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mux 
 
 THE KEV. DR. BEDELL. 
 
FjiJiHsdV.-JU on^trc flora i nun-JngW ,' Kcn^. 
 
 ■'•k.K ]Slll3)IEILILo 
 
 UEClJ" OV Sr ^NUKF.WS CHnRCH I'rai,MlELPHI\. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 KEY. GREGOEY T. BEDELL, D.D 
 
 RECTOR OP ST. AJTDEEW'S CHUROH, PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 BY STEPHEN H. TYNG. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, ENIAE6ED AND IMPROVED. 
 
 Neto=S'orft J 
 
 PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL SOCIETY FOB THE PROMOTION OF 
 
 EVANGELICAL KNOWLEDGE, 
 
 11 BIBLE-HOUSE, A8T0E PLACE. 
 
 1869. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 FAOS 
 
 Phepace to FmsT Edition, vii 
 
 Prejpacb to Second Edition, ix 
 
 OHAPTES, I. 
 
 Birth — Early Life — Education — Eeligious Profession — ^Preparation 
 for the Ministry— Ordination — Southern Tour, .... 
 
 CHAPTER , II. 
 
 Settlement in Hudson — Comparison of Sermons — Efforts in his 
 Ministry — Deficiencies — Marriage — Prospect of Eemoving to 
 New-Tork — Disappointment — Removal to FayetteviUe, . .33 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Removal to FayetteviUe — Character of his Ministry — ^Peaceful 
 Spirit — TntCTRsting Instance of his Usefulness — Extemporaneous 
 Prayer and Prayer-Meetings — Specimen of Preaching — Failing 
 "Health— Journey to the North — ^Necessity for Removal^=— Feel- 
 ings of the People— Removal from FayetteviUe, . . .10 
 
 CHAPTER IT. 
 
 Arrival in Philadelphia— Efforts of Rev. B. Allen — Intimacy be- 
 tween them — Death of Mr. A. — Mr. Bedell's funeral sermon — 
 Anniversary sermon — Early efforts in Philadelphia — Success of 
 •his miniatry — Opening of St. Andrew's Church, . . .104 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER T. 
 
 His Character and Power as a Preacher — Sermon for the Greeks — 
 Interesting Incidents Illustrating the Effect of his Preaching — 
 Manner as a Preacher, 126 
 
 CHAPTBE TI. 
 
 Pastoral Character — Diligence — ^Kindness — 'Watchfijlnesa over 
 young Christians — Intercourse with Communicants, . . .157 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Pastoral Character — ^Attention to Conmiumoants — The Evils at- 
 tending a Country Residence — Pastoral Letter on the Cholera — 
 Pastoral Reproofe — Pastoral Visits, 188 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Pastoral Character — Prayer-Meetings — Revivals of Religion — Re- 
 gularity in Services, 213 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Sunday-Sohools^Bible-Classes — Benevolent Exertions — Agencies 
 for American Sunday-School Union — ^American Bible Society — 
 Candidates for the Ministry — Bristol College, . . . . 23t 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Private Character — Episcopal Conventions — Domestic Relations — 
 Music — Poetry, , 284 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Failing Health — Joumeyings — ^Last Journey — Sickness — Death, . 324 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Funeral — Testimonials of Respect for his Character — Rev. Mr. 
 Snow's Introductory Essay, 311 
 
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 The Biography and 'Writings of a Clergyman who has filled so large 
 a measure of public notice as the author of tho present volumes of Ser- 
 mons, may be expected to be a most interesting and valuable offering 
 to the Church. Such was the extent of his popularity and fame, that 
 few were ignorant of him ; such was his influence as a minister of Christ, 
 that many were made partakers of permanent spiritual benefits through 
 his instrumentality ; and such the variety and number of his written 
 compositions, that much might have been expected to be reached, cal- 
 culated to develop his character, and bring to light the circumstances of 
 his life. In this expectation, however, there will be some inevitable 
 disappointment. His known unwillingness to hear much said of him- 
 self led to the destruction of all such notes as may generally'be found 
 among the papers of a departed minister of Christ, opening a more accu- 
 rate and intimate knowledge of the events of his own life. His letters, 
 though he wrote many, have not generally been accessible to his bio- 
 grapher, and letters received by himself were never preserved. The 
 sources of information which have been laid open for the preparation of 
 his memoir, have, therefore, been few, and but a short timo has been 
 allowed the editor, amidst his own pressing pastoral duties and cares, 
 to finish the preparation of the whole. The present is the best offering 
 which, under such circumstances, he is able to make. He was induced 
 from two motives to accede to tho repeated requests of the family and 
 
Vm PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 friends of Dr. Bedell, that he would undertake the duty which he has 
 here attempted to discharge. The first was, that he might give his 
 Utmost aid to the comfort and advantage of the family of a most beloved 
 and tried friend, for whom all the profits of the work are designed. 
 The second was, that he might exhibit fau-ly to the Church tlie princi- 
 ples and character of this friend, and to his brethren in the .ministry, an 
 illustration of his varied practical usefulness and success. In the attain- 
 ment of the first, there is every reason for hope that he will be gratified. 
 "Whether he has accomplished the second to the advantage of those 
 whose benefit was designed, they must judge. In tracing the charac- 
 ter and history of Dr. Bedell, candor and truth required a reference to 
 facts the recollection of which will necessarily give pain to some. 
 The editor hopes that in such references he has accomplished the object 
 for which he watchfully labored, to exhibit simply the actual character 
 and principles of the subject of his notice, without impugning the mo- 
 tives or character of any fi'om whom he differed. In the hope that the 
 result of his efforts may be acceptable to his brethren in the ministry, 
 to the congregation so much attached to his departed friend, and to the 
 Church at large, he cheerfully commits it to them, feeling that however 
 laborious has been the undertaking, it has been a most delightful privi- 
 lege to be engaged in such continued and intimate contemplation of the 
 character and ministry of one whose uninterrupted friendship in life 
 was one of his choicest blessings, and whose example will be a light in 
 his path while earthly being is preserved. S. H. T. 
 
 Pli/OadelpTda, April 18, ISSi 
 
PREFACE TO THE SECOHD EDITION. 
 
 Such has been the acceptance of the short Memoir of Dr. Bedell, 
 which was prefixed to his Sermons, and so rapid and entire the sale of 
 that edition, that the author has been led to yield to the repeated re- 
 quests forwarded to him from different parts of the United States, to 
 prepare it as a separate and independent publication. The Memoir, iu 
 Its original size, has already been re-published in London, in a, separate 
 volume, with a most judicious and valuable introduction by the Rev. 
 Thomas Snow of that city, which will be found at the close of the 
 present book. In re-publishing the fruit of his labors iu the present 
 edition, the author has doubled the work in its size, and corrected what- 
 ever inaccuracies were found to have been inadvertently made in the 
 former edition. He hopes the present offering will be found yet more 
 worthy of the approbation of the Church. In it he has taken opportu- 
 nity to extend much more minutely his views of Dr. Bedell's ministry 
 and labors, and has tlius found occasion to express in some connections, 
 his own opinions upon the subjects which have been presented. Both 
 in these and in every other part of the book, he has labored so to state 
 every thing which occurs, as best to follow the great purpose for which 
 his whole ministry has been devoted, to seek the truth and peace. In 
 the form in which this Memoir is now presented, the author is confident 
 that, under the blessing of God, it will be a, useful companion and 
 friend to many, especially to the younger clergy of th"e Church. They 
 
X PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 will here find what will he now conceded by all, to be a description of 
 33 perfect a pattern of the Gospel ministry as has been furnished in our 
 age, or perhaps 'in any other. The view which the author was always 
 accustomed to take of the ministry of his friend while living, he was 
 most happy to find, after his death, was also taken by others in whose 
 judgment the Church is accustomed to place the utmost confidence. 
 The following extract from the journal of the fifty-first Convention of 
 the Diocese of Pennsylvania, May, 1835, will show the unanimous 
 opinion of that body as entirely accordant upon this point with his 
 own. 
 
 " The following preamble and resolution was offered by the Rev. Dr. 
 Tyng, and seconded by the Right Eev. Bishop Onderdonk : 
 
 " Whereas the diviue providence of Almighty God has, since the ad- 
 journment of the last Convention, removed from the scene of his earthly 
 labors the Rev. Gregory T. Bedell, D.D., Rector of St. Andrew's Church, 
 Philadelphia ; for eleven years a useful member of tliis Convention, and 
 a highly distinguislied clergyman of tliis Clmreh ; therefore 
 
 '•liesolved, That this Convention record their high sen.se of the per- 
 sonal and ministerial character of the Rev. Dr. Bedell, and their sense 
 of thankfulness for the usefulness and success of his labors, as a minis- 
 ter of Christ." 
 
 Such will be now the universal feeling of the Episcopal Church upon 
 this subject, and the name ofBedell willbe permanently enrolled among 
 those bright examples whom God has been pleased to give as the dean 
 ei iutamen of the Church. He has blessed us with the permission to 
 live in an age when, amidst surrounding confusion among others, per- 
 fect harmony rergns among ourselves, and when, by universal consent, 
 the Church in which we minister is rising most happily and promi- 
 nently as a guiding star of peace and safety for multitudes of souls. 
 Under such circumstances the author feels great delight in dedicating 
 this ofiering to his brethren, and commending its subject to the notice 
 of all whose hearts are turned to the ministry of (he Gospel of Christ. 
 That they may all thus finish their testimony and work for Christ, and 
 enter into the same glorious rest, is his devout prayer to God through 
 the riches of his mercy in Jesus Christ. S. H. T. 
 
 FMladelpJUa, March 8, 1886. 
 
MEMOIR OF EEY. DR. BEDELL 
 
 CHAPTER I . 
 
 Birth — Early Life — Education — Religious Profession — Preparatiox hi 
 the Ministry — Ordination — Southern Tour. 
 
 In the lives of men who have heen remarkahle in the 
 world, there is often found much of an interesting and pre- 
 dictive character, even in the incidents of their earliest youth. 
 These facts, though at the time of their occurrence they 
 may be but little attended to, are afterward remembered 
 in connection with the events of the subsequent life, and 
 made the subject of much interesting reflection. They are 
 calculated to bestow increased interest upon the history in 
 whiclf they are contained, and to secure for succeeding 
 circumstances the most favorable notice. In the present 
 instance, however, though all that is remembered of the 
 childhood and youth of the subject of this biography is 
 quite characteristic and deeply interesting, there are not 
 many incidents to be recorded of his early days. Indeed, 
 the whole course of his life may be considered barren of 
 incidents, by those who measure the interest of biography 
 only by what is wonderful and romantic in its events — and 
 such readers will hardly be attracted by the present memoir. 
 
12 MEMOIR OF 
 
 But to those who are competent to estimate true excellence, 
 and who can appreciate human character according to its 
 actual utility and worth, there will be presented here a 
 bright and happy example, possessing from opening maturity 
 until the hour of death very much of all that can ever adorn 
 the conduct of man, illustrating the power and beauty of 
 Christian principles, and glorifying the grace of God, which 
 thus displayed its own excellency in an earthen vessel. 
 
 Grbgory Townsend Bedell was born on Staten Island, 
 in the harbor of New- York, on the 28th of October, 1793. 
 His father, Israel Bedell, was a man of true excellence of 
 character, of a peaceful temper and spirit, and much beloved 
 by those who were connected with him. After having lived 
 to see fourscore years, to witness the full eminence and use- 
 fulness of this his only son, and to receive both in religious 
 counsel and in pecuniary assistance, many happy proofs of 
 his filial gratitude and love, he died at Elizabethtown, in 
 New-Jersey, on the 30th of August, in the year 1830, in the 
 comfort and confidence of a Gospel hope, and leaving behind 
 him a character unblemished and unreproaohed. His mother 
 was a sister of the Eight Eev. Richard C. Moore, D.D., 
 Bishop of Virginia. She was remarkable both for her 
 mental accomplishments and for her external beauty; 
 adorned with a most amiable disposition, and kind and 
 benevolent to the poor. She was early admitted as a com- 
 municant of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and honored 
 the doctrine of her Saviour by a consistent valk of faith and 
 piety. She was married late in life, and lived only until 
 her son was nine years old. 
 
 It is said to have been the uniform and ardent desire of 
 Mrs. Moore, the mother of Mrs. Bedell, that all her sons 
 should devote themselves to the ministry of the Gospel, a 
 desire which was remarkably gratified by the gracious pro- 
 vidence of God, in raising up from her sons and grandsons, 
 not less tha,n/i;e faitl^iil and valuable preachers of the truth, 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 13 
 
 diree^ of whom still survive to labor in their important 
 vocation. 
 
 Gregory T. Bedell was the only son of his parents. His 
 father had three daughters, the offspring of a former mar- 
 riage, who were, in a most eminent degree, affectionate and 
 useful sisters to him, and were made, in the hands of God, 
 the main instruments in educating him for the work in 
 which his life was so usefully employed. They Avere ever 
 to him also objects of the fondest and most unshaken attach- 
 ment, and were permitted to receive from him the most 
 unequivocal proofs of his affectionate gratitude. Two of 
 them have survived to lament his early departure from 
 the earth. 
 
 Though in many instances, we are able to trace in child- 
 hood the germs of the future character of the man, it is but 
 rarely the fact, perhaps, that the brightest and most valuable 
 traits in the mature mind and heart are very early developed. 
 In the instance before us, however, we find remarkable evi- 
 dence in his earliest life, of the lovely characteristics which 
 were so strikingly displayed in his subsequent career of 
 excellence. He is remembered to have been from his 
 infancy a gentle and interesting child, making himself the 
 object of universal favor and affection in the family circle. 
 His disposition was so amiable and equal, that he was 
 scarcely ever seen to be excited by an angry passion 
 There was a sweetness in his voice and a softness and deli- 
 cacy in his manners which attracted to him the love of all. 
 
 His talent for music, which afterward became so remark- 
 able, and by which he might have become widely kno^vn, 
 
 * A.D. 1836 — Bishop Moore of Virginia, the Rev. David Moore of 
 Staten Island, and the Eev. Richard 0. Moore of Elizabethtown, New- 
 Jersey 
 
 A.D. 1854— To these may now he a(}ded the only son of the subject 
 of this memoir, the Rev. G. Thurston Bedell, rector of the Church 
 of the Ascension, New-York. 
 
14 MEMOIR OF 
 
 had he not excelled so much more in other more important 
 things, developed itself also, very early in his life. When 
 but two years old, he could sing several tunes with accuracy;:' 
 and at this infantile period, when taken to witness a military 
 parade, his'success in following the time of the martial music 
 ■\^-ith a little drum which was slung upon his neck, arrested 
 the notice of the by-standers with astonishment. From his 
 childhood, his constitution was delicate, and his nervous 
 system painfully susceptible. His timidity and diffidence 
 were so great, that for two years after the proper age for 
 his instruction in school had arrived, he could not be per- 
 suaded to go, unless attended by his elder sister. He was 
 thus easily led to seek for his amusements at home, and to 
 avoid the society of other children, whose example might be 
 calculated to injure the moral influence under which his 
 parents desired him to be educated. 
 
 These little characteristics of his childhood must be inter- 
 esting to th(ise who have witnessed them on a larger scale 
 in the operation of his succeeding life. They are less so, 
 however, than some others which at this period were equally 
 remarkable. He exhibited in his earliest years, the evidence 
 of that benevolence and liberality, which, under the guidance 
 of divine grace, were so prominent and useful in Bis mature 
 character, and which literally scattered through his whole 
 life for the good of others, his time, and strength, and money, 
 as fast as he was able to gather them. Before'he could speak 
 with plainness, when the. poor presented themselves at the 
 door of his father's house, he would run to thera with his 
 little hands filled with articles of food, and, unsolicited, press 
 upon them their acceptance. So eager was this desire, that 
 he could not be pacified unless he was supplied from the 
 house with the food which he sought, and unless his offering 
 . was received by those to whom it was made. 
 
 His forgiveness of spirit was as remarkable as his libe- 
 rality. The same imwillingness to repeat the ill that he 
 
KEV. DR. BEDELL. 15 
 
 knew or heard of others, which distinguished him at all 
 times as a man, was exliibited in him also as a child. This 
 temper was beautifully displayed on one occasion, which is 
 remembered by his family, when he was very young. One 
 of bis companions, in the hastiness of ungoverned anger at 
 some- small offense which he had received from him, ran 
 into a blacksmith's shop, and seized a shovel of hot coals, 
 which he threw down the back of this little child in the 
 spirit of revenge. His dress was low in the neck, and 
 the fire easily fell beneath it upon his flesh, and having to 
 run a considerable distance to his home, his back was exceed- 
 ingly burned, and many months passed before it was entirely 
 healed. Yet when his father and friends made arrangements 
 to punish the boy who had so cruelly injured him, he entreated 
 with earnestness that he might be forgiven; and his friends 
 could satisfy his perseverance only by a reluctant consent. 
 His strict adherence to truth, 9nder all circumstances, 
 became also a general suuject of remark at home and at 
 school, and preserved him through many difficulties which 
 he was obliged to encounter. 
 
 In all these traits of character, he stands forth as a beauti- 
 ful example of excellence in <;hildhood, well worthy the con- 
 sideration both of parents and children. None can fail to 
 see in this how important it is, to foster and encourage in 
 the character of a child every disposition .and habit which 
 tends to the attainment of meekness and gentleness of spirit. 
 " Whatsoever things are excellent" have to contend with so 
 much pride and hardness of heart in fallen man, that every 
 parental effort to implant and cultivate them, is sometimes 
 without success. But in most instances which come under 
 our observation, there is far too little attention given on the 
 part of parents, to that cultivation, of the affections and the 
 heart, in the want of which so much unhappiness is pro- 
 duced for man. Let little children look at the conduct of 
 this little boy, who afterward became so distinguished as 
 
16 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "a man of God," and see how much his happiness as a child, 
 and his usefulness as a man, were promoted by his tender- 
 ness and gentleness of spirit and manners, while he was yet 
 very young. The Spirit of God thus early guided him in 
 the attainment and exhibition of such a character as, in its 
 ultimate fruits, highly adoi-ned the Gospel of which he became 
 a minister. The only son of a mother adapted in every 
 respect, both in power of intellect and piety of heart, to 
 direct his youthful mind into paths of peace and excellence, 
 he had certainly great advantages for the early formation of 
 these Valuable principles of character. And though, in his 
 subsequent youth, he became comparatively thoughtless, 
 never immoral ; when we connect together his early sweet-' 
 ness of mind and temper, with his final course of usefulness 
 to men, we can not but feel the conviction, that the Lord 
 was early sowing the seeds of spiritual life in his heart. 
 We can not indeed say distinctly how much he was indebted 
 for his interesting character to this excellent mother, who 
 was so soon removed from him, nor feel authorized actually 
 to add his name to that long list which stands in the history 
 of the Church, as witnesses to the worth and influence of 
 maternal piety. But we aught not to notice the remarkable 
 connection between his early and his later life, under the 
 circumstances in which he was placed, without gathering the 
 encouragement to fidelity in duty which they may gain from 
 it to whom God has been pleased to give, both children to 
 be guided to himself^ and a real desire that they may become 
 his children in eternal glory. A mother's instructions in the 
 things. of the Lord, and a mother's prayers for the' spiritual 
 blessing of the Lord, form the most valuable privilege and 
 treasure which can be bestowed upon a child. "The promise 
 is to us, and to bur children." 
 
 How desirable is it that' Christian parents should realize 
 this important truth, and act always in connection with their 
 cliildrenin reference to their whole being, their eternal state! 
 
EEV. DH. BEDELL. 17 
 
 How much misery and guilt might thus be spared io the 
 world ! How much honor might be brought to God ! How 
 much happiness might be, conferred upon mankind ! 
 
 In the year 1802, this valued mother was taken to her 
 rest, leaving an animating example of piety to bless her only 
 son, with whom sfie is now rejoicing in "a city not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heavens." He was left to the 
 charge of his elder sisters, of whom it is not too much to 
 say, that in tenderness, affection, and usefulness, they filled 
 up to him a mother's place. Not long after his mother's 
 departure, his father failed in business in the city of New- 
 York, where he then resided, and the family was in conse- 
 quence reduced to very narrow circumstances in life. This 
 unexpected change in their condition gave them peculiar dis- 
 tress on account of this much-loved child. They had nursed' 
 and cherished him with united affection ; they had watched 
 over the talents which he displayed, and the promise which 
 he gave of future usefulness, with the deepest interest ; and 
 it was to them a subject of particular anxiety that he should 
 be properly educated for ultimate usefulness in the world. 
 The hope of accomplishing this favorite purpose appeared 
 for the present to be frustrated. But that God who had 
 appointed for him his future work, was leading him to -the 
 attainment of a preparation for it, in ways that he knew not; 
 and it is truly instructive to see how, in all his course of life, 
 the same hand was secretly but surely directing him to his 
 final point of labor and usefulness, " guiding him by his 
 counsel, that he mighit afterward receive him to glory." 
 
 God directed the heart of one who had but little to spare 
 of the goods of this world, to minister of her small substance 
 to his present necessities. An aunt of his mother, a maiden 
 lady, who was particularly attached to her, requested that 
 he might be sent, at her expense, to the Episcopal academy 
 at Cheshire, in Connecticut. The object in this choice was 
 not only the benefit of an education in that valuable school, 
 
] 8 MEMOIR OF 
 
 then under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Smith, but also to 
 separate him from the temptations so incident to the circum- 
 stances of a popular boy in a large city. At Cheshire he 
 became an universal favorite, and his father received great 
 delight from the accounts which were given him of his 
 correct deportment and improvement in study. Even at 
 this period of his life, although there is no special evidence 
 of a direction of his own mind to the . subject, his name 
 seems to have become connected with the ministry of the 
 Gospel, and Dr. Smith used to say of him in refexei^ce to 
 his excellence as a scholar, and his purity of character and 
 conduct, that he would be the "Bishop Bedell" of America, 
 in allusion to the celebrated Bishop Bedell of Ireland,* a 
 
 * The following account of this distinguished man is taken from 
 Lempriere's Biograpliical Dictionary: 
 
 "In this high station, (Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagli,) Bedell 
 behaved with that strong sense of propriety which his private manners 
 so much promised. He exhorted his clergy to exemplary conduct and 
 .esidence; and to show them his own moderation, he resigned the 
 bishopric of Ardagh. His ordinations were public and solemn. Ex- 
 ample was made to go hand in hand witji profession in the great 
 business of religion, and in a synod of his clergy which he convened 
 for reformation, some canons were enacted, excellent and conciliatory. 
 A strong advocate for the Church, he always abhorred the persecution 
 of the Papists, and supported the justice and rights of his cause by the 
 arms of meels: persuasion, not of virulent compulsion. The Liturgy, a.s 
 well as the Bible, was translated into Irish, and every method pursued 
 which might inform and enlighten the minds of a rough and uncivilized 
 peasantry. So much exemplary meekness did not go unapplauded. 
 When the country was torn by rebellion in 1641, tlie Bishop's palace 
 was the only habitation in the county of Cavan that remained unviolated. 
 Malice, however, prevailed; the rebels, who declared that the prelate 
 should be the last Englishman driven from the country, demanded the 
 expulsion of the unfortunate men who had fled to his roof for refuge, 
 and when he continued Arm to his refusal, he and his family were seized 
 and sent prisoners to the Castle of Cloughboughter. The horrors of 
 confinement and more particularly the misfortune of his country, how- 
 ever, broke hia heart; he espired on the Ith of JFebruaryj 1641, in tlie 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 19 
 
 man as remarkable for his personal excellence of character, 
 as he was distinguished in his ecclesiastical station. The 
 points of resemblance in his character to this illustrious man 
 in subsequent life, although the providence of God never 
 exalted him to a similar station in the Church, were not a 
 little remarkable. The same meekness, and gentleness, and 
 moderation — the same kindness to others, and zeal for God, 
 shone with a bright and holy lustre in them both. 
 
 While Bedell was at Cheshire, an incident occurred which 
 afforded a beautiful illustration of the kindness of his temper. 
 An anonymous letter was received by his father, accusing 
 him of a very gross crime. His father, confident in the 
 innocence of his son, sent the letter to Dr. Smith, by whom, 
 it was laid before the trustees of the academy. Upon an 
 investigation of the case, the charge was not only proved to 
 be false, but to have originated with one of the scholars, who, 
 in a spirit of anger for an affront which he had received, 
 selected this method of revenge, and addressed the letter to 
 the father of Bedell. The trustees considered the offense 
 of such magnitude, that they expelled the offender from the 
 academy. Bedell, though so much injured by him, pleaded 
 earnestly that he might be forgiven, and permitted to remain. 
 He desired to have his own character cleared from the charge 
 of guilt, but had no wish that the one who had injured him 
 should be punished. How valuable is the example of such 
 kindness to others who may succeed him ! If, in mature 
 life, they would follow in his path of excellence, let them 
 learn, with him, to be gentle, affectionate, and forbearing in 
 youth. 
 
 Bedell remained about two years at Cheshire. Then the 
 
 house of Dennis Sheridan, a Protestant, to whose care he had been 
 intrasted. His memory received unusual honors from the rebels, who 
 in a large body accompanied his remains, and fired over his grave in the 
 church-yard of Kilmore, with all the homage due to a worthy man, a 
 oious Cbiistan, and on ezempary prelate." 
 
20 MEMOIK OF 
 
 means upon which he had depended for support again failed, 
 and he was obliged to return home. On his return, the fol- 
 lowing letter from Dr. Smith to his father, which has been 
 accidentally preserved, accompanied him : 
 
 " Cheshire, April S, 1805. 
 " Sir : Your son will hand you this. I have thought it 
 advisable to send him home one week before the end of the 
 session, as there is a disorder prevalent here, to which I sus- 
 pect he is inclinable, from his tendency to have colds and a 
 sore throat. For particulars, I refer you to himself. Towns- 
 end has given me entire satisfaction, and I scruple not to 
 say, that he bids fair to be a first-rate scholar. Nor is his 
 disposition less interesting to me than his capacity. I can 
 not refrain giving merit and good conduct this testimony of 
 approbation, and more especially so, as we have had solne 
 students who have merited our highest censure. 
 " I am most respectfully, 
 
 "William Smith." 
 
 After his return from Cheshire, all his hopes of obtain- 
 ing a liberal education seemed, for a time, to be frustrated. 
 But again the Lord, who was gtiiding him to future usefiil- 
 ness by paths that^he knew not, opened his path before him 
 in a method entirely unlooked for. His sisters, with whom 
 he had been an object of intense aifection from his birth, 
 resolved to devote the whole of their little substance, which 
 had been saved amidst their father's misfortdnes in business, 
 to the education of this favoi-ite boy. It proved to be a 
 sum just sufficient to meet the expenses of his collegiate 
 education, and though it required the sacrifice of all they 
 possessed to meet, the demand, they have always felt and 
 expressed the highest satisfaction in the full recompense 
 which they subsequently received in his character, for the ' 
 efforts which they thus made to prepare him for ultimate 
 usefulness to mankind. 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 21 
 
 In 1807, he entered Columbia College, in the city of New- 
 York. Soon after, however, his feeble constitution seemed 
 to render him quite incapable for the prosecution of his 
 necessary college studies. His confinement became very 
 oppressive to him ; and overcome by his own weakness, and 
 despairing of his ability to gain the education which he 
 desired, he begged permission to give up his classical educa- 
 tion, and to turn his attention to some other more active 
 pursuit. His indulgent father was ready to yield to his 
 wish ; but his sisters, inflexible in their purpose, induced 
 hina, by persevering persuasion and a^'gument, to remain 
 . at his studies, and to finish his collegiate course. They were 
 thus m^ade the honored instruments of keeping him in his 
 preparation for the work which was given him to do ; and 
 when this, circumstance was alluded to in his after-life, he 
 never failed to express his sincere gratitude for their 
 determination. Duriiig the whole course of his college 
 studies, however, his infirm health placed a very serious 
 obstacle in his way. His strength failed under the pressure 
 of sedentary habits, and in a continued application to study. 
 But this very weakness and difficulty was remarkably over- 
 ruled for his benefit, by leading him to the acquisition, at 
 this period of life, of an uncommon power of mental 
 abstraction, the exercise of which characterized his habits of 
 study through the whole of his succeeding life. This habit, 
 with the aid of a very retentive memory, and a systematic 
 arrangement in the discharge of all his personal duties, 
 enabled him to accomplish great results with compara- 
 tively little effort. To this habit of study he refers in the 
 following extract from a letter of a later date than our pre- 
 sent narrative, in reply to a friend, who had supposed 
 him not sufficiently attentive and industrious in his 
 studies. 
 
'22 memoir of 
 
 " March 10, 1816. 
 « * * * Your first request is, that I would devote 
 more time to my studies. Now the fact is, that I study 
 much more than you may imagine ; not so much in time as 
 in degree. My mind has become, by habit, accustomed to 
 the most intense application while it is employed, and I can 
 study more in one hour, than a person whose mind has not 
 been thus disciplined, can study in three. While in study, I 
 can totally abstract myself from every concern, and upon 
 this abstraction, depends almost entirely the impression that 
 is left on the mind. This is philosophically explanatory 
 why no longer portion of my time is devoted to study. 
 Another reason is, that my health will not permit' long 
 application. After studying intensely for one or twoliours, 
 my head is sensibly affected, and I am obliged to walk for 
 the purpose of carrying off all unpleasant sensations." 
 
 Notwithstanding the infirmities of his health, however, 
 his rank as a scholar while in college was highly respecta- 
 ble. His quickness of mind and liveliness and originality 
 of"^ conception gave iiim great advantage in classical and 
 litei ary studies, though manifestly not conferring the sam.e 
 degree of facility in pursuing the more severe class of his 
 college pursuits. His talent for original composition was 
 quite unusual for a youth of his age. Some of the produc- 
 tions of his pen during this period of his life would not be 
 discreditable to a writer much his senior. Many of his col- 
 lege exercises have been preserved, and it is highly interest- 
 mg to trace through them, the same characteristics, in style 
 and thought, which distinguished the valuable productions 
 of his later 'life. There is the same vein of delicate humor 
 and wit, the same exhibition of cheerfulness and liveliness 
 of temper, which have always marked him even in his 
 graver writings, and which, while they add a peculiar charm 
 to all his compositions, form an attribute so distinguishing, 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 23 
 
 that his -works would be easily recognized by one familiar 
 wilh his style, without the addition of his name. 
 
 While he was fiind of original composition, and early 
 acquired an unusual facility and readiness in this branch of 
 his education, he also possessed a remarkable talent for 
 public speaking. He was naturally an or^itor, endowed 
 witli a very peculiar share of those mental and physical 
 qualities which are adapted for' excellence in tMs important 
 art. His early success in speaking, and his natural fond- 
 ness for it, led him to a more frequent exercise of himself 
 in it than most students are accustomed to. He manifested 
 much wisdom and judgment in the iijiprovement which he 
 thus gained, and acquired means of influence upon others, 
 which were employed for purposes of extensive usefulness in 
 his subsequent life. In this he may be considered as a 
 valuable example to other students ; not only to those who 
 are preparing themselves for the high duties of the Gospel 
 ministry, but also for such as have devoted themselves to 
 other stations and duties in the great business of human 
 life. In our country, every youth of talent and correct 
 principles and deportment, has all the avenues of usefulness 
 and influence in society opened before him ; and no employ- 
 ment, even in the lowest mechanic arts, should be allowed 
 to divert from the proper cultivation of the mind and the 
 external address, those who have been endowed with powers 
 which may be made productive of good to others. But 
 especially in the case of young men preparing for the pul- 
 pit is attention to excellence in the habit and ability for 
 public speaking indispensable. Whatever may be the real 
 improvement of the mind, and the actual acquisition of 
 knowledge, it becomes in the pulpit almost useless without 
 a reasonable facility of expression, and a distinct, intelligi- 
 ble, and impressive enunciation. 
 
 The excellency of power in persuading men to be recon- 
 ciled to God, and bringing them to the obedience of faith, 
 
24 MEMOIR OF 
 
 is wholly of God, and is certainly tied to no mere human 
 instrumetitality. But in accordance with all his divine 
 government, God uses in this case also the most natural 
 and probable means of success. And though " excellency 
 of speech and wisdoin" are rejected and to be renounced, 
 when placed in the stead of a " crucified Christ, the power 
 of God, and the wisdom of God," they are accepted and 
 blessed when they are brought in the simplicity of faith and 
 with the spirit of prayer, to "adorn the doctrine of God our 
 Saviour," and to sustain and honor " the glorious gospel of 
 Christ." There is surely mu(5h danger in the preacher's 
 exposure to a self-complacent and self-dependent spirit — to a 
 laying of unholy hands upon the ark of God. And it is better 
 to have no mind or knowledge, than to worship them and 
 depend upon them, as our god. But there is also great 
 danger, in avoidmg this difficulty, of running to an extreme 
 almost as faulty, in exalting ignorance under the plea^of 
 giving more glory to God, and rejecting care, and study, 
 and effort, in preaching the Gospel, because they are crea- 
 ture helps. What human mind can measure the fullness of 
 redeeming love, " into which angels desire to look" 1 What 
 mortal tongue can adequately unfold "the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ"? With the utmost powers and attain- 
 ments of which man is capable, we stand but upon the mar- 
 gin of an ocean whose length, and breadth, and height, and 
 depth, each passeth knowledge. And none need fear, when 
 all acquisitions have been gained, which are adapted to find 
 out and utter " acceptable woi'ds," that they shall preach 
 the gospel of Christ too well.- Much as the Church needs 
 men of faith, and prayer, and zeal, and love, she also 
 requires and asks with particular earnestness, for men as 
 her messengers and watchmen, whose intellect and manner, 
 adorned with all that is attractive and excellent, shall not 
 dishonor before a watchful world, the high trust committed 
 to them, nor bring reprqach and contempt, by rudeness and 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 25 
 
 ignorance, upon the message which they are sent to pro- 
 claim to mankind. 
 
 The peculiar attributes of Dr. Bedell's oratory will bo 
 noticed in the proper place. The subject is here referred to, 
 simply that it may be seen, and considered as worthy of 
 especial imitation, how early he commenced his attention to 
 an attainment which resulted in such ripeness of excellence 
 as an instrument in the fulfillment of his ministry of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 Soon after his graduation at college, in 1811, he com- 
 menced his preparation for holy orders under the direction 
 of Dr. How, one of the assistant ministers of Trinity 
 Church, Nevr-York. At this interesting crisis of his life, it 
 would be highly satisfactory to have had some adequate 
 evidence of the development of that religious character 
 which is so essential to a proper entrance on this holy work. 
 But of this testimony we are entirely destitute. There is 
 reason to believe that his own views had been turned 
 toward the ministry from his childhood, and it is very cer- 
 tain that the wishes of his family were always concentrated 
 upon the same point. But at the time of his actual com- 
 mencement of his preparation for it, there was no especial 
 expectation of it in their m.inds, nor were they aware of any 
 particular impressions of religion upon, his own. His first 
 attendance with them at the Lord's, table, of which he had 
 given them no previous notice, and which accordingly, in 
 some degree, surprised them, was the first evidence which 
 they received of any actual determination of his mind upon 
 the subject of personal religion. He was remarkably 
 averse through his whole life to the communication of his 
 own feelings. Even with the most intimate companions 
 and friends he abstained from conversation referring to him- 
 self, and it was only as they were drawn from him with 
 some degree of skill and perseverance, that such statements 
 were ever made at all. The knowledge of this accounts to 
 2 
 
26 MEMOIR OK 
 
 US for this ignorance of his state of mind and plans of 
 conduct at this period of his history, even in those who 
 were the most intimately connected with him in life. Des- 
 titute as we are of adequate information in reference to his 
 peculiar views and feelings, as connected with these new 
 circumstances of life, we have abundant reason to fear, from 
 the very great change which subsequently occurred in the 
 whole system of his views in regard to religious subjects, as 
 well as from his habits of life after he had entered upon a 
 preparation for the ministry, that . there was a great defici- 
 ency in him of proper seriousness of character and princi- 
 ple in reference to this important step. And we can not 
 but adore the forbearing providence of God, which wisely 
 and mercifully guided him through unexpected paths, and 
 in the midst of circumstances quite discouraging in their 
 influence upon his future course, to that high sphere of duty 
 and usefulness which he ultimately attained, exhibiting thus 
 not only his unsearchable riches of mercy to his individual 
 soul, but also his kindness and bounty to the many hun- 
 dreds to whom this one was made the effectual messenger 
 of grace and salvation. 
 
 Mr. Bedell's buoyant and animated temperament, and his 
 graceful and agreeable manners at, the period of life which 
 we are now considering, made society attractive to him, and 
 himself attractive to others. He was thus led into much of 
 that gayety of habit and amusement which so generally 
 marks the associations of the young in the higher classes of 
 society in large cities.- He was never at any period even 
 before his making a profession of religion, immoral in his 
 habits, according to the standard of men, and much less was 
 he so after this important act of life, but he was very desti-' 
 tute of seriousness and spirituality of mind, and of what he 
 would have himself subsequently considered as satisfactory 
 evidence of religious charactef. 
 
 Much aa it ought to surprise us, that a young man should 
 
IlEV. DE. BEDELL. 21 
 
 ever be encouraged to present himself as a candidate for the 
 ministry -without manifest evidence of a renewed and spirit- 
 ual mind, such, it must be confessed, was, at the time in 
 which he was thus received, far too generally the fact in. the 
 Church. And the reviving spirit of true religion among us, 
 exhibits itself in nothing more clearly than in the elevation of 
 the standard of character, both of the clergy, and of candidates 
 for the sacred office. His own views upon this great subject, 
 it is well known, became entirely corrected," and he looked 
 back with sorrow and shame, to consider the inconsistent 
 state of mind and character with which he had approached 
 the altar of the Lord. During his course of preparatory 
 studies, all that can be said of him is, that his standard of 
 religious character and responsibility was not lower than 
 that of many other young men at the same time under sim- 
 ilar circumstances : a time at which we must acknowledge 
 with much sorrow, worldly conformity was but too generally 
 tolerated in Christian professors, and both communicants 
 and ministers of the Church were allowed, without discredit, 
 to mingle in amusements injurious in their tendency and 
 positively sinful in themselves. Happy was it for Mr. Bedell, 
 and happy has it been for many souls beside, that the Spirit 
 of the Lord brought him subsequently to a knowledge of his 
 sin, and to a total change in his character and habits ! Happy 
 will it be for his younger brethren; if, in looking forward to 
 the same high office, they will receive the benefit of his later 
 experience, and avoid the early course of concession to the 
 world by which he purchased it so painfully for himself. 
 Tliere can be but little danger of the attainment of too 
 much spirituality of affection, and too great separation from 
 the frivolities and corrupting influence of the world, for 
 those who have professed to give themselves up to God, and 
 especially for those who have separated themselves for the 
 ministry of the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 Few young Christians and candidates for the ministry 
 
28 MEMOIR OF 
 
 understand how uniformly concession in what is hurtful or 
 wrong, in reference to the interests of their souls, creates 
 obstacles to their success in duty, and sources of abiding 
 unhappiness to themselves. Compromise of principles, 
 though often made under the plea of winning others, to 
 adopt what is thus yielded for the sake of winning them, 
 finds its usual result in unsettling the minds of those who 
 yield, and in provoking only contempt and neglect from 
 others for whom the concession is made. Let us look to 
 the law and example of our Savior Christ, and in the deter- 
 mination simply to follow him by his Spirit, let us learn to 
 leave the results of duty wholly in his hands. 
 
 Mr. Bedell resided in the city of New- York until he was 
 prepared for orders. He was allowed here to enjoy the 
 particular kindness and friendship of the Eight Eeverend 
 Bishop Hobart of that city, for whom, at this time, he 
 entertained an affection and respect amounting, in his own 
 expression, to adoration. The peculiar religious views in 
 which he was educated for the ministry were e'spccially 
 those with which Bishop Hobart's name has become so 
 identified in the American Church, and of the justice of 
 which Mr. Bedell had at this time no doubt. So great was 
 his veneration for the judgment of this distinguished man, 
 arid so ^certainly true did he consider his views of doctrine, 
 that he was accustomed, subsequently, to say in reference 
 to his early ministry, that for its , first years he " preached 
 Bishop Hobart." Circumstances afterward led him, through 
 the providence of God, to an examination of these views, and 
 to the assumption of the very different ground which, in 
 his useful ministry, he was known to occupy. But though 
 he honestly followed out his own convictions of duty in this 
 important matter, no circumstances ever changed the affec- 
 tionate kindness with which he regarded the friend under 
 whose ministry, as his pastor, he had been educated, and 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 29 
 
 by whose judgment he was so unhesitatingly guided in his 
 early life 
 
 He was ordained Deacon by Bishop Hobart on the 4th 
 of November, 1814, within one week after he had attained 
 the canonical age. His very uncommon powers as a public 
 speaker, united with his youth, immediately arrested m.uch 
 attention. In reference to his first sermon, which was 
 preached in Christ Church, New-York, on the Sunday after 
 his ordination, under circumstances of m.uch bodily indispo- 
 sition, it was remarked by a distinguished gentleman present, 
 that "he seemed as much at home in the pulpit, as if he had 
 been born there." Through the winter and spring after his 
 ordination, he was engaged in a journey through some of 
 the southern cities, and the recollections of those with whom 
 he then associated, exhibit him as a general favorite in the 
 circles which he visited. His musical talents, added to his 
 peculiar vivacity of spirit, and cheerful pleasantry in conver- 
 sation, made him everywhere acceptable as a companion, 
 while much admiration followed him in his public appear- 
 ance in the pulpit. But there are no recollections which 
 bring to light, at this period of his life, those useful and 
 sanctified traits for which the Christian's eye searches the ■ 
 character of the youthful minister of Christ, and which, iu 
 connection with his brilliant and attractive powers of mind 
 and person, would have been esteemed so especially precious, 
 and so adapted to influence others for their good. The 
 impressions made upon the memory of his hearers by his 
 public addresses at this time, were very marked. But they 
 were those of admiration for man, not of submission and 
 love to God. Though twenty years have now passed by, 
 many who heard him then in public, are still found to speak 
 of him as very wonderful for his talents as a. public speaker, 
 and to repeat the subjects and outlines of his sermons, 
 which then made a strong impression upon their minds. 
 
 Poor indeed, however, will be a retrospect upon the mere 
 
30 MEMOIR OP 
 
 admiration of men, before the judgment-seat of Christ, for 
 the minister of Jesus ! His only crown of rejoicing there 
 is the souls who have been brought, by his labors, home to 
 God. If he have not this, he is far better without the other. 
 And it would have given pious minds far more joy to hear 
 of the spirituality of conversation and conduct distinguishing 
 this youthful minister, even though but a single soul had 
 been permanently blessed through his instrumentality, than 
 of all the amount of passing favor which he gained with the 
 world. His own subsequent retrospection, too, would have 
 been far more happy and comforting to himself, could he 
 have looked back to see an ardent love for Christ and the 
 souls of men guiding him with its constraining power from 
 the commencement of his ministry. We may arid' must 
 adore the grace which subsequently led him by w4ys that 
 he knew not to embrace the whole "truth as it is in Jesus;" 
 but we must also exhort and admonish all who look forward 
 to the same holy station, to see that they enter upon their 
 work, with hands clean and hearts sincere. Nothing so 
 adorns the character of the most youthful minister of Christ, 
 as uniform and overruling spirituality of mind, and a con- 
 versation which manifestly exhibits his great object in life, 
 ,to be the glory of the Saviour and the honor of his Gospel. 
 Beyond all literary attainments is the importance and value 
 of this holy conformity of mind and character to Christ, this 
 experience in a renewed heart of the power t)f grace, to be 
 regarded. And the duty and privilege of obtaining this, 
 can not be too seriously impressed upon those who are pre 
 paring for the ministry ; nor the duty of seeing that they 
 are not manifestly deficient in it, upon those to whom the 
 Church has in any way committed the care and supervision 
 of their studies or their character. Many undoubtedly come 
 forward to offer themselves as '"ambassadors for Christ," 
 whose hearts are but lightly affected with a sense of the 
 responsibilities and obligations which they assume. Of 
 
ItEV. DK. BEDELL. 31 
 
 them, fuw comparatively are allowed, like Mr. Bedell, after- 
 ward to taste and obtain "the grace of life." The majority- 
 go on in a heartless, fruitless ministry; knowing no Saviour, 
 and preaching none ; having no attending power of " the 
 Holy Ghost sent down from heaven" to awaken the souls 
 of sinners, and revive the spirit of religion under their efforts, 
 and passing at last to the "judgment-seat of God, with no 
 redeeirled souls as their crown of rejoicing in the day of the 
 Lord Jesus." Such unworthy ministers are a curse to others, 
 and rejected and condemned themselves. Oh ! that our " sons 
 of the prophets" would look and be admonished ! That they 
 would all seek to have Christ first "revealed in them," that 
 they may preach him with success to others ; to have him 
 formed in their hearts, as the hope of glory, that they may 
 be themselves presented, and be able to present others 
 before God, "perfect in Christ Jesus!" 
 
32 MEMOIR OF 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Settloment in Hudson — Comparison of Sermons — Efforts in his Minis- 
 try — Deficiencies — Marriage — Prospects of Removing to New- 
 York — Disappointment — Removal to FayetteviUe. 
 
 We have now to contemplate the character of Mr. Bedell, 
 under the new circumstances and in the responsible situar 
 tion of a settled pastor. After his return from his southern 
 tour, he passed a few months with his father in the city of 
 New- York. Here he received invitations from several 
 difterent' quarters, to engage in the duties of a parochial 
 ministry. For a little time he hesitated in his decision 
 among them, in regard to an important opening presented 
 to him in one of the southern States. But his great anxiety 
 to be near his father and family induced the determination 
 to rernahi in his native State, and he subsequently accepted 
 the charge of the Church at Hudson, on the North River. 
 He removed to this place in the beginning of the summer 
 of 1815. 
 
 - His first sermon at Hudson, as the minister of the church, 
 was delivered on the 4th of June, from the 41st and 42d 
 verses of the .5th chapter of the Acts : " And they departed 
 from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were 
 counted worthy to suffer shame for his name ; and daily in 
 the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach 
 and to preach Jesus Christ." In this sermon, the subject 
 
REV. DR. EEDELL. 33 
 
 upon which he designed to speak, was " Gospel preacliing." 
 It was a subject well chosen to show how far he understood 
 for himself, or was able to exhibit to others, the great and 
 important principles which are involved in Gospel preaching. 
 And we have found in it just those partial and imperfect 
 views of divine truth, which a knowledge of his previous 
 education and character would have led us to expect. It 
 may be considered as also providentially appointed, though 
 undesignedly by him, as illustrative of his future ministry ; 
 of which the " teaching and preaclmig Jesus Christ " was 
 the peculiar characteristic. And in doing this, though 
 among the pious portion of the community he was highly 
 honored, he did not fail to endure his portion of shame and 
 hostility in the world for the Saviour's sake. 
 
 From this discourse it is manifest that he did not then 
 understand the great doctrine of " Christ, the wisdom of 
 God, ana the power of God," in the justification and sancti- 
 fying of the believer's soul. Nor had his mind been led to 
 a proper conception of that want in man and that provision 
 in the Saviour, which must always be the foundation of 
 Gospel preaching. But there was a spirit of seriousness in 
 the contemplation of his own duties, which was the encou- 
 raging dawn of a better day, and which shows him to us, 
 even then, under the incipient guidance of that Spirit, who 
 was eventually to lead him into all truth. 
 
 An incident which has been communicated by a highly 
 respected brother in the ministry, the Rev. Dr. Ilenshaw 
 of Baltimore,- will be interesting here, as giving, in some 
 degree, an insight into the probable instrument of producing 
 this manifest increased seriousness of spirit, as well as per 
 haps of much assisting the subsequent entire alteration of 
 his religious views. And it is a deeply interesting fixct, that 
 the same honored minister of Christ who was probably 
 thus an instrument in the hand of God of leading his mind 
 to a right foundation, should have been afterward the one 
 2 
 
34 MEMOIR OP 
 
 appointed also to receive his rich and precious dying testi- 
 mony to the value of those glorious truths then most clearly 
 received and enjoyed, which he now began to see " through 
 a glass darkly." 
 
 " On the Sunday after taldng charge of St. Ann's Church, 
 Brooklyn," Dr. H. writes, " I preached two sermons upon 
 .he ' nature and effects of evangelical ministrations." 
 
 " Mr. B., then, I helieve, a candidate for orders, or re- 
 jently ordained, was an attentive hearer of the sermons ; 
 out I have reason to believe that there was little in their 
 doctrines or spirit that was congenial with the views then 
 entertained by him. About the time, however, when he 
 was invited to take charge of the Church in Hudson, he bor- 
 rowed those sermons and retained them several weeks. It 
 struck me as a remarkable circumstance at the time, consi- 
 dering the difference in our views, and I could not but cherish 
 the hope and offer the prayer that the Lord's hand might 
 be in it, and that it might be overruled for good. Whether 
 the hearing and subsequent perusal of those sermons pro- 
 duced any effect upon the views and feelings of my young 
 brother in the ministry, in reference to the spirit, the re 
 sponsibility, and the duties of the pastoral office, it is impos 
 sible for me to say ; but I have always entertained a hope 
 that divine grace was then opening his mind and preparing 
 his heart for the reception of those evangelical doctrines 
 which were afterward so precious to his own soul, and of 
 which he was for many years a living witness and success- 
 ful advocate." 
 
 The full opening of Mr. Bedell's mind to those great prin- 
 ciples of doctrine which marked his later ministry, appears 
 to have been very gradually attained, and yet it may be de- 
 cidedly traced through the whole of his subsequent preach 
 ing, the most of the materials of which have been subjected 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 35 
 
 to my inspectiou. -He had evidently undergone a radical 
 change in his views of divine truth, while he resided in Hud- 
 son. But all this was as only the faint commenciiag of that 
 " shining light which afterward shone more and more unto 
 the perfect day." Even so late in his life as through his 
 whole ministry in Philadelphia, the enlargement of his mind 
 was seen to be still progressing, and his preaching growing 
 every year more simple, apostolical, and evangelical in its 
 character, as he approached the glorious termination of his 
 course. 
 
 In order to gain a proper apprehension of this change in 
 his views of truth, as it was exhibited in the alteration in 
 his style of preaching, it will not be uninteresting here to 
 compare some extracts from this first sermon, as it was 
 preached in- Hudson, and as it was again preached as the 
 introduction of his labors at Fayetteville, a little more 
 than three years after. And though it is in some degree 
 ~,anticipating the regular current of events, it will have the 
 effect of showing the result which, by the grace of God, he 
 attained in this short period of his ministry, and to gain 
 which, he was required to go through many trials, and to 
 learn much by a painful experience. Our first extract will 
 be in reference to the opposition of men to " Gospel preach- 
 ing." As the sermon was preached in Hudson, the follow- 
 iiig passage stands thus : 
 
 " Here then it is that our exertions are apt to be mis- 
 taken, and our well-meant endeavors attributed to motives 
 of an uncharitable nature ; and he who feels it his duty to 
 preach the terrors of the Lord, is often stigmatized as un- 
 friendly to the comfort and the social happiness of man. 
 Did we, indeed, seek to make men pleased with themselves 
 and. with us, our task would be infinitely more easy, and 
 then our continued, reiterated discourse should be, ' Let us 
 cat and drink, for to-morrow we die.' But when we (think 
 
36 MEMOIR OF 
 
 of our obligations, when we rememlDer that it is ours, through 
 the blessing of God, to prepare the way by which men may 
 attain the happiness of heaven, and that if any are dashed to 
 pieces amidst the roclis and quicksands which it was our 
 duty to point out, we are to be answerable, it is surely not 
 only our duty, but our interest, by motives the most power- 
 ful, by exhortations the most urgent, not - only to save the 
 souls of those who hear us, but also to shield our own from 
 the sentence of condemnation. Therefore it is, that our duty 
 to God is to be regarded, rather than deference to man .^or 
 man's judgment, and any imputation is far better than that 
 of an unfaithful servant." 
 
 In preaching the same sermon at Fayetteville, beside 
 some important corrections in the preceding passage, the 
 following is introduced immediately to succeed it, which ex- 
 hibits ideas of divine truth altogether more clear, and be- 
 yond any which he had gained before : 
 
 " I am aware, niy brethren, that in those doctrines of grace 
 which I shall feel it my duty to preach, there will be many 
 particulars which ever have and ever will meet the oppo- 
 sition of the carnal heart ; for when we seek to hold up men 
 to themselves as they are by nature, the picture can not fail 
 to be displeasing ; and when we preach that godly sorrow 
 which brings the sinner to the foot of the cross, and works 
 repentance not to be repented of; when we speak of and 
 urge that change of heart by the power of the Holy Ghost 
 which is essential to salvation, every evil principle in the 
 bosom is to be overcome ; pride will raise the standard of 
 its opposition, and fight boldly the battle of its master, and 
 it is grace alone which can conquer it. I shall strive to 
 preach' the truth without offense in the manner ; as it regards 
 the matter, my friends, I have but little hope that it will 
 fare better with me than it always has with others. It has 
 
EEV. DK. BEDELL. 37 
 
 never been cordially received till grace has prepared the 
 way." 
 
 The following passage forms the conclusion of the sermon 
 as it was preached in Hudson : 
 
 " I trust, brethren, that the connection now commenced 
 will give rise to feelings which shall render my services not 
 the mere discharge of duty, but the exercise of friendship ; 
 and it will be my endeavor so to order my conduct and con 
 versation among you, that I may gain, not only the appro- 
 bation of your lips, but what is dearer, wjiat is infinitely 
 more valuable to the heart endued with the least sensibility, 
 your attachment and your love. 
 
 " I am, at least, to expect your cordial cooperation in 
 any thing which shall tend to advance the interests of the 
 kingdom of our common Master, the Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ. In the public worship in the sanctuary, I 
 shall expect your attendance ;, in the ordinances of the Gos- 
 pel, your devout participation ; and above all, let me beseech 
 you, that when your prayers are addressed to the throne of 
 grace, you remember him whose constant occupation it shall 
 be to labor for your good, and to pray to God for your 
 temporal and eternal welfare ; so that when the great Judge 
 shall make up his account, and we shall all meet before his 
 throne, you will be able to answer unto God for the strict 
 performance of your Christian duties ; and I, in the joy of 
 my heart, to exclaim, ' Father, these are they which thou 
 hast given me.' " 
 
 To this, with some important alterations also, in its Ian 
 guage, the following impressive conclusion was added, when 
 the sermon was preached in Fayetteville : 
 
 " To that period, my beloved -friends, to that period of 
 deep and of solemn interest, I would direct your attention j 
 
38 MEMOIR OF 
 
 for there the everlasting condition of our souls must be 
 finally determined. It is a matter not more serious to me 
 than it is to you, that this Gospel which I preach is, on the 
 authority of God, established as a savor of life unto life, or 
 of death unto death. If you receive this Gospel from my 
 mouth as but the idle wind which you regard not ; if, ii;istead 
 of seeking to profit by its sacred instruction, you continue 
 careless and unconcerned, oh ! what an awful deficit must 
 there be in your final settlement. I speaR it in the fear of 
 my soul, that this gospel which I preach must appear as a 
 witness against those who, having lived under its sound, 
 have yet died without the experience of its saving benefits. 
 my friends, ' seek ye the Lord while he may be found, 
 and call upon him while he is near." - 
 
 " Do but earnestly seek an interest by a living faith in 
 this Jesus Christ whom I have sought, and under the bless- 
 ing of God will yet seek to preach, and all will be well. 
 The Church shall be edified, and, walking in the fear of God, 
 and in the comfort of ^the Holy Ghost, be miultiplied ; and 
 you, redeemed and sanctified and saved by this same Jesus 
 and his grace, shall be numbered among that great multi- 
 tude, who, having gone to Zion with songs and everlasting 
 joy, shall surround the throne, and the theme begun with 
 you on earth, shall be perfected in heaven : ' Blessing, aijd 
 honor, and glory, be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and 
 to the Lamb for ever and ever.' " 
 
 In the comparison of these extracts, the enlightened 
 reader will not fail to see, and to mark with much rejoicing, 
 in how great a degree, during his short ministry at Hudson, 
 his views of truth were enlarged, and his adaptation to the 
 great work of "teaching, and preaching Jesus Christ" was 
 improved. For this important change we can not but look 
 up to the Holy Spirit of God as the great source of the 
 inestimable benefit, and ascribe to Him the glory of thus 
 
KEV. DR. BEDELL. 39 
 
 teaching and qualifying his chosen instrument of so much 
 ultimate good to men. The progress of this change in his 
 views of truth, and the severe and trying discipline by which, 
 through the blessing of God, it was attained, during his 
 ministry at Hudson, we shall be able to mark with some 
 distinctness as we proceed. 
 
 With this introductory sermon, he entered upon the 
 duties of his parochial ministry. He was far too young and 
 inexperienced to be intrusted with this solemn responsi- 
 bility. But he became immediately in some degree aware 
 of the importance of the charge which he had assumed, and 
 he laid out for himself a scheme of -labor in the fulfillment 
 tif it, which certainly displayed the desire and determina- 
 tion, according to his ability, to make his ministry useful to 
 the flock under his care. And though there was ijiuch in 
 his deportment that indicated a state of mind too light for 
 his. station, and wanting in that seriousness which is expect- 
 ed in every professed follower of Christ, and yet more in 
 every minister of the Gospel — much over which the spirit 
 of an experienced servant of the Lord would have mourned, 
 as likely to prove a stumbling-block in the way of others, 
 as well as to be an injury to himself; there was much, also, 
 to encourage the hope that he would be- made- eventually 
 an important instrument of good ; and to convince all, that 
 indolence at least, was not combined with levity in him.. 
 He was, from the beginning of his ministry, active and 
 willing to exert himself in what appeared to him likely to 
 be useful. And had ho met with experienced and pious 
 friends, who could bear with his infirmities, and, rejoicing 
 over what the Lord was doing for him, would have led him 
 to " a more excellent way," he might have been saved much 
 suffering, and at a much earlier period have been led to a 
 full knowledge of the truth. 
 
 In the earliest part of his ministry, he established Sun- 
 day-schools in the church, and opened a weekly Bible-class 
 
40 MEMOIR OF 
 
 for persons of an adult age to be instructed hj himself. 
 These institutions, -which have since become so extensive 
 and important, were at that time almost unlmown. There 
 were few Sunday-schools in the United States in operation 
 so early as 1815, and still fewer Bible-classes for persons 
 of adult years. In these efforts Mr. Bedell met with some 
 opposition, and their efficacy was much disputed. He per 
 severed, however, in his valuable plans, and was gratified 
 in finding very happy results from these his first exertions 
 for the congregation committed to him. When his subse- 
 quent important instrumentality in this department of 
 ministerial influence, which will be exhibited in his succeed- 
 ing history, is considered, it can not but be interesting to 
 know how early his attention was called to it ; and that as 
 his mind was receiving light in the truth of God, his heart 
 was expanding with the desire to communicate the benefits 
 which he thus gained to others. Indeed, this fact presented 
 one of the most lovely and attractive features of his cha- 
 racter through his whole life. There was an open simpli- 
 city and a frank desire to communicate happiness to others 
 in every way possible for him, which strongly marked his 
 disposition from his youth to his departure. And though 
 at first, it might have been the mere expression .of native 
 feeling, without any special motive considered, it was sub- 
 sequently converted to a settled principle of conduct, and 
 being sanctified from on high, it was fuily consecrated to 
 the service of God in efforts for the spiritual good of man. 
 When he settled himself in Hudson, there seemed to be 
 every thing about him in his native character calculated to 
 engage the attention and affection of friends, and to render 
 him popular in his intercourse with them, though, as has 
 been remarked, to the mind that had been taught to seek 
 for spirituality of heart and life as the chief attribute of the 
 Christian, and of the pastor of souls, there was a deficiency 
 in him which must be observed with deep regret. In 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 41 
 
 describing his early appearance, a gentleman who was odb 
 of the wardens of the church at Hudson at the time of his 
 settlement, writes of him : 
 
 " When Mr. Bedell first came among us, I considered 
 him as more committed to me than any other. He was 
 young, and cheerful and gay in his disposition. I gaye him 
 an invitation to take up his abode at my house in the 
 country, free of expense. This he declined,, and took his 
 residence in a highly respectable family of ladies in Hud- 
 son, with whom he continued' to reside for a considerable 
 time. His conduct appeared to me at first perfectly exem- 
 plary and unexceptionable. And the manner in which he 
 discharged all his ministerial functions, was gratifying to 
 his congregation, and highly reputable to himself as a man 
 of talents and genius." 
 
 [n this exhibition of his appearance and conduct at the 
 commencement of his ministry, every fact accords with the 
 spiritual condition in which he then was. Awakened in 
 some degree to a sense of his duty, but having no clear 
 views of the responsibilities which were laid upon hini, 
 there was the mingling, which was a natural consequence of 
 such a state of mind, of effort to do good under the impres- 
 sions which were made upon his conscience, and of a levity 
 of character under the dominion of a mind still unsanctified 
 by grace. He was industrious in his ministry. His preach 
 ing was frequent, generally as often as three times on the 
 Lord's day, in his own church, or others in the vicinity. 
 Nor was it altogether without effect. The Church flourish- 
 ed, temporally, to an important extent ; and spiritually, in 
 some degree, under his ministry. His popularity as a 
 preacher, for one so young, was very great, not only in his 
 own field, but also in New- York, which city, as the • resi- 
 dence of his family, he frequently visited. His visits to the 
 
42 MEMOIR OF 
 
 city were anticipated by many with great pleasure, and 
 frequent messages were received by him of eager inquiry 
 for the time at which they might be expected. He became 
 in his early preaching, a general favorite in the churches of 
 the city, which were always full, and sometimes very 
 crowded when he was expected to preach ; and his popula- 
 rity increased, as his ministry afterward became more deci- 
 ded and spiritual, and he had learned " to know nothing 
 save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 
 
 But while the mind thus rests with pleasure upon some 
 aspects of Mr. Bedell's early character, which were in an 
 uncommon degree amiable and attractive, the duty of the 
 biogi-apher will not allow the omission of results flowing 
 from them, which were in all respects natural, and, by more 
 considerate observers of mankind, to have been expected. 
 His fondness for society, and his cheerful acquiescence in 
 the plans of others to promote according to their own views 
 the pleasure of social intercourse, acting under the guidance 
 of his youthful and immature judgment, led him into too 
 great a conformity to their habits and feelings ; which, 
 though it was finally made the source of a severe and useful 
 discipline to him, involved him in many obstacles and dif- 
 ficulties, from which more discretion and holiness of heai-t 
 would have certainly released him. His habits of expense 
 were made to exceed his ability to meet them^ and he was 
 thus harassed with pecuniary cares which long distressed 
 and encumbered him. His associations with young men 
 whose character, from their want of true piety, could afibrd 
 him no benefit ; and whose injurious influence, from this 
 simple but most important deficiency, upon his feelings, his 
 principles, and his ministi-y, was very apparent ; — associa- 
 tions which were ' sought, not for the purpose of communi- 
 cating spiritual good, but for the attainment of short-lived 
 and thoughtless gratification, encompassed him with most 
 effectual temptations to depart even from the standard of 
 
REV. DS, BEDELL. 43 
 
 conduct which he had aflixcd for himself in entering upon 
 his ministerial course. And for the time in -which he yield- 
 ed to the unsettling iuflueiice which was thus thrown around 
 him, though there was never the remotest stain of immoral, 
 ity upon his conduct, there was an inconsistency between 
 his daily deportment and his manifest duty which the pious 
 observed with sorrow, and which laid up also much sorrow 
 for himself. 
 
 This dark cloud, however, was of short duration. It soon 
 passed over, and a most beneficial result upon his character 
 was produced through its instrumentality. He set out in 
 his own strength in the fulfillment of his work, and he was 
 suffered to fall, and to be deeply humbled and corrected, 
 that he might be taught his own weakness and the necessity 
 of a higher and better guidance, and learn to take up the 
 oross to follow Jesus, as an instrument qualified to be use- 
 ful to his fellow-men. Without the trial and experience 
 through which he thus passed, the peculiar and popular 
 talents bestowed upon him might have been brought to a 
 far different issue from that which they did attain, and have 
 borne no other fruit than pride and selCsufficiency. Under 
 their operation however, humbled and sorrowful, he sought 
 peace for himself in a Saviour's love and power, and be- 
 came the cheerful and animated herald of this love to 
 others. 
 
 In the year 1816, on the 29th of October, he was united 
 in marriage to Miss Penelope Thurston, of Hudson. Of 
 this lady, though she still survives him, it is but duty and 
 justice to say, that God thus gave to him a most faithful, 
 competent, and affectionate friend, one whose kind care and 
 assiduous attention were successfully devoted, imtil the very 
 closing of his eyes in death, to the promotion of his useful- 
 ness, the increase of his comfort, and the melioration of his 
 great sufferings and protracted sickness ; and whose duties in 
 this connection have been rewarded with the undoubted pro- 
 
44 MEMOIR OF 
 
 longing of his ministry, with the high estimation of his friends, 
 and with the sure approbation of his Lord. The offspring of 
 this marriage are a son and daughter, both living, and worthy 
 of a deep interest in the affections and prayers of the many 
 friends who so much and so justly loved their lamented 
 father. 
 
 The influence of this event in the life of Mr. Bedell, upon 
 his whole subsequent history, was very important. It was 
 certainly made, in the hand of God, not only to promote his 
 comfort and happiness, but also to increase his usefulness^ 
 and to alter his influence in the ministry to a most happy 
 degree. In connection with it, he exhibited the peculiar at- 
 tachment which he had for Bishop Hobart, both in postpon- 
 ing the fulfillment of his wish in reference to it, in order that 
 the Bishop might officiate in a crisis of his life so interesting 
 to him, and in previously addressing him upon the subject. 
 
 Under date of Feb. 26, 1816, he thus addressed the 
 Bishop in reference to it : 
 
 " It was my intention when I was in town last, to have 
 spoken to you on a subject in which I am deeply concerned, ' 
 and on which I feel that you ought to have been consulted. 
 But really I knew not how to commence ;- and a feeling 
 which I can not easily describe, induced me to delay till it 
 was too late. You will perceive that I allude to the engage- 
 ment which now exists between the youngest Miss Thurston 
 and myself, and which is to terminate in a union, I trust, 
 productive of our mutual happiness. At present, prudential 
 motives will delay this; but as there is a prospect of raising 
 my salary in June to one thousand dollars, I think there, 
 will be no hazard in bringing .tlie affair to a conclusion some 
 time in October next. I hope. Sir, though you were not 
 consulted, that you will view this circumstance of my life 
 in a favorable light, and I am certain, did you know the 
 lady, you would rejoice in my good fortune. Your advice, 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 45 
 
 if necessary, on this, as well as on every other subject, I 
 would gladly receive and attentively consider, for I deem 
 myself under more obligations than I can well express, for 
 the innumerable aais of friendship you have performed. 
 You have made me what I am. And looking around upon 
 the errors and misfortunes of some of my brethren, I pray 
 that your heart may never have to lament that you raised 
 me to the dignified station in the Church which I now 
 occupy. I believe that I can truly say that the affairs of 
 the Church here are in a flourishing condition, and I have 
 been much more among my people than formerly. 
 
 " With my respects to Mrs. Hobart, I remain, dear Sir, 
 " Your son in the ministry, 
 
 " G. T. BEDELt." 
 
 The very strong expressions of gratitude and confidence 
 toward the Bishop, which occur in this letter, show the 
 state of mind in which he had been educated, and under 
 what strong convictions of duty and truth he must have 
 subsequently acted, when he felt not only obliged to differ 
 from him in judgment upon most important concerns, but 
 also to avow this difference, and to act in accordance with 
 it, in the leading characteristics of his future ministry. Yet 
 to this stand he was brought, and while the point from 
 whence he came is thus exhibited in the preceding letter, 
 and the point at which he arrived will be seen in his suc- 
 ceeding history, it will be our duty now to consider as 
 distinctly as we shall be able to do it, the progress through 
 which he was led between them. 
 
 In tracing this important change which occurred in the 
 religious views and plans of Mr. Bedell after his settlement 
 at Hudson, some facts are present to us which are evidently 
 marked delineations of its progress. The establishment of 
 the American Bible Society in May, 1816, was one occasion 
 on which a manifest change in his state of mind was deve 
 
46 MEMOIR OF 
 
 loped. The opposition of Bishop Hobart to this Society, 
 fi*oin the time of its formation, is well known. It is no 
 part of my present duty to consider the abstract propriety 
 of this opposition, oi* to regard it any further than as a fact, 
 the truth of which of course will not be questioned. This 
 opposition led to a temporary controversy of considerable 
 interest, in which the judgments of the clergy and laymen 
 of the Episcopal Church were found much divided. At the 
 first occurrence of this question, the opinions of Mr. Bedell 
 entirely accorded with those of Bishop Hobart upon the 
 subject involved. A further examination of it, however, 
 constrained him to question the accuracy of his opinions, 
 and furnished the first occasion of hesitation in him, in fol- 
 lowing out to their full extent the judgments of his diocesan. 
 He found himself here, after examination, compelled to 
 differ from him, and it may serve to show the peculiar 
 boldness and decision which were always united with his 
 amiable and passive spirit, that he was prepared, on this 
 important question, to acknowledge the change in his views; 
 and to take the opposite side to one in whose judgment he 
 had so much confided, and whose affection he valued so 
 highly. But to this stand he found himself, through the 
 grace of God, which was guiding him on to future duty, to 
 be adequate ; and the circumstance, so painful to his sensi- 
 tive spirit at the time of its occurrence, was 'made one 
 instrument of leading him to a still farther course of inde- 
 pendent examination for himself The result of this exami- 
 nation was the gradual and entire change of his views on 
 many important questions and subjects in religion, to the 
 standard to which they were ultimately conformed. 
 
 Another circumstance, which is remembered by his family 
 as having produced a very strong impression upon his mind, 
 and as having exercised a decided influence in- the change 
 of his' course of ministry, and of his associations in the 
 Church, was the mild and satisfactory correction by a 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 47 
 
 brother in the ministry, already referred to, of an error 
 into which- he had fallen, and of a misrepresentation whieh 
 he had received and circulated, in regard to that brother. 
 This explanation introduced the development of other 
 views and habits of thought and. action to which it naturally 
 led. He found, in a further knowledge of the ministry and 
 character of many of the clergy who had been strangers to 
 him, or whom he had seen only with the eye of prejudice, 
 and whose society he had been taught to avoid, an adapta- 
 tion to his own feelings, and to his opening views of truth, 
 which immediately attracted him. In referring to this 
 interview, that gentleman says, in a letter from which I 
 have already given an extract : 
 
 " I recollect having spoken to him during a session of 
 the General Convention, many years ago, about a statement 
 which I was informed he had made on board the steamboat 
 in coming from New- York to Philadelphia, that I had held 
 a prayer-meeting, or some public service, in the parish of 
 another clergyman without his consent, and had especially 
 prayed for the conversion of the Rector, ' as a blind leader 
 of the blind.' He investigated the case, and found the 
 statement which he had been made the instrument of propa 
 gating, to be an unfoimded calumny. The conversation 
 which took place between the clergyman referred to, and 
 Mr. Bedell and myself, together with the result' of his 
 inquiries into the facts of the case, might, by the blessing 
 of God, have exerted a powerful influence in changing his 
 views of the principles and men ' everywhere spoken 
 against ;' as it was not a very long time afterward, that he 
 fully and decidedly espoused these views as his own." 
 
 These distinctive views of evangelical truth, the great 
 principles of the Eeformation, he did afterward certaiilly 
 fully espouse as his own, At that time, comparatively few 
 
48 MEMOIR OF 
 
 of the clergy in the Episcopal Church vere known to pro- 
 claim them, and act upon them, in the fulfillment of their 
 ministry. These few were most unjustly regarded as the 
 propagators of " erroneous and strange doctrines," and as 
 the patrons of irregular and disorganizing habits. And 
 their names were mentioned, and their conduct spoken of, 
 generally, only to be held up to reproach. This was espe- 
 cially the fact in the circles in which Mr. Bedell was accus- 
 tomed to move. It required in him, therefore, peculiarly 
 strong convictions of duty, and a deep sense of obligation, 
 as well as a clear perception of what was right and true, to 
 lead him to seek for his associates men whose names had 
 been connected in his mind only with reproach, and to 
 adopt as his own a system and rule of ministry which he 
 had been always taught to shun. Let God be praised that 
 he had grace given to him to come out as an advocate for 
 the truth, and that he lived himself to see the very princi- 
 ples which he had embraced when almost alone, become 
 widely and triumphantly spread throughout the Church. 
 
 In the year 1817, another train of circumstances occurred, 
 which were made intimately connected with the change 
 through which his mind was passing, and which exercised 
 a most important influence upon the whole course of his 
 subsequent ministry. He found, after the increase of his 
 expenses which his new situation as the head of a family 
 required, that his income in Hudson was insufficient to meet 
 his wants, and he felt obliged to seek for a situation which 
 should be more adequate to the circumstances in which he 
 was placed. On the 7th of March, 1817, he thus addressed 
 Bishop Hobart upon this subject : 
 
 " Right Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 " It is rather an unpleasant subject about which I think 
 it necessary to write to you at this time. But I write for 
 advice. Owing to the peculiar pressure of the times, bear- 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 49 
 
 ing particularly hard upon Hudson, it will perhaps be 
 impossible for the congregation to rai'f.e for me another year 
 one thousand dollars. Indeed, the vestry find it impossible 
 to collect from the people the stipulated sum, and I am put 
 to considerable inconvenience, owing to the defect in the 
 present payments. Hudson itself is upon the decrease. In 
 the spring, two or three families are going to the western 
 country. Some of those who took pews in the church have 
 thought best to join themselves to a preacher of universal 
 salvation, who has established himself here. The head of one 
 church-family is dead, and that of another removed to Phi- 
 ladelphia, and by this both the families are broken up and 
 lost to the Church. So that notwithstanding the church has 
 been added to, yet the spring will find it diminished by four 
 or five families. Although I have every attachment to 
 Hudson, both as it regards myself, and in consideration of 
 my wife, yet I deem it a duty, if any better situation can be 
 obtained, not to neglect it ; for, unless the people here con- 
 tinue me the salary of one thousand dollars, and pay it 
 punctually, it will be utterly impossible to support my 
 fiimily. I should be particularly sorry to leave Hudson, 
 because, though perhaps I ought not to say it, yet my popu- 
 larity both as a preacher and a man is evidently increasing. 
 But, nevertheless, I wish your friendly advice upon the 
 subject, and your interest, if I must leave here, to favor 
 me in procuring some more eligible situation. Though I 
 should be more reluctant than I can well express to be 
 obliged to quit your diocese, yet if no situation is to be 
 obtained in this State, I should be pleased if you would 
 take into consideration the propriety of my taking some' 
 steps as it regards the vacant parish of Hartford, (Conn.) 
 I^est, however, I should be precipitate, I will do nothing 
 contrary to your advice, by which I shall always deem it 
 an honor and a happiness to be guided. 
 
 " I am, Dear Sir, yoiirs, 
 3 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
50 MEMOIR OF 
 
 The answer of the Bishop to this communication, if any. 
 answer was returned, is not in my possession. It was 
 manifestly not such as to meet the wants of Mr. Bedell. 
 He was still desirous and determined to remove to some 
 other field of duty, and again on the 26th of June, 1817, he 
 addressed another letter to the Bishop upon the subject, as 
 follows : 
 
 " Right Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 " It is with feelings of the utmost regret that I am obliged 
 to express to you my final determination to quit this place, 
 if any other situation can be obtained, even of less apparent 
 advantages. , Occupied as I know you are, with the higher 
 concerns of the Church, yet the solicitude you have always 
 manifested for my welfare emboldens me to obtrude my 
 personal concerns upon your attention ; and you will not 
 blame me when I explain ta you the reasons which have 
 induced me to make the determination. I was induced, upon 
 the raising of my salary to one thousand dollars, to marry, 
 and the promise was given me that this should be paid 
 with punctuality. , I feel perfectly convinced that upon this 
 sum, regularly paid, ^ I could here support myself quite 
 decently ; but the money which has been paid has come to 
 me in such a maimer as to render it almost useless. These 
 circumstances have arisen from the peculiar disadvantages 
 under which this place labors as it regards money, the embar- 
 rassments of both the banks, and their witholding discounts 
 from every body. I do not complain of the vestry, for 
 they have made every exertion in their power to collect the 
 moneys due them ; but the people are so backward that they 
 themselves are discouraged. I am happy to say that if I go 
 away, I shall leave the Church, as it regards numbers, in a 
 much better condition than I found it, and as I stated in my 
 former letter, that my popularity and usefulness is increasing ; 
 but all will not avail so long as the pressure for money 
 
EKV. DR, B]SDELL. 51 
 
 involves both me and the people in various diiBculties. These 
 sir, are my reasons for wishing to leave this place, and for 
 applying to you for advice and assistance in the furtherance 
 of this object. I am willing to go to any place where there 
 is a prospect of being able to support myself, for here I 
 apprehend it is .totally obstructed. 
 
 " Trust me, my dear- sir, that it is no spirit of change 
 which has induced me to make this determination ; and it 
 would produce far greater uneasiness in my mind ' than I 
 now feel, should I be obliged to leave this diocese. Doubt- 
 less, from your knowledge of the situation of the Church in 
 this State and in the United States, you can give me advice 
 of the most valuable nature, as it regards the course I had 
 best pursue ; and I trust, from the assiduity with which I 
 have" pursued my studies since I have been here, that I have 
 prepared myself for almost any situation which can be 
 offered. My studies, together with the perplexities of my 
 situation, have, I am afraid, tended to the detriment of my 
 health, and I deem it of essential importance that some 
 speedy arrangement be made. You -will,' therefore, my 
 dear sir, favor me with an answer to this letter as soon as 
 you conveniently can, for I am in hope that you may know 
 of some situation in which my prospects can be bettered ; 
 and though on account of my wife, who is distressed beyond 
 measure at the idea of leaving here-, I feel . more than com- 
 monly unpleasant on the- occasion, yet the circumstances 
 which you have just "seen, and which are beyond my control, 
 force me to the determination. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, yours, 
 
 "G. T. Bedell." 
 
 It had always been the ardent and cherished wish of him 
 self and his father's family that he might gain an ultimate 
 settlement in the ministry in the city of New- York, the 
 residence of his large circle of family relations. During the 
 
53 MEMOIR or 
 
 autumn of 1817, the prospect of gratifying this wish appeared 
 to be near and certain ; and he looked forward with much 
 pleasure to the door which seemed to be opening before 
 him. The following letter from Mr. Bedell to Bishop 
 Hobart will properly introduce this subject, the result of 
 which furnished him such bitter disappointment and painful 
 discipline, and will describe the situation to which his atten- 
 tion and his hopes were directed : 
 
 "Hudson, Oct. 14, 1817. 
 " Eight Rbv. and Dear Sir : 
 
 " Several times I have made an attempt to write to you, 
 but have always been deterred by the fear that I might be 
 encroaching too much on the kindness you have always 
 manifested to me. Necessity, however, must triumph over, 
 fear, and I proceed .to write to you on a subject which is 
 deeply interesting to me. I must leave Hudson, and I have 
 candidly told the vestry my reasons. The subject upon 
 which I wish particularly to address myself to you is the 
 vacant situation lately supplied by Mr. Berrian.* When I 
 was in New- York, I frequently heard of conversations among 
 several of the vestry as it regarded myself, and 1 should 
 have mentioned the subject to you, had it not occurred to 
 my mind that from the circumstance of your suggesting 
 Binghamton and other places, you either thought me unfit 
 for the station, or not likely to get it. Since my return to 
 Hudson 1 have not heard a syllable on the subject ; and the 
 anxiety of my mind urges me to wish to know whether, as 
 it regards the situation in Trinity Church, I can have your 
 approbation. Without it I never will think of even wishing 
 that I might be called. I know full well that the situation 
 is not a very eligible one, because I had- heard from 
 
 * Tlien BPsistaiit minister of Trinity Churcli, absent in Kurope, now 
 the Rector of Trinity Church, N. T. 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 5S 
 
 Mr. C that he had understood they only meant to call 
 
 for a year, and to give a salary of no more than one thou- 
 sand or twelve hundred dollars. My reasons for wishing 
 the situation, apparently so disadvantageous, are exactly 
 thewe : that I think it absolutely necessary, not only on my 
 own account, hut on, account of the Church, to remove from 
 Hudson. I do heg you, if you can, consistently with your 
 duty, to recommend me for this situation. I know it is ask- 
 ing a great deal, but I feel also that I am unpleasantly 
 situated, and that the call to New-York, for one year, would 
 remove a burden from my mind ; and I am persuaded that 
 I could discharge my duty with a zeal which shall give you 
 satisfaction. 
 
 " I shall leave here on Tuesday next for New- York, so as 
 to be at Convention on Wednesday. I am so far recovered 
 a-s to be able to be about without any inconvenience, and to 
 preach as usual. 
 
 " I remain. Eight" Rev. and Dear Sir, yours, 
 
 "G. T. Bedell." 
 
 The reply of the Bishop to this communication I have not 
 seen. It is probable no written reply was made. Imme- 
 diately after this he passed a night in Hudson, and visited 
 Mr. Bedell at his own house. From the personal conversa^ 
 tions which he held with him in the presence of his family, 
 Mr. Bedell derived such encouragement to hope for the 
 station which he desired, as to excite a full confidence in his 
 mind that it would be certainly secured to him, and to lead 
 him to enter immediately upon the arrangements which were 
 necessary for his removal. His friends in New-Y'ork parti- 
 cipated in the encouragement and confidence which he had 
 received. His sister thus writes in reference to the expecta^ 
 tion which they had formed, and the grounds upon which 
 they had been led to found it : 
 
54 ' MEMOIR OS 
 
 " I never saw Bishop Hobart's letterj but I always under- 
 stood that he wi-ote one, desiring Townsend to resign at 
 Hudson. About the time that Townsend apprised us of the 
 good news, Bishop Hobart called to see us. The conversa- 
 tion is as fresh this moment in my memory as if it had 
 taken place only last week. After he had spent some time 
 in conversing with me about the comfort and pleasure it 
 would give us all to have him in New- York, he said he had 
 no doubt he would get there : he felt he had influence 
 enough with the vestry to get him into Trinity Church. It 
 appears to me I can almost see him now jump up in his 
 lively and pleasant manner, and repeat : ' Yes, I think I can 
 manage it ; I think the vestry will call him. I have some 
 influence with them.' These were the words he used. He 
 moreover said, so sure was he that it would be done, that he 
 had advised Townsend to prepare his people for it. This is 
 the substance, if not his precise language, in the whole." 
 
 The following statement from the gentleman before 
 spoken of, as one of the wardens of the church in Hudson, 
 concurs with the impressions which Mr. Bedell and his 
 friends had gained from their knowledge of Bishop Hobart's 
 wishes and designs as expressed to them. It may also pos- 
 sibly indicate one' source of the reason for the Bishop's 
 change of determination and feeling in regard to the removal 
 of Mr. Bedell, which had been under consideration. The 
 conversation which is referred to at this distance of time, as 
 t^dng place in the summer of 1817, undoubtedly occurred 
 on the return of Bishop Hobart from the very journey 
 during which he had held the conversation with Mr. Bedell 
 already referred to iij October, 1817 : 
 
 "In the summer of 1817 I met Bishop Hobart on board 
 a steamboat, on his return from a western excursion. In 
 the course of conversation, the Bishop mentioned that he had 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 55 
 
 ■ been requested by some members of the vestry of Trinity 
 Church to m.ake an application to Mr. Bedell, to ascertain 
 whether it would be pleasant to him to receive a call as 
 assistant in Trinity Church ; that such an application had 
 been made ; that Mr. Bedell had expressed himself well 
 pleased, and he believed a call would be the consequence. 
 I expressed peculiar pleasure at the prospect of Mr. Bedell's 
 promotion, and the hope that he would be- called. This 
 appeared to excite surprise on the part of the Bishop, and 
 he inquired of me the cause which could induce me to hope 
 to get rid of Mr. Bedell. I at once replied that Mr. Bedell 
 had fallen into bad habits and practices, and I thought he 
 required the watchful eye and superintendence of the father 
 of the Cliurch ; that if placed under his peculiar charge and 
 watchful care, I trusted he would become an useful member 
 and an ornament of the Church to which he belonged ; but 
 that if left to himself he would be an unfortunate failure." 
 
 The " bad habits and practices," to which reference is here 
 made, the same gentleman describes in another portion of 
 the same letter : a part of them I have already presented 
 to the reader : 
 
 "Some time in the year 1815, I believe, he associated 
 himself with several young gentlemen in Hudson, and hired a 
 house, and commenced keeping bachelor's hall. I condemned 
 the connection, and apprehended danger to my young friend, 
 and once cautioned him upon the subject. I soon dis- 
 covered in Mr. Bedell a departure from his former course of 
 public duty, and a negligence in the composition of his ser- 
 mons. I discovered that his expenses exceeded his means, 
 and that he was in the habit of borrowing from the members 
 of his congregation. The congregation had become much 
 dissatisfied with him, and it required a considerable effort 
 to suppress the expression of their feelings. I stated (to 
 
56 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Bishop Hobart) most, perhaps all, these circumstances,- and 
 also stated this : A Lutheran congregation, about six miles 
 from Hudson, expressed a strong desire to unite with the 
 Church, and their clergyman frequently called on me, and 
 expressed a desire that Mr. Bedell ' should occasionally 
 preach for them. The consent 'of the vestry was obtained, 
 and Mr. Bedell preached for them several times. I attended 
 to lead the responses, and distributed some twenty-five or 
 thirty prayer-books. On one of these occasions Mr. Bedell 
 informed me, as we were going to the church, that he should 
 avail himself of a missionary's license, by omitting a por- 
 tion of the regular services of the Church. To this I remon- 
 strated. But hepersevered ; and I believe thus terminated 
 the whole concern," 
 
 Under the circumstances in 'which Mr. Bedell was then 
 placed, the hope of this invitation to New- York was in his 
 view in a very high degree attractive and valuable. He- 
 yielded to what he understood to be a sufficient ground for 
 action in the case, and at once commenced the arrangements 
 for his removal. Although the situation to which he now 
 looked was a temporary one, there was the prospect with it 
 that it might lead to something desirable, which should be 
 permanent. He accordingly resigned his charge at Hudson, 
 and occupied himself in settling his domestic concerns, in 
 preparation for an immediate departure for New- York. 
 
 But while his hopes appeared to be so near their ful- 
 acomplishment, some information which had been given, to 
 the Bishop, wholly concealed from him, entirely changed 
 the Bishop's views in regard to the plan proposed for him, 
 and his course toward him. Under date of Nov. 6, 1817, 
 Mr. Bedell wrote to the Bishop, manifestly in reply to inti- 
 mations which had been given to him of this attempt to 
 alienate from him the good feeling of his early friend, in 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 57 
 
 which letter, after again recounting and explaining all his 
 pecuniary circumstances and difficulties, he says : 
 
 " I feel, sir, that in many things I have acted imprudently. 
 I have erred much through want of knowledge ; but my 
 conscience is clear from any thing like such misrepresenta^ 
 tion. I have bitterly felt my imprudence and want of 
 knowledge, and 1 trust by my earnest prayers I have been 
 taught some lessons of value from my experience. But 
 should I lose your good opinion, I should, feel it more 
 sensibly than all the rest. 
 
 " With every sentiment of respect, 
 
 " I am, sir, yours, etc., 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
 On the next day after this was written, he received a letter 
 from the Bishop, stating as a final determination in this 
 matter, that something had occurred which rendered the 
 contemplated removal to New-York wholly inexpedient. 
 To this letter the reply below was immediately sent ; and 
 when the ardor of his youth is considered, and the excessive 
 disappointment of his long cherished hopes which he was 
 required to meet is fairly taken into view, the peculiar 
 strength of its expressions will not be surprising. He was 
 contending with some secret foe ; and he found the power of 
 this opposing influence but too irresistible in alienating from 
 liim the confidence of the Bishop, and apparently destroying 
 cU his plans for usefulness and happiness in life. But from 
 what source this opposition and misrepresentation came, or 
 what was its nature, though he had afterward much reason 
 to suspect, he was never able accurately to determine. The 
 Great Shepherd, however, who was guiding him in all his 
 ways, overruled even this excessive disappointment and 
 mortification for the most important good : 
 
 3* 
 
58 mesioir of 
 
 "Hudson, Nov. 7, 1817. 
 "Eight Eev. and Dear Sib : 
 
 "I have this moment received a line from you by Mr. 
 Osborn, which has added much to the pressure which has 
 long been weighing on my spirits, and almost crushed 
 every hope which, from the conversation I have had with 
 you, I had dared to cherish. I understood that it was in 
 your power to control the business as you pleased, and 
 trusting to that I have spoken on the subject of my going to 
 New- York for a few months, and my reputation must 
 sustain an irreparable injury from the failure of any such 
 arrangement. So deeply do I feel the truth of this, that 
 rather than not be in New- York this winter, I will do the 
 duty if the vestry will metely pay my board to my father, 
 and if they are not willing to do that, I will even come 
 without expecting one cent in remuneration — at any rate, it 
 is my determination to spend the winter in New- York, that 
 I may be able to look out for some place,, and if none other 
 can be procured, I will bury myself in the wilds of our 
 western States, and if possible, survive the wreck of my 
 fond though I fear vain expectations. I have been led on 
 to believe, that the matter was by no means doubtful, and 
 I have made arrangements for moving from this place. If 
 things take the course which I fear they will, I shall have no 
 desire to remain in this State, but will remove as far from 
 the scene of my disgrace (for such I shall consider it) as 
 possible. I shall ever be grateful to you, sir, for the part 
 which you have hitherto taken in my welfare, and I still 
 look up to you in some measure to promote my future 
 felicity, but my feelings have been dreadfully wrought 
 upon, and though my pride revolts from ever expressing 
 how deeply I feel upon the subject, yet the consideration of 
 my wife and family powerfully induces me to express the 
 wish, that I may still have the situation. The expectation 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 59 
 
 is also cherished hy my father and sisters, and their feelings 
 will be lacerated by the intelligence. In my present situa- 
 tion, sir, I am not fit to write much. I am almost over- 
 powered by the information given in your letter. I sec my 
 character in danger of being irreparably injured. I see 
 my prospects blasted. But I must not run on. If I live I 
 .^hall be at my father's by the 21st of this month, be the 
 issue what it may,' and as soon as my wound, which is heal- 
 ing tolerably well, will permit me to travel, I will commit 
 my wife and child to Him who will take them under his 
 protection and care, and praying for His guidance, seek my 
 fortune. 
 
 "I shall be exceedingly happy to hear the advice of ,* 
 
 but no advice can be given which can heal the wound which 
 has been made upon my feelings. I must leave Hudson, 
 because I conceive that in many respects I have been injured 
 by a residence in this place. 
 
 "I see no way in which my reputation can remain unin- 
 jured and my feelings at all consulted, unless I should get 
 the situation which I had expected. If you can recommend 
 me to preach for any thing or for notliing, I will consider 
 m^yself as most essentially obliged to you, and pledge myself 
 to retire after the six'months, to any tolerable living. If 
 this can not be done,' I see but one way to act, to reside in 
 the city at my father's until I can find a situation. 
 
 "I send • this letter, and upon the answer depend the 
 most serious consequences to me. My only regrets are the 
 unpleasant consequences which will result to my friends 
 and family. 
 
 "With every wish for your happiness and prosperity, 
 "I remain. Dear Sir, yours, 
 
 "G. T. Bedell." 
 
 * The gentleman from whose letter extracts have been given ahove. 
 
60 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "Since writing this, 1 have thought that the representa- 
 tions probably made to you by some person inimical to my 
 interests, especially in the matter on which my sister wrote 
 to me, have produced a determination not to act in my 
 favor. I had much rather this would be the case than any 
 other reason, because I know that you have been falsely 
 informed, and my conscience is clear. However I naay fre- 
 quently have erred in judgment, I feel no fear from the 
 strictest scrutiny into the motives which have actuated my 
 conduct. I hope that these things may not so affect my 
 spirits as to injure my health. If that is but spared, I can 
 weather any storm." 
 
 By this disappointment Mr. Bedell Was thrown into a 
 very painful situation. And with his sensitive and sanguine 
 temperament he felt most deeply under the mortification 
 which it laid upon him. In the following letter to his sister 
 of the same date, he expressed his own feelings to one who 
 well Imew how to sympathize with all his sorrows. 
 
 "Hudson, Nov. 7, 1817. 
 "I have received a letter from the Bishop, which has hurt 
 my feelings exceedingly. He told me the matter was 
 pretty much at his own disposal, and conversed with me in 
 such a manner,' as to render the call in my mind reduced 
 to a certainty." I have written to him, and told him my 
 determination to spend the winter in New-York, be the issue 
 what it may. I shall probably, in the event that I do not 
 get the place, go to the southward as soon as I shall be well 
 enough to travel. I think my feelings have been very much 
 sported with, in first giving me encouragement, and then 
 damping it by telling me that the vestry wished to have 
 the place supplied by some of the clergy in the neighbor- 
 hood. You no doubt feel anxious about the result -of this 
 business, and the Bishop may have been prejudiced against 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. Gl 
 
 me by some body, but you may rest assured that I feel satis- 
 faction in the conviction, that whatever may be the result, I 
 shall have nothing to blame myself with. After what has 
 passed, and even preparations have been made for my com- 
 irg to New- York, my reputation depends upon my being 
 called, and I have told the Bishop that it is in his power to 
 manage the matter if he pleases. I never will bring deserved 
 disgrace upon myself, nor upon any of my family." 
 
 It is a source of much regret, that we have not the letters 
 of the Bishop to Mr. Bedell, in a 6risis so important in his 
 life. As it is, we are left to gather the contents and objects 
 of them, from the character of the replies which were made 
 by him. On the 14th of November he again wrote to the 
 Bishop in reference to an answer which he had received to 
 his letter of the 7th. The nature of that answer will be 
 readily understood from this letter. The Bishop evidently 
 wrote in a kind and affectionate manner, and advised him to 
 remain still at Hudson. 
 
 "Eight Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 "At present I have but few words to say. I feel disposed 
 to acquiesce in the advice you gave me, and since my friends 
 here have heard the result of the proceedings in New-York, 
 they feel for the unplesantness of my situation, and have all 
 thought best that I shall stay.' I feel grateful to the people 
 here for the concern they have shown in my behalf, and am 
 confident the vestry will request me to continue with them. 
 I must confess to you. Sir, that I feel very sore as it regards 
 the treatment I have experienced, and that there are some 
 mysteries about the business which, as I can not, I had best 
 not attempt to unravel. For the present, however, I intend 
 to content myself, and cheerfully to submit to my lot. 
 
 "The reproofs in your last letter I can not but consider 
 as just, and that I deserve them. For the future you shall 
 
62 MEMOIR OF 
 
 never have a complaint of me on that score. That I have 
 been unjustly represented to you in many things, I know ; 
 hereafter you shall find no fault with me for any thing 
 which it is possible for me to avoid. The reproofs of a 
 friend shall not only be found faithful, but eifeotual. I 
 trust, if I am precipitate and wanting in judgment and dis- 
 cretion, I am not incorrigible ; and if you will continue to 
 give me your advice, you shall find me ready to profit by it. 
 That my feelings have been grievously hurt, I must not 
 deny. I-would write more, but my situation has so far 
 overcome me as to induce a fever. I hope, by future more 
 cautious conduct, to regain your good opinion. 
 "Yours, Dear Sir, 
 
 "G. T. Bedell." 
 
 In a review of all the preceding circumstances, it appears 
 manifest that the alteration of Bishop Hobart's views in 
 reference to Mr. Bedell arose from some unfavorable inform- 
 ation which he had received in reference to his ministry 
 and conduct at Hudson. What the information was, and 
 from what source it proceeded, he never subsequently 
 inquired of the Bishop, and it is left now wholly to our 
 conjecture. But however we may feel disposed to lament 
 the occurrence, as its instruments were concerned, as a 
 dispensation of God we shall see most valuable results 
 flowing from it, affecting his whole character, and the whole 
 course of his future ministry. His embarrassment was 
 painful and mortifying. But he did not allow it to-affect in 
 any way his feeling toward the Bishop, or his intercourse 
 with him. Though he became subsequently so widely 
 separated from him in opinion and conduct in reference to 
 many questions which have been agitated in the Church, 
 he maintained always the most friendly and affectionate 
 correspondence with him, nor was he ever heard to speak 
 of him but with kindness and respect. Ignorant as we 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. , 63 
 
 now are of the kind of information which the Bishop 
 received in reference to Mr. Bedell, it is not only vain hut 
 wrong to pronounce any opinion upon the justice of the 
 course which he pursued. He was governed in it, undoubt- 
 edly, by his own views of duty, and probably under the 
 circums-tances before him, acted with propriety and wisdom. 
 He subsequently stated to the friends of Mr. Bedell, that 
 he had not intended to give him the full assurance of obtain- 
 ing the situation referred to, which had been gathered from 
 his conversations with him. And it is quite possible, that 
 in Mr. Bedell's ardor and solicitude, he calculated more 
 strongly and decidedly upon the success of his hopes than 
 the Bishop's communications really warranted him to do. 
 
 But from the plain history of the facts as they occurred, 
 which I have felt myself obliged to give, it is very manifest 
 that Bishop Hobart's first intentions were in entire accord- 
 ance with Mr. Bedell's wishes,, and that the different issue 
 to which they came was the result of information subse- 
 quently cammunicated to him.* 
 
 * The reason which has led me to dwell so minutely upon this 
 occurrenoe in Mr. BedeU's life has been not only the vast and important 
 influence which I find that it exercised upon his character, but also 
 the conviction that the view which was given of it in the first edition 
 of the Memoir was not entirely accurate. This reason will be better 
 explained by the following letter written by me to the Editor of the 
 Churchman in: ISTew-Tork, which, together with his introductory 
 remarks upon it, I have here subjomed, that the statement which is 
 now made may be seen to be entirely consistent with what that letter 
 promised. 
 
 "BISHOP HOBAET. 
 
 "■It is known to many, although we are not aware that the fact has 
 been hitherto pubUcly adverted to, that Dr. Tyng, in his Memoir of 
 Dr. Bedell, advanced a statement in connection with the name of 
 Bishop Hobart, of such a kind, or in such a manner, as very much and 
 very justly to dissatisfy Bishop Hobart's friends. Private letters of Dr. 
 Bedell to Bishop Hobart, in possession of Dr. Hobart of this city, were 
 
64r MEMOIR OF 
 
 The effect of this discipline upon Mr. Bedell's character 
 and ministry far more intimately doncerns us. His remark- 
 ably buoyant spirits had never received till now their 
 
 laid before Dr. Tyng, wMch convinced Mm that the transaction referred 
 to ought to have been placed in a more favorable light, and this con- 
 viction has drawn from him the following frank, honorable, and per- 
 fectly satisfactory reparation : ' 
 
 " ' Philadelphia, Sept. 4, 1835. 
 " ' Eev. and Deae Sir : 
 
 " ' I take the liberty of employing your paper, as being the most suita- 
 ble vehicle for my purpose, for the correction of some errors which 
 occur in a passage of my Memoir of the Rev. Dr. Bedell. I refer to tlie 
 incidents which are related from the 40th to the 43d pages. It is not 
 necessary to cite the passage, as any who are concerned may have the 
 opportunity to consult it in the Memoir. I was apprised, soon after 
 the publication of the Memoir in May last, that my statement was in 
 some degree erroneous. But as I could gain possession of no other 
 documents which were connected with the subject than those which 
 I had employed in' compiling the Memoir, it was impossible for me 
 either to know how erroneous my statement was, or to have any rea- 
 sonable ground to correct it. "Within a few days, I have been furnished, . 
 through the kindness of a member of Bishop Hobart's family, with 
 copies of various letters from Dr. Bedell to Bishop Hobart, which pre- 
 sent views of the passage related materially different from those wliich 
 occur in the Memoir. I gladly take the opportunity, therefore, to make 
 the correction which truth and justice demand, and which, in a future 
 edition of the Memoir, wUl be made in all its details, much more at 
 
 " ' The'Smpression is given on the 41st page, that the change of loca- 
 tion which is spoken of originated in a spontaneous proposition of 
 Bishop "Pobart's. This is not, indeed, particularly declared, nor was it 
 by me fespecially designed, but I find that such is the general under- 
 standing of the passage. I have now abundant evidence before me that 
 any such proposal of the Bishop's was in consequence of repeated and 
 very urgent requests of Mr. Bedell's, previously made, and of his 
 avowed determination to change the scene of his ministry. I am led 
 further to think, from the style of the letters, that even under these 
 circumstances. Bishop Hobart did not design to convey so decided a 
 propositicm to Mr. Bedell as he appeared to gather from hisconversa- 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 65 
 
 proper check. His ardent and gay mind had seen only 
 what was attractive in this world, and his anticipations, con- 
 nected with its scenes and prospects, were far too bright and 
 enchanting to allow him properly to " seek a better country, 
 
 lion. The impression is further given in, the Memoir, that the change 
 in contemplation was to a permanent location. This, I confess, was my 
 understanding and design. I am now convinced that the whole sub- 
 ject of any communication from Bishop Hobart to Mr. Bedell, which 
 the latter understood to be an express invitation, was only the tempo- 
 rary supply of the place of the regular incumbent, who was absent in 
 Europe for the year. This is a material correction. I am further con- 
 vinced that there is no evidence that the disappointment of Mr. Bedell 
 originated -in any information of his change of views, conveyed to 
 Bishop Hobart, but in other circumstances which are referred to, but 
 not explained ; and that it is certain Bishop Hobart never designed to 
 give him so much encouragement for hope as he suffered himself to 
 entertain, and therefore could not with propriety be made responsible 
 for the disappointment which ensued. I iind from subsequent letters 
 of Mr. Bedell's, that his own mind was not so much affected with any 
 sense of the injury which ho was supposed to have received, as were 
 those of his friends ; nor docs he seem to have lessened the reverence 
 and affection which he entertained for the Bishop. In the whole cor- 
 respondence I find nothing- which is calculated to affect the character 
 of Bishop Hobart unfavorably, and my opinion of the whole occurrence 
 is much altered by the further information, which I have thus received. 
 It will be my design to furnish the readers of the Memoir with the 
 most of this correspondence, in a future edition. 
 
 " ' I had not, however, the least design of imputing any thing to Bishop 
 Hobart -which he would consider -wrong, iiL my relation of the event as 
 it now stands. I considered it as one of the occasions on which he 
 acted upon his own conviction of duty, and in a decided execution of 
 his purposes, which I have always supposed4o be characteristic of him- 
 self I hope the effect of the present communication may be, not only 
 to remove any erroneous and injurious impressions from the minds of 
 readers of the Memoir, but also to satisfy the iiiends of Bishop Hobart 
 that I had no design to make any record which should be in the smaU- 
 ./St degree disrespectful toward him. 
 
 " ' I am, with great regard, your friend and brother, 
 
 " 'Stephen H.TrNG."' 
 
66 MEMOIR OF 
 
 that is, an heavenly." But, from this time, he received from 
 on high graQe to refer all things immediately to 'God. He 
 saw who had appointed the rod under which he had suffered, 
 and he bowed with new humility and submission to the cor- 
 rection which he had received. He had erred, through self- 
 confidence ; and for this he had been chastened. In his sub- 
 sequent life, he was most remarkable for the apparent total 
 want ■ of this self-confiding spirit. The most trifling and 
 unimportant occurrences of Ms life were resolved into the 
 subjects for divine direction. And all who were with him 
 were habitually marking the sober views he formed of all 
 expectations, and listening to his calm and sweet expres- 
 sion, " If the Lord will, I shall do this or that." 
 
 This apparent crushing of all his worldly hopes, in the 
 disappointment of his expectation of removing to New- York, 
 induced a far more consistent and vigilant ministry. It led 
 his mind to a more independent search for truth. All the 
 obstacles which the influence of education and association 
 had heaped in his path were now removed. He felt no 
 difficulty in following out his own convictions, either in the 
 acquisition of religious knowledge, or in the discharge of 
 religious duty, The gracious Lord, who had been guiding 
 him through all his difficulties, and preparing him, by their 
 chastening operation, to "know how to speak a word in 
 season to him who was weary," made the result of the whole 
 a vast increase of true happiness for himself, and the means 
 of most abundant blessings to others. But for such a di=- 
 appointment of his youthful hopes, he might never have 
 been separated from aii influence which would have turned 
 his future ministry to a very different course from that 
 which did characterize it ; nor have gained either that clear 
 knowledge or deep experience of Gospel truth, for which he 
 became so distinguished, and by which he was made so use- 
 ful in the Church. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 67 
 
 In the situation to which he was brought by this disap 
 pointment, though his prospect was discouraging, he found 
 much to alleviate his fears. According to the hope which 
 he expressed to the Bishop in his letter of the 14th of 
 November, the vestry of the Church did request his con- 
 tinuance with them, and the people manifested much sym- 
 pathy and affection toward him. He accepted their invi- 
 tation to remain with them, though he felt still convinced, 
 as he wrote to the Bishop some months afterward, that it 
 was expedient for them, as well as for liimself, that he 
 should remove. Under date of February 27, 1818, he thus 
 says to Bishop Hobart : 
 
 " Under the circumstances of my present situation at Hud- 
 son, I wish still earnestly to leave them, as I am conviuced 
 I could be much more useful -anywhere else, where I could 
 commence anew, and upon much more correct views; that 
 is, where I could commence and do my duties with much 
 more stability, and in a manner which I now know to be 
 necessary, not only for the good of the cause, but for my 
 own satisfaction." 
 
 Having broken up his family arrangements in the pro 
 spect of removing to New- York, he did not again settle 
 himself at house-keeping. An intimate relative of his wife's, 
 immediately upon hearing of the letter which had dis- 
 appointed his expectations, came to invite him to come with 
 his family to his house, where he remained until his final 
 removal from Hudson. He continued in this first scene of his 
 labors another year, pursuing his ministry upon a new system 
 andwith new feelings, when Bishop Hobart was made the 
 instrument of sending him out into the extensive field which 
 he subsequently occupied, and in which he began' as he had 
 wished, anewministry, with views of duty entirely corrected, 
 
G8 MEMOIE OF 
 
 and a heart engrossed in the great -work to which he had 
 been set apart, of "winning souls" to the love of Christ, 
 and in which also signal blessings flowed upon his ministry 
 from the great Giver of every good and perfect gift. 
 
HEV. DB. BEDELL. 69 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Removal to Payetteville — Character of his Ministry — Peaceful Spirit — 
 Interesting Instance of his Usefulness — Extemporaneous Prayer and 
 Prayer-Meetuiga — Specimen of Preaching — Failing Health— Journey 
 to the North — Necessity for Removal — Feelings of the People — 
 
 . Removal from FayettevOe. 
 
 In the summer of 1818, nearly a year after the disap- 
 pointment of Mr. Bedell's hope of removing to Nevf-York, 
 a gentleman belonging to the vestry of the Church in 
 Fayetteville, N. C, was in New- York, commissioned to 
 engage a minister for that church. He made application to 
 Bishop Hobart for information in the' discharge of the duties 
 of this appointment, and the Bishop directed his attention to 
 Mr. Bedell, as one likely to be adapted to such a station. 
 In this recommendation of him to a new and important 
 sphere of duty, by the Bishop, it is pleasant to see the evi- 
 dence of his remaining confidence and affection toward Mr. 
 Bedell, although such efforts had been made to pervert his 
 feelings in relation to him the preceding year. The result 
 of the information which his direction elicited, was, that 
 immediately on the return of the gentleman referred to, to 
 Fayetteville, a unanimous call from the Church in that 
 place was transmitted to Mr. Bedell. The unexpected 
 demand upon him, agitated and distressed his mind. It 
 opened to him a field entirely new, very remote, and never 
 before considered. He must leave his native territory, 
 
70 MEMOIR OF 
 
 which as a residence he had never left before, to dwell 
 among entire strangers. He must withdraw the prop of an 
 only son from his father, bending under the weight of years. 
 He must dwell in a southern climate, the eifect of which 
 upon his own health, and that of his wife, he much dreaded; 
 and amidst circumstances peculiar to that portion of our 
 country, not jcongenial with his own habits, or feelings, or 
 principles. But though he hesitated much during his con- 
 sideration of the call, when he came to the conclusion that it 
 opened to him the path of duty, he delayed no longer. He 
 gave up all his cares to God, and determined to follow at 
 once in the way by which He was leading him. He had 
 been ordained a Presbyter in July, 1818, and in October of 
 that year he removed with his family to his new field of 
 pastoral labor in Fayetteville. 
 
 Soon after his arrival in Fayetteville he addressed the 
 following letter to Bishop Hobart, in which he speaks to 
 him, and of him, with entire affection and respect, and gives 
 evidence that with his altered views of religious truth, he 
 had undergone no change whatever, in his attachment to the . 
 services and principles of the Church. The fact, which is 
 thus displayed, will be exhibited most clearly through the 
 whole of his ministry. I have never been acquainted with 
 one whose heart seemed more truly bound to the institu- 
 tions of the Church, and whose regularity and nice sense of 
 propriety in conformity to them, were uniformly more 
 manifest. This feeling with him was not assumption, but 
 nature. It flowed out spontaneously and ' habitually, and 
 without the necessity of watchfulness or effort. 
 
 "Fayetteville, Nov. 23, 1818. 
 "Right Rev. and Dear Sir: 
 
 "It was my intention to have written to you immediately 
 upon my arrival here, but I was almost immediately attacked 
 by a nervous headache, (consequent, I presume, upon the 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 71 
 
 fatigues of the journey,) which completely unfitted me for 
 every thing like m.ental, and , for almost every thing like 
 bodily exertion. I have, however, now nearly recovered, 
 and hope soon to he quite restored to my former strength. 
 
 "As it regards Fayetteville, I am, upon the whole, much 
 better pleased than I expected. The Cape Fear river is 
 so low that our things are yet in Wilmington, and we are 
 still at the house of that invaluable friend to the Church, 
 Mr. Winslow, where we are treated with the utmost hospi- 
 tality, and every thijag is done to render our situation com- 
 fortable. .The house which has been provided for us, is 
 undergoing repairs. It has two acres of ground attached to 
 it, part of which is a very fine garden. It is within two 
 minutes' walk of the Church, and in the very centre of my 
 parishioners. * 
 
 "The Church itself, owing to the great scarcity of work- 
 men, is not yet finished, but we shall be able to get into it 
 by Christmas. It is a little larger than the Church at Hud- 
 son, built something in the Gothic, and is to be complete in 
 every thing previous to any use being made of it. It has a 
 fine organ, clock, and bell, and two gentlemen of the place 
 have made it a present of a chandelier, and two branches for 
 the -pulpit, and two for the organ. The chandelier is of sixty 
 lights, and cost in Liverpool one hundred guineas. The 
 pulpit and desk have the common fault, that is, they are too 
 high. The vestry room is back of the Church, and the 
 ascent to the pulpit is from it. The cost of the Church, 
 when finished, will be about seventeen thousand dollars. 
 After the consecration, we calculate to have a regular history 
 and description of the Church drawn up, and a profile sent 
 for the Christian Journal, that our fellow Churchmen at the 
 North may see what progress the Church is making in 
 the South. 
 
 "We have service at present in the academy, and the 
 congregation is very considerable, and, I must say, as atten 
 
72 MEMOIR OF 
 
 tive an one as I ever preached to. The increase of the 
 Church in this place is naturally to be expected from the 
 rapid increase of the place, and, when she comes to be 
 more known, from her peculiar excellencies. I have every 
 reason to expect not only a comfortable, but when I shall be 
 weaned from my Northern predilections, a happy settlement. 
 
 " I wish, my dear sir, that you would write me your 
 opinion as to the absolute authority of the use of the ante- 
 communion service ; for, although I never mean to omit it, 
 stUl I would wish to defend myself with some other author- 
 ity than the by-some-disputed tenor of the nlbrio. 
 
 "It would afford me much satisfaction to receive the 
 journal of the last Convention, and whatever ecclesiastical 
 news may be stirring at the North, I sent, a few days ago, 
 to Mr. Onderdonk the journals of the conventions in this 
 State, at Newborn and Fayetteville. 
 
 " I must not forget to request you to direct to my uncle 
 in Eichmond the necessary dismissory letter, as I shall wish 
 to be instituted as soon as possible. 
 
 " Mrs. Bedell and Miss Thurston are well, and together 
 with myself, desire to be reriiembered to Mrs. Hobart. 
 Tou will oblige me by making my best respects to all the 
 clergy about you, and tell them that they would be doing 
 real acts of charity if they would occasionally Avrite to me, 
 and tell me what is going on in the region in which I would 
 gladly be. 
 
 " With every sentiment of respect and love, 
 
 " I remain, dear sir, yours, etc., 
 
 "G. T. Bedell." 
 
 In Fayetteville he was instituted as the rector of the 
 church, and entered with , great diligence and zeal upon a 
 field of labor which was entirely new, but which he found 
 to be highly encouraging. The Episcopal Church in North- 
 Carolina was at this time composed of but few and scattered 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 78 
 
 members. In Fayetteville a congregation had been collected 
 by the Rev. Bethel Judd, both before and afterward a 
 clergyman of Connecticut, who had been with them for a 
 short time previous to this, and under whose labors they 
 had commenced the erection of a house for public worship. 
 When Mr. Bedell removed thither, the building was still 
 unfinished, and the public services of religion were per- 
 formed in the hall of an academy. Here he preached his 
 first sermon in October, 1818, from which we have before 
 given some short extracts. He was now entirely removed 
 from early friends and associations, in a portion of country 
 where the few ministers of his own Church were very widely 
 separated from each other, and where he was obliged to con- 
 sult, and determine, and act, in the concerns of his ministry 
 entirely alone.- These circumstances were made the occasion 
 and instrument of fully developing his mind, and giving 
 firmness and character to all his principles. 
 
 We have seen him, in his short ministry at Hudson, under- 
 going, amid discouraging and painful eircunistances, a 
 strongly-marked change in his religious views and habits. 
 He came to Fayetteville with the full benefit of the educa- 
 tion and experience through which he had been thus led, and 
 entered upon a new field of duty, with a new style of preach^ 
 ing and a new system of ministeriail action. Although this 
 spiritual change in him had been gradually displayed, as 
 noticed in his previous course, it exhibited itself very 
 decidedly in the results which it produced in the commence- 
 ment and through the whole course of his ministry in Fay-' 
 etteville. His great and unceasing desire was for the spiritual 
 conversion of his people ; and for the attainment of this he 
 did not cease to "teach and to preach Jesus Christ." He 
 labored and "prayed for a reviving spirit of piety in the 
 Church. Beside the stated services of the Lord's day, that 
 he m.ight increase the opportunities of his people to gain a 
 knowledge and enjoyment of the truth, he established a 
 
74 MEMOIR OF 
 
 •weekly meeting for prkyer and the exposition of the Scrip* 
 tures at his own house. He gave himself up to the great 
 ■work he had undertaken, of- leading sinful men to the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. He instituted here also his favorite instru- 
 ment of good, and that to which his heart was peculiarly 
 given to the very last days of his ministry on earth — Sunday- 
 schools and Bible-classes ; and not only engaged others thus 
 in the labor of Christian instruction, but also attended him- 
 self to a weekly Bible-class for adults. He was in this 
 method literally abundant in labors, and his character and 
 usefulness as a minister of Christ soon became extensively 
 known and appreciated throughout the United States. At 
 that time I was personally unacquainted with him, and was 
 myself preparing for orders in a distant State. But his 
 name, and the character and excellence of his ministry, 
 became fully known to me, and excited the strongest desire 
 in my mind for the opportunity of gaining a personal know- 
 ledge of him, which God mercifully gratified at last, for a 
 long time and in an intimate degree. 
 
 His efforts to do good in Fayetteville were not confined 
 to hrs own congregation. He set himself, and with much 
 success, to fulfill the precept given by the Lord to the IsraeJ- 
 ities in their captivity — " Seek the peace of the city whither 
 I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray 
 unto the Lord for it, for in the peace thereof ye shall have 
 peace ;"* and the promise which' he made at his ordination 
 that he" would " maintain and set forward as m-uch as lay in 
 him quietness, peace, and love among all Christian people, 
 especially among them that should be committed to his 
 charge. "f When he removed to Fayetteville, the members 
 of the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches were much 
 separated, and, in some cases, violently opposed to each 
 other ; so much so, that all mutual intercourse between some 
 
 * Jeremiali 29 : Y. f Ordination oHice of Priests. 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 75 
 
 families had ceased on this account. He became at once the 
 peace-maker between them. He associated himself upon the 
 most friendly terms with the minister and members of the 
 other denominations, and thus was the instrument of restor- 
 ing the dominion of harmony and concord, and of giving 
 a new impulse to the religious character and spirit of the 
 members of both congregations. This mutual sympathy 
 and cooperation was rendered permanent by a Society 
 which he formed for the purposes of benevolence, the mem- 
 bers of which were composed of the different denominations 
 of Christians in the place. This, by bringing them together 
 on common ground for reciprocal assistance and support, 
 removed the jealousies and tendencies to conflict which had 
 before existed, and gave them a consciousness of their com- 
 mon interest, and of the claims of a common cause. This 
 Society held its meetings at his own house, every month, 
 and its annual meeting always in the Episcopal church. 
 
 The principle upon which he acted in the establishment 
 of this Society was maintained by him through his whole 
 subsequent life. While he was devotedly attached to the 
 principles of the Church of which he was a minister ; pecu- 
 liarly exact and regular in the discharge of all the services 
 which he felt to become him as her minister, according to 
 the promises of his ordination ; and while he labored for 
 the prosperity and extension of the Church to a degree cer- 
 tainly unsurpassed by any cotemporary in his grade of the 
 ministry, he was fully satisiied that thei^ was ground for 
 religious effort, which he might easily and happily occupy 
 with other denominations of the Lord's people, and upon 
 which he might unite with them to accomplish good results 
 in which they could mutually delight, without any relin- 
 quishment either of his own rights or obligations as an 
 Episcopal minister. He had not been educated in such 
 views, nor during a considerable portion of his previous 
 ministry had he acquired them. Nor under the circumstances 
 
76 MEMOIR OF 
 
 in which he had been previously placed, could ha proba- 
 bly have been able to bring them, as he would have wished," 
 into operation. But when the American Bible Society was 
 formed his attention, as we have seen, was called to this 
 point. He saw no difficulty and danger for the Episcopal 
 Church in a union with that enterprise, and accordingly 
 gave it his full cooperation. To similar institutions he gave 
 his influence^and efforts with the same readiness of feeling, 
 and continued always afterward to rejoice in entering upon 
 any undertaking for good to men, in which the painful and 
 discouraging divisions in the Christian Church might be for- 
 gotten, and all the followers of the Lord be united in a 
 common interest and common labor of love. 
 
 The ministry of Mr. Bedell in Fayetteville was imme- 
 diately distinguished for its successful results and for its 
 evangelical character. The church edifice was completed 
 and occupied in the commencement of the winter succeeding 
 his removal to the place, and a large and united congrega- 
 " tion was soon collected to worship in it. The impression 
 and effect which was early produced by his ministry, may 
 be well gathered from the following extract from a letter 
 of a highly respected gentleman, then a member of the 
 congregation : 
 
 " I have been trying to revive my rememibrances of him 
 at that period, and although I can bear strong and willing 
 testimony to his Eminent piety; his charitable and kind 
 deportment toward other classes of Christians ; his efficient 
 services in the pulpit, and his courteous and blameless life 
 in society, yet my memory furnishes few details that can 
 be of any use for the purpose you mention. Indeed, soon 
 after he rendered with so much kindness and sympathy the 
 services at the death-bed of my beloved sister Sarah, m.y 
 attention was forcibly diverted- by preparations for my 
 voyage to Europe. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 77 
 
 "Though young, and Comparatively thoughtless, 1 was 
 not unobservant of the ^sensible effects of his ministry upon 
 the community. You 'will remember, with the exception 
 of the short ministry of Eev. Mr. Judd, that Mr. Bedell's 
 was the first that the people of Fayetteville had ever had in 
 the Episcopal Church, and although the congregation-' had 
 been organized by his predecessor, yet it was under his 
 ministry that the cold materials seemed to- receive life and 
 feeling. He attracted many to the church ; some aged indi- 
 viduals, who had scarcely ever been seen within a church. 
 
 " Mr. Bedell drew m^any worldlings arid careless livers 
 to his church by the animated and impressive style of his 
 oratory, and made them regular attendants by his earnest 
 appeals to the heart, by his own obvious piety, and by the 
 forbearance and Christian charity, and the manner with 
 which he treated the peculiar doctrines of his Church which 
 was inoffensive to the casual hearers of a different persua- 
 sion. He seized all occasions for arresting the attention of 
 the thoughtless. If a death occurred in the place, some 
 appropriate and solemn remarks on the following Sabbath 
 were made to carry a salutary warning to every heart, and 
 the occasional sermons which he preached on Christmas day 
 and New- Year's (which days had never been so observed 
 before this) were impressive and solemn. 
 
 " The harraony which existed between the Presbyterian 
 minister and himself was creditable to the Christianity of 
 both. They so arranged their services on the afternoon and 
 evening of the Sabbath, that the people of one could hear 
 the preaching of the other." 
 
 The remaining portion of the letter, from which the 
 above is extracted, contains a delightful account of an inci- 
 dent which occurred in Mr. Bedell's ministry, in the sum- 
 mer succeeding his ' removal to Fayetteville, and which, as 
 exhibiting God's blessing resting upon his labors for the 
 
78 MEMOIR OF 
 
 good of souls, becomes of peculiar interest to us in this 
 period of his history. I have inserted the account in the 
 language of the letter : 
 
 " But ray personal knowledge of Mr. Bedell commenced 
 in August, 1819, at the time of his kind attendance on my 
 dying sister ; and for his services on that occasion, I have 
 ever felt grateful- to him, and thankful to, God for the mer- 
 ciful and wonderful results whio'i seemed to flow from th^.. 
 As such incidents rarely occur under the ministry of any 
 man, I will relate it more minutely, not trusting to my 
 memory for the details, but will avail myself of letters- 
 written at the time to an absent brother. 
 
 " To appreciate the extraordinary manifesta,tion of God's 
 grace and power in her triumphant death, it may be neces- 
 sary to premise something of her character, and to feel the 
 full force of the expression that she made on her death-bed, 
 ' Oh ! 1 have suffered a great deal in this world, but I would 
 suffer again ten thousand times for this hour of happiness,' 
 it will be requisite to understand the severe and 'varied 
 trials through which , she had passed in her short career. 
 She had been left an orphan at the age of twelve years ; 
 (the eldest of six children, to whom she supplied, as far as 
 ■ it was possible, the place of a mother, tenderly and faith- 
 fully,) married early from a mere impulse of the heart ; 
 soon lost her health; buried four infant children, and was 
 subjected to domestic trials of the most distressing nature. 
 She was full of sensibility, and early in life eheerftil and 
 ardent, but misfortunes had long since chiUed down her 
 temperament, until her heart-broken appearance was evi- 
 dent to every beholder. 
 
 " She rarely spoke on the subject of religion, and when 
 she went to the communion-table she seemed oppressed by 
 a sense of her imworthiness to such a degree, that she was 
 visibly distressed and indisposed for days afterward. Dur 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 79 
 
 ing her protracted ill health, she was very wakeful at night, 
 and several times, in the darkness and silence of midnight, 
 she was found upon her knees at the bedside, too feeble to 
 get back without assistance. 
 
 " We had so long and so often seen her very sick, that it 
 was not till the evening of the 18th August, 1819, that the 
 hope of her restoration forsook us ; her respiration then 
 became difficult, and it was too evident that death was 
 indeed at hand. It was suggested to me that Mr. Bedell 
 had better have some appropriate conversation with her, 
 and administer all the consolation in his power. 
 
 " I went immediately to him, and he kindly came at once, 
 about eight o'clock in the evening. The weather being 
 warm, her bedstead had been placed in the centre of a large 
 room, with a piazza before it. 
 
 " To his question of ' how she felt,' she replied, ' as a 
 miserable sinner ;' to which he rejoined, 'we are all misera- 
 ble sinners, and it was well that she could realize it.' To 
 his appropriate remarks, she listened with deep attention, 
 but seldom spoke. He asked her if he should pray ; she 
 answered, ' certainly.' ■ He then knelt by her bedside, and 
 gave an extempore prayer, during which she often groaned, 
 and her countenance indicated the deep anguish of her soul. 
 Mr. Bedell left the room, and she clasped her hands, and 
 appeared to be praying most fervently to herself On 
 seeing him through the windows walking in the piazza, she 
 sent and requested him to pray again, and it was during 
 this second prayer that the very remarkable change in her 
 took place. By this time many relatives and friends and 
 servants had collected around the, windows, and in her 
 chamber, to witness the closing scene, and while with deep 
 emotion and sympathy we stood watching her emaciated 
 countenance, so full of pain, anxiety, and misery, suddenly 
 it became radiant with happiness, and lighted up with 
 seraphic smiles. She struggled to suppress her .transport- 
 
80 MEMOIR OF 
 
 ing emotions, until the prayer was finished, when, after a 
 short pause, she broke the silence, and thrilled every one 
 present with exclaiming rapturously, ' Thank God ! how 
 happy I am ; let me arise and praise God for what he has 
 done for my soul.' A relation in the room (supposing her 
 delirious) said, ' Keep her down ;' when she replied, ' No, 
 aunt ; no one can keep me down when God gives me the 
 power to rise.' She was then supported by pillows in bed, 
 and with an uplifted countenance beaming with rapture, she 
 gazed ardently, as if she enjoyed a vision of the unveiled 
 glories of heaven. She had no adequate language to express 
 her emotions. She exclaimed, 'How- lovely my children 
 are, especially Sarah Jane;' (this was the only child that 
 had lived long enough to be baptized,) and she seemed by 
 her looks to recognize others among the throng of blessed 
 spirits. 
 
 " You may conceive how mute wiQi awe and astonish- 
 ment we stood, conscious- that a scene was then before our 
 eyes which mortals seldom have' witnessed ; sensible that we 
 were indeed in the presence of God, and that heaven itself 
 was brought near to us, though visible, alas ! only to her. 
 She said with fervor, ' Oh ! what a good God I have ! Why 
 don't you all serve him V Her eye resting on me, she said, 
 ' My dear brother, won't you be a Christian 1 Won't you 
 promise mel' And to a, cousin she said, 'This life is but 
 a state of probation ; prepare for a better world.' To my 
 sister Isabella, who was weeping, ■ she. said, ' Oh ! do not 
 weep for me ; you would not have me back V when Mr. 
 Bedell remarked, ' If it is God's will to raise you from that 
 sick bed, you must be resigned.' She turned to Mr. Bedell, 
 and said,.' Mr. Bedell, you have been an instrument, in the 
 hands of God, this night, of saving my soul : words are in- 
 adequate to express my thanks to you, but you will be re- 
 warded tenfold for it in heaven.' She often expressed her- 
 self thus: Thave suffered a great deal in this world, but I 
 
BEV. DR. BEDELL. 81 
 
 would suffer it again ten thousand times for this hour of 
 happiness.' She called a female friend to her, and said, 
 ' You are the only person that ever conversed with me on 
 ihe subject of religion ; let me kiss you for it. She then 
 drew her to her, and put her arms around her neck. To 
 her husband she said, ' My 'dear husband, I wish I could 
 take you to heaven with me ; I wish I could take you all 
 with me.' 
 
 " She asked Mr. Bedell to sing a hymn. He selected, 
 ' There is a land of pure delight,' etc. She joined in, and 
 though often interrupted by phlegm, she would renew the 
 song, and strained her voice to its utmost strength. When 
 she had finished the two lines — 
 
 ' Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, - 
 , Should fright me from the shore,' 
 
 she added, with uplifted eyes and clasped hands, ' No, Lord! 
 Death has no fears for me.' 
 
 " Death, indeed, seemed ' to be swaliowed up in victory.' 
 She was frequently urged to lie down, but she said, ' Oh ! 
 let me talk while God gives me p9wer to talk.' She at 
 length yielded to entreaties, and lay down. She continued 
 in a peaceful state of mind all night, spoke seldom, and slept 
 more than usual. On the following morning she ralliedher 
 strength for the last exhortation to her husband, and in a 
 low tone seemed to be pleading earnestly with him. She 
 was heard to say, ' Promise me, my dear husband.' She 
 became weaker and weaker during the day ; her memory 
 failed, and at 9 o'clock in the evening of the 19th of August, 
 $he gently breathed her last. 
 
 " Mr. Bedell remained with us the most of three days, 
 his family being out of town. His kind sympathy fell upon 
 hearts softened and subdued by affliction. We afterward 
 attended his church, and my sister Isabella became a com- 
 
82 MEMOIR OF 
 
 municant. Associated as he is in our minds with our de- 
 parted sister in that wonderful scene, we can never lose the 
 sense of his piety and happy instrumentality." 
 
 The following is an extract from one of Mr. Bedell's let- 
 ters to his wife, who was absent at this time on a visit at 
 Hillsborough, N. C. In the previous part of the letter he 
 describes the striking scene which has just been related ; 
 this portion unfortunately has been lost, the letter having 
 been written upon two sheets of paper. The remainder 
 contains an interesting development of the state of his own 
 mind at the time of this occurrence, and shows how remark- 
 ably and happily God had now led him to a knowledge and 
 acceptance of the great principles of Gospel truth. It is ;i 
 subject of unceasing regret that so few of his letters have 
 been preserved by his correspondents, and thus so much of 
 the private exhibition of his character has been placed be- 
 yond our reach. 
 
 " Fatetteville, August, 1819. 
 
 " After having been engaged in these things both in con- 
 templation and in writing, you can, not but suppose that I 
 feel no interest to enter into a detail of common matters. 
 By the permission of God, I hope to be able next week to 
 talk to you of these things. 
 
 " In the inclosed letter of S^ *, you will find that to 
 
 all appearance God has been dealing mercifully with her in 
 bringing her to a sense of her danger, a conviction of sin ; 
 that it will be carried on by him who hath begun the good 
 work, until it eventuates in her conversion, is my hope and 
 prayer. Oh ! how valuable is the soul, and how precious its 
 Redeemer ! Give yourself in sincere prayer to him, and be 
 assured, upon the word of Him who will not deceive, you 
 shall in no wise be cast out. 
 
 * A sister of Mrs. B. 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 83 
 
 " Shall I say that I have been taught from these things 1 
 I know and feel my own unworthiness, and the sight of these 
 things animates my devotions, and warms and quickens my 
 love. Oh ? that we all might know the exceeding sinfulness 
 of sin, and go to the foot of the cross with our hearts deeply 
 humbled ! I have extended this letter further than I in- 
 tended. I must stop, for I am fatigued. 
 
 " I think of setting out on Monday next with Col. Ash. 
 If I do, I shall not see you till Wednesday. If I travel 
 alone, and am prospered, I shall be with you on Tuesday 
 evening." 
 
 Some expressions in the preceding extracts present very 
 clearly to us the manifest change through which the mind 
 of Mr. Bedell had passed, in regard to some points referred 
 to. It is delightful to us to witness in it the high value 
 which he had learned to set on heavenly and spiritual things; 
 the clear views which he had attained of the method in 
 which God works by his Holy Spirit, to awaken and convert 
 the sinful soul ; and the earnest desires which he felt that 
 others should become partakers of these precious blessings 
 of the Gospel. 
 
 In reference also to the use of extemporaneous prayer, 
 which we find mentioned in the preceding letter, this change 
 which had taken place in his feelings and judgment is quite 
 evident. In some sermons which he had preached upon the 
 subject of " forms of prayer " at Hudson, I have found very 
 strong expressions, in condemnation of the habit of extem- 
 poraneous prayers upon all occasions, and the entire denial 
 that such prayer could ever be made acceptably to God, or 
 without the vain repetitions referred to by our Lord in his 
 sermon on the mount. This- opinion he then entertained; 
 bnt when this course of sermons was preached by him sub- 
 sequently at Fayetteville, though there is no change in his 
 judgment, as indeed there never was, in regard to the expe- 
 
84 MEMOIB OF 
 
 diency and importatice of a foi-m of prayer 'for the public 
 worsHip of the Church, all the expressions of condemnation 
 of extemporaneous "prayer which had been so freely used, 
 are omi-tted, as not being necessary to his argument, and 
 not according with his state of mind ; and the caution is re- 
 peatedly given that his remarks are not to be interpreted 
 to the reproof of this habit, in other Christians, or the use 
 of it by ourselves, on other occasions than those for which 
 the regular form of prayer has been properly prescribed. 
 In reference to this point, the views which he entertained, 
 and upon which he practised, during his ministry at Fay. 
 ctteville, remained the permanent convictions of his mind 
 to the end of his life. 
 
 No clergyman of the Church more highly ' valued the" 
 Liturgy than he, and ' no one could be more regular in its 
 use as the form of public worship for the Church. But upon 
 private occasions, and in meetings for social worship, he 
 felt himself at liberty, and this liberty he habitually used 
 to employ extemporaneous prayer as more entirely adapted 
 to the changing circumstances of such occasions.* 
 
 * It is in DO small degree interesting to us to record, in connection 
 with the above remarks, a circumstance which occurred many yeara 
 subsequent to our present point of history, but which is so precisely 
 accordant with what has been here said, that it comes in with pecuhar 
 fitness. 
 
 The very last public address which Dr. Bedell ever delivered at the 
 meeting of any benevolent Society, was at the formation of the 
 " Bishop White Prayer-Book Society," in Philadelphia, in February, 
 1SH4-, but a few months before his death. He offered the following 
 resolution: "Besolved, that the lapse of ages has but tended to 
 strengthen the conviction, tjhat the Prayer-Book is one of the dis- 
 tinguishing excellencies of the Church, to which, under God, is mainly 
 attributable her remarkaljle exemption from false doctrine, hei;esy, and 
 schism, in times past; and her prospect of unity, peace, and concord, 
 for the time to come." In advocating this resolution, after showing 
 the fact that the Episcopal Church is tlius free from these evils, and 
 has this prospect, and that this freedom is attributable to the use of the 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 85 
 
 In the foregoing extract of his letter to Mrs. Bedell, the 
 Christian reader will not fail to see, also, how far his views 
 were now enlightened upon the great subject of frle sinner's 
 conversion to God, and how much more efficient and practical 
 his ministry must necessarily have become. And when the 
 date of this letter is remarked, it having been written in the 
 first summer of his residence at Fayetteville, the fact will 
 appear very evident, that his mind had become fully settled 
 upon the great principles of Christian truth, and his system 
 of ministry had become entirely transformed in its character 
 at this early period of his history. With views of truth like 
 these, so clearly expressed as they were afterward in his 
 habitual preaching, the -results of his ministry, -which were 
 so widely known, are seen not to have been without an 
 adequate instrumentality. He was thus made the means of 
 conversion to hundreds, who will undoubtedly be stars in 
 his crown of rejoicing for ever. 
 
 Book of Common Prayer, he thus oondudes his address : " I will 
 mention what some may consider a little heterodox, but as we are hero 
 harmoniously assembled this evening, we may make a little allow.iuoe 
 to each others' failings. I have no objections to social prayer-meet- 
 ings, or extemporaneous prayer. But I have one curious incident to 
 relate. A Presbyterian gentleman from Eochester was once at a 
 prayer-meeting in my lecture-room, and subsequently said to me, 'I 
 have attended several prayer-meetings of Episcopalians, and I do 
 think those who are pious in the Episcopal Church, pray better than 
 any people I have ever heard.' Shall I tell you my answer ? It bears 
 exactly on the point before us. 'My dear sir,' said 1, 'Episcopalians 
 have been so much in the habit of praying in the language of the 
 ' Prayer-Book, that they can not make bad prayers.' And this is a fact. 
 It is more difficult for a pious and intelhgenf Episcopalian to make a 
 bad prayer than a good one. 'Sow, sir, on all these grounds, this 
 resolution expresses my feelings, and I heartily rejoice at the estabUsh- 
 ment of this Society. I want to see the Prayei'-Book in the hands of 
 all. It recommends our Church where she is not known, and makes 
 her more loved where she is already known. May God speed the 
 efforts of the institution now to bo organized!" 
 
8G MEMOIE 01" 
 
 At the close of this year he preached a sermon on Christ- 
 mas eve in Fayetteville, which was printed and dedicated to 
 his uncle, Bishop Moore. He called it, "The minister's 
 affectionate exhortation to his professing people." As a 
 composition it contains tiothing worthy of particular remarlc. 
 But as exhibiting the clear views which he had obtained of 
 the great principles of Christian truth, and the positive stand 
 which, he had taken in regard to the conformity of Christians 
 to the world, so different from his own habits of mind and 
 conduct in previous years, it is well worthy of our notice, 
 and I shall present simply for this purpose, a few extracts 
 for the reader.- 
 
 The text was in the 7th and 8th verses of the 1st chapter 
 of the Song of Solomon. "Tell me, thou whom my soul 
 loveth, where thou feedest, where thou mukest thy flock to 
 rest at noon ; for -why should I be as one that turneth 
 aside iy the flocks of thy companions ? If thou know fiot, 
 thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the 
 footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' 
 tents.'''' 
 
 In his introduction he remarks : 
 
 "There is an extremely interesting and important mquiry, 
 and which seems seldom to be made, or if made, pursued 
 to any permanently profitable result; and that is — what 
 course is absolutely necessary to be followed, in order to be 
 true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a kind of 
 instinct unhappily clinging to" our fellen nature — a part of 
 that depravity in which the carnal heart is so deeply 
 involved, that leads us always to seek to keep at a distance 
 those subjects of inquiry whidi we feel perfectly assured 
 must-result in something completely at variance with the 
 views and feelings which we have been in the habit of 
 indulging ; and many an mdividual is thus kept continually 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 87 
 
 vacillating between what he knows to be wrong and what 
 he fears to be right. 
 
 "This is eminently the case with respect to religion. I 
 feel assured that there are many persons in the world who 
 have a cloud upon their minds in this particular — who are 
 conscious that the religious course which they pursue is not 
 what it ought to be, and yet who will not push on the 
 inquiry to its result, because they are convinced that the 
 result so attained would only add confirmation strong to the 
 consciousness of present deficiency. It is the way, it is the 
 habit of the world, it is but natural, it . is but the predomi- 
 nance of the flesh over the spirit, that we should be opposed 
 to every thing which would seek to destroy the empire of 
 self, and of the world; to overthrow darling habits, of 
 thought or of action, and to establish on their ruins a sys- 
 tem of principles and conduct as opposite to what we had 
 hitherto been as light is to darkness." 
 
 He thus arranges the division of the sermoo : 
 
 "I. That whoever loves the Lord Jesus Christ will always 
 desire to feel and know his presence. 
 
 "II. That whoever loves the Lord Jesus Christ will always 
 be extremely anxious, lest by any means they depart from, 
 his presence. 
 
 "in. That whoever loves the Lord Jesus Christ will follow 
 the directions given. 'Go thy way by the footsteps of the 
 flocks, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.' " 
 
 Under the first division he remarks : 
 
 "The heart which is conscious of its own sinfulness and 
 insufficiency, which knows the exceeding love of Christ, and 
 in which he has been forfned the hope of glory, desires to 
 live as if in his immediate presence, and supported by the 
 bounty of his grace. There is no more certain, nay, it is 
 
88 MEMOIR' OF 
 
 the only sure criterion by whicti tve ean judge of our own 
 love to Christ, so to act as if the predominant desire of our 
 hearts, was to be under his continual guidance, as a sheep 
 of his pastoral care. The heart which truly loves, him, loves 
 also to follow him in the way. of his commands whither- 
 soever he shall be pleased to lead the way. To the experi- 
 enced Christian the language of the text fully expresses 
 what other language could but imperfectly define — 'Tell 
 me,,0 thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, 
 where thou makest thy flock torest at noon.' 
 
 "Believe me, my friends, there is no love to Christ 
 where the heart is left so cold and dead to heavenly things 
 that the sentiment of the text can not be awakened into life, 
 and activity, and warmth. . The heart may be satisfied of its 
 deficiency, which has never felt, ' Tell me, thou whom my 
 soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock 
 to rest at noon.' " 
 
 Under the second division he proceeds : 
 
 "The individual who can say to the Lord Jesus, 'O thou 
 whom my soul loveth,' is not only desirous to be as it were 
 continually in his presence, but is also conscious of his own 
 insufficiency, and trusts himself entirely to the Lord, his 
 Shepherd, for strength and, support. He is aware th^t he 
 is safe so long as the Lord is his defense, but feels and 
 knows both the danger and the wretchedness of getting 
 beyond the bounds marked out as the inclosure of safety. 
 ■ 'Why should 1 be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of 
 thy companions'?' The soul which truly loves the Lord 
 Jesus, has an habitual fear of being drawn away from his 
 service by the numerous temptations which everywhere lie 
 in his way. This fear is the parent of humility, and humility 
 leads on the way to trust reposed on the mercy and the 
 grace of God. The predominant feeling of the heart, thus 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 89 
 
 alive to a sense of danger, will be, O thou good Shepherd, 
 under thy protection and guidance, I know I am safe; 
 instruct me in the way of my duty and Iceep me in it ; why 
 should I be as one that would wander from thy fold 1 Here 
 is the foundation of my future enjoyment. Keep me from 
 wandering away with those flocks which • have some other 
 master ; danger is in their path ; destruction awaits them ; 
 with Thee alone is the path of life ; lead me by thy right 
 hand, uphold me by thy love." 
 
 Under the third head are these valuable observations and 
 admonitions : 
 
 "1. Try no new expedients. 
 
 "There is but one way of salvation. It is through the 
 atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through faith in 
 his name. ' Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock..' 
 This is the way which has been trodden by saints from the 
 time of righteous Abel to the present. For those upon 
 whom the splendor of th« Gospel did not shine, neverthe 
 less walked in the twilight of the Gospel's morning. 
 'These ajl died in faith,' says the apostle. The way in 
 which the holy men of old ; the Prophets, the Apostles, and 
 primitive Christians went, as well as those who since them 
 have loved the Lord, is one and the same. Trial, self-denial, 
 and affliction are in the way. No expedient which proposes 
 easier conditions can be a safe one. 'Whoever will come 
 after me, m.ust take up his cross and follow me' — as a sinner 
 — lost by nature; and if saved, S9,ved only by the unmerited 
 grace of God, through the atonement of Christ and the sanc- 
 tification of the Spirit. Here alone can you rest under the 
 shadow of the Shepherd's tent. 
 
 "The grand object of a Christian is the salvation of his 
 soul. To attain this object there is a path pointed out, and 
 that path is to be constantly pursued. When we lose sight 
 
90 MEMOIR OF 
 
 of it, we are in danger ; when we turn aside by the flocks 
 of others, we are completely out of the way of safety. 
 
 "It is the besetting sin of professing Christians to linger 
 by the way, and turn aside when they should rather 'press 
 toward the mark.' It is particularly the sin of many to 
 turn aside from the footsteps of the flock to run after the 
 vain and idle amusements of the world. Whatever may be 
 said of these things as it regards those who make no pro- 
 fession of religion at all, (for indulgence in these things 
 makes but another link in the chain of their most lamentable 
 deficiencies,) I dare not to dissemble my entire conviction of 
 their evil as it regards professing Christians. Neither will 
 I dissemble my sorrow, that there should be a professing 
 Christian within the sphere of my influence, in whose mind 
 even the possibility of their innocence should enter. What 
 constitutes the difference between those who profess to be 
 the followers of the Lord and those who do not ? Is there 
 no difference between them ? Yes, there is, or, rather I 
 should say, there ought to be a difference as clear and dis- 
 tinct as the day is froni night. That difference consists in 
 the ardor of the love which burnS in their bosoms toward 
 Him who is the author and finisher of our salvation ; and the 
 ardor of that love is only to be measured by the devoted- 
 ness of our lives to his service. Love to the Saviour, and 
 love to the amusements of the world, are things opposite 
 and contradictory. Love for one's own soul, and love for 
 those things with which the best interests of the soul are at 
 war, are things in their own nature opposite and contra- 
 dictory. True religion, and the world, are as completely at 
 variance as can possibly be imagined. Our Saviour has not 
 only established this truth, but absolutely laid down the 
 impossibility of a neutral state for the soul. 'Ye can not 
 serve God and Mammon.' ' He that is not with me, is 
 against me,' 
 
 "I speak it ^n the fear of God. No professing Christian 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 91 
 
 has any doubts on the subject if he has in his heart any 
 ardent love for the Lord Jesus. Where the love of Christ 
 dwells in the hearty the empire of these follies is overthrown 
 altogether. The truth can be most firmly established by 
 the experience of those who have felt and known that the 
 Lord has been gracious to them : that the soul which loves 
 the Lord is supremely desirous of being fixed entirely upon 
 him, wishes always to be . with him, and loves the way he 
 has pointed out. 
 
 "Why, my friends, should any of you forsake his guiding, 
 and turn aside to the flocks of others ? If I may be allowed 
 the expression. Oh! what sorrow, professing Christians, fills 
 the bosom of your Saviour, when he feels in his infinite 
 compassion, Is my service then so unpleasant — ^has it so few 
 delights — ^has my pastoral care so few attractions — ^has being 
 in my flock so few pleasures, that those who profess to fol-- 
 low me, turn aside to mingle in the vanities in which they 
 are engaged who are not of my fold ? Why do they forsake 
 the footsteps of the flocks ? Why do they flee from the 
 shadow of the Shepherd's tent, and turn them to those 
 empty pleasures which are calculated to quench every spark 
 of devotion, while I, who have died to save them, and would 
 lead them^to green pastures, and beside the waters of com- 
 fort, am forgotten and forsaken 1 
 
 " Dedicate, I pray you, your best powers to God. Love 
 Christ as your 'all.' Vast is the happiness, even here below, 
 of being found by the footsteps of the flock ; unspealtable 
 the gratification of knowing that we are pardoned, and that 
 we have an interest in the blood of Jesus ; that he, the 
 good Shepherd, watches over us for good ; that the shelter of 
 his tent is security and peace. 
 
 "Who will seek with us the footsteps of the flock? Who 
 will go with us to the sheltering tent ? Shall our number 
 be small ? Well, well ! 'Fear not, little flock, for it is your 
 Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom^' 
 
92 MEMOIR OF 
 
 , "The day will come, for the promise of God is engageil 
 in the furtherance of the work, when true evangelical religion 
 shall have its sway, shall run and he glorified. Then the 
 name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be loved, and, Christians, 
 feelmg the full force of their obligations, let their light so 
 shine before men, that others, seeing their devotedness to 
 the cause of their Eedeemer and Saviour, shall glorify our 
 Father who is in heaven. Happy will be the day, when 
 Jesus Christ shall reign in our hearts, supremely— King of 
 kings, and Lord of lor.ds. More glorious the period, when, 
 after the tremendous process of the day of judgment, those, 
 and those- only, who have loved him, shall go to Sion with 
 songs and everlasting joy upon-their heads, and be engaged 
 in praises, and filled with joys as ecstatic as^they are 
 endless.'' 
 
 It is delightful and cheering to see in these exti-acts how 
 " the true light" was shining in his heart, " to give him the 
 knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 
 He who had " begun a good work in him was carrying it 
 on unto the day of the Lord Jesus," and was rapidly pre- 
 paring him tow for great usefulness on earth and for glory 
 in heaven. 
 
 In the autumn of 1819, shortly after the interesting cir- 
 cumstances described in one of the preceding letters, he was 
 himself visited with violent disease. From this he recovered 
 in a few weeks ; but it sufficiently proved the unfavorable 
 influence of the climate upon, his constitution, and laid the 
 foundation with him for much serious suffering. Successive 
 attacks of ague and fever, endured both by himself and his 
 wife, made it more evident, in each succeeding year, that he 
 could not long remain to labor in that portion of country. 
 Through the summer of 1821^he was absent with his family 
 on a visit to their friends in the Northern States, in conse- 
 quence of their ill-health, During this summer and autumn. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 93 
 
 he passed a considerable portion of time with his friends in 
 the city of New- York. There was now again a vacant situa- 
 tion in Trinity Church, in that city, which Was temporarily 
 supplied, to which many of his friends were very 'desirous 
 he should be called. His preaching excited much attention, 
 and there seemed a strong probability that he would bo 
 chosen to occupy this station. He addressed the following 
 note to Bishop Hobart upon the subject, which will itself 
 sufficiently explain the views and motives by which he was 
 induced again to present to the notice of the Bishop his 
 wishes in regard to this place. It afforded one instance out 
 of the many iaa. his life, in which God was disappointing all 
 his favored schemes — that he might be " shut up" to the 
 entrance upon the field for labor which was provided for 
 him — a field to which his own attention apparently had 
 never been turned, but his- importance and usefulness in 
 which is known throughout the Church. 
 
 " My Dear Sir : 
 
 "The fear of not' being able to see you before I leave 
 town induces me to trouble you witlj a few lines on the 
 subject which^is at present most interesting to myself. I 
 am becoming more and more anxious to obtain the situation 
 which is now open, and that increased anxiety arises par- 
 ticularly from the continued indisposition of my father, who, 
 without being severely ill, is still, in my opinion, wearing 
 fast away ; and the unpleasant prospects of future provision 
 for his family (as he has not even now the strength to pur- 
 sue his business) has a very injurious effect upon his health, 
 by pressing heavily upon his spirits. To be with him the 
 rest of his life, and to have it in my power to remove some 
 part of the weight from his mind in reference to the future, 
 is a reason which forcibly urges me to ask from you the 
 exertion of such influence in mv favor as you may deem' 
 
94 MEMOIR OF 
 
 consistent. I would not, my dear sir, have the boldness to 
 do this, did I not feel the. many obligations under which I 
 already lie to your kind consideration. 
 
 " I feel a very great repugnance to returning to the South 
 to live, because I am fully persuaded that it is almost sign- 
 ing the death-warrant of my wife ; for even in case that I 
 could so far divest myself of all selfish consideration, as to 
 be willing to leave her behind, it is a matter in which she 
 would not be agreed. 
 
 " The situation alluded to would be particularly pleasant 
 to me on account of my personal regard, and I may say 
 fondness for the clergyman at present in the parish, and as 
 it regards yourself, having been always accustomed to look 
 up to you, my feelings are much deeper than reverence, and 
 I would trust that there needs no assurance on my part of 
 the most cheerful and faithful discharge of whatever duties 
 might devolve upon me. I write now because I suppose 
 that there is an impression in my favor which has never 
 before existed, and that if ever there is a chance of my being 
 called, it is now, and though the difficulties which exist in a 
 pecuniary point are great, yet surely the good of the 
 Church requires a more permahent arrangement than at 
 present. 
 
 " I trust, and indeed I know you would excuse me when 
 you take into consideration the circumstances under which I 
 write. With an aged father's health and spirits hanging as 
 it were upon the issue — with the danger of making the 
 ■South a permanent residence for my family, and in the con- 
 trast with the prospect of a situation which holds out to all 
 reasonable expectation much comfort and happiness, you 
 can be at no loss to estimate the present situation of my 
 mind and feelings. 
 
 " Thus far, I may say, that with your advice, which would 
 always be as gratefully received as it would be kindly 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 95 
 
 offered, and the assistance of that grace which is the promise 
 of the great Head of the Church, I would hope to fill the 
 station at least with respectability. 
 
 " I am, Right Rev. and Dear Sir, yours, etc., 
 
 " G. T. Bedell. 
 " Saturday, Qih Ocioher." 
 
 After this absence during the warm season, he returned 
 in the autumn to Fayetteville, in a good degree improved 
 in health. He came to the conclusion, however — a conclu- 
 sion in which all his friends seem to have concurred — 
 that it was quite indispensable for him to remove to a more 
 northern settlement. And in the spring of 1822, the deter 
 mination for this removal was carried into effect. He had 
 resided in Fayetteville three years and a half, and in that 
 time had witnessed the rising of the Church under his care 
 to eminent prosperity and usefulness. The congregation 
 had greatly increased in number ; the number of communi- 
 cants had become also much enlarged, and many seals had 
 been divinely affixed to his ininistry in the conversion of 
 souls to Christ, even among some of the most influential 
 citizens of the place. He had become deeply attg.ched to 
 this flock, and participated most keenly in the sorrow which 
 was felt by them when the separation appeared inevitable. 
 He had been also, during his residence in Fayetteville, very- 
 active and useful in forwarding the general concerns of the 
 Church. He had made very large collections for the Gene- 
 ral Theological Seminary, then in New-Haven, and had 
 been a very efficient agent for the Domestic and Foreign 
 Missionary Society. And in both these institutions he con. 
 tinned always to feel a deep interest. His reputation and 
 influence were not confined to his own flock, but were so 
 established and extended throughout the diocese of North- 
 Carolina, that a committee of gentlemen waited upon him 
 with the request that he would remain among them and 
 
96 MEMOIR OF 
 
 accept the office of their Bishop. His own feeble health, 
 ho^yever, absolutely required the projected departure, and 
 he felt entirely inadequate to remain, even in reference to 
 such an opening for usefulness. He left the Church of 
 which he had been the pastor, in . a most flourishing condi- 
 tion, and the whole community united in their tribute of 
 respect and affection for his character and ministry. A 
 member of the Society of Friends has stated, that in pass- 
 ing through Fayetteville shortly after his removal, he could 
 meet with none, even in the business for which he was 
 there, without hearing expressions of commendation upon 
 his character, and of deep regret for the loss which they had 
 sustained. This people never ceased to cherish for him the 
 warmest affection. While he lived, he maintained with 
 them a constant reciprocation of expressions and acts of 
 friendship ; and after his death, they transmitted to his 
 widow, through the following letter of their Rector, resolu- 
 tions most affectionately expressive of their, recolledtions of 
 him, and their gratitude for his services : 
 
 " Fatettbvillb, Sept. 18, 1834. 
 " My Esteemed Friend, Mrs. Bedell : 
 
 " Other considerations than a mere compliance with the 
 request embodied in the above resolution of my vestry, 
 powerfully incline me to send you a letter of condolence 
 upon the recent afflictive dispensation which has lacerated 
 your breast. 
 
 " You were all once resident within this parish. Here 
 the labors of our departed friend were put forth. Here arc 
 living seals to his ministry. Here you are all held in sweet 
 remembrance. Where is the breast among us that does not 
 deeply sympathize in your severe bereavement ? Still, my 
 dear madam, under our affliction, let us not be unmindful 
 of the truth, that He who made the sun, ' made the stars 
 also,' and that a host of these diminutive lights combine to 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 97 
 
 soften and enlighten the gloom which they can not dispel. 
 And oh ! how many considerations, furnished by inspiration, 
 combine to alleviate, at least,'the affliction which it is the 
 will of God you should endure. Consider the world from 
 which our friend has departed ; an ' evil world,' laboring 
 under the curse of its Maker. Consider the ' corruptible 
 body' from which our friend is delivered ; a body ' sown in 
 weakness.' Consider the conflict which has ceased for ever : 
 his conflict 'with principalities and powers.' Consider, 
 moreover, my dear madam, the maturity of our lamented 
 friend for the enjoyment of that ' crown of righteousness 
 which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give him at that 
 day.' Consider his deep and unwearied devotion to the 
 cause of the Redeemer ' who loved him and gave himself 
 for him ;' his noble testimony to the power and sufficiency 
 of Christ for life and salvation. Truly,- He who ' made the 
 stars also,' hath not less originated in his blessed word innu- 
 merable considerations to cheer and- to sustain your mind 
 under the gloom of its bereavement. If from considera- 
 tions of comfort in relation to the deceased, we turn to sur- 
 vey the cluster which hangs over his offspring, we shall be 
 no less cheered with the promises which illume the sacrea 
 word. When has the seed of the righteous been forsaken 5 
 Wheii has not the Father of spirits more than filled the 
 chasm, which his providence had created 1 What thougn 
 periods of seeming indifference, long and dreary, have inter- 
 vened, the Father in heaven has never failed to vindicate 
 his truth. A redeeming spirit has gone forth. Its energies 
 have arrested the seed of the righteous ; they have repentea 
 under its influence, believed the Gospel, and will doubtless 
 vindicate the faithfulness of Him who hath promised to the 
 fatherless his own divine guidance and affection. Nor to 
 your, own mind, my dear madam, will there be wanting 
 many endearing considerations to enliven the gloom whicn 
 can not be dispelled. In relation to yourself, you will doubt* 
 5 
 
98 MEMOIR OF 
 
 less see, in this afflibtiv; stroke, but a more infallible mark 
 of divine love. Dry is the rod, indeed, but we know that 
 in the sanctuary it can be made to bud and blossom, and 
 bring forth fruit no less conducive to your own spiritual 
 welfare than to the glorv of Him who is the ' husband of 
 the widow,' her defenaer, her present peace and never-end 
 ing reward. With the kindest regard to yourself, to Miss 
 
 T , and to the children, allow me the place in your 
 
 remembrance of a friend and brother in Cbrist. 
 
 " Jarvis B. B0XTON." 
 
 When Mr. Bedell had determined that it was his duty to 
 remove from North-Carolina, the city of New-York again 
 presented the chief attraotion to his mind. There were all 
 the associations of his youth, and chiefly there- the various 
 ties which uniteijjiim to others in life. His aged father, 
 disqualified by his infirmities for contributing any thing to' 
 his own support, and h'a sisters, whose affection for him 
 had ever been requited with the most assiduous attention, 
 were still very anxious for his residence amongst them ; and 
 much of the comfort of the whole family seemed dependent 
 upon his ability to gratify this wish. To this point his plans 
 were at this time again directed These beloved relatives 
 were necessarily looking to. him for their pecuniary support, 
 and throijgh the whole of his remaining life, their wants 
 were never disappointed. In this great duty, his heart was 
 much engaged. When, amidst his own infirmities, he some 
 times expended larger sums than usual, on means calculated 
 to benefit his own health, tvp would say, " Life has few 
 charms for me, oppressed with the weight of this languid 
 body ; but upon the continuance of my life, how much the 
 comfoTt of others depends ; six of my dearest earthly objects 
 the Lord has seen fit to cast entirely on my feeble efforts 
 for support." He cheerfully sustanied this burden, and out 
 of the income which he rcCeivod as a minister of Christ, 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 99 
 
 beside the whole expense of the annual support of his father 
 and sisters, he secured a life annuity for his father, in the 
 event of his surviving hihiself. Such proofs of filial grati 
 tude and love are too exemplary and valuable to pass unno- 
 ticed. Ho-w truly did they exhibit that spirit which the 
 Lord conferred upon him in an em.inent degree, " seeking 
 not his own things, but the things which are Jesus Christ's !'' 
 When he determined upon miaking this removal in the 
 spring of 1832, he had no particular opening before him. 
 His own feelings, as has been seen, all appeared to centre in 
 New- York. But there seemed no prospect of any settle- 
 ment for him there. Some friends in New-England, where 
 he had exercised an agency for the Domestic and Foreign 
 Missionary Society, had expressed the desire that he would 
 make a visit to that section of the country with the hope 
 that there might be found room there for the exercise of a 
 ministry which had now become so well known and so 
 highly esteemed. He intended accordingly to go in that 
 direction for a short time, until he should see where his 
 duties were to be finally discharged. He mentions this in 
 a letter to Bishop Hobart, of March 10, 1822, the object of 
 which was to give an account of his agency for the General 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 " I shall pass through New-York, in a journey eastward, 
 about the time of your Convention. My circumstances will 
 not allow me to be destitute of a situation, and my wife's 
 health demands that I should forsake this southern country. 
 Whither I shall bend my steps, I know not. I am persuaded 
 tloat it will not become me to make any further efforts in 
 reference to Trinity. Should I fail in all attempts at a 
 favorable settlement in the Northern States, I must return 
 in the winter to the South, where I can find sufiicient 
 employment. This, however, will be but a last resort, as a 
 southern settlement is neither congenial to my health nor 
 
100 MEMOIR OJ? 
 
 my feelings. I leave here on the 12th April, to attend the 
 Convention in Ealeigh, and then proceed immediately to 
 place my Family at Hudson, and g6 from thence into Mas- 
 sachusetts, 
 
 " With every sentiment of respect, 
 
 " I remain, your servant, 
 
 " G. T. Bbdell." 
 
 But though his own plans were so unsettled, the plan of 
 God in regard to him was fixed. He was ignorant to what 
 point he should finally direct his steps. But God prepared 
 a residence for him, in which he should receive all the com- 
 forts which could attend his ministry in life ; and a place of 
 labor, in which his talents, and knowledge, and piety should 
 be brought into thorough and adequate exercise, as an 
 instrument of important and everlasting good to others. 
 While he was making arrangements for his removal from 
 Fayetteville, he received a letter from the Kev. Benjamin 
 Allen, of Philadelphia, urging him to pay a visit to that 
 city, on his way to New-York. There was a vacancy in the 
 United Churches in that city, for which Mr. Allen was very 
 desirous he should be heard as a candidate. This vacancy, 
 however, being filled before the departure of Mr. Bedell 
 from Fayetteville, his attention was called by the same 
 reverend brother to a plan for collecting a riew congregation 
 in the same city. In reply to this letter, Mr. Bedell thus 
 wrote to Mr. Allen : 
 
 " Fatbttkville, March 26th, 1822. 
 " Ekv. and Dear Brother : 
 
 " I received yours this morning, mentioning the appoint- 
 ment of Mr. D. The mere assistantship to the Bishop is 
 not a situation which I should have particularly desired. I 
 should, however, have been pleased with a residence in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 " You speak of an effort to built one or two new churches. 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 101 
 
 I would suppose there might he room for them in Phila- 
 delphia, but as to their ever being built, that is quite 
 another miatter. Episcopalians generally have the reproach 
 of being backward, and they have not the zeal and activity 
 of other denominations, who seize on every opportunity. I 
 hope it will not always be so. It is my intention, God will- 
 ing, to be in Philadelphia on the first or second Sunday in 
 May, and as J probably shall not find a situation altogether 
 agreeable to m.y feelings im.mediately, I should be willing, 
 after I have placed my family at Hudson, to return and 
 spend a few weeks with you, for the sole purpose of giving 
 what portion of leisure I may bS master of to the further- 
 ance of any views in Philadelphia, which the friends of the 
 Church may deem important. And whether it should ulti- 
 mately be of any benefit to myself or nof, it would gratify 
 me to assist, by any means in my power, in the establish- 
 ment of a new church. I would be willing to go so far as 
 to promise, that unless I should be engaged, and receive a 
 call elsewhere, I would render such occasional assistance 
 through the summer, as might tend, through the blessing of 
 God, to the general good. Write to me, and let me know 
 more distinctly what the views of the people are, in refer- 
 ence to any new establishment. 
 
 " Your affectionate Friend and Brother, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
 After Mr. Bedell had left Fayetteville, he again addressed 
 the same friend from Richmond, Virginia : 
 
 " Richmond, April 29th, 1822. 
 " Rev. and Pear Brother : 
 
 " I am now, according to my uncle's request, supplying 
 his pulpit, during his Episcopal tour in North-Carolina, but 
 shall leave here, God willing, on Wednesday, the 8th of 
 May, and if prospered in our journey, shall be with you on 
 
102 MEMOIR OP 
 
 Saturday the 11th. I shall make every possible effort to 
 accomplish this object. Your kind invitation to take up our 
 abode with you during our short stay, -will be gratefully ac- 
 cepted, provided it will not put you to inconvenience, as 
 you must recollect my family is considerable. I charge you 
 to be candid and tell me if we are likely to expose you to 
 any inconvenience. We shall stay in Philadelphia, if advis- 
 able, eight or nine days. I shall then place my family in 
 Hudson, and return to Philadelphia, or not, as may be the 
 subject of future conversation. 
 
 " Your Friend and Brother, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 103 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Arrival In Philadelphia — Efforts of Rev. B. Allen — Intimacy between 
 tbem — Death of Mr. A. — Mr. Bedell's funeral sermon — Anniversary 
 sermon — Early efforts in Philadelphia — Success of his ministry — > 
 Opening of St. Andrew's Church. 
 
 In the early part of May, 1823, Mr. Bedell arrived with 
 his family in the city of Philadelphia. Here he found a 
 ■welcome reception at the house of his friend, Mr. Allen. 
 The plan which Mr. A. had suggested, of forming a new 
 congregation in this city, had originated with himself, and 
 had thus far been suggested to very few beside. This de- 
 voted servant of the Lord had been but about six months 
 settled in Philadelphia, where he was now fixed as the Rec- 
 tor of St. Paul's Church. But his heart longed for the 
 spiritual increase and strengthening of the Church of God. 
 And though himself comparatively a strangei-, and hardly 
 having had time, for any other man than one so active -and 
 diligent, to become acquainted with his own duties and 
 charge, he planned the noble enterprise, in which he desired 
 Mr. Bedell now to engage. The Rev. Thomas G. Allen, 
 his brother, gives the following account of his connection 
 with the commencement of this important undertaking : 
 
 " After Mr. Bedell had preached, my brother suggested 
 to some of his friends, the importance of retaining him in 
 
104 MEMOIR OF 
 
 the city, and the necessity of immediate arrangements being 
 made for .that purpose. The suggestion was received by' 
 them with astonishment, and it was considered as next to 
 impossible for any thing effectually to be done. My bro- 
 ther, in a very prompt and decided manner, answered. It ' 
 can he done, it must be done, a meeting must he called. He 
 induced a few to assemble together, to talk over the matter. 
 Appearances, however, were unfavorable ; all hearts were 
 discouraged, except my brother's : even Mr. Bedell was un- 
 willing to pursue the object further, and anxious to proceed 
 on to the North. But my brother constrained him to 
 remain. 
 
 "Finally, on Wednesday evening, May 15th, only four 
 days after Mr. B.'s arrival, and at the close of the Wednes- 
 day-evening lecture, when Mr. Bedell had preached in St. 
 Paul's Church, my brother assembled a few of his friends 
 in the small room under the pulpit, and induced them to 
 . view the subject in all its bearings, and at once to draw up 
 and sign a call to Mr. Bedell for one year, obligating them- 
 selves to pay him twelve hundred dollars, though' at the 
 time they really knew not where it was to be obtained, but 
 persuaded that the cause was the Lord's. Mr. Bedell 
 accepted this call. 
 
 "Shortly after this decisive movement another meeting 
 was called, when sixteen individuals obligated themselves 
 each to raise five hundred dollars toward the erection of a 
 new' church. One of the gentlemen who was enlisted in the 
 above engagement informed me, that when my brpther 
 called upon him, and urged him to make himself responsible 
 for five hundred dollars, his situation was such, that he posi- 
 tively refused. The subject was so pressed upon him, how- 
 ever, and my brother promising to see that he was not 
 injured, making in fact himself responsible for the amount, 
 the gentlenian finally consented. 
 
 "Another circumstance in connection with this astonish- 
 
BBV. DS. BKDELL. 105 
 
 ing moTement was, that among the conspicuous individuals 
 in this scene, there were but two men of capital. But this 
 was indeed the Lord's work, and he was carrying it on by 
 his own means. 
 
 "My brother was thus made the instrument against a 
 strong current of opposition and conflicting interests, of urg- 
 ing on this work step by step, until he saw the house of God 
 rising to its completion. 
 
 "In this whole work the pure disinterestedness of my 
 brother's soul was ever prominent. Some of the ardent 
 friends of St. Paul's Church, not taking with him that 
 enlarged view of the subject, were induced to remonstrate 
 with him. They observed, 'Why Mr. Allen, you do not 
 consider what you are doing ! If this work goes on, you 
 will injure yourself, and St. Paul's Church will go down !' 
 My brother answered, '■I am persuaded that there is a work 
 for Mr. Bedell to do here, and if my Redeemer'' s Jcingdom 
 is advanced, what matter how soon I fallP' Yea, the love 
 of Christ constrained him, and he cheerfully gave up his 
 bosom-friends to the work. May the Lord be praised for 
 influencing the hearts of men to engage in this Ms own good 
 ■worh; for this church, St. Andrew's, is now one of the most 
 prominent in Philadelphia, for the number and respectability 
 of its worshippers, the number and spirituality of its com- 
 municants, the number and prosperity of its Sunday-schools, 
 and the amount of its contributions to benevolent objects." 
 
 After having received and accepted this unexpected call, 
 Mr. Bedell went with his family to New- York and Hudson, 
 according to his. previous design. Here his family remained 
 until the autumn. The scene which had now opened before 
 him for his ministry, was entirely new. Though it had 
 many circumstances of attraction, it required him also to 
 encounter many difScul ties in entering upon its duties. All 
 the plans which he had hitherto cherished, were now turned 
 
106 MEMOIR OF 
 
 aside. His aged father felt a deep sorrow in the disappoint- 
 ment to the hopes which he had again formed, of having his 
 only son settled with himself. Mr. Bedell refers to this in 
 the following letter to Mr. Allen, written just after he had 
 left Philadelphia : 
 
 "New-York, May 27th, 1822. 
 "My Dear Brother : 
 
 "After a very pleasant journey we reached here on Satur- 
 day by 10 o'clock, and we had a very disagreeable scene to 
 pass through, when my father learned that I had determined 
 to go to Philadelphia. At nearly the age of the good old 
 Patriarch, and in a siniilair state of feeling, he was almost 
 ready to say, 'all these things are against me.' I trust, how- 
 ever, that he will find, as did the Patriarch, that God orders 
 his dispensations for the best. 
 
 "The only fear that- is entertained on any hand by my 
 friends is, that those engaged may get lulcewarm and not go 
 on. I do not fear it myself ; and under God I am perfectly 
 willing, in their good faith, to cast in my lot among them. 
 I would say again, that it is extremely important that no 
 time should be lost in commencing. The Lord be with you. 
 Your friend and brother." 
 
 It is delightful to record, that this, aged man did find his 
 apprehensions disappointed, and lived for .eight years more, 
 to witness the excellence, eminence, and prosperity of his 
 son, and to be fed and sustained by him too, as the Patriarch 
 was by his Joseph in Egypt. ■ 
 
 Mr. Bedell's intimate connection with Mr. Allen con- 
 tinued until the death of the latter. During his present 
 absence from Philadelphia he addressed the two' following 
 letters to him, which display his mind and feelings under 
 two most interesting aspects. 
 
EEV. DB.. BEDELL. 107 
 
 " Nb-w-York, May 29th. 
 "Eev. and Dear Brother : 
 
 "I have just received yours, aad am glad that all things 
 go on well. I am afraid that there will be a stronger oppo- 
 sition in Philadelphia than we had imagined. I was in com- 
 pany this morning, where I heard that Bishop Hobart had 
 expressed himself in terms of disapprobation of my conduct 
 in Philadelphia, founded on some notice he had received 
 from Bishop White, either by message or by letter, I could 
 not learn which. It was stated that Bishop White had been 
 entirely neglected on the subject — ^not consulted at all, and 
 that he felt very much surprised." — "With the respect which 
 I have always had for Bishop White, I should be very sorry 
 that he should be unfavorably impressed toward me, 
 because it is my intention to deserve, and my wish to have, 
 the good feelings of the Bishop and all his clergy. 
 
 "I mentioned to Bishop White, that not having received 
 my letters dimisspry, I did not' feel justified in saying any 
 thing to him, and it was my intention, as soon as I should 
 receive my letters,, to give them to him, and then, (as only 
 then I could,) put myself under his direction. If you could 
 feel justified in speaking to him on this subject, it might be 
 of use, as it is one of my most earnest desires that I should 
 not come to Philadelphia under any disadvantages. 
 
 " You are at liberty to make use of my remarks to Bishop 
 White, if you see fit. j 
 
 "Your affectionate Brother, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
 " Hudson, June 29th. 
 "My Dear Brother : 
 
 "I find an advantage in another point of view. While in 
 Philadelphia my mind was so engrossed by the new Church, 
 that I have reason to fear too much selfishness mingled with 
 my feelings, and that the glory of our blessed Master was 
 
108 MEMOIR OF 
 
 not the feeling so entirely predominant as it ought to have 
 been. I have more time and more disposition for examinjU 
 tion, and I trust that my residence here a short time maybe 
 of advantage, not mote to body than to spirit. How hard 
 it is to bring self at the foot of the cross! What a contemp- 
 tible ambition it -would be, to be merely desirous to be 
 Rector of a fine Church in Philadelphia ! I do feel that I 
 have a much nobler ambition than this, and I desire to be 
 instrumental in bringing some souls to Christ, and I pray 
 against the leaven of pride and selfishness, which are thorns 
 in the sides of, I fear, too many. May God of His grace 
 make me to feel what a poor vile thing I am, that I may 
 always know my place. 
 
 "Your aifectionate brother in Christ Jesus, 
 
 "G. T. Bedell." 
 
 In his succeeding intercourse with Mr. Allen, there was 
 always the mutual confidence of true affection and unity of 
 purpose in the great work in which they were engaged 
 together'. Their mutual efforts were remarkably overruled 
 and prospered fi^r the spreading and exciting the spirit of 
 vital piety in the Episcopal Church, not only in the city of 
 Philadelphia, but even throughout the whole United States. 
 When Mr. Allen was called, in 1829, i;o the presence of his 
 Lord, Mr. Bedell was requested by the vestry of St. Paul's 
 Church to deliver there a sermon appropriate to the afflictive 
 event. From this discourse I shall select a few extracts, as 
 being, from Mr. Allen's connection with Mr. Bedell's min- 
 istry in Philadelphia, interesting in this portion of our 
 present biography. 
 
 " I am called before you this morning, my friends, to per- 
 form a very melancholy duty, and a duty from which I 
 would most gladly have shrunk, had I not been convinced 
 that, under all the circumstances, Providence seemed tc 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 109 
 
 point me out for the performance. The close intimacy and 
 friendship which existed between our deceased brother and 
 myself — ^more so than between him and any other of his 
 brethren of' the clergy, now within reach — ^this, together 
 with the wishes of his family, early expressed, constitute a 
 call which I foel no liberty to decline. W^ould to God that 
 I could discharge the duty with an ability more meet tbr the 
 occasion ! 
 
 " Our deceased brother was a man whose early years cor- 
 responded with the exhortation of the wise man, ' Remem- 
 ber thy Creator in the days of thy youth.' 
 
 " Our brother was early impressed with the importance 
 of eternal things. At the age of thirteen years, he was 
 made experimentally acquainted with the saving truths of 
 religion, and brought, in no inconsiderable degree, to the 
 enjoyment of its comforts. It was his habitual practice to 
 retire for the purpose of reading the Bible, and meditating 
 over its sacred pages, and of pouring out his soul to God in 
 prayer and supplication. 
 
 " I can not forbear to mention, that like the late lamented 
 Legh Richmpnd and multitudes of others who are now num- 
 bered with the saints in glory everlasting, our brother traced 
 his serious impressions, under the mighty hand of God, to 
 the prayers and the instruction of a pious mother. Mothers 
 in Israel ! what a responsibility rests upon you, that you 
 bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the 
 Lord. Our deceased brother, and that tender mother who 
 taught him the way of God in truth, are now together in 
 glory. 
 
 " Our brother was a man of remarkable disinterestedness. 
 Here, my brethren, as on most of the points which I have, 
 and on which I shall yet touch, I. can say, I speak that which 
 I do know, and I testify that which I have seen. I feel not 
 the least hesitation in saying, that I have never yet beheld 
 the individual of more pure and perfect disinterestedness. 
 
llO MEMOIR OF 
 
 Ike question, How will such. a thing aifect me personally 
 never entered into his mind, and never passed his lips 
 How will it affect the cause of Christ 1 was his only ques 
 tion ; and though he might and did sometimes judge erro 
 neously, his motive was always good. I can prove his dis- 
 interestedness by a fact in which I am personally concerned. 
 He knew that he himself might be called upon to suffer 
 reproach, and even the deprivation of some valuable friends 
 of his own, and of this Church, by encouraging an effort-first 
 suggested by himself for my settlement in this city. But 
 time and again have I heard him declare that the cause of 
 Christ was his' object; that his reproaches and his disquiet 
 were not to be put in competition with this great design. 
 And when he saw the large and flourishing congregation 
 gathered in the Church whose success he pushed oil with 
 such animated zeal and unwearied effort, I never heard from 
 him one .word but that of gratulation and thanksgiving. , 
 His disinterestedness was a most noble, shining trait in his 
 character, and it will endear his memory to mine so long 
 as it shall be capable of retention. But this same trait was 
 visible in a thousand instances. His whole life was one 
 continued self-sacrifice for the salvation of souls. And 
 though I stand not here to justify all the measures which 
 he thought right to pursue-rrit would be false friendship for 
 me to attempt it — yet let this my testimony stand as long 
 as I have breath to utter it — for real disinterested desire to 
 do good, I know not his equal. 
 
 " Our brother was a man of faith and prayer. 
 
 " I believe it to be the lot of few, even of the true disci- 
 ples of the Lord Jesus Christ, to have a more steady and 
 realizing faith in the promises of God. In the darkest sea^ 
 sons of temporal distress ; in the most boisterous and peril- 
 ous periods through which the Church has of late years been 
 compelled to pass; amidst all the evil surmisings and' 
 unkind and ungenerous treatment which our brother has been 
 
EEV. US. BEDELL. Ill 
 
 called upon to endure, an unhesitating trust in the fulfill- 
 ment of the promises of God never forsook him for a 
 moment. There was no season so dark but that his eye, 
 illumined by faith, saw the light which was beyond ; and 
 this f lith, it sustained him. If you ask how it was that with 
 him this faith was always in such high and lively exercise, 
 it can only be answered by the fact that he was a man of 
 prayer. His communication with the Father of spirits, 
 throu{jh his Son Jesus Christ, was steady : and in every 
 thing by prayer and supplication, his own spiritual need, 
 his teiaporal exigencies, and the welfare of his own Church, 
 and tLe Church at large, were made known unto God. 
 Prayer, which the poet beautifully calls 'the Christian's 
 vital aif ,' was that which kept alive in his bosom all the fire 
 of faith, and hope, and love. I can appeal to multitudes in 
 the house of God this morning, who can testify to his fer- 
 vency in. the Church ; at the meetings for special supplica- 
 c-ation; at their firesides, and at the beds of sickness : you 
 know, my friends, that these things are so. God, who seeth 
 in secret, only knows how much and how often he poured 
 out his soul in ardent supplication that you might be 
 saved, s * * * 
 
 " Cherish the memory of your deceased pastor by the 
 character of the individual whom you shall select as his suc- 
 cessor. Understand me, brethren ; I speak not in. reference 
 to any ir dividual upon earth. It would be the height of 
 indelicacy for me so to do. But I speak of character and 
 qualifications. Choose as his successor one of the same 
 evangelical views and feelings. I do not doubt you on this 
 subject, but I wish to warn you against even the possibility 
 of any other course. The faithful and enlightened followers 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ in this congregation constitute its 
 moral and also actual power. Among you, let there be no 
 divisions. With worldly-minded men, and on worldly prin- 
 ciples, make no compromises. Betray not the cause of 
 
112 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Christ on any consideration. Let any circumstances occur 
 — let any pastor be chosen ■\\ho should not carry on your 
 lectures, and your meetings for prayer, and your noble 
 Sunday-school operations ; your Bible-classes, your methods 
 of parochial visitation; your whole system, hallowed by the 
 labors of our brother and his sainted predecessor, Pilmore, 
 and then on these walls, and on this pulpit, and on this 
 desk, and on this chancel, will be written, 'Ichabod'' — the 
 glory has departed. For your soul's salvation, and for the 
 children whom this Church is nurturing for eternity, I 
 charge you, before the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge 
 the quick and dead at his appearing, and his kingdom, let 
 there be no divisions among you. If by the division of 
 those called Christian, advantage should be taken to change 
 the character and circumstances of this Church; to your 
 consciences and to your God, it never, never can be 
 answered. In the present state of affairs, offenses probably 
 will come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh ! 
 Let there be prayer in season and out of season, that God 
 would send you a man after his own heart ; one who shall 
 go in andout before you in the fullness of the blessing of. 
 the gospel of Christ, and be a faithful shepherd of the 
 sheep, rightly dividing the word of truth." 
 
 On the succeeding Lord's day, Mr. Bedell preached the 
 sermon from which I have given these extracts, in his own 
 Church, (St. Andrew's,) and added to it the following intro- 
 duction : 
 
 " Previous to entering on the more immediate subject of 
 my discourse, l.feel it incumbent on me to anticipate an 
 objection which may naturally arise. It may seem strange 
 to some that I should preach a sermon in commemoration 
 of the Eector of another parish. The answer to this, how- 
 ever, is obvious and satisfactory ; for beside the personal 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 113 
 
 intimacy and friendship which existed between the Kev. Mr. 
 Allen and myself, which would alone be a sufficient reason, 
 there are peculiar circumstances connected with this Church, 
 which render it an act of justice to his memory. By a 
 scries of most marked providential interferences, it was 
 through the instrumentality of Mr. Allen that my attention 
 was first directed to this city. And when I passed through 
 it, seven years ago, it was his perseverance which induced 
 me to remain even long enough to preach. And when this 
 Church was projected, there are many now here who are 
 the witnesses of the zeal and labor with which he pursued 
 the object. And he never ceased to exert himself tUl he 
 saw the corner-stone laid with solemn religious ceremonies, 
 himself delivering the appropriate address. Under the 
 mighty hand of God, then, I consider this Church as 
 indebted much to his instrumentality, and that, at the very 
 least, it becomes us to pay some public demonstration of 
 respect to his memory. Let this, then, serve as explana*- 
 tory of the reasons why I have deemed it expedient and 
 proper to preach before you, as far as the different circum- 
 stances in which we are placed will allow, the same dis- 
 course which on Sunday last I delivered to his bereaved 
 congregation." 
 
 In proceeding to relate the efforts and success of Mr. 
 Bedell in his new sphere of duty. I can not better pursue 
 the course of history from the commencement of the enter- 
 prise in which he was engaged, than in his own language. 
 The following extract is from a sermon preached in St. 
 Andrew's Church, June, 1833, ten years after the comple- 
 tion of the edifice and the first collecting of the congre- 
 gation : 
 
 "After a residence of four years in one of, the Carolinas, 
 circumstances, the details of which would be uninterestmg. 
 
114 MEMOIR OF 
 
 induced me to seek a resideno© in a climate which I con 
 sidered more congenial. In the month of May, . 1822, ] 
 reached this city on my way to New-York, and being hos 
 pitably entertained in the family of my fri-end, the late Rev. 
 Benjamin Allen, I was induced to remain and officiate for 
 him in St. Paul's Church, which I did three times on Sunday. 
 " On Monday morning, some of the leading members of 
 that Church did me the favor to call and request that I 
 would delay my journey to New-York for a few days. To 
 this proposition assent was given ; and on the Wednesday 
 or Thursday following, the same gentlemen came with the 
 proposition that I would establish my residence in this city 
 for one year, they pledging themselves for my support, and 
 to an efibrt to erect a Church of which I should be the pas- 
 tor. This, of course, I being entirely disengaged, was con- 
 sidered by me as a decided indication of Providence as to 
 the course of duty, and the offer was accepted. During a 
 few weeks subsequent to this, the Rev. Mr. Allen, with the 
 gentlemen already alluded to, was actively engaged in 
 ascertaining whether it would be _ practicable to build an 
 additional Church. They had no doubts as to its necessity, 
 and although much reproached and opposed by some who 
 were not capable of taking large views as to the interests of 
 the Redeemer's kingdom, they determined that they would 
 carry on the work. After many meetings, in which the 
 blessing of God was continually sought to aid their coun- 
 sels and endeavors, it was determined to purchase this lot ; 
 and Rithough the funds to which they could confidently look 
 did not in the aggregate amount to $10,000, the work was 
 believed to bo agreeable to the will of God, and in faith it 
 was commenced. The great burden of responsibility rested 
 upon two gentlemen, one of whom departed this life before 
 the work was completed ; the other lives, and holds at this 
 day one of the only, two offices of honor which tlie Church 
 can give. Delicacy forbids me to say more, yet I can not 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 115 
 
 leave the subject without this remark, that whatever of pub 
 lie service he may live to render, this house will be the 
 proudest memorial of his public spirit, for it was carried ou 
 with the contingency of great personal sacrifice. The same 
 may be said, though in a subordinate degree, of every indi- 
 vidual concerned in this incipient undertaking. But they 
 nobly persevered, and the result of their perseverance I 
 need not at this time consider. 
 
 " On the 9th day of September, 1822, the corner-stone of 
 this Church was laid by the Rt. Rev. Bishop White, with 
 appropriate religious ceremonies, the Rev. Mr. Allen having, 
 as the earliest friend of the Church, been called upon to 
 pronounce an address upon the occasion. This address, 
 with other documents, was placed in a cavity of the corner- 
 stone, that stone lying under the north-east corner of the 
 Church building, excluding that portion which is called the 
 portico. From the time of the laying of the corner-stone, 
 the work steadily and rapidly progressed till on Saturday, 
 May 31, 1823, it was ready for consecration. This solemn 
 act, by which this house became for ever set apart and dedi- 
 cated to the service of the living God, was performed by 
 the Rt. Rev. Bishop White, himself preaching the appropri- 
 ate sermon." 
 
 During the year 1822, in which the Church was in the 
 process of erection, his time was occupied in the collecting 
 of a congregation, and imiting and moulding the energies 
 of those who were to be connected with him in his future 
 efforts. He preached among the different churches through 
 the summer, generally, as we find by his records, as often 
 as three times on each Lord's day. In all the churches of 
 the city he was welcomed as a preacher ; and his services 
 were gladly sought for occasions when there was a special 
 desire to make an impression upon the mind of the commu- 
 nity, or to enlist their interests in any proposed object 
 
116 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Probably no clergyman of any denomination has ever 
 acquired and sustained in the city of Philadelphia so large a 
 share of public admiration and acceptance as a preacher, as 
 Mr. Bedell. This was the fact upon his very first reipovaj 
 to this city. Wherever he was expected to preach,-a "large 
 crowd was sure to be present, and few, it is believed, went 
 away disappointed. 
 
 Some short extracts from his letters to Mrs. B., who was 
 passing the sumtner in Hudson, will show a partial view of 
 his occupations during this season. ' 
 
 "Philadelphia, June, 1823. 
 
 "The people here have kept me busy, for I can not refuse 
 to preach, though the committee do not wish it. On Sunday 
 last I preached for Mr. Boyd in the morning, and a charity 
 sermon in the African Church in the afternoon, on the sub- 
 ject of a missionary school on the coast of Africa. On 
 Friday night I preached also. To-morrow night I am to 
 preach the anniversary sermon before the Young Men's 
 Auxiliary Bible Society of this city, in St. James' Church. 
 Very much is expected of me. On Sunday I am to preach 
 in the morning at Christ Church, in the afternoon at Spring 
 Garden, and at night at St. Paul's. On Monday, God will- 
 ing, it is my purpose to leave here for Hudson. My plans 
 for the summer will be finished, and I can tell them when I 
 get to Hudson. The new Church, it is said, from the draw- 
 ings, will be the handsomest in America. The lot is pur 
 chased for fifteen thousand dollars, but immediate possession 
 can not be taken, as there are nine houses to be pulled down. 
 The corner-stone will not be laid for three or four weeks, 
 though the church is to be finished by May. * * * * 
 
 " Drank tea at , and spent the whole of our time in 
 
 conversing on religious topics. I find them prodigiously 
 opposed to what they suppose to be Calvinism, yet disposed 
 to believe the truth ; and I really become more and more 
 
HEV. DE. BEDELL. 117 
 
 pleased -with their dispositipns toward seriousness. I sea 
 that a vast field is opening before me, and we must pray 
 that the- Lord will bless our exertions. 
 
 * * * "While at dinner I was called away to see a young 
 lady whose mind is suffering exceedingly. Her religious 
 impressions are unusually strong, her views clear and strik- 
 ing, but she is excessively depressed. I was. with her about 
 two hours, or rather she was with me, for she called here, 
 and I saw her in the front room. I do not know that I shall 
 be able to see her again, as her mother opposes her in every 
 thing like religion, and she is afraid to have me come to the 
 house. I shall endeavor, however, to see her again, and 
 shall venture to the house, if there is no other opportunity. 
 
 * * * "Went to to tea. They are an exceedingly 
 
 fine family, though, like most others from their quarter, have 
 I fear, heretofore paid very little attention to religion. They 
 
 are now, however, very regular, and I was told by that 
 
 considerable impression had been made on, the old lady's 
 mind ; that on Sunday she saw her after church, with tears 
 in her eyes, and she said that I had convinced her she was 
 very wicked. I had much conversation with her on the 
 important topics of religion, and was much pleased. 
 
 "You must tell my precious little son that I have been so 
 much engaged that I could not write to him, but if he is a 
 good boy, I shall bring him something. I am far from being 
 well. The extreme hot weather and the extra exertion I 
 have been obliged to make, have overcome me a good deal. 
 I do not think that I ever knew my breast in so weak a state. 
 I hope, when I see you, for a little rest, as well as the gratifi- 
 cation of being with you." 
 
 In the autumn of 1822 he commenced a regular service 
 for the benefit of his own congregation. This was held for' 
 a time in the Masonic Hall. Subsec[uently,,and through the 
 succeeding winter, the vestry of St. James' Church, with 
 
118 MEMOIR or 
 
 great liberality granted to him the use of their house of 
 worship on the evenings of the Lord's day. And when these 
 services were closed, preparatory to his entrance upon the 
 new Church which had been erected, they permitted him 
 also to take up there a collection for the benefit of his new 
 enterprise. 
 
 His preaching during this year was eminently useful. 
 His powers as an orator attracted very general attention, 
 and the directness and freedom with which he preached the 
 great truths of the Gospel of Christ, constituting in a great 
 degree an advance upon the general style of preaching pre- 
 viously heard, was made, by the Spirit of God, especially 
 effectual in the conversion of souls to God. His reputation, 
 which had spread far and wide in the Church while he was 
 at Fayetteville, prepared the way for great interest in his 
 efforts, and much inquiry for them when he came to Phila- 
 delphia, and few could attend his ministry there, and listen 
 to his powerful appeals without impression, while the Spirit 
 of God, without whom all human labor -is Vain, was pleased 
 to make them "quick and powerful," by other influence 
 than mere human energy to the salvation of many. One 
 striking incident, among others, may be recorded as an evi- 
 dence of the power which attended his preaching at this 
 time. 
 
 On one of the Sunday evenings during . the winter in 
 which he was preaching at St. James' Church, a dissipated 
 young man was passing the church with a number of gay 
 and thoughtless companions, when their attention was 
 arrested by the sound of the preacher's voice. Some of the 
 company exclamed, "Come, let us go in and hear what this 
 man has to say, that every body is running after." He 
 vociferated in reply, "No, I would not go inside of such a 
 place, if Jesus Christ himself was preaching." On another 
 evening, some weeks after, this young man was again pass- 
 ing the same place, and the former invitation of his thought- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 119 
 
 less companions occxirred to his mind. Being alone, and 
 with no particular object in view at the time, he resolved to 
 to indulge a momentary curiosity, if he could effect it with- 
 out being observed. On opening the door he was awed by 
 the solemn silence of the place, though the house was excess- 
 ively crowded. Every eye was fixed upon the preacher, 
 just rising to commence his discourse. He mingled in the 
 crowd without fear of observation ; but his attention was 
 suddenly arrested, and he was riveted to the spot by the 
 solemn annunciation of the text, "I saw a young man void 
 of understanding." His conscience was smitten at once by 
 the power of truth. The sermon progressed, and he became 
 •more and more convinced that he was "the young man void 
 of understanding." A view of his profligate life passed 
 before his eyes, and for the first time he trembled and was 
 humbled under the consciousness of his sin. He heard the 
 sermon through, and was the last person to leave the church. 
 He gazed with an intense interest upon the preacher, until 
 he, with the congregation, had passed out of the church. 
 He found himself alone in the house before so crowded, and 
 walked slowly out and returned to his home, conscience 
 presenting to his astonished view the awful picture of ruin 
 in this world, and eternal perdition in the world to come. 
 He had early imbibed the awful principles, and adopted the 
 habits of Trench infidelity, and he had these, with all their 
 connecting circumstances, to oppose him in the new views 
 which he had been compelled to take of himself. But the 
 Spirit which had aroused him in his folly, led him to a per- 
 severing attendance upon the ministry of him who had been 
 the chosen instrument of awakening his mind. His proud 
 heart was made to yield. He cast away his besetting sin, 
 and made his new arrangements for a life of virtue and 
 holiness. He subsequently made a profession of faith in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, and of personal devotion to his 
 
120 . MEMOIR OF 
 
 service, and has 'been made one of the seals of God to the 
 apostleship of this valued minister of Christ. 
 
 Another interesting incident, though of a somewhat differ- 
 ent character, may be introduced as occurring in the same 
 year. A lady in South-Carolina, who was well acquainted 
 with Mr. Bedell, accidentally mentioned his name in the 
 presence of a respectable Presbyterian clergyman, who, 
 attracted by the name, asked her if she knew him. On her 
 replying in the affirmative, he took her by the hand and 
 said, "I must be better acquainted with you, for I am exceed- 
 ingly interested in him." She asked the reason of his 
 peculiar interest ? He answered, " The last summer I was 
 in Hartford, Connecticut, when he visited that place. I 
 attended his preaching on every occasion there, and am 
 indebted to him, under God, for making very lasting 
 impressions on my mind, and altering, in a very important 
 tnanner, my views of religion. It would be a great gratifi- 
 cation to me, and, if I were able, I would willingly under- 
 take the journey to Philadelphia for the purpose of hearing 
 him preach once more." When this circumstance was 
 related to Mr. Bedell, not long after it had occurred, he 
 remarks in reference to it, in a letter to Mrs. B., " It is 
 exceedingly gratifying to me, and must be so to you, for of 
 all the sources of gratification which a clergyman can have 
 in this present world, that of being useful is the most 
 abundant, and I am hearing every day of persons on whose 
 minds serious impressions have thus been made. Let these 
 remarks, however, be between ourselves, and let God have 
 all the glory, for 'Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but 
 God alone can give the increase.' " 
 
 With such evidences of the acceptance and power of God 
 attending his ministry, and with his unusually attractive 
 manner as a public speaker, it is not surprising that much 
 attention should have been awakened by him. By these 
 
REV. DR. BKDteLL. . ^^ 121 
 
 continued labors he prepared the way for the opening and 
 occupation of his Church in the ensuing spring, and the com- 
 munity around were found to appreciate the worth of his 
 services, and prepared fully to sustain the effort of private 
 enterprise and responsibility which had proceeded in the 
 erection of the house of God, in which he was to preach the 
 truth of Christ. On the first Sunday of June, 1823, Mr. 
 Bedell preached for the jirst time in St. Andrew's Church,, 
 which had been consecrated to the worship of Almighty God 
 the day previous. A large congregation immediately took 
 possession of the Church, which continued to increase in 
 numbers until the whole house was fully occupied, and 
 many were unable to gain the accommodatiofi's In it which 
 they desired. On the day after it was opened for public 
 service, the sale of pews amounted to $33,000, and from 
 that day sales were gradually effected, until the accommo- 
 dations of the Church were all disposed of. Of this subject 
 it is sufficient to say, that the temporal concerns of this 
 establishment were at once, and have always since been, in 
 the highest degree prosperous. 
 
 At this point we enter upon a new and the chief depart- 
 ment of the ministry of Mr. Bedell, a portion of it, for 
 which his whole previous ministry seems to have been in 
 a good degree preparatory, and in which his labors were a 
 course of uninterrupted and wonderful success and useful- 
 ness. We have traced him now, from his childhood to the 
 twenty-ninth year of Ms age. We have seen, in what wise 
 but remarkable methods, God mercifully led him through 
 various difficulties and trials, that he might learn in whom 
 alone he was to live and conquer ; and how gradually but 
 rapidly also, his mind had been opened to embrace the Gos- 
 pel, and his ministry had been directed and enlarged, to be 
 useful to mankind. He had now attained a period in his 
 life, at which his experience had sufficiently matured, and 
 his mind had become adequ^tfly improved and furnished, 
 
122 MEMOIR OP 
 
 to enter upon the vast sphere of duty which God had pro 
 vided for him in Philadelphia. Here he was, as he was de 
 signed to be, " a burning and a shining light ;" " an epistle 
 known and read of all men ;" occupying a station in which 
 he must be influential ; and exercising an influence through 
 out the country which has done more perhaps than that of 
 any other individual in his time, to promote the revival of 
 evangelical preaching and .piety in the Episcopal Church 
 and to render the Church an object of remark and attraction 
 to other surrounding denominations of Christians. From 
 this time, how'ever, his history and ministry are not so much 
 to be traced by distinct events, as by cl^aracteristic princi- 
 ples — ^principles which are easily indentified, and very 
 strongly marked. His health, which had suffered much in 
 the climate of Carolina, had become considerably improved. 
 He was still, in comparison with others, a feeble and deli- 
 cate man, and never released from a large amount of bodily 
 suffering. But, for four years succeeding the commence- 
 ment of his labors in St. Andrew's Church when compared 
 with his succeeding years to the close of his life, he was in 
 nioderate health, and able to accomplish a very great extent 
 of pastoral labor and public duty. From his entrance upon 
 his duty as a pastor in this important field of labor to the 
 close of his life, his history is entirely identified with that 
 of his Church. The success with which be labored in- it has 
 been abundantly manifested by the results which have been 
 produced. The eyes of the whole community, not only in 
 the city in Avhich he lived, but in the Episcopal Church 
 throughout the United States, have been turned with deep 
 and inquiring interest upon this instance of successful labors. 
 No Episcopal Church in the United States has exeeedgd this 
 in spiritual or temporal prosperity, and very few have been 
 able at all to equal it. The influences of the Holy Spirit 
 have been seen to rest abundantly upon it, in the numerous, 
 conversions of sinners to (^j aiid in the united and ener 
 
REV, DR. BEDELL. 123 
 
 getio efforts of professing Christians for the promotion of 
 the great objects of Christianity among men. The clergy 
 hav". looked upon the ministry of Dr. Bedell as remarkable 
 for its very successful character, and have desired to under- 
 stand more intimately, the in^rumentality which was em- 
 ployed to produce the important results which have been 
 seen to be attained. One great object of the present me- 
 moir is to attempt an adequate exhibition of his system of 
 ministry, in answer to the inquiring spirit with which its 
 course has been observed by those who have witnessed it. 
 This can not, perhaps be better done than by tracing- suc- 
 cessively his efforts and pl^ns in the various departments 
 of his pastoral duty, through the eleven years in which he 
 w:as connected with this important Christian enterprise. 
 Such a course will be likely to exhibit his ministry as a 
 whole ; and as he could truly say, in reference to his labors 
 as a minister of Christ, " this one thing I do," it will be 
 adapted also to display the history of his o-<ra life in the 
 circumstances which distinguished it from this time to its 
 close; 
 
124 MEMOia OF 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 His Character and Power as a Preacher — Sermon for the Greeks— 
 Interesting Incidents Illustrating the Effect of his Preaching — Man- 
 ner as a Preacher. 
 
 In the exhibition which I desire to liiake of the character 
 and labors of Dr. Bedell* as a minister of the Church of 
 Christ, it -will he undoubtedly proper to present him first 
 as a preacher. Though he was remarkable in the fuMUmeut 
 of every duty of the ministry, after his heart had become 
 truly engaged-in his great work, as a preacher he was espe- 
 cially distinguished. None could have hrard him without 
 remembering and appreciating the peculiar attributes of his 
 oratory, and the distinct and powerful exhibitions whicl^ he 
 made of the truth of God. Those who have heard him will 
 not consider the present account of him. in any degree exag- 
 gerated. 
 
 His method of preaching had become in a great degree 
 formed and settled at the time of his removal to Philadel- 
 phia, though it improved and advanced in its excellent cha- 
 racteristics in every subsequent year, as his own experience 
 and knowledge were enlarged. Probably no ambassador 
 for Christ has ever attained a style of preaching better cal- 
 
 , * The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred on him by the Trustees 
 of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pfinnsylvfinia, a few years after liia 
 removal to Philadelphia. ^ 
 
KEY. DR. BEDELL. 125 
 
 eulated to arrest the attention of an audience, and to guide 
 and inform that attention aright, than was the one ■which 
 he selected. He habitually dwelt in his sermons upon 
 those great truths of the Gospel which are revealed in the 
 redemption of sinners through the obedience and death of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, and which were given to make men 
 "wise unto salvation." These truths he exhibited in a 
 singularly clear, intelligible, and faithful manner, as the ser- 
 mons which have been offered in print to the consideration, 
 of the public will manifest. They were^ the unceasing 
 source of comfort and strength to his own soul, and he 
 delighted to exhibit them to others in a manner which 
 should make them perfectly plain and intelligible to all. 
 This was the chief peculiarity of his preaching. Tie ceased 
 not, in the most direct and simple manner, " to teach and 
 to preach Jesus Christ," the peculiar intelligence of God's 
 redeeming love for sinners, as the appointed instrument in 
 the divine hand of everlasting good to their souls. The 
 necessity and danger of man as a lost being ; the wonderful 
 grace and power of " God' manifest in the flesh," as the sin- 
 ner's glorious substitute and Saviour ; the glorious work of 
 the Spirit in forming men anew for God, were his theme in 
 public, aiid from house to house. He was never wearied in 
 the consideration of these truths himself, and he feared not 
 the wearying of others by their repeated declaration. 
 Christ was " all in all" in his addresses to the souls of men. 
 No sermon of his could be heard without the opportunity 
 to gain from it a plain and distinct delineation of the sin- 
 ner's wants and the Redeemer's grace, and a knowledge of 
 that blessed path in which the wayfaring man need not err. 
 Connected with this remarkable directness in the exhibi- 
 tion of the truth, there was in his style of composition a 
 simplicity which never soared above the understandings of 
 the illiterate or the young, and yet never descended to the 
 least mixture of vulgarism or coarseness. None who heard 
 
126 MEMOIR OP 
 
 him could fail to comprehend him, and yet none who heard 
 ■were ever able to despise. United with the simplicity of 
 style, there was an equal simplicity of manner, which added 
 yet more to the ease with which he was heard and under- 
 stood. He was very remarkable for the beauty of his ora- 
 tory, and has been regarded by those best quaMfied to 
 judge, as a model of chaste, dignified, and impressive elo- 
 cution. He was entirely removed from every thing like 
 parade, or noise, or violence in voice or gesticulation. He 
 never preached himself There was no attempt at effect, 
 save the all-important effect of reaching the conscience and 
 heart of the sinner, and bringing him back in subjection 
 unto God. His open and clear method of illustration and 
 argument, like the glass of the astronomer, was estimated 
 in its value by him wholly by the distinctness with which 
 it brought " heavenly things" before the vision of man. As 
 others listened to him, they too forgot the preacher; and 
 there seemed to be nothing so arresting and peculiar as 
 the unaffected simplicity with which he would tell, over and 
 over again, the story of man's redemption, and urge upon 
 the hearts of his hearers the acceptance of the mercy which 
 this redemption offered, without any apparent disposition to 
 add attractive ornament to the plain facts of the case, hi 
 this attribute of his preaching, he excelled all whom I have 
 ever heard beside, and this undoubtedly was the secret of 
 his surprising success. He stood before men as the mere 
 instrument of God, and thougj^ possessed of peculiar ability 
 to instruct and amuse upon multiplied topics, he poiired out 
 all that he had, and all that he was, before the cross of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ ; and was hinaself concealed, as he desired 
 to be, for the sake of the great truth- behind which he stood, 
 for its exhibition to men, and to which alone he wished to 
 attract their minds. He has often remarked, that it was 
 his wish, as far as possible^ to present " the whole Gospel" 
 in every sermon, that none of his hearers should have the 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL, 127 
 
 pica of ignorance, though they should never have an oppor- 
 tuaity to hear again. In the fulfillment of this desire, he 
 succeeded to a singular extent. 
 
 There was, in his manner of preaching, indisputable evi- 
 dence of that unfeigned love for the souls of his hearers, 
 with which he was constrained. He was often earnest and 
 solemn, and commanding in his manner and expression, to a 
 degree which made his hearers tremble while they listened. 
 A breathless silence reigned throughout the crowded audi- 
 ence which he generally addressed. But there was never 
 the remotest aspect of harshness, either in his language or 
 his utterance. He boldly declared the sinner's dangers ; he 
 laid open before him the full wages of his transgression. He 
 warned him with the utmost earnestness, to " flee from the 
 wrath to come." But he did it all in that kind and tender 
 manner which manifested mdubitable sympathy in the., sor- 
 rows which he described, and a " heart's desire and prayer 
 to God" that his hearers might be saved. His general 
 choice of subjects gave full utterance to the kindness and 
 anxiety of his own heart. As. a man who was "touched 
 with a feeling of infirmities," he presented constantly to 
 men the precious invitations and encouragements of the 
 Gospel, " beseeching them to be reconciled to God." The 
 language of denunciation was not familiar to him ; but the 
 language of affectionate and earnest expostulation was his 
 chosen instrument, and made, by the divine blessing, to a 
 remarkable degree, successful in accomplishing > his great 
 work. 
 
 He-had great facility in employing all the varied acquire- 
 ments of his mind for the illustration of the great truths 
 which he wished to impress upon the minds of his hearers. 
 His desire to make himself perfectly intelligible to all, some- 
 times gave to his discourses, in the view of some of his hear- 
 ers, the appearance of being too supterficial. He was perfectly 
 aware of the possibility of this imputation, but still adhered 
 
128 MEMOIR OF 
 
 to his chosen, simple method of exhibiting the truth. Ha 
 would devote himself sometimes through a whole sermon, 
 to a single leading thought, the remembrance and under- 
 standing of which he deemed important, and hold it up to 
 view in a succession of varying aspects ; and throw upon it 
 successive light and shade, until he had accomplished his 
 end of fastening it upon the recollection of those whom he 
 addressed. When he had thus selected a single spot of 
 ,%round for his cultivation, he would roam in fields unthought 
 of, perhaps unknown by his hearers, to gather from these 
 multiplied ,sour,ces their various ornaments to enrich and 
 beautify his chosen plat. Every branch of experimental 
 science, and every portion of the history of man lent its 
 aid in turn to illustrate the - sacred subjects which he dis- 
 played. It was often surprising how appropriate facts fami- 
 liar to the minds of many of his hearers, and even the most 
 apparently trifling occurrences of the passing day, became 
 in his hands for the exemplification of the truths to which 
 he brcvught them. An instance illustrating this remark may 
 be gained from two most impressive arid useful sermons 
 which he delivered from the text, "He is despised and 
 . rejected of men," at the time that West's celebrated paint- 
 ing of " Christ Rejected" was exhibited in the city of Phila- 
 delphia. Multitudes had flocked to see this work of art, 
 and in the m'idst of the popularity - of the exhibition, he 
 threw all the illustrations which it presented into-these ser- 
 mons, and made, as he wished, by it a deep impression 
 upon the minds of his hearers. ■ This power rendered him 
 always interesting as a public speaker, and never failed to 
 engage and gratify the attention of those who heard him. 
 Persons- entirely unconcerned about religious truth would 
 be arrested by his style of address, and while his words 
 appeared to them in this beauty of exhibition " like apples 
 of gold in a net-work of silver," they were often' -found to 
 oe also " words fitly spoken," " spoken in season," in the 
 
REV. DE. BEDELl 129 
 
 power with which they were brought upon their hearts. 
 This characteristic of his preaching has engaged the atten- 
 tion of multitudes with unceasing delight. The fruits of a 
 mind enriched with the knowledge of the past and the pre- 
 sent, adorned hy a contemplation of the beauties of nature, 
 and strengthened by the • researches of science, were thua 
 brought together, consecrated to God, sanctified by grace, 
 and poured out before the feet of the crucified Jesus, and 
 all made to do their part in proclaiming his truth to men; 
 as the daughters of Israel presented their ornaments of gold, 
 their garments of beauty, and the products of their skill and 
 taste in needlework to furnish and adorn the tabernacle of 
 the Lord of Hosts. 
 
 In this uncommon skill in the power of illustration, he 
 was able to make his preaching intelligible and attractive, 
 even to the youngest of his auditors. The restlessness of 
 childhood was stilled .before him, and little children were 
 often among his most admiring and improving hearers. 
 Some instances may be related which remarkably illustrate 
 this fact. A little boy of eight years old, who accompanied 
 a relative to St. Andrew's Church, remarked to her on his 
 return, " This is the first sermon that I ever understood. I 
 never did love to go to Church, but I thjnk I should love tc 
 go there, and perhaps I might grow as good as my mothei 
 wants me to be." Another little boy of twelve years old, 
 belonging to St. Andrew's Church, who was confined to a 
 bed of sickness when the death of his pastor was made 
 known to him, said, in reply to that intelligence, " O 
 mother, now dear Dr. Bedell will receive that bright crown 
 of righteousness he used to tell us about. Do you noi 
 remember, a great while ago, when he said, henceforth thert 
 is Paid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord 
 the righteous judge, shall give me at that day ?" At a sub 
 sequent time, this little boy said to a friend of anothej 
 denomination, who was sitting by him, " You never heard 
 9 
 
130 MEMOIR OI- 
 
 Dr. Bedell : Oh ! I wish you had, you could never forget it ; 
 he was so solemn and so sweet when he told us about 
 heaven ; he has gone there now himself." These incidents 
 are simply designed to show how much those minds which 
 are generally most heedless and ungoverned could be inter- 
 ested by his style of. address. 
 
 The popularity of his preaching was undoubted and 
 extensive. Wherever he went, he was sought for and wel- 
 comed. His services were always desired in behalf of 
 public objects, in connection, with which others wished to 
 produce a strong impression upon the minds of the com- 
 munity. There were so many instances of this in his 
 ministry, that it appears difficult to select an illustration for 
 my purpose." The following correspondence, however, will 
 show htDw highly his talents and popularity, in the light in 
 which we are contemplating them, were estimated by some 
 of the most respectable gentlemen in the community, who 
 were in no way personally connected with himself The 
 letters will themselves explain the occasion. 
 
 " Philadelphia, Jan. 5, 1827. 
 " Eeverend Sir : 
 
 " It is by the direction, of the General Committee ap- 
 pointed by our fellow-citizens, to take measures for afford- 
 ing some prompt aid to the Greeks, and in their behalf, we 
 have the pleasure to address this note to you. 
 
 " The cause which this oppressed and suffering people 
 have so long prosecuted with unequaled constancy and hero- 
 ism — ^is it not the cause of Christianity not less than liberty ? 
 
 "Small aggressions — involving essential principles of 
 interest or honor — often provoke nations to resort to the 
 extreme measure of redress. Assistance may be yielded 
 to those who suffer by fire or deluge, by famine or pesti- 
 lence — unless to these be superadded, more insupportable 
 than all, the tyranny of the oppressor ; but then, though he 
 be the Turk, and Christians be the oppressed — ifficient will 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 131 
 
 not, and charitable aid in any shape or of any kind can not 
 be granted by the government of a Christian people, lest it 
 may give occasion of umbrage, and endanger one branch of 
 our commercial pursuits ! 
 
 " We leave these matter.?, however, to the decision of 
 those to whom it rightfully belongs, not without our own 
 hopes and prepossessions. 
 
 "But to give food and raiment to the hungry a,nd the 
 naked, to the aged, the women, and the children, this is a 
 privilege in which, as individuals, we may surely be per- 
 mitted to indulge, without violating- social duty or interna- 
 tional law, and without offending in any way against religion 
 or morality. 
 
 "It is with this view that our fellow-citizens have con- 
 sulted, and the Committee are consequently taking their 
 measures, and it is hoped that by the opening of the navi- 
 gation of the Delaware, charity will have placed at their 
 disposal the means of dispatching at least one ship with a 
 suitable cargo for the Mediterranean. 
 
 " Having mad« this explanation of our purpose, in which 
 we can not but believe we have your heartfelt concurrence, 
 we beg you to inform us whether it will be consistent with 
 your personal convenience, and your many pastoral cares, 
 to afford your cooperation by pronouncing a discourse in one 
 of our houses of public worship,"with a view to a pecuniary 
 collection? , 
 
 " Should you, after consideration, return us a favorable 
 answer, we will have the pleasure oreoncerting -vf ith you the 
 preparatory arrangements. 
 
 •' We are, very respectfully, 
 
 " Your most obedient servants, 
 " Wm. Meredith, "j 
 " N. Chapman, > Committee. 
 '^ Paul Beck, Jr.,J- 
 
 « To THE Rev. G. T. Bedell." 
 
132 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " Monday Morning, Jan. 8. 
 "Gentlemen : 
 
 "In consequence of engagements which kept me from 
 receiving your note until the afternoon of Saturday, I have 
 not been able to return you an answer till the present 
 moment. There are few subjects in which my sympathies 
 are so deeply engaged as in the present, unhappy condition 
 of the poor and persecuted Greeks ; and it aflfords me a high 
 gratification to understand that our fellow-citizens are mak- 
 ing a strenuous effort to minister to their present most 
 touching necessities. I am not much versed in matters of 
 national policy ; but I may be permitted to regret that, as a 
 nation, we can not give to this oppressed people, struggling 
 for freedom, such assistance as would, under Providence, 
 cause their emancipation from a servitude not only abject 
 and degrading, but whose mildness is ferocity, and whose 
 mercy is indescribably cruelty. 
 
 " I agree with you, that to give food and raiment to the 
 hungry and the naked, to the aged, the women, and child- 
 ren, is a privilege in which, as individuals, we may surely 
 be permitted to indulge without violating social duty or 
 international law, or without offending in any way against 
 religion or morality ; and in this your benevolent object I wish 
 you success even beyond your most sanguine expectations. 
 
 " In reply to your question, whether it will be consistent 
 with my personal convenience and pastoral duties to coope- 
 rate with you by pronouncing a discourse in one of the 
 houses of public worship, with a view to a pecuniaryicol- 
 lection, I have to reply, that In a concern like this my per- 
 sonal convenience does not enter into the consideration ; and 
 I know of no interference with my pastoral duties. If it 
 shall continue your purpose to pursue this plan, I will afford 
 you what poor assistance I may be able, and shall hold 
 myself in readiness to deliver a discourse at any such time 
 as you may see fit tp appoint. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 133 
 
 " With the most^ sincere dpsire that you may fully suc- 
 ceed in your henevolent design, 
 
 " I remain, gentlemen, 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell. 
 " Wm. Meredith, ] 
 " N. Chapman, i- Committee." 
 "Paul Beck, Jr., J 
 
 "February 27, 1827. 
 "At a special meeting of the Committee for the Eelief of 
 the Greeks, it was unanimously ordered: That the grateful 
 acknowledgments of this Committee, for the a,ble and truly 
 eloquent" appeal in behalf of our Greek brethren, pro- 
 nounced at St. Paul's Church on Monday evening last by 
 the Rev. Gregory T. Bedell, be entered on their minutes. 
 
 "And it was in like manner resolved, that Matthew 
 Carey, Wm. Meredith, and Turner Camac, Esqs., be a 
 committee to request of that reverend gentleman a copy of 
 his discourse, and to take immediate order for its being 
 printed and distributed. 
 
 "And that the same Committee wait upon Mr. Bedell 
 with a copy of the minute of these proceedings. 
 " Signed by order, 
 
 " Matthew Caret, Chairman. 
 "Attest, 
 " James N. Barker, Secretary." 
 
 "To the Committee for the Relief of the Oreeks: 
 " Gentlemen : 
 
 " If the discourse which was preached at your solicitation, 
 and of which you have taken such favorable notice, can in 
 the least be made useful in advancing the interests of the 
 mahappy people, ' our brethren,' for whom your sympathies 
 have been so nobly excited, and your exertions so vigor- 
 ously and perseverlngly made, it is yours to do with as you 
 
134 MEMOIR OF 
 
 please. With it you have my best wishes and prayers for 
 the success of the cause itself. 
 
 " I remain, gentlemen, yours, etc., 
 
 " G. T. Bedell. 
 "March 1st, 1827." 
 
 The sermon here referred to, was delivered in one of the 
 largest churches in the city of Philadelphia. The house 
 and yard, and even the street around, were intensely 
 croWded. Yet the speaker's voice was heard over the whole" 
 with surprising distinctness. But it was an effort which 
 cost him much. His health was materially injured by the 
 exertion which he made on this occasion. Some extracts 
 which I make fi'om the conclusion of this very popular ser- 
 mon will not be unacceptable to the reader. 
 
 " I have now, my friends, placed before you the principal 
 relations by which the Greeks are united to us, as our 
 brethren ; and I have sought to show you the duty which 
 rises out of such relationship. It is gratifying to remaj'k, 
 that in plans of beneficence like this, there is a promptitude 
 in the people of our country which is truly national. Let 
 but the tale of any great public calamity reach our ears, and 
 our people are instantly on the alert to mitigate the evil. In 
 reference to the subject especially before us, a 'generous 
 rnovement of compasgjon seems to have pervaded the land ; 
 and one feeling of the necessity of some active exertion to 
 meet the urgency of the case, appears to animate almost 
 every bosom. I need not seek to stimulate your efforts by 
 pointing you to what has elsewhere been accomplished ; and 
 I would that the rivalry which exists between yours and a 
 sister city were always in so good a cause. But what others 
 have done, is a matter of small moment to us ^ our obliga- 
 tions are not to be graduated, nor our sensibility measured 
 by efforts elsewhere made. The plain path of duty, which 
 
RKV. DE. BEDELL. 135 
 
 is before us, and the urgent claims of our perishing brethren, 
 are sufficient to stimulate us to the most intense exertion. 
 As to a people then, whose sympathies have already been 
 awakened into effort, I might safely leave the cause to plead 
 in its own resistless language ; for there is no eloquence 
 equal to the eloquence of the fact, that these ^oor victims of 
 Turkish oppression, who now lift the supplicating voice to 
 you, are your bi-ethren. Yes, they are dear to you, on the 
 score of the common relationship of man to man ; still more 
 dear, because the very height of their earthly ambition is, 
 from the deepest debasement of slavery, to attain a liberty 
 which renders our country the oasis of the world. They 
 are still more, dear, because, though it is under the darkness 
 of superstition, they profess the same religion on which our 
 fondest, brightest hopes are built. As men, in whose bosoms 
 the common feelings of humanity are not yet blunted, I ask 
 you for a liberal benefaction. _ As Americans, who would 
 desire that the genial influence of liberty should be felt by 
 others as well as by yourselves, I call you to a patriotic 
 effort. As inhabitants of a city, whose name is synonymous 
 with kindliness and charity, I ask you not to disappoint the 
 high-wrought expectations of the country. But, when I 
 come to you, and make the appeal of the suffering Greeks, 
 because you are a people, called by the name of Christians, 
 I feel as if I had a demand upon you for a peculiar sym- 
 pathy ; and I .come to you with this cause, in the name of 
 Ilim whose command is the real Christian's law. . Is it a 
 small thing, that a people blessed as you are should see their 
 brethren perishing by famine? Let me tell you that the 
 Greeks are a spectacle to the world of a daily martyrdom 
 for the faith of Christianity. It is their profession of the 
 religion of the Cross, which, from the fall of Constantmople, 
 four hundred years ago, to the present hour, has armed 
 against them the wildest .fanaticism, and the fiercest ven- 
 geance of the Turk. Let them renounce the religion for 
 
136 MEMOIR OF 
 
 which they have poured out so much blood, and wept so 
 many tears; let them but bow the knee in the name of 
 Mecca's prophet, and the deed of apostasy would change 
 every foe into a friend. Living, as you do, in the full 
 enjoyment of religious liberty, you can not estimate the 
 magnitude of the trial which they are compelled to endure ; 
 and your conceptions can not reach the sublimity of the 
 sacrifices they are daily making. Oh ! if there are any in 
 this assembly, whose hearts are warmed by the love of 
 Christ, can you withstand the appeal of the martyr, as his 
 imploring eyes are cast upon the naked and the famishing 1 
 If there is one pang, which rends the bosom of the patriot 
 Greek with unutterable anguish, it is that which arises from 
 the anticipated wretchedness of their condition whom he is 
 compelled to leave behind him to the merciless foe, or the 
 horrible alternative of want. Could he but be assured that 
 the hand of benevolence would discharge the sacred duty of 
 clothing the maked and feeding the hungry, one portion of 
 bitterness would be abstracted from his overflowing cup. 
 And will ye not do it ? 
 
 "This evening, brethren, we sit in the house of God; 
 peace and quietness reign in this large and populous city ; at 
 our homes, we have left, with the fearless confidence of free- 
 dom, (oh ! blessed be God, for that precious privilege,) many 
 relations and friends ; and our children with none to harm 
 them, are now tasting the balmy delights of nature's sweet 
 restorer. When we return, we shall meet them, .as they 
 were left — in safety! What! have we no gratitude, that 
 God hath cast our lot in a land so Secure, so blessed 1 But 
 mark the terrific contrast of your suffering brethren. At this 
 very moment ! aye, while I am speaking to you this evening, 
 they enjoy not' one blessing in common with you, save that 
 which not even Turkish oppression can destroy, the privi- 
 lege of a secret prayer ! But now, while all is quiet here, 
 and all security at home, are there thousands of fathers and 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 137 
 
 brothers in the tented field, ready for .the mortal conflict ; 
 and they shall never see, 'or wife, or children more, or 
 friends, or sacred home.' To-morrow the life-blood of their 
 hearts may hallow the soil which it flowed to rescue. This 
 moment, in the cities and villages of Greece, as yet not 
 swept -with the 'besom of destruction,' is many a Grecian 
 mother, who, as she strives to soothe her unconscious babe 
 to sleep, knows not whether it shall see the light of another 
 day ; she knows not but that her eye, which now in the in- 
 tensity of agony, watches its soft slumbers, may, ere the 
 morrow, through their own death-film, see the Turkish 
 ataghan pierce its tender bosom. Yes, and when you retire 
 from this Church, as the evening chill forces you to draw 
 the provided covering closer round your bosoms, oh ! spare 
 one thought to those, who, in the mountain fastnesses of 
 Greece, feel on their houseless heads the frost, and through 
 whose scanty vestments the night-wind finds an unresisted 
 passage. To-morrow, when it comes to you, will come with 
 comforts, and with blessings multiplied, but to them it will 
 bring no cheering; for to the cold and nakedness of the night 
 will succeed the famine of the day ; and the limbs which 
 have rested on the cold damp earth, and the head which is 
 piUowed on the naked and inhospitable rock, will find no 
 respite from pain and wretchedness ; because, when the broken 
 sleep is over, hunger and thirst will urge their unpitying 
 claims. But, brethren, why should I speak thus? O thou 
 most merciful Father of us all, is ft necessary that such un- 
 wearied efforts should be made to induce a people like these 
 assembled, to feel for the perishing, the tenderness of pity ? 
 Brethren, I beseech you, by all the mercies of that God who 
 hath blessed you with an unsparing hand, turn not an ear of 
 indifference to this call of your brother, naked, destitute, 
 desolate, and perishing! All that he asks for himself, for 
 wife and children, suffering the accumulated horrors of war, 
 of cold, and of famine, amounts to but little more than one 
 
138 MEMOIR OP 
 
 morsel of bread and one cup of water. Let it ring in jcvur 
 ears, that your brother is perishing ; and the once proud,, the 
 heroic Gi'eek, sues to the free-born Christian son of America, 
 for the .crumbs wliich fall from his table. Are you not born 
 for this, their season of adversity 1 Can you be called to the 
 exercise of a higher and a nobler beneficence ? Yes, let the 
 world be told, that, though considerations of national policy 
 may have forbidden an armed interference in this desperate 
 struggle for life and liberty, the People of the land have, as 
 by one noble, one majestic, one . simultaneous movement, 
 answered to the call of Greece,-by a charity as extensive as 
 the need. I will not fear to put this casejnto your hands, 
 and trust you for the issue. You will generously prove the 
 birth-right privilege of assistance to the needy and the famish- 
 ing. You will commission some swift messenger, whose 
 feet shall be beautiful upon the m.Quntains ; you. will exhibit 
 to the world that spectacle of the moral sublime, the sympa- 
 thies of a people roused to intense exertion. You will give 
 wings to some well-appointed vessel, and she shall bear over 
 the bosom of the mighty deep the burden of your gene- 
 rosity ; and the prayer of the pious will go up before the- 
 mercy-seat, that God may speed her on the way. 
 
 "Perhaps, my brethren, when your bounty shall have 
 reached that land of desolation and of death, the fate of 
 Greece will have been decided, and the scimetars of the 
 Turks again made drunk in the blood of her sons and 
 .daughters. If it should be so ! — if these barbarians should 
 have become the unresisted masters of Greece, and her 
 epitaph have been written in her blood, then, one noble 
 satisfaction will be yours, that you have discharged a high, 
 a sacred duty. You will have washed from your hands all 
 the guilt of blood. But my friends, I anticipate for Greece 
 a brighter destiny. I will not allow such dark and dismal 
 forebodings; for though the cloud is heavy, and though 
 torrents fall, and though the lurid lightning descends, and 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 139 
 
 though the thunder rolls, hope spreads one line of light 
 upon the bosom of the storm, and anticipation paints the 
 rainbow on the cloud as it retreats, far, far away. Oh ! if 
 the sun of freedom shall once more pour on this land its 
 full, warm, vivifying beam, if the way shall be prepared by 
 which institutions like our own can be established where 
 Solon and Lycurgus legislated, if facilities are offered, by 
 which the religion of the Son of God in all its knowledge, 
 and holiness, and purity, shall take the place of ignorance 
 and superstition, and pollution, and the Greek experience 
 that moral transformation which qualifies him by the new- 
 created nobility of his spiritual condition, to rank with the 
 people of the Most High God, both here and hereafter; and 
 f all these things should come to pass through your instru- 
 mentality, blessed, thrice blessed, will be the effort. Oh ! 
 yes ! if your sympathy, now awakened, should rouse the 
 almost despairing energy of the Greek to more intense 
 exertion; should it kindle the animation of hope on the 
 patriot's brow, and nerve him to a deeper struggle ; should 
 it sustain but for a little while the needy and famishing; 
 should your bread, now about to be 'cast upon the waters,' 
 return to you ere many days, in the recovered liberties, in 
 the regenerated Christianity, in the new-found happiness of 
 Greece; never — never would it be among the regrets of 
 your life, but rather among your brightest reminiscences, 
 that pn this night, hallowed in the history of your benevo- 
 lence, you gave — and gave, not with a niggard parsimony, 
 but a liberal, open hand, to clothe your naked, and to feed 
 your famishing brother." 
 
 His preaching was powerful in producing impressions 
 upon the minds of all who heard him. Few were ever 
 before him entirely listless or unexcited. At home and 
 abroad he was made successful as a preacher, in the most 
 desirable manner, and seals to his ministry may be found 
 
140 MBMOIR OP 
 
 scattered through all the churches which he visited. Hun- 
 dreds of immortal beings have "passed from death unto 
 life" under the proclamation of the Gospel by him. Many 
 of these preceded him to the tribunal of the great Searcher 
 of hearts. Many others have survived him, to stand up and 
 call him blessed. The Holy Spirit vras pleased thus to 
 make his ministry eminently effectual. In the congregation 
 with which he was last connected, spiritual piety in the 
 conversion of many souls, and efforts for the extension of ' 
 the Gospel to others, have been seen to be very extensively 
 the results of his labors. But in places where he was 
 transiently preaching, and sometimes onjy upon .single occa^ 
 sions, many instances have been known, in which souls were 
 given him as " the seal of his apostleship in the Lord." 
 His manner of expression was remarkably direct, and as he 
 held up to view some aspect of human character, or pre- 
 sented some particular message of the Gospel, the words 
 seemed, to each individual before him, to be addressed 
 especially to himself 
 
 He was preaching upon one occasion in a city distant from 
 his home, to a congregation that crowded the house in which 
 they were assembled, and manifested a strong and general 
 feeling of seriousness in listening to his discourse, when 
 suddenly an individual in the gallery burst, out into a loud 
 cry, which created great agitation and attracted imiversal 
 notice. It was soon, however, quieted, and the preacher 
 finished his discourse. He left the place for his own home, 
 and some time afterward a gentleman of highly respectable 
 character called on him, and after an introduction to him 
 reminded him of the circumstance. The stranger informed 
 him that he was the man who had thus involuntarily dis- 
 turbed the congregation by the utterance of awakened feel- 
 ings which he could not suppress, and requested as a personal 
 favor, that he would sit to some artist whom he should pre- 
 fer, at his expense, for his portrait. 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 141 
 
 The compliance with this request was postponed until 
 the decease of Dr. Bedell rendered a literal fulfillment of it 
 impossible. It is gratifying to know, however, that this 
 gentleman has since gained his object, by obtaining a copy 
 of a portrait previously taken. Some extracts from letters 
 received from him, will afford an interesting addition to this 
 account : 
 
 " It was with emotions of pleasure that I received your 
 letter of the 24th inst., informing me that I might expect 
 the long-looked for memento, and I now express to you my 
 entire satisfaction with the execution of the painting, and 
 with every thing connected with it. We and others think 
 it an admirable likeness, a perfect ^c-simj7c of the original. 
 We take this opportunity of tendering you our thanks and 
 gratitude for your kindness, without which probably we 
 should never have succeeded in procuring it, as I had made 
 previously several abortive efforts. In answer to the inquiry 
 whether I desired to have the portrait of Dr. Bedell merely 
 to increase a collection of paintings, I promptly reply. No. 
 I have but one painting in my house beside the one in ques- 
 tion, and that is an ancient portrait of my grandmother. It 
 was entirely on account of my partiality and attachment for 
 him whose fervent piety, useful life, and transcendent pulpit 
 talents deserve all praise, and whose memory should be 
 cherished by all, but particularly by those who by his instru- 
 mentality have been awakened to a sense, of their highest 
 and best interests, namely, the interests of eternity." 
 
 In reply to a question, whether he designed this last 
 sentence to be applied to himself, the same gentleman writes 
 again : 
 
 " I cheerfully give you the information required I corro- 
 borate the quotation from my letter, having intended it as 
 
142 MEMOIR OF 
 
 peculiarly applicable to myself. It was precisely twelve 
 months after the Convention at * that I had an intro- 
 duction — accompanied by a very dear and intimate friend, 
 who is now no more — to Dr. Bedell, at the house of Mrs. 
 S., in Alexandria. I solicited him, as a favor,, upon his re- 
 turn to Philadelphia, to sit, that I might procure his portrait, 
 stating it would be a great gratification to me. At first he 
 endeavored to evade it by saying he thought it an unneces- 
 sary expenditure, inasmuch as I could get a copper-plate 
 likeness for five dollars, thinking, no doubt, that it was 
 merely a momentary ebullition of feeling in me. But he 
 finally consented, whereupon I told him he should hear from 
 me as soon as I returned home. * * * 
 
 " In performing your laudable task you are welcome to 
 use the quotation alluded to, in any way your, judgment may 
 direct. But at the same time I must beg the favor of you 
 to withhold my" name, not that I am unwilling to aid the 
 cause which is so deserving of all aid, but from the desire to 
 remain the same humble and obscure individual as hereto- 
 fore. — With Christian regard, yours." 
 
 While Dr. Bedell's miiform style of preaching was this 
 plain and simple annunciation of the message which he had 
 to deliver, and he always dwelt upon the most impprtant 
 truths, in the most intelligible, serious, and afieetionate man- 
 ner, and, as was very manifest, in the spirit of humble 
 prayer and faith, it is not surprising that he was uniformly 
 successful. A clergyman writes of him : 
 
 "I recollect distinctly hearing a sermon on the subject of 
 Mary, in which I was struck with an unusual boldness to 
 which I had not been accustomed. He told the congregsilaon 
 that false delicacy should never prevent him from presentbg 
 
 * Tlie time at which the event described above occurred. 
 
EEV. DB BEDELL. 143 
 
 any truth which might be edifying to thein. On another 
 occasion he had been told, in reference to some of his ser 
 mons, that he would preach the church empty. He took 
 occasion from the hint to tell his people, on the following 
 Sunday, that he would preach the truth, though the walls 
 should tumble about his head. On another occasion, a 
 gentleman of the first respectability accosted him in a place 
 where he was preaching upon a visit, in these words : ' Well, 
 Sir, you are the only man who could bring me out twice- a 
 day.' He replied, ' Sir, I am sorry that your respect for 
 me is stronger than your sense of duty to God.' " 
 
 On one New- Year's day, g, fashionable young man, very 
 giddy and thoughtless, who seldom attended church at all, 
 was prevailed upon by a near relative, a member of St. 
 Andre>v's Church, to accompany her. He reluctantly con- 
 sented, as a compliment to her. During the sermon, for the 
 firet time, he felt the power of divine trjith, and saw himself 
 a sinner, lost and perishing. He remained after its close, 
 while the tears of sorrow flowed from his eyes, and he thus 
 gave utterance to his feelings : " I never felt as I do at this 
 moraent ; every thing, past and future, appears to me in a 
 totally new light." This light, which broke in upon his 
 benighted soul, eventuated in a comfortable hope of forgive- 
 ness and acceptance through the blood of Christ, He has 
 since devoted himself to the ministry, and his character gives 
 ground for hope, that he too will be made the instrument of 
 turning many others " from the po\<fer of Satan unto God." 
 The following extract from the communication of a friend, 
 presents some very interesting details of the power which 
 attended the ministry of Dr. Bedell, and the efieots which 
 were produced by it, and is well adapted, in connection with 
 ' what has preceded, to develop the peculiar style of preaching 
 which he adopted with so much wisdom and success. 
 
144 MEMOIR OF 
 
 • "It was well known how successful our dear pastor was 
 in addressing the young, and what crowds attended, when, 
 on Sabbath erenings, he preached to them. Many came 
 merely to have their intellectual taste gratified, but returned 
 to their homes with hearts deeply aifected, and affections 
 turned toward heaven. There was certainly something pe- 
 culiar in his manner of addressing the young. I have never 
 heard another so deeply interesting as Dr. Bedell on such 
 occasions; his knowledge of human nature, his talent for 
 describing the particular snares which hindered them from 
 becoming Christians, his exhibition of real interest in their 
 welfare, the dfeep pathos of his exhortations, and the sweet 
 yet solemn persuasiveness of his tones, all combine to render 
 him not only one of the most attractive but one of the most 
 successful preachers to that class of hearers. How often, 
 after having heard him preach, have I been followed day by 
 day, by a few words of deep and thrilling import, uttered by 
 him in his touching and impressive manner ; sometimes one 
 word alone, perhaps 'eternity,' pronounced with solemn 
 accent, and accompanied by his uplifted finger^ has rung in 
 my ears for days together ; at others, a verse of a hymn, and 
 sometimes a passage of Scripture, has produced the same 
 effect. But it was not his manner alone which arrested 
 attention ; it was the substance also of his preaching, the most 
 striking characteristics of which were clearness and simplicity ; 
 the impression left on my mind by the whole course of his 
 preaching is this : I can not say that he ever failed in fully 
 explaining the most difficult doctrines of the Bible', entirely 
 to my oatisfaction, reconciling differences, and constantly 
 presenting ike Scriptures as a beautiful chain of harmony 
 and order. He never overburdened the minds of his hear- 
 ers by a variety of leading truths in one sermon ; but always 
 careftilly dissecting passages of Scripture, divided the differ- 
 ent heads into distinct sermons, alw-ays striving to leave 
 one prominent truth, clearly and simply stated, for the medi 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 145 
 
 tation of the people. It was this habit, I think, with the 
 blessing of God, which rendered his ministry so truly instruct- 
 ive. He never left a subject before it was fully and faith- 
 fully discussed. I can most generally remember the manner 
 in which he divided his discourses ; but in every case, I am 
 still impressed with the recollection of different truths, taught 
 in each discourse ; this was his object, and in this he suc- 
 ceeded most remarkably. I became so familiar with his style, 
 that I could generally tell what would be the tenor of his. 
 sermon with but very few exceptions. Although so simple 
 in liis manner of preaching that all might understand him, 
 we can all -remember the elegance and purity of his style, the 
 refinement and sublimity of his taste, the coolness of hip 
 judgment, the warmth of his imagination, and yet his entire 
 freedom from rant or enthusiasm, so generally ending in 
 coarseness and vulgarity. With what boldness he declared 
 the truth, with what sweetness and affection he presented its 
 claims, and with what feelings of sorrow he often mourned 
 over the coldness and indifference of his people to the love 
 of Jesus Christ! 
 
 " An anecdote just now occurs to my mind, which was 
 related to me about three years ago, by a Presbyterian 
 
 clergyman in N , where I was then on a visit. I am not 
 
 certain that I remember all distinctly, but I will endeavor 
 to tell you as nearly as I can. This minister had a brother 
 who once visited Philadelphia, and went to hear Dr. Bedell 
 preach in the evening : his sermon was death, and I think 
 his text was this : ' This night thy soul shall be required of 
 thee.' He was powerfully awakened, and so much alarmed, 
 that he was afraid to stay at night in his own room. And 
 so fully was he impressed with the certainty of death com- 
 ing to him that night, that although staying in a public house, 
 he wandered about from place tj place, in a state of fearful 
 anxiety, but carefully concealing the true reasons from all 
 observers. He lived, however; to drive away these solemn 
 7 
 
146 , ■' MEMOIR OF 
 
 feelings, and about the same time in the following year, went 
 again to hear Dr. B., when he was again solemnly addressed 
 on the same subject. He began to think that there was 
 something peculiar in all this, was again alarmed, and, 
 through the instrumentality of succeeding providences, was 
 led to submit his heart to God, and, at the time his brother 
 related the anecdote to me, was a decided Christian. Pro- 
 bably Dr. Bedell never knew of this, and I doubt not that 
 many other passing strangers will appear in the day of 
 eternity as stars in his crown of rejoicing, whom he never 
 knew on earth, but who, through his instrumentality, were 
 first led to think of their immortal souls. 
 
 " Many will remember the sermons preached from the 
 text, ' Run, speak to this young man ;' also these words, 
 ' I have a message from God unto thee ;' and again, ' I have 
 a great work to do, and therefore I can not come down.' 
 Many will also remember one lecture delivered in the lec- 
 ture-room soon after a confirmation, from these words, ' I 
 have no greater joy than that my children walk in the truth.' 
 What blessed words of encouragement fell from his lips on 
 that evening, as he sat surrounded by so many whom he ' 
 could, in the endearing relation of the Gospel, call his child- 
 ren, so lately entered on their way to heaven, familiarly 
 instructing them, cherishing them with the tenderness^ even 
 of a mother, and with Christian faith and hope _ pointing 
 them to that place pf meeting where pastor and people' shaJ^-* 
 part no more for ever. , I can never hear the hymn, 
 
 " 'Far from my thoughts, vaia world, begone,' 
 
 without recurring to the many Friday evenings when I have 
 joined with the dear people and pastor of St. Andrew's in 
 singing those sacrpd words. The trembling' tones of the 
 voice which used to raise thona are still familiar to my ear ; 
 and although it will never agaiii break the silence of those , 
 hallowed walls,, so powerful is the effecf of constant assc 
 
REV. DR. EEDELL. 147 
 
 ciation, that even now it seems as if I really heard the voice 
 joining in our responses, or uttering its well-remembered 
 oough. But could we indeed hear the strains which the 
 departed now sings in his Father's house, never again 
 could we regret that they will no more he rendered discord- 
 ant by the air of this lower world." 
 
 After the foregoing remarks, it need hardly be added that 
 his style of preaching rendered him always a favorite with 
 the public, and increasingly popular to the end of his minis- 
 try. His church was the most crowded one in the city of 
 Philadelphia. His reputation was so extensively spread 
 abroad that few strangers passed the Sunday in this city 
 without seeking an opportunity to attend upon his ministry. 
 The church was opened for evening worship on the first 
 Sunday of every month. On these occasions it was the 
 subject of regular expectation through the whole course of 
 his ministry, that even the aisles would be crowded with 
 persons anxious to hear the truth from his lips. Many 
 were sitting in the church for an hour before the time of 
 service, that they might secure their seats ; and very often 
 such numbers left the doors, unable to effect an entrance, as 
 to convey the idea to others that the church was closed. 
 
 A very distinguished clergyman who preached for him on 
 a Sunday evening, the .first occasion of the kind> on which 
 he had been in Philadelphia, remarked when the services 
 were concluded, that he "had often heard of the immense 
 congregation of St. Andrew's Church, but he had formed no 
 conception of its magnitude. The living mass before him, 
 crowding every portion of the house, retaiinded him only of 
 that universal gathering of souls which wotdd take place at 
 the day of judgment." Such , indeed was the appearance of 
 this congregation on this monthly occasion — solemn, still, 
 and attentive, bat crowded together even to an uncomfort- 
 able extent. 
 
1 48 MEMOIR OF 
 
 The method of preaching which he had adopted was 
 both to write his sermons in full and to preach extempora- 
 neously from short notes. Some of his best and most 
 eifectual sermons have been of the last description, -Which 
 are of course entirely beyond our reach for further benefit. 
 Few, comparatively, of his sermons were entirely written. 
 The latter part of the most of them was left to be supplied 
 at the time of preaching. He habitually preached to his 
 own congregation three times in each week ; beside his 
 frequent public addresses in other relations in the religious 
 community, and the variety of religious meetings wMch he 
 held with his people in the course of his pastoral duty, . 
 which will be subsequently referred to. 'The following" 
 extract from the anniversary sermon at the close of his 
 tenth year of ministry in St. Andrew's Church, describes a 
 part of his course of labor in public preaching : 
 
 " We have abundant reason to say, ' Hitherto hath the 
 Lord helped us,' when we consider the amount of labor 
 which God in his mercy has permitted your minister to 
 perform. He wishes here merely to state facts, that God 
 may have the glory. You know that for six of the ten 
 years he has now ministered before you, his health has been 
 greatly impaired, and yet when the facts are looked at it wilL. 
 be remarked that an extraordinary amount of duty has been 
 performed. Including this morning, he has been able to 
 preach in this church exactly 700 times, which amounts to 
 a fraction beyond six years and a half of uninteri-upted 
 jpreaching ; 28 Sundays, or in amount, 56 sermons only has 
 he been kept from the pulpit by actual sickness. Taking 
 this from 1040, which is the amount of public occasions 
 during ten years, there will be a balance of 284 times to be 
 divided between absences for health, absences for business, 
 either private or ecclesiastical, exchanges with. other clergy- 
 men and courtesies to brethren, beside some few occasions 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 149 
 
 of Episcopal services by the Bishops, and about three 
 months in the ten years, during -which, for repairs or other 
 contingencies, the church has been closed by the orders of 
 the Vestry. In addition to the 700 times of public preach- 
 ing, he has been enabled to hold lectures on week-day 
 evenings, and has officiated at these 296 times, beside not 
 less than 50 lectures on week-days, and, in amount, four 
 years of weekly Bible-class instruction. I have given this 
 detail, my friends, simply that both you and I may feel 
 the force of the declaration, 'Hitherto hath the Lord 
 helped us.' " 
 
 His manner as a public speaker was entirely peculiar ; 
 retiring, unostentatious, simple, apparently unconscious of 
 the effect which he produced, and the popularity of his elo- 
 quence, and quite unmoved by any desire to exhibit him- 
 self On occasions when he was to preach, or to speak, 
 he generally sat in a retired corner until his proper time of 
 speaking ; his downcast eye and peculiarly humble and 
 modest demeanor indicating to every one around that he 
 was least of all anxious to be seen or heard for his own sake. 
 As the time arrived for him to commence, nothing could 
 exceed in simplicity and forgetfulness of himself the manner 
 4n which he arose before an audience, who were silent and 
 watchful in their anxious suspense, and began the address 
 in which he was to be engaged. His manner was perfect 
 calmness ; his voice was strong, and clear, and sweetly 
 melodious, but not loud ; his articula/tion was remarkably 
 distinct, and without any apparent effort to Himself, he was 
 always heard with accuracy throughout the largest house of 
 worship. The , two extracts which follow, present very 
 exact and beautiful illustrations of his manner and appear- 
 ance as a public speaker. The first is from a gentleman 
 who was present at the m.eeting, which is thus described to 
 his wife, a member of St. Andrew's Church. The occasion 
 
150 MEMOIR OF 
 
 was a meeting in Baltimore, for the promotion of Sunday- 
 schools in the Valley of the Mississippi, November, 1832. 
 " I found at half past six o'clock the streets were crowded 
 with people going to Mr. Nevins' Church. I went, and 
 when sevefl struck, there was no Mr. Bedell. After some 
 time, a chairman was named, Alexander Brown, Esq. : after 
 which, Mr. Baird spoke a considerable time. When he had 
 done, I perceived Mr. Bedell walking in like some poor 
 pilgrim, with a white handkerchief round his neck, over his 
 surtout coat. He sat meekly till Dr. Brantly spoke, then 
 Dr. McAuley, then Mr. Nevins, the pastor of the church, a 
 very few words relative to taking down the names, after 
 
 which came , 'Dr. Bedell.' Others had spent their 
 
 talents on this subject before he spoke : of course you may 
 suppose he must have felt disadvantageously situated, as he 
 must not reiterate remarks made by those who preceded 
 him. But he came out, as he should, as every divine herald 
 ought to do, and contrasted his view of the probable means 
 of success in this undertaking with those before expressed 
 by others. One was for human agency. Where were men 
 to be had who would act in the field 1 Another demanded 
 money. Without money, he had said, neither this nor the 
 Gospel were expected to prosper ; for this simple reason, 
 because God has not chosen angels to do those great works, 
 but men of like passions and habits with ourselves, who 
 require to be clothed, to be transferred from one place to 
 another, etc. This I was much pleased with ; but last-of all 
 stood up Mr. Bedell, whose name being announced by the 
 pastor, Mr. Nevins, (the only name which was announced to 
 speak,) many who had sat all the previous time, stood up, 
 ladies and gentlemen. Oh ! how did I feel on beholding 
 him? YiaYiSbdi but just arrived in had weather; his plain 
 appearance, his prominent eyebrows, his praying counte- 
 nance ; he was very weak, to which he alluded in his 
 remarks. He took his view, and showed that prayer was 
 
- EEV. DE. BEDELL. 15) 
 
 the great engine by which this work would soon be accom- 
 plished. I can not represent faithfully his attitude. The 
 impression made on the audience was shown by profound 
 silence and attentive looks. He mentioned the great efforts 
 he had already seen from the Monthly Concert of Prayer; 
 that God heard and was answering his people's prayers, 
 great proofs had recently been shown to him." 
 
 The next extract is from a letter of the, Rev. Matthew H. 
 Henderson, of Newark, New-Jersey, transmitting to the 
 editor, in compliance with his request, some interesting 
 extracts of Dr. Bedell's letters to him, several of which will 
 be found in the succeeding pages. At the close of this inter- 
 esting communication, the writer observes : 
 
 " It always had been an object of considerable desire with 
 him to pass some portion of his time in the family of one 
 whom he had for several years regarded in the light of a 
 ' son.' His intentions, however, had always been frustrated, 
 and it was not until about two months previous to his death, 
 that he was enabled to pay us a transient visit. His physi- 
 cal system appeared to be at this time, to use his own lan- 
 guage, unusually prostrated ; for although he continued to 
 drive his own vehicle, yet extreme debility and languor 
 utterly unfitted him for any prolonged conversation. Still, 
 however, he was not prevented from preaching. In fiict, the 
 pulpit was his home ; and never, so long as he had strength 
 to walk, did his voice fail him, or his life and energy of man- 
 ner cease in the delivery of the Gospel message to sinners. 
 This interesting circumstance had' often been a source of 
 wonder to many of his friends ; but never, perhaps, had it 
 been more strikingly exemplified than on the present occa- 
 sion. He was at the time on a visit with his family to his 
 I sisters in Elizabethtown, and came in the morning to New- 
 ark, (four miles distant,) about an hour before divine ser 
 
152 MEMOIR OF 
 
 J- 
 
 vice. His extreme debility, ho-wever, rendered him unable 
 to attend church, and he remained at my house reclining 
 upon a sofa, until the hour of the afternoon service. It -was 
 with great apparent effort that he walked, althoiigh the 
 church was directly across the way ; and he found it neces- 
 sary to remain in the vestry -room during the hour of prayer. 
 It was a day long to be remembered, especially by those 
 who had previously sat under his ministry, and heard, in the 
 delightful accents of his sweet voice,, the unsearchable riches 
 of the Gospel of Christ. The church was crowded, proba- 
 bly more than one thousand people were present, all in anx- 
 ious expectation, when, during the concluding stanzas of the 
 psalm, Dr. Bedell appeared slowly ascending the staircase 
 of the pulpit. His infirm and yet composed step, his strik- 
 ing appearance, altogether attracted at once the undivided 
 attention of the whole congregation, and as the last tones 
 of the organ died away while he was taking his accustomed 
 seat,* a breathless silence pervaded the house, a silence not 
 interrupted for a moment throughout the whole of the elo- 
 quent and deeply impressive . discourse which he delivered. 
 His subject was the repentant prodigal. The solemn inter- 
 est of the occasion was undoubtedly heightened by the 
 mournful impression made upon air, that the voice to which 
 they were listening would soon be hushed in the silence of 
 the grave. The tone of his voice was, as usual, mild and 
 impressive, but toward the conclusion of his sermon, in 
 expostulating with the impenitent, be broke forth with an 
 energy which caused every heart to thrill and shudder with 
 overpowering emotion. ^ He was frequently interrupted 
 throughout by a distressing cough, a circunistance quite 
 unusual ; and he remarked afterward, in a brief note of his 
 travels, that he preached on this occasion with ' uncommon 
 difficulty.'" 
 
 * It is probably well known that for several years he had sat in tho 
 pulpit while preaching, being unable, to stand. "Mr. H," 
 
KE^^ DR. BEDELL. 153 
 
 The remarks above made upon his total unconcern for his 
 own reputation merely, and his apparent want of conscious- 
 ness of the great popularity which distinguished him as a 
 preacher, are entirely sustained from his whole character, 
 by those who knew hita the most intimately. He very 
 rarely referred at all to his own services, nor did he allow 
 remarks in applause of them to be made to himself A 
 clergyman, who was most intimately connected with liim, 
 writes thus in regard to his apparent indifference to the 
 opinion of others upon this subject. 
 
 " He was remarkable in not seeming affected, as many 
 preachers are, by the manner in which he acquitted himself. 
 He seemed to feel the same, whether he went beyond, or 
 fell below, the ordinary character of his preaching. I asked 
 him once, how this happened I How he had acquired such 
 control over his feelings 1 He replied, that soon after he had 
 begun his ministry in St. Andrew's Church, while the church 
 was yet new, and the congregation composed, in part, of 
 many who were not his own people, he had, what he felt to 
 be, an inferior sermon, which caused him some anxiety about 
 his reputation. This feeling he loiew to be wrong, and 
 though he had a more satisfactory sermon at hand, he 
 thought it would be a wholesome self-mortification to preach 
 the one which he had prepared for the occasion. He did so, 
 and was called upon in the vestry by an individual who 
 stated that his mind had been very deeply impressed by it. 
 This person has since been a most valuable member of his 
 dmrch. Ever afterward, he said, he had no such improper 
 jealousy about his own reputation." 
 
 After the preceding remarks upon Dr. Bedell's preaching, 
 
 I ought not to pass without notice what I might call his 
 
 great attention to the proper manners for the pulpit and the 
 
 desk. He was remarkably simple in his appearance and in 
 
 7* 
 
 ..■i 
 
154 _ MEMOIR OF 
 
 his style of dress. But he was unusually careful in his at 
 *.ention to the little proprieties of conduct and appearance in 
 he discharge of his public duties. In his clerical dress he 
 ifos always neat. When he entered the desk, or chancel, 
 )T pulpit, to fulfill his appointed duty, there was a serious- 
 Ress and dignity in his walk, and countenance, and motions, 
 which were very ilnpressive. In reading the Liturgy ho 
 was uniformly accurate. In administering ordinances, he 
 committed no blunders. The beautiful forms of worship 
 appeared particularly beautiful, as they were ministered by 
 him. There was no attempt to produce any effect by art ; 
 but his great propriety, and gentleness, and self-possession, 
 rendered every service more- impressive as it was performed 
 by him. In this I have always considered him the most 
 chaste and perfect model that I had ever seen. Nothing 
 was too unimportant to be noticed by him, and nothing that 
 was connected with the service of Cod was ever despised. 
 It can not escape the attention of any man of observation, I 
 should suppose, how much influence upon the feelings and 
 the character of a congregation, such a sense of propriety, 
 on the part of a minister, is adapted to exercise. I may not, 
 perhaps, be borne with entirely, in the remarks which 1 
 make. But it seems to me, when a minister of the Lord is 
 engaged in the public duties of his station, the inattention to 
 cleanliness of face and hands and clothes ; the odious habit 
 of chewing tobaccQ ; frequent blowing of the nose, and spit- 
 ting, with most unpleasant noises ; and. even carelessness in 
 the putting on of the clerical dress, and heedless inaccuracy 
 in reading the public services of the Church, and the light 
 habit of looking around upon a congregation ; all of which 
 faults, and many similar ones, are often seen ; is an obstacle 
 sufficient, among a congregation of ordinary refinement, to 
 annihilate a large portion of the influence of a really valu- 
 able and evangelical ministry. It would.be exceedingly de- 
 sirable, if in these matters which " ought not to be left un 
 
EEV. DB. BEDELL. 155 
 
 done ' — though other more important things " must be 
 done," our younger clergy would be determined to do " all 
 things decently and in order" — ^that in no cases, persons of 
 proper delicacy and taste should be offended, by very ap- 
 parent inconsistencies between the public manners and the 
 public station of the ministers of the sanctuary. Few of 
 them arc probably sufficiently aware, of the great effects 
 which in this relation, some little matters are adapted to 
 produce. They will pardon the frankness of the suggestion, 
 and be led by it, I hope, to look in the example which has 
 been now presented to them, at the real importance of con. 
 sidering it with attention. 
 
156 MEMOIR OF 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Eastoral Character — ^Diligence — ^Kindness — Watchfulness over young 
 Christians — Intercourse with Communicants. 
 
 Although Dr. Bedell peculiarly excelled in the pulpit,, 
 both in his method and manner, of publicly proclaiming 
 "the truth as it is in Jesus," his peculiar excellencies as a 
 preacher were by no means the most important or effectual 
 portion of his adaptation to the great work of the ministry. 
 He was abundant in labors of every description likely to do 
 good to men; "instant in season and out of season," in 
 warning, and guiding, and exhorting those with whom he 
 was connected. The variety of instruments which he organ- 
 ized and set in motion for the accomplishment of his great 
 purposes of doing good, would have been likely to become 
 confused, and to interfere with each other, but for the assi- 
 duity with which he devoted himself to the great duty of 
 superintending all, and the perfect method and regularity with 
 which he arranged every department of effort, so that the 
 whole machinery should work harmoniously together, to 
 produce a single and desired result. His personal economy 
 of time was very remarkable. When he first commenced 
 his life as a pastor and the head of a family, he adopted the 
 habit of rising in the morning at four o'clock, to which he 
 adhered until his failing health compelled him to seek for 
 more indulgence, though even then he still retained the habit 
 
EEV. DR. BfiDELL. 157 
 
 of very early rising. Some of his most popular and efficient 
 sermons were prepared in the hom's of a single morning, 
 which were thus saved before the time of breakfast. This 
 economy of time he carried through all his employments. 
 He was never idle, and his almost innumerable duties were 
 so systematized, that he never appeared to be hurried in 
 the disch3,rge of any duty, nor when most engaged, in the 
 least degree impatient of interruption. When confined to 
 the house by bad, weather, he was accustomed to pursue the 
 various studies which he had in hand, in their turn, devoting 
 in every hour ten minutes to exercise, in walking up and 
 down the room, thus filling up the whole day with successive 
 duties, and accomplishing large results without inordinate 
 fatigue. This great diligence and regularity enabled him to 
 give a large amount of time and attention to his engage- 
 ments as a pastor, and to this portion of his ministry m<ay 
 reasonably be attributed, notwithstanding his excellence as 
 a preacher, the larger measure of his success. 
 
 In this view of his character as a minister of Christ it is 
 difficult to convey an adequate idea of his efforts, or his 
 success. Even with enfeebled health, and frequently con- 
 fined for weeks together to his house, his heart was so 
 engaged in the interests of his charge, and his mind had so 
 regulated and arranged every thing around him, that the 
 niinutest circumstances connected with the spiritual welfare 
 of the immense congregation to which he ministered, did 
 not escape his observation. Every thing was still directed 
 and moved by himself, even when lying in his bed with 
 protracted suffering. His cordial love for the souls of his 
 people was a spring of unfailing power. He was ever anx- 
 ious to do them good, and never wearied with the efforts 
 which the object required. 
 
 He was accessible to all who felt the importance of reli- 
 gion and desired his counsel in the path of duty. He refused 
 admittance to none who camei.and none ever failed to see 
 
153 MEMOIR OF 
 
 that he was really and deeply afFected with their vsrants, 
 and interested in their spiritual welfare. Interruptions of 
 this kind were almost unceasing, both from his habits of 
 intercourse with his own people, and from the extended 
 influence of his name, which brought many strangers to him 
 also, for advice and direction in their various subjects of 
 personal interest. But the same spirit of affection and ten- 
 derness which breathed from the sacred desk, welcomed the 
 approach of all who sought from him in private a knowledge 
 of the truth. While ability for conversation was preserved 
 to him, he would hear, advise, and comfort all who came to 
 him for information in the ways of God. His whole habit 
 with them was expressive of deep affection and sensibility. 
 In his private ministrations and counsels there was a very 
 rare combination of the soft and winning attributes of 
 modesty and retirement, with the bbldness and perseverance 
 of the undaunted and enterprising. Seriousness and gentle- 
 ness, fidelity and forbearance, decision and love, shone in 
 beautiful accordance in his whole deportment as a minister 
 of the Lord Jesus. His patience with ignorance and error 
 appeared capable of illimitable extension. And yet with 
 all this meek suavity in his intercourse with men, he never 
 compromised an iota of the truth. One could hardly tell 
 which the most to admire in his conduct as a pastor, the 
 forbearance with which he endured the interruptions to 
 other engagements from the multitudes who sought his 
 counsel, or the plainness of speech with which, in the most 
 affectionate manner, he laid open the truth to alT. His 
 ministry seemed a constant illustration of the negative of 
 those demands of the poet : 
 
 "Hast thou a foe, before whose face 
 .1 fear thy cause to plead? 
 Hast thou a lamb in all thy flock, 
 My soul disdains to feed?" 
 
EEV. DK. BEDELL. 159 
 
 This mildness and gentleness of demeanor, and readiness 
 and cheerfulness in hearing and advising those who came to 
 him, produced a very unusual degree of affection toward 
 him in the congregation to which he ministered. .The 
 younger m.embers of his flock looked up to him as a parent, 
 and came freely to him. for advice and encouragement in all 
 their difficulties, and trying circumstances of life. Many of 
 the younger members of families not attached to his church, 
 who were brought to the feet of the Lord Jesus under his 
 ministry, and met with opposition and trouble from domestic 
 sources, in entering upon the path of religious duty, found 
 in his heart a perfect sympathy with their sorrows, and tes- 
 tify to the faithfulness with which he guided and sustained 
 them in the way of obedience to God. The following 
 extract will illustrate his kindness and wisdom on one occar 
 sion of this kind : 
 
 "About seven years ago my mind was most powerfully 
 directed to eternal things ; I had begun to grow sick of the 
 world and its follies, and felt myself to be a sinner travelling 
 to eternity without a guide and without a friend, surrounded 
 by every thing hostile to true religion, with but one serious 
 friend, with very dark and imperfect views of religion, but 
 ardently desiring to be not only almost but altogether a 
 Christian. In this state of mind I was led by a female friend 
 to Dr. Bedell's Friday-evening lecture. "They were then 
 held in the lecture-room, and so vivid are my recollections 
 of the first evening spent in that sacred place, that it still 
 appears to stand out as foremost among the many blessed 
 privileges enjoyed in that spot. How well do I remember, 
 even as though it were but yesterday, the impression made 
 on my heart that evening I The services were altogether 
 different from, what I had been accustomed to ; so social and 
 yet so solem.n ; so very simple and fervent the spirit per 
 
160 -MEMOIK OF ^ ." 
 
 vaiding all around, that I soon felt, here would I rest mj 
 weary feet, and join this heavenward band. 
 
 " The impression made was so solemn, and the instruc- 
 tions so exactly suited to my case^ that I was convinced at 
 once that this was what I needed ; and St. Andrew's, if 
 possible, must be my home. 
 
 "At this period there was a great deal of seriousness 
 among the younger portion of the congregation ; our beloved 
 pastor's labors had been greatly blessed, and many were 
 inquiring. What they must do to be saved 1 Among the 
 number was one who in childhood had been my daily com- 
 panion. Difference in our habits of life had separated us 
 after leaving school ; but having been brought, through 
 infinite mercy, at the same time to think of eternity, syjn- 
 pathy attracted us to each other again, and through her 
 influence I was induced to attend one of Dr. B.'s inquiry- 
 meetings ; these exercises were conducted in the boys' 
 school-room. Several clergymen were present, each of 
 whom spoke on different points of Christian experience, 
 after which they conversed individually with inquirers. My 
 friend introduced me to Dr. Bedell, and although timid and 
 fearful, I was enabled to open my mind freely to him on 
 the subject of my own feelings and desires. One thing is 
 worthy of notice here, as a proof of his noble disinterested- 
 ness. 
 
 " I had been in the habit of attendmg another church, and 
 not having received there the food I desired,^ I was very 
 anxious to leave, and connect myself permanently with St. 
 Ahdrew's. My family were very much opposed to such a 
 course, and therefore I hesitated to join the communion of 
 any church. Had Dr. B. said but a few words to that 
 effect, I should have left at once ; but he pursued another 
 course, and with his characteristic wisdom and prudence 
 advised me not to be hasty, still to go sometimes to my 
 former church, bidding me welcome to St. Andrew's and 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL, . 161 
 
 ■X' ' 
 
 ter communion whenever: I 'COuld come, and affectionately 
 exhorting me to fidelity and a closer walk with God. This 
 interview increased my respect for his character, strength- 
 ened me in my new pursuits, and decided me in the course 
 which I should take. I would then have made very great 
 sacrifices, if con^rinced that duty required it, in order to 
 place myself beneath the care of one so kind and faithful ; 
 but I was enabled to take his advice, and for one year with- 
 held my name from the register of either church, hoping 
 that Providence would open a way whereby I might accom- 
 plish yet what then appeared so unlikely. At the end of a 
 year, according to my pastor's prediction, difficulties were 
 removed, and I was permitted to enrol my name as a 
 member of the church of my affections. 
 
 " Immediately on gaining permission to join St. Andrew's 
 I turned my steps toward my pastor's house, and can not 
 describe how relieved and joyful I felt on finding myself 
 actually on the steps, on an errand so long and anxiously 
 desired. I was received with kindness by Dr. B., and 
 affectionately welcomed as one of the members of his 
 beloved communion. Shortly after this I took tea with his 
 family, in company with some other friends, and as Christ- 
 ian society was new to m.e then, I need not say how sweet 
 and refreshing such occasions were. After family worship, 
 our dear pastor delighted us with some of his sweet music 
 on the organ ; time flew rapidly by, and the hour of depart- 
 ure came too soon. I returned home from this visit more 
 than ever convinced that religion's ' ways are ways of pleas-, 
 antness, and all her paths are peace.' I compared the social 
 joys of Christians with those of the world ; I thought of the 
 hours I had often spent in thoughtless pleasure, and felt how 
 truly vain and unsatisfying are all. 
 
 " The true Christian alone enjoys even this world, and 
 were nothing more than,his present happiness concerned, he 
 is the wiser man ; the remembrance of such hours is sweet, 
 
162 MEMOIR OF 
 
 and mournful, too, indeed; for alas! like the dearestj of 
 earthly joys, they are gone for ever ! But even while taking 
 this melancholy view there is comfort for the Christian, 
 because we Iciiow that the joys of communion with kindred 
 spirits will be renewed in a brighter, holier world than this. 
 
 " ' "When ^¥e at death must part, 
 It gives us inward pain ; 
 But we shall stUl be joined in heart, 
 And hope to meet again. 
 
 " ' From sorrow, toil, and pain. 
 And sin, we shall be free. 
 And perfect love and friendship reign 
 Throughout eternity.' " 
 
 In his pastoral connection and duty no circumstance 
 appeared «ver to be forgotten, -and no one was undervalued. 
 His love for the souls of his people followed them in every 
 path, and " was desirous of them with great desire," that he 
 might by all means do good to some. Whenever he was 
 visited he was found plarming or accomplishing some opera- 
 tion for the benefit of others. No prospect of- labor deter- 
 red him from efforts in the path of duty. No occupation of 
 his time seemed so entire as to exclude attention to any new 
 call which might be presented. There have been few men 
 who made so rauch of time as he did ; and fewer still, who, 
 amidst such obstacles and sufferings as he endured, would 
 have been able to produce such important results. Though 
 the whole course of his ministry in Philadelphia was in much 
 bodily weakness, and seven years of it marked by incessant 
 and very great personal suffering, probably no cotemporary 
 laborer in the cause of Christianity, even with robust and 
 uninjured constitution, has borne the same accumulation of 
 duty, or has accomplished the same amount of actual benefit 
 to man. This can only be accounted for by that habit of 
 
KEY. DR. BEEEI.L. 163 
 
 self-command which resisted the spirit of indolence and las- 
 situde, and kept his powers up to their possible capability 
 of labor in each day of his life. The variety of his plans 
 and efforts in the ministry will, in some measure, come Under 
 our notice as we proceed. 
 
 The remarks already made upon the kindness with which 
 he received the members of his flock in their visits to him. 
 self, will serve to introduce another important aspect of his 
 pastoral character — ^his watchfulness over the character and 
 deportment of those who were led to make a profession of 
 religion under his ministry. The number of these was very 
 great. In the following extract from the anniversary sermon 
 before quoted, this subject is referred to :• 
 
 "On Sunday, October 5, 1823, the first communion in 
 this church was celebrated. 
 
 " There were then present thirty-four persons, all of 
 them, it is believed, having been communicants of some of 
 the other churches of our city. It is not my intention to 
 trace the gradual increase. Suffice it to say, that on Easter 
 last our actual number amounted to three hundred and 
 thirty-four, exactly three hundred more than when the com- 
 munion was first administered. This, however, docs not 
 give as favorable a view as the case really requires, for 
 during the ten years which have passed, changes have taken 
 place by death, removals, etc., to the amount of more than 
 one hundred, so that there has been actually added to the 
 church more than four hundred, the most of these by a pro- 
 fession of religion here first made. This would make an 
 average of forty a year — ^which is a circumstance cheering 
 in some respects, while melancholy in others. It is melan- 
 choly when we consider it in comparison with the numbers 
 who continually listen to the sound of the Gospel ; but cheer- 
 ing when it is viewed in comparison with others. Not to 
 mention the fact in relation to the communicants of any 
 
164 MEMOIR 01' 
 
 Episcopal Church, I will merely state that in the life of a 
 late most eminent and successful minister of the Gospel,* 
 belonging to another denomination, it is observed that the 
 communicants, added to his churcli during a ministry of thirty 
 years' continuance, averaged twenty -five a year. So that for 
 the last ten years we have exceeded that by an annual ave- 
 rage of fifteen. So far then as numbers are concerned, we 
 go not behind any, and have reason to be thankful. But 
 this is a small matter. It is not the number of the commu- 
 nicants of a church, but their spiritual character which con- 
 stitutes the subject of rejoicing. But on this point I am 
 forbid by delicacy to say much. Let it be sufficient to 
 remark, that with the most who have been admitted to the 
 table of the Lord, under my own immediate ministry, I have 
 reason to be satisfied. I have endeavored to be guarded ; 
 and by. some have been supposed, unnecessarily severe. As 
 it is, error has been made in some cases ; but I a,m not aware 
 that there have been in ten years more thah six cases of 
 actual backsliding. There are some few who I thinjk are not 
 careful to walk as circumspectly as they ought, considering 
 the solemnity of the profession they have made — some who 
 have given too much up to worldly conformity, and are thus 
 injuring their own spirituality, and the cause of Christ. But 
 as a body, I have reason to rejoice in God that there is so 
 much of real spiritual religion. My spirit has been con- 
 tinually refreshed with the idea that, with but little excep- 
 tion, (less, much less than is generally experienced,) I have 
 no reason to doubt of the spiritual religion of those who 
 kneel before this altar ; and when I think that nearly four 
 hundred, who have at previous times, or will now this day 
 join with me in commemorating the dying love of our 
 Master and only Saviour, Jesus Christ, are able to trace 
 their first religious impressions to the blessing of God on 
 
 * Rev. Dr. Payaon, of Portlancl. 
 
EEV. DE. BEDELL. 165 
 
 my feeble ministrations, I have reason to say, 'My soul 
 doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit doth rejoice in God 
 my Saviour.' And then as I remember that unto God, by 
 whose grace alone all this could be accomplished, belongs 
 all the glory, on this day hallowed as the day of the Lord, 
 and hallowed as the tenth annual return of my first procla- 
 mation of the Gospel from this pulpit, I feel a peculiar 
 emotion of gratitude to Him who hath done it all, and say 
 with peculiar emphasis, in the language of my text, ' Hitherto 
 hath the Lord helped.' " 
 
 In the admission of persons to a religious profession, not- 
 withstanding he had so large a number added to his com- 
 munion, he was particularly guarded and watchful. He not 
 only conferred with them individually in private ,upon the 
 important subject, placing in their hands also such books as 
 he thought particularly adapted to their case ; but he also 
 assembled them together repeatedly, before they came for- 
 ward in either of the great ordinances of the Gospel in 
 which they were to make their personal profession, for 
 prayer and for such instruction as was adapted equally to 
 them all. He was accustomed to say but little in his private 
 conversations, but to direct especially all that he did utter 
 to the peculiar character of the individual, which he appeared 
 to discern with great readiness and accuracy. The follow- 
 ing, from one of the seals of his ministry, will illiistrate 
 this remark in a striking instance, though probably there 
 were few cases in which he was so reserved in conversation 
 as in this. 
 
 " Receiving the first serious impression of religious truth 
 through the instrumentality of our departed friend's preach- 
 ing, and looking to him for spiritual guidance and counsel, it 
 might be supposed that many recollections of his conversa- 
 tions, etc., could be furnished. It is nevertheless true, and 
 
166 MEMOIR OF 
 
 is perhaps characteristic, that he made few or no remarics, 
 or imparted no verbal instruction on the subject of religion 
 out of the pulpit to myself. 
 
 "Accompanying a much-loved aunt at her request to hear 
 him preach, the sermon, in the power of the Holy Ghost, 
 convinced me of sin. I requested an interview in the vestry, 
 room, where I jfemarked to him I found I could not pray ; 
 the Lord's prayer, taught me in childhood, being in fact 
 all I could repeat after the struggle in my chamber^ which 
 resulted, through his aid, in submission to Him. 
 
 " His only remark or reply was, ' I do not wonder,' and 
 he placed in my hand a small tract of two or three sermons 
 on Regeneration. On returning this with a written remark 
 on one of its passages, and being about to make a visit to 
 Virginia, he placed a copy of Henry's Letters to an Anx- 
 ious Inquirer in my hands, without remark. Being obliged 
 in the spring to leave the city, and not feeling justified in 
 coming at once to the Lord's table, I stated to him the 
 doubt ; 'he did not at all urge it, but presented me with a 
 copy of Bickersteth on the Lord's Supper. 
 
 "Of the same character has been all subsequent inter- 
 course with him. It seems to me, that having delivered the 
 Lord's message from the pulpit, he had no anxieties to urge 
 it personally, but committed it to the Holy Spirit; or 
 where instruction miight be useful, modestly availed him- 
 self of what had been written by others, Iceeping, as it were, 
 all obtrusive personal agency entirely out of the question, , 
 not seeking to magnify himself, but seeming to think him- 
 self less than the least. 
 
 " His quick discernment of character enabled him to see 
 at once the nature of your difficulties ; and he no doubt 
 spread them with importunate prayer before God, rather 
 than leaned to his ov/n understanding in much advico or 
 conversation. 
 
 "Of the 'glad hours' enjoyed under' his preaching, what 
 
KEV. DR. BEDELL. 167 
 
 shall be said 1 They are known by those who heard him, 
 and by whom that did not, would the report be received ? 
 An apostle once heard ' unspeakable words, which it is 
 unlawful for man to utter.' Under the melting eloquence 
 of that voice, now hushed in the sanctuary below, is it too 
 much to say that unutterable feelings, partaking more of 
 heaven than earth, filled the heart bursting with its fullness ? 
 Whether in the body, or out of the body, was indeed for- 
 gotten, while the light of that heaven-lit countenance beamed 
 upon you, and the kindling eye and uplifted finger and 
 pause, upon which you hung breathless, gave an emphasis 
 and a thrill to that hour of holy time which no other could 
 claim." -. -.; 
 
 A 
 He placed in the hands of those who desired to become 
 united with the Church in any of its ordinances, the follow- 
 ing circular, containing questions touching the great subject 
 of personal experimental religion, to which he required from 
 them answers in writing : 
 
 "As you are about to naake-a profession of religion, I am 
 exceedingly anxious that both you and myself should be sat- 
 isfied on some points of importance ; and in order that this 
 may be done, will you do me the favor (for I ask it as a 
 favor, not as a right) to meditate on the following ques- 
 tions, and give me your views in writing ? I have two great 
 objects in view : one is, that I may be satisfied as to the cor- 
 rectness of your sentiments ; and the other, that should I at 
 any subsequent periods, as a faithful pastor, be obliged to 
 remind you of any departures from the line of duty and of 
 love, I may have the advantage of placing before you your 
 own deliberate conclusions" when you joined yourself to the 
 Lord in the bonds of a covenant which ought never to be 
 forgotten. Read these questions — pray over them — com- 
 pare them with the word of God. If they in the least 
 
, 168 MEMOIR OF 
 
 depart from the simplicity of the Gospel, I have no wish 
 that you should answer them. Satisfy your mind on this 
 point. I wish you to act conscientiously, and in the fear of 
 God. This is one of the most solemn periods of your life, 
 and you must act as with eternity in view. Take two copies 
 of your answers, written both in precisely the same words. 
 Keep one for your own satisfaction — ^read it once every 
 week, by yourself, and with prayer. Give the other copy 
 into my hands. It is for my private satisfaction, as the 
 pastor set over you in the Lord, and responsible for the 
 manner in which I discharge my duty to you. " May the 
 'Lord direct you, and keep you by his grace, and finally 
 present you faultless before the presence of his glory with 
 exceeding joy ! 
 
 QUESTIONS FOR SELF-EXAMINATION. 
 
 " 1. Do I acknowledge and feel that I am a sinner in the 
 sight of God? 
 
 " 2. Do I recognize the necessity of repentance ; and 
 what good reasons have I to suppose that I have repented 
 of my sins ? . 
 
 " 3. What reasons have I to suppose .that I have experj- 
 enced that change of heart which is so frequently spoken of 
 iii Scripture 1 
 
 "4. Am I sure that as a sinner, unable to save myself, I 
 am resting my only hope upon the sole merits of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ? 
 
 " 5. Do I look upon the Lord Jesus Christ as a Divine 
 Saviour, who took our nature upon him and died on the 
 cross as an all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world ? 
 
 " 6. Do I think that I am capable, without the influence 
 of the spirit of God, to turn myself to his service ? 
 
 " 7. Do I feel as if it was my duty, as well as privilege, 
 to spend a stated time every day in prayer to God ? and do 
 I take delight in this? 
 
EEV. rill. BEDELL. 160 
 
 " 8. Do I believe that the Bible is the word of God, and 
 that I am bound to obey its requisitions 1 
 
 " 9. Do I think that I ought to read the Bible with regu- 
 larity and prayer 1 and do I love to do so 1 
 
 " 10. Do I believe that I am bound ^to give up my heart 
 and life to the service of God ? 
 
 "11. Do I believe it my solemn duty to make a public 
 profession of religion 1 and do I think that I am called upon 
 to maintain a consistent Christian profession ? 
 
 " 12. What is my candid and free opinion as to the nature 
 of what are called the lamusements of the world, such as 
 theatres, balls, games, etc. ? 
 
 " 13. Is it my opinion that I could with any kind of con- 
 sistency engage in these things 1 
 
 " 14. Do I love any of these things now ? 
 " 15. Should I be led astray in relation to these things, 
 what do I think ought to be my own opinion of my spiritual 
 state? and what do I think ought to be the conduct of my 
 pastor toward me? 
 
 " 16. Do I think that I ought to be much engaged in 
 advancing the Lord's cause by every lawful means ? 
 
 " 17. Am I determined by the grace of God to adorn the 
 doctrine of God my Savior, and let my light shine — to 
 grow in conformity to God — and to seek, above all things, 
 the glory of God and the salvation of my soul ? 
 
 "18. Havel prayed over these questions? and have I 
 answered them sincerely, and in the fear of God ? ^ Be not 
 deceived, God is not mocked.' 
 
 " Let your answers be full and explicit. What I want is 
 to ascertain the state of your mind' as to the things of reli- 
 gion. Thus I may know how to adapt my Christian instruc- 
 tion to your case. 
 
 " Let your answers be written on a separate sheet of let- 
 ter paper, and let the number affixed to your answers cor 
 
 respond carefully with the questions. 
 8 
 
170 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " If on any point you are in doulit, come to me. Gladly 
 ■will I seek to direct you in any thing which concerns your 
 eternal peace^-and pray with ypUj and for you — for my 
 heart's desire is ''that you may be saved, and be made, by 
 your precept and example, the instrument of saving others — 
 ■which may God grant, for his mercy's sake, in Jesus Christ 
 the Lord ! ~ Your Friend and Pastor." 
 
 When there was inability satisfactorily to write in reply 
 to these questions, or great objections to doing it, he gave 
 two copies of the following also, -which contained his views 
 of proper replies to the questions proposed, and one of 
 which they were required to subscribe and return him. 
 
 "1-. I do acknowledge and feel it sensibly; and if I know 
 myself to be a sinner, how much more perfectly does God 
 see and know it ! 
 
 "2. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ has said, 'Except 
 ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' I believe that every 
 impenitent sinner is under the condemnation of God, and 
 the only good reason why I think I have repented is, that I 
 have now most solemnly determined to forsake all sin, and, 
 by the help of God, to serve him, and him alone. I feel a 
 sorrow for my sins ; oh ! that I felt more ; but,'Lord enable 
 me to leave sin for ever. 
 
 " 3. This is a hard question, and requires deep searching 
 of heart. I do most sincerely believe that God has given 
 me new feelings, and views, and motives, and objects. I 
 think now of myself as a poor lost sinner ; I think of God 
 as a just and holy God, and of purer eyes than to behold 
 iniquity. I'think differently of almost every thing; I love 
 what I formerly disliked ; I dislike what I Once loved ; I 
 feel. that I desire to do the will of God, and that my aim is 
 the salvation of my soul ; the world has not its former hold 
 upon me, but I give up myself most willingly to serve God. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 171 
 
 If these may be evidences of a change of heart, I can answer 
 this question, that I have these reasons to believe that my 
 heart is changed. 
 
 " 4. I am sure of this, I do not wish any other foundation, 
 even if I could find it. 
 
 " 5. I do, and I accept his free offer of salvation to my 
 self; I take it as a free gift, unmerited by me now, and 
 never to be paid for. ' Oh ! to grace how much a debtor !' 
 " 6. No, I know and feel this 
 "7. I do. 
 "8. I do. 
 "9. I do. 
 
 "10. I do, and am determined, by the grace of God, so 
 to do. 
 
 " 11., I feel it my duty, and it is my anxious desire, and I 
 know that consistency is demanded of me. 
 
 "12. I think them all sinful, inasmuch as they are con- 
 trary to the express command, which says, 'CJome out and 
 be separate. Deny yourself.' And I think they tend di- 
 rectly to lead away the mind from €rod. 
 " 13. Most certainly not. 
 " 14. No. 
 
 "15. I ought to think myself described in that saying of 
 Scripture, ' Thou hast, left thy first love,' and that my 
 spiritual state would call for deep repentance, and a speedy 
 return to God, and that my pastor ought to warn, rebuke, 
 pray for and with me, and if all this fail to reclaim me, 
 refuse me the privileges I had heretofore so very unworthily 
 enjoyed. 
 
 "16. I do, and I will do so, by the help of God. 
 " 17. I am. 
 "18. I have. 
 
 " And now, O Lord, receive this my solemn dedication of 
 myself to thee ;.I am thine by every right, but especially as 
 bought with the precious blood of Christ. I here renounce 
 
172 , MEMOIR OF 
 
 all self-dependence. Take me as I am. Seal me as thin* 
 own. Do with me as thou wilt. Enable me to love and 
 serve thee as I ought to do. Guide me by thy counsel, and, 
 when I die, receive me to glory, through the riches of thy 
 grace in thy dear Son Jesus Christ. Amen !" 
 
 After persons were admited to the communion of his 
 Church, he adopted many instruments of personal watch- 
 fulness over them. He held stated and frequent meetings 
 of the communicants, at which, questions submitted by 
 themselves relating to the various aspects of personal reli- 
 gion were considered, and his views upon them, relieving dif- 
 ficulties, dissolving doubts, and guiding in duties, were freely 
 and fully expressed. These meetings were found espe- 
 cially profitable by them, and were particularly interesting 
 to him. He would express his delight in reference to such 
 occasions, in the remark, '.' that when meeting such an as- 
 sembly, he had the delightful consciousness that there was 
 not one who did not at least profess to love the Saviour ; 
 but when he met the great congregation, his soul, was bur- 
 dened with the reflection, that so many listened who were, 
 and were likely to remain, the enemies of God." Of these 
 meetings, one of the communicants of his church remarks : 
 
 " Our Pastor held frequent meetings of his communicants 
 during the last years of his ministry among us. Of one of 
 these, I think it was the first, I have the following note. 
 Lecture-room quite crowded ; nearly aU the members of 
 the Church present. The exercises were prayer, singing, 
 and a short lecture from Dr. Bedell. He spoke of his own 
 gratification in seeing us thus together; and pressed the' 
 necessity of personal holiness ; and especially that having 
 no doubt of our own safety hereafter, we might be the bet- 
 ter able to exert ourselves in behalf of others. He spoke 
 of the shortness of OMr time, and. of all time ; and his belief 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 173 
 
 that those who should survive many years, would see ' one 
 of the days of the Son of Man,' when he would take his own 
 work in his own hands; and in some new and glorious 
 method promote his cause." 
 
 At these mpetings subjects were discussed, entirely ap- 
 propriate to an assembly of persons under the influence and 
 government of true piety, but which would have been more 
 difficult to exhibit with propriety and usefulness to a mixed 
 congregation. The varied relative duties even in the most 
 intimate connections of life, were here made the subjects of 
 consideration. The instructions were so arranged by him, 
 that the most of his admonitions and exhortations were given 
 as answers to questions which had been previously proposed 
 to him. On these occasions. Dr. Bedell displayed his remark- 
 able knowledge of human nature and the habits of mankind. 
 He found himself able to introduce the most delicate sub- 
 jects of proper religious instruction, without offense, and in 
 a form in which it was impossible that any injurious influ- 
 ence could arise from the consideration of them. He exhi- 
 bited always remarkable wisdom, in his choice of subjects 
 as adapted to his hearers, bringing *al ways before a mixed 
 congregation, that whieh was calculated there to be useful, 
 and reserving for more private occasions what was more 
 especially adapted to such circumstances. In this way, the 
 various subjects of religious truth and obligation were all 
 considered by him in their turn, and religion was never ex- 
 posed to reproach or scandal, by " casting its pearls before 
 swine." His system of classifying his people and giving to 
 them separately thus, " their portion of meat in due season," 
 was a most valuable and useful habit of his ministry. It 
 would be most desirable, that other ministers of Chris 
 should consider the example, as worthy of their imitation. 
 
 His attention to his communicants was not confined to 
 oral instruction. Ho wrote to them for their guidance and 
 
174 MEMOIR OF 
 
 instruction when they were absent from him. These letters 
 would furnish a delightful addition to our present history, 
 if they were accessible. Some of them follow, which, while 
 they show how real and deep was the interest which he 
 took in those who were thus connected with him, they only 
 increase our regret that they are the only letters of the kind 
 within our reach. 
 
 "My Dear Friend : 
 
 "My great anxiety to accompany my letter with the 
 interesting little book which I proinised, has kept me from 
 writing much longer than I had intended, and now when I 
 am able to obtain the book, there is not to my knowledge 
 any private opportunity by which it may be sent, so that I 
 have determined no longer to delay the letter, though it 
 must be without the book. 
 
 " On some accounts I am not sorry that my letter has 
 been delayed, because it has given me the opportunity of 
 saying, that I have heard very good accounts of you from a 
 source of which you are not aware. I can truly adopt the 
 language of the Apostle John, and say, ' I have no greater 
 joy, than that my children walk in the truth'' — and it has 
 given me much satisfaction to have learned, that your whole 
 
 deportment while in R- has been such as became the 
 
 solemn profession of religion which you have made. I can- 
 didly confess that I had some misgivings of heart when I 
 heard of your contemplated journey, hot because I had the 
 smallest doubt of your sincerity, but because I knew so well 
 the difficulties by which a young female who makes a pro- 
 fession of religion is surrounded, especially abroad. It is a 
 difficult matter to maintain a decided Christian walk and 
 conversation, even when at home, and amidst our friends, 
 and engaged in our ordinary occupations; but it is still 
 more difficult when abroad, and among those whom .we may 
 be desirous to please, even at some sacrifice. But 1 am 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 175 
 
 anxious for you, my dear child, (if I may call a young lady 
 my child in the Gospel sense of the term, for I desire to fee] 
 and to speak as a father,) not only that you should maintain 
 consistency of relfgious deportment, hut that you should 
 improve in spiritual things, and that you should even seek 
 to be of advanta.ge to those who are about you. Religion, 
 recommended not only by the example, but by the precepts 
 of one so young as you, is a rare, and will always be a 
 lovely exhibition. I trust you know, for I have sought -to 
 be faithful in imparting instruction, that it is impossible, to 
 maintain a Christian walk and conversation without the 
 most steady perseverance in the great and arduous duties 
 of prayer, reading, meditation, and self examination. I urge 
 you, never, in all the engagements and plans upon which 
 you enter, never" to let one single circumstance interfere 
 with the regular stated duties which you owe to God and to 
 your own soul. Be kind, be condescending, be particularly 
 attentive to all your friends whose hospitality you are 
 enjoying, but remember that there is one Friend and Bene^ 
 factor, who is never ' for one instant to be forgotten or 
 neglected. It is He, who by his grace can alone sustain 
 you, and enable you to exhibit in all its due proportions the 
 loveliness of the Christian character. Look to Him for 
 direction in whatever emergency you may be placed, and do 
 nothing which you think would not meet -with his approba- 
 tion. By this course you will be safe, and return to us not 
 only as well in spiritual health, but better than you went 
 away. My respects to your friends, and 
 
 "Believe me, your Friend and Pastor." 
 
 The two following letters were addressed to another 
 member of his church : 
 
 "I have taken a long and unfashionable sheet of paper, on 
 
176 MEMOIR OF 
 
 which to answer your very welcome letter, because I do not 
 wish to be obliged to write less than I desire. 
 
 "It gratified me very much to hear, that in the good 
 providence of Go'd you reached your point of destination 
 safely. The journey is long, and no doubt must have been 
 connected with many circumstances both agreeable and 
 disagreeable in their character. This is the character of all 
 journeys, and it is the character of the journey of life, and 
 especially is it the Christian's journey — for that journey is 
 expressed undei' the term a pilgrimage. There are very 
 few who have not found their pilgrimage made up of circum- 
 stances both agreeable and disagreeable, but even that part 
 of it which may be deemed disagreeable, is to the one who 
 puts unhesitating trust in God, marked by characteristics 
 ■which, if they do not exactly turn pain into pleasure, at 
 least neutralize the pain. For what does it matter what 
 befalls me during the short period I travel on earth, if God 
 is with me — his rod and staff ready to uphold me 1 If my 
 journey be up hill, he is there to assist. If the road be 
 stony and rugged, he is there with me. If I meet with 
 unpleasant companions on the way, God is the best of com- 
 pany. But I shall soon fill my paper if I go on at this rate. 
 What I mean to say to you by all this preliminary and 
 round-about matter is, that disagreeably as you may be 
 situated, and up hill as you may find your course, yet one 
 thing is certain, you may have the best company which 
 mortal may look for, even God — and all things will work 
 together for your good, if you will continue to love and 
 serve Him. Of one thing you are to be especially cautious, 
 namely; never to forget that the life of a Christian depends 
 on the regular supply of food from the Father's table. To 
 God, then, always ^o for this supply, and never think of 
 neglecting it, more than you would your daily food, for the 
 sustenance of the poor and perishing body. Indeed I think 
 we may learn an excellent lesson from the circumstances 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 177 
 
 which are connected -with our returning wants in respect of 
 food. In the morning we hunger for our breakfast; then 
 our appetite needs the enjoyment of dinner, and then in 
 the evening we must have our supper. It is thus three 
 time a day that our bodies require, and as they require, so 
 they receive food. In the morning, and evening, and at 
 noon-day, will I pray, says one of the Scripture characters 
 who knew the necessity of continual waiting upon God. In 
 your situation, where you are so destitute of spiritual privi- 
 leges, that one blessed and glorious privilege of having daily 
 communion with God through the medium of fervent prayer, 
 can never be denied you. It would be yours, if no truth 
 and no religion existed in the city ■where your lot is cast. 
 
 "Long ere this you will of course have heard of the death 
 
 of Mr. S . Since your departure I have not felt 
 
 exactly at liberty to call on your mother and sisters, lest it 
 should be supposed an attempt to induce them to attend St. 
 Andrew's. I think, however, I shall call in a few days. 
 
 " I am at the present time inclined to think that there is 
 an excellent state of religious feeling in our congregation. 
 There is a remarkable spirit of prayer poured out on the 
 members, and many careless persons are evidently beginning 
 to be deeply interested. On Sunday, the 29th, Bishop 
 White is to hold a coniirmation, and the number of candi- 
 dates, including several who have already been admitted to 
 the communion, amounts to forty-three. This, even should 
 there be no more, will make no less than eighty-six con- 
 firmed within the space of ten months, for our last confirma- 
 tion -was only in March. I trust and believe that the candi- 
 dates are prepared by the Holy Spirit for taking upon them 
 the vows of a solemn covenant with God. 
 
 " During the few months last past we have had a severe 
 visitation in the shape of influenza, and it has carried into 
 the eternal world many old persons, and seems to have been 
 peculiarly fatal to them. But few, in the midst of all ths 
 
178 MEMOIR OF 
 
 judgments of God, learn righteousness. >" .Many are cut off 
 in the midst of their sins. I trust that the Lord has pre- 
 served your own and the health of Mr. W , and that 
 
 together you are striving to follow the Lord with full pur- 
 pose. And now commending you 'to tlie Lord, who is able 
 to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before 
 the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy,' 
 
 "I remain, your sincere Friend and Pastor yeV 
 
 "I do not know that I should have been induced to 
 answer your letter quite ■ so speedily, had I not yesterday 
 heard at the Bible-class that Mrs. C. is about sailing for 
 
 , as early as Saturday. You will thus have another 
 
 member of St. Andrew's Church. I hope you will be ena 
 bled to have much Christian intercourse, and that you may 
 mutually edify and comfort each other. I have very little 
 to say to you on the score of intelligence. In the wisdom 
 of God, I have been so much shut up this winter, that I have 
 had v^ry little opportunity of mingling even with the affairs 
 of our own St. Andrew's. For- the last six or eight weeks, 
 I have been obliged, by the imperative orders of my physi- 
 cian, to abandon all exposure to the night air ; consequently 
 I "have not lectured on Friday evening, neither have I attended 
 any prayer-meetings during that period. This is a great 
 deprivation to me, as I do most truly delight, especially in 
 the plainness and familiarity of the Friday-evening lecture, 
 which I believe has been much blessed by our gracious God. 
 But one thing I know, and that is, that it has been the Lord's 
 pleasure thus to lay me by for the evenings, and I have 
 nothing to say, but take the language of Scripture, ' It is the 
 Lord, let him do what seemeth him. good.' The lectures 
 have been kept up by several of my brethren in the tnini.'!- 
 try, and, upon the whole, they have been well attended, 
 
 "Our Tuesday Bible-class has been but twice interrupted, 
 and those interruptions were occasioned by violent snow- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 179 
 
 storms, "We are now in the season of Lent, and our mem- 
 bers are spending every Friday as a day of fasting and 
 prayer. Last Friday -was the commencement. The lec- 
 ture-room -was filled both morning and afternoon. I trust 
 that these hours spent in prayer will, in infinite mercy, 
 bring down a blessing upon us. I am very much rejoiced 
 to hear that you have an Episcopal clergyman am.ong you, 
 who seems to be disposed to do good. Beg him from me, 
 though a stranger, to be particularly on his guard against 
 that bane of all Episcopal ministers in Southern countries, a 
 supposition that he can win people to religion by seeming 
 to give in to some of their worldliness-and prejudices. Tell 
 him, from one who has now had nearly twenty years of 
 experience to teach him, that by such a course, absolutely 
 nothing can be gained, but every thing lost ; nothing can 
 win souls to the Lord Jesus Christ, but the faithful preach- 
 ing of the humbling doctrines of the cross, and the consistent 
 -walk and conversation of the minister ; thus letting the peo- 
 ple see that there is a holy correspondence between what he 
 says and what -he does. 
 
 " I very much approve of the course you have taken, as 
 it regards mingling with the world. You had even better 
 have no associates, than those who can in no wise benefit 
 your soul. It may be hard for a while to get along with 
 such determinations, but if you are faithful, the Lord will 
 bear you out in them. 
 
 " Within a few days, we have had something which begins 
 to wear the appearance of spring, and it has been truly 
 delightful to us here, who have been shut up by one of the 
 most uncomfortable winters that I ever remember to have 
 experienced. 
 
 " In your letter, you merely mfention the name of Mr. 
 
 , and say that he is well. We are very anxious to learn 
 
 whether the serious impressions which appeared to have 
 been made on his mind during the period of his sickness last 
 
180 -MEMOIR OF 
 
 summer, have been permanent, or whether his goodness has 
 been like that of those of old, whom God complains of when 
 he says, that it was ' like the morning cloud and the early- 
 dew, which pass away.' Mr. has an opportunity of 
 
 ascertaining this, and I hope when I again have the pleasure 
 of hearing from you, that you may be enabled to say some- 
 thing definite on a point which is -very interesting to us, 
 being relatives of his. His wife is one of the loveliest and 
 most devoted Christians in the world, and I trust his daugh- 
 ter has also decidedly chosen the Lord for her portion. 
 
 " There are many things in your letter which I would like 
 very specifically to answer, but neither time nor paper will 
 allow me. In a few months I trust you will be turning your- 
 face this way once more to visit us. I wish that your lot 
 was cast here, but as God seems to will it otherwise, our 
 duty is submission. 
 
 "And now I must again exhort you to be much in prayer, 
 to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work 
 of the Lord, forasmuch as the promise is, that your labors 
 shall not be in vain in the Lord. Make my best regards to 
 your husband ; there is much for him to do in such a place 
 
 as , and there is need of much circumspection. May 
 
 the Lord enable hina to hold fast his spiritual integrity, and 
 grow in grace ! I learn that the children are well, but have 
 had no opportunity of special inquiry. Mrs. B. had some 
 conversation with one of them between morning and after- 
 noon service last Sunday. Mrs. B. and Miss T. send their 
 love. By the blessing of Qpd, our family is in good health. 
 " Believe me your affectionate friend and pastor." 
 
 The following letter was addressed to a young gentleman 
 who had lately made a profession of religion. Its paternal 
 tenderness and wisdom render it not only to him, but to 
 others also, especially valuable. 
 
rev. dk. bedell. 181 
 
 «Mt Dear Sir: 
 
 " Your letter, I can assure you, gave me great satis&ij- 
 tion ; and I rejoice in God, that ijnder circumstances so 
 unfavorable as yours must be to any thing like the cultiva- 
 tion of religious affections, your serious impressions have 
 not only remained, but have appeared to strengthen.. I 
 rejoice also_that you have made a public profession of your 
 faith in Jesus Christ, and I do most sincerely pray, that you 
 may be enabled to adorn that profession by a correspond- 
 ing course of conduct and conversation. While I hope these 
 things, I still tremble when I think of the disadvantageous 
 circumstances under which you are compelled to pass your 
 time.- But while you are shut out from society peculiarly 
 religious, and debarred the privilege and the blessing of a 
 preached Gospel, I know, ^nd it is one great source of con- 
 solation, that you have what neither place nor circumstances 
 can deprive you of — the Bible — ^to which you can resort for 
 reading, and the Bible's Author, to whom you can resort 
 for spiritual direction ; and while, under an humbling sense 
 of your own deficiencies, you make the former according to 
 its own inspired language ' the man of your counsel,' and 
 the latter your chief companion by prayer at morn and 
 even, and perhaps at mid-day, you can not be materially 
 estranged from the path of wisdom and happiness. But 
 remember, my dear young friend, I beseech you, that you 
 are in a world, and particularly in a situation of temptation, 
 and that one false step may not only injure your religious 
 character and the cause of Christ, but ruin your own peace 
 of mind. In relation to every action, I trust you will seek 
 to ascertain the will of God, and in all your modps of think- 
 ing, follow the standard which His worif presehts. 
 
 " It would gratify me very much to hear from you occa- 
 sionally, and especially in relation to your progress in what 
 is called the ' Divine Life ;' whether you meet with ridi- 
 cule, and reproach, and opposition — and what kinds, and 
 
182 MEMOIR OF 
 
 under what circumstances — ^how far you are able to with- 
 ■ stand the worldly enticements which your situation must 
 present — and indeed on all topfcs which are interesting to 
 jourself, for they will be interesting to me. 
 
 " I have given a list of books to yojir friend, and I send 
 you as a present from myself a few volumes. In the Bible, 
 the Christian has a library complete, but these other works 
 are valuable as collateral helps, and your time can not 
 be better occupied, than in endeavoring to improve in all 
 that knowledge which concerns the soul's immortal inter- 
 ests. By the same hand which conveys this letter, you will 
 probably hear from your other friends, and from your rela- 
 tions. I rejoice to say that Miss is now a follower of 
 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 "Mrs. has been rescued from the brink of the grave, 
 
 and in such a state of mind, that as far as I can judge, 'whether 
 living or dyingshe is the Lord's.' Mrs. 1 have no oppor- 
 tunity of seeing on the subjects of all the most important ; I 
 think a line from you to her would be valuable. Your 
 letter to me which I sent her;, produced, I am told, a great 
 I can not say how deep an impression. It will be peculiarly 
 gratifying for me to see you, and to find you ' growing 
 in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ.' Your sincere Friend, 
 
 «G. T. BedeIl." 
 
 '' addressed to a father on the conversion of his 
 daughter. 
 
 " My Dear Sir : 
 
 " The letter which ypu did me the favor to address me, 
 would have been sooner answered, had I not thought it best 
 to wait the events of yesterday. I feel it a great privilege to 
 be able to offer you my hearty congratulations on what the 
 Lord, in his mercy, has seen fit to accomplish in your dear 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 183 
 
 and interesting daughters ; and it is a peculiar satisfaction for 
 me to do 'this to a father, on whose heart the dispensation of 
 mercy and love may fall with the certainty of giving plea- 
 sure. Your letter was truly welcome to me, because it 
 seemed to give me a discretion which has relieved me from 
 much embarrassment. 
 
 " Your eldest daughter felt bound in conscience to seal her 
 newly-awakened attachment to the precious Saviour by an 
 approach in faith to the sacramental table, and after such 
 examinations as could not fail to have satisfied the most 
 scrupulous as to her fitness, I consented that she should com- 
 memorate the dying love of Him whose grace had been so 
 signally manifested in her behalf Yesterday, with her 
 
 beloved Mrs. at her side, she knelt at our Master's 
 
 table, and I had the blessed privilege of administering to her 
 the symbols of the Saviour's broken body and poured-out 
 blood. I feel as if I ought to say, that she will make a 
 Christian of a lovely spirit. Your other daughters, of whose 
 conversion there" can be no rational doubt, were deemed by 
 myself not too young to attach themselves to the Lord, 
 even by a public profession ; still, endeavoring i;o act with 
 prudence, 1 thought it best that they should have no conver- 
 sation with me on that subject. Your eldest ' daughter, 
 therefore, was the only one of the five converts', who was 
 admitted to the table of the Lord. 
 
 " By the help of God, according to your request, I will, 
 as far as in me lies, watch over these dear young members 
 of the fold of Christ." 
 
 The following was addressed to an officer in the navy, 
 since deceased. It shows how his spirit of love for souls, 
 extended itself even beyond the limits of his own charge. 
 
 " My Dear Sir : 
 
 " There are some circumstances which appear to justify a 
 
184 MEMOIR OF 
 
 departure from the ordinary course of dealing between man 
 and man. I feel, then, as if the liberty I am now talcing, is 
 at least excusable from the motives by which I am actuated. 
 It has just come to my knowledge, and in a measure acci- 
 dentally, that you have been called to suffer under one of the 
 severest dispensations which it is the lot of humanity to bear ; 
 and I earnestly desire, as one to whom the memory of your 
 departed wife is dear, to offer you those sympathies, and to 
 administer those consolations for which the present melan- 
 choly occasion calls. I knew her in those days when she was 
 all life and gayety, and was always deeply interested in her 
 beautiful simplicity of character ; but for some years before 
 her marriage, and since that period to the time of your visit 
 to this city, I had not seen her. I was then surprised, 
 distressed, and delighted — distressed to behold the ravages 
 which ill-health had already made, but delighted that she 
 had been enabled to turn her attention to those things which, 
 whether in health or in sickness, are essential to the future 
 well-being of the soul. In reference to religion, she was a 
 totally different being from the one I had knovra before ; and 
 although she di(i not appear to enjoy its comforts to that 
 extent to which others are permitted to reach, yet this I 
 could easily trace to the influence of bodily indisposition, and 
 1 apprehend, a presentiment of the catastrophe which to me 
 has unexpectedly occurred. But why should I speak of her 
 any more? The vision has fled, and I trust that she is 
 now enjoyiiig that bliss for which I was fully persuaded she 
 was daily preparing. The stroke which has thus cut you 
 off from one so interesting and lovely as a companion and 
 friend, is indeed severe ; and these (strange as it may ap- 
 pear to us) are among those mysterious dealings of God, 
 the real source of which is love, and the ultimate aim of 
 which is the benefit and happiness of the afflicted. I am a 
 stranger to the religious impressions which may animate 
 your bosom : pardon jne if I say, that I know not whethei" 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 185 
 
 your attention has at all turned to the too-much and too 
 fatally-neglected matter of religion : but I know that every 
 dispensation, and especially one so afflictive as this, is meant 
 to call the mind from earthly to heavenly things ; and in a 
 moment of so much tenderness of heart, and of so much 
 melancholy as this, I will venture, as a friend of your depart- 
 ed wife, to urge what I feel would be gratifying to her were 
 she living, that if you have-never sought unto the Lord you 
 would now submit to thc^teaching of his hand ; and if you 
 have, that you would take comfort from the assurances of 
 his word, that all things shall work together for good to them 
 that love him, and that our light affliction, which is' but for a 
 moment, will, if properly improved, work out a far more 
 exceeding and eternal weight of glory. It is only those of a 
 like faith and hope who will be permitted to associate here- 
 after ; for the future destinies of men are as different as the 
 characters which they here sustained. If you would dwell 
 hereafter with those who have departed in the true faith of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, you must follow the example of that 
 faith. If you would share the inheritance of the redeemed, 
 you must travel in the path which led them to their celestial 
 habitations. I hope that I am writing to one who knows 
 these things, and who is aiming at an inheritance among 
 them that are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus. If not, 
 my exhortation, I feel, will not be taken amiss, as it has 
 been elicited by the claims of friendship which I once held 
 toward one who now needs no sympathies, and who has 
 found a dearer than any earthly friend ever could have been 
 — a Saviour ; who now enjoys a home far happier than the 
 happiest of earth, a home of eternal rest. This dispensa- 
 tion reads the instructive lesson, ' be ye also ready ;' and 
 adds the exhortation, ' be not slothful, biit followers of those 
 who through faith and patience inherit the promises.' 
 
 "In the merciful and wise appointment of God, time 
 softens the severity of sorrows, and administers its own 
 
186 MEMOIR OF 
 
 healing to the wounds of the heart ; but infinitely better is 
 that consolation which flows from the pure source of religion. 
 I need no apology for having directed your attention to these 
 topics, at such a time. 
 
 " It would be a matter of gratification, if at some future 
 period, when your feelings would allow the exercise, you 
 
 would give us some account of the last illness of Mrs. D . 
 
 My wife, as well as myself, takes great interest in. this 
 subject. I leave this, however, as a matter resting entirely 
 upon your own feelings. I have no peculiar claims, neither 
 would I wish to> urge a request of this kind, if in the least 
 degree unpleasant. It is a mere personal gratification, and 
 if it would harrass your feelings, and briiig back recollections 
 of too painfiil a character, I could not expect it. 
 
 " With every feeling of sympathy, and every hope that 
 this dispensation may be blessed to your everlasting 
 welfare, 
 
 " I remain, my dear sir, 
 
 " Your friend and servant, 
 
 "G. T.;Bedell." 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 187 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Piiatoral Character — Attention to Communicants — The Evils attending 
 a Country Residence — Pastoral Letter on the Cholera — Pastoral 
 Eeproofe — Pastoral Visits. 
 
 The watchfulness over his people which we have already 
 exhibited, and of which we have been able to present soine 
 interesting illustrations, extended to all the changing circum- 
 stances of their lives. No opportunity which might be 
 Improved by him for a good impression )ipon their minds 
 was allowed to passed unnoticed. In his preaching to them 
 he was accustomed to take advantage of every occasion 
 which might furnish to him room for any peculiarly useful 
 remarks. The same vigilance followed them in their private 
 scenes and relations. An interesting illustration of this may 
 be given in connection with a habit which he found much 
 increasing among his people. A large portion of his con- 
 gregation were accustomed to be absent from the city during 
 a portion of the summer, either for an occasional journey or 
 for a country residence. He saw and felt the ill effects fre- 
 quently resulting from this interruption in their enjoyment 
 of religious privileges, and their discharge ofreligious duties. 
 To warn those over whom he watched as one that must give 
 an account, he addressed them especially upon this subject, 
 on some Sunday early in the summer before their general 
 departure from the city, and again in the autumn after their 
 
188 MEMOIR OP 
 
 return. I have not room for the exhibition of all his var ;•,;• 
 addresses upon this suhjeot. Some extracts from one I'iU 
 show his own feeling in connection with it, and the vigi' mce 
 with which he observed his people, and the fidelity with 
 which he admonished and warned them. The subj^cSt'of 
 this address, delivered to them in the month of June, ia 
 " The evils attendant on a residence in the country, and on 
 travelling." 
 
 " Since I have been settled in this city, the J <ost cases of 
 religious depression and declension which ha- « come under 
 my notice have occurred in the autumn oi the year, and 
 among those professors of religion who h re spent their 
 summers in the country, or in travelling. ITiis is a curious 
 fact, and one the causes of which are well worthy of investi- 
 gation. I have been obliged to investigate the subject, in 
 order that I might properly shape my pastoral instruction to 
 individuals in private ; and those investigations are so strik-' 
 ing that I believe it of great importance to discuss the sub- 
 ject as among the profitable themes of pulpit instruction. 
 Upon what principles can we account for the fact, that in 
 the autumn of the year, and among those who are professors, 
 of religion, we frequently find cases either of depression of 
 spirits or of absolute declension on the subject of religion'? 
 I can discuss this subject experimentally, because what I say 
 is not abstract reasoning, but truth gathered from the history 
 of some melancholy cases. Let , it not be supposed that I 
 am about to object to passing the distressing heats of the 
 summer among the shades and delicious retirements of the 
 country, or that I in the least object to travelling. No ; I 
 am an advocate -for these, and the necessities of my own 
 health require the relaxation and refreshment which such 
 changes are calculated to produce. But let us not be blind 
 to the evils attendant on these things ; let us not be ignorant 
 of the devices of the devil, for there can be no question 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 189 
 
 that the great adversary takes advantage of this season to 
 sow in our bosoms the seeds of departure from God, and 
 .then quiets our consciences by the plea that the evils were 
 unavoidable. 
 
 " 1. I mention an inattention to secret religious duties. 
 The duties of the closet, such as reading, meditation, prayer, 
 self-examination, are indispensably necessary to the welfare 
 of the soul. Now a professor of religion starts off to spend 
 the summer in travelling, or in the retirement of the country. 
 In either case there is temptation to neglect these duties ; 
 public conveyances hurry us along as if the object was to 
 annihilate time and space ; public houses afford small accom- 
 modation for reading, and meditation, and prayer. We start 
 early in the morning and we travel till late at night ; all is 
 hurry and bustle, and nothing is thought of except to accom- 
 plish our wish. Thus much as to travelling. If we are 
 ^n the country, perhaps- there are other persons -with us 
 of uncongenial dispositions and habits. We have small 
 rooms, new occupations, arid a variety of new engagements. 
 I will venture to assert that there is not within the sound of 
 my voice one solitary case of religious depression or declen- 
 sion as connected with this subject, where the individual, if 
 honest, will not confess that he or she had neglected reli- 
 gious duties, especially those of a private character. Beside 
 this, public duties are broken in upon; there are not. the 
 same Sabbath privileges which there are at home ; and if 
 there are, the heat and the want of conveyances are pleaded 
 in excuse for neglecting them. All these, by a process just 
 as natural as any which can be imagined, lead to depression • 
 for just as well might we hope that our bodies should retain 
 their vigor without food and exercise, as that our souls 
 should flourish without that continued and intimate commu 
 nion with God which alone supplies them aliment. The 
 vegetable creation will not thrive without light, neither will 
 the seed of diviner grace which may have been sown in our 
 
190 MEMOIR OF 
 
 hearts grow without the light of God's countenance. This 
 must be sought, else it will te withheld, and leave the soul 
 to darkness and to douht. This is one cause of religious 
 depression in some, and declension in others. 
 
 " 2. But, second ; to omission of duty many add actual 
 sin. Forced by circumstances, as thej say, many profes- 
 sors of religion travel on the Sabbach, on the vain plea, that 
 they shall commit as little sin by so doing, as by staying 
 where they happen to be uncomfortably placed. Some are 
 in large public establishments, and spend the day, not in 
 their rooms, but in promiscuous company. Those who do 
 not travel, but who are in the country, are apt to spend the 
 Sunday very idly, or else improperly ; neither going to 
 Church, nor .occupied in prayer and meditation. And be- 
 side this, there are many professing Christians, who, in the 
 country, are the actual cause of sia iu others. For instance, 
 a familj^ in the country, a few miles from the city, has the 
 father, or tiie brother, remaining behind. What then ? 
 The wife' and the relatives must be visited. Shall I leave 
 my business ? asks the husband. Oh ! no, I can not spare 
 time to see my family and friends during the week. When 
 can I go ? Ah ! there is Sunday ! It is no matter if I break 
 God's law. I will go out on Saturday and stay till Monday. 
 I shall gain two things by it ; I shall see my family and 
 spe»d my time with ease and comfort, and I shall lose 
 nothing, but rather save a day. Some ride out on Sunday 
 morning, and in again in the evening, and spend the day 
 withoiit religion. Thus the man breaks the commandment 
 of God ; the wife and the children are taught that the insti- 
 tutions of public- worship are mere matters of convenience ; 
 duties are neglected ; God is insulted. Is it wonderful that 
 God withdraws his presence from those thus tempting him? 
 Is it not rather wonderful that he does not cast them off for 
 ever? 
 
 " Now in the fall of the year, the travellers return from 
 
KEY. DR. BEDELL. 191 
 
 their tours, and those from the country to their homes ; the 
 closet is sought, but it has been too much neglected to give 
 pleasure now. Spiritual darluiess overwhelms the soul, and 
 in anguish the individual cries, ' Oh ! that I were as in months 
 past !' My friends, you bring this on yourselves. There 
 is no necessity that you should neglect your duties of read- 
 ing, meditation, prayer, self-examination ; because if travel- 
 ling or being in the country bring the neglect of God and 
 your souls as necessary appendages, then you had better 
 never travel. You had better endure the heat of the city, 
 than neglect God savi ruin your own souls. But this was 
 not necessary. You permit your enemy to get the advan- 
 tage over you. You gradually become careless and indif- 
 ferent. One duty, gives way, then another ; one sin is com- 
 mitted, then another ; and at length your conscience ceases 
 to reprove. You then come back to the scenes of your usual 
 religious associates, and conscience is at work, and then you 
 discover the evil. This is the histwy of religious declension 
 in some, and depression in others ; and this leads me, 
 
 " II. To the renaedy. If you must go into the country, 
 or if you must travel, determine upon one thing before you 
 go. God goes with you wherever you go. Set your face 
 like a flint against sin ; determine to do nothing, and encour- 
 age nothing, which you would not do and encourage at home. 
 If you travel, where you reach on Sunday, stop ; if there is 
 a place of worship, go to it. If not, go to your chamber, 
 and spend the day with the best of company, your God, 
 Carry your Bible with you ; think not to escape out of the 
 presence of God ; mingle not with indiscriminate or light 
 company ; give the day and give your heart to God. If 
 you are in the country near to. a,ny place of worship, or to 
 the city, go to it ; put yourself to some inconvenience ; if 
 not, spend the day with God. Do not encourage your hus- 
 band or relatives in ruining their souls to enjoy your com- 
 pany. You thus become partakers of their sins. 
 
192 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "There must be a positive determination made to set 
 your face against any thing which will draw you from God, 
 directly or indirectly. You must be on your guard, and 
 determine that on no account whatever will you bring' your- 
 selves into the difficulty. But perhaps some may say, then 
 we must never travel, and never go into the country ; we 
 must stay and suffer iii health ; it is impossible to do other- 
 wise, there are so many disadvantages. Permit me, my 
 dear friends, to say to you, in the honesty and simplicity of 
 the Gospel, that if, in your individual case, these things are 
 inseparable from your circumstances ; if you can not travel 
 or go into the country without neglecting God and your 
 souls, then it is your imperative duty never to travel, and 
 never to go into the country. It can not possibly be your 
 duty to ruin your souls. You had better stay in the heat 
 of the city ; aye, if there should even be- here the 'pestilence 
 that walketh in darkness, and the sickness that destroyeth 
 at noon-day.' Your children had better go tp heaven before 
 they have the guilt of actual sin on their souls ; every in- 
 convenience had better be endured than that you should lose 
 both soul and body in hell, and be the ruin of your children 
 also. The great business of your lives, permit me to tell 
 you, is to regard eternity, not time ; to see that you are 
 prepared for death and judgment, rather than prepared for 
 mere enjoyment. You know not when your Lord may 
 come. For aught you can know to the contrary, you may 
 be called away to judgment while far distant from your 
 home ; or from the shades and delights of your summer 
 residence, yoii may be sunimoned to give an account of your 
 stewardship. And if this should take place while you are 
 thus neglecting God, your settlement at the day of judgment 
 will be terrible indeed. I say, and the reason of every one 
 can not but respond to it, if you think travelling and country 
 residence incompatible with precisely the same state of 
 mind and exercises of heart as are indispensable at home, 
 
EEV. DR. BEDEIL. 193 
 
 then your duty is to stay, and if the body perishes, the soul 
 may be safe. But I do not believe these things incompa- 
 tible. The situation is more difficult, it is true ; but because 
 it is difficult, it ought to rouse new energies. God can be 
 served, and yet the distant journey taken, or the country 
 quiet resorted to. But it requires you to fight against your 
 inward corruptions, and to resist your great and spiritual 
 adversery. You must be decided against the world, and 
 friends and relatives, if you would save your souls from 
 neglect of God." 
 
 To second his efforts in this public address, and still more 
 personally and particularly to apply the admonitions which 
 he had given, he placed in the hands of every member of 
 the Church who was about leaving him under such circum- 
 stances, the following circular, the effect of which was made 
 by the divine blessing, most beneficial iii many instances. 
 
 " Mt Dear Friend : 
 
 " You are about to take up your residence in the country 
 for the summer season, or to spend the summer in travel- 
 ling. Health, or recreation, or perhaps both, are the objects 
 you have in view. As a professing Christian, you are about 
 to be placed in a situation extremely dangerous 'to your 
 spiritual welfare ; and as the pastor set over you in the 
 Lord, I feel that my duty can only be discharged by giving 
 you warning of your danger, and calling your attention to 
 some points of duty. Suffer me, then, by the Christian af- 
 fection which I bear you, to ask your attention to the follow- 
 ing considerations : 
 
 " IF RESIDING IN THE COUNTRY, 
 
 " 1. Never neglect your accustomed private duties of 
 reading, meditation, self-examination, and prayer. 
 " 2. Never fail to attend some place of worship on the 
 9 
 
194 MEMOIE OF 
 
 Lord's day, unless prevented by such circumstances as you 
 are sure will excuse you in the eye of God. 
 
 "3. Never entertain invited company on thel^prd's day, 
 and pay no visits, unless to the sick and needy, as acts of 
 benevolence. 
 
 " 4. Never engage in any thing cither on the Lord's or on 
 any secular day which will compromise your Christian con- 
 sistency. ' 
 
 " 5. Seek to do good to the souls of your family, and all 
 others within your reach. 
 
 "'Q. Always remember that you are to 'stand before the 
 judgment-seat of Christ.' 
 
 "If travelling, 
 
 " 1. Never, on any plea whatever, travel on the Lord's 
 daji^ 
 
 " 2. Make your arrangements to stop, if possible, in some 
 place where you can enjoy sui);able religious privileges. 
 
 " 3. If at a public house or watering-place on the Lord's 
 day,-'do not mingle with indiscriminate company. Keep your 
 own room as much as possible, and be engaged in such a 
 way as may make the day profitable to your souls^ and 
 honorable to your God. 
 
 " 4. Every day find or make time for your private duties 
 of reading, meditation, self-examination, and prayer, f 
 
 " 5. Garry tracts and good books with you, to read, dis- 
 tribute, or to lend, according-to circumstances. 
 
 "6. Seek for opportuhities to do good to the souls, of 
 those into whose society you may fall. 
 
 " 7. Never, by deed or conversation, appear to be ashamed 
 of your rff.ligious profession. 
 
 " 8. Eemember you are to ' stand before the judgment- 
 seat of Christ.' ' 
 
 " Let me entreat you to read these items of advice over 
 and Over again, and recur to them- in every time of tcmpta- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 19.5 
 
 tion. They are the affectionate warnings of one who knows 
 the danger of your situation, and whose ' heart's desire and 
 prayer to God' it is, that you may maintain your Christian 
 integrity, honor God, live in obedience to his will, and 
 enjoy the peace which can alone spring from a ' conscience 
 void of offense,' ' because the love of God is shed abroad 
 in the heart.' 
 
 " If neither a sense of duty, nor this affectionate appeal, 
 can hinder you from sinning against God and, your own 
 soul, this pastoral letter will be my testimony when we 
 stand together at the bar of God, that I have warned you of 
 your danger, and am guiltless of your blood. 
 
 " Most truly, your Friend and Pastor." 
 
 I have never on any occasion witnessed a more interest- 
 ing and melting scene than when these circulars were deliv- 
 ered to his people in the last summer of his life, June, 1834 
 He was lying upon the sofa in the vestry-room after the 
 services of the morning -were concluded, exhausted and pale. 
 He had preached with unusual power and feeling. It was 
 the last sermon I ever heard from him. The day is thus 
 described by one of the members of his church : 
 
 " Sunday, June 15. 
 " Our dear pastor, having returned for a day from the 
 country, notwithstanding his greatly enfeebled health, 
 preached twice. In the morning from 2d Corinthians, v. 1, 
 ' For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
 were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not 
 made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' He stated that 
 we have here first the confident hope of the Christian ; and 
 second, the ground of that confidence. The simple ground 
 of confidence he declared to be the promise of God, and the. 
 eternal inheritance perfectly sure to him who believes, He 
 then inquired. Do we believe? enforcing the enjoyment, of 
 
196 MEMOIR OF 
 
 an assured hope as the privilege and duty of every Christian. 
 Oh! what a sermon was before us, in the pallid face, deathlike 
 countenance, and sometimes tremulous voice, of him who 
 thus addressed us !" 
 
 Those of his congregation who were ahout leavmg the 
 city, gathered around him after service, as he lay imable to 
 rise and welcome them, and he addressed to each of them 
 separately a few low words of affectionate parting counsel. 
 They all appeared to part with him in the fear that they 
 should see his face no more, and none left him without 
 tears. I could not but realize how precious was the bond 
 that had united these children of his ministry to him, and 
 how happy the condition, even in his earthly connections, 
 of a man who had been so made a blessing of God to the 
 souls of his people. I parted with him then also myself, 
 and saw him no more, until I was called to perform the sad 
 office of committing his body to the earth. Oh ! that the 
 ministry and the departure of his brethren in the Church 
 may be all like his ! 
 
 The failure of his own health required him in several of 
 the last years of his life to be absent from the city during 
 some of the summer months. But wherever he was, his 
 interest in the welfare of his beloved people could not be 
 diminished. And when unable to address them personally, 
 he communicated to them his views and wishes through 
 short pastoral letters, which were always welcomed by then) 
 as messages of peculiar importance and interest. The fol- 
 lowing was addressed to them from the country, in the 
 summer of 1832, to be read on a day of public humiliation 
 and prayer, appointed by the civil authority in relation to that 
 dreaded pestilence, the cholera, which made its appearance 
 on this continent during that season, and carried thousands 
 of unprepared souls to an awful eternity. 
 
rev. dr. bedell. 19t 
 
 " Dearly Beloved Brethren : 
 
 " Had the proclamation of the Governor been received 
 previous to my arrangements for my usual summer journey, 
 I should have been with you to-day to mingle my own with 
 your supplications at a throne of grace and mercy. It 
 grieves me to be obliged to be absent from you in a time 
 like the present; but were I in the city I should be unable 
 to perform any of the duties of the parish, as you are aware 
 that for several years last past I have been for the most part 
 disabled during the month of August and most of Sep- 
 tember, from the full discharge of duties, either by positive 
 illness or extreme debility, and forced to spend that portion 
 of the time in travelling for health. I can not, however, 
 permit the present day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, 
 to pass over without offering you a few words of advice and 
 exhortation, as the pastor set over you in the Lord. As it 
 regards the most of you, indeed I may say all, I have very 
 little fear as to your immediate exposure to the attack of 
 the pestilence which has now appeared in our beloved city, 
 for I am aware that our congregation is composed of those 
 whose habits of life, humanly speaking, render them less 
 liable to attack. I say this not to arrest any salutary alarm 
 which may be on your minds, but to prevent unnecessary 
 fear. Maintain those habits of temperance and regularity 
 of living which have hitherto characterized you, and be 
 much engaged in works of charity and mercy, and you may 
 reasonably hope to be exempt from a disease which experi 
 cnce shows to have, as a general rule, selected its victims 
 from among those whose habits of life have not been in 
 accordance with the rules of Gospel sobriety. To this there 
 have been exceptions, but I pray God that the exceptions 
 may not fall among my beloved people. Let the course of 
 Divine Providence, however, be what it may, there is one 
 method of disarming the pestilence of the terrors with which 
 it is otherwise invested. Let those among you who have a 
 
198 MEMOIR OF "; 
 
 good hope through grace, that your sins are pardoned and 
 yourselves accepted in the Lord Jesus, he 'diligent that ye 
 he found of him without spot and blaineless.' See that ye 
 grow in grace, and that, especially in this season, ye be 
 much engaged in prayer, that the Lord will look upon our 
 city in mercy, and stay the hand of his righteous judgments. 
 Be ye active in the discharge of Christian duties, and keep- 
 ing a firm confidence in Him whom you have taken as your 
 Saviour, do your duty to your fellow-men. If under these 
 circumstances the arrows of the destroyer shall fall on any 
 of you, you would only realize the truth of the declaration, 
 
 ' Death's but the servant Jesus sends 
 To call you to his arms.' 
 
 " But there are some of you, my dearly beloved brethren, 
 concerning whom. I have great sorrow in my heart. I mean 
 those to whom I have so many years preached the Gospel, 
 and who as yet have refused to receive its offers of mercy 
 to the salvation of their souls. Let me beseech you to listen 
 to the voice of God, now that his voice speaks to you under 
 circumstances of so much solemnity as the present. There 
 are those among you who may be cut off in your sins ; and 
 let me press on you the solemn inquiry of the Apostle — 'If 
 the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and 
 the sinner appear V Take warning, I entreat you, and now 
 in the time of this visitation of judgment, ' take heed to the 
 things which concern your everlasting peace, ere they be for 
 ever hidden from your eyes.' This exhortation is always 
 appropriate, but more particularly so at the present time, 
 when death comes as a thief in the night, and leaves no timo 
 or opportunity to make your peace with God. I have no 
 pressing solicitude as to any of you except those who are in 
 the condition last described ; but for you I feel much, lest 
 any of you should be called to your solemn account of judg- 
 ment before you have by faith secured that interest in the 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 199 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ, which alone can enable you to render 
 that account with joy, and not with grief. Let me again and 
 again beseech you to repent and return to the Lord, and to 
 works meet for repentance ; and then should God's visita- 
 tion reach you personally, it would only prostrate your 
 bodies in the dust, but leave your souls safe in the siire sal- 
 vation of the Lord Jesus. Let me beg of you to give heed 
 to these lines from one who has now for nine years addressed 
 you, and who, though compelled by reason of his own pre- 
 carious health to be absent, still desires to present to your 
 consideration, even -through the imperfect medium of a let- 
 ter, the calls and the offers of the Gospel. 
 
 " To all of you who, in the midst of the pestilence that 
 walketh in darkness, and the sickness tliat destroyeth at 
 the noon-day, are yet privileged to meet together for prayer 
 and supplication, let me urge the necessity of a deep and 
 heartfelt humility in the sight of God, ' Kend your hearts, 
 and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and 
 merciful, long-suffering, and of great goodness, and repent- 
 eth him of the evil,' peradventurc he will hear- and leave a 
 blessing in answer to your prayers. Wherever the provi- 
 dence of God may find me on the day you assemble, I shall 
 strive to be with you in spirit, though not in bodily pre- 
 sence ; and under any circumstances shall not fail to pray 
 for you, that the Lord may keep you safely; and that 
 though thousands fall beside you, and ten thousand at your 
 right hand, no plague may come nigh you or your dwell- 
 incrs. And I trust that in- your prayers and supplications 
 you willnot fail to remember Mm who needs the benefit of 
 your most ardent and persevering prayers, both for his 
 bodily and spiritual health. 
 
 "Through the medium of my friend and assistant, to 
 whose discretion I have intrusted that portion of the con- 
 cerns of our Church which fall to my lot, I shall frequently ■ 
 hear of your welfare. May the Lord be with him and you, 
 
200 MEMOIR OP 
 
 and may the Holy Spirit so sanctify this afflictive dispensa- 
 tion to us all, that our souls may reap the intended benefit, 
 both in time and throughout eternity. 
 
 " I remain, dearly beloved Brethren, 
 
 " Your Friend and Pastor." 
 
 One of the most difficult duties of the private friend, or 
 the'^ Christian pastor, is the administration of necessary 
 reproof to those who err. Dr. Bedell was especially calcu- 
 lated, from the very peculiar delicacy and sensitiveness of 
 his character and temperament, to feel this difficulty deeply, 
 and to shrink from the proper discharge of the duty. But 
 the spirit of love by which he was governed, and the full 
 and sincere consecration of himself to the duties of the min- 
 istry, sustained him in this also, and enabled him to exercise 
 this office with fidelity. The letter below, a copy of which 
 was sent to individuals among his people, as occasion 
 required, presents a singular and beautiful illustration of 
 the delicacy with which this painful duty was discharged by 
 him, and the way in which he used, with experience and 
 skill, " the sword of the Spirit," which is the word of God, 
 in contending with difficulties which arose around him. 
 
 " (PKIVATE.) 
 
 " Mt Dear Friend : 
 
 "Among the duties of the ministry laid down in the Scrip- 
 tures, I find the following, ' to reprove, rebuke, exhort with 
 all long-suffering and doctrine.' I have frequently found, 
 that a hint given in a spirit of love has been effectual to 
 remove an error or to rectify an abuse ; and that such a 
 hint, if given in Scripture language, carries with it peculiar 
 weight : I purpose to adopt this plan. Sometimes I wish to 
 rebuke, sometimes to commend. I shall do both without 
 offense, if I do them in the words of God. To illustrajte my 
 meaning : If I send this letter to one of my communicants, 
 
hev. dk. bedell. 201 
 
 and simply quote at the bottom Luke 10 : 41, 42, I mean 
 that one to understand that I think him or her neglecting the 
 soul for worldly concerns. If I quote Hebrews 10 : 23-2&, 
 it will be understood that I think the individual to whom 
 it is sent negligent in attendance at the lectures or prayer- 
 meetings. If I quote 2 Corinthians 6 : 17, it will be under- 
 stood that I consider the person addressed entirely too much 
 disposed to enter into follies and amusements inconsistent 
 with the Christian calling. If I quote 1 Peter 3 : 3, 4, it 
 will be understood that I allude to dress, etc. If I quote 
 Proverbs 16 : 82, it will be understood that I consider the 
 individual under the influence of an improper spirit. These 
 I mean as mere specimens for explanation, and will be suffi- 
 cient to show my meaning. The passage I mean for you 
 may be different from any of these, and you will see it at 
 the bottom of the page. I pray you to turn to it at once ; 
 ascertain what I mean, pray over it, and see if the hint thus 
 affectionately given, may not, by a divine blessing, conduce 
 to your spiritual and eternal good. No one knows that I 
 have addressed this letter to you. It is meant as entirely 
 of a private character. May the Lord bless you, and keep 
 you by his grace, through faith unto salvation. 
 
 " Your Friend and Pastor." 
 
 But his decision and boldness in reproving and warning 
 were in no degree less manifest than his skill. This will be 
 evident from the following letter addressed to a member of 
 his church, whom he considered as a backslider : 
 
 " Mt Deab, Friend : 
 
 " Had I this morning received the melancholy intelligence 
 of the death of some near relative, it could not prove so 
 oppressive to my feelings as something which I hav« this 
 moment heard in relation to yourself, and something which 
 I can Scarcely yet bring myself to believe. Can it be possi- 
 9* 
 
202 MEMOIR OF 
 
 ble, that you suffer yourself to be enticed to the theatre 1 
 and is it possible that you have permitted a ball at your 
 house, and on an evening too, when I had been accustomed 
 to see you in the house of God ? 
 
 " I did not believe these things, because you fully knew 
 my views on all these matters, and as far as my recollection 
 serves, always agreed with me in their being utterly incon- 
 sistent with the true Christian profession. And I was still 
 less inclined to believe these things, because it was only 
 lately that you voluntarily mentioned your dislike even of 
 the character that your musical parties had assumed. 
 
 " It is utterly impossible for me to tell you the sorrow 
 which overpresses my heart on the reception of this informa- 
 tion — sorrow on jny own account, for I am selfish in my 
 grief, because there is not an individual upon whopi my con- 
 fidence has been more fully placed ; sorrow on your account, 
 for how can these things be witiiout an abandonment of 
 Christ, and the prospect of eternal ruin as the consequence 1 
 — sorrow on account of religion ; for oh ! how many will 
 stumble and fall over this ' stumbling-block !' If I could 
 deny the truth of the information, I would most willingly 
 do it with tears, and even write it in my own blood. I 
 know perfectly well that there may be such things as family 
 obstacles in the way of a pleasant discharge of duty. But 
 it is impossible that any thing should offer an excuse for the 
 departure from the line of Christian duty. He that loveth 
 father or mother, wife or children, more tham Christ, can not 
 be his disciple ; and it is a Christian's duty at all hazards, 
 to rule his household after the precepts of the Lord. Oh ! 
 let me beg of you, my dear friend, to i;etrace those wander- 
 ing footsteps — to repent of this departure, and in the deep- 
 est humility to seek the pardon of the Lord, and grace to 
 be a decided Christian. If you are not willing to be on the 
 Lord's side, I pray you for your soul's sake, do not add to 
 a worldly course the great condemnation of a Christian pro- 
 
KEV. DB. BEDELL. 203 
 
 fessioji. Give up the one or the «ther. The most danger 
 ous of all states is an attempt to unite the two. Oh ! that 1 
 could hear you say, ' I will arise and go to my Father.' 
 For this I will pray, for who in this world do I love better, 
 my friend and my benefactor 1 
 
 " I hope I have not hurt your feelings. As a minister of 
 God, under whose instrumentality you made a profession 
 of religion, I have only discharged my duty, and discharged 
 it faithfully, because I am more attached to you than to any 
 other. If you can not purpose to adorn the doctrine of 
 Christ by a consistent profession, God give me grace to 
 mourn as one who mourns for the dead. 
 
 " Your afflicted Friend, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
 The following pastoral letter, addressed to the congrega- 
 tion, will show the fidelity of his watchfulness as a shepherd 
 of the flock, under another aspect. Whatever was the diffi- 
 culty before him, he had no fear in meeting it, and was able 
 always, with " an open face," and a sincere and affectionate 
 spirit, to go through the emergencies of trial to which he 
 was called. The circumstances attending the present letter 
 will be sufficiently explained in itself. 
 
 " Dearly Beloved Brethren : 
 
 " It is probable the most of you are aware that it will not 
 be in my power to attend to the usual evening services of 
 our church until the weather shall become more moderate 
 and settled. Having suffered much this season from expo- 
 sure to the night air, in consequence of the peculiar severity 
 of the winter, my physician, in whose judgment I place 
 implicit confidence, has thought it best that I should not 
 attempt my customary duties on Friday evenings, until I 
 can do it with more probable safety to myself. To this 
 arrangement I submit, because 1 feel that my Own most 
 
20-4 MEMOIR OF 
 
 earnest desifes are not to be put in competition with the 
 medical advice formed on mature deliberation. God be 
 praised, I feel that my health is very materially improved 
 from -what it was three weeks ago, and I rejoice in the pros- 
 pect of not being prevented from discharging my duties on 
 the Lord's day. 
 
 " When I found that I should be compelled to relinquish 
 the idea, of lecturing for the space of at least -five or six 
 weeks, my mind became painfully exercised as to what was 
 the course of my duty in relation to the Friday-evening lec- 
 ture. I regret to be compelled to say that I felt as if it 
 might be my duty to close the lectures, because I did fear 
 that the attendance might be so diminished as to be observed 
 by those who would kindly assist me in the period of my 
 absence. On mature reflection, however, I came to the con- 
 clusion, that let those who were accustomed to attend, take 
 what course they might, it was my obvious duty not to close 
 up the opportunity of religious instruction. The intention 
 of this pastoral letter is to express my opinion on a subject 
 which has never ceased to give uneasiness to my mind, 
 namely, the unchristian disposition manifested by many to 
 forsake the instruction of the Lord's house whenever the 
 preacher may not be one who in all respects may gratify 
 their tastes. This is an unwholesome state of feeling which 
 I have long known to exist among ourselves to a considera- 
 ble extent, and which can not be too strongly reprobated as 
 hiconsistent with a right state of feeling toward the worship 
 and the word of God. Where the minister who preaches is 
 known, and believed to preach the truth as it is in Jesus, 
 there is no excuse which can justify a feeling of dislike to 
 his ministrations. It is a direct and positive proof of the 
 want of a sound spiritual state. Under no circumstances, 
 unless the character of the minister be such as may not be 
 approved, or unless he is not believed to deliver the mes- 
 sage of the Gospel in simplicity and godly sincerity, is it 
 
Ei3V. DR. BEDELL. 203 
 
 justifiable to feel a disrelish to his ministrations ? And 
 though it is natural, and can not be avoided, to be more 
 gratified with one than with another, yet wherever providen- 
 tial circumstances place a minister before the people, rever- 
 ence for the word of God ought to insure him a respectful 
 attention. 
 
 " I have felt these things most painfully, because I have 
 seen and known many who will not attend either on Sun- 
 days or at the lectures, unless they are first assured who is 
 to be the preacher. This is peculiarly distressing to myself, 
 because, when any of my brethren in the ministry assist 
 me, it is purely because they desire to render me the aid 
 which my health requires ; and what ought to give me more 
 pain than the reflection that my own people are not willing 
 to appreciate the services done from the spirit of kindness, 
 to their own minister? 
 
 " I am happy to say, that both in relation to the services 
 on Sundays, and in relation to these lectures, there has been 
 a manifest improvement, and apparently a much better state 
 of feeling than formerly existed. And I do not write thes5 
 things so much to complain of what at present exists, as I 
 do to caution you on a subject "which I fear is not as much 
 thought of as it should be. Especially by those accustomed 
 to attend the lectures, and still more particularly by those 
 who are the professing rnembers of this church, I expect a 
 course of conduct conformable to the Gospel. Let them be, 
 in their places just as if I was to be there ; let them give 
 heed to the message just as if I had been so highly privileged 
 as to deliver it. It is in this way alone that a blessing can 
 be expected ; and I hardly need to say that it is in this way 
 alone that my feelings can be gratified. Let me but see that 
 the services of my dear brethren who kindly assist me are 
 duly appreciated, and I shall then take pleasure in address- 
 ing you, when in the mercy of God I may again be permit- 
 ted to resume the lectures myself; but it will be with pain 
 
206 MEMOIR OF 
 
 that I shall come back, if I find that the attendance in the 
 mean time has been much depreciated. 
 
 " It is my anxious desire for your spiritual welfare, breth- 
 ren, that has induced me to touch, even lightly aa I have, 
 on this subject. But I do wish my beloved people under all 
 circumstances to love and honor the Gospel for the Gospel's 
 sake, and to feel that they are highly distinguished by God 
 in being at all permitted to hear the Gospel in its purity ; 
 and let me beseech you all to seek to profit by that preach- 
 ing, and earnestly to take heed to the things which you hear, 
 lest at any time you should let them slip. Whether it is I, 
 your minister set over you m the Lord, or whether it is any 
 One of my brethren whose good will to me has induced them 
 to consent to this duty, who addresses you, oh ! let the Gos- 
 pel be mixed with faith, so that instead of hieing a savor of 
 death unto death, it may be a savor of life unto life. Too 
 long have very many of you neglected the things which con- 
 cern your everlasting peace ; too long have you misused the 
 mercies of God ; too long have you trampled under foot the 
 love of a Saviour. I pray you cease from these things and 
 return unto the Lord. In this your day of merciful visita- 
 tion, he stands ready to receive you, and pardon your sins, 
 and forgive you freely. May the Lord have you in his holy 
 keeping ; may he lift up the light of his countenance upon 
 you, and give you peace here and happiness hereafter, is the 
 prayer, through Jesus Christ, of 
 
 '' Your affectionate Friend and Pastor." 
 
 No one could feel more deeply the importance for a pastor, 
 of cultivating habits of frequent and affecticHiate intercourse 
 with the people of his charge. In connection Arith all the 
 instruments of good to which we have already referred, he 
 considered habitual visiting among fliem as the best method, 
 not only of obtaining a correct view of their peculiar eharao- 
 ters, circumstances, and feelings, but also of discharging the 
 
REV. DR. BEDKLl. 207 
 
 obligations of an efficient teacher and a -watciiful shepherd. 
 His habit of personal visiting was necessarily very much 
 affected by the decline of his health. But as long as he -vrps 
 at all able to fulfill this part of his duty, it was one in which 
 he took great delight, and in which he was especially useful. 
 He adopted various methods in the performance of pastoral 
 visits, that he might secure a regular and proper portion of 
 attention to every family. He kept an alphabetical register 
 of the congregation, and marked under its proper date every 
 visit which was made to each family, and made proper notes 
 to guide him in the use of any circumstances of an interest- 
 ing character which occurred in his connection with indi. 
 vidual families. If there was any appearance of serious 
 inquiry or attention in any family among those who had not 
 given themselves up to the Lord, an early day was appointed 
 for the repetition of his visit. He watched all indications 
 of good, and tried to take advantage of them all. His 
 general "object was to accomplish three visits in each year 
 to every family, beside his occasional visits to the sick and 
 the afflicted. Tliis extent of duty, however, the increase of 
 his congregation, and the failure of his own health, for 
 some years previous to his death, placed quite beyond his 
 power. 
 
 Until the decline of his health rendered the night air preju- 
 dicial and dangerous, he often made evening pastoral visits 
 upon the following plan. The family at whose house he had 
 appointed to be on the designated evening, invited such of 
 their friends as they thought proper, and when joined by 
 their pastor and his family, the evening was passed in con- 
 versation upon religious subjects and duties, calculated to 
 bring to view personal difficulties and interests, and was 
 closed with the reading and exposition of the Scriptures, 
 and with prayer. These pastoral visits were characterized 
 by the manner in which he received his friends at his own 
 house. ReligioiT was there always the prominent subject, 
 
208 MEMOIR OF 
 
 while his simplicity, and cheerfulness, and Base of manners 
 made it always a welcome and interesting suhject. The 
 benefit and gratification which was derived from these visits 
 made the reluctance at separating, when the proper hour 
 had arrived, entirely mutual. 
 
 In his visits to the sick and afflicted, the meekness and 
 solemnity of his deportment, united with the spirituality, and- 
 experience; and knowledge of religious truth exhibited in, 
 his conversation, secured th« deepest attention and interest, 
 and made him a uniform instrument of good in the hands 
 of God. The most obdurate hearts were subdued, and some- 
 times whole families were blessed by the grace of prod under 
 his peculiarly excellent ministrations. On one occasion, 
 when he was visiting one of the members of his charge in 
 sickness, this fact was particularly illustrated. The family 
 with whom this person resided, and who were not professors 
 of religion, were,, at the request of the sick man, invited to ' 
 be- present. The disease of this person was considered 
 incurable, and the scene was well calculated to awaken and 
 impress even the most thoughtless and indifferent. -One 
 among the family, who had been a long time the subject of 
 disease, and who was confined to her room, refused at first 
 to be carried into the other room. Her mind had been 
 much prejudiced against this minister of the Lord, and the 
 strictness of religious course and character which he incul- 
 cated. But after much solicitation she yielded; and. having 
 been thus an eye-witness, as she afterward said, of the 
 gentleness and holiness of his manner,' and of the peaceful 
 and attractive serenity of such a chamber of death, she 
 expressed an earnest desire to have an interview with the 
 pastor on her own account. He placed before her a simple 
 view of the plan of salvation, and, through the blessing of 
 God, she was enabled clearly to understand the system of 
 the GospeJ^, and to embrace it as her hope. ' She shortly 
 died in the consolation and triumph of faith, and for her few 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 209 
 
 remaining days she ceased not to bless God, who had sent 
 to her aid such a guide in the ways of eternal life. The 
 good which was thus begun in this family continued imder 
 his ministrations until every member of it, varying in age 
 from seventeen to eighty years, was rejoicing in God the 
 Saviour. 
 
 These instances of his usefulness in his private ministry 
 are in no degree peculiar. Such as he appeared on these 
 occasions he always was. Habitually anxious to do good, 
 he lost no opportunity to proclaim the riches of a Saviour's 
 mercy to the perishing children of men. The following 
 instances, communicated by a member of his church, will 
 illustrate this prevailing spirit : 
 
 " His simplicity was striking, as it is in all the truly 
 great — it was a childlike simplicity, which, blended as it 
 was with dignity, kindness, and unobtrusive solicitude for 
 the welfare of his fellow-men, was well calculated to inspire 
 the beholder with feelings of reverence and admiration, 
 knowing they were the companions of deep practical piety, 
 which was evinced first, by his humility, and secondly, his 
 self-denial. I well rem.ember an instance of the latter. It 
 was the first season the cholera made its appearance in the 
 United States ; every one near us seemed filled with alarm, 
 quite different from their former deportment ; but in him you 
 could observe not the slightest change, either in tone or man- 
 ner ; before this he had seemed more solemn than those who , 
 were about him ; now ihey were more solemn than he was. 
 I presume he long lived a;s with eternity just opening before 
 him, and this to others alarming messenger to the grave, 
 gave him no sensation so new as to change his calmness to 
 fear or affright, notwithstanding he was in peculiarly trying 
 oircumstances. His only son was at the Flushing Institute ; 
 all communication was entirely interdicted between New- 
 York and Philadelphia, and thus his return to his family at 
 
210 MEMOIR OP 
 
 this trying season was impossible. Dr. Bedell had just 
 learned all these particulars, the existence of the plague and 
 the impracticability of having his son with him, etc. ; yet 
 he left all, not even once so much as alluding to his own 
 concerns, and devoted himself to counsel and support others 
 who needed his direction ; yes, he meekly sat with us in 
 affliction, appearing not even to think of himself or his 
 child until we came to a satisfactory decision relative to our 
 affairs. 
 
 * * * " One evening I had been conversing with a friend 
 while Dr. B. was present ; we only parted for family prayers. 
 Dr. B. led family worship ; it was almost incredible 
 that he and my friend should have had nO' conversation to- 
 gether previous to worship, for his lecture on one of the 
 Psalms was so strangely in connection — "Persevere, Confess 
 your sins to God, go to the foot of the cross." This was 
 the substance of his exhortation. My friend remarked this 
 wonderful similarity, saying, the good Spirit put it into his 
 mind, the Lord saw our little meeting — (I was then under 
 deep exercise of mind, but I think not a converted Christ 
 ian) — ^it really seemfed as if he might have been present and 
 heard every word which we had spoken, and just have gone 
 on from where we left off. But no one but God the Spirit, 
 had influenced his mind. The hymn, at least, I really 
 thought my friend handed him, but she had not. 
 
 * * * " On another occasion. Dr. Bedell came and sat about 
 two houfs. The day before I had been told it was impossi- 
 ble for him to come ; and how did he come ! He then had 
 a blister on his breast, and had had seven, since he had seen 
 us ! What a state of health ! and thus he labored ; but he 
 has 'entered into rest.' How glorious the repose for a 
 Christian soldier after such warfare ! What are we sowing, 
 and how? is it good seed? and do we sow it 'sparingly,' or 
 do we sow it 'plentifully'? May we be enabled to work 
 while it is day ! We have but a winter day — short, dark and 
 
RBV. DR. BEDELL. 21 
 
 fleeting — in this cold land of our pilgrimage. But I have di 
 gressed ; I was led away by my feelings. During the above- 
 mentioned visit, our conversation was principally on the 
 communion. One of his observations was, ' If a root of 
 bitterness remained in the heart, he thought there was room 
 to fear for the state of that soul.' Some one told him we 
 were his chickens : he sweetly laughed and replied, ' I only 
 hope I shall be able to feed you.' Left us Bickersteth on 
 the Lord's Supper to read. 
 
 * * * " I once took tea at Dr. Bedell's; he had family ser- 
 vice ; he was very sick ; his little daughter stood by him 
 and read a portion of Scripture aloud. He prayed ; and oh ! 
 when he said, as if for his own soul, ' Not for any works of 
 righteousness which we have done,' I thought if such an one 
 could exclaim, ' Not for any works of righteousness,' etc., 
 what should be the cry of thousands of professing Christians, 
 professors of the same Christianity, and blessed (or cursed, 
 it may be, if they abuse the talent) with bodily health far 
 different from his." 
 
213 MEMOIR OF 
 
 CHAPTER VIII, 
 
 Pastoral Character — ^Prayer-Meeting — Revivals of Religion — Regularitj 
 in Services. 
 
 ' The pastoral character of Dr. Bedell was exhibited in sc 
 many varied attributes of excellence, that I feel myself 
 called upon to dwell upon it with much minuteness. A more 
 valuable model of ministerial fidelity and wisdom can hardly 
 be presented by the history of the Church. Beside the 
 various characteristics of his ministry already exhibited, 
 others equally valuable remain to be noticed. One very 
 important and influential department of his pastoral duty 
 was the establishment of frequent religious meetings during 
 the week ; both those which regularly occurred for social 
 prayer and improveinent in every week, and those which 
 were occasional and connected with the changing seasons of 
 the year, and the circumstances of his congregation. He 
 appointed a regular lecture on Friday evening of each week, 
 which for some years was held in the lecture-room belong- 
 ing to the. Church, but afterward, in consequence of the 
 increase of attendance, entirely beyond the capacity of the 
 room, was transferred to the church. These lectures were 
 generally familiar expositions of Scripture, especially adapted 
 to the cultivation of Christian character in those who had 
 professed themselves to be the followers of the Saviour, 
 presuming that the larger portion of the- congregation 
 
HEV. DR. BEDELL. 213 
 
 assembled upon such occasions was composed of this descrip- 
 tion of hearers. He had great facility in a simple style of 
 extemporaneous speaking, and probably none of his services 
 were more interesting or instructive to the serious portion 
 of his audience than these informal lectures. They furnished 
 occasions too, by which many persons who were not statedly 
 under his ministry, gained a knowledge of the truth ; and 
 many souls are the seals of his apostleship, both as members 
 of the Church to which his life was especially devoted, and 
 of others also, who received their first valuable religious 
 impressions and instruction by being induced to attend this 
 Friday-evening service at St. Andrew's Church. On Satur- 
 day evening of every week there was a social meeting for 
 prayer among the members of the church, which he attended 
 as frequently as his health and other duties would allow. 
 His heart was much devoted to the encouragement of the 
 spirit and habit of prayer among his people. During the 
 season of Lent a prayer-meeting was held every day, some- 
 times, when the season would permit it with convenience, at 
 six o'clock in the morning, and at others in the afternoon. 
 Every Friday in Lent was set apart as a special season of 
 fasting and prayer, when, during some seasons, a large por- 
 tion of the members of the church were assembled three 
 several times in the day for the worship of God. From 
 these seasons the richest blessings have flowed to the con- 
 gregation, and numbers, as the divine answer to the prayers 
 of the people of God, have been brought from darkness to 
 his marvellous light. Beside these occasions there was 
 observed a monthly prayer-meeting in connection with the 
 great cause of Christian missions, and also frequent meetings 
 of the Sunday-school teachers, Bible-classes, and religious 
 societies of the Church. Nearly every day in the year 
 there was some religious meeting in" conJiection with St. 
 Andrew's Church. This was an important item in the 
 ministry of Dr. Bedell. He begun, continued, and ended 
 
214 MEMOIR OF 
 
 every effort in prayer. His views of the importance of 
 meetings for prayer among the memhers of his church were 
 well known, and very decided. They characterized his whole 
 habit of ministry in connection with St. Andrew's Church. 
 Very often on Sunday, after the regular services of the day 
 were concluded, he invited the members of the church to a 
 meeting for prayer in the vestvy-room, for a blessing upon 
 the labors of the day. The prominence which he gave to 
 these views has been already remarkably displayed in the 
 fact related of their plain and fearless introduction in an 
 address at a meeting in Christ Church, Philadelphia, for the 
 formation of a Prayer-Book Society, at which the venerable 
 Bishop White, presided, and most of the clergy of the city 
 were present. To this fact there is given a peculiar interest, 
 frojn its having been his last anniversary address, but a few 
 months before his death, and after his health had been pro- 
 claimed by his physician to be verging to the close of life, 
 and of course the final and deliberate conclusion of his 
 extensive and experienced ministry. He was perfectly 
 aware of the exceptions which were made to this part of 
 his ministry, as countenancing irregularities in the church. 
 But while he was satisfied of the groundless character of 
 the charge, it altered not his own views, or purpose, or 
 course. ' And the manifest blessing which has rested upon 
 his efforts to do good among the people of his charge, will 
 show, that however men might in some cases think proper 
 to condemn, God has been pleased to accept and approve. 
 
 In the following extract from a letter to some friends in 
 England, he alludes to an affecting instance of what he 
 deemed to-be the result of the united prayers of his people: 
 
 "In your former letter you allude to the illness with which 
 I was seized, just before your departure from America. 
 Indeed, I never had an attack which prostrated me so much 
 as that. The Lord in mercy brought me through, and ever 
 
REV. dh. bedell. 215 
 
 since my health has been considerably better. To his 
 gracious name be all the praise. It will be interesting to 
 you to learn, that during the whole of that sickness my 
 dear pious people met together to pray for me, and on Good 
 Friday, connected with all . the other solemnities of that 
 solemn day, were engaged from eight o'clock in the morning 
 until six in the evening, having never left the room in which 
 they had assembled, except for the public service. At five 
 o'clock that afternoon the-crisisx)f my disease was passed. 
 Dr. M., wlien he came in, pronounced the change decidedly 
 for the better. At that hour of prayer and supplication the 
 fever left me, and from that time I speedily recovered. I 
 take it at the hand of God as an answer to the prayers of 
 his own people. May I pray for them, and labor for them, 
 while prayer and labor are /et within my reach. I have a 
 blessed company of God's people about me, to hold up my 
 hands. I trust I can say of the most of our communicants, 
 from all that can be judged, they are of ' such as shall be 
 saved.' " 
 
 / 
 The subject of prayer-meetings and social weekly reli- 
 gious services ought not to be passed over in this biogra- 
 phy without expressing unfeigned thankfulness at the change 
 which God has wrought in the minds of many in regard to 
 it. The principles which marked the ministry of Dr. Bedell 
 in this respect have been now extended far and wide in the 
 Episcopal Church. ^ The minister who is without what used 
 td be called, by way of contempt, "night-meetings," is now 
 an exception to the rule which governs in the practice of 
 the Church. The " Lecture-Room" is considered throughout 
 our borders a most desirable, nay, an almost indispensable 
 appendage to the consecrated house of God. Every year 
 is adding to the extension of these blessed evidences and 
 instruments of good in our Sion, and every year is accord- 
 ingly witnessing the increase of true and effectual piety 
 
216 MEMOIR OF 
 
 among our people. When Dr. Bedell's ministry commenced 
 in Philadelphia, he had few brethren in the ministry to 
 cooperate in what were then considered irregularities in the 
 Church. In one of his" sermons he thus refers to, and answers 
 a difficulty which he found thrown in his way. J) 
 
 " Where grace reigns in lively exercise, there is nothing 
 so delightful as the privilege of social worship. The lively 
 Christian loves every opportunity of prayer, whether it bo 
 the small circle of the prayer-meeting, or the weekly lecture, 
 or the more stately and well-ordered devotions of the conse- 
 crated sanctuary ; and there are few circumstances which 
 can keep him from availing himself of all these helps and 
 privileges. But lukewarmness lays its cold hand on all these 
 things. \By some,- for instance, the social prayer-meeting is 
 objected to, because they say that it is not orthodox ; the 
 Church disallows it ; it is a nursery for spiritual pride. Now 
 as a matter of vindication, I have only to say that the 
 Church says no such thing, however some may have thus 
 represented. Several of the most spiritual and devoted 
 Bishops which we have in this country are the warm and 
 decided advocates of these exercises. One of these Bishops 
 has written largely upon this subject ; and in relation to 
 another I can say, from personal knowledge, that on one visit 
 made by myself, I attended eleven of this kind of meetings 
 in the space of a fortnight. So much on the subject of their 
 regularity and orthodoxy. But here is the true secret, in 
 the great majority of instances, ' because thou art luke- 
 warm.' Let me hot be misunderstood. I grant that there 
 are many persons who do really and conscientiously believe 
 that they can not profitably encourage thepi ; yet as to the 
 majority of cases, where objections are made to prayer- 
 meetings, it is because luliewarmness has clothed herself in 
 the mistaken garb of orthodoxy and regularity."/ 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 217 
 
 But the difficulty here referred to nov/ hardly exists among 
 us. The concession is universal, that services of a less for- 
 mal character than the public services of the Lord's-day are 
 indispensable to the maintenance of the spirit and dominion 
 of true piety. Upon this subject controversy has ceased 
 among us, and Judah no longer vexes Ephraim. In a 
 ministry now not a short one, in the same city in which 
 Dr. Bedell labored, I am bound to bear my testimony, that 
 I have never met with nor heard of an objection to the dis- 
 charge of my duties upon such principles as seem to me to 
 be most expedient — ^while I have witnessed " night-meetings" 
 of some description, for religious services and the promo- 
 tion of piety, established and encouraged by every clergy- 
 man and in every congregation of the Episcopal Church in 
 this city. How glorious and delightful is the progress of 
 truth and peace am^ong us ! The Episcopal Church is seen 
 united in all her borders — her ministers laboring to preach 
 Christ the wisdom of God and the power of God unto sal- 
 vation for man — encouraging each other in the work com- 
 m.itted to them, and all conceding to all the liberty of fulfill- 
 ing the ministry which they have received according to their 
 views of right and duty, in the full and affectionate con- 
 formity which all have promised, " to the doctrine, discipline, 
 and worship of the Church." Happy are we in such a case ! 
 May God be praised for the blessing, and continue the 
 unspeakable benefit to us and our heirs for ever ! 
 
 In connection with this subject may bp also related the 
 continued earnestness of Dr. Bedell for the increase and 
 revival of true piety in his church, and the frequency and 
 extent in which the church was blessed with precious seasons 
 of refreshing from the presence of God. While he was the 
 rector of St. Andrew's Church there were several of those 
 blessed outpourings of the Spirit of God, with which the 
 American churches have been so frequently favored, under 
 which many souls together were awakened from sin, and 
 10 
 
218 MEMOIR OP 
 
 brought to a knowledge and acceptance of forgiveness in tha 
 blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, These seasons of revival, 
 it may be remarked, generally followed the weeks of Lent, 
 which had been passed, as we have seen, by this people in 
 habitual prayer. His eager desire for the conversion of his 
 hearers kept him ever upon the watch for any promising 
 indications among them, of special attention to the great 
 concerns of their souls. He marked the first manifestation 
 of peculiar seriousness and interest, and welcomed it as the 
 dawn of glorious light. He immediately called together, in 
 a separate and stated meeting for prayer and religious con- 
 versation, all whose minds were seriously impressed with a 
 view of their own dangers and wants ; and like a faithful 
 shepherd, having thus withdrawn the feeble from the residue 
 of the flock, he set himself to bind up the broken heart, to 
 guide the seeking soul to Christ, and to lead them all to a 
 full and immediate acceptance of the divine oiFers of salva- 
 tion, and to an Unreserved dedication of themselves to God. 
 The results of these meetings for awakened and anxious 
 persons were most valuable and happy. He became indi- 
 vidually acquainted with the cases, and feelings, and circum- 
 stances of all ; and they found in the advice and exhortation 
 which he was able thus to give them, the means of wisdom 
 unto salvation. In preparing those who gave evidence that 
 they had believed with their hearts unto righteousness, for a 
 public profession of religion, we have already seen evidence 
 of his vigilant and guarded habit. He watched over them 
 and instructed them as a father does his children, meeting 
 them collectively and individually again and again for 
 instruction and prayer, in reference to the profession which 
 they were to make, of personal devotion to God their 
 Saviour. In his arrangements for the occasion of -their con- 
 firmation, his remarkable love for order and harmony left 
 no circumstance unnoticed that might promote the serious 
 impression or happy feeling which he desired to have pro- 
 
REV. DR. BEOELL. 219 
 
 duced. Every candidate for the ordinance had a particular 
 seat and position assigned, so that there could he no con- 
 fusion, nor any disturbance from this source, of the state of 
 feeling which he desired. As the restdt of this care in all 
 arrangements, both those of the greater and less consequence 
 in themselves, there was uniformly an important and deep 
 impression produced^upon the minds of the congregation by 
 the administration of this ordinance, as there was also by 
 his method of administering all the Christian ordinances ; 
 and many have dated their first desires for a religious cha- 
 racter and hope from a personal observation of these inter- 
 esting scenes. One such occasion is described in the follow- 
 ing extract : 
 
 " During a period of great seriousness, and very soon 
 after I had professed the name of Christ, many were about 
 to make a public profession of religion ; our dear pastor had 
 delivered a deeply-interesting course of lectures on the sub- 
 ject of confirmation, and had conversed privately with all 
 the candidates about to partake of that solemn rite. None 
 could say that they were ignorant of the nature of those 
 vows which were to be ratified by the recipient of confirma- 
 tion at St. Andrew's. Faithfully, perseveringly, and afiec- 
 tionately did Dr. Bedell, both in season and out of season, 
 instruct all who came to him for counsel, upon a subject of 
 such deep solemnity. Sabbath morning was the season 
 selected on this occasion, and when memory reverts to that 
 morning my heart feels as though it would invoke the 
 holy influence which pervaded the sanctuary on that blessed 
 day ; and from its deepest recesses breathe desires like 
 these : Come, blessed Spirit ! who wert so sweetly present 
 then, and visit again all our hearts with the same elevating 
 influence which then touched lis with hallowed emotions of 
 penitence and love. 
 
 "At an early hour the candidates had all assembled, ] 
 
220 MEMOIR OP 
 
 think above fifty -were present ; they were seated in pews 
 near the chancel, and presented an appearance of solemnity, 
 simplicity, and devotion which was touching in the extreme ; 
 there was reason to hope that in every case they were about 
 cheerfully, under standingly, and without reserve, to dedicate 
 themselves to the service of God. They were almost all 
 m the freshest season of youth ; and there in the sanctuary, 
 before the altar of the Most High, removed far away from 
 the busy scenes of the world, they had turned aside to sit 
 at the feet ef Jesus — ^like Mary, to choose that better part, 
 which shall not be taken away from them ; many had left 
 father and mother, sister and brother, to follow Christ; 
 youth, beauty, and talent knelt that day beneath the^cross 
 of Jesus, and in the presence of m.en and angels, vowed to 
 be his for ever. ' It was a scene with which the world can 
 not sympathize, for it could not yield them joy to see so 
 many of their young companions leaving their ranks and 
 joining themselves unto the crucified Saviour. In the after- 
 noon they all again assembled in the same seats, to hear 
 fromthe lips of their spiritual father a sermon addressed to 
 them from these words : ' When thou vowcst a vow, defer 
 not to pay.' Doubtless you remember with what fidelity 
 he warned them of their dangers, encouraged them by direct- 
 ing them to the ' Captain of their salvation,' commended 
 them to the prayers and counsels of their Christian breth- 
 ren, and with holy love to Him ' who was able to keep them 
 from falling.' Even now can I hear the solemn tones of his 
 voice, trembling with emotion, repeating these words : 
 
 " ' We share our mutual woes, 
 Our mutual burdens bear, 
 And often for each other flows 
 The sympathizmg tear.' 
 
 " When, oh ! when, shall we see another so humble, so 
 faithful, and affectionate as he was ; so pure in life, so wise, 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 221 
 
 and yet so gentle 1 May the Lord, by his grace, qualify 
 another in lilce manner to break unto us the bread of life. 
 On the following Sunday was the Christmas communion, 
 when these youthful Christians were, for the first time, to 
 partake of the symbols of a Saviour's love. Dr. B. re- 
 quested them to remain until the last, and to advance alone. 
 As they approached the table, the hymn was sung oom- 
 -m.encing thus : — 
 
 " '0, happy day, that stays my choice, 
 On thee, my Saviour, and my God ; 
 ■Well may this glowing heart rejoice, , 
 And tell thy goodness all abroad.' 
 
 And when the youthfiil band knelt around the sacred board, 
 I think few scenes on this side of eternity could compare 
 with that for interest. Many, nay, almost all, were the 
 spiritual children of Dr. B. ; Mid as he gazed upon the 
 kneeling company, his countenance fully expressed the 
 strong yearnings of affection which he felt for those lambs 
 of the flock. Before he administered, to them the conse- 
 crated emblems, he addressed a few suitable words of ex- 
 hortation and encouragement to the new recipients. What 
 changed have passed over us since that happy period ! Some 
 who assembled with us then, have gone rejoicing to their 
 rest ; some have removed to other scenes, formed other con- 
 nections, but are still dear to our hearts as Christians. Some 
 few 'have forsaken us, having loved the present world.' 
 And the pastor's form reposes sweetly beneath the shadow 
 of the Church he loved, but the spirits who were there still 
 exist. Death cannot wholly sever us ; the golden chain of 
 love which binds us all together is .only lengthened ; every 
 Christian friend, whether in or out of the body, still forms 
 one link of that strong attraction, which will at last raise us 
 all to that place, ' where the voice of parting shall be no 
 more heard.' When recalling events like these, departed 
 
232 MEMOIR OF 
 
 privileges stand before me in all their freshness, and these 
 blessed, holy hours, even now shed over my spirit the same 
 sweet and elevating influence which made them then so pre- 
 cious. Changes have indeed passed over us all since then ; 
 but of this I am well assured, that no fiiture events can ever 
 banish wholly from our hearts the &nd remembrance of 
 these vanished hours." 
 
 The following extracts' from letters of Dr. Bedell to the 
 Rev. Mr. Henderson, refer some of them to the circum- 
 stances which have been just related, and others to similar 
 occasions of awakened attention, to religion among the con- 
 gregation of St. Andrew's Church m other years. They 
 serve incidentally to exhibit also, how much he prized these 
 seasons of grace, and how entirely his heart and his time 
 were occupied in the various duties which they brought upon 
 him. , In the feeling of St. Paul, he seemed to " live" in 
 the proportion in which his people were converted from sin, 
 and stood " fast in the Lord." And amidst all his bodily 
 weakness and suifermg, in this he could always rejoice, and 
 for this he was always ready to " spend and be spent." In 
 reference to the extracts which follow, Mr. H. remarks : — 
 
 " It will be observed, from expressions in this and the fol- 
 lowing letters, that the congregation of St. Andrew's was 
 favored at this time with a remarkable degree of religious 
 sensibility. Indeed, during the whole period of Dr. Bedell's 
 ministry in Philadelphia, 'the word of the Lord' at his 
 mouth 'had free course and was glorified.' The faithful 
 exhibition of ' Christ crucified,' both as a fact and a doctrine, 
 connected with a simple reliance upon the agency of the 
 Holy Spirit in its application to the conscience, sought In 
 earnest prayer, rendered his preaching eminently successful 
 in the conversion of sinners." 
 
 To him Dr. Bedell thus writes : — 
 
REV. BE. BEDELL. 223 
 
 " My Dear Friend, — 
 
 " Your letter which I received gives some interesting 
 intelligence relating to the Seminary. I do hope that you 
 may find many who will be disposed to bow the knee in 
 social prayer. The number of our inquirers increases, and 
 fourteen have been enabled to believe in Christ to the saving 
 of their souls. I look for many more. Our meetings are 
 all continued, and are all deeply interesting. Our clerical 
 association has been abundantly blessed to our own souls, 
 and I know of four cases of conviction as among the blessed 
 fruits. I do most sincerely pray that you may be preserved 
 from all coldness and lukewarmness. I want you to write 
 me all about your progress, and every thing that may at all 
 concern you. This evening we hold our usual concert of 
 prayer. Few of us will be present, as several are now in 
 Washington. Ecclesiastical, news I have none. I wish 
 Church politics were banished to the ends of the earth. 
 God be thanked, religion flourishes, and the height of our 
 present ambition is, that Christ be glorified in the conversion 
 of sinners." 
 
 * * * " I expected to have been in New- York, but the 
 press of spiritual concerns, and not feeling very well, kept 
 me at home. I write this merely to let you know that you 
 may answer my letter, not calculating to see my face for 
 several weeks at all events. We are all well, and religion 
 most blessedly prospers." 
 
 * * * " y^iQ calculate here on most interesting times. 
 The period of ' religious sensibility,' as Bishop White calls 
 it, with which God in his goodness has been pleased to visit 
 St. Andi-ew's has, I think, eventuated thus far in the decided 
 conversion of above twenty-five persons ; and I have for the 
 last few weeks been most pressingly engaged in preparing 
 them and others for the interesting rite of confii'mation. 
 There are about fifty to be confirmed next Sunday week. 
 On Friday evening, 12th inst., I have about six adults to 
 
234 MEMOIR OF 
 
 baptize. We open the Church on the occasion, and Mr. 
 Smith* is to preach an appropriate discourse. On Christmas 
 day, we shall have at least thirty new communicants. Some 
 of them who were brought into the fold of Christ during our 
 season of spiritual refreshing, were quite young, and four of 
 them among the most interesting females which we have in 
 the congregation. You may judge of my labors, when I 
 tell you my usual weekly allowance. Monday afternoon, 
 meet a section of those to be confirmed, for special private 
 conversation. Another section on Thursday, and another 
 on Friday. Wednesday afternoon, a regular lecture to all 
 that are to be confirmed. Friday evening, my usual lecture, 
 which continues to be crowded. This is beside the Wed- 
 nesday and Saturday prayer-meeting, one of which, at least, 
 I make it a point to attend. 
 
 * * * " You will be pleased to hear that the serious state 
 of things still continues, though not so decidedly marked. 
 The last person whom. I have reason to think has passed 
 from death unto life, is an extremely interesting and very 
 decided case. * * * All our young professors hold on well, 
 and are much in prayer and in exertion. The Lord blesses 
 them. 
 
 * * * " As it regards our more immediate religious con- 
 cerns, the Lord still seems to bless us, though not with such 
 marked exhibitions of his loving-kindness as we have here- 
 tofore had. There are, however, many inquiring, and some 
 very peculiarly delightful manifestations of converting grace 
 among the young. The Bible-class is very largely attended. 
 The Friday evening lectures so crowded that very many 
 are obliged to go away. On Sundays our attendance and 
 attention are delightful." 
 
 * * * " We go on here pretty much after the old sort. 
 This week there has been one most delightful instance of 
 
 * The present Bishop of Kentucky. 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 225 
 
 conversion in the case of a young officer of the army, every 
 thing brought into subjection to the obedience of Christ. 
 Many of my dear young children who have lately taken hold 
 of religion, not only with their heads and hands, but their 
 hearts, will be admitted to the Lord's table on Easter day, 
 when I expect an accession of at least twenty, making an 
 addition to the communion of the Church, in less than one 
 year, of somewhere about eighty, and of these I can say, of 
 such, not like our ordinary communicants who are indis- 
 criminately admitted without conversation or examination, 
 but of such as are able, experimentally able, to give an an- 
 swer to every one that asketh a reason of the hope that is 
 in them." 
 
 The preceding letters were all addressed to Mr. H. while 
 a member of the Theological Seminary of the Episcopal 
 Church in the city of New- York. They are of different 
 dates, through an autumn and succeeding winter, and all re- 
 fer to the same season of revival in St. Andrew's Church. 
 To another clergyman he thus wl-ites in reference to the 
 same glorious and delightful season. 
 
 '• My Dear Friend : 
 
 " I have been hitherto so bad a correspondent, that I sup- 
 pose you have given me up in despair, for it is now a long 
 time since I have had a single line from you. I have no 
 doubt that I richly deserve all possible, neglect, but still I 
 have always been in hopes, that my brethren would con- 
 sider the infirmity of my health, and the multiplicity of my 
 engagements. In truth, I seem placed in a situation which 
 requires at least a man of far greater physical capabilities, 
 for the multitude and the variety of the calls on my time 
 and attention are almost inconceivable. With all this, the 
 Lord has dealt very mercifully with me this winter, giving 
 me, on the whole, better health than I have enjoyed for sev- 
 10* 
 
226 MEMOIR OF 
 
 era! seasons, and sustaining me among labors, such as I have 
 never before been called upon to endure. I speak within 
 bounds, when I say, that during the blessed season which 
 we have had of spiritual refreshing from the presence of the 
 Lord, not less than eighty, and most of them young, have 
 been turned from darkness unto light, and from the power 
 of Satan unto God. During the whole process of their spiri- 
 tual impressions, I have been constrained to be with them, 
 and have frequently -been engaged in conversation from four 
 to seven hours a day. At present, there are less powerful 
 manifestations of the Divine presence, though still I have 
 some every week inquiring, what they shall do to be saved. 
 
 " How much cause of thankfulness have we to God, that 
 He should vouchsaffi to pour out his Spirit in such copious 
 effusions, and how much do we need the prayers of all God's 
 people, that we may be faithful ! I should be delighted to 
 hear, what good things, if any, the Lord may be doing 
 among you. You have now, I expect, a large opportunity 
 of usefulness, and I trust strength of body and disposition 
 of heart enough to induce you to labor diligently. May 
 the Lord prosper you abundantly, and give you many who 
 may be your rejoicing in the day of Jesus Christ. 
 
 " Our young friend * * * * whom I long ago expected 
 would have been in heaven, for which she is most delight- 
 fully preparing, is still on earth ; and to me appears as one 
 having risen from the dead, and it. is even possible that she 
 may yet get well. 
 
 " We heard some particulars of the death of ; 
 
 were you with her ? Let me have a long letter soon, and 
 show that you can extend kindness without a quid pro quo, 
 The Lord bless and prosper you ; — ^my respects to your 
 good mother, and believe me your friend and brother." 
 
 It can not but be interesting here to introduce also some 
 extracts from the pastoral address which was made to those 
 
KEY. DR. BEDELL. 227 
 
 wlio were at this time united to God in a public religious 
 profession, on the afternoon of the day on which the larger 
 number of them were confirmed: 
 
 " My dear friends, I must not on this occasion forget to 
 say, what in substance I have said to you on frequent oc- 
 casions, that this act of self-dedication to God, is about to 
 involve you in many and formidable difficulties. You are 
 going out into the world the professed disciples of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and you are to be on all hands surrounded by 
 your foes. You are going to share in the reproach of your 
 Master, and it is folly for you to expect exemption from 
 the malice of the adversary. Your motives will be im- 
 pugned, your conduct watched ; you will be ridiculed if you 
 maintain consistency, and you will he- despised if jou are 
 inconsistent. And especially, as it regards the younger 
 portion of you, I can tell you what you ought to be aware 
 of, that the devil will put it into the hearts of your worldly 
 friends and young companions, to use all their efforts to- 
 draw you from the path of duty ; they will tempt you with 
 gaieties, and they will tempt you with dress, and they will 
 tempt you with ridicule, and they will tempt you with a 
 thousand solicitations, and all under the guise of love and 
 friendship : and they will not be aware of what nevertheless 
 is the solemn fact, that the very enemy of all godliness is 
 at the bottom of all their solicitations. To every effort cal- 
 culated to draw you into sin, or into worldly compliance, 
 you must oppose the feeling and the language of your ^reat 
 exemplar ; and whether made by foes or miscalled friends, 
 declare, ' get thee behind me, Satan.' It is a most melancholy 
 thought, that there will be those about you so wicked as to 
 wish that you may stumble and fall. Of this you must be 
 ever on your guard ; meekly, yet firmly, meet every temp- 
 tation : give way once, and your spiritual ruin will be half 
 accomplished. I do tremble for you, and were it not that I 
 
228 MEMoia OF 
 
 dared to anticipate happy results, I should be filleS with 
 sorrowful forebodings. lOh ! that I may have faith, and oh, 
 that you may have faith, in all your trials and temptations 
 to make God your hiding-place. One holy, one sublime 
 consolation have you, my young friends, ' the eternal God 
 is your refuge, and underneath are the' everlasting arms.' 
 
 " I have purposely -avoided entering fully into all these 
 matters on the present occasion, not only because it would 
 occupy a longer time than could welt be spared, but because 
 I wish you to consider that my services are yours on all 
 occasions, and in all your trials. I have watched with great 
 solicitude the progress . of your religious impressions. I 
 have endeavored faithfully, and in the fear of God, to give 
 you suitable instructions — you are my witnesses, that I have 
 not endeavored, by deceitful emollients, to soften down, or 
 by any unjustifiable expedients to fritter away your great 
 responsibilities. Here, in the presence of God and this 
 great congregation, I solemnly pledge myself to you, that at 
 your desire, my counsel, my instruction, my prayers are 
 yours ; my time, miy abilities, my efforts, all at your com- 
 mand. If such feeble services as I can render will be advan- 
 tageous, come to me in all your trials and difiiculties with 
 the most unhesitating confidence; my sympathies are all 
 enlisted, you need not fear that you can weary. If in the 
 merciful providence of God I may be considered by any of 
 you in the light of a spiritual father, I would be considered 
 in the light of a spiritual friend. My children in the Gospel, 
 I may precede yoii, or many of you may precede me into 
 the eternal world, but while we are here together, I would - 
 most earnestly desire, under the direction of the 'good 
 shepherd,' Jesus Christ, to lead you ' to green pastures, and 
 beside the still waters' — and I will so do, ' God being my 
 helper.' Then shall you daily ' renew your strength ; you 
 shall mount on wings as eagles ; you shall walk, and not be 
 weary ; you shall run, and not faint'--your path, ' like the 
 
Sev. dk. bedell. 229 
 
 shining light, will shine more and more unto the perfect 
 day.' Then, what greater happiness could there be antici- 
 pated, than that you and; I, and the children of God in this 
 whole people, should for ever ' see the King in his beauty," 
 together sing his everlasting praises, and together tread the 
 golden streets of the New-Jerusalem, and drink, and that 
 for ever, of those living streams which make glad the eter- 
 nal city of our God 1 
 
 * * * "Christians, I commend these young dfsciples 
 especially to the sacred benevolence of your prayers. Bear 
 them on your hearts before a throne of grace ; remember 
 them in your private and your social devotions. They Jiave 
 this claim, upon your love; and if you are Christians 
 indeed, this claim will be answered with cheerfulness and 
 promptitude. 
 
 " 'Blest is the tie that binds 
 
 Tour hearts in Christian love : 
 The fellowship of kindred minds 
 Is like to that above. 
 
 " ' Before your Father's throne 
 Tou pour united prayers ; 
 Tour fears, your hope's, yo\ir aims are one, 
 Toiu: comforts and your cares.' 
 
 " My friends, you who have this day dedicated yourselves 
 to God, remember, and take encouragement from the fact, 
 that I have now secured to you the prayers of your fellow- 
 Christians, the people of God in this congregation. On this 
 you may safely calculate, and as God is a prayer-hearing 
 and a prayer-answering God, you may anticipate the bless- 
 ing. Return it from your inmost souls, and let your united 
 supplications go up as the fragrant incense. 
 
 " To that portion of you, my dear friends and people, 
 who, even in your own judgment, a.re not yet numbered 
 with the decided and purposed servants and children of the 
 
230 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Lord, I would in affection and faithfulness embrace the 
 opportunity of a word in season. Many of those who but 
 lately ranked with you, have this day 'joined themselves to 
 the Lord, in the bonds of a covenant' which I trust will 
 never be forgotten. They have testified that they have 
 chosen the Lord as their everlasting portion; but their 
 example, I fear, lilce the continual warnings of your 
 preacher, will be disregarded, and the same unhesitating 
 refusal be given to the calls and offers of the Gospel. If 
 you knew, my friends, but what you lost — if you knew how 
 tremendous the consequences in which your neglect involves 
 you ; if you knew what an accumulation of transgrcssioS 
 the despising of the commands of God lays upon yjour souls, 
 already laden with the guilt of multiplied acts oi" disobe- 
 dience, surely — surely you would pause. But what mortal 
 langCiage can tell the immensity of your loss ? That loss 
 involves the present favor of your God, and his future 
 approbation. Who can depict the consequences of your 
 neglect? Who can describe the accumulations of your 
 guilt 1 Oh, how various, oh, how almost uifinite the cata- 
 logue ! You have rejected the most urgent' calls, and the 
 most affectionate entreaties. The promises of God have 
 been unheeded ; the threats^ of God have been braved; the 
 hopes of heaven have been put aside ; the fears of hell have 
 been disregarded; the Spirit of grace has been resisted, and 
 the blood of a Saviour trampled under foot with as little 
 ceremony as the ' straw which is trodden for the dunghill.' 
 'When God riseth up, what will you say 7 and when God 
 visiteth, what will you answer him V 
 
 "This little band,* who have this day dedicated and 
 devoted themselves to God, furnish you with an example. 
 Follow them in so far as they have followed Christ. You 
 and they are shortly going to stand before the tribunal of 
 
 * Fifty-eiglit were confirmed. 
 
REV. DR. BBDKIL. 231 
 
 the Great Judge of quick and dead ; then will the transac- 
 tions of this solemn day be remembered by them and hy 
 you. Then will be called up, in solemn review, all your 
 blessings, all your privileges, all your opportunities. Had 
 these disciples better .opjportunities than you 1 Have you 
 not heard the same Gospel 1 For your souls did not the 
 same Saviour shed his precious blood 1 Why, then, are you 
 yet at a distance \ Why should you be separated from, them 
 on earth? separated at the judgment? separated in eter- 
 nity t. I have done. To the God of grace I commend you 
 all." 
 
 In a subsequent year, after Mr. H. had finished his theo- 
 logical preparation, and was settled as a pastor in the church 
 which he still occupies. Dr. Bedell wrote to him in regard 
 to another very extensive and important season of spiritual 
 increase among his people. 
 
 " My Dear Friend : 
 
 " I suppose you begin to feel what it is to encounter the 
 difficulties of parochial engagements, such as absolutely eat 
 up time by the roots, and leave no room for other engage- 
 mer.ts than those strictly connected with duty. As to 
 myself, I am at this time almost overwhelmed. We have 
 a very great degree of excitement on the subject of religion, 
 or rather, I should not say excitement, for there is not one 
 solitary particular which can in any way be construed into 
 extravagance, such as excitement merely might produce. 
 Nothing would be remarked by an ordinary observer. 
 Every thing goes on just as usual, but beneath the whole 
 there appears to be a very powerful under-current. Within 
 the last three weeks our different meetings have been most 
 remarkably attended. Sundays, always full. Friday eve- 
 nings, the body of the church well filled. Prayer-meetings 
 large and solemn. Since this state of things commenced, I 
 
332 MEMOIR OF 
 
 have had more than twenty with me, inquiring what thej 
 shall do to be saved 1 Of these, I have good reason to think 
 that fourteen have passed from death unto life. There are 
 more whose minds are deeply impressed, but they have not 
 yet broken through the snares of Satan, so far as to come 
 and see me on the subject. 
 
 "My health is not good ; but still, the Lord be praised, I 
 am able to get through the work. In order to do this, I 
 take a vast deal of bodily exercise. I get up at six o'clock, 
 and spend one hour at the gymnasium, which I find is doing 
 me immense benefit. I think that clergymen ought to 
 make it a point, especially in cities, to take this exercise. 
 It gives great muscular activity and strength, and expands 
 the chest. 
 
 * * * " The most interesting matter is, that there seems 
 to be a very considerable attention to the concerns pf re- 
 ligion. I have now forty-three candidates for confirmation, 
 and my last was only ten months ago, when I had- upwards 
 of forty. There are some exceedingly interesting cases of 
 conversion, and those among males, of which there are 
 seven recent cases, three of them heads of families." 
 
 In connection with these extracts, and the view which 
 they give of the devotion of Dr. Bedell to the advancement 
 of spiritual piesty among the congregation committed to him, 
 it may be proper to refer to the unceasing and peculiar at- 
 tention to regularity and propriety in all religious services 
 by which he was distinguished. Amidst the deepest interest 
 among his people in the great concerns of religion, when 
 upon one occasion during a few months, there were more 
 than two hundred persons coming to inquire of him the way 
 of salvation, and every meeting for religious services was in- 
 tensely crowded, anxious, and solemn, there was never the 
 remotest appearance of extravagance or undue excitement. 
 Silent and deep solemnity marked all the services in which 
 he was engaged, and, under his influence, pervaded the audi- 
 
REV. , DE. BEDElfL. 233 
 
 encc by whom he was surrounded. He was particularly- 
 careful of the order of public services, and found in the stated 
 Vv'orship of the Church an entire and unvarying harmony 
 with his own state of mind. He was always very desirous 
 to see the congregation engaged in performing their portion 
 of the duties of public worship, and preached some interest- 
 ing sermons to them upon the subject, urging the duty of 
 united and audible responses in the service. Often when he 
 observed any individuals inattentive to the devotional ser- 
 vices of Jhe sanctuary, he would present them with a Prayer- 
 book in private, as a donation from himself, administering 
 thus a silent reproof, which he hoped their consciences would 
 apply. In this way he became in a most unobtrusive man- 
 ner permanently useful. He was exceedingly interested in 
 the circulation of the Book of Common Prayer, often saying 
 that he considered it " the very best tract for distribution 
 which was in the hands of man, and claiming, next to the 
 Bible, our efforts for circulation." In the ministry of no 
 Episcopal clergyman could there be more habitual and imi- 
 form regard, to a walking in the " old paths" of primitive 
 order and primitive eflfort; to the avoidance of every mea- 
 sure or step which any one could with propriety consider 
 unauthoi'ized or disorganizing; or to the calm and steady, 
 but animated and devoted guidance of souls to Christ, through, 
 the ordinances which he has appointed in his Church. His 
 whole ministry, though so powerful and so successful, was 
 like his whole mind and character, singularly free from all 
 extravagances ; and ever moderate and unassuming, while it 
 was influential and effective. In this respect he was a beauti- 
 ful example of ministerial fidelity and character, never sacri- 
 ficing truth for order; nor order for effect ; but steady, uni- 
 form, and permanent in the pursuit of his great object, the 
 salvation of souls, in the way which the Scriptures ^ad laid 
 open, and in which the most useful and experienced guides 
 in the Church had passed before him ; giving " faithful 
 
234 MEMOIR OF 
 
 diligeuce always so to minister the doctrine and sacraments, 
 and tlie discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded, 
 and as the Church hath received the same, according to the 
 commandments of God."* This habitual regularity, while 
 perhaps it excluded some of the valuable effect which might 
 be produced by the power of sympathy upon the minds of 
 others, tended, in a very important degi-ee, to confirm and 
 establish those who were led to a Christian profession in Ihc 
 obligations which they had assumed, and may be considered 
 as one reason why there were so few among the numbers 
 brought to Christ under his ministry, who were led by 
 temptation to go away and walk with him no more. All 
 had time and opportunity to act with wisdom and delibera- 
 tion. All were calmly and .assiduously instructed in the 
 truth ; and none were ever hurried in antecedence of their 
 own convictions and desires. 
 
 There has not a more valuable or remarkable change 
 taken place in the circumstances of the Episcopal Church, 
 in the progress through which it has lately passed, than 
 that which has resulted in the full and universal restoration 
 of confidence to the class of clergymen to which Dr. Bedell 
 belonged, as sincerely and thoroughly attached to the prin- 
 ciples of the Church. There was a time, when the minister 
 who encouraged and maintained prayer-meetings in his 
 congregation, and who avowed himself a friend of revivals of 
 religion, and united in promoting common plans of religious 
 benevolence with Christians of other denominations, was con- 
 sidered by a portion of the Episcopal community as little 
 better than an enemy in disguise. We have' lived to see, 
 however, a most blessed change in this respect. Such men 
 are no longer stigmatized as " low churchmen," as " not true 
 Episcopalians." Their full and cordial attachment to the 
 principles of the Church has been realized and acknowledged 
 
 * Ordination Office for Priests. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL, , 235 
 
 Several of them have been elevated to stations, where even 
 those who once most opposed them, admire their characters 
 aud worth. They are found to he, what they always were, 
 and by their friends were known to be, in heart and princi- 
 ple, deeply and irrevocably attached to the Church in which 
 they ministered, though unwilling, to carry out the exclusive 
 vievre and feelings which others of their brethren felt 
 obliged to adopt. This unfavorable impression in reference 
 to them arose entirely from the want of accurate information 
 in regard to those of whom it was entertained ; and the re- 
 moval of it is one effect of the free and harmonious inter- 
 change of opinion and intercourse, which has marked the 
 Church within the few years past. Now the Eastern Diocese, 
 Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, are not supposed to be guided 
 by less decided and honest Church principles than New- York, 
 New-Jersey, or North Carolina ; though the same views of 
 truth, and the same habits of ministry, and the same judg- 
 ment of what is expedient and right, still characterize their 
 spiritual leaders, which distinguished them in former years. 
 For this result, we cannot sufficiently adore and bless the 
 Lord of all. We have now no obstacles, but what are com- 
 m.on to men ; and fewer, indeed, than are common, in pro- 
 claiming the truth, and extending the spirit of the gospel of 
 our Saviour Christ. Mutual confidence, and a happy, cor- 
 dial encouragement arnd CQ6pera,tiou, seem to prevail jn our 
 Zion, far beyond what, in days of conflict and distrust, could 
 ever have been expected. This spirit will make the work of 
 God to prosper with us, and set up the' Church in which we - 
 minister as a name and a praise in the whole earth. 
 
236 MEMOIR OF 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Sunday-Schools — Bible-Classes — Ben6vol,ent Exertions — Agencies foi 
 American Sunday-School Union — American Bible Society — Candi- 
 dates for the Ministry — Bristol College. 
 
 After the important and interesting views which have 
 been given of his character and duties as a pastor, it will 
 now be' desirable to exhibit his very successful efforts in the 
 instruction and care of the younger portion of his congrega- 
 tion, as displayed in the operation ,of the Sunday-schools 
 connected with his Church, in the preparation and publican 
 tion of useful religious books for their use, and in his own 
 immediate care and instruction T)f the Bible classes which 
 were formed for regular m.eetings with himself This feature 
 presents, a marked peculiarity in his. m.imstry, for which he 
 was extensively known, and as extensively esteemed. Per- 
 haps no clergyman in the United States, of any denominar 
 tion, has paid more attention to the establishment and 
 instruction of Sunday-schools, or been more successful in 
 sustaining and keeping up their usefulness and efficiency. 
 The numerous Sunday-schools of St. Andrew's Church have 
 been at once the monument of the divine blessing anJBff 
 successful assiduity, and the model and bcMon for effort and 
 encouragement to many of his brethren in the ministry of 
 the Church. This interesting subject can not be better 
 introduced than by an extract from his sermon preached on 
 the tenth anniversary of St. Andrew's Church. 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 237 
 
 "Within the last twenty -five years an entirely new class 
 of causes have been brought into operation, upon which the 
 prosperity of churches is made very materially to depend. 
 Among those causes there is none so prominent as that 
 which may be called the Sunday-school enterprise. How- 
 ever it may have come to pass, it is nevertheless certain, 
 that with the success of the Sunday-school operations of a 
 Church, its spiritual welfare is indissolubly connected. 
 This is a matter of experience which is paramount to all 
 theories. In relation to this matter the hand of God is 
 strikingly apparent, and your minister can safely say, that 
 as he states to you the brief history of our Sunday-schools, 
 he may remark, that it all seems necessarily to be traced 
 to the hand of God. He is not conscious of ahy extraordi- 
 nary effort on his part, except that of falling in most cordi- 
 ally with the evident leadings of the providence of God. 
 When our Sunday-schools met in September of 1823, the 
 vestry-room' was am.ply large enough to contain all the 
 teachers and scholars for the purpose of organization. 
 Gradually the cause went on, till in January 1833 the whole 
 consisted of seventy-five teachers, and within four of eleven 
 hundred scholars. In the schools immediately connected 
 with our Church there are now seventy-five teachers 
 employed-; but this would give an unfair statement, for 
 from a school in the Commissioners' Hall in Southwark, to 
 the House of Kefuge,* our teachers are to be found scattered 
 in various directions, so that not less than ninety actually 
 belonging to this Church are thus actively employed. It is 
 not my business in this discourse to tell the wonders which 
 have been achieved by the Sunday-school enterprise. Suffice 
 it to say,1t has been the instrumental cause of more con- 
 versions than could be here enumerated ; it has changed the 
 face of society among those poor who have been willing to 
 
 * Extreme points of the city and suburbs of Philadelphia. 
 
238 MEMOIR OF 
 
 come under its influence ; it has introduced cleanliness and 
 neatness where before there was nothing but dirt and rags 
 and the most squalid wretchedness; it has carried the 
 saving influence of the Gospel where there was nothing 
 but ignorance and spiritual death ;. it " has carried the 
 consolations ,of the Gospel where there was almost hitherto 
 unpitied wretchedness ; and it has transformed the rising 
 generation of our streets and -alleys, nearly ready to become 
 a blight and a curse, into a healthy population and a bless- 
 ing. In another part of this .discourse I mean to say more 
 upon the subject, but now I only remark, that by the bless- 
 ing of God not less than seventy-five teachers, who are or 
 have been connected with this Church, have traced their first 
 serious impressions, either directly or remotely, to the Sun- 
 day-schools ; and during the ten years of the existence of 
 our schools there have not been less than five thousand 
 children or adults Under the influence of Sunday-school 
 Instruction, as connected with this Church. The great day 
 of eternal account can alone reveal the amount of spiritual 
 good produced, for you are aware that seed sown before its 
 fruit appears, may long lie apparently corrupted, but it 
 brings forth first the blade, then the ear, then the full com 
 in the ear. We have seen enough of the blade, the ear, and 
 even the full corn in the ear, to give our hearts the most 
 abundant consolation ; but after all, the half, the tenth, the 
 hundredth is not probably discovered ; for we believe the 
 declaration, 'Cast thy bread upon the waters, and thou shalt 
 find it again after many days ; give a portion to six, and 
 also to seven, for thou knowest not which shall prosper.' " 
 
 Though in this extract Dr. Bedell with his characteristic 
 humility disclaims all other connection with this most suc- 
 cessful effort, than a cordial falling in with the apparent 
 designs of providence, it must be said of him, that his 
 attention to the whole operation of this department of his 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 239 
 
 pastoral connection, and the amount of personal lator which 
 he devoted to its prosperity and greater usefulness, wore 
 within the limits of my Icnow ledge unprecedented and 
 unequalled. He considered Sunday-schools of the utmost 
 importance in the Church, and thought no labor wasted 
 which was devoted to their interests. He visited the schools 
 regularly in their order, frequently addressing himself to 
 the children, to which duty he was particularly adapted, and 
 thus made himself familiar with the actual character and 
 circumstances of them all. He established monthly meet- 
 ings for, the teachers, for the purpose of considering and 
 devising methods of conducting the schools, and for instruc- 
 tion upon all subjects connected with them, upon which they 
 needed information. When his own health became too 
 infirm to allow him to attend these meetings abroad, he 
 removed them to his own house, where they, formed one of 
 the most delightful and valued occasions, both to himself 
 and them, on which he was personally associated with the 
 people of his charge. These meetings were systematized 
 like all his other plans, and arranged in a way best adapted 
 to interest and profit those who had assembled. They com- 
 menced about seven o'clock, and closed at half past nine in 
 the evening. The first hour was devoted to familiar religi- 
 ous conversation, in which he made it a duty to speak to 
 every one in the room, although sometimes there were 
 seventy or eighty present. Kind and interesting expressions, 
 especially in relation to the difierent concerns of the schools, 
 were addressed to each, as circumstances seemed to require. 
 In the next half hour a portion of the history of the schools 
 was read by himself. The last hour was devoted to prayer 
 and praise: The singing was accompanied by the sweet 
 music of his organ, of which he had a remarkable control, 
 and the notes of which were poured out in a rich and over- 
 whelming harmony, or breathed in a soft and touching 
 melody, as these alternately expressed the feelings of hia 
 
240 MEMOIR OF 
 
 own soul. These meetings were found exceedingly valuable 
 and delightful ; they cemented the bond of Christian love 
 among the teachers, brought them, though in different cir- 
 cumstances of life, into personal acquaintance with each 
 other, and enabled those w'ho were better informed, and 
 whose advantages had been the greater, to be useful in the 
 ■ encouragement and assistance of others with less privileges, 
 engaged in the same interesting duty. He prepared questions 
 calculated to bring the duties of the teachers and superin- 
 tendents more habitually before their minds, which he had 
 printed and distributed among them, to be answered and 
 returned to him as a monthly report of the state of the 
 schools. These questions had the effect of keeping the 
 attention of the teachers constantly drawn to the duty in 
 which they were engaged. 
 
 Once in each year he assembled all the schools in the 
 church for their anniversary-meeting, when he addressed 
 them in the presence of the congregation. Could I select a 
 single occasion of his life in which the whole sweetness of 
 his character, and excellence of his ministry, and affection of 
 his people for himself seemed to be raore completely deve- 
 loped than upon any other, it would be this annual meeting 
 of the Sunday-schools. His simple style of address made 
 him intelligible to the very youngest child before him ; and 
 while, amidst the thousand children who were assembled in 
 the church, silence and deep interest in his discourse every 
 where prevailed, the congregation never failed to gain from 
 this occasion a new and more lively interest in this favorite 
 department of Christian effort. The services of a single 
 anniversary, which I have selected from the history of tho 
 schools, may be related as an index and example of his sys- 
 tem of operation in this department of his ministry, and of 
 the harmonious order and the great effect with which he 
 arranged all the public services in which he was engaged, 
 A selection of the adult members of the. colored schools 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 241 
 
 occupied the organ galleiy opposite the pulpit, and the 
 younger members of the same schools the children's gal- 
 leries on the right and left of the organ; The scholars of the 
 male white schools occupied the pews on the north side of 
 the middle aisle of the church, and also benches placed in the 
 aisle ; and the scholars of the female white schools the pews 
 on the south side of the middle aisle. The male infant 
 scholars took the steps of the chancel, and the female infant 
 scholars the benches in front of the pews. All the other 
 parts of the church were completely filled by the congre- 
 gation. The exercises were commenced by an anthem sung 
 with great feeling and correctness by the younger scholars 
 of the colored school. After this, the infant boys in the 
 chancel went through with some of their exercises, and con- 
 cluded by singing a hymn. All the schools then united in 
 singing a hymn prepared for the occasion. After they had 
 joined in a selection from the prayers of the Church, and 
 then in another hymn, Dr. Bgdell addressed them in a most 
 interesting and touching manner upon the parable of the 
 prodigal son. He asked numerous questions connected 
 with the subject of his discourse, which wSre answered with 
 remarkable promptitude and accuracy. It would seem 
 impossible for any one to doubt at least the intellectual 
 advantage of Sunday-school instruction, after witnessing 
 an exhibition of this kind, where children, without any pre- 
 vious knowledge of the questions which were to be put to 
 them, were enabled to answer with entire propriety, simply 
 by bringing their previous instruction to bear upon the 
 particular subject thus proposed to them. , 
 
 The annual collection for the schools, which was generally 
 taken up on the Sunday after their anniversary-meeting, and 
 which increased in amount in every succeeding year to the 
 close of his life, always exhibited the interest which the 
 congregation felt in this effort. Dr. Bedell interested him- 
 self in preparinga full and very minute history of the schools, 
 
 11 , 
 
-342 MEMOIR OF 
 
 which he read as it progressed, at the quarterly meetings of 
 the teachers. This occupied ' much of his time, and it is 
 to us a subject of astonishment that, with his enfeebled 
 health and multiplied duties, he could have given to this 
 merely incidental object so large a portion of his attention. 
 The schools connected with this church have so much inter- 
 ested the whole Christian community around, and the sub- 
 ject of Sunday-schools is so interesting in the exhibitions 
 of its importance and influence for the promotion of Christ- 
 ianity among men, and Dr. Bedell's connection with this 
 enterprise formed so prominent a portion of his ministry, 
 that it will not be unacceptable here to present some extracts 
 from the history to which we have referred, exhibiting some 
 points in the method of operation, and some encouraging 
 facts as the result : 
 
 "SEPAHATE SERVICE FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 
 
 "Another subject which requires notice is, that during the 
 present year, namely, 1826, an entirely different plan was 
 adopted as it regards the afternoon arrangements of tho 
 schools. As the schools had become too large to bp well 
 accommodated in the galleries, and as in the afternoons the 
 situation was peculiarly disagreeable from the heat, it was 
 proposed, and by the consent of the rector adopted, that 
 the plan of a children's church should be tried. It is proper 
 to remark that, so far as the rector is concerned, this plan 
 was originally acquiesced in, and is still continued only on 
 the plea of stern necessity. And it is proper that, in a his- 
 tory which will be seen by our successors, something should 
 be said in explanation of the whole matter. 
 
 "The idea of a children's church is essentially one of 
 deep importance, and one which, if it could, ought to be 
 adopted in every phurch. But it ought to bo adopted under 
 circumstances which should secure the best ultimate advau- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 243 
 
 tage. The only plan of a children's church which is believed 
 by the writer to be consistent with sound principles, both 
 of the Gospel and the church, is as follows : 
 
 " 1. The children ought to be assembled under the direct 
 impression that they are no longer in a Sunday-schoo^ but 
 in a place where the special purpose is devotion. It appears 
 to me that this desirable object can not be attained unless 
 the place of meeting should be a room never used for a 
 Sunday-school. The ideas of the school and the room are 
 so associated that they never will be fully dissevered, con- 
 sequently we can have no hope of realizing the entire benefit 
 of a children's church while the worship is in a room used 
 for teaching. 
 
 " 2. It is important that the prayers used in the children's 
 church should be similar in form to those' used in the church 
 to which the school is attached. The whole of the service 
 of the Episcopal Church can not be considered as appro- 
 priate to such an occasion, but a service ought to be formed 
 adapted to the age of the pupils. This is a matter yet 
 unprovided for by the highest authorities of the Church ; 
 and until this is done I believe it the duty of the minister to 
 take the matter into his hand, and to make such arrange- 
 ments as he may deem most conducive to edification. 
 
 " 3. The scholars who are over fifteen years, at least, 
 ought to be excluded from the children's church, because, 
 for the most part, they are able to comprehend the ordinary 
 run of pulpit instruction, and are apt to be restless and 
 unruly in the children's church. 
 
 "4. The children, when assembled for the children's 
 church, ought to be exclusively addressed by a regularly 
 ordained minister of the denomination to which the school 
 belongs. 
 
 " Upon the whole the question occurs, whether the idea of 
 a children's church ought to be encouraged where these 
 advantages can not be secured ? The answer is, that it may 
 
244 MEMOIR OF 
 
 be under circumstances of extreme necessity, and to avoid 
 evils which may he greater. It was under the pressure of 
 these considerations that the idea of a children's church was 
 encouraged, not because there were no evils connected with 
 the arrangement, but because evils of greater magnitude 
 might thereby be avoided. I have often expressed the 
 opinion, and I hold it fully to this day, that if the state of 
 every Christian church was such that the children connected 
 with the church, and others, could be faithfully attended to, 
 it would be better to have no schools larger than could be 
 accommodated to attend with regularity the preaching of the 
 Gospel. But as long as there are not a sufficient number of 
 churches in the city to accommodate half the population, 
 and of course while there must be such a mass of children 
 without any church as an appropriate home, schools must 
 be larger than can be accommodated with church-room, and 
 consequently other means than attendance on regular preach- 
 ing must be devised to give them something like the reli- 
 gious advantages of public worship. 
 
 " FIRST INFANT SCHOOL. 
 
 " One circumstance comes into the history of the year 
 1827, which will always be considered as not only forming 
 an era in the history of our own schools, but an era in the 
 general history of Sunday schools. We allude to the estv 
 blishment of the Infant school, the first meeting of which 
 was on the 20th of September of the year. We think that 
 the members of Berean Society will enjoy the high satisfac- 
 tion of having established the first Infant Sunday school 
 known in the United States, and, as far as we are apprised, 
 in the world. Its organization was of course at first imper- 
 fect, as it was composed of those boys from the Sunday 
 schools who were unable to read, without any very special 
 reference, to their age. The number composing this school 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 245 
 
 at the outset was forty, under the care of Mr. Asheton Qax- 
 ton, under whose charge the school remained for some years. 
 This school grew rapidly in the public favor, and on the 
 closing Sunday in the year, the number of scholars amounted 
 to eighty-four in attendance. 
 
 " IMPORTANCE OF ,VIS]TINa BY TEACHERS. 
 
 "The grand reason which will always serve to account 
 for any depression in- any branch of our schools, is the 
 failure of teachers in the duty of visitation. I am fully 
 persuaded that without this, in a very large extent, no 
 scheme can succeed. In respect of visiting, the great de- 
 ficiency has been found among the male teachers. With the 
 exception of- seven or eight, all the female teachers from 
 whom I have received reports, appear to have discharged 
 this duty faithfully. I am aware that there are difficulties 
 in the way of the male teachers in this business which do 
 not apply to the females in the same degree ; for while the 
 female teachers have not generally the control of the house- 
 hold occupations, being for the most part younger members 
 of their respective families, the male teachers are generally 
 engaged in those, active duties of business which involve 
 their personal responsibility. The claims of business there- 
 fore, interfere with this duty of visiting, and it is most 
 wofully neglected. As a rernedy for the evil, it has been 
 sujjposed that the employment of a Sunday-school mission- 
 ary might be beneficial ; but valuable as the services of a 
 Sunday-school missionary may be, they cannot, by any kind 
 of possibility, make up" the deficiency of the teachers' visits. 
 One grand object of a teacher in his visits to the children of 
 his peculiar - charge, is to awaken an interest, and to kindle 
 and keep warm the attachment of those children to himself; 
 and this can never be done by any Icind of proxy, no matter 
 how valuable. In a rnatter where the listening to instruc- 
 
246 MEMOIR or 
 
 tion is so entirely voluntary, and depends so much upon the 
 awakened affections of the scholars, as does the Sunday- 
 school instruction, nothing can secure regularity of attend- 
 ance, nothing ensure attention to the teaching, nothing can 
 secure general good behavior and respect to the teacher 
 but the affections of the child, won through the medium of 
 friendly visitation, because it appears, at least, an indication 
 of interest. A minister of the gospel, whose face should 
 never be seen except in the pulpit, might discharge his pul- 
 pit duties with the most singular acceptation ; but he would 
 inevitably fail in the object of those duties, because there 
 would be a want of the touching sympathies of social inter 
 course. And so a Sunday-school teacher, though he may 
 attend to the duties of the school-room with most singular 
 fidelity, will inevitably fail if he does not wind, about him 
 what I may call the domestic sympathies of the children. I 
 think that some of the difficulties on the subject of visiting 
 have originated iu the impression on the mind of many a 
 teacher, that if he visits the children of his charge, he must 
 of necessity go in the character of a kind of preacher. 
 This is, however, in my estimation, by no means the view 
 of the ■ subject which ought to be taken. The teacher, 
 wherever he goes, ought most imquestionably to endeavor, 
 as far as the circumstances of the case may allow it, to press 
 the concerns of religion upon the child ; but the great object 
 of the visits of a teacher to his children, is to gain their af- 
 fection and confidence, and thus pave the way for an 
 influence over their minds. If it should so happen, that 
 even no direct religious intercourse could be had at the time, 
 one great object would be gained, if he gathers around him 
 the respect and ■affection of the children. By every minis- 
 ter of the gospel, many and many a visit must be made 
 which has no direct object, except the establishment of his 
 people's affections on himself, because he knows that he may 
 expect a. better attendance in the house of God, and a more 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 247 
 
 respectful and affectionate attention to the preached word ; 
 and thus by meads that are indirect, but decided, he does his 
 Master's worlc. Many teachers I know mistake, therefore, 
 one leading design of visitation, and, because they may not 
 feel themselves qualified to undertake the work of a mis- 
 sionary, they neglect their scholars. Are there any who are 
 not competent to engage the affections of the children ? 
 Can they not, by calling on them, let the children feel, and 
 the parents feel, that they themselves are interested 1 The 
 man who can 'first make his children love him, can soon ex- 
 ert a control over their minds, for nothing wins the affections 
 of a child so much as an exhibition of interest ; and the man 
 who can make the parents of the children regard him with 
 respect and affection, can soon exert a wonderful influence 
 over them, for ^nothing wins the affections of a parent so 
 readily as attention to his children. Let every teacher then 
 perseveringly visit the children committed to his charge ; 
 let him embrace every opportunity to present to the minds 
 of those he may meet the saving truths of the gospel; and 
 let him do this according to his Master's directions, endea- 
 voring to m.ingle the prudence of the serpent with the 
 tenderness and the harmlessness of the dove ; but let him 
 remember, that although he may not find the opportunity 
 of religious intercourse as free as he may have desired, 
 he has accomplished a most amazing sum of good, if he 
 has even the respect of the parents and the atTeotion of the 
 children. 
 
 " Under these circumstances, then, I am fully persuaded 
 that no school can succeed as it ought, without this perse- 
 vering and full discharge of this' duty ; and though I am 
 disposed to make all necessary allowances for the difficulties 
 of the case, I see no way of making any school prosperous, 
 unless the teachers, in the spirit of the gospel, will find some 
 way of making sacrifices of time and effort, and consecrating 
 those sacrifices to this important and interesting duty." 
 
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 248 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " NUMBER AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE SCHOOLS, 1832. 
 
 1. Male Bible Qass, 1 Teacher, 28 Scholars. 
 
 2. Male Sunday School, 
 
 3. Male Infant School, 
 
 4. Female Bible Class, 
 
 5. " " 
 
 6. Female Sunday School, 
 
 7. " Infant School, 
 
 8. " Colored School, 
 
 9. " do. Infant do, 
 10. Male and Female Col. do. 26 
 
 73 1088 
 
 " BENEFIT TO THE SCHOLARS. 
 
 " From the miiiutes .of the Superintendent of the Ma;le 
 and Female Colored School in Seventh Street, the following 
 interesting incident is extracted : In the female- infant school 
 there are two interesting little children, sisters,.one of whom 
 is so small that her parent is obliged to carry her to school, 
 from which neither can be induced to stay on any account. 
 The mother says : ' My little girls have got so ffood since 
 they have been going to Sundijy-school, that I can not get 
 them to buy me a penny's worth of milk on Sunday. They 
 tell me. My teacher says I must not buy any thing on Sun- 
 day, for it is the Lord's day. 
 
 "The only other incident which I will mention is one 
 which is taken from the Report of the Teacher of the Male 
 Infant School. It is one of the most touching incidents of 
 the kind which I have ever read. I quote his language just 
 as it stands. 
 
 " Teachers of infant schools become acquainted with 
 many interesting circumstances which serve to show the 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 249 
 
 happy influence which early religious instruction has upon 
 the character and conduct of children. 
 
 " On Sunday, December 11th, a little girl came into the 
 school-room to tell m.e that her brother Joseph was very ill, 
 that the doctors had cut a large swelling from his neck, that 
 he would like much to see his teacher, and often wept when 
 he talked about it. ' He says, too,' she remarked to me in 
 a very artless manner, ' that he thinks now he has got reli- 
 gion.' 
 
 " Joseph H was above nine years of age, and though 
 
 small for his age, he was quite old enough to have been long 
 since transferred to the Sunday-school, but appearing to be 
 very fond of the infant school, I felt unwilling to reniove him 
 against his inclination. I had missed Joseph for two Sun- 
 days, but this circumstance, at so inclement a season, which, 
 together with sickness, has reduced the school to about one 
 half its usual number, I did not consider remarkable, espe- 
 cially as he resided a mile from the school. As I went that 
 afternoon to his mother's dwelling, I thought of his quiet 
 and orderly behavior. His conduct was so habitually good, 
 that in the past year I do not remember to have had occa- 
 sion to speak to him for any thing wrong which he had 
 either said or done. When I entered his room, he lay upon 
 his little bed, with his face bound up, and looked exceed- 
 ingly pale. He put out his hand, and appeared much 
 pleased to see me. He was a child of but few worfls, but 
 the conversation I had with him was quite satisfactory. 
 While speaking to Joseph, his mother came in; she observed 
 that she was glad I had called, as she thought it must be a 
 great encouragement to me to know that some of the little 
 boys seemed to profit by the instruction they received. 
 Several years ago, as Joseph was near the fire, his clothes 
 by accident caught, and having an apron tied close round his 
 neck, the flames burnt his throat in a. very distressing man- 
 ner. After a long time, the wound was healed in rather an 
 
 11* 
 
250 MEMOIR OF 
 
 unskilful manner. His mouth and lower jaw were drawn 
 sideways, and quite down toward his iieck, so that ho could 
 scarcely close his mouth, and he could not raise his head in 
 an erect posture. As he grew, it became more inconvenient 
 to him, and often painful ; indeed, it was painful even to 
 look upon him. His mother was advised by skilful sur- 
 geons to have a portion of the flesh removed, as the only 
 probable means of aifording him relief. His life, it was 
 believed, hung upon this fearful operation, which was calcu- 
 lated to chill and appal the stoutest heart, yet he manifested 
 no particular fear, oor was it conceived necessary to admi- 
 nister an opiate to stupefy him, or to lull the pain. He told 
 his mother that he thought he had given his heart to God, 
 and now he did not wish much to live. He thought it 
 would be better if he should die young, and go and be with 
 his Saviour. When the time- came, the surgeon was attended 
 by seven others to witness the operation. It was performed 
 by separating a portion of the flesh from the lower part of 
 the jaw, from e-ar to ear, and the jaw was restored to its 
 place. Joseph afterward told his mother, that when the 
 doctor first began to cut him, he thought he could not bear 
 it and live. But then he prayed to God that he would bo 
 pleased to help him to bear it, and after that he did not feci 
 near so much pain. He afterward prayed for his mother, 
 and for his little sister, and for his Sunday-school teacher, 
 and said that he felt so happy, and that he loved every 
 body. One who was present, and had witnessed many 
 awful cases from the field of battle, said that he had not 
 seen one which excited in his mind the intense degree of 
 interest awakened by the patient kifiering of this delicate 
 and feeble little boy," 
 
 The interest which Dr. Bedell felt in the Sunday-schools, 
 induced him to still larger undertakings for the promotion 
 of their full object. His views upon the subject of a sepa 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 251 
 
 rate religious service for the children on the Lord's day, 
 have been detailed in the history. There could be no accom- 
 modation provided in his church for- schools so extensive, 
 and the only alternative appeared to be the arrangement of 
 a separate service for them, or the dismission of them to the 
 streets. Under such circumstances, he necessarily selected 
 the latter course, and met with valuable and useful help in 
 the services of some of his brethren in the ministry, who 
 cheerfully engaged in the duty of occasional preaching to 
 the children in the lecture-room during the regular hours 
 of service. Dr. Bedell began, but had not opportunity to 
 complete the preparation of a proper liturgy for the use of 
 the schools. This was designed for the habitual use of the 
 schools in their weekly duties. To the elder scholars he felt 
 convinced of the full adaptation of the regular service of the 
 church, and presented to each of them a prayer-book, on the 
 cover of which he had pasted the following card : 
 
 LET IT BE KEPT CAREFULLY AND NEAT, 
 
 ST. ANDREW S CHURCH 
 
 SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
 
 PRESENTED TO 
 
 BY G. T. BEDELL, ifector. 
 
 " God seoth me." 
 
 " God does not care for what I say, 
 Unless I feel it too." 
 
 ■lavsH imoA II.T.IA1. aoiAHas aiii Kior aKv 
 
 He had also employed himself in the preparation of a 
 
253 MEiioir. OP 
 
 simple explanation of the church catechism for the use of 
 the schools. The want of this he had long felt, perceiving, 
 as all his brethren in the ministry also have, the want of 
 adaptation of the catechism, as it stands, to the powers and 
 comprehension of the youthful mind. But this undertaking 
 was also left uncompleted. He had arranged, and intended 
 to establish a week-day school for his Sunday scholars, in 
 which, under habitual religious instruction, they should be 
 made acquainted also with such occupation or trade as 
 seemed best adapted to their peculiar individual character 
 and mind, and which should enable them to obtain for 
 themselves a comfortable support. He had also projected 
 an infant asylum for the purpose of ena,bling mothers 
 among the poorer classes of society to attend without anx- 
 iety to such occupations through the day as would enable 
 them to provide sustenance for their families, hoping thus 
 to bring under the notice of pious females many families 
 falling into vice and misery, who, with a little timely aid 
 and Christian attention, might be reclaimed from sin, and 
 saved from suffering and ruin. In all these facts there is 
 exhibited the operation of that spirit of Christian love by 
 which he was constrained, which thought no labor too great, 
 and no plans too multiplied, that might have the effect of 
 relieving the ignorance and misery of mankind, and of 
 bringing back the world into subjection to the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 St. Andrew's Church, although so modern in its origin, 
 was erecte'd at a time when there was but little attention paid 
 to the subject of Sunday-schools. Accordingly, although a 
 lecture-room and. school-rooms had been provided, the 
 schools connected with it were so flourishing that the accom- 
 modations which had been prepared for them were far too 
 limited and insufficient. This difficulty Dr. Bedell felt most 
 deeply, and was anxious to have it removed, if it were in 
 any way possible. The large expenses of the church seemed 
 
IXEV. En. EEDELL. 253 
 
 to render it impossible that the vestry should do it as a cor- 
 poration, and he hoped to succeed in it among individual con- 
 tributions. With this view he addressed the following most 
 interesting communication to the vestry upon the subject — 
 a little more than a year before his death. The plan, though 
 encouraged by all, in consequence of his own waning health, 
 did not succeed during his life. It is most gratifying to 
 know that under the ministry of his successor, a man of 
 like spirit, the object is now likely to be fully attained, and 
 the rooms so much desired are likely to be erected. 
 
 " to the vestry op st. andrew's church. 
 "Gentlemen : 
 
 " There is nothing which I more, ardently desire than that 
 on all matters comiected with the well-being of St. Andrew's 
 Church, there should be between you, as vestrymen, and 
 myself, as rector, the most perfect and cordial agreement of 
 opinion and of action. Without this, the prosperity of the 
 church will most unquestionably decay, and for that decay 
 yourselves as the vestry and myself as the rector will be 
 held responsible, both by the congregation and by the great 
 Head of the Church, when we shall render up our account 
 at the day of judgment. Whatever, therefore, is done by 
 either of us should be done in reference to these results. 
 
 " Viewing the subject in this light, and conscious that I 
 have no object in view but to subserve the interests of 
 Christ, in their connection with St. Andrew's Church, I lately 
 laid before the vestry a proposition touching the erection of 
 a suitable Sunday-school house and lecture-room. I did this 
 under the most firm and conscientious impression, that on 
 the success of the plan would depend the welfare of this 
 Church. I have reason to know th&t my views are right on 
 this subject. Tor the spiritual welfare of the Church a 
 Sunday-school house and lecture-room are indispensable, and 
 I took the liberty of stating to the vestry that it would be 
 
254 MEMOIR or 
 
 out of my pow&r to maintain our standing wittout it. Yet 
 as I knew that such a house as was necessary could not, 
 under present circumstances, be built by the vestry, I 
 offered to take from them all pecuniary responsibility, and 
 only asked for a grant of ground. I can not express to the 
 vestry my deep regret to learn that my proposition was 
 agreed to only by a majority which causes a painful strug- 
 gle in my own mind whether I can accept the power granted 
 with such demonstrations of reluctance. If I dared to con- 
 sult my own feelings I should at once throw up the matter 
 in despair ; but when I remember that I am acting only as 
 the agent of One whose cause I am bound to carry on 
 through evil and through good, through difficulty as well as 
 ease, I must hold the subject under still longer advisement. 
 In the mean time, I wish the vestry to take into their most 
 serious consideration whether there are not some terms 
 upon which they may respond to my wishes in this thing. I 
 earnestly entreat them to take into favorable consideration " 
 the following propositions, which I hope will be passed with 
 perfect unanimity, in the form of resolutions : 
 
 "1. That the vestry, would quarterly appoint a com- 
 mittee, whose duty it shall be to visit the Sunday-schools at 
 least once in every month, and report the /ac< of their so 
 doing to the vestry, with any thing else they pleas;e. 
 
 " 2. That the vestry would appoint the wardens a com- 
 mittee of advice with me, in relation to the best method of 
 accomplishing the design of erecting a suitable Sunday- 
 school house and lecture-room, making any clause they 
 please to show that no pecuniary responsibility is to come 
 on the vestry. 
 
 " I come now to a part of my communication which has 
 cost me deep reflection ; and the conclusion to which I have 
 reached, is one which I believe the case imperatively 
 demands. It is a ^personal sacrifice, on my part, to the 
 object I so ardently desire to accomplish. The greatest 
 
KET. DB. BEDELL. 255 
 
 difficulty which stands in my way in relation to the build- 
 ing proposed, is that which arises out of the permanent pro- 
 vision for the sexton. There is but one way to accomplish 
 this, and to that way my mind is determinately settled. I 
 hereby solemnly and cheerfully relinquish to the vestry two 
 hundred dollars per annum of my salary. This, during my 
 rectorship, will be permanent, and when I rest from my 
 labors beneath the marble which may be seen from the 
 windows of the school house, the vestry may offer to my 
 successor eighteen hundred dollars, and the permanenci/ of 
 the matter is secured. 
 
 " The vestry may suppose that I have done this know- 
 ing, or rather hoping, that the vestry will not receive the 
 sacrifice. I am about to give the vestry a proof of my sin- 
 cerity in the offer which, after its announcement, none will 
 question. It is this. Let the vestry take what course they 
 please — cooperate heartily with me or refuse me^ — never, 
 from after next December, will I touch one farthing of the 
 naoney now relinquished. If it is offered me I will refuse 
 it; if it is sent to me I will return it. I solemnly pledge 
 myself so to do as a test of my sincerity in the offer, and 
 my earnest desire to subserve the interest of the Church, 
 which can only be done through a sacrifice of the kind 1 
 have made. In no other shape can the permanent provision 
 for the sexton be acquired, and I have faith to believe that 
 the God who has led me all my life long, and by a series of 
 peculiar providences established me as the rector of this 
 Church, will never permit me to want for the poor sacrifice 
 which I make to the welfare of this loved and cherished 
 Church. 
 
 " Do I ask more than the vestry, if they regard my feel- 
 ings and -desires, should be ready to grant, when all I ask is 
 a hearty, unanimous cooperation in my plans for good ? 
 " I remain, Gentlemen, 
 " Your friend, 
 
 "G. T. Bedell, Rector ' 
 
256 MEMOIR OF 
 
 The following resolutions show that the vestry were now 
 prepared to meet the views which he suggested without the 
 sacrifice which had been proposed — a sacrifice which, it is 
 due to them to record, his successor has not been required in 
 any way to inherit. There is still the same spirit of literal 
 and united cooperation in every work of good in this 
 Church, which has distinguished it from the beginning; 
 though in this, as in every congregation, it is no cause for 
 wonder that there are those still who do not feel the deep 
 interest which their pastor felt in the promotion of this 
 peculiar work of religious benefit to others. 
 
 "At a stated meeting of the Vestry of St. Andrew's 
 Church, held June 4th, 1833, the following resolutions were 
 adopted : 
 
 '■^Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to 
 meet with, and act with three appointed by the rector, so 
 that with himself there would be a committee of seven, 
 who should take in charge this whole business of the 
 building. 
 
 " Messrs. Eobins, Keith, and Dr. Mitchell were appointed 
 said committee. 
 
 "Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed quar- 
 terly, whose duty it shall be to visit the Sunday-schools at 
 least once in each month, and report whatever may by them 
 be deemed worthy of notice. 
 
 " Extract from the minutes, 
 
 "J. Patterson, Secretary." 
 
 In our description of Dr. Bedell's pastoral duties, a pro- 
 minent position ought to be given to his interest in Bible- 
 clafeses. From the commencement of his ministry in Phi- 
 ladelphia to the close of his life, in addition to his other 
 arduous and accumulated duties, he attended every week a 
 female Bible-class, open to the attendance of all who felt 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 257 
 
 Tisposed to pass with him through a course of Scripture 
 study. For the first few years the subjects of study were 
 taken from the Old Testament. In subsequent years the 
 Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles were studied. During 
 the last winter of his ministry he had occupied the attention 
 of the class with the commencement of a course of study 
 upon the Prophecies. He had prepared a set of questions 
 for another course on the Epistle to the Romans, and some 
 preparatory lectures upon the same subject to be delivered 
 on the Friday evening previous to the meeting of the class. 
 From the accomplishment of this purpose, however, he was 
 removed by death. His Bible-class was a source of unvary- 
 ing interest and delight to those who attended it. All 
 gained very important and edifying instruction, and many 
 the wisdom which is unto salvation. He had very peculiar 
 facility in making his expositions of the Scripture interest- 
 ing to them, and he spared no labor or care to promote 
 their improvement and gratification. Transparencies, and 
 maps, and other methods of illustration for the Scripture 
 subjects before them, were all sought and made to fulfill an 
 important part in giving interest to the class in the duty in 
 which they were engaged. 
 
 The members of his Bible-class, in consequence, felt 
 bound to him by a peculiar tie of gratitude and affection. 
 The benefit which they had received from him was inesti- 
 mable, and they had learned highly to value not only that, 
 but also the self-denying and laborious eflfort with which it 
 was communicated. 
 
 The following account of this last winter's session of the 
 Bible-class, from one who had been for several seasons a 
 member, can not fail to interest the reader : 
 
 " During the last winter of his life, and when his great 
 debility and weakness were continually increasing, Dr. 
 Bedell delivered a course of lectures to his female Bible- 
 
258 MEMOIR OP 
 
 class, on the Prophecies. They possessed great interest, 
 and the average number of hidies attending was a hundred 
 and twenty. 
 
 " His own interest in this subject of study was very great. 
 He prepared a syllabus of the course of instruction he 
 intended to pursue, which was printed for the use of the 
 class. The subjects of each lecture were stated in order, 
 with Scripture references, and to these were added questions 
 on each lesson. It was not the intention of our pastor to 
 deliver a course of lectures merely to the class, but to call 
 upon each individual at every meeting to answer at least 
 one of the prepared questions on the preceding lesson. But 
 finding the necessary explanations to require a great deal of 
 time and labor on his part, and the subject being quite new 
 to most of the class, at least in his manner of treating it, 
 and often from its nature obscure and difficult, he relin- 
 quished this part of his plan, though with evident regret. 
 He subsequently stated to us that he should not be willing 
 ever again to engage in exercises of the same kind without 
 the use of questions. 
 
 " The basis of this course of instruction was ' Fabfir's 
 Sacred Calendar of Prophecy.' The general theory of this 
 author Dr. Bedell adopted, as the most satisfactory he had 
 ever met with, ' though constrained to hold different views 
 on some of the particular prophecies.' It was his intention, 
 which he had partly carried into execution, to prepare an 
 edition of this important work for publication in this country. 
 He did not spare pains or exertion for the advantage of tlic 
 class while pursuing this study. He caused to be drawn 
 for their use a picture, the full size of a man, representing 
 the great metallic image as described by the prophet Daniel. 
 Different parts of the picture were painted of different colors, 
 as the head of a gold-color, etc. 
 
 " Notwithstanding his weakness he never failed to meet 
 the class through the winter, except in very inclement wea- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 259 
 
 tlier. The last meeting was held on the 30th of April. He 
 expressed his gratification that he had been enabled to con- 
 tinue the exercises of the class so long; and made a single 
 allusipn to the probability, that in the same relation we 
 might never meet again. This was unusual with him, and 
 we deeply felt the remark, though hope still taught us to 
 look forward to future meetings. We were not willing to 
 believe that this was, as it proved, the very last.'' 
 
 Though the labors of mind and body which I have already 
 described were almost innumerable, another important part 
 of his efibrts for the religious good, especially of the rising 
 generation, must not be omitted. In the midst of all his 
 varied and pressing parochial duties he prepared and pub- 
 lished many works of small size, adapted not only to inter- 
 est the minds of children in religious subjects and concerns, 
 but also those in more mature periods of life — and indeed all 
 whose attention could be drawn to serious subjects. Several 
 of these works were prepared for the American Sunday- 
 School Union, and have been widely circulated through 
 various libraries of Sunday-schools throughout the country. 
 Among these are- the lives of Moses and St. Paul ; the Life 
 of Leigh Richmond ; the story of Robert Benton; the history 
 of Tahiti, in three volumes ; and the Teacher's Assistant, 
 originally published weekly in the Sunday-School Journal. 
 Others of his publications were for more mature readers. 
 These were Ezekiel's Vision, the substance of several ser- 
 mons on the vision of the valley of dry bones ; Way- 
 Marks, designed as a guide to minds awakened to religious 
 inquiries ; Is it well 1 — three questions addressed to wives 
 and mothers — " Is it well with thee 1 Is it well with thy 
 husband 1 Is it well with the child V the Religious Sou- 
 venir, which was prepared by him for three succeeding 
 years; and Bickersteth's Treatise on the Lord's Supper, 
 with an introduction and notes, and an additional essay on 
 
260 MEMOHl OF 
 
 worldly amusements. These little books, not too small for 
 the parlor-table nor too costly for the poor man's shelf, have 
 been scattered throughout the United States, and some of 
 them republished in England. Such is the excellence of 
 their character that they can not fail to be useful wherevei 
 they go ; and many instances have come to oiir know 
 ledge, in which they have been blessed of God to the accom- 
 plishment of manifest and important spiritual good. These 
 publications were all individually small, because their simple 
 object was usefulness to others, and not eminence to. himself. 
 -He made no effort to gain or to support a literary reputation 
 for himself His great end was to be in all things an instru- 
 ment of good to others. In the attainment of this end he 
 was favored to an unusual degree, and his reward is not so 
 much in man's judgment, though there he is not deficient, as 
 it is in the favor and approbation of God. 
 
 Dr. Bedell's interest was strongly and permanently en- 
 listed in the promotion of the great objects of religious 
 benevolence. His own liberality and disinterestedness in 
 expenditures for the promotion of the gospel among men, 
 which were well known' to his intimate friends, led to a 
 desire in his heart for equal effort and equal generosity on 
 the part of the congregation committed to him. In this 
 desire he was not disappointed ; they sustained him in the 
 plans which he proposed to them for doing good, with much 
 liberality. In reference to this, he says in his anniversary 
 sermon : — 
 
 " God has wonderfully blessed us in lie stand which this 
 congregation has taken, as it regards the advancement of the 
 cause of Christ. I am fully persuaded, that there is nothing 
 which gives a better criterion by which to form a judgment 
 of the healthy state of -religion, than the dispositinii mani- 
 fested in a congregation to lend the aid of their tine, *Niir 
 talents, and their property, to the promotion of rcligier.. It 
 
KKv. dh. bedell. 261 
 
 has been the reproach of Episcopalians, that there has ex- 
 isted among them so little disposition to advance the inter- 
 ests of the Eedeemer's kingdom. It is not necessary at the 
 present time that I should decide the question, whether this 
 reproach is true or false ; but I do desire to record it as one 
 of the most distinguishing mercies vouchsafed to this Church, 
 that there has been here exhibited a very decided spirit of 
 unusual liberality. I do not remember that any thing of a 
 definite form has ever been presented to you, but it has met 
 with a hearty and liberal cooperation. The cause of Clu-ist, 
 in general, as fully identified with the advance of spiritual 
 religion among yourselves, has been ever held up to you 
 from this pulpit ; and I do most humbly yet most fully ren- 
 der my thanlisgiving to God, that he has inclined your hearts 
 to look with favor on those plans of Christian benevolence 
 which constitute the moral glory of the age. Take the sub- 
 ject of education: our Sunday-schools have been always 
 well supported ; whatever has been asked, has been given. 
 Two Bible classes connected with the Sunday-schools of this 
 church, together with the female school, and two classes 
 under the direction of one of our teachers, but whose mem- 
 bers do not belong to our Church; these classes have now 
 for three years or more supported a school in Greece, at the 
 annual appropriation of $300, and at this moment upwards 
 of one hundred of the descendants of this once great, but 
 now debased and ignorant people, are receiving at the hands 
 of a few young persons among us, the benefits of an enlight- 
 ened education. I have no doubt that this statement is new 
 to many of my hearers ; for this thing has been done, not 
 for the purpose of show, but from a spirit of enlarged benefi- 
 cence. I state it that God may have the glory. And I have 
 not yet done speaking on the subject of education. Several 
 young men, whose hearts the Lord has prepared for the 
 work of the ministry, have already been assisted in their 
 education by the members of this Church. At this moment 
 
262 MEMOIR OF 
 
 from the communicants alone, there are funds raised which 
 will educate fifteen annually, allowing $75 as tlie expense of 
 the education of each one. This is $1125 annually devoted 
 to this object. Averaging the period of the education of 
 each at five years, in ten years thirty ministers of the gospel 
 will here have received the means of education ; and if the 
 process goes on but fifty years, the Church of the living God 
 will have been indebted to the communicants of this congre- 
 gation for one hundred and fifty ministers of the gospel, 
 educated intellectually, spiritually, and' physically, for the 
 spread of the Redeemer's kingdom. Lest I should be sup- 
 posed as at all exaggerating, I have left out other matters 
 connected with the subject of education, which would swell 
 the catalogue of mercies, in relation to which we have reason 
 to say, ' Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.' I turn to the 
 missionary question. Besides the collections taken up m 
 this .Church at the call of the General Missionary Society, 
 and the Society for the Advancement of Christianity in Penn- 
 sylvania, the Ladies' Society for the Promotion of Religion 
 liave sustained two missionaries in the lanes and alleys of 
 our city, and to hundreds aiid thousands of the poor and des- 
 titute has the gospel of Christ been preached. The Male 
 Society has done the same, but in a more limited degree. 
 God of his mercy has enabled us to listen to the voice of the 
 Saviour, when he has said, ' Go preach my gospel to every 
 creature,' and in this he has wonderfully helped us hitherto. 
 Is there among you one individual poorer for what he has 
 done ? No ; but there are hundreds and thousands among 
 us and abroad, who are richer and happier for time and for 
 eternity." 
 
 While this extract states some of the results which had 
 been attained in this congregation, in the gaining of funds 
 for the promotion of the gospel abroad and at home, the 
 variety of instruments which Dr. Bedell employed and set 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 263 
 
 in operation to gain these result^, may serve to exhibit still 
 fiirthur his abundance in the labors, and his adaptation to 
 the duties, of the various aspects of a pastor's responsibility. 
 There were no less than five distinct societies, male and 
 female, established under his direction in St. Andrew's 
 Church, for the accomplishment of different objects under 
 the general head of religious benevolence. All these socie- 
 ties he visited in turn at their weekly, and occasional meet- 
 ings, exhorting them to increase of diligence a,nd zeal, ad- 
 dressing them upon special subjects connected with theij 
 undertaking, and interesting himself personally in the small 
 est circumstance connected with their prosperity. Nothing 
 in this connexion was beneath his notice and care. And 
 while his mind embraced and presented to them the largest 
 fields of religious enterprise, and the most extended plans of 
 operation for the whole, he would appear equally interested 
 in the cutting of a garment for the poor by some member of 
 the Dorcas Society, or in devising and improving some little 
 fancy article for sale for the collection of money for the 
 missionary cause. The arrangements of an annual fair for 
 the sale of the products of the work . of a Sowing society, 
 were made and superintended by himself The evils which 
 were supposed to attend this system of raising money were 
 noticed and answered by him. His own presence and con- 
 trol removed all abuses which might have been elsewhere 
 connected with it, and in each succeeding year, under his 
 wise direction, they became a continued, acceptable, and im- 
 portant instrument of increasing to a very large amount, 
 the funds for the accomplishment of the purposes of the 
 society in the promotion of religion among m.en. He 
 delighted to see the beneficent spirit of the Christian exerting 
 itself for the relief of want of every description ; but he 
 always avowed his decided opinion,, that his first duty was 
 to the cause of the gospel and to the promotion of Christian- 
 ity among men. For this end the societies of his Church 
 
264 MEMOIR OF 
 
 were vigorously engaged. Two missionaries for destitute 
 parts of the city of Philadelphia were at one time supported 
 by them with a salary of $500 each. The large and flour- 
 ishing congregation of Grace Church, now under the care of 
 the Rev. Wm. Suddards, owes its origin to one of these 
 societies. They supported the minister of this Church for 
 some years after they had commenced thg effort, when the 
 congregation itself was small and feeble. It is delightful to 
 record, too, that the zealous spirit which animated them in 
 their works of love, has rested also, in a large m.easure, upon 
 the Church now so prominent, which has sprung from this 
 small beginning. The liberal spirit of Dr. Bedell was 
 always seconded and carried out by his people. In a single 
 year the sum of $8000 has been collected in the congregation 
 of St. Andrew's Church, for the furtherance of the gospel, 
 while in no year under his ministry was there a deficiency 
 of exertion in' regard to the high standard of duty which he 
 had presented to their minds. 
 
 Dr. BedeU was always found ready to give his influence 
 and exertions to every valuable object for religious labor. 
 While the peculiar institutions of the Episcopal. Church 
 were uniformly sustained by him and his congregation, he 
 was prepared and willing also, as opportunity offered, to 
 engage in the efforts in which other Christian denominations 
 were united together, to promote the common purposes and 
 triumphs of Christianity. The American, Sunday-school 
 Union was an object with him of especial interest. For 
 this he made several journeys, to gain a knowledge of the 
 state of Sunday-schools generally, and to prorhote their 
 prosperity. His peculiar power in addressing congregations 
 of children, rendered him exceedingly useful and interesting 
 on these journeys. On such occasions, he spoke with an 
 irresistible influence. During one of these journeys I well 
 remember the deep interest which was excited by his ap- 
 pearance and address. He founded his remarks upon the 
 
REV. DR, BEDELL. 265 
 
 well known commission of Pharaoh's daughter to the mother 
 of Moses, " Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I 
 will give thee thy wages." His audience was composed of 
 several hundred children, and many adults of the highest 
 respectability. Among the latter were several of the most 
 distinguished of the statesmen of the United States, one of 
 whom was afterwards .placed in the highest office in the gift 
 of a free people. But there was not probably one unmoved 
 hearer in the house, while some of the most intelligent de- 
 clared, they had never before so felt the power of a public 
 speaker. There are many in the different parts of the 
 country, who will not readily lose the impressions which 
 they received from similar addresses. 
 
 To one of the last of these journeys he refers in the fol- 
 lowing letter to a clergyman, to whose place of residence he 
 was about going for the purpose already described. 
 
 " Rev, and Dear Brother : 
 
 " I am about to take a short tour for the benefit of my 
 health, and have been requested by the managers of the 
 Sunday-school Union to speak to the children and teachers 
 connected with their institution. I have felt myself called 
 upon by a sense of duty to consent so to do, and letters 
 
 have been written to the proper persons in , that, if 
 
 they deem it expedient, arrangements might be made. 
 
 -" Whether they may think it expedient is a matter which 
 I have not yet ascertained, but I shall be prepared, and I 
 suppose as the Episcopal schools are 'not connected with the 
 American Union, that the address, if given, will be in one of 
 the Congregational Churches. My purpose in writing is to 
 say, that my only object is to address teachers and children, 
 and consequently I hope, that my so doing will not be con- 
 strued into any hostility to the Episcopal Sunday-school 
 Union. I wish this institution of our o-vvn Church every 
 possible success, and rejoice in its rising prospects; but my 
 ^ 12 
 
266 MEMOIR OF 
 
 attachments have befen to the American Union for many 
 years, and I have seen no circumstance calculated to dimi- 
 nish that attachment. My own schools-are attached to both 
 institutions. It would give me pleasure to address the child- 
 ren of the Episcopal schools also, but this will of course de- 
 pend on the wishes of those who have the management." 
 
 Dr. Bedell vfas always a most acceptable speaker at the 
 anniversaries of benevolent societies. He was so often en- 
 gaged in this duty, that it would be quite impossible to give 
 any extended account of the occasions upon which he spoke. 
 As the" circumstances of his original connection with the 
 American Bible Society have been mentioned, however, his 
 address at the anniversary of that Society in 1828 will be 
 appropriate and acceptable, as a specimen of his sty]je of ad- 
 dress in this department, and of his abiding attachment to 
 that noble institution. It is affecting indeed, in looking 
 over the names of those who were prominent on that occa- 
 sion — Variclc, Troup, Hyde, Sanford, Rice, and Bedell, all 
 names widely known, and as widely esteemed in the Chm"h 
 of Christ, have gone to their final resting-place in a vast 
 eternity ! How solemn is the appeal which the departures 
 of such men make to those who are left to act for the cause 
 of Christ ! — " Work while it is called to-day ;" " Whatso- 
 ever thy hand findetli to do, do it with thy might." 
 
 " Mr. President : 
 
 " In rising to offer a resolution, which has been put into 
 my hand, I trust that I may not be considered as travelling 
 far out of the path which it becomes me to pursue, if I ven- 
 ture to express my feelings on being permitted to fee pre- 
 sent at this anniversary. It is a p]easur%which, for years, 
 I havt been anxious to enjoy ; for, though living during the 
 last six in a sister city, I have hitherto been prevented by 
 some paramount obligations. The difficulties having been 
 removed, I am now permitted to bo present, at what I con- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 261 
 
 sider, in every respect, the most august, the most beneficent, 
 and the most eternally important assemblage which ever 
 has or ever can be gathered in our country ; and when I 
 compare my own feelings at present with what I have read 
 of theirs, who, at this season of the "year, are annually 
 gathered together in the city of London on the same high 
 and holy purposes, I am no longer surprised at what I once 
 considered enthusiasm-, and what might once have passed 
 with me for romance. I do not suppose that a single indi- 
 vidual present is ignorant of what is now going on in the" 
 metropolis of England, when London appears as did Jeru- 
 salem at the day of Pentecost, for there are gathered to- 
 gether Israelites indeed, devout men, out of almost every 
 nation under heaven, waiting for the fulfillment of the 
 promise, in another outpouring of the Spirit. But, Sir, the 
 same causes which give a heavenly charm to the city of 
 London at this season, give a heavenly charm to the city in 
 which we are assembled. I may not forget, that this city is 
 the city of my birth, and earliest years ; and though, in the 
 purposes of Providence, it does appear, that it is not to be 
 the city of my residence, yet I may not also forget that it 
 is peculiarly dear to me, because it i§ the place of my fath- 
 er's sepulchre. But, Sir, there is a charm about it at this 
 time, which is far superior to all these. I feel — and this is 
 suflScient for my present purpose^ — I feel, that there is now- 
 assembled on the general legislation of the spiritual Church 
 of the living God, the zeal, the ejaergy, the wisdom and the 
 piety of the land ; that here, as it were, ' {he chariots of God 
 are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels : and that the 
 Lord is among them, as on the holy place of Sinai.' There 
 is here a moral atmosphere created, which is all fragrance ; 
 and m reference to this assembly it may be said, in a far 
 higher sense than genius ever prompted poetry to sing, 
 
 ' Sweet month I 
 ' If not the first, the fairest in the year 1' 
 
268 MEMOIR OF 
 
 " In paying a close attention to the full and satisfaotoiy 
 report which has heen read, and in listening to the interest- 
 ing and animated addresses -which have been pronounced in 
 our hearing, my mind has heen powerfully impressed with 
 the idea, that the year which has ended has been marked 
 with the smiles of Providence in the most signal manifestar 
 tions. 
 
 " There never was, perhaps, a year in which the Bible 
 cause has received so great an accession of real friends, for 
 a man only becomes a real friend to the Bible cause, inas- 
 much as his heart comes under the influence of that Spirit 
 by whose inspiration the Bible itself was written. Probably, 
 when I say that there never was a year in which the Bible 
 cause received so great a reception of real friends, I may 
 make my meaning more intelligible by a recurrence to facts 
 of so spirit-stirring a character, that whether they stand 
 alone, or are connected with this subject, they may make 
 the hearts of Christians rejokse, because they have already 
 been the occasion of rejoicing anrong the angels of God. 
 TMs year and the last have been years of large and exten- 
 sive revivals of religion. Talce up the vehicles of religious 
 intelligence which have emanated from .the east, the west, 
 the north and south, and the triumphs of the Cross are 
 recorded in the multitudes, who, under the most powerful 
 outpourings of the Spirit, have been ' brought from darkness 
 to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.' I need 
 not enlarge on these facts before such an audience as this. 
 That there have be^n these revivals is well known to every ■ 
 friend to the Redeemer's cause. But, Sir, the remark I 
 draw from- it is this, and it is a remark which brings this 
 soul-cheering subject -to bear on the very purpose, aiad in 
 the very work for which we are. assembled. It is supposed, 
 (I have not the data to go into any such calculation, as to 
 make the matter subject of demonstration,) but it is sup- 
 posed, that during the last eighteen months or t\^ years^ 
 
EEV. DB. BEDELL. 260 
 
 more, than one hundred thousand individuals have been hope- 
 fully converted and brought into the Church of the living 
 God, under the impression of these seasons of spiritual 
 refreshing from'the presence of the Lord. If so, then what 
 cause of congratulation, not only because souls have been 
 rescued from the grasp of the destroyer, and are regenerated, 
 brought into the enjoyment of tho glorious liberty of the 
 sons of God, but because there are one hundred thousand who 
 are now the friends of thje Bible, not on ordinary grounds, 
 but on the experienced benefit of its power, and in the sym- 
 pathies of their new creation in Christ Jesus. Many of 
 these men may before have been the acknowledged advo- 
 cates of the Bible ; but what a diiference will it make in the 
 same men, when once the sympathies of a converted heart 
 are brought to bear on the sacred cause. Oh ! what a real 
 friend will he be to the cause, who, through the power of 
 the precious Word has been, in the language of the Bible, 
 ' begotten again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus 
 Christ from the dead!' Now, Sir, I hazard a remark, 
 (I know not personally whether it has its foundation in 
 fact or not,) but in reflecting on the subject it appears to 
 me as -if the whole rationale of the operation required it, 
 that the magnificent efforts which have characterized the 
 last year of the Bible Society, and about which so much has 
 been written in the Eeport, and so much said in the 
 addresses, that these magnificent operations have originated 
 With those alone who have been brought into the fold of 
 Christ during these revivals, or who, themselves Christians 
 before, have had their hearts warmed into a livelier sensi- 
 bility, and wakened into a more burning zeal in consequence 
 of these revivals. If I am mistaken. Sir, no harm is done. 
 If I am right, then have we still more abundant reason to 
 be convinced, 'that it is all the Lord's doing, and it is 
 marvellous in our eyes.' 
 
 "This, Mr. President, leads me directly to the specific 
 
270 MEMOIR OF 
 
 subject of the resolution -which I hold in my hand, and 
 which, before I make a few additional remarks, I will take 
 the liberty of reading : ' That the smiles of Providence on 
 this Society, particularly during the past year, call for the 
 devout gratitude of all the friends of the Bible, and for new 
 zeal in the work of its future distribution.' 
 
 "This contemplates thanks to Almighty God. About 
 the propriety of this, as I had occasion to pemark the other 
 evening, who can raise a question 1 But, Sir, thanks which 
 flow from the warm inspiration of the heart, instead of the 
 cold expression of the lips, always flow out into some prac- 
 tical exhibitions. When the soul of the Psalmist was almost 
 too full for utterance, and when his question was, ' What 
 shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits?' he 
 answered, ' I will take the cup of salvation, and will call on 
 the name of the Lord !' How shall we express our grati- 
 tude to God 1 By enlarged exertions. Let every individual 
 be more active, pray more intensely, give more personal 
 exertion, give more l^argely of your money. ■ Much has 
 been done, there is much left undone. I recollect to have 
 heard a remark, made at a late Bible anniversary in Phila- 
 delphia, somewhat like this, that although much has been 
 done by the efforts to put a Bible into every family_ in the 
 land, why not into the hands of every individual ? Is this 
 supposed extravagant, unnecessary, or impracticable? In 
 answer to the idea of its impracticability I would say, 
 nothing is impracticable where the cause o^ God is con- 
 cerned. Faith, which can remove a mountain, can put a 
 Bible where it lists. It gives me pain to hear Christians 
 talk of the impracticability of doing that which has the glory 
 of God for its object. Why, Sir, that faith which lays hold 
 on the promises of God, has a derived omnipotence. This 
 suggestion is not unnecessary. Why, Sir, let me illustrate. 
 We were both children once, and though it costs your 
 speaker a shorter effort of memory to look back than it does 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. _271 
 
 yours,* yet we can both remember 'well enough, thsJt the 
 toy which was the common property of the play-room or 
 the nursery, loved as it was, was not loved as the one which 
 each would call his own. When we deal with men,'whether 
 for their temporal or eternal welfare, we must deal with the 
 ordinary principles of human nature. When we proffer the 
 salvation of the Gospel, we do it as a general offer ; but we 
 want every individual so to receive it as to be enabled to 
 say, "My beloved is mine and I am his." So of the Bible. 
 Let every individual call a copy of it his own, and then it 
 will be better loved and better received. I do but hint at 
 this subject, for I do not suppose that its accomplishment 
 by us is to be thought of. We have already come up to 
 the measure of our faith. I repeat it, we have already 
 come up to the measure of our faith. It will require the 
 energies of another generation, whose faith shall be stronger 
 than ours. Yet, do I doubt the accomplishment of the pro- 
 ject I have hinted at? No, Sir; I have no more doubt of 
 it than I have that I now address you. The whole history 
 of the Bible Society has been a history of nothing but pro- 
 gression. ' Speak to the children of Israel that they go for- 
 ward,' has been the word, and they have gone forward ; and 
 though tliey have sometimes seen the Eed Sea in front, and 
 almost impassable mountains on either side, and their, foes in 
 the rear, yet they have still gone forward, and the Lord has 
 opened their way. And though their enemies may not have 
 perished like Pharaoh and his hosts, they have nevertheless 
 been left so far behind in the wilderness, that they have 
 given up the chase as hopeless. 
 
 " We have heard much to-day, Mr. President, on the sub- 
 ject of encouragements. Why, Sir, my soul doth magnify 
 the Lord that there are these encouragements. But they are 
 
 * The venerable CoL Tarick was then the President of the Society, 
 who soon after departed from the earth. 
 
372 MEMOIR OP 
 
 condescensions to the weakness of our faith. ' I have one 
 encouragement to offer you this morning, whiph is worth 
 all the external and adventitious circumstances which have 
 served to fill our hearts with so much joy arid gladness; 
 It is an encouragement furnished mo by an old writer, about 
 whose authority there will be here no question. 'As the 
 rain come'th down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth 
 not thither,"'but watereth the earth and maketh it to bring 
 forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread' -i 
 to the eater, so shall my word be, that goeth forth out of 
 my mouth; it shall not return vuito mo void, but, it shall 
 accomplish that which, I please, and it shall prosper in the • 
 things whereto I sent it.' How beautiful, how sublime, how 
 full ! What need have we of further witness 1 The Lord 
 hath spoken. You know that in the economy of Providence 
 the snow and the rain are the speechless agents of the 
 Maker's will, to mhiister to the haj)piness of , man. The one 
 clothes the earth in a protecting mantle, to shelter the deli- 
 cate seeds entrusted to its bosom, the other descends to pre- 
 pare the earth for the occupation of the husbandman, to 
 assist the seed in its process of decomposition, to urge for-* 
 ward the living principle, to mature and to ripen. How 
 beautifully is it said by the Prophet, that when they have 
 accomplished their purposes, they return to God again, 
 again to perform the same kind office. For the snow melts 
 away as the sun gathers his vernal strengtli, and with the 
 rain, the still and almost imperceptible evaporation carries 
 it back to the clouds, where it waits the command of God 
 to fall in the gentle shower, the impetuous torrent, or to be 
 condensed into the virgin snow. Year after year goes on 
 this process, and the promise is 'seed to the sower and 
 bread to the eater.' Hath it ever failed ? ' So shall my 
 word bo.' As the protecting "snow upon the earth, as the 
 rain upon the parched ground, as the showers that water the 
 earth, ' so shall niy word be.' ' It shall not return unto me 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 273 
 
 void.' When it returns, it shall be laden with the spirits 
 of the vanquished enemy of man's salvation, it shall be laden 
 with the testimony and the tribute of new-born souls, it 
 shall carry with it the tears, and the prayers, and the praises 
 of the people turned unto theXord. ' It shall prosper in the 
 things whereto I sent it.' I sent it to point out to man his 
 situation as a sinner. 'It shall prosper in the things whereto 
 I sent it.' Men shall cry, ' What shalt we do to be saved V 
 ' I sent it to reveal myself as a mighty Saviour.' ' It shall 
 prosper in the things whereto I sent it.' Men shall turn 
 their faces from the earth where they had gathered black 
 ness, and hope shall smile on their countenance of wo. ' I 
 sent it to reVeaP the Cross, the mystery of love.' ' It shall 
 prosper in the things whereto I sent it.' Men ' shall flee 
 from the wrath to come.' I sent it to chase away the clouds 
 and darkness which had hung on the future, and to bring 
 life and immortality to light. ' I sent it to place before a 
 world of sinners the offers of my mercy.' I sent it to 
 meliorate the condition of the most degraded of mankind, 
 to change this wilderness into Canaan. ' It shall prosper in 
 the things whereto I sent it.' ' The wilderness shall bud 
 and blossom as the rose ; instead of the thorn shall come up 
 the myrtle-tree.' Want you a. better encouragement than 
 this ? Why, Sir, if, generally, Bible friends were turned into 
 Bible foes j if, instead of encouragements, every thing looked 
 black; if, instead of this large and brilliant assemblage in this 
 great city, you were but a little band, and compelled, like 
 the primitive Christians, to meet in dens and caves of the 
 earth, what matters it ? Is not the Lord on your side 1 Has 
 not his word gone forth 1 Had I nothing to cling to^ I would 
 lay hold on this one promise — 'as the rain cometh down, 
 and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but 
 watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that 
 it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.' And 
 every time I saw the gambols of the fleecy snow, or the wise 
 12* 
 
274 ^^. MEMOIR OF 
 
 steady descent of the rain-drop, I would he as free from 
 doubt on this subject, as I am on another, when I sometimes 
 see the beautiful bow of promise, as it reposes in all its 
 majesty and splendor, on the bosom of the cloud which has 
 passed away. This tells me, and do we doubt it 1 that the 
 waters of a flood shall no more ot^erflow the earth ! The 
 other — ^but need I repeat its lesson ? No ! Send abroad 
 the Bible then ! Be not slack ; wherever it falls it must be 
 prospered, for the ' mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.' " 
 
 If any special department of Christian beneficence seemed 
 particularly dear to him, it was the education of indigent 
 pious young men for the ministry of the Gospel. To this 
 he devoted a large portion of his time and effort. In a pre- 
 ceding extract from his sermon it has been referred to. 
 But there was one aspect of this cause which gave him unal- 
 loyed satisfaction. Among his own communicants there 
 was an average of at least one in each year who devoted 
 himself to the ministry. Of this he thus speaks in the same 
 sermon : 
 
 " But there is one branch of this subject which I take up 
 with sensations of indescribable gratitude. ' Hitherto hath 
 the Lord helped us,' for we have already been permitted to 
 behold in the nainistry of the Gospel, or in a stage of ad- 
 vanced preparation, no less than ten young men, whose first 
 religious impressions were here received under the preach- 
 ing of the Gospel, or whose religious sensibility was here 
 cherished and nourished to the subject of the ministry. Had 
 God of his infinite mercy permitted this Church to do nothing 
 else toward the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom 
 than this, the raising up among ourselves in ten years of ten 
 young men, who are, or will be speedily, in the field of 
 labor, preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ to perish- 
 mg sinners, it were enough to swell the heart with gratitude 
 
^ REV. DB. BEDELL.^ 275 
 
 and draw the tear of joy for so distinguishing a mercy ; for 
 this will so long outlive us all, and its spiritual advantages be 
 utterly incalculable. Suppose that at a very moderate cal- 
 culation these ten young men are made the instruments of 
 the conversion each of one hundred souls, one thousand souls 
 will be saved; and who can count. the value of a single 
 soul ? But among these one thousand souls converted 
 through theif instrumentality, ten at least shall enter on the 
 same glorious work of the ministry, and these ten shall be 
 made the instrument of one thousand more conversions, and 
 so must go on the series ; and then, when hundreds and 
 thousands shall have been converted, and when it all can be 
 traced back as the river to the fountain — -to the blessing of 
 God upon this Church, who can estimate the debt of gratitude 
 which is due to the God who has thus helped us 1 Oh, my 
 friends ! the sense of God's goodness is overwhelming to a 
 painful degree, and I must stop the recital. Let you and I 
 take up the language of the text, as well we Aay, 'Hitherto 
 hath the Lord helped us.' " 
 
 His interest in this important department led to a very 
 efficient cooperation in the plans of the Episcopal Education 
 Society, of which he was the president, for the establishment 
 of a proper school for the preparatory classical education of 
 students for the ministry. This school was first opened 
 upon a farm purchased for the purpose near Wilmington, in 
 Delaware. But this location proving entirely too limited 
 for the attainment of the object proposed, the place was sold, 
 and the estate on which Bristol -College is now located on 
 the Delaware River, about seventeen miles above Philadel- 
 phia, was purchased at a cost of $20,000. For this college 
 a charter was obtained from the Legislature of Pennsylvania, 
 and although its origin is yet so recent, the success which 
 has crowned the effort has in every respect been most tri- 
 umphant. Its main object is to educate pious young men 
 
276 ' MEMOIR OF 
 
 for the ministry of the Episcopal Church, though it also 
 extends the important benefits of a literary education, under 
 the most direct and valuable Christian influence, to young 
 men who are not studying with this view. In the establish- 
 ment of this institution, Dr. Bedell was deeply interested. 
 Knowing as he did its real character and inestimable import- 
 ance, he considered it, and" presented it to the people of his 
 charge, as one of the most valuable and , useful Christian 
 efforts of the present age in connection with the Episcopal 
 Church. It would have given him unfeigned delight, could 
 he have seen the liberal and ardent interest- with which it 
 ^has since been embraced and sustained by those in the 
 church who understand and value its objects. From its 
 present course and prospects, it may be looked upon, with 
 very great justice and reason, as likely to exercise a more 
 valuable and extensive influence upon, the character of ihe 
 Episcopal Church, than any other institution which is con- 
 neicted with it,*and the ardent desires and confident expecta- 
 tions of Dr. Bedell and those who united with him in its 
 establishment, promise to be even m.ore than realized in its 
 ultimate efficiency and worth. 
 
 His deep jiiterest in the prosperity of Bristol College* 
 was affectingly displayed in a thanksgiving sermon which 
 he preached in St. Andrew's, November, 1832, after the 
 cessation of the cholera, from 2 Samuel 24 : 24 : " Neither 
 will I offer unto the Lord, of that which doth cost me 
 nothing." 
 
 From this sermon, some passages will show both his feel- 
 
 * It is a painful memory to us, that subsequent to the writing of 
 this memoir, this promising instlitution, from which Dr. Bedell hoped so 
 much, fell into pecuniary embarrassments,, the effect of which was its 
 entire bankruptcy and destruction. Still, many young men were there' 
 educated, who are now useful and faithful in various wallis of hfe, and 
 furnisha degree of recompense to those who disintorcstedly and ear- 
 nestly, toiled for the establishment of this uyf&rtunate enterprizo; 
 
KEY. DR. BEDELL. 277 
 
 ings and his plan upon this subject. His congregation have 
 seconded him in their general response to the call, though 
 not precisely in the definite form and way which he pointed 
 out. 
 
 " By the merciful providence of God, my friends, we are 
 relieved from the ravages of a pestilence whose approach 
 was anticipated with the most gloomy feelings, but whose 
 actual occurrence, although marked by circumstances of 
 very melancholy character, was yet modified by a mercy 
 which makes the case of our city peculiar. And'we are 
 now assembled to render our thanksgivings to God for the , 
 mercy with which he has seen fit to visit us. Thanks sent 
 up to heaven in wordS; are offerings easily made. Words 
 cost nothing. The sacrifice of an hour taken from the ordi- 
 nary business of the world, and devoted to public worship, 
 is a njatter which will give even a worldly man compara- 
 tively little uneasiness. But an occasion like the present, 
 my friends, demands something more. Our circumstances 
 arjB.in every sense new. The pestilence with which we were 
 visited was new to this country. It had been naturalized 
 in Asia and the East, but we had only heard the report of 
 danger, distress, and death, in sudden and aggravated forms. 
 We were told oif the thousands and tens of thousands cut 
 down as in a moment. We bestowed little thought, and 
 manifested but little sympathy,' with those who were suffer 
 ing, as if the pestilence was only to be expected in the far 
 distant climes, and among a people rude and filthy, and com 
 paratively uncivilized. When we found that, this same pesti- 
 lence had taken its onwardj march, and fixed its fangs upon 
 Europe, we then felt more alarmed, but still we thought of 
 the wide expanse of the Atlantic, and hoped either that |t 
 would fear to cross that mighty world of waters, or if it 
 adventured a passage, it would come in forms singularly - 
 modified by the habits and manners of our people, fn all 
 
278 MEMOIR OP 
 
 these, we have been disappointed. It did cross the mighty 
 ocean, and on the first spot where its foot did tread, it 
 exerted a malignant influence, equaling its ravages any 
 where in the world, and then it came to a sister city, carry- 
 ing off, in the space of three nionths, if I am' not mistaken, 
 at least seven thousand of its inhabitants, and filling the 
 hearts of the people with dismay, and making the streets to 
 wear a most melancholy aspect, and giving a shock to busi- 
 ness, and bringing on a series of complicated distresses. 
 Then we hoped that sanitary regulations and peculiar cir- 
 cumstaiJoes of a favorable character might shield our beloved 
 city._^ But here, too, we were mistaken. It came, and in its 
 period numbered with the dead more than a thousand of 
 our citizens, and gave here also a shock to business enter- 
 prize which it has not totally recovered. But God dealt 
 with this «ity with peculiar mercy ; a lesser mortality, a 
 lesser degree of sickness, and a speedier terminatioo of the 
 visitation, marked the dispensation among us. And now we 
 are assembled to render thanksgivings to God for his pecu- 
 liar mercy. As I said, the language of thanksgiving is easy. 
 Words 'cost nothing. I come to say to you that no grati- 
 tude can, rise to heaven which goes not up from the altar of 
 the heart. But while this is my theme of continual pulpit 
 exhortation, our new circumstances authorize a, new method 
 by which the gratitude of our hearts may be manifested. 
 Shall our thanks to God for this mercy evaporate in words? 
 Shall it stop with- this solemn assembling — this word of 
 prayer — ^this song of praise ? 
 
 " No such occasion of gratitude as the present, my friends, 
 has ever been presented to your consideration. A disease 
 has appeared in our country which takes the decided form 
 of a visitation of the Almighty, for purposes, I trust, con- 
 nected with our everlasting good. That disease came among 
 you, and it passed lightly over you. No city in which 
 its ravages have at all been feltf has experienced so mercifijl 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 279 
 
 a relief. Its ravages were distressing, but the duration was 
 comparatively short, and the number of its victims small in 
 a most wonderful and extraordinary degree. Your families 
 have suffered less than might have been anticipated, for it 
 came in a season of the year when many were accustomed 
 t-o be beyond the limits of the city ; your business has suf- 
 fered less than might have been anticipated, for it came in a 
 season in which there was. always more or less stagnation. 
 And how few, very few among you of this congregation, 
 may be said to have suffered, either by the pestilence itself 
 or any of its attendant circumstances ! Is this no call for 
 some special mark of gratitude ; some peculiar offering by 
 which that gratitude may be testified ? In my heart and 
 conscience I believe that it is, and in the discharge of what I 
 believe to be my duty both to God and to you on this occa^ 
 sion, I propose that this congregation, as a congregation, 
 make some thank-offering to God, which shall for ever serve 
 as a memorial of your gratitude for the merciful deliverance 
 extended. We erect a column to the political savior of his 
 country ; we inscribe on monumental marble the names of 
 those who have died as the benefactors of the public. I ask 
 of you some public testimonial of gratitude to God, for lives 
 and property and happiness spared from the ravages of the 
 pestilence which walketh in darkness and of the sickness 
 that destroyeth at noon-day. I propose that some splendid 
 deed of charity be done by you to commemorate this day 
 of gratitude ; some institution founded or encouraged, which 
 shall tell to distant generations, the grateful remembrance of 
 the Church of a mercy so distinguished ; some large amount 
 of property devoted to the service of God, your liberal bene- 
 factor. 
 
 " By a very singular combination of circumstances, this 
 week completes the purchase of an estate, on which the 
 Education Society, of which your preacher holds the respon 
 sible office of president, purposes to carry out its plans of 
 
280 MEMOIR or 
 
 extended usefulness, on the score of education. To thia 
 plan some of you have already been liberal, but an error 
 was committed in venturing upon a scheme calculated for 
 scich an immense amount of good, on a location far too 
 straitened. Even there, enough has been accomplished to 
 convince us of the entire practicability and the amazing 
 advantages of the course pursued; but with hands compara^ 
 tively tied, we were continually compelled to refuse applica- 
 tion upon application from young men, from Georgia to 
 Maine, wha wished to gain for themselves the benefits of an 
 enlightened education. Young men fdr whom we, had no 
 accommodation have thrown themselves mto the Presby-- 
 terian Church ; and I received a visit a few days sfgo from a 
 Presbyterian minister, who told me that three hundred and 
 thirty young men now among them had facilities of edlicar 
 tion, and that unless we had some larger means, their Church 
 would receive the best and most promising of our young 
 men. How disastrous to our Church is the fact, that want 
 of facility among us forces our young men into another 
 Church ! I do want that reproach wiped away. Pained by 
 these circumstances, we have felt it a duty to throw our- 
 selves upon the providence of God, and we have determined 
 to transfer all our arrangements from the present location, 
 to one where we shall have no need of saying to any. We 
 have no means to encourage you. And this very week, 
 arrangements are made to get possession of a large estate of 
 extraordinary accommodations, and which must be provided 
 at an expense of $20,000. Never did the providence of 
 God throw in your way a grander opportunity of good; 
 and I propose to you to avail yourselves of it on the 
 present occasion, as an offering of thanksgiving to God for 
 his peculiar mercies. What a testimony of grMtude this 
 would be !" 
 
 In the development which I have thus attempted to make 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 281 
 
 3f Dr. Bedell's character and usefulness as a pastor, none 
 can fail of burprise, that one laboring under the burden of 
 such feeble and failing health should have been able to ac- 
 complish such aril unusual amount of duty. His persevering 
 assiduity and diligence will account for it in part. But an- 
 otlior trait in his character which has yet been but partially 
 noticed, will tend still more to explain it; it was his large 
 and benevolent spirit nf ertterprise and singular disinterest- 
 edness. He always kept before his mind the noblest plans 
 of effort for the propagation of the gospel abroad, and for its 
 extension' and establishment at home. His calculations and 
 designs were never small. His faith laid hold of divine 
 promises with much confidence, and he was persevering in 
 his expectations of a good result to Christian effort, some- 
 times long after the expectations of others had begun to flag 
 and fail. Though so quiet and unpretending in his character 
 and habits, and appearing to have so little that was sanguine 
 in his temperament, his cheerful and bright anticipations 
 always sustained himselfj and furnished encotiragement and 
 strength to others who were ready to sink under the power 
 of despondency. Remarkably prudent and cautious, he was 
 an inva,luable guide in the various efforts of Christian use- 
 fulness. And however extensive or difficult appeared to be 
 the plan which was advocated by him, a firm reliance upon 
 his judgment led others to unite in it without hesitation or 
 fear. He thus threw himself wholly into the attainment of 
 the object which he pursued, and without selfishness, or fear, 
 or weariness in its pursuit, he rarely failed in the accom- 
 plishment of his ultimate design ; though the amount of 
 labor which he devoted to it was often wonderful to those 
 who were unacquainted with his character and habits. He 
 had unusually large conceptions of the jiorsonal duty of the 
 Christian, of the sacrifices which he must make, and of the 
 losses with which he must be content. Heavy pecuniary 
 responsibilities and incumbrances were laid upon him through 
 
382 MEMOIR OF ■'■ 
 
 his whole maturity, yet he cheerfiilly robbed himself to do 
 others service. His talents and influence ■were wholly con- 
 secrate^ to the great work of doing good. All that he had, 
 and all that he was, he counted as an oiferin^ unto the Lord. 
 The question before his mind was never, at what bound of 
 duty he might be permitted to stop, but what measure of 
 usefulness it was possible for him to fill up. His feeble 
 health required an indulgence of mind which he never yielded 
 to it. He never held back his hand from the work of the ' 
 Lord. And with this spirit he laid himself down in the 
 mid-day of his life, wasted, exhausted, worn out, but calmly 
 and watchfully wailing for his crown, and receiving his 
 reward. The labors' and efforts which have been thus de- 
 scribed, W6re calculated to make a deep impression of his 
 usefulness and worth upon all who knew or heard ^f him as 
 a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was considered by 
 all such, a high privilege to be connected with him under 
 his pastoral care, and many were yearly seeking this privi- 
 lege whom the numbers previously committed to him, neces- 
 sarily excluded from the advantage which they desired. 
 
REV, DR. BEDELL. 288 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Private Character — Episcopal Conventions — Domestio Relations — 
 Mu?io — Poetry. 
 
 Before we proceed again to the current of events which 
 will lead us to the termination of his life, it may be more 
 proper here than in any other place to speak of Dr. Bedell 
 in his private personal character as a Christian. Though 
 his ministry was so distinguished and uniform, his personal 
 character in the most intimate connections of life was 
 entirely accordant with it. Indeed they were the peculiar 
 traits of his individual character which, incorporated into 
 and exhibited in the duties of his ministry, constituted the 
 distinguishing excellencies of that. His whole life, both 
 public and private, was remarkably equal and uniform. 
 What he was seen to be at one time and' in one place he 
 always was — controlled by the spirit of true religion, and 
 adorning the doctrine of God his Saviour. He was a man 
 without professions, but singularly sincere aad free from 
 guile. Retired and unassuming in his disposition^ he thrust 
 himself into no concerns which belonged not to him. In 
 conversation always affable, but prudent and self-controlled. 
 He spake evil of no man ; but would often correct the 
 severe expressions in regard to absent persons in which 
 others indulged, and throw in some remark of extenuation 
 or excuse for faults, the existence of which he could not deny. 
 
284 MEMOIK Oy 
 
 There was no merit in living peaceably -w.th him, for the 
 man must have been determined indeed to wrangle, who 
 could find in his society room for dissension. He partici- 
 pated largely in the reproaches which, in the midst of a 
 sinful world, are ready to follow active and unyielding effort 
 in the cause of Christ. But he returned not evil for evil, or 
 " railing for railing." In hours of deep trial, when lover 
 and friend seemed to be far frqm him, and misrepresents^ 
 tion cruelly distorted his conduct and designs, he was unex. 
 cited and revengeless _as a child, and seemed far more to 
 mourn for the faults of others, as they would affect the cha- 
 racters and interests of those who were guilty of them than 
 as they were likely to bear upon his own. Amidst what- 
 ever excitement he still moved quietly along; and though 
 waves dashed roughly around him, his frail bark surmounted 
 their power and remained secure. 
 
 The candor and kindness of his spirit were particularly 
 manifest in his ecclesiastical and religious connections, hi 
 his varied intercourse with the people of his charge, many 
 circumstances are present to the minds of all, as beautiful 
 illustrations of this distinguishing excellence. One of 
 them, who was intimately acquainteS with him, thus 
 ■HTites ! 
 
 " It was his Constant desire to cultivate among those 
 laboring in the same cause a spirit of union and brotherly 
 kindness ; all who attended the teachers' m.eetings can 
 testify how admirably he was^ calculated to render them 
 interesting, to soften any exhibitions of impatience or aspe- 
 rity, by his own mild and gentle manners, to diffuse a trim- 
 quilizing spirit all around, and to bear patiently with the 
 infirmities^and prejudices of others. 
 
 " I well remember how pleasantly and happily he could 
 give another turn to remarks which might have created 
 unfriendly feelings ; and how delicately he reproved, on one 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 285 
 
 occasion, at the close of the meeting, expressions of fgelings 
 ■which he deemed inconsistent vith the meekness of Christ- 
 ian humility, by giving out the hymn commencing thus : 
 
 " ' Whene'er the angry passions rise, 
 
 And tempt my thoughts and words to strife, 
 To Jesus let me lift my eyes, 
 
 Bright pattern of a Christian life.' 
 
 " How beautifully and strikingly did he unite ' the wisdom 
 of the serpent with the harmlessness of the dove ;' and how 
 bright the example which he habitually set before us, of the 
 charity of the Gospel. This same principle expanded itself 
 in the forgiveness of injuries ; it was always his desire to 
 cultivate among his flock, not only by precept but by exam- 
 ple, this lively Christian grace. I remember one delight- 
 ful instance, where he showed how fully he had triumphed 
 over every feeling of resentment. I heard him administer 
 a reproof to a female communicant for what he considered 
 a deficiency in the Christian law of love ; at the same time, 
 in the presence of many others, with the most child-like 
 simplicity acknowledging himself to have been tempted by 
 the same feelings, but having overcome them all, pointed out 
 to her the way of duty. The circumstances were as follows : 
 ■An individual was coming the next day to administer the 
 communion whom the lady thought had recently insulted 
 her pastor, and whom for other reasons she felt averse to ; 
 but although this was the' truth, he would not satisfy her 
 interrogations or encourage her to stay away from the Lord's 
 table on that account, but with the utmost plainness and sin- 
 cerity warned her of the temptation, and advised her to 
 retire to her closet, and there to pray until all such feelings 
 were removed ; telling her also the true source from whence 
 all such prejudices proceeded." 
 
 In his relations to Christians of other denominations, he 
 
286 MEMOIR OF 
 
 was never bigoted or exclusive in Ms feelings.. His unhesi- 
 tating convictions of truth and diity, and the warmest 
 affections of his heart, bound him indeed to the Church in 
 which he was a minister, and toward the extending of which 
 few of his cotemporaries have done more than himself. He 
 had seldom, Jiowever, preached in Philadelphia upon what 
 are termed the " distinctive principles" of the Episcopal 
 Church, finding so much more pressing calls for his time and 
 efforts in teaching the great principles of the Gospel which 
 are indispensable to jnan's salvation, and desiring first to 
 build up his people in the acceptance and love of these. In 
 omitting to such an extent the discussion of the principles 
 which separate the Episcopal Church in profession from 
 other denominations of Christians, he has been considered 
 by many of his brethren to have erred in judgment. Con- 
 sidering the circumstances in which he was placed by- the 
 providence of God, this is not a correct conclusicHi. That 
 the time, however, had come whten a more decided exhibi- 
 tion of these points of distinction might have been desira-, 
 ble, when his own health failed and his ministry closed, I 
 have no doubt. And this seems to have been at that time 
 his own impression and plan, for he had commenced a course" 
 of sermons upon this class of subjects, which his failing 
 health never allowed him to deliver or to complete. He 
 referred to this fact in a conversation with one of his breth- 
 ren in the ministry, at Bedford, but a few weeks before his 
 death. That gentleman thus relates it in a letter to M's. 
 Bedell : 
 
 "The conversation was quite free, and turned upon the 
 state of our Church separately considered, and as it stood ijj 
 relaition toother denominations of Christendom. He ob- 
 served, that the situation of the latter was critical and alarm- 
 ing ; that they were riven and distracted, and in a state of 
 anarchy, division and degeneracy; and that their internal 
 
KEV. DR. BEDELL. 287 
 
 constitution and character did not offer promise of their im- 
 proving and growing better.- He thought that Episcopa. 
 lians had the strongest reasons for loving and advocating 
 their Church, hut more espebially had cause to be harmoni- 
 ous and united ; that the matters which had hitherto been 
 the occasion of bickerings and misunderstandings should be 
 passed over and forgotten ; and our united aim and effort 
 should be to preach Christ and extend the Church. He said, 
 like many who thought and acted with him, he had for years 
 said little on the peculiarities of our Church, but the period 
 •had arrived when they should be taught and preached. 
 While niany in their preaching had given them too much 
 prominency, he had given them too little ; but the state of 
 the times seemed to require it. These had now changed for 
 the better, and the same foundation for difference did not 
 exist. He then added, Very emphatically, ' If God spares 
 my life, I intend delivering a course of sermons on Episco- 
 pacy this coming winter.' This course, he informed me, he 
 had then in preparation. 
 
 " You will recollect these remarks and many others on 
 the same subject. I have given them :as nearly in his own 
 language as I could remember." 
 
 Such a course of sermons from his pen would have been 
 particularly valuable to the Church ; though I can not at all 
 concur in the opinion, that he had been deficient in his duty 
 in this respect. As certainly as it is our duty to declare 
 the whole counsel of God, I concede it is our duty to declare 
 the doctrines of the Scripture in regard to the Church of 
 •Christ. This he had done, on frequent occasions, to a suf- 
 ficient extent, as he supposed, and as others around him sup- 
 posed. But the duty to do this, is not more certain than 
 the fact, that the Church has been much injured by the fre- 
 qucnt indiscreet and unjust exaltation of her inferior peculi- 
 arities, among or aboye< the greater matters of the Gospel, 
 
388 MBMOIE OF 
 
 In this respect, I should desire every man to follow his own 
 conviction of duty. But had Dr. Bedell's ministry in this 
 respect differed from what it was, it would have been, I 
 conceive, much less useful to the souls of men, and much 
 less efficient in building up the Church itself, than it has 
 been. In our present state of hamiojay and union there is 
 upon this subject no controversy.^ All are apparently 
 united in the plan to "speak concerning Christ and the 
 Church." And the number is on all sides increasing among 
 us, of those who, like Dr. Bedell, are determined in the 
 comparison between the two, " to know nothing save Jesus 
 Chiist, and him crucified." 
 
 -t)r. Bedell ministered at a time when not only Christians 
 of different denominations have had serious subjects of dis. 
 cussion with each other, but also when within the limits' of 
 the Church of which he was a minister, there have been very 
 prominent and marked divisions of counsel and judgment. 
 It is generally remarked, that- the moxe intimate has been 
 the previous connection which has united those subsequently 
 dissenting, the stronger and the more alienated is likely to 
 beconie their reciprocal feeling after they have disagreed. 
 This was never the fact with Dr. Bedell. No man could be 
 more free from that which is scornfully termed the " Odium 
 Tlieologicum." He contended with steadfastness,, but with 
 meekness, for what he thought inlportant principles of truth, 
 but he contended for nothing else. He delighted, too, tp be 
 still the minister of grace and kindness to those fromi whom 
 he differed ; and advocated and encouraged every effort for 
 the good of souls, by whomsoever it was originated and di- 
 rected. In. all the trials through which the Episcopal Church 
 passed in the time during which he ministered in it, Dr. 
 Bedell was uniformly a peace-maker, and all his desires and 
 efforts were on the side of harmony, mutual concession, and 
 love. Better evidence of this fact could hardly be given, 
 than in some extracts from the Philadelphia Eecorder, a 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. ■ 289 
 
 paper of whieh he -was tie editor, during the time of the 
 most serious division which perhaps has ever marlied any 
 portion of the Episcopal Church in the United States ; the 
 subject of which was the election of an Assistant Bishop 
 for the diocese of Pennsylvania. I refer to this question 
 and the feeling which it excited, simply to display the 
 unvarying kindness aind disposition for peace, by which 
 the subject of the present memoir was distinguished, even 
 in this most exciting and trying season, in all his ecclesias- 
 tical relations. Previously to the meeting of the Diocesan 
 Convention, in which this agitating question was to be set- 
 tled, he thus wrote, under the editorial head of the Recorder, 
 May 5, 1827: 
 
 " Convention. — In the course of the next week the 
 Annual Convention of this diodese will be assembled at 
 Harrisburg. The friends of the Episcopal Church in Penn- 
 sylvania have long watched the preparations that have been 
 making for this event. It is evident that each party is act- 
 ing upon principle ^ that each considers the prosperity of 
 the Church and of religion intimately connected with the 
 success of its exertions, and that they will repair to the place 
 of their assembling with a determination to use all lawful 
 means for the accomplishment of purposes which must to 
 each appear immeasurably important. Nor do we see in 
 this any thing to excite surprise or occasion censure. Such 
 are the infirmities of human nature, that large bodies of men 
 can never be expected to unite harmoniously in all their 
 sentiments on any subject, however simple and elementary. 
 Although the fact may be attended with inconvenience, and 
 on some accounts, perhaps, be a source of very legitimate 
 regret, yet it ought to be made productive of some good. 
 It should teach us moderation and humility ; humility as it 
 respects our own tendency to err, and moderation in refer- 
 ence to the sentiments of others. The lesson which it pre- 
 13 
 
290 * MEMOIR OF 
 
 sents to such as are subordinate in life, is that of modest 
 respect for the opinions of those who are superior. To 
 superiors it must ever hold out a solemn warning against 
 the danger of pressing too hard upon those minor peculiari- 
 ties" in which men may always be expected conscientiously 
 to differ from each other. 
 
 " The dissensions by which this diocese has been more 
 repently excited, have occasioned sincere regret in all the 
 lovers of harmony and peace." 
 
 " We sincerely hope that the Convention which is about 
 assembling at Harrisburg will settle all our controversies, 
 and produce harmony amongst us. There can be no pros- 
 pect of this until the Assistant Bishop shall be elected. So 
 long as the strength of the diocese remains ^;hus equally di- 
 vided by an object which- each party flatters itself with the 
 expectation of being able to obtain, we shall be constantly 
 harassed by the pamphleteering explosions with which all 
 wlio love decency and order have of late been so excessively 
 snnoyed. It is far better — better for the Church and better 
 for the world around her ; better for those who shall be dis- 
 appointed in the .contest, as well as for those who may be 
 destined to succeed, that the thing should at once be de- 
 finitely settled. 
 
 " We hope, then, that our brethren will repair to the plage 
 appointed, with spirits entirely composed. Let their work 
 be commenced at a throne of grace; Let them go to it like 
 men who feel that Providence has called them to participate 
 in the most important transaction which has ever taken 
 place in the American Episcopal Church; that the destiny 
 of immortal souls, — thousands who surround them now, and 
 millions who are yet unborn, have probably been suspended 
 on the proceedings of that assembly. And while their 
 minds shall be overshadowed by these solemn thoughts, 
 their deliberations will be characterized by a fearless modera- 
 tion, a chastened firmnessj a dignified composure, whicli be- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 291 
 
 come those on whom such elevated responsibilities have de- 
 volved. Let all unkindness towards the brethren with 
 whom they differ be banished from their bosoms. Let all 
 harsh and violent expressions be at once discountenanced. 
 They are both unworthy of men who are engaged in a cause 
 so holy, and whose duty as well as interest it is to march 
 forward, with a serene and steady purpose, to the consum- 
 mation of their hopes. Let the friends of the gospel who 
 are spectators of this contest be every where engaged in fre- 
 quent and fervent supplication to Him who ruleth the hearts 
 of men, that, his truth may prosper, and 'his will be done on 
 earth as it is in heaven.' " 
 
 The result of this Convention was adverse to the views 
 and wishes of Dr. Bedell. His meek and Qiristian spirit, 
 however, immediately accorded with the manifest will of 
 God, and entered upon a course of conciliating conduct, from 
 which he was never known subsequently to swerve. In the 
 Eecorder of the week subsequent to the Convention, he 
 says : — 
 
 " Our readers, no doubt, expect that we should give a de- 
 tailed account of the proceedings of the late Convention at 
 Harrisburg; and we regret to state, that their reasonable ex- 
 pectations will, in some measure, be disappointed. By an 
 afflictive dispensation of Providence, under which we had 
 been suffering for the last four weeks, we were prevented 
 fi'om taking any active part whatever in the proceedings of 
 the Convention ; and as we attended none of the preparatory 
 meetings, and were but twice in the Convention itself, it is 
 impossible that from our personal observation we should 
 say any thing. 
 
 " Our readers are of course aware, that the question of an 
 Assistant Bishop terminated in the election of the Rev. 
 Henry U. Onderdonk, of Brooklyn, N. Y. The question 
 
292 MEMOIR OF 
 
 is settled; and after a quiet statement of the case, it 
 becomes the portion of the clergy and laity defeated to suh- 
 mit. As it regards the result of the election, we find our- 
 selves personally placed in circumstances of some delicacy, 
 as we have been for many years in habits of intimacy with 
 the newly-elected assistant, and have always entertained 
 sentiments toward him of great respect. While, then, we 
 deeply and sincerely regret the election brought about under 
 such circumstances, we wish it to be distinctly understood, 
 that our objection is to the manner in which the election was 
 accomplished. This we speak in our own name, wishing to 
 guard our readers against any opinion that we are in the 
 least degree acting as the organ of our brethren. What 
 views they jnay generally entertain on any of these matters, 
 we have not learned, neither has the state of our health been 
 such as to enable us to make inquiry. 
 
 " That the diocese is most lamentably divided, none can 
 question : and that none but a person of the most conciliat- 
 ing qualities can expect to heal the divisions, is a matter be- 
 yond all doubt. We have heard that it was remarked by 
 Bishop Hobart, who was on a visit in Lancaster, during the 
 session, of the Convention in Harrisburg, that the Rev. Mr. 
 . Onderdonk was a person well qualified to produce this de- 
 sirable object. From the long and intimate connection 
 which has existed between Bishop Hobart and the Rev. Mr. 
 Onderdonk, we apprehend that he is one of the best judges 
 on this subject, and that his opinion is deserving of the 
 greatest weight. A mild and conciliating course is the only 
 one to be pursued likely to produce any thing but discontent 
 and opposition. That a mild and conciliating course may 
 be pursued, is our earnest wish and prayer." 
 
 * * * * "After this, we hope to be enabled to settle down 
 in quietness. The one party have accomplished their ob- 
 ject — the other are defeated We look upon the reverse 
 with which the Evangelical cause has met, as one calling for 
 
RET. DR. BEDELL. 293 
 
 submission and humiliation under the mighty hand of God, 
 As to the ultimate success of the cause, we have not the 
 shadow of a doubt. We would not have identified ourselves 
 with it, but on grounds of the clearest conviction, and we 
 have observed nothing in the history of the Qiurch for the 
 last ten years, but what confirms us in the opinion that the 
 advancement of that cause cannot be materially retarded. 
 Our council is, -that our friends be quiet and submissive 
 under the dispensation, looking upon it as one of those pro- 
 vidences, the reason of which we cannot see, but the result 
 of which cannot be otherwise than good, for ' God reigns.' 
 Controversy we wish to avoid. In all this turmoil which 
 has distracted the diocese, and the whole effect of which has 
 been injurious, we have permitted ourselves to have but 
 little concern; and to have as little to do as possible with the 
 controversy now, is our determination." 
 
 It is not my province to express any judgment whatever 
 upon the subject of this painful division in the Church. But 
 it cannot fail to be interesting to every Christian to see the 
 spirit of uniform candor and kindness in the midst of all its 
 exciting circumstances, which was displayed by one who 
 was placed, by the providence of God, so prominently before 
 the public eye as was Dr. Bedell. In connection with the 
 above extracts, I subjoin a letter of his to Mr. Henderson, 
 in reference to the Convention of the diocese of Pennsylva- 
 nia in 1829, which displays, on a subsequent occasion con- 
 nected with the same circumstances, the same delightful 
 spirit in him. 
 
 " Philadelphia, May 26, 1829. 
 "My Dear Friend, 
 
 "I have so much to say, that I hardly know where to 
 begin ; and when I once begin, I can hardly conceive where 
 I shall be able to stop. Our Convention, which of course 
 must be the prominent topic, lasted until Saturday, and to 
 
294 MEMOIR OF 
 
 the amazement of all, and the gratification of those wishing 
 best to the interest of the Church, ended with a cessation ol 
 hostilities, and I trust the commencement of a reign of peace, 
 at least for some time. The whole course of the conven- 
 tional proceedings seemed to be remarkably controlled by 
 the providence of God ; and the part which I acted towards 
 conciliation, seemed rather dictated to me by that Provi- 
 dence, than to be any impulse of my own. In relation to 
 my own course of conduct, seeing a disposition like conci- 
 liation, I determined to contribute my share towards so 
 auspicious^ result, and for this purpose offered a resolution 
 relating to the General Missionary Society. I will give you 
 the substance, and I believe mostly the very words which I 
 used. 
 
 " On offering the resolution, I said, ' I have two reasons 
 for offering this resolution. 1. Because I feel as if I had 
 not discharged my duty to the General Missionary Society. 
 It is true that I have been withheld from this by the con- 
 fessed defects inits organization, which, in my opinion, had 
 a tendency to neutralize all its usefulness. But the spirit 
 manifested at the late annual meeting of the Board of 
 Directors, and the nature of the alterations then proposed, 
 have satisfied my mind, and while this state of things exists, 
 I shall give it my cordial support. 
 
 '"My second reason, Mr. President, is, because I wish, 
 to see that pleasant sight, not witnessed in this Convention 
 for the last three years, an unanimous vote. I wish to see a 
 question taken in which party can have no concern. I am 
 free to confess, for myself, that I have acted as a party-man. 
 If I could think of the individual in this Convention who 
 had not, I should look upon him as one raised above the 
 ordinary infirmities of humanity. 1 mean to make no impu- 
 tations, but I must be permitted to recall to the memory of 
 the Convention, the saying of our Saviour, " Those eighteen 
 upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them, think 
 
EEV. DE. BEDELL. 295 
 
 ye that they were sinners above all that dwelt in Jerusa- 
 lem 1" And I would be permitted to add- this remark and 
 exhortation : " I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall 
 all likewise perish." 
 
 " ' To Low CSiurch principles I ever must, and I ever 
 hope to be attached, and to maintain them through evil and 
 through good report. But maintaining these principles, I 
 hope hereafter to be able to do it, not as a party-man. I 
 have felt the evil of this thing in the overthrow of Christian 
 charity. I believe that the cause of religion has been injured, 
 and so far as I have in any wise been concerned, I deplore 
 it. If in the heat of party controversy I have said or writ- 
 ten any thing which has wounded the feelings, or been inju- 
 rious to any one, I ask that it may be attributed to the heat 
 of party controversy, and this expression of regret be 
 received in the spirit in which it is tendered. 
 
 " 'I hope. Sir, that no evil construction will be put upon 
 these remarks. If any clergyman in this city can stand in 
 an independent situation, I feel that I am entitled so to stand. 
 With an undivided congregation, such as statedly worships 
 in this church,* and which,, with an almost unparalleled 
 
 * " The Convention was held in St. Andrew's Church. In regard to 
 the harmony of this congi-egation, Dr. Bedell says, in his anniversary 
 sermon, alrSidy repeatedly quoted : ' We have reason to say, Hitherto 
 hath the Lord helped us, when we consider the fact that there has 
 been an unbroken harmony in all the departments of our church. 
 There never yet has been a question which has divided the rector and 
 the vestry, the vestry and th% congregation, m the congregation itself ■ 
 Even in that disastrous time of high excitement which was connected 
 with the election of an Assistant Bishop, though there were differ- 
 ences of opinion between some few, there were no alienations of affec- 
 tion, except in the case of one or two individuals, and on the whole, 
 vdiere it could have been but little expected, we exliibited the spectacle 
 of a very strikingly united congregation, so much so, tliat your minister 
 remembers at the Convention held in this church, when the matters in 
 controversy were happily adjusted, he was enabled to state, in a pubUc 
 
'296 MEMOIR OF 
 
 affection, have clung to me through the perils, and dangers, 
 and reptoaches of the last three years : while God shall bless 
 me, J fear no mail's frown, and I ask no man^s patronage. 
 But, Sir, were my circumstances different, I should pursue 
 the same course, and make the same avowal. "What I say 
 is the genuine dictate of my feelings ; and while I mean, by 
 the help of God, to maintain my principles, I am ready to 
 make almost any sacrifice to win back to this distracted 
 diocese the angel Charity, so that reproach may no longer 
 be poured on the cause which I hope we all love, though 
 with differences of opinion as to the best course by which 
 that cause is to be advanced. Let those differences be 
 entertained, they need not destroy Christian love. It is 
 with this spirit. Sir, that I submit this resolution. As I 
 shall vote on it, divested of ~ all party feelings, so may all ; 
 and I hope hereafter, for one, to be able to maintain the 
 same elevated ground, and only bear my part in the legis- 
 lation of the diocese, under the influence of the motto. Pro 
 Deo, pro ecclesia, pro hominum salute.' 
 
 "You can hardly imagine the sensation made by this 
 address. Tears were abundant, and pleasure apparently 
 universal. Montgomery seconded my resolution, and fol- 
 lowed by a speech of the same import. He afterwards 
 came and took me by the hand, almost without the power 
 
 of speaking God grant that the harmony may be 
 
 perfect and permanent I 
 
 address before that body, that for the three years of trouble in which 
 we had been involved, lie had been sustained by the affection of an 
 united congregation. So far as the congregation itself is concerned, no 
 questions of collision, to his knowledge, have ever arisen. If in any 
 departments of our extended organization, differences of opinion on 
 points of policy connected' with the church have been found to exist, 
 they have always given way to a desice for the general benefit and tho 
 wUl of the majority. 'He does not know that there is at this moment 
 any question existing which is calculated to interrupt the general har- 
 mony. In these respects, the Lord has wonderfully helped us.' " 
 
KEY. DR. BEDELL. 297 
 
 "I am now greatly fatigued by writing, and I shall 
 close." .... 
 
 The only remaining occasion on which he ever spoke in 
 the Convention was in .1834, but three months before his 
 departure. He had been unjustly and unkindly accused in 
 the Protestant Episcopalian, a periodical paper, of being 
 governed by a party spirit, in contradiction to his former 
 professed determinations, in his efforts for the establishment 
 of Bristol College. Though he had been manifestly sinking 
 in health for some months, and at this time was by medical 
 direction confined to his house, he resolved, at any sacrifice 
 of personal comfort, to throw off from, his character this 
 unfounded imputation. I witnessed the solicitude with 
 which his family entreated^ him to remain at home, and the 
 earnest determination with which their solicitations were 
 resisted. I saw him also, as he advanced slowly and feebly 
 from a pew in St. Andrew's Church, in which the Conven- 
 tion was assembled, to the chancel, and with a countenance 
 pallid as death, with hardly strength to stand upon the floor, 
 but with a thrilling and earnest manner, addressed himself 
 to the Convention. He offered a resolution of respect to 
 the memory of Rev. Dr. Montgomery, rector of St. Ste- 
 phen's Church, Philadelphia, referred to in the preceding 
 letter, who had deceased but two months previous. He 
 alluded to his address, made on the very spot on which he 
 then stood, five years before, in support of a resolution 
 which Dr. M. had seconded ; to the pledge of conciliation 
 and peace which he had then given, and solemnly declared 
 that his feelmgs were still the same, and that in no plan or 
 action had he ever deviated from the course which he then 
 marked out for himself. His strength and voice faU'ed, and 
 he was unable to finish the statement which he was desirous 
 of making, and closing abruptly his brief addj-ess, he imme- 
 diately left the house, to see his brethren thus assembled no 
 13* 
 
298 MEMOIR OF 
 
 more. His Last effort in the affairs of the church was, what 
 all his previous exertions had been, for the promotion of 
 kindness, harmony, and peace. O that he might be imi- 
 tated in this loTely trait by all who survive him ! When 
 shall the time arrive that Christians with united feeling and 
 iliutual confidence shall devote to the common cause of 
 truth against error and sin, the time and power which they 
 now waste in watching and guarding against the suicidal 
 conflicts of par t^,san' warfare 1 This dear brother in Christ 
 has found in heaven the harmony which he labored so much 
 to produce upon the earth. And how does that one song, 
 one company, and one service, put to shame the fretful col- 
 lisions of fallen men ! There is order and peace in heaven ; 
 O that it might be so also upon the earth ! 
 
 After the above reference to Dr. Montgomery, the reader 
 will be interested in the following extracts from a sermon of 
 Dr. Bedell's, preached on the 23d of March, 1834, the Sun- 
 day after the funeral of Dr. M. A few months afterward, 
 his own race was finished, and both, it is hoped, have entered 
 together into the joy of the Lord. 
 
 " It is right and proper, that on this occasion, I should at 
 least briefly allude to the circumstance of a death which last 
 week separated all the earthly ties which had united a pastor 
 to his people. There are several peculiar reasons why it is 
 becoming in me to offer some few remarks on the melan- 
 choly subject to which I allude. The Church over which 
 my deceased brother was called to preside, started into being 
 at the same time as that in which we are now assembled. 
 My departed brother and myself commenced, as it were, our 
 course together ; and under the smiles of the same benignant 
 Providence, the Churches have grown together, both to con- 
 ditions of temporal and spiritual prosperity ; the measure of 
 which wil^be judged by different people differently. It was 
 iiupposed in their origin, that there was not room for both, 
 
REV. DR. BEDELX. 299 
 
 and consequently that neither would be prosperous. We 
 have lived to witness the futility of this prophecy, and now 
 others are rising according to the demand for accommoda 
 tion, and there is room for more. 
 
 " It were as unwise as it would be useless, to conceal the 
 fact, that on many matters touching the subjects of ecclesias- 
 tical polity and policy, my departed brother and myself held 
 opinions somewhat different from each other. On subjects 
 touching the vital matters connected with salvation, there 
 was not, I would hope, any essential difference. There was 
 a difference in the statement of gospel doctrines, perhaps not 
 affecting the essential matter, but only the results. But even 
 in those perilous times through which the Church in this 
 diocese was compelled to pass, I am not aware that there 
 was on either side, a spirit of personal unkindness or re- 
 proach. 
 
 " But these things have passed away, and for many years 
 we have worked together in the various institutions of the 
 Church ; and 1 delight to bear my testimony to the fact ot 
 the zeal, and energy, and determination of purpose with 
 which he pursued the plans which he deemed essential to 
 the prosperity of our Zion. . There was an openness and 
 candor even in his opposition, which could not but excite the 
 most decided respect ; and there was a warmth in his attach- 
 ments, worthy of all admiration. As to his relations .as a 
 pastor, I have no means of forming a judgment ; but from 
 my knowledge of the man, have no hesitation in believing 
 that they were sustained with the same zeal, and energy, 
 and fidelity of purpose which characterized all his efforts. 
 That he was deeply anxious for the welfare of the people of 
 his charge, I know ; for many a time and oft we have spoken 
 together on the difficulties and discouragements of the pas- 
 toral office, and mourned over the comparatively small re- 
 sults even of the most self-sacrificing labors. But I am in 
 danger of going beyond the line I had marked out. I stated 
 
300 MEMOIR OF 
 
 that my deceased brother and myself here started in the race 
 together; his were prospects of running that race much 
 longer than I myself had; and especially for the last six 
 years, who would have supposed that his course would have 
 been finished and my feeble thread not yet quite run out 1 
 How mysterious are the ways of God ! one is taken and 
 another left. He has gone to his rest, having left a most 
 glorious testimony of his personal interest in the salvation 
 of the gospel ; and his friends may well be cheered, for he 
 now sleeps in Jesus. When the will of God shall be accom- 
 plished, and your preacher, my friends, shall be laid on his 
 bed of death, may he be enabled to bear a similar testimony 
 to the grace of God in Christ Jesus ; and at the general re- 
 surrection, may we be found together among the white-robed 
 throng of God's elect." 
 
 In the private domestic relations of Dr. Bedell, his cha- 
 racter shone with inviting loveliness. His children knew 
 no love to any earthly object like that which they felt for 
 their father, and feared nothing so much as a frown or reproof 
 from him. The servants in his family regarded him with 
 peculiar reverence, as something even above the character 
 of man. In his domestic circle, the peculiar quality which 
 he exhibited was retired humility. He talked but little 
 habiiually, yet always cheerfully and instructively. He sat 
 much in silent study around his fire-side, and was not easily 
 disturbed. When riding once with his children, as he fre 
 qijcntly did, after no unusual silence on his part, he remark- 
 ed to them, " There, my children, while you have been 
 amusing yourselves with talking, I have prepared a sermon 
 for my people, and I shall lay it away with others in my 
 store-house, till it is convenient to write it out." The inter- 
 est which he felt .in his children, especially in regard to their 
 most important concerns,- was like all his other feelings, 
 deep and operative. The following extracts from some let 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. SOI 
 
 ters to his only son, then a boy at the Flushing Institute, 
 will exhibit proofs of his state of mind, as connected with 
 the permanent welfare of this son : — 
 
 "Philadelphia, January 12th, 1831. 
 " My Dear Son, 
 
 " Your last letter afforded great gratification to your dear 
 mother and myself We were glad because you seem to be 
 making good progress in your studies, and above all, be- 
 cause we have some hopes that you are striving to walk in 
 the ways of God. Nothing could give your father and 
 mother greater delight, than to know that their beloved and 
 only son was growing up to be a child of God. It would be. 
 of little consequence to us to have you a great or a learned 
 man, if we should find you careless about God, and indifier- 
 ent to the salvation of your own soul. What we want you 
 to be, and what we most sincerely pray that you may be, 
 is a good man, loving and serving God. Then shall we be 
 sure that you will be happy, both here and hereafter. I 
 should be very much pleased if you would write to me on 
 the subject of your feelings as to religion. Perhaps I should 
 be able to say something that might be of advantage to 
 you. In relation to all other matters, your mother, and aunt, 
 and cousins will write, for they have more time than I 
 have." 
 
 " Philadelphia, November 1st, 1831. 
 " Mr Dear Son, 
 
 " I have just learned from Mr. E. that he is going on to 
 Flushing with Horace, and have time only to say a few 
 words. Your dear mother will write somewhat more at 
 length. I am exceeding happy to find that you reached the 
 school safely, and are now once more in your comfortable 
 and contented situation. Your whole conduct at homp 
 afforded me great gratification, and I shall be truly happy if 
 your great motive and desire, shall become the love of God. 
 
302 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Do, my precious boy, remember, that without a change of 
 heart and a true faith in Christ, thera, is no happiness here 
 or hereafter, and that now is your time, in your early days, 
 
 to begin to live for God. My respects to Mr. M . 
 
 " Your aifectionate Father." 
 
 "Woodlands, June 16th, 1.832. 
 " Mt Deae Son : 
 
 " I received your letter yesterday, and now that I have 
 a few moments' leisure, I sit down to answer it. In the first 
 place, I desire to put your mind at rest as to my own wishes 
 concerning your continuance at the Institute. It is my 
 deliberate opinion, that there is no place in our country in 
 which you could be so favorably situated, and if God should 
 enable me to do it, I wish to have the gratification of seeing 
 your education thoroughly accomplished there. If there 
 should be a necessity for your going to college, it is a 
 matter which I wish to put ofi" as long as possible. In these 
 views your dear mother most heartily joins me. 
 
 " Now I will tell you how all the family yesterday were 
 mercifully preserved. Just before tea there came up a 
 thunder-storm, and the house was struck twice, and -a large 
 tree also shivered to pieces within twenty feet of the win- 
 dow. We had just risen from tea when the first tremen- 
 dous crash passed down the lightning-rod on the east end of 
 the house ; the second crash, about two minutes after, struck 
 the tree, (a beautiful honey-locust,) and shivered it in two 
 streams from top to bottom, throwing the bark for fifty 
 yards, and breaking seven large panes of glass, filling the 
 house with a sulphurous smell. The third crash passed 
 down the lightning-rod on the west side of the house, com- 
 pletely melting a new platina point ; yet, in God's mercy, 
 no one was hurt." 
 
 " I have no doubt that you have been very much disap- 
 pointed, that we have not been able to pay you a visit thi? 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 303 
 
 seasoii. The state of my health has been the reason. I am 
 looking forward with great pleasure to the period of exami- 
 nation, when I hope all the family will be able to be present. 
 After the examination I propose to take you, with dear 
 mother and Lilly, in the new dearborn, and travel about 
 three or four weeks. But all these things are contingent. 
 We have to say, 'If the Lord will, we will do this or that.' 
 
 " I am truly delighted at your advancement, though I do 
 not remember how many degrees higher you now are than 
 was mentioned in your last report. Do not fail to pursue 
 your studies with the utmost assiduity. Pray to God to 
 give you both the disposition and the ability to improve by 
 your present advantages. I trust you are obeying the 
 injunction, ' Seek first the kingdom of God and his righte- 
 ousness.' 
 
 "As to the rail-road to Germantown, I have not yet seen 
 it since it was finished. I understand that hundreds ride on 
 it every day, but there is a very dreadful profaiiation of the 
 Lord's day, as they keep the cars running allthe time." 
 
 '■'■June 18th. — And now I have something else to tell you, 
 which I think will be likely to be very interesting. Your 
 cousin has been lately ordained, and is about to take the 
 station of my assistant. He preached for us yesterday morn- 
 ing, and gave universal satisfaction. He is a remarkably 
 • fine young man, and an excellent preacher. Nothing would 
 be more grateful to my feelings than the idea, that at some 
 future day you would be prepared for the high and respon- 
 sible duties of the ministry. But this is a matter which at 
 present I hardly dare to indulge myself in reflecting upon, as 
 no one ought ever to think upon the subject of the ministry 
 who does not know that he has decidedly given himself up 
 to the love and service of God. My dear boy, what is the 
 state of your heart at present % I know that your mind has 
 been tender on this subject, but very little has been said in 
 your late letters. Can you enter into self-examination, and 
 
304 MEMOIR OF 
 
 persuade yourself that you have given your heart to God 1 
 I hope that you are still deeply interested in the concerns 
 of serious personal religion. When you write, tell me all 
 about your daily habits of religion. Do you pray regularly 
 morning and evening ? Do you regularly read the Scrip- 
 tures privately 1 Do you love to attend public worship ? 
 Do you go to any prayer^meeting ? Your parents will be 
 much more delighted to hear something said on these sub- 
 jects, than on any about which you write, for their chief 
 desire and prayer is, that the Lord may take you for his 
 child, and so give you his grace, as that your heart may be 
 completely devoted to him. Every night and morning 
 your dear mother and myself, in our united prayers, make 
 our beloved children the subjects of our most earnest suppli- 
 cations, and I hope that to our prayers you will add your 
 own. 
 
 " I see that I have written you a very long letter. Now 
 you must write to me soon. We are all well. Deaf lally 
 is skipping about- like a little lamb, and talks very much of 
 *bub.' I hope the Lord in mercy may spare us all to meet 
 next month. 
 
 "My respects to Mr. M., and I remain, 
 
 • : " Your aifectionate Father." 
 
 " Philadelphia, Feb. 1, 1833. 
 '■' Mr DeAb Son : 
 
 " Your mother, aunt and myself, were very much delighted 
 
 With your last letter, and as I have a few moments' leisure 
 
 in consequence of the state of the weather, I have determined 
 
 to send you a few lines. We are all very much gratified 
 
 with the accounts we hear, and hope that you will be most 
 
 earnest and persevering in your studies. Now is certainly 
 
 your time to lay in a stock of learning, which may enable 
 
 you, by the blessing of God, to follow some profession, or 
 
 otherwise to provide for your support when arrived at years 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 305 
 
 when young men take care of themselves. It would delight 
 me beyond all measure, and it is my earnest prayer to God, 
 that your mind may be steadily fixed upon the ministry of 
 the everlasting Gospel ; but this you must not touch till you 
 are thoroughly convinced that you have experienced a change 
 of heart and are ready to dedicate and devote yourself 
 entirely to the love and. service of God. Much as it would 
 conduce to my happiness to know that your mind does 
 direct its attention to this subject, I could never consent to 
 your taking upon yourself such a responsibility, unless upon 
 a very clear impression of a call from God, and a thorough 
 spiritual qualification. There is one way, my darling son, 
 of settling every matter which may concern your future life, 
 and it is by never resting satisfied till you have entirely 
 given up your heart to the precious Saviour, and this is 
 essential to your present happiness, no matter to what con- 
 dition of life you may direct your attention; and this is 
 essential to every hope of future happiness. Persevere, my 
 dear boy, in the discharge of your religious duties, but 
 do not rest satisfied with the mere discharge of duties. 
 Unless the heart is given to God, there is no delight 
 and no profit in religious duties. You state in your 
 letter to your dear mother, that you are troubled with 
 wandering thoughts. Do you strive and pray against 
 these 1 Remember, .there is no - sin in the mere fact of 
 being tempted", but there is sin in yielding to temptation. 
 Try to fix your thoughts ; pray earnestly that God would 
 be with you to arrest your thoughts, but never be dis- 
 couraged ; go on, and if your heart is right with God, you 
 will find that you shall eventually succeed. Our family 
 news is very scarce. I have been somewhat better this 
 winter, most probably owing to the mild character of the 
 season. Your dear little sister also, I think, is in better 
 health. I believe she has written you a line. I have 
 preached a sermon to young men which is now publishing, 
 
808 MEMOIR OF 
 
 and when it is out 1 will try to send you a copy. There 
 were no less than twelve hundred young men present. Nc 
 females were allowed in the body of the Church. This was 
 last Sunday evening. 
 
 " You see, my darling, that I have filled up the paper ; it 
 shows you how much pleased I am with your present pro- 
 gress. May the Lord bless and keep you. 
 
 " Your afiectionate Father." 
 
 Such a parent was a peculiar blessing to his children. 
 Around his fireside harmony and love always reigned. The 
 religion of the gospel was exalted to its due place in his do- 
 mestic arrangements. Piety unfeigned and undoubted go- 
 verned his most private concerns. And he has departed 
 with every reasonable ground of hope, not only that his 
 memory, example, and influence shall live after him, but that 
 they whom God gave him, shall be guided also to waHc in 
 the same steps. 
 
 The following letter to his sister, on the death of his fa- 
 ther, shows that this affectionate spirit was not confined in 
 its operation to his more intimate circle. 
 
 " The intelligence of the death of our dear aged father has 
 just reached me. I cannot say that I am surprised by the 
 intelligence, for your late letters have led me to suppose 
 that he could not long continue. It is a source of the richest 
 consolation for us to know that our loss is his eternal gain ; 
 for I think no one, who is acquainted as you are, with the 
 tenor cf his life, and especially with the continued devotion of 
 his latter years, can doubt of his eternal inheritance of glory. 
 He has exchanged a life of suffering for one of enjoyment, 
 and through the merits of tha Saviour, in whom he trusted, 
 is now numbered among the saints in glory. To you, my 
 dear sisters, especially, the deprivation is great ; because his 
 infirmities have so long demanded your zealous and perse- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 307 
 
 vcriiig and affectionate attentions, and you will feel the loss 
 of those employments in which you have been so long en- 
 gaged ; employments which derived all their gratification 
 from the circumstance that they were directed to soothe and 
 soften the declining years of a parent, bowed down under 
 the infirmities of age and sickness. Apart from the mere 
 feelings of nature, it is impossible for us to grieve ; for we 
 have known that our father has for more than a year had no 
 enjoyment of life, and we have his own wordsfor it that he 
 felt no fears of death; we sorrow not, therefore, as those 
 who have no hope; Let it be our aim to seek an inherit- 
 ance in the same heavenly kingdom, and then, when we 
 meet our father again, it will be to be no more separated. 
 It would have been a great source of comfort to me, could 
 I at least have been able to have attended the funeral, but I 
 was at a distance from home, preaching in the country, and 
 no letter could have reached me in time. I am afraid that 
 it will not be in my power to come to you under a week or 
 twoj owing to my present indisposition, and the cold change 
 in the weather. As to your future prospects, give your- 
 selves no uneasiness. While God spares toy life, and gives 
 me the opportunity of providing for you, you shall never 
 want. At this moment, if any thing is necessary, call upon 
 
 Mr. -^ , and he will furnish whatever you desire. 
 
 " Your affectionate Brother, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
 In connection with Dr. Bedell's private character, which 
 has been thus delineated, we ought not to omit a notice of 
 his love and his talents' for mtisic. This contributed' in a 
 high degree to his own enjoyment and to" the happiness of 
 others in his house. Mr. Henderson has so well described 
 this power in his friend, in the following extract of a letter 
 from him to the editor, that it may be unnecessary to do 
 
308 MEMOIR OF 
 
 more than to present Ms language as a description of what 
 he had himself for so long a time seen and known. 
 
 " Dr. Bedell, it is well known, was remarkably fond of 
 music. It formed indeed the principal recreation of his 
 leisure hours. Being in possession of a very siJperior parlor 
 organ, he was able at all times to indulge his taste. But in 
 thisj as in every thing else, his aim was to glorify his Father 
 in heaven. Music he ever regarded as the hand-maid of 
 religion. No one regretted more deeply its unholy alliance 
 with the vanities t)f a sinful world, as it appeared 1n many 
 of the fashionable songs of the day ; and it was ever an 
 important subject with him to sever this unnatural union. 
 
 "As an evidence of the interest that he felt on this subject, 
 it may be observed that he conceived, and, with the assist- 
 ance of Mr. Thomas Loud, the organist of his Church, 
 executed to some extent, a plan, the direct tendency of which 
 was to correct the evil so much deplored. Under their 
 auspices a work was issued, called 'Lyricae Sacrse,' which 
 was designed \o contain the most popular airs, arranged for 
 the piano forte, and adapted to words, if not strictly sacred, 
 yet calculated to excite no other emotions than such as were 
 accordant with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Several 
 numbers of this work were issued, and are now well known 
 to the religious public. In one of them is contained a 
 parody on Heber's celebrated verses, ' I see them on their 
 winding way,' written by Dr. B. himself. 
 
 " It were natural also to suppose that music, as connected 
 with the public worship of God, would engross a consider- 
 able share of his attention, and accordingly we find him ac- 
 tively engaged in endeavors to bring it here to the utmost 
 possible perfection. It was his custom to meet with the 
 choir, on which occasions I have sometimes accompanied 
 him, and by his presence, advice, and active participation! 
 he promoted the objects of their meeting, always closing the 
 
REV. DE. BEDELL. 309 
 
 exercises himself by asking for them in prayer the blessing 
 of God. It was customary also with Dr. Bedell, for many 
 years, to associate music in a very delightful manner with 
 the devotional exercises of his family. Frequently, while an 
 inmate of his fiimily, the first sound I have heard after awak- 
 ing in the morning, was the swelling tones of the organ, 
 under his touch, as a prelude to the exercise of family wor- 
 ship. It was, I believe, originally for such occasions that he 
 composed several airs, adapted to the hymns of the Church, 
 that found their way afterwards to the public, and have 
 already been song in several churches, i have been in- 
 duced to refer to one of these, from the interesting circum- 
 stance with which it was connected. Some time prior to Dr. 
 Bedell's last visit to Newark, he had, at the request of my 
 sister, sent her a copy of the air, and it had been used on 
 several occasions by the choir of the Church. On the occa^ 
 sion of his visit, it was sung immediatdy-after the sermon, 
 to his evident surprise and gratification, and produced, as 
 might well be imagined — the author being generally known 
 • — ^a jnost powerful effect upon the audience. Immediately 
 after the service, when he had returned to my house, and 
 was reclining upon the sofa, some remark was casually made 
 in regard to the manner of its performance — he observed, 
 that there had been a slight mistake, and rose at once to 
 play it upon a piano forte in the room. The feeling and 
 expression with which he then played, I have never heard 
 excelled. It was the last time. 
 
 " The words to which he adapted the air were those of 
 that beautiful hymn, — 
 
 " 'Eook of ages cleft for me, 
 Let me hide myself in thee.' 
 
 " Connected with Dr. B.'s extraordinary taste and fond 
 ness for music, is a circumstance, which, though trivial in 
 itself, is yet calculated strikingly to illustrate the noble inte. 
 
310 MEMOIR OF 
 
 grity of his Christian character. He had taken an active 
 interest in the operations of the Society attached to the Mu- 
 sical Fund Hall, and had frequently attended its Concerts of 
 Sacred Music with satisfaction and delight. His presence 
 there, however, gave offence to some of his religious connec- 
 tions. The circumstance reached the ears of Dr. B. His 
 resolution was taken at once, and upon a suitable occasion 
 soon after, it was publicly avowed. He stated what he had 
 heard, and what were his own views, and concluded by de- 
 claring his decided purpose never to enter again with similar 
 intent the walls of that building, quoting, in his own peculiar 
 and emphatic manner, the language of the Apostle, (1 Cor. 
 viii. 13.) 'Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, 
 I will eat no flesh while the world standeth.' Thus did he 
 become 'all things to all men, that he might by all means 
 save some.' " 
 
 The fondness of Dr. Bedell for music, and liis peculiar 
 talent for its execution, is further described in the following 
 communication, from one who was long associated with him 
 in this peculiar connection : — 
 
 " I could detail many of those characteristic facts which 
 came under my notice, but however interesting they might 
 be in my own private estimation, I fear they are not such as 
 would interest the general reader, who, in a biography of an 
 eminently good and great man, looks for facts and incidents 
 more striking and prominent than could be expected to be 
 elicited by an intercourse which, though social and familiar, 
 was necessarily a general one. 
 
 "His fondness for musi-c was well known. Indeed, he 
 might almost be deemed an enthusiast in this delightful sci- 
 ence. As a necessary consequence, his attachment to his 
 choir was singularly strong and unabated, and I think some 
 \:if the most pleasant of his earthly moments were passed 
 at the meetings of the choir. 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 31] 
 
 "He never failed to attend these meetings when his 
 ■ health would permit, and he has frequently rod^ to and from 
 the place of meeting when the state of weather or his health 
 was thought sufficient to deter him from walking. As his 
 health declined, the place of meeting, which at first was 
 alternately at his own house and the houses of the members, 
 was permanently fixed at his own. There, seated near his 
 organ, or, in the absence of his organist, officiating himself, 
 he has frequently said that he experienced m.ore satisfection 
 and delight than he could have hoped to enjoy on this side 
 the grave. 
 
 "That his enjoyment of music arose from a correct and 
 refined taste, which led to its just appreciation, is evinced 
 from some" of his compositions, which, although few and sim- 
 ple, sufficiently indicate this fact. One, and probably the 
 last, of his compositions, which he named after a member of 
 the choir, and which has since been published, has been par- 
 ticularly admired for a degree of originality and melody, 
 seldom surpassed in a common psalm or hymn tune. I 
 mean the tune adapted to the words, 'Eock of ages cleft 
 for me.' 
 
 " But you perceive, that I have got upon a theme which, 
 though from its connection may be interesting to yourself 
 and to me, is yet foreign to the original design of this com- 
 munication, inasmuch as I have only been rehearsing matters 
 with which you are as familiar as myself I shall therefore 
 conclude by a little anecdote, which I think at onee illus- 
 trative of his fondness for music, and his extreme simplicity 
 and humility of character. 
 
 "At a meeting of the choir held at the house of one of the 
 members, and on an evening when it was thought impos- 
 sible for him to be aware of the meeting, (the choir being 
 under the impression that he was in the country a distance 
 of ten miles,) the hymn tune above alluded to was 
 pel formed. 
 
312 MBMOIE OF 
 
 " During the performance of the second verse, they were 
 suddenly startled at beholding Dr. Bedell standing in the 
 room witli his back against the door leading to the yard. 
 A sudden stop was made, and an explanation ensued. It 
 seems he had returned to to-vra suddenly, and was visiting in 
 an adjoining street, when his ears were saluted with the 
 sound ofl music. Recognising his own com.position, he 
 desired to be shown out by thciback way of the house he 
 was in, traced the sound along a dark alley, and finding the 
 alley gate unfastened, groped his way into the house from 
 whence the sounds proceeded, and succeeded in entering 
 unobserved for the moment. After hearing his tune 
 repeated, he insisted upon returning by the same route. 
 
 " He has frequently said that music, had a considerable 
 effect on his preaching, and often at the foot of the paper 
 which contained the notice to Mr. Loud, the organist, of the 
 hymns to be sung during service, there would be a note of 
 inquiry, ' When shall we meet again V or appointing a cer-. 
 tain evening at his house, requiring them to ' come early.' 
 
 " To prove that the joy and delight attending these m.usi- 
 cal meetings was reciprocated by the parties, I need hardly 
 say more than that I believe every member of the dioir can 
 attribute it to the instrumentality of their dear and departed 
 friend and pastor, that they have a good and reasonable hope 
 of joining him again in singing the 7iew song with the choir 
 above. 
 
 " This in some measure accounts for the unbroken har- 
 mony and good feeling which always existed among the 
 individuals composing the choir, and their strong attach- 
 ment to their spiritual guide. That his attachment to them 
 was unabated, he evidenced, I am told, in his later moments, 
 by mentioning them individually, and as his dear choir. 
 
 " While they cherish his memory and feel encouraged 
 with the belief that he is now listening to the hosannas and 
 hallelujahs of the heavenly choir, may they through grace 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 3X3 
 
 ' be enabled so to follow his good example, that -with him 
 they may be partakers of the heavenly kingdom.' " 
 
 Dr. Bedell was much in the habit of adapting some of 
 the most agreeable melodies in common use, as songs, to 
 sacred words ; and frequently wrote hymns for the purpose, 
 which were so touching and interesting that they leave us 
 with unfeigned regret that he did not devote more of his 
 time to this employment. 
 
 The following hymn was composed by him for the well- 
 known tune of " Robin Adair :" 
 
 Haste, my dull soul, arise, 
 
 Cast off thy oa.re, 
 Press to thy native skies, 
 
 Mighty in prayer. 
 Christ, he is gone before, 
 Count all thy troubles o'er. 
 He who thy burden bore, 
 Jesus is there. 
 
 Soul, for the marriage feast 
 " Robe and prepare 1 
 Holiness becomes each guest, 
 
 Jesus is there. 
 Saints, wave your victory pahnSj 
 Chant your celestial psalms ; 
 Bride of the Lamb I thy charms 
 let us wear 1 
 
 Heaven's bliss is perfect, pure. 
 
 Glory is there ! 
 Heaven's bliss is ever sure, 
 
 Thou art Its heir. 
 What makes its joys camolete? 
 What makes its hymns so sweet 7 
 There we our friends shall meet, 
 Jesus is there I 
 
 Some other specimens of his talent in poetical composi- 
 tion may be presented. The reader may not consider them 
 14 
 
314 MEMOIR OF 
 
 in any way remarkable as mere poetry. But the Christian, 
 while in this aspect they are not contemptible, will delight 
 in the piety of their sentiments, and the sweetness of their 
 expressions. 
 
 MORNING HYMN. 
 
 Soon. as the morn with earliest dawn shall wake 
 The feathered tribes their tuneful notes to raise. 
 Then, my soul, thy early tribute make 
 Of humble prayer, and grateful, heartfelt praise, 
 
 Thou who ordained the sun to rule the day. 
 The moon and stars to illuminate the night, 
 Teach me to walk in thy most righteous way, 
 Strengthen with ray divine my -erring sight. 
 
 Great God I who made these glorious orbs to shine, 
 Moved by thy raiglity hand, in liquid air, 
 Grant me to know thy wondrous works divine. 
 And lead me, while I praise, adore, and fear. 
 
 But chiefly teach me raptured praise to bring, 
 For work's more wondrous than these orbs can tell ; 
 Eedeming love, redeeming grace to sing, 
 And promised triumphs over death and hell. 
 
 Saviour of aU 1 thy ransomed servant I, 
 Purchase of blood 1 thy blood was shed for me I 
 Hear thou and answer, grant thy suppliant's cry, 
 And let thy spirit keep me near to thee. 
 
 At length, when pain this mortal frame shall tear, 
 And death shall call the Struggling soul away, 
 Take me to thee, celestial joys to share. 
 And sing thy praise in realms of endless day. 
 
 "/ have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is 
 far better. 
 
 Better, indeed — for what is life, 
 That man should cling to it below ? 
 A busy round of noise and strife, 
 Which from the seeds of sin do grow. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 315 
 
 Better, indeed — for if is built 
 Our dearest liope upon tliat word, 
 Which tells of pardon for our guilt, 
 And grace to love and serve the Lord, 
 
 Then, when our race of life is run. 
 And we have reached yon happy shore^ 
 We triumph in the victory won, 
 And sin hath power to reign no more. 
 
 Better, indeed — ^for while we stay, 
 Sorrow and pain are alv/ays nigh ; 
 Little the rest in night or day 
 Is meant for man beneath the sky. 
 
 'Tig kindly done I could perfect peace 
 Wind round our hearts in cords of love. 
 Here- would we stay ; our souls would cease 
 To sigh and pant for bliss above. 
 
 Better, indeed — for there, no tears 
 Tell aught of sorrow In the breast. 
 No anguish there, no boding fears. 
 But all is love, and peace, and rest. 
 
 Better, indeed — for where's the heart 
 Which hath not wept some friend that's gone J 
 Which knows no feeling of the smart 
 From love's dear bands in sunder torn ? 
 
 Better, indeed — for when we die. 
 And trace the death-walk they have trod, 
 We meet to part no more on high. 
 Together love and serve our God. 
 
 But better far than all, to know 
 That when we reach that heaveiily plaoe^ 
 The soul no more shall mourn in wo 
 The hidings of its Saviour's faee. 
 
 No shade of interposmg night 
 His glorious presence there conceals : 
 We go to dwell within that Ught 
 Where all his loveliness reveals. 
 
316 MEMOIR OF 
 
 Better, indeed — who would not say, 
 When all these prospects round us rise ? •' 
 
 Who would not drop this load of clay ., "> 
 
 For glory, honor in the skies ? 
 
 Lines written for a watch paper, with the figure of a nsuig 
 cherub embracii% the cross ; tp be given to a friend whose 
 heart had not yet turned to the Lord : 
 
 SPER o. 
 I hope, because it was for me 
 The cross was reared on Calvary. 
 Taught by this lesson, soon may I 
 Be brought the world to crucify ;■ 
 And thus the prize of life to gain, 
 Nor let a Saviour die in vain. 
 
 PRAISE. 
 Strilte the high-sounding lyre. 
 And praise thy God above ; 
 Ask for a seraph's fire. 
 And seek a cherub's love. 
 
 Let praise thy offering be 
 For all that heTiath done, 
 For all his lOve to thee. 
 The victories he hath won. 
 
 Praise for redeeming love, 
 Praise for subduing grace, 
 Praise for the smiles that prove 
 The shinings of his face. 
 
 Praise for the promise giyen 
 To pilgrims here below, 
 Of holy rest in heaven. 
 Where pain shall cease, and wo. 
 
 Praise for the iUs that throw 
 Some clouds across the sky ; 
 Praise for the promise bow 
 That faith presents thine eye. 
 
KEV. DR. BEDELL. 317 
 
 Praise lor the joy that springs 
 Prom peace in sins forgiven ; 
 Praise for the faith that brings 
 A foretaste here of heaven. 
 
 These are spring flowers that oome 
 From winter's dreary night : 
 They flourish on the tomb, 
 In colors clear and bright. 
 
 Praise Grod that thou canst love ; 
 Praise him that thou eanat praise ; 
 Thus to thy God above 
 Thy constant anthems raise. 
 
 Connected with our knowledge of Dr. Bedell's character 
 and sufferings, there is much in these hymns which is affecting 
 to us. He has now gone to the rest which he loved and 
 desired, and has learned to join in other hymns of praise 
 than the redeemed can ever raise on this side their glorious 
 rewatd. O, may we follow him in this pursuit and attain- 
 ment of God's precious promises ! 
 
 A few of his letters, which have not been particularly 
 connected with any facts in this history, I here introduce : 
 
 to friends from england who were returnino to, theib 
 own country. 
 
 " My Dear Friends : 
 
 "As in all human probability we shall never meet again 
 this side the grave, and as I do not feel sufficiently strong in 
 health to encounter all that I would say in a parting inter- 
 view, I take this method of bidding farewell to those to 
 whom I have indeed become strongly attached. "Were it not 
 for the hope and blessed assurance that we shall meet again, 
 under far different circumstances, I should feel more grieved 
 at this temporary separation. And even if the same ' man- 
 sions' in our Father's house should not be allotted us, there 
 is happiness in the feeling that we shall inherit the same 
 
818 MEMOIR OP 
 
 Father's love. I despair to reach the same heavenly-minded- 
 ness which characterizes the wallc of your father according 
 to the flesh, and would wish that you both might be where 
 he is, than where my humble lot may fall in the inheritance- 
 There can be no harm, howerer, in aiming at the highest 
 place ; and as indebted to grace for the hast, may we trust 
 it for the greatest. In the abounding goodness of God, 
 through his dear Son, I have found many verdant spots in 
 my short pilgrimage, and I reckon among the number your 
 short residence in this city. ' Very pleasant have the days 
 been, and they have left a fragrance behind, and the remem- 
 brance of them will be sweet.' If it will not be too much of 
 an interruption to the happiness you will enjoy, when you 
 shall feel the peculiar sweets of an established home, and 
 claims of numerous friends, I shall be delighted to have, at 
 such intervals as you may please, some few lines from you 
 both, to let us know that you are alive and happy. Any 
 poor return that my pen can offer wUl be cheerfully 
 given. 
 
 " Make my regards to those most dear to you. As our 
 hopeS^ for eternity are in the same, precious Saviour I feel 
 something at least of the relationship of the Gospel, and 
 may safely even send Christian love. 
 
 "And now, that you may enjoy the 'favor of the Lord, 
 which is life, and his loving-kindness, which is better than 
 life,' for time and eternity, is the prayer of your friend, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
 to the same. 
 "My Dear Friends: 
 
 " I regret moSt sincerely that I had not the opportunity of 
 writing to you by my dear friend and brother, Dr. Milnor. 
 At ilo period of the present year, however, have I been so 
 deeply engaged as during the few days which intervened 
 between his determination and actual departure, as I had in 
 
EEV. DR. BEDELL. 319 
 
 charge all the preparations necessary for the ordination ot my 
 young friend and pupil, Mr. IJenderson, whose examination, 
 etc., were hurried, in order that he might supply the pulpit 
 of Dr. M. during his visit to England. ■ 
 
 " Before this letter reaches you, you will have had the 
 pleasure, at least, of knowing that Dr. M. is in England, 
 and I can well imagine the surprise and gratification which 
 you must experience at an event so unlocked for. I very 
 often feel an earnest desire to visit England, for the purpose 
 of becoming acquainted with the Christians of that land of 
 enlarged benevolence ; for it seems to me impossible to 
 become acquainted with such master-spirits, as are many of 
 them, without imbibing something of their holy and heavenly 
 influence, which seems to have created around them a pecu- 
 liar atmosphere. This, however, is one of those idle wishes, 
 the only valuable purpose of which may be to amuse for an 
 hour. As such a privilege I have no reasonable expectation 
 of ever being, permitted to enjoy, I must be content to desire 
 and to labor, and to pray that J may meet these men- in 
 heaven, where the theme of conversation will ' not be the 
 prospective, but the actual glory of the Redeerner's king- 
 dom. At the same time, I know not an enjoyment upon 
 earth which would promise to be greater than the spiritual 
 feast of May in London. That I can not enjoy it is, no 
 doubt, all for the best, as my poor nervous temperament 
 would be shattered all to pieces by such excess of excite- 
 ment. 
 
 " Your two letters have reached me safely, and, as you 
 may imagine, have afforded me much real gratification. 
 The first was received some time since, the last only the 
 day before yesterday. I immediately delivered tliose 
 
 enclosed to Mrs. ^ who is the same enthusiast (I use 
 
 the term in its good meaning) as ever, and so wedd«d to 
 the cause of the cast-off people of God, that were she in 
 
320 MEMOIR OF 
 
 England, she would be the companion of Lady Georgiana 
 and her Wolfe. 
 
 " In your last letter, you allude to some music which 
 you have been kind enough to have copied. I am afraid 
 that there has been some mistake, as the letter has reached 
 me, and nothing else has come to hand. I hope so valu- 
 able a present has hot been lost, and that I may yet 
 receive it. 
 
 " Our Sunday-school operations get on prosperously ; we 
 have more than one thousand scholars, under the care of 
 seventy-nine teachers, all members of the church. Our 
 only difficulty arises from want of room, for the greater 
 part of the sum subscribed to the support of the schools 
 is now, and must continue to be, appropriated to the hire 
 of rooms. 
 
 " One 'most marvellous ititerposition of Providence, in 
 relation to Bishop Chase, I can not avoid mentioning. 
 While at the" house of Mr. Beck, in this city, he received a 
 package from Dr. Ward, the Bishop of Sodor and Man, 
 making inquiries relating to certain property in America, 
 of which some old person in his diocese was the heir. The 
 letter had gone to Ohio — followed him to Washington — 
 then to Philadelphia — and found him at Mr. Beck's, when he 
 read itto Mr. B. The latter was in amazement, and said, 
 'Bishop Chase, I am the only man in the world who can 
 give you information. I have the deeds in my possession, 
 and have had them forty-three years, not knowing what to 
 do with them, or wh( re any heirs were to be found.' Think 
 of this, that the application should have been made to 
 Bishop Chase, and he not in Ohio, but a guest in the house 
 of the only man who possessed any information on the sub- 
 ject ! It is indeed marvellous in our eyes. Copies of the 
 paper's have been sent to England. 
 
 "And now, my dear friend, I have filled my papei, with- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 321 
 
 oui the half I desired. Do make my respects to your vene 
 rable father, with whom, I should be, beyond expression, 
 gratified to becom.e acquainted. I am afraid that to know 
 how he looks will be denied me, unless I can succeed in 
 receiving the package which, with other things, contains the 
 likeness. 
 
 " Brother S is just as usual — suffering, yet in the 
 
 same holy frame, and doing the same active duties. Mrs. 
 
 and Miss desired to be affectionately remembered. 
 
 And may the Lord have you both in his most holy keeping, 
 and ripen you for his kingdom and glory. 
 
 " I mean this letter for both of you, as constituting but 
 one person, and therefore subscribe myself, my dear friend, 
 
 " Yours, most truly, in the bonds of Christian affection. 
 
 « G. T. Bedell." 
 
 " to the rev. de. m. on his embarkation foe england. 
 
 " Rev. and Dear Brother : 
 
 " I can truly say that I am rejoiced at the prospect of your 
 going to England on matters so intimately associated with 
 the great interests of religion. And I rejoice particularly 
 that you are going, because you are the only one of our 
 clergy who is personally connected with every form of reli- 
 gious benevolence in America, and therefore better qualified 
 than any one else to be- the representative of all leading 
 interests. I think the whole train of circumstances remark- 
 ably providential. 
 
 " Had it been in my power, I should have made a journey 
 to New- York on purpose to express my pleasure, and to bid 
 you farewell ; but duties, and roads,- and imperfect health, 
 all combine to forbid me. I wish that I could even go with 
 you to England, just to enjoy one such feast as that which 
 must be spread out before the spiritual appetite during the 
 month of May, in the British metropolis. May the Lord 
 follow you with hLs choicest blessings; make you the instru. 
 14* 
 
322 
 
 lIEMOin. OF 
 
 ment of great good while you are abroad, and "return you 
 to your church, family, and friends, with bodily and spiritual 
 health refreshed by the journey. That you may in all 
 things have a 'prosperous journey by the will of God,' is 
 the sincere wish and prayer of 
 
 " Your Friend and Brother, 
 
 " G. T. Bedell." 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 323 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Failing Health— Joumeyiuga — Last Journey — Sickness — Death. 
 
 We are now brought to consider the latter portion of 
 the life of Dr. Bedell, the few painful but bright days and 
 months which preceded his departure from this world to 
 God. 
 
 For a few of the first years during which he ministered 
 in Philadelphia, his health was comparatively good, though 
 even then, when contrasted with most other men, he would 
 ■ be considered weak and infirm. He had been delicate in his 
 constitution from his earliest childhood, and has often said he 
 had never known the enjoyment of what others would call 
 good health. After he had been connected with St. Andrew's 
 Church about four years, his health seemed to be manifestly 
 undermined. He had engaged in labors quite too abundant 
 for his constitution to endure. Frequent spitting of blood, 
 and increasing debility and failure of appetite appeared to 
 indicate to others that his course was nearly finished. For 
 several of the last years of his life, he was kept, in being 
 and in active effort, beyond any of the expectations of his 
 fnends. The kind providence of God had favored him with 
 the constant attentions of a physician, Dr. John K. Mitchell, 
 of Philadelphia, whose remarkable skill in his profession, 
 united with the tenderest concern for his patient's comfort, 
 
32-1 • MKMOIE OF 
 
 a clear understanding of his constitution and habits, and the 
 most untiring assiduity in watching over his health, was 
 blessed from above, to the preservation of his life, and the 
 mitigation of his sufferings, for several years after it was 
 supposed ,by others that he was very near the end ef his 
 course. In the spring of 1829, when the writer of this 
 sketch was first brought into" that intimate connection with 
 Dr. Bedell which was closed only by his death, he was con- 
 fined, as he had been for a large part of the winter, under 
 what was by most of his friends supposed to be a final 
 attack of his disease. From this, however, he was again 
 'restored to bis ministry, and to the surprise of his friends, 
 enabled to undertake not only his previous labors, but even 
 a still larger measure. The letters to Mr. Henderson 
 which follow, are in reference to this confinement. In intro- 
 ducing them, Mr. H. remarks : 
 
 " The following was written at a time when he was 
 decidedly convalescent, though still confined within the 
 house. It was upon these occasions especially that Dr. 
 Bedell was accustomed to express, though briefly, the pious 
 emotions of his heart. His personal piety was rather retir- 
 ing in its character, seeking not the notice of others. He 
 was satisfied that the world should know him, not so much 
 by his professions as by his conduct. When, however, he 
 did 'speak with his tongue,' it was ' out' of the abundance of 
 a heart overflowing with divine affection.' " 
 
 "Philadelphia, May 4, 1829. 
 " Mr Dear Friend : 
 
 " I am once more, in the providence of God, permitted to 
 
 take my stylus in my hand, though little can I think and less 
 
 can I write. . It is now nearly six weeks that I have been 
 
 confined to the house, shut out from those occupations which 
 
 have been my sole business and sole delight. But with all 
 
KEV. DR. BEDELL. 325 
 
 this I have only to say, goodness and mercy have followed 
 me, and it is the Lord, he hath done what seemeth him 
 good. Since I have been convalescent the weather has been 
 very much against my rapid recovery, and it is now five 
 days since I have enjoyed the luxury of the open air. Cold 
 rain and cold wind have kept me housed. Had it been clear 
 and warm yesterday, I should-have been permitted to attend 
 church. ****** 
 
 " Your Friend and Brother." 
 
 " Philadelphia, May 18, 1829. 
 " My Dear Friend : 
 
 " Yesterday was the first out of eight Sundays that I have 
 been permitted to attend the house of God. 
 
 " I can truly say, that during that time I have very often 
 felt the force of the expressions of the Psalmist, ' My soul 
 hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the 
 Lord.' I should have attended church, however, before, had 
 the weather been such as to render it prudent, but the two 
 Sundays which preceded yesterday were very stormy. 
 
 " Yesterday was a very lovely day, and I not only 
 attended church but preached, though I was almost over- 
 come by the manifestation of feeling on the part of the con- 
 gregation at the introductory part of my discourse. We 
 could not have had less than one thousand present. As it 
 will interest you, and is not very long, I will transcribe the 
 introductory part spoken of above. It is as follows : 
 
 " ' It is now, my friends, eight weeks since, by a dispensa- 
 tion of that Providence who ordereth all things after the 
 counsel of his own will — and whose will is always rights-it 
 is now, I remark, eight weeks since I have been permitted 
 to occupy this pulpit, while days and nights of weariness 
 and pain have taught me the lessons of mortality. If there 
 is one pleasure which I enjoy, "if there is one hour during 
 the week in which I feel more exquisitely than another, it 
 
S26 MEMOIR OF 
 
 is that sacred hour of the Sabbath in which 1 can have the 
 privilege from this place of proclaiming in your ears the 
 Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Suffer me then, my 
 brethren, with my little recruited strength and my first 
 feeble effort, to appear before you as an ambassador of 
 Christ, and taking my stand by the great Apostle of the 
 Gentiles, seek to testify my gratitude to God for the privi- 
 lege and happiness he again permits me to enjoy, and to 
 testify my fidelity to you by some plain observations on a 
 passage which living^ I would wish to make my motto, and 
 which dead I would wish inscribed upon my tomb, " God 
 forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ." ' ***** 
 
 " Your Friend and Brother." 
 
 " The overpowering effect which this language, delivered 
 by himself in his own peculiar manner, must have produced 
 upon an affectionate and devoted congregation, can be better 
 imagined than described. An eye-witness informs me that 
 the effect was solemn and sublime beyond description. One 
 part of his wish has been solemnly fulfilled. It was his 
 motto even to the last struggle of mortal existence. , 
 
 " Let now the hand of the sculptor verify the other, by 
 'inscribing upon his tomb,' God forbid that I shottld 
 
 GLORY SAVE IN THE CROSS OF OUR LoRD JeSUS CHRIST. So 
 
 W^ill strangers pause in passing, and friends shed the tear of 
 sad recollection while silent memory ponders over the untii- 
 - ing faithfulness of one who ' being dead yet speaketh.' " 
 
 After this attack of disease his strength and health may 
 be said to have been continually failing. His weakness led 
 him to adopt at this time the habit of sitting in the pulpit 
 while he was preaching, a habit which might have been 
 expected to interfere with the freedom and interest of his 
 manner in speaking far more than it did. Indeed, no stranger 
 
EEV. bs,. BEDELL. 327 
 
 to him would have perceived the least difference produced 
 by this cause. The same solemn earnestness, and the same 
 gentle but powerful action, still added their peculiar influ- 
 ence and charms to all he said ; and his preaching was 
 never so effectual, and so extensively instrumental of good, 
 as after this period in his life. His failing health induced 
 him to pass several weeks of every summer in travelling. 
 And thus, as the early persecution after the death of Ste- 
 phen only scattered the disciples to carry the blessings of 
 the Gospel abroad more widely, the truth which he preached 
 " in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance," 
 becam^e under the influence of his own bodily weakness the 
 more extensively known, and productive of good effects 
 both upon the preachers and the hearers of the Gospel in 
 many different and distant points in the United States. . 
 
 He was particularly fond of attending the conventions of 
 the Episcopal Church in Virginia, in which journey he 
 indulged himself for several years. Not only his personal 
 attachment to his uncle, the Et. Rev. Bishop Moore, but his 
 experience of the comfort and advantage flowing friDm those 
 meetings, led him there. The advantages of these conven- 
 tions to the growth and piety of the Church in that favored 
 diocese can hardly be overrated. Religious services are 
 daily and almost hourly conducted in all the houses of wor- 
 ship of the town in which the convention is held. All the 
 members of the church throughout the State who can attend 
 make it an object to be present. The churches of all deno- 
 minations are freely offered to the use of the Episcopal 
 clergy, who have been in that State distinguished for their 
 union in evangelical principles and preaching. Strong 
 and universal feeling upon the great concerns of religion is 
 produced, and much spiritual good is always accomplished 
 at these meetings by their instrumentality. Happy will it 
 be for the Episcopal Church throughout the country when 
 the same system and the same spirit shall everywhere pre- 
 
328 MEMOIR OF 
 
 vail. Piety will revive in truth and power, and the borders 
 of the Church will be proportionably extended. 
 
 Fof these Jast years of the life of Dr. Bedell, as his health 
 was rapidly declining, his whole character seemed to be 
 maturing for a better country. He was daily growing in 
 sweetness of temper, meekness of spirit, humility, and love, 
 in preparation for his eternal rest. Each year, and almost 
 each month, seemed more likely to be his last. And his 
 concerns were arranged, and his labors devoted, like a man 
 who had not long to live, so as to accomplish the utmost 
 possible amount of benefit for othei:s, and to leave the least 
 undone for himself. The following letter from the Rev. 
 Dr. Aydelott, of Cincinnati, to Mrs. B., exhibits but one 
 instance out of the multitudes of the same description, of 
 the impression which his loveliness of character and- meek- 
 ness of spirit produced upon those who knew him best : 
 
 " My Dear Madam : 
 
 " Though I have been so long and so far away from Phila^ 
 delphia and the many kind friends there, yet be assured I do 
 not feel the less interest in them. And among the pleasant 
 hours of the past that steal across my memory, none come 
 so acceptably as those I spent in your own blessed family. 
 I say blessed, for I doubt not you are blessed in yourselves, 
 and I tyust that I found many blessings among you. How 
 many precious lessons did my dear brother, now in glory, 
 teach me of ' suffering affliction, and of patience !' Did not 
 his whole example speak most touchingly ? If he was elo- 
 quent in the pulpit, it was far more instructive and affecting 
 to be with him and see him in the suffering and labors that 
 daily came upon him. 
 
 " I shall never forget a reply he once made to me. I came 
 into the room, and found him as usual reclining on a settee, 
 quite feeble and languid. He kindly asked me how I was. 
 I replied, ' Perfectly well.' In that touching tone, indicating 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 329 
 
 a heart faint under the burden of life, and yet meekly suh- 
 missive, he replied, ' I never know what it is to enjoy an 
 hour's health P There was an ir. expressible moral beauty 
 in his countenance and manner as he spoke ; the expression, 
 I presume, of those subdued natural feelings and deep, pious 
 emotions that were mingling in his bosom. A thousand 
 times has this whole scene recurred to me. Very often have 
 I spoken of it to others, and the Lord grant that it may be 
 more and more sanctified to do me good. I would ' heartily 
 thank him for the good example of this his servant, who, 
 having finished his course in faith, now rests from his labors.' 
 
 "I can scarcely, my dear friend, condole with you in 
 God's afflictive dispensation towards you, there was such 
 brightness in the cloud. What a life ! What a death ! 
 Surely you can never be sufficiently grateful for God's good- 
 ness in permitting him to remain so long with you at the 
 expense of such toil and suffering on his part, and for the 
 hope he has given you of meeting him in that place where 
 ' God shall wipe away all tears.' 
 
 " My little ones often speak with gi'eat pleasure of ' Mr. 
 Bedell and the Sunday-school.' The Lord grant they may 
 never lose the good impressions there derived from his faith- 
 ful servant. 
 
 "Affectionately, your brother and servant." 
 
 Our sketch of this holy and valued man has been brought 
 now, in its principal facts and circumstances, near to the close 
 of his life. Upon the fewjast months, and weeks, and days 
 which he spent upon the earth, I would dwell more particu- 
 larly, not only as desiring to gather up every fragment 
 which may remain of him, that if possible nothing may be 
 lost, but also as unwilling to separate from the circum- 
 stances, even though so painful, which showed him to be still 
 among us. 
 
 In the winter of 1834 his health began very sensibly to 
 
330 MEMOIR OF 
 
 decline, and it was apparent to all his friends that his days 
 on earth were soon to be numbered and finished. He was 
 much confined to the house, and unable to undertake more 
 than the occasional discharge of public duty through the 
 succeeding spring. Early in the warm season he removed 
 with his family to Bristol, Pa., where he found the retire- 
 ment and quietness which he so much required, and from 
 whence he paid occasional visits, by water, to Philadelphia. 
 His physician had now ceased to encourage him with hope 
 of life much longer, protracted, though in the hearts of some 
 of his nearest friends there was still sometimes the lingering 
 expectation of his restoi-ation. While at Bristol, in the 
 month of June, he took the short journey to Elizabethtown 
 and Newark, N, J., which has been already referred to in a 
 letter of Mr. Henderson's. In reference to this journey, 
 and to the circumstances which subsequently occurred to 
 him through the short remaining period of his life, I am per^ 
 mitted to present some extracts from an account written by 
 Mrs. B. for one of Dr. Bedell's sisters, at her request, soon 
 after -Jiis decease. In the introduction of these extracts, 
 which seem so much to open the retirements of private 
 scenes, and which were never designed to come in any way 
 before the public eye, the writer of the present sketch feels 
 bound to say that they have been granted only to his earnest 
 solicitation and his decided judgment that they were of great 
 importance to him in finishing a proper account of the 
 lamented object to whom they refer, and would be valued 
 with deep interest by those for whoila this memoir has been 
 prepared. Speaking of the visit to Elizabet Mown, Mrs. B. 
 remarks : 
 
 "This journey proved to be, in connection with some prr- 
 vious circumstances, a moit providential event to me. My 
 views of his disease were" entirely changed ; whether they 
 were now correct or not, the effect was the same. My sink- 
 
REV. DK. BEBELL. 331 
 
 iflg hopes were raised, and I was enabled to pass through 
 many a trying scene, under which, without the buoyancy of 
 hope, I must have sunk. Among other things which pro- 
 duced this effect, were the knowledge we obtained of the 
 longevity of the family, their singular exemption from con- 
 sumption, combined with the similarity of symptoms be- 
 tween the case of your dear brother and persons who had 
 been very low with dyspepsia ; and then the actual visit 
 from several individuals,^ then in perfect health, who had 
 been raised almost from the verge of the grave under the 
 same disease. One case, you will recollect, of a gentleman 
 advanced in life, who had been confined seven years, and 
 who had perfectly recovered, and for years enjoyed uninter- 
 rupted healtL 
 
 "About this time the efficacy of the waters at Bedford 
 being very much spoken of as instrumental in effecting 
 astonishing cures of dyspepsia,- and having experienced the 
 benefit invariably derived from travelling, I felt it my duty 
 to urge him to take- the journey, particularly as I found his 
 health declining, and that nothing more was to be expected 
 from medical aid. 
 
 " Many, many times has my heart smik within me when 
 I beheld his wasted form and feeble step ; but it stimulated 
 nie to more intensity of purpose in the determination to 
 undertake the journey, and make a last effgrt to prolong 
 his valuable life, believing it in all c^ses a duty never to 
 cease our efforts until life is extinct. The journey of two 
 hundred miles was a terrific undertaking ; but God is every 
 where, and will not forsake his children wheli they conscien- 
 tiously believe they are in the path of duty. To part with 
 my husband seemed impossible. I therefore lived under a 
 continual struggle to banish the thought of death from my 
 mind, shutting my eyes to that which was but too evident 
 to all beside. 
 
 " I saw that great energy on my pai-t was necessary, unless 
 
332 MEMOIK OF 
 
 I would sit dowTi quietly and watch the appalling march of 
 disease hurrying his frail body to the grave. This was im- 
 possible. I therefore marked out my course, with a firm 
 determination to overcome every difficulty. 
 
 " My first, as well as my most unceasing effort, was to 
 make every one believe with me, that his disease was of the 
 stomach, and not the lungs, or at least that the latter were 
 not materially affected. 
 
 " When I heard the anxious inquiry after his health, and 
 saw anguish and even despair traced 'c«i the countenances of 
 many who looked upon him, indescribable was the struggle 
 to check the rising tear, and hush the palpitating heart,, while 
 with apparent cheerfulness I strove to convince each one 
 that alarm was unnecessary. My object in doing this was 
 to enable his friends to approach him with cheerfulness, 
 lest sympathetic depression of spirits should retard his 
 recovery. My own hopes were really strengthened when I 
 listened to his last and hng to he remembered sermon, on the 
 first Sunday evening in July. He solemnly addressed the 
 scorner. It wa,s his last message from on high to the careless 
 and worldly, who had heard the same truths from him for 
 twelve years unheeded. 
 
 " This sermon was preached with all the eloquence and 
 energy that characterized his preaching twelve years since. 
 His voice was clear and Ipud, his manner graceful and ani- 
 mated ; this confirmed me in all my anticipations of an 
 improved state of health, and in a moment of excitement I 
 remarked, in answer to a friend, who said he hoped we 
 would not know the Cliurch when we returned, referring to 
 the determination of the vestry to have it completely repaired 
 during his absence, I said, ' I hope you will not know your 
 pastor when he returns.' Oh, how Tittle was I then aware 
 how soon God would take him to himself, and that his own 
 people would only behold a lifeless corpse when next they 
 looked upon him ! 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 333 
 
 " In the morning of the same day he administered the 
 communion ; there appears to have been here a remarkable 
 providence that the administering of this ordinance should 
 have been one of his last acts, for he ever considered it a 
 precious privilege to unite with his people on such occasions, 
 and he always made his arrangements, even when travelling, 
 so that nothing should prevent his returning in time, if pos- 
 sible, for occasions of this kind. 
 
 " But on this occasion, in hi« weak state, it proved almost 
 more than he could bear ; he was obliged frequently to sit 
 down, and when standing to seek support from the nearest 
 object. The solemnity that pervaded the whole congrega- 
 tion can not be described ; a general sensation was produced. 
 Many were convinced that they should be permitted thus tp 
 meet him no more on earth. One individual was so much 
 impressed with the belief that the sermon in the evening 
 would be the last, that she insisted upon her husband, 
 (who was not a regular attendant at St. Andrew's,) accom- 
 panying her to listen to his last admonitions. 
 
 " These circumstances, which have but lately come to my 
 knowledge, call forth my gratitude, when I see that I was 
 not only mercifully withheld from such distressing fore- 
 bodings, but strengthened to perform every duty before I 
 was required to drink of T;he bitter cup of affliction. 
 
 "I looked upon his extreme exhaustion as the natural 
 consequence of standing while in such a debilitated state, for 
 you know he had not been able for a long time to stand or 
 walk without great fatigue ; for many years he had been 
 obliged to sit in a chair while preaching. 
 
 " This opinion was strengthened when in the evening he 
 preached with such energy, that but for the paleness of his 
 countenance you might have forgotten that he was the victim 
 of disease. From this I argued that it was muscular debility, 
 and that his energy of system was not impaired, but only 
 required an object sufficient to bring it into action." 
 
334 MEMOIR or 
 
 This last sermon was preached on the evening of July 6th, 
 1834. The following affecting reference to it is taken from 
 a Baptist paper published in Philadelphia. It was written 
 just subsequent to Dr. Bedell's death : 
 
 "DR. bedell's last SERMON. 
 
 " He felt that every sermon might be his last. He there-' 
 fore endeavored to make every sermon what he wished his 
 last sermon to be. His health during the whole course of 
 his ministry in this city was very frail ; it taught him that 
 his time was short, and led him to think much on his latter 
 end. He preached emphatically as a dying man, and his 
 theme was that which alone becomes the lips that are about 
 to be sealed in death; — it- was (Jhrist, Christ- crucified, 
 emphatically, ' Chrisit and his cross was all his theme.' 
 Thus, it was th'e light of eternity, the beams of glory, and 
 the flashes of perdition, that gave vigor to a failing frame, 
 and invested his sermons with an unearthly charm. The 
 sermon which proved his last, however, is said to have been 
 heard, as well as given, with- the conviction that it was a 
 dying testimony. During the progress of the services 
 introductory to the sermon, he lay on a sofa in the vestry, 
 fanned by a friend, and panting for breath.' He did not rise 
 till the moment arrived for him to ascend the pulpit, and 
 when he began, his utterance was so faint, that it was diffi 
 cult, even for those who were near, to hear him. But 
 gathering strength from his subject, he rose and rose, till 
 his weakness was forgotten, and he seemed to stand triumph- 
 ant above the reach of death, and speak out from the thres- 
 hold of heaven a last warning to those who had declined" 
 the calls of mercy, and turned away from him that speaketh 
 from heaven, ' If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself; 
 but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.' But he had 
 not passed the gates of death; he sank down from his 
 unearthly height, and unable to stand even during tho 
 
REV. I)R. BEDELL. 335 
 
 doxology, he retired from his pulpit and from his people, 
 to be there seen as an ambassador of the Saviour of 
 sinners no more." 
 
 This sermon was a faithful, bold, and uncompromising 
 warning to sinful and impenitent men. The messenger 
 proclaimed in it solemn truth, in a solemn and awakening 
 manner, with an overwhelming interest for the souls of his 
 hearers; and he was clear by it from their blood, if it were 
 rejected, for ever. The following extract concludes this 
 impressive sermon : 
 
 " III. Now let us observe the contrast to this, which is my 
 third topic — ' but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.' 
 
 " To scorn, is to despise religion, to scoff at, to ridicule, 
 to reject, to neglect it. He who will not repent, is a scomer. 
 He who is not willing to lay hold of the hope set before him 
 in the Gospel, is a scorner. He who puts off the concerns 
 of religion, is a scorner. He who does not, ou the call of 
 God, at once, without disputation and without opposition, 
 submit himself as a lost and ruined sinner to the method 
 of God's mercy in Christ Jesus, is a scorner. He who is 
 self-righteous, is a scorner. He who is not ready to say, 
 ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do f is a scorner. In 
 fine, every careless, unconcerned, impenitent individual, 
 male or female, young or old, who hears the calls of God, 
 and refuses to obey, comes under the appellation of the 
 scorner of wisdom. Now, the language of God through 
 the proverb is, ' But if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear- 
 it.' Alone — observe, no one is to share it. "Whatever the 
 scomer is to bear, he is to bear it alone. All its energy 
 will be concentrated, in him ; he will be the living, eternal, 
 undivided supporter of that which he is to bear. The folly 
 and the danger of this will be seen then, if we consideT 
 what the scorner is lo bear. 
 
336 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "1. He is to bear his own sins.- 
 
 " 2. His own sorrows. 
 
 " 3. The scorn of earth, and heaven, and hell ; and if 
 this is not enough, he will bear,. 
 
 " 4. His own eternal self-reproaches. 
 
 " 1. The scorner — the neglecter of religion is to bear his 
 own sins. The real Christian, my brethren, has this one 
 peculiar characteristic; his sins have been borne by the 
 Saviour in whom he trusts. He has believed God, and. it 
 has been accounted unto him for righteousness. He has 
 received the benefit of God's reconciling mercy. 
 
 " The scorner has relinquished all claims upon the pre- 
 cious Saviour and the precious promises of the Gospel : he 
 consents to bear the weight of his own sin, a weight which 
 had already been sufficient to bring down the Lord Jesus 
 Christ from heaven to tabernacle in human flesh, to sufTer 
 and to die ; a weight which spread a gloom more sable than 
 the night over the scenes of Gethsemane and Calvary. Thus 
 saith the Lord, ' He that believeth on the Son hath everlast- 
 ing life : and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; 
 but the wrath of God abideth on him.' The careless, the 
 unconcerned, the scorner, is the man who, having no vital 
 interest in Jesus Christ, walks abroad with the unmitigated 
 curse of God upon his defenceless brow. He is without a 
 Saviour. He will pass through this world without a Saviour, 
 and stand at the bar of God without a Saviour. This will 
 the scorner bear — ^bear his own sins. Can he bear up 
 against the weight of sin before a sin-hating and a sin- 
 avenging God ] Careless sinner, what art tiiou doing, ven- 
 turing to bear on thine own shoulders a weight which is 
 stifficient to crush a world ? Flee to Jesus Christ, who alone 
 is able to save. 
 
 " 3. As the scorner is obliged to , bear the weight of his 
 own sins, so will he be obliged to bear the weight of his 
 own sorrows. We are told that ' man is born to trouble, as 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 337 
 
 the sparks fly upward ;' and there is no individual, experi- 
 enced in the calamities of human life, but who must know 
 that it is a difficult matter to sustain them. It is a matter of 
 experience, that amidst the trials which are incident to this 
 fleeting and transitory state of things, the sundering of ties 
 which have united hearts together, and the prostration of 
 hopes which have been fondly cherished, stoical apathy or 
 philosophical indifference are but indifferent sustainers of 
 the sorrow-stricken soul. It is certain that religion is the 
 only real solace of the afflicted ; and he whose heart is 
 brought into subjection to the obedience of Christ, knows 
 that he has a source of comfort which the world can neither 
 give nor take away. But the soorner, the careless negleoter 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ and his -Gospel, throws by the pre- 
 cious balm of Gilead. In all the bereavements of life he 
 has no Almighty arm on which to lean ; he may take the 
 miserable comfort of bending to the stroke of necessity, and 
 being satisfied with that which is inevitable ; but it is all the 
 while a satisfaction filled with secret repinings and sorrows 
 of the heart. It is altogether unlike the feeling which dic- 
 tated the expression, ' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath 
 taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord.' As the 
 scorner is without a Saviour, he is without a comforter, and 
 so far alone as to be without an Almighty aid and refuge ; 
 he must bear the sorrows from which, as a child of mortality, 
 he has no escape. Pitiable indeed is that state which, while 
 there is no hold on heaven, gives even no substantial rest on 
 earth ; which gives up heaven for the world, and then by the 
 world is cheated. And when the hour of departure comes, 
 though he may have the sympathies of friends, the choicest 
 attentions of earth, he has no arm on which to lean, no guide 
 through the darkness of the valley. What a rapture must 
 light on the brow and kindle up the glow of heaven, even in 
 the eye which hath lost its natural lustre, when, with a hope 
 in Christ which eatereth in beyond the veil, the dying 
 15 
 
338 MEMOIE OP 
 
 believer is able to say, ' Yea, though I walk through the 
 valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou 
 art with me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.' The 
 scorner must b.ear his own sorrows and bear his own com- , 
 .pany. It was the heart-rending prayer of one of old, ' Leave 
 me not in the time of age, forsake me not when my strength 
 faileth.' Brethren, when sickness and sorrow come, and 
 when death is near, you will learn what the scorner or 
 neglecter of Christ will bear ; you may be sustained under 
 it, but sustained without comfort. 
 
 " 3. So much for earth ; look at this matter in relation to 
 eternity. The scorner will bear the scorn of heaven and of 
 hell. I have said that he would bear the scorn of heaven. 
 There is testimony on this subject, without which I would 
 not have dared to state the proposition, and I present this 
 whole subject to you in the language of the Bible, the word 
 of God himself: ' Because I have called, and ye refused ; I 
 have stretched out my hand, and no man regavded ; but ye 
 have set at naught all my counsel, and would npne of my 
 reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity ; I will mock 
 when your fear cometh.'' 'Whosoever therefore shall be 
 ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and 
 sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be 
 ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with 
 the holy angels.' ' But those mine enemies, which would 
 not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay 
 them before me.' 
 
 "As the scorner will thus bear the reproach of heaven, he 
 will bear the scorn of hell. It is a principle of common 
 experience, that the sympathy of the wicked is a sympathy 
 of reproaches. There is none of the sympathy of affection 
 in sin. Take the living mass of human corruption which 
 may be concentrated in our prisons, and though there may be 
 a community of suffering there is no community of affection. 
 Pity and compassion find little place in those who 'are 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 839 
 
 brought together a congregation of polluted and polluting 
 criminals. Scorn of each other is the predominant feeling. 
 Place the innocent together under circumstances of trial, and 
 mutual respect secures mutual pity. Paul and Silas, in the 
 dungeon at Philippi, sang the praises of God. Hundreds of 
 martyrs in the early ages of Christianity, in the loathsome 
 prisons, spent their time in mutual expressions of sympathy 
 and love. But this requires the strong principle of selfi 
 respect. In the regions of eternal woe, none will be there 
 who can respect another, because it will be known and felt 
 that it was sin, contempt of God, ingratitude, and rebellion 
 which brought them all together, and no principle can be 
 there save that of scorn and contempt for each other. 
 
 "And beside this, the sinner will bear the scorn of hell, 
 because he can not but be despised by the great adversary 
 who hath beguiled him of his soul. Tell me the feeling 
 exercised by the reckless criminal who hath induced 
 another to partake his crime. Tell me the feeling of 
 the libertine in relation to , the victim whose honor he hath 
 seduced; disgust and detestation all. The sinner in the 
 prison-house of hell, brought there by the wiles and allure- 
 ments of the devil, by whom he has been led captive, will 
 bear the devil's scorn for the weakness which submitted to 
 be deceived ; and as he will have no sympathy from his 
 companions, he will have none from the master to whom he 
 hath sold his eternal all. 
 
 " 4. And as if this were not enough, the scorner will bear, 
 what is worse than all, his own eternal self-reproaches. It 
 is the declaration of Scripture, that ' the spirit of a man will 
 sustain his infirmity;* and it is its portentous interroga- 
 tory, ' but a wounded spirit who can bear V If there is on 
 earth any one thing which is more difficult to sustain than 
 another, it is the accusations of a man's own conscience. 
 Poverty may be borne, calumny borne, affliction of any 
 kind borne, but the mental anguish of consciously-deserved 
 
340 MEMOIR OJT 
 
 distress is intolerable. I have no doubt that it is iu relation 
 to his own eternal self-reprpaches that one portion of the 
 sufferings of the eternal world is placed before us under the 
 characteristic term of ' the worm which dieth not.' Yes, 
 scorner — careless, impenitent ;ginner — rejecter of Jesus 
 Christ, neglecter of his great salvation, you are now iiurtur- 
 ing the undying worm of self-reproach, which must of its 
 nature be more bitter, and of anguish more intense than the 
 unoonsuming fire of eternal wrath. There are fearful ques- 
 tion's in the word of God : ' Who can dwell with devouring 
 flames ? who can lie down in eternal burnings V But there 
 is a still more fearful question, ' Who can bear eternal self- 
 upbraidings V There is a fearful declaration, ' that for those 
 who reject the salvation of the Gospel there remaineth no 
 more sacrifice for sin ;' but it is still more fearful to know, 
 that for such there remaineth no escape from the more than 
 devouring flame, the scorpion sting of self-crimination. It 
 were terrible to hear in the great day of judgment, from the 
 lips of the Judge, ' Thou hast destroyed thyself;' but it is 
 more unspeakably, more inconceivably terrific to have the 
 eternal consciousness of having done that deed of self- 
 destruction. 
 
 " My dear brethren, all this is what the scorner is pre- 
 paring for himself. Your sins you bear, with none to take 
 from ^your soul the weight of wrath which rests upon it. 
 Your sorrows you bear, with no almighty comforter. The 
 scorn of heaven you bear, and the scorn of hell, and worse 
 than all, your own. You will have no refuge from yourself. 
 I beseech you, take this matter into your serious considera- 
 tion ; and now, in this period of your merciful visitation, lay 
 hold of the method of escape provided, and be wise for 
 yourselves, for your souls, for your eternity. I call upon 
 you now to choose between the life and death which is set 
 before you ; a space of brief opportunity is yours to embrace. 
 Oh ! let it not pass : for a few years, perhaps only days, per- 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 341 
 
 haps only hours of self-delusion and carnal ease — oh ! why 
 will ye sacrifice the whole of eternity ? 
 
 11 ( 
 
 Broad is the road -which leads to death, 
 
 And many walk together there ; 
 While wisdom's is a narrow path, 
 
 With here and there a traTeUer.' 
 
 " Walk ye longer in that broad road, and the d*>om of the 
 scorner must be yours ; take the narrow path, a"id the wis- 
 dom of the wise is your portion !" 
 
 In order to relieve his mind from all anxiety about his 
 duties in Philadelphia, and to enable him to enter freely 
 upon the journey which he and his friends were both desir- 
 ous should be made, the vestry of St. Andrew's Church 
 determined to close their church, that it might be repaired 
 and renewed. The following letter inclosed the resolutions 
 which were passed by the vestry on the day after this last 
 sermon was preached. 
 
 "eEV. DK. bedell, BRISTOL, PA. 
 
 "Philadelphia, 9th July, 1834. 
 " Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 " By the inclosed copy of the minutes of their meeting, 
 you will see that the congregation of St. Andrew's Church, 
 of which you are the beloved rector, have resolved to close 
 the church for two months from and after Sunday the 13th 
 inst., for the ostensive purpose of cleansing it, and making 
 necessary repairs. From what fell from those who took the 
 lead in the business, it appears that the choice of time was 
 made chiefly with a view to exempt you, at this sultry sea 
 son, from parochial duties, deemed inconsistent with the 
 recovery of your health ; and to make that exemption so 
 complete as to leave no anxiety on yonr mind as to the 
 arrangements for clerical action dni-ing ynur n'o-^i'nco. 
 
342 MEilOIK OP 
 
 " The resolution respecting your clerical functions, affec- 
 tionately offered, and unanimously adopted, while it may 
 operate as a wholesome restraint on your known ardor in 
 the service of our Lord and Master, in which you have so 
 >ften periled your immediate safety, is not intended to inter- 
 fere W'th your clerical independence or your conscientious- 
 ness, but will bo taken, I trust, as it was intended, as an 
 expression of affectionate solicitude for your welfare, and a 
 desire to preserve for the greatest possible length of time 
 the life and the ability which have, under God, so much con- 
 tributed to the extension of his kingdom and the prosperity 
 of the Church. 
 
 " Eequested to convey to you, dear sir, the expression of 
 a people's solicitude, I beg to add my own affectionate 
 respects. 
 
 " Very faithfully yours, etc., 
 
 "J. K. Mitchell." 
 
 "At a meeting of the pewholders of St. Andrew's Church, 
 held in the Church on Monday the 7th July, 1834, Dr. J. 
 K. Mitchell was chosen Chairman, and George Hawkins, 
 Secretary. 
 
 " The following motion, offered by Mr. Caleb S. New- 
 bold, and seconded by Mr. Israel Kinsman, was unanimously 
 adopted : 
 
 "Hesolved, That the vestry be authorized by this congre- 
 gation to assess on each sitting a tax, not exceeding one 
 dollar per annum, for two years, so as to enable them to 
 make the necessary repairs, and to cleanse and paint the 
 church. 
 
 " On motion of Mr. Newbold, and seconded by Mr. Kins- 
 man, it was unanimously Besohed, that in order to make 
 the improvements suggested in the foregoing resolution, that 
 the church be closed for eight weeks, from Sunday, the 
 13th inst. 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 343 
 
 " On motion of Mr. Porter, seconded by Mr. Robins, it 
 was unanimously Resolved, that the Chairman of this meet- 
 ing be requested to express to the Rev. Dr. Bedell the 
 ■wishes of the congregation, that he would confine his clerical 
 duties during the period which the church is closed, to such 
 occasions as he might deem consistent with a due regard to 
 his health. 
 
 "Adjourned. 
 
 " George Hawkins, Secretary." 
 
 Dr. Bedell left Philadelphia, on his projected journey to 
 Bedford, on the 7th of July. On the next day he addressed 
 the following friendly communication to me. He had sent 
 me, on the Sunday previous, in the city, a message of admo- _ 
 nition for what he thought unnecessary labor on my part, in 
 the new church which was then just starting into existence 
 under my ministry, and urged me to undertake a journey 
 also, proposing as an object, the collecting of funds for 
 Bristol College. When he returned to Bristol he renewed 
 the subject in this letter. This was the last letter which I 
 received from him, except a few lines of the 5th of August, 
 from Bedford, announcing to me his arrival there. It shows 
 to what extent his heart was the property of his friends, 
 even amidst his own extreme weakness and suffering. 
 
 " My Dear Brother : 
 
 " I fulfill my promise, and sure that you will give me 
 credit for the sincorest friendship, whatever weight you may 
 give my arguments, I go on. 
 
 "1. By commencing now you give yourself to lab.ir 
 during an exhausting season, and when your church is done 
 go to it with diminished strength, instead of fresh and vigor- 
 ous efforts. 
 
 "2. Your preaching all summer in your lecture-room 
 will not be to twenty people, who will form your subsequent 
 
344 MEMOIR OF 
 
 congregation. Your audience -will be stragglers from other 
 churches, boys and girls, apprentices and servants. All this 
 I know by experience, and you will learn it by the same 
 sure teacher, if your zeal carries you on. 
 
 " 3. My Church is to be closed — my people love to hear 
 you — they will, in spite of every thing, fill up every nook 
 and corner of your room, and you will simply be preaching 
 to certain of St. Andrew's people, to whom you may do 
 good, but who will render you no return. 
 
 " Do, dear brother, be persuaded to save your strength, 
 and be less anxiously careful. You do not exhibit as much 
 faith as I had hoped to see. I am fully persuaded, that if 
 you would leave your Churth more in the Lord's hands, 
 and give your energy to that which would do good to the 
 Lord's cause, by building up Bristol College — I am per- 
 suaded, I say, that the Epiphany would reap the advantage. 
 
 " Sick and suffering, with no strength or breath, I have 
 written these few lines, believe me, in love, and from a 
 sense of duty. 
 
 " Your Friend most truly, 
 
 " G. T. Bedkll." 
 
 Mrs. Bedell thus continues her description of the journey 
 on which they had entered : 
 
 " Thus was I determinately shutting my eyes to all dan- 
 ger, and strengthening myself in the belief that could we 
 get to Bedford Springs he would return in comparative 
 health. It is due to the tried friendship of Dr. M. to state 
 that he did what he could, in a delicate manner, to make 
 me understand his views of the case, and to express his 
 fears that the journey would not have the effect I antici- 
 pated ; but I was not in a state to listen to any thing. Our 
 mutual friend at length kindly yielded to my solicitations 
 not to oppose, the journey. . When I recollect how I shrunk 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 345 
 
 from -what I was forced to see he desired to communicate, 
 and repelled the expression of that opinion which for twelve 
 years I had listened to with deference, I am amazed. A 
 shuddering passed over me which I can never forget, that 
 any being should wish to tear from me my last hope, while 
 1 answered, ' This is but an opinion, and while no human 
 judgment is infallible, I have a hope that the Lord, in whose 
 hands he is, and who has all power, will yet raise him and 
 add years to his valuable life.' The knowledge that many 
 of his plans were yet unaccomplished, eiiabled me to com- 
 fort myself in the belief that the life of this faithful servant, 
 who had been strengthened to do so much in feeble health, 
 would yet be prolonged to finish his projected labors. Thus 
 I clung to hope with all the desperation of a drowning man 
 to his last support. Although greatly agitated after this 
 conversation, I soon reasoned myself out of every fear ; and 
 in a few days after this Sabbath we commenced the journey. 
 For one week we rode about and kept within thirty miles 
 of the city, as we had promised our friends to do, until we 
 ascertained how he would bear the fatigue of riding. We 
 at length reached Lancaster on Saturday afternoon, where 
 we heard so much in addition to the information we had 
 formerly received respecting the wonderful cures effected 
 by the use of the waters at Bedford, that we determined to 
 go on without farther delay. We left there the following 
 Monday and arrived at the Springs on Saturday night, a 
 distance of one hundred and forty miles. Your dear broth- 
 er's health was evidently improved ; he had more strength, 
 a good appetite, and good spirits. The journey, considered 
 alone, was truly delightful, the accommodations excellent, 
 the roads generally good, and the weather agreeably warm 
 and uninterruptedly pleasant. In glowing language, the 
 night of his arrival, did he pour forth the feelings of a 
 grateful heart to the Giver of all good for his unmerited 
 mercies towards us, particularly during this long journey." 
 15* 
 
346 MEMOIE OF 
 
 On their way to Bedford, Mrs. B. wrote to some mem 
 bers of the Sewing Society of St. Andrew's Church, and he 
 requested her to send the following message from himself: 
 " Remember me affectionately to them all, and tell them I 
 hope, as members of the flock of which I am the shepherd, 
 they may ever be found foremost in the ranks of piety and 
 beneficence." 
 
 On the 5th of August, he wrote me a few lines from Bed- 
 ford, saying simply that he had arrived there in far more 
 comfort than he had expected. To this short letter I replied 
 in what proved to be my last letter to him, of which the 
 /oUowing passages are short extracts : 
 
 " Philadelphia, August 9, 1834. 
 " Mv VERY Dear Brother : 
 
 " I have this morning received your welcome letter of the 
 5th. The only reason why I have not gratified my wish in 
 ■writing to you has been that I was utterly at a loss to what 
 quarter to direct my letter. Your having been able to 
 reach Bedford has much encouraged me. I had no expecta- 
 tion you would find yourself competent to finish the journey 
 over the mountains, and I am much in hope that you will 
 find the result in considerable, if not in permanent benefit. 
 All our concerns have been, going on well since you left us. 
 The annual meeting of the Board of Trustees* was well 
 attended, and the exercises of the next day have given us a 
 reputation which could hardly have been expected. It is 
 certain that the result shows a character in our Faculty and 
 in our system for which we have reason to be very grateful. 
 * * * St. Andrew's is fast putting on a new coat, not to he a 
 turncoat, I hope^ but certainly to come out in a new charac- 
 ter. Oh ! that it were as easy to renew, my dear brother, 
 its pastor ! But there will be yet, a putting on of wings as 
 
 * Of Bristol College. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 347 
 
 an eagle, for him. God mercifully delay the hour for us, 
 though well may it be hastened for him ! Tew of your con- 
 gregation are now in the city. I saw but very few of them 
 at the opening of the Epiphany, last Sunday. I am thank- 
 ful to tell you, that our room was well filled, and mainly 
 of people entirely new to me, mostly from the neighbor- 
 hood. * * * * How much contentions and cares around us 
 lead the mind forward to a home of peace ! It is hard to 
 conceive how so much that is wrong, as we find in ourselves, 
 and see in others, can consist with a Christian character. 
 But the Lord knoweth them that are his, and the time will 
 come, that every one who is named by the name of Christ, 
 shall depart from all iniquity. I am thankful that you are 
 not deprived, through your sickness, of all comfort. The 
 Lord will stand by you to the uttermost. If it shall be his 
 gracious will to give you back to us, yet for a time, we shall 
 praise him even at your expense. If your work and your 
 time have both been finished, I need not tell you that hardly 
 one other surviving being will" feel the deprivation more 
 sensibly and painfully than myself But, dear brother, be 
 of good cheer. Every circumstance that has thus far occur- 
 red with you, is highly encouraging. The same hand which 
 has carried you out, is able to bring you back ; and when 
 all is done, can and will carry you home to Zion, with songs 
 and everlasting joy upon your head. 
 
 " With much love, and many prayers for you all, I am, 
 
 in peculiar bonds, 
 
 " Your Brother, 
 
 " Stephen H. Tyng." 
 Mrs. Bedell continues : 
 
 " We took lodgings in the town of Bedford, in order to 
 be near medical advice, about three quarters of a mile from 
 the Springs. During the first week I was very unwell, a 
 part of the time confined to the bed, but your dear brother 
 
348 MEMOIR OF 
 
 was .so much better during that time, that he rode to the 
 Springs several times, and joined the family at meals, al- 
 though there were long stairs to descend, and even played 
 on an instrument of music, which stood in one of the par- 
 lors. As soon as I recovered, he proposed trying the 
 waters ; but after the third day, he complained of an un- 
 pleasant sensation in his head, and determined to take no 
 more. Very soon after this it was thought necessary to 
 administer several doses of medicine, which were too irritat- 
 ing for his system, and appeared to me to have been the 
 cause of^a fever which followed, and which alarmed the 
 physician so much, that he took an early apportunity to ad- 
 vise me to return home as soon as possible, remarking at 
 the same time, that the appearance of fever had changed his 
 view of the case, and he did not think his visits could be 
 any longer useful. 
 
 " It would not be possible adequately to describe the state 
 of my mind ^on receiving this information ; but I did not 
 sink under it. The long-cherished hope that death had not 
 yet marked him for his victim again came to my aid ; and 
 the idea that the physician might be mistaken, from haying 
 no previous knowledge of his constitution, supported me, 
 while I answered, ' Indeed you are not aware how readily 
 his system yields to what is offensive or congenial. If all 
 this should be the effect of medicine, he may soon recover 
 from it.' 
 
 " He remarked, as wishing to comfort me, that if the fever 
 materially abated the following day, it would give him a 
 more favorable opinion of the case. 
 
 " He then left me, and after remaining a short time to 
 force a composure I could not feel, I endeavored to enter the 
 sick chamber of my dear husband as if nothing had occurred, 
 and attend as usual to his every want, absenting myself at 
 times only, to give a momentary vent to a heart burthened 
 with its own sorrows. Sad, sad foreboduigs continued to 
 
UEV. DR. BEDELL. 349 
 
 obtrude themselves upon me, though I in vain endeavored 
 to suppress them. In vain I struggled to forget that I was 
 two hundred miles from Philadelphia, without a friend to 
 advise with, and my son a mere inexperienced lad, who was 
 to be our only companion in the long journey before us. 
 Distressed and agitated, not a glimmering ray of hope could 
 I discover ; despondency, which I thought I was proof against, 
 seemed inevitable. 
 
 " But at this very moment, when all earthly support had 
 failed, and even the recollection of former resolutions availed 
 me nothing, the ' all-seeing Eye was upon me;' the Friend 
 ' who sticketh closer than a brother,' was near. The 
 ' strength from above,' made perfect in weakness, was 
 sweetly proffered in the following lines, which fell into my 
 hands at this moment in a very ordinary way. I had picked 
 up an old newspaper to put it out of the way, when my 
 attention was arrested by them. 
 
 ' Does each day upon its wing, 
 It's allotted burden bring ? 
 Load it not besides with sorrow, 
 ■Which belongeth to the morrow. 
 Strength is promised, strength is given, 
 When the heart ly God is riven; 
 Bui foredate the day of wo, 
 And alone thou bear'st the blow. 
 One thing only claims thy care, 
 Seek thou first hy faith and prayer, 
 That all-glorious world above, 
 Scene of righteousness and love ; 
 And whate'er thou need'st below, 
 Ee thou trustest wUl bestow.' 
 
 "In these lines I was forcibly reminded that my duty as 
 a Christian was with the present, and not the future. 'Suf- 
 ficient for the day is the evil thereof When God sees fit 
 really to send affliction upon his children, he will send 
 
S50 MEMOni OF 
 
 strength sufficient for the trial. My flvith was strengthened 
 in the Lord. In a review of my duty to him, I found the 
 comfort I had before sought in vain. These lines heCame 
 my constant companion, faithfully pointing to a never-failing 
 support. I was now enabled to turn my attention to the 
 next most important duty, but Iwre mercy and goodness 
 again directed me, or I should have been discouraged in the 
 undertaking, so dark did every thing appear. 
 
 " It became necessary to bnng about an early departure 
 from Bedford, without referring to the cause ; this was dif- 
 ficult, because my dear husband had determined, only a few 
 days before, to remain three weeks longer. Here appeared 
 to be difficulties quite insurmountable, but the hearer and 
 ansvv^erer of prayer made the way easy for his poor, dis- 
 consolate child. A gentleman remarked, in the course of 
 the evening, that the town was considered unhealthy, and 
 many had intended to leave ; this was all that I could desire. 
 An early day was immediately fixed for our departure. 
 
 "The physician was amazed to find that in twenty -four 
 hours after his last visit all appearance of fever had very 
 much subsided, and recommended a ride to the Springs, 
 judging that distance to be the extent that his patient could 
 bear ; but on his return in the evemng, he exhibited much 
 more astonishment to find that he had ridden ten miles, 
 made a visit, and did not lie down immediately on returning. 
 This circumstance so encouraged the physician that he ex- 
 pressed a desire to me that we would remain a few weeks 
 longer, remarking that he would like to look into his case 
 further. However, it was too late ; for although the re- 
 quest was calculated to stay my sinking hope, the recent 
 alarm had been so great, that I did not feel willing to remain 
 so far from home, and made no proposal to remain longer ; 
 we therefore left there on Tuesday, the third week in August. 
 It being rather early to return to the city, your dear brother 
 
RKV^ DK. BEDELl. 351 
 
 determined to take a circuitous route, and visit whatever 
 was worth seeing on the journey." 
 
 On Dr. Bedell's departure from Bedford, he presented to 
 Dr. Watson, his niedical attendant there, a book, as a testi- 
 monial of his gratitude and regard, and wrote in its blank 
 leaf, the following note ; — it was the last thing he ever wrote. 
 How affecting does it now become, from the fact, that Dr. 
 VV. passed from time into eternity also, a little more than a 
 year after himself ! 
 
 " To Doctor Watson, from G. T. Bedell, as a token of 
 his regard for the tenderness and kindness of his medical 
 attentions, during the sickness which Dr. B. experienced at 
 Bedford. Dr. Bedell hopes that its perusal will be the 
 means, in the hand of God, of cheering and animating what- 
 ever Christian sensibilities may already, exist, and of perfect- 
 ing that which may be wanting. It is a- precious book, full 
 of original treatment, of the oldest subject in the world, and 
 yet so plain, and its illustrations so exquisitely true to na^ 
 ture, that none can rise from its perusal uninstructed. May 
 Dr. W. find it instructive and personally useful." 
 
 I proceed again with Mrs. Bedell's letter. 
 
 " The restlessness of disease, which attaches sickly asso- 
 ciation to every fiimiliar object, determined him to return 
 to Philadelphia by the way of Baltimore. The idea of pass- 
 ing through a land of strangers again, in his feeble state, 
 was a distressing circumstance to me. In our journey to 
 Bedford, by the way of Lancaster and Harrisburg, almost 
 every one seemed to exhibit more or less sympathy and 
 interest, and whenever his name was discovered, this inte- 
 rest was evidently increased, so that I felt we should have 
 been in a measure among friends, could we have returned 
 the same way. However, I acquiesced with reluctance, and 
 
352 MEMOIR OF 
 
 we reached Hagarstown without fatigue on 'V^ K.Jnesda; . 
 From hence my dear husband had intended to visit Harper's 
 Ferry, but he was seized with a singular sensation in the 
 stomach, attended with pain in swallowing, which seemed to 
 arise from obstruction. This circumstance induced him to 
 hfvsten to Baltimore, in order to be able to leave there on 
 Monday for Philadelphia, unless he felt better. We arrived 
 at Fredericktown on Friday, and took passage in the rail- 
 road car on Saturday, to facilitate -our arrival at Baltimore. 
 It proved a very fatiguing ride ; the car was a wretched one, 
 and being too near the engine, and on the wrong side of the 
 car, he was annoyed with the gas, dust, steam, and sun. We 
 arrived in Baltimore about three o'clock ; he was very much 
 overcome with fatigue, but a refreshing night's rest restored 
 him in a great measure, and the following day, a friend who 
 had not seen him since the spring thought him better than 
 at that time. I felt all my hopes return again, and believed 
 that he would reap the benefit of the journey after he re- 
 turned home, and be spared many years to us yet. He felt 
 encouraged himself, and gave up his intention of returning 
 home on Monday, and accepted the kind invitation of his 
 friend Mr. Boyle to pass a few days at his house. 
 
 " He joined us on Sunday at each meal, sat at the head 
 of the dinner-table, and after dinner, remained an hour con- 
 versing with a friend. Again, after tea, Dr. Wyatt called, 
 and he did not retire for the night till near nine o'clock, and 
 rested well. ' The following morning he arose to breakfast, 
 but had no appetite ; complained of excessive debility and 
 an indescribable sensation at the stomach. 1 know of no 
 probable cause for this sudden change, unless it was the 
 great change in the weather which took place in the night, 
 from excessive heat to a degree of cold that required a 
 change of clothing. I became alarmed, and sent for the 
 physician. Doctor Buckler, of Baltimore, who had visited 
 him on Sunday, the day before. I observed him writing - 
 
REV. DB. BEDELL. 353 
 
 eeveral times, and when Dr. B. came, he read the paper, 
 which was merely memoranda of what he wished to say, 
 perhaps written lest he should forget, under a sense of 
 extreme exhaustion. He commenced by saying, ' Doctor, 
 I shall not live to get home, I feel so strangely.' The phy- 
 sician felt his pulse, smiled at him, and said that he saw no 
 material change, and no reason for such an opinion ; gave 
 him some tonic, and promised to see him at Mr. Boyle's, 
 in the afternoon. He rode to Mr. Boyle's, in time for din- 
 ner, and spoke of taking a ride in the afternoon, to call on 
 Mrs. H- , from Philadelphia, a member of his congrega- 
 tion, then on a visit to a ft-iend a few miles from Baltimore. 
 After dinner, he retired to his chamber to take some rest, 
 after which he found himself too feeble to make any further 
 effort that day. 
 
 * * * "A veil, impenetrable as yet, mercifully hung 
 between me and the future. I saw not distinctly the storm 
 that was about to burst upon me. I trembled and hoped 
 alternately, while I remembered that my duty was with the 
 present. I tried to believe that "we should be at home on 
 Saturday, which opinion the physician encouraged. 
 
 " This was all right, and ordered by a Father's hand who 
 cared for the comfort of his faithful servant ; but for this 
 strange blindness, and for this unwarrantable hope, I should 
 have sunk, and the hands of a stranger must have minis- 
 tered to his wants. I shall never cease to thank the Lord 
 for these his special mercies to the departing saint. 
 
 " On Wednesday, he complained of nausea ; this was a 
 new symptom, and one that he had all his life particularly 
 dreaded. When I discovered this, I unconsciously lost my 
 self-possession, and as his head rested on my shoulder, he 
 discovered it, and merely remarked, ' My love, this will not 
 do ; you know my nervous temperament ; I must have ano- 
 ther nurse, if you can not control your feelings.' 
 
 " When the physieian came again, he comforted me with 
 
o54 MEMOIR OF 
 
 the hope that he was no worse ; he changed his medioinos, 
 and things wore a brighter aspect, until Friday, jnst before 
 day. I had been, while he seemed to be in a sweet sleep, 
 packing a box of medicines, in order that some preparation 
 might be made at every leisure hour for our departure, still 
 •hoping that on Saturday or Sunday we should be able to 
 leave, when I offered hira some nourishment, and found he 
 could not speak above a whisper. On inquiring the cause, 
 he answered with perfect composure, 'I have lost my voice, 
 my love.' My alarm was almost past control. I sent 
 .instantly for the doctor. When he came in, I was at a dis- 
 tant part of the room, preparing some medicine. The low 
 sound I caught was the following remark, uttered with the 
 calmness and sweetness of an angel : ' Oh ! doctor, I had 
 hoped to have seen my home once more ; I have a precious 
 child there, whom I have not seen for six weeks. Oh ! you 
 do not know how dear she is to me.' I flew to the bed, and 
 said, in my usual cheerful manner, though terrified lest all 
 hope was gone, ' Oh ! do not speak s& despondingly ; we 
 expect to leave here on Saturday.' I cast my eyes on the 
 physician for his assent to this, but I saw no look of encou- 
 ragement. I dared not trust my voice. I traced with a 
 pencil what my tongue could not utter. An answer was 
 instantly returned in the same manner, but I dared not look 
 at it. I left the room lest my feelings should be betrayed. 
 I read it ; a stone sunk into my heart — ' Yes, if you wi?h 
 your child to come, lose no time.' Here was the long- 
 dreaded moment, the death-blow to all my fondly cherished 
 hopes ; and the admonition, ' lose no time,' was the only 
 thing that saved my reason. It presented an object. My 
 family could see our idol if I lost no time, though my feet 
 seemed nailed to the spot, and no outward object discerni- 
 ble from the dreadful anguish within. I at length made my 
 way to my son, and with subdued tone of voice, I told him 
 my intention to send for the family, requested him to gQ to 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 355 
 
 bod, get what sleep he could, it being then four o'clock, and 
 go in the steamboat at five to Philadelphia. I gave him 
 other necessary instructions, but carefully concealed the 
 extent of our sorrows, lest he should be unable to go, or 
 my sister and daughter disabled from coming. 
 
 " I returned to the chamber of death ; the effort I had 
 made seemed to have destroyed all power of sensation. I 
 moved about like an automaton, and scarcely knew any 
 thing distinctly, until the physician came again. He found 
 the remedies he made use of a few hours before had pro- 
 duced a favorable change. I was again revived; hope came 
 to my relief, and I was enabled assiduously to devote myself 
 to his every comfort, as heretofore. To be permitted to 
 hope from the slightest premises, produced feelings of satis- 
 faction and gratitude too big for utterance, the recollection 
 of which can never he obliterated — any thing was seized 
 with the greatest avidity, that could silence the dreaded 
 sound of 'All is over !' 
 
 "Doctor B., the physician, expressed a desire that he 
 should take as much nourishment as possible ; but no 
 entreaties would prevail with him to receive any thing but 
 ice ; being perfectly aware that his end was near, he seemed 
 unwilling to disturb the tranquil state in which he desired to 
 depart ; he had no wish to add an hour to life, and therefore 
 would not receive nourishment at the risk of producing 
 nausea, connected with positive pain in swallowing. To be 
 allowed perfect quiet was all he desired, while patiently 
 awaiting the coming of his Master. When we had ceased 
 all importunity, he looked so perfectly tranquil that you 
 might almost have imagined him lying in his usual manner 
 on his own sofa, resting from the fatigue of one of his many 
 walks from his dear St. Andrew's. When Dr. Henshaw 
 had reminded him, some time before, that if he had any 
 thing to communicate, he had better improve the present 
 time, he seemed to have nothing on his mind ; his worldly 
 
355 MEMOIR OP 
 
 cares sat so ligttly upon Him, that they were like an upper 
 garment, easily thrown off when found to impede his pro- 
 gress heavenward. But at this time, when none were pre- 
 sent but myself, he said to me in a whisper, for his voice 
 was entirely gone, ' Take your pencil and write what I may 
 be able to say in short sentences.' His heart seemed to 
 overflow with love, and his first effort was to relieve it by 
 recalling almost every act of kindness that he had ever 
 received, and returning his love and thanks to each indi- 
 vidual by name, and to others collectively ; among the lat- 
 ter, he named his vestry, his Sunday-school teachers, the 
 choir of his church, and you. Among the former were some 
 particular friends named among the vestry, his physician. 
 Dr. M., some of his brethren in the ministry, and two of 
 bis communicants whom he left sick in Philadelphia; to 
 some he sent long and interesting messages, and particularly 
 recommended Bristol College to the attention of such as he 
 thought felt an interest in it. ' I can say no more, my 
 love ; if I have forgotten any one who ever did me a kind- 
 ness, I leave it with you to say all for me.' After a few 
 moments, he named his own family, left a memento for 
 each of his children, with some directions, and desired that 
 their talent for music should be cultivated, particularly his 
 daughter's, referring to the pleasure he had derived from 
 this source. 
 
 " He then spoke of both his sisters with great affection, 
 desired his love, and wished the " Souvenir" to be sent to 
 them as soon as it should come out, and then requested me 
 to v/rite immediately to let them know that he was about to 
 excha.nge mortality for eternal life. He seemed to recollect 
 that I might be unable when all was over, and hastily added 
 ■ — 'Do it now, my love, now.' This indescribable effort,, 
 you know, I was enabled to make ; for the desire to gratify 
 his every wish overcame every other feeling. My object in 
 relating these little circumstances is the hope of gi\ing you 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 357 
 
 some faint idea of his perfect tranquility of mind. These 
 departing messages seemed portentous, but I staid myself 
 upon the physician's remark, 'He is better, beyond my 
 expectations,' and remembered he was in the hands of the 
 Lord, who could do all things. I believe, indeed, that I 
 looked for a miracle, though at the time unconscious of it. 
 
 " He then drew me near to him, and endeavored to arti- 
 culate that which he had reserved to the last, and which 
 would have been dearer to me than all ; but he was too 
 much exhausted ; and although he repeated the attempt once 
 or twice afterwards, I could hear nothing distinctly. You 
 may imagine my feelings when I found it was in vain ; but 
 I was enabled to leave it all to unerring wisdom. Hereafter 
 I shall hear in sweeter accents what he was not permitted to 
 utter for my comfort on earth. 
 
 "He had evidently failed since the morning, though I 
 dared not trust myself to think so. I dreaded the confirma- 
 tion that the next visit of the physician might bring. 
 
 " The physician came at noon. He looked grave, but 1 
 did not dare to ask him a question. He passed out without 
 exchanging a look or a word. I sat mournfully watching 
 the heavenly countenance of my husband, while he appeared 
 to sleep. Suddenly he opened his eyes, apparently with much 
 surprise and disappointment, and said, in a hollow, low voice, 
 ' The Lord's will be done, but it seems to me this is coming 
 back to the world again.' Amazed and almost overpowered, 
 I said, 'My love, what do you mean? Have you been 
 dreaming V ' No, I have not been dreaming, but something 
 seemed to say things are better with me.' Although there 
 was in him an air of disappointment and resignation com- 
 bined, joy and awe filled my heart, and I exclaimed with 
 Jacob of old, Surely the Lord is in this place ; he hath 
 heard my prayer, and sent an answer of peace. I felt an 
 assurance of his recovery from that time, and was again able 
 almo?t to be a cheerful nurse. The hours passed mournfully 
 
358 MEMOIR OF 
 
 on, till about one o'clock Saturday moming, when Dr. H. 
 having yielded to my solicitations to rest himself in the easy- 
 chair in the far part of the room, being fatigued, had fallen 
 asleep, the silence of death reigned, interrupted only by the 
 labored breathing of the departing saint. The low light 
 glimmering in the corner cast forth long and dim shadows, 
 when in the cold clammy hand', upon which my face rested, 
 was evidence too strong to be resisted, that death had now 
 marked his victim : it could not be mistaken. The cold 
 corpse must speedily lie there, when the soul, triumphant 
 over death, should obey the welcome summons — 'Arise and 
 come away.' Here, then, was the dreadful hour! The 
 cloud, long gathering blackness, was prepared to burst over 
 my head, and in awful anticipation, I thought, must over- 
 whelm me. 
 
 "All hope of life was now at once and entirely torn from 
 my lacerated heart, but a healing balm was prepared for the 
 wound : the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of 
 praise for heaviness. 
 
 " I had prayed for temporal life for my beloved husband, 
 but the Lord gave.life eternal, and with it such a sense of 
 his goodness, that I exclaimed, ' The Lord hath been better 
 to me than my prayers.' Such rich manifestation , of his 
 love was vouchsafed to me, that all rebellion was hushed, the 
 cross was hid, and my heart so filled with sweet submission, 
 that to lie passive in his hands, and know no will but his 
 bound every wish of my heart. I could almost in imagina- 
 gination hear the dying saint before me say : 
 
 " 'Some, home, its glorious threeliold 
 Through opening clouds I see ; 
 Those mansions by a Saviour bought, 
 Where I have longed to be. 
 
 " ' Give thanks, my mourning dear one, 
 Thanks to the eternal king, 
 Wlio crowns, my soul with victory, 
 And rends from death his stingf ' 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 859 
 
 Thus, through all my trials, was I upheld. ' The deep waters 
 shall not overflow thee ; as thy day is so shall thy strength 
 be ;' and richly have I experienced the fulfillment of these 
 blessed promises. Great was the mercy of the Lord in 
 upholding me to perform my duties to the- last, and great 
 was the honor he conferred upon me in permitting me to 
 administer comfort to the departing saint, until he joined 
 that holy throng ' who shall hunger no more, neither thirst 
 any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, 
 for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed 
 them.' 
 
 " Often was I tempted to look in imagination through the 
 dark cloud that I constantly saw before me, but as often did 
 faithful conscience remind me of the threat — 
 
 " Toredatethe day of wo, 
 
 And alone thou bearest the blbw.' 
 
 Tlie glimmering of hope arising from the various changes in 
 his disease was my only support, while I rested my all on 
 Christ my Saviour, for he hath compassion on our infirmities, 
 and does not try us above what we are able to bear. 
 
 " The constant desire I felt that no strange hand should 
 smooth the pillow of mj beloved, acted also as a strong 
 ^stimulus to keep me from sinking ; for often, very often, 
 did he express the desire that I would strive to retain my 
 strength for his comfort ; and not until the last day, when 
 he had lost all power, was I obliged to ask assistance even 
 to raise him. My strength had been sufficient for every thing 
 until then. 
 
 " Often, when his eyes were cast upon me, and seemed to 
 beam rays of heavenly meekness, I imagined I could hear 
 him say, ' Oh ! that I had wings like a dove, I would flee 
 away and be at rest ;' then, as if fearing death would come 
 at his bidding, I would whisper to him, and beg him to pray 
 for submission to wait patiently for the arrival of his family. 
 
360 MEMOIR ' OP 
 
 and not deprive them of their last comfort. At length hia 
 look seemed to reproach me, as if he thought my prayers 
 detained him here. I was overcome. ,-1 laid down my arms 
 of rebellion,' this my last wish, that he might live to see his 
 family on earth, and exclaimed, ' Yes, go, my love ; we will 
 soon be reunited for ever, and I can praise God in higher 
 strains when all his will is done.' The sweet expression of 
 love and gratitude that followed this remark could only be 
 equalled by that angelic expression of countenance that we 
 all loved to look upon, and to linger near, after life had 
 'departed, when the sweet strain of his golden harp had 
 joined in the song of the Lamb. 
 
 " He soon after this exclaimed, looking intently at me, 
 'Where is your new song? Grace, grace, is the topmost 
 stone.' I remarked, that the joy I had experienced in 
 witnessing liis calmness, composure, and blissful antici- 
 pations, could not be equalled by any thing this world could 
 offer, and that my heart was filled with praise. He cautioned 
 me with his usual prudence, not to be too much elated, but 
 to endeavor to be prepared for any event, saying, ' I may 
 yet have my dark moments.' The fear of this, however, did 
 not rest on my mind, for I well remembered the advice he 
 had given to a friend a few months before, who was mourn- 
 ing over his own want of evidence at times, ' My friend, you 
 should meet the enemy by bearing in mind that you are on 
 the right foundation.' 
 
 "-One circumstance more I must mention as proof of his 
 unvarying composure and readiness to teach, even on the 
 verge of the grave. I had often remarked, that I believed 
 in many cases the mental vision increased as things of sense 
 flided before the bodily eye. In connection with this precon- 
 ceived opinion, I inquired of him, when he laid one hand on 
 mine, and with the other pointed upwards, ' Do you now 
 see your Saviour 1' He instantly brought his finger to the 
 heart, evidently with the intention of correcting ttis erro- 
 
REV. DR-. BEDELL. 361 
 
 neous idea, and thus, in language unutterable, emphaticially 
 saying, 'No, Jesvis is felt here;' and then, raising his 
 whole arm higher and higher, moving it in a circle, with the 
 finger pointing upwards, as if in triumph over sin and death, 
 he as impressively as before communicated the idea, ' But I 
 shall soon be with Him whom my soul loveth, and then I 
 shall see.' He remarked about daylight, on seeing Mr. 
 Boyle, Dr. Henshaw, and myself anxiously watching him, 
 ' My friends, you think I am dying, but I do not ; I feel no 
 change.' About four hours after this he said, with perfect 
 calmness, turning his face to me, ' Now I am going, I feel 
 an entire change ; how soon will my dear family be here f 
 On being told, not in six hours, he said, ' I shall not see 
 them on earth.' On being asked if he wished to leave any 
 message, he said nothing. 
 
 " Soon after this he gave further evidence of the tranquil 
 state of his mind. A little noise awoke him from a doze ; 
 he exclaimed, ' My dear ones have come ;' and then address- 
 ing me, he said, ' My love, see that I am not disturbed, pre- 
 pare them for the scene, and let one come in at a time.' 
 
 " On finding he was mistaken, he became sweetly resigned 
 to the will of the Lord, and expressed his comfort in the 
 joy that awaited him ; he thanked the Lord for his mercies 
 to his unworthy creature, and said again, as if fearing that 
 I could not bear a change, ' Be prepared, my love, I may have 
 my dark moments yet.' No doubt he then recollected the 
 trials which many saints in their last moments have been 
 called to endure. Always after this last reference to the 
 temptations of the enemy, he would meekly answer to the 
 question, 'Are you still at peace 1' 'Yes, sweetly resting 
 on my Saviour, as yei,^ — evidently expecting and watching 
 against an attack, from which, however, he was mercifully 
 spared. He lingered longer than he expected, and when 
 roused to consciousness, several times inquired, ' How long 
 \sill it be before this frail tenement will burst, and let my 
 16 , ' 
 
362 MEMOIR OF 
 
 spirit free?' He made his last effort in a deep-toned, 
 hollow voice, to give his rich testimony to the Gospel, and 
 to leave a message to his brethren. After this he spolie 
 no more, but answered every inquiry by signs, almost to 
 his last breath. No doubts were permitted to darken his 
 mind, and he soon fell asleep in Jesus. Several times dur^ 
 ing the last day he said, ' Do not leave me, love,' although 
 I was standing close by him, and had not left him for a 
 moment. This no doubt stimulated me to make greater 
 efforts, for I continually assured him that I would not, and 
 I was strengthened to watch every receding breath, as they 
 grew fainter and fainter, till with my own hands I closed 
 his eyes in death ; and while I embraced his lifeless corpse, 
 I sorrowed not as those without hope. 
 
 " I must not omit to mention one circumstance, because 
 it proves how much more exceeding abundantly the Lord 
 can do for us than we can cither ask or think. 
 
 " My petitions to the throne of grace had been three-fold ; 
 first, that the life of my dear husband might be spared ; 
 second, that he should live to reach his earthly home once 
 more ; third, that at least he might be spared to see his 
 family. 
 
 " To the first I was entirely reconciled by 'the aid of 
 divine grace. To the last, by the same strength, I resigned 
 my will ; but that he was not permitted to die at his own 
 ■ home, in the bosom of his family, and amidst his beloved 
 congregation, appeared to me to be a "dark providence. 
 But after I had been at home a few days, and experienced 
 the kindness of a sympathizing congregation, I saw in this 
 dispensation another'link in the chain of mercies that had 
 surrounded us. It had been the oft-repeated wish of my 
 dear husband, from the time that he knew his departure 
 was at hand, that he might be kept perfectly tranquil, in 
 order that he might go out of the world in the full pos- 
 session of his mind. 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 363 
 
 " In the situation in which we had been providentially 
 placed, this was accomplished without difficulty. The family 
 of Mr. B. had not returned from their summer excursion ; 
 that we were in Baltimore was not known, consequently 
 none were present at the last trying scene but Mr. B., 
 Dr. H., and myself. I had Been so long in the habit of 
 suppressing my feelings, that not a tear or groan escaped 
 until he was in those regions where sorrows never reach. 
 
 " This was the kind providence of God alone, for it had 
 been our desire to have reached home, and had we done so, 
 how different would have been the scene. Afflicted friends 
 would have crowded around the dying-bed. Many who 
 had longed to see how such a man would die, could not 
 have been denied. The heart-rending sobs of affectionate 
 and devoted children, about to be written fatherless, would 
 have reached his ears, and the calm serenity of his last 
 hours must have been disturbed. Oh ! what a mercy it is 
 that we are not left to direct for ourselves. 
 
 " Surely, the Lord raised him up to do his peculiar work ; 
 he strengthened him to accomplish the portion he assigned 
 him in the midst of a life of pain and sickness ; he comforted 
 him in his death, and then took him to himself." 
 
 In connection with this deeply interesting statement of the 
 last hours of Dr. Bedell, I insert also the following letter 
 addressed to me from the Rev. Dr. Henshaw, of Baltimore, • 
 who was permitted to attend upon him in this interesting 
 crisis of his life. 
 
 " Baltimobe, Sept. 2, 1834. 
 " Rev. and Dear Sir : 
 
 " Being returned home, after having performed the painful 
 duty of accompanying the bereaved family and earthly 
 remains of our dear friend and brother, the Rev. Dr. Bedell, 
 to Philadelphia, I now undertake to comply with the request 
 made by yourself and others, that I would give a brief 
 
364 MEMOIR OF 
 
 account .of some of the most interesting incidents connected 
 with the closing scene of his holy and useful life, which I 
 had the melancholy satisfaction of witnessing. 
 
 " I count it as a peculiar privilege from the Lord, that 1 
 was allowed, in some humble measure, to minister to the 
 relief and consolation of a Christian brother, whom I so 
 cordially loved; — and a still greater privilege, that I was 
 permitted to behold and adore the rich grace of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ in him, enabling him in death to rest on the 
 same sure foundation — to exult in the same precious hope, 
 and confirm the same evangelical doctrines which it had 
 been the business of his life to recommend to others. May 
 the holy impression left upon my heart by the affecting scene 
 through which I have lately been called to pass, never be 
 effaced, but become more solemn and vivid every day, in 
 citing my sluggish soul to increasing zeal and diligence in 
 my Master's cause, so that, through his infinite merit and 
 grace, I may enjoy the same undisturbed tranquillity with 
 which my departed friend was favored, when the same com- 
 mand which he has already obeyed, shall be addressed to 
 me — ' Give an account of thy stewardship.' 
 
 "I cannot engage to present a full account of the remarks 
 and conversation of our deceased brother during his last 
 hours : for, though he labored under a physical inability to 
 say much, yet there were many things full of piety and con- 
 solation spoken to his faithful and affectionate wife, which, 
 owing to the feebleness of his voice, I did not hear : but so 
 far as I am enabled to state them, you may depend upon 
 a faithful report, because they were committed to writing 
 almost immediately after his decease, when the impression 
 was strong and fresh on my mind. 
 
 " Dr. Bedell arrived in Baltimore, with his wife and son, 
 on their return homewards from Bedford Springs, Saturday, 
 23rd August, in the afternoon. Owing to his long ride of 
 sixty miles on the rail-road, exposed to the -gas, and dust, 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 365 
 
 and heat of the weather, he was then in a state of great 
 debility and exhaustion. 
 
 " Calling upon him in the evening as soon as I heard of 
 his arrival in town, I found him in too weak a state to con- 
 verse much, and apparently sensible that the period of his 
 dissolution was rapidly approaching. In answer to an in- 
 quiry of m.ine whether he had derived any benefit from his 
 journey, he replied, ' I feel that I am sinking every day.' 1 
 asked, ' Do you' enjoy peace of mind ?' He immediately 
 answered with as much animation as he was capable of at 
 the time, ' Yes, m.y only hope is in Jesus, the Saviour of 
 sinners. I am very comfortable — all is peace.' I then took 
 my leave, promising to see him on the next day. 
 
 " Owing to my public duties on the Lord's-day, I was un- 
 able to see him till between four and five o'clock in the 
 afternoon. He had enjoyed a refreshing rest on the Sabbath 
 and the preceding night, and appeared to be much better 
 than he was the previous evening. I sat with him an hour 
 or more, during which time he conversed with me on the 
 concerns of his own congregation — ^the state of the Church 
 at large — and points of experimental and practical religion, 
 with quite as much interest and strength as he had mani- 
 fested during an interview I had with him in his own house, 
 in May last. He told me he had determined to spend a few 
 days in Baltimore at the house of our friend Mr. Boyle, as 
 the. physician thought he would derive benefit from rest, 
 and could then, with more comfort, prosecute his journey 
 home at the close of the week. My visit was, at his request, 
 closed with prayer, in which he appeared deeply interested 
 and fervently engaged. 
 
 "As I was obliged to go to my family, (who were in the 
 country, about twenty miles distant,) on Monday morning, 
 I congratulated him on the improvement of his health which 
 had taken place since the preceding day, and bade him adieu, 
 with the expectation of seeing him again on Wednesday 
 evening. 
 
866 
 
 MEMOIR OF 
 
 "Upon my return to the city on Wednesday, 1 found 
 that he had been removed to Mr. B.'s on Monday morning, 
 and was suffering from an attack of diarrhoea, — a common 
 and too often fatal symptom of the last stage of the disease 
 ■which had so long preyed upon his system ; but probably 
 then occasioned by a great change in the temperature of the 
 weather, which had taken place about that time. His state 
 was such that I was not admitted to his room that night or 
 the following day. I learned, however, in answer to my in- 
 quiries, that his disease was progressing, and his strength 
 gradually declinmg. On Friday morning early, Mrs. Bedell 
 sent for me ; and from that time, with the exception of an 
 hour or two, I remained with our dear brother till his soul 
 had entered upon everlasting rest. 
 
 " On my approaching his bed-side he reached out his hand, 
 and with an affectionate smile, bade me welcome. But I 
 was shocked at beholding the great change which had taken 
 place in him since our previous interview. I inquired if his 
 sufferings were great, and he assured me that he felt no 
 pain; but that in that, as well as other respects, the Lord 
 dealt very mercifully with him. When I communicated to 
 him the opinion of his physician that he would probably 
 survive but a few hours longer, he received it with the most 
 perfect composure, and seemed cordially to respond to the 
 sentiment of the apostle, which I quoted ; — ' For me to live 
 is Christ, and to die is gain. To depart and be with Christ, 
 is far better.' I then repeated the first line of that beautiful 
 hymn, 
 
 'Jesus, Saviour of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly,' 
 
 and he immediately said with much feeling, ' I will — ^I do.' 
 
 "Although on account of his great weakness we were un- 
 willing to disturb his quiet by asking him questions, or 
 making remarks that would require an answer, yet oflen 
 during the day did he express his entire peace of mind and 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 367 
 
 unqualified resignation to the Lord's will. At six o'clock 
 on Friday morning, his son had gone in the steamboat to 
 Philadelphia, for the purpose of bringing on his sister and 
 aunt to behold the closing scene. On his wife's inquiring 
 whether he was not anxious to see his beloved daughter and 
 other absent members of his family, and manifesting her 
 own anxiety for their arrival before his death, he said it 
 would be highly gratifying ; but, added he, ' perhaps it is not 
 best. If I die now, all is peace — but if I should be spared 
 longer, I might have hours of darknpss and trial.' He once 
 said to me, 'I should now ask you to pray, but for my hys- 
 terical constitution, which cannot, in my present state, bear 
 the excitement it -would produce.' Frequently, however, his 
 hands were clasped together, and his countenance indicated 
 a deep engagedness of soul in that holy exercise. 
 
 "At one period, when he was in a state of too much lassi- 
 tude and exhaustion to speak, I stood by him and repeated 
 the following passages of Scripture, — ' I am the resurrection 
 and the life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, 
 yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me 
 shall never die.' — ' I know that my Redeemer liveth, and 
 that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ; and 
 though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my 
 flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for myself, and 
 mine eyes shall behold, and not another.' — 'We know that 
 if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we 
 have a building of God, an house not made with hands, 
 eternal in the heavens.' — ' In my Father's house are many 
 mansions ; if it were not so, I would have told you ; behold 
 I go to prepare a place for you, and will come again and re- 
 ceive you. to myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.' 
 These precious promises, successively repeated after suitable 
 intervals, proved to him like refreshing water to a thirsty 
 soul. He seized my hand with much emotion, and lifted 
 his other hand and his eyes to heaven with a most grateful 
 
368 MEMOIE OF 
 
 expression, as if he were feasting upon the sweet manna of 
 God's word, and looking to one of the promised mansions 
 <is already prepared for his reception. 
 
 " I was obliged to leave the room of our sick friend at 
 half past seven o'clock on Friday evening, to attend my 
 stated lecture ; and in our social religious services, the fer- 
 vent prayers of many Christian hearts, which had oecasioni- 
 ally been profited and refreshed under his ministry, were, I 
 doubt not, in unison with mine, that God would either spare 
 his servant for greater usefulness in the church, or strengthen 
 and prepare him for the approaching conflict. On returning 
 to his sick room after my lecture at about nine o'clock, I 
 found him in a state of increased weakness, and thought he 
 was sinking fast from that time till near eleven o'clock, but 
 still enjoying uninterrupted tranquillity and composure of 
 mind. 
 
 " Dr. Buckler, the able and skilful physician who attended 
 him with the utmost tenderness and assiduity, now entered, 
 and after examining the patient, told me there was a great 
 change for the worse. He then proposed, as a means of 
 lessening nervous excitement, and procuring for our brother 
 a little refreshing rest, to administer an anodyne, containing 
 a small portion of laudanum. Dr. Bedell then called me to 
 him, and fixing his eyes upon nie intently, said, with great 
 solemnity, 'Brother Henshaw, is it wrong, when the soul is 
 in perfect peace, and ready to depart, to take an anodyne as 
 a remedy for tbe pain of the weak body ? If so, I will not 
 do it. For I would not, on any account, do any thing which 
 is offensive to God, especially now that I am going out of 
 the world.' I answered, that I thought there was nothing 
 sinful or improper in the measure proposed, particularly as 
 the doctor assured him that the anodyne he designed to 
 administer was intended only to soothe his nerves, and would 
 not be of sufficient strength to overwhelm his mind, or even 
 to cloud or aftcct it in the least. He then submitted to the 
 
KEY. DR. BEDSLL. SG9 
 
 proposal of the physician, and addressing himself again to 
 me, said, with the same solemn emphasis as before, ' If in 
 consequence of this I should be delirious, or flighty, and in 
 that state say any thing inconsistent with the Christian pro- 
 fession, or dishonorable to the cause of Christ, bear me wit- 
 ness that I asked this question. I leave it with you to 
 vindicate my character.' 
 
 " The same self-possession, thorough consciousness of his 
 situation, and clearness of intellect, which- he displayed on 
 this occasion, never forsook him, so far as I could perceive, 
 to the last, except for a moment, as is very common with 
 all persons in a state of great debility, when first awaking 
 out of a sleep. As an illustration of my meaning in this 
 last remark, I will give you two instances. Between one 
 and two o'clock in the morning of Saturday, Mr. Boyle 
 came into the room ; at that instant, Dr. Bedell awoke out 
 of sleep, and seeing the shadow cast upon the wall, inquired 
 with some alarm, 'Who is that big man ]' Mr. B. approached 
 the bed, and took the hand of our dying friend. The ques- 
 tion was then asked, ' Do you know him V and he replied, 
 affectionately squeezing his hand at the same time, ' O yes — 
 Mr. Boyle — God bless him !' Perhaps an hour or more 
 after this, while I was bending over him, watching his slum- 
 ber, he suddenly awoke, and stared wildly at me for an 
 instant ; and then, with a sweet smile, said, ' 0, now I 
 know you !' 
 
 "About half past three o'clock in the morning, his 
 extremities became cold — his pulse was sunken and quiver- 
 ing — and we thought him to be dying. Still, notwithstand- 
 ing the difficulty of his respiration, when his parched tongue 
 and lips were moistened with ice, (which he frequently 
 asked for,) he could speak short sentences slowly, but with 
 distinct articulation. In answer to questions, and sponta- 
 neously, he often spoke of the supports and hopes with 
 which the Lord favored him, and expressed the same ccn- 
 16* 
 
370 MEMOIR OF 
 
 soling assurance which he had previously uttered. It was, 
 [ thiiil<, about this time, that he whispered into the ear of 
 his afflicted wife, special messages of love and instruction 
 for his absent children, and sisters, and some other friends, 
 and for such members of his congregation as he thought 
 would be likely to desire a particular remembrance in his 
 last hours. 
 
 "He then sunk into a state of rest and apparent slumber, 
 but in a short time roused again, and, as if conscious that 
 the time of his departure was at hand, and that he had 
 already entered ' the dark valley of the shadow of death,' 
 rallied his remaining powers for a last effort in the cause of 
 the blessed Saviour, and for the promotion- of his, glory 
 upon earth. Lifting his finger with great solemnity, (as he 
 often did in the pulpit when about to utter any thing 
 emphatically important,) he said, with a feeble and quiver- 
 ing, but yet distinct and articulate enunciation, ' Hear nie ! 
 I acknowledge myself to have been a most unprofitable ser- 
 vant — ^unprofitable, not hypocritical. I find myself to have 
 been full of sin, ignorance, weakness, unfaithfulness, and 
 guilt. But Jesus is my hope — washed in his blood, justi- 
 fied by his righteousness, sanctified by his grace, 1 have 
 peace with God. Jesus is very precious to my soul — ^my 
 all in all — and I expiect to . be saved by free grace through 
 his atoning blood. This is my testimony :' with emphasis, 
 
 ' THIS IS MY TESTIMONY !' 
 
 " Not long after this precious and remarkable testimony 
 of our dying brother, (so full of consolation to his surviving 
 friends, so gratifying and encouraging to the children of 
 God,) had been given, so anxious was his nearest friend, 
 that while he had the power of speech, he should be encou- 
 raged to employ it for the honor of his Lord, that I said 
 to him, 'My dear friend and- brother, now that you are 
 upon the border of eternity, do you, in this trying hour, still 
 feel the supports and consolations of that faith and hope 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 371 
 
 wliich you have preached to others V He answered, ' Yes, 
 I do — they are very precious to me.' I asked, ' Have you 
 any message to leave for your brethren in the ministry V 
 He replied, ' Yes, it is this : Be faithful, unmovable, always 
 abounding in the worlc of the Lord !' This answer was 
 given deliberately ; but he spoke with great difficulty, and 
 we were unwilling to subject his already exhausted powers 
 to the painful effort of answering any more questions. 
 
 "After this, he sunk into a state of repose, with his hands 
 clasped together over his breast, and, (as I doubt not,) with 
 a heart much occupied by thoughts of heaven, and enjoying 
 the rich pleasures -of communion with God. About the 
 dawn of day, while I was standing by his bedside, he 
 opened his eyes, and seenjed for a moment surprised to^find 
 himself still an inhabitant of this world ; for he immedi- 
 ately said to me, ' I thought I should have been at home 
 before now ;' and then, as if he feared I would understand 
 him as referring to his earthly home, he impressively raised 
 his finger, and pointing toward heaven, said, ' There.' This 
 was, I believe, the last connected sentence which he uttered 
 before he was indeed admitted to his home, that 'house- not 
 made with hands, eternal in the heavens.' 
 
 "About six o'clock, while the doctor was with him, he 
 pronounced the name of Dr. Mitchell, his beloved friend 
 and physician while in Philadelphia. He said to his wife, 
 ' Dr. Mitchell— tell him — tell him — tell him' — He seemed 
 anxious to send him a special message, but could proceed no 
 farther. His vocal organs would do their office no more. 
 He made several other attempts to speak, but finding them 
 unavailing, he made signs for paper and pencil, and with a 
 trembling hand wrote the words, ' I can't make you hear.' 
 Not long before his dissolution, as he was lying upon his 
 back, with his hands clasped upon his breast, and his eyes 
 intently gazing upwards,! remarked to him, 'I trust the eye 
 of your faith is fixed on that same Jesus whom Stephen saw 
 
S72 MEMoin OP 
 
 standing at the right hand of God ; and tliat his prayer . ia 
 yours : Lord Jesus, receive my spirit !' Mrs. B. then 
 aslced, ' My dear, do you see Jesus V His voice could give 
 no reply : but disengaging his hands, he most expressively 
 pointed with his finger, first to his heart, and then toward 
 heaven. When the last moment was near at hand, and 1 
 believe the parting agony had commenced, his anxious and 
 affectionate wife, as if unwilling that this delightful spiritual 
 intercourse should cease till he ceased to breathe, said to 
 him, ' My dear, if all is peace still, lift your finger, or give 
 some other sign.' ffis finger was immediately raised, as the 
 last indication he could give on earth that the Lord was with 
 him, and he then gradually and calmly sunk away till he fell 
 asleep in Jesus, on Saturday, 30th of August, at about nine 
 o'clock A. M. It was like the setting of the summer sun, 
 clear, serene, brilliant. 
 
 " My full heart would prompt me to offer many reflection 
 suggested by the imperfect but faithful narrative which I 
 have now given of the last hours of an eminent disciple and 
 minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we ardently loved 
 while living, and now sincerely mourn in death. But the 
 narrative itself speaks more powerfully to the heart than 
 any thing which I could utter or write. 
 
 " We have lost a friend and brother : but he has gone to 
 dwell with our elder brother, whose love is stronger than 
 death. One of the great lights of Zion has been extin- 
 guished, but He still lives with whom is ' the fountain of 
 light.' We, in our ignorance, see not how his place can be 
 made good ; but Jehovah Jireh — the Lord will ^provide. 
 
 " Instead, therefore, of indulging unavailing sorrow for 
 the decease of our friend, let us bless God that he was made 
 an instrument of such extensive usefulness while living, and 
 was enabled to seal and confirm the glorious doctrines which 
 he had preached, by such a clear and satisfactory testimony 
 in death. Let us pray for his aflSicted family, that they may 
 
EEV. DK. BEDELL. 373 
 
 enjoy the fulness of Christian consolation : for the pious, 
 numerous, and important flock, now bereft of their earthly 
 shepherd, that the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls would 
 provide them another ' after his own heart,' who shall feed 
 them with 'knowledge and understanding:' and for the 
 church at large, that He who ' loveth Zion more than all the 
 dwellings of Jacob' naay raise up another — yea, a mighty 
 company of others, who, as servants of the altar, may dis- 
 play as much humility, zeal, faithfulness, and love in the 
 precious work of the Gospel as signalized the ministry of 
 him who now rests from his labors, and wears his immortal 
 crown. 
 
 " May we, my dear friend, and all who bear a part in the 
 same ministry of reconciliation, show our respect for the 
 memory of our departed brother, by complying with his 
 dying charge — Be faithful, tjnmovbablb, always abound- 
 
 1N(J IS THE WORK OF THE LoRD ! 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " J. P. K. Henshaw."* 
 
 Thus departed in honor and happiness from the world, in 
 the forty-first year of his age, one of the most valued and 
 useful ministers of the Gospel that has ever been given to 
 this country. As his life was a faithful and consistent adorn- 
 
 * The following beautiful lines were written by one of the younger 
 members of his flock, after hearing the above letter read in the funeral 
 sermon, which was preached by the request of the Testry of St, 
 Andrew's Church : 
 
 LAST HOUKS OP A LAMENTED PASTOR. 
 Day dawns. The first gray light of op'ning mom 
 Enters the chamber, and dispels the shades 
 Of silent, solemn night. Yet he still, sleeps. 
 How peaceful is that slumber ! The hands are gently 
 Clasped upon the breast — a heavenly smile 
 Rests on the lips — all is so calm and still 
 That ye might well suppose the spirit to liave flown. 
 
374 MEMOIR OF ^ 
 
 ing of those great principles of the Gospel which his heart 
 embraced, so his departure was full of peace and comfort 
 derived from them. When we parted with him in the 
 summer, as he entered upon his journey to Bedford, he 
 appeared to have little hope of any restoration himself. 
 His plans were formed, and his thoughts and conversation 
 were directed to' a speedy completion of his work. He had 
 not much hope of benefit to himself from this journey, but 
 felt it his duty to do all that appeared possible to be done 
 to prolong his service for others. He was manifestly ripen- 
 There is a movement — now, his eyes unclose — 
 Marked ye that look of sorrow and surprise ? 
 He speaks-^approadh, or ye will fail to hear 
 Those soft, faint tones — "I thought I should have been 
 At home, ere now." Not at his earthly home — 
 Oh no I The uplifted finger points toward 
 Heaven, he softly whispers — " There /" 
 
 This earth 
 Has never been a home, a place of rest 
 To liim : but as a batrle-field, in which 
 To fight in his loved Master's cause ; to show 
 Himself faithful, approved ; to win 
 A heavenly crown. Long has his spirit 
 Struggled to be free, and oft has seemed' 
 As on the wing of flight. E'eu now he thought 
 The strife was o'er — that he would ne'er behold 
 This earth again — but would awake in heaven. 
 Tet God has called hiiu back. 
 
 A few more hours 
 Have passed— he gazes upward, and his eyes 
 Grow bright with an unwonted, heavenly 
 Eadiance. " Whom dost thou see, beloved one ? 
 Does thy Redeemer now appear 7" He strives 
 To speak, but the words die away, unheard. 
 Tet lo 1 he jioiuts, first to his heart, then upward. 
 He whom thou.lov'st is near. 
 
EEV. DB. BEDELL. 375 
 
 ing with haste for a calmer and better world. As his Tjody 
 wasted and sunk in the process of decay, his spirit grew 
 more humble, his conversation became more watchful and 
 heavenly, and his whole aspect acquired a tranquility and 
 sweetness of expression which indicated the character of his 
 mind within, and bade us prepare to separate from him in a 
 last earthly farewell. At the knowledge of his death, the 
 church and community around united in sincere mourning 
 with his more immediate personal friends, and all acknow- 
 ledged the consciousness, that in this dispensation " a great 
 man had fallen in Israel." 
 
 'Tis almost o'er. " Oh I if all still is peace ; 
 If on the bosom of thy Lord thou leanest — 
 Give us one more assurance — raise thy hand." 
 The sign is given. Oh ! death, where is thy 
 Tiotory ? In Jesus' strength — he, too, has 
 Conquered thee. 
 
 Hast thou not seen the summer 
 Sun, when, sinking in the west, it shed 
 Its last hright beams upon the earth, then robed 
 In splendor, hid itself from view, while all 
 Around was calm, serene I 'Twas thus Tie died. 
 The light, which shone so brightly in our iJiidst, 
 Has disappeared; but in the Saviour's orown 
 For ever, as a brighter star, it shines. 
 
"76 MEMOIE OF 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Funeral — Testimonials of Respect for his Character — Rev. Mr. SnoWs 
 Introductory Essay. 
 
 Thb earthly remains of Dr. Bedell were brought from 
 Baltimore to Philadelphia on the 31st of August, accom- 
 panied by the Rev. Dr. Henshaw, and deposited in the 
 church-yard of St. Andrew's Church on Tuesday, the 2d of 
 September, amidst the lamentations and sincere condolence 
 of a numerous assem.bly of the clergy and laity of all deno- 
 minations of Christians in the city of Philadelphia. 
 
 The following extracts from the records of the Vestry of 
 St. Andrew's Church exhibit the respect and affection which 
 they entertained for their Rector, and stand as monuments 
 of their just appreciation of his piety and worth : 
 
 "A special meeting of the Vestry of St. Andrew's Church 
 was held on Saturday evening, August 30, 1834. 
 
 " It was stated by the President that the meeting was 
 convened in consequence of intelligence having been received 
 of the extreme illness of Dr. Bedell, at Baltimore. 
 
 " On motion. Resolved, That a committee be appointed to 
 proceed to Baltimore, in order to ascertain the state of the 
 health of Dr. Bedell, and make the necessary arrangements 
 for his removal, or otherwise. 
 
 "Mr. Lex and Mr. Cash were appointed the commit- 
 tee." 
 
REV. DK. BEDELL. 377 
 
 "A special meeting of the Vestry of St. Andrew's Church 
 was held on Sunday afternoon, August 31, 1834. 
 
 " The Committee appointed at the special meeting of the 
 30th inst. to proceed to Baltimore, made report Ihat they 
 had progressed on their journey to the distance of a few 
 miles below Frenchtown, when they met the morning boat 
 from Baltimore, and received the intelligence of the death 
 of Dr. Bedell, which occurred in Baltimore, at the house of 
 Hugh Boyle, Esq., on Saturday the 30th inst., at nine o'clock 
 A.M., and that his remains and his family were on board of 
 the boat on their return to the city ; the Committee imme- 
 diately joined them, and arrived at the late dwelling of 
 the deceased between three and four o'clock this after- 
 noon, accompanied by the Eev. Dr. Henshaw, of Balti- 
 more. 
 
 " On motion, Besohed, That the funeral- of the late Rector 
 be fixed for Tuesday next, at three o'clock P.M. 
 
 " On motion. Resolved, That a committee be appointed to 
 superintend the funeral ; whereupon Messrs. Lex, Steven- 
 son, Robins, and Cash were appointed that committee. 
 
 "At a stated meeting of the Vestry, held on Tuesday, the 
 2d September, the following resolution was unanimously 
 adopted : 
 
 ^'■Resolved, That in affectionate demonstration of their 
 veneration and respect for the memory of their late pastor, 
 the Vestry record their grateful sense of the important pas- 
 toral services he has rendered to the large and flourishing 
 congregation raised by his efforts, during the period of 
 eleven years he has ministered to them — of his ardent zeal 
 and untiring labors in their behalf, and of the distinguished 
 influence with which his services and eloquence enabled him 
 to advance the interests generally of piety and religion. To 
 his own flock he was a faithfully devoted and talented spirit- 
 ual guide, and to our Episcopal communion ' a burning and 
 a shining light.' 
 
378 MEMOIR OP 
 
 "JResolved, That all expenses incident to the demise and 
 interment of the late Eector, be paid by the Vestry." 
 
 "At a Stated Meeting of the Vestry of St. Andrew's 
 Church, 'held 2d September, 1834, the following resolution 
 was unanimously adopted : 
 
 "Resolved, That the Rev. Dr. Tyng be respectfully re- 
 quested to deliver to the congregation of St. Andrew's, at 
 such time as may suit his convenience, an appropriate dis- 
 course on the dispensation of Providence, which has severed 
 the earthly ties which united them to thejr beloved Pastor." 
 
 The venerable Bishop Moore, of Virginia, was providen- 
 tially in the city of Philadelphia, on the Sunday after the 
 funeral, and preached in St. Andrew's Church. The follow- 
 ing was the concluding passage of his sermon : — 
 
 " My Brethren, — It was this God and Saviour to whom I 
 have called your attention this morning, who constituted the 
 dependence of your departed pastor. You are the witnesses 
 of the fidelity with which he discharged his important duties. 
 You are the people for whom he labored, and for whose 
 present and ■ eternal happiness he most ardently prayed. 
 Remember, 1 beseech you, oh !' remember how often, when 
 debilitated by that disease which has separated him from 
 your embrace, you have seen him ascend this pulpit, and 
 proclaim to you with a seraph's ardor, the riches of re- 
 deeming grace, praying you, in parental accents, to take 
 refuge in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to be re- 
 conciled to God. Yes ! at a time in which, from the languor 
 of his countenance and the feebleness of his frame, you have 
 been led to conclude, that the discourse in which he was en 
 gaged, in all probability would prove his final address ; at 
 such a time, you have seen him forget that feebleness, and 
 with his eyes sparkling with aflfection for his flock, you have 
 listened to his appeals, and have silently determined to take 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 379 
 
 up the cross and follow Jesus in the way. Are there not, 1 
 would aifeotionately mquire, are there not those present in 
 whose minds such resolutions have been formed, and who, 
 notwithstanding such resolutions, have delayed the surrender 
 of themselves to the Almighty 1 If such is the case with any 
 individual before me, permit me, I beseech you, my brother, 
 permit me, my sister, to press the consideration of eternity 
 upon your conscience, and to beseech you in Christ's stead 
 to be reconciled to God. 
 
 " Was your departed pastor permitted at this moment to 
 address you, oh ! how affectionately would he entreat you to 
 listen to my counsel, and to take instant refuge in the bosom 
 of the Saviour ! Heaven, he would tell you, is richly worth 
 your utmost efforts, and no sacrifice of worldly pleasure or 
 gratification 'can be too great in a cause so important as 
 your souls' salvation. My beloved brethren, hesitate no 
 longer, I beseech you. Time is on the wing; to-morrow 
 may be too late ; now is the accepted time,' this is the day 
 of salvation. 
 
 " Finally : I cannot close my subject without returning 
 my sincere thanks to the Vestry of this Church, and to his 
 unwearied physician, for their kindness to my beloved 
 nephew. Your attention to him during all his bodily indis- 
 position reflects the highest honor upon you as a congrega- 
 tion. Your attention to his memory since his decease pro- 
 claims, in language which cannot be misunderstood, the 
 ardency of your attachment to him and to his family. The 
 cypress in which this sacred temple is clad conveys to the 
 passing stranger the estimation in which he was held, and 
 speaks volumes in favor of the love you still entertain for 
 your departed pastor. 
 
 "May the Almighty, my brethren, direct your attention 
 to a suitable successor, and provide you with a faithful shep- 
 herd. Finally, my beloved, in the words of the Apostle I 
 bid you for a season an affectionate farewell. Be perfect; 
 
380 MEMOIR OF 
 
 he of good comfort ; be of one mind ; live in peace, and the 
 God of love and peace will be with you." 
 
 The funeral sermon was preached at the request of the 
 Vestry, a few weeks after. One of the most respectable of 
 the daily papers in Philadelphia thus noticed the occasion : — 
 
 "The late Dr. Bedell. — ^The numerous references to the 
 name and character of Dr. Bedell, which have appeared in 
 our columns since his death, are but spontaneous tributes of 
 respect and affection from a few of the many by whom he 
 was loved and revered. The interest which has been excited 
 by his departure, and the expressions of grateful respect for 
 his memory which it has elicited, have been so general' and 
 so strikingly exhibited, as to surprise even those who knew 
 him best and appreciated him most highly. On the occasion 
 of delivering his funeral sermon, by the Eev. Dr. Tyng, at 
 St. Andrew's Church, on Sunday last, the Church was filled 
 even to the occupancy of every spot in the aisles and gal- 
 leries. Hundreds who sought admittance, many of them 
 before the hour of divine service, were obliged to go away 
 without success. The services were most solemn and im- 
 pressive, and manifestly produced a deep feeling in the 
 hearts of the assembled multitude. The sermon of Dr. Tyng 
 was entirely appropriate to the occasion, faithfully delineat- 
 ing the character of the deceased as a minister of Christ and 
 as a Christian, and commending him, in the former relation, 
 to the remembrance, in the latter, to the imitation of his 
 people. The vestry of St. Andrew's Church, at whose re- 
 quest the sermon was preached, have, we believe, requested ■ 
 a copy of it for publication." 
 
 The personal appearance of Dr. Bedell is beautifully por- 
 trayed in the following extract from the Religious Souvenir 
 of 1835, written by one who had long known and watched 
 
KEV. DR. BEDBLL. 381 
 
 over him as his intimate friend arnil his kind physician, and 
 who describes a pastor introduced into his story from his 
 recollection of him. 
 
 " He was yet in the prime of manhood ; but sickness had 
 attenuated his middle-sized frame, blanched his cheek, and 
 scattered white hairs among the dark locks on his temples. 
 His vast forehead, spreading broadly as it ascended, and 
 undulated by inequalities, bespoke capacity and taste, while 
 it presented a strong contrast to the slender face beneath it. 
 His large gray eye^ fringed with long lashes, gave softness 
 to a countenance which his bony cheeks, and large, though 
 very expressive mouth, would have made harsh without 
 them. His hair, long and lank, was combed back from the 
 top towards the left ear, and the side locks stood stiffly for- 
 ward along his temples, and projected beyond his face. A 
 short, tickling cough indicated the seat of his malady, and 
 the knowledge of the certainty of a limited life gave a sweet 
 solemnity to his manner, and threw a melancholy tenderness 
 into the interest acquired with his people, by a gentle, 
 active, irreproachable deportment. 
 
 " Naturally diffident and unobtrusive, he was usually 
 silent in company ; but when there arose occasion for speech 
 or an intimate friend excited his social efforts, he riveted at- 
 tention, commanded conviction, and left behind a pleasing 
 and a beneficial impression. 
 
 " There was in every part of his conduct that noble dis- 
 regard of self which belongs only to minds of the highest 
 order. With greater physical energy, he might have sought, 
 as a missionary, the frozen wastes of Greenland, or the pes- 
 tilential marshes of Africa. Debarred by disease, partly 
 constitutional, and partly acquired by clerical labors, from 
 the achievements of a Swartz and the sufferings of a Judson, 
 he yet shrunk not from pastoral efforts beyond his strength, 
 and' literary labors destructive to his feeble powers of life. 
 
383 MEMOIR OP 
 
 If his heart bled for the misfortunes of men, his counsel and 
 his purse were alike accessible to .the unhappy, and out of 
 his little store he spared them that which one more circum- 
 spect would have treasured up for the wants of a future and 
 a more helpless period. If he had a fault, it -was -the in- 
 ability to postpone the necessities of others to his o^vn inte- 
 rest or convenience. Though this might have sprung exclu- 
 sively from the forceful faith with which he leaned oh the 
 promise that the children of the righteous shall not be ex- 
 posed to neglect and poverty, yet there was evidently a 
 kind and disinterested nature, yielding fruits the richer, for 
 a more direct, divine irradiation. 
 
 " The extent of his benefaction was not limited by his 
 personal ability. Never, perhaps, lived there a being who 
 possessed in a higher degree the power of eliciting the cha- 
 rity and the patronage of others. He collected around him 
 meritorious men, in a great variety of useful pursuits, and 
 obtaining money for som^e, countenance for many, and the 
 best counsel for all, he promoted not only the personal 
 prosperity of the individuals, but the highest interests of 
 society. Few approached him for the first time without 
 benefit, and scarcely any afterward, without feeling the 
 usual regard for the minister, enhanced by the most agree- 
 able recollections of unlooked-for kindness and gracefully- 
 given services. 
 
 " Remarkable as were these many traits of excellence, it 
 was in the pulpit that the pastor shone with the brightest 
 lustre. Clear, simple, chaste, logical, impassioned,' he com- 
 bined the most opposite qualities ; and although reduced 
 almost to a skeleton by consumption, his magnificent voice, 
 with its clear , enunciation and diversified intonation, could 
 be heard at an almost incredible distance. Here there was 
 no diffidence apparent. The ambassador of God, speaking 
 under Ids authority to his sinful creatures, knew no fear and 
 practised no deference. Hopes of heaven, fears of hell, the 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 383 
 
 beauty of holiness, the deformity of sin, the goodness, the 
 mercy, and the justice of God were in turn his theme ; and 
 never did his people hear xibler expositions, or more affec- 
 lionately eloquent appeals. His success in his lofty mission 
 had beenproportionate to the means, and he had the hap- 
 piness of collecting around him a people sound in faith and 
 zealous of good works." 
 
 From the same pen, the follomng obituary notice was 
 published in the daily papers of Philadelphia, soon after the 
 death of Dr. Bedell : 
 
 " Those who knew Dr. Bedell solely through his lite- 
 rary productions and his clerical reputation m.ust have felt 
 surprised at the announcement of his age. That he who had 
 poured such an abundant treasure from the press, and so 
 long held the highest place in pulpit oratory, should have 
 reached only to twoscore years, is indeed matter of wonder ; 
 but when we know, that for at least fifteen years he has con- 
 tended with a malady which seldom permitted a single day 
 of entire comfort, we are doubly impressed with astonish- 
 ment at the labors endured, and the works executed by 
 him. 
 
 " The mystery is easily explained, however, when it is 
 known that he lived with the single purpose of serving his 
 Divine Master, and that though possessed of a facility and 
 rersatility of talent which would have seduced almost any 
 other man intq procrastination, he seldom lost the little frac- 
 tions of time so generally squandered ; but in every place, 
 and at all seasons. Was accustomed to seize his pen and 
 record his thoughts. He has been often seen in his vestry- 
 room in the midst of his friends, immediately after laborious 
 public duty, committing to paper hints for future sermons 
 or anticipated publications. This economy of time, too, was 
 practised by the man who has more than once written out an 
 
384 MRMOIR 01' 
 
 entire sermon at a single sitting. Valuable as he was in 
 other respects, in none has Dr. Bedell exhibited a more 
 useful and a rarer lesson. 
 
 "In another respect he presented a delightful model, 
 Originally kind, gentle, and most affectionate, his heart did 
 not lose the freshness and ifcrce of feeling as it became neces- 
 sary to expand his regards over a wider surface — ^nor did 
 increasing years abate the vigor of his sentiments. For his 
 fellow-men, as well as for his friends and his family, there 
 was a constantly increasing interest ; and as his religion 
 burned more and more intensely, so did his love for his 
 ' neighbor ' grow stronger and stronger ; and while he 
 learned to love his God with all his soul, he did not forget 
 to prize his fellows as himself. 
 
 " It was this two-fold affection which, through the grace 
 of God, kept him from feeling elated by the successful ser- 
 vice of 1;he temple, and the flattering suffrages of the world. 
 His humility grew with his fame and his usefulness, and 
 then most did he give the glory to his Master, when he was 
 most eminent in the eyes of men. The nearer he drew to 
 heaven, and the more his labors resulted in good and great 
 effects, the more did he lament the feebleness of the efforts 
 compared with the greatness of the cause, and thank the 
 Giver of every good gift that the progress of his kingdom 
 was not left to any arm of flesh 
 
 "That remarkable humility gave a peculiar grace to his 
 natural gentleness of manner and character. He was the 
 gentlest of human beings, and while perfectly, fearless in the 
 execution of his high functions, always preferred persuasion 
 to command, and desired rather to lead than to drive the sin- 
 ner to repentance. In an intimate, almost daily intercourse 
 for more than ten years, the writer of this article never 
 received from him a harsh or hasty observation, although 
 matters of the deepest interest were frequently subjects of 
 discordant opinion. The dogmatic manner so frequently 
 
REV. DR. BEDELL. 385 
 
 the lesult of pulpit declamation never infected him, and all 
 his intimate friends will agree in the opinion, that he was 
 entirely free from this very common fault of those who, 
 in any profession, are frequently privileged to assert without 
 hazard of direct contradiction. 
 
 " His singleness of heart and force of religion made Dr. 
 Bedell eminently practical. The speculations which might 
 illustrate the man were avoided for the services whifih might 
 save the simier, and that only seemed important in his eyes 
 which promised to advance practically the mighty cause in 
 which he had embarked his energies, and to which he sacri- 
 ficed first his health, and then his life. Every thing was 
 turned by him to religious account. He edited a newspa- 
 per — it was a Christian Register. He wrote a review — it 
 was to bring the example and precepts of Heber attract- 
 ively before his readers. He published a Souvenir — it was 
 to press the popular annuals into the service of religion. He 
 was a chief builder-up of Bristol College — ' It was to disci 
 pline and instruct new soldiers of the cross for that strife in 
 which he could not long hope himself to be a combatant.' 
 He greedily devoured the literature of the day — ^it was to 
 select, re-publish, and spread abroad whatever was promo- 
 tive of morals and illustrative of piety. Every one who 
 examines the shelves of the booksellers, finds the name of 
 Dr. Bedell on the title-page of a very large portion of the 
 most salable religious books. His tact in this was unques- 
 tionable ; and his selection was considered a sufficient war- 
 rant for republication, his name an adequate proof of popu- 
 lar fitness. 
 
 " With such qualities, who could fail to prove interesting 
 and instructive m the pulpit ? But Dr. Bedell had also ele- 
 gant taste, chaste gesture, and a pleasing, powerful, and 
 clear enunciation. With such advantages, with heart-felt 
 conviction of the truth and paramount importance of his 
 subject, forgetful of self, and looking only to his audience, 
 17 
 
386 MEMOIR OF 
 
 he never failed to make a strong and permanent impression. 
 Under such circumstances, those who knew him best, and 
 heard him most frequently, felt him most forcibly. He was 
 an unrivalled every-day preacher. Never aiming at single 
 great efforts, he never fell into mediocrity. Although his 
 'occasional' sermons exhibited rare powers, it was neces. 
 sary to hear him often, to know the full influence of his elo-. 
 quence. The stream of his mind seldom dashed from the 
 cataract, or foamed in the rapids. Clear, gentle, pure, it 
 was always beautiful, seldom wild or irregular. It delighted 
 not in the rock and the whirlpool, but loved to stray along 
 the cultivated fields, and amidst verdant meadows, where it 
 could fertilize the one, and irrigate the other. Judging of 
 oratory by its eifects, his was of the highest order, for he 
 reared St. Andrew's from its foundations ; and that Church, 
 with its overflowing people, its numerous societies, its rich 
 donations, its thousand scholars, is the very point to which 
 the Episcopal public turns for an example of active good 
 and extended usefulness. It was the product of the labor 
 of eleven years, during all which time he was under the lash 
 of disease, often painful, always oppressive. 
 
 " But in spite of a feeble constitution and superinduced 
 sickness, literary labors, and general engagements,''the first 
 Eector of St. Andrew's Church has left it in a state of the 
 highest religious prosperity, after a progress most harmoni- 
 ous, at a period when the dissensions of the church-general 
 rendered it difficult to maintain the peace and good order 
 of individual communities. 
 
 " His year has closed almost in its spring, but the fruits 
 were mingled with the blossoms, and amidst the buds and 
 flowers of the earlier season- we hail the ripened grain, and 
 the rich abundance of a productive autumn. Who then 
 shall lament, that ' his sun has gone down while it was yet 
 dayj' since he has done his work, and avoided the ills of the 
 sunset of life ! It was an early, but not a premature death 
 
KEV. DR. BhiJELL. 387 
 
 — and indeed his influence does not die with him, for its 
 lasting memorials are every where abroad in the Churches, 
 to stimulate piety and enliven hope ; and to prove that, 
 with the blessing of God, great ends may be reached by 
 apparently inadequate means. 
 
 " It is scarcely to be supposed that with such dispositions 
 and such piety as were possessed by Dr. Bedell, his social 
 circle could fail to be peculiarly interesting. Gentle man- 
 ners, warm affections, sprightly friendships, were there in a 
 degree scarcely ever found in our darkened world. His 
 wife was his highest and most cherished friend and confi- 
 dant ; his children feared only to wound him, and his friends 
 crowded round him with a full assurance of a welcome, at 
 once warm and sincere. It was indeed impossible to enter 
 his domestic circle without feeling how much its enjoyments 
 were heightened and purified by the sacred spirit of its .head, 
 and the habitual kindness of its inmates. His widowed wife 
 and his orphan children have lost, not only their stay, but 
 their precepter and companion. Yet if they mourn, they 
 have the certainty of his happiness to console, and his bright 
 example to support them. They are the legacy of the right- 
 eous man, and will they not participate in the promise that 
 they shall not be deserted ]" 
 
 THS END.