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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
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 M I.S S I N A R Y REMAINS; 
 
 SKETCHES OF THE LIVES' 
 
 EVARTS, CORNELIUS, AND WISNER, 
 
 WITH AN INTRODCCTIOIf, 
 
 BY SAMUEL H. COX, D. D. 
 
 NEW-YORK : 
 
 PUBLISHED Br TAYLOR & GOULD, 
 Brick Church Chapel— opposite the City Hall. 
 
 1835. 
 
 iD. raaihtir, Ptlnler.
 
 ' Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1835, by Tayler 
 if Gould, in the clerk's office of the district court of the southern 
 district of the State of New-York.
 
 ^is^i^^^^ A^ ^^^^t^ ^^>'X<r^ ^'^^.*^ 
 
 INTRODUCTION;^ BX 
 
 
 We cannot but applaud the idea of presenting 
 to the Christian pubhc, in a neat and portable 
 form, these kindred biographies. Evarts, Cor- 
 nelius, Wisner! names dear to virtue and to 
 God, and worthy for the sake of posterity to be 
 commemoraled by the present generation. Some 
 of us knew them all, and that well and intimately ; 
 and for a Christian to do this, was also to esteem 
 and love them unfeignedly, and even to revere 
 and admire the loftj' and lucid elements that com- 
 posed their common character. Qualities in com- 
 mon they had, of a high and a holy order ; though 
 each possessed peculiarities of his own, which, 
 while they defined the individual, imparted to their 
 possessor an excellence entirely personal and ap- 
 propriate. Blessed triumvirate ! they know what 
 it is lo depart and be mitk Christ. But they 
 died too soon for the welfare of mortals. The 
 dead are immortal — it is the living only that die.
 
 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 They live, they greatly live, a life oh earth* »v ^* 
 
 Unkindled, unconceiv'd ; and from an eye 
 
 Of tenderness, let heavenly pity fall 
 
 On us, more justly number'd with the dead. ' 
 
 Whatever else may be said of the departure of 
 the wise and eminently good, one thing is certain 
 — it is intrinsically a loss to the church and a loss 
 to the world. The salt of the earth — the light of 
 the world — the company of whom the world is 
 not worthy, are reduced by their absence and im- 
 poverished by their removal. Hence it has ever 
 been a mark of wisdom, and an indication of sen- 
 sibility purely Christian, to bewail their exit ; to 
 weep over their tombs the tears not only of sym- 
 pathy, but of reflection and principle and genuine 
 devotion. Thus the inspired Scriptures every 
 where authorize the deep lament of the church, at 
 the loss of her glorified worthies. Help, Lord ; 
 for the godly man ceaseth ; for the faithful fail 
 from among the children of men. The irreligious 
 are rebuked in the same relation, for their obtuse- 
 ness or indifference. The righteous pensheth, 
 and no man layeth it to heart ; and merciful men 
 are taken away, none considenng that the right' 
 eons is taken away from the evil to come. He
 
 INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 shall enter into peace. They shall rest in their 
 bedsf each one walking in his uprightness. Very 
 lively in grief were the feelings of the disciples of 
 John, when their master was beheaded in the 
 prison, at the order of the impious Herod Anti- 
 pas. And his disciples came, and took up the bo- 
 dy, and buried it, and went and told Jesus, 
 Admirable resource ! Creation could not afford 
 it to them, nor tyrants take it away. It is the 
 same in all ages ; and it seems to have been the 
 experience of the primitive church, in their new 
 and strange affliction, when the beloved proto- 
 martyr was cruelly stoned to death. And devout 
 men candied Stephen to his bunal, and made great 
 lamentation over him. 
 
 And well it were for the American churches, 
 and especially those most interested in the cause 
 OF MISSIONS, to feel deeply, weep wisely, and in the 
 day of adversity consider, in view of their recent 
 calamities. This little volume contains only u 
 signal specimen, while it is certainly an apt me- 
 morial, of what we have suffered. The first 
 Secretary of the American Board of Com- 
 missioners for Foreign Missions, Worcester, 
 left us comparatively in the ripeness of his days, 
 1*
 
 6 J INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and after a career of usefulness comparatively 
 long. Not so his excellent successors ; of the 
 principal events of whose lives respectively, this 
 volume contains an authentic sketch. All three 
 of them died almost in the novitiate of their offi- 
 cial administration, and almost in as many years. 
 This indeed was swift succession! And is the 
 place fatal ? Is God displeased with it ? Is it the 
 post for victims ? ye nobles of the court of 
 God, how can we spare you, how tolerate or how 
 repair your loss ! Alas ! they are far removed 
 from the things and the men of time. 
 
 But we may not idly inquire, or vainly exclaim, 
 at this season. Be sober and watch unto prayer., 
 seems to be in general the language of providence 
 to us. No doubt, God means something, by 
 these events ; and by many and some very sig- 
 nal rebukes, as we may term them, which have 
 recently arrested or shocked the progress of mis- 
 sions to the heathen. Let us examine ourselves. 
 May we not help a cause of such divine magnifi- 
 cence as this, from improper or defective mo- 
 tives? It may suit our self-complacency too well, 
 to be constructively the friends of such philan- 
 thropy and the allies of its Eternal Author. Aid-
 
 INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 ing an enterprise so immensely good, we may 
 overrate our own goodness, and forget or dispa- 
 rage the hallowed excellence which we little re- 
 semble or assist. The ark of God will not cndine 
 to be desecrated, or even touched, with unhal- 
 lowed hands. We ought all to have the temper of 
 the Gospel; and actuated by its virtues, to sub- 
 serve its ascendency in the world. Do we love 
 God and man, with an affection simple, identical, 
 principled, and symmetrical in all its relations ? 
 Or do we only gratify one set of partial affections 
 in this thrice honorable way, which seems only 
 impartial and catholic as the love of heaven ? 
 Do we hate a brother of the species whom we 
 have seen, while our love of the antipodes is so 
 pains-taking and effective? Do we wrong and in- 
 jure our fellow-creatures in our own country and 
 at our own door, while we prosecute, as if in com- 
 pensation and balancing adjustment, the projects 
 of beneficence, most zealously it may be, in the 
 opposite hemisphere ? If so, what is our piety, 
 our philanthropy, our love of missions, or our 
 kindness to the heathen — what is it all worth? 
 God knows. But well it becomes us to discern 
 the thoughts and intents of our hearts in this vital
 
 8 INTROnucTION. ' 
 
 relation ; well it becomes us to see to it that they 
 are what they ought to be ; and well may we fear 
 with resolute circumspection, lest at last — at the 
 resurrection of the just, when others are rewarded 
 and renowned that here were far from either, we 
 and our works may be together execrated with 
 hypocrites and unbelievers. Whatever there may 
 be on the footstool, there is impartiality in the 
 throne. If we would triumph at last, when truth 
 and goodness do, we must serve with patience 
 and piety through this term of peril, when truth 
 and goodness can only prophecy clothed in sack- 
 cloth. The implications of missionary zeal, are 
 those of moral splendor, apostolic and divine. If 
 that zeal be genuine, its excellence is of the rich- 
 est sort imaginable. The Prince of Mission- 
 aries AND THE Founder of Missions, is Jesus 
 Christ himself. His religion is missionary, 
 universally, absolutely, and in its very nature. 
 The middle wall of partition between Jew and 
 Gentile, was forever demolished, by hands un- 
 seen that rent in twain the veil of the Most Holy 
 Place. Now all the nations are, to us Christians, 
 what ancient Israelites were to each other — each 
 tribe to the rest, and each individual to his frater-
 
 INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 nal peers of the nation. Are we heartily and 
 soundly at one, with this constitution of divine be- 
 nevolence ? If not, our piety may be spurious and 
 our zeal perfidious. If not, we may be expensive 
 in our donations and copious in our prayers ; we 
 may be lauded by our friends, and numbered with 
 the best of the good ; we may have the gift of 
 prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all 
 knoii'ledge — yea, ife may have all faith, and be 
 the very paragons of orthodo.xy ; we may be- 
 stoio all our ooods to feed the poor, and then ^I're 
 our body to be burned : and having all these, but 
 not having love, vain and worthless is the sum 
 total of our religion. It profiteth us nothing. 
 The usefulness of our book, is matter for hope 
 and prayer rather than prediction. ^Ve commend 
 it to the solemn perusal of all readers ; especially 
 to the candid appreciation of Christians ; and su- 
 premely to the benediction of God. And while a 
 thousand spirits bleed together in vivid remem- 
 brance of the present vacancy ; while they sym- 
 pathize with widowed solitude and recall the do- 
 ings of departed worth, while they compute the 
 mighty loss sustained by such related multitudes 
 and millions of mankind ; let them not despond as
 
 10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 if THE CAUSE AND ITS PaTRON IN HEAVEN Were 
 
 also dead ! Let them say, while they weep near 
 the grave of Wisner and his predecessors, 
 The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock, and let 
 the God of my salvation be exalted ! Let them pray 
 renewedly to Him, who can replace on earth the 
 men he takes to heaven ; who can direct the fall- 
 ing mantle of the ascending Prophet, to some 
 anointed Elisha that shall make good his office ; 
 and who can accomplish, by whatever means he 
 chooses, the purposes and the promises of the Re- 
 deemer's throne. Of the increase of his government 
 andpeace there shall be no end ; iipon the throne of 
 David and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to 
 establish it loith judgment and loith justice from 
 henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord 
 OF hosts will perform this.
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 BY GARDNER SPRI NG, D. D. 
 
 It is not for the dead, but the hving, that 
 we pay this tribute to (he memory of a man 
 in every view entitled to the love and honor 
 of the American churches, " The dead 
 know not any thing." The pious dead have 
 finished their course with joy ; they have left 
 the present state of existence ; have gone 
 from this world and all its labors ; have bid 
 farewell to all its trials and sins ; and have 
 entered upon a state of being where our 
 eulogy cannot reach their ear. Our re- 
 proaches could not depress them, nor can 
 they be encouraged by our applause. We 
 are the gainers by such a service. It grati- 
 fies some of the better feelingfs of our hearts : 
 and one right feeling — right in the view of 
 conscience, and of heaven — is worth all the
 
 12 MEMORY OF EV ARTS. 
 
 material world. The material world shall 
 die, but every holy aifection shall exert an 
 influence on our character and joys, and shall 
 endure for ever. And we move so sluggishly 
 in our way to heaven, and it is, at best, such 
 a zigzag course, that we need the stimulus of 
 bright example. When we contemplate, Ave 
 feel encouraged. There is a radiance that 
 gleams upon us from the grave of a child of 
 God, that alleviates our gloom, and lifts our 
 eye to mansions in the skies. 
 
 It is the allotment of some men to '■'■ hve 
 after they are dead." Antiochus did ; Alex- 
 ander and Tamerlane did ; Napoleon did ; 
 and in deeds of horrid tragedy, and direful 
 influence upon successive generations of men. 
 And so did Howard and Clarkson, Yenning 
 and Sharpe, Watts and Howe, Edwards and 
 Dwight ; and by a career so exalted, and in 
 deeds of such extensive benevolence, that 
 their very history has meliorated the condi- 
 tion of mankind. And who will not feel the 
 obligation of living for those who come after 
 him? Who may not do it — as men of letters,
 
 MLMORV Ol EVARTS. 13 
 
 as men of power and nifliiencej as men of 
 wealth, as men of piety ? Who, that looks at 
 the condition of the world, the shortness and 
 frailty of life, the activity and pernicious in- 
 fluence of wicked men, and the command of 
 God, will not aim at being useful after he 
 has descended to the tomb ? And why should 
 not the name of such a man be embalmed in 
 the recollection of those he has left on earth ? 
 And why should 
 
 " History, so warm on meaner ihemcy, 
 
 "Be cold on this?" 
 
 Among the distinguished men who shall 
 be had in everlasting remembrance, is the 
 late Jeremiah Evarts. There arc few men 
 in this land who have sustained a more hon- 
 orable character, or whose biography may be 
 recited with more unmingled gratification. 
 
 Mr. Evarts entered upon his career at a 
 most eventful period of the world — a period 
 about to be distinguished by changes in this 
 land, and other lands, in the civil and eccle- 
 siastical alfairs of men, and especially in the 
 great movements of Christian benevolence, 
 2
 
 14 MEMORY OF KVARTS. 
 
 which eminently indicated that the Redeem- 
 ing God and Savior, by a series of dispensa- 
 tions, alternated by success and disaster, con- 
 fidence and alarm, hope and fear, was about 
 to gather together the nations of the earth, 
 and the kingdoms of the nations, to the last 
 moral conflict which should agonize this 
 guilty, suffering world. Think of the events 
 that have taken place on the earth within the 
 last fifty years. The youth and manhood of 
 Mr, Evarts have occupied nearly the whole 
 of this wonderful period. Just as this new 
 and splendid era was about to be introduced, 
 he was cradled on yonder mountains. The 
 first missionary society was established ; the 
 fii'st revival of religion, in a series thus far 
 unbroken, commenced ; and the first memo- 
 rable calamity began to fall on the nations 
 which had given their power and strength 
 to the Beast ; while he was a youth, and pre- 
 paring for the part he was about to act in 
 these moral revolutions. He entered on ac- 
 tive life at a period when he was called ex- 
 tensively to influence the opinions of men,
 
 MEMORY OF KVARTS. 15 
 
 and to exert an agency in originating and 
 carrying forward designs that were to elevate 
 the character of the church, and fill the earth 
 with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, 
 as the waters cover the sea. Whoever here- 
 after writes his history, will find it in those 
 developments of light and love which illu- 
 mine the histoiy of the American churches 
 within the last thirty years. Tlie God of 
 heaven raised up this his servant for a great 
 and special work, and eminently qualified 
 him for the high service to which he was 
 destined. In some respects, he seemed most 
 unfitted for it ; for, from his youth up, he was 
 apparently fitted for any thins: rather tlian 
 hardship. But he was like the bush in Horeb 
 — consuming, but not consumed. And we 
 would here distinctly and gratefiilly acknow- 
 ledge the goodness of God, in thus making 
 him, for so long a period, the favored instru- 
 ment of accomplishing his designs of mercy. 
 Mr. Evarts was born of respectable, but 
 humble parentage, in the town of Sunder- 
 land, Vermont, on the 3d of February, 1781.
 
 16 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 At the age of ten years, he removed with his 
 father to Georgia, in the same state, where 
 he completed the usual English education, 
 and entered upon the study of the Latin lan- 
 guage. In January, 1798, he was sent to 
 East Guildford, in the state of Connecticut, 
 with the view of preparing for college, under 
 the tuition of the Rev. Mr. Elliott, the minis- 
 ter of the place ; and in October of the same 
 year, he entered Yale College, then under 
 the superintendence of the late President 
 Dwight. His journal at this period, though 
 veiy brief, exhibits many indications of a 
 thinking, independent mind, that felt the re- 
 sponsibility of guiding and forming itself 
 upon a high standard of excellence. His 
 conversion took place during a remarkable 
 outpouring of the Spirit of God upon the 
 college, during his senior year, in the Avinter 
 of 1801-2; and in the April following, he 
 made a public profession of religion, and 
 united himself with the church in the college. 
 At the time his class graduated, in 1802, he 
 united with those of his classmates who were
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 17 
 
 professors of religion, in a mutual covenant^ 
 a copy of which has been found among his 
 private papers, to pray for each other, to learn 
 one another's circumstances, and to corre- 
 spond with, Eind counsel one another, in sub- 
 sequent life. After leaving college, he en- 
 gaged in no settled employment till April, 
 1803, when he became the instructor of an 
 academy in the town of Peacham, in his 
 native state, and continued in this charge 
 till near the close of March, 1804. Shortly 
 subsequent to this, and after a short visit to 
 his father's family, he returned to New- 
 Haven, and entered himself as a student at 
 law in the office of the late Judge Chauncey. 
 Early in the summer of 1806, he took the 
 oath of admission to the bar, and opened an 
 office for the practice of his profession in the 
 city of New-Haven. In May, 1810, he re- 
 moved to Boston, for the double purpose of 
 taking the editorial charge of a literaiy and 
 religious monthly puljlication, and pursuing 
 the duties of his profession. He continued 
 in the editorial department of tlip Panoplist
 
 18 I'memory of evarts. 
 
 till the work was discontinued in 1820, and 
 was himself the author of a large part of the 
 original articles and reviews in that highly 
 respectable work. Every one who is ac- 
 quainted with the religious and ecclesiastical 
 controversies of Massachusetts, knows with 
 what ability that work was edited ; how" 
 rapidly it rose in character and extent of cir- 
 culation ; and how important an agency it 
 exerted in stemining the tide of error, and in 
 restoring an enlightened, scriptural, and ac- 
 tive piety to many of the declining churches. 
 At the third annual meeting of the American 
 Board of Commissioners for Foreiori Mis- 
 sions, Mr. Evarts was elected a member of 
 that body, and at the same meeting was 
 chosen their treasurer, and a member of their 
 executive committee. In September, 1821, 
 he was also appointed their corresponding 
 secretary, in which office he remained to the 
 time of his death. In the discharge of the 
 duties of this office, he visited the Cherokee 
 and Chocktaw nations in 1824, and the 
 Cherokee, Chocktaw. and Chickesaw nations
 
 MEMORY or EVARTS. 19 
 
 again in 1826. In the duties of this office, 
 also, he spent three or four winters in the 
 city of Washington, during the session of 
 congress, where his principal object was to 
 exert an influence in favor of the education 
 and civihzation of the Indians, and especially 
 their protection from oppressive legislation. 
 
 The health of Mr. Evarts had been de- 
 clining for more than a year previous to his 
 decease. During the winter of 1829-30, 
 though feeble, and evidently needing the 
 benefit of relaxation and a warm climate, 
 he continued his labors at the missionary 
 rooms till about the 1st of April, when he re- 
 paired again to the city of Washington. The 
 debate on the Indian bill was just commenc- 
 ing. The excitement and labor of the months 
 of April and May were intense ; and he re- 
 turned to Boston, with his health little, if at 
 all, improved. During the summer and early 
 part of the autumn he was laboriously em- 
 ployed in preparing the annual report of the 
 board, publishing the speeches on the Indian 
 bill, writinor on the Indian question, and at-
 
 20 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 tending to the common business at the mis- 
 sionary rooms. After the annual meeting of 
 the board, these, or similar labors, continued ; 
 and added to these, he spent a fortnight at 
 New-Bedford, superintending the embarka- 
 tion of a reinforcement to the Sandwich 
 Islands mission. Here he was exposed 
 to cold and storms, and exerted himself in 
 writing and addressing public assemblies in 
 the vicinity on the subject of missions. He 
 returned from New-Bedford December 29th, 
 much debilitated, and could labor only at in- 
 tervals afterward. He, however, wrote the 
 memorial of the board to congress, in behalf 
 of the Indians, while he was so weak as 
 every hour or two to be obliged to lie dowai 
 and rest. He wrote, also, a number of im- 
 portant letters. His last letter, as correspond- 
 ing secretary of the board, was written to the 
 missionaries in the Cherokee nation, relative 
 to their removing or remaining, and expos- 
 ing themselves to the penalty of the laws of 
 Georgia. The part he took in behalf of the 
 Indians, was such as might be expected from
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 21 
 
 such a man. He was early applied to to 
 second the effort that was about to be made 
 to effect their removal beyond the Mississippi, 
 but he saw no good to come from it to them, 
 and he abhorred and detested the means used 
 to secure it. He was present when the bill 
 to effect their removal passed the house of 
 representatives — a bill that marks this repub- 
 lic faithless toward its dependents. And when 
 tlie vote was passed, Mr. Evarts remarked to 
 a member of congress who sat near him — 
 " My comfort is, that God governs the world ; 
 and my hope is, that when the people of the 
 United States come to understand the subject, 
 there will a redeeming spirit arise ; for I will 
 not believe tliat the nation is yet lost to truth 
 and honor." His anxiety and labors on this 
 question, the distress he felt in view of the 
 violation of the good fliith of the nation, and 
 of the rights of the Cherokees, his appreiion- 
 sions of the suffering which would come on 
 the Indian tribes, and of the judgments of 
 heaven which would visit this country lor 
 their treachorv, kept his mind in a state of
 
 22 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 exhausting excitement for the last year and 
 a half of his life, which, together with the 
 accumulated labors which he sustained in 
 consequence of this great effort, without doubt 
 sunk him to his grave. 
 
 These, with previous trials not a few, had 
 exerted a powerful influence in the formation 
 of a character every day becoming more meet 
 for the rest and joy of a higher world. God 
 had chosen him in the furnace of afihction. 
 He possessed a maturity of personal religion, 
 a meetness for heaven, which was the result 
 of long moral training, and by which the 
 Spirit of God was preparing him for an in- 
 heritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that 
 fadeth not away. As his strength declined, 
 and he became entirely unable to attend to 
 business, he seemed to possess a mind remark- 
 ably detached from earth, and to enjoy pecu- 
 liar fellowship with God. He spent much 
 time in reading Baxter's Saints' Rest, and in 
 contemplating that " exceeding and eternal 
 weight of glory" on which he often used to 
 dwell with deligrhted interest, and for which
 
 MEMOKY OF tVARTr^. 23 
 
 his light affliction, which was comparatively 
 but for a moment, was preparing him. He 
 iiimself had made arrangements for a journey 
 by land, with some hope of recovering his 
 health, at least for a season, and with this 
 view attended minutely to his secular affairs. 
 His o^vn plan was to proceed to Washington, 
 and endeavor to exert his influence in favor 
 of the Lidians till congress should rise, and 
 then go on an agency for the board in the 
 middle or southern states. This expectation 
 he continued to ciierish, till advised by his 
 physician that a voyage to a warmer climate 
 was the only probable means of restoring his 
 health, hi this he cheerflilly acquiesced ; and 
 in an interview with his associates in office, 
 with great tenderness and aff'oclion told tiiem 
 to proceed in their work, without reference 
 to him. This to his own feelings was pro- 
 bably the most trying moment of his life. But 
 he did not faint in the day of adversity. God 
 was with him. Before his embarkation, he 
 Avas to an uncommon degree, even for him. 
 calm, serious, and affectionate. A cheerful
 
 24 
 
 MKMORV OF KVARTS. 
 
 acquiescence in the will of God, an entire 
 and joyful trust in him, a bidding adieu to 
 the solicitudes of time, and a tenderness in his 
 intercourse with his family and friends, which 
 cannot be described, and that were painfully 
 foreboding, seemed to say that he should see 
 them no more. And had he been assured of 
 it, his parting from them could not have been 
 more appropriate. He took passage for the 
 island of Cuba, on the 1.5th of February, and 
 reached Havana, after a favorable voyage, on 
 the 2d of March. But his health was not im- 
 proved. After spending some time at Havana 
 and Matanzas, and in the interior of the isl- 
 and, enjoying every advantage of climate, 
 exercise, and kind attention of friends, he 
 took passage for Savannah, and arrived there 
 on the 24th of April, much exhausted by the 
 voyage. In a few days his symptoms became 
 alarming, and he proceeded to Charleston, 
 where he arrived on the third day, much ex- 
 hausted by disease and pain. Up to this 
 time, both he himself and his physicians had 
 mistaken the nature of his disease. There
 
 MLMOKY OF EVAKTS. 
 
 were now evident indications of his being iu 
 the last stages of a consumption. While in 
 Charleston, he received every possible atten- 
 tion from eminent physicians, and numerous 
 friends. He contiiuied steadily to grow wea- 
 ker, often enduring great bodily pain, till 11 
 o'clock on the 10th of May, when his spirit 
 was permitted to leave her frail, earthly, dis- 
 solved tabernacle, and enter on a building of 
 God, a house not made with hands, eternal 
 in the heavens. 
 
 As a testimony of the approbation of his 
 Divine Master to his work of faith and labor 
 of love, he was permitted to enjoy a most tri- 
 umphant death. I have seen wicked men 
 die. and have dwelt with melancholy interest 
 on that emphatic description of the in.spired 
 preacher, ''the wicked is driven away in his 
 wickedness.-' He goes unexpectedly; he 
 goes unwillingly ; he is forced to go ; he 
 goes unreformed, unpardoned, unsanctified ; 
 he goes in the very practice and love of sin. 
 and with nothing but his wickedness ; and 
 he goes to be forgotten. •• I have seen the
 
 26 MEMORY OF KVAU'I'S. 
 
 wicked," says the Psalmist, '• I have seen the 
 wicked in great power, and spreading him- 
 self like a green bay-tree ; yet he passed 
 away, and lo! he was not. Yea, I sought 
 hini; bnt he could not be found." There are 
 those who die 
 
 "Forlorn of heart, v.'ithered and desolate. 
 "As leaf of autumn, which the wolfish wind?, 
 " Selecting from its falling sisters, chase 
 " Far from its native grove to lifeless waste.-, 
 " And leave it there alone, to be forgotter." 
 
 It was not so with Mr. Evarts. His death- 
 bed exhibits a scene long to be remembered, 
 (^ome, gather around it : yes, come, see him 
 die. But rush not rudely, "just on the verge 
 of heaven." It is an atmosphere beyond 
 the common atmo.sphere of earth. There is 
 a deep solemnity, and afflictive tenderness 
 here: for death is cold, and inexorable ; and 
 yet there is a sweetness, a placidness, which 
 seem reflected from purer skies. There is 
 no alarm — no dismay — no withered hopes — 
 no deep, impenetrable gloom. Recollection
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 'i/ 
 
 rolls not its dark waters by ; nor sin its tem- 
 pest ; nor God his thunder ; nor eternity its 
 woes. Long ere this has memory washed 
 its stains and fed its streams in the pure river 
 from the throne of God. GuiU and ill desert, 
 those conscious fires within, have long ere 
 this been quenched in fountains of atoning 
 blood, God speaks, but it is in tones of 
 mercy, in messages of love, that fill the soul, 
 and consummate its hopes. And eternity, 
 through that dark and narrow vale, reveals 
 its cloudless sky, its world of light, its Lamb, 
 unce slain. And yet the "chamber where 
 the good man meets his fate," is a scene of 
 conflict. The spirit struggles ; the immortal 
 spirit struggles for release and victory. She 
 would fain get near the throne. She is 
 striving to break her chains, and range those 
 fields of light. She is restive to be unclothed, 
 and clothed upon with her house which is 
 from heaven. And through Him that loved 
 her, she conquers. 
 
 "A feeble worm shall win tlie day, 
 
 " Tlioiie'li death ai d hell cib^trun the way."
 
 28 MEMORY OF KVARTS. 
 
 Mr. Evarts did not die suddenly, IjuI had 
 sufficient time for deliberate thought. He 
 did not die in such a state of physical debi- 
 lity, or intellectual tumult, as to be incapable 
 of estimating things according to their real 
 value ; but, on the other hand, he possessed 
 a large share of sobriety of mind, and cool 
 reflection. It was his happy privilege to have 
 a clear view and strong impression of the 
 scenes that were before him, and they ani- 
 mated and invigorated all his hopes. 
 
 Wlien he was told that medical attendance 
 could do little more than mitigate the vio- 
 lence of his disease, he requested that several 
 ministers of the Gospel might assemble in his 
 chamber. " I know," said he to them, " that 
 my case is extremely critical, but I find it 
 pleasant to be in the hands of God, who will 
 do all things well. I have no painful solici- 
 tude as to the result of my sickness ; but I 
 think it my duty to use every means for my 
 recovery ; and I desire an interest in your 
 special and united prayers, that, if consistent 
 with God's will. I mav recover ; that I may
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 29 
 
 have a sweet sense of pardoned sin, and an 
 unshaken confidence in the Savior ; that, if 
 God should spare my Ufe, I may be uholly 
 and entirely the Lord's — consecrated to his 
 service ; and that, if it should please God to 
 remove me by this sickness, I may be enabled 
 to glorify him on a bed of languishing and 
 pain, and that his precious cause may be pro- 
 moted by my death."' 
 
 The following day, toward evening, he re- 
 marked, " To-morrow is the rest of the holy 
 Sabbath. I maybe in eternity before it arrives."' 
 Those who know how much he loved the Sab- 
 bath, and how much he valued and enjoyed 
 its precious rest, can easily imagine what nuist 
 have been the state of his mind, when the 
 thought occurred to him that a day so near — 
 the day wiiich had been his jubilee on earth — 
 might shed its first rays upon Iiim in a brighter 
 and purer world. Ajid the thought obviously 
 dwelt upon his mind. He seemed to make an 
 effort to enlarge upon it, but he hesitated, and 
 added, " my mind is so weak, I cannot pursue 
 a train of thought ; but, T bless God, it is 
 3*
 
 30 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 tranquil. Not my will, but thine, O God. 
 be done." 
 
 I distinctly recollect to have heard him ex- 
 press the sentiment, some years since, that he 
 wondered why such men as Dr. Priestly and 
 other modern Unitarians were not ashamed 
 of their miserable self-righteousness and in- 
 dignant rejection of the Gospel, when such 
 men as Paul and Edwards, and Fuller and 
 Martyn, placed their whole trust in the aton- 
 ing blood of Christ. We might add, when such 
 men as Evarts feel the need of a righteous- 
 ness in&iitely better than their owai, and take 
 refiige in the blood of the cross, what shall be 
 thought of men who are at an unspeakable 
 remove from his integrity and self-denial, and 
 yet tread that blood under their feet? He 
 expressed a firm and abiding hope, but it was 
 in the Lord Jesus. To one who remarked, 
 " We hardly know how to spare you from the 
 missionary cause," he said, " Do not mention 
 it, do not mention it ; the Lord knows best.'' 
 And in a few moments after this, remarked, 
 " My work is almost done ; Jesus reigns :
 
 MKMORY or EVARTS. 31 
 
 blessed be He ! I wish to lie as a penilenl 
 sinner at the foot of the cross.^^ This ap- 
 peared to be his spirit, ill an eminent degree. 
 In the course of the evening he breathed out, 
 in interrupted and broken petitions, a short 
 and comprehensive prayer, making a full and 
 entire surrender » of body and soul into the 
 hands of the gracious Redeemer, and at the 
 close of it was distinctly heard to say, " O ! 
 dear Savior ! if this is the last night I have to 
 pray on earth, let my unworthy prayer be 
 exchanged for praise in thy kingdom above ! 
 Amen, amen!" 
 
 The following day he conversed consider- 
 ably, though his appearance was greatly 
 changed, and he was gradually sinking into 
 the arms of death. Those who knew him, 
 well recollect his high standard of Christian 
 character, and the deep and tender interest 
 he felt in youthful Christians. I perfectly 
 remember that these topics occupied much of 
 his time, and many of his thoughts in the 
 early part of his Christian history;* and they 
 
 * A series of numbers, csiliilcd "An addrese to
 
 32 MEMOKY or EVARTS. 
 
 were topics that lay with great weight upon 
 his mind during the last days of his life. To 
 a young professor of religion, who was in his 
 chamber, he said, " You have professed reli- 
 gion while young ; so did I : I rejoice in it. 
 All I have to say to you, is, endeavor to aim 
 at great attainments, the present age demands 
 great things of Christians. Be not satisfied 
 with being half a Christian— be entirely con- 
 secrated to the service of Christ. There are 
 some things I could do, if it be the will of 
 Providence that I should recover, but I have 
 no will of my own. I can rejoice that I am 
 in the hands of the Lord. My mind is per- 
 fectly clear." To several young Christians 
 who stood by, he said, "I feel a great interest 
 in young Christians. I want to exhort you 
 to help each other. Live near to God. Be 
 bold in his service — it is the only thing worth 
 being bold for: do not be afraid — ^the Lord 
 be with you !" In the evening he requested 
 
 young persons who have lately made a profession of 
 religion," which appeared in the Panoplist for the 
 year ending in 1811, is the production of his pen.
 
 MEMORY OF KVAIITS 6^ 
 
 a friend to read to him the 13th chapter of 
 the first Epistle to the Corinthians, after which 
 he spent some time in silent meditation, and 
 again conversed with great interest, and re- 
 marked, with emphasis, ••! am willing to go; 
 I have given myself all awayP 
 
 It is not surprising that at such an hour 
 the world should seem as nothing. At such 
 an hour, it is nodiing even to the worldling. 
 But the worldling lets it go, because it is torn 
 from liis heart ; while the Christian yields it 
 because he has chosen God and heaven as 
 his supreme good, Mr. Evarts had long felt 
 and acted as a " pilgrim and stranger on the 
 oarth." The prospect of leaving the world 
 behind him, did not seem, in the least degree, 
 to disturb his tranquillity. His treasure Wiis 
 not here. The next morning his symptoms 
 of approaching dissolution increased, and lie 
 felt that the time was near. He spoke of it 
 with great sweetness and familiarity, and 
 simply said, " I am going homeP 
 
 Death ha.s, with great force and propriety, 
 been called " the last act of human life."' As
 
 34 MEMOR\ OF EVARTS. 
 
 he saw his hour of departure approaching, he 
 endeavored to collect his thoughts to perform 
 this last act in such a manner as became 
 him, as the creature of God, and the humble 
 follower of the blessed Jesus. Being told 
 that he had but a short time to live, he re- 
 plied, " The will of the Lord be done !" And 
 then he seemed deliberately and solemnly to 
 address himself to the trials of the dark val- 
 ley. '-Attend," said he, "to what I now say, 
 as to the words of a dying man. I wish, in 
 these dying Avords, to recognize the Great 
 Redeemer as the Savior from sin and hell ; 
 able and willing to save all that come unto 
 God by him. To him I commend my spirit, 
 as to an all-sufficient Savior. He is the great 
 champion and conqueror of death and hell. 
 And I recognize the great Spirit of God as 
 the renovator of God's elect. And herein, if 
 I gather strength, I wish to recognize and 
 acknowledge the church of God, containing 
 all who have truly dedicated themselves to 
 him in a new and everlasting covenant." 
 How true it is that men usually die as they
 
 MEMORY or tVART?. OO 
 
 live! How perfectly characteristic \\u.s tins 
 of Mr. Evarts! 
 
 His love to the saints had been strong and 
 ardent ; and his obligations to them, as the 
 servant of Christ and the missionary cause, 
 werc not few. And it is pleasant to see that 
 he had so sweet a remembrance of these ob- 
 ligations in his dying moments. ''And here 
 permit a poor unworthy worm of the dust," 
 said he, " to give thanks to many of the chil- 
 dren of God, from whom I have received 
 confidence, kindness, and favor, as a disciple 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ." Here, for the 
 moment, he felt as though he had uttered all; 
 but, recollecting himself, he added, '"And one 
 more duty."' AV'ho, that knew him, has read 
 the following sentence without tears ? " One 
 more duty: if in any respect I have oifended 
 the children of God, I ask their forgiveness. 
 If I have grieved them by impatience, or any 
 other way, 1 a.sk their forgiveness." 
 
 About two hours after, a clergyman came 
 ill, and asked him if his mind was in a happy 
 state; and he replied, with great emphasis,
 
 3 6 .M !■; >I K V O t K V A K T .<, 
 
 '' li Is. Christ is precious — he does not fail 
 me." After some brief conversation, he re- 
 quested to be alone. His pain became severe, 
 his breathing laborious, and the hour of his 
 release was just at hand. About 9 o'clock 
 in the evening, he requested to be laid in a 
 position suitable for dying ; and here began 
 the shout of A^ctory. For a short time he 
 seemed to lie, like a little child, waiting to be 
 removed, and expecting every moment to be 
 translated into the immediate presence of 
 God. But suddenly the vail was drawn aside, 
 and his joys seemed like those of Stephen, 
 when he exclaimed, " I see heaven opened, 
 and Jesus standing on the right hand of 
 God." Unexpectedly to all around, his eye 
 kindled, his clay-cold lips glowed with 
 praises, and he burst forth with expressions 
 of rapture that cannot be described — '-Praise 
 him!'' said he, -praise him! praise him! in a 
 way you know not of!" He then made a 
 short pause, and said, '• "Wonderful, wonder- 
 ful, wonderful glory! We cannot understand 
 — we cannot comprehend — wonderful glory I
 
 MLMORV OF EVARTS. 37 
 
 1 will praise him — I will praise liim!" A 
 moment after, he inquired, " Who are in the 
 room? Call all in— call all — let a great many 
 come."' And then he exclaimed again, "Won- 
 derful — glory — Jesus reigns!" After this, he 
 sank dowii exhausted, and fell asleep in Jesus. 
 Thus he died, in the fifty-first year of his 
 age, and descended to his grave like a shock 
 of corn, in his season, fully ripe. Thus he 
 died, like a rich, luxuriant tree, "broken down 
 and killed by the fruit." Thus he died, 
 
 " And with the everlasting arms embraced 
 
 " Himself around, stood in the dreadful front 
 
 *' Of battle high, and warred victoriously 
 
 " With death and lieil ; and now was come his rest, 
 
 '■ His triumph day, 
 
 " Waiting the promised crown, the promised throne, 
 '■ The welcome and approval of his Lord." 
 
 .Such arc the triumphs of Jesus' love. "If 
 any man serve me, him will my Father 
 honor." Such are the trophies of missionary 
 grace. Such are the honors of the missionary 
 cause. Hall wore them fresh and vivid, and 
 they decked his grave. And Newell wore 
 4
 
 38 MEiMORY OF EVARTff. 
 
 them ; and Fiskc and Parsons wore (hem ,' 
 and Nichols, and Warren, and Mills wore 
 them, in all their fragrance and splendor. 
 
 " A noiseless band of heavenly eolJiery 
 " From out the armory of God equipped, 
 "High on the pagan hills, where Satan sat 
 " Encamped^and o'er the subject kingdoms threw 
 "Perpetual night, to plant Immanuel's cross j 
 
 " and in the wikierness 
 
 " Of human waste, to sow eternal life." 
 
 " He that will lose his life for my sake, the 
 same shall find it." Eternity alone can tell 
 how much such men loved the heathen. And 
 by how much they loved the heathen, by so 
 much will the measure of their joys increase, 
 when they go up with the " nations of the 
 saved" before the Son of man. O ! what a 
 scene is that, when pagan nations and the 
 missionaries, and men that have been the 
 means of their salvation, shall stand before 
 the throne of God ! What a song is that, 
 when they raise their melody of grateful 
 hearts to heaven ! There is Worcester. And 
 there is Evarts.
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 39 
 
 "See where he walks on yonder niounl,'lhal hfls 
 " Its summit high on the right hand ofbhss, 
 "Subhme in glory, talking with his peers 
 "Of the incarnate Savior's love, and passed 
 " Affliction, lost in present joy. See how 
 " His face with heavenly ardor glowi?,'and how 
 *' His hand, enraptured, strikes the golden lyre, 
 " As now, conversing of the Lamb once slain, 
 " He speaks ; and how from vinos that never hear 
 " Of winter, but in monthly har\'est yield 
 " Their fruit abundantly, he plucks the grapes 
 "Of life." 
 
 But I shall not meet your expectations, nor 
 gi-atify my own wishes, without attempting 
 to present a brief outline of the character of 
 this o-reat and excellent man. 
 
 The intellectual charartcr of Mr. Evarts 
 was distinguished for strong powers of rea- 
 soning, [great clearness and precision, and 
 remarkable soimdness and comprehensive- 
 ness of judgment. He possessed large and 
 rich treasures of original thought, and great 
 powers of illustration. He had great activity 
 and copiousness of mind. He was remark- 
 ably capable of making his existing stock of
 
 40 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 ideas extensive materials of knowledge. Eve- 
 ry thought he acquired added to his capital, 
 and was immediately put out at interest. He 
 had a taste for literary and scientific pursuits, 
 and engaged in them with great ardor and 
 zeal. He was fond of speculation, and yet he 
 was no theorist. Rarely do habits of abstrac- 
 tion and habits of business unite, as they were 
 found in him. His talent for minute and ra- 
 pid observation was not exceeded even by his 
 talent for comparison and arrangement. But 
 what was peculiar in the intellectual charac- 
 ter of Mr. Evarts was the exact adjustment 
 of the several faculties of his mind to each 
 other. He once said to a friend, that, in early 
 life, he was inclined to be hasty and positive 
 in his judgment. But a remarkable balance 
 was observable in the powers and operations 
 of his mind. At almost any moment he 
 could apply his mind to almost any subject ; 
 could pursue that subject at pleasure ; could 
 change it for another, and resume it at any 
 time, and almost in any place, and in the 
 same strain of sentiment, however elevated.
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 41 
 
 His memory was remarkably tenacious— ve- 
 ry remarkably so for dates, considering the 
 strength of his powers for general analysis, 
 reasoning, and judgment.* 
 
 He had a srreat taste for statistical observa- 
 tions and calculations, and, indeed, for the 
 whole science of political economy.t Such 
 
 * He was rarely mistaken in dates; and there was 
 a surprising number of events, of which he could state 
 in a moment the precise time of their occurrence. He 
 once allowed one of his associates at the missionary 
 rooms to question him as to the day of the month 
 and of tlie week on which he entered different places 
 on a journey he liad taken, some years hefbre, in the 
 southern states; and he invariably answered prompt- 
 ly, and without any apparent calculation. When he 
 vv;is asked, by what process of mind he contrived to 
 associate so many places with the day of the week and 
 of the month in which he visited them, he replied, that 
 the only account he could give was that it was easy. 
 
 t He made a calculation of the probable results of 
 tlie census of the United Slates for 1820, which was 
 early published in the Boston Recorder, which came 
 80 near (he actual result, for each distinct state in the 
 union, that it was scarcely credible that the calcula- 
 tion was merely a conjectural one. 
 4*
 
 42 MEMORY OF EVART8. 
 
 was his genius and taste for illustrating, and 
 inculcating a Christian system of political 
 economy — a system founded on the great law. 
 " As ye would that men should do unto you, 
 do ye even so to them" — that some of his 
 friends seriously thought it might become his 
 duty to relinquish his particular connection 
 with the Board of Foreign Missions, and de- 
 vote himself to the conducting of a paper, 
 which should have for its leading object a 
 reformation in the maxims, rules, and admi- 
 nistration of civil government. 
 
 He made a frequent and vigorous use of 
 the pen, on a great variety of topics, and was 
 among the best writers of the age.* He wrote 
 the essays on the Lidian question, signed 
 William Penn : a fact which enrolls his 
 name among the friends of humanity, and 
 will give it a place in the history of his coun- 
 try, when the oppressors of the Indians shall 
 
 * His published pieces, in June^ 1814, amounted to 
 229. From 1814 to 1831, thougii no account of them 
 has been found, they were still greater in number, and 
 far more voluminous and weighty.
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 43 
 
 have passed away like the chaff of the sum- 
 mer thrashing-floor. A glance at the list of 
 his publications, with a Imowledge of their 
 character, will show any one that he had 
 accustomed his mind to investigate and re- 
 flect upon a great variety of subjects, and 
 with uncommon accuracy and force. It was 
 in this school of actual labor that he acquired 
 the ability to write with the accuracy of 
 thought, extent of knowledge, variety and 
 appropriateness of illustration, and force of 
 diction, which characterized his productions 
 during the last year of his life. In composing 
 for the press, which he did to a great extent, 
 liis page was usually fair, seldom interlined, 
 rarely copied. His most celebrated composi- 
 tions were written amid many interruptions. 
 I'he faculties of his mind operated witli so 
 much ease to himself, that a great mental ef- 
 fort, in the use of his pen, did not produce 
 that degree of bodily exhaustion which is 
 frequent in men even of a more vigorous 
 frame. After writing intensely for hours, he 
 was perfectly fresh for conversation, for which
 
 44 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 he had a pecuhar rehsh, whenever he had 
 access to minds congenial with his own. 
 This balance of mind, with the strengtli of 
 its several powers, enabled him, although of 
 a slender constitution, to write more hours a 
 day, taking one day with another, than al- 
 most any other man. 
 
 As a public speaker, he was manly and 
 energetic. Li deliberative assemblies, and 
 in extemporaneous discussion, he was very 
 justly celebrated. Though he was by no 
 means distinguished for an easy and melli- 
 fluous utterance, or for those charms of per- 
 son and action which constitute eloquence ; 
 yet every man listened to him with the deep- 
 est attention, and felt that he was listening to 
 a bold and commanding orator. He had a 
 thin, spare person ; there was nothing in his 
 manner fascinating, or even popular ; yet he 
 never spoke without indicating the mascu- 
 line texture of his mind, and rarely without 
 an energy that made deep, and sometimes 
 overwhelming impressions. 
 
 Mr. Evarts was a man of great diligence
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 45 
 
 and tintirbig energy. This was his habit 
 from his youth. From the commencement 
 of his course in the preparatory school to the 
 day of his death, he possessed the amazing 
 advantage of unbroken habits of industry. I 
 cannot easily fix my thoughts upon the man, 
 of whom it may be so truly affirmed that he 
 was incessantly occupied. It was not by his 
 superior talents merely, but by his indefatiga- 
 ble diligence, that he accomplished so much 
 greater amount of good than has fallen to 
 the lot of men of high intellectual endow- 
 ment. He appears to have had no contest 
 with inactive and sluggish habits, and was 
 never happy, unless actively employed. He 
 seemed to feel that what he had to do for God 
 and his fellow-men was to be done in a li- 
 mited period of time, and that period was 
 very short. It was his privilege, too, to be 
 occupied to some good account. The cele- 
 brated Grollus, the father of the modern 
 science of the law of nations, and one of the 
 greatest scholars of his age, is said to liave 
 exclaimed on his death-bed, 
 
 "lieu ! vitam perclidi operosc iiiliil agendo."
 
 46 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 "Alas! I have trifled away life, laboriously 
 doing nothing!" It was not so with Mr. 
 Evarts. The greater part of his life was full 
 of labors and events that were intimately 
 connected with the best interests of men. In 
 his estimation, it was no hardship to spend 
 his strength, and wear out his life, for the 
 benefit of others. For the last thirty years 
 he uniformly acted like a man who steadily 
 kept his eye upon the glorious consequences 
 of living and dying in the service of his 
 Divine Master. And let not his example in 
 this respect be soon lost sight of. Laborious 
 and unwearied piety is the piety of the Bible. 
 A slothful Christian is a contradiction which 
 it is difficult to reconcile with the lowest 
 standard of holiness. 
 
 With this view of his intellectual endow- 
 ments and diligence, it is natural to conclude 
 that his schorlarshij) icas of the first order. 
 It was during his junior year, as a member 
 of Yale College, that I first knew him. And 
 he was proverbially the severest student in 
 the colleo-e. The class to which he belonsred
 
 MEMORY OF KVART3. 47 
 
 was at tluit time one of the largest and best 
 that had ever graduated at that venerable 
 institution, and was publicly complimented 
 as such by its late president. And I believe 
 I do no injustice to the living or the dead, 
 when I say, that while in some departments 
 of literature he had some superiors, yet, as a 
 general scholai-, distinguished for the extent, 
 accuracy, and utility of his attainments, he 
 bad none. He was the compeer of men who 
 iKiw hold some of the tirst places in the con- 
 iidence and gift of the American community. 
 But he was inferior to none of them. I well 
 recollect the oration he pronounced when he 
 roccivcd the deorree of Bachelor of Arts. His 
 tbcmo was the Execution of Laws. And 
 wlieii, at the close of it, in a strain of com- 
 manding eloquence, he introduced Lord 
 Mansfield as rebuking the British commu- 
 nity, it seemed as though every heart anticipa- 
 ted in the youthful speaker some future cham- 
 pion of liberty and law that should bo tlie 
 l)ride of his country. And it may not bv un- 
 interesting to some, here to state, that this
 
 48 MKMOUY OF EVARTS. 
 
 performance subsequently appeared in a series 
 of numbers from a weekly paper printed in 
 Portland, Maine, and was publicly attributed, 
 by the editor to the pen of Dr. Dvnght! 
 Mr. Evarts was a fine specimen of character, 
 founded on first-rate scholarship. Science 
 had given him an enlarged view of the works 
 of God. One such man, in the pulpit, at the 
 bar, in the senate-house, or in the infirmary, 
 well qualified by thorough intellectual disci- 
 pline and literary attainment, is worth more 
 to the church and the world than fifty men, 
 whose self-sufficient and erratic course is 
 marked by little else than honesty and zeal, 
 and who leave twice as much to be unlearn- 
 ed by their successors, as they themselves 
 ever learned. 
 
 Of the character of Mr. Evarts^ 7>'e/y, 
 much ought to be said. It was strongly built 
 upon fixed principles. No man could be long 
 in his company without observing the con- 
 nection between his principles and conduct. 
 This was one of the lessons which his every- 
 day deportment practically taught, and with
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 10 
 
 great clearness and strength. Religion with 
 him was not an empty notion, nor an exter- 
 nal form, nor the usage of a sect or party. 
 Human opinions were a very little matter to 
 him, when opposed to the declarations of the 
 Bible. To these he gave implicit confidence, 
 without reserve or qualification. If there 
 was a class of truths to which he felt peculiar 
 attaciiment, they were those which have ever 
 been most obnoxious to a world lying in 
 wickedness ; which are most discriminating 
 in their moral influence ; which give God the 
 throne, and prostrate every creature at his 
 footstool. I have not the means of knowing 
 cxtensivelyhis theological views in the latter 
 part of his life ; but in his early reading he 
 was strongly attached to the works of Calvhi, 
 Edwards, and Hopkins. There was nothing 
 of bigotry or intolerance about him. If ho 
 judged any man with severity, it was himself. 
 He possessed, to an unusual degree, a candid 
 mind. I have rarely met with a man who 
 so habitually desired that every doubtful 
 opinion and measure should be freely and 
 5
 
 50 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 fully discussed. Aiid hence it was that there 
 was nothing boisterous in his religion, and 
 nothing transient. It was no fitfol and mo- 
 mentary thing, but seemed in^vrought into 
 the very temper of his soul. It was the reli- 
 gion of intelligence, system, and zeal ; and 
 seemed to pervade with its vital influence all 
 his habits of thinking and principles of action. 
 His piety also was remarkably uniform. 
 From the first commencement of his Chris- 
 tian career, he possessed several strong and 
 prominent characteristics, and they remained 
 in all their strength and prominence to his 
 dying hour. The same steadfastness and 
 sobriety which led him to form so just an es- 
 timate of moral objects, the same high stand- 
 ard of piety, the same solicitude for young 
 Christians, the same interest in benevolent 
 institutions, the same self-renunciation which 
 shone in such sweet and amiable lustre in his 
 dying hours ; were exhibited in bold and 
 strong relief in the bright morning of his 
 hopes. I was familiar with his early history: 
 and when I first read the narrative of his
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 51 
 
 death, I could not help saying, '• It is such a 
 death as I should expect Mr. Evarts to die. 
 He has finished his course as he began it. 
 His light never waned, but Avas strong and 
 steady to the last." 
 
 During his whole course, his religious 
 character was marred by comparatively few 
 blemishes. He was every where circumspect 
 and watchful. The lustre of his Christian 
 reputation has never been obscured, nor his 
 usefulness abridged by any real or alledged 
 deviations from moral correctness and pro- 
 priety even in little things. 
 
 He possessed a remarkably kind and frater- 
 nal spirit. There was nothing harsh or un- 
 amiable, nothing rigid or unrelenting about 
 him. Though his temperament was natural- 
 ly of a mercurial cast, and tliougli lie was 
 capable of kindling when unreasonably op- 
 posed, yet he very rarely overstepped the 
 bounds of Christian meelmess. In the con- 
 duct of the missionary enterprise, his opinions 
 were sometimes controverted, and his mea- 
 sures were sometimes overruled ; hntlic bore
 
 52 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 the opposition with mildness, and cheerfully 
 submitted to the judgment of his brethren. 
 One of his associates in office has remarked, 
 " In all our intercourse, for ten years, I do 
 not remember receiving from him a single 
 harsh or unkind word." 
 
 His piety, too, was eminently practical. It 
 was the business of every day : and accom- 
 panied him wherever he went, and appeared 
 in whatever he did. It was not the religion 
 of the imagination, but of cordial obedience 
 to the divine commands. Nor was it a fitful 
 religion, but a course so steady, that, to the 
 eye of men, he rarely hesitated and faltered. 
 And yet he had no small degree of the inspi- 
 ration of Christian feeling. There was an 
 order about him that rebuked and put to 
 shame slothful and cold professors. 
 
 He was the decided friend of revivals of 
 religion ; and until he became inmiersed in 
 the great subject of missions, labored much 
 and actively to promote them. In the memo- 
 rable revival of Yale Golleo-e in the sunmier 
 of 1802, and in the subsequent revival in the
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 city of New-Haven, in the winter of 1807 and 
 1808, his fervent prayers and indefatigable 
 efforts, in season and out of season, in the city 
 and in the adjacent villages, will be long and 
 gratefully remembered. He was in the habit 
 of frequently remarking, and his prayers and 
 whole conduct were in accordance with the 
 remark, that he saw no way in which our 
 nation could be saved from infidelity and ut- 
 ter ruin, except by revivals of religion, more 
 numerous and powerful than any heretofore 
 experienced ; and for the accomplishment of 
 this object, his whole hope was in the effu- 
 sions of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 He was also the firm friend of the Sabbath. 
 The Sabbath was to him a day of very great 
 enjoyment. The profanation of it he regarded 
 as a great national sin, ruinous to the moral 
 principles and virtue of individuals, the pa- 
 rent of crimes, and certainly drawing after it 
 national judgments, and final national cor- 
 ruption, and the extinction of our free insti- 
 tutions. He took a most active part in the 
 measures adopted to prevent the transjiorta- 
 5*
 
 54 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 tion of the mail on that sacred day ; wrote 
 circulars and petitions, and presented them 
 for signatures ; conversed extensively with 
 members of congress on this subject ; and 
 compiled and published the pamphlet, con- 
 sisting of extracts from memorials to congress 
 from different parts of the country on this 
 matter, together with an introduction and 
 conclusion written by himself. This was at- 
 tended with much labor and pecuniary sacri- 
 fice. He fully believed that the observance 
 of the Sabbath and other religious institutions 
 could be permanently and advantageously 
 secured in no other manner than by the dif- 
 fusion of religious knowledge and the enforc- 
 ing of religious motives. 
 
 The practical usefulness of his Christian 
 character consisted pre-eminently in hissimple 
 benevolence. This was its beauty and glory. 
 While his mind was awake to the general 
 condition and prospects of the church, and 
 while he took a deep interest in her literary 
 institutions and the learning of her ministers, 
 and while with an eagle eye he watched the
 
 MKMORY OF EVARTS. 55 
 
 operations of the press and whatever might 
 influence the rehgious and moral opinions 
 and habits of the community, he did not 
 overlook those silent and unostentatious 
 deeds of mercy which every where distin- 
 guish the benevolence of the Gospel. As he 
 was often called to urge the claims of Chris- 
 tian liberality, so he felt them. His business 
 in tlie profession of the law, during the four 
 years he resided at New-Haven, was very 
 limited, and his income from that source did 
 not much exceed the mere expenses of his 
 office, the expenses of his family being de- 
 frayed principally by keeping boarders. Yet 
 here, and under these circumstances, he be- 
 gan that system of giving in charity which 
 he continued through life. He resolved to 
 give one tenth of his income, however small. 
 His accounts on this subject were kept with 
 scrupulous accuracy ; and as his income in- 
 creased, from his salary, and his publications, 
 and some other sources, the proportion given 
 in charity was much increased. His religion 
 seemed to consist in escaping from the do-
 
 56 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 minion of a selfish mind, and in seeking, not 
 his own, but the things that are Christ's. 
 Few men have done more to raise the stand- 
 ard of Christian hberahty in the American 
 churches than he. 
 
 And with all these excellencies his piety 
 was of the sweetest and most humble kind. 
 Rarely was his good evil spoken of, for a self- 
 complacent and self-sufficient spirit. From 
 his commanding talents, and from the official 
 responsibilities which devolved upon him, he 
 may be supposed to have been proud and 
 domineering ; but one of the greatest charms 
 of his character was his unfeigned humility. 
 This he found by frequent intercourse with 
 the mercy-seat. He was a man of prayer, 
 and cultivated the self-denying graces by in- 
 timate fellowship with God. 
 
 With these characteristics, it is not sur- 
 prising that his piety was fearless and firm. 
 He had an uncommon share of original in- 
 dependence of mind ; and it was elevated and 
 fortified by grace. Natural resolution and 
 firmness, however unyielding and indomita-
 
 MEMORY OF EVA UTS. 57 
 
 ble, become weak and variable where they 
 are not directed and sustained by the princi- 
 ples and spirit of the Gospel. Christian bold- 
 ness aims invariably at truth and duty. It 
 is not the boldness of Ccesar, but of Christ. 
 Heroes and statesmen may be men of fear- 
 less intrepidity, because they have a seared 
 conscience and a hardened heart. Christian 
 boldness cannot live without great benevo- 
 lence of spirit and honesty of intention. No 
 wonder a good man should be a coward, 
 when he acts contraiy to his conscience. So 
 intimately inwoven are the decisions of con- 
 science with all our impressions of obligation, 
 that it is only when conscience is obeyed, 
 that he can siunmon his strong and ardent 
 affections, and, in defiance of difficulty and 
 danger, adventure upon daring enterprises 
 with quenchless zeal and perseverance. With 
 an honest heart and an honest conscience, he 
 may be "bold as a lion." His boldness then 
 deserves the name. It is a paramount at- 
 tachment to truth and diUy; and he has 
 nothing to fear. This is the mainspring of
 
 58 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 all Christian decision. Duty is its object, 
 without regard to smiles or frowns ; and duty 
 it will follow, through evil report and good 
 report, to the cross and the crown. This is 
 the stimulus to all moral courage. This is 
 the spirit which is every where cool and un- 
 disturbed ; every where undaunted and pre- 
 pared to do and suffer ; every where unmoved, 
 however wild the tempest, and universal the 
 convulsions. This is the spirit which ren- 
 ders the soul superior to calamity and peril, 
 and enables the man in whose bosom it 
 dwells, to anticipate, without dismay, every 
 indication of alarm, however ominous, and 
 every possible issue, however fraught with 
 ignominy and terror. This is the spirit which 
 draws all the affections of the soul toward its 
 object ; which, while it seizes, absorbs : and 
 which abandons its pui-pose only when it 
 has lost the power of exertion, or the hope of 
 success. This was the spirit of Paul, before 
 Felix ; of Daniel, before the den of lions ; of 
 Luther, before the diet of Worms : of Knox, 
 before Mary; and of the Prince of Condy,
 
 MEMOUY 01 tVARTS. 60 
 
 before Cliurlcs the IX. of France. This is 
 the spirit which is nurtured by prayer, and 
 cherished by strong confidence in God. It 
 is fearless amid the moral earthquake, be- 
 cause God is there. It is triumphant over 
 principalities and powers, because it is strong 
 in the Lord, mid in the power of his might. 
 It is happy amid scenes of danger and devas- 
 tation, because the Eternal God is a refuge, 
 and underneath are the everlasting arms. 
 
 Christian boldness was the prominent trait 
 in the character of Mr. Evarts. If he had 
 lived in the days of persecution, he would 
 have been among the first to have gone to 
 the stake. " Be bold in the service of God. 
 It is the only thing worth being bold for."' 
 This was the spirit of the man. 
 
 " Justum et tenacem propositi vimm."' 
 
 He possessed a bold and undaunted decision 
 of character. He was often placed in situa- 
 tions which gave him a noble opportunity of 
 exercising this spirit, and he did it. \eilher 
 flatteries nor frowns could move liiiu.
 
 60 MKMOUy OF EVARTS. 
 
 " WJiere'er he went, 
 " This lesson still he taught, to fear no ill 
 "But sin, no being but AImiji;hty Gtod." 
 
 It was not an assumed and fictitious inde- 
 pendence that he possessed ; it was not 
 founded in caprice and passion ; nor put on 
 for the sake of chffering from others ; but it 
 grew out of a dehberate, steadfast regard to 
 God and duty, and to these he adhered, 
 whatever might be the consequences. He 
 was as much above the opinions and customs 
 of the world, as any man I ever knew. WTien 
 once he had formed his purposes, he did not 
 stop to ask what others might say and do in 
 relation to them, but vigorously carried them 
 into execution, and left observers to speculate, 
 and opposers to complain afterward. I have 
 known him, especially about the time he be- 
 gan the world, to suifer severely, both in his 
 reputation and property, from his unbending 
 rectitude. But nothing would induce him to 
 make a compromise with conscience. The 
 unexpected pressure of difficulty may have 
 disturbed him for a moment, but it was only
 
 MEMORV OF EVART3. 61 
 
 (0 inspirit him with fresh resohition and 
 fortitude. Who tliat intimately knew him. 
 cannot look back upon a multitude of inci- 
 dents in his history, in which his conduct 
 seemed to say, "Be bold in the service of 
 God : it is the only thing worth being bold 
 for !" When his mind had once taken a strong 
 view of the great object he was pursuing, it 
 was in vain to embarrass and resist him, un- 
 l(^ss you meant to stimulate him to growing 
 ardor and activity. 
 
 Few men were so well able to sustain this 
 determined character, because few possessed 
 his judgment and discrimination, and his re- 
 inarkabU; balance of mind. Men there are 
 Iff unbending integrity and firmness, but they 
 have little judgment to direct and govern 
 them. Right or wrong, wise or unwise, they 
 will not be diverted from their designs. But 
 (his is not Christian boldness, but unchristian 
 obstinacy. There was nothing from which 
 Mr. Evarts was at a greater remov^e than this. 
 Though he often formed very important de- 
 cisions almost intuitively, he was, to a re- 

 
 62 MLMOKV OF EVARTSv 
 
 markable degree, freed from imprudence and 
 rashness. Very rarely, if ever, did he adhere 
 to his purposes at the expense of practical 
 wisdom. It was his characteristic discretion, 
 as well as his zeal and intrepidity, that so 
 sensibly promoted his usefulness, and secured 
 for him the confidence and co-operation of 
 the churches, in the great enterprise to which 
 his life was so faithfully and successfully 
 devoted. 
 
 It was a circumstance of deep interest to 
 the pagan world, that such a man as our de- 
 ceased friend was called to the executive 
 department of the American Board of Com- 
 missioners for Foreign Missions. When the 
 enterprise of foreign missions was set on foot 
 by the churches of Massachusetts, he was 
 engaged in the profession of the law. in a 
 neighboring state. But he was by no means 
 an indifferent observer of this novel under- 
 taking. The missionary cause was one sin- 
 gularly adapted to his expansive and bene- 
 volent views. And it is in his hig-h and in- 
 timate relation to this cause, that his friends
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 63 
 
 and the friends of Zion love chiefly to regard 
 him. He was useful in other spheres, and in 
 some greatly useful. As a scholar, as a jurist, 
 as an editor, as the patron of all Christian 
 and benevolent institutions, as an abettor of 
 the cause of temperance, as an advocate for 
 the Christian sabbath, and the fearless de- 
 fender of the rights of the Indians, he was 
 the benefactor of his country. But the cause 
 of missions to the heathen was the great 
 sphere of his usefulness. For this he was 
 eminently fitted by his talents, his scholar- 
 ship, his untiring activity, his Christian 
 character, and his acquaintance with men 
 and the world. And his mind and heart 
 seem to have received a new impulse, and 
 to have been enlarged and transformed, by 
 coming in contact with this great object. 
 Perhaps there is not a finer example of the 
 influence of benevolent operations upon the 
 mind and heart than he himself presents ; 
 and there is scarcely a finer example of the 
 amount of good which can be accomplished 
 by one man of humble origin, when his ef-
 
 64 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 forts are directed toward an object adapted to 
 his capacity, and worthy of all his energy 
 and ardor. 
 
 The amount of business at the missionaiy 
 rooms is much greater than is generally 
 known, even by the friends of missions. 
 The number of letters there prepared, many 
 of them long and requiring much thought, 
 exceeds tiventy-five hundred a year. On the 
 secretaries of that office devolves all the cor- 
 respondence of the board, foreign and do- 
 mestic, except what relates immediately to 
 the treasury. On them also devolves the 
 preparation of the amiual report, of mission- 
 ary papers, instructions to missionaries, and 
 other public documents ; the editing of the 
 Missionary Herald, the general supermtend- 
 ence of the missions, the obtaining and 
 directing of missionaries and agents, the col- 
 lection of information which shall lead to the 
 establishment of new missions and the en- 
 largement of those already established ; the 
 preparation of business for the prudential 
 committee, the arrangements for the meetings
 
 MEMORY OF EVAUTS 65 
 
 of auxiliaries, together with the deputations 
 to attend them ; and also a very extensive 
 and personal intercourse with the friends of 
 missions from all parts of the country. No 
 one man could possibly attend minutely to 
 this multiforious concern. For several years 
 Mr. Evarts had little to do in conducting the 
 Missionary Herald. Much of the correspon- 
 dence, foreign and domestic, was also written 
 by his associates. He was also occasionally 
 absent from Boston, for considerable periods 
 of time, when all the business of the rooms 
 devolved on his associates. His absences 
 always had some reference however to the 
 missionary cause, and were laboriously de- 
 voted to the formation of auxiliary societies, 
 to tlie inspection of the missionary station.s, 
 and to modify, if possible, the measures which 
 he feared the national government might 
 pursue in relation to the Indians. Here, per- 
 haps, it may be proper to remark, that it may 
 be doubted whether the necessity of official 
 visits to the missions is well understood by 
 the public, or their utility appreciated. The 
 6*
 
 66 MEMOnV OF EVARTS. 
 
 saving of money, of labor, of time in the pro- 
 secution of the missions, and the promotion 
 of zeal in the missionaries, have almost in- 
 variably, perhaps always, been of far greater 
 value than the expense of the visit. Lideed, 
 such visitations, occasionally made, are in- 
 dispensable, cost what they may. And with 
 what fidelity, and advantage, and rigid econ- 
 omy, this service was performed by Mr. 
 Evarts, is well understood by the prudential 
 committee of the board. 
 
 The first ten annual reports of the com- 
 mittee were written by the Rev. Dr. Worces- 
 ter ; the last ten by Mr. Evarts. The con- 
 clusion of the report in 1826, and of the last 
 in 1830, are among his most eloquent pro- 
 ductions, especially the last. Few productions 
 do ofreater honor to the American character. 
 It deserves to be noticed, that each of these 
 secretaries should have written just ten re- 
 ports. Mr. Evarts himself noticed this circum- 
 stance, and dwelt upon it, with a significant 
 foreboding, in a conversation with one of his 
 associates, and desired him to remember the
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 67 
 
 Circumstance if he should be called to his rest 
 before another annual meeting of the board. 
 The instructions to missionaries on the point 
 of going into the field, were also generally 
 written by Mr. Evarts. His untiring dili- 
 gence and energy of action during the last 
 ten years of his life, and while susttiining the 
 office of secretary of the board, were beyond 
 all praise. It was an eventful period of his 
 life, fruitful in benevolent results, and has 
 left its indelible impression on the heathen 
 world. 
 
 There is one very delightful feature in his 
 character developed in the performance of 
 his official duties. He appeared to feel deeply, 
 and was anxious that his associates should 
 feel their entire insufficiency for the enter- 
 prise in which tliey were embarked, without 
 divine aid. It was his custom for years, with 
 some interruptions, after the labors of the 
 week were ended, to meet his associates at 
 liis own house, for the purpose of reviewing 
 the business of the week past, and anticipating 
 tliat of the week to come ; and in general of
 
 68 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 spending an hour in the evening in conver- 
 sation and prayer, with reference to their 
 official duties. His sohcitude for the proper 
 discharge of his duty was sometimes very 
 intense ; and so was his sohcitude for the 
 missionaries ; but nothing occasioned him so 
 much sohcitude as the backwardness of the 
 churches to furnish pecuniary means for 
 sending the Gospel to the heathen. 
 
 But the days of his toil and solicitude are 
 over. He rests now. He speaks to us from 
 the grave ; or rather from those high worlds 
 of light and joy. I seem to hear him say to 
 the friends of missions in this assembly and 
 in this land — " Remember the nations that 
 know not God. Sectional distinctions, party 
 interests, local enterprises, wealth, fame, 
 pleasure — all, all must be forgotten in the 
 great, the common enterprise of converting 
 the iDorld. There is a beauty and sublimity 
 in this mighty object, that transcend all the 
 beautiful and sublime of the moral creation. 
 "When the elements shall melt Avith fervent 
 heat; when the earth with all its magnifi-
 
 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 69 
 
 <cence shall be wrapt in flame ; this glorious 
 cause will but just have begun to commend 
 itself to the intelligent universe. When the 
 ransomed of the Lord shall return with songs 
 and everlasting joy upon their head ; when 
 the gates of perpetual praise shall be opened 
 to the redeemed from every nation, and kin- 
 dred, and tongue, under heaven; then, and 
 not till then, will it be fully seen, that it is just 
 ,as important that the Gospel be carried to the 
 heathen, as that the heathen should be saved. 
 Tremble not for the niissionaiy cause. God 
 will protect it when all the nations die. It is 
 by his almighty power and grace that it has 
 been sustained, and by the same energy it 
 will be still sustained." Let the friends of 
 missions listen to this timely counsel. Though 
 the earth be removed, and the mountains be 
 carried into the midst of the sea, God is a re- 
 fuge for us, and we need not fear. Evarts 
 may be silent and forgotten in the grave; but 
 the Lord liveth, and blessed be our Rock, 
 and let the God of our salvation be exalted ! 
 Changes in men and events there will be ;
 
 70 MEMORY OF EVARTS. 
 
 but there is none in God. Be it ours to in- 
 crease our faith, to enlarge our plans of bene- 
 volence, to redouble our efforts — for the diffii- 
 sion of the Gospel among all nations — for the 
 destruction of every false system of religion — 
 for the conversion of the world — and the God 
 of heaven will take care of the missionary en- 
 terprise. The great work of turning the world 
 from Satan unto God is begun, and it shall be 
 accomplished ; for the mouth of the Lord hath 
 spoken it. Let there be no division in our 
 counsels and no relaxation of our efforts, and 
 the cause will prosper in our hands and 
 through our unworthy instrumentality. Let 
 not difficulties discourage us ; let not re- 
 proaches provoke us ; let not disappointments 
 depress us. — " Be bold in the service of God. 
 It is the only thing" worth being bold forP 
 Difficulty and peril there are in the path of 
 duty, but be bold for Christ. Every where 
 prove yourselves the uncompromising friends 
 of truth and righteousness. If fiery trials 
 await you, they are designed to test your in- 
 tegrity, and prove your patience and submis-
 
 iMEMORV OF KVARIS. 71 
 
 sion. It is always safe to be bold and intrepid 
 in duty. Do not be afraid. '-Who is he that 
 \vill harm you, if ye be followers of that 
 which is good J They that trust in the Lord 
 sliall be as Mount Zion, that shall not be re- 
 moved, but abideth for ever. Fear not them 
 which kill the body, and after that have no 
 more that they can do ; but fear Him, \vho, 
 after he hath killed, hath power to destroy 
 both soul and body in hell : yea, I say unto 
 you, fear him." In his cause you can afford 
 to sufier. He could afford it, and so can you. 
 Sacrifices for Christ are infinite and eternal 
 gain. 
 
 And to every man in this dying assembly, 
 I seem to liear him say, and with all the si- 
 lent eloquence and persuasion of the grave, 
 '• Think of eternity and heaven. Think of 
 the orlorious character and everlasting career 
 of the righteous, and of the debased and hope- 
 less character and miserable end of the wick- 
 ed." Looking out from that immeasurable 
 eternity, he proclaims, '• The world is empti- 
 ness and illusion. Life is frail and perishing.
 
 72 MEMORY OF EVARTS, 
 
 Soon you will be numbered with the congre' 
 gation of the dead. Li a little while you will 
 mingle with the amazing multitude that shall 
 stand up before the judgment-seat of Christ, 
 In a little while, you will be acquitted or con- 
 demned ; you will rise to heaven, or sink to 
 hell." Such are the issues of your brief and 
 uncertain probation. Never were they more 
 palpable, and never did they assume greater 
 magnitude and importance, than at such a 
 day as this. God is arising to shake terribly 
 the earth. His fan is in his hand. He is 
 rapidly preparing all things for the final har- 
 vest. His sword is upon his thigh, and he is 
 gone forth, conquering and to conquer. And 
 who will enlist under his banner? Who 
 asks no better portion, than to be identified 
 with his successes and triumphs 1 Who will 
 bind his eternal destiny to the wheels of his 
 chariot, and rise or fall with the conquests or 
 defeat of his empire ? Wlio is on the Lord's 
 side ? In this day of conflict, who is for Chris! 
 and his cause ? In this day of Avonders. who 
 will stand forth for the millenium and for 
 heaven ?
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 In forming an estimate of the character of 
 an individual, there are always two classes of 
 influence to be taken into the account. In 
 tlie first place, the providence and spirit of 
 God are to be distinctly recognized. Men are 
 not unfrequently placed in such circumstances 
 that they can hardly avoid acting a distin- 
 guished part. They came into existence at 
 tliat very moment when the world was ripe 
 for change. They had only to fall in with a 
 current which had received its direction long 
 before they were born. Or, perhaps, some 
 slight incident occurred in the early part of 
 their history, which was entirely out of the 
 range of their contrivance, but which essen- 
 tially modified their whole subsc(juent cours(\ 
 The fathers of New-England, though endued 
 with almost prophetic sagacity, were, notwith- 
 7
 
 74 MEMORY OF CORNELIl/S'. 
 
 Standing, deeply indebted to the providence 
 of God. The persecutions wliich they suf- 
 fered in England compelled them to leave it. 
 A spirit of adventure and foreign discovery 
 had been, for several years, abroad in Europe. 
 Coming from a small island, over a wide ocean, 
 and landing on a great continent, they would 
 naturally feel an enlargement of soul. The 
 idea must have been forced upon their minds, 
 that they were to be the parents of a new 
 race, the patriarchs of a new continent. They 
 were also frequently the subjects of remark- 
 able and entirely unforeseen deliverances. 
 
 It is important to look upon the history and 
 character of men in this aspect. A main part 
 of our object in reading biography, should be 
 to trace the operations of the providence of 
 God. If we lose sight of that, we shall cer- 
 tainly be in danger of paying idolatry to a 
 few distinguished names. In Washington's 
 character there was a singularly happy com- 
 bination of qualities, which were in part the 
 result of his o^\^l effort and self-discipline. 
 Still, God gave to Washington powers of
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS, 75 
 
 body »ind of mind altogether unusual, and 
 placed him in circumstances where those 
 powers were nurtured and developed. 
 
 In the second place, however, men are free 
 agents. Almost unbounded scope is given 
 to them for industry, energy, and constant 
 acquisition. There is a very great disparity 
 anions: individuals in the same profession, 
 with equal original powers and with the 
 same opportunities, because one will make 
 those efforts which another refuses or neglects 
 to mak'e. God does not give wisdom to the 
 thoughtless, nor energy to the idle. He dis- 
 penses his favors providently, as well as boun- 
 tifully. It is a most interostinir fact in the di- 
 vine administration, that the industrious and 
 observant man should meet with that favor- 
 able conjunction of circumstances on which 
 success often de[)cnds. There are placed be- 
 fore us, not only general promises of aid, but 
 the strong probability that wesliall meet some 
 of those unforeseen events which will enable 
 us to confer eminent benefits on mankind. 
 It was the patient and thoughtful Newton to
 
 76 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 whom was revealed the beautiful order of 
 these material heavens. It is the laborious 
 experimentalist who effects the most impor- 
 tant discoveries in any of the sciences. The 
 celebrated inventions in the arts were the pro- 
 duct of intense and long-continued thought. 
 So it is in the spiritual world. We do not at- 
 tain to distinguished usefulness by accident 
 or by miracle. Our hearts must be divested 
 of pride and self-sufficiency, and our hands 
 must be ready for effort, before we can dis- 
 cover and take advantage of the openings in 
 the providence of God. 
 
 In order, therefore, to give a consistent view 
 of any man's character, we must keep in mind 
 the two classes of facts and influences to which 
 I have adverted. Mr. Cornelius was, in 
 some respects, a self-educated man. If he 
 had original force of character, he was never 
 accustomed to put any blind dependence up- 
 on it. He knew what his powers for doing 
 good were, and how they might be strength- 
 ened and perfected. Through his whole pub- 
 lic life he manifested uncommon industiy,
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS // 
 
 and a methodical and intelligent application 
 to his various duties. At the same time it 
 cannot be denied that he was indebted to ex- 
 traneous influence, and to the arrangements 
 of that Power wlio rnleth over all. In the 
 following remarks it is proposed briefly to 
 <;onsider his character and public life, under 
 both the aspects which have been mentioned. 
 One of the most striking attitudes in Avhich 
 Mr. Cornelius is presented lo our minds, has 
 respect to his bodily organization. While 
 this was doubtless affected in various ways, 
 by his regimen, and his attention to the rules 
 of exercise and temperance, yet it was to be 
 regarded pre-eminently as a gift of the Crea- 
 tor — and it was a gift of surpassing beauty and 
 proportion. It is not transgressing the bounds 
 of truth to say, that he had all the qualities 
 which compose a perfect human form. If, 
 when gazing upon that form, an emotion of 
 envy has arisen in our h»>arts. tlie emotion has 
 been checked by the tliou^-ht that such powers 
 were accompanied with corresponding respon- 
 sibilities, and that a failure fully to employ
 
 78 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 them in the service of their Creator would be 
 attended with great guilt. All the parts of his 
 frame were, if we maysoexpress it, in keeping. 
 The effect of one feature or limb was not height- 
 ened by contrast with the deformity of another. 
 On the contrary, each was rendered more at- 
 tractive by being in harmony with others. A 
 remarkable trait in his personal appearance, 
 was the variety and quick succession of emo- 
 tions which he exhibited through the medium 
 of his countenance. The operations of his 
 mind were in an extraordinary degree visible 
 through that natural mirror. We have seen 
 feelings of grief, of affectionate confidence, 
 of intense solicitude, and of exulting hope, 
 depicted on his features with such strength 
 and vividness as to mock all delineation either 
 by pen or pencil. It was like the crossing 
 and recrossing of light and shade over a har- 
 vest field. This circumstance helped him to 
 retain command of the eye and the attention, 
 when addressing a public audience. It was 
 a passport to the hearts of men. The thoughts 
 and feelings which were communicated by
 
 MEMORY or CORNELIUS. l^ 
 
 liis language, were beaming and burning on 
 every feature. The lines and colors of his 
 countenance were the handmaids and inter- 
 preters, and in many cases, the harbingers of 
 what fell from his lips. The structure of his 
 frame, and his general aspect, was that of 
 dignity. He was formed to be a leader in any 
 enterprize in which he might be engaged. 
 His erect position and majestic frame im- 
 pressed every beholder. It won the esteem 
 of those who had no sympathy with his re- 
 ligious opinions. It enabled him to declare 
 the truth of God, in the presence of great men, 
 without hesitation and without detriment to 
 his cause. It also awakened a strong interest 
 in his behalf in the most unenlightened and 
 depressed classes of society with which he 
 came in contact. Accompanying and enforc- 
 mg all the preceding qualities, was his voice. 
 It was one of uncommon clearness and com- 
 pass. It could reach the most distant auditor 
 - with perfect distinctness, and fill every cor- 
 ner and niche of our largest edifices. It had 
 not, perhaps, the delicacy and llexibiHty of
 
 80 MEMORY or CORNELIUS 
 
 tone which some voices possess ; still it was 
 not deficient in these qualities. He produced 
 the most powerful effects upon our feelings 
 by the milder and lower intonations. There 
 was occasionally asubduing tenderness, which 
 was in strong and delightful contrast with 
 some preceding exhibition of overwhelming 
 power. His clear and sonorous voice was to 
 him, as a public agent, a powerful auxiliary. 
 Very few individuals who have lived in this 
 country, have been called to address au- 
 diences more numerous, or convened in edi- 
 fices more diverse in form and size. 
 
 The character of his father was another 
 circumstance worthy of distinct considera- 
 tion. This excellent man had passed through 
 scenes which had imparted to him great 
 energy and firmness. Early in life he had 
 engaged in the service of his country, without 
 the cordial concurrence of his family friends. 
 He escaped from a long and severe imprison- 
 ment in a British jail, by his boldness and in- 
 genuity. He maintained, during the latter 
 period of his military career, a consistent re-
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 01 
 
 ligious profession, and to the close of a long 
 life he upheld the institutions of the Gospel, 
 in the face of much discouragement and op- 
 position. This determined character he im- 
 pressed upon his son. Perhaps the considera- 
 tion that he was an 07iZy son, led him to guard 
 more carefully against the dangers by which 
 a father in such circumstances is surround- 
 ed. At all events, the course of discipline 
 which he adopted was manly and decisive, 
 and the effect on the character of the youthful 
 subject was great and salutary. It imparted 
 a vigor and determination to his mind and 
 whole character which never forsook him. 
 
 In this connection, it is important to dwell, 
 for a moment, upon a fact in his religious 
 history. The remark has been sometimes 
 made, that when God intends to employ an 
 individual in a sphere of distinguished use- 
 fulness, he so orders it that his conversion is 
 marked and unequivocal. This assertion is 
 not meant to imply that there must be, in all 
 cases, very deep convictions of sin, or corre- 
 sponding emotions of joy, or an inmiediately
 
 82 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 decisive alteration of any kind. The change 
 in Baxter, Buchanan, and Martyn was so 
 gradual, that the time when it commenced 
 was not obvious to themselves or to others. 
 At length, however, the CA'idence that they 
 were Christians was to themselves distinct 
 and full. Martyn said that he could no more 
 question it than he could his own existence. 
 The different manner and circumstances of 
 this great change must exert a decided in- 
 fluence on the whole subsequent life. Per- 
 severing effort for the salvation of others, is 
 not consistent with prevailing doubts in re- 
 gard to one's own safety. What would a sol- 
 dier be worth in the day of battle, if he followed 
 his commander with hesitating and doubtful 
 steps? A person must be rejoicing in hope, and 
 in some measure confident of his high calling, 
 before he can do good to all men as he has 
 opportunity. It is of great importance, there- 
 fore, that a Christian should commence his 
 course with as much impetus as possible from 
 the circumstances of his own conversion. 
 The very recollection of the '• marvelous
 
 MEMORY OF COKXliLlL'S. 83 
 
 change" will inspire him with new ardor in 
 his pathway to heaven. With this sicrnal ad- 
 vantage did Mr. Cornelius enter upon his re- 
 ligious course. His conviction of sin was un- 
 conmionly deep and thorougli. and his first 
 exercise of faith in the Savior cordial and 
 soul-transforming. The reality of the change 
 was clear to his o^\'Tl mind as well as to those 
 of others. A consciousness of love to Christ 
 diffused a sweet serenity through his soul, 
 and armed him with courage for the day of 
 conflict. He often referred to this period as 
 emphatically a season of grace and peace — a 
 foretaste of never-ending; joy. Darkness and 
 doul)t, indeed, occa.sionally visited his soul 
 within a short time after his conversion, but 
 they only made the recovered beams of the 
 Sun of Righteousness more pleasant and vivi- 
 fying. He possessed in some good measure 
 the feelings of Paul. wIumi he deduces from 
 his confident expectation of eternal life the 
 snblime inference, wiiF.nF.FORK we i^.vhou. 
 
 Mr. Cornoliiis entered on his religious life 
 at a period when many circumstances must
 
 84 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 have combined to produce a strong impres- 
 sion on a heart so susceptible as his. It was 
 an era in the history of Christianity. The 
 churches of Christ were just beginning to 
 reaUze the great fact that their rehgion is to 
 be propagated among all nations. The first 
 company of missionaries had just departed to 
 carry the Gospel to India. Mills had com- 
 menced his career of seraphic benevolence. 
 Our Western States were becoming known 
 as, in many parts, scenes of moral desolation. 
 An unaccustomed interest was awakened in 
 behalf of the children of Africa. The glow 
 and freshness of youth was upon every thing 
 which had respect to the propagation of Chris- 
 tianity at home and abroad. There had been 
 no period like it since the reformation. The 
 preceding years of the nineteenth century 
 were, comparatively, a season of apathy. At 
 the present time, the subject of the evangeli- 
 zation of the world has become, to some ex- 
 tent, a matter of sober calculation, and of 
 fixed principle. The fact, therefore, that Mr. 
 Cornelius entered upon the Christian life at
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. So 
 
 the time in which he did, shaped, iii no in- 
 considerable degree, his whole future destiny. 
 It gave a tenderness to his feelings, and an en- 
 largement tohisviews, which wouldhave been 
 attained, probably, in no other circumstances.* 
 His familiar acquaintance with a few such 
 men as Mr. Evarts and Dr. Worcester, it is 
 generally supposed, contributed, in no slight 
 degree, to the formation of his character. 
 Frequently as he enjoyed such opportunities, 
 and hiirhly as he valued them, they could 
 hardly fail to leave a deep impression on his 
 inquisitive mind and susceptible heart. We 
 are inclined to believe, however, that the in- 
 tercourse which he enjoyed with those vene- 
 rated men, though highly important, did not 
 essentially modify his character. He learned 
 from them, indeed, many lessons of practical 
 wisdom. They corrected the decisions of his 
 inexperienced youth, and helped him to con- 
 trol his feelings, by giving additional clear- 
 ness to his conscience, and strength to his 
 
 * He read^at this lime, with singular iltlijilil ai.d 
 profit, ihe Memoir ofMrr. Harriot Newell. 
 8
 
 86 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 judgment. At the feet of Dr. Worcester, 
 especially, he always delighted to sit, and 
 listen to the words of wisdom which dropped 
 as honey from his lips. Yet his character, as 
 to all his main features, was formed before 
 his acquaintance with the individuals in 
 question. He never manifested a sounder 
 judgment, or a more enlightened zeal, than 
 on his mission to the Indians, when hardly 
 twenty-two years old. That agency brought 
 him into connection with men high in civil 
 life, yet he acquitted himself of all his diffi- 
 cult undertakings with uncommon fidelity 
 and prudence. His resources were developed 
 very early in life. He did not need that pro- 
 tracted experience which many others must 
 acquire before their powers can be safely, 
 and to the highest _degree, employed. The 
 effect of his intercourse with more mature 
 minds, consisted in giving a uniformity to his 
 character, and in correcting his judgment in 
 the lesser circumstances and occasions of life. 
 We are now prepared to consider some of 
 the traits in his character, in the formation
 
 Mf,MOR\ OF CljRXKLIUS 87 
 
 and culture of which he exerted a more di- 
 rect agency himself. 
 
 The versatility of his powers was uncom- 
 mon. There are very few species of labor, in- 
 tellectual or physical, in which he would not 
 have excelled, had he pleased to have given 
 his attention to them. He could turn instantly 
 from one employment to another. He had 
 that ready address, that self-possession, at- 
 tractive personal appearance, acquaintance 
 with the modes of iritercourse in society, firm 
 muscular power, excitableness of emotion, 
 which qualified him to discharge, with entire 
 success, a great variety of complicated duties. 
 He did not possess, as he was ever ready to 
 acknowledge, very copious stores of science 
 and literature. Still, he had the mental ability 
 — the stamina of a scholar — power of labo- 
 rious investigation — of seizing upon funda- 
 mental principles — of subjecting a topic to 
 logical analysis and generalization. Had he 
 seen fit to accept of his appointment of The- 
 ological Professor at one of our more im- 
 portant colleges, he would, doubtless, have
 
 88 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 qualified himself to have discharged its du- 
 ties with eminent ability. On one occasion 
 he had opportunity to show his mental re- 
 sources on the field of controversy ; with what 
 success need not here be mentioned. His ser- 
 mon on the Trinity is a happy specimen of 
 clear and simple illustration, and of condens- 
 ed thouo;ht, on a subject which has been fre- 
 quently involved in unnecessary darkness. 
 His executive powers were so remarkable, 
 that it has been sometimes supposed that he 
 resorted to his study with strong reluctance. 
 But the fact was the reverse. A mind so in- 
 telligent and inquisitive was certainly capa- 
 ble of acquiring habits of abstraction, and of 
 severe and protracted thought. 
 
 The entire harmony of his character was 
 as remarkable as the versatility of his powers. 
 He was a faithful and an affectionate friend, 
 a valuable counsellor, lovely and interesting 
 in all his social relations, ready to sympathize 
 in every form of human calamity, and to take 
 a real and eifective interest in the concerns of 
 others. He rejoiced in the extension of civil
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 89 
 
 liberty and the rights of man. He was an 
 impressive preacher of the doctrines of the 
 cross, and an eloquent advocate of e very- 
 philanthropic entcrprize. At home or abroad, 
 among strangers or friends, in the great con- 
 gregation, or on the solitary journey, there 
 was a delightful consistency of feeling and 
 conduct. 
 
 But it may be well to consider more at 
 length, some of the qualities of his character 
 which have just been enumerated. For a pro- 
 fessional man, his acquaintance with the af- 
 fairs of common life and business was un- 
 commonly extensive and accurate. He ad- 
 hered to the maxim, that what was worth 
 doing at all, was worth doing well. He con- 
 ducted his pecuniary accoimts with great re- 
 gularity and neatness. The various public 
 documents which were intrusted to his care, 
 were arranged with order and intelligence. 
 His style of penmanship, if not distinguished 
 for elegance, was very neat and perspicuous. 
 To the most minute details of the office, to 
 the most laborious examination and arrange- 
 8*
 
 90 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 meiit he submitted with entire cheerfulness. 
 This intimate acquaintance with the details 
 of a system, enabled him to act with confi- 
 dence and energy. The effect of such know- 
 ledge and such habits on his conscience was 
 by no means inconsiderable. The tenderness 
 and power of that faculty are often greatly 
 lessened by the loose and desultory manner 
 of transacting, pecuniary concerns, which 
 many professing Christians adopt. A great 
 revolution in the habits of men, in this parti- 
 cular, Avill be effected wlien they will bring 
 their conscience beneath the clear and search- 
 ing light of God's law. They will see and 
 feel that a Christian character, in its proper 
 meaning, can be maintained only by doing 
 at the right time, and in the right manner, 
 every duty which devolves upon them. 
 
 Closely allied with the preceding trait, was 
 integrity. Of the property of the church, which 
 was intrusted to his care, Mr. Cornelius was a 
 faithful steward; conscious that the prosperity, 
 if not the very existence of our benevolent as- 
 sociations is depending on the rigid honesty
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 91 
 
 of those who have the disposal of the piibhc 
 funds. He had evidently studied this subject 
 with much seriousness and attention. Instead 
 of subjecting himself to the charge of delin- 
 quency and carelessness, he, perhaps, erred 
 on the other extreme. He frequently men- 
 tioned to the writer of this article, that he 
 never performed a journey of considerable 
 length, in behalf of a public object, without a 
 sacrifice of his |>ecuniary interests. When 
 urged to adopt efficient measures to secure a 
 more comfortable pecuniary support, he was 
 accustomed to bring forward, in justification 
 of his conduct, the example of Paul, who 
 gladly relinquished his own rigiits that he 
 might put no hinderance in the way of the 
 Gospel. We have rarely known an instance ol 
 honesty more scrupulous, of integrity farther 
 beyond the reach of suspicion, accompanied 
 at the same time with great, and, considering 
 his circumstances, munificent liberalily- 
 
 Mr. Cornelius possessed, in a striking de- 
 gree, the power of inducing others to co-ope- 
 rate with him in the accomplishment of his
 
 92 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 plans. It was very difficult for an individual, 
 however fortified in an adverse opinion, to 
 resist his eloquent persuasions. One secret 
 of his success, in this particular, was his per- 
 sonal experience in deciding questions of 
 duty. He had fully investigated those consi- 
 derations by which all men of religious prin- 
 ciple are wont to be guided. He could also 
 state a question to every description of minds 
 with remarkable clearness. He did not carry 
 his point so much by the invention of new ar- 
 guments, as by a luminous presentation of the 
 obvious and ascertained facts and arguments 
 belonging to the question. We have been sur- 
 prised at the facility with which men of mo- 
 derate capacity apprehended his meaning. 
 He had none of that vanity which causes a 
 man to hunt for original thoughts and modes 
 of expression, at the expense of perspicuity 
 and impression. He was willing, also, to re- 
 iterate the same great motives and arguments, 
 when an ambitious spirit, or personal intellec- 
 tual benefit, would have tempted him to have 
 taken a different course. Such, moreover,
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 93 
 
 was the vigor of his imagination and the 
 strength of his feehngs, that he could clothe 
 a subject in rich and attractiv^e colors. He 
 was deeply interested himself in whatever bu- 
 siness he undertook, and this enabled him to 
 present it to others in its most impressive 
 forms. His object was not, however, attained 
 by over-statement, or by an enumeration of 
 unimportant circumstances, but by show- 
 ing the prominent aspects of the question in 
 their bearing on tlie salvation of the world. 
 And here it may be remarked, that he ever 
 retained the friends and auxiliaries which he 
 had secured to liis cause. Those who had 
 bestowed of their substance, bountifully, at 
 his solicitation, welcomed his return. He had 
 qualities which made it delightful to be asso- 
 ciated with him — a deep and sincere interest 
 in the welfare of others, even in minute par- 
 ticulars — unaffected kindness of manner — 
 great delicacy of feeling — freedom from eve- 
 ry species of envy and jealousy — the practice 
 of heartily conmiending others, when it could 
 be done with truth — and aconfidcut liclicf in
 
 94 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 the certain and glorious triumphs of the en- 
 terprize in which he was engaged. This last 
 circumstance was very apparent. He was ac- 
 customed to dwell upon the encouraging as- 
 pects of his course. Some excellent men, by 
 allowing their minds to fasten on the apathy 
 of real Christians, on the avarice of merce- 
 nary professors of Christianity, and on the 
 appalling obstacles in the way of success in 
 the unbelieving world, exceedingly impede 
 their usefulness. They become timid, gloomy, 
 jealous, if not misanthropic. They rarely min- 
 gle, with their harsh complaints and denunci- 
 ations, the soft words of persuasion and en- 
 couragement. They do not follow the exam- 
 ple of Paul, who commended his brethren 
 whenever he could do it in consistency with 
 truth. Mr. Cornelius acted on the principle of 
 the Romans, never to despair of the common- 
 wealth. He threw around him an air of cheer- 
 fulness and hope. This example animated 
 the bosoms of his coadjutors. They felt in- 
 spired by the presence of a leader who was 
 so confident of victory, and so able, with the 
 blessing of God, to secure it.
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 95 
 
 One of the traits in his character to which 
 his success in pubhc hfe was greatly owing, 
 was the union of sound judgment and ardent 
 emotion. A stranger, after hstening to his 
 pubhc addresses, might conchide that how- 
 ever efficient he might be in action, he would 
 not be uncommonly discreet in counsel. But 
 the important public measures of his life will 
 bear the severest examination. In matters 
 comparatively unimportant, errors in judg- 
 ment might be discerned. But whenever a 
 great interest was at stake, no man would 
 submit to more patient deliberation. We Avill 
 select a striking instance of his forethought, 
 at the very commencement of his public ca- 
 reer in 1818. 
 
 At the time in which he visited the councils 
 of the Creek and Cherokee Indians, for the pur- 
 pose of inducins^ them to co-operate in the esta- 
 hhshiiieut of schools and missions aniont; their 
 people, the (government of the I'uited States 
 were endeavoring to induce the Indians to re- 
 move west of the Mississippi. Soon after the ar- 
 rival of Mr. Cornelius in New-Orleans, a friend
 
 96 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 in Tennessee informed him that a report was 
 in circulation in that State, that he had used 
 all his influence while with the Indians, to 
 persuade them not to sell their lands and emi- 
 grate, according to the wishes of the govern- 
 ment of the United States ; and further, that 
 on the strength of this report the Governor 
 of Tennessee had written to the Secretary of 
 War, cautioning him to guard against the in- 
 fluence and designs of Mr. Cornelius. This 
 intelligence, totally unexpected as it was, did 
 not lead him to act unadvisedly, nor to delay 
 acting promptly. It happened most providen- 
 tially that when he had visited the Indian 
 tribes, two or three Tennessee merchants 
 were in company with him. on their way to 
 New-Orleans, and had heard all his commu- 
 nications with the Indians, as he had acted 
 solely through the medium of an interpreter. 
 He immediately procured aflidavits from these 
 merchants, fully disproving the charges which 
 had been made against him. and forwarded 
 them to the Department of War. This mea- 
 sure at once corrected the misapprehension.
 
 MEMORY OF CORXULIUS. 07 
 
 and restored liim to the confidence of the go- 
 vernment. On his return to Washington, he 
 deposited in the records of the Secretary's 
 office a document containing- a complete 
 view of the whole case. Such judo;mcnt and 
 prompt action, in an inexperienced youth ot" 
 twenty-one, is certainly not common. If the 
 inquiry is made for the cause of this maturity 
 of judgment in an individual who had feel- 
 ings so ardent, the reply would he. that it 
 was doubtless in ])art to be attril)uted to an 
 original structure of his mind. He was also 
 in the habit of carefully consulting the opin- 
 ions of others. When a case of great impor- 
 tance came before him, no one was more 
 anxious to receive the light wliich others 
 could scatter in his p;ith. He was habitually 
 accustomed, also, to look to the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wis- 
 dom and knowledge. He did not cultivate 
 simply a general feeling of dependence upon 
 him ; he had an abiding conviction of the 
 real existence and presence of the Savior. 
 He cherished, in a remarlcablo dcgici'. the 
 9
 
 98 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 belief, that erery circumstance, howei^er mi- 
 nute, which has reference to the prosperity of 
 the church, is under the special care of its 
 Great Head. Lord, what wilt tlioii have me 
 to do ? contained a sentiment which was ever 
 on his lips, and which was deeply engraven 
 on his heart. His prayers, without degene- 
 rating into trifling minuteness or tedious pro- 
 lixity, were marked by an intelligent enume- 
 ration of those particulars which were best cal- 
 culated to awaken his own feelings, and by 
 a solemn recognition of the interest which his 
 Redeemer felt in all the plans that respected 
 his own glory and kingdom. 
 
 Those who were conversant with Mr. Cor- 
 nelius, must have been struck with the en- 
 largement of his views and the philanthropy 
 of his feelings. This was apparent and pro- 
 minent in all the relations which he sustain- 
 ed. He looked above and beyond local feel- 
 ing, and party prejudice, and sectarian self- 
 ishness, and national antipathies. He was 
 emphatically the friend of the human race. 
 No circumstances ever filled him with more 
 unaffected sorrow than the prospect of divi- 
 
 i
 
 MEMORY OF COIINELIUS. 99 
 
 sions among the churches of Christ. He felt 
 that all, who had been redeemed by the blood 
 of Christ, should show their high calling by- 
 living at peace with one another. This ca- 
 tholic spirit was not attained by any sacrifice 
 of principle. He loved the great doctrines of 
 the Gospel, and on them alone placed his hope 
 of eternal life. Still he held the truth in love. 
 He made his very attachment to the peculiar 
 doctrines of Christianity the occasion of more 
 fervent and expansive regard to all who were 
 rejoicing in the same precious faith. 
 
 It might be inferred, perhaps, from the pre- 
 ceding remarks, that energy must have been 
 one of his prominent characteristics. This 
 enabled him, by the grace of God, to accom- 
 plish, in a few years, great results. He seems 
 to have had, especially during the last years 
 of his life, a strong impression of the brevity 
 of human existence, and a belief that if he 
 intended to do any thing for his fellow men, 
 it must be done noir. It was interesting to 
 see how active his mind was in providing 
 against any relaxation or intervals in his en-
 
 100 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 gagements. He was as solicitous to anticipate 
 and forestall labor, as many others are rest and 
 amusement. His mind was ingenious and fer- 
 tile in discovering expedients, on an elevated 
 scale, for doing good. At the time of his 
 death, he probably had plans and objects in 
 view which would have required, in their 
 execution, a much larger space than is allot- 
 ted to man upon earth. This promptitude of 
 character was essentially aided by some of 
 his personal habits. While in the prosecution 
 of an enterprize, he rarely intermitted his 
 work for the sake of examining his motives. 
 Such a step would have evidently weakened 
 and retarded his efforts. For the time being 
 he threw himself, and all his capabilities of 
 mind and action, into the enterprize before 
 him. Previously to entering on his labors, 
 he carefully examined the state of his heart, 
 and frequently set apart an entire day for spi- 
 ritual preparation. When his engagement 
 terminated, he faithfully reviewed the condi 
 tion of his soul, and sought repentance foi 
 those things which had been repugnant to
 
 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 101 
 
 his profession. Thoii2:h this method of self- 
 examination might not be expedient to such 
 as have favorable opportunities daily, yet, in 
 a public agent, it is altogether the wisest 
 course. Such a man, while rapidly journey- 
 ing from place to place, compelled to accom- 
 plish within a given period a great amount 
 of business, has no time nor place to slop and 
 critically investigate his motives. He must 
 make prayer and self-examination a stated 
 and special work. The energy in the cha- 
 racter of Mr. Cornelius was increased by the 
 thorough knowledge of his duties, which he 
 at all times possessed. He did not toil in ig- 
 norance or misapprehension. He obtained a 
 clear idea of the specific work before him, and 
 made skillful arrangements for its prosecution 
 and completion. Of course he rarely wasted 
 his energy, and suffered little from any des- 
 pondency of mind consequent upon such 
 waste. His energy, however, did not partake 
 in the least of obstinacy or fierceness. He 
 had gentle feelings and truly delicate sensi- 
 bilities. Often did he bind up the broken
 
 102 MEMORY OF CORNELIUS. 
 
 heart, and heal the wounded spirit. He loved 
 to administer the consolations of the Gospel at 
 the bedside of the sick and dying. No acts 
 of his life are cherished with more grateful 
 remembrance by his flock at Salem, than 
 those performed on such occasions. It was 
 not an aftected or an official display of s^Tn- 
 pathy. It was the outpouring of a heart full 
 of tenderness. In his intercourse with his fa- 
 mily there was a mingled expression of dig- 
 nity and kindness. The authority of the pa- 
 rent was sweetly blended with the amenity of 
 a friend and companion. It is in the social 
 circle where a breach has been made which 
 time will never close. There has been the 
 crushing of fond hopes. The mere respect 
 and esteem, which a general acquaintance 
 with him could not fail to produce, may be 
 forgotten ; but the circle of friends who knew 
 him intimately will need something more 
 than the lapse of time, or intercourse with 
 the world, to efface their sorrow. May He, 
 who is the Resurrection and the Life, esta- 
 blish with them his covenant of peace.
 
 MEMORY OF C0UNELIU3. 1U3 
 
 Mr. Cornelius, though he was called away 
 before he reached the middle period of life, 
 did not live in vain. He gave a noble testi- 
 mony to the fact that Christianity is an in- 
 ward principle, controlling, the heait, mold- 
 ing the life, and eftectually subduing every 
 adverse interest. Wherever he went, he car- 
 ried the conviction that he was not labor- 
 ing for himself, but for his liord and Master. 
 He had fixed his eye on the conversion of all 
 mankind to Clirist. When he first entered 
 on his religious life, this was the idea which 
 took possession of his soul. He felt that he 
 had experienced the grace of God only that 
 he might bring others to partake of the same 
 blessed grace. Doing good became the pas- 
 sion of his soul. For this he expended the 
 energies of a muscular frame, of a comi)re- 
 hensive intellect, and of a fervent spirit, till 
 death interrupted his work, or rather changed 
 its sphere. With earthly passions he had, in- 
 deed, to contend. With the warfare between 
 the " spiritual man " and the " heart which 
 is by nature desperately wicked," he was in-
 
 104 MEMORY OF CORNELITTS. 
 
 timately conversant. Still he kept his eye 
 fixed upon the divine Redeemer, and in his 
 strength went forth to the conflict. The 
 motto which he formally adopted, and upon 
 which he acted, was, " I keep under my body, 
 and briug it into subjection, lest, after having 
 preached to others, I myself should be a cast- 
 away." The most powerful means, which 
 he adopted for this purpose,^ was doing good — 
 laboring for Christ. In this course he sacri- 
 ficed ease, prospects of worldly competence, 
 and literary hopes. 
 
 God, in his holy sovereignty, has taken 
 him away. He teaches us most affectingly 
 that he can do without us or any of our ser- 
 vices. The utter vanity of all earthly de- 
 pendencies was never more impressively ex- 
 hibited. Who now can feel that any man's 
 existence is indispensable for the advance- 
 ment of the Christian cause ? Who will not 
 now place a more entire confidence in Christ ? 
 Who will not, while he adores the profound 
 mystery of God's providence, give himself to 
 his work with redoubled energy ? If we are
 
 MEMORY OF C0RNELIU3. 1 j 
 
 followers of them who have fought tiie good 
 fight, we shall join their society. A blessed 
 company is collecting around the throne. 
 Rapidly are the redeemed of the Lord gather- 
 ing from their wide dispersion, and silting 
 down to the marriage-supper of the Lamb. 
 The ties, which connect us with heaven, are 
 constantly increasing. •• There our best friends 
 and kindred dwell." There is our glorious 
 Redeemer. Let us so live, that when the 
 Bridegroom cometli. we may go c^it with joy 
 to meet him, 
 
 Note. — This ^ketcli orComeluis is t:iken from tlio 
 duarterly Rcgipter of the American Eilucalioii Sj- 
 ciel\' conducted bv B. B. E Iw.irilij.
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 
 
 BT SAMUEL H. COX, D. D. 
 
 There is something awful in the slate 
 even of the pious dead, that seems also pecu- 
 har to them. Their career is finished. They 
 are majestically seated with Christ in his 
 throne. Even Christian faith that abhors the 
 apotheosis of creatures, sees a divinity in their 
 glorified condition. Jewels they were of the 
 Redeemer, fine and polished, even when on 
 earth ; some of them, brilliant and of the first 
 magnitude. Hut they are now placed in his 
 diadem; and their lustres liv^c for ever. Rust 
 decay, change, danger, dimness, have no 
 abode or entrance or memorial in tiie spheres 
 of iioliness and bliss. They need no canon- 
 izing at Rome, being sainted in reality and 
 that in the metropolis of the universe. If any
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 107 
 
 of the species are to be envied — pardon so 
 mean an illustration — it is not those who re- 
 main still in the body. The dead are beati- 
 fied. Theirs is the vision, the fruition, the 
 perfection of God. TJiey have washed their 
 robes and made the?n white in the blood of 
 the Lamb. Therefore are they before the 
 throne of God, and serve him day and night 
 in his temple ; and he that sitteth on the 
 throne shall dwell among them. They shall 
 hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; 
 neither shall the siai light on them,, nor any 
 heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst 
 of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead 
 them nnto living fonntains of waters: and 
 God shall wipe away all tears from their 
 eyes. 
 
 Our loss at the departure of such worthies 
 as the cause of our Foreign Missions has 
 been called to weep, in so many successive 
 instances and from spheres of usefulness so 
 eminent and promising, is too great, and too 
 recent, not to need the solaces that are 
 neither few nor small." We lift our eves
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNEn. 109 
 
 from earth and its ruins, from the church and 
 its calamities, from human comforters and 
 fciding things ; and fasten them on glory and 
 on God. Here is rest and permanency. We 
 see WHO reigns, not more excellent than 
 prosperous ; not more holy than happy ; God 
 over all, blessed for ever. We are refreshed, 
 we are healed. He is unerring. What /te does, 
 whatever he does, all his agency as such 
 is absolute perfection, doing what is incom- 
 parably best. He never forgets his church; 
 never sacrifices the true interests of his king- 
 dom ; never in a single instance regrets, or 
 could amend, his own everlasting ways. 
 Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord 
 God Almighty ; just and true arc thy ways, 
 thou King of saints. TT/io shall not fear 
 thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name ? for 
 thou only art holy : for all nations shall 
 
 COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE THEE ; for thy 
 
 judgments are made manifest. 
 
 Another great man is fallen in our Israel ; 
 and whatever llie gain to him, not less is the 
 loss to us. 
 
 10
 
 110 SfEMOIR OF WibSZn. 
 
 In Virtue's eye the yood alone are great; 
 The great loo seldom i^ood. 
 
 In an estimate the most sober and chastised ; 
 rejecting superfluity, and pageantry, and 
 glare ; viewing these high quahties in their 
 proper nature and their purest elements ; 
 caring nothing for what is adventitious or 
 imaginary ; forming our conclusions too 
 Avithout the parsimony of the sordid or the 
 humility of the envious ; thinking of our 
 WisNER as calmly as we can in his true 
 character, now that his course is finished and 
 his warfare fought, now that his fame is 
 heavenly or has become the especial inheri- 
 tance of the surviving church, we know of 
 no reason why we should not glorify God 
 in him as in a noble and gracious specimen 
 of his own workmanship — a great and good 
 man. By changing the first word, or substi- 
 tuting his, we might appropriate, as his epi- 
 taph, the following beautiful tribute of apos- 
 tolic simplicity and commendation ; Demet- 
 rhis hath good report of all ?}ien. and of the
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNl.R. Ill 
 
 truth itself : yea. and we also bear record ; 
 and ye know that our record is true. 
 
 It may well be questioned if any clergyinan 
 of his years and general standing, has died 
 any where in this age, with a reputation more 
 enviable, equitable, or pure, than that of Dr. 
 Wisner. Its negative aspects, so far as we 
 know, were perfectly excellent. Whatever 
 his defects of character might have been in 
 the sight of God, where no mortal is other 
 than faulty and imj^erfect, they were scarcely 
 palpable or discernible in the sight of men. 
 At least they were much or totally unknown : 
 while his positive excellencies were many and 
 distinguishing. His business character was 
 (hat of practical correctness and despatch, of 
 tact and utility. It was methodical and accu- 
 rate, executive and sober, industrious and ef- 
 fective : in these qualities he truly excelled ; 
 there being few of the sacred profession any 
 where, whose proficiency in heavenly learn- 
 ing became so sound .;<nd deep and clear, 
 without manifestly impairing their competen- 
 cy for the performance of matters and duties
 
 112 MEMOIR OF V/TSNER, 
 
 comparatively secular and common. In this 
 respect his loss to the missionary cause, and 
 especially to the department of home cor- 
 respondence, will not probably be soon sup- 
 plied. The churches were increasins^ly pleased 
 with him ; and happy in responding, through 
 such an organ, to the communications and 
 appeals of the Prudential Committee. 
 
 As the present notice of Dr. Wisner is not 
 meant to be an extended or even a proper 
 biography, and certainly not to anticipate 
 or preclude one, being merely a sketch of the 
 facts of his life with an outline of his chatacter> 
 the expectations of the reader will of course 
 conform to the professions of the writer in 
 respect to its generality and brevity. His 
 funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. 
 Dr. Fay ; and from its expected publication,, 
 we anticipated for this volume the selections 
 that were to complete its contents. But in 
 this we have been disappointed,* in common 
 
 * The writer of this too hasty sketch owes it to 
 himself at least, to say that he consented at first to 
 write the Introduction to this volume, at the request
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 113 
 
 with many of the christian community. The 
 sermon is not, we understand, to be given to 
 the pubhc. We have hence been dependent 
 on general reports of what the sermon con- 
 tained, for any assistance — and we should be 
 happy to acknowledge our obligations for 
 more — received from its paragraphs and col- 
 lections. Dr. Wisner was better known to 
 the writer in his proper character, than in the 
 incidents and facts of his personal history. 
 
 of tlie publisher.^, with the e.Kpectatiou of terminating 
 liis part where it beiran. But their disappointment 
 was announced to him, after that part and tliose of 
 Evarls and Cornelius were in type, and waiting the 
 arrival ol documents from which it was intended to 
 complete the volume. In this exigency of the pub- 
 lisheis, he very reluctantly undertook- a work which 
 ought to be performed with more materials, more 
 time, and more adaptation of authorship, than it was 
 in his power to command. The liope however of be- 
 ing in some degree useful, without being in any de- 
 gree hurtful, has sustained him in venturing the per- 
 formance before the public ; and it cannot be echpsed 
 by a fitting biograpliy, too stwn for his own feolinga 
 or those of the communiiy. 
 10'
 
 114 MEMOIR OF WISNEH. 
 
 For these therefore he will be more regardful 
 ofauthorities and the attestations ofotherS; than 
 in the delineation, however imperfect, of the 
 qualities that defined him in the daily walks 
 of life. Still, these are not the most valuable 
 recollections of an individual. Considered 
 apart, they are of little importance ; especially 
 in embalming- the mem.ory of the good. "With 
 the princes and heroes of this world, charac- 
 ter essentially considered, and especially as 
 viewed in the light of an eternal criterion, 
 character is nothing ; events and exploits are 
 all. If these are splendid or magnificent, if 
 they become the pivots of destiny to a nation 
 or an age, if they remain moruimental of a 
 place and a moment and a man with whom 
 their celebrity is associated, then it is that the 
 man becomes the hero of their history, lighted 
 by their glare to the plaudits of posterity : with- 
 out an inquisition or a verdict or a thought 
 on the absolutely distinct question of that 
 hero's character, or the genuine virtue that 
 did or did not constitute any part of it. Be- 
 sides, history is often at fault in its praises,
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 115 
 
 on another principle. It has confounded, it 
 may be, connection with causation ; proximi- 
 ty with achievement ; a relation of affinity 
 wholly passive, with an action of deliberate 
 wisdom and steady performance. It was not 
 perhaps the hero that made the occasion, but 
 the occasion that made him. He might have 
 never thought of the means, as such, by which 
 the result was achieved ; or even have anti- 
 cipated the result at all. But they whose vo- 
 cation it is to eclipse the providence of God, 
 must yield to the temptation of deifying that 
 of man. Their hero was actuated only by 
 the purposes that induced the corresponding 
 events. He was lord of his own destiny, and 
 there was no other being m v:hoie hand 
 his breath vms, and whose were all his ways, 
 and whom he had not glorified ! 
 
 Some write a narrative of \var.~, and feats 
 
 Of heroes Utile known ; and call the rant 
 
 A his'.ory ; describe the man, of whom 
 
 His own coevals took but little note ; 
 
 And paint his person, character, and views, 
 
 A3 they had known him from his mother's wcrab.
 
 116 MEMOIR OF WISNLR. 
 
 They diseiitanirle f.om the puzzled sltein, 
 In wliich obscurity has wrapj/M them np, 
 The tlircuiU of politic and slirewd design 
 That r.m through all his piirpopr s and chr.r^e 
 His mind with meanings that he never had, 
 Or, having, kept conceak'd. 
 
 We do not mean to deny the just connec- 
 tion between providential events and the de- 
 pendent agency of men. There is also a con- 
 nection of great intimacy between the de- 
 velopement of character and tlie objects in 
 view of which it was formed. Human agency 
 too, though dependent, is accountable ; and 
 the great architect of our being, has left us 
 ample scope for the due exercise and ex- 
 pansion of our powers. He is equally the ar- 
 chitect and the preserver of our proper free- 
 dom ; while on high he wisely arbitrates 
 events, and v-orkeih all things according to 
 the counsel of his oicn will. It may here be 
 added that comparatively few events of a 
 thrilling spirit-stirring character, are ordina- 
 rily to be found in the tranquil annals of the 
 good. Hence they are oftener despised than
 
 MEMOIR OF WISXER. 117 
 
 rewarded in this world. They care for prin- 
 ciples ; for truth and its relations ; for motives 
 acceptable to God ; for a conscience without 
 offence ; for beins: useful rather than famous ; 
 for doing good more than being praised for 
 it ; for avoiding temptation and display ; for 
 keeping bright their evidences of acceptance 
 in the Beloved ; and for ripening progres- 
 sively for the heavenly inheritance. Conse- 
 quently, there is very little romance in their 
 story. Tiieir life is more even in its tenor, 
 more noiseless in its lapse, more peaceful in 
 its end, than that which suits the muse of 
 poetry or history. But is it less excellent than 
 others J Is it less worthy of perusal or less 
 profitable for contemplation 7 Nay, is it less 
 grand, intellectual, or philosophical ? Not at 
 all. Instead of less, it is more worthy, more 
 useful, more admirable. It is more distin- 
 guished and illustrious. It is removed far- 
 ther from greatness that is vulgar, from gran- 
 deur that is puerile or pagan. It is alone 
 worthy of imitation. It possesses the living 
 seeds of immortality, and the destined germ
 
 113 MLMOIR OF WISXER. 
 
 of glory. Its honors will be sacred in the re- 
 collections of heaven, wlicn inscriptions will 
 be effaced and monuments have mouldered on 
 the earth. Let us therefore mark the ^perfect 
 man, and behold the upright : for the end 
 of that man is jjeace. 
 
 Benjamin B. Wisner was born in Goshen, 
 Orange County, N. Y. the 29th of September, 
 1794. He died on Monday evening, Febru- 
 ary 9, 1835, aged 40 years, 4 months, and 11 
 days. At the early age of three, he removed 
 with his father to Geneva, then a mere wil- 
 derness. His father was among the first set- 
 tlers, and may be accounted one of tlie found- 
 ers of the Presbyterian Church in that vicini- 
 ty. He ^vas by profession a la\\^er ; and for 
 some years before his death, District Attorney 
 for the Western District of New- York. He 
 died at the age of forty-four ; when Benja- 
 min, his oldest son, was about twenty. AVliile 
 absent from home on his professional busi- 
 ness, the father was attacked with the palsy, 
 and died before his friends could reach him. 
 His mother was also a professor of the reli-
 
 MK>fOIB OF WISNEK. 119 
 
 gion of Jesus Christ, and died about nine 
 years since. 
 
 Young Wisner spent the early part of liis 
 life at home, employing much of his time in 
 agriculture. Of this employment he was al- 
 ways fond ; and by it he acquired that strength 
 and vigor of constitution which he certainly 
 l)ossessed, and from which his many friends 
 at least, cherished tlie prospect of his prolong- 
 ed career on earth. It is thought also that an 
 occupation so favorable to reflection, so teem- 
 ing with demonstrations of God, so independ- 
 ent of creatures by reason of its greater de- 
 pendence on the creator, so primitive and pa- 
 triarchal though more in vogue with the an- 
 cients than with us, must hav'e had also a 
 happy influence on the health and even the 
 2:rowth of mind, of which the advantages 
 were many and parallel with the days of his 
 snbsequfMit life. 
 
 In ancicul time , tlu' S;irrcii plow einpIovM 
 Tiic Ivi 'g-: •iiiil awliil lailicrs i f iiiaiiiui:<! ; 
 
 and we may make a deducli()n by the wa^-.
 
 120 MEMOIR or WISNfR. 
 
 from the example of Dr. Wisner, much in 
 favor of its influence. The whole business 
 of agricuhure seems favorable to the being of 
 man, to his moral and physical education 
 jointly, and to the real worth and permanent 
 welfare of society : as it is more in accoixlance 
 with the original constitution of his maker, 
 than are those states of society and habits of 
 life, which may be called artificial and facti- 
 tious in comparison, 
 
 Where honor sinks as rommerce more prevails 5 
 Where wealth accumulates and men decay. 
 
 There is another quality which seems natu- 
 rally to result from rural occupations, and 
 which Dr. Wisner eminently possessed — that 
 of practical facility and skilful aptness at any 
 thing that is to be done. The habitude of 
 this in manual pursuits and manly action, 
 becomes a part of the individual, and is use- 
 fully transferred to toils mental and literary. 
 Thus the transition was neither severe nor 
 uncongenial, when he commenced his classi- 
 cal and preparatory course of study with the
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNKR 121 
 
 Rev Hen^ Axtell, D. D. of his paternal vil- 
 lage. His proficiency was good and constant, 
 as well as thorough and masterly. He enter- 
 ed the Sophomore Class in Union College at 
 the age of sixteen, and was graduated there 
 in 1813. Here his character was equally well 
 sustained, being remarkable for regularity and 
 strict attention to his studies. He here ac- 
 quired or rather perfected those habits of or- 
 der and industry, which were so serviceable, 
 and for which he was so distinguished in fu- 
 ture life. Pimctuality was with him a virtue, 
 as well as a characteristic. During his whole 
 course of three years, he was never once 
 iiiarkcd for absence. As a scholar his stand- 
 intr was high ; he was universally respected : 
 and at his graduation he received the second 
 honor. His name is at this moment a durable 
 renown to his Alma Mater, and his example 
 a safe and useful light to the junior Alumni 
 of that favored Institution. With capacities 
 equal to the first, his application to his stu- 
 dies was only the greater as he more compre- 
 hended their uses and vanquished their diffi- 
 11
 
 122 MEMOIR OF WI8NER. 
 
 culties. With that assumed indicaflon of na- 
 tive genius, which consists with many in a 
 proud neglect of study — the only proof they 
 furnish of its existence — Dr. Wisner had no 
 sympathy; and his actions add no sanction, 
 but rather another refutation, to its arrogant 
 pretensions. It is almost too silly to be refuted. 
 
 After he left College, he spent one year as 
 a teacher in the Academy at Johnstown. On 
 the death of his father, at this period, the set- 
 tlement of his estate occupied the next year. 
 At the same time, he resumed his favorite oc- 
 cupation of husbandry. On the benefit of 
 these toils to his constitution and his spirits, 
 he has often spontaneously lectured young 
 men who were preparing for the ministry. 
 
 In the autumn of 1815 he received the ap- 
 pointment of tutor in Union College ; where 
 his worth was known, and where another 
 three years of his life was usefully occupied. 
 With filial zeal he devoted himself to the du- 
 ties of his station ; and performed them in a 
 manner, which, were it as common as tutors 
 are, would g-o far to reduce the evils of an ob-
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNEH. 123 
 
 jectionable system. The subject of religion 
 had often at intervals affected his mind ; and 
 now it was that he professed his faith in the 
 Redeemer of men, and joined the church in 
 Schenectady in 1816. Sliortly afterward he 
 commenced the study of theology with the 
 Rev. Dr. Yates, then Professor of Moral Phi- 
 losophy in that Institution, and who frequent- 
 ly fitted young men for the ministry in con- 
 nection with his official duties. At this time 
 Dr. Wisner, Avith another Tutor, had their 
 hearts turned toward the condition of the 
 colored people of that neighborhood ; and as 
 the result of their humane and praiseworthy 
 exertions for their good, a congregation of 
 colored people was speedily formed in Sche- 
 nectady, to whom they regularly imparted 
 divine instruction, and worshipped with them, 
 on Saturday evenings, and also maintained a 
 Sabbath School on the succeeding evenings. 
 His character in this was the proper counter- 
 part to that of Dr. Cornelius. How true it is 
 that the inlluence of the Gospel is the genu- 
 ine antidote to the miseries of man ! The
 
 124 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 
 
 cruelty that crushes down the son of Ethiopia 
 in this land of universal liberty — except the 
 exceptions — will yield to nothing but the Gos- 
 pel of God, if it does to that ! And how obvi- 
 ously would that Gospel induce unity of sen- 
 timent and active beneficence, among all men, 
 in reference to the rights and wrongs of our 
 colored population, were it not for busy hy- 
 pocrisy, obdurate pride, and malignant preju- 
 dice, resisting the influence of the Spirit of 
 God, unceasingly testifying our duty in that 
 Gospel and to that deeply injured race ! 
 
 In November, 1818, at the age of twenty- 
 four, Dr. Wisner entered the Theological Se- 
 minary at Princeton, N. J. where he remain- 
 ed two years. Here he was always useful, 
 busy, and beloved. His intellectual character 
 had now acquired a richness and a ripeness 
 which gave greater value to its strength, and 
 always evoked the meed due to distinguished 
 talents proportionately imbued with piety. If 
 any one was at all unconscious of his supe- 
 riority and worth, it was himself alone. And 
 yet Dr. Wisner had sufficient judgment even
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 1*25 
 
 in an estimate of himself, to understand his 
 duties as related to the capacities with which 
 he was endowed. The importunities of vani- 
 ty however were coerced or precluded by the 
 just sentiment of responsibility. There was 
 a predominating modesty, simplicity and gen- 
 tleness of behavior, whicli shed an additional 
 and very lovely charm over his sterner quali- 
 ties ; and which failed not to commend him 
 perhaps equally to his fellow students and the 
 faculty themselves. He was a general favor- 
 ite. While in Princeton, he was accustomed 
 to labor in destitute congregations of the vi- 
 cinity. He also held the office of Superinten- 
 dent of a Sabbath School. As a proof of his 
 customary assiduity, it is mentioned that he 
 copied in full the lectures of all three of the 
 Professors in that Institution ; and those who 
 knew him, knew as well that he had not only 
 thus transcribed their instructions : he also 
 understood and digested them, with exem- 
 plary thought and correctness. 
 
 At the age of twenty-five, he was licensed 
 to preach the Gosjv^l, June 1820. Tliisyear, 
 
 ir
 
 126 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 
 
 while yet pursuing his studies, he received a 
 unanimous call from the Presbyterian Church 
 in New Brunswick, N. J. to become their pas- 
 tor. In the autumn of the same year, he receiv- 
 ed an invitation from the Old South Church, 
 Boston, to preach to them as a candidate ; 
 which invitation he thought it his duty to 
 accept. The result was his ordination, and 
 installation as their pastor, in February, 1821. 
 He here succeeded the Rev. Joshua Hunting- 
 ton, A. M. the memoirs of whose excellent 
 widow, Mrs. Susan Huntington, he subse- 
 quently gave to the world ; a volume of great 
 worth and usefulness, which has been justly 
 valued also in the older hemisphere. It is 
 now a memorial of Wisner, as well as of his 
 very lovely theme ; and as such will be in- 
 creasingly prized and circulated. The sub- 
 ject, the contents, and the author, now com- 
 plete the reasons of its worth. Thousands 
 who loved that singularly gifted lady, and 
 her very exemplary and valuable husband, 
 will associate his memory with theirs, mourn- 
 ing and honoring together three happy and
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 1^7 
 
 congenial spirits for ever blended in a better 
 world ! 
 
 Shortly after his settlement, he was married 
 to Miss Sarah Johnson, of Johnstown, N. Y. 
 who now sils a tcidoir, with God, we trust) 
 her comforter in so great a tribulation ! He 
 alone can be her compensation or repair her 
 loss. Few wives were so honoured in a hus- 
 band ; or had so much to give to heaven ; or 
 retain such reasons to be thanlcful on earth. 
 Still, the trial is terrible ; and we are not of 
 them whom grace seems — we had almost 
 said — perversely to harden, against the finer 
 feelinofs of our created nature and our con- 
 stituted relations. Let bereavement feel, and 
 let widows weep ! Insensibility never sub- 
 mits, nor apathy acquiesces in the will of 
 God. Resignation is not indifference ; nor 
 sorrowing, sinning ; nor mourning, murnmr- 
 ing. The Stoic and the Christian are differ- 
 ently compounded, and their respective prin- 
 ciples have little or nothing in common. Je- 
 sus wept ; and certainly to widowed desolate- 
 ness itself, it cannot be a mean, thouirli it be
 
 128 MEMOIR OP WISNER. 
 
 an incidental consolation, to know in her su- 
 perior grief that she is sustained by the exam- 
 ple and condolence of afflicted thousands, 
 and these the wise and the good of the earth 
 who are dispersed at large over its continents 
 and islands. 
 
 In his pastoral labors, Dr. Wisner was 
 every way estimable. Without the glow of 
 poetic feelings, his sound good sense, his 
 steady piety, the symmetry of his character, 
 his industry and punctuality, his usefulness 
 and devotion, his reverence for the Scriptures 
 and power in explaining them, his impartiali- 
 ty and condescension ; his elevation above 
 the maxims of the worldly and the wisdom 
 of the vain, his conscientious faith and doctri- 
 nal purity, joined with the virtues that adorn- 
 ed him in social and domestic life, had the 
 effect which, under the blessing of Jehovah, 
 they could scarce fail to have, of gradually 
 attaching a large and respectable congrega- 
 tion, while they intrenched him proportion- 
 ately in the esteem of the community. 
 
 In 1828 he received from Union Colleg-e
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 129 
 
 the degree of Doctor in Divinity ; of which 
 we may say, as Dr. Johnson said substantial- 
 ly in respect to the same honor awarded to 
 Dr. Watts, it would soon mean something 
 and become of more importance, were it al- 
 ways conferred with equal judiciousness. As 
 a testimony to the value of a learned minis- 
 try in the sentiments of the general commu- 
 nity, it may certainly be useful. It is like a 
 banner displayed because of the truth in that 
 relation ; rebuking the presumption, and 
 threatening the temerity, of ignorance ap- 
 proaching the altars of the only wise God. 
 As it is purely academic and literary in its 
 nature and implications, though constructive- 
 ly attesting the liberal attainments of its sub- 
 ject in sacred science, nt literas sacras doc- 
 tus et docturus* it seems not soundly objec- 
 tionable in itself; and is obviously as con- 
 sistent with ministerial parity, in respect to 
 official authority and the commission of a 
 preacher, as are diversities of gifts or in- 
 * As one that lias learned, and can therefore teach, 
 the science of throlojrv.
 
 130 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 
 
 equalities of fortune, in the members of a pro- 
 fession that ought to be in learning as indis- 
 putably first, as in dignity and importance it 
 is confessedly incomparable. 
 
 During his ministry here, Dr. Wisner re- 
 ceived several calls to different spheres of 
 prospective usefulness and labor, all of which 
 he deemed it duty to decline. Of these, one 
 of the most important and distinguished was 
 that to the vacant chair of Ecclesiastical 
 History, in the Theological Seminary at Aii- 
 dover. The writer of this sketch had provi- 
 dentially a well remembered interview with 
 him during the pendency of that important 
 call ; and is happy to record his sense of the 
 very correct and conscientious views enter- 
 tained by Dr. Wisner on the vai'iously inter- 
 esting aspects of that solemn question. What- 
 ever may be said of the rights of Churches 
 and Colleges, or even of sacred Seminaries, to 
 call whom they will, it is far from being the 
 duty of the other party as certainly to accept 
 of it. The pastoral relation is a profoundly 
 solemn one. and neither to be contracted nor
 
 MCMOiR OF WISNER. 13t 
 
 dissolved on any slight or common occasion. 
 A Christian pastor seems like an ancient and 
 fruitful tree, that has long stood in a favored 
 position ; that has struck deep and far its roots 
 with innumerable fibres, in every direction ; 
 and proportionably lifted its lofty branches 
 high and richly laden ; a moment may fell, 
 what years only could raise : and the care or 
 the daring that transplants it, inflicts a thou- 
 sand wounds which time can scarcely cure : 
 while the pains-taking that accomplishes the 
 work, is often disappointed also of its end — 
 the tree itself is injured ; it has lost its identity ; 
 above and below it is mutilated ; it exists it- 
 self no longer. 
 
 But there arc causes which make removal 
 proper and obviously right. The want of 
 health, or its progressive decline, is such a 
 cause ; and in the case of Dr. Wisner, this 
 had existed for more than a year, previously 
 to the dissolution of the pastorate, in which he 
 had been so useful and so happily aKsorbed. 
 A visit to the South was tried with little suc- 
 cess ; after wiiicli. he enjoyed with consider-
 
 13'2 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 
 
 able benefit, a season of relaxation from his 
 fatiguing labors, in Connecticut : but without 
 much if any radical improvement. 
 
 After the death of the excellent Dr. Corne- 
 lius, in February, 1832, many eyes were fixed 
 on Dr. Wisner as his proper successor. In 
 October of that year, he received with entire 
 unanimity the appointment of Secretary of 
 the American Board, to fill the lamented va- 
 cancy. The Board that year met in this city. 
 It was a solemn time, just after the retreat of 
 the Cholera from its scourging ministry and 
 its victim thousands. The writer was ap- 
 pointed on the Committee to whom the re- 
 sponsibility of nomination was referred ; and 
 he may here attest the delightful unity of 
 counsel that resulted in the announcement of 
 his name, and which was met in the Board 
 itself with corresponding harmony. About 
 two years and four months he held the oflice 
 and performed its weighty duties. Of the 
 manner and success of his administration, 
 this outline need not anticipate the descrip- 
 tions of a full and just biography. Sufiice it
 
 Memoir of wisneu. 13S 
 
 t6 say that he entirely justified the expecta- 
 tions that accompanied and induced his se- 
 lection. His known habits of business and 
 order ; his practical wisdom ; his extensive 
 acquaintance with individuals throughout the 
 church and the country ; his excellent judg- 
 ment of men, and insight of character ; the 
 probability that the active duties of his new 
 position would be favorable to his health ; and 
 the fact that, from being so long a member of 
 their Prudential Committee, he was minutely 
 acquainted with the plans and operations, as 
 well as the history, of tlie Board ; these rea- 
 sons that anticipated his appointment, were 
 fully substantiated by his example and expe- 
 rience in the station — from which the voice 
 supreme has so lately and suddenly removed 
 him, Avith the summons, Go up highor. In 
 the discharge of his duties, he frequently visit- 
 ed different and distant sections of the church ; 
 became more widely known and as exten- 
 sively esteemed ; was the welcome and effi- 
 cient representative of the cause among all 
 Its friends, wherever he found them ; and 
 12
 
 134 MEMOIR OF WlSNEn 
 
 formed auxiliary interests, and even exten* 
 sive boards and s^rstematic agencies, at the 
 South and West. All this seemed, and doubt- 
 less was, auspicious to his health, and seemed 
 — we had almost said, treacherously — to pro- 
 mise a prolonged course of years. His vigor 
 conrtantly improved ; and but a week or two 
 previous to his death, he made the remark 
 that his health was better than it had been 
 previously for four years ! Be ye also ready ; 
 for at such an hour as ye think not, the So7i 
 of man cotneth. 
 
 But the moral improvement of Dr. Wisner, 
 his growth in grace, and ripeness for glorj'', 
 was, in the conviction of many, more than 
 commensurate with the advance of his bodily 
 strength. His humility appeared more con- 
 stant and profound. The severer parts of his 
 character were progressively mellowed and 
 softened. The manner in vv^hich he men- 
 tioned the death of Munson and Lpiian, at 
 the last Monthly Concert he ever attended, 
 is still fresh and fragrant in the memory of 
 those who heard him. The uncommon
 
 MEMOIR OF WIsNEK. 135 
 
 feeliiiQf and tenderness he displayed, the cor- 
 responding- emotions he inspired, and the ef- 
 fect of the intellicrence on his own devotions 
 at the time, were remarkably and memorably 
 distinguished. Alas ! he little realized — what 
 was then a secret of the throne — how soon 
 he was to join them ! Laboring in the same 
 cause, and serving the same divine master, 
 though far separated in bodily presence, they 
 were united in interest, in heart, and in ulti- 
 mate destination. They doubtless met speedi- 
 ly in heaven, from opposite regions of the 
 earth ; the appointed place of rendezvous for 
 all the army of the church militant : the 
 Grand Head Qnartersof their Glorious Com- 
 mander-in-Chief ; the city and palace of the 
 Eternal King. 
 
 Of the concluding scenes of Dr. Wisner's 
 life, we have but a hurried and imperfect ac- 
 count. His disease, the scarlet fever, is well 
 known in its ravages and its fatal precipita- 
 tion. It often seizes and throttles its victim ; 
 and in a few days completes the catastrophe 
 of life ; while medicines and human skill are
 
 136 MKMOIR OP WISNER. 
 
 laughed to scorn in its triumph. And what 
 is it ? Only a name for one of the ways, con- 
 sidered in a class, in which God accomplishes 
 the dissolution of mortals. It is the agen- 
 cy OF God that does it. We see the effects ; 
 we watch the progress ; we study the phe- 
 nomena ; we witness the result ; we philoso- 
 phize of causes ; we class the disease in the 
 nosological calendar ; we talk learnedly of 
 its properties and its nature ; we discuss re- 
 medies and apply them ; and we too often 
 overlook the grandest actor in the portentous 
 drama — the cause of causes — God himself! 
 He is the Dispenser of death, as well as the 
 Author of life and the Arbiter of destiny. 
 Who doeth great things, past finding out ; 
 yea, and iDonders without nimiber. Lo, he 
 goeth by me, arid I see him not ; he passeth 
 on also, but I ]>erceive him not. Behold, he 
 taketli away, who can lander him, 7 who will 
 say unto hiin. What doest thou 1 If God 
 will not withdraw his anger, the proud help- 
 ers do stoop under him. 
 
 The nature of his attack soon discovered
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER 137 
 
 itself, and assumed a threatening aspect. It 
 was accompanied with great soreness of 
 throat, so as to preckide all ordinary conver- 
 sation ; and to consist only with a few neces- 
 sary words or sentences, interchanged in the 
 administration of palliatives or remedies. 
 And what was the state of his mind .' From 
 all we have heard, the inference seems sound 
 that persons at a distance who knew him, 
 may judge almost as well as his nearest at- 
 tendants. There was no time to converse. 
 Even when his thoughts were commanded, 
 and his mind at ease, all conversation was 
 prudently forborne. But even this was of 
 short duration. Delirium supervened, and 
 continued with little abatement to the last. 
 Still, there were intervals or rather flashes of 
 reason, and words incoherently intelligible 
 to the few about him. It is said of ranning, 
 the late splendid Premier of Great Britian, 
 that during his last delirious moments, his 
 mind in fragments indicated its characteristic 
 and then convulsive thoughts, by ejaculating 
 such words as these — France — a Foreign 
 12*
 
 138 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 
 
 Ambassador — the court of Spain — no crown- 
 ed head in Europe^the royal cause — the Brit- 
 ish Parhament — Navy — his Majesty — Ex- 
 chequer — Whigs — Tories — Reform ! With 
 such thoughts his spirit flew to its account. 
 Who will envy a genius so august, that shed 
 magnificence on the highest office in the gift 
 of the Majesty of England J What is genius, 
 office, wealth, or majesty itself, on a death- 
 bed ? A worm does not change its nature, by 
 reason of its adventitious decorations or the 
 gorgeous canopy under which it sickens and 
 expires. And who would not rather die with 
 Wisner than with Canning ? But we leave 
 contrasts for the day of judgment ; we refer 
 them to the wisdom of the Infallible. In the 
 detached sentences and broken words of Dr. 
 Wisner, the thingfs in which he had been wont 
 to take the deepest interest were plainly indi- 
 cated. The course of his affections was hea- 
 venly, and his meditations were reaching af- 
 ter the interests of the kingdom of Christ. 
 He was now perfecting a plan for a great 
 auxiliary combination, and now anticipating
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 139 
 
 llie objections that would assail it. The niis- 
 ^sioiuiry cause eu<i:iossed him. Living and 
 dead it was the jewel of his heart. The re- 
 collections of his extensive visitation accom- 
 plished last autumn, were often interwoven, 
 or rather torn to pieces, in his hurried and 
 confused expressions. Of individuals occa- 
 sionally mentioned, he always spoke without 
 censure, however much he seemed to difi'or 
 from them in opinion. Once, when he ap- 
 peared more at ease, his wife proposed to read 
 to him a passage from the Scriptures. He 
 assented, and remained quiet during the ex- 
 ercise. This was repeated on several occa- 
 sions ; when he would still be traiu[uil till it 
 was finished, and then proceed with his un- 
 intelligible and often inarticulate mutterings. 
 It was probably more from a general sense of 
 propriety, than any apprehension of the sense 
 of Scripture, that he listened so calmly to its 
 reading. The changes in his symptoms seem- 
 ed regular and constant, till his manly frame 
 yielded to the destroyer. The bondage of 
 corruption is soon complete ; and it shall soon
 
 140 MEMOin OF WTSXER. 
 
 be reversed also, by the fiat of Jesus Christ. 
 It will then be exchanged for a blessed condi- 
 tion ; the glorious lihcriy of the children of 
 God. For if v)e believe that Jesus died and 
 rose again, even so them also that sleep in 
 Jesus icill God bring with him. Jesus saifh 
 unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 
 
 But we shall see him no more in this world. 
 Those who sought his counsel and who va- 
 lued it, can enjoy its advantages no more. 
 They who slighted his ministry, regular or 
 occasional, and are still impenitent and faith- 
 less, are soon to meet him before the Judge 
 Eternal. O must he there find his crown of 
 rejoicing without them ? Must he be a swift 
 witness against any one of his former dear 
 people ! If his ministry becomes to such a 
 savor of death unto death, whose is the fault ? 
 Is he to blame for it, or are they ? Was it 
 his desire ? Has God any pleasure in their 
 death ] O earth, earth, earth, hear the word 
 of the Lord. Take warning, as the ministry' 
 of his servants is sealed up. He is withdraw- 
 ing many of them. He takes away the joung,
 
 MEMOIR OF WISNER 141 
 
 the vigorous, the useful. And wliat is the 
 import of this ? In earthly g^overnments, the 
 recall of an ambassador is ordinarily the pre- 
 4l^de of war. The purposes of divine mer- 
 cy towards any people, bear doubtless some 
 solemn proportion to the number and the 
 character of his ministers retained among 
 them. If he abandons a people wholly, he re- 
 tains there not one envoy of his own court — 
 though the prophets of the devil are equally 
 or doubly multiplied as the others disappear. 
 Has not God a controversy with this nation ? 
 Why then docs he remove, so remarkably, 
 those who were in his providence equally its 
 honor and its guard, the chariots of Israel 
 and the horsemen thereof 7 We have been, 
 and still are, a proud and boastful nation, ra- 
 ther than a thankful one. We have deified 
 our free institutions, as if these were the gods 
 of our preservation, and as if we had no slave- 
 ry institutions to curse the land. The righte- 
 ousness that exalteth a nation, the sin that is 
 a reproach to any people, the grievous oppres- 
 fijons of our fellow creatures in the midst of
 
 1'42 MEMOIR OF WISNER. 
 
 US, are considerations little honored in the ge- 
 neral estimate of the country. Some of them 
 are proscribed topics, and they as infamously 
 proscribed who dare to tell men their sins in 
 regard to them. There are many other things 
 besides excellencies in the characteristics of 
 the nation ; many that are execrable in the 
 sight of God, and which his eternal goodness 
 will not long endure in any nation. The re- 
 moval of his ministers in different ways seems 
 to be one of the sigrns of the times. It is un- 
 doubtedly a judgment and that a hea\7- one, 
 feel it who may not or doubt it who may. 
 Let the church arise and cry with one voice, 
 to him who can restore her beauty, revive 
 her graces, increase her strength, evince her 
 unity, and prosper her victories. Blow the 
 trumpet in Zion, sanciifi/ a fast, call a so- 
 lemn assembly. Gather the people., sanctify 
 the congregatio7ij assemble the elders, gather 
 the children and those that suck the breasts ; 
 let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber 
 and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, 
 the m.inisters of the Lord, weep between the
 
 MEMOIR OF WISXER 143 
 
 porch and, the altar, and let them say, Spare 
 thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heri- 
 tage to reproach, that the heathen should 
 ride over them. Wherefore should they say 
 among the people, Where is their God? 
 
 The)i will the Lord be jealous for his land, 
 and pity his people. 
 
 Otherwise, his judgments are not exhaust- 
 ed ; his quiver is full of arrows ; he can make 
 sin cost us more than we can afford to pay : 
 he will be glorified at our expense, and it is 
 not our infidelity or our ingenuity that will 
 save us.
 
 DEPOSITORY OF THE PUBLICATIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 JTIassachusctts Sabbath School Society, 
 
 BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, 
 
 Corner of Park Row, opposite the City Hall, 
 
 NEW-YORK. 
 
 ALL THE WORKS OF THE ABOVE SOCIETY 
 
 aOLD BY 
 
 TAYLOR & GOULD, 
 
 (late J. S. TAYLOR,] 
 In any Q,uniiti(y, at the Society's Prices- ' 
 
 A coiiilant supply of the Publications of the Ameiican Suu' 
 
 day School Union, and of the Protestant Episcopal 
 
 Sunday School Union, at the same prices as 
 
 sold at their respective Depositories,
 
 Tatlok k Gould have also a large and choice selec- 
 uon of Miscellaneous AVoiks, suitable for Sunday School 
 Libraries ; together with Theological, Classical, Moral, 
 Religious, and School Books, Stationrey, Fancy Articles, 
 &c. all of which they will sell at the lowest prices. 
 
 BOOKS PUBLISHED 
 
 EY 
 
 TAYI.OR & OOULD. 
 
 HINTS TO PARENTS, ON THE EARLY RELIGI- 
 OUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 
 By Gardiner Spriko, D. D. Pastor of the Brick Presby- 
 terian Church, New- York. l8mo. with a steel engra- 
 ving. Price 37^- cents. 
 From t!ie New- York Weekly Messenger and Young Men's Advoeate. 
 Dr. Spring's Hints to Parents — One of the prettiest 
 little works of this class that we have ever met with, has 
 just been published by Messrs. Taylor & Gould, of this city ; 
 it is called " Hints to Parents on the Religious Education of 
 Children. By Gardiner Spring, D. D.'' The author has 
 !)een long and favorably known to the public as a chaste, 
 powerful, and popular writer. The subject of the present 
 \vork is one of great moment — one in wliich every pa- 
 rent has a real interest. And we commend this little vo- 
 Uime not on!)' to pious parents, but to all who desire to 
 bring up their children in such a manner as to make them 
 an honor to themselves and a blessing to their fellow-men. 
 From the Commercial Advertiser. 
 Hi.vTS TO Parents, on the Religious Education of Chil- 
 ilren. — By Gardiner Spring, D. D. — New-York, Tatlor 
 &. GotJLD. This beautiful iitlle volume, coming out at this 
 time, will be peculiarly acceptable to tlie congregation of 
 tiie able and excellent author, and will have the effect of a 
 legacy of opinions on a most important subject, now that 
 for a time they are deprived of his personal instructions. 
 It is a work that should be in the hands of every parent
 
 throughout our country, who has tlic temporal anil eterna 
 interest of his ofiipring at heart. The few and leading 
 maxims of the Christian Religion are plainly and practi- 
 cally enforced, and the parents' duties arc descanted in a 
 train of pure and beautiful eloquence, whicli a father's 
 mind, elevated by religion, only could have dictated. We 
 believe that a general knowledge of this little volume would 
 be attended with consequences beneficial to society, since 
 a practiccof its recommendations could scarcely be refused 
 to its solemn and alTcctionate spirit of entreaty. 
 
 PLEASURE AND PROFIT, OR TIME WELL SPENT, 
 
 being the first volume of a series. 
 Edited by Uncle Arthur. 18mo. Steel plate frontis- 
 piece. Price 37A cents. 
 Says ttio New-York Evangelist— 
 
 Pr.EAJURE AND PROFIT, OR TiMK wEr,L SPENT. — We have 
 before us the first of a series of volumes just commenced 
 by our young friends, Taylor & Gould, booksellers. Tiie 
 present volume contains a pleasing fancy sketch, called 
 •' the Museum ; by Charlotte Elizabeth ; edited by Uncle 
 Arthur." We suspect that Uncle Arthur i3 the name adop- 
 ted by a gentleman whose real name would give currency to 
 almost any thing. He and his brothers have a happy fa- 
 culty not only to make excellent book?, but also to edit (or, 
 as we say in plain linglish, make over) the books written 
 by other people, so as to render them more entertaining, 
 less erroneous, more safe, and far more u-scful. We have 
 tried this little book, by putting it into the hands of a "ju- 
 venile reader," and tind it to answer very well. The sen- 
 timents are correct, tlie feeling good, the style pleasing, the 
 price reasonable. 
 
 From tho Commercial Advertiser. 
 
 Pleasure and Profit, or Time welf, spe.vt. — Vol. I. 
 The Museum; by Charlotte Elizabeth; edited by Uncle 
 Arthur. 'I'aylor & Gould. 
 
 If attractive bindinu, paper, print and subject, can ren- 
 der a little book the favoiite of children, this will he quite 
 popular among them. It purports to be an account of a 
 visit to the Museum ; and the diflierenl objects arc explained 
 in an easy manner, in the form of dialogue. Religious know- 
 ledge is judiciously blended with instruction throughout.
 
 MISSIONARY REMAINS; or Skktches of Evarts, Cornelios, 
 AND WisNER. — By Gardiner Spring, D. D. and others. With an 
 Introduction by Samuel II. Cox, D. D. 18mo. with steel plate 
 frontispiece. Price 50 cents. 
 
 ADVICE TO A YOUNG BROTHER, ON PRACTICAL SUB- 
 JECTS. — By a Missionary. With steel plate frontispiece. 18mo. 
 Price 31 cents. 
 
 MEMOIR OF MISS EMILY EGERTON, a.v authentic Narra- 
 - TIVE. — Prepared by Rurus Nutting, A. M. Professor of Western 
 Reserve College. 18;no. with stocl plate frontispiece. Price 31 ct». 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN FATHER'S PRESENT TO HIS CHILDREN. 
 
 By John Angell James. I8mo. 400 pages. Price 37J cents. 
 
 THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF RELIGION IN THE SOULr 
 with a devout Meditation on Prayer subjoined to each chapter. — By 
 Phillip Doddridge, D. D. iGl) pages. ISnio. Price 25 cents. 
 
 THE HAPPY DEATH OF MARY ANN CLAPP.— By Joshua 
 Bates, D. D. President of Middlebury College, Vermont. 18mo. 
 Price 18J cents. 
 
 EARLY PIETY.— By Rpv. Jacob Abbott, author of " the Young 
 Christian," &c. 3iJmo. Price 183 cents. 
 
 The above books are neally bound in muslin and stamped, and ar« woiihy of a 
 place in every family and Sunday School Library iu our country. 
 
 NEW TF.STAMENT, designed for Sunday Schools. ISmo. muslin 
 Price eight cents. 
 
 Also Publishers of 
 
 THE NATIONAL PREACHER, printed in an elegant pamphleJ 
 form, each number containing two Sermons from living Ministers, 
 Monthly. Edited by Rev. Austin Dickinson. Price one dollar a 
 year in advance. 
 
 Also Agents for 
 
 THE SABBATH SCHOOL VISITER, published by the Massachu- 
 setts Sabbath School Society. Edited by Rev. A*a Bullard, 
 Boston. Price 50 cents. 
 
 Also Agents for 
 
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 OF Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Monthly. Price $1 50 
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 N. B. Orders from the country will be immediately attended to, and ho*l(a for- 
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 the purchaser, they may be returned, and the money will be refunded, or other boolu 
 given in exchange. Those wishing to purchase are invited to call and examine their 
 stock. 
 
 Taylor St Gould have, probably, the largest assortment of booka auitable for Sua- 
 day School Libraries to be found in Ibe United Slates.
 
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