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DR. HENSHAIV'S SERMON
\\
ON THE
DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.
/ h^,i
JOHN MIRPUY, PRINTER, 146 MARKET STREET.
BBaHB
FUNERAL SERMON,
OCCASIONED DV THE DEATH OF
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.
LATE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
DELIVERED IN
SAINT PETER'S PROT. EPIS. CHURCH, BALTIMORE,
cS'imbiit), %mcntt)-fiftif of Jlpril, 1841:
rREPAUED, AND NOW PUBLISHED, AT THE REQUEST OK THE VESTRY OF SAID
CHURCH.
13 V J. P. K. HENSHAW, I) . D
BALTIMORE:
PUBLISHED BY D. BRUNNER,
No. 1, N. Charles street.
M DCCC X L i.
JiillN MlKi'lIY. rUlNTEU. 116 MARKET j^TREET.
■H'
0^
FUNERAL SERMON, &c.
Psalm cxii. — 6tk verse, latter clause.
" THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL BE HAD IN EVERLASTING REMEMBKANCE.
Man is, to a ^reat degree, a creature of anticipation,
and much of his happiness is derived from this source.
His contentment and peace arise not so much from
an experience of his present condition, as from the
expectaticm of some prospective improvement in it :
not so much from a consciousness of what he now is,
as from the thought of something which he hopes to
be. A large share of human fehcity consists in the
excitement, and interest, and hope, connected with the
pursuit of desirable objects : probably a larger one
than arises from their fruition.
Accordingly, most men are looking forward ; their
attention is fixed on something future, and their
present possessions and enjoyments are almost over-
DR. HENSHAW's SERMON
looked or forgotten amicLst their longings for higher
and greater ones yet to be acquired. For example,
where is the lover of ivcalth who does not indulge in
the pleasing anticipation of adding to his riches — and
would not, — though his present treasures may be
counted by thousands and tens or hundreds of thous-
ands — feel disquieted were it not for the hope of further
accumulation ? Property is valuable in his estimation,
because he attaches to it the idea of permanency ; and
one of his fondest anticipations is, that he will con-
tinue to possess it while he lives, and then bequeath
it as a valuable legacy to his children.
Where is the devotee ofpleasure^ who, when drinking
the cup of worldly joy, is not stimulated by the hope
of one day taking a deeper and more exhilarating
draught ? — who, in the midst of the most splendid and
fascinating amusements, is not taxing his ingenuity
and racking his invention to devise some means of
adding a refinement and giving a new zest to the
luxurious indulgences of time and sense? The con-
stant inquiry of the gay and fluttering crowd is, "Who
will show^ us any good" to which we have not had
access? Where .shall we find some novel scene of
dissipation — some spectacle of vanity of an unfamiliar
aspect — .some added ingredient to the cup of carnal
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 5
And as in the pursuit of worldly pleasure — so in
the pursuit of earthly honors — man is em\\\Q\\i\j 'pros-
pective. What he has already tasted only excites a
keener appetite for what is to come. However high
the eminence he now occupies, it only serves as a
vantage ground to give him a view of still loftier
ones, — to raise his aspirations, and urge liim onw^ard
in his ascending course w^ith augmented energy.
The bright distinctions of to-day derive half their
lustre from those yet more splendid anticipated on
the morrow. The great power and dignity enjoy-
ed at the present time, only prompts to the more
ardent pursuit of greater for the future. Thus men
live, as it were, by anticipation ; and their present
condition borrows brightness or gloom from the fore-
vshadowing of coming events — presented so vividly to
their imaginations as to have the influence of reality.
Are the anticipations of man confmed merely to
the period of his own brief existence upon earth?
Far from it. '' He is capable of carrying his views —
of attaching his anxieties to a period much more
distant, than the measure of his earthly being : capa-
ble of plunging into the depths of future duration ;
of identifying himself with the sentiments and opinions
of a distant age, and of enjoying, by anticipation, the
fame of which he is aware that he will never be
DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
conscious, and the praises he shall never hear. So
strongly is he disposed to link his feelings with
futurity, that shadows become realities when con-
templated as subsisting there ; and the phantom of
posthumous celebrity, the faint image of his being,
impressed on future generations, is often preferred to
the whole of his present existence, with all its warm
and vivid realities."
In some men the love of posthumous fame is so
strong, that they are content to live in obscurity and
unknown, that they may have praises after death ; to
remain unhonored upon earth, that glory may gather
around their monuments and shed its halo upon their
graves. Some have spent their whole lives in secrecy
and retirement, employed in working out some difficult
problems of science, or in discovering some important
inventions of art — cheered, amid their solitary toil,
with the belief that posterity would be benefited by
their labors, and do justice to their memories. And
some favored sons of genius have, amidst poverty,
disease and suffering — burning with an intellectual
fire so intense as to consume their bodily frame while
it rendered their minds more ethereal — devoted their
high powers to the illustration of truth and the
enforcement of pure morality in the loftiest strains of
poetic inspiration — who, amidst the cold neglect of
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 7
their unsympathising contemporaries, were consoled
by the thougiit that future ages would appreciate
their merits, and that their immortal works would
command the admiration of those who were capable
of being affected by all that is powerful in language,
sublime in conception, and beautiful in thought.
There have not been wanting examples of men in
other pursuits than those of science and literature —
for example, in the walks of jurisprudence, political
economy, natural history, patriotism and philanthro-
py, who have been content to live unknown and die
unhonored, and have passed their days in obscurity,
neglect and indigence — supported by the belief that
the fruit of their labors would survive them, and
procure for their names a record in the annals of
their country and the world.
We are far from condemning this prospective
tendency of the human mind — this strong and para-
mount regard to the interest, the happiness, and the
fame of the future. A regard for posthumous reputa-
tion is, perhaps, a lawful and innocent ambition. This
gives an incentive to the intellect of youth, imparts
vigor to the energies of manhood, and not unfrequently
sustains and cheers the patience and perseverance of
old age, in a virtuous and benevolent course.
The great Legislator of the Jews was, as we are
8 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
informed, prompted to his acts of self-denial and
benevolent sacrifice, in behalf of a thankless and
obdurate generation, by motives drawn from the
futii7^e. Moses cheerfully relinquished all the luxuries,
distinctions and fascinations of the Egyptian court,
and "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter," — he preferred the lot of Pharaoh's slaves :
"choosing rather to suffer allliction with the people
of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season :
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than
the treasures of Egypt:" why? "/ie Jiad respect unto
the recompense of the reward.'''' And of a greater than
Moses, even of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, it is
said — that For the joy that ivas set before Jiim, he
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now
seated at the right hand of God.
We do not, therefore, reprobate the principle itself
of regarding the interests or the honors of the future.
No. We only wish to have it properly directed, and
sanctified by the spirit of religion. It is not merely
reputation, but that honorable reputation wiiich
follows righteousness and virtue, that should be the
object of human desire. " The memory of the
just is blessed : but the name of the wicked sJtall
roty * Some men are " damned to everlasting
fame." At their tomb, no tears are shed, but those
* Prov. X. 7.
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 11
The true value of every thing is to be measured
upon that scale. -What is man himself to be accounted
of, except so far as he bears the stamp of immortality
and is the heir of endless existence? lie is born to
sorrow — doomed to pass a few fleeting years of toil
and disappointment upon earth, and then sinks into
the rottenness and corruption of the grave. What
are riches, except so far as permanent good may result
from their being employed in works of utility, and
consecrated to the service of benevolence and piety?
" They take to themselves wings and fly away" — they
soothe no pain — they apply no balm to the wounded
heart — they profit not in the day when God taketh
away the soul. What shall we say of the honors and
pleasures of the world? How fading and worthless!
how quickly do they vanish and disappear, like the
roseate tints of the morning cloud, or the gay and
painted pageant of an hour? Yea, what is this world
itself^ which occupies so nuich of our thoughts, and
claims so large a share of our affections? It was but
as yesterday spoken into being by the omnific word
of the Creator, and to-morrow it will be swept from
its orbit, wrapped in its winding sheet of flame, and
consigned to the tomb of oblivion. Notiiing of it will
survive, except those agents and actions upon its
fleeting theatre Avhich were connected with a future
12 PR, HENSHAW'S SERMON
world and the high destinies of eternity. All else
will be as though they had never been; not enough
will be left of that which was merely temporal, to
inscribe its epitaph upon.
God, in his providence and grace, is constantly
reading to us lessons upon the transitory nature of all
earthly things, and the absolute emptiness and vanity
of every thing which is not connected with the unseen
world, and linked in with immortality. But alas ! they
are lessons which we are slow of heart to learn. He
is daily calling upon us to live for heaven and eternity.
We hear the call in the workings of inward infirmity
and disease, and the outward dangers to which our
life is perpetually exposed. Every tolling knell rings
it in our ears; it comes up in sepulchral notes from
the crowded cemetery, and from every solitary grave.
We live in an aceldama, " amidst sculls and coffins,
epitaphs and worms." We beiiold the king of terrors
shaking his fearful sceptre over every human habita-
tion ; with one hand he seizes upon the hoary locks
of the veteran, and with the other, snatches the infant
from its mother's breast, and hurries them both to a
common tomb. He quenches the lustre of the bright-
est eye, — blanches the blushing cheek of beauty, and
tramples in the dust the pride and strength of manhood.
We see the monarch and the peasant alike bowing to
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 9
scalding tears which their cruelty and oppression have
forced from the eyes of the widow and the orphan.
No requiem is chaunted over their remains, but the
groans of the hearts their iniquities have saddened.
The only eulogy their memories receive, is made up
of the hisses and execrations of posterity. Ah ! who
would desire the distinction of disgrace — the celebrity
of infamy — an immortality of contempt ? Alas ! how
poor a thing is immortality upon earth if it proceed
not from such a character as will secure immortality
in heaven ? The name of Voltaire will perhaps be
remembered in the annals of this world as lonff as
that of Fcnclon : — but one will be remembered as a
recreant to virtue, and a blasphemer of God — while
the other will be venerated as a meek example of
devotion, and a useful minister of Jesus Christ. The
name of Arnold will be heard of wherever the fame of
U'ashingto7i shall extend: but while the one will
bear the indelible brand of a traitor, the other will be
lauded as the Father of his country. The literary
fame of the titled author of Bon Juan mav be lasting-
as that of the writer of the Task : but while the one
bears the foul plague spot of impurity which all the
waters of Castalia's fount can never wash away — the
other, — moistened with the cleansing dews of Zion —
shines forth in all the lustrous beauty of purity and
2
10 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
truth. When we think of the inglorious fame
acquired by those who have prostituted the bright
talents with which heaven endowed them, to the
infamous service of infidelity and vice, surely every
one of us will exclaim — " O, my soul, come not thou
into their council ! unto their assembly, mine honor,
be not thou united !"
The great truth we wish to impress upon your
minds, is, that virtue alone can cmbalin the charac-
ter with lasting grace: — piety alone is the true
conservator of fame; and that inmaortality is alone
worthy of our regard, which extends to both wo7'lcls —
which insures the applause of earth, and the appro-
bation of heaven. " The righteous shall be had in
everlasting remembrance." Their heraldic honors are
not written in the dust — but inscribed in flaming
characters upon the sky. Their record is in heaven
— their memorial with their God. "They that be
wise shall shine above the brightness of the firma-
ment; and they that turn many to righteousness as
the stars forever and ever."
Would that the regard to the future, which is so
natural and powerful an incentive to human action,
might be carried far enough; that it might not be
confined to the limits of time, but borne forward into
the vast depths of the unknown future, and extended
upon the infinite scale of eternity !
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 15
the citizens of these United States, in the event which
occasions our present grief. Never was there a more
touching illustration of the uncertainty of human
hopes, and the transitory nature of earthly glory.
But about seven weeks since, vvliat a splendid pageant
was exhibited in the capital of this Union ! A scene
of congratulation, delight and joy. There w^ere proud
banners floating upon the breeze, accompanied with
the flourish of trumpets, the roar of artillery, and
the more deafening shouts of applauding multitudes.
How sublime the spectacle exhibited, when he, the
favorite son of the nation — the patriot chief — the ad-
mired of all admirers — under the broad canopy of
heaven, lifted his hand to Him who liveth forever and
ever — the King eternal, immortal and invisible, and
swore hdelity to the constitution and the laws in the
execution of the highest earthly trust, committed to
him by the enlightened suffrages of millions of the
freeborn !
The pomp and splendor connected with the coro-
nation of an hereditary monarch, is but poor and
hollow pageantry, compared with the sublime sim-
plicity of a republican inauguration ! The individual
thus favored with the confidence of freemen, and thus
voluntarily chosen to govern those whom he acknow-
ledges as his equals and fellow citizens, has reached
16 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
the summit of earthly distinction; his cup of worldly
honor is full.
God often teaches his most effective lessons by
contrast. As the most brilliant productions of the
pencil depend for their effect upon that which is pro-
duced by the due admixture of light and shade, so is
it in the dispensations of Providence. The lesson he
is now teaching us of the vanity of worldly glory and
the unsatisfying nature of all earthly distinctions, is
the more vividly impressed upon our minds, by con-
trasting it with the joyous scene that had so shortly
preceded it. One brief month after the inauguration,
and that honored individual, to whom all eyes had
been directed as the pride and hope of his country,
had laid aside his robe of office, and was wrapped in
his shroud. The eye which had kindled in the ex-
citement of the battle field, was now lustreless and
vacant; the ear which had listened to the praises
of a grateful country, was insensible to human
applause ; the tongue upon which listening thousands
had hung with rapture, w^as dumb and silent; and
the form which had so lately moved with elasticity
and vigor, was cold and motionless in death.
The mournful intelligence saddened the joy of our
Sabbath services ; it flew rapidly, as upon the wings
of the wind ; and wherever it has gone, it has been
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 13
his sway ; the palace and the cottage, in their turns,
shrouded in the sal)le drapery of death. In tliese
various ways, the voice of our Creator utters its
salutary warnings ; by these means it is daily whi.s-
pering in our ears its solemn admonitions. Hearken to
that voice ! '^ Man that is born of woman, hath but
a few days to live, and is full of misery ; he cometh
up and is cut down like a flower ; he fleetli as it were
a shadow, and never continueth in one stay. In the
midst of life we are in death." '^ What is your life ?
It is a vapor, which appeareth for a little while, and
then vanisheth away. ' •' All flesh is grasSj and all
the goodliness thereof is as the flower of grass; the
grass withereth, the flower fadeth, — surely the people
is grass."
Ah! how slightly are thoughtless men affected by
these mementoes of their mortality which God ad-
dresses to them in the dispensations of his providence
from day to day? They stop their ears; they put a
bandage over their eyes; and, bedizened with all
the trickery of the world, rush on in the bustle of
business, or plunge into the vortex of pleasure, like
animals decorated for the sacrifice.
But sometimes God's providence speaks in such
unwonted tones as to startle every slumberer, and
arrest the attention of the most careless. There is,
14 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
now and then, a stunning power in the stroke of his
hand, which all must feel. There is a pause in the
impetuous course of worldly interest and passion, and
thoughtless obduracy itself is made to experience a
solemn awe under the manifested frown of Omnipo-
tence. When the head of a nation is stricken, the shock
is felt throughout all the limbs and members. When
the heart is touched with the finger of death, a sen-
sation of numbness will thrill to the extremities.
When a whole empire mourns — an entire people is in
tears — there is a majesty and power in the act which
occasions it that mocks all human attempts to add to
its influence. When the voice of Jehovah speaks as
it has done to us in our late national bereavement, we
can do nothing to give additional impressiveness to the
lesson. Art and eloquence can do nothing to deepen
the feeling of grief or give sharpness to the poignancy
of public sorrow. The tide of lamentation will flow
forth deep and strong : all we can do is an humble
attempt to turn it into a proper channel. When God
speaks, our duty is to assume the attitude of listeners.
We must ''be still, and know that he is God;" and
bow in mute, profound submission to the behests of
his mysterious, but all wise and merciful providence.
Surely, never did the Divine voice address itself in
more affecting accents to a people, than it has done to
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 17
received with mourn inn; and lamentation and woe.
Cities, and towns, and villages and liandets through-
out the wide extent of our country, will emulate each
other in giving puhlic demonstrations of the universal
grief. The funeral procession far out-numbered that
which witnessed the inaugural solemnities; and
thousands and tens of thousands who did not rejoice
in his elevation, will sincerely mourn his death. Every
patriot feels that he has lost a brother; every orphan,
a father; every widow, a friend. In all our bosoms
the deep fountains of grief are stirred, when we reflect
upon the sad truth that the great, the wise, the good
President is no more!
" Verily, thou art a God that hidcst thyself, O ! God
of Israel, the Saviour." "Though clouds and dark-
ness are round about thee, yet righteousness and
judgment are the habitation of thy throne." " Thou
doest all thy pleasure among the armies of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth ; and none can stay
thy hand, or say unto thee, What doest thou?" We
bow, therefore, to thy judgment, most Holy and True !
In the midst of our heavy alllictions — the just chas-
tisement for our sins — we would rejoice that the Lord
God Omnipotent reignelh ; and woidd say, with
meek resignation, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away ; and blessed be the name of the Lord,"
3
18 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
My friends and brethren, nothing is left to us of our
departed chief magistrate but the memory of his
patriotism and his virtues. Let us cherish it as a
precious legacy left to us and to our children. Let it
be embalmed in our affections and consecrated by
our tears. Let the imposing procession and solemn
ceremonies of to-morrow, as they have proceeded
from the unsolicited and voluntary movement of the
citizens of all parties, be considered not as a formal
compliance with what custom requires, but a warm
and cordial tribute to departed worth from this whole
community. May it never be said, to our reproach,
" the righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart ;
and merciful men are taken away, none considering
that the righteous is taken away from the evil to
come." With its, let "the memory of the just be
blessed, and the righteous had in everlasting remem-
brance."
It, of course, will not be expected that I should
pronounce a studied eulogy upon the character of the
eminent citizen whose death we deplore ; or attempt
to sketch the history of his eventful life. The former
task is neither suited to my talents nor my profession :
it belongs rather to the civilian than the divine, and is
more appropriate to the rostrum than the sacred desk.
The latter task is unnecessary ; for circumstances have
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 19
given to his history a wide publicity ; it has been
recorded in books and pamphlets, written in poetry
and song, and is " familiar," even to our children, " as
household words." I shall be, therefore, content with
adverting to a few facts illustrative of his character
and life, which show that, as a civilian, a patriot
soldier, a man, and a Christian, he is entitled to celeb-
rity, and should be kept in lasting remembrance.
IHlliam Henry Harrison^ late President of the
United States, was the son of the nation from his
birth. Though born too late to bear any part in the
revolutionary war, he was rocked in the cradle of
liberty; and his infant mind caught inspiration from
the songs by which the hearts of our fathers were
cheered, and their arms nerved for battle, amidst their
contest for independence. While, from the lips of his
pious mother, he received those lessons of morality
and religion which served as a restraint upon his
passions and a guide for his conduct in the duties of
private life; his distinguished father (one of the noble
band who signed the declaration of independence, and
pledged " their fortunes, their lives, and their sacred
honor," to maintain it unto death,) imbued his mind
with those principles of constitutional freedom, and
that indomitable love of country, which were uni-
20 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
formly displayed in his long public life devoted to the
service of the republic.
After having received his education at one of the
colleges in his native State, he was, by the sagacious
Washington, commissioned as Ensign, and selected as
a trustworthy bearer of the national flag; which,
though it often w^aved in triumph, was never dishon-
ored in his hands.
As the aid of General IVaijne, he performed impor-
tant services for his country, by contributing, with his
companions in arms, to restrain the ferocity, and inflict
exemplary punishment upon the cruelties of a savage
foe, who " raised the tomahawk, and by their war-
whoop disturbed the slumbers of the cradle." His
military career, thus successfully commenced at the
early age of nineteen, after an interval of many
years — devoted, in important civil duties, to the im-
provement and benefit of those frontier settlements
which had been defended and protected by his prow-
ess, — was renewed in his mature manhood ; when, as
a Major General in the army during our late war with
Great Britain, he contributed by his conquests upon
the one element, to increase the splendor thrown
around the standard of our country by the brilliant
victories which Perry, McDonough, Hull, and other
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 21
naval heroes had achieved upon the other. His skill
and fame as a patriot soldier, in connexion with the
battles of Tippecanoe and the Thames, will be trans-
mitted by the faithful pen of history to the latest
generations.
His services in the cabinet add more lustre to his
name than his exploits in the field. His policy, as
Governor of the North Western Territory — the wise
and liberal measures, adopted and pursued upon his
recommendation — laid the foundation for the rising
greatness and unexampled prosperity of those youth-
ful, giant States, by which it is now covered, and by
whose hardy and enterprising inhabitants the name of
their early benefactor is pronounced with enthusiasm,
and his memory cherished with the most profound
sentiments of veneration and gratitudo.
As Indian commissioner, as a member of the Senate
of Ohio, as a representative successively in both
houses of the national Congress, and in other offices
of political trust and honor, he displayed a sagacity
of mind, an amount of information, and a readiness
of practical talent adapted to the exigencies of those
various stations; while in all, he was signalized by a
purity of principle, a fidelity to the constitution, and
an incorruptible integrity, which were above reproach,
and beyond suspicion.
22 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
This man of well balanced and well furnished
mind, of a lofty character so well adapted to adorn
the various stations of civil life, was, by the amiability
of his temper, the benevolence of his spirit, and all
the kindly affections which were so sweetly blended
in his nature, particularly fitted for all the tender
endearments and sweet intercourse of domestic life.
In the peaceful quiet, and amid the rural scenes of
North Bend, in the bosom of his beloved family,
(now, alas ! so sadly bereaved,) he, doubtless, spent
the happiest of his days ; and in that loved seclusion,
he would, like Cincinnatus and Washington, willingly
have closed his life in the peaceful occupations of
agriculture, sanctified by works of benevolence and
piety.
But far different were the designs of Providence.
He was called thence by the voice of a grateful
country, to receive the highest honors which it is in her
power to confer. I will not set my foot upon the
burning cinders of party animosity. I will not launch
my bark upon the troubled waters of political strife.
No ! I would rather pray for the dews of love to des-
cend and quench those fires : for the oil of grace to
smooth the surface of those rufiled waves. I would
devoutly pray that all those excitements of passion-
disturbing the elements of social life and weakening
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 23
the ties of good brotherhood which bind fellow-citi/ens
together — which were connected with the name of our
departed President, may be buried with his remains :
that the blow which has removed him from the scenes
of earthly strife, may be the death blow of every party
but that which is made up of the friends of our com-
mon country ; and that men of all ranks may mingle
their hearts as w^ell as their tears over his sepulchre.
I speak not, then, politically but historically, when
I say, that it was the will of an all- wise Providence,
that he who had benefited the nation by his signal
services in life, should not die in retirement, but in the
capital of the Union; where our chief men might
behold the peaceful death which was to be the crown-
ing act of his honorable life, and the entire nation
might unitedly pour forth their admiration and regret
at his grave. This illustrious man, who has thus been
removed in the very Hush of success — when he had
reached that point where ambition had nothing more
to covet, and the heart nothing more to desire — was
the chosen instrument of God to teach this people tw^o
great moral lessons, more valuable than any others
which can be drawn from his eventful life. While
his death, as we have seen, most affectingly teaches
the vanity of all earthly glory, how emphatically does
it demonstrate that virtue is the chief element of
24 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
human greatness ! *' That the memory of the just is
blessed, and the righteous shall be had in everlasting
remembrance ! "
Some of his predecessors in office may have possessed
higher powers and more brilliant talents in the cabinet :
others may have acquired greater fame in the field :
but none, except the fatlier of his country, had taken
so strong a hold upon the affections of the whole
people. He is not to be ranked with the Pitts, or the
Foxes, the Castlereaghs and Cannings of the old
world ; or with the Jeffersons and Madisons of the
new. He is not to be classed with the Alexanders
and CsBsars of ancient, or with the Bonapartes and
Wellingtons of modern times. But, like Washington
and LaFayette, he stands out in marked distinction
from the common rank of statesmen and warriors;
shining with a peculiar and attractive lustre ; as a
man not only to be praised, but to be trusted : not
only to be venerated, but beloved: good, no less than
great.
How applicable to the late act of God's providence,
are the words of the prophet : " Behold the Lord, the
Lord of Hosts, doth take away— the mighty man, and
the man of war, the judge, — and the prudent, and the
ancient — the honorable man, and the counsellor, — and
the eloquent orator." * But if this were all : if we
* Isaiah iii. 1,3.
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 25
could enumerate nothing more than the gifts of nature
and the fruits of education : if we could speak only of
the distinctions he had acquired in the cabinet and
the field ; this sacred desk would be no lit place to
eulogize his character; for, however bright his earthly
fame, his name would be forgotten before God. But
we firmly believe that the Sun of righteousness shed a
serene and holy light upon the evening of his days :
that to his hoary head virtue was a crown of glory ;
and that he was of the number of the righteous who
ought to be had in everlasting remembrance.
The religious character of our late beloved Presi-
dent, would, of course, be likely to be overshadowed
and obscured by the exciting scenes connected with
his political and military history. True piety courts
not the public gaze, and does not ostentatiously
obtrude itself upon the notice of the world ; but, like
the sensitive plant, flourishes best in the shade, and
finds its nutriment in retired and holy communion
with God. But a few facts which have incidentally
come to the knowledge of the preacher, have produced
a conviction in his mind that the late General Harri-
son was not only a firm believer in the truth of our
holy religion, but submitted to its restraining power,
and had a tender sensibility of heart to its hal lowing-
influence.
4
26 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
The venerable Bishop Chase informed me, that, on
liis first missionary visit to the West, as the pioneer
of our Church, about twenty-six years ago, General
Harrison Was one of a few gentlemen who, in a
private house in Cincinnati, cordially co-operated
with him in organizing the first Protestant Episcopal
church in the great valley of the Mississippi. Of that
church he remained a constant and persevering friend:
freely contributing of his wealth and personal services
to the advancement of its prosperity, he was also regu-
lar and exemplary in his attendance upon its devotions.
He was not only zealous and exemplary in the
discharge of his duties as the member of a Christian
congregation, but he had a sincere and icarni attach-
mentforthe ministers of Christ — "and esteemed them
very highly in love for their work's sake."
In a brief private interview with him, with which
I was favored on his last visit to this city, he spoke
with warm afTection not only of his own pastor, but
of other clergymen whom he numbered among his
choicest and most intimate friends. He was, manifestly,
gratified by the reflection that the choice which the
nation had made of its chief magistrate was so gene-
rally approved by the divinely appointed guardians of
its religious faith and practice. Whatever he might
have thought of the opinion that "government has
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDErJT HARRISON. 27
nothing to do with religion," — he evidently acted under
the persuasion that religion ought to have much to do
with the government — that those who rule men, should
do it in the fear of God — that "righteousness exalteth
a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." " My
good Bls/iop,^^ said he, meaning the Bishop of the
church in Ohio — " has ivritten mc a letter of excellent
advice as to my Christian deportment in the high
station lam called to Jill: I shall often consult it, and
endeavor faithfully to comj)ly iclth it^
When, under the solemnities of his oath of office, he
stood up, before the assembled people of this great
republic, to announce the principles which would
govern him in the administration of public affairs, —
he did not forget that he was standing also, in the
presence of a higher Poiccr — even that by which
" Kings reign, and rulers decree justice :" on that inte-
resting occasion, he solemnly declared his faith in the
doctrines of the Christian religion, and the sense of his
obligation to obey its holy precepts.
The very next day he repaired to a bookstore to
purchase a Bible and a Prayer Book ; and at the
same time he avowed his conviction that the Bible
should constitute a choice part of the furniture of the
Presidential mansion. "I intend/said he, '-to buy,
out of the congressional appropriation, the best copy
28 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON
I can find, and write in it " To the President of the
United States^ from the 'people of tlie United States P
Those precious volumes were his daily companions.
He read a portion of God's word every morning and
evening; and his well used manual of devotion proved
that his reading was accompanied with prayer for the
illumination and blessing of the Most High, And if,
amidst the cares and duties of his responsible station,
he daily consulted the sacred volume as his guide in
duty — and in fervent prayer sought for strength to
discharge it, — can we doubt that his heart was under
the dominion of the Holy Spirit, and that he desired
in all things to glorify God?
In our reflections upon the religious character of
our departed President — there is but one thing we
have to regret: and that too, was, so far as we are
informed, the only cause of disturbance and regret to
him in his dying hours. He had not become a com-
municant of the church. It had, however, long been his
purpose to do so — but he postponed its execution, till
the Presidential contest was over, lest the purity of
his motives might be suspected. That being at an
end, so far as he was concerned, he avowed his design
of embracing the first opportunity to unite himself
with the company of the faithful who partake of the
spiritual "banquet of that most Heavenly food."
ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON. 29
Alas for us ! in God's wise, but mysterious Provi-
dence, he was not spared to accomplish his design.
But may we not hope that, in his case, the will was
accepted for the deed 7 That he was privileged, spi-
ritually, and by faith, to feed upon the Lord Jesus
Christ, in his heart, with thanksgiving — and to enjoy
" the communion of saints ?"' He hoped on Easter
Sunday to engage in the highest act of devotion
known to the church on earth : but before that day,
sacred to the memory of our Lord's resurrection, had
dawned, his ransomed spirit was released. He thank-
ed the Lord, with a loud voice, for his mercies to
himself: uttered his last wish for his country, and
peacefully sunk into his everlasting repose.
May we not indulge the belief that God anticipated
his wishes, and far exceeded his hopes 7 That in-
stead of partaking of the consecrated memorials of
his Redeemer's sacrifice, he was permitted to feed
upon " the bread of life !" That instead of being
received into communion with weak and imperfect
believers on earth, he has been admitted to the
society of the just made perfect ; the fellowship of
angels ; the vision of God ! Yes ! we believe he has
gone to the God whom he served, — the vSaviour in
whom he trusted. And as we gaze upon his upward
flight — exclaiming with sadness — "My Father — my
30 DR. HENSHAW'S SERMON, &C.
father : the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen there-
of!" — Our prayer is — may he upon whom the mantle
of the departed one has descended, be worthy to bear
it! May his God be the God of our country! May
w^e all be renewed by the Spirit and cheered by the
hope of the Gospel ! And as we shall be successively
gathered to our fathers, may it be truly said over our
lifeless remains — " The righteous shall be had in ever-
lasting remembrance." Amen, and Amen !
APPENDIX.
To the facts, illustrative of the religious principles and habits of
the late President Harrison, given in the foregoing sermon, it may
be useful to add the following, derived from sources believed to
be authentic.
1. His princijjles elevated him above the claims of the san-
guinary code of honor. "In 1838, in the face of the world,
he solemnly affirmed that, 'a sense of higher obligations than
human laws or human opinions can impose, has determined me
never, on any occasion, to accept a challenge, or seek redress for
personal injury, by a resort to the laws which compose the code
of honor.' "
2. His vieivs of true greatness in the human character, may be
learned from the language he addressed to Bolivar. "To be
esteemed eminently great, it is necessary to be eminently' good.
The qualities of the Hero and the General must be devoted to the
advantage of mankind, before he will be permitted to assume the
title of their benefactor."
3. His respect for the Lord^s day. In August, 1835, having
been on an electioneering visit to Louisville, he returned home
on the Sabbath, and the congregations in the villages which lay
in his I'oute were not a little disturbed by the roar of cannon and
the general excitement of his partizans. This offence against
the feelings of the Christian community, was firmly rebuked in
the Cincinnati Journal. General Harrison soon afterwards called
upon the editor, and requested him to state — "that he deeply
regretted that circumstances beyond his control compelled his
32 APPENDIX.
return on the Lord's day, and gave occasion to other things
equally painful. He also declared his very great veneration for
the Sabbath, and the conviction that few had done more than
himself, to uphold it in its beneficial influence on the community."
"Of late years, he always avoided travelling on the holy day,
unless from absolute necessity; and during the short period he
occupied the President's mansion, carefully avoided all company
on that day, and dined at an early hour, that he might attend
public worship in the afternoon with his family, some of whom
belonged to the communion of the Presbyterian church."
The Rev. William Hawley, from whose narrative of the late
President's life in Washington, the fact last quoted is derived,
relates the following interesting incident: "I am authorised from
unquestionable authority to say, that, the closing part of the
inaugural address, especially that part in which he so revei-ently
expresses his regard for the Christian religion, was penned by
him in the room in which he was born, and where he had often
kneeled beside his pious mother, who earnestly supplicated the
rich blessing of heaven on his future life."
The increase of immorality and vice — the untiring efforts of
infidels and the enemies of religion to force us into the attitude
of an atheistic people, denying God's authority, and refusing to
acknowledge or implore his protection — may sometimes alarm
the Christian patriot, and lead him to tremble for his country.
But as God, of liis great mercy, has given us one President, who
loved his Bible, reverenced the Sabbath, and, on his bended
knees, in the sanctuary and the closet, implored the blessings
which he needed through the merits of the only Saviour — and as
his successor in that high office, has called upon us as a Christian
nation to humble ourselves before the Most High — acknowledg;-
ing our sins and seeking his mercy in fasting and prayer : — while
we find the character of the one so highly venerated, and the
recommendation of the other so warmly approved, by the great
body of the people, — we will not despair of the Republic.
S9 w
■I
D. BRUNKTER,
AT THE
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL BOOK DEPOSITORY,
J\^o, 1 JYorth Chfirles street^
BALTIMORE,
HAS FOB SALE THE FOLLOWING WORKS,
BY THE AUTHOR OF THIS SERMON:
THEOLOGY FOR THE PEOPLE,
IN A SERIES OF DISCOURSES
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE CHURCH CATECHISM.
COMMUNICANT'S GUIDE.
INSTRUCTIONS ON CONFIRMATION.
8HERII>AIV?S EL.OCUTIOr¥.
CONTAINING
Jnstnicttjjne for tl)c Hcaliittg of t\)e €\)\xvci\ ^exvke.
A SELECTION OF HYMNS
D. B. keeps also a full supply of the most approved Theologi-
cal publications, especially those of the Protestant Episcopal
Church.
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