Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924010295669 ^k ■^ k ^^K^'U^ 1 ^^k ^^^^^^^KMI^ -' 1 ^^1^^^^ 1 J ^ ^^^^^^K ' "v/x l^^^^^l RECORDS PROM THE LIFE or S. V. S. WILDER 'CONFIRMING THE WORD." Make 16:20. PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN TEACT SOCIETY, 150 NASSAU-STREET, NEW YORK. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by the Ameeioan Teact Society, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of the State of New York. CONTENTS. I. BrRTH AND Ancestry. — Paternal ancestry — Maternal ancestry — Stoddard family — Van Vryling family — Evangelical sentiments of his grandmother Margaret Vryling — Influence of his moth- er - - 9 ir. Eablt Life. — Filial affection — Death of his father — Placed in a store at Lancaster — Two years in a store at Gardner — Obedi- ence to his mother — Kindness to her and his sisters — Death of his mother — -- 22 m. Eaelt Mebcantile Life. — Honesty and integrity — Becomes a clerk in Oharlestown, Mass. — Acquaintance with Eev. Dr. Jed- idiah Morse — "String of providences" — The hank-note — ^In- terview with his future father-in-law, Mr. Joseph Barrell — Vac- cination — Letter fi'om Sidney E. Morse, Esq. — Letter to an "old shopmate" — Punctuality and independence of charac- ter — Mr. John Codman 28 IV. Education. — School life — Influence of Dr. Morse — Attendance on his Lectures — Letter from Committee to Dr. Morse, and re- ply — Habits of reading — Appreciation of the Bible 39 Going to Eeakce. — Knowledge of French goods — Successful busi- ness transaction — Strict honesty — Appointed agent in Europe for Wilham Gray — Dangerous voyage — Residence in Paris for twenty years — Crosses the ocean sixteen times - 44 VI. Eaely Beligious Expeeience. — Reasons for joining the church — Circumstances of his admission — David L. Dodge — Letter from Key. Dr. Samuel Miller — His reply - 54 G CONTENTS. VII. Maebiage ajjd Home Life. — Marriage in Northampton, Mass., 1814 — Dinner at "White Pine tavern" — Purchases an estate in Bolton, Mass. — Takes his family to France in 1817 — Letter to Mrs. BarreU — Death of children 64 VIII. Life in Feanoe. — His connection with Messrs. Hottinguer & Co. — Influence oyer many in his employ — Visits England and Hol- land — In London becomes interested in missions — ^Purchases tracts — Adventure in passing them through French Custom- houses — "Village in the Mountains" — Correspondence with pastor of church there — Widely known in Europe — Visited by many 72 IX. Paeis Societies. — Eesidence in Hue Petit Carreau, No. 18 — Paris Bible, tract, and missionary societies formed there — Protection by Talleyrand — Incident of involuntary distribution of Bibles and tracts — "Continental Society" — " Society of Christian Mor- als" — Letter of Dr. Jonas King — Mr. WUder's agency in his mission to Palestine — Mr. Wilder's influence on persons of dis- tinction — Estabhshment in Paris of the Monthly Concert for Prayer — "The Only Son" — Views of slavery- Letter of the Baron de Stael — Curious incident in distributing Bibles on New Year's day — Mr. Wilder's hospitality — Frequent religious services in his parlor 115 CouET LiEE. — Eepresents the United States at the marriage of Napoleon — His French teacher, Latour Maubrey — Incident of Napoleon and the emperor of Austria — Court scenes — Scenes upon the faE of Napoleon — Entrance of the " AUies " into Par- is — Perilous journey in France — Method of dealing with Bour- bon officials — Likenesses of Napoleon — Plan to bring Napoleon to Mr. Wilder's residence in Bolton — Reflections of Talleyrand Vanity of earthly glory — Interviews with Louis Napoleon in New-York — Bearer of despatches, and interview with President Madison— Interview with President Andrew Jackson 147 XL Paeting with Eueopb. — Final return to America in 1823 — Regrets of the societies in Paris — Parting addresses — Letter of Md- nod 172 CONTENTS. 7 XII. Bolton. — Socinianism — Farming — Sunday afternoon exercises in his library — General Lafayette's irisit — Correspondence with Baron de Stael and Lafayette — Letter of Dr. Waterbury - - 181 XIII. W ABE Factoey Village. — Residence there — Prevalence of Univer- salism — Contribution of masaufacturing company towards build- ing a church — Choice of pastor — Revival of religion — Farewell address — Two striking incidents — Testimony of Mr. Lewis Tap- pan — Letter of Dr. Leonard Woods — Friends at Ware — Letter of Rev. Parsons Cooke - 196 XIV. HrLL-srDE Chuech. — A favorite enterprise — Intercourse with neigh- boring ministers — Services of distinguished preachers — Settle- ment of Rev. Dr. Chickering — Revival of rel^on — Increased number of evangelical churches -- 214 XV. AicEEiCAN Teact SOCIETY. — Elected President at its formation in 1825 — Incident leading to acquaintance with the father of Dr. Wm. A. HaUock, Secretary — Correspondence between Dr. Hal- lock and Mr. Wilder — Speech at laying the corner-stone of the Tract House — Parts of other addresses — Resignation as Presi- dent — Reply of the Society — Sketch of his life and character in official documents-- 225 XVI. Religious Societies. — Bible societies — American Board of Foreign Missions — Home missions — American and Foreign Christian Union — Letter to evangelical Christians in France — American Education Society — Hartford Asylum for Deaf and Dumb — Views regarding the Sabbath — Sabbath-sehool efforts — Amherst college — Letter from Dr. Humphrey — Remarkable incident con- nected with a refusal to aid Amherst college — Greek youths — Visits of consolation and charity — Plan of a Retreat for ladies — Orphan asylum 257 XVII. Tempeeance. — Good health — Interest in the Temperance cause — The ' ' Well-conducted Farm " — Letter to the father of a " prod- igal son " — Opposition to the use of tobacco — Letter to John Tappan, Esq. - - 295 8 CONTENTS. XVIII. Lateb Mebcantile Lxpe. — Removal from Bolton to Brooklyn — Visit to Charleston, S. C. — Death of his only son — Eemoval to ■ New York city — His son-in-law G. U. Eichards — Death of an infant daughter — Mercer-street church — Letter from S. F. B. Morse, Esq. — Business reverses — Letter of John Tappan, Esq. — Letters from Drs. Gallaudet and Proudfit — Letter to his wife from Worcester — Kesidenoe in Greenwich, Conn. - 309 XIX. Speciai, Pkovldences. — Deliverances from danger by sea and by land — Adventure with outlaws — Two cases of hinderance - 330 XX. Speaking fok Cheist. — Fearlessness of man — Testimony of Mr. Lewis Tappan — Letter to a neighbor — Peculiar modes of giv- ing — Conversation with a lady about dancing — His views as to amusements — Story of Dr. Nettleton — Contracted notions of a country deacon — Discourse of a colored minister — Interview with the impostor Matthias — Wayside remarks 335 XXI. Letter whiting. — Extensive correspondence — Dictation of let- ters in old age — Music — Constancy in friendships 349 XXII. Elizabeth and White Lake. — ^Venerable friends — Dominie Kit- tle — Eev. Dr. Magie — ^Kev. Dr. Murray — Life at White Lake — Colporteur-work there^His "golden wedding" — Prayer-meet- ings at Elizabeth — Death of adopted daughter --- 352 xxin. Last Days. — Sudden illness — Dying scenes — His last words — Death, March 3, 1865— Letters— " Conclusion of the whole matter" - 364 APPENDIX. S6venty-seven maxims for Ms grandsons 373 Letter to his mother on the death of Washington, etc. 382 Story of Eev. Frederic Leo, and of Eev. Levris Way — 386 Preaching in Lancaster graveyard— The hatters' Sunday visit- 388 Incidents in Ware Village — To a merchant in Germany 392 Hearing Jenny Lind— An American's visit to king of Sweden- 398 Incident at sea — White Lake summer recreations j^ 400 Flowers and winter — October farewell — Human life 401 RECORDS FROM THE LIFE OF S. V. S. WILDER. I. j^ni I win fsfaMisft rag cmmmt ieUvuu m([ awd the([, mi tfcg SPPJI a^feit tUe([, m Jfc«>[ ^metaiUm, tfii\ m wprlasttttg ftutpuaui j t« t^ a l^od u»t<( fket[f mii U tftg spfd met{ iU$i, ^m. Mil. No one passing througli the beautiful town of Lancaster, Mass., can have failed to notice the elm- trees, so remarkable for size and symmetry, which constitute the chief outward attraction of the place. One of these, standing just below the " old com- mon" near the ancestral home of S. V. S. Wilder, and partly overshadowing the burial-place of his fathers, might almost be considered a type of him- self. It grew in the highway, where all passing by might rejoice in its shadow. It was planted there, • a mere sapHng, by one of his ancestors, and noble in form and bearing, extending widely its branches, it, aU through life and still in old age, brought forth ]* 10 EECOBDS OF S. V. S. WILDEB. a rich treasure of blessing for all coming under its influence. "Blessed," and like such a tree, said Jeremiah, "is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." Jer. 17 : 7. Of this the history, of S. V. S. Wilder, in connection with that of his ancestry, is but another illustration. Of this ancestry many interesting records are preserved. Thomas Wilder, coming from Lancas- ter in England, spelling his name Wyelder, signs his name, July 1, 1659, to a " covenant," entered into by the first settlers of Lancaster, "for the bet- ter preserving of rehgion and ourselves from infec- tion of error." His son Thomas Wilder, Jr., paid among the highest rates for building a house for the minister, and also gave from his own farm a plot for the pubhc burying-ground, in which he was the first interred. His son Judge Joseph Wilder was an "active magistrate;" is called "a man of extensive influ- ence, who in the depths of his wisdom opposed Lan- caster's being made a shire-town, lest it should be the means of corrupting the morals of the inhab- itants." Col. Caleb Wilder was the son of Judge Joseph. The old homestead, which, although it had been fortified during the troubles with the Indians, had suffered much from their assaults as well as from those of time, he allowed to subside into a mere farm-house, replacing it by a substantial brick house. BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 11 To this dwelling, newly iinislied, Levi Wilder, the son of Col. Caleb, brought his bride Sarah Stoddard ; and in it, May 20th, 1780, was born his son Sampson Veyling Stoddaed Wilder. The character of Levi Wilder in many respects foreshadowed that of his more widely known son. He is said more than once to have spent the whole day riding round with the sheriff sent to collect the minister's tax, and himself paying the dues when the cow or pig of any poor family would otherwise be seized in order to raise the sum required. In his last sickness, occasioned by a fall, he encour- aged his wife to adopt a poor destitute child, brought to her by its father, saying, " Take her, SaUie, you'll be blessed." He was beloved and respected by all, and died Jan. 5, 1793, aged 42. Of his paternal ancestry, S. V. S. Wilder, in 1859, wrote to a distant relative, " Standing as I do on the ashes of a hundred generations who have entered upon the retributions of the eternal world, and having nearly attained to the age as- signed in the sacred Scriptures as the outer verge of Hfe's duration, I have deemed it a matter of sec- ondary consideration whether the name of Wilder has been distingiiished by any chivalrous deeds or scientific discoveries, or if it has in any way been engraved on the perishing tablets of earthly fame, provided the name be found written in the 'Lamb's book of life.' Nor have I considered it a matter of any consequence whether those of the name pos- sessed a few acres more or less of this terrestrial 12 EECOBDS OF S. V. 8. WILDEB. sod, or the glittering dust beneath its surface, pro- vided they have a clear title to ' an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,' ' eternal in the heavens.' " And again he v?rites, " May not the feeble remnant of the elder branch of the Wilder family contemplate with thriUing and sacred emotion the joyful day when they shall recognize the pure spirits of their pious ancestry among the redeemed throng in that bliss- ful abode, where a more than earthly kindred shall be the bond, love to the Saviour the inspiring mo- tive, and praise to Him the everlasting theme?" The Stoddaed family, to which Mr. Wilder's mother belonged, emigrated from the West of Eng- land, and came to Boston about A. D. 1639. Mr. Wilder ever felt that his great-uncle, the Bev. Sol- omon Stoddard of Northampton, though distin- guished as a divine, had done harm by favoring the introduction of the "half-way covenant" into the New England churches. Mr. Wilder's grand- father, Sampson Stoddard, who married Margaret Vryling, was the third in descent from the origiaal settler in this country, Anthony Stoddard. This Sampson Stoddard graduated at Harvard in 1730, was a man of property, and much respected. The promise to Abraham and his seed was made when he was called to leave his father's house, and seek a distant country where he could find "freedom to worship God." Did Margaret Von Vryling, in 1715, think of this when she too, for a like reason, left the land of her fathers for a BIETH AND ANCESTRY'. 13 new home among strangers? Yet not strangers, for here on this Western soil did ah-eady many of her best friends, her kindred, dwell — those who, like herself, had here sought refage from intoler- ance and persecution. Of the history of Margaret Van Vryling and her immediate descendants, also of some particulars respecting his father's loss of property, Mr. Wilder has himself left some details. These were given in partial answer to inquiry as to the way in which he had been led, amidst counter influences, to take so decided a stand on the Lord's side, and this at a comparatively early period in life. This record was intended — to use his own words — " to show how the blessed truths of the gospel, as preached at Amsterdam by the Rev. John Robinson of Puri- tan memory, were transmitted from mother to daughter, and were thus imbibed by my precious grandmother and mother, and that it was through their instrumentality, by the sustaining grace of God,' that I was enabled to resist the seductions and temptations of errors which at one time spread throughout New England." "My maternal great-grandfather Van Vryling was a dis- tinguished merchant in Amsterdam, and acquired his prop- erty in trading between that city and Batavia. He died about the year 1714, leaving an ample fortune to his family, consisting of a wife, Mrs. Margaret Van Vryling, and four daughters, the youngest of whom was my grandmother Mar- garet Vryling, then an infant. "After the death of King William III., in 1702, party politics and religious dissensions prevailed in Holland to an 14: EEOOBDS or S. V. S. WILDEH. alarming extent for many years, to tlie severance, in many instances, of family ties and social intercourse. The Vryling family were not exempt from this religious disunion. "For many years previous to the death of William and Mary, my great-grandmother Margaret Van VryUng, having when a girl been sent to a boarding-school at Dort, had, by the grace of God, imbibed the orthodox tenets -which were promulgated by the pious Robinson and our Pilgrim fathers during their stay in Holland, previous to their embarkation for Plymouth Eock in 1620. Her two eldest daughters, how- ever, who were many years older than my grandmother, had embraced the then more fashionable and lax opinions of Erasmus. " The Van Vryling family being thus divided on the great and essential truths of the gospel, and my pious, evangeUcal great - grandmother being unrelentingly ' persecuted for righteousness' sake ' by her influential opponents, and find- ing no longer any sympathy, peace, or comfort in the society of her two oldest daughters, decided to divide the heritage with them, and embark with her portion thereof and that of -her two youngest daughters for the land of the Pilgrims, where she could openly profess the pure doctrines of the cross, and worship God in conformity to the dictates of her own conscience, without any one to molest or make her afraid. "Commending therefore her two eldest daughters .to the God of all grace, and cherishing the fond hope that their hearts would ere long become imbued with the riches of divine grace, and they thereby be led to reUnquish their heretical views and follow her footsteps to this land of ref- uge, and bidding farewell to aU her former associates and to the local attachments of her younger years, this lonely widow embarked, in the year 1715, with her two youngest daugh- ters and several pious Dutch famihes, who, hke herself, were animated with the same glorious hopes, cheered by the same exhilarating prospects, relying on the same gracious promises, and looking to the same divine Saviour for sal- vation. "It seems, however, that this my truly evangelical great- BIRTH AND ANCESTRY. 15 grandinotlier, who relinquished all the associations and en- dearments of her native home for the gospel's sake, never realized her fond anticipations of being joined by her two eldest daughters, who lived as maiden ladies in Amsterdam to a great age. " After several years' residence in Boston, my great-grand- mother was called to mourn the death of the eldest of her two daughters in this country ; and two years after, the bereaved mother died, in the joyful hope of a blissful immortality, leaving my grandmother Margaret Vryhng — the Van, it seems, then being reUncfuished — sole heiress of all the prop- erty, whiob was considered in those days a large estate. "Previous to this period, my maternal grandfather Samp- son Stoddard, who was then a widower with one son, Samp- son, and one daughter, had made the acquaintance of my grandmother Margaret Vryling, with whom he was subse- quently united in the sacred bonds of matrimony. "My grandfather Stoddard, unwilhng to appropriate any part of the Vryling patrimony to his own use, and desirous to secure the same for the benefit of his wife and the chil- dren of his second marriage, invested those funds in the pur- chase of the townships of Ktz.- William, Ackworth, Stoddard — which bears his name — and a part of the town of Eindge, New Hampshire, forming in the aggregate upwards of eighty thousand acres. "By this second marriage he had one daughter, Sarah Stoddard, who was my highly cherished mother, and one son, Vryling Stoddard. "My two uncles, Sampson .Stoddard and Vryhng Stod- dard aforesaid, who were educated at Cambridge, graduating there in 1763 and 1765, died before my mother's marriage, and she became sole heiress of her mother's estate, and I inherited the combined names of said uncles. Hence the initials S. V. S. W. "About the year 1770, intelligence was received from Amsterdam that both the maiden sisters of my grandmother had died within a few months of each other, leaving a prop- erty to the heirs in America of thirty- two thousand pounds sterling in cash, with three houses estimated to be worth six 16 BECOBD8 OF S. V. S. ^YILDEE. or seven thousand pounds more; making in all, -witli accumu- lated interest, about forty thousand pounds sterling. The question then was, how to transmit this property to America. "It so happened that at this period there resided at Chelmsford, of which place my great-grandfather was the minister, a retired sea-captain, who some ten years before had purchased a snug estate near my grandfather's, and who had become intimate with the family. This captain proposed to my grandfather to charter a moderate sized vessel, and proceed to Amsterdam, with full powers to dispose of the real estate and sell the public securities of the thirty-two thousand pounds, invest the whole in specie, and return with it to Boston. "My grandfather having most unqualified confidence in this captain, readily embraced what was then considered an advantageous arrangement. Accordingly the requisite pa- pers, with authenticated vouchers identifying the heirs in this country, were made out and delivered to the said cap- tain, who proceeded in his chartered vessel to Amsterdam. After remaining there between five and six months, he wrote home to my grandfather that he had succeeded in disposing of the real estate for a little rising five thousand pounds; that he had sold the stocks, and had realized some thirty-eight thousand pounds sterling for the whole, which, in conform- ity with instructions, he had invested in specie, and that he had caused insurance thereon to be effected in London, from the port of Amsterdam to that of Boston in America, and that he was ready to sail with the first fair wind. "This was the last letter that was ever received from him. The only intelligence that he had sailed was an announce- ment to that efi'ect in an English paper a few days after the date of the last letter. "Month after month rolled away, and no tidings of said vessel until after eighteen months, when two sailors arrived in Boston from China, stating that they were hands on board said vessel, and were the only survivors who escaped when the vessel was wrecked in the straits of Malacca. "On being questioned before a magistrate in Boston, they stated that when the vessel, on its way to America, BIKTH AND ANOESTEY. 17 reached the mouth of the British Channel, the captain assem- bled the crew, and apprized them that by proceeding to China and investing in teas and silk, he could more than double the amount ; and that if they would assent to pro- ceed to China, he would double their wages and allow them a certain percentage on the profits of the voyage. "Having thus obtained the assent of the crew, the course of the vessel was changed, by crossing the Bay of Biscay and round the Cape of Good Hope, until they reached the straits of Malacca, where the vessel foundered, and all perished but these two men, who were picked up by another vessel. "Whether the captain was tempted by the large funds in possession to run away, or whether he really intended to invest the property and return to Boston, will never be known until the parties shall be summoned to the judgment- seat of Christ. But be this as it may, it was a deviation from the direct course, and in consequence vitiated the insurance. Thus was lost to the family a property of nearly two hundred thousand dollars. "But misfortunes seldom come singly. A few years after the foregoing catastrophe, my grandfather Stoddard, desir- ous of having his townships settled and reahzing part of the proceeds, made arrangements with from one to two hundred young men to proceed thither and select farms of two hun- dred acres each, and become actual settlers thereon, and agreed that when they could pay down a certain portion, he would give them deeds, taking mortgages for the residue of the payment. ' ' My grandfather, not having stipulated to be paid in hard money, and being a firm Whig and patriot, and having great confidence in the good faith of the new government that the Continental paper money would eventually be re- deemed, a portion of the young men availed themselves of its deterioration — when one silver dollar would purchase fifty, or even a hundred paper dollars — to pay off my grand- father, and thus obtain their deeds. "I perfectly recoUeet, when a boy, seeing in the attic of our brick mansion in Lancaster, several barrels of this mon- ey, which had been paid to my grandfather and his execu- 18 BECOKDS OF S. V. S. WILDER. tors, and which our government finally redeemed at one cent on the dollar. "But hundreds of farms in the aforesaid townships were taken possession of by squatters at and after the period of my grandfather's death, during the distracted times of our Revolutionary struggle, who never obtained any titles from the Stoddard family. " I well recollect that a short time after my father's death, a lawyer from Stoddard called on my mother, and stated that two claimants were iu Utigation respecting a valuable farm in the town, and he being employed in behalf of one of the claimants, offered my mother one thousand dollars for her deed of the farm ; but she absolutely refused to accede to the offer, saying that although there was no original title from the Stoddard family, yet subsequent ownei-s had undoubtedly paid a fair price for it, and she would not incur the risk of doing an act of injustice for any pecuniary consideration whatever. "The result of this attempt to procure a title from the direct heir of the Stoddard estate, led other holders of prop- erty in the aforesaid towns to retrace their titles. Such they found to be the deficiency, and such the number and value of farms that were destitute of original titles, and such was then considered the importance of obtaining a clear title from the Stoddard estate, that another lawyer from that section of country called on my mother, and importuned her for several days to accept of fifty thousand dollars for her full and irre- vocable power of attorney to act in the matter as he might hereafter deem expedient ; but for reasons already assigned she absolutely dechned the tempting offer. " On taldng leave of this conscientious mother for the last time, on the eve of my departure for Prance, she en- joined on me as the next heir after her decease, never to dis- turb the firesides of those who were now in quiet possession of the numerous farms aforesaid. " Thus it wiU be perceived that in this world of mutabil- ity, a once opulent branch of our family became, by two un- toward events in the providence of God, dispossessed of what was considered in those days a vast property. BIBTH AND ANCESTEY. 19 "But in this, as in every other event of life, we may be consoled by the conviction that every thing cooperates di- rectly or indirectly for the accompUshment of the wise designs of that Providence who ' doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth;' and if we, the descendants of our pious grandmother, do not inherit their worldly possessions, if we can imitate their vir- tues, and possess their faith iu the blood and righteousness of a crucified Eedeemer, we may hope, in God's good time, to possess with them an 'inheritance, where neither moth nor rust doth cormpt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal,' and where ' all tears shall be wiped ' from sorrow's eye. "You may wish to know something of the person, appear- ance, and character of my grandmother Margaret Vryling. She is said to have been a tall, elegant young lady of prepos- sessing appearance and lady-hke manners. She died when I was about eight years of age, but I recoUect her face and figure perfectly when she was above eighty. She was then very upright, standing about five feet six inches high, as nearly as I can remember ; a person of no ordinary appear- ance, and one who commanded the deference and respect of all who approached her. "Being of the real orthodox Whitefield school, and hold- ing the glorious truths she had imbibed from her pious, evau- geUcal mother, she was greatly opposed to the prevaihng lax or Socinian doctrines. Wishing to educate a. minister who, by the grace of God, would one day preach nothing but the pure doctrines of the cross, she entreated my father and mother to place me at her disposition ; and upon their acced- ing to her request, presented me with six thousand acres of land on Pleasant river in Maine, and eight hundred dollars in cash, to caiTy me through college and the theological course. Prom that time I was placed at the first grammar-schools, where I continued to pursue my studies with unremitting dihgenoe and perseverance until the age of thirteen, at which time my father, on his death-bed, expressed a wish- that I should enter mercantile hfe. "It must here be stated that my benevolently disposed 20 BECOBDS OF S. V. S. WILDER. father, a few years before his death, merely to oblige a friend, endorsed for him to the amount of between three and four thousand pounds sterling, it being said at the time to be ' for form's sake only,' as his friend was reputed to have ample means to meet the debt at maturity. But my father, con- trary to his expectations, was called upon, a year or two after, to pay the amount of the endorsement. In order to provide the means, he shipped two cargoes of potash to England, in- tending to apply part of the proceeds to this purpose ; but the vessels and cargoes being wrecked in a storm on the coast of Ireland before the advices for insurance thereon had reached London, my father sustained a loss of some fifty thousand dollars, which swept off nearly the whole of a snug personal proi^erty which he then possessed, and obUged him to mortgage his home estate, consisting of fifteen hundred acres, in order to make out the requisite sum to pay the aforesaid bonds. His being aware, in consequence of these disastrous losses, of the cu'cumscribed means with which his widow and fatherless children would be left, was probably his motive for changing my destination for Ufe, thinking thereby to place me in a more advantageous position to assist the fam- ily in case of need. "I was therefore compelled to relinquish my studies, and was immediately placed behind the counter, where, and in various mercantile operations in Europe and this country, I have passed the last sixty years of my unprofitable life. " To his mother Mr. Wilder felt that he owed much, writing, in another connection, "If I have any title to the endearing name of evangelical Christian, it is to the faithful, untiring admonitions impressed, ' line upon line, precept upon precept,' by this devoted mother, that, by the grace of God, I owe that blessing." "Planted," as it were "in the house of the Lord," it was truly according to promise that he BIRTH AND ANOESTBY. 21 "flourislied in the courts of our God," and still " brought forth fruit in old age." If the seed thus early sown did not immediately germinate, is it not to the encouragement of Christian parents that it was no doubt very much due to the influence of a pious ancestry that Mr. Wilder became so eminently one of those " trees of righteousness" of which Isa- iah speaks, " the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified ?" The magnificent elm-tree of his native place, to which we compared him, now no longer remains. All the places here which once knew Mm, must now know him no more ; but, transplanted to the banks of the pure river of the water of life, he lives for evermore where not even a leaf can again wither away. 22 EEOOKDS OF S. V. S. WILDEB. II. wag t^ Idijg ttpan: tb^ lawil wftwlj: tft^ |«r[ win tutW ttjrfff ih([ %ifvi Theee is a grandeur and simplicity in the JBible cause, from ibs intrinsic worth and the interest in it perhaps inseparable from true Christian character, which distinguishes it fi-om every other means of spreading the gospel. Mr. Wilder, as an enlightened citizen, much more as a Christian, could not fail to take a part in the circulation of the Bible. But his interest in it amounted to more than this. To those who knew him best did the vein of attachment to it, running through his hfe, constantly appear. In view of any unnecessary expenditure, he would say, " Wait till all the world is supplied with Bibles." In personal distribution of the Scriptures, it has been seen, he early took an active part even before the formation of the Paris Bible Society. How in that society he was appreciated may be seen in a letter from its Secretary, Baron de Stael, dated Paris, April 20, 1823,. to the American Bible Society. " Our excellent friend Mr. Wilder will soon re- visit his native shores, and we cannot sufficiently 258 KECORDS OP S. V. S. WILDER. express how deeply his absence will be felt by all who witnessed his indefatigable zeal for the promo- tion of true Christianity in this country. But if any thing can lessen our regret, it is the confidence that Mr. Wilder's stay among his countrymen will lead to a more and more evangelical union between the good men on both sides of the Atlantic, and secure to us the continuance of your kindness and benev- olence, than which no human reward can be a more welcome recompense for our feeble labors. "With the highest regard and most fraternal attachment, we remain, sir, " Your most obedient humble servants. "A. STAEL, Secketaet." In 1821, Mr. Wilder spoke at the anniversary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, congratulat- ing them " upon the growing successes of their in- stitution, an institution he considered the crowning glory of the British nation." He was for a time the chief channel of communication between the three Bible societies of England, America, and France, transmitting aid from the two former to their youn- ger sister. In a letter to Eev. Dr. James MUnor, then For- eign Secretary of the American Bible Society, dated Paris, Jan. 15, 1821, Mr. Wilder says, " Since our first Report, we have enlisted in our glorious work men who, not long since, were fighting the battles of their country, and who having, as I trust, put on the shield of the Spirit, are now zealously engaged RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 259 in fighting tlie battles of their Lord and Saviour, by becoming active members of our Committee, and by personally contributing to the dissemina- tion of that sacred volume which contains the rec- ords of eternal life." Again, March 18, 1822, Mr. Wilder writes to Mr. Nitehie of the Bible Society, " Be assured, dear sir, that it will always afford me peculiar pleasure to assist, by every means and in any degree, the sacred relations which unite in one bond of Christian brotherhood the friends of the Bible Societies of America and France. Though called by Providence to reside in the metropolis of France, I am not less in heart a citizen of the Unit- ed States ; nor can I contemplate my native coun- try as holding the second rank among the nations of the world in the glorious cause of the distribu- tion of the sacred Scriptures without the liveliest emotions of affectionate attachment. That the progress of the American Bible Society during the past year should have been evident, does not sur- prise me ; it is the cause of God in which it is em- barked, and there is no doubt but its labors and success, with those of similar institutions, wiU con- tinue to increase till the divine promises shall be fulfilled, and ' the earth shall -be full of the know- ledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.' "As it always happens too in similar cases, so in this country the leaven works and spreads its enlivening influence ; kindred institutions for tracts, schools, and other Christian and philanthropic ob- 260 EECOKDS OF S. V. S. WILDEB. jects are rising up around the Bible Society, and we may confidently hope that the thousands of prayers offered up in France by the devoted ser- vants of Christ of former times, will return in show- ers of blessings on this and succeeding genera- tions. " I salute you in love to our common Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and remain, dear sir, " Your most obedient, "S. V. S. WILDEB." In Mr. Wilder's speech before the American Bible Society in 1824, he mentioned the following facts, in connection with remarks upon the fleeting and evanescent nature of all worldly grandeur and distinction. As an officer in the Paris Bible Society, the duty at one time devolved upon him of introducing to a member of the British Parliament Count General Bapp, the last survivor of the principal officers of Napoleon, and who was then vice- president of the society. In performing this task, he re- peated the titles by which the count was recognized. Imme- diately after the introduction, the count drew him aside, and begged of him, if he ever again had occasion to perform the hke duty, to omit the mention of those empty distinctions, ' and simply to announce him as Vice-president of the Paris Bible Society; "for," said he, "of aU the titles and honors I have borne, none at this moment yields me such high and sohd satisfaction as that." Mr. Wilder further said that he had so often heard objec- tions to giving to so many institutions, that he would take the liberty to mention an incident. When residing in the city of Paris, as he was one morning engaged in opening his letters, a person was .shown into his office, who presented a subscription paper for some local Bible society; but thinking RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 261 that he had done his part in the parent institution, he at fli-st objected. Being urged however, he put down his name for one hundred francs, and proceeded to read his letters, in one of which he was informed that a vessel in which he was con- cerned, and which was bound to this port, had been lost on the Jersey shore. In order to " lay up " some of the "treas- ure" yet remaining to him, he immediately doubled his sub; scription. In a day or two the agent called for the money ; and it so happened that Mr. Wilder at the very time was again engaged in reading his letters, by one of which he received advices from this city that a second ship had arrived sqfe, and in con- sequence of the loss of the former vessel, goods had risen so much, that on this second cargo he realized more than double the amount he expected. In a Bible address Mr. Wilder made this elo- quent appeal : " If in the course of our mortal pilgrimage we should meet any of our feUow-immortals who are careless and unconcerned with regard to their eter- nal peace, give them a Bible ; the perusal of it wiU create iu them a spirit of inquiry. If there be any who are building on a false foundation, give them a Bible ; it will induce them to dig deep, and not to be satisfied until their building rests on the Bock of ages. If there be any who are luUed into a state of fatal security, give them a Bible. If there be any who are wrapped up in their own self-righteousness, give them a Bible ; they wiU. there learn that it is only through the blood and righteousness of a cru- cified Eedeemer that they can hope for salvation. If there be any who are secret or open opposers of diTuie truth, give them a Bible, and they wiU find 262 EECOEDS OP S. y. S. WILDER. that.it is hard to kick against the pricks. If there be any who are perfectly satisfied vnth. themselves •while in a state of sin and unholiness, give them a Bible ; it will show them the necessity of repent- ance and regeneration. If there are any whose hearts are pierced with the arrow of conviction, give them a Bible ; it will teach them that 'there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby they must be saved,' but the name of Jesus Christ. If there be any who are almost persuaded to become Christians, give them a Bible ; they will there learn that delays are dangerous, and that the Son of man cometh in an hour when they think not. If there be any who are anxiously inquiring what they shall do to be saved, give them a Bible, which will point them to 'the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.' If there be any who are rejoicing in hope, give them a Bible ; it wiU confirm their faith, strengthen their confidence in the promises of God, alleviate their sufferings on the bed of sickness, be their comfort and consola- tion at the hour of death, and serve as a theme of rejoicing during the endless ages of eternity. In short, sir, if among the thousands to whom the Bible is given, only one weary pilgrim of this earth should be refreshed, one sufferer relieved, one weak believer strengthened, one thoughtless sinner rous- ed, one wanderer led back to the right way, one soul saved, who would not gladly cooperate in such a work, and cheerfully bestow his mite in its be- half? EELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 263 " Ib a few years, perhaps months, weeks, or days, we shall be called from aU the scenes of usefulness and Christian benevolence which characterize and adorn the present age, to appear before the judg- ment-seat of Christ. Oh let us resolve, with the grace of God assisting us, to work while the day lasts, and not be weary in well-doing until every nation, every family, and every individual of our race shall be furnished with that sacred volume, which contains the records of eternal life." Mr. Wilder was elected a member of the Board of Managers of the American Bible Society in May, 1831, which oface he held till May, 1843, when he declined a reelection. In December, 1827, in reply to a communication from four ministers of Worcester county, Mass., Revs. John Nelson, Horatio BardweU, Josiali Clarke, and Loammi I. Hoadley, Mr. Wilder proposed a special meeting of the friends of the Bible in that county, " with a view that, vdth the grace of God assisting, every destitute family in it should be sup- plied with a Bible before the expiration of the ensu- ing year.'' This was among the earlier efforts of the kiad. To his daughters and granddaughters, upon their marriage, Mr. Wilder presented each a large Fam- ily Bible, with essentially the same inscription on the fly-leaf: " That the contents of this sacred volume may be your guide and comfort in life, your support and consolation at the great and eventful hoxir of death, 204 BECOBDS OF S. V. S. WILDEE. and serve you as a theme of rejoicing during the endless ages of eternity, is the prayer of your affec- tionate father, "S. V. S. WILDEE." For the work of Foreign Missions Mr. Wilder cherished a warm attachment, especially as carried forward by means of the American Board of Com- missioners for Foreign Missions. Of this Board he was elected a corporate member at its annual meet- ing in September, 1823. Before 1823, Mr. Wilder's known interest in Dr. Jonas King's movements, and in the Paris Mission- ary Society, had brought him into business rela- tions with the friends of missions in this country. By request of the Prudential Committee, he had made inquiries for them in Paris about the casting of type in the Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Armenian, and Turkish characters, making such purchases as ordered. The letters regarding these commissions were written by Jeremiah Evarts, Esq., Secretary ; with whom Mr. Wilder afterwards became inti- mately acquainted, and whose name he murmured with dying lips just before their blest reuniting above. With Dr. Cornelius also, and his much esteemed associates and successors, Drs. Andersoii, Treat, Armstrong, and G. W. Wood, Mr. Wilder ever maintained the most friendly intercourse, ex- tending far beyond mere official bounds. After his return to this country he was from time to time appointed to attend local missionary BELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 265 meetings, as a delegate from the parent Society — a duty sometimes involving more than a week of ser- vice. Addresses made by him on some of these occasions show how deeply his heart was enlisted in the missionary work. At one of these he said, "If the sight of this assembly, convened for such a purpose, tends to enkindle sentiments of de- vout wonder and gratitude, what, sir, should be our reflections when memory reviews the recollection of those who have left us here, iu all the quiet and ease and plenty of our beloved homes, that they may toil in distant lands to carry yoiu* plans of benevolence into effect, bearing the brunt of the conflict, and often sinking and dying under the bur- den and heat of the day? Let us forget the little that we have done in the greatness of their labors. Let us on all proper occasions do what we can to assure them that they are bound to our hearts by the strongest ties of Christian esteem and love. " And what, sir, are the privations which these missionaries experience, the saciifices they make, the toils they endure? They are called upon to quit for ever that spot which is so dear to us all, which amid aU our wanderings we can never forget, and which we revisit always to cherish there the purest, the tenderest recollections — home. The very word brings such a flood of emotions over my soul that I cannot flnd language to describe them. Of this home the missionary often takes a final farewell, never, never again to meet parents, broth- ers, sisters, friends; deprived of this solace — ah, Wil