r \\ MEMOIR ALFRED BENNETT, FIRST PASTOR OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH, HOMER, N. T., UfD SENIOR AGENT OF THK AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY UNION. BY H. HARVEY. THIRD EDITION. NEW YORK: EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU-STREET. 1852. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, BY E. H. FLETCHER, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. ADVERTISEMENT. In presenting this work to the public, the publisher would bespeak the kind attention and interest of the friends of the lamented subject of its pages, and mention that the arrange- ments of its publication are such as to secure to his widow a share in the proceeds of its sale. TO THE HOMER BAPTIST CONGREGATION, l)is memorial OF HIM WHO FIRST MINISTERED TO THEM THE WORD OF LIFX, AND, AFTER LONG AND FAITHFUL TOIL D THE WORK OF CHRIST, DIED WITH PEACEFUL TRIUMPH IN THEIR MIDST, Ss affectfonatels Detofcatelr |)2 THEIR PASTOR. PREFACE, THIS volume, prepared in the midst of feeble health and the pressure of pastoral duties, is now with diffi- dence submitted to the Christian public. The .subject of it held no classic pen. He belonged to a generation of men whose chief power was in oral, not written com- munication. In speech he was richly gifted ; but the vivacity, force, and ardor which characterized his dis- course, he was never able to transfer to the written page. As his biography must necessarily be made up, to no inconsiderable extent, from his correspondence, the reader will, it is feared, be painfully conscious that the portraiture here given lacks the glow and richness of the living original. The materials were not abundant. Most of his let- ters have been lost. The account of his conversion and exercises respecting the ministry was given by him only at the urgent request of the church in Homer. Of the remaining part of his life, he declined making any state- ments, remarking that it had been public, in the midst of 1* VI PREFACE. his brethren, and he would say nothing about it. This was characteristic of him. His memory will live long in the hearts of the churches, and with a freshness with which, from these circumstances, it can never be embalmed in the printed volume. He was emphatically a man who " served his own generation ;" and while the results of his life will doubtless continue to be felt on earth until the consum- mation of all things, he has left no written memorials to represent adequately, in after times, the rare excellences of his character. The writer oan only say, he has used to the best of his ability the limited materials within his reach ; and the work is now committed to the press, with the ardent hope that it may excite many to emulate the exalted Christian virtues of this venerated servant of God, and may thus subserve the interests of vital godliness, and receive the approbation of the Heavenly Master. HOJCBE, January 20th, 1852. CONTENTS, MM CHAPTER I. YOUTH 9 II. CONVERSION 19 III A DREAM 32 IV. ENTRANCE ON THE MINISTRY 50 V. PASTORAL LABORS 69 VI. REVIVALS 85 VIL CONTEMPORARIES 101 V1IL CLOSING PASTORAL WORK 113 IX. MISSIONARY AGENCY 133 X. TOURS SOUTH AND WEST 144 XL TOURS EAST AND WEST 169 XIL ILLNESS AND DEATH 186 XTTT. CHARACTER 209 MEMOIR OF REV, ALFRED BENNETT, CHAPTER I, YOUTH. ALFRED BENSTETT was born September 26, 1780, in llansfield, Windham county, Connecticut. His parents, Asa and Mary Bennett, were both pious ; the former a member of the Baptist church at Hampton, the latter connected with the Congrega- tional church in Mansfield. In later life, how- ever, his mother also became a Baptist. The influences of home were strictly religious, and many circumstances are mentioned which attest the godly character of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. At the family altar, morning and evening, they were accustomed to seek instruction from the Bacred Word, and bow in thanksgiving and sup- plication. The lofty moral principles which nur- tured the manly virtues of the earlier Puritans had r not then passed away, as among the defects of a sterner age ; and in this domestic circle they still 10 MEMOIR OF exerted their potent influence, in the healthful restraints placed around the young, and the sacred- ness with which they invested the institutions of religion and virtue. The attendance of their chil- dren upon the public worship of God was also strictly enjoined, and the Sabbath seldom found their place vacant in the sanctuary. In obedience to the apostolic injunction, they earnestly endeav- ored to bring up their offspring " in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Nor was their pious zeal unrewarded. They had the happiness of seeing the whole family group become members of the family of God, and attain to positions of emi- nent usefulness in the earthly church ; and though they have long since entered into rest, their chil- dren's children, at this day, rise up and call them blessed. Alfred was their second son. The eldest, Asa, became a subject of Divine grace early in life, and for many years subsequently, as an officer in the' Baptist church at Homer, was a worthy coadjutor of his brother, and distinguished for his enlight- ened Christian zeal and eminently godly life. The next younger is Rev. Alvin Bennett, of South "Wilbraham, Mass., who still survives, widely known and revered as a devoted and successful minister of the Gospel. The remaining son, Elea- EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 11 zar, continued to reside for many years on the paternal estate, and lived and died a member of the church to which his father was attached. The only daughter, Sarah, became wife of Rev. William Palmer, an esteemed minister of Christ, in Nor- wich, Conn. Thus God honored parental faithfulness. The seeds of life early sown, and watered with many prayers and tears, at last sprung up and have borne a rich harvest. From that pious home, where the fear of God dwelt and His commands were obeyed, have flowed streams of spiritual blessings, which must continue to extend and multiply, till the latter day glory bursts upon the world and the Most High sets up the Throne of Judgment. The nearest Baptist church was at Hampton, about fifteen miles distant. The churches of this religious denomination had been until lately com- paratively few in the land, and though less re- stricted in Connecticut than in Massachusetts, their growth was much repressed by oppressive legal enactments. Congregationalism was the State religion, and the law required every person to contribute to that form of worship, unless a certificate was obtained certifying that he regu- larly attended and paid at some other church. 12 MEMOIR OF This union of State and Church necessarily cast the whole influence of government against every form of dissent, and made it the secular interest of men to attend upon the ministry thus recog- nized by law. It was generally deemed schismat- ical to differ from the established religion, and those who ventured to do so were commonly ac- counted restless disturbers of good order and the general religious welfare. The Baptist church had been of late, indeed, rapidly increasing, not- withstanding these adverse influences; yet they were not even then numerous, and their members were often widely scattered. Mr. Bennett's fam- ily, therefore, usually attended the Congregational church in Mansfield, and received their religious education under the public instruction of the min- istry there. Alfred was distinguished in boyhood for that vivacious, buoyant spirit which, chastened by grace, was ever characteristic of him in maturer life. He was the acknowledged leader in all the frolics and sports of the boys. If any wild, boyish prank had been played in the neighborhood, no- body would believe that Alfred Bennett was not at the head of it. Never profane, or malicious, or immoral, and always having great tenderness of conscience, he loved what was deemed innocent REV. ALFRED BENJfETT. 13 mischief as lie loved bis life. This gay, mirthful spirit made him a universal favorite among his companions, and surrounded him continually with increasing temptations to levity. He afterwards ever regarded this disposition to lightness and trifling as the great sin of his youth. It is not known that any serious religious im- pressions were made upon his mind until he was about twelve years old. One evening, at his mother's request, he read to her from Hervey's Meditations, and the thoughts then suggested awakened within some anxieties respecting his eternal welfare. The influence of this, however, was only transient ; it disappeared soon in greater frivolity and waywardness. The great awakening which was experienced under the labors of Whitefield, Edwards, and other distinguished men in the first half of the eighteenth century, had long since ceased, though its mem- ory lingered still in the breasts of the fathers in the churches, and many who had then experienced the riches of grace lived as monuments of those mighty manifestations of the power of God. The lax theology, against which those holy men had so earnestly contended, again largely pervaded the teachings of the schools and the ministrations of the pulpit. The doctrines of grace which had 2 14 MEMOIR OT then been mighty, through God, to awaken the conscience and bow the heart before the Throne, were extensively discarded, and looser sentiments, exalting the sinner and abasing God, were followed by their legitimate result, the decrease of true spiritual life. The sovereignty of God, the effect- ual calling of the Holy Spirit, and other kindred truths, which lie at the basis of the Gospel, and were weapons attended with supernatural energy when wielded by those early revivalists, were now often thrown aside and exposed to popular odium. Many faithful men, indeed, yet lifted up their voice for the truth, and numerous were the pulpits where the light of these great doctrines was never quenched ; but the popular tendency in the churches was in the other direction. And the ministry under which Alfred Bennett was reared, as he afterwards remarked to the writer, was wont to teach, what was then a common sentiment, " If you do on your part, God will do on His part ;" intending in that expression to direct the sinner to his own good works as a means of justification, instead of the righteousness of Christ, and over- looking the total natural depravity of the soul and the need of the Spirit's renewing power. The year 1797, as well as a number previous, was marked as a period of great religious declen- REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 15 sion throughout New England, among all denom- inations of Christians. The faithful wept in secret over the utter indifference to vital religion gener- ally manifested, and many a godly minister was fainting at his post on account of the apparently increased hardness of heart among the people. But God is not unrighteous to forget the work and labor of His servants. In the Spring of the fol- lowing year an extensive revival began, and with great power spread rapidly over the country. The annals of that period furnish the following record : "A great work came on in the spring of 1T98, in many parts of America. It began at Mansfield, in Connecticut, in a remarkable manner. A letter from "Windham, in October, mentions it and says, 'The Spirit of the Lord seemed to sweep all before it, like an overflowing flood, though with very little noise or crying out. It was wonderful to see the surprising alteration in that place, in so short a time. I conclude there are not less than an hundred souls converted in that town since the work began. It soon after began in Hampton, but did not spread with the same degree of rapidity as in Mansfield. The same happy work has lately taken place in Ashford.' Soon after this, Hart- ford, the capital city, experienced the like work among the Congregational and Baptist societies." 16 MEMOIE OF This great awakening was felt in all parts of !N"ew England, and multitudes were made to rejoice in hope of eternal life. Dr. Tyler remarks, in his memoir of the excellent Nettleton, "During a period of four or five years, commencing with 1798, not less than one hundred and fifty churches in New England were favored with the special effusions of the Holy Spirit; and thousands of souls, in the judgment of charity, were translated from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's dear Son." Of this gracious work, which began in his native town, Mr. Bennett was among the earliest sub- jects ; and during the years-in which it continued, he labored with all the energy of his ardent mind for its promotion. Many others, also, of the emi- nent men who have been leaders in the church of God during the past half century, date their con- version during this extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The reader will, therefore, be gratified with further extracts from the history of those years, illustrating the character of this revival and the manner in which the work was carried on. The first is from a letter of Rev. Mr. Blood, pastor of a Baptist church in Shaftsbury, Vermont. " In about two months after the work began, the whole town seemed to be affected. REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 17 Conference meetings were attended two or three times a week in almost every neighborhood ; and it %vas surprising to me that scarcely a single in- stance appeared of any overheated zeal or flight of passion. Both sinners under conviction and those newly brought into the liberty of the Gospel, conversed in their meetings with the greatest freedom. They spoke one at a time a few words in the most solemn manner I ever heard people in my life. And in general they spake so low, that their assemblies must be perfectly still,.or they could not hear them ; yet a remarkable power at- tended their conversation. Sinners would tremble, as though they felt themselves in the immediate presence of the great Jehovah. Some of all ranks and characters have been taken, from the most respectable members of society to the vilest in the place. Some of our most noted Deists have bowed the knee to King Jesus ; and a number of TJniver- salists have forsaken their delusions and embraced the truth." Kev. Mr. Powers, a Congregational minister on Deer Island, in Penobscot Bay, writing in March, 1799, says : " Perhaps there hath not been a work so powerful and so much like the work of fifty- eight years ago. In a time of such extraordinaries, it could not reasonably be expected but some 2* 18 MEMOIR OF things would be a little wild and incoherent, coii- sidering the various tempers, infirmities, and dis- positions of mankind ; but I believe my young dear brother Merrill, together with experienced Christians, was very careful to distinguish the precious from the vile; to correct errors, to set them in the way of his steps, so that there appears to be no prevalence of enthusiasm among them, according to the best information. How great the number is of those who have been brought to hope, I am not able to give any tolerable account. Some say there are about an hundred ; others, about double that number. I believe they are all very uncertain. Blessed be God, the work is yet going On, though not with equal rapidity. And now, dear sir, let your imagination paint to your view the striking scene of an hundred souls, men, wo- men, and children, at the same time under the work of the law. The tears, sobs, groans and cries issuing from scores at a time ; all the terrors of the law crowding and pressing in upon them; their sins, in infinite number and aggravations, staring them in the face ; all their old vain hopes gone, and cut off, and every refuge failing ! Hear them freely confessing their old abominations, their former enmity to the great doctrines of ori- ginal sin, election, the sovereignty of divine free REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 19 grace, the power of God displayed in effectual vocation ; above all, the justice of God in their damnation ! How often are souls brought out into peace and comfort of the love of God, and the sweet consolations of the Holy Spirit ! The dead hear the voice of the Son of God, and live." This revival, of which the above extracts will give the reader some conception, broke out in Mr. Bennett's nineteenth year. It found him careless respecting the welfare of his soul, and the great concerns of the eternal world ; it left him a dis- tinguished monument of Divine grace, humble, penitent, believing, earnestly seeking the ever- lasting well-being of souls around him. CHAPTER II, CONVERSION. THE narration here given of his religious ex- perience was taken from his own lips, during the painful illness which closed his life. The language is for the most part his own ; it has been subjected only to such revision as seemed to be required for brevity and clearness. 20 MEMOIR OF " In the spring of 1798 I went to live with a farmer, a neighbor of my father, to assist for the season as a hired man. Soon after, it began to be mentioned that there were serious impressions and signs of revival among the people. ' Well,' thought I, ' I have no concern with that. There may be occasion for it in others : I want nothing to do with it.' In a day or two it was again remarked that there certainly was some revival, for such and such persons were under awakening. I thought, if I were as bad as they there would be need of reform, but as it is I am good enough without. In this state of mind, returning from worship on the Sabbath, I called at my father's, and before I left my mother took occasion to talk with me about my sins and my soul. I sought to put her off, as I had done before ; but she remarked, ' My son, Jesus Christ is passing through this town, and you will need his blessing by and by : you better seek it now.' This word took deep hold of my heart. I returned home full of anxious thought, settled in my mind that I needed religion. I said, ' What right have I to expect to be saved, when I have never asked God for salvation ? I will now seek the welfare of my soul. I have been an awfully wicked sinner. Religion, however, is a matter between God and my own soul. I will REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 21 attend to it, but will not make such ado about it as others, so as to make my feelings public.' With this resolution I passed the evening in much thought, reflecting upon my sins and my eternal interests. " The next day, while I was revolving my lost condition, an old man came into the field where I was at work ; and by-the-by, he was a poor, wicked, profane, Sabbath-breaking, drunken man, whom, though a near neighbor, I had never before heard o o / speak a word on the subject of religion, nor did I afterwards. He said, ' Did you hear the bell toll V It had just tolled for a man of about his age and character. I said I did, and supposed it was for Mr. H. He replied, 'So I suppose; but only think what has become of that man ! Religion is an important thing : it is indispensable.' And bursting into tears, and pulling his hoary locks over his shoulders, as they hung in ringlets, he said, ' Look here, I am an old and gray-headed sinner ; it is impossible for me to be saved. I must die and go to hell. But, Alfred, you are young ; you may be religious ; and I conjure you by all the mercies of heaven, by all the pains of hell, attend to it now : don't put it off.' I wept much, and he wept, and we parted. Notwith- standing this solemn admonition, to avoid giving 22 MEMOIR OF any impression that there was seriousness on my mind, I went that evening among my young com- panions, and perhaps was never more heedless and volatile than during that night up to a late hour. On my return, however, my sorrows were re- doubled, arising from the fear that I had now ruined my soul forever. " The next day found me exceedingly wretched. I attended the funeral of the man above alluded to, but passed through all the exercises of the oc- casion without feeling. It seemed to me I could not feel ; my heart was hardened. I looked upon the corpse, and thought, 'Well, were I in his place, were would my poor soul be ?' hoping thus to break my hard heart, but it seemed to grow harder still. The revival broke out with increased power at that funeral, and I found myself sur- rounded by a number, weeping and conversing about their souls and the prospects of the future. I retired in company with a cousin, E. B., about my own age, and my greatest earthly friend and confidant, who seemed as gay and trifling as usual. We stopped at his father's house, and were soon followed by several other young friends with whom we were wont to associate. Seeing me quiet and grave, they began to inquire the cause, and, on my Answering evasively, insisted that some one must REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 23 have offended me. My cousin E. took me aside, and reminding me of our long and confidential friendship, besought me to disclose the reason of my unusual sadness. The waters of affliction had by this time risen so high in my soul as to bear away all idea of secresy, and I said, ' I am an un- done man. I am a sinner. My dear E., I am lost.' He burst into tears, and we sat down and wept together. On my return home, my employer went out with me upon the farm, and kindly inquir- ed what was the matter, whether I was dissatisfied with him, or something had made me discontented with my situation. The disclosure already made to my cousin had only increased my wretchedness, and I resolved to be perfectly frank with him. I replied, ' I am undone. I am going right to hell. I see no way to avoid it. There can be no mercy for me.' And I supposed that he would sympa- thize with me. Instead of this he smiled, and I thought, ' Now my sorrows are full. I am going to hell, and all are glad of it. I am so wicked that it will be a relief to others when I am gone.' This more deeply impressed me with the certainty of my miserable doom. " In awful apprehension of the loss of my soul, I retired to a barn, and walked the floor for some hours that evening. I tried to repent, but could 24: MEMOIR OF not ; I tried to pray, but had no utterance. I would have loved God, but had no power; I sought to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but it was in vain. My heart was as adamant; and sinking deeper in despair, I resolved that some- thing must be done, my soul must not be lost through neglect; and having always been in- structed under a ministry which taught, ' If you do on your part, God will do on His part,' I de- termined my soul should not be lost through any fault of mine. I therefore marked out a rigid course of duties to be performed, agreeing with my heart that I would pray so many times each day, and often read the Bible ; attend all the religious meetings within my power, and converse with all religious people who could give me instruction; for I cared not now who knew that I was under concern for my sins : and above all, I determined that I would no more indulge in trifling conversa- tion, neither should any man ever see another smile upon my face ; for the terrors of the law en- compassed my soul, coming over me like an ava- lanche, from the text, For every idle word that men shall speaJc, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment- and how many idle words had I spoken ! , "This course of duties I adhered to during EEV. 'ALFRED BENNETT. 25 eight or ten days most firmly. At one time I had to put my hand upon my mouth and hold my lips together till I left the company, fearing I might say some idle word and thus peril my soul. At length I began to grow better, as I esteemed it, and wondered that God did not convert me. I was conscious I needed forgiveness, and thought I had now arrived at the point where I might expect it; I had done all I could, and had done it again and over again. At this state of my feel- ings, some one meeting me one evening, said, ' E. B. is converted.' With the sound of that word, there arose in my bosom a feeling of which till that time I had remained unconscious. I could not have believed my heart was so desperately wicked. For there burst forth a spirit of enmity against God which I had no power to control. I said God is unjust, I am as good as E. B. is. I have prayed as much ; I have attended meetings as much ; I am as much entitled to salvation as he ; and if God saves him and leaves me, I hate Him. I wish I could destroy Him. My heart said, just give me the power that you possess and I will put you off the throne. I never saw any object which I hated as I then hated my Maker. My misery was extreme ; for I plainly saw that God was on the throne, and I was in Hia hand, 3 26 MEMOIR OS? entirely at His disposal ; yet I hated Him. I felt then the pains of hell get hold upon me. No one has had need since to prove to me there was a hell ; I found it then in my own experience. It seems that God graciously designed to make me a monument of His mercy, or He would have de- stroyed me in that awful and blasphemous spirit in which I then gloried. I can only say of that night, let it not be numbered among the days of my life. " Next morning, being May 25, 1798, as the sun was coming forth, something seemed to question me, evidently with reference to the exercises of the previous evening, saying, 'What have you been doing ?' I said, Fighting against God. ' But,' said the inquirer, 'What has God done?' I re- plied, He is going to save E. B. and not me ; and I am as good as he is. ' But has God done you wrong ? Has He not done you good and not evil all the days of your life ? Raised you up friends ; taken care of you when sick ; healed you ; given you the Gospel to enjoy ?' And the goodness e faithful to God, and deal with souls in earnest ; urge upon the people the necessity of personal, practical holiness. Many mistake the object entirely, while they live stupid and encumbered with the cares of this world, and yet hope that when they come to be sick and die, they shall enjoy religion. Tell them that afflic- tion, sickness, and death will not give comfort, or secure to them any evidence of their good estate : it is the Spirit and love of God in the heart which will give this, and that must be secured by a life devoted to God in holy obedience through Jesus Christ. Some depend much upon the last moments of life, and inquire with much earnestness, how did the person feel ? what did he say ? This is no certain test of a sinner's good estate. Necessity REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 119 may induce a person then to say that which the heart never subscribed to. It is an awful place to make a wreck, just as they think they are entering the port of Heaven ! Men will die as they live ; the character is formed for heaven or hell in life^ not in death. Oh, that they could see this as it appears to me ! Tell sinners to repent and believe the Gospel ; urge the necessity of it ; exhibit the holiness of the law of God ; hold up the glorious character of a crucified Redeemer in the Gospel ; persuade, beseech them to be reconciled to God. Death, judgment, and an awful hell are just before them, and they heed it not ; they are asleep, yea, dead in their sins. "At another time, some of the youth of the church and congregation visited him, and spent some time in singing hymns, one of which begins : ' From whence doth this union arise ?' In the last stanza the following words delighted him much : ' And all His bright glory shall see; It was his favorite hymn, but it seemed new to him then. I am, said he, going into that glory immediately it is near it does not seem to be an arm's length no, it is here, right before ine! 120 MEMOIR OF The special savor of tins lasted with him several days." The departure of this excellent servant of God, though thus triumphant, left the bereaved brother and pastor in deep affliction; for it pleased the Lord, also, to visit him with severe illness. In March, 1825, as intimated above, he was laid aside from all public labors, and for seven montha did not resume his place in the pulpit. Much alarm was felt lest death should remove him, too, from his earthly usefulness. Of this period he remarks, in a letter dated May 1, 1825 : "It seemed to me quite likely my time had come to die. But I could not say that I was in perfect readiness to go. I thought of my com- panion and children: they were dear to me. I looked on them and loved them ; yet felt as though I could leave them with more composure than I could part with the dear people of my charge. The condition in which the church would be left affected me much, and sometimes held my eyes waking in the night watches. Deacon Bennett has served his generation, I believe, according to the will of God. He is going down to the grave, and has probably done all he ever will do for the Church. Well, thought I, must Zion be deprived of one of her best members, and this church of EEV. ALFRED BENUKTT. 121 its most useful deacon, and its poor, unworthy pastor at the game time ! When, also, I consid- ered the state of the world lying in wickedness around me, with few to lift their warning voice, or point inquiring souls to the Lamb of God, I was inclined still to remain in the flesh, and labor a little longer for the establishment of saints and the conversion of sinners. At present I am slowly recovering, and am now concerned, should I come back again to life, lest I be a burden rath- er than a blessing. Plow unhappy must he be who, under the reign of grace, does not return again according to the mercy received !" These trials, however, were only as the gloom of night which deepens before the coming day. While he was yet in feeble health, another gra- cious revival began its work in the congregation, the effects of which were hardly less extensive than in 1820. From a letter addressed to his " Honored Parents," December 23, 1825, descrip- tive of the beginning of this work, we take the following : " I attended a conference last week on Thursday evening at the East Settlement. The school-house is large and convenient, but it was filled to over- ; flowing. The meeting opened about six o'clock, and until nine the time was well occupied. Thirty- It 123 MEMOIR OF eight different persons spoke on the subject of religion with great solemnity and interest, while the most profound attention prevailed through t-he assembly, notwithstanding they were uncom- fortably crowded. Among the number who spoke were three lads, about fifteen years of age, who told us of the joy in religion which they had ex- perienced within a few days past. Tuesday and part of Wednesday I spent in visiting from house to house on East River, when I conversed with about fifty persons, old and young, nearly all of whom seemed more or less affected by the Spirit of Truth. The members of the church living in that neighborhood were much engaged, and others, who had once indulged hope, began to feel the importance of either acting in accordance with it, or seeking a better one : sinners viewed them- selves in much danger, and were deeply troubled to know what they must do to be saved. " What will be the event of this excitement among the people, I know not. My soul's desire is that they may be saved. God is able to work by His Holy Spirit, building up the Church, and appearing in His glory. Without Sim, we can do nothing. I was always unworthy of the min- istry, and very incapable of fulfilling its important work : if God has ever accomplished any good by BET. ALFRED BENNETT. 123 me, it has been by taking one of the weak things to confound the mighty, and to Him be all the glory. My mind has been much quickened of late. The Gospel and the Saviour appear pre- cious ; the Scriptures are full of sweetness, the souls of men seem valuable, time looks short, and death, judgment, and eternity appear near. What sweet entertainment will the saints have with the Saviour in the heavenly state ! free from sin, and made like unto their Lord. When the powers of the soul become sufficiently strength- ened (as they will at death) to endure those visions of glory which will break upon the enraptured sight, and enjoy that exceeding and eternal weight of glory before the throne of God, now so far above the reach of earthly conception, how will this world, with its interests and pleasures, appear insignificant and contemptible !" Of this awakening, he elsewhere writes : " The work has been good, gradual, and powerful. It has also been quite general over the town, al- though in some neighborhoods it has not been very thorough. If we reckon all as converted to God who have expressed hope in Christ, we should number nearly four hundred in this town as having been of late subjects of renewing grace ; probably more than three hundred will at last 124 MEMOIR OF shine as stars in the kingdom of their Father. All the religious denominations have shared in the work." As the immediate result of this rich manifestation of grace, ninety were added to the Baptist church ; but its influences continued long afterwards in the increased enjoyment and union among the people of God. The family of Mr. Bennett, consisting of four sons and one daughter, had hitherto been unbro- ken by death. He had often been called to stand at the grave of the dead among his flock, and mingle his sympathies with bereaved parental hearts ; but never had personal experience bowed his own soul with that form of grief. This cup was now given him to drink. His daughter, Elsi- na, while on a visit to Truxton, was suddenly at- tacked by disease, and in a few days hurried away by death, in her fourteenth year. During the recent revival, her mind had been much exercised, but she had as yet mada no public profession of hope in Christ. A letter, Sept. 25, 1826, in which he says, " Her corpse lies beside me in the room while I am writing," contains the following re- marks indicative of the manner in which he bore this afflictive stroke : " This I can say, God is just and good, and hath done as seemed good in His sight. I thought I had some freedom at REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 125 times during her sickness, in prayer, that her spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Je- sus ; and with Him the Judge of all, I must leave the case. I desire greatly that I may not come out of the deep waters of this affliction, without gaining much lasting good to my soul. I needed just such a stroke from the correcting hand of my Heavenly Father ; but oh ! how unwilling I waa to meet it ! My unbelieving heart said, Lord, keep Thy chastening hand away. But shall we not be in subjection to the Father of Spirits and live ?" The church had now become so large, that their house of worship was wholly inadequate for the accommodation of the congregation, and in 1827 a harmonious division of the body was effected, forming the three churches at Homer, Cortland- ville, and McGrawville ; in each of which there are still many who recall with fervent gratitude the holy ministry of their former venerated pas- tor. He continued in the pastoral office with that part which located in the village of Homer. Here an efficient church gathered round him, and in 1830, the Divine Presence filled their new sanctu- ary, and reviving influences were again felt. In a communication to Dr. Bolles, Jan. 30, after sta- ting his previous intention to comply so far with 126 MEMOIR car the request of the Foreign Missionary Board as to spend a number of weeks among the churches in behalf of missions, he remarks : " And now, dear sir, I must say the way is closed up for the present against my leaving home. There are very nattering appearances in the town, and especially in the church and congregation with which I am connected, of an extensive revival of pure religion. The church is awaking out of sleep, and meet- ings on devotional occasions, a few weeks past, have been exceedingly interesting. Besides, in the village and other neighborhoods, the youth to the number of from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and seventy-five are engaged in Bible- class instruction ; and in three out of the four classes there is great solemnity, some having deep conviction for sin. A few have found peace by the blood of Christ, while many others are still inquiring." These signs of promise were not fallacious. The interest continued to increase, and in March of the same year he wrote : " The revival is still in- teresting : my attention is almost wholly engrossed with it. Perhaps forty or fifty souls have of late expressed hope in the Saviour, and many more are under deep impressions of mind." A sermon he preached July 4, 1830, entitled REV. ALFRED BENNETT. The Kingdom of Christ distinguished from the J&ngdom of Ccesar, which was subsequently pub- lished at the request of his congregation, involved him in an extended newspaper discussion. The discourse was a distinct enunciation and defence of the great scriptural principle, " That civil gov- ernment is to be respected and supported under the Gospel dispensation as a distinct thing en- tirely from the interests and government of the Church ;" that in matters purely civil Christians ought to render obedience to the civil magistrate, but in things appertaining to religion they owe fealty alone to Christ. To some of the positions assumed in the illustration of this truth, much exception was taken by Pedobaptists, and the public discussion, long and warm, elicited at that time great interest. As the correspondence is not now before me, its points cannot here be stated. It gave, however, not only publicity but additional reputation to Mr. Bennett in the denomination with which he was connected. The following " tribute, as the blessing of one who was ready to perish," is from a letter ad- dressed to the writer of this work by Mrs. R., now residing in Michigan, and will be read with interest, as illustrative of his life as pastor. "In the summer of 1818, having been a mem- 128 MEMOIR OF ber of the church, of which Mr. Bennett was pas- tor, about a year, my mind became exceedingly distressed and driven nearly to despair, respecting the change of heart which I had professed. At length coming to the conclusion that I ought to withdraw from the church, I wrote to him, stating my case, and asking his advice and direction. He replied briefly, in something like the following language : " ' VERY DEAR SISTER m CHRIST " ' I do most deeply sympathize with you un- der the discouragements of which you complain. After all I have experienced, when I take a view of the corruption of my own heart, I have many misgivings, lest all may yet be wrong. But still, I do hope in the mercy of God through the aton- ing blood of Christ, that I shall yet obtain the vic- tory over all my inbred corruption and all the machinations of the adversary. " ' I see nothing in your case except what Chris- tians in all ages have had to contend with ; and I trust these trials will in the end work for your good. Resist temptations. Walk close with God. Cast all your care upon Him ; for He careth for you.' " The next winter, while I was attending school REV. ALFRED BEIsTfETT. 129 in the village, and boarding at his house, he un- derstood that I was in need of a few shillings in order to prosecute my studies to advantage, and unobservedly afcd silently placed in rny hand the requisite amount. " In the spring of 1831, hearing that I wished to see him, as I had been long in feeble health, he called, and kindly inquired respecting my situa- tion. After patiently listening to the story of my destitution, he said : ' All that I can do for you now, is to ask God to do every thing that He sees best : let us pray.' Father B. had visited and prayed with me many times before in sickness, but that was especially a prevailing prayer. I seemed carried by it away from pain, and fear, and care. I appeared enveloped in the devotion of his soul, and warmed by the fervor of his pe- tition. My tempest-tossed spirit experienced a tranquillity that the world cannot give. It was prophetic ; and my life in regard to temporal things since appears to have been sketched in that prayer, but it will never be fully answered until in a good old age, as a shock of corn fully ripe, I am garnered in the rest which remains for the people of God. " A few days afterwards, he called one morning as he was passing, and gave me some money, say- 130 MEMOIR OF ing, ' Tour friend authorizes me to leave this with you, to be appropriated to your present want.' I might add much more, but I know that thousands can give a like testimony if they %ould speak." Again, in 1832, a visitation of the Holy Spirit was experienced, in connection with faithful Christian efforts. It was customary then for neighboring pastors to aid each other in special meetings for religious exertion ; and the Divine blessing often richly attended these united labors. Of one of these seasons, he wrote, March 3, 1832 : " It has truly been a precious season to many, both in the church and out. Probably one hun- dred have been aroused to a serious inquiry about their souls, and about thirty have expressed hope in the Saviour already during the meeting. We hope others may soon find peace in believing on Jesus Christ. My time and attention have been all occupied, but it has been a blessed season to me. It is good to see the Spirit of Christ controll- ing the affections of the saints, and elevating their desires towards the throne of God, and behold the subduing power of redeeming love bowing the hearts of sinners, once impenitent, to the obe- dience of the faith." During his ministry he baptized more than seven hundred and seventy persons, who gave evi- EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 131 dence to the church of their conversion to God, and nearly all of whom made their public profes- sion of religion while he was pastor. Many of these are still living, and adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour. These seasons of religious interest are here re- corded, not as filling up the whole of his expe- rience as a pastor, but as indicating the blessings that attended his unremitting exertions. They were harvests ; the bleak and dreary winter, and the laborious seed-time which preceded them, were not less filled with patient watchfulness and earnest effort ; but the fruits were mainly garnered in the ingathering of revival. The pastor's heart was often depressed beneath the cares and toils of his responsible station. Many a sermon seemed to fall powerless upon the careless ear ; many a social prayer-meeting was to him a scene only of sorrow, on account of the wintry atmosphere which peiyaded it ; many a difficulty needed kind and careful interposition for its adjustment ; many a valued Christian, on whom he leaned, was stricken down by his side, and borne to the grave ; and, what brought still more poignant anguish, temp- tation also had its victims, and some, who once bid fair for heaven, fell beneath its malign power. But the faithful sower, heeding the divine prom- 132 MEMOIR OF ise, in due time ye shall reap, if ye faint not, amidst sunshine and storm, ceased not to scatter broadcast the seeds of life ; and though he often went forth weeping, it was permitted him to re- turn again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 133 CHAPTER IX, THE MISSIONARY AGENCY. THE spirit of missions is everywhere the same, whether developed in the home or the foreign field. The sickly sentimentalism which has tears to shed over the lost millions of paganism, but puts forth no effort for the evangelization of the uninstructed and guilty multitudes around us, possesses DO higher virtue than the contracted sympathy which extends not beyond its own church-walls. Nei- ther has its origin at the Cross. That benevolence whose outgushing is only at the tale of distant mis- ery, while the widow and the fatherless at our door are unvisited, and the lost in our midst are un- sought and unreclaimed, does not flow from the " pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb." Jesus wept over Jerusalem. His healing power, with words of heavenly wisdom and invitation, was exerted throughout Judea, while yet before Him stretched the millions of heathendom, and 12 134 MEMOIR OF His compassionate heart yearned over the lost con- dition of a world. The active Christian at home is ordinarily the true-hearted friend of Christian exertion abroad. The men who toiled in our ministry during the past generation possessed much of the missionary spirit. But the moral desolation around them, claimed their efforts. We find them, while their own churches were still in infancy, organizing mis- sionary associations to spread the Gospel. Labo- rious and extended tours were undertaken through the wilderness, when the avenues of travel were yet unopened, dispensing the words of life to the destitute; and in the humble log-cabin many a soul was made to rejoice in pardon and, hope, through these self-denying exertions. "When Prov- idence called the Baptist denomination to engage in the work of foreign missions, these men were among the first to respond to the summons, and enter actively into the field. The Madison Asso- ciation, at its annual session, 1814, on receiving a communication from Luther Rice in behalf of the " General Convention of the Baptist denomination in the United States," after the report of a com- mittee, of which Mr. Bennett was a member, re- sponded with high and grateful enthusiasm, and solemnly " agreed to unite with their brethren, BEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 135 in exerting all their energies to promote the glo- rious cause of the "Redeemer, not only by their prayers, but by contributing of their worldly prop- erty." The ardent zeal for missions, with which the Homer pastor sought to inspire the young in his congregation, produced its effect, not only in con- tributions, but in personal' consecration to the work. In 1829, his eldest son, Cephas, who had then re- moved to Utica, left a lucrative business at the summons of the Master, and entered the service of the board at Burmah, as printer, and subsequently as preacher, among the heathen, where he still labors with eminent fidelity and success. The views of the father on this occasion are briefly ex- pressed in a letter to Rev. Alvin Bennett, Septem- ber 24, 1828 : " I have at present one source of trial to my natural feelings, of which you as yet know nothing by experience. An acquaintance is forming be- tween the Board of Foreign Missions and Cephas, with a view to his location in Burmah as a printer, to spend his life in that distant land. Should such an event occur, you will see it must be a trial to parental hearts. Cephas and his wife are willing to go ; yea, rather wish it. Indeed, his mind has been leading that way, I have known, for some 136 MEMOIR OF years, but no door seemed to open until now. Whether he will yet go or not remains to be deter- mined. Should he go at all, he will probably leave America some time next summer. Now, all this, I know, is in perfect accordance with the prayer of faith Thy kingdom come and with the conversion of the heathen to Christ, for they are to be given to Him for His inheritance. I wish to be still, and let the Lord send by whom He pleases, and in the fulness of my heart say, Thy will ~be done" The missionary zeal and eminent qualifications of the revered subject of these pages had long attracted the attention of the Executive Board of Foreign Missions, and in 1828, at their urgent solicitation, he accepted a temporary agency to visit churches and associations as far as would consist with the discharge of his pastoral duties. These solicitations were often repeated, and for several years the church, among whom his own ardent love of missions was diffused, permitted him to devote a portion of his time to the interests of that cause. The reports of these labors submitted to the Board show that he was unwearied in his ex- ertions, travelling much through the central and western parts of the State ; yet at their close is usually appended the statement : " All I have done REV. ALFRED BENNETT. this year has been without cost to the Board." Such was the generous devotion with which he gave himself to this work, that in 1831 the Board placed upon their record a resolution expressive of their gratitude for his disinterested and holy zeal. The providence of God now evidently called him to devote his undivided energies to the home work of missions. His sound judgment, the veneration widely felt for his godly character, and the holy enthusiasm he awakened everywhere in the mis- sionary enterprise, all eminently adapted him to arouse the slumbering zeal of the churches in the effort to give the Gospel to the heathen world. But the loved church over which he had so long presided lay near his he*art. The thought of dis- solving the pastoral relation was one of painful interest. Most of its members had first gained their hopes of heaven under the word of life minis- tered by him; they now clung around him as their father in the Gospel. It was an occasion of deep emotion when the revered pastor laid before them the communication of the Board, pro- posing a permanent separation from his people, and the devotion of his remaining days to the in- terests of foreign missions. The church appointed a special meeting for prayer and consideration, 12* 138 MEMOIR OF the result of which was announced by Mr. Ben- nett in a letter to Dr. Bolles, corresponding secre- tary of the Board, June 13, 1832 : " They were unanimous in their desire for me to continue with them, but in view of the import- ance of the missionary enterprise, the call of the Board, and my convictions of duty on the subject, they acquiesced, concluding it was of God, that it was my duty to go, and they ought to submit. Scarcely a brother spoke his mind on the occasion without giving vent to his emotion in tears ; but, I think, grace triumphed, and love to the cause of God, with desire for the wide extension of the Re- deemer's kingdom in the earth, made us all willing at length cheerfully to pursue that course which seemed to be marked oul^for us in Divine Provi- dence, looking to God for direction and sup- port. " This subject has oppressed me exceedingly. For a long time the foreign mission has seemed to have claims paramount to other objects, and the churches have not been thoroughly awake to its importance. But for two years it has engross- ed my feelings more intensely, and almost unfitted me for other duties. The decision, however, is made, and now my chief solicitude is whether I shall please God, and meet the wishes of the. REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 139 Board. I tremble in view of the responsibilities of the station." His life as a pastor, uninterrupted for twenty- five years, had been one of great faithfulness. The Spirit of God wrought effectually by him, and in every direction, for miles around, was ground hallowed by his prayer and toil, and associated with recollections of the triumphs of grace. And euch was the affection and respect with which he ever inspired his congregation, that when at length he deemed it his duty to propose a separation, it is believed there was not a single member, either of the church or the congregation, who did not ar- dently love his ministry, and deplore his absence as a personal loss. "The General Convention of the Baptist de- nomination in the United States" was then the only organization in America by which the work of foreign missions was carried on in this denom- ination. Its operations, even at this period, how- ever, were not extended. God had, indeed, richly blessed the labors of Mr. Judson and his coadju- tors in the Burman mission, and every year bore to our shores intelligence of new triumphs of the Gospel. The sainted Boardman had just breathed his last in the Karen jungle, after witnessing the first large ingathering of that "people prepared 14:0 MEMOIR OF of the Lord," among whom such wonders of mercy have since been wrought. Nine additional mis- sionaries had just sailed, to join the devoted band toiling amidst the pagodas of India. Every aspect of the missions abroad gave occasion for thanks- giving and hope. But at home the work moved slowly. The total of contributions from all parts of the Union in 1832, was only sixteen thousand five hundred and fifty-six dollars. Many of the churches which are now wealthy and efficient, were then struggling for existence ; many of this char- acter, also, in the rapid growth of cities and states have since been formed. Benevolent effort was then, for the most part, unregulated by system, and under the dictates of impulse only was liable to great fluctuations. "The Macedonian," diffu- sing missionary intelligence at a cost within the means of all, did not then enter the family circle, and act as a monthly monitor to a perishing world ; nor was the religious newspaper so generally re- garded as essential to a Christian home. Opposi- tion to missionary effort was not uncommon, even in the Middle and Eastern States, and in the West and Southwest large districts were infected with the anti-mission spirit. In all this the last twenty years have witnessed a vast change. Cheap periodicals, with cheap EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 141 postage, and readier means of inter-communica- tion, have diffused information, and prejudices have gradually given place to enlightened views f Christian duty. The press has been teeming with publications illustrating and enforcing the great commission. The Sabbath-school has been a nursery of missionary influence, and the thou- sands continually issuing from its hallowed walls upon the arena of Christian action, have entered the Church educated for missionary effort. Chris- tians generally have made much advance towards an intelligent appreciation of responsibility re- specting the evangelization of the world ; and though still far, very far, from the elevation to which they must rise before the Gospel shall be universally published, the signs of upward prog- ress are clear and hopeful. The contributions to the treasury of the American Baptist Missionary Union, reported 1851, fell but little short of one hundred thousand dollars, nearly six times the amount received in the whole country twenty years ago. Among the human agencies employed in effect- ing this auspicious change, no individual filled a more useful place than the venerated man whose life is here delineated. From his resignation of the pastoral office to the hour when his spirit en- 142 MEMOIR OP tered into the presence of the Master, the diffusion of the pure spirit of missions was the ruling pas- sion of his life. Though associated with various other religious enterprises, to which he gave an intelligent and earnest support, all the energies of his vigorous mind were devoted directly or indi- rectly to this one great end. It was in him a principle, rising higher than the love of kindred, causing him, with life already advanced, to for- sake the comforts of home, and prosecute steadily for many years a laborious and often thankless mission, exposed to every variety of climate, and every form of physical ill. He writes, in a letter addressed to his family, near the close of a long and toilsome tour in the West, May 6, 1840 : " Perhaps this will be the last copy of my feel- ings you will receive before you have the original in person ; for I begin to count upon the days, much more than the miles, which separate us. Sometime in June I devoutly hope to greet my dear family again, and none the less dear because I am long absent. If I am not a Christian, the deception is great. I believe I love my family aa well as ever, and desire their happiness as much ; but I can be sundered from them cheerfully to promote the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ in the world. If this is not from love to the truth, I am EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 143 deceived, awfully deceived. It is not affection growing cold towards my dear family, but desires increasing to extend the knowledge of the Lord, laboring daily, and so much the more as we see the day approaching" It was with such views the servant of God en- tered upon the new sphere to which Providence called him. Love to Christ, love to souls, and an ardent desire for the elevation of Christian character in the churches, seemed to be the per- vading principles of his life, while during many years fulfilling his high commission. No pecu- niary inducement was offered. He was appointed " at a salary of four hundred dollars, including his travelling expenses." No permanent agent before him had been in the employ of the Board, and the office was then new in the denomination. He always regarded himself as a pioneer; and with him the determination with which he en- tered the work became a fixed principle through life, to regard " the raising of money a secondary matter, and make it his first concern to spread information, and lay the foundation of a steady support of the enterprise in future years," by awa- kening an intelligent elevated missionary spirit in the churches, and giving permanency and system to benevolent action. 144 MEMOIR OF CHAPTER X, TOUKS SOUTH AND WEST. His agency, during the first eight years, was chiefly in the South and West, where he was a pioneer in the advocacy of missions. He trav- elled for the most part on horseback, exposed tp all the changes of the seasons, and amidst hard- ships under which a frame less robust or a spirit less resolute would have sunk. This period was filled with incidents of deep and often thrilling in- terest, illustrative of the providence of God and of human character in its various phases ; but they were left unrecorded, except on his memory, and are now unknown, only as occasionally rela- ted by him, in his own graphic manner, to the friends with whom he was intimately conversant. An outline of his tours, therefore, gathered most- ly from letters, is all which can here be pre- sented. Virginia was his first field, on which he entered at the close of November, 1832. Setting out from EEV. ALFRED BENHET1 1 . 145 Richmond, he travelled more than nine hundred miles on horseback, visiting numerous churches, and everywhere awakening a deep interest in the cause of missions. Though successful beyond ex- pectation, he says, " My chief consolation, after all, has arisen from the enjoyment of God in my own soul. I have rarely felt such a comfortable flow of feeling in preaching the Gospel of Christ, for so long a time together, as I have enjoyed for some weeks past. Whether the hearers were few or many, it was no embarrassment. I felt a pleasure in spreading out before them the wretch- ed condition of the world, the unspeakable glory, fulness, and adaptation of the Gospel, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, to change the heart and elevate the affections to God, in whom there is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore ; and then affection- ately inviting them to co-operate in the work of sending this blessed Gospel to every creature." When he was about to leave the State, the brethren sent earnest letters to the Executive Board, importuning them to permit his continu- ance there ; and if this could not be granted, that he might return a few months, or even weeks, the succeeding winter. At the close of this tour, we find the following memorandum : 13 146 MEMOIB OT "March 18. Arrived at Homer after an ab- sence of four months, in which I have enjoyed good health, travelled in all over twenty-five hun- dred miles, and collected for the Foreign Mission one thousand two hundred and seventy-one dol- lars, besides various articles of jewelry." The amount collected was not, indeed, large ; but at that time it was deemed an indication of unusual success, especially in a field comparative- ly new, where no organized system of benevolence had then been formed. After spending the summer in New Jersey and New England, he was occupied the following win- ter at the "West, in the States of Indiana, Ken- tucky, and Ohio, laboring with earnest zeal, but not with the same immediate success as in Vir- ginia. Much opposition encountered him from the anti-mission spirit, which was at that time rife in those sections of the country. In reference to this he remarked : " I intend to be kind, affec- tionate, and faithful, explaining the subject ac- cording to the Scriptures, and keeping a con- science void of offence towards God and the peo- ple : then I will abide the consequences." In Kentucky, while travelling, he was suddenly at- tacked with severe illness, occasioned by expo- sure, and for a time seemed in imminent peril of KEY. ALFKED BENNETT. 147 his life ; but it pleased the Lord to raise him up again. The kindness experienced in a land of strangers much affected him. " During my sick- ness at Elizabethtown," he writes, " I felt peculiar peace of mind and confidence in God. I knew He would do right. I felt quiet in His hand. I think, in reviewing the dispensation, I am much quickened in prayer, and desirous that I may not live in vain. God has heard prayer, and given me favor in the sight of the people of the land. The physicians were very attentive, and would charge nothing ; they said it was their highest pleasure to render me aid. Neither of them pro- fesses religion. I could not have been in a kinder family than that of brother H. Himself and wife and children, servants, and every thing, were de- voted to my service, and every effort made to ren- der me comfortable by night and by day. All this, too, was gratuitous ; they seemed to exult in the idea of being counted worthy to wait upon, one of the servants of their Lord. All things work together for good to those who are the call- ed according to God's purpose, and sincerely love Him. And may I hope that He will put m-e among His children ? I have always been fearful about my adoption ; yet, as I find such abundant proofs of His kindness towards me, I am encour- 148 MEMOIR OF aged to hope that, when the storms of life are over, I may be allowed rest in heaven, where Je- "BUS is, and where the saints shall be ever with Him." After this visitation of sickness, he continued his labors in Kentucky, returning to Homer in the spring, by way of Ohio. Of this tour, he writes to Rev. Alvin Bennett, June 29, 1834 : - " My journey was prosperous, and I hope prof- itable, both to the people among whom I trav- elled and to the cause generally, especially in stirring up a spirit of benevolence in the churches of the Far "West, so that they will be more en- gaged hereafter in thinking, feeling, praying, and acting for the benefit of the world. How hard it is for us to realize that the field is the world, to act with reference to the good of all mankind, and to live with a regard to the whole extent of our "being ! I was absent about eight months, trav- elled about three thousand miles, chiefly with my own team, preached two hundred times, besides a considerable amount of other labor, and col- lected one thousand dollars for the Foreign Mis- sions. The getting of money, however, was re- garded as a matter of very little account in com- parison with other objects, such as the removal of prejudices and the diffusion of information, to KEV. ALFKED BENNETT. 149 correct and settle public opinion in favor of the noble enterprise of giving the Gospel to every creature. Prejudice among many is deep rooted, requiring much labor to subdue it." "When a few weeks of repose had been enjoyed with his friends, he again set out for the West. Mrs. Bennett accompanied him as far as Roches- ter, whence, he remarks in a memorandum, " I was destined to go on alone towards the ' Far West,' with all the feelings that solitude, a sickly season, and occasional remains of cholera could produce within. But God is my strength, whom should I fear f God is the support of my life, of what shall I be afraid ? Believing Christ will sustain me, as long as he has aught for me to do in advancing His kingdom, I cheerfully venture forward, relying on Him." Though the cholera was making fearful ravages in many places around him, this terrible scourge did not deter him from his work. He felt that the heathen still needed the Gospel, and demanded unremitting eifort to send the messengers of salvation to them. Wri- ting to Dr. Bolles, from Cleveland, he says : " My health is yet good. I feel it my duty to confide all to the care of the Chief Shepherd of Israel, and do what I can to benefit a sinning, dying world by the ministration of the glorious Go&pel 13* 150 MEMOIR OF of the llessed God. The prospect for raj work in this country is good, excepting the embarrassment occasioned by the cholera. This is the engrossing subject of conversation. At this moment a man has come in from Detroit, and reports that deaths occur there from twenty to thirty per day. They average here perhaps five or six. May the love of God be shed abroad more abundantly in my heart, and increase the exercise of all the graces of the Holy Spirit, that, whether I live or die, I may be the Lord's." An affecting appeal respecting the welfare of the soul, addressed to two of his sons, dated Mont- gomery Co., Tenn., Jan. 1, 1835, belongs to this period. After speaking of the nature and enormi- ty of sin, he adds : " Will you longer neglect the great salvation ? "Will you resist the Holy Spirit's influences, and despise Christ, the adorable Saviour, who died to pardon and lives to bless ? Remember, my sons, it is not alone the sins of past life that now makes you unhappy, though seventeen years have been spent by you in sin, which is an awful fact. Sev- enteen years spent in open rebellion against God, exposed continually to his eternal vengeance ! Yet even all the guilt contracted during that time, though you have sinned under most aggra- REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 151 vating circumstances, would be pardoned in a moment, if your hearts were right now. It is present impenitence and unbelief that keeps tho soul from God. My dear children, I beseech you, think on these things, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive Him cordially, that you may live, and live forever in heaven. " You will excuse a father who loves you, and loves you none the less for being more than a thousand miles from you at this moment, for wri- ting thus earnestly to you. Indeed, you could hardly forgive me, if I did not deal faithfully with your souls, while I am depriving myself of all domestic happiness for the benefit of the souls of others. " I was only a little more than seventeen years old when, I trust, my wicked heart was broken before God for sin ; the Saviour appeared to my soul the one altogether lovely, and I felt it my highest honor to serve Him. And I may say to you to-day, that all the trouble I have had since has grown out of my unlikeness to Him. When I enjoy His love, I am happy. The trials of life I can then bear with patience, and' feel a pleasure in the toilsome labors of the Gospel, even in a land of strangers, when I can say, I know that my Redeemer liveth." 152 MEMOIR or He continued his labors in the "West, through Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, until April, when he attended the General Convention in its triennial session, held at Richmond, Ya. In the report rendered to this body respecting his service for two years and five months, we find the following paragraphs : " During this time efforts have been put forth in many large and important assemblies, such as the ' Convention of Western Baptists,' State Con- ventions, and anniversaries of societies for spread- ing the Gospel at home and abroad. More than six hundred sermons have been delivered, while in performing this labor he has travelled over ten thousand miles, and a large portion of this on horseback. " In conclusion, the sufferings, exposures, and labors, with the sacrifices made of personal ease, domestic comfort, and social enjoyment, have been more than made up in the soul by the enjoy- ment of the Divine favor, the sweet, peace-perva- ding spirit of the Gospel, the friendship of the pious and prayerful with whom acquaintance has been formed, the conviction of personal useful- ness in the Gospel, and the hope of instrumentally spreading it abundantly in all the earth ; and above all, from the persuasion, in view of the EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 153 prophecies and commandments of God our Saviour, that His will was done" At the close of the session of the Convention, he permitted himself a brief period of rest, when he made another tour through Illinois, Tennessee, and other States, where he met with much suc- cess. The collection of money, however, was not the primary object in Mr. Bennett's "Western agency. A false Calvinism was extensively prev- alent in the churches, producing much opposition to Christian exertion for the salvation of sinners, whether at home or abroad. It paralyzed the active power of religion. A proper understand- ing of his usefulness there will require, at this point, a more full view of that spirit than, has been before given. He thus writes to the secre- tary, Dr. Bolles, from. Alabama, February 22, 1836: " That you may have some idea of the moral at- mosphere which I am compelled to breathe, I will begin by quoting verbatim from the minutes of the Bichland Creek Association, the following pream- ble and resolution : " ' Whereas this Association views with pain and Christian abhorrence the rise, the progress, and deleterious effects of various societies, or combinations of men, claiming the specious and 154 MEMOIR OF flattering names of benevolence and humanity, such as the Missionary and Abolition Societies, and many others actuated by the same spirit, the work of which combinations we believe to be sub- versive of all good order, peace, and quiet of both civil and political, as well as religious so ciety : " ' Be it, therefore, resolved by this Association unanimously, that we hereby declare to all men our sincere, undeviating, and decided opposition to all and every such society, whose ways and works are wasting and destroying the happiness of society in every part of our otherwise happy country ; and we sincerely desire our brethren at large, and particularly advise the churches we represent, to hold all such societies in utter detest- ation and at a distance ; and further, we advise that the churches uncompromisingly use the dis- cipline of the Gospel on all and every of their members who may be known in any way to coun- tenance such unscriptural and disorganizing socie- ties or combinations.' The above passed the As- sociation September, 1835." This was not a solitary instance. Many were the religious bodies in which similar sentiments were avowed. Antinomianism, which has since much declined, from lack of essential vitality, was REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 155 then at the zenith of its power in the Southwest. Immense numbers of professing Christians were involved in this error, among whom were somo men possessing great excellencies of character, and swaying an extensive influence. From a memorandum made at this time, a still more definite statement of these pernicious views is taken: " I spent twenty-four hours with Rev. A. H., a chief man in the Association, and found him im- pressed with the conviction that the commission, to preach the Gospel to every creature was ful- filled by the Apostles, and is now binding only as it requires pastors to feed the flock ; that the Gos- pel is not a means of salvation to the impenitent, for the heathen may be saved without it (for which he quotes Romans ii. 14, These, having not the law, are a law unto themselves, etc.) ; that no proof is found in the Bible that religion has any thing to do with money, and those who receive it come more or less under the idea of hirelings. These views are connected in his mind with the opinion that all the efforts of the Church are unauthorized in Scripture, and have been introduced within fifty years, since which the Church has gone back and become degenerate, and saints are not as numerous now as in the days of persecution and. 156 MEMOIR OF darkness in the valleys of Piedmont : for the devil has turned Christian. "With these views he asso- ciates an humble, conscientious spirit, and seems much distressed that good men should be so blinded as he deems them to be." " Effort" and " Anti-effort" were the distinctive badges of religious parties in the South and West, producing frequent divisions of churches and associations, with much contention and violence. Many of the churches were closed against him in his earlier tours, and much misrepresentation and personal abuse were met. One instance among many is thus related : " On Lord's day an effort was made by Rev. , with two other brethren, to prevent my preaching, because I was a mission- ary man. More than an hour was spent in debat- ing the subject with those who took my part, while most of the congregation were in the open air and cold, rambling about, and no acts of worship were performed until after one o'clock, p. M. When another person had preached, an appeal was made by a friendly minister to the assembly, who, with the exception of about three, voted to have me address them." When he was excluded from the ordinary house of worship, such was his reputation, the citizens would frequently throw open to him the court-house, or other public building in the EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 157 place, \vhere, by bis eminently Christian spirit, lucid statement of facts, and fervid appeals for Christ and a perishing world, he would put to Bhame the opposition ; and (to use an expression then common in describing his efforts) he " took away the doors, posts, bars, and all from the enemy's citadel." For this work Mr. Bennett possessed peculiar adaptation. His soul was glowing with mission- ary ardor. His acquaintance with the Scriptures was intimate and practical. His mental resources were always at ready command, and an apt Scrip- ture quotation, or a well-turned reply, often covered an objector with no small confusion. To this was added a holy earnestness and benignity of man- ner, which at once impressed and attracted the hearts of his opposers. His services were eagerly sought by active Christians everywhere, as con- ducing to a deeper tone of spirituality in the churches, and a more just sense of responsibility respecting a lost world. Rev. Dr. Howell, then of Nashville, Tenn., thus wrote to him in reference to these labors : " I am delighted to hear that you will probably be at the next meeting of our State convention. Be assured, should the Lord favor us so much as to direct your way to us at that time, we shall fc-el U 158 MEMOIR OF grateful to Him, and receive you with open hearts and hands. I think you ought to labor much in the West, especially in the Southwest. Your col- lections for the good cause in Burmah may not be quite so large, but the deficit will be more than, made up to the cause we love, by the good you will do us." God has associated the work of foreign missions with the highest prosperity of the churches in the home field. The auspicious change which has been passing over the spiritual character of many of the churches in the Southwest, though attribu- table to no single agency, is largely a result of Mr. Bennett's labors. The striking views he presented of the great commission, the stirring appeals he made in behalf of the heathen world, the exposi- tions he gave of the purpose of the Gospel, as in- dicated in the prophecies and in the teachings of Christ illustrated and enforced, as the whole was, by his Christian temper, his earnest zeal, and his life of irreproachable godliness gave a new direc- tion to Christian thought, and awoke in the hearts of thousands the more active impulses of religious character. The compassion awakened among Chris- tians for the distant heathen, and the obligation distinctly presented to send them the Gospel, in turn awoke an interest in the perishing condition REV. ALFKED BENNETT. 159 of the ungodly around them ; and the tears of pity falling over the miseries of a lost world, were often the precursors of a refreshing from the presence of the Spirit of God, and the blessed ingathering of a revival. An extract from a letter written at Lawrence- burgh, Ind., at this period, addressed to his son, Dolphas Bennett, in which he notes some valuable thoughts in Sidney's " Life of Rowland Hill," will be here read with interest. " In coming down the Ohio I read Wm. Sidney's 'Life of Rowland Hill.' The devotion, zeal, and activity of Mr. Hill are worthy of imitation : every good man will find his own heart strengthened by Buch an example. There were a few choice sen- tences which I marked, and some of them I will mention. ' If you wish to gain a character as a minister of the word of life, you must first lose it entirely in the esteem of the world, and then gain it by your upright and holy zeal, by your complete deadness to the world, that you may give yourself wholly to the work of the ministry, and spend and be spent in the sacred cause. Half- way work is odious in every profession, but in the work of God most abominable : such as honor Christ shall be honored of Him. You have suf- ficient knowledge of the Gospel to know that it is 160 MEMOIK OTf a glorious Gospel, while the thin, meager religion of the world is beneath contempt.' Again, ' The messenger of the Gospel becomes the truest patriot, when he is most diligently employed in winning his fellow-countrymen to the religion of Jesus Christ, whose precepts obeyed from the heart are the firmest pillars of the social system, and the surest antidote to anarchy or misrule.' " Mr. Hill felt his dependence much, as every good man will, upon the Holy Spirit's influence in the ministrations of the Gospel. ' There is some- thing,' says he, ' in preaching the Gospel with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, which I long to get at. The nearer we live to God, the better we are enabled to serve Him. Oh how I hate my own noise when I have nothing to make a noise about ! Heavenly wisdom creates heavenly utter- ance.' He said he liked Dr. Ryland's advice to his pupils : JUind, no sermon is of any value, or likely to be useful, which has not the three It's in it : Ruin by the fall j Redemption by Christ j Re- generation by the Holy Spirit. A minister hav- ing observed to him that, notwithstanding the fault found with his dry sermons, there were still hopes of their usefulness, for Samson had slain the Phil- istines with the jaw-bone of an ass 'True,' he replied, ' but it was a moist jaw-bone.' Mr. Sid EEV. ALFEED BENNETT. 161 ney utters a good sentiment on doctrinal contro- versy : ' Let Calvinist and Arminian join in one common acknowledgment that they never should have sought God by nature, had he not first sought them by grace that the only way to eternal life is through the all-sufficient atonement of a dying Saviour, and the only evidence of our interest in His blood is a heart sanctified by His Spirit and dedi- cated to His glory.' " But, my dear son, while -we are looking at other men, desiring to copy their virtues, how much need we have of great grace to overcome our own, vices ! To elevate our own habits of thinking, feel- ing, acting, that we may continually be assimi- lating to the likeness of Christ, is of vast moment for usefulness in the church or in the world." A letter from him in Kentucky, 1836, addressed to his nephew, Asa Bennett,* whose heart was then turning towards the ministry of the Gospel among the heathen, is in part here inserted : reference is * This excellent young man, after pursuing a course of study at the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution, with refer- ence to the missionary work in Burmah, fell a victim to con- sumption before entering his contemplated field. His death was. in the calm assured hope of Christ; it is yet profoundly felt in a large circle, who appreciated the virtues which adorned his char- acter. 162 MEMOIR OF also made to his niece, a young lady of much promise, who was wasting in consumption. " It distresses me much to hear of C.'s state of health ; but as God has ordered it, all is right, and we should submit. Youth, beauty, intelligence, activity, and hope are cut down and wasted in her. This must be another great affliction to the dear family, who have already suffered so much from the same disease. The Saviour said, What I do thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know here- after. Draw near to God ; cast all your care upon Him, for He carethfor you. Let this be your con- solation. Should C. be yet alive, tell her my heart's desire and prayer to God for her is, that she may be saved. The blessed Saviour died for sinners / tell her to look to Him, to cast herself at His feet, and say, Lord, save, or I perish. It is safe trusting in His grace, and His power to save is infinite. May she shine before the throne of God, with her parents, and brothers, and sisters, and with all the saints. " You speak of trials in relation to the ministry in heathen lands. I would say, pray much, and examine your heart carefully. To labor for God anywhere is an honor, and to be sent by him to teach the Gentiles is a distinguished honor, but a very difficult task. I know not why you may not REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 163 be called to serve God as a missionary, but all who think they are called to that work should be careful to know that the call is of God. The mis- sionary is like a man upon the top of a mount- ain, in the view of all the world, with the eye of God and the enmity of devils directed towards him. He occupies one of the most responsible places in the universe : if he succeed not, it will be a great defeat ; but if he does, it will be a great honor. In view of all this, how important it is that a man should know himself, his inmost self^ touching all the motives and desires of his heart, that he may be thoroughly acquainted with the principles which stimulate him to action, and un- derstandingly decide upon his course! for, not only his own happiness is involved'in the decision, but the well-being of many others, upon whom his course will have influence." The views Mr. Bennett took of his work were eminently spiritual, and throughout his official communications the pervading tone is- that of humble reliance upon God. He thus concludes a report of his labors, February 22, 1837, for the winter just closing: "The ministration of the Gospel among the people almost daily, the infor- mation spread over a wide extent of country, which will do good in future, together with the 164 MEMOIR OF moral and religious influence set in motion in the denomination, have more than compensated for all the toil, fatigue, privation, and danger encountered in making this laborious tour. It becomes me also to acknowledge the goodness of God all the way, and his special mercy, in many instances, in preserving my life, limbs, and health amidst ex- posures from high waters, bad roads, dangerous ice, inclement seasons, and bewilderment in dreary- forests and prairies. But most of all are my thanks due to God for the light of His countenance, the influences of His Spirit, and the supports of His grace in the discharge of the important duty as- signed me." Many instances occurred, during his tours, of re- markable provMential preservation, in which he could clearly see the hand of God. On his way from Erie, Penn., to Cleveland, Ohio, a journey which it was then necessary to perform by stage, the coach was twice overset in one night, occa- sioned, in both instances, by the driver's intem- perance and culpable ignorance of the way. In the last instance, the horses were in rapid mo- tion, descending a dangerous hill, and the force with which the coach struck the ground was such as to cause it to slide some distance on the ground after being overset. He was sitting on the REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 165 forward seat, having only the curtain between him and the earth, and that was badly torn in the con- cussion. The labor arid exposures of this winter, however, proved too severe for him. Always unwilling to fail in his appointments, a hoarseness, contracted in this inclement season, finally induced what seemed to be a serious affection of the lungs. Weakness at length compelled him to relinquish all effort for several weeks, and apprehensions were felt that it might terminate his life. But he so far recov- ered as to reach Pittsburg, whence he wrote: " Although this sickness is to. me a sore calamity, and falls heavily on the mission cause, yet it has not been lost upon me. My heart has been much stirred up, instructed, and humbled, all which it greatly needed. Sweet and interesting views of a Saviour have cheered me, and caused me to hope that even so vile a wretch as I may yet be holy as God is holy. That is the standard of moral excel- lence to which all must come who enter heaven. Hence the value of a Saviour's merits, the pre- ciousness of His atoning blood, the priceless worth of His imputed righteousness, and the importance of His Spirit dwelling within us, to quicken the affections, strengthen and direct the desires in prayer, and comfort and sanctify the whole soul." 166 MEMOIE OF Though he did not entirely recover his wonted health until the close of summer, the intermediate time was spent in active exertion, chiefly in cen- tral New York. Autumn found him again in the "West, passing through Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, " addressing both churches and individuals on the claims of missions, and, whenever practicable, attending public meetings of conventions and other religious bodies." The condition of the field had greatly changed since he first entered it. Opposition had in many places entirely ceased, and where he was driven away, or coldly received, in earlier years, the people now met him gladly. He wrote from Illinois : " The ministering brethren are now favorable, at least such as have influence with the people, and there are revivals in many of the churches, or have lately been, which gives things an entirely new aspect. In no year since the commencement of my agency, have I seen so much evidence of strong, united, and deep-toned religious feeling, putting itself forth in benevolent effort, as in this : in view of which I would thank God, devoutly hoping the signs of the times will brighten, until the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord." On returning from the West, his time was occu- KEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 167 pied chiefly in the interior of the State of New York and in Connecticut, addressing the churches with his usual success, until September, 1839. He then returned westward, and from Springfield, Illinois, thus writes Dr. Bolles, Sept. 26 : " In dating my letter, I am forcibly reminded of the flight of time, and the brevity of human life. This day commences my sixtieth year on earth. Fifty-nine years' time have been allotted me in the world, forty-one and a half of them have passed since I acknowledged allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ as King, and nearly thirty- five since engaging in the ministry. How much ought I to have known by this time under such a Teacher ! How much ought I to have done in obedience to such a King ! How much more I might now be able to do, had I always been what Christ required me to be ! How much is lost by sin ! But thanks ~be to God, tliere is perfection in prospect, through the Hood of tJie Lairib. Oh, my soul, praise Him ! therefore praise Him ! praise the great Redeemer's name !" While absent upon this tour, he received intel- ligence of the illness of his son, Cephas Bennett, in Burmah, and the intended return of that ex- cellent missionary to this country for a season, seeking restoration. To this he replied: "The 168 MEMOIR OF loss of my son's health, and his consequent re- turn, is grievous to my heart ; yet I hope God will be glorified in him, whether it be by life or death. I should be happy to see my children, but more happy to hear they were turning the heathen to God from dumb idols, and laboring successfully in health, as the instruments of God in gathering in His elect." And when, early in 184:0, his son reached this country, the father, who was laboring in Kentucky, could not be induced to hasten his return, remarking, " It would give me great sat- isfaction to come home and enjoy the pleasures of domestic life with my dear family, but the cause here demands my attention." The interests of the Redeemer's kingdom seemed to surpass in his view the claims of all earthly objects ; and though possessing a heart glowing with the warmest nat- ural affection, love to Christ burned there with yet higher intensity. BEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 169 CHAPTER XI. TOTJKS EAST AND WEST. To follow the venerated man, of whose life the memorials are here gathered, through all the de- tails of his numerous tours, would swell this vol- ume beyond its appropriate limit. Nor is it need- ful. The purpose of a biography is to give a picture of the man, which is often more fitly done by a few characteristic incidents than by crowded circumstantial detail. The later years of his life were employed chief- ly in New York and the adjacent States, though a few months of each year were commonly spent in the West. Much importance was attached to his annual visit to that region. A multitude of new churches were springing up amidst the rapidly growing communities there. The worldly thrift and enterprise, so characteristic of the "West, and often so disastrous to the vitality and purity of the churches, required the influence of those elevating, ennobling views associated with giving the Gospel to the world. A missionary spirit needed to be 15 170 MEMOIR OF early infused, and a system of benevolent contri- bution established. This was the peculiar mission of Mr. Bennett. His success is not to be meas- ured by the amount of funds collected. His was a work of faith : he laid the foundations of mis- sionary effort, on which others are rearing the su- perstructure. God by him opened springs of be- nevolence in the western churches, whose streams, at first small, but ever widening and deepening, will ultimately bear far and wide over the earth the peace and gladness of the Gospel. The summer of 1840, with the winter succeed- ing, he passed in his agency in the Middle and Eastern States, inspiring, as usual, interest every- where in the missionary work by his heart-stirring appeals. On some of the tours of this period, he was accompanied by Rev. Cephas Bennett, whom he was permitted to greet again, after an absence of more than ten years among the hea- then in Burmah. After attending the triennial session of the Convention at Baltimore, April, 1841, he passed over the mountains to meet with several important public bodies in Ohio and Ken- tucky. From the latter State he thus writes Dr. Peck, secretary of the Board : " Very little has been collected for foreign missions the year past, especially beyond Ohio, and from the scarcity of REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 171 money I fear little will be done for the year to come. I made three attempts at collection in L. : one in the first church, one in the convention, and one in the colored church. The last was thirty- two dollars, and more than both the others. At the close of the sermon in the colored church, Rev. Mr. A., their pastor, himself a colored man, after making some excellent remarks, concluded by saying : ' When we have had our monthly concerts, I have noticed there was often a groan of approbation over the house, as desire was ex- pressed for particular things, especially when the heathen were mentioned ; and now I want you to come forward and lay down your money, or I shall think you did not groan honestly? Per- haps," continues Mr. Bennett, "there are some white people who will need to groan again, or pay more money before all will be done right. But we will bless God for His mercy hitherto received, and devoutly pray for greater displays of His power." Great agitation respecting the institution of sla- very existed at this time in the churches, both [North and South. While some of the former re- garded the Board of Missions with distrust, charg- ing them as the abettors of slavery, and clamor- ously demanded a distinct denunciation of that 172 MEMOIR OF institution, and an entire separation from the southern churches ; many in the latter were de- nouncing the Board as ultra-abolition, and requir- ing some definite statement or act which would identify them officially with that obnoxious institu- tion. Public religious gatherings in all parts of the country were filled with exciting discussions upon this subject, and agitators, on either side, were passing among the churches, stirring up a spirit of opposition. Collections were much 'impeded, as many forgot, in the wild excitement, their obli- gations to give the Gospel to the heathen. It re- quired much watchfulness and wisdom, in these circumstances, to keep steadily before Christians the claims of a perishing world ; and in the midst of frequent and violent opposition, to mingle pa- tience and gentleness with that firmness which the crisis demanded. The influence of Mr. Bennett at this period was of* great value. Ever kind and conciliatory, though uncompromising where he thought the truth at stake, his counsels often calmed the agitation, and directed the eye from sectional jealousies and lower interests to the one great object, around which he would concentrate the energies of the people of God. The venera- tion universally felt for his piety, the holy fervor with which he plead for the heathen, as well as EEV. AI^FRED BENNETT. 173 the wisdom of his course, contributed much to the preservation of the missionary interest during that stormy period, until the final separation of the northern and southern churches in their mis- sionary operations, in 1845, restored some degree of tranquillity. The summer of 1841, as well as the winter fol- lowing, he employed mostly in the State of New York. It was, however, a time of great pecuniary embarrassment, which, conspiring with the above- mentioned occasion of dissension, caused an unu- sual falling off in the amount contributed. Of this he wrote to Dr. Bolles, from Rochester, Feb. 5, 1842, just before that excellent man was com- pelled by enfeebled health to relinquish his post, so long and honorably filled, as secretary of the Board : " I had anticipated sending from this place nearly fifteen hundred dollars, but shall fail. The cause, however, will not fail. God, the ever-Uessed God, will accomplish His purposes of mercy among the heathen, and when we have done all we can, we have done our duty. I told the brethren at the Monroe Association, it was folly to complain of hard times. It was not so in Christ's kingdom : the times were easy there. The pressure was in another king- dom, and because they had put their money in 15* 174 MEMOIB OF the wrong place. ~No one in the country had put his money into the Lord's treasury, and failed on that account. In all the States through which I had passed, and among the thousand bankruptcies which had occurred, and among them hundreds of church members among all, not one could be found who attributed his ruin to his giving in the cause of God. No it was putting his funds in the wrong place, where the blessing of God could not rest upon it. " Our hope is in the Lord, and may His Spirit and presence be with the Board and its officers. May their feet be guided in wisdom, and the work of their hands established. Our national councils seem to be distracted ; still the cause of God in the earth will prosper to its consumma- tion. This is cheering. God is a refuge for us. And blessed ~be His glorious name forever, mid let the whole earth befitted with His glory" His steps were again directed westward in the following autumn, visiting Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky. From Maysville, Ky., he thus ad- dresses Mrs. Bennett, under date of Dec. 10, 1842: " This is dedicated to you, as the companion of my life. Forty years last month we engaged to each other, to suffer and enjoy in union, amidst REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 175 the changes which should come over us. Our hope was in God, and we have not been disap- pointed ; for God has been faithful, and His hand has helped us at all times. His promises have been the support and comfort of our souls, while His word has been food and strength, wisdom and consolation. Truly we can say, Christ has "been precious, very precious. How often have we found pardon and peace, when as guilty we have gone before His throne ! " And now when I look back upon all the way the Lord has led us these forty years in the wil- derness, to prove us, and see what was in our hearts, whether we would serve Him or not, I think much has been disclosed in my heart offen- sive to Him, and dishonorable to me ; and I pray Him to forgive^ and still bless us both, while we remain below. I hope you find access to the throne of God from day to day, and leaving your burdens with Him, are passing the time in pa- tience ; for while you are patient in tribulation, and continuing instant in prayer, you can rejoice in hope a hope which maketh not ashamed, be- cause the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." His labors were continued through the winter in different parts of the West, without interruption. 176 MEMOIR O# No record of them, however, is now found, except in occasional letters ; from one of which, addressed to A. M. Beebee, Esq., Utica, 1843, from Kentucky, we make the following extracts : " My health is good, generally. My life, which has always been in God's hand, was again put in jeopardy on the 14th inst., by being thrown sud- denly from my carriage upon the Macadamized rock road. No bones were broken, but the bruise was dreadful. I fell into the Hands of sympathiz- ing friends, both in the family and the physician. After being confined to my room and bed several days, my labors were resumed, but much pain is suffered yet in the side and shoulder. " Some time since I heard a leading Campbellite discourse on the first chapter of Colossians. "When he came to verse 14, By whom we have redemption through His Hood, even the forgiveness of sins, he paused a moment and said : ' Some people think the "blood of Christ has something to do with the forgiveness of sins, and,' said he, ' I have no doubt they are honest in thinking so, but they are greatly mistaken. The blood of Christ has nothing to do in putting away sins, under the new covenant, any more than the blood of bulls and goats had under the Old Testament. The blood ratifies the covenant, and we must obey its commands to toe REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 177 saved.' Is not this do and live? or rather, doing and dying ! " A gentleman of high standing handed me the following statement in writing a few days ago : 'I heard a sermon in Frankfort, in Jan., 1843, delivered by Mr. Fall (who is a prominent Camp- bellite minister), on the subject, in part, of the new birth, in which he stated the new birth was an outward ordinance altogether. He said, a man might have faith, repentance, a new heart, and a good conscience, yet he had not experienced the new birth. He said baptism was a figurative death. The last breath an individual drew before he was put into the water he was out of the king- dom, while under the water his breath was stopped, and the first breath he drew after he was raised from the water he was in the kingdom and a child of God.' " Mistaken views of human depravity occasion much of this error, in my opinion. Man is not viewed as a poor, bankrupt vagabond, while in sin utterly wretched, helpless, and miserable lying in the wicked one, dead in trespasses and sins justly deserving eternal damnation and needing such help as only God can give him in Jesus Christ, according to the riches of His grace. Blessed be God for a Redeemer that can save sin- 178 MEMOIE OF ners ! This is the precious truth which comforts my heart amidst the toils and solicitude of life. Christ is all my confidence still, after forty-five years of experience. I have no righteousness to mention but His righteousness, and I have to go in the strength of the Lord God from day to day. My prayer is, Now also, when I am old and gray- headed, God, forsake me not, till I have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come" The missionary meeting at Hamilton, during the commencement anniversaries of Aug., 1843, will be remembered with deep interest for many years. An immense assembly was gathered in a large, shaded grove, forming an amphitheatre a spot hallowed in earlier days by the prayers of the lamented Thomas. Rev. Eugenio Kincaid, re- turned missionary from Burinah, had preached, depicting with graphic power the signal triumphs of grace in that heathen land, holding the vast auditory intensely interested for nearly two hours and a half. No ordinary man could have safely followed him. Mere reasoning, or learning, or oratory would have seemed cold trifling. It re- quired a soul, elevated and capacious, burning with love to Christ, and melting with compassion for a perishing world. Mr. Bennett was the preacher REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 179 chosen. He selected as his theme the words of the Apostle, BretJiren, pray for us / and an unc- tion from the Holy One seemed to rest upon him. He spoke as one fresh from the throne of God, and standing beneath the cross of the great Re- deemer. The sermon, though in the midst of other exercises of thrilling interest, left an impression not yet effaced from the hearts of the multitudes then assembled. Early in 1844 we find him again in Michigan, where, for the first time, he was attacked with the ague, so common in the West. By this, however, he was not laid aside from his work, but pursued it with usual ardor, until by powerful remedies the disease was at length broken up. The Southern churches having withdrawn from the General Convention, a special meeting of that body was convened, Nov., 1845, in the city of New York, for the purpose of reorganization; when a new constitution was adopted, and the society took the name of " The American Baptist Missionary Union." Dr. Judson, the veteran mis- sionary ,was providentially present, in feeble health, and having recently, on his homeward voyage, deposited the lifeless remains of Mrs. JudsOh in their grave on the Island of St. Helena. Deep emotion was experienced at the sight of the vener- 180 MEMOIK OF able man of God, whose career for thirty years had been marked with a noble devotion, amidst Bufferings and labors for Christ. " Father Ben- nett" was requested to address the Throne of Grace. A live coal from off the heavenly altar seemed to have touched his lips. A petition so fervent and touching, carrying the assembly with it, as it were, into the presence of God, and spreading the wants and interests of the occasion at the foot of the Throne, has seldom been heard from the lips of man. It appeared to be from the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Every heart was melted and borne irresistibly with it, and the immense assem- bly was bathed in tears. After the organization of the Missionary Union, much dissatisfaction was felt with that article of the constitution which prescribes the terms of membership. Many preferred the principle of church representation to that of life-membership which had been adopted. The discussion in many sections was warm, and not seldom acrimonious. It was seriously apprehended that a rupture would be occasioned by it. The subject, however, was finally disposed of, by referring it for final decision to the whole body of members ; the result of which was a large majority in favor of the life-member- ship basis. During the progress of this contro- KEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 181 versy, which continued several years, Mr. Bennett's labors were unremitting to calm agitation and prevent the dissatisfaction from prejudicing the interests of the missions. The harmonious co- operation of the churches in the Union, which re- mains, for the most part, unbroken in [New York and the "Western States, is to be attributed in no small degree to the happy influence he ex- erted. To the Baptist ecclesiastical polity, especially the independence of the churches, he was warmly and conscientiously attached, and his views on this subject had remarkable distinctness. This gave to his counsels great value, as he passed among the churches and participated in the de- liberations of Councils, Associations, and other public religious bodies. The following incidents will illustrate at once the opinions he entertained, and the practical use he made of them. During his early ministry, a Presbyterian cler- gyman, with whom he was on terms of intimacy, once remarked, what a desirable gradation of courts the Presbyterian church polity furnished from one to another, to which difficulties might be referred for adjustment ; and wished to know what the Baptists did when their only tribunal the church in which the difficulty originated 16 182 MEMOIK OF . failed to reach a satisfactory decision. He had to reply that there was no way but to " hang it up" for adjudication at the day of final account. Mr. B. then asked him, in turn, what they did when their Session failed to give satisfaction. He re- plied that their resort was to the Presbytery. But, rejoined Mr. B., suppose the Presbytery in like manner fails? The appeal then lies to the Synod, was the answer. But suppose the Synod fail too ? The next resort is to the General As- sembly, was of course answered ; and when Mr. B. inquired for the resort beyond this, the Pres- byterian brother, already anticipating the end to which he was coming, pleasantly replied, that he supposed they would have to "hang it up" like their Baptist brethren. Mr. B. then wished to know if it would not have saved much trouble, expense, and asperity of feeling, if they could have "hung it up" after the first trial. He then gave an account of a difficulty which originated in a joke about a member of a church, at the South, walking home with a lady whose husband was not a member of the church. It was at first of no account, but one joke originated another ; and they together grew into something serious. The members of the church and community took sides with one party or the other, and the difficul- EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 183 ty, like all others commencing in nothing and re- ceiving constant accretions from the spirit which they generate in their progress, proved incapable" of adjustment, and after travelling the whole round of tribunals, had to be "hung up" in reserve for the Judgment, both by the original parties and those who had attached themselves to either side in the progress of the trials. He had frequent occasion to correct errors on this subject, and always did it with great kind- ness, and in a manner to leave good feeling be- hind. At a State Convention in one of the West- ern States, he noticed at one time a great disposi- tion, in the circles of brethren in which he moved, to bring up for discussion the subject of secret so- cieties and pass strong resolutions upon it. He went among them privately, and sought to dis- suade them from bringing it up. It was not prop- er, he said, and the result would always be bad for other bodies to anticipate ad control the ac- tion of the churches, by passing general resolu- tions which they could apply to no particular case. He thought these societies bad in their in- fluence, but that the individual churches ought to deal with those who went off to such organiza- tions, untrammelled by the decisions of the Con- vention. The subject was not introduced. 184: MEMOIR OF His usefulness on these tours, as a sound advi- ser and clear expositor of biblical principles of church polity, will long be felt in its influence in different parts of the Union. The years 1846-7 were employed mainly in the State of New York, with occasional visits to his original field in the West. Many mass mission- ary meetings were attended during this period, where, with undiminished ardor, he plead the cause of the heathen. He also made a trip to Ohio, in company with Rev. Mr. Osgood, return- ed missionary, during the spring of 1847, the re- sults of which were highly beneficial. In the re- port of his labors, given May, 1848, for the year then closed, it is stated that he had visited one hundred and twelve churches in New York (some of them twice), with twelve Associations ; besides spending April and May chiefly in Ohio, and September and October in Wisconsin and Michi- gan. He had travelled about eight thousand three hundred and fifty-two miles, and preached two hundred and fifty-two sermons, besides ad- dressing different assemblies, on other occasions, nearly as many times more. It was thus he toiled, while his head was al- ready whitened for the grave, and his frame bow- ed under the weight of almost seventy years. REV. ALFBED BENNETT. 185 The work was God's. The interests of a dying world lay upon his heart. The reward was near and glorious. 16* 186 MEMOIR OF CHAPTER XII, ILLNESS AND DEATH. THE first intimation of the presence of the pain- ful disease, which at length terminated fatally, was given at Hamilton, during the Commence- ment anniversaries of Madison University. The excitement respecting the removal of that institu- tion to a more western location was then at its height, and rendered the occasion one of deep, and often painful, interest. This may have been the occasion of the attack at that time ; the causes, however, are to be found in the long-con- tinued privations and exposures necessarily inci- dent to his agency. The disease then speedily yielded to medical treatment, and he was able in a few days to resume travelling. Early in the next month, he was called to preach the funeral sermon of Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Kendrick, who, after a protracted period of ex- cruciating suffering, under which the eminent ser- vant of God was signally supported, died in peace- REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 187 ful triumph at the village of Hamilton. The text assigned him by his departed friend was from the forty -third Psalm : Hope in God ; for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance and my God. The occasion deeply affected him ; and from the fulness of his capacious soul, he set forth " The Christian's grounds of consolation and triumph," with an ardor and unction which will not soon be forgotten by his auditors. He felt himself standing over the grave of an early and long-tried friend, with whom were associated many of the most precious recollections of life, while his own enfeebled frame reminded him, also, of approaching dissolution. Of thi& event, he thus writes to Mrs. Bennett: "So, then, that good man has received an honorable discharge forever from all his sufferings. I am looking with pleas- ure and strong hope, that soon you and I shall also be removed from this state of tumult and trouble of privation and toil of imperfection and sorrow. May it be alike safe and honorable for us !" Soon after, he felt constrained, by increasing fee- bleness, t-c propose a partial release from his agency. " The labor and responsibility," he re- marks, " are becoming a burden, in prospect of a cold winter, with windy and stormy days and 188 MEMOIR OJt nights, when appointments must ~be met, or the cause suffer. My age and infirmities are the only plea. My heart is in the work, and I am willing to do what I can ; but what was once easy for me in travelling and preaching, and visiting from house to house, and from town to town, is now impossible." The Executive Committee did not, however, release him, but left it discretional with him to labor or refrain, as health would permit. In the view of advancing age, he thus wrote to Eev. Alvin Bennett, November 29, 1848 : " The journey of life with us will soon be over, and the joys and sorrows incident to the way may now be mentioned freely. My own experience tells me of much for which I have to mourn, and over which to battle hard, that I may be a victor at last. For ' he that overcomeih shall inherit all things.' It is difficult to overcome Satan and all his devices ; they are artful and powerful. Then the world comes in at the door of the enemy, but in the garb of friendship, and seems to have a demand on our time and attention, carrying us along with its spirit in search for its perishable treasures and seductive pleasures. . . And last, but not least, self, beloved self, enters and claims the throne within. Now, what should I do, what REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 189 could I do without a Saviour, and such a Saviour as is Jesus Christ, who receiveth sinners, and maketh them holy, and crowneth them with glory and honor ? In-IIis name, and by His blessing, I am still in the field, laboring to promote right- eousness and truth in the earth." A few weeks during the autumn of this year were spent, as often before, in the West. On his return, he addressed a letter to Rev. "William Palmer, Norwich, Conn., December 16, from which we take the following paragraph : " ' God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform ;' and we may add, in a majestic way ; yea, more, in a merciful way. The greatest wonders are seen in the works of His grace in this fallen world, preparing citizens for heaven ; and it seems to me, if I am permitted citizenship there at last, it will be the greatest wonder of all. Still, my heart is not affected as much with the truth as it ought to be. I fear I am depending more on past experience than upon present communion with God, for my evidence of acceptance with Christ. I know not how it may be with you, but I find in old age a disposition to sink into a habit or form of religion, which I fear I may substitute for the 190 MEMOIR OF living principle, and so deceive myself. "Well, we shall soon know our future destiny; and it will be peculiarly joyful, if we may be near and like our Lord Jesus Christ. That will le Tieaven indeed" This winter and the summer of 1849 were em- ployed in the State of New Tork, with his accus- tomed zeal and success ; and during the closing months of the year, he performed one of the se- verest journeys in the "West which it had fallen to his lot to experience. He was accompanied -on this trip by Rev. Mr. Bronson, returned mission- ary from Assam. Of this tour, he remarks : "My health has been good during the whole journey, except fatigue from excess of travel. The meet- ings were so near together in time, and so far apart in distance, there was no rest. I was absent from home forty-eight days, in which I travelled a little over three thousand miles, and attended meetings twenty-four days, or parts of days, in that time. God has blessed us in our journey- ings, and to His name be everlasting praise." The venerable " Father Peck" closed his long and useful life December 15, 1849. According to an arrangement made between them many years before, that the survivor should minister at the grave of the first deceased, Mr. Bennett was call- KEY. ALFRED BENNETT. 191 ed to preach the funeral sermon of this, another of his early co-laborers. His text was Acts xiii. 36 :. Dav-id, after he had served his own genera- tion, ly the will qf God, fell on sleep : when he paid a just and feeling tribute to the memory of his excellent friend. They had been associated intimately through life : first as pastors in the Madison Association, when they regularly ex- changed pulpits once a year ; and subsequently as agents, the one of the Foreign, the other of the Home Mission Society. At our national anniver- saries, these two venerable fathers in the ministry, for many years, were always seen, calm amidst agitation, wise in counsel, fervent in spirit, and mighty in prayer before the Throne. The death of this loved fellow-servant of God came to him as a premonition of his own approaching departure. A letter to Rev. William Palmer, in April, from Homer, remarks : " "We have buried two of our old citizens the past week. Those of our age are becoming scarce. Our brother Eleazar has gone to rest before his brethren : he went quick, but safe. Brother Peck, of Cazenovia, has also laid oif his armor, and at the Saviour's call gone up to his habitation, where he will ever be with the Lord. I believe now there is but one man left among the ministry of New York, who was 192 MEMOIR OF in that office here when I entered the State. Life seems very short, but the prospect is not gloomy." Another of the same month, to his only remain- ing brother, Rev. Alvin Bennett, thus records the reflections of this period : " How few families have more reason of grati- tude than ours, for the distinguished mercy of God ! Parents pious : with this is connected the Christian education of their children. They, in turn, grow up all professing godliness. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, they have lived and died in faith ; or are living, with good hope, through grace, of meeting each other, their parents, and the Saviour, in heaven. My times are in God's hand, and will be consummated soon. " In reviewing the way the Lord has led me, I find much cause for astonishment, both as regards my disobedience and ingratitude to Him, and His compassion and patience towards me. "Well may I say, ' Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.' I hope, however, God has blessed me with His approving presence even this winter, notwithstanding all my backslidings from Him. I have enjoyed some sweet seasons in preaching the glorious Gospel of Christ, while EET. ALFRED BENNETT. 193 laboring to persuade men to aid in preaching it to others. I have found it good to draw near to God in prayer, and it has been with sweet satis- faction I have had the high honor at a throne of grace of pouring out my soul before Him. One thing is a comfort to me in my old age : it is, that I have been counted worthy to be put into the ministry, and that I have not been left of God so to wander from that ministry, as to engage in politics, or worldly business, or become connected with any secret societies, so- as to be brought un- der their power. To feel that I am independent of the world, and permitted to call God my Father, Jesus Christ my Saviour, the Holy Spirit my Comforter, and Heaven my home is enough. I am satisfied, and looking up, can say, Father, Thy will l)e done" At the opening of summer, he made his last visit to the Western States, accompanied by Rev. Mr. Haswell, returned missionary from Burmah. The tour was successful, but he experienced a re- currence of the ague, which, with a. severe and painful inflammation in one of his limbs, compel- led him on returning to Homer to desist from ac- tive labor. To Rev. Edward Bright, Home Sec- retary of the Union, he wrote, July 16 : " I sometimes become exceedingly uneasy, say- 17 ing, "WTiat shall we do to meet the outfit of that "blessed cargo of missionaries* now about to sail, and supply the current expenses of the year? Then I look up to God, who has the hearts of all men in His hand, and submit the matter to Him. Faith in His purpose and promise tends to give peace to my mind. So here I am, old and infirm, compelled to submit to the providence of God con- cerning me : still, I think I rejoice to be in His hand, as the clay is in the hand of the potter. You are now exceedingly busy preparing for the embarkation of the missionaries. May God's presence go with them to their fields of labor ! Could I see them, I would say, ' Now, here's my heart, and here's my hand,' to labor now in His work, and meet you there, above, where together and forever we may bow before the Lord our Redeemer, and with all our hearts praise Him who has counted us worthy to labor and suffer for His sake. Oh, it is an honor." Again, July 22, he wrote in reference to the same event : " To-day, I suppose, is filled up with * Rev. Eugenic Kincaid, John Dawson, M. D, and their wives, designated to Ava or some other place in the interior of Burmah ; Rev. Messrs. S. M. Whiting and William Ward, and their wives, with Miss M. S. Shaw, designated to Assam. REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 195 activity and anxiety connected with the departure of the missionaries. Well, if I were able to share any part of the labor, it would give me pleasure, as I think ; and yet I know it is not according to the will of God, for His providence has otherwise ordered. It is a consolation to feel that the mis- sion cause is under the immediate care and eye of the adorable Saviour, who has His elect subjects in all lands and among all languages, and they will be gathered in at the appointed time ; for He hath purposed it. Also the means are all at His disposal, by which He will accomplish His design. If He has ought more for me to do, ability will be given me to effect it ; but I know that He can carry forward His work to comple- tion without me, and I ought not to repine. I am unworthy of the honor connected with such an enterprise. I only am troubled now in view of the past, lest He has laid me aside, being of- fended that I did not honor Him more, that I had no higher respect for His majesty, no more exalt- ed views of His holiness and glory, and no great- er measure of that self-loathing, hatred of sin, and confidence in Christ, which ought ever to dwell in the heart of a sinner, saved by the grace of God from deserved and eternal ruin." His active work was now done. He expe- 196 MEMOIR OF rienced soon after a recurrence of the disease which had temporarily prostrated him at Hamil- ton, attended with great physical suffering. The severity of it passed away in a few days, but the complaint was never removed. Writing of it soon after, he remarked : " The affliction has been wholly confined to my body. My soul has ~been at ease. I could say with Samuel Pearce ' Sweet affliction, sweet affliction, Singing as I wade to heaven.' It seemed I was lifted up by a hair, and swung out into space, entirely beyond the reach of friends, or of medical influence, where I was held by an Almighty agency, and in doubt whether I would land again in this world or not. But oh ! how sweet it was to be there ! all was peace, for I was in the hand of my best Friend." He made a brief visit to Saratoga Springs with apparently beneficial results to his general health, especially in removing the ague, which had long been upon him ; but he left soon, anxious to at- tend to the interests of the Missionary Union in several associations about to assemble, where he 'became much exhausted. His last public effort, before any considerable body of his brethren in the ministry, was November 4, when he preached EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 197 the first annual sermon before the ~Nev? York Bap- tist Union for Ministerial Education, at the open- ing of the University of Rochester an institution of which he was one of the most generous found- ers, and in which to the last he took the liveliest interest. His theme on this occasion was, The knowledge of God, tft true basis and highest end of education : in the discussion of which he un- folded the most impressive views of the indisso- luble relation between godliness and true learning, and the necessity of sacred principles as the only foundation of the educational work. He subsequently returned to Rochester, at the invitation of Dr. H. "W. Dean, a warm personal friend, whose hospitality and medical attention he enjoyed for several weeks, and of whose unwearied kindness, with that of his family, he always en- tertained a most grateful sense. Several other eminent medical gentlemen of that city were also consulted, but human help had become powerless, except to alleviate suffering. Dr. Dean, in a let- ter to the writer, remarks : " At the time he first submitted his case to me, October, 1850, he was Buffering from a disease of his digestive organs of a chronic character, just such as might be ex- pected to result from his long-protracted habits of exposure to inclement weather, long fasting, and IT* 198 MEMOIB Off the consequent evil of improper food untimely taken. This had provoked a more serious malady an organic disease of the kidneys, which, with the certain prospect of a fatal issue, denied to us the physician's comfort. His sufferings were al- most constant, and at times extreme. Allow me to add, that I have rarely witnessed more pa- tience, submission, and uniform good feeling in suffering, than in our lamented ' Father Bennett.' He was a living testator to the worth of Chris- tianity in a needy hour." On his return to Homer, he continued gradu- ally sinking. He thus addressed the Rev. Alvin Bennett, December 31, 1850: " The date of this reminds me of the flight of time, and the close of the first half of the nine- teenth century, in which great changes have taken place. Well, blessed be God for His goodness to us ! The change of all changes, and the one by which we have been the most affected, was that in our affections, which occurred before the com- mencement of the present century. We go back to thrilling scenes in Mansfield for the cause of those hopes and efforts which have characterized our lives. That God to whom I then committed the keeping of my soul, has been my unfailing support ; yea, He is the God of my life. Jesus REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 199 Christ, that precious Saviour, to ine the chiefest among ten thousand, was then and is now the One altogther lovely." ^ His last meeting with the church in Homer, over which he so long presided, was at the cele- bration of the Lord's Supper, on the first Sabbath in February, the fifty-first anniversary of his pub- lic profession of Christ, when his emaciated coun- tenance and tremulous voice gave to all sad pre- monitions of his approaching departure, and added, sorrow to the deep solemnity of that occasion. Once a week his Christian brethren were accus- tomed to gather round him, to unite with him in prayer and receive his dying counsels ; and many of those seasons will live in their remembrance till they join him in the skies. His house was fre- quently thronged by those, coming from far and near, who sought one more word of counsel before he should depart. His mind was, from the first, calm and peace- ful. The prospects before him were bright and blessed, and the rays of glory seemed to fall upon his soul with intenser brilliancy as he drew nearer the eternal world. There were no ecstasies, but a calm, sweet, unshaken confidence in the Redeemer. In one of the last conversations, he spoke to thia effect : " More than fifty years ago I had a view 200 MEMOIR Off of God upon the throne. I saw that He ruled, and would rule in spite of me ; and it was my great- est misery. I would gladly have hurled Him from His seat, if it had been in my power, but I could not. I saw that He was sovereign, and ! hated Him ; it was my terror and misery that I could not dethrone Him. But," he continued, "this winter I have enjoyed another view of God. I have seen Him upon the throne, and the sight has filled me with rejoicings. I love to see Him there. I am glad He is Sovereign. I love His character ; I love His Gospel; I love His government; I would not have one alteration in His plan. All His ways are holy, just, and true ; and they are just as I would have them. His sovereignty, which was once my greatest dread and anguish, is now the chief source of my comfort and hope." As a few friends had gathered round him, at the close of worship on Lord's Day, he remarked : " I do not know where I shall spend the next Sabbath. I am in hope soon to put off this old garment, and enter where I can worship God in the beauty of holiness." The church in Homer was especially dear to him ; and among his latest petitions those for the loved brethren there seemed to rise with peculiar fervor. "When asked if there was any message he would EEV. ALFBED BENNETT. 201 have the pastor bear them as his dying counsels, he replied : " I have been delivering ray message for more than forty years ; and now my work is done." The life he lived among them ; the truths of God, which, when in vigor, he so faithfully dis- pensed ; the admonitions, and counsels, and con- solations administered to them for nearly half a century these were his dying bequests. " There are two questions," said he, " which I could wish put to the church, and to all the world. They are these : Which is of greatest value, the body or the soul? and for which are you making the most effort ?" Then raising his enfeebled voice, he ex- claimed : " Oh that all could see the priceless worth of the soul, as it now appears to me !" His pastor one day speaking of the Gospel as sustaining him in this hour of trial, he replied with great empha- sis : " I would it could be proclaimed wide as the world, that the Gospel I have feebly endeavored to preach for many years is now my only and all- sufficient comfort." Some gentlemen of wealth having called to pay respect to him in his illness, when they were gone it was remarked by one pre- sent that they were without a Christian's hope ; he answered with an expression of deep humility and gratitude to God : " I would not now exchange the blessed consciousness of having honestly endear 204 MEMOIR OF nature be tasked, just to save me a few days of suffering? Why wish the way of God altered? It might so complex are God's plans cause last- ing injury to thousands of souls, to spare me a short time of pain. The plan of God is all right : I would sink into His will." When too weak to converse with freedom, he was wont to reply to inquiries respecting the state of his mind : " I am almost home, Jesus is precious." " Peace." " All is clear." " ISTot a cloud, not a shade." And in this state he continued, till on the morning of May 10, 1851, in the seventy-first year of his age, hia bo'dy sunk peacefully in death, and the " chariot of fire and horses of fire," ascending, bore him beyond our sight. The concourse at. his funeral, which occurred May 12, was immense. Rev. T. K. Fessenden, pastor of the Congregational Church in Homer, led the deeply affected multitude in prayer before the Throne. The funeral sermon, by request of the deceased, was preached by his early friend and brother, Rev. Lewis Leonard, of Cazenovia. The text selected by the preacher was Rev. xiv. 13 : Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may restfr&m their labors j and their works do follow them. The mourning circle was then addressed, EEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 205 and prayer offered, by the venerable "Father Pnrinton," of MacLean, who had for nearly forty years been intimately associated with the departed servant of God. The closing hymn was that singu- larly beautiful and expressive effusion of Mont- gomery, commencing " Friend after friend departs ;" the last verse of which awoke in many bosoms touching memories of the departed fathers, Ken- drick and Peck, who had so lately preceded him whose lifeless form lay before them : . __ " Thus star by star declines, Till all are passed away ; As morning high and higher shines, To pure and perfect day : Nor sink those stars in empty night, But hide themselves in Heaven's own light" During the solemn services, the stores were closed and all business suspended ; the Academy, its trustees, officers, and students, united in the mourn- ing concourse ; and the whole community gathered in the house of (rod, where, amidst the sacred still- ness of death, the falling tear and the heaving breast attested their grief, as for a departed father. On the following Sabbath, in accordance with the wish of the deceased, his pastor addressed tha 18 266 MEMOIR OF congregation and community, on which, occasion a discourse was delivered from 2 Kings ii. 12 : My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the 'horsemen thereof ! presenting a brief outline oi his life and character. The intelligence of his death reached Boston as the Missionary Union was about opening its session in that city, and spread the deepest sorrow through the assembled body. Public expressions of grief, and testimonials of his worth, were placed upon their records ; in which they were followed by numerous other religious bodies, both East and West, attesting their high appreciation of his character and services, and deploring his removal as no ordinary loss to the churches of Christ. The following minute in relation to his death was adopted by the Executive Committee of the Missionary Board, and entered upon their records : "The Kev. Alfred Bennett, of Homer, New York, was for nearly a third of a century more or less intimately identified with the cause of Foreign Missions ; and it is but just to his endeared memory, to declare that he uniformly gave the most unequivocal evidence of sincere, considerate, earnest devotion to its highest, holiest ends. He apprehended the object by an intelligent faith, and pursued it with a perseverance that never faltered. REV. ALFRED BKKNETT. 207 At an early period he joyfully gave a son to the foreign service, who still survives, a useful laborer among the heathen. Subsequently, at the call of the Board, he gave himself to the home service, as an agent for the collection of funds, and the culture of the missionary spirit in the churches. In this department, for nineteen years, he was laborious, indefatigable, judicious, and eminently successful. His labors were widely extended ; and in all his intercourse with the ministers and churches, his conduct was remarkably free from the breath of reproach. In every part of the field, his presence and services were cordially welcomed. His cheerful piety, his warm spirituality, his pru- dence, patience, and fidelity, caused him to be loved, respected, and trusted. Over a very wide surface his influence was such as to render the repetition of his visits an object of general desire. To this committee, and its predecessor, the Acting Board, the fruits of his agency were, in all respects, entirely satisfactory, and there was not an hour when his withdrawal from the service would not have been deprecated as a great loss. And it is due to his memory to bear testimony to the fact, that while he was industrious in efforts to supply a needy treasury, he was himself a liberal contrib- utor. Though his compensation was always quite 208 MEMOIR OF limited, yet, by careful economy and exemplary self-denial, he regularly spared a generous portion of his salary, and returned it as a free-will offering to the cause which he served. "The Executive Committee regard his removal as a peculiarly afflicting dispensation ; and while they would bow submissively to that sovereign will which has transferred him from his work to his reward from his sufferings to his rest they would unite in devout supplication to the King in Zion, that others may be raised up to supply the breach, who shall as faithfully demonstrate their attachment to the missionary enterprise, by a simi- lar spirit of love to Christ, and love to the souls of the perishing heathen." An admirable sketch of his life and character was afterwards published in the " Missionary Mag- azine," from the discriminating and eloquent pen of Prof. John H. Raymond, of the University of Rochester. A most touching and truthful tribute to the memory of one of the fathers in the home- work of missions, was thus placed among the per- manent records of the missionary enterprise. BEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 209 CHAPTER XIII. CHARACTER. JESUS, the Son of God, though ascended up into heaven, and in His glorified human nature, adored by the innumerable throng of saints and angels, is still present in the midst of His disciples on earth. Now invested with all power, He selects and adapts His own servants for the distinct po- sition assigned each in the work of the world's evangelization. He calls unto Him whom He will, directs their preparatory discipline and in- struction, and sends them forth to the station where their work is appointed. The vast plan of human redemption, in its detail as well as its ex- tent, in its means as well as its ends, is distinctly sketched before His infinite mind ; and as the world rolls onward to the Judgment-bar, the changing epochs and the varied characters of its history are but developments of His government and illustrations of His wisdom. It is from this stand-point we would view the 18* 210 MEMOIR OF man of God, whose career has now been delinea- ted. He was raised up for a peculiar work ; and we may properly adore the wisdom displayed in the adaptation of the man to the age and events amidst which he was called to act But it is not permitted us to repine, if the same Unerring Wis- dom selects men of somewhat modified external qualities to carry on that work, now at a more advanced stage and progressing under altered cir- cumstances. The lofty principles which animated him are of eternal excellency ; but the outward characteristics were only adventitious, and must of necessity alter with the altered form of society. The hardy pioneer, whose axe rings in the west- ern forests, at the outposts of civilization, might not, with the same external peculiarities, be the man to occupy an influential position amidst the generation, whose thronging population a century after shall densely fill the region, where now the solitary wilds echo the crack of his rifle, and the earth resounds with the crash of the lofty cedar felled by his hand. No man could live his own life over. The world can never have a second Luther, or Calvin, or Kriox ; the conjunction of circumstances in which each acted can never recur. The only niche in the temple of history fitted for such a man is filled. The building of REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 211 God, in the progress of its erection, requires at each successive period a class of workmen differ- ing in exterior character from those who preceded them ; and this doubtless will continue to be the fact, until, beneath the hand of the Divine Archi- tect, the magnificent structure rise to its comple- tion, and stands in " the perfection of beauty." The servants of our God are all, indeed, parta- kers of the same grace ; they eat of the bread of life, and drink of the heavenly fountain. One in heart, one in aim, one in hope ; they are gather- ing, under the guidings of the one Heavenly- Spirit, into the common home of their Father and their Redeemer. But the parts assigned them in the one work are widely diverse, and their sta- tions are fixed at differing epochs in its progress. He who toils with effective force in the quarry, might not be adapted, with careful chisel, to shape and adjust the block to its position in the edifice ; while the man who could perform well the latter service, might still fail in ability to accomplish the polisher's work. The fathers in the ministry did nobly the work of their generation ; they are passing from their toils to their reward. We may emulate their godly lives and holy zeal ; we may seek to catch their elevated spirit, and take up their falling mantles. But we may not despond, 212 MEMOIR OF or impeach the wisdom of the Heavenly Builder, if, in appointing those who shall enter into their labors, He calls men of somewhat modified capa- bilities. As wise master-builders, they laid the foundation : others build thereon. But let every man take heed how he build thereupon. The writer would not here indulge in the lan- guage of indiscriminate eulogy. The expressed wishes, both living and dying, of the departed ser- vant of God, forbid any tribute to his memory be- yond the plainest statement of facts. It is proper, however, that a brief sketch of the prominent fea- tures in his character should close these pages. He was gifted with a powerful physical frame, fitted to endure great hardship. In the early settlement of Homer, when the settlers reared their log houses, no man was more effective at a " raising" than the " Elder," as he was usually designated. Though his constitution received sev- eral severe shocks from sickness, he continued -to possess, almost to the last, extraordinary bodily power. Without this, he could never have ac- complished such an amount of labor, amidst the exposures and privations to which he was sub- jected. His natural disposition was buoyant and viva, cious. He walked on the sunny side of life. His REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 213 thoughts were ordinarily cheerful ; his manners frank and social ; his conversation enlivening and abounding in illustrative anecdote and pithy ex- pression, by which his thoughts would print them- selves deep in the memory of the hearer. This cheerfulness of spirit contributed much to his health and vigor. Obstacles could not daunt him: care did not crush him. Unceasing activity was one of his chief charac- teristics. When a pastor, besides the ordinary duties of the Sabbath, he was accustomed during the week to preach in different neighborhoods, wherever a congregation could be collected ; and his earnest labors in the school-houses for miles around are still remembered by many living. " Better wear out than rust out," was his common inotto. In his agency he was restless in the pros- ecution of the work before him. The amount of labor performed was immense. His plans were commonly laid with great precision, and it was rarel}' the time for their execution exceeded that which he had assigned. And often, while others were considering the obstacles and calculating the consequences, his energy had already accomplish- ed the work. On his dying bed, reviewing the scenes of his active life, he said, when referring to some who had blamed him for what had seem- MEMOIR OF ed to them over-exertion : " I am not sorry I have tried to work for Jesus, but I wish I had done a great deal more" As a citizen, he was distinguished by an emi- nently public spirit. Though never allowing him- self to be associated with political movements, except on one occasion, which he ever regretted,* he took a deep interest in passing events as affect- ing the welfare of our country. The prosperity of his own village especially lay near his heart. And though in later life called to visit nearly all parts of the Union, be always returned with apparently increased affection to the scene of his earlier min- istry. ~No man loved Homer more. As a trustee of the Academy, he was warmly interested in the promotion of its welfare ; and it is not too much to remark that the noble institution there located has found no warmer advocate of its character abroad, * He was a candidate for the convention to revise the Consti- tution of the State of New York, in 1821, but the party nomina- ting him was in the minority. He was defeated. He allowed his name to be used by advice of his brethren in the ministry, and others whose judgment he esteemed ; but though it seems in no respect to have injured his ministerial character and useful- ness, maturer reflection led him always to regard it as a mistaken step. His successful competitor was Samuel Nelson, now Judge in the Supreme Court of the United States. REV; ALFRED BENNETT. 215 *nd perhaps to no single citizen, if we except the gentlemen who compose its excellent faculty of instruction, is it more largely indebted for its wide reputation in this and other States. He was a liberal man. At the close of his pastoral labors, he found himself worth, by the rise which had taken place in the value of prop- erty, about two thousand dollars ; and it was his settled principle never to accumulate more than this. His salary when pastor never exceeded four hundred dollars ; during the larger part of the time, it was only three hundred, and a portion of this was ordinarily paid in produce. He gave largely to objects of benevolence, and the needy always found in him a sympathizing heart and a ready hand to help. For the support of public worship in the church of which he was a member, he was one of the largest contributors. The com- modious lecture-room connected with their house of worship was erected exclusively at his ex- pense, and by him presented to the society. The tours he took in his agency usually cost the Mis- sionary Union nothing, as he defrayed his own travelling expenses ; and a large sum was annu- ally contributed from his salary, in addition, to support that sacred cause for which his voice was ever pleading. There was a large-heartedness in 216 MEMOIR OF all his pecuniary transactions, which evinced al- ways the slight estimate he put upon the wealth of this world when compared with treasures laid up in heaven. Integrity was a marked trait in him. He did nothing in the dark ; his nature was frank and open. A blunt honesty distinguished his manner, and so transparent was his life, that even the sus- picion of misdealing could never fasten itself upon him. There was that in his countenance and air a godly sincerity, devoid of all art and mystery which bespoke your confidence and command- ed your respect. His was not an intriguing spirit, acting under a mask and seeking sinister ends ; but with a face open as the day, and with a heart out- spoken in words of unmistakable import, he pursued with clear and steady view the noblest objects. Here- in, doubtless, was a main element of his power. It was a common remark with the ungodly at his death, "Whatever may be true of other Christians, Tie was a good man." Men who seldom attended the services of any sanctuary, would go when he was announced as the preacher, saying, they liked to hear Father Bennett preach, because they thought he believed what he said. And to the last, few men were able to command so large a congrega- tion in Homer as the earliest and revered pastor. EEV. ALFBED BENNETT. 217 He was much sought as a counsellor. The younger pastors were wont for many years, in his later life, to seek his advice as that of a father. Churches often asked his counsel in cases of diffi- culty, and in the settlement of ministers. In the appointment of agents, the Executive Committee relied much upon his judgment. He became ear- ly a member of the Foreign Mission Board, in which office he continued until death. He was officially connected as an adviser in most of the benevolent institutions of the Baptist denomina- tion. At his decease, he was President of the New York Baptist State Convention, and first Vice-President of the New York Baptist Union for Ministerial Education. His views of the agency were pure and eleva- ted. He regarded the office of agents as essential to the progress of the missionary enterprise. In a letter addressed to Rev. Edward Bright, Home Secretary, April 12, 1850, he says : " In alt my acquaintance with pastors, church- es, and their collections with and without an agent, for almost eighteen years, I am convinced that travelling agents are indispensable to suc- cess, if much is expected to be gathered. There are pastors who do not need assistance, and would do well if no agent was in the field, some 19 218 MEMOIR OF of whom, however, are always glad to have an agent call on them, as it renders their labors lighter. There are good people, also, who would live religion faithfully, if there were no ministers to preach the Gospel, who are still very glad to enjoy the ministrations of the Word, because it strengthens them. I deliberately think that agents are about as necessary to success in benev- olent enterprises, as preachers are in church building. JBut they must be good men. An in- different man will do more hurt than good. The reason why we cannot obtain more first-rate men as travelling agents, is because there is not conse- cration enough to the service of God. Jesus Christ went about. Paul travelled night and day, and labored in the temple, in the deep, in the wilderness, in the city, and in the country." The collection of funds was always with him a secondary object. Speaking of agents as often estimated by the number of dollars and cents they collect, he said : " That was never my jvrst object, but to promote a religious principle, and instruct the churches in their obligation to keep the commands of Christ, especially to carry out the great commission. I have ever considered myself rather as a pioneer, to break ground and put in the seed for others to harvest from ; and if, BEV. ALFRED BENNETT. 219 after I am dead, some good does not result from my labors, it will be apparent that I have failed to accomplish what I intended." With a fixed adherence to this exalted view of his work, he never sought to create a temporary excitement, by appeals to the passions, for the sake of a large collection; but his object was to inspire and strengthen the principles of benevolent action, from the high and holy motives furnished in the Gospel. Each visit to the churches, thus con- ducted, prepared the way for a heartier welcome and more generous contribution on his return. His character as a Christian was marked by fixedness of principle. His was no hot-house piety, which flourished only in the heat of a revi- val, but withered and died in the bleak atmos- phere and chilling blasts of a spiritual winter ; but you saw it as a true plant of Heaven, planted by our Heavenly Father, growing and blooming at all seasons. He always insisted that the dis- charge of Christian duties ought not to be affect- ed by the fluctuation of mere personal feelings, but be guided by fixed religious principle ; and his own earnest, energetic life was a striking ex- emplification of his teaching. For more than fifty years, from that solemn hour when he pub- licly dedicated himself to Christ, till he left the 218 MEMOIR OF of whom, however, are always glad to have an agent call on them, as it renders their labors lighter. There are good people, also, who would live religion faithfully, if there were no ministers to preach the Gospel, who are still very glad to enjoy the ministrations of the Word, because it strengthens them. I deliberately think that agents are about as necessary to success in benev- olent enterprises, as preachers are in church building. But they must be good men. An in- different man will do more hurt than good. The reason why we cannot obtain more first-rate men as travelling agents, is because there is not conse- cration enough to the service of God. Jesus Christ went about. Paul travelled night and day, and labored in the temple, in the deep, in the wilderness, in the city, and in the country." The collection of funds was always with him a secondary object. Speaking of agents as often estimated by the number of dollars and cents they collect, he said : " That was never my first object, but to promote a religious principle, and instruct the churches in their obligation to keep the commands of Christ, especially to carry out the great commission. I have ever considered myself rather as a pioneer, to break ground and put in the seed for others to harvest from ; and if, REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 219 after I am dead, some good does not result from my labors, it will be apparent that I have failed to accomplish what I intended." With a fixed adherence to this exalted view of his work, he never sought to create a temporary excitement, by appeals to the passions, for the sake of a large collection; but his object was to inspire and strengthen the principles of benevolent action, from the high and holy motives furnished in the Gospel. Each visit to the churches, thus con- ducted, prepared the way for a heartier welcome and more generous contribution on his return. His character as a Christian was marke4 by fixedness of principle. His was no hot-house piety, which flourished only in the heat of a revi- val, but withered and died in the bleak atmos- phere and chilling blasts of a spiritual winter ; but you saw it as a true plant of Heaven, planted by our Heavenly Father, growing and blooming at all seasons. He always insisted that the dis- charge of Christian duties ought not to be affect- ed by the fluctuation of mere personal feelings, but be guided by fixed religious principle ; and his own earnest, energetic life was a striking ex- emplification of his teaching. For more than fifty years, from that solemn hour when he pub- licly dedicated himself to Christ, till he left the 220 MEMOIB OF world, through sunshine and storm, his Christian career was one of steady progress, and his Chris- tian character unstained by any serious blot. Many instances of his faithfulness are related, which illustrate the remark of the wise man, A word spoken in due season^ how good it is! One recently reported may perhaps be properly men- tioned here, as an example of many. In a West- ern city, a friend took him to a Daguerreotype es- tablishment, to obtain his likeness. As he was passing from the room, a young man who had performed the work, looking at him, remarked that he had impressed an exact image of the original. Mr. Bennett, laying his hand upon his shoulder, replied, " True, and may the Saviour's image be impressed on your heart !" The re- mark was forgotten by him who uttered it. But on returning to that city, a few weeks after, hav- ing occasion to visit again the establishment, he found the young man rejoicing in hope. That word had proved the arrow of conviction to his soul. There was, also, a simplicity of faith in God, which preserved him from desponding in regard to the cause of Christ. Though during his earlier years subjected to painful fear respecting his per- sonal salvation, he never doubted the safety of the REV. ALFEED BENNETT. 221 church. It was a common remark with him : " I have no doubt that all the saints will finally reach Heaven ; for that is revealed in the "Word of God. But I find no statement in it that Alfred Bennett will get there. He that overcometh shall inherit all things" In the seasons of affliction through which the church in Homer passed, as well as in the darker providential dispensations which at- tended the missionary enterprise, his voice was always heard in tones of cheerful hope. There was a simple-hearted dependence upon God, which at such times banished despair from his own bosom, and seemed to inspire courage and confidence in those associated with him. To learning he made no pretensions. The lack of a thorough course of mental training for the ministry was always to him a matter of deep re- gret. His vigorous intellect, however, and strong powers of observation, made much compensation for this defect; and his extended general knowl- edge, attained rather from intercourse with men than from books, enriched all his communications, and gave great value to his counsels. A painful sense of his own deficiencies in literary culture, made him for many years past an ardent friend of the cause of education, especially as connected with the preparation of the youthful ministry. 19* 222 MEMOIR OF His theological tendencies were Calvinistic ; though he always preferred that his view of the Gospel should not receive its designation from any name of man. He loved " the old paths ;" the doctrines of grace were so intimately interwoven with his religious experience, that he spoke of them as " out of the abundance of the heart." He wielded these ponderous weapons of the Gospel with singular power. On the subject of the Atone- ment, he inclined strongly to the views of Andrew Fuller, whose works were always with him a favorite study. Among the theological books in his library, which appear to have been most used, may be mentioned the works of Isaac Backus, Scott, Bunyan, Edwards, and Dr. Hawker, with Hervey's Dialogues, and Buchanan's Missionary Treatises ; some of which have now ceased to attract the attention of the religious public. But his chief text-book in theology was the Bible. In the closet or the fields, at the fireside or on the journey, this was his constant companion; and few men have become more familiar with its letter, or more thoroughly imbued with its elevated spirit. He was a decided Baptist. The distinctive prin- ciples of his denomination, he regarded as consti- tuting an important part of the Gospel, and essen- tial to the ultimate triumph of Christianity in the REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 223 world. He had no fellowship for that sickly, sentimental liberalism, which, for the sake of a seeming peace, would modify or even forsake fun- damental principles of the Gospel. The tendency, now so widely prevalent, to clip- and shorten our creed, for the alleged sake of union, met no favor at his hands. He admired and loved a decided, conscientious man, who believes his religious faith based on the Bible, and reverences it as the truth of God ; and however far such an one might dif- fer in conviction from him, he was ready to accord to him the honor of integrity. But of the com- promising trifler in things sacred, who seeks to please men rather than God, and is ready to barter his convictions and sacrifice truth, for the sake of making his platform square with another's, he was not over tolerant, and his rebukes would commonly be pointed and strong. Yet none could properly charge him with bigotry. The right of private judgment which he claimed for himself, he cheer- fully conceded to others, and ever maintained the most fraternal intercourse with Christian brethren of other names. During the earlier years of his ministry in Homer, Christians of the different de- nominations were accustomed to assemble together for social worship ; and in many precious seasons of revival enjoyed there, some of his choicest co- 224 MEMOIR OF laborers, for whom he always retained the wannest affection, were members of the Congregational Church many of whom ascended before him, but some of them remain unto this day. He had extraordinary fervor and power in prayer. Though never irreverent in his addresses before the Throne, he spoke as one accustomed to hold communion with God ; and none who listened to his petitions in public could doubt that he en- joyed richly the devotions of the closet. His heart readily entered into sympathy with the immediate circumstances around him, and the wants and in- terests then pressing he spread out in simple, fer- vent language, and often with overflowing emotion. Few could remain inattentive during his public prayer : its adaptation and earnestness made that exercise, which to many is the most difficult ser- vice of the sanctuary, one of much interest, and not unfrequently of deep feeling. It is related, that, at the designation of Rev. J. Wade to the Burman Mission, in 1823, the services of which were held at Utica, Mr. Bennett was called to offer the prayer. The Spirit of the Lord seemed to come upon him ; the auditors were borne with him in spirit, as if into the presence of the Throne ; and such was the holy earnestness with which he commended the departing missionaries to God, REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 225 that all present seemed to feel an assurance of their protection. A gentleman present remarked that he would insure, at half the usual rates, the vessel that bore them ; for it could not be lost while they were on board. This prayer is still remembered with great interest by many who were then pres- ent. At the services at Philadelphia, in 1829, when his son Cephas was publicly set apart as missionary to Burmah, it was the father's lot to offer the prayer of consecration. A similar Divine influence seems to have been manifest on this occasion. In the record of the proceedings, pre- served in the public papers of that day, it is said : Mr. Cephas Bennett " was then committed, with his companion, by Alfred Bennett, his father, in an appeal to God most solemn and affecting, melt- ing every heart and drawing tears from every eye. This part of the scene was of too intense a charac- ter for description either by the tongue or the pen." These effects were not produced by studied pre- arrangement, but it was the spontaneous outgush- ing of a capacious soul, in ardent sympathy with the interests of the occasion, accustomed to give expression to its inmost emotions at the Mercy- Seat, and pervaded by holy influence from on high. Here undoubtedly was one of the chief sources of his strength. He had power with God ; and the 226 MEMOIR OF conviction of this, everywhere felt, gave him also power with men. As a preacher, he was -one of a class whose de- pendence on the aid of the Holy Spirit was habit- ual and heartfelt. " Utterance" was sought from God as a matter of high practical moment ; and if he was not "in the spirit" while speaking, no amount of premeditation could supply the lack. This calamity, as he ever deemed it, sometimes befel him : it seemed to paralyze his mental pow- ers, and put him to utter confusion. On some oc- casions of special public interest, he thus suffered from spiritual desertion, and, after ineffectually en- deavoring to unfold his subject, entirely failed to present the intended view, and sat down not a little confused and mortified. Ordinarily, however, he was " full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," and spoke the word with power. In seasons of revival, or on public occasions of absorbing religious interest, he would often speak as if in the presence of God, with an overflowing heart and heavenly fervor, and his auditory, borne with the powerful current of his emotions, would be melted to tears under the affecting exhibitions he gave of the Gospel. His resources were at ready command ; and prob- ably some of the most powerful of his public ef- forts were made when unexpectedly summoned to REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 227 preach. This sent him upon his knees, and called into action all the powers of his soul. In his ordinary ministration he was eminently simple and evangelical. His discourses, though not marked by the grace and finish of scholarship, and, often from necessity, slightly studied, bore the evidence of much biblical knowledge and strong practical sense. They were the outgush- ings of a glowing heart and a rich religious expe- rience ; and few ever heard him, in even his most unstudied efforts, without gaining some new con- ceptions of divine truth. There was a fervor and holy unction attending his preaching, which often woke the slumbering conscience and touched the heart, when lofty speculation and mere logical de- duction could have effected nothing ; and the ear- nestness of his appeals forced the conviction upon you that he felt the value of the undying soul, and dwelt in near prospect of the realities of judgment and eternity. Tip to his death, there were few public men in his denomination who possessed more power to command the attention and awaken the holier feelings of the heart among all classes. Others there were whose learning was more varied and profound, whose diction had more of polish, and whose arguments were arranged with more of logical exactness; but few, if any, had greater 228 MEMOIR OF power to move the hearts of the masses, and ani- mate the church of God to high and holy exer- tion. It is chiefly, however, in the character of a de- voted friend and advocate of missions he has been distinguished in public life. He took enlarged and comprehensive views of the design of the Gospel. The world stretched out before him with its wants and woes, and all the sympathies and energies of his capacious soul were enlisted in the work of diffusing abroad God's great remedy. On his dying bed, the conversation once turned on the prospects just opening before him in the eter- nal world ; and his pastor, speaking of the reunion of saints in the presence of Christ, alluded to some with whom he had been familiar, and who had entered into rest before him. He replied : " I do not know that I anticipate greater pleasure in meet- ing them than in mingling with redeemed spirits of converted heathen, for whom I have labored, and whose eternal welfare I have sought." His prayers, as well as his heartiest toils, ever contemplated the general diffusion of the religion of Christ over the whole world. And at the last, the spiritual inter- ests of the perishing millions of earth lay near his soul, and the long predicted glories of that ap- REV. ALFRED BENKETT. 229 preaching day, when the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth, were among the latest thoughts he breathed, and seemed to fill his mind with holy delight. But I will here pause. He has gone from earth and entered the presence of God. His venerable form lies cold in the grave, and the emancipated spirit, we trust, rejoices before the Throne. But, though dead, he yet speaketh. Defects, no doubt, he had, and none were more painfully sensible of it than himself; but a consistent Christian life of half a century, unstained by one dishonorable blot, spent with all the ardor of a powerful mind in self- denying energetic eifort for the welfare of others, and closed in peaceful triumph, has a voice full of instruction. It speaks of the power of the Gospel to subdue and sanctify the strongest natural pas- sions, and devote them to the holy work of blessing a perishing world. It utters the high praises of the grace of God, in reclaiming and pardoning one who was once in bitter enmity with Him, and keeping him through strong temptations and fear- ful conflicts safe unto the end. It bids us be fol- lowers of Him as he followed Christ, ever toiling, ever trusting, assured that Christian faithfulness is the certain precursor of Christian triumph. 20 230 MEMOIR OF The memory of " Father Bennett" will linger long in the hearts of the people of God. Asso- ciated with hallowed recollections of the venerated Kendrick and Peck, and others of kindred spirit, his name will be transmitted to after times as one of the pioneers of the Gospel, and a stalwart de- fender of the truth of God. The sound practical wisdom, the effectual fervent prayer, the holy character, and earnest zeal of these godly men were a tower of strength in the midst of the de- nomination, and as one after another of them has parted from us and gone up into glory, the cry has risen from the bereaved heart of the earthly church : My Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof! They were among the earlier prophets of our people ; "holy men, Who lived and walked with God ;" and their power before the Throne, their heaven* directed counsels, and their mighty deeds are re- corded, not so much on the written page as upon the moral enterprises they originated, the sacred institutions they founded and reared, and in the hearts of the people of God. When the scroll of REV. ALFRED BENNETT. 231 history, as written in heaven, shall be unrolled before the assembled world in the day of final ad- judication, these servants of God will doubtless be seen conspicuous among the eminent witnesses for the truth and actors in the moral scenes of the past generation. THE END. CATALOGUE K S, PUBLISHED JJTD FOR SALE TO THE TRADE, OR AT RETAIL, EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. 1852. EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU-SIR T, Keens -distantly on hand a complete assortment of RELIGIOUS AND MISCELLANEOUS which are sold at very low prices. A ueiuion is particularly requested to the following list of Sinjmrtant ^nhlirntinns. ALEXANDER, J. W. The Tomtg Men of Cities vrged to tk* uo/k of Mental Improvement. OARSON, L. L. D., Alexander, The Life of, by Rev. Gee. C. Moore. " The Jonathan Edwards of the 19th century." " The Knowledge of Jen* the vtott excellent of tht Sci- ences. "A charming book, nod we could with it were in every ChrUliau family." Lutheran Obstrrer. " A book of vigorous thought, worthy of careful study." Rel. Herald. " Would do honor to any pen that ever wrote." Troy Budget. " The God of Providence. (In press.) CONVERSATIONAL COMMENTARY on Matthew, John and tie Aclt. I'.y Win. Hague, D. D. COBBIN, Ingrnm. The Illustrated Domestic Bible. CHEEVERj D. D., Geo. B. A Flea for Children and tht Ohrii- (>an tabliatk. DOWLlJNOr, D. D., John. A Collection of Hymns for use in con- ference and prayer meetings. " The Old-Fothiontd Bible, or ten reasons against the proposed Baptist version of the New Testament. EVERTS, Wm. W.-TA* Life and Thoughts of John Foster. u " The Social Position and Influence of Oitiei. u " The Theatre. POSTER, John. The Spirit of Missions, with an Essay by Rev. J. P. Thompson, pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle Church. HEAVEN'S ANTIDOTE to the Curse of Labor, a prize essay on the Sabbath. HARRIS, Mrs. S. M. Memoir of Jacob Thomai, missionary to A Mam. HAGUE, D. D.,Wm., Conversational Commentary on Matthew, John and the Acts. " " The Duties of Employer* and Employed. MOORE, Geo. C. Life of Alexander Carson, LL. D. MATTISON, H. The Trinity and Modern Arianism. PAINE, Martyn. The Soul, Instinct and Life, physiologically distinguished from Materialism. SABBATH ESSAYS; comprisin? the Pearl of Days, Heaven's Antidote, and the Light of the Week. THE GOD OP PROVIDENCE, the Qod of the Bible; by Alex. Carson. THE PEARL OP DAYS, by a Laborer's Daughter. THE LIGHT OP THE WEEK, or the Advantages of the Sabbath to the Working Classes. A prize Essay. WILLIAMS, D. D., Wm. R., Miscellanies ; consisting of Dis courses and Essays. This volume contains the most elaborate and finished of Dr. Williams' productions. "A volume which is absolutely ncce.-sary to the completeness of a modern library." /V. Y. Weekly Review. I " Dr. Williams is a profound scholar and a brilliant writer." N.Y. \ Evangelist. * * * from the pen of one of the most able and accomplished [ authors of the ape." Bap. Memorial. | "We are glad to see this volume. We wish that such men abound- ed in every sect." Ohn. Register. " This volume contains some of the choicest emanations of a mind of the highest order." tf. Y. Com. Advertiser. " This is one of the richest volumes that tins been given to the pub lie for many years." N. Y. Bap. Register. " The author's mrnd is cast in no common mould. * * a delightful volume." Methodist Protestant. HR "A rich literary repast." Albany Journal. "His character |>rnr. W. is one of the le.ijni" mind* of our country, and this vol- ume one of the richest gem of literature." Lime Ruck Gale tie. WORDS IN EARNEST; by RBVS. T. W. Alexander, W. W Everts, Win. Hague, and Geo. B. Cheever. S. S. HYMNS. The Baptist S.S. Hymn Book. TURNEY, Rev. E. The Scriptural Late of Bnptitm. NOEL. Rev. and Hon. B. W. Essay on Chritiian Baptirm, with uu Introduction by John Dowling, I). D. BELCHER. Rev. Joseph. The Baptist Pulpit of the United State*, with fine portraits. FISH, Rev. H. C.The Baptitt Oatcckitm, iu two volt. ARTICLES OF FAITH as generally held by the Baptitt De- nomination. WHEELOOK, Rev. A Baptism and the Lord'* Supper. MANLY, Revs. Basil and Basil Jr. Tlie Baptist Ptattnody, a Collection of Hymns for the Worship of God. BLANKS. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES, a new and beautiful article, with a silvir border. Per Quire. LETTERS OF DISMISSION OF CHtTRCH MEMBERS 50 cu. LETTERS OF NOTIFICATION OF RECEP- TION OF MEMBERS 50 cts. CALLS OF COUNCILS 50 cu. ASSOCIATIONAL LETTERS 50 eta. -5T: in f artist: OR, THE PATH OF WISDOM MADE PLAIN. BY REVS. WILLIAM W. EVERTS. J. W. ALEXANDER, WILLIAM HAGUE, G-. W. ANDERSON, GEORGE B. CHEEVER. " This is a most capital work for young men. It con- sists of essays on the social position and influence of cities ; the temptations of city life ; young men of cities urged to the work of mental employment ; the theatre ; duties of employers and emplo)'ed ; punishment not preventive ; a plea for children ; and the Sabbath." Lutheran Observer. " These discourses have been prepared in view of the actual necessities and dangers of the times, and have a di- rect application to the condition of thousands. We should be glad to see hundreds of copies of this volume in the hands of our Church members in this city; for we are per- suaded its careful and prayerful perusal would be attended with good results on a large scale." Central Christian Herald, Cin " On the whole this is one of the most useful as well aa attractive series of essays which have fallen under our no- tice." Christian News. COMPRISING, THE HISTORY OF PJiOVIDENCE AS UNFOLDED IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER, also, THE GOD OF PROVIDENCE, THE GOD OF THK BIBLK, and also, THE TIU'TH OF THE GOSPEL DEMONSTRATED FROM THE CHARACTER OF. GOD MANIFESTED IN THE ATONEMENT. BY ALEXANDER CARSON. 12mo. cloth, PRICK, 75 cents. " This volume contains an able and highly interesting elucidation of the wonderful disclosures of divine Provi- dence, narrated in the book of Esther. The facts re- corded in that book reveal the unseen hand of the Most High, directing the most minute events, as well as those esteemed great, to accomplish the hallowed purposes of his own will. The work before us draws out and illus- trates this consolatory truth." Chn. Observer." " We have already in former numbers of the Memo- rial, noticed " the Life of Carson " by Mr. Moore, and " the Knowledge of Jesus,'* written by Dr. C. We have now the third volume in the series, and we hope there will be many more, if they are all as good as the one before us. It contains a clear, cogent, and incontrovert- ible argument in favor of the cardinal doctrine of a spe- cial Providence of God. The skeptic maintains that all events occur in accordance with the general laws of nature: but Dr. Carson shows conclusively, that even in the general laws of his government, God specially super- intends them so that particular events transpire by the efficiency of particular agents, and usually in accordance with general laws." Bap. Memorial. WORDS IN E-ARNEST: THE PATH OF WISDOM MADE PLAIN BY REVDS. WILLIAM W. EVERTS, J. W. ALEXANDER, WILLIAM HAGUE, G. W. ANDERSON, GEORGE B. CHEEYER. This work has been elaborately prepared, and makes an excellent book for young people, especially, to peruse. IN PLAIN AND ELEGANT BINDINGS, FOR SALE BY EDWARD H, FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. MISCELLANIES. BY WILLIAM R. WILLIAMS, D D. Plain 12mo, $1 25; do. 8vo, $1 75; half morocco, $2 25; cloth, full gilt, $3 00; Turkey, full gilt, So 00; do., claapg. $6 00. COWLING'S CONFERENCE HYMNS. Plain, 25c. ; gilt, 40c. THE LIGHT OF THE WEEK: Or, the Advantages of the Sabbath to the Working Classes. A PRIZE ESSAY. Plain, 25c. ; cloth, full gilt, 60c. PROVIDENCE UNFOLDED. BY ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.IX Plain, 75c. ; cloth, full gilt, |2 00. LIFE OF ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D. BY REV. GEO. C; MOORE. Plain, 60c. ; cloth, full gilt, $1 50. WORDS IN EARNEST. AN EXCELLENT WORK FOR THE YOUNG. Plain, 75c. ; full gilt, $2 00. MEMOIR OF JACOB THOMAS, MISSIONARY TO ASSAM. TUT. morocco, $2 00. FOSTER ON MISSIONS. WITH AN ESSAY ON THE SKEPTICISM OF THE CHURCH. BY BEV. JOSEPH P. THOMPSON, PASTOR OF THE BBOADWAY TABERNACLE CHUBCH. (From the New York Evangelist.) This essay of Foster's is one ol the grandest and most eloquent of all his writings, the reproduction of which, in this inviting form, will do much good. The missionary work assumes a dignity and importance, Vjnder the glowiug tints of his masterly pencil, which ought to shame the languid interest of the church, and which very naturally and appro- priately suggests Mr. Thompson's preliminary essay on the skepticism of the church. This essay is very well written, and an impressive pres- entation of the causes and effects of a deficient faith in the promises of God, in respect to the world's conversion. The work is neatly printed, and we hope will find many readers. (From tlte New York Recorder.) This is the substance of a discourse preached by its celebrated author, and subsequently prepared by him for the press. It is one of the most Able and comprehensive discussions of the subject of missions that has ever been written. It contains that remarkable fragment of Foster's, en- titled " God Invisible," conceived in the very spirit of the old Hebrew prophets. Tho preliminary Essay, by Rev. J. P. Thompson, adds to the value of the original work. (From the Baptist Messenger.) John Foster on Missions, is all that need be said. To say more, would Belike an attempt to gild the sun. (From the Christian Chronicle.) It, is one of the grandest productions of its author, exhibiting, In a high degree, the comprehensive grnsp of thought, the lofty sweep of imagin- ation, and the rugged and massive style which made him for so many years the acknowledged Jupiter Tunans among English Dissenters. PUBLISHED BY ED WARD IF. FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU STREET, HJSW YORK. RECOMMENDATION* OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS, BY DR. CARSON. [From the Primitive Church Magazine, "!N illustrating this glorious theme the author's mind expands in the lull strength and vigqr of it con- ceptions, and pictures realities of Divine ".rath almost too brightly to be beheld with the eye of 'eitla undim- med. <; The present volume (' The Knowledge of Jesus') is lull of invaluable principles, cast in an attractive mould. Every page lives with interest; there is no thing dry, nothing tedious. Its style flows transparent and iiree as the mountain stream." [From the Orthodox Presbyterian, Belfait.1 BDITUD BY DR. EDGAR. " On matters of church order, it is well known we differ from him ; but as a scholar we honor him as a Christian brother we embrace him. In the knowledge of the philosophy of the language, he is far in advance of the present age ; and with respect to metaphysical acuteness and powers of reasoning, he has been called ' the Jonathan Edwards of the nineteenth century.' His character as a philosophic theologian, and a pro- found, original, independent thinker, stands in the very highest rank ; and he is only justly designated, when called one of the most philosophic reaspners of the pres- ort age." EDWARD H, FLETCHER, Publisher, 141 NASSAU ST., N. Y. ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D, THE fcSOWLBME QF JESUS The most Excellent of tho Sciences. BY ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D, (From the Lutheran Observer.) This is a charming booh, find we could wish it were in every Christian family. The author is a writer of rare merit : learned, philosophic, pro- found, devout, and singularly fluent and beautiful in his style. We take great pleasure in recommending it. He has been called "the Jonathan Edwnrda of the nineteenth century," and those who read this admirable production will not be unwilling to admit his claim to this distinguished compliment. (From the Religious Herald, Hartford.) This is a book of rigorous thought, deserving of uttcntive perusal and onreful study by ministers snd intelligent laymen. It discusses in a con- densed manner the (acts respecting God and His government wbic-h are presented by nature, und then pusses to tho more explicit revelation of the liible, and shows the identification of the soppel with the divine char- acter, as manifested in the work of redemption through the operation oi tLe Trinity, and its self-evident truth. (From tht Watchman and Reflector.) The late Dr. Alexander Carson, of Ireland, possessed an Intellect of great logical power and a heart of warm affections. His works are hence characterized by depth and clearness ol thought, and by vigor and fervor of expression. His views of the gospel, as of the framework and ordi- nances of the churcn, nre as luminous as day. The present volume taket rank among the best of the productions of bis pen. (From the Cangregationalitt.) Tho work shows for itself that it was written by a man of bold and strong thought. It has no reference to the distinguishing doctrines of his own denomination, though Dr. Carson has some celebrity for writing* ci this class. PUBLISHED BY EDWARD If. FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER CARSON, LL.D. BY REV. GEORGE C, MOORE. OPINIONS or THE PRESS. (From the Independent, If. T.) Mr. Moore hns rendered a good service to the memory of his preceptor by this sketch of his private and inwnrd lif, find he has rendered nlso a service hardly less valua- ble to Christian truth and charity. (From the Religious Herald, Richmond, Fa.) This is an interesting work. Indeed, it could scarcely fnil to be so, for its subject was not only one of the moat learned and able theologians of our own denomination, but one of the great men of the present age. (From the New Tork Tribune.) The biography of that eminent scholar and divine in tyle of unusual vivacity and point. PUBLISHED BY EDWARD H, FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK THE 3 A IP "52 S 3 1? IP W Ei IP E 1? OP THE UNITED STATES; COK6I8TING OF ELOQUENT AND IN6TBDCTIVB PASSAGES FROM TUB SERMONS OF 200 BAPTIST MINISTERS. By JOSEPH BKL,C:KK, L. D. EMBELLISHED WITH FINE PORTRAITS. "THE portraits are worth more than the cost of the entire work. It cannot be otherwise .han gratifying to every Baptist, to find that the leading minds of his denomination hold " the truth as it is in Jesus" with such a vigorous grasp, and commnnd it to others with so much power. The passages*are generally bhort, out they are pure gold." Baptist Messenger. " This publication will, we think, prove interesting to Baptists everywhere." Religious Herald. "The selections cover the whole range of theology, and the volume will be curious, agreeable and useful." N. Y. Recorder. "Its editor is a man ~>f judgment and taste, and of considera- ble distinction as an author ; and as it regards the typography, nothing better can be asked or expected. The parties have our best wishes for their encouragement and success. The moral effect of the publication cannot fail, of course, to be in favor of religion and virtue." Biblical Recorder. EDWARI) fl, FLETCHER, Publisher, 141 NASSAU ST., N. T DOWLWG'S CONFERENCE HIMNS. THE publisher begs leave to submit a few of the many unsolicited re. Commendations of this little volume, which have been received. It ii eminently adapted for use in the family, and for private devotion. The low price brings it within the means of all, and its large type adapts it to the old as well as the young. A prominent pastor in Illinois writes: "I received the copy of Dr. Bowling's hymns, which you gent me some time ago. I have examined them thoroughly, and have shown them to many others. The universal expression is, 'This is just the book we want in the West. Here are the old, soul-cherished revival hymns, which everybody knows, and with which everybody is delighted. 1 The mixed nature of our population here renders it difficult to obtain hymn bonks which all will like. But this little volume is almost known to all by hoart. whether from (he east, west, north, or south. The hymns are those which almost every Chris- tian has learned and loved ; not for their poetic elegance, but for their spirit and good religious sentiment. I have also taken pains to obtain copies of the Social Psalmist, the Christian Melodist (by Br. lianvanl), and the Baptist Harp. These are generally very good, but everybody says Dr. Dowling's hymns are the ones for the West to use in conference, prayer, and inquiry meetings. Thousands of them can be sold in tlii* State, if they are introduced." From Rev. John M. Peck, of Missouri. " It is exactly such a book as thousands want and will buy in these great, central States." From the Vermont Gazette. - This work is designed especially to meet a want existing in the Bap- tist denomination. The high literary character of the author is a sura guarantee in this respect. But, after all. it is not so much finely finished entcnces as soul-stirring truths, hymned by warm hearts, that impart to the social interview its greatest zest." From the Michigan Christian Herald. " From a hasty examination, we should think that Mr. Dowling had ex- ecuted the work in a judicious manner." From the Baptist Memorial. "The people generally will saygive us the old-fashioned hymns, if the poetry is not quite as good ; while some critics will think otherwise Most of the hymns are, however, unobjectionable in respect to poetic merit." From the Western Christian Journal. "Hymn books are multiplying, but we shall be mistaken '.f this doei not prove to be a popular collection. It contains 360 hymns and many of them the sweetest in the language." From the Christian Secretary. "We can cheerfully commend this liltle book to the churches, as being pre-etninently adapted to the purposed for which it is designed." EDWARD 11, FLETCHER, Publisher, 141 NASSAU Si., N. T THE CONVERSATIONAL COMMENTARY; COMBINING THE QUESTION-BOOK AND EXPOSITION. DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF SABBATH-SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES Vol. I., on Matthew. Vol. II., on John. Vol. III., on the Acts. BY WILLIAM HAGUE. " The plan of Dr. Hague in these several books to meet the wants of the higher classes in Sabbath-schools, we have never seen surpassed nor even equalled by any other author, according to our taste and judgment. 1 ' Christian Chronicle. " It is a species of Commentary quite original, combining all the most valuable results of archeological and critical learning, without the lumber and parade which often render the perusal of the ordinary Commentaries and ' notes ' an onerous and unwelcome task. Mr. Hague's plan renders everything clear, impressive, and practical, so that the mind is held, by an increasing interest, to those truths which are most important to be remembered." Western Watchman. " The method of imparting instruction in this book is a novel but happy one. The author remarks in his preface, ' The teacher who would give instruction in any department of knowledge so as to awaken in his scholar a spirit of in- quiry, cannot easily satisfy himself with abrupt and insu- lated questions ; in order to arouse the mind to action and bring himself into sympathy with it, he must communicate something. The remark which imparts knowledge, quickens thought, and then conversation proceeds with a rational - md easy flow.' " Michigan Christian Herald. Published by EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK. THE BAPTIST SCRIPTURAL CATECHISM HA VINO examined the Baptist Scriptural Catechism prepared by Rer. II. C. FISH, we cordially recommend it to the churches, Delieving it to possess peculiar excellences; among which may be mentioned especially the following : 1. It is based upon the catechetical plan of instruction. 2. The general use of Scriptural language in the answers. 3. An important peculiarity of this work is, that it contains an extend*! examination of the evidences qf Christianity a department of biblical instruction which has been too much neglected. We earnestly hope that it may be generally adopted by our Sabbath Schools. S. II. CONE, Pastor of First Baptist Church, New York. S REMINGTON, u Stan ton St. Bap. Ch. JOHN POWLING, u Broadway " u u W. S. CLAPP, M Olive Branch " U W LEVI PARMELY, u Sdiloh ' " II U A. D. GILLETTE, H Eleventh " Philadelphia. R. T.MIDDLEDITCH , " Lyons Farms, N. J WM. B. TOLAN. M " Morristown, " DAVID B STOUT, First " " Middletown, "* WM. H. TURTON, u ii " Elizabethtown. j J. M CARPENTER, II " Perth Amboy JOHN TEASDALE, u u $ Schooley's ( Mountain, H. V. JONES, 11 u " Piscataway, " D. HENRY MILLER, Mt. Olivet " Yonkere, N. T SAMUEL WHITE, First " " Stalen Islund, H D. F. LEACH. u u " Port Jervis, h C. A. BUCKBEE, M " " Conway, Mass. L. O. GRENELL, Missionary to California. The first volume is designed for the younger members of the SabbaVl School, and the language is simple anil plain. Price 60cts. per dozen. Volume second is for those more advanced, and contains a reviey of the doctrines and evidences of Christianity. Price 81 SOcts per dozen. EDWARD H, FLETCHER, Publisher, 141 NASSAU ST., N. Jf CHEAP CASH BOOK STORE, EDWARD H. FLETCHER, No. 141 Nassau street, NEW YORK. Has constantly on hand, at wholesale and retail, a general assortment of Theological, Classical, Miscellaneous, School atid Blank nooks and Stationery. A complete Depository of SABBATH SCHOOL BOOKS. Booksellers, Traders, Teachers, Schools, Academies and Individuals supplied, wholesale and retail, on the most lib- eral terms. Religious books of every variety which are to be found in the market, may be obtained here at the very lowest prices. SECOND-HAND BOOKS, Valuable Standard Theological and other Books from private libraries will be sold at a fraction of the price oi new. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES. A new and beautiful article, with a silver border, sam- ples of which will be sent gratis to post-paid applications. Published by EDWARD H. FLETCHER, Ao. 141 Nassau street. lligljts unit Or Words of Comfort addressed to those who are sowing in tears and shall reap in joy. By JOHN BOWLING, D. D. " Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." CONTENTS : 1. Nights of weeping and mornings of joy. 2. Night of convic- tion and mornings of conversion. 3. Night of desertion and morn- ing of restoration. 4. Night of trouble and morning of deliver- ance. 5. Night of weariness and morning of Rest. 6. Night of death and morning of everlasting life. Ikjtrjps nf n Crntt ;$tS5tnnnrt|. BY REV. GEO. HATT. This is a volume of experience, of facts and incidents in th path of personal effort. rang A nf tjp I'm, OR JUVENILE INFLUENCE. BY J. H. ROSS. A good book for Boys and Girls. A treatise on the nature of Matrimony, the mutual obligations of husband and wife, with appropriate instruction to both, BY REV. S. REMINGTON. Some are put up with a neat marriage certificate, folded in like a a map, for the use of ministers to present those they marry. Price from 12| to 75 cents, according to the style of binding. 3#cnroir nf Mrrn Sfenntt, Iniinr, AGENT OF THE AMERICAN BAPTIST MISSIONARY UNIOK. By REV. H. HARVEY. 12mo. Price, 75 Centi. ^ *^ ^ tl THE BAPTIST SCRIPTURAL CATECHISM, FOR THE USE OF SABBATH SCHOOLS AND BIBLE CLASSES. VOLUME II. ON THE EVIDENCES AND DOCTRINES OF CHHISTIANITT. FOR THE MORE ADVANCED MEMBERS OF SABBATH SCHOOLS, AND FOR BIBLE CLASSES. <3 BY HENRY C. FISH, Pastor of the Baptist Church, SomerriHe, N. J. Ye shall lay up these my words in your heart, and in your soul. UEUT. ii. 18. The word have I hid in mine heart. Pa. cziz. 11. SECOND EDITION. NEW YORK: EDWARD H. FLETCHER, 141 NASSAU STREET. 1850. CONVERSATIONAL COMMENTARY,! COMBINING THE QUESTION-BOOK AND EXPOSITION. DESIGNED FOR BIBLE CLASSES, SABBATH SCHOOLS, AND FAMILIES. GOSPEL ACCOEDING TO MATTHEW. WILLIAM HAGUE. In free dnnranr, new thought* ore struck out. nnd th eedi of truth tpnrtle und blaze, whirl, in calm mid Bllrnt rrmlmi; would curvrr Uav* ben rxchrd. B> convert- tion, fan Ixilh rive und rn-civc thU benefit; < flintn, whrn put in motion, aud ttrii- iu4 a^xiiut euli oilier, pruduc* living Ira on both tKla. Da. WATT*. NEW YORK: EDWARD H. FLETCHER. 1851. .LIBRARY y- DC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FAOL A 000616931 2