r •J 
 
 O H 
 
 
 
 e N 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 >: ,^^°* 
 
 
 ."^^vP. 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 .0" o°_l'*. 'O. Jc" -•-.''» 
 
 ""-^-o^ r 
 
 
 
 
 
 9 aV O 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 - ^o^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o -^> -^ 
 
 'bV 
 
 v-^' 
 
 • cP ^ Vv - 
 
 
 
 <>^ *■ o » •" ^» 
 
 ■'y^. 
 
 rt V - - - "t* A > 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ,v "^^ 
 
 .0' 
 
 \3 ♦^TTV* A 
 
 <r. 'ow* ,0' 
 
 
 ^o. *^.. « 
 
y A SKETCB 
 
 OF THE 
 
 VrPli AXD SERVICES 
 
 •» 
 
 ^^Dtl €^mC$it^ fl^lf9ttj$(j 
 
 OF TFJS" 
 
 * •' . • 
 
 V^ITEB STdTES OF MIEMCA. 
 
 \m.x 
 

 N *) 8. S iT 
 
)&rtcli> #C4 
 
 TO refute calumny hy a plaia statement of facts, 
 and to sliovv to the American people the just claims 
 of tlie present Chief Ma2;istrate to their continued 
 confidence, the following account of him has heeti 
 compiled. The relation of occurrences, in the early 
 part of his life, is taken from a hio^apliical notice of 
 Mr. Adams, which appeared in the Port Folio, in 
 the Year 1819. The residue is matter of general 
 notoriety to the ])eople of America, to whom this 
 sketch is respectfully submitted. 
 
 John (|uincy Adams is descended from a race of 
 farmers, tradesmen, and mechanics. In 1630, his 
 remote ancestor, Henry Adams, came to America, 
 with seven sons, and 'established himself in this 
 Country. Thus early rooted in the soil, a warm 
 attachment to the cause and the rights of America 
 lias been, from generation to generation, the birth- 
 
 right of this family. 
 
 The iirstof this name, who emerged from private 
 life, and rose to conspicuous public stations, were 
 Samuel Adams, the proscribed patriot of tke Hevolu^ 
 tion, and John Adams, who was pronounced by his 
 venerable co-patriot Thora&s .Tefferson, "tiie Colossus 
 of Independence." These two distinguished bene- 
 factors of their Country, were descendants of the same 
 remote ancestor.— Samuel Adams deceased without 
 male issue; .John (|uincy Adams is the Son of his 
 illustrious fellow laborer and relative. 
 
 He was born in the year 17^7. antl was named for 
 John Quincy, his great grandfather, who bore a dis» 
 tinguished part in the councils of the province, aitte 
 commencement of the b'^.t Centni;y. 
 
4 tlFE AND SERVICES 
 
 The principles of A.merican independence and free, 
 dora were instilled into tiie raind of Mr. Jolu« Quincy 
 Adams, in the very dawn of his existence. B "ih of 
 his revered (jarents h.id ent?red, with every power 
 and faculty, into the cause of tne i ountry. VVhen 
 the Father of Mr. Adams repaired to France, as 
 joint Commissioner with Franklin and Lee, he was 
 accompanied by his Son John Quincy, then in his 
 11th year. In this Country he passed a year and a 
 half with his Fatijer, and enjoyed the enviable pri- 
 vilei;e of the daily intercourse and parental atten- 
 tions of Benjamin Franklin ; whose kind notice of 
 theyoun^ was a peculiar trait in his character; and 
 whose primitive simplicity of manners and methodi- 
 cal habits left a lasting impression on the mind of 
 his youthful countryman. 
 
 After a residence of about eighteen months in 
 France, John Quinry Adams returned to America 
 with his Father, who came home, to take part in the 
 formation of the Constitution of his native State, 
 After a sojourn of a few months at home, the voice of 
 the Country called on Mr. Adams's fathei as;ain to 
 repair to Europe, as a Commissioner for negotiating 
 a treaty of peace aad commerce with Great Britain, 
 wh'^nevershe might be dispo-^ed to put an end to the 
 war. 
 
 He took his Son with him. They sailed in a 
 French frigate bound to Brest, but the vessel having 
 sprung a dangerous leak, was obliged to put into the 
 nearest port, which proved to be Ferrol, in Spain. 
 F'mm that place Mr. Adams travelled by land to 
 Paris, where he arrived in January 178O, and where 
 his Son J. Q, Adams was put to school. In the 
 month of Jnly. ofthe same year, Mr. Adams repair- 
 ed t'- Holland to negotiate a loan in thit Country. 
 His Hon accompanied him. and was placed first in 
 the public School of the ('i!y of Amsterdam, and 
 afterwards in the University of Leyden. In July 
 4781,Mr. Francis ^ana, (afterwards Chief Justice 
 
OP JOHN Q,UINC*r ADAMS. S 
 
 efthe State of Massachusetts,) who had gone ont 
 with Mr. Adams, as Secretary of Legation, received, 
 from the continental Congress, the Commission of 
 Minister to the Kmprcss of llnssia, and John Q. 
 Adams was selected hy Mr. Dana, as a private Sec- 
 retary on this mission. 
 
 Aff^r spending foiiiteen months with Mr. Dana, 
 he left him to retnrn throu2;!i Sweden, Denmark, 
 Hamhurgh, and Bremen, to Holland, where his Fa- 
 ther had been publicly received as minister from tho 
 IJ. S. and had concluded a commercial treaty with 
 tbf s »^pnblic of Vv^ Netherlands. He performed this 
 jouiuey during th- A'inter of i783-S, being sixteen 
 ye us of age, witlumt a corjpaai^n. He reached the 
 Hague in April 1783, his father being at that time 
 engaged at Paris, in flie negotiations of peace. — 
 From ', pril to July his Son remained at the Hague 
 under thecare of Vlr. Dumas a native of Switzerland, 
 a zeal-Mis friend of America, who then filled the 
 Office of an agent of tlie United States. The nrgo- 
 tiations for peace being suspended in July, Mr, 
 Adams's father repaired on business to Amsterdam, 
 and on his return to Paris he took his son with him. 
 The definitive treaty of peace was signed in Sepiem. 
 ber I7«3, from which lime till May 1785, lie was 
 chiefly with his father iu England," Holland, and 
 France. 
 
 It was at this period, that he formed an acquaint, 
 ance with VI i-. JelTerson, tlien residing in France as 
 American Minister. The intercourse'of Mr. Jeffer- 
 son witii his former colleague, the father of Mr. 
 Adams, was .f an intimate and confidential kitul, 
 and led to a friendship for his Son, which, formed in 
 early life, scarcely sullered an interruption from sub- 
 sefjuent political dissensions— and revived with ori- 
 ginal strength, during the last years of the life of this 
 veiieraled s'alesman. 
 
 Mr. A(!;!ms was, at the period last mentioned, 
 about eighteen y^ors of age. Born iu the crisis «f 
 
O XIFE AND services; 
 
 his Country's fortunes, he had led a life of WTtuleP- 
 iiii; find viai«situdp, unusual at any apjc. His educa- 
 tion, in every thing but the school of liberty, bad been 
 jnierrupted and irres;uhir. He had seen much of the 
 world — mujch of men — ami had enjoyed but little 
 leisure lor Books. Anxious to complete his educa- 
 tion, and still more anxious to return to his native 
 America, uliea his father was in 1785 appointed 
 minister to tlie Court of 8t James, his son, at that 
 period of life when the splendor and pleasures of a 
 City like !-ondon are most calculated to fascinate and 
 raislead, asked permission of bis Father to 2;o l)ack 
 to his native shores. Tiiis be accordingly did. On 
 liis return to America be became a member of the 
 ancient seat of learning at Cambridge, where, as early 
 as 1713. vSamuel x\dams, in taking his degrees, bad 
 maintained the proposition, "(hat the people have a 
 just right of resistance, when oppressed bv their rii- 
 'icrs." 
 
 In July 1787? ^^r. Adams left college and entered 
 the oSiceof Theophilus Parsons, afterwards Chief 
 Justice of the State, as a Student of Law at Newbury- 
 pnrt. On the visit cf General Washington to that 
 town, in 17S9, Air. Parsons, being chosen by his 
 fellow citizens to be the medium of expressing their 
 sentiments t:) the (yeneral, called upon bis pupils 
 each to prepare an address. This call was obeyed 
 by Mr. Adams, aad his address was delivered by 
 Mr. Parson?. 
 
 After completing his Law studies at Newbury- 
 port, Mr. Adams removed to the Capital of Massa- 
 chusetts, with a view of employing himself in the 
 practice of the profession. The business of a young 
 lawyer is generally of inconsiderable amount, and 
 Mr. Adams employed the leisure afforded him by 
 this circumstance and by his industrious habits, in 
 speculations upou the great political questions of the 
 Any. 
 
 in April i793, on the first information that war 
 
OF JOHN QXJINCY ADAMS. 7 
 
 between Great Britain and France had been (lcclar«. 
 ed, Mr. Adams published a shoit series of papers, 
 the object of which was-, to prove that the duty and 
 interest of the United Htates, required them to re- 
 main neutral in the contest. 'I'hcse papers were 
 published, before General Washington's proclama- 
 tion of neutrality, and without any knowledi^e that 
 such a proclamation would issue. iUiu opinions they 
 expressed were in opposition to the ideas generally 
 prevailing, that the treaty of alliance ot 177^ t>bliged 
 US to take part in the wars of France. But the pro- 
 clamation of neutrality by General Washington, 
 sanctioned by all his Cabinet, with Mr. Jefferson at 
 its head, was shortly made public, and confirmed the 
 justice of the views wiiicii Mr. Adams had been (it is 
 believed) the first to express before the public, on 
 this new and difficult topic of Natiouj.l Law. 
 
 In the winter of 1793 and 1794, the public mhid 
 of xVmerica was extensively agitated, by the infiam- 
 matory appeals of the French minister Genet. It is 
 known to all with what power and skill this foreign 
 emissary was resisted, in theofiicial correspondence 
 of the then secretary of state, I'horaas Jellerson. 
 Among those, who co-operated in the public prints, 
 in the same patriotic cause, none was mora conspicu- 
 ous than Mr. Adams, w hose essays, in support of 
 the administration, were read and admired tinough- 
 out the Country. 
 
 His reputation was now established as aa Ameri- 
 can statesman, patriot, and political writer, of the 
 first ordfn\ Before his ret^iement from the depart^ 
 ment of >tate, Mr. .leiferson recommended him to 
 General Washington, as a proper person to be in- 
 t-odiifed ittto the public service <.f the C'^untry. The 
 arqufiintance between \1r. Je£u rsoa and Mr. Adams, 
 which had been formed n, France, had lately been 
 jenewed. on occasi-.n of n visit of Mr. i^daras to 
 Philadelphia in 179ii: and the promptitude and 
 ability^ with which he had just stconded the cffoits 
 
1^ IIFE AND SERVICED 
 
 of the Secretary of State, in enforcing tlie principles 
 of public law on the turbulent French H-nvoy. no 
 doubt led Mr. Jeiferson thus to recommend him to 
 General AVashington. 
 
 General Washington's own notice had been drawn 
 to the publications of Mr. Adams above alluded to. 
 He had in private expressed the highest opinion of 
 them, and had made particular enquiries with res* 
 pect to their Author. 
 
 Thus honorably identified, at the early age of 27, 
 with the first great and decisive step of the foreign 
 policy of the United J-tates, and thus early attracting 
 the notice and enjoying the confidence of Washing- 
 ton and Jefferson, Mr. Adams was in 1794 appoint- 
 ed Minister Resident to the ^Netherlands, an office 
 Corresponding in rank and salary with that of a 
 Charge d'affaires, at the present day. The Father 
 of Mr. Adams was, at this time, Vice President of 
 the United Htates ; but it is unnecessary to say, to 
 those acquainted with the character of these great 
 men, that the appointment of his son was made by 
 General Washington unexpectedly to the Vice Pre- 
 sident, and without any previous intimation that it 
 would take place. 
 
 Mr. Adams remained at his post in Holland till 
 near the close of General Washington's administra- 
 tion. He was an attentive observer of the great 
 events, then occurring in Kurope, and his official 
 correspondence with the Government was regarded 
 by General Washington, as of the highest impov^ 
 tance. 
 
 One of the last acts of General Washington's ad- 
 ministration was the appointment of Mr. Adams as 
 minister plenipotentiary to Portugal — On his way 
 from the Hague to Lisbon, he received a new C(mi- 
 mission, changing his destination to ierlin. This 
 latter appointment was made by Mr. Adams' Fa- 
 ther, then President of the United States, and in a 
 manner highly hooorable to the restraint of his paren- 
 
OF JOHN Q,UIjSrCY ADXMS. 9 
 
 tal feelings, in the discharge of an act of pnhlic duty. 
 Altliough Mr. Adams' a|)[)uintment to Portugal was 
 made by General Wasliington, atiil Mi. Adams' 
 father did no more than propoije his transfer to Ber- 
 lin, yet feelings of delicacy led him to hesitate, be- 
 fore he took even this step. He consulted tiie belov- 
 ed father of his Country, then retired from ofWce, and 
 jilaced in a situation beyond the reach of any of 
 the motives which can possildy prejudice the minds 
 of men in power. Tlie following letter from (iene- 
 lal VVasidngton is the reply to President Adams' 
 enquiry, ancl will ever remain an honorable t«sti= 
 mony to the character of Mr, Adams ; 
 
 MONDAY, February 20/A, 1797. 
 Dear Siu, 
 
 I thank you for giving me the perusal of the 
 enclosed. The sentiments do honor to the head and 
 heart of the writer ; — and if my wishes would be of 
 any avail, they should go to you in a strong, hope, 
 that you will not withhold merited promotion from 
 John Q. AdaTns, because he is your son. — For with- 
 out intending to compliment the Father or the JVlo- 
 ther, or to censure any others, I give it as my d,ecid- 
 ed opinion, that Mr. Adams is the most valuable 
 |)ublic character we have abroad ; — and that there 
 lemains no doubt in my mind, that he will prove him- 
 self to be the ablest of a,ll our diplomatic corps. If 
 he was now to be brought into that line or into any 
 <kther public walk, 1 could not, upon the principle 
 wliich has regulated my own conduct, disapprove of 
 the caution which is hinted at in the letter. But he 
 is already entered ; tbe public, more and more, as 
 he is known, are appreciating his talents and worth; 
 and his country would sustain a loss, if thes.e were 
 ^0 be checked by over delicacy on your part. 
 ^f^K-h sincere esteem and affectionate regard, 
 /am ever yours, 
 
 GEO ■ WASHINGTON, 
 B 
 
rO I-IFE AXD SERVIfES 
 
 The principal object of Mr. Adams' mission fe 
 Berlin, was elicctcd by the conclusion of a treaty o^ 
 Commerce uith Prussia. He Fcmaincci in that Coun- 
 try till the Spring of 1801, when he was recalled by 
 Iiis fatlier and returned to America. During tiie last 
 year of his residence in Germany, Mv. Adams m;ide 
 an excursion into the province of Silesia, which he 
 lias described in a series of letters that have been 
 collected and published in a volume, and have been 
 translated into Ftench and German, and extensively 
 circulated in Knrope. 
 
 Mr. Adams' lesidence on the Continent of Europe 
 from 1794 to 18(^1, was of great importance, in its 
 influence upon his political character and feelings. 
 He contemplated, with every advantage for under- 
 standing their secret springs, the great movements 
 in the political Avorld, which were then taking place. 
 Iiis earlv education in France and his connexion 
 w ith the Continental Courts, prevented iiis forming 
 those attacliments ft^r the English policy, which al 
 most universally prevailed amon^ such of the citi- 
 zens of America as opposed the principles of the 
 French Revolution. '1 he union of these circum 
 stances, enabled him to hold an impartial and truly 
 American course between tlie violent extremes to 
 which publijc opinion in America ran, on the great 
 question of ciir foreign relations. It was also for- 
 tunate, tlwt he was absent from the Country, dur- 
 ing the period when domestic parties were organiz- 
 ed and arrayed against each other. We have al 
 ready seen that his manly and patriotic course liad 
 gained him the appi*oJjation of Mr. Jefl'erson, before 
 he retired from ofliee. The great schism in the Ame- 
 rican family had not yet taken place. General 
 Washington labored to prevent its occurrence, and 
 distributed his appointments among all the able and 
 patriotic, without regard to the party distinctions 
 i^vhich were forming. 
 
 j\ir. Adams came into the Presidency in 1797y 
 
OF JOHN qriXCY ADikMS. 11 
 
 m'th the intention, had the strong current of events 
 permitted him, to pursue the same course. The ilrst 
 istep taken by hin*, after his inauguration, wag a 
 friendly and confidential interview with Mr. Jeifer- 
 son, in which he proposed to him — if it shoulfl be 
 thought proper on coiisideration for the Vice Presi- 
 flent to leave the Country, to go to France as the 
 American Minister, in the hope that he, if any one. 
 would be aide to adjust our difficulties with that 
 Country. That J\lr. Jefferson, m\ his side, iiad not 
 suffered the political contests, into which they had 
 been drawn, to alienate his feelings from his old 
 revolutionary co-patriot, is apparent from the fol- 
 lowing letter of Mr. Jefferson to Governor Langdon, 
 which was written, after the Election of Mr. Adams 
 as President and Mr. Jefferson as Vice President 
 was ascertained. 
 
 MONTICELLO, Jan. 22, 1797. 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Your friendly letter of the 2d inst. never came 
 to hatid till yesterday, and 1 feel indebted for thti 
 solicitude you therein express for my undertaking 
 tlie office, to which you inform me 1 am now called, 
 I know not from what source an idea has spread it-' 
 self, which 1 have found to be generally spread, that 
 I would accept the office of President of the United 
 States, but not that of Vice President. When Ire- 
 tired from the office 1 last held, uo man in the Union 
 less expected thanl did, ever to haveicome forward 
 again," and whatever has been insinuated to the con- 
 trary, to no man in the union was the share which 
 my name bore in the late contest, more unexpected 
 than it was to me. If I had contemplated the thing 
 beforehand, and suffered my will to enter into action 
 at all upon it, it would have been in a direction 
 exactly the reverse of what has been imputed to mp. 
 But I had no right to a will on the subject, much 
 loss to coutrol that of the people of the United ytates. 
 
J2 LIFE AND SE11A'1CE« 
 
 i"n arranging its accordins; to our capacillcp. Least 
 of all could I have any feeli«gs, which would revolt 
 at takinp; a station secondary to Mr. Adams. 1 have 
 hv.en secondary to him, in every situation in which 
 "we ever acted together in pid)lic life, for twenty years 
 past. A contrary position would have heen novel- 
 ty, and his the rii;:;ht of revoltini:; at it. Be assured, 
 then, mv dear Bir, that if I had had a fihre in my 
 conip'osiJion still lookini; after puMic office, it would 
 have been stratified precisely by the very call yon 
 are pleased to ir;ive rae, and no other, liut in U-uth 
 I wish for neither honors nor offices. I am hap])ier 
 at home, than I can be elsewhere. Since, however, 
 I am called o«it, an object of great anxiety to nie is, 
 that those with whom I am to act* shutting their 
 minds to the unfounded abuse of which 1 have been 
 the subject, will view me with the same candor with 
 which 1 shall certainly act. An acquaintance of 
 many long years ensures to me your just support, as 
 it does to you the sentiments of sincere respect and 
 attachment, with which I am, dear Sir, your friend 
 and servant, 
 
 THOMAS JEFFERSON. 
 
 Hon. John Langdon." 
 
 The same sentiments of respect towards Mr. 
 Adams, were more publicly expressed by Mr. Jef- 
 ferson, on taking tlie Chair of the Senate, as Vice 
 President of the United States, in the following 
 terms : **I might here jwoceed, ajid with the grea- 
 test truth, to declare my zealous attachment to the 
 Constitution of the United States; that I consider the 
 Union of these States as the first of blessings ; and 
 as the first of duties, the preservation of that Consti- 
 tution, which secures it ; but I suppose these decla- 
 rations not pertinent to the occasion of entering into 
 ■an office, whose primary business is merely to pre- 
 side over the forms of this House and no one more 
 sincerely praysj that no accident may call me to the 
 
OP JOHN qUINCY ADAMS. 13 
 
 hii^lier and more important functions which the Con- 
 «?titution eventiially devolves on this ofiice. Those 
 have heen justly confided to the eminent character 
 which has preceded me here, whose talents and in- 
 tei^rity have heen known and revered hy me, tliron£;h 
 a long course of years, have heen the foundation of a 
 cordial and uninterrupted friendship hetween us ; 
 and I devoutly pray he may be lonj; preserved for 
 the Government, the happiness, and the prosperity 
 of our common country/' 
 
 Such were the feelings entertained towards each 
 other by these venerable fellow-labourers in the cause 
 of rVmerican independence, who have recently closed, 
 in happy coincidence of death, the lives which tliey 
 had passed in an unison scarcely interrupted, in tlic 
 service of their country. But the extraordinary n<i- 
 ture of our foreign relations, in their influence on 
 domestic politics, proved too strong for tjje control 
 of the wise, the candid, and the patriotic. The 
 country was rent into contending parties. The Pre- 
 sident of the United States, regarded as the heed 
 oftlie federal party, was compelled, besides the na- 
 tural resistance of the narty opposed to his adminis- 
 tration, to encounter the odium of the strong and 
 violent measures, 4»rought forwikrd by the friends of 
 General Hamilton, among them the Alien and Sedi- 
 tion Laws, neither of which, was recommended nor 
 desired by Mr. ,\dams, nor proposed by his advice. 
 In consequence of his refusal to plunge the Country 
 into a War with France, Mr. Adams lost the sup- 
 port of General Hamilton and his friends, whose 
 opposition defeated his re-election ; and thus frus- 
 trated the devout prayer of Mr. Jefferson, that he 
 might be long preserved •'< for the Government of the 
 Country." 
 
 During this critical period of our foreign and do 
 mestic politics, Mr. John Q. Adams was abroad- 
 He was aloof from the scene of warfare. His situa- 
 tion relieved him from the necessity of taking par^ 
 
in tlio«;e political contentions, in Nvl.ich l.e mnstrei^ 
 ; ^er h'e ten placed in the l^^^^^^^^^^^:^ 
 ' ^ wWh fhp i>artv opposed to his fatlier. oi lie wouiu 
 
 "fv^b ol Si to'encounter the n»t«rnll™pn(a 
 m of I el,,? biassea in sn,,,,ovt of l.i... by fil>«l "^ 
 
 ' hme t. From tbisp.inful al.e.nat.ve ^-^^'Z 
 w»B snived, bv bis residence abroad, du mg Uie 
 ^vbole n r 1 i^. wbicb our don.e.tic pavt.es were 
 IZniif ' th^r or-anization ; and be returned to ns 
 
 r,.eater justice than Mr. Ada.ns uusbt l^'y^^^^" 
 
 ire^::::t::nd":r';-^^:^^^-;Lans: 
 
 '^r <80' Mr" "dams'wa. elected to the Senate of 
 M s:^^e'S:fron,thedistrictofl3ost™;am^ 
 
 „alized tbat fearless independence, ™>f » f ^ ^ '^ 
 
 iuced a,nons bis i";--lf « -^ 1 ^'o "the United 
 
 In 1803 be was «'^fj'"\,^^f^^,t u.of Marcb 1803. 
 
 States for six.vears, ^ «'»/'\<',;Xdy, in a si.nation 
 
 No person <="" ' P"'"tVrct t e bono ".le part of an 
 better to enable b.m to "J^ t he i^^^^ ^^ 
 
 independent, "I't'S''*'. =""P" "„,,•,„,, of the re- 
 badsuccessi^xty rece,j^ e moml o, .^^, 
 
 «pect and »f> f:";^*;, , ^ M Jeil^erson then Pre- 
 'm 5?'"';: leVo iSco troversiesof the day he 
 ?::lrn;t s^ d^: t. was pledged neith. ,n oppo.^ 
 
 to be supported or oppose.^ as to have 
 
 .ee?i^a;t;clla ^f^bis position. He had 
 
or JOHN QUINCY ADAMS* 15 
 
 i/eliher principloa to permit, nor p&ssions to drhe 
 biiu, Into iiidiscriiiiinatc op[)osition or blind support. 
 lie supported the adiniiiistration in every measure 
 wliichliis judgment approved. Especially in the new 
 aspect which tlie political world was assiiniiiig, in 
 eonsecpience of the infraction of our neutral right* 
 and violation of the sovereignty of our flig by Great 
 liritain, Mr. Adams was the prorapt and undeviat- 
 ing supporter of the honor of his Cwmtry, and of the 
 measures adopted by tli€ administration for its de- 
 fence. In pursuing this irsdependent course, Mro 
 Adams incurred the disapprobation of the legisla- 
 ture of Massachusetts, which, in May, 1808, by a 
 small majority of federal votes, elected anotiier per- 
 son, as senator, from the period of the expiration of 
 Mr. Adams' term, and passed resolutions of the na- 
 ture of instructions to their Heiiators, containing 
 principles which Mr. Adams disapproved. (jhoos= 
 ing neither to act in conformity with these resolu- 
 tions, nor to represent constituents who had lost 
 their coiitldeiice in him, Mr. Adams resigned bis 
 place in the Senate of the United States. 
 
 St needs not be said, tliat the decided support of a% 
 man like Mr. Adams was peculiarly acceptable to 
 the administration at thi*( moment. It was a sup= 
 port given in the dark days of Mr. Jefferson's ad- 
 ministration, when England was now acti.qg against 
 the Country the part which France had acted teii 
 years before, and when the operation of the restric- 
 tive system (the only measure of resistance which, in 
 the opinion of the administration, the Country could 
 then in prudence adopt.) had paralyzed the energies 
 of the Country and excited wide spread discontent. 
 It was a support given, by an independent states- 
 man, who had borne the name of the opjiosite par- 
 ty, at a mt>ment when, in addition to all the strength 
 of the federalists, Mr, Jefferson and Mr. Madison 
 were called to encounter, within the bosom of their 
 own pa^ty a^d their own state; tbo iHiexpectcd and 
 
16 LIFE ANU SERVICES 
 
 perilous defection of men, \vlio liad once kd the innks 
 of tl>e Hepublican pait^, in the House of Kepiesew^ 
 tative*,- hut who now "quanelled" with Mr. .Iff- 
 Icison am! Mr. Madison, and tiuew themselves into 
 a course of unsparing, and unrelaxinj^ opj)osit!on. 
 At this moment of txial, when, hesides the holiest 
 conllict of op[>osite parties, Mr Jefl'eison was thus 
 })ressed hy the wliolc incumbent weight of tiie IJri- 
 lish Empire, and hy a tremejidoiis assault frjim ilie 
 ranks ot his late friends, aimins; to embarrass him 
 and supplant Mr. Madison, Mr, Adams came out 
 l)oldly and manfully in his support. 
 
 Tiie retirement of Mr, xidams from the ►^enate of 
 (he L'nitcd (States, altliough varying the direction, 
 did not abate the activity of his uncommon jjowers 
 for serving his fellow-men. A life of unremitted 
 public occupation had, by viKue of strict method, 
 untiring diligence, and temperate habits, left him 
 leisure to acquire, as a relaxation, a mass of useful 
 learning, which would, in most cases, have l)eeu 
 deemed ihe fruit of a life of literary seclusion. Dis- 
 tinguished as a writer, among the be«t which the 
 country luis produced, and as a public speaker for a 
 force, iuipressiveness, aiul senatorial elocjuence not 
 less rave, Mr. Adams was, in ISOt), called to the 
 Chair «f Hhetoric and Oratory, in tlie i^eminary 
 where lie received his Education, and delivered a 
 course of Lectures on the art of speukiiisi; well ; the 
 most important art to the Youth of a free Coui)liy„ 
 iJut his Country had higher claims n])on liis ser- 
 vices. In June 1801) he Vvas appointed by Mr. Ma- 
 dison as Minister to Kussia. He had the good for>^ 
 inne, here, to acquire the confidence of the limpr ror 
 Alexander, who was delighted with the contrast of 
 the Kepublican simplicity of tiie American minister 
 with the splendor of the foreign Envoys. He ad- 
 mitted Mr. Adams to a degree of intimacy rarely- 
 enjoyed with despotic monarchs, even by their own 
 miuist€i's. This circumstance Uid the fouadatiou of 
 
OF J^IIN Q,UIXCY ARAMS. 17 
 
 tkit goodwill toward America, on thopnrlofthG 
 Kmperor Alexander, of wiiich the country has ert- 
 ^)ved. on many occasions, the important fruits. But 
 its first fruit was the most important of all ; for it 
 Was unqucstionibly owing to the confidential rela- 
 tion !)ctween Mr. Adanis and the Emperor, tliat the 
 mediation of Russia was tendered between England 
 ami the {Jnited .States : a mediation which, though 
 ii was declined hy England, produced an oiler from 
 that country to treat directly, and thus led to peace. 
 
 It was for this reason, that he was placed by JVIr. 
 Madison at the head of the Commission of five, Iiy 
 which the treaty of peace was negotiated, and which 
 consisted, with a single exception, of sohie of the 
 ablest men in the country. It is unnecessary to speak 
 of the skill, with wiiich that negotialion was con- 
 ducted. Mr. Adams bore a full part iri it.i counsels 
 and labors ; and a proportionate sliarCof the credit 
 is due to him, for that cogency and skill, which 
 drew from the Marquis of VV^eilesley in the British 
 house of Lords, the declaration that, "in his opinion, 
 ths American Commissioners had shown the most 
 jtstonishing superiority over the British, during the 
 whole of the correspondence." 
 
 This tribute is the more honorable to Mr. Adams 
 and his Colleagues, Mr. Gallatin, Mr. Clay, and 
 their departed associate Mr. Bayard, from the cir- 
 cumstance, that on every imporlant point, the British 
 Commissioners itceived special instriiicti.>ns from 
 the Minislry at London, directing the terms in 
 which tine American Envoys were to he answered. 
 
 Having borne this important part, in bringing the 
 War to a close by an iionorable peace, Mr. Adams 
 was employed, in conjunctiuji with Messrs. Clay 
 and Gallatin, in nesrotiatins; a Convention of Cora- 
 merce with Great Biitain, on the basis of which our 
 commercial intercourse with that couniry has be-en 
 ever since advantageously conducted. Having been 
 'appointed our Minister at London by Mr. Madison^ 
 
 C 
 
18 LITE AXD SERVICES 
 
 Mr. Ailams remained in that place, till the acccssiofi 
 of Mr. Aionroe to the t'hair ot State. On thJH occa- 
 sioii, Mr. Motiioe, in tiie foiniation ot'liis Cahiuet^ 
 took (ielibeiale counsel with the most prudent and 
 patriotic citizens of the country. Among others tlie 
 opinion of tt'eneral Jatkf-on was freely in parted Jo 
 him. I'he counsel of tliis distinguished citizen Mas 
 expressed, in tlie following terms : "Every thing de- 
 pends on the selection of your miiiistry. In every 
 selection, party and party feelings should he avoid- 
 ed. Now is the time to exterminate that Monster, 
 called party Spirit. I5y selecting characters most 
 conspicuous for their probity, virtue, capacity, and 
 llrniness, m ithout any regard to party, you will go far^ 
 if not entirely, to eradicate those feelings, which on 
 former occasions, threw so many obstacles in the 
 May of Government ; and peihaps have the jdeasurc 
 and honor of uniting a people, heretofore politically 
 divided. The Chief Magistrate of a great and 
 powerful Nation should never indulge in party feel- 
 ings.'* 
 
 To this counsel Mr. Monroe felt himself unable 
 to accede,, he thought that ''the association of any oi 
 the federal party in the administration would w ound 
 the feelings of its friends, to the iniurv of the lie- 
 publican cause." He made known, however, to 
 (jeneral Jackson his design of distributing, as far as 
 possible, the places in the Cabinet, throughout the 
 country. *'l shall," said he. in his letter to Gene- 
 ral Jackson of March (st 18 17, *' take a person for 
 the r>ej)artment of State insva the eastward ; and 
 jVn*. Adams, by long service in our diplomatic con- 
 cerns, apjearing to entitle him to the preference, 
 supported by his acknowledged abilities and inte- 
 grity, his nomination will go to the Senate.*' In 
 j'e()iy to this intimation, General Jackson, in his let- 
 ter of March 18th, observes : "7 have no hesitation 
 in saying;, you have made the lest splection to fill 
 the ile})avtment of^tate, that <;ould be made,, Mi\ 
 
OF JOHN Q.X:iNCY ADAMS. 19 
 
 ^Idams in the Jioiir of difficult y icill he an cible help-, 
 mate, and lam convinced his ajjjjointment will of- 
 foi'd general satii^f action, ^^ 
 
 It was with something of prophetic feeling thatjGe- 
 ralJackson declared in 1817? '* that Mr, Adams, in 
 tlie hour of difficulty, would be an able helpmate.'^ 
 It was not along time before tlie conduct of Gcne° 
 ral Jackson himself, was the subject of solemn in- 
 vestigation before the grand inquest of the nation. 
 The letters of JVJr. Adams to the Spanish Minister, 
 justifying the conduct of General Jackson, as a- 
 gainst the complaints of Spain, came seasonably to 
 the support of this distinguished citizen, and eilect- 
 ed the vindication of him, against every charge of a 
 violation ofthe rights of Spain. 
 
 In pursuance of the intimation of Mr. Monroe, as 
 above descril)cd, Mr. Adams was called home from 
 England and became Secretary of State. On this 
 arduous office he entered, as Geaeral Jackson had 
 foretold that he would, '^to the general aj)proba{ioii 
 of the country.'^ He retained the confidence of Mr. 
 Monroe and acquired that of his new Colleagues, 
 particularly of the distinp;uish8d citiisen, who now 
 fills the second oflice in the Government. h\ re- 
 ference to all questions of the foreign relations ofthe 
 country, Mr. Adams was the influential member of 
 the Cabinet ; and is, consequently, more than any 
 other individual composing it, entitled to the credit 
 of the measures which, during Mr Monroe's ad- 
 \ninistration, were adopted in reference to the foreign 
 policy of the Government. It is not necessary that 
 these should here be specified. One only is too im- 
 portant to be forgotten : The recognition ofthe in- 
 dependence of the New Republics of the South. 
 The credit of first eilectually proposing that measure, 
 in the House of Representatives, is due to Mr. 
 Clay ; that of choosing the propitious moment, when 
 it could be proposed with the unanimous consent of 
 Congress, an«l the nation^ belongs, in the first dce 
 
■■J.0 riFE AND SEKVICKS 
 
 s;ree, to Mr. Atlaius. — Nor is he entithnl to less cre- 
 dit, for the successful termination of our (lillereiices 
 with Spain. A controversy, of tljirty years stand- 
 ing;, which had resisted the skill of every precediiisi 
 administration of the Goveiument, was thus broui;iit 
 to an honorable close. Indemnity was procured tor 
 our Merchants, and East and West Florida added 
 to our Kepuhlic. Next to the j)urc!)abe of Louisiana, 
 the history of our country presents no measure of 
 equal briiliaucy, with that of the acquisitioa of this; 
 territory.' ' " 
 
 'On every important occasion and cjut^stioti, that 
 arose during Mr. Monroe's administration, the voice 
 t>f Mr. Adams was for his country, for mild coun- 
 cils, and for union. In the a£;itations of the Mis- 
 isouri fjuestion> his intluence was exerted for con- 
 ciliatioa. lie believed that by the Constitution and 
 the tieaty of cession of 1803, Congress was barred 
 from adopting tiki proposed restrictions on the ad. 
 mission of Missouri. Of internal improvement by 
 roads atid canals, he was ever the friend, and moved 
 in the Senate of the United States the tirst pro- 
 ject of their syatematic construction. To the pro» 
 tection of American Manufacturers, by a judicious 
 revision of the taritr, he w as, in like manner, friendly. 
 To the cause of Jleligion and Learning he atlbrded 
 all the aid in the power of an individual, not merely 
 by the uniform countenance of every effort for their 
 advancement, but by the most liberal pecuniary as^ 
 bistance to th.e Ccdlege, founded by the Cummunioii 
 of Baptists, in the District of Columbia, 
 
 Such were his claims t{» the last and hi2,hp.st gift, 
 w hich the people can bestow on a long tried faithful 
 servant. Various circumstances conspired to strength- 
 en them, in the late Presidential canvas^. Of nine 
 Presidential Elections, <jnu only had given a Presi 
 dent to any but a Soutliem State. Of nine Presi^ 
 dential Elections, one oidy iiad given a President to 
 « non-slave holdiua; iSViiG: Of the several Caudij: 
 
pF JUHN QUINCY ADAMS. M 
 
 .'lates presented to the people at tlie last election, 
 Mr. Adams was the only one, who lepreaented the 
 iion-slave-holdinii; interest. Our bretiiren of the 
 81ave-holding interest are sacredly cnliiled to pro- 
 tection, in their rights and feelin;;s on this subject ; 
 hut tiiey oui^ht neither in prudence nor justice, to 
 demand a monopoly in the Government at" the conn- 
 ti;y. Of nine Eiections, one only h.ad resulted in 
 the choice of a representative of the conimercial, 
 iiavi;:;aiin:5, and manufacturing interests. Had the 
 choice been presented to the people between i^ir. 
 Adams and any other Candidate singly, Mr. Adams 
 would have been chosen ; he having been, it is be- 
 lieved, in almost every state, eitiier the li.rst or s,e- 
 cond choice of the people. 
 
 In consequence of the number of Candidates, no 
 choice ]»y the people took place, and no candidate 
 apj)roached nearer than within thirt}^ votes of a ma- 
 jority. Under these circurastai>ces, tbe selection 
 from the three highest candidates was made by the 
 H<Hise of Representatives ; and the claims of Mr. 
 Adams, who eight years before liad heen pronounc- 
 ed by (reneral Jackson, "the bejst person to 1111 the 
 department of state, that could be found," were re- 
 cognized by the House, on the first ballot, in fulilll- 
 iuentofthe provisions of the Constitution. Of the 
 measures recommended by the President, such as 
 have been adopted have been sanctioned by the na- 
 tion, and others, which have been lost, in conse- 
 ([uence of the unfortunate opposition organized in 
 the Senate, against the will of a majority of the peo-^ 
 pie, have been loudly called for. Among the for- 
 mer, the mission to the Congress of the friendly 
 republics of the South — which was required, in con- 
 sistency ^vith the uniform policy of the country to- 
 ward them, has been warmly sanctioned by the coun- 
 try. The acquisition of nearly five millions of acroe 
 of land for the benefit of Georgia, by friendly treaty 
 .with tlj.c Creek Indiaus, in preference of a War of 
 
23 IIFE AND SERVICES 
 
 extermination ^vith them, has been also approved 
 by the People. The successftil atljustment of the 
 claims of otir citizens for property carried oil', con- 
 trary to the provisions of the treaty of Ghent, has 
 procnreda full indemnity for the losses thereby sus- 
 tained. 
 
 Tlie great National Road has been extended. 
 J^oadsin Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan and FlorifU 
 have been opened, t!ie project of a j^reat National 
 iioad frojn Washington to New Orleans pursued, 
 the aid asked for the Canals in Illinois and Indiana 
 granted, and numerous surveys eflVcted, in other 
 parts of the United i^tatcs, in accordance with the 
 liberal sentiments of tiie President, on the great 
 questioti of internal improvements. 
 
 Nor is it merely the individual policy of Mr, 
 Adams, which has exhibited itself so decisively in 
 favor of these all important national interests. They 
 have received the support of thfe great mass of his 
 political friends. Our fellow citizens, particularly 
 of the Northern and Eastern States, have sustained 
 the administration in all its measures, which have 
 been adopted in promotion of the great Americaa 
 policy of ijiterual improvements and domestic in= 
 dnstry. 
 
 While the bill for the Illinois Canal was lost in 
 the yenalein 1820, by the casting vote of Mr. Cal- 
 honn, we behold the same bill brought up and sue- 
 cessfully advocated by Mr. Webster in the house of 
 Representatives, at ti'ie next Session. The same 
 (ilentleman is also entitled to the credit of having 
 fust eflectually called the attention of the house of 
 Kepresentatives to the construction of tlie Florida 
 Canal, a work which bids fair to take the first place 
 as a great national improvement. 
 
 In addition to what has been done, during the ad- 
 ministraiion of Mr. Adams, for the advancement of 
 the best interests of the country, could the wishes of 
 i^t President aud the exertions of the friends of 
 
OF JOHN (iUIJiCY ADAMS. 2S 
 
 the administration have prevailed, three new Jndg- 
 es would have been called to the hencli of the 
 Sa])reme Court in the West ; the riglits and interests 
 of the countrj would have been upheld against the 
 arrogant pretensions of a foreign power, to regard 
 the trade with her colonies '"as a boon granted by 
 Ids Majesty" ; and some solace extended to the sur- 
 vivinir remnants of the IJevolntionarv War. 'I liese 
 measures, however, as well as that for the protection 
 of the Woollen Manufacturers and Wool growers of 
 the country; for a naval school; for a saving of 
 SI 50 000 per annum, by an exchange of six per cent 
 stocks for live ; and various other measures recom- 
 mended by the President or brought forward by the 
 friends of the administration and passed by the re- 
 presentatives of the People, have been lost in con- 
 sequence of a '^combination" of the Senators (as it is 
 called by their own friends) to put down the admin- 
 istration, "although" (in the language of another of 
 the same party) "its members should be as pure as 
 the angels in IJeaven.'* 
 
 In the composition of his Caljinet, Mr. Adams 
 has pursued a course, which entitles him to the con- 
 fidence of the nation. He has called into the highest 
 offices those, whom the people have long delighted 
 to lionor. In pursuance of GeneralJackson's coun- 
 sel to Mr. Monroe, he has not made former party 
 names a ground of proscription. He appointed to 
 one important Mission Kufus King, whom a Re- 
 publican legislature in New York, on the recom- 
 mendation of Mr. Van Buren, re-elected to the 
 Senate of the United States. But at the head of his 
 Cabinet, he has placed Henry Clay, the favorite^ 
 Champion and leader of the Kepublican party, and 
 associated him with colleagues, whose principles 
 and characteis are not les^ stamped with the sanc^ 
 tion of public approbation. AVhether the adminis- 
 tration, which, though not as pure as Angels — is 
 confidently believed to be as pure as was ever cgm- 
 
2^ tfFE AND SEHVICM 
 
 posed of morlrl incn.sliail ]ye tlius put doMn. (•; tlit 
 issue ^oon to be tried Ity t!ic people. The fiitnds 
 of Mr. Adams do not intend, in asserting }»is i;]MiiTi<R 
 and defending his character, to vilify that of other 
 Candiilates. 'IMiev leave this course to those, who 
 bold the proHigate maxim that *" all is fair in no 
 litics." 
 
 It is snflicicnt to sny, in this connexion, that Mr. 
 Ad«ms is not less distinpiished for the virtues of 
 piivate life, than for the talents and attainments of a 
 statesman. 
 
 It is believed tliat lliis skefcb canfio{ be better 
 closed, tlian with the following extracts from letters 
 to his oldest Ron, v.rittcn from JJussia, duritig his 
 mission to that countrv, and subsequently printed 
 M'ithoat his knovrledge or consent. We are wilting 
 tljat the event of the next election, should be decid- 
 ed by the Parents of America, when thev vise froni 
 the perusal of the following pages. We (juote theni, 
 from a paperpnblished in one of theNortliern states, 
 during the last Presidential Canvass. 
 
 Extracts pf letters from J. Q. Mains to his Sdv. 
 
 *^ In Tour letter of the lOth of January, to youf 
 Mother, you mention that yoii read to your Aunt a 
 cirapter in the Bible or a section from Dr. Dodd- 
 ridge, every day. This information gave me great 
 pleasure i for so slrmig is my veneration for the 
 JBible, so strong is my belief that when daily read 
 and meditated upon, it is of all l'0(.ks in the world^ 
 that which contributes most to make men good, wise, 
 and happy ; that the earlier my children begin to 
 read it and the more steadily i\wy pursue the prac- 
 tice of reading it, throughout their lives, the more 
 lively and confident will be my liopes, that they will 
 prove useful citizens to their country, respectable 
 members of society, and a real blessing to their 
 parents." 
 
OT JOHN qUINCY ADAMS, 2^ 
 
 «• I advise you, my son, in whatsoever you read, 
 find most of all iu readiniL; the Bible, to remember, 
 that it is for the purpose of makin2; you wiser and 
 more virtuous. 1 have, for myself, for many years, 
 made it a practice, to read through the Kible once 
 every year. 1 have always endeavoured to read it, 
 ■with the same spirit and temper of mind, that I now 
 recommend it to you ; that is, with the intention 
 and desire, that it migljt contribute to my advance- 
 ment in wisdom and virtue. My desire is indeed 
 very imperfectly successful; for like you and the 
 Apostle Paul, I find a law in my members, warring 
 a^iinst the law of my mind. But as I know it is 
 my nature to be imperfect, so I know it is my duty 
 to aim at perfection ; and feeling and deploring my 
 own frailties, I can only pray Almighty (iod, foL 
 the aid of his spirit, to strengthen my good desires 
 and subdue my propensities to evil, for it is from him 
 that every good and perfect gift descendeth. 
 
 My custom is to read four or five chapters of the 
 Bible, every morning, immediately after rising from 
 l>ed. It employs me about an hour of my time^ 
 and seems the most suitable manner of beginning 
 the day.'' ^'Every time I read the Bible, I under- 
 stand gome passages which 1 never understood be;- 
 fore.'' 
 
 " It is essential, my son, in order that you may 
 ,^0 through life, with comfort to yourself and use- 
 fulness to your fellow creatures, that you should 
 tbrm and adopt certain rules and principles for the 
 i!;overnment of your conduct and temper. Unless 
 there be such rules and principles, there will bo 
 numberless occasions, on which you will have no 
 guide for your government but your passions. It is 
 in the Bible, you must learn these rules and princi« 
 pies." 
 
 Speaking of those parts of Scripture, that appeae 
 ?nysterioas, he says : •• All thi;^ is uadoatedly maiv 
 
 D 
 
£b Lir£ AND SEHVICES 
 
 velloiis and above our comprelieiisioTi. Much of li 
 is clearly figuraiive and allP2;()iical ; ncr is it easy 
 (.0 (listiiiguisli wimt part of it is to be nnderstooil in 
 a literal, and what in a symbolical sense ; but tliat 
 wliicii it imports us to understand is plain. 'Ihvt 
 great and essential principles, on wliicli our duties 
 and enjoyments depend, are involved in no obscu- 
 
 '• When one of the personages in one of Terence's 
 ComedieSj the first time uttered in the Theatre Ihf. 
 line " Homo sum dhumani a me nil al'ienum puto'' 
 (I am a man, and whatever concerns man concerns 
 me) an universal shout of applause burst from the 
 whole audience, and we are told that in so great a 
 multitude of liomans and of deputies from the na- 
 tions, their (subjects and allies, there was not one 
 individual, but felt in his heart the power of this 
 noble sentiment. Yet how feeble and defective is 
 it, in comparison of the Christian commands of 
 Charity, as unfolded in the discourses of Christy 
 and enlarged upon in the writings of tiie Apostles. 
 The heart of man will always respond Avith rap- 
 ture to the sentiment, when there is no selfish, no 
 unsocial passion at v.'ork, to oppose it. But the 
 command to lay it down as the great fundamental 
 conduct of human life, and to subdue and sacrifice 
 all the tyranical and selfish passions to preserve it, 
 this is the peculiar and unfading glory of Christia- 
 nity ; this is a conquest over ourselves, which with- 
 out the aid of a merciful God, none ofuscan achieve ; 
 and which it was worthy of his special interposition 
 to enable us to accom|)lish," 
 
 ** In my last 1 showed you, from the very words 
 of our Saviour, that he commanded his disciples to 
 aim at perfection ; and that this perfection consisted 
 in self-subjugation and brotherly love, in the coin- 
 plete conquest of the passions, and in the practice of 
 benevolence to our fellow creatures, including a» 
 znung them our raost inveterate eneraies?'^ 
 
Ot JOHN qUINCY ADAMS. >&? 
 
 »'* You will there find proved t!ie duty of totally 
 subduing the passions. It is sometimes objected, 
 thiit this theory is not adapted to the infirmities of 
 human nature, that it is not made for a human being 
 80 constituted as man, that an earthen vessel is not 
 formed to dash against a rock ; that in yielding to 
 the impulse of his passions, man only follows the 
 dictates of his nature, and that to subdue them en-^ 
 tirely is an effort beyond his power. The weakness 
 and frailty of man, it is not possible to deny ; it is 
 too strongly attested by all human experience, as 
 well as by the whole tenor of the scriptures, but the 
 degree of weakness is to be limited, by the effort to 
 overcome it, and noi by indulgence to it. Once ad= 
 mit weakness as an argument to forbear exertion? 
 and it results in absolute impotence. It is also very 
 inconclusive Teasoning to infer, that because perfecv 
 lion is not absolutely to be attained, it is therefore 
 not to be sought. Human excellence consists in the 
 approximation to perfection, and the only means of 
 approaching to any terra is by endeavoring to obtain 
 tlie term itself. With these convictions on the mind 
 and a siocere honest eifort to practice upon them, and 
 with the aid of a divine blessing which is promised 
 to it, the approaches to perfection may at least be so 
 great, as nearly to answer all the ends that absolute 
 perfection itself could attain. In order to pre- 
 serve the dominion over our own passions, it be- 
 hoves us to be constantly and strictly on our guard, 
 against the influence and infection of the passions of 
 otiiers. This caution is all-necessary in youth. I 
 deem it the more indispensable to enjoin it upon 
 you, because as kindness and benevolence comprise 
 the whole system of Christian duties, there may be 
 and often is great danger of falling into error and 
 vice, merely by want of energy to resist the exam- 
 ple and enticement of others. On this point, the 
 true character of Christian morality appears to have 
 been misunderstood, by some of its al)lest and war 
 
S^ I-lFR AND SERVICE? 
 
 liiest defenders. In Dr. Paley's *'Vievv of llie evi 
 ilences of ('Inislianity,-' llierc is a chapter upon llie^ 
 morality of the (gospel, in which there is the follow- 
 ing passage : "The truth is, there are two op])usitft 
 
 I descriptions of characters, under which mankind 
 
 may generally be classed. The one possesses vigor, 
 iirniness, resolution : is daring and active, quick in 
 its sensibilities, jealous of its fame, eager in its at^ 
 tachments, inflexible in its purposes, violent in its 
 resentments The other meek, yielding, complying, 
 forgiving, not |)rompt to act, but willing to suffer, 
 silent and gentle under rudeness and insult, sueing 
 for reconciliation where others would demand satis- 
 faction, giving way to the pushes of impudence, con- 
 ceding and indulgent to the prejudices and the in- 
 tractibility of those it hns to deal with. The formeF 
 of these characters is. and ever hath been, the favo- 
 Vite of the world. It is the charncter of Great men. 
 There is a dignity in it, which universally commands 
 respect. The latter is poor spirited, tame, and ab- 
 ject. V"et so it happened with the founder of 
 Christianity, the latter is the subject of his commen- 
 dation, his precepts, his example ; and that the for- 
 mer is no part of i(s composition." 
 
 Dr. Faley is, in this place, adopting the opinion 
 of 8oame .Jennings, whose essay upon the internal 
 evidence of Christianity he very strongly recom- 
 mends ; but I canniU consider it as an accurate and 
 ^'discerning delineation of character, or as exhibiting 
 a correct representation of Chiistinn principles. Tiie 
 founder of Christianity did indeed pronounce dis- 
 tinct and positive blessings, upon the poor in spirit 
 (which is by no means synonymous wiLh the poor- 
 spirited) and the meek ; but in what part of the Gos- 
 pel, did Dr. Paley fii)d him countenancing by com- 
 mendation, precept or example, thetameand abject? 
 The character w hich Christ assumed upon eartii 
 
 I >vasthat of Lord and Master. It was in this char- 
 
 acter, that his diisciples received and acknowledged 
 
OF JOHN qriKCY ADAMS. - 29 
 
 him. The o'DiMlience that he required was unhound- 
 ed, infinitely l)eyond what was ever claimed by the 
 most absolute Sovereign over his sul)iects. iNevcr, 
 jorone moment, did he recede from tiie authoritative 
 system. He [)reserved it, in washing; the feet of his 
 disciples ; he preserved it, in his answer tathe high 
 priest ; hi* preserved it in the very ai;ony of his 
 exclamation on the Cross, ^''Father, fursjive them, 
 they k'lovv not whatthey do." He expressly declared 
 himself to be t!ie prince of this world, and the Hon 
 of God. He spoke as one iiavins; authority, not 
 only to his disciples hut to his mother and iudp;es ; 
 to Pilate the lloman Governor, to John the Baptist, 
 liis precursor. And there is not in the fimr Gospels 
 one act nor one word recorded of him (excepting:; in 
 liis Communion with God) that was not a direct or 
 implied assertion of authority. He said to iiis dis~ 
 ciples (Mathew f.2th. 29th.) *'Learn of me for I am 
 meek and lowly (»f heart, and you sljall find rest to 
 your souls." Hut where did he ever say, learn of me, 
 for lam tame and abject. There is certainly n )tli- 
 ingmorestrouiijly marked, in the precept and exam- 
 ple of Christianity, than the principle of stu!}bnrp. 
 and intlexib'e resistance of the impulses of others to 
 evil. He taii2;ht his disciples to renounce every 
 thins; that is counted enjoyment on eai th ; to take 
 up their cross, afid suffer all ill treatment, persecu- 
 tion, and death, for his sake. VVhat else is the Bo(»k 
 of Acts, than a record of the faithfulness, with which 
 these chosen Ministers of the Gospel carried these 
 injunctions of the Gospel into execution. In tiie 
 conduct and speeches of Stephen and Peter, of.Iohii 
 or of Paul, is there any thins; iudicatini^' a resem- 
 blance to the second class of characters, into which 
 ]Jr. Paley divides all mankind. If there is a char- 
 acter upon historical record, distinguished by a bold 
 intrepid, tenacious, and inllexible spirit, it is that of 
 St. Paul. It was to such characters only that f^e 
 commission of teaching could be entrusted with cer- 
 
to LIFE AND SEllVXCi:»- 
 
 taint J of success. Observe the expression o^Chriet 
 to Peter (Matliew lOtli. IStli.) And 1 say unto thee, 
 that thou art Peter (a rock.) and upon this rock I 
 Avill build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall 
 not prevail against it. "Dr. Paley's Christian is one 
 of tliose drivellers, who, to use a vulgar adage, can 
 never say no to any body. 1 he true Christian is 
 the justum et teracem jirofositi virum (the man, 
 who is just and constant to his purpose.) The com- 
 bination of those qualities, so essential to the heroic 
 character, with those of meekness, lowliness of heart 
 and brotherly love, is what constitutes that moral 
 perfection, of which Christ gave an examj)le in his 
 own life, and to which he commanded his disciples 
 to aspire. Endeavour, my dear sou, to discipline 
 your own heart, and to govern your conduct, by 
 these principles so combined. Be meek, be gentle, 
 be kindly alTectionate to all mankind, not excepting 
 your enemies. But never be tame nor abject : never 
 give way to the pushes of impudence, or show your- 
 self yielding or complying to prejudices, wronghead- 
 edness, or intractability, which would lead or draw 
 you astray from the dictates of your own conscience 
 or sense of right. *'Till you die let not your integ- 
 yity depart from you.'^ Build your house upon a 
 Kock ; and then let ihe rains descend and the floods 
 come and the winds blow and beat upon that house ; 
 it shall not fall, it shall be founded on a rock. So 
 promises your blessed Lord and Sainour, and so 
 prays your aflectiouate l^'ather.'* 
 
 ^' The principles and rules of composition derived 
 from the Greek and Homan schools, and the exam- 
 ples of their principal writers, have been so gene- 
 rally adopted, in modern literature, that the style of 
 the scriptures, dilleting so essentially f!«)ni them, 
 could not be imitated, without great affectation. But 
 for pathos of narrative, ; for selection of incidents, 
 which go directly to the heart, for the picturesque of 
 character and mauaers. the selection uf ciicuiustan- 
 
or JOHN (lUIXCY AUAM3. S-2 
 
 cas that mark the individuality of persons ; for un- 
 answerable cogency and closeness of reasoning; for 
 irresistible force of persuasion ; no book in the world 
 deserves to be so wnceasingly studied and so pro 
 foundly meditated upon as the Bible. 
 
 <^ He careful not to let your reading make you a 
 pedant or a bigot ; nor to puff you up with a conceit- 
 ed opinion of your own knowledge ; nor make you 
 intolerant of the opinions, which others draw from 
 the same source, however different from your own. 
 And may the Merciful Creator who gave the Scrip 
 tures for our instruction, bless your study of themj 
 and make them fruitful to you of good v/orks.^' 
 
 The foresioiuii; are extracted from eleven lon^ 
 letters, filling more than seventy pages ia IManu 
 script. 
 
 ¥lNlSi 
 
39 W 
 
.0-n^^ 
 
 I • • ,. 
 
 
 
 
 A 
 
 ^"^ 
 
 
 '-* .0^ 
 
 
 r/ 'V "^ '. « -T 1 , 
 
 
 ^^ 'o , t * 
 
 .< o.