the  saying,  that  "  the  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shin- 
ing light  that  shineth  more  and  more  until  the  per- 
fect day."  With  every  revolving  year  that  light 
became  more  widely  diffused,  and  never  suffered  an 
eclipse.  And  here  let  it  be  declared,  and  let  it  be 
remembered,  that  the  earliest  notice  which  we  have 
of  his  residence  in  Albany,  is  found  in  the  official 
records  of  the  church,  with  which  he  must  have  con- 
nected himself  soon  after  his  arrival  with  the  least 
possible  delay.  This  fact  is  very  significant,  because 
it  is  in  such  perfect  keeping  with  his  whole  charac- 
ter. In  too  many  instances  a  change  of  residence 
marks  the  era  of  religious  decline,  because  it  rends 
the  bonds  of  christian  association,  and  furnishes  an 
opportunity  to  release  one's  self  from  the  responsi- 
bility of  church-membership.  But  it  was  not  so  with 
Friend  Humphrey.  When  I  consider  the  weakness 
of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Albany  at  that  period — 
when  I  call  to  mind  the  little  band  of  men  and 
women  who  constituted  it,  and  who  could  hold  their 
meetings  for  worship  in  the  private  parlor  of  the 
smallest  dwelling— when  I  see  how  speedily  this 


Christian  Greatness.  223 

young  man,  after  having  reached  his  newly-adopted 
home,  seeks  them  out,  identifies  his  interests  with 
theirs,  participates  in  their  struggles,  brings  to  their 
counsels  the  ardor  of  youth  combined  with  the  sober 
judgment  of  manhood,  and  now  observe  that,  after 
the  lapse  of  almost  half  a  century,  the  last  official 
record  of  his  connection  with  the  church  on  earth,  is 
about  to  be  made  amidst  the  tears  of  his  brethren 
which  embalm  the  remembrance  of  his  name,  I  can- 
not forbear  to  blend  with  my  thanksgivings  the 
plaintive  cry,  0  God  of  Israel !  on  whom  shall  the 
mantle  of  thy  departed  servant  fall. 

In  this  connection  it  is  proper  to  state,  that  Mr. 
Humphrey  was  one  of  the  constituting  members  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Albany,  and  was  present 
at  its  organization,  in  the  year  1811,  on  the  23d  of 
January.  On  the  11th  of  July,  the  same  year,  he 
was  appointed  to  serve  the  church  temporarily,  in 
the  office  of  deacon,  into  which  office  he  was  after- 
wards inducted  according  to  ancient  usages,  and  in 
which  he  continued  until  he  was  dismissed  in  the 
autumn  of  1834,  with  one  hundred  and  twenty  others, 
under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Dr.  Welch,  to  constitute 
the  North  Pearl-street  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he 
continued  an  active  member  and  its  senior  deacon 
to  the  close  of  his  life.  This  record  of  his  official 
relation  to  the  church  is  very  brief ;  it  may  be  com- 
prised within  the  compass  of  a  few  lines.  The  eye 
of  a  stranger  may  peruse  it  without  the  awakening 
of  any  emotion  ;  it  seems  but  a  dry  fragment  of  our 
annals.  But  there  are  many  here  to-day,  on  whose 
ears  this  announcement  falls,  to  whom  it  is  sugges- 


224  Christian  Greatness. 

live  of  remembrances  that  spring  from  the  deepest 
fountains  of  feeling  in  the  soul ;  to  whose  retrospec- 
tive glance  it  brings  up  a  long  course  of  that  "  pa- 
tient continuance  in  well-doing,"  which  opened  such 
ample  scope  for  the  exercise  of  the  highest  faculties 
of  his  mind  and  the  finest  feelings  of  his  heart ; 
which  put  steadily  in  requisition  his  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  his  comprehensive  forecast,  his  finan- 
cial skill,  his  exhaustless  liberality,  his  sympathy  for 
the  poor,  his  magnanimity  and  forbearance  combined 
with  clearness  of  judgment  and  decision  of  purpose. 
With  a  sweet  gentleness  of  manner  that  invited  the 
approach  of  the  timid,  united  to  a  dignity  that  at 
once  commanded  respect  from  the  rash  or  overbear- 
ing, he  was  a  living  exemplification  of  those  manly 
virtues  and  christian  graces  that  qualify  one  to  "  use 
the  office  of  a  deacon  well  f  so  that  in  the  assem- 
blies for  devotion,  in  the  meetings  for  business,  in 
the  chamber  of  poverty  or  the  mansion  of  affluence, 
he  seemed  to  be  equally  at  ease  and  at  home.  But, 
then,  in  the  development  of  these  qualities,  he  was 
so  constant,  so  humble,  so  unobtrusive,  that,  unless 
I  were  gifted  with  the  observant  eye  of  one  of  those 
"  ministering  spirits  "  who  hover  around  the  paths 
of  faithful  men  by  day  and  by  night,  it  were  impos- 
sible to  picture  adequately  forth  those  scenes  which 
illustrated  these  elements  of  his  character.  And, 
therefore,  it  is,  no  doubt,  that  when  I  speak  in  your 
presence,  my  brethren,  of  that  career  of  usefulness 
which  he  fulfilled  in  the  services  of  the  deaconship, 
you  join  with  me  in  applying  to  it  the  language  of^ 


Christian  Greatness.  225 

the  Patriarch,  its  "  witness  is  in  heaven,  its  record 
is  on  high." 

And  while  I  speak  thus  of  that  faithful  constancy 
with  which  he  fulfilled  his  duties  as  a  member  and 
officer  of  the  church,  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that 
in  those  relations  he  exhibited,  from  the  days  of  his 
youth,  a  worthy  example  of  that  enlargedness  of  soul 
with  which  we  have  been  familiar  in  his  later  years. 
If  ever  any  one  had  a  fair  show  of  reason  for  con- 
tracting his  sympathies,  or  efforts,  or  pecuniary  con- 
tributions within  the  narrow  sphere  of  his  church 
and  neighborhood,  surely  he  must  have  had  it  in 
those  days  when  the  claims  of  a  cause  that  was 
struggling  for  existence  in  his  own  city  seemed 
enough  to  task  him  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability. 
But,  although  his  charity  began  at  home,  it  did  not 
end  here.  Who  was  more  ready  than  he  to  help 
forward  the  spread  of  the  gospel  in  foreign  lands  ? 
Who  took  hold  of  the  enterprise  of  ministerial  edu- 
cation with  a  firmer  hand  ?  Who  was  more  tho- 
roughly interested  in  supplying  the  destitute  parts 
of  our  own  country  with  religious  privileges,  by 
means  of  missionaries,  Sabbath  schools,  and  churches  ? 
In  all  these  lines  of  direction,  his  influence  on  the 
church  was  benign  and  elevating  ;  because,  with  a 
width  of  view  which  took  within  its  scope  the  mani- 
fold interests  of  Christ's  kingdom  throughout  the 
world,  he  set  an  example  of  that  enlarged  and  prac- 
tical spirit  of  Christianity  which  the  wants  of  our 
age  so  urgently  demand. 

In  the  year  1810,  when  he  was  twenty-three  years 
pf  age,  Mr.  Humphrey  was  married  to  Miss  Hi^nnah 


226  Christian  Greatness. 

Hinman,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Dr.  Hinman.  of  Lan- 
singburg,  a  most  amiable  lady,  of  a  spirit  congenial 
with  his  own.  Of  her  he  was  bereaved  by  death 
after  a  lapse  of  twelve  years.  In  the  year  1825  he 
was  married  again  to  IVIiss  Julia  Ann  Hoy  t,  daughter 
of  David  P.  Hoyt,  Esq.,  of  Utica.  In  this  union, 
too,  he  was  fortunate,  as  most  of  those  that  are  .here 
present  are  well  aware,  inasmuch  as  the  memory 
of  that  excellent  woman,  who  was  removed  from 
amongst  us  only  within  a  recent  period,  is  cherished 
with  lively  emotions  throughout  a  wide  circle  of 
acquaintanceship.  The  happiness  of  Mr.  Humphrey 
in  these  domestic  connections  was  a  source  of  happi- 
ness to  others  ;  for  in  the  earlier,  as  well  as  in  the 
later  years  of  his  life,  his  house  has  been  the  scene 
of  an  attractive  hospitality,  to  which  the  lyrical 
strain  of  Goldsmith  might  be  well  applied  ;— 

"  Blest  be  the  spot  where  cheerful  guests  retire, 
To  pause  from  toil,  and  trim  their  evening  fire ; 
Blest  that  abode  where  want  and  pain  repair, 
And  every  stranger  finds  a  ready  chair." 

In  vain  would  be  the  attempt  to  estimate  how 
many  a  weary  pilgrim,  how  many  a  needy  traveller, 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  missionaries  of  the 
Cross,  have  been  greeted  with  a  welcome  of  the 
heart  beneath  his  roof;  especially  in  those  days 
when  the  Western  portions  of  this  State  were  cov- 
ered with  primeval  forests,  relieved  only,  here  and 
there,  by  the  rising  settlement  or  thrifty  village 
which  opened  a  new  and  hopeful  field  to  the  spirit 
of  religious  enterprise. 


Christian  Greatness.  227 

Mr.  Humphrey  had  now  attained  the  plentitude 
of  his  manly  faculties.  His  capacities  for  civil  life 
had  gradually  unfolded  themselves,  had  become 
generally  understood,  and  were  constantly  called 
into  action  by  the  voice  of  the  community.  His 
course  of  public  service  began  in  the  autumn  of  the 
year  1819,  when  he  was  elected  Assistant  Alderman 
for  the  Fifth  Ward.  In  the  year  1820  he  was  re- 
elected. In  September,  1821,  he  was  re-elected  fof 
the  First  Ward.  In  September,  1822,  he  was  elected 
Alderman  for  the  First  Ward.  In  September,  1823, 
he  was  re-elected.  In  September,  1827,  he  was  re- 
elected ;  again,  in  the  year  1828  ;  and  again,  in 
1832.  During  several  of  the  intervening  years  he 
held  the  office  of  Supervisor  of  the  ward  in  which  he 
resided. 

In  November,  1839,  he  was  elected  a  Senator 
for  the  third  senatorial  district  in  this  State.  He 
occupied  a  seat  in  the  Senate  during  the  years  1840 
and  1841. 

In  April,  1843,  he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city. 
In  April,  1844,  he  was  re-elected.  He  was  again 
elected  in  1849,  and  held  the  office  until  May  1850. 
This  was  the  last  civil  office  that  he  filled.  During 
the  last  thirty-five  years  he  has  been  a  candidate  for 
the  suffrages  of  the  people,  at  least  twenty  times,  and 
has  never  but  once  been  defeated. 

He  never  sought  office.  Whenever  he  accepted  it 
he  did  so  at  the  solicitation  of  others  ;  and  often, 
(as  I  have  been  assured  by  Judge  Harris,  who  speaks 
from  personal  observation,)  "  when  urged  to  take  a 
nomination  he  refused   to  yield  his  assent."    His 


228  Christian  Greatness. 

tastes  and  habits  qualified  him  to  enjoy  the  walks 
of  private  life,  the  tranquil  pleasures  of  home,  the 
society  of  his  family  and  children,  far  more  than  all 
the  honors  that  could  be  gathered  from  the  most  ele- 
vated and  conspicuous  spheres  of  public  action. 

He  never  engaged  in  any  undertaking  to  which  he 
was  not  adequate.  Commanding  general  confidence 
he  was  an  efficient,  because  he  was  a  trusted  leader. 
The  sterling  integrity  which  he  displayed  in  scenes 
of  commercial  business  he  carried  with  him  into  the 
arena  of  politics  ;  and,  in  that  achievement,  reared 
another  trophy  of  true  Christian  greatness.  He  was 
faithful  to  his  convictions  of  right,  of  truth,  and  of 
duty.  He  never  could  be  counted  upon  safely  to  help 
forward  any  scheme  of  intrigue  ;  but  he  could  be  fully 
relied  upon  to  occupy  his  proper  post  in  any  emer- 
gency. Men  always  knew  where  to  find  him.  In  the 
store,  the  counting-room,  in  the  bank,  in  the  council- 
chamber,  in  the  hall  of  legislation,  in  the  family,  the 
social  circle,  in  the  sanctuary  of  God,  he  was  the 
same  man.  A  change  of  scene  or  of  associations 
neither  wrought  nor  developed  any  difference  of 
character.  Every  where  he  had  the  same  principles 
and  spirit,  the  same  religion,  the  same  manners. 
Rather  slow  of  speech,  his  natural  intuitions  were 
quick  and  penetrating.  In  all  deliberations  respect- 
ing men  or  measures,  he  saw  directly  to  the  core  of 
things.  His  perception  of  great  principles  was  very 
clear  ;  his  intellectual  grasp  of  them  was  firm.  Wary 
and  cautious  in  forming  his  opinions,  he  could  never 
be  enticed  or  driven  to  abandon  them.  He  was  de- 
cided in  his  attachments  to  the  party  with  which  he 


Christian  Greatness.  229 

acted  ;  yet  never  sunk  the  character  of  the  man,  the 
patriot,  or  the  Christian  in  that  of  the  partizan. 
Men  of  conflicting  sentiments  often  united  in  listen- 
ing to  his  counsels,  and  in  acting  on  his  suggestions, 
because  they  felt  that  they  thoroughly  understood 
him,  that  his  aims  were  transparent,  and  his  words 
without  guile.  Thus  Friend  Humphrey  "  fulfilled 
his  course  ;"  the  noble  specimen  of  a  true  man,  and 
of  a  Christian,  "  the  highest  style  of  man." 

During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  enjoyed  un- 
interrupted health.  His  stalwart,  well-proportioned 
frame,  his  countenance,  expressive  of  serene  benig- 
nity, his  gait,  manner,  and  tones  of  voice,  making  on 
every  one  the  impression  of  a  strong,  self-possessed, 
*'  a  sound  mind  in  a  sound  body,'' — not  only  qualified 
him  to  exert  an  influence  over  men  in  the  ordinary 
pursuits  of  life,  but  also  to  stand  forth  at  the  head 
of  a  municipal  government  as  the  representative  of 
authority.  Hence,  in  periods  of  stormy  agitation, 
such  as  are  likely  to  make  their  appearance  now  and 
then,  in  the  history  of  every  city,  when  all  his  phys- 
ical and  moral  energies  have  been  aroused  into  ac- 
tion, he  has  been  found  to  be  "  the  man  for  the 
times,"  and  by  the  mere  force  of  character  has  ex- 
erted a  mighty  sway  over  the  popular  mind,  so  as  to 
calm  "  the  noise  of  the  waves,  the  tumults  of  the 
people.''  As  a  public  officer  he  was  ever  prompt  to 
meet  the  demands  of  his  position  with  a  humane, 
conscientious  and  courageous  spirit.  The  first  se- 
vere shock  which  his  health  received  was  expe- 
rienced in  the  performance  of  the  duties  connected 
with  the  mayoralty,  in  that  year  which  was  distin- 


230  Christian  Greatness. 

guished  by  the  last  visitation  of  Asiatic  cholera. 
He  appeared,  however,  to  have  risen  superior  to  its 
debilitating  influence,  until  within  a  few  months 
past,  when  his  final  sickness  commenced.  His  dis- 
order* was  of  a  subtle  character,  slow  and  sure  in 
its  progress,  and  attended  with  excruciating  pangs. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  last  Autumn,  when  I  first 
began  to  visit  him  as  his  minister,  his  mind  had  taken 
on  a  mood  of  gloomy  depression,  the  natural  effect 
of  confinement  on  a  man  of  active  habits.  From 
that  condition  he  emerged  by  the  quickening  of  his 
religious  sensibilities  ;  and  the  soul,  animated  by  the 
faith  of  Christ,  showed  that  it  could  triumph  over 
the  most  powerful  assaults  of  disease  and  pain. 

But  no  tongue,  no  pen  can  describe  the  scenes  of 
suffering  through  which  he  has  passed.  What  weari- 
some nights  were  appointed  unto  him  !  For  succes- 
sive weeks  he  lay  not  once  upon  his  bed  ;  but,  in  the 
intervals  of  racking  paroxysm,  would  take  some  brief 
repose  in  his  chair,  or  else  standing  up,  supported 
on  either  side  by  a  friendly  hand.  Several  times 
amidst  throes  that  seemed  like  those  of  mortal 
agony,  he  expressed  to  me  the  fear  that  he  would  be 
bereft  of  reason  ;  and  while  a  manly  tear  started 
from  his  eye,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  if  I  should  be 
left  to  rave  I  What  if  I  should  be  heard  to  blas- 
pheme that  holy  name  by  which  I  have  been  called  1" 
It  was  a  terrible  presentiment.  I  said  to  him  on  one 
of  those  occasions,  My  dear  sir,  entertain  not  such  a 
thought !     God  has  kept  you  so  far,  he  will  keep 

*  Enlarged  prostate    gland. 


Christian  Greatness.         ,         231 

you  unto  the  end.  Remember  the  past,  and  trust 
Him  for  the  future.  Take  now  this  promise  to  your 
heart :  "  When  thou  passest  through  the  fire  thou 
shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle 
upon  thee."  You  see  that  the  prpmise  is  not  that 
the  people  of  God  shall  be  exempt  from  passing 
through  the  fire,  but  it  is  that  they  shall  not  be  con- 
sumed. "  Aye,"  said  he,  "  that  is  it,  that  is  it ;  it  is 
the  very  promise  suited  to  me  ;  I  will  trust  and  not 
be  afraid." 

A  few  nights  since,  he  was  standing  in  a  similar 
condition.  Grasping  with  his  hands  the  back  of  a 
sofa  which  had  been  turned  toward  him  in  order 
that  he  might  support  himself,  a  strong  man  holding 
him  up  by  each  arm,  he  seemed  to  find  a  momentary 
relief  in  conversation.  I  was  led  to  observe,  Sir,  it 
is  painful  to  us  to  see  you  suffer  while  we  can  do 
nothing  to  assuage  your  pains.  But  in  all  this  I 
have  one  comfort.  In  your  case  it  is  only  the  body 
that  suffers.  Your  soul  can  bask  in  the  light  of 
God's  countenance.  You  have  mental  peace,  be- 
cause you  have  a  Saviour.  What,  if  like  some  that 
I  have  seen,  you  had  been  left  to  seek  your  salvation 
in  your  last  sickness,  and  were  groping  about  to  find 
some  solid  grounds  of  confidence  ?  "  Yes,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  thank  God  for  that !  It  is  '  only  the 
body!'  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed.  This 
chastening,  for  the  present,  is  grievous,  but  the  fu- 
ture is  bright!" 

On  the  last  Tuesday  evening,  as  I  entered  his 
chamber,  after  having  been  a  few  hours  absent  from 
the  city,  he  saluted  me  with  the  exclamation,  "  Dear 


232  Christian  Greatness. 

sir,  I  am  here  yet ! "  To  this  I  replied  by  the  in- 
quiry (containing  an  allusion  to  some  remarks  that 
he  had  made  on  the  day  preceding),  Did  you  expect 
to  leave  this  world  before  we  should  meet  again  ? 
He  answered,  "  Yes  ;  twenty  times  last  night  I 
thought  my  hour  had  come,  and,  if  I  may  so  speak,  1 
tried  to  die.  But  then,  on  reflection,  it  seemed  to  me 
to  be  as  wrong  to  wish  to  die  before  God's  time  as 
it  is  to  wish  to  live  beyond  it.  So  I  checked  the 
wish,  and  concluded  that  it  is  best  to  be  quietly  and 
submissively  in  God's  hands,  and  wait  my  appointed 
time."  Friends  and  hearers,  it  is  natural  for  us  to 
admire  such  a  sentiment ;  it  is  easy  for  us  to  express 
it  while  in  the  possession  of  health  and  strength  ; 
but  when  I  heard  it  uttered  by  the  lips  of  one  who 
was  grappling  with  the  agonies  of  dissolution,  it 
seemed  to  me  to  be  the  expression  of  an  heroic  faith 
having  an  aspect  of  true  moral  sublimity. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  Wednesday  last  he  ap- 
peared to  be  failing  fast,  and  consciously  drawing 
near  the  final  moment.  Comparatively  speaking, 
his  sufferings  had  ceased.  He  spoke  but  little.  His 
inability  to  receive  either  food  or  medicine,  indi- 
cated the  exhaustion  of  his  powers.  Throughout 
the  evening  his  respirations  became  shorter,  his 
head  gradually  sunk  upon  his  breast,  until,  at  last, 
he  ceased  to  breathe.  Yet,  the  expression  of  his 
countenance  was  such  as  to  lead  his  physician.  Dr. 
Cogswell,  who  was  standing  near  him,  to  say  to  me 
in  a  subdued  whisper,  but  a  few  minutes  before  the 
final  expiration,  "  He  knows  us  all,  and  hears  ai 
that  is  said."    It  was  tlie  peaceful  close  of  a  useful 


Christian  Greatness.  233 

life.  The  scene  was  adapted  to  impress  every  be- 
holder with  the  idea  of  moral  grandeur.  For,  there 
he  sat  in  his  chair  as  if  calmly  waiting  for  death  ; 
and  after  death  had  come,  his  position  would  have 
realized  an  old  Roman's  loftiest  conception  of  dignity, 
while  there  he  sat  as  one  enjoying  repose  after  an 
arduous  contest : 

"  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest, 


With  his  martial  cloak  around  him." 

He  is  gone  I  And  now,  as  we  look  in  each  other^s 
faces,  and  repeat  that  sentence  in  each  other's  ears, 
we  sympathize  in  the  sense  of  painful  bereavement. 
The  fact,  as  yet,  scarcely  seems  real.  But  yesterday 
we  went  in  company  to  his  tomb.  The  unostenta- 
tious character  of  the  funeral  was  an  expression  of 
the  character  of  the  man  ;  for  it  was  in  obedience 
to  his  own  instructions  that  there  should  be  only  a 
simple  service  after  the  common  manner.  The 
general  suspension  of  business  and  the  Sabbath-like 
silence  of  the  streets  indicated  an  all-pervading 
grief.  I  participate  largely  in  the  common  sorrow  ; 
for  memory  reverts  to  those  years  of  my  youth  when 
I  was  accustomed  to  linger  on  my  visits  to  his 
pleasant  home,  during  intervals  of  release  from 
academic  study,  and  when  I  began  to  cherish  toward 
him  a  feeling  akin  to  the  filial ;  and  I  am,  too,  op- 
pressed with  a  sense  of  disappointment,  because  the 
prospect  of  my  residence  in  this  city  was  lately  illu- 
mined by  the  anticipation  of  enjoying  his  society. 
But  it  becomes  us  all  to  bow  submissively  to  the 
announcement  of  God's  sovereign  will,  and  to  bless 


234  Christian  Greatness. 

his  name  for  all  the  good  that  he  hath  wrought 
amongst  us,  and  in  the  world  around  us,  by  the 
hand  of  his  servant,  who  hath  now  gone  to  his  grave 
as  the  shock  of  corn  goeth  "  in  its  season  "  to  the 
garner. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  PAUPERISM. 


PSALM  XLI.  I. 
BLESSED   IS    HE   WHO   CONSIDERETH   THE   POOR. 

The  Psalmist  describes  a  character.  He  would  let  us 
know,  who  it  is  that  may  be  called  a  happy  man,  and 
asserts  that  it  is  the  charitable  man — he  who  consider- 
eth  the  poor.  The  selfish  man  of  the  world,  taking 
counsel  of  his  own  heart,  may  ask,  "  How  can  that 
be  ?  Is  there  any  anything  attractive  in  the  sight  of 
squalid  want,  of  tattered  garments,  of  bitter  tears, 
and  helpless  misery  ?  I  can  conceive  of  enjoyment 
in  considering  the  wonders  and  glories  of  creation, 
the  sky,  and  earth,  and  sea,  in  their  mild  beauty  or 
their  stormy  grandeur  ;  in  beholding  the  bloom  of 
Nature,  or  the  charms  of  art,  in  surrounding  one's 
self  with  the  innocent  delights  which  wealth  may 
command — the  comforts  of  home  and  the  pleasures 
of  select  society  ;  in  breathing  the  fresh  and  fragrant 
air  of  one's  own  parlor,  where  the  sweet  influences 
of  music,  and  song,  and  literature,  and  friendship, 
all  combine  to  dispel  care,  to  soften  the  asperities 
of  life,  to  smooth  the  brow,  and  light  up  the  features 
with  the  expression  of  a  chastened  hilarity.  These 
are  things  worth  living  for,  and  the  anticipation  of 


236  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

them  nerves  me  to  dare  and  to  endure.  And  having 
gained  all  these,  can  it  be  happiness  to  leave  all,  even 
for  an  hour,  to  breathe  the  damp,  pent-up  air  of  the 
garrets  and  cellars  of  the  poor  ;  to  hear  their  com- 
plaints, to  share  their  sorrows,  and  to  diminish  one's 
amount  of  property  for  their  sake  ?  No.  You  may 
call  it  a  duty,  a  task — a  tax  to  be  paid — a  burden  to 
be  borne  ;  but  it  is  contrary  to  reason  and  expe- 
rience to  call  it  a  means  of  happinessJ^  So  speaks 
the  mere  worldling,  both  in  theory  and  practice. 
The  "  luxury  of  doing  good  "  he  knows  not.  Of  the 
charity  that  is  "  twice  blessed — ^blessing  him  that 
gives  and  him  that  takes  " — ^he  has  no  conception. 
The  very  phrase  seems  to  be  drawn  from  the  ro- 
mance, not  the  reality  of  life.  His  oracle  does  not 
teach  it,  his  maxims  do  not  recognize  it.  No  :  the 
doctrine  that  it  is  happiness  to  consider  the  poor,  that 
it  is  "  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,"  is  not 
the  language  of  the  world's  philosophy,  nor  a  senti- 
ment inspired  by  the  genius  of  ambition,  nor  pro- 
mulgated from  the  throne  of  fashion  ;  but  the  teach- 
ing of  that  Christianity,  whose  spirit  is  the  spirit  of 
pure  benevolence,  and  which  seeks  to  touch  and 
move  our  hearts  by  the  example  of  him  who,  though 
he  was  rich,  for  our  sakes  became  poor,  that  we, 
through  his  poverty,  might  be  made  rich. 

The  world's  philosophy  has  no  heart.  The  Epicu- 
rean said  to  his  disciple,  "  Take  care  of  your  health, 
avoid  excess  in  order  to  avoid  satiety — be  temperate 
in  order  to  enjoy — surround  yourself  with  all  that  is 
agreeable,  shun  all  unpleasant  sights  and  sounds — 
and  thus  will  you  attain  the  chief  end  of  man."    As 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  237 

the  oracle  spoke,  Sensuality  took  the  hint,  placed 
herself  among  the  virtues,  and  in  the  name  of  reason 
extinguished  sympathy  for  the  poor.  The  Stotic 
said,  "  Take  things  as  they  come,  Fate  governs  all 
— what  is,  cannot  be  altered,  and  the  wise  man  cares 
for  nothing.  Do  you  complain  of  pain  ?  Believe 
me,  it  is  no  evil.  Do  you  groan  under  misfortune  ? 
Be  a  man,  and  despise  it.  Do  you  speak  of  poverty 
and  privation?  A  wise  man  will  be  as  happy  in 
that  condition  as  any  other.  Do  you  grieve  for  the 
woes  of  others  ?  Eschew  such  sorrows.  Why  should 
I  pity  others,  since  I  should  be  ashamed  to  ask  or 
receive  pity  for  myself  ?  "  Thus,  to  get  rid  of  mis- 
ery, it  crushed  sensibility,  turned  the  heart  of  flesh 
to  stone,  and  cherished  a  pride  whose  tender  mercy 
was  cruel. 

Paganism  had  no  heart.  The  natural  religious 
sentiment,  perverted  into  superstition,  clothed  in  the 
garb  of  an  elegant  mythology,  leading  to  the  wor- 
ship of 

Gods  partial,  changeful,  passionate,  unjust, 
Whose  attributes  were  rage,  revenge,  or  lust, 

did  nothing  to  promote  the  growth  of  charity,  or 
meliorate  the  condition  of  the  poor.  It  gave  man 
up  to  vile  affections,  quickened  his  lowest  propensi- 
ties, established  their  dominion,  and  left  him  "  im- 
placable and  unmerciful."  Neither  in  Greece,  or 
Italy,  where  it  put  on  its  finest  form,  did  it  leave 
any  memorial  of  its  beneficence  in  the  shape  of  a 
hospital,  or  a  public  institution  to  benefit  the  'poor. 
The  nearest  approach  to  aught  like  this,  was  a  reg- 


238  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

ulation  of  Trajan,  for  the  education  of  poor  children, 
which  lie  first  confined  to  Rome,  and  then  extended 
to  Italy.  It  was,  however,  an  imperial  decree,  not 
a  charitable  institution  ;  for  the  legal  interest  of 
money  being  then  twelve  per  cent.,  the  Emperor  lent 
money  at  five  per  cent.,  and  obliged  all  his  debtors 
to  pay  the  interest  into  an  office  established  for  the 
purpose.  The  interest  being  low,  the  number  of 
borrowers  was  large,  and  the  treasury  overflowing. 
But  this  was  an  appeal  to  covetousness,  not  to  ben- 
evolence, and  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  a  low 
and  selfish  system  of  religion.  It  remained  for 
Christianity  to  proclaim  to  the  world  the  true  law 
of  love  ;  to  take  this  element  of  goodness,  which  Ju- 
daism had  confined  to  a  narrow  pale,  and  to  make  it 
universal  ;  and  in  saying  to  each  and  all,  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,  to  show  that  the  angels 
who  had  heralded  its  birth,  were  true  to  its  spirit 
of  philanthropy,  when  they  sang,  Peace  on  earth 
and  good-will  to  man. 

But  in  Christianity  there  is  no  ultraism.  That  is, 
there  is  in  it  no  tendency  to  fix  the  attention  on  one 
thing,  to  the  neglect  of  the  relations  which  it  bears 
to  other  things.  It  has  no  such  impress  of  human 
imperfection.  Its  mercy  has  a  definite  relation  to 
justice  ;  its  benefactions  are  suited  to  condition  and 
character.  In  seeking  to  relieve  poverty,  it  does 
not  overlook  the  cause  and  cure  of  poverty.  It  does 
not  forget  that  industry  is  a  virtue,  that  idleness  is 
a  shame  and  sin  ;  that  to  give  alms  to  a  beggar  who 
is  able  to  help  himself,  is  to  award  a  premium  to 
sloth,  to  nourish  vice,  and  so  to  increase  the  evil 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  239 

which  we  profess  to  remedy.  Thus  it  enforces  the 
arrangement  of  the  Author  of  Nature,  who  has  made 
exertion  essential  to  comfort.  It  declares  that 
"  drowsiness  shall  clothe  a  man  with  rags  f  that 
while  the  garden  of  the  sluggard  is  bearing  briars, 
and  he  folds  his  hands,  "  his  poverty  shall  come  as 
one  that  travaileth,  and  his  want  as  an  armed  man  ;" 
that  he  who  dealeth  with  a  slack  hand,  shall  be  poor,  and 
with  the  voice  of  entreaty,  beseeches  all  to  study  to 
be  quiet,  to  do  their  own  business,  to  work  with  their 
own  hands,  that  they  may  walk  honestly,  and  have  lack 
of  nothing  ;  and  then,  with  the  voice  of  authority, 
utters  its  command,  saying,  "  If  any  man  will  not 
work,  neither  shall  he  eat."  While,  therefore,  it 
teaches  us  to  seek  out  and  relieve  helpless  distress, 
it  forbids  us  to  reverse  the  law  of  Nature,  which 
makes  want  the  consequent  of  sloth,  and  the  pains 
of  hunger  the  punishment  of  a  wilful  and  shameless 
beggary. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  benevolence  of  Christianity 
commands  the  respect  of  the  judgment,  as  well  as 
the  suffrage  of  the  heart ;  addresses  not  only  the 
feeling  of  compassion,  but  also  the  sense  of  justice 
and  of  fitness.  A  system  of  charity,  in  order  to  gain 
an  effective  hold  upon  the  mind  of  an  intelligent  com- 
munity, must  have  regard  to  both  of  these  elements. 
Now,  it  is  quite  remarkable,  that  wherever  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Bible  have  not  furnished  a  standard  of 
action,  where  they  have  been  unknown  or  unstudied, 
there  has  been  a  neglect  of  one  or  the  other  of  these 
features  in  the  mode  of  treating  the  poor.  The  poor 
have  either  been  despised,  or  else  helped  in  such  a 


240  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

way  as  to  injure  them.  Poverty  has  been  treated 
with  cruelty,  as  if  it  were  a  deserved  disgrace  and 
punishment,  or  else  so  relieved  as  to  aggravate  it. 
Alms  have  either  been  withheld  entirely,  or  so  dis- 
pensed as  to  extinguish  in  the  poor  all  sense  of  honor 
or  of  shame,  and  to  smooth  their  path,  in  descending 
to  still  lower  depths.  The  sigh  of  distress  has  been 
constantly  opening  afresh  the  fountains  of  feeling  in 
the  bosoms  of  the  compassionate,  and  the  abuses  of 
compassion  have  been  steeling  the  hearts  of  another 
class  of  men  against  all  appeals  to  pity. 

How  to  give  immediate  relief  to  the  sufferings  of 
poverty,  so  as  not  to  increase  its  ultimate  virulence, 
is  a  grave  and  interesting  problem.  Especially  must 
it  be  so  regarded  by  a  youthful  nation  like  this,  who 
can  exclude  from  our  soil  the  very  germs  of  those 
evils,  which  the  older  nations  of  the  world  are  la- 
boring as  with  convulsive  death-throes  to  extirpate. 
What  deep  groans  is  England  heaving  at  this  hour, 
under  the  weight  of  her  pauperism  I  It  has  been 
said  by  Lord  Brougham,  in  his  place  in  the  House 
of  Lords,  that  "  the  sad  system  of  the  poor  laws  had 
entailed  on  the  people  of  the  country  miseries  which 
were  yet  unmeasured.  They  had  ruined  the  property 
of  the  country,  and  brought  equal  ruin  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  laboring  classes.  They  had  led  these 
classes  into  a  condition  where  industry  was  robbed 
of  its  rights,  and  idleness,  vice,  and  profligacy  had 
usurped  those  rights  ;  while  property  was  reduced 
to  a  state  (not  even  by  a  change  so  beneficial  as  an 
agrarian  law,)  bordering  on'  destruction.  In  short, 
England,  under  the  operation  of  those  poor  laws, 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  241 

exhibited  at  this  moment  a  country,  where  was  peace 
without  plenty,  profound  outward  tranquillity,  with 
constant  inward  disturbance,  and  rancor  between 
the  two  great  classes — the  laborers  and  the  rich." 
These  truths  are  as  obvious  as  they  are  startling. 

The  American,  on  arriving  in  England,  is  often 
struck  with  the  fact,  that  the  poor  around  him,  who 
have  emerged  to  the  light  of  day,  have  come  up  from 
far  lower  depths  of  misery  and  degradation,  than 
any  which  exists  in  his  native  land.  And  yet  in 
England,  the  poor  rates  amount  to  more  than  twice 
the  expenses  of  government  in  the  United  States — 
even  to  thirty  millions  of  dollars  a  year  !  Besides 
this,  what  a  vast  amount  is  given  by  the  hand  of 
private  charity  to  the  deserving  poor,  as  well  as  to 
professed  beggars  !  Bad  as  the  moral  effect  of  lux- 
ury may  be,  it  is  doubtless  far  better  for  society,  that 
the  rich  should  spend  their  money  in  the  luxuries 
that  create  employment,  than  that  by  a  close  econ- 
omy they  should  give  all  their  surplus  to  the  poor. 

It  matters  somewhat,  but  not  a  great  deal,  whether 
the  begging  poor  can  calculate  on  a  sum  of  money 
furnished  by  poor  laws,  or  by  charitable  societies. 
In  the  latter  case,  there  is  a  stronger  appeal  to  grat- 
itude. But  in  either  case,  the  sum  is  placed  among 
their  regular  expenditures ;  the  good  which  it  does 
them  is  very  temporary,  while  the  evil  is  very  great 
and  lasting.  How  effectually  does  it  paralyze  the  spirit 
of  self-reliance,  the  principle  of  self-respect,  and 
break  the  inward  spring  of  moral  energy  and  manly 
virtue !  The  more  ample  and  sure  these  provisions 
are  beyond  a  certain  limit,  the  more  numerous  the 


242  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

poor  become.  The  truth  of  this  may  be  seen  illus- 
trated in  some  parts  of  Italy,  where,  according  to 
the  popular  doctrine,  almsgiving  is  made  so  much  of 
as  a  meritorious  means  of  purchasing  Divine  re- 
wards. There,  the  splendors  of  the  sky,  the  balmy 
air,  the  fertile  fields,  the  miracles  of  art  and  genius, 
often  awaken  in  the  traveller's  bosom  an  exquisite 
pleasure,  which  ever  and  anon  is  marred  and  dis- 
sipated by  the  scenes  of  human  wretchedness  around 
him.  At  Rome,  you  might  be  lingering,  on  some 
evening,  at  sunset,  around  that  most  delightful  spot, 
the  Pincian  Way,  admiring  the  city  spread  out  be- 
low and  beyond  you,  and  the  radiance  of  the  western 
horizon,  falling  in  a  rich  flood  upon  the  mighty  dome 
of  St.  Peter's.  You  might  be  saying  to  yourself, 
"  What  a  paradise  is  this  V^  But  scarcely  would  you 
have  time  to  become  absorbed  in  the  enchanting 
vision,  ere  beggary  thrusts  its  deformities  in  your 
sight,  lifts  its  piteous  moan,  and  presses  its  harass- 
ing supplication.  It  is  a  poverty,  too,  which  seems 
to  be  more  deeply  engraven  in  the  countenance,  than 
any  which  we  see  here,  and  to  have  touched  the 
shrivelled  skin,  and  every  nerve  and  muscle,  with  a 
strange  power  of  expressing  wretchedness.  If  any 
of  you  have  seen  West's  picture  of  Christ  healing 
the  sick,  you  have  probably  noticed  with  what  skill 
the  painter  has  aimed  to  show  the  fact,  that  in  the 
old  world,  where  poverty  is  transmitted  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  most  wonderfully  a  man  be- 
comes a  very  personification  of  imbecility  and  mis- 
ery. And  yet  at  Eome  there  are  richly-endowed 
institutions  for  the  poor,  twenty-two  hospitals,  and 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  243 

indeed  a  patrimony  with  as  large  a  reyenue  as  is 
to  be  found  in  any  city  in  Christendom. 

If,  then,  experiments  at  home,  if  observation 
abroad,  if  the  history  of  the  world,  prove  any  thing, 
it  is,  that  indiscriminate  almsgiving  inflicts  a  heavy 
curse  ;  that  to  permit  those  who  can  and  ought  to 
take  care  of  themselves,  to  depend  on  alms  at  all,  is 
to  aggravate  calamity.  It  is  to  unnerve  the  inner 
man,  to  foster  habits  adverse  to  the  earthly,  spir- 
itual, and  eternal  good  of  the  poor,  and  to  bring  a 
mighty  mass  of  "  dead  weight "  upon  an  active  com- 
munity. Instances  have  been  known  in  this  country 
and  in  others,  of  men,  just  able  to  sustain  themselves 
by  their  labor,  under  an  extraordinary  pressure,  be- 
ing invited  to  partake  of  some  surplus  provision  for 
the  poor.  At  first,  they  have  declined,  but  have  at 
last  consented  ;  and  from  that  hour  to  the  day  of 
their  death,  their  names  were  never  off  the  poor  list. 
Who,  that  thinks  how  widely  spread  and  deeply 
rooted  is  pauperism  in  other  lands,  is  not  appalled 
at  the  thought  of  its  growing  with  our  growth  and 
streijigthening  with  our  strength, — of  its  increasing 
its  multitudes  here,  where  each  class  of  society  is  so 
intimately  united  to  every  other,  bound  together  in 
one  social  compact,  and  one  civil  destiny  1  The 
question  before  us,  then  is, — what  is  to  be  done  ?  In 
that,  each  individual  should  take  an  interest.  The 
generic  answer  to  the  question  is  that  which  the  text 
suggests,  to  consider  the  poor.  To  develop  and  ap- 
ply this  direction,  in  a  few  particulars,  will  occupy 
the  remainder  of  this  discourse.    Let  me  ask  you, 


244  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

then,  to  proceed  with  me,  while  I  consider  the  con- 
dition of  the  poor,  and  the  duties  thence  arising. 

The  poor,  in  all  countries,  may  be  divided  into 
several  classes.  I.  There  are  the  vicious  poor.  The 
chief  vices  which  degrade  them,  the  causes  of  their 
poverty,  are  idleness  and  intemperance.  The  action 
of  these  is  reciprocal.  The  one  produces  or  fosters 
the  other  ;  and  either  may  bring  all  evils  in  its 
train.  Sloth  throws  open  the  flood  gates  of  tempta- 
tion. It  has  been  well  said,  "  an  idle  mind  is  the 
deviVs  workshop!^  and  the  way  in  which  he  works  has 
been  described  somewhere,  by  a  poetic  pen. 

Of  sloth  comes  weariness — of  that  comes  drinking : 
Of  drinking  comes  disease,  of  disease  comes  spending ; 
Of  spending  comes  want — of  want  comes  theft ; 
Of  theft  comes  what  ? — a  sad  catastrophe — 
Disgrace  without,  a  hell  within,  a  death  unmourned. 

Three  fourths  of  the  pauperism  in  this  land 
spring  from  intemperance,  and  the  evil  defies  relief, 
until  the  cause  be  removed.  Yet  in  looking  at  the 
history  of  intemperance,  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that 
the  sin  of  it  among  the  poor  is  to  some  extent  to  be 
charged  upon  the  rich.  How  could  the  poor  be  pre- 
served from  the  vortex  of  intemperance,  when  the 
rich  smoothed  the  way  thither  by  their  example  ? 
Whilst  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  was  fashionable  and 
honorable — when  the  invitation  to  partake  of  it  was 
deemed  the  appropriate  expression  of  hospitality — 
when  it  was  taken  at  all  seasons  and  on  all  occasions 
• — in  winter  to  guard  against  cold,  and  in  summer  to 
guard  against  heat ;  to  nerve  the  body  amidst  the 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  245 

lassitude  of  labor,  and  to  exhilarate  the  heart  when 
the  spirits  were  depressecf,  how  could  the  poor,  who 
had  tenfold  more  need  of  such  a  panacea  than  the 
rich,  be  expected  to  resist  the  influence  of  public 
opinion  and  practice  ?  Oh  no  ;  when  now  you  see 
the  poor  victim  of  intemperance,  clad  in  rags,  or 
shivering  with  cold,  cut  him  not  loose  at  once  from 
your  sympathies,  as  being  the  sole  and  guilty  author 
of  his  woes,  but  remember,  that  he  may  have  been 
borne  onward  to  his  ruin  upon  the  tide  of  influence 
which  has  come  down  from  the  high  places  of  the 
land,  and  which,  though  smooth  and  gentle  in  its 
flow,  terminates  in  a  dark  unfathomed  gulf  of  help- 
less misery. 

After  all  that  you  have  read  and  heard  and  thought 
upon  this  subject,  it  is  not  needful  that  I  should  now 
speak  to  you  of  the  evils  of  intemperance,  of  the  na- 
ture and  power  of  alcohol,  its  effects  upon  the  body 
and  mind  of  man,  of  the  burning  thirst  which  every 
drop  creates  for  more,  of  the  inflamed  blood,  the 
quickened  pulse,  the  fevered  brain,  the  weakened 
muscle,  the  unnerved  system,  which  it  induces  ;  the 
callous  conscience,  the  hardened  heart,  the  blunted 
reason,  the  distorted  judgment,  the  withered  sympa- 
thies, the  cold  chills  of  a  depressed  spirit,  or  the  un- 
earthly gleams  of  a  frantic  joy,  which  mark  its  pres- 
ence ;  of  the  squandered  wealth,  the  blasted  reputa- 
tion, the  domestic  woes,  the  sighs  of  the  mother,  the 
tears  of  the  wife,  the  maddening  terrors  of  the  child 
to  which  it  gives  rise  ;  of  the  rampant  passions,  and 
fiend-like  purposes,  and  horrid  crimes  which  it 
causes  ;  of  the  constant  and  increasing  taxation  of 


246  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

health  and  wealth,  and  blood  and  souls,  which  this 
insatiate  monster  levies  -upon  the  community  in 
which  he  is  permitted  to  stalk  abroad. 

But  I  will  say,  that  it  is  in  vain  for  us  to  deplore 
the  evil  of  pauperism,  and  worse  than  in  vain  to  give 
money  to  mitigate  it,  unless  we  do  what  we  can  to 
dry  up  the  springs  of  intemperance.  In  order  to  do 
this,  it  becomes  us  to  summon  every  element  of  law- 
ful power  at  our  command.  And  truly,  while  ming- 
ling our  griefs  with  those  of  many  thousand  helpless 
mourners,  whose  abodes  this  vice  has  made  desolate, 
and  while  contributing  from  our  purses  to  their 
relief,  it  is  a  hard  thing  to  be  told  that  legislation 
can  do  nothing  for  us.  Is  it  not  hard,  that  while 
you  are  taxed  for  the  support  of  the  poor  slaves  of 
intemperance  in  our  asylums,  I  should  be  constrain- 
ed to  ask  you  to  come  to  our  aid  in  saving  from 
pinching  cold  and  from  starvation  those  more  than 
widowed  wives,  those  more  than  orphan  children 
who  are  thus  wantonly  deprived  of  their  natural 
protectors  ?  Yet  this  is  a  part  of  my  mission  as  a 
Christian  minister,  and  the  philosophy  of  a  free  gov- 
ernment which  prevails  around  us,  tells  you  in  effect, 
that  no  law  can  provide  an  antidote  for  such  an  evil, 
because,  however  largely  it  may  swell  its  catalogue 
of  woes,  the  right  of  individuals  to  inflict  them  can 
not  be  questioned,  or  at  least  not  invaded.  Never- 
theless, take  courage  !  The  recent  reform  in  Ire- 
land, achieved  without  the  aid  of  legislation,  is  full 
of  incitements  to  us  to  move  on  unweariedly  in  this 
great  work.  Marvellous  as  is  the  change  wrought 
there,  I  doubt  not  that  it  will  be  lasting  ;  for  when 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  247 

the  poor  man  comes  to  find  on  Saturday  night,  that 
he  has  more  abundant  comforts  than  he  was  wont  in 
his  cabin,  a  cheerful  fire  on  his  hearth,  a  happy  fam- 
ily, and  money  to  spare  in  his  pocket,  his  eyes  will 
be  opened  to  the  charms,  and  his  heart  enraptured 
by  the  blessings  of  temperance. 

But  then,  secondly,  there  are  the  helpless  pooVy 
whose  poverty  is  the  effect  of  natural  causes,  which 
include  whatever  takes  from  them  the  ability  to  la- 
bor. The  blind,  the  lame,  the  maimed,  the  aged, 
orphan  children,  and  such  as  are  burdened  with  the 
support  of  others  in  a  like  condition,  come  within 
this  class.  Hard  is  their  lot.  To  them  life  has  but 
few  attractions.  They  know  nothing  of  its  luxuries, 
but  little  of  its  comforts,  and  to  them  earth  is,  in 
every  sense,  "  a  vale  of  tears,^^  except  that,  by  means 
of  the  religion  which  their  faith  embraces,  Heaven 
pours  its  own  light  around  their  dark  abode,  and 
shows  them,  that  from  the  gloomy  pathway  in  which 
they  walk,  they  will  emerge  into  those  realms  of 
light  and  peace,  where  none  shall  say,  "  I  am  sick,'' 
and  where  the  tears  shall  be  wiped  from  off  all  faces. 
With  some  such  I  am  acquainted,  and  am  much  their 
debtor.  I  have  learned  much  from  them.  I  have 
learned  lessons  of  contentment,  more  deeply  learned 
them,  than  I  could  have  done  by  any  eloquence  of 
words.  I  have  learned  the  simplicity,  the  beauty, 
the  power,  of  a  vital  faith  in  Christ ;  its  fitness  to 
meet  man's  cravings  amidst  his  darkest  hours  and 
deepest  wants  ;  and  if  there  be  any  here  who  desire 
to  advance  in  Christian  virtue  and  practical  wisdom, 
I  commend  such  cases  to  your  regard,  that  you  may 


248  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

know  the  full  meaning  of  the  text,  "  Blessed  is  the 
man  that  considereth  the  poor.'' 

Let  no  one  deem  this  the  mere  language  of  ro- 
mance. There  are  those  whose  designation  in  the 
"  record  on  high,"  is,  the  poor  of  my  people.  In  the 
midst  of  their  deep  poverty,  they  are  rich  in  the 
fruits  of  faith.  How  often  have  I  thought  of  this, 
when  accustomed  to  visit  the  chamber  of  one  who 
had  been  confined  to  her  bed  for  a  long  series  of 
years.  Emaciated,  helpless,  dependent  to  a  great 
degree  on  the  hand  of  charity,  her  features  were 
usually  lighted  up  with  the  expression  of  a  heavenly 
peace  of  spirit.  To  the  child  of  pleasure  and  of 
fashion,  her  abode  might  seem  a  gloomy  place  ;  to 
her,  it  was  •"  the  gate  of  heaven."  "  It  is  true,"  she 
would  say,  "  my  path  seems  dark  and  rough,  but  I 
am  led  by  a  kind  Father's  hand.  I  know  that  all 
things  shall  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  Him.  His  way  is  in  the  deep  ;  the  dispensa- 
tions of  his  Providence  are  mysterious  ;  but  then, 

"  God  is  his  own  interpreter, 
And  he  will  make  it  plain." 

And  truly,  I  ask,  is  it  not  plain  to  us  all,  that  in 
such  an  instance  of  meek  and  suffering  piety  as  this, 
God  speaks  to  all  who  witness  it,  to  teach  ns  how 
little  the  world  can  do  to  make  us  really  happy,  and 
of  what  transcendent  worth  are  "  the  riches  of  his 
grace."  Thus,  too,  would  he  quicken  our  Christian 
sympathies  into  lively  exercise,  by  leading  us  to  a 
tender  treatment  of  those  whom,  by  his  own  severe 
discipline,  he  is  preparing  for  the  skies.     For,  doubt- 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  249 

less,  he  often  sees  it  to  be  best  to  blight  our  fairest 
worldly  prospects,  to  draw  our  hearts  to  heaven. 
He  mars  our  "  pleasant  pictures,"  in  order  to  save 
our  souls.  Just  as  it  was  when  a  celebrated  artist 
stood  on  a  lofty  scaffold,  endeavoring,  by  the  touches 
of  his  magic  pencil,  to  realize  the  ideas  of  beauty 
which  were  glowing  in  his  mind.  All  absorbed  in 
his  tasteful  employment,  he  was  moving  quickly 
backward  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  to  catch  a 
new  glimpse  of  the  enchanting  object,  when  in  an  in- 
stant a  friendly  hand  seized  a  sponge,  dashed  it  upon 
the  picture,  and  by  spoiling  its  beauty,  saved  his  life. 
So  God  deals  with  men.  The  bereaving  stroke  is 
often  a  proof  of  his  love  ;  and  while  he  regards  the 
sufferer  with  a  friendly  eye,  has  that  sufferer  no 
claim  on  our  regard,  sympathy  and  care  ?  Most 
eminently  shall  it  be  found  true,  in  such  a  case,  "  he 
that  giveth  unto  the  poor,  lendeth  unto  the  Lord." 

There  is  a  third  class,  who  may  be  called  the 
temporarily  poor,  whose  want  arises  from  transient 
and  accidental  causes, — as  misfortune  in  business, 
unproductive  seasons,  excessive  cold,  or  lack  of 
employment.  They  are  those  whose  productive  in- 
dustry is  barely  sufficient  to  meet  their  daily  exi- 
gencies, and  of  course  the  moment  their  ability  to 
work  ceases,  the  pressure  of  want  commences.  Their 
case  demands  special  and  prompt  attention,  and 
peculiar  care  should  be  taken  in  dispensing  aid,  to 
do  it  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  diminish  their  self- 
respect,  nor  to  paralyze  the  spirit  of  independence 
which  has  lived  in  their  bosoms  as  a  spring  of 
activity.    It  should  prgye  itgelf  to  be  the  offgpri^g 


250  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

of  a  fraternal  and  manly  sympathy,  seeking  to  relieve 
a  misfortune  to  which  all  are  liable  ;  and  this,  in- 
stead of  weakening,  would  quicken  that  generous 
ambition  to  do  well,  which  leads  one  to  look  on 
"  the  bright  side  of  things,"  and  to  make  the  most 
of  small  advantages. 

In  order  to  perform  well  the  duties  which  we  owe 
to  this  class,  it  becomes  us  to  cherish  a  profound 
respect  for  man  as  man,  a  rational  being  and  a 
creature  of  God,  capable  of  being  raised  from  the 
lowest  depths  of  degradation  to  the  highest  walks 
of  virtue,  honor,  and  happiness.  This,  will  give 
power  to  our  benevolence.  It  will  beam  forth  from 
our  features,  it  will  animate  our  manners,  it  will 
modify  our  tones  of  voice,  and  will  enable  us  to 
utter  those  "  winged  words,''  which  will  find  their 
way  to  the  hearts  of  the  poor.  The  spirit  appro- 
priate to  this  service  was  once  beautifully  expressed 
by  Boudon,  an  eminent  French  surgeon,  who  was 
called  to  perform  an  important  operation  on  Cardi- 
nal du  Bois,  the  Prime  Minister  of  France.  As  he 
entered  the  room,  the  Cardinal  said  to  him,  "  You 
must  not  expect  to  handle  me  so  roughly  as  you  do 
those  miserable  wretches  at  your  hospitals."  The 
surgeon  replied  with  dignity,  "  My  lord,  each  one 
of  those  whom  you  are  pleased  to  call  miserable 
wretches,  is  a  Prime  Minister  in  my  eyes !" 

A  fourth  class  consists  of  the  regular  working  poor, 
whose  labor  is  not  sufficient  to  supply  their  wants. 
Their  employment  is  variable  ;  they  are  dependent 
on  uncertain  jobs  ;  they  live  "  from  hand  to  mouth.'' 
The  family,  perhaps,  is  quite  large,  having  in  it  a 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  251 

number  dependent  on  the  rest — some  either  very 
old,  or  verj  young,  or  quite  infirm.  Bound  together 
by  the  ties  of  family  relationship,  they  often  exhibit 
in  a  touching  manner  the  domestic  virtues, — meek- 
ness, tenderness,  patience  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
frequently  show  an  utter  destitution  of  all  the  quali- 
ties which  make  a  happy  home.  These  dwell  on  the 
borders  of  beggary.  Hard  pressed  with  care,  they 
are  beset  with  temptations  to  cross  that  boundary, 
and  take  up  begging  as  a  trade.  Still,  for  them, 
that  would  be  a  sad  descent,  both  as  to  happiness 
and  character.  This  class  is  very  large,  and  makes 
a  demand  for  the  largest  share  of  Christian  con- 
sideration. There  is  continual  danger,  lest  being 
sick  at  heart,  with  anxiety,  disappointment,  and 
neglect,  they  give  themselves  up  doggedly  to  their 
fate,  and  cease  to  put  forth  that  energy,  which  they 
possess  for  their  own  support.  What  these  chiefly 
need,  is  the  influence  of  personal  friendship — a  friend- 
ship which  shall  make  them  feel  that  they  are  thought 
of,  cared  for,  respected  ;  and  which  will  thence  lead 
them  to  cherish  self-respect.  There  is  probably  no 
one  here  who  is  not  capable  of  being  a  friend,  to 
act  such  a  part  for  such  a  family.  It  would  not  cost 
much  time  or  much  money,  and  would  often  do  more 
good  than  money.  You  may  be  forced  to  say,  some- 
times, "  silver  and  gold  have  I  none  ;"  but  if  in  the 
spirit  of  a  friend  to  the  poor,  you  add,  "  such  as  I 
have,  give  I  thee,''  you  may  accomplish  what  would 
seem  almost  miraculous  to  the  eyes  of  others, — in  a 
sense,  causing  the  lame  to  rise  up  and  walk,  thanking 
for,  and  praising  God. 


252  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

The  class  of  the  laboring  poor  of  which  I  speak, 
are  those  who  have  hard  work  in  buffeting  the  cur- 
rents of  adversity  ;  and  sometimes,  as  they  look 
around,  and  feel  themselves  forgotten,  they  get  dis- 
couraged, are  tempted  to  give  up  exertion,  and  let 
themselves  sink  ;  but  the  touch  of  a  friendly  hand, 
and  the  cheering  of  a  friendly  voice,  will  put  new 
life  into  them, — will  keep  them  head  and  breast 
above  water,  and  perhaps  incite  them  to  struggle 
on,  until  they  can  place  their  feet  on  solid  ground. 

Another  thing  which  this  class  of  the  poor  justly 
claim  of  us,  is  liberality  in  our  dealings  with  them. 
They  ought  not  to  be  left  to  feel  that  the  rich  are 
their  oppressors,  who  begrudge  them  the  common 
blessings  of  Providence,  and  would  wish  them  to 
wear  a  suppliant,  cringing  air,  as  if  "  begging  pardon 
of  all  flesh  for  being  in  the  world."  This  all  acknow- 
ledge to  be  true  ;  and  yet  I  might  tell  you  of  cases, 
like  the  one  which  I  am  about  to  mention,  to  illus- 
trate the  principle.  On  a  cold  afternoon,  a  poor 
man  saw  a  load  of  coal  laid  before  the  door  of  a 
wealthy  merchant.  By  some  mistake,  no  one  had 
gone  from  the  coal-wharf  to  throw  it  in.  The 
passer-by  requested  the  job.  He  was  a  father, 
having  a  sick  wife,  and  several  children  dependent 
on  him.  He  proposed  to  do  the  work  for  a  reason- 
able sum, — ^not  more  than  enough  to  buy  a  supper 
for  his  family.  "  That  is  too  much,  by  half,"  said 
the  merchant.  The  poor  man  began  to  plead  his 
necessities.  His  manner  proved  his  anxiety  to 
obtain  what  he  sought.  This  made  the  merchant 
sure  of  carrying  his  po'nt,  and  he  added,  "  You 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  253 

may  take  it,  if  you  choose,  for  half  what  you  ask  ; 
if  not,  leave  it," — and  turning  his  back,  shut  the 
door.  That  was  a  bitter  moment  to  the  laborer. 
In  his  bosom  opposing  feelings  were  struggling  for 
the  mastery.  At  first,  he  could  not  brook  the 
thought  of  taking  work  on  such  terms.  But  tlien 
he  remembered  his  cheerless  home,  his  helpless  wife, 
and  hungry  children  ;  a  tear  coursed  down  his 
manly  cheek,  and  seizing  his  shovel,  achieved  the 
job  for  nearly  half  of  what  he  knew  it  to  be  worth. 

Was  that  treatment  right  ?  No  :  it  was  grinding 
the  face  of  the  poor,  and  incurring  that  curse,  which 
the  Most  High  uttered,  when  he  said,  "  He  that 
giveth  to  the  poor  shall  not  lack,  but  he  that  hideth 
his  eyes  shall  have  many  a  curse  ;"  "  he  that  oppress- 
eth  the  poor  reproacheth  his  Maker,  but  he  that 
honoreth  God,  hath  mercy  on  the  poor.'' 

Within  a  three  minutes'  walk  from  my  dwelling, 
there  lives  a  widow,  who  strives  to  support  herself 
by  daily  labor.  She  is  employed  in  making  shirts, 
for  each  of  which  she  receives  seven  cents.  She  is 
able  to  make  seven  of  these  articles  in  five  days, 
and  of  course  can  earn  but  little  over  nine  cents  a 
day.  Her  whole  time  is  employed,  her  whole 
strength  is  tasked,  to  gain  such  a  paltry  pittance. 
An  artful  beggar  could  get  more,  and  without  strong 
virtuous  feelings,  such  persons  must  yield  to  the 
temptation  to  become  beggars.  Surely,  it  is  dan- 
gerous to  cherish  a  state  of  things  in  which  any 
portion  of  the  community  are  forced  to  feel  that 
they  may  starve  by  industry,  and  thrive  by  beggary. 

In  dealing  with  the  active  poor,  we  should  show 


254  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

a  respect  for  industry,  and  endeavor  to  foster  and 
reward  it,  whether  it  be  in  the  case  of  a  man  who 
gains  his  living  by  his  muscular  strength,  or  a  female 
who  toils  with  her  needle.  For  a  people  to  cherish 
a  right  tone  of  feeling  on  this  point,  is  better  than 
to  spend  large  fortunes  in  donations  ;  for  by  the 
former,  we  make  the  most  of  what  power  they  have 
to  help  themselves,  cherish  their  moral  strength  and 
active  virtue  ;  by  the  latter,  we  do  much  to  destroy 
all  self-reliance,  all  generous  aspirations. 

Rousseau,  talking  in  the  spirit  of  a  chimerical 
philosophy,  thought  that  an  equal  division  of  pro- 
perty in  a  community  would  make  all  honest  and 
peaceable,  as  it  would  remove  all  temptation  to 
envy,  theft,  or  violence.  As  well  might  he  have 
said,  that  an  equal  distribution  of  books  would 
make  all  men  literary,  or  that  an  equal  distribution 
of  cold  water  would  make  all  men  temperate.  No  : 
evils  which  take  their  rise  from  the  darkness  of  the 
mind,  or  the  disorder  of  the  moral  feelings,  cannot 
be  removed  by  such  specifics,  or  any  change  in  the 
outward  condition.  The  great  thing  to  be  done,  is, 
to  inculcate  right  principles,  to  call  forth  right  affec- 
tions, and  to  form  right  habits,  which  are  "  the  ele- 
ments of  character,  and  the  masters  of  action." 

Having  respect  to  these  points,  it  only  remains 
that  we  adopt  some  plan,  by  which,  in  the  dispensa- 
tion of  our  charities  to  the  needy,  we  may  guard 
ourselves  against  the  danger  of  encouraging  idleness 
or  imposture.  To  this  subject,  the  attention  of  the 
Howard  Benevolent  Society  of  Boston  has  been 
steadfastly  directed.     On  this  account,  they  have 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  255 

clieerfully   cooperated   with  the   "  Society   for   the 
Prevention  of  Pauperism,"  which   was   formed   in 
that  city  a  few  years  ago.     This  Society,  acting  on 
the  principle  that  prevention  is  better  than  a  remedy, 
have  aimed  at  crushing  the  very  germs  of  pauperism. 
To  do  this,  its  first  measure  has  been,  to  procure 
employment  for  the  suJBfering  poor,  who  were  able 
and  willing  to  work.     During  a  single  year,  seven- 
teen hundred  and  six  persons  were  provided  with 
suitable  places,  through  its  agency.     What  a  large 
proportion  of  these  have  probably  been  saved  to 
themselves  and  to  society !     Its  next  object  is,  to 
prevent  the  necessity  of  street  begging.     To  accom- 
plish .this,  it  provides,  by  its  arrangements,  for  dis- 
pensing aid  to  those  only  who  will  not  abuse  it.     It 
sustains  an  agent,  who  is  constantly  devoted  to  its 
service,  and  who  may  be  found  at  his  office  every 
day,  from  nine  to  one  o'clock,  and  who  spends  his 
afternoons  in  visiting  those  who  need  his  personal 
attention ;    ascertaining   thus   their   character   and 
condition,  and  the  extent  to  which  aid  is  desirable. 
Lest  any  should  feel  constrained,  from  the  claims  of 
humanity,  to  give  at  hazard  to  strangers  at  their 
doors,  the   Society  furnishes   tickets,  at   six   cents 
each,  with  which  it  invites  the  benevolent  to  provide 
themselves  ;  and  then,  instead  of  giving  money  to 
an  unknown  applicant,  to  present  him  with  one  or 
more  of  these  tickets,  and  direct  him  to  the  office, 
where  his  wants  will   be  investigated,  and  proper 
relief  afforded.     If  this  plan  should  be  universally 
adopted,  it  will  form  an  effective  check  to  a  porten- 
tous and  growing  evil. 


256  Christianity  and  Pauperism. 

At  the  office  of  this  central  agency  of  which  I 
speak,  delegates  from  this  and  other  benevolent 
associations  of  the  city  meet  monthly,  and  review 
their  doings,  in  order  that  the  visitors  of  the  poor 
may  have  fully  before  them  the  condition  of  all  who 
have  been  the  subjects  of  charity.  In  this  way,  they 
are  enabled  very  soon  to  detect  any  impostor.  From 
such  a  position,  they  may  command  a  full  view  of 
the  whole  rugged  landscape  of  pauperism,  and  con- 
cert the  best  measures  to  make  its  "  crooked  paths 
straight,  its  rough  places  plain,"  and  to  throw  over 
it  a  softened  aspect  of  productive  industryj  peace, 
and  happiness. 

Certainly  no  one,  who  considers  for  a  mjoment 
how  easily  a  large  city  may  become  the  haunt  of 
shameless  mendicants,  and  that  the  very  renown  of 
its  benevolence,  the  number  of  its  charitable  institu- 
tions, will  attract  hordes  of  such  to  its  streets  and 
recesses,  can  fail  to  see  the  necessity  of  some  system, 
adapted  to  counteract  so  dreadful  a  tendency.  To 
do  this,  a  beginning  has  been  made,  and  we  call 
upon  all  that  are  near  and  around  us,  as  men,  citi- 
zens, and  Christians,  to  cooperate  in  this  work. 
Already  the  sons  of  New  England,  as  they  have 
viewed  the  multitudes  of  wretched  beings  who  throng 
the  capitals  of  Europe,  and  beset  the  traveller  at 
every  step  of  his  way,  have  felt  their  hearts  throb 
with  grateful  emotion,  on  being  able  to  say,  "  the 
moans  of  beggary  are  rarely  heard  in  Boston." 
Let  us  arise,  and  grapple  with  this  evil  in  good 
earnest ;  not  merely  that  we  may  rejoice  in  so  noble 
a  distinction,  but  also  that  we  may  provoke  others 


Christianity  and  Pauperism.  257 

to  a  like  labor  of  love, — to  a  service  so  pleasing  to 
God,  so  auspicious  to  man. 

Let  it  be  the  aim  of  all  of  us  who  profess  to  be 
Christians,  to  pass  this  part  of  our  probation  well ; 
to  feel,  in  the  retrospect  of  life,  that  we  have  so 
discharged  our  duties  to  the  unfortunate  around  us, 
as  to  have  become  benefactors  to  them,  and  to  our 
common  country  ;  to  be  able  to  say,  without  invok- 
ing a  curse  on  ourselves,  in  the  language  of  the 
stricken  Patriarch,  "  If  I  have  withheld  the  poor 
from  their  desire,  or  have  caused  the  eyes  of  the 
widow  to  fail,  or  have  eaten  my  morsel  myself  alone, 
and  the  fatherless  have  not  partaken  thereof ;  if  I 
have  seen  any  perish  for  want  of  clothing,  or  any 
poor  without  covering  ;  if  his  loins  have  not  blessed 
me,  and  if  he  were  not  warmed  with  the  fleece  of 
my  sheep  ;  if  I  have  lifted  up  my  hand  against  the 
fatherless,  when  I  saw  my  help  in  the  gate  :  then 
let  mine  arm  fall  from  my  shoulder-blade,  and  mine 
arm  be  broken  from  the  bone."  Oh  !  may  it  be  ours 
to  share  in  the  dignity  of  thousands  of  the  poor, 
when  they  shall  have  exchanged  their  feeble,  sickly 
frames  for  bodies  refined,  spiritual,  and  glorious  ; 
their  tattered  garments  for  white  robes  ;  their  mis- 
erable hovels  for  mansions  in  the  skies  ;  their  deg- 
radation for  immortal  honor  ;  their  tears  for  smiles  ; 
their  groans  for  hymns  of  praise.  Then,  may  it  be 
ours,  to  circle  with  them  the  same  throne,  to  unite 
with  them  in  worship,  to  sympathize  in  their  grati- 
tude, and  to  bear  a  part  in  their  immortal  songs. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  LIBERALGIVING. 


In  the  present  age,  amongst  the  American  Church- 
es, there  is  no  deficiency  more  obvious  than  that 
which  relates  to  systematic  and  reliable  contribution 
for  the  purposes  of  Christian  benevolence.  It  may 
be  safely  said  that  there  has  been  no  period  of  our 
religious  history  when  fields  so  wide  and  "  white  to 
the  harvest,"  were  thrown  open  to  us  ;  no  period 
when  to  us,  as  a  people,  the  voices  of  benighted  mil- 
lions cried  so  imploringly  for  the  gospel  of  salvation. 
Burmah,  Siam,  Hindostan,  and  China  call  to  us  ; 
tribes  of  the  Asiatic  mountains,  living  in  compar- 
ative seclusion,  the  forlorn  and  melancholy  children 
of  our  own  continent,  and  the  struggling  churches  of 
continental  Europe,  "  persecuted  but  not  forsaken, 
cast  down  but  not  destroyed,"  appeal  to  us  for  help. 
Multitudes  of  those  who  in  other  times  have  gone  to 
their  graves  professing  and  believing  the  principles 
in  which  we  glory,  who  suffered  bitter  oppression 
throughout  their  course  of  life  for  conscience  sake, 
who  were  driven  by  the  blasts  of  persecution  over 
stormy  seas,  faithful  men  and  women  in  whose 
breasts  the  true  martyr-spirit  glowed  as  a  quenchless 
fire,  longed  to  see  this  day,  in  which  the  churches  of 
a  "  common  faith,"  living  in  a  land  of  freedom,  not 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        259 

only  enjoy  their  own  riglits  and  privileges  without 
stint  or  fear,  but  behold  on  every  side  "  an  open 
door,"  a  widening  field,  with  liberty  to  labor  as  far 
as  "  in  them  lieth"  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  Truth, 
and  Humanity.  Truly,  "  many  righteous  men  have 
desired  to  see  those  things  which  we  see,  and  have 
not  seen  them  ;"  but,  although  the  blessings  that 
were  denied  to  them  have  been  lavished  on  us,  how 
little  do  we  achieve  in  view  of  what  "  the  signs  of 
the  times,"  and  the  wants  of  the  world  demand  I 
How  few  are  the  laborers  !  The  thinkers,  the  plan- 
ners, the  minds  of  projective  forecast,  equal  to  the 
emergency,  the  reliable  and  constant  contributors 
according  to  their  ability — how  few  in  comparison 
with  the  numbers  that  our  statistical  reports  exhibit ! 
How  astounding,  how  humbling  is  the  truth,  that  if 
each  of  our  communicants  in  the  United  States  were 
accustomed  to  give  regularly  but  one  cent  a  week, 
the  aggregate  amount  would  be  thrice  as  great  as 
that  which  our  present  plan  of  operations  for  evan- 
gelizing the  world  would  consume  !  Surely,  amidst 
all  the  gratifying  proofs  of  progress  that  we  may 
show,  there  is  scope  for  great  improvement  in  regard 
to  the  grace  of  liberal-giving  ;  so  that  the  Apostle 
of  the  Gentiles  might  say  to  us  as  fitly  as  he  did  to 
the  ancient  Corinthians,  "  Therefore  as  ye  abound  in 
every  thing,  in  faith,  and  utterance,  and  knowledge, 
and  all  diligence  see  that  ye  abound  in  this  grace 
also." 

With  the  desire  of  doing  something  to  awaken 
more  general  and  earnest  thought  in  this  line  of  di- 
rection, we  solicit  your  attention,  Friends  and  Read- 


2 GO        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

ers,  to  some  suggestions  called  forth  by  tlie  two-fold 
aspect  which  this  subject  presents.  They  relate  di- 
rectly— 

I.  To  several  defects  pertaining  to  the  common 
modes  of  benevolent  contribution  : — 

II.  To  the  grounds  of  our  belief  that  there  may 
be  found  "  a  more  excellent  way.'' 

First  of  all  then,  we  observe  that  one  deficiency 
in  the  benevolence  of  our  times  is  this  :  it  moves  too 
much  by  fitful  impulses  rather  than  by  the  forecast 
of  intelligence  and  the  guidance  of  Christian  prin- 
ciple. There  is  too  much  of  the  power  of  set  occa- 
sion, of  art,  and  of  eloquent  appeal  requisite  to  incite 
us  to  do  what  is  easily  practicable,  and  what  the 
hand  of  God's  providence  beckons  us  to  attempt. 
This  kind  of  power  is  but  little  needed  where  intel- 
ligence and  sound  principle  exert  their  proper  sway. 
Who  ever  thinks  of  using  the  arts  of  argument  and 
persuasion  to  induce  an  affectionate  parent  to  clothe 
his  children,  or  to  provide  for  his  household  ?  But 
from  the  cause  of  Christ,  which  enfolds  all  the  inter- 
ests of  humanity  within  itself,  Christians  can  with- 
hold their  needed  gifts  without  pain,  without  a  self- 
reproving  thought.  And  when  they  give,  too  often 
is  the  donation  thrown  into  the  treasury  by  a  fitful 
impulse  of  generosity  like  that  with  which  the  un- 
thinking sailor,  when  flush  in  funds,  flings  what  he 
may  have  in  his  pocket  at  the  feet  of  the  first  ap- 
plicant, without  thoughtful  regard  to  the  merits  of 
the  case,  or  the  wants  of  others.  This  play  of  feel- 
ing in  the  human  bosom  is  amiable,  but  it  is,  never- 
theless, a  weakness  ;  it  is  ineffective  of  real  good,  on 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        261 

the  whole,  because  it  needs  to  be  directed  by  the 
forecast  of  heartfelt  benevolence.  These  wayward 
impulses  of  our  comraon  humanity  must  needs  be 
brought  under  the  discipline  of  that  vital  Chris- 
tianity, which,  dwelling  in  the  soul  as  a  directing 
power,  renders  it  wise  to  do  good,  causes  its  "  love 
to  abound  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in 
all  judgment,"  and  thus,  imparting  an  aptness  to 
"  gather  up  the  fragments  that  nothing  be  lost," 
makes  everything  both  small  and  great,  subordinate 
to  the  comprehensive  aims  of  our  Master's  servioe. 

2.  Another  deficiency  in  the  benevolence  of  our 
times  is  found  in  the  disproportion  of  what  is  given, 
on  the  whole,  to  the  ability  of  the  giver.  When  an 
object  of  benevolence  is  brought  into  view,  it  is  too 
often  the  case  that  the  contributor  debates  within 
himself  as  a  main  question — "  how  much  do  people 
expect  from  me  V^  What  sum  will  suffice  to  let  me 
off  respectably  ?  Or,  he  asks,  perhaps,  how  much 
his  neighbor,  whose  judgment  he  respects,  will  con- 
tribute to  this  object.  Now,  this  may,  indeed,  be  all 
well  enough  when  the  particular  object  is  but  of 
small  importance,  when  it  is  strange  or  novel,  or 
when  its  relative  claims  remain  doubtful.  But  our 
remarks  have  no  special  bearing  on  that  class  of 
cases  ;  they  relate  to  those  grand  operations  of  be- 
nevolence which  are  well  understood,  which  are  ac- 
knowledged to  be  of  tried  and  enduring  worth,  and 
which  open  ample  scope  to  the  spirit  of  enterprise. 
These  great  objects  which  embrace  as  their  one  aim 
the  evangelization  of  the  world,  embody  and  express 
in  palpable  form  the  cause  of  Christ  amongst  men  ; 


2G2        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

and  when  they  come  to  us,  it  is  He  that  speaks  ;  He 
calls  upon  us  as  his  stewards  for  the  payment  of 
what  we  owe  to  Him  ;  and  then  it  becomes  us  as  hia 
servants  to  appeal  with  all  sincerity  to  Him  who 
knows  all  our  substance,  our  relations,  and  our  du- 
ties in  the  inquiry,  "  Lord  what  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do  ? ''  In  these  cases,  we  may  be  assured,  He 
appeals  to  us  as  really  by  his  Providence  as  He  ap- 
pealed to  Philip  by  his  living  voice  when,  in  view 
of  the  famishing  multitudes  around  them,  He  asked, 
"  Whence  shall  we  buy  bread  that  these  may  eat?" 
"  This  he  said  to  prove  him  ;"  the  question  was  de- 
signed for  the  trial  of  the  disciple's  heart. 

8.  Another  deficiency  in  the  benevolence  of  the 
times  is  this  :  that  even  in  the  regular  efforts  of 
churches  that  may  be  supposed  to  contribute  from 
the  influence  of  sound  principle,  there  is  so  rarely 
seen  any  system  of  action  embracing  within  its  scope 
the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  young  and  the  old,  so  as 
to  develop  in  a  healthful  manner  the  affections  and 
energies  of  all.  In  the  promotion  of  any  great  en- 
terprise, whether  it  be  civil,  military,  or  commercial, 
requiring,  from  year  to  year  the  employment  of  men 
and  money,  a  well-concerted  system  of  action  is  essen- 
tial to  success.  It  is  equally  so  within  the  sphere  of 
religion.  Yet,  in  regard  to  this  truth  there  has  been 
a  great  want  of  clear  and  definite  conviction  ;  and 
many  well-meaning  persons  have  cherished  too  cor- 
dially the  sentiment  expressed  by  one  who  said, 
*'  What  I  give,  I  give  by  myself,  and  not  in  connec- 
tion with  others  ;  I  give  when  I  please,  as  I  please, 
and  let  not  my  left  hand  "  know  what  my  right  hand 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        263 

doetli."  Altliough  lie  was  a  good  man  who  said 
this,  and  although  he  quoted  scripture  to  support  his 
position,  he  was  unaware  how  far  from  the  mark  his 
quotation  fell.  For,  that  precept  on  secret  giving, 
from  the  sermon  on  the  Mount,  relates  only  to  alms 
bestowed  on  the  poor,  which,  from  regard  to  the 
feeling  proper  to  both  parties,  the  giver  and  the  re- 
ceiver, ought  to  be  private  ;  but  in  bestowing  these, 
the  Pharisees,  whom  Christ  was  censuring,  made  a 
conspicuous  and  vaunting  show.  Great  public  en- 
terprises, however,  requiring  a  combination  of  agen- 
cies by  the  union  of  many  minds,  hearts,  and  hands, 
must  be  promoted  by  concerted  efforts  and  in  a  sys- 
tematic manner,  or  they  can  never  be  effectually 
achieved.  Thus  we  see  that  the  constructive  mind 
of  Paul  placed  within  the  scope  of  one  plan  of  be- 
nevolent action  all  the  churches  of  Macedonia  and 
Achaia,  held  up  the  example  of  those  who  were  more 
forward  to  animate  those  who  were  tard}^  and  urged 
them  all  forward  in  a  noble  career  of  benevolence 
which,  the  lights  of  history  furnish  reason  to  believe, 
commanded  the  respect  and  admiration  of  the  world. 
The  historical  pen  of  Gibbon,  though  employed 
against  Christianity,  has  made  the  benevolent  doings 
of  the  primitive  Christians  to  loom  up  in  a  form  of 
moral  grandeur,  when  it  places  their  ample  liberality 
among  the  leading  causes  of  the  world-wide  triumphs 
of  their  faith. 

II.  Having  thus  considered  several  defects  in  the 
prevailing  modes  of  benevolent  action,  it  may  be 
well  now  to  inquire  whether  the  Scriptures  furnish 
any  intimations  of  a  better  way. 


261        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

In  Paul's  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthian  Church, 
we  find  the  following  direction  touching  pecuniary 
contribution  : — (1  Cor.  xvi.  2.) — ''  Upon  the  first  day 
of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store 
as  God  hath  prospered  him,  that  there  may  be  no 
gatherings  when  I  come."  The  Apostle  mentions 
that  he  had  given  the  same  order  to  the  churches  of 
Galatia,  a  province  distant  from  Corinth  in  the 
Eastern  part  of  Asia  Minor.  We  see,  therefore, 
that  the  method  spoken  of  was  not  of  merely  local 
origin,  or  of  very  limited  application.  At  that  time 
there  was  a  great  emergency  to  be  met  amongst  the 
churches  of  Judea,  on  account  of  the  prevailing  dis- 
tress. Paul  desired  Corinth  to  do  her  share  of  ser- 
vice systematically,  to  do  it  from  principle  and  in  a 
quiet  manner,  so  that  he  should  not  be  disturbed  in 
the  process  of  his  work  by  an  extraordinary  effort 
to  raise  a  large  amount  of  money  after  his  arrival. 
Now,  if  that  church  had  been  affected  by  the  impul- 
sive spirit  of  our  age,  and  by  our  modern  notions  of 
managing  such  matters,  involving  periodical  collec- 
tions during  the  visits  and  appeals  of  special  agents, 
they  might  not  have  been  disposed  to  welcome  this 
suggestion.  They  might  have  been  heard,  perhaps, 
deliberating  amongst  themselves  somewhat  to  this 
intent :  "  Is  it  expedient  now  to  promote  the  work 
of  contribution  ?  By  no  means.  After  Paul's  ar- 
rival, surely,  will  be  the  very  time  to  carry  forward 
our  collections  with  success  ;  for,  his  presence,  his 
eloquence,  and  his  apostolic  authority  will  have  a 
great  effect.  Then  we  shall  be  all  excited  ;  the 
people  will  be  glad  to  see  him,  and  then  it  will  be 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        265 

easy  to  open  their  purses  and  accomplish  the  whole 
work  at  once.  Men  are  never  so  ready  to  give  freely 
as  when  they  are  gratified  ;  and,  when  Paul  comes 
to  preach  to  us,  we  shall  all  be  highly  delighted, 
and  shall  be  just  in  the  mood  for  doing  generously." 
Such  a  conclusion  would,  doubtless,  have  made  a  fit 
preamble  to  a  "  resolution,"  asserting  the  wisdom 
and  expediency  of  deferring  the  collections  until  af- 
ter Paul's  arrival  in  Corinth.  But  is  it  probable 
think  you,  that  the  apostle  would  have  been  pleased 
with  such  compliments  on  his  eloquence  and  his 
power  of  moving  men?  Far  from  it.  He  would 
have  said  again  to  them,  "  I  spake  by  occasion  of  the 
forwardness  of  others,  and  to  prove  the  sincerity  of 
your  love  ;  for  it  was  expedient  for  you  who  have 
begun  before,  not  only  to  do,  but  to  have  been  for- 
ward a  year  ago." 

This  direction  of  Paul  to  the  primitive  churches 
involves  several  important  principles. 

(1.)  It  implies  that  Christian  benevolence  should 
be  conducted  according  to  a  system,  and  not  be  left 
to  the  drift  of  accident,  or  the  excitement  of  special 
occasions. 

(2.)  That  in  every  Christian  church,  such  a  sys- 
tem should  be  comprehensive  and  pervasive — "  Let 
every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store."  Let  the  rich 
and  the  poor  meet  together  at  the  altar  of  Christ 
with  their  offerings  of  grateful  love. 

(3.)  That  the  designation  should  be  made  at  stated 
times — frequently — as  often  as  once  a  week.  On 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  we  shall  have  paused 
in  our  career  of  worldly  occupation,  while  we  hail 


26G        Christianity  and  Liber al-oiving. 

with  joy  the  light  of  the  resurrection -day,  and  cel- 
ebrate the  mighty  work  of  man's  redemption,  then 
are  we  called  upon  to  lay  a  tax  upon  our  worldly 
income  or  expenditure,  in  order  that  we  may  present 
an  acceptable  offering  unto  the  Lord. 

(4.)  This  weekly  calculation  of  the  amount  of  our 
religious  contributions,  should  lead  us  to  give  to  an 
extent  commensurate  with  our  power  of  giving  ;  that 
is,  our  power  of  giving  estimated  by  a  liberal  heart, 
with  reference  to  all  the  claims  made  upon  our 
resources,  and  the  relative  worth  of  the  objects 
before  us.  The  Scriptural  rule  is,  "  Each  according 
to  his  ability,''  "  as  God  hath  prospered  him  ;"  "  ac- 
cording to  the  ability  that  God  giveth."  This  regu- 
lar mental  exercise,  and  this  practical  expression  of 
our  gratitude,  are  Heaven's  appointed  means  for  the 
education  of  our  minds  and  hearts,  and  thus,  of  our 
preparation  for  a  still  nobler  sphere  of  service  in  a 
future  state  of  being. 

Here  we  have  developed  to  our  view  the  apostolic 
plan  of  benevolent  effort,  simple,  equal,  reasonable, 
efficient ;  requiring  no  ingenious  appliances  to  sus- 
tain it  in  any  community,  but  only  that  degree  of 
love  to  Christ  and  his  cause  which  will  quicken  into 
life  om-  grateful  remembrance  of  him,  as  often  as 
once  a  week.  If  we  have  real  love  to  him,  whether 
our  resources,  as  individuals  or  as  churches,  be  large 
or  small,  increased  by  prosperity  or  stinted  by  adver- 
sity, that  system  would  be  found  adequate  and  self- 
sustaining.  0,  how  much  better  are  God's  ways 
than  man's  ;  the  hints  of  Scripture,  than  the  volumes 
of  man's  wisdom  1   The  primitive  Christians  believed 


Christianiiy  and  Liberal-giving.       267 

tins  ;  hence,  how  united  and  how  persevering,  how 
quiet  and  how  effective  they  became !  Their  plan 
of  agency  was  far-reaching,  yet  noiseless  as  the 
morning  dew,  which  moistens  the  arid  clod,  or  as 
the  solar  heat,  which  releases  the  earth  from  the 
hoar  frost,  causes  it  "  to  blossom  and  bud,  and  fills 
the  face  of  the  world  with  fruit." 

When  Paul  requested  of  the  Corinthians  that 
there  might  be  no  gatherings  in  aid  of  his  own 
special  mission  to  Judea,  after  his  arrival,  we  can 
easily  believe  that  his  feelings  would  have  been 
disturbed  by  a  great  show  of  money-getting.  He 
desired  that  there  might  be  nothing  of  this  con- 
nected with  his  visit.  It  was  ever  his  chief  aim  to 
inculcate  principles  of  action,  and,  by  his  appeals, 
to  open  the  fountains  of  charity  in  every  Christian 
heart,  so  that  the  perennial  stream  might  flow  forth 
constantly  to  pour  its  golden  contribution  into  the 
treasury  of  the  Lord,  and  thence  over  the  parched 
wastes  of  desolated  humanity,  to  make  those  wastes 
to  bloom  afresh,  and  turn  the  wilderness  into  an 
Eden. 

Observe,  too,  how  the  Apostle  hallows  the  work 
of  contribution  as  being  in  harmony  with  the  design 
of  the  Lord's  day,  and  with  scenes  of  worship.  This 
is  worthy  of  notice  ;  for,  sometimes  the  complaint 
has  been  heard  that  the  jingling  of  money  in  the 
sanctuary,  interferes  with  the  spirit  of  devotion. 
Aye,  doubtless  it  does  so  when  weekly  collections 
are  thus  made  for  purposes  somewhat  secular,  for 
the  current  expenses  of  a  congregation,  for  the  sala- 
ries of  a  minister  or  a  sexton,  for  fuel,  for  oil,  or  for 


2G8        Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

gas,  or  for  repairs  of  the  house  ;  when  what  are 
called  "  penny  collections ''  are  gathered  from  pew 
to  pew  as  a  matter  of  custom  or  dull  routine,  with- 
out any  grand  and  noble  object  of  action  being  pro- 
posed to  interest  the  mind,  to  arouse  the  conscience, 
or  move  the  heart's  best  affections.  This  sort  of 
Sunday-collection  has  done  much  to  bring  the  whole 
subject  of  contribution  into  dishonor.  Calling  upon 
us  to  give,  without  thought  or  care,  what  we  may 
happen  to  have  with  us,  for  we  know  not  what,  or 
for  objects  of  little  moment,  or  for  secular  matters, 
that  might  be  provided  for  in  another  way,  the  prac- 
tice reacts,  unhappily,  on  the  moral  feelings,  and 
petrifies  the  spring  of  generous  sentiment.  But 
where  each  returning  Lord's  day  makes  its  appeal 
in  the  name  of  Him  who  consecrated  it  as  a  day  of 
sacred  celebration  by  a  mighty  triumph  of  redeem- 
ing love,  calling  upon  us  for  a  thank  offering  unto 
him,  to  be  laid  on  his  altar,  for  his  use,  to  promote 
the  extension  of  his  kingdom  on  the  earth  ;  in  this, 
surely,  there  is  something  that  stirs  the  finest  sensi- 
bilities of  the  soul,  educates  our  habits  of  thought 
into  harmony  with  the  true  aim  of  life,  renders  our 
spontaneous  gifts  acts  of  worship,  elicits  no  feeling 
that  chills  the  spirit  of  devotion,  no  sound  that  jars 
against  its  chimes. 

This  apostolic  plan  of  benevolence  is  worthy  of 
Christianity.  It  accomplishes  much,  and  is  distin- 
guished by  its  simplicity.  Is  it  not  for  the  want  of 
just  this  simplicity  that  the  liberality  of  many 
churches  falls  so  far  short  of  its  proper  standard  ? 
Do  we  not  depend  too  much  on  occasional  public 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        269 

efforts,  on  the  tact  and  skill  of  of&cial  agents,  on  the 
excitement  of  special  objects,  to  accomplish  six  or 
seven  times  a  year,  what  ought  to  be  the  work  of 
every  week  ?  If  the  true  idea  of  a  church,  as  to  its 
practical  character,  be  that  of  a  congregation  of 
faithful  persons,  united  under  the  law  of  Christ  to 
do  his  will,  then,  ought  not  every  man,  every  woman, 
every  child  amongst  us  to  be  a  pledged  contributor, 
of  course,  whether  the  name  of  the  individual  be 
subscribed  to  a  preamble  touching  this  or  that  par- 
ticular object,  or  not  ?  If  the  well-known,  cardinal 
enterprises  of  benevolence  represent  Christ's  cause 
on  earth,  then,  should  we  not  take  them  all  within 
the  scope  of  our  regard,  from  the  distant  missionary 
who  preaches  Christ  in  the  jungles  and  cities  of 
Asia,  or  on  the  torrid  sands  of  Africa,  to  the  modest 
tract  distributor,  who  threads  the  secluded  alleys  or 
the  winding,  creaking  stair-cases  of  poverty  and 
want,  in  hut  or  hovel,  to  shed  a  ray  of  moral  sun- 
shine athwart  the  gloom  of  our  own  neighborhood  ? 
And,  if  so,  should  it  not  be  the  study  of  all  of  us  to 
ascertain  how  far  we  can  promote  them  ? 

Bear  with  us,  then,  while  we  add  one  or  two  prac- 
tical remarks,  in  relation  to  the  whole  subject. 

1.  Since  liberal  giving  for  the  spread  of  the  Gos- 
pel is  the  proper,  the  serious,  the  life-long  business 
of  the  whole  church,  let  us  all  resolve  to  share  the 
labors  of  sustaining  an  efficient  system  of  benevo- 
lence. A  proper  system  is  one  which  permits  and 
invites  all  to  do  something,  in  proportion  to  their 
means  of  doing.  It  is  not  one  which  comes  now 
and  then  with  fervid  appeals  to  the  wealthy— by 


270        Christianity  and  Liberal-giying. 

implication  undervaluing  small  gifts — aiming,  by- 
spasmodic  efforts,  to  push  forward  a  subscription  to 
the  highest  possible  amount.  Such  an  effort  may  be 
needful,  once  in  a  while,  for  an  enterprise  which 
makes  its  appeal  but  once  in  a  life-time,  which,  w^hen 
once  done  is  done  forever,  like  the  building  of  a 
Bible  house  or  a  university,  which  stands  outside  of 
the  established  circle  of  objects  that  represent  the 
cause  of  human  evangelization,  and  which,  perhaps, 
is  to  be  commended  to  the  special  care  of  those  who 
can  contribute  by  thousands  or  hundreds,  or  fifties. 
But  a  church-system  of  benevolence  should  be  ad- 
justed so  as  permanently  to  reach,  move,  and  in- 
terest all  alike  ;  the  old  and  the  young,  the  strong 
and  the  weak.  The  youngest  and  the  weakest  may 
do  something.  Is  any  one  of  this  class  disposed  to 
ask,  "  What  can  I  do  ?''  You  may  lay  by  every 
week  some  amount ;  however  small,  you  may  bring 
it  as  a  Sabbath-offering,  a  tribute  of  love  to  the 
Lord's  treasury ;  by  word  or  example  you  may 
awaken  in  the  minds  of  others,  brothers,  sisters  or 
friends,  an  interest  in  the  same  good  work,  and  thus 
you  may  form  a  habit  of  action  in  youth,  which  will 
be  a  germ  of  luxuriant  fruitage  in  years  to  come. 
All  may  do  something  ;  and  the  Head  of  the  Church 
expects  all  to  do  what  they  can  in  this  service.  This 
business  of  a  Christian  church  is  the  most  noble  that 
mortals  can  undertake.  In  the  eyes  of  angels,  the 
largest  mercantile  transactions  at  the  Royal  Ex- 
change, the  Parisian  Bourse,  or  the  counting-rooms 
of  New  York,  are  of  no  great  importance,  compared 
with  this.    Art,  science,  trade,  all  forms  of  industry 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.        271 

are  invested  with  moral  dignity,  just  so  far  as  they 
are  made  subservient  to  the  glorious  aims  of  our 
Lord's  commission,  which  bids  us  to  gain  the  empire 
of  the  world  for  him. 

2.  The  true  secret  of  successful  adaptation  in  a 
church-system  of  benevolence  lies  in  providing  for 
the  reception  of  regular  contributions,  on  the  part 
of  all,  spontaneously  and  frequently.  For  the  great 
mass  of  contributors,  in  every  community,  can  give 
small  sums  frequently,  better  than  large  sums  occa- 
sionally. Many  a  warm-hearted  man  or  woman, 
artisan  or  laborer,  in  one  or  another  department  of 
busy  life,  will  have  at  the  end  of  the  week  a  surplus 
of  half  a  dollar,  which  can  be  well  spared  for  the 
purposes  of  benevolence  ;  but  if  there  be  no  call  for 
its  contribution,  this  person  will  not  be  apt  to  have 
double  that  amount  of  surplus  at  the  end  of  the 
second  week  ;  still  less  likely  to  have  treble  that 
amount  of  surplus  at  the  end  of  the  third  week — and 
so  on  indefinitely.  Then,  when  the  periodical  appeal 
is  made  for  large  subscriptions,  the  most  of  this 
whole  aggregate  is  lost.  And  thus,  too,  multitudes, 
gifted  with  elements  of  power,  grow  up,  live  and  die 
within  the  precincts  of  the  church,  without  the  least 
feeling  of  responsibility  touching  the  blessed  work 
that  Christ  has  committed  to  his  people,  and  without 
any  fit  means  of  developing  their  sentiments  and 
emotions,  into  habits  of  manly  and  effective  action. 
In  this  respect  **  the  children  of  this  world  are  wiser 
in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  light,"  for 
the  Eomish  church,  (so-called,)  which  is  composed 
of  nations,  and  rules  empires,  is  really  pushing  for- 


27?       Christianity  and  Liberal-giving. 

ward  her  ambitious  projects  in  our  land  by  means 
of  revenues  drawn  from  the  regular  contributions 
of  laboring  families. 

And,  last  of  all,  though  this  consideration  be  not 
the  least  of  all,  this  lively,  pervasive  and  increasing 
interest  of  the  whole  church  in  a  common  work,  is 
quite  essential  to  its  spiritual  welfare  ;  to  its  com- 
pactness, strength,  and  efficiency.  Very  widely 
throughout  the  churches  of  our  land,  it  is  a  common 
sentiment  that  the  chief  business  of  a  church,  in 
what  are  called  meetings  for  business,  consists  in 
receiving,  discipling,  dismissing,  or  excluding  mem- 
bers. If  nothing  of  this  kind  is  to  be  done,  the 
church  has  no  business  to  engross  its  thoughts. 
And  thus  the  mighty  work  of  spreading,  the  tri- 
umphs of  the  truth  throughout  a  hostile  world,  is 
well-nigh  overlooked ;  it  does  not  actually  attract 
the  members  of  the  church  together  in  earnest  delib- 
eration ;  it  does  not  task  their  highest  talents  ;  it 
awakens  no  forethought ;  it  kindles  no  sympathy, 
and  therefore  fails  to  unite  them  by  those  bonds  of 
love  which  are  always  created  by  the  spirit  of  lofty 
and  holy  enterprise.  "  For  this  cause  many  are 
sickly  among  them,  and  many  sleep.''  This  is  not 
"after  the  manner  of  God.''  The  first  Christian 
church  which  this  world  ever  saw,  composed  of 
Gentile  converts,  was  at  Antioch,  in  Syria.  The 
first  fact  recorded  in  its  history,  after  its  peaceful 
establishment,  is  that  of  its  coming  together  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  forth  missionaries  to  the  sur- 
rounding heathen  countries.  The  second  fact,  is 
that  of  its  coming  together  to  receive  a  report  of 


Christianity  and  Liberal-giving.         273 

what  those  missionaries  had  been  doing.  Trulj, 
that  wa.-^  a  body  "  fitly  joined  together."  The  mem- 
bers of  that  church  were  united  by  one  noble  aim  ; 
they  loved  each  other  for  their  works'  sake,  and  the 
voice  of  joy  was  in  their  tabernacle. 

Christian  Friends,  may  we  not  imitate  them  ?  Do 
we  not  profess  the  same  religion  ?  Have  we  not  tlie 
same  master  ?  Does  not  the  same  work  still  lie 
before  us  ?  If  we  tread  in  their  footsteps,  and  carry 
forward  what  they  begun  with  a  kindred  spirit,  may 
we  not  expect  the  blessing  of  Heaven  in  larger  mea- 
sure than  we  have  ever  yet  received  it  so  that  the 
world  itself  shall  be  constrained  to  renew  the  song 
of  the  ancient  prophet,  even  though,  like  him,  it  may 
be  loath  to  utter  it — "  Surely  there  is  no  enchant- 
ment against  Jacob,  there  is  no  divination  against 
Israel ;  according  to  this  time  it  shall  be  said  of 
Jacob  and  of  Israel,  What  hath  God  wrought  I" 


CHRISTIAN    UNION. 


PHILLIPIANS,   III.    16. 


Neverlh   '  ss,  wl  »»reto  v  e  have  already  attained,  let  us  walk  by  the  sf  .me  rale, 
let  us  mind  the  same  thing. 


A  REMARKABLE  feature  of  the  mind  of  Paul  was 
its  enlargedness — a  habit  of  taking  wide,  noble  and 
benevolent  views  of  men  and  things  in  the  light  of 
religion.  There  was  in  him  a  wonderful  combina- 
tion of  unyielding  strictness  in  regard  to  the  essen- 
tial elements  of  Christianity,  and  of  comprehensive 
liberality  in  regard  to  all  that  was  not  of  vital 
importance.  This  was  the  more  wonderful,  con- 
sidering his  early  character.  In  the  Jewish  school, 
he  had  been  educated  to  narrowness.  He  was  a 
Pharisee  of  the  straitest  sect ;  in  his  code  of  morals, 
charity  was  no  virtue,  and  he  was  even  ready  to 
hurl  his  anathemas  against  those  who  slighted  the 
ceremonies  which  had  no  better  basis  than  tradition. 
It  is  so  natural  for  men  in  their  changes  of  opinion, 
to  rush  from  one  extreme  to  its  opposite,  that  it 
might  at  first  have  been  justly  supposed,  that  as 
Paul  had  been  a  bigoted  Jew,  he  would  have  made 


Christian  Union.  275 

a  bigoted  Christian.  And  so  indeed  he  would,  had 
the  change  been  chiefly  such  as  many  think  ;  a  mere 
change  of  creed,  a  belief  in  a  new  theological  sys- 
tem. But  in  his  case,  it  was  a  new  spiritual  crea- 
tion, which  occurs  in  the  case  of  every  man  who  is 
"  in  Christ."  The  power  which  enlightened  his 
mind,  enlarged  his  heart ;  the  Christianity  which 
he  received  was  a  religion  of  love  ;  its  faith  wrought 
by  love,  and  the  end  of  its  commandment,  was  charity 
out  of  a  pure  heart  and  faith  unfeigned. 

An  illustration  of  this  trait  of  his  character  is 
found  in  the  precept  of  the  text.  At  the  time  in 
which  he  wrote,  Christianity  had  been  widely  spread, 
and  embraced  within  its  pale  men  of  diverse  habits 
and  opposing  opinions.  The  Jew  was  still  inclined 
to  Judaize,  to  bring  into  the  church  a  ritual  as  punc- 
tilious as  that  which  marked  the  old  economy  ;  and 
the  Gentile  was  disposed  to  treat  the  notions  of  the 
Jews  with  as  little  respect  as  ever,  when  they  were 
pressed  on  his  conscience  as  a  matter  of  obligation. 
Thence  there  was  constant  danger  at  the  outset,  of 
Christians  forming  new  parties,  and  cherishing  to- 
ward each  other  sectarian  antipathies.  It  is  delight- 
ful to  see  how  fitted  was  the  apostle  for  such  an 
emergency.  He,  truly,  magnified  his  office.  Instead 
of  entering  into  the  details  of  disputation,  he  pro- 
claimed those  principles  of  Christian  liberty,  whicli 
were  suited  to  compose  existing  strife  and  to  guide 
all  future  ages.  Though  he  possessed  the  authority 
of  an  inspired  apostle,  he  did  not  interfere  in  the 
dispute  by  saying  who  had  the  most  of  right  and 
truth  on  his  side   the  Jew  or  the  Gentile  ;  but  he 


276  Christian  Union. 

seemed  far  more  anxious  that  they  should  walk  in 
love  on  common  ground  and  cooperate  as  far  as  they 
were  agreed,  than  that  they  should  be  all  of  one 
opinion.  He  desired  more  to  see  Christians  diflfer- 
ing  in  belief,  loving  each  other  notwithstanding  that 
difference^  than  to  see  them  all  of  the  same  opinion. 
We  have  in  the  text  a  specimen  of  his  manner  of 
exhorting  on  this  subject  when  he  says,  "  as  far  as 
we  have  attained,  let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let 
us  mind  the  same  thing.'' 
Let  us  proceed  : 

I.  To  consider  more  fully  the  import  of  this  rule. 

II.  Its  general  excellence. 

III.  Some  of  its  applications. 

1.  All  true  Christians,  however  they  may  differ  in 
education  or  sentiment,  have  attained  to  the  know- 
ledge of  some  principles  of  everlasting  worth  which 
are  common  to  them.  All  who  have  been  convinced 
by  the  law  as  transgressors,  who  have  heartily  turned 
to  Christ  the  atoning  Saviour,  and  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  have  given  themselves  up  to  his  service,  are 
members  of  the  same  great  spiritual  family,  and  are 
united  by  bonds  which  can  never  be  broken.  These 
hold  to  each  other  a  sacred  and  eternal  relationship. 
Thence  instead  of  magnifying  their  differences,  they 
should  strengthen  their  points  of  agreement,  coope- 
rate, on  ground  that  is  common,  for  the  good  of  the 
world,  and  respecting  cordially  the  liberty  of  each 
other's  conscience,  should,  as  far  as  possible,  be 
helpers  of  each  other's  joy.  Whereunto  they  have 
attained,  they  should  walk  by  the  same  rule  and 
mind  the  same  thing ;  that  is,  should  bring  their 


Christian  Union.  277 

commoii  principles  into  active  exercise  and  seek 
together  the  glory  of  Christ  as  a  common  object. 

Now  see  how  the  cases  of  collision  which  occurred 
under  the  apostle's  ministration,  illustrate  this  rule. 
One  subject  of  dispute  in  that  day,  was  the  propriety 
of  eating  meats  sold  in  the  shambles  of  idolaters. 
"  One  believeth  he  may  eat  all  things,  another  who 
is  weak,  eateth  herbs."  Rom.  xiv.  2.  What  is  the 
direction  '?  Y.  3.  "  Let  not  him  that  eateth,  despise 
him  that  eateth  not ;  and  let  not  him  that  eateth  not, 
judge  him  that  eateth  :  for  God  had  received  him." 
Y.  15.  "  But  if  thy  brother  be  grieved  with  thy 
meat,  now  walkest  thou  not  charitably.  Destroy 
not  him  with  thy  meat,  for  whom  Christ  died." 
"  For  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink  ; 
but  righteousness,  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost."  "  Let  us,  therefore,  follow  after  the  things 
which  make  for  peace,  and  things  wherewith  one 
may  edify  another."  Each  Christian  is  exhorted  to 
waive  every  privilege  grievous  to  his  brother,  which 
is  not  a  matter  of  conscience,  and  touching  what  is 
a  matter  of  conscience,  each  is  exhorted  to  respect 
the  other's  liberty,  and  to  strive  "  whereto  they  have 
already  attained  to  walk  by  the  same  rule,  to  mind 
the  same  thing." 

Another  subject  of  division,  was  the  observance 
of  holy  days  ;  which  were  marked  with  honor  in  the 
Jewish  calendar.  E-om.  xiv.  5.  "  One  man  esteem- 
eth  one  day  above  another  ;  another  esteemeth  every 
day  alike.  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his 
own  mind."  "  He  that  regardeth  the  day,  regardeth 
it  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  he  that  regardeth  not  the  dav, 


278  Christian  Union. 

to  the  Lord  he  doth  not  regard  it."  That  is,  one 
man's  disregard  of  the  day  is  as  much  a  matter  of 
conscience  touching  his  duty  to  God,  as  is  the  other's 
observance  of  it.  "  But  why  dost  thou  judge  thy 
brother  ?  Or  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy 
brother  ?  For  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judg- 
ment seat  of  Christ."  "  Let  no  man,  therefore,  judge 
you,  in  meat  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holy 
day,  or  of  the  new  moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath-days, 
which  are  a  shadow  of  things  to  come,  but  the  body 
is  Christ."  "  And  let  the  peace  of  God  rule  in  your 
hearts,  to  which  also  ye  are  called  in  one  body  j  and 
be  ye  thankful." 

Now  it  must  be  remembered,  that  in  the  mind  of 
the  Jew,  the  observance  of  these  holy  days,  was  a 
matter  of  great  importance,  consecrated  as  it  was  by 
ancient  custom  and  the  most  sacred  associations. 
Yet  in  regard  to  it  the  apostle  seems  far  more 
anxious  that  each  should  cheerfully  allow  the  other 
his  liberty  of  conscience,  that  each  should  respect 
and  love  the  other,  notwithstanding  a  difference  of 
practice,  than  he  is  to  settle  the  merits  of  the  con- 
troversy. 

One  of  the  most  agitating  subjects  of  discussion 
amongst  the  early  Christians,  was  the  right  to  eat 
meat  in  an  idol's  temple.  The  Jewish  Christian 
thought  it  a  species  of  profanity.  The  Gentile  saw 
no  more  harm  in  eating  meat  there  than  any  where 
else.  In  such  a  case,  Paul  wished  the  Jew  to  allow 
his  Gentile  brother  to  do  as  he  pleased,  as  long  as 
he  did  nothing  in  honour  of  the  idol,  and  urged  the 
Gentile  to  accommodate  himself  to  the  prejudices  of 


Christian  Union.  279 

his  Jewish  brother,  inasmuch  as  he  could  do  it  with- 
out violating  his  conscience  or  without  sacrificing 
any  real  good.  Yea,  he  solemnly  charged  the  Gen- 
tile to  forego  what  might  be  called  his  privilege  in 
those  circumstances,  wherein  his  example  might  have 
an  "  appearance  of  evil "  which  would  lead  others 
astray.  In  this  connection  he  proclaims  that  grand, 
comprehensive  rule  of  Christian  morality,  "  whether 
ye  eat  or  drink  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God  ; — Giving  none  oiOfence,  neither  to  the 
Jews  nor  to  the  Gentiles,  nor  to  the  church  of  God. 
Even  as  I  please  all  men  in  all  things  not  seeking 
mine  own  profit  but  the  profit  of  many,  that  they 
may  be  saved." 

What  a  pure,  enlarged,  heavenly  charity  is  this  ! 
How  comprehensive,  how  practical,  how  salutary  ! 
How  magnanimous  is  the  spirit  of  Christianity  !  It 
rejoices  more  in  the  sight  of  love  and  cooperation 
abounding  among  Christians  differing  in  opinion, 
than  it  does  in  the  termination  of  those  very  differ- 
ences. It  declares  that  true  religion  does  not  con- 
sist in  uniformity  of  opinion  or  observance,  but  in 
an  inward  spirit,  in  faith,  love  and  long  suffering — 
in  righteousness,  peace,  joy  and  true  holiness.  These 
conform  the  soul  to  Christ.  These  are  the  springs 
of  outward  virtue.  These  enlarge  the  heart,  bind 
together  men  of  every  variety  of  temperament  and 
every  grade  of  life,  and  leading  each  to  overlook 
every  thing  that  is  not  vital,  causes  him  to  hail  joy- 
fully the  image  of  Christ  wherever  it  appears,  and 
to  say  to  all  the  members  of  a  common  spiritual 
brotherhood,  "  whereto  we  have  already   attained, 


280  Christian  Union. 

let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let  us  mind  the  same 
thing." 

Such  being  the  general  import  of  this  rule,  it  may 
be  well  to  direct  our  attention  more  particularly  to 
its  benefits.     Consider  then, 

II.  Its  excellence. 

First.  It  tends  to  increase  the  mutual  love  of  Chris- 
tians. It  is  an  obvious  truth,  that  nothing  is  more 
adapted  to  foster  a  warm  and  reciprocal  attachment 
amongst  any  class  of  men,  than  a  quick  sensibility 
to  those  interests  and  objects  of  pursuit,  which  are 
common  to  them.  How  often  has  it  been  seen,  that 
when  the  natural  and  worldly  sympathies  of  men 
have  become  all  dormant,  some  emergency  has 
brought  them  out  with  a  power,  which  made  them 
appear  like  the  development  of  a  new  nature.  Some- 
times, for  instance,  when  political  excitement  has 
been  high,  amidst  the  clash  of  party  collision,  it  has 
seemed  as  if  every  trace  of  patriotism,  were  swept 
from  the  land.  Men  engaged  in  thinking  only  of 
the  points  of  difference  between  them,  have  become 
alienated  from  each  other,  and  have  forgotten  that 
there  were  any  ties  of  brotherhood.  But  when  in 
the  course  of  events,  these  men  have  been  called  to 
act  together,  for  the  defence  of  their  country,  at 
once,  all  minor  objects  are  overlooked,  all  petty 
alienations  subside,  and  the  interests  of  a  mean  and 
narrow  selfishness  are  swept  away  before  the  deep, 
broad,  powerful  tide  of  patriotic  feeling. 

Now  while  we  see  such  to  be  the  natural  effect  of 
a  concert  of  action  in  political  life,  there  are  not 
wanting  proofs  of  something  analogous  in  the  reli- 


Christian  Union.  281 

gious  life.  When  the  storms  of  persecution  have 
swept  over  a  land,  how  dear  to  the  hearts  of  all 
Christians,  have  the  bonds  of  a  common  Christianity 
become  !  How  precious  that  name  whereby  each  is 
called  I  How  fervent  that  love  which  unites  all  to 
Christ  and  thence  binds  each  to  the  other !  And 
whence  arises  this  new  development  ?  Whence  but 
from  the  fact  that  the  contemplation  of  their  points 
of  agreement  and  the  acting  together  on  common 
principles  will  make  those  principles  to  appear  in 
their  real  worth  and  will  cause  their  power  to  be 
felt  ?  This  striking  effect  has  been  seen  on  all  ex- 
traordinary occasions,  when  Christians  have  been 
led  as  far  as  they  had  attained  to  walk  by  the  same 
rule,  to  mind  the  same  thing.  And  this,  which  has 
occurred  at  some  times,  would  be  seen  at  all  times, 
if  this  blessed  rule,  were  but  heartily  and  habitually 
adopted.  A  single  gleam  of  such  a  spirit,  whether 
it  appear  in  public  or  private  life,  shines  by  its  own 
light,  imparts  a  peculiar  beauty  to  the  character, 
and  throws  an  abiding  charm  around  the  intercourse 
of  Christians.  As  a  pleasing  illustration  of  this,  it 
may  be  proper  to  mention  here,  what  was  once 
stated  at  a  public  meeting  in  England,  that  "  a  lady 
who  solicited  subscriptions  for  a  Missionary  Society 
in  the  town  where  she  resided,  called  upon  a  pious 
tradesman  who  was  not  a  churchman.  On  entering, 
she  said,  '  I  wait  on  you.  Sir,  from  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society,  because  I  have  undertaken  to  call 
at  every  house  in  my  division,  but,  as  I  believe  you 
are  not  a  Churchman,  I  cannot  presume  to  calculate 
upon  your  subscription  :  and,  though  we  are  happy 


282  Christian  Union. 

to  receive  support  from  any  one,  I  ought  not  perhaps 
to  expect  it  from  you  ;  and,  therefore,  having  ful- 
filled my  engagement  by  calling,  I  will  now  cheer- 
fully take  my  leave.'  *  Stop,  madam,'  said  he,  '  I 
cannot  suffer  you  to  go  away  thus.  It  is  true,'  he 
added,  '  we  have  a  Missionary  society  of  our  own  ; 
but  when  I  consider  how  long  I  have  lived  in  this 
place,  and  how  little  comparatively  has  been  done 
here  in  a  religious  point  of  view,  until  the  formation 
of  your  Missionary  society,  I  am  truly  thankful  to 
God  for  his  goodness,  and  you  shall  take  the  names 
of  my  wife  and  daughter,  as  humble,  but  cheerful  con- 
tributors.' While  he  yet  spake,  *  the  springs  which 
were  in  his  head,'  (as  John  Bunyan  says,)  *  did  send 
the  waters  down  his  cheeks.' 

"  The  lady,  after  receiving  the  subscription  of  the 
Wesleyan,  said,  '  Now,  sir,  as  you  have  been  so  kind 
and  liberal  towards  our  society,  you  must  allow  me 
to  give  you  a  testimony  of  my  good  will  towards 
yours."  Accordingly,  she  insisted  upon  his  accept- 
ing from  her  own  purse,  a  donation  for  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  society.  Truly  when  a  charity  so  candid 
and  reciprocal  as  this  shall  pervade  the  church,  divi- 
sions will  be  comparatively  nominal  and  harmless  ; 
"  for  as  the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead,"  so  sec- 
tarianism bereft  of  its  selfish  spirit  is  dead  also. 

Secondly.  Thence  we  see  that  the  maxim  of  the 
text,  if  acted  on  by  all  Christians,  would  increase 
their  power  of  doing  good.  For  all  power  is  increased 
by  a  habit  of  action,  and  in  all  departments  of  soci- 
ety the  social  law  is  as  fixed  as  any  law  of  nature, 
that  combined  action  concentrates  and  multiplies 


Christian  Union.  383 

energy.  If  we  connect  with  this  the  interesting 
thought  that  among  true  Christians  their  points  of 
agreement  are  of  more  importance  than  their  points 
of  difference,  we  cannot  but  rejoice  to  think  of  the 
amount  of  power  which  the  friends  of  Christ  might 
bring  to  bear  in  behalf  of  a  perishing  world.  Nor 
can  we  fail  to  deplore  the  amount  of  power  which  is 
wasted,  while  Christians  wait  for  a  unanimity  of 
opinion  on  all  disputed  points,  ere  they  heartily 
cooperate  in  behalf  of  principles  which  are  clear, 
fixed  and  of  supreme  importance.  Oh !  that  the 
children  of  light  were  as  wise  in  their  generation  as 
the  children  of  this  world !  Oh  1  that  the  sacra- 
mental host  of  God  would  rally  round  the  ground 
which  is  common,  maintain  it,  beautify  it,  and  cheer 
each  other  on  to  wider  conquests  !  Then  would  Zion 
put  on  her  strength  and  appear  in  her  glory.  Then 
would  she  gain  the  world  and  a  spirit  would  be 
kindled  which  would  consume  all  causes  of  dissen- 
sion and  melt  and  blend  all  hearts  in  a  holy,  happy 
union. 

Thirdly.  This  leads  me  to  observe  that  the  rule 
suggested  in  the  text  is  the  very  best  means  to 
induce  among  all  Christians  a  general  unity  of  opinion 
and  practice^  There  is  certainly  at  the  present  day 
a  more  deep  and  fervent  desire  among  Christians  at 
large,  for  an  intimate  and  visible  union,  than  has 
existed  heretofore.  This  is  a  happy  sign.  It  appears 
in  every  quarter.  It  is  seen  in  the  books  which 
issue  from  the  press,  it  is  breathed  from  the  lips  of 
prayer  in  the  public  sanctuary  and  at  the  family 
altar     But  this  event,  so  devoutly  to  be  wished,  is 


284  Christian  Union. 

not  to  be  brought  about  merely  by  cogent  reason- 
ings, by  well-set  arguments,  by  earnest  discussion, 
though  in  love,  nor  merely  by  prayer  itself.  All 
these  must  be  connected  with  an  active  and  hearty 
cooperation  of  Christians,  on  ground  that  is  common 
for  the  general  good.  The  principles  which  arc 
admitted  must  have  wider  scope,  a  freer  operation 
in  a  clear  field,  before  there  can  be  a  much  greater 
approach  to  Christian  union.  Each  must  respect 
the  other's  independence  of  mind.  Each  must  really 
be  jealous  for  his  brother's  freedom  of  conscience, 
and  then  study  how  both  can  do  the  most  for  Christ's 
glory,  on  the  ground  of  common  principles,  before 
the  mists  of  prejudice  can  be  dispelled,  and  the 
causes  of  separation  dissolved,  and  heart  be  bound 
to  heart,  in  the  ties  of  a  real  and  enduring  union. 
Let  this  but  be  done,  let  the  maxim  of  the  text  thus 
be  practised,  and  candor  will  take  the  place  of  preju- 
dice, and  confidence  will  take  the  place  of  suspicion, 
and  charity  will  rule  in  the  room  of  jealousy,  truth 
will  be  investigated  by  new  lights,  with  hearts  more 
simple  and  eyes  more  single,  till  ere  long,  one  mind 
will  be  seen  approximating  to  another,  seeking  the 
same  thing,  using  the  same  means,  and  reaching  the 
same  end,  and  so,  at  last,  the  full  glory  of  the  Lord 
will  appear  in  Zion,  her  watchmen  shall  all  see  eye 
to  eye,  and  lift  up  their  voice  in  perfect  harmony. 

Fourthly.  The  excellence  of  this  maxim  may  be 
seen  if  we  consider,  that  in  the  practice  of  it,  the 
evil  of  all  difference  of  opinion  would  be  in  a  great 
degree  obviated,  because  the  church  would  then  in- 
fluence the  world,  by  exhibiting  a  bright  example 


Christian  Union.  285 

of  the  Christian  spirit.  For  certainly  there  is  some- 
thing much  more  adapted  to  impress  the  mind  with 
a  sense  of  the  reality  and  power  of  religion,  in  see- 
ing Christians  of  different  opinions,  loving  each 
other  and  acting  together  for  the  glory  of  God,  than 
in  seeing  a  large  body  distinguished  by  a  perfect 
unity  of  sentiment,  joining  in  the  same  worship,  and 
in  observing  the  same  ecclesiastical  rules.  Such  a 
unity  has  long  been  the  boast  of  the  Komish  church, 
but  to  what  has  it  amounted  ?  What  moral  excel- 
lence was  there  in  it  ?  What  has  it  done  for  the 
world  ?  How  has  it  honored  Christianity  ?  Through- 
out her  vast  dominion,  in  the  days  of  her  power, 
when  none  ventured  to  mutter  a  word  of  dissent 
from  her  decrees,  there  was  unity  indeed,  but  the 
stillness  which  prevailed  was  the  stillness  of  moral 
death,  the  silence  of  the  sepulchre,  when  the  spirit 
of  true  freedom  and  of  real  Christianity  had  expired 
together.  And  even  now,  if  throughout  the  world, 
all  Christians  were  called  by  the  same  name  and 
acknowledged  the  same  discipline  and  observed  pre- 
cisely the  same  order,  that  unity  would  be  by  no 
means  so  impressive  and  effective,  as  the  unity  of 
the  spirit  kept  in  the  bonds  of  peace,  and  manifested 
in  a  hearty  cooperation  for  the  spread  of  truth,  the 
progress  of  society,  the  honor  of  religion,  and  the 
salvation  of  the  world.  In  such  a  union  as  this  the 
world  itself  sees  a  moral  glory,  feels  its  power,  is 
forced  to  pay  it  homage,  and  to  say,  "  it  is  of  God." 
In  this,  the  spirit  of  Christianity  is  revealed,  and 
Christianity  is  proved  to  be  the  religion  of  love. 
Its  subjects  feel  within  them  the  working  of  a  kin- 


286  Christian  Union. 

dred  spirit,  and  the  strengthening  of  common  bonds, 
love  each  other  more  and  more,  and  so  exalt  Christ 
as  to  draw  all  men  to  him.  Then  is  seen  on  earth 
the  blessing  Jesus  sought,  when  he  prayed  for  his 
disciples,  that  they  all  might  be  one,  ''  as  thou 
Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may 
be  one  in  us  ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
hast  sent  me." 

III.  Such  being  the  excellence  of  this  rule,  let  us 
now  proceed  to  consider  some  of  its  applications. 

First.  It  applies  to  the  spiritual  fellowship  of 
Christians.  All  true  Christians  have  attained  to 
the  knowledge  of  some  truths  which  are  of  eternal 
worth,  and  which  form  the  ground  of  an  everlasting 
fellowship.  All  such  have  learned  to  prize  Chris- 
tianity as  the  religion  of  sinners.  They  have  all 
been  convinced  of  sin  by  the  law,  felt  and  confessed 
their  just  condemnation,  turned  from  sin  with  godly 
sorrow,  trusted  in  the  atoning  merits  of  an  Almighty 
Saviour,  and  feeling  their  dependence  on  the  Holy 
Spirit,  have  panted  for  his  sanctifying  influences. 
All  such,  wherever  they  may  be,  whatever  name 
they  may  bear,  should  love  each  other  with  pure 
hearts  fervently.  No  Christian  should  fail  to  cher- 
ish and  acknowledge  a  cordial  fellowship  towards 
any  member  of  Christ's  family,  on  account  of  the 
ignorance,  or  prejudice,  or  pride,  or  any  infirmity 
which  may  mar  or  deform  the  image  of  the  Saviour, 
in  one  whom  he  must  still  regard  as  a  brother.  He 
should  love  him  in  spite  of  these.  These  will  all  pass 
away,  if  the  elements  of  Christian  character  are 
there,  and  that  soul  will  shine  in  celestial  purity  on 


Christian  Union.  287 

high.  Each,  therefore,  should  seek  to  make  the  most 
of  the  other  here,  to  increase  his  purity  and  his  use- 
fulness, and  to  cause  all  that  he  has,  to  redound  to 
the  glory  of  God.  Such  is  the  natural  tendency  of 
Christian  principles  when  their  operation  is  left  un- 
embarrassed. It  may  be  easy  for  men  to  raise  nice 
questions  on  articles  of  belief,  ecclesiastical  councils 
may  comprise  their  creed .  in  two  points,  in  five,  or 
thirty-nine,  and  say  that  to  receive  them  all  is  ne- 
cessary to  church  fellowship  ;  yet  after  all  it  will  be 
found  that  those  who  as  lost  sinners,  have  fled  to 
Christ  as  a  divine  and  atoning  Saviour,  and  through 
the  spirit  of  peace,  are  seeking  to  live  to  his  glory, 
will  recognize  in  each  other  kindred  elements,  "  the 
unction  from  the  Holy  one,"  which  quickens  and  en- 
lightens, will  feel  that  this  is  true  religion ;  and 
though  unlearned  in  every  thing  except  the  Bible, 
will  discern  here  the  impress  of  evangelical  Chris- 
tianity. With  the  truth  of  this,  I  was  once  deeply 
impressed  when  on  a  visit  to  Switzerland,  I  happened 
one  day  to  be  in  company  with  one  of  the  oldest 
ministers  of  that  beautiful  country.  It  was  on  a 
Saturday  morning.  He  was  sitting  in  a  summer 
house  surrounded  with  trees  and  flowers,  and  sing- 
ing birds,  preparing  a  sermon  for  the  Sabbath.  As 
the  old  man  rose  to  bid  me  welcome,  his  benignant 
features,  his  white  locks  hanging  around  his  should- 
ers, his  gentle  expressions  awakened  in  my  heart 
deep  feelings  of  reverence  and  esteem.  Very  soon 
he  made  some  inquiries  respecting  the  state  of  theo- 
logical opinion  in  America,  and  expressed  his  dis- 
satisfaction with  some  views  touching  the  mode  of 


288  Christian  Unions 

preaching  the  gospel,  which  he  perceived  me  to  fa- 
vor. Ere  long  he  asked,  "  with  what  church  are  you 
connected  ?  ''  I  replied  that  I  was  pastor  of  a  Bap- 
tist church.  With  quick  emotion  and  frank  expres- 
sion, he  made  known  to  me  his  dislike  of  the  doc- 
trine which  excluded  infants  from  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism. To  this  I  said.  Sir,  I  doubt  not  that  you  re- 
ject that  doctrine  for  the  same  reason  which  leads 
me  to  embrace  it ;  that  is,  what  seems  to  be  the  will 
of  Christ,  so  that  there,  we  are  one  !  That  remark 
touched  a  chord  in  the  old  man's  bosom,  which  vi- 
brated in  unison  with  its  spirit,  and  to  it  he  cor- 
dially responded.  After  an  hour  of  animated  theo- 
logical discussion,  I  rose  to  leave  him.  Accompany- 
ing me  to  his  garden  gate,  he  said,  *'  My  young 
friend,  I  think  you  are  cherishing  some  errors,  but 
you  are  a  child  of  God's  covenant,  I  trust ;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Saviour's  family."  Then  presenting  to 
me  the  token  of  friendship  which  prevails  in  many 
parts  of  Europe,  as  well  as  in  Eastern  lands,  the 
salutation  with  a  kiss,  he  lifted  up  his  hands,  invok- 
ed on  me  the  blessing  of  Heaven,  a  safe  return  to 
my  native  land — and  so,  bade  me  ^''  farewellJ^  How 
could  I  help  feeling  as  I  left  him,  that  it  was  better 
for  us  to  differ  as  we  did  in  theological  sentiment, 
and  yet  cherish  this  union  of  soul,  than  it  would  be 
ta  agree  on  every  point  of  doctrine  and  church  or- 
der, with  less  of  that  spiritual  fellowship  which  was 
the  object  of  the  Saviour's  prayer,  and  which  consti- 
tutes the  bliss  of  heaven  !  What  is  the  chaff  to  the 
wheat  ?  saith  the  Lord. 
Secondly.  This  rule  applies  to  the  ecclesiastical 


Christian  Union.  289 

fellowship  of  Christians.  It  were  indeed  devoutly 
to  be  wished,  that  our  spiritual  and  ecclesiastical 
fellowship  were  commensurate  ;  that  all  who  are 
members  of  Christ's  spiritual  family,  could  unite  in 
one  visible  church.  But  in  the  present  imperfect 
state  of  human  nature,  this  seems  to  be  impossible. 
From  age  to  age,  true  Christians  have  differed  not 
so  much  about  the  doctrines  of  the  church  as  its  con- 
stitution. Some  have  regarded  the  church  as  a  na- 
tional institution,  rightfully  embracing  all  who  were 
born  within  a  certain  political  boundary,  who  were 
thus  committed  to  her  charge  to  be  trained  up  for 
heaven.  Others  have  regarded  the  church  as  em- 
bracing the  children  of  believing  parents,  who  have 
been  dedicated  at  her  altar.  Some  regard  the  church 
visible  as  being  destitute  of  outward  rites.  Others 
regard  the  church  as  being  destitute  of  a  regular 
ministry.  Some  consider  the  church  as  consisting 
essentially  of  a  Christian  priesthood  empowered  to 
administer  ordinances;  and  transmitted  by  virtue  of 
successive  ordinations  from  the  apostolic  age  on- 
ward till  now.  Others  view  the  church  as  consist- 
ing simply  of  an  association  of  believers,  combined  on 
the  ground  of  a  common  faith  professed  by  a  volun- 
tary baptism,  in  the  name  of  Christ.  Of  course 
these  different  views  involve  different  requisitions 
for  membership  in  a  Christian  church.  One  church, 
therefore,  will  look  upon  another  as  not  properly 
constituted.  Now,  the  Christian  rule  demands,  that 
for  such  difference,  no  one  judge  his  brother,  or  exile 
him  from  his  spiritual  communion,  but  that  he  res- 
pect his  liberty,  and  love  him  for  his  conscientious 


290  Christian  Union. 

regard  to  what  he  deems  the  will  of  his  Lord.  Far 
more  should  I  rejoice,  to  see  a  man  striving  to  keep 
his  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God,  than  that 
he  should  strive  to  agree  with  me  in  every  opinion. 
If  my  ministering  brother  believe  that  ordination  by 
the  hand  of  a  diocesan  bishop,  is  necessary  to  qualify 
a  man  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  of  course  ought  to 
submit  to  it,  nor  ought  I  to  charge  him  with  aught 
uncharitable,  if  he  cannot  invite  me  to  his  pulpit, 
but  rather  to  honor  him  for  his  consistency.  If  on 
the  other  hand,  I  regard  immersion  in  Christ's  name 
on  a  profession  of  faith,  as  essential  to  church  mem- 
bership, and  the  outward  communion,  no  one  should 
think  it  at  all  uncharitable,  if  in  those  relations,  I 
should  unite  with  only  those  who  have  met  the  as- 
signed conditions.  Each  should  ask,  "  what  is  truth," 
should  study  Christ's  will  himself,  and  do  it  from 
the  heart ;  and  urging  the  same  duty  on  his  Chris- 
tian brother,  leave  him  to  follow  out  the  convictions 
of  his  own  mind,  resolving  still,  that  as  far  as  we 
have  attained,  we  will  walk  by  the  same  rule,  and 
mind  the  same  thing.  Oh !  what  a  beautiful  scene 
would  the  whole  garden  of  the  Lord  present^  if  such 
a  heartfelt,  generous  charity  prevailed  !  Then,  how 
comparatively  insignificant  the  evil  of  a  difference 
of  opinion !  How  happily  adapted,  rather  to  en- 
large our  hearts,  to  try  the  reality  of  our  love,  and 
to  show  "  what  manner  of  spirit  we  are  of." 

Thirdly.  This  rule  applies  to  the  efforts  of  Chris- 
tians, in  the  field  of  benevolent  enterprize.  He  who 
looks  upon  the  world  with  a  Christian's  eye,  knows 
that  this  field  is  large  enough  to  give  full  scope  to 


Christian  Union.  291 

all  the  power  that  can  be  enlisted  on  the  side  of 
righteousness.  His  spirit  sometimes  faints  in  view 
of  its  vast  extent,  of  the  amount  of  ignorance  to  be 
enlightened,  of  suffering  to  be  relieved,  of  vice  to  be 
exterminated,  of  subtile  wisdom  to  be  baffled,  the 
number  of  souls  to  be  converted,  and  of  improve- 
ments to  be  made  in  the  progress  of  society.  Now 
it  will  unavoidably  happen,  that  in  regard  to  the 
means  to  be  used  for  doing  all  this,  in  regard  to  the 
right  and  expediency  of  some  measures,  there  will 
be  a  difference  of  opinion.  Each  takes  strong  views 
of  the  case,  in  its  various  aspects.  But,  then,  each 
is  too  prone  to  feel  that  he  sees  the  whole,  that  he 
knows  what  is  best,  that  wisdom  is  with  him,  that 
he  lives  exactly  under  the  meridian  blaze  of  truth, 
and  to  denounce  those  who  do  not  see  the  path  to 
be  pursued  in  just  the  same  line  of  light,  as  pitiably 
or  criminally  blind.  Thence  each  in  his  narrowness, 
is  too  prone  to  link  himself  to  some  favorite  object 
and  favorite  means  of  attaining  it,  to  cast  out  all 
others  from  the  sphere  of  his  sympathy,  and  to  disso- 
ciate himself  from  those  who  cannot  work  for  his  one 
object,  in  his  one  way.  But  this  is  not  the  manner 
of  God  ;  this  is  not  according  to  the  mind  of  Christ. 
This  contravenes  the  maxim  of  the  text.  That 
would  lead  us,  if  we  cannot  cooperate  with  a  Chris- 
tian brother  in  all  things,  to  unite  with  him  in  doing 
some  ;  if  not  in  many,  in  a  few  ;  if  not  in  two,  we 
should  do  it  in  one.  He  may  seem  to  be  bigoted, 
prejudiced,  or  ill-informed  ;  but  then  judge  him  not, 
abandon  him  not ;  the  way  to  enlarge  his  mind  is  to 
give  play  to  the  kindly  feeling  which  he  does  pos- 


292  Christian  Union. 

sess,  and  aid  him  to  act  out  even  in  a  narrow  sphere, 
that  one  principle  which  he  does  avow,  in  unison 
with  you.  He  may  cherish  some  errors  of  judgment, 
and  thence  of  practice  which  you  deeply  deplore — 
he  may  be  blind  to  some  truths,  which  seem  to  you 
the  clearest  of  all — he  may  look  coldly  on  some 
enterprize,  which  you  regard  as  of  the  highest  mo- 
ment— yea  more,  he  may,  quite  unconscious  of  wrong, 
or  submitting,  as  he  thinks,  to  the  hard  law  of  his 
condition,  hold  your  brother  in  involuntary  servi- 
tude ;  yet  unless  the  circumstances  of  his  case  are 
such  as  to  constrain  you  to  say  in  the  spirit  of 
charity,  *'  this  man  knoweth  not  Christ,  and  the  love 
of  the  Father  is  not  in  him,"  far,  far  be  it  from  you, 
to  deny  the  sacred  relation  which  you  hold  to  him,  to 

"  Snatch  from  God's  hand  the  balance  and  the  rod," 

and  doom  him  to  a  place  without  the  pale  of  Chris- 
tian fellowship.  If  he  be  still  in  spirit  a  brother, 
own  and  honor  him  as  such.  If  he  conform  to  the 
constitutional  laws  of  the  outward  church,  acknow- 
ledge his  standing  there.  Oh  I  turn  not  away  from 
him,  but  ask  how  can  I  augment  his  usefulness  and 
make  what  there  is  of  the  Christian  in  him,  most 
available  for  Christ.  So  will  your  zeal  prove  itself 
to  be  not  a  spark  struck  from  a  heart  of  stone  by 
the  collision  of  outward  events,  kindling  strife  and 
setting  on  fire  the  course  of  nature,  but  a  pure  and 
heavenly  flame,  shining  with  a  constant  lustre,  and 
diffusing  a  genial  light  and  heat  throughout  the 
whole  territory  of  Zion. 


CHRISTIANITY  AND  SLAVERY. 


Domestic  Slavery,  considered  as  a  Scriptural  Institution.     In  a 
Correspondence  between  the  Rev.  Richard  Fuller,  D.D.,  of 
Beaufort,  S.  C,  and  the  Rev.  Francis  Wayland,  D.D.,  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  L     New  York:  Lewis  Colby.     Boston:  Gould,  Ken 
dall  &  Lincoln. 

We  have  before  us  a  remarkable  book.  In  the 
lapse  of  ages,  it  will  probably  be  regarded  as  an 
instructive  fact  in  the  history  of  Christian  civiliza- 
tion, that  in  the  nineteenth  century,  in  the  Republic 
of  North  America, — famed  through  the  world  as  the 
asylum  of  the  oppressed  and  the  home  of  liberty, — 
two  Christian  ministers,  distinguished  for  piety  and 
learning,  united  in  the  common  work  of  sending  the 
gospel  to  the  Pagan  nations,  should  have  felt  them- 
selves called  upon  to  engage  in  an  earnest  discussion 
of  the  question,  Whether  Christianity  sanctions 
slavery ;  or  whether  the  continuance  of  that  rela- 
tion between  master  and  slave,  which  involves  the 
acknowledgment  of  a  right  on  the  part  of  one  man 
to  hold  the  body  and  mind  of  another  man  as  pro- 
perty, is  compatible  with  the  principles  of  Christi- 
anity,— with  the  letter  or  the  spirit  of  its  law  ?    Nor 


294  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

will  the  extraordinary  character  of  this  event  be  at 
all  diminished  by  the  consideration,  that  both  of  the 
disputants  belonged  to  the  denomination  of  Baptists, 
who  had  been  often  known  in  the  world  as  the  advo- 
cates of  religious  liberty, — asserters  of  the  inaliena- 
ble rights  of  the  human  soul ;  who,  in  the  darkest 
ages  of  Romish  tyranny,  declared  with  a  martyr- 
spirit,  before  kings  and  magistrates,  that  one  funda- 
mental doctrine  of  the  new  dispensation,  "  that  con- 
science should  be  free,  and  all  men  be  permitted  to 
worship  God  as  they  are  persuaded  that  he  requires;" 
and  who,  in  different  centuries,  have  been  the  perse- 
cuted champions  of  the  great  truth,  that  the  Bible 
alone  is  the  binding  rule  of  religious  faith, — that  to 
its  possession  every  man  has  a  right,  as  by  it  every 
man  will  be  judged. 

Yet  the  volume  before  us  furnishes  proof  that  such 
a  fact  has  occurred  ;  that,  after  all  that  has  been 
written,  even  by  avowed  infidels,  in  praise  of  Chris- 
tianity, for  its  effects  on  the  social  condition  of  man; 
after  all  that  has  been  done  to  elevate  the  poor  and 
the  oppressed  ;  after  all  that  it  has  taught  respecting 
the  common  origin  and  the  common  redemption  of 
the  race  ;  after  all  the  prophecies  which  it  has  held 
forth,  through  many  centuries,  touching  the  design 
of  God  that  mankind  shall  form  a  common  brother- 
hood ;  after  all  the  evidence  which  theologians  have 
urged  in  proof  of  its  being  a  divine  revelation,  drawn 
from  its  influence  on  the  abolition  of  slavery, — it  k 
still  boldly  asserted  by  a  Christian  minister,  that  the 
essential  principles  of  the  slave-system  itself  Christi- 
anity does  not  reprobate,  but  that  a  man  may  claim 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  295 

to  be  by  right  the  sovereign  lord  and  owner  of  his 
fellow-man,  and  yet  to  be  his  brother  in  Christ,  and 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  all  the  duties  which  are 
enjoined  by  "  the  new  commandment."  Such  is  the 
position  of  Dr.  Fuller  ;  a  position  which  we  aver  to 
be  built  on  the  sand,  to  have  no  foundation  in  the 
teachings  of  the  New  Testament ;  a  position  such, 
that,  if  it  were  true,  would  show  that  the  ''  old  com- 
mandment "  of  Judaism,  which  abolished  slavery, 
was  better  than  the  new  commandment  of  Christi- 
anity, which  allows  it  j  would  show  that  Christianity 
was  not  fit  to  win  its  way  through  all  the  tribes  of 
men,  as  a  universal  religion  ;  would  show,  in  spite 
of  all  its  pretensions  to  miraculous  evidence,  that  as 
yet  the  Messiah  op  ancient  prophecy,  the  Messiah 
of  man,  the  Deliverer  of  the  oppressed,  the  Desire  of 
nations,  the  preacher  of  "  liberty  to  the  captive,"  has 
not  come  ;  and  that,  with  the  Jew,  we  must  take  our 
place  of  lowly  waiting  for  the  "  Consolation  of 
Israel,"  and  the  Promised  seed  in  whom  "all  the 
families  of  the  earth  "  are  to  be  blessed. 

Eloquent  as  is  Dr.  Fuller  in  argument  and  appeal, 
fervent  as  is  the  religious  spirit  which  he  breathes, 
earnest  though  he  be  as  a  preacher  of  pardon  to  the 
sinner,  yet,  by  advocating  such  a  doctrine  of  slavery 
as  an  element  of  Christianity^  he  has  done  greater 
disservice  to  the  cause  of  religion  and  humanity, 
than  could  possibly  be  achieved  by  all  the  traffickers 
of  human  flesh  whom  the  laws  of  Christian  nations 
now  condemn  as  public  enemies  of  their  race.  We 
say  this  in  sorrow,  not  in  anger  ;  for  to  express  one's 
deep  calm,  solemn  conviction  of  a  terrible  truth,  is 


296  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

not  at  war  witli  the  law  of  kindness.  The  actual 
dealers  of  slaves,  of  whom  we  speak,  avow  their  pro- 
fession to  be  that  of  rapacity  ;  their  motive  to  be 
the  love  of  gain  ;  and  it  is  impossible  for  them  to 
corrupt  public  sentiment,  as  may  the  Christian 
teacher.  They  commit  a  great  sin  ;  but  to  misrep- 
resent Christianity  on  this  subject  is  to  take  away 
the  remedy  for  sin.  They  bring  thousands  of  their 
fellow-creatures  into  bondage  ;  but  to  make  men 
believe  that  Christianity  sanctions  a  system  of  bon- 
dage which  thus  begins,  is  to  cut  the  sinew  of  all  the 
moral  power  in  the  world  which  can  destroy  that 
system.  They  can  affect  the  opinions  of  society  but 
little,  because  they  are  abhorred  as  the  enemies  of 
their  race  ;  but  the  minister  of  religion  is  revered  as 
the  interpreter  of  the  divine  will.  They  can  do 
nothing  to  erect  the  bulwarks  of  the  law  around 
their  trade  in  men,  and  around  the  markets  whose 
demands  they  supply  ;  but  he  does  very  much  to 
rear  a  legal  defence  around  a  scheme  of  oppression, 
and  to  perpetuate  a  social  wrong  on  earth,  "  which 
hell  itself  might  shrink  to  own."  What  though  it 
be  said  that  in  him  God  may  account  it  as  an  error 
of  judgment,  and  not  a  sin  of  the  heart  ?  Be  it  so  ; 
but  charity  to  the  man  must  not  conciliate  us  to  his 
error.  We  must  still  declare  it  to  be  an  error  ; 
and,  with  the  New  Testament  in  our  hands,  must 
say  to  the  most  amiable  of  men,  "  Though  you,  or 
an  angel  from  heaven,"  preach  this  doctrine  as  a 
part  of  Christ's  gospel,  we  pronounce  the  sentiment 
to  be  wicked,  inhuman,  antichristian,  and  "accursed." 
In  speaking   thus,  we  are  far  from  denouncing, 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  297 

indiscriminately,  all  those  who  stand  in  the  legal 
relation  of  slave-holders,  as  unworthy  of  being  re- 
garded as  Christian  brethren  ;  for  a  man  may  hold 
this  relation,  in  a  legal  sense,  against  his  own  con- 
sent. He  may  deem  himself  the  victim  of  misfor- 
tune ;  he  may  feel  bound  to  avail  himself  of  his  legal 
power,  for  the  protection  of  his  brethren  ;  and  espe- 
cially he  may,  before  God,  as  a  Christian  man,  abjure 
all  right  and  title  to  his  fellow-men  as  property. 
Such  a  man,  though  nominally  master  of  a  thousand 
slaves,  is  more  truly  a  philanthropist,  and  more 
worthy  the  fellowship  of  the  universal  church,  than 
is  the  Northern  Christian  who  never  saw  a  slave, 
and  still  declares  that  Christianity  sanctions  slavery. 
The  former  is  a  slaveholder  in  name,  but  not  in 
truth  and  in  spirit ;  the  latter  is  called  a  non-slave- 
holder, but  a  change  of  residence  would  make  him 
an  owner  of  men  and  women,  and  he  is  now  a  slave- 
holder in  principle,  in  feeling,  and  in  guiltiness. 
The  author  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  assures  us, 
that  God  judges  men,  not  merely  according  to  their 
overt  acts,  but  according  to  the  intents  of  their 
hearts, — the  objects  of  their  approval  or  abhorrence. 
Hence  we  have  been  deeply  interested  in  the 
argument  contained  in  these  letters,  conducted  by  a 
leading  writer  of  the  South  and  another  of  the 
North.  Not  being  of  those  who  would  say,  "  This 
discussion  belongs  to  the  realm  of  abstractions  ;  it 
is  better  to  let  it  alone,  and  to  deal  only  with  facts;'' 
we  deem  the  discussion  itself  as  a  fact  of  the  highest 
moment.  For  ourselves,  we  have  not  been  aware, 
till  recently,  how  extensively  the  opinion  defended 


298  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

by  Dr.  Fuller  prevails  among  Southern  Christians, 
— how  far  they  have  departed  from  the  purer  doc- 
trines of  their  fathers.  We  supposed  that,  to  a 
wider  extent  than  seems  now  to  be  the  case,  they 
had  agreed  with  us  in  believing  that  Christianity 
entirely  condemns  the  slave  system  ;  and  that  in 
proportion  as  their  influence  in  the  state  was  increas- 
ing, the  day  of  emancipation  was  hastening  on.  We 
had  often  thought  of  them,  as  lacking  a  proper  de- 
gree of  zeal  in  the  work  ;  as  being  timid  and  tardy, 
and  too  subservient  to  the  schemes  of  worldly  poli- 
ticians ;  but  we  had  never  believed  them  so  gene- 
rally to  have  embraced  a  corrupt  doctrine,  to  have 
perverted  the  high  principles  of  Christianity,  and  to 
have  been  pressing  into  the  support  of  slavery  a 
religion  which  came  into  the  world  "  to  comfort  the 
broken-hearted,  to  lift  up  those  who  were  bowed 
down,  to  break  every  yoke,  and  let  the  oppressed 
go  free." 


SECTION    I. 

THE    MAIN    QUESTION. 

While  there  are  many  things  in  these  letters  inci- 
dentally thrown  out  on  both  sides,  which  may  be 
worthy  of  notice  at  some  time,  we  wish  now  to  con- 
sider the  main  question  proposed,  and  the  way  in 
which  it  is  treated. 

The  main  question  is.  Does  Christianity  sanction 
slavery  ?  Dr.  Fuller  asserts  the  affirmative  in  the 
clearest  terms.     He  says  :  "  I  find  my  Bible  con- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  299 

demning  the  abuses  of  slavery,  but  permitting  the 
system  itself.''     Page  4. 

"  The  matter  stands  thus  :  the  Bible  did  autho- 
rize some  sort  of  slavery  ;  if  now  the  abuses  admitted 
and  deplored  by  me  be  essentials  of  all  slavery,  then 
the  Bible  did  allow  those  abuses."     Page  10. 

"  Slavery  was  everywhere  a  part  of  the  social 
organization  of  the  earth  ;  and  slaves  and  their 
masters  were  members  together  of  the  churches  ; 
and  minute  instructions  are  given  to  each  as  to 
their  duties,  without  even  an  insinuation  that  it  was 
the  duty  of  masters  to  emancipate.  Now  I  ask, 
could  this  possibly  be  so,  if  slavery  were  a  '  heinous 
sin  V  No !  every  candid  man  will  answer  no !" 
Page  12. 

"  I  put  it  to  any  one  whether  the  precepts  to  mas- 
ters, enjoining  of  course  their  whole  duty,  and  not 
requiring,  not  exhorting  them  to  emancipate  their 
slaves,  are  not  conclusive  proof  that  the  apostles  did 
not  consider  (and  as  a  New  Testament  precept  is 
for  all  ages,  that  no  one  is  now  justified  in  denounc- 
ing) slave-holding  as  a  sin."    Page  194. 


SECTION  II. 

DR.    fuller's    argument. 

From  these  citations  it  is  evident,  that  the  argu- 
ment of  Dr.  Fuller,  as  to  the  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament,  rests  on  two  points  : 

1.  The  fact  that  the  relation  of  master  and  slave 


300  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

was  recognized  througliout  the  civilized  world,  by 
the  law  of  the  Roman  empire. 

2.  The  silence  of  the  New  Testament,  as  to  the 
duty  of  dissolving  that  relation. 

This  argument  has  respect,  necessarily,  to  the  slave 
system  recognized  by  the  Roman  law,  which  was 
then  so  extensively  supreme,  because  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  our  Saviour  or  the  apostles  ever  came  in 
contact  with  slavery  under  the  Jewish  law.  Among 
the  people  of  Palestine,  involuntary  servitude  had 
been  brought  to  an  end,  hundreds  of  years  before 
the  Christian  era,  by  the  natural  operation  of  the 
code  of  Moses.  Every  slave  bought  of  the  heathen 
received  the  offer  of  freedom  at  the  end  of  every 
seventh  year,  if  he  were  a  Jewish  proselyte  ;  and 
whether  he  were  a  Jewish  proselyte  or  not,  the 
jubilee  trumpet  sounded  forth  the  decree  of  liberty 
at  the  close  of  every  half  century.  The  passage 
quoted  by  Dr.  Fuller,  from  the  xxv.  chapter  of  Le- 
viticus, which  forbids  the  purchase  of  bondmen  from 
any  except  the  heathen  and  strangers,  saying  :  "  Of 
them  shall  ye  buy  bondmen  and  bondmaids,  and  ye 
shall  take  them  as  an  inheritance  for  your  children 
after  you,  to  inherit  them  for  a  possession  ;  they 
shall  be  your  bondmen  forever  j""^  must  be  under- 
stood, in  consistency  with  the  law  of  the  jubilee, 
which  had  been  laid  down  in  a  preceding  part  of 
that  same  chapter,:]:  which  says  :  "  Thou  shalt  cause 
the  trumpet  of  the  jubilee  to  sound,  on  the  tenth  day 
of  the  seventh  month,  in  the  day  of  atonement  shall 

*  Verse  46. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  SOI 

ye  make  the  trumpet  sound  throughout  all  your 
land  ;  and  ye  shall  hallow  the  fiftieth  year,  and  pro- 
claim liberty  throughout  all  the  land,  unto  all  the 
INHABITANTS  THEREOF  :  It  shall  be  a  jubilee  unto 
you  :  and  ye  shall  return  every  man  unto  his  posses- 
sion, and  every  man  unto  his  family.""^  Such  was 
the  law  of  jubilee  ;  limiting  the  sales  of  men,  as  it 
did  the  sales  of  land,  whereof  it  said  :  "  According  to 
the  multitude  of  years  after  the  jubilee,  thou  shalt 
buy  of  thy  neighbor  ;  according  to  the  multitude  of 
years  thou  shalt  increase  the  price  thereof,  and 
according  to  the  fewness  of  years  thou  shalt  diminish 
the  price  of  it :"  when,  therefore,  another  law  enacts 
that  bondmen  shall  be  purchased  of  the  children  of 
the  heathen,  instead  of  the  children  of  Israel,  it  must 
be  understood  that  the  purchase  is  modified  by  the 
previous  law,  and  that  the  meaning  of  the  latter 
statute  is  not  the  entail  of  perpetual  slavery  on  any 
class,  but  simply  the  confining  of  the  Jews  in  the 
purchase  of  servants,  always  and  forever,  to  the 
children  of  the  heathen. 

If  there  were  any  doubt  on  this  point,  our  inter- 
pretation of  the  meaning  of  the  law  would  be  con- 
firmed by  considering  the  fact,  that  the  inspired 
prophets  treated  the  continuance  of  slavery  as  incon- 
sistent with  the  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  precepts.  In 
saying  this,  however,  we  do  not  mean  to  intimate 
that  they  ever  had  occasion  to  denounce  any  kind 
of  oppression  possessing  the  character  of  American 
slavery  ;  for  nothing  like  that  could  have  existed 

*  Yerses  9, 10. 


302  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

a  single  day  in  Palestine  after  the  entrance  cf  the 
Israelites.  American  slavery  originated  in  kid- 
napping men  and  women  from  Africa  ;  but  this  was 
the  only  kind  of  theft  which  the  law  of  Moses  made 
a  capital  crime.  "  He  that  stealeth  a  man,  and 
selleth  him,  or  if  he  be  found  in  his  hand,  he  shall 
surely  be  put  to  death."  (Ex.  xxi.  16.)  The  man- 
stealer,  and  the  man-seller,  and  the  slaveholder,  were 
alike  liable  to  capital  punishment.  The  Mosaic  law 
would  have  always  prevented  the  slavery  of  the 
United  States,  and  would  destroy  it  instantly  now, 
if  put  in  operation.  In  Palestine,  war,  debt,  pov- 
erty, and  voluntary  contract,  originated,  at  different 
periods,  a  servitude  which  was  temporary,  the  peri- 
odical abolition  of  which  was  provided  for  by  law. 
Against  this  abolition,  avarice  would  naturally  re- 
volt, and  seek  to  evade  the  law  for  the  sake  of  gain. 
On  this  point  the  Prophet  Isaiah  lifted  up  his  voice 
like  a  trumpet,  instead  of  treating  it  as  a  subject  too 
delicate  to  be  mentioned,  "  cried  aloud  and  spared 
not,"  saying,  "  Behold,  ye  fast  for  strife,  and  debate, 
and  to  smite  with  the  fist  of  wickedness.  Is  not  this 
the  fast  that  I  have  chosen  ?  to  loose  the  bands  of 
wickedness,  to  undo  the  heavy  burdens,  and  to  let 
the  oppressed  go  free,  and  that  ye  break  every  yoke?^^^ 
If  the  churches  of  the  South  should  make  proclama- 
tion of  a  fast  like  this,  who  would  doubt  that  it 
involved  the  emancipation  of  the  slave,  and  that  this 
would  be  a  fast  most  acceptable  to  God  ? 

Similar  in  spirit  is  the  language  of  the  Prophet 

*  Is.  Iviii  6. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  303 

Jeremiah  in  regard  to  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the 
covetous  rulers  of  that  day,  to  renew  the  bondage 
of  the  Hebrew  servants  after  they  had  been  released. 
See  the  xxxivth  chapter,  from  the  12th  verse  onward. 
"  Then  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Jeremiah  from 
the  Lord,  saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of 
Israel,  I  made  a  covenant  with  your  fathers  in  the 
day  that  I  brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondmen,  saying.  At  the 
end  of  seven  years  let  ye  go  every  man  his  brother, 
a  Hebrew  who  hath  been  sold  unto  thee  ;  and  when 
he  hath  served  thee  six  years,  thou  shalt  let  him  go 
free  from  thee  ;  but  your  fathers  hearkened  not  unto 
me,  neither  inclined  their  ear.  And  ye  were  now 
turned  and  had  done  right  in  my  sight  in  proclaim- 
ing liberty  every  man  to  his  neighbor,  and  ye  had 
made  a  covenant  before  me  in  the  house  which  is 
called  by  my  name.  But  ye  turned  and  polluted  my 
name,  and  caused  every  man  his  servant  and  every 
man  his  handmaid,  whom  he  had  set  at  liberty  at 
their  pleasure,  to  return  and  brought  them  into  sub- 
jection unto  you,  to  be  unto  you  for  servants  and 
for  handmaids.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  :  Ye 
have  not  hearkened  unto  me  in  proclaiming  liberty  every 
one  to  his  brother  and  every  man  to  his  neighbor  :  be- 
hold, I  proclaim  a  liberty  for  you,  saith  the  Lord,  to 
the  sword,  and  to  the  pestilence,  and  the  famine,  and 
I  will  make  you  to  be  removed  into  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth,  and  I  will  give  the  men  that  have  trans- 
gressed my  covenant,  into  the  hands  of  their  ene- 
mies, and  into  the  hand  of  them  that  seek  their  life, 
and  their  dead  bodies  shall  be  meat  unto  the  fowls 


304  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

of  heaven  and  unto  the  beasts  of  the  earth."  And 
thus  it  was.  Jerusalem  was  plundered  and  burnt, 
and  the  Babylonish  captivity  made  short  work  with 
the  remnants  of  Jewish  slavery,  which  had  resisted 
the  spirit  of  the  Mosaic  institutions.  It  is  with  good 
reason,  therefore,  that  Mr.  Barnes,  in  his  work  on 
slavery,  reaches  the  conclusion,  that  "  slavery  alto- 
gether ceased  in  the  land  of  Palestine,"  and  asks, 
"  On  what  evidence  would  a  man  rely  to  prove  that 
slavery  existed  at  all  in  that  land  in  the  time  of  the 
later  prophets,  of  the  Maccabees,  or  when  the  Sa- 
viour appeared  ?  There  are  abundant  proofs  that  it 
existed  in  Greece  and  in  Rome  ;  but  what  is  the  evi- 
dence that  it  existed  in  Judea  ?  So  far  as  I  have 
been  able  to  ascertain,  there  are  no  declarations 
that  it  did,  to  be  found  in  the  canonical  books  of  the 
Old  Testament,  or  in  Josephus.  There  are  no  allu- 
sions to  laws  or  customs  which  imply  that  it  was 
prevalent.  There  are  no  facts,  no  coins  or  medals, 
which  suppose  it."    Page  226. 

Corroborative  of  this  position  is  the  fact,  that  the 
pictures  of  life  and  manners  contained  in  the  four 
gospels  are  not  in  harmony  with  the  supposition  of 
the  existence  of  slavery  among  the  Jews.  In  the 
parable  of  the  prodigal  son,  which  delineates  the 
condition  of  a  rich  land-holder,  the  term  to  denote 
servants  is  f^i^adioc^  from  uirfiog^  a  reward,  and  is  prop- 
erly rendered,  hired  servants.  This  word  could  not 
be  applied  to  a  slave.  In  the  parable  of  the  shep^ 
herd,  in  John  x.,  the  word  fitadatTog^  from  the  same 
root,  is  used,  and  is  translated  "  hireling."  The 
same  word  is  employed  for  the  servants  of  the  fisher- 


Chbistianity  and  Slavery.  305 

men,  \z  the  beginning  of  Mark's  gospel.  There  ib 
not  furnished  to  us  in  the  New  Testament,  or  any 
contemporary  history,  the  least  vestige  of  a  reason 
for  believing  that  our  Saviour  or  the  apostles  ever 
came  in  contact  with  slavery  in  their  native  country? 

If  this  be  so,  there  is  very  good  reason  why  no 
instance  can  be  cited  from  the  gospel,  of  our  Lord's 
rebuking  the  sin  of  slavery  by  giving  a  command 
enjoining  emancipation.  He  uttered  precepts  ad- 
verse to  all  sin  and  all  systems  of  wrong,  but  rebuked 
only  the  specific  evils  which  fell  under  his  notice. 
Hence  we  read  nothing  of  his  condemning  the  caste 
of  India,  the  sports  of  Roman  gladiators,  or  the 
vices  of  the  theatre,  which  were  censured  even  by 
the  Pagan  moralists  themselves.  No  argument, 
therefore,  can  be  drawn  in  favor  of  slavery  from  the 
lack  of  any  specific  rebuke  of  it  in  the  teaching  of 
our  Lord.  In  his  day,  the  Jewish  law,  instead  of 
sanctioning  any  form  of  slavery,  had  already  extir- 
pated it  from  the  land. 

Important  as  is  this  distinction  between  the  social 
state  of  Judea  and  of  the  Gentile  world,  between 
the  operation  of  the  Jewish  and  of  the  Roman  law, 
it  is  altogether  overlooked  by  Dr.  Fuller,  and  it 
does  not  appear  that  Dr.  Wayland  has  given  to 
this  point  any  particular  attention.  Its  bearing, 
however,  on  the  main  question,  is  direct  and  mo- 
mentous. 

*  See  Appendix  IV,  p.  400. 


306  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

SECTION  III. 

DR.    WAYLAND^S    REPLY. 

We  now  revert  to  the  position  of  Dr.  Fuller,  that 
the  Roman  law  established  slavery  ;  that  the  scrip- 
ture addresses  those  who  held  the  relation  of  master 
and  slave,  and  is  silent  as  to  the  duty  of  emancipa- 
tion. To  this  assumption  Dr.  Wayland  readily  con- 
cedes, remarking,  "  I  think  it  must  be  efvident  that 
the  precepts  of  the  New  Testament  furnish  no  justifi- 
cation of  slavery,  whether  they  be  considered  either 
absolutely,  or  in  relation  to  the  usage  of  the  Roman 
empire  at  the  time  of  Christ.  All  that  can  justly 
be  said,  seems  to  me  to  be  this  :  the  New  Testament 
contains  no  precept  prohibitory  of  slavery.  This 
must,  I  think,  be  granted  ;  but  this  is  all."   Page  89. 

The  mode  in  which  the  new  dispensation  is  sup- 
posed to  have  borne  upon  the  slave-system  is  thus 
expressed  by  Dr.  Wayland  :  "  By  teaching  the  mas- 
ter his  own  accountability  ;  by  instilling  into  his 
mind  the  mild  and  humanizing  truths  of  Christianity; 
by  showing  him  the  folly  of  sensuality  and  luxury, 
and  the  happiness  derived  from  industry,  frugality, 
and  benevolence,  it  would  prepare  him,  of  his  own 
accord,  to  liberate  his  slave,  and  to  use  all  his  influ- 
ence toward  the  abolition  of  those  laws  by  which 
slavery  was  maintained.  By  teaching  the  slave  his 
value  and  his  responsibility  as  a  man,  and  subjecting 
his  passions  and  appetites  to  the  laws  of  Christi- 
anity, and  thus  raising  him  to  his  true  rank  as  an 
intellectual  and  moral  being,  it  would  prepare  him 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  307 

for  the  freedom  to  which  he  was  entitled,  and  render 
the  liberty  which  it  conferred  a  blessing  to  him,  as 
well  as  to  the  State  of  which  he  now,  for  the  first 
time,  formed  a  part."  Page  100.  But  this  state- 
ment of  the  case,  it  appears  to  us,  falls  far  short  of 
the  truth,  and  grants  a  great  deal  too  much  ;  it 
involves  a  concession,  which  gives  to  the  scriptural 
argument  of  his  opponent  an  appearance  of  strength 
which  it  does  not  really  possess.  It  is  yielding  to 
the  advocate  of  slavery  an  advantage,  which,  in  Dr. 
Fuller's  hands,  has  been  made  to  take  on  the  aspect 
of  a  triumph.  All  the  world  confess  that  Dr.  Way- 
land  is  an  elegant  writer  and  a  strong  reasoner  : 
but  the  strongest  reasoner  cannot  create  truth  ;  the 
highest  result  that  he  can  achieve,  in  a  discussion 
like  this,  is  to  use  effectively  the  elements  of  truth 
and  power  with  which  reason  and  revelation  have 
furnished  him.  But  after  such  a  concession  as  this, 
we  cannot  conceive  it  to  be  within  the  scope  of  the 
human  intellect  to  impart  to  the  scriptural  argument 
against  slavery  an  appearance  of  great  strength. 
To  give  it  force  and  poignancy,  to  direct  it  with 
quickening  and  commanding  energy  to  the  conscience 
of  the  slaveholder,  is  impossible.  Hence,  when  Dr. 
Wayland  is  borne  along  by  the  course  of  his  reason- 
ing within  the  realm  of  philosophy,  or  utters  in  our 
cars  the  appeals  of  a  Christian  philanthropy,  our 
hearts  answer  to  him  ;  we  feel  the  potent  spell  of 
"  thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn,"  and 
bow  ourselves  with  reverence  before  the  majesty  of 
truth.  But  when  he  speaks  as  an  interpreter  of  the 
Bible,  on  this  subject,  seeking  to  give  voice  to  the 


308  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

teachings  of  Jesus,  he  seems  to  have  been  "  shorn  of 
the  locks  of  his  strength,"  and  to  appear  before  us 
as  anotlier  man.  What  he  says  is  well  said,  but  the 
moral  effect  is  weak.  The  utterance  of  God's  reve- 
lation is  feeble  and  tremulous,  compared  with  the 
clear,  bold,  and  awful  propositions  of  philosophy. 
*'  The  mind  of  Christ,"  on  a  practical  matter,  of  the 
deepest  interest  to  humanity,  for  all  time,  is  made 
obscure  to  the  view  of  an  earnest  inquirer ;  and 
though  our  Lord  is  seen  to  be,  in  fact,  befriending 
the  right  side,  yet  he  speaks  to  us  **  as  the  scribes," 
and  not  "  as  one  having  authority."  Who  can  avoid 
such  an  impression  as  this,  on  perceiving  that  the 
reply  to  Dr.  Fuller's  claim  of  a  scriptural  sanction, 
which  fills  several  pages,  contains  a  beautiful  expo- 
sition of  the  true  doctrine  of  expediency  ;  of  the 
difference  between  opposing  a  deeply-rooted  and 
organized  evil,  by  positive  enactments,  and  by  the 
inculcation  of  a  great  principle  which  shall  work 
like  leaven  and  gradually  subvert  it ;  of  the  superior 
wisdom  of  the  latter  method  ;  and  then  urges  a 
defence  of  the  apostles  for  tolerating  slavery  as  a 
social  evil,  on  the  ground  that,  by  this  subtle  and 
effectual  method,  they  sought  to  accomplish  its 
extinction?  If  the  Christian  doctrine  "hath  this 
extent,  no  more,"  it  will  be  very  slow  in  the  work 
of  delivering  the  American  captive  ;  and  our  regret, 
therefore,  on  reading  such  a  statement  of  it,  has  been 
increased  by  perceiving  that  Mr.  Barnes  has  taken 
substantially  the  same  position. 


Chkistianity  and  Slavery.  309 

SECTION  lY. 

THE    CARDINAL    MISTAKE. 

But  in  all  these  exhibitions  of  the  scriptural  doc- 
trine, we  doubt  not  that  there  is  a  cardinal  mistake  ; 
and  that  mistake  is  in  defining  the  relation  denoted 
by  the  words  "  servant "  and  "  master,"  dovXog,  and 
Kvgios  or  SeanoTTjg^  by  the  law  of  Rome  instead  of 
**  the  law  of  Christ."  In  the  community  of  Chris- 
tians this  latter  governed  all  relations.  For  unto 
whom  were  these  three  epistles  of  Paul  and  one  of 
Peter,  which  contain  the  passages  referred  to,  origi- 
nally addressed?  To  the  world  at  large?  No. 
To  the  subjects  of  the  Roman  empire,  as  such  ?  No. 
To  men,  as  men  and  citizens?  No.  They  were 
addressed  to  little  communities  of  Christians  volun- 
tarily united  as  churches,  as  those  who  were  "  called 
to  be  saints,"  "  the  faithful  brethren  in  Christ ;"  to 
those  who  had  "  come  out  from  the  world  and  been 
separate ;"  to  the  regenerated,  baptized,  and  sworn 
subjects  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom ;  to  those  who 
had  received,  as  their  first  lesson,  the  doctrine  that, 
unless  they  could  willingly  give  up  "houses,  or 
brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or 
children,  or  lands  "  (or  servants),  "  for  their  Lord's 
sake,  they  were  not  worthy  of  him  ;"  to  those,  and 
those  only,  who,  having  been  "  aliens  from  the  com- 
monwealth of  Israel,  and  strangers  from  the  cove- 
nants of  promise,"  had  now  been  ''  brought  nigh  by 
the  blood  of  Christ,  who  had  broken  down  the 
middle  wall  of  partition  between  them,  and  made 


310  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

them  to  sit  together  in  heavenly  places."  Before 
the  epistles  were  written,  all  these  persons  had  risen 
above  the  level  of  the  Roman  law  to  a  higher  moral 
realm,  wherein  Christ  swayed  a  sceptre  of  sove- 
reignty ;  unto  whom,  looking  up,  they  could  say, 
with  the  voice  of  a  common  adoration,  in  response 
to  his  own  announcement  to  them.  Thou  alone  art 
our  master,  and  all  we  are  brethren. 

A  change  so  great  as  this,  expressed  or  implied  in 
every  title,  formulary,  and  peculiar  phrase  of  the 
apostolic  epistles,  modified  at  once  all  the  permanent 
relations  of  life, — held  forth  to  their  view  a  new 
doctrine  of  right,  a  new  standard  by  which  to  judge 
of  all  the  duties  pertaining  to  the  connections  in 
which  they  stood,  and  new  motives  of  action,  drawn 
from  their  communion  as  subjects  of  a  common  Lord, 
and  heirs  of  the  same  heavenly  inheritance.  And 
after  they  had  thus  "  learned  Christ,  the  truth  as  it 
was  in  him," — even  from  the  lips  of  apostles,  who 
had  preached  to  them,  like  Paul  on  Mars'  Hill,  in 
the  days  of  their  very  paganism  and  unregeneracy, 
that  *'  God  had  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men 
to  dwell  upon  all  the  face  of  the  earth,"*  did  their 
case  now  require  a  letter  of  special  instruction  to 
inform  them  that  on,e  of  their  number  had  no  right 
to  hold  the  other  as  property, — to  exact  his  toil  by 
violence,  or  to  bind  him  by  the  terrors  of  the  civil 
law  to  do  service  against  his  own  consent,  lest 
silence  on  this  subject  should  be  fairly  construed 
into  a  divine  toleration  of  the  prevailing  heathen 

*  Acts  xvii.  26. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  311 

custom'?  As  well  might  we  suppose  that  special 
instructions  would  be  necessary  to  direct  them  not 
to  sacrifice  their  children  unto  Moloch,  or  not  to 
fight  each  other  as  gladiators,  or  not  to  obey  the 
law  of  the  emperor  which  commanded  all  faithful 
citizens  to  deliver  up  the  Christians  to  the  civil 
authority.  Where  the  law  of  the  empire  was  at  vari- 
ance with  the  law  of  Christy  who  can  doubt  to  which 
they  would  yield  the  supremacy  ? 


SECTION  y. 

THE  EXTENT  AND   THE   ABOLITION  OP  ROMAN  SLAVERY. 

That  this  view  of  the  case  is  true  and  just,  will 
appear  further,  if  we  consider  how  greatly  a  know- 
ledge of  the  law  of  Christ  modified  a  Christianas 
sense  of  duty  touching  the  other  permanent  relations 
of  life.  It  is  certainly  an  error  into  which  many 
have  fallen,  to  discuss  this  subject  as  if,  by  the  law 
of  Rome,  the  right  of  slave-property  inhered  only  in  the 
relation  indicated  by  the  words  master  and  servant  J 
whereas  it  pertained  as  really  to  the  relation  indi- 
cated in  the  New  Testament  by  the  words  yovevg  and 
1EXV0V — parent  and  child.  Any  school-boy  may  learn 
the  origin  of  this  domestic  slavery  from  the  first 
chapter  of  Goldsmith's  History  of  Rome.  It  is 
clear,  not  only  from  Cicero,  in  his  treatise  on  the 
laws,  but  from  nearly  all  the  Roman  writers,  his- 
torians, and  poets,  that  every  father  had  the  power 
of  life  and  death  over  his  children — could  expose 


312  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

them  to  death  in  infancy ;  and  not  only  so,  but  a 
child  was  not  deemed  legitimate,  or  treated  as  such, 
unless  the  father  took  it  formally  from  the  ground, 
and  placed  it  on  his  bosom.  Hence  arose  the  phrase 
**  toUere  filium " — to  educate.  Dr.  Adam,  in  his 
Roman  Antiquities,  presents  the  following  state- 
ments :  "  Even  when  his  children  were  grown  up, 
the  father  might  imprison,  scourge,  send  them  bound 
to  work  in  the  country,  and  also  put  them  to  death 
by  any  punishment  he  pleased,  if  they  deserved  it. 
Hence,  a  father  is  called  a  domestic  judge  or  magis- 
trate, by  Seneca.  A  son  could  acquire  no  property 
but  by  his  father's  consent ;  and  what  he  did  thus 
acquire  was  called  his  peculium,  as  that  of  a  slave.* 
The  condition  of  a  son  was,  in  some  respects,  harder 
than  that  of  a  slave.  A  slave,  when  sold  once,  be- 
came free ;  but  a  son,  not,  unless  sold  three  times. 
The  power  of  the  father  was  suspended  when  the 
son  was  promoted  to  any  public  ofl&ce,  but  not  extin- 
guished. For  it  continued,  not  only  during  the  life 
of  the  children,  but  likewise  extended  to  grandchil- 
dren and  great-grandchildren.  None  of  them  became 
their  own  masters  (sui  juris),  till  the  death  of  their 
father  and  grandfather.  A  daughter,  by  marriage, 
passed  from  the  power  of  her  father  under  that  of 
her  husband."t 

In  the  emancipation  of  a  son  from  the  authority 
of  his  father,  the  law  prescribed  a  tedious  process, 
which  the  parties  were  obliged  to  observe.    In  the 


*  livy,  XL  41. 

f  Roman  Antiquities,  60,  61      N.  Y.     1826. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  S13 

presence  of  witnesses,  before  the  tribunal  of  a  magis- 
trate, the  father  gave  over  his  son  to  the  purchaser, 
adding  these  words,  ^^  Mancupo  tibi  hunc  filium  qui 
mens  est"  "  But  as,  by  the  principles  of  the  Roman 
law,  a  son,  after  being  manumitted  once  and  again, 
fell  back  into  the  power  of  his  father,  the  imaginary 
sale  was  thrice  to  be  repeated,  either  on  the  same 
day  and  before  the  same  witnesses,  or  on  different 
days  and  before  different  witnesses  ;  and  then  the 
purchaser,  instead  of  manumitting  him,  which  would 
have  conferred  a  jus  patronatus  on  himself,  sold  him 
back  to  the  natural  father,  who  immediately  manu- 
mitted him  by  the  same  formalities  as  a  slave. 
Thus  the  son  became  his  own  master.  Sui  juris 
f actus  est. — Livy,  YII.  16.  In  emancipating  a  daugh- 
ter or  grandchildren,  the  same  formalities  were 
used,  but  only  once ;  they  were  not  thrice  re- 
peated, as  in  emancipating  a  son.  Unica  mancipatio 
sufficiehat," 

Tedious  as  these  processes  seem,  they  were  rigidly 
observed  ;  and  there  was  very  little  abatement  of 
them  until  the  reign  of  Justinian,  five  centuries  after 
Christ.  These  laws  were  not  a  dead  letter  :  the 
incidental  allusions  to  paternal  authority  indicate 
that  the  severest  executions  of  them  were  familiar 
to  the  minds  of  the  people.  Thus  Sallust,  in  his 
history  of  Cataline's  conspiracy  (§  40),  says,  "A 
Fulvius,  son  of  a  senator,  was  taken  on  the  road, 
brought  back  to  the  city,  and  put  to  death  by  his 
father's  orders."  In  his  history  of  the  Decline  and 
Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  Gibbon  remarks,  "  The 
exclusive,  absolute,  and  perpetual  dominion  of  the 


314  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

father  over  his  children,  is  peculiar  to  the  Roman 
jurisprudence,  and  seems  to  be  coeval  with  the  foun- 
dation of  the  city.  The  paternal  power  was  insti- 
tuted or  confirmed  by  Romulus  himself;  and,  after 
the  practice  of  three  centuries,  it  was  inscribed  on 
the  fourth  table  of  the  Decemvirs.  In  the  forum, 
the  senate,  or  the  camp,  the  adult  son  of  a  Roman 
citizen  enjoyed  the  public  and  private  rights  of  a 
PERSON  :  in  his  father^s  house,  he  was  a  mere  thing  ; 
confounded  by  the  laws  with  the  moveables,  the 
cattle,  and  the  slaves,  whom  the  capricious  master 
might  alienate  or  destroy  without  being  responsible 
to  an  earthly  tribunal.  The  hand  which  bestowed 
the  daily  sustenance  might  resume  the  voluntary 
gift  J  and  whatever  was  acquired  by  the  labor  or 
fortune  of  the  son,  was  immediately  lost  in  the  prop- 
erty of  the  father.  At  the  call  of  indigence  or  ava- 
rice, the  master  of  a  family  could  dispose  of  his  chil- 
dren or  his  slaves.  According  to  his  discretion,  a 
father  might  chastise  the  real  or  imaginary  faults 
of  his  children  by  stripes,  by  imprisonment,  by  exile, 
by  sending  them  to  the  country  to  work  in  chains 
among  the  meanest  of  his  servants.  The  majesty 
of  a  parent  was  armed  with  the  power  of  life  and 
death ;  and  the  example  of  such  bloody  executions 
which  were  sometimes  praised  and  never  punished, 
may  be  traced  in  the  annals  of  Rome  beyond  the 
times  of  Pompey  and  Augustus.  Without  fear, 
though  not  without  danger  of  abuse,  the  Roman 
legislators  had  reposed  an  unbounded  confidence  in 
the  sentiments  of  paternal  love  ;  and  tlie  oppression 
was  tempered  by  the  assurance,  that  each  generation 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  315 

must  succeed  in  its  turn  to  the  awful  dignity  of 
parent  and  master."* 

But  now,  to  all  this  antichristian  power  conferred 
by  the  Roman  law  on  the  parent,  there  is  not  the 
slightest  allusion  in  the  epistles.  Is  the  Christian 
father  there  commanded  not  to  kill  his  son,  as  he 
had  the  legal  right  to  do  ?  Is  he  told  not  to  sell 
him  ?  Is  he  told  not  to  treat  him  as  a  slave  ?  Is 
he  urged  to  manumit  him  ?  No — nothing  of  this. 
Let  us  ask,  in  the  strain  of  the  writers  on  slavery, 
whence  this  profound  silence  on  these  important 
points  of  Christian  ethics,  which  must  have  attracted 
the  notice  of  the  apostles  ?  Is  it  not  clear  as  the 
light,  that  this  deeply-rooted  and  organized  evil  of 
filial  slavery  arising  from  Pagan  ideas  and  usages, 
the  apostles  thought  it  expedient  to  tolerate  awhile, 
but  to  inculcate  broad  principles  which  should  work 
like  leaven,  gradually  extirpate  it,  and  so,  in  the 
process  of  time,  raise  the  members  of  the  Christian 
family  to  that  dignity  of  freedom,  that  security  of 
life,  and  to  that  equality  of  privileges,  which  were 
conferred  by  the  Jewish  law  before  the  coming  of 
Messiah  ?  Such  is  the  apology  to  be  made  for  the 
apostles  in  this  case,  according  to  the  reasonings 
and  concessions  against  which  we  speak.  And  is 
this  the  best  defence  which  we,  as  Christians,  can 
urge  for  the  silence  of  Paul,  and  Peter,  and  John, 
respecting  these  things  ?    If  so,  well  may  they  pray 


*  Milman's  Gibbon,  III,  169.  Gibbon  quotes  the  Justinian  code, 
saying,  Nulli  enim  alii  sunt  homines,  qui  talcm  in  liberos  habeant 
potestatem  qualem  nos  habemus. 


316  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

from  their  celestial  exaltation,  Lord,  save  us  from 
our  friends — shield  thou  our  apostolic  character 
from  the  imputations  of  those  who  are  called  by  thy 
name  and  acknowledge  our  authority. 

Thanks  be  unto  God,  we  are  not  reduced  to  the 
necessity  of  acquiescing  in  any  such  apologies  or 
explanations  touching  the  silence  of  the  apostles  on 
the  duty  of  setting  captives  or  children  free.  These 
evils  were  not  written  upon,  as  practical  matters,  to 
Christian  churches,  because,  under  "  the  law  of 
Christ,"  the  son  needed  no  emancipation.  When 
that  law  was  received,  by  a  family,  the  son  was 
already  free.  The  father's  right  to  govern  him, 
during  his  minority,  arose  from  his  duty  to  guard 
him  in  years  of  weakness,  and  to  train  him  up 
amidst  the  season  of  youth,  ignorance,  and  inexpe- 
rience, "in  the  way  he  should  go,"  so  that,  when 
old,  he  would  not  depart  from  it.  Instead,  there- 
fore, of  an  apostle's  writing  to  Christian  churches 
against  such  horrible  evils  as  the  Roman  law  entailed 
on  the  relation  of  father  and  son,  or  on  the  right  of 
the  son  to  liberty,  or  on  the  duty  of  emancipation,  it 
was  enough,  simply  to  say,  "  Fathers,  provoke  not 
your  children  to  wrath,  but  bring  them  up  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  Children, 
obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord,  for  this  right. 
Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  which  is  the  first 
command  with  promise."*  As  in  the  spiritual  king- 
dom of  Christ,  where  his  religion  had  sway,  Christi- 
anity did  not,  for  a  moment,  tolerate  the  filial 

*  Ephesians,  vi.,  1-3 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  317 

slavery  of  Rome,  so  neither  did  it  tolerate  her 
servile  slavery.  The  silence  of  the  apostles  as  to 
emancipation  has  the  very  same  relation  to  the  one 
kind  of  servitude  as  to  the  other  ;  and  the  idea  of 
tolerating  slavery,  as  a  system,  was  not  entertained 
by  Christians  in  early  times,  until  it  appeared  in 
company  with  the  most  abominable  and  fatal  cor- 
ruptions. 

Not  only  in  the  relation  of  the  child  to  the  father, 
but  also  in  that  of  the  wife  to  the  husband,  did  the 
Roman  law  establish  a  power  adverse  to  the  precepts 
and  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  In  case  of  any  offence 
whatever,  the  husband  was  the  supreme  judge,  in- 
vested with  authority  to  acquit  her  or  to  condemn 
her  to  death.  The  law  placed  her  like  a  slave  at 
his  feet,  and  her  life  hung  on  his  decree.  Observe 
the  testimony  of  Dionysius  Halicarnassensis  on  this 
point : — "  The  law  obliged  the  married  women,  as 
having  no  other  refuge,  to  conform  themselves  en- 
tirely to  the  temper  of  their  husbands. — But  if  she 
committed  any  fault,  the  injured  person  was  her 
judge,  and  determined  the  degree  of  her  punishment. 
In  case  of  adultery,  or  where  it  was  found  she  had 
drunk  wine  (which  the  Greeks  would  look  upon  as 
the  least  of  all  crimes),  her  relations,  together  with 
her  husband,  were  appointed  her  judges,  who  were 
allowed  by  Romulus  to  punish  both  these  crimes 
with  death."*  This  law,  of  so  ancient  date,  con- 
tinued to  be  operative  under  the  empire.  Tacitus 
mentions  a  case  which  occurred  at  Rome,  in  the  year 

*  Diouys.  Hal.  ii.  25. 


318  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

57,  in  the  reign  of  Nero  : — "  Pomponia  Graecina,  a 
woman  of  illustrious  birth,  and  the  wife  of  Plautius, 
who,  on  his  return  from  Britain,  entered  the  city 
with  the  pomp  of  an  ovation,  was  accused  of  embrac- 
ing a  foreign  superstition.  The  matter  was  referred 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  her  husband.  Plautius,  in  con- 
formity to  ancient  usage,  called  together  a  number 
of  her  relations,  and  in  their  presence  sat  in  judg- 
ment on  the  conduct  of  his  wife.*  It  has  often  been 
said,  to  the  honor  of  Roman  chastity,  that  for  more 
than  five  centuries  not  an  instance  of  divorce  tran- 
spired in  Rome  ;  but  it  is  very  evident  that  this  fact 
is  to  be  accounted  for,  rather  from  the  rigor  of  the 
law,  which  bound  the  destiny  of  the  wife  to  that  of 
her  husband,  than  from  the  superior  virtue  of  the 
people.  There  was  little  occasion  for  a  formal 
divorce  where  a  husband  exercised  the  authority  of 
an  absolute  despot,  and  where  an  offending  wife  had 
no  right  of  appeal  from  his  decision  to  that  of  a  civil 
tribunal. 

Another  feature  of  the  marriage  relation,  under 
the  Roman  government,  deserves  attention  here. 
Between  a  citizen  and  a  foreigner  there  could  be  no 
legal  marriage,t  and  the  offspring  of  such  a  union 
were  deemed  illegitimate.  They  were  called  Hy- 
bridae  or  Mongrels,  and  their  condition  was  very 
little  better  than  that  of  slaves.  Livy  mentions 
that  when  the  Campanians  were  forced  to  go  to 
Rome  to  pay  their  taxes,  they  offered  a  petition  that 

*  Annal.  xiii.  32. 

f  Non  erat  cum  extenio  oonnubium.    Senec.  Ben.  iv.  86. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  aig 

tlie  children,  whom  they  had  by  Roman  wives,  might 
be  treated  as  legitimate,  and  made  their  lawful  heirs.* 
Indeed,,  this  sort  of  union  was  not  dignified  by  the 
name  of  marriage,  any  more  than  was  a  union 
between  slaves  ;  for  in  both  cases  it  was  stigmatized 
by  the  same  degrading  appellation.f  Of  this  firmly 
established  law  there  was  no  change  until  the  days 
of  the  Emperor  Caracalla.  During  more  than  two 
centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  the  children  who  may 
have  sprung  from  the  marriage  of  a  Roman  citizen 
and  a  Jew,  or  a  Greek,  were  denied  the  rights  and 
honors  of  a  legitimate  birth.  Paul  himself,  who 
was  a  Roman  citizen,  declared  that  he  had  a  right 
to  "  lead  about  a  wife  "  with  him ;  but  had  he  or 
any  one  of  the  Roman  converts  been  pleased  to 
marry  a  Galatian  or  a  Syrian  Christian,  the  law 
would,  as  far  as  concerned  civil  rights,  have  placed 
the  offspring  of  such  a  union  on  a  level  with  the 
children  of  a  base  and  criminal  connection. 

Now,  when  we  consider  that  the  marriage  relation 
lies  at  the  basis  of  all  organized  and  Christianized 
society,  it  may  be  well  to  inquire  how  it  is,  that  in 
the  epistles  of  Paul,  all  of  which  were  addressed  to 
persons  living  under  the  Roman  empire,  no  care  is 
taken  to  guard  the  churches  against  the  specific  evils 
of  this  Pagan  legislation,  which,  in  the  eyes  of  mul- 
titudes, had  been  embalmed  and  hallowed  by  time  ; 


*  Livy,  xxxviiL  36. 

•j-  Connubium  est  matrimonium  inter  cires ;  inter  servos  autem, 
aut  inter  eivium  et  peregrinae  conditionis  liominem,  aut  servilis,  non 
•st  cor^nubium  sod  conttibernium.     Boeth.  in  Cic.  Top.  4, 


320  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

had  been  blended  with  the  very  elements  of  domestic 
and  social  life  ;  had  been  sustained  in  every  age  by 
the  most  illustrious  examples,  and  had  interwoven 
itself  with  the  earliest  remembrances  and  associa- 
tions of  the  civilized  world,  touching  human  rights, 
the  fitness  of  things,  and  the  moral  order  of  the  uni- 
verse. Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  some,  no  husband, 
in  all  the  realm  of  the  Caesars,  is  told  that  his  wife 
had  been  raised  by  Christianity  above  the  level  of 
her  condition  under  the  Roman  law.  No  one  is  told 
that  the  domestic  despotism,  on  which  Roman  society 
was  based,  was  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  heaven, 
and  that  it  was  a  contravention  of  the  original  law 
of  Paradise,  which  placed  the  man  and  the  woman 
on  the  ground  of  a  true  moral  equality.  No  Roman 
citizen  is  forbidden  to  scourge  his  wife  for  drinking 
wine !  Even  her  life  is  left  at  his  mercy  ;  and  in  all 
the  New  Testament  there  is  not  issued  a  single  com- 
mand forbidding  a  Christian  man  to  kill  his  wife  for 
any  fault  which  might  render  her,  in  his  judgment, 
worthy  of  death !  And  yet  Christianity  arose  and 
spread  in  a  part  of  the  earth  where  it  found  the 
exercise  of  such  power  not  only  common,  but  where 
that  power  was  embodied  in  forms  of  law,  enthroned 
in  the  palace,  sustained  in  the  pra3torium,  and  re- 
vered by  public  opinion.  What  now  shall  we  infer 
from  the  silence  of  the  sacred  scripture  on  these 
points  ?  The  domestic  relations  themselves  are  fully 
recognized,  moral  precepts  are  given  to  all  who  are 
united  in  them  ;  but  why  are  these  enormous  evils, 
which  affected  so  deeply  the  condition  of  innumera- 
ble wives  and  children,  left  untouched  ?    Is  it  that 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  321 

apostolic  Christianity,  with  a  wisdom  and  prudence 
worthy  of  all  imitation,  saw  fit  to  tolerate  all  these 
things,  being  content  to  teach  those  broad  and 
mighty  principles  which,  working  gradually  at  the 
core  of  society,  would  achieve  its  regeneration,  after 
a  series  of  ages,  and  thus,  on  grounds  of  expediency, 
withheld  from  its  own  disciples  the  plain  truth  of 
God  with  a  view  to  ultimate  effect  ?  Certainly  ; 
according  to  the  concessions  of  those  who  have  con- 
troverted Dr.  Fuller,  this  must  be  the  explanation  ; 
but,  according  to  the  reasonings  of  Dr.  Fuller  him- 
self, Christianity  must  have  intended  to  sanction  the 
legal  powers  which  these  relations  had  so  long  con- 
ferred, and  only  to  guard  against  their  abuse !  But 
will  any  man  who  has  become  converted  to  Christi- 
anity by  reading  the  gospels,  by  listening  to  Christ's 
own  discourses,  and  by  opening  his  soul  to  their 
spirit,  remain  calmly  satisfied  with  either  of  these 
positions?  By  no  means.  He  will  recoil  equally 
from  them  both.  Indeed,  Dr.  Fuller,  in  his  reply  to 
Dr.  Wayland's  explanation  on  this  point,  writes  like 
a  man  who  could  not  avoid  despising  the  apostles 
themselves  if  they  had  held  back  the  truth  in  that 
way  ;  and  with  the  most  of  his  earnest  remonstrance 
we  sympathize  to  the  whole  extent  of  our  capacity 
of  feeling.  With  truth  and  justness  does  he  say, 
"  The  apostles  took  heaven  to  witness  that  they  had 
kept  back  nothing  f  and  in  addressing,  not  only 
the  people,  but  the  pastors,  who  were  to  teach  the 
people,  and  bequeath  their  ministry  to  their  succes- 
sors, they  asserted  their  purity  from  the  blood  of 
all  men,  because  they  "  had  not  shunned  to  declare 


322  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

the  whole  counsel  of  God."  Yet  they  had  shunned 
even  to  hint  to  masters  that  they  were  living  in  a 
"  sin  of  appalling'  magnitude/'  and  had  kept  back 
truth,  which,  if  you  are  right,  was  of  tremendous 
importance. 

These  words  must  be  felt  forcibly  by  those  to 
whom  they  are  addressed  ;  but  we  thank  God  that 
the  New  Tessament  presents  no  such  difficulty  as 
that  which  suggested  this  appeal  on  behalf  of  the 
apostles.  The  reason  why  those  faithful  guides  did 
not  hint  to  masters  that  they  were  living  in  "  a  sin 
of  appalling  magnitude,"  was  not  that  slaveholding 
had  been  sanctified,  but  simply  because  these  per- 
sons, at  the  era  of  their  conversion  to  Christianity, 
had  entered  into  a  new  spiritual  kingdom,  and  inter- 
preted all  their  relations  and  duties  by  the  light  of 
its  heavenly  principles,  and  not  by  the  light  of  the 
Koman  law  or  any  other  human  code.  Their  souls 
had  risen  superior  to  the  Roman  law,  as  a  guide  to 
duty  or  a  rule  of  life,  as  truly  as  our  Christian  con- 
verts in  China  have  risen  above  the  law  of  "  the 
celestial  empire."  Christianity  had  not  yet  become 
corrupted  ;  its  public  teachers  had  not  quite  yet 
begun  to  modify  its  oracles  so  as  to  suit  a  false 
philosophy,  to  harmonize  with  the  prevailing  ideas 
of  Roman  civilization,  and  so  to  turn  away  its  disci- 
ples "  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ."  These 
first  Christians  used  words  which  had  a  weight  of 
meaning  in  them,  when  they  spoke  of  their  moral 
isolation  from  society,  when  they  called  themselves 
"  a  peculiar  people,"  the  subjects  of  a  "  new  crea- 
tion," members  of  "  the  household  of  God,"  "  fellow- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  323 

citizens  of  the  eommon wealth  of  Israel,"*  and  said 
"  the  world  knoweth  us  not."  The  precepts  of 
Christ  had  taken  complete  possession  of  their  minds; 
had  not  only  transformed  their  theology,  but  their 
moral  characters,  and  their  social  relations.  In 
their  view,  one  sentence  of  Christ's  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  possessed  more  moral  worth  and  lively  effi- 
cacy, than  all  the  lectures  of  the  philosophers,  and 
the  laws  of  the  twelve  tables  put  together.  Before 
they  took  the  vows  of  their  profession,  they  had 
"  counted  the  cost,"  and  were  ready  to  suffer  the  loss 
of  all  things.  As  much  as  in  them  lay,  they  obeyed 
the  civil  law  ;  but  in  their  lives  they  "  surpassed  the 
laws."  So  entirely  did  the  word  of  Christ  rule 
them,  that  they  would  not  allow  the  civil  law  to 
arbitrate  at  all  on  matters  which  pertained  to  their 
own  mutual  relations.  *'  Dare  any  of  you,"  says  the 
apostle  to  some  who  needed  special  instruction, — 
"  dare  any  of  you,  having  a  matter  against  another, 
to  go  to  law  before  the  unjust,  and  not  before  the 
saints  ?"t  Far  from  availing  themselves  of  any 
power  granted  by  the  civil  law  to  retain  their 
brethren  in  bondage,  their  religion  forbade  them  to 
refer  to  that  law  any  question  respecting  their  duties 
to  each  other. 

Now  in  reading  what  is  written  to  societies  so 
constituted,  it  is  a  great  error  to  infer  that  the 
apostles  either  sanctioned  or  tolerated  any  relation 
between  man  and  man  as  established  by  the  Roman 
law,  because  we  do  not  find  in  their  epistles  a  par- 
ticular denunciation  of  it. 

*  Ephes.  ii.  passim.  f  1  Cor.  vi.  1. 


324  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

In  regard  to  any  such  relation  which  may  be  in 
question,  the  main  thing  to  be  ascertained  is  this  : 
How  do  the  precepts  of  Christ  bear  upon  it  ?  These 
the  early  churches  had  acknowledged  as  their  guide  ; 
to  these  they  had  vowed  allegiance.  Whatever  con- 
flicted with  these,  they  had  sworn  to  abandon,  in  the 
very  act  of  their  baptism,  by  which  they  had  owned 
the  sovereignty  of  the  Messiah,  in  whose  kingdom 
there  was  no  place  found  for  those  distinctions  of 
privilege,  which,  according  to  the  Koman  law,  per- 
tained to  rank,  sex,  birth,  blood,  and  nationality : 
"  For,"  says  the  apostle,  "  as  many  of  you  as  have 
been  baptized  into  Christ,  have  put  on  Christ ; 
there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek — there  is  neither 
bond  nor  free — there  is  neither  male  nor  female  ; 
FOR  YE  are  all  one  IN  Christ  Jesus."*  That  legis- 
lation which  had  raised  one  class  above  another,  on 
the  ground  of  those  distinctions  which  are  here 
named,  primitive  Christianity  thus  heartily  re- 
nounced, as  being  incompatible  with  the  law  of 
Christ. 

In  order  to  feel  the  force  of  this  statement,  let  any 
one  fairly  consider  what  a  weight  of  argument  the 
phrase  which  we  have  just  repeated,  carried  with  it 
to  the  ear  of  a  primitive  Christian.  "  The  law  of 
Christ  !"  In  the  apostolic  age  that  was  no  mere 
abstraction.  It  was  the  Law  of  laws.  Its  authority 
was  imperial.  Its  decision  was  ultimate.  In  ad- 
dressing the  church  of  Calatia,  Paul  said,  "  Bear  ye 
one  another's  burdens,   and  so  fulfil  the  law  of 

*  Galatians,  iil  21,  28. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  325 

Christ  ;"*  thus  appealing  to  it,  without  citing  the 
words  of  any  precept,  he  implied  that  it  was  well 
understood.  When  it  was  referred  to  in  this  way, 
all  knew  that  the  law  of  benevolence — the  law  of 
mutual  love — was  intended,  by  way  of  eminence. 
The  apostle  James  alludes  to  it  in  a  similar  manner, 
in  a  passage  which  contains  a  warning  against  dis- 
courteous treatment  of  the  poor  :  "  If  ye  fulfil  '  the 
royal  law '  according  to  the  scripture,  thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself,  ye  do  well ;  but  if  ye  have 
respect  to  persons,  ye  commit  sin,  and  are  convicted 
of  the  law  as  transgressors."t  Our  Lord  had  laid  it 
down,  in  his  early  teachings,  among  the  first  princi- 
ples of  his  religion  :  "  All  things  whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them  ;  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets. "|  The 
equal  love  of  our  neighbor  be  connected  with  su- 
preme love  to  God,  and  on  these  two  commandments 
he  declared  that  all  true  religion  depends. §  But 
when  he  proceeds  to  expound  this  law  respecting 
our  neighbor,  what  does  he  teach  as  to  its  bearing 
and  extent  ?  Did  he  imply  that  it  was  to  be  re- 
stricted to  a  particular  nation,  or  rank,  or  color,  or 
proximity  of  place  ?  The  majority  of  his  audiences, 
we  know,  did  limit  it  by  their  sectional  prejudices, 
and  national  antipathies  ;  but  in  the  parable  of  the 
good  Samaritan,  he  taught  them  that  the  precept 
erases  these  bounds,  enjoins  love  to  man  as  man,  our 
fellow-creature  and  our  brother,  and  bids  us  to  do 


*  Galatians,  vi.  2.  f  James,  ii.  8,  9. 

\  Matthew,  vii.  12.  §  Matthew  xxii.  3*7-40. 


326  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

good  to  all  men  as  we  have  opportunity.  The  Priest 
and  the  Levite  of  his  day,  who  treated  such  an  inter- 
pretation with  contempt,  he  pictures  to  our  view  in  all 
their  native  deformity.  In  addition  to  this  "  law  of 
love,"  He  gave  another  especially  to  his  disciples,  en- 
forced by  a  motive  drawn  from  his  peculiar  relation 
to  them,  "  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that 
ye  love  one  another  ;  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that 
ye  also  love  another."  However  a  refined  and  art- 
ful criticism  may  treat  such  precepts  in  these  days, 
they  were  understood  by  the  early  Christians  in 
their  plain  sense,  and  interpreted  according  to  "  the 
simplicity  that  is  in  Christ."  A  community  govern- 
ed by  such  laws  as  these,  could  never  make  a  man 
serve  as  a  slave,  nor  would  it  be  possible  for  one  of 
them  to  hold  his  Christian  brother  in  bondage 
against  his  will  for  a  single  hour. 

Moreover,  it  may  be  well  to  observe,  in  this  con- 
nection, that  the  distinction  on  which  the  temporary 
slavery  of  Judea  had  been  founded  by  the  Mosaic 
code  was  entirely  abolished  by  Christianity  :  we 
mean  the  distinction  between  Jews  and  Heathen. 
The  breaking  down  of  this  "  middle  wall  of  parti- 
tion "  was  the  great  glory  of  the  new  dispensation. 
"We  know  how  deeply  "  the  leading  men  "  of  our 
Saviour's  generation  were  offended  with  his  teach- 
ing on  this  point ;  how  bitterly  Jewish  pride  must 
have  scowled  upon  him,  when  he  said,  in  allusion  to 
a  Gentile's  faith,  "  Many  shall  come  from  the  east 
and  west,  and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  but  the 
children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  ^ast  out  into  outeir 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  327 

darkness."  The  preaching  of  this  doctrine  was  a 
bold  feature  in  the  ministry  of  the  apostles  ;  and  the 
mere  mention  of  it,  by  one  of  them,  caused  a  crowd 
in  Jerusalem  to  give  vent  to  their  anger  by  casting 
dust  into  the  air,  and  by  crying  aloud,  "  Away  with 
such  a  fellow  from  the  earth,  for  it  is  not  fit  that  he 
should  live."*  Yet  these  martyrs  to  truth  were 
faithful  to  their  trust  and  conquered  by  "  the  word 
of  their  testimony."  They  were  true  reformers.  In 
founding  a  new  comfnunity,  they  laid,  broadly  and 
plainly,  the  basis  on  which  it  was  to  rest.  And  as 
the  temporary  structure  of  Mosaic  slavery  was  made 
to  depend  on  a  distinction  which  it  was  the  design 
of  Christianity  to  abolish  at  the  very  outset,  we  can 
easily  imagine  how  abhorrent  from  the  convictions 
and  sentiments  of  the  first  disciples  must  have  been 
the  idea  of  a  slave-system  in  the  Christian  church. 


SECTION  YI. 

THE  EPISTLES   OF  PAUL  CONFIRM  THIS  POSITION. 

In  exact  accordance  with  these  views,  is  the  style 
and  manner  of  apostolic  address  in  the  Epistles  of 
the  New  Testament.  The  terms  used  to  designate 
the  relation  of  master  and  servant  are  not  those 
which  imply  man's  ownership  of  man  ;  and  from  the 
terms  themselves,  the  advocate  of  slavery  can  prove 
nothing,  because  the  same  and  corresponding  terms 

*  Acts,  xxii,  22. 


328  Christianity  and  Slavert. 

are  used  in  lands  wliere  slavery  does  not  exist.  The 
exact  import  of  the  term  will  vary  according  to  the 
law  by  which  you  determine  the  condition  of  a  dou- 
los,  or  servant :  just  as  it  is  now  in  this  land  ;  in 
Carolina  a  servant  means  a  slave,  and  in  New  Eng- 
land, it  means  a  freeman  voluntarily  hired.  But  how 
entirely  Christianity  modified  the  relation,  may  be 
Been  by  consulting  the  direction  which  Paul  gave  to 
Timothy,  respecting  the  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a 
Christian  teacher.  It  occurs  in  the  sixth  chapter 
of  the  first  Epistle,  the  first  and  second  verses.  Here 
no  advice  is  given  to  the  young  pastor  as  to  his  man- 
ner of  addressing  masters  :  it  relates  to  servants 
only.  And  of  servants,  two  classes  are  contemplat- 
ed ;  first,  those  who  were  Christian  servants  of  hea- 
then masters,  are  considered.  This  class  is  desig- 
nated by  being  "  under  the  yoke."  "  Let  as  many 
servants  as  are  under  the  yoke  count  their  own  mas- 
ters worthy  of  all  honor,  that  the  name  of  God  and 
his  doctrine  be  not  blasphemed.''  This,  as  Christians, 
they  were  urged  to  do,  even  though  they  might  be 
subjecIT  to  the  worst  oppression,  in  agreement  with 
the  address  of  Peter  to  the  same  class  ;  "for  this  is 
thankworthy,  if  a  man  for  conscience  toward  God 
endure  grief,  suffering  wrongfully. ^^  A  heathen  mas- 
ter, interpreting  the  rights  of  a  servant  by  the  light 
of  the  Boman  law,  would  be  very  likely  to  commit 
acts  of  gross  injustice  ;  but  the  precept  enjoining  a 
meek  endurance  of  this  wrong,  for  Christ's  sake,  can, 
of  course,  furnish  no  sanction  to  the  master's  con- 
tinuance of  it.  But  now,  in  this  epistle  to  Timothy, 
Paul  proceeds,  in  the  next  sentence,  to  speak  of  a 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  329 

different  class  of  cases  ;  those  in  which  both  the  par- 
ties were  Christians.  And  here  it  is  quite  remark- 
able, that,  instead  of  directing  masters  to  treat  their 
servants  kindly,  he  calls  upon  servants  themselves 
to  beware  lest  they  should  despise  their  masters  ! 
His  words  are,  "  And  they  that  have  believing  mas- 
ters, let  them  not  despise  them,  because  they  are 
brethren  ;  but  rather  do  them  service  because  they 
are  faithful  and  beloved,  partakers  of  the  benefit." 
Who  does  not  see  that  this  exhortation  arose  from 
the  fact,  that,  when  both  the  parties  had  come  under 
the  law  of  Christ,  Christianity  had  changed  the  re- 
lation in  which  they  stood — had  enfranchised  the 
slave — ^had  made  him  one  of  the  "  brethren  " — had 
invested  him  with  a  new  dignity  and  new  rights  ; 
so  that  now,  instead  of  the  master  being  under  a 
new  temptation  to  treat  the  servant  wrongfully, 
there  was  greater  danger  lest  the  servant  should 
abuse  his  elevation,  should  abandon  the  master's  ser- 
vice, or  treat  him  with  contempt  ? 

Evidently,  the  style,  the  letter,  and  the  spirit  of 
these  directions  to  Timothy,  indicate  a  fundamental 
change  which  Christianity  had  wrought  in  the  rela- 
tion of  these  two  classes  of  persons,  where  both  had 
come  "under  the  law"  of  the  new  dispensation. 
They  had  now  risen  to  that  high  condition  described 
in  the  words  of  their  common  Lord,  "One  is  your 
Master,  even  Christ,  and  all  ye  are  brethren." 
Violence,  or  involuntary  subjection  to  bondage,  was 
incompatible  with  such  a  change  ;  and  now  the 
apostle  was  chiefly  anxious  that  the  parties  should 
not  separate  fr^m  each  other,  but  by  continuing  to- 


330  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

gether  on  friendly  terms,  and,  in  the  discharge  of 
mutual  duties,  should  prove  to  the  world  that  the 
law  of  Christian  love  is  a  better  cement  for  society 
than  the  law  of  force.  No  class  of  persons  had  it  in 
their  power  to  afford  a  brighter  demonstration  of 
this,  than  that  of  enfranchised  servants.  If  they 
availed  themselves  of  their  acknowledged  rights  to 
forsake  their  old  masters,  the  new  religion  would  be 
dishonored ;  if  they  remained,  and  yielded  faithful 
service  from  a  principle  of  love  and  of  religious  ob- 
ligation, Christianity  would,  through  them,  reveal 
its  moral  and  conservative  tendency,  and  would  be 
sure  to  gain  new  victories.  The  appeal  which  was 
made  therefore  to  Christian  servants  on  this  behalf, 
has  a  most  important  bearing,  and  proves  alike  that 
they  had  all  "  been  called  unto  liberty,"  and  that  it 
was  expected  that  the  spirit  of  their  religion  would 
dispose  them  not  to  "  use  their  liberty  for  an  occa- 
sion to  the  flesh."*  If  any  one  deem  tho  case  to  be 
otherwise,  just  let  him  imagine  how  preposterous 
it  would  seem  for  any  grave  and  reverend  bishop  of 
our  day,  or  for  any  public  body  in  the  country,  to 
send  a  message  to  the  young  pastors  of  South  Caro- 
lina, urging  them  to  teach  the  slaves  of  Christian 
planters  "  not  to  despise  their  masters !"  Surely, 
such  a  message  would  sound  strangely  to  the  plant- 
ers themselves  ;  and  if  it  were  carried  into  effect  by 
some  obedient  Timothy,  they  would  see  "  the  fool- 
ishness of  preaching,"  in  a  new  point  of  light. 
The  same  idea  of  a  change  in  the  relations  of  these 

*  Galatians,  v.  13. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  331 

two  classes  accomplished  by  Christianity,  is  implied 
and  indicated  by  Paul's  address  to  those  who  be- 
longed to  the  church  of  Ephesus."^  There  he  first 
addresses  servants,  and  urges  them  to  be  exemplary 
in  rendering  obedience  to  their  masters,  for  the  sake 
of  honoring  the  cause  of  Christianity — "  as  the  ser- 
vants of  Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God  from  the 
heart,  with  good  will  doing  service  to  the  Lord,  and 
NOT  TO  MEN."  Undoubtedly,  this  precept  was  in- 
tended to  be  as  unlimited  as  that  given  by  Peter  (1 
Peter  ii.  19,)  that  is,  to  cases  wherein  the  servant 
was  called  to  "  endure  grief,  for  conscience  toward 
God,  suffering  wrongfully^  However  froward  or 
perverse  ((^xoiiog)  the  master  might  be,  however  un- 
just his  demands,  the  Christian  servant  was  sum- 
moned to  the  exercise  of  patience  and  submission,  in 
imitation  of  Christ,  who,  "  when  he  suffered,  threat- 
ened not,  but  committed  himself  to  Him  that  judgeth 
righteously."  Of  course,  Peter  did  not  mean  to 
sanction  the  wrong  ;  and  so,  too,  in  this  exhortation 
of  Paul  to  the  Ephesians,  he  meant  to  urge  the  Chris- 
tian servant  to  bear  wrong  meekly,  without  giving 
a  sanction  to  the  wrong  itself.  Even  if  he  were  sub- 
jected to  the  worst  of  heathen  masters,  the  apostle 
wished  him  to  cultivate  all  fidelity  in  his  service, 
not  on  the  ground  of  right  or  justice,  but  because 
God  would  reward  his  submission  to  injustice,  if  it 
were  exercised  in  order  to  promote  the  honor  and 
triumphs  of  religion.  The  specific  motive  by  which 
the  Christian  servant  is  excited  to  do  this,  is  thus 

*  Eph.  vl  5-9, 


332  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

expressed  :  "  With  good  will  doing  service  to  the 
Lord,  and  not  to  men  ;  knowing  that  whatsoever 
good  thing  any  man  doeth,  the  same  shall  he  receive 
of  the  Lord,  whether  he  be  bond  or  free." 

But  when,  in  the  next  sentence,  Paul  makes  a  tran- 
sition, and  addresses  himself  to  masters  who  were 
Christians,  his  words  are  few,  but  very  significant ; 
for,  while  he  tells  them  to  remember  that  tribunal 
where  there  is  no  respect  of  persons,  he  not  only 
forbids  their  using  force  in  the  government  of  their 
servants,  but  even  to  refrain  from  threatening  to  do 
so.  He  says,  "  Ye  masters,  do  the  same  things  unto 
them,  forbearing  threatening,  knowing  that  your 
Master  also  is  in  heaven  ;  neither  is  there  respect 
of  persons  with  Him."  In  the  Greek  text,  the  word 
aTfsdrjv,  translated  threatening,  is  preceded  by  the  ar- 
ticle, and  has  a  more  specific  sense.  Dr.  Bloomfield 
has  evidently  bestowed  some  labor  on  the  passage,  in 
investigating  the  force  of  the  terms  ;  and  says  (in  his 
Notes  on  the  Greek  Testament,)  that  the  word,  with 
the  article,  signifies  the  punishments  awarded  by  the 
law."  This  being  the  case,  the  precept  given  by  the 
apostle  to  Ephesian  masters  was  a  direct  prohibition 
against  their  availing  themselves  of  power  conferred 
by  the  Roman  law  in  the  government  of  their  ser- 
vants. It  was  an  explicit  command  to  them  to  rise 
above  the  Roman  law  in  this  relation,  and  to  regu- 
late their  conduct  by  the  law  of  Christ,  at  whose 
judgment  seat  they  must  stand.  But  the  Roman 
law  being  set  aside,  where  could  the  Christian  mas- 
ter find  any  authority  in  the  law  of  Christ  for  hold- 
ing his  brethren  in  involuntary  servitude,  by  means 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  333 

of  violence  ?  Such  a  pretension  no  man  possessing 
ordinary  self-respect,  would  venture  to  set  up.  An 
intelligent  Southerner  has  aply  said,  that  the  slave 
system,  as  it  is,  may  be  defended  on  the  ground  of 
necessity,  just  as  war  is  defended,  in  some  cases, 
"  because  the  government  which  it  requires  is  no- 
thing more  nor  less  than  a  prevalence  of  martial 
law."  This  witness  is  true  ;  but  how  a  state  of  mar- 
tial law  is  to  be  maintained  by  men  whose  religion 
forbids  them,  not  merely  to  remit  legal  punishments, 
but  even  to  "  forbear  threatening,"  is  a  problem 
which  yet  remains  for  those  Christian  casuists 
who  claim  the  blessed  Jesus  as  the  patron  of 
slavery. 

The  passage  in  the  epistle  to  the  Colossians  (iii. 
22-25  and  iv.  1)  presents  no  feature  of  the  case 
different  from  that  which  has  already  been  exhibited. 
Christian  servants  were  exhorted  to  cultivate  the 
domestic  virtues  on  those  same  grounds  which  have 
been  already  suggested.  They  are  bidden  to  rise 
superior  to  the  legal  relation,  and  to  yield  a  volun- 
tary service  for  the  sake  of  their  heavenly  Master, 
and  then  follow  these  spirit-stirring  words  :  "  And 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  it  heartily  to  the  Lord,  and  not 
to  men,  knowing  that  of  the  Lord  ye  shall  receive 
the  reward  of  the  inheritance,  for  ye  serve  the  Lord 
Christ."  The  spirit  which  glows  in  the  address  is 
abhorrent,  from  the  idea  that  any  man  had  a  right- 
ful claim  to  hold  these  Christian  brethren  in  an  in- 
voluntary servitude. 

The  address  which  follows  to  the  masters  who 
had  become  Christians,  is,  in  this  case  also,  very 


334  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

brief.  It  simply  commands  them  to  be  just,  and  to 
remember  their  own  accountability.  "  Masters,  give 
unto  your  servants  that  which  is  just  and  equal, 
knowing  that  you  also  have  a  Master  in  heaven." 
There  is  not  a  free  country  in  the  world,  and  there 
never  will  be  one,  where  this  precept  will  not  be 
appropriate  and  needful. 

.  There  is,  in  the  New  Testament,  another  apostolic 
precept  which  relates  to  the  relative  duties  of  ser- 
vants. It  is  in  the  epistle  to  Titus  (ii.  9,  10) ;  but 
its  letter  and  spirit  are  in  entire  accordance  with 
those  which  we  have  already  quoted.  This  class  of 
persons  are  urged  to  make  the  relation  in  which  they 
stood  a  means  of  advancing  the  Christian  religion  ; 
to  do  this  by  so  living  as  to  "  adorn  the  doctrine  of 
God  our  Saviour  in  all  things."  In  that  age  of 
ardent  Christian  love,  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of 
Christ  was  deemed  a  counterpoise  to  every  evil.  No 
doubt,  many  of  these  servants  would  have  gladly 
continued  in  subjection  to  Pagans,  if  by  so  doing 
they  could  gain  new  trophies  for  their  Kedeemer, 
just  as  it  has  been  known  that  Christians,  filled 
with  the  missionary  spirit,  have  actually  sold  them- 
selves into  servitude,  in  order  to  extend  the  cause 
of  human  salvation.  At  a  period  glowing  with  this 
holy  martyr-spirit,  it  was  common  for  the  friends  of 
Christ  to  content  themselves  with  any  lot  in  which 
they  could  promote  his  glory,  and  easy  for  them  to 
respond  to  the  apostle's  appeal :  "Art  thou  called, 
being  a  servant  ?  Care  not  for  it ;  but  if  thou 
mayest  be  free,  use  it  rather :  for  he  that  is  called 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  335 

in  the  Lord,  being  a  servant,  is  the  Lord's  free- 
man."* 

As  an  incidental  illustration  of  this  state  of  things 
which  we  have  been  contemplating,  it  would  be  dif- 
ficult to  imagine  anything  more  expressive  than  the 
letter  of  Paul  to  Philemon.  The  whole  of  it  is  in 
exact  accordance  with  that  condition  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  which  distinguished  the  apostolic  age, 
when  it  consisted  of  scattered  communities  in  Pagan 
lands,  who  had  come  under  the  law  of  Christ,  and 
had  ceased  to  determine  their  duties  by  the  civil 
law,  or  to  avail  themselves  of  the  powers  which  it 
conferred,  to  promote  their  own  worldly  benefit  by 
acts  of  oppression.  Onesimus  had  been  the  slave  of 
Philemon.  He  had  fled  away  from  his  master,  and 
became  a  Christian,  under  the  ministry  of  Paul,  at 
Rome.  This  converted  slave  the  apostle  wished  to 
retain  at  Rome,  to  minister  unto  his  own  necessities; 
but  he  did  not  wish  to  do  it  without  the  concurrence 
of  his  beloved  Philemon,  his  "  fellow-laborer."  Ac- 
cording to  the  law  of  Rome,  Onesimus  was  still  the 
property  of  Philemon,  who,  as  a  citizen,  had  a  legal 
claim  upon  all  his  services  ;  but  the  letter  does  not 
intimate  the  slightest  probability  that  Philemon,  the 
Christian,  would  or  could  urge  that  claim.  So  far 
from  this,  it  is  distinctly  asserted  that  the  relation 
of  the  two  parties  had  been  essentially  changed. 
How  could  that  fact  be  more  clearly  expressed  than 
in  the  following  words  :  "  For  perhaps  he  therefore 
departed  for  a  season,  that  thou  shouldst  receive 

*  \  Ck>r.  vil  21,  22. 


336  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

him  forever  ;  not  now  as  a  servant^  hut  above  a  servant, 
a  brother  beloved,  specially  to  me,  but  how  much  more 
unto  thee,  both  in  the  flesh  and  in  the  Lord  ?"*  This 
latter  phrase  effectually  guards  the  interpretation  of 
the  letter  against  that  sophistry  which  concedes  that 
Onesimus  was  Philemon's  brother,  considered  as  a 
Christian,  but  refuses  to  extend  the  acknowledgment 
of  brotherhood  to  civil  relations  and  to  common  life. 
It  shows  that  the  apostle  did  not  speak  of  brother- 
hood in  some  refined,  ethereal,  spiritual  sense,  which 
had  no  practical  issues,  but  in  a  sense  which  would 
develop  itself  in  substantial  benefits  to  Onesimus  as 
a  man,  as  a  fellow-creature  possessing  a  kindred 
nature,  and  endowed  with  the  same  moral,  social, 
and  physical  sensibilities  as  was  Philemon  himself. 
Certainly  there  need  be  no  difficulty  in  admitting 
the  fact  of  so  great  a  change,  when  we  see  that 
Paul  identifies  the  happiness  and  interests  of  Onesi- 
mus with  his  own,  and  says  to  his  former  master : 
"  If  thou  count  me  as  a  partner,  receive  him  as  my- 
self." 

Only  a  single  observation  further,  on  this  letter, 
is  necessary  here  ;  which  is,  that  the  object  of  Paul's 
writing  it,  was  not  to  beg  for  the  liberty  of  Onesi- 
mus, but  to  perform  an  act  of  friendship  towards 
Philemon  ;  to  awaken  in  his  heart  a  sympathetic  joy 
over  the  conversion  of  his  lost  servant ;  and  to  afford 
him  an  opportunity  to  do  his  own  duty  in  the  case, 
freely  and  cheerfully.  The  first  impulse  of  the  apos- 
tle's mind  was  to  retain  Onesimus,  without  sending 

*  Verses  16, 16. 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  337 

him  back  at  all ;  but  he  concluded  that  it  would  be 
most  satisfactory,  on  the  whole,  to  place  it  within 
the  power  of  his  old  Colossian  friend  to  express  his 
own  feelings  towards  Onesimus,  as  a  man  and  a 
Christian.  Mark  the  expression  of  this  sentiment : 
"  Whom  I  would  have  retained  with  me,  that  in  thy 
stead  he  might  have  ministered  unto  me,  in  the  bonds 
of  the  gospel :  but  without  thy  mind  would  I  do 
nothing,  that  thy  benefit  should  not  be,  as  it  were, 
of  necessity,  but  willingly."  A  similar  phrase  occurs 
in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  (ix.  T), 
where  Paul  shows  them,  that,  although  they  were 
bound  by  the  law  of  Christ  to  contribute  a  supply 
to  the  wants  of  their  persecuted  brethren,  he  wished 
them  to  do  it  from  a  principle  of  love,  and  not  by 
constraint :  "  Every  man,  as  he  has  purposed  in  his 
heart,  so  let  him  give  ;  not  grudgingly  or  of  neces- 
sity." The  style  of  address  in  the  letter  to  Philemon 
is  analogous  to  this  ;  for  although  the  law  of  Christ 
forbade  him  to  hold  his  "  beloved  brother  "  Onesi- 
mus in  a  state  of  servitude,  by  force  or  threatening, 
yet  Paul  deemed  it  desirable  that  Philemon  should 
show  openly  that  he  was  governed  by  Christian  prin- 
ciple in  this  case,  and  not  by  a  sense  of  hard  con- 
straint, or  the  awe  of  an  apostolic  command. 

We  have  now  examined  those  precepts  of  the 
apostles,  touching  relative  duties,  on  which  the 
advocates  of  slavery  found  their  argument.  It  ap- 
pears to  us,  not  merely  that  they  accord  with  the 
position  which  we  have  taken  on  the  doctrine  of 
Christianity,  but  that  they  cannot  be  clearly  and 
consistently  ui-derstood  unless  they  are  seen  from 


838  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

this  point  of  view.     There  is  one  statement  of  Paul, 
however,  bearing  on  the  whole  subject,  which  ought 
not  to  be  overlooked.     It  is  one  which  shows  that 
Christianity  places  the  crime  of  man-stealing  on  the 
same  ground  of  sinfulness  as  did  the  law  of  Moses. 
As  we  have  already  seen,  by  that  law,  it  was  not 
only  a  capital  crime  to  steal  a  man,  but  also  to  have 
in  one^s  possession   a  man  who  had   been  stolen. 
Jewish  servitude  never  originated  in  man-stealing  ; 
and  if  in  any  house,  or  village,  or  town,  or  commu- 
nity, there  had  been  found   a   slave-system  which 
owned  such  an  origin,  the  Mosaic  law  would  have 
abolished  it  immediately  when  that  fact  had  been 
established.    Now,  in  the  opening  of  the  First  Epis- 
tle to  Timothy  (i.  10),  Paul  views  the  crime  thus 
treated  of  old  in  the  same  point  of  light,  when  he 
classes  men-stealers  with  man-slayers,  and  perjured 
persons,  and  other  transgressors  of  the  divine  law. 
But  all  know  that  American  slavery  did  originate  in 
man-stealing,  which  even  the  civil  law  has  denounced 
as  piracy.     Those  who  now  hold  in  their  possession 
the  descendants  of  the  first  captives,  have  not,  in 
the  sight  of  God,  any  more  right  to  their  persons  as 
property,  than  our  fathers  had  to  the  first  captives 
themselves,  whom  they  purchased  from  the  hands  of 
the  bloody  slave-dealer,  fresh  and  reeking  from  the 
coast  of  Africa.     If  the  men  of  the  present  genera- 
tion deplore  their  unsought  relation  to  this  oppres- 
sive system  as  a  misfortune, — ^if  it  be  their  main 
anxiety  to  learn  in  what  way  they  may  set  them- 
selves right  in  regard  to  it, — the  Almighty,  it  may 
be  hoped,  will   be  long-suffering  and    forbearing 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  339 

toward  their  slowness,  and  will  mercifully  consider 
their  difficulties  ;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  they 
ratify  the  sins  of  our  predecessors,  and  vindicate 
their  own  right  to  possession  by  the  assumed  sanc- 
tions of  religion.  He  whose  stored  vengeance  hung 
over  the  Ammonites  during  four  centuries,  until 
**  their  iniquity  was  full,"  will  in  like  manner  sweep 
this  whole  realm  of  sanctimonious  oppression  with 
the  besom  of  desolation,  and  attest  to  the  universe, 
by  his  mighty  acts,  that  "  the  throne  of  iniquity  hath 
no  fellowship  "  with  heaven. 


SECTION  YII. 

RESPONSIBILITY   OP  AMERICAN   CHRISTIANS. 

Neither  religion,  philosophy,  nor  humanity,  fur- 
nish any  standing-place  whereon  a  man  may  press  a 
slave-holder's  claim  of  right  by  the  plea  of  prescrip- 
tion. There  is  nothing  in  human  nature  which  re- 
sponds to  such  an  argument,  when  we  bring  the  case 
closely  home  to  ourselves.  Time  was,  we  know, 
when  in  Algiers  there  were  a  large  number  of  white 
slaves,  both  English  and  Americans.  Suppose,  for 
a  moment,  that  our  own  government  had  never  suc- 
ceeded in  rescuing  our  fellow-citizens  from  that 
foreign  bondage,  and  that  now  their  descendants, 
our  own  relatives  by  blood  and  family,  had  become 
the  inheritance  of  a  new  race  of  owners.  What  if, 
on  demanding  the  release  of  these  captives,  their 
lords  should  meet  us  with  such  Christian  arguments 


340  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

as  are  found  in  the  letters  of  Dr.  Fuller,  should 
declare  to  us  that  they  had  not  had  anything  to  do 
with  bringing  those  poor  people  there,  that  they  had 
found  themselves  in  a  relation  of  ownership  to  them, 
that  this  had  now  become  a  permanent  element  of 
their  social  organization;  that  slavery  had  been  tole- 
rated by  our  own  holy  religion  in  the  Roman  em- 
pire, and  that  they  now  appealed  to  us,  by  our 
regard  to  order,  to  justice,  to  civil  claims  of  prop- 
erty which  time  had  consecrated,  and  especially  by 
our  reverence  for  the  primitive  and  prudent  teach- 
ings of  that  Christianity  in  which  we  so  much 
gloried,  that  we  should  show  ourselves  to  be  the 
lovers  of  peace,  and  leave  them  undisturbed,  in  the 
enjoyment  of  those  rights  with  which  Divine  Provi- 
dence had  so  long  invested  themi  Would  our 
friends  in  South  Carolina  then  be  found  yielding 
quietly  to  the  power  of  these  "  sacred  truths,"  and 
paying  homage  to  the  intellect  of  the  Christian 
Teacher  who  had,  by  means  of  them,  so  wonderfully 
enlightened  the  minds  of  the  Algerines?  Would 
not  then  a  single  wail,  wafted  over  the  waters  from 
a  captive  boy  bearing  the  name  of  one  of  their  own 
families,  at  once  identify  his  cause  with  that  of  the 
first  sufferers,  and  dissolve  this  claim  to  property  in 
man  founded  on  prescription?  Would  not  every 
one  of  them  feel  the  decisions  of  such  a  question  at 
his  pulse  ?  And  surely,  if  this  sense  of  right  and 
justice  in  us,  short-sighted  beings,  can  arouse  our 
souls  to  overleap  a  long  interval  of  years,  to  dispel 
the  misty  illusions  of  time,  and  to  look  at  things  by 
the  simple  light  of  the'r  own  unchanging  moral 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  341 

nature,  let  us  not  harbor  the  thought  that  time  can 
consecrate  wrong  doing,  or  avert  its  penalties,  under 
the  government  of  that  Supreme  Ruler,  before  whom 
"  a  thousand  years  is  as  one  day;"  who  has  solemnly 
declared  that  he  will  "  visit  the  iniquities  of  the 
fathers  upon  the  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth 
generation  ;"  and  who  declared,  through  the  lips 
of  the  Messiah,  to  the  people  of  Jerusalem,  that, 
unless  they  abjured  the  sins  of  their  fathers,  they 
would  fall  beneath  the  weight  of  a  woe  which  had 
for  ages  been  treasuring  up  its  stores  of  fatal  judg- 
ment. 

It  is  with  good  reason,  therefore,  that  we  agree  in 
sentiment  with  Dr.  Fuller  when  he  says,  "  Compared 
with  slavery,  all  other  topics  which  now  shake  and 
inflame  men's  passions  in  these  United  States,  are 
really  trifling."^  On  this  account  it  is  that  we  feel 
how  unspeakably  weighty  is  the  obligation  which 
has,  from  the  first,  rested  on  the  American  church, 
to  hold  forth  God's  testimony  touching  the  nature 
of  the  evil  with  unwavering  fidelity.  Dr.  Fuller 
observes  that  slavery  was  introduced  here  "  in  spite 
of  the  protests  of  the  colonies."t  But  why  was  this 
note  of  remonstrance  permitted  to  die  away,  and  to 
be  changed,  first,  into  soft  tones  of  apology  for  the 
system,  and  at  last  into  the  voice  of  bold  and  elo- 
quent defence?  Had  the  Christian  church  been 
faithful  to  her  mission,  the  result  had  been  very 
different.  It  is  a  truth,  however,  that  in  relation  to 
this  subject,  the  American  church  has,  to  a  great 

*  Page  3.  f  Page  131. 


342  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

extent,  laid  aside  the  character  of  a  true  and  faith- 
ful witness,  and  has  incurred  censures  similar  to 
those  which  are  recorded  in  the  second  chapter  of 
the  Book  of  Revelation,  against  the  ancient  church 
of  Pergamos,  for  holding  back  her  testimony,  in 
relation  to  the  prevailing  system  of  idolatry.  The 
message  there  addressed  to  her,  contrasts  her  early 
state  of  purity  with  that  of  the  first  decline  of  her 
character.  "These  things  saith  he  who  hath  the 
sharp  sword  with  two  edges  ;  I  know  thy  works, 
and  where  thou  dwellest,  even  where  Satan's  seat  is; 
and  thou  holdest  fast  my  name,  and  hast  not  denied 
my  faith,  even  in  those  days  wherein  Antipas  was 
my  faithful  martyr,  who  was  slain  among  you  where 
Satan  dwelleth  ;  but  I  have  a  few  things  against 
thee,  because  thou  hast  there  them  that  hold  the 
doctrine  of  Balaam,  who  taught  Balak  to  cast  a 
stumbling-block  before  the  children  of  Israel,  to  eat 
things  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  to  commit  fornication. 
Repent,  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and 
will  fight  against  them  with  the  sword  of  my 
mouth." 

Now,  here  it  is  certainly  interesting  to  observe, 
that,  in  order  to  prepare  this  Christian  church  for 
the  rebuke  which  he  was  about  to  utter,  our  Lord 
shows  to  them  that  he  was  mindful  of  all  the  peculiar 
difficulties  with  which  they  were  surrounded  ;  that, 
in  estimating  the  results  of  a  people's  influence,  he 
has  regard  to  their  place  of  residence,  the  state  of 
society  on  which  they  operate,  and  the  peculiar 
forms  of  depravity  with  which  they  may  be  called 
to  wrestle.    Pergamos  was  consecrated  to  the  Ca- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  343 

biri,  a  particular  class  of  deities,  and  so  drenched  in 
the  slough  of  superstition  that  every  man  and  every 
child  seemed  to  be  mad  upon  their  idols.  The 
Athenians  were  given  up  to  idolatry,  but  they  loved 
it  for  its  associations  with  art  and  genius,  and  in  it 
they  worshipped  the  beautiful ;  but  the  people  of 
Pergamos  loved  it  more  for  its  lower  elements,  and 
were  more  penetrated  with  its  essential  spirit.  Of 
such  a  place  it  might  be  truly  said,  "  Satan's  seat  is 
there ;"  for  although  he  is  called  "  the  god  of  this 
world,"  although,  as  we  look  abroad  over  the  na- 
tions, every  region  bears  the  insignia  of  his  sway, 
yet,  comparatively  speaking,  some  parts  seem  to  be 
like  tributary  provinces ;  while  others,  for  their 
wickedness,  appear  to  lie  near  the  seat  and  capital 
of  his  empire.  The  recognition  of  this  fact  in  the 
inspired  message  which  we  have  here  quoted,  brings 
out  to  view  an  encouraging  truth,  that,  although  our 
Lord  expects  much  of  his  church  on  earth,  there  is 
not  an  obstacle  in  her  path  which  he  has  not  fully 
measured. 

The  spirit  of  the  accusation,  then,  against  the 
Christians  of  Pergamos,  may  be  thus  stated,  that, 
although  the  Most  High  would  make  the  most  mer- 
ciful allowances  for  the  small  amount  of  results 
accomplished  by  the  church  in  that  city,  he  would 
make  none  at  all  for  their  corrupting  the  principles 
of  his  religion — although  he  could  bear  with  the 
small  quantity  of  good  influence  which  they  had  put 
forth,  he  could  not  bear  with  the  deterioration  of  its 
quality.  Small  success  in  promulgating  the  gospel 
may  be  charitably  accounted  for,  but  to  mutilate  the 


344  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

gospel  itself  is  a  sin  which  he  will  visit  with  con- 
dign severity.  The  message  itself  gives  evidence, 
that,  after  the  church  at  Pergamos  had  resisted  her 
outward  foes  with  a  holy  and  heroic  spirit,  she  was 
yielding  to  the  influence  of  those  who  were  ready  to 
accommodate  their  Christianity  to  the  times,  saying 
that  an  external  conformity  to  the  usages  of  idolatry 
was  innocent  and  expedient.  Perhaps  some  of  them 
advanced,  in  effect,  what  has  since  been  urged  with 
zeal  by  the  Papists,  that  the  way  to  win  the  heathen 
to  Christianity  is  not  to  be  too  rigidly  separate  from 
them,  but  to  tolerate  many  errors  for  the  present, 
and  to  turn  a  participation  in  the  rites  and  festivals 
to  a  good  account.  The  allusion  to  Balak  shows 
that  some  of  these  Christians  had  already  drunk  of 
the  "  Ammonitish  wine,"  which  intoxicated  the  Is- 
raelites, which  led  them  to  honor  Baal  Peor  and  to 
forsake  the  law  of  God.  Their  conformity  did  not 
stop  at  the  first  step  ;  "  their  table  became  a  snare 
and  a  trap,"  and  their  spirit  of  idolatry  led  to  every 
species  of  evil.  Their  destiny,  as  a  church,  was 
involved  in  their  fidelity  to  first  principles.  Henco 
the  message  sent  to  them  from  the  isle  of  Patmos 
directs  its  woe  against  all  those  who  pervert  the 
Divine  word,  or  bring  down  the  standard  of  its 
principles  to  the  level  of  their  own  convenience. 
That  is  a  great  sin,  because  it  destroys  the  remedy 
for  sin.  A  single  Christian,  or  a  church,  may  be 
able  to  make  but  little  headway  against  a  prevailing 
custom,  against  popular  opinion,  against  a  badly 
organized  state  of  society  ;  but  every  church,  every 
man,  and  every  woman,  may  hold  up  a  sound  testi- 


Christianity  and  Slavery.  345 

mony,  may  state  the  truth  of  God  correctly,  and 
leave  the  consequence  to  Him,  whether  it  be  to  let 
it  work  gently  like  leaven,  or  to  be  as  the  fire  and 
the  hammer  which  breaks  the  rock  of  flint. 

This  remark  has  respect  to  the  proper  treatment 
of  all  sins  which  are  called  "  organic," — those  which 
are  deeply  interwoven  with  the  elements  of  the  so- 
cial structure,  as,  for  instance,  idolatry  or  slavery. 
Time  was  when  almost  universally,  throughout  this 
country,  men  owned  slavery  to  be  a  sin  ;  that  is,  a 
thing  which  is  in  itself  a  transgression  of  the  law  of 
righteousness.  Scarcely  anywhere  could  a  man  be 
heard  to  say,  that  either  its  commencement  or  its 
continuance  was  sanctioned  by  reason  or  scripture. 
Amidst  the  agitation  of  recent  years,  however,  many 
leading  men  in  the  land  have  deemed  the  avowal  of 
such  a  sentiment  to  be  contrary  to  a  safe  policy,  and 
have  proclaimed  slavery  to  be,  not  an  entailed  mis- 
fortune, but  a  righteous  relation  sanctioned  by  the 
Christian  scriptures.  Now,  in  this  juncture,  Divine 
Providence  undoubtedly  called  the  Christian  church 
in  the  slave  states  to  a  great  duty  ;  to  proclaim,  on 
the  one  hand,  that  she  was  averse  to  all  fanatical 
violence,  wrath,  and  strife  ;  and,  on  the  other,  that 
to  her.  Heaven  had  committed  a  pure  and  free  Chris- 
tianity, which  teaches  that  "  God  has  made  of  one 
blood  all  nations  to  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  earth," 
— that  the  men  of  Europe  or  America  have  no  more 
right  of  ownership  in  the  flesh  and  blood  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Africa,  than  the  Africans  have  in  theirs  ; 
and  that,  not  power,  or  wealth,  or  color,  can  give  to 
mm  a  right  of  property  in  man.     This  testimony 


34G  Christianity  and  Slavery. 

she  should  have  held  forth  with  a  calm  martyr-spirit, 
seeking  nought  by  violence,  but  to  overcome  by  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb  and  the  word  of  his  testimony. 
But,  alas !  to  a  great  extent,  her  ministry  and  mem- 
bers have  succumbed  to  the  laws,  the  politics,  the 
statesmanship,  and  the  spirit  of  this  world, — have 
altered  the  testimony  of  Christ's  word,  and  have 
publicly  declared  that  his  religion  sanctions  a  sys- 
tem of  slavery.  If  the  apostle  John,  who  was  in- 
spired of  old  to  warn  the  declining  churches  of  Asia, 
could  descend  from  heaven  with  a  special  message 
to  this  portion  of  the  American  church,  its  "  burden  " 
and  its  tone  would  probably  agree  with  those  of  this 
letter  to  Pergamos,  saying,  "  I  know  where  thou 
dwellest,  even  in  the  midst  of  a  system  which  Satan 
has  devised  to  grind  your  brethren  with  hard  bond- 
age. I  know  how  little  thou  canst  do  to  change  the 
laws  and  manners  of  this  people,  and  break  the  bands 
of  oppression  ;  but  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee, 
because  thou  hast  there  them  that  hold  the  doctrine 
of  the  devil,  saying  that  this  system  is  from  me,  and 
that  it  bears  the  sanction  of  your  Lord  and  Master. 
Repent,  or  else  I  will  come  unto  thee  quickly,  and 
will  fight  against  thee  with  the  sword  of  my  mouth." 
Of  such  a  spirit,  we  believe,  would  be  the  message 
sent  to  a  portion  of  our  American  church,  if  the 
oracle  of  Cod  should  illuminate  another  Patmos. 
The  man  who,  in  the  view  of  the  civil  law,  is  regard- 
ed as  a  slaveholder,  but  who,  in  heart,  abhors  the 
system,  testifies  against  it  as  unrighteous,  and  does 
what  he  can  to  bring  it  to  an  end,  is  guiltless,  com- 
pared with  him,  either  at  the  South  or  the  North, 


Christianity   and  Slavery.  347 

who  never  owned  a  slave,  but  who  says  that  Chris 
tianity  sanctions  slavery.  The  one  is  the  unwilling 
victim  of  the  system  ;  the  other  is  the  voluntary  ad- 
vocate of  a  principle,  which,  if  true,  fixes  on  Chris- 
tianity all  the  guilt  of  the  system  itself.  The  one 
exerts  an  influence  which  tends  to  destroy  the  sys- 
tem ;  the  other,  an  influence  which  tends  to  perpet- 
uate it.  The  one  utters  a  testimony,  however  fee- 
ble, in  harmony  with  the  voice  of  the  Bible  ;  the 
other  muffles  God's  trumpet,  so  that  it  can  pour  forth 
no  note  of  warning,  but  only  gentle  sounds,  which 
soothe  rather  than  alarm  the  conscience  of  the  op- 
pressor. 

As  we  have  said  before,  the  truths  involved  in  this 
message  proclaimed  by  the  voice  of  the  inspiration, 
apply  to  the  church's  testimony  respecting  all  or- 
ganic sins  whatsoever, — to  all  wrong  customs  which 
have  received  the  support  of  society.  It  will  not  do 
for  a  Christian,  or  an  association  of  Christians,  to 
say,  We  cannot  alter  them,  and  therefore  yield  to 
them.  In  many  things  we  all  may  have  been  sub- 
jected to  a  false  system,  whose  influence  we  have  in- 
haled like  a  subtle  atmosphere  ;  but  at  any  rate  we 
can  testify  against  it ;  we  can  hold  forth  the  law  of 
truth  and  righteousness  ;  we  can  make  known  the 
word  of  God,  "  uncorrupt  and  pure  ;"  and  thus,  bat- 
tling against  one  and  another  sin,  may  keep  it  from 
concealing  its  native  vileness  by  enrolling  itself  in 
the  authority  of  religion,  and  proudly  wearing  the 
sanctions  of  Christ,  like  stars  in  its  crown  of 
triumph. 


APPENDICES. 


APPENDIX    I. 

NOTB  A— Page 28. 
THE  HARVEST  OF  TRADITIONISM. 

Evert  reader  of  the  public  journals,  who  is  accustomed  to 
observe  "  the  signs  of  the  times/'  has  been  led  to  watch,  with 
increasing  interest,  for  a  few  years  past,  the  agitation  of  the 
Church  question  in  England,  to  mark  the  progress  of  that 
mighty  conflict  of  opposing  elements  now  raging  from  the  center 
to  the  circumference  of  the  Establishment ;  and,  of  late,  espe- 
cially, has  been  struck  with  the  fact  that  the  tide  of  sentiment 
among  English  Churchmen  has  been  turning  toward  Rome 
with  a  stronger  and  accelerated  flow.  When  a  paper  like  the 
London  Times  comes  to  express  its  sympathy  with  the  "  public 
surprise"  that  men  of  the  highest  rank  and  character,  men  who 
had  won  universal  confidence  as  sturdy  champions  of  the 
Anglican  Church,  should  become  "  apostates,"  we  may  feel 
quite  sure  that  Rome  is  garnering  rich  harvests  from  the  fields 
of  Oxford  orthodoxy,  that  the  boasts  of  Cardinal  Wiseman  are 
something  more  than  "  sounding  brass,"  and  that  the  reception 
of  his  "  red  cap"  denotes  something  more  than  a  mere  empty 
parade. 

Among  the  apostasies  that  have  created  a  sensation  in  Eng- 
land, is  that  of  Viscount  Fielding,  a  young  nobleman  who  has 
been  signalized  as  a  standard-bearer  in  the  ranks  of  the  anti- 
Puseyites,  and  whom  the  Chiardian  says  it  was  constrained  to 
oppose  at  the  last   Cambridge  election  on  account  of   his 


350  Appendix  I. 

"  bigoted  denunciations — in  language  redolent  of  the  platform 
of  Exeter  Hall — against  any  diplomatic  intercourse  with  Rome." 
Now  he  has  grounded  his  arms,  has  made  his  confession,  and 
kneels  at  the  feet  of  "  the  Holy  Mother."  Others  have  fol- 
lowed in  his  lordship's  footsteps,  and  among  them  is  the  Rev. 
Henry  Wilberforce,  brother  of  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  who  was 
received  into  the  Popish  church  at  Mechlin,  on  the  Continent, 
whither  he  had  gone  a  short  time  before,  in  company  with 
Archdeacon  Manning,  who  is  supposed  to  sympathize  cordially 
with  this  movement.  One  of  Mr.  Wilberforce's  early  friends 
and  fellow-students  in  the  school  of  Dr.  Pusey,  was  the  Rev. 
T.  W.  Allies,  ex-chaplain  of  the  Bishop  of  London.  He  has 
just  resigned  the  rectory  of  Launton,  and  from  the  pulpit  de- 
clared to  his  congregation  that  "  he  could  not  endure  the  in- 
famy that  contradictory  doctrine,  even  upon  the  holy  sacrament 
of  baptism,  was  permitted  to  be  taught  even  by  the  ministers 
of  the  Anglican  Church ;  and  that,  while  they  would  be  told 
in  the  church  of  Launton  that  infants  were  regenerated  by 
God's  Holy  Spirit  in  baptism,  they  would  hear  just  the  contrary 
in  the  church  of  Bicester.  He  would,  therefore,  give  them  a 
sermon  no  more  by  word,  but  by  deed,  in  that  he  would  resign 
his  living,  teaching  them  thereby  that  they  should  follow  the 
truth  whithersoever  it  might  lead  them."  Mr.  Allies  carried 
his  purpose  into  execution,  left  a  rectory  worth  nearly  four 
thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  was  received  into  the  Romish 
Church  at  St.  Winfred's,  near  Cheadle,  by  Rev.  Dr.  Newman, 
of  Oxford  memory. 

In  the  eyes  of  Rome,  the  Bishop  of  Oxford's  family  was  a 
fitting  soil  to  receive  and  nourish  the  seeds  of  her  doctrine  ;  for 
it  appears  that  she  received  at  her  altars  three  sisters-in-law 
of  that  eminent  prelate,  and  the  Rev.  G.  Dudley  Ryder,  a  con- 
nection of  the  family  by  marriage.  We  once  had  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  a  sermon  from  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  who  gave  a  hit 
at  the  Dissenters  while  he  was  extolling  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land :  "  a  church,"  he  said,  "  whose  formularies  contain,  not 
the  crude  expositions  of  ignorance  and  presumption,  but  the 
piety,  the  learning,  and  the  wisdom  of  ages  concentrated  !"     It 


Appendix  I.  351 

was  the  aim  of  his  discourse  to  invest  the  church  standards 
with  the  sanctions  of  Heaven  as  the  infallible  guides  of  faith. 
Who  can  wonder  that  the  disciples  of  such  doctrines  should 
carry  them  to  their  legitimate  issues,  and  seek  the  oracles  of 
infallibility  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  whence  the  English 
bishops  themselves  received  their  ordination  and  their  author- 
ity ?  Must  not  men  reap  what  they  sow  ?  Can  they  gather 
grapes  from  thorns  ?  Can  thinking  and  earnest  minds  really 
believe  that  their  salvation  depends  on  their  receiving  the  sac- 
raments from  the  hands  of  rightly-consecrated  priests,  and 
then  be  disposed  to  risk  their  eternal  destiny  on  such  flimsy 
arguments  as  those  which  are  alleged  to  justify  the  usurpations 
of  Henry  VHI..  who  abjured  the  long-acknowledged  supremacy 
of  the  Pope  in  England,  and  proclaimed  himself  the  head  of  the 
church  and  defender  of  the  faith  ?  Can  such  persons  commit 
the  life  of  their  souls,  derived  as  it  is  from  the  authorized  ad- 
ministration of  water,  bread  and  wine,  to  the  keeping  of  an 
order  of  priests  sprung  from  that  race  of  men  who  all  hung  in 
abject  dependence  on  the  nod  of  Elizabeth,  a  queen  who  had  it 
in  her  power  to  say  to  the  Bishop  of  Peterborough,  that  if  he 
did  not  do  as  she  bade  him,  "  By  God,  I  will  unfrock  you  ?" 
Surely,  in  the  view  of  these  '-  perverts,"'  as  they  are  called  in 
England,  salvation  is  a  serious  business ;  and,  according  to  the 
principles  which  they  have  been  taught,  they  have  taken  the 
safe  course,  they  have  faithfully  followed  "  the  law  of  devel- 
opment." 

In  fact,  the  Church  of  England,  during  the  re»ent  agitation 
of  fundamental  questions,  has  felt  herself  pressed  by  the  horns 
of  a  dilemma,  which  was  pointed  out  by  the  Archbishop  of 
York,  in  the  year  1558,  during  the  debates  of  Parliament.  The 
bill  before  the  House  was  for  attaching  the  supremacy  of  the 
church  to  the  queen.  According  to  Hansard,  the  archbishop 
said,  that  if  the  Church  of  England  withdraw  from  the  Church 
of  Rome,  she  would,  by  that  act,  directly  forsake  and  fly  from 
all  general  councils  ;  and  he  proceeded  to  prove  that  the  first 
four  councils,  of  Nice,  Constantinople,  Ephesus,  and  Chalce 
don,  had  acknowledged  the  sup  emacy  of  Rome.     He  then  pre- 


352  Appendix  I. 

sented  this  alternative  for  consideration  :  Either  the  Church 
of  Rome  is  a  true  or  a  false  one.  If  she  be  a  true  church,  then 
we  will  be  guilty  of  schism  in  leaving  her,  will  be  excom- 
municated by  her,  and  the  Church  of  England  will  become 
herself  a  false  church.  If  the  Church  of  Rome  be  a  false 
church,  then  she  can  not  be  a  pure  source  of  apostolical  succes- 
sion 5  and  the  Church  of  England  must  be  false,  because  she 
derived  her  ordination  and  sacraments  from  that  of  Rome. 
This  argument  of  the  archbishop  is  as  strong  now  as  ever 
against  those  who  would  establish  the  claims  of  their  church 
on  the  basis  of  a  regular  priestly  succession.  The  High 
Churchmen  of  England,  to  a  great  extent,  believe  the  Church 
of  Rome  to  be  essentially  a  true  church  ;  and  cherishing  this 
conviction,  they  dare  not  brave  the  hazards  of  remaining  vol- 
untarily in  a  state  of  schism.  As  Mr.  Allies  declared  for  him- 
self, they  "  will  follow  the  truth  whithersoever  it  may  lead." 
We  can  not  but  sympathize  with  the  anxieties  of  those  sin- 
ceje  inquirers  after  the  way  of  truth,  and  after  "  the  old  paths," 
who  have  been  brought  up  in  England  under  such  teachings  ; 
nor  less,  with  the  feeling  of  difficulty  on  the  part  of  those  who 
have  been  reared  in  the  Episcopal  Church  of  America,  which, 
as  a  branch  of  the  Parliamentary  Church  of  England,  is  beset 
with  the  same  troublesome  questions  that  take  their  rise  in  the 
doctrine  of  apostolical  succession.  After  having  been  taught 
to  place  their  hope  of  acceptance  with  God  on  the  validity  of 
sacraments ;  after  this  doctrine  has  become  an  essential  ele- 
ment of  their  creed,  and  has  interwoven  itself  with  all  their 
cherished  forms  of  religious  thought,  it  becomes  a  momentous 
business  to  assure  themselves  that  they  are  favored  with  the 
ministrations  of  a  priesthood  that  can  connect  itself  with  the 
Apostles  by  an  historical  chain  whose  links  have  never  been 
broken.  Who  can  tell  what  gloomy  periods  of  painful  sus- 
pense such  inquiring  spirits  are  called  to  pass  through  ?  And 
while  they  hear  their  own  priests  acknowledge  the  Church  of 
Rome  to  be  a  true  one,  and  know  that  this  "  true  church", de- 
nounces the  one  to  which  they  belong  as  being  heretical  and 
echismatical,  denying  the  authority  of  her  priesthood,  and  the 


Appendix  I.  353 

validity  of  her  sacraments,  who  can  "wonder  that  they  choose 
what  must,  in  that  case,  appear  to  them  to  be  the  safe  side  ! 
Who  can  wonder  that  they  should  hail,  as  a  welcome  refuge, 
amidst  their  longings  for  mental  repose,  the  altars  of  a  churjch 
whose  antiquity  is  undisputed,  whose  priesthood  they  had  held 
as  sacred,  and  whose  sacraments  they  had  revered  as  God's  ap- 
pointed channels  for  conveying  the  balm  of  life  to  the  sick  and 
perishing  ?  No,  we  wonder  not.  There  are  many  in  this  land 
who-,  by  such  steps,  have  reached  this  conclusion,  and  there  are 
many  others  now  tending  toward  it  by  a  drift  of  influences 
which  it  is  morally  impossible  for  them  to  resist. 

It  is  said  that  Lady  Fielding  has  been  for  some  time  engaged 
in  building  a  beautiful  church  on  her  estates  in  Wales,  in- 
tended, at  the  first,  for  the  Church  of  England,  but  now  des- 
tined to  be  dedicated  to  the  service  of  Rome.  In  England,  this 
change  has  produced  a  sensation.  Here,  as  well  as  elsewhere, 
there  are  many  who  expect  that  within  the  realm  of  religion 
we  may  sow  tares  and  reap  wheat.  They  deny  that  the 
Bible  alone  is  a  sufficient  guide  of  faith  and  practice ;  they  im- 
plant the  elements  of  traditionism  in  the  hearts  of  the  young, 
and  then  are  quite  astounded  when  the  natural  crop  of  Romish 
errors  appears  in  full  bloom  and  fruitage. 

In  New  York,  as  we  have  learned,  there  is  at  the  present 
time  an  Ecclesiological  Society,  designed  to  revive  a  taste  for 
mediaeval  arts  and  fashions,  which,  in  this  latitude,  are  in- 
vested with  a  charm  of  novelty.  From  the  moss-covered  ruins 
of  a  decayed  ritualism,  it  culls  all  the  pretty  fancies  which  it 
may  be  convenient  to  naturalize  among  us.  Octagon  fonts — 
knives  and  spoons  for  the  communion  with  handles  of  cross- 
form — cloths  for  the  communion-table  of  different  colors  for  dif- 
ferent holy  seasons — bier  covers  with  monograms  and  crosses 
— superaltars  and  candlesticks  of  canonical  patterns — these, 
"  and  such  like  things,"  this  society  looks  after,  and  offers 
many  of  them  for  sale,  "  cheap  for  cash,"  so  as  to  facilitate 
their  restoration  to  the  popular  customs.  Thus,  while,  on  the 
one  hand,  transcendentalism  is  laboring  to  destroy  all  reverence 
for  the  authority  of  the  Word  of  God,  on  the  other  hand,  tradi- 


354  Appendix  T. 

tionism  is  aiming  to  overlay  it  with  the  miserable  rubbish  of 
the  superstitious  ages. 

What  should  be  the  effect  of  these  things  upon  the  enlight- 
ened and  true-hearted  Christian?  Certainly  it  should  be  to 
strengthen  his  love  and  increase  his  zeal  for  that  pure  Word 
of  God  which  is  "  sure,  making  wise  the  simple,"  to  quicken 
his  resolution  to  do  all  that  lieth  in  him  to  diffuse  the  knowl- 
edge of  it ;  by  means  of  Bible  classes,  Sunday  schools,  and 
family  instruction,  to  have  our  youth  rooted  and  grounded  in 
its  wholesome  truths,  and  thus  to  aid  in  hastening  that  glori- 
ous victory  over  error  which  the  redeemed  in  heaven  shall 
celebrate  in  the  song  which  the  pen  of  inspiration  has  already 
written — "  Thou  hast  magnified  thy  Word  above  all  thy 
name?'' 


NoteB.    Page  2a 

INADEQUATE  IDEAS  OF  A  STATE  CHURCH. 

The  course  pursued  by  the  excellent  Baptist  Noel,  in  aban- 
doning the  Church  of  England,  called  forth  many  censures 
from  evangelical  ministers ;  not  only  from  those  who  are  con- 
nected with  the  English  Establishment,  but  also  from  those 
who  hold  distinguished  positions  among  the  Episcopalians  in 
America.  A  few  years  ago,  such  censures  filled  many  a  column 
in  the  religious  papers  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Even 
now,  they  are  occasionally  repeated.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
point  of  offense,  the  cardinal  error,  was,  not  in  his  becoming  a 
Baptist,  but  in  his  leaving  a  church  in  which  he  might  have 
been  useful,  and  to  which  he  owed  a  sacred  allegiance.  Ameri- 
can clergymen  have  been  heard  to  utter  language  respecting 
Baptist  Noel,  very  much  like  that  which  Southey  wrote  respect- 
ing the  author  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  when  he  extolled  the 


Appendix  I.  355 

liberality  of  the  English  Church  toward  him,  and  declared 
that  Bunyan  was  not  persecuted  for  his  opinions,  but  only 
legally  restrained  from  exhorting  persons  to  "  regard  with  ab- 
horrence that  Protestant  Church  which  is  essentially  part  of 
the  constitution  of  this  kingdom,  from  the  doctrines  of  which 
church,  except  in  the  point  of  infant  baptism,  he  did  not  differ 
a  hair's  breadth." 

From  the  tone  of  Southey's  remarks,  it  is  pretty  evident  that 
he  overlooked  one  thing ;  namely,  that  Bunyan  considered  the 
simple  fact  that  a  church  should  be  essentially  a  part  of  the 
constitution  of  a  kingdom,  as  a  flagrant  violation  of  the  consti- 
tutional laws  of  Christianity.  And  many  intelligent  men, 
who  have  uttered  their  opinion  respecting  the  course  which 
Mr.  Noel  aught  to  have  taken,  have  made  the  same  mistake  in 
regard  to  him,  and  have  failed  to  see  the  relative  importance 
•which  he  attaches  to  the  union  of  the  Church  with  the  State 
as  a  fundamental  error  in  religion,  as  the  proof  of  apostasy 
from  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and  from  the  essential  character 
of  apostolical  Christianity.  The  Christian  dispensation  is  dis- 
tinguished from  all  others  by  its  spirituality.  This  is  one  of 
its  leading  features,  and  one  which  our  Lord  placed  among  the 
initial  truths  that  he  taught,  as  we  see  was  the  case  in  those  in- 
structions that  he  gave  to  the  woman  whom  he  met  at  the  well 
of  Samaria. 

The  Jewish  economy  was  national,  and  persons  became  parts 
of  its  Church-and-State  system  by  natural  birth.  But  the  first 
truth  which  our  Lord  taught  an  inquiring  Rabbi  was,  that  under 
the  reign  of  the  Messiah  it  should  not  be  so ;  for,  '■  except  a 
man  be  born  again  he  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Christ's  harbinger  touched  the  same  point  first  of  all,  directing 
the  shafts  of  truth  against  that  reliance  on  a  connection  with 
the  Abrahamic  covenant  which  was  then  so  popular,  saying, 
"  think  not  to  say  within  yourselves  we  have  Abraham  to  our 
father."  He  called  on  men  to  repent  and  believe,  and  then,  by 
receiving  baptism,  to  become  visible  and  acknowledged  mem- 
bers of  that  newly  organized  assembly  which  he  was  gather- 
ing, "  the  people  made  ready  for  the  Lord,"  the  church  of  the 


356  Appendix  I. 

Messiah.  He  addressed  men  as  individuals,  and  refused  to  re- 
ceive them  on  any  other  ground  than  that  of  a  personal  faith, 
professed  in  a  spirit  of  obedience.  With  him  and  with  his 
Master,  circumcision  was  nothing,  uncircumcision  nothing,  but 
"  faith  which  worketh  by  love." 

These  things  being  so,  it  is  not  merely  impolitic,  but  it  is 
contrary  to  the  genius  of  Christianity,  contrary  to  its  essential 
elements  of  doctrine,  to  admit  any  one  to  any  rite  of  the  church 
on  account  of  his  having  been  born  within  its  pale,  or  to  make 
the  church  itself  a  part  of  a  political  system  of  government. 
He  who  sees  this  truth  as  clearly  as  Mr.  Noel  sees  it,  can  not 
keep  "  a  conscience  void  of  offense,"  and  yet  maintain  a  con- 
nection with  a  State  Church,  governed  by  a  Parliament,  and 
owning  a  queen  as  its  legal  head.  To  any  one  who  takes  the 
New  Testament  as  the  standard  of  Christianity,  it  is  saddening 
to  look  over  the  world  and  see  how  a  simple  religion,  sent  from 
heaven  to  attract  men  thither,  has  been  subordinated  to  the  low 
views  and  mean  interests  of  a  temporal  and  secular  policy.  It 
is  saddening  to  see  how  the  governments  of  the  world,  which 
have  set  themselves  up  to  patronize  Christianity,  have  para- 
lyzed her  power  and  shorn  her  of  her  glory.  It  is  saddening  to 
see  how,  under  the  pretense  of  exalting  her,  they  have  debased 
her  spirit,  and  disgraced  her  name ;  how,  while  pretending  to 
establish  Christianity  by  law,  they  have  established  a  merely 
human  authority,  and  have  caused  her  to  echo  the  dogmas  of 
courts  and  councils.  And  then,  is  it  not  saddening  to  see  that, 
as  the  last  and  worst  of  all.  they  have  praised  this  establish- 
ment as  the  true,  and  only  true  church  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  As  if 
the  church  of  Christ  could  he  established  by  human  law?  As 
if  a  spiritual  religion,  which  addresses  itself  to  the  free  choice 
of  men,  considered  as  free  agents,  could  be  enforced  by  legal 
enactments  !  The  thing  is  impossible.  It  involves  a  contra- 
diction. However  honored  maybe  the  history  of  any  church 
on  earth,  however  far  it  may  be  extended,  with  whatever 
names  it  may  be  distinguished  and  adorned,  its  pretense  of 
being  as  to  its  outward  constitution,  the  true  church  of  Christ, 
is  nullified  by  the  fact  that  it  is  a  church  established  by  human 


Appendix  I.  357 

law.  So  far  as  it  is  established  by  law  so  far  it  is  a  part  of  a 
political  system,  and  just  so  far,  constitutionally  considered,  it 
has  lost  the  character  of  a  true  church  of  Christ.  So  that  the 
mere  fact,  that  a  church  is  established  by  the  legislation  of  a 
State,  furnishes  a  sufficient  reason  why  a  Christian  man  should 
leave  it,  as  having  in  its  constitution  those  elements  which  are 
at  war  with  the  spiritual  nature,  the  primary  principles,  and  the 
high  moral  ends  of  the  Christian  dispensation. 

This  connection  of  religion  with  politics  has  been  from  age 
to  age  the  prolific  source  of  unnumbered  and  unspeakable  evils. 
It  has  blinded  men  to  the  real  nature  of  religion.  It  has  dead- 
ened their  hearts  to  a  sense  of  its  claims.  It  has  made  religion 
to  appear  as  a  mere  creature  of  circumstances,  depending,  as  to 
its  obligations,  on  the  accident  of  birth  in  a  particular  country. 
It  has  made  attachment  to  Christianity  to  be  a  matter  of  mere 
patriotism  or  prejudice.  It  has  tended  to  bind  the  weaker  class 
of  minds  in  the  fetters  of  human  creeds,  formularies,  and  ob- 
servances, and  to  alienate  the  stronger  from  all  religion  what- 
soever, as  being  the  contemptible  appendage  of  political  craft. 
True  religion,  left  to  itself  and  its  voluntary  advocates,  will 
earn  its  own  triumphs  ;  for,  "  it  is  not  by  might,  nor  by  power, 
but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord."  And  yet  it  is  a  solemn  fact, 
deserving  to  be  thought  of,  that  the  majority  of  nominal  Chris- 
tians in  the  world  at  the  present  time  would  regard  these  say- 
ings as  containing  enormous  heresies,  and  also,  that  there  are 
clergymen  in  this  country  who  regard  the  legal  establishment 
of  Christianity  as  the  great  want  of  America. 

Hence,  while  we  care  for  a  benighted  world,  we  have  every 
reason  to  pray  that  religion  may  everywhere  be  free,  that  the 
governments  of  the  world  may  neither  oppose  it  by  their  power 
nor  contaminate  it  by  their  patronage,  but  that  they  may  yield 
to  its  moral  sway,  and  give  it  •'  free  course,"  that  it  may  be 
glorified. 


358  Appendix  L 


NoteC.    Page  35. 
THE  CHRISTIAN  CITIZEN'S  DUTY  TO  CIVIL  GOVERNMENT. 

A  WRITER  in  the  Christian  Review^  in  an  article  on  Harper's 
edition  of  Blackstone's  Commentaries,  takes  occasion  to  recom- 
mend the  study  of  that  work  to  readers  of  every  class  and  pro- 
fession. He  says,  "  The  general  principles  of  our  institutions 
and  laws  are  matters  of  immediate  and  profound  interest  to 
every  individual  citizen;  and  we  hold  it  to  be  even  culpable 
for  any  citizen  to  remain  in  ignorance  of  those  principles,  who 
has  the  opportunity  to  cultivate  an  acquaintance  with  them. 
W^ith  such  views,  we  would  urge  the  study  of  the  present  edi- 
tion of  Blackstone,  which  Mr.  Wendell  has  so  well  American- 
ized, upon  intelligent  readers  of  all  classes  and  occupations." 
This  is  sound  advice,  and  in  connection  with  it,  we  would  ob- 
serve that  a  school-book  on  "  the  science  of  government"  should 
have  a  place  in  every  system  of  American  education.  Black- 
stone  can  be  read  by  comparatively  few ;  but  a  work  of  this 
latter  kind  might  be,  and  ought  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of 
every  school-boy  throughout  the  land. 

A  great  duty,  which  every  Christian  citizen  owes  to  himself, 
to  his  children,  and  to  his  country,  is  to  keep  his  mind  well-in- 
formed respecting  the  Constitution  of  the  Commonwealth,  and 
of  the  nation,  respecting  public  men  and  public  measures.  In 
despotic  countries,  the  more  ignorance  the  more  peace;  but 
where  the  people  are  the  source  of  the  law,  "  intelligence  is 
the  life  of  liberty."  Of  a  good  government,  sleepless  vigilance 
is  the  only  safeguard. 

Moreover,  every  citizen  needs  to  be  impressed  with  his  obli- 
gations to  use  the  elective  franchise  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  in 
the  spirit  of  enlarged  patriotism.  It  is  a  noble  legacy,  be- 
queathed to  us  by  those  who  bought  it  at  the  price  of  toil  and 
pain,  exile  and  blood.     To  prostitute  it  to  the  narrow  aims  of 


Appendix  I.  359 

personal  interest,  of  private  friendship,  of  a  party,  oi  a  faction, 
is  a  great  "  breach  of  trust"  in  the  sight  of  Heaven.  And  all 
party  becomes  faction  except  when  it  is  bound  together  by  some 
important  principle,  or  by  measures  in  which  the  public  good 
is  involved.  For  any  one  to  throw  away  the  right  of  suflfrage, 
is,  in  most  cases,  sadly  to  negelect  his  duty  to  his  country  and 
to  mankind ;  and  equally  so  is  it  to  use  this  power  in  order  to 
exalt  any  candidate  to  office,  except  the  one  whom  he  deems, 
on  the  whole,  to  be  best  qualified  to  fill  it. 

Besides,  as  it  is  essential  to  a  good  government  to  attain  its 
ends  by  the  use  of  only  righteous  means,  every  citizen  is  bound 
to  exert  his  influence  against  the  sanctioning  of  any  other. 
Governments  are  really  bound  by  the  laws  of  righteousness,  as 
well  as  individuals,  however  often  the  reverse  of  this  may  have 
been  practically  assumed  by  this  world's  statemanship.  It  is 
this,  indeed,  which  renders  the  diplomatic  history  of  Europe  so 
sickening  to  an  honest  mind.  Nowhere  in  the  history  of  pirates, 
highwaymen,  and  swindlers,  can  darker  deeds  of  fraud,  chi- 
canery, and  intrigue  be  found,  than  in  the  negotiations  of  one 
country  with  those  of  another.  It  is,  as  Adam  Smith,  author 
of  "  The  "Wealth  of  Nations,"  long  ago  observed :  "  Truth 
and  fair  dealing  are  almost  totally  disregarded.  Treaties  are 
violated,  and  the  violation,  if  some  advantage  is  gained  by  it, 
sheds  scarcely  any  dishonor  on  the  violator.  The  just  man, 
who,  in  all  private  transactions,  would  be  the  most  beloved,  is 
regarded  as  a  fool  and  an  idiot,  who  does  not  understand  his 
business,  and  he  incurs  always  the  contempt,  and  sometimes 
even  the  detestation,  of  his  fellow-citizens."  This  is  a  true 
witness.  The  only  antidote  to  such  an  evil,  is  a  virtuous 
public  opinion,  and  in  order  to  strengthen  this  against  every 
infraction  of  the  principles  of  right  or  justice,  every  Christian 
citizen  should  earnestly  protest.  Thus  only  can  the  blessing 
of  the  Almighty  Ruler  of  the  universe  be  secured.  "  Shall  the 
thrones  of  iniquity,  who  frame  mischief  by  a  law,  have  fellow- 
ship with  Him?"  No;  "  He  will  speak  to  them  in  his  wrath, 
and  vex  them  in  his  sore  displeasure ;  he  will  rule  them  with 
a  rod  of  iron,  and  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel." 


360  Appendix  I. 

The  truth  which  we  have  now  stated  becomes  especially  im- 
portant in  this  our  age  and  Republic,  because  it  is  so  common 
now  to  advocate  the  doctrine  that,  even  on  a  moral  question  so 
momentous  as  that  of  war,  the  individual  should  yield  up  his 
belief  and  his  conscience  to  the  decision  of  the  government ; 
that,  if  a  man  believe  a  war  to  be  aggressive  and  unjust,  he 
should,  nevertheless,  engage  in  it,  or  sanction  it,  from  a  prin- 
ciple of  allegiance  to  government.  By  men  of  opposing  posi- 
tions, like  that  of  Mr.  Brownson,  the  defender  of  Popery,  on  the 
one  hand,  that  of  Cassius  M.  Clay,  the  defender  of  universal 
freedom,  on  the  other,  this  doctrine  of  loyalty  is  promulged. 
Than  this,  there  are  probably  few  political  teachings  which 
could  be  more  properly  called  anti-Christian.  Where  a  gov- 
ernment demands  that  of  an  individual  which  contradicts  his 
convictions  of  eternal  justice  and  the  divine  will,  the  right 
answer  is  that  of  Peter  and  the  early  Christians  to  the  Sanhe- 
drims of  their  time ;  "  Whether  it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God 
to  hearken  unto  you  more  than  unto  God,  judge  ye  !" 

"What !"  says  one.  "  must  every  individual  be  allowed  to  set 
up  his  own  judgment  in  such  a  case  against  that  of  the  govern- 
ment ?"  Undoubtedly  he  must,  as  far  as  his  own  conduct  is  con- 
cerned, and,  moreover,  he  must  act  on  the  convictions  of  his  own 
conscience,  at  the  peril  of  losing  his  soul — the  peril  of  final  con- 
demnation from  a  higher  than  an  earthly  tribunal — the  dis- 
pleasure of  that  just  God,  who,  to  his  adversaries,  is  "  a  con- 
suming fire."  To  this  case  belongs  the  warning  of  the  Saviour : 
"  Fear  not  them  who  kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no 
more  that  they  can  do  ',  but  fear  Him,  who,  after  that  he  ha-th 
killed  the  body,  hath  power  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in 
hell ;  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  fear  Him." 

"  But  then,"  says  the  worldly  statesman,  "  what,  in  the 
emergency  of  war,  would  become  of  the  public  interests  ?"  It 
is  worthy  of  observation  here,  that  while  it  has  been  well  said, 
that  "  war  is  a  game,  which,  were  their  subjects  wise,  kings 
would  not  play  at,"  it  is  also  true,  that,  in  an  enlightened  and 
free  Republic,  the  servants  of  the  people  who  conduct  the  gov- 
ernment, will  always  understand,  that  they  can  never  wage  a 


Appendix  I.  361 

war  with  success  or  hope,  unless  they  carry  the  convictions  of 
good  men  with  them.  They  will  also  understand,  that  in  the 
view  of  Christians,  if  a  demand  of  government  is  opposed  to 
the  revealed  will  of  God,  at  that  point  the  rightful  authority 
of  government  ceases.  Let  these  maxims  be  abandoned,  and 
then,  as  far  as  all  the  great  aims  and  ends  of  a  man's  being  are 
concerned,  the  citizen  of  a  republic  is  really  enslaved  as  much 
as  the  Russian  serf  under  a  military  despotism.  His  conscience 
is  crushed,  and  he  can  not  say  that  his  soul  is  his  own.  It  is 
always  a  terrible  evil  for  a  government  to  misjudge  the  ques- 
tion of  war — to  declare  that  to  be  just  which  is  unnecessary 
and  unjust ;  but  it  is  a  far  greater  evil,  one  which  more  deeply 
wounds  a  nation's  honor,  and  depraves  a  nation's  conscience, 
for  a  government  or  a  people  to  confess  that  a  war  is  wrong,  and 
yet  to  command  their  armies  to  fight  it  out  in  spite  of  justice, 
resolving  from  year  to  year  to  furnish  the  means  to  carry  it 
forward  with  resistless  energy. 

The  great  want  of  our  country  at  this  time,  is  a  larger  body 
of  enlightened,  leading  men,  who  will  look  at  things  in  the 
light  of  reason  and  Christianity,  who  will  follow  higher  guid- 
ing lights  than  the  corrupt  political  maxims  of  the  old  world, 
who  will  be  true  to  their  own  convictions,  who  will  speak  them 
forth  with  moral  courage,  and  will  act  on  them  with  consist- 
ency. Such  men  are  God's  gifts,  and  it  becomes  Christians  to 
pray  that  He  would  raise  them  up  in  our  midst,  in  accordance 
with  the  prophecy, 

"  I  will  make  thine  oflacers  Peace, 
And  thine  exactors  Kighteousnesa." 


/ 


362  Appendix  I. 


Note  D.    Page  36. 
CHRISTIANITY  AND  SLAVERY. 

An  earnest  writer,  in  a  respectable  religious  journal,  while 
deprecating  agitation  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  expresses  in  the 
following  sentence  a  widely-spread  opinion : 

"  Christianity,  which,  by  its  healing  and  purifying  processes, 
obliterated  slavery  in  the  Roman  Empire,  will  doubtless  do  as 
much  for  our  Republic ;  especially  as  the  Bible  is  now  satur- 
ating the  public  mind  with  its  light,  liberty,  and  love." 

Two  questions  are  here  suggested  to  us. 

1.  How  can  a  Christianity  which  sanctions  the  slave  rela- 
tion, and  prescribes  its  duties,  gradually  overthrow  it  ?  We 
believe  this  to  be  impossible.  One  practical  proof  of  this  is  the 
fact,  that  those  who  advocate  the  perpetuation  of  slavery,  are 
constantly  claiming  for  it  the  sanctions  of  Christianity.  The 
overthrow  of  the  system  will  never  be  the  trophy  of  such  a 
Christianity  as  that.  Would  Christianity  have  overthrown 
idolatry,  if,  instead  of  opposing,  it  had  sanctioned  the  system  ? 

2.  On  what  grounds  is  it  asserted,  that  "  Christianity  oblit- 
erated slavery  in  the  Roman  Empire?"  So  far  is  this  from 
being  true,  the  stern  fact  stares  us  in  the  face,  that  the  Roman 
Empire  itself  was  destroyed  by  slavery.  Perhaps,  if  a  school- 
boy were  asked  the  question.  What  overturned  the  Roman 
Empire?  his  first  answer  would  be.  The  conquests  of  the 
northern  barbarians.  But  then,  the  question  returns.  What 
caused  that  weakness  of  the  Empire,  which  gave  the  barbarians 
a  chance  to  overturn  it  ?  The  answer  is.  The  slave  system 
within  the  Empire  corroded  the  core  of  its  strength,  and  ren- 
dered it  a  mere  shell,  unable  to  resist  the  pressure  of  its 
enemies. 

This  is  the  truth  of  history,  Tacitus  informs  us  that  the 
Romans  feared  to  let  the  number  of  their  slaves  be  known,  and 


Appendix  I.  363 

forbade  the  wearing  of  a  peculiar  di-ess,  lest  they  should  be- 
come aware  of  their  strength.  But  in  our  country,  the  God  of 
nature  had  furnished  a  peculiar  dress  for  them,  which  statute 
law  can  not  remove.  On  the  point  of  which  we  speak,  how- 
ever, Allison  gives  us  a  clear  and  simple  statement,  in  the  In- 
troduction to  his  "  History  of  Modern  Europe."  (See  Harper's 
edition,  page  22.)  He  says,  "  The  steady  growth,  unequaled 
extent,  and  long  duration  of  the  Roman  Empire  proves  the 
wisdom  of  their  political  system ;  but  it  fell  a  prey,  at  length, 
to  the  dreadful  evil  of  Domestic  Slavery.  It  was  this  incur- 
able evil  which,  even  in  the  time  of  Augustus,  thinned  the 
ranlcs  of  the  legions  ;  which,  in  process  of  time,  filled  the  armies 
with  mercenary  soldiers,  and  the  provinces  with  great  proprie- 
tors ;  which,  subsequently,  rendered  it  impracticable  to  raise 
a  military  force  in  the  southern  provinces  of  the  Empire,  and 
at  length  consumed  the  vitals  of  the  State,  and  left  nothing  to 
withstand  the  barbarians  but  nobles,  who  wanted  courage  to 
defend  their  property,  and  slaves,  who  were  destitute  of  prop- 
erty to  rouse  their  courage." 

Well,  if  the  Roman  Empire  fell  a  victim  to  slavery,  why  do 
we  hear  it  so  often  repeated,  that  Christianity  obliterated 
slavery  in  the  Roman  Empire  ?  Modern  Christian  Europe  is 
not  the  Roman  Empire,  any  more  than  the  Mexico  of  our  day 
is  a  part  of  the  Spanish  Empire.  Undoubtedly,  if  the  Roman 
world  had  received  the  pure  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament 
as  Christ  preached  it,  slavery  would  have  been  destroyed,  and 
the  Empire  would  have  been  both  renovated  and  saved.  The 
barbarian  conquests,  which  were  the  immediate  occasion  (not 
the  cause)  of  the  fall  of  the  Empire,  gave  rise  to  the  modern 
kingdoms  of  Europe;  and  these  invaders,  having  professed 
Christianity,  developed  those  elements  of  the  true  religion 
which  they  received,  in  the  gradual  destruction  of  slavery. 

But,  in  regard  to  European  and  American  slavery,  there  is  a 
very  important  distinction  to  be  noticed.  European  slavery 
was  an  institution  inherited  from  Paganism,  and,  like  other 
Pagan  institutions,  disappeared  from  modern  Europe  before  the 
march  of  Christianity.     But  American  slavery  was  originated 


364  Appendix  I. 

hy  Christian  nations  themselves,  under  the  sway  of  a  corrupt 
and  warlike  Christianity.  From  its  first  triumphs  in  Africa 
until  the  present  hour,  it  has  sought  to  invest  itself  with  the 
sanctions  of  our  holy  religion.  For  ages  past  it  has  heen 
strengthening  itself  on  this  .continent,  aiming  at  extension,  and 
claiming  to  be  let  alone^  on  the  ground  that  it  is  a  Christian  in- 
stitution. Pulpits,  presbyteries,  associations,  and  religious 
presses,  like  the  Observer^  have  long  been  saying  aloud,  "  The 
apostles  let  slavery  alone,  and  we  should  follow  their  example." 
And  as  an  argument  for  this,  we  are  gravely  told  that  this 
slave  system,  which  began  under  Christianity,  if  left  undis- 
turbed, will  fall  by  the  power  of  that  very  Christianity  which 
sanctions  the  relation  !  Can  any  thing  be  more  absurd  than 
this  ?  We  have  no  belief  in  it,  and  for  it  we  have  no  respect. 
The  laws  of  nature  and  Providence  may  destroy  slavery  by  the 
severe  penalties  which  they  inflict,  but  the  destruction  of  tho 
system  can  never  be  the  trophy  of  a  Christianity  so  corrupt  in 
its  essential  elements. 

What,  then,  is  the  proper  ground  for  the  Christian  Church  to 
occupy  ?  Evidently,  she  should  hold  forth  a  faithful  testimony 
as  to  the  original  doctrines  of  Christianity  touching  human 
rights,  touching  the  natural  equality  of  all  men  before  God  and 
before  the  law,  and  also  the  doctrine  of  Christian  brotherhood. 
In  the  early  ages,  we  know  that  true  Christians  lavished  their 
money  freely  to  redeem  their  brethren  from  bondage,  because, 
as  they  said,  "  Christ  died  for  all  alike  ;"  and  they  believed, 
with  the  apostle  John,  "  We  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for 
the  brethren."  For  a  professed  Christian  voluntarily  to  hold  a 
brother  in  bondage,  against  his  will,  is  as  inconsistent  with 
Christ's  teachings  as  any  crimes  whatsoever.  Let  these  great 
truths,  as  taught  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  be  restored  to 
the  Church  at  large  ]  then,  and  not  till  then,  will  she  put  forth 
a  moral  power  sufficient  to  extirpate  slavery  from  the  land,  and 
elevate  her  captive  children  to  "  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
hath  set  them  free." 


Appendix  I.  365 


NoteE.    Page3& 
MOHAMMEDAN   AND    CHRISTIAN   POWERS. 

A  MEMORANDUM  OF  THE  TEAE  1849. 

Among  the  strange  spectacles  that  Europe  exhibited  in  the 
year  1849,  there  was  none  more  instructive  than  the  contrast 
of  positions  occupied  by  the  Sultan  of  Turkey,  and  their  Chris- 
tian majesties  the  Emperors  of  Russia  and  Austria,  in  relation 
to  the  cause  of  freedom.  There  is  at  this  hour  more  religious 
liberty  enjoyed  in  Turkey  than  in  those  Christian  States  which 
lie  upon  her  borders.  For  some  years  past  Turkey  has  been 
turning  her  steps  into  the  path  of  progress  and  improvement, 
and  taking  lessons  from  England,  France,  and  America  in 
regard  to  Science,  Art,  and  Education.  She  has  had  French 
officers  to  discipline  her  troops,  and  American  architects  to 
construct  her  ships.  The  young  Sultan,  now  upon  the  throne, 
is  treading  in  the  steps  of  his  father,  who  began  this  course  of 
innovation  with  a  high  hand,  in  spite  of  the  inveterate  preju- 
dices which  centuries  had  strengthened.  And  now  we  have 
seen  Austria  and  Russia,  professing  Christianity,  defending  the 
worst  forms  of  ancient  despotism  by  the  union  of  their  arms, 
while  Mohammedan  Turkey  has  become  the  asylum  of  the 
oppressed  and  the  champion  of  human  rights.  Into  what  a 
false  position  is  the  Christian  religion  thus  thrown  by  its  being 
made  to  coalesce  with  systems  of  political  oppression.  Thanks 
to  Providence,  there  is  one  gentleman  upon  a  European  throne, 
although  that  throne  is  not  called  Christian. 

The  course  of  events  in  the  present  century  has  brought  to 
view  no  change  in  relations  of  States  more  wonderful  and 
unexpected  than  that  which  is  now  becoming  the  talk  of  the 
whole  world  ;  namely,  that  Turkey,  which  so  lately  seemed  to 
be  sinking  into  decay,  is  in  fact  developing  new  elements  of 
life,  and  rising  up  to  be  the  bulwark  against  the  baptized  bar- 


366  Appendix  I. 

barism  of  the  North.  The  fact  is  instructive.  It  exhibits  a 
Mohammedan  power  in  an  attitude  of  dignity  superior  to  that 
of  its  Christian  neighbors.  It  indicates  to  us  how  little  there 
is  to  choose  between  the  nominal  religion  of  the  Greek  and 
Catholic  Christians  and  the  religion  of  Mohammed.  The  simple 
Christianity  of  the  New  Testament  bears  on  its  front  the  evi- 
dence of  its  heavenly  origin,  and  is  the  greatest  blessing  which 
a  people  can  receive;  but  it  is  often  seen  that  the  greatest 
blessing,  when  perverted,  becomes  the  greatest  curse ;  and  so 
that  nominal  Christianity  which  is  established  by  law,  which 
is  the  creature  of  politics  and  the  tool  of  kings,  which  is  taught 
by  a  state-paid  priesthood  and  maintained  by  the  sword  of  per- 
secution, is  a  more  deadly  antagonist  to  the  moral  progress  of 
a  nation  than  the  religion  of  "  the  false  prophet,"  or  even 
some  forms  of  Paganism.  Many  Christian  writers  of  England 
and  America  have  been  conciliated  to  the  prospect  of  Russian 
domination  over  Turkey  by  the  thought  that  the  cross  would 
then  supplant  the  crescent ;  but  unless  the  crescent  can  be 
supplanted  by  the  peaceful  teachings  of  the  New  Testament 
it  had  as  well  retain  its  place.  A  Russian  Christianity  with 
all  its  oppressions  would  deserve  and  receive  the  contempt  of 
infidels,  and  would  verify  the  saying  of  the  apostle,  "  The 
name  of  God  is  blasphemed  among  the  Gentiles  through  you, 
as  it  is  written." 

But  the  favorable  changes  which  are  now  beginning  to  be 
seen  in  Turkey  are  owing  in  a  great  degree  to  the  peaceful 
influence  of  Christian  principles,  co-operating  with  the  course 
of  Providence.  American  missionaries,  as  well  as  others,  have 
long  been  at  work  in  Turkey  without  seeming  to  accomplish 
any  good.  The  American  Board  deserves  great  praise  for  its 
perseverance  in  maintaining  the  heralds  of  tho  gospel  in  that 
dark  land  when  scarce  a  ray  of  light  dawned  upon  their  pros- 
pects. They  chose  "  to  bide  their  time."  Their  time  has 
come.  New  openings  greet  them  on  every  hand.  The  little 
leaven  is  beginning  to  spread  through  the  lump.  The  buried 
seed  is  rearing  its  blade  above  the  surface,  to  be  followed  by 
"  the  ear,  and  then  the  full  corn  in  the  ear  "    The  mighty 


Appendix  L  367 

element  of  missionary  influence,  so  long  in  silent  operation, 
will  soon  have  larger  scope  and  verge,  and  will  show  itself  in 
results  that  will  stand  as  memorials  of  its  triumph  on  the 
broad  field  of  History. 

Moreover,  cheering  prospects  have  been  opening  before  us  of 
late,  in  regard  to  the  progress  of  freedom  among  the  Oriental 
people  of  the  Old  World. 

Lord  Palmerston  stated  in  the  English  House  of  Commons 
that  the  Bey  of  Tunis  had  prohibited  within  his  dominions,  not 
only  the  slave-trade,  but  the  slave  system.  The  Sultan  of 
Turkey  had  issued  firmans  forbidding  the  slave-trade  among 
his  subjects  in  the  Eastern  seas.  The  Imaum  of  Muscat  had 
abolished  it  within  certain  latitudes.  The  Arabian  chiefs,  in 
the  Persian  Gulf  had  also  abandoned  it,  and  the  Shah  of  Per- 
sia had  published  a  firman  against  it. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  these  decisive  proceedings  have 
taken  place  in  Mohammedan  countries,  and  they  are  the  effects, 
chiefly,  of  British  influence.  It  has  been  asked  when  will  this 
"  free  country  "  follow  in  the  wake  of  such  noble  examples  in 
the  cause  of  freedom  ?  In  answering  this  question  it  may  be 
well  to  observe  that  the  religious  sentiment  of  Mohammedans  is, 
in  one  important  respect,  in  advance  of  the  religious  sentiment  of 
a  great  multitude  of  Christians  in  this  land.  A  Mohammedan 
deems  it  a  sin  to  enslave  his  brother  in  the  faith  ;  but  American 
Christians,  teachers  and  preachers  here,  publicly  declare  that 
the  slave  relation  is  allowed  by  Christianity,  and  is  perfectly 
consistent  with  the  relations  of  Christian  brotherhood.  Now 
this  difierence  of  religious  belief  touching  slavery  must  render 
it  more  easy  to  abolish  slavery  among  Mohammedans  than 
among  Christians,  just  so  far  as  this  difference  exists.  In  the 
view  of  Mohammedans,  slavery  is,  to  a  certain  extent,  inconsist- 
ent with  their  religion.  But  in  the  view  of  many  American 
Christians  of  the  highest  standing  in  the  Church,  slavery  is  sanc- 
tioned by  Christianity.  While  such  a  state  of  sentiment  pre- 
vails among  the  churches  of  America,  freedom  will  not  be  much 
indebted  to  their  religion  for  her  triumphs.  Nevertheless,  this 
class  of  persons  tells  us  that  they  are,  in  principle^  friends  of 


368  Appendix  I. 

freedom.  If  so,  it  is  as  men,  not  as  Christians,  that  they  are 
friends  of  freedom.  Their  religion  does  nothing  in  the  work 
of  emancipation.  Their  humanity,  their  philosophy,  their 
political  economy  may  do  something,  but  their  Christianity 
must  be  utterly  ineffective.  If  Mohammedanism  should  prevail 
universally,  personal  freedom  would  prevail  also ;  but  if  this 
sort  of  Christianity  should  gain  the  world,  even  then  slavery 
might  be  perpetuated.  Truly  we  may  say  to  these  men,  "  The 
name  of  Christ  is  blasphemed  among  the  Gentiles  through  you, 
as  it  is  written." 


Note  F.    Page  40. 
COMMERCE  AND  SLAVERY. 

In  a  leading  political  paper  there  appeared  an  article  headed 
"  Commerce  versus  Abolition,"  which  is  intended  to  furnish  a 
clue  to  the  policy  of  the  North,  as  projected  by  some  of  our  states- 
men, and  to  sound  the  key-note  to  the  doctrines  which  are  deemed 
essential  to  the  preservation  of  northern  interests.  It  states  that 
in  the  city  of  New  York  there  are  about  twenty-five  millions  of 
dollars  invested  in  the  coastwise  trade  with  the  Southern  cities 
of  the  Union;  that  from  the  immense  trade  connected  with 
steamers,  ships,  brigs,  and  schooners,  moving  in  fleets  to  Balti- 
more, Norfolk,  Cape  Fear  River,  Charleston,  Savannah,  Darien, 
Apalachicola,  Pensacola,  New  Orleans,  Galveston,  and  other 
Southern  ports  where  slavery  exists,  millions  of  dollars  go  into 
the  hands  of  our  shipbuilders,  shipwrights,  blacksmiths,  wood- 
cutters, sailmakers,  ropeweavers,  and  men  employed  in  other 
kinds  of  business.  Picturing  forth  in  glowing  colors  the  com- 
mercial prosperity  of  New  York,  it  declares  that  if  the  anti- 
slavery  doctrines,  proclaimed  by  the  democrats  on  the  platform 
at  BuffalOj  and  by  a  Whig  Convention  at  Syracuse,  shall  be 


Appendix  I.  369 

sanctioned  by  the  voting  masses  of  the  North,  all  this  property 
will  be  wrecked,  made  worthless,  and  utterly  annihilated. 
Such  is  the  thrilling  appeal  which  it  addresses  to  the  pocket  of 
the  merchant,  without  one  word  of  comfort  or  of  hope  to  the 
conscience  and  the  heart  of  humanity. 

The  sentiment  of  this  article  is  not  singular.  It  accords 
with  the  tone  of  other  papers,  chiming  in  harmony  with  the 
South  Carolina  doctrine,  that  the  slave  system  of  the  United 
States  is  designed  to  be  a  perpetual  institution.  It  deprecates 
all  agitation  of  the  slavery  question.  It  involves  principles 
which  our  fathers  repudiated,  which  are  directly  opposed  to 
our  Declaration  of  Independence,  to  the  spirit  of  our  constitu- 
tion, to  the  elements  of  moral  science,  to  the  teachings  of 
Christianity ;  and  all  this  under  the  guise  of  an  enlarged  spirit 
of  nationality.  "  For  substance  of  doctrine,"  it  maintains  this 
position  in  solemn  earnest — that  between  the  South  and  the 
North  there  should  be  an  implied  contract,  a  bargain  understood 
on  both  sides,  that  in  consideration  of  the  gains  of  Southern 
trade,  we  will  yield  to  a  small  body  of  planters  the  right  to 
rule  the  free  millions  of  the  country,  to  mold  our  national 
policy,  and  to  fix  the  color  and  complexion  of  our  destiny  for- 
ever. 

Shall  this  be  so  ?  This  has  become  the  great  question  of 
our  time — a  question  for  the  men  of  the  present  generation  to 
decide.  The  responsibility  is  inevitable,  and  is  the  leading 
feature  of  that  national  probation  which  God  is  calling  us  to 
pass.  Many,  no  doubt,  would  gladly  close  their  eyes  to  this 
reality,  would  gladly  pursue  what  seems  to  be  the  interest  of 
the  hour,  and  leave  it  to  Providence  to  work  out  the  welfare 
of  humanity  without  their  co-operation.  But  this  can  not  be. 
American  freemen  must  either  passively  consent  to  be  the  tools 
of  that  great  colossal  slave-power  which  now  bestrides  the 
land  from  the  borders  of  Mexico  to  the  Canadas,  or  they  must 
rouse  up,  like  Sampson,  from  their  benumbing  sleep,  breaking 
asunder,  not  the  "  green  withes,"  nor  the  "  new  ropes,"  but  the 
golden  chains  with  which  they  have  been  bound,  and  so  achieve 
deliverance  for  themselves  and  their  posterity. 


370  Appendix  I. 

Numerous  and  varied  have  been  the  changes  rung,  of  late^ 
upon  the  commercial  ties  that  unite  the  North  and  the  South. 
Again  and  again  have  Southern  politicians  threatened  to  break 
them ;  again  and  again  have  Northern  politicians  responded 
in  accents  of  real  or  affected  terror,  and  in  pledges  of  subser- 
viency. The  writer  referred  to,  like  Demetrius  of  Ephesus, 
aims  to  rouse  the  craftsmen  by  the  rallying  cry,  "  Our  trade  is 
in  danger;"  to  fan  their  fears  into  a  storm  of  passion,  to  lead 
their  hosts  to  fall  prostrate  before  the  shrine  of  Commerce,  and 
to  take  up  the  strain  of  the  Ephesian  mob  as  a  kind  of  Amer- 
ican Marseilles  Hymn — "  Great  is  the  Diana  of  New  York." 
The  North,  he  says,  have  now  the  monopoly  of  the  Southern 
coastwise  trade';  but  unless  the  North  shall  become  quiet  on 
the  "  delicate  subject,"  the  boon  will  be  granted  to  another 
people.  As  if  the  legislation  of  the  South  had  granted  com- 
mercial favors  to  the  North  in  the  spirit  of  patronizing  kind- 
ness, grace,  and  magnanimity  !  As  if  the  principles  which 
regulate  commercial  wealth,  and  the  interchanges  of  commu- 
nities, rested  on  so  shallow  a  basis  as  men's  arbitrary  enact- 
ments !  As  if  the  God  of  nature  had  not  constituted  society 
with  those  pressing  wants  which  render  mercantile  intercourse 
an  imperative  necessity  !  Why,  even  during  the  war  with 
Mexico,  American  merchants  were  engaged  in  large  transac- 
tions with  Mexican  houses  in  the  exercise  of  mutual  confi- 
dence. And  even  now,  if  Mr.  Calhoun's  darling  project  of  a 
Southern  confederacy  were  realized,  the  South  would  not  let 
her  surplus  products  rot  in  her  fields,  but  would  send  them  to 
the  most  profitable  market,  and  would  buy  the  things  necessary 
to  supply  her  wants  just  where  she  could  do  so  to  her  own 
advantage.  The  South  has  not  helped  to  make  New  York  what 
it  is  in  the  spirit  of  a  generous  legislation,  but  by  following 
those  mighty  laws  of  wealth  which  God  established  before  the 
cotton  had  grown  in  her  fields,  or  the  sweat  of  a  slave  had 
moistened  her  soil. 

Far  be  it  from  us  to  depreciate  commerce  on  the  ground  of 
moral  and  religious  principles.  We  honor  the  spirit,  but  not 
the  wisdom,  of  those  old  Waldenses  who  abjured  trade  as  a 


Appendix  I.  371 

profession  on  account  of  its  corrupting  tendencies,  and  treated 
it  as  unlawful  because  of  the  "  lies  and  trickery"  with  which 
it  was  connected.  But  the  best  gifts  of  Heaven  may  be  abused, 
and  commerce  is  abused  when  it  is  made  the  minister  of  op- 
pression. This  has  often  been  done.  We  learn  from  Scrip- 
ture that  the  cry  of  "  unjust  gain"  has  pierced  the  skies,  and 
brought  down  heavy  judgments.  Commerce  has  its  dark  and 
its  bright  side,  its  aspects  of  honor  and  of  shame,  of  dignity  and 
of  meanness.  It  has  exerted  the  most  benign  agencies ;  it  has 
found  men  ignorant,  rude,  isolated,  selfish,  and  savage,  and 
causing  them  to  feel  an  interest  in  the  common  welfare  of 
their  race,  has  become  the  great  promoter  of  art,  civilization, 
and  humanity.  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  often  been  seen 
lending  its  aid  to  the  "powers  of  darkness  ;"  it  has  lighted  up 
the  flames  of  war  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  it  has  doomed  mil- 
lions to  the  horrors  of  the  middle  passage,  it  has  reddened  the 
Atlantic  with  the  blood  of  captives,  it  has  rent  the  sacred  ties 
of  domestic  relations,  it  has  ministered  to  intemperance  and 
every  form  of  satanic  lust,  and  is  threatening  now,  unless 
counteracted  by  Christianity,  to  demoralize  this  whole  nation, 
to  poison  the  deepest  springs  of  public  sentiment,  and  to  sub- 
ject us  all  to  schemes  of  policy  which  will  cause  our  children 
to  blush  over  those  pages  of  their  country's  history  that  are 
yet  to  be  written. 

All  honor,  we  say,  to  American  commerce  for  the  good  it 
has  done — for  the  aid  which  it  has  yielded  to  the  cause  of  phi- 
lanthropy and  religion.  In  the  hands  of  faithful  men  it  has 
made  many  a  wilderness  to  bloom.  Its  triumphs,  we  hope, 
are  but  just  begun,  and  that  a  bright  career  is  before  it. 
Therefore  let  it  be  the  prayer  of  Christians  everywhere,  that 
our  Commerce  may  be  consecrated  to  Truth,  to  Justice,  and 
Freedom.  Let  them  pray  that  it  may  nourish  in  us  all  that 
is  manly  and  heroic,  that  it  may  impart  the  moral  courage  to 
attempt,  as  well  as  the  power  to  do  great  things,  that  it  may 
be  the  friend  and  servant,  not  the  idol  and  god  of  the  people. 


372  Appendix  I. 


Note  G.    Page  46. 

GOD    AND    THE    CONSTITUTION. 
A  MEMORANDUM  OF  THE  TEAR  1850. 

"  God  and  our  country"  is  a  phrase  which  has  long  been 
consecrated  as  the  watchword  of  the  Christian  patriot.  True 
religion  is  always  consistent  with  true  patriotism.  When  the 
Jewish  people  were  carried  as  captives  into  Babylon,  they  were 
bidden  by  the  prophet  to  seek  the  good  of  the  land  which  was 
to  be  their  home  ]  how  deeply,  then,  must  they  have  felt  that 
the  love  of  their  native  land  was  sanctioned  and  strengthened 
by  their  religion  !  "  If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my 
right  hand  forget  her  cunning,"  was  the  breathing  of  a  senti- 
ment in  which  piety  and  patriotism  were  united.  The  prophet 
Jeremiah,  who  rebuked  the  evils  of  his  times  without  the  fear 
of  courtiers  and  kings,  was  denounced  as  the  enemy  of  his 
country ;  but  succeeding  ages  have  always  pointed  to  his 
fidelity  as  the  proof  of  his  patriotism.  The  spurious  patriots 
of  the  day  were  wont  to  cry  "  Our  country,  right  or  wrong," 
in  a  spirit  which  led  them  to  maintain  and  defend  the  wrong 
when  once  adopted  and  avowed  •  but  the  prophets  of  God  pro- 
nounced heavy  woes  on  those  who  called  evil  good,  and  sounded 
forth  the  message,  "  If  ye  be  willing  and  obedient  ye  shall  eat 
the  good  of  the  land ;  but  if  ye  refuse  and  rebel,  ye  shall  be 
devoured  with  the  sword,  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  it." 

True  patriotism  is  always  faithful  to  that  high  moral  prin- 
ciple without  which  no  nation  can  prosper,  and  shrinks  from 
crying  "  Peace,  peace,"  when  there  can  be  no  peace.  And  in 
no  country  where  there  is  an  enlightened  public  opinion,  where 
there  is  a  Christian  conscience,  can  there  be  peace  if  the  estab- 


Appendix  I.  373 

lished  Constitution  be  of  such  a  nature  that  it  can  not  be  inter- 
preted into  harmony  with  the  laws  of  God  and  the  dictates  of 
eternal  justice.  Christianity,  truth,  and  virtue  have  all  died 
out  from  among  a  people  who  can  practically  cry — the  Consti- 
tution and  God,  instead  of  God  and  the  Constitution.  In  that 
case  Divine  Providence  ever  furnishes  a  stern  commentary  on 
the  saying  of  Jesus,  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  first  shall  be 
the  last,  and  the  last  first." 

We  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that  in  this  country  we  live  un- 
der a  Constitution  so  much  in  unison  with  the  principles  of  true 
Chr)ptianity.  The  demands  of  the  slave-power,  however,  have 
jarred  against  this  harmony.  The  word  slave  was  intention- 
ally left  out  of  the  Constitution  by  its  framers,  expecting  as 
they  did  that  slavery  would  come  to  an  end,  and  that  then  the 
terjns  of  the  Constitution  would  be  adapted  to  a  state  of  uni- 
versal liberty.  On  this  point,  the  expressions  of  Mr.  Webster, 
in  his  late  speech  in  the  Senate,  are  very  clear  and  explicit. 
He  says,  "  The  eminent  men,  the  most  eminent  men,  and  nearly 
all  the  conspicuous  politicians  of  the  South,  held  the  same  sen- 
timents, that  slavery  was  an  evil,  a  blight,  a  blast,  a  mildew, 
a  scourge,  and  a  curse.  There  are  no  terms  of  reprobation  of 
slavery  so  vehement  in  the  North  of  that  day  as  in  the  South. 

Then,  sir,  when  this  Constitution  was  framed,  this 

was  the  light  in  which  the  convention  viewed  it.  The  con- 
vention reflected  the  judgment  and  sentiments  of  the  great  men 

of  the  South They  thought  that  slavery  could  not 

be  continued  in  the  country  if  the  importation  of  slaves  were 
made  to  cease,  and  therefore  they  provided  that  after  a  cer- 
tain period  the  importation  might  be  prevented  by  the  act  of 
the  new  government.  Twenty  years  was  proposed  by  some 
gentleman,  a  Northern  gentleman,  I  think,  and  many  of  the 

Southern  gentlemen  opposed  it  as  being  too  long You 

observe,  sir,  that  the  term  slave  or  slavery  is  not  used  in  the 
Constitution.  The  Constitution  does  not  require  that  '  fugi- 
tive slaves'  shall  be  delivered  up.  It  requires  that  '  persons 
bound  to  service  in  one  State  and  escaping  into  another  shall 
be  d^^'vered  up.'     Mr.  Madison  opposed  the  introduction  of 


374  Appendix  I. 

the  term  slave  or  slavery  into  the  Constitution  ;  for,  he  said, 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  see  it  recognized  by  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  of  America  that  there  could  be  property 
in  men."  Such  is  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Webster,  and  he 
makes  two  things  very  clear:  1,  that  the  spirit  of  the  Consti- 
tution is  opposed  to  slavery ;  2,  that  the  letter  of  the  Constitu- 
tion was  intentionally  adjusted  to  a  state  of  liberty,  which 
was  expected  to  have  prevailed,  ere  now,  over  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  the  United  States. 

If  these  things  be  so,  if  it  be  true  that  the  spirit  of  the  Con- 
stitution is  at  war  with  slavery,  that  the  letter  of  the  Consti- 
tution was  purposely  framed  so  as  to  suit  itself  to  the  extinction 
of  slavery — an  event  which  the  fathers  of  the  Republic  sup- 
posed to  be  nigh  at  hand — we  earnestly  put  this  question  to 
any  honest  man :  How  does  it  follow  from  such  premises  that 
fidelity  to  the  Constitution  now  requires  a  more  "stringent 
law"  to  facilitate  and  secure  the  restoration  of  "fugitive 
slaves  ?"  Do  our  constitutional  obligations  require  us  to  do  a 
thing,  the  mere  anticipation  of  which  would  have  been  revolt- 
ing to  the  authors  of  the  Constitution,  which  they  believed 
would  never  be  required,  and  against  the  necessity  of  which 
they  supposed  themselves  to  have  made  adequate  provision  by 
the  destruction  of  the  slave-trade  ?  We  say,  not  at  all !  The 
Constitution  is  faithfully  observed  when  it  is  interpreted  and 
carried  out  according  to  the  views,  the  intentions,  and  the 
spirit  of  those  who  formed  and  adopted  it. 

'The  more  closely  we  look  at  this  subject  in  the  light  of 
authentic  history  the  more  clearly  will  we  see  that,  as  the 
Constitution  contains  no  provisions  specifically  adapted  to 
secure  the  restoration  of  captives  into  bondage,  it  designedly 
left  the  whole  matter  to  be  regulated  practically  by  public 
sentiment ;  and  did  this  in  the  firm  belief  that  the  public  sen- 
timent of  the  country  would  extirpate  slavery,  and  would, 
therefore,  leave  no  room  for  any  one  to  apply  its  clause  re- 
specting "  persons  held  to  service,"  to  "  men  held  as  prop- 
erty !"  Mr.  Webster  himself  has  made  this  as  clear  as  the 
sunlight ;  and  yet.  forsooth,  we  are  told  that  a  sense  of  honor, 


Appendix  I.  375 

a  true  fidelity  to  the  Constitution,  requires  that  public  senti- 
ment do  violence  to  itself,  and  pass  a  law,  which,  for  our  day, 
the  authors  of  the  Constitution  would  have  pronounced  morally 
impossible.  Surely,  we  may  exclaim,  as  did  the  Hebrew 
prophet  unto  Egypt — "Where  are  they — where  are  thy  wise 
men  ?  they  have  caused  thee  to  err,  even  the  chief  pillars  of 
thy  tribes  !" 

These  views  of  the  question  before  us  may  be  amply  con- 
firmed by  the  most  incontrovertible  testimonies ;  and  standing 
on  the  rocky  grounds  which  they  furnish,  we  maintain  that 
those  Senators  were  right  in  their  position  who  asserted,  that, 
when  the  public  conscience  is  against  a  more  stringent  law,  a 
more  stringent  law  is  unconstitutional.  If  the  provisions  of 
the  Constitution  are  now  found  to  be  ineffectual  to  secure  the 
restoration  of  slaves  to  bondage,  it  is  because  they  were  so 
made  as  ultimately  to  lose  their  stringent  force.  But,  then,  a 
change  has  come  over  the  spirit  of  the  South.  As  Mr.  Web- 
ster observes,  "  Slavery  is  not  regarded  in  the  South  now  as 
it  was  then."  And  how  does  he  account  for  this  change? 
The  answer  is,  cotton!  To  quote  again  the  Massachusetts 
Senator :  "  The  age  of  cotton  became  a  golden  age  for  our 
Southern  brethren  !"  Here  we  have  the  case  in  a  few  words — 
cotton  versus  the  Constitution — cotton  against  conscience !  And 
now  (O  tempora  .'j,  the  learned  counsel,  the  legal  wisdom,  the 
enlightened  religion  of  the  North  "  turn  aside  like  a  deceitful 
bow"  in  the  day  of  battle,  abjure  the  principles  of  our  fathers, 
and  declare  to  all  mankind  that  high  statesmanship  demands 
that  the  Constitution  shall  not  be  interpreted  by  the  law  of 
conscience,  but  by  the  law  of  the  cotton  interest  ! 

Christian  men,  friends,  and  fellow-citizens,  this  is  a  plain, 
sober  statement  of  the  truth.  To  this  position  our  political 
leaders  have  been  drifted,  and  some  religious  presses,  from 
which  we  should  have  expected  more  truthful  expositions  of 
the  matter,  have  faltered  with  them,  have  proclaimed  the 
Constitution  to  be  at  war  with  God  and  justice,  and  then  in 
the  sacred  names  of  Christianity  and  Peace  have  added,  "  Let 
the  Constitution  be  supreme  !"     Believe  them  not — look  at 


376  Appendix  I. 

the  question  for  yourselves.  Our  fathers  have  not  brought 
us  into  such  a  predicament.  They  legislated  for  us  rather 
than  themselves.  They  thought  that  they  had  saved  us  from 
such  a  dilemma.  Would  he,  who,  vv^ith  his  eye  on  the  slave 
system,  said,  '"  I  tremble  for  my  country  when  I  remember 
that  God  is  just" — would  Jefferson's  patriotic  coadjutors,  who 
avowed  a  still  higher  and  purer  tone  of  Christian  sentiment 
than  himself — would  the  men  who  signed  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  passed  the  ordinance  of  1787,  and  denounced 
the  slave-trade  as  piracy,  and  announced  their  purpose  by  de- 
stroying the  slave-trade  to  destroy  the  slave  system — would 
they  have  knowingly  put  a  clause  in  the  Constitution  which 
would  require  their  sons,  in  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, to  establish  the  bulwarks  of  slavery,  and  become  them- 
selves subservient  to  the  behests  of  those  who  advocate  the 
perpetual  thralldom  of  an  oppressed  race,  as  their  darling  poli- 
cy ?  Never;  never.  "  This  wisdom  cometh  not  from  above," 
nor  from  our  fathers,  nor  from  the  Constitution,  but  is  modern, 
mercantile,  corrupting — "  earthly,  sensual,  and  devilish." 
Trample  on  such  an  interpretation ;  link  not  your  policies 
with  those  which  set  the  Constitution  at  variance  with  Heav- 
en and  Humanity,  but,  carrying  out  in  your  generation  the 
noble  sentiments  of  the  men  of  '76,  let  your  motto  be — "God 
and  the  Constitution !" 


APPENDIX    II. 

Note  A  — Page  74. 

THE  PRINCIPALITIES, 

Moldavia,  which  has  figured  so  much  of  late  in  European  diplo- 
macy, became,  we  perceive,  a  Turkish  province  half  a  century  be- 
fore the  capture  of  Constantinople.  With  this  notice  touching  the 
entrance  of  that  ill-fated  province  into  the  history  of  Turkish  affairs, 
it  may  be  well  to  connect  a  few  observations  drawn  from  the  journal 
of  the  author,  while  pursuing  a  voyage  up  the  Danube  in  the  year 
1839.  These  observations  relate  not  only  to  Moldavia,  but  also  to 
the  neighboring  principahty  of  Wallachia. 

After  a  stormy  voyage  on  the  Black  Sea,  we  entered  the  Danube 
on  a  pleasant  afternoon,  under  a  bright  sun.  Eor  a  sea  steamer,  even 
of  the  smallest  size,  to  enter  one  of  the  mouths  of  this  river  in 
the  early  spring,  is  a  matter  of  considerable  moment ;  for  in  our 
course  there  lay  a  bar,  around  which  the  current  generally  varies  its 
direction  during  the  winter.  On  this  account  great  care  is  requisite. 
"We  proceeded  slowly,  the  captain  and  pilot  anxiously  looking  out, 
and  all  seemed  to  breathe  more  freely  when  we  reached  the  main 
cmTcnt.  Here  a  large  number  of  vessels  were  lying  on  both  the 
Turkish  and  Russian  shores,  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  sail. 
Not  able  to  proceed  with  a  full  cargo,  they  sent  a  part  before  them 
in  lighters,  and  received  it  again  after  having  passed  the  bar.  The 
entrance  of  the  steamer  for  the  first  time  in  the  season  produces  a 
sensation,  and  the  vessels  are  full  of  gazers.  The  land  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Danube  lies  very  low,  and  the  houses  which  line  the  shore  do 
little  to  relieve  a  dreary  landscape.  An  eagle  careering  in  the  air 
greeted  us  with  an  inquiring  eye,  and  groups  of  white  pelicans  clus- 
tered on  the  bank,  or  moving  gracefully  on  the  water,  kept  a  respect- 
ful distance, and  made  off  slowly  on  our  approach. 


378  Appendix  II. 

In  ascending  the  Danube,  no  object  of  interest  engages  the  atten- 
tion until,  after  having  passed  the  mouth  of  the  river  Pruth,  wo 
reach  Galatz,  the  port  of  Moldavia.  Here  a  small  forest  of  masts 
indicates  the  activity  of  commerce.  As  evening  was  drawing  near, 
the  shore  exhibited  a  scene  of  pastoral  beauty,  as  large  flocks  of 
sheep  were  feeding  on  the  plains,  and  herds  were  driven  to  the  river 
for  watering.  The  arrival  of  the  steamer  made  a  gala-day  for  the 
people ;  a  salute  of  seven  guns  was  fired,  and  a  great  throng  of  every 
class  and  size  welcomed  the  Ferdinand,  and  Captain  Evcrtson,  her 
gentlemanly  commander. 

The  shore  and  shipping  arc  the  most  pleasing  objects  which  Ga- 
latz presents  to  the  eye  of  a  traveler.  These  seemed  somewhat 
picturesque ;  but  on  entering  the  town  the  charm  dissolves.  It 
contains  about  five  thousand  people ;  the  houses  are  of  wood,  low, 
unpainted,  and  open  to  the  street,  except  a  few  in  the  upper  part 
which  are  whitewashed,  tiled,  and  have  glass  windows ;  the  streets 
are  formed  of  logs  laid  crossways,  making  a  corduroy  road.  Every 
thing  has  a  comfortless  aspect.  Yet  the  commerce  of  the  place  is 
considerable,  and  we  were  astonished  to  see  the  number  of  vessels 
from  England  and  the  isles  of  the  Mediterranean  which  find  their 
way  here.  Moldavian  exports  are  chiefly  wax,  wool,  tallow,  skins, 
barrel-staves,  beans,  cheese,  corn  and  wine.  The  chief  imports  are 
cotton,  coffee,  sugar,  oil  and  iron.  Living  is  cheap.  A  fine  goose 
costs  twelve  and  a  half  cents,  a  fat  sheep  seventy-five  cents,  and 
other  things  in  proportion.  This  port  is  the  outlet  not  only  of 
Moldavia,  but  also  of  the  neighboring  principality  of  Wallachia. 

Passing  the  mouth  of  the  river  Sereth,  we  come  to  Ibraila,  the 
port  of  Wallachia,  containing  twenty-five  thousand  people,  and 
largely  engaged  in  commerce.  Its  articles  of  export  are  the  same 
as  those  of  Galatz,  and  more  than  five  hundred  cargoes  of  wheat, 
barley,  and  oats,  of  two  hundred  tons  each,  have  annually  left  this 
little  town.  Cattle,  sheepskins,  and  cantharides  are  also  exported 
in  abundance.  A  good  horse  may  be  bought  here  for  fifteen  dollars, 
and  this  is  an  indication  of  the  scale  of  prices  for  all  articles  con- 
nected with  agriculture.  Yet  under  a  good  government  the  products 
of  t!iis  principality  might  be  greatly  increased.  As  it  is,  one  can 
easily  see  that  it  opens  a  large  sphere  of  commerce,  and  many  Eng- 
lish vessels  from  "the  United  States  of  the  Ionian  Islands"  are 


Appendix  II.  379 

engaged  in  it,  but  we  doubt  whether  any  vessel  from  the  United 
States  of  America  has  ever  unfurled  her  flag  in  these  Danubian 
ports. 

The  provinces  of  Moldavia  and  Wallachia  extend  from  the  Dan- 
ube to  the  Carpathian  Mountains,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and 
from  the  Pruth  to  Orschova,  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles  along 
the  river.  Moldavia  derives  its  name  from  the  river  Moldau,  and 
was  the  early  home  of  the  Venedi,  who  have  been  called  "  the  bear- 
ers of  the  human  race  " —  the  same  people  who  settled  the  part  of 
England  now  called  Cambridgeshire,  whose  name  is  derived  from 
the  Teutonic  word  fen,  who  lived  on  low  lands,  dammed  up  the 
small  rivers  so  as  to  cover  the  marshes  with  water,  and  lived  on  the 
wild  fowl  and  fish  which  fattened  in  their  watery  domain.  "Walla- 
chia derives  its  name  from  the  lUyrian  word  vlach,  which  is  by  in- 
terpretation a  herdsman.  The  Eomans  colonized  the  territory  with 
thirty  thousand  people,  and  held  it  for  three  hundred  years,  but  were 
obliged  to  withdraw  their  protection  as  they  did  from  Britain,  when 
the  empire  became  weak  and  the  barbarians  strong.  Nevertheless 
these  civilized  colonists  influenced  the  character  of  their  barbarian 
conquerors,  and,  as  Gibbon  observes,  "the  Wallachians  still  preserve 
many  traces  of  the  Latin  language,  and  have  boasted  in  every  age 
of  their  Eoman  descent."  It  must  be  confessed,  however,  that  at 
the  present  day  the  people  of  neither  of  these  provinces  have  much 
that  is  Eoman  in  their  aspect,  manners,  or  habits.  The  rough  dress, 
the  sheepskin  coats,  the  rude  implements  of  agriculture  which  now 
prevail, are  fashioned  in  the  same  style  as  those  which  are  sculptured 
on  Trajan's  column  in  Eome,  er-ected  more  than  seventeen  hundred 
years  ago  to  commemorate  his  conquest  of  this  very  land,  which 
then  bore  the  name  of  Dacia.  What  a  sad  proof  is  furnished  hero 
of  the  immobility  of  this  part  of  Europe  !  Eor  seventeen  centuries 
it  has  not  made  one  step  of  progress,  and  no  sign  of  an  onward 
movement  has  appeared,  except  the  recent  impulse  communicated 
by  the  establishment  of  steam-navigation.  In  this  point  of  view  tlie 
curious  throng  gathered  around  our  steamer  was  an  interesting  and 
significant  fact,  foretelling  a  brighter  future  ! 

The  population  of  these  two  provinces  is  about  a  million  and  a 
half.  The  prevailing  religion  is  that  of  the  Greek  Church,  a  form  of 
nominal  Christianity  which  does  nothing  for  popular  improvement, 


380  Appendix  II. 

and  has  in  it  nearly  all  those  elements  of  degenerate  superstition 
which  belong  to  Popery  itself.  Let  it  bo  always  said  in  its  praise, 
however,  that  it  allows  the  Bible  to  the  people  ;  but  the  Wallachians 
never  had  the  Scriptures  in  their  vernacular  tongue  until  they  were 
introduced  by  the  Greek  Hospodar,  Constantine  Mavrocordato,  who 
in  the  year  1735  had  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  printed  in  the 
common  dialect.  In  order  to  accomplish  this  he  had  to  invent  a 
new  character,  composed  of  Greek  and  Slavonic  letters,  as  the  patois 
of  the  country  had  never  before  been  reduced  to  writing. 

As  in  other  parts  of  Northern  Europe,  the  peasantry  of  these 
provinces  are  in  an  abject  condition.  They  are,  in  fact,  the  slaves 
of  the  aristocracy,  and  wholly  in  their  power.  The  physical  appear- 
ance of  all  classes  is  considerably  similar,  and  perhaps  influenced 
much  by  the  climate ;  they  are  low  of  stature,  plump,  timid,  inert, 
having  soft,  silky  hair  —  characteristics  that  may  be  found  alike  in 
the  rich  proprietor  who  reclines  in  his  gilded  carriage,  and  the  laborer 
who  is  jolted  along  in  his  rickety,  old-fashioned  wagon.  In  the  north- 
em  parts,  wolves  and  bears  infest  the  Carpathian  jungles,  but  even 
these  have  a  more  gentle  and  timid  character  than  their  several  species 
in  other  lands. 

In  these  provinces  the  contrast  between  north  and  south  is  very 
marked,  the  former  sections  being  undulating,  varied,  and  pictu- 
resque, the  latter  marshy  and  dreary.  As  has  been  intimated,  there 
is  much  of  fertile  soil,  but  there  are  few  stimulants  to  enterprise. 
The  political  power  is  really  in  the  hand  of  Russia,  nominally  in 
that  of  Turkey.  The  Sultan  appoints  the  Hospodar  or  Governor, 
but  he  dares  not  name  one  whom  Eussia  dislikes.  A  million  of 
piastres,  is  the  tribute  which  the  Hospodar  has  been  accustomed  to 
pay  to  Turkey  for  Moldavia,  and  two  millions  for  Wallachia.  K 
these  principalities  were  blessed  with  freedom  and  well-managed, 
they  would  furnish  a  fine  mart  for  manufactured  articles,  for  which 
they  could  give  so  many  products  in  exchange ;  but  at  present  their 
education  is  so  limited,  their  tastes  and  habits  so  barbarous,  that  they 
have  few  of  those  wants  which  civilization  creates. 

In  these  countries  may  be  seen  everywhere  large  groups  of  gypsies ; 
that  singular,  wandering  race,  restless,  idle,  thievish,  superstitious  ; 
living  like  Ishmaelites,  with  their  hands  against  every  man,  and 
every  man's  hand  against  them,  yet  dwelling  in  the  presence  of  their 


Appendix  n.  381 

brethren.  They  exhibit  the  same  traits,  whether  found  in  Egjqjt  or 
Spain,  in  Hungary  or  Wallachia.  In  the  two  principalities  their 
number  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  Their  immigration  offers 
a  curious  and  difficult  problem.  It  has  been  said  that  they  manifest 
everywhere  not  only  the  same  features,  but  almost  the  same  name, 
"  for  in  the  words  Zingani  and  Tchingani  we  trace  the  etymological 
root  which  points  to  Egypt  as  the  native  soil  of  the  French  Egyptian, 
the  English  Gypsey,  the  Spanish  Gitano,  the  Italian  Zingano,  and 
the  German  Zigeuver."  Like  owls,  they  seem  most  happy  at  night ; 
we  have  seen  them  grouped  around  their  fires  full  of  life  and  glee  at 
midnight,  while  in  the  day  they  appear  more  sombre. 

As  might  be  expected,  not  much  can  be  said  in  favor  of  the  general 
state  of  morals  in  Moldavia  and  Wallachia.  The  marriage  tie  is 
weak,  divorce  is  common  for  the  most  trivial  causes,  and,  of  course, 
all  social  bonds  are  lax.  Scarcely  a  good  servant  can  be  found : 
every  one  is  depraved,  and  especially  thievish.  If  the  people  were 
heathen,  there  might  be  some  hope  for  them ;  for  in  that  case  they 
would  present  an  inviting  field  for  missionary  effort.  But  being 
nominally  Christian,  and  under  the  protection  of  Russia,  "  the  door 
is  shut."  In  view  of  such  facts,  an  enlightened  Christian  is  con- 
strained to  pray  that  the  great  Northern  despotism  may  soon  meet 
the  doom  which  is  predicted  in  the  second  Psalm  against  the  gov- 
ernments of  the  earth  that  impede  the  progress  of  Christianity :  "  He 
shall  break  them  as  with  a  rod  of  iron,  he  shall  dash  them  in  pieces 
like  a  potter's  vessel." 


382  Appendix  II. 

Note  B— Page  78. 
ORIGIN  OF  THE  HUNGARIANS. 

The  origin  of  the  Hungarians  has  been  much  discussed  by  Euro- 
pean antiquaries  ;  they  themselves,  however,  are  wont  to  boast  of 
their  descent  from  the  Huns,  and  place  Attila  in  their  list  of  kings, 
with  a  feeling  of  pride  as  strong  as  that  which  led  the  hordes  of 
Attila  to  vaunt  themselves  of  a  descent  from  those  ancient  Huns  who 
had  been  of  old  the  terror  of  China  —  warlike  tribes  against  whose 
invasions  the  great  Chinese  wall,  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  length, 
was  erected  three  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era.  It  is  a 
curious  fact,  that  some  believe  the  modem  Hungarians  and  the  Turks 
to  have  been  of  kindred  blood,  and  that  both  came  from  Turcomania 
(the  ancient  Annenia) ;  a  theory  sustained  by  the  affinities  that  are 
detected  between  the  languages  and  the  physiognomies  of  the  two 
nations.  Coincident  with  this  theory  is  the  curious  fact,  that  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Caucasus  are  the  ruins  of  two  neighboring  towns, 
called  Magyar  and  Torek  (pronounced  Turuk) ;  the  latter  name 
being  one  which  might  easily  be  changed  into  Turk.  Undoubtedly 
there  was  a  mixture  of  various  tribes  in  the  settlement  of  Pannonia, 
now  called  Hungary,  but  general  opinion  concedes  to  the  Magyars 
their  claim  of  carrying  in  their  veins  the  blood  of  the  Huns  who 
owned  the  sway  of  Attila.  A  thought  like  that  inspires  many  of  the 
Hungarians  with  the  hope  that  as  their  ancestors  overturned  the 
throne  of  Rome,  it  may  yet  be  their  own  destiny  to  overturn  the 
throne  of  Austria,  which  boasts  of  having  succeeded  to  the  sceptre 
of  Roman  empire. 

In  the  streets  and  squares  of  Buda,  groups  of  Austrians  and  Hun- 
garians may  often  be  seen  mingled  together,  exhibiting  a  contrast  of 
appearance  and  manner  which  can  not  fail  to  arrest  the  attention  of  a 
stranger.  As  was  observed  by  an  English  traveler,  "  The  Austrians 
are  in  general  of  low  stature,  sturdy  limbs,  broad  chests,  and  so  re- 
markably thick  about  the  neck  and  shoulders  that  they  seem  hump- 
backed. They  have  large  heads,  broad  faces,  and  coarse  but  good- 
natured  countenances.  The  Hungarians,  on  the  contrary,  are  tall 
and  slender,  with  narrow  shoulders,  thin  necks,  and  slight  limbs, 


Appendix  IL  383 

with  an  upright  gait.  Their  heads  are  small,  their  features  sallow, 
with  dark  eyes,  and  a  certain  wildness  in  their  looks,  as  if  they  had 
not  entirely  divested  themselves  of  the  character  of  their  Tartarian  or 
Scythian  ancestors.  Their  dispositions  form  as  strong  a  contrast  as 
their  persons.  The  Austrians  are  slow  and  phlegmatic,  the  Hunga- 
rians quick  and  irritable  ;  and  their  feelings  on  the  same  subject  are 
often  totally  diflFerent."  Both,  too,  we  may  add,  are  fond  of  music ; 
Hungarian  minstrelsy  is  not  unknown  in  America ;  but  the  Austrian 
taste  and  culture  came  from  the  German  schools,  while  those  of  the 
Hungarians  were  derived  from  Italy,  in  the  days  of  Mathias  Corvinus, 
a  monarch  who  was  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  literature  and  art 
in  Hungary. 


Note  C— Page  80. 
MOHAMMED'S  BRIGANTIKES. 

There  have  been  various  opinions  as  to  the  distance  over  which 
these  brigantines  were  carried.  The  following  remarks  from  the  pen 
of  Rev.  E,.  "Walsh,  LL.D.jWho  resided  several  years  in  Constantino- 
ple, in  the  suite  of  Lord  Strangford,  are  worthy  of  attention : 

"  The  place  where  this  extraordinary  passage  over  the  land  was 
effected,  which  decided  the  fate  of  Constantinople,  is  a  subject  of 
much  local  discussion ;  and  the  point  assigned  for  it  is  now  called 
Balta  Limen,  about  half  way  up  the  Bosphorus  to  the  Black  Sea. 
Balta  was  the  name  of  the  Turkish  admiral  who  commanded  on  the 
occasion,  and  this  little  port  retaining  his  name  is  considered  decided 
proof  of  the  fact.  From  hence  to  the  harbor  the  distance  is  ten  or 
eleven  miles,  which  induced  Gibbon  to  say,  for  the  sake  of  probabil- 
ity, that  '  he  wished  he  could  contract  the  distance  of  ten  miles,  and 
prolong  the  term  of  one  night.'  Now,  had  Gibbon  visited  the  spot, 
he  might  have  spared  his  wish,  and  established  the  probability.  The 
place  where  the  ships  were  drawn  over  was  not  at  Balta  Limen,  but 


384  Appendix  IL 

at  Dolma  Bactche,  where  a  deep  valley  runs  up  from  the  Bosphorus 
to  join  that  of  the  harbor,  and  they  were  only  separated  by  a  ridge 
of  a  few  hundred  yards  in  breadth.  This  valley  is  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Galata ;  and  the  Genoese  sailors  of  that  town  are  known 
to  have  materially  assisted  the  Turks  in  this  transportation,  the 
whole  distance  of  which  was  not  more  than  two  miles,  and  might 
easily  be  performed  within  the  time  stated  by  the  historian.  I  might 
further  add,  that  Balta  Limen,  the  sujDposed  place,was  not  so  called 
from  a  Turkish  admiral,  but  from  a  Turkish  word,  balta,  an  axe  — 
as  the  valley  was  formerly  filled  with  wood,  which  the  Baltages  or 
woodmen  were  accustomed  to  cut  down  for  fuel.  I  mention  these 
facts  to  show  you  how  necessary  the  actual  view  of  a  place  is  to  the 
accuracy  of  historical  detail,  and  to  remove  your  skepticism  on  this 
point  at  least,  as  I  would  wish  to  do  on  every  other,  where  it  may 
have  been  excited  by  passages  from  Gibbon." 


APPENDIX   III. 

NoTK  A  — Page  95. 

THE  RIGHT  OF  PRIVATE  JUDGMENT. 

The  existence  of  this  right,  within  the  realm  of  religion,  has  been 
extensively  denied  both  in  times  past  and  in  the  present.  The 
Church  of  Rome  has  denied  it.  The  national  Protestant  churches  of 
the  continent  of  Europe  have  denied  it.  A  large  portion  of  the  Church 
of  England  have  denied  it.  Bv  this  latter  class,  especially  the  Pusey- 
ites,  the  denial  of  it  has  been  m.aintained  of  late  years  with  intense 
strenuousness.  The  ground  has  been  taken  that  private  men  cannot 
understand  the  Bible  —  that  they  are  too  liable  to  be  misled  by  false 
interpretation  —  that,  therefore,  there  is  need  of  a  church-authority 
to  interpose  between  the  reader  and  his  Bible  in  order  to  fix  its 
meaning;  and  that  to  this  voice  of  authority  every  individual  is 
bound  to  listen  and  submit.  In  all  cases  of  doubt,  the  advocates  of 
this  dogma  say,  "  Hear  the  church ;  "  and  this  they  propose  as  a 
panacea  for  divisions,  a  sovereign  balm  for  the  sore  wounds  of  con- 
troversy and  discord. 

Miserable  physicians  these !  For  when  they  quote  Fathers  and 
councils  and  homilies,  they  only  enlarge  the  scope  for  disputation  ; 
the  sense  of  this  or  that  quotation  may  be  as  severely  contested  as 
the  sense  of  an  apostle,  and  new  fuel  will  be  added  to  the  flames  of 
controversy.  Paul's  encomium  on  the  sufficiency  of  the  Scripture  is 
as  plain  as  any  homily,  or  the  sense  of  any  council,  or  the  words  of 
any  Father ;  and  it  says,  "  all  the  Scripture  is  profitable  "  —  for 
whom  1  For  the  priesthood,  or  for  a  learned  ministry  ?  Or  for  the 
church  as  a  body  1  No  ;  but  for  the  individual ;  profitable  for  in- 
struction, that  THE  MAN  of  God  may  be  perfect  and  thoroughly  fur- 
nished unto  all  good  works. 


386  Appendix  III. 

So,  too,  when  Christ  preached  those  sermons  which  are  recorded 
in  the  New  Testament,  he  addressed  them  to  individuals,  to  the  con- 
sciences of  private  men ;  and  bade  these  men  by  the  light  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures  to  examine  the  teachings  of  those  who  were  the  min- 
isters of  a  divinely  appointed  church.  Those  teachers  themselves  he 
charged  with  making  "God's  word  of  none  effect,"  and  predicted 
that  on  them  the  displeasure  of  Heaven  would  fall  weightily.  As 
they  sat  in  Moses'  seat  he  directed  the  people  to  do  those  things 
which  they  urged  on  the  ground  of  Moses'  authority ;  but  at  the 
same  time  commanded  his  hearers  to  discriminate  between  sound 
doctrine  and  traditions,  to  observe  the  examples  of  their  rabbles, 
and  to  avoid  their  works.  Quickening  the  consciences,  and  awaken- 
ing the  private  judgment  of  the  individuals  who  came  to  him  with 
questions,  he  did  not  say,  "  Hear  the  church"  on  disputed  doctrines, 
but  *'  What  saith  the  Scriptm-e  1 "  "  Have  ye  not  read  ?  "  The  in- 
quiry with  which  he  met  those  who  brought  to  him  their  doubts  sug- 
gested by  the  discussions  amongst  the  "  wise  men  "  of  that  age,  was, 
**  Have  ye  not  read  7  "  —  always  rousing  the  individual  to  feel  the 
majesty  of  God's  oracle  —  that  it  was  wrong  for  him  to  tuxn  away 
from  the  inspired  word  to  listen  to  the  voice  of  men,  and  that,  if 
from  "  the  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  "  he  would  seek  direction,  the 
Father  himself  would  reward  him  openly. 

Nevertheless,  while  it  becomes  us  to  plead  for  the  right  of  private 
judgment,  we  mtist  not  neglect  to  urge  the  duty  of  exercising  it. 
Too  many  who  have  contended  for  the  right  have  there  stopped, 
seeming  to  be  indifferent  whether  it  were  used  or  not ;  and  if  at  all, 
in  what  way.  They  have  advocated  intellectual  liberty,  vindicated 
the  people's  right  against  the  pretensions  of  ecclesiastical  authority, 
and  then  have  coolly  regarded  it  as  a  thing  of  no  account  how  med 
treated  the  word  and  authority  of  God. 

Now,  our  Saviour  not  only  declared  the  right,  but  also  the  obliga- 
tion to  exercise  it ;  held  it  forth  as  a  solemn  duty  before  God  —  that 
in  his  presence  the  individual  stands  accountable  —  that  on  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  uses  this  endowment  his  destiny  must  ttu-n  —  that 
pride,  prejudice,  passion,  or  unbelief  may  blind  him  fatally  —  urging 
him  to  search  the  Scriptures  because  they  reveal  eternal  life,  saying : 
"  If  any  man  reject  my  Word  he  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  ;  the 
WoKD  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.** 

These  are  soul-sturing  considerations  —  arguments  of  awful  mo 


Appendix  III.  387 

ment.  It  is  a  solemn  thought  that  such  a  responsibility  rests  on 
every  man,  and  inheres  in  his  immortal  nature  —  that  we  are  all  under 
sin,  and  have  a  message  from  God  touching  the  remedy  which  we 
must  consider  and  act  on,  or  perish  —  that  there  is  only  one  Being 
in  the  universe  who  can  save  us,  even  Jesus  Christ  —  that  if  we  go 
astray  from  Him,  no  ministry  of  man,  whether  apostolic  or  non-apos- 
tolic, can  redeem  us — that  if  any  priesthood,  or  church  (so  called), 
cause  one  to  err,  it  cannot  help  him  in  the  end,  but  that  such  priest- 
hood, or  church,  and  the  deluded  individual,  incur  the  peril  of  per- 
dition together,  because  "  he  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting 
life,  but  he  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath 
of  God  abideth  on  him."  Blessed,  indeed,  is  he  who  readeth  and 
understandeth  the  words  of  this  Book  ! 


Note  B— Page  96. 

GIBBOK'S  GREAT  MISTAKE. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  spite  of  all  the  objections  to  Gib- 
bon's History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  the 
genius  and  learaing  of  Christendom  have  never  been  able  to  displace 
it  by  another  work.  In  the  realm  of  history,  he  alone  has  wrought 
a  finely  arched  bridge  spanning  the  chasm  which  separates  the  an- 
cient from  modern  civilization.  It  were  devoutly  to  be  wished  that 
the  constructor  of  such  a  pathway  for  the  feet  of  successive  genera- 
tions had  been  a  true  Christian.  Yet  it  is  well  worthy  of  notice  that 
to  almost  all  the  sceptical  objections  against  Christianity  to  be  found 
in  the  volumes  of  Gibbon,  one  answer  will  suffice.  This  answer  is 
that  his  ideas  of  Christianity  are  not  derived  from  a  pure  source  — 
not  from  the  New  Testament,  but  from  the  church-history  of  ages 
succeeding  that  of  Christ  and  the  Apostles.  His  subtle  shafts  have 
no  force  against  our  holy  religion  as  taught  by  the  Saviour  and  his 
disciples,  but  only  against  that  spurious  Christianity  which  developed 


388  Appendix  III. 

itself  in  state-establishments  after  it  had  been  more  and  more  deeply 
corrupted  by  the  mixture  of  worldly  elements. 

Tliis  view  of  the  case  has  been  obvious  to  many,  and  must  arrest 
the  attention  of  any  reader  who  has  been  accustomed  to  distinguish 
between  the  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament  and  the  Christianity 
of  what  is  called  Church-History.  This  distinction,  and  the  effect 
of  overlooking  it,  arc  well  stated  by  Milman,  in  one  of  his  notes,  in 
which  he  says  :  "  The  art  of  Gibbon,  or,  at  least,  the  unfair  impres- 
sion produced  by  these  two  memorable  chapters  (the  tifteenth  and 
sixteenth),  consists  in  confounding  together  in  one  undistinguishable 
mass,  the  origin  and  apostolic  propagation  of  the  Christian  religion 
with  its  later  progress.  The  main  question,  the  divine  origin  of  the 
religion,  is  dexterously  eluded  or  speciously  conceded  ;  his  plan  en- 
ables him  to  commence  his  account,  in  most  parts,  below  the  apostdic 
times ;  and  it  is  only  by  the  strength  of  the  dark  coloring  with  which 
he  has  brought  out  the  failings  and  the  follies  of  succeeding  ages, 
that  a  shadow  of  doubt  and  suspicion  is  thrown  back  on  the  primi- 
tive period  of  Christianity.  Divest  the  whole  passage  of  the  latent 
sarcasm  betrayed  by  the  subsequent  tone  of  the  whole  disquisition, 
and  it  might  commence  a  Christian  history  written  in  the  most 
Christian  spirit  of  candor." 

In  this  note  the  learned  editor  of  Gibbon  utters  a  true  testimony ; 
and  in  this  connection  it  is  instructive  to  remember  the  fact  that  Gib- 
bon was  educated  among  Christians  who  did,  themselves,  confound 
these  different  things  and  habitually  overlook  these  very  distinctions. 
The  celebrated  History,  of  which  we  speak,  illustrates  the  effect  of 
this  confusion  on  the  mind  of  an  independent  thinker.  He  had  not 
been  taught  to  regard  the  New  Testament  as  the  one  simple,  all- 
sufficient  standard  of  Christianity,  but  to  look  for  that  standard  in 
church-tradition  or  church-history.  The  same  error  is  now  com- 
mitted and  defended,  not  only  by  Papists,  but  by  Protestants  of  va- 
rious names  ;  by  Puseyitcs,  and  by  all  who  agree  with  the  Lutheran 
school  of  Pennsylvania,  under  Dr.  SchafF,  in  the  doctrine  that 
Christianity,  as  a  religion,  was  gradually  developed  in  ages  succeed- 
ing that  of  the  Apostles.  Multitudes,  adopting  this  belief,  arc  not 
satisfied  with  the  Scripture  as  a  sufficient  guide  to  faith  and  practice, 
but  look  to  tradition  and  history  for  the  standai'd  or  canon   by 


Appendix  III.  389 

which  to  settle  the  question  —  what  is  Christianity  ?  This  princi- 
ple is  well  adapted  to  raise  up  other  Gibbons  in  time  to  come,  by 
throwing  back  dark  shadows  of  doubt  and  unbelief  over  the  divine 
origin  of  Christianity  itself.  Men  of  naturally  tame  and  timid 
mind,  and  all  men  in  whom  sentiment  predominates  over  intellect, 
will  be  easily  led  by  such  a  principle  into  the  labyrinths  of  supersti- 
tion, while  men  of  bold,  inquiring  spirit  will  bound  away  from  it 
over  the  trackless  wastes  of  infidelity.  Hence,  the  principle  itself, 
liarmless  as  it  may  seem  to  some,  is  more  dangerous  than  any  system 
of  avowed  and  open  infidelity ;  it  is  a  "  cockatrice's  egg,"  smooth 
and  fair  to  the  eye,  but  capable  of  developing  from  within  itself  a 
double  progeny  of  poisonous  vipers. 

The  Christianity  of  the  New  Testament  is  one  thing ;  the  Christi- 
anity of  Tradition  is  another  thing.  The  word  of  the  Lord  —  that 
shall  stand.  The  material  heavens  and  earth  may  pass  away ;  that 
"  shall  not  pass  away."  The  system  which  is  built  on  that  rests  on 
eternal  rock ;  every  other  foundation  is  of  wood,  hay  and  stubble, 
that  can  not  stand  the  crucible  of  God's  refining  fires. 


Note  C— Page  99. 

BEAUSOBRE  0'^  THE  AUTHORITY  OF  "  THE  FATHERS." 

Beausobre  was  a  very  learned  French  writer  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  He  was  a  warm-hearted  Protestant,  a  powerful  preacher, 
and  wielded  an  eiiective  pen.  When  the  royal  signet  was  put  upon 
the  door  of  a  Protestant  church  in  France,  in  order  to  prevent  pub- 
lic worship,  he  broke  the  signet,  and  on  that  account  was  forced  to 
be  an  exile.  In  the  year  1694  he  went  to  Berlin,  and  became  chap- 
lain to  the  Court  of  Prussia.  We  read  many  things,  now-a-days, 
which  remind  us  of  a  passage  of  his  writings  on  the  authority  of 
"  The  Fathers."  He  says,  in  his  critical  history  of  Manichaeism, 
"  Some  will  charge  me  with  speaking,  disrespectfully  of  the  Fathers. 


390  Appendix  III. 

I  grant,  some  expressions  may  have  escaped  me,  which  I  might  have 
softened  ;  but  then,  narrations  notoriously  false,  or  monstrously  ex- 
aggerated, bad  reasonings,  a  blind  belief  of  every  thing  reported  to 
disgrace  heretics,  a  reigning  passion  to  render  their  persons  odious  — 
all  this  irritates  an  equitable  mind.  But  what  provokes  beyond  all 
patience,  is  to  see  that  selfish  abuse  which  some  writers  make  of  the 
names  and  testimonies  of  the  Fathers.  A  sort  of  false  reasoning, 
which  I  call  the  sophism  of  authority^  hath  been  long  introduced,  and 
now  continues  to  be  applied  to  the  most  pernicious  purposes.  Kea- 
son  and  religion  are  oppressed,  and  in  order  to  defend  opinions  evi- 
dently false,  and  practices  grossly  superstitious,  a  sentence  is  quoted 
from  an  ancient  writer,  and  puffed  off  with  the  vain  title  of  a  saint 
and  a  great  saint.  People,  on  hearing  this  superb  title,  are  seduced 
into  an  imagination  that  they  hear  an  oracle,  and  sincerely  believe 
that  justness  of  thought,  accuracy  of  expression,  solidity  of  reason- 
ing, and  demonstrative  evidence  are  necessarily  connected  with  saint- 
ship  and  great  saintship.  They  even  fancy  that  such  men  were  under 
the  immediate  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  inseparably  connected  with 
their  writings.  Reason,  abashed  and  timid,  durst  not  resist ;  or  if  it 
dare  be  so  bold,  admirers  of  antiquity  will  exclaim  first  at  presump- 
tion and  pride,  and  last  at  heresy.  In  vain  Jesus  Christ  said,  *  One 
is  your  Master ; '  and  Paul,  '  Be  ye  ■  not  the  servants  of  men.' 
Never  did  Constantine  "VI.  discover  more  wisdom  and  prudence  than 
when  he  forbade  the  title  of  saint  to  be  given  to  any  except  the 
Apostles.  He  saw  the  abuse,  and  endeavored  to  correct  it.  I  esteem 
and  honor  the  Fathers,  but  I  do  not  think  them  infallible,  either  as 
evidences  of  a  fact,  or  as  just  reasoners  from  facts  allowed  to  be 
true.  Even  they  who  incessantly  plead  for  their  authority,  occasion- 
ally criticize  them.  They  have  done  more.  They  have  corrupted 
their  writings  in  an  infinite  number  of  places,  and  this  they  call  cor- 
recting them." 

These  remarks  are  as  worthy  of  attention  in  the  present  age,  as 
they  were  when  first  published.  It  would  seem  as  if  some  men  had 
been  given  up  to  the  power  of  judicial  blindness,  and  to  the  super- 
stitions of  a  corrupt  Christianity,  for  the  sin  of  forsaking  Christ,  to 
follow  the  authority  of  men.  Even  now,  how  few  there  are,  com- 
paratively speaking,  who,  before  joining  a  church,  come  reverently 
to  the  New  Testament,  resolved  to  find  a  church  in  that,  and  that 


Appendix  III.  391 

alone.  How  many,  bearing  the  name  of  Protestants,  regard  the 
New  Testament  as  containing  only  the  germs  of  Chiistianity,  while 
the  full  development  is  to  be  looked  for  in  church  history,  tradition, 
and  the  books  of  the  Fathers.  Oh  that  they  could  understand  the 
sufficiency  of  the  Scripture,  and  the  voice  of  Him  who  saith,  "  I  am 
the  Light  of  the  world ;  he  thsitfoUoweth  me  shall  not  walk  in  dark- 
ness, but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." 


Note  D— Page  114. 
"THE  BIBLE  ALONE." 

From  several  notices  which  have  appeared  in  the  English  papers, 
we  perceive  that  the  friends  of  evangelical  religion  in  the  Church  of 
England  are  gradually  concentrating  their  forces  in  definite  plans  of 
action  for  the  purpose  of  church  reform.  One  grand  design  which 
they  have  in  view  is  the  alteration  of  the  Prayer-Book,  so  as  to  ex- 
clude from  it  those  elements  of  Popery  which  now  mar  its  pages, 
and  to  render  it  more  exactly  conformable  to  the  Word  of  God  as 
the  only  standard  of  Christian  faith.  Lord  Ashley  is  a  prime  leader 
in  this  movement.  A  metropolitan  association  has  been  organized 
to  act  in  concert  with  kindred  societies  already  formed  in  various 
sections  of  the  country,  and  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  there 
is  nigh  at  hand  some  great  change  of  sufficient  moment  to  be  reck- 
oned as  an  historical  era. 

While  these  things  are  in  progress,  the  Puseyites  are  daily  mani- 
festing their  affinities  with  "  the  Mother-Church,"  and  are  rallying 
their  energies  for  a  desperate  onset  against  "  the  Evangelicals." 
The  signs  of  the  times  indicate  that  there  are  now  gathering  in  Eng- 
land the  elements  of  a  religious  excitement  unparalleled  since  the 
days  of  "  the  great  Beformation,"  and  that  the  same  questions 
which  then  agitated  Christendom  are  coming  up  afresh.  But,  thanks 
to  God,  they  are  coming  up  in  a  very  different  state  of  the  world. 


392  Appendix  III. 

The  fires  of  Smithfield  cannot  now  be  kindled;  the  rack  and  the 
thumb-screw  cannot  now  be  used  as  means  to  enforce  conviction ; 
but  the  controversy  must  be  determined  by  moral  forces  only,  and  the 
final  issue  will  furnish  a  grand  commentary  on  the  saying  that  is 
written,  "  Thou  hast  magnified  tht  word  above  all  thy  name." 

Nevertheless,  while  the  contest  waxes  warm  between  tradition- 
ism  on  the  one  hand,  and  evangelical  religion  on  the  other,  it  is  an 
interesting  question,  What  relation  does  popular  infidelity  hold  to  the 
general  progress  of  opinion  ?  Infidelity  has  dofi'ed  its  old  garbs  and 
titles,  and  now  stands  forth  as  the  friend  and  champion  of  the 
masses,  under  the  banner  of  Christian  liberalism.  It  "  lifts  up  an 
ensign  to  the  people,"  and  we  see  emblazoned  on  its  waving  folds 
those  taking  words,  "  Social  Reform."  It  openly  professes  to  honor 
Christ  and  to  hate  the  church.  It  wars  against  Popery  and  it  scofi*s 
at  evangelical  religion.  It  declares,  in  the  language  of  Ronge,  that 
"  if  Roman  Catholics  have  a  Pope  at  Rome,  the  Protestants  hare 
made  their  Pope  of  a  book,  and  that  book  is  a  dead  letter,"  It  af- 
firms that  the  disciples  of  Jesus  have,  hitherto,  misunderstood  him  ; 
that  his  kingdom  is  of  this  world ;  that  Socialism  is  Christianity 
adapted  to  the  times,  creating  all  things  new,  and  aiming  to  produce 
on  earth  a  heaven  of  peace  and  plenty.  It  is  far  mightier  in  Europe 
than  in  America ;  it  is  attracting  multitudes  to  its  camp  ;  in  view  of 
the  great  moral  battle  of  civilization,  it  deems  itself  "  the  immortal 
phalanx,"  and  has  been  called  by  some  intelligent  writers  the  great 
moving  power  of  the  European  mind.  What,  we  ask,  is  its  real  re- 
lation to  Popery,  to  Christianity,  to  Society  ? 

Hugh  Millek,  in  his  "  First  Impressions  of  England  and  its 
People,"  says,  "  That  which,  apart  from  religious  considerations, 
is  chiefly  to  be  censured  and  regretted,  in  the  zeal  of  the  Rouges  and 
Shenstones,  Michelets  and  Eugene  Sues,  is,  not  that  it  is  inconsis- 
tent, but  that  it  constitutes  at  best  but  a  vacuum-creating  power. 
It  forms  a  void  where,  in  the  nature  of  things,  no  void  can  perma- 
nently exist,  and  which  superstition  is  ever  rushing  in  to  fill ;  and  so 
the  progress  of  the  race,  wherever  it  is  influentially  operative,  instead 
of  being  conducted  onwards  in  its  proper  line  of  march,  becomes  a 
weary  cycle,  that  ever  returns  upon  itself.  The  human  intellect, 
under  its  influence,  seems  as  if  drawn  within  the  ceaselessly  revolv- 
ing eddies  of  a  giddy  maelstrom,  or  as  if  it  had  become  obnoxious 


Appendix  III.  393 

to  the  remarkable  curse  pronounced  of  old  by  the  Psalmist :  I  quote 
from  the  version  of  Milton : 

'  Ky  Godl  oh,  make  them  as  a  wheel ; 

No  quiet  let  them  find ; 
Giddy  and  restless  let  them  reel 
Like  stubble  from  the  wind.* 

"  History  is  emphatic  on  the  point.  Nearly  three  centuries  have 
elapsed  since  the  revived  Christianity  of  the  Reformation  supplanted 
Roman  Catholicism  in  Scotland.  But  there  was  no  vacuum  cre- 
ated ;  the  space  previously  taken  up  in  the  popular  mind  by  the 
abrogated  superstition,  was  amply  occupied  by  the  resuscitated  faith ; 
and  as  a  direct  consequence,  whatever  reaction  in  favor  of  Popery 
may  have  taken  place  among  the  people,  is  of  a  purely  political, 
not  religious  character.  With  Popeiy  as  a  religion,  the  Presbyte- 
rian Scotch  are  as  far  from  closing  now  as  they  ever  were.  But 
how  entirely  different  has  been  the  state  of  matters  in  France ! 
There  are  men  still  living  who  remember  the  death  of  Voltaire.  In 
the  course  of  a  single  lifetime,  Popery  Las  been  twice  popular  and 
influential  in  that  country,  and  twice  has  the  vacuum-creating  power, 
more  than  equally  popular  and  influential  for  the  time,  closed  chill 
and  cold  around  it  to  induce  its  annihilation. 

**  The  literature  of  France,  for  the  last  half  centuiy,  is  curiously 
illustrative  of  this  process  of  action  and  reaction  —  of  condensation 
and  expansion.  It  exhibits  during  that  period  three  distinct  groups 
of  authors.  There  is  first  a  group  of  vacuum-creators  —  a  surviv- 
ing remnant  of  the  Encyclopedist  of  the  previous  half  century  — 
adequately  represented  by  Condorcet-and  the  Abbe  Raynal;  next 
appeal's  a  group  of  the  reactionists,  represented  equally  well  by 
Chateaubriand  and  Lamartine ;  and  then  —  for  Popery  has  again 
become  monstrous  —  we  see  a  second  group  of  vacuum-creators  in 
the  Eugene  Sues  and  the  Michelets,  the  most  popular  French  writers 
of  the  present  day.  And  thus  must  the  cycle  revolve,  *  unquiet 
and  giddy  as  a  wheel,'  until  France  shall  find  rest  in  the  Christianity 
of  the  New  Testament." 

These  apt  remarks  of  the  Scotch  Geologist  well  illustrate  the  con- 
servative power  of  a  simple  New  Testament  religion,  and  exhibit 
the  truth  and  value  of  the  great  Protestant  principle  -^  "  The  Bible 


394  Appendix  III. 

alone,  the  rule  of  our  faith."  They  contain,  moreover,  although  not 
so  intended  by  him,  a  striking  commentary  on  that  remarkable  prom- 
ise which  God  sent  from  heaven  to  the  church  in  Philadelphia  by  the 
mouth  of  the  beloved  apostle :  "  Because  thou  hast  kept  my  word  I 
also  will  keep  thee."  And  so  it  was.  The  church  of  Philadelphia 
stood  in  the  early  ages  like  a  column  amid  ruins.  Her  piety  was 
fed  at  the  fountain  of  pure  truth,  and  this  made  her  adequate  to 
every  emergency.  In  the  Divine  Word  itself  there  is  a  mighty  con- 
servative power,  of  which,  at  the  present  day,  Scotland  presents  a 
fine  exemplification.  In  no  country  of  the  world  is  Scriptural 
knowledge  more  widely  diffused  among  the  people,  and  therefore, 
while  England  is  destined  to  reel  under  the  shocks  of  Papal  and 
anti-Papal  excitement,  Scotland  will  stand  firm  on  the  rocky  grounds 
of  her  faith,  and  survey  the  troubled  scene  with  the  serenity  of  a 
sage  and  friendly  observer. 


NoTB  E— Page  119. 

CONVERSIONS  TO  THE  ROMISH  CHURCH. 

For  a  considerable  time  past,  it  has  been  a  subject  of  remark  in 
the  religious  circles  of  this  country,  that  here  and  there  were  to  be 
seen  sons  and  daughters  of  American  Protestants  abandoning  the 
temples  where  their  fathers  worshipped,  and  seeking  repose  for  their 
souls  in  the  rites  and  forms  of  the  Romish  communion  which  claims 
to  be  the  Ploly  Catholic  church.  These  changes  have  occuiTcd  not 
amongst  the  uneducated  and  the  ignorant,  but  in  some  families  who 
have  been  known  in  the  most  favored  walks  of  life.  To  many,  these 
changes  have  been  an  occasion  of  astonishment.  In  this  feeling 
we  have  not  participated  ;  we  have  often  wondered  that  such 
changes  were  so  rare,  considering  that  such  multitudes  of  American 
youth  grow  up,  amidst  associations  nominally  Christian,  without 
any  clear  conception  of  the  evidences  of    Christianity,  or  of  the 


Appendix  IIL  395 

claims  of  the  Bible  as  a  divinely  inspired  and  infallible  standard  of 
faith. 

In  every  Christian  country,  where  there  is  freedom  of  conscience 
and  means  of  knowledge,  the  greatest  danger  to  the  religious  senti- 
ments of  the  community  arise,  not  from  a  bold  and  open  Infidelity, 
but  from  the  natural  tendency  of  the  human  soul  in  its  fallen  state 
to  seek  rest  and  peace  in  religious  Formalism.  This  was  the  course 
of  things  in  the  time  of  Christ.  The  Jews  gloried  in  a  divine  reve- 
lation, but  He  told  them  that  they  made  it  void  by  their  traditions. 
It  was  not  eflfectually  denied  or  opposed,  but  overlaid  by  a  human 
authority  that  boasted  of  a  divine  origin,  and  professed  to  be  armed 
with  divine  sanctions.  This  is  the  very  pretension  of  the  Catholic 
church,  and  connected  as  it  is  with  the  plea  of  a  sacred  antiquity, 
with  a  gorgeous  system  of  worship,  with  an  organized  priesthood, 
with  a  unity  of  aim  and  effort,  with  an  artful  adaptation  to  character, 
and  with  every  possible  appliance  for  addressing  the  imagination 
and  the  senses,  it  must  present  a  strong  attraction  to  many  restless 
and  inquiring  souls,  who,  having  been  "  tost  to  and  fro  "  with  the 
agitations  of  scepticism,  have  never  learned  that  the  Scripture  is  a 
supernatural  and  divine  counsellor,  "  sure,  making  wise  the  simple." 
Recoiling  from  the  issues  to  which  Infidelity  would  lead  them, 
and  scared  back  from  its  course  by  the  social  evils  which  they  have 
seen  disclosed,  bewildered  with  doubt,  groping  their  way  without  a 
guide,  seeing  no  light  worthy  of  trust,  they  are  often  lured  at  last  to 
find  rest  and  peace  in  the  sweet  persuasion  that  they  may  lay  the 
responsibility  of  their  salvation  on  a  holy  priesthood  commissioned 
to  dispense  it,  and  yield  to  a  safe  and  heavenly  repose  in  the  bosom 
of  a  "  true  mother  church."  In  this  way  it  is,  that  the  more  widely 
either  sheer  ignorance  or  learaed  Infidelity  prevails  in  any  land,  the 
more  numerous  the  conquests  which  the  Romish  church  will  be  sure 
to  gain.  Infidelity  may  hate  her,  but  is  too  weak  to  resist  her.  A 
simple,  wide-spread  faith  in  God's  word  alone  can  accomplish  that. 
And  if  in  time  to  come  Transcendentalism  (or  Parkerism,  as  it 
is  locally  named)  shall  make  progress  here,  just  in  that  proportion 
will  another  generation  see  a  mighty  rush  of  educated,  earnest,  intel- 
lectual American  youth  to  the  serene  shelter  of  the  Papal  throne, 
the  altar,  and  the  confessional.  Indeed,  it  is  in  this  way  that  Rome 
calculates  to  regain  Germany.     Thus  she  did  regain  Prance.     She 


396  Appendix  III. 

reasons,  that  the  free  inquiry  of  Protestantism  will  produce  infidel- 
ity; and  then,  tired  of  the  social  turmoil  and  chaos  of  infidelity, 
men  will  he  glad  to  return  to  the  church  for  peace,  just  as  the  dove 
of  Noah  with  wearied  wing  turned  from  the  stormy  sea  to  the  ark 
of  safety.  And  so  it  is  likely  to  be  in  the  end,  unless  a  lively  faith 
in  the  word  of  God  can  be  restored  to  half-apostate  Germany.  That 
is  the  only  conservative  element  for  that  land  or  for  this.  Such  a 
faith  alone  can  preserve  us  from  a  disorganizing  infidelity  on  the 
one  hand,  and  an  oppressive  superstition  on  the  other. 

From  this  view  of  the  case,  no  reflecting  Christian  can  fail  to  see 
the  argument  which  hence  arises  for  earnest  eflPort  to  promote  the 
study  of  the  Bible,  to  have  our  youth  "rooted  and  grounded  "  in  its 
evidences  and  principles.  Christian  parent,  are  your  children  edu- 
cated thus  1  Can  they  "  give  a  reason  to  every  man  that  asketh  '* 
for  receiving  the  New  Testament  as  a  divine  revelation  ?  If  not,  in 
spite  of  their  respect  for  you,  they  may  become  the  victims  of  a  fatal 
infidelity,  and  die,  at  last,  the  devotees  of  that  Christless  superstition 
which  Kome  is  so  intent  and  so  busy  to  propagate.  The  church 
history  of  all  the  past  is  one  impressive  comment  on  the  truth  and 
bearing  of  the  message  sent  from  Patmos  to  an  ancient  church, 
**  because  thou  hast  kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  also  will  keep 
thee  from  the  hour  of  temptation  which  shall  come  upon  all  the 
world,  to  try  them  that  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  earth." 


Appendix  III.  397 

Note  F— Page  119. 

"THE  RELIGIOUS  SENTIMENT." 

In  the  conversation  of  multitudes,  in  the  discourses  of  modem 
Transcendentalists,  in  the  writings  of  those  who  claim  to  be  "  liberal 
Christians,"  we  hear  and  read  much  which  implies  an  utter  igno- 
rance of  the  great  distinction  between  spiritual  Christianity  and  the 
natural  development  of  the  religious  sentiment  in  man.  All  sincere 
religionists  are  regarded  as  developing  essentially  the  same  sentiment 
under  different  forms  of  culture,  and  the  difference  between  one  and 
another  is  considered  as  being  merely  accidental.  This  is  the  view 
which  the  old  eclectics  took  of  the  matter,  for  they  endeavored  to 
cull  out  something  good  from  all  schemes  of  religion,  and  to  nour- 
ish their  religious  sentiment  from  the  best  parts  of  every  system. 
And  there  are  many  among  us  now,  talking  and  writing  in  favor  of 
Christianity,  who  cherish  the  same  doctrine,  nor,  although  they 
have  the  New  Testament  in  their  hands,  have  they  ever  advanced 
one  step  beyond  this  exploded  Greek  philosophy. 

It  ought  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  what  we  denominate  the 
religious  sentiment  is  a  part  of  the  human  constitution,  which  may 
manifest  itself  in  most  impressive  forms  without  any  connection 
whatsoever  with  goodness,  virtue,  truth  or  holiness.  Every  kind  of 
superstition,  the  most  irrational,  diabolical,  and  cruel,  is  a  manifes- 
tation of  the  religious  sentiment.  It  is  as  really  a  part  of  every 
man's  nature,  whether  he  be  good  or  bad,  as  is  conscience,  memory, 
or  social  affection.  Nevertheless,  we  meet  with  those  who,  looking 
over  the  world,  and  seeing  in  Pagan  lands  what  immense  treasures 
are  lavished  on  temples,  altars,  and  sacrifices,  will  say,  "  these  peo- 
ple are  very  religious  and  very  sincere  ;  and  their  worship,  therefore, 
must  be  as  acceptable  to  God  as  that  of  others  !  "  Then,  surveying 
the  state  of  things  in  a  Mahometan  country,  and  seeing  the  Mussel- 
man's  exact  observances,  they  tell  us,  **  these  people  are  very  strict 
and  sincere  religionists,  and,  doubtless,  their  system  is  best  for  them  !  " 
Then,  in  a  Catholic  country,  like  Italy,  observing  the  multitude  of 
priests  and  worshippers,  the  regular  attendance  at  matins  and  vespers, 
the  confessions,  feasts,  fasts,  penances,  and  prayers,  they  will  say, 


398  Appendix  III. 

"  these  people  exhibit  a  very  sincere  devotion,  and  we  cannot  but 
admire  the  strength  of  their  religious  sentiment ! "  Still  further, 
looking  at  a  community  in  which  a  simple  and  evangelical  Christi- 
anity gives  tone  to  public  character,  they  will  gravely  say,  "  here  the 
religious  sentiment  is  strongly  developed,  and  we  cannot  but  sympa- 
thize with  this  simplicity  and  earnestness  of  devotion."  This  is  the 
language  of  religious  eclecticism.  It  confounds  things  that  differ  in 
their  nature.  It  attributes  dignity  to  a  religious  system  according  to 
the  degrees  of  energy  with  which  it  brings  out  the  religious  sentiment ; 
whereas,  this  sentiment  often  appears  the  strongest  in  the  worst  of 
men ;  as  was  seen  in  the  case  of  an  Italian  bandit  who  was  hired  by 
Pope  Sextus  Fourth  to  murder  two  members  of  the  family  of  the 
Medici  that  were  hostile  to  him.  After  much  deliberation,  the  Cathe- 
dral was  the  spot  fixed  upon  for  the  assassination  to  be  eiOfected, 
amidst  a  solemn  service  ;  on  which  account  the  robber  refused  to  act 
his  part,  saying,  that  although  he  was  accustomed  to  commit  murder, 
he  was  not  used  to  sacrilege  !  Nevertheless,  a  priest  was  found  who 
consented  to  combine  both  crimes  in  a  single  act,  for  the  pleasure  of 
the  Pope  and  the  welfare  of  the  church. 

This  view  of  the  character  which  pertains  to  the  religious  senti- 
ment was  expressed  by  Paul  in  his  discourse  on  Mars  Hill  at  Ath- 
ens. From  the  place  of  his  observation  he  saw  the  whole  landscape 
studded  with  temples,  statues,  and  altars,  with  fanes  dedicated  to  all 
the  gods  whose  names  were  known,  and  an  altar  to  the  God  that 
was  unknown.  According  to  the  English  version,  the  Apostle  com- 
menced his  address  by  an  expression  not  remarkably  fitted  to  concil- 
iate the  attention  of  his  fitful  audience,  charging  it  upon  them  as  a 
national  folly  that  in  all  things  they  were  "  too  superstitious,"  and 
citing  as  a  proof  of  it  the  erection  of  an  altar  to  that  God  whom  he 
desired  to  preach  to  them.  But,  as  Dr.  Campbell  has  ably  shown, 
what  Paul  really  said  was  to  this  intent  —  that  he  had  observed  the 
Athenians  to  be  in  all  things  a  very  religious  people.  He  remarked 
that  among  them  the  religious  sentiment  was  highly  cultivated.  In 
this  he  said  nothing  that  was  disparaging,  neither  did  he  pay  them 
any  compliment.  He  merely  asserted  an  obvious  fact ;  for,  the  reli- 
gious sentiment,  in  itself,  like  social  affection,  is  neither  good  or  bad, 
except  according  to  the  direction  which  is  given  to  it.  It  may  be  so 
perverted  as  to  foster  all  that  is  low  and  wicked  in  our  fiillen  nature, 


Appendix  III.  399 

■while  under  the  guidance  of  a  renovated  heart  it  may  fit  the  soul  for 
the  companionships  of  heaven. 

But  this  religious  eclecticism,  which  "  sees  good  in  everything/' 
which  aims  to  bring  virtue  and  vice,  sin  and  holiness,  heaven  and 
hell,  together  into  one  beautiful  system,  is  not  a  plant  which  our 
"  Heavenly  Father  hath  planted,"  but  a  vine  of  Sodom,  full  of  deadly 
poison.  It  is  very  fashionable  in  some  quarters,  pervades  all  the 
Transcendental  literature,  is  the  very  life  of  Parkerism,  and  imparts 
its  hue  to  much  that  is  distinctively  Cambridgian.  Its  spirit  was 
fairly  expressed  by  a  certain  picture-vender,  in  whose  shop-window 
appeared  a  colored  engraving  of  the  celebrated  dancer,  Madame 
Taglioni,  in  one  of  her  most  meretricious  attitudes,  alongside  of  a 
likeness  of  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher.  The  incongruity  of  the  ar- 
rangement being  noticed,  he  was  understood  to  say, 

"  Oh,  there  is  so  much  that  is  angelic,  almost  divine,  in  Taglioni's 
dancing  —  and  surely  there  is  much  that  is  good  and  heavenly  in  Dr. 
Beecher's  preaching ! " 

The  fact  deserves  record ;  for  it  is  one  of  the  "  signs  of  the  times,'* 
a  true  expression  of  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  the  direction  of  "  eclecti- 
cism." 

In  our  view  it  is  a  matter  of  small  moment  to  ask  in  what  degree 
a  system  develops  the  religious  sentiment  which  is  common  to  man ; 
but  it  is  a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  ascertain  whether  that  senti- 
ment be  brought  under  the  control  of  a  renewed  heart  to  develop  it- 
self in  accordance  with  the  law  of  truth  and  righteousness  as  set 
forth  by  Jesus  Christ ;  whether  the  great  object  towards  which  it 
turns  the  affections  be  the  God  of  purity  and  love ;  whether  it  lead  a 
man  to  worship  the  Sovereign  of  all  in  acts  of  faith,  gratitude,  and 
cheerful  obedience.  This  is  the  great  question  touching  a  religious 
.system,  whether  by  it  the  religious  sentiment  is  brought  "  into  cap- 
tivity to  the  obedience  of  Christ."  Otherwise,  the  more  of  the  reli- 
gious element  there  is  in  any  system  the  more  deleterious  it  is ;  like 
that  Israelitish  eclecticism  under  whose  influence  "  the  people  wor- 
shipped the  Lord  and  served  their  own  gods,"  sacrificed  lambs  and 
offered  swine's  blood,  killed  oxen  and  slew  men,  burned  incense  to 
Jehovah  and  invoked  the  idols  of  the  heathen. 


APPENDIX    lY. 

LETTERS  TO  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  RALEIGH,  N.  C,  BIBLICAL 

RECORDER. 

Eev.  and  dear  Sir  : 

In  your  recent  article  touching  the  argument  contained  in  my 
Review,  you  say  :  "  Suppose  we  admit  that,  at  the  time  of 
Christ's  mission,  slavery  by  the  law  of  Moses  was  extinct  —  and  that, 
in  the  land  of  Palestine,  at  the  same  time,  there  was  no  such  thing 
known  as  either  slave  or  slave-owner ;  —  what  has  all  this  to  do, 
we  would  inquire,  with  the  argument  of  Dr.  Fuller?  It  is  no  part 
of  that  argument,  that  there  were  slaves  under  the  Mosaic  law,  nor 
in  Judea,  nor  in  any  other  country,  nor  under  any  other  law,  out  of 
the  churches." 

Now,  it  is  a  very  curious  thing  which  here  develops  itself,  the 
facility  with  which  you  assume  that  slavery  existed  in  the  Christian 
churches  of  Judea,  while  you  are  willing  to  admit  that  Judea  was  a 
free  country ;  to  admit  that  the  law  of  the  land  had  extirpated  sla- 
very, and  yet  assume  that  the  system  had  a  place  in  the  new  realm 
of  Christ's  kingdom !  How  do  you  get  at  this  important  fact  ? 
You  allow  me  to  extinguish  the  light  by  which  Dr.  Fuller  sees  it 
there,  and  then  continue  to  assert  that  there  was  slavery  in  the 
churches.  This  is  to  me  very  astounding.  Surely,  in  the  account 
given  of  the  early  church  of  Jerusalem,  there  is  no  hint  of  a  slave- 
system,  or  any  arrangement  which  implies  it.  Their  old  relations  to 
society  were  broken  up,  "  they  had  all  things  common,"  "  neither 
said  any  of  them  that  aught  of  the  things  which  he  possessed  was 
his  own,"  and  yet  you  seem  to  be  quite  prepossessed  by  the  idea  that 


Appendix  FV.  401 

they  retained  slave  property !  1  do  not  believe  that  they  had  any 
such  property  ;  there  is  no  intimation  of  it  in  the  scripture  history  ; 
it  would  not  have  been  in  harmony  with  their  condition,  or  the 
ground  of  the  new  dispensation  as  Luke  exhibits  it ;  and  why  should 
you  assume  it  without  proof?  Do  you  imagine  that  the  Pentecostal 
church  held  slaves  as  a  part  of  their  common  stock,  or  sold  them 
oflf  to  increase  their  common  fund  ? 

Thus  it  is  also  in  regard  to  the  slave-code  of  the  Eoman  Empire. 
You  admit  what  I  have  advanced  to  be  true,  that  this  code  could 
avail  nothing  to  determine  the  relations  of  a  Christian  community 
governed  by  the  laws  of  Christianity,  and  yet  you  ask,  What  has  all 
this  to  do  with  Dr.  Fuller's  argument,  so  long  as  slavery  existed  in 
the  churches  ?  But  then  I  ask  again,  If  slavery  did  not  get  into  the 
Gentile  churches  under  the  code  of  Rome,  under  what  code  could  it 
get  in  at  all  1  Did  Christianity  originate  it  1  Did  the  new  dispensation 
provide  a  new  basis  for  slavery,  and  sanction  it  as  its  own  peculiar 
institution  ?  Again,  you  coolly  permit  me  to  put  out  the  light  by 
which  Dr.  Fuller  professed  to  detect  the  system  in  the  early  Gentile 
church,  and  yet  continue  to  speak  of  its  existence  there  as  a  thing 
not  to  be  doubted. 

Not  only  so,  but  you  persuade  yourself  that  I  concede  this  as  a 
fact.  I  could  not  guess  on  what  you  grounded  such  an  assertion, 
until  you  came  to  quote  from  my  Review  a  few  words  which  you  took 
to  be  proof  of  it.  You  say  of  my  work  in  your  second  article,  "  "We 
are  aware  that  much  that  he  has  written  seems  to  be  based  on  a  de- 
nial that  any  such  relation  as  that  of  master  and  slave  was  known 
among  the  primitive  disciples.  If  it  did  not  exist,  in  his  view,  we 
would  ask.  What  did  he  mean  by  saying,  *  The  domestic  relations 
themselves  are  fully  recognized  1 '  p.  29.  What  did  he  mean  by  the 
expression,  *  modified  all  the  pei-manent  relations  of  life  V  p.  20. 
If  the  permanent  relations  of  life  were  modified  by  the  gospel, 
slavery  was  one  of  those  relations,  and  must  have  been  modified  and 
adapted  to  the  condition  of  the  churches,  as  well  as  others."  It  was 
quite  a  relief  to  me,  I  assure  you,  when  you  actually  cited  what  you 
regarded  as  tangible  proof  that  my  book  treated  the  slave-relation 
as  a  thing  existing  and  recognized  among  primitive  Christians. 
For  it  seemed  to  me  to  be  somewhat  of  a  mysteiy  when  I  saw  that 
your  previous  expressions  implied  such  an  idea.    And  now,  when  I 


402  Appendix  IV. 

look  at  the  two  phrases  you  have  quoted,  and  consider  the  connec- 
tions in  which  they  stand,  I  am  amazed  to  find  that  any  one  should 
put  upon  them  such  a  sense.  Having  so  often  spoken  of  the  slave- 
relation  as  an  infraction  of  the  law  of  righteousness,  it  appears  to 
me  that  any  reader  would  understand,  of  course,  that  by  the  perma- 
nent relations  of  life,  I  mean  the  universal  relations  which  God  has 
himself  established  for  the  family  of  man ;  the  relations  which  are 
in  consonance  with  the  laws  of  nature,  the  dictates  of  reason,  and 
the  fundamental  principles  of  our  religion.  In  this  view,  the  do- 
mestic relations  are  those  of  parent  and  child,  husband  and  wife, 
master  and  servant.  This  latter,  as  well  as  the  two  former,  Christi- 
anity recognizes.  But  you,  my  dear  sir,  cannot  hear  the  word  ser- 
vant pronounced,  or  see  it  written,  but  at  once  you  have  before  you 
the  image  of  a  human  being  whose  body,  time,  and  faculties  are  not 
his  own ;  who  can  assert  no  right  to  the  disposal  of  himself,  even 
though  he  be  a  sane  man  and  guiltless  of  crime.  But,  let  me  as- 
sure you,  that  when  a  Christian,  in  a  free  country,  uses  the  word 
master,  he  does  not  mean  a  man-owner,  nor  by  the  word  servant 
does  he  mean  a  slave.  Throughout  the  Christian  world,  apprentices 
are  accustomed  to  speak  of  those  of  whom  they  learn  their  trades 
as  masters ;  amongst  ourselves,  domestics  of  European  origin 
apply  the  term  to  their  employers,  and  domestics  generally  are 
wont  to  speak  of  "going  out  to  service."  It  will  always  be  the  case 
in  every  land  that  men  of  property,  and  heads  of  families,  will  have 
many  things  to  attend  to,  and  need  the  service  of  others ;  while 
it  will  be  equally  true  that  a  large  portion  of  society  will  need  to 
avail  themselves  of  this  want  for  their  own  benefit.  Contracts  for 
service,  therefore,  will  never  cease  to  exist ;  they  are  a  natural  want 
of  society  :  and  although  they  render  one  man,  for  a  limited  period, 
the  master  of  another  man's  time  and  labor,  they  never  confer  that 
legal  right  of  property  in  one's  person,  which  is  the  essential 
element  of  slavery.  A  domestic  institution,  involving  such  a  right, 
Christ  has  never  established  for  any  caste  or  class  of  men :  it  is  the 
natural  product,  not  of  Christianity,  but  of  heathenism ;  and  so  far 
from  being  permanent,  1  believe  that  our  Lord  pronounced  sentence 
against  it  when  he  said,  *' Every  plant  which  my  Heavenly  Father 
has  not  planted  shall  be  rooted  up." 
But  on  what  foundation  is  it  that  you  depend  for  sustaining  your 


Appendix  IV.  403 

constant  assertion,  that  slavery  exisisted  in  the  Gentile  churches  ?  Is 
it  on  the  natural  force,  the  obvious  meaning  of  the  word  doulos,  by 
which  in  the  New  Testament  the  relation  of  a  servant  is  denoted  ? 
Do  you  mean  to  set  it  forth  as  a  philological  fact,  not  to  be  disputed, 
that  the  word  doulos  necessarily  means  slave,  and  that  this  settles  the 
question  1  If  so,  nothing  can  be  more  easy  than  to  prove  the  entire 
error  of  such  a  statement,  and  to  do  it,  not  by  the  authority  of  great 
names,  but  by  citing  such  examples  that  every  English  reader  may 
see  it  for  himself. 

That  such  a  conviction,  however,  is  the  groundwork  of  your  as- 
sertion is  very  evident.  For,  in  your  third  article,  you  quote,  from 
page  36th  of  my  book,  the  passage  where  it  is  affirmed  that  the 
terms  used  to  designate  master  and  servant  in  the  New  Testament 
are  not  those  which  imply  man's  ownership  of  man,  and  that  the 
exact  import  of  the  term  will  vary  according  to  the  law  by  which 
you  determine  the  condition  of  a  doulos  or  servant,  just  as  it  is  now 
in  this  land  :  in  Carolina,  a  servant  means  a  slave,  and  in  New  Eng- 
land, a  freeman  voluntarily  hired. 

Of  this  passage  you  say,  "  Here  it  is  aflS.rmed,  1 .  ,that  the  terms 
used  in  the  New  Testament  to  denote  the  relation  of  master  and 
slave  are  not  those  which  imply  man's  ownership  of  man :  2.  that 
the  Greek  terms  despotes  and  doulos  correspond  exactly  with  our 
English  words,  master  and  servant:  3.  that  the  said  Greek  terms  are 
used  in  lands  where  slavery  does  not  exist,  etc.  These  are  all  very 
important  positions.  If  they  are  true,  they  must  annihilate  the  argu- 
ment of  Dr.  Fuller,  and  effectually  stop  the  mouth  of  every  opponent 
who  pleads  for  New  Testament  usage." 

This  is  a  fair  statement  of  the  case ;  and  it  is  certainly  a  manly 
thing  on  your  part  to  face  boldly  such  an  issue.  No  part  of  your 
articles  gave  me  so  strong  an  impression  of  your  sincerity  as  this. 
In  the  succeeding  paragraph  you  say,  "  Mr.  Hague  will  confer  a 
favor  on  us,  and  perhaps  on  others,  by  answering  the  following  ques- 
tions :  1.  What  are  the  Greek  terms  used  in  the  apostles'  day, 
which  properly  denote  or  imply  man's  ownership  of  man ;  in  other 
words,  which  properly  signify  slave  and  slave-owner  1  2.  As  mis- 
thios  was  the  proper  scripture  term  for  designating  a  free  or  hired 
servant,  what  was  the  proper  scripture  signification  of  the  term 
doulos  ?  3.  In  what  laud  was  the  term  doulos  ever  used,  where  slavery 


404  Appendix  IV. 

did  not  exist,  and  where  was  it  employed,  as  he  says,  to  designate  a 
freeman  voluntarily  hired  1 " 

Let  us  look  at  these  questions  in  their  order.  To  the  first  I  re- 
ply, the  Greek  term  which  was  used  to  denote  specifically  a  slave, 
or  one  owned  by  another,  was  andrapodon.  This  word  was  used  by 
the  standard  Greek  writers,  as  Plato,  Xenophon,  Plutarch,  etc.  It 
is  composed  of  two  words,  denoting  "  the  feet  of  man,"  because  a 
slave  is  one  who  is  supposed  to  bow  at  his  master's  feet.  This 
word  is  not  found  in  the  New  Testament,  to  denote  any  relation  ex- 
isting among  Christians.  The  apostles  had  but  little  occasion  for 
its  use,  and  there  is  only  one  form  of  it  occurring  in  the  epistles. 
This  is  andrapodistes,  1  Tim.  1  :  10.  In  Liddell  and  Scott's  Greek- 
English  Lexicon,  the  word  is  rendered  slave-dealer.  In  our  version 
of  the  scripture,  being  used  in  the  plural,  it  is  translated  men-stealers ; 
and  Paul  placed  it  in  company  with  words  denoting  the  greatest 
transgressors.  In  his  work  on  slavery.  Dr.  Barnes  remarks  on  this 
tenn,  "  The  proper  word  to  denote  a  slave,  with  reference  to  his  mas- 
ter's right  of  property  in  him,  and  without  regard  to  the  relations 
and  offices  in  which  he  was  employed,  was  not  doulos,  but  andra- 
podon, defined  by  Passou,  *  a  slave,  servant,  especially  one  who  as  a 
prisoner  of  war  is  reduced  to  bondage.'  "  He  observes,  moreover, 
"  The  Greeks  were  accustomed  to  exact  distinctions,"  and  used  the 
word  andrapodon  "  to  denote  a  slave  regarded  as  property." 

To  the  second  question  just  cited,  I  answer,  that  while  andrapodon 
denotes  a  slave  specifically,  and  misthios  denotes  a  free  hired  servant, 
doulos  is  a  generic  term,  denoting  one  who  is  under  any  sort  of  obliga- 
tion to  yield  obedience  of  any  kind  whatsoever,  and  is  always  to  be 
interpreted,  like  our  English  word  servant,  by  the  condition  and  cir- 
cumstances of  the  subject  to  whom  it  is  applied.  I  cannot  define  it 
more  accurately  than  I  have  done  in  my  Review,  page  36th,  in  the 
passage  above  cited  by  you.  It  is  a  word  which  is  applied  to  proph- 
ets and  apostles  as  servants  of  God,  to  ChiistianS  in  the  discharge 
of  their  offices  of  mutual  love,  to  friends  in  their  obligations  to  aid 
each  other,  to  subjects  in  relation  to  a  sovereign,  to  soldiers  in  rela- 
tion to  their  chief  or  their  country,  to  ministers  in  relation  to  the 
church,  to  disciples  in  relation  to  their  master,  to  laborers  in  relation 
to  their  employer,  and  to  slaves  denoting  those  who  are  in  bondage 
under  a  slave-law.     The  Greeks  had  a  number  of  specific  terms  to 


Appendix  IV.  405 

denote  particular  kinds  of  servants,  but  doulos  was  applied  to  every 
class  of  them. 

It  is  a  word,  therefore,  to  be  defined  by  its  connection,  and  its  im- 
port varies  according  to  the  law  by  which  you  determine  the  condi- 
tion of  the  subject. 

These  statements  may  be  corroborated  by  plain  examples. 

As  the  Greek  translation  of  the  Old  Testament,  called  the  Septu- 
agint,  was  universally  read  in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  and  often 
quoted  by  them,  it  is  well  fitted  to  aid  us  in  determining  the  usage 
of  language.  In  1  Sam.  29  :  3,  it  is  said,  the  Philistian  King 
Achish,  addressing  his  princes,  asks,  "  Is  not  this  David  the  servant 
{doulos)  of  Saul  king  of  Israel  1 "  No  one  can  suppose  that  the 
king's  son-in-law  was  here  spoken  of  as  his  slave. 

In  1  Kings  11  :  26,  Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat,  a  mighty  man 
of  valor,  and  ruler  over  the  charge  of  the  house  of  Joseph,  is  called 
Solomon's  servant,  doulos.    All  know  that  Jeroboam  was  not  a  slave. 

In  1  Kings  12  :  7,  we  are  told  that  when  the  people  went  to  King 
Rehoboam  to  demand  lower  taxes,  the  elders  said  to  the  monarch, 
"  If  thou  wilt  be  a  servant  (doulos)  unto  the  people  this  day,  and 
wilt  serve  them,  and  answer  them,  and  speak  good  words  unto  them, 
they  will  be  thy  servants  (doidoi)  forever."  Now,  here  the  elders 
advise  the  king  to  appear  before  the  people  as  their  doulos ;  but  no 
one  imagines  that  they  urged  the  sovereign  to  take  the  position  of  a 
slave.  Moreover,  they  promise  that  the  people  will  willingly  be- 
come his  douloi ;  but  who  supposes  they  pledged  all  Israel  to  per- 
petual slavery  under  Rehoboam  ? 

In  accordance  with  this  general  application  of  the  term,  is  the 
usage  of  it  in  the  New  Testament.  Schleusner,  in  his  Lexicon, 
says  that  doulos  denotes  one  who  is  engaged  to  do  the  will  of  another 
"  for  any  reason  whatever  " —  cites  passages  from  Xenophon  where 
the  word  is  applied  to  royal  officers  or  governors,  and  remarks  that 
this  fact  illustrates  our  Lord's  application  of  the  term  in  Matt.  18  : 
23,  where  he  declares,  "  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a 
certain  king,  which  would  take  account  of  his  servants  [doulon)  —  and 
one  was  brought  to  him  who  owed  him  ten  thousand  talents."  This 
was  a  vast  and  princely  fortune,  more  than  fifteen  millions  of  dollars, 
and  shows  that  the  word  doulos  applies  to  a  high  officer  who  had 
charge  of  revenue,  or  ruled  a  province.    So  great  were  the  resources 


406  Appendix  IV. 

of  this  doulos,  that  he  promises  payment  after  some  delay.  Slavery 
was  the  penalty  Avhich  hung  over  this  man,  for  he  was  in  danger  of 
being  sold  for  debt  according  to  ancient  custom.  As  yet,  however, 
he  was  a  man  of  authority,  which  he  abused,  by  casting  into  prison 
his  fellow-servant  {sundoulos)  for  a  trifling  delinquency. 

Again,  in  Matt.  20  :  27,  Christ  says  to  his  disciples,  "  Whosoever 
will  be  chief  among  you  let  him  be  your  doulos."  Here  it  denotes  a 
voluntary  service  for  religious  ends.  See  also  Mark  10  :  44,  where 
the  word  is  used  in  like  manner. 

In  Matt.  27:51,  Mark  14  :  47,  John  18  :  30,  it  is  applied  to  Mal- 
chus,  an  officer  of  the  High  Priest,  one  of  the  company  sent  to  ar- 
rest Jesus.  There  is  no  ground  to  suppose  that  he  or  his  compan- 
ions were  slaves. 

In  2  Cor.  4  :  5,  Paul  says,  "  We  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ 
Jesus  the  Lord,  and  ourselves  your  servants  {douloi)  for  Jesus'  sake." 
Here  the  apostles  are  not  represented  as  the  slaves  of  the  church, 
but  as  voluntary  servants.  This  same  Paul  had  written  to  the  same 
church,  1  Cor.  10  :  1,  "  Am  I  not  an  apostle  ;  am  I  not  free  1  " 

In  Rom.  6:18,  this  idea  of  voluntary  service  Paul  uses  in  a 
figurative  sense,  to  illustrate  a  doctrine,  —  "  Being  then  made  free 
from  sin,  ye  became  the  servants  of  righteousness  ;  "  that  is,  being 
delivered  from  the  bondage  of  sin,  ye  obeyed  the  law  of  love. 

Remembering  your  request  for  brevity,  it  may  suffice  to  say  sum- 
marily, that  in  harmony  with  this  usage  are  all  those  passages  in 
which  all  the  holy  in  the  universe,  angels  in  heaven,  and  the  church 
on  earth,  are  called  douloi,  servants  of  God.  They  do  not  yield 
the  service  of  slaves,  but  that  of  sons,  with  a  free,  filial,  and  joyous 
spirit. 

Paul  often  calls  himself  the  doulos,  servant,  of  Christ,  not  on  the 
ground  that  he  was  the  property  of  Christ,  but  of  his  being  freely 
dedicated  to  him.  "If,''  says  he,  "I  should  seek  to  please  men,  I 
should  not  be  the  servant  of  Christ,"  Gal.  1:10.  Even  in  such  a 
ease  he  would  continue  to  be  the  property  of  Christ,  but  not  his 
doulos,  in  the  sense  he  intended  ;  that  of  a,  freely  devoted  servant. 

In  view  of  such  citations  as  I  have  produced,  it  seems  to  me 
that  all  must  acknowledge  the  justness  of  Dr.  Barnes's  remark  on 
the  word  doulos  ;  that  "  its  mere  use  in  any  case  does  not  of  necessity 
denote  the  relation  sustained,  or  make  it  proper  to  infer  that  he  to 


Appendix  IV.  407 

whom  it  is  applied  was  bought  with  money,  or  held  as  property,  or 
even  in  any  way  regarded  as  a  slave,"  p.  65.  The  very  same  obser- 
vation which  that  writer  makes  on  the  Hebrew  word  ebedh,  applies 
to  this :  "  We  can  ascertain  the  meaning  of  the  wokd  from  the 
FACTS  in  the  case,  not  the  nature  of  the  facts  from  the  use  of  the 
word.  If  the  kind  of  servitude  existed  which  does  now  in  Eng- 
land, and  to  which  the  word  servant  is  applied,  it  would  accurately 
express  that ;  if  the  kind  which  existed  under  the  feudal  system,  it 
would  express  that ;  if  the  kind  which  exists  in  Russia,  it  would  ex- 
press that ;  and  if  such  a  kind  as  exists  in  the  Southern  States  of 
this  Union,  it  would  express  that."  Of  course  it  becomes  evident 
that  by  the  force  of  the  word  itself  no  one  can  sustain  the  opinion 
that  there  was  slavery  among  the  primitive  churches. 

The  third  question  above  quoted,  is,  I  presume,  sufficiently  an- 
swered. In  those  lands  where  the  Greek  language  was  anciently 
spoken,  slavery,  like  idolatry,  was  a  widely  spread  institution.  But 
in  relation  to  domestic  slavery,  Palestine  was  a  free  country,  and 
there  we  see  it  was  used  at  all  times  as  broadly  as  our  word  servant 
is  used  in  Europe  or  America.  It  was  used  to  denote  very  often  a 
free  voluntary  service  ;  and  in  each  case  its  meaning  must  be  gradu- 
ated by  the  law  which  determines  the  condition  or  relation  of  the 
subject  to  whom  it  is  applied. 

Now,  my  dear  sir,  as  far  as  my  limits  will  allow,  I  have  indicated 
the  nature  and  extent  of  the  proof  that  doulos  is  a  generic  term  to 
denote  a  servant,  and  not  a  specific  one  to  denote  a  slave.  And  as 
you  freely  conceded  that  to  do  this,  is  to  remove  the  proof  on  which 
Dr.  Fuller's  argument  rests,  or,  using  your  phrase,  "  to  annihilate  it," 
I  must  now  leave  it  to  your  good  sense  to  judge  of  the  bearing  of 
these  statements,  and  to  decide  whether  it  will  be  possible  for  you 
to  show  by  any  sound  philology  that  doulos  is  a  word  of  as  narrow 
dimensions  as  yon  have  supposed  it  to  be.  If  not,  then  you  per- 
ceive that  the  foundations  of  your  own  reasoning  must  give  way, 
and  that,  as  far  as  your  article  shows,  you  have  no  means  of  proof 
left  for  your  position  that  slavery  existed  in  the  early  Gentile 
churches. 

I  cannot  but  hope,  too,  that  the  views  presented  in  this  letter  will 
suggest  to  you  the  absolute  necessity,  if  you  would  maintain  that 
position,  —  the  existence  of  slavery  among  the  early  Christians, — of 


408  Appendix  IV. 

your  falling  back  on  the  ground  of  Dr.  Fuller ;  namely,  that  the  uni- 
versal establishment  of  slavery  by  the  Roman  law  is  proof  that  the 
relation  existed  among  them,  and  was  recognized  by  the  silence  of 
the  apostles  as  to  emancipation.  But  you  have  already  conceded 
the  utter  fallacy  of  any  attempt  to  determine  the  mutual  relations 
of  those  little,  isolated,  and  peculiar  communities  of  the  first  century, 
the  apostolic  churches,  by  the  law  of  the  Roman  Empire.  How 
can  you  avoid  the  conclusion,  that  unless  the  law  of  Christ  did 
itself  provide  a  foundation  for  slavery,  unless  the  pure  and  expan- 
sive religion  of  the  New  Testament  which  the  apostles  taught, 
planted  the  germ  in  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  it  could  have  found  no 
place  there  under  the  ministry  of  inspired  men,  who  counted  life 
itself  not  dear  in  comparison  with  their  work,  and  in  whose  sight  the 
soul  of  a  single  Roman  slave  was  of  more  worth  than  the  diadem 
of  the  Caesars,  or  the  wealth  of  a  thousand  empires  1 
I  am,  dear  sir,  your  brother  and  obedient  servant, 

William  Hague. 

Oct.  9,  1847. 


Rev.  and  dear  Sir  : 

In  your  last  communication  there  are  two  or  three  paragraphs 
which  I  have  already  noticed ;  and  several  others  which  derive  their 
meaning  from  the  assumption  that  there  were  slaves  in  the  primitive 
church  held  as  property  by  Christian  masters,  and  that  I  have  con- 
ceded this  as  an  evident  fact.  Having  already  shown,  as  clearly  as  I 
am  able  to  do  it,  that  I  have  never  made  any  concession  of  this  sort, 
and  that  the  grounds  on  which  such  an  opinion  are  entertained  are 
altogether  invalid,  I  come  now  to  consider  what  you  denominate  a 
"grave  charge,"  which  I  have  brought  in  my  Review  against  the 
Southern  church,  of  having  "  succumbed  to  the  laws,  the  politics, 
the  statesmanship,  and  the  spirit  of  the  world,  and  altered  the  testi- 
mony of  Christ's  word  by  publicly  declaring  that  his  religion  sanc- 
tions a  system  of  slavery."  You  complain  of  this  as  an  accusation 
without  proof.  I  know  that  the  charge  is  a  weighty  one.  It  was  no 
pleasure  to  me  to  utter  it ;  but  I  did  not  do  so  inadvertently.  Would 
to  Heaven  that  after  serious  reflection  I  could  make  some  abatement 


Appendix  IV.  409 

from  it ;  but  in  reaiBrming  it  I  only  utter  my  profound  conviction  of 
a  solemn  truth.  The  cliarge,  however,  does  not  apply  to  the  South- 
ern church  alone,  but  to  all  that  portion  of  the  Northern  church  who 
concede  that  inspired  apostles  tolerated  a  slave-relation  among  prim- 
itive Christians.  Such  an  opinion  is  the  direct  antithesis  of  that 
great  and  distinguishing  doctrine  of  early  Christianity,  the  common 
BROTHERHOOD  of  Christians  which  Paul  expressed  when  he  said, 
touching  the  new  dispensation,  **  Where  there  is  neither  Greek  nor 
Jew,  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision,  Barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  nor 
free;  but  Christ  is  all  and  in  all"  (Coloss.  iii.  11).  Here  we  see 
that  it  was  the  design  of  Christianity  at  the  very  outset  to  abjure, 
within  the  realm  of  the  church,  those  distinctions  on  which  the  slave- 
systems  of  the  old  world  had  from  the  first  been  founded. 

If  there  was  any  single  point  in  regard  to  wliich  the  early  church 
was  an  object  of  admiration  and  astonishment  to  the  Pagan  nations, 
it  was  their  doctrine  of  a  common  brotherhood,  exemplified  in  their 
treatment  of  each  other.  So  mighty  was  this  band  of  brotherhood 
that  it  became  the  all-engrossing  relationship,  and  put  an  end  to 
every  other  that  conflicted  with  it.  This  is  evident,  from  the  fact 
that  in  those  days  of  prevailing  heathenism  a  Christian  was  forbid- 
den to  carry  any  legal  dispute  with  a  brother  before  a  civil  tribunal 
(1  Cor.  vi.  1 ),  but  was  commanded  to  submit  it  to  Christian  brethren, 
who  would  determine  it  according  to  the  law  of  Christ.  That  phrase, 
so  often  quoted  from  the  lips  of  Pagans,  "  See  how  these  Christians 
love  one  another,"  alludes  to  a  peculiar  state  of  Christian  society 
which  sprang  directly  from  the  essential  and  fundamental  principle 
of  a  common  brotherhood.  Neander  says,  in  his  Church  History 
(p.  269),  "  The  masters  no  longer  looked  upon  their  servants  as  slaves, 
but  as  their  beloved  brethren."  In  the  old  Pagan  world,  you  know, 
religions  were  local;  national  antipathies  were  strong,  bondsmen 
were  held  as  property,  and  women  were  relatively  degraded.  These 
were  the  wicked  and  antiquated  distinctions  which  Christianity  swept 
away  within  the  true  sphere  of  its  operation ;  so  tliat  Paul  only 
reminded  the  Galatians  of  a  first  principle  when  he  said  (chap.  iii. 
27-28),  "As  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have 
put  on  Christ ;  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond 
nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  female ;  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ 
Jesus."    The  apostle  taught  that  under  the  new  dispensation,  every 


410  Appendix  IV. 

believer,  whether  Jew  or  Gentile,  enjoyed  the  same  relative  position 
as  to  dignity  and  privilege  as  did  the  son  of  Abraham  under  the  old 
economy ;  for  he  adds,  "  if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's 
seed." 

Observe,  again,  that  the  slave-system  of  the  most  enlightened 
heathen  people  was  based  on  a  denial  of  the  common  origin  of  the 
human  race.  Neander  quotes  Aristotle  on  this  point,  to  illustrate 
his  statement  that  these  ancient  Pagans,  like  that  philosopher,  as- 
sumed "  an  original  difference  of  races,  in  virtue  of  which  some  by 
their  reason  were  destined  to  rule  over  others,  and  these  latter  with 
their  bodily  powers  to  serve  them  as  tools."  *  Now  this  prevailing 
doctrine  of  Paganism,  Christianity  opposed  without  compromise. 
In  Athens,  where  Aristotle  taught  it,  Paul  refuted  it ;  for  it  was  in 
his  discourse  on  Mars  Hill  that  he  declared,  "  God  hath  made  of  one 
blood  all  nations  to  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  earth."  By  such  testi- 
mony it  was  that  Christianity  took  away  the  very  foundation  of  the 
ancient  slavery,  and  left  no  resting-place  for  it  within  the  bounds  of 
a  pure  Christian  church. 

Long  after  Christianity  as  a  practical  system  had  become  much 
corrupted,  this  primitive  sentiment  was  fervently  cherished,  and  de- 
veloped itself  in  expressions  of  the  strongest  abhorrence  against  the 
thought  that  a  Christian  could  allow  a  brother  to  remain  in  slavery 
if  it  were  possible  to  prevent  it.  Notice  the  words  of  Cyprian  of 
Carthage  (Ep.  60,  quoted  by  Neander),  on  the  subject  of  raising 
money  to  redeem  some  Christians  from  slavery  amongst  the  Numid- 
ians.  He  says,  "  and  not  love  alone,  but  religion  ought  to  urge  and 
stimulate  us  to  redeem  the  brethren  who  are  our  members.  For 
when  the  Apostle  Paul  in  another  place  asks,  '  Know  ye  not  that  ye 
are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you  1 ' 
we  must  be  reminded  that  it  is  the  temple  of  God  which  hath  been 
made  captive,  and  that  it  doth  not  become  us  by  delay  and  in  care 
for  our  own  distress  to  suffer  that  temple  to  remain  long  in  bondage. 
And  when  the  same  apostle  tells  us  that  *  as  many  of  you  as  have 
been  baptized  into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ,'  we  are  bound  in  our 
captive  brethren  to  see  Christ,  and  to  redeem  him  from  captivity,  who 
hath  redeemed  us  from  death ;  so  that  he  who  delivered  us  from  the 
jaws  of  Satan,  and  who  now  himself  dwells  and  abides  in  us,  may  be 

*  See  Neander,  Torrey's  translation,  p.  46. 


Appendix  IV.  411 

rescued  from  the  hands  of  the  barbarians ;  and  so  he  may  be  ran- 
somed for  a  sum  of  money  who  has  ransomed  us  by  his  blood  and 
cross.  Meanwliile  he  has  suffered  this  to  happen  to  try  our  faith, 
whether  each  one  of  us  is  ready  to  do  for  the  other  what  in  like  cir- 
cumstances he  would  wish  to  have  done  for  himself.  For  who  that 
respects  the  claims  of  humanity  and  of  mutual  love,  ought  not,  if  he 
is  a  father,  to  consider  it  as  though  his  own  child  were  among  these 
barbarians,  and  if  a  husband,  as  though  his  own  wife  were  there  in 
captivity,  to  the  grief  and  shame  of  the  marriage  bond  1 ""  Such  was 
the  echo  of  the  thu-d  century  to  the  apostolical  doctrine  of  the  com- 
mon Christian  brotherhood.  And  was  it  anything  more  than  the 
application  of  Christ's  own  words  to  be  repeated  in  the  final  judg- 
ment of  mankind,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  unto  me  1  " 

Not  only  was  Christianity  distinguished  by  this  feature  of  brother- 
hood from  the  false  Pagan  religions,  but  also,  by  its  very  expansive- 
ness  in  regard  to  this  principle,  it  was  distinguished  from  the  Jew- 
ish religion,  which,  though  it  was  true,  was  local  and  preparatory. 
Hence,  Chi-ist's  teachings  were  so  replete  with  inculcations  of  the 
new  commandment,  which  was  based  on  the  peculiar  relations  of 
Christians  to  Christ,  and  which,  in  a  moral  sense,  involved  the  idea 
of  equality.  "  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one 
another,  as  I  have  loved  you."  The  Apostle  John  understood  this 
to  mean,  that,  if  need  be,  "  we  ought  to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the 
brethren."  Who  does  not  see  that  obedience  to  this  precept  can- 
not consist  with  the  right  to  hold  a  brother  in  bonds  against  his  will, 
to  exact  labor  by  force,  or  (as  Dr.  Fuller  expresses  it)  "  by  a  violent 
motive,"  "  without  his  own  consent?  "  Who  does  not  see  that  this 
primitive  idea  of  a  Christian  brotherhood  is  incompatible  with  the 
essential  elements  of  the  slave-system,  which  is  simply  a  state  of 
martial  law  1 

Now,  when  I  look  at  these  primitive  Christian  doctrines  on  the 
brotherhood  of  the  human  family  as  having  a  common  origin,  as 
owning  one  Father  of  all,  on  the  common  brotherhood  of  Christians 
arising  from  their  peculiar  relation  to  Christ,  and  then  look  at  the 
fundamental  principle  of  the  slave-system,  which  is  the  right  of  prop- 
erty in  another's  person,  or  the  right  to  exact  another's  labor  for  per- 
sonal advantage  without  regard  to  his  own  consent,  I  do  in  the  sight 


412  Appendix  IV. 

of  Heaven  and  of  man,  and  in  the  view  of  my  final  account  at  the 
judgment  throne  of  our  adorable  Lord,  declare  my  belief,  that  any 
church  which  sanctions  a  relation  of  slavery  within  itself,  is  in  a 
state  of  deplorable  apostasy  from  the  Christianity  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. It  is  deficient,  not  in  a  practice  which  relates  to  mere  expe- 
diency, but  it  has  apostatized  from  a  vital  doctrine  of  our  holy  reli- 
gion ;  and  not  only  so,  but  from  that  very  doctrine  by  which  its  Author 
intended  to  distinguish  the  Christian  system  from  Paganism,  and 
send  it  forth  to  reform  and  elevate  the  social  condition  of  mankind. 
I  confess  to  you  that  this  aspect  of  Christianity,  this  expansiveness 
of  its  principles,  this  universality  of  its  benevolent  precepts,  is,  in  my 
mind,  intimately  connected  with  those  evidences  of  its  divine  origin 
which  command  my  faith  in  it  as  a  system  revealed  from  Heaven. 
Deprive  it  of  this  feature,  bring  it  down  from  its  high  position  of  a 
lofty  superiority  to  those  prejudices  of  men  respecting  caste,  color, 
and  condition,  which  heathenism  originated,  and  you  essentially 
change  its  character,  and  come  nigh  reducing  it  to  a  moral  level  with 
the  system  of  Mahomet,  or  the  other  false  religions  which  have 
shared  the  blind  homage  of  our  fallen  race. 

In  this  connection,  indeed,  I  cannot  forbear  alluding  to  the  great 
dishonor  which  our  common  faith  has  suffered  when  men  have  actu- 
ally fled  from  a  nominal  connection  with  it,  and  have  embraced  the 
religion  of  the  Ai-abiau  prophet  in  order  to  secure  their  liberty. 
When  Dr.  Walsh  was  travelling  in  Turkey,  he  was  surprised  to  find 
that  his  Tartar  janissary  was  a  native  of  Switzerland.  He  had  been 
enslaved  by  an  African  corsair,  but  by  embracing  Mahometanism 
became  free,  and  enjoyed  all  the  immunities  which  pertain  to  a  fol- 
lower of  the  Prophet.  Mahometans  deem  it  a  sin  to  make  their 
brethren  of  a  common  faith  subjects  of  bondage  and  of  trafl3c;  but 
Christians  say  that  their  religion  sanctions  it !  In  regard  to  the  sub- 
ject of  this  discussion,  Mahometanism  comes  nearer  to  primitive 
Christianity  than  does  that  form  of  doctrine  which  has  found  place 
among  the  slaveholding  churches  of  this  Republic. 

In  bringing  this  correspondence  to  a  close,  allow  me  to  assure  you 
that  I  have  not  written  under  the  influence  of  any  sectional  or  party 
feeling.  It  is  too  serious  a  matter  to  allow  this.  Believing  slavery 
to  be  opposed  to  reason  and  Christianity,  I  have  no  idea  that  the 
system  can  be  permanent.    "  The  stars  in  their  courses "  fight 


Appendix  IV.  413 

against  it.  It  depends  on  the  present  generation  to  say  whether  it 
shall  come  to  a  violent  or  a  peaceful  end.  I  have  long  hoped  for  the 
latter,  while  believing  that  the  religious  sentiment  of  the  South  was 
against  it.  But  recent  publications  cloud  the  prospect  of  this  happy- 
issue. 

If  the  men  of  the  South  would  but  awake  once  more  to  the  con- 
sideration of  this  subject  in  the  spirit  which  prevailed  in  the  days  of 
Washington,  they  would  find  the  men  of  the  North  disposed  to  share 
their  burdens  in  the  accomplishment  of  a  peaceful  emancipation,  even 
to  the  extreme  of  self-denial  and  of  sacrifice.  Those  who  avow  this 
sentiment  are  not  the  men  of  mere  words  who  have  nothing  to  give 
up  in  achieving  this  object ;  but  those  who  have  the  most  to  lose  are 
foremost  in  proposing  plans  which  will  bear  on  themselves  with  a 
proportionate  weight.  There  are  now  before  me  two  letters,  addressed 
by  the  Hon.  David  Sears,  of  Boston,  to  Ex-President  Adams,  recom- 
mending a  petition  to  Congress  touching  a  scheme  of  emancipation, 
which  would  transfer  the  burden  from  the  slaveholders  to  the  nation. 
The  proposal  has  been  responded  to  by  many  intelligent  men  of 
the  North  (some  of  them,  like  Mr.  Sears,  being  among  the  most 
wealthy  in  New  England);  believing,  as  they  do,  that  to  remunerate 
the  planters  for  their  pecuniary  loss  would  be  as  practicable  as  it  has 
been  to  bear  the  expense  of  the  last  war  with  England,  or  as  it  will 
be  to  bear  that  of  the  present  war  with  Mexico.  Deeply  impressed 
with  the  absolute  necessity  of  some  measure  of  emancipation  in  order 
to  preserve  this  Union,  Mr.  Sears  remarks,  "  We  would  manage  it 
if  possible  so  as  to  gain  the  approbation  of  those  most  interested,  and 
be  prepared  to  meet  them  on  terms  of  mutual  concession  for  common 
preservation.  Compensation  must  be  made  for  every  emancipated 
slave,  and  an  obnoxious  feature  in  the  Constitution  removed."  If 
the  planters  would  meet  the  demands  of  this  proposal  fairly,  man- 
fully, in  due  season,  and  in  as  kind  a  spirit  as  animates  the  commu- 
nication just  alluded  to,  the  one  great  trust  devolving  on  the  men  of 
the  present  generation  in  this  country  would  be  accomplished,  and  in 
ages  to  come  their  posterity  would  bless  them. 

And  in  regard  to  the  doctrine  advocated  in  these  letters,  that  the 
slave-system  is  a  violation  of  the  laws  of  Christ,  does  it  not  find 
some  corroboration  in  the  fact  that  the  workings  of  Providence  are 
against  it  1    It  has  been  remarked  by  a  writer  who  is  always  accu- 


414  Appendix  IV. 

rate  in  his  statistics,  tliat  in  the  two  Caroliuas  the  rate  of  increase  in 
the  population  averaged  one  and  one  fifth  per  cent,  between  1830 
and  1840,  and  that  it  would  require  several  centuries  to  duplicate  it 
according  to  this  ratio."  Surely  a  slaveholding  community  may 
well  say  of  its  peculiar  system,  in  the  language  of  Job,  touching  the 
effect  of  wrong  (ch.  xxxi.  12),  "It  is  a  fire  that  consumeth  unto 
destruction,  and  would  root  out  my  increase." 

Dear  sir,  it  is  my  earnest  desire  and  prayer,  that,  instead  of  your 
continuing  through  life  to  strengthen  such  a  system  by  endeavoring 
to  invest  it  with  the  sanctions  of  Christianity,  you  may  yet  lend  the 
influence  of  your  pen  and  your  position  to  the  great  work  of  bringing 
it  to  a  peaceful  termination.  Fondly  cherishing  this  hope,  I  remain, 
with  great  respect, 

Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

William  Hague. 
Nov.  6, 1847. 


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in  Moral  and  Metaphysical  Philosophy  at  Magdalen  College,  Oxford,  and  Editor 
of  Sir  William  Hamilton's  Lectures.  With  Copious  Notes  translated  for 
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THE  CRUCIBLE ;  or,  Tests  of  a  Regenerate  State  ;  designed  to  bring  to 
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Goodhue,  A.  M.  With  an  introduction  by  Rev.  E.  N.  Kirk,  D.  D.  12mo, 
cloth,  1.50. 

SATAN'S  DEVICES   AND    THE   RELIEVER'S    VICTORY.      By 

Rev.  William  L.  Parsons,  D.  D.    i2mo,  cloth,  1.50. 

16 


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CBUDEN'S  CONDJEXSED  CONCORDANCE.  A  Complete  Concordance 
to  the  Holy  Scriptures.  By  Alexander  Cruden.  Revised  and  re-edited  by 
the  Rev.  David  King,  LL.  D.    Octavo,  cloth  arabesque,  1.75  ;  sheep,  2.00. 

The  condensation  of  the  quotations  of  Scripture,  arranged  under  the  most  obvious  heads,  while 
it  diminishes  the  bulk  of  the  work,  greathi  faciiitafes  the  Anding  of  any  required  passage. 
"  We  have  in  this  edition  of  Crudea  the  best  made  better."—  Fwitan  Hecorder, 

EJLIHE'S  ANAJOTTICAE  COXCOBDAXCE  OF  TSE  JSOZT 
SCItlJPTJJItES  ;  or,  the  Bible  presented  under  Distinct  and  Classified 
Heads  or  Topics.  By  Johx  Eadie,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  Author  of  "  Biblical  Cyclo- 
paedia," "  Ecclesiastical  Cyclopaedia,"  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  etc.  One  vol- 
ume, octavo, 840 pp.,  cloth,  4.00 ;  sheep,  5.00 ;  cloth,  gilt,  5.50  ;  half  calf,  6.50. 

The  object  of  this  Concordance  is  to  present  the  Scripttires  entire,  under  certain  classified 
and  exhaustive  heads.  It  differs  from  an  ordinary  Concordance,  in  that  its  arrangement  depends 
not  on  WORDS,  but  on  subjects,  and  the  verses  are  printed  m  fvlL 

KITTO'S  POFULAB  CTCZOF^niA.  OF  BIBEICAJO  JLITEFA- 
TTTItE.  Condensed  from  the  larger  work.  By  the  Author,  John  Kitto, 
D.  D.  Assisted  by  Ja^ies  Taylor,  D.  D.,  of  Glasgow.  "With  over  five  hun- 
dred Illustrations.  One  volume,  octavo,  812  pp.,  cloth,  4.00 ;  sheep,  5.00 ;  half 
calf,  7.00. 

A  Dictionary  of  the  Bible.  Serving  also  as  a  Commentart,  embodying  the  products  of 
the  best  and  most  recent  researches  in  biblical  literature  In  which  the  scholars  of  Europe  and 
America  have  been  engaged. 

KITTO' S  SISTOBT  OF  FAZESTINE,  from  the  Patriarchal  Age  to  the 
Present  Time ;  with  Chapters  on  the  Geography  and  Natural  History  of  the 
Country,  the  Customs  and  Institutions  of  the  Hebrews.  By  John  Kitto, 
D.  D.    With  upwards  of  two  hundred  Illustrations.    12mo,  cloth,  1.75. 

vsr  A  work  admirably  adapted  to  the  Family,  the  Sabbath  School,  and  the  week-day  School  Li- 
brary 

WESTCOTT'S  INTJRODTTCTION  TO  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  GOS- 
PELS.    With  Historical  and  Explanatory  Notes.    By  Brooke  Foss 
Westcott,  M.  a.,  late  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.    With  an  Intro- 
ductiou  by  Prof.  H.  B.  Hackett,  D.  D,    Royal  12mo,  cloth,  2.00. 
0^"  A  masterly  work  by  a  master  mind. 

EJjEICOTT'S  life  of  CHRIST  HISTORIC AZjIT  CONSID- 
ERED. The  Hulsean  Lectures  for  1859,  with  Notes  Critical,  Historical,  and 
Explanatory.    By  C.  J.  Ellicott,  B.  D      Royal  12mo,  cloth,  1.75. 

90"  Admirable  in  spirit,  and  profound  in  argument. 

BAWLINSON'S  HISTORICAI  EVIDENCES  OF  THE  TRUTH 
OF  THE  SCRIFTURE  RECORDS,  STATED  ANEW,  with  Special 
reference  to  the  Doubts  and  Discoveries  of  Modern  Times.  In  Eight  Lectures, 
delivered  in  the  Oxford  University  pulpit,  at  the  Bampton  Lecture  for  1859.  By 
Geo.  Rawlinson,  M.  A.,  Editor  of  the  Histories  of  Herodotus.  With  the  Co- 
pious Notes  translated  for  the  American  edition  by  an  accomplished  scholar. 
12mo,  cloth,  1.75. 

"  The  consummate  learning,  judgment,  and  general  ability,  displayed  by  Mr.  Rawlinson  in  his 
edition  of  Herodotus,  are  exhibited  in  this  work  also."  —  North-American. 

18 


GOULD   AND   LINCOLN, 

59  WASHINGTON  STREET,  BOSTON, 

Would  call  particular  attention  to  the  following  valuable  works  described 
in  their  Catalogue  of  Publications,  viz. : 

Hug-h   Miller's    "Works. 

Bayne's  Works.      Walker's  Works.      Miall's  "Works.      Bungener's  Work. 

Aiumal  of  Seientifle  Discovery.     Knight's  Knowledge  is  Power. 

Krummach.er'B  Suffering  Saviour, 

Banvard's  American  Histories.     The  Aim-well  Stories. 

KewcomVs  "Works.     Tweedie's  Works.     Chambers's  Works.     Harris' "Works. 

Kitto's  C!yelopaedia  of  Biblical  Literature. 

aire.  Knight's  Life  bf  Montgomery.       Kitto's  History  of  Palestine, 

"Whewell's  Work.     Wayland's  Works.     Agassiz's  "Works. 


^iKri*f^rAiS£ 


■Williams'  Works.     Gnyot's  Works. 

ThCMttpBCsn's  Better  Itand-    Kimball's  Heaven.    "Valuable  Works  on  Mlssiona. 

Haven's  Mental  Philosophy.     Buchanan's  Modern  Atheism. 

Crodea's  Condensed  Concordance.     Eadie's  Analytical  Coneordance, 

The  Psalmist :  a  Collection   of  Hymns. 

Yaloable  School  Books.    Works  for  Sabbath  Schools. 

Memoir  of  Amoa  Lawrence. 

Poetical  Works  of  Milton,  Cowper,  Scott.      Elegant  Miniature  Toltizaes. 

Airvine's  Cyclopaedia  of  Anecdotes. 

Bipley's  Notes  on  Grospels,  Aets»  and  Homans. 

Spsague's  European  Celebrities.     Marsh's  Camel  and  the  Hallig. 

Boget's  Thesaurus  of  English.  "Words. 

Eaekett's  Notes  on  Acts.     M'Whorter's  Tahveh  Christ. 

Siebold  and  Staanius's  Comparative  Anatomy.  Marcou's  G-eolojirical  Map,  IT.  S> 

Beligious  and  Miscellaneous  Works. 

Works  in  tlie  various  Departments  of  Literature^  Science  and  Art. 


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