Qass 
 
 Book 
 
 ,1193 
 

 REV. D. DYER'S DISCOURSE 
 
 COMMEMORATIVE OK 
 
 PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 
 
 'SjLwwMHlMjS^' 
 
DISCOURSE 
 
 OCCASIONED BY THE ASSASSINATION OF 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 
 
 DELIVERED IN THE 
 
 ALBANY PENITENTIARY, 
 
 A MILITARY PRISON OF THE U. S. 
 
 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 1865, 
 
 BY DAVID DYER. 
 
 ALBANY : 
 
 EDWARD LESLIE, PRINTER, 
 1865. 
 
E> 
 
 Penitentiary, Superintendent's Office, } 
 Albany, N. Y.. April 20, 1865. $ 
 
 REV. D. DYER, Chaplain: 
 
 Dear Sir: — Desiring to furnish every prisoner under my care with a 
 printed copy of the discourse delivered by you in our Chapel yesterday, 
 on the death of President Lincoln, I respectfully solicit a copy for 
 publication. 
 
 Truly yours,- 
 
 AMOS PILSBURY, 
 
 Superintendent. 
 
 Albany. April 21, 1865. 
 Dear Sir: 
 
 The accompanying discourse, though hastily prepared, is cheerfully 
 placed at your disposal for the purpose you desire. 
 
 I am, respectfully yours, 
 
 DAVID DYER, 
 
 Chaplain. 
 Gen. Amos Pilsbury. 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, ivas taken in their pits, of 
 tuhom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen. Lam. 4 : 24. 
 
 I will hear what God the Lord will speak ; for he will speak peace unto his people, 
 and to his saints ; but let them not turn again to folly. Ps. 85 : 8. 
 
 Jehovah has just spoken to this great nation by an afflict- 
 ive dispensation. Its President is gone — gone the way of 
 all flesh; and gone to his last account. Raised, not long 
 since, for the second time to the highest office in the sift of 
 the people; busily engaged in administering the affairs of 
 State, and attending to the civil interests of the nation, he 
 has been suddenly removed by death; and now, as his body 
 is about to lie committed to the dust, his spirit is with God 
 who gave it. 
 
 His death has occurred under circumstances of a painfully 
 instructive character. Not only have the long-cherished ties 
 of domestic bliss been rent asunder — the wife bereft of her 
 endeared husband, and the children of a venerated father — 
 but it has occurred by an assassin's hand, at a critical period 
 of our national affairs; when peculiar measures are necessary 
 to secure a well-grounded peace, and restore the brotherhood 
 of States; when a chief magistrate is required who shall be 
 more concerned for the nation than for party; when firmness, 
 enlightened wisdom, and honesty of purpose are specially 
 needed; and when multitudes were looking to him, and 
 rejoicing in the belief that he possessed those high qualifica- 
 tions, and was equal to the emergency. At such a time, and 
 in such circumstances has the Presidential chair been clothed 
 in sackcloth; its honored occupant removed; the hopes of 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 millions extinguished, and the nation plunged into deep 
 mourning. 
 
 Amid such scenes it is our solemn duty to recognize the 
 hand of God; to stop and ask why the Lord hath dealt with 
 us thus ? why he hath laid on us this severe chastising stroke, 
 and what he would have us learn from this event ? 
 
 The all-wise Governor of the Universe has certainly some 
 important reason for appealing in this striking and painful 
 manner to our senses; and it is right that in the sanctuary 
 we should specially seek to find it out, for thus we imitate 
 the example of the pious dead, pursue the path of wisdom 
 and safety, and follow the directions of the Lord. Not to 
 do so would evince a spirit of criminal indifference, which 
 would be offensive to God and provoke the infliction of his 
 wrath. Let us, then, with docility and pray erf illness, listen 
 to his voice. 
 
 1. God teaches us by tliis event that rulers and people are 
 alike subject to Ids government. This must be so. Having 
 the same origin, they are subject to the same power ; formed 
 by the same hand, they are under the same authority; feel- 
 ing the same wants, they are dependent on the same bounty; 
 having the same laws to obey and the same duties to per- 
 form, they must be subject to the same rule and amenable to 
 the same bar. No worldly circumstances, however imposing; 
 no adventitious honors, however splendid; no human autho- 
 rity, however vast; nor any mortal endowments, however 
 bright and powerful, can liberate the individual from this 
 divine control. It is based on the prerogatives of God, and 
 is indispensable to the welfare of mankind. 
 
 He who observes the falling of a sparrow, orders the affairs 
 of kingdoms and the world; He who listens to the sighing 
 of the piisoner, controls the doings of rulers and kings; He 
 who numbers the very hairs of our head, presides over all 
 the destinies of nations. Not anything can transpire without 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 bis permission; and, in ways unknown to ns, he overrules 
 all the actions of mankind, and all the changes of time, for 
 the fulfillment of his will. He is the " blessed and the only 
 potentate; the King of kings, and the Lord of lords." He 
 says: "By me, kings reign and princes decree justice; by 
 me, princes rule, and nobles — even all the judges of the 
 earth." " I am the Lord, and beside me there is none else." 
 So prone are men — -specially those who bask in the smiles 
 of fortune — to forget this subjection, and to indulge a spirit 
 of independence towards God, that he often emphatically 
 reminds them of its reality and the supremacy of his con- 
 trol. He says: " Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; 
 neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the 
 rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory 
 in this; that he understandeth and knoweth me; that I am 
 the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and 
 righteousness in the earth." He often breaks in upon the 
 full tide of human affairs; and, to arouse them from their 
 self-sufficiency and criminal indifference to his authority, he 
 blasts, as in a moment, their brightest hopes; extinguishes 
 their fondest expectations; removes their dearest friends- 
 even those whose existence seemed essential to their sup- 
 port; or, as in the present instance, he takes away those who 
 are looked up to by millions of their fellow-beings just when 
 their presence seemed all but indispensable. 
 
 2. God would teach us by this event that neither distinction 
 in society, nor the wants of individuals or nations, can save 
 from the arrest of death. Death, we have frequently seen, is 
 an imperious monarch. His mandate is imperative, and must 
 be obeyed. No circumstances, however fascinating; no 
 wants, however urgent; no ties, however dear; no duties, 
 however pressing and important; nor any power, however 
 great, can prevent or hinder his grasp. The individual may 
 be a pattern of kindness, temperance, and piety; he may be 
 
6 DISCOURSE. 
 
 endowed with great intellectual powers and acquirements, 
 and be performing labors that will bless a world; he may 
 have conquered mighty nations, and made his name to be 
 feared and respected throughout the habitable globe; he 
 may be surrounded by distinguished pomp, and sway a scep- 
 tre over millions of his fellow-men; his existence may seem 
 almost essential to the welfare of the family, the church, or 
 the nation, but all will be of no avail; they cannot detain 
 his spirit; yield he must to the arrest of death, and become 
 an inhabitant of the tomb. 
 
 Was it otherwise, we might have supposed an exemption 
 would have been made, for a period at least, in the case of 
 the deceased President. Having passed so satisfactorily, and 
 with such distinguished ability through the very peculiar 
 and trying duties of his first Presidential term, and entered 
 with so much promise on his second — regarded on every 
 hand with such sincere respect for his simple, unpretending, 
 virtuous habits; his mild, linn, and generous spirit; his ardent 
 and unquestioned patriotism; his honesty of purpose and 
 effort to promote the good of the whole nation; and presiding, 
 as he did, at a period when his services seemed so specially 
 required, we might have thought he would have been spared. 
 But it was not so. Despite of all, he must yield to death, 
 and leave to others the arduous task of directing the affairs 
 of State. It is as if death sought to make the highest de- 
 monstration of his sovereignty, and for this purpose selected 
 as a mark the man who stood the foremost and the most con- 
 spicuous in the nation. 
 
 " He marks his way 
 With dreadful waste of what deserves to shine ! 
 Art, genius, fortune, elevated power! 
 With various lustre, these light up the world, 
 Which death puts out and darkens human race." 
 
 3. God would teach us by this event the vanity of human 
 
 (/renin ess. There was unquestionably, in the situation of the 
 late President, much to be coveted by aspirants for worldly 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 happiness and honor. Nature had endowed him with a kind 
 and generous heart, with a firm and well-balanced mind, and 
 with a discriminating judgment. Providence had kindly 
 preserved him in a virtuous course, blessed him with more 
 than a competence of earthly good, and given him many 
 years of domestic comfort. The duties which his fellow- 
 citizens had called him to discharge, though difficult and 
 attended with great personal labor, were performed with 
 remarkable prudence, firmness, and wisdom, and so as to 
 merit the public praise. 
 
 Having been inducted a second time to that high office, he 
 announced, in pacific and impressive words, his purpose to 
 pursue that course which Providence might direct and the 
 interest of the whole nation demand. And now, however 
 some may have differed in opinion from him, all candid men 
 will admit that he was honestly and constantly working to 
 fulfill that pledge, and preserve unimpaired the honor of the 
 nation. There was unquestionably a growing respect for 
 him, and confidence in his administration. But while the 
 tide of his popularity was increasing; while millions of 
 thoughtful patriotic minds were directed with hope to him; 
 while there was not anything that his strongest political op- 
 ponents could find in his public conduct to tarnish fame; and 
 while he was anxiously laboring for his country's good, the 
 scene dropped; his associations were sundered; his plans 
 frustrated; his expectations vanished, and his eyes closed in 
 death. 
 
 What a melancholy proof of the vanity of human great- 
 ness! Viewed in the light of this event, what is there in the 
 adulations of the multitude, in the voice of fame, in the hon- 
 ors of office, in the fascinations of wealth, in the pomp of 
 power, or in the government of a kingdom, to satisfy an 
 immortal mind ? to meet the wants of the soul ? to prepare 
 the spirit for the glory of heaven? They are all "of the 
 earth, earthy." They are uncertain iu their continuance, and 
 
8 DISCOURSE. 
 
 momentary in their duration. In them there is not anything 
 spiritual or Christlike. They differ in origin and essence 
 from the soul, and must ever fail to give satisfactory pleas- 
 ure. An inspired preacher, who shared them all, said : 
 " Vanity of vanities! vanity of vanities! all is vanity and 
 vexation of spirit!" 
 
 " The glories of our mortal state 
 
 Are shadows, not substantial things; 
 There is no armor against fate ; 
 Death lays his icy hand on kings — 
 Sceptre and crown 
 Must tumble down, 
 And in the dust be equal made, 
 With the poor crooked scythe and spade. 
 
 " Some men with sword may reap the field, 
 And plant fresh laurels where they kill ; 
 But their strong nerves at last must yield — 
 They tame but one another still. 
 Early or late, 
 They stoop to fate, 
 And must give up their conquering breath, 
 When they, pale captives, creep to death. 
 
 " The garlands wither on your brow; 
 
 Then boast no more of mighty deeds; 
 Upon death's purple altar now, 
 See where the victor-victim bleeds. 
 All heads must come 
 To the cold tomb; 
 Only the actions of the just 
 Smell sweet and blossom in the dust." 
 
 4. God would lead us by this event to a more direct and 
 'practical recognition of him in our individual and national 
 affairs. The human mind, bound by the chains of sin, and 
 engrossed by the things of time, is slow to think of God, or 
 regard his dispensations. Rather, there is a constant incli- 
 nation to forget Him, and to look to secondary causes as the 
 origin of both our sorrows and our joys. " God is not in 
 all their thoughts," is the solemn charge brought against our 
 race. And, though in Christian countries there is a general 
 belief avowed in the supremacy of Jehovah, yet how slight 
 
DISCOURSE. 9 
 
 is its hold on the public mind ! How little, at best, is it 
 regarded ! The people, for the greater part, scarcely give 
 it a thought; and statesmen legislate, as we often see, in the 
 bold disregard of this fact. 
 
 Such a course, depend upon it, is offensive and dangerous. 
 It has often led to national calamities. And who can truly 
 say that it has nothing to do with our present affliction ? 
 Who can, with correctness, affirm that in this event we are 
 not receiving a divine rebuke ? Why, if it is not so, has He 
 thus painfully broken in upon the rising tide of our national 
 affairs ? Why has He, at this critical moment, stopped the 
 wheels of our national government ? Why has He clothed 
 the Presidential mansion in mourning ? Why has He put the 
 mementos of death on the arms of judges and statesmen ? 
 And why has He brought such sadness on the nation ? Why, 
 but to remind us that He observes our conduct and holds us 
 accountable to his authority. Such, we believe, is His gra- 
 cious purpose in this dispensation, and most heartily do we 
 pray that it may be universally regarded. 
 
 5. I pass other lessons this event teaches to remark that 
 God would show us by it the dreadful tendency of party spirit, 
 and the deep depravity of the human heart. The existence 
 of parties in a free government is inevitable from the prev- 
 alence of free discussion; and their influence, when properly 
 exerted, will contribute to the general good. 
 
 But when they exist for mere party interests; when they 
 lead to a disregard of real worth, to angry invectives, to 
 unjust suspicions, to inroads on private friendship and public 
 order, and to the resistance of righteous authority, they be- 
 come alarming evils, and threaten the existence of whatever 
 is dear, valuable, and just. The late President wisely re- 
 garded this, and hence he nobly resolved to be, not the chief 
 of a party, but the magistrate of the nation. 
 
 But now we see the baseness and culminating power of 
 
10 DISCOURSE. 
 
 this party spirit. Now, it has been displayed with the black- 
 est moral turpitude and the highest crime. Now, its ripest 
 and most obnoxious fruit is before the nation. Never before 
 has such a horrible development disgraced our history. It 
 is the culmination of wickedness, party violence, and enmity. 
 After four years of rebellion against our just laws and be- 
 nign government, in which were concentrated the deepest 
 malignity and hate; after repeated acts of robbery and piracy 
 on our Northern borders; after widespread piratical efforts 
 against our commerce on the high seas; after persistent and 
 earnest efforts to plunge us in war with foreign nations; after 
 basely attempting to burn at night New York and other 
 Northern cities; after destroying by slow and horrible tor- 
 tures, in Southern dungeons, thousands of our brave soldiers; 
 now this hellish spirit has branded our beloved President a 
 tyrant, and has planned and accomplished his death. Thus 
 has that noble man been sacrificed ; thus has "the breath of 
 our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord," been destroyed ; 
 thus has the nation been deprived of services which no hu- 
 man power could estimate. Well has it been said, that " the 
 hand that fired the shot would, had it the power, sink Ame- 
 rica and her free institutions, schools, churches, commerce, 
 wealth, benevolent societies in the deep ocean of annihila- 
 tion." What malignity ! what deep and detestable wicked- 
 ness ! 
 
 You will expect me to refer more particularly to President 
 Lincoln, though I can now give but a brief outline of his life 
 and character. He was born in Kentucky on the 12th of 
 February, 1809. His father, not satisfied with a residence 
 in a slave State, determined, when Abraham was in his eighth 
 year, to find a home in the wilds of Indiana, where free labor 
 would not have to compete with that of slaves; and where 
 the poor white man might raise up his family to respectability 
 and competence. 
 
 There — and I ask young men to notice it — without any 
 
DISCOURSE. 11 
 
 educational advantages and very few books, lie spent several 
 years of his early life. Notwithstanding, by his mother's 
 aid and his own diligence, he learned to read and write; 
 until, at length, he had an opportunity of attending a com- 
 mon school which one of the settlers opened in his own log- 
 cabin. 
 
 In the year 1830, his father removed to Decatur, Illinois. 
 Abraham, then twenty-one years of age, aided his father in 
 breaking up the ground and making a rail fence around the 
 farm. After his first winter there, he was engaged some- 
 times as a farm hand, and sometimes as a clerk in a store. 
 
 In 1832, he became the captain of a volunteer company 
 who took part in the Black Hawk war. His conduct in that 
 position was prompt, faithful, kind to his men, nobly patri- 
 otic, and courageous. At the close of his military career 
 he became a candidate for the State Legislature, but was 
 defeated ; though he had in his own precinct 277 out of 284 
 votes. Then he turned his attention to surveying, in which 
 he achieved success. In 1834, he entered the Legislature of 
 Illinois; soon after he commenced the study of law. and in 
 1837 he removed to Springfield and entered on the practice 
 of his profession. 
 
 After sitting in the Legislature through three terms, he 
 remained for several years in private life devoting himself to 
 the practice of law, and the study of politics in connection 
 with the interests of his country. Then he was called to 
 occupy a more prominent and responsible position; and in 
 1847 he took his seat in the Congress of the United States; 
 and there, as elsewhere, he was virtuous, industrious, firm, 
 and courteous in the maintenance of his principles, and won 
 a high reputation. In 1860 it was but too evident that a 
 crisis was hastening in our land. And many felt that it was 
 desirable to have a chief magistrate who, while opposed to 
 the extension of slaver//, should pursue a wise, conserv- 
 ative, and constitutional course. And, to the surprise of 
 
12 DISCOURSE. 
 
 almost the whole nation, but as it has since proved, by the 
 guidance of God, Mr. Lincoln was chosen by them as their 
 candidate. You know the result, and the course which, as 
 President, he took. Suffice it to say, that in circumstances 
 of unexampled trial and conflict he so justly commended 
 himself to the loyal people of this nation as to merit and 
 receive a place by the immortal Washington. 
 
 Last Friday night the distinguished services and career of 
 this honored and beloved man closed — closed not by a natu- 
 ral death, but by a mean assassin's hand. 
 
 War Department, 
 Washington, April 15—1:30 a. m. 
 To Major General Dix: 
 
 This evening, at about 9| P. M., at Ford's Theatre, the 
 President, while sitting in his private box, with Mrs. Lin- 
 coln, Mrs. Senator Harris, and Major Rathbone, was shot by 
 an assassin, who suddenly entered the box and approached 
 behind the President. 
 
 The assassin then leaped upon the stage, brandishing a 
 large dagger, and made his escape from the rear of the the- 
 atre. The pistol ball entered the back of the President's 
 head and penetrated nearly through the head. The wound 
 is mortal. The President has been insensible ever since it 
 has been inflicted, and is now dying. 
 
 About the same hour an assassin, whether the same one or 
 not, entered Mr. Seward's apartments, and under pretence 
 of having a preparation, was shown to the sick chamber. 
 
 The assassin immediately rushed to the bed and inflicted 
 two or three stabs in the throat and two in the face. It is 
 hoped the wounds will not prove mortal. My apprehension 
 is they will prove fatal. 
 
 The nurse alarmed Mr. Frederick Seward, who was in an 
 adjoining room, and hastened to the door of his father's room 
 when he met the assassin, who inflicted upon him one or 
 more dangerous wounds. The recovery of Frederick Sew- 
 ard is doubtful. 
 
 It is not probable that the President will live through the 
 night. 
 
 Gen. Grant and wife w r ere advertised to be at the theatre 
 
DISCOURSE. 13 
 
 this evening, but he started to Burlington at 6 o'clock this 
 even in er. 
 
 At a Cabinet meeting, at which Gen. Grant was present, 
 the subject of the state of the country and the prospect of a 
 speedy pence waa discussed. 
 
 The President was very cheerful and hopeful, and spoke 
 veiy kindly of Gen. Lee and others of the Confederacy, and 
 of the establishment of government in Virginia. 
 
 All the members of the Cabinet except Mr. Seward are 
 now in attendance upon the President. I have seen Mr. 
 Seward, and he and Frederick were both unconscious. 
 
 Later. — -Abraham Lincoln died this morning at 22 min- 
 utes after 7 o'clock. 
 
 E. M. STANTON, Sec'y of War. 
 
 The characteristics of President Lincoln demand a brief 
 notice. He was a true and eminent representative of the 
 American citizen- — specially of the Western class. Accus- 
 tomed from his early days to the toils, and, to some degree, 
 the hardships of life on our Western frontier, he was inde- 
 pendent, self-reliant, ready to adapt himself to circumstances, 
 easy and affable in his intercourse with others, and always 
 willing that they should exercise the right — -which he never 
 surrendered— to think for themselves. Wherever he went, 
 he mingled freely with the people. Was not in the least 
 pretentious, manifested no official air, nor claimed any par- 
 ticular attention. 
 
 This disposition probably led him on that fatal night to 
 the theatre. It was well known that he had no taste for 
 such amusements, and it is said that when he attended them 
 he expressed little interest. But on the night in question 
 he remained in conversation with a gentleman for half an 
 hour after the time appointed for departure, and then went 
 with reluctance. But, as it had been advertised that General 
 Grant and himself would attend, and as the former left Wash- 
 ington that day for New Jerse}', he did not like to have the 
 people wholly disappointed. 
 
 As a true American, our late President had great confi- 
 
14 DISCOURSE. 
 
 dence in the " government of the people, by the people, and 
 for the people." This was with him a cherished and ruling 
 principle. He frequently expressed it with emphasis and 
 power. In his journey from Springfield to Washington in 
 1861, it was reiterated in different and decided forms. At 
 Indianapolis, he said: " Of the people, when they rise in 
 mass in behalf of the Union and the liberties of their coun- 
 try, truly may it be said : * The gates of hell cannot prevail 
 against tliem.' * * * I, as already intimated, am but an acci- 
 dental instrument, temporary, and to serve but for a limited 
 time, and I appeal to you again to constantly bear in mind, 
 that with you, and not with politicians, not with presidents, 
 not with office-seekers, but with you is the question, Shall 
 the Union, and shall the liberties of this country be preserved 
 to the latest generations ?" Elsewhere he said : " It is for 
 you, the people, to advance the great cause of the Union and 
 the Constitution. I am sure I bring a heart true to the work. 
 For the ability to perform it, I must trust in that Supreme 
 Being who has never forsaken this favored land, through the 
 instrumentality of this great and intelligent people." 
 
 This principle was indeed loudly professed before ; but 
 with President Lincoln it was fundamental and practical, and 
 it has been well said: "The importance to the country of 
 having a man in the Presidential chair during the Rebellion 
 who was thoroughly and practically in earnest in holding 
 these doctrines, is hardly to be over-estimated, for the events 
 of this period required such an appeal to be made by the 
 Government to the people as was never before demanded ; 
 and the course of the Government on some of the most 
 important questions of policy has displayed an absolute con- 
 fidence in the satisfactory answer that the people would make 
 to their appeal. The nation was worthy of this confidence ; 
 and the past four years have done more than any similar 
 period in our history to develop its trust in itself, and to 
 convert not merely our politicians, but the whole people, 
 
DISCOURSE. 15 
 
 from theoretical democratic Republicans into practical believ- 
 ers in the rights of man, and in the power and virtue of an 
 intelligent democracy-'' And for this we arc, to a great 
 extent, indebted to our late honored President. 
 
 In harmony with this peculiarly American characteristic, 
 the late President always manifested a conciliatory disposi- 
 tion even towards the enemies of the Government. I cannot, 
 after reviewing the utterances he has given to the public 
 during the period of his administration, find one expression 
 that was adapted to irritate, or needlessly try, the feelings 
 of any individual or class however opposed in sentiment or 
 conduct to himself. In the maintenance of his opinions, he 
 spoke with a moderation and courtesy which demand our 
 admiration, and arc worthy of our imitation. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the abuse which was heaped upon 
 him, and all the vile epithets which were applied to him, he 
 uttered no expression of retort; he made no complaint, nor 
 asked for public sympathy; but bore it all with the patience 
 and generosity which belong to a truth-loving and magnani- 
 mous spirit. He neither said nor did anything that was de- 
 signed to arouse an angry feeling; but he always sought to 
 pour oil on the troubled waters, and to bring peace out of 
 strife. With his devotion to duty, to the country, and to 
 God, he united a regard to man as man, which led him to 
 seek the good of those who despiteful ly used him. It is 
 known that he cordially approved the generous terms of 
 surrender which were made to, and so readily accepted by 
 General Lee ; and it is said, on what I have no doubt is good 
 authority, that at the time he was so basely slain by a rebel 
 hand, he was meditating the proclamation of an amnesty for 
 those who opposed his rule. I cannot forbear the conviction 
 that the Confederate actors in this malignant plot have killed 
 the best friend of the citizens in the Southern States. 
 
 The mental characteristics of President Lincoln have been 
 
16 DISCOURSE. 
 
 so strikingly displayed that no one can consistently question 
 their greatness. Without the power of Henry Clay; the 
 comprehensive cultivation and mental strength of Daniel 
 Webster, and the masterly skill and eloquence of Edward 
 Everett, he yet had traits peculiarly his own, and which 
 justly made him a peer among peers, and eminently fitted 
 him to be the President of this great nation during this par- 
 ticular and trying crisis. Though he was slow in reaching 
 conclusions, yet his mind grasped all the details of a ques- 
 tion, laid hold of its very gist, and then presented the point 
 with such clearness and demonstrative power, that even the 
 unlettered readily perceived, and felt, the correctness of his 
 conclusions. Some of his letters and State papers are re- 
 markable for their terseness, conciseness, and sagacity; and 
 will, I believe, excite the admiration of generations to come. 
 
 As a statesman, our late President occujjied an eminent 
 position. While he was not of those who impose by their 
 brilliancy, or create surprise by their dash, he possessed and 
 cultivated the virtues and qualifications which secure endur- 
 ing usefulness and honor. To integrity of purpose, firmness 
 of will, patience in investigation, unswerving fidelity to trust, 
 and a deep impression of his accountability to the nation 
 and to God, he added a thorough knowledge of the theory 
 and principles of our government, and of men. He knew 
 how to influence them for good, and in most trying emergen- 
 cies he displayed administrative abilities of the highest order. 
 From the beginning to the end, he never swerved from duty, 
 or discharged it in a slovenly or inefficient manner. In ac- 
 cordance with his oath, he maintained the Constitution and 
 the integrity of the Federal Republic ; and to him, under 
 God, more than to any other, is due the success which has 
 croAvned our efforts to maintain the Union and the institutions 
 of our country. 
 
 A writer, who has been a persistent opponent of the ad- 
 ministration, says: "As to the dead President, let us do 
 
DISCOURSE. 17 
 
 justice to his memory ! He dies in the hour of his country's 
 restored greatness, in the full fruition of his own personal 
 triumph ! History might have disputed the character of his 
 acts, and if he had lived he might have forfeited some of his 
 fame. The assassin's blow Avill rank him, in the memory of 
 millions, among the martyrs of Liberty." 
 
 Finally : There is good reason to believe that our departed 
 chief magistrate yielded his heart to the claims of religion and 
 Jesus. His cherished sense of obligation to God ; his oft- 
 expressed consciousness of dependence on God ; his devout 
 acknoAvledgment of divine help : his repeated request for 
 the prayers of the people ; his well-known love of the Bible 
 and study of its truths, encourage the hope that he was no 
 stranger to the holy impulses of true piety. 
 
 In the brief and touching address he delivered to his 
 neighbors on leaving Springfield for Washington in February, 
 18(51, he uttered these devout emotions : 
 
 " My friends, no one not in my position can appreciate the 
 sadness I feel at this parting. To this people I owe all that 
 I am. Here I have lived more than a quarter of a century ; 
 here my children were born ; and here one of them lies 
 buried. I know not how soon I shall see you again. A 
 duty devolves upon me which is, perhaps, greater than that 
 which has devolved upon any other man since the days of 
 Washington. He never would have succeeded except for 
 the aid of Divine Providence, upon which at all times he- 
 relied. I feel that I cannot succeed without the same Divine 
 aid which sustained him, and on the same Almighty Being I 
 place my reliance for support, and I hope you, my friends, 
 will all pray that I may receive that Divine assistance with- 
 out which I cannot succeed, but w r ith which success is cer- 
 tain. Again, I bid you all an affectionate farewell." 
 
 A short time since some of those neighbors and fellow- 
 townsmen called on him in Washington, and when about to 
 leave him they inquired if there was anything they could do 
 
18 DISCOURSE. 
 
 for him. His quick response was : u Yes ; pray for me ." An 
 incident, simple as it is, indicates what were the strong desires 
 of his soul. 
 
 But we have reason to entertain this belief from the ever- 
 memorable words which, on his late inauguration, he ad- 
 dressed to the nation. They were of deep and solemn weight, 
 resembling those of the old Hebrew prophets. They evi- 
 dently expressed the deep sentiments of his soul, and their 
 high moral tone indicated a spirit which had communed with 
 God, and drawn its inspiration from the fount of divine truth. 
 An English writer savs : "These words reflect the highest 
 credit on the head and heart of Abraham Lincoln. They 
 will be often quoted, and take a permanent place in the his- 
 tory of these extraordinary times." Mark the following 
 extract : 
 
 " ' Woe unto the world because of oflences, for it must needs 
 be that oflences come ; but woe to that man by whom the 
 offence cometh.' If we shall suppose that American slavery 
 is one of these oflences, which, in the Providence of God, 
 must needs come, but which having continued through*His 
 appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives 
 to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to 
 those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein 
 any departure from those divine attributes which the believ- 
 ers in a living God always ascribe to Him ? Fondly do we 
 hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war 
 may soon pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue 
 until all the wealth piled by the bondman's two hundred and 
 fifty years of unrequited toil shall lie sunk, and until every 
 drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid with another 
 drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, 
 so, still it must be said: • The judgments of the Lord are 
 true and righteous altogether.' 
 
 "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firm- 
 ness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 19 
 
 strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's 
 wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and 
 for his widow and orphans, to do all which may achieve and 
 cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with 
 all nations." 
 
 Now, in conclusion, let us listen, I pnvy you, to the voice 
 which calls us, by this event, to pursue ivith zeal our eternal 
 interests. In its light avc see that much as our country claims 
 our thoughts; dear as its institutions may be to our hearts, 
 and anxious as we should be for the just administration of 
 its laws, still these things should not supremely engage our 
 minds or efforts. We have higher interests than these — in- 
 terests not committed to the keeping of a human hand ; not 
 measured by time, nor subject to decay. Those interests 
 are pure as the mansions of light ; boundless as the ages of 
 eternity; firm as the throne of God, and in the care of the 
 King of kings. They claim our first and constant attention; 
 and not to give them this is ingratitude to God and injury to 
 ourselves. 
 
 You know me too well to suppose I am indifferent to civil 
 liberty and prosperity. But what are these to freedom from 
 the power of sin? from the sting of death? from the con- 
 demnation to eternal woe ? What are these to the approba- 
 tion of the Lord ? to the glorious liberty of the sons of 
 God ? to a well-grounded hope of everlasting bliss ? What 
 are these to a glorious appearing at the bar of God ? to an 
 inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth 
 not away ? to an eternal residence with God and the Lamb ? 
 
 Surrounded by the things of time, men invest them with 
 undue importance, and pursue them as the chief good. But 
 this afflictive dispensation reminds us that the things which 
 are unseen and eternal are of greater magnitude, and demand 
 more earnest zeal. And not thus to pursue them is to de- 
 feat the end of our existence, to neglect the soul's salvation, 
 and bring on ourselves the abiding wrath of God. 
 

 20 DISCOURSE. 
 
 Neglect, I pray you, anything, rather than this everlasting 
 o-ood. Be indifferent to anything but " a far more exceeding 
 and eternal weight of glory." Let the realization of this 
 absorb your minds, and be the prize towards which you con- 
 stantly press. Then, when kingdoms shall be rent asunder; 
 when empires shall decay; when a universal death shall seize 
 all terrestrial things, you shall remain unhurt; and, amidst 
 the plaudits of angels and the smiles of Jesus, shall enter a 
 glorious kingdom which can never be moved, but abideth 
 forever.