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j . M. l'Pu>-i/-HyUnXC_.
id by Google
LIFE AND LETTERS
James Henley Thornweix, d.d., ll.d„
-I'EESIBENT OF THE SOUTH CAKOLINA COLLEGE,
LATli PfiOFESSOU, OP THEOLOOT IH THE THEOtOfllGAL SEMIKARY
AT COLtJittBIA, SOUIH CAEOLIHA.
. M. PALMEE, D.D., LL.D,,
RICHMOND;
WHITTET & SHEPPERSON.
id by Google
Entered accoixling to Act of CoDgmaa, in tlie year 1
WHITTET Si SHEPPEESON,
In the Office of the Librorinn of Congress, tit Waehingfoii
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CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PiEEMIiOE AND BiBTH.
Introduction. — Birtli, — His father's occupation, otaracter, and early
death. — His mother's lineage. — Early settlement of South. Caro-
lina.—Immigration of a Welsh colony. — His mother's chatae-
teristlos
CHAPTER n.
ESELS BOIHOOD.
Orphanage.— Early poverty. — An old-field school — Hia first teaoh-
era.— Aceovmt of Mr. Molnfcyre.— Attachment to his pupil —
Habits of study.— ^Eady ambition ^Fust mipreesions of his
genius, — Inti-odiiction to his fiiturn Pptrona ■ — ^IndifFeience to
play, — Moral and Keligions traits. ]
CHAPTER in.
His PiTEONa.
Biief sketch of the Generals GiUcspie.— Their ailcetion for their
ward.- — Sketch of Mr. Eobbins.-^His marked influence in de-
veloping the genius intrnsted to his care :
OHAPTEE IV.
PEEPAEiTION FOB GoLLEGE.
Eemoval to Gheraw. — Abode with Mr. Bobbins. — Gonfidential rela-
tions "Kith him. — First appearance as a debater.— Entrance into
the Oheraw Academy, — Love for the Classics. — Early fondness
for Metaphysics.— Correspondence with his Patron.— Singular
letter.— Tendency to moral speculations ■
iii
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IV CONTENTS.
CHAPTEE T.
CoiA.sf>E, Life.
Firet . ppearanee in College. — Personal description. — Rejected on
first appiieation. — Received on tlie eecond. — His own aoconnt
of it.— Early impreeaion of liis genius npou his feEow-strudeuts.
—Faculty of tte South Carolina College. — Intense appiieation. —
Bange of Ms atudiea, — Self -discipline. — Seclusion. — Eai'ly repu-
tation as a debater. — Powers of juTectiTe. — Correspondence 53
CHAPTEE YI.
COLLEOE LlEE COMIINttBD.
Correspondence with hie Patrons. — Admirable letters of Mr. Eob-
bins in reply. — ConacientioiiBnees in the use of money. — Cen-
sured for pareimony, by Mr. Bobbins. — His defence. — Moral
character in College. — Testimonies of Ms olaes-mateB. — Eeligi-
ons inTSstigatioas.— Example of integrity. — Graduation and
distinctions 67
CHAPTER Vn.
His Conteesiob.
Inability to choose a profession. -Kemains as resident graduate. —
Correspondence.- Teaches at Sumterville. — Literaiy projects.
—Unites with the Presbyteiian Church. — His own acconnt,
gi-sen at a later period, of his reUgiows exercises. — Review of
his religious history. — His own analysis of religion. — Letter 83
CHAPTEE YIII.
His TEiCHiBft at Cheraw.
Ecmoves to Cheraw. — Becomes principal of file Academy.— -Charac-
ter as a teacher.— Physical development. — H^ibits of life. —
Eeligiona gloom. — Account of this stage of his history, by an
associate. — Explanation of his gloom.— Defective religious ex-
perience.— Applies to Presbytery. — Taken under its cnre as a
candidate for the ministiy 103
CHAPTEE IX.
Ebsidbncb at Oambbidob.
Sudden removal to Andover, Mass. ^Thence to Cambridge,— Rea-
sons for the change. — Letter from Mr. Eobbins.— Correspon-
dence.— Amusing story of a visit to Boston.- — Hears Mr.
Everett's eulogy upon Lafayette. — Contrast between different
stages in the same life. — Lettei's. — Return home 115
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COBTENTS. V
CHAPTER X.
FiKST Pastokatb.
Lioecsui-e. — Settlement in Ltmcaatei'. — Spifitual U)u2ict.' — Eaily
pteaeMiig. — Ascendenoj ovei liis fmdieiiee -—Power of illumi
nating the whole gospel.— His bearing as a pastor — Marriage
—Death of his first child. —-Complete formation of cjiaractei —
Development of piety.- — Estraots fi-ora hit pin ate journal —
OonCeEsiou and prayer 137
OHAPTEE XI.
PlEST PkOFESSOESHJP
Ee-orgaiiiaatiou of the College.— Enters it as Piufe-.sra —Intimate
friendship with members of the Faculty. — Appointed to chair
of Metaphysics.— Enthusiasm and sucee^ m this study — Native
aptitude for it. — Not wautiag ia Esthetics ^bocuples of cou-
scienoe, — Kesigna the Professorship.— -lastalled pastor of the
Columbia Church. — Author's first impression of hira — Eecalled
to aie College 145
CHAPTEE Xn.
Voyage to ETjHOi>Ti.
Ill heaMi.— Ordered to Europe. — Letters on the way. — Sails for
Liyerpool.— Journal. — Keflactions upoa the ocean; upon the
Talue of time ; upon the sea as a school for the Christian graces.
— DesoriptioD of a Mewfoundland fog. — Dangers. — Stonn at
sea. — Arrives in Europe 167
( H vrTER xin,
Lettbbi fosm; Edbope.
Desenptiou of LiTerpool — English politics.— Pesoriptioc of OheB-
tei —Its antig^uities -Nobleman's estate. ^ — London.— Its ia-
tciestm^ associations —Its striking contrasts. — Scotliwd.—
Description of lilasgow — Intercourse with the Seoaders. —
Places Tiaited on his lonrney — Kenilworth. — Warwick.— S trat-
foidupon K.von — Mehose Abbey. — Dryburgh.— Impreasions
of Palis — Its Liong — L»tuj.n home. — Patiiotism 187
CHAPTER XIV.
Ol,n AHD NlW SCHOOI: COKTBOyESaY,
This chapter a digression.— Keasons for it.— Strict adherence to t
Standards in the early Church. — Cumulative proof of this.
Early sympathy with Congregationalists. — Causes of it. — PI
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V] CONTENTS.
of Union. — Its leading features.— Presbyterian order undei^
mined. — Tiieoiogical speoulations in New Bngknd- — Dissemi-
nated m file Presbyteriaji Churoh. — SpeoiflcationB of doctrinal
error. ^ — Substance of doctrine defined, — Organizatiojj of Na-
tionid Societies. ^Confliot with eaeli of tliese.^Tlie results. —
EleetiYe-afEnity Presbyterians. — Mr. Barnes' trial.— =^Measures
of reform.— Act and Testimony,— Asseinbiy of 1837. — I'lan of
Union, abolished. — Final disruption. 181
CHAPTER XV.
Polemic GiEEEE Begun'.
Provideatial training for his future work. — Member of Assembly in
1837. — Inside Tiew of tliat Council, — Gradual sifting of tie
Oturch. — Testimony before the Synod. — Tract publioations. —
Letter of condolence. — Called back te Hie College. — His deci-
sion.^— Pastoral relation dissolved. — Assumes the chaplaincy in
OHAPTEB XVL
The Boaed Qheshom.
DiBCUsaioQa about the Boards of tha Church, — Rise out of the pre-
vioaa controrerey. — Debate in Synod. — Incident in tlie samo,^ —
First written attack on, the Boards. — Article on the Apocrypha.
— Second artide on the Boards. — Letters on the same subject. 221
CHAPTER XVn.
GENEBiL CoKKESPONDENCE,
Views upon the French character. — Gelations nith Dr. R. J. Breck-
inridge.— Letters of Chi-istian sympathy. —Proposed work on
the Atonement, — Controversy with Romanists, — Death of Mr.
Kobhins, — Letter to his widow 23*
CHAPTER SVin,
The Eldek Qdestion.
Assembly's decision upon the c[uorum of a Presbytery. — Upon the
imposition of hands by elders in the ordination of ministers.—
Letters on these topics, — Article published, — Argument of Dr.
Breckinridge before Synod of Philadelphia reviewed. — Further
correspondence on the eldership.- — Letters of sym.pBthj. — In-
timations of God's will in the leadings of His proridecce 2
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CONTENTS. V
CHAPTER XIX.
CaTjL to Bi-IiTlMOEE.
DJssatisfactioa wjtii the College.— Call to Chviroh in Baltiniorc.—
Accepted bv Mm. — Dismisaioc to Preebytory of Baltimore,^
Dootoiate oonfercecl. — Action of Trustees o£ the CoUege. —
Detained for a yera.— Correspondence growing out of this. —
Baltimi re Church waits. — Pvesbytety reoousiders its former
jction —He lemains in the College 3'
CHAPTER XS.
QoEsnon OF EoMisH Baftjsh.
Assembly of 1846.— Debate on Eomisb Baptism.— Im^resKions of
the West. — Views on Abolitionisro. — Patriotic feeling. — Biblical
Repattotj onEomiBh Baptism. — Artioles in reply. — Oorrespon-
denoe on the same. — Letter to Hon. W. 0. Preston, also to his
children.— Plane in relation to the Columbia Seminary. — ■
SouihernFresi^terianBeoiev^-projscted. — Its objects e;
CHAPTER XXI.
Absemeli^ or 1847 akd 1848.
Asaembly of 184T.—-Eleoted Moderator. —Salutatory address. — Des-
criptive letters. — Sermon on Popery. — Its subject, the Mass. — ■
Outline of it, views of his usefulness in the College. — Assem-
bly of 1848. — Bight of Church, members to withdraw.- Kelation
of the Oburch to moral reform societies. — Curious scene in the
AsBembly.— Visit to Washington city.— First aoqnainfanee with
Mr. Calhoun. — Impressions of his genius.. — Letters of friend-
CHAPTEE XSII.
PBaSONAIi FalENDSHIPS.
Oases of young man wbore he brougbt into the ministry. — Ijotter tc
one of these. — Appeal to a young friend on personal religion. —
His liberality in assisting others to an eduoatioiL— Death oi
a young friend. — Letter to a licentiate
CHAPTER XXin.
State Education.
Tie State's obligation to control education.— -Denominational educa-
tion.—Inquiries into the subject. ^Hia book on Romanism,^
Edinbv/rgk Beoiew upon it. — -Browneon's attack. — Letters on
the province of the Cburch in education.- — Letter to Governor
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Till CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXrV.
Call to CHiELESTON.
Oecaeioiiiil dissatiefactioii with Aeaaemio life. — Oaiiaes of it. — Kural
pursuits in Tacatdoa. — His farm.^Care of bJ8 slaves. — Private
correspondence. — Oftll to Churcli in Chacloston. — Resignation
of his ProfessorsMp. — Eelease from flie College. — HemOTal to
Cbarleston. — Brief labours tkere. — Correapondence. — Eleoted
to Presidency of the College. — Ment^ conflict. — Aotion of the
Chuioh „ SS
CHAPTER XXV.
Pebsidbhqy op the Oolleqe.
Enters upon Presidency of the College. — Pitness for that position. —
HiH idea of the Mgher education. — i compulsory etirricaliim
preferred to electiTe courses. — Tiews developed in liiB Letter to
Govemot Manning.— Visit to older instituiions. — At 0am-
hridge. — Letters written there.— At Yale. — Letters. — Speech at
the Yale dinner 36
CHAPTER XXVI.
PkESIDBNCY CONTrNUED.
Oorcespondenee. — Criticism upon A^embly of 1852. — Temperanoe
address. — Letters to Dr. Peck and others. — Discourses on Truth. 3C
CHAPTER XXVIL
MoTeraent to transfer him to the Theological Seminary.— Eeasons
for it. — Action of ilie Synod. ^ — Relative unportanoe of the two
positions. — Correspondence in relation to this, — Resignation of
the Presidency. — Arrested for a year.— Letters. — Assembly of
1855. — Debate oil the Board question.-— Termination of con-^
neition with the College. ^ — Review of his influence over the
stadents. — Elements of character that explain it. — Illnstratlons
of it 8;
CHAPTER XXVm.
EDrroHSBip ol Soothben Qtiaiitebi.y Kjivraw.
Leaves the College.— Becomes Professor in the Theological Semi-
nary.— Editor of the SouStern Quarterlf/ Benkvi. — Correspon-
dence in relation to it.— Ariicle on Miracles. — Friendly critioism
of it. — His rejoinder. — Death of his mother and son.— Opinion
of Hamilton's Logic. — Distinction of the Absolute and Infinite.
— Defence of Dugald Stewart, and the Scotch Philosophy. —
Estimate of Sir William Hamilton. — Decline of the Review 3
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CONTENTS. iX
CHAP-CER XXIX.
SEMINiKr LllTE.
Death of his mother and of lis son.— Views of fche family uoTauaot.
— Assembly of I8B6. — Sermon on I'oreign Misfiions. — Letter to
his daughfec. — Pastor of the Oolanibia Clmi'cli. — View of Afri-
can slave trade. — Tour through the Weet. — Letters to his chil-
dren and wife. — Aesembly of 1857. — Chairman of Committee
on EevisioH of the Discipline. — Iiatter in relation to it, from
liie Moderator, — His inauguration as Prof essor in the Seminary. 115
CHAPTEE XXX.
Seminaby Life Contisubd.
Visits the South West. — Impressions of New Orleans. —Effect of his
preaching. ^ — Death of the Eev. P. E. Bishop. — Letter to his
widow. — Assembly of 18 ii9.— Report on Revision. — Eemarlinble
speech in the Assembly. — -Lettere from Indianapolis. ^Ketum
home.^ — Death of his oldest danghter.— Affeoiang droumEtanoes
attending it.^ — His afBicfJon and reragnataou. — Letter detailing
her siokneBS and death.— Anxiety for the conversion of his chil-
dren.— Letter of sympathy. — Assetnbly of 1860. — Debate with
Dr. Hodge on the question of Boards 4
CHAPTEB XXXI.
Second Trip to Edboee.
Failure of health, — Second voyage to Europe. — Agreeable party. —
Isle of "Wighf^— Stay in London. — Letters hom e. ^Ireland. —
Irish Assembly. — Sootland. — Edinburgh. — Its clergy. — Eetums
to London. — Its historic associations. ^Ifs ministers. ^Visits
,the ContiuenL — Basle.— Geneva. — The Alps.— Mountain seen-
CTy.— Zurich. — Its associations,— Returns to America. 449
CHAPTER XXXn.
The Lfl.TE 'War.
Eetum from Europ — Th ntT p th f evolution. —
Rapid sucoes'n of ts — H aponaal f th Confederate
cause.— Origi al tt 1 m nt to tl U n —Hi letters.— His
course in N 11 fi t n -His tt t d 18 0 —Letters then
npon Secess n — P ut na. toth InwNthng Party.—
History of th sf [ fh t led { tl f 1 0 —His contrary
position in 18 0 — B aso f th h a — H se typical of
the Sonth generally 467
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Z CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXm.
Hl3 COKBSB IN THE WiE.
Endorsement of SeccEsion.— I^ttei«.— PreTaleoM of order ia the
State. — Object of attack on Fort Stimtor. — Article on tte State
of the country. — Analjsia of it,- — OompromisB impossible. — ■
Desire for a psflceftil separation. — Impaired health. — Summer
oxciusioa.^ — Letters. — A convention of the Pteabyteriea. —
NeccBBity of ecolesiastioBl separation from the North. — Episto-
lary jeu d'esprii. — KeeuineB his labours aa Professor,— Eesigna-
tion of pastoral charge. — Anxiety about the ooimtry. — Its in-
CHAPTEE XXXIV.
ObQANIEATION 01! TBB SoOTHBRH ASSEMBLY.
Washington city in the interest of peace. — Du-
plicity towards them. — Attempted reiEforcement of Fort Sum-
ter.—Its bombardment. — The Horth inflamed. — War ensues. —
Assembly in 1861. — The "Spring Ee8olntioiis."^Their poUti-
oal character. — Action of the Southern Presbyteries. — Conven-
tion of these held. — Organization of Southern Assembly. ^Char-
acter of the body. — Its Address to the Chnrohes throughout the
Earbh. — Scene at its subscription. — Also, at adoption of a char-
ter.—Equipment of the Chnrch for her work. — Overtnre to
Congress upon the reoognition of Christianity, presented and
withdrawn. —Debate on sending a letter to the Northern Assem-
bly.— Draft of Eiich a letter ; not presented.- — Action of a con-
vention in. South Oaxolina.— Its civil character-^Care of South,
em Churoh to abstain from poUtics,— Proof of this in the pub.
lio prayers of the period.-— Example in a prayer of Dr. Thom-
well : *99
CHAPTER XXXV.
His Deith.
Continued interest in the war. — Writes for the seonlar press.— His
son wounded. — Visit to Hiohmond,— Eetum. — Vacation. —
Travel for health. — Letters home. — Son's return to Virginia. —
Meeting in Charlotte.— Sketch of son's career.— Last sickness.
—His malady. — Lethargy. —Last sayings. — Daath. — Funeral
sersioes.— His tomb 613
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Genegal Eeview.
His death lamented. — Esviewof his public relations. — AsflnEoocA-
TOE; Hiequaliflcations; bis methods ; mastery over his know-
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XI
i of lartguago ; Professor of Theology ; test-
books ; leotares; exuminationE. — As Phimsophkr and Tbbo-
LOQiAN : Extent sad accuracy of Ms leaming ; caution and
independence in speculation; his place in PMlosophj ; valuable
paper on thie point. —As a Pebachek ; His power in argument
and appeal ; Eipoalfion ; LorIo and feeling combined ; liia
diction ; preaching on special oco^ons ; estemporaneoua ;
views on the whole subject, presented in a oonversafdon ; his
criticism of his own productions. — As a Pkbsdttbk; pi-actioal
wisdom ; Iniuenoe in Gturcli courts ; reasons for it ; princi-
ples fixed ; his caution ; penetration ; PositiTeness of mind ;
toaesty ; knowledge of ChurcJi Principles and History. — Ab a
CHHisTiiH and a Man; Type of his religious experience;
Growth in piety ; testimony to his worth ; bis persouol appear-
ance; his social and moral qualities; tie general bearing;
playfulneRS and love of badinage; warmtli of liis affectiouE;
attachment of his friends 6S7
APPENDIX.
Notices of Bonnons,
" Our Danger aiid our Duty,"
"The State of tlie Country,"
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KOTE.
The delay in tlio preparation of this voliim© is pTinoipaUy due to tha
fact that, after the papers of Dr. Thomwell were placed in the "writer's
hands, two years ago, it was still neoeasary to collaot the materials for
the early portions of the Memoirs, by estensiye correapotidonea. Vala-
able memoranda were fhuB obtained from Gon. James Gillespie, Col. W.
L. T. Prince, and the family of Mr. Bobbins, of Cheraw, 8. O. ; Hon.
J. A. IngliB, of Baltimore, Md. ; Eev. John Donglaa, of Charlotte, N. C. ;
Rev. D. McQueen, ■!). D., of Smnterrille, S, C. ; Mr. W. M. Hiitsoii, of
Orangeburgh, 8. C. ; Ool. F. "W. McMaster, of Columbia, S. O. ; Rev.
A. A. Morse, of Gainesville, Ala. ; Mr. T. E. B. Pegnes, of Oxford, Miss. ;
Dr. Thoe. L. Dunlop and Key. J. N. Craig, of Holly Springs, Miea. ; Rev.
W. E. Boggs, D. D. of Memphis, Tenn. ; Rev. J. M. P. Otts, D. D.,
of Wilmington, Del. ; and Bav. A. J. 'Withei'spoon, of New Orleans,
La. ; to all of whom a pubUo aoknowledgement ia lierewith most grate-
fully made by
The Avtboe.
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THE LIFE AND LETTERS
James Hehley Thokswell,
D. D., LL. U.
CHAPTER I.
PAEENTAGE AND BIRTH.
Ibieoduciiob.— BiBTH,— His Fathbb's Occdp4tiob, Characiek, and
Eaely Death. — Hia Moteeb'e Lineage.^ — Early Settlement op
SODTH CaEOLINA. — IlIMIGEATION OF i WlilSa GtJLONY. — HiB MoTEEB'S
C H ARiOTBRISTlCS.
HISTORY loves to trace the lineage of thoae whose
lives have been heroic. It seeiue to add ^race to
virtue when it descends from sire to son,
" And is snocesBiyely, from blood to blood.
The r^ht of birth."
Even the pride which it hegeta is ehoni of its offence
when it becomes the spur to honour, and the legacy of
a spotless name is bequeathed, mth increasing splendour,
to succeeding heirs. The claim of birth is buffeted with
scorn only -when it stands .upon the merit of the past,
■which it is powerless to reproduce. The rugged sense of
mankind discriminates, with sufficient sagacity, betwixt
the counterfeit aiietocracy and the true. The veneration
which is natural to us resents the fraud of an empty
name, without the solid worth it was supposed to repre-
sent. But if the blood that courses through the veins
bears upon its tide the virtues by which it was ffi'st dis-
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a LIFE OF JAMES HENLEV" THOENWELL.
tmguislicd, and the scinna of an ancient honse give pre-
sage of the honour which made their fathers renowned,
it bows to sneli with a deference that seals the legitimacy
of their eway. It turns, with a lofty disdain, from those
who gild their vices or their weakness witli the lustre of
a name which is prostituted in the use;, but it accepts
the blessing coming from ambition itself, when the pres-
tige of birth prompts generations, in their turn,
" To 6i:s,v/ fortt a noble auoeetry
From the corruption of abasing tirae,
tJiito a, lineal, ti-ue-derived comae."
But the longest pedigree must have a beginning; and
the whole force of these suggestions goes to show that
the chief glory belongs to the founder of a family. It
is the impress of his character which honourable descend-
ants are careful to preserve ; and though the original dig-
nity may be enlarged, it is by the stimulus derived from
his example. The gloiy of embellishing a name can never
be superior to that of first drawing it from obscurity. As,
too, a wise government recruits its nobiUty by timely and
gradual acceesiona from the commons beneath it, so
God, in His adorable providence, is continually bringing
out the unknown to be princes in the power of their
influence over the church and the world. This pre-
eminence is challenged on behalf of the subject of these
Memoirs, If his name was never borne with " chant of
heraldry " along the aisles of the drowsy past, be has the
superiorglory,inthisrespcct, of being born only of himself.
" For being not propped by ancestry, wliose grace
Ohalts snooesBore tbeir way ; neither allied
To eminent assistants ; but spider-like
Out of his self-drawing web, he gives us note,
The foicfl of his own merit makes his way ;
A gift that beaveu gives for him, which bnys
A place nest to the king."
James Henley Thoknwell was born on the 9th of De-
cember, A. D. 1813, on the plantation of Mr. Christopher
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PiVKENTAGK A
B. Pegues, in Marlborough District, South Uarolina. His
grandfather, William Thoniwell, was an Englishman, who
lived in Marlborough District. The family was pei-petna^
ted through only one son, James Thornwell, from whose
loins sprang the subject of our present story. This son was
married on the 25th of June, 1809, to Martha Terrell,
daughter of Samuel Terrell and Elizabeth Pearce, being
hereelf born on the 8th of December, 1794, The issue
of this latter marriage was as follows: Elisabeth,' bom
May, 1810, now living, the widow of William Anderson,
in Mai'lborough District; James Henley, and his twin
hrother, born December 9tli, 1812, the latter of whom died
a few weeks after his birth; Caroline Jane, born Septem-
ber, 1815, now living in South Carolina, as the widow of
JohnW. Graham; ^.Jifth child, & daughter, who died at
two years of age, and Charles Alexander, the youngest,
born October, 1820, who, after graduating in the South
Carolina College, pursued the profession of the Law with
■considerable distinction, and died in 18S5, Of these six
■children, two sons and two daughters survived the father ;
who died in the prime of life, on the 30th of December,
1820.
It is unfortunate that ao little can be traced of Dr.
Thornwell's parentage on the paternal side. Of his
grandfather nothing is known but what has been men-
tioned above. Of his father little can be gathered beyond
the fact that he belonged to that important and useful
class, so necessary under the partially feudal system whicli
has passed away, who managed the estates of others;
serving as middle men between the proprietors, who were
often absentees, and the baronial estates, which they man-
aged as their representatives. He is described as gen-
erous in disposition, free-handed and hospitable, living
always up to his means, and accumulating nothing. Pirm
in the execution of hia purposes, he acquired the reputa-
tion of being a good planter and an excellent manager;
and to the period of his death held positions of respousi-
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bility aocl trust. When this event ocoiirred he was in
chai'ge of the business of a widow lady, Mrs. Bedgewood,
afterwards Mrs. Billingslej.
The Bcene of death is thna described by an eye wit-
ness; and it is interesting as bringing, for the firat time,
distinctly before ns the subject of this book. It may lend
additional zest to the naiTati^e to say that it is told by
one from whom he was separated in birth by oidy the
interval of an hour, in homeB which were in sight of each
other, upon the same plantation. This surviving fnend, ■
Buetaining almost the relation of a foster-brother, thus
depicts the sensibility and grief of the youthful orphan:
"At that time I lived a great deal with my aunt, Mis. Bedgewood, and
wae thei-G when Mr. Ttornwell died. Thongli only some seven oT eight
years old, I reioembec the day perfectly. The house waa not more &aa
a quarter of a mile from my aunt's ; and both she I were there when he
breathed hia lait. It was fJifl first time I had ever aeen death faoe to-
face. I remember the looks of Mr. Thornwell to thia day. After he
was laid oat, Jamea and myself looked wondericgly on Mb remaina, and
then went to the spring, talking^ as boys might, of the strangeness of
death. I recollect his saying, in elmoat heart-broken accents, ' W/uit
u>iU mother do f What will become of us ?' We remained aome time at
the spring ; he often weeping bitterly, and I consoling him as well as-
I could. No day of my life is more vividly impressed upon my memory."
It is an artless story like this which most quickly suf-
fuses the eye with tears. It is graphic in its very
simplicity. Every line in the picture is sharply cut.
Two young hoys, just eight years of age, stand to-
gether by the side of a, corpse, with that strange awe
which all remember to have felt when first gazing upon
the great mystery of death; then sitting down by the
cool spring to appreciate what it imports to the living;,
then the sudden rush of grief upon the orphan's heart,
and the affectionate sensibility which stretches into the
desolate future, breaking into the wail, " What will my
mother do ?" It is the first sign given of the broad and
noble nature, which it will be the business of these pages
to portray; of that deep affectionateness, which flowed
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like a majestic stream tbrougli a generoi;^ life, fertilizing
friendsMps as tender and as lasting as ever gathered
around the memoTj of the dead. It shall he told in due
time " what that mother shall do," when we come to see
the fihal love which bursts forth in the passionate cry of
the boy, folding at last her venerable form in his manly
embrace, smootliing the pillow under her dying head,
and writing her praise in lasting marble over her grave.
These references form an easy transition to the fuller
record of his maternal ancestors. It will not be unin-
teresting here to incorporate a brief chapter of Carolina's
early history, upon which a degree of romance is im-
pressed by the dissimilai' elements which were fused into
her original population. Through a period of sixty years
after the first settlement, from A. D. 1670 to 1730, the
population of the province increased very slowly. First
came a small colony from Barbadoes, and with it the
iirst importation of slaves, in 1671. Then another col-
euy from Nova-Belgia, afterwards called New York, upon
its conquest, in 1674-, by the English, A considerable
emigration of French Protestants flowed in after the re-
vocation of the Edict of Nantz, in 1694; which gave a
mai'ked ehai'acter to the colony, furnishing many of tlie
most honourable names upon the proud roll of this gal-
lant State, even to the present time. In 1696 a further
accession was gained by the arrival of a Congregational
Church from Massachusetts, which settled in a, body at
Dorchester, near the head of Ashley river, about twenty
miles from the city of Charleston. Dr. Eameay, from
whose history these facts are compiled, proceeds to say,
"From 1696 to 1730 no considerable groups of settlers
are knovpn to have emigi-ated to Carolina, though the pro-
vince continued to advance in population from the arrival
of individuals,"
It will be remembered that in 1719 the government of
the infant province was transferred from the lords pro-
prietors "to tlie crown, a ciiange rendered necessary by
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6 LlffK OF JAMKa HENLEY
the mal-adminietration of the former, involving them in
fatal complications with the occupants of the soil. Under
the fostering protection of I'oyalty, a steady impulse was
given to the prosperity of the colony, which continued
with little abatement to the final disruption of a.11 bonds
with the mother eonntry, in 1776. At the period, how-
ever, when this change of administration occurred, it Was
in a condition of infantile weakness, and surrounded witli
perils on every side. The coast was infested with pirates,
who made their captures at the very bar of Charleston,
A narrow margin along the sea was all that was settled,
not extending fifty miles into the interior. The middle
country was held by the aborigines, "tribes of the rov-
ing fo'ot," whose incursions penetrated almost within
sight of the sea, and who were only less formidable by
reason of the desti-uctive wars waged amongst themselves.
The accession of the first royal governor was signaJized
by a more liberal policy towards these. Negotiations were
instituted and treaties formed, by which large tracts of land
were ceded to the colony, and these tronblesome neigh-
bours were removed to a safer distance.- The next step,
.of coui'se, was to fill np tliis new domain with hardy set-
tlers, whose growing power would prove a surer defence
I than the rudeforts at Dor Chester ,'Wiltown, and other places
ec[uaUy near the coast. Among the salutary measures
to stimulate immigration into the new territory, "the go-
vernor wa* instructed to mark out eleven townships, in
square plats, on the sides of rivers, consisting each ot
twenty thousand acres; and to divide the land within
them into shares of fifty acres for each man, woman and
child that should come to' occupy and improve them.
-Each township was to form a parish, and all the inhabi-
tants were to have an equal right to the river. • • *
Each settlor was to pay four shillings a year for every
hundred acres of land, except the first ten years, during
which term they were to be rent free. Accordingly,
ten townships were macked out: two on river Altamaba,
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PAKENTAGE AND BJliTM. 7
two on Savaniiiili, two on Santee, one on Pcdee, one on
Wacamaw, one on Wateree, and one on Black river."*
The offer of such privileges soon attracted the poor
and oppreeeed in other lands, who poured in from Ire-
land, Holland, Germany, and Switzerland; as well as
some from the more Northern American colonies, in
search of a more genial clime: so that to Carolina he-
longs the glory of affording an asylum to the persecnted
and distressed of every land, up to the period when a
large and fixed population of her own dispensed with the
necessity of recruiting her strength by tliese accessions.
And it would be a curious theme for speculation how far
the generous character, for wliich her citizens have al-
ways been distinguished, is due to the composition of so
many elements in her original society; as well as to trace
the oj>eration of those superior influences which melted
down their obvious contradictions, and fused them into a
consistent and harmonious whole.
The geueral history intersects just here with our own
narrative. The township of Queensborongh, located in
1731-2, upon the Great Pedee, a little above the junc-
tion of the Little Pedee, was first explored and afterwai'ds
settled by a party of Welsh from Pennsylvania. It ap-
pears that, as far baeii as 1701, some "Welsh Baptists
emigrated from their native country to America, bring-
ing with them their minister, and being constituted regu-
larly into a Church. They first settled in Peuepee,
Pennsylvania, where they remained a year and six
months. In 1703 they removed, and took up lands in
Newcastle county, which, by change of bounjiaries, was
afterwards thrown into the State of Delaware; which ex-
plains how the branch that fomid its way to Carolina is
differently represented as coming from Pennsylvania and
from Delaware. This colony came to the Pedee in 1736,
and desiring a larger tract of land, with the privilege of
exclusive occupancy, petitioned the Council to that end.
* Eamsay'8 History of South Carolina, chaptev fourtb.
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8 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEl' THOKNWELL.
Tlie result was a grant of one hundred and eeventy-threo
thousand eight hundred and forty acres of land, part of
which lay in the township of Queciisboronghj the remain-
der extending up the I'iver a sliort distance above Mar's
Bluff. A second petition, setting forth that the land was
not in all respects adapted to their wants, especially in
the growth of flax and hemp, was favourably answered in
173T by running the lines still farther \ip the Pedoo, to
the forli of the Yadkin and Rocky rivers, beyond the
boundary which now separates the two Oarolinas. The
"Welsh seem, however, to have fixed finally upon that rich
and compact body of land embraced in the bend of the
river opposite the present village of Society Hill, which,
stretching over a distance of six miles, was from an early
period known ss the "Welsh Keck." The actual settle-
ment began in 1736, and by the end of the following
year most of tlie families had arrived from Pennsylvania,
and the colony began to assume an organized and per-
manent character. lu 1738 they formed themselves into
a church of tlie BaptM faith, and erected a house of wor-
sliip, in which they continued to serve God after the
manner of their fathers. Kev. Dr. Alexander Gregg,
now Bkhop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Texas,
in his recently published " History of the Old Olieraws,"*
and from which all the above statements have been bodily
taken, thus sums up the character of this virtuous, but
exceedingly clanmsh, community :
" Snoh was the scene presented by tMs infant band of brothers in
ihe early days of their hietory, with no court of jnatioe in their roidat to
whicli conflicting claims and angry disputes might be referred, and no
frowning gaol for the reception of tlie oriminal. Nor were tliey needed,
Few contentions probablj k and tli ft
thongh newly formed in tli th h i t t gh t
silence the yoioe of the 11 i h m and in k th vil m id man
• This -work affords a nobl 11 t fhttq arh
cm aooomplish in worki [thlaltdti til
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PARENTAGE AND BIRTH. 9
paaae in his ways. Simplicity of character appears to have been one of
ibe Kost marked tvaita of the people ; a virtue which, liaa been trans-
mitted through anooeeding times to their deseeudants. They were open
and sincere, maliiiig no profesnion of feeling whicli did not esist.
"For aobriety and moderation, also, with what ■was more eaeenfjal, as
tlie foundation of all virtue, a deep religious feeling, they were distin-
guished. These virtues were strongly impresaed upon the community
they est&hlished, presenting in subsequent times a striking contrast to
some other neighhonrboods on the Pedee, where dissipation and irreli-
gion so much prevailed.
" The ■Welsh brought with them to a new country those marked fea-
tures for which their ancestors had been noted long before. The Welsh
are said t« have been more jealous of their liberties than even the Eng-
lish, and far more irascible, though their jealousy soon abated."
lu the first list of these early settlers occur names
■wbicli South Carolina has ever delighted to put upon its
roll of lionour, AlhiBion need only be made to those of
James, Wild, and Evans, conspicuous amongst those she
has clothed with the ermine, both in former and in recent
days ; whilst others are as household words to those who
have traced tbe fortunes of the State through her che-
quered history. In the bosom of tliese names is found
that of William Terrell, (originally Tarell), who appears
in 1738 taking out titles to land, ebowing bim a man of
substance, according to tbe distribution of property in his
day. His son, bearing also tbe name of William, seems
to have been eng^ed in the publit! service prior to the
Eevolution ; while the grandson, Captain Jolm Terrell, of
Marlborough District, is tersely described as " a wortliy
descendant of tbe old Welsh stock, and one of the best
men of his day and generation." Prom this family sprung
the mother of Dr. Thornwell, she being tbe granddaugh-
ter of William Terrell, whose name is mentioned above,
amongst tlie first settlers ou tbe Pedee.
She was endowed by nature with an intellect of tbe
highest order, though imimproved by education ; possess-
ing great strength of will, and a boundless ambition for
the advancement of her sons, in whom she discovered
early proofs of mental power. The investigations of sci-
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10 LIFE OF JAMES HEMLET THORNWELL.
ence will, perhaps, never interpret to us the law of tranft-
miesion, by which characteristic traits are derived from
parent to child, through which a distinct type is impressed
upon families and tribes, and by which, more myste-
riously still, the intellectual average is preserved in the
race at large. This case might, perhaps, be added to hun-
dreds of others, which seem to confirm the theory that
the intellectual qualities come predominantly from the
mother, while, perhaps, the moral descend more conspio-
uonsly from the father.
This is not the place, nor are we the parties, to discnsa
a physiological theory like this. But the pages of history
will probably be searched in vain for a truly great man
who had a fool for his mother. However this may be,
tlie Christian will be delighted to see, in this biography,
the fulfilment of those rich promises which the God of
grace has made to the widow and the orphan. In how
many broken households a feeble and desolate woman
lifts her heart to God for strength to bear, not only the
burdens of her own sex, but those which should have
been borne by her stricken partner! How often does
she toil in poverty and sorrow, to support her fatherless
children, whom she is permitted to see emerging at length
from obscui'ity and want, to tiie highest distinctions of
society!. It was given to this widowed mother to have
her proud ambition fulfilled; as this son, clothed with
academic honours,- sat among the senators and nobles of
tbeland, the noblest patrician of them all, the pride of his
native State, the joy and ornament of the Churcli, and
with a fame spread over two continents, the peerless man
of his time, . It only remains to be added, that Mrs. Thorn-
well was, throughout Ufe, an earnest Christian, warmly
attached to the doctrine and order of the Baptist Church,
in whose communion she remained through seven and
thirty years, to the moment of her death. That she im-
pressed her own convictions of trutli upon those depend-
ent upon her care, might be inferred from the massive
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PAKEHTAGE AND BIRTH. 11
force of her character. There is, besides, the affection-
ate testimony of her son, who, iu his Inaugural Dis-
coui'se, upon assuming the Chair of Divinity in the Theo-
logical School at Columbia, South Carolina, openly ac-
knowledged his " thanks to a noble mother, who had
taught him from the cradle those eternal principles of
grace, which that book (the Confession of Faith) con-
tains."
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CHAPTER II.
EARLY BOYHOOD.
OEPHiNiGE. — EiELT POTEETY. — Au OlD-FiELD ScHOOL. — HiS FiBST
Tea CHESS. ^ — Aooodnt of Mr. MoIn'tvkb. — Attachment to Hia
Pupil. — Habits o? Stddt. — Eakly Ambition. — Fibst iMPBESsioNa
OE His GBNins. — Intbodoctios to His Futobe Patbons. — Indif-
FEEENOE TO PtAT. — MoEAI: AND ReLIOIOOS TbAITS.
¥E mnst retura now to the chamber of death, -where
the head of a dependent household lies dressed for
the tomb. Alas for the poor 1 It is one of the hardships
of their lot that tliey have not leisure even for grief.
The stern nece^ities of life press at once upon the aching
heart, and they may not indulge the secret luxm-y of woe.
It is not for them to driw t\ie curtains over the window,
and in tlie darkened solitude to feed upon the precious
memories of the past. Ye favoured children of fortune,
who find it so hard to break away from sweet communion
with the dead, — bo liard, witli thoughts flying upward to
their strange world, to take up again the commonplaces
of this poor earth, — think with pity of such as must choke
down their great sorrow even wliiie the parting kiss rests
upon the marble brow, and turn at once to the life-long
struggle for bread !
It was too old a thought for our little orphan weeping
at the spring, "What will become of us?" Yet even he
must pierce the gloom of the future in the sad anti-
cipation of suffering and want. How much darker tlie
shadow that lay upon tlie heart of the mother and widow,
was revealed by no passionate cry from her lips. There
was only the " stony grief," the firat sickness of a heart
that finds itself alone witli its own desolateness. Her
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li LIFE OF JA>IES HENLEY THOENWELL.
strong nature, too, had been already compacted by life's
hard diseipline, and could better look upon the elond that
blackened the future before her. Yet soon the question
muBt be hers, as well as that of her boy, "What shall we
do ? " Hath not God other ravens besides those which
fed Elijah ? Perhaps a voice spoke out of the boaoiii of
that cloud, saying, "Leave thy fatherless children; I will
preserve them alive ; and let youi* widows trust in Me."
Perhaps a deep but quiet faith responded to the gracious
.assurance; and the burden was Hghter when it had been
" cast upon the Lord, who will never suffer the righteous
to be moved." It is not for the historian to penetrate these
experiences of God's hidden ones; only this we know,
" The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and
He will show them His covenant."
Some time after the death of her husband, a home was
provided for her and her children by Captain John Ter-
rell, her. first cousin, an excellent and pious member of
the Baptist Church, who removed them near to himself,
in a portion of Marlborough district known as Level
Green. With only a little money in hand, and the pos-
session of one slave, slie was henceforth dependent upon
her own industry, and the assistance of this worthy kins-
man, for support. A positive and self-reliant character
such as hers, would not, however, be likely to tax too
heavily the generosity which was so freely extended by
him. In the beautiful Unguage of Eudolph Stier, "Man
lifts his imploring, empty hand to heaven, and God lays
work upon it; thus hast thou thy bread." By weaving,
sewing, aad auch forms of labour as were suited to her
sex, she was enabled, not only to "give meat to her
household," but to secure to tliem such elementary edu-
cation as the neighbourhood afibrded. In later days,
when a modest refineraent graced his own abode, we have
heard Dr. ThornweU contrast it with the poverty of those
early days. But it was always with that playful badinage
so characteristic of his social moods ; and no one could
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EAKLY BOYHOOD. 15
.tell how far the picture he drew viaa intended to repre-
sent the actual tacts, or how far he craved the license of
heightening by exaggeration the colours on the canvass.
The Bubjeet was too delicate to inquire about; and he was
never egotistic enough to touch, except by incidental
reference, upon details that were simply personal. The
difficulty of bridg'ing with scant material the chasm of
this early period, has led the writer deeply t,o regret that
he never availed himself of the privilege of fi'iendship in
bursting through this reserve, and learning all that lie
would have freely told of the trials and triumphs of his
boyhood. But the opportunity was lost, thi'Ough mutual
delicacy, restraining, on the one side, what might- seem a
prurient curiosity, prying into the sanctities of life, and
on the other, what might he deemed ostentatious vanity in
disclosing the disadvantages which had been splendidly
surmounted. From the nature of the case, it could
not have been a home of plenty in which his youth
was nurtured; and it is doubtful if even his unaided
strength could have thrown off the oppression which
80 often stifles the aspirations, as it extinguishes the op-
portunities, of genius. The worst evil of poverty is not
found in the privations it inflicts ; for these are, to a large
degree, matters of convention and of habit. It is rather
the complete engrossment of the mind upon petty and
consuming cares, where the exactions of toil yield only
to the weariness which buries all in sleep. It is the con-
stant repression of the affections, which liave no time for
play, and the consequent blunting of the sensibilities,
whicli inflict a wound upon the nature itself, as sad as it
is incurable. But perhaps the saddest feature of urgent
poverty is, that it allows no childhood. It is but a step
from the nursery into the workshop, and heavy care sits
upon a heart that has kno^^n no mirth. What little
of childhood may iiave been enjoyed in the brief passage
goes, too, without a record. No traditions are handed
down, when all are too busy to note the changes in the
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16 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWBLL,
formation of character. Even our illustrious friend ia no
exception. We look for his boyhood, and there is none.
Much of this unquestionahly is due to the naajesty of his
genius, which gave him the strength and thoughtfulnesa
of the man, whilst in stature and in age he was still a
child. But in gathering the fragmentary reminiscences
from which these pages are compiled, one can scarcely
help weeping over that hard necessity of fortune which
has left his earliest years without a record.
It must have been during the first portion of the year
A. D. 1821 that this widowed mother found herself at
Level Green, in the new home provided by her generous
kinsman; and here it was that young ThornweU received
the iiidiments of an English education. He has himself
given somewhere an amusing description of an old field
school, such as were once common in retired sections of
the country, and which may not yet be entirely super-
seded. The picture waa evidently drawn from the life,
though we can but faintly sketch the outline from me-
mory. Let the reader then figure to himself a rude
building of logs, the interstices being filled with clay or
covered by clap-boards, a huge chimney at one end,
small windows innocent of glass, and wide doors, which
let in the wind together with the light ; a slanting shelf,
stretching the whole length of the room, answering as a
desk, at which the pupils stood to write; benches of a
piimitive pattern, mere slabs with pins driven in tlie
round side for legs, and the flat side turned upward for
the seat, and wholly unsuspicious of any support for the
back; and he has before him the usual appointments of
an old field school. It would not be safe to say too
much as to the gentleman of the birch and ferrule, seated
before a deal table between the opposite doors. The
slender emoluments derived from the State's thin bounty,
and the small fees exacted of such as could pay, would
-scarcely entice men of much culture into these precincts.
They were, however, generally equal to the necessities of
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EA.ELY BOYHOOD. 17
the region. They could engineer a hoy throxigh Webster's
Spelling-Book and Pike's Arithmetie, rising sometimes
to tlie dignity of itorse's Geography and Murray's Gram-
mar, and tcaehing elocution from the Columbian Orator.
Occasionally there appeared teachers of real merit, ae we
shall presently see. Yet in these unpretending seminaries
was laid the foundation of seholarehip with some of the
beat thinkers, who have filled the highest judicial and
legislative positions in the land. It is ascertained that,
between the years 18^1 and 1823, young Thornwell was
successively under the disciphne of three teachers, whose
names are all tliat is handed down to us. They were
Eugene Kinnon, au Irish Eoman Catholic; Daniel Smith,
who came from Robeson county, Kortli Carolina; and
Levi Lagget, of unknown origin. It is impossible to say
what was his precise indebtedness to these first teachers.
But if the astounding statement is to be received on a
single authority, that he was ignorant of his letters at
nine years of age, we have only to measure backward
from his knowledge at fourteen to be convinced that the
whole intervening period must have been marked by an
astonishing progi'ess.
In 1823 Mr, Mclntyre appears as the teacher at Level
Green, a name which deserves to be linked in grateful
remembrance with that of his distinguished pupil, aa the
earliest of his benefactors. The debt which the world at
large owes to this gentleman, as being the first to pluck
from obscurity our " mute inglorious Milton," we will seek
in part to discharge by placing his record, so far as it may
be gathered, by the side of the protege whose merit he
was the first to disclose. Mr, Peter Mclntyre came from
a Scotch settlement on Drowning creek, in !Noi'th Caro-
lina, upon the old stage road from Cheraw to Fayetteville.
The Scotch had a large settlement on this creek, and
persons are still living who remember the annual fair
accustomed to be held among them, at or near a place
called Laurel Hill. Here, too, was an excellent school,
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18 ilFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
in which were educated such men as the Grahams, the
Gilehriste, and others who have made themselves famous
ia that State. Mr. Mclntyre was a member of the Me-
thodist Church, and a local preaoher, though he devoted
his life to teaching. He married Miss Anna Seals, sister
of the Rev, David Seals, long known as a minister in the
South Cai"olina Conference. After finishiDg his cai'eer
ae a teacher in Marlborough District, Mr, Mclntyre re-
moved to Macon, Georgia, where he presided over an
academy for some time; and subsequently went to Ala-
bama, where all trace of him has been lost. If still alive, '
it might prove a eolaoe of his declining age to know how
many blees his memory who have profited under the
instructiouB, or have rejoiced in the friendship, of the
pupil of his early years. He is represented on every
side as a moat excellent man, a thorough scholar, with a
peculiar tact in imparting knowledge, and a certain mag-
netic power in drawing persons to him, and of impressing
his stauip upon them. These qualities could not fail to
make him a successful teacher; whilst a mild and gentle
dieposition united him in warm friendship, not only with
his pupils, hut mth those whose association was f>ir less
intimate.
Young ThoiTiwell'a connection with Mr. Mclntyre was
fortunately continued tlu-ough a period of at least three
years. The dates cannot be fixed with absolute preci-
sion. But the year 1823 is generally assigned as the
beginning of his teaching at Level Green; and in 1826
Thornwcll is still with him, though in a different neigh-
bourhood. His proficiency was so rapid, his habits so
studious, and the evidence of his genius so conspicuous,
as to enlist the entire professional and personal sympathy
of the preceptor. The proof of this is furnished in what
occurred when the happy relation between the two was
threatened with sudden dissolution. Mr. Mclntyi'e ac-
cepted an invitation from the Messrs. Pegues, James and
Malaehi, and their immediate neighbours, to estabhsh
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EARLY BOYHOOD. 19
amongst them a select school, composed of their children.
Upon removing, however, to his new aharge, he said to
Mr. Malaohi Pegues, that there was a boy of very re-
markable talents in the neighbourhood where he had
been teaching, with whom he was reluctant to part. He
proposed, therefore, to continue his edneation gratui-
tously, if Mr, Pegues would afford him a home in his own
fanaily. Upon learning that the lad was a son of the
Thornwell whom he had familiarly imown in former
years, he readily consented. The arrangement was dvlj
carried out; and, as the inmate of his house, our little
student continued to enjoy thg instructions of his old
preceptor.
The same diligence and ardour marlied his career now
as before. In these early years were formed those habits
of intense application, which never deserted him to the
close of his life. During the long watches of the night,
whilst other boys slept, he was poring over the loaaonb
of the succeeding day, digging into the intricacies of ob-
solete languages, analyzing their structure, and mastering
their idioms. The real enthusiasm of tlie scholar bore
ium on to understand tiieir genius, and to absorb their
spirit. So, too, the hours of recreation, which other
boys surrendered to active and healthful sport, were
spent by him in threading the maaes of history, or in
dallying with the pleasures of literature. It is wonderful
that a physical frame, slender from the beginning, did
not give way under these severe exactions, at a time
wlien the constitution needs to be consolidated. It is
more wonderful still, that the mind itself was not smoth-
ered beneath its accumulated load, at a period when the
most delicate problem in education is to measure know-
ledge to the capacity for receiving it. In his case there
was a marvellous physical endurance underlying that
feeble body, and a mental digestion which assimilated
these huge stores, without which the gift of genius would
have proved the signature for the tomb. Already he has
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so LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TEOENWELL.
ceased to Tdo a boy. The attitude and habits of a mao
ha?e displaced those of the child. He has no relish for
the rude sports in which his companions engage; not, as
some allege, from the consciousness of his physical infe-
riority to them, but from that consuming love of study
which always made the acquisition of knowledge his
supreme delight. His ambition, too, was equal to his-
powers ; and it was exceedingly well defined, even at this
early age. Being aaked, in later life, what first excited
his ambition to be a man of learning, his reply was, that
"from his carhcst knowledge of himself, he had felt it
working as a passion within him."
This will be illustrated by a story, which falls in here as-
a necessary link in hie fortunes. A physician. Dr. Graves,
a native of Virginia, and graduate of the Piiiladelphia
School of Medicine, at that time lived in Oheraw, and
practised in the surrounding country. In paying a pro-
fessional visit to the family of Mr. Pegues, his attention
was attracted to a pale and diminutive boy, who, in utter
indifierence to the sports of his companions, was absorbed
in the perusal of a book. It tm-ned out, lipon inquiry, to
be Hume's History of England, In playful banter, the
visitor advised the lad to " read something he could un-
derstand." Instantly the book was in his hands, with a
challenge for examination upon itB contents. There was
a piquancy in this, which was, to say the least, exciting.
The examination was begun and protracted, with a grow-
ing wonder at the student's thoughtful familiarity with
the volume. The interview was prolonged, and conver-
sation wi^ shifted from subject to subject ;
"And still the wondet graw
That one small tead could carry ell he knew."
The profound conviction was riveted upon the mind of
Dr. Graves, that he was confronted by one of those intel-
lectual prodigies sonietimes thrown up in life, who are
to be judged by no ordinary standard. The impression
was not transient. "Wherever he went he carried the
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EARLY BOYHOOD.
Btory of this remarkable genius, gi'o-wing up under the
shade of the Peguea settlement. Amongst others, it was
told to General James Gillespie, a wealthy planter, who
lived about four miles distant, and to William H. Robbins,
Esq., a rising lawyer in the town of Oheraw, with the addi-
tional remark that " it wonld not be Burprising if this pale-
faced yonth should one day be the President of the United
. States." Of course this American hyperbole was simply
a compendiouB expression that, in the spealcer'e judgment,
this obscure lad possessed abilities to achieve the highest
statesmanship, and that his present attainments were an
augiu'y of brilliant success in any du-eetion. These state-
ments were corroborated by the enthusiastic testimony of
Mr. Mclntyre himself. General GUlespie, by occasional
attendance upon the examinations of the school, had also
the opportunity of forming his individual opinion as to
the merits of young Thomwell. The combined effect of
testimony and observation was such as to lead this gen-
tleman to undertake his entire future education, as soon
as he should be discharged from the tutelage of Mr.
Mclntyre. Stating this purpose aftei'wards to Mr. Bob-
bins, he came forwai-d with an offer to divide the ex-
penses which should accrue; and the two became hence-
forth the joint patrons of our young fi-ipud
The institution of these new relations must, however,
be reserved for another chapter. "What lemams of this
will best be occupied with a general view of his dispo-
sition and character, so far as yet developed The truth
of the old adage will hardly be questioned, " The boy is
father to the man." Certainly the moral traits which
distinguished childhood, if aecirrately noted, will be found
to be carried over, in a modified form, to mature years.
The student life of young Thornwell has, perhaps, been
sufficiently depicted. Its special features might doubtless
be more fully expanded; such, for instance, as the steady
impulse of his ambition, his power of concentration, the
thoroughness with which he penetrated beneath the sur-
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W JAJtES HENLEY THOENWELL.
face of things to tlieir essence, and the royal delight he
felt in knowledge, which spurned all lower joy. But
they are all comprehended in the description which has
already been given. One little incident may, however,
he narrated, as Ulostrating how early he had formed that
almost personal attachment which a true scholar feels for
his hooks, aa though they were living friends, witJi whom
a living communion is maintained. Whilst with Mr.
Mdntyre, all his books were consumed one night by Are,
with the school house, except those he was at the moment
studying. His distress was overwhelming; nor could he
refer to the loss without tears, for weeks afterwards.
One can scarcely repress a smile at eueh grief over the
destruction of a library, which was certainly not of Alex-
andrian proportions. But beneath it there will lurk a true
sympathy with that scholarly feeling which made him thus
early anticipate the immortal sentiment of Milton, which
he had not yet read: "Books are not absolutely dead
things, but do preserve, as in a vial, the purest efBcacy
and exti'action of that hving intellect that bred them."
Those who recall the look of affection with which, in his
prime, Dr. Thornwell would gaze upon the volumes in
his library, and the pride with which he would exhibit
the best editions, will recognize in these boyish tears one
of his marked chai-acteristics.
His indifference to play whilst a boy must not be con-
strued as a sign of a morose and cynical temper. He is
described, on the contrary, at this time as eminently
genial and social, warm in his affections, and fond of
talking with others about the books he read and the
studies which he pursued. He was not simply popular,
but exceedingly beloved by his companions; the best
evidence of which is, that the schoolmates of those early
days clung, with rare devotion, to him throughout life ;
and such as still survive cherish his memory with a ten-
derness which is the best tribute that love can pay to
merit. Indeed, it could scarcely be otherwise, unless
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EAELY BOYHOOD.
tliere had been sometliing in hie natural disposition to
repel fnendship. He came into no rivalry with his com-
panione on the play-ground, and they offered no com-
petition with him in the school-room. Perhaps, through
hie whole life, no one was ever pierced less hy the shafts
of envy. His intellectaal superiority was so universally
and so cordially conceded, that he was lifted above the
jealousy which competition engenders ; whilst the esprit
du corps which belongs to every class, begat in his com-
peers that feeling of pride, which, unless repeUed, easily
glides into personal affection. It was his grand fortime
through life to be sun-ounded by friends, whose love was
never tainted with envy ; who rejoiced in Ms fame, without
the desire to plnck one leaf from the lam'ele with which
he was crowned. It must have been a generons nature
which always commanded homage like this.
His habit of late study at night necessitated late rising
in the morning. Indeed, whilst a bo^, his morning sleep
was so profound that he bad literally to be pulled out of
bed. Doubtless nature was thus at pains to repair the
heavy drafts which were made upon her resoxireea. This
peculiarity, however, marked bis whole career. His stndiee
were prosecuted chiefly at night, and he was habitually a
late sleeper. He claimed this, indeed, as an idiosyncrasy ;
and many were the ingenious arguments he would invent,
in playful banter, to prove that the day was intended for
rest, and the 'night for work; and that man, in his per-
verseness, had wrongfully changed the original and proper
arrangement of Providence.
At this .early ago, no proclivity to any form of vice
would be expected. Only once he is represented to have
tasted liquor to intoxication ; for whicJi, as he richly de-
served, he received the severest wliipping of his life. He
became, however, early addicted to the use of tobacco ;
commencing to chew at eleven years of age, and a little
later, to smoke ; both of which habits he indnlgod freely
\mtil his death. Dr. Thomwell was wont to speak of
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24 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
himself as hayiiig been a bad boy, which the surviTing
members of his family most affectionately deny. It is a
general expression, used by the two in very different
senses. Upon Ms lips, it is just the confession which
would fall from any good man, calling to mind " the sins
of his youth." But from the positive traits which belonged
to him, and which we only knew as modified by Divine
grace, it is easy to understand how his boyhood may have
been distinguished by a certain wilfidness and contrar
diction of authority, which called for the correction of the
rod. Happily for him, the mother was a woman of
vigorous understanding and strong will, which knew how
to put a curb upon such a temper. The writer has more
than once heard him refer to these early contests between
insubordination and authority. He would rub his hands,
and tell, with a heai-tyreliah of hmnour, how some childish
misdemeanour would induce him to take refuge in the
woods, from anticipated chastisement, until the solid
night had shrouded the house in darkness ; then, creeping
softly to his bed, he would lose in grateful sleep all appre-
hension of the future. But, alas ! the sure retribution
would come in the morning, when he found a thin sheet
but a poor defence from the long, wiry switch tliat rained
its cutting rebulies upon the naked limbs. This is what
he meant by the badness of his youth : that " foolishness
bound up in the heart of a child," which Solomon said,
and his mother believed, "tlie rod of coiTcotion must
drive out."
Beneath aU this, there was an outcropping of religious
convictions, rather unusual in a boy of thirteen, and which
we notice here from a still more singular exhibition of
them, which we will meet a little later. He had evidently
imbibed from his mother's teachings and influence a de-
cided predilection for the Calvinistic view of Divine
truth. Always outspoken in his opinions, and ever ready
to sustain them with reasons, he was somewhat of a thorn
in the good Methodist family where he resided. Mrs.
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EAKLY BOYHOOD. ZO
Pegues, especially, "who was warmly attached to the doo
ti-ines of her church, was often annoyed by the young
polemic. Doubtlesa he was often more irritating than
convincing. We can easily fancy how, at unseasonable
moments, and in a way more dogmatic than courteous, a
disputations boy might push "the five points" into other
people's eyes. It is no small proof of this lady's bene-
volence, that she could bear the intrusion from this source
at all. Though she continued to treat him with a kindness
which made no discrimination between him and her own
sons, there was always a little soreness in her heart from
these disputes. It is of value to us only as the earliest
indication of religious thought, throwing light upon an
•obscure experience by and by.
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,db, Google
C'HAPTKK III.
777S PATEONf^.
Bbtep Sketch of the GENERAia Guji.EePiE.^THKLB Aiteotion job
THBiB Wmib. — Sketch of Mb. EosBiNs, — His Mahked Inpltjenoe '
m Detelopihq the Genidb intbtisted to his Care.
THE Buccessive steps by ■which the eubjeut of these
Momoira was led up from obscurity, exhibits a mar-
vellous adaptation in the agencies employed, to the ex-
igencies of each particular stage. When left an orphan,
and the question was one simply of bread, this was pro-
vided through the care of a considerate kinsman. After
he had stumbled through the rudimeflts of an English
education, and had reached t\ie critical moment for layiiig
the foundation of accurate scholarship, a teacher is fur-
nished exactly suited to this work of driU; under whose
instruction he remains, without disastrous change, until
this is accomplished. Then, in a way seemingly fortui-
tous, he attracts the notice of a stranger, who sounds his-
praise throughouttheregion;until at length the friends are
ra^d up, who secure to him a complete education, never
relaxing their benevolence unti! he is afloat in life, and
able to return to othera the benefits received from them.
The two gentlemen who now assiune the guardianship
over him were benefactors, not simply with the purse,
but in the distinct impression of their character upon hie.
A kind Providence has brought him into just such per-
sonal relations as were suited to his development. The
orphan finds in them more than the father whom, six
years ago, he had lost.
To enbalm in this narrative the names of Gillespie and
ofEobbinSjisalegaey silently bequeathed to the biographer
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iiS LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
of thoir iUustiious proteg^ ; a sort of remainder in trust, to
be exeeutod on his behalf, to the memory of those to whom
he waa so largely indebted. Coidd his own pen haye
made the acknowledgment, the throbbing gratitude would
only have been equalled by the delicacy of its expression.
We can but rudely sketch the portraits, upon which the
reader will not be unwilling to look.
We are again indebted to BiBhop Gregg's " History of
the Old Cheraws," for the first trace of the Gillespie
family. The name (originally spelt Galespy) first occurs
on the public registry', in A. D, 17i3, when James Galespy
petitioned the Council, " that, having six persons in his
family, a warrant of survey for three hundred acres be
granted him in the ' Welsh Tract.'" Hewa8not,however,
a Welshman, but came from tho north of Ireland. " He
was a man of energy and enterprise; and was engaged
with General Christopher Gadaden, of Charleston, in
boating on the Pedee, many years before the Eevolution,
He settled at length higher up the river, near to the pre-
sent site of Cheraw, and entered on a successful career
as a trader," Two sons inherittd his name, Francis and
James. The former died prior to the American Bevoln-
tion; the latter. Major James Galespy, having at that
time reached his . majority, took an active part in the
struggle, and after the war was over amassed a handsome
estate. He left a considerable family, moat of whom,
before or soon after maturity, died from consumption.
Two sons, however, survived to rear families of their own :
G-eneral Samuel WQds Gillespie, and General James
■Gillespie.
The last mentioned is he of whom we are speaking, as
the patron with whom young Thornwell waa particularly
identified ; though it is proper to add just here, that after
the lad was prepared for College, both brothers were asso-
ciated with !Mr. Eobbins in defraying the expenses of Ms
University course. They were both planters, men of
large views, generous impulses, and great publi(; spirit.
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HIS PATBONB. 29
After the death of the former, which occurred in mid-life,
General James G-illespie was left the sole survivor of his
fiither's family ; and no one was ever more respected in hia
native District of Marlborough. He still lives, at a venera-
ble age, a pious member of the Episcopal Church, quietly
awaiting the summons to the rest above, upon which his
hope and faith have long been fastened.
It is impossible to estimate the influence, upon the plas-
tic mind of a noble-spirited boy, of intimate intercourse
with two such men as the Generals GiUespie^ They were
both eminent types of the Old School Southern gentleman.
Quiet and self-contained, with an easy dignity engendered
of self-respect, and just a touch of reserve, which sat like
a porter in his lodge, to open and shut the gates of inter-
com'se as miglit be desired; observing with scrupulous
exactness all the amenities of life ; vnth a polished educa-
tion, and that fine sense of honour which shrunk from the
very thought of meanness as from the touch of a leper :
such were the men in whose cultivated homes and refined
society our youthful friend finds himself adopted. The
influence upon him may have been as gentle as the
light ; but like the Kght, it was absorbed, and tinged his
life as plants draw their colour from the sun.
No form of charity, probably, yields as quick and large
returns as the education of a promising youth ; and some
of the brightest gems with which society is adorned were
thus rescued from tlie rubbish, where they would have I'e^
mained buried for ever. The affection, too, which springs
up betwixt the benefieiai'y and his patron, is often one of
the purest that is known on earth. The bonds of kind-
ness on the one hand, and gratitude on the other, bring
the two into relations only less endeared than betwixt
parent and child. The correspondence shortly to be in-
trodneed, will show such to have been the afi^ection between
Dr. Thomwell and the friends of his early dependence.
It will serve to illustrate that entertained by General
Gillespie, to relate an incident which occurred with the
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30 LITE or JAMKS HENLE'V THOKNWELL.
writer of these pages. At one of the commencements ot
the South Carolina College, during the presidency of Dr.
Thomwell, the pressure of the crowd thrust the -writer
into an uneasy posture, directly behind the chair occupied
by General Gillespie, as a trustee, upon the rostrum. In
one of the pauses between the speeches, when the music
gave the signal for relaxation, and the hum of conver-
sation pervaded the house, he leant forward and whispered
in the ear of his neighbour : " General, I would give a
good deal to drop down into the middle of your heart, and
Bee exactly how you feel, as you sit there and see and hear
that man, now clothed with the highest dignities of the
State, whom jou helped to occupy that poet of honour."
Turning round, with eyes brimming with tears, and a
voice tremulous with emotion, he replied : " Mr. Palmer,
you would have to go down into this heart to find it out ;
for I have no words in which to express the gratitude and
joy which the recollection gives me." Truly there are
cases in which " it is more blessed to give than to receive ;"
and with a generous nature, a gi'atitude for the privilege
of doing good may rise as high as the gratitude which ac-
knowledges an obligation. Whatever losses may baye
accrued from the ravages of war, this venerable benefa«tor
has an investment in the usefulness of his ward, stretching
along the ages yet to come, of which neither time nor
eternity will ever deprive him.
With his other pati'on, Mr. Kobbins, young Thomwell
w^ thrown into associations more intimate and constant;
the intellectual and moral impression mjide upon him was,
therefore, more distinct. We are glad, for this reason,
that the fuller details furnished will enable us to render
this sketch more complete than the preceding,
William Hbnby Robbins was born in October, A. D.
1795, in Hallowell ; at that time in a district of Massa-
chusetts, but now in the State of Maine. Prior to his
birth, his pai-ents resided in Plymouth, Massachusetts,
where his grandfather, the Kev. Dr. Robbins, was the
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E£ia PATRONS. 31
pastor of the First Orthodox Congregation. He appears
to hare been religiously trained ; his journal, which he
kept from 1810, being lai-gely oecupied with the abstracts
of sermons to which he listened in his youth. Most un-
fortunately for the purposes of this biography, the journal
flf Mr. Eobbins, which he continued, almost to the time of
hie decease, was destroyed in a recent fire. ■ It would have
enabled us to fix with precision some dates which are now
uncertain, and would have contributed valuable facts
known to no other party. His education, begun at HaUo-
well, was completed at Eowdoin College, Brunswick,
Maine, under the presidency of Dr. Appleton. After his
graduation, he studied law, under Judge "Wilde, subse-
tLuently upon the Supreme Bench in the State of Massa-
chusetts; and was admitted to practice in the city of
Boston. Finding, however, a Northern clime too severe
for his delicate constitution, he resolved to move South ; .
a purpose which was delayed two years, in deference to the
opposition of parents and friends. ' The necessity of change
became only too apparent at the end of this time ; and on
January the 2nd, 1830, he sailed from Boston to "Wil-
mington, North Carolina. He studied the laws of this
State, at FayetteviUe, taking a few pupils to defray his
current expenses ; and in the spring of the same year ap-
plied for admission to practice. Most unaccountably, he
was rejected by the Court, as he himself believed, thi'ongh
the influence of a strong prejudice against men of Northern
birth. It was a crushing bldw ; not only disappointing
his expectations of providing a comfortable home, but in-
fiicting a severe wound upon sensibilities which were
peculiarly alive to that form of suffering. To all this was
added the mortification of being seemingly compelled to
return homo, to meet the irritating sympathy of those who
had predicted his failure.
This necessity was averted by one of those trivial inci-
dents, which men term fortuitous, hut are so often the
hinge upon whicli our whole destiny tarns. The Hon-
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32 JLiFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
onrable William Lowndes, of South Carolina, happened
just then to be passing through Fajetteville, on his way to
"Washington City, to attend the sessions of Congi'ess. To
him Mr. Robhins related Ms discomfitnre, and his pm-pose
of returning Korth. " ^o," responded Mr. Lowndes, " do
not go Korth, but to South Carolina, where no such pre-
judice exists." This counsel led to a correspondence witli
Mr, Dnttkin, of Charleston, also a Massachusetts man,
■who subsequently sat upon the Chancery Bench in his
adopted State.
Through the encouragement received from this gen-
tleman, Mr. Eobbina removed to South Carolina in the
autumn of 1821, and settled at Society Hill, in Dar-
lington District. After making himself familiar with the
local statutes, he was, in the spring of 1822, admitted
without difficulty to the practice of his profession. His
means were by this time exhausted, while tlie trials of a
novitiate were still to be encountered. With an inde-
pendence truly heroic, he accepted the fact of his poverty.
Being unable to purchase a horse, he was accustomed to
walk the whole distance from Society Hill to the county
seats of Darlington, Chesterfield, and Marlborough, — each
being iifteen miles distant, — ^in his attendance upon com-f.
As an illustration, not only of his independence, but of
his strict integrity, it may be mentioned that, after one of
these pedestrian tours, a friend tapped at his office window,
and said, "Mr. Bobbins, I fear you have not much busi-
ness, and may be in want of money ; I will lend it to you
on your own time." Touched by this unexpected kind-
ness, he could only reply by the pressure of the hand;
but subsequently wrote a note acknowledging the offer,
and saying that, "though his means were indeed small,
he was not willing to take the risk of involving another
in loss, when his success was so uncertain," These self-
reliant qualities seldom fail in the end ; and he soon built
np a practice which at least relieved him from the urgency
of pressure. After his removal to Cheraw, his practice
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HIS PATK0N8. 33
i-emuneratwe ; so that, in the course of twenty
years, he acquired a handsome competence, and left Ills
family in circumstances of ease at his death. His business
was chiefly that of a counsellor in the collection of ac-
counts and the settlement of estates. _ He was distin-
guished for system and precision in the duties of his office,
and for punctuality and fidelity to his clients. Such was
his reputation for legal knowledge and accuracy, that, by
the testimony of one of the judges before whom he was
accustomed to appear, it was only necessary to Imow that
the papers were drawn by Ms hand to he assured of their
invulnerabUity ; and such were his judgment and skill,
that he was never known to lose a case where he himself
brought the action.
These facts, together with what remains from his own
pen, reveal a mind intensely practical and earnest. He
took life aa it was, and dealt with it on the principles of
vigorous common sense. His determinations were almost
judicial in their east; and a just moderation mai'ked his
whole career, both in the opinions he formed, and the policy
he pursued. "FTih equipoise was almost perfect. Cautious
in the committal of himself, he was inflexible in the deci-
sion: one upon whom others could lean, and never disap-
pointing the expectations which he had raised. Such men
are rarely demon sti-ative ; but their affections ai'e usually
deep and constant. Hr. Robbins had broad sympathies,
and unceasing charity; but both were under the control
of principle. He felt it a conviction of duty to aid helpless
merit ; sharpened, doubtless, into a sentiment, by the recol-
lection of his own struggle to gain foothold upon life. He
early practised economy and self-denial, in order to fulfil
this obligation; for he was only upon the. first flood of
professional success, when his generous hand was stretched
for the relief of our young friend, and whilst he was bur-
dened with the secJ-et support of some of his own kindred
at a distance.
The impression has almost univei'sally obtained, that in
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34 LIFE OF JAMES IlENLET THOENWELL.
his religious views Mr. Hobbine was a Unitarian. The
charge is warmly repelled by his surviving family, who
allege that no trace of this is to be found in the jouraal
where his private thoughts were recorded, nor can their
memory recall any admission of it from hie own lips. On
the other hand, the fact is affirmed by others, without a
suspicion of its aeeuraey ; and, what is the most staggering
of all, it ia stated by those whose spiritual relations to hitn
would afford the beet opportunity of knowing his views
%vith certainty. The discrepancy can be explained only
in one way. He was educated, as we have seen, in the
orthodox faith, and to the period of his removal South sat
constantly under an orthodox ministry. But the ortho-
doxy of New England delighted at this time to be known
as a "modified orthodoxy." The term is not ours; and
we will allow the distinction to be stated by a clergyman
of that region, a near relative, who was consulted on this
very point. In a letter, bearing date January 22d, 1873,
he writes :
" It is weU known (hat, about the beginning of the present century,
there was a very general depacttiie among the clrareliee of MaSBaoliusettH
from the old oi-thodoi ground. Noacly all the oldest ohnrohes along the
shores of the Bay, from. Cape Cod to Cape Ann, inelnding the ehurohes
in Boston, paitook of the movement. The objection, as then urged,
to the old orthodoxy, was rather to its esolnaivaness, and to certain
stereotyped dogmatic statements and metaphysical diBtinotions, which,
aa Avas tlren thought, had been aubsHtnted in tbe place of simple and
hearty belief in Jesns Christ as the only ground of salvation, tban to
any evangelioal dootrine stated in Soriptiire terms. This was very dif-
ferent from what has since appeared, under the name of Unitarians.
Its spirit was thoronghly loya! to Christ and the Bible."
It is not difficult, then, to understand how a mind, con-
stitutionally averse to all extreme views, and letting go
the sharp distinctions and technical nomenclature, vrith-
out which neither divine nor any other truth can be sci-
entifically stated, should be involved in perfect confusion
and mist upon the subject of the Holy Trinity. If pKed,
too, with Unitarian books and tracts, as be was by some
of his family connexions in New England, he would soon
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36
waver in the acceptance of the facts themselves, which
■could no longer he represented to his own mind in any
definite propositions. The truth is apt to slip away from
■oui- grasp, as .soon as we disallow the necessary tei-ms by
which alone it can be defined, and witlioat which it can
no longer be reflectively considered. Thus, probably, he
became tainted with the Socinian heresy, without fonn-
ally adopting it as a creed, or abandoning entirely the
traditional faith of his youth. These diiBcultiea would
naturally be mentioned in confidential intercourse, and,
with his religious guides, might well assume the form
of polendc discussion, in the effort to escape from the
mist of speculation, and to give a palpable shape and
body to what flitted before him only as aii-y abstractions.
We have been thus minute, from a profound respect %o
the memory of one who has snch a just claim upon Pres-
byterian gratitude. His religious opinions should either
not be given to history at all, or the evidence should be
produced upon which they are supposed to rest.
But in whatever form this error may have existed,
whether floating in the mind as a vague doubt, or crya-
taUized into a fixed opinion, it was squarely abandoned
some ten or twelve years before his death, when, under
the preaching of the celebrated revivalist, Dr. Daniel Ba-
ker, he became the subject of renewing grace. Attaching
himself to the Episcopal Church, he remained a consistent
and devoted Christian to the end. " His piety," wi'ites
the pastor who was with him in his last moments, "was
a pervading, steady principle, which imbued his ■■whole
life; and he passed calmly and peaceably to his rest,
in the full possession of hie faculties, and of the testimony
of a good conscience; in the communion of the Catholic
Church; in the confidence of a certnin faith; in the com-
fort of a reasonable, religious and holy hope ; in favour, I
doubt not, with God ; and in charity with the world. His
end was like a peaceful, gradual transfiguration of the
mortal into the immortal; like a melting out of our
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iltl LIFE OF JAME8 UENLBY
earthly sight into the invieible world of spirit." The
diseaae, consumption, which had threatened his eai'ly
manhood, returned upon him, after a long suspeneion.
Through five yeara the battle was maintained, during
■which he was often obliged to leave home ; once to take
a sea voyage, as well as to involie the skill of an eminent
physician in Paris. At lengtli the desti'oyer triumphed;
and he fell asleep on the" 26th of March, 1843, in the
forty-eighth year of his age. His rare modesty, his con-
tempt for the artificial distinctions of life, and tlie sense
of the littleness of earth, aE foimd characteristic expres-
sion in the inscription traced, by his own direction, upon,
his tomb :
' ' My name, my oouctry, what is tihat to ttee ;
What, whether high or low, my pedigree ?
Perhaps I far surpassed all oQier men ;
Perhaps I fell helow them ; what then ?
Suffice it, stranger, that thou see'st a tomb ;
Thou Itnow'st its use ; it hides, ^-no mattei- whom."
"Without name or date, liow solemnly this rebuke of
human vanity peals forth in the silent graveyard of 8t,
David's Church 1
Such was the man with whom James Thornwell was
thrown into what may be termed a closet intercourse,
during the most forming period of a boy's life, between
the ages of fourteen and eighteen. There is no calculus
by which to measure the benefit which accrued. But,,
, surveying the wliole of his after career, and knowing all
that Providence designed him to be, it is clear no influ-
ence conld have better shaped him for the end in view.
Mv. Kobbins wae an accomplished man; imbued with
the spirit, as well as with tlie letter, of the ancient
classics, having comprehensive and philosophic views,
thoroughly acquainted with history in its entire range,
and not insensible to wliat was beautiful in literature and
art. A vigorous and clear intellect like his was nothing
less than a.Voltaic battery, waking up the young mind be-
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HIS PATRONS. 37
fore it, that was only too capable of absorbing the living
energy which thrilled along every nerve, and charged
every power with its secret virtue. Here is a lad pos-
sessing the ambition to become all that is possible, with
a lofty ideal ever beckoning him forward, with a thirst for
knowledge which no acquiaitione can quench ; and here,
at his side, is a full fountain, pouring fortJi its magnetic
waters, stimulating the appetite which they seem to fill.
The influence of Hr. Bobbins was not less happy in its
modifying power. The conapicnons attribute of his mind
was its practicalness, which made him an admirable
trainer for a genius. It dealt alone wiCh facts and prin-
ciples; and these were applied with a rigonr and precision
that estopped aU extravagances, and brought one down
to sedate and earnest thinking. Truth, in her unadorned
majesty, was the touchstone by which every thing was to
he tested. The wise cautions, and sometimes the trench-
ant criticisms, which are to be found in his letters, reveal
him as the Mentor of Telemaehus to his young ward.
And if the genius which he snccessfully trained did not
prove that fatal gift which so often blasts its possessor —
if it proved a genius disciplined by culture, and harness-
ing itself to the practical duties of life, until it wronglit
a work full of blessing to the world — much of it is due
to the moulding influence of this clear, strong, and prac-
tical mind, which gave direction to its aspirations, and
shaped its development. It is not always given us to
trace the agencies and methods by which we have been
se&retly educated for our work; but the most remarkable
feature in this history is, the happy training by which
the subject of it was disciplined from the opening of his
id by Google
,db, Google
ClIAPTEE IV.
PilBFARATION (i-OR COLLEOE.
Kemoyai to Chera-W. — Abode with Ms. KoBBraa. — Cokji
L4TIONS WITH HlU. — FlEST ApPPiAEASCE AS A DBBiTEK, — EKTKAKOB
IBTO THE CbBBAW AcADEMY, — LoVE POB THE CLiBaiOS. — EaBLY FOBD-
NESS EOB MbTAPHSSIOS. — COaBEEPOBDEtlOB "WITH Hja PaTEOS. — SlN-
QTJLAB LeTIEB.— TeNDENOY TO MOBAl SPECULATIONS.
AS nearly as oan he ascertained, Mr. Melntyre ceased
to teaeh in the Pegnes settlement some time in the
yeai' 1836. In accordance with an arrangement previonsly
made, James Thornwell, then between thirteen and four-
teen yeai^ of age, went to General Grilleapie. The design
to educate him fully does not appear to have been at that
time definitely fonned. The new friends were only pledged
at first to advance him in his studies ; and they were gi'ad-
ually led forward, by the exhibition of his superior merits,
to complete what had been so auspiciously begun. He
was accordingly sent to Cheraw, and became a private
pupil cf Mr, Eobbios, and an inmate of his house. Mr.
Robbms was at that period a bachelor, and remained so
during the whole of young Thomwell's dependence upon
.him. The solitude of his life was not, therefore, un-
pleasantly broken by the companionship of his pupil,
whilst freedom from domestic care afforded the leisure
for his instruction.
The personal appearance of the youth was almost a
burlesque upon the extraordiuai'y reputation which had
preceded him. Smaller in size than most boys of ten
yeai-8, sallow in complexion, and with a general sickliness
of hue, his bodily presence was anything but attractive.
Mr. Eobbins, who, with characteristic caution, received
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40 LIFE OF JAMES HEMLET TnOKUWELL.
him tentatively at first, declares that, upon his introduc-
.tion, he mentally exclaimed, "Surely, Gillespie must be
deceived in taking this boy to be a genius." A few hours'
conversation perfectly satisfied him on this point ; and in
a short time the relations between the two became hko
those of an elder and a younger brother. Mr. Robbins tes-
tifies that, " as a boy he never delighted in the sports of
boys, and he was from the beginning a companion to me."
Indeed, so much satisfaction did he find in the society of
his ward, and so sweetly grew upon him the office of in-
struction, that the little bed that had been provided for
him in another apartment was soon removed to his own
chamber, that they might converse to the last moment
before falling asleep. Touching friendship between the
man of one and thirty years and the stripling of fourteen !
It is not the cold guardian, holding himself in stately re-
serve towards his ward j nor the formal preceptor, con-
tenting himself with a mechanical drill; but an elder
brother, taking into his bosom the little one of the house-
hold, whom a sad orphanage has placed there, to be nour-
ished with something of a parent's care. It is difficult to
say upon which of the two the greater honour la reflected.
If it be a proof of the boy's precocity, it was not less an
evidence of the patron's generosity. A true benevolence
is seen as m.uch in the grace of the conveyance as in the
benefit conferred; and it is a kingly heart that knows
how to let its charities fall gently as the flakes of snow.
Wliilst thus secluded under private tutelage, James was
not wholly withdrawn from association with those of his
own age. One, who became afterwards his classmate and
bosom friend, thus writes : " My first distinct and never-
to-be-forgotten impression of this glorious man was in a
boys' debating society, connected with the Oheraw Acad-
emy, of wliich he was a member, though not at that time
a pupU of the school. The question to be discussed was
this ; whether, in a particular ease, the circumstanties of
whicli were specified, it would be right for tlie Governor
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FOR COLLEGE.
the pardoning power ? Yoimg Thoi'nwell
made a powerful speech upon the negative side, and
carried the vote of the society. He impressed all of us
as we never before had been, by his eloquence and the
force of his arguments. Pale, swarthy, and sickly in ap-
pearance, his voice was strong, and the words flowed from
him lilte a rushing torrent. He quoted Greek and Homan
history, and even then showed the logician in a most re-
markable manner." This incident is worthy of record,
not only in proof of the early possession of those natural
gifts by which he was afterwai-ds diatingnished, bnt as
illustrating the moidd into which he began morally to
crystalize. However we may abstractly admit the in-
fluence of disposition and temperament upon the opinions
"we form, few of us appreciate the extent to which this -
gives complexion to our convictions. The truth which is
accepted by one claes of men without an effort, can scarcely
make its impresBion npon another class ; and this diffe-
rence results, not so much from a variation in their mental
■structure, aa from the bias of some idiosyncracy of nature.
John Foster, for example, wavered upon the doctrine of
the eternity of future punishment, not from any weight of
evidenpe which controlled his judgment, but from an ex-
cess of sensibihty which shrank from ite contemplation.
The dreadfulness of the thought overwhelmed and crushed
him. His reason was put under arrest, and his judgment
w^ snspended. He could not pronounce either way, his
faith forbidding its clear rejection, and his morbid sensi-
bility shrinking from its acceptance. It was a eleai' case
of tortured feeling as against reason and faith. " Jfon ex
.guovis ligno Mercyirhis Jit"
Men like Calvin and Knox are not made of softly
material like IVlalancthon and Erasmus, and probably no
■amount of mere intellectual pursuaaion could ever convert
the one into the other. But our young debater has those
robust qualities, whicli enable him to see a glory in jus-
tice as weU as in mercy ; that if the one be the pillar of
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42 LIFE OF JAMEB HEULEY THOKS'\VELL.
', the other is the pillar of strengtli, tliat stands be-
e it, in the temple of God. How fai' this early prede-
liction to viiidieate the majesty of law may be due to tlie
Calvinistic teaebiags of " a noble mother," it is not need-
ful to inquire ; but the shaping hand of an unseen power
can be traced all through, prepaiing the future champion of
the truth, who should assert the integrity of the Divine
government against the mawkish sentiment' that would
rob it of ite necessary sanction.
James was naturally taken into the ofBce, as well ae
into the house and chamber, of his patron. Here he
studied, and at intervals recited. If business accnmnlated
with unwonted pressure, the boy's leisure might well he
employed in copying such legal forme as requu'ed nothing
beyond attention and care. He wrote at this time a bold,
round hand, which was afterwari^ greatly contracted;
always, indeed, neat and clean, presenting to the eye a
pleasing regularity, and perfectly legible, but also singu-
larly compact. "We have never seen but one person who
had the power of putting an equal number of words
upon a page; and, strangely enough, he was an eminent
lawyer and judge. By gradual practice, James became
sldlful in drawing up legal papers, such, at least, as the
simpler processes required, and soon rose into the position
of a useful assistant. He acquired a general knowledge of
the ofEice business, and could be safely trusted with its rou-
tine, in the absence of Mi-. Kobbins; sometimes collecting
accounts and making the necessary entries and deposits,
and sometimes answering the inquiries and letters of
clients. The following story illustrates the ardoui" with
which he threw himself into all subjects that attracted
Ms attention, and the ingenious methods of self-discipline
to which he resorted: A gentleman passing one day by
Mr. Eobbins's ofEice, heard voices that seemed to be en-
gaged in ioud and earnest discussion. He drew near
enough to learn that a flagrant case of hog stealing was
upon its trial. Upon looking through the window there
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4S
■was "little Jimmie" going through the reheai'sal alone,
changing his voice as he personated severally the judge,
the jury, the proaecuting attorney, and the coimsel for the
defence, not omitting, in his strict impartiality, the crimi-
nal himself, ' In this connection the following anecdote
may he related, not so much for disclosing his capat;ity, as
illustrating the positivenesa of his character and the tone
of his principles: On one occasion, in the absence of
Mr. Robbins, a client entered the office, and made some
inqTuries which rendered it necessary to refer to Mr. iiob-
bins's account-book. Having informed himself of what
he desired to know, James left the book open on the desk.
Presently the visitor approached, and was about to make
a personal inspection of its contents, when James promptly
arose, and closed the book in his face, saying that he
would allow no stranger to inspect Mr. Robbins'e private
entries. It was, doubtless, inconsiderateness in the party,
for he took no offence, and spoke of it to others with
hearty approval of the boy's spirit. It is through this
instinctive outworking of secret principles, without the
aid of reflection, that character is really disclosed.
It is impossible to determine how long he remained
under the exclnsive preceptorship of Mr. Eobbins; nor
when he was transferred to the more systematic discipline
of the Cheraw Academy, The reasons for the change
are sufficiently obvious. The growing demands of an
exacting profession must, of course, introduce uTegolarity
on the part of the teacher, whilst the ripening intellect
and more advanced studies of the pupil would render
important the drill of a regular school. He probably
enjoyed its larger advantages during the better portion
of two year's prior to his admission into college; that is
to say, during the years of 1828 and 1829. The Academy
was then under the care of Mr, Jolm G. Bowman and
Dr. Thomas Graham, the latter being from Drowning
Creek, Korth Carolina, which seems to have been the
nursery of teachers for a large district of country. Both
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44 LIFE OP JAMES HENLET THOBNWELL.
were excellent instructors, and Mr. Bowman enjoyed the
reputation of being a superior Greek scholar.' The tra-
dition is still rife in Oheraw, how James Thornwell wore
out the tedious night in severe application to study. Hia
proficiency was in proportion to his diligence and enthu-
siasm combined; and his examination at the final term
was so brilliant as to dotoi-mine his benefactors not to
arrest his progress at this stage, but to give him the ben-
efit of a university course. Some idea may be formed,
from the following story, of his power of abstraction and
concentration in study: A gentleman in Mr, Eobbins's
office commenced a conversation upon some private and
confidential matter, but suddenly paused upon observing
the lad sitting there and reading a book. "Oh!" repfied
Mr. Robbins, "you need not mind him; I will soon con-
vince you that he does not hear a word of what we are
saying." Wliereupon he began with a loud voice, abusing
James in terms well calculated to excite his anger. The
■unconseions subject of tliis tirade sat witli hstless eai's, in
happy ignorance of the practical joke played off at his
expense ; and the visitor reeumed, and. finished the inter-
view with a perfect assurance of its privacy.
He had no love for the study of mathematics, though
he pursued it as a duty; but he revelled in the classics, in
which he so perfected himself as to become a wonder in
the eyes of seliolars Hke himself. He displayed, also, at
this period, a fondness for metaphysical studies, in which
he afterwards pre-eminently excelled. The writer received
from his own fips the following fact, which bears internal
evidence of having occurred during the earlier portion of
his connection with Mr. Eobhina, whilst he was still ai\
undeveloped youth. This gentleman found him poring
over Locke's "Essay on the Human Understanding," and
badgered liim upon the hardihood of attacking a work so
abstruse, and so clearl}' beyond his years. Piqued, as he
himself relates, at this implied dispai'agement of liis
powers, lie i-esolved at once, to master the book; and
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PKEPAKATION FOR COLLEGE.
45
master if; he did, and for all coming time. Shortly after,
lie happened to light, among the volumes in General
Gillespie's library, on Dngald Stewart's "Elements of the
Philosophy of the Human Mind." To use his own lan-
guage, he "felt that his fortune was now made;" and
devoured it with the same avaricious delight that he had
experienced in the other. Upon what slender contm-
gencies does our destiny often turn ! And who can trace
up to its source the influence which bears us on to what
we afterward become ! Dr. Thornwell was accustomed
to refer to this incident as having given him the first
conscious bias to philosophy. It was doubtless the pivot
upon which his whole intellectual history subseciuently
hinged. The right book, read at the right time, roused
a dormant capacity, just when it needed to awake and
determine the character of a brilliant and useful career.
Thus does Providence watch over its chosen instiTimente,
and a hidden hand touches the secret springs of activity
and life.
In the summer of 1828, Mr. Kobbins left homo upon a
visit to Ifew England, while James remained in charge
of the ofBeo. We give here a portion of a letter, as
showing the trust reposed in his business capacity, and
also the gentle faithfulness of the guardian in pruning
the faults of his ward :
" Boston, June 30, 1823.
"Dbae James : Your letter of tte ISth instant reached me at a time
■wlieii I was beooroing ansious leet the fever, with its sequel of evils,
had overtaken you. And should this at any time 1)6 the oase, you will
proBure ray friend, James Gillespie, to write, giving me timely notice
of the fact.
"Yonr letter affords me subjeot of two-fold remaik. Fiirst: Its
matter. I was glad to hear so good report of the corn and cotton crop.
Trom the appearance of the weather I had anticipated the news about
the mills'; but you do not aay how the mill hands are employed. * • •
I have written M tJiat if I have the mortgage he called for, you
■will get it ; and I thinln you will find it in the Chesterfleld drawer, per-
haps enveloped in oilier papers. I could not have given it him at the
time I gave him the other release, beoanse I gave him that in Marl-
borough, where I had not the mortgage. I do not linow that my ledger
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46 LIFE OF JAMES HKU'LBY THOKNWELL.
exiibita all the proper chaigea against 1 , He owes toe, &c. If
he writes again, state these facta, and my other ohargea. I hope Jip
■will be improved by my return, Xou can. use Mm. oooasionally ; it will
assist rather than injure him. « * * Your aooonut ol the
hueiness was Tery satisfactory. It put H.'s friend in tta nnenviable
point of Yiew, It shows, too, how cautions we should be in indulging
too gi^at freedom in our remarks, even when we think ouraelves safe
from exposure or misiuterpi'etation. * * « I was happy to learn that
you were content in jour present situation ; but as soon as you are
otherwise, you can change it. I should have no objection to your at-
tending the festival on the 4th ; but this letter will meet yon too late to
be governed by what I have to say. There has no production appeared
from Webster oi' Everett. I aenti you regularly the IfotioTml GaeetU,
which you will keep on file for me. I was well pleased with your plan
of a register or diary, and I hope you will keep it regularly. I went to
Cambridge to-day, and saw a young cousin, who holds a pre-eminent
rank in his class, and could not help thinking, at the time, how much
pleased you would have been to be in hia company. I was much sur-
prised to find, or rather, not to find, a copy of the Soutltern RitvieiB in
Boston ; and but one or two gentlemen have received it at all. The book
in greatest demand, just now, appears to be Irviag's ' luf e of Oolum-
bus ' ; and I meap to bring it out with me.
" I have neither time nor space to notice particularly the seeond ground
of remark suggested by your letter. But were I called on to point out
the chief fault in the writing, I should say, it is the same I have so often
mentioned to you ; a propensity to invest common and occasional re-
marks in too grave and sober a dress. An idea of s
portanoe is not to be enveloped in the grave and solema n
great moral asiom. It is to assign it a dignity which ia not its own ; and
not only so, but it affords occasion for the common taunt, "Monies par-
Variant," &o. Though, on the whole, this perhaps is an error which
time, and inoreBsed observation and experience, will correct.
" 'Taie caro of yourself,' referred to your own health, of which you
cannot be too careful. Moat sincerely yours,
W. H. E.
The snceeseion of dates brings us now to ' a relation,
wliieli may came the reader to lay down the book and
think awhile before he proceeds furtlier. The education
of Thomwell, we have said, was undertaken at first with
no definite purpose. The plan seemed to have been to
give him all the knowledge that could be acquired in the
academy, and then to pat him to tlie study of the Law, in
the ofiiee of Mr. Eobbins. James happened to overhear
a conversation in which this purpose was stated- The
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PKEPASflTION FOB COLLEGE. 4T
next evening he was miaaing at tea; but his absence waa
explained in the following letter, which Mr. Robbios
found under his plate :
"OHTiEiw, Jamnary, 1829.
"Mr Dbab Sib : I have adopted this method of discharging a duty,
which I consider due to you in common mtti my other patrons ; as I
am inoapa'ble of speaking to you on the delieata subject without taara.
' ' The relation which has hitJierto subsisted between us is now to be
dissolved. I would to God that this trying scene conld have beea
averted. I would to God that this bitter cup could have passed fTOm
ma. But TTiH will be done. Though your regard for me should vanish
like smoke, and though you should hereafter treat me with the utmost
■contempt and disdain, yet wiU. I ever love even the very earth on which
ia no trivial oause that could induce me to part from one so dear
■to me. Nothing abort of a deep sense of duty eould ever lave led me
to tliis, especially as you have been at so much trouble and eipease on
my account. I ha^FS laboured hard, but in vain, to reconcile my eon-
science to tbe practice of the Law. In seleotiug a profession, it is cer-
tainly the duty of every person to act upon other than selfish motives.
He should ever have in view the glory of (Sod and the good of men.
How, the only metbod, it m,ust be admitted, for him to determine the
sphere of action in which he will most contribute to these ends is by
scrutiny int« the iuclination of his particular genius. Now, the greatest
difficulty consists in discovering the peculiar turn of his mind. What
criterion will you fls for this purpose ? Though consultation with hie
friends may be of considerable service, yet you will not surely contend
tbttt he must make their advioe the rale of his conduct. I apprehend
that the only correct standard is his own feelings. He must not, how-
ever, forget to look up to that Being for direction, to whom he must
finally recdei: an account for his conduct here.
' ' In conformity to these ■views, which appear to me correct, I have ■
determined to adopt theology as my profession. The prospect for an
education is as brilliant, I believe, as though I were the son of a gen-
n of millions. There is none, howeyer, for wealiii,
'6 Qod end mammon at the same time. It is
mj hard destiuy to be placed iu a situation where I must determine for
life at a very early age, I cannot dogmatically assert that these views will
follow me to the grave. But I feel it a duty to act in accordance with
them now. It is cationfd. however, to believe that tbey will continue by
me. I entertained them once before, discarded them, and have resumed
them. I cannot well Say discarded tiiem ; for I smothered them, or rather
the conclusion ffl which tbey led me, with the hope that farther mental
improvement would reconcile me to the Law. As they have come upon me
again with increaKcd power, I feel it a duty to reveal them to you. If
you th:nk they are erroneous, iUnstrate their error. If this is not done.
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^8 ilFE OJT JAMES HENLEY THOBNWELL.
I am compelled to bid farewell, with great haa-vineia of ieai't, to a be-
loved pation, witi tindly clothed me when naked, fed me when hungry,
and, above all, has much laboured to dispel ignorance from my mind ;
a beloved patron, whoee name is moeio io my ear, one whom I can
never forget, and of whom I will ever think with the Eveliest emotions,
of gratitude; and I humbly hope he will never forget the unworthy
object of his kindness. I do humbly hope his attachment will not
abate, if 1 have acted in conformity to Sound rational prinoiples; and,
if nnder the impulse of enthusiasm, I hope he will pity my weakness.
On the word, farewell, my heart lingers, with relnctance to leave you ;
and, oh! to think of parting pricks it to the core. But it must be ;
ao farewell, my dear friend and respected patron.
J. H. Thobnwbli.."
This remarkable epiatle wae read with deep amazement.
Eising inetantly from the tatle, Mr, Kobbins foimd his
ward on the piazza, in the darii, half hidden in the angle
of tTi6 chimney, weeping as though his heart would break.
Taking his hand, he led him gently hack to the supper
table, and there assured him that he Was labouring under
a total miaapprehension of his views. It had indeed been
taken for granted that the profeeeion of the Law would be
hi& ehoice, both because it gave full scope to his talents,
and promised promotion in the future. At the same time,
nothing was further from the, hearts of those who had be-
friended him, than to force his inclination in any degree.
He should be perfectly free hereafter to choose any pro-
tession which taste, or prudence, or conscience might sug-
gest ; and that he would enter upon its pursuits witli theiv
good will and blessing ; but that, for the present, he must
lay aside aU morbid feelings, and continue to live witli
him as his joiuiger brother. The old relations were ac-
cordingly resumed, with a better understanding between
the two, and with increased respect and affection.
The delicate sense of honour, which would no longer
accept support from those whose wishes he expected to
thwart, Kes so obtrimively upon the face of the narrative,
that there is no necessity for emphasizing it. But under-
neath it lies a mystery which is not easy of solution.
Here is a youth just beyond his sixteenth birth-day, who
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PEEPAKATION FOE COLLEGE. i9
has passed through a protracted mental conflict, and set-
tled down into the conviction that he must preach the
gospel. All the Inflnencea which bore upon him were
iidverse to such a conclusion. Both his patrons were, at
this period, men of the world. The profession of the Law,
which he deelines, pressed itself upon hie acceptance by
every motive to which an honom-able ambition coold
respond. And what seals the mystery, tins decision is
pronounced by one who, as yet, makes no pretensions to
personal piety, has given hitherto no evidence of a change
of heart, and who did not profess, till several years later,
to have become the subject of gi'aee. Upon what principle,
then, did this decision turn? Did he regard the sacred
ministry as a profession to be chosen, like any other,
because it was adapted to one's tastes or mental apti-
tudes ? Men do not ordinarily make costly and painful
sacrifices, except upon the altar of duty. Scarcely for any-
thing less than this would he have surrendered advantages,
and severed ties which ■were as dear to him almost m life.
His letter, too, is pervaded with just sneh a conviction of
duty lying'hard upon the conscience ; and though it does
not express the high and spiritual views of the ministerial
of&ce which he subsequently embraced, there is a general
religious tone, which it is hard to explain from one not in
a state of grace. The case is fruitful of speculation, which
it might not be perfectly safe to indulge. This much
seems to be clear. He was from the beginning " a chosen
vessel of the Lord, to bear His name before the Gentiles
and kin^, and the cMldi'en of Israel ;" and to this end,
rehgious truth was made to possess for him a singular
fascination. Its earliest indication was that polemic zeal
which led him with boyish disputatioasness to
"AEsect eternal Pi-oTidenoa,
And justify tie ways of God to men."
How it assumes the form of a conviction of duty, which
throws over him the power of a spell. It is true, this
interest in Christianity appears to be thus far rather intel-
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50 USE OF JAMES HENLEY THORN WELL.
lectual than experimental; but it lias enlisted the con-
science, and it holds him to what we know to have been
the ultimate purpose of God, amidst temptations that
threatened to swerve him from it. "We shall iind more of
this hereafter, making his religious history something of
a puzzle up to a certain date, when the mist is cleared
away, and the Gospel is as fully embraced by the heart as
by the understanding.
During the summer of 1829, Mr. liobbine again visited
New England. We give extracts from several of James's
letters, written then, in order that the reader may form
his own judgment ae to the development of his mind, as
well as see the affectionate relations he sustained with hie
patron. In the first, of date June 30th, 1829, after dis-
patching certain topics of business, lie speaks of a duel
which had well-nigh taken place, in the following terms :
" Is it not to be lamented that a HC[UBainish. sense of false honour ia
so pKTaleat? It is oontraij to liuman. dignity, wMeli it ahonld be our
pride to support. Every oharaoter lias tuotiTes of the strongaec obli-
gation to support it. Tho parent should consider the inteteet of his
cMW ; the patriot, the welfare of his conntrj ; and the philanthropiBt,
the good of mankind."
He then proceeds:
" You ask where I betook myself on the morning of your departure.
I attended yon to the poat-office, and stood by you until yon were about
to enter the stage. My feelings were such that it was impossible for
me to shake hands with yon ; and aB I should have been an object of
derision, had I broken forth there into childish lamentatioris, I
thought it more prudent io vent my feelings in private retirement. I
wish that I conld obtain b, proper control of myself on such oooasions.
If I giieve at a temporary parting, what would be roy feelings at a last-
ing separation?
"I have heard of no sickness since your departure. For myself,
during the last week, I was on the very brink of the fever. As soon as
I felt the symptoms of disease, I submitted myself to the direction
of prudence. With salts for my spear, and moderation of diet for my
buckler, I have rushed to the combat, and driven the fever from the field.
But 60 far from being led into hopes of vain security by my victory, I
guard myspif with more care against his wily attacks.
J. H. T."
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: cOLLBas. 51
The letter 'wHeli follows discovers his early tendency
to moi'al speculations, though the generalization marks
the first awkward effort of an immature mind to use its
powers. It is given just as it was written :
" Cbbbaw, August ISffl, 1829.
"Discontent, how roucli soever it may be denonncad by monlts and
priesta, is not criminaL To poBsesB a mind wliieli stomis of fortune
or ihe darkest clouds of destiny cannot rafBe, is indeed desirable. Tran-
quillity and calmneBS are qualitiee, however, whioi. few do or can poasesa
in aeaaons of adveraity. The phUoaopher and the moralist may prescribe
rales for the attainment of these vii-tuea ; but the uninstcuoted pasBant,
and wren they themsely^ will forget them in the hour of temptation.
It is beyond the power of loanliind in general to subject their feelings
to the control of their understandings. These turbulent demagogues,
like the ancient barons of England, will not submit to the authority of
their sovereign. AD men repine at what affectfl their interest. It is a
principle of their nature which they cannot subdue, and which must,
therefore, have been planted in them by the Deity. These leaeons
induce me to believe that discontent is not criminaL But there are
bounds within which it should be eonfineti, and to exceed which ia
not justifiable. In these remarks I would by ao means depreciate con-
tentment. It is a aource, and unfailing source, of happiness, which is
worthy of our highest efforts. It is a precious jewel, which too often
aUures men, as the waters Tantalne, io disappoint; and no man can say
that he poaaeaeea it until he has passed safely through the furnace of
temptation.
" These reflections were suggested to me by the marks of disappoint-
ment, which are imprinted on every countenanoe, in consequence of
the late inundation of their crops. Hone appear to be content ; and
McN. has converted bis blythe boasting into sighs. He has lost, ho
says, about thirty bales of cotton and half of his com. He will still
make as good a crop as he did laat year. I am glad that you wfll sus-
tain such little damage. Though it ia enough to give McN. a rueful
" I am dive ti tthi mmntbya warm discussion of a question
in political e m b tw Mr. P. and Major L. The cuestion ia,
Can the value i, 1 1 d 'P. maintains the afBrmative, and L.
the negative d I m t think that, though Mr. L. is shrewd and
subtle, Mr, P p to h m. Mr. L. deals too much in general
end indefinit t n M P is more proeiae and eiplieit. In the
course of ihe d L £, anted that an abundance of money de-
preciated property P co te ded tiiat the money was depreciated, and
ofcouraehad nly I ti 1 e. The general consent of the world has
estabKahed it aa a coin, however, not on account of any superiority to
other metala, bnt on account of its beauty and scarcity. ' The value of
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52 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOBNWELL.
gold, then, it is clear, can be reduced in three ways : 1. The general
oouseat of mantind may be changed, and another metal substituted ;.
2, As the tastes of men sometimeB fluctuate, the beauty of gold may
cease to fascinate ; 3. A great abundance certainly diminishes ita ralue.
Some such arguments as these might have been employed against Mr.
L., though Mr. P. pursued a different conrse. I was sui-priaed to hear
Mr. Ij. argue that gold had an inherent raliia. He evinced as much
ignorance of the proper meaning of words as the persons who, after a
■warm debate on transubstantiaMon, referred the qaestioii. to the decision
of an nmpire. Being asked what they meant by that long word, ono
replied, 'Kissing the saints;' the other, 'Kneshng at the holy altar.'
" The colour of Jip has uadergone a great change ; he is a chestnut
now, a colour of -which, jou know, Virgil Bpeats very favourably. I
should be delighted with an aoooant of the Cambridge Commencement.
James."
In another letter, written in the earae month, he says:
"General Gillaspielias given me a new proof of his kindness. He has
Tesolved to send me lt> ooilege this year, if he can possibly raise the
money. I do sincerely hope that he may be able to accomplish his de-
sign. I am preparing to go to Cohunbia in October or December."
Tliis hint will appropriately close this chapter, leaving^
it to the pages ■which are to follow to introduce liim intO'
that new and interesting scene.
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CHAPTER V.
COLLEGE LIFE.
FlKBT ApPEiBiNQB IN ''OLLBOE — PEESOVAIi DESCHIPHOt — KeJUOTED
ON FlBST ApELIOAtKN — EeCEHED OH THE SECOND — Hl^ OWN Ac-
OOTJNT OP IT. — EiltLY ImTBESOI N OF HIS (lENIITt. IIPijN EIB FeLLOW-
SiODENTs.— FaciiLit or the S i ih Caeoliwa t-oLLE E — Intense
ApPLIOiTION, — BiM B F HIS TUDIEB — SeLP DISCIPLINE — SECLU-
SION OP las Stodeni — Hia Ein^r PEpuiiTioH as a Debitbe.—
PowEHS OF Inteotive —L, ehebpondenoe
EARLY in December, 1829, within a few daya of his
seventeentli birthday, James Thorowell made liis first
appearance in the campus of the South Carolina College, at
Columbia, the capital of the State. Stunted in liis growth,
and with the ealiow complexion which haa been already
described, his figure was just the kind to excite college
witticism and mirth. The following description, from the
pen of a elase-mate, after the lapse of forty years, may
have a slight colouring from the humour with which it is
conveyed ; but undoubtedly, in the main, correct : " In
personal appearance he was, perhaps, the most unpromis-
ing specimen of humanity that ever entered such an in-
stitution, Tery short in stature, shorter by a head than
he became later in life, very lean in flesh, with a sHn the
colour of old parchment, bis bands and face as thickly
studded with black freckles as the Milky Way with stars,
and an eye rendered duM in repose by a drooping lid, he
looked, tcJ use an Irishism, as be if he was twenty years
old when he was born. His manners were nnpolisbed,
but bis air was self-reUant; and though free from boast-
ing, lie was evidently conscious of the mental power within
him, which would make him more than a match for moat
men, and «-oiild tln-ow into the shade bis physical defects."
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Oi LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
Snch is the yonth when fii'st seen striding over the eam-
pu8, arm in arm with a friend six feet high, as if bur-
lesquing his own littleness hy the contrast ; with a long
coat dangling at his heels, rolHng a huge quid of tohaceo
in his mouth, and declaring that he would enter the Junior
class or none ; sportively adding that, if rejected, he
would go up into the town, and apply for admission to
the practice of the law. But
' ' The best laid schemes of mice and men
Gang aft agley ;"
and this sell-appreciation, half serious, half playful, was
doomed to experience a sudden but salutaiy check.
The class which he desired to enter, was the class just
rising Junior. Applications were not frequent for ad-
nussionto this high grade, and the examinations were
correspondingly rigorous. Our young friend was pro-
nounced deficient in certain studies, particularly mathe-
matics, and was rejected, with the privilege, however, of
another trial at the opening of the new year. The defi-
ciency was more apparent than real ; and the unexpected
failure was anxiously explained hy those who knew his
attainments. One says, "the examination in geometry
was conducted in a manner unusual to him. In those de-
monstrations which did not require a good deal of figur-
ing, it was the practice to use no letters, but merely to
indicate the side or angle by touching it; and being un-
accustomed to this method, he became confused," In his
own statement we have no such apology, as "itill appear
from the following letters to liis friend, Mr. Robbins :
"'Colombia, December S, 1829.
"Mr Dbab Bis: I applied for admission into the Junior Claes this
morning, and was rejected. .On Grseca Minora, Xenophon, the Odes of
Horace, and Cicero, I was admitted, andon part of Mathematics. Homer,
and the Art of Poetry, I was rejected on. They say, however, that if I
will stand another examination on these, abont the first of January,
they will adroit me. I think it advisable to do so, in preference to join-
ing Sophomore. If I feel myself prepared, I may stand earlier. The
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COLLEGE LIFE. 55
difficulty with me, on tieae books, was not ignorance, bnt confusion. I
was partic-strnci »a soon as I entered tlie librarj'-room. The Facitliy
pereeived it. Wiih my esaminatioa in Geography, English grammar,
and Minora, Dr. Cooper appeared to be well pleased ; and had he con-
tinaed by me, I ahonld have been sncoessful throughout. 'WheneTar he
found that I was embarrassed,^ he would relieve me. The rest were not
go accommodating. They are extremely rigid in their pTOnunoiation ;
on (hat, however, they did not find fault with me. The trul4i is simply
this, that when tbey placed Hoioer in my hands, I was in suoh perturba-
tion that I could scarcely see the letters. As soon as I recovered myself,
I read with ease, I reoolleot to have missed only two words. On Alge-
bra, as far as they examined me, I stood very well. They raqnired one
more rule than I had studied ; that I must learn. In Mathematics, or
at least in Geometry, where I thought myself safe, 1 failed. At Mr, Gra-
ham's esaminatioD, General Gillespie oaa testify that I was not defioient
in it. How it happened that I proved so before the Faculty. 1 cannot
account. I cannot describe my feelings to you. I am overwhelmed with
confusion, and ashamed to show my face. I shall keep myself bs much
secluded as possible, until I redeem my reputation. The three weeks
which I must wait will roE heavily on. I shail apply myself with sfl.'rid-
uify and attention.
" The students tell me that it has beoome a custom for the Faculty to
reject on the first examination, and grant a seoond. They tell me there
is not the least disgrace in it. It is alroost a matter of chance whether
they admit or not, — Yours most gratefully,
J. H, TaoBNWEnt.."
Fourteen days later, another letter was written to the
same party, on the same subject.
"OoLTJMEiA, December 19, 182il,
" Mr DsAB Fbtend : I have 'revised my studies under Mr. McAllily,
who was recommended to me by Professor Hott. I stall not apply for
admission, however, untU the first of January, The Faculty will more
willingly receive me then, as ihey will be apt to judge of my quahfica-
ijons from the time I hare studied, I can keep on studying until that
time, and it will not hurt me. * * * There is no being on earth
more happy than the student. With all the means of knowledge at his
command, what (an give him more pleasure than to improve his mind ?
Hemay enjoy, if he wishes, a continual feast of nectar ; and his satisfao-
iion is considerably enhanced when he is esteemed by all his acquaint-
ances. I was never more cordially received by any persons than by my
Pedee friends here. They all appeared very glad to see me. I found in
College more who knew me than I had any idea of. Some Pedee men,
who had heard of me, took the Very ex<Tisable liberty of introducing
themselves, and tendering their friendly services. My rejection they
viewed as a ^natter of chance, since an admission depends bo much on
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66 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TUOKNWELL.
luck. The result, they think, might haye heen more favorable, had I
been examined in company, and not alone, as was tiie ease.
" Do write me everything about home. I am anxious to hear fi'om
you again, and from General Gillespie, who has not written me since I
cama hCTe. I fear he is displeased. — Yours traly and gratef ally,
J, H. Thohnwell.
" P. S.— You can send by Mr, Mc — my other vest, my shoes ;
and, if you think it more advisable to purchase there than here, you can
send Locke's ' Essay.' S. 6. has the work ; if "you see him, it will cost
There is a tone of manliness pervading both these let-
ters, TOth which the reader cannot fail to sympathize.
Mortifying as the diecomfiture was to a proud spirit like
hia — a spirit too untamed lay even successfnl competition
in the narrower sphere hi which he has hitherto moved —
tliere is not a word of whining complaint, nor toyish re
seiittnent against fchoee who inflicted tlie disappointment.
He accepts it just as it is, with a clear consciousness that
his failure was due to an excessive timidity, which had,
for the moment, thrown him from his equipoise; and with
a steady purpose to retrieve the damage which his repu-
tation may have received. This prepares tlie way for the
more buoyant style of the letter which follows, addressed
also to Mr. Bobbins:
" CoLUMBii, January 4, 1830.
' ' My Deae Patron : I have now taken my stand in the Junior Class ;
and bo flattering was my examination, that I cannot refrain from giving
you a short account of it. I was rec[uired to stand first in Homer, in
whioh I was not found wanting. I was then taken on Horace, Be Arte
Poetiea. The sentenoe which was given me Professor Henry thought
the most dif&cult in the book, and said that I read it admirably well. I
waa then taken in Button's MaHiematios, in which I demonstrated,
■without ilie least diffioulty, about twenty theorems ; and lastly, I p
with success through logarithms. There wore three applici
class besides myself ; two of whom were admitted ; the other w
for the third time.
" An unlucky circumstance has oecasioneii i
Charges greatly derogatory to the character of Mr. —
nioated to me here, of which I immediately apprised S . What I
■ wrote, Mr. has by some means learned ; and he wrote me, re-
questing the author of that report. I immediately and unhesitatingly
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COLLEGE LIFE. 57
complied ; as I was bound by no ties of honoui' not to (livulge its author.
I should regret to See my name introdnced under sndi ciroumstaiices.
Mr. G- — knows the whole affair.
All the Pedee stndentB loot tome to give her a dignified seat in College.
While Buoh hopes are indulged of me, how oun I be Ihi in myesertiona?
" College duties not having oommenoed until to-day, I bave attended
■o»ly two lectures. Professor Henry does Uononr to Metaphysics and
Moral Philoaopby, Dr. "Wallace is perhaps unequalled in Mathematios ;
and Professor Nott is not inferior in his department. We have a splendid
library, consisting of eight or ten thousand voliunes. Indeed, Columbia
affords every faoility of improvement.
"I found great difficulty in obtaining a room; and my tavern ei-
pensea, and the cost of furnishing my room, have reduced my purse to
a,low ebb. Seventy-flve dollars will defray all necessary expenses till
June, when I should return. Calculating at this rate, whioh I think
just, two hundred and fifty dollars a year will carry me through College.
Should it be inconvenient to send me anything, there is no pressing
need. I am not out of money, hut have not enough to settle all my
College bills.
" Hereafter I shall write to you every other weak, and to the General
«fi often. Next Sunday I shall bs at leifiure to write you a decent letter.
It is now almost ten o'clock P. M., and I must retire to bed, es I must
rise by day-break in the moroing, and hie me to the lecture room.
yonrs truly, J. H. THoBNWBtiii."
This letter drew forth a i-eplj so just in ita views, and
«o wise in its counsels, that we shall offer ho apology for
its introduction. Indeed, all the communications of this
noble man deserve to be incorporated in this record of his
ward, whose character they contributed so materially to
form, as well as for the dignity and weight of the senti-
ments with which they abound,
" Cbbbaw. January 9, 1830.
" Deab Jambs : On my return from Marlborough I received your wel-
come letter of last Monday, bringing the glad tidings of your admission
to the standing in College which your perseyerance and good cijn-
duot have merited ; and I lose no time in ofieriug you my cordial
■congratulations. If your disappointment shall be attended with no
other good, you should feel amply reoompensed in the good things it
has called from your instructors. But let it teach you that disap-
pointment and mortification attend you at every turn in the path of
life ; that to be prepared for them is the part of wisdom ; and to ecdnre
them with manly fortitude, is the way to overcome them. And let it
teach you, too, that, when so encountered, they never fail to bring pro-
iportionate good in their train. I cannot permit myself to doubt but
,db, Google
58 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TMOKNWELL.
yoTir fatura exertioiiB will be commeuauvate with the eipeotationia of
your friends. Yoor aasidnitj in the cause of leacning gives me aasuranoe
that every advantage you now eujoy will be eagerly, and of course suo-
oeasfully, improved. Bnt let me eantion yon not to suffer your am-
bition to be bounded by the narrow circle of College honours. To have
aoh 1 11 th t th officers of College can bestow, is distinction dearly
b gilt f th p rsait, you have.lost one ioti of tbat purity of chir-
te 1 ^1 as of purpose with which you oomnieDoe it ; if you
sh 11 uffl ous superiority to render you unconrteous to an
mf n 1 Ig lie envious reflection at the superiority of a rival.
Th ii 1 1 f tal exertion is wide enough for aU who enter it ; there
IB no need of jostling for a place there. The rewards it holds ont are
liberal and noble. In their aoMeyemeiit by othera we should see the
glory of the strnggle ; and if fairly and honourably won, the head that
wears will not disgrace them. To foster these sentiments^to think,
to feel, and act, in accordance with them— is to gain a conquest more
important and more valuable than ail the little distinctions which men
can confer upon us. Don't think that I mate these remarks beeanse
I think you mora liable to err in this way than other jonng men. 1
know yon are not more so ; I hope not so much so. I give them that
you may fli them as a pole-star in your maroh through life, and aqnare
all your conduct by them.
" I was very sorry to h ir h u h aid have been implicated in an
affair like that you m n T did right in surrendering the
author; but 8 did g a » ng n suffering the affair to escape
him. But did you n firs all, in communicating .the affair at
all ? 'Tis beat to leav h anders to the peculiar keeping of
tliose who have no oth bu mes amusement but to search for and
propagate them. Th a n by the notice of a wise man. We
should regard them in so g n mpt ; and deem ourselves some-
what tainted in suffering think on them, much more so to-
speak of them ; but to lo h m the more imprudent, indiscreet.
I have heard it pubholy said in the streets here, that yim had written
iiiis story from Oolnmbia. I was sorry to hear it; but as yon had
written it, you could hare done no less thau what you did. But, for the
future, I hope you will /ee! that to decant on such subjects is to dabble
in muddy water. You have nobler objects to achieve in life than the
investigation of petty tales, be they tme or false. • * *
" Enclosed I send you twenty-five dollars ; in my next letter I will send
more. I don't hke to increase the bulk of letters ; and you say you are
not out. Your calculation is too small, I think. Recollect what we have
told you, and write as often as you can, eonsistentiy with other duties ;
and write fully of your views, and successes too. — Your friend,
W, H. KOBBDJS."
This hitch at liife entrance into college ■would not have
prejudiced his echolarehip in the estimation of his fellow-
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GOIJ-MGli LIFE. 59
8tadent8, who looked upon it very much as a question of
luck. Probably it would not have been noticed at all, but
for the extraordinary accounts which had been poured
into their ears, and the confident predictions which had
been uttered on his behalf. It had been announced by those
who knew his earlier history, that " a little, pale hoy would
come on soon, and hear off the honours of his class." The
mortification of these admirers at his rejection was, if
possible, greater tlianliis own; for they were obliged to
bear the penalty in the laughter which this apparent
iailure of their champion brought upon their heads. It
wt« not, however, of long duration. We quote again
from the same witness who has famished the preceding
description of his pereon: "The class which he entered
was a remarkably ambitious one, and contained among
the forty-three young men who composed it many aspirants
for the highest honom-s of the college ; but such was the
intellectual power displayed by Thornwell, that he had
not made more than half a dozen recitations before it was
conceded on all hands that the first honour must be his
beyond all question. This mental pro-eminence was ap-
parent, not only in the class-room, but in debates in the
College Society to which he belonged, in social intercourse,
and, indeed, wherever there was mental contact with otliers.
There was about his mind, however, nothing of the erratic
or impulsive character attributed to genius. His powerful
intellect worked with the steadiness of machinery ; and
its superiority was displayed in the higher reach and wider
grasp of thought, with which it advanced, without check,
to the attainment of its end, scarcely pausing at obstacles
which would have halted others."
In the faculty of the South Carolina College, as at
that time constituted, there were at least four gentlemen
who could not fail to impress themselves upon such a
mind as here described.
Professor James Wallace had a rare genius for the
Mathematical chair, which he filled; and always im-
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€0 LIFE or JAMaS HENLEI THORSWJGLL,
pressed his pupils with a conviction of the importance
and value of his favom-ite atadies, as well as the vast
treasures of knowledge which remained for them to ex-
plore. It is to be regretted that Ms unusual attainments
should be represented only in one work, " On the Globes,"
which, with a few fragmentary disquisitions, is all that
lie has left behind him.
Profeasoi- Henry Junius No'rr, to -whom was assigned
the department of English Literature, was, beyond dis-
pute, one of the finest Belles Lettres scholars the State
has ever produced, worthy to be the friend and peer of
the gifted Legare. "With a mind enriched by study, and
■enlarged by foreign travel ; with a memory capable of
reproducing all that he had ever observed or read ; with
"a ricli humour and a ready wit, which few could turn
to better account;" with a style tliat is "presented as a
model of easy elegance, and of simple, classic beauty ;"
it was impossible to escape the fascination which the bril-
Kant lecturer threw around the beautiful studies in his
department. The chivalry of his character was mourn-
fully illustrated in his death, upon the wreck of the ill-
fated steamer "Home," in 1 837, preferring to sink in
the waters of the Atlantic, by the side of a wife whom
he was too generous to abandon.
Dr. Thomas Ooopek, tlie President, was, however, at
this time, the Coryphceus of the institution. His varied
erudition, his trenchant style, hie enthusiasm in whatever
he espoused, the boldness and courage with whicli he
maintained opinions at variance witli the popular senti-
ment, even the restlessness of spirit which had made him
an agitator through the whole of an eventful career,
were qualities exceedingly captivating to the youtli under
his charge. He possessed just the cleveriiess and the
courage, the d^h and the dogmatism, wliicli seem to
the inexperienced the elements of the heroic, and whose
knowledge was not sufficient to estimate the shallowness
of his philosophy, and even of his learning. That young
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COLLEGE LIFE. 61
Thornwell fell at first under the chann of his influence,
appears from an incidental reference in one of Mr. Eob-
bins's letters, where he spealis of Dr. Cooper aa "yonr
idol." It is equally certain that this spell was at length
broken. It could not be otherwise. The antagonism he-
tween the two was complete in the structure of their minds,
andin the direction of their favourite studies. The historian
of the college records of the President, that " his genius was
eminently practical — utilitarian. He looked upon man
very much as an animal, and believed that the framework
of society was designed to provide for his physical wants
and necessities. As in man he saw nothing but the animal,
so in the ohjects of nature he saw nothing hut external na-
ture. Of man in his higher nature, as a being of immortal
powers, witi aspirations reaching into a never ending
futurity, he had no just conception." !From such gross
materialism, a mind of such a structure as that of young
Thornwell was compelled to diverge, as soon as it should
address itself to the solution of these queetions at all;
and he who was ravished with the charms of philosophy
could have no permanent sympathy with one who "held
metapliysical and ethical investigations in perfect con-
tempt." Of his fierce opposition to revealed religion we
shall have a better occasion to speak hereafter.
But the foremost of them all, in the breadth and perma-
nence of his influence over our friend, was Dr. Eoberi
Henry, who filled, with singular ability, the chair of Phil-
osophy. He was a profound scholar, critically acquaiiited
with the ancient classics, and perfectly familiar with th'i Ger-
man, Dutch, Spanish, and French languages. In the studies
of his peculiar department he was not less accomplished,
having " explored the entire circle of knowledge and specu-
lation, and made the rich fruit of the master minds who had.
laboured in this field his own." Dr. Thornwell, in later
years, always acknowledged his great -indebtedness to the
classical taste and attainments of Dr. Henry, by whom he
was both stimulated and directed in the acquisition of
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LIFE OF JAMBS
classic and of philosophic lore. After his death, the
pupil paid a beautiful tribute to the memory of his pre-
ceptor, in the pages of the Southern Quarterly Beview.
Snch were the men, under the hifluence of whose genius
he found himself placed, upon his enti'ance into College.
The possession of these advantages stimulated his zea,l
to the last degree. Coapling the assiduity of the Ger-
man with the fervour of the American, he devoted four-
teen hours a day to severe study. Either his good sense
pierced the fallacy which supposes that genius can win
permanent success without learning as the material upon
which, or the instrument by which, it must work; or else
he was led blindly on by an avaricious love of knowledge,
rendering the toil with which it is gathered itself a delight ;
but certain it is, he turned away with the severity of an
anchorite from the blandishments of society; and, like
an athlete of old, with continuous and cruel rigor trained
eveiy muscle and every limb for the Olympic race and
the Olympic prize before him in life. During his College
cai-eer, he omitted no opportunity of discipline, neg-
lected no part of the prescribed curriculum, wasted no
hour in dissipation or indolence ; but with elaborate cai-e
prepared himself for every exercise. In the Literary
Society of which he was a member, tlio same assidruty
availed itself of every privilege. Despising the baldness
of mere extemporaneous harangues, he armed himself for
the conflict of debate. This example, with its attendant
and grand results, stands up in scorching rebuke of the
egotism and folly which would exalt the triumphs of
genius by disparaging the discipHne through which its
energies are directed.
His investigations were pushed beyond the text books
of the class room. They were almost eucyclopsedic in
their range. He used the library as no student before
him had ever done' aud knocked tlie dust from ancient
tomes never disturbed but by the brush of the librarian.
He studied subjects as subjects, especially in the depart-
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COLLEGE LIFE. 63
ments to which he had a natui'al prochvity; and never
paused till he had sounded to the bottom. Evidence of
this is furnislied in tlie correspondence of this period, and
8till more in the facts of his religions history, yet to he
disclosed. As an illnstration of the Herculean labours he
would undergo to accomplieh some important end, the
following achievement may be related; which falls, par-
tially at least, within this period : Being asked by one of
his Divinity students what was the best method of im-
proving one's style, he replied : " Language was my great
difficulty in early life. I had no natural command of
words. I undertooli to remedy the defect by committing
to memory large portions of the Kew Testament, the
Psalms, and much of the Prophets; also whole dramas of
Shakspeare, and a great part of Milton's 'Paradise
Lost'; so that you might start me at any line in any
drama or book, and I would go through to the end. I
regard' the above named as exhausting the powers of the
English language; and he who masters them, knows his
native tongue. It is also the best method of training the
memory," In confirmation of this, the writer has fre-
quently heard him, when in a recitative mood, repeat
whole pages of Milton without the slightest hesitation j
sometimes an entire ode of Horace, or long extracts from
Virgil; to say nothing of brilhant passages from Robert
Hall and Edmund Burke: all the fruits of this early
memorizing. One of his first associates testifies that,
before going to College, he could recite entire pages of
Dugald Stewart; showing this discipline to Iiave been
begun at an early date. This explains, too, what always
seemed so wonderful to the writer : that Dr. Thornwell
was ahle, in conversation, to repeat long passages from
such rugged writers as Jonathan Edwards and John
Owen, without the' necessity of recurring to the works
themselves for authority. His mind had acquired, through
tlie severe training of his youth, a facility in taking up
and retaining the words as well as the thouglits of an
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64 LIFE OS JAMES HENLEY THOBNWELL.
author whom he attentively read, Notwithstanding his
constant depreciation of his own memory, it always ap-
peared to us the most marvellous in its power of retention
and reproduction that we ever met.
As the readei' may sm-mise, such diligence in study did
not comport with free companionship. He was not, in-
deed, averse from it; for he was constitutionally genial
and sympathetic; and whenever he chose to indulge in its
relaxation, his manner was cheei-ful, and even buoyant.
Among his young associates he indulged freely in playful
raillery and sarcasm; in which there was not a trace of
bitterness, for he was incapable of malignity. But satire
is a dangerous weapon with which to sport; and to one
■who possesses the fatal gift, the temptation to its indis-
creet use is often too strong to he resisted. In later
years, Dr. ThornweU was accustomed to acknowledge
that nothing had given him greater trouble than this
propensity to sarcasm. It gleams forth occasionally
through all the passages of his history; and if he had
chosen to indulge it, few could have excelled him in the
power of invective. How sweetly it was controlled, and
finally, by a mellow piety, subdued, can be appreciated
only by those who knew the gentleness of his last years,
when ripening for his translation. But at the period of
which we are now treating, there was little to check the
indulgence of a talent whieh, however unamiable, is
always an instrument of commanding power. It was
especially in debate that this fearful talent was displayed.
In the language of one of his elass-mates, " His words
bnrned hke fire ; his sarcasm was absolutely withering."
From tliis cause, in part, he was not what is called a
popular student in College. "He was admired for his
transcendent abilities, but not loved." This was, how-
ever, still more due to his habits of seclusion. He had
something more important to achieve than to court either
the society or the favour of those about him. Indeed,,
throughout life, he was a man rather to be sought, than
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COLLEGE LLFE, 65
to be himself a seeker. What he was in later life, he was
to some extent in College; and hence he never conx-
maiided that shallow popularity which is acquired only
by rubbing one's self good naturedly against every man's
shoulder.
The polemic character of lua mind fitted him to shine
in the debating society, which always foiins a feature of
College discipline. He revelled in the gladiatorial com-
bats that took place. Saye one of his class-mates : " He
took the most prominent pai-t in the Literai-y Society of
which he was a member, and received all the honours in
its gift. His eloquence was unequalled, and his argu-
mentative powers tlje most amazing. He could detect
and expose a fallacy with more dispatch and completeness
than I ever witnessed in any other man. The honoraiy
members of the Society, living in Columbia and vicinity,,
■would attend these discussions in large numbers, to hear
this wonderfid. man pour forth torrents of eloquence, and
deal, right and left, death-blows to sophistry." Another,
in the cl^s below him, thus writes : " On the night I
joined the Society,- Thorn-well rose to malte a speech.
When he stood up, he was not a great deal higher than
tlie tables. He stepped into the passage between them ;
and I remember distinctly my reflection, ' Well, you can-
not say much till you will have to sit down.' But, to
my surprise, without any trepidation or diffidence, he
spoke, for twenty or thirty minutes, in a strain of elo-
quence, and with a flow of language, ftdl of thought. His
peculiai' gesture was with both arms opened, and raised
above his head. He was a ready speaker, and the best
debater in the Society. He would sometimes indulge in
sarcasm, and was severe in retort," We are careful to
quote exactly from these memoranda of eye and ear wit-
nesses, to escape the suspicion of writing a eulogy under
the disguise of history. The criticism will be disarmed
by remembering that, in a moat important sense, the
orator, as well as the poet, is born,, not made. Onltnre
may be necessary to train the peculiar faculties of both ;
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66 LIFE OF JAMES HEKLEY TIIOKNWELL.
but the original creative power, which is their common
characteristic, is the immediate gift of God. Gei-main to
this is the following letter, addressed to his patron. Gen-
eral Gillespie :
" CoLfMEiA, jarmary 24, 1830.
"Deab Sib ; There is scarcely anytMug going on here which is worth
cononiimcating. A stort account of the Society may not be uninter-
eeting. The two last meatiiigs were tliB best we have had siace I be-
came a member. I made my first attempt, oonoerning ' The juslace of
pmiishing the Irish rebels of 1797 ;' and I jnstifi-ed that measure of the
English cabinet with aU the arguments that 1 could muster. Last night
I made a seooud effort, ou the question, ' Whether it ia probable that
the nations of Europe will advaaee furthai in i-efinement than they havs
done.' I contended that they would not. My argmnent was this; 1
first proved, by induotion, that it was a law of nature that eyerythiug,
after having reached a certain point of elevation, must decline. I neit
showed the method by which we could determine when anythiag had
reached that point ; and then made application to the question. The
election for monthly orator came o£E last night, and I was glad to find
that I was elected by an almost unanimous vote. There is one diffloulty
attending the delivery of this oration. The constitution requires that
it should be delivered ia a gown. Now, the Society's gown is large
enough for a man of six feet, and I would be a ridieuloua figure in it,
Some method must be contrived to obviate this difficulty
"I lira now reading Swift's Works and Hume's Essays. I have finished
By. Swift's ' Tale of a Tub' ia a masterly specimen of sarcastic
, will distort the gravest muscles. Hume's Essays, which are a
m of his treatise on Human Nature, I read immediately after
Berkeley ■■, because I wish to follow out the train of reasoning by which
matter and spilit are proved to be nonentities. And it is ingenious
enough, although it depends entirely on a hypotheaia. which philos-
ophers have assumed without the slightest evidence, viz , that the mind
■ does not perceive anything but its own ideas. From this assumption
the moat absured consequences have been rigorously deduced Mattei
and spirit are shown to be deluaions. Nothing, says Hume exists but
Ideas and inipreasiona. There is no mind on which they jaay be jm
pressed. It is remarkable that men of such sagacity and penetrati m
aa Berkeley and Hume should have taken for granted a prinuple from
which Huch jidioulouS consequences flowed. The absurdity of the con-
clusion should have led them to suspect their premises. Indeed, Uerke
ley Tmdertakes to prove that his whimsical notion, concerning the non
esiatence of matter, coincides with the general sentiments of mankind :
and that the belief of the esiatence of matter was the oddest of the two
Hume, however, has the frankness to confess that his opinions contra-
dict the common sense of men. It is amusing to observe into what a
labyrinth of perpleiitiea men may involve fhemseivea.
Yours, affectionately ,
.J, H. Tuoehwi.:li,."
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CHAPTER YI.
COLLEGE LIFE CONTINUED.
OOBBESPONEENOE WITH HlS PlTBONS. — AdMIKABLT: JjBTTEHB OP Mk,
EOBBINB IN KePLI. — GoBSOlBNTIOUSNESS IN THE USE OF MoBEY. —
OeNBTJBED rOE PiRSIMONK BY Me. E0BBiN3.— HIS DEFENCE.— HiS
MoBil. CHlBiCTEE IN CoLLEOE. TESTIMOKIEa OP HIS CLASS-MiTES. —
— EliMTLH or INTEOBITY.— GBiDUillON
IK tl i 11 wiug correspondence the letters explain
tl n 1 s f om the eloae relation in which tliey
stanl
"Deab James; Enclosed is eighty dollatB, wMcli I wish yon to ac-
knowledge tlie receipt of immediately. Our Court of Equity sits on
Monday, and I am.- too mneli occupied to write more at present. Use
no delicacy, James, in asking (or money. If this shall not be enough
for you, temembor there ia more where it oame from.
Your friend ever, W. H. Bobbibh,"
"CoLmtBii, February 12, 1830.
"Ms Deab Sib: I have just received your letter covering eighty
dollars, for wMc]i joa baie my wannest gratitnde. The alacrity and
oheerfnlcBHS with whioli yon grant my reciuests render it extremely nn-
plesaant for me to ask anything from you. And it is more unpleasant,
since the only recompense which I am capable of rendering you is to be
seTDkeable to wtyaelf. Common gratitude, did no other motive enter, would
require me to prove not unwortiiy of the conSdence which you have re-
posed in mo. Dignified deportment and close application, combined
with a proper selection of associates, are the least things you can require.
Indeed, bo fai as regards associates, I am perhaps too fastidiona. There
are seven in one hundred and twenty with whom I sometimes assooiate ;
but only orie who is in any wise an intimate. ♦ * *
" The last number of &iB Southern Review is, in my opinion, a failure.
The review of Stoatt'a Hebrew Grammar is written by Mr. Mioballo-
witz, the Professor of Oriental Langnages in this College. If that work
is intended to be read, it should surely lay aside its pompons parade of
learning. This number, or at least the article on tiie Hebrew Grammar,
and that on Higgins's Celtic Braids, are fit for nothing bnfc show. A few
6T
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68 LIFE OF JAMKS HTDNl
pvivileged otiu'aoteva may be let into their mjstei'iea ; bnt of what beiie-
fit are Uley to the mauB of the people?
" Tlie leviaw of Hoffmfai's Legal Oiiliiiies, in the lash number of tlie
Ncrrfll Atrtei'lc'iin,, is oalculatecl to add to the merited celebrity which
that journal has obtained. I (hint it aaperioc to ibe article which ap-
peared in the Bouthern. By this journal it was termed a misnomer ;
Ihe North AmeHean has shown it to he ofhenrise. The article in the
Souifterm Benieio, headed 'LoniBOonrier,' is written by Professor Nott.
I have not read it yet.
"A letter, giTing me a fall aooouct of thingH at home, ifonld be lilie
oold water to a thirsty soul ; for I am homesict. It is some consolation
that I shall see yon in May. Yours affectionately,
J, H. Tso'sswELt.."
" Colombia, March 5, 1880.
"My DEiB Patbom; The metaphysical distinolion drawn, by Lord
Shaftesbury between what is good and what is virtuous, Beems unneoes-
aary. The former, according to him, implies whatsosTer promotes tlie
interests of the general system ; the latter, an affection for what pro-
motes that interest. Virtue, therefoi'e, is a quality of tlie agent ; good,
of the action. A notion of good m.uBt be obtained before we can be-
come TJrtaous. Fox how can we have an affection for what we do not
comprehend? Nothing, says this author, can be denominated eiflier
good or ill, unless it promotes or counteracts the. interest of the system
of which it is a pact. No animal can be called ill unless it is hurtful
to the animal system. No man can be called iU, unless he is hurtful
to the htiman speeia*. Bui what sagacity can trace the result of hmnan.
actions ? Few men inquire whether their actions promote the weal of
Booiety or not, and yet know whether they are good or bad. How is
thia? Natm.'e has given them a sense of right artd wrong. "Whatever
pleases this intellectual sense is right ; the contrary, wrong. It is the
character of good actions, however, to promote the interest of the gene-
ral system.
" This is a summary of Lord Shaftesbury's sentiments, aa far as I have
read. To find his ineaning-.in a mountain of useless verbosity is no
qrdinary task. I chain myself down to it, however. To give yon soma
inaight into his style, if style it may be called, he espresses in twenty
lines no otiier sentim^t than this : ' That a man, by vice, does himself
as much hann aa if ha were to wound himself.'. Gtnasa from this of hia
verbosity. Still bis periods are very harmonious. They are delightful
to the ear, but rough to the understanding. His style has the good
effect of concentrating the attention. He never espresses clearly and
distinctly; but he envelopes everything in a cloud of words. Self-
examination is a clear idea of itself; but Lord 8. mates it a mys-
tery. It is to be ft Belf-dia!ogist ; to form the dual number with one's
self i to enter into self-partnership ; to divide one's self into two par-
ties ; and all such nonsense as thia. But let us leave this worthy deist,
Yours, gratefully and affectionately, 3- H. Tq(
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COLLEaE l.WE. f)9
" Chehaw, AjirS 10, 1S30.
"DHABJiMES: Yoa judged Tiglitly ; it bns been the presiiire of pro-
fessional busineas that preTented my wilting yovi before ; «nd I tntst
you will axcuKe me, tnowing tis you do, tbat it is but TBielj, and tVea.
only wiHi a good raason, that I Euffer oien the impiitjent obUb of pro-
fessional basinees to inteiiupt my perfoi-manee of the dtitiea of Mend-,
ship. I know you will nut aoeuao me of negliict or inilitFerence to yonr
interest
" So yon think that if you pay ' some attention ' to a book, in the read-
ing, you will find little to do in the re-view! This axpreesion of yours
amuued me not a little ; and, to Bay the least, it furuished no evidence
of your Belf^distnist. Bat I suppose yoa (hink it tha privilege of great
minds to posseas, and sometimes to exhibit, a oousnioasnesa of supeiior
power. It is bo -, and it is probably the surest test of a superior judg-
ment, to deteimine wisely the subject and oooasion when to put it forth.
To be oohlident in our opinions and SBsertions in trivial matters, or too
often so in any matters ; or even rarely, when the occasion does not re-
quire and justify it, is neither more nor leas than downright dogniatiain.
And besides, it is iinpoiitio in another view ; 'by being habitually posi-
tive, we multiply the ohanoes of being someiimes in error ; and the
most fortunate man cannot promisa himself that he will never be de-
tected ; and whenever caught tripping in this way, in a matter of opin-
ion, distrust in his judgment — in a matter of fact, doubt in his vera-
city, is sure to follow. Hor will the conseqaenoes be restricted in its
operations to the narrow oirole of those who were personal witnesses of
the cause ; good report travels at snail's pace, whilst detraction outrides
the wind. Suoh a practice, too, begafa suspicion in the minds of intelli-
gent men, that what we lack in reason, we seek to make up in aesu-
lanoe ; and this inference is generally a just one.
' ' But on the contrary, a truly great mind, flinging aside all fuiventitions
props, rising buoyant of its own native energies, and poising itself
proudly on the conseiousnees of its own moral power, is, at the same
time, the rarest and most magnificent spectacle in the moral universe.
It impresses us with admiration, with wonder and feai. It is a noble
daiing, which fills us with solemn awe, the highest effort of moral cour-
age ; because it is done under the deepest sense of personal responsi-
bility ; because it is done at the hazard of everything which suoh a man
holds valuable in life : present mortificaldon, influence, and prida of char-
acter. And when we analyze this sentiment, we iind that it derives all
ita anblimtty from its rare eieroise by such a mind, the importance of
l^e oooasion , and the noble reason which prompts and sustains it ; take
away either, and, instead of sublimity, we shall have a precious speei-
men of the ridiculous ; deprive it of all, and you.leave us the antj^o-
nist character, in which vanity, rant, and dogmatism are the essential
" Now, I would not have you think that these reflections have a pe
Bonal bearing; They have not, nor were (hay so intended. They ai
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70 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
general remaits, which have suggested themBelveB to my mind ; and I
have thrown them ont as food for your reflection, and for snimadTersion
and correction, if yon are so inclined, in a future letter. I should pre-
fer Bome original speculaUons of your own, to the general remarks on
authors which yon introdnce into your lettera : and let them be snit-
ably intersperBed with any incident of peraonal interest which may
transpire. I mention this, not in the tone of censure ; hut that yon.
may know that incidenta of a personal interest to you will always hate
an interest for me. I never thought you extravagant, but suspect that
you deny yourself too mnoh. Have enclosed twenty dollars.
W. S. EOBBINS. .
"CoLrMBii, April 14, 1830.
" My Dbab PiTBON ; I reeeiTed yesterday your letter oovering twenty
dollEirs ; which, although not adequate to my present exigencies, was, I
assure you, a very acceptable boon. Thirty doUara raore would bo
amply adequate to pay demands until June, when I should need Uie
same amount again.
"lam 'strangely oblivious,' as the Dominie would say, if I did not
give you or General Gillespie an account of the late escitement in
College."
(Here follows a long recital of a riot, with tlie details -
of which the reader would not be interested. We pass,
tlierefore, to the closing paragraph of this letter.)
"The sentenoe in my letter which gave rise to the philosophical re-
flection in youia, was intended as a modest way of fcelliog yon (hat I
stiidml my lessons the first time, and therefore found little new fh the
review. 1 did not mean to say that, whilst othei's were compelled to
labour and toil over their lessons, I could learn them with barely ' some
attention.' This was not my idea. If I have not the self-distrust, I
have the discretion, at least, to restrain such bursts of vanity. Tfour
remaris, however, could not have been personal ; for you woold have
been disgusted, and not 'amused.'
Yours gratefully and affectionately,
J, H. Thobnwell."
"CoLUTHBiA, Maj/ 1, 1830.
" Mt Deab Paihon ! Tout letter coTering thirty dollars has been re-
ceived, which filled me with emotions of the liveliest character. Indeed,
how could it have been otherwise, unless I bad been made of stone,
Yonr closing sentence in. particular aroused the teuderest sentiments of
my heart ; and, my dear sir, as long as I have a heart, as long as I am
myself, the warmest feehngs of my nature shall ever be indulged to-
wards you. I entertain a deep, and I hope a noble, sentiment towards
the kindest benefactors that ever relieved the wants of suffering human-
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.;. Tl
ity. When I conmdec my former situation, th* IgDoranoe and poveiiy
that seemed my inevitable doom, and oontrast it with my present state,
my boBom glows with the most ardent gratitude and affection towards
tiioB6 generons souls who stretched out Hie haad of relief, and still hold
it out. When old age shall have oome upon you, with its attendant mis-
eries, should all othersdesert you, I will still cling tie oloeer to yon, and
deem it my greatest satisfaction to look the oi'adle of your declining
years, and to smooth your bed of death. The evening of your life shall
not disappear in clouds, but sliaU pass off as calmly and as tranquilly as
a samtner's day ; and when the grave shall have olosed upon you, I wUi
pay llie tribute of afteotion lo your memory. These are the feelings of
my bosom. Accept them, I pray you, as all tliat I can now return for
your kindness to me ; bnt remember the day is not far distant, perhaps,
when you wUl find some satisfaction in
J. H. THOENWEnL."
The three letters which follow are such as are seldom
foiuid in a College correspondence. The instances are I'are
in which, on the one hand, a parent or guai-dian has need
to urge the cliUd or ward to spend more freely the money
which is mnniiicently supplied; whilst the pupil, on the
other hand, finds hiauBeU driven to philosophy to justify
his parsimony. It is eqnally honourable to both the par-
ties. It is the more remarkable, since Dr. Thornwell was
naturally extravagant in aU his, tastes; and his expendi-
tures were bounded only by his means. The disclosure in
these letters fully justifies the testimony of Mr. Robbins,
given in later years,, when his wai'd had won his own in-
dependent position in the world: "James is lavish with
his own meansj but careful and honest with that of an-
other." Bvit to the letters:
" Ceehaw, N'oDember 10, 1830.
' ' DsiK Jambs : I received last eveaing your listtm of the fourth cur-
rent ; also that of last month, enclosing Dr. Green's receipt for the
money, * * « 1 like and approve a wise eoonora.y ; hut carried too
far, as I fear you have done, it ceases to be a virtue ; and neither the
Generals nor myself desire it, nor can we approve. We wish you to be
liberal, not profase, in your expenditure ; and anything short of this
we canuot sanotioo. Xour impatiancn to be earning for yourself is
premature. This will do nell by and by Let all your present aims
be directed to the laying a sohd foundation The superstiuctare must
await this; and without it, future exertion wdl be imavMihng. Not
only endeavour to supply jour mmd -nith kno^A ledge, but cultivate a
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I -A LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
cool aud diBpafisionate jndgmeat ia all things, whether appertaimng to
j'oar ooaduot now, or to your opinions. It ia by tliis, rest assured, tlmt
all bniiuui things are to be weighed ; and to this, as a test, must and
■will all be snbmitted in the realities of life. Enthusiasm, whioh uo-
tiu'allj' reoommends itself to youth, is regarded in its proper light by
dge and Biperience. It is a pleaaant attendant to solid sense and cor-
rect Tiews; butwithont them, 'tis unsure to stand upon. In all yoTir
reflections, wiere conduct is the aim, regard human nature as it is, not
as it should be. Man. baa sought out many InTentiona, says the gooil
Book; and if we would inflaenoe man, or goyein him, we must not
only know, but reckon on, these inyontions. The seaman, who would
determine by course and distance only, will find himself at fault when
he makes land ; the winds and currents must enter into bis estimate, too,
if he would fis his b-ue place. When yon have gotten your education,
the qnalitj of which depends more on youself thap on your instruotors,
tliere will be ample time to devise and pursue the business of life. Be-
fore then, we wish you to employ all your thoughts on the cultivatiou
of mind. Let them not be bounded by the narrow horizon of College
and its honours ; these are trivial afEaii*, and not worth a thought, iE
comparison with that general knowledge aud epltivation of judgment \
that broad and comprehensive view of men, subjects, and things, which
alone go to constitute the oharacfer of a great mind. 'Tia a good rule,
never to hazard an opinion on a subject unti! it is wholly before you :
for, by beiug frequently defeoted in error, men lose confidence in our
ability and judgment ; wliile, on the other hand, to be positive seldom,
and always to be found right, fixes a character which will ensure, be-
cause it will roei-it, the confidence of others. These are a few hasty hints
for your consideration. You said you would send a copy of my last
summer's letters. Do so in your nest.
W. H. Bobbins."
" CoiiUMBii, NoneTThlier 13, 1830.
"Mt Deab PiTROH; " I have just received your letter, which afEocds a
striking illustration of the power of the associating principle. The train
of thought which su^ested jour philosophical I'eflections can be easily
traced out. You are particularly anxious to guard me against a dogmatical
spirit. In other words, you think that I had passed an opinion on your
letter, which I had positively asserted to be true, but which tnrns out to be
false. Taking this for granted, you are desirous of preventing me from
committjng future errors of the same kmd. Your reflections are just,
and are calculated to be serviceable. It is not to their tendency, or the
spirit which dictated them, that I object. These are noble, and receive
my hearty thanks. But the assumption on which they rest, I cannot
grants That you may judge for Jourself, however, I copy your letter :
' I have time only io enclose you thirty dollara, and to exhort you to
make good use of it. You had better go with others, and deny yourself
,db, Google
COT.LKGE LIFE. 73
HO indnlgence' wMoh does not exceed the limits of a gentlemanly deoo-
ram.' It is dated 24ai April, ISBO. Does this differ fiom what I stated
to be its import ? Can I, bj any means, gather the meaniag of tlie
. pbrase, ' Tou had better go with, others ?' It oaimot allude to the rebel-
lion, lor that took place early in March. Yvui refleotioas shall guide
rne in other oases, although liey do not apply to this. In speaMng of
f ragaUty or economy, may 1 presume to suggest diat you had overlooked
a njaterial circumstanoe ? What is economy in one man is paininiony
in another ; and nice ■Bffrsa. It depends on the oiicumstances of men.
A man in my oironmstanoes cannot be well charged with meanness or
stinginess ; bnt a rich man can, "We ninst acotmiulBia before we can
spend, and not spend before we accnmulate. If these remai'ks are
wrong, you will please correct me; if right, jou can confirm them by
your EBnction. I shall endeavour to profit by your remarks on the true
objects of a Coile^ate education They are confirmed hy eiery writer
on that subjeit and deserve the attention ot all men who are ansious
to imprjie their minds
'.' The esamination will take place in about three week'i and then I
hope to 1 e a Senioj Will you I e here then If y ju come, do not
forget to biTDg m^ Ficnch tinmmar I stand gieaOy m need of it.
In January I connnence German. I am veiy anxiuua fo understand
that language It it. a common aoqnihitioa at the Nuith I am read-
ing ClcMO Je Legibus m the oi%inal and find little difB nlty; also
Btewai-ts PhiloB phy Satuda"^sl amusa myself withhistory.
"ioiirs, gratefully and affectionately,
J. H. TnOBNWELL."
' Chebaw, Na<oem1>sr 30, 1830.
" Dejik James : 1 have received your last letter ; and as I have sur-
mised, you fell into error in tiie eonstiuotion you gave my old letter,
by taking too narrow a view of it. I admit that the words ' go with
withers,' unqualified by any other expression, do bear the construction
which you gave' them. But how it was possible, taking the whole sen-
tence together, for you to have fallen into the error you did, I cannot
imagine. After saying that I enclosed money, and exhorting you to
make a good use of it, I remarked further, that ' Yon had better go with
others, and deny yourself no indulgence,' etc. Now, it seems to me
tliat the latterclause confines and explains the pi'eoediug, that it would
be impossible to misinterpret it. The meaning was ; if you were so-
licited to go to a supper, regard not the cost, but go ; if to a ride, regard
not the cost, but go. I meant that you must not deny yourself little indul-
gences, though Ihey might require money ; not seclude yourself from
jour companions and their amusements, when any demands wouJd be
laid upon your purse ; but ' go with them. ' And I must think, on a
Beooad view of the sentence, you will wonder how you should have so
mai'velloasly erred. In haste, your friend,
W. H, Bobbins."
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74 LIFE OF JAMES BEKLEY THOENWELL.
According to his expectatioDs, Thomwell Tose Senior
at the opening of the next session, in January, 1831 . It is
to be regretted that there are no remains of the correspon-
dence, which was yet vigorously maintained, as wo learn
from tlie only relic in our possession. The stndiea of this
year, so much in unison with the genius and taste of our
young friend, tlie increased maturity of his own mind, and
the freedom of discussion so generously solicited hy his
pati'on, woidd doubtless have enriched these pages with
epistles of sui-passing interest. It is singular that the
chances of time should have spared nothing npon either
side, witli the exception of a sohtary communication from
Mr. Kobbins. This is characterized by the same vigour
of thought, the same justness of discrimination, the same
moderation of tone, and the same elevation of moral
principle, which the reader has perceived in the letters
ali'eady given. His attachment to his ward rendered
him, by no means, blind to the faults from which he was
only effectively deHvered by Divine grace, at a later
period. He perceives them with a perfectly clear eye,
and addresses himself to their correction with a direct-
ness and precision that could not be evaded. At the
same time, we are filled with wonder at the skill with
which the invidious task is accomplished; and know not
which most to admire, the delicacy which escapee wound-
ing the sensibilities and arousing the resistance of his
protege ; or the wisdom which, under the form of philo-
sophical disqaisition, insinuates his ci'iticisms into a mind
that was ravished vrith the charms of metaphysics. No
mind could have been better fitted to discharge the office
of a Mentor to such a temperament as that he had under-
taken to mould. And those who recall the prudence of
Dr. Thomwell, in after life, in forming his opinions, and
the caution with which he surveyed a question on every
side, before committing himself, will perhaps trace the
influence of these reiterated suggestions, in framing one
of the wisest counsellors that ever sat in the courts of the
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COLLEGE LIFE. 75
dmrch. It is thus he deals with certain tendencies in
his joung -ward to dogmatism and intellectual pride :
" Ohbbiw, May 33, 1831.
"Mr Dbab James; Tour laat Tory ample letter gave me much plea-
sure. It went more largely into your own yiews of future employment
than I BuppoBed you had hitherto suffered your mind to stretch itaell.
There is opened to me auot a boundless field of remark, in fiie different
subjects embraoed in your letter, tliat it will not be expeoted that I shall
notice all of ihem ; indeed, I shall say anything only on one or two. I
was glad to find that yon appreciated in their proper light, .the value of
College distinctions ; and the reflections yon maie oH coincide with my
own TJews ; and, my boy, if report speaks not falsely, you will bear off
some honour in this way. I was glad to heal it ; bnt I was far more So to
hear, from your own pen, the just estimate you attauhed to all Collegia]
honours. Your aspirations are fiKed on higher, nobler objects ; but be
cautious that your attachment to thMS, and to those employed in achiev-
ing them, be not coupled with any Bentiment at contempt or detesta-
tion for them, oooupied in. the pursuit of those of humbler sphere. All
men are not endued with the faculties of a Newton, Baoon, Locke ; nor
even with those of Gibbon, Paley, or Stewart, Nature never designed,
therefore, that they should act the same parts. And the dispensation ia
a wise one ; for if all were scholars, where is to be done the vest and
important busine^ of the world ? Who is to hid the forest to disappear 7
■Who to construot edifices for hnman convenience ; to till the earth for
human sustenanoe ; to teach the child, the youth, the man? Who to
administer cures for hnman iUs ; the laws, for hnman safety ? In short,
what is to become of the whole machine of civil government, if we are
all to wrap ourHelves np in ourselves, and write philosophical, moral,
and metaphyaioa! disquisitions ? Mark me ! I do not urge these consid-
erations for the purpose of deterring you from the pursuit of a favourite
employment; only that they may qualify and eheok a something of
contempt, which 1 think I disoovered in your letter, for every man not
employed in similar studies, and not endowed by nature with extra-
ordinary capacities. EecoUect, both taste and talent are mainly the
gift of nature to man. He ia aooountable to the Giver only for the pro-
per use of what he has, not for the highest possible endowments. And
it ill becomes us, because we have been more Uherally dealt with by a.
kind Providence, to look with scorn or contempt on those to whom less
has been given, and of whom less wiU bo required, who perform equally
well wilh ourselves their several ofB.oes in life, and those offices, perhaps,
no leas important and necessary than those which fall to our lot, for the
nse, comfort, and well-being of society.
" But besides all this, methinks you oarry yonr notions on this sub-
ject by far too far. An accompEahad and elegant scholar, and a pro-
found one too, if you please, is a vjldU swan in our laud, I admit ; but
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76 LIFE OF JAMES liKNLEY THOliJ^WELL.
hia fame is eonfload, after all, to a Terj limited spliei'e ; and thuugli ha
may wort out for himself a name of oelebiiiy, jet he is of little real
practical une in life. Not that I would have you lietake joureelf to
politics ; 'tis the carse of oar land ; but I would have you a well-read
and sound lawyer, an elegant and able advocate. We cannot devote all
onr time to abstract studies of pleasure. Some must be given to the
baBiness of life ; for by this we earn our support. And in. the Law is a
soniee, not only of gain and fame, but, to one of yonr metaphysical
propensities, of real pleasure ; and I donbt not but you ifiB be as much
talien with its nice diatiaotions and metaphysical subtleties as you ever
were with Eeid, Stewart, or Brown. But the attainment of the highest
oelebrily in this does not preclude the enjoyment of any literary pen-
chant which the lawyer may poaseas. And more, this very philosophi-
cal taste you may have will enable you to read law as a scienoe. Tour
own enlarged views will prompt you to practice it as a science, not as a
trade ; and so t« read and practice it is the infalhble road to eminence.
"What I acid of your idolatry was aaid ifonice. Have you not yet
learned to disticgniall between irony and taunt? And don't you know,
too, Ihat when I reliute -ym, it is without any ill feeling, but with a
Binoece desire for your amendm,ent ? Vitie et sognoics J
"I leave this for the Hoith on the 17th of June. I am aniious to
see you before I go. I am glad that you have written regularly. You
must alao write me once a fortnight, and at length, when I am North.
Direct.to Boston. Let me know when I shall see you.
Yours affectiouately,
W. H. EOBEIHS."
On the back of this letter ia endorsed this criticism :
"A general diffasion of science and knowledge would not
have the effect ascribed to it in this letter, J. H. T."
From youth to manhood, the moral character of Thorn-
well was almost irreproachable. In his boyhood, Mr.
Bobbins writes of him : " He was pure and chaste, I. never
discovered any want of, or deviation from, integrity and
truthfTdness, and never was called on to correct any lack
of principle." The testimony of his classmates gives
almost as clear a record, during his College life. One
says : " I have heard it said that Thornwell was dissipated
in College. It is a mistake. He was one of the most
steady students among as all. He had no bad habits,
according to the standard of College morality, I do not
remember to have ever heard him use an oath. He never
gambled, nor do I think he played at cards, or indulged
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COLLEGE LIFE, 77
in any other game for annisement, Ee but rai'ely used
wines or ai'dent spirits. I saw him, once heated witli
hquor, and I w^ much surprised, it being ep entirely con-
traiy to liis habits." From another, we have the following
amueing specifications : " Thornwell was not a professor
of rehgion while at College ; but, so far a« I know, and I
had opportiinities for such knowledge, from rooming neai'
liim, he indulged in none of the vices common among
young men at such institutions ; certainly not habitually.
I can recall but three instances of deviation from the com'se
of strict morahty. One was on the occ^ion of a College
treat on the election of an Anniversary orator, when few,
even of the abstemious, left such scenes mthout having
' got oufeide,' as the phi'ase was, of a quantity of wine
and cordials ; and our friend was not in the minority.
Another was on the occui'rence of a snow storm in Co-
himbia ; when history and tradition informed us it had
ever been the practice to disregard all College regulations,
suspend all College exei-cises, and take to hot puncii
and honey. Considering the weather quite too inclement
to permit the classes to reach the recitation ■ rooms, they
marched ' up town' for the materials for the punch ; and
returning, indulged in a \vild jollification, our friend acting
a prominent part. The thhd was a noctimial visit to the
strawberry beds in the garden of one of the citizens of the
town, without the formality of asking leave. At that
time, such depredations by the students were sustained by
College public opinion, as not only not disreputable, but
as good practical jokes, of the success of which one might
boast. But the strawberry expedition was the only in-
stance within my knowledge of "his ever yielding to the
spirit of fun, in that dhection."
The simple fact is, that, independent of the moral prin-
ciple which he vrnquestionably possessed, his scholarly
tastes and overweening ambition would serve to restrain
anything short of an invincible projiensity to vice. It is
the prerogative of a master passion to root out whatever
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78 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOBNWELL,
contradicts its own supremacy. And the form which de-
pravity would te most litely to assiime in such a nature
as his, would be predominantly intellectual, tiie adoption
of sltcptical and infidel views, whicii would trample upon
the Immility of graee, and defy the authority of God.
How ncai- be came to this, leads to the consideration of
his religions histoiy at this period.
Whatever the traditional bias of his mind upon this
suhject, one of liis speculative tiu'u could not be brought
in contact with opposing views, without subjecting the
whole matter to re-examination. The form of infidelity
whicli pervaded the College in his day has already been
indicated, and tliia forced the subject anew upon his atten-
tion. He was in little danger of being caught in the toils
of materialism. Eveiy operation of mind, and every con-
scious emotion of the heart, are an insuri'ection against
this base usui-pation. His metapliyeical tendencies offered
protection in tliis direction, and tlie vei-y instinct of thought
would be to him an assertion of the spiritual in man. The
writer ]iad from his own lips the substance of the follow-
ing pai'agraplis.
The c|ne8tion that first engaged luB attention involved
tlie claim of Deism, Admitting the existence of a Su-
premo Being, can reason alone gather, from the oracles
of nature, witliin and without itself, a competent know-
ledge of his cliaractor and will, to enable man to meet the
responsibilities of Ins condition. He examined with care
tho -wiitings of the ablest advocates on both sides, and
rose from the perusal Tivith a clear and unshaken conviction
of the necessity of a Dli-ine revelation.
He next turned to the systems whi<;h profess to found
upon the teacliings of tlie Bible. Socinianism had spe-
cial attractions, in its exaltation of human reason, and its
promise of unbridled liberty of thought. "With the know-
ledge of his after life in our possession, it would be inter-
esting to trace the mental conflict through wliich he must
now have passed ; and did we not know tlio result, we
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COLLEGE LIFE. 79
might tremble for the -decision which is to be rendered.
Its destructive critioism strips Olu-istianity of all that is
supernatural, and drags its sublimest mysteriea before tlie
bar of human reason. It converts "the signs and won-
dere" of the Bible into the legends of a fabnlous age; or
into myth and allegory, the mere symbols of philosophy
masking its teachings under the guise of fancy; or into
the jugglery of nature, beneath which we are to detect
only the working of her secret and invariable laws. Shall
onr student be dazzled with the boldness of a system,
which
" Boara Tiatrodden heights, and seems at home
Where angels bashful look ;"
which professes to subdue things divine under the domin-
ion of reason, and offers up all truth as a sacrifice at
last upon the altar of human vanity? Or, on the other
hand, shall his earnest soul, longing for the positive and
the real, turn away from its endless negations, from the
destructive criticism which it offers in lieu of a construc-
tive faith, and which substitutes the abstractions of reason
in place of a substantive testimony? Before the fervour
of his gaze will not these airy speculations, woven of the
mist and sunlight, melt away, like the deceitful mirage
upon the distant horizon. Shall not his warm and loving
heart find itself chilled, in an atmosphere which oifers
nothing to the embrace of the affections? Can such a
nature as his be content to dwell in the beautiful snow-
houses of this polar latitude, shining indeed, with crys-
taliue splendour, but beneath a sun which neither cheers
nor warms ? The decision trembles not long upon the
balance; he turns away from Sociniamsm, with the indig-
nant sarcasm of Mr. Kandolph, " "Wliat a Christless Chris-
tianity is this!" "I found it," said he to the writer, "a
system that would not hold water;" and even reason
could not mend the leaks through which its virtue oozed
out.
Thus far a purely intellectual examination had con-
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80 LIFE OF JAMJilS HENI.KY' TKf>EN\\"RI.L.
ducted him to a recognitioii of tlie Scriptures as the reve-
lation of Gtod, and of Christianity aa tlie scheme it
unfolds. Upon the interpretation of this hook, he has,
as yet, framed no hypothesis. But tlie time haa come for
easting his traditional helief into an articulated creed.
And here again, an unseen hand interposes for his guid-
ance, and a seeming accident forms the hinge of his future
career. Daring an evening sti'oil, he stumbles into tlie
book store of the town, and finds lying upon the counter
a small volume, entitled, " Confession of Faith." He had
never before heard of its esietence; he only saw that it
' contained a systematic exposition of Christian docti-ine.
It is needless to apprise the reader that it was the West-
minster Confession. He bonght it for twenty-five cents,
carried it home, and, as he himself testifies, read it en-
tirely through that night. "For the first time," he adds,
" I felt that I had met with a system which held together
with the strictest logical connection ; granting its premises,
the conclusions were bound to follow." He could not
immediately pronounce it true, without a cai'eful compar-
ison of the text with the scriptural proofs at the bottom
of each page. But he was ai'rested by the consistency and
rigour of its logic. This book determiued him as a Oal-
vinist and a Presbyterian; although he had never been
thrown into contact with this branch of the Church of
Christ, and had never been, hut once, within any of its
sanctuaries of worship. The circumstance, however, of
most interest in tlie whole series, is the faet that the chap-
ter which most impressed him iu this " Confession," was
the chapter on Justification — the doctrine which is the
key to the whole Gospel, and weE styled by Luther, " ar-
ticulus stantis aut cadentis ecclesim.'" How parallel with
the history of Luther himself, and of the great Be-
formers of the sixteenth century! who, by this clue, ex-
tricated themselves from the toils of Popery, and built
Protestant Christianity upon it as the keystone of the
ai'cli, by which the whole superstructure was supported.
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COLLEGE LIFE. 81
Those who recall the fierce conflict whicli raged in the
Presbyterian Cliurch, at the time our friend waa intro
duced into its ministiy, and who remeijiher the dietin-
giiished part he was called to bear in defence of tlio
doctrines of the Refonnation, which are only tliU doc-
trines of grace, cannot fs^l to recognize here tlie wonder-
ful method by which he was unconsciously ti'ained for a
similar work of refoj-m. Kone can fail to see, that tliose.
who are raised up to be the champions of truth, in an age
of defection and strife, and tliose who are destined to
shape the theology of their age, must drink the truth
from no secondary stream, but fresh from the oracles of
God, and from those symbolical books, in which the faith
of the universal Church ie sacredly enshrined.
But if these researches led him within the temple of
Chi-istian truth, it was only to wonder, and not to wor-
ship. He stood beneath its majestic dome, and mused
along its. cathedral aisles, as before he had wandered
through the groves of the Academy, or paused beneath
the porch of the Stoic, The gospel was nothing more
than a sublime philosophy ; and if it secured the homage
of his intellect, it failed, as yet, to control the affections
of his heart. If he seemed to sit with reverence at the
feet of the Great Teacher, it was only as a teacher
something greater than Socrates, and more divine than
Plato. The seed must lie dead for a time. How soon
it was to germinate, and what fruit to bear, we shall
shortly trace. There is- a statement that he had, in
College, moJtiente of deep conviction for sin; and would
then resort to the room of a pious student, soliciting his
prayers. But most certainly, tliese convictions did not
then ripen to any permanent issue, however they may
have served to keep alive the fire of religious feeling,
until the moment of God's merciful visitation.
An incident deserves to be recorded, in this connection,
not as bearing upon religious experience, but as illus-
trating the honesty of his character, and the tone of his
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83 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
moral principles. Dnriug Ms Senior year, the report waa
rife tlu-oughoat the State, that Dr. Cooper was abusing
Ilia position by teaching infidelity in his lectures. A
meeting of the class was called, by certain indiscreet
friends of tliis distinguished man, and resolntions were
introduced repelling the charge, strong appeals being
made to secure a unanimous vote in their favour. It was
a moment of severe trial to young Thomwell, who was a
candidate for the honours of his class, to be awarded by
the very party whom his conscience compelled him,' to
offend. He resolved to do what he felt to be right, be
the consequences as they may. He opposed the reso-
lutions with such vigour that they were withdrawn; and
the effort to influence public opinion in this way waa
It is pleasant to add, that this exercise of moral courage
did not wort the forfeiture which he had risked. In fact,
his position had been too cordially and too universally
conceded in his class, to remain unrewarded at last. In
December, 1831, at nineteen years of age, he graduated
with the highest distinction the College could confer, and
pronounced, as usual, the Latin salutatory, on Commence-
ment day. He left his Alma Water, followed by uni-
versal predictions of his future greatness ; and by the path
of these same predictions he returned, six years later, to
be as distinguished amongst its teachers, aa before he had
been amongst its pupils.
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OHAPTER VII.
mS CONVEHSION.
Inability to ohoose a Phofbssiob. — Eemains ah Besjdhnt Gkaduatb
IN THE CoLtROK — 'jOBamSPONDENOE.-^TEAQaES AT SoMTCESTILIjE.—
LiTEKilllr PfiO-tBOTe. — DnITEB with THE PnESByTEBIAN ChUKOH. — HiS
own ACOOUHT, GIVEN AT A LiTHE PeEIOC, OF HIS RbUGIODS EsEB-
QiHEB. — Ebtiew of hib Reliqiods Histoby. — Hi3 OWN Aklaysis of
EaLioloK. — Lettbii.
AFTEE obtaining his degree, onr friend did not immedi-
ately plunge into tlie great world. Desiring to lay
broader and deeper the foundations of scholarsiiip, he
proposed to remain withia tihe College halls, as a resident
graduate, for the term of one year. Another reason for
this conr&e -was, his inability to settle down upon the
choice of a profession. His repugnance to the Law re-
mains inTincible, and he finds himself destitute of the
spiritual qualifications necessary to the pulpit. It is evi-
dent that he will, if poeaible, steer clear of both, and live,
if the way should open before him, the life simply of a
eeholar. The difficulty was in the way of support. His
independence — ^we might add, his sense of justice — ^would
not allow him to remain a pensioner upon the bounty
which had sustained him thus far. He attempts, there-
fore, to eke out a subsistence as a private tutor, to such m
desired to enter College, But this system of " coaching,"
as it is termed in English UniversitieSj not being a feature
grafted upon our American Colleges, his scheme failed, as
might have been anticipated; and ho was soon driven
from the classic shades he still desired to haunt. His de-
signs, and methods of accomplishing them, will, however,
be best unfolded by himself, in the extracts which follow,
from a letter addressed to his class-mate, Mr. W. M.
Hutson :
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84 LITE OF JAME9 HENLEY THORNWELL.
"Coi.tJMBXA, February IS, 1883.
' ' Deaii Hutson : I am going to give thee an epistle truly originid in its
character, and I will iaj tliee a ^pJager tliat, ■when it is concluded, thou
wilt not he ahle to make head or tail of it, Impiimis : I am hard en-
gaged in the Htndy of Oreek, Latin, and German ; I read, all sorts of
Greet commBnta,tors, aa Yigeriua, Middleton. Mathiie, and others. I
have oommeneed regularij «ith Xenophoa's woiife, and intend to read
them. cBiefuIly. I shall then talce up Thneydides, Heiodotus, and then
Demosthenes. After mastering these, I sliall pasH on to the philono-
phera and poets. In Latin, I am going regnlailj thiongh Cicero's ■writ-
ings, I read tiiera by double translations ; that is, 1 first translate,
them into English, and then re-translate tiem info Latin. By pursuing
this course, I observe the idioms, phrases, and constrnetion of latin
sentences much more aconrately than I otherwise would. In German, I
am pursuing Goethe's works, in company with Gladney. My life, jou
can plainly see, is not a life of idleness. There is only one lazy trait
in my ohacaoter, however, of which I cannot divest myself ; and that
is, sleepang in the morning. I can no more rise before the sun riRcs,
lian I can go to hed before the sun sefB. * * • I take private sohol-
Bi^s, and thereby ttooomulate a little ' gear,' If yon know of any young
men who wish to prepare for College, and oan find it in your oonBOienee
to recommend me, I would be gla^ if jou would do so, I cannot
bring myself to study la^w. It is a good profession to contract the
mind and freeze the heart. Nothing but necessity shall ever induce me
to study it. I find myself most sadly puzzled about selecting a pro-
fession ; and if I can get along without one, Iwill never study one. If
I had anything of an ordinary haman shape and size, I might marrj
into wealth enough to support me ; hut as it is, if I should happen to
bare a Eon, it would be a hard matter to distinguish the sire from his
issue, Fancy to yourself what a figure I would cut with a wife, espe-
cially if she were fat and portly.
"Bum this scrawl, and believe me your friend,
J. H. THOfiNWBLIi.''
Wliilst lie is in the enjoyment of this Academic repose,
it may be as well to introduce a letter, written at an
earlier date, while etill an undergraduate, to one who had
been the first companion of his childhood, and who re-
mained hia steadfast friend till death. It not only illus-
trates tlie early and constant tendency of his mind to run
everything which he observed in life back into the prin-
ciple on which it rests ; but it will serve as the precursor
of other letters addressed to the same party :
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HIS conve:
85
"CoLVMBii, October 7, 1E31.
"Mr, Albsibdeb H. Pbouks.
' ' My Deas rnrENli ; I now Bit down, not so much to Todeem my pTO-
mise, as to gratify my own faeliugS. Though, not a votary of EpionruiS,
I lore pleasure ; and where eon it be found so pure and refined as in
tte tempie of friendship? But I am not Bboat to declaim on this sah-
jeot in the sickly strains of a school boy, or of a girl jiist caught in the
trap of Cupid. I intend iiiat my letter shall contain, on tlio contrary,
sundry specnlalions connected wifh pMsing evSnta, The first thing
tiint EuggeafB ifaelf is tbe esoitement about the negroes. We have con-
veined considerably on this subject ; but one topic groii^ out of it,upoa
■whioh we have never touched. 1 allude to the singular ptjenomenon,
that frightened men trust to their imagination for their facte, instead
of their memories. Our good old metaphysical vooabnlary teaches us
that tiie memory is the record of facts; the new Tocabulary of fear
teaches us that the imagination is. How has this change happened?
How comes it to pass that these faculties of the mind have exchanged
plaaea, or rather, functions ? Haa the memory become full, and turned
over its sui-pliB to the sister power? I confess that I have thought
much on this subject, but I oni not satisfied yet. My reflections, sueb
as they are, you sre heartily welcome to know.
"'Do- you remember that hoautiful passage in Shakespeare's 'Tem-
pest,' where Piospero compares his brother to one.
ig al it,
To credit HI
His brother had told it so often that he was Duke, that, although it was
a lie, ha came at length to beheve it. Heie the lie had been bo often
in his mind as to fonn a neoessajy link in the chain of his ideas. It
had intermingled itself with all his thoughts. Precisely analogous is
the CBse of those 'sons of terror,' who circulate the most outrageous
iTimours for serious truiii. They have no design to deceive, nor is
theii' false information owing to debility of memory. Where the mind
is cool and dispassionate, they remembei! facts with as much accuracy
as other men. But the truth seems to be, that they are aliirmed ; they
naturally torn their attention to tiie coming danger, and make conjec-
tures about it. These conjectures, however estiavagant or erroneous,
form, after a while, a necessary part in their trains of ttought, and
conaec[uently they attach the same credit to their correctness and accu-
X any facts are afterwards related to them, they, too,
0, their own minds, in the same order with their eonjec-
tmes ; and eventually the latter are ascribed to the same author- These
remarks will account for the incredible reporter so industriously circu-
lated, about Africa's sooty children. It evidently follows, if this account
of the case be correct, that no moral reproach should be fastened on
those who give currency to these reports. They believe firmly what
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86 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
they aay. They have ' onto tmth made suoh sinnerB of th^iv memory
as to credit their own lie,' I know that many cansave liein as the pro-
pagators of malicious falsehoods ; bnt they shoiil^ he pitied as the dupes
of their fears. But enough of this blaek subject.
I have talked ahoat a subject suggested at home ; let me now tali of
one suggested on the road. I eamo to Colombia in company with four
jolly fellows, whose minds were never strapped with deep thinking. They
were eonstantlj wMsHing, singiiig, humming tunes, or telling odd sto-
ries, which they took to be mighty witty. This eiroumatance led me to
reflect on the iiariouB methods which men of empty brains devise in order
to kill time. The first I shall notice is music. This seems to remove
the languor that hangs over those whose minds are vacancy ; and it is
used, either for this purpose, or as the natural eipiession of a pleasing
serenity. Have you never observed the negroes at their daily task?
They sing ; and I can only account for it by supposing that the hours are
dull and heavy, and they wish to make them Hghter ; or they feel very
pleasant, and wish to give vent to their agreeable sensations through the
channel of music, which is peculiarly fitted for that purpose. You will
perceive that I am not speaking of music as an art ; but only of those in-
voluntary strains which break forth unobserved. Stoiy-leUing is a pas-
time much akin lo music ; and roethjnks, should be asciibed to the same
cause. Works of fiction are read by most men for the same purpose.
It may be laid down as a general rule, that a vacant mind is always at
hard work. In the works of nature there is noUiing to amuse him who
cannot think. Art has no charms for him. Where, then, shall be look for
pleasure, for something to dispel the stupefying languor that hangs over
liim like a cloud ? Shall he tarn to his own internal treasureB ? Alas !
all ia emptiness within ! Poor wretoh ! what shall he do ? Whither
shall he turn f In the bitterness of despair, he picks up a novel ; but
gathers not one solitary idea. He tries poetry, but his brain is empty
still. He sings, he whistles ; but time flies slowly. He rejoices when
dinner comes, and is still gladder to see the approach of night. Em-
ployment of some kind, either bodily or mental, is the only cure for
that languor of which I have already spoken ; and happy is the man
who has been inured early to the holy esercise of meditation and
thought! Of that man it may be said, 'His mind is his kingdom.'
He alone can hold pleasant communion with his on'ii thoughts in soli-
tude and retirement. He possesseE an ineshausfible source of enter-
tainment within, when ever jthing without has lost its power to please.
When the period shall have passed away in which vivid sensations of
pleasure are the sole objects of thought worthy of pursuit ; when every-
thing around us shall have lost its charms and fascinations ; when we
shall have become unable to mingle in business any longer, but must
forsake (he haunts of men ; bitterly will we regret it if we have wasted
the morning of life without laying up a rich fund of useful knowledge.
I am sorry that an opinion has gone abroad that the acquisition of
knowledge is not a moral obligatitm. To me it appears a matter of
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HIS CONVERSION". 87
incumbent duty. If the loye of learning be natiirsJ to man ; if he
has faonlties Hviited to acquire it ; if there is eenaibla pleasure in the
disooTery of truth, and proportionate pain in mental Taonity ; why,
flien, to improye our minda is surely the voice of nature and of divinity
BpBftking within U8. To cultivate Oiose qnalidea by which any epeciea
is dwtinguished from everj other, constitutes, says Aristotle, the pecu-
liar daties of every individnal belonging to that Bpeeiea ; and man is
evidently disHnguifihed from every other animal, no less by his mind
than bis heart. His intellectnal powers form as striking charaoteristios
as his emotions or afiections. But the opinion of the world is quite at
variance with these proposiHons. Provided a man is moral, it matters
not how uncultivated may be his mind. Ignorance is not followed by
disgrace, though vice is attended with opprobrium. Fbr my part, I
Ihinh it as great a oiime to be a fool as to be a knave, provided a man
has ihe means of improving himself in his power ; and I think it, too, a
very unfortunate circumatonce that a different opinion prevails. It is
a chief reason that we have so few scholars. Once make it a disgrace
to be ignorant, and ignorance will take her flight for ever. But the .
subject would branch out to infinity, if I atop not now.
" I shall offer for the Libi'arian'a office, but have only a faint hope of
success. I came out entirely too late. Under more favoui'able circnm-
atanoes the opposition would have been quite sturdy. If I succeed, I
shall try to become a respectable scholar.
" Now for the Smthern, Bemmo, No. 14. But, alas, I have no space
to say anything of it, esoept that there is an able artiole on Bentham
and the Utilitarians, written by Legate. I hope to see the downfall of
that frigid system of philosophy, which, though not originated by Ben-
tham, it has been the warmest wish of his heart to sustain against truth
and reason. BenOiam is an atheist, and his philosophy is no better
than atheism. It cramps the genius, freezes the vivid and glowing as-
pirations of a young mind, and clipR, with unsparing hand, the lofty
flights of intellect. The ai-ticle on Codification was likewise written by
Legare. Professor Nott wrote the article on French Novels. Professor
Henry wrote that on Watechouse'a Junius,
"Write to me copiously and openly, as soon as you receive this; and
believe me,
Your friend as ever,
J. H. Technweli,."'
To the eamo:
"Columbia, Fsbruary 2, 1833.
" My Dbaeest Feiend ; When I reflect upon my dreary and unpro-
tected situation in this world of cares, melancholy and gloom impercep-
tibly steal upon my mind, and shroud it in its own sable livery. The
ship of my fortunes is now launched on the ocean of life ; her sails
flutter freely in the breeze ; but the haven of my hopes is far distant,
and I may perish in the storm, before I can reach it in safety, I am
now entering on life with all the ardour of youth; but I may soon re-
,db, Google
tire from it, ^otened witli the treaohery of friends, or disgusted with
ihe malignity of enemies. On the otlier hand, I may succeed in reach-
ing that point of honouiftble distinction after which my soul pantetii,
even aa tie stiioken deer paoteth for the water-brooks. I may die in
the gloomy vale of obBourity, or ascend ' the steep where fame's prond
temple shinea afar.' I am not foolish enough to dieam of pacing
tijroagh a world where good and eyil hold a divided empire, without
toting occasionallj the bitter, loathsome inixtuie of 'vinegar and gall
Sorrows, deep, blighting, withering Borrows, I expect to undergo, and
shall, I hope, be prepared to meet them No matter what form they
may assume, I am ready to say. Let thera come If I oannot leain
from philosophy how to enffer, I can laarn at the toot of fte cross. A.
. lamp of consolation bnms brightly on Moant CalTary, which, has power
to cheer and illumine tlie darkness of woe. To suffer is the lot of all ;
to suffer witii dignity, is the characteristic of the philosopher; and it
would seem to require something of more than human power to meet
death or ^re affliction with calmness and tranquillity. But too many
. iustanoes of philosophical oompoanre, under torturing severity, are on
record, to admit of a doubt ee to what man can do when he ' screws his
courage tothe sticMngphice.' We should tUaw a distinction, however,
between mere obstinacy and iuorat firmness. The Indian encounters
' the king of terrors' without a flinch or a, groan ; but it is only the man
of conscious integrity who can meet him witli Srmness. The diffei'ence
is this : the one possesses strong nerves and the physical ability to endure
pain ; the other is guided by cool, reflection and a sound philosophy.
The brightest example of unyielding fortitude which ever attracted the
wonder of the world, is certainly to be found in the bloody record of its
Bedeemer's death. He, in trufii, died like a God. Guided by His
brilliant example, I shall endesTour to bear with dignity all the sorrows
■ with which it may please God to afflict me. Like the oak rent by the
lightning from heaven, I may be scathed indeed, but 1 hope not bent.
Let the winds how! and the thunders roar, I shall endeavour to willi-
stand the pelting of the 'pitileaa storm,' if not with the grandeur of a
philosopher, 'at least with the firmness of a man,'
' ' Bat more men are able to endure sorrow with f ottitnde than bear
prosperity with moderation and dignity. Wheie foitnne smiles upon
their efforts, men are apt to become maddened by their own success.
They manifest their gratitude to a kind Providence, by a dismissal of their
understandings. Seat them quietly in the lap of prosperity, and there
are some men who will not fail t« put on the cap of fools. Intosioated
with unexpected happiness, they sacrifice their reason at the altar of
folly. Look upon the world, and see how few can bear to be prosperous ;
how tew can retain their undei'standings, when the gale of good fortune
blows favourably upon them. It is my wish, therefore, to temper my
mind with such discretion, that' all shall go well, whether I am rocked
in tie cradle of prosperity, or chilled witii the winter blasts of adveraity,
I wish to train myself in such a manner, that I can rest undisturbed on
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HIS CONVEKSION. oa
■«, lied of down or a pillow of tborcs. . I may fail, however, in my efforts ;
if eo, it will be tho weakncaB of liuinflmtj. All my hopes, soaring as
ihej are, may eventually prove to be baseless as a vision's fabric ; if so,
it will be because I eatmot use proper means to aoootcpiish my ends.
Happiness is my aim ; it is the object of all men ; they ptusue it with
avidity, bnt most at them catch only a few crnmbs as they fall from her
table. I am philosopher enongh to know that happiness, like gold, can-
never be obtained, if regarded as the primary object of pursuit. We
arast seek it through the interventioD. of some medium, as we seek
money through the medinm of labour. None but an alchemist ever
dreamed of getting the precious ore without ' hard toil and spare
meals ;' and none but a downright casfle-bnilder ever thought for a
moment of becoming happy, without placing happiness in some par-
ticular object. It does not exist of itself ; it isamode, aqualiiyof other
Uiings, as heat is a quahty of fire, or odoar of roses. It eiists in them,
Slid it is to be extracted from them, lijie oil from a vegetable. ■ It is
pl^n, therefoie, that a preliminary step in our inquiry after happiness,
is to ascertain in what- particnlar things happiness exists ; nest, how we
are to obtain these things ; and a third step, of equal importance, is,
after we have obtained the tilings, how are we to mate them subse^vient
to our happiness. These three preliminary inquiries should be made a
matter of serious, deliberate refieotdon, by every young man about to
enter on the busy aeenes of life. They are all-important, and he who
neglects them is a traitor to his own interests. He cannot be said to
act in life, who proceeds upon no regular, digested system of conduct ;
he does not act, he is drcoen along by the force of cironmstanoes ; and is
entitled to no credit for his actions, how meritorious soever they may
be.
"Some men place happiness in wealth, and consequently strain every
nerve, muscle, and fibre in order to become rich. Others place it in po-
liljoal power; and some make an awful shipwieolc of their fortunes on
the rook of ambition. Some seek it in haunts of dissipation and 'un-
godly glee,' and vei, with their impious mirth, ' the drowsy ear of
night.' The truth is, there are almost as many different opinions on
■ this subject as there are men in the world. It is plain that there are
three distinct sources of eajojineai— sense, (he mind, the heart. There
are, consequently, sensual, intellectnal, moral, and religious pleas-
ures. It Is in a skilful selection, and a just combinalion of these, that
the great secret of tiTie felicity consists. Some sensual pictures are to
be avoided ; some intellectual pleasures are to be enjoyed with care.
Here, judgment and philosophy must come to our assistance ; and he
who trusts to anything but these, builds his house upon a sandy founda-
Hou. As to what particular objects are best calcnlatad to afford these
pleasurea, every man must be his own judge, and must suit his own par-
tieolar desires, provided that they be not criminal. Rules may be laid
down ; they may be gathered from experience and reflection. All hap-
■piness, then, may be summed up ; 1. A sound body ; 3. Asoundmind;
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90 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWEI.L.
3. A sound heart, Muoli sa I esteem and venerate tlia awful majesty of
Yirtue, I haye not declaimed SO pomponsly, aa some moralisffl would
have done, on tlie 'mens dbi eonsaia reeU,' the approving smiles of the
B are other pleasures equally indispcnaable to
it that a wicked roan cannot be happy ; neither oau a
man tortured with a fit of the gout. Say what you will, happiness is
pleasnre. It eonsifits in the possession of agreeable objects ; and twist ,
it as you will, you can make' nothing more of it. By arbitrary defini-
tions, you can make it consist in anything ; but I speak of it as it is
usually understood ; ajid I think the reraarks I have made on it aie just. ■
Yon can easily conceive, therefore, by what compass I shall direct my
course. Such sensual pleasures as my comfoi-t requires, I shall not
heEitafa to enjoy. My intellectual pleasures shall be as extensive and as
elevated as I can make ihem. My moral pleasures shall consist in un-
wavering integrity and an ardent love of virtue ; and my reUgions pleas-
ures, in an humble love of God, a fervent adoration of Him, and a
firm reliance on His goodness, and the benevolence of my Redeemer,
together with a penitent sorrow for my errors and infirmity. Thna I
hope to be as happy as human weakness will permit ; and thus, too, I
have nnfolded to you the general principles by which my life shall be
guided.
" At present, I am somewhat cramped for want of money, but hope to
■ struggle through my difficulties. My prospects are not very bright.
The season was too far advanced to do muoh ; ueit fall will he the time
for me to do well. I am halting between two opinions, whether to write
or not, for the li^iew. If I succeed, it would be a source of emolu-
ment ; if I failed, of deep and thrilling mortification, I am so little
satisfied with my own eornpositiou, that I can hardly persuade myself
others wonld derive from it either instruotion or amusement,' But
whatever I conclude to do, I shall let you know. As to the prize lale, I
am. by no means enamoured of the idea of being called a taie-teller ;
yet the money, if I conld get it, wonld be acceptable. I have ft notion
of writing an article on eccentricity, for the Norfk American Senie^,
and on Hersohel's philosophy, for the Sout/ierii ; but like many other
projeefB, may fail to eieoute them. Have given out all idea of estab-
lishing a Literary. In these days of political excitement such an attempt
would be hopeless.
" Your friend, as ever,
J. H. Thobnwell."
The experience of three months was sufficient to de-
monetrate the impossibility of remaining longer a resident
graduate in the College, upon the scanty and contingent
support upon which he must there rely. In the month of
April, accordingly, we find him removed to the town of
Sumteryille. It is better, however, that the story should
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HIS CONVEESIOH. 91
te told in liis own words, in the progi-eaa of Me eorros-
pondence with his friend, Mr. A. H. Pegues. In fact,
we have preferred not to curtail the letters written at this
period, in order that the reader may trace the process by
which both his mind and character crystallized into final
sliape. Interesting as these letters are, and clearly abov^e
the level of the correspondence usual at his age, they still
bear evident marks of immaturity ; in the crudeness some-
times of his generalizations ; in the cast, of some of the
opinions, which were largely remoulded in after years, and
a certain ambitiousness and egotism of tone, from which
he became siibseqnently most remai'kably free. The
tmth is, extraordinary as his powers were from the be-
ginning, Dr. Thornwell in every respect matured slowly.
He was not, at this time, even physically grown ; and
there is, perhaps, a closer connexion than we ordinarily
suppose between the complete expansion of the body and
the perfect development of the mind. "We shall roach a
period, about thi'ee years later, when the whole man wn-
dergoes a stupendous transformation, and comes out the
perfect crystal, which he afterwards remained, without any
change beyond the deepening of the channel of his
thoughts, ahd the constant mellowing of his character.
His present letters are to be read, as exhibiting his period
of growth, of which the change referred to above was the
completing touch. Eut to the correspondence.
" ScMTEETiLLE, April 19, 1332.
" Mr Dhab Fbiend : About two hours ago, I reoeJTed youv generous
letter ; and now am about, not so much to reply to it, aa to giye a loose
to the current of my own thoughts. Yoxt will peroeive that I have re-
moved to Stunterville, and will, no douht, be anxious to know the why
and wherefore. I found that, in Columbia, my prospects waned wiiii
the waning year. So I began to feel tolerably uneasy. " Two weeks ago
I was inTited here to take charge of a school, but the inducement was
Bot BufSciently strong. I found, however, that I could get a private
class, yislffing me between four and six hundred dollars a year ; and Mr,
Bichardson, a friend of mine, waa aniious for me to stay. He has a
splendid library, and I myself have a very good one. So upon the
whole, I concluded to become a resident of Sumterville. I have not
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1)2 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
lost the main, becefit which I enjoyed in College, to wit, tlie ci
{ion of Professor Henry ; for I now oorreepond with him.
" When. I first arrived here, I was seised wiBi a fit o( dejection and
Toelanokoly, ■which neither the precepts of philosophy nor the injunctions
of religion were able to mibdae. I felt myself a solitary hermit amid
tiie humming multitude around me. Poor, desolate and friendieea,
what oonld I find to cheer my drooping kooI, to rouse my flagging
spirits ? I felt my aitnation with a sensitive aouteness that had almost
completely prostrated the faoulties of my mind. Poverty, disappoint-
ment, and misfortane, like the blighting influence of a mildew blast,
had withered all my energies and smothered all my hopes. The olear,
bine sky was indeed aboYe me, the boo. was moving in its majesty, and
the day shining forth in its splendour ; but the .brilliant piospecia of fu-
ture bliss, which in by-gone days could play before my fauoy, had van-
ished for ever, and, ' like ibe baseless fabric of a vision, left not a trace
"behind.' My sonl was wi'apped in the darkness of midnight, and
brooded over its fallen felicity, as the ' vindielive malice of a monk '
would- dwell upon its schemes of anticipated vengeance. The future
seemed enveloped in dark and lowering clouds, those sable preoursors
of a coaling storm ; and from every scathed oak I could hear, in fancy,
-the ominons croakings of the raven. But there is a balm in Gileail
to soothe the agonies of a wounded spirit. There is a holy iniQuence in
Time to cm* the sternest malady of the soul. When philosophy, wiBi
all her wisdom, proves of no avail ; when religion herself fails, with all
her promises of future retiibution, to heal our sorrows ; the mercy of
heaven has provided a cure in the lapse of (ira<. It is the great physi-
cian of all our woes. Many a tear has it wiped from the widow's cheek,
many a sorrow from the orphan's heart. To its healing influence, the
melancholy feelings whioh have stifled my enjoyment, have at length
given way, and 'Richard is himself again.' Time, too, will efface from
your bosom ihe gloomy emotions in which you indulge. Harrowing
■scenes have recently disturbed the serenity of your mind ; but when
their recolleotion. shall have ceased to be so vivid, you will tben return
to yonr former tranquillity. This now seems to be beyond the pale of
probability ; but consult the experience of yonr race, and yon will no
longer be a skeptic. It is an awfal thing to part for ever from those
whom we love ; and in reading yonr letter, I felt myself the gloom which
overshadowed you, when you bade an eternal farewell to a beloved sister.
"Since I wrote to you before, I have read Sir James Mackintosh's
■view of the progress of .Ethical Philosophy. It is a work in which a
great deal of learning is exhibited ; but still it is esceedingly defeolive.
As a history of Ethical Philosophy, it is quite incomplete, as some very
distinguished writers on that subject have been entirely overlooked.
On tbfi writers that he does notice, his remarks are sometimes inge-
nious, but always confused. It is plain that he had no settled and clear
ideas ot his subject. He wrote in great haste ; and sometimes, it would
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HIB CONVERSION. 93
seem, actually laboured only to fill a oertain quantity of papet with a
certain, quantity of words. Hie idea tlat conKoienoeisnotasimple, ulti-
mata principle of our nature, but seoondary and. derivatiye, is very fee-
bly supported. When he eateia on that point he talks in mystioifmia.
If I hfid time, I would give you a copious analysis of the boob ; but
must reserve that for anoilier ooofision.
" I am a harder student than ever. Day and night I toil at iny books,
or indulge in my own speculations. I write, too, a great deal in the
papers, I hare written on vaiiona subjects. I wrote a satirical review
of the artiole in tlie Sauthent, Seviem on American Literature, for the
Golvmbia Bive. I wrote one piece on Duelling, and another on Utility,
for the 8outkem Whia; and I have now in the press a pamphlet, which
will consist of about thirty pages, on NnUifioation. It will be published
in May. Part of it has ah-eady appeared in tha GolttmUa Hive, m a
series of numbers, signed ' Cho. ' I shall send you a copy as soon an it
is published ; but of oonrse you will keep my name, as the author, a
secret. I think it contains some strong arguments against MullifiofttioD.
I do not know the causes that brought about the failure of the Bouthem
Seoiew. Write soon.
"Your sincere friend aa ever,
J. H. Thoenwell."
To the same:
" ScMTEKViLLE, April 29, 1833.
" My Deab Fhzend ; In. my last letter, I promised yon that my next
should contain a general and cursory review of Sir James Mackintosh's
'View of the Progress of Ethical Philosophy.' That promise I shall
not now fulfil, iuaamnch as I am preparing an article on the subject,
which yon may have the pain of perusing, in print. Richardson and
myself design establishing a literary paper in this place, if we can pro-
cure a BufEoient number of subscribers to warrant the undertaking. If
we succeed, the first number will appear m June. It is to be published
every fortnif^t, and eaoh number- will contain twenty pages, and all
will be original matter, prepared either by oureelves or by our corres-
pondents. Politics, and everything but literature, wil! be religiously
excluded. It will consist chiefly of reviews, essays, moral and philo-
aophical, and original poetry. We propose to call it 'The ti/mt/iern
Essayist.' IE will be printed in octavo form, and on fine paper. The
price will be three dollars a year in advance. EJchardson , owns the
press, and of course will be the avowed editor. We will give a grave
and dignified tone to our paper, and it will be supported by able corres-
pondents. I think that, if South Carolina could not support the Boutk-
ern Revieui, she can uphold our literary journal. Literature flows in
fountaihs at the North, and here we have not even a refreshing rivulet.
It is a blot on our eharaeler, a stain on the fair escutcheon of the South.
I have engaged to furnish for each number at least five pages. Some-
times, of course, I will write more. I suppose that I will aveiage two
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94 LIFE OF JAMES
hundred pages a year. This will ha a pretty decent Yolnme. My first
article will be a review of Sir James Mackiatosh, which I shall lahotir
with a great deal of oare. The main point to which I shall confine my
attention, is the simplicity of the moral eenae. Sir James contends that
it is a compound faculty. I shall attempt to show that his arguments
are inooQcluaiTe ; and that it is a simple, original ultimate law of the
human oonfltitntion. If our papej shonld not succeed, I will eitend the
article into a more detailed review of the whole book, and settd it to the
Nortk American.
You will plainly perceive that I have as little relish as ever for a quiet
obsourity. My dreams of hope, and visions of fame, ara ea airy as they
used to be in hy-gone days ; and many an aspiration have I poured forth
in the lonely forest, or at the dead and solemn ho.ir of midnight. To
die unknown, tinhonoured, and unsnng, like the wild beast of the field,
I hope in God may never be my gloomy fate. When we walk into our
church-yards, among the numherlesB tombs with which we meet, how
few bear any other memorial of their dead than that they Kved and
died. They have left us no ti'acea of profound thought, or illustrious
achievements, to attract our attention, or inspire our ambition. They
have lived and died ; they have done merely what every brute must do ;
and that, l«o, without their own consent. If no other monument could
have been erected to their memories ; if they have, indeed, derogated
from the dignity of their nature, and been silent to the clarion of fame,
better, far better, that no stone shonld point the traveller to the spot of
their entombment, than that this worst of satires, which records only
the time of their birth and the period of. their death, should ever have
been imposed on fbem. For my own part, I can tiuly say, that
Biiorbaa's might, Braganza'a tieaaors.
So can faney's dream raloice.
So conciliate reaaoa^s choice,
As on« appravLi^ word of fatae'a impartial voice.*
"But by fame I mean the esteem of (be wise and good, not iiepufl of
a dunce, or the noisy acclamation of a crowd. Fama, or rather love of
fame, baooines dangerous, when we make it, instead of a regard to duty,
the ruling principle of action. It should be always kept in proper sub-
jection to more exalted sentiments. Let it spur us to generous achieve-
ments, but never to a departure from the straight road of moral recti-
tude. A permanent reputation must be based on a permanent founda-
tion i and what is so enduring as real excellence, whether of mind or
heart ? But I am drawing to the bottom of my paper. I have a dollar
which is burning in my pocket ; and which is extremely anxious to be
spent for a letter from you, consisting of four or five sheets. I hope
my lonely dollar may not be disappointed.
' ' Your warm and sincere friend,
J, H, Thomiwelii."
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HIS CONVEESION. 95
The literary projects detailed iii this letter, doubtless
fell through for want of sufficient patronage, as no refer-
ence is made to them in subsequent correspondence. But
whilst hie mind was occupied with these studies and
BcliemeB, the most important event of his life occurred,
which changed the whole complexion of his cai-eer. On
the 13th of May, he united with the Concord Presbytenan
Church, a few miles below Sumterville, at that time under
the pastoral charge of the Kev. John McEwen. This
date is accurately determined by the following brief, but
touching prayer, which has floated down to ns upon, a
single leaf, when other and larger productions of his pen
have perished through the ravages of time. The prayer
is as follows :
"O God I I have to-day made a public profession of
my faith in the blessed Redeemer, and taken upon me the
solemn covenant of the Church. ' I would not impute to
myself any merit on this account, as I have only done, and
that, too, after a long delay, what was expressly enjoined
on me in Thy Holy Word. But, 0 Godl I feel myself
a weak, fallen, depraved, and helpless creature, and utterly
unable to do one righteous deed without Thy gracious as-
sistance. Wilt Thou, therefore, send upon me Thy
cheering Spirit, to illume for me the path of duty ; and to
uphold me, when I grow weary ; to refresh me, when I
faint ; to support me against the violence of temptation
and the blandishments of vice. Let me, I beseech Thee,
please Thee in thought, word and deed. Enable me to
go on to perfection, support me, in death, and finally save
me in Thy kingdom ; and to the glorious Three-in-one be
ascribed all the praise. Amen.
" SuMTBEviLO), May 13,1832."
Not a line more, delineating the spiritual exercises
through which he waa led to this eventful decision, which
involved, as will presently appear, an immediate and un-
II consecration of himself to the work of the ministry.
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96 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
Happily, liowever, a r&j of light is cast hatik upon tliis
portion.of his religious history, from wor(3a littered in after
years; ■which will greatly assist in comprehending what
wonld otherwise be obscure. One of his divinity students
relates tliis conversation, which he -was at pains to jot down
within a few hom's after it was held. " Ought we to be
able to point ont the exact time of conversion T' "Not
nei^ssarily ; the substantive change of heart, that is, the
ctctual change, is probably momentary. There is a time
in wluch the man is passive ; that is, when the Spirit is
implanting the new nature. But ih& phenomenal change,
or the development, the manifestation of that new natnre,
is very different in different persons,, and in some it is
very slow, and not perceived by the man himself for some
time." "What, Dr. Thornwell, was your own expe-
rience?" "My own experience," he" replied, "was the
most mysterious thing I know of. From a hoy, I was
80 constituted that I could rest in no opinion, unless I saw
the first principles on which it hung, and into which it
could be resolved. I was religiously brought up ; but,
even wlien ten years old, was always trying to reconcile
the difficulties of religion, such as free-agency and the
like. "When at school, this left me to some extent. "When
I went to College, I was under Dr. Cooper ; hut read tlie
Bible through, and became convinced as to the natm-e of
God's plan of salvation. In the Senior yiiar, I became
strongly convinced of sin. But God never ha4 a more
rebellious subject. Feeling guilty, condemned, and mis-
erable, I was determined to fight it ont to the last, that it
was not rriy fault, and that I was honi witliont any agency
or consent of my own, &c. Then I thought I had com-
mitted the unpardonable sin ; and for tliree months scarcely
slept, and wonld sometimes drink liquor for the pm'pose
of drowning these convictions. In my childhood, no one
ever suspected that I had such feelings. At last, light
began gradually to break in upon me; and by degrees I
came out, as I believe, a Christian. Now I stand firmly
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Hia COHVKPSIOH. 97
on the Bible; and when bewildered hj skepticiBni, I can
still say that I believe God is righteous, and Christ is a
Savioiu'; whether for me or not, I sometimes doubt; but
never doubt the truth of His word, that ' God is in Christ,
reconciling the world unto Himself.'" Kecurring again
to this subject of hia mental conflict, he adds: "I can
take you to the very spot, where I stood and gnashed my
teoth, and raised mj hand, and said, 'Well, I shall be
damned, but I will demonstrate to the assembled universe
that I am not to blame. God made ine as I am, and I
can't help my wickedness.' The next tiling I knew, when
I fdt myself a Christian, was that to go to Christ was so
simple and easy, that I thought I could show anybody
how to do it, and be saved,"
The series of facte, thus far developed, seems to be :
that he was originally endowed with strong religious sus-
ceptibilities; that these were deeply impressed by the in-
fluence and teachings of a pious mother ; so tliat, at the
age of ten years, he discussed the high problems of "fate
and free will," and became the partisan of views against
which hia heart rebels. This religious interest continues
to ebb and flow, nntU, at sixteen, we And him prepared to
surrender advantages and friendships deai-ly prized, rather
than commit himself to a life work other than advocating
the claims of Christianity. At College he is brought
suddenly in contact with opinions antagonistic to those
he had hithei-to cherished. Curiosity is aroused. "With
almost the love of romantic adventure, be rushes into the
battle, where a keen and subtle dialectic must supply the
weapons of a^ault and defence. He delivers himself
forthwith from the web of materialism, in which he was
first in danger of being ensnared by. his "idol," Dr.
Cooper. He pushes the investigation forward, under an
impulse which appears to be, and, doubtless, predomi-
nantly was, a purely speculative interest, until his mind
is settled- upon the truth of Christianity. With an in-
tellectual conviction which was never afterwards seriously
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98 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
disturbed, be accepts the doctrines of the fall of man,
aud of recovery by grace alone. "We quote again his own
language, used of bis experience at this period : " Whether
man looks within or without himself, the evidences of ' a
fall' are overwhelming. But where did he fall? In
Adam, as a federal head; for Paul makes death and sin
co-extensive, on which theory alone the death of infants
can be accounted for. If you take tliis doctrine from me,
I would hold the super-mundane theory, tliat at some
former time, in some former state, now forgotten by us,
we each had a trial and fall for himself. Certain it is,
tliat man is a darkened picture of what he once was."
The reader will perceive that, in the terrific conflict
which subsequently took place, he does not waver for an
instant upon any of these points. "When brought under
a sense of guilt, both in College and afterwards, lie does
not dispute the fact of "the fall," nor of the estate of sin
and misery, into which the descendants of Adam are in-
troduced. His spiritual conflict tui-ned upon the admis-
sion of all this, and his proud will resists the rigliteous-
nesB of the procedure. The precise moment, therefore, of
the great change, when, to use his own language, "the
new nature was implanted," we suppose to be the moment
when, by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit upon his
heart, this conflict ceased; and he wm enabled to see and
appreciate the completeness of redemption by Jesus
■ Christ, and of salvation by faith in His blood. It is of
no consequence to determine when, nor how, tliis was
manifested to his own consciousness, or was reflectively
placed before .him as an object of knowledge. That
"phenomenal change" was, doubtless, in liis case, very
gradually wrought ; the truth dawned upon him by degrees.
This explains how, at least, be passes quietly and unex-
pectedly into the Church, without record of any special
exercises of soul. The great battle had ah-eady been
fought, the victory had previously been won by Divine
grace, and nothing remained, at this stage, but the dis-
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HIS CONVERSION, 99
coviii-y of the fact to himself, and the ripening of all into
the iinal decision. It ie the key also to much of his re-
inaining hietorj ; for even now, altliough in the commu-
nion of the Churcli, his religions experience is but par-
tially developed, and he matures very slowly into the full
proportion of a Christian. His reHgious impressions, at
this time, were not regarded by others as deep; and his
various addresses delivered now are represented as having
more of the flavour of philosophy than of the gospel.' In
his letters, too, of which the reader will presently have a
specimen, there is more of the sentiment of religion than
of its spiritual power over the heart. In fact, the free
Spirit of God chooses His own avenue of approach to
every human sold; and the way by which we are severally
led to Christ forms sometimes an important part of pre-
paration for our future life work. This man was clearly
raised up to be, in his day, an eminent champion for the
truth ; and the sovereign Spirit chose to approach his
heart chieily tlirough the door of the understanding.
Before any experimental acquaintance was had with the
gospel, it was lodged firmly in his judgment as a glorious
system of truth. This gave to his experience, especially
at the outset, a predominantly intellectual cast. His
convictions as to the truths of Christianity, if they did not
overbear, at least, obscured from view the movements of
the affections. There was not, at first, a proportional
development of the mind and heart. This remained to
be accomplished by and by. The reader will not, of
com'se, construe these statements into a divorce between
the understanding and the affections, in the act of con-
version; only, that in aU stages of Christian experience
the two are not always fully co-ordinated, which is the
great business to be achieved in our progress in sanctifi-
oation.
On this point, there is nothing better than Dr. Thorn-
well's own analysis of religion, when, in conversation, he
described it as "a state of heart which. holds hnossledgo
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100 LUTE OF James henlby thoenwbll.
and affection in soh;tion, not eueceasiyely, but in unity.
If you take away tlie affection, you have only dogmatism ,'
if yon take' away knowledge, yoa have a mere spiritual-
ism; a mere fancy, an idolatry. If yon preach doctrine
to a Christian, the affection springs spontaneously on the
apprehension of the doctrine ; if you preach the affection
to him, he will immediately, and, perhaps unconsciously,,
hitch it on the doctrine; and this endorses the maxim that
we ought to preach our doctrine practically, and our
practice doctrinally." Ai more formal exposition of the
same idea is given by him elsewhere, in these clear and
beautiful terms : " The form of Christian knowledge is love ;:
it is a higher energy than bare speculation ; it blends-
■into indissoluble unity, intelligence, and emotion; knows-
by loving, and lovea hj knowing. The mind sees not
only the reahty of truth, but its beauty and glory ; it so-
sees as to make it feel ; the perceptions are analogous to-
those of the right and beautiftil, in which feeling exactly
expresses the intellectual energy."
But we pass from this to his correspondence, in which
he reveals the change which has taken place to his friend,,
Mr. A. H. Pegues.
" SuMTBBTrrJiE, June 36, 1B32.
"My Dbab Fbieki): * • * Since you heaid ft'om me, a great,
yen, an important change has taken place in my condition, I liave at-
taohed myself ko the Presbyterian Chureh, and shall oommenoe neit
year the study of Dmnity, Two yenra ago, who wonld have thought
ttiat I wonld ever have become a Presbyterian olei^yman. Beligion is
but the poetry of the heart, the fair and sublime of the moral world.
It is an unfailing fountain of elysiim enjoyment, from whose streams I
hoaitdly wish that all eould driii>. It ia more refreshing than the Kecfar
poured out by the fair hands of Hebe. Who -would not wish to culti-
vate ' that chastity of moral feeling which has never sinned, even in.
thonght ; that pious fear to ba^e offended, though but in a dream ;
that pu^r which is the proper guardian of every kind of virtue, and a
sure preservative against vice and corruption ?' The love of God is a
aubliine and solemn eothusiasm, counteracting the downward tenden-
cies of self-love \ the evidence of a regenerated nature, purified from
the contaminations of the world and the body ; acting under the inQu-
enee of ^^poder views,.and re-asserting its original glory and perfection.
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HIS C0NVEK8I0N, 101
" Testarday I delivered an. address before the Bible Society, wbieb,
I beUeve, was very wejl received. Some ■weeks ago, I gave an exhorta^
tion from the pulpit, whicli had. a fine effect ; but I am awfully afraid
that the orator is too conspioaous in everything I say. My periods are
too nioely roun^ea, and Oie whole composition too laboured for a mis-
cellaneous orowd. They admire Oie speaJier, but are not made any bet-
ter ; they are delighted as they would be with a Fourth of July oration ;
but are not persnaded to turn from the error of ttieir ways. They
compliment me here very highly, aad I am afraid that I sometimes am
pleased with tiieir admiration, ; but I pray fervently to God, to guard
me againet vanity, and to direct my footsteps by His wisdom. I am
BtJU as warmly as ever devoted to liie Classics and Metaphysics. I look
upon them both as absolutely essential in the education of a clergyman.
I Lave parobased a compleffi set of Cicero's works, whioh I have read
very attentively.
' ' Your sincere friend, as evei-,
J. H. Thoknwell."
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CHAPTER Till.
HIS TEACHING AT GHERAW.
ItBMOTBS TO CHEBiw.— Becomes Pbinoipai. of the Acadekt. — Chab-
ACTEE All A TEACHBa. — PHYSIOAI. DETELOPMEKT.^IlABITa OP lilFB. —
Period av Ehmchotis Gioou. — Account or this Staoe of his Hib-
TOBT, ET ah AeaOQIATE. — ElPLANiTIOfl OF THE GtOOM AKD IBKITA-
BiLiTi.— DEFKCirya Rklioiotjb Expebiehoe. — Aiplies to Pbeset-
TEKY, AUDffiTiKSNtlNBEBI'JSOAHB, AB A CANDIDATE yOBTQE MiNIS'JBS.
AT what time, or under what circumstances, his en-
gagement at Sumterville was terminated, we are not
informed; but in Koveraber, 1832, he is amongst his old
friends in the town of Cheraw. The following letter,
gloomy as it is, cannot be withheld, as it reveals a phase
of character which was temporary ; confined, indeed, almost
wholly to this period of his life, and of which hardly a
trace could be detected by the fi-iends of his later years.
It is written to J. Johnston Knox, Esq.
" Cheeaw, NovsmMr22, 1832.
" Mt Deae Feiend ; Giro tuna tancee, which it is quite useless to men-
tion, have prevented me foom writing to jon aa eaxiy as I should other-
■wise have done. To a mind constitnted like my own, the condition in
which I find myself placed abounds in suhjecte of disc[Tuetn.de tmd sor-
row. Naturally of a gloomy temperament, even the brightest objects
around me I am prone to clothe in a sombre hue. How dark and for-
bidding, therefore, must tboee appear which are really tinged with, the
darkness of calamity ! My momiirg dreajn of hope, my early visions of
future bliss, have been sadly obscured by the cloud of disappointment.
The friends of by-gone days, the sportive companions of my childhood,
are many of them mouldering in the silent grave ; and one whom I love
as a father, who has done more for me than millions can repay, is now
standing on the bimi of the tomb. An incurable disease has, I fear,
seized upon his vitals, and I know not how soon I may be called to at-
tend his bod\ to the narrow honse appointed for all liviog. It may be
years, or it may be months , for nothing is so subtle and deceptive as
pulmonary c msuiuption Another of my patrons is just reoovciiog
103
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104 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TIIOBNWELL.
from a severe attack of biJioas fever, and I myself liave been fiied to
the sod. Briog my aituation home to yourself, and conoeive, if yon
oan, tbe wilderness of soul to which it has reduced ma. I look upon
the world with new eyes. I know its yanitiea, and feel its emptiness.
There was a period (and I can hardly revert to it witliout a, tear) -when
my hoaoru glowed witli the rapture of hope ; when the future appeared
to me arrayed in the garlands of joy | when mj nightly dreams were of
bliss, ai^d my waking thoughts of approaching felicity. But the delu-
sion has disappeared, and ali the phantoms of, beatitude, which ouce
allured me, have faded away, 'Delirium is our beat deceiver.' 'Our
luoid intervals of thought' only expose to ua onr real condition. They
unveil before i til k d k 1 ion. f mistry d t t ur minds
with woeful fo bodmgs 1 ha ppo tm t ani w
" But I have Ipt todwilp th dpi E human
suffering, whi^h iwllq ffyiol pict. Our
calamities are 11 tddf urgd Thy m ly chastise-
ments from thhdf kd 11 ItFth and we should
regard them i th 1 ght f nstt t t f w th Those whom
He loveth. He haste th say th 4.p fl and t w id b ■v^ell for
as to keep ihi mp tant t th io p t ns from
murmurs, and to ir imp m i I th g d f life there
is indeed plaoe 1 pnl li bit plceith f b nefit. In
walking among th and lU tisgif tot mble oooa-
sionally on th d m um i f bnma 1 T m t we could
draw inatruoti les ru g th t b lity f 11 Ihly enjoy-
ment, ilie delusive nature of all earthly hopes, and the final consummatioa
of all earthly aipectations. It would teach ns to contemplate out latter
end, and to prepare in earnest for appearing before the dread tribunal of
our K«deamer and Judge. Skeletons and bones, tlie coffin and the shroud,
the winding sheet and sepalohre, are the most instructive Tolumcs we can
pO!,sibly peruse. Their lessons are written in dark characters, but they are
only the ruore legible on that account. I love to take a solitary ramble
in a church -yard A sort of gloomy mtlvncholj pleasure is diffused
over my mmd as I read the tale that is told by the little mounds which
conceal what once was life and health and animation The mournful
tribute of affeciijn to departed woiih, the biief histoiy on the grave-
stone of the duRt that lies beneath li, all speak to me m thrilling ac-
cents, which hnd a pensive response fi im my own bosom. ' Man is
like a thing of nought, and his days as a shadow thatflaeth away.' But
brighter visions open up isby Ithgi IthkbtGd
who giveth us the viotc th ki g f te J Ohnst has
disarmed death of his t d h U f t mail L t ns 1 g to
Him, and aU wiU be well th Chr t ty is th I t g ft f God
to man The Bible is ti wh 1 t b al ulated
On the darkest midnight fth Itprsthbam fday Th
poihoned arrows ofaffltilmnidtsfl th f
virtue and even proap ty t If g w b ghf h 11 ra d by
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HIS TEACHING AT CHEKAW. 105
-the 'San of Eighieousneas.' Let us, then, hold fast to tbia religion.
It is precisely adapted to our ciienmstanoes ; and if we give it Up, W6
plunge into an awful ohaos. It is indeed a blessed thing to he a
Christian ; and I would not surrender the hope that is in me for worlds
■upon worlds, or systems upon systems. Were it not for the consola-
tions of Christianity, wlio oonld bear to drag out a miserable eiistenoe
on UiiB earthly baU ! A wounded spirit would be intolerable without
tie aUeyiations of the gtapel. Those, therefore, should tmly be an-
athema who would rob as of this blessing. But I mnst lesTs thia
finbjeot.
"My prospeots are flattering for the Principal's place in the Aoademy
oeit year. The salary is $700, payable quarterly.
" Your sincere friend,
J. H. Thorn-well."
This hope was soon realized. In Jamiary, 1833, having
just passed his twentieth birtli-day, he was associated .
with Mr, Donald {now the Rev. Dr.) McQueen, in teaching
the Ohuraw Academy, where he had been himself pre-
pared for College. Mr. McQueen resigning in October,
he continned, in conjunction with Mr. Thomas E. B.
Peguea,in the same important position, until June, 1834;
:at whiclt time we shall follow him to a different sphere.
During these eighteen months he gave unmistakeable
proof of those qualities which afterwards distinguished
him as a teacher. The same enthusiasm was displayed
in imparting knowledge which he had always exl\ibited
in acquiring it. His patience and zeal were unbounded.
He would bribe the brightest scholars to spend their
Saturdays with him ia. the school-room, and would often
protract the exercises of the day, until the gathering
•larkness drove him, with the cla^, to the open door for
ihe remains of lightleft by the setting sun. Laborious
and patient with the more docile pupils, in whom he could
.arouse an' interest similar to his own, his temper would
break forth sometimes against the indolent. So intense
was his own passion for learning, that he failed in sym-
pathy with such as were indifferent to thek opportunities.
It was something he could not understand ; and a feeling
of contempt mingled with his anger against the methods
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106 LIfii OE' JAMES HENLEY THOKiS^WELL.
of evasion to which the thoughtless would resort. At the
same time, he was so companionable with his pupils, so
devoted to their welfare, and so much intcreBtcd in their
sports as well as theii- studies, as to win their respect and
love, notwithstanding occaaonal severity in his discipline.
One of these pupils famiBhes this sketch : " I went to
school to Mr. Thornwell after his graduation. He was
vei-j thorough as a teacher, took gi'eat interest in all the
recitations, neglected nothing, and would complete the
exercises, even if the approaching twilight drove him to
the door to get light enough to read hy. On such oeca^
sions, the boys would increase the darkness by closing the
■window shutters, while he was so absorbed with the class
as to be utterly unconscious of it. They would also make
all kinds of noises, by scraping their feet on the floor^
dropping slates, coughing, clearing their throats, &c.
^or a time he would seemi unconscious of all this ; but
would occasionally be aroused, and then what a storm
would come! The most cutting sai'casms and withering
reproofs, making the guilty shrink away in shame and
confusion. These were really, at times, tirades of per-
sonal abuse, and exhibited the utmost contempt for the
meanness and baseness he was reproving," When it is-
remembered that he had not yet learned to put a check
upon his powers of invective, before which his eq^uals in
age and his peers in knowledge always quailed, it is not
sti'aiige that these hoys should cower beneath the flash of
his eye, and the overwhelming sneer which he could throw
into his tones. But the monotony of the school-room
furnishes few incidents for a narrative. Let it give way
to his correspondence, which opens again the experience
of his inner life. The following, addressed to his friend,.
Mr. Knox, is tmged with the same melancholy as the
preceding ; but it throws light upon iiis religious history.
"CsEiEiw, J-wree 27, 1833.
" Mt IlEiB Fbiekd ; I received your kind and cheering letter some
time ago, and would have replied to it immediatfilj', but my attention
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AT CHBEAW. 107
was so much taken up with the necessary preparations for my eiKmina-
lioD that I ooTild find no leisure for the calls of friendship. Dream not
for a moment that it was from want of dispos tion my feelings yet
flow generoualj and freely n the r old ohaunels It was purely tlie
want of time. I havB now a vacat n a rest of two veeks ; and I pro-
pose to visit my 'old stand. There are manv hallowed aaaociations
in my mind connected with Snmterville Many a, day of agony I in-
deed spent there ; many a 1> tter disappointment I esperienoed there ;
but my darker horns aie non bo blended ith hoi b recoUeotions, that
the sting is extracted from anguish and the normwood from sorrow.
I loTB to think on by-gone dnys There are mani things presented by
a retrospeet of {he past, over which I would wilhnglv draw the veil of
oblivion. Ordinary misfortunes can 1 e irel >y tmie ; common sor-
are remembered with a melancholT pleasure But there is a disease of
the heart which preys upon the v tals an 1 mocks at remedy. It is a
canker-worm consuming its finest energies an 1 lestroying its fairest
hopes. Wherever it touches it spreads a mo al ies lafion, and con-
Terts the f raitful field into a waste an 1 vacant vildemess It is despair.
The sirocce and aimoon, the tempest and flie ivhirlwrnd, are fearful
tilings ; but they can and do pass away. But despair is an eternal mid-
night of the mind. Days, months, and years may roll on ; it still re-
mains, a fierce destroyer of all joy, all comfort, all peace. * * i *
"In Gheraw we have something of a revival of religion. Onr good
pastor, Mr. Powers, has been labouring hard for the last week amongst
us. Many are serious, and others profess to he converted. I confess,
for my own part, that I have been mightily revived. The Spirit of the
Lord is among as ; tie hand of the Most High is with us. Men in aU.
quarters are awakening to the importance of the subiect, and the mil-
leninm is in its morning dawn. I rejoice to see it eoriie. 'Come,
Lord JesQS, come quickly. ' This is the prayer of every genuine Chris-
tian. Would to God that I conld be delivered entirely from sin, that I
could live entirely and unreservedly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us
be awalie to the importance of the subject ; Jet us remember that the
blood of sinners is required at one hands. To be a follower of tha
Lamb involves a fearful responsibility. Let us all shake off onr be-
setting sina. I know what mine is; it is the blues; and would to God
that I could get entirely rid of them. They give me much uneasinosB.
tfhey are partly hereditary, and partly the result of dyspepsia ; but they
are yet sinful. I have, by the grace of God, almcat succeeded in shak-
ing them off ; they have lost much of their bitterness. Believe me,
" Tour sincere friend,
J, H. Thoenweli.."
The^ree years following his graduation from College,
from 1832 to 1834 inclusive, form a clear parenthesis in
the life of Dr, Thornwell; during which hie character
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108 LIFE OF JAMES HiiNLEY THOENWELL.
8 to differ from what it was both before and after
It was, as we have seen, the period of a great religiouB
was also the se^on of a great physical trans-
formation. He grew at least a head taller, and reached to
the ordinary height of men. His complexion became
clear, throwing off its sallow hue; and though never
ruddy, it was not imduly pale, but wore the appearance
ofhealth. Hia hair, which rivalled tHe raven in its black-
ness, lay smooth and soft upon a head, which was never
large, but exceedingly well developed. The expansion
was complete, from the diminutive stature -which had
marked him from childhood, to the full proportioned
man ; with the spare habit, and carriage of body rather
distinguislied by easy negligence than grace, which is ao
well remembered by all who knew him in public life-,
'This change, too, was wi'ought by the simple force of
nature lierself, without tlie adventitious aids which might
have been s\tppiied. On the contrary, his habits were
precisely auch as should have thwarted this favourable
development. Sitting up, in severe study, to a late hour
at night, frequently ao absorbed aa to be arrested by the
morning's dawn still at his desk, indifferent aa to food,
negligent of recreation and exercise, thoroughly inattentive
to the demands of natm'e in all respects, it is not strange
that he became tlie victim of dyspepsia, which threw its
oppreeive gloom over a spirit eonatitutionally elastic and
buoyant. The only wonder is, that his frame should
have matured at all, or that it should have possessed any
of the vigour and endiu'ance that marked his future years.
The prevailing sadness breatlied into the correspondence
■of this period, had also a moral source, to which we recur
with all the delicacy possible. Hia affections had become
seriously entangled ; which, like the educational " first-
love" of most men, was destined to issue in disappoint-
ment. Tlie two yoimg Jiearts would indeed have disposed
of the case differently. But the stem prudence of older
heads could see little that was promising in the poverty
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AT CHERAW. 109
of the ai'dent wooer, nor in his unaettled plans, liis soaring
visions, and bis somewhat fitful temper. The attacbinent,
nevertheless, wa.s strong, and runs through the whole of
this period. As it came to nought, we have not chosen
to bring it into prominence; and would gladly have
witliheld even this alhision, if it were not the dark thread
in the web of bis present experience, needed to explain
the gloom with which it is distempered. "Whether tb^ae
combined causes ai'e snfficient to explain it or not, a due
consideration of all the facts compels us to regard him as
being, durrag this transitional period, in a morbid and
abnormal condition. This gloom, for example, was not
constitutional; for if he had one characteristic more
prominent tlian any other in his after life, it was the play-
fulness into which he would relax when unbending his
mind from severe study. It was this wonderful elasticity,
springing from a native gaiety and joyousness of spirit,
that kept him alive amid tlie exactions of laborious toil.
Then, too, the original and deep afieetionateness of his
nature rendered it impossible for him to be unamiable;
he was capable of quick I'esentmente, but never of sour
misanthropy. It would, therefore, be severely unjust to
take occasional and external exhibitions of fretfulness as
the criterion of habitual cbai'acter. It would be wise to
consider whether the natural disposition might not be
■warped by constraining influences from without, throwing
it out of its normal slate, and producing the iri'egularities
which are observed.
The friend most intimate with him at this period, and
whose heart was knit to him as that of Jonathan to David,
writes : " I think he had, at times, the most perverse dis-
position I ever met with. His prejudices were easily ex-
cited ; and he could neitlier see a flaw in those wln.m ]ie
loved, nor a vntue in those whom he disliked. Avai'i^ious
of praise, yet too proud to solicit attention, he writhed
under any appeai'ance of neglect. Impatient of contra-
diction, he liad a feeling altiii to scorn and contempt for
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110 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOBBWELL,
those whose opinionfi differed from his own. His morbid
feehnga rendered him snspicionB of shghts which were
never intended, whilst liis invectives were reckless of those
who chanced to displease him. His sensitiveness kept
every company mieasy in which he was thrown, lest
some unguarded remark should cause an explosion. His
eye, which was a little dreamy in repose, glared like
'jlightning when he was arouBed; and tlie sneer which
'curled his lip will never be forgotten by such as have
withered beneath its sarcasm. His later triends can form
no adequate idea of the terror of that countenance, when
inflamed by anger. The fli«h of the eye always remained ;
but its inexpressible fierceness was quenched by Divine
grace." The witness, whose language is here given, pro-
ceeds to furnish an illustration of this untamed spirit. "I
remember that he drove from the Academy a gentleman
who had been a former teacher, but was now placed over
an institution for females in the town, yet retaining a
general supervision of the Academy. He was a reputable
scholar, but a complete pedant; in fact, a fair specimen of
a Boston public-school teacher. He had notions about
discipline, order, and other thipgs, which Thomw^l des-
pised. On one mifortnnate day, he undertook to examine
Thornwell's class in Greek; who sat with an ominous
curl of the h'p, and an eye darting fire from beneath those
drooping Isi^lies. At length, a boy was corrected in his
translatiou. Never did a panther leap upon his prey
with more ferocity, than did ThornweU upon his unhappy
victim. He fairly shouted, ' the boy is right,' and pro-
ceeded to prove it beyond aU dispute. The old teacher
was perfectly overwhelmed ; and feeling himself degraded
in the eyes of the pupils, could never be induced again to
cross the threshold of the Academy."
There is, perhaps, a psychological explanation of much
of this. We incline to think that moat youth of large
promise encoimter a trying middle passage, just as they
enter upon manhood. Conscious of mental power, they
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AT CHEEAW. Ill
are not able yet to take its exact measure. The auc-
ceB8es of their novitiate have sharpened ambition, without
giving the precise gauge of tlieir capacity. Visions of
ho^e float ill-defined in the aii', while life spreads out
before them a vast and unexplored Boa, As they stand
upon its sliores, and looli across its tempestuous billows, a
vague dread seizes upon the spirit, lest it should prove
unequal to the cfangerous voyage. Its perils are magniiied
by the fear through which they are viewed ; and a sick-
ening conflict ensues betwixt the ambition which would
court the trial, and the self-esteem that cannot brook the
anticipation of possible defeat A feverish irritability is
the result; which, if indulged, becomes excessive and
tormenting. The mind t I'lts round for some presage of
the future, and seeks m the adulation of partial friends a
prophecy of ultinidte success It is challenged, if with-
held; and there is a jealous assertion of prerogatives
which are far from being established.' The whole condi-
tion is, one of restlessness and of morbid eensibility, which
renders the party unhappy, and, therefore, unamiable ;
but which generally disappears, as soon as tlie duties of
life are fairly assumed, and tlie pressure of responsibility
is really felt.,. More or less of this mai'ks every boy at
"the disagreeable age," when the down first begins to
appear on thepeach;andwhichpartlyjaBtiiies the raillery
of the lady who said, "it is a pity there is not an asylum
where they could all be put till they have passed the
disagreeable ago." But it is immeasurably more intense
with youth of real intellect, tortured by ambition, but un-
cei-tain of their real strength. If to this. we add the other
causes which have been previously named, it wiH be easy
to account for all that has called fof criticism in Mr.
Thornwell's character, at this period ; and we can better
understand the completeness of the revolution, as soon aa
he took hold upon life, and entered upon its earnest work.
Beneath all these faults, however, there was much that
was truly heroic. He was ardent and generous in his
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lla LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKHWELL.
affections, trustful and confiding in Ma friendships, artless
and simple in bis conduct, high-minded and honourable in
all his purpoaes and acts. He was honest in his search
after truth, to whose authority he always bowed with' ab-
solute docihty ; and was incapable of disguise or evasion
in any form. There was no infaeion of malignity, even
in his sarcasm, and his explosions of anger were followed
by humiliation and acknowledgment. Even in the affairs
of the heart, where the temptation is so strong to over-
reach opposition, he was the soul of honour, and came
out of these delicate complications, without a stain upon
hia integrity. He just needed to be turned upside down,
and to bring the better qualities to their legitimate su-
premacy.
His religious- experience was, of course, alike defective ;
the leaven had not yet leavened -the entire lump. He
adhered still to the hope he had expressed, and was ac-
tive in prayer meetings and the like. But his addresses
were lacking in spirituality. They were effective in
demolishing infidelity, and establishing tie truth of
Christianity : sometimes directed sharply against the
inconsistencies of professors of religion, whom he woidd
deacribe as " needing bells on their necks to distinguish
them from the world." But the sweet savour of the
gospel did not impart unction to Ids words. The friend
above cited writes of him : " He lacked hiilHility, and did
not feel sufficiently his lost condition- as a sinner. All
lids was too much a matter of the intellect. He had not
studied God's "Word as he studied other books. He got
at his doctrines rather as they were discussed by other
men, and was not pervaded by their spirit." A painful
impression of this' sort was made upon the Presbytery of
Harmony, upon his application, in the autumn of 1833,*
to be taken under its care, as a candidate for the ministry,
* The Presbytery met nt WimiBborough, FairfiBld District, November
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AT CHEEAW. 113
His examination was so unsatisfactory upon his personal
experience, and his views for seeking the sacred office,
that the Presbytery hrnig in doubt what decision to
render. The scales were turned at last by the wise
counsel of the Kev. Robert "W. James, a man eminent for
his practical judgment, whose name is still as " ointment
ponred forthj," in all tlie region where he lived. Said
this judicious counsellor: "Notwithstanding the diffi-
culties in the way, I think I descry the root of the matter
in this young man. Eemeraber that, in taking him under
our care, we are not licensing him to preach. If, here-
after, we shaU find him still labouring under these un-
satisfactory views, we can then drop him. There is
sometliing, however, about him, which impresses me with
the idea that he will yet be a man of great i
It is pleasing to know that Mr, James lived long e
to have his rare penetration justified, and to see his
hopeful prophecy fulfilled.
An event occurred now which affected considerably the
movements of our friend. The Eev, Dr. Ebenezer Porter,
of the Theological Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts,
spent the winter of 1833—4 in the South, to which he was
driven in feeble health. A considerable portion of it was
spent in Columbia, South Carolina, whither he was at-
tracted hy the society of his friend, the Rev. George
Howe, D. D, In the school of the prophets over which
Dr. Howe presided. Dr. Porter delivered the Lectures on
Homileticsj subsequently published, and extensively used
as a text-book in that department. Upon his return
homeward, in the spring of 183i, he took Oheraw in his
route, for the purpose of visiting one of Ids former pupils,
the Kev. Urias Powers, the pastor of the chiu-ch in that
town. Mr, Thomwell was here introduced to him, as
one having the gospel ministry in view ; to whom Dr.
Porter tendered the privileges of the Andover Seminary,
■without cost, if he chose to avail himself of them. This
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114 LIFE OF JA.ME8 HENLEY THORNWELL.
invitation w^ accepted, under tlie urgent persuasion of
Mr. Powers, and in the hope of enjoying superior advan-
tages in acq^uiriiig the Oriental languages. To this place
we shall then follow him, in the next chapter.
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CHAPTER IX.
BESIDENGE AT CAMBRIDGE.
SurHJBN Kemotal to Ant»otbb, MissicHTieETTs. — Thbboe to Cambmuob.
— EeAHONB for the LiTTEB GhABOK. — LBTTKB PROM MK. HoBBINB.—
COKREBPOBDEBOE.— AmOSINO STOHI' OF 1 VlSlT TO BoSTON.^HbABS
Mr. Eterbtt's Euloqt dpob Lafayeitb. — Ookteabtb bktwebn Diff-
raatBNT Stao-es in the Same Ljse.— LuTTBBa. — Eia Retubb Home.
A BOUT the middle of the year 1834, Mr. Thomweli,
J\. being released by the trustees from his engagement
as Principal of the Academy at Cheraw, finds himaelf at
Andover, MasBachnaetts. He arrived during the vacation
of the Divinity School; and not being pleased with the
place, or with the advantages it offered, transferred hi&
residence at once to Cambridge. The impression made
upon him, and the incidents of his brief sojourn in Hassa-
chusetts, will be best exhibited through hia own letters ;
with which this chapter will be exclusively occupied. The
first is addressed to his former patron, General JamBS
Gillespie :
"HiRTARD TjNryEKEm, Aufftut 18, 183i,
' ' Mr Dbab GsNEEit r Ton liave above an exact repi'Ssentetion of the
Theological Seminary at Andover. The buildimg which I iave marked
(A) is Phillip's Hall ; (B) is the Chapel ; (C) ia Bartlett Hall ; and (D) is
Phillip's Academy. The-y are all fonr sioriea, and made of hriok. The
ti-ees are large elms. The eollage-yard is cat into walks, and each walk
is lined with trees. The test of the area is coveted with a tich atass,
ooeasioniJly shaded by a branohiiig elm. Such ia the external appeai-
ance of Andovei'. I have left the institution for good, and eh^ll state
to jou my I'eaaona for this sudden -movemeat. 1. The advantages were
not such as I espected. Dr. Eobinson has left tha matitution, and
thete is neither German, Syriao, Chaldee, not Arabic teacher Hothine,
3b short, as taught there which ia not taught equally well at Columbia,
Professor Stuart is the only able man in the insfifution. 3. The
Theology taught there ia such as I nanoot counfjsnanoe ; it is awfully
nr>
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116 LIFE OF JAMES UENLEY THOKNWELL.
New School. 3. The hahits of the people ace disagreeable to me. 4. I
Imve no idea of settling in thia .oountry. No monsj could induce me-
to do it. •• *
" I came to Cambridge to-day, and shall spend the remainder of the
year here as a resident graduate. I shall demote myself chiefly. to He-
hrew and German ; wiU take a room in Diyinitj HaU, and attend regu-
larly the leotnres of Harvard. I intend to prepare myself for the Senior
Glass in Columbia* next January, being deficient only in Hebrew.
.J. H. Thobhwell."
In the following, addressed to him, the reader would
detect, ■without the signature, the tone and style of Ins-
old Mentor, Mr. Robhins :
" Oheiuw, August 23, 1834.
"Dear Jimes; It gave me great pleasure to receive your letter of
the 6th, about a week since, and to find that yoa had Battled down on
your plan of occupation for the year. 1 doubt not tbat the employment
of your mind on subjects of higher importance, will direct it from the
sickly sensibility about those you have left behind you, which ever en-
hances the absent, and minishes the comforts of our present situation.
This, James, is cofhiug more or less than home-aioknesa. You may-
never have felt it before, but rest assured it is a very common disease.
There is nothing of an alarming character in either its symptoms or re-
snlta. ' Men have died, and worms have eat them, but not for Tiome-^icJi:
love ;' and, tor your oonsolafiou, I can Bssiire you, (for I have travelled
OYer every moh of ground you are now treading,) that the first serions
oocnpaliou of your mind on any other subject of interest or importance
will infallibly dispel the dark clouds which may now be gathered over
. your horizon. You will find skies as fair, hills as green, and breezes aa.
soft in ttie latitude of Massabhuaetta, as those you leave behind you. I
was glad to see that you were becoming more at ease than when you
penned your first letter from Baltimore, which A. G. showed me. In-
deed, I could wish you had not written at all, when in that frame of
mind. It always gives occasion to our enemies to predict evil results,
when they find us early and easily daunted in our projects ; and I con-
fess that pride, more than anything else, contributed to reconcile me to-
the absence from my home. I knew that there were those who would
chuckle at my disappointment and return ; and I resolved, at all hazards,
to disappoint their malice ; and by perseverance I did it. And you may
be sure it is just so iu your case. I have no earthly doubt but your
perseverance will so disappoint your enemies, and achieve for yourself
* His reference here is to the Tbeologioal
oaie of the Synod of South Carolina and Geo:
bia, South Carolina.
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KESIDENCE AT OAMBRIDGE, 117
a reputation, and staniiing, and eitimtion in liie, which will be in every
respect enviable. But let me cautioa jou against too great e:spartation
at first. Here you have a degree of r^mtation for acholarsMp and at-
tainmeats, which has nob followed you in your new residence. You
have got to oreate Buoh a character Wfre, and time ia required to do
tlda. No intelligent people, espeoially tliose ahont you now, are capti-
vated at first dash ; but they are sure to give credit to talent and learn-
ing. And when they find it testified by a sufficient number of mani-
festations, fliey will be e£ pioud fo foster you, as jou will be pleased to
reoeiye their patronage.
" My wife often says, ' How much we shall miss Tamea this winter ;'
aud when she heard you were going to return in September, she said,
' For our sakes she should admire to have you ; but on your own ao-
<!ount, she would have you remain whore you are,' lo fine, mj dear
James,. talte courage. I hare only room to say, go to Boston, call on
Kiy brother, aak him for letters to Mr. Folaom, Ware, Palfrey, Hedge;
call on them occasionally, sit half an hour with them, and give them
opportunity to know you, I do not fear for your principles in reli-
gion ; they withstood the insidious approaches of Dr. Cooper, and they
cannot now give way to error, in a lesa daugei'ous f-orm. My dear boy, I
will pray for you ; and I feel strongly confident that (be wise and mer-
ciful Being, who overrules all things for our good and His own glory,
will give yon His power to triamph ovec every difficulty, and set you
at laat at Hie own right hand for ever,
"Yours afiectionotely,
W. H. Bobbins."
Ia the letter which follows, addresi^ed to bis friend, Sir.
A. H. Peguee, the first portion ie ouuupied by a recapitu-
latioQ of hia reasons for leaving Andover, which have
been clearly stated. It is, therefore, omitted. The letter
IB dated,
HiitviED XjNivBBSi'rT, AugHst 14, 1834.
My Deab Feihnb ; * * * * I am now comfortably settied in this
venerable abode of science, literature, and learning. The Library con-
tains thirty-nine thousand volumes, and the Athensum Library of Bos-
ton; siity thousand ; to both of which I have access, besides the privi-
lege of attending all the Lectures of the College. You see, tterefore,
that the advantages I enjoy, and the faciliiies for study, are liberal and
encouraging. I room in Divinity Hall, aiuoug Hie Unitarian students of
Theology ; for there are no others here. I shall expect to meet and give
blows in defence of my own pecuUar doctrines ; and God forbid liiat I
should falter in maintaining the fMth once delivered to the saints. I
look upon the tenets of modern Unitarianism as little better than down,
right infidelity. Their system, as they osll it, is a crude componnd of
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118 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
negative ertioles, admirably fitted to land the aoul in eternal miseiy.
The peouliaritj of their belief conBistB in not bsUeoino. Bead over
tlieii tracts and pamphleta, and you will £nd tiiat they all conaiEt, not in
eetabliahing a better system, but simply in not heUerring the system of
the OtUioaox. Aak them to tell you what ihey do believe, and they will
begin to reoonnt certain doctrines of the Orthodox, and tell yon very
politely that they do mot believe these. The truth is, they have nothing
pofdtive ; their faith is all negative ; and I do not know that the Bible
holds out a solitary promise to a man for not belieotng. And yet these
wit-beUecert talk about Ohriatian chaiity with a great deal of pompous-
nws, and take it hugely amiss that they are not regarded by pious men
as disciples of Jesus. Have you seen " Norton's statement of reasons
for not b^ie/eing the doctrine of Trinitarians ?" It is a queer hook, and
should be read JTist for the cnriosity of seeing its absurdity a
. When a difGcnlt paaaage stai
nicely, by saying that Paul
stand the real nature of Chiistiani
le face, he turns it off very
; that he did not under-
nity, and therefore blundered. Home-
times he makes even Jesus Christ go wrong ; beeause he happened to be
busy abont something else, and did not have time to correct Himself.
How, a man who can swallow such stuff as this, can swallow anything.
It is an open defiance of all the established laws of exegesis ; and the
doctrines, which need suoh miserable sahterfnges to support them, can-
not come from God. No, my friend, we are never safe in. departing
from the simple declarations of the Bible. Let me entreat you to read
Shuttle-worth on the oongistenoy of Eevelation with reason. It is the
ablest work which has issued from the British press since Butler's An-
alogy. Bead it carefully, and jon will find philosophy bowing at the
altar of religion ; read it prayerfully, and you mnst become a Christian.
"The Unitarian will tell you that esperimental religion is all an idle
dream ; but, my friend, believe not the tale. It is no such thing. The
truly piona man walks with God ; he is under the influence of the Holy
Spirit ; the consolations of the Gospel support him in affiiction, and
cheer him in distress. There is suoh a thing aa holy communion with
the blessed Trinity ; as a peace of mind which passeth all understanding ;
as joy in the Holy Ghost, and consolation in believing. There is no
fanaticism, no enthusiasm here ; it is all sober buth ; and those who
laugh at these things now, will weep bitterly in a ooraing day. May
God be with us both ! May He take ua under the shadow of His wing,
and save us in the hour of final retribution !
J. H, Tm
To General Jamea Grillospie:
" HABTiKD UNivBBSrrr, August 37, 1834.
" Mr DsAB Gbkbhal : As you have always manifested a Evely intet-
st in the oanse of edncation, I have taken the liberty of sending you a
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RESIDENCE AT OAMBKIDGE. 119
little Tolnme on the subject, containing many valuable remarks ; bnt in-
terlarded, I tMnk. witli a great deal of error. In regaid to the olassios,
and Hie prinoiple may be eitended to eyery other stn^y, the question
fihould be, not what is the speedieet method of aoqairing them, but
what is the beat. By the best method, I mean that -which most power-
fully deveiopea, employs, and strengthens the facalties of the mind.
Chadtood and youth are tlie foremnaerB of manhood, and are periods
of life evidenfly designed for Ihe attainment of those haWU of thought
and reflection which will be needed in more advanced years. The great
principle which should be kept steadily in view, in every system of eda-
oation, is that of intellectual dise^Une, You intend your son for a law-
yer ; but you certainly would not think of tetwibing him. Law uutJl he
became a man. Yoa would give him, however, the habit of mind which
a lawyer ought to possess. Let knowledge eome afterwards. A man's
mind is a hundle of auseepiSnlUies lying dormant. The aim of educa-
tion is to call forlh and exercise these susceptibilities, and to develope
them all tnUy and harmoniously. You mast, therefore, present to the
inactive mind some fit suhjeot. Any subject will not do. A man poa-
sessea Hie suaeeptibility of pity ; bnt sorrow and suffering are the ocly
oooasion of its development. So a man possesses the susceptibility o(
imagination, bnt only certain subjects will develope it. Who would
think of exciting the fanoy by a theorem of Euclid ; or of training tbs
discursive faculty by Robinson Crusoe ? It is not enough to develops
the powers of the mind ; they must be developed in harmonions and
just proportions. Give no one power the preponderance, bnt train the
whole of fhem fully.
"Taking it for granted, then, that the aim of edneation is to develope
and train all the powers of the mind in just proportions, and bearing
in memory that the powers of the miud are a mere bundle of sttscepti-
bilitiea which require fit subjects to call them forth, the only practical
question seems to be, What are these fit subjeota, and what is the
best manner of presenting them to the dormant faculties? These
questions embrace the whole ground of education ; and on a pioper
solution of them depends a proper system of intellectual discipline. In
so far as boys are coneerned, I maintain that the classics are the fit sub-
jects but I iiffer widely fiom iiie book ■which I h>va aoni you nth
respect to the best method of tea hing them I keep my eye fixed
steadily on the end disciplme and I do maintain that the mind ia
moie eserc sed and more fully devolupei by th rough grammat oal
analysis than 1 y any other metho 1 To teach Iiatin and Greek as
tpcken languages is no doubt the speediest [Ian of oommumoating a
knowledge of them Bat then it trains the mtmory m disproportion
with the other ficulties it lestroys the harmony and equilibrium of
the mmd By the other course this harmony is sustaintd You t am
the memory m getting the giammar bj heart you tiam the judgment
by an application of the rules ; you tram the power of analysis by the
difficulties of etymology, in the reading of the classics with a dicfjon-
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120 LIFE OF JAMES JIENLEY THOKNWELL.
ary, I do not know of a single faculty wliich Ik not employed, and em-
plojed, too, to its full extent. It is the teacher's duty to see that Ihe
instcaetion is thorough. In our present sjatema of teaching, the plan
SHggested by oar author is altogether irapraoticabla. We muBt haye a
laige nximber of scholai's to sapport the school. Mr. Locke STiggested
Hie same rneihod long ago. It did not take then, and I hope it will not
take now. These are my views, expressed as briefly as I am able to do
it. One hint more in, regard to yoni own Academy, and I am clone
with the subject. Would it not be well to divide that institntion into
two parts, English and Classical? You could then arrange the parts
into classes. This would render the course of instruction more thqiough
and acourate. Should you publish your plan, it would give your school
a character, and ensure a liberal patronage. I have thought much on
Hiis subject, for I am warmly interested in the prosperity of the CBeraw
. Academy.
' ' Harvard Commencement took place to-day, and was traly a poor
eshihition of talent and learning. Oonld old Johnson or Walker have
risen from the tomb, they would have shuddered at the mongrel dialect
of the Harvard scholars ; for it was, in truth, neither Latin, Greek, nor
English. The pronunciation of English is most shamefully neglected
here, both by teachers and students ; and whenever occasion requites,
they coin words withont any compunction. There were, however, four
excellent speeches ; the rest were flat enongh. The Phi-Beta -Kappa
wOl be delivered to-morrow ; and I shall send you a copy, as soon as it is
pablished.
" I met Professor Nott here to-day. He told me that he was publish,
ing fiotitions tales, having regularly embarked on the sea of novel-writ-
ing. He has relinquished the task of writing Sumter's life. Fiction,
he says, is better suited to his taste than biography. I shaU call on him
in a day or two, and spend, for once again, a few happy hours,
' ' I am myself writing an article on the study of the Greek, or rather
of the classioa. It will probably appear in the January number of the
North American fleww. I have written about ten pages, but shall not
be able to finish it before the middle of September. I am also collect-
ing materials for an elaborate work, on which I hope to found a reputa-
iSon. It is a treatise on the philosophy of the Greek language. This
will not appear under a year or two, and Professor Henry must see it, be-
fore it ooines to light. I wish to establish a Uterary character in my na-
tive State ; for I have an eye on a Professorship in the Theological
Seminary at Columbia. That institution is destined to take ihe lead in
this country.
' ' Yours, affectionately and gratefully,
J. H, Thobnwell,"
From the sound views here expreeaed, of the object
and methods of academic training, he never receded; and
he based upon tliem all his later eifbrts to adviuKte the
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KK8rDEis:ui!; at oambridge, 121
educational interests of his native State. He discovers,
too, his predilection for a echolastic life, little dreaming
of the sphere in whiuh it would he indulged; but it is a
singular coincidence that his last labours should have
been devoted to that institution, to which his early aspi-
rations liad been dnected, and that he should there have
wrought out the work upon which his permanent repu-
tation will chiefly rest : a work which, though arrested in
its progress by the hand of death, attests, even in its ia-
■completeness, the power of his genius and the wealth of
his knowledge.
But to his coiTespondenee again.
To General James Gilleepie :
" Oambeidob, September 6, 1834.
" Mt Deab Genebsl ; It is now nearly twelve o'clock at night, and 1
liave determinod., with, u, miserable pen, to give you a ehott aooouut of
the ineidentB of the day. Early ic the forenoon I went into Boston, for
. ihB purpose of hearing Edward Everett's eulogy on Lafeyette ; and a
splendid production it was. There were some passages in it nnsncpaased
by the finest flights of Cliatham or of Bmke ; and throughont, it was a
chaste, olassioal, and elegant composition. I had taken up the impress-
ion that Everett w!i£ a cold, ditll, heaitiess, and formal speaker, who
aimed only to please, and not to aroase the feeUnga of his auditory ; but
I was g^uite in the wrong. He is impassioned and Tehement, and exer-
cisea sa strong a control over the passions of his hearers as Preston him-
self ; and I presume that the secret of his failure in Congress, is an in-
ability to extemporize. He drew tears to-day from the stoutest heart ;
and was repeatedly interi'upted by deafening shouts of applause, which
made old Faneuil Hall ring, but which were hardly suitable to the bac^eS
of monrning that shrouded the wails. His oration, was nearly three
'hours long, and I was eitremely sorry when he got to the close. It wUl,
in bU. probability, be published ; and if it should be, I will send you a
"Mr. Everett is a very small man, about five feet seven iuches high,
and witdal very thin ; but his countenance is stropgly marked. The
moat remarkable feature of his face is his mouth ; it would attract at-
tention the moment yon should lay your eyes npon him ; it is exactly
like that of Dr. Watts, as exhibited in his portraits. Everett's eyes are
a dark blue, and have the oast of thought and study. His forehead is
fuC and fliiely arched, and the general espression. of his countenance
is that of calm meditation. I have been thus minute in my description,
because I was absolutely charmed with the man, and am determined, by
some means or other, to obtain an introduction to him.
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123 LIFE OF JAMBS HENLEY THOSi
" Ttera was an immense conoouree of people assembled on the Com-
mon ; and the prooesaion, I shonld think, was a mile and a half long,
and Biveraged five persona in width. There Tcere probably four or live
thousand ci'owded into I'aneuil Hall. I was about the head of tiio pro-
cession, and oonsequentlj obtained a good seat near the orator. As
BOOH as I got into Boston I found out the order of arrangements. Dis-
tingnished strangers were invited to head the procession ; and as this
oirouiuBtaQoe gave them the choice of seats, Evans and myself took it
into our heads to introduce ourselves to the marshal as belonging to fhia
olasB. We did the thing with sueli grace that the claim was admitted,
and we joined the Une with John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, and
that whole tiibe, ohuokling all the while over our new bought dignity.
I breathed the atmosphere of greataess, and oould hardly persuade my-
self that I was simply James S. Thomwell, onee pedagogue in the Che-
raw Academy. 1 was certainly a great man, but had not been fortunate
enough to find it out^, until I found myself ranted with distinguished
sti'angers, A little impudence is a great help in this world ; and I have
cailed in its aid on several occasions to great advantage, since I have
been at the North.
"I am quite oheerfnl and contented in Cambridge, and have estab-
lished something of a oharacter. So far as I can learn, they give me
credit for a virtue which I was never suapa^ted of possessing by my
friends at home, and that is modestj/, Evans has joined the Law-school,
and adds considerably to my enjoyment. I have, besides, a pretty ex-
tensive circle of aoquaiatanoes in members of College from South Caro-
lina, and am winding my way into the. affections of the natives them-
selves. I am an intense student, and am making rapid progress in.
Hebrew and Biblical Literature. I average, this week, fifteen hours
per day ; but I cannot continue to apply myself at that rate, for I begin,
to eiperience already the inconvenience of it, manifested by indigestioiL
and a sUght pain in my chest, 1 shall hereafter study about thirteen
hours a day, and eieroise freely ; and I have no doubt that I shall hS'
able to escape all ill consequences. I attend the reoitatious of the Di-
vinity School, and derive the same advantages as if I were & regular
member, without being subject to any resttietiona.
" I have nearly finished my article for the North American Reeieii},
and shall probably hand it in about the first of October. It is now quar-
ter past one o'clock, and I most bid you good-night.
"Sincerely and gratefully,
J. H. Thobswei.1,,"
The associating priiieiple, wiiioh touelies the springs of
memory everywhere, and binds together otir knowledge
and experience — did it bring hack the incidents, so plea-
santly related in the above letter, at a later day, when,
seated by the side of the man here so greatly wondered
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123
at, lie Biu'prised Mr, Everett by a remarkable citation in
the original, from Thueydides, and became in his turn the
object of as much admiration and delight ? If ao, be must
have mused apou those strange ooiii<;idents, which some-
times bring the different stages of onr life into sneli
Tividuess of contrast, as almost to overbear the conviction
of our identity, and make us feel as though two different
beings are represented in them. The story is thus told
by one who participated in the interview : " In the year
185T, Mr. Everett was in Columbia, to deliver his cele-
brated oration on Washington ; and was the guest of that
accomplished gentleman, the Hon, W. F, I>esaussure.
Dr. Thornwell proposed to me that we should go together
to pay our respects to the distinguished stranger. After
being introduced, a good many inquiries wei'e made about
Cambridge, and the literary men of Boston; when the
conversation turned upon tlie recurrence of certain ideas
in different eras of the world, Mr. Everett illustrated it
by reference to a passage in Thueydides, which he ren-
dered into Eoglish. Dr. Thornwell replied by quoting,
in the original Greek, a few lines from the same author,
Mr. Everett rejoined once more in English, when Dr.
Thornwell made a far more extended quotation from
Thueydides, in the Greek. All were surprised and de-
lighted at the exhibition of learning, so spontaneous as to
be free from the suspicion of pedantry. The following
day Mr. Desaussure expatiated, in my oiiico, in praise of
' our Southern giant.' " We relate the incident in tliis
connection, that it may enjoy all the light of contrast.
But to resume the correspondence of this period :
" To Mb. Alexawdee H. Peouks ;
"CiMBRiDQE, Septemlier 11, 18S4.
" Mr DniB Fmend ; Midnight has drawn hec sable cnrtain over half
the world ; and I seize upon, this hour of solemn. stilliiGea to renew my
interoonrse with a ciheriehed frieud. There are a thouasnd.tiBS which
lint the race in harmony ; but the affeotionR of the heart oannot be sat-
isfiBd with- espansive action. I/ke the rays of light centred in a.
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124 LIFE OF JAMES IIENI.KY THOENWEIJ..
barniiig focua, their energiea nmat all be directed to a single point, to
piodaoe the masimum of happiness, and prodnoe the fullest doyelop-
ment of which thoy are snsceptiWe. It is not enough to loye the
fipeciea; there mnat be indiyiduids of the speoieB, whom ws cherish
with peculiar fondness. A oandle can give light to a single room, but
it cannot illumiiiate the world. I am charmed with the notion of nni-
versal philanthropy, and am as anyone as most men to difEuse the
means of knowledge and happiness among my brethren of the earth ;
hut then 1 find more real enjoyment and unmingled felicity in the nar-
rower circle of domestic affection and of private friendships. 1 am
■willing to grant that love to the species should be the main-spring of
&11 onr actions : but then I maintain that love to the species accom-
plishes ite end only through the medinm of circamscrihed. action ; that
the greatest happiness is ultimately produced hy discharging properly
the humble duties of onr social relatione. It is a sad misnomer to call
dn unfaithful friend or a crnel husband a genuine philanthropist. The
man who is oareless of his own household is hardly able to take cme of
the world ; and the man who loves not his own family can hardly be
expected to love the race. Ha is the best philanthropist who is the
truest fiiend, the most faithful husband, the most tender parent, and
affectionate neighbour.
"S^tember 18, 18S4.
" Some few evenings since, as you observe, I commenced an epistle to
you, but have forgotten entiMly the train of thought which was then in
my mind. You will excuse me, therefore, for beginning de novo. And
1 must be in a pretty considerable hurry ; for in a few minntes I have
to attend a party, to which I have been invited, and wTiere I shall see
the intelligence and beauty of Cambridge. I had gotten thus far, and
was interrupted for three houre by company. Meanwhile, the music
of the party has struck up, and I am rather afraid there will be dancing.
If there should be, I most assuredly shall not go. You remember the
eloquent declajnation of Oicero upon the subject, when a Roman Sena-
tor was publicly impeached for the heinous offence of using his legs too
lightly. There is neither rhyme nor reason in ' capering nimbly ovei- a
lady's chamber, to the lascivious pleasing of a lute.' I am an open and
avowed enemy to lie sport, because I believe that it is an enemy to the
best and most eubstautiai inteiests of mac Justthiniof it soberly, and
at the least, it cannot bnt appear lidionlous. • And yet, like moat other
follies, it is fatally oontogiouB; and men freely indulge in it without
being aware of its enormity. It is an insult to God, who has made ns
beings of intellectual dignity ; it is an abnse of onr own pei'sons, and a
prostration of our own powers. It is all nonsense to call it an amuse-
ment : it has no claim nor title to the appellation. That only is properly
junusement which I'elaxeB the mind after laborious 4jjil ; which refreshes
ilfl exhausted energies, and pr^erves it from the hstlessnesa incident to
fatigue. 6ot is this a characteristic of dancing ? Is it not a mere inven-
tion to kill time ? Yours sincerely, as ever,
,1. H. Thoe
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RESIDENCE AT CA.MBKID«K. 125
To the same :
" OiWEKiDGE, October 1, 1834.
" My Dhab Fbeesd : I reoeivad your letter thia afternoon, and was
glad to find that you had not entirely forgotten me ; though I had he-
gun to suspect that the probabilities oE hearing directly from you were
eioeedingly faint. Yuu have miBappcehended Dr. Whatel/s object, in
in his ' Historic Doubts concerning Napoleon,' His design was to show
lliat the very same arguments wbioh are directed against the miracles of
Christianity, can be applied wiHi equal force agdnet the existence of
Buonaparte; fhat the one cannot be admitted or rejected with oonsis-
tenoy, without admitting or rejecting tlie otlier. The stand which Mr,
Hume and his followers haye taken in regai'd to our Saviour's miraolea
is, that an event, in itself improbable, is incapable of being proved by
testimony ; that its inherent improbability is a standing and unanswer-
able argument against it. On the same grounds, such men must have
rejected the esistence of Napoleon, as an event in itself impi'obable ;
but all men have admitted this fact ; and therefore, the conclusion is
irresistible, that adeg^uate testimony is sufficient to establish any fact,
however improbable it may appear. It was, consequently. Dr. Whate-
ley'a object to show that Hume's reasoning proved too much, and conse-
quently proved nolliing; that it proved not ouly that Jesua Christ
wrought no miracles, but that Hapoleon Buonaparte never lived or died.
I look upon the pamphlet as one of the happiest effusions of well-sus-
tained irony that I have ever read. I was delighted with it, and there-
fore sent it to you.
"The more I examine Hume's celebrated argument against miracles,
the more I am satisfied that it is utterly untenable and faUacious. A law
of nature is only a compendious espresaioa for uuif ormity in the appear-
ances of natare. To say, therefore, that anything violates a law of na.
ture, is only to say that it does not eonfoim with the general appear-
ances. Our knowledge of nature's laws depends upon ihe testimony
of our senses ; our knowledge of a miracle depends p th t t ny
of the senses of other men. There is, therefore, th m g und for
believing in a miracle, ae for believing in the law ft C is,
the usual appearance of nature ; (he other, au unu al j i -in We
know both from the evidence of sense. A man, t f h d es
a miracle, ought, in eonaistenoy, to disbelieve the 1 w f t they
both rest on the same grounds ; there is no diSe b tw ib n,
esoept that one is uniform ; the other is not. This uniformity can make
no difference, because we know U only from the evidence of sense.
"This is a meagre skeleton of the dir^t argument with which I would
meet infidelity ; the indirect would be drawn from the nature and attri-
butes of God; btit it is quite unnecessaiy to touch upon it here, I
should pay bnt a poor compliment to your understandiog, if I thought
you were in danger of being ensnared by the sophisms of Hume, which
are now universally abandoned, even by Free-thinkers -themselves. The
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1 26 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
recorded experience of the world is a lining teBtiiaony against his doo-
trinea; and 20 laiax wto mingles in the ■world can act npoa his prin-
" Tou do not overrate the advantagee of Cambridge, bat you cettaiDly
tmderrate those of Sooth Carolina. There are no more f aeilitiea here for
acquiring an education, than there aie among us ; and I had jnst 9S soon
send a son to Colnmbia ae to Cambridge. - A large library is far from
being an advantage to uuder-gcadnates. They are indiscreet and impru-
dent ju their selection of books ; and where there are so many Tolumra,
they leave the hall very often ■without knowing what to choose. A large
library is a help to scholars, in the ■way of reference and oousuJtatioa ;
but to no other men, and in no other way.
" On the morning of the 4th of October, I shall set sail for Charles-
tan, and shall tie in Cheraw about the 30tli or 31st. I regret very much
taleave Hai'vard ; but I am wimpelled to do so. I am delightfully situ-
ated here ; and should be exceedingly happy, under other ciroumstan-
eea, to spend two or three years. A. physician of Boston hae assnced
me that it would be certain death for me to try a Northei'n winter ; and
I have already suffered nearly as much from the cold, as I ever did in
South. Carolina. The climate, foe the last two weeks, has been very
Tariable ; somotimoB veiy piercing, and sometdraes pleasant. I have
consequently determined not to risk my heallii, but to return as early as
I safely oan. I sfai't rather earlier than I espectad, on account of the
uncertainties of a sea voyage. I am anxious, too, to be present at your
siBtei''s nuptials, and shall bend all my efforts to reach Cheraw in time.
,db, Google
CHAPTER X.
FIRST PASTORATE.
LioEvsuna, — Sbttlembnt rN LttiossTF.K. — Spihituil CoNrLioT,— OHis-
iOTES OB HI3 ElBLY PEEACHINO. — BSTBAOBDINiBr AaCENDlHOY OTEB
K13 ArniBMoa. — His Sinowiiab Poweb of Iij.nMin4TiNQ the whole
QoaPEL.^Hia Beabing as i Pastoe, — Mabriaok. — Dsirpa OS his
FlSST OBIUI. — OOMELETE FoEMAIION OF ChABAOTEE. — DeTBUJPMENT
OP PlBTY, — EsTBACtrS FBOM HIS PBIVATB JonaNAL. — OoBPBSSlOK ANB
Pbaibb.
MR. THORNWELL was licensed to preach the gospel,
by the Presbytery of Harmony, met at Tolerant
Chui'ch, in the bouiids of Beaver Creek congregation, on
the 28th of November, 1834: exactly one year irom the
time he was taken nnder the Presbytery's care. His
examination was eminently satisfactory ; and very unusual
encomiuiriB were pronounced upon his ability and pro-
ficiency, by the members of the court, m rendering their
decision upon the parts of trial. The Rev. Dr. Goulding,
then Professor in the Theological Seminary at Columbia,
is reported as saying, "Brethren, I feel like sitting at this
young man's i'eet, ae a learner:" a very sweet expression
of humility, on the part of one whom the Church was
honouring with an ofSce of the highest responsibility and
trust; but also a wonderful testimony to the attainments
of the young theologian which drew it forth.
Hie first settlement was, however, within the bounds of
a different Presbytery. Certain gentlemen from the vil-
lage of Lancaster were present at this examination, and
bore away with them such impressions as determined
eventually his location. On the 8th of April, 1835, a
church was organized in this village, by the Presbytery of
Bethel, which immediately made overtures to Mr. Thorn-
127
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128 LIFE OF JAMES lIENr,BY THORNWELL.
well to beuome its pastor. Accordingly, on tho llth of
June, he was transferred as a licentiate from the Presby-
tery of Hai-niony to that of Bethel; and on the following
day he was ordained and installed pastor over the infant
church. His labours were not, however, restricted withni
this narrow sphere. The old mother church of Waxhaw,
iHid the church of Six-Mile creek, in the same District of
Lancaster, enjoyed his occasional, if not his constant,
ministrations ; and in April, 1836, having made out sepa-
rate calls, they were united with the church at Lancas-
terVille in a joint pastoral chai'ge; and the installation
services were performed by Eev. Messrs. J. B. Davies and
Pierpont E. Bishop, as a Committee of the Presbytery.
The reader has observed the spiritual conflict through
■which ouf friend passed in his earlier years, and the gra-
dual ascendency which the gospel gained over his chai--
aeter and life. He will not, therefore, be sui'prised to
find these culminating in one last struggle, which would
seem to terminate the discipline of this preparatory pe-
riod. The letters, too, which have been given, reveal his
towering ambition, which had been, fed by constant and
brilliant success in academic competitions. What more
likely than that this tremendous passion should gather up
all its force, to deter him from a calling in which it may
not lawfully be indulged? "Wliat more probable than
that conscience should itself shrink back in alarm, from
the responsibility of the sacred office, not measured in its
awful magnitude until it is about to be assumed ? What
more in keeping with the artifice and malignity of Satan,
than that, at such a crisis, he should seize upon all that
is good, as well as all that is evil, within us, and array
them against a decision by which he is discomfited for-
ever ? It is a fearful struggle when, once for all, a noble
spiritbrings its longing after fame, and lays it down a
perpetual sacrifice to conscience and to God. For though
the pulpit has its honours and rewards, woe 1 woe ! to
the man who enters it under this temptation :
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FIRST PASTORATE. 129
' ' To gaze at hie own splendour, and exalt.
Absurdly, not his office, but himself,"
The shadow of a fearful curse falls upon him who " does
this woi'k of the Lord deceitfuEy :" upon him who cannot
ivith a purged eje look beyond the meed of human ap-
plause, to the benediction of the great Master, as his final
crown.
Dr. Thornwell relates, that such was the apprehension
of his soul in what he was about to do, that he appeared
before the Presbytery with a half-cherished Jiope tliey
wonld reject him; and thus the Church would assume the
responsibility of releasing him'from the pressure of the
Apostle's woe. In this .apprehension he has, however,
only entered within the shadow of the doud which was
yet to darken upon him. The authority of the Chiircb
has B^it him forth to preach the "Word, and a hungry
chai'ge beckons from the distance to come and give it the
bread of life. In hie solitary way, ae he journeys along^
in the beautiful spring, terrible thoughts settle upon his
mind, which he cannot conjure away. What if, after all,
he should not be a converted man ! "What, if it sho,nld
be a .profane touch that he was to give to the ai'k of God !
What, if he was going up to the place and people of the
Lord, and His presence. was not with him ! What, if the
ministry should prove to Iiim an iron bondage, and,
having preached t-o others, be should be himself a cast-
away ! And po he j^iifheyed on, like Saul to Damascus,
with the deep midnight upon his soul. At the end of a
day's travel he rested under the hospitable roof of a pious
elder, to whom he opened all the sorrow.. Biit no com-
fort came from all the comfort that was spoken. The
good elder conld succeed only in exacting a promise, at
parting, that he would go on to his appointment; and if
the Lord, in answer to prayer, did not make his duty
plain, why, then, he need not preach. The place is
reached ; he enters the pulpit, with " the great horror of
darkness" resting upon him still. It is the garden of
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130 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY 'IHORNWELL.
Getlistiinsme to this joxiiig but chosen servant of the Lord,
who mudt here learn to drink of the Saviour's cup, and be
baptized with Ilia baptism. He rises to preach; and now
the time has come for the revelation of the Saviour's
love. Through a rift in the gloom, tliere rushes down
upon him such a sense of his aeceptanee witli God as was
overpowering. The assm'ance ^and the Joy overflowed
into the discourse, which poured the sacred oil over the
assembly; until some gathered unconsciously near tiie
pulpit, in breathless suspense upon the young prophet's
lips. He was from that moment anointed to a life-work,
which is precious in its record here, and-— above.*
His early preaching was not dry and scholastic, as
many predicted it would be. On the contrary, one of
his habitual hearers describes it s£, "intensely practical
and plain; nothing abstract. The impression in my mind,
now, is that of earnest exposfcnlation with sinners. Now,
to-day, is the day of salvation. He was very earnest; his
eye kindled with intense excitement; his wliole frame
quivered. His sermons created great enthusiasm among
tiie people of all denominations, who crowded into the
little chui'ch until it overflowed." Another vn-ites : "Mr.
Thornweli's sermons, from tlie commencement of his
preaching, were profound, logical, and eloquent. He
gestured more with botA arms than he did in after life,
and there was more vehemence of action." Indeed, it is
the opinion of many who knew him intimately thi'Ough
his whole career, that, for popular effect, those early dis-
courses were never surpassed by the riper productions of
his later years. Though his learning became more va-
rious and his discussions more profound, yet the flrst
hnpressions of his oratory were never transcended. "We
suspect, however, that it was largely clianged in its char-
* The inddent is giTen precisely as it was flret I'elated to us. Another
authority places it a little later in his early ministi'y, and aubsfitutea a
minister for the eider as his adyiser and friend. This slight discrepanoy
rather confirms, than weakens, the oooui'reiloe of the fact.
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FIKST PAeTOKATB. 181
acter. It was eloquence of a higher order that he after-
wards obtained, though leas attractive to the multitude.
A severer taste, and a deeper religiouB experience, led
him to disregard the graces of rlietoric, with wliich at iirst
he had charmed a popular assemhly. His eloquence dug
for itself a deeper channel than in his earlier years, and
poured itself in a much broader flood ; rather overwhelm-
ing by its majesty, than attracting by its grace.
In proof of the ascendency he always gained over the
minds of bia hearers, the following incident may be re-
lated, in the very words given to us : " Soon after he came
among us, the time arrived for the regular semi-annual
communion at the Waxhaw Church, It had always been
customary for neighbouring paatora to assist each other
at these meetings. Our young pastor commenced on
Friday morning, the usual time, withoiit any assistance.
One of our venerable elders, who did not arrive till Sat-
tnrday morning, was displeased with this course, thinking
it presumptuous in him to suppose the people would be
content without the usual variety, to which, on such occa-
sions, they were accustomed. But after listening to the
morning diacoiirse, the old gentleman approached those
to whom he had expressed his dissatisfaction, and said :
' I am very glad now, that no other minister is here.' The
sermon waa from the text, 'A man that hath friends must
show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh
closer than a brother.'" A aermonfrom this text, doubt-
less the same, was one of the earliest that the writer him-
self heard from the lips of hia friend; and portions of it
are distinctly remembered at this day, across the interval
of three and tliirty years.
His sermons at this period seldom exceeded thirty
minutes in length, though they afterwards stretched to
the orthodox aixty. Biit he was sometimes borne beyond
himself, as in the ease now to be recited, and which affords
a better illustration than the preceding of his immenae
power over an audience. We draw upon the same testi-
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132 LIFE OF JAMES HENI,J5Y THOENWELI..
mony as befiire : " On Sabbath morning bis text was, ' It
is a faitbful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.' It was.
one of his finest eiforts. When he had been preaching
for an hoar and a half, he took out liis watch, stopped
si^ddenly, and apologized to the congregation, saying he
had no idea he had been speaking so long. The cry
rose at once, from all parts of the house, ' Go on ! go on !'
And he did go on for neaidy an hour more." Remem-
bering how staid a Presbyterian congi-egatioa nsually is,
and restrained by the sanctities of the sanctuary, this ont-
bnrst of enthusiasm, breaking over all conventional pro-
prieties, was no slight tribute to the power of the orator.
But the chai'm of the story remains yet to be unfolded.
" My father," adds the witness, " a very old gentleman,
was present. A few days afterwards he sent for me,,
saying, 'I want to talk to you about that sermon. My
son, if you ever had a doubt about the truth and perfec-
tion of the plan of salvation, you surely can have none
now. I have been studying tliat subject all my life, but
I never saw it before as I do now. !Now I am ready to
die, that I may enter upon its full enjoyment.' He never
was able to attend chm-ch again; and eternity alone will
reveal the comfort and instruction which that one sermon
gave to this aged servant of God; how it smoothed hia
pathway to the tomb, and lighted up his future with hope.
Scores and hundreds of others have been similarly pro-
fited, as they hung upon the truth from his lips."
This affecting narrative brings to view one feature of
Dr. Thornwell's preaching, which may as well be signal-
ized here as elsewhere. It was the power he possessed
of sometimes illuminating the whole gospel in a single
discourse. "We enter, for example, a chamber at twihght;
and, with a dim, uncertain vision, recognize the furniture
and appointments. Each object is disclosed, but in faint
outline; and the relation of the parts to each other can be
but imperfectly traced. Suddenly a taper is applied to a
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FIRST TASTOKATE. 133
siuglo l>umei', and one jet of flame is eitflieient to light up
the whole, Evra-y ai-ticle in the room presents its clear
profile to the eye ; all is brought out from the shadow into
"bold relief; and the total effect is taken in at a glance
from the grouping, which discloses the taste and dispo-
sition of the occupant. Just so, the triithe to which we
have been listening all our lives are disposed in a certain
catechetical order in otu' mind, yet fragmentary and 6is-
iointed. How often will a single paragraph in a book, or
a single utterance of the living voice, light them up with
a new cleai'nees, and show them in the beauty and power
of an organic unity, as parts of a comprehensive and har-
monious system. This faculty Dr. Thorawell possessed,
in a degree which marked no other man whom it has
been our privilege to know or hear. His power of
analysis sti'ipped every subject of all that was adveii-
titioiis or collateral. He removed skilfully every sucker
shooting out from the stem of his doctrine, and exposed
at once the living germ from which all growth and
development sprung. With this ultimate principle in
the grasp, the hearer had the key to unlock the entire
subject; with the thread of Ariadne in his fingers, he was
guided safely through all the intricacies of the longest
discussion into which it might afterwards expand. As
eveiy system, too, however complex,' must hang upon a
few cardinal postulates, it was his delight to seize upon
those which were fundamental in Christianity, and, with
amazing constructive skill, build up the grand temple
before the eyes of his audience, laying beam upon beam,
and stone upon stone, and "bringing forth the head-
stone thereof, with shoutings of, Grace, grace unto it." A
good illustration of tliis tendency of mind is furnished in
his Inaugural Discourse, when inducted into the Theo-
logical chab' in the Seminary at Coliunbia, in which he
attempts to denote "the central principle of theology,"
which brings its diversified matter into such "unity of
relation as constitutes it propei'ly a science." This was
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1S4 LlffE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
a constant attribute of his preacliing; which had a value
beyond the demonstration of single truths, in supplying
the nexus which hound them together in unity and com-
pleteness. From this cause it happened that, in Ma
vai-ioue travels, wherever he would tarry for a Sabbath, a
single sermon proved to so many a life-event, from whicli
a new Christian experience was developed. Hundreds
of siich are to be found through this broad land ; and not
until they shall sit down with him upon the Mount of
God, can he know in how many blessed experiences his
earthly ministry was blent. There is power in genius;
and where it is eanetifted by grace, and wielded as an in-
strument of the Holy Spirit, there is uotliing beneath the
skies that is half so grand — nothing before which the
human soul bows with bo much of deference and love.
" Tea ; to tty tongue aliall Betaph words be given,
And power on. earth to plead the cause of Heaven j
The proud, the eold untroubled heart of stone,
That never mused on sori'ow but its own,
TJnloois a generous store at thj command,
Like Hareb's look beneath the prophet's band."
Mr. Thornwell, during his pastorate, resided iu the
village of Lancaster, where a neat church buUding was
soon erected under his auspices. The Waxhaw Church
■was distant about eight miles ; and the Six-Mile charge,
about eighteen miles. These distances, however, were
easily covered by a fleet horse, which rejoiced in the
soubriquet of " Bed Rover," and was habitually driven
at the speed of ten and twelve miles an hour. *' Tliis
was, however, no cruelty to the horse," writes the ehi-o-
nicler of this period; "it was only in keeping with the
spirit and mettle of the animal ;" but adds he, somewhat
quaintly, " it gave our pastor the appearance of being
a little fast." Poor Bed Bover was before long of-
fered a sacrifice upon the altar of love; for upon the
master's mai-riage, the friends of the lady could by no
means consent for her to ride at such break-neck speed.
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FIRST PAETORATS. 135
and beliind a liorse of which all but the owner were
afraid. Character is most displayed in little tilings. It
is an illnstration of Mr. Thornwell's conseieiitio\isness,
that, when compelled to part reluctantly with his fa-
vourite eteed, though offered fifty per cent, more, he
would take only one hundred doUars, which he consi-
dered his money value.
Whilst indulging this gossip, it may not he amiss , to
state, that Dr. Thornwell exhibited through life one mark
of extravagance, in always having the host of everything
in ite kind. Indeed, it was his doctrine that the hest was
always the cheapest. He always concurred with Car-
lyie in his denunciation of "the cheap and nasty;"
■which, like Oarlyle, he pushed in many directions, and
made it the measure of men and principles, as well as of
things. Still, it was with him very much a matter of
taste. He always, hought the best editions of books j
wore clothing of the finest texture; was fond of fine
horses; and smoked always the best brands. To illus-
trate his epieurianism as to the last named, the vfriter
once offered him a cigar, such as he was himself smoking
at the time, and as good in quality as he felt he could
afford. After drawing two or three whiffs, it was pitclied
impatiently through the window, with the exclamation,
"Any man who will smoke such cigars will steal!" The
anecdote wiU be excused its want of dignity, if it shows
the freedom and dash of his raillery towards those whom
he loved.
He was scarcely less dear as a pastor to the people of
his charge, than admired as a preacher. The morbid
sensibility, and recoil upon himself, of past years, have
entirely disappeared. The liubicon is passed; he has
grappled with lite, and deals with its realities rather than
with its di-eams. The preliminai-y fear of the battle has
subsided with the first shock of arms, and he feels the
stem joy of the encounter. His initiation into hfo was,
too, of the nature of a triumph. Eveiyw)iere sought,
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136 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOBNWKLL.
admired, caressed; all things conspired to draw out the
original simplicity and guilelessness of his nature. His
constitutional buoyancy of spirits bore him on its flood,
and the native gaiety of hie disposition sparkled through
his whole demean ovu'. Wherever his social visits were
dispensed, he romped with the children, and bantered the
middle-aged with sportive wit; whilst those who needed
comfort and advice were met with genisil sympathy, and
with instruction which could not be exceeded in its rich-
ness. Men stopped to wonder at him as he passed along
the streets, striving to put together the solemnity of his
pulpit utterances and the exuberant pleasantly of the
private companion. Many, perhaps, had to unlearn some
of the old, stereotyped lessons of cant, and make tlie dis-
tinction between a genuine zeal and the sanctimonious
Pharisaism that hides in the folds of a white cravat, and
in the stiff precision of an artificial saintliness. But
the result was tlie combined respect and love of all; wlio
were as miicii won by the artless demeanour of the week,
as by the stormy eloquence of the Sabbath. In pi'oof,
however, that all this playfulness was but the unbending
of a serious mind, a single question or word was sufficient
to call it back to the earnestness and gravity which were
habitual. Says the friend who has fiu'nished most of
these sketches : " He was an inmate of my family, and I
then knew him intimately. Only those who have enjoyed
a similar privilege can appreciate the delight his society
afforded. My rule was to ask him a question, and, as he
undertook to answer it, his mind would turn fully to the
subject, and his discouree would be intensely fascinating
as well as instrnetive." The rapidity with which he
could pass fi'ora the gay to the severe, and exchange the
play of wit for the most abstract and elaborate reasoning,
all can testify who were ever admitted into his confldence.
The writer has a thousand times admired the self-mastery
thus displayed in the perfect control of his own modes oi
feeling and of thought.
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FIKST PASTOEATE. 137
On the 8d December, 1835, Mr. Tliornweil was united
in marriage with Miss Nancy White Witherspoon, second
daughter of Colonel James H. Witherspoon, of Lancaster
District. Colonel Witlierspoon wae one of the leading
men in the District, and not without distinction in tlie
State; having served as Lieutenaiit-Govemor, and was a
candidate for Congress, with eveiy prospect of being
elected, when he was stricten by pai-alysis, which termi-
nated in death. He was a man of large yiewa, of gi'eat
energy and enthusiasm, and possessed an almost un-
bounded popularity. Mr. Thomwell gained easy admis-
sion into his houseliold, not only by his official relations
as a pastor, but through an intimacy with two of his sons
in college, one of whom was his class-mate. Though
Colonel Witherspoon, with the worldly prudence that
guides most men ' in disposing their daughters in mar-
ria^, saw what looked little better than starvation in a
salary of six hundred a year, still, he could not refuse
domestic alliance to ,a young man whom he openly pro-
claimed intellectually the equal of Mi: McDuffie or Mr.
Calhoun. From the time of marriage the happy couple
took np their abode in the family mansion, till their re-
■ moval to a different home. By this union, a true help-
meet was provided for one whose gifts and whose calling
required tliat he should not be entangled in the things of
this life. Mrs. Thornwell's sound judgment and practical
wisdom were a valuable check upon the ardent tem-
perament and too confiding generosity of her husband.
Her prudence and skilful management released him Jrom
■domestic cares, to meet the exactions of his pubhc sta-
tion; while her womanly grace and cheerful disposition
tlirew a serene chann about his home, in which hia spirits
found always a perfect repose. No man had better reason
to know the trutli of Solomon's assertion, that " a pi'udent
wife is from the Lord," The happiness of these early
yeare was darkened only by a single sorrow, the death of
then- first-bora, at tlie age of three months. This visi-
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138 LIFE OF JAME8 HBNLKY THOKKWEIX,
tation drew from his Meud and pati'on, Mr. Ro'bbina, the
following expression of sympathy and affection :
"My DsiR Jamee: I have just reoeived your letter, oonveying the
afflictiye mteUigenoe of tlie loss of your dear babe. We are both mueh.
afflicted by this uneipected calamity, and deaii-e to join oar syrapatliies
in the soriowa of the patents. We can do so most deeply and affeo-
fionately We know -what it is to watoh the gradnal unfolding of the
physical and intelleotaal facttltiea of a tfectr child, a first ohiid, au only
child ; and la the full flood-lade of our eDjoyment, to have the dear ob-
ject of our love snatched from ovii' presence and our care. Such a loss
is heart-rending indeed ; and the mourner is disposed to attach little
value to other blessings of life, for a season, since the greatest has beea
withdrawn. But a stort time and a little reflection wili. dispel the blMk-
ness of the cloud, and show us a clear and serene sky beyond it. We
do know, James, that our heavenly Parent, whose love to us sarpfteses
that of a woman to the child of her bosom, is the immediate Author ot
ibese bereavements. We do hruyw that He never afflicts willingly, or
grieves the children of men ; always for some cause— great, good, ade-
quate cause. What this cause is, it is our privilege and our duty to-
inquire. Sometimes it is wisely withheld from onr search ; but fre-
quently, very freqaently, it is within the reach of our refleotion. It
may be in mercy to the ehild, to resone it from a mora dreadful calamity
which would have attended it in life; it may be in mercy to Hiepa/ren,,
to spare the more acute suffering at beholding an unworthy life, or
an unworthy oormeotion m hfe * * « Tho&e were some of my own
reflections when called on to mourn, as yon now do ; but, my dear
James, I believe most men can find — I think I found — some unfaith-
fulness in myself, for which the visitation befell me; and, witb the
blessing of Qod, I have endeavcnred to reform it. Should this be jour
case, I pray most devoutly that He, whose grace is sufQcient for ub,
may enable yon to discovei and east it out. Best assured of the sincere
personal and Ohristian sympathy of yours,
W. H. 1
From the moment of his settlement in the ministry,
the crystallization of Mr. Thornwell's character appears
to be complete. All mawkishness of sentiment and moo-
diness of temper have vanished for ever. He has become,
in the fullest sense, a man, and has pnt away these childieh
things. His style of writing is more robust, like that of
one who has ascertained his real strength ; and it is hence-
forth discharged of the ambitionsness which perhaps is,
but the natural blemish of youthful self-assertion. His
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FIEST PASTOKATE. ] 39
religious experience ia amazingly deepened, by more fa-
miliar study of the Scriptures and nearer acquaintance
■with God. The docti-ine of salvation through gi'ace be-
came more precious to himself, as he pressed it upon the
acceptance of others. In this, too, he was greatly pro-
fited by his intimacy with the Bev, Pierpont E. Bishop,
one of his co-presbyters : a man not comparable with liim-
self either in learning or genius, but of excellent mind
and of profound piety. He was one of the few, in any
generation, of whom it eau be aaid with emphasia, that
they " walk with God." His holiness was rooted in. prin-
ciple; it pervaded his character, and was of that earnest
and controlling type which the Calvinistie view of Divine
ti'uth imparts, when fully received into the heart. This
was precisely the bond which linked Mr.Thornwell to him;
and the affection subsisting between tlie two, throughout
life, was formed in Christ, their common Lord. "As iron
sharpeneth iron, bo a man aharpenetli the countenance of
his friend;" and the sweet aavour of Mr. Bishop's piety
penetrated into the life and history of his brother in the
gospel.
A few extracts from his private journal, kept at this
time, but discontinued after a few months, and apparently
nevej' resumed, are given, to show the severity with which
he probed his own heart, and liis watchful jealousy of all
tendencies to earthly pride and vainglory.
" AprU 2nd^ 1836.— I have this day commenced to keep a journal of
my personal history, with a view chiefly to my growth in graoe. Neaily
a jeitr has elapsed since I was ordained and installed Uie paskir of tiie
little ohnioh in Lanoaeter ; and what have I done for the glory of God,
the edification of His people, or the conversion of sinners f Unf eith-
f nlnesa ! nnf aithEalness ! must be written upon my very best efforts.
Great God, give me more largely of the spirit of grace ! My mind this
day has been much concerned for the welffire of my little flock.
Some of them manifest the spirit of the gospel ; but others are oold
and lifeless, and seem to take no sort of interest in eternal things. O
Lord, revive Thy work ! In reviewing my labours, I am quite satisfied,
and I trust am humbled, that my Bible class has been conducted too
jjiuoh wiUi a view to the head, and too little with a view to the heart, ; it
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140 LIFK OF JAMES HEWLEY THOKNWELL.
iias too much oiitjcism, and too little personal application. By the gvaca
of God I am determined to remedy tiiis defect.
" May ink. — I retni'ned tome to-day, after having been absent for
more than three weeks. During my visit to Xork, I esperieneed a dia-
tresGing viBitatiou in the suddeu illuess of my wife. I feared Chat she
was on the lirink of the grave ; and was deeply hiunblecl nnder a heavy
Bense of my ingratitnde to God for bo sweet a gift. Her society had
aot been sufaeiently improved for spiritnal pmposes. I felt that I most
richly deserved some decided manifestation of God's displeasure ; and
in reliance on Hie grace, I trust I formed the resolution of living
more faithfully for the glory of God, and of regarding my wife as a
help-mate in spiritnal and eternal matters. God has spaced her, and re-
stored her to me ^ain. Oh ! may the Lord give me grace to fulfil my
purposes of renewed obedienoe.
" During my absence, I attended an adjoumedmeeting of Presbytery,
held at Purity church, in Chester, for the purpose of ordaining Bnjther
Douglas, I was appointed to preach the ordination sermon, and did so
from Kom. i. 5. I felt much of the solemnity which Uie occasion was
fitted to insp' b t t half m haethgrt't fcs involved
ought to hav p d m ea tant pain and
grief to me, h h ea ti rm ngUle effieot
upon my mi d i^nn m h h power, and
depth, which m mip rta q n see very
■clearly how I gh afi d m affected. O
Lord, give m m la p ffi g ce 1"
"Jwne 2nA. — Betumed home, aft«r an absence of nearly a week.
Attended a sacramental meeting of Brother Bishop's, at Unity. That
is a precious and a godly man. I felt much of the evils of my heart, but
<jould not be humbled. I see iu my own heart Bo mneh selfishness, and
pride, and vanity ; so much hardness and insensibility; Bo hiile affec-
tion for the Saviour, or devotedness to the glory of God, that I am often
seriouBly led to doubt whether I am a ohild of God. It is my Bincere
and constant desire to make the Lord my portion, to live to Him, and for
Him, and on Him, Oh! for a single eye and a simple heart! I erjoy
the eomfotta of religion by fits and starts. They coma in oooasioaal
flashes ; they are not my constant and habitual atmosphere. I have one
consolation, the Lord reigneth. I am aniions to serve Him, and to be
just in that field of labour which shall most promote His glory.
"J-MJM 4 (7t.— Finished to-day my sermon on 'The Refugee of Lies,' f ram
la. viu F mbmtifidb Imfd thmlld-infel-
mg an and com h w h mp te he
comp I k d h Spir nfl mm d the
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FIKST PASTOliATB. 141
h ! that I ma; ever make the same advanoes in the
o God, and in mortification of ain !
"Jul^ 19i7i. — Thia morning has been set apart for secret fasting and
prater. I h&ve lately bees, terdbly beset with the dark and horrible
suggestiona of the great adversary of aouls. Blasphemous and awful
words would be shot through roy mind "with the rapidity of iightnijig,
when I would engage in secret prayer at night,- or undertook to medi-
tate on tiie Scriptures, or to read them. This day, thus far, has been a
day of teiTible gloom to me. My soul has been in thiok darkness. I
hftve had no enjoyment of God. My heait has been cold and oheerleas,
and seems utterly incapable of realizing eternal things. I haye been
reyiewing my past life, and am almost driyen to despair at the recollec-
tion, of my sins. My heart seems to be nothing but a sink of corrup-
tion, a Gahenna of iniquity. AH my serrices haye been aelflsh. My
frames, which used to be pleasant, were, I fear, utterly destitute of
Bpirituaiity. I am exceedingly desirous to love holiness and hate sin ; but
I fear that it is a mere selfish desiie. I sometimes suspect that my de-
sires for holiness are more for its results than for itself, 0 Lord, lead
me in the paths of truth and purity. Bemoye from me every darling
lust, and enable me to live wholly for Thy glory !
' 'July SOth. — For the last two or three days I have been much engaged
in reading close works on experimental religion. Boston on the ' Cove-
nant of Grace' is a luminous exposition of that wonderful transaotiou.
I feel my mind eatabUshed in. that great truth of the gospel ; but my
heart does not take that deep and abiding interest in them which I
earnestly desire, and which their importance demands. I have gloomy
and distracting doubts of my own personal acceptance. To-day I set
apart for private fasting, humiliation and prayer, with reference to a
protracted meeting, to be holdan at Sis-Mile, and my brother's conver-
sion. But my teart has been eold and stupid. I have had no clear
views of any spiritual objeot. My understanding assents, but my feel-
ings are dead. My religion seems to be all in the head. Would to God
it were otherwise !
"September 5th.— I have been much hurt this evening, having heard
that I had offended some of the Methodists of the village by some rough
and unchristian expreasions about shouting. I was wrong in saying
what I did. I sinned, and sinned gcievoualy ; and shall, by the per-
mission of God, make an acknowledgment to-morrow. My tongue is
an unruly member, and I often say, under the influenoe of eicitement,
what I am sorry for, immediately afterwards. May the Lord give me
prudence. My feelings, I am afraid, are too strongly set against tha
peculiarities of Aiminians. There is more of the flesh than the spirit
in them. The truth is. I see nothing about myself that is right ; I am
altogether a sinner. But blessed be God for free grace ! That is my
only hope.
"■ September atk. — Formed the design this morning of writing a short
treatise on tiie peculiar doctrines of the gospel. May the Lord grant
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142 LIFE ilV JAMES llINLIi.r lUUKNWELL.
that I may be guided by His Hol^ Spirit, that I may contend for noth-
ing but the trath, and that in the fcpiiit of Ihe gospel ; and may the
■whole work eonduce to His glorj ' Lord, giant that there may be no
eelf-seelting, piide, vanity, nor ambition , but may there be a single
eye to TJiy glory, and the prosperity ol the Church, Aid me, O Thou
Father of lights, by Thy grace ; and enlighten me in a aavijig know,
ledge of the fauih !"
Tliese extracts from his journal will be appropriately
closed by the following confeBsion, evidently drawn np at
this period. Its strong expressions will be understood,
when it is remembered that tlie instrument is intended to
cover his former unconverted state, as well as his present
penitence and sorrow:
Confession op Sin.
"I. 'Thon Shalt have no other gods before Me.'
' ' I have broken this commandment, and do coatinually break it, by
not knowing and acknowledging God to be the only true God, and mff
God. I have been guilty of atJidimi, in ascribing to chance, or lack, or
fortune, what has been brought about by the diapenaations of His pro-
Tidenee, I have been guilty of idolatry in several respects. 1. In
worshipping self. I have hved for self ; I have toiled and laboured and
agonized for self ; and, what is worst of all, I have preached self. 2,
In worshipping Jome, I have sought this as my chief good. While I
was in College, I counted all things but loss for the sake of literary dis-
tinction ; and since I left College, I have repeatedly worshipped, with
an eastern devotion, at this very altar. 3, My love of self and of fame
has given rise, in my heart, to a third idol, which has robbed God of
His glory- — ambition —and that of the most exclusive kind. I have been
anxious, burniagly anxious, to be regarded as the greaUit scholar and
most taXented aian that ever lived. Think, 0 my soul, upon thine
atheism and idolatryl Thon hast not only denied God, but, even when
compelled to acknowledge His existence, thou hast robbed FTi-n-i of the
glorj w}iich is justly due to His name.
'' But I have broken this commandment in a more covert way, by
ignorance, forgetf ulness, misapprehensions, false opinions, unworthy and
wicked thoughts of Him. I have looked upon Him as a hard master.
I have taxed Him with injustice, and have dai'ed to plead my cause as a
just one before Him. It is of His tender mercies that I am not con-
sumed. There is still another way in which I have broken this com-
mandment; and that is, by vain credulity, unbelief, heresy, distrust,
insensibility under judgments, trusting in lawful means, oainal delights
and joys, lukewarmuess and deadnesB in the things of God, estrangement
and apostasy from God. I have also consulted the silly practice of
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FIRST PASTOKATK. lili
foHuna-telling. I have teaiated God's Spirit, been impatient eiid re-
bellious under the diapensationa of His prayidenoe, and have aaei'ibert
to myself, ov creatnres, the good that I have reoeiTed. Again, I have
not esteemed, adored, honoured, loved, trusted, and delighted ia God
with all my heait, as this Uw requiiea.
"n. 'Thou Shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, or any
libeneea of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth be-
neath, or that IB in the water under the eai-th ; thon shalfc not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve Ihem ; for I, tlie Lord thy God, am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the dbUdren, unto the
tiiird and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy
tmto thousands of them that love Mo and keep My eommandmenta.'
' " This commandment i-eq^uires the pnre and holy and spiritual wor-
ship of God, I have made images of God in nay mind, and have broken
it, I have forgotten that He is a Spirit, and have broken it. I have
not had that zeal for the house of the Lord and the ordinances of the
sanctuary which this oomraandment requii'ea. I have freq^uently been
unwilling to go to Fi° temple, and have often made light of the solem-
nities of worship. This law requires a spiritual worshipper. Ah ! Lord,
what am I bnt flash and blood ! These two commandments present me
in the awful and hell-deserving light of an atheist, an idolater, a sen-
" III. ' Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ;
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.'-
" The Lord's name is upon all His works ; it is recorded in His woid
and ordinances of His house, and is written upon all His providences.
I haye broken this oommandment by sweaiing ; by malting light of
God's word ; by not seeing his hand in His works, and by abusing His
gifts. I have oast lots, which n an abuse of the lot of the Lord.
"This commandment requiie"! u consistent profession of religion.
Mine has not been so. I have been light, and giddy, and vain, and
have thus taken the Lord's name in vam I have, for purposes of argu-
ment, and showing my own wit Tnisapphed in 1 perverted the word, or
passages of the word of God I have taken His name in vain in the
solemn act of prayer ; and too often, at table, my I'eqnest for a blessing
ia a mere mockery.
" IV. ' Remember Hie Sabbath day to keep it holy. Sii days shalt
thon labour and do ail thy work, but the seventh day ia the Sabbath
of the Lord thy God ; in it thou shalt not do any work ; t3iou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in. e/a days the
Lord made heaven and eartli, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested
the seventh day ; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hal-
lowed it,'
"Every Sabbath finds me in the violation of this law. My thoughts are
prone to be away from God ; and it is a fearful proof of depravity, tbat
we eannot devote one day in seven entirely to Him, The aum of the
,db, Google
four commantoenfs aJieftdy noted, is to lore the Lord onr God with bJI
oui' hearffi, and with all our sonl, and with all our strengtb, and witb all
our mindti.
Peayeb.
'■ O most tioij and rigiteons God, i:
from infancy until the present time, I
that ahame and confusion of face belong nnto me.
" I have broken Tby holy law ; I stEind convinced of rebellion, in its
worst forme ; I have been an atheist, an idolater, a sensual worhippei,
and a Sabbath-breaker, The fear of God has not been before my eyes ;
I have worshipped self, fame and ambition ; I have taken Thy holy Sab-
bath, and profaned it to my unholy uses ; and I have dared to mate an
image of Thine iaeonceiYable majesty, in my own mind ; I have been
distmstful of thy promises ; I have taten Thy name in vain ; I have
sported with Thy word, Thy gifts, and Thy providences ; and altogether,
haye been an abuser of God's goodness. 0 Lord, I have sinned
against light, and knowledge, and reproofs, and warnings ; there is no
excuse for me ; I deserve ielL O God, my heai-t is rotten ; it is the
seat of all my iniquity. O Lord, give me a new heart ; a heart to haia
sin and self, to love Thy glory in the face of Jesus Christ, and to serve
Thee continually. Ob ! enable me to love Thee with all my heart, witb
all my mind, and with all my strength. All I ask is in the name, and
for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen."
Mr. Thornwell's ministry in Lancaster was not of long
doration, extending from the middle of 1835 to the close
of 183T. A man of his abilities and general reputation
could not be retained in a retired country charge ; and
shortly before hia twenty-fifth birth-day, he received in-
formation of his election to the Professorship of Logic
and Belles Lettres in the South Carolina College, ren-
dered vacant by the recent death of the lamented Nott.
id by Google
OHAPTEH XI.
FIEST PBOFESSOESHIP.
Eeobqanizatiob op the Oolleoe. — Enii^s it A3 Pboi'eshob, — Inti-
mate Fkibnoship with Othebs op the I'aoclty.— Is Appointed to
Teaoh Mentil Soienob. — Entbdsiasm and SoccEKa m thie Dbpakt-
MENT, — HiH Native Aptituiie fob these Studies.— Vindicatei) feom
THE ChAHSE that HB WAS WABirNO IN THE M&TB.WHO Rl.EMENT. —
SOEOPLEa OP COKSCIENCB. — BeSIQNS HiS PbOFESSOHSHIP. — IsSTALLED
PiBTOa OP THB COLDMBIA OHOHCS. — AITTHOE'S PiKST ImPBESSIONS OF
Him. — He is Eeoaulbd to tee College.
rriHE College had been completely reorganized eiiice
X Ml'. Thomwell left it as a graduate, six years before.
Under the infidel influence of Dr. Cooper, it had steadily
languished, until the force of public sentiment compelled a
change of administration. In the language of the College
historian, Dr. Cooper "had drunk deep at the fountain of
infidehty; he had sympathized with the sneering savana
of Paris, and sat at the feet of the most skeptical philo-
sophers of England. If there was any feeling of his
natui'e stronger than all the rest, it .was the feeling of
opposition to the Christian religion. He beheved it to be
a fraud and imposture; an artful contrivance to cheat fools,
and scare httle children and old women."* It was not
wonderful that the Christian people of the State rose np
to defend " the altars which he proposed to subvert," and
to "protect their sons against the influence of a false and
Boul-deetroying philosophy, a species of Pyrrhonism, a
refined and subtle dialectics, which removed all tlie foun-
dations of belief, and spread over the mind the dark and
chilling cloud of doubt and uncertainty." The issue was
slowly but stubbornly joined between the rehgious faith of
*Dr. La Borde's History of tlie SouWi Carolina College, pp. 175-T.
145
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146 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
the masses, on the one hand, and a cold, bloodless Deism
on the other, which had enthroned itself upon the high
pluees of intelligence and power, and was poisoning the
very fountains of knowledge in the State.
Let the reader pause here, and adore the mystery of
that Providence which worketh not after tlie pattern of
human expectation. "Who could have dreamed, when
this ribald infidelity was in the zenith of its power, that
it was even then nourishing in its bosom a champion for
the truth, who would soon enter the lists, and take up the
gage of battle, and beaa- it off upon its triumphant lance !
Who that, eight yeai's before, saw a half-grown youth
sitting at the feet of the great apostle of Deism, and
drinking in hia coimsels as the inspiration of an oracle,
could foresee the advocate for Christianity, standing for
its defence upon the platform of its evidences, and un-
doing the work of his own oracle and guide ! Who could
then have foretold that an infidel philosophy was whet-
ting the dialecties which should unravel its own sophisms,
and feathering the arrow by which its own life should be
pierced; that Deism itself should be made to train the
giant strength by which its own castle slionld be demol-
ished, and the spell of its foul enchantment be dissolved I
Who can understand the ways of God ? It was the young
Saxon monk, climbing Pilate's staircase upon his knees,
who shook the gates of Papal Kome. It wi^ the young
man bearing the garments of those who stoned the first
martyr, who filled the world with the faith which once he
destroyed.
In December, 1835, the personnel of the Faculty was
entirely changed. The Hon. Robert W. Barnwell was
elected to the Presidency, and the Eev. Dr. Stephen El-
liott was appointed to the Professorship of the Evidences
of Christianity and Sacred Literature, and the Chaplaincy
of the College — a chair for the first time created, in obe-
dience to the exactions of public opinion, and of which
Dr. Elliott was the first incumbent. And now, two years
id by Google
1±7
Liter, in November, 1837, the Clii'istian influence is
etroLgthened in tlie College, by the addition of Mr.
Tliorjiwell to its stafl' of teacbere. Never did three men
■work together with greater hamiony and efficiency. The
ties which bomid them in the most intimate fellowship
were tho purest aud the most endui'ing that can exist on
earth: tlie love of sound learning, and perfect coincidence
in their views of evangehcal religion. Messrs. Bai'nwell
aud Khiott were splendid types of the accomplished gen-
tleman ; with those high and honourable iuetinets, and
with that dignity and suavity of address, which are cov-
ered by this suggestive temi. They were hoth distin-
guished for what we are axjcustomed to express by the
word character; and withal were men of generous schol-
arship, broad and public-spirited ui their views, accus-
tomed to sustain high trusts, and fully commanding the
respect and homage of the citizens of the Commonwealth.
"With them Mr. Thornwell was soon brought into the
fullest sympathy ; and a personal &iendahip was formed
which even death has not interrupted, but which, as be-
tween two ont of the three, is now perpetuated and con-
smnmated in the light and glory of heaven. Thus happily
were the fears disappointed, entertained by some who
were friends of hoth, that two ministers of different
branches of the Chnreh could not be brought together in
the Faculty without developing rival and sectarian inte-
rests in the College.
The chair which Mr, Thornwell was invited to fill w^
not, in part at least, the one which he was moat fitted to
adoiii. -By a change soon after made, the department of
Metaphysics, as more congenial to his tastes, was com-
mitted to him. No better opportunity than this will offer
itself, to repel a criticism which has been urged against
the character of his mind, that it was wholly deficient in
the jesthetic element. This wUl certainly appear to be a
superficial judgment, if one will but consider the rythm
and flow of his magnificent diction. The allegation will
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148 LIFE OF JAMKS HENLEY
be stranger etil! to those who know what a purist he was in
the selection of words, and the fastidious taste wliic-h
traTmnelled him as a writer, and limitod the extent of hm
authorship. His ear was offended with everything not
drawn from "the pure well of English undefiled;" and
the slightest inaccuracy in the etymological application of .
words jarred his nerves like the harsh filing of a saw.
His acquaintance ranged over the literature of his native
tongue, and over much of that to be found in foreign
dialects, both ancient and modern; and when in the vein,
' for it, he conld adorn his style with the choicest gems-
gathered from their stores.
It is freely admitted that the reason, rather than the
imagination, was the dominant faculty. He sought for
Truth herself; was never content unless he eould em-
brace her own fair form. He was a reasoner, and not a
dreamer; and his taste led him out of the ideal world
into the actual and true. He did not linger in "the
chamber of imagery," upon whose walls were traced the
pictures of things; but he went forth into the broad
fields of knowledge, to find the originals of which these
pictures were but the shadows. There could not be as-
cribed to him, as to his polished predecessor, " Tantus
amorflorum et generandi ghria mellis." Hia etyle was
never festooned with tropes and figures, serving only to
embellish; but he was more than a logician, fatally en-
tangled in the formulas of that rugged science; or the
subtle dialectician,
He was an orator who could soar to the copeatone of
heaven in his matchless eloquence, the spell of which was
never broken but with the cessation of the tones of hia
voice ; and the orator is always a poet, and a fervid im-
agination ia as necessary to the creations of the one as of
the other. The shallow criticism, which denies to him
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FIRST PE0FE8S0KBH1P. 149
all Beneibility to tha beantiM, is suffleietitly refuted by
tlie brilliant eloquence whicli enchained every audi-
ence he addresBed; for the sympathies and emotions of
men are never (ionti-oUed, except where a living fancy
works as an organizing force, creating and actuating the
forms in which truth is painted before the mind.
A couple of incidents, happening, indeed, at a later
period, during his second visit to Europe, are singularly
appropriate just here, as a part of the vindication we are
attempting. The first was related by himself to a friend,
who gives this account of it: "We sat in his study,
and had been laughing over the Doctor's sad want of
musical capacity, when he suddenly. broke in with tliis
account of his seeing Raphael's Madonna: 'I had about
given it up as a bad case, and accepted tlie verdict of my
friends, that I had no appreciation of the sesthetic, until
my visit to the Dresden gallery undeceived me. I Tiad
grown weary of the guide's ceaseless prosing about this
painting and that, and determined to turn aside to await
the return of my friends, after they had made the tour of
the gallery. I suppose that a considerable time had
elapsed, when I was aroused by their expression of amuse-
ment at my deafness. I had been tot^ly absorbed in the
admiration of a painting, which proved to be the Sistine
Madonna. I had happened upon the right place to show
- that I had some sense of the beautitul in my composi-
tion.' "
A second incident is given by the same friend, upon
the authority of one who was a companion of the Doc-
tor's travels, a favourite nephew, who unhappily fell in-
the second battle of Manassas: "The tourists had been
climbing, witii much fatigue, oiie of the Alps, cheered by
the confident assurance of their guide that they woidd
soon be rewarded for their toil by a splendid prospect,
when the wind should scatter the mist which completely
shut them in. At length, the promised relief came. The
impenetrable walls of fog began to quiver as the breeze
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150 ilFK 01'' JAMKB HENLKY THOENWm.L.
gathered power ; and then the vapouiy masses were drifted
up the mountain's side, like a great white curtain rolled
up by the deft hands of invisible spirite. The transi-
tion was sudden, as the effect was overpowering. Fright-
ful gorges, sraihng valleys, snow-capped summits, frown-
hig cliffs, cascades, and glaciers shimmering in the sun-
Kght, stood revealed, where , all was a blank but a mo-
ment before. My young friend told me that his atten-
tion was withdrawn from the magnificent scenery to
the grotesque attitude and movements of liis unde.
Every feature of his countenance bespoke the most ec-
static rapture, as he bent forward upon his mule, the
past toil forgotten,, his hat crushed upon the back of his
head, his eye dilating, the under jaw relaxed, while inco-
herent words burst from his lips. No doubt they ex-
pressed adoring worship of the great Creator."
The accession of Mr. Thorn well to the corps of instruc-
tors in the South Oaroliaa CoUege, was hailed with plea-
sure by all who were familiar with his previous career.
The peculiar bent of his genius, his scholarly tastes, his
rare learning at so early an age, his insatiable thirst for
knowledge, and above all, his peculiar facility in impart-
ing these spoils to others — all pointed to academic life as
the sphere in which he would acquire most repute, and
be also the most extensively useful. These anticipations,
both of success and renown, were not shaded by dis-
appointment in the least degree. Within two years from
his induction into office, he became so rooted into the
very life of the College that, during a period of eighteen
years, each successive effort to separate himself from its
venerable halls was defeated; until at length, the Church,
that had so long lent him to the State, rose in her ma-
jesty, and reclaimed the last few years of his invaluable
life to her immediate serriee,
The industry with which he ploughed the field of phil-
osophy is proved by the existence amongst his manu-
scripts of a course of lectures covering the entire field;
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FIEffJ' PEOFESSOilSHIP, 151
all prepared within the two years in which only he taught
in this department. The ralne set upon these lectui'es at
the time of their delivery, is attested by the melanuholy
gape in the series, as they were borrowed by the students
and never returned. These breaks it is now impossible
to supply ; and they so mar the completeness as probably
to prevent their publication. Perhaps, too, it would
scai'cely be just to surrender to pubUc criticism lectures
written five and thirty years ago; and therefore, not
abreast -with the later literature of a science, which has
been ennched by the contributions of such scholars and
thinkers as Sir William Hamilton and others, who would
be the pride and ornament of philosophy in any age of
the world. The editors of liis works, who hold his pos-
thumous reputation as a sacred trust, cannot fail to re-
member that these lectures were prepared in haste, at a
a very early age, and were but the tentative cfPortB of one
who had just entered upon that branch of study, and
were never afterwards subjected to revision.
In contemplating the labours of truly great men, ohe
can scarcely repress the foolish wish that it were possible
to "split the one man iuto many, and yet to carry over the
whole of him into each severed part. Human life is so
shoi't, and the limit of physical endurance is so soon
reached, that the subdivision becomes almost painfully
minute. The . comprehensive genius, which shows an
equal facility for every branch of knowledge, we regret
to see shut up within any bounds at all. It always Seemed
■ to the writer that there was stuff in bis friend to make a
dozen men ; and, in writing these lines, the fruitless sigh
will breathe itself out anew, that he could not have occu-
pied all the provinces of human thought at once. His
studies were doirbtle^ remanded by Providence to sub-
jects of greater utility than that of speculative philosophy.
Yet, if his life could have been spent in this department,
his biographer would have been allowed to apply to him
tlie splendid eiilogium he has pronounced upon Sir Wil-
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li>3 IJFE OF JAMKS HKNLEY TIIO JIN WELL.
liam Hamitton : " In depth and acuteneas of mind, a rival
of AriBtotle; in immensity of learning, a mateli for Leib-
nitz ; in eompreliensiyeneas of thought, an ecLiial of Bacon."
Even aa it ia, aince the days of Edwards, no one has ap-
peared on this continent so natively competent to realize
this grand combination, than the impaseioned panegyrist
himself by whom it waa iramed. It is imfortnnate that,
aside from the aroma which breatliee tlirough all his
writinga, the evidence of his large acqvusitione can be
gathered only from monographs ; and theee upon topics
which lather imphcate philosophy than lie wholly within
its domain. He waa unquestionably master of its history,
from its dawn amidst the schools of Greece, through the
mid-day slimaber in which it dozed with the schoolmen,
to the frenzied and ftuitastie di'eame of our modern tran-
scendentalist, Acqnainted with every shade of opinion,
his own criticism winnowed the chaff from the wheat;
and every valuable contribution, made by any school or
age, was safely gathered into the chambers of his memory.
Tilese stores of knowledge were of course only gradually
acquired in the copious reading of after years ; bnt a solid
foundation was laid, during the brief period of his fii'st
professorship, upon which were accumulated the results
of later study.
On the 1st of January, 1838, he found himself tranf;-
fei'red from the quiet duties of a eountiy pastorate to the
still greater seclusion, of academic life. He entered at
once, with characteristic ardour, upon the oifice of in-
struction, in stndiea so peculiarly adapted to his taste.
Metaphysical science he speedHy vindicated from the
charge of inutility, showing the application of its prin-
ciples to the practical pursuits of men, and as implicitly
involved in the whole current of human intercourse. His
lucid exposition dispelled the haze of uncertainty hanging
aroimd themes so abstract and difficult of research. The
warmth of his enthusiasm quickened into life, and clothed
with flesh, the maiTowless bones of what was regarded
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FIEST PEOFBSSOKSHIF, 153
■only as a dead pliiloaopliy. The reanimated form, instinct
with tiie beaatj wliieli hie glowing fancy diffused, invested
with tlie drapery which his vaiied learning sapplied, and
speaking with the elevated tone which his eloquence in-
spired, no longer repelled the emhrace of ardent scholai's,
as when it lay a ghastly eiieleton covered with the dust of
centuries of baiTen speculation. Such was the impulse
given to this study, and so paramount the influence he
continued to wield in its behalf, during his long connection
with tlie College, that, enthroned among the sciences, its
ascendency has never since been disputed.
But congenial as were these pursuits to the young pro-
fessor, his conscience began to be disturbed with scruples
whieli marred his repose. It has already been shown with
what unusual solemnity and depth of conviction he ae-
fiuraed the office of the holy ministry. His ordination vow
presses hai-d upon him. He had covenanted to make the
proclamation of God's grace to sinners the bnsiness of his
life. Did this comport with a life spent in teaching oth-
ers only the endless see-saw of the syllogism, or even the
sublime mysteries of the human mind ? The opportunities
afforded for the occasional ministration of the Word, how
frequent so ever, did not seem to fill up the measure of
obligation he had contracted, by the "laying on of the hands
of the presbytery;" He must preach with constancy and
system, as a man plying his vocation, " The word of the
Lord was in liis heart, as a burning fire shut up in his
bones, and he was weaiy with forbeai'ing." The charms
of scholastic retirement liad not palled upon his enjoy-
ment; but, witli a stronger passion for the salvation of
men, he longed for the cure of souls. Under this pressure
of conscience, he proffered his resignation to the Board of
Trustees, in May, 1839, to take effect at the close of the
year ; with a view to accept the pastorship of the Presby-
terian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, made vacant
by the retirement of the Rev. John Witherspoon, D. D.,
LL. D. Accordingly, on the 1st day of January, 1840,
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loi LIFE OF JAMES HKNLEY THORNWELL.
he was installed bj the Presbytery of Charleston in this
new relation, and finds himself onee more the pastor of a
Christian iloek.
Dr. Thornwell' was, however, no stranger to the Co-
lumbia pulpit, as he often, dtiring the prewediiig year, for
consecutive Sabbaths, occupied the place of the pastor,.
Dr. Witherspoon, when disabled by chronic sickness. It
was at this period the writer's acquaintance with his friend
began; though his own position as a Divinity stndent did
not warrant the intimacy which was enjoyed a little later,
when brought into' the rela.tion of a co-presbyter. The
'impression will never be erased of the first ■ diseoiu-se to-
which he listened, in the year 1839. A thin, spare form,
with a slight stoop in the shoulders, stood in the desk,
with soft black hair falling obliqnely over the forehead,
and a small eye, with a wonderful gleam when it was
lighted by the inspiration of his thefiie. The devotional
services offered nothing peculiar, beyond a quiet simplicity
and reverence. The reading was, perhaps, a trifle mono-
tonous, and the prayer was marked rather by correctness
and method, than by fervour or ftilness. But from the
opening of the discourse, there was a strange fascination,
such as had never been exercised by any other speaker.
The subject was doctrinal, and Dr. Thornwell, who was-
bom into the ministry at the height of a great contro-
versy, had on, then, the wiry edge of his youth. The first
impression made was that of being stunned by a peculiar
dogmatism in the statement of what seemed weighty pro-
positions; this was followed by a conscious resistance of
the authority which was felt to be a little brow-b
with its positiveness ; and then, as hnk after link i
added to the chain of a consistent argument, e
with that agonistic fervour which belongs to the forum,
the effect at the close was to overwhelm and subdue.
"WIio is this preacher?" was asked of a neighbour, in
one of the pauses of the discourse, "That is Mr. Thorn-
well; don't you know him?" was the reply. ThornweU,
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FIKST FEO-FESSOESHIP. 155
Thomwell ! the sound came back like an echo from the
distant past, or like a Jialf-remembered dream, wliich one
strives to recover; when suddenly it flashed u]>on the
niemory that, eight years before, when a lad of thirteen,
he had heard a young collegian say, " There is a little
fellow jiist graduated in my class, of whom the World will
hear something, by and by ; his name is Thornwell." This
and that were put together ; the propheej and the fulfil-
ment already begun. How little did the writer dream,
in the wondei-ing of that day, that nearly twenty years of
bosom friendship would bind him to that stranger, aa
Jonathan was knit to David; or that, after' five and thirty
years, he would be penning these reminiscences in this
biography. Let him be forgiven for floating thus a mo-
ment upon the flood of these memories.
Dr. Thornwel^ remained in this, his sec;ond pastoral
charge, but a single twelve-month. His brief term of
service in the College had proved his value as an educator
too much to indnce a general acquiescence in his with-
drawal. An opportunity was soon presented for his recall.
The election of the Rev. Dr. Elliott as Bishop of the
diocese of Georgia, left the College pulpit without an
occupant. The vacant chaplaincy was at once tendered
him, in connection with the Professorship of Sacred Lit-
erature and the Evidences of Christianity. The consci-
entious scruples which had withdrawn him from the chair
of Philosophy, did not embarrass his acceptance of a new
position, where he would be intrusted with the care of
aouls, and those of a most important class in society. At
the opening of th'e year 1841, he entered upon his duties
in the College, amid the lamentation and tears of his de-
serted charge. Never before or since was the gospel
preached to them with the eloquence and power with
which it fell from his lips; and in the agony of their great
loss, the question was upon every tongue, " What shall
the dian do that cometh after the king ? " The bereave-
ment was only mitigated by the fa(;t that he still re-
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156 LtFE OF JAMES IIENLBY" THOBNWELL,
mained a resident of the town, and the opportunity would
be frequently enjoyed of listening to the miiBic of his
voice. In bis renowed connection with the College, he
remained, with only slight interruptions, through a period
of fifteen years, which it will be our pleasure to trace in
the chapters that follow.
id by Google
OHAPTEK XIl.
VOYAGE TO EUROPE.
SyMPIOMS of iN AliBMING DiSBiSB. — OhDEKED TO EnSOPB. — LeTTER3
BY THE WiY, — Sails yob Livkbpool. — Jouknal. — EEFLBOttOKa upon
THE Ocean ; Upon tee Value of Time ; Upon the Ska as a Sqeooi.
SOB THE (Jheistiah Gbaces. — ^DaacEiPTioij OF A Newfoundland Foa.
— Danoebs. — Stobm at Sea. — AaBivEa in Eubope.
THE College seaaion of January, 1841, ibuiid Dr. Thorn-
well, as we have seen, restored to its halls. But his
labours were soon arrested by symptoms of an alarmmg
disease. Great prostration and several liemorrhages gave
tokens of that wasting consumption, whiei. so often falls
as an early blight upon the most promising and useful
lives. A sea voyage was prescribed as necessary to his
restoration, including, as a motive for it, a visit to Eu-
rope. The needful ai'rangemente were completed by the
month of May, which finds him upon the journey.
It was evidently !iis pui'poee to keep a minute journal
of his travels, for the gratification of his family, and as a
memorial for himself. The distraction of sight-seeing,
however, prevented its execution, with the exception of
the record kept whilst he Was at sea. Besides 'this, there
are no memoranda to be found among his papers; and we
are left to glean his impressions of the Old "World from
the letters addi'essed to his wife. With copious extracts
from these, the reader will have to be content, affording,
as they do, glimpses into his home lite. The firat was
written from Charleston, the iirst stage of his journey :
" Ohablesion, S. C, Maj 1, 1841.
' ' Mi Deaeest Wife : I reoeivad your very, itery welcome letter this
evening, by Mrs. MoFie ; for I was waiting for her at the depot, ansious
to heav from lionie. I have now seated myself to give you a, long lettei' ;
t57
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158 LIFE OF JAMEB HENLEY THOKNWELL.
not so raueh beoause you have requested, aa .because it is a source of
pleasure to ma to write to you, whan I am away. How much we owe io
letters, and what a glorious invention is the art of writing ! In tiie ftrst
place, I send a bias to your own aweet lips, then one t» Nannie, and
then another Jo Jenny, and my best wishes for all the rest of the fam-
ily, I aiiived in Charleston yesterday afternoon, much wearied hy the
uncomfortable ride in the stage-ooach. The wind blew severely on
Thursday night ; the doors of the coach had neither glass nor curtains,
and we had to take the wind as it came. My seat was just hy the door,
and so 1 had the full benefit of aU the breezes. There were nine pas-
sengers, none of whom I knew ; and I ,waa much amused with some of
their discussions. Among other Hiings, they took up the subject o£
I'oreign Missions, and oame to the couduaion that it did more harm tbin
good to send the Gospel to the heathen. They contended that the hea-
then were happy in their ignorance ; and that to give them the Gospel
was only to give them l^e arts, and consequently the wants and desires
of civilized life, and thus to make them wretched. I oould not but thini;
of the deplorable stupidilry of the cam^ heart. These men never onoe
adverted to the state of the soul, and the prospeots of the heathen for
eternity. Poor creatures ! they were consistent. They never thought
of their own salvation ; and hot could they be eipected to think of the
salvation of otheifl ? Their desires for themselves extended only to the
comfort of their bodies and the lusts of their flesh, and it was in this
aspect of the matter that they viewed the probable influence of the Gos-
pel upon the dark places of the earth. « « « «
' ' I went down wiUi Hall McGree, to see the different ships soon to sail
for Liverpool. I went all over the vessel in which Mrs. MclTie eipeots
to sail. I think it a poor ship. It is very laige, but its accommoda-
tions are not good. * ■« • There is another ship, which sails for
Liverpool on Thursday, that it charms the eye to look at. She is called
the ' Colombo.' I am almost tempted to go out in her. My preseut
ari'angement is to go to Boston ; hat if Mrs, M. will go in the ' Colombo,'
I am cot sure but I will go with her ; but I could not be tempted to
go in the 'Thetis.'
" I feel, my dearest, that we are in the hands of God, He baa won-
derfully sustained me in the bitterness of separation. I feel oonfident
that all is for good, and that I shall be restored to you in health and
strength. leasee His hand in the whole matter. Let ns endeavour to
love Him more and serve Him better. And now, dearest, good night.
1 feel quite well. May God bless and keep yon and the children.
" Your affectionate husbaiid,
J. H, Teobnwell."
To the same :
"Baltimoke, Md., May 11, 1841.
" Mv Dbabest Wtfb ; Although I did not promise to write you until
I reached New York, yet having a few hours of leisuro in this place, I
find my thoughl« recurring with fond affection to ray dear wife and
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VOYAGE TO EUROJ^E. 159
cWldren, and the beloved frieiiils I have left behind me. It is a great
tatisEaotion to thiuli of yon all, and to oommend you to that God, whose
I am and whom I endeavour to serte. I cannot say that I am distressed
with aniiouB thoughts about your health and comfort. The Lord has
meroifully preserved me from painful and harrasaing appiehensions in
regard to jou ; bnt I often throw myself into jour company, carry on
an imaginary converaaUon with you about what I see and hear, aad
fancy how you would feel and tbint, and what you would probably say,
if you were along by my side. * ■« « if QroA should preserve me
and keep me, and restore me to yon all again, my heart leaps within me
at the rapture of onr meeting. The prospect of that joy reconciles mo,
in some meaanre, to the privations and discomforts of onr temporary
separation. Let us often pray for each other, and for the dear children,
pur sweet, precious little babes.
"Agreeably to your own request, I shall now attempt to give you
some aooount of what has befallen me since I left Charleskm. We had
a fine passage to Wilraiagtou ; but the nest day were detained on the
road by the cars breaking down. We were left at the house of a good
old Presbyterian family, in which there were some excellent religious
books ; such as the 'Confession of Faith,' 'Erskine and Fisher's Cate-
chism,' 'Watts on Prayer,' and Ho on, I was quite edified and inter-
ested in reading these memorials of the piety aad faithfulness of a for-
mer generation, and consequently did not feel disposed to murmur
at the Providence which detained us. There were two subjects which
boro much upon my mind, while at this house ; upon both of which I
intend putting my thoughts to paper when I get outto sea. They were
suggested to me by reading ' Watts on Prayer,' One was ilie true spirit
and grace of prayer ; in what they consisted ; how they might be ap-
, proved ; and why they were so little found among the great body of pro-
fessors of religion, I am satisfied that there is much more formality in
our ordinary prayers than we, ourselves, are generally conscious of ;
that in a multitude of instances we do nothing more than mock God, and
deceive ourselves. The other subject which pressed upon my mind, was
the defective spirit in which preaching is listened to, by those who call
themselves the children of God. Hearers are not sufficiently aware of
the true intent and end of the OhrisHau ministry, and, therefore, do not
receive from the ministratjons of the sanctuary that comfort and in-
struction which, under the blessing of the Spirit, they ai'e oaioulated to
^ord. These meditations, coupled with many thoughts of home, and
many prayers for my precious wife and family, occupied my lime dur-
ing my delay upon my journey.
"The neil day, we came safely on, and on last Saturday, at about
ten o'clock at night, we reached the city of Baltimore, where I now am.
On Sunday morning I went to Brother Breckinridge's* church, and
heard an excellent sermon. I went home with him, and have been stay-
ing with him ever since. The more I see of him, the more I love him.
* Rev." Robert J. Breckinridge, D. D., LL. D.
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160 LIFE 0¥ JA?.1E3 nENI,f;Y THORNWKLI,,
There is no man in the Chtirch. more mierepreRsnted and mora mis-
nndeistood. He is exoeetlingly affectionate, kind, and affable in Ma
family, ancl among his people. He bes some habits like my own. He
loves to sleep in. the moraiog, to smoke cigars, to sit np at night, and to
tell fnnny stoides. He is a very induatrious and Inborioua man. Tea-
terday he made ma write another article + in reply to the Oatholic priests,
■which will he published in the neit Visitor. He has fnmiahed me with
some -very flattering letteis to ministera in Eui'ope, for whioh I am very
much indebted to Mm.
" To-morrow morning I leave for New Yoik, and then shall immedi-
ately set sail for Europe. After mnoh reflection and consultation, I
have determined not to go in a steam packet, but in a saiUng ship. The
steam packets are too crowded, and are said to be much more nnoom-
fortable and nnsafe than the ships ; wHeh, at tMs season of the year,
are as expeditious as iha steamboata. In a few days mote I shall be
upon (he broad ocean. It is the very best season of the year for a voy-
age. Everythiag seems favourable, and I hope to be in Liverpool eailj
in Jnne. When I reach Europe, I shall keep the journal which you de-
sired, and send it to you regnlarly. My health seems to be the same as
UBua!. I have had no return of spitting blood ; the weakness iu my
chest seems to have disappeared ; anil it it were not for pmdential and
prospective ooosideratiouB, I had as lief preach ae not. The sea, iiius
far, hsB agreed finely with me. And now, dearest, let me esJiort you to
be cheerful and happy unljl we meet again. Go aniong your friends and
kindred ; visit much, and take frequent eiercfee, and be as hearty, as
strong, and as lovely, as care on your part caji make you, when your
dear husband returns to you from abroad. He commits you and the
babea with confidence to God. A Mss for yourself, for Nannie and
Jenny, and loTe to all.
" Tour devoted husband,
J. H. Teoejjwell."
At sea there waa no opportunity for correspoudeiiuc,
and we are thrown upon his journal for the (mrrent of his
thoughts. We will cite only such passages ae reflect his
character and experience, through which the reader will
come into more personal and intimate acquaintance witli
him:
" Wednesday, Ma^\^tli, ISW.— About one and a half o'clock, P. M.,
we left the wharf at New York, in the packet-ship ' Columbus,' and were
towed over the bar at Sandy Hook by the steamboat ' Hercules. ' At
+ The first article here referred to, waa the famous Essay on the
Claims of the Apocrypha, which gave rise to the discussion with Dr.
Lynch, and to his own book, entitled, ' Eomnnist Arguments Eefuted,'
all of which may be fonnd in Vol. 3 of his ' Collected WritiiigB.'
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VOYAGE -ro EUEOPE. 161
ibree o'clock ihe last tie which boimd me to my naiiTe land was seyered,
and we were faiily afloat upon tte mighty ocean. The weather was so
calm that we did not lose sight of the lights upon the shore until flirae
o'clock the aest morning. The change in fhe atmosphere waa remark-
able ; it became so cold after nrossing tie bai that I was compelled to
pull my overcoat closely around me, and would have been deligiited at
ibe prospect of eueb comfortable 6xes as I left in Oolnmbia. While
passing the bar we sat down to dinner. Our captain, a fine, jovial,
good natured mac, did the honours of the table ; and his fare would
haye done credit to a New York hotel."
Here follows a sketch of the personB who were his
companionB during the vojage, and the journal continues :
" We were indeed an ill-asEorted collection, bound together by no
affinities at all; and consequently each pursned, without any especial
xegard to the comfort and convenience of others, the ' even tenor of
Ms way.'
"J'kursdaff, May 30!S. — When I arose (which, by the way, I did not
do until nine o'clock) there was nothing to be seen but sky and water.
It was a beautiful morning ; the sun shone out in brightness and beauEy ;
not a cloud fringed the sky ; the wind was bo gentle that we moved at
the rate of only two or three miles an hour, and the whole prospect waa
one of surpassing loveliness. I thought of Byron's beautiful apostrophe
to the ocean ; but I confess that I cannot enter fnlly int« the spirit of
it. One labours under a sense of confinement in gazing upon the sea,
when smooth and unruffled. The horizon is too limited ; you f eel.that the
waters stretch beyond it, and hence you are conscious of a constant effort
to enlarge the sphere of your vision, and to make your view co-ei{«nsive
with the vast expanse, which you know is spread out before you. The
ocean at rest is heavMjiil, but not suMane; lovely, bat not inajmtioj it
soothes and charms the mind, but does not elate and e
storm at sea is doubtless a sublime spectacle ; but the mere
ness of the waters conduces nothing to the impression. It is
and dashing and heaving of the waves, the tremendous roar
lows, the tossing of the vessel, the threatening aspect of th
the dismal' howling of the winds, and the appalling prospect of t^
which storm and tempest spread before them. It is not the Tastness of
the ocean, but the impressions of the moment, the associations of terror,
and danger, and awful power ; the sense of the Godhead riding forth in
vengeance and majesty ; these are the things which render a storm so
transoendrajtly sublime. But the mere eitent of the ocean makes a
very vague and indistinct impression. You cannot feel as you think
you ought to feel. You are disappoiated in yonr own sensations ; the
prospect is more circumscribed than you had been led to anticipate,
and you exhaust yonrself in vain attempts to stretch the volume of
waters beyond the capacity of your vision. Such, at least, was the
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162 LIFE OF JAMffib HE^ILEY THOKNWKLL.
ease with myself. After gazing to the full upon the loveline^ of a oolm
and immffled. eea, reieotiug, as a mirroi', Ihe bright rajs of the ano, I
tamed my thoEghtE, or rathei' they turned themselves with something
like magnetic attraction, to my own beloved home. Thoughts of home,
under anch eircnmstiuioas, ave xmutterably sweet. But it were vain to
attempt a description of the imaginary iateiviews which I held witi her
whom I early led to the altar, and to whom I have plighted my faith,
and the precious little babes, tlie fair fruits of our early love. Though
far away, I oan commend them with confidence to the care and protec-
tion of the Shepherd of Israel, who never slumbei's nor sleeps.
" In ■walking t<i and fro upon the deok of the ship, my attention was
aiTested by the moiij charaeter of the steerage puBsengers. Some ap-
p ai d to h d t and p t bl peopl th y tly and tidily
diBSd dw qtepp ing th ca g d demeHnour.
P t h d doomed tl m to th t i aite f th h p Others were
th ry p t f filth, m esa d TOmm t wretchedness,
D t ani gg d th jp 1 q Id th ir uteuances, low
anl Igaj mth bhvi th jf and ff oonring of the
e th I as 11 gl 1 th t th y w g mg y f m. our shores.
Out ship, in its oahin and steerage passengers, its ofBeers and erew, pre-
Bellte no mean picture of the world, in its various divisions and claasea
of society.
' ' 1 was muoh struck with the various efforts of mj fellow-passengers
to while away the time. Though they would have shuddered at the
thought of death, they evidently had more time than they knew what to
do with.' They tried cards, and dice, aiid chess ; they would walk, and
yawn, and smoke, and loU ; and, after all, sigh out in awful moans under
the iotolerable burden of too much time. Ah me! on a dying bed
these wasted hours will he like fiends from helf, to torture and harass the
burdened soul. How important is the caution of the Apostle, 'Be-
deamiug the time !' Mark tiiat word, redeeming. It implies soai'oiiy ;
it teaches that time must be parcltased ; but who, until a djing hour,
now finds time soaroe, or feels constrained to buy it P
"SaUtrday, May 22d. — It is now Saturday night, and I must prepare
for the holy Sabbath. My Bible and Confession of Faith ajre my tra-
velling companions, and precious friends have tliey been to me. I
bless God for that glorious summary of Christian doctrine contained in
our noble standards. It has cheered m
sustained me in many a desponding moment,
ponder coi'ef uUy each proof-test as I pass along.
"Monday, Mcey^ith. — I begin to feel very a
and monotony of a sea voyage. When your curiosity is gratified, and
the freshness of novelty subsides, you become very much wearied with the
oontinnal recurrence of the same pTOspeots and the same events. Sky
and water, sky and water, morning, noon, and night, are the constant
objects of contemplation presented to the eye. The only variety in the
scene is made by the changes in the wind, the sporting of the fish, the
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VOYAGE TO EHKOl'E. 163
flying of the eea-guUs, aad tta cnrions moTemonts of Mothesr Oarej's
chickens; and eTon those partaie, in a few days, of the aame general
monotony, Cairas ace tte school of patience ; storms, of faith ; and a,
voyage, as a whole, a fine school for every Christian grace. And yet tiia
very circimistanoea by which it is adapted to discipline the graoes of
the spirit, okU out into poweriol action, the oontrsiy Tiees of the carnal
heart ; and hence eailora are proverbially the moat wicked and aban-
doned men on earth. Those who, of all others, have the most to re-
mind tbam of their dependence upon God, who teqpire His breezes to
waft them on their way, and His protection in the perils of the storm,
are, of all others, the most forgetful of Hia claims, and most thoroughly
nnmindful of His being. What a proof of Hia goodness when so many
ships are spared, maimed by blasphemers, and mingling the voice of
onrsing and impreoaiion with every mnrmnr of the wind 1 Snrely His
tender mereiea are over all His works.
" It is now ten o'clock at night. I was forcibly atruck to-day with
the propensity of my heart to trust in the creature rather than lie Al-
mighty. Abont twelve o'clock we were threatened with a squall the
wind was high, the heavens were gathering blscknC!!. and some of the
pasaengera began to be alarmed. I at once, though I trust I was not
wholly forgetful of God, turned my attention to the strength of the
ahip and the akill of our Bailors ; and found, I am afiuid, tuU as muth
quietude of mind, from contemplating the calmness and self po^tcatjon
of the captain, as from the gracious promises of Him who says tu the
ocean, ' Thus far shalt thou come, and here shall thy proud waves be
stayed.' I pray that God may deliver me from the sm of unbelief. I
know its wickedness, but I feel its power. I strive and fight against
it, and sometimes am ready to congratulate myself that the victory is
won ( but in an evil hour I have fresh and mortifying evidence that I
am sinful dust and ashes.
"T'oesday, Mofgibtk, — We have been nearly becalmed aU day, and what
little progress we have made has been out of our course. The effects
of a calm in crashing the spirits of the passengers were very observable
at dinner. We all sat for a long time as mute as mice, until the captain,
with his nstial good humour and pleaaantiy, broke the dismal silence with
some of hia lively jokea. Such is his exhaustlesa etore of anecdotes
and bou-mota, that the most austere ascetic would find it difficult tffl
preserve his gravity, or maintain the rigid contraction of hia features.
He fills up my idea of what a sea-captain ahould be, in every respect bnl
■one, and that is piety. Polite, without afteotatiou ; decided, without se-
verity; gay, without levity; and humorous, without ijuiloonei'y, he is
always pleasant himself, and renders every one pleasant around Mm.
He is a fair specimen of the moral effects which a religious education
will produce, even under the moat unfavourable cireumatances. He was
trained among the genuine old Puritans of New England ; and though
he went to sea very early in life, the iiabits and impressions of his child-
hood adhere to him ; and he has been preserved, by bis early instrao-
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164 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
tion, from the ooactless temptations aod abaadoned dissipationa of a
sailor's life. His extecnal deporianent is not only blameless and irra-
proaohable, but to a oerteiii extent, esemplaij ; and apparently, all tliati
be wants is a new heart. Ai ! what a want is fiiat.
" Wednesday, May 26(fl. — At this moroent, ten o'clook at night, we
baye a most eonvinoing illuBtTafion of the vanity and folly of trnstittg
in the flesh. "We ace now on. the edeta of Hie baitkB of Newfoundland,
enveloped in a mist so tbiik and daik that we can hardly see twice the
length of the shiji ahead , m the veiy regions of monntains of ioe,
without the probability of diaeeimng ^hen we approach them, and com-
pelled to Bound a oonstaut alarm of bells, to prevent oarselTee from
coining in collision with other vesBBls In snch eircumstanoea what can
the skill of man accomplish ? What oan human pcndenoe or sagacity
aoMeve? When we consider Uie multitude of Yessels that pass these
banks, shrouded in almost midnight darkness at noonday, and yet pre-
served from the desolation of the icebergs, how clear is the proof of a
guiding band upon us, and of a superintending Providence above us !
Those who have not seen it, can form no conception of the impenetra-
ble tiiiokness of the mists that here ovei'bang the sea. It is like an im-
mense body of smoke lying upon the bos
out every prospect, either of sky or oceaa
It is, mdeod, awful to witness !
" Thursday., May 37*ft.— We sail to-day amid unseen dangers on
every hand. The water is very near the freezing pomt an unpenetia-
ble fog hangs around the ship, and we know not at what moment we
may be dashed agamsfe a mountain of ioe, and eonbigned to a watery
grave. Already this morning have we met the shattered fragments of
some vessel that has recently met her fate in these dreary regions. How
awful is a wiDck ! How solemn and how prayerful should we be, when
we pass among the melancholy memorials of those who have been lost —
suddenly, unexpectedly, awfully lost — upon the yawning deep ! Oh 1 it is
fearful ; in the full career of manhood, in health and strength, wiUi all
our energies about us, buoyant with tope, away from friends that we
love, and a family that we fondly cherish, to meet death riding in terror
upon the foaming billows; to die in the full consciousness of dealii;
to die when we feel that we are full of life. Great (Jodl preserve me,
preserve us alt from this dreadful end !
"About sunset it became so frightfully dark that tbe captain could
not venture to proceed, and accordingly, iu sailor dialect, ^lay to,'
In about two hours afterwards the wind shifted to the northwest, and
dissipated the fog so that we were able to go -on. And here we are
now under full sail, with a fine breeze and a clear sky, and the moon
reflecting her silver light upon the bosom of the waters. I here record
my solemn conviction, (hat Sod has favoured us in answer to prayer.
My own heart has been going out in humble supplication, and I am
snre that othens oa board have an interest at the throne of grace. Ob !
it is a delightful view of tbe Divine character, which the pi
■OS in these words ; 'Thon that hearest prayer.'
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VOYAGE TO EUKOPE. 163
"I shudder to think ot ilie dangers througi which we have passed
to-diy. Every preeantion whioh human skill or prudence could Baggest
was adopted ; hut still our limited vision rendered our eitiiafion appall-
ing, and our eafety must be ascrilied to HJm who holds the bob in the
hoUow of His hand. By Ihe grace of God, which marvelloasly enabled
me to trust in Hie proteotion, I was calm and composed ; and neyer in
my life enjoyed so riohly the portion of the Larger Cafechisin extending
ftom question 178 to the oltae. The auBwere there set down, and the
Tarious proof-tesfs, precious jewels from Uie exhauaOess mine of God's
holy Word, contain a sununary of Christian instruction, and a model of
Christian spirit, whioh cannot be too faithfully studied, I have read
the creeds of most Christian hodies ; I have been rejoiced at the general
harmony of Protestant Christendom in the great doctrine of the gos-
pel ; bnt I know of no uninspired production, in any language, or of any
denomination, that, for richness of matter, clearness of statement,
soundness of doctrine, scriptural espression, and edifying tendency,
can for a moment enter int^) competition with the Westminster Confes-
sion and Catechisms. It was a noble body of diyiaes, called by a noble
body of statesmen, that oomposed them ; and there they stand, and will
stand for ever, the mannmenta alike of religious truth snd civil freedom.
"■Monday, May 31s(.— To-day we haTe a rough sea; our vessel is
tossing upon the waters like an egg-shell, and moat of the passengers
are sick. About five o'clock in the afternoon we had a most terrific
squall. The waves were rolling like mountains, and every moment it
seemed that our gallant ship miist be engulpbed. She was dashed now
ivpon one side, now npon the other, now plunging her bow under huge
billows whioh broke over her, and seemed as if ihey would mak her;
and then riding the waves as if in defiance of their fury ; the sea mean-
while foaming, and dashing, and ivaiing like constant thunder, and the
wind howling through the rigging with deafening violence, while the
heavens were soowHng in blackness. The whole scene was one of ter-
ror and sublimity, which baffles all description. One could hardly re-
Mst the impression that the vessel was conscious of her danger. She
appeared to prepare herself to meet every wave, and to withstand every
gust of wind. Sometimes we would appear to he several feet beneath
the general level of the whole body of the sea ahead, which seemed
rolling on to meet and erusb ns ; bnt the vessel, as if instinot with life,
would raise her bow and dash forward, as if driven by ten thousand
furies, and fleeing for her safety.
" Thursday, June Sd.^Wind against us all day. Sii weeks this
night have rolled around, since I bid farewell to my beloved family. I
can see my wife now in the posture of patient resignation and holy sor-
row, in which she sat when, with a throbbing heart, I hid her a mourn-
fol farewell. I can see my cherub babes, all unconscious as they were
that evening of what was taking place ; I can see them now smiling be-
fore me in the loveliness of infancy, and all the fond endearments ol
home are crowding around my heart. Well might Cowper say,
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LIFE OF JAMES HE K LEY
ThOQ aniho nurss of yii'Ene; in thine arms
She smiles, appearing, as In trulli she Is,
'' Monda/y, June 7th. — -I preached yesterday. The oabia
passengers, with tie crew, made a very good congregation, and ttey lia-
tened very attanSyely. Wind against ns yesterday and to-day."
"Monday, Jwne liiS.— After aaucoeeEion of head- winds we at length
liave a faTourable breeze, wliioh has diffused joy and gladness tJirough-
ont the ship. We have been sailing lo-day along tlie coast of Ireland,
haying passed Kenaale, Cork, and Waterford.
" Tuesday^ June ISiS. — Sailing to-day along the coast of Wales, and
a picturesque coast it is. We took a pilot on board about two o'oiodk
P. M,
" Wednesday/, June 16!A.— We entered the docta at Liverpool early
this morning ; and I took my breakfast in the Grecian Hotel, devoutly
tbankfnl for my safe passage. The Lord's name be praised for all His
mercies, and may He continue his loTing kindness tlivough all my wan-
derings, and through all my life."
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CHAPTER XIII.
LETTERS FROM EUROPE.
Desomtmon or Livespooij.— Watimth ov Ebqlibh Politics.— De-
SOJUITIOB OF GhTIBTEK AND IIS ANTiqOITIBS. — A NoBLEMiS'S BSTATH.
— DeBCHITTIDH Off LOMIIOH. — Its iMIEKBaTINO ASaOCLlTIONB AND
Steikinq Contbastb. — QoEB TO Scotland. — Desckiption or Glas-
gow.—Intebootjbse WITH the SeCBDEKS. — AcOOTJMT OF PlACBB ViB-
ITBD ON Hia JOTTENET. — KeBILWOBTH.— WiEWICE. — StKATFOED-UPON-
Aton. — Meibobe Abbes. — DaiBCBaa. — Imfeessionb oe Pabis.— Irs
LiOKS.— Kbtubn Home.— Pateiotibu.
IT is tantaliziBg that Dr. Thornwell should have made
two visits to Europe, leaving behind no detailed ac-
count of what lie aaw, and of the impressions made upon
his own mind. In both instances, however, he was in
feeble health, and hie stay exceedingly brief. Little more
could be accomplished by liim than to maintain a regular
correspondence with hie family, upon which we are thrown,
in this cliapter, for all that is known of his first trip:
"IiivHBPooi., J'une 16, 18*1.
"My Deaeest, most Peeciotjb Wipe: Twenty-eight days bave
elapsed since I loft New York, in tha fine paoket-sMp, ' OolnmbaB,'
iindei: the command of my old friand, Captain Barstowe ; and here I
am now in 'many old Englaod,' safe, sound, and hearty. ♦ * " As
I know that you must he very aniious in regacd to my health, I shall
state at once that the yoyaga haa heen of immeose service to me. I
look fifty per cent, better than I did when I left New York, and a han-
dred tim.oa better than when I left Charleston and Columbia. I am
sorry that you weTe distressed with the false report of my haTiug had a
hemorrhage on tha mad, I haye had none sinoe I left home, I had e
eoU in Charleston, from riding at night, but that passed off before I
left the city. At this time my appetite is ■anumtaUy Jine ; and, in jus-
tice to England, I must say that there is eyerything to gratify it. My
oomplesion ia clear and healthful, my digestion uncommonly good, and
in every reapeot I haye abundant reasons for ttiankfulnees to the Giver
of all good. I firmly believe that the crossing of the ocean has been
16T
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168 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
the vary making of me ; fliid I now rejoioa tlmt the passage was long,
because the sea-air has been so eminently aervicoable. Yon cannot
imagine how it has sWertgtli.»n,ed me.
' ' TTou may wish to know something abont Liyerpool. As a matter
of oourae, one day's Boquaintaiice is too short for forming a yerj correct
opinion. The docks, which mo about the greatest onriosity here, are
immensely large ; bmlt of stone, and crowded with vessels from all
parts of the world. They eitend something like two miles, and for all
that space are literally crammed with ships, their masts pointing to the
skies like huge forests, and their colonrs gracefully floating to the
breeze. There is nothing in all America like these spaoioua docks.
The tides in our conntrj do not rise high enough to admit of them ;
and here they rise too high lo admit of what we have in all our cities —
wharves. At high tide here the water rises nineteen feet. The public
buildings in Liverpool are on a magnificent scale, much larger and finer
than buildings of the same sort in America ; but iiey are deplorably
smoky and dingy from the immense quantities of ooal oonsumed here.
The stores and private buildings are not so handsome as they are iu
Sew York or Philadelphia. The streets are narrow and crowded, and,
in some parts of the town, disgustingly filthy. The police is stationed,
a man for about every fifty yards, along every street, so as to be within
a moment's caU for the purpose of suppressing mobs, riots, and all dis-
order. You see an immense poor population here, all ragged and dirty,
and begging for alms at almost every corner you turn. Sometimes
you meet a wretched, squalid woman in ragged clothes, barefooted,
with a sheet, or something like it, tied around her, and two or three
little children fastened in it, begging for bread, or alms of some sort,
and eiciting your compassion by pointing to the helplf ss condition of
her babes. I am told that these children are frequently borrowed, and
carried about fraudulently, for the purpose of touching the feelings of
spectators. I was walking along in a street to-day, in a very dirty part
of tlie town, and found the cellars, damp, dark, and filthy, occupied by
families poorer than the poorest that I ever saw in America. Some-
times two or three families, amounting to about twenty persons, live in
a single room, several feet under ground, in a hole not larger than our
pantry, with not a single window in it, and pay nearly all that they can
earn by hard labour for their rent. This is wretchedness^ this is pimerty
indeed. Those who can get enough to eat have a very healthful, ruddy
appearance. Their faces looked so red and rosy that my first impres-
sion was that they painted. But I am told it is the natural complexion
of the people.
" I like the plan of the English hotels very much. A man is as private
in them as in his own house, You order whatevei' you wish for yonr
meals; are charged for what you get, and eat it in your own dining
room. There is no such thing as a public table. Every man or family,
eats when and what he pleases. The cooking is superb ; everything is
clean and tidy ; nothing out of place ; and the servante are prompt, and
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LEITEES FliOM EUKOFE. 169
Bctive, and as polite as Freaoh danoing-maBterH. I have amved here at
the ficest seaaoa of the year. Strawberries and cherries aie just ripe,
and Liverpool abounds with ihem. The strawbeYriea are about four
times as large aa ours. We haye also gooeeberriea in abundimee, but
they are dreadfully sour. The beef is dehoions ; and such coffee as I
have drnnli here I hare not tasted in many a day before. In short, so
far BB my onter matt is coneamed, I aboimd Id comforts. * * * I
"have no difEonlty in getting along here. I feel perfectly at home. I
hear my own language, see many of the casiflims with which I am famil-
iar, and cannot realize that I am among strangers.
" I have been amused hare with the warmtii with wliicli the people
■discuss polities. They are just as violent las they are in America. Yon
see handbills stuck up aloag the sfieeta, by the different parties, just as
there was in Columbia, dnring the contest between Van Buren and Har-
risoc. The toiies and whigs are equally violent, and eq^ually abOKive,
They have public meetioga, make furious speeches, abuse the Oovem-
ment, enrse one another, generally close by raising a mob, and these are
scattered by the police. Another wonder to me, was the prodigious size
■of the dray horses. They are nearly as large as elephants, very muscular,
and two of them draw the weight of sii: or eight with us. They are too
large, however, to be active ; and hence I have never seen them move
faster than a wsli. I believe, now, deai'eal, I bave told you all that I
have seen dnring my first day in Europe. There is but one thing which
prevents me from being perfectly happy, so far as this world is ooooerned ;
and (bat is, you are not with me. I seldom see anything new, strange,
■or interesting, without thinking of you, and wishing that you could see
it U>o. May God bless you, and keep you. Have no fears about me ;
the Lord will preserve me ; and I faeievery confidence that in His own
good Umewe shall meet again. His hand is visible in my leaving home.
Jast thint of the very little matter upon which all my subsequent
movements bave turned. Prof. failed to flU an appointment,
and that sent me to Europe. Two monlhs ago, and who dreamed that
I should be in Liverpool to-day ? It is the Lord's doing, and it is msr-
■vellous in my eyes. I feel that I am a child of a wonderful and myste-
rious Providence ; and I am satisfied that good is to arise out of this
matter, I have never enjoyed the Bible and communion with God so
much in all my life, as I did upon the ocean. I lived upon the Scrip-
ture, and can truly say, that, in a spiritual point of view, my voyage
baa been of as much service to my soul, as, in a physical respect, it has
been to my body. It has been, too, a great comfort to me to think that
many of God's people are praying for my prosperity. I wept freely
when I read Cmt's letter. Such a friend is a treasure beyond all price.
" In a day ot two, I shall leave Liverpool for Ireland, where I shall
visit Dublin, Belfast, ie. ; and from Ireland proceed to Scotland, and
make a tour of two or three weeks there ; and then proceed to London ;
BO tjiat I shall not be in London nntdl the last of July. After finishing
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170 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TnOKNWKIJ..
tlie tour of Iceland, SooHand, and England, I eh^ll proceed to Paris ;
thenoe to 'Switzerland; theoca to Germany; anfl, if I have tima, to
Kome. If not, I akall return, to Liverpool, and probably take a sMp
diraetly tor Oliarlestoi!. Bnt it is useless to calculate bo far aiiaad; I may
ohange my mind a hundred times. And now, dearest, I must bring this
long, haaty scrawl to a olosa. Kiss tho dear little babes for me, remera-
bor me to all onr friends, and be perfectly at eaaa abont my tealth, com.-
mitting me to the oare of our Lord add SsTionr, Jasns Clirist. God
bless you with all spiritual blessings in haavenly places in Christ Jesus.
" Youi" derotad husband,
J. H. TaoBBWBUi."
" LoNBos, June 2S(S, 1341.
" Mt own most Peeoious NiHOY : Yon will probably be greatly sur-
prised to find that I am in London so soon, having written ia jou that
I purposed visitiug Lreland and Scotland first. But two circamstances
indneed me to oheiige my route. One was tJlG badness of the weather.
The day that I tad fixed on for going to Dablin was a windy, gusty
day, and 1 did not feel lite going to sea in a strong gale. Another in-
ducement for coming to London at onoe, was my aniiety to witness tho
oeremony of proroguing Pathament, which was done last Tuesday.
After all, however, I did not see it, as I was misinformed aboat the
time, and got tliere too late. I must now attempt to give an account
of myself since I last wrote yon.
"From Liverpool I went to Okeater, about sixteen miles oil, one of
tha oldest towus in England. It is situated upon the river Daa, has a
large thick wall built enfii'ely around it, which affords a splendid walk
of a summer afternoon, the wall having a balustraded walk on the top,
large enough for two persons to go abreast. This wall waa buiit when
England was in possession of the Bomans. It has several towers, in-
tended originally as stations for watchmen npon the wall, and which now
afford very fine views of the country around. Upon one of these towers
Charles the First beheld the rout of liis army at Marston moor. There is
an inscription upon it commemorative of the fact. Most of the house.s in
Cheater are constmoted upon a very peculiar plan. ' They are excavated
from the rock (Chester being situated on a rocky eminence) to Hie depth
of one story beneath the level of the ground oQ each side, and have a
portico running along their front, level with the gtound at tlieir back,
but one story above the street. These porticoes, which are called Hie
Bows, afford a covered walk to pedestrians ; and beneath them are
shops and warehonsea on a level with the street.' While yon are walk-
ing along these Kows, you are walking between shops and stalls. Among
the lions of Chester, which, after all, is distiuguiehed for nothiug but
its aniiquities, is the Castle, part of which was built during the fame
of William the Conqueror, and pai-t in modern tim.es. It is a very
magnificent bnilding, comprising an armoury' containing nearly thirty
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LETTERS FKOM EUEOPE. 171
thoueand stand of arnie, taetefullj disposBA, a gunpowder magazine, the
Bhire hall, with a noble portioo, the county gaol. etc.
" Nest comes the Cathedral, a huge Gothic pile, pavts of which were
built nearly tnelre hundred yeais ago. Like all buildings of its iJaas,
It is in form of a oioes. It cont^ns some cnrious monuments, the
inBoriptions upon which have been effaced by the hand of time. Among
the iUustiioas dead deposited within its walls lie tiie remains of Travis
and Smith. The eloisteis of Hie priests and monks, when it was an.
abbey, in the possession of the Eomac Catholics, prior to the Reforma-
tion, are very much worn by age. Though the edilioe is constructed of
sohd stone, its huge colossal pillars look as if there had been floods of
wafer constantly but slowly washing them away. The bishop's throne,
upon which I had the impudence to seat myself, feeling myself to be as
much of a bishop as any body, was formerly Saint Worburgh's shrine,
I felt, in traversing its huge nave, and walking under its lofty ceiling,
that I was conversing with men of a by-gone age. I eould almost hear
the monks counting their beads and muttering Iheir idle prayers, as
they did in days of yore in this prodigious pUe. There is nothing spe-
cially to recowmend this building, but its hugeness and antiquity. I
noticed within it the monument of the venerable Bishop Hall. I at-
tended worship at Chester, in the morning at an Independent chapel,
and in the afternoon at Saint Peter's church, where I heard Eev. B.
Biekersteth, whose works, you know, I own. Both preachers were
evangehcal, but their delivery was shocking, a real school-boy whine.
Their gowns seemed too much in their way ; they were constantly
shrugging their shoulders to keep these worthless appendages from
tumbling off. Saint Peter's church, like the Cathedral, tells of other
days. The hand of time is visibly maiked in the wasting of its pillare;
its shape and structure also indicate a high antiquity. I was glad to
hear the pure gospel preached, however' badly preached, where, three
centuries ago, the absurd fooleries of Home held undisputed sway.
God grant that every papist chapel on earth may witness the same
change. In Trinity church, another ancient edifice in Chester, lie the
mortal remains of Matthew Henry, the commentator, and the poet,
Farnell. The style of architeetui'e, if bricks apparently thrown to-
gether in headless confusion can be called a style, is evidently ancient.
The houses are low, dreadfully smoked, thrown up without taste or ele-
gance, and shockingly crowded together. Motbingbut their age redeems
them from contempt ; and yet the situation of the town is fine. Almost
around it flows the river Dee. On one side you have a beautiful view
of the mountains of Wales, on the other a commanding prospect of the
hills of Cheshire, while all around the country is lovely from its striking
undulations. In this city is.the famous cheese mart of England. It is
a large area enclosed on all sides, where fairs are held of cheese brought
from all parts of the country.
" There are still to be seen here the remains of an old Eoman hot and
cold bath ; and some houses with grotesque devices, that might have
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172 LIFK OF JAMES HENLEY TnOKNWELL.
been areotad in the earlier stages of British hiatory ; e-sideuily put np
as early es tlie Bomaa invaaion. This iflwn, seyen hnndred years ago,
■was the Hceae of the interview batween Henry the Second and Maloolm
tta Fourth ; and here, more than five hundred years ago, Edward re-
ceived the BnbmiEsion of the Welsh. It stood out for the King during
the civil wars, but was finally taken by the Parliament, in 1645. Its pop-
ulation is about twenty-two thousand. There are as many buildings now
without aa within the walls. The old town is on a rooky eminence ;
many of the new buildings are in a valley ; and as you walk upon the
old wall, you have these buildings beneath your feet ; and the whole de-
clivity, down to their level, is in a rich state of eulfivation. About
three miles from OheHter ia Eaton Hall, the magnificent seat of the Mar-
quis of Westminster, one of the richest noblemen in England. His in-
come is about five tbonsand dollars a day. Hie yard, as we n-oald call it,
embrace about thirty square miles, beautifally laid out in forests, gar.
dens, and parks. He has been at immense expense to import every variety
of trees, and flowers, and fruits, from all parts of the world. His hot-
houses cover several acres of ground ; aod include a fine peach orchard, a
rict grape arbour, thousands of pine-appte trees, oranges, lemons, and
evejy fruit of every cUmate ; and that, too, in full perfection. In the midst
of his gardens, and just before Ma door, winds the river Dee ; from the
porlico of his mansion, on one side, you have a beautiful view of the
mountains of Nortii Wales, and on the other, of the hills of Oheshira.
His park is stocked with deer, grazing about as tame as sheep. I went
all over bis building, which has recently been fitted up ; but its rich and
gorgeons saloons, its plated furniture, its spacious balls, I am utterly
unable to describe. His stables ai'e fine, rich buildings, ivith heavy
Gothic arches and windows. They would be a palace fov men, much
less for horses. In the gardens is an old Boman altar, with nymphs
and fountains, which tbe Marquis has preserved.
" I have now gone through my description of Chester ; from which I
came on to London, without stopping at any of the intermediate towns.
I reached Iiondon tbe day that Parliament was prorogued by Her Maj-
esty, the Qneen, but I did not witness the ceremony. I was in the
Houses of Lords and Commons, however, immediately after ; and guess
my surprise to see what little, narrow, contracted halls they were ; and
Hie benches were, for all the world, like school benches, except that they
were cushioned. On expressing my astonishment that the British Legis-
lature should meet in such quarters, I was reminded of what I knew
before, that these were only temporary accommodations, the old ones
having been burnt ; and that they were now putting up magnificent
buildings for the purpose. From these halls I went to Whitehall, where
Charles the First was esecuted ; then to Wesfminster Abbey, where our
noble Confession of Faith was dmwn up, and where lie crowded to-
gether Hie mighty dead of many centuries. Thence I went to West-
minster Hall, a spacious area, originally built for a banqueting-house ;
thence to the Parks— Hyde Park. Saint James', the Palace, and Eegent's
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LETTEKS FKOM EUKOFE. 173
Patk ; hot as I have been here a week, and have seea jet only a comer of
London, I nmet reserve a description of this vast metropolis for an-
otiier of my short epistles. One of my firat aeMevemeiits was to irant
out the book range, tiie famous Pater Nostev Kow; and imagine my
siirpriee to find it a little, naxrow, dirty lace, where a cairiage could
hardly pass. The whole I'egion smelt of Popery ; Pater Hostai:, Ata
Maria, Amen, Ac., being the streets of the square. And now, dearest,
I njast draw to a close. In about ten days mote I JeavB foe Scotland.
" Your most devoted husband,
J, II, ThORNWEI/L."
His third letter, dated London, July 2d, 1841, is largely
occupied with personal and domestic allusions, which would
have little interest for the general reader; after which he
s to say
"I have not yet fliited »ith the Queen neither Lave I seen Her
Majesty; and as I am nit disposed to pay one or two hunlied lolKrs
for the prmlege if paying obeiaajica to royalty I skill not seek the
honour of an introluction Yon can only be mtradneed m a court
dress ; which consists of knee bieetkes silk stockings silver tmckleB
and I know mt wlmt trumpery bcsiles I have been all aiound and
about, tkougk not in thu PlIulc I ha*e seen must tf the noblemen s
houses, and almost all the lions of London. Mr. Trezevant'E family,
who have shown ine great kindness, and Mr. Stevenson, are the only ac-
quaintances I have made. My object has been to see ; and hence I have
not been anxious t« get into society, I have traced out all the leading
places in London, rendered illustrious by literary association. I have
been in the very cell in the famous tower, where Sir Walter Raleigh was
confined, and where he wrote his history of the world. I have stood
upon the spot whei'e Anne Boleyn was executed, and have lifted the axe
which took off her head. I have seen the armours of kings and
knigkts. from eight hundred years ago to the present time. I have sat
in the great chair in which all the Kings of England have been crowned
for eight hundred years. I have seen the monuments of the mighty
dead, extending ten centuries baok ; I have stood upon the place where
Charles the Firat was gloriously executed, and have been entranced in
the ohapel where our noble standards were compiled. 1 have gazed
upon the ediSoe in which Watts and Owen preached, though it is now
sadly dilapidated, and has ceased to be a ohurch. I have bean in the
range where Johnson lived, and where the literary men of his day met
their dubs. The inn is still standing where the poet Obaucer and
twenty-nine pilgrims, were accommodated on their pumey to Canter-
hury. London is full of Uterarj associations. It has been the scene of
great and glorious erents, as well as others of a eonb'ary character. I
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174 LIFE OF JAMES HENLKY TIIOKNWELL.
have been in all the yiUageB for ten miles ftround London, TJeiting soma
by land, and othera by boats upon the rjver Thames, It is impossible,
ja the compass of a single letter, to give anything like a dasivription
of this vast metropolis, and of the eiqnisite loTeliness and beauty of the
country and villages around. But I often think of Bjron'o description
of it in 'Don Juan;'
" ' A mighty mass of btiolt, and Blone, and shipping.
Dirty and dueliy, bnt as wide HB eye
Can leaeh ; with liere and tliore a sail juat skipping
In Bight, th«n lost amid the forestry
Of musts ; a wilderness of eleeples peeping
On tip-toe, tlirongh llieir sea-aoal canopy ;
On a fool's head-^nd there is Iiondon town.'
"The west end of London, always bating the smoke, Hurpasaes the
most extravagant conception which a stranger caa form of it. Its parks
and squares, itg crescents and public buildings, are almost like enchanted
ground ; and then, the great variety, the astonishiag oontiaBts, which a
short walk will present yon with, fconi the PaJace to Billingsgate. It is,
in fact, a faithful picture of the world. Greenwich Hospital, and
Greenwich Pai'k, are themselves worth a trip across the Atlantic to see.
They are about three miles from what is called London, diougb it is
built up nearly all the way. I walk, on aa ayeiage, about ten miles
every day, gazing, wondeiing, and cogitating. J have seen much of the
common people, having arrived here at the time of the general elections.
I have attended some of thoir meetings, worming mysehf through the vafit
crowds with raj hands on my watch and my purse, for there are some
prodigiously light-fingered gentry here ; and. I have witnessed something
of bribery, fraud, and intimidation, which are practised by the rich and
great. It is now a time of intense political eioitement,' I must say,
that in all that makes life precious, and esalts, refines, and elevates the
mass of the people, America is immeasurably stiperioi ~
Give me my own country forever. I see what is eicellen
' bnt I see so much of an opposite chai-acter, that I must still sigh for
my native land. The fories here have a prodigious prejudice against us,
and abolitionism is, if possible, more fanatical here than in America.
" Next week I shall leave London for Scotland. I shall travel feia-
urely, visiting all the principal places. My health is quite good. I feel
as strong as I ever did ; much more el.istic, and have not the slightest
sensation of weakness in the chest. I feel confident that, by the bless-
ing of God, my health will be qui te restored, so that I can return to my
duties by the first of Deoemt>er. In regard to journalising, I cannot
write anything of interest, from want of time. I could only give a
meagre skeleton of names and places, with some general description, that
would amount to nothing. My letters, I hope, will be as interesting as
a journal, such as I should be compelled to write. And now dearest,
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LETIEKS FROM EUROPE.
precious Naacy, I counDead you. to God, and the word
aud believe me as ever,
' ' Your devoted husband,
J. H. Ti
The next letter is dated,
" GiASaOW, SOOTLANO, Jllty IS, 184:1.
" Mt Dhibest Wife ; It is with heartfelt pleasure that I sit down to
hold communiQation with her whom my soul loves, in the only wo.j'
wWoh is now left me. I feel that, in your affeotions, I possess a prize
ot iuestimable value ; and I look forward, witU interest and deEght, to
Oie renewed joys whioh we shall experience in the society of each other,
when God shall bring us together again, after our long and painful sepa-
ration. I have thought raucli of the best methods of sanetitying our
love, and of being fellow-helpers to eaoh other in oar heavenly pil-
grimage. I feel a renewed obligation, from God's great goodness to
tne since I left home, f<) devote myself wholly, unreservedly, to His
service and glory. He has protected me from danger, and has, 1 trust,
entirely restored my health. What can I render to Him but that life
which He has preserved, that health which He has restored, and that
strength which He baa increased? ■ Let us both endeavour to be more
holy, watchful and devoted ; let us endeavour to build each other np in
the most holy faith. I am afraid thit, in past times, our interconrso
has not been aufficiently of a religious character. We have both been
a little shy in communicating our spiritual states our joys or sorrows,
our hopes and fears. If there has been an error of this sort, let us try
to correct it hereafter and delight more m bemg heirs together of the
grace of life. It is my earnest praj er that & i may give us grace to
glorify His name in all things
"I have beau in Glasgow five lays anl have made the acquaintance
of several clergymen, who have treated me with the utmost cordiality,
■md insisted upon my piotractmg my stay in order to preach for them.
I had the opportunity also of attending the meeting of the Presbytery
of Glasgow. The leaven of New Schoolisnt; I am sorry to say, is be-
ginnmg t j work its way, even here. The Presbytery of Kilmarnock, at
its last meeting, deposed a man from the mimstiy for holding senti-
ments somewhat similar to those of Albert Earpes. Error, however,
has yet made little progress ; and the prompt steps of the Presbytery,
which were nonfirtned and applauded by the Synod, I sincerely hope
may arrest it. The Scotch are indeed a nohle race ; a little too much
inclined to bigotry ; bat if the spirit of speculation on theological sub-
jects should once become propagated among them, there is no telling
where the evil would stop. Some of the fathers of the Church here say
that I am exactly right on the subject of Boards and Agencies,, and urge
me to cry aloud and spare not. They have strong sympathy with the
orthodox among us. I am glad to see that they are taking a decided
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176 LITE OF JAMES HENI.BY TH'
WTLL
interest in missionary operations ; and have really adopted the very
plan, so far as I have yat been able to learn their system which I re-
commended in my article. These Presbyterians of n bom I am speak-
ing are all Saoaders. I haYS made no acquaintances yet among tbe
ministers of the Establishment, though I have heaid one of their most
distiuguisbed men, Dr. Buohanan, preach; and a very fine preacher
be is.
"It is really a ti^eat, after coming out of England, to see how tie
Sabbath is observed in Scotland. Everything on the streets is as still
as death ; no travelling is allowed, and their ohnrches are all full of al>
tentive listeners. The style of preaching among the Seoeders is emi-
nently instructive and edifying. They do not allow the minister to
rea^. In flie Established Ohnroh, however, they generally read their
sermons. I have been much interested in the old Cathedral here, where
the famous Assembly of 1638 was hold, which deposed the bishops, de-
fied the government, and broke up Episoopaoy in Scotland. It was a
glorious body, with Henderson at ite head ; and I could not but pray that
the land which had been rendered illustriouB by such a body, might always
maintain and defend the noble and precious doctrines, for which that As-
sembly testified and suffered. It is now vacation in the University of
Glasgow ; all lie Professors are out of town, so that I have had no op-
portunity of becoming acquainted with them. Glasgow is a muoh
larger city than I eipected to find it, and muoh more elegantly bniit ;
it is about the size of Philadelphia. I came to Glasgow with the inten-
tion of visiting the Highlands of Scotland ; but tha constant rains and
the severe cold, for the season, have led me to abandon the project. It
has rained every day since I left London, and there is not the least like-
lihood of its clearing up soon. I could not go to the Highlands, wltliout
being oold and wet all the time, and. I shall not suffer my curiosity to
lead me into such folly. To-morrow I leave for England again, intend-
ing to stop a few days at Edinburgh ; and from London shall set out
immediately for the Continent. I am estremely ansious to get some-
where where I can see and feel the sun.
" In coming to Scotland I made an eitensive and interesting tour
through the country. I visited Kenilworth, where are the ruins of the
ancient and magnificent castle, where Elizabeth was sumptnously enter-
tained by Leicester for seventeen days. The gorgeous structure is now a
mere waste, and part of its former enclosure is now a graaing ground
for sheep. From Kenilworth I went to Warwick, where there still ex-
ists, in all its original grandeur, one of the finest baronial castles in
England. There, among a thousand memorials of ancient times, I saw
the bed and bed-room furniture of Queen Anne, which had been presented
to the Earl of Warwick by George the Fourih. From Warwick I went
to Stratford-upon-Avon, and saw the room in which Shakespeare was
born, and trod upon the grave where his aahes repose. The walls of
the room are covered with the names of those who have visited the spot,
as also are several large albums. Two Americans, in their folly and
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LETTERS FROM EUROP33. 177
enthusiasm, tud beds made for them in the room, and slept there all
night. Probably tiiej tbought that they might catch something of
Shakespeare's genius.- From Stratford I went to Honley, on account
of ifs name, and found it a miserable, dirty little Tillage. Pi'om there
I went to Birmingham ; tbertce to Tamworth, Derby, Chesterfleld, ¥ork
(the chief city of the North of EnglaDd, with the finest Oathedcal in the
country), Darlington, Durham (another fine Cathedral), and Newoaatle-
upon-Tyne ; thence I had a dreary ride over the bleat, steiile, and
desolate Cheviot hills to Melrose, in Scotland. Here I Tisited the in-
terpfiting ruins of Melrose Abbey, the eoene of Soott's Monastery. Aboat
four miles off, I yiaitfid the rains of Dtyburgh Abbey, and saw the grave
of Sir Walter Soott, and the monnmenta of Balph and Ebenezer Ersk-
ine, the Seoeder diTines. This Abbey is really enchanted ground. It
Js embowered in a lovely grova of trees, some of which are aa old aa the
Abbey itself (seven hundred years), while the Tweed gently murmurs
dose by it. After musing at Dryburgh, I returned to Melrose, and
then visited Abbolsford, the late residence of Soott. But I found no-
fiiing specially remarkable there. The name of Scott gives it all its
charm. I then proceeded to Edinbatgh, passing through GalBshiels and
Dalkeith, and passing by Graigmuller oastle, in which Mary, Queen
of Soots, was oonfined. Prom Edinbnrgh I came to Glasgow, passing
the aaioient palace of Linlithgow, in which the same unfortunate Mary
was born.
" Such is the rapid outline of my travels since I last wrote, I have
been much charmed with the beautjful, undulating surface of England,
and the variegated scenery of Scotland. .
"And now, dearest, I must draw to a close. Kiss the children again
and again ; and may God be with you and keep jou, and restore us
BpeedHy to tiie beloved sooiety of each other.
' ' Xour devoted husband,
J". H. Thoskwell."
The laet letter from Europe contains little of general
interest to the reader. It is dated,
"Pabis, July til, ie4t.
"Here I am again writing to my beloved Kanoy, ten thousand times
dearer to me than ail the world besides. You see that I am in France,
sa the French say, 'La belle France.' I had a rough passive across the
English channel. The boat did not strike me as being the beat in the
world ; it was old and small, and we had one hundred and twenty pas-
sengers on board. There blew up a severe gale, and we had to pnt into
the most Bonvenient port until the gale was over. I do not think I ever
saw so much alarm and sea-sickness. We were about the most weather-
beaten set yon ever saw when we reached Boulogne, the French port at
which we were landed. We were marched up in files to an office, under
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178 r.IFE OF JAMES OESLEY TIIOESWELL.
an escort of a few soldiers, where our paespoits were esai
Ingg^e was aU sent to the cnstotn-lioiise, nhei'd it
if all proyed stvsiglit, as it did with me, we were permitted to travel on.
withont iutermption to Paris.
"The ride from Boulogne to Paris was not pai'tioularly interesting
The oouatry was in a high state ot onltivatiou ■, some of the towns, such
as Montreuil and AbheTille, powerfully and strongly fortifled. On yes-
terday morning, abont S o'olock, I reached Paris ; and I must i^onf ess
that I was prodigiously disappointed in the general appearance of the
city. The streets are narrow and dirly ; the bnildings tall, dingy, and
irregular, and I did think utterly destitute of taste in their arrangements
and external appearance ; and then, again, the extent and magnitude of
ihe city wei* far short of what I had been led to anticipate C omDaie 1
with London, Paris is a mere child in size, richness, and gran leur But
is disappointed in the French metropolis as a chule when
fl the eiaminatioa of its particnlM^ pcirts my most san
gnine expectations were more than realized. The public buil bags the
Tnileries, with its spacious gardens ; the Champs d'Elysees the cathe
drals, Qie libraries, tiie galleries of painting and statuary, exceed any des
oription which I conld be able to give. Tou have heard a great deal of
t/ie. Boulevards. What do yoa suppose they are ? Why, nothing in the
world but a long street with trees planted along the sidewalks for shade.
It extends about four miles; it is pleasant and beautiful, and that is
about nil you can say of it. The gardens of the Tuileries are splendid,
and all through the walks are scattered various specimens of statuary.
The French have a perfect passion for paintings and statues, and in this
respect Paris excels LondonL The Elysian Fields are lovely beyond
all comparison. The Chamber of Deputies is a line Grecian building,
and the Madeline is the most magnificent edifice I ever beheld. The
Royal Library, which I ti'aversed through and through, contains eight
hundred thousand volumes. The French hotels are far inferior to the
English or American in neatn^s, elegance, and comfort ; but their ser-
vants are much more interesting. The French, from the lowest to the
highest, are naturally polite, and are free from the stifine^ and formality
" Of course there is no such thing as Sunday here. A tradesman will
engage to hare your boots or your coat done on Sunday as readily as on
Saturday. Such is the blessed result of Popery. It is religion enough
to have splendid churches, and burn candles all day before doll-baby
images. Nothing more is required to get to heaven. Alas, for the
superstition, the wreiflted superstition, which in this enlightened age
covers so fair a portion of the globe 1 But the Protestants are bestirring
themselves in Prance. God grant them lich and glorious success. ■» » *
" Neit week I intend setting out for Geneva, the scene of Calvin's
labours. I think it doubtful if I shall be able to get to Home, If the
snows are very heavy in the Alps, I shall not attempt it; but shall go
probably into Belgium and Prussia, and then return to England. If I
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LETTERS FKOM EUROPE. 179
find, howevev, that I can go to Rome ■witkoTit any difEnalty, and make
up mj roiad to do so, I shall not go into Belginni or Germany at nil.
It will be too cold by the time of my return from Italy, When I shall
direct my steps homeward I cannot positively say nov). If I were to
ooneult my own feelings insteail of my interest, I ehoald set ont at
once. « • * • My health now is as good as it ever has been in my
life ; and I have no doubt that it would have been better still, if I hid
not staid so long in the trying, cold, and rainy climate of England. I
have no cough, no blood-spitting ; a fine appetite, a good digestion. I
do not know that I am arty fatter than I always was, 1 belong to the
lean tribe, and am afraid there is no prospect of my ever getting much
meat npon my bones. • * •
"The General Assembly of Scotland was over before I reached
Europe, It was held in May, about the same time with onr own. I
taTe seen the proceedings of our own, which really amounted to noth-
ing. Some very important matters were completely slurred over. But
etiU, I tJiink the prospect of a return to tiie oid paths is encouraging,
and I thani God for what He has already done for us, I have gath-
ered some important tacts abont the state of religion in England and
America, which I shall be able to nae to advantage when 1 get home.
Ton will he delighted to hoai that the religious' condition of America is
far superior to that of Europe.
"And now, dearest Nancy, I am at the end of my paper. A fJiousand
liissea for yon and the children. May heaven's richest blessings rest
npon you. Pray constantly for me, love, as I do for you. The Lord
has preserved me hitherto, and I shall need His protection to the end.
As soon as I can return, I will. Beside iiie charms of my own family,
my own country has a thousand attractions for me. I candidly believe
that America is the flrat nation on the globe ; and aU through the conti-
nent of Europe, the American flag is honoured and xespeoted. I am
proud of my nation, and prouder still, aftel' having seen others. May
God bless you and keep you.
Believe me, as ever, jour devoted husband,
J. H. TaOBNWELI.."
The chart of travel here laid down does not appear to
liave heen pursued; for, on tlie 3d of September, we find
a letter, written in New York, announcing his arrival in
his native land, and that a few days of railroad speed will
place him once more in the bosom of his family. The
patriotic fervuur which glows in the closing sentence of
the preceding letter was one of the deepest sentiments in
Dr. Thornwell's heai't; of which there will be occaeion to
speak more fully hereafter. Perhaps the most amusing,
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180 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
as well as enthusiastic, exliibition of it, was given in con-
nexion -with this return. In his land journey from Char-
lotte, North Oarohna, to Lancaster, where his family then
was, it is related of Mm that, upon crossing the line
which separates the two Oarolinas, he eprimg suddenly
out of the carriage, prostrated himself iipon the soil of his
native State, and kissed it reverently with his lips. It
was hnt the sign of a devotion more conepicuoualy illus-
trated at a later date. In truly earnest natures, what is
merely sentiment with others becomes a deep and con-
suming passion ; and there was a depth in this man's soul,
which it took a miglity civil I'evolution to disclose.
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CHAPTER XIV.
OLD AND NEW SCHOOL OONTBOVBEST.
EaELY SsMPiTH ONALISTS, — CinSES OF IT.— PLAN
Off Union Foemj i'EiTDBES.— Pheseyteeian Obdek
UNDEKMINED. — T NATIONS IN NeW ENaLAND.— DiS"
SEHINATaU IN 'n HUBOH.— SPEOIFIOATIONS OF UOQ-
THINAL ErROB.— WKIKB DePTNED.— OnOANlZATIOM
OF Nauonai. Soi wito Eaoh of Thebe. — The Rb-
aoLTS. — Eleotiv TERlAWfl. — ^Mn. Baenes' Teial,^
JlBAailBES OP BkFOKM. — AOT AND TESTIMONY.- — ASSEMBLY OF 1837.—
Plan or Uniok Abomsbbd. — Final DiSKijpTloN.
f [IHE current of the narrative has borne us to a point at
X whioh we must pause and retrace our course, in order
to place the subject of our story in the councils of the
Church, and to sketch the active part he bore in the reli-
gious controversies of his day. No part of his public
work was more important than that which he performed
as a polemic; and no man in the Southern ProBbyterian
Church wielded so vast and so acknowledged an iniluence,
in moulding the legislation of the body to which he be-
longed. He was introduced into the ministry just as the
great controversy was culminating in the schism, which
rent the Presbyterian Church into two large rival com-
mnnions ; and the first General Assembly in which he sat
as a member was that of 1837, famous in our annals as
the Assembly in which the Reform measures were carried
through, which precipitated and effected the rupture. To
many readers of this book the story is familiar as a thrice-
told tale, for the actors in those stin-ing scenes have not
all passed away; and many who began their ministry
shortly after, were compelled to be conversant with all the
181
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183 LIFE OF JAMEW HENLEY TFIORKWELL,
details of that painful sti'uggle to maiataiii the ascen-
dency of truth. But after the lapse of more than a gene-
ration, there must be large niimbera to whom the story is
known only in its general resolts; whilst readers outside
the pale of the Presbyterian Church, into whose hands
this book may fall, know nothing of the principles that
were involved, nor of the agony of effort by whioh they
were at length preserved.
The disenssions, in which Dr. ThoVnwell took so lively
an interest, were left over as a residuary bequest of this
fierce controversy, and cannot be adequately compre-
hended without some acquaintance with that out of which
they were born. It seems indispensable, therefore, to
arrest the continuity of this biogi-aphy, by a preliminary
sketch of the original controversy, and of the schism in
which it terminated; to which, accordingly, tlie present
chapter will be devoted.
The cardinal issue, in the whole dispute, was that of a
■trict or a lax conatrnction of the acknowledged standards ;
since all the deviation from sound doctrine claimed to be
salva fide, and therefore within the limits of the Con-
fession of Faith; and the authority of the Form of
Government was held not to be infringed in the practical
administration of Church afFairs. The evidence, however,
is cumulative, that, up to the beginning of the present
century, through a period of n^rly one hundred years, no ■
subscription of the Westminster Confession was tolerated
which did not acicept it in its entirety. The ingenious
artifice of receiving it only for "substance of doctrine,"
was the invention of a later and more degenerate age.
The first proof of this is found in the language of the
Adopting Act, passed in 1T28-29 ; showing a formal and
judicial promulgation of these Standards to be necessary
as a te.s.t of orthodoxy, and a barrier against erroneous
opinions setting in from various quarters, especially from
England and ttio north of Ireland. The pioneei-s, who
first planted Presbyterianiam upon this continent, had aU
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(ILD AND NEW SCUOO!. CONTROVERSY. 183
Btibscribed these Standards at tlie time oi their ordination ;
and tliough now living in a foreign country, they natu-
rally regarded themselves as members of the mother
Church at home. It was not until the Church of itheir
own planting had expanded into fair proportions, that
they recognized her distinct and independent existence,
The omission, so natural at first, of not having adopted,
" as a body politic, and by the conjunct act of their own
representatives," a public Confession, was corrected just
so soon as the necessity became apparent that doctrinal
tests were needed to guard against the iniiux of error.
The second proof is, that, after the agitation produced
by this proposed measure was calmed, and the opposing
parties came, through discussion, to fuller aeqaaintanee
with each other's views, the Westminster Confession was
adopted with entire unanimity, after excepting certain
clauses in the twentieth and twenty-third chapters, which
related to the jurisdietion of the civil magistrate in eccle-
siastical matters; which could have no application in tliis
country, and for resistance to which interference these
men had been driven as martyrs from, country and home.
"Sow, excltisio unius est ecepressio alterius; the exception
of these specified clauses was tlie adoption of all that re-
mained ; so that, aa the historian remarks,- " as these claoses
are no longer in the Confession, there is not an article or
expression in that formula to wliich these men did not
assent. Such was the latitudinarianism of those days " ! *
If doubt can linger upon any mind as to the strictness
of this subscription, it wUl be removed by a subsequent
declaration of the same body, when, in 1Y36, they explain
certain ambiguities of expression in the original instru-
ment, which had alarmed the jealousy of some: "The
Synod doth declare that the Synod have adopted, and
stiU do adhere to, the Westminister Confession, Cate-
chisms, and Directory, without the least variation or
alteration, and without any regai'd to said distinc-
♦Dr. Hodge's History of the Pragbyteiian Church, vol. I, p. J83.
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Wt LIFE OF JAMKS HENLBY THOKNWELL.
tioas,"* alluding to certain expreesiona in the Adopting Act
by whioh these persons were Btumblod. Earlier than this
in 1730, the Presbytery of New Oastle, anticipating this
explanatory act of the Synod, "solemnly declared and
testified that they own and acknowledge the Westiuinster
Confession and Catechisms to be the confession of our
faith, being in all things agreeable to the Word of God,
so far as we are able to judge and discern, taking them
in the true, genuine, and obvious sense of the words."
The Presbytery of Donegal uses similai- language, in the
formula of subscription which they drew up : " In all
things agreeable to the Word of God, taking them in the
plain and obvious meaning of the words."! The whole
body of the Church, and the several parts thereof, speak,
therefore, with the same explicitness on this point.
A third link in this ehainof evidence is, the enforcement
of the same strict subscription upon all intrants into the
ministry, in the following Act, passed by the Synod in
1730 : " Whereas, some persons have been dissatisfied at
the manner of woi'ding oui- last year's agreement about
the Confession, etc., supposing some expressions not sut'-.
ficiently obligatory upon mtrants, the Synod do now de-
clare that they understood these clauses, that respect tlie
admission of intr^ts or candidates, in such a sense as to
oblige them to receive and adopt the Confession and
Catechisms, at their admission, in the same manner, and
as fully, as the members of the Synod did that were then
pi-esent,"t To render this ac.t operative, inquisition was
made each year of the Presbyteries, as to their compliance
with it; eo that "there is not the slightest evidence that
any of the Presbyteries ever admitted, during the period
under review, any minister who dissented from any of the
doctrinal articles of the Confession of Faith. "§
* Beoords of the Presbjteriaii Churcli, p. 125.
t Dc. Hodge's History of the Presbyterian Cliuroli, vol. I, pp. 190, 19i.
i Records of the PreRbyterian Cliutoli, p. 06.
§ Dr. Hodge's History of the Presbyterian Church, yol. I, p. 1»7.
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OLD AND NEW eCHOOI, CONTKOVEKST. 185
Fourthly, the mai-ked contrast in the terms used in
■adopting the Form of Government, fixes tlie sense in
■wliich tlie piirely doctrinal symbols were received. As
to t!ie former, we have the following Deliverance in 1729 :
" The Synod do unanimously acknowledge and declare,
that they judge the Directory for "Worship, Discipline,
and Grovernment of the Chitrch, commonly annexed to
the Westminster Confession, to be agreeable in substance
to the Word of God, and founded thereupon; and there-
fore do earnestly recommend the same to all their mem-
bers, to be by them observed as near as circumstances
will allow, and Christian prudence direct."* Fitty-seven
years later — that is to say, in 1786 — we have the reason
given for this precise language : " The Synod also receives
the Directory for PubUo Worship and tho Form of
Church Government, recommended by the Westminster
Assembly, as in substance agreeable to the institutions of
the New Testament. This mode of adoption we use, be-
cause we believe the general platform of our Government
to be agreeable to the Sacred Scriptures; but we do not
believe that God has been pleased so to reveal and enjoin
every minute eirciunstance of ecclesiastic government and
■discipline, as not to leave room for orthodox churches of
■Christ, in these minutJEe, to differ with charity from one
another, "t Here, then, for the first time in our eccle-
fiiastical annals, we meet with the relaxed phrase, '■^agree-
able for substance;^'' which a later period sought to carry
over into the Confession of Faith, but which is employed
by these fathers expressly to discriminate betwJxt the
two. In regai'd to the Confession, tlie subscription is
■explicit and particular. It is not received for substance,
but in all its articles, with a single specified exception ;
whereas a latitude is allowed in the adoption of the Form
■of Government, it being comprehensively embraced only
in its general principles; and even in these a clear dis-
• Keooi'da of tlie Preebyteriac Churcli, p. 93. t IhiA. p. 619.
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Ibb I.IFP; OF JAMES HENLEY TOORNWELL.
tinction is recognized as to their relative importance, whon
compared with the doctrines of grace.
The fact -is, the principles of Preshyterian Chiu'ch
government have never been as articulately wrought out,,
nor as fuliy expounded, as the doctrines of its faith. Un-
friendly influences have warped them from the period of
the Keforination, giving them a set which it has beeu
impossible, even to the present day, wholly to overcome.
It is well known, that the famous "Westminster Assembly
itself was not exclusively a Presbyterian comicil. As at
first constituted, it embraced Episcopalians and Inde-
pendents as well ; and though the former soon withdrew,
the Independents remained through its entire sessions —
few in number, perliaps, but powerful in iniiuence. Sound
Calvinists as they were, they harmonized perfectly with
Presbyterians in the statement of Christian doctrine; but
differences emerged as soon as the Constitution and Polity
of the Church were touched. The Form of Government
bears thus npon its face the traces of a compromise, espe-
cially in the exposition of the Eldership.* It was not
such an iuetrument as strict Presbyterians would have
prepared, as a fnll statement of their principles. "We
signalize this difference of terms in the adoption of the
Form of Government, as showing that the fathers of the
Church in this country were not bo rigid in their views of
order as of doctrine ; and because, as we shall presently
see, it was precisely through this breach in thfe walls the
Trojan hos-se, with its belly full of armed Greeks, was
introdneed within the citadel of the Presbyterian Church.
It gives the key to the Plan of Union in 1801, to many
of the questions which occasioned the disruption in 1837,
• The Weatminafet Assembly, after a tciaugular conflict between the
PreBbvteriacs, Independeute, a^d ErastianH, did afBrm the Diyina Bight
of Presbytery. This, however, was disallowed by the Parliament ; who
softened its.langiiage into the following declaration : "That it ia lawful,
and agreeable to the Word of God, that the Church be goTecned by
Congregational, Claesioal, and Synodioal ABsembliea." See Heal's Hia-
tory of the Puritans, Part 3d, Chap. C.
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OLD AND NEW SCHOOL CONTEOVEKeY. IsY
and to all the discussions in which the snbject of these
Memoii-s, and others of like mind, were afterwards en-
gaged.
Fifthly, if there had been a disposition to abate the
authority of the Confession, it would most naturally have
revealed itself during the memorable schism, in 1741, be-
tween what was then designated as "the Old and New
Side." But so fai- from this, both sections, immediately
upon their sepai'ation, renewed their subscription of the
Standards, in identical terms as at first;* and upon their
reunion, in 1758, the first article in the baeis was a joint
declaration of their adherence to the aanie.t This chain
of proof runs down to the formation of the General Ab-
Benibly in 1788 ; which, having purged the Confession of
the objectionable clauses relative to the civil magistrate,
declared it to be a part of the Constitution of the Church.
This is certainly emphatic; for, "whoever heard," says
Dr. Hodge, "of adopting a Constitution for substaneel
Is the Constitution of the United States thus adopted or
interpreted ? It is, on the contrary, the supreme law of
the land; and all who take office under it are bomid to
observe it, in all its parts. "J
Sixthly, in addition to this documentary evidence, we
have also the testimony of contemporary writers to the
same fact; and a series of judicial decisions, extending
from 1763 to 1810, in which the Confession is rigidly
applied in the repression of error. A simple allusion to
this is sufficient; as the cases in detail may be found, by
those who desire it, in the records of those times.
This summary — necessarily imperfect, because so con-
densed— establishes the historic sense in which these
Standards were received by the Church, from the be-
ginning. It is important, as justifying the measures by
which, after a temporary departure, she was reformed
back to her original orthodoxy; and because the attempt
• Records of the Pceshytsrian Cliurah, pp. 1S7, 232. t Ibid. p. 286.
I HiBtory of the PtealJyteriaii Chiiruh, yol, 1, p. 218.
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188 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
will be renewed from age to ago to escape from the obli-
gation of an extended creed, by an anibigtiou3 subscription
of its articles.
In an evil day the Presbyterian Oliurcb paused in tlio
development of her distinctive principles, and formed an
alliance with !H"ew England Congregationalism; ■which,
in a third of one century, brought her to the brink of ruin.
The controversies of this period liave so revealed the es-
sential difi'erenecs of the two systems, that we now look
back with wonder at the attempt to amalgamate them.
But we should do great injustice to both the parties, if
we fail to notice the influences which drew them to-
gether in relations that could not be established now. The
first settlers in New England were largely Presbyterian
in sentiment; carrying with them their symbols of faith,
which were used for household instruction almost as fa-
miliai'lyj in that province, as in the districts where Prea-
byterianism gained the ascendency. It does not concern
us now to consider the causes which in New England put
the Congregational system in the advance, and repressed
the development of pure Presbyterian ism. It is sufficient
to notice the general historical fact, that two systems,
identical in doctrinal belief, and separated only by dif-
ferences of external administration, are never found to
prosper equally upon the same soil. The one almost of
necessity absorbs the other; because the distinction ap-
pears too immaterial, to resist the tendency to union in
points that are essential. Thus Presbytery has never
been able to push its way in New England, pre-occupiod,
as it is, by a system so nearly co-ordinate with it ; and In-
dependency has never struck its roots into the soil already
covered by Presbytery. The process of absorption, how-
ever, rarely leaves either system unatfected by the foreign
ingredients that are incorporated. Thus it liappened, that
the early Congregationalism of New England was largely
moulded in its form bythe Presbyterian influence with
which it was impregnated. Especially was this true in
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C0NTK0VEK8Y. 189
Connecticut, where, at the close of the Seventeenth Cen-
tury, the Presbyterians formed nearly half of the entire
population. Thus, the Cambridge Platform, adopted in
1648, acknowledged the Westminster Confession "to be
very holy, orthodox, and judicious, in all matters of faith ;
and we do, therefore, fully and freely, consent tlierennto,
for the substance thereof; only in those things which have
respect to Church government and discipline, we refer
ourselves to the platform of Church discipline agreed
upon by this present Assembly."* It is astonishing how
nearly, even in government, this platform approximates
the two systems. It recognizes the Eldership, and dis-
tinguishes between the two classes of those who teach
and those who only rule. It defines exactly the office of
the deacon. It affirms that "Church government, or rule,
is placed by Christ in the ofEicors of the Church." It
recognizes "Synods, orderly assembled, according to the
pattern. Acts xv., as the ordinance of Christ;" whose de-
cisions are binding, so far as consonant to the Word uf
Gfid, not only because of that agreement, but " also for
the power whereby they are made, as being an ordinance
of God." In like manner, the Saybrook Platform, foiined
in Connecticut, in 1708, "provided that the elders of a
particular church, with the consent of the brethren, liave
power, and ought to exercise discipline, in all cases within
that church. The churdies in each county form a Con-
sociation. The council of this body consists of all the
teaching and niHng elders of the churches; which are
also at liberty to delegate lay messengers, who are enti-
tled to dehberate and vote as members; provided, how-
* See Hie original aiittorities qnoted in. Dr. Samuel J. Baird's History
of the New School, p. 143, We take this opportnnity to ooknowledge
our indebtedness to this work, pnbliBhed by the author in 1868, for the
remaining faota in this ohapter, wliicli are simply ooadenaed from its
pages. It is a book of great value, from the still with which its materials
are compiled, and from the doonmentary evidence with whieli its state-
ments are substantiated. It hrings the history of this great struggle
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190 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOltNWELL.
ever, that no matter shall be determined without a ma-
jority of the elders."*
Still later, in 1799, we liave the following etatement from
the old Hartford North Association, as to the constitution
of the Connecticut churohes: "This Association gives in-
formation to all whom it may concern, that the consti-
tution of the clmrehes in the State of Oonneeticut, founded
on, etc., is not Congregational, bnt contains the essentials
of the government of the Church of Scotland, or Presby-
terian Church in America, particularly as it gives a
decisive power to Ecclesiastical Councils; and a Conso-
ciation, consisting of ministers and messengers, or lay
representatives from the churches, is possessed substan-
tially of the same authority as a Presbytery, The judg-
ments, decisions, and censures, in our churches, and in
the Presbyterian, are mutually deemed valid. The
churches, therefore, in Connecticut at large, and in our
district in particular, are not now, and never were, from
the earliest period of our settlement, Congregational
churches, according to the ideas and forms of Church
order contained in the book of discipline called the Cam-
bridge Platform. There are, however, scattered over the
State, perhaps ten or twelve churches (unconso dated),
who are properly called Congregational, agreeably to the
rules of Church discipline in the book above mentioned.
Sometimes, indeed, the associated churches of Connecticut
ai-e loosely and vaguely, tliough improperly, termed Con-
gregational. While our churches, in the State at large,
are, in the most essential and important respects, the
same as the Presbyterian ; still, in minute and unimportant
points of Church order and discipline, both we and the
Presbyterian Church in America acknowledge a differ-
It is not strange that the Presbyterian fathers — who,
as we have seen, never took the highest ground as to tlie
Divine authority of their system — should feel a cordial
• Baird's Historj of the New School, pp. 145-'e. t Ibid. pp. HB-7.
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OLII ANn N"BW SCHOOL CDNTKOVEEST. 191
eympathy with Oongregationalidm of this modified type ;
nor that tlie pressure of mutual interests should bring the
two into coniidential relations. And it is a notable fact,
that the intercourse always began witli the ehurches of
Oonnectient, the most predisposed to Presbyterian views,
and afterwards extended to those of the other eastern
States. As early as 1733, hopes were entertained of union
between the General Synod and the ehurches of Con-
necticut; which, however, was not then consummated.
Again, in 1766, they drew together in prolonged con-
ference, in joint resistance to the introduction of an
American Episcopate; the objection being, not to the
cffifie itself, bat to the authority of Parliament iu ap-
pointing it; which, it was feared, would draw after it a
Church Establishment, with its attendant dangers, of
which they had had such sensible expeiience in Europe,
The correspondence thus begun was suspended by the
Amei'ican Revolution, and was not resumed till 1791.
The two pai'ties each appointed d&legates to attend the
sessions of the other, with the right only to deliberate;
wiiieh right was enlai'ged, in 1794, so as to include the
privilege of a vote.
The way was tlius gradually opened for what is known
as "the Flan of Union," formed in 1801 : a more en-
larged and methodized convention between the two
bodies, which, during the six and thirty years of its con-
tinuance, brought upon the Presbyterian Church an
" Illiad of woes." History does not afford a better illus-
tration of the evil wrought by good men, whenever, from
motives of pohcy, they swerve from principle. Their
virtue lends a sanction to iheir schemes, while it does not
estop the fatal results. This agreement was not only
established by good men, but it origiaated in the sweetest
and most godly intentions. The tide of population setting
in from the Atlantic coast into the interior of the country,
bore upon its bosom a mixed mateiial for the formation
of churches. In the western portions of New York, and
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192 LIFE OF JAMES HENLKY THOBNWEI,!,.
in Ohio J Presbyterians and Congregation alists found
themselves side by side, both being too weak to enforce
the Church organization whiuh eaeh prefeiTed^ What
more Christian object could be proposed than to facilitate
a union between these discordant elements ? Unfortu-
nately, this was not attenapted bj a process of natural
fusion, each giving way and conforming to the other as
ciroumstancea might dictate; but by an artificial conven-
tion, making a composite of both. This Plan of Union,
as it was termed, contained the following provisions:
That Congregational and Presbyterian churches might
select tlieir pastor, each from the communion of the
other, tlie church in each case conducting its discipline
according to the principles of the body to which it be-
longed; that difficulties arising between the minister and
his people should be referred to the Presbytery, or to the
Association, just as he might happen to be a Presbyterian
or Congregationalist ; or, if both parties preferred, to a
Council equally composed of both sides; that if the
church was made up of both Presbyterians and Congre-
gationalists, it miglit settle a minister of either persuasion,
in which case the government should be m the hands of
a Standing Committee, chosen by the church, from whose
decisions an appeal might be taken by a Presbyterian to
the Presbytery, or by a Congregationalist to the body of
the communicants; and the members of these Standing
Committees, if deputed, should have the same right to ait
and act in Presbytery as ruling elders of the Presbyterian
Church."*
It is scarcely necessary to point out the anomalies in
this hybrid system, which was really less conformed to
Presbyterianiem than the very platforms which Congre-
gationalists had constructed for their own government.
Under these, indeed, a sufficient diversity had been ex-
hibited in churches associated and churches dissociated;
in churches governed by the brotherhood, governed by
s Dieeat, Ed. 185G, p. 555.
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OLD AND NEW eCHOOL CONTEOTHKeT. 193
elders, and governed by a mixture of both; in Con-
Bociatione to which laymen were admitted, and Asbo-
ciationa from which they were exeladed ; but under this
arrangement, with its committee-men, who had given no
pledge of adherence to any symbols of faith, admitted tO'
all the functions of the eldership; with its complex ad-
justmentB between two distinct systems of discipline, and
with the constant overlapping of the two jurisdictions on
either side; we are presented with a conglomerate the
sti'angest that was ever conceived. Oliurclies, Presby-
teries, and finally Synods, were born of it; which, like
Jacob's cattle, were " ringstreaked, speckled, and gi-izaled"
— a motley assemblage, with every hue and colour of the
ecclesiastical prism. The new districts, in which the pro-
visional scheme was intended to operate, soon iilled up
with a teeming popnlation. Under this altered condition
of things, the sclieme itself should have been superseded
by an orderly separation of the two elements; which, as
distinct communions, might have lived aide by side in
friendly relations. It was, however, continued in force,
after the necessity for its existence had ceased. We
condense the following facts to illustrate its practical oper-
ation: In 1808, the Middle Association was received into
the Synod of Albany, with its twenty-one chiu'ches, all
Congregational, and which "retained its own name and
nst^es in the administration of government." The year
after, it was snb-divided into two Presbyteries, " both of
which, in written constitutions, planted themselves on the
Plan of Union, and were Presbyterian only in name." In
1812, these, with the Presbytery of Geneva, were erected
into the Synod of Geneva; which was soon enlarged by
the addition of the Congregational Association of Onon-
daga. In 1 821, the Synod of Genesee wi^ erected out of
fonr Presbyteries detached from the Synod of Geneva;
in which, also, "the Plan of Union was recognized as par-
amount to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church."
In 1836, the Presbytery of Chenango was organized, with
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lyi UFK OF JAMES HliNLEY TIIOKNWBI.L.
five iiiiaiBters, and without a single cliuroli; but, placing
itself upon "the Plan," drew into it the Union Congre-
gational Association. In 1839, the Synod of Utica was
erected, largely composed of Congregational material,,
having swallowed up the Oneida Association, besides the
accession of other churches. Thus, withiii tlie apace of
twenty-eight years, in the State of Kew York alone, tlfree
Synods were constituted, to a large extent of elements ab-
eorbed from Congregational churches, and resting upon-
the Plan of Union for a basis. In Ohio, the Synod oi'
Western Keserve was formed, in 1835, in precisely the
same manner, and chiefly of the same materials. It was
composed of the Presbytery of Grand Kiver, organized in
1814, of Portage, in 1819, and of Huron, in 1824; which,
by written constitutions, recognized the Plan of Union as
their charter.* Fonr great Synods were tlius created,
which never assimilated with the Presbyterian body, of
which tliey professed to be a part. This bnef recapitu-
hvtion will enable the reader better to understand the
character of the Reform measures of 183Y.
This gradual undermining of Presbyterian government
was of itself suiScient to condemn this wild scheme of
comprehension; but it w^ far from being its worst result.
In the history of the Chiu'ch, laxity in doctrine is always
sure to accompany contempt of discipline and order. It
is notorious that, daring this period, !New England was
rife with dangerous theological 'speculations. The meta-
physical writings of the elder Edwards had stimulated
the naturally subtle New England mind to very bold in-
vasions of the orthodox faith. The limits of this digressive
chapter will not allow a detailed statement of these va-
rious aherrations from the sound doctrine of earlier times;
nor of the swift progress from the ambiguities of the
Hopkinsian School, to the scarcely disguised Pelagianism
of the New Haven divines. Indeed, any private expo-
e all condensed from Dr. Baird'a Hiatorj of the
New Sohoul, pp. 159 to 166.
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OLD AND NKW SCHOOL CONTKOVEESy, 195
fiition of these issues would be open to the suspicion of
prejudice, unless substantiated by large quotations, upon
which the reader might rest an independent judgment.
We prefer, therefore, to leap at onee to an official docu-
ment, the Testimony 'and Memorial adopted by the As-
sembly of 1837, in whicla there is a specification of errors
widely disseminated in the Presbyterian Chureh, viz. :
" 1. That God would have pteveiifed tlie existence of sin, in onr world,
but was not able, witlioTit destroying tlie moral agency of man ; or that,
for aught that appears in the Bible to the contrary, sin is incidental to
any wise moral system.
"a. That election to eternal hfe is founded on a foresiglit of faith
and obedience.
" 8, That we have no mora to do with the flist sin of Adam tlian ■with
the eia of any othei: parent.
" 4. That infanta come into the world as free from moral defilement,
as was Adam, whan he was created.
"6. That infants snatain the same relation to (he moral government
of God, in this world, as brute animals ; and that their sufferings and
death are to be aeconnted for on the same principles as those of brutes,
and not, by any means, to be oonaidered as penal.
" 6. That tliere is no other originfJ sin than the faot, that all the pos-
terity of Adam, though by nature innocent, or poseesaed of no moral
chaiaeter, will always begin to sin when they begin to esercise moral
agency ; that original sin does not include a sinful bias of the human
mind, and a just exposure to penal suffering ; and that there' is no evi-
dence in Scripture that infants, in order to salration, do need redemp-
tion by the blood of Christ, and j-egenerafion by the Holy Spirit.
"7, That the dootiine of imputation, whether of the guilt of Adam's
sin, or of the righteousness of Ghrisfi has no foundation in the Word of
God, and is both unjust and absurd.
" 8. That the sufferings and death of Ohrist were not truly Tiearious
and penal, but symboUeal, gOYernmental, and inatraotiTe only.
"y. That the impenitent sinner is, by nature, and independently of
the renewing influence oi' almighty energy of the Holy Spirit, in full
possession of all the ability necrasary to a full compliance with all the
commands of God.
"10. That Christ does not intercede for the elect until after regeneration.
*' II. That saving faith is not an effect of the special operation of the
Holy Spirit, but a mere rational belief of the truth, or assent to the
Word of God.
" 12. That regeneration is the act of the sinner himself, and that it
consists in a change of Ms governing purpose, which he himself must
produce, and which is the result, not of any direct influence of the
,db, Google
190 LIFfi OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
Holy Spirit on the heart, but chiefly of a persnasiTe eshibition of the
truth, analogous to the influence ■which one man exerts over the mind of
another ; or that regeneration is not an inataataneous act, but a pro-
gresaiTe work.
" 18. That Sod has done all tliat He can do for the salvation of all
men, and that laim himself must do the rest.
" 14. That God cannot eiert such influence on the minds of men,,
as shall make it certain that they will choose and act in a particular
manner, wifliout impairing their moral agenoy.
" 15. That the righteoasneaa of Ohrigt is not the sole ground of the
sinner's acceptance with God ; and that in no eenee does the righteous-
ness of Christ become ours.
" 16. That the reason why some differ from others in regard ta fhair
reception of the Gospel, is that they mate themselves to differ."*
The close affiliation witli Oongregationalista, under the
Plan of Union, opened wide the door to the influx of
these errors ; and they were especially prevalent in those
districts which this Plan covered with its inilaence. Yet
the men who, in the Presbyterian Church, embraced and
taught these views, had subscribed the Confession of
Paith, from which they deviated so widely. This course
was reconciled with lionesty only on the plea, that no
aubscription to any extended creed could be exacted, con-
sistently with ireedom of thought and the right of con-
science, except it be restricted to the general system
inculcated, and for " substance of doctrine " merely. This
elastic and slippery phrase is scarcely susceptible of deii-
* Assembly's Digest, Edition of 18BG, pp. 728-9. A protest against
this paper, signed by fifteen members of the Assembly, disclaiming
tiiese errors, and giving their exposition of the points involved, vrs
presented and admitted to record. (See Assembly's Digest, Edition of
1866, pp T30-'S ) This esposition, even if satisfactory, conld do no-
thing moie than purge the individual signers of suspicion in tiie premi-
ses. It did not touch the design of the paper ifaelf ; which was to tes-
tify against errors widely diffused, and ta show the necessity of a strict
subscription of the standards, in order to proteot the Church from
being infected with the same. The Assembly made an unusual disposi-
tion o( this protest, in sending it down to the Presbyteries of the sign-
ers, "calling attention to the developments of theological views con-
tained in it," and ordering an "inquiry into fhs soundness of Iha faith
of those mho have venture-i to make so strange avowals as some of these
are." Digest, p. 73i.
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OLD AHD NEW SCHOOL CONTEOVEESY. 19T
nition or limitation. By far tlie moat exact Gxpreaeion of
its meaning, is that put forth by the New Haven Profes-
sors, in the attempt to reconcile their speculations with
tlie pledges they had given when inducted into of&ce. It
is worthy of being preserved, as the nearest to a suc-
cessful effort to imprison in words what is inconstant and
shifting as caprice itself. It is in these terms :
' ' It will he geasraily agveed, that the cardinal dootriDea of the Refor-
mation "were tlie following: The entire depravity and luin of roan by
nature, as the result of tue sin of Adam ; justification by faith, through
the atonement of Christ, to the exclusion of all merit in the recipient;
the necessity of regeneration, by the apaeial or distingniehing influences
of the Holy Spirit ; the eternal and personal election of a part of our
race to holiness and solyation ; the final parsevemnoe of all wlio aie
thus ohoseu unto eternal life. These, taken in connesion with ihe doc-
trine of the Trinity, of the eternal puniBbmect of the finally impeni-
tent, and of the divine decrees, which is partly involved m that of elec-
tion, confititute what may be called the Primary Doctrines of the Refor-
tion. In addition to these, we find, in the writings of aome of the
Keforicers and of the Puritan divines, another class of statements,
whose object was to reconcile the doctrines above enumerated wiUi the
principles of right reason, and to reduce them to a harmonions system
of faith. These may be oalled the Secondary or Esplanatory Doctrines.
As examples of these, we may mention, ihe imputation of Adam's sin
to all his descendants, in such a sense as to make them guilty, and pun-
ished, in the operation of strict justice, on account of his act ; tlie im-
putation of Christ's righteousness to the believer, as the ground of his
participating, on the same principle of strict justice, in the benefits of
His death ; the doctrine of particular redemption, or the limitation of
the atonement to the elect ; the doctrine of man's entire want of power
to any but sinful actions, as aocounting for bis dapandenoa on God for
a change of heart, etc,
"Many of the old divines attached high importance to tliis latter class
of doctrines, though differently stated by different writers ; but they did
so only because they considered them essentdat to a defence of the pri-
niary dootrines enumerated above. In the progress of mental and moral
science, however, a great change of sentiment has taken plaOe in this
respect. One after another of these secondary or explanatory doctrines
has been laid aside. Other modes have been adopted of harmonising
the orthodox system of faith, and raoonoiling it to the principles of
right reason, more conformable, it is believed, to the simplicity of the
gospel i without diminishing, but rather increasing, the attachment felt
tax the primary doctrines of the Keformation."'"
*Dr. Bairds History of the New School, pp. 209, 210.
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198 LIFE OF JAMES nENLET THOENWELL.
To receive a creed, then, "for substance of doctrine,"
means simply to get all the substance out of the doctrine,
and to liold the shell, which is harmless from its empti-
ness. No one acquainted with 'the Calvinietic system
woiild care to contend long for the primary doctrines,
after the secondary were all of-them eliminated; and the
Confession of Faith may innocently be subscribed, when
it has been eviscerated of all .that renders its testimony of
any value. Such is a brief account of the doctrinal issues
that were involved in the schism of 183T-'8.
There is another branch of the controversy, which con-
tributed an almost equal share in effecting the breach:
it was the question whether the Church should do her
own evangelistic work, or remit it to irresponsible agen-
cies outside of her pale. In her early history, the duty
was plainly recognized of doing, in her organic form, the
work for which she was instituted. Itinerant missionariea
were sent out to explore the waste places; and settled
pastora were detached, for weeks and months, from their
respective chai'gcs, to supply the destitute with the gospel.
Tlie Church courts were occupied, at every session, in
devising means to spread the knowledge of Christianity
into " the regions beyond." The work of training min-
isters was undertaken at the very outset ; and in 1771,
the Genera] Synod, before the organization of the Assem-
bly, entered upon a systematic plan for the support and
education of her candidates. As early as 1751, a collec-
tion was ordered to be taken each year, in every church,
to propagate the gospel among the heathen; and upon
this fluid Mr, Bralnard was sustained among the Indians,
until his death, in 1781. In 1802, the Synod of Pitts-
burgh resolved itself into a missionary society, with a regu-
lar constitution and oiHcers. In the same year, the Synod
of the Carolinas sent two , missionaries to the Hatches
Indians, and one to the Catawbas ; conducting the work
through a commission, regularly appointed. At the same
period, 1802, the General Assembly appointed a Standing
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OLD AND NEW BOHOOL CONTKOVEKSY, 199
Committee of Miesione, whose powers were gradaally in-
creased, until, at length, in 1816, it wae erected into a
Board.* Had the Church heen allowed to pursue her
course untranimelled, with her own expansion there would
Lave been a corresponding enhirgement of her efforts;
and her history would have been, what the history of the
Church ought ever to be, that oi a great evangelistic so-
ciety. Bat the fatal complication with Congregationalism,
which so nearly cotrnpted her faith, almost brought her in
bondage to the great national societies, which boldly at-
tempted to usurp her functions.
Independency, from the incompleteness of its organi-
zation, is compelled to work through agencies outside of
itself. Hence originated, in New England, tiu'ee large
corporations, known as the American Education and the
American Home Mission Societies, and the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Kissions. Tlie pre-
fix, American, to each of these, sufficiently indicates the
ambition of their aim. It was nothing less than to be-
come, to tlie largest possible extent, national in. their
scope; by uniting the Congregationalists, the Presby-
terians, the Dutch Keformed, and the Associate Ke-
formed, in one phalanx, to carry out these several enter-
prises conjointly. Of course, this involved, on the part
of the three last named, the abdication of their trust as
distinct and separate churches, who must all become tj-i-
butary to the first, as auxiliaries to the only agency which
they could possibly constract. It was a splendid scheme
of unification, similar to that which is dazzling the minds
of so many at this day; and perhaps the careful reader
will be struck with the parallel, in more than one par-
ticular, between the history of the Church in the first and
last third of the present century. It is necoBsary to trace
the conflict witli each of these three associations. ■
The American Education Society was organized in
1815, in the city of Boston, "with admirable skill for
*For these facte, see Baitd's Eietovy, pp. 371-282,
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200 LIFE OF JAMES HIiN'I.KY THOUNWELL.
acquiring complete control over ministerial education
throughout the country." Witli its close corporation,
and independence of all enperviaion ; with its large
receipts, and honorary memberships purchased with
money; and with its branch societies distributed over the
country; it was ai-med with power to heat down any
feeble competitors that might enter the field. But the
instinct of danger, M'hieh never wholly deserts a Kving
Church, took in at once the fatal consequences of yielding
to the supremacy of so ambitions an agency. In 1818,
measures were concerted which resulted in the organi-
zation of a Presbyterian Education Society, in Phila-
delphia, "which should be tinder the inspection of the
General Assembly, and a faithful representative of the
whole denomination." But the Church could not be a
unit. The foreign influences, which had been imported
into the body, set themselves at once to counteract the
policy thus indicated. A rival organization was instantly
created, under a similar name, which refused to aclinow-
ledge Assembly control, and soon went over bodily to the
American Education Society, and became its active in-
strument in promoting its ascendency within the entire
limits of the Presbyterian Church. Meanwhile, the Chui'ch
Board languished for years, by reason of this opposition,
its own restricted powers, and general inefficiency in its
management, until, in 1831, it wi^ re-organized under the
auspices of the Rev. John Breckiui-idge, D. D., as its
Secretary ; when it sprung into vigour, and held its own
against all rivalry, until the hour of complete deliverance
from all this thraldom was chimed in 183Y.* So far, then,
the Church, though crippled and harassed, has refused to
subordinate herself to a foreign power.
The triumph, however, of the American' Board of Com-
missioners for Foreign Missions was complete. We liave
i the early eiforts of PrcsbytenanS to extend tlie
1 among the heathen. Besides the organization of
*Dr. Baird'B History, pp. 2S5-'2»'i,
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OLD AND NEW SCHOOL C0NTE0VEE8Y. Wl
the Synods of Pittsburgh and of the Carolinas to that
end, various local societiee had sprung up,' all subject to
the Chui'ch, But, in 1817, this great subject was brought
before the Assetnbly ; and the result was the organization
■of "the United Foreign Missionary Society," so called
because it was composed of members of the Presbyterian,
Eeformed Dutch, and Associate Eeformed Churches, and
received the sanction of these bodies respectively. It was,
however, from the natui'c of the case, a voluntary society,
and in its management independent of ecclesiastical con-
trol. It prosecuted its work with vigour, gradually ab-
sorbing the different local societies, and was able, within
eight years from its establishment, to make a favourable
comparative exhibit of its snceess with that of the Amer-
ican, or Congregational, Board, d^iring its first eight years.
In 1824, the Synod of Pittsburgh transferred their mis-
sions to its care, under the irapreseion that it was, and
would remain, distinctly Presbyterian in its character. At
the very moment, however, of this ti'ansfer, negotiations
■were pending with the A. B. C. P. M,,* by which it was
soon absorbed. The only remaining missions of the Pres-
byterian Church were those conducted by the Synod of
the Carohuas, dating back to 1802. In 1818, these were
in turn transferred by treaty to the American Board,
which was thus sole master of the field.
This termination filled many with profound grief, and
measures were soon- concerted for rallying the Church to
her appointed work. The proposal was to organize an
Assembly Board of Foreign Missions, which should not
be antagonistic, but co-operative with the American
Board. ^The lamented Dr. John H. Rice penned, from
his death-bed, the overture to the General Assembly of
1831, which appointed a committee of conference on the
subject; but, "to the proposition for a co-ordinate Board,
the reply was, without alternative, the American Board,
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202 LIFK Of JAl
and that only," Renewed defeat served "but to ai'onse the
Ohurch the more. The next nie^isure was to revive "the
"Western Foreign Missionary Society," at Pittsburgh,,
which had been sold out in 1824. It was accordingly
organized, and presented itseK- for recognition before the
Assembly of 1832, with its iirst mieeionaries chosen, and
Africa as its field of operations. It was so prospered in
its work, that, within three yeare, it represented twenty
missionaries under its care, labouring in western Africa,
noi'thern India, and among several Indian tribes at home.
In the Assembly of 1835, a committee was appointed to-
confer with the Synod of Pittsburgh, relative to the
transfer of this Society to the General Assembly. In the
following year, however, the Assembly, under the foreign
influences which controlled it, receded from the proposals
of its predecessor, and the Western Society was rejected
as a recognized institution for the whole Church.* The
consternation and alarm created by this decision contri-
buted not a little to the revolution which, one year later,
swept Moderatism, as it did heresy, out of the bosom of
the Church.
The great battle, however, for the liberties of the
Church, was fought upon the Home Mission field; where^
hy God's grace, a full victory was achieved. We have
seen the Assembly Committee of 1802 expanding, in
1816, into a Board, with enlarged powers. Its efficiency
■was nevertheless crippled by the opposition of the " lib-
*Dr. Baiid'a History, pp. 268-308, 447-461, 49<)-t9(). Tlie line of
argument pursued, in the Assembly of 1836, against the Ctmrch'a en-
gaging in ihe work of Foreign Mieaions, iUustratea the natui'e of the
struggle, ajid fill" the readev with equal astonishment and Horrow. It
■was denied that the Assembly had any authority to undertake this work ;
ihat it had received no authorization from the Pceahjteiiea ; that the
command to evangelize the world was given to the Church universal,
which is an unorganized body ; that the Aasembly cannot delegate th*
power of creating missions to any Board ; that, if it does, this is to per-
petuate itself after iis own dissolution ; that the gospel is not sectarian,
^d should not be so exhibited to tbe heathen, etc. See Baird's Eisktry,
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OLD AND NEW SOHOOI. CONTE0YEK8Y. 203
eral" party in the Church; who set to work organizing
local Bocieties, in which some indulgence would be ex-
tended to theological aberrations. These were, in 1832,
consolidated into what was termed " The United Domestic
Missionary Society;" which, in 1826, resolved itself into
" The American Home Missionary Socdety," " planned in
a meeting of delegates from the New England ehurehea,
held in Boston early in the same year." Dr, Absalom
Peters, the determined head of this institution, addi'essed
himseK to the task, which he nnflinchingly pursued, of
absorbing the Aesembly Board, or at least of making it
wholly tributary, -He accordingly, in 1 828, commimieated
his views to the General Assembly. The result, however,
was the adopting, by that body, of a paper reeogiiizing
prerogatives in its own agent that had never been con-
ferred before. A correspondence was then begun between
the two Boards, in which an elaborate argument was at-
tempted to show that they could notco-exist in harmony,
if independent. Dr. Peters next visited Philadelphia, and
succeeded in gaining over to his views Dr. Ely, the Sec-
retary of the Assembly Board. The two laboured to-
gether for the amalgamation of the agencies which' they
represented, upon the basis that fifty directors should be
chosen from the different bodies that should embark in
the scheme, distributed to each in proportion to the num-
ber of ministers upon its roll. This bold proposition was
promptly rejected by the Assembly Board, on the ground
that it had no authority to entertain it, and also fi'om a
deep conviction that "the interests of the Presbyterian
Ohnrch, and the sacred cause of missions, require that the
character and powers of the Board should remain as they
are." In consequence of this resistance, the matter was
not brought before the Assembly at all, and a new system
of tactics was compelled. This was to plant a branch of
the American Society in the "West, at Cincinnati, and to
invite the Assembly to transact its operations in the West
through this branch, as a common agency. This project.
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304- LIFE OF JAMES HKNLEY THORNWELL.
however, failed to secure the approval of the Assembly.
The design evidently was, either to drive the Preshy-
terian Church out of the West, as a field of operations,
or so to contfol her movements that they should be
■wholly subordinate to the interests of Congi-egationalism.
In the Assembly of 1831, a long discussion ensued
upon certain overtures relating to missions in the West;
whicii resulted in a recommendation to all the Western
Synods to correspond with each other, and to agree upon
some plan which should be satisfactory to themselves, and
report the same to the next Assembly. In pursuance of
this advice, a general Convention of these Synods was
held, in November of that yeai', at Cincinnati. After a
week's session, in which various measures were discussed,
the question at issue was definitely settled, in the following
resolution, to the entire and final defeat of all the schemes
of the American Society: "Eesolved, that, under these
circumBtances, tliey deem it inexpedient to propose any
change in the General Assembly's mode of conducting
missions, as they fully approve of 'tliat now in such suc-
cessful operation; and that the purity, peace, and pros-
perity of the Presbyterian Cimrch materially depend on
the active and efficient aid the Sessions and Presbyteries
under it^ care may afford to the Assembly's Boai'd."*
The vigour of the assault upon this particular arm of
the Church will be understood at a glance. It was the
precise spot in which a breach was to be effected in the
Presbyterian Church, and the defences here were to be
carried by storm. With the American Education Society
to train a ministry in the lax theology, and with the
American Home Missionary Society to distribute and
support them in their field of labour, it was simply a
question of time to trample the Confession of Faith in the
dust, to lay prostrate the whole constitution and order of
the Church, and to render the entire Presbyterian Church
the bound vassal under New England theology and New
* Dr. Baird's History, pp. 3U>-32(i, 370-388.
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OLD AND NEW SCHOOL CONTROTERBT, 205
England control. The instinct of life alone preserved her
from surrendering, just where defeat would have been
fatal.
Such were the issues, both in doctriue and poHty, by
which the Presbyterian Church was agitated; widening
with the diBcuseion of every pt^sing year, and finding no
solution but in open disruption. The doctrinal contro-
versy w^ brought to a head, in the trial of Rev. Albert
Barnes; which waa accepted on both sides as a test eaae,
and to which, therefore, an extraordinary' interest was at-
tached. Certain views announced by him as early as
1828, in a sermon, entitled, "The "Way of Salvation," led
to resistance, in the Presbytery of Philadelphia, to hia
settlement as a pastor within its bonnds. The case went
up through the Synod, and came, by reference, before the
Assembly of 1831. It waa disposed of by a minute, cen-
suring the sermon of Mr. Barnes as " containing a num-
ber of nngiiarded and objectionable passages;" but ac-
cepting his own explanation of the same, and deciding
that the Presbytery ought to suspend all further proceed-
ings. Thus ended Mr, Barnes's first trial. In 1835,
however, he was a second time prosecuted, by the Kev.
Dr. George Junkin, upon charges based upon alleged
en'Ors in his " Commentary on Romans," recently issued
from the press. By reason of various delays, it did not
reach the Assembly till 1836, when Mr. Barnes appealed
from the condemnatory sentence of the Synod, and waa
sustained in it by the decision of the Assembly. This
decision, in a confessedly .test c^e, was regarded as fixing
the doctrinal complexion of the Church, and determined
the orthodox upon vigorous measm-es of reform.
The utter disi'egard of constitutional principles which
now exhibited itself in the highest court of the Church,
led to another flagrant outrage; which was the creation
of what was appropriately designated an " Elective Affin-
ity Presbytery," in the Synod of Philadelphia, and against
its remonstrances; which consisted of certain enumerated
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206 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOStlJWELL.
8 and «lmrches thrown together because of their
docti'inal sympathies, and irrespective of geographical
boundaries. Still worse, in order to place this Presbytery
beyond the reach of Synodical .aotion, it was erected,
witli two others of like sentiments, into the Synod of'Del-
aware. Thus was not only a secure asylum provided for
tliose who were unsound in the faith, but a fit instrument
was created for licensing candidates who would elsewhere
be rejected, and sending them fqrth with clean papers to
demand admission iato every otlier Presbyteryin the land.
Clearly, it was high time to act, for each year saw the
sound and evangelical portion of the Church drifting
under the power of a majority becoming larger and lai--
ger by means the most uneerupulons.
The natiire of the steps necessary to recover the Ohm-ch
from her deep declension had been foreshadowed as early
as 1831, in an overture from the Synod of Pittsburgh, to
tlie effect "that every Chm'ch Session and Presbytery be
required to keep a book, in which the following formula
shall be recorded, viz. : I, A. B., do sincerely receive and
adopt the Confession of Faith and Catechisms of tlie
Presbyterian Church, according to the plain and obvious
meaning of the words in which they are expressed," etc.;
and " that any Synod, Presbytery, minister, or elder, 3-e-
fnsing to comply with the above conditions, shall be con-
sidered as renouncing the jurisdiction of the Presbyterian
Church, and consequently no longer to be considered in
connexion with that body." In July, 1833, a conference
was held of certain gentlemen in Ohio, which addressed
to the General Assembly of tlie following year, what is
known as "Tlie "Western Memorial," testifying against
nine apeciiied doctrinal en-ors, and urging the repeal of
the Plan of Union, and of any special arrangement with
the Congregational clinr'ches. During the session of the
Assembly, in 1834, a conference was held, at which the
famous "Act and Testimony" was drawn np, of which
the Pev. Dr. R. J. Breckinridge was the author, who, as
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OLD AND NEW SCHOOL CONTK0VER8Y. 207
an elder from Kentucky, had three years before signalized .
himself as a champion of sound doctrine and constita-
tional order. This paper, after the enumeration of doc-
trinal errors, and suggesting measures for their rcpreeaiou,
■closed with the recom.mendation of a convention, to be
held the next year, to "deliberate and consult on the
present state of the Church, and to adopt &ivih meafiures
as may be best suited to restore her prostrated standai-ds."
At this convention a careful memorial was prepared, iden-
tical with the "Act and Testimony," which received a
measure of consideration from the Assembly, and raised,
in some, the hope of ultimate reform. It was a hope ex-
cited only to be blasted. The Assembly of 1836 was the
most radical of all that had preceded; and, as we have
seen, the acquittal of Mr, Barnes dashed the expeeta;tion8
of the most sanguine to the ground. In 1837, for the
&st time in several consecutive years, the orthodox party
found itself in a small majoi-ity. The memorials and tes-
timonies of preceding years had not been without effect
in arousing the supine, and in convincing those who had
heretofore been sceptical as to the extent of the danger
in which the Church stood. The business of reform was
brought before this body in an able " Testimony and
Memorial," from the pen of Dr. Breckini-idge, mating
sixteen specifications as to false doctrine, which have been
already transcribed in this chapter, and proposing the
immediate abrogation of the Flan of Union, the discoun-
tenancing of tlie American Education and Home Mis-
sionary Societies, and other measures lilcely to promote
discipline and sound government. Fending the discussion
upon this paper, committees were appointed from both
sides, to agree, if possible, upon an amicable separation;
which, having failed, the vote wae taken upon the abro-
gation of the Flan of Union, which passed by a majority
of thirty-three. It was then carried, that, by this abro-
gation, the four Synods of Utica, Geneva, Genessee, and
"Western Iteaerve, which were founded upon this platform,
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208 ilFE OF JAME3 HENLEY THOKNWELL.
"are, and are hereby declared to be, no longer a part of the
PreBbyterian Ohuvch in the United States of America,"
This actionhas been assailed asnnconatitntional and severe,
and ae reacHng, by one sweeping le^lative decree, an evil
that should have been redressed by judicial process. But
if anything wae dearly demonstrated, it was the utter fu-
tility, in the existing state of the Church, of brmging any
party to public trial on charge of heresy. The cases of
Barnes, Beecher, Dtiffield,.Sturdevant, and Kirby, were
all on record as warnings of this fact. Besides, the error
to be reached was so diffused- as almost to defy prosecu-
tion by its universality; and in the districts which were
covered by the operation of the Plan of Union, the guilty
were safe in the mutual protection of each other, and
process could not be begun in the courts having imme-
diate jurisdiction. If, too, the Plan of Union was estab-
lished by a legislative act, it could ex cequali be 1
tively declared null and void, as unconstitutionally c
in the first instance.* Of course, as soon ae the platform
was sti-iclien away upon whicli tliey rested, the Presby-
teries and Synods that were erected upon it as a basis
naturally and necessarily fell through.
The last struggle, however, remained which was to
test the Assembly's power to enforce its own decree. In
the following year, 1838, the commissioners from these
" exscinded" Synods presented themselves with their cre-
dentials. No sooner had the opening prayer been offered
than Dr. Patton arose, with certain resolutions in his
hand. The Moderator, adhering closely to the rules,
pronounced him out of order, since, until the roll was
reported of those with regular commissions, there was
no house to deliberate. Dr. Patton appealed from the
chair to the house. The Moderator replied, there was
no house to appeal to. The scheme was to intrude these
excluded commissioners upon the house before the organ-
'b Pastoral Letter, from the pen of Dr. Alexander ; Di-
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(ILD AND NEW BCHOOL CONTEOTEESY. 209
ization; and failing in this, to organize the minority as
the Assembly, and to supersede it. Being defeated by
the tact and firmness of the Moderator, the only resource
was to organize in a tumultuous way, in the midst of tho
business of the Assembly, by a loud call from Mr. Oleaue-
land, in the body of the house, upon Dr. Beman to take
the ehair. This gentleman stepped into the aisle, where,
in the utmost confusion, the throng about him responded
to several questions, and the .whole party retired to or-
ganize in another building. The disruption was effected.
The. Old and the New Schools were now distinctly apart ;
and those who stood by the Constitution of the Church,
in a strict intei-pretation of her symbols of doctrine and
principles of goyernment, rejoiced in a great deliverance.
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CHAPTER XT.
POLEMIC CABEER BEGUN.
PeOVIDBNTIAI. TRilNING FOR HI3 FoIURG WoKK. — MeMBEB OF Af«EKBI.Y
IN 1837. — INSIBK View op thit CoTTNcit..— GBinuii, Swtino o? the
Chdgoh. — Tebtimony bbfobe the Synod. — Tbiot Publication.^
Lbttes op Gondoi,ence. — CiiiUiii Back to tbh Coltj30e. — His De-
cision Anhoiinoed. — Pastoral IIelation Dissolted. — Assumes thb
Chaplainqy in ibe'Colleob.
DR. THORNWELL was licensed in the fall of 1834,
and was ordained the following spring. His ministry
opened, therefore, joet as the two parties in the Church
were marshalling their forces for the iinal struggle. His
was not the temperament to remain a hstlese spectator of
these movements. Endowed with all the nataral charac-
teristics of a leader, his place could not he other than in
the front. His intense love of truth, simply as truth,
made him regardless of considerations merely prndential.
As we have seen, too, his first religious impresaions were
derived from a motiier whose teachings were strongly
Calvinistic; apd his determination to the Presbyterian
Church was through a casual introduction to the West-
minster Confession, at the time his first serious investi-
gations in religion were set on foot. His future work
was to ho that of a reformer, in an age of groat spiritual
declension; and Divine Providence chose to cast him, at
the outset, into the mould of those venerable symbols
■which most accurately defined the faith of tlie universal
Church.
The distant South was fortunately too far removed
from New England to be easily manipulated ; and the
Presbyterian] em which existed there was of that stm'dy
Scotch tjpL, whifh had pro^'cd itself so competent around
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212 LIFK OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
Pittsburgh to enter the lists with error. His first ap-
pearance in tliis conflict was as a member of the famona
Assembly of 1837, in whose proceedings, however, he
took no conspicuous part. He did not appear in the
body until the ninth day of its sessions, and therefore had
no hand in the Convention which preceded it, nor in pre-
paring the Hemorial and Testimony that shaped its de-
liberations. The modesty of youth kept him in the
background; especially since, as he afterwards expressed
it to his friend Br. Breckinridge, there were others in the
lead who were doing the work bravely and well. Tlie
following extracts from letters, written at the tinae, reveal
the deep interest he felt in the proceedings, and give also
an inside view of the same:
" PaiLADELPEii, May 36, 1S37.
"Mr Vers Deas Witb: After momy delays and unforeeeen. hm-
dranoes, I reaohed tJiis dty about four o'dook this afternoon. « • *
* * I just reaohed here at the point of time for tbe agitating ciuestions
that will oome up before ue. Mr. Robert J. Breckinridge gaTe notice
this evening, that he ironid introduce a motion to-morrow for the ap-
pointment of a committee, to consist of eijual members of both parties,
for the purpose of devising the most peaceable mode of dividing tie
Presbyl*rian Ohuroh. I have no doabt but that this Asserably ^iU
settle all the difflcultiea of the Church. We shall, in all probability,
get rid of the New School men, and be enabled hereafter to preach and
propagate the gospel without moleatation or controversy. Men, who
heretofore have been moderate, are now taking high ground. The im-
portance of the qnestiona at issue begins to be ganerfilly felt. • « «
• « f "[i^g results of this Assembly may and will be felt to the end
of time. The future hiatory of the Presbyterian Church will depend,
under God, upon the measures adopted now, by the highest of her judi-
oatories. there should be much prayer, much study of the Scriptures,
and much watohfulnesa over our words and thongtts. May the Lord
preside in all our deliberations, and order all things so as to promote
His glory, in the up-building of Zion and the spread of the tmth. • ♦ •
" Your affeotionate husband,
J. H. THOBHwam.."
In another letter, of date June 5th, he writes :
"The vote was taken to-day on esoluding the Synods of Utica, Geneva,
and Genessee, whioh, with the Synod of Western Reserve, will make
four Synods that have been excluded from the Church. They never.
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POLEMIC CAREER BEGUN. 313
n al y ami regularly, formed a part of the Chucoh, and therefore
was n ha dsb p fo aay so. We shall probably dissolve the Third
P esb of Philadelphia aad the Presbytery of Wilmington, whioh
w f xm d up n the Elective Affinity principle ; and then cite to the
ba h nei A serably such other ecclesiastical bodies as are reported
to be ansouud. The work of reform seems to go on prosperously ; tlie
iMid has opened up an unexpected door of deliverance to His people.
I know that yon feel anxious abont me, that jou entertain fears about
my temper and spirit, Yott may make yoniaelf easy on these points.' I
have not opened ray mouth in the AsBembly or Conyention, except to
give a vote, and I do not expect to do so. I have sought constantly guid-
ance and direction from the Lord ; and though I am conscious of much
sin and imperfeotion, yet I have endeavoured, in the sti'engUi of Divine
grace, to discharge my duties faithfully. I have been deeply grieved
and hnmbled at the spirit which has been too frequently manifested in
this body ; and in the midst of the exoitement, and the mutual leorimi-
nation and personality, which have heen too freely indulged, I haye
often wished myself at home, where I oould enjcy the peace and comfort
,of my own family. The Lord has shown me, in the proceedings of thie
Geileral Assembly, that there is no confidence to be placed in mac ; that
the best of us are weak and erring mortals, who cannot see afar oS. I
l^joice, however, that the agitating subjects, on which we have hereto-
fore been employed, are drawing to a close. We will soon be engaged
in more peaceful and quiet business, unless the members who have been
excluded should undertake to disturb oar deliberations. The spectators
wjio have attended our deliberations have behaved, in several instances,
very anoourteously. We h 1 / .ssad f m th galleries three or
four times to-day. Our NwShlbthn to many instances,
have made their speeches ly t th g 11 m ther words, then-
object seems to have been to p d Pi' unp ession against the
orthodox. They have treat d th q t n hi h oame up before us
■with a great deal of unfair ail n bur petin the General
Assembly would convince y mind th t th t p ies ought never
to meet again in the same b d Ih y h nfidenee in one an-
other ; they ai'e wide apart pxit p j 1 d d trines ; and no-
thing but confusion and diso d an Itf mthub ngunited." " "
Such a eehiam, aa described in the preceding chapter,
could not but shake the Church, from its centre to its (lir-
CHmfereoce. In all parts of the land, were to be fonnd
many who were disaffected to those meaeures by which
the rupture had been produced; some, perhaps, because
themselves tainted with the prevalent unsoundness in
doctrine, but many more influenced by mere sympathy
with the excluded Synods, and who regarded the abr<i-
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214 LIFE OF JAMEB HENLKl- THOKNWELL,
gation of the Plan of Union as the violation of a covenant,
and as having been accomplished in an extra-constitu-
tional, if not unconstitutional, way. The sifting of the
two parties, throughout the whole country, could only be
gradually secured. In some places, after the disruption
and formation of two rival Assemblies, there was a dis-
position in Presbyteries and parts of Presbyteries to hang
undecided between the two. It became necessai'y, there-'
fore, to push the question, until the position of every one
in the Church should be definitely ascertained. Accord-
ingly, the Afisembly of 1838 passed an Act, enjoining upon
all Presbyteries in its connection to take order in tlie
premises for the general reform and pacification of the
Church, and to do so between the dissolution of that As-
sembly and the fall meetings of the Synods,
It so happened that, witliin the bounds of the Synods
of South Carolina and Georgia, some dissatisfaction with
these Reform measures did exist, though confined to but
one locality in either State. "When this Synod met, in
the autumn, Mr. Thornwell presented the following papor,
which was adopted by that body by a vote of forty-nine
to eight :
" Wheraaa, disipntaa and eontentiona, wiicli have euiBtad among the
members of the Preabj tarian Chai'ob, have reaultei in a diyision of out
uommuuion into two denominaiiona, differing from each other, be we
suppose, oa topics of f^th, involving eaaential elemeats of the Goapel
plan ; and whereas, it is the duty of all the courts of tho Church to con-
tend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints ; we, as a Synod,
(eel Galled upon, in the present crisis of onr eeelesiastical affairs, to
bear this, our solemn testimony, for the truth as it is in Jesus, in oppo-
^tiou to the errors and heresias which are now abroad in tha land-
" 1. It is a fundamental article of the Christian faith, that the gnilt
of Adam's flrat sin is imputed to all his posterity, desoeaded from him
by ordinary generation, so that they are born in a state of condamaa-
tjoa and depcavitj ; that this impufiition is immediate aad direct, having
no reference to their subsequent oonourrence in his sin by voluntary
transgresBion, but founded solely upon the fact, that he was constituted,
by the sovereign appointment ot God, their federal head and reprasen-
"2. It is a fundamental doctrine of the Gospel, that Jesus Christ
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iUN. 215
■was actually the substitute of a ahdaen seed ; that He aesuined their le-
gal reaponEibilities, and rendered a trne and proper satisfaction to Divine
jnBtiee on their behalf, by enduring tbe peualty of the law in their uame
and al«ad ; that the obedience and death of Christ constitute the aloce
ground of a aioner's acceptance before God, and that ' to all those for
whom Obrist patohased redemption, He doth, certainly and effectnally
apply and oommunioate the same.'
"3. The inability of the sinner to comply with the demands of the
Divine law, to believe tbe Gospel, or to eseroise any holy affection, is
absolute and entire ; so that regeneration is eSected alone by the direct
and immediate agency and power of God the Spirit ; the subject of
this work of grace being passive, in respect lo the vital operation of re-
newing the heart. We tjelieve, moreover, that the saving grace of God
is always e£B.cacious and invincible, and it« final trimnph sure.
" 4, We believe that the form of doctrine usually called Hopkinsian-
ism, though a milder fona of erroi flian Taylorism, or Pelagianism, is
inconsistent with the Presbyterian standards ; and if fully carried out
in ite conseqnenoes and results, is utterly destructive of the fundamen-
tal principles of the Gospel.
" H. This ia our solemn testimony of the truths of the Gospel, And
for tbe satisfaction of those brethren who have been perplexed with
anxiety and doubt inr«gard to the theological instruction which is given
in our Seminary, we, the members of this Synod, including tbe Profes-
sors of the Theological Seminary, do plei^e ourselves, that no contrary
doctrine shall be taught in the aeminary, or ia oar pulpits ; and that, as
profeaaora and ministers, we will endeavour to guard our pupils and
hearers against all tbe heresies oonde.iiuod in tbis testimony."
He was at this time not qiiite twenty-six years of age,
and had been but a few months a Professor in the South
Carolina Oollege, wlien his influence began to he felt thus
in tbe councils of the Church. In 1840, when, it will he
remembered, he was settled as a pastor in the town of
Columbia, his zeal for the spread of orthodox views was
displayed in another direction. He conceived the project
of publishing a series of tracts, chiefly the reproduction of
the wi'itings of the old divines, relying upon their sale to
meet the expenses of publication. Such a scheme, how-
ever, requires an energetic agency for the purpose of dis-
tribution, for want of which this particular enterprise fell
through, after issuing two of the series. The first was aij
extract from the writings of Traill ; the other was a bro-
chure from his own pen, on Election and Reprobation,
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2X0 LIFK OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWF.LL.
which will be found in the second volume of his works.
This sclieoie is brought to view in the following letter to
hia friend and brother-in-law, Dr. J. J, Wardbiw, of Abbe-
vnie, S. 0. :
" CowiMBii, Felrriiary li, 18+0.
" Mt Dbab Sib : I write yoix at present for the purpose of enlisting
yonr interest in belialf of sn enterprise in which I am warmly engaged,
and for which I feel a lively oonoarn. After muoh deliberation, I have
deternjined to pnblist a series of theological tracts on ihe fundamental
doctrines of the Gospel, selected from the writings of standard orliodox
divines, if the sale will cover the expenses. The first of the series,
which is a letter of the Kev. Bobert Traill, vindieating the doctrine of Jns.
tiflcation from the nnjust charge of Antinomianism, ia now in the press,
and will be ready for delivery in a few days. . It is printed in ootavo
form, and will consist of upwards of thirty pages, and will be sold at
twenly-five cents per copy. If it should fail to pay for itself, the whole
project will be abandoned. Now, I am ansious that you should see Dr.
Barr, and get him to interest himself in ihe matter. He can do much,
if he can only be brought to take an active part in the matter. He
knows that Buoh things are desperately needed. "We have had a national
religion long enough. We want something or. the peculiar and distin-
guishing doctrines of the Gospel. Xon can teli him that the tracts are
intended to be after the ' most straitest sect' of ancient Preshyterianism ;
for they will be selected from the writings of the divines of the seven-
teenth and eighteenth centuries. I wish all yonr ministers and people
in Abbeville District eould be waked up, and made to take a lively in-
terest in the spread of unadulterated truth. I do not ask for contribu-
tions ; I barely ask that they would buy the tracts and read them.
" We were very sorry to hear that your dear little son has had to fare so
■uncomfortably. You begin to know now something of the ailxieties of
a father. I pray that the Ijord may give you grace to discharge faithfully
and acceptably the solemn and interesting duties of that relationship.
At such times, when such serioub obligations are crowding upon us, we
should seek the special favour and assistance of God. He only can
make us a bleesiog to our children, and them a blessing to us, and to
Uie world, Sotis -eeTbum sapienli « « • lours sincerely,
J. H, T'hobbweli,. "
The following letter is addressed to hia friend and for-
mer patron, General James Gillespie, and reveals him as
a "son of eonsolation :"
"Columbia, October Srei?, 1840,
" Mr Vekz Deab QBKBKii. ; The mournful event which has recently
ocduired jn your sister's family,* has produced a deep impression upon
* Death of the eldest son.
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POLEMIC CAKEEE BEGUN. 217
my mind. It is one of those riddles in the diapanaatioTi of Divine Provi-
dence which baffles the wisdom of the wisest, and brings the most care-
less to reflection. My Jieart has hied, as I thonght of the blasted hopes
and disappointed expectations of a fond mother. I know that she hsii
looked npon him as, in. some measure, the head of the family, and was
preparing to lean upon him as the prop of her declining years ; bnt in
a moment, the bright anticipations of a parent's heart are shrouded in
the darkness of cheerless despair. I could well conceive the agony of
that dreadful moment, wheii all the hopes of his recovery were found to
be delusive, and the awfal certainty of death was irresistibly felt. It
was, indeed, a moment of fiery trial ; and I am. serionsly apprehensive
that the shook has been too great for your sister's frame. But I rejoice
that she is in the hands of a merciful God, and most sincerely pray that
Ha may preserve her from all temptation to distrust His goodness, or
murmur at His ways. Though ' clouds and darkness are ronnd about
Him, righteousness and truth are still the habitation of His throne.' It
should always be a sufficient argument to reooncile our minds to any
proceeding, however mysterious, that it is the Lord's doing ; and since He
is as merciful as He is wise, we may rest assured that He doth not -will-
ingly afflict, nor grieve the ohildren of men. Onr times of trial are
limes of temptation ; and ptecious is that faith whioh loses nothing hut
its dross in the heat of the farnaoe.
" I know that your own feelings have been deep and strong, I sym-
pathize most heartily and unfeignedly with you ; and should mnch re-
joice to see you, that I might walk with you through these deep waters
of affliction. Oh ! how it endears the Saviour, when the cords which
"bind ns to life are successively snapping asunder, and leaving nothing in
time bnt a dreary prospect of desolation ! Every day I am becoming
more and more convinced of the utter vanity of the creature. I feel
that God is the only adequate portion of the soul ; and I endeavour to
sit loose to all the things of earth. Every death reminds us that the
distance between time and eternity is very short, and that the Judge
stands ovei' at the door. Our highest wisdom is to be always ready,
' ' My church is growing ; the congregation has been almost doubled,
and the Lord has accompanied the truth in several instances with re-
markable ontpourings of the Spirit. My people are devoted to me. To
a man they will bitterly protest against the eiforts of the Board to carry
me back to the College. In regard to that matter, I am in a perpleiing
strait. I know not what to do ; but I have no doubt of being directed
by Him who has promised to give wisdom to those who ask. When first
solicited, I positively and unconditionally declined ; but when urgent
entreaties came from different individuals in different parts of the State,
I felt bonnd to pause and consider ; and there the matter rests.
" Yours as ever, J, H. TnoEHwEtj.."
His restoration to the College, aUnded to above, was
the great turning-point in his career. Having occupied
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218 LIFE OF JAMBS HBNLKT THOKNWELL.
the chair of Metaphysics, with great acceptance, during
the year 1838 and 1839, he had been pressed in conscience
to resign, in order that, as a minister of the gospel, he
might preach the Word. For one year (1840) he filled
the pastorate of the Columbia ohurcli, with the results
detailed in the preceding letter. The election, however,
of the Rev. Dr. Elliott, to the Episcopal Diocese of Geor-
gia, left vacant the chaplaincy of the College, together
with the professorship of Sacred Literature, to which it.
was united. All eyea, not only in the Board, but also in
the State, were turned to Mr, Thomwell, as a most suit-
able siiccesBor, Amongst the loose papers which he left-
behind, is a carefully prepared " Statement of Reasons,"
for and against the proposed transfer; showing how anx-
iously he surveyed the whole ground, and with what con-
scientiousness a decision was finally reached. This deci-
sion was formally announced in a commnnication to tho
congregation, from which a single extract will suf&ce;
which we give simply because it covers a principle which
he had occasion to apply at other critical periods of his
life, and upon which he always laid a peculiar emphasis :
" The general principle upon which I acted — and I think
that the principle will commend itself to your judgment — ■
was this: that the dispensations of Providence are in-
tended for our guidance and direction, whenever they do
not come into collision with the express and implied pre-
cepts of the Word of God. In all other cases they are
designed to try us, hut in these to lead us, being unam-
biguous intimations of the Divine will. In the present
instance you are familiar with the facts, and can apply
the principle. • • « * Guided by this principle,
and from a spirit, as X trust, of obedience to God, I con-
sented, after a long and painful struggle, and after much
earnest prayer, to accept the appointment which was
unanimously tendered to me. I can truly say, with Paul,
that ' I go bound in the Spirit,' " etc.
In January, 1841, the pastoral relation was accordingly
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ivs. 219
dissolved, and he entered upon hia duties immediately as
chaplain in the OoUege, and a seoond timo iilling a Pro-
fessor's chair witliin the same. It is a little cnrioua, how
often the station we are called to fill in life differs from that
we would ourselves have chosen. A series of providential
events, through a succession of years, shuts up a man to
academic life, who, three years before, could writo, upon
the occasion of his &"8t appointment, " I confess that it is
not the situation of my choice. I had rather he the pastor
of a church than to be the most distinguished Professor
of whom the world could boast." The position, however,
wliich he now filled, gave to him the cure of souls, in
which the scruples of his conscience and the longings of
his lieart were ahlie satisfied. The interruption of his
labours in his new calling, and the voyage to Europe for
the recovery of health, have already been recited.
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,db, Google
CHAPTER XVT.
THE BOARD QUESTION.
DiHOOSBIONB ABOtn THB BOABDS OF THE CsUKOH. — ElSBS 0
PSEYIOHB OOBTBOTEHai. — DEBiTB IN SiSOD.— INCIDENT IN
■ — FiEST Wbtttbn Attace'on teie BoASDe. — Aetiole O]
Second AbIiclb on thk Boakds. — Letcers on the Siiua Stjbjeot.
IT has been stated, in a preceding chapter, that most of
tho discnssiona in which Dr. Thornwell was engaged,
wore a 8ort of remainder from the original controversy by
which the Church was rent, in 183T-'8. The lir&t that
emerged into view was the discussion about Boards.
During the period wlien the Church was brought under
a species of vassalage to Congregationalism, the great
National Societies, which usui'ped her functions, con-
ducted their operations by the agencty of Boards. The
Chnrch had become familiar with that mode of action ;
and when the effectual blow was sti-uck for her emanci-
pation, this was supposed to be fully accomplished, when
these national organizations were disowned. The great
principle upon which the argument turned, that tho
ChiU'ch, in her organized form, must do her own work,
was supposed to bo satisfied, when Boards exactly anala-
gous were established by the Church herself, as the agents
by whom her will was to be carried out. It could not be
long, however, before it was perceived that the above-
named cai'dinal principle nmat be extendi^d further : tliat
a Boai'd, consisting of many members, distributed over a
large territory, to wliom her evangelistic functions were
remitted, did not satisfy tlio idea of the Church acting in
lie]' own capacity, and under tlie rules which the Consti-
221
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232 LIFE OF JAMES
tution prescribed for her guidance. Df, Tliornwell was
one of those who planted themselves firmly against their
continnance in the Chnrch. It is not the business of the
biographer to discnsa liis views, but only to afford bim
the opportunity of presenting them. It may be remarked,
however, that he wae not opposed to combined or united
action on the part of the Church, but only insisted that
the central agency should be simply executive: the mere
instrument by which the A&serably acts, and not an agent
standing in the place of the Assembly, and acting for it.
The first occasion on which he publicly developed bis
Tiews was at the meeting of the Synod of South Carobna
and Georgia ; where a stitf debate was held upon the prin-
ciples involved, and in which the Rev. Thomas Smyth,
D. D., of Charleston, S. 0., was his chief antagonist. An
incident is related of this debate, so characteristic of the
man, that it deserves to be recorded. In the heat of the
disc\ission, he auifered himself to be borne beyond tlie
bounds of strict propriety. The old spirit of invective
and sarcasm, which later years bo perfectly subdued,
manifested itself in expressions a little too scornful of his
opponent, and the impression was not pleasant upon tlie
house. It so happened that his speech closed exactly at
the hour of recess at noon, and there wae no opportunity
for rejoinder. Immediately upon re-assembhng, he arose
and apologised in handsome terms for the discoui'tesy into
which he had been betrayed, and deelai-ed his profound
esteem for the learning, ability, and piety of his adversary.
It was done so spontaneously, and with such evident sin-
, cerity,that criticism was completely disarmed; and there
was a universal feeling of admiration for the magnanimity
and eovu'age wliich could so fully redeem & fault.
This discussion i^ thus referred to in the first of many
letters it will be our pleasure to transcribe, addressed to
Dr. R. J. Breckinridge, vrith whom he was thoroughly
associated in the discussion of all these Church ques-
tions :
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THE BOARD QUESTION. 223
" GotnMBiA, Decemier 17, 1840.
"Ebt. and Dear Sik: Above you have a draft on theCommei'cialBank
of Penoaylvauia for seventy dollars. I endeavouted to procure one on
soma of the banks of Baltimore, but could not suooeed. You will pleaae
apply Uie money to the Evangolioal ohuroh at Lyons, and tie Theolo-
gical Seminary at Geneva. I read to my people the correBpoudenoe he-
tween your ohuroh and that of Lyons, and between yourself and 3. H.
Merle d'Aubigne; and without any other solicitation than what is oon-
tained in your Magazine, they made up among themselves the amouub
forwarded- It is but a pittance, but still it is a free-will offering. You
may give half to the ohuroh and half to the Seminary.
Yon will probably he&r esaggerated aooounta of the diaoussion in onr
Synod on the subject of Boards and Agencies. Jor your February
number, I intend to send you a dooumeut which I have carefully pre-
pared upon this Bubjeot, aud which has received the sanction of a very
respectable minority among us. I would have sent it to you before;
but affliction in jay family, combined with other circumstances which
it is useless lo mention, prevented me from complying with the promise
which I made in Philadolphia
" Your ainoere friend and Cbriutian brother,
J. H. Tbobnwell. "
This was followed, a montb later, with a fuller expo-
Eition of hia views on the same euhjeet, in a letter ad-
1 also to Dr. Breckinridge :
L, Ja-mmry 27, 1841.
" Rev. and Deab Sib r I have detained my manuscript in my hands
much longer than. I had any idea of doing, when I wrote to you before.
My object in the delay haa been to copy it; but day after day has
passed over, and I have been Bo constantly occupied that I have had
no time for the drudgery of re-writing it. I send it to you, therefore,
■with all the imperfections of a. flrat draft. It was written before the
meeting of our Synod, with the view of presenting it to that body, and
in their name sending it as a memorial to the AsEembly. Tliis, how-
ever, was not done. I submitted the manuaoript to a few members of
Synod, who cordially concurred in its leading statements. My ob-
ject in publislking it is not to gain a point, but fo elicit discussion. I
believe that the Boards will eventually prove our masters, unleiss they
are crushed in their infancy. They are founded upon a radical mis-
conception of the true nature and extent of eoclesiastioal power ; and
they can only be defended, by running into the principle against which
the Beformers protested, and for which the Oxford divines are now
zealously contending. This view of the subject ought to have been
enlarged on more fully than has been done in the article, because the
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22i LIFE OF JAMES HENLKY THORNWELL.
principle involved in, it is of vital iniportanoe ; but I thougM it better
to reserve a full disouBsioa of it for Bome aubsequent article.
"There is a fact connacted with the inflaeiioe of tte Boards that
speaks volumes against Qiem, A few men in the Church have prestimed
to question the wisdom of their organization. These men are met with
a nniveraal cry of denunoiation from all parts of the land. If, in thoiv
infancy, they (the Boards) oan thus brow-beat discuBsion, what may we
not expect from them in the maturity of manhood ?
" It is not to be diHgTiised, that our Church is becoming deplorably
secular. She has degenerated from a spiritual body into a mere petty
corporation. 'When we meet in our ecclesiastical courts, instead of at-
tending to the spiritual interests of God's kingdom, we soaxcelj do any-
thing mote than e^ramine and audit acconnts, and devise ways and means
for raising money. We are for doing God's work by human wisdom and
hnman poUcy ; and what renders the evil still more alarming, is that so
few are awake to the real state of the ease. Your MagSiaine is the only
paper in the Church that oan be called a faififul witness for the truth.
I do sincerely and heartily thank God for the large meflsure of grace .
■which He has bestowed upon jiom. I regard the prinoiples which yon.
advocate of so much importacoe, ihat I could make any saerifloe of com-
fort or of means, consistent with other obligations, to aid and support
you,
"I rejoice that you remember me and my poor labours in your
prayers. My field of labour in the College is arduous and trying ; but
God has given me the oscendenoy among the students. I have an in-
teresting prayer-meeting and a Bible-olass, My sermons on Sunday are
very seriously bstened to , and I have socceeded m awaking a strong
interest in the evidences of our lehgion
"I have formed the plan of pubhshing an edition of 'Butler's An
alc^,' with an analjsis of eaoh chapter, a general view of the whole
argument, and a speoial consideration of the glaiiiig defects in the
statement of Christian doctime, with which the book abounds. It is a
subject on whioh I have spent much patient thought, and on which I
feel somewhat prepared to wiit*. What think you of the soheme ? If
you shotild favour it, any suggestions from you would be gratefully re-
ceived. At some future day— I shall not venture to fli the time— you
may expect an artiole from me on Natural Theology. I have been care-
fully collecting materials on the subject, and shall embody them, in a re-
view of ' PBley"s Theology, ' Bell and Brougham's edition.
" In regard to the article on Boards,* I give you leave to abridge,
amend, correot, wherever yon deem it necessary. If you can conve-
niently do BO, I would be glad to have you return the raanusoript, as I
have no copy of it.
" Sincerely yours, J. H. Thobnweli,. "
* This article appeared in the Baltimore IMerary and Religious Maga-
mie, in 1841. It will be found in the fourtii volume of his oolleoted
■writings.
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THE BOAED QUESTION. 225
A little earlier than this, his opinions on this and kin-
dred topics are given in a letter addressed to the Kev.
John Douglas, one of his bosom &iends thi'ougli life:
" CoLTJMBii, AugvM i, 1840.
" My Dbib Brother ; I received jout letter ot inquiry, -warning, and
rebuke, a few days ago ; and was not a little amused at the apprehen-
eions whioh you eipreesed in relatioQ to tlie reetitu^ (I use the word in
its priinitiTa aoeeptatioo) of my course. If I were diepoeed at this
time, I might break a lanoa witk you on. the great principle which jou
have asBUnied, as axiomatio in relation to the use of reason in matters of
reiigions worship. I ehaU just refer you. to the second question in th»
"Shorter Catechism," with ita answer, for the only rale of pracUae as
■well ae faith i aad the anewere to the one hundred and eighth and the one
hundred and ninth qnesttons of the " Lvger Oateuhism," for the trae
ground on which all the inventions of man, no matter how reasonable,
are l» be disapproved, detested, and opposed. And if I am singular, at
the present day, in maintaining that the Bible is our only rule, and that
where it is silent we have no right to speak, I have the conBolafii,D of
knowing, that I stand on the same ground which was oconpied by Calvin,
ChiUingworth, Owen, and the venerable Assenibly of Divines at West-
minster. I w^nld particularly direct your attention fo ' Calvin's Inati-
tutes,' Book IV, chapters 8th, 9th, 10th, and ilth.
" I am satisfied that there is a dangerous departure, in the present
age of bustle, activity, and vain-glorious enterprise, from the simplicity
of the institutions which Christ haa established for the legitimate action
of the Chareh. He has appointed one set of instrumentalities, and or-
dained one kind of agency in His kingdom ; bnt we have made void His
commandments, in order to establish our own inventions. I believe
that the entire aystem of vohmtary Societies and ecclesiastical Boards,
for religious purposes, is fundamentally wrong. The Churoh, as organ-
ized by her Head, is competent to do all that He requires of her. He
has furnished her with the necessary apparatus of means, officers, and
institutions, in Sessions, Pr^byteriea, Elders, Pastors, and EvangeKsts.
Let us take Presbyterianiam as we have it described in our Form of
Government, and let us carry it out in its true spirit, and we shall have
no use for the sore evil of incorporated BoM'ds, vested funds, and travel-
ling agencies. If- it is wrong to hold these principles, it was certainly
wrong to lay down such a form for the goverment of the Ohureh ; and-
if we do cot intend to eseonte the form, let us cease requiring our
ministera to assent to it. Suohisaskeletonof my views. I should like to
go into a full investigation of the subject with you, but a single letter-
would hardly give room for ftn introduction.
" In relation to Temperance Societies, I am accustomed to draw a dis-
tinction. I regard them as secular enterprises, for temporal good, having
<n whatever with the kingdom of Christ ; a mere embalming
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226 LIFE OF .TAJVIES HENLEY THOENWBLL.
of the corpse to arrest the progress of putrefaction. In this light, I think
it well that the potsherds of the ewth shoiild engage in them. They are
of great serrioe to society. Others regard them as really helps to the cause
of Christy instrumenta of huilding np His kingdom ; that is, as a meana
of graee, tor the tingdom of Christ on earth oonsists ic graoe. In this
sense, I oppose them, baoanse they are not appointed by Christ. Their
true position is among the institutions of oivil society. There I oordially
recommend and encourage them.
" Remember us kindly to Mrs. D., Bad let us have a full chat before
you set me down aa an Antinomian,
" Your friend and brother,
J, H. Thoenweli.."
The nest contribution of his pen was destined to bring
him more conspicuously before the public as a contro-
versialist, and involved him in labours whieh he never
anticipated. It was an article on the Apocrj'pha, vrritten
at Dr. Breekinridge's request, and published in his Maga-
zine in 1841. Being subsequently reprinted in a local
paper in South Carolina, it drew forth a I'eply from Dr.
Lynch, subsequently a Bishop of the Koman Catholic
church in Charleston. Dr. ThornweU's rejoinder ex-
panded into. a book, which was published in 1845, and
enfcitlet! " Homanist Arguments Kefnted." They may all
be found in the third volume of Dr. ThornweU's " Col-
lected Writings." With this preliminaay statement, the
reader will readily imderstand the allusions in the corre-
spondence which follows, opening with a letter to the
Bev. Dr. Breckim'idge :
" TH C 0 B March 3, ISil.
"Mi DsiB BnoTHEB: A Igty qfl send a short
article on the Canonical A th ih Ap 7ph As I write a
free and open hand, and tJiht mUId t suppose that it
will fill more than two ooJum f h p p th Visitor. I have
■written under some disadva tg Ip mthtt your desire that
I should keep my eye upon the artiole of the Priests, in one of the pa-
pers sent me. This I endeavoured to do, but I had to rely exclusively
upon my recollection of its ooutente, as one of my aerranta destroyed
the paper soon after I received it. Whether my artiole notices all Uiat
was important in their's, I cannot say, I have noticed all tJiat made
sufficient impression npon my mind to be remembered. If what I have
written meets your approbation, and will be of any sort of service Ui
,db, Google
THE BOAKD tJDESTION. 227
you in Has oontroyeraj, ii is at your disposal. I sincerely hope that God
may bring great good out of this uneipected moTement in Baltimore.
" The destruction of tie paper is my esoiise tor not Yerifying iiie
quotationa of the Priests for you. If yon are at any expense in sending
the numbers of the fifsiScr, containing this controversy, I would thank
you to pnt down my name as a sabsoriber for the year. By the first op-
portunity, I wish to send for yonr ' Papism in the Nineteenth Century
in Ihe United States.'
" Praying that God may guide you and bless you in all yonr ways, I
TJpoii his return from Europe, and resumption of his
duties in the College, the diecnesion on the subject of the
Boards was revived. This was occasioned by a reply to
his first article, from the pen of Dr. Smyth. The history
will he developed in the correspondence that follows :
" South Cabolina. Oollbob, Oetober 14, 1841.
' ' My Deak Bbothek : Having recently returned home, I have been
able to accomplish nothing yet. In fact, I have been threatened witti
fever every day since my return. I sent you Paston's tract, ' Beading
no Preftohing,' which 1 have bad copied ; how correctly, I cannot say.
If you think it worth publishing, it is at yonr service. I presume that
Smytk is the reviewer of my article on Boards. I shall soon notice his
lucnbrationB. I have many things to say to you, bnt have not time
aow. May grace, mercy and peace be muJfiplied upon you.
" Your sincere friend,
J. H. T."
To this Dr. Breckinridge replies :
"BaijTimoke, Jfoeember 13, 1841,
"Deae Teohnwei,!. r After a long and painful absence, I roturned to
this city the last of October ; and found here your favour of October
14, with the ti'act inclosed. I will print it in our January number. If
you can, let us have something about your European trip. We and the
public will be glad ; when, and bs you please. Your reply ou the Boards,
{which should cover the whole ground, nearly all which is ginert up in
the long review of yonr article,) should be in time for our spring Pres-
byteries. By the way, there is a deep and wide feeling growing up in
our Oburoh ; and there must be, and will be, a change in our mode of
conducting benevolent operations. The review rather confii'ms me
in my former opinions. The writer seems to consider the hr^f a/nd
tmnual tneetmgt of (he Assembly conolnsive against its doing its work
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228 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL,
peiBonally. Bnl beaii3es the clear distinction batween a small, stoiid-
ing, and respoEHible Committee, and a large, permanent, ill-oocBtitnted,
and virtually irrespoDHible Board, what should forbid the Assembly it-
Beli, or a commission of it, to meet as often, by adjournment, as our
Boards do? none of whioli meet oftener than moatlily ; one, at least
(the Foreign one,) only yearly ; and as fourteen commiasionera, by om
constitntion, mate an Assembly, (and, in point of fact, cot so many as
fourteen persons regularly attend our Boards,) the argument is for ua,
and not for tie ceyiewer. Excuse this. God bless you,
"In much haste and much esteem, yours ever,
K. J. Bbbchineibok."
Three' letters from Dr. Thornwell follow in quick suc-
cession, on the same subject, and addressed to Dr. Breck-
inridge :
' ' Sooth Caeouha Collegb, Janvary 17, 1842.
"My Deak Bkotheb: I am sorry that my reply to Smyth's review
■will not ha ready for the neit number of your Magazine. I shall oom-
menoe writing it to-morrow, and shall easily finish it in a week ; so that
yon will receive it early next month. You may think me very slow in
my motions ; but I have bean waiting for some boots which I purchased
in Europe, and which I have been expecting every day. They have not
yet arrived ; and wind and tide are so uncertain, that I do not know
when Hiey will arrive. Some passages in the review have filled me
with grief and amazement, and show but too plainly that tbe first prin-
riples of eeoleBiastioai polity are not dearly understood among us. The
fundamental fallacy of the whole production, and of the system which
it is designed to uphold, is that the Ohuroh, instead of being the Mn^-
dom, of (he Lord Jasns Ohrist, is really one of Hia counsellors and Hia
covfidenUal agent. This rotten principle is the basis of the whole fabric
of discretionary power, and the multitude of inventions which have
sprung from human prudence. But I have no idea of troubling you
with an argument here, of which you wiU have enough in due time.
I am satisfied that what of aU things we need most, is a revival of pure
religion in all our .churches. The cause of Missions lags, and all our
interests decay, because the Spirit of Life, to a mournful extent, is with-
drawn from our congregations. The Ohureh has almost dwindled down
info a secular corpoi'ation ; and the principles of this world, a mere car-
nal policy, which we have nick-named pi'udenae, presides in our councils.
Until she becomes a spiritual body, and aims at spiritual ends by ap-
pointed means, and mates faith in G!od the impulsive cause of her
efforts, our Zion can never arise and shine, and become a joy and a
praise in the whole earth. It is my fervent prayer that God would bless
ns, and tliat right early. I am satisfied that our Ohureh has a noble des-
tiny to accomplish. With all her defects, I beheve her to be the purest
Church on eartli ; and as I am fully persuaded that our beloved country
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THE BOARD QUESTION. 229
must t&ke tlie lead, and that at oo distant period, in the civilization of
tte world, I would fain hope, that the purest Church in our land mil be
particularly prominent in sending forth the ■waters of salTation, to glad-
den and fertilize the earth. Hence, I am earnestly desirous that she
should be furnished for the enterprise to which I beKeve her to be
called. ******
" You ask me to give some aceoimt of my excursion abroad. Ton will
laugh when I tell you, that the notes which 1 took have nover been writ-
ten out, nor reduced to any kind of order. These are mere memm-atida,
made for my own saijs/acison., and not wortb publiehing. Still, I ■would
cheerfully comply witb your request, if I had the leisure to write them
out ; but in addition to two sermons every Sunday, I am preparing leetnreB
on Natural Theology, and certain branches of Christian Evidences, and
a series of disoovuses on the Inspiration of the Scriptures. These la-
bours are as much as a feeble body can sustmn. Your kind letters were
of great service to me, partioularly ia Glasgow. I loft there your reply
to Wardlaw, and would have had it pubhshed, if Dr. Mitchel had not
di^uaded me from it. In the hope, and with the earnest prayer, that
God may be with you, and abvmd»ntly bless you, I am
" Your sincere friend,
J. H. TEOENWta.1.. "
"SoTJTa GinouNA CouiBOB, Febrtiary 7, 1842,
" Mi Deab Bbotheb ; I send you my reply to Smyth. I am sorry
tiiat I have been obliged to conflne myself to a mere reply to hia argu-
ment. I should have liked to enter into a full and positive vindication
of my own principles, but my article would have been too oufecageouely
protracted. I hope I have said nothing offensive or unchristian. If I
have, please strike it out. I have been obliged to write in mere scraps of
time, and therefore have indulged in repetition, which would be corrected
if I had time to copy. I wish you would take up Boards on the ground of
experience, and show how little they have really aoeompliBhed. I .havo
not the details which are necessary for an ai^ument of this sort. The
thought has occurred to me, that the next General Assembly ought to ap-
point a committee, to take the whole question of Boards into considera-
tion, and report to the succeeding Assembly, Let the committee con-
sist of men on both sides, and let two reports go up, bringing the whole
matter fully before the body. Something must be done. I trust my nr-
ticle may be in time for the Ma^eh number.
"In great haste, I am your sincere friend and brother,
J. H. Thobbweu.."
" Sooth Carotjua Colleqb, Februairy 28, 1843.
"Mt Deab Bbotheb: I received your letter ■this morning, acknow-
ledging the receipt of my manuscript, and of the letter which si
it. In regard to a central agency, I have expressed no opinion, beeause
my object has chiefly been to awaken our Presbyteries to a proper sense
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330 LIFE OF JAMES HECrLES THOENWELL.
of tbeir own responsibilities. WheuBTer tliey ehall imdertate, in good
eamoBt, the wort of the Lord, in eonformilj with the spirit of our sjb-
tern, the details of their plans will not be found, I apprehend, verj hard
to settle. On the present plan, our ohnreiies are not reached ; the whole
body is not, and cannot fae engaged as one man ; Ihe principles of our
polity, by which we are bound together and united into one body, are set
aside ; and we are eridently proceeding ia a method suited only to Uie
lame and orippled oonstitution of the Independents, This clumsy me-
thod I wish to see abandoned ; I want our distinctive principles clearly
brought ont ; and I am. very indilf erent as to the datails by which this
may be done, so that it is effectually done. If a central agency can be
suggested, which shall give us a proper security against error and abuse,
and interfere with the regular operations of no part of our system, I
shall have not a word to say against it
" I deplore bitterly that our eeclesiaBticol courts to such a rooumfnl
extent, have ceased to be spirituil bodies, and dngenerat^d into hewera
of wood and drawers of water. Oui buEiness is, for the most part,
purely secular ; and when we have nothing of this sort to engage our at-
tention, we are apt to complain that we have no business ; are impatient
to adjourn and return home ; though a world is lying in wickedness, and
millions are perishing daily for lack of knowledge. Our courts must be
roused up to a just sense of their true relation to our dying race ; they must
be brought to fsel the spiritual nature of their vocation, and to appre-
ciate Uie work which they are rec[uired to do in (lie vineyard of the
Lord, This deplorable state of things the Boards have a tendency to
engender and perpetuate. And on this account, apart from bU other
considerations, I must regard them as an incubus upon the body. But
When you combine ■with their dangerous resulte their unsoundness of
principle, I oannot see how any true hearted Presbyterian can give them
his sanction. I mnst again urge you to expose, more fully than you
have done, their inefficiency. Do join issue with their advocates, upon
the plain matter of fact, and show that they have not accomplished what
they were established to do ; that,insob9r truth, they are an utter failnre,
as agents of the Church, This you can do, and I cannot. I have not the
facts ; and a method of reasoning Uke this would be ton-fold more effective
than all the abstract arguments that conld be produced from now till
dooms-day. It would absolutely demolish them; for they stand only by
creating the impression that the Church can, by no manner of means,
get along without them:
"Yonr Magazine will soon become the favourite peuodn^l of this
part of the Church, You have only to be as diligent faithful a] d un-
compromising as heretofore, and the Lord will richlv and abundantly
bless you and your labours, I cannot better express t) \ou my .sense
of the value and intportanco of your labours, than by mentioning to you
a fact, which I do simply to encourage you. During u y absenop frcm
home, when tossed upon the ocean, and wanderinf, jn a fore gn land I
do not know that I ever bowed my knees to the God an^ Father of oui
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THE BOARD .QTIESTIOS. 231
Lord Jaaua Chr at w tbout sj ee ally emembermg j o I sometmies
had MfiEon to th nk that I was very near tl e ete nal w rid and ee I
Bionght myself approaobmg the Chtit h above I feli a leeper interest
in ihe Church below ani loved 1u po vr ou.t my heart befo e God m
regard to its fa thful and br el b rvunte The eh 11 en of God h w
widely fioeve Beparatcl form I nt one fam ly the heat, and svroia
liiea are one their aima are one an 1 the r h me shall finally be tiia
"lam ^ery bne 1 engagel n prei s n„ mj course of Isctarea on
Natnral Theul gy I emembe that ha 1 a conver at u on Foley a
argument, in Baltimo e ! at I ara ot me that I am maste of the
prooeas ot leasonmg by whi h >oa male li m pi ve an inlefin te num
her of goda I ahoild be gl d that yo slioull state n yoiu nest
letter. By the fi-st private hand I 11 send jou an rtole -wh oh
comprisea the aubstun e of d y first sen on here Bf. chaplain I th nk t
anited to the design of your paper, and I hope it J3 calculated to do good.
You need not be afraid that I intend to flood yon with my lucubrations ;
I ahall probably not trouble yon in this way very often. I am very
busily engaged, jnst now, upon my lectures. * « * *
"Your sincere friend and brother,
5. H. Thoknwbll."
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CHAPTEE XVII.
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE.
TiEWa UPON FtENCH CHiEiCTEH. — EeLITIONS WITH Db. BbEOKINSIDOE. —
LbTTEHS OE ChKISTIAN SlTHPATHY. — PkoPOBED WOBC OK THE ATOMS'
MBNT. — CONTHOYEEST WITH EOMJNISTa, — DEATH OP Mb. RoBEINS. —
Lettee to his Widow.
HIS own experience of the benefit of a sea trip induced
him, after his return from Europe, to urge the ex-
periment upon Mr. Robbhis, whose failing health gave
tokens of the fatal di&ease which finally terminated his
life. In terms of strong affection, begotten of the old
relations when Mi'. Robbins stood to him as a second
father, lie pleads with tins gentleman to "flee for his hfe,
not to the plains, but to the sea." The voyage was
eventually undertaken; and in a letter addressed to him
m Paris, dated the 27th August, 1842, this paragraph
occurs, in which his views are expressed as to the political
prospects of Erance :
' ' Your itamB of PrBQCli news were quite intwestaug. There are evi-
dently three parties in that beautiful but unsettled country, whieli God
seems to luive made e, striking example of the weakness, ignorance, and
folly of man ; and whioh of these parties niU ultimately prevail, it is
hard to determine. The old Bourbon dynasty EtdU has strong friends,
the present royal family has its own aHianeea, and repubhoanism is still
.a golden vision to the minds of multitudos of the French people. Liberty
and trotestantism are the only tbings, in my poor judgment, wbiob can
give dignity and stability to the Francli eharaoter."
It is curious to read tlieee lines, written two and thirty
years ago, and to record their exact application to the
same terms which enter into the Erench problem after
the lapse of- an entire generation. ■
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23i LIFE OP JAMES HENLEY TMOKNWELL.
(;)n the same day in which these words are mailed to
Paris, a similar expression is directed to hia correspondent
at Baltimoro :
" SoTJia OAROLlSi. CoiJ:.EaE, August 27, 18i2.
"My Dear BaoTaBB ; I liiifl hoped to see jou this fiuimner, but have
been prevented from going nortltward bj the ciromnBtanees of. my
family. Mrs. Thomwell hss recently lost her fatlier, and she could nob
bear the thonglit of being left alone ; neither could I reconcile it with my
own feelingB to be separated from her, when her spirit was bowed down,
with afSiction,
' ' The two letters which you were kind enough to enclose to me, I read
with great interest, sad .shall return them by tte flret safe opportunity.
The condition of France at this time is particularly interesting. Liberty
and Protestantism are the only things which can give dignity, stability,
imd red glory to the French people. As long as they continue to be
cursed with Popery, their efforts to establish free institutions mijst be
abortive. Protestantism wonld redeem them from their national in-
firmities, and make them truly great. They hare the elements of a noble
eharaoteri but their atheism, idolatry, and philosophy, prevent them
from being developed. I know of no event more devoutly to be hoped
for than the thorough evangeliaation of that beautiful portion of Uie
globe. D'Aubigne's work, the 'History of the Eeformation,' I do not
possess in the originid, but have seat for it. I have read it in the trans-
lation with great interest. It may be taken as a specimen of what the
French mind is capable of achieving when properly directed. * *
"I wish you would, at your leisure, suggest to me such thoaghts aa-
have occurred to your mind on the question of the " esistenoe of God."
I would like particularly to have your view of Clarke's Bi^um.ent. I call
it Clarke's, not because it was original with him, (I have fomid it in the
schoolmen,) but because he has most elaborately unfolded it, I know
that you have reflected maturely upon it, and can suggest some valuable
hints. This winter I shall write my Leoturw (at least some of them) out,
haying collected most of my materials. Xouare right in supposing that
a good book on the 'Being; etc., of God,' is needed; but one which ia
much more needed is a judicious and learned treatise on the Holy Spirit.
The only works, in English, upon the subject, of any value, are those of
Owen, Ridley, and Heber. Owen's style is bad, and his plan was cot
BufSoiently extensive. ■ The history of theological opinion upon the sub-
ject ot^ht to have been given, together with the doctrine of Divine
influences as held among the heathens. Heber's wo^k I regard as mis-
taking the meaning of our Saviour's promise, and as entirely too low in
its view of spiritual religion, Bidley's book I have not yet read. Thero
ought to be a masterly work on the Spirit.
"Yours, etc., J. H. T,"
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23 r>
The reader will demand no apology from us for putting
side by Bide the letters of two such men as Drs. Breckin-
ridge and Thornwell. Apai't from the fact that they
belong together, and that either would be incompleto
without the other, it is rare that Providence throws two
minde so richly gifted into. close companionship. It is
beautiful to see how they laboured together in the propa-
gation of similar Yiews, and that no spark of rivalry or
jealousy was ever struck out by their contact with each
other. They were hotli of them too pre-eminently great,,
in their respective spheres, to be affected by this infirmity
of smaJler minds. The two letters now to be given have
an inexpressible tenderness and pathos in their tone,
which will amply repay perusal. The first is from Dr.
Breckinridge :
"Baltimoee, OaohPT 17, 1842.
Mr Dbab BaoTBEii ; I find, on my returu to this city, af tar an absenoe
of sis weeks, your letter of 27th Augiist, which mnst have arrived
soon after my dtiparture. I have been io Kentuclcy, ftnd rapidly through,
other porliona of tlie West, and retiim to my post to take the harness-
and the cliain again. My appropriate work, my diitiea aa a minister of
the gospel, are full of sweetness to my soul ; but this eyarlasting
wrangle, and correction of proof-sheets, and devouring trash, this is mur-
derous to me. My life is hastening away without fruit. An Ineipressible
restlesanesa of mind and heart often ts^es posseSEion of me ; and I feel
lite one condemned, for having not only done nothing, but attempted
nothing, worthy of my Master or my age. I am sura I am capable of
bettor things | -would to Giod I had the space and opportunity of trying.
This mnoh I can do ; I can beeeeoh those who are able to guide the mind
of this age and the next, to nerve up themselves to the work. Our
spirits are often gifted with intuitive knowledge of what other men
are, and oan do. My dear brother, you must do great 'things, or you
must give a great account ; and you must do it soon, for the blade is too
■ sharp for the sc-bbard ; and men like you rarely live to ba old. Con-
centrate your powers, then, and produce a great work, a monument of
our principles, our hopes, our struggles, our Church, our age, Yonr
mind has been directed to a channel which few are able to explore : a
work on the Godhead, the God of the Bible, that Jehovah who is Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost Write such a book; you alone are capable, of
bU the men I have known, of doing this, by God's help, as it should
be done. I say this in profound conviction, and to make you feel how
much it is your duty to do this thing ; and I feel as if I should promote
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236 LIFE o
' JAMES HENLEY THOKNWBLL.
the cttiiBO of God, and human nature, more effectually, by urging you
forward to Buoh an undsrtating, ttaii by hymg slmost a double lite-time,
"If jou ofln. devote two or tliree days, to tta labour of throwing to-
gether tte results of your thougtts and laading on geology for our
pages, it will be a very great Bervioe done to the public, and a, favour
to me. You will find in one of my nuiabcrH, about three years ago, a
very able pMlologieal article, by Horwitz, ite Jew, on the questions
arising upon the Mosaic cosmogony. My knowledge of the subject (of
geology) is general, and by no means accurate ; but my decided conyio-
. lion is, that the whole matter ia in an exceedingly crude state, and is
leoeiying a decidedly wrong impression. * » » *
" It is of the last moment that the regular action of our system should
be restored, and all the temporary contrivances into mhich. we have
fallen be laid aside ; and with them ell those irregular and dangerous
influences which have grown up with them, and for the sate of which
they are so stiffly defended. God is bringing all this about, steadily
sad surely. Let us take courage, and be patient. 'Ounctando restituit,'
-was the motto of the Maasini family, that haa lived the longest and done
the most of all the private families amongst men. God eounta not slack-
cess as some men count slackness; human wisdom and divine faith
agree lor once. Let Ine hear from you soon ; and let me have an in-
terest in jour prajei-s.
"Withti
The reply to this letter is dated:
" SotJTH 0ABOI.1NA OoLLEQE, Oi^tober 25, 1842.
' ' Msr IlEiE Bkotefb : I am sorry to learn that you suffer yourself to
be dejected by occasional reflections, founded on what I conceive to be
a great mistake. Your observation has taught you that, among the lights
of our world, there are two classes of men, each eminently useful, and
each largely entitled to the gratitude and benedictions of the race. One
class embraces those whose lives are spent in retirement ; who are un-
Inown to tieir contemporaries ; who eiert no influence upon eiisting
generations; but who are enabled, by God's blessing, to leave behind
-them a valuable legacy for those who come after them. These men live
in the future ; they are as dead, in their otra day ; and enjoy only Hat
' life be-vond life which is embalmed and treasured up in a good book.'
Th b U U f th m 1 ih t tb w Id kn w f 1 th t
p 111 nkinl nly thr gh th p la p t t Th is
tl la f th wh infl it f It th wn d y wh
h p th d tiny fth g h tthihth 1 and
h hght th giaidian
d man t
ik th g wh t t and
t th gh th
1 b thn t
IE tl y h
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237
neTer pen s, line to reach, distant generations, their image is impressed
upon histoiy ; and the mamory of their actions and living speeches, their
personal efforta and noble saerifioes, will always live, and secure them the
loTB, admiration, and gratitude of the truly great and good. They are
the most illustrious benefactors of their race ; eminent instruments, in
the hand of God, of bestowing blessings on manMnd. How, I speai in
Ihe deepest sincerity when I assert that, if every production of your pen
should perish, the infiuenoe which you have been able to exert upon
your age would still be written in such characters, that it could not fail to
be read and appreciated in coming generaiions. You have not pro-
duced, it may be, a standard work on divinity or morals ; but you have
done something better and more glorious ; you have moulded the char-
acter of the present times. Tour name is identified with the progress
and prosperity of the cause of religion, humanity, and liberty. Your
noblest monument is the imprrasion you have made upon your own
times. "Why, then, should you despond ? God has eminently blessed
you. He has enabled you to do what no man lining has done, or cau do.
The result of your laboors will be felt and rejoiced in, when you are
slumbering in the tomb. The ball, which you have set in motion, will
continue to roll, long after the hand which first touohed it shall be
withered in death. I am afraid, however, that I belong to neither of the
classes to which alluBion has been made. 1 have done but little for the
present times, and there is but little prospect that I shall ever be known
to other generations. I have an aversion from writing, which makes it
an intolerable burden. I have formed many a fine scheme, but find it
almost impossible to overcome my mortal dislike to the pea. I can
hardly bear to read anything that I have written. It fills me with loath-
ing and dieguat, I faU so immeasurably short of my own coneaptiona of
excellenoe, that I become dishearteied and chagrined. It is an infirmity
which I lament, and from which I would be gladly delivered ; but it
binds me in fetters of brass, and paralyzes all my efforts. I am afraid,
therefore, that I shall never produce anyihing beyond such occasional
lucubrations as involve no responsibility eioept to truth; which can be
thrown off at a dash, and abandoned, like the eggs of the ostrich, by the
parent that brought them forth. You may jui^e how deeply this feeling
has possesion of my mind, when I assure you that I have not a single
copy of a single article I ever wrote, with one exception. I sometimes
feel that I might produae something that should Hva. But when I under-
take to oarry out any plan, I become sickened at my efforts. Still, I feel
bound to endeavour to mortify this sickly sensibility.
' ' I had many other things to say, but my paper is esbauated. Let me
hear from, yon soon.
"Your sincere friend and brother,
J. H, Thobhwuli.. "
The reader wlio is acquainted with the after history of
these two remarkable men, will donbtlesB smile at tlie sj'iii-
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238 LIFE OF JAMES HENLKY THOBSWELL.
pathy expressed in this letter to the one, and the confes-
sion which is made by the other. It pleased God, in His
adorable providence, to place them in similar positions,
as teachers of divinity to the rising ministry in the Church;
and both; under the pressm-e of that position, were stimu-
lated to produce "Standard Works on Divinity," which,
with that wrought out in the Princeton school, and re-
cently given to the world, are grand representatives of
the theology of this age ; and are, perhaps, as noble con-
tributions to the science of theology as any age has been
permitted to malie.
We do not regret the necessity of interrupting this
correspondence upon the ChiircK questions of the day, by
interposing a few letters of Christian condolence addressed
to the children of sorrow. The iirst is written to Mrs.
Aim B, Crawford, a "mother in Israel," of the Lancaster
church, to whom he was warmly attached. It is not only
full of tenderness, but ricli in suggestions of scriptural
truth :
" South CiBOiJKi Colleqh, September 19, 1842.
" Mt Dear Atjni Ann : I need not aay that Hie sore and bitter be-
reavement, which, you hsT6 teoently snstained, has filled me with the
pi-ofoundest sympathy. Ah I know tiiat you are not a stranger to the
throne of grace, nor to the pleasures which flow from oommanion with
God, I cannot but hope, that this solemn visitation will be improved to
increase your intimacy wiHi iSiat 'Friend who staoketh closer than a
brother,' who alono can dry up the tears of sorrow, and give ua ' beaul.y
for iiahes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the gai-ment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness.' The gospel of God is particularly designed for the
broken-heartad and afOioted.; and if you mark the footsteps of the flock,
you will find that they aU lead through muoh tribulation to the Mngdom
of heaven. The house of mourning has been the famiUar resort of all
the saiiitfi. The great Redeemer Himself was a''man of sorrows, and
aoftuainted with grief,' and bedewed His path to glory with tears, and
sweat, and blood, Thini nofr, therefore, that some strange thing has
happened to yon ; the like sutferings have been accomplished in all youc
brethren before you, and must be aceomplished in all who would reiga
witJi Christ for ever. Jacob wept for his beloved Eachel, and David
monrnad a rebellious son. How does your calamity compare with that
of Aaron, who beheld bis sons eousmned with fire from the Lord, in the
very act of avidaoioua iniquity ; ajid yet was forbidden to uncover hia
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COJiKESl'ONDENCE. 239
hefid, to tend his oloHies, or give any yiKihle sign ot gvief ? ' Son of
man,' eays JehoTali to Ezekiel, ' behold, I take away from thee the desire
of thine ejes with a atioke ; jet neittier shalt thovi mourn nor weep,
neither shall thy tears run down;' and at even hie wife died, end he.
forebore to cry, and made no monming for the dead. You are not
alone, my sister, in the chamber of aiHiction. You are where Jesna
was, where all His saints haTe been, where prophets, marlyrs, and apos-
tles have stood, and where, ia the issue, you will find it a priTilege to
be. It is God that deals with you ; stand still, and acknowledge His
hand. He is your Father ; and what He Soeth, though you know not
now, you shall know hereafter. Though clouiia and darkness are around
Him, His footsteps in the sea, and His paths in the great waters, right-
■eousness and ti th ar th hal tat f Hii, th d H will fi ally
speak peai, tHhill Hh p Ik-sfth sakes
will assur dly H m If 1 th m h rm F th f the
flame shall pfybtthtJ m th mak p all
your earthl 1 Huatthm m d,th fore,
though the iig t hall t bl m th h II f t b th Tine,
yef^ like th p ph f, j th L d, d j y th G d f your
salvation. Only believe ; and as He said to the weeping sisters of
Lazarus, so He says to you, ' Thou shalt see the ^ory of the Lord.'
"Perhaps, my sister, your greatest distress arises from uncertainty oon-
osming the salvation of your beloved son. Yon feel that you could he
comforted, if you knew that he was safe ; but that you can never know.
The destinies of men are in the hajids of God ; and it is enough for us
to know, that He is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.
When your mind shall be more enlarged, and your heart expanded in
love, you would not choose to altei' a single arrangement of the Lord.
If you eonld see the end from the beginning, you would say all is right
Oh I then, tnist God in the dark. All opposition to His government Is
sin, and ' every wish to alter the appointmenta of His wisdom ia folly,'
Your business, therefore, in ibis and every oiher dispensation, is to put
yonr hand upon your month, and keep silenoe before Him. ' Be stall,'
is His language, ' and know that I am God. ' Others have encountered
more trying afflictions than yours. You are only uncertain ; but Eli had
no ground to hope that his sons were saved, but every ground to believe
that they were lost ; and yet the "ood man submitted ■ 'It is the Lord-
let Him do what seemeth H m g 1 Absal m w 1 th ry
act of atrocioas reb^lion ;adNdl dAlhw mdby
the immediate vengeance of d Wh t mg h. t f b tt n
your calamity can be found bltth ?Ani,jtElD
vid, and Aaron were the spe 1 fn nds- f Gfld T k co raj, th n,
and be not like Bachel, we pmg f y nr h 1 1 1 f us ug to
be comforted, because they a t T k ura^ 1 il J duty
to the living, and prepare to f U th d 1 Tnm lamp
gird up your loins, and stan 1 ly to weloo n th m d ght y Be-
hold, the bridegroom eometh Let tl nvi t f y w m tal ty
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240 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
aettlB upon your Eiind ; look away from earth ; look up to HeaTeii ; de-
pofdt yonr treaeuren tvliere neither moth nor rust can corrupt, uor
thieves break through and steal. Here we have no oontinuing city. ' AH
. ranks and oondilioca o£ men are but so many troops of pilgrims, iu dif-
ferent garbs, toiUng throngh the aame Tale of tefwa, distinguished only by
diftersnt degrees of wretchedness.' The patriarchs and prophets all
confessed tiiat they were strangers on earth ; here they had no home ;
but they sought a better country ; they looked by faith to that building
of God, that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, and
there they espeoted to rest. Let us follow their faith and patience, and
we shall receive the same glorious reward. ' Bnt this, I say, hrethren,
the time is short; it remaineth that both they that have wives, be as
though they had none ; and they that weep, aa though fhey wept not ;
and they that rejoioe, as though they rejoiced not ; and tkey that bay,
as though they possessed not ; and they that use.this world, as not abus-
ing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away.' ' I am,' says David,
'a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers ware.' Then,
what our hands find to do, let us do it with our might ; we shall soon
go hence, never to return. A Christian is one who looks for the second
oomiug of his Lord. He waits for it, and desires it, beoause then his
sorrows shah he over, his days of mourning ended, and his soul at rest
for ever. Then, my sister, be heavenly-minded ; live for God, for im-
mortality, for eternity ; and your light afBietions, which are but for a
moment, shall work out for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory.
" I would earnestly impress upon your mind, that the bitterest of all
cfdamitdes is an unsancUfied aiBiotion. In His providences, God is teach-
ing us ; and it hardens (he heart, and darkens the underetanding, when
His solemn instructions are unheeded. "When, therefore. He lifts the
rod, and takes away, with a stroke, the desire of our eyes, instead of
dwelhng upon the oircumstanoes of our bereavemeat, and tearing open
our wounds afresh, hy calling to mind the endearing associations eon-
UBoted with the departed, we should at once look to the hand that
smites, and inquire what lessons a merciful Father designs to convey.
Our great an:siety should be improvement. God is speaking ; and our
chief business should be, to open our eai's, and hear. You will find
yourself greatly tempted to thiiife of your son, aa you have seen him in
infancy, in boyhood, iu youth ; to call to mind his proofs of aSection,
his interesting sayings, his promising actions, and. all the endearments
which silently, secretly, irresistibly bind a mother to her child; and
every reeoUeotion will send a pang to your heart. These reminiscences,
which we are so prone to cherish, are the oniel devices of a self-tortur-
ing heart. Turn away from them to God, and humbly ask your Father
why He has smitten, and bow your head and worship. Eeceive His in-
structions with an humble spitifc, and He will soon bind up your wounds,
and send you away, though 'sorrowful, yet rejoicing.'
"If you have been conscious of any neglect of duty towards the de-
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GENEEAL CORKESPONDBNGB. 241
parted, repent ; but with that Godly sorrow wMeh flowB from a full
con"viotion that God will freely pardon. ' Kepair tie mistake hy greater
diligence to the Uving ; but let nothing keep you from the pure oonso-
Itttions of tlie gospel of Jesus. In your present situation, religion pro-
poses to you her sweetOEtt cordials. You can understand the gospel
now. Affliction has revealed to you the Tanitj of man, the deceitful-
ness of life, the certain tj of death, the instability of aU sublunary good ;
and' in. striking contrast presents the imohanging peipetuity of an un-
changing etate, and the glories which await the child of faith. You can
now almost advance hy strides towards the heavenly Mngdom. And if
earth is rendered less pleasant, Jesus more oharming, and heaven more
desirable, by the dark providence which has called jou to mourning,
jou will bless God through aU eternity for His ehastisiag rod.
" This melancholy event, let it be remembered, speaks not only to
yon, hut to idl your household. It says to each and every one of your
family, whether bond or free, You, too, must die ; prepare to meet your
God 1 When you least eipeot it, when you are dreaming of many days,
and pleasing your fancies with brilliant prospects, your hopes may at
once be crushed, your sun go down at noon, and your golden visions
wrapped in the funeral paU and shroud. Oh I that the warning may
reach the hearts of the living. OhI that they may be wise, understand
this, and consider their latter end.
"I have thus, my much valued friend, endeavoured to direct your
mind, now softened bj grief, and capable of receiving permanent im-
pressions, to such meditations as I thought would be most condneivo to
your good. It will be my greatest joy, if God should give you grace to
adorn the gospel, as yon walk in deep waters of soitow. It is only in
afSiotJon that the reai greatness of Christianity is seen. It imparts then
a moral grandeur to the character, which philosophy cannot compass,
and which the world never can understand. It sustains, elevates, ennobles
the soul. It teaches it ' the heavenly science of gaining by losses, and
rising by depressions.' The saints are a wonder in the eaith, a wonder
(o angels, and a wonder to themselves. They are God's ohosen portion,
the lot of His inheritance ; and this is enough to make them hold" up
their Leads, though all fheir earthly comforts should be stripped from
them. Their main portion — fheir Father in heaven, their glorious Re-
deemer—must remain for ever. Let this, my sister, be your consolation.
Death has robbed you of nothing you shall want in eternity. Your real
inheritance is safe. And now, that the God of all grace may sanctify
you wholly, and do eiceedingly abundantiy for you above all that you
are able to ask or think, is the sincere, fervent, and heartfelt prayer of
"Your friend and fellow Christian,
j. H. TaOKNWELL."
A similar bereavement, the loss of a son, called forth
s like sympathy in a letter to Mr. Itobbins:
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242 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY 'IHOKNWKLL.
" South Carolina Oollege, November 17, 1843.
"My Deab Sik ; I need not expreES to ypvi my profoundeet ejmpatliiGS
in the aconmulated aEHiotiouB whieh you have heea caliad upon to en-
dure. God is evidently showing that he sets a high value on the trial of
your faith ; and His grace will no donbt enable yon to pass through the
fncnace, not only without harm, but with vast acoeasdona to yonc spicitaal
atoies. That your ti'uat in God remained unshaken amid your severest
tiibulatioEs, and that, in these dark hours, when na,tur6 was ready to
faint, and to say ' all is Icffit,' you were able to cliug to the meroy-seat,
is to me a matter of most devont tlianksgiving, and an evident token of
the presence, power, and love of God's Holy Spirit. I should only mar
ttie instructions of the bleat Comforter within you, by suggesting con-
solatory thoughts. He knows your frame, and He will lead you to such
trolhs as it is most important for you to ponder. Our great High Priest
sympathizes i*ith us in aU our sufferings. He knows when and how to
console us; and the methods of His grace will always be found to be
methods of wisdom. Xou maybe well assured that in all your afHictiona
I am afflicted ; and my dear wife, particularly, feels the deepest interest
in everything that concerns you and yours. It is a great comfort to me
that she is so much delighted, as she is, with my two dearest earthly
friends, yourself and the General. She loves y&u both, as much as if you
were members of her own father's family. « » « * *
" Yours most sincerely,
J, H. Thorn WELL."
Other labours than those purely controversial, engaged
Mr. Thornwell's thoughts. In a letter to Mr. Robtins, of
date February 14, 1843, he thus writes :
" I am preparing a course of sermonB, with a view to publication, on
that great Mid glorious theme, the Aionerasnt. I have already preached
three of them. The theme is rich and extensive. Many points, which
other wiiters have slurred over, I propoae to bring out prominently ; and
difEj3ulties, which have been rather evaded than removed, I propose to
discuss throughly ; at least, I shall -attempt it. The age requires a good
book on this subject ; and if God shaU enable me to produce one, I shall
regard myself as singularly favoured. My heart is much set upon this
enterprise. My greatest perplexity is that ray own glory should form so
large a part of the motives which induce mc to engage in. the under-
taiing, as I am often afraid that it does. Humility I find to be the
hardest lesson in the Christian life. I experience no difflculty in de-
spisiog riches, pomp, and splendour ; but the love of fame is an instinct
which was born with me, and which I cherished so long, that it gives me
many a bitter pang, now that I perceive its folly and wickedness, linish
to live only for the glory of God ; but self is a powerful idol.
" I am somewhat at a loss as to the form in which it would he best to
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GENERAL COKKESPONDENCE, 243
publish my work ; wtather to retain the lorm of aecmons, or to arrange
my materials in atiapters and seddonB, There are BdyantHges and dis-
adyantfigea in both plans, A didaotio treatise can preserve a more un-
broken continuity of thought ; but sermons can haYe more fire and more
pongenoj of practical application. The otarauterisiioa of style in the
form of sermons would be better adapted to the mass of readers ; the
prospect of permanent suocees would be greater in an unbroken treatise.
So that I am in a strait."
In a later epistle, March 7th, 1843, to the Bame corre-
spondent, he thus sketches the plan of hia book :
"In regard to my contemplated work on the Atomement, I shall fake
your advice, and write it in the most enduring form. My plan will em-
brace, first, the JHfature of Atonement ; which will lead to an exami-
nation of Socinian, Pelagian, and Hopkinsiaji views. In tile explanation
of its nature, its necessity will be sufficiently exhibited without devoting
a Epeoial head to that department of the subject. Under this head, the
nature of God's moral government will be fully declared, so far forth as
I shall be enabled to do it,' and of course the ori^n and purpose of
sacrifices. The next point will be the Efkaey of the Atonement. Here
win be set forth the Person of Christy the Eternal Covenant between the
Father and the Son, the Incarnation, the Federal Headship, the Mystical
Union, etc. The third general division will embrace the Extent of &te
Atori,e>aent ; the last, its Qrand ResaUi. This is only a vague outline ; a
mere blazing of the trees, so that you may see the road. God grant that I
may make the way of salvation plain to many a wanderer. "
Had this work been executed, it would have gone far
towards supplying a sequel to his " Lectures in Theology,"
which death arrested just at the point when he should
have entered distinctively upon the doctrines of gra^e in
the scheme of redemption. "We shall discover presently
how he was diverted ft-om the execution of his pui'pose.
The next letter discloses his watclifulness of opportu-
nities to hring the gospel personally to the unconverted.
It is addressed to his kinsman hy marriage, Dr. J. J.
Wardlaw, at the time not a professor of religion:
" 800TH Oaboumi C01.LEQB, F'tbi'vary li, 1848.
"Mz Dbak Doctob; I have been threatening to write to you for some
time back, but procrastination has again and again nipped my good reso-
hltiona. I am truly sorry to leam that yonr venerable paator is no more.
He was a man wbom I was anxious to know ; and had promised to myself
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24i LIFE OF JAMEB BEHLBY THOBHWELL.
great satiaf action in Ma company nest anmmer. But we kno'w not what
a day or on hoxic may bring forth. I aincarely trast that, ttough dead,
he will long continue to speak to you all in the BavoTir of his influence
and example. It is a solemn thought, that jou must meet him at the
judgment bar, and give an aeconnt of the effect whioh his sermons,
prayers, warnings, and espostulatdons have had upon you. May God
grant that joe and yonr dear wife may be prepared to giye it with joy,
and not with sorrow. Nothing would afford me a richer or purer satis-
faction, than your conversion to God ; and nothing, be assured, ought
to be more eam^tly Bought, or eagerly desired by yon, than those true
riches which neither moth nor rust can corrupt, nor thieves break
through and steaL *****
"Your sincere friend,
J. H. Tm
The correspondence with Dr. Breckinridge, of course,
reopens Church questions; those which immediately fol-
low, however, not so directly :
" Bii/ciMOEE, Miwch 18, 1843.
" Dbab Bhoihek Teobhwelii i Many cares, and sdcknesKeH, and duties,
have made me let slip the pleasant duty of writing to you, for a long
time. Indeed, you .are partly in fault; for I have been hoping all along
to hear from you about that article on Geology, which, as you did not
lefuse, I allowed myself to hope you would prepare. If you can have
it ready to send on by some of your Commissioners to the approaching
Assembly, I shaJIbe nnder a new ohUgation to you. Unless, indeed,
you will be a member of that body yourself, and so bring it, instead of
sending it ; which I should rejoice at doubly ; for, besides the pleasure
of seeing your face once more, there are many and important questions
which will come before the Assembly, in the decision of which I could
heartily wish you had a voice. I believe our Church is by far the jiur^t
that exists ; but alas 1 we are far from what we ought to be ; and a very
large portion of our leading men seem far from believing this. Unless
I see you here, I know not that I shall see you more, till we meet to-
gether a( Iwme ; for which my wasting strength admonishes me to he ever
ready. If I were called away, it would be a joy to me to reflect that I
left you behind io testify for the true truth at God. *****
"I have been for along time much exercised in mind in regard to the
distinctive points which oharacteiize the Millenarian controversy; and
have come pretty fully to the belief, that the common opinion held of
late years, and, indeed, since the publication of Whitby's views, are not
sustained by the word of God ; and although I cannot call myself a
Millenarian, either of the ancient or modern school, yet I suppose the
bulfe of men, who distinguish little, would call me so. Upon several
points my convictions are clear ; as, for example, that the millenium we
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■ OOllRESPONDENCE. 245
eipeet ■will not bo produced by the work of the DiTine Spirit, as now
operating ; but by some new difiponeatioii or manifestalion of the ' Son
df Man,' which is the distinctive titJe aad appropriated name of the Lord
JeeuB, the Word jncaraate, and now glorifled ; ■which is the key to all oon.
sdetect expoadtions of those soriptures which, touch Hie subject, and is the
queelioii which draws after it ail the rest ; thongh this fact seems act ha
peroeiTed, and therefore the contradiction and perplexity which, men ex-
hibit on the whole subject. I should be gieatly gratified to know your
mind on these matters.
"Farewell, dear brother. Eemember me at out Father's throne of
grace/aud be assured of the sincerity with which
" I am evei; and faithfully yours,
Ba. J. Bbeckinkidob."
"SoTJia Caiio!JH4 CoUiEge, March, 28, 1843.
"Mr Dbab Bbother : I leceived your truly welcome and affectionate
letter last night, and shall give you the best demonakution of my eataem
by proceeding to answer it at once. I am sorry that I did not know you
were eipeoting from me an article on Geology. I should eitiher have
undeceived yon, or gratified your wish. Por reasons which I am about
to name, it will be impracticable for me to do so now. I have more on
my bands than, I am afraid, I shall be able to aecompliah, I have got
into a war with the Eomanieta. The article on the Apocrypha, which,
jou may remember, I wrote at your request, baa been recently re-
published by Mr. Weir, in his newspaper here. Without informing me
of his intention, tmlil the proof-sheets had passed through the press, he
appended my name to the piece. The consequence is, fiat a writer in
the United BtaUs C'at/iolie Miscellany, of Charleston, has commeneed a
series of articles, directed personally to me, which I feel bound to notice.
He is a weak scribbler ; and unless he has strong friends, concealed be-
hind the ourtains, he will not be difficult of conquest. There was mnoh
craft, however, in their seizing upon me as their object of assault. They,
no doubt, supposed that my public poaition, as an officer of the State,
would, an some measure, muzzle me ; they presumed that I would feel a
delicacy in exposing freely the enormities of any portion of the citizens,
whose taxes go to my support ; or that, if I did not act from these selfish
considerations, they would raise a clamour against me in the community,
which would compel me to retire from the College. These are my sus-
picions of their motives. I know their craft so wen, that I do not con-
sider it ungenerous to suspect them of any meanness. Why else the
personal address ? Was it not as easy simply to review the article, as a
production of mine. My mind is made up, I shall accept the challenge.
If a clamour is raised, I shall distinctly make the issue whether this is a.
Protestant institution or not ? If there should be any disapprobation of
my course among the Board of Trustees, I shall promptly resign. The
war must go on. We need a controversy hoi'e. The Papists have almost
taken poi«eKsion of Charleston ; and among the leading men in the State,
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246 LIFK OF JAMES HEJMl.KY THOBNWELI,.
tte droadful apathy on the subject of reiigiou, which they tflo much
manifest, turns all their sympathies in favour of the Papists. Coctvo-
verey oannot make tilings worse, and may maie tliem better. Trusting
iu God, and the power of His trutli, I shall endeayour to vindicate Chris-
iaanity, and expose the abominations of Popery to the light of day.
StJil, my brotJiar, I am not ashanied to confess to you that I feel weak.
I am badly prepared for tliis contest. lu tlie first place, all Colnmbia
does not furnish a library adequate to the exigencies of a full and com.
plete oontroyersy with Rome. In the second place, I have not studied
tiia matter as accurately as I should have done. My attention has been
turned more to dootdne, logical exposition of truth, to philosophy, and
studies of an abstract nature, than to minuteness of historical details.
Still, if I had the books, which I tare not, I oould say with Milton, in his
apology for Sineotymnuus, that, ' if they provoke me, I will in three
months be an erpert councilist,' (sec. 12.) I shall endeavour, however,
BO to conduct the discussion as to make it turn on principiea. Now, you
must help me. You can give me hints, diieot me to important souroes
of information which I might overlook and occasionally give me an
article, -which you can re-publish in your Magftzme and thus malce it a
part of your editorial labonr.
"To the Millenarian cintroversy, I have never minutelv turned my
attention. I have been so struck with the confusion contradiGtioii, and
perplexity which have characterized Hie most of the expi-tititne that I
have consulted, as to be deterred from forming any opinion with my
present degree of light. When I can giieyou an ofiiuoa woith record-
ing, I will cheerfully do so. Uutil tteu my uude fc^ uculations would
bo a waste of ink and paper, « * * * «
"Ever your sincere friend ani br thei
J H Th liNWELL "
The reaponae to this is mai-ked by that exhilaration
wliich the war-worn veteran always feels at the sonnd of
the bugle:
" Balwmoke, April'S, 1843,
"My Deab Bkothbb and Fhiehd ; How many reasons have we to
know that God's ways are not like ours ? "Who would have supposed my
great confidence in your leai-ning and abilities, and the pride and
affection of Mr. Weir, were to be the means of obliging you to win hon-
our ; and what is so mrtch better, greatly promote the truth, by becom-
ing in the South the champion of the Ksformation, and of the Bible F
The Papists are surely mad. Not one of those who have done, or will
do them most harm, would have been induced, probably, to give them,
selves serionsly to this great and widespread controversy, if they had
been let alone. The hand of God is in this thing. I need not, there-
fore, say. Arise, and in His might, do the wort to which He calls you, for
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GENERAL COKKESPONDENCK. 247
wMoh He will surely reward you, and by whiGh here oc hereafter He will
Hurely honour you. But so mnoli I may say : no event eonld have made
me feel more assuredly that God is on our side, tliaa that He obligee
yoa to take up arms in tbia quarrel. Anything it is possible for me to
do, I will gladly do, both for the cause's sake and for yours ; bo thst yon
have only (« command me, and to point out the particular service as oo-
caeion requires it.
" Ob one point, I will venture to caution yon. Let not your high
Southern blood drive you to any such step as you intimate. Don't think
of resigning your Professorship. The old Huguenot and Scotch blood
of Carolina only sleeps ; it is not dead. Only give it a fair ohanoe to
manifest itself. If tiie worst comes, let the Tmatees, or the Legislature,
take the responsibility ; and in that ease, the worse the better. To
make the community what it should be, it ia just needful to know ex-
actly what it is. This, I know, wiU be, if it arises, the worst part of the
trial to yov, ; that is, to your feelings { but it is all-important to meet it ;
for it may be the reason, of the higher and more evident success of the
truth ; and let it fall out as it may, it will surely be for your own perso-
nal honour. I know how you fe6l, and how you will argue. But have
I not been indicted like a felon ? Would I not rather have been burned
at tie stake ? Bnt did not God turn all this to the confusion of His ene-
mies and mine? You are in many ways precisely the man, and precisely
situated as you should be, to make a noble and imperishable defence, by
deed and by word, tor the glorious inheritance which ia ready to be
snatched from the world- May God, our Saviour, stand ever at your
right hand.
"With great affection, ever your brother and friend,
Bo. J. BHECKiMBinan. "
In the sketch of Mr. Kobbhie, given in the third chap-
ter of thifi book, his death ia mentioned as oecurring on
the 26th of Mai'ch, 1843. It was the snapping of a very
tender tie, and no tears were shed upon his grave more
sincere than those of his former pupil and ward. Tlie
letter which follows, addressed to the widow, will better
tell the story of his grief.
To Mrs. H. K. Robbing, Cheraw, S. C. :
" South Caboliha Colleoe, April 1, 1843.
' My Dear Frteud ; I had heard, the day before I received your let-
ter, that the Lord had ' taken away your head.' My mind was prepared
for this solemn event. Through the Hndness of Brother Coit, I was
kept informed of the precise condition of Mr. Eobbine's health, and,
therefore, was not surprised when, at length, it was aimounced that the
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248 LIFE OF JAMES HKNLJSY THORNWELL,
last confliot was over, ajid the last eceioy subdned. I wss eitremely
aciious to be witt you, and to mingla my teitts with youre, at tho grave
of one wtose memory I shall never cease to veiiBrate, and whose worts
of faith and labonc of love have followed him to his rich and blessed
acoount. Nothing but the very sariouB sicloieas of my dear eompauion
prevented ma from hastening, at once, to the ohambar of my dying
friend. For a whole week I was kept in awf nl sufipense, as to the prob-
able result of g, violent inilEmmation, which had eeiaed apon Mrs. Tbom-
well'a head. By the mercy of Glod, ephe has completely recovered. How
often have I uttered Balaam's wish : ' Let me die the death of the right-
eous, and let my last end be like his,' siaoe I heard of the triumpbatit
departure of your sainted hnsbana. Horses of fire, and ohariota of fire,
were round about him, to conduct him in safety and peace to the
court of the King of kings. Death to him was not a calamity ; his soal
maiched in triumphal prooBMion, in invisible, bat glorious state, to its
chosen home, the scene of its abiding rest.
"No, my sister, let us not weep for Mm, but weep for owrwltiea. "We
are the sufferers, we the losers. But his gain may also become our joy,
if we follow the esample of his faith and patlenoe. The departure of
our friends should be employed as a means to wean our affeotions from
ihe vanities of earth, and to fix our regard upon ihat city which hath
foundations, whose maker and builder is God. Under no oiroumslaaiceB,
to the believer, is Heaven a laud of strangers. He has walked with God
upon earth, and has oouuted it his highest glory to know Him, and to be
known of Him ; ho has found Christ to be an affectionate Brother, and
the Holy Spirit a precious Comforter. Whenbrought into mote intimate
and endearing alliance with these august and blessed Persons, he will
not feel lost ; he will be at Jtome. Is it presumption to add, that his
familiarity with the place will be somewhat increased, by finding, among
his companions, those with whom he had taken sweet counsel on earth ?
Is not Heaven sometimes presented in a more attractive garb — is it not
made more tangible, mote capable of being embodied as a reality^ when
we reflect that it contains those whom we had loved here below ? They
have gone before us ; and are we not greatly stimulated in our Christian
course, by the prospect of meeting them at tho end of our journey, aoid
of being once more united, and that in tie presence of the Lord ? Be
this as it may, every opening grave, and every funeral bell, should forci-
bly remind us that here we have no continuing eity ; that the time of our
Bojoumingis short; and that our grand and pai'amount duty is to he
found ready, witii our loins girded, our lamps trimmed, and our lights
burning, whenever the midnight ory shall be heaid, ' Behold, the Bride-
groom Cometh ! ' Eternity is just at iiand ; for tliat we should prepare.
Our tears can hardly dry up for the departed, before it Bhsll be said, we
too are gone. For myself, I expect soon to be with ^our husband and
m^ friend. My wixetinj strength daily reminds me that my sands are
winning out, and that what I intend to do for God and for my race I
must do quick^.
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GENERAL COSEESPONDENCE. 249
" You haya many great and preoious promises to sustain Bud snppoct
yoii in tbie affliction. Tour dear little babes are the heritage of the
Lord ; and not a hair shall fall from thoir heads, without His epecial and
contcolling care. They wiU be loved for their fathec's sake. Feat not,
therefore ; the Lord, the Shepherd of Israel, -who neither elumbers nor
Bleeps, will match oyer them, and euffer no enemies to do ttiem harm.
I need not say that I shall be happy to be employed be an instrument, in
Grod's hand, of lendering any service to yon and your little ones. For
yourself, I OEin only say, make the Lori your husband. He is never
deaf to the cry of the -widow. Follow that track of light which irra-
diates the xtath of yonr beloved husband ; it will lead to glory and im-
mortality. There are many mourners around his grave. It was a sore
^bereavement to my dear wife, for she loved the departed tenderly. Oh !
how many of us, that now mourn together, shall hereafter, rejoice to-
gether with him around the throne of God ! My dear sister, I hope you
enjoy that peace which flows from the sprinkling of the blood of Jesna.
If not, give no rest to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids, until the
Lord has revealed His Son to you, and in you, as the hope of glory: That
God may be merciful unto you, and bless you, and cause His face to
shine upon you, is the sincere and fervent prayer of one who shall
alwa^ rejoice to be considered, and to be esteemed by you, as well for
your own as for your husband's sake, what he now Bubseribes himself,
" Your true and faithful friend,
J. H. Thobnweij,."
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CHAPTER XVIII.
TEE ELDER QUESTION.
Imposition OF Hands Bi Ei;ders rs tse OaDiNiTroN cm Minibtees.—
Lai'TEna OS THESE Topics. — Article Published. — Akgoment of Dh.
Beecsinbidob, BEKntai Synod op PEiLiUBLPHTi, EjiyiE'sraD. — Fobthbb
Oorbespondenoe on the EriDEnaaip. — Lettees of Sympathy. — The
INTIMITIONS op God'b WITJ. PEOM the LEABlNOa OP Pbovjuehoi!.
THE General Assembly of 1843 is memorable for the
decision it rendered upon what is teclinically known
as "the Elder Question;" which divi(i6S itself on the two
points of jurisdiction and prerogative. This subject had
been brought before the preceding Assembly, and was
passed over as unfinished business to the next. It could,
therefore, be anticipated, and is accordingly hinted at, in
the lettera we have already given. The decision finally
reached was embodied in two resolutions : Fu'st, " that any
three ministers of a Presbytery, being regularly convened,
are a quorum competent to the transaction of all business,
agreeably to , fJie provision contained in the Form of
Government, chapter 10, section 7." Second, " that it is
the judgment of tliis General Assembly, that neither the
Constitution nor the practice of our Church authorizes
ruhng elders to impose hands in the ordination of m.in-
isters."*
The year following, the whole subject was again raised
by overtures from different parts of the Churcli, and the
above decision was confirmed by explanatory action of the
Assembly, to. wit: that in respect to the quorum of a
Presbytery, "the decision is based upon the fact, that
mhiisters are not only preachers of the gospel, and admin-
• Digest, Ed. 18.i6, p. 43.
251
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a 5 2 LIFE OF JAMES
istratore of sealing ordinances, but also ruling elders, in
tlie very nature of their office ; " and in respect to the right
of ruling elders to impose bands in ordination, that, " as
the rite of ordination is simply a declaratory ministerial
act, the laying on of han^s, as a part thereof, belongs
properly to ordained ministera ; while to ruling elders is
left unimpaired, and unquestioned, the full and rightful
power of ordering the work of ordination, and of judging
in the discipline of ministers, in common with those pres-
byters who labour in word and doctrine, as in all other
cases."*
Under this adjudication, the question has remained from
that day to this, although large numbers in the Church
have never acquiesced in it, as either sound or true. A
moment's reflection will show that the principles involved
go down to the very core of our Presbyterian system ;
and the discussion upon them was far more earnest and
long continued than that previously maintained on the
subject of Boards. That branch of the question whieli
relates to the quorum of a Presbytery, evidently touches
the whole relation which the ruling elder, as a distinct
officer, sustains to the courts, the constitution, and the
government of the Church; while the other branch of it
involves, besides this, the natural import of ordination:
whether in any degree sacramental in its character, the
sign and seal of an invisible grace, or merely an act of
government, setting apart to certain duties and functions,
and therefore one of joint, and not several, power. It is
not to be supposed that a decision, which so materially
involved the essence of Presbyterian ism, would escape tlio
criticism of two such champions as Drs. Breckinridge and
Thornwell. "We will, therefore, gather into this chapter
the entire correspondence relating to this matter, which
will reveal the extent and method of their opposition to
the Assembly's decree.
•.Digest, Ed, ISaC, p. 44.
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THE EL1>KK QUESTION. 253
Dr. Thornwell thus writes:
"Abbeville 0. H., July 8, 1843,
" Ml DeIE BliOTHEB ; «*"*« ***«
* * * * The point, however, about wMet I eat down to
write to you, oonoema your coiitroveTsy, not rains, except so far as it is
a matter wliioli intereets tte wtole Church. I have been chagrined and
mortjfled beyond measure, at the proceedings of the last Assembly, in
reference to questions which inyolyed the distinotiye principles of our
Bjstem of eoolesiastioal poUtj. TJnl^a light is thrown upon the peculiar
and characteristic features of Presbjterianiam, the points in wMoh it
differs from Congregationaiism, on the one hand, and Prelaoy, on the
other, we shall soon lose all that is discriminating, and be reduced to
an incoherent mass of discordajit elements. I cannot understand how
our ministera and elders, who profesa to have studied our system, should
give utterance to suoh sentimentB as were avowed, more than once, in
the discussion upon a question, which never ought to have arisen in a
Presbyterian Awiembly, touching the membership of ministers in the
Ghurch. The decision, too, of the right of ruling elders to participate
in ordination, took me by surprise. This matter muBt be discussed be-
fore the churches. And if you do not diidam suoh feeble assistance aa
mine, I propose to give you an article, showmg that, in the PrirmttiifB
Ohurch, the right was not only e^netded, hut freely B\ere]jied, and that
Frelaay was aotually introduced by its gradual deniaL I have looked
with some attention into this matter, and am pursuaded that there is
something more in it than a mere question of usage It mvolvea a
principle which lies at the very foundation of our system The truth
is, my dear brother, we have been so long accu'itomed to mstitutions
and organizations foreign to our pohty, that we are lapidly losing sight
of our glorious constitution. Scores of our ministers, and thousands of
our people, do not understand the real strength, and consequently, do
not feel the beauty of our Church. Her walls, and towers, and magniS-
oent bulwarks, have been fenced out of view ; and we are content to
stand in an outer court, where we cannot behold the glories of the Tem-
ple. We must pull down these earthly contrivances, and reveal onr Zion
in her true proportions, as the chosen heritage of God. In my tour
Ihrough the country, I have kept my eye steadily upon the prospect and
condition of our churches, and am completely satisfied that our ooldnesB
and declension may be ultimately traced to ignorance or forgetf ulness of
the tme vocation of the Church. Onr brethren are treating symptoms aa
they are developed, one by one, without going to the root of the disease.
Their labour, consequently, fails of its pnrpose. *****
" Your faithful friend, and fellow-servant in the Gospel,
J. H. Thoenwelti."
To which this is a rejoinder;
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254 LITE OF JAMES HKNLEY THOKNWULL.
■' Baltimoke, Jidy 13, 1843.
" My Deae Brother : *«*«»«**»
* * ♦ * Ton ■will easily suppoee that I was much dieljrcsseil
and mortified at the rasnit of tie matter about ruling elders, in the laet
Assembly. I Imeiv the Ghuroli ■was not ready foe the qnestion ; but I
had uo conoeptioa of the estent of its ignoranoe and false principles.
I had no hand in bunging on the question there, none intringing it
up ; and desired its discussion put off. Last year, when. I was in tbe
Assembly, they pat it off, rather than hear me on it; this year (ilBy
would not hear of delay. The Me^-tory, the Presb^/te/rian, the Watc^i-
wm of Vie South, and a paper at Pittsburgh, and one in Ohio, by agree-
ment, and perhaps concerted move, cairied the matter by a coup de main.
I intend, if the Lord permits, to bring up the question in our Synod
this fall ; and carry it to the Assembly, if it is decided against me, as I
am pretty sure it will be. I will also pretty soon write a notice of the
arguments on the other side, merely to expose them ; and thus show
that they do not prove what they were used to prove. Escept this, I will
write no more abont the matter, till I bring it before the Assembly.
Wonld it not be well for you to bring up the matter before yonr Synod
also ? or would it perhaps be better for you fo leave that alone for a
Vdrd trial, and come up in the Assembly of 1845, if we are beat in that
of 1844, as we perhaps shall be ? I thank God He has induced yon to
examine this matter fully ; and I beg Uiat you will carry ont your idea,
both of writing on it, and of being in the next Assembly. ♦ * * «
" I would be really obliged by your thoughts on the other question,
about whioh you express yourself, so as i« show that your opinion is de-
cided, but not so as to enable me to determine what it is ; I m6a,n about
the membership of ministei's in churches. My mind is not clear on the
matter. I oonoede, of course, that if ministers be members of pai-
ticnlar churches, it is only in such form aa to give them the rights of
membership, while the respmidbiUties thereof are to the Presbytery.
But except we make them members of the Church general, they must
be members of some particular church ; otherwise they are not in the
visible Church at all. For, though o^Usera of the Church, they are not
the Church, which were Popery. But is there any mode of being a
member of the Presb}/terian Church genial, except by being a member
of a particjilar church ? If elders may lay on hands, it is beoanse they
are Presbyters ; but they are members of partaeular chmijhes ; why not
ministers? Indeed, as you are aware, in the early French Discipline,
the elders could, on occa^on. discipline and silence their pastors; aad
BO could the Eirk Session, under the second Book of Scottish Discipline.
Indeed, for twenty years after the commencement of the Scottish Re-
formation, there was not, in all Scotland, any other Presbytery than an
Eldership, which was about what two or three of our Church Sessioi^
■would be, if met, I inoline, therefore, to think ministers are members.
I fear you think otherwise, and so I desire your views ; and will not
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THE ELDER QUESTION. iJ55
commit mysell till 1 heav frum you-, ■whioh is what I would not say to
five men in tie woild.
" I seriously believe that the germ of High Chucoliism and Popery, is
to he found in tiia nltimate prinoiplee, which lead onr ministers to the
oast of opiaion which prevails around ue. Their notions lead them to
diseeteem the Church Courts, to lower ihe office of elder, to sink the
hody of the people of God, to question the divine warrant for Church
Order, to deny it for Presbjteiial Church Order ; and the germ of all
seems io me to be a notion of their oum inherent eosaltation. A Board is
as good as a Presbytery, it (ftey are in it ; a Presbytery is complete, if
tlie;/ are there ; a man is ordained, if the^ pnt hands on him ; member-
ship is not for those who own the body. How otherwise shall we ex-
piaia the varying opinions, which seem to agree only on this solitaiy
point, that ministerial ordination is a mysterious, if not magical, thing,
and carries with it a kind of opus operatum I May Rod ever bless and
keep you, is the prayer of
"Your faithful friend,
Ro. J.
From Dr. Thornwell :
"YOKCVILLE, August 16, 18i3.
"Mv Desk Bkoihee; Your letter reached Abbeville after I had left,
and was forwarded to me at Table Eock, in Pickens's District. The
dilapidated state of your health is to me a matter of the profoimdest
grief ; and I sincerely pray that God may restore you to your strength,
prepared by affliction for sUU greater labours in the service of your Mas-
ter. I know of no event that would fiU my heart with greater heaviness,
than your prostration from sickness, debUity, or death. I h8:ye long felt
that your principles were in advance of the age; but 1 am fnlly per-
suaded that they are destined, in another generation, to a complete and
glorious triumph. They are the tvae prinmples <rf the Presbyterian
Church ; and there cannot be a stronger proof of the degeneracy of our
times, than the slowness with, which they are comprehended, and the
coldness with which they are greeted. The Lord, however, has not
wholly deserted us. I have met with men, here and there, in the Church,
who have given a hearty response to them, and who are prepared to lend
their aid, in bringing back our beloved Zion to a cordial acknowledgment
of them.
' ' Touching the matter of ruling elders, the Assembly has shocked
scores by the second resolution, who would not have been alarmed by the
first. The decision, that a Presbytery can be constituted (a quorum)
without ruling elders, has produced in. this State a general dissatisfac-
tion ; in some oases, severe indignation. This oversight, for I can re-
gard it in no other light, reveals the real hearing of their principles who
supported the first resolution, and will arouse the Church to reflection
and sober, patient investigation. God often overrules evil for good ;
,db, Google
256 I.IFB OF JAMES H.EHLISY TIIOEKWELL.
and men are frequently taught tie truth, by being made sensible of the
effects of erroc. I am satisfied tiiat every Presbytery in iftis Hate (I can-
not epeak for Georgia) will solemnly remonstrate sgainat tlie decision in
question ; and I think, too, that b, large portion of our ministers and
elders will be found in f stoiu: of the whole truth, upon the subject of the
eldership. Upon consultation with several of our best men, I have de-
termined to bring the matter before oiir Synod. Should the brelirBU
from South Carolina be generally present, we will have a very stirong wte.
The Georgians, I do not know. Many of the ministers in that State are
Northern men, and, I am afraid, too much under the influence of Prince-
ton and the Repertory. 1 think that the Synod should respectfully me-
morialize the Assembly, and put that body in piMKession of the real state
ofth^ ^•gwmen.t. I shall prepare saoh a document, move that a commit-
tee be appointed for the purpose, and thus be able to introdnoe my
views fully and at large. If the majority be against me, the memorial
will Btill exist, and be published and oiroulated as an lu^ment. Many
would unite with me iu presenting it to the Assembly as an individual
matter, and thus we oould succeed in getting it before them. A similar
memorial from a portion of your Synod, coupled with the resolution
of the Synod of Kentucky, would show the Assembly that the queatioa
would have to he mat upon other grounds than those of authority. The
diaenssion will be productive of vast good, iu unfolding the real nature,
as well as the oapabilitieE of our system. There is a profound ignorance
upon tiiis subject, and an iguoranee which does not liie to be disturbed.
The treatment of your Bi-centenary Report shows the apathy, in regard
to our Churoh Order, which has taien possession of the Church, We'
have so long been walking in the light of our own eyes, and rejoicing in
our own contrivances, that v. e have quite forgotten that the Church, la
its outward orgamzalaon, as well as in its eesehtial principles, is a DivinB
institution The nest step will be to deny any Scriptural authority—
that IB, any •rpentiC warrant from Scripture, for the office of ruling
elder^at all It will soon be put npon the ground of expediency, and
then the nest step wiU be to abolish the of&ce altogether.
' ' In regard to the ohui'cb-membership of ministers, I apprehend that
there is no difference of opinion, when the terras are once defined. A
minister is not so a member of afi/y pttrticular church m to be tabjeet to
its Session ; this is granted. Again, he is entitled to privileges in any
pa/riiaular oTiwoh, not by rea.ion of his relations to any such churoh,
but by virtue of his connection with Presbytery. Now, the Presbytery
stands in the same relation to ail the cbuvchea within, its bounds, which
the Session sustains to a particular church. Hence, a member of Presby-
tery is ipso foBto a member of ei>ery churoh under its care. When a
minister comas to us from Ireland or Scotland, he is received by the
Presbytery. He does not apply to any partiffular eJiurcA for admission,
but to the Presbytery. When received by that body, he is entitled to
ordinances in all its congregations. Under our constitution, the case ia
not the same with a rvMng elder; because the court of which he is a
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THE ELDEK QUESTION. 25T
Btauding member has jiiisdiobon only orei a eingle congregatinru
Ealing eldeiB are oonsequeotly dismissed from eongregation to eongre
gation. Mij ister^ would I e m the same eategorj w th them if our
Presbyteries aa in primitive times embraced only tie feessi n that is
if the Presbytery of everff partKular church were the body whicJi or-
dained. I hflTe not tome to write more, especially aa I am writing with
B detestable pen. I hope, however, you can read it.
" I am, as ever, your ainoere friend and brother,
J. H. Thobnwbill."
In the fall of 1843, Dr. Breckinridge delivered, before
tlie Synod of PMladelphia, two elaborate arguments upon
both branches of this double question, on tbe composition
of the quorum of a Presbytery,, and on the right of ruling
elders, when members of Presbytery, to impose hands in
tlie ordination of ministers of the Word. They were
subsequently published in a pamphlet, bearing the sig-
niiieant title, "Presbyterian Government not a Hier-
afcby, but a Commonwealth ; and Presbyterian Ordina-
tion not a Oharin, but an Act of Government." It is,
perhaps, as fine a specimen of forensic reasoning and elo-
quence as the controversies of the Church in these times
afforded. They were fully and favourably reviewed by
Dr. Thornwcll, inthe pages of the Southern Presbyterian
Review, — a quarterly then, and since pubhshed at Co-
lumbia, South Carolina; — which, together with a prior
article, on "The Ruling Elder a Presbyter," published in
The Spirit of the Nineteenth Century, a magaaine con-
ducted by Dr. Breckinridge, in Baltimore; and a sermon
preached in 1856, at the ordination of certain elders in
the church at Columbia, are aU the contributions made
by him to this discussion. They are all to be found in
the fourth volume .of his "Collected Writings," to which
the reader is once for all referred. The letters which
follow relate to these matters. The tifst is from Dr.
Ereckiimdge :
"Baltiuobe, Noiie'mher 37, 1848.
"MiDaiBBiioiiraETHOimwmji: laminyoordebtaletterortwo, aad
also for your fine article, which will appear in jdj neit — my last number.
My farewell address will so fully explain my views, that I will not trouble
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258 LIFE or JAMES HiDNLEY
you now, I haTe baen teij busy for the laat two weeks, in all odd timaB, ■
■writing out my argument, delirered before out Synod, on the quorum
of a Presbytery ; and am about to write out that on the question of or-
dination. They will both appear in the Pre«if/terian, and a very large
edition in pampblet form. I iiave written them out at the request oC
the large majority of ihe ruling elders of this city. I confiider the whole
question of Church order involved in the two propositions, and treat
them accordingly : for if jurUdiotton or ordination be in the hands of
preachers, as preachers, there is an end of Pre^jterianiam. I wish
that you would get your article, that will appear in my nest number,
copied into the paper at Ohaileston ; it is short, dear, oondnsiTe. And
now, you may rest assured that no effort will be left untried to defeat us.
« « * * I ^i\i looh after it in the Pregbyteria/n ; it will be fully at-
tended to in Kentucky. It remains to take care of it in the South, and
at Pittsburgh, At this latter point I will do what I can, if nothing
better occurs. It will devolve upon you, my dear brother, to uphold
this cause at the, South. « • * This will not reach you, I presume,
tiU your return from your Synod. My heart and my prayers will be
with you there. If you can carry it, it puts our canae in the ascendant ;
for, iakia% the votes of the Synods of Kentucky and Philadelphia, the
matter is abdut tied. Ton cannot tell how I feel strong, when I reflect
that you are so deeply interested in this graat question. God has given
you great abilities. You have also facilities the most of us have not.
Stir up your strength, then, my dear brother, and we shall see the truth
' ' Let me bear from you aoon, and let me have an interest in your
prayers.
"Paithfully, your friend ard brother,
Several letters follow from Dr. TKornwell's pen, no
replies to wliich are in our possession. These, however,
trace the general progress of the discussion:
" OOI-UMBIA. MlWlJl 1, 1841.
"MyDbab Bboteee; You were almost,, though not eeaetly, right as
to the cause ai my silence on the elder question. My own health has
been as good as usual, but I have had another protracted case of typhus
fever in my family. This is the thirty-eighth day since my brother-in-
law was attacked by this horrible disease, and he is now just able to go
upon his legs. He was very seriously ill, and at one time his physicians
manifested considerable anxiety about him. My leisure time was, con.
sequently, devoted'to him. I hope, however, by God's blessing, to be
able to furnish something upon the qnestion, nest week. Your speech,*
* The argument delivered before the Synod of Philadelphia, to which
ref ereiice is made by us already.
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THE ELDER QUESTION, 259
iiowever, has so completely eihaueted tlie subject, Ihst, you have left
nothing to be gleaned after you; and if you should find that I avail
myseU latlier fcealy of yoar labours, you muBt attribute it, not fo the
poverty of the sabjact, but to the riohneBe of your aigament. "Within
the whole compos of my reading, I haye never met with a dearer and
abler espoeition of Presbyterial Begitaent than your two speeches afford.
There are only one or two points wliich I wish you had contrived to inoor-
jNirate ic them, so as to have made tliem perfect. Tie first is the expmn.
WW character at Presbytery, enabling it to preserva the unity of every
possible condition of the Churoli, ill regard to numbers aad extent. A
single church may be Presbyterian, by being under the government of
a congregaiional Presbytery, or Session. Two or mora churclies have a
(jommon Presbytery, in the olassioal Presbytery, and so on. This point
you have touched upon in your letter to ruling elders. Our courts of
appellate jurisdiotioji, as an e>:pausion of the Presbytery, to meet the
growth of the Church, has always struck me as one of the most beautiful
features of our system. This matter I shall probably develops in my
" I have written in great haste, and in considerable pain of body. You
must excuse me, therefore, if I have sent yon but a sorawl. One thing
yon may depend on; the sincerity of my love, and the earnestness of my
prayers, for you and yours.
" Very truly, yoor brother,
J. H. THOENWELt.."
" South CiaoLiNA College, Api^ 16, 18+4.
"Mr Deae Ehothek ; I have sent to Dr. Plumer* a long article on the
Elder question. I could easily make a book upon it. My essay contains
only three argumenfa ; the first, drawn from the constitution of the
Church ; the second, from the nature of ordiiiaUon, as an act of govem-
Ment ; and the third, from the preiatical tendencies of the opposite doe-
triae. This, you will perceive, is only a fraction of what might be eaid.
In developing the ailment from the constitution of the Ciinroh, I have
laid down principles which, if the article should be thought worthy of
attention at all, will produce an intense agitation. I have spoken what
I believe to be the truth. The ultimate triumph of our cause is certain.
"We avo gaining ground every day. In this State, the leaven is gradually
working among our ministers and elders, though we have a tremendous
tide of prejudice to stem.
"Dr. Miller's sermon I have not seen, but I am satisfied that my main
positions are true. I have brought them out again, m my second article.
There is one point which I must shortly dificuss, and that is the distHr
hiUoJi of power among our Church Courts. This occasions a difficulty
to many minds, and prevents them from appreciating the sknpUdty of
the Presbyterial organization,
*At this time editing the Watehinan of the SouHt, at llichraond, Va.
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ZbO LIFE OF JAMES HBNr.BY THOBNWELL.
" Let me hear from jou before you leave Baltiraore, and xaJiUe lit tte
Assambly. I "wisli we were 50 situated tliat we could oftea meet in the
fieeh. I know of no man on earth with, whom I ■woTild more dalight to
bold frscluent commumon.
' ' Very tritly, your friend and brothor in Christ,
J. H. Thoenweu,."
' ' South CABOLiNi Collbob, Ma^ 1, 1844.
"Mr Ttnin Bbothbk : I have just dispatched another article to the
Watekman of the Smtih, which will cloaa my present ooatribution to this
oontroyersy. I wrote tiie thii^ to-day, and was compelled to do it in
Buch great haate, having but a small portion of tame to allot to it, that it
presents no other attraotionfi but those of naked truth. My object was
to show that the charge of Independency, wMoh has been bo freely and
so confidantly ui^ed against ue, is utterly without fmmdation. I think
that I have put this charge, the offspring of ignorance, ei^endered by
malice, completely to rest. I have written calmly and diapssBionately ;
though the egregious miarepresentatioas of Dr. Miller and McOaUa were
sufficient to provoke me. I have determined, however, to enter into s,
controversy with neither of them, unless it shoidd be forced upon me in
such a way that I could not honourably decline it. Since writing to yon
before, I have procured a copy of the Doctor's sermon. In the smaJl
portion devoted to ray article, he falls into two singular mistakes. 1, He
represents me as saying that Calvin, Owen, and others, endorse my views-
of the distinction of ministers and elders, as suok ; whereas, I simply re-
ferred to tiiem as maintaining the ancient and Presbyterian exposition of
the pass^e to which I appealed in Timothy. 2. He is wrong in saying
that Owen did not hold, upon this subject, the same opinion »b myself.
1 did not refer to him, in the article, aa holding them ; but stil! he does
most stoutly and resolutely maintain them. To say nothing of Ms elab-
orate account of the difference in gifts which preachers and elders re-
quire, he ia very particular to state, tha.t the pastor combines both offi.ces ;
and in consequence of his being an elder, and in. omiseguenee of that faat
alone, he ia entitled to rtde in the Ohuroli. Take the following passage,
which you will find in his works, (vot 20, p. 486, London edition, 1826):
' Unto pastors and teachers, as such, there belongs no rule ; ^though, by
the institution of Christ, the right of rule he inseparable from their office.
For all that are rightfully called thereunto are elders also, which gives
tJiem an interest in rule.' Can anything be more explicit and distinct?
How, then, could Dr. Miller say that Owen held the doctrine of his
eermou ? This great man made the eldership o«e, and every elder, whe-
ther a teacher or not, so far as he was an elder, partook of th,e ^me
ofBce. Dr. Miller, however, mates two diatmct sorts of elders. The
eldership of which a minister partakes is, according to him, a different
kind of eldership from that which is possessed by the ruling elder. I
cannot understand how the Doctor could misrepresent Owen so egre-
gious^, when he was professedly taking me to task for the same sin.
,db, Google
THE eldf;k ftUEsnoN. Sfil
"Ministers -without a charge, will think that a regular cwnfipiraey haa
been formed egainst them ; but I oaanot see any method of evading the
ooiiclnaon at whioh I arrive, in my flrat article for the Watehman,. The
same view was held bj other bodies, hesideB the Burgher Synod, to
which I referred. "See Owen, VoL 20, page 467.
' ' I have read the article in the BibUeal B^ertory. It hae added no-
thing to the argument, and I am sorry Princeton is in such a temper.
There is one fact, however, which I wish to see explaiiied. You and the
writer both quote the Belgic Confession, and yet neither of your t[uota-
tions agree with the copy to be found in the Corpiia et Syntagma ftm/es-
aionum Fidd, which was published at Geneva in 1664. What edition
did you use ? The various readings are so striking, that I should like to
know when, where, and how, the changes were made. The discrepan-
cies between the reviewer's copy and mine, satisfied me that each of
you might be right in his quotations, having followed different editions,
"your third, in reply to Itt. McLean, is capital. You have taken
what I conceive to be the only sensible view of a quorum, and effectually
put down the ludicrous trifling into which the good Doctor had fallen. I
feel much solicitude about your success before the nest A^embly. I
sincerely trust that God may give you grace to maintain yonr position,
so as to gliaify Hie name, even if you should be defeated in the object
of your suit. Mftintnin, my brother, the spirit of Ohrist, and its con-
trast to the temper in which you have been assailed will speak volumes in
your favour. I hope that the Master wili be with yon, to guide, direct,
and sustain you. Do not foi^et to give me an occasional line, informing
me how matters go with you. My interest will be intense, and I shall
be able to get nothing from the papers, except through the Presbyterian.
"An organ of some sort we must have. Give us a paper, and we
ahidi ceitoinly win the day. I attached so much importance to this mat-
ter, that I had determined to write to you about it. I hope, therefore,
that you may succeed in setting a paper on foot
" I have been preparing a series of diBCOurses on the Eternal Sonship
of Chri'it. I have been so much mterested ra the subject, that, if I
could overcome my mortal repugnance to the pen, I might be tempted
to put them in a permanent form
"May grate, menv Ac
J. H. TaORNWELL."
" South OiaoHKA College, July 13, 1844.
" Mr Deah Bkothes : Having been disappointed in my expected trip .
to the North, I drop you a hasty line, to let you know that I have deter-
mined to put my letters on the Apocrypha to the press at once. I have
sent them to Leavitt, Trow it Co., with instructions to print one Ihou-
sand copies. I have no hopes of being able to pay the expenses from the
sale ; but I concluded to try my fortunes with Uie public. I shall depend
on you to give me a lift in getting them into circulation.
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a63 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWPLL.
" I am about to come out in the Charleslon Observer, in reply to ' Qe-
neTH.' I tMak I shall be able oompletelj to demolisli Mm. I have
already written most of my reply, and would bo tappy to have you see
It, How does your pulse beat einoe the adjom'ument of the Assembly ?
I have been looking for a letter from you.
" Very fcnily and affeetiouatelj,
J. H. Thobnwell."
" Columbia, August 10, 1344.
" Mt I>EiB Bhothee : ******** It is very
evident that our brethren of the majority are eonsoliug themKelves
with tlie delurave hope that the war is ended on the subject of elders.
1 hare written siiteen manusoript pages of my reply to ' Geneva,' and
OS soon as I finish, the remainder, I shall send it to brother Q-ilder-
Bleeve. In the course of my argument I have attempted to show, that
the words pastor and bishop ai'e both most generally employed, in pro-
fane and saored aathors, to denote Qiose invested with authority, and not
merely teachers or instructors. This fact will take them by siirprise ;
as in all tfaeir dieonssions they hare quietly assumed that a bishnp must
be a preaeher. They have never thoi^ht of appealing to the Septuagiut
and to classical writere, for the tisage of the word, which, if they had
done, they would find that there is not a iingle instance in which it is
used in anything like the sense to which they would esdusively restrict
it. I shall present them with some stubborn facts upon this point, that
they will not find it very easy to digest. Another circumstance has been
strangely overlooked. In the African Churoh they find Presbyter and
Senior used, one in reference to ministers, the other to ruUng elders.
They infer that the words are not synonymous, because they are appjt-
rently applied to different officers. Why not, say they, oeU both Pres-
byters, or both Seniors? The question is obvious,. they wanted distinot
terms, and accordingly went to the Latin, Bible, where they find the
same Greek word in reference to the awme offteer sometimes rendered
Presbyter and sometimes Senior. The more I .reflect upon tie subject,
tbe'more I am satisfied that the truth of the case is with us.
" I am glad to learn that brother Dunlap is .in Baltimore; as I know
that he will strengthen your hands, and aid you in every good word and
work. Please make my kindest remembrances to him. Yon may tell
him, moreover, that his last letter was duly submitted to a committee of
clerks and printers ; and after having been deliberately examined, rtmr/c by
mairk, was pronounced to be wholly illegible. Still, after divers and sun-
dry efforts, as I had some general knowledge of what I suppose he intended
to say, I snooeeded in guessing out (for I cannot say that I spelt a word)
the strange hieroglyphics, which were scrawled before mo, like the tracks
of snails on Sonthern oeilings.
" I see that you and Dr. Plumer and Mr. Ejoe have challenged all the
bishops, archbishops, priests, and deacons in the United States, so they
come not more than three at a time. They are too cunning to take you
up. Let me hear from you soon, etc.,
"J. H. Thornwbll,"
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THE ELDER QUESTION, •iri6
"SoTJiE CiB0i.iN4 CoujiOE, BeeemJi0r 27, 1844.
My Dear Bbothbe : I have bsen resolving sTerj day, for some weeks
past, to write you a long letter, but have not been able to commaiid suffi-
cient time to say al! tkat I wKnted to say. Your sermon* is etmeily the
tidng ; it is, in every way, seasonable and to the point. All I fear is, that
you have not given it a sufficiently wide eirculatioc. I wish it were in
the hands of every minifitft", and every candidate for the ministry, in tho
" Our Synod has just adjourned. I had no opportunity of bringing
up the resolutions wMob I had prepared on the alder question. Tlia
first business on widcli we entered, was that of division ;t BUd the arrang-
ing of the details connected with the constitution and funds of the
Seminary, took up out whoia time. I was on the Board of Directors,
and liad to be a great deal engaged in committee. So that I could not
have argued the matter, if any one eke had brought it up. I was very
sorry, as this was our last meeting in a united body, I think that, in the
new Synod (to bo erected) of South Carohna, we shall liave a very strong
minority. My impression ia, that the State is almost equally divided ; a
majority of ministers being against us, a majority of elders in our
favour. In Georgia, we liave next to no strength at alL The question
has come ap in two Presbyteries in this State, South CaroUna and Har-
mony ; and the two parties were considered about equally balanced. I
have to preach the opening sermon of our Presbytery, in Oharleston, at
its nest meeting in April ; and shall take ocoamon, in imitation of your
esample, to lift up my voice like a trumpet. It is my anxious desire to
be a member of the neit Assembly, and I want you to be one too. "We
must get the msitter up again, in some shape or other ; and I think I
have a plan by which it can be done. If you should be a member ot
tliat body, supposing that my scheme should not succeed, it would be
proper in ycu to agitate the question, as you were refused a hearing by
last Assembly. It would be simply an act of justice to yourself, to he^a;
the grounds on which you maintain your opinions.
" I am about to come out with another sermon, of which I will fur.
nisb you a copy as soon as it is published. The subject is, the S'teemiPy
of the Atonemeid.t The students have reqnested its pubUcation, and I
did not feel at Uberty to refuse. It was preached on the Sunday before
commencement ; the day on which I usually preach a valedictory sermon
to the graduating class.
* The reference is bo a published sermon of Dr. Breokinridge, entitled,
" The Christian Pastor one of the Ascension Gifts of Christ ;" preached
at the installation of the Eev. E. W. Dunlap, in Baltimore. A review
of it by Dr. Thomwell, in 1847, in the Sovthern Preabyterian Betiew, will
be found in Vol. IV, of his ' Collected Writii^s.'
f The Synod of South Carolina and Geoi^a was, at this meeting, divi-
ded into the two Synods of South Carolina, and of Geoi^ia.
{Found in Vol. II, of the ' Collected Writings.'
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264 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWEI.L.
" Entire nous, I liave serious fears that my oaefalnees in College has
readied its elimai. * «»****» From
■what I can leavn, I am the real ceituB that binds the ireligiona cominumty
to the College. TMb is a poeition of perilous respouaihiUty, which I do
mot like to hold. I endeavour to preach the Gospel ffuiMully, fitid no
man dares io interfere with me. I have the esteem and affection of the
young men; but still, I feel solitary, and I* do not like to -wflfite my
strength upon so few. If the providence of God should place before
me apaatoral charge suited to my mind, and offering a reasonable pros-
pect of usefulness, I should feel strongly tempted to accept it. These
things are said to you, in the confidence of most unhonnded Christian
love, with the view of eliciting your opinion, to which 1 always, and on
every anbject, attach great value. I can assure you that you had my
■ ■warmest sympathies in your recent .afBietion. I did not tnow how muoh
I loved you, until I heard you were in deep waters. SiaU, I had no
doubt but that a covenant-keeping Glod was passing you through the fur-
nace, for your own good, and for His glory. For myself, I have been
often desponding, since I saw you. I have bean painfully impressed
With a sense of worthlessness. I feel that, if I should die, I should sink
into the grave like a stone into the water, unmissed, unlamented, unre-
garded. Pray for me, my brother, that God may give me grace suited
to my day.
"As ever, yours, J. H. Thobnwbll."
A heavy affliction in the family of Dr. Breckinridge
drew forth a brief letter of sympathy ;
" South Oabolina Coli/eoe, December 28, 18+4.
"Mi Veby Desk Brotkeh ; I have just this moment heard, from
Colonrf Preston, of the severe and awful calamity with which you have
been visited My heart is fuU, and I know not what to say. AH that I
can do IB to piay that God may be with you, ix> comfort, support, and
sanctify you My beloved brother, when I think of your desolate fire-
side, and. still moie desolate affections; your motherless children, and
the perilous lesponsihihty that is now accumulated upon their only pa-
rent, my heart bleeds within me. I enter iuto your sorrows ; I share
your bereavement , I partake of your anxieties. But it is in affliction
that the real greatness of Christianity is seen. You have a covenant God
to whom you may flee, unbosom your sorrows, and make known your
wants , and it is His prerogative to be a ter;/ present help in time of
trouble He oareth for you ; and can make this calamity, bitter as it is,
conduce to yom good. You know, you have tasted, His love ; and it is
His own word, that He dotli not wilUngly aftlict or grieve the children of
' ■ I cannot but think that your thoughts are now muoh set upon the
heavenly state. Another charm is now given to the. place, since the
dearest object of your affections is now gone to be for aver with the Lord.
The separ.ition betwixt you and her is only teivipnravy. The Master will
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TUK ELDEK QUESTION. 3b5
soon oall for ymi also ; and then sorrow and sighing will flee away for
ever. In tbe meaatime, you? litlila ones may be safely eiitnisted.to the
Shepherd of Israel ; who has promised to bless the seed of the righteous,
aad who loyes them for their father's sake, I might, my hrother, writ*
jou a long letter, suggesti:^ the ordinary tflpios of Christian consolation ;
Irat I prefer to leave yon in the hands of the hlessed Spirit, wIlo wlU.
teach joa effeotvially, and, administer comfort as He sees it to be good.
To TTim I commend you, begging you to accept my aBsaraacea of pro-
found sympathy and of fervent prayer in your behalf.
" Very truly, your friend and brother,
J. H. Teobbwbll."
The letter which follows forms a link in Dr. Thorn-
well's personal histoiy ; and is equally appropriate as the
couchisioii of this chapter, or b.°i the in trod action to the
next:
"Sooth Oabolivi C llege Uo ft f IS-t .
' ' My Deab Beother : Since receivinj{ y ir last km 1 and el oma
letter, I have haen confined to my ohajnl er for abo t tea days n ith
catarrhal fever. My whole family have suffered not a 1 ttle w th sore-
throat. But through the good hand of the Iiord upon u , we are all ow
restored to onr usual health,
"The oircnmstances in which you are placed muat be fuU of embav-
raaament and perplexity. Broken in health, wounded in spirit, with two
calls before you to difierent and responsible stations, yon mast feel very
sensibly your need of Divine guidance and direction in guiding your
steps. I have bat a single suggesHon to make ; and, though it may not
be new, it deserves none the lees to be seriously pondered, by those who
would aim singly at God's gloiy. We are too often prone to misinterpret
what are called the leadings of Providence, and to take those things as
the intimations of Divine jflJK which are, perhaps, designed to be trials
of OUT faith. I am quite satisfied that no one can ever reach the wUl of
God, in Lis own particular case, hy Judging merely from promising ap-
peaisnees. The measures of human probability — it is a lesson recorded
on every page of tlie Bible — are not the standard of Divine wisdom.
Every striking instance of faith commended in the Scriptures was against
the conjectures of onr narrow philosophy. Had Mosea reasoned ac-
cording to the prevailing principles of our day, he would not have re-
fused to be caEed the son of Pharaoh's daughter. The prospect of
extensive nsefulness was so mnch greater in the court, the sphere of hie
influence would have been so much wider, he had so singularly been
raided to that elevated station, and the hand of God was so visible in the
whole aJfair, that, if he had reasoned, as multitudes do, from the leadings
of Providence and probable appearances, he would have felt justified in
accepting the glittering bribe which was offered him. In this, however,
lie would have followed the impulse of hv^man reason, and been no ex-
ample of faith.
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LIFE OF JAXK5 HENLEY THOENWBLL,
' ' My Mends Bometimes charge me witk a spioe of f aaatioiBin ; bnt it
is my deliberate conyiction, that the only way of arriving at a itnowledgs
ot the Divine will, in regard to us, is by amplicity of purpose and earn-
est prayer. If we really desire, with an honest heart, to know our duty,
and apply to God to be instructed by Him, pe wiU impress upon the
eonBcienee a sense of dut/y, just in the direction in whioh He would have
us to move, and which we shall feel it perilous to resist. This sense of
duty may be produced by some principle of the word whioli we perceive to
be appUcable to the exigency, or by an immediate operation upon the mind,
■which we are unable to esplain. THs is my test ; and I confess thac, untU
after having sought from God, witli simplicity and honesly, His divine di-
rection, I feel such a sense of duty upon my conscience, such a ' woe is me'
npon the heart, I should feel it unsafe to move. That you may have
the counsels of your heavenly Father, and be guided by a wisdom better
than yours or mine, is my sincere prayer. I am sure it is your purpose
to glorify God, and I am equally sure that ' the meek He will guide in '
Hie way.'
" I am sorry to learn that brother Dunlap has been bo seriously af-
flicted. This is indeed a vale of tears ; eud they whose robes are washed
and made white in the blood of the Lamb, are they who have come out
of great tribulation. Oh I how precious the thought, that there is a land
of rest, where sorrow and tears are unknown for ever 1 and how anriovis
should we be that, through God's grace, our earthly affliftJons may wean
our hearts from sublunary things, and fix them on things above, where
Christ sitteth at the right biind of God. It is in the house of mourning
that the real greatness of Christianity is seen. As I have stood by the
grave of departed friends, and looked at the prospect of a glorious re-
surrection, my foeelings have been almost insupportable. Worlds mul.
tiphed on worlds could not induce to me give up that precious test,
'Them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.' No doubt, my
brother, resurrection and the glory beyond have been much upon your
thoughts, hince the Lord removed from you the ' delight of your eyes,'
Oh! how grand is tJie Christian's hopel The time is short; we shall
soon lay aside the weapons of our warfare, and buckle on the panoply
of light for ever. Please make known to brother D. my Christian sym-
pathy, and assure bun of an interest in my humble prayers.
" I sincerely wish that, in your projected tour for the recovery of
your strength, you could be induced to visit your friends here. I should
be delighted to see you, ond hold converss with you, touching the thills
which pertain to Jesus Christ. I am Bore that you have learned mndi
ia the tousB of mourning, and I should delight to have you recount tha
rich and precious consolations of God's grace. My own path is dark
and uncertain ; but I have endeavoured to commit my way unto the
Iiord. Tjet me beer from you soon ; and I would like to hear your views
in relation to my situation hora, as developed in a recent letter to you.
" With warmest Christian affection, your friend and brother,
"J. H. Thobnwell."
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CHAPTER XIX.
CALL TO BALTIMORE.
DlSBATier ACTION -m-TB THE CotLEQE. — CaU, TO CH0»CH IN B*I.T1M0RB. —
Accepted bt Him.— Dismission to Pkebbyteky of Baltimogb. —
DociosATB CosiEBEED,— Action of Trustees of thb Colleob. — De-
tained FOB A Year. — CoBHBapoNDENCE Oaowojo OUT OE This.. — Bal-
TIMOEE ChOBCH WilTa FOB THE YBAB.— PbeBBITEKY KeCONSIDEES AND
Ebveeses its Fobmer Aciiom.— He Eemains in the College.
A HINT has already been given, in Dr. Thoniwell'e
correspondence, of his dissatisfaction in tlie College,
and of a disposition to enter upon some suitable pastoral
cliai-ge. At the close of 18il, the Hon. R. W. Barnwell
had been compelled, by ill health, to resign the presi-
dency of the institution ; and the present administration
had not proved to be either populai- or successful. Dr.
Thornwell did not feel himself to be cordially supported
by the authorities, in his office as chaplain. He, therefore,
was meditating a change ; when, by a singulai' coincidence,
movements were on foot, which resulted iu the transfer of
the Rev. Dr. R, J. Breckinridge from the pulpit of tlie
Second Presbyterian Church, in the city of Baltimore, to
the presidency of Jefferson College, at Cannonsburgh,
Pennsylvania. Considering the intimate friendship be-
tween the two men, and the constant con-espondence'
maintained at this period, it was most natural that the
attention of the church in Baltimore slionld be turned to
Dr. ThomweU, as the snceessor of his friend. A call was
made out in due form, and was laid, by the commissioner
of that church, before the Presbytery of Ohai-leston, on
the 6th of October, 1845. After mature deliberation, the
call was placed, by the Presbyteiy, ii! Dr. Tkoniwell'a
207
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yba LIFE OF JAMES HENIEY THOKNWELL.
hands, and was by him accepted. Tlie proper teatimoniala
■were also ordered to be given him; and he was directed
to repair to the Presbytery of Baltimore, by whom the
proper steps wonld be taken for his regular settlement aa
the pastor of said church. It was a- decision arrived at,
with marked reluctance on the part of the Presbytery ;
one evidence of which was a written cominanication from
the Second Presbyterian Ohureh, of Charleston, of which
the Eev. Dr. Thomas Smyth was the pastor, expressing
*' the hope and desire that Dr. Thornwell may still remain
in his present ecclesiastical connexions, and may find a
field of nsefiilness within our bounds." There was, how-
ever, no option left to the Presbytery, but, to grant the
petition of the church in Baltimore, since Dr. Thornwell
was clear as to his duty in leaving the College, and this
was the only providential opening which, just then pre-
sented itself. A few days before the matter was matured
in tliis form, the letter found below was addressed to Dr.
Breckinridge :
"South Caeoliba College, October 4, 18i5.
" My Dear Bkotheh : * * * * * . *
* * * So far as I am conoeraed, the matter ie settled.
in relation to the BflltJmore oaU. If the Presfcyttrj puts it into my
hands, which I have no doubt will be done, it is my fixed purpose to
accept it. There is strong oppi^ition 1o raj leaving tbe State, as many
of my friends, and the friends of the College, ate bent npon raising me
to a higher position than the one whioh I now ooonpy ; but I haye no
aml^tion, and no desire, for the station to wMch. they would promote
me. In the present aspect of ecolesiRstioal affairs, I feel that it is my
duty, not merely to preHct the gospel, which I do here, hut to preach the
gosjiei under such circumBtanoes as shall bring me closely into contact
■with the Church ; whioh is not the ease hare. Had it been in my power
to choose my own field of laboor, I should never have thought of leading
South Carolina ; but I bow to the wiU of a sovereign God, and acquiesce,
withont a mormar, in the plain intimations of His providence. I shall
move to Bsltimore as soon as I can get a release from the College ; which
in no event can be earlier than December, and maybe as late as January.
' ' The distinction you have conferred upon me, I ascribe entirely to
your personal partiality. I presume, when you announced the matter to
your Board, there was a general look of astonishment, each asking the
other, whence this man came ; but such, no doubt, was the strength of
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their faith in you,., that they acceded to yoar request, iu the hope that if
I iMfi not, I might become eventually, wortliy of the honovir. All that
1 can promise jon is, that I shall endoavOTir not to disgrace yon. Last
week I reoeiyed a letter from Brother Sparrow, President of Hampden
Sidney College, stating that hie Board had alao conferred the same de-
gree upon me ; so that D. D. , in my ease, may stand for ' Doubly Dubbed,'
as well as Dootor of Diyinity.
' ' I cannot express to you my gratification at receiving the engraving
which yon sent me. I shall have it elegantly framed, and transmit it as
a legacy to my children. I wish very mnch you had oome with MoEl-
derry. It would have afforded me great pleasure to have seen you on
my own dtmg-hill, and interchanged thoughts with you about the pre-
sent position of affairs in the Church. Bnt I hope to see yon often in
coming days.
' ' There is a matter which has weighed much upon my mind, and
upon which we liave conversed a little together, and that is, the estab-
lishing of a paper, to represent and defend our views. I have no doubt
but that we may get anything into the WaUAman- and Obeerv^, But
we, onrselves, would feel a sense of delicacy in making too many appli-
cations to it. But how a paper is to be set agoing I do not see. I have
been in hopes some good man would undertake a quarterly in New York,
and m^e large promises of contributions from distinguished scholars
on points of Theology, Biblical Literature, and Church Government;
which promises might be made in great sincerity, and, perhaps, a sufB-
cient patronage might he secured to justify the undertaking. Fugitive
articles are not what we want ; but elaborate discussions, which we can
leave as a testimony behind us. There are many matters of great inte-
rest which might be embodied in such a work, and many ways in which
it might be coniioended to x)opular favour. But the tub is, to get an
editor, supposing we can get patronage. I have more faith in the ohid-
vag and ulUm/xte influence of a quarterly, than of a weekly newspaper ;
though the latter would be more rapid in its effects. I hope you will
not forget to write a review of D'Anbigne for the Boutliem Quart^fly.
It will do great good. That periodical has a much more extensive cir-
culation Ulan I supposed it had when I was in Kentucky ; and you%ill
reach a class of minds that know very little about the real character of
the Beformation.
"The result of the action of Presbytery shall be ooaunanicated to
yon, as soon as practicable \ but I presnme that Uiere is no doubt of
what it will be.
" Very truly, as ever,
J. H. THOHNWEtti."
The Doctorate alluded to above, as conferred by the au-
thorities of Jefferaon College, and duplicated by Hamp-
den Sidney, in Yirginia, was tiiplieated by Centre College,
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!i 1 0 LIFE OB" JAMKB HENLEY THOENWELL.
at Danville, Kentucky. These distinctions were showereti
upon his head hy three institutions, witliin a few days of
each other, in perfect ig-norance, of course, that they were
combining to do honour to one who was conspicuously
able to bear the triple burden.
The transfer to Baltimore, was, Eowever, unexpectedly
arrested, by the action of the Tnastees of the College, in
enforcing what had been regarded as an obsolete law,
which required a twelve months' notice of a resignation.
It was, of eoiirse, only one of tlioae measures of protec-
tion, intended to be used when great interests demanded
its application. None of the parties, therefore, antici-
pated the embarrassment which its enforcement, in this
instance, occasioned. In connection witli this interdict,
wliich, of course, could operate only for a year, a com-
plete and most satisfactory change was made in the ad-
ministration of the College. The Hon. W. C. Preston,
distinguished in the history of South Oai'olina as an ora-
tor and a statesman, was, hj the acclamation of the State,
elected to the Presidency ; and the College received a
vigorous impulse from the change,
This movement, on the part of the Board of Trustees,
di'ew forth the strictures from Dr. Breckinridge, which
ai'e found in the letter that follows;
■' Jefkeksoh CoLtKoB, Cannonseueoh, December I, 1845.
" Mt Dbib Thobnwetj. : I never closed my wliole reeponsibility, and ac-
idye mt.ereet and partioipatiou in any enbjecb, more to m; ovm satisfaction,
thaii when I ascertained finidly that you would come to Baltimore. Sat-
isfied, that iho hand of God removed me from that field of labour ; eon-
yinced, ss far as Toy own short and dim vision can penetrate, that you
were the man to occupy the poet ; rejoicing in the unanimous and cor-
dial—-and, I will add, apontsneonB — conviction of the congregation t« the
Bame effect ; I greatiy rejoiced in God, and felt a great care taken off my
hands, and a great meroy to be conferred even personaUj on me, when I
found the matter settled, and your going there fixed. I am save you will
find a wide field ; in some respecte, not as desirahla aa the situation you
have left ; but, on the whole, and in its entire bearings and influence, of
immense importance, and capable of bciitg used with unspeakably more
power and efficiency than it has yet been. My prayers are for your
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CALL TO BAT-TIMOBK. 271
great happiness aud visef ulneas ; and I mow see, with great oieamess, if
I eyer doubted, that wliatever Qod maj haye designed as to ma, jn re-
moving me from Baltimore, He designed mercy to that oity, and to the
people of my old charge. Almost the last thing I said to them, on
leaviug them, was almost prophetic ; ' Do you think that God will forget
jour goodness to the pastors He has sent yon heretofore ? Do yon think
He will send jou a man inferior, in any way, to those yon have rendered
happy by your vmf fuling kindness, your constant rererenoe and love ?'
Tiiat is not our Master's way of rewarding Hi a people ; and what I so
confidently felt, from what I knew of His deaUngs and His revealed will.
He would do, verily He has done; and heartily do I rejoice, and ttaui
" December 5.
' ' So far I had written yesterday, being interrnirted. I have since re-
ceived information in regard to the action of your Board of Trustees,
appointing Colonel Preston to the Presidency, and refusing your sppli-
catiOD for leave to resign ; and, what fills me with sorrow and alarm,
jour inclination to submit to this refusal. I have weighed the matter
as fully as I oould; and will now give you, with the freedom of a
friend, my views of the case as thus presented. Consider: 1. This
act of the Board of Trustees, if contrary to your wishes, is a fraud upon
you, considering that tliej had virfcoally acquiesoed ia yonr informal no-
tice of yonr intention to resign. 3. That, in any aspect of the case, the
obUgation upon you, under the circumstanoea, as regards that notice, was
virtually compHed with ; bo that the pretest of holding you bound is
the merest idle technicality, destitute of ail moi'al obhgation. 3. The
Trustee supposed they acted in aoootdanoe with yonr wishes, in refusing
you leave to go ; therefore, their act is no more a rale of duty, or a dis-
charge of opposite obligations fthsolut^ly inclined, than a veluctanoe on
yonr part to fulfil those obligations is a discharge from their binding
force. 4. The mere supposition, much less the painful reality, that the
Trustees believed it would be very disagreeable to you for them to refuse
to let you go, even if they were in error in that belief, yet, seeing it to
be the ground and motive of the act, this places you in a position which
obliges you to refuse, under the circumstances, to obey their aot. 6.
This refusal of a civil corporation, acting contrary to the clear coaolu-
sion of God's Church, lawfully reached, in due coarse, upon full scrip-
tural process and conclusions, is the idlest thing in the world, as tnatte/r
of auihorUy. Viewed in any other light than amply as authority, you
■owe it to yourself to repudiate it absolutely. 6. The people at Baltd-
more were under the full conviction that you could and lootild leave it,
if you saw it to be your duty to accept theirs, or any pastoral call. 7.
They have been to cnnsidarable expense, endured cocsidecable priva-
tions, done aU that was fair, generous, and right, in the complete reli-
ance that this new artpeet of the esse was one out of the question, and, in
fact, disposed of. It is, therefore, morally obligatory that, ae to them,
and their affairs aud relations to you, it should be considered and
,db, Google
QTH LIFE OF JAMES
treated as out of the question, utterly and absolutely. 8. That otureh
■will, in all probability, be irreparably injured, divided, and scattered,
if yon now refuse to go tJieie ; aud as to them, all this injury is gratni- .
ItiuB, and from a quarter that was contemplated, plainly and clearly, as
being already disposed of, in every part of the previous arrangements.
So this matter loots to me. May our God and Saviour give you grace
to resist this temptation ; for so it seems to me most oiearly to be,
taking the case in its present aspect. As to the real importance of the
places, or their claims upon you abstractly, or your fitness for them, all
these are questions not now to be discussed. They are solemnly, finally,
religiously adjudicated ; and the whole question is, can anything, much
less this new act, set aside the result actually reached, unless by the
complete consent of the other party, the church ? I say. No I as plainly
and dearly aa ever I saw any question whatever. I again say, May God
strengthen yon against this temptation.
" Believe me, my dear Thomwell, I fully enter into your difficulties in
this case. Excnse me, if I have said too much. Two objects, very dear
to me, seem at stake : the good of the ohnroh at Baltimore, and your
good name ; whidi is not a whit leas dear to me. I am, perhaps, mia-
takeo in my view of what the course of duty and propriety seems to ma
BO plainly to indicate. If so, eiouse what I have written, in ail love.
May God ever bless you.
' ' Your friend and brother,
Ro. J. Beeckineidge. "
One can scarcely fail to trace, in tlie matter and style
of this paper, the hknd of the lawyer, working in a case
for the interest of his client ; and is a little ciwious to see
how these specifications will he set aside. We have some
misgivings lest these details may prove a little too minute
and tedious. Bnt besides that both letters are eminently
characteristic of the writers, the case terminated so re-
markably, that we prefer the reader should be in fidl
possession of all the facts pertaining to it. The reply to
these strictures is very long ; blit it is so frank and gene-
rous in its tone, reveals a sensibility to considerations of
honour, and discloses principles upon wliich diiticult ques-
tions of duty may be resolved, that we give it without
abridgment :
'■ 8otriH Oaeolina Collbg-e, DeimnMr 13, 1845.
" My Deab Bbothbr ; I received your letter a few evenings ago ; and,
in the midst of the deep tribulation in which it found me, the very ap-
pearance of your handwriting was refreshing to my heM* This is now
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CAI.L TO BALTIMOKB. 273
the Eisteenth day Binue m j poor wife took lier lied, haYiag been seriouely
indisposed for a week before. Ske was, at first, threatoued with ■violent
iuflommation of the brain, then of the bowels, and finally her difiease
settled down into a oontinuoue fever of the typhoid type, marked by two
violent paroxysms in the twenty-font bonrs. My mind has alternated
between hope and fear. I have bad ansia\iB days and eleeplesB nigbts ;
and, though I endeavour to enltivate a spirit of entire resignation to tbe
will of God, it is my constant prayer that He may not afflict me above
measure. Tie symptoms to-day, I am rejoiced to say, are more favourable
than they have been ; but I have been so often deceived by flattering ap-
pearances, I am almost afraid to indulge in hope.
"In connection with tJiese distresses has been a severe and painful
conflict, in reference t« the action of tbe Board of Tmsteea of this insti-
tution ; and as I valne your opinion npon any subject upon which you
■will venture to pronounce one, more than that of any man living, I have
been deeply grieved that your oonolusions differ so widely from my own,
as to the precise light in which that action should be viewed. I am per-
suaded, however, that your mind labours under some radical misappre-
hension of the facts of tbe ease, and that your opinions have been formed
from inadequate data. It is due to you, therefore, to give you a detailed
account of tbe whole matter, and of the motives and ends which hafe
governed all parties.
" There is, as yon are probably aware, an express and positive law of
tbe Odlege, that no Professor shall resign bis office without giving one
year's previous notice to the Board of Trustees. This is a part of the
stipulated condition on which he holds bis place ; and imposes on him a
moral obligation, from which he cannot be relfeased bat by the consent
of the Board, When that body met, in November last, I ti'ansmitted
them a letter, in which I begged leaTe to resign my Professorship, the
resignation to take effect immediately after Commencement, so that I
m^(bt reach Baltimore by the middle of December ; agreeing, at the
same time, to remain untjl the Ist of January, if they thought it abso-
lutely necessary,- I deprecated, in that letter, tbe severity of holding me
id the one year's notioe, as altogether unprecedented ; as unneoessaiy, in
the present case, ae tbe ends of that notice had been abundantly an-
swered. I had no idea that any other action would be taken, tJian that of
formally accepting my resignation, and dismissing me, at once, from the
College. Just about one hour before tbe Board was to meet, the gentle-
mac to whom I bad entrusted my letter, in a casual interview, ■which did
not last five minutes, observed to me : 'I have read your letter, and find
that you will regard it as an act of ungenerous harshness to be held to
ibe legal notice. I merely wish to say to yon, that I shall use all my in-
fluence to bold yon to the law ; and I am anxious that you should under-
stand that I mean no unMndneas to you personally, but am governed, as
I trust, by the fear of God, and a solemn sense of public duty,' I replied
to bim, that I knew he was incapable of doing an intentional unkindness
ta any one, much less to me ; and, in the present case, I could afford to
,db, Google
274 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
be generous, since he woiUd only lose Ms bruatt and tis pains ; and, in
parting with liim, ridiculed the futility, tlis alter idlenesa, of his project.
So sanguine, indeed, -waa I, that the Board would at onca dismiss me,
that I had made moat of my arrangements for leaving. I had sold a oon-
sidecable part of my fnmitnre, had disposed of my sarvantB for the
ensuing year, and settled such of my worldly business as required imme-
diate adjustment. I nsTcr dreamed that any human belag would think
of detaining me ; and the onl^ intimation which I received was the one
I have mentioned, given about an hour before the meeting of the Board.
The argument, in my letter, against such a conrBe, I considered as ample
and complete. Tou may judge of flie light in which I regarded the pro-
position, from the fact of my making it a matter of jest in the family,
after the interview referred to.
"The Board met; and the nest day 1 received a letter from the Sec-
retary, stating that my resignation bad been laid on the table. I found,
npon inquiry, that many of the best men in tlxe Board were disposed to
bold jne, on the legal technicality by which I was bound. The whole
matter, then, struck me as a senous affair. I made it a matter of calm
reflection and earnest prayer. The men who were principally moving in
this business, were men of God, distinguished equally by generosity and
piety. They had pi'ajed over this thing, and were evidently governed
by a solemn sense of public duty. The conclusion to which I came was
this ; I shall, quietly leave the result to the Providence of God. If He
permits these men to enforce upon me a legal claim, which creates a
roHal obligation in me to stay in the State, it is His will that I should
not go to Baltimore ; for He would never sanction my breach of an ex-
press stipulation. If, on the other hand, it is His will that I should go,
He can turn their hearts, as the rivers of water are turned, and induoe
them to accede to my request. I therefore kept my letter before them
and until their action was taken, I waa fitUy persuaded that I would be
released, though, I knew, not without stiong oppfsition. I had no
agency in the matter. I never esrpressed to them any desire, wish, or
indiuaUon, io stay ; but just the opposite. I prosecuted the resignation
in good faith ; and submitted, in the end, to the estraordinaty con-
clusion which was reached ; because I beheved that it waa the language
of God's Providence to me, forbidding me to go. In your letter you
seem to have.reeeived the impression that the Board detained me because
they thought 1 desired to stay. This is a mistake. No such desire,
either direcHy or indirectly, was either expressed by me, or authorized
to be expressed by any one else for me. All the correspondence which
I had vrith the body was tlie very contrary. I have inquired into the
representations which were made by the mover of the resolution on the
subject, and it can be abundantly certified that he disclaimed acting in
consultatiou with me. He said that he had avoided me, to keep me from
hampering him in what he believed to be his duty, and whatever he said
or did in the premises proceeded solely from himself. It was, therefore,
wholly and eiolusively, t/leir act, and not mine. But, being done, my
id by Google
CALL TO EALTIMOKE. 270
duty was decided. I was under a fiolemn obligaiaon to remain. I had
made a contract upon taking my chair, and it was not for me to dissolye
it.
"Before proceediog fucliier, I want to remOTe from yom- mind Uie
convicldon wiiicii you seem to feel, that the Trustees acted towards me
in bad faith. If this were granted, however, I do not see ttiat it annuM
my obligation to act towards them in good faith ; but still, I tbiuk a full
review of all the circumstances will vindicate their hononr from all sns-
picioa. In tbe spring, I had drawn up a fuil communication, setting
forth grievanoea under which I iabonred in the Chapel, and snggesting
various remedies ; stating, at the same that, as I would be absent from
the State when the Board met, and could not be made acquainted witQl
ita action until it had adjourned ; and as, moreover, I could not consent
to retain my connection with the College, if such g
mitted to coutiaue, I begged them to regard
notice of my intention to resign, at the end of the year, unless they could
do somethiug effective in the promises. This communication I handed
to a friend to give to the Board, he being himself a member. He begged
me to withhold it, as it would do mischief to have the report circulated
that I proposed to leave the iustitution ; and asEured me that, as there
had neTer been any difficulty in past oases, so there would probably be
none in this ; and so far as his influence went, thei'e should be none in
giving me leave to rerigu at the end of the year, if my difficulties were
not removed. Such was the pledge. At that time I had no idea any-
thing would be done, or eoul4 be done, to amend the law. I expected
my Buggestions to meet such opposition in the Board, or it adopted
there, fo be so feebly supported by the President, that I had deliberately
come to the conclusion, that, under all the circumstances, I ought to
leave. But the Board have met me here by enacting my suggestions
into a law, and by giving a President to the College who can enforce the
law. The Board, therefore, has exonerated itself from the impUed
pledge of one of its members. It has even gone farther, ajid voted an
appropriation to render my place of preaching much more elegantly
comfortable and inviting than it is now. All these things have been
done mainly on my account I have gone thus into detail, in order that
you may not do injustice, even in your thoughts, to the best body of
men in the State. That Board comprises some of our noblest citizens,
and would iaatinctively shrini from doing an act of meanness. That I
may have given you, in Baltimore, the idea that I meditated an absolute
resignation, is very likely ; for at that time such was the fact ; thai I
may also have led you to believe there would be no difficulty in the way,
is eqn^y hlely, for such I Uien also beUeved to be the f aot. There never
had been difflonlty in any previous case ; and the implied pledge to
which 1 have alluded, showed that the gentleman who made it dreamed
of no such difficulty. Upon reviewing all the circumstances, two things
seem perfectly clear ; 1. The Board had a legal right to detain me;
and, 2, I was under a morai obligation, growing out of my own stipula-
,db, Google
2"b LIFE OF JAMUB HENLEY THOESWELI,.
tions, to stay, uhIgbs they were willing to let me go. Snoli, as it stidies
my mind, is the aspect of the cose between me and the church at Balti-
" In the first place, that oongregation tnew of the existence of the law
in qaeetion ; and if ihey looked upon it as a dead letter, they did it for
the reasons that have been mentioned : the fact that it nevei had heen
enforced in any previous osse. This rendered its future enforcement
improbable, but not impoadble. Previous lenity did not destroy the
right of the Board. They called me, theiefore, subject to an ohhgation
which wae not likely to be enforced, but yet which taiglit bn enforced.
I mentioued the fact, that such a law existed, to every membei of th^t
congregation who gave me the opportunity ; and in every instance stated
the other fact, that it had always lain dormant. They knew, therefore,
just aa mueh as I did, the red posture' of affairs. Thej attached no im-
portance to the law. Neither did I. The j acted upon the supposition that
I -would be released on the first of January, So did I. Our conduct
was predicated on the same premises ; but our f alee eondusions did aot
destroy the reality of the law, nor the corresponding right of the Board ;
and, therefore, my obligation to the ohurch was strictly conditionaL
My acceptance was predicated on its not conflicting with any other duties.
If the Board had met before the call was prosecuted in Pi'esbytery, I
should have applied to it tor a release, before answeiiug ; but gs it could
not meet before the last of November, I answered upon the best light
I had. That my answer was oonditioutd, ia shown from the fact, that I
expressly told the church that I could not go wntM released ; that the re-
lease would not take place until the meeting of the Board ; that it was
not likely to be granted io take effect before the first of Jaouaiy ; and
that they must wait until then, when I haA no doubt of the issue. This
whole process implied a con^tional engagement | and the anfioipated
condition having failed, the obligaHon, of course, ceases. This is the
light in whioh the thing strikes me.
" But put tiie affair in a stronger point of view. Suppose the church had
known nothing of the law, and that I had merely stated to it my convic-
tions that I could go at the close of the year, without stating the grounds ;
even in that case, my obligation would have been conditional. The rea-
son is, that our Book of Disoiphne supposes that a call is open to reoon-
aideration and review, at any time from the period of its prosecution, up
to its consummation in the installation of the pastor. Hence the ques-
tion is distinctly put, * Are you noiB willing, &e. ' His prmaui states of
mind do not settle the duty of Presbytery, nor his own ; it is his pre-
sent state of mind that fixes the thing. He is bound, in other words,
to do what aeeans to be the will of God ; and if, after the acceptance of
a call, circumstances should arise to change his impres^ons of the lead-
ings of Providence, he is bound to withdraw that acceptance. The
whole matter is open for new light, until the pastoral relation has
been actually estahhshed. When he accepts, he declare what he feels
to be his duty Vten; but Uie Book evidently contemplates the possi-
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VAU. TO JJALTIMOKK. 277
bility of ohange or mistake, and henoe does not impose an abMute, but
a, guaUJied, obligation.
"In confoi'mity with these snggeationa, if I had accepted the Balti-
more call, ncder the full conviction that there was no let nor hindrance in
the waj, and afterwards found that there was, my previous acceptance
would not have bonnci me. It was predioated impUeitly, if not ex-
pressly, npon a condition, which is afterwards ascertained to be false
in fact. A church, in calling a pastor, endeayoiira to obey the will of
God ; a pastor, in accepting, aims at the same rale. Thej both follow
the indications of Providence, and their mutual aote are fdrmal espves-
eions of the light in which they regird those indications. How, shoold
anything transpire which marks this oocclnsion as evidently repugnant
to the Divine will, the matter is ended ; no obUgation exists on either
side, except to follow the clearest Ugbt. Appiy these principles here.
The people of Baltimore, in obedience to the will of God, as they sup-
pose, call me to be the pajjtor. I believe that I onght to accepE^ and
acoovdiugly engage to do so. An event takes place, which shows that
I cannot go to Baltimore without the breach of a inoial obligation.
This settles it, that it is not the DMne mil that I should go. They then
cease to he bound by the call, and I by the aooaptence.
"Now, the light in which I regard the action of the Board, is the
closing event in the series of Providences, by which my duty was to be
finally ascertained. God had eonduoled both parties up to this point,
by A way they knew not ; and here He reveals the Une of duty so plainly,
that there could be no possibility of mistake. It is His hand that I
contemplate in the matter, and not the authority of a civil corporation. .
And this snggests a difScTilty in your mind, which I must endeavour to
clear up. You insinuate that, in yielding to this action, I yield to <uvil,
rather than ecclesiastical, authority, in a spiritual matter. The mistaks
is this ; It is my own ■promise, my own solemn compact, that I respect,
and not aatkority. I do not stay because the Board says, ' You must
stay ; ' bnt because I myself had TirtviaUy promised to stay. It is my
eontrad), and not their power, that I reverence in the matter. Again,
you af e mistiiken in supposing that this affaix, in any of its piresent aspects,
was ever adjudicated in any Ohnrdh court. The Presbytery of Chm'les-
ton deliberated on the call two nights ; the Second Presbyterian church
of that oity entered a solemn remonstrance upon the minutes of Presby-
tery against its prosecution ; and the issue which the Presbytery de-
cided 'was, that I had better go to Baltimore than to Charleston, where
an effort was then m^ng to get me. But the opinion of the Presby-
tery, so far as oxpreased, which was informally, and not judioiaily done,
was, that I had better remain in the College than go to either place.
" I protested against staying in the College, then ; because, under the
President we had, and the laws that existed. 1 considered my labours as
seiionsly hindered. No change in the College was proposed, but that
of making me President ; and my mind was immovably set against that.
My purpose, therefore, was absolute, to leave if I could; and under
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278 LIFE OF ^AMKS HENLEY
tliat Btate of tte ease, Hie Presbytery said, go to Baltimore. When the
Board had acted, tliera was a talk here of calling a JM'O n nata maeting
of Presbytery, to espress its approyal of that couiaa, and urge upon me
to stay. The church in Carolina is delighted with the result, and clear,
so far as I have heard, as to my 1 tj Th is the aspect of the case,
' ' One word more abont th Bo 1 It acted from a solemn sense of
duty. Under tie existing adm matr t the affaire of the College had
reached a crisis. Public t m t t ougly against it. That sen-
timent was largely oaUad t bj my p j cted remoTal. The people
would, perhaps, have submitted, f th y ild have kept me ; but when
it was found that I was going, tie tide set in ■v'x'Ca greater fury. A
clWQge was made ; hut a new esperiment required tje co-opecaiion of
an expeiienoed friend ; and the Board felt that their high and paramount
duty, as Ttaatees, required them to use every lawful means of preserving
my influence, and atti'acting to the College the oonMence which the
people felt iu me. They deteimined, therefore, if I want, to throw the
whole responsibility of going upon me; and they were careful to re-
move all tbe difB.culties whicli had originally excited my dissatisfaction.
They, no doubt, laigely overrated my importance ; but what they did
was the offspring of honourable motives, and in the due execution, as
they believed, of a solemn trust. They had never enforced the law be-
fore; because ihey had never had such a case. To fill my place this
year, was out of the question. It required a prudence and circumspec-
tion, the conditions of which wei'e satisfied in no candidate that offered ;
and to leave the place vacant for a year was equally ruinous. They had
only the alternative of enforcing the law, and thus keeping, or doing
what was in. their power to beep, a man with whom they were satisfied.
' ' I need not say that I have felt deeply for the condition of the Bal-
timore people. My heart had been much set upon that field of labour ;
and I never was more surprised, disappointed, confounded, than by the
course which things have actually taken. But my oonscience is clear.
I regret the past, hut I have no remorse. From first to last, I have acted
in good faiti ; and, if I know my own heart, I have as humbly, patiently,
and prayerfully endeavoured to asoertwin the will of God, as I ever did
anything in my life ; and whatever may he the lamentations of my
friends, or the censures and reproaches of my enemies, I feel that I have
learned and obeyed the voice of my Heavenly Father in the final result.
I cannot persuade myself that the church has been injured ,■ it baS been
kept together by the prospect of my going ; it has been, able to save a
portion of its income ; and ia, upon the whole, in no worse condition
than if I had refused the call at first. Whatever divisions may take place
jiOM, are divisions that would probably have taken place (Afire. It stands,
as I conceive, about where it stood befirre the oall was proaecuted. What
I most J^gret, is the possible loss of their personal affections. They may
be induced to view the matter as you have done, and attach to me a de-
gree of blame which your charity does not allow you to p
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C<\LL TO EALTIMOKE. 279
the righteous smite mo, lioworer, I hope to take it m an esoelleut oil,
that stall not breai mj head. I had hoped that you would nndarafand
the matter at once, and would aid me in relieving their minds of any
nnfavourable misapprehensions ; and had, aooordingly, intended to writo
to yon upon the subject, as soon as my family afflictions would permit.
But upon yonr aid, I am afraid, I cannot reeion. Let me beg you to
review the whole thing, calmly and prayerfully. In fact, I know you
will do it ; and I know that, whatever you may think of the propriety of
the course, in itself coosideied, yon wiU do me the justice to believe
that I have, at least, acted honestly, and hnmhly aimed to disohai^e my
duty. Xou may condemn my judgment ; but I am oon&dent that yon
have seen too much of me to question my integrity. Thank God, my
record in this matter is on high I
" The deep affliofion of my family, which, under any decision, would
have rendered a removal, at the projected time, impossible — and
dangerous in any time of the winter — has struck me with great force.
The action of the Board has been a mercy to my wife. Her pbysiciaa
told me, before he heard what was done, that 1 must not think of
taking her to Baltimore this winter. The condition in which she is,
coupled with the state in which the fever was likely to leave her, if she
recovered, rendered the change hazardous in the extreme.
"I am rejoiced to learn that yom' institution flourishes under your
auspices, and trust that God may impart rich and abundant consolation
to your inner man.
"The Board of Trustees haa informally ceqneated me to prepai'e a
■work on Moral Philosophy ; and I have a mind to nudertake the task.
Any suggestions that you may make, either in regard to defects in ei-
istdng treatises, or as to what o. treatise on the subject should be, will be
very thankfully received. Let me hear from yon often ; the oft«ner, the
better. I am always refreshed by a letter from you, even if it condemns;
for its censures are proofs of love.
"May God be with yon, and bless you.
"¥our faithful friend,
J. H. TUOHNWELL."
The church in B:iltimore felt no hidination to abandon
its chiim, and reaolved to wait for lijs coming at the ex-
pu'ation of the year. The effect of this determination
upon Dr. Thornwell's mind is, thus stated by Mmself, in a
letter to Dr. Breckinridge :
"South OiiioLisA Collegr, Febniairy 17, 18+6.
" My Deab Bkotheb : I received your very kind letter a few weeks ago ;
and since that time, tilings have undetgoue a great and unexpected
change. Tou have probably heard of the acUou of your old charge, in
refusing to abandon their c^ ; and, after the most prayerful and delibe-
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SJSU LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOUNWELT..
rate reflection, I feel myacif shut up to tte neceaGity of going to BiJti-
jnora. To me, tbe hand of God seems to be couspiouously displayed;
and though I had supposed that the whole matter was settled, finally
ajid definitely settled, in another way, and had bepui to shape my ar-
langementG accordingly, I am now clear, that, let the sacrifices be what
they may, it is my imperative duty to accept the call of your old flock.
I eliall not attempt to unfold the reasons ; suffice it to say, that I felt
my honour implicated when the Providential hindran<5eB, which 1 had
regarded as an immoTahle bar, wiis not permitted to be a final obstruct
tion by the church. I shali transfer my family to Baltimore on ilie first
of July, spend the summer there, snd then, if no other arrangement
stall be made, return myself in October,, and remain until Commence-
ment. It will give me great pleasui'e to meet you there, and have you
join with me in a series of labours to promote the spiritual interests of
those who, on so maay accounts, must be dear to you ; and it would add
to the pleasure, if I could get you to accompany me here, and attend
oar Commencement eienjisas, the last, perhaps, in which / shall ever be
officially engaged, and the first in which Colonel Preston has been called
to preside. You may feel some curiosity to know what I think of his
prospeotH, and I can say with confidence, that I regard them as eminently
promising. He possesses rare qualifications for the office he holds. Hia
personal dignity inspires respect ; the elevation of his character gives
him security, and adds great authority to his counsels or reproofs ; and
the fire of his genius is coromunioated to his pupHs, kindling a blaze of
enthusiasm in their minds, and making the business of instruction de-
hghtful alike to the teacher and the taught. The students are wonder-
fully attached to him ; and I am sure that, ,under bis auspices, it God
should spare his health, which, I am sorry to say, is still feeble, our
institution will soon be attended by a larger cumber of students than its
most sanguine friends ever dreamed it would possess. There is but one
drawback, in my view, upon his eminent fitness for the station ; and
that is, the absence of personfd religion. I do not mean fo say that he
is not, in a general sense, a religioua man ; but I have no reason to be-
lieve that he is what you and I would call a converted man.* His influ-
ence is in favour of teligion, as far as it is possible that he who is not
wiHi Christ ia heart can be with Him in aot. "What his religious senti-
ments precisely are, I do not know ; but one thing is certain, his station
requires him to attend the Chapel, and there I am sure be hears the gos-
pel. There are many respects in which his conneotion with the College
is likely to prove a i>ermaneiit blessing to the State. He has a weight
of character which will enable h'im to effect many salutary reforms,
which feebler men would be incompetent to exercise ; and he has a prac-
tical wisdom, from his enlarged acq^uaintanee with the world, which
saves him from all rash projects, and merely chimerioal speculations.
My impression is, that he is the onlff man in the State who conld have
filled the station' just at tiiis jancture ; and I am heartily rejoiced that
♦At a later period, he became a communicant in the Episcopal Church
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CALL 'ro BAL-riMOKE. 281
Ood SBat him to ue, and earnestly pray that he may he hrought, through
grace, to a saving knowledge Of Jesns Christ.
" The prospect of flia Preabytarian Chnrch in this State, is to me a
matter of inteuBe aud painful interest. Our Isige oocgregatious iu the
country ate . becoming very much enfeebled, by emigration, and their
relactanoe to support the ministry is still more disoouragiDg, There
prevails a deplorably lovi tone of personal religion, and the idea of
mafaiag anything like sacrijices to enetain the iustitations of tlie gospel,
seems to be foreign from tiieir minds. Unless a radical change should
teke place, it seems to me that OQi' churches must die out in many »ec-
tioBS of the country. I contemplate the prospect witli dismiiy. What
is t<i be done ? What, are the means that we must oonple with prayer,
to stir up the slumbering piety of those who are God's children, and
waken a deeper and more absorbing interest in the prospeilty of His
kingdom ? We present the appearance of a spiritual waste ; and mj"
heart siekens, as I reflect upon what must he before us, uclass God, in
great mercy, should revive His work.
" Your sincere and faithful friend,
J, H. TaOBNWELI,."
The removal to Baltimore was destined to be finally
defeated. A short time before the meeting of the Prea-
bytery, in the spring of 1846, the President of the Col-
lege waited upon the writer of these pages; and the in-
terview deserves to be recorded, as an evidence of the
estimation in which the subject of this Memoir was held
by the most gifted men in the State. "We (iannot af-
ford," said Colonel Preston, "to lose Dr. Thornwell from
the College. Iu the first place, he is the representative
there of the Presbyterian Church, which embraces the
boue and sinew of the State, without whose support the
institiition cannot exist. In the second place, he has ac-
quired that moral influence over the students, which is
superior even to law; and his removal will take away the
very buttresses on which the administration of the Col-
lege rests. An arrest has been laid upon his movements,
as yon are aware ; but at the end of the year, the autho-
rity of the Board ceases. There is no body that has
jurisdiction over him, except the Church; and I have
called to invoke her interposition, if there be any form
in which her control may properly be exercised." To
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E OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
whicli appeal the writer replied by dramng a paper from
his desk, Baying, "There, Colonel Preston, is the draft
of a paper, which I have prepared to suhmit to the Pres-
bytery, at its approaching meeting. That body will be
in full sympathy with the object which ia intended to be
aecompHshed; but I cannot tell whether it will agree
with me as to the stretch of power which is there claimed.
Dr. Thornwell expects nothing else than to go to Balti-
more, to which he evidently feels himself shut up, by a
sense of honour. I have not consulted him in relation
to this paper ; and have rather avoided, in my inter-
course with him, all allusion to his plans, that I might
not be hampered in the course which 1 propose to pur-
sue." The paper, above referred to, was submitted to
the Presbytery on the 11th of April, 1846; and was
amended, and finally adopted in this form :
"The Prefihjte>7, learning tbrongli the public prinfB, that the ar-
rangement proposed by the Second Presbyteriail Ctnuroh of Baliamore,
and one of its Pi^sbyters, the Bev. Dr. Tbornwell, and which was sus-
pended by the action of the Trasteee of the South Carolina College, is,
at the end of the year, ia be ooasnmiuated, think it tJieir right nnd
daty to inquire whether there has not intervened such a change of cir-
cnmstances, as to require a reconsideration, of their former action in the
matter
■' The question first arises, whether the Presbytery has not lost juria-
diotion of tie caae, and whether .the papers of dismission given to Dr.
Thornwell do not bar ail further consideration of his remoyal. In rela-
tion to this, it must he observed that the Dook of Discipline, chapter
10, section 2, distinctly affirms the jurisdiction ot Presbytery over dis-
missed members, nntiJ such moment as they shall become, in act and in
form, connected with a co-ordinate body. Of coarse, then, notieith-
Btanding papers of dismission were given in October last, Dr. Thornwell
still continues a member of this Presbytery ; which bos entire ecclesias-
tical cognizance of his conduct, and may of right determine the pro-
priety of hia tranHlation. to another sphere of labour.
"It may be further observed, that a call is inchoate, unlal consnm-
mated by the actual coDnectioQ of a church and pastor; and is mani-
festly subject to the recision of any or all Qih parties, if, in the interim
between the acceptance of the call and the act of installation, such
changes occur as shall modify fheir views of duty. Now, there are
three parties concerned in the settlement of a pastor ; the church mak-
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OALJ. TO BALTIMOKE. -i^O
ing the call, the Presbyter called, and the Presbytery of whioh lie is a
member ; tlie uonaeat of all of whom mnat be obtained in effecting tlie
installation. If, then, a change in the condition and view of the first two
parties raaj arrest a oall, while it is in progress, tlie same will hold tvuB ex
egufUi of the third party ; and if the call should providentially be eus-
panded, for so long a time as to alloTf an entire change in those oircvim-
stancee upon which that third party gave his concnrrenoe, it may be
their moat imperative duty to review the wtole case.
"It will be distinctly remembered, by those members of Presbytery
who were present at the pro-re-nata meeting, held in October, that the
consent of this body to the removal of Dr. Thornwell was predicated solely
upon his fixed determination to leave the College i the only real question
being, whether he should remove to Baltimore or elaewhere. As no
other door of iisefulneaa presented itself sufficiently open, ihe call waa
received, and placed in his hands. Since that Ume, however, important
changes have taten place in Dr. Thomwell's personal relations to the
College ; which, if they had existed at the time, must have exercised a
strong influence upon his determination ; and his opinion of his own
efficiency, in his present important position, may be modified by the de-
velopments of a year. In addition to this, within ihe present year, an
important enterprise has been set on foot within the bounds of this
Synod, of vast consequence to the Church ; rmd it is the deliberate con-
viction of this Presbytery, that the complete establishment and further
prosperity of the Theological Seminaiy will be greatly promoted by our
brother's continued residence and labours within our own bounds, where
he may eiert a direct influenoe in "favour of this institution.
"Be it, therefore, Ruoioed:
" 1, That, in view of the changes which have ooonrred since last Oc-
tober— changes which would have affected materially the decision of this
body as to his removal, had they taken place at the time — this Presby-
tery, in duty to themselves, and to the Christian public, are unwilling to
consent to Dr. Thorn well's transfer to Baltimore.
"2. That the fields of labour now opening, in the providence of God,
before our brother, in our own hounds, afford most ample scope for his
abiUty and learning. And it is the most deliberate judgment of this
body, in view of tlie necessities of the Church within this State, of the
movements which are now on foot amongst us, and of the stoiud which
he has acquired in this portion of the Church, that he should not remove
without the limits of (his Synod.
" 3. That a etimmunication be addressed to the church at Baltimore,
stating these views, and requesting their concurrence in them ; desiring
them to release Dr. Thornwell from his present obligation ; or, if they
are unwilling to do so, at least to show cause, either to this body, or io
the Synod, at its nest meeting, for their desire to continue to urge their
oalL"*
• Minutes of the Presbytery of Charleston, pp. 403-406,
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284 LIFE or JAMES HENLBY THOKNWELL.
A silent acquiescence in this decision closed the nego-
tiations with Baltimore; and Dr. ThornweU's eonnection
with the College was continued. It is tlie strongest illus-
tration of Presbjterial power of which the writer is aware-
Many instances occur, in which the Church conrts, have
exercised a veto, tlierebj disappointing the wishes both
of ministers and of churches ; but it is usual only in oases
actually pending. This action, however, cancelled a call
which had already been accepted, and revoked a dismis-
sion which had already been gi'anted; and did not pass
witliout some criticism at the time. The record is of
value, as showing that Presbyterianism is a government,
and the Church courts are something more than advisory
councils.
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CHAPTER XX.
QUESTION OF BOMISH BAPTISM.
IssBMELZ OP 1845, — Debate on Romish BiPTisM. — Impkbssions op thb.
West. — Viewb on Abolitiokism.— Patbiotio Febtjvo. — "Bibuoal
EePBETOBY " OK BOMISH BAPTISM.' — ^AETIOtEa IN EePLT. — CoBHBSTOH-
DBNCE ON THE SiME.' — ^LbTTER TO CoLONEL PsiaTON ; ALSO TO HIS
CaiLDrBN ^Plans in Eelation to the Colombia Seminabt.—
3 PKBaBriEBiAN Review " Phojeotbd. — Its Objects Et-
IR the yeai 1845, Dr. Thornwell was returned a commis-
sioner to the General Asflemhly, which mot at Cindn-
nati, whose decision, on at least two important subjects,
he ^sisted largely to moidd. The tirst was " that of
slavery; upon which this Assembly made a deliverance so
temperate and well guarded, that it put to rest, to a con-
siderable degree, the hurtful agitation of that subject,
and formed the basis upon which the' CImrch continued
to stand until the dismption occasioned by the late civil .
war. Dr. Thornwell, thongh not a member of the Com-
mittee charged with this matter, was, nevertheless, pri-
vately consulted; and his views were largely embodied
in the Report, which was finally presented and adopted.*
The second snbject related to the validity of Romish
baptism ; which was ably discussed, and was the leading
topic that engaged the attentiou of the body. Dr.
Thornwell's elaborate argument not only enhanced his
own reputation as one of the first debaters in the Church,
but was admitted by all partis as having determined tlie
overwhelming vote of one hundred and seventy-three to
eight,! against the recognition of such baptism.
*See Aesembly's Digest, Edition 1856, pp. 812, 813.
t Assembly's Digest, Edition 1856, pp. 77-79 ; where may be found a
summary of reasons for the decision.
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2b6 LIFE OF JAMES HENLKT THORNWF.LL.
These matters are opejied in a letter, written at the
time, to ]\Irs, Thornwell :
" Cincinnati, May 19, 1845.
Mt Deabsst Wite ; • • * • jiy mind is in a state of eoiisiant
and intonse excitement eonneetod witli the biiaiaess of tlie Assembly,
E -ytli ng tiiTjs far has been nobly dooe. The spirit -whicli pervadea
th Abe mbly seems to be the spirit of Christ and the Gospel ; and I
B n ly trast that G!od is with us, guiding and direoting us in all our
d hb t ns For two days and a half, we have been discussing the
r^ tion wh ther Koman Oailioljo baptism is valid or not? I mada a
pe h to day, two hours long ; which waa listened to with breathless at-
t t , nd, from what I oau gather, is likely to settle the qnestion. I
have a host of apphcations to write out mj speech, and print it, which
I have no notion of doing. It has made me the subject of a great many
uudeserred ttttentions, wiucli I would not otherwise, perhaps, have re-
ceived.
" The question of slftTery has been before the house, and referred to
a special committee of seven. Though not a member of tlie committee,
I have been consulted on the subject, and have drawn up a paper, which
1
I th k th m
tt I t! 4 mbly 11 su! t tially 1 ji
it th y d b 1
t mwiHb kUdmth V bt anCh
least f th p
t I h d It b t th t th As mb
a ve y laig m j
t U 1 1 1 ry t to b ful wiU
that t IS an t
dly th w d f God th t t p rely
tion w th Wh
ti th Chw h sn b has n ht to terf
that lit m tllywikd,! g g d rum is I
feel p rf Uy ti 1 that th th -tand h h th A bly will
take Th So th m m ml h vit 1 lite and th w 11
trion 1 h tl g th day It w 11 b g t m tt to p t th t
tious on slaveij t reat, and to save the Church fraia dismeiabermeiit
and schism. ; and particulaih t j do it here, in the stronghold of aboli-
" The marriage questinn will come up to-morrow. The resnltwill be,
that the Assembly will maintain its former ground, and enjoin upon the
Church courts to discipline, in every pase, in which a man maxries hia
wife's sister. Whether the Elder question will come up, in all its bear-
ipgfl, before us, I cannot say ; but we have so much to do, that I think
it will not. « * *
" I have had a delightful time among aU the brethren, from all sections
of the Church. It would do yon good to see the harmony, courtesy, and
Christian feeling, which characterize the Assembly. God grant that it
may not be disturbed during the whole course of our businesfl. May
God bless you and keep you. Kiss the ohildven for me.
"As ever, your deyot«d husband,
-J. H. TEOKNnrELL."
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QUESTION OF ROMISH BAPTISM. 287
"P. S. — Since writing tlie above, I reoeived jour Bweet latter from
AbbBTille, and devoutly tbani God that jou are all getting on bo well.
The vote on Popish baptism hss passed by a tremeodous majority, only
gis members, out of one hundced and eighty, voting against it. Tlie
committee did not adopt my report fully on slavery, but will bring in
<in8 that takes nearly the same position ; one which vindicates the Sonth,
and will put the question at rest. • • * My speech has made me the
objeot of general attention and cariosity. I have had compliroeuts,
which God grant may not injure my humility. Let me tear from you
soon, and often."
The letter given below is iEteresting, not only as con-
veying his iinpreaaion& of the West, but as disclosing his
intense love for the whole country, and the ambitious
dreams he indulged of its expansion and glory. It ia ad-
dreaaed to hia wife, from Wheeling, Va., and is dated the
14th June, 1845 :
" 1 took my deparirara from Cinoiunati, for Baltiinore, on Thucsday,
at 11 o'clock ; and, as the river is too low for boats, I had to resort to the
etage coach. I have been travelling now two nights and two days,
without intermiBBion, except for meala, in crowded coaches, and am now
fairly lired out. I got to this place this morning, and ahull stay here
until Monday ; when I shall have to take a stage coach again, for one
hundred and thirty miles, to Cumberland, across the mountains j there I
shall take the railroad to Baltimore, where I shall spend the renuiiader
of the week. *****
" Tiresome as it has been, I do not regret that I had to travel from
Cincinnati to this place by land. It has given me an opportunity for
seeing the country ; and 1 would not have roissad seeing what I have
seen, and hearing what I have beard, for a great deal. My impressions
of the West had been greatly erroneous, in many important respects;
and my convictions of its importance are greatly increased. The more I
reflect upon the subject, tiie more I am satisfied that the mission of our
Bepublic will not be aooomplished, until we embrace in our Union the
whole of this North Ameiioan continent. If the New England people
ace disposed to kick up a dust about the annexation of Texas, I am pre-
pared to take the ground that it would be better for this country, and for
the interests of the human race, to give up New England, than to
abandon any new territory which we may be able to acquire. I go for
TeiBS ; I should Uke also to have California ; we must hold on to Oregon,
if we have to do it at the point of the bayonet ; and I would be glad even
to get Mexico itself. You see that I am grasping at territory. There
must be a grand imperial Republic on this continent, and God will bring
it about, and accomplish great purposes through it. As to disunion, we
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'28S LIFK OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
have nothing seriouE to apprehend. If the Yankees feet'
leave ns, let them go ; but the West and the South, can never be eepa-
rated. There is at work, in this land, a Yankee spirit, and an American
spirit ; and the latter must triumph. But enough of politics. I will only
add that abolitioniBm is a humbug. A prudeut course, on tiie part of
the South, will kill it entirely. Wa have done the North aud West iu-
jnsiice on this subjeet. Take out the Yaokeea, and the overwhelming
force of public opinion is with the South. I have kept my eye on this
.matter, aud know what I eay,"
It eould hardly be expected that the Assembly's deci-
eion upon the invalidity of Boraieh baptiBin would pass
without challenge. The Princeton Journal, in it* annnal
review of the Aseerably, pronounced with great emphasis
against tlie doctrine of that decree. The guantlet was
not thrown down in vain. On the 4th of October, Dr.
Thornwell thus writes to Dr. Breckinridge :
■' It seems that Princeton has fairly turned out to be an apologist for
Kome. I read with much interest a series of articles in the Herald of
Keataeky, reviewiug the Repertory, which I atti-ibuted to you. I would
have written something myself before this, ; but I have been in an un-
settled state of life, ifioving about from pillar to post, until last week,
when I returned home. As soon as I can command leisure enough, I
shall try my hand. This is one instance in which the fathers and brethren
have reckoned without their host. The Church, as a body, is dead
agaisist them. I haYe not seen a single minister who does not condemn
the strictures of Hodge, and snstain the Assembly. I think it can be
dearly shown that tiiere is no principle on which Popish baptism can
be sustained, that will not apply with equal force to <my baptisms, reg-
ular in form, administered by any body to any body. Just let Tom,
Dick, and Harry apply water, in the name of the Trinity, to the first
person either shall meet on the street, and intend it to be Christian bap-
tism ; and Christian baptism, according to Princeton, it is and must be.
I have CJ^mined this jvhole subject pretty throughly, and shall soon be-
gin to writ* in the WaicHmuin and Observer. Perhaps Englas may copy
the article into the PTeabyteria/n."
Again, on the iTth of !Febniary, 1846, he writes:
"I have screwed up ray conraee at lost to begin mv projected reply
to Princeton, on the subject of Eomish Baptism My article will ap-
pear in the Oisenw and Watchman under the signature of ' Henley,'
which is my middle name. I have treated thj 1 rrthren there with the
respect that is due to age and station Perhips — toi thn heart is deceit-
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QDESTION OF KOMISH
ful — tliere may ba sometliiiig of poKcy in it. My object, however, taa
been to give strong arguments and soft words. My first numlier does
not enter into the marrow of tlie subjeot ; but the aneceeding ones, un-
less I am great^ deceived, will not be BO easy to ao^er."
A series of articles was accordingly begun, in fulfil-
ment of the atovG promise, on tlie 5tli of March, which
were afterwards gathered into three articles for the South-
ern Preshytenan Review, and may be found by the
reader in the third vohune of Dr. Thornwell's pubhshed
works. They go down into all the principles which dis-
criminate the Romish system as an apostasy from the
truth, and are valuable for the exposition they give of
the great doctrines of grace. As the reply was directed
against the gentlemen at Princeton, the discussion was
chai'acterized with all the courtesy that was due to their
station and iafluence, which drew from his friend, Dr.
Breckinridge, a rather splenetic note, to which the letter
which follows is the rejoinder:
"South OABoi.i»i College, Mardlt 34, 18+6.
" Mv Desk Bkothbr : Yon will, perhaps, be aBtOnished at my mode-
ration, when I tell you that, thongh deeply wounded, I was not offended
at the bitter, and, as I conceive, unmerited oansure of your last letter.
The truth ia, it will take something more than momentary espcessions,
thrown ofE in a fit of spleen or eidt«ment, to alienate my affections from
one whose life has been distdnguislied by arduous services and painful
sacrifices, in the cause of our common Master. Xou may grievously
misunderstand me, and rank my name in a catagory to which it does
not properly belong. This is the bitterest evil of life, to be misappre-
hended aud censured by those whose good opinion we most desire, and
in regard to matters in which we most deserve it. What you call my
■ Eulogy on Princeton,' is a conciliatory introduction to a series of arti-
cles, in which Princeton is destined to figure with no enviable distinc-
tirm The espreasions are, with a single esception, so framed as to
leier to the personal qualifies of the Fathers there, Drs. Miller and
Alsionder I thought it advisable ,to let (iiem see that they were held
lespoiihible, as well as Dr Hodge, for the sentiments of the Jt^niewi;
ind to ictraiate that the profound veneration whioli was felt foi them
personally, mstead of oommendmg their apology for Rome to the re-
rcpfion of the Chnroh, had only inspu^d, and wai. only calculated to
mspiri pitj for themsebpE The whole tenor of the esoidium exon-
ititci me tiom the ihiigc nf per^ouiil pypie ■Hhioh I had lea^on to
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290 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKMWELL.
believe would be attributed to me. J speak of the article as Tratten
with evident aMli^, and an ability not of iearniog, not of eloguecce, not
of argument, but of eopMstry. The expression is limited to tlie ' iuge-
miitj and skill,' with which the writer managed his mateiials, the best
that could be had. That I intended to strengthen tbe inflneaoe of
Pi-inoekin, is jnst the reTeran of my real object in the whole thing.
"WJiile I gave its Professors credit for piety, learning, and every Chris,
tian quality ; while, in other words, I commended them as man, the
whole tenor of my articles U against the doctriihes they sustain ; and I
think, JD the result, you will find that they have produced an efieot any-
thing but favonrable to the Princeton ascendency. My aim is to break
the charm, which I think as dangerous as you do ; and 1 have bo man-
aged my attack as to reach the very persons whom we ought to reach,
the admirers of Princeton. Thaywillsee that thisisnota jjerscnoi mar;
that we have nothing to say against the Fathers and brethren, as private
men and Christians ; that, as followers of Jesi:^ we love them ; as in
error, we pity them ; bnt that, in the influence which they, as a body,
exert, we sea perils which must be resisted and BTerted. Whether, in
this respect, I have juiced wisely, the event will prove ; aad if you can
BO overcome your disgust as to read the artideB to the end of the dis-
cussion, you will probably change your first opinion, and be fully satis-
fied that I have transferred, as skilfully as it should be done, the assDoJa-
It was a little odd that, at the very time you wore charging me with
bolstering up Princeton, I was pushing ahead an enterprize which I
was induced to undertake, from a deep conviction that Princeton must
be checked. The very qualities which my article attributes to the men
are, in my view, the qualities which make their errors dangerous. And
as I believed that Princeton had pursued a disastrous course on the Elder
question, on the Eomish question, and in regard to national Societies,
and ought to be checked, I could devise, at present, no better plan of
curtailing her influence than that of strengthening the hands of other
Seminaries. Hence, I set on foot the scheme of organizing our own
institution mote perfectly. The thing was first broached to nie, after
repeated interviews with brethren, who thought as I do upon these
points. You yourself know that 1 am no great advocate of Theological
Seminaries ; but as the Church is wedded to them, I am willing, as the
next beat thing that can be done, to make them checks upon each other.
But enough of this matter. Your labours, where you are, must be re-
trenched, or your health wiE be ruined. You do the work of at least
three men. Could you be induced to come South? The third Profes-
sorship in our Seminary here will be fully endowed this spring ; and wa
shaU have to elect a Professor of History and Church Government in the
fall. My attention has been turned to yourself. The place, in many
lespeots, will be pleasant; and it will be a fine field for you, until Provi-
dence shall open a wider. My fixed purpose, in regard to you, is to
exert what influence I possess— should I be alive at the time, and you
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QUESl'ION OF KOMI8H BAPTISM. 291
ja a condition of health— to transfer you to the same department iu
Prinoeton. I havo looked upon it as unlikely that you would ever
again become a pastor ; and a position of this sort is the nest most use-
ful, and is ons emineiLtly adapted to your talents.
J. H. Thobnweli.. "
The hint here thrown out, of placing Dr. ]
in the Theological Seminaiy at Columbia, was doiibtleea
saggested by the fact that his health was inadequate to
the labours of his position at Oannonsburgh. It was not,
perhapa, very aeriously entertained by either party ; though
it is referred' to a eeeoud time, in a aubaeqnent letter,
dated July 24, 1846:
" I haye been, muoh distressed to learn, from various sources, that your
health la still preoarioua. God grant that you may be long spared to
labour for the glory of TTtb name and. the prosperity of His Ghuroh.
This is no Uiae, according to tJie estimate of human probability, in
■which we can dispense with your services, and those of men like-minded
with yourself. The discussion in the last Assembly, on the subject of
inter-communion with the New School party, has filled me with, sadnees.
I was not prepared to see, so soon, a disposition, so openly manifested,
to forsaie our former testimony. That there were many who ohorished
loose sentiments in tiieir hearts, I tad no doubt ; but that the time bad
come to avow them in the highest court of the Church, I did not believe.
I am seriously afraid that the foolish liberality of the age will speedily
plunge us into, the same disasters from whioh we have just escaped. Onr
■whole system of operations gives an undue inflnence to money. Where
money is the great toant, niimbera must be sought ; and where an am-
bition for numbers prevails, doctrinal purity must be sacrificed. The
root of the evil is in ilie swular spirit of aU our ecclesisstioal institutions.
What we want is a iipiritual body ; a Church whose power lies in the
truth, and the presence of the Holy Ghost, To unseaula/riee the Church
should he the unceasing aim of all who are anxious that the ways of Zion
should flourish. I need not say that my heart was fully with you in
your noble testimony in the last Assembly.
"We have completed, the endowment of the third Professorship iu
this Seminary. Can you not send ue some students ? I think that you
■would not negret it ; for whatever may be the sentimente of some of the
Professors on some points, a stronger power is brought to hear upon the
students out of the Seminary, than is exerted in. it. Most of them leave
the place much sounder than they came. Should it be so that yonr health
is inadequate to the discharge of your duties in your present situation,
will you aome here, for two or three ycms, or as long as you please ? You
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would ia? e a delightful olimate, eesy laboure, exemption from preaching,
aud flae eooiety. We must elect a Professor in the fall ; and, if jou will .
agree to come, mj mind is made up as to the man. Thia field is, of
course, not to be eoropared with the one you at present oooupy ; but it ia
better than absolute idleness, and I suggest it to jou only upon the sup-
position that you are too feeble for any other work."
It is pleasant to interrupt this con-espondence, generally
80 polemic in ite cast, ty tz'anscribing a letter as entii'ely
epiritual. It is addressed to his colleague, the Hon. "W.
0. Preston, the President of the College. It ie a beau-
tiful commingling of personal sympathy under sorrow,
with faithfulness of effort to win the soul tp Christ :
"SODTB; CaKOCJNA OOLLtGE, A-uffust i, 1846.
To Hon. William C. Preston ;
Mt Yesy Deah Sm : I see from the papers, that you have again beeu
called, in the providence of G-od, to taste the bitterness of grief. Though,
in ordinary oases, the affliction with which you have been visited is one
which takes ns less by surprise than any other form of ordinary bereftve-
ment, yet in your case, the event, I learn, has been wholly uneipeoted ;
so that tie sereiity of the stroke has been greatly augmented by the
suddenness of the shock. Yonr feelings under suoh oircumstancea I
can readily conceive, and notiiing. but profound veneration for the
EaoredQeBS of your grief has prevented me from disturbing the solitude
which each sorrows always court, and espreBBing in person what, in the
freshness of your calamity, it would, perhaps, have been no relief to re-
ceive, my syinpatiij and condolence. Bo aasnred, my dear sir, that my
heart has been with you, and my prayers and my tears both freely
accompanied you, when I saw you descend into the house of mourning.
Your tenderest associations are dearly linied to the grave, or rather they
are tied to Heaven. A saintsd sister, a cherished daughter, and now
she who nursed your infanoy, are there before you. Death is no unfamil.
iat Bubject, and the hopes of a future life I trust no strange theme.
" The remMndDr of out Jtesh," is the forcible and beautiful language
in which the Hebrew writers are accostomod to designate our kindred
and relatives. It is an espression true to nature. We feel them to be a
portion of onrselves. Our hearts pursue them in the grave ; the sod
which conceals their bodies cannot interrupt our communion with their
spirits ; they live in our memories, they revive in our hopes, I know,
from your own affectionate nature, and from the tender relations which
they bore to yon, that those whom God has token from you will be felt
to be, in a pre-eminent sense, part and parcel of your being ; they were,
indeed, the 'remainder of yaarfiesh.' And does not this consideration,
my dear sir, suggest a new incentive for cherishing a strong attachment
to Heaven, and for giving all diligence to acquire that love to the Saviour
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QDESTJON OV KOMISH BAmSM. 293
whioli will seoure reunioii with your friends f If Jeans possess not the
aame attractions for you tliat He does for His aaints, so that you desire
to be absent from tie body in order to be present witt the Lord ; if Hia
preseaoe and glory be not sofflciont to wean your lieart from all snblu-
miej good, and contmend Me rest to your affections ; yet, as nature yearns
to be joined agfun. to the departed, you mast feel impelled tfl turn your
eyes to TF'm as ' the waj, the truth, and the life." Tiie loved ones of
your soul beokon you fo Him, and throagh Him to their own society,
and to eTerlasting blessedness. The providence of God is designed fo
gJTe emphasis to the oaEs of His graPe ; and afflictions fail of their end
which do not conduct us to Him who bore our eickness and carried our
" If you will pardon the liberty which I take, for I can assure you
that what I shall say is dictated by the siiiccrost friendship, and aecom-
panied by the warmest prayers, I will frankly state wy apprehension,
that you aie prone, from the yery nature of your mind, and the chaiao-:
tei' of your past pursuits, to fortify your heart rather with the lessons of
philosophy than the promises of God. But if it is the purpose of your
Heavenly Father to lead you to Himself, if He has taken ' tJie remamdev
of yowr fieah ' as an earnest of the mercy in reserve, is it not as ungrateful
as it is rebeUious, to seek consolation in bereavement from the topics of
t>iia world's wisdom, while the exhausfless treasures of Divine love are
before you ? Who would be content with heathen forlitude, when the
jewel of Ohristan jiaSJCTice may be won ? The disoipUne of philosophy
may engender a dogged submission to calamity, but can never give the
victory that overcomes the world. It is the distinguishii^ glory of the
gospel to bFace the soul against the pressure of ill, to subdue sorron, to
conquer death, to rejoice Jn tribulation. He alone whose heart is fixed,
trusting in the Lord, ' shall not be afraid of evil tidings,' since he knows
that bU things must wort together for good to them that love God. You
may rely npon it, dear sir, that there is comfort, pure and sweet, in the
love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the
blessed Spirit. There are consolations rich and abundant in the pro-
mises of the new and everlasting Covenant, a joy unspeakable and full of
glory, even in the midst of fiery trials, to those who believe in the Sa-
viour. This joy I am anxious for you to feeL In the eye of your
Ohristjan friends there is but one thing jou lack, and that one thing
would impart a new grace to your splendid abilities, give new power to
your eloquence, and shed a Divine lustre upon the commanding station
which you occupy. The whole dispensation under which we are placed is
a dispensation of mercy, and the tendency of all its arrangements is to
conduct to Jesus as the only Saviour of men. Prosperity and adversity,
blessings and afQictions, all speak the same language : ' belieoe and be
saved.' In your case, I cannot but feel that this language has been most
solemn and emphatic. The prejudices which a mind like yours would
be hkely to entertain against evangelical religion, have been signally
forestalled by the testimony of those whom you loved most, and all men
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294 LIFE OF JAMES HEN!
were bovmd to respect. You have seen its reality, you have w
ite power. You know that there is euch a thing aa a chimge of teart,
Bneh a hleBBing as justifioation by free grace ; for you have the personal
assutsMoe of tlioae whose faith GoA commanded you to follow. I trust
that you will obey Has voice. He bas called you to prosperity, enabling
you Ui achieve for yourself ' a name which posterity wiU not wiHingly
let die ;' all venerate you, multitudes love you, and God commands you
to give the glory Ui Him. He bas once and again called you by afflic-
Ijons, and all your affliotions point you directly to Heaven. Ob ! that
He may now eaU you affectionately by His grace, and mate you partaker
of His Son! To thisblefised Spirit I oomraendyou, and wherever you go,
my affections and my prayers shall go with you ; and if it should be the
will of God that we meet no more on eartii, (for thousands have rim a
shorter course than ours,) let us endeavour to meet on the great day, at
tha right band of the Judge, where all tears shall be wiped away, and
sorrow and sighing ace no more known.
" With the sincerost Cbrisfian sympathy and love, most trnly yonrs,
J. H. Teoenwhu.."
It will form, perhaps, an agreeable contrast, to set over
■against this letter, addressed to a distinguished and cul-
tivated man of the world, a brief note, written at the same
date, to his children, left in Columbia at school, whilst
he and their mother were enjoying a little recreation with
relatives at Abbeville. Nothing brings out a man's heart
so completely as the intercourse he holds with his own
children. Dr. Thorn well was a most affectionate father;
aud amongst his loose papers are many short letters to
them, in which he never fails to impress on their young
minds the importance of early piety. Let us see how the
great orator and profound debater will condescend to
babes :
"ABBEvim,E, Augvitn, 1846.
" Mt Deab Childben ; Your mother and myself, witb your little bro-
thers and sisters, reached your uncle Wardlaw's on Friday evening, in
health and safety. We desire to thank God for having taken care of us,
and we want you to thank Him too. He saved us from all accident by
the road ; He provided us witb every necessary comfort ; and, through
His goodness, we are now among dear and valued friends.
' ' Your little cousins have inq^uired a great deal about you, and are very
Borry that you did not come up with us. Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe also
expressed great desire to see you. Your father and mother would be
happy to have you with them, but they know it to be better for you to
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QDEBl'ION OF liOMISH BAFTIEM. 295
be at school witli aunt Peok. Father wants you to be good nbOdren, to
give Mrs. Peek no trouble, and to leam to read good, bo that yon may
be able to read God's Word for jourselyee. Ton nmst pray to God every
night whea you go to bed, and every mormng when you get up. You
muet ask Him, tot Vae saJio of Jesua Christ, to give you His Spirit. Xbe
Spirit wiU make jou feel that yon are sinuera, that you need a SaTionr ;
and irill enable yon to belioTs in Jesus Christ. Xon must begin early to
fear God. Jesus Olirist saTos oMldren, as well as grown people. Yon
must also pray for fatier and mother, and your little brothers and
aiaUrs, and for each other. When Aunt Peck takes you to ehuroh, you
must be good children, behave prettily, and listen to what Mr. Palmer
says. Tour father and mother think of you every day, and pray for you,
and send a tkousand kisses to you.
"Very affectionately, yourfatlier,
J. H. Thorn WELL. "^
Among the reasons assigned by the Presbytery for re-
taining Dr. Thornwell in South Carolina, allusion was
made to certain enterprises which had been set on foot,
which his inlinence was needed to foster and sustain. One
of these was a more complete endowment and equipment
of tlie Theological Seminary at Columbia. Tliis was soon
carried out by adding a third Professorship, and, at a later
period, a fourth ; to which, eventually, the munificence of
Judge Perldns, of Mississippi, added a fifth ; so that, prior
to the late war, it was one of the best endowed and most
throughly furnished institutions of the kind in the whole
land.
A second enterprise was the establishment of a religious
quarterly, at Columbia; to which, by anticipation, we have
had occasion already to refer. The measures for this last
were perfected during the year 1846 ; and in the month
of June, in the year following, the first number wiis
issued of the Southern Presbyterian Review, under the
conduct of " an association of Presbyterian ministers, in
the town of Columbia;" and which has eontiimed its ex-
istence to the present hour. In both of these schemes
Dr. Tliornwell was deeply interested ; and the complete
success achieved in both, fully justifies the wisdom of the
Presbytery in retaining the services which so powerfully
contributed to the same. Many of the most valuable
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29tt LIFE OF JAMKB HENLEY THOKNWELL.
articles in the Review were from his pen; wliicli, in all
probability, would never have been wi-itten, but for the
editorial responsibility which pressed upon him. To that
extent, the Ohureh at large is a debtor to this enterprise;
as will be acknowledged by all who discover how large a
portion of the four volumes, already published, is made
np of monographs culled from the pages of tliis Meview.
A few extracts, from letters relating to this undertaking,
will conclude the present chapter. To Dr. Breckinridge,
in a letter bearing date September 25, 1846 ;
" I have just returned from B long and painfnl visit to a region full of
Biokaees and auction. My absence aooouuts for my not having sent
yon. a. prospectus before. I have no idea that wa can get mibscriherB in
your region, but I hope that we can get artidea. Tou must write. We
will give yon a fair and full field on the Elder qnestioa. Can you not
get Drs. Green and McGill to write ?"
On the 6th of November, he writes to the same, with
a little more fudnesa :
"I am rejoiced to loam that you will become a constant contributor
to our proposed Beviea. Yon must be under no sort of apprehension
that you will write too often, or too much. We have not yet received
sufB.cient encouragement, in the way of patronage, to feel that tlie en-
terprise is safe. At Synod, wbioli meets in Charleston on Thuisday
next, returns will probably be made to vis, from whioh we can judge
whether it will be advisable f<i put to press, or not. We ah^ start if
•wa can get five hundred subscribers. We have four hundred now.
" The editors of the concern are Dr. Howe, brother Pahner, and my-
self. We intend to make it a free journal on the subject of Eldership,
Boards, Agencies, et id omne genus. We shall not, like Prineaton, put
an estingnisher upon any candle that emits any light. My own impres-
sion is, that, eseept in eases where a writer tnay particularly desire the
contrary, the names of the contributors should be given. No man ought
to write who is not willing to ba responsible for what he says. There
may be considerations of deUoacy which, in some instances, might ren-
der it improper to give the author of an ai'ticle ; and in such eases, thi)
name might be suppressed. But, as a general rule, I do not like strictly
anonymous publications The Revieio has been coldly received in some
quarters, having been prejudiced and condemned as likely to be a vio-
lent and. acrimonious advocate of extreme opinions. 1 hope that it will
be free from bitterness ; but if God gives (ne health and strength, I am
determined that it shall contain some things which wU! require some-
thing moiM than appeal to cusLoiii to refute."
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CHAPTER XXI.
ASSEMBLIES OF 1847 AND 1848.
Abbeuelyof 1847. — Euscted Modebs.tob. — Saj.ut4tokt ADcuEaa. — De-
SCKIPTIYE LeTTEBB. — SbKHON ON PllPEElI. — ItS SBBraOT, THE MaSS.^
Outline or it.' — Vraws op Hia Usefulness in the CdlijEue. — Ah-
SHMBLY OP 184:8. — Bight of Chdhuh Members to "Wiihdbaw. — Ee-
LiTIOB OS THE OhUKGH TO filOBAL EbFOEM BoCIETIBS.— CuBlOUS SoENB
IN THE Assembly. — Visit to Washinstob Citi. — Fiest Acquaintance
■WITH Mb. Calhodn. — iMtaa^ioss op His Genics.^Dettehs of
DK. THORNWELL had been a member of three As-
semblies: those of 1837, of 1840, and of 1845; be-
coming more conspicuoue in each, until, in that of 1 847,
which convened in the city of Richmond, Virginia, the
highest ecclasiastical honour was conferred, in elevating
him to the Moderator's uhair. He was, we believe, the
youngest who had ever filled that distinguished position,
being only in the thirty-fifth yeai' of his age. Upon being
conducted to his seat, m a neat salutatory, he reminded the
Assembly of the importance of Parliamentary rules, and
of a punctilious observance of them, in order to the des-
patch of business; and of the still greater importance, in
a spiritual court, of the presence of Christ, in the power
of His Sph-it, and of singleness of purpose to promote
- the glory of God. Delivered with the tone of sincere
conviction which marked all his utterances, it made a
sweet impression upon the body, and gave a pledge of
that dignity and courtesy, that impartiality and efjicieiicy
in the discharge of his official duties, which, at the close
of the sessions, brought itpon him the encomiums of all
who witnessed the proceedings of each day. This much
297
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298 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
may be allowed to be said for him, since he coiild not-
say it for himself. As to all the rest, he shall speaJi di-
rectlj' to the reader, in the confidential letters addressed
to her, who shared with him hia innermost thoughts :
"RioauoBD, May 20, 18*7.
" The Assemblj lias juat closed Vis momiag sessioii. Dr. Hodge
preached a very able Bermon, from 1 Gor. ix. 14. The subject was, the
duty ol the Clmrcli, as a united, collective body, to support the gospel
miDistry. Soma of his viewa were very stcikiug and impreEsive, though
in some things there seemed to me to be a confusion of ideas. He read
it slavishly, aad without any animation ; and the eougregafion, I thought,
were not much interested. I presume it will be published. After the
sermon, the Assembly was oonsHtuied ; and, though some Pi-esbyferies
are not yet represented, the delegation is very large, and the body is
truly imposing.
' ' I was elected Moderator, which, I have no doubt, will surprise you
and my Colnmbia friends very much. The Assembly is to meet every
morning at nine o'clock, and adjourn at one ; then meet again at four,
and adjourn at half-past dx. The adoption of this rule, and the election
of ofBoers, are all that was done this morning. I have no idea what sort
af a time we shall have ; but I trust that the Lord will be merciful to-
ns, and grant as Hia Holy Spirit. 1 do wish very much that you were
here. You could not fail fo ba interested and delighted. You would
meet with so many old friends, and extend your acquaintance einong s*
many kind and hospitable people, tiat you would feel it to be a treat,
"Father Molver, from North Carolina, is here, to prosecute a com-
plaint against Fayetteville Presbytery and the Synod of Noi-th Oarolinar
for restoring McQueen to the ministry. The old man is full of the sub-
ject. Ho seems to think that all will come to desolation, if men are
allowed to marry their wives' sisters. He is a good man, and his zeal
and earnestness on this subject are truly amusing, I do not know yet
in what shape the question will come before us ; but my speech is kiUed
by being put iu the Moderator's chair."
To the same, dated May 2Y, 1847:
"This is the eighth day of the sessions of tJio Assembly. Everything
has gone on quits smoothly and barmonionsly. We came very near
having a breeze on the question of reading or not reading the letters
from the General Assembly of the Church in Ireland, and the General
Assembly, of the Ih^ee Church in Scotland ; but the letters were finally read,
and the whole affair passed off very pleasantly. IHieywere very strongly
against slavery, but produced no ferment. Our Assembly returned a
very firm, calm, and dignified answer to both. The McQueen case is not
yet decided ; but I am inclined to Uiink that the decision of the Fayetto-
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AfiSEMBLIES OF 184t AND 1848, 399
Tillo Presbytery, ceetoriag him to the ministry, will be sustained. If it
could come up, on its merits, this would probably not be the case ; but
it comes up bampDrod with a deoision of the Assembly of 184G, which
rather shuts ub up, in. the opinion of many, to the adoption of this
" I preached my sermon on Popery last night, to a yery loj^e oongre-
galioiL The weather was very bad ; it rained the whole evening, aud I
espeeted but fow hearers. To my snrprise, the house was crowded to
overflowing. I had to omit a great deal of it, which 1 was eorry to do.
This moming the Assembly voted me their thanks for it, and ordered it
to be published. It aaems to have taken remarkably well.
" Dr. Hodge preached a aermon to-night on parochial schools. He is
not an interesting x^raachor, although he is a clear and able writer. He
wants enimation and fire. As a man, he is escaedingly popular in the
Assembly, and has great weight. He is very mild and gentle and affoo-
tionate in his temper, Heit Sunday we are to celebrate, aa an Assembly,
the Lord's Supper. The action sermon will be preached by Dr. Hoge,
of Columbus.
' ' I have been so much occupied with the business of the Assembly,
that I haye been able to accept only two invitations to dina out. As my
sermon on Popery is now off my hands, I shall have more Mme at my
command ; and shall endeavour to accept, in future, some of flie invi-
tations which have been kindly eitended to me. I have promised Dr.
Green and Peek to visit them iu Baltimore upon the rising of the Assembly,
and I have been strongly urged to go to Philadelphia. My movements,
however, are not yet arranged. You. shah know them in due time. It
is now twelve o'clock at night. May the Lord be to you a sufli and a
shield."
The eermon on Popery wae preached under an appoint-
ment of the Assembly of 1845; which, from providential
hindrances, was not fulfilled the following year, and was
continued till the next. The topic discussed in it was the
doctrine of the Mass; and was delivered from fall note's,
without being written in connected • form. It is a little
singnlar, considering the call for its publication, and the
deep interest which the speaker felt in ali parts of this
Koinish controversy, that it was never given to the press.
It remains in the same crude shape, too incomplete and
disconnected to be inserted in his "Collected Writings."
It was declared by one of oiu' most learned divines, who
listened to it when pronounced, to be a masterly exhibition
of truth, and showing a thorough acquaintance with the
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■W{} LIFE OF JA.MES HENLF.Y TIIOENWELL.
learning of the subject.* Tlie Mass was discussed undei-
its two forms, as a sacrament and as a sacrifice. It was
shown to be the central doctrine in- the Komish system;
and the arguments in its defence were articulately con-
sidered, whether drawn from tradition, from reiison, or
from Scripture. One peruses it in the rude outline, with
profound regret that it was never wrought up in the iin-
ished style which would have rendered it a valuable and
permanent contribution to the controversial literature of
tlie Church.
The following letter, written about this time, to Dr.
Breckinridge, (discloses the habitual feelings with which
he regarded his work in the College. The view presented
as to the pai'ticular form in which his useftilness was most
ttonspicuoYis, will be endorsed by all who are farhiliar witii
those times; though eternity alone will reveal in how
many souls he planted "the incorruptible seed," which,
in later years, brought forth fruit unto holiness :
"SoDTH CaboI/Ika Cbi.i.EQE, M<crsk 12, 18i7.
' ' My Deab Bboihee ; "With your f eeliogs in reference to your poeitioa
in Collegfe, I can moet heartily Bympathize ; and if I had yielded to my
own impulees more, and less \/o the convictionB of others, I shonld not
have beea hore to-day. From long experience, I am satisfied that the
posdbilities of usefulness in suoh a situation ace largely overrated. The
influence whioh a good man can exert is rather negative tlian pofiitive ;
it conaistB more in preventing evil, than in directly doing good. TMs
negative sort of usefulneBs has never been enough to fill up my desires.
Bat Providenee seems to have oast my lot where my labour is drudgery,
and my reward is disappointment. My time is so frittered away by the
constant interveation of estemal duties, tiat 1 osn pursue no consecutive
plans of study ; and what little writing I am able tfl perform, and it is
little enough, must be done at the expense of sleep or recreation. But
* In addition la this testimony, we find .the following from. Df. J. W.
Alexander, in the memorial of him entitled " Forty Years' Familiar Let-
ters : " " Dr. Thomwell is the great man of the South, and I do not think
his learning or powers of mind overrated. His speech, on taking the chair,
was a c/i^iTiBuwe. His sermon was ill delivered, but nevertheless a model
of what is rare, viz. ; burning hot argument, logic in ignition, and glow-
ing more and more tj> the end : it was nrnwyriter, and with terrific aon-
tenMa lateram."
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ASSKMIiLIEB OF 1847 AND IhiS 301
here I am, mysteriouely stut up to a poutioii whi:,l! is not the object of
my choice, discouraged, mortified, distreised at the f i uitleseuess of my
efforts, toiling day after day without hope ■worn down by a constant pres-
sure of responsihihty, and unsnBtained, for the most part, by sympathy,
oo-operation, or approval, on the part of those around me. If there ara
any who envy me mj chair, they would gladly rehnquish to me all its
honours after six months' experience of its cares. My conscience testifies
that I have faithfully preached the goapel here ; I have prearihed it
through good report, and through evil report ; I have preached it when I
stood almost absolutely alone ; but what has been the result ? In only ono
aspect of the case, do I feel that I have done a valuable wort ; and that
is, in. breaking down the spirit of infidelity, whioh had largclj taken pos
session of the State. Under God's blciBsing, I have sncoeeded beyond
what I could hope, in changing the whole current of asBociatioii upon
the speculative question of the truth of Christianitrf. This is some
thing, but it is not sahation; and the salvation of souls 15 the object
of my toil.
' Very truly, as ever,
J. H. Thobnwblij."
In a later epistle to the same, October 20, 1847, he
■writes :
"There is another matter whioh I would also commend to your notice.
It strikes me that D'Aubigne has not done justice to the character of
Zuicgle. That great and good man ought to be set in a fairer hght.
How, history is famihar to you as household words ; and I sfiould be
delighted to receive from you an article on this point.
"Our Synod has jnst closed its sessions A large committee was
appointed, of whioh 1 am chairman, to draw up a paper, to be presented
-to the next Synod, on the subject of slavery, defining Ihe tme position
of our Church, and soggwting means for rectifying some of the abuses
and evils incidental to the institution. We shall probably recommend a
petition to the JLegislatiire, praying that a law may he enacted, to protect
the family relations of the slave ; and that the disgraceful statute, which
prohibit them from learaing to read, may be repealed. I shall take
great pains in the preparation of the document, and would be glad to
receive any snggestions."
Ab the retii'ing Moderator, Dr. Thornwell opened the
Assembly of 1848, with a sermon from Acts xvii. 32,
"And when they heard of the reeiirrection of the dead,
some mocked ; and others said, we will heai- thee again
of this matter." According to iisage, he filled the im-
portant position of Chairman of the Committee on Bills
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302 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWKLL.
and Overtures. He had the opportmiity of b]-oaching
his opinion on two important subjects, foreshadowing
what, at a later date, in the revision of the Book of Dis-
cipline, he sought to incorporate into tlie Constitution of
•the Church.
An overture was presented, aslcing whether Church
Sessions have tlie right to aUow members to witlidraw
from the communion of the Church, who are not guilty
of any immoral conduct, but feel that they have never
been made the subjects of renewing grace. This question
it was proposed to answer in the affu-mative. In the de-
bate which followed, Dr. Thomwell is reported as saying :
" The point of the overture is enldralj misappiehended. It is asked
whether persons may withdraw from the Chuioh who have been received
unadyisedly, and are now satisfied that they are not converted persons,
jet are regular in all tiieir private and publio duties. It is the onstom of
the Chiiroh, when members absent themselves from the communion, to
viEit them by committee. Suppose a member gives as a reason tor
staying away, 'I am satisfied ttiafc I am not a member of Christ; and
when the pastor charged all those to retire who had not knowledge to
discern the Lord's body, I waa constrained in oonsoienoe to obey the
command. ' What is to be done ? WiH jou discipline him ? Tor what ?
!For domg the vary thing which you require Mm to do, and wMoh, if onr
principles are true, he was solemnly hound to do. What is the object of
a trial? Is it not to ascertain whether a man is, or is not, a member of
Christ's body ? But if he confesses that he is not, it is the best evidence
that can be given, and the Session may declare the fact to the Cbnroh.
It was the doclrine of Erastus, that the Church was the channel of grace,
and had no right to excommunicate members for any cause. But this
isnotthedootrioeof any Christian Chureh, at tlie present day. Now, we
hbld that union with Christ is the basis of union with the Ghurcli, and a
credible profession simply declares the fact WUl any Church Session
nndeitake to affirm that a man is, and shall be, a member of the Church,
when he tells them that he is not a member of Christ ? Certainly not.
It is now proposed that, in such a case, the Session shall place him in
the same poaition with the baptized children of the Church, and not
make him a heathen find pubUcan.
' ' Another point ; The Protestant Church knows no man, unless he is
volnntaiily subject to he( auiiiority ; and the vow of subjection is binding
no longer than he feels that he has a right to submit to them. The
Roman Catholic view is, that a man is everywhere bound by his vow to
the Church ; that once a vii^in, bound by a vow, always a vii^n ; once a
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AssiiMBLiEs OF 1847 AND 1848, 303
monk, always a mouk. But, with us, tlie row is not to the Church, but
to God; and He will be the judge. We propose no innovation, but the
afiaection of a right that is inherent in our Chvuoh, and ought to be di6.
tjaotlj set forth. Thus we shall separate the chaff from the wheat,
purify the Churob, and publish the fact to the world. The Church has
been spoien of as a voluntary society ; but there was this obTious fea-
ture ! a voluntary society prcsoribea its own rule, but the Church has its
laws from its Head ; they are not to be altered or amended."*
These ai'guments did not, however, carry the Assembly ;
and the recjommendation was rejected.
Upon the otlier subject, Dr. Thora*e!l was more buc-
(lessfni, aecnring the unanimons consent of the body to
his views. It was tlie relation which thg Church should
snstain to temperance, and other moral reform societies.
Without qiioting the minnte f at large which he submitted,
it is sufficient here to state that it set fovth, with great
clearness, the nature and functions of the Church as a
spiritual body, the kingdom of Jeaus Christ, governed by
Hia laws, and having for its aim the gatliering and per-
fecting of the saints, to the end of the world. It cannot,
tlierefore, league itself to any secular institutions for
moral ends, nor be subsidiary to associations founded upon
human policy. It is a matter of Christian liberty whether
connection shall be had with these or not ; a liberty which
the Church does not infringe, either by enjoining or inter-
dicting them, as long as false principles are not pro-
nnilgated, and wrong practices are not indulged. And in
pressing these distinctions, Dr. Thomwell only urged the
doctrine which he uniformly taught through life, as to the
province of the Church, and her immediate and entire
subjection under the authority of her Lord and Head,
The only letter extant, written during the sessions of
this Assembly, is the following to bis wife, from which
we make one or two extracts. It is dated,
• See Biblical Kepertory tor 1848, pp. 409-410.
tltwiU be found in the Assembly's Digest, Ed. 1858, pp, 79T-'8.
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304- IIFE OF JAME3 HENLEY THOKNWKLL.
" Baltimore, May 20, 1848.
"My Deake3t Wife; * » * The Assembly was opeaed on Thurs-
day, by a Bermon from myself, ■which occupied an hour an J a.half in tha
delivery. Dr. McGill, of Pittabucgh, was elected Moderator. I have
been made Ohairmau of the Committee on Bills and Overtures, which is
the most iaboidons and important committee of the house It is tha
channel throagh which most of the business enters the house. You
perceive, therefore, that my hajids are full. We have had. thus far, a
■very pleasant time. All our Southern members are delighted with the
hospitality of Baltimore. It is indeed a delightful oiiry. • * * Mr.
Spreckelson sent me yesterday a Email box of very costly cigars, which,
I am afraid, will so corrupt. my taste that I will find it hard to come
down, when I return home.
"The great Democratic Convention meets here, next Monday. The
object is to nominate the candidate of the Democratic party for the
Presidency of the United States. We shall ha^e all the great men of
the Union here. Confess has adjourned until it is through, bo that all
the leading members of Congress will be present. I am proposing to
myself a good deal of interest, in occasionally witnesKing its delibera-
tions and proceedings.
"We have some interesting questions to come before the Assem-
bly nest week. The Marriage question will be up agwu, in severai
forms; I, As a judicial case; and a. The abstract doctrine. It will, in
aU probability, be fully discnssed ; and I hope that it will be so settled
as to put an end to every future agitation of the subject.' The Elder
question will not oome up ; at leant there is no prospect of it at present.
" We had yesterday rather a scene in the house, from the conduct of
a lady, who seems to be partially deranged. She brought a ease before
the Assembly, oomplaiuing against the Synod of New York. Her papers
were reported to be iiregular by the Chairman of the Judicial Commit,
tee ; and a motion was made to dismiss the case. She was in the house
at the time, and became so esoited, that she rose to make a speech in her
own defence. We succeeded, however, in getting hev quiet, without
permitting her to produce much confusion. She was directed to wait
on the Judicial Committee, and mate her statements to it. She ac-
cordingly did so. I ■w^ in the adjoining room, presiding o^ver another
oomniittee, and heard her inflict a terrible belabouring upon the Judicial
Committee, which afforded me no little amusement. She is said )m be a
woman of education, of good family, and of good circumstances ; hut
she is crazy on the subject of prophecy, and thinJiB the time has come
to cleanse the Sanctuary. Hence, she has impeached aU the ministers
* The judicial case was the complaint of Bev. Colin Mclver against
the reSloration of Mr. McQueen, wliich was dismissed, as having been,
concluded by the preceding Assembly. The preposition to submit tha
question to the Presbyteries, of striking out the law on this subject, was
not concurred in.
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AeSBMBLIES OF 1847 AND 1848. 305
of New York ; and is grieyouslj offended that the Assembly will not help
her to purif J the sons of Levi. The nature of her complaiEts I i3o not
esactly understacd. I believe tliat she charges some of the New Yoi'k
lainieteTS with making mouths at her ; otJiors, with treaHng her rudely,
in ordering her out of the house ; and some with turning her oyer to
the police. The whole affair is equally strange and ridiculous ; bnt the
poor woman is certainly to be pitied, * ♦ t
" Your devoted husband,
J. H. ThobhweU/."
Upon Ws retiu'n from tlie Aeaembly, he spent a day in
■Waahington, D. C, from which place he writes, on the
5th of June :
' ' I came here this morning, from Baltimore i and being too late for
the boat, haTB spent the day here, which gave me an opportuuity of see-
ing Congress in Beesioii. The Assenibly was dissolved on Saturday
evening, and I preached yesterday in the First Presbyterian Church, of
Bidtimore. A great many members of the Assembly came over to see
the great guns at Washii^ton. Mr. Calhoun and Colonel Burt were very
polite to me; and I have an engagement to spend the evening wilJi
them, Mra. Burt is here, keeping house for them ; it will give me great
pleasure to see her, and discuss old times. I have seen neatly ^ the
South Carolina members. There is very little doing now, as the Whig
Convention meela to-morrow in Philadelphia, to nominate a Whig can-
didate tor the Presidency of the United States. "
This letter is introduced for the purpose of recalling
the fact, that Dr. Thornwell's acquaintance with Mr. Cal-
houn did not begin at this date. Daring the summer of
1843, he called upon Mr. Calhoun at his residence, in
Pendleton, and spent a morning with him. The conver-
sation took a wide range over the subjects of education,
metaphysics,, and politics. Dr. Thornwell possessed rare
powers of conversation, and rejoiced in letting them out,
when it took this particular form of a dialogue between
two. When thrown in contact with men of great abili-
ties, liis ambition put him upon lais mettle ; his mind was
roused to as much activity, and he .drew upon his stores
of learning witli as much fervour, 3& when addressing a
large a^embly. The writer remembers the account, given
by himself, of tins particular interview, and the terms of
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306 LIFE OF JAMKS HB.NLEY THOBNWELL.
strong Batisfaction in which he dwelt upon the rehearsal
of ifc. Mr. Calhoun is also represented to have expressed
his own delight, to the gentleman ivho had brought them
together ; saying thut Dr. Thornwell was the only di\'ine
he had ever met, whom, he thought comparable with hia
old preceptor, Dr. Dwight, the former President of Yale
College. He further stated, "I expected to find Dr.
Thornwell perfectly posted upon his own department of
study ; but when he came over into mine, I was uot pre-
pared for the thorough acquaintance he exhibited with
all the topics that are generally familiar only to states-
men." The mystery is not really so great as it appears;
for an accomplished theologian is compelled to master
the gi'eat principles which underlie all government and
law. Bat Dr. Thornwell, in addition to this, was remark-
ably conversant with liiatory, and had mastered the sci-
ence of PoUtieal Economy. He was, therefore, entirely
competent to range with Mr. Calhoun over all the topics
which lay in the bounds of that profession which either
pursued.
The following letter to Dr. Breckinridge, contains his
last reference to the Assembly of 1848. Some sentences
in it will aiFord the reader some idea of the playful
hnioour in which he so often indulged in personal inter-
course.
" South Caeoliba Coheqb, July 18, 1848.
" Mr Deae BaoTHEB ; I received your last letter some montlis ago,
and can. hardly frame any decent apology for Imviag neglected to answer
it 90 long. The truth 13, I have a great aversion to the use of the pen ;
audi do not kuo-w if I ever should write to my friends, if it were not for
my anxiety to tear from them. From y<nt, partionlarly, a letter is always
thrice welcome ; and it is more to draw something from you, than to
communicate anything of my own, that I now undertake to bring you in
debt to me. ¥ou have probably heard from Berrjman, and gathered
from the papers a better account than I could give you of the last As-
sembly. I am satisfied that a gradual reaction is generally taking place
in the' Church, which, in a few years, with proper efforts, will put it in
the position we would like to see it occupy. Something effectual might
have been done in Baltimore, if the Assembly had not been so completely
worn out by the mass of judicial buainras to wbicb it w^ called to attend.
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ASSEMBLIES OF 1847 AND 1 848. 30T
There was uo posBibility of a full diacusaiou of acy great ([uesfion. But
strawB etow liow the wind blows ; and I saw euough to make me bless
God and take courage. The people of Bsitimore manifested a priacelj
iiospitality, aud they will long be remembei'ed iu the prayers, affection,
and gratitude of the ministsrs and elders, who never eipeot to see them
agcia in the flesh. No one left the city without regret. Our good friend
McEldeiTy kept an inn, ES usual ; and if lie chanced, od any day, to have
HO more than his table eoiild aoooramodate, he seemed to be afraid that
he had not done his duty. I charged him with standing at the comer of
the streets, and pressing every man he met to come and partake of the
fat things he had prepared. At his house I met with your friend S ,
who occupied, for several nights, the same room with myself. He left
the city in self -defence, protesting that ft few more nights with me would
kill him ; and pitying my wife, who, from yeai to year, had to eudure
the plague of a man who neither slept nor waked, according to the laws
which govern oiTilized human beings. It was amusing to see Mm, poor
feilow, denude himself, about ten o'olocfe, of his wearing apparel, slip
into his long shirt, aud stretch him naif upon his couch, to woo the em-
braces of Irind 'nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep,' and then permit
himself to become so absorbed in oonversation as to forget his position,
jump up, fumble about his breeches' pocket for a quid of tobacco, or
sponge on me for a good ciget; and thus, lying, sitting, walking, all in
a shirt of prodigious length, f o^et the hoiirs, until signs of day began to
appear. He is a noble f eUow, and I found his society a treat. I think a
brief campaign with me would completely cure bim of the infirmily of
feeUng sleepy at night, I endeavoured to impress upon him that the
noblest beasts, such as the lion, take the nights for their feats of activity
and valour. To work in the day, when every one can see you, savours
too mnch of ostentation for a generous and modest spirit ; and to be
eating by eight o'clock in the morning, indicates a ravenous propensity
for the things of earth. • » ■ * *
"Are you writing anything for us? We shall be more than glad to hear
from you. How comes on your Commentary on Acts ? Have you seen
Lord's ' Theological Journal ? ' It promises to be a valuable contribution
towards the interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures. His review of
Stuart on the Apocalypse is well done. Have you seen Nevin's reply t<i
Hodge ? I have been much amused in reading his artiele, and have had
some curious questions suggested to me concerning the iniuenee of lan-
guage on thought. Let me hear from* you soon.
"Very truly, as ever,
J. H. Thoknwei,!.,"
The two letters which are annexed, are letters of private
friendsliip, and reveal the aifectionatenesB of his nature.
The first is addressed to Mr. A. H. Peguea, oae of the
companions of his ehildhood :
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60a LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
' ' SouTa CiKotiNi CoLDKOE, Juns 27, ]
" Mt Deab PuiEMD ; I do not know when I have been n
than I WES, a few days ago, at the reception of your letter of the 2d iu-
Btant. It -was like good news from a distant land, or cold water to a
thiisty fionl. Eeminiscencea, wLioh never oan fade from mj mind, were
called up with the freshness of the original events ; and for a time I gave
myself up to the power of the past. I was partieulariy delighted to find
that the vicissitudes of your Western life had. wrought no change in your
early affections, and that you stiii turned mtJl pleasure to one whose love
to you is as strong and fresh as when we pored together over the delicious
Of swBGtest Shalcespeare. fancy's chilli/
Or nerved our minds to higher efforts over the esqnisite pages of
Locke, Stewait, or Keid. Those (toys are gone, hut their i'n^essions
remain; and nothing on eartli would afford rae more pleasure than to
meet you in person, and review faoe to face the numherlcsa events which
have bound my heart to yours.
' ' In regard t<i the enb jeot of yoar letter, you will permit me to sey,
that, while I am fouded with your kindness and partaaUty, I must yet
decline being presented as a candidate for the place in question. Tho
position which I occupy here 1 cannot relinquish ; it opens a, ■wide and
iaoreasing field of usefulness, and is, in many respects, the most desir-
able in the Southern country. I would ba glad, however, if you could
esert your good offices in favour of my old friend and classmate, Eev.
Mr. Gladney. He is an excellent man, of sterling integrity, of much
more than ordinary talents, and a good scholar. He has the decision
and firmness which are absolutely essential to the President of a College.
I would also bespeak your aid in behalf of my young friend, Gaaiewell,
(a son of our old Methodist preacher,) who will appear as a candidate
for the chair of Mathematics. He is a prodigy of genius, having, in laj
opinion, no superior in the State.
" I hope that your enterprise wiU be eminently successful; but you
must not be too sanguine. The ereotion of a College is the work of
years ; and no organization can give it an efficiency beyond the demands
of the actual condiiion of society. I do not altogether like the distribu-
tion of your departments of instruction. More prominence should be
given to the Moral Sciences. It istoomuch to assign them all to one Pro-
fessor. I think, too, that the combination of Modem and Ancient Lan-
guages will have the effect of preventing an adequate att<3ntion from being
paid to either. I am afraid that your course of study has not been suf-
ficiently digested ; and I am sure that esperience will not only suggest,
but demand, material alterations in the details of your system. It will
give me great pleasnre to hear from yon often. Let our old correspon.
dence be renewed.
"As ever, most truly yours,
J. H. Thobnwsm.."
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ASSEMBLIES OS 18i7 AKn 1848. 300
A second of these letters ib addressed to Professor
Matthew J. WilliamB, who had been elected in Decem-
ber, 1846, to the chair of Mathematics in the South Ca-
rolina College. The friendship between the two was
recent, bnt very strong and sincere, and continued
throughout life. Professor Williams was a member of
the Methodist Church, a man of liberal and catholic views,
gentle and loving in disposition; in every respect de-
serving tlie expressions of esteem lavished upon him in
this letter:
"SOETH CABOLDJi COLLEGE, July 17, 1848.
"Mr Dbab Muok ; I reoeiyed your tiiiii anii intareKting letter iast
week, and would, be gled to baye a sioiilBr iitflictioii every week of my
life. We had often spolten of you in the family, and promised ourBCiyea
mueh gratiflcfltion, in the eipectation, of ieaiing from you; imdwheii
llie desired doenment aMved, we were far from being disappointed. I
oount it one of the tappy oivcumBtanoeB of my life, that I liave been
bronght into such nearness of contact, and such iatimacy of commnni'
cation, with one who daily grows apoc my esteem, and to whose char-
actei I often appeal, as illustrating some of the loveliest graoes of the
gospel I speat with the ut^nost candour, when I assure you that the
impression which you have made upon me is no stronger than that
which you haye made upon other membei-s of the Faculty, particularly
upon the President and Mr. Palham. Tlieee things I say, not to flatter
you, bnt to shame you out of all thoughts of ever relinquishing youi
post here. You occupy a field of extended usefulness, a position suited
to your talents and acquirementfi. Tou are (what, I taie it, was never
ad^piateiy the case with you before) appreciated; and while this should
contrihuto to your happineh=, it increases youi obligation to remaitt, and
devote yourself, in this fidd, to tha glory of God I Lope, therefore,
that you win Eaten to no perhuaaions from tmy qui rter, either to retire
to your farm, or to take m office whiih will bring you mora directly
into the society of your brethisn. God has put you fitre, and you
should miit tiU He removes yon I will say no more on this point,
though I have felt very deeply on account of the occasional hints which
have dropped from you, touching the subject of a removal.
" The campus is a scene of qniet, amounting to desolation. Nothing
disturbs the dreary stillness, but the oeoasioiial sound of the hammer,
from the buildings which are in the process of erection. The President
andPelham are all that remain of our force, and how long they wiU stay I
am unable fo tell you. We had a meeting to-day of such members of
the Faculty as are in town, and such members of the Board of Trustees
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310 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORWWTSLL.
aa ooTild be incfuced to attend, and elected a bursar, to go into office on
the 1st October, and to remain in office aotil the meeting of the Board
of TiuEteee. Colonel Gladden, who has just returned from Mexico with
his leurels green upon him, was the tmanimous choice of the meeting.
I trnst tiiat he will prove an acquisition to the College ; and that airange-
mentfi may be made, under Ma administration, to relieveithe Profeesora
of the grievous penance of attending at commons.
" My mode of life here is all that I could desire, be to physical com-
fort. I sit up all night, reading, musing, and smoking ; and just before
the son, with iie orient beams, dispels gliosis, goblins, and infernal
spirits to their respective jails, I stretch m? limbs upon an ample coneh,
continue my cogitations till my soul is locked in tne silent embrace of
slumber sweet; and I abide in the land of dreams until it becomes a
man lo refresli nature in a more active way. Ham, coffee, and biscuits
completely restore me to this world again ; and after a proper pause, I
proceed to commit depredations npon watennelons, which would be
appalling to one who meaaured the danger by the bulk tiiat was con-
smned. Sometimes, after these vigorous onsets, T give no dubious
promise of attaining a jvidge-lifce condition of corpulency ; but soon the
incieased enlargement disappears, and I am like a dropsioal patient just
tapped. The truth is, I have no hopes of growing fat ; I am lean, lean,
hopelessly lean. But it is a comfort^ that ail of my friends cannot langh
at me.
" I was very much gratified at yonr commendation of my long article
on the Elder question. With whatever feebleness they are stated, it is
certain to my mind that it contains principles of the highest importance,
in their application both to Church and State. I am afraid that the ten-
dency of things in this counby, is to corrupt a r^iresent'itii.e iitta a dema-
oratic government ; and to make the State the mere creature of popular
caprice. The question of civil liberly is one of the nicest and most
interesting in the whole circle of political inquiry ; and more mistakes
exist in regard to it, than upon any other point of political philosophy.
France is now blundering, and I am afraid will continue to blund:.!-,
until her redemption becomes hopeless. A ball has been set in motiim
npon the relations of capital and labour, whose progress it wiU be ex-
tremely difBcnlt to arrest ; but the Lord reigns.
' ' The present posture of the nations baffles the speculationa of philo-
sophers BJid statesmen. I tarn from all carnal calc^ilations to the sure
word of prophecy; and as I beUeve that the only safe guide is to be
found in the prophetic Seiiptures, I have begun with increased zeal the
study of a book, which baa heretofore been to me, as it has been, to the
great majority of Chriatiaua, a Sealed volume : the Apocalypse of John.
That sublime dooument contains the history of the world, from Christ
lo the end of time ; and though its figures are mystic, they are not
lure. There is a key which can unlock its secrets, and
e ils hieroglyphics speak the li
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ASSEMBLIES OF 1847 AND 1848. 311
upon tho STB of great events ; and watcM nlueas and prajef oro the pos-
tare in which we should be found- God is riding on the whii'lwind, UJid
directing Uie storm ; and out of the oliaos and tumult of the natjotis, He
win. snrely evolve His own grand parpoeea, and make the angry passions
of men Bubservient to the scheme of His glorions proTideuoe. • * •
"Very sincerely, youi' friocd and brother,
J. H. Thoiimweu.,"
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OEAPTEE XXII.
PERSONAL FEIENDSIUPS.
■OiBBS or "YOTIN& Men "WHOM he Wia iBSTBTnaENTaLINBraSGINQIBTOTHE
MiNJSTRY. — Letter to One of These. — Appeal to a "Yoxjho Friesb on
PbesobalBeliomn.— His Liberality IN AseisTTNGOTHEEa TO Obtain
AN EnDCAnoH.— Death oe a Youno Fkiukb. — Lettee to a Licentiate,
WHOM HE HAD GdIDED IN StUDV,
DTJEING his brief pastoral connoxion with the church
at Columbia, in 18iO, Dr. TlioniwcU was made the
instrument, under God, of the conversion of a yoinig man,
the eon of a widow, " a mother in Israel," who still sur-
vives, in a green old age, to bless that church with the
influence and example of her fervent piety. Of coiu'se,
tins laid the foundation for a friendship of no ordinary
kind, witli the young disciple, who henceforth sat at liia
feet, preparing to preach the unsearchable ricliea of that
grace, whose power was first felt under the exposition that
fell from his lips. It w^ the old, sweet relation which
eubsisted between Paul and his son Timothy, whom he
had "begotten in the gospel." It must have been witli
emotions of devout gratitude to God that Dr. Thornwell
watched the career of his young proteg^, from hie early
and successful ministry in the city of Baltimore, until his
transfer to tlie Theological Seminary at Prince Edwai'd,
Virginia, aa a teacher of those who should fill the pitlpits
of the land; a man whose convictions of trath are not a
whit less intense than tJtose of tlie master from whom he
first imbibed them; and whose superior attainments are
veiled beneath a humility so deep, that it may possibly
conceal what should be more couspieiiously revealed. The
singular modesty of the Rev, Dr. Thomas E. Peck will
313
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31i LIFE OF JAMBS HENLEY THOiiNWELL.
recoil, we fear, from this measure of publicity ; yet his
ardent affection for one to whoia he is so largely indebted,
will allow his name to be woven thua into the chaplet that
is thrown around tlie memory of his friend. This personal
reference ie necessary, as an introduction to some precious
letters, which were surrendered to us, witSi this statement
from the recipient: "One of these letters I value very
highly, not only as a memorial of hie kindness to ine, hut
as an evidence of his single-hearted devotion to oiu"
common Lord. It was of intinite sei-vice to me at the
time it waa received; and, I think, might be of great ser-
vice to any young minister, diseoiu-aged in his work, and
weary of the conflict with sin in his own heart, with the
contradiction of sinners, and with the devil." We suspect
the letter here referred to, is that wiiich immediately fol-
lows.
To the Rev. Tliomas E. Peck :
" South CiBOLiNa Cojj.ege, August i, 18+8.
"My Dbae Thomas; I received your Mud aad welcome letter this
evening; ajid pi'ooeed to give joa the atrongest possible prrof of tba
YBlne wMeli I attach t* youv eoiTeapotidence, b j aiiaweriug your favour in
a few hours after ths reoeption of it. You are the frequent theme of eon-
Tei'sation in my family, and we all feel towai'de you as we would feel if our
own. Mood coursed through your reins. We rejoice to hear of your pros-
perity, shBTs with you in your sorrows, and lament the hours of dark-
ness which so frequently oorae upon you. I am glad to learn that your
proBpeots are brightemng before you, though I litive never entertained
a doubt that you were the Lord's instrument, t<i Bcooniplish. the Lord's
work, in the spiiere of your Itibours. When the first stone of the edifice:
in which jou minister was laid, there was not a man, of all who engaged.
in the enterprise, who even knew yon by name. It was Gfod who sent
yon to Baltimore, when the building was ready for a prencher. He put
it into the hearts of the people to elect you. He disposed your mind to
accept the call ; and He will protect, guide, and defend you, until you
shall have done the huaine^ for which this whole train of providential
dispensation was ordered and adjusted. Have faith in God ; aim singly
at His glory ; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough
places plain. Be not impatient of success ; for the purposes of Him with
whom the measures of time are unmeaning— one day being as a thou-
sand years, and a thousand years as one day, — are generally as slow iu
their development as they are majestic in their nature. "Wait on the
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FKIENJISHll'S. 315
Lord; lie of good courage, sad He will stveDgthen thine heart. Wait,
I say,, on tlie Lord. The discipline of patience is one of those prBcioae
trials of our faith, which at once attest its renUty, and meaBnre it3 de-
gree. I Bin preaching t« you the same lessons which, in mj own posi- ,
tiou, I haye constantly to preach to myself ; and no one oan be more
Eensible than I am, how little mere preaching avails to impress tham
on the heart. My difficulty lies, (and I presmne it is' also the case ^-ith
you,) not with tha abstract propositions, but with their praotioal relations
to myself. If I ooul^ only be assnied that I was iu the way of duty,
labouring wJtere the Almighty would have me to labour, and its He
would have me to labour ; if 1 were not eonsciouE that so much is min-
gled with my services, my purposes and plans, which Ha oniinot ap-
prove ; it seems fo me that I could easily in patience possess my souL
But the suggestion often avises, (iiat perhaps I have run where I wos
not sent; that I am more zealous for my own name than the Lord's
glory ; and that my want of success is, after all, a righteous judgment
for my sins. These are the thoughts which oast down my soul, and
eiuse it to be disquieted within me; these are the difficulties in the way
of patient waiting on the Lord ; these are things which make me con-
stantly feel that I have more concern with repentance than witl resig-
nation ; more to fear than to hope. How precious is the refleoldoD, that
the blood of Christ cleanses from all em, even from the undeannesa and
foulness of those who bear the vessels of the Lord ! Of all sins, those
of a minister would seem to be the most aggravated ; and of all men,
preachers must cherish the deepest consciousness of the necessity of
atonement. I bless God for the gift of His Sou. But while we are
conscious of unworthineae, and deeply bewail our sins and iniquities,
we should not foi^t to magnify onr office, and implore the assistance
of the Holy Spirit, that we may address ourselves to its duties with
faithfulness and zeal. It is a great matter to understand what it is to
be a preacher, and bow preaching should be done. Effective sermons
are the offspring of study, of discipline, of prayer, and especially of the
unction of the Holy Ghost. They ought to combine the characteristic
excellencies of every other species of composition intended for dehvery ;
and ought to be pronounced, not merely with the eatnestness of faith,
but the constraining influence of heaven-born charity. They should be
seen to come from the heart, and from the heart as filled with the love
of Christ, and the love of souls. Depend upon it, that there is but Utile
preaching in the world ; and it is a mystery of grace and of Divine
power that God's cause is not ruined iu the world, when we consider
the qnalifications of many of its professed ministers to preach it. My
own performances in this way fill me with disgust. I never have made,
mnoh lass preaekeA, a sebmon in my hfe ; and I am beginning to despair
of ever being able fo do it. May the Lord give you, more knowledge
and grace, and singleness of purpose I
" I am glad that you were pleased with my article on the Elder qnes-
tJOD. Pabner lias sant you, by Morse, a few copies of it for i;^atuitous
distribution. The sentence which perple"ses you does not seem to me
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316 LIFE OF JAMEB HENLEY
to be fairly liable to the interpretation jou pnt npoa it. I do not say
that all ministers, who hftva been laivfnlly called aad ordained, tave a
right to sU m Presbytery ; but that they are Presbyteis. At their ordi-
nation they become so, and, according to oar book, tlie Elder's offioe is
perpetual. Tliey may cease to act as Presbyters ; but they can never
cease, save by deposition, to be Presbyters. "Whether all Presbytfrs are
entitled, without regard to oiroamstances, to deliberate and vote in the
councils of 13l6 Church, is a very different proposition. I agree ■with
yon, that the Seeeioa is the i^dioal court in omx Cbm-ch ; but then, it is
equally true that all oar conrte are essentially the same ; aad I am not
propped to say that a seat in some existing Session is indispensable fo
the rightful possession of a seat in a higher judicatory. You concede
the point in the case of evangelists. To say that they are ext^aordinwry
officei^s, is only to say that they belong not to the order of a settled and
organized congregation, and, tberefore, cannot be members of a Session;
bnt they, can sit and preside in Presbyteries, as we know from the Acts
of the Apostles and the Epistles of PanL Hence the proposition cannot
be true, that aU ministers must be members of Presbytery in order to
act as Presbyters anywhere else. A lawful ordination accomplishes two
results : it makes s. man a minister and elder, both in relation to the
particular church which calls him, aad to the viliole Church of Christ at
lai^e. He cannot he made a minister and elder without a special desig-
nation ; but as tMs special designation involves a general relation, that
does not cease because the other may have ceased. He may still act as
a minister and elder, though not a member of any Session. But when
a man is absolutely without chaise, when he is neither a paator nor evan-
gelist, nor filling an office to which he is elected by the .Church, thea he
refuses to act as a minister or elder, and ought not to be nllowed to sit
in Presbytery. A man, however, who has never been ordained upon a
call, or as a true evaogeUst, is not, so far as I can see, a Presbyter at all ;
find such men can sit ' in no court. But I have not room to enlarge.
Tell MoElderry that I om looking anxiously for a letter from him. Re-
member me very .kindly to Mrs. S., and to her esoelleut husband, when
you write to him ; as also to Boggs and his family. I want you to write
something for our Seview. It will do ^au good as well as us. Smjth
completed in the coming number his dissertatdoa upon the cnll to the
ministry. I was much amused at his confounding my notions with the
doctrine of the Quakers. Logic is evidently not his forte. Mrs. Thom-
■weU and James Anderson send their kindest remembrances lo you. As
you are in the weekly receipt of your mother's newspapers, it would be
presumption in mo to send you a budg;et of news. I am glad to be ex-
empt from the responsibility ; for, like the needy knife-giin dec's story,
I have none to tell, sir. I was disappoiated in going to Athens. I
regretted it very much ; hut the condition of my family was such that I
could not leave home. Palmer has the blues ; thinks ha can't preach ;
but he has no reason to be dissatisfied. Write soon.
"Very truly, as ever, your friend and brother,
J. H. Thorbwell."
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817
Dr. Thornwell'a warm eympathy with young men
brought him into easy relations with many of this inte-
resting class; and he embraced every fitting occasion to
press upon them the claims of personal religion. The
following letter affords an illustration of hia method in
such cafiCB. It is addressed to Mr, Martin P. Crawford,
of Lancaster District, a yomig relative of Mrs. Thornwell,
to whom he was greatly attached, and who, while a stu-
dent in College, was an inmate of his house. This young
man died in April, 1862, in the hospital at Richmond, a
victim of the late war ; which event, though occurring but
a short time before his own death, Dr. Thornwell took to
heart as a sharp and personal sorrow:
" South Cabouna College, April 27, 1848.
" MtDear MsHT : You may be snrprised at receiying a letter from ma ;
but I can SBSure jon tliat you are often remembered, and are the fraquent
Bubject of interest and coiiversaiioii in my family circle. The favourable
impreaeioE wMeli you made upon me, uLile a, member of my houseiiold,
apart from the oonsiderBtioiiB which ■will readily eu^est themselves to
you, has caused me to feel the deepest solicitude in reference to your
welfare. And when I speak of your welfare, I hope yon will not understand
me as alluding to your temporal prosperity, or the sucoess of your efforts
in the world. In relation to this, I have never had the least degi-ee of
coEoem. Your exemption from bad habits, your general manliness and
independence of character, and the abundant means with which God has
blessed, you, are sufficient to remove all ansiety from the minds of. your
friends, in regard to your prospects in the present life. My solioitude
extends to your future, your eterutd interests ; and I hope you will excuse
rae for suggesting a few friendly hints on a subject which yonr own good
sense must aasurc you is of the highest importance. 'Wliat is a man
profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? ' I
know that you cannot be wholly unconcerned about death, judgment, and
eternity. Your previous education, and the providenoes of God towards
you, have forced these topics, lo some extent, upon your mind. You
are not now, for the first time, to leam that you are a sinner against &od,
and that the eouL that sinneth, it shall die. But, my dear friend, there
may bo a general, a fonnal, and vague admission of your guilt, without
any adequate conviction of the nature, the extent, or the malignity of
your disease. It is not possible that a finite understanding can fully
comprehend the exceeding sinfulness of sin. It pervades the whole
mind, darlteoa the understanding, pollutes the aft'ectiona, perverts the
will, and cnslaTes the sonl to the lusts of the flesh and the dominion of
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318
3 UENLEY THOKWW
the worid. It is torn with ua ; grows with our growth, and BtrBngthens
T.ith our Etrengti ; and so utterly Bliecates fie heai't from God, that we
can never be fit for Ms service, without esperieneiag a new and spiritual
birth. I hope that you will pray to God to itnpai-t to yon His Spirit, in
order thnt you may be led to see Biid to feel someVliing of the horrors of
your titie oonditioa as a sinner ng^inst Him. The whole revelation you
could not bear; but I do not wish you to be satisfied with Y^ue and
general admissions. I wish you to be persuaded of the real extent and
loatbeBomenesa of the abominationa tiat fill the chambera of imagery in
that most hateful objeat, a natural heart. The core of the evil is to be
found in its ■ungodUnesa. God is not in all its thoughts. The sinner
lives just as he would, live if tbere were no God at aJI. He feels not Ma
obligation to serve and to glorify that Being, ii! whom he lives, and
moves, and has his being. Ttis is enough to mpke all God's creatnres
conspire agsinst him. Now, my dear Mart, you may be free from viee ;
you may be moral, and honourable, and consistent in your deportment ;
you may be an affeotionate son, a faithful friend, and an upright citizen ;
bnt still, with all these virtues, which none more cheerfully and gladly
eoneedea to you than I do, yon are, by nature, a sinner against God ; or,
as the Apostle expresses it, without God, without Christ, wiiiiont hope,
in the world. This is yonr ease, the ease of every unconverted man;
and it is a case of unspeakable danger. God will by no means clear the
guilty. His wiath it repealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men , and no impenitent transgi'essor shall be per-
mitted to escape
" Tliese solenm and momentous truths I hope you will seriously and
prayerfully ponder They will lead you, under the blessing of the
Holy Ghost, to apprehend your need of a Saviour. They will not /i you
for the Saviour, but they will oonvinoe you how ui^nt is your case.
They will not of themselves make yon any better ; they oannot change
your heart ; bnt they may be the means of conducting you to Him who
cm abundantly pardon, and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Jesus
OhriBt is onr only hope. We must trust in Him, or perish. God re-
veals and proclaims Him to you, and to all men, as a Saviour ; and He
has made it your duty to entrust your soul into His hands. The blood
of Jesus can purge tiie gnUtieat conscience, and the spirit of Jesus can
change the hardest heart. He is not only able to save ; He is aa wiUing
as He is able. He is our brother in the flesh. He has a heart to sym-
pjthize with UR in Onr troubles and distresses. We can go to Him in all
onr guilt and filtbiness, ^ith our hearts as millatonea, and our minds as
dark as night ; and Ho will cheerfully receive us, give ns beauty for
ashes, the oil of joy for sorrow, and the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness. But you may complain that you wowJii, but iwwwdf, believe.
It is true, faith is not in the power of nature ; but it is your duty to
pray God to bestow it upon you, to enUghten your mind, so tiiat you may
see the gloiy of Christ, and to renew your heart, so that you may feel
His unspeakable pteoiousness. You may complain of the h
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Pr.;KS<>NAL FKIENDdHIl'S. 319
yonrheErt, aadlamenttliatyoo cannot repent of sin ; ttat yon eaimot feel
asyoudesu^ It is true, the natural heart is bard as the nether millstoue;
bnl Ohrist does not rec[iure yon to come with a soft heart. He ffines yon
repeatunoe.. You are to go to Him simply as a sintter, and east yomsclf
upon God'a mercy through Him. That is yonr only plea. You may be
{■enipted to delay until you have made yourself hetter, but this is a sug-
gestion of the devil.
"Ijet me m^e upon you to be much engaged intlie prayerfnl study of
the Sei-ipturea. Be not ashamed to ask God, and to depend upon God to
enable you to imderstnnd them. It would be well, too, to read books on
aiperimental religion, such as 'Boston's Fourfold State,' 'Halybnrton's
Great Conoem,' jmd ' Doddridge's, Eise and Progress.' Be -very careful
not to resist any light that you may have. Grieve not the Spirit. Gnard
against the spirit of proerastinalion End delay. S.eet the Lord with your
whole heart, and seek Him diligenfly. These few hints I have hastily
and rapidly thrawn out, from a sincere desire to promote the best and
the high^t interest of one ithom I have long regHrded as a devoted
friend I shdl not cease to pray for yonr salvation ; and if, when I see
you again, you shall have been enabled to make your calling anji election
sure, it will be a matter of ur.speaiable joy to me. I shall always be
more than glad to hear from you.
" As ever, your sinoei-e friend,
J. H. Thobnwbli.."
If, forms a liappy sequel to this letter, to mention that
the subject of so much religious solicitude not only be-
came a member of the visible Ohwrch, but filled the ofBee
of a ruler ; adding the graces of the Spirit to natural 'qual-
ities B& generous and noble as ever formed the character
of a virtuous man.
"Whilst recording these insta.nces of private friendship,
it will be appropriate to state, that Dr. Thornweli amply-
repaid toothers the benefits which, in his own youth, had
been lavished upon himself. Throughout his connexion
■with the College, he was rarely without a beneficiary on
his hands, whom he graciously assisted in obtaining a
liberal education. Naturally this charity was extended
to those of his own blood ; and in the different branches
of his family circle, there were those, more or lees re-
lated to him, whose necessities justified this call upon
liis liberality. We are not disposed to liit the veil over
tliese. It was not, however, confined to tliem. "We may
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320 I.IFK OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
be pennitted, at least, to record liia kindness to one, the
yonnger brother of his intimate friend, the Rev. Pierpont
E. Bishop, whom he partially sustained, whilst. laying in
College the foundation of tliat seliolarship -which he pur-
posed to nse to God'e glory, in the ininiBtry of Hie Son.
It was the Divine pleasure to call him to a higher ser
vice, in the kingdom which is above. In his senior year,
within a month of graduation, when the highest honours
of his class had been already decreed to him, he was re-
moved by deatli. During a tedious and wasting illness
from typhus fever, he was tenderly nursed, as though he
had been a brother, in Dr. Thornwell's house; and after
death, honourable mention of hia virtues was made, in an
elegant Latin epitaph upon his tomb, erected by hiS
fellow students, in the Presbyterian grave-yard, at Co-
lumbia.
The letters which follow will introduce to the reader
another, whose gratefid, heart looks up to Dr. Thornwell
as a spiritual father; who, under tlie stimulus of his fa-
vour, broke off from mercantile Me, in order to devote
himself to the ministry of reconciliation. Many yeai's of
faithful labour have sepai'ated him from the time, when
he first entered upon the severe novitiate which was ne-
cessary, to prepare him for the work he still lives to pur-
sue; but during all those years of patient study, he was
aided by the counsel and friendship which bi'eathe them-
selves into these lines :
"SotiTH CiEOLiBi Gosjvsas, February 2, I8iT.
" Mt Deab Mobsb : Thougt you may think thai I oiigM to begin my
letter ■with apologies and excuses, yet I Bhall just throw myself upon
your generosity at once, presuming that your knowledge of me will sug-
gest to yoOr own. mind the true reason of my not haying written, before.
" We have just had a sad visitation in the death of M , -whom you
may know to have heen one of the most promising members of the
Senior Class. He died of typhus feyer. Theevent came unexpectedly
upon UB. We all thought that he was getting well, when his disease
took a sudden turn, and oarriad him off in a few hours. I am unable to
speak with any confidence of his religious condition. His mind had
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PERSONAL FEIENDSHIPa. 331
been seriously tnrced to the contemplation of the cue tbing nee<i!ul,
and there were some tMngs about bis ease that were eacovmiging. It ia
enough to know that he ia in, the liands of Qod.
" The tiling which presses upon me, is the coudifion of those he has
left behind, his class-mates and companions. It ia my earnest and con-
stant prayer, Qiat God may sanctify this Tisitation. to the spiritual good
of the College. I hope that you do not cease to pray for us. We need
the prayers of all God's children. My ansiety in regard to the religiona
condition of the College has, for some time back, been a heavy burden
to my spirits. All things externally are going on well. I have nevet
known such admirable order, quiet, and regularity. Our large Sopho-
more Class is unusually promising and well-behaved ; but in the midst
of our numbers, few are professedly pious. The thought that so many
young mea of promise should be without God in the world is almcffit
too much for me. Oh ! that God would pour out His Spirit upon us I
I have had a sort of secret hope that the death of M—— may be da-
sigaed, ia the good providence of fiud, to prove a spiritual blessing. I
have been in hopes that Ho meant it for good ; and, though I cannot
state my reaBons, the impression exists, and has somewhat strengthened
my hands. I Bhall pieach a, sermon in reference ffl this matter, next
Sunday.
' ' Dr. P is alho Ij mg very low There is liitle, if any, hope of his
recovery. He himself expects to die. I trust that he is prepared. His
religious exercises have been very strong and marked. My eonversatioas
with him have been refreshing to my own soul His family is most
sadly distressed ; and his deai^h, if it should take place, will be seriously
felt.
' 'Ah me ! what ia life ? Take away the hopes of a blessed immortahty,
and what wise man would desire to live ? My dear friend, live for eter-
nity. It is a matter of very httle consequence whether yon spend your
time here in rags or a palace. We shall soon be goae ; then comes our
DESTINY, and for that we should strive to be prepared. May God give
you grace to be supremely devoted to His cause ; for that is the only
wisdom. My chief regrets, in looidng upon the past, are occasioned by
the feebleness, the sinfulness, the slothfulness of my spiritual labours.
You CEJinot learn too soon, nor too well. Oh I that I knew the lesson
better, that se^-iiemat, amounting to the erucifision of the flesh, is in-
dispensable to the enjoyment of religious peace and oomtort! Deny
thyself, and take thy cros.^ ; this is our vocation. What have we to do
with worldly ease and carnal indulgences, when heaven is before us, and
Christ is waiting to reneive us? What signify crosses and privations,
when we are looking for a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory ? I want you to read McOheyne's Life, published by our Board.
I cannot tell you how much use that little book has been of to nje. Head
it, and pray over it ; and may God bless it f*i your soul, as, I hope, He
has done to mine. Let mo hear from yon soon.
' ' Very truly, as ever,
J. H. TaoKNwBnii."
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daa LIFE OF JAMES HKNLEY THORNWELL.
To the same :
" SODTH GiEOIANA COLI.EOE, ApHl S, 1848.
"MyDeaii Mokse ; If I have not written to you before, it has not
been from any want of interest in your affairs. But tfie incurable habit
of procraEtination, and my violent repugnance to the use of the pen,
compel me to liraw largely on the patience and forbeai'ancs of my friends.
I have again, and again resolved to write to yen, and again and again
been divei'ted from my purpose.
" I do not know that I can give you any material assistaiice in the di-
rection qf your Rtudies, "Witsins is a standard work. It would be well
to read, in oonneotion with Mm, Boston on the Covenants ; though the
two books are not to be compared in point of learning, scholarship, Mid
general ability. But Boston was eminently imbned with the spirit of
the gospel. On Chuioh goTemment, there are few valuable works
defending our views that are aocMsible. On many aoeounta, it would
be well to read tlie great work of Hooker, on Eoolesjastical Polity ; it
contains the best defence of Episcopacy that has been written. Owen's
works on Charch government are also truly valuable. Bnt I oonsidfer
nothing necessary to licensure, in this department, bat the principles
embodied in our standards. The extended study of tlie Congregational
andPrelatieQl schemes wiU be the work of future years. In Church his-
tory, Milner and Mosheim will be sufficient for the present. But I would
earnestly inculcate the systsmaiie study of the Bible. Take up book by
book, and endeavour to master it, to digest its contents into order, and
to have a general scheme of it in your mind. Study the age of each
writer, his peculiarities ^ and iu this way you will make satisfactory pro-
gress in BibliofJ criticism. Gray's Key to the Old Testament will be a
groat help. Home's Introduction will also assist you. But much de-
pends upon yourself.
"You mnet exercise your own judgment, in prayerful dependence
upon God, in ilie interpretation of the Scripture. I hardly know what
general commentary to recommend. Alt will aid jon, and lume can be
fully trusted, 'Poole's Synopsis' has some advantages, as presenting
the views of a multitude of critics, which Scott, Henry, Whitby, Lowth,
etc., do not possess ; but you can hardly get access to it in the country.
Ite^ progress, however, can be made without a multitude of books.
Compare the Bible wiHi itself ; and you will be surprised to flud how one
part throws light upon another. I trust that the autbor of the Bible
may he your great teacher.
" You will find it interesting, to study the Confessions and Apologies
of the Reformed Churches. This wiU show you the substantial unity of
faith that has prevaUed among God's people ; and these Oonf essions are,
besides, most valuable compends of theology. The ' Corpus et Syntagma,'
etc., and 'Hiemeyer's Collectio,' will be sufficient for your purpose. But
I win not trouble you with any further hints. Your studies must depend
much upon your opportunities.
" iHy family are as ufiufd. Patty has begun to go to school, and is
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FRIENDSHIl'S. bSi.-i
perfectly dei^hted. The General* would like to go, but -we think him
too Emalt. He has a bright Eotioo of shaving, and getting him a wife.
JsmeH Henley is flourishing ; thoTigh he aad his mother, just now, are
on croaa-queBtions touching the matter of his waking up after midnight
and eating a big supper. She wishes to break him of tb© habit ; but he
demurs against her pnrpose, as a oruel proceeding. The babj proixusea
to ba a man, but he continues to be anonymoua. Write to me soon.
"Veiy tmly, as ever,
J. H. 'EaoHNWEC*."
To the same :
" South CiEOLiNi College, February/ .22, 1849.
"Ms DTliK lIoHSE : Don't be scared at this small paper; it is very
nearly as large as yours, and I can put more in it than yon did in youra,
I bope — indeed, I have no doubt — tbat yon will pass your trials sucoess-
fully; and then you will feel as you never feit before. Responsibility
contemplated at a distance, is very different from the sense of it actuaUy
pressing on the -soul. You will often be compelled to esdaim, Who is
BufSoient for these things? and in your ignoranee, dulaess, coldness,
and incompetenoy, you will find no retreat but a throne of grace, and
the promises of an all-siiffioieot God. That you may be eminently use-
ful, is my fervent prayer. I can give you no aid in regard to a field of
labour. The churches mentioned by Brother Bishop are very feeble ;
and I can say nothing of the extent of the field they will open to you.
You must go Bud see for yourself.
" The affairs of the College are getting on as usual. The new Pro-
fessor has anived, and is giving entire satisfaction. I have seen but
little of b''" yet, but my impression is favoumble. Preston is in a very
precarious state. His friends entertain doubts as to the possibility of
bis entire recovery. He may be restored to such an extent as to perform
the physical oondildoiie of Ufe ; but it is apprehended that he wU! never
be himself again. I hope tliat Uiese forebodings may not prove true,
but I cannot say bow weU or iU-founded they are. I trust tbat his affic-
tioQ may be truly sanctified ; and that he may be made a partaker of
■trhat is better than intellect, eloquence, or fame.
" The next number of the Benimo will contain some of my cogitations,
which, as usual, do not amoant to much, always excepting the article on
the Elder question. What do you think? I actually went to hear Wil-
son sing his Scotch songs. I attended his concerts two nights, and
would probably have gone the third, if it nad not been Saturday, and
funds rather low. It was, indeed, a treat ; and I begin to think that,
after all, I really have some music in my soul. The Major was stUl
more delighted than myseU. He even ventured out on Saturday night,
and I am afraid thought about it on Sunday. » « *
"Yon must come and see us upon your journey to or from Presbytery.
"Very tmly, as ever,
J. H. Thoekwell."
• A little boy of four years of age, named after General GUleepie.
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CHAPTER XXIII.
STATE EDUCATION.
ViBW OP THB State's OBuaATioK to Contsoi, Educition. ^Opposed to
. DBNOMiNATioNii. Eddoitiob. — CaiiTiooa IkquJhies into the Sdbject.
Hia Book on RoMasisM. — Estimite of it by the ' ' EniNiJTJBGH IEe-
TiEW," — Bbownson'b Attack. — Lettebs ok the Pkovince of tub
Chobch in Edtioahon.— His Opinions DeclareiS in a Lbttek to
GOVEKNOB MlNNINQ,
DR. THOKNWELL'S connoetion witli the Soutli Caro-
lina College almost oompcUed liiin to become the advo-
cate of State eduuation. We do not mean, of course, that
Ilia opinions were determined by that fact, for no man ever
lived whose convictions were founded less upon acciden-
tal associations of any sort ; but simply that the subject
had a deeper interest to him in that position, and that a
degree of necessity was put upon him to stand forth as a
champion on this side of the controversy, then pending in
the country. He unquestionabiy took a wide view of the
prerogatives and responsibility of the Stat« ; and, perliaps,
fully coincided with his favomnte, Ai-istotle, in tlie aphor-
ism, JTo^ff ytuhjisufj jisv Toi) Q^u ifsxsu, ohaa Se rou s5 QTjV.
Among the higliest obligations of the State he reeiionod
this, of providing for the education of her sons.
His sentiments, too, in relation to the Church, forbade
his subscribing to the opposite doctrine, which places
secular education among the positive duties she is called
to fulfil. On the contrary, all the controversies in which
he had been engaged turned upon the assertion, that she
was a pur'ely ■spiritual body, instituted for exclusively
spiritual ends, and limited in her authority by the express
law of her King and Head, which she might not trans-
cend in a singular particular. According to his strict
325
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:l£NLEY THOENWELL.
constrxiction of her charter, her duty terminates ■with
tlie religious training of mankind. The sanctuary is her
class-room ; the pulpit her chair ; and tlie gospel of Jesus,
Ler discipline. It is not the historian's province to arbi-
trate in such a controversy; but only to set forth flie
opinions held by the subject of his story. He found able
critics upon either hand: those who upheld, in this mat-
ter, the prerogative of the Church ; and those who as
stontly denied hi?, postulate touching the duty of the
State,
The impression has been created in some quarters that
upon this, as well as upon some other ecclesiastical ques-
tions, Dr. Thornwell's opinions were somewhat modified
in the later years of his life. A highly-esteemed minis-
ter has expressed a hint of this sort to the writer of these
pages, adding, with a tone of I'egi-et : " And yet I consider
his defence of the position, tliat the Churcli is simply and
nakedly a witness for the trutli of God, as revealed in
His Word, as the most important service, rendered by
him to the Chnrch, in the department of ecclesiasticism."
We more than suspect tliis misapprehension to have
its origin in two sources. Dr. Thornwell was never fac-
tious in liis opposition to views prevalent in the Olmceh.
Intense and dear as his own convictions to the contrary
might be, this very confidence in the truth he maintained,
enabled him to bide God's time, and to wait for their
recognition and acknowledgment in the future. Above
all men whom it h-as been our privilege to know. Dr.
Thornwell possessed a sublime faith in the majesty and.
power of truth ; assured tliat, though buried for a time,
it will rise again, and assert its own supremacy in the
world. Hence, after a fair effort to win the Church over
to the adoption of Ms views, if defeated, he submitted,
with meelinoss and grace, to what he yet sadly deplored.
He did not surrender his own convictions; but wisely
abstained from a hurtful and useless agitation, until tlie
time should arrive for promulgating tiiem anew. Thus,
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STATE KDTICATION. 327
after a full discussion on the eutject of Boards, he was
«ilent for many years, until it was brought up anew, iu
the Assembly of 1860, at Rochester, And it is remark-
able, that the last great deliate in which he participated
in the old Assembly, sliould have been the first in which
he fleshed his sword after the disruption in 1§37, The
reader will have occasion, too, to see that one of the
closing acts of liis public life, was to ingraft his views on
this question upon the policy of the Southern Presby-
terian Church, in her first General Assembly, in 1861.
This, then, could not have been one of the subjects upon
which his mind liad changed. In regard to the Elder-
ship, this question went down so completely into the heart
and essence of the Presbyterian system, that no one who
knew the man could believe that he changed his views
upon it, without a square and open retraction of his pre-
vious error.
Another feature of Dr. Thomwell's cliaraeter, out of
which this suspicion may have sprung, was his passionate
attachment to his friends; which led him to yield, as far
as was possible consistently with a good conscience, active,
opposition to their cherished plans. And this complai-
sance, which was only the- sign of a gentle and loving
nature, may have been consti'ued, at times, as an assent
of his judgment.
But whatever be the origin of the charge, we have not
the least evidence of its truth; and upon the topic now
before ua, the writer is able to set it aside by his personal
testimony; at least, if Dr. Thornwell's opinions were al-
tered npon the relation of tlie Church to secidar education,
tlie change must have occun-ed during the last six months
of his life. Dr. Tliomwell died in the month of August,
1862, The writer's last personal intercourse with him
was in December, 1861, at tlie organization, and during
the sessions, of the flrat General Assembly of the South-
ern Presbyterian Church, at Augusta, Georgia- The pro-
ject of eBtabhsbing a great University, wliidi should bo
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LIFE OF JAMES HENLEV THOHNWELL.
to Presbyterians throughout what was then
known as " tlie Confederate States," had been lying in
the minds of some. A public meeting was held, entirely
outeide of and distinct from the Assembly, to discuss the
desirableness and feasibility of this project. This meeting
was Etddressed by Dr. Thomwell, amongst others, in ad-
vocacy of the proposed measure. At this stage, nothing
was under discussion, but the general idea of an institution
which should be wortliy of, and should command, Pres-
byterian patronage throughout the country. Tlie details
of its management and control had not yet been reached,
and, through the pressure of the civil war, tlien in p]'0-
gress, were never reached. In private conversation, when
solicited by the writer to lend his countenance and assist-
ance to the scheme. Dr. Thornwell replied, that he would
do so cordially, provided it were not made a Ohm'ch insti-
tution, organized and controlled by the Church, through
her courts. He thought a Dniveraity might he created
by the Presbyterian people of the land, which should be
penetrated by their influence and piety, without contra-
vening tlie principle, for which he had always contended,
tliat the Church, as sneh, should not embark in the busi-
ness of general education. At that time he had not re-
siled from his original position on this subject; but, on the
contrary, he explicitly re-afdrmed it, not considering the
principle on which it was based as open to any question.
Indeed, his opinions, on all public and disputed topit^s,
t were formed with singular caution, and were never pro-
nounced without antecedent investigation. They were
not prejudices, but convictions; and, being slowly ma-
tured, were not subject to fluctuation and change. The
reader will discover marks of this caution in the letter
that follows, written as early as 1846, to his friend. Dr.
K, .T. Breckinridge:
"My niinii has lieeu mnct timed of lat^ to tho Bubject of State
sotoole aud State colleget, Fiom bome riniarks of yoiis, in tlie Gen-
eral A.SBembly, I peroeiie tint j m h.-ip bpeu r^lU tint; upon tlie anmd
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STATE EDUCATION. 339
snbjeot. The difSoulty is, to introduce iuto tliem tho principles of evan-
gelical religion. There are two qnestions! 1. Whether it ie the busi-
nees of a school to teach religion ; or whether that duty devolves upon
the parent, oatecMBt, or pastor. If schools are merely secular institutions,
intended to communicate seealaT inowledge, the problem about tbe in.
troduotion of religion is easily solved. 2. Supposing, however, that
schools have a higher object, the formation of character, as well as the
discipline and cultivation of mind, reUgion must enter as an element.
But by what ttuGioHty does the State introduce it? Is not the State an
institution foijuded essentiaUy upon the relations of justice betwixt man
aod man ? No doubt, if it has a right to introduce rehgiou at aU it is
bonnd to introduce the true religion ; but tie opinions of the magis-
trate are a poor security for the permanent introduction of an evangelical
faith. My mind, however, labours on the question of right. Eeligion
may be introduced as a matter of stienee, a thing that ought to be kriovin;
but as a living power a system of Divine grace what lias the State, as
btd tht?IlJi tht h fltd muoh od these
thigs, dlshuldhtth y mtndp nions. The oom-
pl f th -t b la g ly d t imn d by the part which onr
Chur h h 11 t t gard t tl q sti ns What we do, should,
tt f b d vith gi t pn 1 d hb li ud caution. My
miiid h th I d t tb d f St t ed t but 1 have diffi-
Bultiefc, Let me hoai tiom you soon , and do not omit to say distinctly,
whether, in case of the failure of your health, you will consent to become
a South Carolinian. The Lord bless yon and teep ^oa.
' ' Your sicoere friend End brother,
J. H. Thoknweli,."
A little later, his Btiruples appear to liavo been resolved,
and Ids opposition to Chnrcli schools becomes more pro-
nounced ; as wiU be seen from the letter below, also ad-
dressed to Dr. Breckinridge:
"SotTTE CisoLiNA OoiiLEaE, February 24, 18+9,
"Mi Dkae Bbotseb:' One good turn deserves another. ¥onr ar-
ticle, in the last number of the Southern Presbyterian Reoiev), has done
us so much credit, that I am couBtrained to apply to you again. There
is one subject particularly, on which I want you to put out your strength ;
and now is the time, or never. That subject is, the System of Denomi-
national Education, which the Assembly is endeavouring to set agoing.
We sliall have a disputation from Dr. Smyth, on Parochial Schools, in
our nest issue. I objected to its insertion ; but finally consented, upon
condition of entering 6, protest against it. But the ceaseless declama-
tion which is poured upon the Church, from all quarters, wiU have its
efEect, nnlesa some competent man will take the subject up, and discuss
it on its merits. How, j(>K are the man to do it. Ac article from you
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330 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
on ttiB.topio, at thia jtmctara, will ba read VFitli profound interest, and
will do great good. Your stndies and inquiries baTe reoently been es-
aetly of the oliaraijtec which, fit yoa for the task ; and I think you owe
it to the Church to give her the matured result of your reflections and
esperienoe, when so many are dosing her with speculations, eonjeetures,
and visionary schemes. I sincerely hope, therefore, that yon will not
Bay ' Nay' to this request.
"Have you seen the New England Puritan f It eTidently winces
under your article in our last number.
"BrownEOD ha£ at last fulfilled his promise, to review my book on
the Apocrypha. He has devoted three articles to my benefit, in the
April, July, and October numbers of Ms Quarterly. His pieces I re-
gard as very feeble ; but am not resolved in my own mind as t« the best
course to be pursued. My disposition is to answer him ; but if I notice
every reviewer who may take me in hand, I may make buBiness enough
for myself to occupy my. whole time. If I do not answer him, the
Papists may crow, and pretend that they have gained a triumph. It
would, no doubt, be more seemly for some other person besides myself
to take up Brownson, But I know of no one who can do it, but you ;
and it is a task which I could not expect from you, in the midst of more
important and pressing engagements. Then, again, any reply would.
be addressed to readers, for the most part, who never saw or read tho
Retiffib. The only point gained, would be stopping their months, who
might represent BUence on my part as a confeadon of defeat. What do
you think I ought to do ?
"Our College is quite flourishing as to numbers. We have two hun-
and thirty students. Preston's name has been a word to eonjm'e with.
The instituMon has risen, as if by magic, under his influence and exer-
tions. But I am very much afraid the charm is soon, too soon,.to b«
broken. He has been, for six or eight weeks, in a precarious condition ;
and his physicians seem to think that, if he ever recovers at all, it
will be a work of time, and of great care ; and the utmost he can re-
cover, will be some portion of his physical strength. He oan never,
under any circumstances, be himself again. I do not know exactly how
to describe his disease. He was taken first with influenza, which at the
time was prevailing here as an epidemic. It brought him to a state
very closely approiimafang partdysis. His brain became affected, his
mind very much enfeebled, and his speech became thick and indistinct,
his pulse was as low as thirty beats a minute. His tongue was as black
as tar, and Ms nervous system seemed to be exhausted. He was kept
np by strong and oft-repeated stimnlants. As soon as he could ride, he-
went, by slow stages, to Charleston, where he is at present ; and I leam,
from a letter received here last night, that the physicians there think,
very gloomily of his case. It is a mournful visitation of Providence ; it
has caused me many sad reflections. Learning, genius, and eloquence
are feeble things to depend on. Without a Saviour, what shadows we
are, and what shadows we pursue. I trust that be has been bronght to feel
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331
and see tiie importance of an interest in Clmst. His mind, I know, ixm
been very serionsly turned to the sabjeot. If he should be compelled to
leave the College, I stall have but little indnoemeiit to stay here. I haye
endnred the bondage long enough already ; and if the sooiety be takeu
from me, which alone has rendered it tolerablH, I shah be strongly
tempted to soek a field for the exercise of my miiiietry, leas eihausting,
and more congenial with my ft
" Let me hear from' jou bi
aitide on Faroohial Schools, o;
"Very sincerely, as e"
Tlie book on the Apocrapha, to which reference is made
in this letter, was the re-pnblication, in a more permanent
form, of the articles written in the controversy with Dr.
Lynch, of Charleston. The volnme was bronght out in
18i5, and elicited from the Edinburgh Seview tlie liigh
eulogium that it was worthy of a comparison with Oliil-
lingworth. Dr. Breckinriclge's reply gave the promise of
a review of Brownson's attack upon it, as well as of an
ai'ticle on Denominational Education. It reads thus :
"Lbsihgton, Ky., March 16, 1849.
"My Dbae Thoenweh; Your letter of 24th nit. -was long on the
way. It has only been received within a few days. I will endeayoar to-
comply with your request in regard to the arliole on Denominational
Education. If I am not mistaken, your periodical appears this month.
If you prefer the matter for the June number, and will let me know the
fact by immediate reply — I believe I had better promise it at once, lest,
by delay, my loind pass away from the subject, and other things engross
me. At any rate, I belieye I will just write out my thoughts, and send
them to you at once.
"As to the other matter, the j^view of Brownson's article on your
work, if you will trust that matter to me, I will undertake it with plea-
sure. But you must do several things ; 1. Send his articles ; I have
never seen them. 2. Send me, from your pen, such matter, the more
the better, as you would like worked into the review of him. 8. Send
me such eriticisma, or denials of his quotations, and references to
authority, and such quotations and references to support your own, as.
may be needful ; for my own library is still in boses.
' ' I will be estremely obliged, if you will send by some one to the
General Assembly, a bundle of your artidos on the Elder and Ordi-
nation questions. I nayer had more reason, to thank any friend than
you, for those articles, on every account, public and private.
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332 LIFE OP JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
I have been Tery muct of an invalid fop some monUiK past, end in a
peculiar and very distressing way. For a long time I have ooossionally
suffered greatly, after preaching too mnch; but how Or why, Bcumed
nnoeitain ; that is, everything but the sufflering was obscure. For many
months past, the malady became gradually more concentrated, in a sort
of spaaiQ of the whole contents of the chest, or some of the more vital
of them, after violent speaMag! and these attacks, mereismg in tic-
quency and violence, are beginning to asiunie a veiy senoua aspect
I await oalmly the indications of Providence , jn the meantimn, doing
the best I can, and oonfidently committing bU to (jod. Maj God bless
and keep yon, is the prayer of
" 'Your attached fricn 1,
The promised contribution to the Southern Presbyte-
rian Meview, on the subject of Ohtircli schools, was duly
raade, and published in the Jiily number of 1849. It is
thus acknowledged :
" South CiKouNi C LtEGE Vv 8,1849.
" My Deak BrotheE : Xour very able and satLsfa to art de on De-
nominational Education has been received and wil aipeaf as -the
leader, in our next nnmbsr. The printer has tormented a very much
in regard to our last number ; so much so that we have taken the work out
of his hands, and have made a contract with another man, which, we think,
will insure punctuality. I have communicated to Preston the substance
of yonr article; and he not only cordially approves of it, but is.very
mnch gratified that such views are abont to be printed. He takes great
interest in the whole subject i and as your opinions are the ones enter-
tained by the leading man of this State, their publication, at this time,
. wJU be productive of much good. Such discuesions as those which we
have already had, can settle noUiing. They either prove too much, and,
therefore, prove nothing, or they are directed to a wrong point. No
one doubts the importance of religion as an element in education, and
no one doubts that the Church is a witness to God's truth. Bat that
her commission to teach the gospel includes a commission to teach read-
ing, writing, and ciphering, is not so plain. In other words, that a com-
mission to teach one thing is a commission to teach every thing, is, to say
the least of it, not self-evident. And yet, this is about the substance of
the arguments of Drs. JunMn and Smyth. It never seems to have
struck them, that their method of reaaoning might be just as sacoesa-
fully employed to divest the Church of all power of rule, as it has been
to divest the State of all right to teach. They say, for example, that a
commission granted to the Church to teach at ali, includes every depail.-
ment of instruction, and excludes the State from any participaiion.
Upon the same principle, a eomraission to the State to rule at all.
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STATE EDUCATION.
333
iadndes every kind of goveinment, and excludes the Ghuroli from the
posBessicm of any kind of authority. I shall append to our next num-
ber a eritioal notice of Dr. JunMn'e inaugural oration, which, together
with your article, will j)iit before the Chnrches the precise poaition of
those who are not prepared to swallow down liie scheme of the Board of
Eduoatiou.
"As eoou SB I can procure them, I shall send you Brownson's articles
in review of my book ; and then leave it to your jui%ment wlieflier they
should be answered or not, Tlioy require no learning ; it is simply moi-al
, the application of logic, and that alone. He has exposed him-
ious attacks on the whole subject .of the relation of Church to
State ; and to expose the tendencies of Eomanism on this head, has been
my strongest inducement for thinking he ought to be noticed at aU. His
articles, in my judgment, are deplorably feeble. But if you take him in
hand, he will furnish yon f, text for disclosures which, if our country will
heed them, will save our children much trouble.
"I sent yon, by our oomraismoner, one hundred copies of mj article on
the Elder qnestion. We have still a large number, which we wonld
cheerfnlly mail to any addresses yon might recommend. I have neyer
had a firmer confidence in the nltjmate triumph of any cause, than in
the final success of the doctrines which it is the object of that article to
maintain. Even Princeton is beginning to discover that a Presbyter, a»
miak, is a ruler.
' ' Preston's health is still very feeble. The Board of Trustees have given
him a dispensation from all bis duties until the 1st October. He leaves
early next week, tor Glenn Springs, in this State, and will spend the
time in travelling about from place to place. I am seriously apprehensive
that he never wH! be himself again. The only ht^e is the absolute re-
laxation which he has resolved to try. I do not think that he has been
m d f th ni u of bis physicians in regard to his
cas rs P to nf e, thit they have given her very little
so an he restored. Her mind is greatly dis-
ea to conceal her anxiety from him. Ho
OS et. es yaical vigour, and, for a. short time,
CO wi rit ; but he soon becomes utterly eit-
an H hole system is toneless. It is a painful
spectacle to see such a man a mere wreck. He was much gratified with
your letter. I have been strongly and tenderly attached to him, and
have done all in my power to sootiie and comfort him in this deep afflic-
"I cannot close this letter without expressing to you my warmest
thanks for the promptness with which yon have offered to assist me in
the case of Brownson. Your "expressions of Mndoess touched me very
deeply ; and I had rather see hi"* in jonr hands than the hands of any
other man in the Union. His articles are nothing; but the subject is
important. And my mind is so utterly undetermined as to the course
that ought to be pursued, that 1 must leave the matter entirely to l/ou;
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myeelf, if a general war should ensue, to stand by you fo tl
May God bless yon and keep yoo, is the sincere prayer of
"Your devoted friend,
J. H. Tboenwell."
Tlie reader who desires to peruse at length Dr. Thorn-
well's opinions on this important subject of education, a&
controlled by the Church, will find them presented in a
published letter to Governor Manning, of South Carolina,
written in 1853, whilst he was President of the College.
The topic, it is true, is only incidentally introduced, as a
branch of the general ai-gument that the State is properly
charged with the higher education of- its citizens, and to
repel the ^sumption that religious instruction cannot be
adequately conveyed in institutions which are supported
from the public treasury. This elaborate paper will be
found in the fifth volume of his " Collected Writings."
But, as it may not fall into the hands of all who read these
pages, and since this subject is interwoven with his whole
personal history, we append a few extracts, for the pur-
pose of defining his position in his own language:
' ' The true and only question ia, Does education belong to the Churob
or State? Into the hands of one or the other it must fall, or perish.
This, too, is the great practical qliration among ub. The most formid-
able war agsdnst the College will be tbat waged on the principle of its
esistencB. I respect the feeling ont of which the jealouey of State in-
stitutions has grown. A godless education is worse than none; and I
rejoice tiiat the sentiment la well nigh nniversal ia this country, that a
system which excludes the highest and most commanding, the eternal
interests of man, must be radieaUj defective, whether reference be had
to the culture of the individual, or to hia prosperity and influence in
life. Man is essentially a religious being ; and to make no proTision
for tMs noblest element of his nature, to ignore and preclude it from
any distinct consideration, is to leaffe him but half educated. The an-
cients were accustomed to regard theology as the first philosophy ; and
there is not a people ,under the sun whose religion has not been the chief
inspiration of their literature. Take away the influence which this sub-
ject has exerted upon the human mind, destroy its contributions to the
CBUise of letters, the impulse it has given to the speculations of philoso-
phy,— and what will be left, after these snbtroctions, will be compara-
tively smell in quantity, and feeble in life and spirit. We must have
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STATE EDUCATION. 335
religion, if we would reacli the liighast forms of edueation. Tliia is tlie
atmospLere wbioh must surround the mind and permeate all its ac-
tivities, in orde hit ts development may be free, healthtnl, aii^ Tigor-
OUB. Science laug h s 1 tte s pine, refinement is lost, wherever and
whenever the g ni of lif, on s excluded. Experience has demon-
strated that, in n f th o ther, it must enter into eyery College,
and pervade ev ry d pa tm nt of instmction. No institution has been
able to live wittont t B t what right, it is asked, has tlie State to
intTOduoe it? What ght, we m ght ask in return, has the State to ex-
olnde it? The diMculty lies in confounding the dogmatic peculiarities
of sects with the spirit of religion. The State, as such, Iqiowa notidng
of sects, but to protect them ; but it does not follow that the State must
be neoeasarilj godless. And so a College knows nothing of denomi-
nations, except aa a feature ia the history of the human race ; but it does
not follow that a College must be necessarily atheistio or unchristian.
What is wanted is the pervading influence of religion as a life ; the
habitual sense of responsibility to God, and of the true worth and des-
tiny of tlie soul ; which shall give tone to the oharnotev, and regulate all
the pursuits of lie place. The example, temper, and habitual deport-
ment of the teachers, co-operating with the dogmatic iustructioiis which
have been received at the fireside and in the church, and coupled with
the obligatory olraervance (except in cases of Conscientious sorUple) of
the peculiar duties of the Lord's day, will be found to do more in main-
taining the power of religion, than the constant recitation of the Cate-
chism, or the ceasetess incolcatioa of sectarian pecnliarities. Tte difS-
culty of introducing religion is, indeed, rather speculative than practicaL
When we propose to teach religion as a science, and undertake, by pre-
cise boundaries and esact statutory provisions, to define wliat shall, and
what shall not, be taught ; when, by written schemes, we endeavour to
avoid all the- peculiarities of sect, without sacrificing the essential in-
terests of religion; the task is impossible. The resiiMtim, after our
nice distinctions, is zero. But why introduce religion as a soienee T Let
it come in the character of the Professors ; let it come in the stated,
worship of the sanctuary; and let it come in the vindication of those
immortal records which constitute the basis of our faith.
"Leave Creeds and Confessiona to the fireside and the ohurch, the
home and the pulpit. Have godly teachers, and you. will have compara-
tively a godly College. But what security have we that a State College
will pay any attention to the religions character of its teachers ? The
security of public opinion, which, in proportion aa the various religious
denominations do their duty in their own spheres, will become alsolutely
irresistible. Iiet all the sects combine to support the State CoUego, and
they can soon create a sentiment which, with the teoible certainty of
fate, shall tolerate nothing onholy or unclean within ito walls. They
can make it religious, without being sectarian. The true power of the
Church over these institutions is not that of direct work upon the hearts
aud consciences of all the members of the community. Is it alleged
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336 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
that esperieoee presents us witJi monrnf ul examplee of State institTitions
degenerating into hot-beds of atheism and impiety ? It may lie promptly
replied, tliat tbe fiama esperience presents us willi equally mourafvJ es-
amplee of Churoh inetitutioiia degenerating into tot-beds of the vilest
heresy and infidelity. And, what is more to the point, a sound public
opinion has never failed to bring tbeee State institutions back to their
proper mooiings, while the Chureh iuBtitntions have not unftequently
carried their sects with them, and rendered reform impossible. In the
case of State institutions, Uie security for religion lies in the public
opinion of the whole commnnity ; in the case of Church institutions,
in the public opinioa of a single denomination. And as the smaUer-
body can more easily become cOrrnpt than a larger; as there is a con-
stant play of antagonism,' which preserves the health, in tbe one case,
while they are wanting in the other ; it seems clear, that a State College,
upon the whole, and in the long run, must be safer than any sectarian
institution. As long as people preserve their respect for religion, the
College can be kepi free from danger.
"The principle, too, on which the argument for Church supervision
is founded, proves too much. It is assiimed that, wherever a religion*
influence becomes a matter of primary importance, there the Church has
legitimate jnrisdicfjon. 'This,' it has been well said, 'puts an end to
society itself, and makes tbe Church the only power that can exist ; since
ail that is necessary is, for any officer, or any power, to he capable of
moral effects or infiuences, in order to put it under the dominion of the
Church. The moral influence of governors, judges, presidents— nay,
even sheriffs, coronefs, or constables— is as real, and may be far more
extensive, than that of schoolmasters. The mora! influence of wealth is
immense ; that of domestic habits, nay, even personal habits, often de-
cisive.'* The truiii is, this species of ai^ument would reduce every
interest under the son to tbe control of the Church. It is just the prin-
ciple on which the authority of the Pope over tings and states has been
assumed and defended. The ai^nment, moreover, is one which can very
easily be retorted. If, because education has a religious element, it must
fall within the jurisdiction of the Church ; a. foHiori, because it has mul-
tiplied secular elementSy it must fall vrithin the juriEdiction of the State,
Tbe Church is a distinct corporation, with distinct rights and authority.
She has direct control over nothing that is not spiritual in its matter, and
connected with our relations to Jesns Obrist. She is His kingdom ; and
her functions are limited to His work, as the Mediator of the Covenant,
and the Saviour of the lost. And if education, in its secular aspects, is
not a function of grace, but nature ; if it belongs to man, not as a Chris-
tian, but simply as a man ; then it no more falls within the jurisdiction
of the Church than any other secular work. « * » *
"Apart from the principle involved, I have other objections to seo-
"Dr. Breckinridge, in .'■'outhern Prmhyterian. Review, vol. 3, p. 6,
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TATE ?:DtrCATION. 337
tarian edueation. . I aay, seetariaii eduoation ; for the Church, es catholic
and. one, in the present condition of things, is not risible and corporate.
What she does, can only be done through the egenoy of one or more of
the various fragmenlj^ into which she has been suffered to split. In the
first place, it is eTideat, from tie feebleness of the seota, that tliese col-
leges oacnot be very lai^ely endowed. In the nest place, they are likely^
to be numeronB. Prom these causes will reault a strenuous competition
for patronage; and, from this, two effects may be expected to follow,
first, the depression of tlie general standard of education, so as to allure
students to their halls ; and nest, the preference of what is ostentatious
end attractive in education, to what is solid and substantiHl. It is true,
that there can be no lofty flight, as Bacott has suggested, ' without some
feathers of ostentation ; ' but it is equally true, that there can be no
flight at all, where there are not bone, muscle, and sinew, to sustain the
" It is also a serious evil that the State should be habitually di
as profane and infidel. To think and speak of it in that light, is the sure
way to make it so ; and yet this ia the uniform representation of the advo-
cates of Church education. They will not permit the State to touch the auh-
jeot, because its fingers are unol^an. Can there he a more certain method
to nproot the sentiments of patriotism, and to make ns feel that the gov-
emment of the country is an enormous evil, to which we are to submit,
not out of love, but for oonaoieiJOB sake ? Will not something like this
be the inevitable effect of the declamation and invective, which bigots
and zealots feel authorized to vent against the CommonwealtJi that pro-
tects them, in order that they may succeed in their narrow schemes?
Instead of clinging around the State, as they would cling to the bosom
of a beloved parent, and eonoentrating upon her the highest and holiest
Influeneee *hich they are capable of eierting ; instead of teaching their
children to love her, as the ordinance of God for good, to bless her for
her manifold benefits, and to obey her with evea a religious veneration ;
they repel her to a cold and cheerless distance, and brand her with the
stigma of Divine reprobation. The result must be bad. "The fanaticism
which despises the State, and the infidelity which contemns the Church,
are both alike the product of ignorance and folly. Ood has established
both -the State and the Churoh. It is as clearly our duty to be loyal an4
enlightened citizens, as to ha faithful and earnest Ohristians."
I think, too, that the tendency ofsectarian Colleges, to perpetoata the
strife of sects, to fix whatever is heterogeneous in the elements of na-
tional character, and to alienate the citizens from each other, is a con-
sideration not to be overlooked. There ought surely to be some common
ground on which the members of the same State may meet together, and
feel that they are brethren ; some common ground on which their chil-
dren may mingle without confusion or discord, and hury every narrow
and selfish interest in the sublime sentiment, that they belong to the
same family. Nothing is so powerful as a common education, and the
thousand sweet associations which spring from it, and cluster arouCid it,
id by Google
338 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
to cherish the holy tirotlierhood ot men. Those who have -walked
together m the same paths of science, and taken, sweet counsel in the
same halls of learning ; who went arm in arm in that hallowed season of
lite when the foundations of all eKeelleneo are laid ; who have wept with
the same sorrows, or laughed with the eanie joys ; who haye been fired
with the same ambition, lured with the same hopes, aad griered at the
same disappointments ; these are not the men, in after yeais, to stir up
HnimoEifies or foment intestine feuds. Their college life is a bond of
nnion which nothing can break ; a divine poetry of existence, which
nothing is allowed to profane. ♦ « » » All these advantages mast
be lost if the sectarian scheme prevails. South CarolinaJvUl no longer
be a imit, nor her citizens brothers. We shall have sect against sect,
school against school, and college against college ; and he knows but
little of the pist, who has not obserred, that the most formidable dangers
fo any State are those which spring from division in its own bosom,
and that these divisions are terrible in proportion to the degree in which
the religious elemsut enters Into them."
,db, Google
CHAPTEK XXIV.
GALL TO CHARLESTON.
OcOiSiONAIi DlSSiTlSfACTION WITH AOAliEMIO LlM!. — ClUaES OF IT.
ET;ItiI. PUSSTIITS IN VACillON. — Hl9 FaBM. — CiBE Off Hia StiTEB.
PBTViTE OOBKESPOBDENHE.^OaIiL TO ChTFECH Di Chaklebton, South
Caboltna. — Eebigbaiion op His PKOFESsoEsaiP.— KciiBase feom thb
College. — Keuoval to Chaklestos, ■ — Bbiep LiBOCRB m that Gin. —
OOKEEffPONBENOE ,— EtKOTED TO pBESIDEHOy OF THB CoLLBOH. MbM-
TAL CowiTOT, — Action oe the Ohueoh.
THEOUGH the whole period of his coimectiou with
the College, there were seasons of restlessness, when
Dr. Thornwell seemed to chafe under the restrictions of
his position, and to sigh for other fields of labour. Those,
however, mistook the case, who assigned this to fickle-
ness and love of change. Perhaps none but ministers of
the goapol can fally appreciate the conilicts which earnest
and faithful men of their class often experience. Ko one
is able to stand outside of himself sufficiently to estimate
the efficiency of his own labours. He is conscious of the
force that goes out from him, but he is not able to mear
sure fully its influence upon others. There often appears
to be a vast disproportion between the amount of the
toil, and the result that accrues ; the disproportion is
greater still between tlie desires which are cherished, and
the fruit that is actually gathered. Moments of deep
dejection occur to all, when they are prompted to adopt
the remonstrance of the ancient prophet; "O Lord,
Thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived ; then I said,
I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in
His name." But it always ends as it did with the faithful
Jeremiah: "His word was in my heart as a burning fire
shut up in my bones, and I was weary ^vith forbearing,
3;^ 9
id by Google
340 LIFE OF JAMEa HEHLKT THOKNWELL.
and I could not Btay." Such eeasoiiB of gloom, it could
not be supposed Dr. Tbornwell would wholly escape ;
and -wliilst all aboiit him, in the Church and in the State,
recognized his work aa grand and blessed beyond what
common men could hope to achieve, it was not strange
if he sometimes sighed over opportunities that seemed to
be slipping away without fruit. Of com'se, this was only
oecasioual. In the main, he was cheered by the assurancej
that he had been made the inetrumont of working a stu-
pendous change in the religious sentiment of the College,
and, indeed, of the State, in the complete overthrow of
that blatant infidelity, which previously had seated itself
upon the high places of intelHgence and power. He was,
too, not without precious seals of his ministry in the con-
version of sinners, who broke down under the majesty of
his appeals, and were led by him to the feet of the Saviour.
But it was not possible for him to know what multitudes
he eetabiislied in the faith of the gospel ; nor in how
many young hearts he planted " the incorruptible seed,"
which, though it lay dorma.nt for a time, sprang up in
after years, and bore rich fruit to the glory of God.
■ Another cause contributed to this occasional dissatis-
faction witli the College. Dr. Thomwell, notwithstand-
ing his early preference for scholastic hfe, wliieh his
intellectual tastes fitted him pre-eminently to enjoy, was
constituted for action rather than repose. He poaaesaed
that peculiar power of magnetizing those with whom he
came in contact, which ia the firat quality in a great leader.
His convictions were too intense to be locked up in his
own breast ; they must have expression, or he must die.
He could not be a man given to speculation merely. His
beliefs wrought themselves into his whole being, and were,
almost without a figure, as a burning fire shut up in his
bones. He could not but be conscious, also, of his im-
mense power in speech to sway the passions, and conti'ol
the actions of men. The instinct of the orator was in
him, always craving an audience ; a theatre upon which
id by Google
CALL TO CHAELESTON. 341
its practical efficioney maj be dJaplajed. He craved an
audience, not of youth just crystalizing in their character,
and shut in, like himself, to speculation and theory ; "but
an audience of men in the sap and vigour of hfe, plunged
into all the activities of the world's great hattlo, whom
he might stir to deeds of renown iu the kingdom of his
Master. A temperament so ardent, inspired with all that
is lofty in truth, and conscious of a living energy which
can impress itself upon others, could not always be
resigned,
" Through the loop-holes of retreat
To peep at Buub. a world^ ajid. see the Btir
Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd."
Traces of this will be discovered in the correspondence
of this period, and in a temporaiy withdrawal from the
College, which continued, however, only for a few months.
The first two letters are addressed to Professor Matthew
J. "Williams:
"Desbuboh Aeeky, Jitl^ 17, 1850.
' ' My Dear Majob ; You will perceive that I am now fairly rnsticated.
We reached Lancaeter Courthouse the day after we left Columbia, spent
the Fourth of July in the village, and on the Monday following we oame
out to our plantation, where we have been setSed eyer fdnoe. The
change is prodigious, from the intense heat of Colnmhia by day, and
its musquitoea hy night, to the refreshing hreezefi and invigorating at-
mosphere of the up-country. My wife is delighted ; and unless she
should becdma tired before the sumiiier ia out, it will he hard to get
her back to the College campus. There is one consideration, however,
which, iu onr oireumstances, will not be without force. The proepeot
here of mating any available amount of the 'ready,' is very slim.
Drought, drought, drought, is all the cry. The corn is stunted and
withering; and a few more dry, windy days, will make the likelihood
ot making bread very slender. There is no chance of reaping twenty-
five hundred dollars fmm these red hills. With seven children to edu-
cate, and a host of backs to cover, we need some other dependence than
Dryburgh Abbey affords us. So we shall be constrained, with as good
a grace as possible, to go back to Columbia. But the situation here ia
delightful. Our residence is on a high hill, in a deeply shaded grove,
and commands a rich and extensive prospect on all sidea. "We are never
without a breeze, and the sound of a musquito is never beard, I enjoy
the chaugo very much for the present ; and if I were to consult my
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3i2 LIFE OF JAMES HEKLEY THOltNWBLL.
leelJngB, iustead of yielding to my convietjons of duty, I aliould bo
tempted to settle down in laral life.
" I KnppoBe yon have Been i±ie account of the death of the President
of flie Dnited States.* What it means, it is difficult to oob jeeture. But
it seems God is giving ns warning after warning, line upon line, and
precept npoa precept. Every good man sliould be found constantly
wrestling at the throne of grace for our bleeding and distracted country.
I am satisfied that nothing bat repentance on our part, end wonderful
mercy on the part of God, con save uE from the jnst conseqnenicea of our
national sins. We have forgotten God, and have been sacrificing to
our own drag; and unless His rebukes should bring us to aoknowlei^e
Him, we may be ieft to ' eat the fruit of our own ways, and to be filled
with oar own devices.' The subject is constantly in my thoughts and
in my prayers ; and there is nothing that I would not cheerfully do, or
suffer, to promote the peace of our beloved country. I have hope that
God does not mean to destroy ; that His purpose is to iufiot ju^ment
after judgment, until His chastisements shall have been effectual ; and
then He will return, and have mercy on us. If He meant to root us up
and destroy lis, He would probably withhold tlie rod, saying, ' Ephraini
is joined to his idols ; let him alone.'
"I am engaged in preaching every Sunday. We have several big
meetings projected here, in which I am to take part. It is an omen of
good, that, in several places in the State, the Lord has visited His peo-
ple. I sincerely trust that the outpouring of the Spirit may be uni
versal. Write to me soon. West to the pleasure of seeing you, is that
of hearing from you.
"Most truly yours,
J". H. THOSNWEnL."
In explanation of the foregoing letter, it ia proper to
say that Dr. Tliomwell acquired, by mai-riage, a small
estate in Lancaster District, to which he was aecnstomed
to repair witli his family during the vacation in the Col-
lege. To this place he appears to have transferred the
name of one of the moat romantic spots which he visited
while in Europe; and of which, in one of the letters we
have ah'eady transcribed, he speahs in terms of great enthu-
siasm. His interest in the spot is mai'ked in naming his cozy
retreat "Dryburgh Abbey." His plantation was never
of much pecimiary benefit to him. He was an easy and
indulgent master ; and it is doubtful if his slaves made
• General Zaobary Taylor, the twelfth President of the United States,
died in Washmgton, D. C, on the 9th of July, 1860.
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CALL TO CHAKLESTON. 343
tlieir own support; certainly, ttey never accomplished
much more; and were. often a tax upon him, rather than
a source of revenue. He was exceedingly conscientious
in securing to them every religious privilege, and con-
tiibuted regulai-ly to a mittieter, who made it a part of
his duty to visit the place, to catechize and to preacli.
Arrangements of this kind were common throughout the
Southern country, under the old regime, which has now
passed away. Besides being at perfect liberty to attend
the sanctuary on the Sabbath, the gospel was brought to
the slave at his own door, by the special labours of min-
isters, who performed the duty with constancy, and by
system. When present at the place. Dr. Thomwell was
assiduous in the eaine work, as a cateehist and preacher.
"DBTBnBGH Abbei, A'UguH 20, 1860.
"Mt Dese Matob! Your dalightful letter has been lying by me for
two weeks unanswered. Altkough. my heart has prompted me every day
to subdue my reiuotauoe to take the pen, every day I have succeeded in
flattermg loyself tbat it -would be easier to write to-morrow. The trutJl
is, I have been attending several protracted moetiugs, and have returned
from each pretty throughly broken down. My labours, at the first, left
me in a state of prostration from which I apprehended serious reBalte;
but, fJirbugh the mercy of God, my system has recovered its usual tone.
For two days I was ocoasionally spitting blood ; my cheat was very sore,
and my voice very feeble. But I have not only recovered my health, bat
have received gratifying toteas tha.t the labours which exhausted me
have been a bleBsing to others. One can afford to be broten down, when
his decay is the life of others.
' ' My family has enjoyed usubI health, and niy wife and children are
delighted with the freedom of a country life. We have had fruit and
melons in abundance, and ample space to expand our limbs and lun^
Our friends have been very kind; and, in the plenitude of their charity,
they have never peimitted us to be wanting in either good cheer or good
company. We look with reluctance to the period — alas ! too rapidly ap-
proaching—when we must go back to the walls of onr prison. College
is to me like a dungeon ; and I go to its duties like a slave wliipped to
his burden. Nothing keeps me there but the fact that God's providence
has put me thmc, and I am afraid to leave without some marked inti-
maljon of the Divine will, Perhaps a day of greater osefulneEB may
oome ; or perhaps the Almighty may open a way for my escape. But I
have so often expressed to you my feeling^ upon tiis subject, that it is
nscless to say moi'e upon it now.
,db, Google
344 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENyKLL.
" The article upon Morell * wHoh jou sent me, follows very olOBely in
the -wake of tte article in (lie North British Eevi^w, upon, the same snb-
jeot. The disoriminations were just ; and I Buppoee the Ad'Oocate copied
the pieoe as some atonement for its own eKtraTagaB,t panegyric of the
boot when it first appeared. I am sony to see, however, that rationalism
is making such progress in this conntry ; and, if Qod spares my life, I
intend to deal some harder hlows than I have yet done. It is in-
sidious and deceitful, and is specially suited to captivate tlie young and
vain, Themaawho has pondered, and is prepared to answer aright, the
question, WMt Ban vse hnow ? is the only man who is competently fur-
nished against the temptations of this seductive and shallow philosoplij'.
He sees precisely where it stumbles. That idl knowledge begins with
the incompreheneible, and is bounded by the incomprehensible, is a
truth which the arrogant disputers of this world are slow to apprehend.
The longer I live, and the more I think, the more profound is my con-
viction of human ignoranpe. I can say, too, that I have a growing at-
tachment to the great truHis of Christianity. I feel that I am rooted and
grounded iu the gospel; that its doctrines are incorporated into my
whole life, and are the necessary food of my eool. I have looked at the
matter on all sides ; and I can say, from the heart, that I desire to glory
in nothing but the croes of the Lord Jesus Christ. The distinction of
being a Chrietian is the liighest honour I would court ; and the shallow
metaphyBies that would take from me the promises of God's Word, I do
most heartily despise,
" Upon the subject of the inspiration of the Seripturea and the autho-
rity of the Bible, we shall have some desperate battles to fight with false
brethren, before the enemy is subdued. The world will be on their aide.
They will make the impression that they are very learned and very pro-
found ; and that their opponents are equally ignorant and shallow, mis-
taking the spirit of bigotjy for the spirit of religion. Reproaches of this
sort, which wiE turn the multitude against us, we must bear patiently.
They are pait of the cross which attaches to discipleship in out day.
" I was much gratified that you approved my article on slavery. No
one besides has expressed to me an opinion upon it, and I have seen
htmllya notioe of it in any of tiie papers. * * « in regard to the
article on the Bible Sodetj, it strikes me that the question there dis-
cussed involves a matter of no little momenta Is the Bible Society a
rehffiovs institution, or is it only a secular corporation ? If it be a reli-
gious institution, upon what principle is prayer excluded? How can
persons he united in religious duties, when they do not worship the
same God? The Socinian and Trinitarian cannot pray together ; tliey
cannot be members of the same church ; how, then, can they unite in
any other rchgious institution? If the Society is only a seuJito" corpo-
ration, then it is only a contrivance to get up a cheap book store ; and
• The Philosopy of Eeligion. ByJ. D. Morell, A. M., authoi of "The
History of Modern Philosophy."
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OAIJ, TO CIIAKr.EB-KiN. oil>
every yariety of motive may animate its members. TtG principle of these
national Bocietics never lias been clear to my mind. Their platforms, bo
broad as 'to admit evarybody that will contribute, no matter who or from
what motive I have never been able to understand. At least, the sub-
ject is not free from embarrassments I never reaii thu article in the
iJetiiew until after its appearance ; hut I thought it calculated to awaken
incLuiry,
■ "I have long been anxious that yo"u should write somethmg for us
connected with your favourite pursuit. It ie a duty to employ our
talents for God's glory, and the good of oar fellowTnen ; and as the Al-
mighty has furnished you with eminent gifts in regard to a particular
department of human knowledge, you should not conceal youi light
under a bushel. There are many subjects which you might discuss, and
which I tnow yon can discuss with signal ability ; and you know not
what good you might do.
" The time is rolling on when we must put on the harness once more.
One oonsideiation relieve the gloomlnjess of the prospect ; it is that I
shall meet some whom I sincerely love, and who fully reciprocate my
affection. How glad I would be to see you here ! I know not what ef-
forts I should not pnt forth to show you how much I esteem you But I
hope to meet you in Columbia. In the meantime, let me hear from yOTi
again. Your letters are delightfully refreshing ; they are like cold water
to a thirsty soul.
"Most truly and sinoerely, your frieuiJ,
J. H. Thoenwell."
To bis old fnend, General James Gillespie, he writes,
under date of June 17tli, 1850 :
«,<,>:* "I have just finished a long article on slavery,* for our
JSeeieirt, which is now in press. I endeavoured to grapple with the phi-
losophical argument of Dr. Cbanning and Profe^or "Whewell. It is the
substance of a sermon which I recently preached in Charleston ; and
which, I learn, gave great satisfaction. At the earnest entreaty of men
whose judgment I respect, I have agreed to publish it ; and selected the
present form as the most durable and useful. As soon as it is out I will
send you a oopy.
• This article, referred to also in the preceding letter, wUl be found in
the fourth volume of Dr. Thomwell's " Collected Writings " ; together
with another important paper on the same subject : a Beport submitted
to the Synod of South Carolina, adopted by that body in 1851, and or-
dered by them to be published. These doenmeufs give the prevailing
opinions held by Christiaii people at the South on a subject which is now
purely historic, and are still valuable as a dear statement of the prin-
ciples which were inTolved in it.
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346 LIFF <JF lAMF? HENLEY THORNWELL.
"What an imeipeoted calamity was the depth nf Elmocel "What a
lesson in regard to the vanity of man, and the empimoES oE human
honours 1 His funeral w as the most solemn, and impresRiyc scene iliat
I ever witnessed in my life and waa about as profitahlc to me as any
circumstance that has recenOy happened. I never felt more powerfully
than on that occasion, the transcendent value of Christian hope ; it ia
indeed an anchor to the soul, botli sure and steadfast. His corpse ar-
rived just about nightfall, and he was buried by the hght of a few stars ■
abOTC, and a few lanterns below. The body was in such a conditicoi
that it could not be kept until morning. His wife fainted at the grave ;
his eldest daughter knelt down and prayed ; and everything around us
was still and solemn as eternity. The scene impressed ma so much, iiat
all sleep was taken from my eyes. I gave myself up to my thoughts ;
and was able to p6ui; forth my feelings nest day in a sermon, which,
I iruBt, will not be lost upon the young men. My text was, ' Be ye,
therefore, also ready.' Mr. BamweE has, I iiear, accepted the appoint-
ment to the vacancy. The Governor could not have selected a better
man ; and I sincerely trust that our difficulties at "WasMngtou may be
saiiefactocily adjusted-"
We interpose here a portion of a letter to liie bmtter-
in-law, the Rev. A. J. "Witherspoon, who had long been
an inmate of his house as a student in College, and for
whom he cherished the strongest affection :
"SoDTH Oaeolina CoiiEOR, December 10, 1850.
"MyDeae JiOK; I received your letter, written from Greensboro ugh,
last night, giving us the not unexpected intelligence, that you are soon
to be married. Nothing, I assure you, would afford me more pleasure
than to be present on the occasion, and to pronounce the words which
would for ever bind you, in sacred and mysterious union, with the object
of your choice. But this happiness I am compelled to forego. My
duties in the Collage, and the condition of my family, render it impos-
sible for me to leave home at present. But, although my person must
be absent, my heart shall be with you. My prayers shall be mingled:
with yours, that the blessing of Almighty God may descend upon you,
and that you and your love may live habitually as heirs of the grace of
life. You are entirely too dear to me, on many grounds, to permit me
to be indifferent in regard to an event of so much importance. I con-
gratulate you upon your prospects ; for if anything can be inferred from,
ttie name,* you have every omen of prosperity and happiness. My ex-
perience has taught me that it is noble blood to flow in the veins of a
wife. I bid yon a cordial God-speed; and trust that every returning
» The bride was a Miss 'Withecspoon, from n branch of the s&me fam-
ily with that of Mrs, ThomweU.
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CALL TO CHAKLESTON. 3i7
anniverBary of tha event may be an Ebenezer in. your Hstory, in ■wbioh
you shall delight to reoouot the manifold memorials of DiTine goodness.
"Your eister, I need not say, is highly gratified at yonr prospects ;
and if it were within tlie compass of possibility, she would not fail to be
present, to grace your nuptials with a sister's smilo, and a mother's
blessing. All the children greet you ; for there is not a soul about my
house, whether young or old, bond or free, that does not love Unole Jack,
nor a heart that does not leap at the mention of his najne. Your boy*
knows that something is about to happen, but he cannot precisely com-
prehend its import. * « *
" Give our kindest remembrances io all of Dr. Witherspoon's family ;
and may the blessing of our covenant God rest upon you and yours,
now and ever, is the sincere prayer of your aincere friend,
J. H. Thorhweli.."
The jeav of 1850 was a turbulent one in the history
of the College. The Lord of Misrule, who so often
delights to break up the peace of our Colleges, asserted
now his supremacy. For aome trivial reason, the whole
Junior class rose in rebellion against the authorities, and
and were suspended, making a fearful ehasm by theh' re-
moval. Other causes, of a more private and personal
nature, conspired to render Dr. Thornwell uncomfortable
in his position, and predisposed liim to listen to overtures
from abroad. In the month of March, 1851, the Glebe
Street Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, made out
a call for his pastoral services, wliieli he accepted. This
church had been organized, under tlie Eev. Abner A,
Porter, D. D., as an otf-shoot from the Second Presby-
terian church of that city. It was then in the feebleness-
of its infancy. Dr. Thornweil's resignation was accepted
by the BoaJ-d of Trustees, and he entered upon his duties
in the month of May. His own letters will give the best
account of his l)rief connection with that church. On
the 7th of May, he thus writes to the Key. A. J. With-
erspoon :
" Dear Jica : I have received joar kind letter. The Board of Trus-
tees is now In session, and I shall keep this letter open to iuform you,
• One of Dr. Thornweil's Uttle sons, who wais named in honour of
Mr. Witherspoou.
,db, Google
348 LIFE OF JAMES HENLET THORNWELL,
in a postscript, of the resnlt of my application. My ir
under all tJia circmnataiices of the case, 1 shall b9 releaaed. I have put
it on tha ecound of a personal favonr, after thirteen years' hard laboar.
Besides siguing the matter very ingenioasly in a latter, I have gone
round among the members of the Board, and fairly begged off. They
were very much disposed to tick, in, the hope of detaining me finally,
Mid breaking up the Charleston movement altogetiier. But when I
asaured them my honour was pledged, and this result was altogether
hopeless, they seemed disposed to accommodate me. I thint, therefore,
that matters are in a fair way. Should I get off, I will probably he in
Charleston ou Sunday, the ISth. * * •
' ' Most affectionately yours,
J. H. ThoenwehJ/. "
P. S. — 'The Board has adjourned. lamreUased. The Church, there-
fore, may look for me on the 18th.
" Chakleston, Ma^ 24, 1851.
" My Beabest Wife : Upon my return this evening from Sullivan's
Island, I found your delightful letter, written partly in Columbia, and
parHy in Camden. I had heard from one of the students, who was down
here on leave of absenoe, that Gillespie bad fallen from a wall. Ha also
assured me that the doctor had said that he was not hurt ; and to relieve
me of all anxiety, said further, that he had seen bim, as usual, playing
in the campus, the afternoon of the accident. But what gave me most
comfort was, that I received no telegraphic dispatch from you ; which
I was Bnie that I would have receiveci, if the child had been seriously
hurt. I am very thankful that the Lord has been so kind to us, in. pre-
serving him in the midst of danger. I sincerely trust that He will yet
make him the means of saving multitudes from the awful danger of
sin. Let us endeavour to consecrate him, and all our children, to God's
service, and to train them up for God's glory. • • "
' ' I have just returned from a second excursion to Sullivan's Island.
It is certainly the most delightful summer retreat that I have ever visited.
I met with Mr. Adger's family there, and they took me out to ride. We
rode about five miles on the sea-shore, with the water roaring near an,
aad the cool breezes blowing fresh upon us ; and I could hardly keep
from shedding tears, that you were not there to enjoy the scene. I
thought of you, plodding your wa,y, through clay and dust, up to Ian-
caster ; annoyed by children, ill served by servants, and in feeble he^th.
How I wished you were here. * • ♦
"I have visited eight or ten families in the congregation, and have
been very much pleased with them. They are all plain people, but very
spiritual. I have been agreeably surprised at the tone of piety and
prayerf ulness, whioh seems to prevail amongst them. This circumstance
has encouraged me more than anything else. They are people that I
loiow you will lite, and will feel at home amongst them at once. Mr.
Caldwell and his family have been very kind to me. They have treated
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OALL TO CHAKLESTON. 349
me with tte most cordial and whole-souled hospitality. 1 someMmes
insiiraate that my toes begin io ache already with incipient gout. They
know what good living is, anii yet everything is utterly unpretending.
Their hearts are entirely in the oaiiBe of Chflat, and especially in the
Glehe Street Church.
"You will see, from my acoount of myself, that I am leading a de-
plorably idle life. I have read hardly anything but the Bible since I
came here. I wander about, and tate exercise, aud bathe. I sleep when
and as I please. All study I have oarefuJly avoided; and every one con-
gratulates me upon looking so weh. I have certainly improved ; the sea
air is just the thing for me. * * ♦
" May the Lord keep you as the apple of the eye.
"Most devotedly, your husband,
J. H. ThOENWEMi,"
To the same :
" Chaelbston, May 26, 1851,
"My DE^RJi8TWII^E : * « * »■ I preached twice yesterday, aa
uaiwl. The congregation was good in the morning, but crowded almost
to sufflooatdou at night. The pews are to be rented this week; and we
shall, perhaps, be able to make some guess as to how we are likely to
succeed. The time is u.ot moat favourable now, as many are away,
others preparing to go away, and many ucsettied. But it was very for-
tunate, or providential, for the church, that I came dowa at ouce I am
ansiouEto have an eye single to God's^loiy. If it were my purpose to
please the people, I could soon gather a large congregation ; but I want
to build up a spsrsiaa^ church, and that cannot be done without the spe-
cial agency of the Holy Ghost. I could soon draw around me those who
have itching ears ; but I wish to attract people, not to myself, but to the
o OS f my Divine Kedeemer. Such a work requires patience, watch-
fuln and prayer.
' I am getting very impatient for you to come down. The
amjl st ai angementa are made for your aeoommodation. As soon as
you m ou will go over to Sullivan's Island, and enjoy the fresh air,
and th 1 1 ^tful walks and rides upon the beach ; and, if yon will risk
it, the bathuig in the sea. Take the best care of yourself ; and be sure
to come down at the time appointed.
" Most devotedly, your husband,
J. H. Thoenwell,"
To tiie Rev. A. J. Witlierspoon :
" StjiJ:Ivaii's Islabd, Jwne 17, 1851.
" My Dbib .Tack ; I was truly rejoiced to hear from you this evening,
though extremely sorry to learn that your health hes been so feeble. You
must not overtask yourself ; a righteous man is merciful to his beast.
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350 LIKE OI' JAMES HEJ^LKT THO^iN^^'ELL.
You have no right to oomaiit suioide. The miniatry of the gospel is a
noble nulling | but, like every other pucsuit, we must engage in it ac-
cording to our Bfrength, and not beyond it. I hare soma experience in
the matter, and am fully aatisfl-ed that, in ref erenoe to it, a£ wail os every
th t rpria ih Id masim, featina, lente, is a \pi'iae one. Ton will
I bl to mph Ii more in the long run, by not overtasking youmelf
t th b ginmng H that has a long race before him, sets oS at a
m I t p Th thing to he guaided against is, sparing ourselves
f n 1 1 n th love of ease ; that is sinful. But when a man
lly aim at God glory, and husbands his resources for larger and
m 3 ti rvi he is no more to be condemned than the thrifty
n nist wli g Bid against a prodigality which his means do not
a th iz hirii to mii^e in. I have nothing to say in regard to the
L an h m h t to urge you to do, what I isnow you wiU not be
b tw tI t d , t mmit the whole matter to the Lord, and to ask
counsel from him. K He does not call you. He will make it plain to you
in some way or other, if you humbly and honestly seek His guidance.
All that I would say is, the Lord's wiE be done.
' ' Your sister reached Charleston on Saturday. I was deplorably lone-
some without her, oooBeionally very blue ; but her presence has aijted
Uko a charm, and cheered me amazingly. The church here is getting
along as wall as could be expected. The congregations are very good in
the morning, and at night we have a perfect jam. So many people have
had to be turned off from inability to get into the house, ttiat I am afraid
they will ba discouraged from coming. I have been preaching some very
dose and searching sermons. My impression is that, in the course of
tbe winter, I shall be able to gather a very respectable permanent con-
gregation. The prospect, at least, is a very encouraging one ; and I am
not sanguine about such things. • • « * The Lord blasa you and
and keep you, and guide you into all truth and duty.
' ' Most truly yours,
J. H. ThoknweUj."
The following ie addre^ed to his little son, not yet
seven yeare of age. It reveals him as a Ohrietian father,
in his intercourse with his little ones :
" Sullivan's IsLiiiu, Jttns 17, 1851.
"Mr DiiiE Gillhspie; Your mother is now with me, and we often
Slink and talk and pray about our dear little hoy in Sumter District. We
know that you are in the hands of kind friends, who will take the best
careof you. But we are very aniiousthat you should try and be a good
boy yourself. You must mind everything that cousin Sarah Ann, or Mr.
Knoi, says to you. Learn all the lessons they give you ; use no bad
■words; answer your questions every Sunday; and pray to God every
morning and night. It would do your father a great deal of good to see
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OAI.L TO OHAELEOTON. 351
you fond of reading tlie Bible, and other books. I hope that God may
yet make you a preacher. There ia nothing that would please me so
mQoh as to see jou a good man, and in the pulpit. You must not think
it smart to be rude end boisterous, imdorael to poor animals, that cannot
help themeelTes, You must not curse or swear, for anything in the
world ; and no matter what jou do, never tell & Etory ; alwaye speak out
the truth, -whatever may he the consequences.
" I wish yon could be here to see tlie groat sights that are to he seen.
Your mother goes down every day into the big waters, and lies down in
them nntil they cover her up. It is good for her health. She has al-
ready improved a great deal sinoe she came down. We often walk on
the sea shore ; and she picks up a whole parcel of pretty little shells,
which she intends to carry home, end give them to you children. We
see a great many ships, and steamboats, ajid little boats, sailing "about
every day. You would enjoy it very much. But I know you are happy
among the tall pines of Sumter. You get so many good things to eat,
I am. afraid you will not be willing to come home again. I want you to
te happy, and to enjoy yourself ; but at the same time, I want you to
be good. May the Iiord bless you, my son, and take care of you ; and
make you, some day, a useful preacher.
" Your affectionate fatlier,
J. H, Thc
To the Eer. Thomas E. Peek :
" Sullivan's Island, July 1, 1861.
" My Dbab Thomas : I received your welcome letter on Saturday, all
the more welcome for being gratuitous. As to your mental depression,
I oan hardly prescribe a cure. If it arises from dyspepsia, nervous irri-
tation, indigestion, or oostiveness, the best thing you can do will proba-
bly be to take a blue piU. If it arises from a sense of sin, of guilt, un-
worthiness, and misery, there is a fountain open for such disorders ; and
the way of access you know better than I oan tell you. If your gloom
is occasioned by a feeling of unprofitableness as a minister, by doubts
as to the propriety of your occupying your present position, your true
place is to remain cheerfully and comfortably where you are, until God,
in His providence, calls you to another sphere. An honest desire to
know God's will is the best security against mistake. He wUl not per-
mit those who humbly seek His direction, to wander in forbidden paths.
You may not have the suceess that you want ; but if your labour is ac-
cepted of Go" " ■' ■ "" ■^ -"'^ tt:_. ,_j tt .-11 ;3
witii His eye.
"I have t
preaching o:
pect of But
There axe St
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352 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
against us. Tte eturch ifaelf is not a oomforliablB tiuildiog. It is not
only small in its proportions, but jammed and orowded in its pews.
The location, also, is yery obaenre ; and, in addition to all this, the idea
of a pauper missionary enterprise seems to have been BBSooiated with it.
None of these considerations have any weight with me, hut the first. I
wish the house were larger and. more comfortftble. I do not wish s,fing
church ; I have no idea of drawing people to Christ by bricks and mor-
tar; but I want it like a gentleman's dress, free from criticism. We
shall either ha t b Id an th t m 11 th i nt Our u)n
gregations at ght ej ry 1 ^ vr m g whi h congr
gation, seems toltadl gBil frm d fiml
opinion as to th It f my m 1 mt 1 xt w t W h 11
then see wheth th lamhdmdf pw My <n t wi h
is to organize g gati wh se b d f m hall b th g p I
in ita life and p
"Pungent and arhn^ ghl^ bg mbuddn
this dty. Fi h a. epl did g na fash bl "i g ia ns,—
these seem tolth g It nta^kd/fmi h It
mJiere he pre h and t Smifhh mp gl dding
ad d w th sof f th n h t 1 g wh th y InU d t
I by an q Vlly imp g h tc th t ib th pla f g
tl man dto th twi Sda twhpGd This
Etaffflglamanii t th ghl dmd,d
bknplt uat tlf dthmt rtfiil 1 1 mg
plea dwftfii 1 thTitmftnifl whn
we supposed th t w 1 al f th diff n f ligi n I
am afraid that th gh t tl t y P byt p pul t n la
tfto much giYi gw tot Wcfl t Idsubwpnstb be^
long to Prela anl P p ry And f d t t mp j tibl
way, I can do anything here to arrest it, I shall feel that I have accom-
plished a noble work. If I can mate ickat is preached the standard of
judgment, in regard to a minister or church, I shall feel that I have
done much.
"I am glad that Dr. BrecMnridge is about to discuss the subject of
instrumental music. It is getting to be a Tery great evil. Every church
here, I ihink, has an instrument of some kind, but mine and the Metho-
dists. At any rate, there is a decided taste for them.
"Do you stm eat sheep? If so, this is the place for you. The
Oharleston market abounds with lambs, from a month fo a year old ;
but I have not touched them. Let me hear from you soon.
" Most truly yonrs,
J. H. THOENWELr,,"
The foregoing letters give the account of Dr. Thorn-
■well's very brief connection with the Glebe^Street chiu'ch,
in the city of Charleston, which was destined to be very
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CALL TO CHAKLEBTON. d53
suddenly broken. It is remarkable that every effort
made by him to escape from the duties of aeademie life,
■was instantly arrested. Indeed, his whole career shows
how often Divine providence holds a man to a given sta-
tion, even against hia own wishes in the case, until his
work in it is fully done. This was the third attempt to
leave the College for a pastoral charge, since 1837, when
he first entered its service. On the 2d of December, 1851,
Dr. Thoriiwell was elected President of the South Caro-
lina College, in the place of the Hon. "W. C. Preston,
whom increasing ill health compelled to resign. The
letter which follows discloses the conflict through which
he passed, before this position was accepted :
" CBiEuiaTON, December 12, 1851.
" lilr DEABEar Wipe ; I am surprised at yonr looking for me lionie, as
yon must remember that I told yon I had- a Bpeect to make before the
Oliarleston College to-night. It was foe that reason that I have spent
the week here. I made my speech to-night ; and, so far as I know, it
took very well. ' It whs delivered in tlie chapel of the Charleston Col-
lege. The auditory was small, but select ; and the speech amazingly dry
and motaphysical. * » ♦
' ' I have passed a week of severe and bitter conflict. It has been my
earnest desire to know and to do the Loi-d's wdlL I have endeavoured
to suppress every other feeling, but a simple eye to the glory of <5od.
But I had no idea of the strength of attachment that is felt here for me.
The people cannot speak upon the subject without bursting into tears.
The prospect of usefulness is more promising than it has ever been be-
fore; and the congregation has endeavoured to meet the thing in the
tight spirit. They had a special prayer-meeting last night ; and every
member of the church, that was not providentially hindered, was there ,
and the scene was a truly melting one. They say tiiat Martin prayed
like a man inspired. These things have moved me very deeply. I
know the people respected and esteemed very highly ; but I had no idea
of the love, the real love, that they had for me, as a minister of the gos-
pel. It makes the trial very severe and painful to me. The Session
had a meeting laet night; and we have determined to lay the matter
before the congregation on Monday, I feel iliat, after all the prayer
which has been offered in the case, the decision of the congregation will
be for the glory of God. They will approach the subject in the right
spirit; and I am persuaded that God will direct them. Whatever tiiey
decide, I shall feel bonnd in honour to abide by. If you could have been
■with me tills week, you would have been safisfted that it is a most serious
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354 LIFE OF JAMBS HUMLBT THOENWELL.
etep to give up bo delightful a obarge for tiie jnartyrdoia of OoUege.
My impression is, that tlie congregation will hold on to me. I think
their esisteaoa, in a measure, depends upon it; and if they do, they
■will cliQg more closely to me than they would otherwise have done. I
am recoEoiled to whatever Providenoa may oraer, as I have honestly
sought to knoTV my duty. Under this state of the case, you may have
the comfort of knowing that our suspense will soon be over. On Mon-
day the question will be settled ; and I sincerely trust that your mind
may be reconciled to any issne. As a matter of feeling, of comfort, of
happiness, of usefnlneBB to my family, I prefer the Church. In some
other respects, the College may have the advantage ; though even here
my mind is not clear. The thing thai most distreBsea me is, that you
may not be Batisfied to leave Columbia ; and to do a thing that wonld
grieve yon, would almost take my life. But the Lord reigns. Let us
both submit the matter to Him, and endeavour to aoq^niesce in His will.
The Lord blew you. Kiss all the children ; and pray for me in this
strait.
" Your most devoted husband,
J. H. TaOKNWBIjL,"
By the resolution adopted by the Glebe Street congre-
gation, in tlie spirit of a noble self-sacrifice, he was left
free to obey the dictates of liis own conscience, under the
guidance of Divine providence.
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CHAPTER XXY.
FMESIDENGY OF THE COLLEGE.
ENTEHa CPON TUB PEESIDHNOy OF THE 80UTH CAROLINA CoiiEOB.— FIT-
NESS FOE THAT Position. — Hia Ibea o» the Higher Eduoatios.— A
■ CoMPnLSOKY CUBBICOLDM PbEFEREED TO THE ELECTIVE OoiJIffiES OF
THE UnITESSICY. — VlBW3 DEVELOPED IN HIS LbTTEK TO QoVEKNOB
Manning. — Visit to Older iNSTiTUTioNa at thb North. — At Gam-
BKinOB. — Letters Wrxttek There. — At New Ha.vbn. — Lbttbbb. —
DE. THORNWELL entered upon his duties, aa Presi-
dent of the South Carolina College, in tlie month of
January, 1852. He hrought to this responsible position
a large experience ae a Professor in this very school, and
was fully acquainted with its excellencies and its defects.
Hia views upon the whole subject of education were also
fully matured. He properly considered its first object to
be the discipline of the mind, to elicit its dormant powers,
and to train these for vigorous self-action ; whilst the mere
acquisition of knowledge he regarded as secondary in
impoi'tance. His favourite idea was to restrict under-
graduates to studies by which the mind may be systema-
tically developed; and at the close of a prescribed and
compulsory curriculum, to engraft upon the College the
main, features of the University system, with its large and
varied apparatus for the fuller communication of know-
ledge. He has been accused of dispai'aging the natural
sciences as a part of liberal education; in which there is
undoubtedly a misapprehension of his ti'ue position. He
certainly did not estimate them highly as instruments of
mental discipline; and thus assigned them a small place,
in that scheme of education which is intended to train the
mind. But he would give them ample scope in that broader
355
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356 LITE OF JAMES HBNI.EY THOKHWELL.
scheme, wliieh takes tlie disciplined mind and adonis it
with various knowledge. He simply shifted tlieir position
from tlie gymnasium to tlie University; and would rejoice
in their cultivation as the fnrniture, rather than as the
diet of the mind.
He was a zealous advocate of common Bchool education
among the masses; but firmly held to the opinion, that
knowledge, after all, is diffused by its own law of descent
from above, below — percolating through society from the
surface to the lowest bed beneath. Hence, he laboared
to promote the highest education among the few, aa the
surest way to quicken and enlighten the less favoured
masses. It is hiu'd to swim against the cuiTent of the age.
His grand ideal of an institution, which should unite the
thorough training of the gymnasium with the lai'ge cul-
ture of the University, was never realized; and he has
left the great problem of education yet to be solved : how
to adjust the wide diffusion of knowledge with that depth
and accuracy of learning which it was the object of his
life to seeure.
A tew extracts from his celebrated letter to Governor
Manning will present his views on these points autho-
ritatively to the reader. He thiis speaks of the design
which the College has in view :
"Deyoted to tbe interosis of general, in contradistinction from, pro-
f eaaional, ednoation, its design is to cultivate tte nuind ■ffithout laf arence
to any ulterior pvuauits. ' The stadeat is considered an end to himself ;
his perieetion as a man simply, being tlie aim of Ms eduoation.' The
culture of tie mind, however, for itself, contributes to its perfection as
on instrument ; so that general edaoaUon, while it directly prepares and
qualifies for no special distincfion, indirectly trains for every vocation
in which snccess is dependent upon intellectual exertion It has taught
the mind the use of ita powers, and imparted those habits without which
those powers would be usele^. It makes men, and oonS6c[ueiitly pro-
motes every enterprise in which men are to act General education
being the design of a College, the fundamental principles of its organi-
zation are easily deduced :
" 1. The selection of studies must be made, not with reference to the
e importance of their matter, or the practical value of tbe
,db, Google
OF THE COLLEGE. 357
knowledge, but with refetencD to tlieir influeiice in unfolding and
etrengtherriTig the powers of the mind. As the end is to improve mind,
the fitness for the end is tha prima consideration. * • ■« Henoe, the'
introduction of studies upon the ground of their practical ntility is, pro
tanto, suhTBreiTe of the Coliega. It is not its ol}flce to make planters,
moohaoics, lawjers, physioians, or divines. It has nothing directly to
do with the uses ol knowledge. Ita businera is with minde, and it em-
ploys science only as an instrument for tha improvement and perfection
of mind. With it the habit of sound thinking is more than a thousand
thoughts. "When, therefore, the gnestion is asked, as it often is asked,
by ignocanea and empiricism, what is the use of certain departments of
the College currioulirm ? the answer should turn, not upon the benefits
which in after life may be reaped from these pursuite, but npon their
immediate snbjeotiTe influence npon the cultivation of the human f aoul-
tias. Thay are aelacted in preference to others, because they better train
the mind. It cannot be too earnestly inculcated, that knowledge is not
the principal end of CoEega instruction, but habits. Tha acquisition of
knowledge is the necessary result of these exercises, whioh tenainate in
habits, and tha maturity of the habit is measnrad by the degree and
accuracy of the knowledge ; but still, the habits are the main thing
" 3. In the nest place, it is equally important that the whole course of
studies be rigidly exacted of every student. Their value, as a discipline,
depends altogether upon their beinff studied i and every Coliega is de.
fective in its arrai^ements whioh fiula to secure, bs far as legislation
cau secure it, tliis indispensable condition of success. « * • The
curricuhnn must be compulsory, or the majority of students will neglect
it. All must be subjected to catechetical esaminations in the lecture-
room, aild ah mast undergo the regular examinatious of their classes, as
the condition of their residence in College. The moment thay are ex-
empted from the stringency of this rule, all other means lose their power
upon tha mass of pupils. ♦•****
"S. Another cardinal principle in the organization of the College, is
the independence of ifcs teachers. They should ba raised above aU
temptation of catering for popularity, of degrading the standard of edu-
cation for the soke of the loaves and fishes. Thay should be prepared
to officiate as priests in the temple of iaarning, in pure vestments, and
with hands unstained with a bribe. • * » The true security for the
ability of the professional oorps, is not to be sought in starving them,
or in making them scramble for a Uvalihoodj bat in the competency,
zeal, and integrity of the body that appoints thorn, and in the strict re-
sponsibility to which they are held." * • « *
He then proceeds to refnto the objection, that the
higher education henefits only the privileged few who
can avail themselvee of it :
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358 LIFE OS- JA5
" It is great weakness to suppose that nothiug can contribute to fbe
general good, the immeiliate ends of which are not realized in fJie case
of eveiy iudiTidual. * * • The educated men, in every oommumty,
are the real elements of steadj and consistent progress. They are gen-
erally in adyance of their generation ; light desoends from them to their
inferiors ; and by a gradaal and imperceptible influence, emanating from
the solitary speculations, it may be, of their seoret tours, the whole
teitnre of society is modified, a wider scope is given to its Tiewa, and a
loftier end to ita measares. They are the men who sustain and carry
forward the complicated movements of a refined civilization ; the real
authors of the changes which constitute epochs in the social elevation
of the race, Ktt could not understand, and Fox refused to lead, the
masterly speculations of Adam Smith upon the Wealth of Nations. He
was ahead of his age. The truth gradually worked its way, however,
into minds of statesmen and le^slators ; and now, no one is held to be
fit for any public employment who is not imbued with the principles
of political economy, * * * The sohtary scholar wields a lever
which raises the whole mass of society. It is a high general education
■which shapes the mind, and controls the opinions of the guiding spirit
of I3i6 age ; it is this which keeps up the general tone of society ; it is
at once conservative and progressive. * * * *
"In the next place, it should not be omitted that general education
is the true source of the elevation of the maases, and of the demand for
popular inafcruetion. 'Every educated man is a centre of light ; and his
example and influence create the consciousness of ignorance and the
sense of need, from which elementary schools have sprung. Defective
culture 18 never conscious of itself, until it is brought in contact with
superior power. There may be a conviction of ignorance, in reference to
special thmgs, and a desire of knowlec^e, as the means of accomplishing
paiticular ends; bnt the need of intellectual improvement, on its own
acuiunt, never is. awakened spontaneously. « * » « Hence, it is
knowledge which creates the demand, for knowledge, which causes igno-
rance to be felt as an evil ; . and hence it is the education, in the first
instance, of the few, which haa awakened the strong desire for the illumi-
nation of the many. Xiet knowledge, however, become stagnant ; let no
provision be made for the constant activity of the highest order of minds,
in the highest spheres of speoulation ; and the torpor would be commu-
nicated downwards, until the whole community was bennmhed. * • •
Scholars aie, therefore, the real benefactors of the people ; and he does
more for popular education who founds a University, than he who in-
stitutes a complete and adequate machinery of common schools. The
reason is obvious : the most potent element of public opinion is wanting,
where only a low form of culture obtains ; the common schools, having
no eiample of anything higher before them, wonld soon degenerate,
and impart only a mechanical culture— if they did not, which I am in-
clined to think would be the case, from their want of life — if they did
not permit the people to relapse into barbarism. Colleges, on the other
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PKESIDEHCY OF THE COLLEGE. 359
band, will create the demand for lower culture ; and private enteTprise,
under the stimidTis imparted, ■would not lie backward ia providing it."
"With these views aB to the importance of the higher
edncation, and of th^ discipline iiecesBaiy to its attain-
ment, Dr. Thornwell entered npon the administration of
the College. He evinced his zeal in the discharge of his
new trust, by devoting the first vacation to a visit north-
wai-d, that he might inspect the methods which obtained
in the older and more celebrated institutions of Gam-
bi-idge and Tale. His impressions will be best commu-
nicated in the letters which he wrote during that tour.
The first is addressed to the Rev. A. J. "Witherapoon ;
which we introduce, partly because it opens his plan of
visitation, but chiefly because it reveals a severe bereave-
ment in the death of a little daughter, his youngest, at
the age of eighteen months,
" COLTJMBIi, J«fw 28, 18S2.
" My De4b Jack : It lias been a long time since I beard from yon, and
ttiough I have been eKtremely anxious about you, I have been Hving in
bopes tbat every day would find you on your return to your deac native
State, I am juat from tie Washaws, whither I bad gone on a melanuboly
errand, the burial of my sweet babe, Mary Elizabeth She died on the
Both inst., and I took, ber to the last resting place of her little Bister,
who bad preceded ber to beaven by many years. It was a sad offtce,
but I tntst God has sanKtified it to my good. I feel tbat my child has
blessed me in ber deatb, tbougb it was denied ber to bJess me by ber
life. But it moves many a painful thought, that sucb was my ingrati-
tude, such my guilty distance from God, tbat it cost tbe life of my little
one to bring me to a Bound mind. *«**»■
' ' Our vacation has begun, I shall leave tbe last of tbis week for
Oharieston, and from there I shall go to the North. I propose to visit
several of tba northern Colleges, Harvard, Tale, Dartmouth, Ac,, at
their oommencements, in order to ooUeot suoh hints as may be useful to
me in the conduct of tbis institution. I have endeavoured to pei^enade
your sister to go with me, but she . is very reluctant to leave the obil-
" Tbe wife of Wade Hampton, Jr., Colonel Preston's sister, died sud-
denly yesterday. She will be buried this afternoon. Snob is life ! In
health one day, in tbe grave tbe nest ! Her husband had completed a
m>^nific«nt mansion ; it was splendidly furnished ; all things w^ro ready
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LIFE OF JAMKS I:
to begin to live ; flnd, 161 in an instant, vanity is written upon iill thei
hop^ and preparftlions. • • •
" Most truly, aa ever,
J". H. Thorn WELL."
"BiLTiMOSB, July 13, 18S2.
"MtVebyDbabWipe! I arrived at this city abont six o'clock on Satnr-
dajafteraoon, acdaniioclgiagwithMi. Coulson,ft member of Peek's con-
gregation. I preached only onoe yesterday, and that was for Peek. * *
"I bad, a very pleasant time in Washington. I could have spent a
week longer with interest. Mr. Do Sausaure was very kind and attentive.
We called on the President together, but failed to see him, as he was
very much engaged at the hour of onr call. I spent an evening with
General Hamilton, in oompany with Mr. De Saussure and Colonel Bnrt.
Hamilton gave me letters to the very first men in Boston — to Evei'ett
and Sparks. Burt also gave me a letter to Mr, Winthrop, the former
Speaker of the House of Bepresentatives, a man of very high standing.
By means of these letters, I shall be enabled to accomplish very plea-
santly all that I have in view at Cambridge. I had many other invitationB
from gentlemen at Washington, which, for want of time, I was compelled
to decline. Bntler returned while I was there, Knd was extremely cour-
teous. He hunted me up, aa soon as he came, and offered his services
in any enterprise which I might wish to prosecute. I saw none of the
clergymen in Washington or Georgetown. * ♦ " * As to my health,
I think that I am improving. The pain in my hip troubles me less thaa
it did, though I still feel it oocaeionally. In evei^ other respect I am as
well as naiial. But I have a good deal of anxiety about you and the
children. You must not expose yourself during this intensely warm
weather. You must keep your mind free from care and anxiety. Abjure
the needle. Give yourself up to light employments and recreation. It
would be a source of great satisfaction if I had you with me. But at
Ujis particular time, a man can do nothing but keep to the house and eat
" May the Lord watch over ua both, and keep us in perfect safety ;
and bring us together again, in health of body, mind, and soul. Kiaa all
the children.
" Yout devoted husband,
J. H. Thoknweli.,''
"CiHDBLDQE, JlilijI 31, 1352.
" Ml Ohseminq, Dabuno Wife : I had not thought to write to you
nntil to-morrow night, as we are now in the midst of the Cambridge
festivities; but I was so delighted to-night upon receiving two letters
fioni you, that I must drop you a line, even before the exercises are all
over. This has bean Commencement day.- The crowd that attended
The eserciass' ware held in a large church, and it was
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PKTJSIUENCY OF THE COLLEGE. 361
literally jammed ami orammud. Wa liad tliii'iy speeches • jiiet think of
that. We commenced at ten o'cloct, and came out at three. I was
assigned a coDspieaoue place on tke etage, nest to es-Pretiidenta Quinoy
and Edward Everett After tte speecbes, I joined tie Facnlty and
Overseers in. the College dinner. It was a very interesting affair, well
served up, and we had good appetites for it. They concluded the dinner
by singing the seventy- eighth Psalm, This has been an old custom,
handed down from the Puritan fathers. It was really an imposing cere-
mony ; and I should have enjoyed it very much, if I had not rememhered
that they were all "Unitarians, witnessing, in this very service, to their
<iwn condemnation. The exercises of the young men were not equal to
those we have jn our own College.
" This evening I spent with Professor "Walter, one of the ablest men
connected with the faculty of this ancient Univetsity. We had a great
deal of pleasant talk about College discipline and College studies. To-
morrow is to be another great day. Mr. Winthrop, late Speaker of the
House of Representatives at Washington, is to deliver the annnal oration
before the Alumni of the University, after which they all repair to a
spleadid dinner. I am invited as a guest. I am told that it will be a
splendid affair ; all their best men wiU make speeches at the table. Mr.
Everett is to preside. He has been verv pohte and attentive to me, and
is certainly one of the most aocomphhhed men that I ever saw in my
life. Ah soon as I arrived and sent my card, he despatched a very
handsome note to me, inviting me to attend the dinner, and called apon
me this morning before I was up We sat together upon the stage
to-day, and had a good deal of pltasant, desultory talk He is what jou
would call a finished man. We have no othei tuch man m America,
Yesterday evening. Dr. Sparks, the present President, called upon me,
and made a very favourable impi ession. They have nof been content
with mere oourtesiea. They have abo given me some wort to do. I
have been appointed by Sparks upon a committee to sit in judgment upon
the exercises of a number of students to-morrow morning, who will
speak for a prize. I accepted the appointment, because I wanted to see
and learn, as much as I conld about the working of this ancient and
venerable institution.
"You cannot imagine how attractive this placets to me. There is but
one draw-back, and that is the reHffWM ; it makes mo sad to sec such men,
so accomphshed, so elegant, at once such finished gentlemen and such
admirable scholars, sunk into so vile a faith. I have really had scrupies
about associating with them as I have done. But it must be confessed
that Boston is a great city. There are things about it that make you
prond of it as an American city. It is the most elegant city in the
Union. Here you have the noblest specimens of the Yankee character.
The people here remind you very much of England. There is none of
the littleness that you meet with in other parts of New England.
" Tell Nanny I am much obliged to her for her letter, and will buy
her the breast-pin. Harvey I must excuse, and take the will for the deed.
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362 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKMVVELL.
Bles3 all the oMldren, and kiss tiiem for rae. The Lord preserve yon
aU. Ab Hvei-,
" Your devoted Mabaiid,
'J. H. THOIiNTOI,!,.''
"Boston, JWj 34, 1853.
"My Pbeoioos, Chaeming 'Vfma: Though I have wnttea to you so
recently, yet I know you will not taie it amiss that I write to you again,
as it gives me great pleasure to commune with you in spirit, when I am
absent from you in the hody. Last nigbt I attended a very pleasant and
agreeable party at President Spark's. This morning he oalled on me
quite early, and wa had a great deal of oonversation about Colleges, and
"This morning I came into Boston, and spent the forenoon with Mr.
Everett, in his library. I was invited to dine there, but declined, es I
wanted to hunt up the Harts. After dinner I set ont upon that errand,
I could find no such hospital anywhere. I inquired at aJl the leading
hotels, and nb one there had ever heard of suoh an institution. I looked
at all the Directories, and conld get no elne to it. I inquired of gentle-
men in hook stores, and they uould tell me nothing. I remembered
that Colonel John Freston told me he thought the institution was afc
Boibnry. So I jumped into an omnibus, and went over to Roxbnry.
I inquired at fJie principal hotel there ; no one had ever heard of snoh
an inetitution there. I was. at the end of ray row, and thongbt I should
have to return to Boston with my finger in mj mouth. But I perse-
vered. I went into a store, and asked B shop-keeper. Ho knew no-
thing of it; but said if there was such a thing any where in that region,
1 oouid find out by calling on a physician that Uved near. So I plucked
np course, went to the doctor's house, rung the bell, a servant ap-
peared. I asked if Dr. Gotten was at home. 'Yes, sir." '''^ill you
please ask him it be will step to the door ? A stranger wishes to speak
with him a moment.' The servant withdrew, and Dr. Gotten soon ap-
peared. ' Esouse me,' I said, ' for intruding upon you, sir ; but am a
stranger from South Oarolina, and wish to obtain directions for finding-
die hospital for spinal patients,' 'Did I not see t)Olt, sir, the other day
at Cambridge ?' he rephed ; ' and did I not hear you speak ? Are you
not Dr. Thomwell, of the South Carolina College ?' I told him I was.
Ha then very politely asked me into his drawing-room, gave me a book
to read, saying that he had io despatch some patients, who were wait-
ing 'on him, and would instantly join me. He soon re-appeai'ed, and,
told me that there was no such hospital ; but added, ' I know the place
you want to find ; it is a private establishment, where a Dr. Barre at-
tends to cases of that sort.' He then got a map of the town, and showed,
me exactly where it was. I told him that I was very much obhged to
him, and would instantly order a cab, ' No, sir,' said he ; 'I will take
yoa myself.' With that, he ordered Ms chaise, or buggy, drove ma to
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PKlCSimiNCY OF THE COLLEGE. 363
the place, where I found tlie Harts ; and would wait for me until I got
through my ceH. He then made me get in again, and drove me for two
hours among all the villages and fine seecery for six miles around Bos-
toD, eiplsining everything to me as we went. Now, can South Carolina
haat that? My heart was deeply touched at the unostentatious kindness
which was thna heaped upon a stranger. I found the Harts enjoying
themeelvra. They were in good spirits ; and thought that the child was
decidedly improving. Thoy were very mnch gratified at my call. I
told them that I would not have persevered bo iong in trying to find
them, if I had not been afraid to go home without seeing them ; that it
wonld be one of the first quostions you would ask, whether I had seen
them j and that I should be obliged to tell a lie, which would hart my
oouscienoe, or get a terrible rasping. So, for the saie of peace at home,
I was determined to find them out.
" Though I have received nothing but kindeas and oourtesy in Boston
and Cambridge, I sigh for home. I am sick of knocking about ; it is a
sort of life that does not suit me. I someljmes get very blue, deplor-
ably low-spu^ted, and think myself an utter blank in the world. My
health is about as usual, except a cold that I oaught at Cambridge, in
consequence of a sudden change in the temperatirre. It is not at all
serious, but it helps to depress me, and make me wish that I was at home
aguiii. This eternal bustle in cities, steamboats, omnibuses, and rail-
road cars, is no rest ; and it is so horridly distasteful to me, that it
keeps me moody. ToU Nannie I shall not forget her pin ; let each say
what he or she wants, and I wiU try to get it. So, good-night, love ;
jieasant dreams to you, and a speedy meeting with
" Tour devoted husband, J. H. T."
"P. 8.^ — As I did not get your letter to the o£&oe last night, I add a
postscript, to let you know that I went fo church twice to-day ; in the
morning, at the Old South Gongregationfll church ; to-night I heard Dr.
Puller, of South Carolina. He produced a deep effect. He is, in some
respects, a very striking preacher. I think I have profited by both ser-
mons that I heard ; but my Christian comforts aie low."
The next letter bears the same date, and touches upon
the same incidents ; but it is addressed to his- colleague,
Prof. Matthew J. Williams, find exhibits the ati'cction lio
had for his confidential friend.
" Boston, Mir^ 3i, ISsa.
"Dearly Beloved Majob : I received your letter yesterday after-
noon ! and to show you how much I prize your correspondence, I reply
to it at once. This is Saturday, and I have been in this vicinity ever
ance Monday. The festivities at Oambric^ occupied Wednesday and
Thursday. I have been through them all ; and may say of them, quo-
mm par» parea fui, ' Wednesday was Commencement day. There
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364 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY I'HOKNWELL.
were forty-one appointmeiLta, be we would oall them ; they call tliera
parts here; and erf these forty-one, thirty actually spoke. Oolj fhiak
of patience on a monument, and listeoing to thirty speeehcB from bo
many CoUega hoja I "Well, they are no better tiaa you and I are used
to at home, ' We then repaired to a grand GoUege dinner, and the cere-
monies there were escaedingly interesting. Of eonrse, after the siege we
had had, we set to ■work aon amore ; we talked some, bnt ate more.
The dinner was prefaced hy a prayer that would not have seemed so
long, if we had not been so hungry. At the conclusiou of the dinner,
the whole company — and an immenBc one it was — united in singing the
seventy-eighth Psalm. This has been a custom ever since the institution
was founded, and is a lining witness of its Puritan origin and aims.
That evening I took tea 'with, a Professor of Cambridge, and we had a,
great deal of metaphysical talk ; and I was very near coming to the con-
cluaion that I knew as much he. So passed Wednesday, Thursday
was, however, the great day of the feast. It was a day for the meeting
of the Alumni from all quarters of the land. Great pains had heen
taken to secure a general attendance ; and there was, accordingly, a mul-
titude there, from the veteran of eighty to the boy that graduated
yesterday. Hon. E. C. Winthrop delivered the oration ; it was two
hours long, bat it was a splendid production. I was actually carried
*way with it^ After the speech, we repaired to the Alnmni dinner ; and
I asfiuce you it was an imposing spectacle. Edward Everett presided,
and opened with a beautiful speech. We had several other speeches,
among which was a very short, and a very poor one, by your humble ser-
vant, and a very capital one by John S. Preston, whom I had introduced
to Mr. Everett. At the conclusion of Preston's speech, there were three
hearty cheers given to Sonth Oarohna, They made the very welkin ring
in shouting "hurrah" for our State. The whole thing passed off
delightfully. In. my speech, I alluded in very flattering terms to W. 0.
Preston, as a specimen of what our college had accomplished for the
country. I praised his eloquence and genius, etc., and took occasion to
state that his brother was by my side. "When they heard that a brother
of Col. Preston was there, they soon called him out ; and he made ono
of the most beautiful and appropriate efforts that I, ever heard. Mr.
Everett afterwards spoke of its appropriateness to me in flattering terms.
"Friday, I spent the morning in Boston, and returned in the aftei-noon
to Cambridge, and spent the evening mtat delightfully with President
Sparks ; and this morning he was at my lodgings before I was up ; but
I soon came down, and, though he professed to be in a great hurry, he
did not leave me for two mortal hours. As soon as he left, I came into
Boston, and spent the morning with Mr. Everett, in his library. * • •
On Monday I leave for Now Haven, where I propose to spend a week ;
and then what I shall do remains to be determined. I have met with
nothing t«D offend me ; but, Major, nbthwithstanding all, I have not been
myself. I was not myself at Cambridge. I am low-spiiited, and withal
grievously home-sick. But still, I am ^ad that I oame. I have learned
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PEESIDENOr OF THE COLLEGE. 365
much. Mj interviews with Everett and Sperka hdie confirmed my
opinions upon some matters of the last impoctaaoe to oup College. I
ehall have a learned report for tha nait Board.
"But my sheet is full. Kemember ms kiadlj to Mre. W., Henry, and
Paanj ; and believe me, as ever, dear Major,
"Your faitMul friend,
"J. H. Thornwell."
We next find our friend enjoying "the feast of reason
and the flow of soul," at New Haven, Connecticut. Of
this visit no memorial remains bat the following letter to
his wife :
"NBwHiTBN, JM2yS0, 18S2,
"My Most Pkbcious Wife: I have been here ever since Monday, and
this is Friday, and you cannot imagine iow ansioua I am to get a letter
from you. I found one here upon my arrival, dated the 20tli, and have
received none sinoe. What can be the matter ? ' I have tad a thousand
imaginations ; bnt liave finally tried to comfort myself with the thongiit
that ' no news is good news.' I am staying at Dr. Wells'.* He and his
family Jave been extremely kind. They live in the finest part of New
Haven, and in. one of the finest houses in the city, and are surronnded
■with every lusury. They have really set themselves to enjoy life.
" I never was more kindly treated than I have been here. I have been
invited U> several parties, and have become acq^uainted with most of the
literary men of the place. The festivities connected with Yale College
Commencement terminated last night ; and the first leisure I have had
has been to-day. On Wednesday there was a meeting of the Alnmni, at
which I was invited to be present, and where I made a speech that, I
believe, was remarkably well received. Yesterday was Commencement.
The exeroiees were veiy tedious ; but I sat them out. * * «
" I shall remain hare over Sunday. I am to preaoh for Dr. Bacon, and
I shall give his people the truth. I have had an amnaing interview with
Dr. Taylor, tha father of New Schoolism. He has been very attentive to
me. My health is about the same as when I last wrote. By Dr. Wells's
advice, 1 keep ray hip blistered with oroton oil. That pain has almost
entirely disappeared ; but I feel that my system wants tone and strength.
I do not feel that I am perfectly myself. Dr. Wells proposes to take a
tonr of two or three weeks with me, to various points ; to go into Ver-
mont, or to go to Niagara Palls. It will all depend upon hearing from
tome. My heart is with yon and the little once ; Mas them all for me.
May God bless you all, and keep you. Direct your letters to New York,
nntil otherwise informed,
' ' Your devoted Iiusband,
J. H. Thorn WELL,"
■* A warm personal friend, who formerly resided in Columbia, South
Cai'olinii, and for many yeais a distinguished physician of that place.
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366 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
"We cannot more appropnately close tliis chapter than
by transcribing the speecli made by him at the Alumni
dinner of Yale College, from the rough draft found
amongst hie papers :
" It is witli unfeigned diffidanoe that I rise to respond to the eentiment
vh ch has j ist le n clrurJc in behalf of the South CaroUna Collage. I
cioice that in letters aa io religion, tliere is neither North nor South,
Last no). West There stonld be no local jealousies, no SB0tioii8\ dis-
tinct ons The pr sperity of one is the proeperity of all, as it indicates
the pirtial atfa nuent of the end for which all are instituted. I aasnra
yoi theiefore that m beholding this scene— a scene which touchingly
and baantifuIlT illnstrates the past achievement and tlie present renown
of yi r ancient and yenerable institution, though I am a Carolinian by
birtli by education and love my native State, anci my own Alma Mater,
th a 1 ve pass ng the love of woman, yet I share with you^nay, more,
I enter with fall sympathy into the pride and generous eiultation with
which you must contemplate these trophies of Yale. Here are the fruits
of her labours. These scholars, these educated men from every walk of
life, from every liberal profession— physicians, lawyers, divines, and men
more eiolusively devoted io the pursuit of letters— these are the wit-
nesses of her parental beneficence ; and I can cheerfully unite with them,
as they come from aU quarters of our wide-spread country, to bring their
votive oflering, the tribute of their gratitude and the toten of their affec-
tion, to her venerable feet. Sir, I cannot describe to youths f eelinga which,
on an oeoasion like this, agitata my breast. It is not quite a weet since
I was invited to participate in similar festivities at (hat mother of Amer .
icaa colleges, at Cambridge. It was the first time in my life that I had
ever sat down with such a mnlldtude of men, whose sole bond of union
was letters, I looked around me : on the one hand, was the hoary vet-
eraa of four-score years ; on the other, the boy who had graduated yes-
terday ; and between them, all the Btages of human life. There were all
classes of opinion, all kinds of occupations ; but all their differences were
melted down ; their hearts were fused into a common mass ; they were
M pervaded by the genius of the place, and that genius was the love of
letters. By a similar courtesy, I witness a similar scene to-day ; and with
unfeigned sincerity, I open to you a brother's heart, and extend to you
a brother's hand. These things remind us, sir, that ' the sohoolmaster
ia abroad in the land.' The hope of our country is in the combined in-
fluence of letters and religion. Our ooUeges and schools are bulwarls
and fortresses, stronger and mightier than weapons of brass oi muni-
tions of roct. A pure religion and a Bonud literature, these are our
safety, and should be our highest glory. Education is the cheap defence
Ot nations.
"I rejoice to say to you, sir, that the institution with which I have-
the honour to be connected, and where I learned the little thut I kno*.
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E'KTCSTDENCY OY THE COiLEGE. 36Y
IB a sister whose kindred the noblest institution of New England ueed
not blush to owu. The South Carolina College is organized upon the
same priDoiplee, oondnotecl in the same general way, and devoted to the
same ends, with ihe institutions of your own eection of the oonntry. She
has made, too, the same miBtake ; she has aimed to do too much. I am
Batisfied, sir, that our Amerioan Colleges have conceded too mmch to the
utilitarian spirit of the age ; and, in obedience to it, bare aimed at some-
thing more than that intellectual discipline which should be the object.
They have undertaken, not simply to teaoh men Aow to think, but w/iat
to think. They have undertaken, not merely to educate, that is, to bring
out, and polish, and perfect, what is in man ; but they have also under-
taken, over and above this, to pnt into him what the eiigeucies of life
may require. This, sir, ia too much. It is enough for them to fashion
and sharpen the instrument, not to give the materials upon which it is to
operate. We have all erred in this respect ; but I ain proud to say that
South CaroUna has not sinned so grievously as some of her sisteca. But
still, sdr, she has sinned enough. Our course, as projected, looks Jo
mnch more than a simple education, or effeclive discipline. It is largely
Bcientifio ; and though we do not turn out men ready fashioned as law-
yers and doctors, we help them amazingly to the no less mysterious art
of rearing a orop, or calculaling the changes "ot the weather. We have
enough of the practical to show that we belong to the nineteenth century.
"It vrill certainly be conceded to us, Mr. President, that we have
made our mark upon the country. As I boasted — in no vain spirit,
however — at Cambridge, so I boast bnre, that we have produced at least
one scholar, of which any College and any country might well be proud.
No name in this country stands higher than that of Hi7aQ S. XiEaAKS.
His article in the New 7ork Reeiew upon Demosthenes ia enough to im-
mortalize him ; but that was only the earnest of his strength. In the
walks of public life, though we are not yet fifty years old,' and of oourae
never saw Abraham, we have sent men to the councils of the nation,
with whom it was perilous for the boldest and best from other quarters
to enter the lists in intellectual strife. Need I toll you of McDubtib;,
sot the politician, not the statesman, but McDnffie the orator. He
was one of the few men that oould stJU to silence, and chain in the pro-
foundest attention, that most tumultuous, most disorderly, most ungov-
ernable of all pnbho bodies, the House of Eepresentativea of the United
States. It hung with breathless interest on his hps. Like Pericles — for
it was of Pericles, and not Demosthenes, that Aristophanes wrote the
sentenee — he wielded at will that fierce democcatio. Need I tell you of
another, in some respects still more aooompUshsd ; a more graceful, if not
so vigorous ■■, more attractive, if not so resistless ; one who could oharm
as well asiiersoade. I have Ustened for hours, sir, to the gifted Pbbbton,
and have forgotten, under the fascination cf his eloquence, that there was
such a thing as time. He ruled, like a wizard, the world of the heart ;
and we point to him with pride, as one of the jewels of our beloved insti-
tution. Sir, if in less than half a century we had done nothing but help
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Sba LIITB OP JAMES HENLEY TeOKNWELL.
to make these men, onr time and efforts and money would not have been
iU-spent. This Uiought snggests to me an anecdote. Ours, you know,
is a State institution. We have no fands, no endowment, and but one
seholErship, the munificent donation of a wealtliy, noble, higi-minded
citizen, now in tlie vigour of his faculties. We are dependent upon an
annual vote of the Legislature for all oar means. When the College was-
first established, there wsa a good deal of prejudice in certain quarters
Bgainfit it; and Some diatiiots sent representatives to the Logislatiire,
who were not favourable to its eontinnanoe. On one occasion, while Mr.
McDufSe was, a member of the Legislature, after he had made one of
his splendid spoeolies, the question of the College came up. The ven-
erable Judge Euger, then a member of the House, rose and said, in. his
peculiarly slow and emphatic style : "Mr. Speaker, if the South Carolina
College had done nothing, sir, but produce that man, she would have
amply repaid the State for every dollar that the State has ever expended,
or ever will expend, upon her." The appeal was irresistible; opposition
was disarmed ; and every year, sir, we receive nearly twenty-five thousand
dollars from a small State, and from a poor people.
"But, sir, enough of ourselves. 1 cannot sit down, sir, without ex-
pressing to Yale our debt of gratitude for the part she took in fashioning
t, man, of whom South Carolina will be proud as long as her people can
appreciate genius, patriotism, integrity, and disinterested zeal in tie
service of his country. Sir, you number among your Aluinni a name
vhich carmot be pronounced in Carolina without the profoundest emo-
tion ; and ma,y I not aaj it, it is rather a glory to you than to him, tliat
his name is found ou your catalogue. You took him, sir, when wo had
no place for him to go to. You honoured him ; you understood hie
worth ; and you sent him ont to gladden and bless the land. Sir, we
thank you for it ; we oannot oease to love you for it ; and as that dear
and cherished name is one in which we have a common interest, permit
me, without any reference tti any type of political opinions, permit me,
on this occasion, to give as a sentiment :
"The Mkiioes of John C. Caluoon."
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CHAPTEK XSVI.
BESIDENCr CONTINUED.
GOKnEBPONDBNCE. — CsiTIClSM OP ASSEMBLY OP 18S2.-— TBMPEBANCE Ad-
DitEss. — Letters to Db. Peck and OTCEita. — Publication op "Dis-
¥HILE the subject of these Memoii-s is ocenpiod with
the routine of College discipline, we will employ tho
leisure in tracing his private Ufo, as opened in tho eorres-
pondence of the period. The first letter ia dated a little
back, and ^ addressed to liia friend, Dr. It. J. Breckin-
ridge, in which he criticises the action of the Assemhly
of 1853, that met in the city of Ohai'Ieston :
" Soijth: Oahouna Colo^qe, Jime 28, 1853.
"Mi Drae BaoTHEH: It has been in raj heai-t to writs to you, efer
Binee the meeting of tlie Assembly ; but eares and afflictions hav& com-
bined to prevent me bo long, that I am now almost asbaraed to take up
my pen. I taYe just committed to tha grave a. lovely babe, naai'ly seven-
teeu. months old. It was anatched away most unespeetedly ; and though
I trust that 1 am fnlly resigned to the Diyine will, my heart has bled at
this sudden and nulooted for bereavement. It was our youngest oilild,
and a sweeter babe never delighted a father's heart. I am happy to say
that the rest of my family are well ; bat when I see them gathered
around me, I cannot describe the peculiar sadness which comes over
me as I contemplate the breaoh in our little circle. Seven children yet
remain to me ; two aie gathered into the bosom of the great Shepherd.
" Yon have probably heard that I did not attend the Aeaembly. One
of our Professors was fthseut at the time, and another slot ; ho that a
mass of estra work was thrown on me, which rendered it imprudent
that I should leave the College. There were parts of its proceedings
which were very unfortunate. The Synod of South Carolina, at its last
session, disapproved as irregular, without pronounoing invaUd, a pro re
natit meeting of the Presbytery of Charleston, at which no ruling elders
■were present. The terms of the resolution are as follows :
" 'Resolved, That, in the judgment of this Synod, the pro re nata
meeting of, the Presbytery of Charleston, at Charleston, on September
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370 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
9tti, 1861, was irregular; inaBmuct be it otmstitutBd and proceeded to
busiuesa witbout a ruling elder. Tte Sjuod, towever, admit tlie ya-
]idity of what tJiey did.' (Printed Minutes of the Synod of South Caro-
lina, p. 19.)
"Thia resolution was aapsciaUy escspted by tie Assembly, in ap-
proting the Records of the Synod. (See the Bession of the eighth day,
Friday, May 28tli.) "What makes tliis bad matter still worse, I have
seen no one yet who seems to have understood what he was voting
about. The thing was hurried through the house without eiplanation
or discussion, and a heavy blow struck at the oonstitutiou of the Church
in sheer blindness. It was a wretched piece of work, view it in what
light yon will. Wretched aa it was, however, it is outdone by the reso-
luldon in ibe case of the Charleston Union Piesbyteiy. That resolution
qniefly ignores all tlie great principles which were involved in the whole
Mew School controversy. In the first place, the Charleston Union
Presbytery is a ftiiixd body. It was originally formed by a union of
Presbyterians and Congregatjoualists. Hence its name. The Assem-
bly, therefore, in admitting it as a Prmbytery, oonatituted as it is, has
viitually endorsed the old doctrine of the Plan of Union. Thia is otu
step backwards. •*««*«
"But further, the Assembly has, out and out, endorsed the principle
of elective affinity. It has made airangementa for two Presbyteries upon
precisely the same territory. The Charleston Presbytery, and the Charles-
ton Union Presbytery, are to occupy the same ground.* All tiis mischief
was done npon an etporte statement of the Charleston Union Presby-
tery, which statement was never read in the Assembly at all, but referred
to a committee, and that committee reported by naked resolution. The
facte of the case were not before the House. The committee reports its
judgment upon the facts, and that judgment is all that the Assembly had
regularly before it. Was tliera ever such a monstrous perversion of
justice ? The ' statement ' was printed, but not circulated, until (ift^r
the committee reported. So, at least, T have been informed. There
* This axcepHon is well taken, looking only at the terms of the reso-
lution adopted by the Assembly, which -was all, at the time, before the
writer of this letter. The resolution read thus: "Hesotved, That if
the Charleston Union Presbytery shall make known to the Stated Clerk
of the General Assembly their adhesion to this General Assembly, and
its doctrinal standards, prior to the nest annual meeting of the Synod
of South Carolina, it shall be the duty of the Stated Clerk to communi-
cate the same, without delay, to said Sj-nod ; and the Synod shall there-
upon enrol them as a regular Presbytery in connexion with this body."
It is proper to add, thiit the Synod, in obeying the injunction of the
Assembly, at once amalgamated the two Presbyteries, which, doubtless,
it was expected they would do. But so far as tie action of the Assembly
is concerned, no guard wm thrown against the re-enactment of the
exploded elective af&nity principle.
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d.slDEN(,l TF IHECDLTFi
OTl
-weie the strongoat local laas^na why the Ai» n bly should not hav
tonched fhia Lus neas Tlie Ohaxleatcm PiefcUttrv had adoited and
was Bi8tematii.any pursning a line of pohcv which m a fiw years
■would hava esticgmshed Indepeai-'iiLy in the 1 w country We weie
gradually absorbing all its ohurthea. New Schoolism was dead. AH we
wanted was to be let Blone. But now things ate put back where they
were twenty years ago. « ♦ • « *
" My dear brother, I am sick at heart. Here have I been working and
toiling for the past twelve years to bring things ini« their present
posture ; and when everything was moving on beautifully and promis-
ingly, it is hard to see the result of so many labours frustrated by rash
n^8 and inconsiderate haste. I am depressed and cast down. The
Chureh is going- backwarife. She has forgotten her past testimonies.
' ' The suppression of the Popery sermon was significant of the spirit
and temper of the mon who compose the body. But I have said enough,
perhaps too much.
" Our vacation has begun. I shall leave in a few days for the north.
I shall be at the Harvard and Yale commencements. It would do me a
great good to see you again in the flesh. Can you not meet me some-
where in tie course of the summer ?
" The Lord be with you and bless you,
" Most truly, as ever,
J, H. Thokkwiuj.."
To Dr. Wiirdlaw, of AbboviUe :
"South Oaeoijha CorjiEOB, Jieeember 13, 1863.
"My Dbae Dootob; I write to impress you with a deep sense of my
gratitude for the favour you have conferred upon me in the exguisit*
cigars. .They have but a sit^e fault, and that modesty forbids me to
mention. StiU, I may be jrermitted to regret, for the sate of those gen-
erous souls that are disposed to remember their friends, that it is be-
coming at all fashionable t« put up niuili cigars in such tmaU boxes. I
would have you to understand that there ia no virtue that I admire more
than I do gratitude ; the ancients pnzed it very much, and Walpole has
defined it to be "itAe eBpeetaUo'n, of future favouTii." The cigars will not
certainly l^t tor ever ; and even if they should, it should not be for-
gotten that hog-killing comes only once in a year, and sausages are
always welcome. We love our friends so much, that we rejoice in every-
thing which gives tiiem an opportimily of showing how much they
deserve to be loved. As Mary deUghte in the commendations of her
housewifery, and as there is nj one who is fonder of bestowing well-
merited praises than myself, I should not at all be disposed to decline
the trying of any articles of her preparation, just for the purpose of
praising her akilL You have no idea of what eloquent eulogiums I
would pronounce, as I discussed her sanaagea, her turkeys, her hams,
her cakes, or any other Imick-knack that she might wish to submit to my
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372 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
criticism. I love to accoannodata my frienda. And if you shoHld come
aorosB tmother bos of eigara, and etould be doubtful whether ttey are
better thaa tlie ones sent ot not, you ueed not scruple about sending
them to me for my judgment, as I assuia you it will put me to no sort
of inconveaienoe, and I "will take great pleasure iu xesolying your
doubta.
" I am sorry that you and Jlary were not with us this winter. There
is no person tJiat I like to see batter than youreelTea. If the railroad
were not out of joint, I should be tempted to mn op and take Christmas
dinner with you. One meal at your house would do me for almost a
year.
" Most truly, yours as ever,
J. H. TSOKNWELI.."
To the Rev. (now Dr.) Thomas E. Peck :
■ "SoDTH Carolina Cojji^ob, April ir., 18.^3.
" My Dbab Thomas : I was delighted a few weeks ago at reeemng a
leUer in your weU-kaown, familiar hand-writing. My wife and mysstf
came very near having a scramble to determine who should read it first ;.
but we settled tlie matter by my agreeing, with all humility, to read it
aloud. It was ourioiie to watch the worMogs of her countenance, as I
passed leisurely over your protracted introduction, in which, according
to the rules of art, you conciliate attention and propitiate faTOur. You
were perfectly sriceeseful. After your preamble of compliments, if we
had had a tJiousand ears you should have bad tbem all. It was Uterally
' ereotts aurSms,' that we passed on to the next head of your disoourse.
I could notice that, as you proceeded from topic to topic, there was an air
of impaiienoe, and of eager expectation, oa the part of the fair auditor,
which I was unable to eiplait. I could not understand what disturbed
her interest in as sweet a missive as I hav4 bad discharged upon me for
many a day. "When I reached the peroration, however, the mystery was
solved. A long letter, and not a word about his wife 1 ' Well, well, I
am done with TomPeckT I endeavoured to apologize ; but all in vain.
Perhaps, said I, it is not a pleasant subject, and you would not have
him vent his miafortnnes on bis friends. Or, perhaps it is so pleasant
that he is afraid to trust himself with it, lest be should be charged with
eitravaganca or insolence ; or perhaps he bos not yet vanquished the
shyness- incident to bis new relation, and feels a little ashamed when ha
tAlisof 'm^Mi/fl' or 'my dear.' I reminded her that all newly married
folks felt a Utile sneaking at first. They had to get used to it, before ■
the thing sat easily. I cannot say that my oratory has been very suo-
oessful. 9he cannot yet pomprehond the mystery, that a man should be
able to exclude his wife from his mind long enough to write a whole
letter. But you will perceive that my efforts have been very laudable
to save your reputation.
"I have jnst returned from Presbytery. It was a bitter pill to be 'hail
fellow, well met,' with a parcel of men who have done all that they could,
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PRESIDENCY OF THE COLLEGE. if I 6
■wittdn ttie last ten years, to break dowc Presbyterianism in South
Carolina. So fex as churohea are couoemed, ttera is a present addition
to the streagtli of the body. But, in the long run, I am afraid that we
shall lose rather than gain. Some of us are determined to set our faces
agaijist the introduction of any more Congregatioiial ministeni. Thin
^■will inevitably praduca diaturbanoe. The next pastor of the Ciroolar
Church, and of all the little Island churelies will, of oourse, expect to he
received on the same footing with their predeeeBsors. The opposition
which will be made will lead to controversy, and perhaps to schism.
On the score of doctdao, I apprehend hut little miseliicf. I (iiinb, soma
of them are disposed to learn. At. any rate, they wiE have so little sym-
pathy, if, after all their professions, they should venture on anything no-
sound, that there will be no difficulty in managing them. Upon the
whole, my impre^ion is that the union has put back the cause of Prea-
byterianism in the low country about a (quarter of a century. My com-
fort is that the Lord rules, and that He can bring good out of evil.
""We installed Dr. Kirbpatrick, pastor of the Glebe Street Ohuruh. I
never saw. him until Presbytery. He preached ouco, and his sermon -was
very sound and evangelical, and had, besides, a good deal of unction. I
trust that he may prove a real acquisition.
' ' We have sent Adgar and Dr. Smyth to the General Assembly. Ad-
ger is one of the truest men I know ; a man after God's own heart. It
is a great pity that his eyes incapaeitate him for regular and steady
labour,
" I see that Bobinson lias raised a breeze in Baltimore. I cannot say
Qiat I am disappointed in the result. There must have been some who
were longing for the truth, or they surely would never have called him ;
and it was quite natural that these should cling to Mm, when his faitii-
fulnesswas driving others from him. The schism, in my judgment, is
" I have recently read Buusen's Hippolytus, and rose from its perusal
with a feohng of the deepest sadness. It is an elaborate effort to prove
that tlie Christianity of the early Church was moulded in the type of
SoheUing's philosophy. Under the pretext of zeal for the cause of evan-
gelical religion, it annihilates every distinctive doctrine of the Reformed
Church. It is in the same vein with — — . They have drunk from
tiie same fountains, and if possible, it is still more superflciaL Where
will this thing end f
" There ought to be some thorough-goiog exposure of the vanity and
folly of the whole school of the transcendental philosophy. There is the
root of the evil ; and until the ase is laid there, nothing effective can be
done. I am meditating an article on the subject ; but it will require
tame and patience. I have been studying that philosophy afresh, and
am taking it at its fonctains. I am now reading Kant carefully and
critically in the original. I have sent for the works of all his prominent
successors. In tie mean time, I am going thoroughly into ancient. philo-
sophy ; and by such a course I hope to be able to beard the lion in his
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37i LIFE OF JAMKS IIENLKY THOKNWFLL.
den. I liave really been a close studeut this wiuter, and. as the resnU of
it feel that I tnow less than I eyec did before. The sense of ignocanoe
daily glows upon me, and frequently disheartens me. And what is still
more distiessing, my anxiety for knowledge I find to be too much an
anxiety for glory. What a pitj that a man must be kept a fool, in order
to lieep Mm tnmble.
" Tlie College is getting along very smoothly. We have never had a
more quiet and orderly tin^p. What, above all tJiings, we want, is an
outpouring of the Divine Spirit. I have prayed for it, and waited for it,
but 1 see no eigns of it. I rejoice to hear that the Lord has blessed your
labours, and I trust that joa may yet see abundant fruit of your faith
and patience. The death of Mr. Sptecbleson was a great loss, I felt
deeply for you when I heard of it. Let me bear from yon soon again ;
it always refreshes me to receive a letter from you. My tindMt regards
to your good lady.
"Most truly, yonr fiienti,
J. H. Thobnwell."
To the same :
"SovTn OiBorjNA College, A-igvs'. 24, 1853.
' ' My Dbak TnoMis : I received your letter last Friday, and together
with it, your Hiank-offering, which, in your humility and poverty, you
have represented as a dove. It is well that, like the painter in the fable,
you have been considerate enough to write iiiB name under your picture,
as otherwise there might have been some difBoulty in detecting the dove-
like properties of the animal in question. It has something so much like
talons and claws, and manifests so marked a propensity to bite, tear, and
devour, that, in the abseuoe of positive and authentic information to tiie
contrary, one might have been tempted to mistake it for a vulture or a
hawk, a species of animal that was never offered in sacrifice. But dove,
vulture, or hawk, be it what it may, I am glad to receive it ; and ii such
contributions are t« mark the birth of every child, I could wish that the
usual period of the event were sliortened in your case, and that you might
have new claims io be considered as a father ovary three months, especially
if the ardour of your gratitude should keep paoe with the frequency of
the blessing. There is nothing like writing to make a man exact. In
all seriousness, I wouia advise you often to use the pen in renderu^ an
account to yourself of the attainmenta you have made. It has been the
mistake of my life that I have written bo Utile. Learn from mj/ esperienoe.
"The passage in Sir William HamUion, I presume, perplexed you
only on account of the introduction of the terms ensentric and eeeeiiine.
The figure is this : oonsoiousness is compared to a circle ; whatever is
given in consciousness, is tBUhin the oirole, enoentric ; whatever is not
given, is wiihovt the circle, eceeniirie. Now, those who hold that the
absolute is a fodUve element of thought, maintain either that it is kno^on,
a thing giveii in consciousness, and therefore has objective reality ; or
that it is merely a notion, represented in thought, without objeolive
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PERsmKNCY OF tut: college. 375
reality. The first make it an mtvution, an immediate maaifeBtation
leitKin the cirde of oonsoioasnesB of the objeotive reality. This is an
eneenUie inMiUon. The other -meke it merely a notion, neceBsitated
by the lava of mind ; in other words, a law of thoHglit. These are Btill
isitMm, the oirole of conBcionsneBS, but not of intuition. There ia no
tn^iiter giTen, wMoh ia neoesaary to intaition. There is merely tie
thought. This was the position oi Kant. Othera maintain, that the
absohite can neither be known nor thought ; that it hes wholly beyond
or without the oicble of consoionsaess ; that it is vod: et prceterea nSdl.
These make it an eccentric generalization. Now, the opinion that it ia
thinkable, is intermediate between the dootrinea that it is fcoowable,
and that it is not conceivable. It i^rees with, the first, in saying that
it is something positiye in the human mind ; it e^ees with the last^ in
Haying that no matter corresponds to it. Kant brought the absolute
within the circle of eonscionsneas, but not of intuition. Fichte brought
it within the circle of both. Hamilton excluded it from both. I do not
know that I have made myaelf intelligible. If not, it may aecessitato
another letter from you,
"You ask my opinion of Sir William's doctrine of cause and effeoiL
I must aay that, with all my respect for hia learning, and admiration
of his genius, he appeara to me to have tripped here. His doctrine
oonceming the integrity of being, and the imposeibility of increasing
or diminishing it, is really a new form of the ^solute ; and involveB, aa
it seema to me, that species of pantheism into which Schliermaeher fell
in regard to the relation of the nniyerae to QoA. Creation is either a
anbstantiTe addition to being, or it ia only a manifestation of what pre-
yiously existed substantially in God. If the latter, it is a part o* God
in a ne,w form ; if the former, the fundamental postulate of Sir WUliam's
doctrine of cause and effect t^ls to the ground. I am chary of all opin-
ions which conttict with the iTuHviduaUty of God. He must be kept
eeparate from His works. Ho is a Person, and acts from will and
choice ; and anything of oansatiou which approxucates the idea of a
development or a derivaUon ftom Him, i-i revoltrag to my mind, I
tremble at anything that haa a tendency to make Qod a principle, or a
law. He is a free agent, and does as He pleases The universe is to
be considered as an arbitrary product of v. ill. It might have been dif-
ferent ; it might not have been at all ; it was all a, matter resting with
the choice of an individual, a personality. Hence, to know the universe,
a prion, is to know G^d.
"But a truce to metaphyeica. • * • i am at present alone. My
wife is on a visit to Abbeville, to nurse her sister, Mrs. Wardlavr, who is
very ill I saw. your mother a day or two ago, in the street, who was
vely lonch shocked at the simplicity of my dress. She had Just been,
buying some finery, and I suppose her judgment waa perverted.
" Let me hear from you soon. Love to all.
" Most truly, your friend,
J. H. "SaoasvELh."
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370 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
To the Rev. John Douglas :
" South CiB.jLiNi Coioieub, July 6, 1854.
"Deibly Beloved Bbothbb: I was sitting down entortaining com-
pany—and a Btranger, too, from a distance— when your note wbm put into
my hands, aimoimcing the mission of the watermelons. 1 forgot ail the
restrainta of decency and cuBtoio, and gave eipreasion to my joy ac-
cording to the apontaiieoua dictates of the moment. My esclamation
soon collected oil the household, to see wliat was the matter. I pointed
to the latter ; tiiey read, and were delighted too. How mTioh happiness
one generous action produces 1 He is blessed himself, and blesses otiiera,
in whom there is mach of ' the milk of human Hnifeess. '* What made
the watermelons particularly acceptable was, that I had jnst been doliy-
ering a cold water speech in a cold water (Baptist) ehurch ; and although
it was the Fourth of July, I did not feel at liberty to venture in my fes-
tivities beyond the region of cold water.
"Iwaa glad you reached home without melting. We have had fine
rains since you left, but the weather stiU continues deplorably warm. I
am afraid to poke my nose out. The fami^, however, all oonlinue to
enjoy good health. I cannot promise to Tiait you ; I have too much to
do. Mrs. T. joins me in kindest regards to Mrs. D. and yourself.
"Yours, most truly,
J. H. Thoenweu.."
The temperance address to which allusion is made
above, was delivered at the request of the Central Com-
mittee of the State Teiriperanoe Convention, which was
then moving in an effort to secure proper legislation for
the suppression of drunkenness. This general policy Dr.
Thoniwell advocated, though he did not commit himself
to any particular measure. Indeed, the movement was
only in its incipiency, and no details were as yet iixed
upon. In this address, he contended that the whole sub-
ject came properly under the jurisdiction of law. Law is
founded on the rights of men; and whatever interferes
with these rights, M'itli the peace and prosperity of the
community at lai-ge, falls within the province of legis-
• Br. Thomwell never missed an opportunity of quizzing his friends.
A poor creature, whom he sent off to Mr. Douglas, after getting tired of
taking care of him, was fond of praising hia new-found friend as a man
"foil of the milk of human kindness. " It became afterwards a standing
joke against Mr. Douglas.
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PEESIDENGT OF THE COLLEGE. 377
lation.. Drunkenness, he argued, is in the single act a
crijne. It ia a sin againat the whole man, and against the
whole law. It makes a man worse than a beast ; for the
impulses of a beast are his law, whilst om-s are blind, and
need a law. It would be a great advance if public, sen-
timent could be brought to brand it with disgrace, and
not simply to regard it as a misfortune. Again, drunk-
enness, in its principle, is a con^iracy against the law
of a rejlned civilization. It is marked by the predomi-
nance of the animal over the rational; and society is
therefore called upon, for its own protection, to. strike at
an enemy that threatens the very citadel of refinement.
Turther, he argued that it operates like a disease. In the
act, it is a momentary derangement ; in the habit, it is a
general incapacity. In both fonns it affects the rights of
others; and the law should interpose, and deal with the
drunkard as it deals with the minor, or with the maniac.
But all legislation, he concludes, should be founded on
the moral convictions of the community, whicli alone
enables a State to execute its penal code ; and a law, pro-
perly framed, would serve to educate public opinion, and
mark the moral progress of a people.
The following _/ew d'esprit is addressed to the Kev. Dr.
J. B. Adger :
" South Oahousa CoiiEQE, ScpUmber 15, 1854.
" Deae Belotbd Auoiai : I received your note, two or three days ago,
upon my return from the np country, and could not but notice how
much easier it is to ask queetions than to answer them. ITiiit ia de-
cidedly the opinion of tte students ; and f aots seem to confirm it. Busi-
jieea, however, of a carnal kind, is not always embarr^aing, and there-
fore I Blinll begin with something of that sort.
" Be it tnown to you, then, that mj wheat seed is run out, and I want
to renew it with a fresh kind. Your reputation ss a planter hiis reached
these parts, and 1 know of no one who is so likely to be able to gratify
my wishes. Besides, as dogs wiH not eat dogs, one Presbyterian
preacher will hardly cheat another in_a trade.
' ' Without further ceremony, I want jon to send me twelve bushels of
your best wheat. I want it of the early kind, and without beards. If
you hare not got so much yourself, jou must try Maxwell, or some one
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378 LIFE OF JAMES MENLEY THOBWWELL.
that can supply me, I am going to tako a fresh start in wheat sowing,
and must have good seed. I have already the good ffrowid ; and ifiy past
failures are owing, hejoad doubt, to the seed. It may be -well to inform
you, too, that I have to buy all my flour the present year. A hint is
enough to the wise. Now, the supply of the wheat I make a condition
to my answering any hard questions. I must see a reasonable prospect
of having something to eat, before I eondesoand to minister to any man's
curiosity.
. " I have received another long letter fcom Breckinridge. He speaks
in the kindest terms of you ; and is so marked in his rapturous admiration
of the feminine portion of your household, that I think it well for the
peaoe and safety of you both that so many miles lie between you, I am
sure (hat Mrs. Adger never treated him,- es she did me, to ice cream fla-
voured with spirits of turpentine. She must have had on a magic cap ;
and KB she has marvellously succeeded in getting her name up, I advise
her to follow my example in all sneh cases : to be very reserved, and let
' distance lend enchantment to the view.' I have a great horror, when'
once ray milk pail is fnU, of kicking it over.
" I see Palmer every whip-stjtoh ; he is really beginning to look down-
right tnell. On the 23d — that is, this day week — I shall be in Abbeville,
Can you not meet me there ? I should like very much to see you, and
talk matters over with you, I think I could give you a wrinifle or two.
Be sure to meet me. My family is welt I have been helping to dig
soma potatoes, and my hand is so tremulous, in consequence, that I cBu
hardly write. My kindest regards to Mrs, A. ' Don't forget tlie wheat.
' ' Very truly, as ever,
J. H. Thobnwei.1,."
To the same :
" South Csrouma Coi-lboe, September 20, 18.'>4.
*' My Drau Bkother ; I have just received yonr aerateli, and reply in
a decent and gentlemanly hand, by return mail. It will be ii
for me to visit you. I wish I could do so, but I am enga
alittleboolt, which requires my constant attention. I begrudge the time
I shall spend at Abbeville. But that engagement is of long standing. I
shall remain there till neit Tuesday. You do not know how much I
want to see yon. I wish very much that you would come down. My
best oomplimenta to Mrs. A.
"Most truly yours,
J. H. Tboenwell."
This unimportant note is introduced, only because of
its reference to a little volume, entitled "Discourses on
Truth," published, in 1855, by Robert Carter and Bro-
tliers, New York, and which will be foiuid republished in
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PRESIDENCY OF THE COLLEGE. o79
the second volrnne of liis " Oolleeted "Writings." The
Discourses were originally delivered in the chapel of the
South Carolina College, in his regular ministrations to
the students, as their Chaplain, A single sentence in the
preface states the true character of the work: "The
stractiire of the sermons may he explained by the circum-
stance, that the author sustains the doutle office in the
College of a preacher of the gospel and a teacher of Moral
Philosophy. It is his costora to make the pulpit and tlie
lecture room subservient to each other." The reader will
not, tlierefore, be disappointed in finding in them an au-
thoritative exposition of Moral Science from the teach-
ings of the Bible. No higher testimony to their merit
can be given than the following expression, which they
drew from Sir William Hamilton, in a note addressed to
the author ;
" 35DINBI3BGH, July 23, 1855,
" Sib ; I beg leave to retnm mj wacmest ftcknowledginents for jour
Discourses on Truth. I have read them with great inferest, and no less
admiration. I was parlicnlatly pleased witb the juatioa with which, it
seems to me, yon have spoken of the coinpaiative merits of Aristntle, as-
a moraliist, and cordially coincide with your judgment npon Paley and
other jnoderQ ethical writers. I need hardly say that I feel much flattered
by the way in which you have been pleased to make refereooe to myself ;
and I i-emain, Sir,
" Your most obedient servant,
W. Hamilton."
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CHAPTEE XXYIl.
.CLOSE OF HIS PRESIDENCY.
MOTBHENT TO TeANSFEK H[M FSOTa THE COLLEGE TO THE THHOLOOICAIi
SsMiNsKr.— Eeabons pob it,— Action os thb Synod or Sooia Caeo-
UNA AND OF GeOEQIA. — RELATIVE ImPOETAKCE OS THE TwO PosmOSB
Djscdsbbd, in Coseebpondbnch, wiia Dr. BKKcmwEiDeE.— Resigna-
tion 01!' THE PHESIDENCY. — AEKE3TED FOE A TwBLTE MoBTH. — LbITERS.
— Assembly of 1855. — Debate on the Boaed Question. —Tekmina-
TioN OF His Connexion with thb Colleoh. — Ebvmw of His Vast
Ikfluhnce ovee this Stddents.— Elements of CHABiCTEE thai Es-
ELAIN it. — IlLDSIEITIONS OF ITJ
DURING the tliifd year of Dr. Tliomwell'e
a movement w^ begun which reavilted in terminating
finally hia connexion with the College, and transferring
him to the chair of Theology, in the Divinity School at
Columbia, South Carolina. The change involved many
and great sacrifices, the largest of whicih was the loss of
influence, which the Presbyterian Church exerted, through
him, over the College and the State. In the light of
worldly policy, this was an unwise surrender; but it was
justified by weighty considerations, on the other side.
In the first place, honourable as was the station which
he filled, it necessitated a devotion to the duties of mere
police, which, with a iQan so richly gifted, was felt by
many to bo a great waste of power. The anxiety and
care, too, which were wrapped up in this work of simple
administration, were evidently consuming his physical
strength ; and it was only Loo apparent that a constitu-
tion, feeble at best, could not for a great while "endure
these exertions. A strong desire also existed in the
Church, that he, who was- regarded with so much pride
as pi-e-eminently a representative man, should leave be-
381
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382 LIFE OF JAMES HUNLK^ 'rHOKN\VKLI„
hind him some work, which wonld be an enduring me-
tliorial of hie genius and of his fame. He had already
given two smaller books to the world; and had contri-
buted to the Meview many valuable monographs upon most
important subjects. But these were accepted only as an
earnest of what more ahundant leisure would enable him to
achieve. The Church, it was argued, which had so long
lent him to the State, should now reclaim him to lier im-
mediate service; and the controlling motive with those
who advocated his translation to the Theological Semi-
nary, was that, in the prosecution of its sacred studies,
he might pour out upon the Churoli, and upon the world,
the treasures of knowledge stored up through years of
patient acq^uisition. -Alas I that, the wish, so ardently
cherished, should have been only half realized! The
I'eader will not close the perusal of his Theological Lec-
tures, in the first volume of his " Collected Writings,"
without a sigh that the Ohurclx did not have the wisdom
to eftect the change in his position at least five years
earlier. As Dr. Breckiiiridge says, in one of the letters
we have given, " The blade was too sharp for the scab-
bard," Too much study, and too itmch care, had already
done their fearful execution upon a feeble frame; and
death came in with his sad arrest, before the great work
which the Church desired was half executed. In addi-
tion to these considerations, there was a general advance,
at this period, in the matter of theological education.
Princeton, Prince Edward, and Alleghany Seminaries,
were all recruited by the addition of superior talent to
their Faculties; and Danville Seminaiy had been created
only the year before, with the greatest intellectual force
that could be commanded ia the West. ■ The institution
at Columhia could not be expected to hold her place in
this honourahle competition, unless she was lifted out of
the crippled condition in which she had existed from the
beginning, and equip^red with a full corps of instructors.
The scheme was, of course, slowly matured in a few
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CLOSE OF ins PltESIDEMCY. 383
minds, and was discussed at first only in private cireles.
At length it took shape, in definite resolationa, adopted
the last of June, or first of July, 1854, by the Board of
Directors of the Columbia Seminary. These resolutions
contemplated the appointment of Dr. Thornwell to the
chair of Theology, and of the writer of these pages to the
chair of Church History and Government, ■which he had
been provisionally occupying for some time, in connexion
with his pastorship of the Columbia church. At the
annual meeting of the Synod of South Carolina and
0-eorgia, the whole subject was fully debated; and the
well digested plans of the Board of Dhectors were cai'-
lied through. In accordance with this intimation of the
■will of the Church, Dr. Thornwell tendered his resigna-
tion of the Presidency of the College, on the 39th of
November, 1854; but w^ met, as once before, with the
enforcement of the law, which required a year's notice
before the resignation could take efl'eet. He was not,
therefore, actually released until December, 1855, which
Ibrms the date of his entrance upon the duties of his
Professorship in the Theological Seminary. This brief
rehearsal will give the key to allusions found in the cor-
respondence that follows :
To the Kev. Dr. Breckinridge :
" SoCTH CahoijISA Colleoe, July 18, 1854,
" My Deab Bbothbb ; Your Mud and welcome letter, roeeiyed from.
Buffalo, lias remained uitaristTered, because I have been indulging the
deluBJTe hope of eayilig to you in person mneh more thjn I can imjjart
on paper. I had thought of making a tour, in the course of the summer,
to terminate at Danrilie. Bat my plans have been defeated ; and I
must resort to pen and ink for what the tongue could have done much
better.
"I am glad to see that Adgor left Buffalo with eo warm an attaehment
to jourselt. It ia an additional bond of sympathy between us. I am
apt to measure a man's claims to respect by the estimate tie forms of
you and of your serviees ; and as I have a very high opinion of Adger,
I was gratified to find that he gave this proof of deserving it. He ia
indeed a noble Roman, or rather an Israelite in whom there is no guile.
" You have probably Been the resolntionB adopted by the Board of
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384 LIFE OF JA.MES HENLEY THORNWEIJ,.
DireotorB o£ this Seminary in their last meeting. Tilings had reaolieii
a crisis, and something vigorous was to be done, or the Seminary vix-
tuallj abandoned. It waa ascertained that, if things remained another
year m thoy were, the next session ■would, in all likelihood, open with
the merest handfnl of studenta, not more than sis or eight. The Board
determined to propose a measure ■which, it was thought, would remove
these grounds of complaint. They nominated me for the chair of The-
ology, and Palmer for that of History. This procedure has, of course,
been a very embarrassing one to me. The station which I now oocapy
is not lightly to he resigned. The field of influence is wide ; and the
indications are, that my labours are not without auooess. On the other
hand, it was a grave responsibility to say that this Seminary shoald be
closed. The work in it is most important, and a work for which I have
some q^nalifications that are' not univarsaL The proposition was most
unexpectedly made to me, and was accompanied by so many strange co-
incidences, that I was afraid peremptorily to decline it, lest I should be
found fighting against Glod. I resolved, therefore, to throw the whole
matter upon the two Synods, req^uiring them, not to pronounce directly
p th q f wh th tb y w 11 like t« h me in the Seminary,
b t p th q t wh th I ght t 1 the College for that
tn ta. Th 1 st q tly t wiU go before the two
Syn 1 as t th mparati mp tan f the two posts ; and in
thiB sptfthmtt thdsi trmly doubtful. Trifles
h th u w ght t httl fhmg wh h if all men were mag-
namm w Id h dly ha gg t d t If to me, has really had a
y d bl mfl In g ing t th S m nary, I shall have to
m t al sa i£ f fifte h dr d two thousand dollars;
and Iw tttb 1 tallm thtfl am etained here, I have
n t b tai d b cans I wae willing to mter loss in the aer.
vice of God.
Now, I want you to give me your frank opinion upon this whole sub-
ject. You are able to compare the situation I now fill, with that which
I am asked to fill I am sure that I cannot be unanimously elected;
tco many mDmbers of this 'fjnod are mtprested in this CoEeg for that;
and if there should be a respectable minority against the change, the
q^nestion wiU have to be decided by mj self, upon the best view I can
take of its merits A unanimous vote I should look upon as a clear
call of God, pretluding all dfbate on my part i a divided vote, as I dis-
tinctly announced to the Biard, I hhould feel under no obligations to
treat with any further re&psct than to consider the question it raised.
Now in case of a divided vote, which I confidently expect, what, in
yom judgment, are tho principles which should immediately control my
decision ? I leaUy ivsnt your counsels and your prayers.
" It has given me great pleasure to hear of the prosperity of Danville.
Tour poUey is a lofty magnanimity, and in your bands, I am sure it is a
policy which will be pursued.
"I have nothing of special interest to communicate. I ■work hard.
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CLOSE OF HIS rEESIDENCr. 383
but aooomplish }ittle. Let me hear from, you soon, Teij soon. I hope
to see jou in Columbia next winter. We are to liave a celebration in
ooiumemovation of ilie fiftieth, anniversary of tlie College. It wiU be
^uite an occasion, and you will be invited to attend. Turn the thing in
jour mind, and be Bure to oome.
"Moat truly yours, as ever,
J. H. 1'hobhwell."
From the Rev. Dr. Bruukim-idge :
"July 23, 1854,
Ml Dbab Thoenwell : Tour letter of the 18th inet. has been delayed
in reaohing me, by reason of having been directed to Danville. I have,
as yet, not been able to make such arrangements as to remove my
family to that place, thougli eight months of the year are spent there
by me ; the remainder being spent mainly at this place, the spot dearest
to me, and where the first years of my early manhood were passed, with
my young family. In truth, of all my changes, this one to Danville
has been attended with the greatest perHonal and domestic inconvenience
and sacrifice ; and by far the most cruelty and unkindness on the part
of other persons. It is only tlie strongest sense of duty that has induced
me to embark in the work, or that sustains me under its toils and re-
pousibilities. At every ! tep I have appeared to have no alternative,
osecpt the one enibraced ; and at every step, while everything has been
every time put to risk, thus far every step has been attended with suc-
ceee. And that is stiU our condition. Similar favour from God will
carry us, far and soon, on oor way ; but one false morement may ruin
everything much faster than it has been built up. At present, aU seems
promising.
"At Buffalo, I was made accLuaicted, confldeutiftlly, with the scheme
which the immediate and enlightened f nenda of the Seminary at Columbia
were meditating ; and wMch has since then been made known to tha
public, and partly carried to maturity. As to the proposed changes in
that Seminary, the proposed addition of yourself and Palmer to its pro-
fessors, there can be but one opinion. No Seminary in this country can
c.impare with that, if these arrangements can be perfected. And,
fracklj, after what has occurred within the last few months, I hardly
we any great need of our Danville Seminary at alL McGill is a great
addition to Princeton, in some important respects ; B. M. Smith and
Dr. Dabney are both decided gain to Prince Edwards, in many things
of great importance ; Plumer will make an era in Western Pennsylvania ;
and if yon and Palmer enter Columbia, that Seminary must immediately
occupy the very first rank, I cannot help feeling, and I rejoice to be
allowed to think, that our movement in Kontuaky has not been without
an important bearing, in stimulating others to these new ejtettions ; so
that, if we do nothing more, our efforts will not have been unfruitful ;
and if we can live amidst the noble competition thus created, it is better
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386 LIFE OF JAMK8 HENLEY THOKNWELL.
a hundred, fold than to have swaRowed up the poor things oiir Seminaries
were fast beooiuing. Thanks to God for all good, every way I
" As to youreelf, I would not heeitEte to give the advice you aak, if I
had sufficieDt iofonnation to render it proper for me to do so. But you
need not feel any appretensioii. The Lord will direct yon plainly what
you should do. On either hand, you have a great woik ; and if neither
work were within jout reach, many others would be offered to; yon,
equal to either of fliem. And if uone were offered, yon have only to use,
any way and any where, the gifts and graces God has bestowed on yon,
to accompliah what few others oonld aoooniplisli at all. There is really
less, after ell, in particulai positions, than men persuade themselves
there is ; and in our day, less than formerly ; and less and less hereafter.
Still, I am able to see that, in the Seminary at Columbia, you could ren-
der a service to our own ministry, and eventually to the canse of our
Master, which it would he impossible to estimate ; while, at the same
time, I rather suppose that Seminary woald not be the most favourable
position foT such a work as you could do, except so far ^ your con-
nexion with it wonld most materiaEy overrule many unfavourable pecu-
liarities of its position. Whether the additional good you could hardly
fall to do to the Chureli, would oompensafe for the evil don? to your
State, and society at large, by your change ; and whether, even admitting
this, the additional good is adequate, besides, to require the very serioua
personal saorifioes required of you ; whether, on the whole, the deliberate
convictaon of the Churoh itself in you)- two Synods, especially your own.
Synod, is clear for this charge on jour part ; these, and similar ques-
tions, which enter largely into the case, I cannot determine. This much
I may sayt that, in the presence of the Assembly of 18B3, I publicly
said, if I supposed there was the remotest possibility of your listening
to such a proposition, you were, of all men, the one we would select for
any chair you would agree to fill in our Danville Seminary. Therefore,
there is every reason why I should say, if fitness is the onlg question,
by all means accept ; but also every reason why I should say that, all
questions considered, I, who despaired of moving you in 1358, am unable
to say now, in 185t, that I can advise you to accept a similar, and oer-
tainlynot more important, place. Still, I must confess that, if such were
the will of God, I should teel glad for you to accept the position offered
to you Tjnder such pecnhar eircumstanoes, and for so needful a work to
our Churoh. May God bless and direct you, is the prayer of
Your faithful friend,
Ro, J. Breokiwmdqi;."
To the Eev. (now Dr.) Thomas E. Peck:
" Sooth Cakolina. Coliibob, Februcery 33, 1855.
"Deab Thomas ; Upon receiving the first number of the PTesl)yterkd
Ofitk, I began a letter to you ; but not being in the right vein, I had to
discontinue it, and wait for s freer inspiration. That inspiration taa not
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CLOSE OF HIS PRESIDENCY. 387
yat coma; but in oonseciHeiice of tte recent fire at the College, I have
■baen compelled to worship with the PreBbyterifm people ia town, and am
uubject to a oeaBeless catechism from oertain motliBrs in Israel, wMet a
regard for mj own peace requires that I stoidd put to rest by writing
yo-n what may pftBS for a letter. Direct assaults I might, perhaps, ba
able fo resist, at least to parry ; but if you could sea the uumberless ways
in which I am invaded— the oblique hiut, the sly inuondo, the caustic
inference, the leering suspicion — you would perceive at once that there
wBB no use in holding out ; that I had better set to work, and do what I
can. Excuse me, therefore, as necessity ia laid upon me. My small
paper is to be taken as no presumption against my good faith ; as from
the closeness aiid compactness of my handwriting, I put more upon a
sheet of this size, than most folks do upon foolscap or quarto. If you
will only take the trouble to count the letters, you will be surprised at
the quantity of matter, the m/uMum, in parm, of my nnpreteiiding little
document.
"The appearance of your Magasane has reminded me very much of
Hamlet's ghost, at least, in its first offaet upon the public mind. ' Thou
com'st in such a quettionable shape, that I will apeak to thee.' The
Presbj/t^Han, Watchman, and Obseroei; and other similar papers, seem
to ba in a great strait as to your real character ; whether ' a spirit of
health, or gobljn damned ; ' whether thon ' bring with thee airs from
heaven, or blasts from hell ; ' whether ' thy intents are wicked, or chari-
table.' I hope, however, that you will prove an 'honest ghost,' and
teach us, in the long run, that there are ' more things in heaven and
earth than are dreamed of in our philosophy;' in other words, that all
the wisdom of the Presbyterian Ohuroh is not looked up in one or two
places. But to be serious : I think that such an organ as you propose
to give us is greatly needed. Tiie only mischief to be apprehended is,
that you may run too fast. FesHna UnU; let that ba your motto, and
you cannot fail to accomplish great good. With the tone and temper of
the articles I was entirely satisfied ; except that, in one of them, there
were foreshadowinge of principles which I am not prepared to endorse.
I allude to the queries in " Hints for theTimes," in relation to the press.
So, also, on the subject of theological education ; I am not sure that I
understand the nature of the change which has been introduced at Dan-
ville, and which, it is insinuated, is an indication of progress. The
unity of a subject is not destroyed by synthetical teaching; and synthesis
has always been regarded as the true method of instrnction. The other
method I do not comprehend. If a subject has parts, let the parts be
mastered and put together, and you have the whole. How you can get
the whole in any other way, ia more than I can divine.
" These things have nothing to do with the general principle and
aims of your work ; and it is perhaps well that they should be thrown out
as problems, to eEcit thought. You need not be assured of my cordial
a your views of Doctrine and Polity ; and of my cordial
<, that your labours may be crowned with complete success.
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388 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWEIX.
"Permit me to return you my ttanis for yonriind notice of my little
book. I do not know that it has attracted any attention at tlia North.
It lias Bold remarkably well here. My prayer is, that God may mske it
an instrument of good to the young.
' ' Let ma bear from you often. It always refreshes me to get a letter
from you. Send your Cn'ft'c regularly. I ahaU always look for it with
interest. The I*rd bless you and youra.
"Most sincerely your friend,
J. H, THOErfWELL."
" South Oabolina Colleoe, October 27, 18!i5.
"DEiB Thomas ; You hajTe, no doubt, discovered by this time that I
em a poor correspondent, and not much better in any other respect.
One thing, however, I can say, and that is, I am not blind to my trans-
gressions \ thay are, indeed, ever before my eyes. But some how or
other, the great American figure of speech has become a part of my na-
ture ; SO much so, that the only use which I make of the present, is to
live in the future. I am al-mai/s going to do. The review of Dr. Hodge
is still in posse. I am ashamed to say that I have never yet finished
reading the doonmenf^ I had to take it in broken doses, and the last
has not beea reached yet. But, by the way, I am inclined to forgive
Dr. Hodge for all his sins against Presbyterianism, on account of the
able and Batisfactory review of Sir William Hamilton, in the last Beper-
tory. Upon internal grounds, I should be inclined to ascribe the article
to Tyler, of Frederick City ; but I have heard nothing as to its author-
ship. No matter who wrote it, it .is well done.
" Your OriMo has been excellently sustained. It is the best paper in
tiia Church ; more manly and independent than any other. I must try
and write something for you in, the fiiture. The same notion has flitted
■before my mind in regard to onr Boticto, which has become so poor,
that I am ashamed to see it. I wish somebody would invent an instru-
ment for daguerreotyping thought, without the trouble of writing. If
your ideas could be instantly transferred from your mind to the paper,
without any effort on your part, what a blessed consummation it would
be I
"The time is drawing near for my removal; and in anticipation of
the event, as the merchants say, I have been taking stock. But to my
infinite horror, I found the shelves either all empty, or filled with -no-
thing but old rat-eaten articles, that are not worth transporting. I un-
derstand your mother is in Paradise. She has just got where she can
hear something that is fit to be called preaching. All I have to say is,
that if she never heard a sermon until she went to Baltimore, she ought
to hear very rare ones now, to make up for lost time. I hope she does
with yon what she never coold do with me, r^nember the text. Give
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CLOSE OF HIS PKESIDENCY. 389
our Kndost remembiBnceH to her. We all want to see her. Escuse
tliiB hasty note ; and belieye roe,
"As ever, most faithtuUy,
J. H. Thorn weuj."
The aiithorsliip of tlie article on Sir "William Hamilton,
above referred to, was soon definitely ascertained in a
pleasant note, which ia ■without date, and which we trans-
crihe, as showing the esteem in which one great thinker
is able to hold another:
" My DsiB 8iB ; Please accept, as a tokeu of mj respect for yon as a
tMnker, the oopy— wWoh is sent witli this note — of an ai-ticle on Sir W,
HsJnilfon and his Philosophy, wMoli I contributed to tlie PHttceton
Eeroiev) for tbis month.
"you are one of the few who are competent to uppraciate tbese
higher specnlatious. I prepared the article in the midst of the most
arduous labours on Law-reform, as well as in my profession. I there-
fore crave your indulgence.
" Sinocroly yours,
SiMUEL Tylee."
Dr. Thornwell was a member of the Assembly of 1855,
which met in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. It was
memorable only for a debate on the stthjcct of Boards,
in which Dr.- Thornwell was conspicuous as their oppo-
nent, and the Rev. Drs. Boardman and Plumer as their
advocates. This discaesion arose upon the proposition
to separate the work of Church extension, or the erec-
tion of houses of worship, from the Board of Domestic
Missions, and to place it under independent management.
The alternative was to appoint a separate committee, or
to erect another Board for this purpose. The opportu-
nity, of course, could not be missed of attacking the prin-
ciple upon which all these Boards were constructed, even
though the opposition amounted to nothing in the result,
but to record a protest against the established policy of
the Church. This necessity cannot always be avoided in
o\u' ecclesiastical courts^ bnt jt is always unfortunate
when questions of fundamental principle cailnot be dis-
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cussed sitnpliciter, witli the view of detennining abstractly
the modes in whiuh the Oliui'ch shall display her activity
and life. In this case, the proposition which was auh-
nijtted to debate assumed the policy of the Church to be
settled, and only asked for its extension in a new direc-
tion. The discussion of that policy itself could only be
incidentally introduced, and a eatisfactflry vote, which
should clearly ascertain the mind of the Church in refer-
ence to this, could not possibly be reached. The result
■would doubtless have been much the same, even though
the abstract issue had alone been made ; for the opponents
of the Boards were doubtless in the minerity in the
Church at large. But consistency and truth required the
opposition, although it was unavailing. In the course of
the argument, some reilections were indulged which drew
from Dr. Thornwell a beautiful tribute to his triend, Dr.
Breckinridge : " He would never regard, otherwise than
with reverence and respect, the man who had been the
author of the Act and Testimony, and wlio had, under
God, been the means of our deliverance." He had occa-
sion also to render a delicate vindication of himself. One
of the spoakerfl had associated him with the great Cal-
houn, in a connexion to disparage his influence as a
dreamer and a theorist: "I listened," said Dr. Board-
man, "to Ills speech, which was a chain polished and
bright, as to the beautiful and ingenious speeulationa of
the great statesman of South Carolina." In rejoinder, .
Dr. Thornwell indulged in a lofty panegyric upon the
dead statesman ; but proceeded to say that, in all his gi'cat,
political views, he had been constrained to differ from him.
"As to one thing, however, I am glad : I am glad to be
called an abstractionist; The abstractionist stands \ipon
principle; and it was one of the most eloquent passages of
tliat great man's life, worthy of a great statesman, worthy
of Calhoun himself, when he defended himself aa an ab-
stractionist. I cannot be fi-ightened by epitli^ts. I have
but one single rule, which is to preserve a conscience void
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E OF HIB PKEBIDENCY.
391
of offence towai'ds God and towards man, and to abide
strictly by the principles of the Word of God."
It ia not proper to close Dr. Thomwell's connexion with
the South Cai-olina College, without bringing into promi-
nence the wonderful ascendency which he had aeqvured
over the students. Ten years before, the Hon. W. 0.
Preston volunteered the testimony to the writer, that his
moral power in the College was superior even to the au-
thority of the law; and the only criticism ever ventured
npon him, as a disciplinarian, was precisely tliis substi-
tution of a personal influence, instead of the pressure of
jnere legal obligation. Tefc, how could it be helped, if, by
the force of personal character, he moulded the opinions
and shaped the conduct of the students, so that they had
no need to consider the stern authority with which the
laws of tiie College invested him ? Certainly it was never
true that he failed to uphold their supremacy; but his un-
failing method was so to impress convictions of duty apon
tlie conscience, as to render the obedience spontaneous,
rather than enforced. "With each generation, as it passed
under hie hands, there was a quiet formation of character,
and honourable principles were adopted which were a law .
of themselves, and spared the necessity of hard collision
with mere external authority. Surely, this is the per-
fection of discipline, when, under " the law of Hberty,"
obedience is rendered from a sense of right ; and the con-
trol under which the student is held becomes an element
in his moral education, the matrix in which the permanent
character is moulded.
Dr. Thoruwell possessed a great advantage, in the vast
reputation he enjoyed as a man of genius. The only
aristocracy in College is that of mind. It is, perhaps, the
only community on earth in which the artificial distinc-
tions in life entirely disappeaa-. Brought together for the
single pui-pose of acquiring knowledge, the sole measure
by which all are tried is talent. Next to those instincts
wliich constitute the gentleman, comes the degree of in-
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ifyy LIFE OF JAMES HKNLEY THOENWELL.
tellect which may be possessed ; and the instances are not
rare, both with profeBsors and with students, that men,
otherwise unpopulai', are snetainod through the reputation
for learning and genius which has been acquired. In
the ease before us, the fact was indisputable. All men
throughout the State conceded to Dr. Thoruwell this rare
endowraent ; and to the students he was a crown of glory ;
they rejoiced in him as the ornamont and pride of tlie
institution, and felt as though a portion" of his honour was
reflected upon each of them. His reputation was a ped-
estal upon which he stood as an idol before theii- eyes.
The ofiice which he held as a preacher of the gospel,
was also of inestimable service in securing to him this
paramount influence over the students. In the class-room
he expounded the principles of moral philosophy, and
then ascended the pulpit to enforce the sanctions of the
Divine law. And perhaps the combined positions were
never used with greater efficiency in dealing with the
human conscience. In the one case, he laid bare the
grounds of moral obligation, as these are implicitly con-
tained in the nature of man ; in the other, he stood outside
of that nature, as the representative of the Divine autho-
rity, before whose supremacy) the conscience of the crea-
ture is compelled instinctively to bow. It requires the
skill of a master to wield the two in their harmonious co-
operation; but, with him, the eloquence — which h^ been
defined to be "logic on fire" — enforced the deductions of
philosophy with all the terrors of the final judgment, and
gave to him that control which belongs only to one who
has made himself master of the consciences of men.
Dr. Thornwell, moreover, commanded the lo^e of young
men by the fulness erf hia sympathy in their struggles
with temptations and defeats, in their aspirations, their
hopes, their joys. His disposition was thoroughly genial
and affectionate. He never wrapped himself in the arti-
ficial dignity which repels approach by exacting an hom-
age scarcely consistent with another's self-respect. The
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OLOSl; OF HIS PEESIDENOY. 393
perfect siniplicity of his character was reflected in the
easineas of his carriage; and tlie generosity of tlie youth-
ful heai-t gave to him an exuberance of respect, the more
sincere because it was unchallenged and free.
But the great secret of his marvellous power, as a Col-
lege officer, lay in the strong conviction he produced of
his own honesty and fanness. It seems a small tiling to
say of any man, that he is trutliful; hut no attribute
begets sudi confidence as this, when it is recognized as a
pre-eminent trait in the character, Ko one ever accused
Dr. Thornwell of duplicity in any of the relations of life.
He never resorted to indirections to accomplish his pur-
poses. If he could not achieve success by fair and open
argument, he submitted to defeat. He inspired the young
students with unbounded confidence in his honesty; and
the most reckless among them, when brought into straits
by their indiscretions, would lay their case in his hands
with a perfect insurance that nothing would be allowed
but what was proper and right. They knew him "to be
incapable of favomitiam or double-dealing ; and that his
moral perceptions were so clear, that he could not easily
be deceived. With College students — who, when wrong,
are generally the victims of their own sophistries — ho was
regarded as an umpire ; and hie decision, supported by
the reasons he was always able to advance, were generally
accepted as final upon all c[uestions of propriety. Con-
pled with this high moral attribute. Dr. Thornwell's mind
worked with amazing rapidity through the perplexities
of a case, and seized at once the real issue upon which it
should turn. This was due to the logical structure of his
mind, and to the habit he had cultivated of carrying that
logic into all the practical duties of life. It rendered, him
invaluable as a counsellor, and eq^ually efficient as a dis-
ciplinarian.
Three instances will be given of these q^uaUties in actual
exercise, which will serve also to illustrate the nature and
extent of the moral power which he wielded. The first
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394 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
rests upon tiie authority of the gentleman who acted as
secretary of the meeting ; the second, upon the writer's
own recollections of the incident, when it occurred; and
the third, upon the testimony of one who was a par-
ticipator in the scene.
Two young gentlemen, upon their appliesition to enter
College, were found deficient in one or two departments
of study; but were admitted conditionally, upon the pro-
mise to make these up within a specified time. Upon re-
examination, they were found even more delinquent than
at first. The Professor in these studies was naturally in-
dignant, and insisted at a meeting of the Faculty upon
their immediate dismisaion. A warm discussion ensued^
in which there was a general concurrence in the opinion
that some punishment, at least suspension for a month,
should be ineted out to the culprits. Dr. Thomwell,
meanwhile, was walking around the room, looking ab-
stractedly at the books upon the shelves, with no-apparent
interest in the matter. At last, his opinion was chal-
lenged by tlie presiding officer, when he came foi'ward
with a simple syllogism, and cut the problem in two :
"These young gentlemen were admitted on a certain con-
dition; this condition hswnot been fulfilled; consequently
they are not members of the College. Tou cannot expel
or suspend them, without recognizing them as members.
As a matter of grace, I propose that we give them another
month; at which time, if the deficiency is not made up,
they may be told they are not admitted." It is only one
instance out of many, in which, while others were talking
round and round a subject until it was in a perfect tangle,
he would, in his incisive way, cut down to the point wliich
all had missed, and settle the case almost with a word.
Upon one occasion, some strolling minstrels had an
exhibition in the town, during which some indeeonim
among the audience drew forth a sharp rebuke from the
pertbrmers. It was unfortunately levelled at some students,
who claimed to be innocent of tlie offence. The result
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OLOeE OF HIS PEKBIDENOy. 395
■was a roWj in which the raeeting was broken up in great
disorder. In the progress of the aifair, the students be-
came arrayed against the young men of the town, and
-very soon a aerious riot was threatened in the public
streets. The students rallied to a man, like an old Scotch
elan in the times of border warfare, and could not be
persuaded to disperse by those who harangued the tem-
pestuous aBsembly. Dr. Tliornwell app6ai-ed late upon
the ground, and when the storm was at its height. With-
out wasting breath upon men who were delirious with
passion, he sought out the parties originally aggi-ieved ;
ascended into the hall with them, confronted the other
party from whom the alleged grievance came,; heard both
sides of the story, and made up his mind quickly upon the
merits of the case. He satisfied the minstrels that they
had been mistaken as to the real authors of the outrage,
and exacted of them a promise to repair the error by
coming the next day into the College Chapel, with a for-
mal retraction of the charge. He then descended to the
street, and simply informed the infuriated students that
the case was amicably settled, and would be .reported to
them on the morrow. This siaiple affirmation from one
in whose honour they implicity confided, appeased the
storm, and in a few moments the street was as quiet as a
clmrch yard. On the next day, the public apology was
made in the College Chapel, and tlie affair was ended.
The reader does not need to have pointed out to him the
tact displayed in the management of this case, nor tlie
absolute repose of the students upon Ms veracity and in-
nate sense of honoiu-.
The case, however, now to be recorded was a far more
superb illustration of the majesty of his sway over the
students of the College. It occurred in the year 1856,
alter his relations to them were terminated. One or two
of the young men, in a night frolic, came into collision,
with the town police, one being finally arrested and in-
carcerated. This, of course, brought the whole College
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dyt) LIFE OF JAMES IIENLET THOKNWEI,L.
to the rescue, who succeeded in liberating their compan-
ion. The next daj' two of the students resolved to avenge
the insult by an open attack upon the offending police-
man, and in a short time the town was in commotion.
The students rushed to tiie scene of oonilict, with such
arms as they could extemporize. The alarm-bell was
rung, and the militia called out to oppose them. The
two parties were drawn up in array, aa in regiilai' battlfe;
and a single pistol shot would have been the signal for
a massacre, that would have carried mourning into the
best families of the State, and stained the soil of Colum-
bia with tlie blood of the proudest eons of tlie Common-
wealth. Gentlemen of the highest character stood ajid
walked between the combatants, vainly entreating the
students to retire from the conflict. In the exigency, a
j-unner was despatched for Dr. Thomwell, who was at
the moment lecturing to his class in the Theological
Seminary. Moving rapidly between the contending
ranks, he addressed the students in substance thus: "I
know nothing of the origin of this trouble, and this is no
place to make the inquiry. Come back with me to the
campus; and if I find you are in tlie right, and there be
no redress but in fighting, I will lead you myself,, and die
in the midst of you." Tu'i'ning upon his heel, and shout-
ing, " College ! College I" he walked in the direction of
the campus, followed by the entire body. After getting
them in the chapel, he addressed them at length, repre-
senting the impropriety of such riotous demonstrations ;
and appealing to their magnanimity not to bring a stain
upon the escutcheon of the College, which would make
the State blush that she had created it. The aroused
passions were by these appeals finally calmed down, and
peace was fully restored. Et is not at all imsafe to say, that
he was the only man in South Carolina who could have
achieved that thing. The cry throughout the town was
for days afterwards, "Wonderful manl But for him,
onr town would have been stained with a crime which
would have made it tlie horror of the State. "
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
EDITORSHIP OF '•BOUTJlEnN QUARTEELY REVIEW."
LEiYES THE COLLEiiE.— Becomes Pbofeseoh in the Teeoi.ootoal Semi-
habi.— Assumes the Editcrseip op the " Sotithekn Quartebly Re-
view."-— OOKEESPONIIENOB IN RELATION TO IX. — HiS AftTICLE ON MIRA-
CLES.— FiOENDLY Crfcioibu: oe it. — Hia Rejoikuer — Dbath op hib
MoTHEB, AND OP Eis Son. — Opinion of Hamilton's Loqic. — -DiaTiNO-
TroN OP THE Absolute and ISpinith. — Defence op Dooald &rBWiBT,
AND OF THE ScOIOH PkLLOHOPHY. — ESTIMiTE OP SiB W. HAMILTON.
Decline op tee Eeview.
THE election of Profosaor 0. F. McCay, on the foarth
of December, 1855, as his successor, released Dr.
Thornwell from the Presidency of the College; and he
entered at once upon hia duties as Professor of Didactic
and Polemic Theology, in the Tlieologieal Seminary at
Columhia, South Carolina, In connexion with this great
work, he assumed new and' heavy responsibilities by un-
dertaking the editorial" supervision of the Southern Quar-
terly Seview. This valuable journal had, in former days,
under the conduct of each men as Legare, Hai'per, Elliott,
and others, taken She.flrst rank among the periodicals of
the country. Tlnough insuificient patronage, it preserved
an intermittent existence, sometimes suspended, and then
revived; until now, sanguine hopes were cherished that,
under the prestige of his name, it would rise speedily to
its ancient renown, and command a more honourable sup-
port. He entered upon the task with energy and enthu-
Biasm. Letters from such men as the Hon. Edward
Everett, George Bancroft, Samuel Tyler, of Maryland;
George F. Holmes, of the Virginia University; Bishop
Elliott, of Georgia, President F, A. P. Barnard, of the
isippi University, and many others, attest the kind
397
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dSS LIFE OF JAMEB HENLEY THOKNWELL.
of talent he eoiight to secure to the enterprise. The pro-
mise of cio-operation from most of these, warranted expec-
tatione of euccess, which were doomed to be blasted by
the indiiference of the pnblie, wlio suffered it, after a
brilliant career of lees than two years, to perish, from the
want of means to snstain it.
Dr. Thorn well's connexion with it during that iieriod
enables us to enrich these pages with a correspondence,
which the reader cannot fail to peruse with delight. It
opens with the following note, which unfolds his plan :
ConMBii Jantiaij/S 1856
" Geobob F. Holmks Esq
"DsiB SiH A pubiishing house m this tity propoaea to purchase the
Snutkern QwiHerly Reiievi jro-sided I will undertake the editorial u-
pervision of t Two conditions I have meiBted on as indispcnt.al le.
The first is, that I shall be put in a condition to pay piompay at not
less than Uirefi dollars a page for every artida furmshel and accepted.
The second is that I can ottain the promise of men whom I know to be
able to write well, to become regular contmbutoxs. My design in ad-
dressing this note to you is simply to inquire whotlier I may rely npon
your eo-operation in case the proposed arrangement should he made. It
the Eeviev) cannot he made a first rate journal, we had better let it
liogec out and die. But there are talents and learning enough in the
coantry tc raaie it equal to any other periodical iu the tlmon. If our
means should justify it, I will give Jive dollars a page ; but for the pre-
sent, I cannot promise more than three. Let me hear from you at once,
as my answer will depend upon the answers given by those to whom I
have applied.
"Very reapootfully,
J. H. Thohnweli.."
Tothcsanie:
"CoLDMECA, Jvne 17, 18.'">6.
" Mi Dear Sir : I owe you an apology for not having written to you
sooner, but I have been very much engrossed by a severe and protracted
case of fever in my family. ♦ * • i am happy to say that your
article on ' Slavery and Freedom ' has ^ven great satisfaction ; and you
will draw on E. H. Byitton for ninety-seven and a half dollars, which,
I assure you, I consider a poor compensation for such an essay. Your
other artiole, ' Greek in the Middle Ages,' is in press. I gave it to the
printer without reading it, as your name was a aufSoient security for its
quality. I wish I could say the same of all my contributors. I have a
drawer full of essays, which the kindness of friends has sent to me, but
,db, Google
EDnORSHIP OF SOUl'HERN QUABTKRLY REVIEW, iSyH
■which no blindae^ of fciondahip can induce me to accept. The neoes-
city of giving pain to others, and to persons wliom I highly esteem, is
itself ft great pain to me : Aiiipocu yap ipllotv ovTOCii 5acoi/ TZpOTifiai'
' ' I Boe that your frieadfi are pressing your claims upon the Virginia
Oniversity ; and I was glad to find that the Presbyterians have espoused
jour oausB so ■warmly. Tlie article in the Central Prtabytsnan must
liave been gratifying to you. If I can serve you la any way, do uot
hesitate to command my efforts. . * * * *
"' With high esteem, your obedient sei'vant,
J. H. Thosnwell."
To the same:
"TaBoi:O0icAi. SEMtHAiiy, July 30, 1856.
"DeibSib: I received your kind 1 tt w k tw g and om
liappy to say that my little boy, wh w U f 1 g time, lias
quite recovered. The Ssoimn will b t m w 1 w h only
thirty or forty pages to print. My ab t th G ai A mbly,
mid the condition of my fanuly, on my ret p t 1 m f ni pre-
paring an article ou 'Femer's Institute f M t ph Si wh li I had
been, meditating, and had partially, esecuted. I have wcitteo, ho^wever,
an. elaborate essay on Miracles, in opposition to the prevailing tone of
speculation imported from Germany on that whole subject. The article
■wants finish; but the doctrice is sound, and, I think, seasonable. The
contents are more miscellaneous than in the last number. « * * *
"Can you select anyone to whom I can entrnat the task of reviewing
Motley's 'Else of the Dutch RepnbUc?' Bating a few ecoentrioitiea of
language, it has struck me as one of the noblest works that has issued
from the American press. It is conceived in the true American spirit,
and executed with great artistic skill. If you will either write yourself,
or procure from one who is able to do justice to the subject, a suitable
aitiole, you will do what I am sure the country will regard as a good
J. H. Thoenwell."
From Mr. Holmes to Dr. Tliociiwell:
" Buek's Gakdes, TiZEWEu, County, Vi., Augvst 8, ISSIi.
' ' Desk Sie ; By yesterday's mail I wrote to you, and sent an article
on ' Speculation and Trade. ' My messenger brought back your obliging
letter of July 30th, which requires an immediate acknowledgment, I
ordered from New York the twelfth volume of Qrote, and thus learnt
that it had not been re-published. I will finish my article without it,
by the 1st of September. Is there any suffioient assurance that the
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400 LIFE OP JAME3 HENLEY THORNWELL.
twelftli volume is. or will be. the last? ' Speoiilatiou and. Trads' may
wait patientl,
"Your Esi raid have been yery welcome.
For my owr ir judgment is against it. I
find in the b the subBtance, of demonBtra-
tioD. ; neoter mn novelty of idea ; and an
irresistible ti mtheiem, or its opposite and
twin extremi , ... .idmirer of tha rebele in Scot
land against Sir William Hamiiton.
" I learned accidently from Mr. Tyler, tbat an essay on this last and
late philosopher might be expected in your ijejiiewt. I infer, and hope,
that it will be froja your own pen. I ehould be anxious to see the keen
sonitiny of yonr logic applied to his doctrine. I have been asked to
■wvite an eesay on the subject for the New York Methodist Quarterly.
Your letter and its indications are full of interest. Tour esposition of tha
question of miracles will be very aicoeptable at this time, as a confirmation,
of the nndersfanding of believere, as an. iEumination of unsettled minds,
and as a refutation of the promises of current infidelity. I recently es-
funined this important dogma with much care and solicitude.
" Thank you for the information in regard to the criljoifim of — — ,
and the course you thought proper to adopt. There should certainly ba
concord, if not absolute harmony, in the pages of the B^imB, I have no
fear for the validity of my conclusions. I believe in political economy
as the restricted theory of aggregate wealth ; I do not accept it as the
complete science of society. In this pretension, I regard it bs the Muses
of Plocheirue regarded the worldly-wise man :
"Q XpoaoXdrfia, Tte.nlai'Yjiisi'oi^ //ivcic,
TTit S" d/isr/jc Tvjv do^au dud' S,l(uc (piXec';'
Prom the same :
" Bdhk's Gaubbit, Tazewbu:! County, Va., Augvit 35, 1856.
' ' Dear Sib : Last mail brought me the August number of the Southern
Quarterly. I have had time to read over only one of the artioles, that
on Mirades. By it I have heen equally instnicted and delighted. The
general argument is irresistible, and estaMishefi, with a rigid logical
ooherenc*, the important fact that miracles cannot be discredited, without
destroying the suffloiency of flU testimony, and the validity of all know-
ledge.
" On one or two points I venture to dissent from you, even after care-
fully studying your essay. The dissent, however, I am aware is more
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EDITORSHIP or eO"[!THinKN QUAETEEI.T EEVIKW. 401
apparent tiun real. I cannot regard a miracle as a violation of the lawa
of nature, but only ae a Tiolation of tlie cnstomarj laws ; or, more
properly, a euspension of the ordinary and familiar laws, by the interven-
tion of superior lawa, or of the supremo Fountain of aU. law. This pro-
vides for real miracleB of two sorts, by direct action, and delegated
power ; and relative miracles of two Mnds, produced by super-human
knowle^e, and superior human knowledge. I hold to the position of
S. Augustine, quoted by S. Thomas Aquinas, in continuation of your
extract from Summa I. Qn. CV, Art. VI ; " Deus contra Bolitmn curaum
natncse faoit ; aed contra eummam legem nullo modo faoit, quia contra
seipaum non faoit." Though S. Thomas Aquinas is as indistinct on the
subject of miracles as on election and predeBtination, this appears to be
his own conclusion, from his quotation from S. Augustine, and fcom the
oonohiaion of Ms reply to the first objection alleged in this article of Mb
treatise ; "Cuni igitur naturm ordo ait a Deo rebus inditus, si quid prjeter
him.c ordinem faoiat, non est contra naturam, Unde Augustinus dicit,
loo cit, qnod id est ouUibet naturale quod iUe f ecerit a, quo est omnis mo-
dus, numeruB et ordo naturre. " Ttis doctrine is alao corroborated by the
language aad illustration employed in Summa I, Qu. SXII, Art. I.
"My apparent dissent from you on this point turns, aa the tenor of
your remarks show that yoii perceive, on the latitude assigned to the
meaning of ' nature.' You consider it unwarrantable to exteijd its aignifi-
eation beyond its ordinary employment. Do you remember the chapter
of Aristotle's Metaphysics on the ambiguities of this term, and the oom-
mentary of Alexander Aplirodisienais on that chapter? Under the teem,
' nature,' may ho included, I think, the whole economy of the created
universe, or any complete sub-division of that total. Only a portion of
this economy is a,pprehenEible, and a much smaller portion ordinarily
apprehended by men. To this limited part the designation of nature is,
by a convenient restiiction, usually applied. But it implies the lai^et
sense, which seems the more correct, because logically the more complete
and precise, if only one signiSoance is to bo received.
" Pardon me for hazarding these remarks. I acquiesce cordially in
the aim, and I believe in the general purport of your ai^ument ; and
venture to call your attention to tliis topic, because I deem the recogni-
tion of a miracle; as a violation of nature, an important concession to
the polemics of Hume. I say nothing of other differances, which are
trivial, and would probably diaappear on comparison of the precise
views entertained. They do not impair my cordial agreement with your
happily-timed, conclusive, and moat serviceable argument, which is
directed against the centrfe of modern rationalism, and offers the sole
chance of a solid reputation of Stranss.
' ' You have assigned a most honourable position to my essay on
' Greek in the Middle Ages,' which it did not deserve, in company with
yours on 'Miracles.' I wish mine had been on a more popular subject,
or cast in amore popnlsr form." « * • • I ascribe to you the article
on Plato's Phcedon, in consequence of the partiality avowed for Acis-
,db, Google
40:i LIFE OP lAMEa HBNI.KY THORNWKLL.
totle. ToT] are fhe only peripatetio kcown to me in this oountiy, I
inoliaa, ratter than pretend to belong, to that soliodil.
" Witt high respect and regard,
" Yours eincei-elj,
Geo. Fkedk, Holmes."
Reply from Dr. Thomwell :
" OoLUMEii, yepiemier S, 18il6.
' ' My Deab See : 1 returned from the up-couctJT about three ^p|'eekB
ago, and hare since been engaged, night and day, in waiting upon my
mother, who appearetl to be approaching her end. Her disease has,
however, taken a favourable turn, and I hava reemned my studies and
my ordinary cares. Xour letters have given me great satisfaction ; and
I am especially obliged to you for yoor friendly and ingenious eriticisms
of my article on 'Miracles.' I am sorry that I did not elaborate the
point in relation to nature a Lttle more. The argument would have
gained in denmeBS, and, I thini, you would have found that your objec-
tion vrRs obviated. The word 19 used m none of the senses signalized
by Aristotle ; but as a oorapejidious eipresaion for the whole created
universe, considered as a definite constitution, a*, made up of properties
and powers which operate in a fised and legnlar manner. The domain
of nature is, accordingly, the domam of law Now, my notion is, that
fi'om no properties and laws of the exiatmg 01 der of things, could the
miracle ever result. It te an order of events of a different character ; it
belongs to a disliuct sphere, though bearing upon the same uliimate
moral end. In nature, the power of Giod is always laediately exerted ;
in the miracle, immeMately. In nature, the agents — that is, the direct
agents — aie the propeiUes and powers of substances, or the creatures
that God has made ; in the miracle, He is the sole agent Himself. If
nature, however, should be taken to mean God's plan, or the Divine
idea of the universe in ail phenomena and events, then the miracle is
natural, in the sense that it is necessarily included in the plan. It is a
part of the original scheme of things. Now, it is only in this sense, I
think, that Aiiuinas admits a miracle to he no violation' of nature. It is
no departure from the Divine plan. , It is not an after-thought, suggested
by an emergency. It was always contemplated as one of the elements
of the Divine government. These hints wiU be sufficient to indicate
how I would have presented the point ; and I am not sure but that
I shall not develope it a little more fuUy. In return for your kind-
ness, let me refer you to ' Saurez Disputat. Metaphys. Disput. XV,
Sect. XI, 4, for an acute stricture upon the senses signaliKcd by
Aristotle.
" I do not know in what terms to express my sense of the value of
the article on 'Speculation and Trade.' I have made it the leader in
my neit number, which will be really a very fine one. I have already
,db, Google
a collection of choice articles. * * * I am now studying Brandia'
AriEtotle, taviag not had the opportunity of seeing it until last week.
""WitlimucheEiteeni,
J. H. THOENWELt.."
Prom Mr. Holmes to Di\ Thornwell:
"Bcbk'b Garden, TiZEWiMi Oo., Va., 6
"Bev. and Bbab Sik : By last mail I received your most kind and
obliging letter, for wbieli I oiYer you my mc«t cordial thanks. I am
fiuly indebted to you for the very handsome testimonial enclosed in it.
I hope in some future day to caerit it better than I can now suppose
myself to do. Notwittstanding the preyious manifestations of yoar
fayourahle opinion, I have been snrprisefi, gratified, and, I may add,
sJanned, at such an announcement of it. Your testimoniid amves in
eEcellent time for the eleotion to the Professorahip of History, which
-will taie place on the 2d of January. This is to me much the more de-
sirable position, comporting direcUy, ae it does, witli the contemplated
course of my future studies ; and there seems tfl be an entire unanimity
amongst ray friends and the pubEc in designating me by preference for
that position.
"I hear, with sympathizing pleasure, of tlie restoration of your mo-
ther's health. It is with difficulty I realize the fact that we met only
once. I knew the acquaintance to be very limited ; but you have been
BO long familiar to my thoughts, so long theobjeot of my sincere respeot
and admiration, and you were Eo often the subject of couTersation with
oommon fiieiida, during my residence in Soutli Carolina, that it had
almost Lsoaptd my recr lieitdon that we had only met and parted like
ships on the sea. I trust, for my own sake, tbat we are not bound for
different ports * * » *
" The explanation afloided by you of your views of nature, in your
essay on Mira lee acctrds with what I deemed to be very probably
joui meamng and pnables me to agree freely with your main argu-
ment The ground of disagieement seems to me the same as that which
dmded Clarke and L ibnitz on the subject, in their celebrated cor-
lespondenee , and that appears to me to have been occasioned by the
eqaiTOcatdon of terra'j and the abbPnce of aa admitted definition. 1
find myself able to ashent subbtantiaUy to the views of both, exoept so
far as the doctrine of the pre-estabLshed harmony is involved. I agree
with Leibnitz and yourself ; ' Quand Dieu fait des miracles, que ce n'est
pa£ pour Boutenir lee besoins de la nature, mais pour ceu: de la grlLee ;'
and that, in one sense, ' le surnatvirel surpaase toutes les forces des crea.
tures.' I hold with Clarke, (and with S. Tbomaa Aquinas, and your
explanation of him, ) ' U eat certain que le naiurel et le eumaturel ne
different en rien (I would strike out en rien) I'un de I'autre par rapport
a Dieu ; ce ne sont que des distinctions selon notre maniSre de oonce-
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■404 LIFE. OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWBLL.
voir las choses. Dotmer un mouTement reglS au Boleil ou ^ la terre,
tfest une oboBe que nous appfJons natarelle ; arrStec ce mouTement
pendsnt un jottr, c'eet vme choae sumaturelle selon nos id^e. Mais la
demifere da ces deux choses n'eet pas I'effet d'une pins gcflnde pniEaanoe
que Tantce; et par rapport a Dieu, eUea sout toutes deux ^galement
{strile out ^galement) caturelles ou suniaturelles. ' To this part of the
discuEeiou, as to Qiat relatlTS to diSeveut oidere of miracles, is appli'
cable what Leihnitz ramarks relative to tha latter topic ; ' On paurra
dire que lea angee font dea niiraoles, mais moius proprement dita, ou
d'un ordra infSrienr. Disputer lB~dessus serait una quaslioa de uom.'
My objection to 'en rien' and ' Sgalemeut' are, that, in ordinary par-
lance, couEoaact ■with the view &e pa/rte huntana, there is a mde dislJno-
tion between the natural and the supernatural ; and that this distinction
ought not to be obliterated in attempting to contemplate the subject ex
parte Dei; becauee the ordinary and extraordinary procaduras of God
are logically and metaphyaioally distinct, although they may be termed,
according to the purpose designed, natural or supernatural, or both, or
neither,
" This explanation will, I trust, prove my virtual agreement with your
entire argument. H I remember rightly, the allusion made by me to
the diversity of meaning involved in the term ' nature,' as signalized by
Aristotle, was introduced without reference to tlie mode in wiiob you
had employed the term, and simply as a oompandious illuBtration of it»
numerous ambiguities. Snarez I know only by ceputataon. He has-
always been inaccessible tome ; but I think I have seen his critieisroe on
the diverse senses assigned to nature by Aristotle. You speak of studying
Brandis' Aristotle. Do you mean the edition of the Berlin Academy,
edited by Bekker and Brandis, in four volumes, 4to. ? or the separate
edition of the Metaphysics and their scholia, by Brandis alone ? If tiie
former, can you teU me whether the fifth volume, containing the preface
and remaining soholia, has ever been published ? If the latter, are the
soholia more complete than in the entice works of Betker and Brandis ?
These have been my companions for more than fifteen years. The more
I study Aristotle, the less neoesaifcy do I discover for any other philo-
BOphy than modernized and Christianized Beripateticjsm Aristotie is
still, as in the tiirteenth century, 'U trntestro iK cite dd aanno.'
" X am happy ki find you dissenting from the positions of the articla
on the Infinite. I think the writer has been misled, like Oalderwood,
into an ignoratto denehi, a misapprehension of the real issue. No one
denies tha conception, or the actual existence, of the Infinite, except the
most nairow-niindad enthusiast of the narrowest materialism. The
questiou is simply as to the apprehensible significance of tha Inflnite,
the character of our conception of it. In words, it is incapable of any-
thing but a negative verbal definition ; is it capable of a positive mental
definition ? That is the sole question. 8t Thomas Aquinas and Leibnita
aooocd with Sir William Hamilton ; and it ia to Leibnitz that we owe ttie
definition employed by President McCay.
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OF SCUTHERN QUAKTEKLY KBYIEW. 405
" It is to be ansiously hoped that you will eiecute jour demgn of re-
curring Ij:i the subject of miraclBS. If you ivould permit ma to euggeet
for your reflectiocs a topic that would embrace it, and which you would
bundle in Eueh a manner as to render esteuBive serrige, and much in-
struction and gratification to many otters besides myself, I would indi-
cate, aa a thesis, tbe Divine Economy of the Universe, or the conciliation
of tbe realms of nature and of grace. Without, in any respect, imitating
or following Butler, Leibnitz, or MoCosb, you could weave a stronger
argument, by rising to higher, more abetraot, aiid more general con-
sideratioDS. • * *
"Esciise the tedious length of this letter. With sincere respect and
Geo. Fuedb. Holtheb."'
Dr. Thornwell to Mr. Holmes :
" THEOLOGicaL Seminahy, Ootober 9, 1856.
"My Dear Sir: * « * » I had heard that you were not a can.
didate for the chair of Greek in the University, and therefore made no
effort for you in reference to that department. My own impression, too,
was very clear, tbat History was precisely the chair yo« ought to fill;
and I fiinoerely hope that Providence will allot you to the station in
which you seem pre-eminently qualified to be useful.
" Your article on Grote is a noble production ; and if you had never
written another line but that, it ought to be enough to elect you. * * *
I was much amused at the mistake into whicb I led you in relation to
Brandis's Aristotle. It was not the Scholia toBekker'a edition to which
I referred, but a far less formidable undertaking. It was the little trea-
tise, 'AriMoUk$, mne AkademUehen Zeitgenoaaen, und ttachsten Naeh-
fCilgei;' of which I have only the first half, published in Berlin in 1858.
If the second volume of the Scholia has ever been published, I have not
heard of it. We have only the first in our library. I have myself only
the Oxford reprint of Bekker's text, with the Sylburgian Indices, without
the Scholia or the Latin translations.
" The prospects of the country fill me with sadness. The future is
. very dark. The North seems to be mad, and the South blind. I have
been aniious to get a good article on the subject, written in the spirit
and temper of Legare's noble artiole on the American system, in the sixth
volume of the old Southern Revims. It has occurred to me, from the
tone of their speeches in Congress, that Mason or Hunter would do the
thing well. I have no personal acquaintance with them, and am, there-
fore, reluctant to approach them. Could you sound them for me ? The
Beuiea) must have something political ; but I shali for ever exclude the
topic, unless it is treated in a manly, patriotic, statesmau-like, philo-
sophical style. But I have perhaps wearied you with my gossip. At
any rato, advancing dawn reminds me that it is time to go to bed.
" Very sincerely, your friend,
J. H. Thobnwell."
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406 LIFE OF .TAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
To the saine:
" THEoLoGicii. Seminmiv, November 20, 1856.
" My EfEAR Sfk : You will need bo excuse for my long silence, when
yon come to koow tte circnmsttmoes in which I have been placed. For
more than two months my house was a Jiospital. Mj mother was first
seized, appeared to be recovering, then relapsed, and after a series of
dreadful sufierings, espired on the 18th of last month. A daughter,
nearly grown, took her bed about two weeks before the death of my
mother, and lingered in such a way as to fill us with dismal appcahensions,
. until, about two weeks ago, slie manifestod decided symptoms of oonval-
wcence, and is now, I am happy to say, quite restored. My mother's
corpse was carried to her own home ; and while I was ahsent at .her fu-
neral, a lovely little boy followed her to the unseen world. I found him
a corpse when I returned. These sad visitations, in such rapid suoces-
Bion, weighed down jny spirits. I had no heart for my everyday work.
But although I have suffered, and suffered keenly, and suffered, as I hope,
never to suffer again, yet I can tcoly say that I was not oonsoious of the
first emotion of rebeUion against the Proyidence of God. I could trust
Him in the deepest darkness which surrounded me. The gospel which
, 1 have long heheved, and preached because 1 believe, was a very present
help ia time of trouble. I felt its truth, and wm atrengtliened by its
grace. Bat I shall not trouble you with my private griefe any further
than is necessary to vindicate myself from the imputation of neglect.
* • * I am ansious for an able review of Motley, which shall present
the relations of the Dutch movement to the great principles of constitu-
tional freedom. The state papers of William of Orange strike me as
containing the germs of every great doctrine of English, and American
liberty. It is in this aspect that the subject is so profoundly interest-
ing, and I know of none better qualified to do it justice than yourself.
Mr. Holmes to Dr. Thornwell :
"Buek's GiKDBN, Taeeweu. Co., Vi., December 1, 185G.
"My Deab Sib: The narration of your severe domestic afflictions
enlists my cordial sympathies in your great and irreparable distress.
There is no agony which can befall a good man on earth greater than that
yon have recently experienced ; there is no consolation which heaven
affords for the mitigation of human calamities, more cheering and
acceptable than the resignation which an earnest Christian faith blessed
you with in the hour of trial, I feel deeply the crushing blow which has
fallen upon you, and spread olonds over this life, but compensated the
gloom by exhibiting a brighter radiance and a more permanent satisfac-
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BDITOEBHIP OK a01]THEKN QUAETKKLY KEVIEW. 407
tion in the eternal world. Witli what yeamlDg ansieij the heart tnms to
God, as it follows the deparUng spirits oi the good and the hmocenl of
OUT own blood 1 * * « *
" I will nse my best endeavmits to procure a suitable essay on. ' The
State of the Country,' and to procure it promptly. There is no indioa-
tion of authorship to the articles in the November nuinber. The last is
by Mr. Tyler, of, Maryland. I ascribe to you that on Msimoaides, and
the exquisite notice of 'Cicero de OfBeiia.' I read the appeal on the
fourth page of the .cover with equal regret and shame. I tcuet it may
be suooessful. * • * The Semie ought to he Bustained. It has been
an honour and a, bulwark to the South ; it has been a crown of glory to
South Carolina, and that State oouLl well afford to lose one-half of her
cottojj crop rather than to let her Southern Review go down.
"Yours tnily.
Geo. I'hedk. Holmes."
From the same :
"Bukk'b Gabdeb, TsaEWELL Co., Vn.., December 30, 1856.
"Kev. akh Deab Sib; Dr. Mooi-e, of Richmond, has very hindly
sent mo the nnmhac of the Central FTeshyterian, containing your gen-
erous communication celati-ve to the Chair of History in ihe UniTereity
of Virginia. If I could only feel conscious of meriting, in any degree,
the praise you have so graciously bestowed, I should feel much better
satisfied with myself, but could not be more grateful for your gratuitous
oommendataons. Toa have, however, set before me an ideal, which
I must endeavour to approach, though without hope of reaching it.
"I shall finish to-day an essay on the 'Philosophy of Sit William
Hamilton,' for the New York MethxUnt Quarterly. I am not satisfied
with it; but when published, shall take the liberty of sending.it to you,
with the hope of receiving your frank eastigaUon of its views. * * *
I know no one in the country so competent as ■ joui'self to indicate its
blunders, and expose its weak points. And as I have been anxiously
seeking a philosophy capable of furnishing a complete conciliation of
reason and faith, there is no severity of judgment wHoh will not be
' aoceptable.
" I am ready to take up MoUay ; hut I cannot do justice to hlra ; my
library is too scant. I admire both the spirit and exeonlion of his work ;
but I miss with regret any suitable inquiry into the social condition and
commercial progress of the Low Countries ; and he has failed to avail
himself of the illustration of the intrigues, treacheries, and jealousies of
the nobles, and the hostility of parties furnished by the family con-
nexions and hereditary traditions of the members of the Netherlend
aristocracy. The Duke of Aerschot was a sovereign prince of the Holy
RomMi Empire, as well as the Prince of Orange. But this, and other
points like this, are not mentioned by Mr. Motley.
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408 LIFE OF JAMBS HENLEY THOENWELL
" I hays in. Land for yoa an essftj on ' the Bektions of Paganism and
Obristianity, during the first three or four centaxies ' My oollei,tions
on ttie subject are eitensive, but defioient in regard to the patristn, pvi
denee. The topic is an interesting and instrnolJYe one, and I think I
can treat it in exich a mamiar as to eihibit some novel aapeots
' ' Yours sincerely,
Geo. Fbede Holmc!
!From the same:
"Eube's OiSDEN, TizawBijjj Co., Vi.., Ja.ntum'y 17, 1857.
"Ebt. and Dbsb Sib; Your obliging note of the 9th inst. has just
reached me. I had nearly finished the rough draft of a notice of Motley,
and eommenced trauscrihing it to-day. I will dispatch it in the oourse
of the coming weeh. This is not the fi.rst time that I have experienced
the wisdom of the old rule : if you desire information on any subject,
write upon it. Facte, recollections, Buggeetions, have started up from
obscure hiding-places in the crannies of the brain ; and though, when I
commenced the paper, 1 thought I was entirely ignorant of th,. age, I
have been unospectedly oppressed with the redundance of my matter.
You win find traoes in roy article of ' many a cnrioua TOlume of forgotten
lore ;' but no quotations except from Motley, and those brief. I feel
confident that it wiU meet your approbation ; it is infinitely better than
the notioe of Grote. * * « *
" It is with deep concern I am informed by you of the unpromising
aspect of the fortunes of the Southern Quarterly, and of the possibility
of your retiring from its superintendence. Either would be a great
calamity to the South, and to its literature. • « * «
' ' BeUeve me, with grateful regard and esteem,
"Yours truly,
Qko. Pkedk. Holmes."
Dr. TlioniwcU to Mr. Holmes:
" THEOLOGioiL SBinNiKY, FebTuavy 2S, 1857.
" Mt IlEiB Sib : It giTea me great pleasure to congratulate you upon
the manner, even more than the fact, of your election to the chair of
History in the University of Virginia. It was honourable to you, and
honourable to the Board, Our young men will be encouraged to derote
themselves to letters, when they find that real excellence is not destined
to pass without reward. Though it is true that Mammon is not the in-
spiration of genius, and that philosophy should be sought for itself, and
uot for the dowry, yet the uatave glow of inspiration requires a sun to
warm it, and disinterested love must hare favourable ou'cumstauces to
expand it. Aa weE might we expect the eagle to soar in void space,
without a supporting atmosphere, as the most gifted mind to unfold its
powers without opportunities. I rejoice that you have found a field
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QUAKTEKLT KBVIEW. 409
suited to yanr talents and yoar taste. Go3 grant tliat jou. may long
live to occupy and adorn it !
"There are two portions of modern history which, in my judgment,
haTS not received the attention they deserre. The first is the reign of
Henry IV, of France, and tte other is the period intervening, until Hio
commencement of the French Eovolution. It niiglit be called tie Biae
and Growth of Absolutism in France. A life of Henry, and a general
philosophical history of the aubsequent period, would £11 a ohasoi which
I know of no work of any signal ability that euppKes, "What think you
of either, or both, parts of this great enterprise ? Whoever shoald exe-
cute it well, might adopt the language of Thuoydides, and call it a work
" In relation to the Reviff/a, I am Badly disoouragcd. ' The February
number I have kept baok, of purpose, hoping to stimulate a greater
degree of interest. I do not see that much has been accomplished. ^The
wort has been warmly praised ; but praises pay neiflier printer, editor,
nor contributors. A project is on foot to make it the property of a joint
Btoek company, with a sufBcient capital to sustain it adequately. One
hundred stockholders, at one hundred dollars apiece, would put it on a
firm foucdatioa. I tnist that, if kept up, you wiH not remit your interest
in its prosperity.
"Let me express the hope that jou may find occasion to revisit South
Carolina ; and, in that cose, let my claims upon your person, as a CBptivQ
or a guest, be regarded supreme.
"Very truly, your friend.
From Mr. Holmea :
"BtiBi's Gakdbn, TiZKWKLi. Co., Va., March 7, 1867.
" Ket. ATJD Deab Sib : * * "" * * Thank you for your valuable
suggcKtion in regard to the reign of Henry IV, and the Succeeding times
ilj. France. I agree with you in your estimate of those ages, and their
long disregarded importance. They attracted my attention at one time,
but I discontinued my researches, from the dif&oulty and expense of
proooring the requisite documents. Since that period, my miud has
been gradually forced backward to the consideration of the phenomena
■of decay in^ the society of the Roman Empire, and the equally interesting
characteristics of the reconstruction of society, and the germination of
modem oivilization in the remoter period of the Middle Ages. My col-
lections on this subject are already extensive. « * «
' ' You afford a gleam of hope for the perpetuation of the Berieio. If
the scheme be carried out, I may be able to aid in giving it some assist-
ance when I reach the University. My interest in the existence and
honour of the Bee&w cannot fail. It exercised and promulgated my
earliest speculations ; it gave me my first reputation ; it has been instru-
mental in securing if y present appointment ; and your kindness has
finally linked my name with its fortunes and honours." « • *
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ilO LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
" May ZO, 18S7.
» « * » I \g^ hoped to taTB heard your judgment of the oritioiBm
o( Sir ■William Hamilton, which I directed to be sent to you id the Emn-
bers of tlie New York Methodist Qua/i'l^fly, when it was pubKshed. I
am BolicitouB for this, as the points clisctisSBd are, in my estimation, of
great importance ; and there are few, if any, who ORn as tsfldilj detect
their importance and hearing, and eatlmate their validity or inyalidity.
* * * " Believe me, very respectfully and eincerely yoiire,
Geo. Fsedk. Holmes."
Dr. Thovnwell to Mr. Holmes :
" Theological Seminary, Jul^ 7, 18BT.
' ' My DsiB SiK : Your articles on Hamilton were read by me with
great iuterest ; and it may gratify you to know that I put them into the
hands of my class in the 'Seminary, to whom I was delivering, at the-
time, some side lectures on Kant, Sir WilUam's ehanges ia logic— the
esclusion of the categories and all material considerationB, the thorough-
going quantification of the predicate, the consequeni^ extension of pro-
positional forms, and the simplification of the whole doctrine of con-
version— have always appeared to me specimens of a keen, but perverse,
ingenuity. I cannot see their importance ; and I am sure, and he even
admits, that language is not constructed with reference ia them. And
yet, are not the laws of language the laws of thought ? Then, again, the
unflgured syllogism, I am quite certain, can be reduced to shape. Propo-
sitions, in which the terms are not related as subjects and predicates.
. of St. Paul.
. recognizing the quan
le harder to understand than the doctiin
" The philosophical reason you suggest ft
tifieation of the predicate in affirmative pro
me j and, I am disposed to think, is not without more signifloance than
you have attached to it. That the very forms in which we embody our
positive knowledge, should Contain intimations that there remains muqh
more to be known ; that all aoieace should be a confession Of ignorance,
is in esaot accordance with the spirit of Sir William HaraUton's philos-
ophy, and the real state of the case.
■ "Dpon the point in dispute between Sir William and Cousin, I have
always thought that the victory was with Sir "William. And yet I am
not clear that the Infinite and Absolute are species of the same genus,
eshaustive of the whole sphere of the Unconditioned ; still less can I
admit that aJl positive thought is mediated between two extremes,
neither of which is cogitable ; but one of which — and, as far as the state-
ment goes, no matter which — must be admitted. The Infinite and the
Absolute appear to me as different aspects of one and the same thing ;
different phases under which it is contemplated by 'the mind. It is the
Infinite,' when considered in itself; the boundless sphere of being, the
BuVffitratum or ground of all esistence. It is the ^solute, when consid-
ered as determining being, as oonditionii^ and regulating the finite and
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EDITOKSHJP OF SOUTHERN Q ITAKTEKLT EEVIEW. 411
limited. Tlia Infinita One is the Essence in itself ; the Absolute, tliat
Essence as entering into, and giving force to al! dependent existence.
The Infinite is the negation of the finite ; the Absolute inTolves ita affip-
mation. These seem to me tJie senses in whicli tliese terms are em-
ployed by the Absolate philosophers.
' ' There is only one thing ia yovir ariicles to which I must demur ;
and that is your low estimate of my old friend, Dugald Stewart. His
work was the first to inspire me with any love for philosophical pnrsaits,
and I confess that I prize Ms writii^ very highly. His candour, hia
love of tmth. Ma modest; in stating bis tipinione, bis scrnpaloiis pre-
cision in the use of language, are beyond all praise. The man who in-
spired iiito his piipile the enthusiasm kindled by Stewart, must have had
more than ordinary merili His sketch of modem philosophy is an &£-
qmsita morceau His speculationa upon the real natnre of matbema-
tioal reasoning, his remarks upon axioms, and the proper place of first
trntha, stnke me as all indicating no mean talents for philosophy. As
an eipounder of Eeid'a aystem, he has been Terj suceesafal in eliminat-
ing its radical prmciplca, and in guarding them from abuse. Take out
liis silly apeoulatjons upon language, especially the Sanscrit, and a few
other blemishes, and I know of no other books that can be read with
more interest, profit and delight, than the speculations of Dugald Stewflart.
From the infiuence of early associationa, I love him as Tarn O'Shanter
loved his drouthy crony. I love bim 'as a very britber.' But I am,
perhaps, tedious. I have written these hasty lines without your artiolea
before me, and without having seen them for more than two months.
1 lent them to some of my pupils ; and it may he that I have written
unadvisedly. Wishing jou every prosperity, I am,
' 'As ever, your sincere friend,
J. H. ThobnweIjIi. "
Shall I return, it to you ? or shall I send it to any other journal ?
This postscript ia the last note of the bell, as the foun-
dering ship went down beneath the flooct. The Southern
Quarterly was no more ! In a second postscript to the
above letter, Dr. Thorawell says: "I will re-pernse your
article on Hamilton, and give you my opinion more in
detail." In reference to which promise, Mr. Holmes
writes : "The more detailed views of Hamilton's Philoso-
phy were never sent. The decease of the Southern
Quarterly Heview, and the occupations of us both, soon
terminated the correspondence," We find, hewever.
id by Google
K OF JAMES HENLEY TUOENWELL.
among the loose papers in our possession, a fragment,
which was evidently intended as the fulfilment of his
pledge; and though it bears upon its face evidence of
being only the commencement of an extended criticiBm,
the two points signalized in it are so important, as the
expression of his philosophical views, that it would be
criminal to withhold it. The reader cannot but be grati-
fied to learn, from his' own pen, the precise estimate in
which he held the contribution made hy Sir Wilham
Hamilton to philosophy :
" Mi iJEiR Sm : la one respect I rejoice, in anotber I am Bovry, that
I promised to give yon a more detailed review of jonr admirable article
OB Sir William Hamilton's philosophy. I rejoice, because the reading
and re-roading, and reading of them again, which it rendered neceBSaiy,
have been to rae a source of the purest satisfaction. Tour essays liave
not only eoHflnned my impressions of your learning, but givon me an
insight into qnalities of mind which, I frankly confess, I waa not pre-
paied to attribute to yon, in anything Uke the degree in which you have
shown yourself to possess them. You will not be surprised, therefore,
that I regret having made the promise, as the execution of it is likely to
be of as httle profit to you as credit to myself. One revenge, however,
1 shall inflict on you for the loss of my time and pains — ^t^at of passing
over in silence, or with a mere allusion, those parts of your essay in
which I can find nothing to censure, and dwelling upon those in which
there seems to be a chance of picking holes, I could not justly claim
to be a critic, if I found no fault.
"1, I am glad to see that you appreciate so justly the eubordinaiion
of philosophy to faith. For myeelt, I have long looked upon the Scrip-
tures as containing the key to the true solution of the problem of es-
istence ; and I have been struck, in several instances, with the remark-
able fact, tbat the speculations of Aristotle breai down just where a
higher light was needed to guide him. He has tracked truth, through the
court aud sanctuary to the mystic veil, whiell he was not permitted to
lift One hint from revelation would have perfected his theory of hap.
piness ; a single line of Mosea would have saved a world of perplexity,
touching the relations of matter and form. Any system of philosophy
must be fundamentally false which does not lay a foundation for the
possibiUty of revelation; and to do this, the notions of a personal God,-
and a strict and proper creation, must fae vindicated. In all this we
agree ; bnt I have been unable to determine to what class of philoso-
pbers you refer (p. 24), as being inclined ' to look upon the created uni-
verse as an episodical digression.' The predominant vice of modern
philosophy, it seems to me, is just Hie opposite ; it is to look upon na-
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EDITOKSlIli' OF SOUTHKliN QUARTEELY REVIEW. 413
tnre as the aiL Whatever form of the Abeolate you take, it qnietlj pro-
ceeds upon the category of tlm imnumi^nt, assumes the dootiiue of sub-
stantial identity, and recognizes no principle but that of neoessary de-
veiopment, or inevitable self-mapifestafioc. The consequence is, that
a personal God, with all free causation, is excluded, Where there is no
design, there can be no episodes; and wliere all is necessary, nothing
can be jncideataL
" 2. Your estimate of the Scotch school is so different from my o^n,
that lam constrained to believe that either you or I have misapprehended
its characferistics. In my judgment, your articles breathe the very
spirit of the Scottish philosophy ; and every esoeption you have taken
to ilie tenor aiid bearing of Sir William's speculations is only m in-
stanoes in which he has divSrged from the track of Eaid and Stewart, and
the scope of you* critieiBm is io bring hint back. His great merit is
that he has explained, purified, vindicated, and enlarged the doctrines
of his masters. He hassuppUed defieiencieB, coiTactod errors, suggested
amendments; but his whole effort has been to bring the Eyttcm into
harmony with itself. His philosophy is only that of Keid and btewait,
perfected by an instrument — a sound logic— which they did not posbess.
1 cannot agree, therefore, that he has introduced ' something like sys-
tem, sahstanee, order, and coherence into their vague es^ierimcntal psy-
chology, by a sweeping and rBi)olv,Uona,ry legislation, (p. 27.) Apart
from a more thorough exposition of the criteria of our fundamental be-
liefs and primitive cognitions— two things, by the way, which Sir Wil-
liam Hamilton does not, and Stewart does, distinguish — apart from a
consistent and logical account of the conditions indispensable to the
possibility and validity of the philosophy of common sense ; these con-
tributions, and the distinotions and explanations which the theory of
realism supplies, such as those in relation lo presentative and repra-
sentative knowledge, and tie real nature of consciousness, I know of
nothing that Sir William has oontribnted to philosophy ; and these are
all in acoordance with the system of Eeid and Stewatt, esoept the effort
to define more precisely the limits of human knowledge in the Philoso-
phy of the Conditioned. That, as far as it is sound, is out and out
Scottish ; as far as it is unsound, it departs from the characteristics of
the school. The estimate which I have expressed of Sir William's re-
lations to the Scotch school, is precisely that of Oonsin. In that beauti-
ful and eic[uisite letter which he wrote to Professor Pillans, when Sir
William was a candidate for the chair of Logic and Metaphysics, he re-
presented Viim as the very impersonation of the Scottish phUoaophj ; and
the question before the electors was the question of ^ving a sucaessor
to Bdd and Stewart. You will find the whole letter, (and a reference
to it would have graced your article) in ' Peipi's Fragments de Philo-
id by Google
,db, Google
OHAPTEE XXIX.
SEMINARY LIFE._
Dni-TH op urn Mother, s.nd of his Son.— His Yiaws of the Fimilt
Covenant. — As3embi,y of 18.^8. — His Sermon on Foskign Missions. —
Letter to his Dadohteb. — Pjstok of the Oolumbi* Chttbck. — View
or Afkioam Si^va TitiHE.— Totth thbooob ibb Wbst.— Lbtttebs to
Eis CmrJiEaN axD Wife. — Membeb op Asekubly in 1857. — Appointed
OhAIKMAN OTf COHMITTEE ON KeVISION OF THE BoOK OF DISCIPLINE.
Letter in Eelation to it, from the Moderator. — Hia Inaoqueation
AS Professor in ihe Seminaet.
INTIMATION has b,een given, in a preceding letter, of
the hereavement he siietained in 1856, His mother,
left a widow in 1820, contracted a second marriage, on
the 26tli of Pehrnary, 1839, with Mr. Ananias Graham,
a plain man, but of excellent character and good position.
This relation continued unbroken until her own death, on
the 18th of October, 1856, It must have been to her a
great privilege to fall asleep, as she did, in the arms of
lier distinguished son. It was bo ordered, by a kind
Providence, that she was on a visit to him, when she Was
taken down with typhoid fever; and after lingering many
weeks, during which he nursed her with the utmost ten-
derness, she fell asleep in Jesus. He accompanied her
remains to BennettsviUe, Soutli Carolina, which was her
home, and returned immediately to Columbia, to en-
counter, if possible, a lieavier sorrow. Two of his chil-
dren were lying ill, of the same disease, when he left.
Upon entering the house, the family met him at the door,
with countenances veiled with peculiar sadness, " Tell
me the worst," he exclaimed; "tell me if my dear
daughter is dead," Slie was thought, at the time of his
departure, to be the sicker of the two. " No" was the
415
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416 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
reply ; ""but Witherspoon is ; he died about half an hour
ago." He was completely overcome by the tidings, and
had to he assisted to his room; but, adds the gentle nar-
rator, " He had the aweet assni-ance that his darling boy
was with Jesus; he had given every evidence of a change
of heart before he was sick."
This little boy, who was taken away when a little over
nine years of age, "had been, in some respects, a remark-
able child from hie birth. He was distinguished, not
only by a singular sweetness of disposition, bnt by an un-
common development of religious feeling. This was
indicated, not so much by the usual childish curiosity
about religious subjects, as by the prayerful exercises in
which he secretly engaged. It was not an uncommon
thing tofind him alone, in soide unfrequented place, upon
his knees; in one instance, just before his illness, con-
cealed behind the wood-pile, in the yard. Some weeks
after his death, the writer asked of his father, what was
his opinion as to the salvation of children who died at the
dubious age of his>own son, when it was so dilScult to fix
the boundaries of personal accountability ? After stating,
in reply, the more special gi'ounds of hope afforded in
this ease. Dr. ThomweU added: -Independently of all this,
however, I believe the covenant which God has made with .
His people, and which is sealed to their faith in the bap-
tism of their offspring, to be a real and a precious thing;
and where Christian parents have, in faith, laid hold upon
this covenant, and have pleaded its promises on behalf of
their seed, they may, when dying in these early yeai-a of
childish immaturity, be laid, without a particle of appre-
hension or distrust, upon the bosom of tliat promise, " I
wiU be a God to thee, and to thy seed." We do not em-
brace this statement in quotation marks, simply because
we cannot reproduce the exact language, after the lapse
of so many years. Eat an experience of our own, in a
similar bereavement, had made that view of the baptismal
covenant exceedingly precious; and this confffmation of
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BEMJSAEY I
417
it, by one whose opinions were so carefully formod, made
an impregsion too distinct to allow any mistake of his
meaning.
Dr. Tliornwell was a member of the G-eneval Assembly,
which met in New York city, in 1856, In reference to
him, however, there is nothing worthy of special mention
bnt the delivery of the sermon on Foreign Missions, by
appointment of the preceding Assembly. It was pub-
lished, by order of the Assembly, and may be found in
the second volume of his "Collected "Writings." Its theme
was, "The Sacrifice ot Christ the type and model of mis-
sionary effort." Dr. Addison Alexander, himself a won-
derful example of pulpit eloquence, heard it delivered,
and pronounced it " as fl.ne a specimen of Demosthenian
eloquence as he had ever heard from the pulpit, and that
it realized his idea of what preaching should be:" a noble
testimony from a source which no one can afford to dis-
parage, and honourable to the frank and generous heart
from which it sprang. They are both in heaven: can
one conceive the fellowship between the two, before the
Throne, rising together, from the learning and philosophy
of earth, to the higher scholarship known only to the im-
mortals ?
The following letter is transcribed with a melancholy
interest. It is the only ono that can be identified, with
certainty, as addressed to his eldest daughter, Nannie, of
whom there will be a touching memorial in the sequel ;
" Colombia, June 7, 18B6,
"Mt Dear DiDGHTEit: We have just reoeived yovir letter, and were
■becoming Terj anxious on account of wlmt appeared to us as your
protractea Bileuoe. There mast have been some irregularitj in Kile mail
which bronght it, or some detention of it in your own haiids after yon
bad written It, or it could not have been so long on the way. "We were
gratified to learn that yovir health was preserved, and not astoniehed to
find you complaining of a feeling of lonesomeness. This will wear off,
as your mind hecomos interested in the objects around you. I want you
to improve the opportunities you enjoy, and. t<i eyinoe, when yon return,
the benefits of your trip.
,db, Google
418 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TIIORNWELL,
' ' The first thing, my dear child, that I would impross upon yon is the
care of your own botiL That, after all, is the busmees of life. I do not
mean merely that you are to read your Bible with regularfty and atten-
tion, and observe your hours of private deyotion. This, I am sure, you
will not cegleot. But I am ansious to see you really interested in tlie
great salvation. Notiiag would deLgbt me so muoh as to hear that you
felt yourself bj nature a lost and miserable sinner, mid that you were
trusting in Jesus for the pardon of yonr guilt. Do not be easy until you
have a good hope tiiat yonr sins are forgiven, and that your heart is re-
newed. Try to profit by the sermons yon hear. Apply them to your,
self ; pray over them, and beg the Lord to make them contribute to your
good. True religion wilt be the greatest accomplishment you oan possi-
bly reijuire. Seek it until you find it.
" In the next place, be attentive to your studies. Endeavour to store
your mind with useful and elegant knowledge. You may abandon tJie
study of Latin, but give yourself closely to the acquisition of Trenoh. I
want to see you so perfectly master of that language, as to write and
speak it with fluency and ease. Gtive attention also to English composi-
tion. Now is the time to form your taste. If you have an opportunity,
and I have no doubt they are frequent in Hew York, you would do well
fo taie lessons from a writing-master, so as to improve your hand. You
see that I do not wish you to be idle, and I do not wish you to be
diverted from solid pursuits by company or visiting. There is one ex-
ercise which I must eiact from you, and you must be sure to perform it
punctually ; and that is, to write me every Monday an account of the
sermons you heard on Sunday, particularly the morning sermon. This ■
will be profitable to yon, and very interesting to me.
" We found Charhe very ill upon our return, and for several days I
despaired of his life. But he is now much better, and I feel encour-
aged to hope that he will recover from the attack. He is a mere skele-
ton, but his spirits are good, and he frequently talks about Nannie. He
made us read your lett^ aloud to bim, and was as much interested as any
of the family. The little fellow has been a model of patience and self-
denial, and I dncerely trust that God is sparing him for some valuable
end. * * 1 * ^11 t:eep weD but Charlie. You must write to us
twice a week, and do not forget the sermons on Monday. ' It ia Saturday
night, and I mast get ready for to-morrow. So farewell for the present
"Your affectionate father,
J. H. ThognwelIi."
This allusion to preparation for the Sabbath, rendera
it proper to state, that the Columbia chnreh being at
that time vacant, he was invited to fill the [inlpit, by a
people who gratefully remembered his niinisti'ations to
them fifteen years before. In consequence of this ar-
rangement, Dr. Tliornwell, in adition to his duties as a
id by Google
8EMINAKY LIFE. *19
Theological Professor, and as the editor of a leading
quarterly, found himself in the service of one of the
most important churches in the South,
We insert here a letter to a near kinsman, upon the
death of his young wife. It is full of valuable counsel
to such as are temporai-ily thrown off their balance by
sorrow ; and exhibits a proof of that friendship which
does uot hesitate to wound in order to heal,
"Theolomoal SBMiKiBT, f^temSer i, 1856.
D iP D N I regret very much, that I did not haye tte oppor-
tun ty f Eg more of you, during your abort visit to Colnmbia.
X a ha ted an iiit«BS6 interest in my mind, not only in the
way of Bymp thy f i; your Bora and terrible affliction, but in the way of
ai p h u of tb USB you are litely to mata of it. Xou must ex-
cusa me for speakiug plainly ; my anxiety on your behalf will not allow
me to hold my peace, or to speak what your feelings would prompt joo
to ask. Your situatioii is critical, much more critical than you and youi
friends may possibly suspect. You are in danger of pursuing a course
that may terminate in eerious and lasting injury to your oharaoter and
proepeots.
"In the first place, Donnom, let me say to you frankly, that the
want of fortitnde wMoh you seem to feel it no repi'oaah to oithibit,
is inconsistent alike with the dignity wbicb becomes a man, and the
submission which belongs to a Christian. To bear with firmness what
cannot be avoided, is the dictate of pliUosophy ; to bear witb resigna-
tion what God appoints, is the dictate of religion. To be unnerved by
calamities, to nnrso our sorrows, to foster our grief, and make it our
whole business to mourn, is a spirit of rebellion and icsubordication,
which not only cannot be justifled, but cannot even be excused. It has
no parallel but in the case of children, who pine over their losses in
stubborn fretfulness, and lefnse all the Mndness and condescension of
their parents to soothe tbeir petulance. The language of such a course
to the Almighty, when rightly interpreted, is a language of dafiance,
which a creature should shudder to use. It is a virtual declaration thai
because God has crossed you in your schemes and bopes, you are re-
solved to enjoy no more of His gifts, and to dischaj^e no longer the
duties He has imposed upon you. It is tie language of sullen resentment.
I do not object to tba pungency of your grief : it is right to feel afflic-
tions, and to feel them keenly. Eeligion does not convert as into
stones. But whUe, like Jesus, we may weep at the tomb of our friends,
we should never permit our nerves to be imBtrung, nor our loins nn-
girded, for the duties and responsibilities which still rest upon. us. "We
are stUl m&i, and still sustain the relations of >nen. With subdued and
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420 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOR^fWELl.
cliaatenetl spirits we eliould return from the grave to tlie earnest CfJla of
life. Tliera ehonldbea dignity in. our bearing, a majesty in our woe, tliat
should command the respect and awe the sympathy of all who taio
inowledga of ub. This is the deportment that I want to see you adopt.
I havs been distressed to see you moping a,bout, anS arming yourself
with induBtriouB patience, against the inTasion J)f every thought that
would divert you from your loss, aa if your sole business now was
simply to fan the flame of joui sorrow. You seem to have forgotten
that you are a son, a brother, a mastei', a man. You Sj^e resolved to ex-
tiuguisb, every relaijon of life in the disruption of the tie whioh l>ound
you as a husband. It is a serious, and may prove in tie end, unless
you summon your energies to correct it, a fatal mistake. You must
resist this weakness. Pardon me for saying that I was shocked when
you told me that you intended to sell your property sad return to
Alabama, for the purpose of being constaQtlj associated with those who
eould nurse your sorrows, and keep the sore everlastingly running.
Donnom, tliis must not be. I say to you in all eHrnHstness, as you prize
your best and highest interests, do not think of making, in the present
condition of your mind, any permanent change in your aiTangeraenls
for life. You. are not qualified to form an impartial judgment, and the
spirit and end of the proposed scheme are such as to promise nothing
but disaster. "Wait till reason and reSeetion have resumed their as-
cendency, before you venture to disturb the esisting state of your
affairs. Do nothing without the advice of your father. He is cool and
collected, and is competent to counsel you with discretion.
"But, Dounom, my worst fear in relation to you is, that this afSietion
is likely to pass off without any profit. If it is not sanctified to your
spiritual good, it will do you incalculable harm. As I told you, in the
brief conversation I had with you, your mind was turned to none of
those Christian aspects in which, as a visitation of God, your bereave-
ment should be contemplated, but was wholly absorbed in the selfish
considerations of your own personal loss. You have obstinately refused
to see the band of Clod ; yon fix upon nothing but the happiness whioh has
fled from your grasp. Now, the effect of this perverseness cannot tail to
be disastrous. However improbable it may now sound to yon, time wiUdo
its work ; other associations will eventually take possession of the mind ;
the intensity of your anguish will pass away ; and unless your human
natui'c is different from that of all other men, the reaction wiU be as
violent to the other extreme ; .and you may be the victim of a levity as
nnliecoming as your present unmanly grief. If selfishness is to rule
the hour, this must be the oftect It will k ej yo fo a wh le u your
present state of mind makm^ mo b i 1 xurj of tears b t the same
law which produces th s esult ill after the sat ety of g ef sue
seek a different speojes of 1 s ry n o he oh uncls Matk my worls
I have studied that mvsterj of incons sfen e and cont adi t ons the
human heart, and I know what I am saym^ The effe t of s h a re-
action will be fatal to ftU Benonsneas of iJiaiacter. If jou permit this
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SEMINARY LIE'E. 421
BGasou to pBBE -without having tta selfisluiess of yom natuia eradicated
oc subdued, it will become the pvedominatit prinoiple of your life ; and,
though it may not assume offensive forms, it will be as deadly iu its
hostility to religion as if it wore the hateful and disguBting shapes which
proToke tlie reprobation of the world Your character is now passiug
tiro igh a nsi Slfia pprmst V d has lied you to a dreadful
nfl fthtin pi Hh tak wh t dearest to self : and
n If h w t pow by tu g to b omforted, or even to
subm tbta tindh h w dl Lt this spirit continue
to tm! te y u: f 1 ngs ant y 1 ficmed votary to self,
andaa n gll 11 g mst Cod y ir affl tiona will turn out to
be a curse, instead of being unproved as a blessmg. It is, therefore, of
the last importance that you should begia to consider your case in a uew
light; to look upon it as a dispensation of God, designed to answer
salutary ends ; and to seek, by prayer and devout meditation, to have
its lessons impressed upon your mind.
"The first thing which the pungency of your grief should teach you,
is the bitterness of sin. I do not say that your affliction is any judgment
upon you ; we have no right so to interpret fie events of Providence. The
estimate of personal character is not to be measured by outward cireum-
etouoes. But all' pain is ultimately due to sin ; and the degree of pain
which exists in the world may give us some notion of the extent to which
God botes sin.
" Now, you know how much you have suffered by this bereavement.
From the intensity of your anguish, learn the inltaisity of that poison
which has infused all this bitterness into your eup. It, in this world,
sill can produce so much sorrow, what are we to expect from it in a
worid of rightoous retiibution, where it is to receive according to ita
nature and deserts. It has occasioned you an awfn] loss here, the loss
of a wife ; it will occaaon you hereitfter, if not renounced and forsaken,
the still more awful loss of your soul and God ; and you will be made
to feel these losses there with ft weight of ssrrow compared to which
your present agony is joy. In aU your distressea, see sm as the cause ;
from what it has cost you, learn to hato it, Bn4 to fiee from it. Unlesslhis
lesson is mastered, the rod has been in vain.
"In the neit place, you should learn, that man's portion is not here
below. This is neither our home nor our rest^ How forcibly has this
been ifnpressed upon you! You had a pet lamb; you loved it, and
nursed it, and watched it ; you gamared your affections upon it, and
rejoiced in the consciousness that this beautiful and lovely creature you
could call your own. GiDd took it at the very height of your self-satis.
faction; and all to teach you that you were to have no pet lamb of your
own, but that you must regard supremely His own I-amb, the Iamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Yon were making your-
self warm in your nest, and God has stirred it up, and driven you from
it. He has been teaching yon the great truth, that life is a pilgrimage {
that we are strangers and sojourners here, and that we must seek a <^ity
,db, Google
432 LIFE OF JAMES HflfJI.lSY THOBNWKLL.
which tatl] foundatioiiB, whose builder and maker is God. If you wax
only now be dlBgueted with ein, and allured to thoughifl of the heavenly
city, you oaa have no difB.oiilty in the way of Ufe, which is none other
tlian the Xiord Jesus Chriet ; and this consideration suggests the last
thought which Iwiah now to oonunand to jour attention. It is the
importance of a perEonel communion with Jesus. He was a man of
sorrows; he knew what affliction and distress meant. 'I^our cup is
sweetness compared to His; and all, that He might be a merciful and
faithful High Priest. He is the Friend of sinners. Go to Him ; Ho
will receive you kindly and tenderly ; He will enter into your griefs ;
Ha wUl soothe your woe ; and give you the oil of graoe for tie spirit of
heaviness. You need just such a friend. Look away from men, and
fls your-eyo and your heiirt steadily upon Jesus; and you will find one
who is more than father, or mother, or wife, or sister; who sticketh
'closer than a hrother. Do thia, and your soul shall live.
"I have "written to you, Donnom, these hurried lines, from a sincere
desire to minister to your profit. I have always loved you, and have often
prayed for you ; but I love you more, and pray for you more tenderly,
now, since tie Iiord's hand is upon you. It may be that my plain deal-
ing may offend you. If so,. 1 shall regret it ; there is nothing farther
from my lieart than to give you pain. Your sorrow is sacred in my
eyes ; but I have seen your danger and jonr snare, and 1 have endea-
voured faithfully to put you on your guard. I would have preferred
talking with you, but your brief stay precluded that. May the Lonl
bless you, and guide yott, and keep "you, and make all things work to
your good and His own glory.
"Most sinoeroly, your friend,
J. H. T HORN WELL,"
The following letter, to the Kev. Dr. Adger, discloses
his viewB upon a grave pnhlic question, at that time some-
what agitated in political chcles :
" TKEOnoiJioiL SEuiNiBY, DeoembeT 10, 1856.
' ' My Dkab Bbother : Bend your article by the first of January. My
Judgment and my feelings are decidedly opposed to the slave trade, in
every respect in which the subject can be viewed, and I am sorry that it
has been agitated at all. In the first place, it would change the whole
character of the institution, as it exists amongst us. It is now domestic
and patriarchal ; the slave has all the family associations, and family
pride, and sympathies of the master. He is bom in the house, and
bred with the children. The sentiments which spring from this circum-
stance, in. the master and the slave, soften all the asperities of the rela^
tion, and secure obedience as a sort of filial respect. This humanizing
element would be lost, the moment we cease to rear our slaves, and rely
upon a foreign market. In the nest place, it would render the institu-
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SEMINABY LIFE. 4^=}
tion positively daagarons. Lawless savages imported from Africa,
many of whom have been accuBtomed to command, to wiu- and to cru-
elty, acd none of whom liave been aconstomed to work, would be about
the surest instruments of insubordinatioa and rebellion that could be
desired. We should have to resort to a stancling army, as they do in the
West Indies, to keep onr plantations in order. In the third place, the
whole thing proceeds on a blunder. Oapital and labour with us are not
distinct. The slave is as really capital, as he is a labourer. To reduce
his value, therefore, is not simply to ekeapea labour, it is to reduce the
amount of capital. The country will be no richer by the foreign impor-
tations. In tke fourth place, it will operate as a constant cause of wars .
and seditions in Africa, and will involve largely the additional crime of
man-stealing. These are mere hints, but they show my way of. thinking.
I have espressed my opinions freely to the Governor himself, whom I
highly esteem. The sentiments of the State will revolt at the thing ; it
cannot go.
" In relation to yourself, the difScuIiiea which are gathering, or have
gathered around yon, only render your duty the more manifest. Your
external call* was clear and unambiguous ; it was indeed very remarkable.
The internal one must be equally obvious, if you will only rafleot upon
the state of jour own mind beforehand. Yon wanted the door open, and
you professed a willingness to make any sacrifice to enter it. God has
opened it, and put you to the triaL He has thought you worth trying,
and therefore father, and brother, and sister are permitted to rise up
ttgainst you, to gite you the opportunity of showing that His voice is
louder in your ears than tOieira. The ease to me is very plain, and I
shall reaUy tremble for you, if yon decline. Your mouth must be shut
against any prayer hereafter for a field of ministerial labour. God may
say, ' I called, and ye refused.'
"Most devotedly, your friend,
J. H. ThobnweIiL."
0*11 l^eing returned to the Assembly of 1857, at Lex-
iagton, Kentucky, X>r, Thomwell made a tour of more
than two months through parts of Alabama, Mississippi,
and Tennessee, in behalf of the Seminary at Columbia.
IIJs object was to awaken a more general interest in its
welfare, and to complete its endowment, which had been
snccesefully initiated by other parties visiting the south-
west. His preaching was attended with great po^ver
wherever he went ; and in the freedom of epistolary inter-
*His election to the chair of Church History and Government ii
Theological Seminary, recently vacant by the writer's removal t(
present field of labour.
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THOKNWELL.
course he refers, with humble gratitude, to the universal
acceptance of his labours. A warm friend of hie in earlier
days thus speaks of his visit to him iu Mississippi : " I
was enthusiastic in ray love and admiration for liiiii.
After my removal from South Carolina to Mississippi I
often told my friends here of liis powers. At length, one
gentleman, an eminent lawyer, and a particular friend,
told me that he thought my enthusiasm led me to exag-
gerate, A few days after this conversation, I received a
letter from Dr. Thomwell, informing me that he would
pay me a visit on his way to the General Assembly at
Lexington. I called on my friend, and told him that he
woiild soon see and hear for himself. He came according
to promise, and preached twice each of two Sabbaths, and
twice through the week. The community was held en-
tranced by his pnlpit discourses ; and after he left, my
Mend voluntarily said to me, " yon did not tell the fourth
part,"
His letters, written home during this absenc-e, a^e ad-
dressed often to his children, and adapted in their style
to their different ages. We present brief extracts, only
for the purpose of bringing him more distinctly before
the reader in his family relations.
The first is to Ms son, Gillespie, twelve years old.
"TuBCUMBiA, Ala., May \, 1857.
" Mt Deab Boi : If you will take a map, and look upon that part of
flie State of Alabama whioli lies upon tlie TenneBsee riyer, and is nesr
to the States of Mississippi and Tenneeseo, you vrill see wliere your
lather is. Tte river ia a noble stream. Steamboats ran up it for nearly
five hundred miles. In some pliices, it lies between hanks of mountains
of limestone, and you see tall mountains lying on both sides of it in the
distance. It abounds iu fish. I have seen whole wagon loads caught \a
it in a short time ; aod you would enjoy yourself very much tera with
a hook and line. Between Tuscumbia and Florence the river is nearly
a mile wide, and we have to orosa it in a little Eteamboat, The whole
region is full of limestone, and abounds in bold springs. There is a spring
here wnieh runs almost like a river; boats oome to its very head, and
it will often swim a horse. The water is clear as oyrstal, and gushes
from f. spUd bed of rock. This spring suppUes the whole town of Tus-
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SEMINARY LIFE. 435
oumbia with watei". In -wet -weatlier the country is very muddy ; and
the ikae makeB the mud Btaok More tluto. it stiuke ia Laiioaster. But it
keeps the soil from washing away. They have no laige gnlliea in the
fields, like we hare in the Waxhaws. It ie a beautiful region.
I spent night before last with Dr. -, and I was delighted to find that
Hb oldest boj was a professor of religion. I thought what a comfort it
would be to me to hare my oldest boy, as indeed all rny children, chil-
dren of God. Begin now, my son, to fear and love and serve the God
of your father. Do nothing which your Bible coudemnB. Pray from
the heart ; and earnestly seek that you may have a heat iliat loves to
pray. * * ♦ The Lord bless you, and make you a blessing to yom
The next is to one of his daughters :
"Holly Spetngs, Miss., May 14, 1857.
" My Dbae PiTTiE ; I received your welooms letter to-day ; and though
I wrote to Jennie this momiug, I cannot refrain from dropping you a
line to-night. Your letter was a gveat comfort to me ; and I was partien.
larly delighted at jour saying that you wanted to be a ChriHtian, and
that you hoped to be one soon. Nothing would do me so much good as
to see my dear little daughter eonvei-ted to God. The Lord has pro-
mised His grace to those who seek Him eaily. You cannot begin too
Boon. For, lovely as you are in my eyes, yon are a sinner in the sight
of God; and your first care should bs to obtain pardon through the Lord
Jesus Christ, and to get a new heart. Pray to God, for Ohrist'a sake, to
give you the Holy Spirit. He will be willing to hear the prayers of a
child. Study your Bible, and try to trust in the Saviour. Give yourself to
Htm; and beg Him to save you, and make you a true child of God. ' "
" I love to read your letters. I did not know that you could write so
well. And now, my dear child, may God bless you and keep you, and
lead you in the way everlasting. I sincerely pray that I may find you a
Christian when I come back home.
' ' Your affectionate father,
J. H. TaOENWELL."
To Mrs. Thornwell :
"Mbmthts, Tbhk., Ma^ 18, IS.iT.
"My Dbabbst "Wife: I reached here on Friday night, and spent
Saturday in. lookiDg around this young and flourishing city, which,
within a quarter of a century, has sprung up Uke magic, and is daily in-
creasing in an astoniBhing ratio. To have an idea of the real progress
of our country, one must come to the West. He will see the reason why
we are compared to a young giant. On Saturday morning I saw the
Mississippi river for the first time. It was in its glory ; almost to high
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436 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
water mark ; aad well deaei-ves the name of tte Pather of "Watei^. Mam
jiliia ooatajns about eighteen thousand inhabitantB, and is as well sup-
plied with oLurctes as most of our older uities. It has the appearance
of great aetivity and enterprise ; everything is full of lifa and hnsHe.
" The scale on which they make cotton in Louisiana, Mississippi, and
ArktLnaas, reduces us in South Carolina to mere pigmies. A man who
does not mate a thousand bsles, weighing &ve hundred pounds apiece,
is a small planter. Soma make upwards of three thousand bags. Their
trades are on an equal scale. They talk of a hundred thousand dollars
as we talk of a thousand; and they think no more of a draft of fifty
thousand doUars, than a prosperous planter in South Carolina would
think of flye thousand. ♦ * •
"I preached yesterday to a large and attendve coogregataon. Both
the Presbyterian churches here are stiong and influentiBl bodies. My
trip to the West has impressed me more than ever with the importance
0( our Seminary. The gospel muat keep paoe with the tide of popula-
tion ; the hope of our country depends upon its being pervaded with the
spirit and institutions of Christianity. And I think I have a clear notion
of what sort of preachers we want. I feel that we have a great work to
do ; and I am resolved, in Gkid's strength, to gird up my loins and set
about it. I have made several acquaintances here. The Lord has raised
me np friends wherever I have gone. He has truly sent His angel he-
fore me, to keep me in the way, and to bring nie from place to place.
Every day adds some new memorial of His goodness. I leave this after-
noon for Kentucky ; and I sincerely trust that the same goodness, which
has followed me hitherto, will conduct me sfill.
" I presume that this letter will find you at home ; hut you may be in
Sumter. My heart is with yon, wherever you go. I earnestly pray that
your health may be preserved, and that your soul may prosper. I can-
not tell you how often and how tenderly you are in my thoughts and my
prayers. The Lord has greatly hlessed me in my family, and I feel my-
self utterly unworthy of His kindness. My journey has been sanctified
to me, in bringing me much into commnnion with my own lieart, and
revealing to me my spiiitnal wants and defects. I gm resolved, hy God's
grace, to live a holier and more devoted life. I want to be entirely con-
secrated to God, weaned from self, from pride and vanity, and know-
ing nothing but Christ and Him crucified. Pray for me, my dearest
love, for I need much prayer. God bless yon, and comfort you and
keep you.
" Your devoted h
J. H. Thoenwell."
To the s
" GENBBiL AssBMBLT, Lexinotoh, Mo^ 26, 1S5T.
"Mr Dbamist Love; I seize a moment amid the business of the
Assembly, and while a member is mating a long-winded speech, to hold
with the being who is dearest to me of all other beings on
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LTFE. 427
earth. Your letter from Sumter has been rooeivod, and you have a
thonsftnd thanks for its preoiovis CDuteuts. I trust that I biq nnf ejgaedly
thankful to God for all His meroies to me ; and especially in the restora-
tion and praeervatiou. of your health, and for the health of all my chil-
dreu and serrantB, since I left home. I have a Tery pleasant time h«re ;
meeting roimy aoqnaintaneeB, and receiving a thousand marks of kind-
neag and esteem. The Lord hm enabled me to preach with great aooep-
" We had a fine day yesterday. It w^ devoted entirely to the eabject
■of Foreign MiBsions. I made a, speech, which I hope the Lord blessed
to the good of us all. I go nest Sunday to Cincinnati, and praach there.
I haye so many solioitations to preach at different places, that .it hum-
bles me tothink how much God honours me when I am eo unworthy.
The only setting down that I have had in the way of compliment was
the question which was as&ed, if I did not wear a wig. But I am.
thought ia be much younger looking than was expected. Everybody
inquires after you. There is a great curiosity to see yon, as it is thought
you must be a very remarkable woman.. I tell the people that I have
■ the greatest wife in the world, and they all believe it. Much love to all
the ohildren; kiss them all, and remember me to the servants.
"Youi devoted husband,
J. H. Thohnwkll."
"STEiiTEs 'Ehphebs,' Ohio Eivbb, JuTie 5, 1857,
" Mt DE4ET3T Love : I was so beset and occupied with caHs the day
that I left Leiington, that I had not time to write to you what my heart
prompted me to say. We had a most delightful meeting of the Assem-
l)ly. The Lord gave me special favour in the eyes of the people ; and I
sincerely trust that every sermon which I preached was aoeompauied
with His blessing. I preached one night to the students of Transylva-
nia University ; and as I was leaving LeKington, I received a lettjer from
them, at the hands of a committee, beautifully and tduehingly written,
begging me to accept a splendid silver pitcher, which I had work U> get
into my trunk. I have said nothing about it, i^ I do not like to make
a hlowing-hom of such tilings ; but I know it will be gratifying to you
to learn that the Lord has prospered my way.
" We are now on the river ; and the weather foe two days has been so
cold that we have found fires necessary to our comfort. I am afraid
that we shall not be able to get beyond Memphis for Sunday. « * •
1 dread the trip which I have t* make ; but the interests of the Seminary
will be greatly promoted by it. I have done much good already. Kiss
all the children for me, from Nannie down. God grant that they may all
be children of His grace ! Tell the boys that I am paiticularly anxious
to hear good reports from them. They must not pass a day without
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42S LIFE OF JAMBS HKNI.EY THOaNWELL.
reading ilieir Bibles, and calling upon God in prayer. Remember me-
also to the servants. Ana now, dearest, may the Lord be with you, and
keep you, and bless you, and lead you iu tie way eyeclastiug !
' ' yoni devoted husband,
J. H. Thoiinweij:., "
The only part of the proceedings of the Assembly of
185T with which these Memoirs ai'e concerned, was the
appointment of a Committee to revise the Book of Disci-
pline, with Dr. Thomwell aa its Chairman. The subject
came up before the Assembly through two overtures, one
from Dr. R. J. Breckinridge, proposing a change from
Preebyterial to Synodical representation , and a limitation,
of the General Assembly to fifty ministers and fifty ruling
elders, each; the other from the Presbytery of PhUa-
delphia, proposing a form of judicial proceedings. The
first suggestion was, to commit these topics to suitable-
men for consideration, who should report to the next
Assembly. This was enlarged so as to requu'e an ex-
amination and revision of the whole Book of DiscipKne..
The Eev. Dr. Hoge, of Ohio, proposed to add the Form
of Government also as a subject for revision, which was-
resisted by Dr. Thornwell, on the ground that the Church
was not yet prepsii'ed for this. This ineasuro was there-
fore dropped, and the Book of Discipline was put for
revision into the .hands of a committee, consisting of
Eev. Drs. Thornwell, Breckinridge, Hodge, Hoge, McGilL;
Swift, and Judges Sharswood, Allen, and Leavitt. It.
may be added, that the subject continued to be under'
discussion until the breaking out of the war, and the
separation of the Southern Clmrch from the Northern.
It was taken op in the Southern Assembly aftei' its or-
ganization, under a committee of its own, which reported
a revised code for adoption. The Presbyteries not being
sufficiently agreed, the work was laid by; and thus the
matter at present rests. The reader will be interested in
the following letter from the lamented Dr. Van Bensse-
laer, the Moderator by whom the apoointment of the
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B. 42?
original committee was made. It is addressed to Dr.
Thornwell :
" PniLADEUHii, August 10, 1857.
" Mt Deab Bkother : I feel some solicitude about the results oS the
action of the oommittee, appointed by the Inet Assembly, to reviBs our
Book of Discipline. I say lolicititde, chiefly because I had the responsi-
bility of the appointment of the committee, as Modelator. C
the whole matter frequently, I hSTe always come to the coi
I eoiUd not have done better. I firmly believe that it is in
to bring m a report Batisfaotoiy to the great body of our p
rcKBOua whj I named yju as chairman were, first, your i
views on the aubjeot r f altering our Boot ; Beoond, your influence in
carrying Ihe c[uestion in the Assembly ; third, the great confidence and
loTe ot the ChanJi towHids yon, and the respect entertained of your
mental endowments ; fourth, I wiehed to avoid the appearance of giving
too much predominance to this section of the Church; fifth, I was
strongly drawn towards you that night, by an influence which seemed to-
me more Uke a special Divine influence than, anything I remember to
baye experienced during ray whole life. My mind was led to jou, and,
"Under .these ciroumstaQces, I have a strong desire to see the wort
done, and done by you ; and I believe that, under God, yoM can do it.
Alterations in the book are unquestionably called for ; and if they are
made with judgment and decision, and are not too numerous, the Pres-
byteries will adopt them."
Here follow some matters of detML, aa to the meeting:
of the committee. The letter concludes :
" Praying that you may fulfil the best hopes of the Church in the im^
portant work committed to your care, I am,
' ' Yours respectfully and fraternally,
C. TanB
Although Dr. Thornwell liad occupied the ciiair of
Didactic and Polemic Theology in the Seminary, from
the beginning of 1856, ids inaiigm-ation, as a matter of
form, did not take place till near the close of the second
year of his incumbency. On the 13th of October, 1857,
in the presence of the Board of Directors, and of many of
the members of the Synod of South Carolina, he delivered
his Inaugural Discourse, in the Presbyterian church, Co-
lumbia, South Carolina. The services were solemn and
imposing throughout. A felicitous charge was first given.
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4:30 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKSWELL.
by the E.ev, Dr. Smyth, of Charleston, to the ]
elect ; who then publicly subscribed the fonnula p
ill the Seminary constitution, binding him to teach nothing
contrary to the standai-de of the Presbyterian Church.
The diecourse then pronounced had been written at a
^ngle sitting the preceding liight, but, a& he said, " with
his mind at a white heat; " and though occupying but ten
pages in the first volume of his " Collected Writings," in
the expanded form in which it was delivered, without
notes, one hour and a half were consumed, without weari-
ness to his delighted auditors. The subject was as com-
prehensive as it was appropriate : " The Scope of The-
ology: its claims to be considered as a science, and the
principle which should regi.ilate the arrangement of the
pai'ts, and their combination into a complete and har-
monious whole." The subject, the occasion, and the
spealier, were alike worthy of each other, and the scene
one never to be forgotten by those who were privileged
to witness it.
It is proper to state that, about this date, during the
summer or autumn of 1857, the additional title of Doctor
of Laws was conferred upon him, we believe, by Ogle-
thorpe University, of Georgia, There being nothing in
the papers we have in our hands to iix either the date or
the source of this academic distinction, we are forced to
rely iipon the impressions of his friends as to the latter,
and upon a comparison of dates for the former.
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CHAPTEE XXX.
■SEMINARr LIFE CONTINUED.
Visits TitE Southwdst on Behau op the Sejonaey.— luPEEsaioi-s
Of New OaLEiKB.— Effect of His PllKAoBiNO-.^DEAia of His
Fbiend, Key. Mb. Bishop. — Letteb to His Wibow. — AssemeiiY of
1859. — His Bepoet on EEyisios. — Remakeable Speech in the As-
SBMELr. — I.ETTEKS FEOM INDIABAFOLIS. —EETUBN HoME. — DaATH OF
TTiH OtDEST Dattohtbk.— Afpeoting- CmcuMaTANCES Attending it.
His Affliction and Kebignaiion. — Letter Detaimno Hek Sickness
AND Death. —Anseety fob the Conveesion of His Childken.— Lei-
tee OF Sympathy. — Asskmblx of 18(30. — His Debate "with De. Houge
ON TEE QdEBTION OF BOAEDS.
rr the early part of the year 1858, Dr. Thornwell
visited the city of New Orleans, in the interest of the
Seminary at Oolumhia, Ifc had always been the design
of this institntion to extend its influence over the entire
Southwest, which seemed to be the territory from wliich
its patronage should largely be drawn. As early as
1855, a deputation had been sent to the chui'ches in this
region, to draw more closely the bonds of sympathy and
union. Dr. Thornwell's mission was, however, to the
Synod of Mississippi, which met, later than usual, at Kew
Orleans, It was the author's unspeakable pleasure to
receive the friend whom he loved into his home as a
guest, and to hear his voice proclaiming the gospel of the
grace of God, as in former years, from his own pulpit.
The few discourses which his strength enabled him to
deliver, are held in sweet remembrance by many at this
day; and are mentioned still as the standard — the highest
they had ever known — of what pulpit eloq^uence should
he. The brief letters of this date will convey his own
impressions of what he heard and saw; mntdated, as
these letters must be, of all personal reference to him by
whose hand they are here transcribed:
431
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432 LIFE OF .TiMES HENLEY THOKSWELL.
"Nkw Ohi.e*.n3, Janwtry IS, 1858.
" My DuiSEST "Wife : The Synod of Mississippi adjourned last night
aVjout ele-ven o'clock. My meeting with the brethren has heen very
pleasant, and my mieeion for the Seminary far more sixceeasful than 1
had any right to eipeot^ Our proposition was not accepted, to have
this Synod adopt the Seminary, as Ahibama had done ; but resolutions
were Tinauimoualy passed, expressing confidence in. as, commending ns
to the churches, and declaring that it was never the purpose of the Sy-
nod to tie itself to DanTiUe, We have gained more than might have
heen expCQted, when the efforts of Danville for several years are con-
sidered, and the resolutioDiS of two other meetings of Synod in favour
of Danville are taien into the account. If I had not come, we should
have heen apt to lose MissiBsippi entirely. As it is, the country is now
pretty safe.
" I had a meeting yesterday eyeaing of the leading gentlenien con-
nected with Dr Palmer's church, and laid the claims of the Seminary
before them They were very cordial, even warm and zealous in our
favour They advised me to remain another Sunday, and to mate the
same statement to the pnblio which I made to them. They thought
that the imprpssion would he very happy, and that I would prepare
the woy fra a handsome donation, as soon as the present pressure was
m some degree relieved. My aim is to gat Hew Orleans to shoulder the
debt for Dr. Smyth's library ; that is, to guarantee to us fifteen thou-
sand dollars principal, and the interest until it is all paid. I think
they wJU do it ; and if they do, I shall feel that I have been enabled, by
the blesing of God, to accomplish a most important work here. My
next effort wiU be at Mobile. I intended to be there next Sunday, but
this new arrangement will throw me back a week later. Ansions as I
am to be at home, I feel that, while I am out, it is my duty to explore
the field, and do what I can. My own fireside is all the world to me.
Still I am glad that I have made so many interesting aec[uaintimces. It
has enlarged my sphere of usefulness. « * *
" Tour devoted husband,
"J. H. TnOENWELL."
To the same :
"New Obleans, January 15, 1858.
" My Deaeest Wife ! It seems tome almost a year since I left you and
the little ones at home. * * But I am reconciled to my long and dreary
absence by reflecting that I am on the Lord's hnsinesB, and that I am.
promoting the interests and glory of His kingdom. My visit here has
been of signal benefit to the Seminary. The people here have received
me with open arms ; and my only regret is, that I have not been able to
labour more efSciently among them. I have suffered very much from a
bad cold ; and the weather has been so wet and warm, that I can make
rary little headway in reoovej;ing. The climate here is like spring,
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BEMINAKY LIFE. 433
flo-wers are blooming, trees Imdding ; Englist peas, lettuoe, and spring
■vegetables, are nbundajit. So far from neediDg fire, most of tlie day %ve
have to leave the windows open. It is, no doubt, unuauallj warm ; but
the dimats is far milder tlian ours. But the moisture is Ter j great. The
gvoijud is saturated with water ; and, wliere they are not parad, the
Etreeta are intolerably muddy and nasty. * * «
"I shall leave here on Monday or Tuesday, for Mobile. How long I
shall remain tliere, I cannot say, until I feel the pulse of the people.
Kiss the children for me, and accept any quantity of love for yonrself ;
and beUeve me,
"Your devoted husband,
J. H. TaOHNWETJ,."
The next letter ia addressed to one of his daughters :
"MoBiLB, Ja/ima/ry 20, 1858.
"Ml Deak DAncHTEB; I received jour weloome and affectionate
letter yesterday, just as I was leaving New Orleans ; and was rejoioed to
hear that yon were well, and were gratified with your visit to Abbeville.
I was pariioularly delighted that you prized so highly the privilege of the
Lord's Snpper. It ia indeed a feast to those who love the Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity and truth. He is the food of our souls. To His pre-
cious blood we look for pardon ; to His righteousness, for favour ; and to
His Spirit, for hoUness. He is as willing, as He ia able, tfl bless as ; and
, it is a glorious thing when we can resign ourselves into His hands, feeling
that we are nothing, and that He is everytiiing. Endeavour, my dear
child,' to live close to Him, and to seek His guidance and His favour in
everything. Confide in Him as a friend, and trust Him with all your
cares. Lean upon Him, as you would lean upon your father, and He will
keep you in all your ways. Never forget to pray, and to study the Holy
Scriptures, and ask for light to underetand them.
"I left New Orleans yesterday, after a pleasant stay of two weeks. My
miasion was quite sucoessful. The people have determined to raise there,
fifteen, thousand doUars for the Seminary, certainly, and perhaps more.
They were very cordial to me, and seemed highly edified with my
preaching. It is a great place, and one of the widest fields of uaofubioss
on our continent. * * *
" The lord be with yon all, and bless and keep you.
" Your affectionate father,
J. H. Thobnweijl."
The death of the Kev. Pierpont Bishop drew forth a
letter to hia hereaved widow, in which are expressed his
feelings of veneration and love for one whose depth of
piety_ and religious zeal never failed to impress those to
whom he was known:
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434 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORN^VELL.
" Tbeolooioal Sbuihaby, March fl, 1859.
"MyDBiKMBs. Bmaoe; I have just this jnomBut receive d the painful
iEtelligence of your liusbaiid's death. Little did I dream, when I left
hi^" on Thursday momiag, aiid when he eo oonfideatly espaoted to TiBit
us in May, that my eyes should never more behold Ma venerated form.
Still lesB did I dream, when I reueived, two -weeks ago, a letter of con-
dolence end of sympathy from him, tliat I should so sooa be called upon
to administer consolation U) his beloved family. I need not Say to you
how deeply I sympathize with you in your sad bereavement. "You have
reason to weep. Yon have lost one wto has left few equals on earth.
He was a man of Gkid; a rcan whose heart was in heaven, while his body
freely mingled among the sons of men. He was a man of prayer, fiiH of
the Holy Ghost, full of zeal in his Master's cause, and full of charity to
his fellow man. Kone knew him without loving him ; and the more
ihey knew, the more they loved him. I always esieemad hia intimacy
and friendship as among the richest blessings of my life. Your loss is
great. But in the midst of yoor sorrow you have much to be thankful
for. Yon should be thaoMul for the many years you were privileged to
enjoy tJie society, guidance, conMenoe, and love, of such a man. It was
a rich boon, and a boon conferred upon very few of your ses. You
ehonld be thankful for the precious memories which you are permitted
to oherlst of his conversation, his charities, and his zeaL You should
bless God for the noble legacy he has left you and your children, in a
pure example, a treasury of prayers, and a hearty consecration of you
all to God. Depend upon it, you have been highly favoured ; and you
must not forget that, if your afBiction is unusually severe, it is only be-
cause your blessings have been pre-eminently great. Xou kno*, too,
that you shall see him again. Those who sleep in Jesus will God bring
wiHx Him. He is not dead, bat sleepeth ; and the Saviour, at the proper
time wil! assuredly wake him j and you shall then see that Ms death, at
this precise juncture, was for the glory of God. In the meanwhile you
are not a widow ; tor the Lord Jehovah promises to be your husband.
Trust in Him, mate His promises your portion, and, above all things,
murmur not against His will. His ways may be ijj the dark ; but infinite
wisdom, and goodness, and love, regulate all the dispensations of His
providence to His cMldren. What He does, you may not know now,
but you shall know hereaiter ; and when you come to understand it,
you will cordially approve it. Trust, therefore, in Him, and commit
yourself and your children into Hia hands. Could your husband speak
to you from the skies, this is what he would say to you.
" My whole family deeply sympathize with you. Every child in my
household loved the very name of Bishop. God grant that we may all
imitafB Ms example, and follow Mm as he followed Christ.
" I have written in great haste, upon the very instant of receiving the
sad news. I almost" regret that I had not remained to pay the last tri-
bute of respect to his remains ; and yet I do not know how I coul4 have
borne the sad spectacle. I apprehended no danger. The Lord bless
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SEMINABY T.Il'E. i6i>
jou sod keep you, and be the Guai'dian, Friend, and everlasting portion
of you and yours.
" Most tnily your friend,
J. li. TaOBMWELIi. "
Dr. Thoniwell was a member of the Assembly of 1859,
which met at Indianapolie; and there, as chau-man of tJw
Committee on the Revision of the Book of Discipline,
Bubmitted his first report. The subject, after full dia-
cnssioii, was recommitted; and remained in the hands
of the Committee until the war, and tlie division of the
Chm'di, which that necessitated, in 1861. Those who
desire to be minutely informed of the changes which
were proposed in the revised code, are refei-red to the
full exposition and defence of them by the chaii-mau, as
found ill the fourth volume of his " Collected Writings."
They were intended to simplify the book; to remove saoi-
biguities; to state more accurately what are "offences,"
in the view of our standards; to adjust the relations of
the lower and the higher courte, in cases of appeal; to
define with greater exactness the sense in which the bap-
tized and iion-communicating members of the Church are
under its discipline, and the like. The intense conserva-
tism of the Presbyterian Church has hitherto resisted all
efforts to remove even the acknowledged defects and
anomalies of the existing book; and that, too, in the face
of a very general admission that most of the changes,
■which have been suggested in these various revisions, are
a manifest improvement. The writer frankly acknow-
ledges himself to be of that class, who would hail with
delight a more articulate and a more pronounced exposi-
tion of our principles of Church Order and Government,
as these have been elucidated in the discussions and con-
troversies of the last thirty years. Both in Europe and
America, the Presbyterian Church has been, to a greater,
or less extent, embarrassed by complications, which have
hindered the fullest expression of all her principles ; and,
in the stmggle to emancipate herself, has been plunged
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i36 LITE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL,
into controversies which have Ijrought these out more and
more distiactlj into view. In the Southern branch of
the Ohiurelj, a degree of unanimity prevails upon all es-
sential points, most favourable to an authoritative expo-
sition of them, but for the resti-aint imposed by a simple
dread of the spirit of restlessness and change. The
Chui-ch, indeed, is safe under a proper and strict inter-
pretation of her law, as it stands; but it would be an im-
meuBe gain if that interpretation itself were fixed for ever
by the removal of ambiguities from the code by which
she is governed.
Neai' the close of the session of this Assembly, Dr.
Thornwell delivered a short speech, fai- less elaborate
than many we have heard from his lips, but which was
an admirable specimen of his forensic power, in some-
times sweeping an audience away with a burst of impas-
sion^ed feeling. A paper had been introduced commend-
ing the African colonization scheme. Dr. Thornwell
was seated on one of the front benches, at the side of the
rostrum, in a listless and inattentive mood. The writer
touched his hand, and said, in a whisper, " iN'ow is your
time; this is an unembarrassed issue in which to urge
jour views as to the spiritual functions of the Chm'ch."
He sprang instantly to his feet, and, without a moment
for the arrangement of his thoughts, proceeded to argne,
that "the Church is exclusively a spiritual organiza-
tion, and possesses only a spiritual power. Her business
w^ae the salvation of men ; and she had no mission to ciu-e
for the things, or to become entangled with the kingdonm
and policy, of this world. To this view," he said, "the
Church has been steadily coming np ; and in consequence,
what a spectacle does she present to the country and the
world ! And why does our beloved Zion stand thus ' the
beauty of the land V It is because the only voice she
utters is the "Word of God; because no voice is heard in
her councils but His. He gloried in the position of this
Church. He was once attended by a young gentleman, a
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native of Great Britain, through the Tower of London;
and we paeaed through the long apartments and corri-
dors in whicli were deposited the trophies whioh Eng-
land's prowess had won in lier many Wivrs. As ray
companion pointed with becoming patriotic pride to
these trophies," said Dr. Thoruwell, " I raised myself- to
the fullest height my statiu-e would permit, and replied,
'Your country has carried on two wars with mine; but I
see no trophies won from American Talour,' Let oirr
Church," he continued, " lend lierself, in the name of the
Lord, and in her own proper sphere, to her own mission,
and her enemies will never rejoice over trophies won
from hei'. The salt that is to save this country is the
-Church of Christ, a Church that does not mix up with
B.ny political party, or any issue aside from her direct
mission."
The generous patriotism that breathed in these closing
sentences, a patriotism whicli gloried in the American
name, sent an electric thrill through the house; and it is
the only occasion on which the writer has ever known
the gravity and decorum of an ecclesiastical court dis-
tui-bed by an involuntary, though subdued, applause,
which wae instantly repressed by the Moderator's gavel.
The whole passage has a melancholy interest to those
who reflect how completely, and in how short a time, this
glowing pictui'c of a Churcli, true only to her own mis-
sion, was reversed and turned to the wall. We pass,
however, to the letters of this period :
" iHDiABAPOLia, Ma^ 19, 1859.
" Mt DaELiNQ Wife ; I have waited till night to write to yort, that I
might give you some acooant of the organization of the AsBembly. As
Dr. Soott, the last Moderator, was not prefient, Dr. EJea opened the
Aseembly with a sei'mon, which gave very gecerid Batisfaction. After
the sermoii, the Assembly adjonraed until four o'clock in the afternoon.
We then met, and elected a Moderator, Dr, W. L. Brectinridge, who
waa unanimouBly chosen, all other nominations being withdrawn.
" I have met a great many old acquaiatances, and they all seem glad to
see me ; a number that served with me at Mashville, New York, Lexing-
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438 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TIIORNWELL.
ton, and Giiieiiina.ti, Wliat tlie course of businuse will lie, end what the
temper in which the business will be conducted, I cannot yet conjectare,
Mueli wiU'depend on the committees to be reported to-morrow. But I
sincerely trust that the Spirit of God will be poured out upon us, and
thatwe maybe guided in all our deliberaiaons by Divinewisdom." * « •
Ag,aiii, under date of May 30th, 1859:
" My Beloved Wipe ; This is Monday morning ; and before tlie As-
sembly opens, I seize a moiDect to drop you a line. I preaelied yester-
day morning in one of the churches, to a veiy large congregation. The
house was jammed, and many had to go away, Tlie sermon seems to
have produced some impression, though I did not preach to my own
satisfaction. We held communion yesterday afternoon. It was a very
, pleasant and refreshing season ; and my affections and prayers .were
eamesUy engaged in behalf of the dear ones at home.
"My Bpeeeh on the Revision ciuestioc was well received, and pro-
duced a decided effect. The body still continues very harmonious, and
a fine spirit prevails. It is feared that the disappointed party, after the
election shall have been made for Profsssors in the North Western Semi-
nary, will try and make trouble ; but I hope that there is no fonnda.-
tion for the fear. The Assembly will probably not adjomn until the
second or thiitt day in June. I shall then have to spend a day or so in
Kentucky. I am very reluctant to go, but I feel it to be my duty ; and
all Dr, Breokinridge's friends thjnk it very important that I should see
him.* If BO, I may not be at home before the 10th of June. * • » »
Love to all. To God I commit you. Abide under the shadow of His
wings. Your demoted husband,
J. H. Th<
It :was dvu-ing this meeting that Dr. Thornwell preauhed
a sernijOn from the text, " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
Me ? '-' which is said to have melted the whole audience
into tears. The statement does not surprise those wlio
are familiar with the marvellous unction with which he
would often expound Divine themes, when he seemed
borne out of himself by a secret and resistless impulse,
and was only less tliau inspired. He himself afterwards
said of this eermoii, that lie had prepai-ed it but a short
time before, in his ministrations in his own pulpit, and
never anticipated the great impression produced l>j it on
this occasion. The fact is, the grandest illustrations of
his power were not to bo found in hia elaborate and set
* Dr. BtecHnridge had recently tost hie wife.
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SEMINAET LIFE.
discourses, which were sometimes overweighted ; but in his
ordinary preparation, on occasions when the Divine afflatus
was upon hisn, and he would appear more like one of the
old Hebrew prophets, upon whom rested some " burden
of the Lord," forcing its utterance from the lips.
Br. Thornwell returned home from Indianapolis to en-
counter a great son-ow. His eldest daughter, Nannie
"Witherspoon, just twenty years of age, had been taken ill
two days before his retnrn, and ^dthin a week was laid in
the tomb. He was aceustomed to say of her that, of all
his children, she was most like himself in the order and
structure of her mind; and, perhaps on this account, he
felt in her a pecnHar joy and pride. She was the idol of
his heart. His first meeting with her, upon his retiu-n,
was affecting in the extreme; but, as it is simply said in
the account from which we draw, it was " too sacred for
any eye save of those bound to him by ties of blood." In
the progress of her disease, he wrestled with Ins grief,
and could not easily give her jip. When it became ap-
parent that she must die, he took his wife into the ad-
joining room, and there the two knelt and prayed for help
and for submission. At intervals, he read and prayed
with the departing one ; and she, in the triumph of her
faith, became his comforter, and sought with tender words
to reconcile him to the inevitable separation. It was a
beautiful scene: this reversal of positions between the
dying child and the strong father, wi-ithing in the cruci-
iixion of his affections. But, like David, when the blow
fell, his prayer for lielp was answered, and he bowed him-
self, and said, "It is the Lord I " The peculiar circum-
stances of this bereavement tln-ew around it an inex-
pressible tenderness. The young lady vi&s on the eve of
her marriage, with one for whom she knew it would he a
joy to live. The father had hastened back to bestow hia
parental blessing upon the union that seemed to be so
auspicious. The invitations to the wedding had already
been issued. So violent had been the illness, and so
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440 LIFE OF JAMBS HENLEY TnORNWELL.
Budden its termination, that aiich as were sent to a dis-
tance couM not te reealled. The bridal drees became the
shj'oud ; and jnat a little after the day when she shonld
have plighted her vows before the altar, tlie very attend-
ants who, in a different scene, should have "rejoiced,
hearing the bridegi'oom's voice," with tlieir white gloves
lifted the bier, and bore it to the grave. In the peaceful
Elmwood Cemetery, at Columbia, a marble slab bears the
simple inscription of her name and age, with these appro-
words beneath :
"Pebfaked as i. Beidh adobnbd IDE HUE Husband."
It was a 60rrow from which the stricken father never
fully recovered. From this time hiB health became feebler,
a tinge of sadness rested upon his countenance, the Chris-
tian graces became sweeter and softer every day, and it
was evident to all that he was himself mellowing Tapidly,
to be gathered above with her who had gone.
The letter which follows was addressed to Mr. Eobert
Carter,* of l^ew York, presenting some details of tliis
* We cannot refrain from Bubjoimag the cote of Mr. Eobert Carter,
acoompaoyicg a copy of tTi'a letter, when sent to the writer. It is eo
honourabla to him, and bears suoh a cheerful teatimocy to the worth of
our oommou friend, What shoeka Christian affection has power to sar-
■vive ! . The differences of earth may cause it to tremble hke the magnet,
but ennnot throw it from its delioata poise ;
"Hew Yobe, August 29, 18T'i.
"Tour letter, dear sir, calls np many pleasing end many painful recol-
lections. Dr. Thomwell was one of my dearest friends. TVe were thrown
together in London, in 18+1, and sailed together, in fia 'Britannia,'
home. I had the opportunity of meeting him at many of our Aseom-
blies. We spent a delightful day at Chattanooga, on Lookout mountain,
on our way to Nashville ; and he spent the last days he was North at my
house, when the dark cloud was tiiiakening which shrouded his latter
days. My heart bleeds when I think of one whom I loved so dearly,
and whom I shall see no more on earth, I consider him one of the most
eloquent preachers I ever heard. As a friend, I can scarcely speak of
him. He was so confiding, so winning, so witty, and, in his graver mo-
ments, so tender and spiritual, that I look around in vain for one to take
his place. Yoiira fratemaily,
EOBEKT CABTHB."
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sweet young Cliristian, which we have reserved to be
given in the father's own words :
" Theologicai. Semtbaby, June 27, 1859.
' ' My DsiE FfilBND : I have just reeeired your kind and eordifd letter
of Christian ajmpatliy ; and as tte subjeot is one upon which I taie a
loelaceholy pleasure ia dwelling, I proceed at oaee to answer your tender
and Effeetiooate inquiries. You may remember that I told you of her
approaching wedding. Slie was to have been married, on the 15th in-
stant, to a young man eminently wortliy of any heart or any haud.t I
reached home on the morning of tha 9th, and found her in bed with a
raging fever. She hod then been sick two days. Her symptoms ap-
peared to me unfavourable, and I oalled in two other phjsioiauE. The
aert day I became alarmed, and on Fridsy gave her to understand that
her case was oritiooL She was not at all disconcerted. She assured me
that her peace was made with God ; that, though she had many earthly
ties, and some of them very tender, there was nothing that she loved in
comparison with the Lord Jesus Christ, and nothing that she was not
ready to saerifioe at His call. She called aU the family to hei bed side,
united in prayer with them, and gave to each a parting benediotion. The
scene was sublicae beyond deBcriptoon. To see a young girl, elegant,
accomplished, and highly esteemed, with ilnj most flattering piospects in
life, just upon tha eve of her marriage with one whom she devotedlj
loved, resign all earthly hopes and schemes and joys with, perfect com
posure, and welcome death as the voice of one supremely loi ed, was ft
speotaole that none who witnessed can ever foi^et. It was grand; it was
even awful. It impressed some who were in the room in a way they were
never impressed before ; and I fait more lite adoring God for that won-
drous triumph of His grace, than weeping for my own loss.
"After this scene she rallied; and tlie next day, the physicians thought
that there was a fair prospect of her recovery. 'When it was announced
to her that she might yet get well, she said that she wished to have no
choice ia the matter. AU that she desired was that God might ho glori-
fied, whether by her life or her death. For the sake of others, she
might desire to live ; but upon the whole she woidd prefer, if it was the
iKird's will, to depart and be with Jesus. She spent the whole day in
listening to the Scriptures, and conversing with me about the condition
oi the sou! after death. She was perfectly oahu and oolleeted; and
what she said was the deliberate utterance of faith, not the language of
escitement.
' ' Before the last hour came, she had a momentary conflict ; but gained
a glorious victory, and her joy was irrepressible. She threw her arms
aronnd my neck, and told me that her happiness was beyond expression.
She felt the presence of Jesus, and rejoiced in Him with joy incipress-
t The Rev. (now Dr.) T. Dwight Witherspoon,
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4iiJ LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOItJiWliLL,
ible, and full of glory. It was a glorious death, a toinmphal p
Wiat makee tlie whole matter more coiiBoling is, that there had been for
months a marked and rapid progress in Diviae tMugs. She had been
mucli in prayer ■ and as a proof of her intense spiritnahty, she haa left
behind her a paper, containing her reflections and feelings and purposes
in the prospect of her marriage, and all bespeak the condition of one
whose eye was single to the glory of God. It is a precious document,
absolutely amazing for her years. Two days before she was taken sick,
she had been on a visit to a friend in Sumter ; and upon her return,
spoke to her mother of the delightful communion she had enjoyed with
God in prayer. The Master was e-vidently maturing her for haaven.
The family has been amazingly sustained. The truth is, we dare not
"murmur. The grace has been so transcendent, that it would be mon-
strous to repine. I feel my loss, for I lovod hor very tenderly. But
I bless God for what my eyes have seen, and my eais heard. "We have
been afraid to grieve, ihe triumph was bo ihustriouB. My second daughter
is a professor of religion, and, I think, a true child of God. My boys
are still out of the ark. Pray for us, lay dear friend ; especially pwy
that I may haYO no unconyerted child. The event haB been greatly
sanctified to ma and my wife, God grant thai we may never grow faint.
1 never relax my hold upon the covenant. Jesus has been more pre.
ciouB to me than I have felt Him for a long tame, and the gospel more
glorious. Hencefoi-th I am bound, I trust, for eternity. I want to live
only for the gloi^y of God. Pray for me and mine. The Loi'd biass you,
and reward yon for your kind and Christian sympathies.
"As ever, yours,
J. H. Tboesweli.."
His anxiety for the salviition of his children is expressed
in almost every letter, and is never omitted in tliose writ-
ten directly to them. "We give extracts from two, ad-
ctreaaed to his eldest son, Gillespie, than a boy of fifteen.
The first is dated —
"ElCHMOND, Augiist 4, 1859.
' ' My Deab Bos: :*****! have endeavoured to commit you
aU to God I and there is nothing on which my heart is so mnoh set as to
see you all enlisted in the service of tha LoM Jesus Christ. My cup ot
earthly happiness would be full, if you, and Jimmie, and Charlie, were
only true Christians. Xou would then bo safe for time and for eternity.
Depend upon it, my dear son, you will never repent of it, if you should
now give your heart unto the Lord. Iiet me beg you to seek, this sum-
mer, the salvation of your soul. Xou will have time to tliink, and read,
and pray, 'Write to me that you are not neglecting the one thing need-
ful. Be all that you know you onght to be. I think of you aU the time,
and never cease to pray for you, * * * »
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8EMINAKY LIFE. 443
The second letter is addressed to him at Oxford, Mis-
sissippi, where he w^ purstiing hia studies with the Rev.
T. Dwight "Witherspoon, who had- shared so deeply in
the late gi'eat sorrow. It is more various in its counsels,
aud is given' because it brings out the affection which
marked his intereoiirae witli all his children :
" THEOLomciii Seminabt, November 6, 1859.
" Mt Dbab Boy ; I reoeiTeii your weloome letter the first of the week,
saA in oonsequence of the pressure of my public engagements, haye
■deferred answering it until to-day. I need not say to you how much I
am dehghted at your purpose to study resolutely and oontiauously. Be
on yoal guard against passing over things too rapidly. There must be
a certain degree of dwelling upon any mattac, in order that it may stick
in the memory, « * « i am glad to hear that you are getting fonder
of Greet. It is a great language, and I want to see you thoroughly mas-
ter of it. Now is the time to lay the foundation broad and deep. Make
yourself perfect in the Gframmar, and the difficulties are all surmounted.
I would like for yon to read something besides your lessons. Plutarch's
Lives, Bancroft's History, Hume's History, Irviug's life of Washington,
<ir any books of the sort, will be of immense benefit to you. Try and
get a love for reading; make notes of what yon read; and often run
over what you have read in your mind ; so as to fix it in the memory.
I want you also to commit a great deal to memory ; it is one of the best
exorcises in the world. A good memory is indispensable to a man of
letters. It Is useless to have a thing, if you have no place to put it.
" The accounts which I have had of you are very gratifying. They
have done me good. If you hold out as you have begun, you will make
a man of yourself. But, abovu all things, keep constantly in view your
dependence on God. I never bow my knees without thinking of you
and Dwight. I look upon both of you as my boys, and I feel that both
of you are safe only in the hands of God. Make it your great business
to grow in grace. Watch the whole frame of your mind. Live close
to the Lord Jesos Cbrist. Let nothing induce you to neglect prayer, or
the reading of the Scriptures, and try to understand what you read.
"You may drop Virgil, if you are tired of it; but yon ought to read
the whole of it at some time. Ton mjist learn to scan all the Odes of
Horace ; make yourself master of them. I would advise you to take
pains in trying to write a good hand. Imitate Lwight's; he writeB
■beautifully. If you hold out as you have begun, and please me in all
things, I shall be very happy to make you a present of my fine blooded
mare, when you return home. The pups have grown finely. Jimmy
and Charley attend to tliem every day. Much love to Dwight.
" Your devoted father,
J. H. Thoenwell,"
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444 LIFB OF JAMliS HEKLKy THORHWELL.
About this time he paid a second visit to the South-
west, to strengthen the interest he had awakened the
pi-eceding yeai- in the Tlieologiual Seminary. He did
not, however, get beyond Mobile, beiug compelled, by
in (disposition, to return home from that point. He thas-
writes to his brother-in-law, the Eev, A. J. Witherepoon :.
" Theol at. ''emin b DeEemher 28, 1350.
" Mt Deae .Taqk ; ¥ou liavo p b bly 1 d b fore this of my india-
positioD in Mobile, which preY t d m t going to New Orleans,
and from atteiiding the Synod f Mih pp The whole thing was
ordered in. wisdom and love. It ed m to return home at occe,
■wbera I found a letter reqniring mrn di t tt lion, in relation to the
bnaineBs of my widowed sister. H d I ted my origioal purpose,
she would hftve been left in great distr witii t an adviser and with-
out a friend in whom she could p mph t nfidence. During my
ahsencs, too, ooe of my little ne y p mising child of Hocali's,
died suddenly and unexpectedly. I sincerely trust that she was prepared
foe the chiuige.
" I am very intent on raising the fifty tliousand dollars in the Synod,
of Alabams, by finding fifty men who will beoome responsible for a
thousand doHars apiece The scheme must not fail. "We must put the
Icstitatjon upon a footing worthy of the South. The Lord is smiling upon
UB, and it becomes us to take courage, and do more tlian we have eyer
doEe before. I want you to esert yourself, and find men who will come
into the arrangement. Last night one of our seminary students fell
asleep in Jesus. He was the yictim of a rapid, hereditary 'consump.
tion. My own family are ail in usual health, and all join in much love
to you and yours.
As ever, your devoted friend,
J. H. Thobnwkll.
The great comfort he experienced in the trinmphiint
death of his own daughter, brought him into close 'sym-
pathy witli one who was partaker of the like sorrow and
like consolation. The following, addressed to the Bev,
John F. Lanneau, of Salem, Va., maj' be read as a com-
mentary upon the Apostle's declai'ation, "We glory in
tribulation also,"
" Theological Semtbaky, Jamuary 30, 18G0.
"Mt Deab Bboihes: I have just seen the account of the claatll of
your darliug ' Jimmie,' and miist beg the privilege of being permitted
to rejoice with you in t>iia wonderful triumph of Divine grace. It
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SEMINAEY LITE. 445-
would be monstrous ingratitude to talk of grief in. a ease lika this.
There may be, and there muEt be, the pang of separation ; there may and
there must be those tears of natnre, •which testify to a fathev's interest,
and a father's loTe ; but anything that deserves to be called grief, must
not enter where God and Gbrist are so gloriously present, and where the
chamber of death is irradiated with the light, and joy, and blessedness
of the etemal city. God has honoured you, and jour propev attitude
before TTiiT ie that of profound and intense thankegiving. I want to"
joia wiSi yon in your eong of praise. I write to you now, not to com-
fort you, but to congratulate you that God has done such great things
for you. How delightful to think that your dear hoy is now safely
housed for ever, and that his young faculties are destiriedto eSpaud and'
mature amid scenes in which there shall be nothing to disturb, distract,'
or obsoure. Gone to heaven to be educated I what an honour !
■'I have juet finished Calvin's Oommentary on Genesis, and cannot
tell you how much spiritual refreshment and coraforf I have derived
from the light which hie own experience and grace enabled him to throw
upon the deahngs of God with the ancient patriarchs. Every day en-
larges my views, and deepens my convictions of the infinite riches of
Divine wisdom and goodness. "We serve no hard master. Our religion
is no cold and lifeless homage to an unsjmpathizing superior. We have
a Saviour that loves us, that entei'S into bH our joys and sorrowB, that
permits us to converse familiarly with Him, and that ^owa, in the con-
fidence of friendship, the secret of Hia covenant. ' Our light afBictious,
which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory." ' It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but
vre know this, that when He shall appear we shall he like Him,' and
shall be everlastingly parUcipants of Hia glory, Rejoice, my brother,
that you are a child of God ; rejoice, again, tliat you are permitted to be
father of sons and daugthers of the Lord Almighty ; and rejoice above'
all tilings, that after a few more changes and vicissitudes, you and yours
shall be for ever gathered to the Lord.
"Excuse these hasty lines, coming from a sympathizing heart. I
could not forbear to speak ; and yet I have almost felt it an intrusion to'
say anything where God ia so conspicuously present. My whole family
have expressed the profoundest interest m your case. We know how
you feel. The Lord be with you, and bless you, and keep jou in the way
of hoUnoKS and peace.
' ' Very truly, as ever,
J. H. TaoaHWaiiii.''
The Assembly at Rochester, New York, was the tenth
and last General Aesembly of the united Chiirch in which
Dr. Thoniwell sat aa & member. It ia no slight proof
of the estimation, in which he was held as a presbyter^
that he should have been returned to this supreme council
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446 LIFE OF JAMES HEKLEY THOENWELL.
of the Chnreh at tw.o-fifths of its ariBual aesaions, from tlie
year 1836, when his ministry hegan, to the year 1860.
During ahiiost tJ^is entire period, moreover, he was con-
nected with the same Preshytery^ and that Presbytery
rather remarkable for the number of distingYiished and
representative men upon its roll.
The Assembly at Eoehester is chiefly memorable for
the earnest and able debate which was held on the subject
of Church Boards. It was hardly possible that the two
sides of this question could have been better represented
than by Drs. Thornwell and Hodge; and as both were
giants, the whole strength of the argmnent, on the one
side and on the other, was brought out. In the fourth
volume of Dr. Thomwell's " Collected "Writings," the en-
tire debate has been reproduced, with impartial fairness,
by the editors. Not only the speeches delivered on the
floor of the Assembly may be found, but the essays in the
Princeton and in the Columbia Semews, in which the
arguments of both parties are more fully expanded. We
cannot, of course, in these pages, re-state this controversy ;
but, in justice to him whose career we are undertaking to
sketch, it is proper to set forth the estimate he had of its
importance. In his judgment, " the whole question is- but
an offshoot from another question, which is the organisa-
tion of the Church itself . One party holds that Christ has,
given the materials and piinciples of Church government,
and has left us to shape them pretty much as we please;
the other party holds that He has given us a Okurch,
a constitution, laws. Presbyteries, Assemblies, presbyterS;
and all the functionaries necessary to a complete organi-
zation." Proceeding from this view, he argued " tliat the
Boards were an organism, and not an organ; that they
are the vicars of the Assembly, and appointed in itsj}lace;
and that the principles of action by which they are gov-
erned were unfavourable to the development of the Kfe
and zeal of the Church." His speech did not carry the
Assembly, though it was deeply moved by it. In the
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SKMTNAEY LIFE. 4:4:7
eoncliTsion," when he STimmonod the whole host of God's
elect to come up to the great work of giving the gospel
to a lost world, the whole audience was held in breathless
attention, their hearts vibrating as the heart of one man,
to the fervent "Amen, and amen" with which he closed.
A single brief letter is all that gives his own impression
of this Assembly, and of the part he took in its pro-
ceedings :
"EOOHKSTEE, ^aySS, 1880.
' ' My Daelihg Wife ; Tha Assembly is etill in Bsssion, and litely to
continue so for two days longer, The debate on the Boacds has ended,
and the other side carried the daj by a large majority ; but I thioi we
had tbc best of the argnmcnt. Their victory will not do them much
good.,
" We had an address from Father Ohiniqny to-night, and it was the
most interesting and tonehing thing I ever Hsterted to. He ie evidently
a fnie man, and the work among his people is a wonderful work of God,
I never had my heart more stirred than in listening to his simple story
of the dealings of God with him.
' ' I hare preached twice here, and, I have reason to think, with great
acceptance. Tha people have been very kind and hospitable, I am
so occupied, day and night, that I cannot steal the time to write as
often as I desire ; and I pray God that you may constantly eiperience a
sense of His love, and confidence in His protecting care. As the time
approaches for me fo aaU, I am strongly tempted to draw back. The
thought of not seeing you all, for so long a time, is a heavy burden. I
shall probably not write again nnfdl I get to New York, and mate all my
arrangements. I will inform yon of my plans, and how to address lefr
ters. Kiss the.ohildren ; and may the good Lord bless you alL
" Your devoted husbaod,
J. H. Tboenwbli,."
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CHAPTEB XXXI.
SECOND TRIP TO EVB.OFE.
S'aILDBE of HbAUIH. — SeOOITO YoSiQH TO EUHOPB.— Abbebable Pabtt,
■ — ISLB OF WiaHT.— Stay in Ixjbdon. — LETTEita Home. — Iseiiand. —
ISIBH AaaEUBLY. — SCOTLAKD. ExiIHEIlBOB.— ItB CtEEGY. — EETUBNa
TO Tjosdon.— Its HisTomc Associations. — Its Mihisieks.— Vibitb
THE Continent.— Basle. — Geneva. — The Alps. — Mountain Scenebt.
— ZujucH.— Its Assooiatidns. — Ebidmis to Ambeiga.
UPON the rising of the Aesemhly, Dr. Thornwell went
immediately to New York, to embark for Enrope.
His conetitution was visibly impaired, though neither he
nor his friends perceived that it was irrecoverably broken,
Nineteen yeara before, a sea-voyage had restored him,
when threatened with a serious decline; and lai'ge Lopes
were cherished that he would again be toned up by a
second trial of the sea, and tlie recreation of foreign
travel. The Church in Columbia had recently associated
with liim, as co-pastor, the Rev. F. P. MuUally, then juet
out of the Seminary ; so that he was relieved of all public
care in making the trip. He was more fortunate than
when he first crossed the Atlantic, in being now accom-
panied by congenial friends. His own suite consisted of
his second daughter, a young bride, with her husband, the
Kev, Robert B. Anderson ; his nephew, John A, Witlier-
spoon, a student of Divinity, and the Rev, P. H. Thomp-
. son, a recent graduate from the Seminaiy ; these, with
Iiis intimate friend, Rev. John Douglas, wife, and niece,
made up a pai'ty of eight; most of whom were young, and
buoyant with life and hope. His letters, therefore, are
more cheerful, and less filled with expressions of loneli-
ness and home sickness, than those he formerly penned
fi'Oin Europe.
449
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450 LIFE OF JAMKS HENLEY TMOENWELL.
On the second of June, 1860, they sailed from New
York, in the steamship Adriatic, and landed at South-
ampton, England, on the twelfth. The readci" will re-
memher the reflections which Dr. Thornwell indulged, on
the wearisome monotony of the ocean. His friends de-
scribe him on this voyage as evin<;ing little admiration for
the wide expanse of waters, and as rarely coming upon
deck, except for a few moments between supper and dai-k ;
giving occasion for the jocose remark that he was like a.
racoon, never leaving his den so long as he coiild see his
own shadow. He preached but once during the voyage,
which terminated without any of the incidents which are
noted in his journal before. The day following liis arrival
in England was spent in a delightful excm-sion on the
Isle of Wight, the beauty and cultivation of which formed
an exquisite contrast with the confinement and monotony
of the vessel. Dr. Thornwell had great enjoyment in
scenes rich with historical associations, and the Isle of
"Wight aboimded in these. He explored the rains of^
Carisbrook Castle, where Chai-les the Pirst was impri-
soned before his execution; and said that he was greatly
assisted in bringing before his imagination the civil con-
vulsion that resulted in the execution of Charles, and the
elevation of Ci'omwell.
But the stoiy of his impressions will bo told best in the
language of his own letters, which arc indeed the only
chronicle from which we are able to draw:
"LoNOON, June 18, 1S60.
"Ml Deaeesi Wife: I reached LoDdonlaBt Friday, having madfi be-
forehand a pleasant eiMucsion to the Isle of "Wight, We visited Caris-
brook Castle, and spent tie night at Portsmouth, whore y/e had most
wretched aeoommodatioas. We have been very much annoyed in fry-
ing to get comfortable quarters in. London. We squeezed in, the first
night, al; a hotel in Westminster, and were moat outrageously gouged.
We spent a day in seeking private quarters, and have found a place iu
the northern part of tiie city, in which we are constantly annoyed by the
want of servants. It has disgusted the whole party with London, and
they are anxious to get away. We have visited St. Paul's, the Tower, and
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6rC0ND TEIP TO EDEOl'E. 451
Thames Tunnel Jenme has enjoyed herself very much. Her healtli
ho8 improved steadily ehe eats beartiJy, sleeps soundly, and is always
in a good hum jnr She and I did not go to ohuroh yesterday, on aoeount
of rain. The rest of the party went in the morning to hear Dr. Hamil-
ton, and in the afternoon to hear Dr. Gamming. Jennie and I remained
at home, and read onr Bibles, and talked, and thought, and prayed about
the dear ones in America. You oancot imagine how much I long to see
jciu aU ; and if it were not for the comfort and consolation of prayer
and faith, I would not he able to endure the pangs of separation. But
the Lord has been Tery merdful to us since we left home, and it would
be most ungrateful not fo trust Him etill for the oontinuauce of His
groee. I thought of yon all yesterday, in your public worship. I eould
see you getting ready for the house of God. I eould see you, as you set
ont from home ; and I could fancy Mullally in ihe pulpit. You had my
earnest prayers for the blessing of God upon you.
" This is the gay season in London, The city is crowded with the
nobility and with strangers. Parhameut is in session, and parties and
balls are given every night by some attendants of the court. Of course,
the Queen has not heard of our arrival, and we have received no invita-
tions to the great Vanity Fairs I
" Toii may be surprised to hear that I have kept away from the book-
stores. I do not intend to enter into tempta-lion. I want to keep monoy
enough to bring me home. I even keep my old hat, and it is a perfect
curiosity here ; the English all wear the high, stiff bearer. I intended
fo get a new hat, but was gouged so badly at the Brunswick hotel, that I
have got into an economical fit, and will not spare the money. They
charged us, at that hotel, for one day, about ten dollars apiece. We are
now living at about two dollars a day, all expenses included. We have
rented a house for a week, fumishad ; and the landlady is to supply ns
with everything. But her husband has been opposed to the operation, and
the servants have been hindered, by the oross-firing between the parties,
from. giving ns proper attention. We are in a very retired and quiet
part of the city, and in a very pretty situation ; but not as comfortable
as we might be in Westminster.
"The weather has been very cold. We have fires every day, and
sleep under two blankets and a counterpane every night. It is said that
the oldest Englishman has no recollection of so cold a spell in June.
But the climate is very bracing. My own health seems to be as good as
it ever was. I can walk ten miles a day witiiout fatigue, and sleep well
for me. I have, as yet, made no acquainfances. I iiave not called on
the Amerioan minister. I want to go to Oxford and Cambridge this
week ; nest week we shall visit Edinbm'gh, then run over to Ireland, and
then set out for the continent. * * * * t t
' ' Kiss all the children ; remember me to the servants. The Lord be
with yon all, and bless you a thousand fold.
' ' Your devoted husband,
J. II. TsosswuLli."
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45^ LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOliNWELL.
His next letter is addi-essed to his daughter :
" JJotrooN, June 19, 1860.
' ' My Deae PiTTiB : Thoagh I have recently written to jour mother,
jet, as tta -neaOier pre^ente me from going but to-daj, I caonot spend
the time more pleaeontl; than in conversing with the dear ones at home.
Your mother aod the childrea are never out of my mind. I thiniof you
by day, and dream of you by night ; and would suSer mach from home-
BiekneBs, were it not that the company aronnd me is all so meiry and
full of frolic. «»**•*
"I called on Mr. Dallas, the American Minister, yesterday. He was
very pohte and kind. I had a letter to him from Mr. Bancroft, We
went yesterday to Westminster Abbey, to the two Houses of Parliament,
and to Westminster Hall. We saw the conrts in session, and ware much
amused with the white wigs. We heard a case partially argued before the
Lord Chancellor, in the House of Ijords. We went into another court,
where there were three judges on the bench in their wigs ; and they
were quietly eating a lunch, while a barrister was pleading, with great
eameBtness, before them. We rode round St. James' Pivrk, and took a
view of Buckingham Palace and St. James' Palace.
I have an invitation to-night to a sort of conference at Stafford
House, where the Earl of Shaftesbury is ifl preside. Stafford House is
tie finest Ducal residonce in the city. It belongs to the Duke of Suther-
land. If you take down my Guide Boole for London, you will find a fxill
desoripfion of it. I intend to go, as it may be the means of introducing
me into society. I expect to find an interesting party there. Mr. Dallas
has promised me a letter to Professor Mansell, of ©xford. The Com-
mencement is still going on there. I intend to go there, either this week
or nest. I propose also to visit Cambridge, on my way to Edinburgh.
About the middle of July we shall go to Paris. For myself, I am tired
of sight-seeing; when one makes a business of it, the thing becomes
very laborious. I much prefer meeting with educated men, and con-
versing with them.
" 1 leave it to Jennie to tell you all the sights ; she is full of them, and
enjoys them very much. The party has a great deal of fun every night
in writing np jmurnals, I write nothing at all, except what I scribble
home. I hope Gillespie will study hard, and get ready for College. I
intend to bring him. a handsome gold watch, with hunting ease. Tell
Jimmie and Charlie that they will get some fine prcaonts from Europe,
if they stndy to be good boys. I want them to attend very closely to
their books. But, above all, eshort them to seek the favour of God,
The great thing is true religion. There is nothing I desire so rauoL as
to see all my children walking in the fear of the Lord. I have conse-
crated them all to God, aud sincerely pray that they may consecrate
themselves. Mj efforts cannot save them. They must pray for them-
selves i fhey must repent and believe in Clirist for themselves. They
must seek the salvation of their own souls. Let me beg you all to attend
earnestly to this great matter.
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SECOND TRIP TO EOKOPE.
" I hope MullflUy is getting on well in the cburcb.
■pray foe him, Butl tlie people of onr commou ohaig
kindly to all friendB. Kiss all the children, and temembBi' me to the
fieirants. The Lord blsKS you all, and keep yoiV.
' ' Your ctfectionate f atkei',
J. H. Thobkweli.."
'Diree days later, he writes to his son, Gillespie; from
■which the following extract will suffice :
"Yesterday we went to Windsor Castle, built by William the Coii-
queror, more than eight hundred years ago, and refitted by George the
Fourth, We were admitted into the State rooms, and some of the pri-
vate apartments of the Queen. The paintings, I suppose, are very fine,
BE they were eseented by the best masters ; bnt I am no judge of excel-
lence in that department of art. Ihe grounds embraoe a oirouit of many
miles. We rode about fifteen. Here is the forest which is the scene of
Shakspeare'splayof " The Merry Wives of Windsor." About a mile from
Windsor, on the other aide of the Thames, ia Eton College, to whioh
Gray deyoted a beantifai ode. Its chapel is a fine Gothic atruoture.
The College was founded by Henry the Siith, and some of the noblest
scholars of England have been educated at it. The education it gives
is only preparatory to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. * ♦
"The great Commencement took place at Oxford yesterday. I miEsed
it by not knowing the day ; bnt I have had a full account of it from eye
wiUiesses. It was a grand occasion. We shall be here nearly a week
longer. There is still much for the jouug folks to see. The Queen has
a great military review on Saturday, and they all expect to go. There
is also to be a grand concert at the Crystal Palace, on Monday or Tues-
day, and fiey expect to be there. A thousand loves to all the family.
The liOxA bless you all, and keep you.
" Yoni' affectionate father,
J. H. ThoehweiiI.."
The trip to Ireland and to Scotland was a humed one,
and is thus glanced at in a letter to his old friend, G-eneral
James Gillespie:
" London, July 31, 18G0.
"Ml Deib Genebal : I arrived in England about six weeks ago, after
a smooth passage of t«n days from New York to Southampton. After
spending ten or twelve days in London, I set out for Oxford, Warwick,
Wales, and Ireland. I spent only a week in the Emerald Isle, and
chiefly in Belfast, where I met a great many Presbyterian preachers,
the General Assembly being in session at the time. 1 was treated with
great courtesy, and repeatedly pressed to preach, which I declined to do.
The great revival has left its impress very strongly marked upon the
id by Google
45i 1.11'E OF JAMES HEJMLKY THOKKWELL.
oonntry. It was certaiiJj a very wouderfal work of gj;ace. Tha red.-
tals made in tha General AGsembty, and tlie aocounts which I t^ceiTed
from indiTiduflla, were profoimdlj intereBticg. I procured a history of
the work, prepared bythe Professor of Moral Philosophy in the Belfast
CoEege, with whom I formed o very pleasant acqiiaiutanoe.
"From Belfast I crossed the Chamiel to Glasgow, and then proceeded
to Edinburgh, where I lingered for more than a week. The eoeiety
there was truly refreshing. I was a great deal with the Principal of.
the New College, the Key. Dr. Cnnniugliam, an able and learned theo-
logian ; and spent part of a ^y very happily with Professor Fraser, the
successor of Sir 'Williaia Hamilton in the University of Edinburgh. I
was gratifiecl to find that I was not wholly unknown to Oie cQergy of
Scotland. Several of my articles in the Boutliem Presbjfterian Beview
had been re-published in the BriUslt and Foreign, Evangelical JReykin,.
and some of them had been complimented very highly. I went to Mel-
rose, Dryburgb, and Berwiok-on-Tweed ; tbeuoe to York, where I had
the oppoitvinity of attending aOathedral service; and from York to Lon-
don, where I am at present. On Monday I embark for the GonUnent..
At York I went into the Court 1 most exciting case was on tiial, the
impeachment f m mb f Paih m t f b b The re-iult
speaks well f Bnt sh j sti Tb man was co te 1 and fined fifty
thousand dollar dfdtfpmt te dt ten year's
imprisonment H h alth h
here is braci I t I h
day in Lond od st all
heart in in Am I m
J. H. Thobhweu.."
Before taking a final leave of England, it may be well
to record the testimony of one of his party : " Dr. Tliorn-
well, like Dr. Samuel Johiiaon, liad a great pai'tiality for
London. He admired the great solidity of every thing about,
it; and loved to dwell upon the interesting associations
tlmt clustered aronnd the grand old city, as she stood, a
huge monument of the past. Her ancient history was
our history; her people were of onr race ajid lineage,
and posseted our language and literature. He loved to
linger in "Westminster Abbey, and stroll slowly through
its long nave, and numerous passages; jo pause at the
dust of the illusti'ious dead, from the tombs of the earliest
monarchs, statesmen, warriors, and poets, to the new-
unp
3 The cbmata
lliv f
am
ail times a
1 my
body
! here, my
th m
tgrest, and
&ai fr
m Switzer-
,db, Google
SKConn Tiiii' TO EUKOi'E. 455
made grave pf Lord Mauaiilay. A favoiirito spot with
Iniii wus tlio To\rcr of London, with its rich dcpositorj'
■of relics, jncmoriaU of the reign of every monarch, and
its countless tropliies of war.
" Still more did he love the British MHseum ; he never
grew tii'ed of inspecting its wonderfnl curiosities, and
looking in silent admiration upon its mammoth hbrarj
■of six hundred thousand volumes.
" Paternoster Row, (a street made up mostly of book-
stores,) was a place of gi'eat attraction to the doctor. He
loved to explore those immense second-hand bookstores,
■wliere rare books of gi'eat value could he bought for a
few shillings. He did not preach in London, on tins visit
to the city, though earnestly pressed to do so by Dr.
Hamilton and others. He admired the spirituality of
Hamilton's religion, and the gospel unction that imbued
his sermons. He heard Baptist Noel, and Dr. Cnmming;
the simple gospel preaching of the former pleased him
very much; the latter, he never admired, Melville was
sick, and Spurgeon was taking a trip to the continent;
though most of the party heard him more than once, later
in the season. Mr. Dallas, who was then the American
Minister at the Court of St. James, presented Dr. Thorn-
■ffell with tickets of admission, for himself and friends,
to the Parliamentary debates. They were present at an
animated discussion, participated in by Gladstone, Pal-
merston. Lord John KusseU, and others. It was the unani-
mous opinion of the party that Gladstone was incom-
p)arahly the first man amongst them, the balance were
poor debaters, except Palmerston, who was a good second-
tlass speaker."
His next letter, written fi:om Paris, on the 8th of Au-
gust, posseaaes no general interest, and we pass on to
^mother, wliich is dated —
"BiBLB, Augvstl5, 18G0.
"My Deaeest Wife; Here we arc in Switzarlsmd, in the city of
Ei-aciiius, ii-liere one of tlie first copies of th.e Bible was printed. Here,
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456 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TIIOKNWELL.
too, three ttmdred and twenty-four years ngo, wlien pcrBecuidon was
raging in Trance against the Protestauts, CaWn published tte first edi-
tion of his immortal Institatea, and dediooted it to Fraacis the First,
in defence of the principles imd faith of his Buffering brethren. Here,
too, a council was held iu 1431, which elected the Duke of SaToy as
Pope. The oilj is dii^ded into two unequal parts by the river Rhine,
whieh flows through it. The view from the river is ijiiita stritiiig.
Our hotel is immediately on the river ; and out rooms loolt out upon it,
and give ue a noble and refreshing prospect. Last uigtt we spent at
Baden-Baden, where Napoleon lately held his conference with the
Princes of Germany. It is a fine watering place, tomanlacally situated
in the midst of mountains, and reminds you very much of the Virginia
Springs. This place is partionlarly celebrated for ife magnificent arrange-
ments for gambling. There is a large house, with splendid saloons, ele-
gantly furnished, for the purpose of carrying on this nefarious busiuess ;
and the first families in. Germany crowd around these tables, and pat-
ronize the business. There is one immense hall, in which the tables are,
and the other saioonB are for promenading, lounging, eating, and whafe
not, by way of attraction. From morning till midnight the work goes
on ; and you find ladies as freely as gentlemen. Princes, Dukes, and
Duchesses, all mingling in the scene. Of course, I did not go in ; but
— — - and — — slipped off at night, taMng care to leave their money, and
reported what they saw.
"The day before coming to Baden, we spent at Heidelberg. This
d.ty is situated in a narrow valley, on the banks of the Neckar, between
two Mnges of moantaias. Da one of the mountsina is one of the finest
ruins in Europe. It is an old castle, which, in its day, was a city within
itself. The views from the towers are as commanding as those froni-
fha highest point of the Warm Spring mountain, in Virginia. The
city takes name from the huckloberries that grow upon the mountains.
Heidelberg means ' the mountain of huckleberries.' Here I found Un-
derwood, who spent two years under me at Columbia. As soon as he
saw me, he threw his arms around my neck, and hugged me for very
joy. He came on to Baden with us, and spent with, us our whole time
■ there. You may well guess that I was delighted to see him. At Co-
logne, where I spent the first night after leaving Brussels, I bought a
few bottles of the pure water for you and Paiiie. They sell it higher
than you can get it in Columbia. From Cologne I went to Bonn,
the seat of a flourishing University; and there I found some South
Carolina students. Since leaving Brussels, besides Cologne, Bonn, and
Heidelberg, we have passed through the beautiful towns which lie be-
tween Bonn and Heidelberg— Coblents, Mayence, and Darmstadt ; and
also Oailsruhe, the capital of Baden, which lies between Heidelberg and:
Baden-Baden. The finest city between Baden and this place is Frei-
bourg. It has a noble situation, in a spacious valley on the Rhine, be-
tween extensive ranges of mountains on every side: The whole country
on the bants of the Ehine is enchanting. The river ia skirted by moun-
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SECOND TUIF TO KUEOPE. 45T
taias, aud on both Bides is dotted witt towns and villages; while the
mined battlements of antiquated castles frown npon jou every feur or
five miles. The Talleya are luxuriant with the vine, with corn and to-
bacco ; and the people seem eheevf ul, contented, and happ j. Ttu-ough,
the fields, aud all along the I'oad-side, crucifixes are erected of wood, some
of ilieui very large, to secure blesBfogB upon tlie oouctiy, and to attract
the devotioa of the ti-aveUer. Tbey always eioited my pity. I could
not but lament that they had substituted dead images of wood and stone
for the living Soviout. To-morrow we go to Geneva, the oity of the
great Calvin, where we propose to make our headquarters for a week or
ten days, and where I expect to receive letters from you.
" It seems to me incredible how much I h
12th of June, the day that I landed a
and four days 1 have traversed England, Ireland, and Scotland. I bave
run over France, Belgium, and a considerable portion of Germany ; and
am now in Switaerland. I have seen so much, that I can hardly retain
a distinot recollectjou of the different places and the different scenes.
It appears to me like a dream ; and at times I am almost tempted to
doubt that it can be true, that I am five thousaud miles from home, and
in a foreign land. If I had you and the dear little ones with me, I
should be delighted to spend the winter at some of the German Uni-
versitJeB, and give myself to unbroken study. But the Lord has other
work for me to do, and I am content. One great benefit of travelling,
is to make us prize our own country. After all, there is no land like
our own. In all that makes a people great and powerful, we are de-
cidedly in advance of Europe. There is no suoh population on the
globe as our own ; and if we can have the grace to deal justly and hon-
ourably with one another, and to hold together as a people, the time is at
hand when the distiaetdon of being an American citizen will be as proud
and glorious as it ever was to be a citizen of Home. On the continent
of Europe we are every where respected. The very conductors on the
railways show us marked civilities. Our example is looked up to with
deference ; and the great mass of thinking men sigh in their hearts for
American institutions. "We are felt to be a model people. What a
shitnie it win be to forfeit, by our follies and our sins, the noble inheri-
tance to which Providence has called us I I am happy to say that the
Church m Ame i a s e -j tar ahead, in spirituaUty and power, of any
Church in Emope I have kept mj eye closely upon this poiat, and I
am sure that I am not m staken The lone of piefy is higher ; the
liberalitj to lel e'on'j nat t t out. n proportion to ■w'ealth, is greater ;
and the effl en y of the p li t superior beyond comparison. Our
chnroh ed fioes a e better ia better in their adaptaiion to the uses of
religious worship. In techmenl Laming, we are still behind ; in power
of pure bought, ahead. Onr scholars are inferior ; our men, greater.
But I forget, I am not writing an essay ; I am writing to my wife.
Tou must excuse me that I permit myself to think aloud in your de-
lightful presence. •»••*«*
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45S LIFE OF JAMES HENLET THOBNWELL.
"I have written to Livei'pool to secure say passage on the 23d of Sep.
tembsr. If bo, I shall leave Geneva in eight or ten days, and return to
Paris by Constance, Angaburgh, Mnnioh, Dreaden, Berlin, Hanover, and
Bnmswick, After yon receive tliis letter you need write no more, as I
bball probabty be on the ocean, when your letters -would reach IiiverpooU
The party have aU continued well. STennie was » little outdone by the
fatigue of travel for the first few days after leaving Paris, but ia qnite
recruited again, I think it likely that none of the party will attempt to
get to Rome, though J. and T. have their hearts mightily set upon it.
I have no notion of haaarding the trip myself. My thoughts are on
Berlin, the metropolis of modem learning.
" It is now lat« at night. The river is roaring at my feet, just as it
sounded in the ears of Cffisar nearly two thousand years ago. His
thoughts were those of ambition and of conquest; mine are of wife,
ohildren, and friends. Home was the centre of his afl'eotions; a little
t»wn, in the remote, and then unknown, province of America, is mine.
How gladly would I bridge the Khine, if that could bring me home !
' ' Kiss all the children for me. Remember me to the servants. Tell
all the congregation that I remember them all, and trust that they i-e-
member me. May grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied upon them alL
" Your devoted h-usband,
J, H, Thobnweu,,"
To the same:
"Geneva, Augtist 30, 18G0.
"My Pbbctocs Wirai ; Here I am in Geneva, the city of Oalvin, of
Beza, of Farel, of Viret, of Turretin, and of Pictet. I have stood nnder
the same canopy which covered the head of Calvin three hundred years
ago, wnen he preached the gospel in the dawn of the Keformation. The
pulpit haa been destroyed, but the canopy atill remains. The church
has been somewhat remodelled, but (lU its essential features are nn-
■chaaged, I visited, also his grave, iliere is no monument to marif the
Bpot, He gave orders in his will against all oateatation. There is no-
thing but a little stone, with the letters ' J. C. ' marked upon it ; but I felt
the inspiration of his genius, of his learning, and of hia piety, as 1 stood
over the earth which contained his mortal remains. I visited to-day the
Public Library, where many of his letters, and volumes of bis manuscript
aermoua, are preserved. It contains, also, portraits of all the illustrioua
man of Europe during the sirfeenth and seventeenth centuries. I could
have lingered there for days. The sit f T * m t hanti g
on a beautiful lake, just at the point f m wh h th Bh m g
surrounded on aU sides by maiesfic m mtun It fit jlic f
heroes and poets. The ciliy^ itself is not tnkm Th ai nt p t
made up of tall, unseemly buildings, d i rvad 1 w th r\ 1 k
narrow streets; but the aubuths are romant and p tm q b y d
anything that I have seen in Europe. I h 1 1 th t fact n f
,db, Google
SECOND TKIP TO EUEOPE. 459
meeting here Professor Mansell, of Orford, -wtom I missed seeing iii
England. He and tifi family aretere on. im excursion of pleasure. I
fonnd. Mm very simple and unaESnming. I Ghonld never iayo taken Mm,
from Ms appearance, for tte great man tbat he is. We liad at dinner
to-dsy q^uite a lesmed table. Beside Mansell of Oxford, there were Taze-
well of Ehode Island, Professor Pierce of Cambridge, near EMton, Dr.
Adams of New Xort, and several others, whom I eamiot tate time io
name. This ie a great place to see the world ; everybody comes here.
Yesterdfiy we attended preaeMng in the Engliah chapel, and heard a very
evangelical sernion. At night we had a meeting of tlie Americans in Dr.
Adams' room. The room was crowded, and we had xepreseutatives from
no less than eight States. I led the meeting. Yon may well imagine
Ihat it was very refreshing.
" To-morrow we make an escnrsion to Ghamonni, to see the glaciers
and ths sea of ice. "We have already had a distant view of them, and
we want to see them closer at hand, "Whea wB return, we eholl set our
faces homeward. I have almost given up my expedition to Berlin,
It is so far, and I ain getting tared of travelling. We are all satiated
with sight-seeing, and are ansious once more to be in our native land,
I count the days until the time of going on board the Arabia, and then
I shall count them until I reach America, The Lord be with you, and
bless you, and heep yoii,
"Your devoted husband,
J. H. Tnii-niv.-F.T.T,,''
To the same:
"Geneva, August 2~i, 18G0.
"My DAmjiKG "Wife: Since I wrote to vou before, we have made sji
excm'^ion to Ghamonm, m Savoy, wheie we enjoyed the grandest
Hcenecy that adorns the oonfcment of Europe. The distance from
Geneva !S fifty-four miles "We set off m a heavy ram, but before
we had travelled far, the tlouds dispersed, the sun appeared in his
strength, and the mountams rose before us in all the grandeur of their
eternal lepose It la perfectly idle to attempt a description of the
wibi and majestic scenes through which we passed. Our road lay in
the vidley uf the Aive and at tunes we seemed to be entirely sur-
rounded by beetling crags, to which it almost made us dizzy to look np.
The summits were capped with snow, transparent streams were rattliag
down the sides, and occasionally a bold waterfall varied the magnifi-
cent prospect As we ascended the mountain on the other side of Pont
Pelessier, Mount Blanc broke upon ns from Ms throne of rooks, in Ms
diadem of snow ; and the prospect was so overwhelmingly grand, tht|t
the first impulse was to fall prostrate to the earth, and adore the majesty
of Sod. We were on a plain, four thousand feet above the level of the
sea ; we were surrounded b j mountains on all sides, from five to sis
thousand feet above the level of the plain, and in full view before us.
id by Google
400 l.lb'E OF .TAMES HENLEY
towavd lloont Blnuo, tlie old monarch of moimtains, nine thousand feet
above tUa tallest cliff iironiia ns. The elouds girdled its sides, the sun
shoue apleudidly oil lis Bammit, and the snow reflected his beama
in rays of living E'o^^y- Oh ! how I wished that you had been with us,
to enjoy the sight. My imaginatiou had never conceived of ought that
approximnted the sublime reahtj. The mountains of our country are
lich, mid beautiful, and picturesque ; but the Alps are awful. It is tame,
to cnll them sublime ; their grandeur is absolutely awfuL They make
3'on hold your breath, and ipause before them in deep and solemn vane-
lation. That one view has repaid m.e for all the fatigue and ausieties of
the journey. At Chamouni, we climbed Montaurert, and went to the
famous sea of ice, one of the most wonderful glaciers in the Alps. It is
upwards of sis mileB long, and more tJian a mile wide ; and in parte, the
ice is nearly one hundred feet thick. It is a marvel of this marvellous
region, which I am svhoUy incompetent to eiplain. Anderson and John-
nie went over it ; none of the rest of ns had the courage to rist it. Just
a few days before, three young Enghshuien had perished by falling iato-
"After an absence of three days, we returned fo Geneva, and here our
party divided. Mr. Douglas left this morning for Italy. We— that ia,
Anderson, Jennie, Johnnie, Thompson, and myself— remained behind..
We shall spend Sunday here, and then we divide. Johnnie and myself^
and, perhaps, Thompson, will go, on Monday, through Zurich, Linden,
Munich, Augsbmgh, and Nuremberg, to Berlin ; Anderson and Jennifr
will go through Lyons and Marseilles f^ Paris, and wait for us tliere.
I shall remain in Berlin several days, and then return to Paris ; and
after making a few purchases there, eet out for Liverpool.
"Jennie enjoyed Chamouni very much. She walked down Montau-
vert, a descent of about five miles,, and suffered no inconveuienra from
it. We ascended it on mules ; and in places the path was so narrow,,
and the precipices so steep, that I had to shut my eyes to keep my head
steady. Every now and then my mule would stop and look over tho
precipice, as if be proposed to tantalize me, or try the strength of my
nerves. I think I must have walked eight or ten miles in the course of
one day's excursion. If you were only with me, my enjoyment would,
be perfect. The glorious scenes cannot drive away home-sickness. I
thinfe of you in the Alps, as well as in the busy hum of the city, or on
the lone highway of the sea. It is strange to me that the inhabitants of
these Alpine passes are so miserable and degraded in their physical ap-
pearance. Their firoata are horribly disfigured with goitre ; their heads,
are large and flat ; and many of them are hardly above the level of an
idiot. "Where nature is grandest, man is meanest. The mountains en-
dure no rivals. But one thing can be great at a iime ; and the soul
dwindles where rock's tower in majesty.
" Yesterday evening Thompson and I waited abont four miles on the
edge of Lake Lemnu. The moon was shining in her beauty, the sky
was perfectly clear, the waters of the lalte as smooth as a mirror. Wa
,db, Google
SECOND TRIP TO EiJEOPE. 461'
passed terrace affer terrace, beaaijfully adorned, aad eurmonntad by
elegant ehateaui. Among others, we strolled by tte house whkh Byron'
occupied when he eojoarned in Geneva. It was a lit place for a poet ;
and I could not bat tMni of Ma beautiful desoriptioc of the late in
' Childe Harold. ' The soene was romantic ; and ever and anon we brobe-
its spell, by contraeting wiUi its calm beauties the warmer attraotiocS of
home. When I returned, I found your sweet letter of the' Blst of July,
enclosing another from Chariie, and my cup was full. I poured out my
heart in gratitude to Ood that He had preserved yon all ; and I prayed-
most fervently that we might soon meet again, to talk over, in gratitude'
and praise, the things we had witnessed.
"There was a little incident on om' jouiney to Chamouni, which I
had almost forgotten to mention. As we passed through one of tiiaJ
littie villages that line the road, we encountered a bridal party, rigged
oat in all tlie pride and bravery of a rustic wedding. The bride was
gorgeously adorned with flowers and ribands for a Savoy peasant's
daughter ; the bridegroom was in his best attire ; and the party of rude
friends were as lively as a gala day could make them. As we mbved
slowly along, one of the party hailed our cai'riages, and regaled us with
an account of the festive soene. A dashing maiden posted herself near
the carriage, drew a pistol, levelled it at us, and fired it in our faces, to
the infinite amusement of the whole crowd. We ahouted and hutrahed
with the rest, and all seemed to be happy together. It was fdl a good-
natured frolic; and I never saw fun so sincerely enjoyed in my life.
Mature was acted out. McM. could have written a poem on the occa-
sion. The village waa on the side of the mountain, wMeh commanded
a noble view of Mount Blanc ; and the contrast was refreshing betwist
the gayety below, and the awful, frowning, sullen majesty above ns.
' ' I am afraid that you wiU think that I am losing my senses, in dwell-
ing upon these frivolities ; but they relieve the monotony of travel, and
if they amuse you, I shall be content. I am greatly delighted to heac
that things are going on so well in (he church, and I bless God that He
has given me suoh a colleague as Mullally. I anticipate a bappy time
in cultivating with him the vineyard which God has entrnsted to our
joint care. The work among the negroes is one in which I feel a special
interest, and I do sincerely pray that Charles* may be led to the know-
ledge of tme religion. For his faithfulness in my absence, I intend to
bring Mm a handsome present. *****
"My passage is taken in the Arabia for Boston, on the 22d of Sep-
tember. That is as sooa as I can leave, in justice to the friends who have
sent me abroad. By staying until then, I traverse nearly the whole con-
tinent of Europe. On Monday I leave for BerUn. It will take me
three days to get there, but I pass through historic places and scenes.
"Again, dearest, may the Lord bless you. Jennie and Anderson
send much, love ; for everybody loves you, and I more than alL
" Your devoted husband,
J. H. Thorn WELt."
* His body servant, in whom ho rcspoaed great oonlidenee.
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462 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOSlfWELL,
If was in the aseent of the Alps deaeribod in the fore-
going letter the incident ocenrred which we have recorded .
in the eleventh chapter, when the veil of mist was siid-
denly lifted, and the entire glorj of the mountaia scenery
hnVst upon his sight at once, and fiUed his heart with
adoring wonder. Though broken from its proper con-
nection,, for a special purpose, in the place we have chosen
to piit it, the reader will perceive how precisely it talliea
with the expression of more than poetic admiration which
fell from his own pen in this, as well as in the letter that
follows.
To General James Gillespie:
" GENEVA, Aug^ist So, 1860.
"Mt Deab Gesbbal; In tliis distant Iflad I oamiot deecribe to yon
tow my mind reverts to the friends of my childhood and yoaili.
I trend amid the monuments of tlie buried pest, or gaze upon na-
ture iu har grandest forms ; but the heart finds its home, the centre
of ife earfiJy attractions, far beyond the swelhng mountains, or the
the majestic deep. If there ha a region on eai-th fitted to kindle in
the 60ul the inspiration of great tiioughte, that region is the one in
wMeh I am now sojourning for a brief season. Hare, more tban three
btindred years ago, a youthful fugitive from France was arrested in his
flight, and induced to take up his permanent abode. The world has felt
tlie inSuenoe of hie genius, his piety, and his learning. I have seen the
spot where stood the house in ivhioh John Oalvin resided, I have stood
beneath the canopy under which lie preached. 1 have gazed upon the
tombs which met his eye as ta ascended the throne of his power, tbe
pulpit of St, Pierre; and have paused, in grateful meditations, over
the humble grave, wltliout a stone or monument, which covers his
mortal remains, I bless God for the labours sad sufferings of His
honoured servant. Indeed, for the last six weeks, every inch of the
ground beneath my feet has been hallowed ground. At Brussels, my
eotd swelled -with the thought that there was the cradle of modem
constitutional Uberty. There, William of Orange conceived that giorions
Boheme of patriotism, which resulted in the independence of Holland, and
formed an asylum for the martyrs and confessors of England and France.
I went into the very hall in which Charles the Fifth, leaning upon the
arm of the young Dutchman, who was afterwards to shake his throne,
l-esigned Ms sovereignty in favour of his worthless son, I gaaed upon
the palace of the Duchess of Parma, the atrocious Aha, and the silly Don
John. I saw the very spot on which Horn and Egmont were executed ;
and I mused along the very sc^uares in which the beggars were accus-
tomed to meet. The past came visibly before me. And then a few miles
,db, Google
SECOND TEIP TO EUROPE. 463
from the city wiis Waterloo, that place of skulls, with its enotmouB
rocumd, and its endless historic interest.
" From Brussels I proceeded lo the Rhine, the stream on which OEeear
gazed two thoiiaand jears before I was bom ; and as I traced the faded mon-
uments of mediEeval chivalry, and of medifeval snpei'stifion, ruined castles
and conveufe aod rranueries, I felt that I was in a new world, and for a
while belonged fo another age. I went up the Rhine from Cologne to
Bona ; from Bonn to Mayeuoe, Heidelberg, and BiuSen ; from Baden to
Baale ; and froni Basle to Geneva. Hers Eousseau was boi-n ; here Vol-
taire sported his wit ; here Byron sojourned for a season ; and here, too,
Maria Louise took up her summer residence when her husband was in
exile. Hera, too, flourished Caivin and Farel, and Viret and Beza, and,
in later times, the Turretins and Pictets. Here, too, slumbers Sir
Humphrey Davy. Here lie tiie ill-Etarred Nectar and his illustrious wife.
But the grand attraction of this region of country is the Alps. I liave
just retuiTied from an eiaursion to Chamouni, and to my dying day I can
never forget the impressiou of the anguat scenes which my eyes have
beheld. The road lay through the valley of the Arve. On both, sides of
the river, mountain after mountain vises in awful grandeur ; and the path
of the traveller is under frowning crags and beetling precipices, to which
it makes him dizzy to look up. As we ascended the mountain beyond
Pont Pelessier, Mount Blanc rose upon us, from his throne of rooks, in.
sach awful sublimity that the first impulse was to fall down and worship
(he terrible majesty of God. [Here follows a similar description of de-
tail as in the preceding letter.] My imaginatjou had uever conceived
such a spectacle. I gazed, and ge^ed, end gazed, and felt that I could
' ' I could keep you up night after night with the wonders I have seen.
But my native land is dearer than ever. America, after all, is the coun-
tryfor mc; it is the eomitry in which man is himself. May the Lord
bless you. Most devotedly,
J. H. Thoenwell."
The following closes this series of letters written from
Europe :
" ZuEica, j4«irMS( 29, 1800.
" Mr DiEUNa WiPB : We are lodged to-night in a hotel which over-
loots the beautiful lake of Zurich, just at the point where the Limmat
emerges from it. The prospect by moonlight is ea calm and tranquil
as the repose of a peaceful conscience. The mountains in the distance
furnish a striting background ; and the memory of the Ulustrious Zuin-
gle- — who was second only to Calvin in the strength of his genius and
the perspicacity of his views, and who was simultaneous with Luther in
the promulgation of the gospel — gives a hallowed association to the
place ; which loses nothing of its softness from the history of the illus-
trious, Lavater, the great physiognomist, who was born and murdered in
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464 LIFE OF JAMES HKNI.
■iMa city. The gardens upon the lake are tastefully arranged, and the
promenades which tliey afford ace moet enehanting. The waters are bo
clear ihat you see the fish sporting tbemselveB below, and children amuee
themselves by throwing oat enimbs of bread, for which the finny tiibe
striTe as manfully as the oooupants of a farm-yard for a grain of wheat.
" We spent last night at Fcibonrg, a most picturesque spot ; and I wae
fool enough to go to the Cathedral, and bear the celebrated organ, which
is said to be the finest in the world. It was no doubt very grand. Every
laody prononnoed it unrivalled ; but I was so green that I could hardly
keep from going to sleep. We came to Berns for breakfast. That is the
-capital of the Swiss Confederation. Apart from the view which it affords
of the Alps in the distance, and its attractive prolnenades, I cannot say ■
■that there is anything about it of special interest. The whole country
of Switzerland is charming. The valleys are as lovely as the mountains
are grand ; and away from the Alps, the people -seem healthful, indus-
'trious, and robust. The women all work, like negroes, in the field.
They plough, spade, mow, and carry burdens on their shoulders. They
are, Uke oxen, strong to labour. The hotels of Switzerland are about
-the best in Europe. The enormous amount of travel mates inn-keeping
a very lucrative business. The summer ehmate is lovely, soft, and
*almy, regaled alike by breezes from the lake and mountains. It is
■just the country that would take your eye.
" In the library of this city are whole volumes, in manuscript, of the
■correspondence of the Eeformers ; and what is particularly interesting,
are three letters, in a neat, fair hand, of Lady Jane Grey to Henry Bull-
linger. They are in Latin. I have not yet seen tham. « « * * Our
party is uowsmall. Douglas and his party have gone into Italy ; Tbomj)-
son went back from Geneva to Paris. Anderson and Jennie and Johnnie
are now my only companions. The air of Switzerland has agi'eed finely
with Jennie ; she has been better than at any time, except when we were
in England. It has also been very propitious to me. I have been able to
take a great dealof osercise without fatigue ; and wa are all al^ways ready
whenever meala, psrtienlarly dinner, are announced. But I am tired
jof traveUing; I OTgh for the quiet and repose of home. Sometimes I
am tempted to break away, and come home without completing my cir-
cuit. Had it not been for those with me, I think I should have given
out three weeks ago. But I sincerely pray that the Lord may soon
bring us together again, no more to part. He has been amazingly
good; and I do hope, when I return, to serve Him better than . I have
^ver done before. Let us trust Him at all times. I am as ever,
' ' Yours devotedly,
J. H. TnoENWEtii. "
The party of eight re-assembled at Paris, and there
■divided again on their route liomevvard. A portion sailed
from Haviue, while Dr, Thornwell and his Buite embarked
id by Google
SECONn TltlP TO EUKOPK. 4:65
from Liverpool. The only incident that varied the re-
tvirn voyage was a severe storm. The great object for
which the ti'ip wae undertaken seemed, however, to be
acwompiished, in the improvement of his health, aad the
ability to resume hie public labours.
id by Google
,db, Google
CHAPTER XXXII.
TBE LATE WAR.
Ebtoen from EuBorK. — Tee Codbtry ijpob tee Ete of Reyoluhion. —
Rapid SoocEsaioN of Events.— His Eapousit op the Cobfedehatb
Capse. — Obioinal Attachment to the Ubiok. — pKoyED by His Let-
lEKS.— His GoTiEaE in Kegaed to Noij.ipication, — His Attitude in
18C0. — Letteks then ik Eeoabb to Secessiob. — Position in Rela-
tion TO THE KBDW-KOTIIINa MoYBUEBT. ^HlSTOEY OF THE StEPS LEID-
ma TO THE Okebis OF 1850. — His Contbaey Positiok in ISGO. — Bea-
BONB FOE TEE CHANGE. — Hl9 Ca3E TyPICAL OF THE SoUIH GbNEEALI.Y.
DH. THORNWELL returnGd from Europe to find the
eoimtry.alreadyuireling ■within the eddies of a mighty
revolution. He landed upon his native shores in the
month of Septemljer, 1860. On the 20tli of the follow-
ing Becemher, South Carolina passed her Ordinance of
Secession from the Federal Union; and by the first of
February, 1861, her example had been followed by the
States of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Lonisi-
aua, and Texas, A Provisional Government for the seced-
ing States was organized on the 4th of Febraary, a Con-
stitution was adopted on the 8th, and on the 9th, the
administration was set on foot by the election of Mr. Jef-
ferson.Davis, as President of the new Confederacy. On
the 15th of April, 1861, Mr. Lincoln issned his proclama-
tion, calling for 75,000 ti-oops, to suppress the so-called
insurrection ; the immediate effect of which was to add
Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee to
the roll of States which must be conquered.
Into this movement Dr. Thomwell threw himself, from
the beginning, with all the ardour of hie nature; and to
the day of his death, labom'ed and prayed, witli patriotic
fervour, for the success of tlie Confederate cause. He
467
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468 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
was, in this, an eminent type of the great body of the
Southern people ; who relinquished with anapeakahle pain
their traditional attachment to the Union, from a stern
conviction that they could no longer live under it with
safety or with honour. For this reason we desire the
more to trace his political career throughout, in order
that iihrongli this, as a representative case, posterity at
least may pronounce npon the supreme necessity which
compelled the erection of another government, as the ark
in which constitutional liberty might be preserved. A
future generation will read these events by a better light
ihan the present; for nothing is more certain than that
principles will work themselves out, and reveal their true
nature, iu the results which they produce; and no men
ever committed themselves to the vindication of histoid
with greater confidence, than those who embarked in this
struggle for independence. Such men as Dr. Tliornwell
were accustomed to take broad views of life, and were
not in subjection to their passions. Indeed, in his case,
aU the sentiment and the prejudice were enlisted upon
the other'side of the question from that which ho espoused.
His letters which have been already reproduced — writ-
ten only for the eye of his family, and written at long in-
tervals and under different surroundings, sometimes while
traversing the great West, and sometimes visiting foreign
lands across the sea — all breathe a fervent love for the
comitry as a whole. He gloried in tlic American name.
He rejoiced, almost in the spirit of eovetousness, in»the ac-
quisition of territory, as extending the area of civil free-
dom, and adding to the splendour and tiiumph of repub-
lican principles. His imagination was dazzled with the
vision of an entire continent covered with a net work of
free States, and bound together in a harmonious confedera-
tion. Although, in one of his letters, he cannot but detect
the tendency to slide from a Eepresentative Republic into a
turbulent and lawless Democracy, with singular hopeful-
ness he counts iipon the intelligence and virtue of the
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THE LATE "WAR. 469
jieople to resist the danger, and to preeei-ve the spirit as
■well as the form of our free inetitutione. It is impossitle
to read these passages in his correspondence, without
being impressed witli the breadth, as well as the fervour,
of his patriotism. It gushes so freely and so warmly
from liis heart, as to burst through all the barriers of
isection and of party, and take up the whole country into
its passionate embrace.
In addition to this general evidence, which lies snffi-
iCiently before the reader, we may recur to two periods
in his history, When, as a pronounced Union man, he
iooli open ground against the declared policy of his nar
tive State, Indeed, as a mere politician, he conld never
have risen to high position in Soutli Carolina, the cur-
rent of his views being in opposition to the prevailing
sentiment on most of the great questions of his day. The
^rst of these two periods was during the 'Nulhlication
■struggle in 183S. "South CaroKna, as well aa a number
of the other States, held that the power to levy duties on
imports, not with a view to revenue, but to protect and
aid particular classes, w^ not delegated to Congress."
An odious, because diBcriminating, tai'iff had been borne
.so long as it was necessary to provide for tlie existing
public debt; but when this was eajiceUed, and a large
.surj^lus was accumulating in the national treasury, she de-
manded that this tariff should be conformed to a revenue
standard. Failing to secure this modifiation by Congres-
sional "legislation, she interposed her ■ prerogative as a
sovereign State to judge, in the last resort, in all ques-
tions tiffecting her own rights, restraining the general
government from collecting this revenue within lier
limits. We have no concei'n, in .this connexion, v/iih
this measure, except as a simple fact of history; only
adding that Congre^ soon afterwards passed what is com-
monly known as the " Force Bill," clothing the Presi-
dent with the power necessary to enforce the collection,
and for tliis purpose putting at Ids disposal all tlie land
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470 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
and naval forces. Collision was imminent between the
State and Federal antliorities, which was averted bj the
famous Compromise Act of Mr. Clay, yielding the prin-
ciple of protection, and providing "a gradual reduction
of duties, until, at the expiration of ten years, twenty per
cent, ad valorem should be established as the uniform
rate."
Against this policy of Nullification, Mr. Thornwell,
then a young man jnat graduated from College, con-
spicuously planted liiniself, in a series of articles through
the public press. These early fugitive essays we have
not, been able to recover and identify, and cannot state
the precise grounds of his opposition. He may not have
regarded the issue as sufficiently important to justify so
imperative an assertion of State sovereignty, which, ab-
stractly, he always admitted; or he may have thought
it illogical for a State to remain in the Union, and yet
resist the legislation of a common Congress. Por there
were many in that day who afSrmed the right of seces-
sion, and did not recognize nullification as the proper
remedy against the abuse of power. Nothing, however,
is important to the purpose of tliis narative beyond the
fact itself, that, in this particular conflict, he withstood
the pressure of public opinion in his State, and was en-
rolled in the number of those who were designated under
the party name of " Union men,"
The second period was in 1850, when the South stood
iipon the brink of secession; which was at that time
averted only through the patriotic interposition of Mr.
"Webster and Mr. Clay. It will be necessary to trace
briefly the steps which led up to that crisis. The agita-
tion against slavery commenced at the North 9& early
as 1790, within two years after the adoption of the Fed-
eral Constitution, and within twelve months after Wash-
ington was inaugurated as President. "A petition,
headed by Dr. Franklin, was sent to Congress, invoking
the Federal authorities to take jurisdiction of this subject,
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THE LATE WAE. 471
■with a view to the ultimate abolition of this inBtitation in
the States reepectively." To which it was replied, in the
resolution adopted, " that Congress have no authority to
interfere in the emancipation of slaves, or in the treat-
ment of them, in any of the States ; it remaining with the
several States alone to provide any regulations tlierein,
which liumanity and true policy may require." This de-
serves to be noted, aa showing how, from the beginning,
-the question as to the powers of the general government
was interwoven with the slavery agitation, the former
being the true pivot on which the controversy turned;
the latter, simply the medium through which tlie aggres-
■ sions of the central power were constantly pressed, ifo
proper understanding can be had of the causes of the
late war, without bearing in mind the interpenetration of
these two questions, the convolution of the one within the
other.
The struggle, once begun, was destined more and more
to force its way into American politics. In 1803, !F ranee
ceded to the United States, in the Louisiana purchase, a
vast territory, extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the
■extreme north, on parallel 49° of north latitude, far up
tlie Mississippi river, to Iowa and Minnesota; including
Kansas and Ifebraeka, if not Oregon, and of course Mis-
souri and Arliansaa ; and stretching westward to the Kocky
mountains. In the treaty by which this immense domain
was acquired, it was stipulated that "the inhabitants of
the ceded territory shall be incorporated in the Union of
the United States, and admitted as soon as possible, ac-
cording to the principles of the Federal Constitution, to
the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages, and immu-
nities of citizens of the United States; and in the mean
time they shall be maintained and protected in the free
•enjoyment of their liberty, property, and the religion
winch tliey profess." Under the double obligation, there
fore, of constitutional law and of treaty stipulations, the
States carved out of this territory were to be admitted
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LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY
Vpoii the same footing with the States already in the
Union. When, however, in 1818, Hissoiiri knocked at
the door of Congress for admisBion npon these terms, the
attempt was made to fasten npon her the restriction of
slavery, in the provision "that the furtlier introduction of
slavery, or of involuntary servitude, be prohibited, except,
■for the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have'
been fully convicted ; and that all ohildren born within
the said State, after the admission thereof into the Union,
shall be free at the Jige of twenty-five years." The dis-
cu^ion which ensued shook the country to its centre,
during the two years in which it was protracted. But,
as the character of the speeches in Congress clearly shows,
the issue was simply as to the power of the Federal gov-
ernment to impose the restriction; and upon this issue
the debate exclusively turned : speakers, North and South,
insisting, without any regard to the morality or the policy
of slavery, that Congress had no power to interfere with
it. The strife was, for the time, composed by the adop-
tion of the well-known Missouri Compromise, running a
geographical line along the latitude of thirty-six degrees
and thirty minutes, above which slavery wm for ever pro-
hibited, and below which it should be allowed. This com-
promise wj^ not a Southern measure. Its real author was
. a Senator from Illinois ; and it was reluctantly accepted
by the South, upon the principle of a division of tbo
public domain between those who were joint partners in
its acquisition : a division, however, by which she acquired
only about 332,000 square miles, against nearly 668,000
acquired by the North. This geographical line, too,,
seemed to be the natural boundary of slavery under the
law of climate, fixing the habitat of the negro; so that to
have refused it might appear to be a contest for a pure,
abstraction, whilst to accept it promised to put to rest;
this vexatious assault upon her institutions and rights.
Unfortunately, it conceded the principle which lay at the
bottom of the struggle ; which none was quicker to per-
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THE LATE WAE. 4:16
ceive than the sage of Monticello, when, lifting himself
up in his retirement, he penned these memorable words :
"I hsd for a longtime ceased to read newspapers, or pay any attention
to public afiairs, confident they were in good iflnds, and content to be a
passenger in ouc bark to tte shore from which I arc not distant. But
(his momentous question, like a fire-bell in the night, awakened me, and
filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the tnell of the Union.
It is hushed, indeed, for the moment ; bnt this is a reprieve only, not a
final sentence. A geographioal line, coinciding with a marked principle,
moral and political, once conceived and held up to the angry paeaionB of
men, will never be obliterated ; and every new irritation will mark it
deeper and deeper. * » * I regret that I am now to die in the belief,
that the useless saorifioe of thenieelves by the generation of 1776, to
acquire self-government and happiness to their country, is to bo thrown
away by tiie unwise and unworthy passions of their sons ; and (hat my
only consolation is to he, that I Uve not to weep over it. "
How solemn are the worda of prophecy, when read in
the light of their fulfilment ! And what a comment upon
the vanity of human glory, that the hand which penned
the immortal Declaration of Independence, should he the
hand to wi'ite this melaBcholj epitaph upon the insti-
tntions of his country !
The Missouri Compromise was never accepted as a
finality hy the growing Aholition party at the Iforth.
Li the admission of Arkansas, in 1836, Mr. John Quiney
Adams moved an amendment to the bil], that "nothing
in this act shall be construed as an assent of Congi'ess
to the article in the Constitution of the said State,
in relation to slavery, or the emancipation of slaves."
The same struggle was renewed in 1845, upon the admis-
sion of Texas; although both States lay south of the line
of division. The South, in both eases, asked for notliing
more, even upon this conceded territory, than that "the
people of tlie new States might regulate tlieir domestic
affairs in this particular, and aU others, as they might in
sovereign conventions determine for themselves, without
any dictation or control from Congress, one way or the
other." This makes it apparent that the principle which
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474 LIFi; OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
lay in the heart of thJB whole controversy, waa the con-
stitutional incompetency of the general government to
interi'ere in what concerned the internal polity of the
State, alone.
In 1846 the Mexican War occurred. In the anticipa-
tion of the new territory likely to be acquired, the cele-
brated Wilmot Proviso was introduced, for the exclusion
of slavery from all the pnblic domain, and ignoring entirely
the compact of 1820. The issue was staved off for a time,
until, in 1848, it became necessary to organize a territorial
government for Oregon, Hr. Stephen A. Douglas made
a manly effort to apply the principle of the Missouri Com-
promise, and succeeded in carrying the Senate. The
House of Kepresentatives, however, proved obstinate;
nntil at length a bill passed both branches of the national
LegiBlature with an unconditional restriction upon slavery :
"that there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary serv-
itude in any territory which shall hereafter be acquired,
or be annexed to the United States, otherwise than in
the punishment of crimes," etc. Thus, on the i2th of Au-
gust, 1848, the Missouri Compromise, which had been
proposed and accepted as a final settlement of all these
issues, in the language of Mr. Stephens, "fell and was
buried in the Senate, where it had originated twenty-
eight years before."
We are upon the thresliold now of the greafcrisis of
1850. The treaty of peace negotiated with Mexico had
secured to the United States an immense domain of
several hundred thousand square miles, in the acquisi-
tion of which the South had poured out blood and tresr
sure equally with the North. The new territorj of Cali-
fornia, Utah, and New Mexico, must be disposed of in
some way. The principle of a division of tlie public
estate between the two sections having been repudiated,
the alternative before the South was quiet submission to
a perpetual exclusion from the common territory, or re-
1 some form more efleetive than in the past.
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THE LATE WAE. 475
The first waa not to be entertained for a moment. It in
volved the abandonment of constitutional rights, and,
therefore, dishonour. Tliey would cease to be equal in
the Union. Difference of opinion obtained ae to the
remedy. Many believed the only solution to be found
in a separation between the States ; others, more sanguine,
hoped the Union might still be preserved by "the re
oi"gauization of parties, to bring the administration of the
government back to its original principles,"
The agitation was profound throughout the Southern
States; and the Thirty-first Congress met in December,
1849, under circumstances of the deepest responsibility.
The debate turned upon the admission of California as a
State, with an anti-slavery Constitution adopted by her-
■self. To this featiu'e the Soutliern Representatives did
not object; but they steadfastly resisted her admission,
until the whole territorial question should be satisfactorily
adjusted. Their demand was simple: "that there should
be no Congressional exclusion of slavery from the pubUc
domain; but tha.t, in organizing territorial governmenta,
the people under each should be distinctly empowered so
to legislate as to allow the introduction of slaves, and to
frame their Constitution, in respect to African slavery, as
they pleased ; and when admitted as States into the Union,
should be received -without any Congressional restriction
upon the subject." After a long struggle in both Houses,
what is known as the Compromise of 1850 was adopted;
sweeping away all former restrictions, and providing that,
"when a territory, or any portion of the same, shall be
admitted as a State, it shall be received into the Union
with or without slavery, as their constitution may pre-
scribe at the time of their admission."*
* The Btatement of political eyects, contained in this chapter, is sim-
ply eondHneed from the Hon. A. H. Stepheu's great work, "The War
between the States ; " and to ensure accuracy, it has been couched, as
far as possible, in his own language. Aside from the guarantees fur-
aiiahed in the reputation of the author, and the known moderation of his
political views, he hea been careful to Bubstautiate erery stateraent by
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4Y6 LIFE OF JAMES HENLET THOKNWELL.
It was -while these issues were jet pending, and witk
the public mind excited ahnost to exasperation, that Dr.
Thorn-well opposed the idea of secession, to which So-iith
Carolina was even then strongly inclined. He could not
yet despair of the Itepublic. Not until the last expedient
was exhausted to preserve the equality of the States, would
he abandon the hope of preserving the Union, which
he so sincerely loved. In a brief article from his pen, of
about eight pages, in the Southern Presbyterian HevieWf
of January, 1851, and which is marked No. I, in the
Appendix to this volume, he sets forth his views with
distinctness and power. He insists that the South de-
manded only justice ; that it remained with the North
to determine whether the Union shall be preserved ; that
the plea of eoiiBcience, and " a higher law," cannot bo
.allowed to override .the plain provisions of the Constitu-
tion ; that the alternative, in tliat case, would be to with-
draw from a compact they can no longer fulfil; and
points out the fallacy upon which these conscientious
scruples are based. On tlie other hand, he pleads with
his own section to consider well the consequences flowing
from a separation; and in glowing terms depicts the'
glory of that mksion which this country is called to-
fulfil. The. whole essay, brief as it is, is replete witli,
noble thoughts; and glows with an ardour all the more-
intense from the effort to restrain it within language as.
calm as Christian philosophy can suggest. We would
quote from it, but for the diificulty of separating any
portion from ite connexion, without, in some degree, mis-
representing his position upon the subject as a whole. It
would not be difficult to construct from it liis whole po-
litical creed, if this were not sufficiently revealed by sub-
sequent events.
reference to tte original a-utlioritiea. Those, however, -who distrust any
book on this subject which is of Southern origin, are referred for similar
a work entitled "The Origin of the War," by Geoi^ Lant,
1, and ideatifled, we halieva, with its press.
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THE LATE WAK. i77
It is proper, however, to give the substance of two let-,
ters, -written at this period, revealing the intensity of hia
feelings in the matter. He writes in the following ner-
vous strain to his friend, Dr. It. J, Breckinridge, under
date of Mar»;h 28th, 1851 :
"My Dejir BaoTHBR: I received your kind and welcome letter night
before last. The approbation which you expressed of my short and
hasty notice of a few sermons upon the great subject of the day, was
yery cheering to my heart. The state of feeling here is really appidling,
and snoh sentiments as those which I have ventured to express are any-
thing but popular. I have been gloomy and depressed at the prospect
before us ; but I see nothing that can he done here bnt to commit the
matter to our sovereign God. When I trace the suceeBsive steps of oni"
national history, I behold at every point the finger of the Iiord. 1 can-
not persuade myself that we are now to be abandoned to our tollies, and
permitted to make shipwreck of our glorious inheritance. I stdll hope
ttiat tie arm which has been bo often stretched out in our behalf, will
be interposed again. South Carolina, however, seems bent upon seces- .
sion. The excitement is prodigious. Men, from whom one would have
expected better things, are fanning the flame, and ntging the people on
to the most desperate measures. From the beginning I have opposed,
according as I had opportunity, all revolutionary measures. But I am
Sony to say that many of our clergy are as rash and violent as the rashest
of their hearers. Sometimes I seem to mj«elf to perceive that the tide ia
beginning to ebb ; and it is possible that time may bring with it discre-
tion. But I can assure you that things look gloomy enough. You can-
not imagine how the matter preys upon my spirits. It is the unceasing
burden of aiy prayers.
"Did you receive a, copy of my sermon on the death of Mr, Calhoun?
T sent you one, but have never beard whether you received it or not>
J. H. Thoenwell."'
Tlie second letter is addressed, a year earlier, to the-
Eev. Dr. Hooper, of North Carolina, a former colleague
of his in the College faculty. It bears date, March 8th,.
1850 ; from which we extract the portion that relates to
the state of the conntry ;
" I can well and heartily sympathize witli you in your despondency in
regBid to the condition of the country. The times are indeed portentous.
The prospect of disunion is one which I cannot contemplate without ab-
solute horror. A peaceful dissolution is utterly impossible. There are
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478 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
SO many sources of discord end controversy ; ihe ditisioiL of tte amiy,
tte navy, the territorieB ; so that, however disposed we might be to an
amicable separation, the Bettlement of these points would inevitably, and
that very soon, engender a war. And a war between the States of this
confederacy would, in my opinion, he tlie bloodiest, moat ferocious, and
cruel, in the annals of history. Then, again, the attempt to construct
other govemmenis, the formation of new constitutions, in this age of
tumults, agitation, and excitement, ^vhen soci^sm, communism, and a
rabid mobocraey seem everywhere to be in the ascendant, will lead to the
most dangerous experiments, the most disastrous schemes I have
hardly been able to sleep ia consequence of the deep conviction with
which I am oppressed of the evihi that threaten us ; and my unceasing
prayer is, that God would interfere for our relief. Vain, in this onsis,
is the help of man. I agree with you, that every beUever in Tecus Christ
is most solemnly warned, by the signs of the tames, to wrestle with the
Angel of the Covenant in behalf of our bleeding country. The interests
of the Saviour's kingdom are too intimately connected with the perma-
nence and prosperity of thit, great confederacy, to allow any disciple to
he a calm spectator of passing scenes In the destruction of our gov-
ernment, the civil wars ttiat shall follow, the agitation of socialiat and
atheistic principles, the upheaving of society from its very foundations,
the anarchy and chaos that shall brood upon the land, where are to be
the schemes of the different chm ohee for the conversion of the world ?
1 cannot dwell upon the subject May the Lord mercifully turn the tide,
and send peace and prosperity, at least in our days,"
The following letter, addressed to Mr, A. H. Pegues, of
Oxford, Mississippi, discloses hia predilection for wlmt was
known ae the American, or, more popularly still, aa the
" Know-H^othing " party. His attachment to the ^Federal
Union was yet 80 strong that he gave his adhesion to
almost any organization that held out the least promise
of preserving it. At any rate, the letter is a record of
his opinion upon one phase of the pohtics of the day :
' ' South Cabolina Golleoe, Jul^ 26, 1865.
"Dear Sahuy: I received your welcome and long-looked-for letter
just on the eve of a short excursion into Georgia, and delayed answering
it until after my return. You certainly did promise to write to me upon
your airival at home, and 1 have been seriously at a loss to account for
your silence. As you were in some terror of the yellow fever when yon
left me, I did not know but you might have quietly departed this life,
without letting any of your friends know what bad become of you. The
papers did not i-eoord your death, and 1 heard nothing from jour family.
So 1 still lived in hopes that you might yet come to light.
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THE LATE WAE, 479
"Well, I am glad that jon are alive and kictiiig. I could wish, how.
ever, that you would kick againet something more worthy to be kicked
against than the Amerioan party. You know that I always was perverse
in politics. I was not a Nullifier in South Carolina, and I could not
hare been a Eapudiator in Mississippi. My herenies in these respects
might have prepared you for finding me in the ranks of the only organi-
zation which, in my judgment, can save the country from impending
ruin. There is not a principle of the Amerioan party, so far as its prin-
ciples are known, which does not command my moat cordial approba-
tion. Its appearance and suooess is the most remarkable phenomenon
of these remarkable times ; and if it fails, our last hops for the Union
is gone. But I shall not argne poHtdos with yon, thongh I cannot but
hope (hat we may yet sea eye to eye on this subject. I am intensely
aniioiis that tlie whole South should come up as one man to the Ameri-
can ranks. We shall soon hear from Tennessee ; then cornea North
Carohna ; then your State ; and if they load off properly, the rest of the
South will follow, and the Republic may be saved. • • •
" I set out to-moriow for the old Pee Dee. Do you not wish that jou
oonld be with me? How it would delight us to revisit our old haunts,
and talk of ancient days I I do not think I could go to Gfeneral Gil-
lespie's mill without tears ; I have not been there since you and 1 were
there together.
' 'As ever, most truly,
J. H. TeOBNWEI:!,."
With these preposBesaions in favour of the national
Union interwoven with every fibre of Ms being, and
strengthened by the very effort to retain them against
a surrounding pressure, how are- we to account for his
attitude in 1860, when, abandoning his old traditions, he
flung himself into the struggle to establish a separate gov-
ernment, with a zeal second to that of no other man in
the Southern Confederacy? The change is immensely
significant, as showing how the thousands of thoughtful,
Qonacientious, patriotic, and Christian men in the South
felt constrained at last to rise up together, and strike for
independence. A few sentences will fill the gap in the
political history of these times. The adjustment, effected
with so much difficulty, and which placed the govern-
ment-back upon its original foundations, was not permit-
ted to stand. The Compromise of 1850, if the term be
not a misnomer when applied to the mere assertion of a
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480 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
pi-inciple, was doomed to fall, like its predecessor of 1820.
This trouglit despair to heai'ts which before had glowed
with hope. The agitation wafe renewed in 1854, when it
became necessary to frame territorial governmenta for
Kansas and Nebraska. The doctrine of Federal inter-
vention was again broached; and the fanatical pSM'tj,
wliich had always trampled npon the Missouri Compro-
mise, now proclaimed it a sacred and binding compact.
This was clearly but a pal'liamentarj device, under cover
of which the prerogative of Congressional interference
might be. again resimied. But tlie South had recovered
the principle which, in 1820, had been yielded; and,
taught by the experience of the past, she refused to com-
promise it a second tune. The Kansas-Nebraska bill,
framed, in conformity with the measures of 1850, was
passed, it is tme; but the whole subject had been re-
opened, espoaed to all the fluctuations of popular opinion.
Distrust and suspicion were sown throughout the South; a
great impulse had been given to fanaticism in tlie North ;
uneasiness, and a sense of insecurity, everywhere pre-
vailed. The raid of John Brown at length occurred ; the
accomplices in his crime were sheltered, not only by
public approval, but by official protection; tlie rendition
of fugitive slaves continued to be refused, in the face of
constitutional provisions and Congressional enactments,
until the " irrepressible conflict " was openly declared ; the
doctrine of "a higher law" was proclaimed subversive of
all compacts and pledges; and, as the climax, tlie canvass
of 1860 resulted in the election of a sectional candidate,
by a sectional vote, who, by the force of his position, was
only the president of a party, and was pledged to carry
out the political theories of the section which had ad-
vanced him to power. In short, the precise issue upon
■which the long legislative battle had been fought upon
the floor of Congress, was concluded against the rights of
the South, in tlie foregone and fore-announced interdic-
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THE LATE WAB. 4:81
-tion of slavery in the territories.* In this event, tlie
South, in all her utterances, stood committed to a separar-
tion ; and nothing remained bnt the execution of her
purpose in actual secession. Under what forma this was
■achieved in eleven States, how tliese were confederated
under a union and constitution of their own, and how
they were overthrown in a long and disaetrous war — these
ivre facts of history, which need no recital here.
This altered attitude of the North wi'ought the change
in Dr. Thornwell's course which we shall have occasion
presently to exhibit. He !iad loved tlie Union with a
passion almost rising to idolatry ; but it wan the Union
which the Constitution had ci'eated. When the necessity
came to elect between the two, it coxild not be doubtful
^pon which the choice would rest. The same principles
which had led him to cling to the national ensign, so long
as hope remained of preseiTing its symbolic significance,
■carried him away from it when that hope had fled. The
Bame patriotism wliich gloried in the principles of Amer-
ican constatutional liberty, transferred his aflfections to
tliat which gave some promise of their peipetnation. The
■change was not in him. He was the same man, with the
same principles, affections, and desires. Bnt tlie object of
his hope was diiferent : he turned slowly and sadly from
* That the South did uot misinterpret tie import of Mr. Lincoln's
•election, is proved by the speech of Mr. Chase, afterwards Mr. Lincoln's
Secretary of Treasury, in the Peace Congress, on the Cth of February,
1861, after the secession of seven States had been aocomplielied. In
this speech he frankly declares, "this election must be regarded as a
tcinmph of principles, cherished in the hCMts of the people of the Free
States." " Chief among these principles is the restriction of slavery
■within State litaits -. fixed opposition to its extension beyond them. Mr.
Linoohi was the candidate of the people opposed to the extension at
slavery. We have elected him. After many years of earnest advocacy
and of severe trial, we have achieved the triumph of that great principle.
"Do you think we, -who represent this majority, will throw it away?" He
fleelares, also, that the Worth never will oonseat to the reclamation of
fugitive slaves, and that the constitutional piovision re([uiriiig it mnat
lie a dead letter, (see it quoted m Mi btephnns "War between the
States," Vol. 2, pp. 4G-40.)
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482 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELI..
the old, which had disappointed him, to the new, in which
all that he hoped and wished were now enehrined. It
will not do to say, that he was swept away hy a current
he found liimself incapahle of resisting. He was a man
tliat had been stemming cu'rrents all his life ; and, in the
sphere of politics, had shown a tenacity of convictions
that was amazing. Not a solitary instance can be pro-
duced from his entire record, in which he ever surrendered
his own convictions of truth or duty. He often yielded
where opposition was useless, for he was not factious ;
but he never supported a measure which did not command
his own approval. Nor is it sufficient to allege that, in
recognizing the doctrine of State sovereignty, he simply
bowed to the decision of South Carolina, and accepted her
fortunes as his own. This would explain acquiescence,
bat not the enthusiasm with which he lfi.id her cause upon
his heart, nor the devotion with which he sacrificed all
that was dear to its success, nor the attrition of care and
grief which helped to wear out his feeble life so -much the
sooner, Tar less than either from the truth is the stale
charge, that the tremendous hazard was incurred in the
interest and for the preservation of slavery. Indeed, this
never was more than tho occasion of the war, either North
or South. It was the mere rallying cry on both sides, to
raarslial the hoste into ranlis, a concrete and tangible
issue upon which to concenti'ate the masses. The cause
lay deeper, in the irreconcilable theories maintained sis
to the nature of the government; in comparison with
which all the interest and property vested in " the pecu-
liar institution" were as dust in the balance. In relation
to this, however, it may be incumbent on the writer to
mention here a fact connected with the subject of these
Memoirs, which perhaps is known only to himself. Dr.
Thornwell said to him, in 1861, that whilst in Europe he
had made up his mind to move, immediately upon his re-
turn, for the gradual emancipation of the negro, as the
only measure that would give peace to the country, by
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THB lATE WAK. 483
taking away, at least, the external cause of ii-ritation.
" But," added he, " when I got home, I found it was too
latts ; the die was cast," So far waa he willing to go in
the spiiit of sacrifice, to preserve the integi'ity of that
Union which he so reluctantly abandoned. How nseless
the sacrifice would have hecn, ia apparent to those who
have studied this conflict as to the true theory of the gov-
ernment, from the convention of 1787 to the present hour.
An iQcidental expression occm's in one of Br, Thorn-
well's previous letters, which gives the key to his whole
course. In it he sjicaks of " an American spirit" in this
country ; and, in antagonism to it, what he terms " a
Yankee sphit," which must be put down and controlled
by the former. Just so long as the government was ad-
ministered in the American or national spirit — nay, just
BO long as there was hope of bringing it back to the same,
from temporally aberrations — so long he clung to the Union
with almost religious devotion. When the sectional spirit
finally triumphed, and the entire ^Federal authority was to
be employed in enforcing its narrow and prescriptive
pohey, any peril seemed a refuge from its ascendency.
In this, he iindoubtedly represented the views and feelings
of aU his people. And to-day, if the conntiy will but
learn from the bitter experience it has encountered, the
South will forget her sufferings, and displace her resent-
ments, and will rise as one man to meet the. North in
placing the government upon its old basis. Not hanker-
ing after slavery, which she has abandoned for ever, she
will be content if the government only be administered
in " the American spirit." But if not, she will calmly
fioat upon the current of events, without any sense of
humiliation before men, in the quiet consciousness of her
integrity ; perfectly assured that a nation which resiles
from its own principles, however great may be its mate-
rial prosperity, only dances for a little while as a bubble
upon the wave, and dances but to burst for ever.
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CHAPTER XXXIII.
HIS C0UB8B m TBE WAS.
F SuoBsaroH, — Lettebb. — Pbbtalbbce or Oedeb in the
State.— Object of Attace: on Fobt Sijmtee.— Abtiole om ihe Statb
OE THE COTIBTBY.— AnILSSIE OE IT.— CoiIPBUMI&E IMPOSSIBLE. — Db-
arifE FOR A Peaceful Sepabatiob. — Impaired Heajjih. — Stjmmhb
EscuESiOB.— Lkttebs.— HiB View as to a Conventios of the Ph-ksbs-
TEMHS.— -NeOEBSITT OF ECCLESIASTICAL SePAEATIOB PKOM TEE NoETH.
EplSTOLABY JbTJ d'EsPEIT. — KeSTJMES HiS PaOFE^KIRSHIP. — ItBSlOBA-
iioB OF Pastoeai. Chakob. — Aniiety about the Codbtey,— Its In-
FLUEMCE upon HiS HBUVPH.
WE drift now into the natui'al channel of Dr. Thora-
well'e life, taking up events in the order in which
they occur. The following letter, addressed to the Rev.
Mr. Douglas, with its playful introduction, is chiefly in-
teresting aa containing his first endorsement of the seces-
sion movement. It was written, it will be perceived, just
eleven days after South OaroHna had set the baU in mo-
tion, by her famous Ordinance:
"TEEOLoisiotL Seminaet, Dee&nbef 51, ISGO.
" Deaely Beloved Beothee John; I am astonished that a man so cale-
brated for 'the milk of hnroan kindnesa' should be found maMng him-
Baif mecry over the sorrows and misfortunos of his breLhren. Friend
Sanderson might change his opinion of the heaeyolence of your nature,
if its could Bee how jou esult over my orazy baot and my tottering im-
derstanding. But let me tell you that it is aU a Kbel about the tight
toots, '.rhat part of the story was made up, and I have ne^er been,
able to trace it to its author, f***'***!]! relation to
elders, I do not require the SeEsiou actually to impose hands, but I pre-
fer that they should do it. The minister, acting in the name, and as
Moderator of the Session, is enough. But the members of the SeSision
■ought to be present, and ought to give the right hand of fellowsliip.
"I have concluded my reply to Dr. Hodge.* To me it seems per-
*An article, entitled "Church Boards and Presbyterianiam," growing
■out of the debate in the Assembly at Eochestec, wbiuh may be found
in the fourth volume of the "Collected Writings."
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4ab LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORKWELL.
feetlj eonclusive. I tMni I have Cornered him on every point that li9
has made; and I have some curiosity to see how ie will get out of .the
scrape. • • « *
" Our affairs of State loot threatening ; but I heUtye that we have done
right. I do not sea any other course that was left to ns. I am heart
and liand with the State in her move. But it is a time for the people
of God to ahcrand in prayer. The Lord alone can guide us to a liBTen
of safeij. He can bring light out of darkness, and good out of eviL.
J, H. TiioKirwELi,."
The fragment which follows appears never to have
been finished, and does not bear upon its face for whom
it was intended. We are satisfied, however, from internal
evidencef, that it was addressed to the Kev. Dr. J. Leigh-
ton Wilson, before his connexion ae Secretary was sev-
ered with the Assembly's Boai-d of Foreign Missions, in
New York, lis valne is to be fonnd in the testimony
given upon the prevalence of order throughout the State,
even in its troubled condition, and upon the motives
which led to the attack upon Fort Sumter:
" THEOiiOOioiL Seminaby, Jwniiarjj 7, 1861.
" Ml Dbab Bsother : Your two letters have both been received ; ani
I wiB deligllted to find what, of course, I was prepared to expect, that
your heart and your Bympathies are fully with the people of your native
State. Every day convinces me more and more that we acted at the
right time and in the right way. Georgia will be out of the TJnion to-
morrow, or the next day. Louisieiia, Arkansas, and Texas will speedily
follow ; and we shall soon have a consolidated South. The rumours about
mob law in this State are totally and meanly false. The internal con-
dition of our society never was aonndei" and healthier. The law never
was so perfectly supreme. Every right and interest of the citizen is
completely protected; and our people are bound together in ties of
mutual confidence, so strong that even private fauds are forgotten and
buried. The whole State is like a family, in which the members vie with
each other in their zeal to promote the common good. There is even
JitOe appearance of eicitement. All is calm and steady determination.
It is really a blessing to live here now, to see how thoroughly law and
order reign in the midst of an intense and radical revolution. You need
not fear that our people will do anything rash. They wiU simply stand
on the defensive. They will permit no reinforcements to ba sent to
Charleston i and if Tort Sumter is not soon delivered up to them, they
will take it. In a few days we shall be able to storm it successfully. We
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HIS COUESE IN THE WAE. 48T
Bhall take the Fort, not as an act of wm, bat in righteons self-defence.
"We do not want war. We prefer peace. Bnt we shall not dedine the
appeal to arms, if the North forces it upon us.
"I have just concluded a defence of the secession of the Southern
States, which will eoon be out in the Smitherit Presbyterian Meaiew. It
3S the last article, and is already advanced in printing. I shall have a
iai^e edition in pamphlet form struck off. To me it appears to be con-
elusive ; you can judge for yourself, when you see it. Dr. Hodge' a article
has been received with umyersal indignation. * » *
" The contributions to Foreign Missions among ub will certainly fall
■off. We shall not be in a condition to contribute as we have done."
Here tlie fragment abrubtly terminates. Allusion is
made iii this letter to what Dr. Thornwell styles " a de-
fence of the secession of tlie Sontbem States," It was
an article published tTanuary, 1861, in the Southern. Pres-
byterian Iteview, under the heading "The State of the
Country," and will be found in the Appendix to tliis toI-
ume, marked !N"o. II. As to the ahihty with which the
subject is handled, it is sufficient to quote the testimony
of one of the Chancellors* upon the South Carolina bench,
distinguished amongst his compeers for the subtlety of
hie mind and the sharpness of his discrimination, who
said to the writer of these pages : " I took up the article
of Dr. Thornwell with great trepidation, feai-ing that a
divine would make a muddle of the question; but I found
it a model State paper." In this essay, the author first
repels the charge that secession originated in "vain
dreams of glory in a separate confederacy, or in a desire
to re-open the African slave-trade; but in the profound
conviction that the Constitution, in its relations to slavery,
had been virtually r'epealed." He undertakes to prove
that "the constitutional attitude of the government is
one of ABSOLUTE INDIFPEEENCE OK NEUTEALITY, with re-
spect to all questions connected with the moral and
political aspect of the subject," He overthrows the only
two propositions upon which Federal jurisdiction over
the ease can be justified; to wit, that "the right of pro-
perty in slaves is the creature of positive statxite;" and
* Chancellor Job Johnston, of Newberry, South Carolina.
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488 LIFE OF JAMES HEKLET THOENWELL.
that it is " a right not recognized by the Constitution of
the United States." Both a'sBumptious are shown to lie
false in fact, and the deductions drawn from them ut-
terly untenable. He then proceeds to prove tliat, under
the change of public eentiment, the Government is made
to assume an attitude of hostility to the South; that "it
is made to take the type of ^Northern sentiment; it is-
animated, in its relations to slavery, by the Northern
mind; and the South, henceforward, is no longer of the
Government, but only under the Government;" "the
North becomes the United States, and the South a sub-
ject province." This, he contends, "makes a new gov-
ernment; it proposes new and extraordinary terms of
union." "The old Government S& as completely abol-
iahed, as if the people of the United States had met in
convention, and repealed the Constitution." "3SIr. Lin-
coln has been chosen, not to administer, but to revohi-
tionize the Government." "The oath which makes him
President, makes a new Union." "The impol't of seces-
sion is simply the refusal, on the part of tlie South, to be
parties to any such Union." "No people on earth, with-
out judicial infatuation, can organize a government to
destroy themselves. It is too much to ask a man to sign
his own death warrant,"
We give this analysis of a portion of this elaborate
essay; and, as the reader will perceive from the mai'ks
of quotation, in the very language of the instrument, in
order that Dr. Thornwell may define his own position,
and be judged by others iipon his' own statements. It
was the ground upon which the entire South stood, con-
tending for the principle which gave vitality to the whole
American Constitution; and her consolation is, in all her
pi-esent suffering, that it has been incurred in an honest
effort to preserve this in its integrity; and that, if she be
slain, it is by the hand of another, and not her own.
An unerring Judge will fix the responsibility of this con-
flict just where it belongs.
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HIS COUEbE IN THE WAK. i89
It has been exceedingly interesting to us, in prepai'ing
this biography, to find, among the loose papers of this
period, little scraps, often the hacks of old letters, written
all over with fragmentmy thoughts; seized, apparently,
just as they arose in his mind, and thrown in this loose
way npon paper, doubtless with a view to their being
worked over at leisure. Perhaps they were all given,
at different times, to the public, in the fugitive articles
he was in the habit of contributing to the newspaper
press. But in the fragmentary form in which they are
preserved to us, they are precious as relics of the man,
and as memorials how constantly the subject was in liis
thoughts. We transcribe one of these, evidently belong-
ing to the early stage of the straggle, and before the
gage of battle was actually thrown down. It is of con-
sequence as rebutting the chai'ge that he was seditions
and bitter in his feelings, and as showing how earnestly
the South deprecated the appeal to arms. It reads thus :
"How the duty of the Ohristiaa, to study the things that make for
peace can be beat discharged, in the ptesent condition of the cotmtfy, ia
B. praolaoEl inqairy of the utmost moment. It is possible to embitter
strife by Uie T^ry efforts to estinguish it. The measures proposed must
be judicioas ; and to be judicious, they must be adapted to the diffl-
cnlties which they are designed to heaL It is not enougli. that they
epiing from a good motive. The motive docs not determine the result.
They must be adjusted to the nature of the case.
" Tried by this stMidajTi, that whole class of espedieuts, which aim to
promote peace by a compromise of the dffioulties betwist the Horiih and
the South, and the perpetuation of the present Doiou, must be condemned
es fostering only strife. The nature of the differences is such that there
can be no compromise. There must be complete surrender, on one
side or the other. It is a case of excluded middle. -The North have
said distinctly, that freedom is national, slavery sectional. In other
words, they, and they alone, represent the real spiiit and tendencies of
the country ; and the govei'nment must be entrusted exclusiTely to their
hands. They must determine the eooial type of the territories; they
must determine the complexion of all onr laws ; the whole life of the
country is in them. The SoutJi is an appendage to the body, but no
organic part o( it. In such a oontcoveray, there is no room for com-
promise. The positions are oontradiotory, and one or the other must
be abandoned. But eupposo the North yields, will that promote peace ?
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490 LLFB OF JAMES HENLBl! THOENWEJLL.
It depends npoa what is meant by yieliiiag. If to yield is only to sna-
I>end hostilities, v/hiia the sanfiment of the people remain micliaiiged, it
is evident that the causes of strife remain in all tteir power. The only
meaem'e which can promote peace is, thai the parties should separate.
The combataats must he parted.
"As it is clear that they must part, the next thing is to make the
separation a peaceable one. To this point our Christian efforts should
now he unceasingly directed. We should endeavour to prevent violence,
and the acrimony and bitterness which must spring from an appeal to
arms. If force is resorted to, it must fail. The Union can hold no
States by conqneet. A forced Union is an anomaly. Free consent, and
that alone, should hold us together. If it fails to conquer the seceding
States, much blood will have been shed in vain. It is idle, therefore, to
resort to it. If the Union can be dissolved by the same free consent
which created it, the most friendly relations might be instituted between
the two sections ; and the prosperity of both be almost as much pro-
moted as fay a Federal Union, Let Ohristdan men, Horth and South,
labonr to have us part in peace."
Dr. Thornwell's health was not by any means restoTOd.
The temporary improvement resulting from hia European
trip the preceding summer, disappeared under the re-
s\imption of his labours, and the pressure of solicitude for
tlie conntry. About the middle of January, while his
pen was biisy with the essays above presented, he was
prostrated upon a bed of sickness, from which he did not
recover until the spring. A relapse followed upon this,
and the entire summer was devoted to a vain chase after
health. Indeed, the short remainder of his life was spent
in a useless conflict with the disease, beneath which he
was destined to succumb.
In tKe month of June he resorted, with his third
daughter, as companion and nurse, to Grlenn Springs, in
South Carolina, somewhat noted for the value ' of its
waters in certain types of disease. From this place he
writes :
" Glenn Spbings, June 17, 1861.
" My Dbibesi Witb ; As I know that you will be ansious to hear how
we are getting along, I write to you again this mornicg. Yesterday was
a very warm day, but we had a good western hreezo. I walked in the
moroiuf; to the spring, and bach. We have a fine shade the whole way.
There waa preaching at a little Epiticopa! Church, built by McCuEough,
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9 CODKSE IN 1
491
■but none of ua went. The Ghiiroli is a 'very neat litfls bnilding, just ovar
the branch from the spring. Tlie rector is a Mr. Jones ; I Itnow noth-
mg of him. Late in the afternoon yesterday, I took anottei' sti'oU, and
found it delightful. Tlie shades are so flee about here, that oue is per-
fectly protected from the rays of the son. I was very cautions in the
nse of the water. Last night I slept well. This morning I rose a little
after seven o'clock, ate hreakfast at eight, took a long walk, have drnuk
two glflssfuls of water, and feel very comfortable., Theair to-day is fine;
it is cool in the temperature, and made more so by a constant breeze.
My strength seems to increase, and I am encouraged to believe that the
place will agree with me. * « * *
"Yon cannot imagine how I enjoy these np-country forests. They
are more interesting than they ever were before. I can gaae on the
fine trees from morning till night ; and at night, now that the moon is
shining, it is most delightful .to look ont upon the starry heavens abo^e,
and the thick groves below. I find myself almost entranced by the in-
fluence of soeues around me and above me. Yon. would enjoy tlie place
Terj much.
"I am trying to get water sent to yon, but it is impossible to prooure a
vessel of any kind, even a bottle. Strange to say, I am fond, of it. Pat
drinks it freely, and says it has given her an enormous appetite. She
watches me closely, and will not let me eat what she thinks wiU. not
agree with me. The other evening I web abont to take a piece of lansb-
ontlet ; but Pat sung out at the table, that she thought I ought not to
eat meat at night ; so I obeyed her, and let it alone. I have now emp-
tied my budget of gossip. Love to all. May the Lord keep us qU. in
tealth and safety, God bless you, dearest.
"Touts, most devotedly,
J. H. T.
Two days later he addresses the tbllowing to his eldest
son, which could scarcely have been more faithfTil in its
appeal, had he known how soon they would both be to-
gether in eternity :
"Glehk Spbikos, June 19, 1861.
" My Deak GinjjESPiE ; It has been on my heart for some time back
Ifl have a serious and solemn conversation with-you, touching the great
interests of the soul. During all my sickne^ nothing has pressed upon
my mind more tlian the condition and prospects of my hoys, in relation
to the salvation of the gospel. I have dedicated you and your brothers
to God. I have prayed that He wonid call yon all into His kingdom ;
and I once ventured to hope that I might see yon all ministers of the
gospel. There is nothing worth living for but the glory of God ; and I
do most devoutly wish that your eyes may be opened to see the trans-
cendent importance of eternal things. You have but one soul ; and il
you lose that, all is gone ; and once lost, it is lost for ever.
" Yon may say that yon acknowledge the truth of all this, but you do
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402 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
not feel it. My son, you nmst strive to feel it. You must think upon,
the matter seriously and earnestly ; you must pray ovor it ; you innat
confess and deplore your hardness of heart, and seek from the Lord s.
clean heart and a right spirit. Kesol-ve never to give over, until you
find that you are interested, and warmly intereEted, ia the great Balva-
tioQ. You oannot imagine wlmt a comfort it would be to me in my de-
clining days to see you humbly and sdncerely following the Lord Jesus.
Christ. And why not do it? Can you gain anything by carelessness
and remissness? Are you happier when you do not know but that, at
any moment, you may be sununoned before God altogether unprepared?
Is not (he fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom ? and do they not
exhibit the soundest understanding who keep God's commandments?
My son, you know not how mnch I love you, and cannot know how
much I feel for your immortal interests. Bo me, your father, the favour'
to give your mind to the matter at once, and decidedly. Seek to be a
thorough-going, devoted Chrisfian. Seek the Lord with your whole
heart. Kenounee all sin, and renounce it for ever ; and betake yourself
to the blood of Christ for pardon and acceptance. Do more; have an.
eye to the eternal good of yomr younger brothers. They look up to you ;
they respect you ; they try to do as you do. Set ttem a good example.
Go before them in the way of eternal life.
' ' Eeligion cannot be maintained without regular prayer, and regular
reading of the Scriptures, and regulm^ attendance upon the ordinances.
Never omit yomr morning and eveaing devotions, and try to be inter-
ested in them ; think over what you pray for ; tJiink before you pray.
Whep you read the Bible, read in order to get knowledge. Meditate
on what yon read ; and beg God to seal it on your heart by the Holy
Ghost. At church, try to be profited. Apply to yourself what you
hear. Look upon preaching as God's appointment, and expect His
blessing in attending upon it. My dear boy, reflect upon what I have
said to you ; and gladden my heart, when I see yoa again, by your in-
terest in all that eonoema the glory of Goii, and the salvation of the
soul. Pray over this letter; look upon it as your father's legacy; and
for his sake, as well as your own, awake to the importance of these high
themes.
"As to my health, I cannot say that there is any marked change yet.
I think, upon the whole, I am improving. The atmosphere here at
present is very cool and delightful. Our nights are charming ; and I
enjoy the magnificent forests about here very much. I can never gaze
on these enough. And now, my boy, may God bless you. Eo true to-
Him, and He wiU be faithful to you
"Your affectionate father,
J. H. Teobhwell."
The next letter shows a change of place, and is ^vritten
to his colleague in the pastoral. chaise of the Columbia
church, the Ecv. F. F. Muilallv:
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HIB COUKSE IH THE "WAK. 495
" Spabtanbtjkg, jul^ 10, 1861.
" Mt Deae Mdi.i.m,iiY : It hns been oh ray mind to write to you for
eome time ; but as I had nothing definite to Bay to my lord, I ooacludad
to put it off until I coold get a few more ideas. I fiud, towever, that
if I wait niitil I get sometJiing worth sajiug, I sliali wait for ever. Yoa
must, therefore, take things us they come; and if my letter has no sense,
hefiatjefied to reflect that it is full of love, and of the sinceteat wishes foi
yonr well-being end well-doiug. It njakes me sad at times to think of tho
harden that has fallen on your shoulders through my infirmities ; but I
trust that the Iiord will abundantly reward jou foe yonr generous anil
disinterested labours. It would delight my heart to he able to join yoa
in jour ministry. The people in Columbia are very dear to m© ; and
their Bpiritual interests are the burden of many a prayer. I cannot tell
you how much I am attached to the congregation ; and if I conld serT9
them as in former days, it would be the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
"I was glad to hear that you had a little holiday, and killed two
birds with one stone by running up to Pendleton. I can well imagine
■what sort of a time you had there! How I should have rejoiced to be
with you.
" You roust not OTerwork yourself during the summer. A righteous
man is merciful to Mb beast ; and you must spare yours, or you may
bring yourself to the pass that I am at. As to my ooodition, I have to
apeak with caution. Last week I considered myself nearly well. My
uncomfortable symptoms had largely disappeared. . I was as strong a»
uBual; could ride flight miles on horse-baokwithout fatigue i rode every
day Ei:tteen mUes in a carnage ; attended two night-parties ; had a fine-
appetite, and was becoming quite cheerful. There oame on a spell of
rainy weather I t lok cold, which settled on my bowels ; and for'
Hiirty-sii hjUTS I Bufteied as much as I had ever suffered in that time
before I became depre'ised. The tiii^ was so sudden and so unei-
peoted, and I could attribute it to no imprudence of mine. But I am
on the mend agam To day I am neatly myself again, only a little
weaker than befoie My lung has greatly improved ; the upper part is
performing Imely , the lower is still dull, though much better than when
I lett home The Oheiokee water has been of great service to my eto-
toaeh and kidneys. The Glenn Spring water I could not stand at all.
I am satisfied that it did me serious injury.
"I wish you would have a pro re naia, meeting of our Presbytery
called, to appoint delegates to attend a convention at Qreensborough,
on the loth of August. You may put my name to the ciroular request-
ing the Moderator to call the meeting. It is very important ia take
jnilaative Steps, while the Presbyteries are aU harmonious, and before
different Echemes have got in agitation. If tha Presbytery should appoint
me as a delegate, I shall endeavour to attend. I can work in private,
though I cannot make public speeehes. Do have the matter attended,
to ; let no time be lost.
" On the leth instant, I leave Spartanburg for Wilson's Springs. I
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49i LIFK OF JAME5 HENLEl THOKNWELL.
shall remain there about tpn daj b, if the waters suit me ; then go tc
the moimtaius, holding mjseli in readiness to attend the contention,
when I see that it has been called The dimate here is Tery grateful.
I am delightfuUy situated, and enjoy evtry comfort and luxury. Ail
right cuMide; but inwardly, I am sorry to say, that I cannot make so
fair a report. Give my love to . and ■ , and all the long-faced
tribe. I love them alL My wife is the only Presbyterian I have seen
for so long a time, that I have abnost forgotten how that sour race looks.
But I hope soon to see you all again ; and to see you in the full enjoy
jnept of the comforts and eonsolationa of the gospel.
J. H. Thokbwell,"
At thia point comes in properly the draft of a letter,
withont date, to the Eev. Dr. Afener A. Porter, then
editor of Uie Southern Preshyterian, at Colnnibia, It
indicates tlie policy he thought the Southern churches
and Presbyteries should pursue, after the passage of the
*' Spring Resolutions," in the Assembly of 1861, at Phila^
delphia. In the main, these measures were carried out
in reintegrating into the General Assembly of the Pres-
byterian Church in the Confederate States, which was
afterwards done at Aiigusta, Georgia:
" Deab Pouter ; I am glad to see that a call has beenmade for a Con-
vention of the ohvirokes in th^ Confederate States, to determine their
future relations. The Presbyteries shonld lose no time in calling pro
re nata meetings, and eleetdi^ their delegates. The number of dele-
gates which each Presbytery should send ought to be the same as the
iramber of eommissionera to which it is entifled in the General Assem-
bly. The Convention should, first of all, settle the question of sepai«-
tion from the churches in the United States. And, in the neit place, if
it determines to separate, it should prepare a constitution, to be sub-
mitted to the autumn Presbyteries ; and, until the constitution is finally
adopted, mate arrangements for a Provisional Government. I would
have preferred that the Convention had been called to meet in Grcons-
borough. North OaroUna. Eiohmond, in July, will be very crowded,
and it will be hard for the members to find accommodations. I tbink
even yet the call should be changed from Kiohmond to Greensboi'Ough,
or Ealeigh. I prefer Greensboroogh, because it is situated in a most
bcautdful, heslthful, and delightful region of country. Then, again, it
is more conveniently accessible than Kichmond. It is nearer to the
Southwestern brethren ; and a few days spent in breathing its atmos-
phere and drinking its water, will prepai'e the delegates from the
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HIS COClifiE IN THE ■WAR. 405
swampy region of the Gulf for hard service, when they return to ttieii'
gnats and musquitoaa.
' ' There should be uo time lost in the permanent organization of the
Confederate Churoh. She should be getting ready for embarking fully
in the work of her Master. She should have, as speedily as possible,
her Committed of Missons, Foreign and Domestic, of Education, and,
if need be, of PubUcation and Churoh Extension. A great work ia be-
fore her. Let her gird np her loins, and set resolutely abont it. I hope,
therefore, that e^ery Presbytery in the Confederate States will send
delegates to a convention, to be held at Greensborough, N. C, entrusted
with full power to determine the future posture of the Church, eubjoet
to the review of
He wi-ite8, a little later, to one of his younger sons,
revealing his parental anxiety for their iTsefuluess in this
world, and tlieii' salvation in the next.
" SpABTANBtraG-, Jul}/ 33, 1861.
"My Deae Boy: Your afEeotionate letter was duly received, and I
am glad to see that you are so mindful of your father in bis absence.
Tfour father thinks and prays a great deal about you. He wants to see
you a useful man in the world, if the Lord should spare your life. He
would delight, above all things, to see you a faithful and able preacher of
the gospel. Youi first concern, my dear child, should be to be a Chris-
tian ; and flien your next, to enquire how you can most glorify God.
You can never be useful without study and prayer. Master your books.
Give your mind to your lessons, and always determine that you will get
tbeua ; that you will not be outdone. Mow is the time to lay the founda-
tion, and you must not fool it away with indolence. I hope you will
know yonr Latin grammar well, and be able to read when I see you. I
want you to be a good scholar, and I do hope that you will begin to love
your books. 33ut enough on this point.
"We axe still in Spartanburg. The weather has been too bad for
us to leave. There have been rains every day. "We shall leave the first
good day, perhaps to-morrow. We shall spend a while in Shelby, and
then meet you all in Lincoln, at Mr. Anderson's. Charles must keep
my hoi'ses in splendid order, and things in fine trim on the lot wheil you
leave. He must try himself to see how well he can manage. My health
is something better. I would improve faster if the weather would allow
me to get out, bnt the rains confine me to the housa. Dr. Shipp's
family is excessively kind. I do not know how I can ever repay them.
His children are all fond of their books. He has no trouble iu getting
them to study. I have no news. I hope Gillespie was preserved in the
battle on Sunday.* We must all pray for him, and for our country. The
Lord alone can keep us in safety.
Very affectionately, your father, J. H. Thoenwbli,."
* The first battle of Manassas.
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490 LIFE OF JAMEB HENLKY THOENWELL.
The seriousness of these letters will be relieved by the
following playful effusion, so cbaracteiistic of him in his
bantering moods. It was in reply to a very serious
t his favourite habit.
" Theolobioai. Seuikxht, Septemief 24, 1861.
"DBiM.1 BauoTaD Sisteh Adobe: My sympathies have been greatly
■moTed by ths piteous accoimts I liave received of your keen and mani-
fold EuEEeringe, in tUat most important of all orgaae to a woman. ' tjie
Tiuman face divine.' I know how to feel for tlie sufferer, especially for
such a Knfferer as the wife of a friend ivto has no rival in my heart. My
■own espeiienoe has led me to recognize the fact, that one effect of onr
afOictions is to disarm us of oaprioious and idle prejudices, and to re-
oonoile iia to what we once abhon-ed. In my own case, this principle
has been most signally illustrated. At one time in my life, sheep, blaok-
liei'riea, and tea were my utter abominatioas ; and I marvelled how any
human being could reconcile himself to the use of such mouetfous aiid-
jjes of diet. But I was brought low. I had either to starve, or to feed
on sheep widi the voraoity of an ancient patriarch or Jew ; and I finally
jssiae to believe that even a ChriBtian man might make dainties of tlia
fruit of briers, the offspring of the fold, and the leaf from China. My
prejudices are ail gone ; and I sit down to these abominations with as
much composure as I would eneounter ham.plusn pudding, or roast beef.
After giving up mj prejudices, I began to mend.
" Now, it has occurred to me, that there is a proud place in your heart,
which requires to be humbled. You have some unacoouaft,ble preju-
dices, from which it behooves you to be delivered ; and my interest in
jour carnal comfort prompts me to deal very freely with you on this
most delicate subject. I have no doubt that if you. would open your
mind to liberal views of that most delectable of all weeds, the tobacco
plant, your sufferings might be greatly relieved, and greatly modified-
Just reflect upon it as a balm which nature has kindly provided for
aching teeth or agonized jaws. Let me advise you, as you prize your
comfort, to provide yourself with a dean pipe and a short stem, end set
to work upbn the goodly process of inhaling the eiquisite fragrance.
There is no sight more truly venerable than that of a mother in Israel,
in the chimney comet, with her children about her, refreshing their
senses with gales of incense as sweet and cheering as the tones which
proceed from her mouth. It is the very picture of dignified repose. The
very idea of neuralgia to snch a matron would be a contradiction in
f emis. Only try it. I never have tooth-ache, jaw-ache, or any other
face ache. The reason, perhaps, is that I have had no absurd prejudices
against ' kind nature's sweet restorer,' a genuine article of tobacco. How
delightful it would he, if you could overcome your antipathies, to visit
sister Adger, of a moonlight night, at her hospitable mansion, and join
wilh her in the calm, quiet, dignified composure which the blended
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HIB COtTESK IN- THE WAE. 197
■ftmiea o£ the pipe and dgai would bo Ireely acd completely signalize I
My dear, suffering sister, smoke, wnwke, and again I say, smoke. It wiU
■do you good. Once begin, and you will need no arguments to persevere.
The odour of a good cocyersiition and the odour of tobacco sweetly har-
monize, and form an esquisite incense. But enough. We all want to
see you very mucll. I think your husband needs looting after ; and the
worse feature in hie case is, tliat he does not want you to come home,
liiazie, I suspect, is doing pretty much what the boy shot at. The truth
"is, your presence, provided your face is smooth, would work marvels.
But my paper is out. Be sure to smoke, and let us hoar no more of neu-
Talgia. As ever,
J, H, 'rHOENWELL."
Dr. Tliornwell returned in the fall to his duties in the
Serai narj, but his health was ao shattered that he was called
to sever Ms connection with the church in Columhia, the
sole pastorship of which being devolved upon hSs young
and estimahle colleague, the Bev, Mr. MullaUy. One letter
more will close this chapter. It is addi'essed to General
James GiUespie, near Oheraw, and gives a connected view
of his sickness ; enahling us to see, what neitlier he nor
his friends apprehended fully at the time, that his dise^e
had fixed itself in his constitution, and must soon finish
its work:
" TEEOLOOioifc SBmNABY, Ifovember 19, 1861.
"My Desk General; 1 received your message fromMr. Pelham, and
lose no time in complying with your request. You have probably been
apprised of my general condition during the past ten months. On the
15th of January I toot my bed, from which I hardly arose until about
the Ifit of April. My system was utterly broken down ; and broken down,
as the doctor said, in consequence of esoessive work. About the 1st of
April I began to amend ; and had the folly to go down to Charleston,
whore I took an affectioH. of the bowels, that kept me prostrate during
the whole summer. I had no enei-gy for anything, escept to pray for
my country and the Ciinroh. I went to Wilson's Springs in August, and
there I began to recover strength a second time. I spent the remainder
of the summer in Lincoln county, Korth Carolina, at the residence of
my son-in-law, and, by the blessing of God, still continued to improve.
At the opening of the Seminary, about the middle of September, I re-
turned home, and have been able to discharge all my duties as a Pro-
fessor. But I felt it my duty to give up the church. I am now free
from the cares and labours of a pastor. I am still improving, but my
Tight lung is still feeble, ami my bowels in a great measure toneless.
In other respects I am myself again. During the summer I spent a
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498 LIFE OF JAMES HKNLEY THOKNWELL.
montb. -with Mary Jane and Dr. SMpp, and a pleasanter month I liave
never spent anywhere. They are both, noble peopie. Mary Jane ie a
trne Gillespie, and Shipp is esactly the man tiiat she ought to have mar-
ried. Their family is a model household. I love every one of them,
from the youngest to the oldest, as I love my own children. I was really
delighted to find that Mary Jana had married so welL
One thing that bas helped to break me down, is the profound interest
which I have taken in public affairs. My heart has been distrassed for
my country. While abroad, I saw that secession was inevitable ; and
■when I returned, I did everything in my power to promote it. I gave
np the Union with great pain, bnt I saw no alternative. Black Itepub-
lioanism had tendered it impossible to remain in it with honour. I
always thought that war would be the eonsec[uenoe ; but I preferred war
.to ignominious submission. The war has come, but I am not dis-
heartened. Under God, I believe that the final result is certain. The
hopes of liberty on this continent are centred in our success. We may
have to suffer much, and to suffer long ; but liberty is worth it all. You
have heard of the disaster at Port Royal. I suppose it could not be pre-
vented. But the enemy, after all, has gained but little. Mr. Barnwell's
family is now at my house, all eieept himself. • They fled from the in-
vasion. Columbia is full of refugees from Beaufort and froii Charleston.
I do not think, however, that the enemy can take Charleston, and I doubt
whether they will try it. As ever,
J. H. Thoenwell."
"P, S. Gillespie has been in this war from the very ei
and is a true patriot, ' Xou have no reason to be ashamed of him ; he has
genuine pluck. There is no bacon in this part of the country ; we have
to live on sheep and cows. How fores the matter with yon ? We have
been supplementing our small stock of coffee with rye, bnt we shall soon
have to oome down to st^afras."
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CHAPTER XXXIT.
ORGANIZATION OFTEE SOUTEEBN ASSEMBLY.
COMMISSIOKEES YlSIT WaSHINOTOB CiIY IS IHB IKIEKEST OF PSACE. ~
Dtipltoity Towahds These. — Atxempted Reinfobcement op Fobs
Sttmpibii. — Its BoMH*EDttrENT. — The Nobth Inflamed. -—Wab En-
sues.—Mbetinq OP Genebal Abbemely at PhiladeiiPBia, in 18G1.—
The " Spbini) KEaoLuTioHs." — Thsib PoiiincAii CHiBicrsR.— Actios
OF IHB SoOTHKEN PllEBBYTEBIEa.— CONVENTION OF THESE HeI/D. — ■
Obbanieatiob op Sobthekk Geneeal Abbbmbly. — Chakaotbe or'
THeBoDY.— IlsADDKSlSaTOTHEOaUBCEESTBHDtrOHOOTTMMElBTH.
Scene at its SoESCSieTioN.^Aiao at the Adoption of a Chabteb. —
Its LEADiNa Peatdse. — Equipjieni of the Cetjbch fob hee Wobe. —
OVEBTUEB TO OoNOBEHS VSOS THE ItECOQNITIOH OP CHErsAAMITYf
Peesbhtkd ajjd "Withdhaws. — Debate on Sending a Iietteb to the
HoBTHEBH AaSEHBLY.— DbAIT op Such Jl Lii^TTEE PltEFAllED, BDT NOT
PBESENTED. — AcTION OF A CoBYENTlON IN SoTJTH GaBOLINA, DTntlNO-
TBE SeBSIONB OS THIEB StBODB. ITS CXVUi OaABAOTEH. — ETEDFJiCa OP
Cabe by tee Sotttesbn Cbtjbch to Aestaib ekom PoLiTios..— Peoop
OP TBIS IN THE POBLIO PHAYEBa OP TEE PeSIOD, — EXAMPLE OP THIS
IN A Peaybb of Db. Thobn"well, in the South Cabolina Legibia-
ALLUSION has been mado to a rapture hi the Church
as well as In the State, eome account of which falls of
necessity within the scope of this naiTative. Immediately
after his inangm'ation aa President of the Confederate
States, and in pursuance of a resolution of the Confederate
CongreBs, Mr. Davis sent three commissioners to Washing-
ton, for the purpose of negotiating friendly relations be
tween the two governments. Aa soon as possible after the
organization of Mr. Lincoln's cabinet, these commissioners
addressed a commnnication to the newly appointed Secre-
tary of State, mentioning the object of their diplomatic mis-
Bion, and assuring him that the President, Congress, and
people whom they represented, eai-nestly desired a peace-
ful solution of these great questions. An informal an-
+89
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500 LIFE OF JAMBS SENLRY THOKmVELL.
Bwer was returned, to the effect that Mr. Seward's " strong
disposition was mj^avour of peace, but that he wished to
avoid making a reply to the eommissioners at that tvm6?^
An intimation was further given that Eort Soniter would
be evacuated within ten days. At as late a date as the 7th
of April, Mr. Seward made reply to a note of inquiry,
"Paith as to Sumter fully tept; wait and see." When
these words were penned, the rehef squadron had already
left New York, and was approaching the harbour of
Charleston, to "provision and reinforce Tort Sumter, —
peacefully, if permitted — otherwise, by force." The Con-
federate Commissioners, after being held at bay for the
space of three and twenty days, and amused with the pros-
pect of peace, found themselves deceived and betrayed ;
and, on the 9th of April, addressed a note to the Federal
axithoritiea, to the effect that this aet of aggression coiild
not be construed except "as a declaration of war against
the Confederate States." In the language of Mr, Stephens,
whom we continue to quote, " It was more than a mere
■declaration of war ; it was an act of war itself." It was
under these circumstances of urgent necessity that the
bombardment of Tort Sumter was begun, on the 12th of
April, It is not our business to explain the duplicity of
this proceeding. But whether it was a fraud from the
beginning, or whether the policy of the Federal adminis-
tration was suddenly changed, under the influence of the
seven Northern governors who rushed to Washington at
the pinch of the crisis, history will be obliged to hold as
the aggressor, t}ie party which made the first movement
to battle, and not tiiose who first stnack the defensive
blow. The fall of Sumter was used with consummate
skill, to aroi;se the passion of the Northern masses, and to
inflame their resentment against the insult represented
as being given to the national flag. The whole country
was in a blaze, and the four years' dismal and bloody
strife was begun.
It was during the oiitburst of this storm tliat tlie Geu-
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OKGANIZATION OP THE SOUTHEEN ASSEMBLY. 501
•eral Assembly of the Presbyterian Olnirch met, in tlie
month of May, in tlie city of Philadelpliia. The eeclesi-
aetical bonds between North and South were not yet
broken. A partial representation from the Southern
Presbyteries sat in tiiis council, as in former yeai's ; deter-
mined that, in the severing of churehly ties, tlie aggression
should come from the same quarter which Had wrought
the rupture in the State, Perhaps many indulged the
vain hope of the writer, that the splendid opportunily
would be embraced of demonstrating the pui-ely spiritual
fihai-acter of the Church, as the " kingdom which is not of
this world." It would have been a superb triumph of
Christianity, if the Church could have stretched her ai-ms
across the chasm of a great war, preserving the integrity
of her ranks unbroken. The golden vision was not to be
realized. In defiance of the express statute in our code,
which inhibits " Synods and councils from handling or
■concluding anything but that which is ecclesiastical, and
from intermeddling with civil affairs, which concern the
Commonwealth," the famous " Spring Eesolutions" — so
named from their venei'able author, the Rev, Dr. Gardiner
Spring, of New York — were adopted, by a vote of one
hundred and iifty-four to sixty-six. It reads thus :
" Resot-oed, That tiis General Assembly, in. tlie spirit of that Chris-
tian patriotism wMch the Scriptures enjoin, and whioli has always ehar-
acterized this Churdi, do hereby acknowledge and declare onr obligation
to promote and perpetuate, so far as in us lies, the iutegiity of these
United States, and to etrengthen, uphold, and encourage the Federal
government in the eseroifie of all its functions, under our nohle Conati-
tuUon ; and to this Constitution, in all its provisions, requirements, and
principles, we profess our unabated loyalty. And to avoid all miscon-
ception, the Assembly declares (hat, by the term ' Federal government,'
as here used, is not meant any particular administralion, or the peculiar
opinions of any particular party, but that central adminietration whioh,
being at any time appointed and ioangurated aooording to tho forms
prescribed in the Constitution of the United States, is the visible repre.
sentaldve of our national e: '
This paper, from its very terms, was simply a writ of
ejectment of ail tliat portion of the Churcli within the
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oQ-2 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEV THOKNWELL.
bounds of eleven States, which had already withdrawn
from the Federal Union, and established a government of
their own. A pledge was made on their behalf by the
Assembly, which it was not possible for them to redeem;,
so that, in the language of Dr. Hodge's own protest,
they were driven "to choose between allegiance to tlieir
State and allegiance to the Clinrch," This was not all.
TJie utterance was exclusively and intensely political.
It touched, as with the point of a needle, the precise issue
upon which the war turned. The problem, in relation to
which the most eminent statesmen, North and South, had
been divided for seventy-five years, was to determine
where sovereignty — the jus summi impeni— resided ;
whether in the people, as they are merged into the mass,
one undivided whole ; or in the people, as they were origi-
nally formed into colonies, and afterwards into States,
combining together for purposes set forth in declarative
instruments of union. This q^uestion, lying whoUy within
the domain of pohtics, the General Assembly assumed
the right to determine ; so that, even if not ejected by
what was equivalent to an act of expulsion, the Southern
Presbyteries were compelled to separate themselves, in
order to preserve the crown rights of the Kedeemer, and
the spiritual indojiendoncc of Hia Mngdom, the Church.
During the summer and autunm of 1861, forty-seven
Presbyteries, each for itself, dissolved their connection
with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
in the United States of America; the ten Synods, to
which they belonged, sealing the decison by a corres-
ponding vote of then' own. This separation was based,
in every case, upon the unconstitutional character of the
Assembly's legislation. We give the language employed
by a single Presbytery, as showing the common ground
upon which they all stood; " Jiesolved, That in view of
the unconstitutional, Erastian, tyrannical, and virtually
exscinding -act, of the late General Assembly, sitting at
Philadelphia, in May last, we do hereby, with a solemn
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OKGANIZATION OF THE SOUTHERN AS8EMBLT, 503
t against tbis act, declare, in the fear of God, oar
«oimection with the General Assembly of the Presbyte-
rian Cliurch in the United States to be dissolved." It
was to seciu:e unanimity in this important meaBure, as well
as to prevent the evils which might arise from a temporsiiy
disorganization, that Dr. Thornwell and others thought a
■convention of the Presbyteries to be so important. In
reality, there was little danger of confusion, except from
■divereity of opinion aa to the time, and place, and mode
■of coming together. The Presbytei-ies were of one mind
as to the necessity of separating from the Northern branch
-of the Church, and not lees so as to the importance of com-
bining again in an Assembly of their own. During the
interval, the Presbyteries and Synods were completely
■organized under a common constitution and polity; and
ihe only feature of the system that was lacking, was the
higiiest court, which should give expression to tlieir visible
unity and fellowship. The proposed convention was held
in the month of Angust, at Atlanta, Georgia ; and was
■Tiseful in directing various matters of detail, which wei'e
indispensable to concert of action.
As the result of these deliberations, the General As-
sembly of the Preabyterian Church in the Confederate
States was organized on the 4th of December, 1861, in
the city of Augusta, Georgia ; and its first act, after fixing
upon its name and title, was the formal and explicit adop-
tion of the "Westminster Standards as its constitution :
" Resolved, That this Assembly declare, in conformity
■with the unanimous decision of our Presbyteries, tliat the
Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms,
tlie Porm of Government, the Book of Discipline, and
the Directory of "Worship, wliich together make up the
constitution of the Presbyterian Church in the United
States of America, are the Constitution of the Presbyte-
riaJi Chm'ch in the Confederate States of America, only
substituting the term " Confederate States" for " United
States," It was a body not large, in size — a little less
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504 LIFE OF JAMES HEKl
tlian one hvmdred niembera— but augast in character. It
was composed of men who fitly represented the ability,
the learning, and the piety of- the whole Ohnrch, not only
ae to the ministers, but the ruling elders, who contributed
so lai'gely to shape the conclusions which were reached.
Dr. Thornwell was, of course, one of its guiding spirits ;
and the papers which gave the largest character to this
Assembly emanated from his pen, and were marked with
the ability of his very best productions. We may be al-
lowed to instance " The Address to all the Churches of
Jesus Christ throughout the Earth," containing the clearest
statement of the principles which had brought about the
separation from the Northern Chui'ch ; involving, as this
did, a beautiful exposition of the nature and functions of
the Church of God. It will stand as, one <ji those docu-
ments to which the Church will ever appeal, as a testi-
mony for the truth, in times of darkness and trial, when
the witnesses for it were thought worthy only of being,
slain. It was not only expressed with that precision of
fhougbt and of language wliich was chai-aetemtic of tlie
illustrious author, but it was pervadad with a sa<!ramental
fervour, which stamped upon it the impression of a ea«red
and binding covenant. The scene .which was enacted at
the moment of its subscription will be forgotten by none
who witnessed it. Head, and read again, amid the solemn
stillness of au audience whose emotions are hushed with
awe, it was finally adopted and laid upon the Moderator's
table ; when, one by one, the members came silently for-
ward and signed the instrument with their names. We
were carried back to those stirring times in Scottish story,
when the Solemn League and Covenant was spread upon
the grave stone in the Grey I'riar's church-yard, and
Christian heroes pricked tlieir veins, that with the red
blood they might sign their allegiance to the kingdom
and crown of Jesus Christ, their Lord and Head.
There were other scenes in that venerable court of ouly
le^ interest than the foregoing. On the seventh day of
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ORGAUIZATION OF THE BODTMEKN ASSEMBLY, 505
the session, the Committee on a Chai-ter made theii' report.
Submitting the draft of a bill to incorporate the Trustees
of the General Assembly. The peculiar featiire of this
instrument was, that it made " all the committees, agencies,
or hoards, whicli'the Assembly might establish for caiiy-
ing on tho general work of the Church, hranehea of this,
incorporation ;" " any gift, con\-eyance, or transfer of
estate in any wise, any devise or bequest made to the
Trastees for either of these agencies, to be transferred to
tliem in as foil and as perfect a manner as if they had been
especially incorporated to take and to hold the same."
The object of this measure was to secure tlie complete
subordination of all these agencies to the Assembly itself,
so that they should never .have the power to assert an in-
dependent authority, And " being kept together in one
family, and under one family name, to exhibit the appear-
ance of nniformity, sympathy, harmony, and a delightful
Christian brotherhood." The Assembly listened to the
reading of the report with undivided attention, when the
accomplished chairman, Judge Shepherd, was subjected
to a shai'p and critical interrogation from all paa-ts of the
house, which he sustained with admirable dignity, compo-
sure and courtesy. It was terminated at length by an
observation of Chancellor Johnston, of South Carolina :
" I think the Judge has passed a good examination, and
I hope he will be allowed to retire." To this, Dr. Thorn-
well added, with a glow of animation suffusing his pallid
face, " To me this is a most delightful paper ; I can find
nothing in it to be objected to, and I move, therefore,
that it be received, so that the lawyers may have a chance
at it," . Altogether, it was a scene of dramatic interest,
the exact parallel with which we never before had wit-
nessed in any Church court.
The great business of the body, however, was to equip
the Church for the great work to which she is ordained
by her Divine Head. Executive agencies were appointed
to superintend botli Foreign and Domestic Missionary
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506 LIFE or JAME3 HENLEY THOSNWELL.
operations, as well as tliose of Education and Pnblieation,
with definite principles and rules laid down for their guid-
ance. The ftumbrous and useless machinery of Boards,
interposed as a screen between the Assembly and its dif-
ferent agencies, was diseai-ded without a dkeenting voice.
Simple committees were substituted in their place, com-
posed of members residing in one locality, with merely
executive functions, and immediately responsible to the
Assembly, by whom they ate annually appointed. The
cordial unanimity with which all tliis wa;s done, showed a
remarkable advance m the recognition of a sound and
pitre Presbyteriaiiism. Every one breathed freely, in a
free Church, which could at length work out its own great
principles, without the incubus of foreign influences and
institutions. The time-honoured "standards of the Pres-
byterian Church had been explicitly adopted, without any
equivocation or reservation as to their interpretation ; the
watchmen in Zion seeing eye to eye, and ail being of one
mind, to rise and build up her broken walls. It was a
sublime spectacle of faith : this Ohureh, hedged in by a
cordon of armies, looking out upon the whole world as its
field, and quietly preparing herself for labours in the fu-
ture ; while stone was laid upon stone in the solid masonry
•of her organization, without the sound of hammer or cliisel
being heard in all her com'ts. It was when "the King
of Babylon's army beseiged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah,
the prophet, was shut up in the court of the prison which
was in the king of Judah's house," that the word of the
Lord came unto him, saying, "buy the field that is in
Anathoth, for the right of redemption is thine to buy it."
Ood's way, in calling His people to the exercise of faith,
has been in all ages to load that faith down with all that
it can bear; and here stood a Church doing a woi'k in
gloom and darkness, which was simply prophetic of the
future, and a pledge of faithfulness to tlie principles which
she had received grace to see and to glorify.
Two measures were proposed in this Assembly which
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OEGANIZATION OF THE SOUTHEBN ASSEMBLY. 507
did not paaa. One of these was brought up in the form
of an overtui-e, and thus an incidental mention of it is
made upon the Hinutee. The other came up in the form
of simple resoliitioiij and was witlidrawn, and finds no
record. They are both of interest, as illustrating the
Bpu-it and temper of tho body, and form a part of its un-
written history. They are introduced here from their
connection with the subject of these Memoirs, and reflect
his views and his feelings. The first was a memorial
which, it was overtured, should be sent to the Confederate
Congress, for the incorporation of an article in the con-
stitution distinctly recognizing the Christian religion.
This proposition originated with Dr. Thornwell ; but the
overture not being reached on tlie calendar until the
eighth day of the session, and being vigorously opposed
by some who doubted the wisdom and propriety of the
measure, it was ■withdrawn by the author, on the ground
that there was not time for its discussion. He further felt
that it should not be pressed, unless it could be adopted
with cordiality and unanimity. The fact of its presenta-
tion, however, discloses his view upon a public question
of no little importance, and nierits a record in a detailed
account of his own life.
The other question related to the sending of a letter to
the ^Northern Assembly, aunonucing the organization of a
co-ordinate body with itself, and setting forth tlie reasons
for this action. Dr. Thornwell was not the mover of the
resolution, but he favoui-ed its passage. The dicussion
developed some feeling, which disinclined many against
any act of courtesy towards a body whose course had
been so unjust, and who were probably in no temper
to appreciate it. As an evidence of Dr. Thornweli's
mellowness of spirit, and tlie entire absence of anything
approaching to bitterness, we quote his language in tins
debate : " Mr. Moderator, let us grant that the brethren
of the Old Assembly have injured ns, I can say honestly
and ctJnscientiously before God, that I forgive them for
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508 LIE'E OF JAMES IIENLEr THOKNWELL.
everything tliey have ever done to me or my Church. I
have no resentment against them ; and my only regret is
that they have allowed themselves to commit this act of
infatuation ; and I do earnestly want to be able to have
it said of this Church, that it -was not ini^uenced by pas-
sion or resentment ; that they have not left in a pet, or
throiigh revenge; but that we have come calmly and dis-
passionately, in a spirit of peace and chaj-ity, to our
present position. I do not desire that we should go be-
fore that Assembly to make representsitions of innocence,,
but to stand up before them as their equals, and, at th&
same time, as fellow Ohi-istians. They have erred, but
they are men — 'h-unumum. est errare' — and does it be-
come us to scorn one another? But it is a matter of seLt-
respect to this body, tliat the world may know that it has.
not been infiuenced by low passions or undue anger."
The strength of the opposition induced the mover to
withdraw his resolution, bo that the sense of the Assem-
bly was never taken. But if the reader is curious to know
what would have been the tone of such a communication
as Dr. Thornwell would have sanctioned, be will be grati-
fied in perusing the foUowiug di'aft of a paper, which he
had evidently prepared with a view to some such action
being taken as would authorize its use. It is styled,
"Far&oell Letter to fAe Qeneral Assembly, of the Presbyterian Ukarcli, in
t/ie United States.
" The General AsBembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Coiifede-
jtate States of America to the GSeneneral Assembly of the Presbyterian
Cliarcb in the United StatPS of America greeting :
" Be it known to you, brethren that the Preabyteriea and Synods in
these Confedera,te btates whioh wcie formerly in connection -with you,
have withdrawn feom your luncdittion and organized a General As-
eemblj for themselves Hiey are now a separate and independent
Church. Wa think it dua to yo i in comity, tiat we should set forth a
hriflf statement of the reasons which have impelled us to take this step,
in order that jou may see that we have not been influenced by the spirit
of anger, resentment, or schism. We have no grudge to gratify ; aid
whatever wrong may have been done nia in yonr recent legislatdon, we
freely -and chtitrfiilly forgive.
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OHGANIZATIOH OF THE SOUTHERN ASSEMIil.Y. 5uy
" "We have withdrawn, first, heeauBe we are persuaded that, it we re-
main together, our hanaony is likely to be disturbed by the introduction.
of ovir political differeaees into our Chnrcli courts. We have taken,
warning from the example of joiir late meeting at Philadelphia. Your
proceedings there have been sanctioaed by the gonural sentiment of
your Presbyteries, and leaye us no alteraatiTe but a choice betwixt use-
lesa strife, or a quiet and peaceable separation.
"In the next place, we are convinced that, ae a general rule, Ohurch
orgam!iations should be boanded by national lines. A division of this
sort is a division for convenience aqd efficiency. It argues no breach
of charity, and therefore implies no schism. In the oironmsfances of the
Confederate and United States, it seema to be peculiarly desirable that
the Churches should be as independent as the Government.
"To this may be added, in the third place, that the efBoiency of the
Southern Church, in its efforts to evangehze the slave population, would
be greatly impeded,, in the present condition of affairs, by a Northern
alliance. We deem it unnecessary to expand these reasons. Tliey have
appeared to us decisive of our duty; and in the fear of God, for the
glory of Kis name, and for the honour and prosperity of His Church,
we have, with perfect imanimity, dissolved our old ties, and asEumed a
position of equality with yourselves. Your faiili and order are. ours.
Your noble twtimony for Hie truth, in by-gone days, is still ours. All
that is precious in the past is still ours. And we sincerely pray that the
two Churches may hereafter have no other rivalry but that of love to
the Master, and of holy zeal in His cause. We bid yon farewell. "
It muBt be distinctly rememliered that tliis is strictly a
private paper, though moulded into the form of a public
dociiment. It was never presented to the consideration
of the Assembly ; and is engrossed in this volume only
as an illustration of the charity and Christian spirit of a
man whose memory is precious.
Somewhat eai'lier than the events recorded, dm'ing the
mouth of November, 1861, the Synod of South Carolina
held its annnal session, in the town of Abbeville, Ad-
vantage was taken of the presence of gentlemen from
different parts of the State to make a dechu'ation upon
public affairs. Dr. Thoniwell offered the following reso-
lutions, which were adopted unanimously by the meeting :
ed, 1. By the ministers and eiders composing this Synod, not
in their ecclesiastical capacity as a court of Jesus Christ, but in their
private capacity, as a convention of Christian gentlemen, that our alle-
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510 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKHWELL,
gianoe is due, througli the sovereign State to ■which we belong, and
shall be rendered, to the GoTemment of the Oonf ederate States, as loi^
as South Carolina remniDS in the number.
'^Meaohied, 2. That the war ■which the United States are now waging
agaiDSt uB, is unjust, cruel, and tyraanioal, and in oontraveniaon of every
piinoiple of freedom, which their fathers and ours bled to estabUsh.
"Eesohed, 3. That we are firmly persuaded, that the only hope of
oonatitationBl liberty, on this continent, is in the Bucceas of the Con-
federate cause ; and that we pledge ourselves, and we think we can safely
say, the Presbyterian people of these States, to ujiold and support the
Govemnient, in every lawful measure, to maintain our rights and our
honour.
'^Be^lved, 4. That we heartily approve of the appointment, by our
President, of nest Friday, ts, a day of fasting, hnmiliation and prayer."
By a singular clerical error, in. the shifting of hands
through which the minute was passed, these resolutions
■were engrossed upon the Eecords of the Synod, Excep-
tion was entered against the entry by the Assembly of
1862, in their review of the Records ; and immediately
under the exception, by leave of the court, an explanatory
note was appended, showing how this mistake occurred.
The incident is of no gi'eat importance, except as proving
the care with which the Southern Church kept herself
clear of all political complications. In the first place,
these gentlemen, though .brought together as members
of the Synod, are carefid to say that they organize, not
as a Church court, but as private citizens, in a voluntary
■convention. Their action was not ecclesiastical, but
purely civil in its character. In the second place, when,
by accident, their proceedings were entered upon the
Kecords of a Churcli judicatory, it was disallowed, and
censured by the superior court, and the error was both
acknowledged and explained. The memoirs of these
times are destined, by and by, to a sifting examination;
every action will be subjected to rigorous cross-examina-
tion, and the facta will be all the clearer by the light of
contrast in wliich tliey will be made to stand-
in further illnfitration of the caution witli which, daring
these troubled times, politics were excluded from religious
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OKGANIZATION OF THE SOUTHEEN ASSEMBLY. 511
serviceSj we append a prayer offered by Dr. Tliornwell at
the opening of tlie South Oarohna Legislatni'e. To those
■who are sometimes called to oiSciato in this delicate service,
it may be acceptahle ae a model, showing a proper reserve
in alluding to the public exigencies, and maintaining the
attitude and spirit of real prayer, when the temptation is
60 strong to obtrude our advice upon the Almiglity, as to
the administration of His providence. The fact that it
is found amongst his manuscripts proves that it was care-
fully premeditated. But though, in .consequence, more
measured in its language than the public prayers usually
offered at this period, it is still an exemplification of the
restraint which ministers at the Soutli imposed upon
themselves in the devotions of the sanetuaiy:
"Almiglitj' and everlasting God, tto Fattier, tho Bon, and the Holy
Ghoet, tlie Creator of tte heavens and the earth, we adoie Thee m the
only Kving and true God. Thou only art the Lord. Thou rnlcet over
all, doing Thy pleasure among the aimieE of heaven and the inhabitante
of earth; and none can stay TLy band, or say unto Thee, what doaat
Thou. Thy kingdom is an overlaBting kingdom, ajid Thy dominion
endureth throughout all generations. ' Thou deserrest to reign ; for Thou
only art Trise, and good, and holy. Thou also art merciful and gracious.
Espeoiolly do we thank Thee for Thine unspeakable love in the redemp-
tion of einners by our Lord Jesus Christ. In His name we present oui-
selves before Thee now, andfor His sake we humbljimplore Thyfavour
and hleseing. Wo confer ourselves unworthy to receive the least of
Thy mer f w ha sinned, and sinned grievously, against Thee.
O God, nte t uio judgment with ua, but grant us true repentance.
Give ns g ft t k Thee with our whole hearts, and keep us in the
way of Thy mm il cts.
"We ad Th as th King of nations. We acknowledge the-su-
preme a thonty Thy 1 w ; and we beseech Thee to be our God, and
the God f ir hildr n, throughout all generations. Especially, O God,
do we supplicate the guidance of Thy wisdom iu all the deliberations of
of tiis legislative Assembly. Vain is the help of man. We would antrust
ourselves, and the interest of our country, into Thy hands; and we be-
seech Thee to impart to this Assembly the iospitation of the Holy Ghost,
giving to each member a sound understanding, pure motives, and a clear
perception of what is right and fit to be done. Save ua from error, from
pride, from unholy passions. Clothe ua with true humility. Teach U3
Thy will, and give us strength to perform it.
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512 I.IPE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
"0 God, if consistent with Thy "wiU, rabuke tke troubled e
epeak peace to tte tmniilte of tte people; rBstore truth, justice, and
brotherly loye. Biud. tiie States of this Confederacy together ia the ties
cf righteoueneBS and peace. But whatever may bs the issue, grant peace
and prosperity to this Cominonwealtli, and to all the States which have
a common interest with us. Unite them together in harmony and love,
and give them a name and an honourable place among.the nations of tiie
earth. Oh! grant that we may own Thee as our Glod, and protect us
from the power of every adversary. Into Thy hands we tommend our
iiause ; and all we ask is Thy fatherly guidance and blessing."
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OHAPTEH XXXV.
SIS DEATIT.
■COTSTLSTJED INTEREST IN THE WaB. — "WaiTES SOU TEE SbOOIiAR PfiESS.^
His Son WonsDED. — Vistia Richmond.— Retubn. — ViOi.TioN'.- — Tsi-
YEL FOB HsAT.TH. — LeTTESS HoJO;. — SON'S.BKTlIaU TO AoTITE 9bB"VI0B.
— Meetinq in Geaslottb. — Seetoh op Son's Gaebeb.— Last Siok-
WEEs. — HibMai^dv. — LEiHSBor.^L AST Sayings. — Dbate. — Funekal
Sbkvices, — ^Hia Tomb.
DURING the winter of 1861-'3, ])r. Thoniwell, in fre-
qaeiit communications to the daily press, sought to
animate the people to maintain the struggle in which
they were embarked. Tiieee were far from being inilam-
matory appeals to their prejudiees and passione, bnt well
considered, thongh energetic, addresses to the reason and
to tlie conscience. He pubhehed, also, a tract of twelve
pages, which was extensively eircnlated in the ai'my, and
amongst the people at home. It was entitled, "Onr
Danger and Our Duty." Under the lii'st bead, he de-
picted with fearful distinctness the results of our defeat,
both as to the South and the North; under the second,
he presented the spirit which should prompt every citizen
of the Commonwealth, and without wliich the victory
■could never be won. The reader will find in the Ap-
pendix, marked No. Ill, this elegant brochure, replete
"with classical references and allnsions, wljich are intro-
duced, not simply for their rhetorical effect, but as en-
ijjrcing the argument, or exhortation, which they elucidate.
We cite a paragraph, showing the revolution which would
be accomplished in the character of the government, by
the triumph of the Federal arms. The reader can judge
for himself how far the prediction has been pushed for-
ward to its fulfilment, in the events that have happened
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514 LlFiS OF JAMBS HENLKY THORNWELL.
6mee tlie close of tlie war. Its republication may prove
one of those notes of warning 'wliich may yet waken the
nation fyoiii its fatal apathy :
"But tha consequenoea of suooeaa on our part will be very dilEerent
from the conBequeiioea of success on tlae part of the Morth. If th^ pre-
vail, the whole character of the Qovernment will be changed, and, instead
of a federal republio, the coromon agent of Bo-jeceign and independent
States, we BhsU have a central despotism, with the notion of States for
ever abolished, deriring its powers from the will, end shaping ita policy
according to the wishes, of a nnmarical majority of the people ; we shall
LaTe, in other words, a supreme, irresponsible democracy. The will of
the North will stand for law. The GoTemment does not now recognize
itself as an ordinance of God ; and, when all the cheeks and balances of
the ConBtituUon are gone, we may easily figure to ourselres the career
and the destiny of this godless monster of democratic absolutism. The
progress of regulated liberty on this continent will be arrested, anarchy
will soon Buoceed, and the end will be a military despotism, which pre.
serves order by the sacrifice of the last vestige of Uherty. We are fully
persuaded that the triumph of the North in the present conflict will be
as disastrous to the hopes of mankind tm to our own fortunes. They are
now fighting the battle of despotism. They have put their Constitution
under their feet ; they have annulled its most sacred provisions ; and, in
defiance of its solemn guaranties, they are now engaged, in the halls of
Congress, in discnssing and maturing hihs which make Northern notions
of necessity the paramount laws of the land. The avowed end of the
present war is, to make the Governmont a government of force."
In urging the q^uestion of duty, he eloquently dissuades
from apathy and insensibility to the magnitude of the
issue; from the spirit of avarice and speculation, which
would fatten upon the public distress; from the spirit of
faction, wliicli is equally selfish, and still more divisive
and distracting; from indolence and love of ease; from
fastidious notions of etiquette, especially in military cu'-
eles ; from presumptuous self-confidence and pride ; from
despondency under reverses of fortune; and concludes
with an appeal which rung out upon the' land with the
sharp tone of the clarion : " We occupy a sublime position.
The eyes of the world are upon ns ; we are a spectacle to
God, to angels, and to men. Can our hearts grow faint,
or our hands feeble, in a cause like this ? The spirits of
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HIS DEATH. 615
onr fathers call to us from their gi-aves. Tlie heroes ot
other ages and other countries are beckoning us on to
glory. Let na seize the opportunity, and make to our-
selves an immortal name, while we redeem a land from
bondage, and a continent from rnin."
The sorrows of the war were destined to touch him in
his home. Tliis will be best introduced in the letter wMch
follows, addressed to General Gillespie:
"OoLBMEii, May 8, 18G2.
" My Dea-b GENiiBAL ; I liaye juat received a telegram f rom Kichmoad,
tiat mj dear boy was wounded at the battle of WiHiamBburg, ou Monday.
I reiwiYed tlie dispatch late this afternoon ; Ms mother and myself set
0 to him. The wound was a Bfthre thrust. It ia
sUght, but he is to be removed to Richmond. Of coarse,
I feel very oneaay. He is represented as having noted very bravely.
That I knew he would do; he is aE pluck. His heart is in the oaase;
and te is, I assure you, a noble boy. Though under age, he has enlisted
for the war, with my full consent. I knew jou would Uke to hear about
him, and havQ seized a momgnt to drop you this hasty line.
"The times are darli, bnt the Lord reigns. I feel an abiding confi-
dence that we shall yet win the day. Our people are beginning at last
to wake up ; they are rising in the right spirit aU over the land. What
we have now to fear is the spirit of faction. That must be rebuked ;
we must silenoe the fanlt-flnders and eroakere. The President is merci-
lessly abased by some of the papers; and if we are not ruiue'd, it will
not be beoavjse these spirits have not tried to destroy our confidence
in our leaders. "We most stand by Davis through, thick and thin. We
are all in the same ship ; and I am sure, moreover, that ha deserves our
confidence. Time will prove that he was the man for the crisis. The
Lord be with you ali, and bless you ; my heart is full.
J. H. Thoebwbu..
Upon arriving at liichmond on this melancholy errand,
Dr. and Mrs. Thornwell found their son, Gillespie, kindly
sheltered in the house of the Rev. Dr. T. Y. Moore. His
wound was within a hair's breadth of being fatal, but not
so severe as to prevent liis return, on furlough, with
his parents, "We Und Dr. Thornwell at home, in Co-
lumbia, on the 26th of May, 1863 ; at which date he thus
writes to the Eov. Joseph M. Atkinson, of Ealeigh, N. C. :
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516 LIFE OF JAJIK8 HENLKY TnORNWELL.
"Mt Deab Bkother : It ■vrill be maay a day before I forget the
ctelightf al episode which I exparieaced at your houae, in a droarj history.
I oaniLot tell you how much I enjoyed it. My wife and myself oon-
stautly speak of it. imd I am afraid th^t its eSeot will be, tbat hereafter
I eftnuot pass EaJeigli witbout ceniainiiig far a niglit to bore tho good
frieDiis at the parsoaage. "Walpole desoribed gratitude 'as the expeota-
tiOQ of future fayours.' Have a care lest I seek, in yonr case, to realize
the definition.
" I was Sony to hear tliat poor Law, could not be moved. It was
a kiiid pTOTidsEce that put him in such, good bands ; but I cannot
help feeling some degree of concern, that I was the occasion of taxing
your family with, a good deal of oare and trouble. 1 know that you feel
it to be anytiiiug but irkBome to relieye the distressed ; but still, more or
l^s anxiety wiU be connected with suoh a charge.
"My own son oontiuues to improye. He stood the journey remark-
ably well, better ercn than I did. For I bad to go to bed upon reaching
bome, and haye not been worth-a chew of tobacco since my arriyal. -If
I had not felt so good for nothing, I would have xyritten to you before,
"You see that the gun-boat expedition failed against Eiohniond.
I am now quite confident that the Ijord means to defend the city.
McCSellan has fairly confessed that Johnson has outwitted him. He was
verily persuaded that Johnson's retreat from lorktowu and Williams-
burg was an honest fiight, and that he woi;ld soon be able to drive liiii
to tie wall. He suddenly disooyers that our numbers are too great to be
pressed on, and that he must fall back on his old plan of ditching and
troncbing. I hope a period will soon be put to Ms operations. The
sooner the better for the Confederate oause.
" Did you ever see anything more atrocious than the general order of
Butler, in relation to the ladies at New Orleans? Can the ciyiUzed
world stand that ? Has the North lost all moral sensibility ? It really
«e6nis to me to be on tiie verge of judicial abandonment. Upon the
fcatfle of Richmond, and that at Corinth, great interests are suspended.
It is important for us that they be speedy, and that they be decisive.
We should be earnest in prayer that God would interpose for us.
" When wiE you be in these parts P You cannot imagine how much
pleasure it would give us to see you. We bave a little hog and hominy
left, and wo can give you greens on the same dish with the bam, a la
Tirginie. Grace be with you.
Most truly,
The Seminary vatiation inviteii to repose and to travel ;
for it was only by incessant patching, his feeble constitution
eonld resist tiie inroads of that disease by which it wa8
secretly nndermined. In the iiiontli of June he left for
Wilson's Springs, in North Carolina; and after a short
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HIS DEATH. 5lY
■stay, found liis way to the liome of his Bon-in-law, the
'Rov. Robert B, Anderson, in Liucoln county, of the same
State, rrom tliia place his next letter is addressed:
" ELDJOtsLiE, June 26, 1862.
"IIy DAmiiNO Wife; I sent Gillespie to Gliarfottc yesterday with a.
lettar, to be mailed from there to jou. His wound was not well enough
to aathorize him to retam to service ; so I directfld >iim to go home,
nnd when he returned, to bring yon with bim ss far ag Charlotte. I
want Jou to have soma recreatioti from cars and auslety. But, more
than that, I want to see yon very much indeed. I think about you
night and day ; and every time I see the little grand-son, 1 think how
muoh. pleasure it would gire you to see his moniey motions.
" I did not go with G-illespie to Charlotte, as I was raluotaut to expose
myself in the snn. I have beguu to improve, and I waa afraid of losing
all that I had gained. I rub every night with the Uniment of spirits of
turpentine, I have also been tating some pilJs of turpentine. My ap-
petite is good, and my strength is now nearly as great as ever. But my
bowels are not eiaotly in tone. The diarchtea has pretty wbU ceased,
and all symptoms of dysentery have disappeared. I am as well now as
before I went to Riohmond. I drink iJie mineral water hare all the
time, and think it is as good for me as Wilson's, But nest week I think
of going to Wilson's, and soeing how the landlies. *«•«*•
I am very pttrtionlar about roy diet. I eat no vegetables at all, but po-
tatoes. The only meat I use is timn or dried beef. We have no fresh
meats at nil, not even chickens. I have not been out any where. The
sun has been so hot, that I have been afraid to expose myself in it.
The wheat in this neighbourhood is a great failure. The prospeet of
the com orop is very promising, but the trying time is to oome. Our
interests are in the hands of God. He knows what is beat for ub. He
may sorely ohastise, and afterwards bind up and heaL Oh ! that we
could all but put our trust only in Him I Kiss the eiiildren. Love to
all. The choicest blessings of heaven upon your own head. Grant that
we may soon meet again. I long to be at home with my loved ones.
"As over, your devoted huKband,
J. H. TH0ttNWja,L."
Two days later he writes thus:
IE, Jime 28, 1862.
' ' My DiBLisG Wife : I suppose that Gillespie has reached home by
this time. He wrote to me a very satisfactory letter from Charlotte. I
want Mm to see Dr. Fair, and have his wound properly di-essed. From
the slowness with which it has been healing, I am afraid that the mode
of treatment with the court-plaster was not the best. Ho must not
think of returning to Riohroond until he ia entirely well. I will arrange
the matter with the Government so as to save him from nil trouble.
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518 LIFE OF ^AMES HL-M I \ IHUi NWELL.
" I think I am improTing. Tlie climate heit is bo refreehiug, and
tlie water of tlie mineral spriag so grateful, that I cannot but hope, in a
few days more, to be something hie ni> self again. I hBTe been able
to keep down diarrhoja, bat itis bj the use of opiutes. I am now trying
to leaye it off, and. hope soon to be able to dispenBe with everytbing.
***■«* J hs.-ve tried to keep my mind free from all care ; but I
cannot help thinJdng about joa and your life of labom- and anxiety. 1
reflect upon myself, that I am here, free from the bustle of the family,
and you at home, working like e, slave to keep up the family. My heart
and my sympathies are with you. I share your' burdens, though you
know it not ; and I pray for you night and day, that the Lord may give
you strength suited to your day. Try and be cheerful. I wish that you
could so arrange matters as to come up with Gillespie on his way to Kicli-
mond. I would meet you at Charlotte. If you can come, you can bring
little CtiarUe with you. If you cannot come, I must be thinking about
getting home. I cannot consent tltat you should have all the trouble on
your shoulders.
" I suppose the great battle at Kichmond has been joined, and is now
going on. God grant that ttie victory may be ours. But it makes one
sad to think of the fearful cost at which Yictory must be purchased.
Thousand? must fall ; thousanda more maimed for life ; and scores of
famihes must be hung in mourning. How earnest should we be in
praytrthat God would temper judgment with mei'oyl If we fail, the
consequences to us will be the most gloomy. 1 dread to think of them.
But we must not dream of giving up the fight. We must keep the field
ss long as there is a man who can bear arms.
' ' Tbe family here are all well. Pattie rea^ and amuses herself witll
the baby. The boy is very interesting. He cannot yet talk, but he is
beginning to try. He feels the want of language, and labours hard to
express himself. AU send much love to you and the ohildron. Tell
Gillespie I shaU write to him on Monday. The Lord be with you all,
and bless you, and keep you.
"As ever, your devoted husband,
J. H. TeoekwbiJi."
OiTT liand trembles under tlio sorrow of a great be-
reavementj wbich, tliough twelve years have rolled away,
is as fresh and keen to-dsy as when it was first encoun-
tered. It pauses over the subjoined letter with a Hnger-
ing reluctance to transcribe the last relic of a dear and
cherished friend. "Within three weeks after it was penned,
he had entered into the JResi to whicli he so toncliingly
allades :
"EnnEitsLiE, July 6, 1862.
"My Di-HLiNG Wife I I wish youwould write tome, and let me know
precisely what day Gillespie will be in Charlotte. I shall try to meel
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HIS DEATH. 519
liim there, if I should not be at Wilson's. I have written to Dr. Miller
about haying me good quarters there. If I eannot get ttem, I shall ra-
tum home pretty soon. It I oan get a good room, I shall spend two
weeks there, and then i-etum. I am desperately tome-Biek. I ■want, to
■see you all very much indeed. Nothing but'a secBe of duty conld re-
concile me to the idle, worthleea life I am leading here. I do nothing
tut loimge, eat, drink mineral water, and sleep. My thoughts are all
the time with the dear ones in Columbia, particalarly with iity wife. I
Iiaye long known that I have the best m h w d nd great
^ef to me that I cannot do more to h tn ar , and
sorrow. I want to see you happy. P ul m anii have
servants tliat you oan depend on ; and th will h m tiike
trouble off your han^ Bat our tru ■rt m gh m another
world. May the Lord prepare us for
"I preached for Dr. Morrison yeat d J D al w here.
He came up to help Anderson at his m D would
iave gone, but it is too far ; and I am ca ul posing
niyself in the sun.
' ' We have not yet heard the finSle of tlie battle at Eichmond j hut we
iave reason to hope that the Lord has given us a complete victory.
Glory to His name 1 Oh 1 that we may have grace to use it wisely i
» * « xbe Lord bless you, dearest.
"As ever,
J. H. T."
The an-angement indicated in these letters was carried
out. Gillespie Thornwell, in company with his mother,
(iame to Charlotte about tlie middle of July, where he
was met by his futlier. After spen(3ing one day together,
the young soldier, with his wound as yet imperfectly healed,
jetiirned to active service in Virginia. In parting here
with this gallant youth, the reader will more than pardon
a digi'ession, which tracks him through a brief career, to
the hour of his death,
Glllebpih Kobbins Thoknwell was but sixteen years
and a few months old, when the bugle was first heard in
Carolina, summoning her sons to t]ie field. He was one
of the earliest to obey the signal, and was in the ranks on
the coast when Fort Sumpter was reduced. As soon as
troops began to be ma^ed in Virginia, he enlisted for the
war in the cavalry service, and was, at the time of Ms
death, in tlie Fifth South Carolina Kegiment, belonging
to General Wade Hampton's legion. Bom, like most
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520 LIFE OF JAMEB HENLEY
Southern toys, on toracback, he rode Kke a Comanche
Indian. Mounted on a fine steed, with that recklessness
of bravery which characterizes youth, he did not hesitate
to charge against heavy odds. It was thus he received the
sabre wouud, of which mention has been made. Gene-
rosity is always a twin virtue with courage. We will give
two illustrations of it. On hia journey from the battle-
field to Richmond, a kind lady had provided him a mat-
trass ; but seeing on the train a brother soldier worse
wounded than himself, he surrendered its use ; and as he
sat upright in hie seat, displayed such power of will in the
endurance of pain, as to attract the attention of others,
and elicit their praise. The other instance was of a still
nobler type. He was offered the lieutenancy of his com-
pany, but another was anxious to obtain it, in whose favour
he declined, saying, " He is an only son, and his mother
is a widow, who will be comforted by his promotion."
Truly, this exhibition of a noble nature entitled him to
his father's praise, that " he was a noble boy," and showed
that his father's blood flowed in hia veins.
Exactly one year after receiving Ms first wound, he
encountered a second, on the 3d of May, 1863, which was
fatal. The account will be best given in tlie words of
General Hampton, in communicating the aad intelligence
of his death: "His wound was received in an attack on a
regiment of Yankee cavalry, in which thirty of my men,
together with seventy of Major Moaeby's, routed and
captured the whole regiment. But whilst they were
bringing off the prisoners, another regiment charged
them, and succeeded in rescuing the captured Yankees,"
This occurred in a skirmieh neai- Warrenton, Ya., and
the wound was made by a rifle ball, in the abdomen^
a little above the hip. He fell, of course, into the bauds
of the enemy, by whom he was kindly oared for, and sent
to their hospital at Alexandria. Here he ariived at
eleven o'clock at night, and died at six o'clock the next
morning. His body was obtained by friends in the placCj
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Hia DEATH. 521
deposited in a private vault, and after the close of the
war, in 1866, was brought home and interred in hh
native soil. In his whole career he was distinguished for
his courage. His commanding officer, General Hampton,
in a message of sympathy to his widowed mother, bears
this ample testimony : " Her son was a noble and gallant
soldier; and whilst she cannot but moam, as only a parent
can mourn for a child, she can well draw consolation
from the knowledge, that he has fallen whilst sustaining
nobly the sacred cause for which his father plead, and to
which he had dedicated himself." Thus, when but eigh-
teen and a half years old, did this brave youth seal with
his life the cause he had two years before espoused ; and
thus, within the space of nine months, did the father above
the stars greet the son who had been the burden of his
prayers. He met death, not only vrith iirmness, but with
perfect resignation and composure. Although under cir-
cumstances which cut him off from the friends to whom
he might have unbosomed liimself, the hospital nm-se says
that "he talked beautifully" to him, saying he "did not
fear to die, and was perfectly willing to go, only that he
could have wished to see hia mother and the dear ones at
home once more." They rest in the sweet assurance that,
through faith in his Bedeemer's blood, he was ready fur
the change.
But we must return to a more peaceful scene, one of
Biu'passing solemnity, but one the sadness of which is
chased away by the light of Christian triumph and joy.
On the very day when father and son parted in Charlotte,
Dr. Thornwell took his bed, from which he was lifted only
to be borne to bis burial. From the beginning of the at-
tack, he was impressed with the conviction that it was
his last. The Rev. John Douglas, a tried friend of his
from early College life, came to him at the first stage. Aa
he entered the room, he said: "You have just come in
time to see me die." As we have narrated, by what seemed
an accidental circumstance, his beloved wife was at hia
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533 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
side. To her he mentioned the pleasing fact that, at
"Wilson's Springs, from which he had just come in order
to meet his son, though in some respects micomforta.'ble, he
had had a time of great spiritual enjoyment. He seemed
to have been taken there, away from all whom he loved, .
that in solitude and prayer he might be prepared for the
coming of his Lord. Tor nearly two weeks he lingered,
being tenderly nursed at the house of Mr. "William E.
"White, of Charlotte, by loving friends, who would cheer-
fully have saved his life by the surrender of thek own;
until, on the first day of August, 1862, he gently fell
asleep. It was only this; there was not a sti-uggle, nor a
groan. He threw himself back upon his pillow ; lifted his
right arm and hand ; it quivered spasmodically for a few
seconds, and then dropped; his eye became lixed; and
with a few short breaths his spirit passed away.
The nature of his malady prevented him from speaking
much. He had been threatened all his life with eon-
fiuinption, which perhaps settled upon a different organ
from the lungs. A chronic dysentei-y had slowly under-
mined his strength, and the toneless system had not power
to resist the final assault. The lethargy to which this
form of disease predisposes, made him quiet for the most
part; though he was easily aroused, and always with the
full recognition of those around his bed. Being asked if
he had any word to leave to his boys, he replied: "Oh !
they are the burden of my soul ; if they were only children
of God, I would ask no more," Being fm-ther pressed to
know if he had any directions to give concerning them,
he added : " The same Jesus who has watched over me,
can take care of tliem." On being asked again, if there
was anytlung he wished done, when he was gone, the
. triumphant word of faith came back, "The Judge of all
the earth will do right."
He lay much with his hands folded across his breast,
with lips moving as if_ in prayer. Then, at other times,
there would fall upon the ear troubled and incoherent
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HIS BBATH. B23
utterances, whieli, wlien caught, would reveal his mental
habits. Lifting liie finger, as if addressing an imaginary
class, Ite would say, " "Well, you have stated your position,
now prove it." Again, as if musing upon some meta-
pliyaical theme, he would articulate: "The attributes^-
first the moral, then the intellectual, and tliirdly, the reli-
gious or spintual;" reminding one of the good Keander,
who, in a lilie condition, would lift himself on his dying
couch, and say, "To-morrow, young gentleman, we will
resmne our exercitations upon the sixth chapter of John."
It is our loss that there are not more last' sayings to record
of such a master; for
' ' The tonguBB of dying men
Eniocoo attention, like deep harmouj ;
The setting sim, and musie at the oIobs,
As the last taste of sweets, is sweetest last,
Writ in remembranoe more than things long past,"
Yet they are not needed. Our brother's whole life was
a continued chant'; and memory will preserve its music,
returning npon us with ceaseless echoes, till wo, too, sleep.
The last time but one it was the wi'iter's privilege to hear
him in the pulpit, in one of those outbursts of emotion so
characteristic of his eloquence, he exclaimed : " I am often
very weary. Weary with work, as the feeble body reels
beneath its accumulated toils; weary in struggling with
myowndktnistfuland unbelieving heart; weary with the
wickedness of men, and with the effort to put a bridle
upon human passions ; and I often sigh to be at rest."
Brother, thou hast entered intp rest; and we are the more
weary for loss of thee !
The Holy Spirit placed liis seal upon that pallid brow.
The partition is vei-y thin between the two worlds, when
we come to stand upon the borders of both ; and the beau-
tiful light streams through the curtain which separates
them, and throws a strange radiance upon the dying be-
liever, the prophe<iy of a glorious, transfiguration. Says
Dr. Adger, who came in at the last liour, just in time to
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THOKNWBLL.
cateli the last look of recognition and love : " Delightful
smiles played over hie ooimtenance, aa, on a summer eve-
ning, the haniilese lightning plays, with incessant flashes,
upon the bosom of a cloud." The last work of the Holy
Ghost was being done, in completing the saint's likeness
to his Lord ; and t]iat Lord w^ speaking witli His servant
face to face, as He did with Moses out of the cloud. The
last broken words, upon which the departing soul was
borne into the bosom of G-od, were ejaculations of wonder
and praise: "Wonderful! beautiful! Nothing but Space !
Expanse! Expanse! Expanse!" And so he passed up-
ward, and stood before the Throne.
" How gloriouH now, witJi vision purified
At the Essential Tratt, entirely free
From error, he, investigating etill,
From world to world at pleasure rovea, On wing
Of golden ray upborne ; oi, at the feet
Of Heaven's most ancient sages sitting, hears
New wonders of the wondrous works of God."
His remains were conveyed to Columbia, in a ear spe-
cially set apart by the kindness of the President of the
of the railroad. Tiie funeral services were conducted, on
a Sabbath afternoon, in the Presbyterian church where ho
had so long proclaimed tlie gospel of his Lord, in the
presence of an immense multitude, who had assembled tO'
pay the last homage to greatness and to goodness. The
Rev. Dr. John B. Adger, with difficult ntteranee, took,.
a& the text of his discourse, the watchword of his departed
friend, " Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? "
The Rev. Dr. George Howe, his colleague in the Semi-
nary, and tlie Rev. F, P. Mullally, who had been co-
pastor with him in the church, assisted in the impressive-
service. As the long proceasion moved througli the
streets of that beautiful town, to the resting-place of the
dead, the city bell tolled its solemn and plaintive notes,
expressive of the public and the common grief. In the
family enclosure m Eh n wood cemetery, the precious dust
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HIS DEATH. 525
was committed to tlie earti, by the side of the loved
daughter, who, but three yeara before, was laid to rest.
There, in a qmet and beautiful spot, by the banks of a
soft mm-muring stream, the stranger will find a solid
block of pure white Italian marble, upon whose face he
will read only this ineeription, in bold relief,
"jAMES HKHLET THOENWELL."
id by Google
,db, Google
CHAPTEH XXXYI.
GENERAL JiEYIEW.
TTra DeITE IliMENTBD. — KktieW 01' HlS PtIEI.IC RELATIONS. ^A.a AN
EDUOATOK : His QvALi^iciTioNS ; His Methods ; Mastery otbg
Hia Knowledge ; Cohmaud of LiNOCAOE i Peofessoe op Theoloos ;
Teit Books ; Lectcees ; EsAMiNATioBa. — As A PHILOSOPHER
AND THEOLOGIAN : Extent and Accpeaci of His Leahninq ,
Oavtiok and Independence in Speculation ; His Place in Philos-
ophy ; Valuable Papek on ihis Point ; His Theolooy Caltinibtic ;
SoitiPTDEAL ; SymmetEy O? HlS Vmws.— As A PEBACHER ; His
POWBE IN AhGUMENT AND ApPEAL ; EXPOSITION ; LoGIO AND EmOTION
OOMBIWED ; His Diction; .Pbeaching on Special Occasions; Es-
TEMPOBANEOUS ; VlEWS OS THE WHOLE StfEJECT IN A CoNVEKSiTION ;
His Ceiticism of His own Pebfohmamces.— As a PRESBYTER :
pEACTiGAi, Wisdom: ; Inpluesce in Cedgch Coukts ; IIeasons fob
IT ; Pkincipleb Fiied ; Hia Caution ; He Peneteation ; His Posi-
TivBNEBs; His Honesty; Knowledge of Oeurch PRiNOlPl.Ba and
Histoey.— As a christian ksd a MAN ■ Type of His Beligiotts
Expekienoe; Geowth in Piety, Tistimoni to His Chabacter;
His Pebsonal Appeabance , Hia Social and MoEAi. Qualities ;
His GEjoiBiL EEuuNa ; His Playpulnes^i and Love of Badimaoe ;
Wabjith op Hie AFFBOTiojm ; Attachment of His Fbiendb.
DR THOENWELL'S sau «ent down at noon. He
lacked but foui' months and eight days of completing
hia fiftieth year. His mental faculties were in the fulness
of their vigour. Tlie stores of knowledge, accumulated
through a life of severe study, were. ready to be poured
forth in systematic form, already auspiciously begun in
a series of lectures, intended to cover the whole range of
theology. His Chnstian character, too, bad become so
mellow under the discipline of grace, as to impart singn-
. lar unction to his writings. They were not cold and ab-
stract discudsions of tmth, but discuBsions animated with
the life of a most fervent piety. The influence, which
can only be acquired through long years of ti-ial and of
527
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528 LIFE OF JAMES HENLET THOItNWELL.
trust, was bis to wield ■without resistance or disp'nte. He
was at the climax of his usefulness, and could ill be
spared at a period of almost pure construction in Church
and State, Upon the circle of admiring friends, which,
indeed, emhraced the country, the intelligence of his
death fell with overwhelming snddenness. The thought
of his removal had, no doubt, often reciu-red to those who
loved him; hut they put it aside with that oold shudder-
ing which one feels when the shadow of anticipated be-
reavement falls upon the soul. As ho lived on from year
to year, and his frail body manifested a recuperative
power that was unusual, tliey had come to feel tliat, by
constant patciiing and repairing, it might yet survive to
a good old age. He seemed, also, so necessary to his
times; and his work, as others had mapped it out, was
apparently so unfinished, that perhaps the presumptuous
thought was hid away in the heart, that he must not,
could not, die. And when he fell, they drew the mantle
over the head, and mourned ■with a gi'ief which had no
words.
Proportioue'd to ite cause, must bo be great
As that whioh makes it."
The thread is broken which has conducted us from the
cradle to the grave. How it was gathered up by unseen
hands, and woven into a broader and brighter web above
the skies, it is not for us yet to know. It has been a
privilege fidl of sweetness to trace a life which, to us,
seems its beautiful as a dream. But the task is not iin-
islied until we place the moving form again in all the
offices and relations which he siistained, and point out
the combination of qualities which made him, like Aga-
memnon, a king amongst men.
The Teachek.
"We present liim first as an Educatoe, in which relation
he stood so prominently before the public. His nnrivalled
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'lEW. 529
excelleHce in this epliere depended mainly upon two
things : the perfect command over his own knowledge,
and a definite conception of the end to be aecomplished.
The lattei' determined his method, which was the Socratic;
the former enabled him to conduct it with siiccess. The
object of education, in his view, was the development of
tlie intellectual faculties, and the discipline of these to
habits of thought. His first care was to study the mind
of the pupil, to take its guage, and to not« its character-
istics. Thus he was guided in the process of develop-
ment; chei-kiug tliose faculties which were more obtru-
sive, stimulating euch as were more dormant, and bring-
ing them all up together in due proportion. He advo-
cated strongly tlte use of a text-book; which, however,
in his hands was little more than the connecting rod be-
tween Ills own mhid, as a charged battery, and the mind
of the pupil, to be aroused by the electric shock. His
method was that of a critical examination upon the
author's text, so shaping his interi'ogations sm to evolve
tie truth from the mmd of the student itself. Recita-
tion by rote was an. impossibility ; the repetition of the
test did not meet the requisitions of the class-room. In-
terrogation was poured upon the student's liead lilte a
shower of hail, until he was driven back through all tho
steps of a rigorous analysis. Then he must frame a pre-
cise statement of the truth in hand; whilst a critical logic
stood by, to cut and pare, until it stood before the eye
with the utmost sharpness of profile. Finally, the student
was put upon his defence against every form of assault to
■whidi the champion of tnith might be exposed. If the
line of defence was unskilful,, tlie pupil found himself in
tlie toils of an adversary, who wound tiglitly about him the
meshes in which he was involved. Not till then came
the hour of extrication. But at last there would follow.
Jucid exposition, searching analysis,, resistless logic, disen-
tangling the web, and probing every difficulty to the core.
The class-room was thus a gymnasium, wliei'c the living
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bBO LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THORNWELL.
miod was tauglit to unfold itself according to its own law
of development, and work itself ont in the eonsoionsness
of knowledge, which is yet a part of its own texture. He
is a benefactor who communicates to me one new and
gi'aiid thought ; hut he is twice a benefactor, who helps
me to think that thought myself. Dr. Thornwell was not
satisfied with simply communicating knowledge, to be
passively received by the pupil, as a mere impression. In
the langu^e of another, lie trained his students to "tJiink
in the light of other men's thoughts ; " to take the sug-
gestions, and work them over in the lahoratoiy of their
own minds, to reproduce them again with the stamp of
tlieir own coinage, and to systematize them into form by
^ logic of their own. By qnestion and answer, lie led
them down beneath the sm-face of words, and even of
facts, searching for the principles which lay beneath the
whole; and stimulated and aided in the work of recon-
' itrncting these again into harmonious systems of philoso-
phy and science. He experienced the most intense de-
light in witnessing these early efforts of half-fledged minds,
and was patient with their embarrassments and failures;
just as the eagle watches the eaglets when thrust out from
the eyrie, and stoops beneath them, and bears them on
her ^ving, as they fii'st try their weak powers in the ele-
ment in which they will at length so proudly soar.
But this method demands complete masteiy of one's
knowledge. In this Dr. Thornwell could not be excelled.
The accuracy of his knowledge was even more remarkable
than its extent. His learning was indeed immense, for
his reading was discursive and large; and such was his
power of concentration, that he seemed to take up know-
ledge by absorption. His mind was under such control
that, when closeted with an author, the door was locked
against all intrusive thoughts, and he digested all that he
devoured. His retentive memory held every acquisition
firmly in its gr^p. It was by this assimilation that his
knowledge became so peculiarly his own ; it entered into
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GENERAL KEYIEW. 531
the flesh and blood and bone of his ovm thinking, part
and parcel of his own mental substance. It conld there-
fore be reproduced at wiE, fresh and flowing from a living
fountain. This enabled him to present truth under any
form level to the student's apprehension. It was not
locked up in stereotyped plates, which must always give
one unvarying impression ; but his thoughts were free to
be cast into a hundred different moulds, snited to a hun-
dred different minds. Hence his great facility of expla-
nation. If one statement of truth failed to strite, it was
instantly cast aside for another more clear and incisive.
He studied subjects, moreover, as subjects, and knew them
as saeli. It was of little consequence, ep far as he was
concerned, what text-book he employed, whether the mas-
terly Analogy of Bishop Butler, or the defective Philo-
sophy of Archdeacon Paley : his own acquaintance with
the entire subject could string upon either what the com-
pass of its literature would supply. A College student,
■who himself stood at the head of his class, once said to
the writer : "Dr. Thomwell is the only teacher for whose
recitation I can never say I am fully prepared. I study
Butler until I can repeat every word, and fancy that I can
answer every possible question, and in three minutes I
stand before him a perfect fool, and feel that I know no-
thing at all. He has the happiest knack of bringing out
of Butler what was never there, except as he put it in."
The teacher knew, the pupil did not, how deep those
simple and suggestive sentences of the author actually
drew. Only an equal mind could take the soundings of
such a book. The constant necessity upon him, as a
teacher, to reproduce his knowledge, to think his own
thoughts aloud, gave him increasing command over both,
and of course greater facility and precision in the state-
ment of truth. !For true it is, in the words of the poet,
"No maa is tte lord of anything,
Tliougli in and of him tliere be uracil cOQeisting,
Till lie oommutkicate his part to others ;
,db, Google
532 LITE OF JAMEB HENT-KY THOENWELL.
Noc doth be of himself know them tor aught,
Till he hehoia diem formed in the applauae
Where they 're extended ; which, Uke an arch, reverberates
Hhe Yoioe Bgaia;or, like a gate of steel,
Fronting the Gim, reoeiyes and renders back
His figure and his heat,"
Ab Professor of Theology in the Divinity School at
Columbia, his methods of instruction -were naturally
soiJiewhat modified. His pupils here were at a more ad-
vanced age, and had generally passed through the pre-
paratoiy drill of a College eouree. The object with them
was not simply mental discipline, but intellectual fiir-
niture, fitting them for a professional career. His effort,
however, was still to compel the student to master what
he acquired, and to systeraatizo it as knowledge, by fusing
"it all over again in the mould of his own thought. His
selection of a text-book was typical of the man : it was the
"Institutes" of John Calvin. Wonderful association of
names I drawn together by an affinity so close, that, with
the men transposed, the Calvin three centmies back might
have been the Thornwell of to-day, and the Thomwell of
yesterday might equally have been the Calvin of the lie-
formation. The same profound learning, free from the
pedantry of display; the same logical acumen, resolving
the most intricate problems ; the same massive intellect,
striking out thoughts capable of endless exposition; the
same " honesty of reason " in the investigation of truth,
and the same passionate love, which made both wor-
shippers at her shrine; the same Herculean industry,
which sported with labour, and found refreshment in toils
by which others were exhausted ; the same practical judg-
ment, whose foresight was almost akin to prophecy; the
same simplicity of character, which preserved the fresh-
ness of youth in the maturity of age ; tlie same fearlessness
of soul, which shrank neither from reproach nor peril in
the pursuit of nght ; the same guileless sincerity, which
never understood finesse, nor worked by indirection: all
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GENERAL REVIEW. 533
tbese, and other ti-aits, ran the parallel bo close between
the two, that, standiiig three centuries apart, they eeem
bom twins. Nay, tJie resemblance ia preserved in thiaga
•we would call accidental. The same early maturity of
mind, which enabled t)ie one, at the age of twenty-five, to
dedicate his " Institutes " to the French King, and placed
the other, at the same age, in tlie Ohaii- of Philosophy;
the possession by botb of a frail body, wbioli scarcely con-
tained the indwelling spirit, beating against ite sides with
every movement of its own activity, and threatening to
batter down the walla of its feeble prison ; and finally, the
coincidence of then- death at nearly the same age, closing
a long life while it was yet high noon with both : these
are points of reaemblance which, however casual, one is
prompted to observe.
Nor ia it strange tbat the theologian of the nineteenth
century abould go back to the theologian of the sixteenth,
to find a master for bia pupils. He wlio liad dug the
truth for himself from the quarry of the Scriptures, and
from the symbols of the Church, would naturally carry his
pupils up tbe stream of theological tradition, to tlie very
spot where it broke ont afresh from the earth. Like the
fabled rivei- of Africa, systematic theology had, for ages,
buried its channel beneath the superstitions and errors of
Popery ; and, as at the foot of a great mountain, it
emerged anew at the period of the Keformatiou, Pre-
cisely here the waters would be found the purest, except
as he might carry them liigher still, to the original foun-
tain, and cause them to 'irink from the oracles of God ;
but as a human aid in cf)nstructing an articulate aystem
of doctrine, be found no master equal to the great
theologian of the Reformation. John Calvin stands
in the same relation to Protestant theology, as Francis
Bacon to modern philosophy. Each was a constructor
in his own sphere, and each put the stamp of his own
thought upon the science of after times. Dr. Tliorn
well admired Calvin for his clearness and precision, for
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534 LIFE 0¥ JAME3 HENLEY THOENWELL.
the compactness and order of his arrangemont, and, above
all, for his snperior wisdom in founding his opinions upon
the express declarations of Scripture, rather than upon
tlie eliifting speculations of human phUoeophy. He
always kindled witli euthuei^m, whilst dwelling upon the
merits of this great tliinker of the past. One of hia
pupils speaks thus of his inti'oductory lecture to, the In-
stitutes, when the class was entering upon its study : " I
remember well the account he gave of his visit to Oalvin'fr
grave, and of his musings upon the moulding influence
of the mighty Reformer upon theological thought ; and
the statement of his conviction, tliat the emergencies of
the conflict with Rationalistic infidelity were now forcing
the whole Ohureli more and more to occupy Calvin's
ground. His pale face alternated with flushes of red
and white, as he w^ speaking, and his eye dilated until
almost super naturally large and luminotia.
f moved myself, and flred with an enthusiasm for
Calvin, which I hope never to lose, I turned a moment's
glance to find the class spell-boand by the burst of elo-
quence and feeling,"
The description is appropriate just here of his course
of proceeding, fm'nished by another pupil: "When a.
class was about to begin a new study, he would introduce
it with a general lecture, clearing away the ground, dis-
tinctly indicating the end to be attained, and directing to
all available sources of information ; after which, all must
go to work, under the guidance and supervision of the
great master. Each student had to descend into the
quarry, and select, dig out, hew, cut, carve, and polish
his own stones ; and then each had to lay his own foun-
dations, and build his own edifice. Over the work of
all, Dr. ThoTOwell presided as the chief arcliiteet, trying
every man's work with the plummet and square of his
own logic, approving the materials which were good and
true, and condemning tlie faulty and imperfect. Then
he would erect his own eti-ucture, rising in the symmetry
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GENERAL REVIEW. 535
of its proportions, and in the strengtli of its logical com-
pactnees, like a magnificent Gothic temple, full of or<3er
and beantj." After the text of the author was mastered,
he gave out " a series of written qiiestione, which were
made the hasia of a subaequent examination. Each reci-
tation opened with a resum^ of the last; every step was
"taken in the way of development, from facts and princi-
ples already settled ; and ihns the whole grew into the
beauty, and was consolidated into the strength of a logical
■system." Such was his mode, whether the text-book was
the Institutes of Calvin or the Confession of Faith,
whiuh was critically stiidied chapter by chapter, or his
■own lectures, elaborately prepared and cai-eMly pro-
nounced. In all these severe interrogations he was yet
genial and winning to the last degree. Tolerant of the
opinions of others, he encouraged the freest and freshest
utterances of his pupils, "drawing them out, imtil, detect-
ing the tangle in their thoughts, he would put in his finger
and extricate the thread." Such is the language in which
he ia uniformly described by his students in the cliss-
room. In private, he was singularly accessible; laying
down liis own studies to listen to their perplexities ; dia-
robhig himself of aU magisterial authority, and addressing
them as his bretliren, he won them by his grace and con-
descension, us much as he impressed them with his wisdom
and genius. No instructor was ever more highly rever-
enced, or more truly beloved; and that, too, exactly in
proportion to the student's own ability to appreciate his
merit, and to profit by his methods.
The Philosophbk and Theologian,
"We shall be pardoned for combining next the Philos-
opbSe and the Theologiak; not only because of the
natural af&nity between the two, but because of their ac-
tual conjunction in the history and labours of Dr. Thorn-
well. In them we have the ripest fruits of his genius;
and lipon tliese two pillars the whole of his future fame
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5S6 LIFE or JAMES HENLEY THOKJSWErx.
must rest. As we have seen, bis niicd was early biasecF
towM-ds pMosophy. It probably would liave been de-
termined in this direction by its inherent proclivity.
"His passion," says anotlier, "was for specnlation. He
revelled in abstract thought, and soared with delight
even to the utmost verge of the knowable and thinkable ,
in the world of mind. His spirit craved communion
with the Infinite, and
' ' ' Kode sublime
TJpOB. the serapt's wings of ecstasy,
The seorets of the abyss to spy.' "
One was, first of all, amazed at the extent of his philo-
sophical learning. His references to the Greek philoso-
phers, both in his writings and in familiar conversation,
indicated a minute acquaintance with them in their ori-
ginal sources ; not only in the critics and historians whom
he dih'gently eonsnlted, but in their own productions in
their own language. Particularly was this the case with
Plato and Aristotle, whom, after Sir William Hamilton,
he was accustomed to describe as "the opposite poles of
human thought, between which speeitlation has continued
ever sine* to oscillate." The best editions of their works,
handsomely bound, were among the most prized treasures
of his library; and the group of scholars who sometimes
pored with him over the pages of the Phfedo, knew not
which most to admu-e, the exqnisite finish of his trans-
lation, or his philosophic commentary upon the text. As
an illustration of the accuracy of his knowledge in this
department, and of tlie readiness with which he employed
it, wo mention an incident too pleasant to be omitted..
At a dinner-party given him in New York, at which
were present Mr. Bancroft, the historian, and other gen-
tlemen of literary distinction, the conversation turned
upon some principle maintained by Aristotle. Dr.
Thornwell contended that all the commentators had mis-
understood his meaning. Issue was taken on this point,
and an animated discussion ensned, which resulted in hia
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VIEW. 537
bringing the entire party over to his construction of tiie
case. The intei-view was signalized by hie receiving,
soon after his return home, from the hands of Mr. Ban-
croft, a splendid copy of Aristotle, with a Latin inscrip-
tion on the fly-leaf, in the handwriting of the giver, indi-
cating it as " a testimonial of regard to the Rev. Dr.
J. JL. Thornwoll, the most learned of the learned."
With the medieval scholastics his familiarity was
eqnally great. Thomas Aquinas was frequently quoted,
and even the ponderous tomes of Stiarez had been keenly
scrutinized. Says one of his pupils, "I remember com-
ing upon him once, when the floor of his study was cov-
ered with the volumes of Sanrez, as he was following the
Jesuit's subtle reasoning upon some point in morals."
The modem pliilosophy had, of' course, passed under re-
view in its oiiginal sources. The chief masters, Bacon,
Des Cartes, Locke, Leibnitz, the Scottish School at home
and in France, Kant and his disciples, Fichte, Schelhng,
and Hegal, wei'e his daily companions. With the de-
partment of Logic he was pai'ticularly at home. Indeed,
his famiharity with its formulae tempted him, perhaps,
too ^ often to employ them, for the sake of precision, in
his popular writings, and rendered them sometimes a
trifle too technical for the ordinary reader. His collec-
tion of treatises on Logic certainly justified his playful
allusions, in the discussion with Di". Hodge, on the floor
of the Assembly at Hochester, to the treasures whicli his
library contained in the literature of this topic.
In confirmation of these statements, as to liis thorough
mastery of philosophy, in its literatiu-e as well as in its
principles, we may narrate an incident. The writer hap-
pened one day to be in his study; and taking up casually
a volume of Cousin, lying upon the table, read from it a
passage, which opened the way to a discussion upon some
point in philosophy. Dr. ThornweU had just come in
from a recitation with his class, and his mind was finely
strung. Commencing with the rise of philosophy in the
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6c.8 LITE OF JAMES HEttLEt THOEMWELL.
seven sages of Greece, te traced its iiiatory tlirough to
the present iiour; distingnisliing betwixt tlie different
Greek Bchoole, and showing tlie principle by which each
was characterized, he psissed regularly on through the
middle ages. Beginning again with raodera philosophy,
he took up all the schools into which it is divided, and
pointed out every shade of opinion which had been ad-
vanced in each. The discourse moved on with an equable
flow for two hours, interrupted only by the whiffs of a fra-
grant Havanna, abounding in the shai'pest discrimination,
illuminated often with beautiful illustrations, sometimes
rising into eloquence, and couched,' from beginning to end,
in diction the most eloquent and sustained. His solitary
hearer sat h'stening to this extemporaneous harangue,
wondering all the while whether, if it had been an elabo-
rate essay prepared for a congress of savans, it could be
e«ceeded in the fulness of it^ detail, the precision and
subtlety of its distinctions, or in the beauty and force of
it^ dehvery. It was a wonderful proof, not only of Mb
complete possession of the subject, but also of the extent
to which his inspiration was derived from the theme it-
self, and not from the occasion which might draw him
out. T"or, however he might be stinaulated by the pre-
sence of a fit audience — and, like a ti'ue orator, no man
ever felt this influence more— he soon fell back upon the
topic of his discom'se, and drew his enthusiasm thence.
The traits which specially characterized his own spec-
ulations were raodesiy and independence. His first effort
was to mark the boundaries of reason, within whose limits
he thought with all the vigour and self-reliance of a mind
conscious of its own powers, bat beyond which he never
permitted Mmaelf to pass. He was thus protected from
that presumptuous rationalism which so much disfigures
the thinking of modern Germany ; and uttered his ft-equent
protest against "the rampant ontologists who attempt to
unfold the grounds of universal being from the principles
of pure reason.'" His mind was too positive; in its tone
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GENEKAL EEVIBW. 53&
to rest on theories, however splendid, without a solid
basis on which to build them. It was not content with
beating the air with its wings, however high it might
soar; nor did he ever mistake the fantastic scenery of the
clouds for the monntain landscape of which he was in
^eai-ch. Taking his departoi'e from the English and Scotch
schools, that all our knowledge begins in experience, he
concurred with tliem in the doctrine of fundamental be-
liefs as necessary to it, and by ■which alone it is made
available. He thus struck a middle course between the
doctrine which makes the mind simply a passive recipient
of impvessions, and the antagonistic view, which finds in
the mind itself the data of all knowledge, "of which uni-
versal and all-comprehensive principles the reason is held
to be the complement." He was able thus to steer betwixt
the Scylla and Charybdis of philosophy ; between the Athe-
istic Materialism of the Erench Eneyelopfedists on the one
hand, and the Pantheistic audacity of tlie German nation-
alists on the other. His consistent and intelligible doc-
trine was that, while knowledge begins in experience, yet
*' experience must include conditions in the subject which
make it capable of intelligence." " There must be," he
■says, "a constitution, of mind adapted to that specific
activity by which it believes and judges." The mind ie
therefore "subjected to laws of belief under which it
must necessarily act" — "certain primary truths involved
in its very structure." As, "undeveloped in experience,
these do not exist in the form of propositions or general
conceptions, but irresistible tendencies to certain manners
of belief, when the proper occasions shall be afforded."
But when " developed in experience, and generalized into
abstract statements, they are original and elementary cog-
nitions, the foundation and criterion of all knowledge."
"While, however, " the laws of belief qualify the subject to
know, they cannot give the things to be known. These
are furnished in experience; which thus not only affords
the occasions on which o\ir primitive cognitions are de-
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540 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
veloped, but also the objectB about which our facultiea.
are conversant." Starting from these principles, which
we have given in hie own language, it is easy to see that
the same reform is earned into mental philosophy, which
long shice has been achieved in the natural or pliysical.
The knowledge acquired is real knowledge, because it is
confined to attribntee and properties level to our appre-
hension, capable of being gathered by observation, s^nd of
being generalized by induction. The mind, instead of
being lost in speculations which transcend its limits, set-
tles with eoniidence upon truths ■which it is able con-
stantly to verify. Feehng the ground beneatli his feet
at every step, Dr. Thornwell speculated safely. With
iixed principles for his guidance, he wrought within this
broad field of observation and induction, in the language
of one who has described him, with "an aciiteness of
mind that was marvellous, with a quickness of appre-
hension and rapidity of thought never surpassed, and
with a power of analysis which, as. if by the touch of the
magician, resolved the most complex objects into its.
simple elements,"
As a thinker he was as independent as he was cautious.
He hound himself to no school, and became the partiaan
of no master. Nor was he simply an eclectic, ranging
through ail schools, gathering np shreds of doctrine, and
piecing them together as a parti-coloured robe. He ex-
ercised his own judgment upon the greatest questions;,
avaiHug himself freely of other men's thoughts, but onl;--
to stimulate and direct his own, and pushing forward
himself nearer to the ultimate goal. As expressed by a.
friend, who writes of him : " The furnace heat of Ma own.
mind subjected everything, without fear or favour, to its
own crucible." " Alas ! " ^writes another, "that death
should have taken him away just at the productive pe-
riod ! The Aqua Eegia had dissolved the golden trea-
sures of speculative theology and philosophy; bnt the
crystals seemed to separate painfully and slowly from the
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L KEYIEW. 541
powerfnl reactions that kept tlie mass in constant agi-
tation. The world will never know what he vaa by what
survives from the grave !"
We append here a valuable paper, prepared, at tlie
wi'itei-'s request, by the Bev. Dr. John L. Girardeau, of
Charleston, South Carohna, which indicates, with great
clearness and abihty, the place which Dr. Thomwell oc-
cupied in philosophy :
" You insist tbat I fihaU give you my conception ol ike pliiue wtioli
Dr. Thomweii occupied in philosopli j.
" 1. It is not difficTilt to fii bis gmimul position. He erophatioally
belonged to that cltas of tMnkera wlio advocate ■wliat is kaown aa the
PMlofiopiiy of Oommon Sense, in oonfradistincfion from the class whom
lie designates as aensationalista. As hofch these olo^ea hold that the
materials of inowledge are in part derived from contact with the estemal
world through senaation, they are distingnished from each, other hy the
afflrmafiOD, or daniHl of the esisteaca of certain primary intuitions, or
fondajnental laws of hdief, implicitly contained in the constitution of the
mind, which, hrought inlfl contact with the materials, derived from the
CKtemal world, enahle ns to know. These the Sensationalists denied,
the other olass affirm. As Dr. Thomwell steadily contended for them,
he mnat, of course, he assigned !i place among the advoeatiis of the
Philosophy of Common Sense, ss discriminated from either the pure,
or the moderate. Sensationalists. So far as the origin of knowledge is
ooncemad, he was no more a disciple of Locke, moderate as he was, than
of Condjllao and the French Encyclopiedists, who pushed the principles
of IJoeke to an extreme which he would have disaTowed. He had a pro-
found respect for the great English philosopher, and followed him up to
the point at which the principles of the Common Sense Philosophy com-
pelled a departure from him. At that point he ceased io be a disciple,
and became an antagonist.
"3. Insofar^Dr.ThomweUmaintainediheprinciplesofthe Common
Sense Philosophy, in opposition to the Sensationalists, he is in afliance
with tiie Absolute Ontologists of Germany and France. How is he to be
distinguished from them ? He himself answers the question. He divides
the (Qbbs of Common Seneo PhBosophers into two schools ; that of the
Eat onal sts Viho not only make the fundanientil la s of hehef mde-
pendent of espenence tor eiisteu * b t also for development and
that of those philosophers ■who ilm ttng th t these pnmaiy jnnc
pies are mlependent of expeienoe fir their e stance gromd their
de elopment in expe lenoe alone Th s 1 tter sohool he des gnates as
the School of Experience He dehu tely claimed to belong t th s
school He utterly ej liatrs the viow of tl e Rationalists who
evol ed ti m th s f nl mental law of b 1 f a Ph lo jl y of the
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irPY IH RNWFIL
5i2 I.HEOFI\
Absolute inl Unoonditioned Ht mamtamel ttat these lai c. i o ild h 3
do -mfliit and uiope -af tp weie ttey not developed by the oooafiionE
wlucli. are furmehed in espenence But tant who in his advocaoy
of the deas of pure lea on so far made ooromon cause mtb the Pa-
tionahsts m their opposibon to Sensationaluim utterly oppose 1 the r
ontological apeculfltione Dr Thornw 11 however was not a disc pie
of Kmt m rcferanoe to tlie office disohergcd ly the fundamental laws
of Lehef. Kant was a pure subjectiyiat. The certainty of eiistenca for
which, he contended was altogether aubjeotive. The Sootiisli soliool,
on t!ie other hand, found in the fundamental laws of belief voncheis
and gunrantees for the real existence of the external world ; they
grounded the objective certainty of knowledge in the subjective neces-
sity of believing. This was Dr. Thomwell's position. You are correct,
therefore, in assigning bim, in the main, to the Scotch School of Phi-
losophy. He must be regarded as belonging to that section oi the
great School of Experience, which was represented by the Scotch meta-
physicians, especially as it was expounded and corrected by flie profound
analysis of Sir WUliam . Hemilton. There are several consideratioaa
which will vindicate tbiK assignment of Dr. Thomwell's place:
" 1. That he thoroughly agreed with the Scotch School, in their doo-
txine as to the office of the fundamental beliefs and original conoepla
which lis imbedded in our mental constitution, is evident from tha
whole analogy of his expressed opinions, and from tha special appro-
bation which he pronounces npon ' Dugald Stewart's account of tlie re-
lation of oni primary beliefs to human knowledge.'
" 2. He definitely accepted the doctrine of the immediacy of our per-
ception of the external world, the enounoement of which, it is con-
ceded, was first dearly made by Keid, and imparted to him. and Hio
philosophers who followed bi-m Hieir undisputed tiUe to he considered
an original and distinctive school of philosophical thought. He not
only sympathiaod with this school in the explicit rejection of both the
extremes — pure nmteii^sm and pure idealism, — but also in the aban-
donment of the hypothesis which had so long been beld by tlie great
majority of philosophers, that in external perception, a representative
image^ — a vicarious mental modiAcation — mediates between the external
object and the percipient mind. He was, therefore, not even ft hypo-
tbetieal realist or (m that class of thinkers is sometimes termed) cosmo.
fhfltic idealist. But
"3. He was,hkethegreatmasteraof the Scottish School, very clearly a
natural realist. Whatever may be thought as to the question, whether Eeid
was one or not — and those who best knew Ms system decide that bo
was— it is certain that Sir W. Hamilt^m, who was a pronounced ad-
vocate of natural realism, assigned the maintenance of it to the school
■of Eeid. And Dr. Thomwell was at one with it and Sir W. Hamilton,
in holding that, in the same concrete act of consciousness, there is an
affirmation alike of the rnal sxistenoa of the Ego, and fiie real existence
■of the external world— different, and yet inseparably related.
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GENBEAL ItEVIKW, 5i3
''i. He tras thoTOUgMj in sympathy with Hamilton in viinSioating
the great disliaction betweea preaentatiTS and representative knowledge.
Ha aeems to agree with. Hamilton in rejecting the doctrine of Keid, that
while we are immediately percipient of the external world, we are not,
in estemal perception, oonseiouB of it. He held, with Hamilton, that,
in cases of immediate tcowledge, we are eonsoious of tie object known,
as well as of the act of knowing. And so he appears to agree with the
same ph£o9opher in maintoining that, in cases of mediate knowledge,
we ace conscious only of the mediating image which is immediately
given, and not of the distant object, ox past event, which is mediately
given. To these special views he was probably led by hia sympatliy
with Hamilton, and Iiis opposition to Eeid, touching the nature of oon-
BcionenesB. Eeid held that it is a special faculty, co-ordinate with the
otiier particular faoaltiee. With Hamilton, Dr. Thornwell regarded oon-
sciousnesfl as the generic condition of the exercise of all the faculties,
the fundamental form of all knowledge. In this agi'eement with Hamil-
ton, he differed from Reid, Dugald Stewart, and Eoyer-Collard.
" 5. Ho was very strenuous in maintaining, with Hamilton, the doc-
trine that all human knowledge is phenomenal and relative. He held,
with him, that substance is, in itself, unknowable ; tliat what we know
is the phenomenal manifestation— -the attribute or properties of sub-
Btanc6i but that, at the same time, knowing these, we are impelled by a
necessary law of onr mental constitufion to afSrm the eiistenoe of the
substance in wbicb they inliere, and of which they are tha manifestation.
. It must he conf eseed that sometimes, in his lectures on theology, Dr.
Thornwell appears to deviate from this position. He rejects the absolute
inoognoscibility of the Infinite, wMeh he attributes to Hamilton. Wiot
Hamilton held was, that we cannot eoncehe the Infinite by an act of the
thinking faculty — we cannot cognise it ; but we are impelled to belieBe it,
by an act of immediate inference. We do not know it because we conceive
it ; we know it because we believe it. At times Dr. Thornwell seems to
affirm the Infinite as a positive datum of thought. But when his lan-
guage is sifted, he appears to hold at bottom that a fundamental belief
is the guarantee of our knowledge of the Infinite. Dr. Thornwell dees
not deny Hamilfon's faith as the ground of our knowledge of the In-
finite ; Hamilton does not deny Dr. Thomwell's immediate inference by
intelligence from that primary belief that the Infinite esists. That in
which they seemed most to dilEer was the mode in which this inference
is necessitated. Haiuilton found it in the impotence of the mind to
think an absolute commencement ; Thornwell, in a positive necessity of
tie mind to think a First Cause, self-esistent and naoessary. [I am dis-
posed to think that in the last analysis their difference is more apparent
than real.]
" G. Dr. Thornwell held with the Scotch School, in their great postulate
that metaphysioal inquiry be limited to the facts of consciousness, and
that these should be rigidly investigated according to the demands of
the Inductive Philosophy. So far he was in acoord with them ; he re-
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544 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEr THOENWELL.
jeeted ntteriy tlie methods of the tcansoendental EatioimliBtB. Bnt giyen
the fftcts of eoneciouBQeBB, he was prepareil to evolve from them all that
.could be legiiimatelj inferred. He wbb therefore a moderate Ontologist,
with TTnmiit.nn and ManBell ; and Intimated his disUbe of the TCBtriutive
pBychological method b j which some of the earUer Seotoh metaphy aiciaiis
escluded tlie conaideration of aU ontological questionB. "Wliile closely
adhering to the masims of the School of Eipenecoe, he Hllowed himself
liberty, ■when the f uudamental lawB of behef Die elicited iuto formal oog-
nitjona, to assnme them aa data upon which to groacd legitimate specH-
latiou in regard to our relation to the universe of God ; always, however,
checking the progress of epeoulatiou by the admitted principle of the
phenomenality and relativity of human knowledge.
' ' 7 With Hamilton, he rejected the distribution of the Kantians, who
distjiiguitjied between the imderstanding and the pure reason, and
make the latter the seat of trauBcendeutal ideas. The primfiy truths,
fundamental bebefs, for which the school to which he belonged eon-
tended, he asaigned, with Hamilton, to the mjdeistonding. Reason and
the undwrstandmg they regarded as the same faculty, whiie they may
have admitted that the terms may sometimes be employed to emphasize
.distinctive special operations of the same general faxndty. At the same
time, with Hamilton, he admits the Kantinn doctrine tiiat space and
time are native conceptions of the mind, and, as saoh, conditions of all
thinMng, as to the spaoe and time properties of matter, and not gene-
-rolizafion from experience.
"The point in which Dr. Thomweil seemed most serionsly to differ
with Hamilton, was that at which philosophy and theology sit together to
investigate the question of Divine providence. Hamilton affirmed that
there is no conceivable medium between fatalism and chance ; Eir.
Thomwell denied. The letter enumerates three hypotheses : ' That of
■the Oaanalist, who asserts an al)solate commencement ; that of the Fatal-
■ist, who asserts an infinite series of relative commencemBols ; that of the
Theist, who asserts a finite series of relative commencements, carried up
in the ascending scale to a necessary Being, at once Creator and Pre-
server.' He held that the aitremes of casualism and fatalism are not
only inconceivable, but that they are self-contradietatory, and, there-
fore, false. The hypothesis of theism he conceded to be also inconceiv-
able, but he maintained that it is not self.contradictory, and that, upon
the principle of excluded middle, it must be true.
" It is obvious, from what has been addaoad of his views, that Dr.
ThoiDwell affiliated more closely with Sic William Hamilton than with
any other representative philosopher. At the same time, he was not a
partisan, who felt bound to #gbt for Hamilton's views, as he was not
altogether a debtor, who felt bound to acknowledge to his teachings his
jihhgations for his philosophical ,doctrines. Ther^ were certain great dis-
■tincdonB which were signalized by Hamilton, which Di'. Thomwell es-
■pr^sly, though modestly, .claims to have thought ont for himself, before
ihe ever saw the speeidations flj regard to them of the illustrious Scots-
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GENERAL REVIEW. 5i5
man. So, in refereaeo to conBoieuoe, ha mentions that the ' Divine gov-
flmment ' of Dr. McCosli had brought out views whioh he had before
held, and had it in jnind to publish. Perhaps, to Dr. ThornweU is due
the first eiplioit eiiouncemeiit of the great formula ; the fundamectal
laws of rectitude, impHcitly ooutaiued in the oonsoienoe, sustain to it
the same relation whioh tie fundamental laws of belief, implioilly eon-
tiuned in the understanding, suEtain to it.
' ' He belonged to the same school with Hamilton, Along with him he
differed, in eome points, from that school ; and in the esercise of the
same spirit of independent thought, he differed, in other points, with
the greatest of the Scottish philosophers himself ; a man whom he had
likened to Aristotle in depth and acuteneea, to Leibnitz in amplitude of
learning, aud to Bacon in comprehonsiveneaB of thought."
Dr. Thomwell's-etudiea in philosophy were not lost
upon him as a Theologian. If he sought to ascertain
the bounds of reason in the one, he was not likely to
transeend them in the. other. Penetrated with the con-
Yiction that God can he known only so far as He hae been
pleased to reveal Hima'elf, he bowed with perfect docility
before the dogmatic anthority of the Scripturee. Tlie writer
lias heard him say a dozen times, " I have been cogitating
upon such and such a subject, and can see no flaw in vaj
reaeoniiig, but I am gravelled with one verse in the
Bible;" and then he would add, with inexpressible sim-
plicity, "You know. P., that if there is but one passage
■of Seiipture against us, our speculationa must go to the
winds." In .this were signalized at once the modesty of
the philosopher and the humility of the Christian. He
brought all liis conclusions to this touch-stone; and
wherever !ie found a "thus saith tlie Lord," he ceased to
reason, and began to worship. He first sought, by care-
ful exegesis, to ascertain the meaning of God's word;
tli.en to collate and classify, until he built up a systematic
tlieology. As the inductive philosopher ranges through
uature, collects his facts, and builds up his science, so the
theologian ranges up and down the inspired record, col-
lects its doctrines as they are strewn in magnificent pro-
fusion tlu-ough the histories, poems, epistles and pro-
phecies of tlie Bible; and in the same spiiit of caution,
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546 LIFE OF JAMES HENLIiY THORNWEI,L.
constructs his scheme of divinity. The system deduced
hy our trother from this authoritative testimony was pre-
cisely that articulately set forth in the Westminster stan-
dards. It was, in his view, the only complete system which
a thorough and candid exposition could extract from the
Bible. By many, doubtless, he was regarded as extreme
in some of Ms theological views; a prejudice resnlting,
perhaps, from the positive tone with which his convic-
tions, lihe those of all earnest men, were aunonnced, and
the fervid zeal with which they were cherished and de-
fended. !Never was a prejudice more unfounded. His
examination was too cautious, and his knowledge was too
exact, to allow extravagance in any direction. His the-
ology was uncommonly symmetrical in its proportions.
He knew the limitations upon any single doctrine, and
the relations of all in a common system, by which they
are checked and qualified. There couH be no over-
lapping; for every part was so sharply cut and defined,
and the ai'ticulations were so close, that, to a mind se-
verely logical, they must all stand or fall together. We
think it doubtful if a single instance can he produced in
all his wiithigs, or even his extemporaneous addresses,
of that extravagance in language which shocks a pioni
ear, and by which the forcible-feeble so often utteaipt
to make the truth intense. Always earnest, indeed, he
was remarkably exact in his statements of doctrine; cau-
tions not to go beyond the clear testimony of the wntten
Word, and careful never to disturb the harmony hetween
the ta-uths themselves, as constituent members of one sys-
tem ; smd relying upon the simple majesty of the truth
to carry conviction to a loyal understanding. His discus-
sions were exhaustive, hringing all the light of philosophy
to elucidate the principles of religion, which, as to their
substance, could only be derived by direct revelation
from Jehovali Himself.
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general review, 547
The Preacher.
We next turn to riew Dr. Thornwell iu the pulpit:
the ambassador of God to sinftil men. I'rom all tliat has-
been said of his logical proclivity and scholaBtic training,
it may be rightly inferred that his preaching was ad-
dressed predominantly, tliongh not exclusively, to the
understanding. Looking upon man as a being of intelli-
gence, and upon the truth as 'the instrument of sancti-
fication, he caused that trutli to knock at the door of the
understanding until she was admitted and entertained.
He had a eublime faith in God's ordained method of
reaching the affecitions through the roGlamation of His
"Word. Eschewing all effort to work upon the superficial
emotions, or to play upon natural sympathies, he ad-
dressed himself in earnest to present the whole truth of
God, and to discuss its fundamental principles before men.
Hia analytic power was fully displayed in tlie pulpit.
The clear statement of a case is often one-half of the
argument. Stripping his subject of aE that was adven-
titious, he laid bare to the eye the single principle upon
which it tm'ned; so single and so bare, that the most un-
trained were compelled to see precisely what was to be
elucidated. Then followed a course of argument, close,
logical, clear, profound, bending forward to one conclu-
sion, towards wliich the hearer wtis eai-ried, with his will
or against it, led captive in chains of logic that could no-
where be broken. When the tmth had won its way, and
the mind was brought into a state of complete submission,
'tlie argument was gathered up in its weighty and practical
conclusiona, and hurled upon the conecienee, compelling
either the confession of guilt upon the one hand, or a
complete stultification of reason upon tlie other. These
appeals to the heart were often fearful in their solemnity;
all the more because based upon the previous assent of
the understanding. They were not mere exhortation, but
a judicial finding in the court of the hearer's own con-
science. The pi'oacher stood there as an attorney from
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548
3 HEKLET THOKNWE
heaven, to indict and prosecute tlie sinner. The pleading
lias been heard; the argument for his conviction has been
concluded ; and the sinner only hears the sentence of con-
demnation from its throne of judgment, echoing through
all the chambers of the sonl. It was upon this plan most .
of the discourses of this matchless preacher were fonned.
It mattered Uttle whether the exposition was of law or
grace ; there was the same enforcement of eternal and
immutable principles, and the same judicial finding of
guilt and shame, whether the offence was against tlie one
or the other. But though argumentative, ho was not
polemic. Indeed, the current of his thought was too
rapid and vehement to pause and deal with impugners
and their objections. It was Hke the Nile, swollen with
its mountain tributaries, and biirsting through the sedge
which impedes its flow. He rightly judged, that to build
np truth in its positive form was the better way to re-
move difficulties, which, in its light, soon appeal- as mere
impertinences.
But he was not thus exclusively argumentative. He
excelled in the exposition of Scriptui'e ; and had he not
been the first of logicians, he might have been the first of
commentators. Hia analytical talent had room here for
all its play. It dealt little in dry, verbal criticism ; but
after a sufficient elucidation of the text, it seized the
great truths involved, and mai'shalled them in their due
subordination : a form of exposition particulariy useful,
as presenting the Scriptures in their logical connexion
before the mind. His relatione, too, as preacher to young
men, led him into much practical discom'se upon the com-
mon duties of life ; with the same exiiibition of final prin-
ciples, which, either as determining the nature of mo-
rality, or as affording specific rules for the conduct, re-
vealed the sti'ong thinker and the practical moralist.
The featuj'e most remarkable in this prince of pulpit
orators, was the rare union of rigorous logic with strong
emotion. He reasoned always, but never coldly. He
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QEHEEAL EEVIEW. 54;9
did not present truth in what Bacon, calls "the dry light
of the understanding;" clear, indeed, but without the
heat which warms and fructifies. Dr. Thornwell wove
his argument in fire. His mind warmed with the fric-
tion of its own thoughts, and glowed with the rapidity of
its own motion ; and the speaker was borne along in wliat
seemed to others a uhariot of flame. One must have lis-
tened to him to form an adequate conception of what we
mean. Filled with the sublimity of his theme, and feel-
ing in the depths of hia soul its transcendent importance,
he could not preach the gospel of the grace of God with
the coldness of a philosopher. As the flood of his dis-
coiu-se set in, one could perceive the ground swell from
beneath, the heaving tide of passionate emotion which
rolled it on. Kindling with a secret inspiration, his man-
ner lost its alight constraint; all angularity ■ of gesture
and awkwardness of postui'e suddenly disappeared; the
spasmodic shaking of the head entirely ceased ; his slen-
der form dilated; his deep black eye lost its drooping
expression ; the soul came and looked forth, lighting it
up with a strange bnlliancy ; his frail body rocked and
trembled as under a divine afflatus, as though the impa-
tient spirit would rend its tabei'nacle, and fly forth to God
and heaven upon the wings of his impassioned words ;
until his fiery eloquence, rising with the greatness of liia
conceptions, burst upon the hearer in some grand climax,
overwhelming in its majesty, and resistless in its effect.
In aU this there was no declamation, no "histrionic mum-
mery," no straining for effect, nothing approaching to
rant. All was natural, the simple product of thought
and feeling wonderfully combined. One saw the whirl-
wind, as it rose and gathered up the waters of the sea ;
saw it in its headlong course, and in the bursting of its
power. However vehement his passion, it was justified by
the thouglits which engendered it ; and in all the storm
of his eloquence, the genius of logic could be seen presid-
ing over its elements, and guiding its course. The hearer
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550 LIFE OF JAniKS HENLBY THOENWELL.
had just that sense of power, which power gives when
seen under a measure of restraint. Tlie speaker's fnl-
ness was not exhausted ; language only failed to convey
what was left behind.
But this picture will be incomplete, if we fail to notice
the magnificent diction whicli formed the vesture of his
noble thoughts. "It is," says one, "the plumage of the
royal bird that bears him upward to the sun ; " and Dr.
ThomweU was far from being insensible to the power of
language. In his early life it had been an affectionate
study ; and in later years, it was his habit, before any
great public effort, to tone his style by reading a few
pages from some master in composition. Sometimes it
was a passage from Eobert Hall, sometimes from Edward
Gibbon, sometimes of Edmund Burke, sometimes of glo-
rious old Milton ; but oftener yet, he drank from that
old well of eloquence, Demosthenes for the Crown. His
spoken style was, however, unquestionably the result of
his life's study. His. habits of close thinking exacted a
choice of words. We think in language, however nu-
conscious of the process. It is the only embodiment of
thought, without which we cannot represent it to our-
selves; Style, therefore, is not so much cut and fitted to
the thought by artificial and secondary labour, as it is wo-
ven by the thought in the course of its own development.
Hence the precision which uniformly characterized Dr.
ThomweB's style. He was, above other men, a close
thinker ; a thinker, who had daily to think his thoughts'
aloud in the hearing of his pupils. The utmost exact-
ness in language was required, moreover, in the studies
of Ms department. The subtle spirit of philosophy could ,
only be held as it was caught and Imprisoned in the pre-
cise word which fitted it ; and thus his whole career as a
teacher was a training for himself as a master in style.
In addition to all, Ms copious reading opened to him the
entire vocabulary of his native, tongue. "Beading," eay^
Lord Bacon, " makes a full man ; writing, an exact man ;
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and speaking, a ready man." Dr. Thornwell was all tliree,
liatitually and through a long life. He read abundantly,
and m all dii'ections; and accLvtired insensibly that copi-
oueneBS which formed one of the attributes of hia style.
But it was the union of precision, with fulness which dis-
tinguiBhed hia utterances. In the most rapid flow of his
■speech, hia diction w^ beyond impeachment. It was
always the right word for the thought, and the whole
"vocabulary would not have furnished a substitute ; while
in the amplificatioii of his thought, his mind, like a kalei-
descope, presented an endless variety of images, and the
■same combination never palled by repetition. To this
precision and copiousness was added a certain richness of
expression, a courtliness of style, which can only be ex-
plahied by the majesty of the thought, that disdained to
appear in the dress of a clown.
To understand Dr. Thornwell's power, these several
■elements must be combined :* bis powerful logic, bis pas-
sionate emotion, hia majestic style, of which it may be
said, as of Lord Brougham, that "he wielded the club of
Hercules entwined with roses.". This generation will
never look upon bis lite again; a single century cannot
afford to prodiice his equal. It may listen to much hicid
exposition, much close and powerful reasoning, much
tender and earnest appeal, much beautiful and varied
imagery; but never from the hps of. one man can it be
■stirred by vigour of argument fused by a seraph's glow,
and pouring itself forth in strains which linger in the
memory like the chant of angels. The regret has been
■expressed that bis unwritten sermons had not been pre-
served through the labours of a reporter. It is well the
*EeT. Natljaniel Hewitt, D. D., of Bridgeport, Conaecticnt, thus
speaks of Mm, founding Ms enlogium upon a^ sermon, published as
early as t843 : "Howe, Owen, and Robert HqU, re-appear ic him. Tlie
philosophioal acnmen of Howe, the gospel uaction of Owen, and the
riietorio of Hall, unite in this discourse ; and, in my humble opinion, no
.Bermon has been produced in our country, in my day, in any pulpit,
■equal to it."
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553 LIFE 0¥ JAMES HENLEY THOENWELL.
attempt was Beyer made. "What invented symbols could
convey that kindling eye, those trembling and varied
tones, the expressive attitude, the foreshadowing and
typical gesture, the whole quivering frame, which made
up in him the complement of the finished orator ! Tiie
lightning's fl^h, the ileecy clouds embroidered on the
sky, and the white crest of the ocean wave, surpass the
painter's skUI. The orator must live through tradition;
and to make this tradition, we have described one, of
whom it may be said, as once of Ebenezer Erekine, "He
that never heard him, never heard the gospel in its ma-
jesty."
On special occasions, Dr. Thomwell sometimes com-
mitted the mistake of projecting his discourse on too
large a scale. The consequent necessity of slurring over
some parts, and of omitting otliers, gave an air of incom-
pleteness, and diminished the effects His anxiety to seize
these opportunities for impressing broad views of truth
led him to dwell upon generic principles, which involved
discussion more or less abstract; and this, with his ago-
nistic fervour, imparted an appearance of labour, in the
judgment of those who were unable to discriminate, "We-
remember a criticism of this sort, from an eminent lawyer,
after listening to one of hie Commencement sermons :
"He is, no doubt, a great man; but he seems to me to
labour in his thinking, as though the effort was oppres-
sive." We ventured the foregoing explanation ; and sug-
gested, as delicately as possible, that the labour might be
in the hearer's effort to follow the course of thought,,
which was insensibly transferred to the spealter. The
suggestion was accepted, with a smile, ss the true so-
lution of the ease. But, doubtless, the habits of his
mind tended to this error. One of his fondest admirers
writes: "My own opinion has ever been, that the great,
preacher's only blemish, for a popular audience, was that
his somewhat long chaine of reasoning, couched in phrase-
ology somewhat too condensed and technical — though
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GENERAL KEVIEW. 553
natnral- to him from long habit — overshot very often the
weaker ones." Still it ia astonishing how, even in these
cases, the impassioned fervour of his addi-eas bore the
audience along in sympathy with his emotions, if not
with his thonghts. To us Dr. Thornwell was always
greatest in his ori^inarj ministrations; when, imder a
purely spiritual influence, he would often rise with his
theme, and pour forth utterances that seemed only less
than inspired.
As I>r. Thornwell never appeared in the pulpit with a
manuscript, nov witli the smallest brief, it may he inte-
resting to some to know by what discipline be trained
himself to such consummate exceEence. This will be fur-
nished in the sketch of a conversation with one of his
Seminary pupils. He writes : " It was my privilege once
to have Dr. Thornwell as a travelling companion from
Colombia to Charlotte, and we had a talk of somo two or
three hours; some points of which I jotted down that
night on paper. "We first talked of extemporaneous
preaching. The Doctor said that, as for the effect on. the
audience, the manuscript bears no comparison; the very
presence of the paper is a barrier between the speaker
and the audience, which prevents full sympathy between
the two. It would be ridiculous for a man to rise with a
manuscript in the British House of Commons, or before
any audience where the object was to move. The style
ought to be eai'nest and natural. Kgures introduced for
their beauty, and not for the assistance they render, are
contemptible. But whilst a man speaks thus, he ought to
write, as a general rule. Some few men may be excepted.
It was by writing, by re-writing, and by polishing many
of the finest passages, that Sheridan, Burke, Lord Chat-
ham, and others, made themselves. It is astonishing
what labour they bestowed upon their productions. An
anecdote is told of Lord Brougham, that, when passing
through the country, a dinner was suddenly gotten up,
at which he delivered a powerful speech. When asked
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55i LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
how he could produce such a speech on so shoi-t a -notice,
he replied: 'I had it all prepared some time ago, not
knowing when jnst such an occasion would demand it.'
So it was with Mr. Calhoun, who bestowed intense study,
vast labour, upon his productions.
" Dr. Thomwell did not. think, with some, that a man
ought to keep a blank book, which he is regularly filling
with compositions. It is a species of writing ]iot suited
to improve one. It is better to elaborate the finer pas-
sages of a particular address, which will tell upon the
writer with much greater effect. There is something re-
markable 'n the facility with which one man will catcli
another's man's mode of tliinking. If, for example, we
undertalce to imitate a.iy one in his awkwardness, to
mimic his tones of voice and peculiar manner, we will
Boon find tJiat we are moulding our thoughts into a like-
ness with his. So, a man brought up in good society
wUl catch the ef^e and bearing of a gentleman, ■without
trying to do it. The best thing, therefore, for a speaker,
is to take a few of the best authors and master them — to
read, think, criticize, analyze them; and he cannot help
pitching his thoughts upon an elevation with theirs. If
he were the teacher of- sacred rhetoric, he would first
cause his pupils to master the principles of rhetoric — ^in
Campbell, for instance; and then he would spend the
time in analyzing such works as those of Milton, Shakes-
peare, Lord Bacon, and Kobert Hal^. The man who does
this is obliged to rise in the pitch of his thoughts. Some
men, by reading thus, and then by walking the fioor, turn-
ing their sentences over and over again, eliminating, revers-
ing the order, and polishing, can at last have them entirely
accurate and finished, according to the man^s ability;
and they will be so fixed in the memory that they can be
produced whenever the occasion demands. These men
can get along without writing, because, when the sentence
is ready for the paper,, it is at the fingers' ends, and there
is no necessity for writing it out. Such a man I helieve
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GENEEAL ItBVIEW. 555
myself to be. But my experience teaches me, that- care
must, be taken not to hammer out all the life of a pro-
duction, BO that, when you come to spealc it, you will
have no animation. This can he avoided by not allowing
yourself too much time to do this thinliing. Take, for
example, two days for a sermon, knowing that- it must go
up in that time ; and you will concentrate your powers of
thought, so as to complete the address before it is worn
ont. Or it may be avoided thus : Make a sermon, then
lay it hy for a month or two, and take it up with a few
hours' study. The man who makes himself the slave of
the manuscript lias to spend his spare time in the manual
labour of writing, and has no leisure to spend with these
authors. He compares himself only with himself, and
never improves.
"Dr. Thornwell said, be himself scarcely ever writes,
for two reasons : first, when he has a thing ready for the
paper, he is master of it. In his Lectures on Theology —
■written ont because he may some day publish them — ^no
corrections are made on the paper. And, secondly, be-
cause, when anything goes down on paper, it so disgusts
him that he cannot endure it; on the other hand, if it be
extempore, when spoken it is gcfne. He never goes into
the pulpit without knowing every point. The intro-
ductory sentences and tlie exposition dx& prepared to a
word; after that, he only prepares thoroughly the divi-
sions, sub-divisions, illustrations, and points. The exact
langui^e is- not premeditated, unless it be on a point
■where gi'eat accuracy is required, or in thb finer passages
of the sermon. He does not now pay less attention to
minutaES, because of his experience. The above was his
plan from the beginning.
"As to the increased facility in making sermons gained
by practice, it is only this : that, if you are a thinker, you
■will have materials cut and dried. Dr. TliornweH fre-
quently does what some folks call making a sermon in an
hour, or in fifteen minutes; hut it is only selecting and
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556 LIFE OF JAMES HENLET THOENWELL.
arranging, for present use, materials long since thought
oat and- laid aside. So tliat, when he is aaked how long
it takes him to make a sermon, he replies that he has
been making every sennon which he preaches all his life.
In regard to making an apology for a sermon, he never
did it ill his life; though he hae often felt that one was
needed. Some one has said that 'an' apology always
stinks ; ' it does savour very strongly of hnman pride. He
frequently feels miserable ai'ter a sermon, considering it
a failnre, even when the congregation does not agree with
him in the estimate. Several years ago, he was travelling-
near Yorkville; came to a sacramental meeting, and
preached a sermon, than which he never preached a
meaner in his life; got on his horse, and sneaked away,
that he might see nobody. Two years aftesrward, he was
passing over the same groiind ; came to the same place at
another sacramental meeting; when two persons came
forwai'd to unite with the church, who traced their con-
victions to that 'abominable sermon,' whfch, he still
thought, was the poorest of his life.
" Upon the question, whetlier a town or country charge
was the best for study, he remarked that, if a man had
the love for study which would lead him to redeem the
time, the country church w!« best. But there are few
men who will study except mider pressure. Bubbing
against people keeps one aJive; less time is required for
pastoral visiting in town, and when a visitor calls, you can
excuse yourself; whereas, in the country, you have to sit
with him and eat your thumbs a whole day, even if bored
to death. Hence the town church is best."
However true these remarks may be, as applied to
preaching generally, the Church hs^ reason to mourn the
loss of much that she would have prized, from the abihty
which Dr. Thornwell possessed of can-ying his thoughts
locked up in iiis own mind; and still more from that
hyper-criticism which censured, witli such morbid sever-
ity, what he did write. As an illustration, we recite what
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GENEEAI. EETIEW. 557
is told ty one of his most dietiuguished pupils: "I re-
member calling upon liim for the manuscript of a lecture
on the Evidences; which, as a summary of the argument
for Oliristianity, hased upon man's necessities on the one .
hand, and upon God's personality and character, sug-
gested hy tlie analogue of human parentage, on tlie other,
surpassed all that I have ever met with outside of Butler.
It was a masterly discussion of the anti-supernatnral po-
sition of the Oxford Essays, upon the model of ' Pascal's
Thoughts,' as he told ns. ^Vhen I asked for tlie manuscript,
he playfully replied : ' Why, B., I am astonished at you ;
you really do noj wish to have any more of that stuff 1 I
put it into the grate as soon as I got home, and was-
ashamed to have Ifept the class listening for an hour and
a half to it.' In the perfect freedom which his gentleness
inspired, I responded earnestly : ' Then, Dr. Thornwell,
you have done very wrong ; for you will die one of these
days, and deprive us of help which we know by experience
does us great service.' I then glanced uneasily at his
face, fearing that perhaps I had spoken too pertly. B\it
the quizzical smile had faded away, the spirit of banter
had given plaoe to serious reflection. He remained silent j
and I have since thought that the impulsive words of a
mere stripling had revealed, for a moment, more clearly
than usual, the most developed weakness of his mind.'*
To the same morbid sensitiveness we owe the loss of
several of his written discourses, destroyed, by his own
hand. One, for example, upon the Flood, and another
upon the Final Judgment, executed with such fearful
power of description, that tliey were never delivered
without moving the audience to the depths of the soul.
The Peesbttee.
We transfer Dr. Thornwell next to the Ohukch Courts,
and view him as the Ecci^siastical Statkbmabt. It may
seem paradoxical to present this man of the closet as the
wisest of practical counsellors. Yet the combination is
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658 LITE OF JAMES HEULEY TH0ENW3SLL.
not unexampled, Paul, tlie writer and logician among
the apostles, was, abore them all, the man of action. He
had upon him the care of all the churches, and waa not
inferior to the practical James in executive direction.
Oalvin, the great theologian and expositor of the Eefor-
niation, bore upon his shoulders the whole weight of the
Genevan State. So solid was his jndgment, that all por-
tions of the Eeformed Church turned to him for advice ;
and the burden of his correspondence alone would have
overwhelmed any ordinary man. Thus it was with him
to whose memory these pages are consecrated. In every
sphere in which he moved, whether as Professor in the
College Faculty, or as Trastee in its Board of Administra-
tion, or in the broader area of an ecclesiastical council, he
was remarked for his practical good sense, and became a
leader among equals.
One secret of this is found in the fact, that his princi-
ples of action were all settled. They were not left to be
gathered up in the hurry of an emergency, amid the dust
and strife of debate. They were antecedently determined,
and no temptation could induce him to swerve from theii'
maintenance. No man was ever less under the guidance
of n,ere expediency than he, whether the'question related
to the. private intercourse of man with man, or ranged
upon a higher scale in matters in public policy. !None
Baw more clearly that so shifting a rule &s that of expe-
diency couid never prescribe an even or consistent course.
He fixed therefore for himself, finally and for ever, the
great principles of private and public morality, and these
were his guides through every labyrinth of doubt. In
this is found the capital distinction between the states-
man and the politician: the one starts oat with catholic
and fundamental principles, which determine his entire
course; the other floats upon the current of events, is
borne off into every eddy, and reflects little else bnt
the changefulness of popular opinion. The former may
sometimes err in tlie application of his canons to partic-
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GEHEEAL KEVIEW. 559
Tilar cases ;. but he lias the means of correcting his own
aherrationt., and will preserve a manly cousiatency through
all the changes jI a pubhe career.
Ancthei element of Dr. Thornwell's influence in coun-
cil lay m the caution with which all his paiMicular judg-
ments were toime<l; waiting for a full rendering of all
the facts, and suspending his opinion until the case had
been considered on every side. Even in the intimacy of
private life, this cautiousness was preserved. An innate
sense of justice, and rare integrity of heart, served to
check a premature expression. Thus, he was seldom
obliged to retract his judgments. He was kept both
from the weakness of vacillation, and from the criminal
obstinacy of adhering to opinions which ought to he
yielded. Public confidence was challenged by this pru-
dence, which had its spring alike in the dictates of wis-
dom and propriety. He found an advantage,too, in the
rapidity of his mental operations, sweeping him on to
his conclusions in advance of others. His wonderful
power of analysis resolved complexities in which others
were entangled; and whilst they were searching for the
clue by which to extricate themselves, he had already
seized the ultimate principle which unravelled all diffi-
culties, and settled every doubt. Nor shoidd we omit,
in this enumeration, a certain positiveness of mind, which
lifted him above the danger of indecision, and, by a soft
of internal necessity, compelled a judgment upon every
issue. It is the infirmity of some minds to be always ti'emb-
ling upon tlie balance, incapable of deciding whether to
descend upon this side or upon that, of every question.
These are tlie unfortunate incapable^ who swell the list
of non-liquets on the records of our Chui^ch courts; or
who, in their desperation, leap blindly upon a vote, as a
man leaps from a railway train, not knowing whether he
will land upon a bed of sand, or upon a brake of thorns.
On the contrary, every deliberative body reveals exam-
ples of men who, by their greater positiveness of mind
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560 LIFK OF JAME3 HENLEY THOENWELL,
and character, lead those superior to them in ability and
general attainmenta : men in whom strength of will
stands in the stead of intellectual power. In a body of
counsellors, the ready always lead tlie unready. Prom
this imbecility Dr. Thornwell was perfectly free. In
every situation lie could bnt think ; if difEcultiea embar-
rassed the caee, he thought with the more intensity; but
he always thought to a conclusion. If he wae cautious
in framing his judgment, his convictions were neverthe-
less matured; and so he always led,
A notable illustration of this penetrative quaHty of
mind, and of the command it gave him at times over a
deliberative body, is mentioned by one who sat with him
in the Assembly of 1856, A judicial case came up,
wrapped in technicalities. Tlie Assembly got into a
perfect tangle over it. No ten members agreed in any
-one view. Motions, amendments, and substitutes were
piled upon each other in beautiful disorder. The rulings
of the chair were objected to and appealed from, and
■chaos reigned supreme. After consuming three daily
Bessiona, the house must dispose of it. "Wliat is the
question?" was asked by a dozen voices. It was stated
by tlie Chair. Then a dozen voices incLuired as to the
effect of this motion, and of that. AU was at sea again.
Through the wliole of this. Dr. Thornwell sat half-hidden
under the gallery of the church, with his feet drawn up
on the seat, apparently unconcerned and unconscious of
the hubbub around him. At length, in the moment of
-ejitremity, he stepped forth into thfe aisle, and in ten min-
utes went through the case, unraveUing the whole tangle;
and concluded by oifering an amendment covering his
views, which was instantly accepted, and unanimously
carried. The vexed question was disposed of to the sat-
isfaction of the house, and there was a great calm. It
was but one of many instances of the clearness of his logi-
cal processes applied to practical life.
But the moral quality which more than all contributed
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GEHEKAL KETIEW. 561
to his vast inflnence, wiw the ti'anaparent honesty of his
heart. He was no intrigner; had no by-ends to accom-
plish ; never worked by indirection. Hie heart was in his
liand, and every man could read it. When he rose in
debate, his very tone seemed to say, " I believed, there-
fore I have spoken." None doubted his sincerity, or
snspected a trap to catch the unwary. Straightforward
himself, he dealt honestly with his colleagues ; and if he
■could not eary his point by fair argument, he was content
to fail. Winning confidence thus by his manly and truth-
ful bearing, his reasoning met with little resistance, either
■of resentment or prejudice, and seldom saceumbed under
■defeat.
Eor all the duties of a churchmau, Dr. Thornwell was
perfectly equipped. He had sifted the controversies
which, through eighteen centuries, have been waged,
touching the organization of the Church, and imderstood
the principles which are fundamental to her existence.
He had studied with care Uie constitution of his own
Church, from those great truths which underlie her whole
polity, down to the rales of order for her internal man-
agement; and no man ever surpassed him as an expounder
of her laws. Believing fii-mly in.the jus divinuTu of Pres-
byterianism, he was yet no bigot — ^in no sense, of the word
a, sectary. The last sermon he was permitted to preach
was delivered in a Methodist church ; and the last prayer-
meeting in which he took a part, was a united prayer-
meeting on behalf of the country. He was also versed
in those Parliamentary rules by which deliberative assem-
blies are usually governed ; and was thus fitted, on every
hand, to be a guide in ecclesiastical councils. Over the en-
tire Church he wielded the influence, though not clothed
with the authority, of an acknowledged primate. The
Church signahzed her appreciation of his abihties, not
■only by conferring upon him her higliest honour, — that of
presiding over her supreme court, — ^bnt still more by call-
ing liim to the most responsible and difficult duties in all
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662 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY TIIOKNWELL.
lier Assemblies. "Before the rupture of our ecclesiastical
bonds, tlie delicate task of revising her .Code of Disci-
pline was placed chieily ia his hands. And in his death,
the Church was called, not only; to mourn the loss of her
gi-eatest theologian and preacher, but the remoYal from
her eonncils of her wisest statesman.
The Chkistiah and the Man.
Our survey will be complete when we shall have viewed
him as a Christian and a Man. As to the former, it will
suiBee to say, that the type of his theology was the type
of his experience. He was not tlie man to divorce the
understanding from the heart. He concurred with the
Heformers in their definition of true faith, which, aa
Calvin says, "is not formed by the addition of pious af-
fection as an accessory to assent, but the assent itself
consists in pious affection." Those, therefore, miscon-
ceived him, who construed his religion as one of stern
principle, separate from the affections. His life illus-
trated the union of both, in " the faith which worl^eth by
love." The same strong views which the theologian held
upon the nature of sin, bowed the Cliristiaji in penitential
grief before the Eedeemer's cross; the same clear expo-
sition given by the one of man's helplessness and ruin,
cast the other upon the infinite power and riches of Divine
grace ; the same discovery of the snf&cieney of the atone-
ment, that made this the centre from which the preacher's
discourses all radiate, led the believer to throw the arms
of his affection around the Saviour with rapturous de-
light; the same conviction of the necessity of a Divine
revelation, which led the apologist to defend its inspi-
ration, bowed also his reason into the docility of a chUd
before its teachings; the same recognition of God's right-
ful supremacy, which, in tlie class-room, placed the crown
of dominion upon "the King of kings," sustained the
afflicted saint in the hour of bereavement, and filled him
with awe as he passed beneath the rod ; the same intelli-
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GENERAL EEVIEW. 563
gence which owned the majesty of the divine law, brought
the will into suhjection to its commands; the same view
of the resistless operations of the Holy Spirit, invoked
His aid in the work of personal sanctilieation ; and tlie
same sense of the natiu'e and functions of the ChnrcK of
God, engaged Jiim with his whole heact in her sublime
efforts to evangelize the world. In short, an exquisite
liannony obtained between his secret exercises and his pub-
lic utterances. There was no conflict between his preach-
ing and his prayers. It was not one man in the class-room
with his pnpils, and another man in the closet with his
God; hut a beautiful consistency ran through his char-
acter, both as a teacher and a Christian,
"We only state tlie great law of the Christian life, when
we speak of growth : iirst the blade, and then the full
corn in the car. Dr. Thornwell ripened in holiness to
the hour of his translation. His humihty became more
profound, his faith more abiding, his love more glowing,
his will cliastened into deeper submission. He did not
escape the discipline of sorrow, by which the Lord
refines His people. The cup of bereavement, with its
bitterest ingredients, was once and again put to his
lips. A delightful softness was diffused over his Christian
character. The sharper and sterner features were worn
down into more perfect symmetry and grace. He became
more gentle in his censures, more catholic in liis love.
His views of the Divine holiness, and of the Redeemer's
glory, were always grand ; they now became more adoiing.
iHerose above the speculations of reason, into the region of
pure and spiritual worship. But we suspend here our
own description, and give place to a touching tribute to
his memory, from one who had the privilege of being
associated with him, first aa a student, and then for a
short time as a co-pastor, the Kev, Francis P. Mullally.
He wi-ites :
"My first impreseion of Dr. Thomwell was not pleasant. Even in the
pulpit, his voice, gestienlation, and wtole bearing, were at flret repulsive
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564 T,TrE OF JAMUS HENLEY THOBNIVELL.
to me. But as I learned to follow his glowing logic, and to appredata
Lis mighty thougMs, I came so to admire Mm, in every respeot, that,
when Iheganto preach, I found it hard to guard againet an unoonEoiouH
imitation of his manner.
"Although no other mim ever bo impressed rae with the sense of his '
greatness, yet I never felt cowed or depressed by his presence. On the
contrary, his instruction, and preaching, and oonversatioii, were wont to
inspire me with a courage, and energy, and vigom^ not my bwn. This
is the more remarkable, because the effect of the great Buperiorily of
preaching before him, so sure was I of hie sympathy, that his eye con-
veyed strength into mj bouI.
"I>r. ThornweH'B influence over me oseeeda what I would have be-
lieved to be possible on the pavt of any merely human being, had I not
actually come under it. I liave never made a mental effort since I en-
tered the jniaistry, without being consciously indebted to him; never
analyzed a chapter, without recalling his instruction ; never made an
important judgment, without applying some principle taught by him.
He seems to hve aa vividly, distinctly, andpoien%, in my soul, at every
moment, aa if we had parted but an hour before. My memory's photo-
graph of the home of my childhood is not-more minnte in detail than, are
s and evenla of my life oonnectad with Dr.
sas greater in converBstion than on paper. 1
believe it was impossible to surprise him on miy subject of thought con-
nected with man's poliHeal, social, and spiritnal interests. "Within tliis
wide domain, he seemed not only to have read, but digested and sifted,
everything ever written, from the origin of Uterature to his own day.
Yet, though indebted to all philosophera, he followed none. His intuitive
convictions, moral and logical, were strong. He made speculative opinion
a matter of conscience. He was pre-eminently Bingle-minded. He loved
the truth, as no miser ever loved gold— loved it for its owti sake. HSnee
the result of his reading was not a mere acqutuntance with what men
had thought and said, but increased power in hifl own conscience, and in
all the faculties of his soul ; also the formation of opinions for himself,
the completion of distinct and settled judgments by his own mind, in
view of all that hod been said on the particular subject. His utterances
often indicated the range of his reading, but not by any slavish adoption
of other men's thoughts. His use of books, whether he expressly quoted
from them or not, showed that, while he read in the spirit of humble
inquiry, be read also as a master of the art of thinking, and as an expert
in the exchequer of truth. But the spring of his greatness as a phUo-
BOpher was the strength of the intuitive convictions of ids souk To this,
more than to genius or study, he owed his power as a teacher of philo-
sophy and religion. My knowledge of him would sufilce to convince rae
that a true heftrt is necessary to the development and growth of mental
greatness.
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GENERAL REVIEW. 565
"imong tha tMuga by "wMoli Dr. Thomwell was diatinguiahea, to me,
hia leepQcfc for Ms fellow men was not tte leaet j-emarkable. He hon-
oured all men; reepeoted man' as man; reTei-eacad mind, in wtntever
form ar stage of progi'esB it appeared. I never tnew liim to intercnpt
a student -while endearouring, or even pretending, to anawer a question.
The response might be no matter bow far from the point, or blunder-
ing; might evidently inyite interruption as a means of escape from
painful exposure ; yet would it have his unrippM attention till it came
to a oloBe. OnoB, in giving an analysis of Oalvic's chapters on the Me-
diatorial Person, I made a mistake io a point at the very outset. An-
other would have stopped ma right there ; hut he, giving no indication
of my mishap, heard me thiough, with a charming espression of inter-
est in his face; and then, kindly showing his gratification at my success,
took me back to the one misapprehended point. This way of dealing
with young men was of manifold benefit in its effects. It encouraged
independent thinking, gave opportunity for the play of generoua emu-
lation and love of praise, rebuked pretense, and e^<«ed idleness.
"In our co-pastorate he manifested the same trait very fully. He
always made me feel that he gave any views presented by me as much
attention as if they had been urged in person by the most distingniahed
and experienced Presbyter in the land. Probably the best esemplifioation
of this was Ms yielding to me, in reference to a form for the admission of
converts into the Church which he had prepared, to the extent of erasing
more than half the questions it originally contained. What made this the
more remarkable was, that he had undertaken to defend the propriety
of asking Euoh quesfions, and that he gave way after we had debated
the matter. Though he had the strength of a giant, he did not use it
"Dr. Thomwell did not despise the verdict of pnbKc opinion. Ho
fell that the decisions of the human mind, formed apart from sel&sh-
uess and prejudice, were apt to be in accordance with the views of Ood.
He even held that, generally, the students were the best judges of the
ability of the professor, and the congregation of the qualifications of
the preacher. Hence ha was far from being indifferent to the judgment
upon himself. On the contrary, he desired to know what impression ha
had made, and derived pleasure from the approbation and gratitude of
hia hearers. Indeed, ha was too humble to disregard what others said
of him. On the other hand, no man yielded less to the fear of opinions
growing out of enmity to God, love of sin, prejudice, or self-seeking.
H ha ever manifested any harshness, it »*a when brought in contact vrith
stiites of mind thus originated.
" Probably the controlling element of Ms religious character ■was rsv-
erenoe for God. It was under the infiuenee of this aentiment that he
uttered the most thrilling denunciations of sin ; that the cross inspired
his noblest strains of eloquence ; that his soul was wrapt in wonder at
the love, humOiation, and condescension of the Trinity, io the purpose,
execution, and application of redemption ; and it was this that gave the
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5C6 I-IFE OP JAMES HKNLBY THOBNWELT..
promises of tte goapel their highest preeiouBnsaa to Ms heart. He was
emphatically a worshipper ; not an admirer merely, but a worshipper of
God in the fullest sense of the word. To him Lappineea laj in com-
mimion -with God, audin -working tor Giod. Of the two great departfflenta
of Imioan work, the receptiTS and the distributiTe, it is hard to say in
wMcli IiB took the most delight, or was the moat suocessf ul. He received
eagerly, that ho might give largely ; aud in giying, he seemed to open
inestimable treasures of truth in the fationileBS depths of his soul.
Unwearied as he was in inYestigating, faithfid and judicious in appro-
priating, original and yigorona in creating, he was as di^terested and
cordial in distributing the results of his individual efforts, made precioaa
by the impress of his own nature, and by being set oS with gems taken
frmth by f hi wn m gl t mm! D lb w 11 w gr t
grtasg d t bipfdh lojhty b f
G d
Th nljdi
m tsmmtptj
ry
h mad
■11 b
th pJpt
w by th
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P
d rful tt
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^ w th wli h h
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th
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trd rf
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truth. H bj 1
i hi t
tm
t f th
1
1
al dp ih
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m
m
fully plao d th
w b tw
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h
In my
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al
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ly by t bb
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rt
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f Li d mm Tat n.
h 1 ft
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1
hais, f
hir hwhi h
hdb m t highly p ileged be ly Id I f 1 tb bird f
gnef to be heavier m the day I heard that Di. Thomweil was daad.
In personal appearance, Dr. Thornwell was of medium
stature, of spare habit, with a forehead well developed,
hut not ample ; the features of his face small, and with a
carriage of the body rather marked by negligence than
grace. His presence could not be described as com-
manding; yet he would have been singled out from a
convention of men, even by a careless observer. His
soft black hair, falling smoothly over his brow; his re-
deeming eye, deep-set and black, and capable of the ufc-
most intensity of expression; and a certain air of ab-
straction npon his countenance; all denoted a man who
was to be separated from others. When in repose, there
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&ENBEAL EKVIEW. 567
was a drooping of the eye-lids that lent a dreamy aspect
to Hb face; but even then the eye wo^ild peer forth from
the overhanging eaves with a. witchery that strangely
fascinated. But when in full mental action, rising to a
climax: in his diaeourae, his lithe form expanded and
quivered, the eye sparkled with a gleam such as the soul
alone can give, which riveted the gaze, until, through its
liquid depths, you seemed to go down into the cavern of
his spirit, from which the unearthly fire came that lit it
up as an orb before you. In, manner, he was quiet and
unassuming, with none of that artificial dignity which
needs a page behind it to hold np its trail, but artless
and free as childhood itself in his intercourse with men.
The retirement of scholaetie life, and the boundless re-
sources he had within himself, withdrew him, in large
measure, from general intercourse with society. His
official relations sometimes forced him from this sechi-
sion, and his valuable counsels were sought by many;
yet he did not ordinarily put himself forth to seek com-
munion with the bustling world around him. Though
by no means an ascetic, and with warm sympathies, tak-
ing hold upon hfe on every side, he was singularly un-
obtrusive, and waited for the occasion which sliould draw
him out. "Whoever desu'ed, might freely approach him,
■sure of never being repelled from his presence. To
strangers he was always reserved, unless known to him
by re])utatioij, or endorsed by the commendation of mu-
tual friends. This, however, was only to allow the
opportunity of taking their measure, and ascertaining
whether they would be congenial or otherwise. If the
impression was favourable, the coldness of mere polite-
ness kindled into the warmth of friendship, and his heart
went out with his hand. He was never influenced by tlie
artificial distinctions of society. A man was a man to
him, whatever his station in life might be. Ee looked
beneath the stamp of the guinea, to the metal of wliich
it was made.' Modesty, humility, sincci-ity, were quali-
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568 LIFE OF JAMES HENLEY THOKNWELL.
ties that always atti-acted, whilst pretension and self-
conceit instantly repelled. He enjoyed the encomiums
of his friends, in whose sincerity he confided; bnt the
shghtest approacli to fiattery or sycophancy filled him
with disgust. He was, therefore, tolerant of other men's
opinions. His own independence of thought, and sincere
love of truth, caused him to respect the rights of others in
this regard ; and though exceedingly pronounced in the
statement of his own convictions, no man was freer from
dogmatism, in the offensive sense of that term. Of course,
one eo intense as he could not be wholly independent of
his prejudices; and some allowance had to be made, on
this account, as to his judgments of men. Upon abstract
questions of truth and duty, iie could be safely relied on;
but he wt^ so far swayed by his affections, that He was
prone to overestimate those whoni he loved; and per-
haps, in a corresponding degi'ce, to" depreciate those
. whom he did not fancy. But he was incapable of any
intentional injustice, even in his thought.
In general society, for which he had a confessed aver-
sion, he was thoughtful and silent, rather than, commu-
nicative. But in the circle of his friends, and in the
bosom of his family, he revealed his whole nature. En-
dowed with rare conversational powers, he emptied his
stores of learning, and discussed his favourite topics in
philosophy; or dived into the mysteries of religion, and
uttered the experiences of his own heart; or else, de-
scending from these graver themes, he sported in banter
and jest, aboimded in repartee, and diffused the glow of
his genial humour. Full of anecdote, and fond of badi-
nage, his lighter conversation sparkled with wit, pushed,
sometimes, to excess, unless it were recognized as the
recreation of a mind that needed to unbend itself, and
which found refreshment only in the easier play of its own
powers. He was an inveterate tease, but only of those
whom he loved. It was with him an unfailing mark of
r friendship. Those whom he disliked, he treated
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GBNEEAI. REVIEW. 569
with distant politeness, but tiiose honoured with his ea-
teem were bound to enter the Ksts with hhn in many a
fencing match. Sometimes he was not understood; some-
timea the jest was carried too far. But if feelings were
ever wounded, the amende honourable was always so cor-
dial as to restore good fellowship at once. A little inci-
dent will serve to illustrate both traits. Having referred
in a lecture to " Kant's Critique of Pure Iteaaon," a mem-
ber of the class immediately pm-chased a translation of
the book. After puzzling over it for a night, and finding
that it spake' nothing to liim, he sold it at a discount to
another student ; and tlms it passed in quick succession
to several owners, finally at less than half the cost. Dr.
Thornwell enjoyed the story hugely. Meeting the first
purchaser he accosted him : " Well, Brother , it
took me weeks of hard study to master Kant, but I un-
derstand you got through with him in a single night."
Stumbling then upon the last purchaser, he exclaimed,
"Well, Brother , I suppose the next thing wo
shall hear of Kant, will be that yod have sold him to old
man Jack," (the bell-ringer.) Tliis was. a httle too hard.
He did not pause to think that the raillery had now put
on the biting edge of satire. But aa soon as informed of
the pain he had infiicted, he went instantly and pluclced
out the sting by the assurance that it was only meant as
a piece of good-humoured pleasantry.
Pr. Thornwell's affections were warm and endearing.
Lifted by his own greatness above the temptation to jeal-
ousy, he rejoiced in tlie promotion of others. Generous
in all his instincts, there was no sacrifice he would not
make for his friends. Indulgent to his own household,
he sought to make life's path less rugged to their feet by
smootliing over every disappointment, not permitting
them to be corroded by the anxieties of earth. Cherish-
ing in his own soul the utmost loyalty to truth, and cer-
tain of her ultimate triumph, he was not soui-ed when
thwarted in his plans. In this way, the dew of his youth
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570 LIFK OF JAMES HEKLEY THOKNWELL.
was never exhaled. He remained elastic and fresli to
tlie laet, no generous sentiment or instinct of liis nature
being withered by s^e. "With euch attributee, he had
the power of all truly gieat men, of magnetizing those
brought under his influence ; and it must have been, a
vei7 strong, or a very feeble natui'G, that did not yield to
his attraction. He bound his friends to him by cords of
love, which death itself has been unequal to break,
"He was one,
The traeat matmered ; eueli a holy -vritflh,
Tbat be eucbaais Eooieties tmto him ;
Half all mea's hearts wee© Ms."
Such was the man whom the Church of God lias not
yet ceased to monrn; sneh a man ae Mr. Carlyle de-
B<yibea, " a great thinker, who taught other men Ms way
of thought, and spread the shadow of his own likeness
over sections of the world's history." One bo brave, so
generous, so true, that admiration for his genius was lost
in affection for the man. Alas ! that deatli shotdd have
power to crush out such a life ! Should an epitaph be
needed for his tomb, it might be inscribed in the lines
of jEschylus :
06 yap Soxstv dpcfftoi;, cU^ 'dfat Oskst,
Badstan alir/.a dta ippevb^ xaj)7ioui).svQ^,
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APPENDIX.
, Google
,db, Google
APPENDIX.
CKITICAL SOTICE.
Eita OF DistraroN ; A DiscoiirBe, deliyered on Thantsgiving Day, De*
oember 12, 1850. By Kobeet Davroaow, D, D., Pastor of the First
Prest^terian dmreli, Kow Brunswick, N. J. J. Terhnne & Son;
1860; pp. 15.
The Ambeican Union ; A DisooiuBs, delivered on Thursday, December
12, 1850, the Day of the Annual ThaBkBgiyicg in PenuBjlTania ; and
I'epeated on Sunday, December 1,5, in the Tenth Presbyterian Church,
Philadelphia. By Henby A. Boabdmah, D. D. Third thoueand. Phila-
delphia; Lippinoott, GrantboACo-iSuoce^ore to 0rigg, EUioti&Co.i
I8S1 ; pp. 6G.
The'Ameeican OiHEEH : A Disoouise on the Hatnre and Extent of GUI'
Beligiona Subjection to the Government under which we live ;-iQolad-"
ing an Inquiry into the Scriptural AuiJiority of that Provision of the
Constitution of the United States which requires the Surrender of
PugiMve Slaves; Delivered in the Rutgers Street Presbyterian Ohuroh,
in the city of New Yori, on Thanksgiving Day, December 1 S, 18(50 ;
and afterwards, at their request, as a Lecture before the Young Men's
Associations of Albany and "Waterford, N. Y., on January 14 and 16,
1851. By JOHS M. Kbei^, D. D. Kew York : Charles Soribner, 145
Naasaa Street, and 36 Park Bow ; 1861 ; pp. 40.
" The Higkeb Law," in its Application to the Fuoitive Sij.vb BiUi :
A Sermon on the Duties Men owe to God and to Governments. De-
livered at the Central Presbyterian Church, on Thanksgiving Day.
By John C. Loeb, D. D., (Pastor of said Church,) author of Lectures
on Government and Civilization. Buffalo : Geoige H. Derby &, Co. ;
1851; pp.33.
A SeBMON 0« the DtJTS of CiTlKSNS, WITH BESPEOT TO THE FuOIirVE
Slate Law, By G. ¥. Eitteli., of the Metliodist Episcopal Society,
Poughkeepsie. White Plains, H. Y. ; Eastern State Journal print;
1851 ; pp. 30.
It is not onr design to criticise the sermons enumerated above. They
are all able, bold, and manly ; aad though some of them contain sapti-
57Z
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674 APPENDIX.
ments to wliich we eamiot subscribe, yet the general spirit of all of tteta
meets our most cordial approbation, "We sympattize -with our brethren
at the North in their laudable and Christian eSorta to arrest aa agitation
■which aims alite at the destruction of the GoTemment and the sub-
version of religion. At the present crisis, a perilous responsibility rests
upon the non-slaveholding States of this Union, It is for them to say
whether the conditions of our Federal compact shall be faithfnEy ob-
served, and the Union preserved in its integrity, or whether the Southern
States shall ha driven, in vindication of their rights, their honour, and
their safety, to orgaaiae a distinct Goyerament for themselves. We he-
Ueve it to be in the power of the North to save the country. The South
demands nothing bat justice. She simply insists that the Federal Gov-
ernment shall not -take sides on the question of slavery. It must not
attempt either to repress or to spread it. The Constitation is a solemn
oompaot between, the States, and the poweis delegated in it to the gen-
eral Government cannot, withont the grossest ill faith, be prostituted to
the injury or destruction of the peculiar institutions of any of the pat-
ties. The Constitution knows no difference hetwist slaveholding and
nou-slaveholding States ; and neither Congress nor the Executive pos-
sesses a shadow of right to take any steps that shall hare the effect of
determining whether new territories, the common property of all the
States, shall or shall not exclude slavery, when they are prepared to be
admitted into the Union. What their relation to this subject shall be,
is a question that must be left to the providence of God. The soil should
be kept open to any emigrants fvom any section of the Confederacy.
The constitutional provisions in reference to the admission of new States
should be carefully observed i and when they are oompUed with, it must
be left to the people of the territories to frame their constitution for
themselves. If these principles had been adhered to. in the past legis-
lation of Congress, there would have been no agitation now in the
Southern States of the Union. What they complain of is, that the in-
fluence of the GoTemment is turned against them ; that, instead of pre-
serving the absolute neutrality which it is bound in good faith to main-
tain, it takes sides with one section of the Union to the injury of the
other, and perverts its trust to cripple and circumscribe the inatitufion
of slavery. The North pleads its conscientious convictions that slavery
is wrong, and ought to be curtailed and abohshed, Free-soilasm falls
back Tipoa conscience, and protests that it cannot, without sinning
against God, leave it an open question, whether this prodigious evil shall
be extended or not. We cheerfully concede that there is a higher law
than the law of man, and thai, when human legislation c<
authority of God, it should not be permitted to bind the oi
slavery i*necessarily a sin, no statutes or ordinances of earth can make
it right, and no human enactments can make it obligatory to sanction or
sustain it. But then it would bo the duty of the Northern States, enter^
tainin^ this opinion, to dissolve the Union themselves. They are orim.
inal in remaining parties to a contract which, in their judgment, is a
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CRITICAL NO
575
Biiare to tlieir ooiiBcienoes. If thay cannot, oonsietently with their con-
victions of liutj, maintain the neutrality whioli the FaderEl OonEtitation
requires ; if they cannot, in other words, obEerye the conditions -which
they have TOlnntariiy agreed to observe; tiiey ought, in all fmnkness
and candour, to withdraw from the contract, and openly proclaim that
it is at BU end with tham. They are OBrtainly entitled to their opinions
upon this ol any other suhjoct. But they are not at liberty to make a
treaty which they believe to be siaful, and to enjoy its advantages
without complying with the stipnlated terms. We aie glad tiat a move-
ment has been made at the North to exhibit, in. its tmie light, the rela-
tion of the general Government to slavery. Fanaticism may be relent-
less, but the body of tie people, we trust, will be brought to see and
fed that good faith requires them, either to withdraw from the Union
themselves, or to observe the provisions of the Constitution. Sober re.
flection must convince them that, whether slavery be right or wrong,
they ate not responsible for its diffusion through the territories. These
territories accrue to us under the Union and the Constitution. 'Phe
North pOHseases no power over them as the Horth, as non-slaveholding
States, but only as members of the Confederacy ; and if tlie terms of
tie Confederacy are such as to deny to them the power of interfering
with this Kubject, their consciences should not be pressed for not doing
wliat they have no right to do. They must also see that there is really
no guilt in making a contract, which, at the utmost, only leaves them
stripped of a power, of which it found them destitute. If they had smr^n-
dered the right to exclude slavery from these regions, their roinds might
be troubled. But tJiey never had it ; and the Constitution simply leaves
them as they were. The North, therefore, should not feel itself bur-
dened in the slightest degree witli the guilt of this sin. Muoh less
should it undertake to wield an influence which it has acquired under,
end by virtue of, the Constitution to subvert the purposes of the Con-
stitution, iteelf. We would afEeotionately. urge, therefore, upon our
Northern brethren, the necessity and duty of allaying this agitation. If
they love the Union, let them cherish the Constitution of our fathers.
They deplore the dangers which threaten it; let them see to it, that, so
far aa they are concerned, these dangers are averted. Let the aboli-
tionists and. free-soilers he rebuked, and peace and harmony wiU be re-
stored to the country.
For ourselves, we confess that we cannot calmly contemplate the pro-
bability of such an event as the dissolation of this great confederacy.
That it can be broken up without strong convulsions, without dangers and
disaetera on all sides, we do not believe to be possible. The oontentioijs
of brothers are like the bars of a castle; when once the elements begin
to dissolve, no human calculation can determine where the process shHlI
stop. There is no natural reason why there should be only two con-
federations, a Northern and Southern, any more than three or a dozen.
Let the South draw off ; why not the West, also ? Why not the States in
the vaEey of the Mississippi form a separata confederacy, and California
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.876 APPENDIX.
.etiU (mother 7 It roaj be easj in our closets to speculate upon the poKoy
which the mtereets mvolved would dictate ; but when masses are set in.
motion, and iuoovatjous are begnu, all expeiieuce shows that passion,,
not reaBon, rules the day. The destructioa of a settled order, of old
and tried inatdtutioflS, is lite the aphoBTing of aa earthquake. The
foroes.at work are tremendoua ; but no one can predict their course or
results until theii fury has subsided. We have always associated the
idea of a high and glorious vocation with the planting of this RepuhUe.
"We have thought that we could trace the finger of God in every stage
of its history. "We have looked upon it as desUued to be a blessing to
mankind. Placed between Europe and Asia, in the very centre of the
-earth, -with the two great oceans of the globe acknowledging its domin-
ion ; entering upon its career at the very period of the history of the
world, most eminently adapted to accelerate it« progress, and to diffuse
its ioiiianoe, it seems .to us to be commissioned from the skies as the
.apostle of civiUzatioa, Uherty, and Christianity to all the race of man.
We cannot relinquish the idea of this lofty mission; we havt! keeit
called to it ; and if, in our foUy and wickedness, we refuse to walk
wortiiily of it, we may ijghteously espect, in addition to the ordinary
.disasters of revolutioii, the eitratirdinary retributions of God. Ours
wiU be no common pnnishment, as it will be no conunon sin, if, instead
.of obeying the command which requires us to be a blessing to the world,
we exhaust our resources, and waste our a;dvantages, in biting and de-
vouring each other. We cannot sympathize with the light and flippant
tone in wMoh the question of the value of the Union is too often ap-
proached, as if it were a mere question of ordinary politics. To our
minds it is the most serious, solemn, and momentous that can be ae&ed
in eoimecfdon with the earthly interests of man. To dissolve this Union
is to jeopard all that our fathers gained, and to cover in midnight dark-
ness the prospects and destiny of our own posterity. We tremble at the
thought, and if it must perish, we freely confess that our tears shell be-
dew its grave ; and our hopes for liberty and man be buried with it.
But the Union is the creature of the Constitution. The destruction
of one is, and must be, sooner or later, the destruction ^f the other.
The guilt of dissolving it must rest upon those who trample the Consti-
tution in the dust.
There are two quarters from which the Confederacy is at present
threatened, but threatened on very different gionnda. The first is from
those who are oppMed tt6 dayery, and would prostitute the powers of ihe
general Government to their .own fanatical ends. They repudiate the
Constitution as conniving at ein ^ and their exasperation has risen to the
:height of actual rebellion, in consequence of the law passed at the last
^session of Congress, for the jeooveiy of fugitive slaves. These men ate
confessed conspirators against the Government ; they strike at that which
gives it its very life, the Constitution of the land. The other party con-
isists of those who believe timt the Constitution has been sysfematioally
'Violated by the non.<]av^ctlding States ; that the contract which made the
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CKITICAI. NOTICE. 577
tliuon has hean broken ; and that there is not ooly no obligation any
longer to adhere to it, but that the danger of further aggresaionfi is bo
£reat, that it is a duty to withdraw from it.
In reference to the opposition from theae quarters, ive have a few re-
marke to mcie. We "woiild say Srat to the North, that aha owoa it to
mankind to see that all jnat ground of compliant, as far as ahe is con-
cerned, is rerooYOd. If she has' thrown obstruetio'iia in the way of faith-
fully carrying out the proviaions of the Gonetitution ; if she has, in. any
degree, hroken her faith, poaterity will not acquit her of imdGryalrang
the Dnion, however loudly she may Tociferate its praise. To love the
Union is to love the Oonstitntion. Let her aee to it, that no stipulations
of the charter are disregarded by her ; or if they have been heretofore,
let her be prompt to retrace her steps. This would be manly, noble,
heroic. It would be a patriotism for wMoh she wonld never suffer.
Let her not poise herself apon her power ; good faith is a surer safe-
We would say to the South, that her first movement should be to
Testore the Oonstitution to its supremacy. "We do not think that it is
wisdom snddeijy to destroy a government, beoause it has been per-
verted. If good in itself^ if the evils are ahuaas and essential elements
•of the system, the effort to rectify and cure is worthy of an experiments
What surgeon would amputate a limb until he was eonviaoed that it was
the Iwt resort f To our minds the dissolution of the Union is the last
-desperate remedy for the disorders of the government. Until all other
probable expedients have failed, we cannot be juatifled in the eyes of
God or of the race, in demolishing a fabric which Providence contribu-
ted so conspicuously to rear, which, is hallowed by a thousand associa-
tions, cemented by illustrious blood, » temple of liberiy in which our
fathers worshipped, afid which all nations have honoured. Let ua never
pull it down, until it has become utterly undeau, and freedom is driven
from its sanctuary. The pollutions of the money-changers and traders
can he cleansed ; we may be able to upEst their tables and to drive
them out i and may still mate the edifice what it was originally designed
to be. Patience and effort in restoring the Government to what it should
be, is not mbmimon ia wrong;, it is redntanae, the resistance which
wisdom juatiftes and conscience will approve. The attempt to heal a
disease is not acquiescence in its progress. If the Union of the Consti-
tution is, indeed, glorious — as all confess that it is — it is not slavish
timidity, it is the real love of liberty, which prompts us to labour for ita
preservation, until our labours ahidl be found to be hopelesa. When we
are driven to despair of the Kepublic, and not till then, shall we be justi-
fied in witiidrawii^. As to the charge of pneiUanimons tameness to
which such a policy may subject us, we can only reply, in the words
■of Thncydides:
" Aa for that slowness and dilatoriness with which you have heard
/ourselves upbraided, tiiey flow from those institutions of out ancestors,
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678
whioh teach us, in pablic as in priyata life, to be modest, prudent, an3
From this same noble speech, wbich. tMa piinoe of hietoriaas puts in
the mouth of ArcMdajntis, we would commend to tie joiing and im-
petuous, who are naturaHj much, more iucliced to follow the oounacl of
Stbenelaidus, the following salutary caution :
"If any spur us on by panegyric to perilous adventures, diaapprovctt
by our judgment, we are little moTed with their flattery ; nor if any one
were to fetimulato us by reproaoh, would indignation be at all more likely
to make us alter our determination. By this orderly BedateueSiS we are
both brave in combat, and prudent in conneel."
But whUe we would make every effort whioh wisdom and partiotism
would demand to save the Constitution and the Union, we are free to
confess that, when the issue is forced upon us, of submitting to a govern-
ment hopelessly perverted from its ends, and aiming at the destruction
of our own int eBfe 't will b d ty, as it is our right, to provide
for ourselves The ontmual agit t n of the slavery question must,
sooner or 1 te bring m tt t thi ssue. The Southern States will .
not abandon th n -t tuti This it. certain as fate. Their patience
is no'w aim t sha lated, nd uul their constitutional rights are
respected, thywU tpf Himl 'es. This Union mnst fall, and
they will lift p th hands t h and declare that they are oleai of
its blood. The giult of the long tram of untold evils that mnst follow
the catastrophe, they will honestly believe rests not upon them. God
grant that our country may be saved ; that the North and the South
may be brought to meet in haimonj and peace, upon the t
ground of our glorious Constitution ; that a common ancestry, e
history, a common language, a common rehgion, may do their office in
cementing them together, and binding them in the indissoluble bonds
of truth, justice, and fraternal love.
We have hut a single woid further to adl and that is a protest
against the policy which our own beloved State seems mtent upon pur-
1, which iH nndersti ]d to be the aim of
;, however it mi„ht be justified in a crisis
in which the Federal Government had become openly pledged io the
extinction of slavery, under the present eiicumBfanc(,s of o ir country, ia
recommended by not a singje consideration that we are able to discover,
of wisdom, patriotism, or honour. No master mind among those who
are driving us to this issue has yet arisen, to throw a particle of light
npon the thick darkness which shrouds the future, and covers the conse-
quences of this tremendous step. They all tell us how wo may secede,
but not one has told us, not one can tell us, where we shall nest find our.
selves. No one has yet explained to ua how the institution of slavery
will be more efHjjientlj protected, by making us and our children aliens
upon this broad continent, than it is by the flag of the Republic. Shall
W9 he more exempt from HorOiern fanaticism, when every cheek io
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chiticjil hotiue. 579
removed from its machinationa nud contiiTiuiceB ; from Britjsli intei:-
f prence, wlien we 'hare nothing to lean on but our own arms ? "Will
Elaieiy bp safer when Sonth OaroUna ean throw no shield but her own
around the institution, than when the Conslitutioc protects ns? We
confess tiiat we cannot see how we shall gain, in security from the proSr
tration of the Union. A single State, lite South Carolina, standing out
alone in ihe midst of a mighty nation, can onlj exist by safEeranoe.
But it IS said she will not be alone. The other States, identified with
hei m interests, will join with her in action. But what if the other
Southern States should happen to believe that their interests are better
piomoted by the old Union, than bj a new alliance with Soutt Oarolinsif
They must judge for themselTes, and if they should happen to have a.
judgment of this sort, where shall we then be? Would it not be wise, at
leaHt, to have some better proof than our own conjectures that they will
sustain us ? They might leave us alone ; and in that contingency, who
can say that oar condition would be enviable. We should then have a
national government to maintain, an extensive post-ofSce ■establishment
to organize, an army, a navy, foreign ambassadors, and all the append-
ages of independent. States, to ieep up. Has any one oaloulated our
resources for these thin^ ; and does any man believe that our popula-
tion would stick to us fox ten years, after their passions had subsided,
under the grinding system of taKatdon which it would be necessary to
institute ? Then, again, we must be fully
business less of arms than expense. Tooohii
man; points as we must necessarily do, howe
of the Federal Government might be towards
tably arise from our diplomatic relations to ■
speedily and suddenly. These are matters which ought to be well
sidered before we resolve upon so important
secession. The truth is, we can- see nothing in the measure but dcfoat
and disaster, insecurity to slavery, oppression to onrsetves, ruin to the
Slate. There are other aspects in which the question might be treated ;
but in every aspect of it we feel bound to express our solemn conviction
that, neither befoie God nor man, can we justify ourselves for the fear-
ful hazard of forfeitjng all our blessings, and aE our influence for good,
by a hasty leap in the dark. We speak earnestly on the subject, because
w f 1 str gly Th m y b <t at boldness in the enterprise, but
g the United States in so
rsr pacific the disposition
us, hostilities would
he other States, and that
t h uldb
a ml
L IB
t
Tor
eihen
pt th y I y gr t
h Id g ftly F m
? th Car hn w U
po tj. f th c[
f th St t 1 h
-t nly when we cannot see our way, we
t ppeacances, we think it litely that
1 We expect to bear our fuHpro-
1 We are not only in the State, but
th ght but that of sharing her for-
ai rather too heavily encumbered
\i rs may be noisy for revolution, ivhose
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ArPENDIX.
ia light enough to admit of an easy tcanspoctatioa ; who tave
3 na from abroad, and who can as easily depart. Bvifc for onr-
wo are linked to South Carolina, for weal or for woa. As long
Foioo can be heard, we shall endeaTOur to avert oalamity ; but if
e regard as rash counsele finally prevail, we have made up our
IB God shall give us grace, to take what comes.
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No. II.
OUK DAHGEK AND OUK DUTY.
!s under which Dr. Tliomwell mmposec
Lrjrnen are evinced in Ihe headings of al
" The Criafs I— the Crisis ! I— the Crisis 1 1
The ravBgeB of Louis XTV in the beautif iil valleyB of tte EMna, about
ihe 0I0B6 of the BeveDteentii century, may be taken as a specimeti of tte
appalling desolation wMoli is likely to overspread the Confederate States
if tke Northem army shoiild succeed in ita scheinea of snbjngatioa and of
plunder. Europe was then outraged by atrocities inflicted by Christians
upon Obristians, more fierce and cruel than even Maiiometsus could
have bad the heart to perpetrate. Private dwellings were razed to the
gronnd, fields laid wsite, cities burnt, churches demolished, and the
fruits of industry wantonly and rutiilessly destroyed. But three days of
grace were allowed to the wretched inliabitante to fiee their country ;
and in a short time, the tiatorian tells us, " the roads and fields, wMtdi
then lay deep in. snow, were blackened by innumerable multitudes of
men, women, and children, flying from their homes. Many died of cold
aud hunger ; but enough surriTed to fill the streets of all the cities of
Europe with lean and squalid beggars, who had once been thriring
farmers and shopkeepers." And what have we to espeot if our enemies
. are to be pillaged ; our oitiea sacked and do-
r property confiscated; our true men hanged, and those
who escape the gibbet, to be driven as vagabonds and wanderers in for-
eign climea. This beautiful country is to pass out of our hands. The
boundaries which (nark our States are, in some instauoes, to be effaced ;
and the States that remain are to be converted into subject provinces,
governed by Northern rulers and by Horthem laws. Our property is to
be ruthlessly seized, and turned over to mercenary strangers, in order to
pay the eaoncous debt which our subjugation has cost. Our wives aud
daughters are to beooma the prey of brutal lust. The slave, too, will
slowly pass away, as the red man did before him, under the protection
of Northern philanthropy ; and the whole country, now like the garden
of Eden in beauty and fertility, will first bo a blackened and smoking
desert, and then the minister of Northern cupidity and avarice. Our
551
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history will be worse than that of Poland and Hungaiy. There is not a
single redeeming feature in the picture of rvdn wMch atares us in the
face, if we permit ourselvea to be conquered. It is a nigtt of thick
darkness that will settle apou us. Even Bympathy, the last solace of the
aSioted, will be denied to na. The civilized world will look coldly upon
■as, or eyen jeer ns with the taunt that we have deservedly loat om- own
freedom in eeeking to perpetuate the slavery of otbars. "We shall perish
under a cloud of reproach and of unjust suspicione, eedolously propa-
gated by our enemies; which will be harder to bear than the Ioes of home
and of goods. Such a fate never overtook any people before.
The case is as desperate with our enemies as with ourselv^. They
must succeed, or perish i they must conquer us, or be destroyed them-
selves. If they fail, national bankruptcy stares them in the face ; divi-
sions in their own ranks are inevitable, and (Jieir Government wiU fall
to pieces under the weight of its owa corruption. They know that they
ate a, doomed people if they are defeated. Hence their madness. They
must have our property to save them from insolvency. They must show
that the Union cannot be dissolved, to save them from futiure secessions.
The parties, therefore, in this conflict, can make no compromises. It is
a matter of life and death with both ; a struggle in which their ail is in-
volved.
But the (Jtmsequences of success on our paii will be very different
from the consequences of success on the part of the North. If they pre-
vail, the whole character of the Government will be changed, and, instead
of a federal republic, the common agent of sovereign and independent
States, we shall have a central despotism, with the notion of States for
ever abolished, deriving its powers from the will, and shaping its policy
scoordiog to the wishes, of a numerical majority of the people ; we shtdl
have, in other words, a supreme, irresponsible democracy. The will of
the North will stand for law. The Government does not now recognize
itself as on ordinance of God ; and, when ell the checkj: and balances of
the Constitution are gone, we may easily figure to lurselvps the career
and the desUny of this godless monster of democratic absolutitm The
progress of regulated liberty on this continent will be airested anarchy
will soon succeed, and the end will be a military despotiam, which pi e-
serves order by the sacrifice of the last vestige of hberty We are tully
persuaded that the triumph of the North in the present conflict will be
as disastrous to the hopes of mankind as to our own fortunes. They are
now fighting the battle of despotism. They have put their Constitution
under their feet ; they have annulled its most sacred provisions ; and, in
defiance of jts solemn guaranties, they are now engaged, in the halls of
Congress, in discussing and maturing bUIs which make Northern notions
of necessity the paramount Jaws of the land. The avowed end of the
present war is, to make the Government a government of force. It is,
to settle the principle that, whatever maybe its corruptions and abuses,
;r unjust and tyrannical its legislation, there is no redress, except
Q petition or empty remonstrance. It was as a protest against this
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OUE DAMGKE AND OUE DUTY. 583
principle, wMeli Bweeps awaj the loat eecurity for liberty, that Tirginia,
North Cai'olina, Tennessee, and Missouri seceded ; and if tlie Government
sbonld be re-establislied, it must be re-established with this feature of
remorseless despotiem firmly and- indelibly fixed. The future f ortuneB
of otu- children, and of this contineDt, would fben be determined by a
tyranny whioh haa no parallel in history.
On the other hand, ne are struggling for oonEiitutional freedom. We
are upholding the great prinoiples whioh our f athei* bec(U9athed us ; and
if we should succeed, and become, ae we shall, the dominant nation of
this oontiuent, we shall perpetuate and diffuse the very liberty for which.
Washington bled, and which the heroes of ilie Revolution achieved. "We
are not revolutionists ; we are resisting revolution, "We el's upholding
ih,e true doctrines of the Bederd Constitution. We are conservative.
Our success is the triumph of all that has been considered established
in the past. We can never become aggressive ; we may absorb, but we
can never invade for conquest any neighbouring State. The peace of
the world is secured if our arms prevail. We shall have a Government
that acknowledges God, that reverenoeEright,and that mates law supreme.
We are therefore fighting, not for ourselves alone, but, when the strug-
gle is rightly understood, for the salvation of this wJiole contiuent. It
is a aoble cause in which we are engaged. There is everything in it to
rouse the heart and to nerve the arm of the freeman and: the patriot ;
and though it may now seem to be under a cloud, it is too big with tiie
future of our race to be suffered to fail. It cannot fail ; it must not
fail. Our people must not brook the infamy of betraying their sublime
trust. This beautiful land we must never suffer Co pass into the hands
of strangers. Our fields, our homes, our firesides and sepulchres, our
cities and temples, our wives and daughters, we must protect at every
hazard. The glorious inheritance which our fathers left us wa must
never betray. The hopes with which they died, and which buoyed fiieir
spirits m the last confiict, of making their country a blessing to the
world, we mast not permit to be unrealized. We must seize the torch
from theu hands, and transmit it with increasing brightness to distant
geneiatiuns The word failure must not be pronounced among us. It
IS not a thmg fo be dreamed oE. We must settle it that we mv,si suc-
ceed We must not sit down to count chances. There is too much at
stake to think of discussing probabilities. We must make success a
certainty ; and that, by the blessing of God, we can do. If we are pre-
pared io do OUT duty, and our whole duty, wa have nothing to fear.
But what is our duty ? This is a question whioh we must gravely con-
sider. We shall briefly attempt to answer it.
In the first place, we must shake off all apathy, and become fuUy alive
to the magnitude of tiie erisia. We must look the danger in the face,
and comprehend the real grandeur of the i^ue. We shall not exei-t
ouraelves until we are sensible of .the need of effort. As long as we
cterisli a vague hope that help may come from abroad, or that there is
iir past history, or the genius of our institutions, to pro-
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584
.P ['END IX.
fact us from overtlirow, we arc tugging a fatal deliiaion to oar bosoms.
This Hpaiiiy was the ruin of G-reeoe at tha time of the ilaeedonian inva-
sion. Tills was the Epell wMeh DemostlienBs laboured so eoinestlj to
break. Tiie Atheniau was bs daroted as ever to his native oity, and tlie
free inatitutions he inherited from his fathers ; but somehow or other ha
could not believe that hia country could be conciueracl. He read its
Mtfety in ita ancient glory. He felt that it had a presarlptiva right to
live. The great orator saw and lamented the errbr ; he poured forth his
eloquence to dissolve Uie charm ; but the fatal Jxoui' had come, and the
spirit of Greece oould not be roused. There was no more real patriofiam
at the time of the second Persian invasion than in the age of Philip ;
but, then, there was no apathy. Every man appreciated the danger ; he saw
(he crash that was coming, and prepared himself to resist the blow. He
knew thgt there was no safety escept in courage and in desperate effort.
Everyman, too, felt Identified with the State; apart of its weight rested
on his sQioalders. . It was this sense of personal interest and personal
rasponsihility ; the profound oonvioiion that every one had so'mething to
do, and that Greece expected him to do it. Thia was the public spirit
which turned back the countless hordes of Xerxes, and saved Greece to
liberty and man.. This is the spirit which we must have, if we, too,,
would succeed. We must be brought to see that all, under God, depends
on onrselvas ; and, looking away from flU foreign alliaaces, we must
make up our minds to fight desperately and fight long, if we would save
the oonntry from ruin, and ourselves from bondage. Everyman should
feel that he has an interest in the State, and that the State in a measure
leans upon him; audhe should rouse himsalf to efforts as bold and heroic
as if all depended on his single right arm. Our courage should rise higher
thfm the danger; and, whatsTermay be the odds against ua, we must sol-
emnly resolve, by God's blessing, that we will not be conquered. When,
with a fall knowledge of the danger, we are brought to this point, we
are in the way of deliverance ; but until this point is reached, it is idle
It is implied in the spirit which the times demand, tha.t all private
teresta are sacrificed to the public good. The State becomes everything,
and the individual nothing. It is no time to be oasting about fox espi
dients to enrich ourselves. The maji who is now intent upon money,
who turns public necessity and danger into means of speculation, would,
if very shame did not rebute him, and he were allowed to follow the
natural bent of hie heart, go upon the field of hatUe, after an engage-
ment, and strip the lifeless bodies of his brave countrymen of the few
spoils iliey carried into the fight. Such men, unfit for auything gene-
rous or noble themselves, lite the hyena, can only suck the blood of the-
hon. It ought to be a reproach to any man. that he is growing rich
while bis country is bleeding at evtrj por-- If we had a ThemistocJes
among ns, he would not scruple to chaise the miser bnd extortioner
with stealing the Gorgon's head ; he would search their stufi and if
he conld not find that, he would find what woild ans^ei his Ljuutrj s.
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OXJli 1>AHGEK AND OUli DUTY. 585
needs muct more eHeetuiJly. TMs spirit must be rebuked ; every man
must foi^et himself, and think only of the public gqiod.
The spirit of faotion is even more to be dreaded than the spirit of
avarice and plunder. It is equally selfish, and ie, besides, distracting
and dfvieive. The man who now labours to weaken the hands of the
Government, that he may seize the reins of authority, or cavils at pubh^
mecBures and polioy, that he may rise to distinction and office, has all
the selfishness of a miser, and all tJie baseness of a traitor. Our rulers
are not infallible ; but their errors are to be reviewed witli candour, and
their authority sustained with unanimity. "Whatever bas a tendency to
destroy public confidence in their prudence, their -wisdom, their energy,
and their patriotism, undermines the seenrity of our oause. "We must
not be divided and distracted among ourselyes. Our rulers have grpat
responsibiJities. They need the support of the whole country ; and no-
thing short of a patriotism which buries all private differenoe's, which is
ready for compromises and noncessions, which can make charitable al-
lowances for differences of opinion, and even for errors of judgment,
can save us from the consequences of party and faction. We must be
united. It our views tire not carried out, let us sacrifice private opinion
to public satety. In the great conflict with Persia, Athens yielded to
Sparta, and acquiesced in plans she could not approve, for the salte of
the public good. Nothing could be more dangerous now than scrambles
for office and power, and collisions among the different departments of
the Government. TVe must present a united front.
It is further important that every man should be ready to work. It
is' no time to play the gentleman; no time for dignified leisure. All
cannot serve in the field ; but ell can do something to help forward the
common canse. The young and active, the stout and vigorous, should
he prepared at a moment's warning for the tanks. The disposition
should be one pf eagerness tfl be employed ; there should be no holding
back, no counting the cost. The man who stands back from the ranks
in these perilous times, because he is unwilling to serve his country as
a private soldier, who loves his ease more than liberty, his lusurie j mora
than hie honour, that man is a dead fly in our precious oint^nent. In
seasons of great calamity, the ancient pagans were accustomed to ap-
pease the anger of their gods by human sacrifices ; and if they had gone
upon the principle of selecting those whose mora! insignificance ren-
dered them alifca offensive to heaven and useless to earth, they would
always have selected these drones, and loafers, and exquisites. A
Christian nation cannot offer them in eacriflee ; but public contempt
should whip them from their lurking holes, and compel them to share
the common danger. The community that will cherish such men with-
out rebuke, brings down wrath upon it. They must be forced to be
nseful, to avert, the judgments of God from the patrons of cowardice
Public spirit will not have reached the height which the exigency de-
mands, until we shall have relinquished all fastidious notions of mihtarj
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586 irPEHDix.
etiquette, and have come to tlie point of expelling the enemy by any and
every means that God has pnt in onr power. "We are not fighting for
militflrj glory ; we axe fighting for a home, and fox a national esistenoe.
We ace not aiming to display onr skill in tactics and genecaJship ; we are
aiming to show ourBelTes a free people, woithy to poGsess and able to
defend the institutions of our fathers. Whet signiflea it to ua bow tha
foe is vanquished, provided "it Is done ? Beeauae we tiave not weapons
of the most improred workmanship, are we to sit still and see ou^ sou
overrun, and our wives and children driven from their homes, while we
have in our hands other weapona that oen equally do the work of death ?
Are we to perish if we cannot conqner by the technical rules of soien-
Idfio warfare? Are we to sacrifice our country to military punctilio?
The thought is monstroas. We must be prepared to extemporize expe-
dients. We must cease to be chary, either about our weapons or the
meanaof usingthem. The end is to drive back our foes. If wa cannot pro-
cure the best rifles, let us put np with the common guns of the country ;
if they cannot be had, with plies, and axes, and tomabawks ; anytliiag
that will do tbe wort of death, is an effective instrument in a brave
man's hand. We should be ready for the regular battle or the partisan
skirmish. If we ave too Weak to stand an engagamont in the open field,
we can waylay tbe foe, and harass and annoy him. We must prepare
ourselves for a guerilla war. Tbe enemey must be conquared ; and any
method by wMcb we can honourably do it must be resorted to. This ia
tbe kind of spirit which we wEOit to see aroused among our people.
With this spirit, tbey will never be subdued. If driven from tbe plains,
they will retreat to tbe mountains ; if beaten in tbe field, they will hide
in swamps and marshes ; and when thair anemias are least axpaeting it,
they will pounce down upon them in the dashing exploits of a Sum ter,
a Marion, and a Davie. It ia only when we have reaohM this point that
public spirii is commensurate witb the danger.
In the second place, we must guard sacredly against cherishing a tem-
per of presumptuous confidence. The causa is not ours, but God's ; ani
if we measure its importance only by its accidental relation to ourselves,
we may be suffered to perish for our pride. No nation ever yet achieved
anything great, that did not regard ifseif as the instrument of Pro\i-
dence^ Tbe only lasting inspiration of lofty patriotism and exalted
courage, is the inspiration of religion. Tbe Gtraeks and Romans never
ventured upon any important enterprise without consulting their gods.
They felt, that they were safe only as they were persuaded that they were
in alliance with heaven. Man, though Umited in apace, limited in time,
and limited ia knowledge, is truly great, when be ia linked to the Infi-
nite aa the means of accomplishing lasting ends. To be God's servant,
that is his highest destiny, Ms sublimest calling. Nations are under the
pupilage of Providence ; they are in training themselveH, tiiat tbey may
be the instiuments of furthering the progress of tbe human race.
Folybius, ttie historian, traces the secret of Eomnn greatness to tbe
profound sense of religion which constituted a striking feature of the
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OtTE DANGER AND OTTK DDTY. 587
national charaoter. Ha ealls it, espresaly, the firmest pillar of the
Boman State ; and he does not heedtate to denounce, as eneanies to
public order and prosperity, those of his own. contemporaries who sought
to undermine the saeredneBB of these convictions. Even Napoleon ens-
tained hie vaulting ambition by a mysteiious oonueotion with the invisi-
ble world. He was a man of des'tinj. It is ft* relation to God, and
His ■ providential training of the race, that'imparfa true dignity to our
stmggle; and we must recognize ourselves as God's servante, working
out His glorious ends, or we shall .infallibly be left to etumble upon flie
dart mountains of error. Our trust in Hi™ must he the real spring of our
heroic resolution, to oonqner or io die. A sentiment of honour, a, mo-
mentary enthusiasm, may prompt and sustain spasmodic exertions of an
eitrftosdinary character ; but a steady valour, a self-denying patriotism,
protracted patience, a readiness to do, and dare, and suffer, through a
generation or an age, this comes only from a sublime faith in God. The
worst symptom that any people can manifest, is that of pride. With
nations, as with individuals, it goes before a fall. Let us guard against
it. IiSt na rise to the true grandeur of our calling, and go forth as ser-
vants of the Most High, to esecute His purposes. In this spirit we are
safe. By this spirit our principles are ennobled, and our cause trans- '
lated from earth to heaven. An overweening confidence in. the righte-
ousness of onr catxse, r.s if that alona were sufBcient to insure our suc-
cess, betrays gross inattention to the Divine dealings with communities
and States. In the issue betwixt ourselves and our enemies, we may be
free from blame ; bnt there may be otlLcr respects in which we have
provoked the judgments of Heaven, and there may be other grounds on
which God has a controversy witfc us, and the swords of our enemies
may be His chosen instruments to esecute His wrath. He may first use
them as a rod, and then punish Miem in other forms for their own
iniquities. Hence, it belioovos us not only to have a righeous oanse,
but to be a righteous people. We must abandon all our sins, and put
ourselv^ heartily and in earnest on the side of Providenoe.'
Hence, this dependence upon Providence carries with it the necessity
of removing from the midst of us whatever is offeflsive to a holy God.
If the Government ia TTjb oi'dinance, and the people His instramente,
they must see to it that they serve Him with no unwashed or defiled
hands. We must cultivate a high standard of public virtue. We must
renounce all personal and selfish aims, and we must rebuke every cuatom
or institution that tends to deprave the public morale. Virtue is power,
and vice is weakness. The same Polybius, to whom we have already
referred, traces the infinenoe of the reUgious sentiment at Eome in pro-
ducing faithful and incorruptible m^igietrafes, who were strangers ahke
to bribery and favour in executing the laws and disjiensing the trusts of
the State, and that high tone of public faith which made an oath an ab-
solute security for faithfulness. Thia stern simplicity of manners we
must cherish, if we hope to succeed. Bribery, corruption, favouritism,
*Ieotioaeering, flattery, and every epoeies of double-dealing; drunien-
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nesB, prof aneness, debauclieTy, selfishness, avarice, and estoridoc ; all
base material onds mnet be banielied by a etem integrity, if we ■would
become the fit instrmneuls of a holy PrOTidenoe ia a holy cause. Sic is
a reproacli. to any people. It is weainess ; it is sure, though, it H|iiy be
slow, decay. Faith in God: that is the watchword of martyrs, whether
in the cause of truth or of liberty. That alonB ennoMes and Banctifles,
"All other nations," eioept the Freneh, as Burke has significant!)' i-e-
marlied, in relation to tbe memorable revolntion which was doome^ to
failure in consequence of this capital omissioa, " haye begun the fabric
of a new GoTemment, or flie reformation of an old, by establishing ori-
ginally, or by enforcing with greater exactness, some rites or ofber of
religion. All other people have laid the foundations of ciidl freedom in
se^eter manners, and a system of more austere and masculine molality."
To absohe the State, which is the society of rights, from a strict respon-
sibility to the Author and Source of jnstioe and of law, is to destroy tie
firmest security of public order, to conrert liberty into license, and to
impregnate the very being of the commonwealth with the seeds of dis-
solution and decay. France failed, because li^ance foi^ot God ; and if
we tread in the footsteps of that infatualed people, and treat with equal
contempt the holiest instincts of our nature, we, too, may be abandoned
to our folly, and beoomS tiie hissing and the scorn of dH the nations of
the earth. "Be wise, now, therefore, O ye kings! bo instructed, ye
judges of the earth. Kies the Son, lest He he angry, and je perish from
the way, when His wrafi ia Hndled but a little. Blessed are aU they
that put their trust in Him."
In the third place, let us endeavour rigMly to interpret the reverses
which have recently attended our aims. It is idle to make light of them.
They are serious ; they are disastrous. The whole end of Providence, in
any dispensation, it were presumptuous for any one, independently of a
special revelation, to venture to decipher. But there are tendencies
which lie upon the surface, and these obvious tendencies are designed
for our guidance and instruction. In the present case, wc may humbly
halieve that one purpose aimed at has been to rebuke our confidence and
our pride. We had begun to despise our enemy, and to prophesy safety
without much baiard. "We had laughed at bis cowardice, and boasted
of our superior prowess and skill. Is it strange that, while indulging
such a temper, we Ourselves should be made to turn our backs, and to
become a jest to those whom we had jeeted ? We had grown licentious,
intemperate, and profane : is it strange that, in the midst of our security,
God should teach us that sin is a repraach to any people ? Is it strange
that He should remind us of the moral conditions upon which alone we
are authorized to hope for success? The first lesson, therefore, is one
of rebuke and repentance. It is a call to break off our sins by right-
eouiine^ and to turn our eyes to the real secret of national security and
strength.
The second end may be one of trial. God has placed us in circum-
stances in which, if we show Uiat we are equal to the emergency, aU wiU
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m DANGEK AND OIJB DUTY. 589
aclJi w dg ir glit to tta freedom wMch we have so eignBllj Tindi-
ted. W ha n w the opportomtj' for great esploits.' "We cafi aow
d m n e h world what maimer of spirit we are of. If onr
ir% n f ai Ji e snperior to the danger, we BhoU not only Bueceed,
b w stall sn oe d with a moial influeaoe and character thst ehall
nd u *SB d ubly valuahle. Providence si
d p n di ste ■ has attended oi
h S te beleaguers us in all our coEsts. His
n m. nts ai imm nee, and his energy and resolution desperate. His
n unb 6 m h superior, that we are like a float of kxds before
b m 'W b n Hug to stand oa but the etomal principlee of truth
and n^lit, and the protection and aHianoe of a Just God. Can wa loot
the danger unflinchingly in the face, and calmly resolve to meet it and
subdue it ? Can wo say, in reliance upon Providence, that, were his
numbers and resources a thousand-fold greater, the interests at stake are
so momentous, that we will not be conquered? Do wa feel the moral
power of courage, of resolution, of heroic will, rising and ewelliug within
HE, until it towers above aU the smoke and dust of the invasion ? Than
we are in a condition to do great deeds. We are in the condition of
Greece when Xerses hung upon the borders of Attica, with an army of
five mill inn a that had never been conquered, and bo which State after
State of northern Greece had yielded in its progress. Little Athens was
the object of his vengeance. Ijaonidashad fallen; four days ruore would
bring the destioyer to the walls of the devoted city. There the people
were — a mere handful. Their first step bad been to consult the gods,
and the astounding reply which they received fK)ni Delphi would have
driven any other people to despair. ""Wretched men! " said the oracle,
wliioh they believed to be infallible, "why sit ye there? Quit your land
and city, and flee afar I Head,. body, feet, and bands, are alike rotten;
fire and sword, in. the train of the Syrian chariot, shall overwhelm you ;
not only pour city, but other cities also, as well as many even of the
temples of the gods, which are now sweating and trembling with fear,
and foreshadow, by drops of blood on their roofs, the hard calamities
impending. Get ye away from the sanctuary, with your souls steeped
in. sorrow." We have had reverse but no such oracle as this. It was
afterwards modified so as to give a ray of hope, in an ambiguous allusion
to wooden walls. But the soul of the Greek rose with the danger ; and
we have a succession of events, from the deseildon of Athens to the final
expnlsion of the invader, which make that little spot of earth immortal.
, Let us imitate, in Christian faith, this sublime example. Let our spirit
be loftier than that of the pagan Greek, and we can succeed in making
every pass a Thermopylse, every strait a Salamis, and every plain a
Marathon. "We can conquer, and we mllst. We must not sufEer any
other thought to enter our minds. If we are overrun, we oan at leal^t
die ; and if our enemies get posseadon of our land, we oan leave it a
bowling deserfi But, under God, wa shall not fail. If we are true to
Him, and true to ourselves, a glorious future is before ua. Wo ocoupy
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690 APPENDIX.
a Bubliica position. The eyes of the world itre upon us ; we are a Epeo-
taclo to God, to angels, and to men. Can our heai'ts grow faint, or onr
hands feeble, in a cause lite this ? The spirits of our fathers call to ua
from theii graves. Tte heroes of other ages and other countries are
beckoning ue on to glory. Let us seize the opportunity, and make to
ourselyes an immortal name, while we redeem a. lancf from, bondage and
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No. III..
THE STATE OF THE COUNTET.
Declab4tioh of the Immediate Causes 'WBICh Induce and Jtjsth'i
THE SeCEBBIOB OS SoUXH CiEOIjIKi EEOM TEEE FeDEKAL UNION : IJiD
THE OsDmiSOE OF Sbckssion,- Printed by order of the Convention.
Cliarleetoii; Evans & Cogswell, Printers to the OonTeutioa. pp. 13.
1860.
The Addbesb op the People op South Caeolina, Absembikd ik Con-
VENTIOK, TO tee PEOPiai OP THE StiTEHOIOJINO STATEiS OF THE
United SrixES. Printed by order of the Convention. Charleaton :
Eyana & Cogswell, Printers to the Convention, pp. 1(5. 1860.
Bepobt on the Aedbess of a. Poktiok of kee Mbheers of the General
Assembly OF GEOBOii. Printed by order of the Convention. Gharles-
ton : Evans & Cogswell, Printers to the Convention, pp. 6. 1860.
It is. now universally known that, on the 30th day of last December,
the people of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, solemnly an-
nulled the ordinance by which they,beoame members of the Tederal
Union, entitled the United States of America, and resumed to them-
selves the exercise of all the powers which they had Selegated to the
Federal Congress. South Carolina has now become a separate and in-
dependent State. She tatea her place as an eijoal among the other
nations of the earth. This is certainly one of the most grave and im-
portant events of modem times. It involves the destiny oJ
and through that continent, the fortunes of the human rai
matter of the utmost moment that the rest of the world, and ei
that the people of the United States, should understand the causes which
have brought about this astounding result, we propose, in a short article,
and in a candid and dispassionate spirit, to explain them ; and to make an
appeal, both to the slaveholding and non-slaveholding States, touching
their dnty in the new and estraordioary aspect which afEairs have as-
sumed.
That there was a cause, and an adequate cause, might be presumed
from the character of the Convention which passed the Ordinance of
Secession, and the perfect unanimity with which it was done. That
Convention was not a collection of demagogues and politicians. It was
not a conclave of defeated place-hunters, who sought to avenge their
5«1
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592
disappointment by the min of their country. It waB a, body of sober,
gr&Te, and venerable men, seleoted from every pursuit in life, and dis-
tinguished, most Of them, in their respective spheres, by every quality
■wMeh can command confidence and respect. It embraced tJiP wisdom,
moderation, and integrity of the beooh, the learning and prudence of
the bar, and the eloquence and piety of the pulpit. It contained retired
planters, Bcbolars, and gentlemen, who had stood aloof from iie tvinnoil
and ambition of pnblic life, and wore devoting an elegant leisnie, oii>im
num, digtiUaU, to the culture of their minds, and to quiet and unobtru-
sive schemes of Christian philantliropy. There were men in that Con-
vention who were utterly incapable of low and aelfieh schemes , who, m
the oalm serenity of their jui^ments, were as unmoved by the waves of
popular passion and esoitement as tlie everlasting granite by the billowp
that toll against it. There were men there who would have listened to
no voice but what they believed to be the voice of reason ; and would
have bowed to no authority but what they believed to be the authority
of God. There were men there who would not have been controlled
by "uncertain opinion," nor betrayed into "sudden coansels;" men
who could act from nothing, in the noble language of MUton, "but
from mature wisdom, deliberate virtue, and dear affection to the pubKc
good," That Convention, in the character of its members, deserves
every syllable of the glowing panegyric which Milton has pronounced
upon the immortal Parhament of England, which taught the nations of
the earth that resistance to tyrants is obedience to God. Were it not
invidions, We might single ont names, which, wherever they are known,
are regarded as synonymous with purity, probity, maguanim ty nd
honour. It was a noble body, and all their proceedings were in barm ny
with their high character. In the midst of intense agitation and e-
ment, they were calm, cool, collected, and self-poasessei They d hb d
without passion, and concluded without rashness,. 'Iheysatw hi d
doors, that the tumult of the populace might not invade the h ty f
their minds. If a stranger could have passed from the slirnng scenes
with which the streets of Charleston were alive, into the oalm and quiet
sanctuary of thi| venerable council, he would have been impressed with
the awe and veneration which subdued the rude Gaul, when he first be-
held in senatorial dignity the Consoript Fathers of Rome. That, in
such a body, there was not a single voice against the Ordinance of Se-
cession, that there was not only no dissent, but that the assent was cordial
and thorough-going, is a strong presumption that the measure was jus-
tified by the dearest and sternest necessities of justice and of right.
That such an assembly should have inaugurated and completed a radi-
cal revolution in all the external relations of the State, in the faoe of
acknowledged dangers, and at the risk of enormous sacrifices, and
should liave done it gravely, soberly, dispassionately, deliberately, and
yet have done it without cause, transcends all the measures of proba-
bility. Whatever else may be said of it, it certainly must be admitted
that this solemn act of South Carolina was well considered.
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THE STATE OF THE COUNTRT. 693
In her eetimate of tlie magnitude of tiie danger, she has been seconded
by every othei- slaTeholding State. While We aro writing, the telegraphic
■wires annoanoewhat the presiouB elections tad prepared us to expect —
ilmt Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi have followed her example. They
also have become separate and independent States. Three other States
hare taten tbe incipient steps for the consummation oif the same result.
And the rest of the elaveholding States are hanging by a single thread
to the Union, the slender thread of hope, that guarantees may be di^ised
which shall yet secure to them their rights. Bnt even they proclaim,
that without such guarantees, their wrongs are intolerable, and they
will not longer endure them. Can any man believe that the secession
of fonr sovereign States, under the most solemn eircumstanoes, the de-
iermination of others bo follow as booh as the constituted authorities can
be called together, and the universal sentiment of all, that the Consti-
tution of the United States has been "virtually repealed, and that every
slaveholding State has just ground for secession ; can any man believe
that tMs is a factitious condition of the public mind of the South, pro-
duced by brawling politicians and disappointed demagogues, and not the
calm, dehherate, profound utterance of a people who feel, in their in-
most souls, that th^y have been deeply aiid flagrantly wronged ? The
presumption dearly is, that there is something in the attitude of the
Government which portends danger, and demands resistance. There
must be a cause for this intense and pervading sense of injnstioe and of
injury.
It has been suggested, by those who tnow as little of the people of
the South as they do of the Constitution of their oonntry, that all this
fermeot is nothing but the result of a mercenary spirit on the part of
the cotton-growing States, fed by Utopian dreams of aggrandizenient
and wealth, to be realized under the auspicea of free trade, in a separate
confederacy of their own. It has been gravely insinuated that they
are willing to sell their faith for gold; that they have only made a
pretext of recent eventa to accomplish a foregone scheme of deliberate
treachery and fraud. That there is not the slightest ground in anything
these States have ever said or done for this extraordinary slander, it is,
of course, superfluous to add. The South has, indeed, complained of
the anec[ual administration of the Government. Her best and purest
statesmen have openly avowed the opinion that, in consequence of the
partial legislation of Congress, she has borne burdens and experienced
inconveniences which have retarded her own prosperity, while they
have largely contributed to develope the resources of the !North. But
grievances of this kind, unless greatly exaggerated, never would have
led to the dissolution of the Union, They would have been resisted
within it, or patiently borne until they could be lawfully redressed. So
far from contending for an arbitrary right to dissolve the Union, or the
right to dissolve it on merely technical grounds, the South sets so high
a value on good faith, that she would never have dissolved it for slight
and temporary wrongs, even though they might involve sach a violation.
,db, Google
594
on tha part of hfti" confederates, of the terms of tta compact, as relsaKsd
her from any further obligation of honour. It ia, therefore, preposter-
ous to say, that any dreams, towever dazzling, of ambition and avarica,
could liflve induced her to disregard her solemn engagements to her sis-
ter States, while they were faithfully fiilflUing the eonditioue of tia
contract. We know the people of the Soatt; and we can confidently
affirm that, it they had been BBBured that all these golden ■visions conld
have been completely realized by setting ap for themselves, as long as
the Constituldon of the United States continued to be sincerely observed,
thoy would hfl^e spumed the temptation to purcliasa national greatness
by pejfidy. They would have preferred poverty, with honoar, to the
gain of the whole world by the loss of their integrity.
When it was perceived that the tendency of events was inevitably
driving the South to disunion, a condition from which she at first re-
coiled with hotror, then she began to cast about her for considerations
to reconcile her to her destiny. Then, for the first time, was it main-
tained, that, instead of being a loser, she might' be a gainer by the
measure which the course of the Government was forcing upon her; It
was alleged that good would spring from evil ; that the prospect of inde-
pendence was brighter and more cheering than her present condition ;
that she had much to antioipate, and little to dread, from the contem-
plated change. But these considerations were not invented to j^i&Ufy
secession ; they were only adduced as motives i« reconcile the mind to
its necessity. Apart from that necessity, they would have had as little
weight in determining public opinion, as the sniall dust of the balance.
"We do not believe, when the present controversy began, that the advo-
cates of what is, called disunion per se, men who preferred a. Southern
Confederacy upon the giiiunds of its intrinsic superiority to the Consti-
tutional Union of (he United States, could have mustered a corporal's .
guard. The people of the South were loyal to the country, and if the
country had been true to them, they would have been as ready to-day to
defend its honour with their fortunes and their blood, aa when they
rwaed its triumphant flag upon the walla of Mexico.
It has also been asserted, as a ground of dissatiafaction with the pres-
ent Government, and of desire to organize a separate government of
their own, that the cotton-growing States are intent upon re-opening, as
a means of fulfilling their magnificent visons of wealth, the African slave
trade. The agitation of this subject at the South has been grievously
misunderstood. One extreme generates another. The violence of
Northern abolitionists gave rise to a smaE party among ourselves, who
were determined not to be outdone in extravagance. They wished to
show that they could give a Kowland for an Ohver. Had. abolitionists
never denounced the domestic trade as plunder and robbery, not a whia.
per would ever have been breathed about disturbing the peace of Africa.
The men who were loudest in their denunciations of the Govemnient
had, with very few exceptions, no more desire to have the trade re-
opened, than the rest of their countrymen; but they delighted in
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THE STATE OF THE COUNTET. 595
teasing their enemies. They took special satisfaction in proTiding hard
nuts for "abolitioaiste to Oracle. There were others, not at all in f ayonr of
the trade, wiio looked upon the law as unconstitutional which dedared
it to be piracy. But the great msBa of iiie Southern people were con-
tent with the law as it stood. They were and aro opposed to the trade,
cot heeause the traf&o in slaves ia immoral — that not a man among tib
believaB— but because tUe traffic witli Africa is not a traffic in skivas.
It is a system of kidnapping and man-stealing, which is as abiiorrent to
the Soutli as it is to the NorUi ; and we venture confidently to preilint,
that should a Southern Oonfederacy be formed, the African slave-trade
is much more likely to be re-opened by the old Government than the
new. The ooascience of the North will bo less tender when it has no
Southern sins to be\yftil, and idle shipewill naturally look to the Govern,
ment to help them in finding employment
The feal cause of the inten&e eiLitement of the South, is not vain
dreams of national glory in a separate confederacy, nor the love of the
filthy lucre of the African slave trade , it is the f lofound conviction that
the Oonstitntion, in 'its relations to blavery, has been virtually repealed ;
that the Government has assumed a new and dangerous attitude upon
this Bubjeofi ; that we have, in short, new terms of union submitted to
our acceptauoo or rejection. Here lies the evil. The election of Lin-
coln, when properly interpreted, is nothing more nor less than a propo-
rtion to the South to consent to a Government, fundamentally different
upon the question of slavery, from that which our fathers establiahed.
If this point can be made out, seccBsion becomes not only a right, but a
bounden duty. Morally, it is only the abrogation of the forms of a con-
tract, when its CBsential conditions have been abolished. Politically,
it is a measure indispensable to the safety, if not to the very existence,
of the South. It is needless to say that, in this issue, the personal
character of Mr. Lincoln is not at aK involved. There are no objections
to him as a man, or as a citizen of the Horth. He is probably entitled,
in the private relations of life, to all the commendations which his
friends have bestowed upon him. "We, at least, would be tie last to
detract from Ms personal worth. The issue has respect, not to the man,
but to the piinoiples upon which he is pledged to administer the Govern-
ment, and which, we are significantly informed, are to be impressed upon
it in aU time to come. His election seals the triumph of those pimci-
ples, and that triumph seals the subversion of the Constitution, m rela-
tion to a matter of paramount interest to the South
This we shall proceed to stow, hy showing, first, the Constitutional
attitude of the Government towards slavery, and then the attitude
which, after the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln, it ib to assume and m^iu-
I, "What, now, is its Constitutional attitude ? "We affirm it to he one
of ABSOLBTH INDIiTEBEBOB OB MEnTEiLTTY, With rCSpect tO all qUestionS
connected with the moral and political aspeefa of the subject. In the
eye of the Constitution, slaveholdiug and non-slaveholdiag stand upon
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596 APPENDIX.
a footing of perfect equality. Tte slayeholding State and ihe slaTo-
Iiolding citizen are the same to it as the non-Blaveholding. It protects
both ; it espcvises the peculiarities of neither. It does not allow the
North to say the to South, " Yonr institutions are inferior to onrs, and
should be changed ; " neither does it allow the South to say to the North,
" You mast aceommodate yonrselTea to ns." It says to both, " Enjoy yonr
own opinions upon your own soil, so that yon do not interfere with the
rights of each other. To me (here is no difference betwixt you." Formed
by parties whose diviBiTe principle was this very subject of slayery, it
stands to reason, that the Constitntion, without self-condemnation on the
part of one or the other, could not have been made the patron of either.
Prom the very nature of the case, its position must be one of complete
impaitiaUty. This is what the South meaua by eqnahty in the Union,
that the general GoTemment fhffH make no difference betwixt its insti-
tutions and those of the North ; that slaveholding shall be as good to it
ES non-slaTeholding. In other words, the Government is the organ of
neither party, but the common agent of both ; and, as their common
agent, has no right to pronounce an opinion as to the merits of theil
respective peculiarities. This, we contend, ia the attitude fixed by the
Constitution. The Government is neither pro nor anti slavery. It is
fdmply neutral. Had it assumed any other attitude upon this subject, it
never would have bean a,ceepted by tho slaveholding States. When Mr.
Pineiney could rise up in the Convention and declare, that " if slavery
be wrong, it is justified by the example of aU the world ; " when he could
boldly appeal to the unanimous testimony of ancient and modem times ;
to Greece and Eoma, to France, Holiand, and England, in vindication of
its righteonsness, it is not to be presumed that he ever would have joined
in the construction of a Government which was authorized to pro-
nounce and treat it as an evil I It is not fo be presumed that the slave-
holding States, unless they seriously aimed at the ultimate estinotion of
slavery, would have entered into an alliance which was confessedly to be
turned i^ainst them. That they did not aim at the extinction of slavery,
is clear from the pertinacity with which some of them clung to the con-
tinuance of the African slave-trade, until foreign supplies should be no
longer demanded. When Georgia and South Carolina made it a sin^
qua non for entering the Union, that this traf&c should be kept open for
a season, to say that these States meditated the abolition of slavery, is
grossly paradojdcol. It ia remarkable, too, that the time fixed for the
prohibition of this traffi.0, was a time within which the represenfatiTes
of those States were persuaded that the States themselves, if the question
wore left to them, would prohibit it. These States conceded to the
Government the right to do, as their agent, only what they themselves
would do, as sovereign communities, under the same circnmstanoes.
No presuraptioD, therefore, of an attitude, on the pert of the Conetitu.
tdon, hostile to slavery, con be deduced from the clause touching the
Afrioan slave-trade. On the cont«u-y, the presumption is, that, aa the
tvade was kept open for a while — kept open, in fact^ as long as the
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THE STATE OF THE CODNTEY. 697
African aapply was needed — the slaveholdiug States neyor meant to
abolish tlie institution, and never could have consented fc set tlie face of
tlie Goyernment against it. Ko doubt, the fathers of the Republic were,
mflny of them, not all, opposed to slaverj. But they had to frame
a' government which should represent, not their persooal and pi-ivaf«
opinions, but the interests of GOTereign States. They had to adjust it
to the institutions of Soutli Carolina and Georgia, as 15611 as tbose of
Mew England, And they had the grace given them to impress upon it
the only attitude which could conciliate and hamjonize all partiee, the
attitude of perfect indifference.
This, at the same time, is the attitude of justice. "We of the South
tave the same right to our opinions as the people of the North. They
appear aa true to us as theirs appear to them. We are as honest and
ancere in formii^ and maintaining them. We unite to form a govern-
ment. Upon what piinciple shall it be formed ? Is it to be asked of us
to renounce doctrine wMoh we believe have come down to us from the
earliest ages, and have the sanction of the oracles of God? Mnst we
give up what we conscientiously believe to be the truth ? The thing is
absurd. The Government, in justice, can only say to both parties : I
mil protect you both, I will be the advocate of neither.
In order to exempt slavery from the operation of this pluin principle
of justice, it has been contended that the right of property in slaves is
the creature of positive statute, and, consequently, of force only within
the limits of the jurisdiction of tJie law ; that it is a right not recognized
by the Constitution of the United States, and, therefore, not to be pro-
tected where Congress is the local legialaturG. These two propositions
contain everything that has any show of reason for the estraordinaiy
revolution which the recent election has consummated in the Govern-
ment of the United States.
They are both gratuitous :
(1.) In the first place, elavBry has never, in any country, so far as we
know, arisen under the operation of statute law. It is not a municipHl
institution ; it is not the arbitrary creature of the State ; it has not spiung
from the mere force of legislation. Iiaw defines, modifies, and regulates
it, as it does every other species of property ; but laia never created it.
The law found it in existence, and being in existence, the law subjects it
to fised rules. On the contrary, what is local and municipal is the ai>o-
liUoih of slavery. The States that are now non-slaveholding, have been
mRde so by positive statute. Slavery exists, of course, in every nation
in which it is not prohibited. It arose, in the progress of human events,
from the operation of moral causes ; it has been grounded by philo-
sophers in moral maxims ; it has always been held to be moral by the
vast majority of the race. No age has been without it. From the first
dawn of authentic history, until the present period, it has come down to
us through all the course of ages. We find it among nomadic tribes,
barbarian hordes, and civilized States. Wherever communities have
been organized, and any rights of property have been recognized at all.
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B98 APPENDIX.
there Elavery is Eoen. If, Uierefore, theie cfn be arty property wbioh
can be said to be founded in the comraon ooasent of tbe human race, it
is the property in. slaves. If there be any property that Can be Galled
nataral, in the sense that it epontaneously epringa up in the history of
the species, it is the properly in slaves. If (Jifre be any property which
is founded in piiaoiples of universal operation it is the property in
daves. To say of an institution, whose history is thus the history of
man, which has always aijd everywhere existed that it is a local and
munioipal relation, is of "all absurdities the motlieat the merest word
that ever fooled the ear from out the schoolman s jargon Manldnd
may have been wrong ; that is not the qnestion The point is, whether
the tetc made elavery ; whether it is the poUce regulation of limited lo-
calities, or whether it is a property founded in natural causes, and causes
of nniversal operation. We say nothing as to the moral character of the
causes. "We insist only upon the faet'that slavery is rooted ii
law, widei' and more pervading than the common law of England ;
If, therefore, slavery is not munioipal, but natural; if it is abohtiou
which is municipal and local ; then, upon the avowed doctrines of our op-
ponents, two things follow; first, that slavery goes of right, and as a matter
of course, into every territory from which it is not excluded by positive
statute ; and, second, that Congress is competent to forbid the Horthem
States from impressing their Joeal peouBarity of non-slaveholding upon
the common soil of the Union. If the BepubUcan argument is good for
anything^ it goes the whole length of esclnding for ever any additional
aon-slaveholding States from the Union. What would they think it the
South had taken any such eitravagant ground as this ? What would
they have done, if the South had taken advantage of a numerical ma-
jority, to legislate them and their institutions for ever out of the common
teri-ifory ? Would they have submitted f Would they have glorified the
Union, and yielded to the triumph of slavery? We know that they
would not They would have soorned the crotchet about municipal and
local laws whbh divested them of their dearest rights. Let them give
the same measure to others which tliey expect from others. It is a noble
maxim, commended by high authority, Do as you would be done by.
The Sooth has neither asked for, nor docs she desire, any esclusive
benefits. All she demands is, that as South, as slaveholding, she shall be
put upon the same footing with the North, as non-slaveholding ; that the
Government shall not undertake to say, one kmd of States is better than
the other; that it shall have no preference as to the character, i
respect, of anyfutureSi
d tothe Union. Non-tQaveholding
may be superior to slaveholding, but it is not the place of the Govern-
ment to say BO, much less to assume the right of saying so upon a piin-
ciple which, properly applied, requires it to say the very reverse.
There is another sense in which mnnicipal is opposed to infernational,
nnd, in this sense, slavery is said to be munioipal, because there is no
obligation, by the law of nations, on the part of States in which
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THE STATK OF THE COUMTKY. 599
Blavery is prohibited, fco reapoct, witliiii tlis limits of their own tem-
tocy, the rights of the foreign Blaveholdcr. This is the doctrine laid
down by Judge Story. No nation is bonnd to accord to a stranger a
right of property -which it refusaa to its own aiibjacts. "Wa cannot,
therefore, demand from the govemmentB o£ France or England, or any
other foreign power, whose policy and interests are opposed to slavery,
the restoration of our fngitiTss from bondage. We are willing to eou-
cede, for the sake of argument, that the princijde in ijuestion is an ad-
mitted principle of international law, thoagh wo are quite persuaded
that it ia contrary to the whole current of Continental authorities, and is
intensely Englieh, We doubt whether, even in England, it can be traced
beyond the famous decision of Lord Mansfield, in the ohbc of Somerset.
But let us admit the principle, "What then? The Constitution of the
United States has expressly prorided that this principle shall not apply
within the liriiits of Federal jurisdiction. With cef erence to this country,
it has abrogated the law ; every State is bound to respect the right of the
Southern master to his slave. The Constitution covers the whole terri-
tory of the Union, and throughout that territory has taken slavery under
the protection of law. However foreign nations may treat our fugitive
slaves, the States of this eoof ederaoy are bound to .treat them as pro-
perty, and to give them back to their lawful owners. How idle, there-
fore, to plead a principle of international law, which, in reference to the
relations of the Btat^ of this Union, is formally abolished 1 Slavery is
clearly a part of the municipal law of the United States ; and the whole
argument, from the local character of the institution, falls to the ground.
Slaveholding and non-siaveholding are both equally sectional, and both
equally national.
(3. ) As to the allegation that the Constitution nowhere recognizes the
right of property in slaves, that is equally unfounded. We shall say no-
thing here of the decision of the Supreoie Court, though that, one would
think, is entitled to some consideration. We shall appeal to the Consti-
tution itself, and, if there is force in logic, we shall be able to make it
appear that the right is not only recognized, but recognized with a phi-
losophical accuracy and precision that seize only on the essential, and
omit the variable and accidental. The subject, in the language of the
Constitution, is transferred from the technicalities of law, to the higher
sphere of abstract and speculative morality. Morally cohsidered, to
what daas does Uje slave belong? To the class of persons held to ser-
vice. The two ideas that he is. a person, and as a person, held to service,
constitute the generic conception of slavery. How ia this obligation to
service fundamentally difEerenced from that of other labourers? By
this, as one essential circumstance, that it is independent of the for-
malities of contract. Add the circumstance that it is for life, and you
have a complete conception of the thing. You have the very definition,
ahnost in his own words, which a celebrated English philosopher gires
of slavery : " I define slavery," says Dr. Paley, " to be an obligation to
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600 APPENDIX.
labour for the benefit of the msBter, without the contract or coneeiit of
the serrant.""
Now, is snch an obligation reoogniaed in the Oonstituflon of the
TJoited States ? Are there persona spoken of in it who are held to ser-
vice by a claim bo sacred that the Goyemment allows them, however
anxions they may be to do so, to dissolve it neither by sti'atagem nor
force ? H they run away, they must be remanded to those who are en-
titled to their labour, evea if they escape to a teri'itory whose local laws
would otherwise protect them. If tiiey appeal to force, the whole power
of the Union may be brought to crush them. Can any man say that the
Constitution does not here recognize a right to the labour and service
of men, of persons, which springs from no stipulations of their own, is
entirely independent of their own consent, and which can never be an.
nulled by any elf orts, whether clandestine or open, on their part ? This
ia slantery; it is the very essence and core of the institution. That upon
which tie right of properly terminates in the slave, is his service or la-
bour. It is not his soul, not his person, not his moral and inteUeotual
natiaie ; it is his labowr. This is the thing which is bought and sold in
' the market ; and it is, in consec[uenoe, of the right to regulate, control,
and direct this, that the persou comes under an obligation to obey.
The ideas of a right on one side, and duty on the other, show that the
slave, in fhis relation, is as truly a person as his master. The Consti.
tution, therefore, does recognize and protect slavery, in every moral
and ethical feature of it. The thing which, und.er that name, has eom-
mandad the approbation of mankind, is the very thing, among others
analogous to it, included in. the third clause of the second aecMon of the
fourth chapter of the Constitution "We see no way of getting round
this argument. It ia idle to say that slaves are not referred t« ; it is
equally idle to say that the right of their labour is not respected and
guarded. Let this right be acknowledged m thp territories, and we are
not disposed to wiing changes upon woids Let the Oovemment per-
mit the South to carry her peisons held to service, without their con-
sent, into the territories, and let the right to their labour be protected,
and there would be no quarrel about slavery. It is unworthy of states-
men, in. a matter bf this sort, to quibble about legal technicalities. That
the law of slaveholding States classes slaves among chattels, and speaks-
of them as marketable commodities, does not imply that, moi-aUy and
eOiioally, tiey are not persons ; nor that tlie property is in them, rather
than in their toiL These same laws treat them, in other respects, aa
persons ; and speak of their service as obedience or duiry. The mean-
ing of chattel is relative, and is to be restricted to the relation which it
We are happy to find that the Supremo Court of the United States
has fully eonfinued the interpretation which we have given to this
dause of the Consiatntion. In the ease of Priggs os. the Common-
• Mora! PhUos. m., 0, 3.
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THE statp: of the countkt. 601
wealth of PenaBjIvaaia,"' it was aseacted by every judga upon the bench
that the design of the provision whs "to aecuxe to tiie oitizena of tlie
Blnyeholding States the complete right and title of ownerfihip in, their
Blaves, as property, in every State in the Union into which they might
escape from ilie State where they were held in servitude," These axe
the very words of Mr. Jviafioe Story, in delivering the opinion of the
Court. He went on to add ; ' ' The full recognition of this right and
o the security of this Bpeoies of property in bU
3S ; and, indeed, was eo vitid to the prescrvatioit of
the domestic interests and institutions, that it cannot be doubted that it
constituted a fuudamectal article, without tlie adoption of which the
Union could not have been formed."! Aga'n "Weh said that the
clause contains a positive and unqualified eo gn t n f the right of tha
owner in the stave. "J Chief Justice Tan y h Id that by the national
compact, this right of property is recogniz d as an noting right in
every State of tiie Union."§ Judge Th mp n said th Constitution
"affirms, in the most uuequiTOoaf mann th right t the ma.ster to
the service of his slave, according to th 1 f th St t under wMoh
he is 80 held."]! Judge Wayne affirmed that all the judges concurred
"in the declaration that the provision in the Constitution was a compro-
mise between the slavebolding and tha non-slavoholding States, to secure
to the former fugitive slaves as property. "K "The paramount authority
of this clause In the Constitution," says Judge Daniel, " to guarantee
to tlia owner the right of property in his slave, and the absolute nullity
of any State power, directly or indirectly, openly or covertly, aimed to
imp^r that right, or to obstruct its enjoyment, I admit — nay, insist
■upon— to the fullest extent."*'
If, now, the Constitution recognizes slaves at pioperfy— that is as
parsons to whoso labour and service the master has a right — then, upon
what principle shali Congress undertake to aboiiih this ri^ht upon a
territory of which it is the local legislature? It will not permit the
slave to caneehit, because the service is due. Upon what ground can it
interpose between, a man and his dues ? Congress is Jts much the agent
of the slavebolding as it is of the non-shiTebolding States; and, na
■ equally bound to protect both, and to hold the scales of justice even
between thorn, it must guard the property of the one with the same
care with which it guards the property of the other.
"We have now refuted the postulates upon which the I'ccent revolution
in the Government is attempted to be justified. We have shown that
slavery ia not the creature of local and municipal law, and that the Con-
stitution distinctly recognizes the right of the master to the labour or
service of thB slave ; that is, the right of property in slaves. There is
no conceivable pretext, then, for saying that the Government should
resist the circulation of this kind of property more than any other,
• IB PeteiB, p, 639, ei lea. t/ii.,p.eil. t lb., ms. S7J., p. 633.
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That questiott it must leave to tte proTideaoe of GoS, ajid to tbe na-
tarai and moral laws by wMoh. ita solution is condifioned. All tiiat the
Government can do is to give fair play to both parties, the slaveholdiag
and EOE-slavetolding States ; protect the righte of both on their oom-
moa Eoil, and as soon as a sovereign State emerges, to which the soil is
henceforward to belong, remit the matter to its absolute discretion.
This is justice ; this is the impartiality which beoomes the agent of a
great people, divided by tvio suob great interests.
That the r^hts of the South, as slaveholding, — for it is in that relation
oulj thai she is politically a different section from the North, — and the
rights of the North, as non-slweehoMing, are absolutely ec[ual, is so plain
B, proposition,' that one wonders at the pertinacity with which it has
Here let ns espose a sophism whose only fore
. a play upon words. It
it disturbed by the exolnsi
Southern man may take wi
.s alleged that the equality of the sections is
in of slavery from the territories, beoanse the
with him flU that the Horthern man can take.
The plain English, of which is (his : if the Southei'n man will consent to
become as a Northern man, and renounce what distinguishes him as a
Southern man, he may go into the territories. But if he insists upon
remaining ti,8ontherit man, he must stay at home. The geography is
only an accident in this matter. The Southern man, politically, is the
slaveholder ; the Northern man, politically, is the non-slaveholder.
The rights of the South are the rights of the South as alaveholding ;
the rights of the North are the rights of the North as non-slaveholding.
This is what makes the real difierenoe betwixt the two sections. To
exclude slmtehol^ng is, therefore, to exclude the South. By the free-
soil doctrine, therefore, she, as South, is utterly debarred from every
f6ot of the EoH which belongs of right as much to her as to her Northern
confederates. The Constitution is made to treat her institutions as if
they were a scandal and reproach. It becomes the patron of the North,
and an enemy, in^ad of a protector, to her.
That this is the attitude which the Government is henceforward to
assume, we shall now proceed to show :
(1.) In the first place, let it be distinctly understood that we do not
charge the great body of the Northern people, who have accomplished
the recent revolution, with being abolitionists, in the strict and techui-
al "W willing to concede that they have no design, for the
p t t mt rf dnf tly with slavery in the elaveholding States.
W hall gi th m dit f r an honest purpose, under Mr. Lincoln's
dm m t t to t as far as the hostility of the States will let
thmthp ujusfth fugitive slave law. All this may be ad-
mttdbttl taftt the real issue, nor mitigate the real dan-
g "Wkwihtth re various types of opinion at the North,
with f t th 1 aspects of slavery ; and we have never ap-
p h d d th t und th C nstitution as it stands, there was any Ube-
hhood f tt mpt t t rfere, by legislation, with our property on
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STATE OF THE COUNTRY. bUrf
(2.) Bat, m tte second place^ it must Kkewiae he eonoeded that the
general, almost the imiversal, attitude of, the Northern mind is oca of
hoatility to Blaverj, Those who are not prepared to ooademn it be a
sin, nor to meddle with it wtere it is legnlly maintained, are yet op-
posed to it, as a natural and political eril, which every good man stonld
desire to see axidnguished. They all regard it as a uidimiity, an afflic-
tion, a misfortune. They regard it as an element of weakness, and as
a (Iraw-baok upon the prosperity and glory of the couutry. They pity
the South, as caught in the folds of a serpent which is gradually squeez-
ing out her life. And even when they defend us from the reproach of
sin iu sustaining the relation thej niiike s>0 maii> d sMnetious between
the abstract notion of slayery and the syattm of o ir own laws, t£at
Iheir defence would hardly avail to save us if thpre were any power
■compefent to hang and j^ mttei uB "Wc are sure that we do not mis-
represent the general tone of Noithe -a sentiment It is one of hostility
to slavery ; it is one which, while \t might not be willing to break faith,
under the present administration, with respect to the aspress injunctions
of the Constitution, is utterly and absolutely opposed to any further es-
tension of the system,
(3.) Intte third place, let it be d t Uy und rst od th t w h
oompliiint to make of the opinions f th N rth d d ply
their opinions. They have a right, f as h nj th nty
oerned, to think as they please. ThSthh kithmt
approve of slavery, or to change their wn 1 1 t n and t t d
it ajnong themselves. The South ha. b vilhng t d t th m
the most perfect and unrestricted right f p t j i^m t
(4.) But in the fourth place, what w d milain f i wi t w
have a right to complain of, is ih t th y h ill t b I t 1th
thinking their own thoughts f hehasel b t h W d tak t m 1
tha Qo/eerninen t think thpm likewise "We of tlie South have, also, cer-
tain tho ghts noemin sla ry and we cannot nnderstand upon
whot pern pie the thinking f th S th is totally esdaded, and the
thmking of th N th ma 16 j m The Government is as much
o s QB th s and we cann t s by m a matter that vitally oon-
0 -ns ouTsel es w e shall he all w d to i no effective thinking at all.
Th B s the gi an The G mm nt made to take tha typo of
Korthern sentiment ; it is animated, >n its relations to slavery, by the
northern mind ; and the South, henceforward, is no longer of the Go-
vernment, but only iindBr the Government. The extension of slavery,
in obedience to Uorthem prejudice, is to be for ever Brrested. Con-
gresE is to treat it as an evil, an element of political weakness, and to
restrain its influence within the limits which now oircvunscribe it. AE
this because the NorOi tliimkaso; while the South, an equal party to
the Government, has quite other thoughts. And when we indignantly
complain of this absolute suppression of all right to think in and through
our own Government, upon a subject that involves our homes and our
Presides, .we are coolly reminded thitt, as long as Congress does not
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604
■usurp ,tlie rights of our own Legisla-tures, and abolisli Elavory on obt'
own Boil, nor harbour our fugitives wtaa they attempt fo eeeRpe frora
US, we have reason to be grateful for the indulgence accorded to us.
The right to hreathe is as much as we should venture to claim, Ton
may eidst, says f ree-soiliam, as States, and manage your slaves at home ;
■we will not abrogafe yonr sovereignty. Yonr ranawaya we do not want,
and we may occasionally send them back to you. But if you think you
have a right to be heard at WasMngton upon this great Bubject, it is
time that your pr^uinption should he rebuked. The Nora is tho
thinking power, the soul of the Government. The lifo of the Govern-
ment is Northero, not Southern; the type to be impresRed upon aE'
future States is Northern, not Sonthern. The North becomes the United
Slates, and the South a subject province.
Now, we say that this is a state of things not to be borne. A frao
people can never consent to their own degradation. We say boldly,
that the Government has no more right to adopt Northern thoughts on
the subject of slavery than those of the South. It has no more right
to presume that they are true. It has no right to arbitrate between
them. It must treat them both with oqual respect, and give them Eft
ec[ual chance. Upon no other footing can the South, with honour, remain
in the Union, It is not to be endured for a moment, that fifteen sovereign-
States, embodying, in proportion to their population, as much intelli-
gence, virtue, public spirit and patriotism, as any other people upon tho
globe, should be quietly reduced to zero, in a Government which they
framed for their own protection. We put the question again to the
North : " If the tables were turned, and it was your thoaghts, your life,
your institutions, that the Giovamment was henceforward to disoounte-
nadce ; if non-slaveholding was hereafter to be prohibited in every ter-
ritory, and the whole policy of the Government shaped by the principle
that slavery is a blessing, would you endure it ? Would not your biood
boil, and would you not call upon your hungry millions io cfjme to the.
rescue ? " And yet, fids is precisely what you have done to us, and
think we ought not io resist. You have made us ciphers, and aro utterly
amazed that we should claim to he anything.
But, apart from the degradation which it inflicts upon the South, it.
may be asked, what real injury will result from putting the Government
in an attitude of hostility to slavery ?
The answer is, in the first place, that it will certainly lead to the
extinction of the system. You may destroy the oak as eSeetually by
girdhng it as by cutting it down. The Nortfi are well assured that, if
they can circumscribe the area of slavery, if they can surround it with
a circle of non-slaveholding States, and prevent it from expanding,
nothing more is required to secure its ultimate abohtion. "Like tie
scorpion girt by fire," it will plunge its fangs into its own body, and
perish. If, therefore, the South is not prepared fo see her institutions
surrounded by enemies, and wither and decay under these hostile influ-
ences, if she means to cherish and protect them, it is her bounden duty
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STATE OF TLIE COIfNTSY. 605'
to resist the revolution whicli threatens them with riiiu. Tlie triumph of
the priociples whiuh Mr. Lincoln is pledged to oairj out, is the death-
knell of slavery.
In the next place, the state of the Northern mint! which has produced
Vtns revolution^ cannot he espeeted to remain, content witii its present
■victory. It will hasten to other trinrophs. The same spirit which, has
prevaricated with the enpresa provisions of the Constitution, and re-
sorted to expedients to evade the moat sacrod obligations, will not hesi-
tate foi- a moment to change the OonEtitution when it finds itself ia
possession of the power. It will only be oonsistencj to harmonize the
fundamental law of the Government with its chosen policy, the real
workings of its life. The same hostility to slaveiy which a numerieai
majority has impressed upon the Federal legislature, it will not scruple
to impress upon the Federal ConstitulioiJ. If the South could be in-
duced to submit to Lincoln, the time, -we confidently predict, will come
when aH grounds of controversy will be removed in relation to fugitive
slaves, by expunging the provision under which they aie daimed. The
principle is at work, and enthroned in power, whose inevitable tendency
is to seoui-e this result. Iiet us crush the serpent in the egg.
From these considerations, it ia obvious that nothiug more nor less is
at stake in this eoatrOTersy than the very life of the South. The real
question is, whether she shaO be poUtioally annihilated. We are not
struggling for fleeting and temporary interests. We are struggling for
our very being. And none know better than the Itepublioan party itself
that, if we submit to their new type of government, our fate as slave-
holding States is for ever sealed. They have already exulted in the pros-
pect of this glorious consummation. They boast that they have laid a
mine which must ultimately eiplode in onr utter min. They are singing
songs of victory in advance, and are confidently anticipating the auspi-
cious hour when ttej shall have nothing to do but to return to the field
and bury the dead.
The sum of what we have said is briery this : We have shown that the
constitutional attitude of the Government toward slavery is one of abso-
lute neutrality or indifferenoe in relation to the moral aiid political m-
peots of the subject. We have shown, in the aeut place, that it is here-
after to take an attitude of hostility ; that it is to represent the opinions,
and feelings exclusively of the North ; that it is to become the Govern-
ment of one section over another and thai tho South, as South, is to-
sustain no other relation to it but the duty of obedience
This is a thorough and radical revolution It makes a new Goveru-
meut; it proposes new and extiaoidmary terms of unun The ol4
Government is as completely abolished as if the people of the United
States had met in convention and repealed the Constitution It is friv-
olous to tell us that the change has been made through the forms of the
Constitution, This is to add insult to injury. What signify forms,
whenthesubstioiceis gone? Of wlmt value is the shell, when the kernel
i^ extracted ? Rights are tilings, and not words ; end when the things
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are taken from us, it is no time t« be. nibbling at phrases. If &'witiie£B
under oafli desigEeiUy gives tesUiiiony, which, Ihougb literally trae,
conveys a false iiopressioii, is he not gnilty of perjury ? la not his truth
a lie ? Temutetf kept the letter of his promise to the garrison of Sebestia,
tiiat, if they would Burrender, no blood should be shed ; but did tliat
save him from the soandal of treachery in burying them aUve ? No man
objects to the legality of the process of Mr. Ijnoobi's election. The ob-
jection is to the legality of that to whieh he is elected. He has been
chosen, not to admiuister, but to reTOlutionize the Govemment. Tlia
Very moment he goes into office, the Constitution of the United States, is
touching the great qnestion between North and South, is dead. The
oath which makes him Prefiideut, maiiea a new Union. The import of
secession; is simply the refusal, on tho part of the South, to be parties to
any such Union. She has not renounced, and, if it had been permitted
to stand, she never would have renounced, tho Constitution which our
fathers framed. She would have stood by it for ever. But, B6 the North
have subetantaally abolished it, ajid, taking advantage of their numbers,
have Bubstitated another in its place, which dooms the South to per-
dition, surely she has a right to say sie will enter into no such conspi-
eaoy. The Government to which she consented was a Government under
which she might hope to live. The new one presented in its place is '
tine under which she can only die. Under these circumstances, we do
not see how any man can question either the righteousuess or the neces-
sity of secession. The South, is shut up to tiie duty of rejecfiog these
new terms of union, Ho people on earth, without judicial infatuation,
■can orgaaiae a government to destroy them. It is too much to ask a
man to sign his own death-warrant.
II. We wish to say a few words as to the policy of the slaveholdiag
States in the present emergency.
We know it to ho the ftsed determination of them all not to acquiesce
in the principles which have brought Mr. Lincoln into power. Several
of them, however, have hesitated — and it ia a sign of the scrupulous in-
tegrity of the South in maintaining her faith — whether the mere fact ol
his election, apart from any overt act of the Government, is itself a casus
belli, and a sufficient reoscn for ei:treme measures of resistance. These
States have also dung to the hope that there would yet be a returning
sense of justioe at the North, which shall give them satisfactory guaran- >
tees for the preservation of their rights, and restore peace without the
necessity of sohigm. We respect the motives which have produced this
hesitation. We have no sympathy with any taunting reflections upon
the courage, magnanimity, pubhc spirit, or patriotism of such a Com-
monwealth as Virginia, The mother of Washington is not to be insulted
if, hke her great hero, she takes counsel of moderation and prudence.
We honour, too, the sentiment wMch mokes it hard to give up the
Union. It was a painful struggle to ourselves ; the most painfvd struggle
of our lives. There were precious memoriBS and hallowed associations,
connected with a glorious history, to which the heart cannot bid farewell
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STATE OF THE COPNTEY. 607
■nqthout a paag. Few men, in all the SoutJi, brougM themseHes to pro-
nounce the word Disunion, without sadiiesB of heart. Some States have
not yet been able to pronounoB it. Bat the tendency of events is irce-
Bistible. It is becoming every day clearer that the people of the North
hate slavery more than, they love the Union, and they are developing
tliis spirit in a form which mast soon bring eveay slaveholdiug State
within the ranks of secession. The evil day may be put off, but- it must
come. The oonntry must be divided into two people, and the point
which we wish now to press upon the whole South is, the imjioriiBnoe of
preparing, at once, for this eonsumm n
The slavehotding interest is one and m to u tha h
elaveholding States ought speedily b gania d nd n g n ol
Govermnent. United, they are st ng n gh to m tam h m
against the world. They have th rr ry h h! h po
lation, the public spirit, the institu hi h d d
teting Constitution, would soon en h m b m h fi
people upon the globe. And tf the North shall have wisdom to see her
true policj, two Govemmonts upon this continent may work out the
problem of human Uberty more successfully than one. Let the two
people maintain the closest alliance for defence against a foreign foe ; or,
at least, let them be agreed that no European, power shall ever set foot
on American soil, and that no type of government but the republican
shall ever be tolerated here ; and what is to hinder the fullest and freest
development of our noble institutions ? The separation changes nothing
but the external relations of the two sections. Such a dismemberment
of the Union is not like the revolution of a State, where the internal
Eystem of gqjrei'mnent is subverted, where laws are suspended, and
where anarchy reign 5. The country might divide into two great naidons
to-morrow, without a jostle or a jar; the Government of each State might
go on asregularlyasbefore, thelawbe as supreme, and order as jterfebt,
if the passions of the people oonld be kept from getting the better of
their judgments. It is a great advantage, in the form of our Con-
federacy, tMt a radical revolution can take place without confusion and
without anarchy. Every State has a perfect internal system at work
ah^ady, and that undergoes no change, escept in adjusting it to its
altered estemal relations. Now, given this system of States, with every
element of a perfect government in full and undisturbed operation, what
1b there in the circumstance of one Confederacy of divided interests, that
sholl secure a freer and safer development than two Gonfederaeies, each
representing an undivided interest? Are not two homogeneous Unions
stronger than one that is heterogeneous? Should not the life of a Gov-
ernment be one ? "We do not see, therefore, that anything will be lost
to freedom by the union of the South under a separate Government. She
will carry into it every institution that she had before — her State consti-
tutions, her legislatures, her courts of justice, her halls of learning —
everything that she now possesses. She will put these precious interests
under a Government embodying every principle which gave salne to the
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■old one, and amply adeciuaie to protect. What will she lose of real free-
dom ? Wh confess that we eaunot understand the dedamation that, with
ibf Amenoan Umon American institutions ace gone. Each eeatiou of
the Union will prebaTve them end cherish them. Every principle that
bos over made ub glorioua, and made our Goyecnment a wonder, will
ahide with us The sections, separately, will not be as formidable to
foruga powers as before. That is all. But eacli section will hi strong
eu3at,li to protect itself, and both togetker can save this continent for
republieamsm for ever.
Indeed it la likely that botb. Governments will he purer, in consequence
of tlieir mutual riT Iry, and the diminution of the extent of their patron-
age Thpj wiJl both cherish intensely the American feeling, both main-
tain the pnde of Amecieim character, and both try to make their Goy-
einments at home what they would desire to Jiave them appear to be
abroad Once take away all pretest for meddling with one another's
peculiar interests and we do not see but that the magnificent Tieions of
glory whi t oui imaginations have delighted to picture aa the destiny
of the Anglo Sason laoe on this North. American continent, may yet be
fully reaBzecL ITiey never can be, if we continue together, to bite and
.devour one another.
But, whether it he for waal for woo, the South has no election. She
is driven to the wall, and the only qnestion is, wiU she take care of her-
self in time ? The sooner she can ot^anize a general Government the
better. That will be a centre of unity, and, once combined, we arc
We cannot close without saying a few words to the people of the
North as to the policy which it becomes them to pursue. The whole
question of peace or war is in their hands. The South is simply stand-
ing on the defensive, and has no notion of abandoning that attitude.
Let the Horthem people, then, seriously consider, and consider in the
fear of God, how, under present circumstances, they can best conserve
those great interests of freedom, of religion, and of order, which are
equally dear to us both, and which they can fearfully jeopard. If their
ooansels inchne to peace, the most friendly relations can speedily be
restored, and the most favourable treaties entered into. We should feel
ourselves the joint poeseesors of the conUnent, and should be drawn
togethfer by ties which unite no other people. , We could, mdend, realize
all the advantages of the Union, without any of its mcOnvemences The
cause of human liberty would not even he retarded, if the North can
rise to a level with the exigencies of the occasion II, on the othei
hand, their thoughts incline to war, we solemnly ask them what thej
expect to gain f What interest wiU be promoted ? What end, worthy
of a great people, wiE they be able to secure ? They n ay gratify their
tad passions, they may try to wreak their resentment upon the seceding
States, and they may inflict a large amount of injury, disaster, and suffei
ing. But what have they gained? Shall a free people be governed by
ttieir passions ? Suppose they should conquer ub, what will they do with
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STATE OF THE COtTNTEY. 609
OS? How will they bold us in eubjoctioc? How many garriaons, and
how many men, and how much tceaavue, will it take to keep the South
in order as a coEquered proTince ? and where sre these resouvoes to
come from ? After they have subdued us, the hardest part of their task
will remain. They will liaye the wolf by the ears.
But apott what grounds do fiey hope to conquer us ? They know us
■weE ; they know our numbers, they know our epiiit, and they know tlie
valua which we set upon our homes and firesides. We hsTe fought for
the glory of the Union, and the world admired ua ; but it was not such
fighting as we shall do for our wives, our children, and our saored hon-
our. The TOry women of the South, like the Spartan matrons, wiU take
hold of shield and buckler, and omr boys at school will go to the field in
all the determination of disciplined Talour. Conquered we caa never
he. It would be maduess to attempt it. And after years of Mood and
slaughter, the parties would be just where they began, except that they
would have learned to hate one another with an intensity of hatred
equalled only in hell. Freedom would suffer, religion would suffer,
learning would suffer, every human interest would suffer, from sueh a
war. But upon whose Lead would fall the responsibility ? There oan
he but one answer. We solemnly believe that the South will be gailt-
less before the eyes of the 3ndgs of all the earth. She has stood in her
lot, and resisted aggression.
If the North, could rise to the dignity of their present calling, this
country would present to the world a spectacle of unparalleled grandeur.
It would show how deeply the love of liberty and the influence of reli-
gion are rooted in our people, when a great empire can he divided wijh-
«ut confusion, war, or disorder. Two great people united under one
■Government differ upon a question of vital importance to one. Neither
can oonsoientiously give way. In the magnanimity of their souls, they
say, let there be no strife between us, for we are brethren. The land
is broad enough for us both. Let us part in peace ; let us divide our
common inheritance, adjust our common obligations; and, preserving
as a saored treasure our common principles, let each set up for himaelf,
and let the Lord bless us both. A course like this— heroic, sublime,
gloi-ious — would be something altogether uneiampled in the history of
the world. It would be the wonder and astonishment of the nations.
It would do more to command for American institutions the homage
and respect of mankind than all the armies and fleets of the Republic.
It would be a victory more august and imposing than any which can be
achieved by the thunder of cannon and the shock of battle.
Peace is the pohcy of both North and South. Let peace prevail, and
nothing really valuable is lost. To save the Union is impossible. The
thing for Christian men and patriots to aim at now, is to save the coun-
try from war. That will be a scourge and a curse. But the South wiU
emerge from it free as she was before. She is the invaded party, and
her institutions are likely to gain strength from the conflict. Can the
"North, as the invading party, be assured that she wiU not fall into the
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610 APPENDIX.
hands of a military despot ? The whole citiestioo is with her ; aod we
oahuly await her decision. We prefer peace ; hut if war must come,
■wo are prepared to meet it with uudiaken confldeuoe in the God of hat-
ties. "We lament Uie wide-spread miaohief it will do, the arrest it will
put upon every holy enterprise of the Church, and upon all the interests
of life ; but tlie South can boldly say to the bleeding, distracted country,
" Shalie not tliy goiy locks at me ;
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INDEX.
occasional dtssailsfac-
lion WHO, snj ', rea&ons for Uie same,
339-342.
Act ABD Tkbtimoht, 205, 207.
ADOREB8 to the Churches o( Jesos
Ohri=t,6n4.
JEataavio Element, not mtatlng in.
] 47-160.
Afpliction, nnBanetlfled, 240; how to
b« improved, ^l ; &del% u> one slnk-
Ambitiow, eaplj; 20 ; anecdotes of, 42, 43.
AiiaBiOA AHi> EUROFK. Compared. 4AT.
Andothb SHMTHAttY, goBS to and leaTBB,
AiTRiBTBT, pride of, 1, 2; on the pater-
ii, essay on the, B2a; dtscue-
ii Si!- Lynch on the, 246-247;
the, 381.
S SLiVH TBiDH, oppOEiUon lo
xo.i.iJ of, 122, t23; Seceseion not
uaiuedhraptiTpoaetorevpen, mi.
Akeaitbab, admlaBuin of, ils.
AspiHAmoRS after fame, 01.
ABBEHBLTOFlH(l,aniemberof,24El; i
iwtlDn on Kiasfoj, SE»<2ST.
AssDUBL-ir at mi, Modemtor of, 29
' Ma Bilntaloiy addrsEB, 297, SOO.
AsBOKSLT OB U4ft, hla opening serm<
before, SOI ;' onrfW scene in, S04, SI
on the Qnomni Ijnestion, Ac, 389^71.
ra subject of Boanfs, 339,
Baliiuobb, his call i
accepted. 268; a.
etr(olnresonthlL,,.w.t,»,.i,, ...»...:,. uuil
of his coarse, 272-278; finally defeated
by Preshjleiy, 238-284.
Baptismai. OovnsANT, hto vlevra of.
rwBLi,, Hon. E. W., noUoe of, 147.
;ks, Rkv. a,, trial of, 200.
Basle, desoripllon at, 156.
BensvoIjHBCic, disinterested, his vlevra
lowfiow
I, 222 ; Ma views of, in letters.
2SS; his flret article on, 224;
Id article on, 229, 339, 390, 44e,
mGB.KEv. JJb, R. J., Bjmpa»
Caubkidqb Umitbr
a, bis, w^en mattfri
Chbster, dasoriptioii of, 170
Child, death of lila first, 133
Ohii-drkh, iBttera to his yon
OmnsTiAH
062, 683.
Chdbch, b
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