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MAE EAO I 
OF
THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF
THE L ATE
HON, THEO, FRELINGHUYSEN, LL.D,
BY TALBOT Wr, CHtIAMBERS,
A mINISTIE OF THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH, NEW YORK.
NEW  YORK:
HARPER & BRIOTIIERS, PUBLISHERS,
FEANELIN SQUARE.
i n863.




Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District
of New York.




INTRODUCTION.
SOON after the death of Mr. Frelinghuysen, a desire
was expressed, in many and various cuarters, for some
permanent memorial of his life. His long course of
private worth and public usefulness, the eminent positions he had occupied, his ability, his eloquence, his
stainless probity, his consistent piety, his catholic spirit, his recognized leadership among evangelical Christians of every name, and his relations to all the great
Christian enterprises of the age, seemed to call for a
volume which should trace his career from its origin,
and indicate the sources of the rare and rounded character which he maintained even to the last.
Circumstances, which it is needless to mention, turned the author's attention to the subject. Having a
connection by marriage with some of Mr. Frelinghuysen's relatives, he had for more than twenty years
enjoyed a considerable degree of intimacy with him,
and was enabled therefore, on many points, to speak
from personal observation. From  the living representatives of Mr. Frelinghuysen he met the heartiest
sympathy and co-operation. It was, indeed, at their
snugestion and by their aid that the present volume




IV                INTRODUCTION.
has been prepared. It does not pretend, therefore, to
have the coolness of judicial impartiality. The remembrance of Mr. Frelinghuysen's genial goodness is
still too fresh to allow those who knew him familiarly
to speak of his character with stoic calmness. Heic
fiber n    _ * -X- professione pie/atis aut laudatuz s erit, aezt excusatus.  Yet the reader will look in vain for indiscriminate eulogy.  It is believed that the delineation
given does not transgress the bounds of truth, in letter, in spirit, or in the impression it is calculated to
produce.  The great aim has been to give, in moderate compass, as just and accurate an account of the
growth and development of this remarkable man as
could be obtained by patient and diligent inquiry.
One reason of the insertion of so many statements and
letters from different persons, as will be found interspersed through the volume, is to show how similar,
or, rather, identical was the impression made by his
virtues on all the classes of men, lay and clerical, with
whom he came in contact. If any still deem the character described to be one of impossible perfection, it
only remains to assure them that nothing is stated except what is believed on the amplest and most satisfactory evidence-nothing which would not be accepted by any of his numerous neighbors and townsmen as either true of their own knowledge, or as what
their acquaintance with him would naturally lead them
to believe and expect. Close and prolonged inspection is a severe test of character, but it is precisely




INTRODUCTION.                V
those who saw Mr. Frelinghuysen at nearest hand and
for the longest time who cherish the deepest reverence
for his memory, and the strongest conviction of his
unexampled excellence.
The author begs leave here to offer his grateful acknowledgments to the kind friends, too numerous to
specify in detail, who have aided him by the communication of useful papers or statements. He has spared
no pains to gather such information as bore upon the
subject, but has reason to lament that, in several instances, it was found impossible to obtain details sufficiently authentic and definite to be inserted in this biography.
Still, he trusts that his work will not be found
wholly unworthy of its subject, and he commits it to
the press with the prayer that the blessed Savior, who
was pleased to make Mr. Frelinghuysen so useful in
his life, will vouchsafe to honor with a portion of the
same blessing this imperfect record of his course and
character.
New York, June, 1863.








CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
HIS ANCESTRY.
I. The Rev. Theo. Jac. Frelinghuysen.-II. The Rev. John Frelinghuysen. -The Jufvrouw Hardenbergh.- III. Major Gen. Frederick Frelinghu ysen........................... Page 13
CHAPTER II.
HIS YOUTH AND EDUCATION.
1787-1808.
Birth-place. —School at New Brunswick.-Basking Ridge.-Princeton.-Letter of the Hon. Mr. Ingersoll.-Student at Law in Millstone.-Letter of the Rev. Dr. I. N. Wyckoff.-In the office of the
Hon. Richard Stockton.-Admission to the Bar....................  28
CHAPTER III.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER AT TI-IE BAR.
1808-1838.
Settlement at Newark.-Marriage.-Studious EIabits.-First Striking Success.-Patriotic Exertions in 1812.-Same in 1861.-Attorney General of the State.-Legal Characteristics.-Cases.-The
Quaker Case.-Proprietary Case.-Leaving the Bar............. 40
CHAPTER IV.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.
1829-1835.
Composition of the Senate. —Great Questions agitated -Mr. Frelinghuysen's Course.-The Indian Bill. —The Sunday-Mail Question.-Day of Fasting for the Cholera.-Encomiums of Clay and
Webster.-Letter of the Hon. Edward Everett..................... 59




viii                      CONTENTS.
CHAPTER V.
CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY OF NEW YOREK.
1839-1850.
Return to his Profession at Newark.-Call to the University of the
City of New York.-Installation as Chancellor. —Success.-Public Usefulness.-Nomination for Vice-President.-Letter of Acceptance.-aThe Canvass.-Letter to Louisville.-Result, and the
disappointment it then caused. —Not now to be regretted.-Mr.
Frelinghuysen retires from  the University.-Letter of Dr. Tayler
Lewis....................................................................Page  84
CHAPTER VI.
PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.
1850-1862.
Early History of the Institution.-Inauguration of Mr. Frelinghuysen. —Growth of the College.-The President's Diligence.-Letter
from Dr. Crosby.-Death of the first Mrs. Frelinghuysen.-Baccalaureate Addresses.-Useful to the End.-Death. —Funeral.. 103
CHAPTER VII.
PERSONAL TRAITS AND HABITS.
His Person.-Social and Domestic Habits.-Hospitality.-Popularity.-Mental Traits: Insight, Judgment; Imagination.-Reading.
-Style.-Speeches. -Eloquence. -Instances. -Reminiscence of
Dr. Magic.................................................................  114
CHAPTER VIII.
ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.
Early Impressions.-Conversion at Newvark. —Influence of his Brother's Death.-Eminence of his Piety.-Its Elements: 1. Simplicity
of Faith; 2. Humility; 3. Devotional Habits; 4. Geniality; 5. Tendernesss of Conscience; 6. Completeness; 7. The Fruit of Culture.
-Letter from Dr. Woodbridge........................................   129
CHAPTER IX.
HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.
At Home-at the Bar-in Washington-in Church Relations-Sunday-school.-Charity.-Catholicity of Feeling.................... 151




CONTENTS.                           iX
CHAPTER X.
PERSONAL EFFORTS FOR THE SALVATION OF MEN.
Letter to Mr. Lincoln.-Consultation about entering the Ministry.Dr. Spring's Letter.-Assiduity and Skill in speaking to impenitent
Persons. —Grounds of his Success. —Letters. —Correspondence with
Mr. Clay; with Mr.Webster; Governor Pennington; Judge Nevius.-Letter of Judge Chambers.-Other Examples.-Words of J.
P. Jackson.-Perseverance...................................... Page 168
CHAPTER XI.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE.
Its general Character.-Fifteen Letters to a young Relative pursuing
his Education.-Two to another young Relative. —Four to the Rev.
Dr. J. A. H. Cornell.-A Letter of Condolence to the Rev. Dr. De
W itt..........................................................................   192
CHAPTER XII.
CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS.
A. B. C. F. M.-American Bible Society.-American Tract Society.
- American Colonization Society. — American Sunday-school
Union.-American Temperance Union............................ 213
CHAPTER XIII.
THE CLOSING SCENE.
Origin of his Sickness.-Fear of Death.-Fear overcome.-Profound
Humility.- Submission. —Temptations. -Remembrances.-Interview with Dr. Campbell.-Advice to a Youth.-Desire to Depart.
-The peaceful End...................................................... 253
CHAPTER XIV.
CONCLUSION.
The Gift of God. —Mr. F'elinghuysen's Completeness of Character.General Recognition of it.-Proven by Trial.-Theme of Gratitude
to God.-Encouragement to others.-A Proof of Christianity.An Example of cheerful Piety.-Its fundamental and characteristic Element.................................................................  264
APPENDIX.....................2....................  275
INDEX...........................................................................   283








THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF
THE LATE
HON. THEO. FRELINGHUYSEN, LLD.








LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
CHAPTER I.
HIS ANCESTRY.
I. The Rev. Theo. Jac. Frelinghuysen.-II. The Rev. John Frelinghuysen. -The Jufvrouw Hardenbergh. -III. Major Gen. Fred.
Frelinghuysen.
" THE glory of children are their fathers," nor is any
reasonable man insensible to the value of an honorable descent, especially if to earthly distinction there is
added the blessed memory of the just. The subject
of this volume was not accustomed to boast of any
thing, but he is known to have had pleasure in contemplating the virtues of those who went before him,
and to have derived a healthful stimulus from their
example.
I. The first of the name who came to this country
was the Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, or, as
he sometimes wrote his signature, Freylinghausen. He
was born in East Friesland, now a part of the kingdom of Hanover, about the year 1691, and was ordained to the pastoral office in 1717. The circumstances
which led to his coming to this country were strikingly providential. The Dutch churches in America were
at that early day chiefly supplied with ministers from
Holland. It happened that a request had been received by the Classis of Amsterdam, asking them to




14          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
send a pious minister to America, and one of the pastors, named Sicco Tjadde, interested himself to procure
a proper person. While Tjadde was pursuing his inquiries, Mr. Frelinghuysen passed through the town
where this pastor lived, being on his way to Embden
to assume the rectorship of the academy at that place.
He spent the night at the house of an elder of the
Church, who invited him to conduct the evening devotions. He readily consented, and, after reading a
chapter in the Bible, gave a short exposition, and concluded with prayer. The elder was so much pleased
with the service, and with the whole spirit and conversation of the young minister, that on his departure
in the morning he made Mr. Frelinghuysen promise
to stay at his house on his return, and then hastening
to his pastor, cried out, "I have found a man to go to
America."  In due time the promise was fulfilled by
Mr. Frelinghuysen, and, after consultation, he agreed
to accept the call and emigrate to America.
He arrived in this country in the first month of the
year 1720, and at once entered upon his labors, which
extended over a wide field upon the banks of the Raritan and its affluents. His place of residence was about
three miles west of New Brunswick, from which, as
a centre, he made excursions as the wants of his people demanded, preaching alternately in Raritan, New
Brunswick, Six-Mile Run, and North Branch, and was
constantly active in catechising and instructing the
youth. He encountered many difficulties, owing in
part to the scattered population, dense forests, unbridged streams, and ill-marked roads incident to a
newly-settled country, but still more to the state of the




HIS ANCESTRY.               15
people, among whom formalism abounded, leading, as
it always does in the end, to a great relaxation of
morals. But the man was equal to the occasion. The
times required a ministry prosecuted "in the spirit
and power of Elias," and such he aimed at. He not
only presented the great doctrines of the Gospel with
fidelity and energy, but applied them with a fearless
pungency, which often gave great offense. And although bitterly opposed and cruelly slandered, he never yielded, but maintained to the last the spirit exhibited in the declaration of one of his early discourses:
"I would sooner die a thousand deaths than not preach
the truth." His prevailing temper of mind seems to
be indicated by the concluding words of the preface
to a small collection of sermons first printed in 1733,
"Laudem non quzcero; cuztpam non timneo"-I seek not
praise; I fear not blame. All accounts agree in reference to him, that he was a great blessing to the Dutch
Church in America. The Rev. Gilbert Tennent said
of him: "The labors of Mr. Frelinghuysen, a Dutch
minister, were much blessed to the people of New
Brunswick and places adjacent, about the time of his
coming among them. When I came there, which was
about seven years after, I had the pleasure of seeing
much of the fruits of his ministry. Divers of his hearers, with whom I had the opportunity of conversing,
appeared to be converted persons by their soundness
in principle, Christian experience, and pious practice;
and these persons declared that his ministrations were
the means thereof. This, together with a kind letter
which he wrote me respecting the necessity of dividing
the Word aright, and giving to every one his portion




16          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
in due season, through the Divine blessing, excited me
to greater earnestness in ministerial labors."  Similar testimony is borne by Whitfield, who, in his journal of 1739, speaks of an extensive work of grace as
the fruit of Frelinghuysen's ministry in New Brunswick and that vicinity. So, also, does President Edwards, in his Narrative of Surprising Conversions, first
published in 1736. There were added at this time to
the Church of Raritan alone forty-four persons, a number which, in the judgment of the Rev. Dr. Messler,
the present pastor of the church, must have been nearly, if not quite, equal to one from each family in the
congregation.
His printed sermons, which a few years since were
collected and translated by the Rev. WILLIAM DEMAREST, show him to have been an evangelical and pungent preacher. His labors continued for more than a
quarter of a century; and although he was often attacked in the civil courts, before the colonial authorities, through the press, and by complaint to the Classis
of Amsterdam, he never succumbed. Amid all his trials, he was sustained by the countenance of his ecclesiastical superiors, by the consolations of grace in his own
heart, by the Divine blessing upon his "weak ministrations," as he called them, and by the fulfillment of
the covenant to his household. All his children were
believers. His five sons were ordained to the ministry, and his two daughters were married to ministers.
The eldest son, THEODORE, was sent to Holland for
his education, and, after being ordained to the ministry, came to this country in 1745. The next year he
was settled over the Church in Albany, New York.




HIS ANCESTRY.               17
Mrs. Grant, of Laggan, in her " Memoirs of an American Lady," speaks of him as " the apostolic and muchbeloved Freylinghausen." According to the same authority, he was ardent in his disposition, and frank and
popular in his manners. His preaching was earnest
and eloquent, his life spotless, and his concern for his
people warm and tender. He was very much endeared to the Church and the whole community; but, toward the end of his career, a regiment of royal troops
stationed at Albany introduced customs and mainers
which led to a serious deterioration of religion and
morals, despite all the influence and authority he could
exert. Deeply wounded by the failure of his efforts
to stay the torrent of fashionable innovation, he withdrew from the contest, and sailed to Holland, whither,
according to some accounts, he went for the purpose
of obtaining funds to establish a literary and theological institution; but he was lost at sea. The people
of Albany long mourned his departure, and cherished
his memory with the deepest affection.
The third and fourth sons, JACOBUS and FERDINANDUS, were sent to Holland, where they passed
through the usual course of study, and were ordained
to the ministry. They embarked for home, with the
intention of taking charge, the one of the Church of
Wawwarsing or Marbletown, the other of that of Kinderhook; but both, while at sea, fell victims to the
smallpox in the year 1753.
The youngest son, HENRICUS, pursued his studies
in this country, and was licensed to preach the Gospel
by the direction of what was called the Coetus. In
the year 1756 he took charge of the churches of Waw



18         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
warsing and Rochester, in Ulster County, New York.
The next year he was regularly ordained and inducted into office. Very soon afterward he was attacked
by smallpox, and died at Naponoch.
Of his daughters, one, ANNA, became the wife of the
Rev. William Jackson, who, having begun his studies
under John Frelinghuysen, at Raritan, finished them
in Holland, where he was ordained. Returning home
in 1757, he was settled over the churches of Staten Island'and Bergen, where he prosecuted a faithful and
successful ministry for thirty years, when he was laid
aside by grievous afflictions. His life, however, was
prolonged until July, 1813. His wife died in May,
1810, aged 72 years. The other, MARGARET, was married to the Rev. Thomas Romeyn, then settled on Long
Island. She died early, but left one son, Theodore
Frelinghuysen Rorneyn, who became a minister, and
succeeded Dr. Hardenbergh in the same charge at Raritan to which his grandfather and his uncle had successively ministered. He was a young man of fine
promise, but was suddenly removed by death within
less than eighteen months from the date of his installation.
II. The Rev. Theo. Jac. Frelinghuysen was succeeded in his charge on the Raritan by his second son,
JoHN, who, having been educated and ordained in
Holland, commenced his labors in August, 1750. He
seems to have been a man of greater suavity than his
father, but was equally firm in upholding the claims
of spiritual Christianity. He was distinguished for his
gifts in the pulpit, for his assiduity in the religious
training of the young, and for his zealous endeavors




HIS ANCESTRY.                      19
to raise up worthy candidates for the sacred office.
There is still standing in Somerville a house built of
bricks brought by him from Holland, where he resided, and where Hardenbergh, Jackson, Leydt, and otl4ers attended a nascent theological seminary under his
direction. Although the old troubles between the
parties known respectively as Coetus and Conferentie*
still continued, yet a more than ordinary blessing rested upon his ministry, and much was expected from
him in the future; but these hopes were blasted by his
early death in September, 1754.  His ministerial life
being so short, very little is known in detail of his
character, but his death was very generally and deeply lamented.  Much more is known of his wife, who
survived him more than fifty years, and was as eminent in her day for intelligent piety as any of the female saints of the Old Testament or the New.
DINAH VAN BERG was the daughter of a wealthy
and distinguished East India merchant who resided
in Amsterdam.  While yet young she was overtaken
* The " Coetus" consisted of an assembly of ministers of the Dutch
Church (organized in 1738, but not put in operation until 1747), who
proposed to administer discipline, and license and ordain candidates
for the ministry, without requiring them to visit Holland to be educated and approved there. The "Conferentie" was a rival association (organized in 1755), who insisted that in every such case the express authority of the Classis of Amsterdam should be obtained. A
lamentable schism thus originated, which, in some cases, scarcely
stopped short of actual violence, and did immense damage to the interests of religion and morals. The difficulties were finally composed
by a convention brought together through the agency of the late Rev.
Dr. Livingston in the year 1771, and in the end all the ministers and
churches of Hollandish descent were itnited under the title of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America.




20         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
by Divine grace, and at once became a firm and decided Christian. Although in a very unfavorable atmosphere, and surrounded by gay and worldly persons,
she maintained an eminent consistency of character.
This fidelity to principle subjected her to considerable
and prolonged opposition, which, with other causes, at
length affected her health. Her sickness increased to
such a degree that her life was despaired of. She,
however, insisted that, in answer to her prayers, she
would be restored, and even went so far as to indicate
the day when her recovery would commence. The
prediction was laughed at by her attending physician,
who considered her case altogether hopeless. WVhen
the day arrived, her condition remained unchanged
until toward sunset, when she arose from the bed
which she had not left for weeks, and walked across
the room; and from that time her recovery was steady
and rapid. The circumstance excited much interest
in the city; and when Dr. Livingston visited Amsterdam many years afterward, he was inquired of by
great numbers of persons respecting this extraordinary woman.
During her sickness, John Frelinghuysen, who was
then pursuing his theological studies in the mother
country, frequently called upon her, and the acquaintance ripened into a mutual attachment. Her parents
were decidedly opposed to the connection, partly because of the profession of her suitor, and partly because
of the hardships which must necessarily be incurred
by those living in a newly-settled country. Finding
their opposition invincible, Mr. Frelinghuysen set off
on his return home alone, but, after being one day out




HIS ANCESTRY.               21
at sea, a contrary wind drove the vessel in which he
had embarked directly back to port. He seized the
occasion as a providential opening for the renewal of
his suit, and this time was successful. Re-embarking
with his wife, he had a prosperous voyage, and, reaching home, commenced the ministry which, as has been
said, was so acceptable, and yet so soon terminated by
his death when only twenty-five years of age. His widow, who had greatly endeared herself to the community by her piety, energy, and usefulness, determined
to return to Holland. Her preparations were all made,
a passage engaged, and the day fixed for her departure, when she was surprised by a proposal of marriage from one of the young men who had been studying theology under the direction of her husband, to
which, in her astonishment, she answered, " My child,
what are you thinking about?"  He had contemplated this step for some time, and had consulted their
common friends, but, out of respect for her grief for
her recent bereavement, had refrained from declaring
himself until the last moment. This young man was
JACOBus  RUTSEN HARDENBERGHI, afterward widely
known as a divine, a scholar, and patriot, a personal
friend of Washington, and the first President of the
college at New Brunswick, N. J., of which he was, to
a large extent, the founder. He succeeded in persuading the widow to countermand the preparations
for her departure and to accept his hand in marriage,
all other considerations to this end being greatly aided
in their influence by the wide prospect of usefulness
to the Master's cause which opened itself before her in
case she should remain in America. She continued




22          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
the faithful companion of Dr. llardenbergh's labors
and trials in Raritan, in Mombacus, N. Y., and finally
in New Brunswick, where, after having survived him
for seventeen years, she terminated her useful career
by a triumphant death, at the advanced age of eightyone years, on the 26th day of March, 1807. The following stanza, engraved upon her tombstone in the graveyard of the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
in New Brunswick, indicates the degree in which her
high attainments in grace were regarded by those who
survived her.
" Tell how she climbed the everlasting hills,
Surveying all the realms above;
Borne on a strong-winged faith, and on
The fiery wheels of an immortal love."
The children of the first marriage, the Jufvrouw liardenbergh, as she was usually styled by her neighbors,
were a son and a daughter. The latter, named EVA,
was married to Mr. Caspar Van Nostrand, who at an
early day removed to Ulster County, N. Y., where numerous descendants of the family are still remaining.
The former, who was the father of the subject of this
memoir, was named Frederick.
III. FREDERICK FRELINGHUYSEN was born on the
13th of April, 1753. Dedicated in his infancy to the
Lord, he was carefully trained in the knowledge and
practice of the truth. It was his mother's constant
and anxious desire that he should become, like his
father and grandfather, a minister of the Gospel, and
in this she was cordially seconded by her husband.
But it was in vain. The young man did not feel himself fitted or called to the sacred office; and although




HIS ANCESTRY.               23
he yielded to importunity so far as to study theology
for six months, yet at the end of that time his disinclination still continued, and he turned his face in another direction. Tradition intimates that there was
something in the rigidity and strictness of his stepfather, especially in the matter of Sunday observance,
which somewhat repelled young people, and hindered
them from seeing the natural attractiveness of that
wisdom whose ways are ways of pleasantness, and all
whose paths are peace. General Frelinghuysen, so far
from becoming a minister of the Gospel, did not enter
into the full communion of the Church; but it was
the opinion of his last pastor, the late Rev. Dr. Cannon,
who afterward became Professor in the Theological
Seminary at New Brunswick, N. J., that at the end of
life the pious lessons of his early years returned to his
memory, and wrought a gracious result upon his heart.
I-Ie received his collegiate education at the College
of New Jersey, Princeton, where the Rev. Dr. Samuel
Stanhope Smith, Dr. Samuel Spring, and James Madison were among his fellow-students. After his graduation in 1770, he entered upon the study of the law,
and when he was of age was admitted to the bar.
Here he soon displayed the possession of rare gifts and
attainments. Such was his reputation, that in 1775,
when only twenty-two years old, he was chosen a member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, where
he was placed on the important Committee of Public
Safety. The next year he was chosen to the same
body, which adopted a Constitution, and changed its
title from "Provincial Congress" to the "Convention
of the STATE of New Jersey." In 1778 he was elect



2,i4        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ed, on joint ballot of the Legislature, to represent New
Jersey in the Continental Congress; but in the following year he resigned his seat, not, however, from any
failure of patriotism, or any desire to escape his share
of the public burdens, as appears by the following extract from his letter of resignation, addressed to the
Speaker of the House of Assembly of his native state:
" It is needless for me to remind the honorable Legislature that I did with great reluctance accept the appointment of a delegate for this state in Congress. I
was then sufficiently sensible that the trust was too
important for my years and abilities. I am now fully
convinced that I should do injustice to my country did
I not decline that service.
" In doing this I amn conscious to myself that I am
merely actuated by motives for the public good, well
knowing that, whatever be my abilities, they will be
useless to the state in the supreme council of the nation, and that the other appointment with which the
Legislature of New Jersey have been pleased to honor
me in the county of Somerset is more than sufficient
to employ my whole attention."
It appears, however, that at a later period of the
Revolutionary struggle he returned to the civil service of the country, for his name is found on the rolls of
the Continental Congress for the years 1782 and 1783,
as a representative from New Jersey.
While holding his seat in Provincial Congress in
the first years of the Revolution, he had also'been acting as captain of a corps of artillery, a volunteer company of Continental troops, and in this capacity took
part in the bloody battle of Trenton. There still re



HIS ANCESTRY.               25
mains in the family of his oldest son a serviceable
sword, which in that conflict was surrendered to him
by a British officer. A tradition, the accuracy of
which it is now impossible to determine, states that it
was by a shot from his pistol that Colonel Rahl, the
commander of the Hessian forces, was mortally wounded. He afterward was made a colonel in the militia
of his native county, Somerset, and was actively engaged in the war. He was present in the skirmishes
at Springfield and Elizabeth, and also at the battle of
Monmouth Court-house, in June, 1778. After the conclusion of the war, he received repeated testimonials
of public confidence in the shape of appointments to
various offices in the county and in the state, and in
1793 was chosen to a seat in the Senate of the United
States. This position domestic bereavements and the
claims of his family compelled him to resign in the
year 1796. During the administration of Washington, a formidable sedition arose in Western Pennsylvania, known as the Whisky Insurrection. A very
large array of forces was summoned from the militia
of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,
to put down the insurgents. The President gave Mr.
Frelinghuysen a major general's command among the
troops from the two latter states. Fortunately, the
overwhelming number of men sent into the field made
resistance hopeless, and the insurrection was quelled
with little or no bloodshed.
On the 22d of February, 1800, he was called to deliver an oration in New Brunswick on the death of
the Father of his Country. This oration, copies of
which are still extant, glows with the ardor to be exB




26          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
pected in one who shared in the toils and sacrifices of
the Revolution. He continued actively engaged in
various public and private duties until his death, which
occurred in 1804, on the same day of the same month
on which he was born. It is a curious but indubitable fact, that at the commencement of what proved to
be his last illness, and when it was by no means of
an alarming character, he foretold its fatal issue, and
named the day on which he should die. And that
day he did die.
Mortuary inscriptions are not always the most trustworthy evidences of character, yet it is believed that
the following extracts from the lines engraved on the
monument erected over his remains in the cemetery
near Millstone are strictly correct:
"He died greatly beloved and lamented. Endowed by nature with superior talents, he was from his
youth intrusted by his country with her most important concerns, and never did he disappoint her expectations. At the bar he was eloquent, in the Senate he
was wise, in the field he was brave. Candid, generous, and just, he was constant and ardent in his friendships. Ever the patron and protector of merit, he
gave his hand to the young, his counsel to the middleaged, his support to declining years. He left to his
children the rich legacy of a life unsullied by a stain,
and adorned with numerous expressions of public usefulness and private beneficence."
General Frelinghuysen was twice married. His first
wife was GERTRUDE SCHENCK, who died in March,
1794, and whose children were five in number: three
sons, named John, Theodore, and Frederick; and two




HIS ANCESTRY.                       27
daughters-Maria, who was married to the Rev. John
Cornell, and of whom some notice will be found in the
Appendix, and Catharine, who became the wife of the
late Rev. Gideon F. Judd, D.D., of Catskill. The general's second marriage was to Miss ANN YARD, a lady
of great force of character and refinement of mind,
who survived her husband for many years. Her children were two: Elizabeth, the wife of the late James
B. Elmendorf, M.D., of Millstone, and Sarah, who died
in her youth. Of all these children, the only one now
surviving is the widow of the Rev. Dr. Judd.
Note. —The foregoing account has been compiled mainly from various publications of the Rev. Dr. Messier, of Somerville, New Jersey,
especially the two entitled "A brief History of the Reformed Dutch
Church of Raritan, from its organization to the year 1834;" and
" The Hollanders in New Jersey, with Notices of some of their Descendants;" read before the New Jersey Historical Society, September 12, 1820; by Rev. Abraham Messier, D.D. Other details have
been derived from traditions still existing in the family, and believed
to be entirely authentic.




28         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
CHAPTER II.
HIS YOUTH AND EDUCATION.
1787-1808.
Birthplace.-School at New Brunswick.-Basking Ridge.-Princeton.-Letter of the Hon. Mr. Ingersoll.-Student at Law in Millstone.-Letter of the Rev. Dr. I. N. Wyckoff.-In the Office of the
Hon. Richard Stockton.-Admission to the Bar.
THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN was born in Franklin
Township, Somerset County, N. J., on the 28th of
March, 1787. The family homestead at Millstone,
where he was brought up, and which he subsequently
purchased from the estate of his younger brother, continued in his possession until the year 1840, when it
passed into other hands, and shortly afterward was entirely destroyed by fire. The engraving on the opposite page presents a correct view of the spacious and
convenient mansion as it appeared twenty-five years
ago. Here he spent his early years, receiving such
rudiments of learning as were afforded at a small
neighborhood school on the banks of the Millstone.
Afterward, about the year 1798, he, in company with
his brother Frederick, was sent to New Brunswick for
the purpose of attending the grammar-school in connection with Queen's College, at that time under the
direction of the Rev. Jno. Lindsley, a clergyman of the
Protestant Episcopal Church. The school was held
in the old College building, erected on the ground
where the Second Presbyterian Church now stands.
Dr. Ephraim Smith, the late Col. James Neilson, and




i    lL
— ~~~~~~~~~. ~.:~i,.._~,,
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,j..~,/..
TH  i~EIGU~E   I.%ETA)








HIS YOUTH AND EDUCATION.          31
other gentlemen of social distinction, were at this time
fellow-students of the Frelinghuysens, although in a
more advanced class. In 1800 Mr. Lindsley relinquished his rectorship of the grammar-school, and the
boys returned to their father's house at Millstone.
At this time an event occurred which Mr. Frelinghuysen considered one of the most important and decisive in his whole life. Being rather indisposed to
close mental application, he requested his father to
forego his purpose of giving him a liberal education,
and allow him to remain upon the homestead and become a farmer. His father yielded to his earnest wish,
and the point seemed settled. But some time afterward, when the general was called away to the seat
of government on public business, his wife took the
matter in hand, packed Theodore's trunk, and sent him
off to a classical school. He was greatly vexed at this
step, which seemed to him to be only an instance of
the harshness and oppression usually attributed to
stepmothers. But in after years he changed his view
entirely. He declared that to her decisive action he
owed all his subsequent success in life; nor was he
ever weary of recounting his obligations in this and
other matters to his father's second wife. That lady
was a signal blessing to Theodore and Frederick. She
took particular pains in forming their principles, and
in inculcating the graceful and high-bred courtesy for
which they were distinguished.
The school to which, by the wise foresight of Mrs.
Frelinghuysen, Theodore was sent in order to be prepared for college, was the classical academy at Basking Ridge, a village at the northern extremity of the




32          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
county. This institution had been founded the previous year by the Rev. ROBERT FINLEY, D.D., whose
name has attained a widespread and enduring celebrity as the founder of the American Colonization Society. From the interesting and instructive memoir
of his life prepared by the late Rev. Isaac V. Brown
(2d edition, Philad., 1857), it appears that this institution was really worthy of the high reputation which
it enjoyed for twenty years under the care of Dr. Finley, and afterward, for a shorter period, while conducted by his successor in the pastoral office at the Ridge,
the late Rev. WILLIAM CRAIG BROWNLEE, D.D. Dr.
Finley was an accomplished scholar, a thorough disciplinarian, a skillful teacher, and particularly distinguished for his ability to awaken the interest of his
pupils in what they were studying. He had a natural fondness for teaching, and gave his whole mind to
the work. His influence with the scholars was increased by his sacred profession, and the uncommon
power and unction which marked his effbrts in the
pulpit. The academy soon obtained an honorable
name, and attracted more applicants for admission than
he was willing to receive. Such families as the Bayards, Lindsleys, Southards, Kirkpatricks, and others,
were glad to secure its advantages for their children.
The Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick, of Ringoes, N. J., states,
in a letter to the author, that he and the late Hon.
Saml. L. Southard (afterward Mr. F.'s colleague in the
Senate) commenced the study of Latin with Dr. Finley
in August, 1799. In the spring of the next year they
were joined by Philip Lindsley (afterward President
of the University of Nashville, Tenn.), and by Theo.




HIS YOUTH AND EDUCATION.           33
Frelinghuysen. They constituted the first class of
the academy. Dr. Kirkpatrick says that Mr. F. was
a moral and amiable youth, beloved by his classmates.
All these were admitted in September, 1802, to the
Junior Class of the College of New Jersey at Princeton. Among the other members of that class were
the HIon. George Chambers, of Chambersburg, Pa., and
the Hon. Jos. JR. Ingersoll, late Minister of the United
States to the Court of St. James. Mr. Ingersoll has
been kind enough to furnish the author with the following interesting reminiscences of his early friend
and classmate.
"Nassau Hall, the now venerable College of New
Jersey, has been naturally regarded as the becoming
nursery of the sons of that patriotic state. Many of
them have received the crowning portion of their education there, and not a few of them have carried
away with them high and distinguished honors.
" The class of 1804 gave to the country more than
one of these, who fulfilled their early promise by becoming legislators, orators, and statesmen in the councils of the nation. It was usual for the natives of
New Jersey to enter college in the Junior year. They
thus enjoyed advantages from comparatively mature
cultivation in good preliminary schools; and they
escaped some of the dangers incident to the college
career of extreme youth, when surrounded by examples and temptations more attractive than meritorious, from different and distant places.
"Theodore Frelinghuysen and others came at the
same time, prepared for the opening of the Junior class.
He soon took a station of high merit, and he maintainB 2




34          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ed his position to the close of his allotted time. In his
studies he was faithfully diligent, and for his recitations
he was always prepared. It was observed of him by
one of his classmates that he never made a mistake in
them. With excellent abilities, great industry, suitable ambition, and never-failing attention, it could
scarcely be otherwise. The studies were susceptible
of being mastered, and he took care to conquer them.
" In the observance of college duty his conduct was
exemplary. He appeared to have no tendency to
neglect, and no inclination or capacity for mischief.
He met the routine of exercises with uniform punctuality, and appeared to have no wish except within the
college rules. As a speaker, he gave full indication
of the excellence which was manifested in a brilliant
senatorial life. When a' Senior,' he represented the
Cliosophic Society on the morning of the 4th of July,
in the exercises performed only by two persons, one
being from each society. His discourse was patriotic
in its theme. The order of speaking was determined
by lot, and he chose to speak last. The classmate
who preceded him selected a literary subject, and referred to his associate by saying to the audience that
the wide and extended interests of the country he left
on the occasion to his friend and brother, whose merits
with them he would not envy, but would endeavor to
emulate.
"The conduct and conversation of our eminent fellow-citizen were not only free from reproach, but amiable and delicate. Although a precisely devotional
character may not have been observed at this early
day, yet seeds of religious habit and exercise must




HIS YOUTH AND EDUCATION.            35
have been planted which were afterward, in due season, developed into the ripe exhibition of a pious life.
" His merits and station in the class, at the final examination for degrees, were fully recognized by the
proper authorities. In the distribution of honors
among forty-two graduates, the valedictory oration
was assigned to him. It was a testimonial of uniform
and exemplary past good conduct, a reward for industry and excellence in his various studies, and a merited compliment to his talents as a speaker. This is always considered a touching farewell to companions,
many of whom become separated for time and eternity, and was rendered peculiarly affecting in this instance. Mr. Frelinghuysen had recently lost his father,
who had long been eminent in public, and highly esteemed in private life. The parting address of the son
alluded, with great tenderness and delicacy of feeling,
to this event, and it did not fail to convey a motive
for earnest sympathy in the speaker's distress and the
general sorrow.
" The valedictory, while it was a proof of past and
existing merit, was a pledge for the future course of
the youthful orator which has been nobly redeemed.
His early professional efforts confirmed the promise
of distinguished usefulness and stirring abilities. The
entire development before the country and before the
world has not only conferred lasting fame upon the
individual, but has contributed eminently to verify the
position long since taken, that the alma mater with
which he was honorably identified in youth was lux
et gloria Novce Ccesarice.
"Philadelphia, May 28, 1862."




836        LIFE OF FRELIGtHU-YSEN.
It may add to the interest of the foregoing communication to state a fact which the modesty of its distinguished author induced him to withhold, but which
the Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick has preserved, viz., that Mr.
Ingersoll and Mr. Frelinghuysen were competitors for
academic distinction, and were pronounced by the
Faculty to be equal, so that the first honor of the class
was divided between them. Mr. Ingersoll pronounced
the Latin salutatory at the commencement. A letter
to the author from the Hon. Mr. Chambers confirms
all the statements of Mr. Ingersoll, speaks of Mr. Frelinghuysen as a model student, and adds the farther
fact, which will be interesting to some readers, that the
thoroughness of his academic preparation at Basking
Ridge contributed largely to the high stand he took
in his class at college.
After his graduation Mr. Frelinghuysen returned to
the homestead at Millstone, which was then occupied
by his brother JOHN, who had removed his residence
thither from the Raritan, in order, as the oldest son, to
take charge of his father's household. In his office
Theodore commenced the study of the law. Of John
Frelinghuysen's character and course, some notice will
be found in the Appendix. It is enough to say here
that his influence upon his younger brothers was of
the happiest kind in every respect. Nor were they
slow to acknowledge it. Theodore, writing to his
brother's widow immediately after the death of her
husband, in April, 1833, said: " To my own heart this
is a sore bereavement. It has taken my only brother,
who watched over my youth, and was as a father to
counsel and comfort me; one whose kindness never




HIS YOUTH AND EDUCATION.         37
remitted, and who delighted to aid me, and contribute
in all circumstances to my happiness."
Of Mr. Frelinghuysen's character and course at this
period of his life, the author has had the pleasure of
receiving some authentic statements from the Rev.
Isaac N. Wyckoff, D.D., of Albany, N. Y., some of
which are here given. Dr. Wyckoff says: " He had already graduated at Princeton when my fortunate acquaintance with him commenced. But this I well remember, that when a student of law in his brother's
office, he was much engaged in promoting the mental
advancement of the young men in his neighborhood.
For this purpose he originated a debating society, and
invited the young men several miles around to attend.
IIe encouraged their efforts in composition and oratory, and by his unaffected simplicity of manners and
condescending kindness endeared himself to every
member of the association. I might mention an anecdote illustrating the attachment of the young men to
him. On occasion of some earnest discussion in the
neighboring hotel, a lively fellow took exception to
some statement Mr. Frelinghuysen made, and threatened personal chastisement. A stout young farmer
immediately interposed, and shouted,'Touch him if
you dare;' and the belligerent youth, finding that he
must encounter, not a fair-handed collegian, but a
brawny yeoman, slunk away and threatened no more.
"You will pardon me if I am egotistical in this
communication. To myself, more than any one else,
he showed great kindness. Having permitted me,
though only a boy of fourteen summers, to enter the
debating society, and observed my desire of improve



38         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ment, he invited me to his office, furnished me with
books, directed my reading, and ultimately became my
classical teacher, and devoted his daily attention to me
till I was nearly ready to enter the Junior class, when
his brother Frederick-par nobile fratrum-took up
the benevolent task till I entered college. The close
of this disinterested kindness ought to be mentioned.
When my father requested to know how he might reward Mr. F. for his care and tuition, he entirely refused
compensation. But my father begged that he would
accept some token of respectful acknowledgment for
his laborious kindness.'Well,' said he,' if I must
take something, please send me a box of Spanish cigars;' which was accordingly done. Although I do
not use cigars myself, no one will expect me to join in
King James's Counterblast against Tobacco, for its
fragrant smoke was the visible price of my academic
education. I have nothing farther to add but the testimony, which is abundant in our old neighborhood of
Millstone, that Mr. Frelinghuysen was a youth of noble
heart and benevolent impulses. None knew him that
did not love him; none spoke of him but to praise
him. For myself, my heart kindles with warmth
when I think of him. I am inclined to be extravagant when I speak of him. He was my early patron,
my unwearied benefactor, my friend till death. I invoke a thousand blessings upon all who were dear to
him, and who belong to his lineage and partake in his
spirit."
Mr. Frelinghuysen continued for somewhat more
than a year in his brother's office at Millstone, pursuing his legal studies, and employing his leisure in the




HIS YOUTH AND EDUCATION.         39
useful and praiseworthy manner set forth by Dr.
Wyckoff. He then, at the suggestion of his brother,
repaired to Princeton, and entered his name in the office of the Hon. RICHARD STOCKTON, who had at different times represented New Jersey in the Senate
and House of Representatives of the United States,
and who was for a quarter of a century the acknowledged leader of the bar in his native state. Under
this distinguished man he prosecuted his legal studies
with great assiduity until November, 1808, when he
was admitted to practice, being then twenty-one years
of age.




40          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
CHAPTER III.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER AT THE BAR.
1808-1838.
Settlement at Newark.-Marriage.-Studious Habits.-First Striking Success.-Patriotic Exertions in 1812.-Same in 1861.-Attorney General of the State.-Legal Characteristics.-Cases.-The
Quaker Case.-Proprietary Case.-Leaving the Bar.
THE place which Mr. Frelinghuysen selected to establish himself in life was Newark, at that time a village which contained about four thousand inhabitants,
and gave little promise of the growth of business
which has converted it into one of the most prosperous inland cities in the whole country. One of the
attractions which brought him to Newark, doubtless,
was the fact that it was the residence of the lady whom
he married the next year after his removal there.
This was Charlotte Mercer, the daughter of Archibald
Mercer, Esq., a gentleman of remarkable enterprise
and business tact. Miss Mercer was a lady of great
intelligence, amiable disposition, and numerous graces
of person and manner; and the union formed with
her by Mr. Frelinghuysen continued in unbroken affection for more than forty years, when she was removed by death to a heavenly home. Providence
having denied them children, they were inseparable
companions at home and abroad. Her cheerful spirits
and buoyant temperament were a signal blessing to
her husband, whose fatigues and vexations she was




AT THE BAR.                 41
always able to soothe, while her winning courtesy
gave an additional charm to the abundant and cordial
hospitalities of his house and table.
The same habits of studiousness, sobriety, and attention which had marked Mr. Frelinghuysen's previous course, still attended him while awaiting the
call of clients.  He revised and perfected his legal
studies. He was diligent in his attendance upon the
courts. He gave considerable time to the pursuits of
literature, especially to those histories which lay open
the fountains of law. His evenings were in general
spent in the society of Mrs. F.relinghuysen, to whom
he was in the habit of reading aloud some favorite
English classic. None of his faculties were allowed
to rust through disuse, but, while in comparative obscurity, he labored as if with some prophetic foresight
of the demands he would be called to meet in coming
years. WVhen, therefore, the cares of a full practice
came rushing upon him, he was not unprepared.
The commencement of Mr. Frelinghuysen's professional life and reputation are well described in a pamphlet published in 1844, understood to be from the
pen of Courtlandt Parker, Esq., a distinguished member of the New Jersey bar, who had studied in Mr.
Frelinghuysen's office, and who was both familiar with
his character and well able to describe it. " Retiring
and studious in his habits, unassuming, modest, and
finding the bar already occupied by men of ability
and standing, he was for two or three years very little
known, and contented himself with silently laying the
foundation of his subsequently brilliant career. The
bar of Essex County was then very distinguished.




42          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Among the seniors of the profession were Aaron Ogden,* Matthias Williamson, Isaac H. Williamson,*
Wm. S. Pennington,* Elias Van Arsdale, Jos. C. Hornblower,t Winm. Halsey, and Wm. Chetwood,4 and other
men of great distinction in the state, besides Richard
Stockton,t George Wood, and others of great ability
from other counties.  Such were Mr. Frelinghuysen's
competitors, and for some time he remained little
known; but about the year 1812 his abilities were
called into public notice, and he rushed at once into
an extensive and lucrative practice.
" His professional success took its rise from his able
conduct of an important cause which occurred about
the year above named. It was a case of murder, alleged to have been committed by a colored man.
The killing was admitted, but it was insisted by the
defendant that he acted in self-defense. The prisoner was friendless and penniless, and the court, being
obliged to assign him counsel, appointed as such Mr.
Frelinghuysen, together with a senior member of the
bar, the present Chief Justice Hornblower. In course
of time the cause was tried, and the junior counsel
was the first to present it to the jury; and so powerful was his appeal, that the jury, though the case is
said to have been clearly one of manslaughter at least,
immediately acquitted the prisoner. He dwelt with
great pathos upon the situation of the defendant as
one calling for the sympathies of the court and jury.
Every thing was combined to darken his prospects:
poverty, friendlessness, insignificance in public estima* Governors and Chancellors.   t Chief Justice.
HMembers of Congress.




AT THE BAR.                 43
tion on account of his color, and his being a stranger
and without relatives, all contributed to swell the tide
against him. The solemnity of his situation excited
a morbid interest in the cause, but none for him. The
lonely condemned cell, the scaffold and executioner,
the fatal rope, and the awful moment of death, would
rouse curiosity, but not sympathy: unthought of, unregretted, would his spirit, if their verdict was adverse, rise from the horrid scaffold to the bar of judgment. Ideas something like these, clothed in the purest diction, animated by his vivid imagination, and
delivered with surpassing eloquence, completely overwhelmed court, jury, and auditors; the judge (the
Hon. Saml. L. Southard), though by no means a man
easily affected, was overcome by his feelings; and
thus having enlisted popular sympathy for the forlorn
state of his client, Mr. Frelinghuysen went on to argue
the facts in so masterly a manner as quite to supersede the necessity of his colleague's address, and triumphantly acquit his client. A gentleman of another
profession, present at the time, afterward said, in reference to it,'I shall never forget the impression made
upon me by the address of Mr. Frelinghuysen on that
occasion. Though I was then but twelve or thirteen
years of age, it has never left me, and ever since I have
regarded him with intense interest from the feelings
which his pathetic eloquence excited.'"
The same writer from whom we have just quoted
proceeds to describe thus the elements of Mr. Frelinghuysen's professional ability and the grounds of his
reputation: " The eloquence by which his forensic efforts were distinguished; his voice clear, mellow, and




44          LIFE OF FRELINGHIUYSEN.
full; his manly appearance, brilliant imagination, vehement declamation, and fine flow of language, together with his acute knowledge of human nature, accurate legal acquirements, strong reasoning powers, and
stern adherence to right, rendered him the most popular advocate at the bar of Eastern New Jersey."
In the outset of his career he exhibited the active
love of country which he inherited from his father,
and which characterized all his subsequent career. In
the war of 1812 a draft of every seventh mall was
made upon the citizens of Essex County for the government service. He escaped the lot, but, with a number of others who were in the same situation, formed
a volunteer company of riflemen, of which he took
the command. Among the members of the company
was the Rev. S. H. Cox, D.D., who acted as the captain's orderly, and who relates with great vivacity the
thoroughness of the drill, the enthusiasm of the rank
and file, and the fine appearance they presented when
reviewed by the governor of the state on the national anniversary. They were never called into active
service, but they lacked only the occasion, not the will.
When the city of New York was supposed to be in
danger from its defenseless situation, Mr. Frelinghuysen was among the most active iin inducing the citizens of Newark to come to its aid with upward of
nine hundred able-bodied men, who, with spade and
pickaxe, rendered most efficient service in throwing
up intrenchments on Brooklyn Heights and South
Brooklyn. Fifty years afterward, when the country
was threatened with the far greater danger of an internal foe, the voice of Theodore Frelinghuysen rang




AT THE BAR.                 45
out in clarion tones, which showed that age had not
chilled the patriotic fires of youth, nor the peaceful
pursuits of education and literature deadened his sensibilities to the honor of his country and the maintenance of her government. With his own hand he
raised the national banner on the College grounds,
and accompanied the act with a speech, in the course
of which he said: "Our forefathers felt the defects
springing from the independence of single states, and
saw that there could be neither glory nor safety in
thirteen little independent factions. Hence the framers of the Constitution assembled for the purpose of
forming a wise and permanent bond of union. The
Union formed then is the Union of to-day; and under
it our prosperity has been so great that we are all
willing to sacrifice the last drop of our blood to see it
maintained against traitors. The forbearance of the
North was simply the calmness of conscious strength.
The first cannon-shot, however, against Sumter struck
the great heart of the American people, and that
heart will never cease beating until this wrong is
avenged. Despising the remedies offered by the Constitution itself for redressing their supposed grievances, they, just as wicked men always do, have gathered
their forces, have stolen forts and arsenals, have plundered our public property, have murdered innocent
citizens, and are now endeavoring to coil among the
Stars and Stripes a serpent whose fangs shall strike
out the emblems of seven states from its glorious folds.
If a foreign foe had done this, the nation would have
risen up as one man to hurl down the aggressor.
How much worse is it when the foe came from with



46          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
in our own bosom! In fact, a more monstrous crime
has not been perpetrated since the crucifixion of our
Lord and Savior. We must fight: there is no alternative. Rebellion must be crushed, and then we shall
once more become a happy and united people."
Nor were these stirring words the mere effervescence of a temporary excitement, but the expression
of a deep and settled conviction, founded upon Mr.
Frelinghuysen's origin, training, studies, and experience. And he never wavered. Even when lying
upon the bed from which he knew that he was never
to arise, and in full view of the solemn realities of the
life to come, his interest in the national cause was unabated, and tidings of any success of the Union forces
would call forth a prompt and hearty expression of
joy and gratitude. Like his father before him, he was
a patriot to the last, unconditionally and without reservation.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's practice, after 1812, became extensive and lucrative. He attended the courts in all
the northern counties of New Jersey, every where
acquiring a like reputation with that he had obtained at home. His legal and personal character daily raised him in public estimation, until, in 1817, he
was appointed attorney general of the state —an office which, at that time, was one of immense care and
responsibility. The holder of it was not only the
legal adviser of the state, but in person or by deputy supervised the administration of the criminal statutes throughout the commonwealth.  There were
in this appointment some circumstances exceedingly
complimentary to Mr. Frelinghuysen. The legislative




AT THE BAR.                47
majority by whom it was conferred were opposed to
him in politics, and had able and prominent men of
their own party before them for election. He was
chosen, too, as indeed was the case with all the public
honors and offices conferred upon him through life,
without any solicitation on his part, and in the present instance without any expectation, as at the time
he was engaged in his practice in a remote part of the
state. He was afterward twice reappointed as his
term of office expired; and when he resigned, did so
in consequence of being elected, in 1829, a senator of
the United States for the State of New Jersey.
No man ever filled the office of attorney general
more to the satisfaction of the people than he. It was
the field for the proper display of the lofty integrity,
private and professional, which was always his peculiar distinction. Guilt, whenever it appeared, he prosecuted with every energy he could command, while
in his dealings with the depraved he ever pursued so
fair and just a course that even they who suffered
from his efforts dared not blame them. He never
sank the attorney general in the advocate of a side.
Representing the majesty of the state, his endeavor
was to ferret out the guilty and discover truth, not to
gain his cause or to extend his fame. While he- occupied this post, he was, in 1820, elected by the Legislature to a seat upon the bench of the Supreme Court
of the state, a position usually deemed a fitting goal
for the honorable ambition of a New Jersey lawyer.
This, however, he declined, preferring to continue in
the more active branch of the profession.
The reputation of Mr. Frelinghuysen attracted many




48          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
young men to his office as students of the law, and parents were always glad to place their sons under such
a wholesome influence. He dealt faithfully and kindly with them all, and never failed to win their affectionate admiration and regard. They looked up to
him as a friend and father, and throughout life cherished for him the highest esteem. From one of these,
now eminent at the bar, the author has had the pleasure of receiving an authentic statement respecting
Mr. Frelinghuysen's professional character and course,
which is here reproduced almost in the writer's own
words.
His moral influence upon his associates at the bar
was very great and very salutary. No one ever
questioned the sincerity of his religious professions.
Hence his pure life was a constant power, felt and acknowledged by all. Probably no bar in this country
ever presented a more uniform exhibition of moral
integrity, high and honorable principle, and gentlemanly bearing than that of New Jersey during the
first third of this century. This must have been due
to some eminent examples in the profession, as well
of an earlier as of a later day; and no individual example exerted a more benign and powerful influence
than that of Mr. Frelinghuysen during the whole of
his career. How many lines of influence go out, like
the rays of the sun, in every direction, from a pure
and lofty character!
The intellectual characteristics of Mr. Frelinghuysen as a lawyer partook of his general nature. His
mind was strikingly rapid, correct, and comprehensive. IHis judgments seemed almost intuitive. He




AT THE BAR.                49
seized at once the strong points of a cause, never confused or embarrassed by immaterial facts or points,
but always coming directly to that which was essential and decisive. An illustration of his correct and
rapid judgment may be gained from the testimony
of one who knew him intimately for many years.
"Whenever I had a case of difficulty or perplexity, I
was in the habit of going to my friend A., my senior
at the bar, for advice. He had a very fertile and ingenious mind, and would soon suggest half a dozen
explanations or expedients to obviate the difficulty,
but would not decide positively on any one of them.
I would then go to Mr. Frelinghuysen. He at once
would tell me which of them all was the true solution, and I never knew him to make a mistake."
This sagacity in discriminating the essential from
the non-essential gave him a complete mastery over
forms and technicalities. He rose above them, and by
the simplicity and directness of his legal diction, in
documents as well as in discussions, he often evinced
his power of making forms instead of being made by
them. On one occasion, when dining with his professional associates at the hotel of a country town, while
he was attorney general, a messenger from the grand
jury came to him for the form of an indictment in
some case which they had agreed to present. He immediately called for pen and ink, and in a few moments wrote out an indictment on the crown of his hat,
dispatched it to the jury-room, and resumed his dinner. "II think," said one of his legal brethren present, "that you are now entitled to be called a crown
lawyer, if never before." But all knew too well his




00          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
accuracy, and his ability to defend his own work, to
assail it with any technical objections afterward.
From the time when he took his first successful position at the bar of New Jersey in 1812, until he went
to New York in 1838, he was engaged in almost every
important cause which arose in the state. During this
protracted period he acted as one of the pioneers of
the law in establishing legal principles and settling
precedents which, as they have stood in the past, will
continue to stand for years to come. Yet very few
traces of his forensic ability have been preserved in a
permanent form. His speeches were never written
out in full, and the movement of his eloquence was so
rapid, so brilliant, so like a whirlwind in its sweep,
that no ordinary reporter could catch the winged
words as they flew from his gifted, almost inspired
lips. The impression he produced was for the time
being complete and overpowering. His speech in an
important slander case, HIall vs. Grant, tried in Newark in 1821, was characterized by all the prominent
peculiarities of his eloquence, and long afterward was
referred to with admiration by those who heard it;
yet the report which has been preserved of it gives to
those who never knew the man no conception whatever of his extraordinary power.
The best report extant of any of his forensic efforts
is that of the argument made by him in 1833 in what
is commonly known as the great Quaker case. This
cause convulsed the whole state with excitement, and
even affected its political character in after years. It
arose from a dispute between two parties into which
the society of Friends had become divided, the Ortho



AT THE BAR.                51
dox and the Hicksites, respecting the control of the
public property of the body. The result of the suit
was to establish the principle for which Mr. Frelinghuysen and his associate counsel contended, viz., that
when a religious society is rent in twain, and the parties separate on account of differences of sentiment,
that portion which adheres to the original principles
of the society is entitled to the funds raised for the promotion of its religious and benevolent objects. The
same doctrine has been held in other controversies of
a similar character in this country and in Britain.
This case was one exactly fitted for the display of Mr.
Frelinghuysen's peculiar talents. Apart from the immense pecuniary interests at stake, it brought up great
principles for investigation, and involved a discussion
of the social value and relations of cardinal religious
doctrines. The dry routine of technical law gave
place to the consideration of those views which gov-.
ern the course of the statesman and the philanthropist.
The argument in this celebrated case began in the
Court of Appeals at Trenton on the 7th of July, and
continued for about a month, the mere reading of the
evidence consuming nine days. The counsel for the
licksites were the Hon. Garret D. Wall and Samuel
L. Southard; for the Orthodox, George Wood and Mr.
Frelinghuysen. The case having been decided by the
chancellor in favor of the Orthodox, the Hicksites had
appealed, and consequently their counsel had the opening and reply. General Wall occupied four days in
the discussion, Mr. Wood two and a half, Mr. Frelinghuysen three, and Mi. Southard four and a half. At
the close of the argument on the 15th of August, the




52          LIFE OF FRELINGIIUYSEN.
court immediately affirmed the chancellor's decision
by a vote of seven to four. The great length of time
consumed in the case was owing chiefly to the fact
that the Society of Friends had no formal written creed
or Confession of Faith; and hence their fundamental
doctrines had to be elicited by a careful reference to
the writings of the founders of the society, Penn, Barclay, Fox, and others, and to the prevailing tenor of
its teaching and discipline during the intervening period of a century and a half. This wide range of investigation required much recondite study, and the exercise of sharp discrimination and solid judgment in
the handling of the materials. Perhaps the salient
excellencies of Mr. Frelinghuysen's mind were never
more happily exhibited than in his masterly analysis
of the evidence and the authorities relied upon in this
case.
The opening counsel, apprehensive, probably, that
his cause could not be supported on sound legal principles, insinuated that the court, being a court of last
resort, and forming (as it did at that time) one branch
of the Legislature, like the British House of Lords,
were not bound by the rigid rules of established law,
but might draw on their legislative authority, and decide according to their own notions of justice. It was
a shrewd temptation to the judges to liberate themselves from the trammels of law, and seek to carve
out some popular compromise to suit the prejudices
of the hour. Mr. Frelinghuysen met the suggestion
with a severe rebuke. " Your honors," said he,' have
a high and sacred trust to administer. This forum is
the last resort of truth. She casts her hopes on your




AT THE BAR.                 53
threshold. I have no doubt that you will weigh well
her claims. But even if truth can not stand without
invading the functions of legislative authority, let her
fall. Better that she should fall than that the great
pillars of law and order should be overthrown. This
doctrine, drawn from a volume of ecclesiastical reports, is a monstrous perversion of British law. It
never furnished a pebble to the system which the
American jurist delights to study. Why was it picked up here? Why was it brought forward at the
opening of this case?  What is it?  It means that
when the House of Lords find a defect ofjudicial power, they may draw upon their legislative department,
and when there is no law, make a law to suit the case.
* * * * It is a principle false in all its branches, as
applied to the House of Lords sitting as a court of
law or equity. That house has no legislative authority but in connection with the House of Commons
and the king. Such a notion would destroy all certainty and security in our systems of jurisprudence,
and subvert the very foundations of property and
right."
The first part of his argument was directed to show
that the Society of Friends had a real, substantive system of belief. They had, as has been stated, no formal confession or standard of faith. They generally
expressed their views in the language of Scripture;
but Mr. Frelinghuysen contended that, in the selection, and combination, and application of these passages from the Bible, it clearly appeared what their
distinctive principles and doctrines were. The other
side contended that they also believed in the Bible,




54         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
and therefore held the views expressed in its language. To this he thus replied: " To say you believe
in the Bible leaves the question unresolved. All but
downright infidels say this. WV.hat does the Bible
teach, what does it enforce, and what does it prohibit?
These are the material distinguishing inquiries. There
is not a Unitarian church in the country in which
you will not find the Bible on the desk, in which they
do not read from its pages, in which they do not speak
of God and of virtue with reverence and admiration;
yet, when questioned as to what they believe, you find
that they believe in nothing essential to Christianity.
When they reject the great doctrines of the divinity
of the Savior, the atonement, and the inspiration of the
Scriptures, what remains to be received or rejected?
The Jews believed in the Bible. They read it in their
synagogues every Sabbath day. They carried parts
of it about with them on their persons; and yet they
crucified the very Being to proclaim whose coming,
and power, and work of redemption the Bible was
given. Counsel tell us that the Society of Friends
has no creed. The, ancient members of that society
were imprisoned on account of their faith. They have
been brought before kings and magistrates, and compelled to give a statement of their belief. They have
repeatedly put forth full and clear declarations of their
views; and yet, in the nineteenth century, we are told
that the Friends have no creed! The book of discipline makes it a duty to inquire periodically whether
certain persons'are sound in word and doctrine;'
and yet we are told that they have no creed; that
every man is to believe as he lists, without a leader,
or guide, or system!"




AT THE BAR.                55
On the use of the language of Scripture as a vehicle for the expression of doctrinal views, fMr. Frelinghuysen said: " The learned counsel, to show that the
Friends have no creed, affirm that their declarations
of faith have always been expressed in scriptural language. Granting this, does it prove no creed?  In
what better clothing'could they exhibit their faith?
I am not theologian enough to decide positively what
is best upon a question like this; but it seems to me
that the safest and clearest exhibition of a man's belief may be express~-& in the words of the Bible * * *
While we adhere to these words, we have the best
truth in the best language. We know that, in literary excellence, the English Bible is the best composition in our language. Is it, then, matter of importance that the Friends should express their faith in its
phrases? Let the Separatists, if they can, furnish us
with a better lodgment for the truth."
Mr. Frelinghuysen then proceeded to show that the
points before mentioned, the Deity of Christ, the Atonement, and the Inspiration of the Bible, were held by
the society as fundamental articles of faith; and that
Elias Hicks and his followers had rejected these articles, and therefore could not properly be said to belong to the society as it was originally constituted,
and had been continued in successive generations.
It is well known that the FMiends in New Jersey
were nearly equally divided upon the opinions of
Elias Hicks. The Court of Appeals, therefore, while
they sustained the claim of the Orthodox party in
point of law, recommended an amicable compromise
in relation to the question in dispute. This advice




56           LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
was afterward sanctioned by a legislative enactment,
and, being adopted by both parties, resulted in a general division of the property between them on equitable principles.
Mr. Frelinghuysen took part in another cause of
great moment in relation to both the private and the
public interests involved. This was the New Jersey
Proprietary case, 7Vaddell vs. MZartin. It concerned the
ownership of all the lands under water around the entire coast, and along all the tide-water streams of New
Jersey. These lands are of imricnse value as oysterbeds and fisheries. Some of them, in the vicinity of
New York and elsewhere, are of still greater value for
the purposes of reclamation and improvement. The
question at issue was, Whether they belonged to the
state by virtue of its sovereignty, or to the Board of
Proprietors, who originally owned the title to all the
lands in the state, and had never made any grant of
the title to these lands now in dispute? The Board
of Proprietors claimed them as part of the private
landed property of New Jersey; the state claimed
them as belonging to the public domain. The former
party retained Mr. Frelinghuysen, who supported their
claim in a masterly argument before Judge Baldwin,
of the Supreme Court of the United States, then holding circuit at Trenton.  ITis effort was successful:
Judge Baldwin decmed in favor of the Proprietors;
but on an appeal to the Supreme Court at Washington, which was argued by other counsel after Mr. Frelinghuysen had withdrawn from practice, the judgment was reversed, and the title of the state confirmed.
This was about the last case in which he was en



AT THE BAR.                 57
gaged. He left the bar in 1838 to take the charge of
a literary institution; but his professional associates,
and those who remember him as an advocate, uniformly contend that the bar was his proper sphere. It was
in the forum that his peculiar gifts, his quick insight,
his sharp discrimination, his impetuous eloquence,
shone with greatest lustre. It is said that hardly a
single Jersey lawyer of the last generation can be met,
who will not, when reminded of Mr. Frelinghuysen's
retirement to academic life, shake his head, and insist
that that step was erroneously taken; that a man so
admirably adapted in every respect to the bar should
have remained there; and that to put him at the head
of any university was like burying him in a marble
mausoleum before his time had come.  This statement does not lack some elements, or at least appearances of truth. Nor was Mr. Frelinghuysen insensible to considerations of this kind. His friends, his associations, his habits, his tastes, his pleasures, were all
connected with the bar; his practice yielded him all
the income he could ask or desire; and he was making a great sacrifice in many ways in becoming Chancellor of the University. But mere personal considerations never controlled his mind. Where duty beckoned, he had no hesitation in following. He believed
that it was her voice which summoned him to New
York; nor has any one a right now to say that this
was a mistake. Doubtless it had been better for his
professional reputation, his private fortune, and his
personal comfort to have continued in the arena already thickly strewn with the trophies of his success.
But no man liveth or ought to live only for himself.
C2




58         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
And it may well be that the Omniscient eye sees a far
larger harvest of usefulness gathered from the presence of Theodore Frelinghuysen in academic halls
than could have been gained from the longest and
most successful forensic career.




IN THE SENATE.                 59
CHAPTER IV.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES.
1829-1835.
Composition of the Senate. —Great Questions agitated.-Mr. Frelinghuysen's Course.-The Indian Bill.-The Sunday-Mail Question.-Day of Fasting for the Cholera.-Encomiums of Clay and
Webster.-Letter of the Hon. Edward Everett.
IN the year 1829 Mr. Frelinghuysen took his seat
in the Senate of the United States, where he continued
until the expiration of the term for which he was elected. During the first four years his colleague from New
Jersey was the Hon. Mahlon Dickerson, afterward Secretary of the Navy under Presidents Jackson and Van
Buren; during the remaining two years, his old classmate, Samuel L. Southard, who had been Secretary ofthe Navy under Presidents Monroe and J. Q. Adams,
was his associate.
It has generally been admitted that the Senate never contained a larger number of eminent men than it
did at this period. The leading minds of every section of the country and of every political party were
to be found on the floor of the upper house of Congress. Among these, three names stand out with a
prominence not to be mistaken. Even now the person, character, policy, and influence of Daniel Webster,
of Henry Clay, and of John C. Calhoun, are better
known than those of more than one holder of that
great prize, the presidential chair, after which they




60          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
all unsuccessfully aspired, and will be freshly remembered long after the latter are buried in oblivion.
These three differed widely in their origin, training,
and cast of mind, but they were all men of stronglymarked character, of unusual natural gifts, and well
adapted to lead great parties in the republic. Each
was a well-read lawyer, an experienced legislator, a
far-seeing statesman, and a practiced debater; and
when they met in the Senate in opposition to the
administration of General Jackson, it was in the maturity of their powers and fame. But besides these
there were many others in the Senate inferior only to
them in ability and influence. Such were Holmes of
Maine, Woodbury of New Hampshire, Foot of Connecticut, Robbins of Rhode Island, Marcy and Wright
of New York, Dallas and Wilkins of Pennsylvania,
Clayton of Delaware, Rives, Tyler, and Tazewell of
Virginia, Mangum of North Carolina, iayne and Preston of South Carolina, Forsyth of Georgia, King of
Alabama, Poindexter of Mississippi, Edward Livingston of Louisiana, Grundy and White of Tennessee,
Bibb of Kentucky, Ewing of Ohio, and Benton of
Missouri; every one of whom not only achieved distinction in his own state, but also had considerable national reputation.*
The period of Mr. Frelinghuysen's senatorial service was distinguished by the importance of the issues
before the country, as well as by the greatness of the
men who discussed and decided them. The bold and
pronounced character of General Jackson did not al* One half of them either had been, or became cabinet officers or
representatives of the country at foreign courts.




IN THE SENATE.               61
low him to follow tortuous courses or pursue an
equivocal policy. On every question he took his position clearly, and was prepared to push his opponents
to the wall. Debate was not confined to side issues or
incidental points, but touched fundamental principles,
and affected questions coeval with the formation of the
government. The currency, the tariff, the autonomy
of the Indian tribes, the scope of pension laws, the
powers of the executive in relation to Congress, and
the powers of the general government in relation to
the states-these, and such as these, were the great
themes which then occupied the time and thought of
the statesmen of the country. On the last of these issues our generation has seen a decision practically
reached by force of arms in resistance to a causeless
and treacherous rebellion. But the principles underlying that subject have never been more thoroughly,
ably, and eloquently discussed than they were in the
years 1832 and 1833. The whole case was then exhausted; nor has any thing been added on either side,
in the shape of argument, to what was then urged, although, of course, the appeal to force has forever settled the question, and shown that the proclamation of
General Jackson in December, 1832, will henceforth
be deemed a just exposition of the Federal Constitution.
In all these conflicts Mr. Frelinghuysen took a decided part, for he never affected a neutral position.
Believing the principles of the party with which he
acted to be correct and wise, he gave them a cordial
and persistent support. But his fidelity to political
associates never degenerated into mere partisanship.




62          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
He disliked a factious opposition to the administration, and rigidly confined his course to such measures
as seemed clearly called for by the circumstances of
the country. On one memorable occasion, when the
Senate acted upon the nomination of the Hon. Martin
Van Buren as minister to Great Britain, Mr. Frelinghuysen had great difficulty in concurring with his
party in a vote of disapproval. He, however, yielded
at last, and his name stands upon the record with the
majority in opposition to the nomination. But he always declared that the measure, however justifiable,
was an impolitic one, and predicted the very consequences which in a few years ensued from it. Indeed, his political sagacity was not often at fault. His
coolness and fairness gave his mind fair play, and disembarrassed his judgment from the passions and prejudices which frequently mislead very able men.
At a time when party lines were very strictly
drawn, and personal animosities added to the bitterness of political divisions, he still maintained an independent judgment; and although habitually acting
with the opponents of the administration, he never
hesitated to differ from them rather than violate his
own sense of right.
His participation in the business of the Senate justified the hopes inspired by the success of his previous
career. Although by no means the equal of any of
the three great representatives of the East, West, and
South, he yet held a prominent place in the committee-room and on the floor of the Senate, and maintained with signal ability the honor of the state he represented. Indeed, it may be doubted whether New Jer



IN THE SENATE.              63
sey ever had as much influence in the national councils as when Frelinghuysen and Southard were her
senators at Washington. Whether in formal discussions on great topics, or in the current debates from
day to day, they were uniformly found equal to the
call made upon them, and even political opponents
could not deny the ability with which they upheld the
policy they had espoused.
Although there were seasons when the excitement of
feeling reached a pitch almost unprecedented, Mr. Frelinghuysen throughout preserved the highest standard of senatorial dignity. He never descended to personalities, never engaged in unseemly altercations.
His dignified bearing, his transparent candor, his unquestionable integrity, and his high sense of honor, secured him the cordial respect of all parties. They
who attended to his course saw in him a coolness, discrimination, insight, shrewdness, and capacity which
marked him out as a something more than a mere
politician or debater. He was a statesman. He took
large views of things. He looked beyond present
emergencies, and acted for the future. Ardently attached to his own patriotic state, and ever sensitive to
whatever touched her honor or welfare, he yet remembered that he was a senator of the United States,
and legislated for the country as a whole. He was
not a mere theorist, not " an impracticable." Firm and
immovable where the everlasting principles of rectitude are concerned, well convinced that it is as true
in history and experience as it is in Scripture that
" righteousness exalteth a nation," he recognized the
mixed elements with which every Legislature has to




64         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
deal, the necessary limitations of all civil enactments,
the wisdom of not governing too much, and the just
claims of expediency in legislation. Notwithstanding
the high conception of a free Christian commonwealth
which lay at the basis of his public course, he was no
Utopian. His ends were as rational as the means by
which he pursued them. He may have erred in particular measures, but the general scope of his policy
was large, comprehensive, enlightened, and judicious,
yet eminently practical.
The Hon. George Chambers, of Pennsylvania, his
classmate at Princeton, who was a member of the
House of Representatives during two years of Mr.
Frelinghuysen's senatorial term, says of him that " he
was attentive, considerate, and judicious in his action,
and ever faithful to his constituents, the Union, and
the welfare of his country. He was not hasty or impulsive under any excitement, and seldom spoke in
debate; but when he did, his remarks were appropriate, and commanded attention."
THE INDIAN QUESTION.
The first great topic on which Mr. Frelinghuysen
addressed the Senate was the bill for the removal of
the Indian tribes residing within states and organized
territories of the Union, having particular reference to
those within the limits of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The lands occupied by these aborigines, being admirably adapted to the growth of cotton, the
culture of which had been greatly stimulated by the
increasing price which the raw material obtained in
the markets of the world, were looked upon by the




IN THE SENATE.                65
white population with covetous eyes, and every inducement was offered to the original proprietors to
sell their title and remove. But the territory was
equally desirable to them, not only as having been
the home of their forefathers and the place of their
sepulchres, but also as being, by its natural features,
just the country suited to their tastes and habits. Its
mixture of hill and valley, forest and prairie, its numerous springs and streams, its abundance of fish and
game, its fertile soil and equable climate, were exactly
suited to the half nomad, half planting life pursued
by the great body of the Indians. They therefore almost unanimously refused to sell. But their white
neighbors were not to be foiled. They determined to
make the Indians willing, and even eager to remove.
This was accomplished by extending the state laws
over them, with the abrogation of all their own " laws,
ordinances, orders, and regulations of any kind whatever;" by making it a penal offense for any person to
endeavor, by any means, to prevent any Indian from
emigrating; and by disqualifying any Indian from
being a competent witness in courts in any case to
which a white person was a party, unless such white
person resided among the Indians.
But, in order to give effect to these atrocious statutes, it was necessary to secure the assent of the federal government, or, rather, to prevent the continuance of the protection hitherto given by it to the aborigines against all intruders upon their lands. Accordingly, in conformity to the suggestions of President Jackson in his first annual message, a bill was
introduced in Congress "providing for an exchange




66          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states
or territories, and for their removal west of the Mississippi River."  When this bill came up for consideration in the Senate, Mr. Frelinghuysen moved the
following amendment:
"Provided always, That, until the said tribes or nations shall choose to remove, as by this act is contemplated, they shall be protected in their present possessions, and in the enjoyment of all their rights of territory and government, as heretofore exercised and
enjoyed, from all interruptions and encroachments.
"A.nd provided also, That before any removal shall
take place of any of the said tribes or nations, and before any exchange or exchanges of land be made as
aforesaid, that the right of any such tribes or nations
in the premises shall be stipulated for, secured, and
guarantied by treaty or treaties as heretofore made."
These provisos were sustained by him in a speech
Qf very great power and eloquence. He showed that
the principles they involved were not only founded in
everlasting truth and right, but had been acted upon
ever since the adoption of the Constitution by all
branches of the government, beginning with the Father of his Country; that during the Revolution, and
under the Confederation, they had been expressly recognized by the Continental Congress; and that, still
earlier, the royal proclamations and ordinances from
Great Britain had distinctly assumed the same ground.
After reciting and explaining the various solemn treaties made by the national government with the Indian
tribes, he riveted his argument by showing from the
public records of the very states now engaged in this




IN THE SENATE.                67
oppression of the Indians, that treaties with these
tribes were recorded on their own statute-books as
parts of their land titles, and that thus, by their own
act, they were concluded on the point in question.
The following is the peroration of this remarkable effort:
"Sir, our fears have been addressed in behalf of
those states whose legislation we resist; and it is inquired with solicitude, would you urge us to arms
with Georgia?  No, sir.  This tremendous alternative will not be necessary. Let the general government come out, as it should, with decided and temperate firmness, and officially announce to Georgia, and
the other states, that if the Indian tribes choose to remain, they will be protected against all interference
and encroachment; and such is my confidence in the
sense of justice, in the respect for law, prevailing in
that great body of this portion of our fellow-citizens,
that I believe they would submit to the authority of
the nation. I can expect no other issue. But if the
general government be urged to the crisis, never to be
anticipated, of appealing to the last resort of her powers; and when reason, argument, and persuasion fail,
to raise her strong arm to repress the violations of the
supreme law of the land, I ask, is it not in her bond,
sir? Is her guaranty a rope of sand? This effective
weapon has often been employed to chastise the poor
Indians, sometimes with dreadful vengeance I fear,
and shall not their protection avail to draw it from the
scabbard? Permit me to refer the Senate to the views
of Mr. Jefferson, directly connected with this delicate,
yet sacred duty of protection. In 1791, when he was
Secretary of State, there were some symptoms of collision on the Indian subject. This induced the letter
from him  to General Knox, then our Secretary of
WVar, a part of which I will read:'I am of opinion




68          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
that government should firmly maintain this ground:
that the Indians have a right to the occu ation of their
lands, independent of the states within whose chartered
limits they happen to be; that until they cede them
by treaty, or other transaction equivalent to a treaty,
no act of a state can give a right to such lands; that
neither under the present Constitution, nor the ancient
Confederation, had any state or persons a right to treat
with the Indians, without the consent of the general
government; that the consent has never been given
by any treaty for the cession of the lands in question;
that the government is determined to exert all its energy for the patronage and protection of the rights of
the Indians, and the preservation of peace between the
United States and them; and that if any settlements
are made on lands not ceded by them, without the previous consent of the United States, the government
will think itself bound, not only to declare to the Indians that such settlements are without the authority
or protection of the United States, but to remove them
also by publicforce.'
"Mr. Jefferson seems to have been disturbed by no
morbid sensibilities. He speaks out as became a determined statesman. We can trace in this document
the same spirit which shed its influence on a more
eventful paper-the declaration of our rights, and of
our purpose to maintain and defend them. He looked right onward, in the broad path of public duty;
and if, in his way, he met the terrors of state collision
and conflict, he was in no degree intimidated. The
faith of treaties was his guide; and he would not
flinch in his purposes, nor surrender the Indians to
state encroachments. Let such decided policy go forth
in the majesty of our laws now, and, sir, Georgia will
yield. She will never encounter the responsibilities
or the horrors of a civil war. But if she should, no
stains of blood will be on our skirts; on herself the
guilt will abide forever.




IN THE SENATE.               69
"Mr. President, if we abandon these aboriginal proprietors of our soil-these early allies and adopted
children of our forefathers, how shall we justify it to
our country? to all the glory of the past, and the promise of the future?  Her good name is worth all else
besides that contributes to her greatness. And, as I
regard this crisis in her history, the time has come
when this unbought treasure shall be plucked from
dishonor, or abandoned to reproach.
"How shall we justify this trespass to ourselves?
Sir, we may deride it, and laugh it to scorn now; but
the occasion will meet every man, when he must look
inward, and make honest inquisition there. Let us
beware how, by oppressive encroachments upon the
sacred privileges of our Indian neighbors, we minister
to the agonies of future remorse.
"I have, in my humble measure, attempted to discharge a public and most solemn duty toward an interesting portion of my fellow-men. Should it prove
to be as fruitless as I know it to be below the weight
of their claims, yet even then, sir, it will have its consolations. Defeat in such a cause is far above the triumphs of unrighteous power; and in the language of
an eloquent writer,'I had rather receive the blessing
of one poor Cherokee, as he casts his last look back
upon his country, for having, though in vain, attempted to prevent his banishment, than to sleep beneath
the marble of all the Csesars.'"
But all this display of argument, research, eloquence, whether by Mr. Frelinghuysen or others, was
in vain. The question became mingled inextricably
with the party divisions of the times; and the overwhelming popularity of General Jackson concurred
with the pecuniary interests of the states immediately
concerned to defeat the provisos, and the original bill
was passed, although by inconsiderable majorities,




70             LIFE  OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
numbering, indeed, in the lower house of Congress,
only five votes.  But Mr. Frelinghuysen's able advocacy of the cause of right, humanity, and Christian
principle brought him prominently before the nation,
secured him the title of the Christian Statesman, and
made his name familiar as a household word to all the
people of God throughout the land. The annexed
stanzas, by one who has since attained an unhappy
notoriety, may be taken as an expression of the feelings, not of the writer only, but of the great body of
American Christians:
TO THE HON. TIHEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN, ON READING HIS ELOQUENT SPEECH IN DEFENSE OF INDIAN RIGHTS.
3Y. L. GARRISON.
If unto marble statues thou hadst spoken,
Or icy hearts congealed by polar years,
The strength of thy pure eloquence had broken,
Its generous heat had melted them to tears;
Which pearly drops had been a rainbow token,
Bidding the red men soothe their gloomy fears.
If Honor, Justice, Truth had not forsaken
The place long hallowed as their bright abode,
The faith of treaties never had been shaken,
Our country would have kept the trust she owed;
Nor Violence nor Treachery had taken
Away those rights which Nature's God bestowed.
Fruitless thy mighty efforts-vain appealing
To grasping Avarice, that ne'er relents;
To party power, that shamelessly is stealing,
Banditti-like, whatever spoil it scents;
To base Intrigue, his cloven foot revealing,
That struts in Honesty's habiliments.
Our land, once green as Paradise, is hoary,
E'en in its youth, with tyranny and crime;
Its soil with blood of Afric's sons is gory,
Whose wrongs eternity can tell, not time.
The red man's woes shall swell the damning story,
To be rehearsed in every age and clime.




IN THE SENATE.                   71
Yet, Frelinghuysen, gratitude is due thee,
And loftier praise than language can supply;
Guilt may denounce and Calumny pursue thee,
And pensioned Impudence thy worth decry;
Brilliant and pure, posterity shall view thee
As a fair planet in a troublous sky.
Be not dismayed. On God's own strength relying,
Stand boldly up, meek soldier of the Cross;
For thee ten thousand prayers are heavenward flying;
Thy soul is purged from earthly rust and dross.
Patriot and Christian, ardent, self-denying,
How could we bear resignedly thy loss?
THE SUNDAY-MAIL QUESTION.
Prior to the year 1810 there was no law of Congress requiring the transportation of the mail and the
delivery of its contents on the Lord's day. In that
year, however, a statute was enacted, the 9th section
of which made it "the duty of the postmaster, at all
reasonable hours, on every day of the week, to deliver
on demand any letter, paper," etc. Thus, what was
before a matter of courtesy, became one of obligation.
If the Postmaster General directed a mail to be carried on the first day of the week, the deputy was required to be in his office and receive it. Such an invasion of the sacredness of the day of rest did not pass
without notice. Petitions and memorials requesting
the repeal of the statute were presented in 1811, 1812,
1815, and 1817, without effect. In 1828 and 1829 a
more formal and concerted effort was made, and memorials were sent in from all parts of the country. - A
report in opposition to the prayer of the petitioners
was made to the Senate by the HIon. Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, on the 19th of January, 1829; and
in the next year a similar, but much more- elaborate
report was made to the House of Representatives by




72          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
the same gentleman, who had in the interval been
transferred from the upper to the lower house of
Congress. This second report of Colonel Johnson was
made on the 4th of March, 1830.  It aroused still
more the feelings alike of the friends and the foes of
the proposed reform. The question was extensively
agitated in the pulpit and by the press, and the sentiment was very general among the Christian community that no pains should be spared to secure proper
legislation on the point. Especially was it expected
of Christian men in Congress that they would exert
themselves in favor of the sanctity of the Sabbath.
On Tuesday, the 9th of March, 1830, Mr. Frelinghuysen offered the following paper in the Senate:
"The Sabbath is justly regarded as a divine institution, closely connected with individual and national prosperity. No Legislature can rightly resist its
claims; and although the Congress of the United
States, from the peculiar and limited constitution of
the general government, can not by law enforce its
observance, yet, as they should not, by positive legislation, encroach upon the sacredness of this day, or
weaken its authority in the estimation of the people,
therefore it is
"Resolved, That the Committee on the Post-office
and Post-roads be instructed to report a bill repealing
so much of the act on the regulation of post-offices as
requires the delivery of letters, packets, and papers on
the Sabbath; and, farther, to prohibit the transportation of the mail on that day."
This resolution did not come up for consideration
until the 8th of May, when its author addressed the




IN THE SENATE.               73
Senate at length in its support. He was listened to
with great attention by the House, and his argument
was deemed cogent enough to require a reply from
the celebrated Edward Livingston, of Louisiana.
A few extracts from this speech will indicate the
course of his argument:
"The public recognition of the Sabbath is recorded
in our federal Constitution.  The President of the
United States, in the discharge of the high functions
of his legislative department, is expressly relieved
from all embarrassment on Sunday. The business
of the Supreme Court, the highest judicial tribunal
of the country, is by law directed to be suspended
on Sunday. Both houses of Congress, the offices of
the State, Treasury, War, and Navy Departments, are
all closed on Sunday, and all the states of the Union,
I believe (twenty-three of them certainly), by explicit
legislative enactments, acknowledge and declare the
religious authority of the Sabbath. Sir, these state
laws do not merely notice this day, but they in terms
require its religious observance, and prohibit its profanation under proper penalties."
"The example of the Old World also pleads powerfully in behalf of this sacred institution. London,
with all its wealth, business, and enterprise, regards the
Sabbath. No mail is opened or closed on that day.
And although there is probably five times as much
commerce between London and Liverpool as between
New York and Philadelphia, no mail leaves the metropolis for Liverpool between Saturday evening and
Monday morning; and the mercantile classes of these
communities make no complaint of this interruption.
No, sir, they rejoice at the relief and refreshment from
the toils of worldly business; that on one day in seven there may be a pause in the anxieties of eager speculation; and that even selfish cupidity is compelled
to suspend its pursuits. Now, sir, in this review of
D




74          LIFE OF FRELINGIUYSEN.
the case, it must appear a most singular prejudice that
is now excited and raised against all efforts to restore
our national legislation to a consistency with its own
principles, so often avowed. It is as absurd as it is unjust. Every state of the Union has, from its very origin, preserved just such a connection between Church
and State as is now deprecated, and by means much
more rigorous than the repeal of this oppressive section. They have fixed the day; they have enjoined
its observance; they have specified and prohibited its
profanation in particular details, and annexed the sanctions of legal penalties; and yet, after all this, when
Congress is respectfully requested to be passive, and
not to command its violation, but to leave the Sabbath
alone, the note of alarm is sounded (and many good
men are deluded by it) that a dangerous conspiracy is
meditated against the freedom of conscience."
"Congress is not asked to legislate into existence
the precepts of piety. No, these are enacted already;
they can never be repealed, and it is a most dangerous
and destructive delusion to suppose that while, as individuals and families, we are bound to respect the
principles of religion, yet, when we assume the character of states and nations, these cease to exert any
legitimate influence. Such was not the political faith
of the Father of his Country. Washington loved to
cherish that connection between Church and State
which led to universal public and private virtue, and
this result, he deeply realized, could flow alone from
the prevalence of religious principles."
"Sir, this day is the regis of a republican and free
people. It is the poor man's friend. It elevates him
and his family by promoting decency of manners,
neatness, and order. It is the only time which the
necessities of his condition and the constitution of society spare to him for rest and reflection; and hence
every inroad upon its sacredness is a direct attack
upon his best privileges. I believe, sir, that the ad



IN THE SENATE.                75
versary of our race, could he be permitted to select
the single object, would strike the blow at this divine
institution. He would say resign to me this great moral lever; let my votaries drive on the pursuits of business, the schemes of enterprise and ambition, without
interruption; let there be no time for man to reflect,
to gather in his thoughts, to renew his life, and to consider his origin and his destiny, and I desire no more.
Mr. President, the Sabbath was made for man, not to
be contemned and forgotten; the constitution of his
nature requires just such a season. It is identified
with his Mioral tendencies. God has ordained it in infinite benevolence. The reason for it, as recorded in
his Word, was his own example. It began with creation. The first week of time was blessed with a Sabbath. The garden of Eden would not have smiled in
all its loveliness had not the light of this day shone
upon it. Blot it out, and the hope of the world is extinguished. When the whirlwind raged in France,
how was it, sir? They could not carry their measures
of ferocity and blood while this last palladium of virtue remained.  Desolation seemed to pause in its
course-its waves almost subsided-when the spirits
of evil struck this hallowed day from the calendar,
and enacted a decade to the goddess of Reason, after
which the besom swept all before it.
"I firmly believe that the repeal of this single section
and the suspension of the mail would exert the happiest influence. It would call up public attention. It
would present the claims of the Sabbath with such
weight of authority as would, I hope, establish and
perpetuate it as an effective defense around our free insitutions. The mail arrested and the post-office closed
on Sunday! by the solemn authority of Congress!
who can fail to perceive the noble impulse that would
be given? Sir, this would correct all false and degrading estimates of this sacred day; it would almost
of itself form a public sentiment. The flood of vice




76          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
and infidelity would be stayed in their course. Such
high example would silence the cavils of the profane,
and this, as I understand it, is the true old-fashioned
way to popularity. It is not that sickly principle
which flatters public vices and connives at national
sins, but which, in the purity of its purposes, dares to
rebuke them, and by wise and wholesome measures to
correct them."
The following notices of this speech are found in
the correspondence of Jeremiah Evarts. Under date
of May 8, 1830, he writes, " This day Mr. Zrelinghuysen called up his resolution in relation to Sabbath
mails, and, I am sorry to say, I was absent. I have
heard from a spectator that he spoke an hour and a
half or more, and very much to the purpose.  Mr.
Livingston replied in a speech of three quarters of an
hour, in which he gained no credit. It was a low
piece of bar-room talk about Church and State, the
Blue Laws of Connecticut, hanging witches in Salem,
etc., etc. Mr. F., in a short reply, made Mr. L. rather
ashamed of his tirade." Again, under date of May 16,
" 1Mr. Frelinghuysen's discussion of the Sabbath-mail
Question is spoken of with great approbation by those
who heard it. His reply to Mr. Livingston was very
happy. Mr. Hillhouse [himself a member of the Senate from 1796 to 1810] was delighted with Mr. Frelinghuysen's argument."*
The failure of this effort to guard the Sabbath from
profanation under the forms of law was owing, doubtless, to the imperfect degree to which the Christian
sentiment of the country was at that day developed.
* Tracy's Life of Evarts, pp. 369, 371.




IN THE SENATE.              77
This general cause was aided by the unwise measures
adopted and the uncharitable spirit exhibited by some
of the advocates of the Sabbath, and also by the artful manner in which the movement was represented
as an interference with the rights of conscience and an
insidious attempt to unite Church and State. There
can be but little doubt, however, that the agitation of
the subject in the halls of Congress awakened public
attention to it, elicited the interest and zeal of Christians, and thus prepared the way for the movements
in subsequent years, which, beginning at a different
point, and operating in other forms, have caused a reduction of Sunday-mail service to an amount scarcely
one fourth of what it was when the question was first
mooted. The exact influence of public movements is
not always correctly gauged by the measure of immediate success they gain. While for the time being the
enemies of religion seemed to have achieved a victory in the matter of Sabbath observance, the earnest,
and repeated, and thorough discussions of the subject
through the press and on the platform consolidated
Christian sentiment, and led, in the end, to a quiet but
very great revolution in the tone and policy of the
leaders of political opinion and action.
DAY OF FASTING FOR THE CHOLERA.
Early in the year 1832 the country was agitated by
reports of the steady progress toward this country of
a scourge which, originating in the farthest East, had
swept over Europe, and every where spread destruction and dismay. At the present time, repeated visitations of the plague have made us familiar with its




78          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
character and with the appropriate remedies.  But
thirty years ago the terror caused by its ravages was
greatly increased by its novelty, and the seeming uselessness of all means to evade or resist it. Soon after
its first appearance on American shores, Mr. Clay offered in the Senate a joint resolution, in which both
houses of Congress recommended the President to appoint a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer, when
the nation should entreat the Most High to avert
from our country the Asiatic scourge, or, if he allowed
it to come, to mitigate its severity and shorten its duration.
In supporting this resolution Mr. Frelinghuysen
said:
" As it is to be inferred from the call just made for
the yeas and nays that this resolution is to be opposed,
I beg leave to refer the attention of the Senate to the
example of Congress in 1812. A day of humiliation,
fasting, and prayer was then recommended by a joint
resolution of the Senate and House of Representatives because of the war with Great Britain, in which
the country was then involved. It was regarded as
one of those seasons of public calamity in which it became a whole people to acknowledge their dependence
and humble themselves before God. So far as I can
learn from the journals of the day, the resolution was
adopted without opposition. Now, sir, if a state of
war, in which we had voluntarily engaged, was a fit
occasion to call forth public expressions of humiliation
for our sins and to invoke the merciful providence of
God, how much more appropriately does it become us
thus to feel and act on the approach of a pestilence
that, in its ravages over the Old WVorld, has swept
many millions of our fellow-men into eternity, and
which, in its character and progress through the earth,




IN THE StENATE.              79
seems so emphatically to be the instrument of Divine
Providence, beyond the influence of second causes, and
especially selected to accomplish his purposes, and to
come and go at his bidding.
"I hope, sir, that the present resolution will meet
with no serious opposition. It surely becomes us to
acknowledge our dependence, and to implore the interposition of God's mercy in this season of alarm.
The Constitution can present no obstacle, for this is not
an exercise of political power. It is far beyond the
range of politics. It is an act of piety to God, becoming the whole nation, in which rulers and people are
invited and advised to bow together before His throne
of grace; and there, feeling ourselves to be in like
need, to unite in our common supplication to Him
who has the issues of life and death, that he would be
pleased to spare us in the day of his righteous judgment. I trust, sir, that this motion will receive the
same decided countenance which was accorded to a
similar measure in the late war and on many occasions
during the war of the Revolution."
The resolution was carried in the Senate by a large
majority, but was defeated in the House. The policy
implied in it has, however, been signally reaffirmed in
later years. In the summer of 1861 the President
was requested, by a unanimous vote in both houses
of Congress, to appoint a day of national humiliation,
in view of the perilous crisis of the country. He
made such an appointment, and the cordiality and
earnestness with which it was observed throughout
the loyal states was without precedent in our previous history.
There were numerous other measures in the discussion of which Mr. Frelinghuysen took a prominent




80          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
part, such as the Pension Bill, the President's Protest,
the "' Force Bill," the Removal of the Government Deposits from the Bank of the United States, the Compromise Tariff, etc.; but it would needlessly swell the size
of the volume to enter into the details of these questions, or make extracts from the reported speeches of
Mr. Frelinghuysen.
The general impression made by him on his senatorial colleagues is well expressed in the words of two
of the most distinguished of their number, DANIEL
WEBSTER and HENRY CLAY.
Mr. Webster, at a meeting held in Baltimore to ratify the Whig nominations in 1844, expressed himself
thus:
"With regard to the second great office in this
country, it is only necessary to say that, from among
several gentlemen, all of them my friends, and to
scarcely one of them could a preference be given as
respects their integrity and their talents-from among
them a selection has been made than which a wiser
and better could not have been made. There is not a
man of purer character, of more sober temperament,
of more accessible manners, and of more firm, unbending, uncompromising Whig principles, than Theodore
Frelinghuysen; and not only is he all this, but such
is the ease of his'manners, such the spotless purity of
his life, such the sterling attributes of his character,
that he has the regard, the fervent attachment, and
the enduring love of all who know him."
At the same time Mr. Clay gave his views in a private letter to the late John P. Jackson, Esq., of Newark, N. J., which was never printed until after Mr.
Frelinghuysen's death. It is as follows:




IN THE SENATE.               81
"Ashland, June 4th, 1844.
" DEAR SIR,-I received your letter of the 28th ultimo, and am very happy to learn that the WVhig nominations at Baltimore have been received with so much
enthusiasm in New Jersey. WVhile I share in the
common regret, among Whigs, that so many good and
true men, who had high and just pretensions for the
office of Vice-President, were necessarily put aside,
nothing could be more agreeable and gratifying to me
than the association of Mr. Frelinghuysen's name with
my own. I have long and intimately known that
gentleman; and no man stands higher in my estimation as a pure, upright, and patriotic citizen. I served
with him, with great pleasure, in the Senate of the
United States, and shall never forget the memorable
session of 1833-34. He always seemed self-poised,
and bore himself uniformly with great ability and dignity. There was a vein of benignity and piety running through all his conduct and speeches which it
wvas refreshing and delightful to contemplate.
"Such, my dear sir, is briefly my opinion of this
most worthy and excellent man.
"I am, with great respect, your friend and obedient
servant,                             II. CLAY.
" John P. Jackson, Esq."
Both of these eminent men were of the same party'
as the man whom they eulogize. But political opponents bore the same testimony. General Jackson, who
could hardly conceive that there was any patriotism in
those who opposed what he considered the true policy of the country, never questioned the integrity of
Mr. Frelinghuysen. Ite said that the senator from
New Jersey always meant well, but was misguided by
the political leaders with whom he was associated.
When the Whig nominations were made in 1844,
Messrs. Lumpkin, Dawson, and other leading men from
D2




82          LIFE OF FRELINGIIUYSEN.
Georgia came to New York, and, visiting Mr.i Frelinghuysen, expressed a very warm interest in the success
of the ticket, on his personal account as well as on
other grounds. He inquired how he was to reconcile
this with the opposition he had incurred in their state
by his course on the bill for the removal of the Indians. The answer was, that experience had satisfied
them that he was right and they were wrong in that
matter.
To these testimonials the author has much pleasure
in being able to add that of a great living statesman,
scholar, and patriot, the Ion. EDWARD EVERETT, as
contained in the following letter:' Boston, July 8, 1862.
"MY DEAR SIR,-I much regret that my personal
recollections of Mr. Frelinghuysen are not such as to
enable me to contribute any thing of importance to
your proposed Memoir. He entered the Senate not
long after I became a member of the House of Representatives; but, being without previous acquaintance,
and both of us much occupied with our respective duties, I saw less of him than I could have wished. The
distances are so great in Washington that there is little intercourse out of the committee-room, except
among members who happen to live in the same part
of the city. This remark does not, of course, apply to
the active electioneering politicians, who, at Washington as elsewhere, possess a busy ubiquity; but neither
Mr. Frelinghuysen nor myself were of that class.
" What I know of him is principally through public channels of information. He brought to Washington a brilliant reputation as a public speaker, with a
character for unimpeachable personal integrity. His
reputation and character were fully sustained in the
Senate of the United States. He took but little part




IN THIE SENATE.              83
in the current daily business of the Senate; none in
the fierce personalities sometimes exchanged between
great political leaders; but upon a few prominent questions he spoke with great ability and effect. There
was a classical finish in his language, and a certain
sedate fervor, if I may so call it, in his language,
which commanded the attention of his audience to a
degree seldom surpassed. As he spoke but rarely, he
was always listened to with deference, and soon took
rank with the foremost members of the body, at a time
when the Senate of the United States contained some
of the brightest names in our political history.
"Mr. Frelinghuysen took an active part in opposition to that stupendous iniquity, the expulsion of the
Indians from Georgia, and the division of their lands
by lottery among the people of the state, in violation
alike of the dictates of justice and humanity, and of
the faith of seventeen treaties negotiated with them
as an independent race. Having myself, to the best
of my ability, opposed this scandalous measure in the
other house of Congress, I took the greater interest in
Mr. Frelinghuysen's efforts in the same cause.
"I have alluded to Mr. Frelinghuysen's unimpeached integrity. It was not, I fear, so great a distinction
then, as now, to be above pecuniary corruption. The
member of either house of Congress who, in those
days, should have stipulated for a commission on a
government contract, or had stooped to the mean brokerage of a cadetship at West Point or Annapolis,
could never have held up his head among honest men
again. Mr. Frelinghuysen would as soon have gone
upon the highway as he would have been guilty of
either of these infamies.
" Renewing the expressions of my regret that I can
offer you nothing in greater detail, I remain, my dear
sir, very truly and respectfully yours,
" EDWARD EVERETT.'?




84           LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
CHAPTER V.
CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY OF
NEW  YORK.
1839-1850.
Return to his Profession at Newark.-Call to the University of the
City of New York.-Installation as Clhancellor.-Success.-Publie Usefulness. -Nomination for Vice-President. -Letter of Acceptance.-The Canvass. —Letter to Louisville.-Result, and the
disappointment it then caused.-Not now to be regretted. —Ir.
Frelinghuysen retires from the University.-Letter of Dr. Tayler
Lewis.
WHEN Mr. Frelinghuysen's senatorial term expired
in March, 1835, a gentleman of opposite political opinions was elected to succeed him, and he retired to private life, from which he did not again emerge, with
one notable exception presently to be noticed. He
was received with open arms by his fellow-citizens in
Newark, and returned with undiminished ardor to the
practice of his profession in the various courts of the
state.
While thus engaged, he was informed in March,
1839, that he had been unanimously chosen by the
Council of the University of the City of New York to
become the chancellor of that institution.  The University, although it was then in its first decade of
years, had achieved a high position, and gave promise
of eminent usefulness, but was encumbered with heavy
pecuniary embarrassments. Mr. Frelinghuysen felt
that this appointment deserved very serious consider



CHINCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.         85
ation, and such he gave to it.  There were several
circumstances which induced him to regard it with
favor. His large and exhausting practice made a
heavy drain upon his health, and sorely tried his
nervous system; he felt a growing repugnance to the
sharp antagonisms incident to the legal profession; he
was assured that his accession to the chancellorship
would be attended with such an increase of subscriptions to the funds of the University as would free it
from the burden of debt; and he anticipated from his
residence in New York as an academic executive a
wider field of direct and immediate usefulness than he
occupied at the New Jersey bar. After due consultation and reflection, he accepted the appointment tendered by the Council of the University. His accession to the post was hailed with general joy by the
Christian public, and especially by that large class of
influential persons interested in the prosperity of this
important seat of learning.
He soon removed his residence to New York, and
on the 5th day of June was formally installed with
appropriate ceremonies, General James Talmage, the
President of the Council, delivering an address on behalf of that body, and the chancellor-elect following
with an inaugural speech, in which he indicated with
great clearness and force his views upon the important subject of collegiate education. He at once entered upon his academic duties with great energy, and
soon had the satisfaction of seeing the institution relieved of a large portion of the indebtedness by which
it had, from the beginning, been embarrassed, while
an increasing number of students came to avail them



86          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
selves of its privileges. He gave to the University
not only the prestige of his name and character as an
eminent Christian statesman, but also the best efforts
of his mind and heart, both in his professorial chair
and in the general superintendence which devolved
upon him as the head of the faculty. It was no perfunctory service which he rendered, but the conscientious devotion of all his powers to the interests of the
institution and of the young men who thronged its
marble halls. His influence upon the latter was of
the happiest kind. His high character, his personal
dignity, his indubitable integrity, his courtesy, his unaffected kindness and sympathy, gave to his instructions and counsels a force which was irresistible. The
students revered and loved him. They could not
doubt the sincerity of his desire for their welfare;
they knew from his past career his competency to advise and direct, and they saw in his daily life a living illustration and exemplification of his own most
cherished principles and oft-repeated inculcations.
But his usefulness while residing in New York was
not confined to the walls of the University. The
commercial metropolis of the nation was, as it still is,
the chief seat and centre of the great religious and
philanthropic associations, which reflect so much lustre upon our age. Of one or two of these Mr. Frelinghuysen was the president; of several he was a director or manager; of all he was a warm friend and advocate. And no small demands were made upon his
time and thoughts in aiding the accomplishment of
the designs for which they had been formed. WVhether it was to contribute to funds, or to counsel in dif



CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.         87
ficult matters, or to address a public meeting, he held
himself in readiness to do what in him lay for the
cause of God and of truth. Nor is there one of the
national societies alluded to which can not recall signal services thus rendered by the Chancellor.
While thus engaged, he and many of his friends
were surprised by his nomination as a candidate for
the office of Vice-President of the United States, on
the same ticket with Henry Clay, by the WVhig National Convention assembled at Baltimore in May,
1844. There were some circumstances connected with
this nomination which rendered it very complimentary and gratifying to Mr. Frelinghuysen. The Convention was held, it may be said, only for the purpose
of selecting a candidate for this office, for no other
name than Mr. Clay's was even thought of for the
presidency; and when, as a matter of form, the resolution presenting him for the position was read in the
Convention, it was scarcely found possible to proceed,
the acclamations of the vast throng bursting forth
with such enthusiasm and persistency at every mention of the great man's name that no formal vote
could be taken. The entire proceedings in reference
to Mr. Frelinghuysen's nomination were taken, from
first to last, without the least solicitation or suggestion, direct or indirect, on his part. He had, indeed,
withdrawn, as he supposed, finally from political life,
nor had he any desire to re-enter upon that troubled
arena. The balloting was of short duration, and the
final result attained with unusual cordiality. He decidedly led the canvass from the first ballot; and although such eminent statesmen as John Davis, of




88         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Massachusetts, Millard Fillmore, of New York, and
John Sergeant, of Philadelphia, were proposed in competition, on the third ballot he received a majority of
the whole number of votes, whereupon the friends of
the other candidates withdrew their names, and gave
a hearty adhesion to the choice thus indicated. The
nomination, moreover, associated him with IIENRY
CLAY, whose views of public policy he had always
approved, and with whom he had been on terms of
intimate personal friendship for very many years.
He therefore, after thoughtful and prayerful consideration, accepted the position in a letter of which
the following is the text:
" New York, May 6,1844.
"HON. WILLIAMi ELLSWORTH, Chairman, etc.:
"DEAR SIR,-I have duly received your favor informing me of my nomination to the office of VicePresident of the United States, by the Whig Convention of delegates, at Baltimore, on the 1st instant. To
be thus distinguished by such a body of exalted and
patriotic Whigs is an honor that I most sensibly feel.
In accepting it, I can only promise the best efforts in
some humble measure to justify the high confidence
reposed in me. And I trust, in the goodness of Divine Providence, so to guide my steps that I may not
disappoint the expectations of my friends or do harm
to the interests of our country.
"Your obedient friend and servant,
"THEO. FRELINGHUYSEN."'
The election was hotly contested, perhaps as much
so as any which has ever been held, and very great
excitement prevailed throughout the country. The
Democratic party naturally wished to regain the power of which they had been deprived in 1840, and the




CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.         89
Whigs were anxious to secure anew a victory, the
rightful fruits of which, when won at the preceding
election, they deemed themselves to have lost through
the early death of President Harrison. The tariff, the
currency, the use of the public lands, and, above all,
the annexation of Texas, were questions which entered into the contest and were very warmly discussed.
Mr. Frelinghuysen, however, continued in the quiet
discharge of his academic duties, and took a very
small part in the canvass. On two occasions he made
public addresses: one when the meeting assembled in
New York to ratify the nominations adjourned to his
residence and called him out; the other some months
subsequently, when a meeting held in Somerville,
while he was visiting his relatives in that village,
made a similar call upon him, and, being composed
mainly of his old friends and neighbors, could not be
refused. The only letters which he wrote upon political matters were two, the first of which was addressed
to the Whig State Convention at Trenton in May, and
the second to a large mass meeting gathered at Millstone, near the spot where he was born. In the course
of the summer two gentlemen of Louisville, Ky., propounded some inquiries, the tenor of which may be
gathered from his answer here subjoined:
"New York, July 5, 1844.
"GENTLEZMEN,-Your favor is duly received and its
inquiries are cheerfully answered. Since my residence
in this city as Chancellor of the University, I have felt
it to be my duty to its interest to retire very much
from party politics, excepting so far as the sacred right
of suffrage was concerned. I have never spoken but
in decided condemnation of the mob scenes of violence




90          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
and blood in Philadelphia, and have had nothing to
do with the matter of the division of the school funds
between Catholics and Protestants in New York. Indeed, your inquiry is the first intimation I have had
that such a subject has been agitated. Allow me to
say, gentlemen, in the general, that I cherish the principles of our Constitution, which allow full freedom
of conscience and forbid all religious tests and establishments, as sacred and fundamental.
"Yours very respectfully,
" THEO. FRELINGHUYSEN.
" Messrs. Henry Pirtle and Geo. D. Prentice."
It has always been customary among the more unscrupulous politicians of our country to subject the
personal and private character of any candidate for
high official position to a very thorough scrutiny, in
the hope of finding some point of successful attack.
Mr. Frelinghuysen did not escape the common lot,
but he could defy the most unsparing ordeal. There
was nothing in all his career, from the earliest period,
which needed to be defended, apologized for, or even
explained. Nothing unbecoming a man, a lawyer,
a legislator, a Christian, was ever attributed to him.
The most heated partisan, the bitterest opposers of
the ticket, with one voice acknowledged the stainless probity of the WVhig candidate for the vice-presidency, whatever objection they might feel to his political principles.
The election, as is well known, resulted in the success of Messrs. Polk and Dallas, the candidates of the
Democratic party. Mr. Frelinghuysen was but little
disappointed at the result. Thoroughly convinced of
the correctness of his political views, he would have




CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.        91
been glad to become an active agent in carrying
them out, especially as a coadjutor of Henry Clay, in
whose ability, integrity, and patriotism he cherished
an unshaken confidence to the end of his days. At
the same time, such was his soundness of judgment,
and such his accurate perception of the surges of popular opinion, that he never was very sanguine of success, and was therefore, in a measure, prepared for the
ultimate issue. Even the night before the day which
brought the determining news as to the course of New
York, which state was then justly considered as turning the scale of the election, when his Whig friends,
having received some favorable tidings, gathered before the University to congratulate him and themselves on the auspicious issue, he reminded them that
it was too soon to rejoice, and besought them to await
the complete returns.
WVhen those returns came in the revulsion of feeling was tremendous. The mass of the Whig party
were animated not only by a deep conviction of the
importance of the principles which they held to the
welfare of the country, but also by a strong personal
attachment to their recognized leaders, especially to
Mr. Clay, who was remarkable above all the great
men whom this country ever produced for the degree
in which he concentrated upon himself as a man the
affections of those who shared in his views of public
policy. Remembering the brilliant victory they had
achieved at the preceding presidential election, they
cherished confident hopes of success in the present
struggle, scarcely allowing themselves to think of failure as a possible thing. Nor did they spare any pains




92          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
to secure the fulfillment of their hopes, but labored
with enthusiasm unto the last. WVhen the result was
announced, it fell like a thunderbolt out of a cloudless
sky. Stalwart men were moved even to tears, and
multitudes mourned over the event as if it had been
the loss of some dear relative. This was particularly
true of many who desired Mr. Frelinghuysell's election, not only because of their personal esteem for
him, but also and especially because they desired to
see a high official station adorned by a man who, to
all other qualifications, added that of an eminently
consistent Christian character.
These regrets, however, have long since disappeared, not simply through the mellowing influence of
time, but from a clearer apprehension of the connection of events. Painful and mysterious as was the
defeat of Clay and Frelinghuysen to their friends at
the time and for years afterward, subsequent events
have lifted the veil, and enabled calm, practical observers to see the finger of Eternal Providence in that
mortifying discomfiture. The question upon' which
the contest really turned was the annexation of Texas-whether this large province of Mexico, wrested
by its inhabitants from the mother country, should be
added to the United States at the risk of a war with
Mexico, and of introducing under the protection of
the federal Constitution an immense region to be filled with a slaveholding population.  The question
was decided in the affirmative, the North being doubtless led by the lust of territorial aggrandizement,
which is always dominant in young and growing nations, and the South by the hope of securing addition



CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.          93
al strength for the domestic institution which they
had come to consider the basis of their civilization.
At first both seemed to be gratified. New Mexico
and California, as well as Texas, contributed to swell
the imperial dimensions of the American republic,
and the South felt that the additional strength they
had gained in the Senate was a new security for their
cherished interest. But soon California knocked at
the door of the Union for admission as a state, and
the question at once arose whether she should be admitted with or without a provision against involuntary servitude.  A fierce conflict was finally'settled by
compromise. But the fire still slumbered under the
ashes, and a few years later the same question arose in
reference to Kansas and all the other Territories. The
issues became more clearly joined and more virulently contested, until at last ambitious leaders succeeded
in inducing ten states of the Union to secede from the
government and set up a new republic, the cornerstone of which was publicly declared by its vice-president to be the perpetuation of African slavery. The
war which then ensued is still pending, and it is quite
too early for the shrewdest observer to predict the
final issue.  But all unbiased men agree that one result is certain in any event, and that is the overthrow
of African slavery. Its days on this continent are
numbered. The mere friction of the war, if there
were nothing else, must insure its disappearance. Its
own friends have wrought its ruin. Had they been
content to rely upon existing guarantees of safety, it
might have continued indefinitely, But, dissatisfied
with these, they insisted upon other measures, and




94        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
hence has followed what we now see. The first one
of these measures was the annexation of Texas; and
they who once mourned that event as a great political disaster, may now admire the Providence of God,
which, in his inscrutable wisdom, made that the initial
step of a series by which the nation was to be gradually but surely led forever out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.
After the campaign, Mr. Frelinghuysen continued
in the discharge of his academic duties, but not altogether with the same comfort as formerly. A severe
attack of acute illness not only laid him wholly aside
for several weeks, but left him in an enfeebled condition, with disordered nerves. Under these circumstances, the abundant hospitality which his situation,
as well as his nature, prompted him to exercise, became somewhat of a trial. The finances of the University too, being hampered by the withdrawal, first
of a part, then of the whole of the grant annually
made by the state, imposed an embarrassing burden
upon the head of the institution. Mr. Frelinghuysen
began now to feel something of the weight of advancing years, and the thought more than once occurred
to his mind that it would be better for him to seek
some other position, where the duties would not be so
arduous, and where he could escape the excitements
and engagements of the metropolis. In the kind
providence of God, such a relief was opened to him,
without any effort on his part, by an invitation from
a literary institution in a neighboring city, which,
while withdrawing him from the noise and bustle of
New York, yet offered a continuation of what he al



CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.          95
ways felt to be the useful and congenial work of directing the studies and moulding the characters of
young men in the course of a liberal education. He
therefore resigned his position as Chancellor in the
summer of the year 1850.
From one of the most distinguished of his associates
in the literary faculty of the University, Professor
Tayler Lewis, LL.D., the author has had the pleasure
of receiving the following letter, containing some account of his career in this trying and responsible position:
"Union College, Schenectady, September 24,1862.
"MY DEAR SIR,-I can best give you my thoughts
of Mr. Frelinghuysen by relating three phases of my
experience in respect to him. It is now more than
thirty years since he first excited my admiration by
his course in the Senate of the United States, especially his speeches on the important questions that then
arose respecting the Cherokee Indians, and the obedience due to the decisions of the United States courts.
It is now known that the party since so clamorous
about the soundness of judicial decisions was then in
a state of direct hostility to the decrees of Marshall
and Story-not merely, while obeying them, seeking
their reversal by constitutional means, which is the
political right, and may be the duty of the most conservative citizen, but bidding them direct defiance, encouraging the President in his refusal to execute their
issued process-in other words, nullifying them both
in the letter and the spirit. In his speeches on these
occasions, Mr. Frelinghuysen showed a knowledge of
constitutional law equal to that of Webster; but that
was the least part of their merit. The Democratic
party had enlisted on its side the irreligious element
in our land, and it was in rebuking this that the sen



96          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ator from New Jersey rose above all others in that
deeply interesting debate. Here was something new
in that Senate. Christianity had been often mentioned with approbation, but here was an exhibition of its
very spirit and powers. There was something in the
tone of those speeches, able as they were in other respects, which showed that religion was there in their
midst-hearty, fervent, evangelical religion-religion
as a higher law, first and before all things, instead of
that mere political patronizing of Christianity which
is so common among our public men. It is very easy
to put forth the usual commonplaces about'our holy
religion,' and the value of Christian institutions, and
the'importance of morality and virtue as the foundation of all good government.' Men may say this, men
have said it, and are fond of saying it, who are not religious, who are not even moral. It is always safe
to talk in this way; it is sometimes a very popular
course; it gains favor on the one side, while, by throwing in a word now and then about bigotry, and the'preservation of our religious liberties' now so much
imperiled, it is careful to lose no ground on the other.
This patronizing style assumes too, at times, a profound and philosophical look; it affects to go below
the surface of things; there seems presented a statesmanlike, senatorial view of religion, with which we are
wonderfully pleased- as coming from such a source;
and yet, after all, there is no heart in it, and even the
knowledge it displays, though magnified from its position, is often less than many a teacher imparts, and
many a child acquires, in the Sabbath-school room.
"No one, however, would thus judge of Mr. Frelinghuysen. The living know the living.' The spiritual
man is judged of no one (who is not spiritual), while
he himself judgeth all things.' But, aside from this,
even the worldly and the irreligious have a faculty for
detecting the genuine here. They feel how much it
differs from that which is either wholly false, or but




CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.         97
a passing sentimental emotion. Mr. Frelinghuysen's
soul was in these speeches. He was pleading for
Christ his Savior. The religious aspects of the questions were to him the main aspects; the social and
political had their value in subordination. Justice,
humanity, national faith-ever to be esteemed the
stronger when pledged to the weak-the forms of
treaties, the substantial truth of covenants-all these
were treated, not merely in their humanitarian economies, but as strictly religious-as having their sanctions from their never-to-be-sundered connection with
the invisible and the eternal.
"It was, indeed, a noble effort, characterized, too, by
the highest eloquence of thought and language. The
next thing I read of Mr. Frelinghuysen's was an address before one of the national religious societies in
New York. It was a very different theatre, but the
same man unchanged in thought and utterance. Here,
too, the mere politician has, now and then, put forth
his patronizing platitudes; but here was Mr. Frelinghuysen especially at home-more at home than in
the Senate of the United States. Never did the union
of those two characters, the statesman and the Christian, seem so perfect. The man who had enchained
the attention of the highest political audience now
pleads the cause of:missions and of Bible distribution
with the soul of a martyr. It was no mere talk about
the political economies of religion, the'patriotism of
Christianity,' its statistical and commercial benefits;
it was no gracious presentation of thanks on the part
of the State for the Church's good conduct, and its
excellent police aid in the preservation of order and
property; it was no mere harangue on the physical
or secular good of the Sabbath, and the duty of all respectable people to respect it on that account; it was
no empty laudation of missions and missionaries as
the pioneers of civilization-its subject was none of
these, except as lying far below in the scale of suborE




98          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
dination, but'life, life, eternal life' for perishing men
and a perishing world. Instead of such cold secularities, his whole soul was on fire with the intensest spiritualities of the Christian argument. The union of
the two characters was delightful. It raised my admiration of the man to the highest pitch. I read with
eagerness every thing that fell from his mouth on every occasion, secular or religious. And this may be
called my first phase of experience.
" In the year 1839 Mr. Frelinghuysen was appointed Chancellor of the New York University. I had
been connected with the institution a few months before. It need not be said how strong was the interest
felt at the thought of being associated with such a
man. Nor was the first meeting a disappointment.
The personal appearance was noble, commanding,
equal to any thing that had been imagined respecting
it. The inaugural address was worthy of the speaker's high reputation. But when we entered upon the
daily routine of college life and discipline, I must confess some change of feeling. This man, who, I thought,
would fill me with awe and reverence, was found to
have his humanities, and close contact sometimes
brought them out unpleasantly. We had expected
one who would take the lead commandingly, and under whose influence the institution would immediately take the highest rank. Such an expectation was,
of course, unreasonable. Colleges are of slow growth.
We ought to know that this would be the case in our
own country, when we remember that the universities of the Old WVorld are the production of centuries.
True education can not be accelerated by outward
forcing, or by calling to its patronage the highest influence of great names. There was no disappointment
in regard to his public efforts; but it is to his private
intercourse with us that I have now chiefly reference.
This was, indeed, of the most pleasant kind, viewed
merely in its social aspects. Never shall I forget the




CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.       99
beautiful harmony of our faculty meetings as they
were weekly held for nearly eleven years. WVe were
of various denominations in religion. There was Dr.
C. F. Henry, a profound thinker, an admirable writer,
a noble man in every way, but a churchman of towering altitude, even as his eloquent appeals now place
him in the front rank for loyalty and patriotism.
There was Professor Johnson, a man of the most precise New Englandism, but whose Latin and German
scholarship are unsurpassed in our country. There
was Professor Draper, of European celebrity; Nordheimer, the distinguished Orientilist, and'an Israelite
truly in whom there was no guile.' There was Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Dutch Reformed, Unitarian,
Free-thinking (I use the term in no offensive sense),
Old School, and New School; but in our weekly
meetings there was the most perfect brotherhood of
thought and action. Mr. Frelinghuysen presided so
kindly, so genially, that there could be nothing sectional or sectarian in his presence. We all had our
isms in theology, in philosophy, and even in pedagogy; but in our stated college associations there was
the most perfect catholicity. Though formal to some
extent in mode, they were wholly informal and social in their spirit. Mr. Frelinghuysen was fond of
treating things in a familiar, conversational manner,
though no one could be more impressively dignified
when the occasion demanded it. He had a touch of
humor, quite a fund of anecdote, and, in a word, that
easy sociability, such a well-known trait of gentlemen
of the bar, and which lMr. Frelinghuysen brought with
him from his long practice in the courts of New. Jersey. All this was very pleasant, but still not in exact
accordance with my high expectations. It was not
the commanding character imagination had pictured.
I would not retract the word already used; it was, indeed, a fault in this great man and this pure Christian that he had a way of so constantly deferring to




100        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
others. It was the carrying to excess the apostle's
precept:'Let each man esteem others better than
himself.' There were times when he would rise, and
we saw before us the man who had commanded the
United States Senate; but he was not now with politicians and corrupt party schemers, and amid scenes
that would arouse the eloquence of his indignant rebuke. Surrounded by a small company of literary
men and teachers, he sat in our midst as primus inter
pares, or, rather, as one who sought to learn from others
rather than command, and who would substitute their
professional knowledge for his own wide and catholic experience. In other things, too, there was that
about him which disturbed the too enthusiastic prejudgment. How strong must this man be in Christian faith, I used to think! WVhat a privilege to lean
upon his steady arm, to have the benefit of his Christian counsels and Christian experience! Here was, at
first, what must be acknowledged as a disappointment.
He was fond of religious conversation, and frequently
drew one or the other of us into it in the most familiar way. Often was it my privilege thus to converse
with him, sometimes in his own scholastic apartment,
sometimes sharing his long daily walk, and, on a few
occasions, in his chamber of sickness. He imparted
strength, but not in the way I had expected. He was
an admirable illustration of the apostle's paradox:' WVhen he was weak, then was he strong;' and'out of
his weakness' were made strong those who enjoyed
the privilege of this blessed Christian intercommunion.
Mr. Frelinghuysen had difficulties in his religious life,
in his personal experience, and he would freely tell
them. His whole soul was in the pilgrimage to the
New Jerusalem. Still, he was but a'seeker of salvation.' This was ever the form of his thought and the
spirit of his language. He hardly dared to take to
himself any other title. Of course, there was no allusion to the services he had rendered the cause of




CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY.    101
Christ. HIe did not think of them. His mind was
ever upon his demerits,his deficiencies. It was no
mock humility. The prayer of the publican was ever
in his heart and often upon his lips. He was continually asking others about their experience, their difficulties, the comforts and grounds of their faith. This
was not for the obtaining comparative confidence, but
because his true Christian soul loved thus to commune
with others whom he esteemed as Christians, and to
regard himself and them as a company of earth-weary,
heaven-seeking pilgrims, marching hand in hand, and
mutually holding each other up through'sloughs of
despondency' and over'hills of difficulty,' and in evilhaunted vales of temptation, until at last the heavenly land is reached by all, the weakest as well as the
strongest in the band.
" I have endeavored to give you my exact impression of the man, —an impression I would not now exchange for any former ideal of the statesman. The
habit I have mentioned of his continual deference to
others was a hinderance to his literary success; it prevented his having that commanding influence he might
have exercised, and should have exercised on the faculty and the college, and therefore it was that the first
contact with these failures of character, if I may so
call them, produced disappointment. He fell in reverence, while he rose in love; and this is what I may
call my second phase of experience respecting him.
" Still, the man of power was there; the man of eloquence; the believing soul, large and loving. As a
Christian, he must, of course, be humble, but I had not
looked for such a palpable exhibition of it. This feel-'
ing of disappointment was not of long continuance.
It seems now, however, that it was necessary to a just
appreciation of just such a character. I should never
have known how true a Christian Mr. Frelinghuysen
was had there been nothing but the first knowledge
of him as a senator and a Christian orator. It was




102         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
necessary to see how very human he was in some respects, if we would see the beauty of that divine life
which shone through this humanity so conscious of
its weakness, so ever seeking help even from others
who needed for themselves his wiser and stronger
guidance. This was the third phase of the writer's
experience respecting him. Mr. Frelinghuysen was a
great man, a statesman, an orator seldom surpassed at
the bar or in the Senate. He was a Christian man,
hearty and true. He was a very humble Christian
man, and in this lies the very essence of his greatness
and his strength.
" Yours truly,         TAYLER LEwTIS.' Rev. T. W. Chambers, D.D."




PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.         103
CHAPTER VI.
PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.
1850-1862.
Early History of the Institution.-Inauguration of Mr. Frelinghuysen.-Growth of the College.-The President's Diligence.-Letter.
from Dr. Crosby.-Death of the first Mrs. Frelinghuysen.-Baccalaureate Addresses.-Useful to the End.-Death. —Funeral.
THE old literary institution at New Brunswick was
established by a charter from George III. in 1770, and
was styled Queen's College.  This charter was obtained and the college founded by the prayers and
efforts of the earlier Frelinghuysens and Hardenberghs. It passed through many severe trials, and
sometimes suffered a total suspension of service; but
its friends persevered, and had the pleasure of seeing
a complete and permanent revival of the institution
in the year 1825, under the name of Rutgers College,
when it entered upon a career of growing prosperity
and usefulness.  The first president of the revived institution was the learned and eloquent Dr. MIilledoler,
who at the same time held the chair of theology in
the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Protestant
Dutch Church. Dr. Milledoler withdrew from his position in the year 1841, and was succeeded by the
Hon. A. B. lasbrouck, LL.D., of Kingston, N. Y.,
who had achieved distinction at the bar and in Congress, and who, for a period of ten years, presided over
the college with great dignity, efficiency, and success.




104        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
At the end of that time domestic circumstances induced Dr. Hasbrouck to resign his office and devote
himself to his private affairs.
In looking for a gentleman to fill the responsible
position thus vacated, it was natural for the trustees
to turn their eyes toward the honored son of New
Jersey, whose heart still beat so warmly toward his
native state, whose earliest associations connected him
with the institution at New Brunswick, and whose
personal gifts and attainments had now been matured
by many years' experience in academic instruction
and government. They unanimously invited him to
become their president. After seeking, according to
his invariable custom, the Divine direction, he cheerfully accepted the appointment, and removed his residence to New Brunswick-the last remove he was
destined to make on earth. At the annual Commencement, July 24th, 1850, he was formally inducted into
office. His Excellency Daniel Haines, the governor
of the state, acting in behalf of the Board of Trustees,
introduced the president elect to the audience in a
short and graceful speech. The venerable Dr. Cannon, the oldest member of the board, then welcomed
the new officer to his position with fitly chosen words,
which, spoken with the fire of youth, thrilled through
the assembly, and gave just expression to the enthusiastic cordiality with which the accession of Mr. Frelinghuysen was regarded by the authorities and friends
of the college. The exercises were closed by an inaugural address of the president, abounding with pertinent and instructive suggestions respecting the true
aims of a collegiate education. The concluding para



PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.    105
graphs, containing a touching reference to his own
feelings in view of his return to the scenes of his
childhood, are here extracted:
" If I may be allowed a single personal allusion, it
is matter of grateful interest that the revolutions of
time have conducted my footsteps, in the evening of
life's pilgrimage, to the cherished spot where its morning began; and that, notwithstanding the desolations
of the past-and they are many and sad-a benignant
Providence permits to-day the recognition of many
living names whose early recollections harmonize with
my own.
"And now may He whose blessing maketh rich,
grant his constant favor that our college may continue to send forth a hallowed influence; that its sons
may illustrate its fame by the light of a pure and upright example; and that, whatever else may befall
them in a world of affliction and change, no one of
them may be permitted, by the perversion of his powers, to impair the foundations of truth, or give countenance to the enemies of virtue."
Here Mr. Frelinghuysen continued to the end of
his life, surrounded by the friends of his youth, and
happy in the service of an institution endeared to him
by precious ancestral recollections. The favorable
auspices under which he began his administration of
its affairs were fully confirmed by the result. The
old friends of the college engaged with fresh zeal in
its behalf, and many new ones were enlisted. The
number of the students began at once to increase.
The endowment funds were considerably augmented.
The course of study became, in time, greatly enlarged.
Valuable additions were made to the corps of professors. Pecuniary embarrassments were removed; philE2




106          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
osophical and other apparatus was abundantly provided; and the institution, always respectable for its
age, and history, and character, attained a still higher
reputation at home and abroad.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's connection with it was far from
being nominal. Notwithstanding his approach to the
allotted term of human life, he entered into his work
with conscientious fidelity and energy, carefully elaborating the special duties of his own department, and
conducting the discipline of the institution with a
gentleness, firmness, and impartiality which secured
the happiest results. To the customary care of the
mental progress of the students he added a parental
cOncern for their moral and Christian advancement,
for which many will have reason to thank him as
long as they live. On this point the author is happy
to present the following testimony of one who had
rare opportunities of forming an intelligent opinion,
the Rev. Dr. Crosby:
" New Brunswick, August 14, 1862.
"REV. TALBOT W. CHAMBERS, D.D.:
"DEAR SIR, —It gives me great pleasure to comply
with your request, and record my impressions of the
late Mr. Frelinghuysen in his official capacity as the
presiding officer of a college, not only from my desire
to contribute what I can to the general good in the
exhibition of so bright a character, but also from a
grateful sense of the benefits which I personally received from the official influence of the illustrious deceased. I had the good fortune to witness Mr. Frelinghuysen's administration of a college presidency
from two distinct points of view, having been four
years a student at the University of New York when
he occupied its chancellorship, and having, fifteen




PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.    107
years thereafter, become his colleague in the faculty
of Rutgers College, where I enjoyed his intimacy three
years until his death. Students uniformly loved and
respected him. They knew he was their fast friend,
and they also knew that his conduct was actuated by
the purest and most exalted motives. Such a knowledge, of course, was accompanied by the fullest confidence, so that, however disappointed a student was
made by the chancellor's denial of his request, the
disappointment was never followed by a revengeful
or rebellious spirit. I well recollect how, at my first
admission to the Freshman class, I applied to Mr. Frelinghuysen for a dispensation from the exercise of
public speaking. I promised double exertion in every
other department if I could only be excused in this
one. His reply was gentle in tone and manner, and
yet a firm denial. He used the affectionate phrase'my son,' and assured me that no better opportunity
would ever be offered me for the removal of my diffidence, and for the attainment of ease and readiness in
oratory. I ventured once after this to renew my request, and received the same answer, with a similar
manifestation of regard for my welfare. Instead of repelling me, these interviews won my heart, and I felt
ready from that time to meet his'my son' with a responsive'my father.' Four years after, when I delivered an oration in the University that possessed
some merit, the chancellor came down from the rostra
and greeted me warmly, saying, with clear memory
of the interviews at my entrance upon college life,' Are you not satisfied now that I did right in refusing
you exemption from oratorical duties when you were
a Freshman?'
"The respect which the students entertained for
Mr. Frelinghuysen was always a guarantee of orderly
behavior and attention in his class-room, so that severity was never needed, and he was relieved from the
use of methods from which his mild nature would




108         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
have shrunk, while their love for the chancellor often
assumed the form of enthusiasm which gave vigor
even to sluggish minds.
"In Rutgers College I noticed these same marks of
Mr. Frelinghuysen's relations to the students, although
they were somewhat modified by his advanced age.
HIis intercourse with his colleagues was marked by
modesty, simplicity, and gentleness, and whenever he
differed with them in the details of discipline, it was
easy to see that the kindly sympathies of his heart lay
at the bottom of the difference.
Conspicuously, through all the attributes of his character, shone Mr. Frelinghuysen's Christian faith and
devotion. No one could spend a day in his company
without being impressed with his zeal in the Master's
service. IIis colleagues saw that the love of Christ
was the constraining principle of his life, and it was
this consistent Christian example which rendered his
influence over the young so precious, and to which an
army of men of young and middle years now gratefully yield their testimony, as they feel that his character and counsels saved them from ruin, and guided
their feet in the path of uprightness and Christian
truth.
He took especial delight in addressing the four
classes on Saturday mornings, founding his earnest
exhortations to repentance and a godly life on some
passage of Scripture read at the opening service of the
chapel, and on the Sabbath the students were again
assembled before him in the chapel to receive a systematic Biblical instruction.
To his view the student was, first of all, a sinner requiring the atoning blood of Jesus, and all learning
and discipline were subordinate, and to be made subsidiary, to the great end of spiritual conversion and
renewal. Education was a training of the whole man,
and thus the fear of the Lord was recognized as the
beginning of wisdom. Oh that all our instructors felt




PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.    109
this truth as did the distinguished saint whose death
has put the whole Church in mourning. His legacy
to us all is the example of a consecrated life. As we
honor his memory, may we follow that example.
"Yours faithfully,   IHOWARD CROSBY."'While thus assiduously and successfully engaged
in the appropriate duties of his office, his home was
desolated and his heart bereaved in April, 1854, by
the death of Mrs. Frelinghuysen.  "From  an early
period of her life she was an exemplary member of
the Church of Christ, and enjoyed beyond most the
comforts resulting from a firm trust in God and hope
in his mercy through his beloved Son. She retained
her consciousness until near the close of life, and anticipated death with the composure and peace which
nothing but faith in the glorious Gospel of the grace
of God can inspire."  Three years afterward Mr. Frelinghuysen repaired the breach in his domestic relations by a union with Miss Harriet Pompelly, of Owego, N. Y., a lady of great intellectual and moral worth,
who, after ministering largely to his comfort and usefulness during the closing years of his life, still survives to bear his name and cherish the memory of his
many virtues.
In New Brunswick, as in New York, Mr. Frelinghuysen always delivered, at the annual Commencement, a baccalaureate address to the members of the
graduating class. These addresses bore the stamp of
their author. Nothing was said for display or sensational effect, but all for personal and practical use.
Such themes were chosen as pertained most directly
to the interesting situation of the young men, and




110        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
weighty thoughts and wise counsels were urged with
the affectionate earnestness becoming his years and
position. These addresses were never long, much less
wearisome. Their author studied a compact brevity,
and a simplicity of statement and illustration which
enchained and rewarded attention. His suggestions
covered a wide range, extending to all the relations
of his hearers, personal and social, for time and eternity. In times of political excitement he did not fail
to inculcate a pure and lofty patriotism. Shunning
all mere partisanship, he gave the whole weight of his
experience and character to uphold the Constitution
and the Union, recurring to the character of their
founders, and pleading with a pathetic earnestness
that the children should cherish with ceaseless vigilance this honored legacy of their fathers. He delighted to invoke afresh, as he said in 1855, " the fraternal
feelings that formed the American Constitution, which
has so long and so illustriously shown how much of
human wisdom and forecast, and how much more of
divine benignity, crowned this first great experiment
of a free and self-governed people. May it be perpetual! May no rash hand mar its glory or dare disturb its foundations!"
The last years of Mr. Frelinghuysen's life, spent in
New Brunswick, were attended with better health
than he had enjoyed in New York. And he was, in
consequence, even more active than before in rendering occasional services to such benevolent enterprises
as made a claim upon him for counsel or for public
addresses. Usefulness was a passion with him, and
there was no sphere, however humble, which he was




PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.    111
not ready to fill when called upon. It was a matter
of thankful joy to him and to his friends that, after so
long a period spent in exhausting cares and duties, he
was still able faithfully to perform the regular duties
of his office, and, at the same time, in other ways actively contribute to the general good of his fellowmen. Yet, in the case of one who had lived three
quarters of a century, this could not be expected to
continue very long. In this view the occurrence of
his death was marked by a providential fitness. He
had filled the probable measure of his activity. He
had served his generation faithfully by the will of
God. He had left his enduring mark upon all the
stations in which he had been placed. He had illustrated all the various phases of Christian character in
the scenes of active life. It was well that he should
pass with small delay from his work to his reward;
that there should be no lengthened period of enforced
seclusion and gradual decay between his usual efficiency and his final rest; but that, when called away
in the fullness of his days, honors, and labors, it might
be said of him as of the old Roman, " Felix, non vitce
tant-um  claritate, sed etiam opportunitate mortis/"
He died on the 12th of April, 1861, after an illness
slightly protracted, the details of which will be furnished in a subsequent chapter. His death, although
not unexpected, produced a deep sensation throughout the community. Resolutions complimentary to
his memory were passed by the Faculty of the College, the Council of the University of the city of New
York, the Bar of Essex County, and various other
bodies with which he had been connected; and his




112        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
funeral, on the fourth day following his decease, was
attended by a large concourse of persons from different parts of his own state, and also from New York
and Pennsylvania. Brief and appropriate services
were held at his recent residence, the Rev. Professor
Woodbridge and the Rev. Dr. H. N. Wilson officiating.
Afterward a long procession proceeded to the First
Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, following the
bier, the pall of which was borne by the governor,
chancellor, and chief justice of the state, the president
of the College of New Jersey, and twelve other distinguished gentlemen. The flags of the city were at
half-mast, the bells of the churches were tolled, and
the places of business along the route to the church
were closed; every possible sign of respect and grief
was shown by his fellow-citizens. The services in
the church were opened by the Rev. Dr. J. Few Smith,
of Newark, with the announcement of Wesley's beautiful hymn, "Jesus, lover of my soul," etc., and the
reading of the fifteenth chapter of the First Epistle to
the Corinthians.  The Rev. Dr. Hodge, of Princeton,
the friend of Mr. Frelinghuysen from boyhood, followed in an earnest, humble, simple, and impressive
prayer. A carefully prepared and eloquent minute,
adopted by the trustees of the college in reference to
the life and character of the deceased, was read by
their secretary, the Rev. Dr, T. C. Strong, of New York.
The address of the occasion was pronounced by the
venerable Dr. De Witt, of the Collegiate Church, New
York, who, in fitly-chosen words, and with a voice
and manner fraught with emotion, portrayed something of the life and character of his departed friend,




PRESIDENT OF RUTGERS COLLEGE.    113
and gave appropriate utterance to the feelings which
animated the whole of the vast assembly. The Rev.
Professor Campbell closed the services in the church,
after which the remains were removed to the adjoining grounds, where already so many of the former
presidents and professors of the institutions at New
Brunswick lie sleeping in Jesus. Here the Rev. Dr.
Neville, of Newark, N. J., read a portion of the funeral service of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and
then, beneath the lingering rays of the setting sun, all
that was mortal of Theodore Frelinghuysen was committed to the tomb.




114         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
CHAPTER VII.
PERSONAL TRAITS AND HABITS.
His Person.-Social and Domestic Habits.-Hospitality.-Poptlarity.-Mental Traits: Insight, Judgment, Imagination.-Reading.
-Style.-Speeches. -Eloquence. -Instances. -Reminiscence of
Dr. Magie.
MR. FRELINGHUYSEN was a man a little under six
feet in height, with a sinewy and well-proportioned
frame. In time the weight of years and the inroads
of disease somewhat bent his erect form and lessened
his flesh. A broad expansive forehead towered over
a pair of eyes which, soft and dreamy in repose, when
he was aroused gleamed and flashed with strange
power. The lines of his mouth and chin gave a tone
of decision and firmness to his habitual expression,
which, however, when he was conversing with friends,
gave way to a very fascinating smile. His whole appearance, when in the flush of early manhood, was of
a commanding yet attractive character.
In natural disposition Mr. Frelinghuysen was amiable and kind, with a marked tendency to mirth. The
old men in Somerset, N. J., who knew him when they
all were boys together, concur in describing him as a
lively, pleasant companion, full of sport, ready to give
and take a sharp jest, and a general favorite in the
community. The same traits marked him in maturer
years. Even when most burdened with cares and responsibilities, he knew how desipere in loco. He en



PERSONAL TRAITS AND iHABITS.      115
joyed society greatly. The company of congenial
friends was his best earthly relief from continued and
exhausting labors. He entered without reserve into
the spirit of the occasion. Never forgetting, even
for a moment, what was becoming to his own character and station, he yet could so adapt himself to
those who were around him that stiffness and formality vanished, the timid became emboldened, and the
young found themselves quite at their ease. Although not a professed wit, he had a keen sense of
the ludicrous, and not unfrequently enlivened conversation with sparkling turns of thought. Thus, on one
occasion, many years ago, a lawyer who was notorious for pecuniary shifts drove a very handsome equipage to the Somerset courts, and, as he was displaying
his carriage and horses, challenged Mr. Frelinghuysen to tell what he gave for them. " Oh!  that is not
hard to say," was the reply; "I have no doubt you
gave your note for them."  He had great skill and
tact in narration and recital, seizing at once the salient points of the story, and stating them with few and
expressive words. His conversational resources were
large and varied. Having mingled much with men
of every class, and having, by his professional and
political associations, acquired great familiarity with
human life in all its aspects, he was fitted to inform
and interest others on almost any topic. A store of
reflection, incident, anecdote, was ready at hand whenever needed. He knew how to listen as well as talk,
and his sympathetic nature, habitual kindness, and unflagging courtesy left his companions nothing to desire.
His society was always, even in his advanced years,




116          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
pleasing to the young. Notwithstanding the pressure
of cares and the increase of infirmities, he was to the
end youthful in his feelings.  This he used pleasantly
to attribute to the fact that he had so many young
nieces and nephews, whose society aroused his sympathies and precluded the rust of age.  Nothing gave
him more pleasure than to have them in his family,
to see them around his board, and elicit their various
traits of character and phases of feeling. Hie often
spoke of the beneficence of Providence in giving "an
undergrowth of affection" to the moral world as to the
"natural forest," and quoted with great feeling some
characteristic lines of Wordsworth on the subject.
He felt, with the author of the Excursion, that while
"The primal duties shine aloft like stars,
The charities that soothe, and heal, and bless,
Are scattered at the feet of man like flowers;
The generous inclination, the just rule,
Kind wishes, and good actions, and pure thoughts.
No mystery is here; no special boon
For high and not for low, for proudly graced
And not for meek of heart."
Mr. Frelinghuysen's interest in the young extended
even to little children. In his daily walks in New
Brunswick, he could scarcely ever meet them in the
street without pausing to look in their smiling faces
and engage them in suitable conversation. Not unfrequently, when he saw them flattening their noses
against the windows of a toy-shop in their eager desire to scan its treasures, the childless man would find
out what they most coveted, and then gratify himself
by gratifying them.
He was a whole man with a rich and generous na



PERSONAL TRAITS AND HABITS.        117
ture. He enjoyed life, and wished others to have the
same pleasure. Without degenerating into a mere
animal, he appreciated a bountiful table, and, with the
apostle, counted that " every creature of God is good,
and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and
prayer."  His hospitality was uniform, and profuse,
and cordial. Caring nothing for fashion, opposed on
principle to waste and extravagance, and attentive to
the minor duties of domestic economy, he yet carried
the largeness of his own soul into all his social arrangements. Nothing mean or petty was ever suffered to disfigure his household. It was conducted
on the scale of one who could use this world without
abusing it, and who, while duly prizing the unspeakable spiritual gifts of the Lord, could yet thankfully
receive and heartily enjoy his temporal bounties.
The personal popularity of Mr. Frelinghuysen with
many men in political life who had little or no sympathy with his religious opinions can scarcely be accounted for without supposing something in the inherent nature of the man, a sort of magnetism, such as
existed so remarkably in his great friend and compatriot, Henry Clay, which grappled admirers as with
hooks of steel, and held them by a willing but invincible bond. lIe had a chivalrous nature. He was
the soul of honor. He could not do small things- or
mean things. There was in him a strange combination of fearless courage and melting tenderness. He
was frank and open-hearted, yet always retaining his
personal dignity. He was devoid of reserve or cunning. He never sought an end through indirection.




118         LIFE OF FRELINGIHUYSEN.
And he was thoroughly trustworthy. Truth and candor beamed in his countenance, and characterized every word and act. Rigid adherence to principle was
unaccompanied by any narrowness of views, or sourness of disposition, or uncharitableness of opinions.
His catholic sympathies took in men of all sections,
and classes, and parties; and the nobleness of his
nature commanded respect and won affection even
among those who dissented most decidedly from his
political or religious convictions. It was doubtless
the rare blending of deep Christian humility and conscientiousness with a cheerful, buoyant, manly, generous, fearless deportment in all the varied phases of
life, which attracted the good will of many who otherwise would have been repelled by the strictness of
his course and character.
The prominent feature of his intellectual character
was insight. He had a quick, keen perception. His
mind moved rapidly. Naturally alert and agile, it
was disciplined to strike right at the heart -of things.
He had no relish for cloudland. He could not endure
mist and fog. His masculine understanding craved
the solid truth, and this he commonly grasped as if
by a sort of intuition. He reached his end by a much
shorter process than the repeated and painful tentatives by which most men arrive at their conclusions.
Nor was this because he looked only at the surface.
He saw clearly and he saw far. His comprehensive
glance took in all the relations of a subject at the
same time. The connections of truth, the bearings of
facts, the springs of action, the developments of character, were apprehended by him with peculiar facility




PERSONAL TRAITS AND HABITS.        119
and promptness. He was not often or easily blinded
by mere appearances, but pierced at once to the reality. His friends and students were often amazed at
the rapidity of his mental operations. He would take
a law-book down from the shelf, and, turning a few
leaves, would gain, in what appeared an incredibly
short time, an accurate comprehension of its contents.
The same was true in human character. At his first
interview with a man, he would, without betraying
the fact either by look or motion, thoroughly measure
his visitor, and form an opinion which he rarely, if
ever, found occasion to revise or alter.
This sharpness of perception was accompanied by
a very sound and accurate judgment. He was cool,
cautious, and dispassionate, not wedded to theories,
not attracted by startling novelties, not misled by any
love of paradox. He could discriminate nicely, could
weigh differences, and feel the force of objections. In
all matters, personal, social, professional, political, and
ecclesiastical, it was his habit to consider both sides
of a contested point, and then impartially adjust their
respective claims. However intense his convictions
on any subject, they never led him into extravagance
or fanaticism. He never avoided one error only to
fall into another of the opposite class. This exquisite
balance of his mind appeared alike in arguments, in
addresses, in counsel on different questions, and in the
general conduct of his life. His " large, roundabout
sense" gave to the advice often solicited from him a
force like that of inspiration. He was singularly free
from prejudice, precipitancy, and partiality, and seemed to know instinctively what to say and how to say it.




120         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
His imagination was lively and fertile, but it was
not a primary power. It was not remarkably originative, but in an uncommon degree receptive, having
a capacity of realizing the conceptions of others, and
through them bodying forth the unseen. WVhen exalted by the understanding and heated by the affections, it burst out with great force, but always as a
servant, not master. Nor did it ever exhibit traces
of any unusual or careful cultivation. In preparing
for an audience, his attention was'concentrated miinly
on the matter and order of the thoughts; all the rest
was left to the natural workings of his mind under
the spur of the occasion. Its main use to him was ill
jury-trials, when by its aid he was able to bring up
the past and the distant so as to make them live in
the present before the men whose verdict he sought
to gain. His interest in the grave themes he was accustomed to handle did not allow him to go out of
the way for mere ornament. Whatever flights of fancy would contribute to the end he had in view were
freely indulged, but nothing for purposes of display.
Although he never undertook to versify, he seems
to have had a great deal of poetic sensibility. "This,"
as one of his near friends remarks, "caused him to
feel an indescribable charm in all the scenes of rural
life. To him there was a grace in the laborer's cheerful toil, the singing of birds, the hum of the insect
world. A snow-storm gave him great pleasure; he
stood gazing upon the whitening landscape with ever
new delight."
His reading throughout life was careful and select
rather than extensive. Gibbon among historians, and




PERSONAL TRAITS AND HABITS.        121
Burke among philosophical and political writers, were
his chief favorites. The leisure he enjoyed in the
early years of his professional life was spent in familiarizing himself with the best English classics. Sir
Roger de Coverly was a character he always greatly
admired, and Dr. Johnson's Life and Works were subjects of abiding interest to his mind. Like every
other man of taste, he highly appreciated Milton and
Shakspeare, but his warmest affection was for Cowper, Montgomery, and Wordsworth. From "The Excursion" the inmates of his household often heard him
read aloud with very great sensibility and pathos.
For light literature he never had any taste. IHe could
gain sufficient relaxation from the burden of professional toils by solid reading or in the social circle,
without reducing his mental and moral stamina by a
weak, washy flood of ephemeral fiction. This taste
continued to the end. As his cares increased there
was less opportunity for miscellaneous reading, but
what time he could redeem for the purpose was carefully improved. He kept in some degree abreast of
the literature of the age, yet habitually preferred to refresh his mind with those productions upon which
time had set its unerring seal.
For devotional reading he was accustomed to resort to the Morning and Evening Exercises of Jay, the
Sacra Privata of Bishop Wilson, and particularly to
the practical works of Baxter, whose Saint's Rest he
esteemed next to the Bible. He found the habitual
perusal, from day to day, of such works greatly conducive to his spirituality and comfort. But, according to the testimony of his last pastor, the Rev. Dr.
F




122        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Wilson, of New Brunswick, his advancing years led
him to a more exclusive attachment to the WMord of
God as the means of growing in personal holiness.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's diction in oral and written productions was terse, chaste, and perspicuous. YHis style
indicated a familiarity with the older models of English, and sometimes betrayed the influence which Dr.
Johnson's sonorous periods exerted upon writers in
both hemispheres at the beginning of this century.
There was nothing elaborate in Mr. Frelinghuysen's
mode of expression, no curiosafeicitas, no attempts at
word-painting, but rather a careless ease and grace,
which seemed to seek only a transparent medium for
the thought, and postponed all other considerations to
the one object of conveying his own views and carrying conviction to the minds of his hearers.
His speeches were all remarkable for compactness
and brevity. His great effort in the Senate on the
Indian Bill, which occupied parts of three days, and
consumed about five hours altogether, was an exception which was due to the importance of the subject
and to the large mass of documentary evidence which
the nature of his argument required him to introduce.
But in general he rarely exceeded an hour. When
at the bar he studied principles rather than cases, and
shunned the risk of being smothered under the weight
of accumulated authorities. The peculiarities of his
mind enabled him to seize upon the strong points of
a case, and these he pressed home with resistless power. He scorned tricks, sharp practice, and unfair advantages, and won a cause honorably or not at all.
His main reliance was upon solid reasoning addressed




PERSONAL TRAITS AND HABITS.       123
neither to the prejudices nor the passions of his hearers, but to their judgment. Yet, like every other
speaker who has a point to gain, he employed all the
subsidiary means which Nature put into his hands to
arrest attention, to awaken interest, to conciliate favor,
to stir the fountains of laughter or of tears. It is related that once, when urging the conviction of a notorious counterfeiter, he had occasion to represent the
way in which the accused passed off the spurious
notes upon a neighbor, the statement was so comical
that the entire court and jury broke into a peal of
laughter, in which the prisoner at the bar joined as
heartily as any of the rest. Yet, on the other hand,
many years later, precisely the opposite effect was
produced in the same city. In 1837 the American
Board held its annual meeting in Newark under circumstances of deep interest. The commercial revulsion of that memorable year had greatly impaired the
receipts of the Board, and threatened to leave it embarrassed with a very heavy and unmanageable debt.
At one stage of the anxious discussions produced by
this state of things, Mr. Frelinghuysen, who was sitting among the audience in the body of the house,
suddenly arose to speak. He had been deeply moved
by some of the representations made, and he stood up
to pour out an overflowing heart. For half an hour
he held the crowded house spellbound. His speech,
wholly unpremeditated, ran on in a strain of the loftiest eloquence. The speaker was lost in his theme.
His animated appeals for the Savior's honor and the
salvation of a perishing world overwhelmed the entire
audience with a flood of sacred emotion. Old and




124        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
young were melted under the orator, so that hardly a
dry eye was to be found in the house. A similar instance is mentioned by the Rev. Dr. W. J. R. Taylor,
in a sermon preached on occasion of Mr. Frelinghuysen's death. In illustration of his "peculiar powers
of eloquent speech," the preacher says, "Thus I remember how, a few years ago, when some converted
Indians were introduced at one of the sessions of the
American Board of Foreign Missions, he welcomed
them in an impromptu address which thrilled the vast
assembly, and so paralyzed the utterance of others,
that even one of the most eminent pulpit orators of
our time, who was to follow him, only apologized, and
exclaiming,'But who can come after the king?' sat
down among the tearful multitude."
His reported speeches are not a fair expression of
his oratorical powers. His mind, strong and richly
furnished as it was, needed the spur of opposition or
provocation to bring out its full capacity. It is true
that, when he spoke on set occasions, after preparation
in the calmness of the closet, what Le said was always
appropriate, judicious, and instructive; but these productions bore no comparison to the utterances of the
same man when upon his feet before a popular assembly, with his whole soul aroused and a vehement inward impulse urging him to speak. Then he seemed
to rise with the magnitude of the subject or the occasion. Thoughts marshaled themselves in the order
of a natural logic, and words tripped like nimble servitors at a master's bidding. At such times he was
every inch an orator. His whole frame was moved.
IHis voice responded accurately to every phase of his




PERSONAL TRAITS AND HABITS.       125
feelings. He was vehement, yet not overstrained;
earnest, yet by no means frantic. In the very whirl
of excitement he was master of himself, and therefore
of his audience, whom he electrified and carried away
as if with a magician's spell.
He usually began to speak in a slow, simple style,
gradually warming as he proceeded. He never was
at a loss for words, but went on with increasing fluency to the end. He was animated and impassioned,
and at times overwhelming. His eloquence was of
that kind to which no report ever does or can do justice. The kindling eye, the heaving form, the expressive tones, the impetuous emotion, can not be transferred to paper. The outward man responded in every muscle and fibre to the inward passion. The
earnestness of the speaker, and his intense conviction
of the truth and importance of what he was saying,
took full hold of his audience, and made an impression
which long outlasted the occasion. Men often admired and praised the speaker, but still oftener they
forgot him and thought only of what they were to do.
In speaking before benevolent and religious institutions, the effect produced depended almost entirely
upon the frame of mind in which he happened to be
at the time. If called upon at the first, or in an ordinary state of mind, he never came up to his reputation. But if suddenly stirred by some perilous crisis,
or roused by the energy of some preceding speaker,
he seemed to break loose from all fetters, and soar at
once into the region of natural and vehement eloquence. His soul took fire. His logic was red-hot.
His appeals were irresistible. Before the audience




126         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
were aware, they found themselves borne away at a
master's will, and every thought and feeling absorbed
in the rushing flow of the orator's voice.
"And when the stream
Which overflowed the soul was passed away,
A consciousness remained that it had left
Deposited upon the silent shore
Of memory, images and precious thoughts
That shall not die and can not be destroyed."
The following interesting reminiscence of Mr. Frelinghuysen's ability as a persuasive speaker has been
kindly furnished to the author by the Rev. Dr. Magie,
of Elizabeth, N. J.:
" You ask me to give you a little incident which I
mentioned at our recent Sabbath-school Convention
of a man whom I never think of but with respect and
love. Christians owe it to themselves, as well as to
the cause of Christ, not to forget the late Theodore
Frelinghuysen.  To whom can parents better recommend their children as an example of all that is bright
and beautiful in character; and of whom  can the
Church speak to her members better suited to encourage high aims and efforts in her service? I hope you
will be enabled to embalm his memory, and render it
fragrant for ages to come.
"The incident, with its associations, was this: A
good brother had just pronounced a brief and touching eulogy upon that incomparable man, in connection
with Sabbath-schools, and telling us that when chosen
to the office of superintendent of a school in the Church
to which he belonged, he prevented all apology for
putting so much additional work upon hands already
full by declaring that he regarded the post as, on some
accounts, more honorable than that of senator of the
United States.  My heart was moved, as was every
other heart present, and, in a moment, a crowd of ten



PERSONAL TRAITS AND fHABITS.      127
der recollections came pouring in upon me. No other person present had enjoyed the privilege of an acquaintance with him for so many years, and I confess
to some rising of desire, just then and there, to appear
in connection with a name so esteemed and illustrious.
"Mr. Frelinghuysen was in attendance as an elder
of the Second Church of Newark upon the sessions of
the Synod of New Jersey, held in my lecture-room.
A minute was under consideration recommending the
cause of African Colonization to the confidence of our
churches, but it was opposed by an aged and venerable minister present on the ground that this was no
cure for the evils of slavery, and, indeed, was adapted
in his opinion to rivet the chains of the poor blacks
still more firmly. The speech was able, and was listened to by many with feelings of deep regret. At
its close all eyes were turned to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
His eloquence as a speaker, the influence he was rapidly gaining in the community as a man of enlightened and generous philanthropy, and especially the
deep interest he had begun to manifest in the welfare
of the poor blacks, all pointed to him as the person
who must put things right before the Synod. In a
few minutes he rose with a face shining like the face
of an angel, and for twenty minutes he held us all
completely entranced.
" The tones of his voice seem still to ring in my ears
as he pleaded for doing what we could, even if we
could not do every thing. Referring to the preaching
of John the Baptist, when first the people generally, then the publicans, and last the soldiers, crowded
around him, saying,' What shall we do?' he repeated
the words of the bold man in tones that awakened the
response of gushing tears. I need not say that the
resolution was adopted with but a single dissenting
voice.
"This scene, let me add, brought to me and to several members of the Synod another rich treat. Dr.




128        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Archibald Alexander was staying at my house, and
never shall I forget his manner as, laying off his coat,
he entered the parlor, exclaiming,' This is wonderful;
I have long esteemed Mr. Frelinghuysen, and considered him a most excellent man, but never till this afternoon was I aware of his power. I have been reminded of some of the very best efforts of Patrick Henry.'
The good old man then went on to give us some delightful reminiscences of that prodigy of ready eloquence as witnessed by himself.
"'But I must not go farther. The mention of the
name of Theodore Frelinghuysen touched a chord in
my heart which must vibrate so long as it is in me to
revere unsullied purity of character, venerate exalted
station, and love mild and childlike Christian piety.
Heaven seems to me more attractive for the hope that
I shall meet the beloved man there."




ORIGIN OF HIS PIETY.              129
CHAPTER VIII.
ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.
Early Impressions.-Conversion at Newark. —Influence of his Brother's Death.-Eminence of his Piety.-Its Elements: 1. Simplicity
of Faith; 2. IIumility; 3. Devotional Habits; 4. Geniality. 5. Tendernesss of Conscience; 6. Completeness; 7, The Fruit of Culture.
-Letter from Dr. Woodbridge.
MR. FRELINGHUYSEN was born within the pale of
the Christian Church, and in infancy received the baptismal seal of his birthright. He was carefully trained
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and while
yet young manifested the same tenderness of conscience which characterized a11 his mature years. His
deepest religious impressions were traced by himself
to the influence of his pious grandmother, the Jufvrouw  lardenbergt, who took particular pains to
lead him to the Savior. Deservedly eminent for her
piety, she was far from being austere, but, on the contrary, gracious and winning. Her heart was set on
seeing the ministry recruited from her own family,
and, though disappointed in this respect in the career
of her oldest son, she renewed her desire in the case
of his children.  Theodore, in his advanced years,
gratefully acknowledged his indebtedness to her pious
counsels, which, although they did not attain their
end at once, yet sank deep into his memory and heart,
and laid the foundation for the solid and symmetrical Christian character which he afterward exhibited.
F2




130        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
There is no reason to suppose that his religious
views and sensibilities suffered any deterioration while
at school in Basking Ridge. Dr. Finley was remarkable for the attention which he paid to the spiritual
culture of his pupils. The Rev. Dr. Studdiford, of
Lambertville, N. J., speaks very warmly of his holy
earnestness in this work, and of his success in bringing truth forcibly home to the minds of youth. And
Mr. Frelinghuysen's younger brother, Frederick, who
was also one of Dr. Finley's scholars, bore witness on
his dying bed to the fidelity of "that good man,"
through whose instrumentality "the Lord began to
be gracious to his soul, and to sow the good seed in
his young and tender heart." Still, no such change
appears to have been wrought as yet upon the mind
of Theodore. He was correct, moral, conscientious,
and studiously observant of the outward duties of religion, but nothing more; nor did he reach the final
decision until he came to reside in Newark.
Here he became interested in'the founding of the
Second Presbyterian Church, and was elected a member of its first Board of Trustees in January, 1811.
He was received into the fiill communion of the
Church in September, 1817, under the pastoral care
of the Rev. Dr. Griffin, of whose ministrations he was
always accustomed to speak in terms of the highest
respect and gratitude. Not many months before his
death, when writing to the Rev. Dr. Few Smith, in acknowledgment of his discourse on the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Church, he used this expression
in reference to his coming to Christ: " I feel a strong
interest in that dear sanctuary where my own hopes




ORIGIN OF HIS PIETY.           131
of salvation first trembled into experience." This
"sweet and characteristic" expression well describes
the prevailing type of his religious experience. The
lacw-work, as the old-fashioned divines express it, was
wrought upon his soul with great power. He had a
deep sense of the evil of sin, of the justice of God, of
the deceitfulness of the heart, of the perils of temptation; and he habitually trembled under the fear of
offending his gracious Savior.
A few years after his connection with the Second
Church, his seriousness and spirituality were greatly
increased by the dealings of the Lord with his brother
Frederick, who, after five weeks of illness, was removed by death in November, 1820. This brother
had been, while yet young, brought very nigh to the
kingdom, but afterward strayed into forbidden paths,
so much so as to be even infected with deistical sentiments. He was, however, graciously restored, and,
but a few months before his death, delivered an eloquent address before the Somerset County Bible Society. At the last communion season of the Church in
Millstone, N. J., which he attended, he was greatly inclined to join himself to the number of God's professed people, but, through fear of unfitness, and dread of
subsequently becoming a reproach to the cause, determined to postpone the matter. When overtaken by
disease he saw his error, confessed his sin, and sought
earnestly, as a new sacramental season was approaching, to be examined and received by the officers of
the Church. His request was granted, and in his sickroom he made a noble confession of Christ. Henceforward he spent his whole time in prayer and praise,




132         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
in sweet expressions of submission to the Divine will,
in earnest entreaties to his impenitent friends and
neighbors to seek the salvation of their souls, and in
pious communion with the Christian friends around
his bedside. The printed narrative of his exercises
states that on one occasion, " his second brother [Theodore] went to him and said,'Frederick, the Savior
must appear very precious to you now.' He raised
his hands, his countenance beaming with inexpressible joy and serenity, and said,'Oh, Theodore, Theodore, I have not language to describe it. The enjoyment of this hour is greater than that of my whole
life."' At other times, when urged to desist from
speaking, (nd seek, if possible, to get some sleep, he
answered, " Why? I am much happier than if I were
asleep, and what I say may do good hereafter."
The whole scene is described by those who witnessed it, some of whom, after the lapse of forty years,
still retain a vivid recollection of it, as most affecting.
The impression it made upon Theodore was decided
and indelible. It was so pervading as to render him,
in the judgment of his friends, almost another man.
He seemed to ascend at once to a higher plane of the
Christian life, to make a new and entire consecration
of himself to the Savior, and to walk henceforth as in
the continual presence of things unseen and eternal.
Nor was this a short-lived impulse. It ended only
with his life. There have been few believers in any
age whose course and character have been marked by
so little that is fitful and evanescent. His course was
literally like the shining light, which shineth more and
more unto the perfect day. There was no obvious




ORIGIN OF HIS PIETY.            133
abatement or pause in his steady walk with God.
While in the world he was not of it, but overcame it,
often in circumstances sufficiently difficult and perplexing. His religion was not a thing of time and
place, an appendage, a separable part of the man. It
was the man himself. It pervaded his whole character, shaped his course, entered into the very elements
of his being, and made him what he was. Like Joseph of Arimathea, he was an honorable counselor,
but, like him also, he was a good man and a just.
His piety did not derive its eminence simply from
the force of contrast, from the fact that it is so rare to
find any spiritual Christianity at all among those who
are embarked upon the troubled sea of politics. On
the contrary, it was great absolutely as well as relatively. Had he been confined to private life, wholly
unknown beyond a narrow circle, still within that
circle he would have been a Christian of mark, eminent for spirituality, self-denial, heavenly-mindedness,
consistency, purity, and usefulness. There was such
a completeness in his character, such a harmony between the inward and the outward, such an attention
to the greater duties without the neglect of the lesser,
such an evident candor and sincerity, such an earnestness and meekness of spirit, that all who knew him
even slightly, much more those who enjoyed his familiar intercourse, felt that he was a man after God's
own heart.
1. In considering the characteristic elements of his
piety, those who knew him well were most struck by
the great simplicity of his faith. While he was well
grounded in the abstruser doctrines of the Christian




134        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
system and thoroughly versed in its evidences, he had
a spiritual perception of the truth as it is in Jesus.
He saw his own wants, and the admirable provision
made for them in the Savior's finished work. He
was willing to count all things but loss for the excellent knowledge of Christ, because his own experience
taught him its inexpressible value. He rested, therefore, upon the revelations and promises of the written
Word with a confiding, childlike faith, the very simplicity of which made it invincible to all the assaults
of skepticism or worldliness. It was not necessary for
him to be able logically to refute any of the various
charges which human or diabolic subtlety has brought
against the Gospel. He had the witness in himself,
and therefore stood unmoved amid all the clamor of
skeptics and scoffers.  His natural intelligence inclined him at times to investigate the more recondite
parts of theology, and in mature years he refreshed
his early classical studies for the sake of studying the
New Testament in the original, yet the prevailing
type of his religious thoughts and meditations was of
a simpler cast.
This view of his faith is pleasantly confirmed by
the following statement in his own words, for which
I am indebted to my friend and colleague, the Rev. J.
T. Duryea, who was present on the occasion referred
to:
"President Frelinghuysen was addressing a little
company of the friends of Sabbath-schools in New
Brunswick, and encouraging them to hope for the early conversion of children, because of the simplicity of
the way of life, and its adaptedness to the comprehension of the most youthful minds.




CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.         135
"Hie said,'After all, we must, however wise or
great in our own estimation or in the estimation of
others, become as little children in order to enter the
kingdom of heaven. The simple facts of the Gospel
are the foundation of our hope. This is my experience. I have tried to study the mysteries of our religion. I have read the great apostle's writings, and
meditated upon them with much satisfaction, and have
endeavored to trace his arguments and fathom his
meaning. But when I think of myself, a sinner before God-when I look forward to death, and the
judgment, and eternity, I forget these deep things of
God; faith clings to one precious truth, and hope adds
to it another, and they are these: Jesus Christ loved
me and died for me, and I feel in my poor sinful heart
a responsive throb of love to him.'"
2. Hzumilily was another eminently characteristic
feature of Mr. Frelinghuysen's character. His lowliness was profound and unaffected. It sprang from
the deep sense which he had, on the one hand, of the
Divine holiness, and, on the other, of human depravity.
Measuring himself by the lofty standard of the Scriptures, he continually saw enough of defect, even in his
best services and holiest exercises, to keep him in a
low place before God. Hence the permanency of this
trait. He grew in grace, in knowledge, in wisdom, in
usefulness, and could scarcely fail to have some consciousness of the fact; but at the same time he grew
in his perception of the strictness and spirituality of
the Divine law, and thus there was always maintained
the same relative distance between his attainments
and the mark at which he aimed.
This humility was rendered more remarkable by
the circumstances which surrounded him. He had to




136         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
contend not only with the ordinary temptations to
pride arising from his birth, connections, professional
success, and personal popularity, but also with the
keener and more insidious allurements suggested by
the general recognition of his position as a prominent
Christian leader. This recognition came before him
in various ways, in his presence on the platform, by
letter, in the public prints, and by the action of corporate bodies, as well as in ordinary social intercourse.
When expressed in gross and obvious forms, it gave
him great displeasure and encountered severe rebuke.
Once, in Newark, a lady who belonged to the Church
he served as elder said to him, " I went to the prayermeeting this morning to meet you and hear you pray,
and you were not there!"  With mournful severity
he replied, "Vas not God there? I thought you went
to meet Himi'."  Frequently, at public meetings, his
countenance has testified the great pain he felt in being obliged to sit and listen to personal adulation.
On one of these occasions, the offensive speaker, after
the exercises were ended, called at Mr. Frelinghuysen's house, and immediately received a severe reproof, in which the good man declared, with godly
sorrow and deep humility, that such utterances desecrated God's house and service, and were very abhorrent to all his feelings. The unanimous testimony of
all who were in occasional or habitual intercourse
with him is that they never saw any appearance of
elation in his deportment or conversation. Whether
he had such feelings only the Searcher of hearts can
say, but that he never manifested them is very certain.
Growing honors seemed only to drive him back closer




CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.          137
to the mercy-seat. The praise of men only made him
more sensible how little he deserved the praise of
God. And so it continued through life. As the full
head of ripened grain bends lower than the immature
or empty stalk, so le, in the maturity of his years and
fame, bowed only the more humbly in his Maker's
presence. To the last he received the kingdom of
God "as a little child."  He had nothing, he was
-nothing, but Christ was all and in all.
This trait was so marked in him that it attracted
the attention and admiration even of worldly men.
It is said that the celebrated John Randolph, of Roanoke, once speaking in his sarcastic way of certain
pretenders to righteousness, suddenly turned to Mr.
Frelinghuysen, and pointing toward him, said, "This
man does not boast of religion, but he has it, he has
it."
Perhaps there never lived a more unassuming man.
He never struggled for pre-eminence any where or in
any relation. The civil honors or offices bestowed
upon him were in all cases unsolicited, even where
they were such as might be justly esteemed the worthy aims of an honorable ambition. The same remark is true in reference to academic, social, or religious distinctions. AI came to him without the least
hint or suggestion on his part. HEe had successfully
schooled himself to obey the apostolic injunctions,
"In honor preferring one another;" "Let each esteem
other better than himself." Habitually he deferred
to others, not through weakness, cowardice, or a desire to escape responsibility, but from a desire in this
way to illustrate and adorn the doctrine of Christ.




138         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Some have deemed that he pushed this rare and amiable trait to an excess, so that it became a weakness.
Yet this may well be doubted. WVhen circumstances
required, Mr. Frelinghuysen stood firm as a rock in
support of a principle or a duty, but in all cases where
only personal considerations were concerned he regarded the rule, "Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification," and imitated, as far as
mortal man could, the example of Hirn of whom it is
written, " For even Christ pleased not himself." It is
hard for those who knew his dignity, independence,
firmness, and courage, to conceive how his close following of his Divine Master in this most difficult and
characteristic grace could degenerate into an infirmity, or be confounded with the timidity which surrenders honest convictions out of an unbecoming deference to the opinion or will of others.
3. Mr. Frelinghuysen's faith and humility were nurtured by his life-long habits of devotion. IHe was
by eminence a man of prayer. It was his "native
breath." He not only felt it as a necessity, but rejoiced in it as a privilege. In the busiest period of
his life, when worldly cares pressed hardest upon him,
it was his custom to imitate the Psalmist, who said,
"Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray."
His profession and his practice corresponded here as
beautifully as they did in other matters. At an early period of his Christian course he formed the habit of devoting a quarter of an hour in the middle of
the day to prayer. And this he never relinquished.
Sometimes circumstances prevented him from retiring
to his closet at the exact time, but the service was not




CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.          139
therefore omitted. The earliest subsequent leisure he
could command, even if it did not occur before nightfall, was carefully appropriated to the purpose. And
it is believed that this devotional service was not intermitted even once in the course of more than forty
years. It may be added here that his custom was, in
his private devotions, to pray aloud, because, as he
said, he found it the best way to prevent wandering
thoughts. Robert Hall, who had the same habit of
oral, audible private prayer, pursued it from the conviction "that silent prayer was apt to degenerate into
meditation, while, from our compound nature, a man
can not but be affected by the sound of his own voice
when adequately expressing what is really felt." Nor
was he a stranger to the custom of observing extraordinary and protracted seasons of prayer, accompanied
with abstinence from food. The notion which obtains
so extensively in our day that fasting, when enjoined
by the Scriptures, is to be understood figuratively, and
does not involve the omission of a single meal, did
not commend itself to his old-fashioned piety. Although no ascetic, and no believer in the propriety of
bodily mortification for its own sake, he yet cherished occasional fasting as an appropriate expression of
a penitential spirit, and an admirable help in the cultivation of a devotional frame of mind. It need hardly be added that this was always done, so far as possible, in such a way that he would "not seem unto men
to fast."
His prayerfulness was intimately connected with
the study of the Word of God. This study was conducted, not as a philological exercise, nor to solve the



140         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ological problems, nor to refresh his taste with the
highest models of literary excellence, but as a means
of his own growth in grace. One who was for many
years a member of his household writes to the author
as follows: "From every thing he turned with new
interest to the Bible. I never knew so constant a student of it-not as a duty, but from real pleasure. So
that I often said to him,'Uncle, you must know it
by heart.''Oh no,' he would say,'I see new beauties every time I open it.' He was in the habit, as
long as I can remember, of taking, after dinner, his
Bible and a little manual of prayer, and spending half
an hour or more in reading. So a little text-book
of Scripture was laid near his best razor, and I don't
believe he would have considered the shaving properly done without the morning's text to meditate upon."
Another intimate acquaintance says, " He studied the
Scripture with ever new delight. Its style, he used
to say, was the perfection of beauty and simplicity.
It was no unusual thing to see him reading the Word
throughout a long winter evening, never taking up
aany other book, although many were lying beside him
on the table."
It was this habit of constant devotional study of the
Scripture which caused his uniform spiritually-mindedness. There were seasons when his nervous temperament, or the irritability caused by bodily disease,
led him to speak with what afterward seemed to be
undue harshness; but this never occurred without
giving him infinite grief in the retrospect, and sending him anew, with strong crying and tears, to the
mercy-seat. In every emergency of every kind, as




CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.          141
well as on set occasions from day to day, he resorted
to the Bible and prayer. In the one God spoke to
him, in the other he spoke to God; and this unbroken
communion with the Most High lay at the foundation
of his extremely thorough Christian character. It
continually refreshed him when worn and wearied by
professional toil. It kept him from being absorbed in
temporal duties and interests. It enabled him to carry a heavenly temper into all the scenes and associations of daily life. This was very apparent in his
treatment of such as trespassed on his rights or feelings. He rarely manifested displeasure, although his
sensibility was keen; and when he did, was always
ready and eager to accept any explanation and extend
the most cordial forgiveness. A friend once said to
him, "I have forgiven the offense, but can't forget it."
His answer was, "That kind of forgiveness will not
bear the light of heaven. You are deceiving yourself." He once received a letter, written under a mistaken sense of duty, the contents of which wounded
him deeply. After his death that letter was found
among his papers, bearing this endorsement in his own
handwriting: "And be ye kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for
Christ's sake, hath forgiven you."
4. Yet his piety was of a decidedly genial cast.
With all its strictness and spirituality, it never degenerated into sanctimoniousness or gloom. Naturally
of a buoyant temperament, with a large capacity for
mirth and innocent enjoyment, these qualities were
enhanced and refined by the grace which was in him.
He had his trials indeed, and there was one source of




142        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
anxious thought, to which I shall advert in a subsequent chapter, which he carried with him through
life; but these were borne with patience and meekness of wisdom; nor did they hinder him from being,
in the main, a serene, happy Christian. Sometimes
ill health and other similar causes depressed his spirits, but, in general, the habit of his mind was a playful gayety, which, so far from being extinguished,
was rather heightened and purified by his religious
faith and hope. There was nothing sour or morose
about him. He delighted in the play of the social
and domestic affections. He enjoyed the society of
kindred and friends. Having himself a vein of humor and a keen sense of the ludicrous, he greatly relished those qualities in others, and his contagious
laugh quickly responded to any amusing tale. And
this is one cause why the young always found him
such an agreeable companion. But while thus cheerful, it was always in reason and moderation. The
proprieties of time and place were sedulously regarded, and even amid sallies of mirth and sparkling jests
there was an under tone of seriousness such as becometh saints.
Htis faith concurred with his constitutional peculiarities to maintain this pleasant, attractive type of
character. He was accustomed to seek for and observe the hand of Providence in all the events of life,
and therefore found a double charm in every temporal blessing, while he had a sure resource in the time
of trial or disaster. Besides, he had in his own soul
the peace which passeth understanding. He enjoyed
the service of God. The Divine thoughts were pre



CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.          143
cious to him. His meditations on sacred themes were
often very, very sweet. And so the joy of the Lord
was the strength of his soul. Men found in him an
unbending integrity which commanded respect, but
also a refined humanity which won their affection.
His life showed that the most inflexible adherence to
the rule of right did not require the abridgment of a
single rational pleasure.
5. Tenderness of conscience was another eminently
characteristic feature of his piety. He carried his
Christian principles into every walk of life. He regarded all things from a religious point of view, and
conscience maintained a supreme and unchallenged
dominion over his entire course. His one great desire
in things small and great, public or private, was to do
what was right. Few men have ever lived who so
carefully and constantly canvassed the correctness of
their deportment in every minute particular. Nor
did this degenerate into scrupulosity, a morbid sensitiveness which makes offenses where none really exist, and poisons peace without promoting holiness.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's piety was too intelligent and
healthy to waste its energies on chimeras. Yet it was
studiously careful in respect to real difficulties. He
was not content with first impressions or hasty conclusions, but, as if well aware of the unequaled deceitfulness of the heart, subjected acts and motives to
the most rigid ordeal, so as to preserve a conscience
void of offense toward God and toward man. He was
in the fear of the Lord all the day long, and lived "as
ever in his great Taskmaster's eye."
The consequence was an unparalleled rectitude of




144         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
life, such a degree of blameless integrity as excited
the amazement and admiration of all who knew him.
An instance or two may be mentioned as illustrations.
He was very fond of game, which was regularly supplied to him by an old colored man named York; but
when York sent any at the time when the law of the
land forbade them to be killed, no persuasion could
prevail upon him to eat them. Even during his last
sickness, when his appetite was delicate and capricious,
and it was almost impossible to obtain any food which
he could take, his reverence for law prevailed, and the
quails which had been provided were sent away untouched. These were little things, but they were such
trifles as indicate character. Mr. Frelinghuysen's unbending rule of right recognized no distinction of
great and small in moral questions.
6. Another feature of his piety was its completeness.
It was in no respect fragmentary, or fitful, or onesided, but full-orbed —a complete, rounded whole. In
the case of most believers, it is certain features of their
character, or particular portions of their lives upon
which the thoughts of their friends love to linger, and
from which incitements to Christian excellence may
draw an animating example. But it was not so with
Theodore Frelinghuysen.  His whole course, from
first to last, was of one texture. Fervid as his piety
was, it never ran into enthusiastic extravagance. Active as he was in any one form of Christian duty or
beneficence, he nevier forgot that there were others.
No one trait in his character stands out so prominently as to dwarf all the rest in comparison, but the entire sisterhood of Christian graces seemed to grow to



CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.           145
gether, mutually supporting each other, and constituting, in their combined effect, the exquisite symmetry and fullness of the perfect man in Christ Jesus.
More than thirty years ago, that shrewd observer of
men and manners, the Rev. Dr. James W. Alexander,
wrote from Trenton, N. J., to a friend, " Mr. Frelinghuysen is here at this time, full of the subject of Temperance. He is a singular instance of a mall zealously devoted to every good enterprise, without the slightest eccentricity."
There were, of course, defects in his walk, infirmities which cost him many a tear; but, despite these,
there was that in him which brings up vividly to
mind Mr. Clay's descriptive epithet that he was " selfpoised." Hie passed through seasons of religious awakening when whole communities were bowed by the
presence of the Spirit, and he himself was deeply
moved; he engaged in schemes of social and personal
amelioration very absorbing to a humane or Christian
mind; he was closely allied with organizations literary, charitable, and religious, which are prone to engross all the thoughts of their agents and advocates;
but he never appeared to swing from his moorings, or
lose the admirable balance of his character. Every
where, and at all times, he was an humble, earnest
Christian, sweetly blending contemplation and action,
full of love to God and love to man, abounding in the
graces which are distinctively evangelical, yet without
rant or cant, without turbulence or rashness, filling the
position the Lord had assigned him without encroaching on others, happy when success crowned his efforts,
yet never bitter or impatient because of delay or failure.
G




146        LIFE OF FRELINGIIUYSEN.
His piety was not absolutely complete, but it made
as near an approach to that excellence as the present
generation has seen.
7. Many who saw Mr. Frelinghuysen's Christian excellence only at a distance, or knew it only by report,
have supposed that he made an exceptional case to
the ordinary lot of believers; that he had some special facilities, some happy peculiarities of constitution,
which rendered holy living easy and natural to him.
This is far from being the case. His piety was the
fruit of assiduous culture. He had difficulties to contend with both within and without. Although naturally of an amiable disposition, and from early youth
possessed of an active and sensitive conscience, yet he
had native infirmities of temper and temperament
which it required a constant struggle to subdue. His
own experience gave him insight into the inward contest between flesh and spirit, sense and faith, so often
alluded to in the apostolic epistles. He needed to
watch, and fight, and pray as much as the weakest or
obscurest believer in the land. IIe used the various
means of grace, private, social, and public, with eagerness and constancy, as one to whom they were not
only attractive, but necessary.  The care with which
he sought to benefit by the preaching of the Word is
shown by the fact that he uniformly, on returning
home from public worship, retired to his room to pray
for a blessing upon the service. He studied his own
heart, he learned by experience, he guarded against
temptation, he gave all diligence to make his calling
and election sure. He was, in the old sense of the
term, a painful Christian; that is, one who took pains




CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.          147
to reach and preserve a high standard of character.
His exquisite consistency, and purity, and maturity
were not the result of some happy accident or of
some semi-miraculous endowment, but the natural
outgrowth of seed planted, watered, and ripened under the blessing of the Good Spirit. No help toward
a close walk with God was so small that he did not
diligently use it; no temptation or infirmity was so
trifling that he did not deplore and fight against it.
If there be a royal road to eminent holiness, assuredly he did not walk in it; on the contrary, his route
was through the strait gate and on the narrow way,
with many a cross and many a conflict. It would be
sad were the lustre of his course and character to
blind any to the incessant vigilance and effort by
which, with the Divine favor, he obtained such good
report among the people of God.
The reader will observe a remarkable confirmation
of many of the foregoing statements in the following
letter from the Rev. Dr. Woodbridge, professor in the
Theological Seminary of the Reformed Dutch Church,
written at the author's request:
" New Brunswick, September 3, 1862.
"DEAR BROTHER,-For nine years immediately
preceding the death of Mr. Frelinghuysen I was
brought into near relations with him, chiefly as his
pastor, and during all this time I had increasing conviction that there was in him, to a remarkable degree,
the elements which constitute greatness in the kingdom of God.
"The feature of his character which first struck a
stranger aware of his position and national reputation
was his extreme simplicity. He illustrated more ful



148        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ly than any man I ever knew the language of Christ,
that he who would receive the kingdom of God must
become'as a little child.' His prayers, his addresses,
his intercourse with Christians, all partook of this
childlike spirit. It was not assumed, but seemed perfectly natural, an essential part of his character. Nor
did it give to him any appearance of weakness. The
language he uttered might be pure and simple, but
the thoughts were the great revelations of the Gospel
of God. He seemed to be entirely unconscious of
possessing any remarkable degree of grace; upon the
contrary, he constantly manifested a profound humility. He appeared to be deeply sensible of the plague
of his own heart-so sensible of it that not unfrequently, while the light that was in him was shining
forth so that all saw it, and many were rejoicing in
his pious words and generous acts, he was doubting
whether the enlightening influence of the Spirit of
grace had ever entered his heart. His clear and habitual views of the greatness and holiness of God
seemed to repress and banish self-confidence and spiritual pride. He shrank from adulation; he was afraid
of self-righteousness as a foe to his peace and to God;
and even in his last sickness, when one recalled to his
memory the useful life he had lived, he begged all
present to remember that he was the chief of sinners.
Not one ray would he detract, even in thought, from
the glory of God's grace.
" One could not be with him long without discovering how strong was hisfaith. The time for reasoning
and doubt had long since passed away. Christianity
was not put on, but was interwoven, as it were, with
all the faculties of his mind and heart —with his very
being; it spoke out spontaneously in his language;
the idea of the kingdom of God entered wholly into
all his conceptions and plans of life. I often felt,
when with him, how utterly impossible it would be
for any power on earth to shake his faith in the Word




CHARACTER OF HIS PIETY.         149
of God; he'seemed to be a pillar' in the house of
the Lord; his heart was fixed; he might have conflicts, but he could no more fall away from the Gospel of Christ than from any other essential condition
of human existence. This impression arose, I think,
from the spontaneousness with which he uttered the
language of the Christian.
"I have more than once admitted the exceeding
clearness of his views of truth. To many of the modern works of error he had evidently given no special
reading, but it was in vain that any errorist attempted
to deceive him. As if by a kind of Christian instinct,
his soul refused to receive any thing but the pure
milk or the strong meat of the Lord. He did not love
controversy, but he detected in a moment what was
contrary to sound doctrine, and without censoriousness, with a few simple words, usually drawn from
Scripture, he set aside the fallacy.
" That a beautifully consistent life should flow from
such a faith was a necessity. Of his constant study
of the Scripture in his home, and his long communings
with God, there are friends enough to testify. In
public he was where duty called him, among the first
at the weekly prayer-meeting and lecture, frequently
speaking words of kindly Christian warning to such
as had no hope, not only to the students in the college, but to the thoughtless in the street, and irrespective of their condition in society; and where the honor
of Christ was concerned, I verily believe, never fearing the face of man; ever ready to relieve the distressed, to comfort the mourner, to advise the doubting. He was a true man, in every respect true, in
word never exaggerating; in action, in all his life,
conscientious to a degree that often occasioned remark.
Hie was kind and gentle, one who attracted to confidence, and to whom you would go in the day of
trouble. I have many a time thought that, were a
skeptic to ask for the living testimony of the power




150         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
of the Gospel on the heart and life of man to make
him true, and honest, and lovely, and of good report,
I would point him to Theodore Frelinghuysen, and
ask an explanation of such a life and death. His
path was that of the just, shining more and more unto
the perfect day.
"Yours in the Gospel,    S. M. WOODBRIDGE."




HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.             151
CHAPTER IX.
HIIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.
At Home-at the Bar-in WVashington-in Churchl Roelations —Sunday-school.-Charity.-Catholicity of Feeling.
THE piety, the origin and leading features of which
have just been described, manifested itself in every
appropriate way in Mr. Frelinghuysen's life. It controlled his entire conduct at home and abroad, in private and in public. Gentle, and courteous, and conciliating, he yet never shrank from carrying out his
principles to the very letter. lWhatever it might cost,
he stood immovably for the right, not only as a man
of integrity and honor, but as a disciple of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
IIe was careful, in accordance,with the apostolic
precept, " to show piety at home."  Having no children, he adopted a nephew and niece of his own, also
a nephew of Mrs. Frelinghuysen, who continued with
him until they were settled in life. Besides these, he
took a paternal interest in the numerous children of
his brothers and sisters and those of his wife, all of
whom were cordially welcomed to his house, and received his best aid and counsel in their temporal and
their spiritual interests. Although always free from
nepotism  in any official trust, he never forgot the
claims of kindred, but held his heart and hand open
to them as a sacred duty.




152         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
He was " given to hospitality," and being a generous liver, as far from asceticism as he was from riotous
prodigality, he delighted to gather congenial associates around his table. The company was always a
cheerful one. The refined courtesy, buoyant spirits,
and genial tact of the host and hostess, put all at their
ease, and made old and young equal participants in
the enjoyment of the occasion. Yet, with all this, the
household was a Christian one. Not only did the fire
never go out on the domestic altar, but there was a
pervading sense of holy things which filled the house
like an atmosphere, and shed its mellowing influence
on even the commonest relations and duties. Here
the character of the man came out in a thousand incidental ways, indicating his largeness of heart, his sensibility, his appreciation of social excellence, his careful consideration for others, his benevolence in little
things, his thankful enjoyment of God's temporal goodness, and his supreme regard for the Divine will in all
things. His domestic life was a picture of piety without austerity, of purity without affectation. The voice
of rejoicing and salvation was heard in his tabernacle.
His own innocent hilarity was contagious. The peace
of a good conscience, and the love of man springing
from the love of God, opened and expanded every
fountain of natural affection, and sweetly developed
the ordinary contrasts of age, sex, and character. It
is said that the skeptic who once passed a week in the
home of the eminent and pious London physician, Dr.
Hope, was converted by the beautiful exhibition of
cheerful godliness which he there witnessed. A similar result might easily have been produced by a visit




HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.            153
to the domestic circle of Mr. Frelinghuysen. His piety was peculiarly deep and spiritual, but it was in no
degree sour or ungracious. So far from interfering
with mirth or social enjoyment, it promoted both, and
made him a companion as agreeable as he was edifying to persons of all ages and classes.
His hospitality had its foundation not only in social
feeling, but in Christian principle, the Scripture inculcations of the duty being very familiar to his mind and
his lips. Agents for benevolent institutions, Christian
laymen, traveling ministers of any denomination, always found a welcome at his house. Sometimes the
influx of visitors was so great and unexpected that it
required no little ingenuity to meet the demand, but
in some way it always was met. The sorrowful and
necessitous so often found a temporary asylum in his
family, that a lady once said, "Why, Mr. Frelinghuysen is making his house a house of refuge." "Such,"
he replied, "I would have it to be." This was his habitual feeling, although at the very time he was under
the pressure of heavy professional duties and responsibilities, and had but little leisure to enjoy the society
of his household. If the thought ever arose in his
mind that the demands upon his hospitality were rapidly enlarging, or encroaching upon his domestic comnfort, he instantly put it down with the remark which
he was often heard to make, "I may be entertaining
angels unawares."
The bar is not usually considered favorable to the
culture of the Christian graces. Indeed, a high legal
authority has said, "There is no profession in which
so many temptations beset the path to swerve from
G2




154         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
the line of strict integrity in which so many delicate
and difficult questions are continually arising. There
are pitfalls and mantraps at every step; and the mere
youth, at the outset of his career, needs often the prudence and self-denial, as well as the moral courage,
which belong commonly to riper years.  High moral principle is his only safe guide-the only torch
to light his way amid darkness and obstruction."s*
Popular opinion, indeed, goes farther than this, and
multitudes seem to be persuaded not only that the legal profession offers great difficulties in the way of a
pure morality, but that these difficulties are rarely, if
ever, surmounted. Without assenting to this extravagant view, it may yet be said that it requires a constant struggle, amid all the excitements and perplexities of a large practice; to maintain an unsullied
Christian character. And Mr. Frelinghuysen felt this.
When appointed attorney general, he remarked, as one
of the felicities of the position, that it relieved him
from the constant pressure of a client at his elbow
urging him to go farther than his own sense of right
would warrant. Still, difficult as it was to maintain a
conscience void of offense, he seems habitually to have
succeeded in the effort. He happily reconciled his
professional and his Christian duties. The growth of
his practice indicates that no interest suffered that was
put into his hands, and yet, in the judgment of all his
contemporaries, his religious integrity was without a
stain. Indeed, in the pamphlet of Mr. Courtlandt Parker, before alluded to, it is said that "his consistent
morality in his profession, his scorn for petty artifice
* Professional Ethics, by Judge SHARSWOOD, Philadelphia, 1860.




HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.            155
and chicanery, his desire to settle rather than protract
disputes, and his strict integrity in the conduct of legal
difficulties, won for him such a reputation for honesty,
that his brother lawyers soon complained that juries
would believe any thing Mr. Frelinghuysen contended for simply because he did so."
His old classmate and friend, the Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick, informs the author that he once asked Mr. Frelinghuysen how he managed to keep a clear conscience, seeing he must sometimes have to plead in
justification of the rogue. The answer was, "If a man
comes to me as a client, I catechise him as much as I
can. If I think him in the wrong, I send him to another lawyer. If I believe he is in the right, I do all
I can for him." But it is perfectly certain that this
was not his rule in later life. We may therefore suppose that his mind underwent the same change which
is recorded by Bishop Burnet respecting Sir Matthew
HEale, a man whom our American lawyer greatly resembled: " If he saw a cause was unjust, he for a great
while would not meddle farther in it but to give his
advice that it was so. If the parties, after that, would
go on, they were to seek another counselor, for he
would assist none in acts of injustice. If he found
the cause doubtful or weak in point of law, he always
advised his clients to agree their business. Yet afterward he abated much of the scurpulosity he had about
causes that appeared at first unjust, upon this occasion: there were two causes brought him, which, by
the ignorance of the party or their attorney, were so
ill represented to him that they seemed to be very
bad; but he, inquiring more narrowly into them, found




156         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
they were really very good and just. So after this he
slackened much of his former strictness of refusing to
meddle in causes upon the ill circumstances that appeared in them at first."
Mr. Frelinghuysen never in word or act assented to
the monstrous dictum of Lord Brougham, that " an advocate, in the discharge of his duty, knows but one
pesron in all the world, and that person is his client."
He knew and performed what was due to the court,
to the bar, and'to honor and justice, as well as what
his client required. At the same time, he early renounced what Lord Campbell calls "the specious but
impracticable rule of never pleading except on the
right side, which would make the counsel to decide
without knowing either facts or law, and would put
an end to the administration of justice."
He was studiously careful of the proprieties of the
Christian profession in his office and in the court-room.
Once, a wealthy client, in stating his case, incautiously uttered an oath. Mr. Frelinghuysen immediately
arose, and said with deep feeling, " Sir, if you use such
language again, I will immediately throw up your
case."  The offense was not repeated.
When Mr. Frelinghuysen was transferred to the
Senate of the United States, he was subjected to a still
more trying ordeal. Not a few of his compeers were
either hopelessly ruined or sadly injured by the vices
of the capital. But he not only escaped contamination
from prevailing immoralities, but maintained throughout his whole term the same cheerful, simple, unobtrusive, but uncompromising godliness. The state of
his mind, even at a time of the very highest political




HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.            157
excitement, may be learned from some extracts from a
letter written to his brother in the confidence of fraternal intercourse. It is dated December 18, 1832:
"Your letter finds us in good health, through the
blessing of our heavenly Father, who has kindly watched over us. We have been much excited here by the
doings of South Carolina. She seems resolved on
dreadful extremities. The President, I rejoice to perceive, meets the crisis as becomes the chief magistrate
of the country. But still our situation is very perilous. * * * I never more deeply realized our entire dependence on God, who hath the hearts of rulers
and people in His control, who buildeth up and casteth down. May we look to His infinite riches of mercy and grace, and bear in faith the interests of our beloved country to His holy keeping. It is a season of
peculiar claim on the Christian; he has an interest
with a prayer-hearing God; and if the Lord leaves us
to confusion of counsel, and to the curse of selfish and
ambitious desires and purposes, we will be a ruined
people.'  *  *
"We have peculiar trials in these high places of
fashion. WVe have established a Congressional prayer-meeting on Thursday evening weekly. There were
eight at the last meeting. More than twenty have
agreed to attend. I hope to be strengthened by this
waiting upon our Father and Redeemer."
The Congressional prayer-meeting thus modestly
referred to was, it is believed, originated by Mr. Frelinghuysen. Certainly he was its most efficient supporter during his senatorial term. To him, and the
late Governor Briggs, of Massachusetts, and others of




158         LIFE OF FRELINGHIUYSEN.
the like stamp, it was a great source of comfort and
strength; nor may we doubt that prayers were offered there, the answers to which brought down blessings
upon the nation.
Congressional life is known to be very unfriendly
to the maintenance of a pure and spiritual Christian
character. Men are, for a large portion of the year, removed from their homes and the healthful associations
which cluster there. They are embarked upon a sea
of excitement roused by purely temporal interests.
As members of a political party, they are brought into
frequent and sometimes close contact with persons
who, however eminent for other attainments, have no
religious character. They are often solicited to engage
in pursuits and amusements which they know to be
inconsistent with a good conscience. At other times
they encounter flings at piety and scoffing insinuations
which it is extremely hard to bear. Besides, their very
devotion to what they deem to be the true interests of
their country leads to a stress of thought and feeling
upon worldly things which is apt to become absorbing. Thus there is a variety of influences concurring
from all quarters to lower the tone of the Christian's
piety, to undermine his religious habits, to lead him
away from communion with God, and to bring him
down to the level of mere worldly men. It is one of
the peculiarities of Mr. Frelinghuysen's life at Washington that he was enabled to resist these influences
steadily to the end. He knew his danger, as is evident
from the allusion to " peculiar trials" in the letter to
his brother, and from other testimonies, and he set a
double watch upon himself. Without secluding him



HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.            159
self from society, or neglecting any public duty, he
yet walked unhurt through all the pollution and corruption of the capital. He guarded against the beginnings of evil. He was more inflexible than ever in
his habits of devotion. He was diligent and regular
in using the ordinances of worship, whether public or
social. While he never paraded, he never cloaked his
Christian profession. The lustre of his example seems
never to have been tarnished in a single instance.
He left Washington the same man that he entered it,
or, if altered, only in so far as his faith was ripened by
experience, and his holy living confirmed and strengthened by trial.
The manifestations of his piety in connection with
the Church were very decided and uniform. For forty-five years he was a professed follower of the Savior, and for the greater part of that time held the official station of ruling elder. His example in both
these relations was irreproachable. IHe was a devout
and regular attendant upon the means of grace, both
on the Lord's day and during the week. He went to
the assemblies of God's people, not as a matter of form,
nor for intellectual entertainment, nor yetas a mere
discharge of duty, but hungering and thirsting after
righteousness. He could appreciate pulpit ability; he
admired eloquence, logical force, originality, research,
power of illustration, freshness of statement in his ministers; yet his great desire was habitually to hear the
simple truth, to be built up and stimulated in the Divine life. No pastor ever had a more intelligent, attentive, and sympathetic hearer. He came to be fed
with the pure milk of the Word, and, so long as this




160         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
was given without dilution and without affectation, he
was satisfied.
Owing to his own changes of residence and other
circumstances, he became the parishioner of many clergymen in succession, with all of whom he maintained
the most friendly personal relations. He was studious
of their comfort, their reputation, and their sensibilities, delighting to serve them in any way and at any
time, yet careful never to obtrude, to embarrass, or to
oppress by the appearance of condescension. Among
his earlier pastors (from 1822 to 1833) was the Rev.
Dr. tHay, with whom he preserved a very close and affectionate intimacy down to the last month of the year
1860, when death sundered the tie for this world. Of
his later pastors, the one to whom he was most attached, and whose ministrations he most enjoyed, was the
Rev. Dr. De WVitt, senior minister of the Collegiate
Church, New York. Yet this, perhaps, was owing,
not so much to the rare gifts and natural eloquence
of his friend, as to the fine simplicity of his character,
the evangelical richness and fervor of his discourses,
and their luminous illustrations of all phases of Christian experience. The same feeling was cherished by
his elder brother, John, in an equal degree, down to
the day of his death.
He took particular pleasure in social meetings for
worship on the evening of secular days. They formed a pleasant interruption to the constant stream of
secular engagements, and he found them of great use
in fanning and preserving the flame of his own devotion. He was accustomed to lead the devotions of
others, and never without impressing all present with




HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.           161
his humility, and reverence, and faith, and fervor.
There was a plaintiveness in his tones, and a subdued
earnestness in his manner, which rarely failed to bear
all hearts along with his own up to the very presence
of the mercy-seat. Not unfrequently he would use
his gifts in offering remarks in the course of the meeting, and always to edification. He spoke because he
had something to say, and he said it with simplicity
and directness.
As a Church officer he rendered excellent service.
His native shrewdness, insight, and practical wisdom
here co-operated with his single-hearted devotion to
the Master to render him invaluable in the councils
of the Church. There were two functions of the elder's office in which he was very happy and useful.
One was visiting the sick and sorrowing. His own
delicate sensibility enabled him to enter into the feelings of God's afflicted children, and he delighted to
render to them the proper offices of fraternal Christian
sympathy. The other was watching for peace. He
was quick to perceive alienations and difficulties which
threatened to mar the harmony of the Church, and
was wise to meet them (to use the Rev. Mr. E. Cheever's words) " as no other man could," so as not only to
remove the trouble, but even promote Christian affection between the parties. The blessing pronounced
upon the peace-makers fell richly upon his head.
But he was a man of action as well as counsel, and
engaged with energy and perseverance in every good
work. From the first he took great interest in the instruction of the young. During the whole time he
was connected with the Second Church in Newark, he




162         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
was superintendent of the Sunday-school attached to
it. WVhen he was in Washington, he regularly taught
a class every Lord's day, and frequently made the assertion that he deemed this employment more truly
honorable than the high official position he held in
the Congress of the nation. After coming to New
York in 1839 to reside, he resumed the same work,
and met, in the church where he worshiped, a Bibleclass of young men, many of whom attribute their
deepest and most abiding impressions to his persuasive counsels. Along with this, he, especially in the
latter period of his life, performed much work in delivering addresses before the schools of other churches, or at anniversary meetings. At a time when no
other motive than the desire of doing good could have
actuated him, he made considerable sacrifices of time
and ease, in order in this way to cheer those who were
engaged in this important form of Christian beneficence. The audience might be gathered in a rural
church or a retired grove, or in the suburbs of a city,
but he was equally willing there or any where else to
do what he could for the welfare of the young; and it
could be said of him as it was of his Master, that the
common people heard him gladly. His shining consistency of character, added to his former professional and political distinction, gave to all that he said a
weight and power not easy of estimation; and, although not a parent himself, his life-long experience
in the Sunday-school, and his rooted convictions of
the indispensable importance of the moral training
of the youth to the stability of our free institutions, as well as to the solid growth of the Church,




HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.           163
enabled him to speak with a peculiar fervor and unction.
But while thus interested for the spiritual wants of
others, he was not less concerned for their temporal
welfare. His hand was open as the day to melting
charity. In the midst of the most exhausting period
of his practice as a lawyer, it was his habit to spend every Saturday afternoon in searching out the poor and
afflicted, and in ministering by sympathy as well as by
pecuniary aid to their necessities, while in general he
spared neither time nor means to relieve such children
of sorrow as made their situation known to him. To
the ordinary charities of the times which are administered by formal associations he was a regular and liberal contributor. An amusing instance of this is related by some who knew him well. He once heard a
discourse upon systematic beneficence, the object of
which was to enforce upon all Christians the duty of
habitually giving to the Lord at least one tenth of
their income, and, being very much impressed with the
argument, determined to put the rule in practice. I-Ie
had not gone far, however, before he found that this
would require him greatly to abridge his usual charities, for these had far exceeded the tithe of his emoluments. Indeed, one who knew him well said that
they amounted probably to the half of his income.
"A long time since he remarked that, in view of the
various calls of the Church,'Christians might well
fear to be rich.' HIe denied himself many things which
other Christians of less means allow themselves, and
he did so that he might have to give unto others.
When one spoke to him upon the subject of increas



164       LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ing his comforts, he replied that it could only be done
by increasing the necessities of others, and that he
dared not do."-Dr. CAMPBELL'S Funeral Serzon.
His professional labors brought him a very large
compensation. These gains were neither hoarded nor
squandered, but lent to the Lord in a wise and liberal
charity. It is related that, when he was a candidate
for theVice-presidency, a warm-hearted Christian woman said to a member of the Convention which nominated him, " Ah! sir, you have indeed done a good
act in striving to elevate that man; he has been' eyes
to the blind and feet to the lame."' His townsmen in
Newark could justly pursue the quotation, and say,
" When the ear heard him, then it blessed him; and
when the eye saw him, it gave witness to him: because he remembered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The
blessing of him thatrwas ready to perish came upon
him, and he caused the widow's heart to sing for joy."
Not only did Mr. Frelinghuysen contribute regularly
to public charities and to the poor in his neighborhood, but he also took pleasure in ministering to the
comfort of many whose only claim upon him was very
remote; and he did this in such a quiet and delicate
way that the fact was rather inferred than known,
even by the inmates of his household. Into what obscure channels his constant readiness " to do good and
communicate" overflowed, only the great day will declare.
Catholicity of spirit was an eminent feature of Mr.
Frelinghuysen's religious life. He loved all Christians who hold the Head, and was ready to manifest




HIIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.          165
this fraternal affection at all times and under all circumstances. I have said "all who hold the Head,"
for this was a discrimination made by himself. He
clung to the divinity of his Lord and Savior as a cardinal point, and he could not and did not recognize as
brethren in faith and hope any who degraded the Redeemer into a mere creature, and repudiated His atoning blood. Such an error he regarded as vital, and
he would never give place, no, not for an hour, to any
who held the ruinous delusion. But within this rational and necessary limit his recognition of all believers was most hearty and general, and, as it were,
spontaneous. His liberality was not the fruit of indifference, or ignorance, or indiscretion, but of an intelligent Christian spirit, which could overlook minor
differences in a common love for all who are in Christ
Jesus. He cherished a warm attachment for the ancestral Church in the communion of which he began
and closed his days. This was the result not only of
hereditary associations peculiarly strong and affecting,
but also of a discriminating appreciation of her doctrine, and order, and discipline, and spirit. Hence,
although he was first admitted to the Lord's Table in
a Presbyterian Church, and continued long and happily in that connection, yet, as soon as Providence
opened the way, he returned with alacrity and joy to
the Church of his fathers. Hence, too, when, but a
few years before his death, that Church felt itself called upon to carry on the work of Foreign Missions independently through a Board of its own appointment,
and summoned him to preside over the Board, he
promptly, although with no little pain, severed the




166         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ties which had long and pleasantly bound him to the
American Board, and obeyed the summons.
Yet his love for his own branch of the one great
family, while it was fervent and settled, resting alike
upon the convictions of his understanding and the impulses of his heart, never degenerated into narrowness
or bigotry. His expansive affection took in the whole
Church of the redeemed. Their interests were dear
to his heart. He rejoiced in their joy, and sorrowed
in their sadness. He was ever ready to aid their enterprises by his counsel, and purse, and public addresses. He never paraded this catholicity of feeling. The
reports of his numberless addresses before various benevolent associations furnish no instances of ostentatious assertion of superiority to denominational preferences or interests. Prodesse quamn conpSZici marked
him here as elsewhere. That absorbing devotion to
Christ, which made him feel the whole world of Christians to be of kin to him, was shown in deed rather
than in word. It was no grace cultivated with special pains for an occasion, but an unconscious, unstudied, instinctive efflorescence of that living principle
which, like Elizabeth's babe in the presence of the
mother of her Lord, leaps at once to acknowledge
Christ's image wherever it is found, and hail His servants whatever livery they bear.
Hence the universal and spontaneous recognition of
this feature of Mr. Frelinghuysen's character throughout the entire Christian community in this country.
Believers of every name claimed a common property
in him as a living representative of the whole body.
His public and private worth, his eminent services,




HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE.            167
his steadfast and stainless consistency, his infinite remove from any petty denominational selfishness or exclusiveness, took him out of the category of local or
denominational luminaries, and gave him a national
and catholic position in the view of all the evangelical
churches of America. Hence he was for years called
to stand at the head of not only one, but several of the
great national societies instituted for the promotion of
religious and benevolent interests in this broad land
and among the nations of the earth. Nor was the
confidence thus reposed in him ever found to be misplaced. His administration of the trusts confided to
him was such in every case as successfully to challenge criticism. Perhaps no layman has ever lived
to whom all classes of believers would so readily and
cordially point as a fitting representative to all the
world of the best features and highest type of American Christianity.




168          LIFE OF FRELINGIUYSEN.
CHAPTER X.
PERSONAL EFFORTS FOR THIE SALVATION OF MIEN.
Letter to Mr. Lincoln.-Consultation about entering the Ministry.Dr. Spring's Letter. —Assiduity and Skill in speaking to impenitent.Persons.-Grounds of his Success.-Letters.-Correspondcence with
Mr. Clay; with Mr.Webster; Governor Pennington; Judge Nevius.-Lcetter of Judge Chambers.-Other Examples. —Words of J.
P. Jackson. -Perseverance.
IN the year 1853, the Rev. Dr, Wayland, of Providence, delivered a discourse in Rochester entitled The
Apostoic ilinistry, which excited much attention at
the time, and was afterward widely circulated through
the press. It was founded upon the text, Go ye into
all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature;
and the preacher undertook to show, 1. What the Gospel is; 2. What is meant by preaching it; and, 3. Who
are to preach it. Three fourths of the sermon are occupied in. discussing the last point, in which the duty
and responsibility of laymen in proclaiming the Gospel message are stated with great force and pungency.
The Hon. Hleman Lincoln, of Boston, sent a copy of
this address to Mr. Frelinghuysen, and received from
him the following reply:
" New Brunswick, January 8th, 1855.
"MY DEAR SIR,-I duly received your kind note
and Dr. Wayland's excellent thoughts on the Apostolic Ministry. I have read this address with special interest, and I hope much profit. Like all that I have
seen from his pen, it is sound, judicious, and of high




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.       169
moral excellence. I can not but think that his opinions on the duty of others besides' ministers' preaching will yet become a prevailing sentiment in all our
churches. How else shall the work of saving men
prosper, as prophecy leads us to believe it will? I
have often noted the case of the man possessed, whom
our Savior restored to his right mind. His desire was
to remain with his blessed Benefactor; but the Lord
sent him home to tell how great things God had done
unto him.'And he went his way, and published
throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had
done unto him.' Now he was a preacher, and an effective one too, for the people marveled at his words.
And the woman of Samaria, who left the Savior at the
well and went into the city to report of the wonderful
Being who had led her to a better knowledge of her
own heart and life, preached also to good purpose. I
suppose, my dear sir, that while, for the more solemn
duties of the sanctuary and its worship, and for the
governance and order of Christ's Church, the ministers
are to'be called' and set apart, yet for exhortation,
and prayer, and witnessing for the truth, and warning
sinners, and encouraging the trembling believer, we
are all to labor for Christ, and have a heart and a
tongue for His blessed service.
"I trust, my kind friend, that, through God's goodness, we may again be permitted to meet at the American Bible House-a precious spot, where denominational names only draw brethren more closely together in the sweet bonds of love and unity.
"Very truly yours in the best relations,
"TTIEO. FRELINGHUYSEN.
"The Hon. H. Lincoln."
This letter states the opinion of its author in 1855,
but it was not then formed for the first time. It had
been held and acted upon for scores of years. From
an early period he seems to have felt both the obligaH




170         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
tion and the desire " to labor for Christ" in every suitable way. Indeed, this led him at various times to
canvass with great earnestness the question whether
it was not his duty to forsake the bar and enter upon
the ministry of the Gospel. His mind was long and
seriously exercised upon the subject, and he often
consulted the Christian friends in whom he had confidence as to the path of his duty. It is believed that
the major portion of these concurred in the views presented by the Rev. Dr. Spring in the following letter.
At all events, the practical issue was in accordance
with the suggestions here presented:
"New York, 17th Nov., 1835.
MY DEAR SIR,'' ~ I am not a little embarrassed by the inquiry you propose respecting leaving
the bar. Not a little must depend upon your own
state of mind. The great question is, How shall I ascertain the will of God in this matter'? Your age is
not against the contemplated change. You may labor, if God spare you and give you health, twenty
years in the best of causes. Your present influence
and standing at the bar and in civil life are against the
change. Influence and character are plants of slow
growth: sometimes they are so local and professional
that they can not be successfully transplanted. You
will find it a very different thing to plead the cause
of a despised Savior before an opposing world, where
every thing is unexcited and like adamant, from engaging in a cause between man and man, where every
thing is excitable, every thing novel, and every thing
exists to cherish your own sensibilities. Multitudes
of men now in the ministry, who are not above mediocrity in the uniform routine of parochial labor, would
be men of distinction under the excitements of a legal or parliamentary profession. I have my doubts
whether you can do as much for the cause of the bless



HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.        171
ed Redeemer in the ministry of reconciliation as you
can now do in your present and kindred relations.
And yet I say this with great diffidence. I need not
tell you that if you'lack wisdom' to decide in this
matter, there is a weighty promise on record to guide
you. I left the bar because I got sick of it; I could
not be happy in it; I panted for a better work. And
yet mere impulse should not, and I am persuaded will
not, guide you. Our Master needs laborers in Church
and State. Such is the feeling and such are the institutions of this country that ministers of the Gospel
can get very little influence on the state, and therefore
there is the more need for men who are qualified and
have the spirit of ministers to retain their political influence.
" If you have made up your mzind to leave the bar
and the varied scenes of public life, the pulpit is the
place for you, and not an agency for any society. Forgive my haste, and believe me,
"Your affectionate friend,    G. SPRING."
Satisfied by these and similar considerations that it
was not his duty to seek ordination; Mr. Frelinghuysen was none the less active in such ways as lay open
to him in advancing the Savior's kingdom. And his
success was such as to show that his decision was
right, and that there would have been a loss rather
than a gain in his entering the clerical profession.
The very fact that he was a layman gave additional
power to the appeals which he was accustomed to
make to his fellow-men on religious subjects.
The admirable combination of zeal and discretion
which marked his conduct in other matters also manifested itself in the manner in which he discharged
the difficult and delicate duty of dealing personally
with individuals in relation to their eternal interests.




172         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Some believers, through timidity, reserve, unconquerable diffidence, coldness of temperament, or the imperfection of their faith, rarely or never open their
mouths to warn the sinner or encourage the trembling
disciple. They turn the whole work over to the ministry, and act as if they supposed that example were
the only means they were to use for the extension of
Christ's kingdom. Others, who are more intelligent
and more conscientious than these, often fail by a lack
of practical wisdom in adapting their efforts to persons
and circumstances. They speak at the wrong time,
or in an unbecoming spirit, or in an unfavorable situation; and the effort, however well intended, leads to
no good result, if it does not do positive harm.
Mr. Frelinghuysen avoided both evils. He labored, and his labor was skillfully directed. His course
continually exemplified the Scripture maxim, "IHe
that winneth souls is wise."  He sowed beside all waters, but the seeding was adjusted to the soil. He addressed persons at the top and also at the bottom of
the social scale, but in each case with a divine discretion which insured attention or at least precluded offense. None were so high, none so low as to be beyond the reach of his affectionate Christian sympathy.
IIe would speak to the old and to the young, to his
kinsmen and to servants, to the poor and to the rich,
to ordinary citizens and to those who were distinguished by high social or official position. In doing this
he was aided by several advantages, partly natural,
partly gracious in their origin. Of the former class
were his hereditary courage, a quality which shines
out in all his ancestors, and which rendered him quite




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.        173
insensible to the fear of-man, and his shrewd insight
into Human character, which enabled him accurately
to measure every one with whom he came in contact,
and learn the best way of approach. To the latter
class belong his eminently consistent life, which forestalled the retort, " Physician, heal thyself;" his unfeigned humility, which prevented his speech from offending the pride of those whom he addressed; and,
above all, his habitual fervor of piety, which enabled
him to speak out of a full heart-not from a cold sense
of duty, but from the irresistible impulse of one to
whom eternal realities were always near. Among all
the vast variety of persons whom he addressed on the
subject of personal religion, not one is known ever to
have taken offense; while, on the contrary, persons
at opposite points of the social scale have united in
saying that they would cheerfully bear from him what
they would not bear from any one else. It was not
necessary for him to wait for favored moments, or depend upon some extraordinary contingency. So close
was his ordinary walk with God, so constant his sense
of the Savior's presence and love, that he was always
in the mood to talk naturally and without constraint
of spiritual things. When retired to the country for
Yrecreation in the summer, he could drop a good word
to the domestics of the house; and when walking at
the funeral of some dignitary, he could call the attention of his companion in the procession to the claims
of the merciful Redeemer. All times and places, all
ages and sexes were alike to him in this respect. He
had the heart to bear witness for Christ, and by God's
grace he found the way. If any class of persons, by




174        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
their situation in life, their social, professional, or political connections, were removed beyond the range of
the usual means of bringing the truth to bear upon
the conscience, he seemed to feel himself the more impelled to use the advantage of his social position to
press the Savior's claims personally upon such. Somne.
times, of course, he was heard with ill-concealed impatience; but at other8 his words fell as the dew of Mtermon on the mountains of Zion, where the Lord commanded the blessing even life forevermore. And
there are not a few public men, lawyers and statesmen, who will be found in the great day to have been
led to Christ by Theodore Frelinghuysen.
When personal approach was not to be had, he resorted to the pen, and wrote to those in whom he felt
interest. Buit few of his numerous letters of this character have been recovered; but those which are extant, though for the most part brief, are marked with
great fidelity, propriety, and a pleading tenderness
which it must have been hard to resist. But he did
not confine himself to such set epistles, but in almost
every letter, no matter what the subject, contrived to
insinuate or express something about the great concern.
The full details of his activity in this form of doing
good will never be known, but some instances casually revealed will indicate the wide extent of his sympathies and the great variety of classes to whom he
performed the office of a faithful Christian friend.
Among the most prominent of the public men for
whose spiritual welfare Mr. Frelinghuysen cherished
a deep and tender solicitude was HENRY CLAY. He




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.        175
was attracted by Mr. Clay's large and generous nature,
he admired his talents, he sympathized with his political views, and he enjoyed for many years a friendly
intimacy with him. It was natural, therefore, that he
should long to see him a possessor of like precious
faith with himself. In his correspondence with him,
therefore, whatever might be the special occasion or
topic of a letter, Mr. Frelinghuysen always included a
reference to the great question of the soul's relation to
God.
At the close of the year 1835 Mr. Clay was bereaved
very suddenly of a favorite daughter. Mr. Frelinghuysen addressed to him a letter of condolence, the
tenor of which is easily inferred from the following
reply, dated WVashington, 16th January, 1836, in which,
after thanking Mr. F. for attending to a commission for
him, he proceeds:
"But I thank you, my dear friend, still more for the
deep interest which you so kindly take in my spiritual welfare. I should be most happy to have the confidence and assurance which you feel on that serious
subject. It is one on which, if I have given no evidence to the world of its having engaged my anxious
thoughts, I have long and constantly reflected with the
greatest solicitude, and I indulge the hope that I shall
ultimately find the peace which you have attained.
My late sad affliction has taught me an awful lesson,
and impressed me with a solemn conviction of the utter vanity of all earthly things. If I had been asked
six weeks ago to point to the two happiest beings that
I knew, I should have designated my poor daughter
and her bereaved husband. She is now, perhaps, still
happier; but alas! how wretched is he, and how miserable am I! My dear wife derives great support un



176        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
der this severe dispensation from her faith and future
hopes, and I have experienced some consolation from
the numerous letters of condolence which I have received from good and pious friends.
" I remain, truly, your friend,  II. CLAY.
"Theo. Frelinghuysen, Esq."
The succeeding letter was written in reference to
the nomination of Clay and Frelinghuysen by the
Whig National Convention in May, 1844:
T. Fr'elinzg7uysen to H. Clay.
I" New York, May 11, 1844.
"MY DEAR SIR,-I have been rather impatiently
waiting for my lame arm to write a few lines to my
honored friend, that I might express to you the heartfelt gratification that I feel at the recent association of
my humble name with yours-a distinction as honorable as it has been to me surprising. And should the
result of the fall election confirm the nomination, of
which there now seems to be very strong indications,
it will, I assure you, be among my richest political
privileges to contribute any mite of influence in my
power to render prosperous and lasting in benefits the
administration of a patriot whose elevation I have long
desired. Our names have been brought together here
by the voice of our fellow-men. My prayer for you
and my own soul shall be fervent that, through the
rich grace of our Savior, they may be found written in
the Book of Life of the Lamb that was slain for our
sins.
" My good wife, who has never ceased to cherish the
hope of your eventual elevation to the chief magistracy, unites with me in kindest respects to Mrs. Clay
and yourself.
" P.S.-My hand is still lame, and I can write only
in irregular characters."




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.        177
The following was written when the defeat of the
Whigs was ascertained:
Theodore Frelinghuysen to Mr. Clay.
I" New York, Nov. 9th, 1844.
"MY DEAR SIR,-I address you this morning with
very different feelings from my expectations a few
months ago. The alliance of the foreign votes and
that most impracticable of all organizations, the Abolitionists, have defeated the strongest national vote
ever given to a presidential candidate. The Whigs in
this city and state have struggled most nobly. All
classes of American citizens have ardently, cordially,
and with the freest sacrifices contended for your just
claims to patriotic confidence; and could you this
morning behold the depression of spirits and sinking
of hearts that pervade the community, I am sure that
you would feel,' Well, in very truth, my defeat has
been the occasion of a more precious tribute and vindication than even the majority of numbers.'
"The Abolitionists were inimically obstinate, and
seemed resolved to distinguish their importance, right
or wrong. The combination of adverse circumstances
has often struck me in the progress of the canvass.
At the South I was denounced as an Abolitionist,
rank and uncompromising. Here, the Abolitionists
have been rancorous in their hostility. A short time
since, William Jay (of illustrious name) assailed me in
his anti-slavery prints by a harsh, unchristian article
in the form of a letter addressed to me, but sent to the
winds. Its object was, no doubt, to drive the party,
and it had, I suppose, some influence that way, although it was too bitter and irrational to accomplish
much. And then the foreign vote was tremendous.
More than three thousand, it is confidently said, have
been naturalized in this city alone since the first of
October. It is an alarming fact that this foreign vote
H 2




178         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
has decided the great questions of American policy
and counteracted a nation's gratitude.
"But, my dear sir, leaving this painful subject, let
us look away to brighter and better prospects and
surer hopes in the promises and consolations of the
Gospel of our Savior. As sinners who have rebelled
against our Maker, we need a Savior or we must perish, and this Redeemer has been provided for us.
Prophecy declared Him from the earliest period of
our fall in Paradise, and the Gospel makes known the
faithful fulfillment.' Come unto me,' cries this exalted Savior,'come unto me, all ye that are weary and
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Let us then
repair to Him. He will never fail us in the hour of
peril and trial. Vain is the help of man, and frail and
fatal all trust in the arm of flesh; but he that trusteth
in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion itself, that can never be removed. I pray, my honored friend, that your
heart may seek this blessed refuge, stable as the everlasting hills, and let this be the occasion to prompt an
earnest, prayerful, and the Lord grant it may be a joyful search after truth as it is in Christ Jesus.
"With affectionate regards to Mrs. Clay, in which
my good wife, sorely tried, heartily unites, I remain,
with sincere esteem and best wishes, your friend."
To this letter Mr. Clay sent the following reply,
showing the spirit in which he met his defeat, the way
he accounted for it, and the cordiality with which he
entertained Mr. Frelinghuysen's religious suggestions:
Jir. Clay to Alr. Frelinghuysen.
"Ashland, 2d December, 1844.
"MY DEAR SIR, —  duly received your friendly letter of the 9th November. I fully share in the feelings under the influence of which it was written. The
most unexpected result of the Presidential election has




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.        179
caused many patriotic hearts to bleed, and has greatly
affected my own. Although I will not deny that I
feel the shock of the sad event on my own account, it
is far more to be deplored for our country and our
friends. I had indulged the hope that I might be an
humble instrument in the hands of Providence to endeavor to bring back our government to its former
purity, and to contribute toward rendering justice to a
large body of virtuous, able, and patriotic friends who
have been cruelly persecuted and proscribed. That
hope is now fled forever.
" The issue of the contest has been brought about
by the most extraordinary combination of circumstances. If nativism had not sprung up, or if it had
been more faithful to its own principles; or if the foreign vote had not been united against us; or if the
Catholics had been more divided; or if the Abolitionists had been true to their own avowed principles; or
if there had been no frauds, the triumph of the W~higs
would have been secured. It required a union of all
these discordant elements to defeat them, and, unfortunately, the union existed.
"It is highly gratifying to me to learn from you
that the Whigs of the city and State of New York
struggled nobly. The same praise is due to them,
generally, throughout the Union.
"We have other consolations. Neither you nor I
have done any thing to bring upon ourselves self-reproaches during the canvass, and both of us, by its result, have been saved a great responsibility. Let us
also cherish the fond hope that the evils to our country, which we so much apprehend from the new administration, may not be realized.
"You have, my dear friend, however, kindly suggested the truest of all consolations in the resources
of our holy religion. I have long been persuaded of
that solemn truth; nor have I been entirely neglectful of exertions to secure to myself its benefit. I wish




180         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
I could add that I feel entire confidence that these exertions had been crowned with success. But they
shall not be intermitted; and I trust that, by diligent
searching, I shall yet find, in faith in our Lord Jesus,
that solace which no earthly honors or possessions can
give.
"Mrs. Clay unites with me in reciprocating affectionate regards to Mrs. F., and I remain ever faithfully
and truly your friend,                H. CLAY.
" Theo. Frelinghuysen, Esq."
In the year 1846, Mr. Clay, in answer to a letter
from Mr. Frelinghuysen speaking of his continued ill
health, wrote to him, under date of October 9, from
Ashland, recommending a certain course of treatment
which had been beneficial to himself in 1828, when almost broken down by his labors as Secretary of State.
After speaking on this point very minutely, the writer
proceeds:
"I am greatly obliged, my dear friend, by the kind
interest you take in my spiritual welfare. I feel much
more comfortable than I ever did on that subject. I
hope and believe that I have improved in my religious feelings and in the performance of my religious
duties. I attend the Episcopal Church regularly and
with satisfaction, but I have not yet become a member
of it. This I hope to do. I must own, however, with
regret, that I do not yet feel that absolute confidence
in my future salvation which some Christians profess
to have in theirs."
The last letter of Mr. Frelinghuysen to his old friend
was written not many months before Mr. Clay's death:




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.         181
Theodore Frelinghuysenz to Mr. Clay.
"' New Brunswick, January 19, 1852.
"MY DEAR SIR, —I have heard, with great interest
and anxiety, of your continued feeble health, and that
it had been rather more feeble since your decided testimony in behalf of Washington's foreign policy. I
was rejoiced to hear your words of soberness and truth
on the exciting question of Hungarian politics, and I
trust that a divine blessing will follow your counsels.
"In this time of impaired health, and sometimes
trying despondency that ensues, it must be refreshing
to look away to Him who is a helper near in trouble,
and able and willing to sustain and comfort you. This
blessed Gospel, that reveals the riches of God's grace
in Jesus Christ, is a wonderful remedy, so suited to our
condition and character, and so full of inexpressible
consolation to us as sinners needing mercy, His blood
cleansing us from the guilt of sin, His Spirit purifying
our hearts, and restoring us to God's image and favor.
May you, my dear friend, largely partake of its comforts, and, leaning all your hopes on the Almighty Savior's arm, hold on your way, for life and for death,
for time and for eternity, in His name and strength."
In a eulogy which Mr. Frelinghuysen pronounced
in Newark, New Jersey, shortly after Mr. Clay's death,
he concluded by a reference to his religious relations,
and, after quoting some passages from the letters of his
friend, remarked that these extracts " show how universal is the need of a Gospel hope for the noblest and
the humblest; that, however human distinctions exist,
and usefully, yet before God there is but one level;
and also how far more gloriously true greatness beams
upon us from the foot of the Cross, seeking peace
through the blood of Him who once died upon it for
oulr sank.."




182          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
None of Mr. Frelinghuysen's letters to Mr. Webster
have been recovered, but, from the replies which he
received, their tenor can easily be inferred. In the
year 1840, Mr. Frelinghuysen, being then Chancellor
of the University, wrote to Mlr.Vebster in behalf of
the literary societies of that institution, requesting him
to deliver the annual address before them, at the same
time adding some words on what he deemed the most
important of all subjects.  The following is the answer:
" Washington, Feb. 24, 1840.
" 3MY DEAR SIR,-I can hardly expect to be pardoned for delaying so long an answer to your first letter,
and for waiting to be reminded by a second. The
truth is, my dear sir, your kind letter was interesting,
and I was hoping for leisure to do something more
than to make a reply to its particular request. I wanted to say something on the solemn subjects which, in
so friendly a manner, you introduce; but I have found
my time very much engrossed by the concerns of publie and professional life, and have also had to suffer
the inconvenience of a very long-continued cold.
"I can not possibly undertake to make an address
to your societies. For some time I have been compelled to decline all such requests. The P. B. K. of
Cambridge have a standing claim upon me, which I
have put off from year to year, and must put off again.
I wish heartily it were otherwise, because I should be
glad to oblige you, but do not flatter myself I could
speak edifyingly to your societies. For some years I
have hardly kept up with the literature of the day.
Rust is coming over my earlier acquisitions, and, if I
canl keep myself a little bright in matters of law and
politics, while I yet pursue them, it is all I expect.
"Yours,               D. WEBSTER."




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.         183
Eight years afterward Mr. Frelinghuysen addressed
a letter of condolence to this distinguished man, then
suffering under a sore bereavement. He was thus answered:
"March 13th, 1848.
"In the midst of severe affliction, my dear friend, I
hear your voice tendering condolence and sympathy,
and uttering admonitions of resignation and submission. I feel that nothing else is left, and I pray God
that I may receive t-he chastening with a penitent and
a believing spirit. It is not for me to say whether He
shall call me or my children first into His presence.
I know that there we must all shortly appear. I thank
you, my dear sir, for your affectionate kindness and
remembrance, and assure you that your health and
happiness are subjects of my sincere prayers.
" The sun of our lives is fast going down; my own,
especially, is already near the horizon. I wish to consider all things earthly as held by a precarious tie, and
that by a tie still more precarious I am held to those
who love me.
"Mrs. Webster joins me in kind remembrances to
you and Mrs. Frelinghuysen, and pray you to accept
our affectionate regards.    DANIEL WEBSTER.
"MIr. Frelinghuysen."
Mir. Frelinghuysen was for many years intimately
associated with the Hon.WVilliam Pennington, for many
years Governor and Chancellor of the State of New
Jersey, and afterward Speaker of the House of Representatives during the troublous times of the Thirtysixth Congress. He was always faithful to the soul
of his friend, and at last had the pleasure of seeing
him an avowed and consistent Christian. His agency
in leading to this result is thus acknowledged by the
governor in a letter written in April, 1858:




184        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
" *  *  *  If any one thing has impressed me
more than any other, it is this wonderfill mercy that
we should be permitted to go on in sin, and rebellion,
and ingratitude for a long life, and yet be permitted
to share in the blessings which appertain to all who
are penitent and ask forgiveness at the hands of the
Mediator.
" I wish to say to you, as a friend to whom I would
confide my most secret thoughts, that I do not consider myself a subject of the present revival any farther
than it may have led me to consummate a purpose
long intended. And it is due from me to say that I
ascribe much of my reverence for divine things, and,
indeed, my strongest and firmest religious imnIpressions,
to your advice and example-the living example, that
is the preacher, after all, with the conscience and the
intellect.
"With many hopes and firm resolves, I still am,
and always expect to be, a trembling, doubting Christian. Some people have much enthusiasm, much feeling and excitement; with me, I confide in the promises, and in the hope that I have made a full and humble surrender penitently to the blessed Redeemer of
the world. * * *
" I am, ever, your friend,  WVr. PENNINGTON."'With the Hon. JAMES S. NEVIUS, long a prominent
member of the New Jersey bar, and afterward one of
the justices of the Supreme Court of the state, Mr. Frelinghuysen frequently, during a course of many years,
held conversations and correspondence, in which he
acted the part of a faithful Christian friend, and at last
had the pleasure of seeing him become an avowed disciple of the Lord Jesus. One of the last letters written to him before he took this step was couched in
these words:




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.         185
"DEAR SIR,-I have duly received and read your
letters with great interest, and hope that I may give a
thought, under the guidance of God's blessed Spirit,
that may be of profit to your own anxious mind. It
seems to me, after much reflection on the terms of
your letter, that the only hinderance in your way is in
the unwillingness of your heart to give up all its pleas
and strivings, its regrets at unavailing and unsatisfied
strivings to be better, and to fall down a poor, lost,
wretched sinner at the Savior's feet, and to give Him
alZ the glory of your deliverance from the power, pollution, and guilt of sin.
"And here you have stood for years, in the inner
secrets of your heart fighting against God and His
way of mercy, and wanting to make terms with Him
-some little spot or speck of merit, no matter how
small, the very least grain that will save pride, your
pride, the humiliation of such unconditional submission as the Gospel and grace of God requires. If the
matter could be settled by the most painful investigation of reason and philosophy-if it were allowed or
even required of you to undergo the pains of bodily
toil and suffering-if the tears you shed, the horrors
you experience, the darkness, doubts, and conflicts you
endure — if these, or any of these, might only have
some place to draw Divine forbearance and make up
the account to soften a single grain of Divine requirements, how willingly your heart would give in to such
conditions. Here it is-believe it: there is no obstacle but in a proud heart that will not bow down all
the way to dust and ashes before God, and exclaim,' O Lord! I surrender.
"'A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,
On Thy kind arms I fall;
Be Thou my strength and righteousness,
My Jesus and my all.'
"Yes, my friend, you must come and ought to
come. For who is this gracious Redeemer?  Remem



186        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ber that He is God manifest in the flesh. The Lord
of life and glory for our sakes took upon Him our nature and suftreldfor us-died on the cross to atone for
our violations of His own blessed law; and now all
Hie asks of you is,'Son, give me thine heart,' and you
have refused Him this small tribute for years and
years. He says in His Word, To as many as received
Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of
God. You won't receive Him, and then mourn that
you can't get religion. You never will until you fly
to the Savior. Submit now, unreservedly, and all
will be peace. Yours very truly,
"THEO. FRELINGHUYSEN.' The Hon. James S. Nevius."
The Hon. E. F. CHAMBERS was a member of the
Senate from Maryland during Mr. Frelinghuysen's
term of service in that body. In a letter written from
Chestertown, Maryland, in March, 1854, Judge Chambers bears this testimony to the character and course
of his friend:
" It is.truly gratifying to witness the continued kind
feeling of an old friend, for whom I have never ceased
to entertain a warm regard; whose kind, considerate,
and Christian counsel has been willingly tendered
when impatience of spirit or intemperance of excited
feeling would mislead me, and whose amiable and
disinterested aid was never withheld when needed.'
May you long continue, my friend, to fulfill the office
you have so well performed-a pattern of the Christian graces, and a wise counselor to all who would cultivate them. * * *
"It will afford me great pleasure to see you once
more before one or the other shall be called away;
but, if not on earth, I humbly trust we may in heaven
renew our greetings.
"Very faithfully and truly yours,
"E. F. CHAMBERS."'




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.       187
On one occasion, many years ago, the legal friend
with whom he usually traveled when going to Trenton to attend the courts was accompanied by his son,
then a young man just about to make his appearance
at the bar of the Supreme Court. The next morning
Mr. Frelinghuysen invited the youth to join him in an
early walk. While they were together the subject of
personal religion was introduced, and urged by one so
evidently taught by the Holy Spirit that that interview was a benediction. And when the good man lay
upon his death-bed, the companion of his walk forty
years before called at the house, and sent a message
of thanks acknowledging the life-long benefit derived
from the conversation then held. It elicited from the
dying saint the characteristic response, "' Give God the
praise."
At this early period of his conversion he was often
tried by temptations to forbear speaking to the worldly upon their spiritual condition. There was one eminent member of the bar for whom he had felt much
concern, but whom he found it quite a trial to address
on the matter, and accordingly deferred it from time
to time. At last, in one of his morning walks, his
mind became so troubled that he turned his steps
homeward and at once sought the lawyer, saying,
" There is a subject of which I have long wanted to
speak to you, but have been afraid."  " Why, Frelinghuysen, what in the world is there of which you are
afraid to speak to me?" " It is of your undying soul,
and I have acted like a coward about it."  " Well,
Frelinghuysen, you may speak to me on that subject,
but not those who are inconsistent Christians."




188        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
A missionary of the Methodist Church, now laboring in China, who, when a mere child, had seemed to
be converted, but afterward wandered very far from
the true path, traces his recovery and present Christian hope to the Divine blessing upon frequent conversations Mr. Frelinghuysen held with him while visiting in the drug-store where the young man was acting as clerk.
Mr. Frelinghuysen seemed never to lose an opportunity. His heart was so burdened with concern for
all out of Christ, that he has been known more than
once, after passing unconverted persons in the street,
to be constrained by his own painful emotions to turn
back and speak with them on the state of their souls.
Even his students, although so faithfully dealt with in
his biblical instructions, and at other times when they
were addressed as a body, were not neglected in private interviews, but then entreated with even more
fervor to turn to God and give Him their hearts.
He was not discouraged by the fact that any whom
he could address were intemperate, or otherwise very
far estranged from the right path, but, on the contrary, seized every occasion to speak to them the fitting
word; and, however such persons might object to appeals and remonstrances coming from others, they always listened to Mr. Frelinghuysen at least with outward attention and respect. His purity and consistency of character were so eminent and undeniable that
those who were hardened in impenitence could not
close their ears to what he said.
In November, 1859, a state convention of Sabbathschool teachers was held at Trenton, New Jersey. Mr.




HiIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.      189
Frelinghuysen, as president of the body, opened the
sessions with an earnest and instructive address.
When he sat down, the late John P. Jackson, Esq., of
Newark, followed with these remarks:
" Mr. President, I came here to listen and to learn;
but I am delighted to say, before this great assembly,
that all my early principles, all the great foundations
of learning which I esteem valuable for time and eternity, I have derived, sir, as a pupil of yours; and were
it not for the opportunity of making this acknowledgement, I should not have arisen. And it is precisely in the mode which you have employed this afternoon in your plain and simple address that I have
received that instruction. *   *  And, sir, I have
been prompted by your noble example to engage in
the delightful work of Sabbath- school instruction;
and now I come here with you to engage in council
on its great interests, although some thirty-five years
have passed since I studied law in your office, and received my early impressions of duty from your example and instructions."
There were few public men in New Jersey, or in
Washington, or in New York, with whom  iMr. Frelinghuysen was in the habit of meeting, to whom he
did not at some time or in some way bring the subject of personal religion. He was judicious and unobtrusive in his methods of approach, and his delicacy
of feeling and vivid sense of propriety rendered those
whom he addressed more willing to open their hearts
upon a theme of such deep personal interest. He certainly often found access where other persons had failed, and there are many still living who could bear a
decided testimony to his Christian faithfulness. Mr.
Frelinghuysen rarely spoke of these interviews; nev



190         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
er, indeed, save in circumstances when a reference to
them would be not only unobjectionable, but of useful
tendency. He was quite content to do good in secret,
and wait for recognition until the resurrection of the
just. Many, therefore, who have long known his public reputation as a consistent Christian, will be surprised to learn that, perhaps, no layman in the land
ever made so many private personal appeals on the
matter of the soul's salvation as he habitually did during the last forty years of his life. It was not a fitful,
occasional thing, pursued during some season of revival and then abandoned, but a fixed habit, followed
at home and abroad with the undeviating constancy
of a deep-seated principle. His catholic sympathies
took in the worth of all souls as such, and there was
no human being so low or degraded, so alien or hostile, that he did not feel for its spiritual welfare, and
speak the proper word whenever an opportunity offered or could be made to occur. He was on the watch
to seize favorable occasions, and his own walk with
God was so close, and his own experience of divine
things so rich and satisfying, that it was nothing unnatural or constrained for him, on any day of the
week, or during any season of the year, to invite the
unthinking and worldly to consider the things which
belonged to their everlasting peace.
He was not always successful. Some to whom he
had been faithful during a long term of years, and for
whom he had prayed with very great fervor and constancy, at last went down to the grave giving small
and dubious signs of being prepared for the great
change. But he was not chilled, much less soured by




HIS EFFORTS TO SAVE SOULS.         191
the disappointment. His zeal was destitute of the
least tincture of fanaticism.  His sorrow was not for
the failure of the means, but for the loss of the end;
and the only result was to set him more diligently at
work to do what he could for the salvation of such as
remained still within the reach of human efforts. HEis
entire life was an exemplification of the sentiment expressed in his letter to Mr. Lincoln: "I suppose that
while, for the more solemn duties of the sanctuary and
its worship, and for the governance and order of
Christ's Church, the ministers are to be called and set
apart, yet for exhortation, and prayer, and witnessing
for the truth, and warning sinners, and encouraging
the trembling believer, we are all to labor for Christ,
and to have a heart and a tongue for His blessed
service."




192         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
CHAPTER XI.
EXTRACTS FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE.
Its general Character. —Fifteen Letters to a young Relative pursuing
his Education. —Two to another young Relative.-Four to the fRev.
Dr. J. A. H. Cornell.-A Letter of Condolence to the Rev. Dr. De
Witt.
IN the discourse pronounced by the Rev. Dr. Campbell on the occasion of Mr. Frelinghuysen's death,
there occurs the following passage: " What a volume
of letters his vast correspondence on behalf of good
objects would furnish! Letters of condolence with
those who were in trouble-letters sending pecuniary aid and kind words to the daughters and widows
of old associates whom the reverses of life had overtaken-letters to the sons of old friends, who, prodigal-like, had wandered from the path of rectitudeletters in aid of the Bible, Tract, Missionary, Colonization, and Temperance causes, for all of which he labored, and gave, and prayed-letters to those upon
whom he pressed the claims of Christ-what a volume of letters it would make!  And I dare affirm
that he who will read all that vast correspondence of
the last forty-two years will not find one censorious
remark, one bitter expression."  There is no exaggeration in this statement. Mr. Frelinghuysen's correspondence was very large, and every letter bore the
stamp of his own generous, manly, Christian character.  In his later years writing became irksome to




CORRESPONDENCE.              193
him, and his letters rarely exceeded a single page, but
what was said answered the purpose. His reluctance
to write disappeared whenever the prospect of usefulness to the souls of men presented itself, and a full
heart quivered in every line of innumerable epistles.
The range of his correspondence was very wide, and
in no case where the circumstances would at all admit
of an allusion to the chief concern, did he fail to make
such allusion. The things of the kingdom held such
full and habitual possession of his mind that it was
easy to bring them forward, and his long training and
social culture enabled him to do it without giving offense or occasioning an unwelcome surprise.
The most of his letters are irrecoverably lost or dispersed. Of those which have been recovered, many
are so interwoven with private details and interests of
persons yet living as to be unfit for publication. A
score or more, composed mainly of such as were addressed to young friends, are here inserted, as showing under his own hand, in the most familiar and confidential utterances of his heart, what manner of man
he was.
The following are extracts from a series of letters
addressed from time to time to a young relative pursuing his studies away from home:
"MY DEAR,-We received your second letter
last evening, and regretted to learn that you had encountered so many difficulties in your going to W  -.
If I had thought that your way would have been so
difficult, I should have waited for some friend with
whom to send you. But I am thankful, my dear child,
that the Lord has been your friend. He, I trust, has
I




194        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
brought you safely to your residence. We miss you
much from our dear little circle, but your improvement under the many advantages of the college consoles us. Now is the season for you to lay the foundation for your future usefulness, and let me entreat
you to found it well in the fear of the Lord, in diligence to acquire solid learning, to store your mind
with the instructions of wisdom. Your Maker claims
your first, best thoughts. My dear ~, realize that
you are a sinner, that you need a Savior, and that
whatever else you may gain, if you do not secure an
interest in the mercy of God through the blood of His
dear Son, you will be an everlasting victim of His
wrath.
" Read daily the Word of God, and when you read,
pray over it that the Holy Spirit would open your understanding and heart to receive and love it.
" Be careful of your company. It is a truth written upon the grave of many a ruined youth that' evil
communications corrupt good manners.'
"'Discipline yourself to spend half an hour each
day in examining your condition and prospects. Dwell
on such questions as these: What am I? Where will
my present course endl?  What am I to do for God,
who gave me my being, my friends, and my all?
Could my dear father and mother speak to me from
the eternal world, what would be their counsels to
their child? Oh, my dear child, I feel my soul deeply anxious for your spiritual welfare. Let us so live
that we may forever live together in the presence of
our blessed God and Savior, with all the redeemed.
"Your affectionate uncle,'" THEO. FRELINGIIUYSEN.
"Saturday evening, Jan. 3, 1829."
"DEAR      -,-We received your last letter, and
are happy to learn of your health and welfare. That
you should occasionally feel the depressing influence




CORRESPONDENCE.              195
of a home-sick fever is natural, but you must take care
that it does not master you; and the best remedy
against it is steady employment for the mind in your
studies. It is now the season in which you are to fit
yourself for future usefulness. My dear, I hope
your aims will be high. I mean not that you should
cherish a vain ambition-far from this; but I mean
that you should strive after that substantial usefulness
which a well-educated mind, disciplined by study and
self-denial, will generally attain.
"You say nothing of the state of your feelings on
the most important of all subjects-how you stand affected toward your Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor.
He has claims, my dear child, which can not be disregarded without great danger and guilt; and I should
be wanting in faithfulness to your soul not thus affectionately to warn you that every day you put off repentance and submission to Christ you run an awful
hazard of eternal wretchedness. God has given you
His Word. He has at times brought you to the verge
of eternity, and made you feel how dreadful it was to
enter there with a heart unreconciled to Hinm. Now
be persuaded to defer no longer. Suffer not the precious season of youth to pass away, only to furnish
matter for bitter regrets. May the rich grace of the
blessed Redeemer be shed down upon your soul, and
do you earnestly pray for this daily. i  -'  x'" Very affectionately,   T. FRELINGHUYSEN.
"Newark, Feb. 5, 1829."
"DEAR,-I was much refreshed by your letter received last evening. I intended to write to you
from Washington, but my stay there was short and
hurried, and I arrived at home the evening before your
letter came, happy to learn of your health and welfare.
" The scenes at Washington were to me quite novel,
and, in some measure, interesting; but, my dear child,
they all confirmed the dictate of sound reason and religious truth that' man walketh in a vain show.' The




196        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
strifes of ambition that engage the whole energies of
many great men are unsatisfying, and more, they are
perplexing and delusive. An immortal mind can not
be filled with such vain satisfactions. God has formed us to enjoy Him, and when our powers are debased
and perverted to inferior purposes, we do violence to
the great end of our existence, and only furnish occasion for disappointment here, and, if left to our perverse choice, to everlasting confusion and wretchedness hereafter.
" I hope, from your remarks in your letter, that you
sometimes feel that religion is the one thing needful;
and if you realize, my dear ~, that it is your own
unbelief that prevents your enjoying the favor of God,
I beg you to be concerned at the condition in which
you stand before Him. He is waiting to be gracious.
IHe points you to the blood of His Son as your refuge.
He calls, invites, and commands you to turn unto Him
and live-to repent and believe, and be saved, or perish. Oh, will you resist all this, and go on in rebellion?
"Do you sometimes anxiously inquire, What shall
I do?  Fall down at the foot of the cross. There
mourn over this dreadful unbelief. Cry to Him who
is mighty to save that He would have mercy upon
you, that He would take away the heart of stone and
give a heart of flesh. Never raise up any other obstacle than a hard and perverse heart, and raise this as
the ground of all your guilt and wretchedness, which,
if not renewed by sovereign grace, will justly condemn
you forever. Make it your plea for mercy, and not
your apology for remaining in sin. I pray that the
Lord will in rich grace lead your soul to Himself.
Cherish every serious impression; endeavor to- fix
them upon your heart; remember it is not a light
thing, but for your life. *   * *
"Sincerely and affectionately yours,
"THEO. FRELINGHUYSEN,
6"INe wark4 March 25, 1829,"




CORRESPONDENCE.             197
" Washington, Jan. 27, 1832.
"DEAR -, -I am happy to hear that you are
again seated at your studies, and hope that no interruption will break in upon the diligent pursuit of your
professional duties. I hope, my dear, that you
feel the deep importance of a solid education. Lay
the foundations of usefulness in a thorough knowledge
of the whole range of medicine. But be not content
here. Draw from the sources of history and biography,
the springs of human action. Become familiar with
the noble specimens of taste and genius in the English
and Latin classics. Be, my son, an accomplished
scholar. But I should fail in my duty, as you would
in yours, if I did not urge, and you yield to it, that
you should seek first the kingdom of God. My dear, let me entreat you to look at this momentous
subject promptly; what shall we do when God takes
away the soul for eternity? Eternity! oh, how full
of meaning! How dreadful is that thought to a sinner who must be driven away! Pray over it, and
may the Lord lead you to himself.
"Yours very truly."
" Washington, Feb. 27, 1832.
"DEAR, -We duly received your letter on
Saturday, and are rejoiced to learn the interesting
state of religion in Mr. HI-'s church; and what increased our interest, and concern also, was to find that
your mind felt at such a season the comparative unimportance of all other mere worldly pursuits.
"My dear -., it is a deeply momentous crisis for
you. When the Lord comes near to you by His Spirit, and when, as I trust, His motions are felt upon your
heart, it makes the hour one of the most solemn on
this side of eternity. Be persuaded by all the just
claims which your Maker and Redeemer has to your
affection and service-by all that is precious in the
blood shed for your sins-by all that is valuable in




198         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
the favor of God or terrible in his eternal powers, now,
to-day, to surrender your heart to Him. Go mourning
over your sins, over your past ingratitude and rebellion, and, with the temper of the prodigal, seek the
reconciled face of your heavenly Father.
"How could the Lord malke terms more easy? That
He ever held out a hope on any terms is matter of
wonder with angels; but that His own blessed Son
should leave His glory to suffer and die that a way of
deliverance should be opened for the guilty children
of rebellious men, this, this is astonishing grace indeed. And shall we, shall you, my dear son, stand
out against such love, refuse to repent of your sins,
and reject this Savior?  Has your heart ever anxiously inquired, What shall I do?  Go to the throne
of grace, and plead for mercy and guidance. Cast
yourself upon God's sovereign pleasure. You can
take nothing that deserves His favor, but you can take
a broken heart for sin, and this is all He asks of you.
I commend you, my dear —, to this Infinite Grace,
and pray for you that your heart may turn from evcry idle vanity and all other refuges to the strong-hold
as a prisoner of hope.
" Very truly and affectionately yours."
"' Newark, September 10, 1832.
" DEAR --, —We received your letter from P,
and were glad to hear of your, safe arrival, and that
you seemed so far pleased with the situation. I hope
that you may soon be comfortably lodged, and in good
earnest improve the facilities offered for your improvement. It would have been very pleasant to have you
with us until the time of our returning to Washington, but your welfare was of still greater importance
than the comfort of your society. You must now settle it in your mind that the present session is to be a
time of serious business, hard study, and laborious investigation. To be useful in your profession, you




CORRESPONDENCE.             199
must enjoy the confidence of the public, and nothing
will secure this but skill, intelligence, and virtue. No
man ever became eminent in any service but through
severe and constant industry. Genius, without this,
is but a shining nothing, to dazzle and blaze a little,
nd then to pass away with no memorial of solid usefulness. Remember, my dear child, that all your advantages are a trust, to be accounted for to your
friends, to society, and, above all, to your Maker.
These confer corresponding obligations. Days and
months pass rapidly away, but every hour bears a record of our conduct, and, when the brief career of life
is concluded, everlasting consequences follow in inevitable connection. My dear, you must meet
these consequences. Oh, ponder deeply and prayerfully the solemn truth that you can never escape,
evade, or repel them. You have entered on the pilgrimage for eternity, and must go forward to realize
its retributions. The blessed God demands as His
reasonable service your heart with all its affections
and desires, and do you not feel that you justly owe
all to Him? What kindness and mercy has He not
strewed all along your path? Who provided for you
all the blessings which so richly crown your life? Often, when disease has invaded and threatened to cut
you down, who was it that rebuked the sickness, and
healed, and bade you live? And what does the Lord
require of you but that you repent of all your sins,
and receive and rejoice in His dear Son? Be persuaded to bow before His throne of mercy, and render
up your powers to the service of your generous and
unwearied Benefactor. Then you will have a sure
refuge in every season of trial, and a resting-place from
a world of anxiety and trouble.
"May you enjoy the best of your heavenly Father's
blessings, share in His love, and be kept by His Spirit.
"Yours very truly."




200         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
"i Newark, September 6, 1833.
"1MY DEAR —, —As I know that you will feel a
little of the low spirits which occasionally come over
us when separated from those who are dear to us, I
concluded to drop you a few lines. I deeply feel the
trial of parting from you, and am only reconciled to it
by the persuasion that your welfare will be promoted
by the change in your plans. It is an anxious purpose with us to have you qualified for solid usefulness
in your profession, and we should forego the sincere
pleasure of your society for the attainment of this important object.
" These separations, my dear son, are of merciful ordainment, with all their pains. They are designed to
lead our souls up to the blessed God, the only satisfying portion; all below is transitory and vain. His favor is life eternal. By our sins we have forfeited this
rich blessing; and yet He offers us restoration, on
terms glorious to His mercy. -He speaks to, nay,
He pleads with you,'My son, give me thine heart.'
Come with ingenuous sorrow for sin, believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and all will be well, your sins forgiven, and your precious soul accepted.
"I hope we shall often hear from you, and I commend you, my dear, to the grace and favor of a
kind and gracious Father.
"Very sincerely and affectionately yours."
" Newark, October 28, 1833.
"DEAR,-I received your acceptable letter on
my return from Bergen Court on Friday evening last.
It gave me sincere and great pleasure to learn of your
welfare, and that your studies had become so agreeable to your taste. I hope, my dear son, that you will
not relax your industrious exertions to master your
useful profession in all its branches. It is knowledge
here, as in all science, that will found safely and surely successful enterprise. Do not take a zest in the




CORRESPONDENCE.             201
mere physical branches. Remember that the laws and
operations of the mind are intimately connected with
your profession, and this opens a wide and deeply interesting range for study and reflection. And, above
all, my dear —, remember with prayerful conviction that it is a mind in ruins, a spirit that has destroyed its moral beauty by rebellion against its blessed and glorious Author. Here I rejoice to know that
your Bible is of daily perusal. Search its divine pages
as for your life. Pray to be guided to the only Physician for this dreadful malady, even to the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners.
4" * * * I wish the best blessings of Heaven
on your plans in prospect, and hope they may realize
your hopes.
" Very truly and affectionately yours."
"Washington, Feb. 18, 1834.
DEAR --, My public engagements have pressed very heavily upon me, or I should oftener have
written to you through the winter. I have heard of
you, by various ways, during your home visit. You
must have greatly enjoyed the sight and society of
your friends. But what gives me more pleasure than
all besides is the report of your studious habits and
correct deportment. Here my feelings are all ardently enlisted, and the best and sweetest return for all
our anxious cares is your personal welfare and good
conduct. I said the best; but, my dear- son, I must
make one exception, a vital and fundamental one.
There is a dearer wish that I cherish for you: that
you may turn away from the vain show of this perishing world, and place your affections on Him whose
you are, and whom you are bound to love and serve.
This, my dear —, is the highest wisdom.'Seek the
Lord while He may be found.'
"Yours very truly."
12




202        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
" Washington, June 2, 1834.
"MY DEAR —, Your letter to Aunt C — was
duly received, and we are glad to find that you are
well, studious, and home-sick. I long again to have
you, with F ——, by my side, riding the roan and buying the seabass. Home will be very sweet. I hope
we shall get away by the 1st of July.
"I should think you had learned enough of the
bones to set them when broken, and of the constitution to patch it somewhat when out of order; but this
I leave with the doctors. IIow does it fare with the
mind? There is a great salvation wrought out for us
at infinite cost. It has been tendered to you, my son,
in repeated offers, under many favorable circumstances. Your eternal destiny depends on your treatment
of it, and where does it stand in your regard? Do
not, I beg of you, hurry over this subject as one which
you expect to have referred as a -matter of course by
me. It is a deep, personal, practical concern. Could
we realize in any measure its vast importance, its connection with ages of interminable existence, our wonder would be that we could feel so little anxiety. May
the good Spirit of God guide you into all truth, and
to a happy choice, that when death shall summon you
away (and, my dear —, this may be soon, and can
not, at the longest, be very far), you may be ready to
meet your Maker and Judge in peace.
" Yours very truly."
"Newark, Nov. 13, 1834.
"DEAR -—,-I am happy to learn from your letters that you are at hard study. I know that it is
wholesome. The brain needs action. It is like a flint
-to have fire you must strike it. And this calls up
another forcible illustration. Look at the hardy forgeman, with his brawny arm and vigorous sinew. What
gave him all this but swinging the ponderous sledge
that he holds. Once it made him pant to wield it;




CORRESPONDENCE.             203
now he can toss it as a plaything. So it is with the
mind. If you wish to give it strength, and tone, and
compass, you must put its powers to the trial, bring
them out to stern, severe, and laborious exercise.
There is but one way to eminence, and it is not a royal road. It is rough, thorny, up-hill, full of lions to the
indolent and faint-hearted, but, with all its adversities,
delightful to the earnest and enthusiastic. To them
it repays, as they struggle up and over its difficulties.
"And thus too, my dear son, would you attain the
far more exalted place, even a place and a name among
the followers of the Lord of life and glory. You must
strive to enter it; give all diligence; pray with all
prayer and supplication; deny yourself, and renounce
this vain world as a portion. You must come down
as a humble penitent to the foot of the cross; there,
where the blessed Son of God shed His own blood for
the remission of sin-there confess all your transgressions, and look up in His name to a gracious God, if,
peradventure, He will look upon you in mercy, and
receive you to His everlasting favor. His promise is
sure and large as the world:' IIim that cometh unto
me I will in no wise cast out.' Believe this precious
declaration, cast your soul upon it, and all will be well
with you. *  *  *
"Very truly and affectionately yours."
" Washington, December 3, 1834.
"DEAR —,-Your favor was duly received, and
we are glad to learn that your cold is better. I think
you must enjoy the delights of study; no cares except
the student's, so far as this world is concerned, and a
regular and systematic course of study. The latter is
invaluable to literary advancement. By-and-by the
knock of the patient and the calls of business will interrupt all this order. Therefore, my son, improve
the present occasion, and while anxious to learn how
you may heal the maladies of the body, do not forget




204        LIFE OF FRELINGITUYSEN.
that sin has spread its poison over your soul, and look
to the great Physician who alone can heal.
" I send you a copy of the Message. It has length
and variety; a little too harsh upon France, and a
great deal too severe against the Bank. It exhibits
the tact of its authors. But enough of politics; I am
very tired of them. It will be, my son, very pleasant
to meet again at our own fireside, and there rejoice together in the goodness of our heavenly Father.
"Yours very truly."
" Washington, December 5, 1834.
"MY DEAR, Your letter was received this
morning and read with deep interest. I rejoice to
learn that your mind has been so long impressed with
the importance of religion and of making your peace
with God, and the recent and unexpected breach upon
our little circle should increase your anxiety. It does
speak to us all in affecting language to be also ready
when the summons comes. That a merciful God has
restrained you by His grace from the commission of
many sins is matter for unceasing thankfulness; that
you can trace His kind hand in all this is encouragement for you to cast your soul upon His grace, and
give yourself away to His service forever. Religion
concerns the state of the heart toward God. By nature this is at enmity with Him. Can you require
farther proof of this than your own past course?
Have you not preferred the world or your own interest to Him? Do you not feel a proneness to get away
from God, and to place your affections supremely on
other objects than Him and His service?  All this
must be mourned and repented of. The way of salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ must be approved of
and trusted in. Christ died for our sins, that we might
be pardoned through faith in His blood. God will
not accept our righteousness, but requires us to believe
in His Son for righteousness.'IHe that believeth




CORRESPONDENCE.              205
shall be saved.' Is your heart willing to be saved in
this way-a way that gives all the glory of your salvation to Christ, and humbles and strips the sinner of
all merit? So far, my son, as pardon and justification
are concerned, God has been graciously pleased to
make this depend on our belief and acceptance. Christ
offers us peace freely, without money and without
price, and if we will, He is abundantly willing to save
us. Read and pray over the third chapter of the Gospel of John. There our blessed Savior brings out the
love of God, the condescension and grace of the Redeemer, and the only way of salvation.
" One of your dangers will or may arise from your
heart being unwilling to go to Christ without some
other reliance-on your prayers, or good resolutions,
or breaking off the practice of sin. But God requires
you to come, guilty and helpless as you are, and trust
all to His infinite grace.  Receive the Savior, and then
you will love and strive to be holy. Faith works by
love and purifies the heart.
"My dear —, this is a most solemn crisis for your
soul. Be in earnest, my son. -Be constant in prayer
for His divine teaching. Pray over His Word, especially the Gospels, and particularly the whole of John.
And, in addition, I recommend to you Doddridge's' Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul.' It has
been blessed to thousands. Oh, that it may be so to
you!  Be not ashamed of the religion of the Gospel.
The adversary, the world, probably your own heart,
may try you here. Believe not their false and wicked suggestions. Religion is the glory of our nature.
Ashamed of the service of the Infinite God!-a worm
of the dust guilty of such hateful pride —that service
in which the purest and most exalted spirits around
His throne delight to engage as the highest glory of
their natures! No wonder our Savior denounces the
awful malediction on all such,'Whosoever shall be
ashamed of me and of my words, of him also shall the




206         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Son of Man be ashamed when He cometh in His
glory.'
"If Mr. J — be still in -, I hope you will converse freely with him. Hle is a judicious, excellent
counselor. He loves you as a friend, and loves your
soul. My dear son, be sober, be vigilant. Watch unto
prayer. Strive to enter in at the strait gate. And
may the Lord in infinite mercy guide, and enlighten,
and save you, is the fervent prayer of
"Yours very sincerely and affectionately."
"Washington, December 17, 1834.
"MY DEAR —,-I have just read and been deeply interested in your letter. I am rejoiced to learn
that you feel a measure of your own foulness as well
as guilt. Be not too soon discouraged, my son. Bless
the Lord that He has given you any sense of your
character and condition, and led you to feel at all your
need of a Savior. Pray for His Spirit to teach, and
sanctify, and strengthen you. Cast your soul entirely
upon the infinite grace of God in Jesus Christ. Stay
not back for worthiness; the best preparation is to realize your unworthiness. I send you a precious little
volume that I pray may be helpful to you. It is by
one of the best men of England. It is rich in thought
and scriptural directions.: Let us hear soon again from
you. I am vividly anxious for your eternal welfare.
"Yours very truly."
" Washington, January 13, 1835.
" MY DEAR  —,-Your very grateful and satisfactory letter was received yesterday morning, and I trust
that my heart does in some feeble measure bless the
Lord that He has led you by His Spirit, as I hope, out
of nature's darkness and from the reigning power of
sin to the love of His blessed and holy character, law,
and service. I have never desired for you the great
things of this world, but that you might have a portion among His own children. The matters of which




CORRESPONDENCE.              207
you speak as depressing your spirits should not dishearten you.
"My dear son, this life is a trial of faith and patience, of conflict and endurance.  Our joy is in the
promise,'My grace shall be sufficient for thee. My
strength shall be made perfect in weakness.' Repair,
then, constantly to the throne of grace. Strive to walk
with God, to be daily and hourly in the exercise of
believing prayer and humble confidence. Love your
closet and your Bible. Keep near to these means of
grace. The closet is a fountain of living influences.
But, above all, look to the Author of all these means
that He would make them effectual.
"I will write soon to our dear —.  I pray that
her heart may be touched by the Holy Spirit and
quickened into life, convinced of sin and recovered to
the service of God. I hope you will write to —,
and be faithful to his soul.' Very truly and affectionately yours."
The ensuing was addressed to another young relative on the choice of a profession:
"Newark, September 24, 1833.
" MY DEAR NEPHEW, -I duly received your favor,
and, in respect to the pursuit of your studies, I think
i; preferable to enter Mr. —'s office. The advantage of his experience and counsels will far more than
remunerate the expense. Perhaps it will be better to
wait until after the fall election, for probably he may
again fill the —'s chair. So far as to advice upon
a specific case stated.
" Now I must beg a moment's attention to the whole
matter. You desire, I trust, to take that station which
will most glorify your Redeemer by your labors in
His cause. Now is it clear to your mind that such
place is at the bar? The profession is crowded with
lawyers-many more now in it than can be usefully
employed. I know this is not a sufficient reason to




208         LIFE OF FRELINGHIUYSEN.
debar one who will bring industry and piety to his
aid; but still it is an item to be weighed. The call
for laborers in the Lord's vineyard is louder and louder every day. Thousands are now needed to bear the
message of life and salvation to a dying world; and
will not the gracious returns be sweet and precious
through eternal ages, of a life devoted in self-denying
efforts to win souls to the Lord Jesus Christ?  You
have talents well fitted to the pulpit, and I commend
the case to your careful consideration. Weigh it well;
ponder it in all its relations; pray earnestly for Divine
direction; and may the Spirit of all truth guide you
in this important matter.
" Remember, my dear nephew, that to decide safely
you must strive to regard the claim as single, and involved in the proper answer to the inquiry, How shall
I best live to the glory of my Maker and the good of
my fellow-men?             Yours very truly."
To another he wrote thus:
"Newark, June 23, 1838.
" nMY DEAR NEPHEW, —There has been a chasm in
our correspondence that I intended to prevent by an
earlier reply to your last letter; but my engagements
have been unusually pressing the present season, and
left me little time or leisure in my office. I was grat.
ified by the general spirit of your remarks on the subject of religion, but, my dear —, I wish you to regard this great subject with a more personal and practical consideration. One of my fears for you is delay
— a postponement of the soul's eternal interests from
one period to another, on a sort of indefinite assurance
to your own mind, not very distinctly made, that it
shall in the future receive its due reflection and concern.
" Now you have no hold upon the future. God has
it all, with every breath of our nostrils, under His absolute control.  He may grant many days; He may




CORRESPONDENCE.              209
cut them off in a moment, long before the noon. He
claims, my dear son, your best affections, your time,
your whole heart. In His Gospel He meets you as a
fallen sinner, not in His wrath, but in His mercy, and
offers to pardon your sins and smile upon you with
His favor if you will return in the exercise of a penitent heart, believing in His blessed Son as your Savior. Surely these terms are easy and reasonable. We
may have eternal life if we will choose it. We may
have an atoning Savior if we will accept of Him, and
yield our hearts to His service. We may hope in the
mercy of God if we will forsake our sins and return
to His service.
"Life and death are thus set before you. All that
is glorious in heaven and terrible in the world of despair press upon your attention to consider-now,
while you are a prisoner of hope, while God waits to
be gracious, that you would forsake your sins and fly
to the Savior.
"Seek the light and strength of His blessed Spirit
to enlighten your mind and to enable you to lay firm
hold of the Gospel hope. That you may be thus
guided and blessed is among the constant prayers of
" Yours affectionately."
The following characteristic letters were addressed
to the Rev. James A. H. Cornell, D.D.:
"'New Brunswick, March 4, 1854.
" MY DEAR NEPHEIEW,-I am concerned to find that
you are still so much of an invalid, but rejoice in the
tokens of returning health. I suppose that your heart
to labor was rather stronger than the frame-work in
which it beats, and when this is the case it will strike
against the sides, and thus vindicate the rights of the
poor body.
" But I hope and must believe that you have enjoyed some sweet seasons in your suffering. There
is a precious kind of logic in God's Word which does




210         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
not need any syllogism to give it strength.'Rejoice
in tribulation; for tribulation worketh patience, and
patience experience, and experience hope, and hope
maketh not ashamed.' The fruits are so rich and comforting; and, when the pains are past, these remain to
cheer and bless us here and forever.
"May you soon be enabled to show your dear people how faithful and true is the everlasting covenant.
With best regards to your good wife.
"Very truly yours."
" New Brunswick, April 24, 1860.
"'DEAR NEPHEW, —I am quite anxious to hear of
your welfare. A severe influenza for a fortnight has
detained me from New York, so that I am uninformed of your condition and plans. I concluded to provoke a letter by a letter. I hope that you are better,
and will soon move again in your cherished labors in
your blessed Master's vineyard.
" Since I saw you we have parted with Brother
Judd. He died full of peace, in sweet and tranquil
hope. It was very grateful to witness the affectionate
respect to his memory at the funeral in Bloomfield.
A committee of his Montgomery Church attended,
and a very large concourse of his Bloomfield congregation and the surrounding churches of Newark, Caldwell, Orange, etc., etc. It was a beautiful illustration
of the word of promise,' The memory of the just is
blessed.' It is a blessed Gospel which, as Robert Hall
remarked, takes up its friends where the world forsakes its votaries. Bloomfield provided the burial lot,
inclosed by a neat iron fence. Montgomery and Catskill have resolved to erect the monument to the memory of their beloved minister. *  *  *
" Very truly yours."
"New Brunswick, April 1, 1861.
"DEAR NEPHEW, -I learned with great concern
from the papers that the state of your health had con



CORRESPONDENCE.               211
strained you to resign your place in the Education Society.* I sympathize with you in this trial. I trust
the needed relaxation will, by the blessing of Divine
Providence, soon restore you, and that a large measure of usefulness in the Gospel ministry will yet remain for you.
"Your agency has been richly compensated in its
abundant fruits-fruits that will be felt for generations to come in time, and that will flow over to the
ages of eternity. Our Dutch Church owes you much
for the enlargement of her borders and the increase of
her ministry.
"When the weather softens, it will be a very good
restorative for you to make us a visit with your good
wife, and take a look on the ground of your labors,
and see whether the plants you put in here have taken
root, and how they grow. It will cheer me amid many
perplexing cares of the college, and I hope will refresh you. *' *
1" A few lines from you will also do good to me and
to yourself. It is the next best to the sight of a friend.
These trials of health and patience are part of the' all
things that work together for good to them that love
God.' How sweet is the consolation to take the trial
to the throne, and plead for and expect the benefit.
The very recourse to God that it urges is itself a rich
blessing, as is any cause which brings us near to our
Savior and keeps us there.
" Very truly and affectionately yours."
I"New Brunswick, Feb. 7, 1862.
"DEAR NEPHEWT, —It seems a long time since I
have heard from you or of you. I have been meditating an assault in this mode for some days, and this
not only to hear a word of your welfare, but also to
assure you that you have the same warm place in my
* Dr. Cornell had been for some years the Secretary of the Board
of Education of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church.




212         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
remembrance that you have always held. And how
is it with you? Is your health improved? Hath patience its perfect work?  Do you feel thankful for its
trials?
" How is your good wife? We often speak of you.
We have had a winter of much ill health. My good
wife was confined for four weeks by a serious cough,
and I for ten days. But the Lord has kindly restored
us. The students have suffered much; four are now
recovering from fevers. *  *  *
" Very truly yours."
In the autumn of the year 1861, the Rev. Dr. De
Witt -was bereaved of his youngest daughter, a young
lady of uncommon excellence. Soon afterward the
following note was addressed by Mr. Frelinghuysen to
his intimate friends, the mourning parents:
"New Brunswick, Nov. 7, 1861.
"MY DEAR AFFLICTED FRIENDS,-I deeply feel and
mourn your severe bereavement. My heart bleeds
with you and for you. There is no alleviation from
earth, or I would earnestly seek it for you; but there
is precious consolation in the thought that the Lord
has done it-that it is a part of His counsels from everlasting-that every stage of it, with every pain, and
sigh, and tear-not one more nor one less, formed the
scheme of His dispensation. And, my dear friends,
is it not a sweet comfort to remember that' He knows
your sorrows,' and His compassionate heart says to
you,' Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will
deliver thee?' May His gracious Spirit be with you,
to sustain your afflicted hearts, and enrich you with
the choicest fruits of sanctified tribulation!  In all
which my dear wife unites.
" Very truly your friend and brother in the best of
bonds.
"The Rev. Dr. and Mrs. De Witt."




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 213
CHAPTER XII.
CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS.
A. B. C. F. M.-American Bible Society.-American Tract Society.
- American Colonization Society. —American Sunday - school
Union.-American Temperance Union.
FRnoM an early period of his life Mr. Frelinghuysen
was in the habit of advocating on the platform the
claims of organized Christian benevolence. This habit
was due not to any zeal for notoriety or any love for
the excitements of popular speaking, but to his deep
interest in philanthropic enterprises, and his earnest
desire to do what he could for the welfare of his fellow-men. His name, and position, and character added attractiveness to his speech, and his efforts were received with general acceptance. Being thus brought
into contact with those intrusted with the direction of
the great benevolent associations of the age, and the
benefits of his counsel and influence being perceived,
he was gradually introduced into a closer connection
with their interior working, and a more responsible
position in their management. This extended so far
that it may be truly said that no American layman
was ever associated with so many great national organizations of religion and charity. He was or had
been president of no less than four, while his name is
found upon the list of officers of all the rest, with
scarcely an exception.




214         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
The institution over which he presided for the longest term of years, and in which his interest was the
most deeply cherished, was the AMERICAN BOARD OF
COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS, founded at
Boston in 1810, well known throughout Christendom
for the faith of its founders, the wisdom of its management, the wide extent of its operations, the zeal, ability, and piety of its laborers, and the large success
which has attended its efforts. He was chosen one of
its corporate members in 1826, and attended its annual meetings as often as circumstances permitted.
His farther connection with the Board is well shown
in the following extract from a communication made
to the author by the Rev. Dr. Treat, one of the secretaries:
"Mr. Frelinghuysen was chosen President of the
Board in 1841. No selection could have been more
acceptable to our entire constituency. His career as
a member of the United States Senate had secured for
him a most enviable reputation. As a man of integrity and ability he had the respect of all. As a Christian and philanthropist he stood second to none. Much
as Jerseymen loved and honored him, it admits of a
serious question whether others were a whit behind
them in this regard.
" During the sixteen years of his presidency, nothing occurred to lessen the esteem in which he was
held. His deportment in the chair, always dignified
and courteous-his annual address, always earnest
and effective-made him a universal favorite. It was
with the profoundest regret, therefore, that we saw
him relinquish his position. WTe felt that we were




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 215
parting from a dear and venerable friend who had
long been the central figure in our pleasant convocations.
" The reason of his withdrawal is thus stated in a letter written by him to the nominating committee of
the Board, dated Providence, September 10, 1857:
"' DEAR BRETHREN,-The recent action of the General Synod of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church,
of which I am an humble member, in deciding hereafter to conduct their foreign missions on their own
distinct Church organization, renders it becoming and
proper for me to decline, as I hereby do, a nomination
and choice to the office of president of your Board.
The generous Christian confidence that first elected,
and has long continued me in that place of distinguished honor, will be among the precious recollections
of my life. With deep personal regret I part with
you.'
"The committee appointed to express the sense of
the Board, in view of its bereavement, reported the
following resolutions, which were cordially adopted:
"' Resolved, That in addition to the deep regret which
this Board has experienced in the separation, not in
feeling, but in action, from our brethren of the Reformed Dutch Church, we feel that our trial is rendered
more severe, and our regret more deep, by the fact
that, in consequence of the sundering of these ties, we
have also been compelled to relinquish our beloved
presiding officer.
"'Resolved, That this Board have received with deep
emotion and unaffected grief the communication from
our late president in which he declines to be a candidate for renomination or re-election.
"'Resolved, That we can not permit him to retire
from an office which he has filled to such universal
acceptance for a period of sixteen years without an




216         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
expression, not simply of regret at parting, but also of
our high appreciation of the valuable services which
he has rendered during his period of office.:'Resolvecl, That in THEODORE FRELINGHUYSEN we
have found combined qualifications which singularly
fitted him to preside over the deliberations of such a
body; bringing to the discharge of his official duties
ripe experience in parliamentary rules and forms,
promptness, accuracy, and impartiality in the transaction of business, keen insight into character, tact and
judgment in facilitating the dispatch of business, uniform courtesy in his intercourse with all the members
of the Board-wisely and happily blending mildness,
and even gentleness, with unhesitating firmness and
energy; one of whom we can safely say we have not
known his superior as a presiding officer; and combining with these peculiar qualifications for his station
warm-hearted piety and fervid eloquence.
"' Resolved, That we tender to Hlon. Theodore Frelinghuysen our cordial wishes that he may yet enjoy
many years of usefulness and happiness in his new
field of honorable duty.'
" These resolutions were prepared by one who has
enjoyed a large acquaintance with deliberative assemblies, and who therefore knows whereof he affirms.
" For reasons which were perfectly satisfactory, Mr.
Frelinghuysen refused to make a farewell address at
Providence; but, a few days later, he sent a letter to'the secretaries and presidential committee,' which I
will transfer to these pages. It is as follows:
"' IDEAR BRETHREN,-In our interesting interviews
at Providence, I suggested that the matter of a farewell speech I could better arrange by letter; that the
separation involved to me so much of feeling that I
could not well intrust it to a public occasion. When
our several Christian denominations, the Congregational, Old and New School Presbyterian, and the Reform



CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 217
ed Protestant Dutch, all labored in love together on
benighted and heathen fields, it struck me as a beautiful type of our blessed Master's religion in its aspects
toward these lands of darkness. The heathen saw
that, indeed, the followers of Christ were'one;' one
in profession, in principle, and in action; that they
who thought alike could and did work together. But
it seems that this good time is yet to wait. I believe
that we shall hail this blessed temper in universal
prevalence, when the salvation of our fellow-men shall
so fill our anxieties and our prayers, so shape our
plans and quicken all our endeavors, that Christians
will have time only to rejoice that in so many things
they agree, and will want time and heart to detect and
expose the few unessential things in which they may
differ. For this heavenly union let us, dear brethren,
pray and labor.
"' In parting from you, I feel as a child parting from
a venerated and beloved mother. Like a mother you
have cherished us, when we were few and feeble. You
took us under the wings of your care, and linked our
interests together. WVe thank you for all your kindness. We thank God for the precious seasons of
Christian privilege that we have enjoyed together.
We have often gone up to the heights of Zion, and
looked down upon this dark world, and traced the
footsteps of our wonder-working God and Redeemer.
And from these " heavenly places" we have together
hailed the first streaks of the morning, the sure tokens
of that coming glory which the Sun of Righteousness
shall shed upon this benighted and sin-stricken world.
These hallowed seasons will be for grateful thanksgiving in that blessed world where partings never grieve,
and the past shall be recalled only to augment the
pleasures of a sanctified memory.
"' As the American Board was the first Christian
association to which, in my youth, I found it a privilege to give, so it shall continue to receive the yearly
vT




218        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
contributions of a very humble store, as God shall
prosper me.
"' With affectionate regards, dear brethren, very sincerely your friend and brother in the best of bonds,
"' THEO. FRELINGHUYSEN.'
" To this communication, one of the secretaries, in
behalf of the prudential committee and of his associates, replied,' For yourself personally we shall ever
cherish the highest regard and the warmest Christian
affection. Your whole course in respect to the Board
has been such that we could not wish it to have been
otherwise, and we have no doubt that this is the universal sentiment among the members and friends of
the Board. These delightful and hallowed seasons
which we have spent together on earth will be remembered in heaven, increasing the richness and sweetness
of that blessed communion of saints which will have
no interruption and know no end.'
"Allow me to say that my own acquaintance with
Mr. Frelinghuysen commenced in the spring of 1836,
when I became pastor of the Third Presbyterian
Church in Newark. I had formed a very high estimate of his character, but when I knew him personally my regard for him only increased. I have often
said Mr. Frelinghuysen is one of the select few whose
greatness does not contract upon a nearer approach.
"I am, dclear sir, very respectfully and fraternally
yours,        S. B. TREAT, Sec. of A. B. C. F. M."
AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY.
The constancy and thoroughness of Mr. Frelinghuysen's devotional study of the Scriptures has already
been mentioned. The rich experimental knowledge
he thus attained of the value of the Sacred Volume
naturally led him to take a deep interest in all proper
schemes for increasing the circulation of it among all




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 219
classes of men. He did much in this respect in a private way all his life, and at the same time cordially
co-operated with the great national institution founded for the purpose in the year 1816. A succinct statement of his connection with the American Bible Society is given in the following letter, kindly furnished
by one of the secretaries:
"Bible House, Astor Place, New York, March 3, 1863.
" REV. T. VW. CHAMBERS, D.D.:
"DEAR BROTHER,-At your request I submit the
following brief statement respecting the services of
the late Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen during the thirty-two years of his official relations to the American
Bible Society.
"In 1830 he was elected a vice-president, in the
room of that eminent Christian jurist, the Hon. Andrew Kirkpatrick, chief justice of the Supreme Court
of New Jersey, who had deceased a short time before.
In the year 1846 he was unanimously elected to the
presidency of the institution, succeeding the Hon.
John Cotton Smith, of Connecticut, who for fifteen
years previous to his death, in a ripe old age, had occupied the high station. (The date of this election
was April 2, 1846.) Mr. Frelinghuysen was not the
least of the illustrious men who have filled the presidency of the American Bible Society, and his name
will be cherished by all who can appreciate the memories of Elias Boudinot, John Jay, Richard Varick,
and John Cotton Smith-men whose services were
given to the state and the Church with the power of
a noble Christian consecration. The following is his
letter of acceptance of the office:
"' Newark, April, 17,1846.
"' GENTLEMEN,-Your favor of the 3d inst., informing me of my appointment to the office of President
of the American Bible Society, has been duly received.




220         LIFE OF FRELINGIIUYSEN.
I am deeply impressed with the honor done me by
this mark of confidence on the part of the Board of
Managers. And, in accepting the important station
proffered, it shall be my earnest purpose, after my humble measure, to co-operate with the Board of Managers
in giving increased circulation to that sacred Book,
which reveals the best and only lasting hope for ourselves, our country, and the world.
"'With great esteem, gentlemen, your obedient
servant,                TIIEO. FRELINGIIUYSEN.
"'Messrs. P. G. Stuyvesant,)
J. C. Brigham,  Com. of Board.'
Joseph Hyde,      )' During his residence in this city as Chancellor of
the University of New York, he frequently presided
at the meetings of the Board of Managers, where his
presence was ever welcomed and his counsels were
valued. He adorned his place with peculiar dignity,
grace, and administrative ability, while his courtesy,
candor, and decision made him the model of a presiding officer in a body whose meetings have always been
distinguished for an order and a spirit which befit the
great cause they have advanced to its present proportions. HIe was not a member of the standing committees, although his advice was doubtless sought by all
of them when needed. During the seventeen years
of his presidency, Mr. Frelinghuysen was present at
every anniversary of the society, and delivered the
opening address on each of these great public religious assemblies. These productions were brief, pointed, classical in style, varied in matter, fragrant with
the spirit of the Bible, full of unction and wisdom.
They were delivered with that silver-tongued eloquence of which he was a master, and on certain occasions produced grand effects upon his audiences, while
they were always welcomed with favor. Most of these
addresses were printed in the reports of the society
and other documents, and I am persuaded that a col



CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 221
lection of them would add not a little to the treasures
of an eloquence which should not be left to the traditional memories of a generation that is fast passing
away.
"The greatest service which Mr. Frelinghuysen
rendered to this institution was by the continual power of his name, character, and influence. He was the
representative man of our American evangelical catholic Christianity, and as such it was fitting that his
most eminent position during the last seventeen years
of his life should have been-what he himself regarded as the highest honor conferred on him by menthe presidency of the American Bible Society.
4" I append the testimony of the Board of Managers
after his lamented death. The preamble and resolutions were prepared and presented by his successor in
the office of president, the Hon. Luther Bradish.
"With warm personal recollections and high veneration of our noble friend, and praying that your
memorial of him may, by the blessing of God, long
perpetuate his good name, I am yours, very fraternally,         WILLIAM J. R. TAYLOR,
Cor. Sec. Am. Bible Society.
"' Whereas, In the dispensations of Providence, the
Honorable Theodore Frelinghuysen, long the beloved
president of this society, has been removed from the
scene of his activity and usefulness here to his final
rest and reward; therefore
"'Resolved, That this society, while it bows in humble submission to this deeply afflictive dispensation,
desires to place on record an expression of its high
appreciation of the character and services of the deceased, and of its deep sense of the loss the society,
the Church, and the community have sustained in his
death.
"'Resolved, That the life of the distinguished deceased, whether passed in the councils of his country,
in its higher educational or charitable institutions, or




222         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
in his social and private relations, was a bright and
beautiful illustration of the principles and teaching of
that Bible he loved so well, and labored so zealously
to extend to the benighted and the destitute. Those
precious principles and that divine teaching were the
constant subject of his earnest thoughts and deepest
affections. They not only formed the standard of his
faith, but were the uniform and governing rule of his
daily life. By them he lived, and by them he died.
They moulded his character here, and were the unfailing foundation of his hopes hereafter.
"'Resolved, That while the society mourns the loss
of such a colaborer in the prosecution of its high and
benevolent objects, it is deeply grateful for the example of such a character as that of its distinguished associate-a character whose influence is not confined
to the narrow limits of the life or the circle in which
it was manifested, but will be as extensive and enduring as the memory of what is highest and purest in
the history of humanity.
"'Resolved, That while thus recording its own, the
society desires to express its deep sympathy in the
grief of the immediate family of the deceased, at the
loss of one so endeared to them, and so exemplary in
all the tender relations of domestic life.
"'Resolved, That the above preamble and resolutions be entered at large upon the journal of the society, and that a copy thereof, duly authenticated, be
communicated to the family of the deceased.'
AFRICAN COLONIZATION.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's interest in this important enterprise was intense and life-long. At the very beginning it came to him commended by the character
of the founder of the American Colonization Society.
This was the Rev. Dr. Finley, under whose instructions
he had been prepared for college at the beginning of




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 223
the century. But his attachment to the cause did not
depend upon personal influences so much as upon its
own intrinsic merits. Having been himself a slaveholder by inheritance, and personally familiar with
the condition and character of the negro race, his benevolent sympathies were aroused by the prospect of
restoring them, with their own consent, to the land of
their forefathers, there to erect a free Christian commonwealth. His sober reflection confirmed the impulses of his heart, and he became a stanch advocate
and supporter of the colonization scheme. He candidly considered the various objections which from
time to time were raised against the enterprise, but his
original convictions of its philanthropy and expediency
never wavered. He contributed largely to its funds,
gave his counsels to its officers, advocated its claims
upon the platform, and devoted the only article he
ever contributed to a quarterly review to a defense of
its character and policy.
The following letter from the Rev. Dr. R. R. Gurley
presents some interesting reminiscences of his early
and prolonged attachment to this great scheme of enlightened philanthropy:
"Washington, Office of the Colonization Society,
July 1, 1862.
"MY DEAR SIR,-I am most happy to learn that
you are preparing a memoir of my lamented and everto-be-honored friend, Mr. Frelinghuysen, whom it was
a privilege for any one to know, and hardly less so to
commemorate. He was so humble as not to seek for
human praise, yet so disinterested that I believe he
would take pleasure in knowing that others were
moved to admiration and imitation of his illustrious
example, although felt by him to be dim in the light




224        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
and power of a Greater. It was his happiness to study,
in all the relations of life, the character of that holy
and just One, who did no sin, neither was guile found
in his mouth. Few men have ever approached nearer
to the perfection of the Author and Finisher of the
Christian faith.
"It is about forty years ago since I first met Mr.
Frelinghuysen, in his own house at Newark, in company with several gentlemen who were invited to confer together in regard to the application of a fund, in
the hands of Mr. Jefferson, for the education of female
colored children, and which a society in New Jersey
hoped might be placed by the trustee, Mr. Lea (to
whom it had been conveyed by Mr. Jefferson), at their
disposal. The meeting was rendered exceedingly
agreeable and instructive by the conversation of Mr.
Frelinghuysen, and the earnestness and kindness with
which he entered into the benevolent object for which
it had been convened. The sudden decease of Mr.
Lea, and the attempt of the heirs of Kosciusko to defeat the object of the testator, led the society to abandon their benevolent scheme. But from that time
Mr. Frelinghuysen evinced an ardent and constant interest in the design of the American Colonization Society, and became one of its most generous and able
friends. HIe subscribed liberally to the publication of
the Life of Ashmun, subscribed one thousand dollars
[to the purposes of the society], on the plan of Gerrit
Smith (paying one hundred dollars a year for ten
years), and gave generously to the cause to the closing years of his life.
"For many years he sustained the office of vicepresident of the society; he ever stood ready to afford
his best counsels to the directors, and he pleaded with
the persuasiveness and power of his eloquence for Africa and her dispersed and afflicted children. As a
statesman, his unblemished morality and eminent
Christian character gave great weight to his opinions;




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 225
and his warm devotedness to all patriotic objects, as
well as those embracing all mankind, attracted the attention and confidence of all philanthropic societies,
and disposed them to ask the aid of his eloquence on
many great occasions, and probably no man in the
country exerted a more cheerful or more widespread
influence for the public good and for the kingdom of
Jesus Christ. In the hearts of the great and good, in
the admiration of Christians of every name, in this and
many lands, will his memory be cherished and honored forever. Africa will remember him forever as
one of her truest and best friends.
"I have pleasure in supplying, in the publications
herewith sent, many reminiscences of this admirable
man, with copies of several of his speeches, persuasive
both in thought and language.' Most respectfully yours,   R. R. GURLEY."
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY.
Mr.Frelinghuysen's interest in the work of this beneficent institution dates almost from its origin, and
continued without interruption or abatement to the
end of his life. He made one of the addresses at the
third annual meeting, held in 1828, and at frequent intervals afterward. The senior secretary, the Rev. Dr..Hallock, in a letter to the author, dated July 24, 1862,
bears distinct and cordial testimony to his services.
After mentioning some documents and manuscripts
sent with the letter, the writer proceeds:
"II can not express how precious, cheering, elevating, and ennobling was Mr. Frelinghuysen's influence
during the whole of his six years' presidency, from
1842 to 1848. In his addresses, and in his whole life
and intercourse, there was a deep, mellowed spirituality, drawn from the depths of God's Word and the
K2




226         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
teachings of his Spirit, blended with a high and chastened intellect, and urbanity, and heart-reaching kindness and Christian love, that I have never been conscious of meeting in any other man, nor do I expect
ever to witness and enjoy it so fully again. His memory is embalmed in all our hearts, and will remain
fragrant till death, and then go on, in a brighter sphere,
I trust forever. It is a high privilege to prepare the
memoir of such a one, and I gladly furnish you the
rich material he has bequeathed to this society.
" With respect and esteem, your affectionate brother,
"'W V. A. HALLOCK, Secretary."
From the "rich material" kindly furnished by the
secretary, the following selections are made.
In May, 1842, when he was first appointed president
of the American Tract Society, he used these terms in
replying to the notice:
" To be associated with an institution of such distinguished usefulness, and with a board of officers of
such public esteem and personal worth, is no common
honor. And in accepting the place to which your indulgent kindness has chosen me, I cherish the hope
that, through the grace of our blessed Redeemer, I may
be in some humble measure made useful."
Four years afterward he deemed it his duty to retire from the station, and so expressed himself to the
secretary, adding, at the same time, these words:
"In retiring at this time from the office, I hardly
need to assure you that my decision arises from no
diminution of confidence in the Tract Society or its
management and aims. I regard it as a blessed agency for our country, full of promise, and rich in the testimonials of God's favor. It is my purpose, as it will
be my privilege and duty, to co-operate with you in




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 227
extending its influences widely as the ripening fields
indicate the need of the reaper and the sickle."
He was, however, prevailed upon to retract his refusal to serve, and continued two years longer in the
office. But in 1848, despite farther solicitation, he renewed and persisted in his determination to withdraw,
as appears by the following letter:
" DEAR SIR,-I have farther considered the matter
of the Tract presidency since I had the pleasure of
your visit, and have concluded that the way is quite
open for the appointment of another president. If
you had encountered any serious difficulties in selecting a successor, I should have regarded the matter as
of more difficult duty; but the choice is of one so deservedly high in the confidence of his country and in
the affectionate esteem of the Church, that I am grateful that, while my own feelings are relieved of a painful position (in the one respect only), the cause and the
society will have in such near connection a long-tried,
judicious, and excellent friend. With my fervent
wishes and prayers that God may continue to smile
upon your labors of love in spreading far the principles of His blessed Gospel, and give you at last a place
among those who have turned many to righteousness,
I remain with sincere regard, your friend and brother,
"THEO. FRELINGEIUYSEN."
Of the many addresses made by Mr. Frelinghuysen
in behalf of the Tract cause, one is reproduced here,
mainly because it expresses views and maxims upon
which he himself habitually acted from the period of
his first consecration to the Savior. It was delivered
in the Broadway Tabernacle at the anniversary of the
City Tract Society in December, 1836. The scope of
the resolution in support of which the speaker arose




228         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
was the importance of " prayerful personal efforts for
the salvation of men." According to the report made
at the time, Mr. Frelinghuysen said,
"The eye of God is upon those engaged in this
cause with peculiar complacency, for their trials are
peculiar. To give liberally is a privilege to the liberal soul. There is so much that is delightful in the
promise of the great plans of public beneficence, that
the trial of the service has passed away. Christian
men would deem it a lost blessing if the occasion did
not meet them for pouring into the treasure-house of
God. So a public convention, where the pulse of
Christian sympathy is warmed by fellowship, where
the law of kindness reigns, where face answers to face,
and prayer mingles with prayer, and heart with heart
-why, instead of a cross, it is a jubilee. It is one
of the heavenly places which gladdened the apostles'
heart, and now rejoices every heart that loves Zion.
But to go alone into the by-paths of sin; to approach
the thoughtless in the world of fashion, and, with a
face set as a flint in the stern discharge of duty, faithfully admonish, exhort, and plead the cause of God
and the soul-to meet the scorn and taunts of ridicule,
and take them meekly-to bow the head, and rejoice
to suffer shame for Jesus -this is a service which no
fortitude can endure but that which a deep conviction
of the value and the danger of the soul inspires.
"But the rewards become the enterprise. A just
sense of the momentous interests at hazard, an established faith in the retribution which awaits us, and a
growing love for the souls of men, will sustain the
mind amid all the tribulations which lie in the path.
The tract missionary looks to the end, and there he
casts his hopes. He knows that the hour will come
when every anxious thought and every faithful warning will be indicated, not only by the joys of the redeemed, but also by the despair of the lost. He is as



CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 229
sured that when the trump of God shall awaken the
dead of all generations, whatever wailings of anguish
may break from the opening tombs, there will then be
no reproaches heard that he stood the fiery trial of
cruel revilings, and met the world's laugh with the
meek firmness of a steadfast heart.
" V.When we consider the constitution of the soul, as
God has endowed it, with all its sympathies, we can
not be surprised at the result of such means. True,
He is sovereign in all this, but His sovereign pleasure
is to act and save according to the laws of the mind
and the dictates of the soundest philosophy. There is
a chord in the bosom even of the vile that responds to
kindness. Self-respect is soothed by the regard which
personal faithfulness betokens. And although the
thoughtless and profane may scorn the message and
hate the counsel, they must and do defer to the concern you manifest. Conscience pleads for you, and,
when face meets face-when the missionary of mercy
enters the abode of the wretched, seeking the everlasting welfare of its inmates, they can not always stifle
the conviction that such earnestness, so clear of all selfish motive, and so pure in its design, must be prompted by causes which the infidelity of the heart can neither change nor control.
" A case, not long since, in your own state, happily
exhibits the power of this agency. An aged culprit
in one of your prisons, who was suffering for his
crimes, was one Sabbath morning approached by the
missionary. He sat down by his side, and, with affectionate solicitude, inquired of him the state of his
feelings. The unhappy man instantly burst into tears.
So peculiar was his agitation that the man of God was
struck with it, and sought the cause of such strong
emotion.'Sir,' said he,'it is the first time in forty
years that I have heard the language of kindness, and
it overwhelms me.' He had passed through scenes of
awful transgression, and had hardened his heart; he




230          LIFE OF FRELINGIIUYSEN.
had met unmoved the rigors of imprisonment; he had
gone through the trial and endured the penalty; he
had heard iron bolts driven, and his eye never faltered nor a nerve gave way; but when the sound of
Christian sympathy fell on his ear, it penetrated his
heart, and brought down that proud spirit that never
had quailed before.
"With such exalted motives to urge us, why shall
not this effective instrumentality be greatly enlarged
in its numbers and influence? With so much of distraction in business, so much of dangerous allurement
in ambition, and pleasure, and fashion, to quench any
serious feeling and desire, who does not rejoice that
we may sometimes be met in the path of worldliness
by him who dares to tell us the truth, and, at the price
of our scorn or displeasure, to be faithful to our eternal interests? ~With all its trials, I doubt not, it brings
a peace that passeth all understanding. It must be
so; for it is that direction and application of talents
which He who bestowed them designed.
" Think you, sir, that Harlan Page ever knew a regret because of his toils in this blessed service? It
was the glory of his life, it was the joy of his dying
hour; it will be his bright and imperishable crown
forever. And when that blessed spirit shall meet the
goodly number whom he turned to righteousness, as
they strike their harps together in the new song of
praise to the Lamb that was slain, then, and for endless ages thereafter, he will begin to learn of the heights
and deptehs of the recompense that grace awards to
those who have done good to souls. He has furnished a new chapter on Christian faithfulness. Every
follower of Christ should study his life, should tread
closely in his footsteps, should covet such blessed gifts
of the Spirit. Sir, we are bound to engage in this
work. Every dictate of duty and every sentiment of
regard for our friends and fellow-men not only invite,
but demand such consecration of personal influence.




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 231
"I am persuaded, sir, that we are prone to mystify
religion and its high duties, and thus we are often appalled by terrors which our own fancies have created.
WVe exaggerate difficulties often where the way is
smooth, predict harsh repulses where we should meet
with respectful attention. Sir, our irreligious friends
expect us to be faithful to them. Their surprise is far
more awakened, and oftener too, by our guilty silence,
than by our affectionate and earnest solicitude. Let
us bear our living testimony, in the face of our fellowmen, to the reality and the tremendous issues of eternal things. Granted that there are trials. It is just
such discipline as is needed to test and develop the
strength of Christian character-just such as is indispensable for the cultivation of a vigorous piety. How
else shall we cherish the stern virtues of self-denial,
holy fortitude, and triumphant faith? These conflicts
lead us to the only refuge where we may gain grace
to suffer and faith to prevail."
THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UN'ION.
The active personal interest which Mr. Frelinghuysen took, from his first connection with the people of
God, in the Sunday-school of the church which he attended, would naturally lead him to regard with favor
the society which aimed to secure the establishment
of such schools throughout the country. The author
is indebted to Frederick A. Packard, Esq., the accomplished secretary of that society, for the following
statement of Mr. Frelinghuysen's zeal and efforts in
this behalf. Here, as elsewhere, the scale of the duty
to be performed made no difference in the conscientious fidelity with which he discharged it. He was
regular and faithful as the teacher of a single class,
and at the same time ready efficiently to help the ef



232         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.forts made to diffuse the institution over the breadth
of the continent.
" If any conviction had a deeper hold upon the mind
of Theodore Frelinghuysen than another, it was the absolute indispensableness of moral and religious as well as
intellectual culture to thle preservation and erpetuzity of a
popular government. Throughout his public career
this great subject seems to have been always present
to his mind, and, as the system of instruction in SABBATH - SCHOOLS became more and more manifestly
adapted to the need of the country, and especially the
new and sparsely-settled parts of it, he entered with
all the warmth of his benevolent heart into its support. WVhat were his early local relations to the Sabbath-school is known to others; the present paper is
concerned only with his more general and public sympathy with it, and, though our means are very imperfect, we can trace with no little interest the progress
of his opinions and convictions on the subject. In
June, 1826 (in acknowledging the notice of his election as a vice-president of the American Sunday-school
Union), he says:
"' I have long regarded the Sabbath-school as
among the most efficient means, under the Divine
blessing, of advancing the Redeemer's kingdom, and
as intimately connected with true national prosperity.
Their blessed influence is beginning to be seen in this
town (Newark, New Jersey), where upward of 1000
children are under their weekly instruction.'*
"In acknowledging a similar notice in June, 1828,
he says:
"' To be in any way connected with the objects of
this blessed charity I feel to be an honor and a privilege. I have long looked to this moral engine as, under the Divine blessing, identified with the best hopes
of our country.'
* The number now in attendance is, of course, vastly increased.




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 233
"The rapidity with which the Valley of the Mississippi was filling up, and the inadequacy of existing
means to supply the moral and religious as well as
the intellectual wants of the people, had moved the
heart of Christian benevolence, and, as the most hopeful field of effort was found among the children and
youth, the friends of the American Sunday-school Union
conceived the purpose of expanding its missionary
work to embrace that vast region; and, without cornprehending very definitely the extent and difficulties
of the undertaking, they resolved (May 25, 1830),'in
reliance upon Divine aid, to establish a Sunday-school
within two years in every destitute place, where it is
practicable, throughout the Valley of the Mississippi.'
In the following February, the late Rev. JOHN BRECKINRIDGE volunteered his valuable services to bring
the subject, which he regarded as of great national importance, to the notice and appreciation of our leading
public men, and to this end a meeting was appointed
at Washington, February 16, 1831, at which the late
Hon. FELIX GRUNDY, of Tennessee, presided; and
such men as ELISHA WHITTLESEY, of Ohio; N. D.
COLEMAN and CHARLES A.WICKLIFFE, of Kentucky;
CHARLES E. HAYNES, of Georgia, and DANIEL WEBSTER, of Massachusetts, advocated, with eloquent earnestness, the great purpose which had been undertaken.
At this meeting Mr. Frelinghuysen, then a member of
the Senate from New Jersey, expressed his convictions with great force and freedom, and probably understood more perfectly than any of his coadjutors the
comprehensive bearings of the subject. Mr. Frelingbuysen offered the following resolution:
"' Resolved, That the objects contemplated by the
late resolution of the American Sunday-school Union,
adopted in May last, commend themselves to the patronage and best wishes of every American statesman,
patriot, and Christian.' And in support of it addressed the meeting as follows:




234         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
"'Mr. Chairman, I always rejoice in the occasion
that enables me to raise my voice in behalf of the Sunday-school. I regard it, sir, as the most benignant enterprise of modern benevolence. It is the fountainspring of good. In all its aspects it is full of promise.
That season of existence which has been most neglected, in which the seeds of a future harvest are sown,
and in which life and destiny are controlled- this
eventful era is introduced to the direct influence of
the purest moral and religious instruction. Heathen
Rome, in the proudest day of her glory, never remitted her concern for the education of her youth. She
felt that in her schools was to be achieved all that
hope could expect or desire; and with a morality defective in its principles, by the aid of this great lever
she rose to the summit of earthly fame. We enjoy
the means of far more elevating instruction. We can
draw motives from the pure treasury of the Word of
God in all its exalted hopes, momentous sanctions, and
eternal retributions; and we are encouraged to the
faithful cultivation of these means by the promise of
Him who gave them: " Train up a child in the way
he should go, and when he is old he will not depart
from it." This is as sure in philosophy as it is in
Scripture. The proof of it is broadly spread out over
the whole history of man. Although his native tendencies are depraved and degenerate, this training, sir
-a most emphatic word to denote the nature of the
process-this training is constantly counteracting these
tendencies. It persuades from degrading pursuits to
exalted aspirations. When the heart would seek some
groveling, earth-born good, that perishes as we grasp
it, this points the desires to a portion in the heavens,
pure, and satisfying, and perpetual, and, with the Divine blessing, the self-love of the heart is enlisted on
the side of virtue; the mind perceives its profit as well
as pleasure in the ways of wisdom, and habit adds the
confirmation of a second nature to the dictates of truth
and duty.




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 235
"' Wherefore, then, does the man illustrate the principles of virtue?  Sir, he has been trained up in the
way he should go. The lessons read to him in childhood were not only incentives to virtue, but his surest
defenses against vice. They not only allured him to
the right way, but effectually admonished him to shun
the wrong way. I am fully aware that all this process
would be fruitless without the blessing of God-that
He is sovereign when He gives and when He withholds. But I also know, sir, that it is His sovereign
good pleasure to bless the faithful labors of His people; that His faithfulness is pledged in the promise,
"Them that honor me I will honor, and those that
seek me early shall find me."
"' Mr. Chairman, if farther proof were needed, we
might find it in the history of all the profane. Take
any convict of your penitentiary, and his brief and sad
biography would form an appropriate history for the
great majority of his fellows in crime. Ask him, sir,
what it was that brought him to his wretched dwelling-place, and he must reply, "I was trained up for it.
I early broke away from the restraints of conscience.
I had no kind friend to instruct me, or I despised his
counsels.
"' "No mother's tender care
Shielded my infant innocence with prayer.
From a youth I have defied my Maker. I thought it
manly to blaspheme His sacred name. I made a mock
at sin, entered the broad way of transgression, and
disregarded the beacon lights that warned me of my
danger. Such has been my training, and here I reap
its bitter fruits. I ought not to be disappointed; for
from such a childhood and youth, who could expect
other than such a doom?" Let us then, sir, assiduously cultivate these moral influences. Who that has
the heart of a mail can refuse them his best wishes?
Sir, is it not of the last importance to have the sources
of national prosperity pure, and the aims and pursuits




236         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
of our people elevated? and where but in the Bible
shall we find the record of sound principles? Permit
me to say that the occasion was never more urgent for
the friends of truth to send forth the healthful influence of the Gospel. Sir, in this day of benevolent action, the enemies of God and man are not idle. The
disciples of infidelity are striving with sleepless effort
to break down the defenses of religion and virtue.
She has her ministers and her altars. Her votaries
are assailing the citadel of truth with every weapon
that promises the least infliction. They would blot
out the Bible, and roll the wave of desolation over all
that is dear to us as men and Christians. Then I
would say to parents, as you love your children, and
to statesmen, as you love your country, cherish this
blessed enterprise. Who would not rejoice to behold
the pure spirit of religion pervading the whole mass
of our population-these sacred rules of life inculcated and circulated in every valley, reaching to every
mountain-top, and tracking the course of every mighty
river of the West?  Who does not desire that the
hopes of immortality might animate every heart and
fill every bosom through the whole breadth of the
land?
"'' Nothing besides can give stability to our institutions. Let us ponder with deep reflection, and cease
not to repeat and reiterate the interesting truth that
our boasted liberties will not long survive the wreck
of our public morals. The destruction of the one will
witness the passing away of the other. They will go
down in melancholy companionship to the same grave.
So the Father of his Country deemed, and with a paternal solicitude counseled us. Mr. Chairman, I heard
with heartfelt approbation the sentiment already eloquently advanced and sustained, that the genius of
our Constitution is propitious to the interests of the
Sunday-school. It is true, sir. The pure spirit of republican liberty invokes its aid and cherishes its fel



CONNECTION YWVITI- BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 237
lowship, and he is unfaithful to his country who would
seek to impair its influence or check its progress.'
"It was not the value of the Sunday-school as an
instrument of enlightening and elevating the popular
mind that formed its chief attraction in the view of
Mr. Frelinghuysen, though he by no means underrated
its efficiency for this purpose. But the influence of
such a host of voluntary religious teachers, inculcating
from week to week the simple central truths of Divine
revelation, combined with the personal incidental connection which the teacher's office gave him with the
pupil's family, he regarded as of inestimable importance.'I assure you,' he says, in a private letter, dated
June 17,1831,' that it is grateful to me to be in any
way connected with an institution which encourages
so much hope for the welfare of our fellow-men for
the world and for ETERNITY.'
" It is obvious, from many of the public declarations
of his views, that Mr. Frelinghuysen had very grave
apprehensions concerning the endurance of our political frame-work through the prevalence of ignorance
and licentiousness. His spirits were oftentimes depressed and his hopes dimmed because of the apparent inadequacy of our moral forces to withstand the
powers of darkness. His faith was steadfast in the
Divine promise, that'when the enemy should come
in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord would lift up a
standard against him;' but in the terrible conflict,
what would become of our institutions of civil and religious liberty?
"1In such a mood, under date of August 1, 1832, he
says:'It is matter of frequent thankfulness to God,
when there is so much of irreligion and licentiousness
in our country to deplore, that we can turn to the Sabbath-schools and Bible-classes, and there cherish the
reviving hope that with these blessed influences we
shall yet see better and brighter days.' In November, 1833, Mr. Frelinghuysen advocated the cause of




238         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
Sunday-schools in a public meeting in New York, but
no report of his speech was preserved.
"At the public meeting held at Philadelphia in
connection with the eleventh anniversary of the American Sunday - school Union, Mr. Frelinghuysen made
an address of a very remarkable character. The resolution in support of which the address was made was
evidently framed with a view to urge the claims of
Sunday-schools upon public attention, mainly, though
by no means exclusively, because of their bearing on
the political and social welfare of the country; and the
tenor of his remarks coincides with this idea. It was
in these words:
"' IThat Sunday-schools, by laying the foundation
of public and private integrity and intelligence, provide the best preservative of our rights and liberties,
and the best guarantee for the peace and good order
of society; and that in this view they deserve the special patronage of the statesman and patriot.'
"In enforcing the resolution he said:
"'There are considerations connected with our
country that present causes for melancholy apprehension. The spirit of freedom, with all its rich benefits,
is not without its dangers. Every mind in any measure acquainted with its own operations knows that
there are propensities within us which require control
-that must be brought into subjection to wholesome
regulations and discipline.
"' Now one startling danger lies in the very heart
of our blessings. We are too proud of our liberties
and of our country. Self-confidence is engendered,
and a spirit of individual independence almost too
strong for law. We are our own rulers, we boast. Politically, it is true. The fear is reasonable that we
shall practically refuse or deny the authority even of
our own rulers. There is a constant propensity to
break away from all restraints.  "Resistance," "liberty," " independence," "the rights of man," are so




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 239
familiar-and so grateful too, I grant-that we are
prone to forget not only Him whose unspeakable goodness has made us to differ, but to forget, also, that these
animating terms, and the glow of patriotism, and the
love of country, if not sustained and cherished by
sound principles, will become the mere watchwords for
licentiousness and all misrule.
"'I have not made this allusion, sir, for any purpose of severe censorship at this interesting season,
when I would far rather mingle in the delightful sympathies that the occasion awakens; but, sir, I have
given the hint, that we may perceive the benignant
influence of the Sabbath-school on this political tendency. Yes, sir, every patriot should bless God for this
agency that so admirably befits the service-that so
wisely and seasonably meets the wants of our country.
"' Opinion is, under heaven, become the arbiter of
nations. Power is despoiled of all its mystified incidents and prerogatives. The spell of long-established
systems, of hereditary orders, is broken; and as the
whole world is moving on from the quiet inaction of
the one to the active, restless, and, I may add, feverish
excitability of the other condition, what a public mercy was it that the Sunday-school should come up just
as the elements began to quicken, and shed its healthful, purifying, forming influences over whole masses
of mind, that were destined either to help forward, or
with dreadful energy desolate the hopes of piety and
human happiness.
"'I certainly shall not depreciate other blessed instrumentalities that adorn our age. I know that the
pulpit stands at the head of all means to save our
world. God has exalted it to that noble elevation, and
there let it stand, the advocate of truth, and the faithfil witness of God; the angel of His mercy, and the
consolation of His people. But in its connections with
the stability of our political institutions-in the preservation of the happiest and freest form of government




240         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
in the world, the Sabbath-school falls not far behind
the ministry. Indeed, it partakes much of its characteristics. It is itself a preacher of righteousness, and
under most effective circumstances.
"'The faithful messenger of grace, as he ascends
the pulpit and proclaims his Master's will, meets a
promiscuous congregation, whose numbers encourage
all unseen resistance to indiscriminate warnings'and
exhortations.
"' But mark the Sunday-school teacher as he pours
the light of truth on the hearts of his little charge with
affectionate and lively solicitude: he often feels that it
must tell on their consciences; he almost reaches and
touches the fountains of thought and sympathy. The
seed may lie long buried, but herein is his hope:
" Train up a child in the way he should go, and when
he is old he will not depart from it."
"' He has another pledge. God has said, " My word
shall not return to me void;" and no matter what impurity of motive may enter into the circulation of the
truth, it shall accomplish all His gracious purposes.
"' The age on which this influence is exerted is the
most propitious.  Religion and the soundest philosophy of the mind alike assure us that the best mode
of having the man as we wish is to train the child; to
purify the fountain, go up to the spring-head if we expect a healthful stream.
"'The Sabbath-school approaches with its instructions just when they will sink the deepest and last the
longest. It makes a sacred deposit of the soundest
rules of life, of public duty, of private conduct; rules
which form the faithful friend, the upright citizen, the
godly man; rules that will found our hopes on "the
Rock of ages;" that will raise a shield to guard our
dearest earthly privileges, and train up a generation
that we may hope will defend the cause of truth and
civil liberty when those who train them shall have
done with the duties and the toils of time.




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 241
"'Sir, such an agency is beyond all human estimates
of its value. I would most cheerfully trust even the
cold calculations of philosophy for an approving award
in behalf of a system that, from Sabbath to Sabbath,
brings more than twenty-five thousand teachers,* imparting instruction from the very fountain of light and
truth, and directing it upon more than one million of
immortal minds, and this at the very season when impressions are more easily and deeply made. What
madness of hard-hearted infidelity could doubt or oppose such an influence?
"'We want no verdict of the schools of philosophy.
Every heart feels to-day its value. Here, as we call
up from the stores of memory the recollections and
associations of childhood, a thought dropped on the
heart twenty, thirty, or forty years ago, rises to the
mind; and, as we perceive and feel how clear, and
strong, and vivid it is-how fresh its impression, now
hallowed by time-we all know by certain conclusive
consciousness how unspeakably important are the lessons of childhood.
"'I Here it was a father's faithful counsels-there it
was the silent eloquence of a mother's tears. They
made a lodgment here that neither the follies nor the
sins of after years could impair or remove. Lately I
read of a pious youth, who, on examination for the
ministry, in the history of his life, at that interesting
period of it when he trusted that he felt the power of
religion, in some such terms as these referred to the
leading means of his recovery to God. Said he, "I
trace the causes, under God, to a mother's faithfulness
to my childhood. Yes," said he, " the taking of my
little hand within hers (I can almost feel it still), as
she led me to the closet, where she poured out her
soul for my salvation; the sound of that dear voice as
I would pass her chamber door as she wrestled with
the God of Jacob for her child; these — these," said
* Now nearer 200,000.
L




242       LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
he, " I mark as among the effective means by which
the God of mercy led my soul to himself."
"'And the Sabbath-school is a kindred agency; it
ranges by the side of parental instruction; and more
than 50,000 witnesses of teachers and children converted to God from these nurseries of purity, demonstrate the blessed energy of this scheme of mercy.
"' ILet every heart bid it God speed, and every hand
be opened wide in its favor.''" The salutary tendencies of the institution in repressing the inroads of vice and misrule were so obvious to his mind that, if no other advantage could be
derived from it, this of itself would warrant all the labor and expense involved in sustaining it. Ite saw
that even then (and much more in these latter days)
there was a gigantic work of correction and repression
to be done in our land, which can be accomplished
only by moral forces; and not by them even, unless
applied to the plastic minds and hearts of children and
youth. The grand principle of subordination to lawful authority-to God as supreme, and to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake-must rule from the
cradle to the grave. It is the only safeguard under
such a government as ours, and, to secure its supremacy, it must as surely begin at the cradle as it ends at
the grave.
" In December, 1836, Mr. Frelinghuysen was urged
to enter upon the exclusive service of the American
Sunday-school Union at a salary of $3000. A deputation was appointed to wait upon him and express
the views and wishes of the Board. He listened patiently for hours to the representations which were
made; manifested a deep sense of the importance of
the proposition and of the responsibilities involved,
and desired time for reflection. In the interview, however, he intimated the conviction that the sphere of
his influence, as a member of the bar, was quite as
wide as he could wish and much wider than he could




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 243
fill; and, after due consideration, he declined, on this
ground, the proposed connection.
"It was unfortunate for the success of the attempt
to secure Mr. Frelinghuysen's services that the place
he was to occupy was not more accurately defined.
To one of his methodical habits and child-like simplicity, it was important that any service required of
him should be so clearly set forth that he could at
once determine whether he had the needful qualifications for it, and whether the Providence of God called
him to it. Of course, an invitation to fill a place
without any specification of the duties to be perfobrmed or the responsibilities incurred was not accepted.
That such a connection would have been agreeable to
his feelings had the way been properly prepared for
it, the deputation had no doubt; and that his greater
professional influence and associations would have
been no obstacle is apparent from the fact that in a
few years thereafter he took the chancellorship of the
New York University.
" In October, 1843, Mr. Frelinghuysen says, in a private letter,' I love to cherish the Sabbath-school, and
I continue my relations to it at this time as teacher of
an interesting Bible-class. The number varies fronm
ten to eighteen, composed of young men who have
passed through the ordinary stages of Sunday-school
instruction.'
"Seven years after this he was called to the presidency of Rutger's College; and in June of that year
(1850) he thus expressed himself in response to a notice of his twenty-fourth election to the vice-presidency of the American Sunday-school Union:
"' I feel honored by such an association with a
blessed agency of the Divine goodness for our whole
race. I have long been connected with its labors of
love. Some of my most favored hours have been in
the Sunday-school; and my prayer is that God would
enlarge its influence and extend its relations until evW-ry tribe and kinldred shall be reahed.'




244        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
"Meagre as are these memoranda of Mr. Frelinghuysen's interest and public labors in this department
of Christian benevolence, they suffice to show that as a
disciple of Christ, a citizen, a statesman, and a philanthropist, he embraced and held fast the Sunday-school
as (in its proper sphere) one of the most efficient, wise,
and economical agencies for the diffusion of religious
knowledge, for the advancement of human happiness,
and for the extension and prosperity of the Redeemer's kingdom, known to our age."
AMERICAN TEMPERANCE UNION.
Mr. Frelinghuysen at a very early period became
connected with the movement made in this country
for the discouragement of intemperance, and continued throughout life a steadfast friend of the cause.
Ardent spirits, and afterward wine, were banished from
his table and his house as a beverage, and he never
failed, on any proper occasion, to counsel others to pursue the same course. His speeches in favor of total abstinence from all that can intoxicate were innumerable, and pronounced before assemblies of all kinds and
numbers, from a Congressional meeting in the hall of
the House of Representatives at Washington down to
a neighborhood gathering in a country school-house.
His advocacy of this cause was marked by two features characteristic of the man. One was his deference to Scripture teaching. He gave no countenance
to the impeachments of Divine truth and wisdom in
which some overzealous speakers allowed themselves,
but always planted his inculcation of the duty of abstinence upon the doctrine of Christian expediency as
stated by the Apostle Paul. The other was the ab



CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 245
sence of harsh denunciation and invective. He spoke
with meekness of wisdom. He knew that it is the
soft word which breaketh the bone, and his intense
earnestness was tempered and refined by Christian
love. Hence even habitual drunkards were never
alienated or embittered by the rebukes, in public or
private, which his faithfulness led him to administer.
The following letter from the Rev. Dr. Marsh fitly
indicates the scope and character of his public efforts
on behalf of this great moral reform:' Office of American Temperance Union, 
July 30, 1862. 
"REV. DP. CHAMBERS:
"DEAR SIR,-You ask from us at this office for
some reminiscences of the Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen, one of our late vice-presidents, and for a time chairman of our executive committee, but now numbered,
we believe, with that glorious company of redeemed
ones who stand before the throne of God and the Lamb.
My acquaintance with Mr. Frelinghuysen commenced
in the winter of 1831-2 at Washington, where I was
deputed by the American Temperance Society to excite an interest for the temperance cause in gentlemen
connected with the government. On propounding to
him my views and objects, he at once gave me his
friendship and support, introducing me to other gentlemen, and co-operating in a plan for a public Congressional temperance meeting in the Capitol. That
meeting was held early in January. Governor Cass,
then Secretary of War, presided; and the meeting was
addressed by the Hon. Felix Grundy, United States
senator from Tennessee; Mr. Frelinghuysen, senator
from New Jersey; Hon. J. C. Bates, member of Congress from Massachusetts; HIon. James M. Wayne,
from Georgia; and Hon. Daniel Webster, United States
senator from Massachusetts. The assembly was large,




246        LIFE OF FRELINGIUYSEN.
and the meeting most impressive. The address of Mr.
Frelinghuysen completely dissipated all the levity and
hilarity with which stuch a meeting of the splendor
and gayety of Washington was anticipated, and gave
a tone of tenderness and solemnity in its portraiture
of the personal and domestic evils of intemperance not
easily forgotten. At subsequent Congressional meetings of a similar character, Mr. Frelinghuysen's voice
was lifted up with great energy and power against the
drinking usages of men in public stations, and when
the Congressional Temperance Society was organized
in 1833, he became chairman of the executive committee, and, in connection with his most intimate
friends, Hon. A. Naudain, of Delaware, Hon. John
Blair, of Tennessee, Hon. George N. Briggs, of Massachusetts, and Hon. Eleutheros Cook, of Ohio, he was
instrumental of moulding a large portion of the Congress of that period to temperance principles.
"On his removal to this city in 1841, he at once
gladly co-operated with us in our labors, and accepted
the appointment of chairman of our executive committee, giving to us as much of his time and counsel
as his situation allowed.
"Mr. Frelinghuysen was a thorough temperance
man from principle. Devoting himself soul and body
to the service of God, he kept his body under that it
might be a fit temple of the Holy Ghost; but he held
himself accountable for his influence upon others, and,
seeing the awful ravages of intemperance, especially
among men in the higher walks of life, in the legal
profession, on the bench, and in Congress, he was resolved to set an example which all men might follow
with safety; and in the stand he had taken from Christian principle, he found himself wondrously strengthened by his personal experience. In answer to a letter from Dr. Edwards, he said,
"' I have been favored with your circular requesting the results of my experience in the matter of en



CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 247
tire abstinence from the use of intoxicating liquor,
and especially as to its effects on health, on bodily and
mental ability, and the feelings of the mind. I can,
from personal experience, bear decided testimony to
the happiest results, in all these particulars, arising
from entire abstinence. For the last nine years I have
wholly abstained from ardent spirits, and habitually
from all fermented liquors.  The last year, which has
been the period in which I have relinquished even the
occasional use of wine, I have enjoyed better health
than in either of the nine. And it is an interesting
and grateful fact to me that protracted and severe mental efforts can now be borne without weariness, bodily
exercise and labor are refreshing, and the mind is far
more cheerful, composed, and self-possessed than in
the days of infatuation, when the spirits and wine cup
met us on every sideboard, and assailed us at every
table.'
"It will be remembered that in the early stages of
the temperance reformation wine and fermented drinks
were not excluded. Soon, however, as it was understood that this exclusion was essential to the perfection of the reformation, no man more heartily adopted
it, and, as manifested in the above, with higher personal enjoyment.  As a speaker in temperance meetings, no individual was more acceptable, whenever his
services could be obtained, than Mr. Frelinghuysen.
The seriousness and earnestness of his manner, the
honesty and firmness of his soul, and the softness of
his tones, can never be forgotten. HIe put men who
indulged their appetite to their own ruin and the ruin
of others to shame, and made the hosts of temperance
rally around their standard with the greatest earnestness and confidence of triumph. In the extraordinary
reformation of inebriates in 1840-41, he felt the deepest interest; and while he would use all moral influence to reclaim the victims of the cup, no man was
more decided in bringing legislation to bear upon the




248         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
traffic, the direct cause of almost all the drunkenness
and crime of the land. His opinions on this subject
were well matured, and were expressed with great
strength, and do demand the attention of every legislator in our land. If you have room, I wish you would
give them a place in your memoir. I could give you
several expressions of them, but one embodies them
all-a letter to Rev. Dr. Edwards, inll 1834, relating to
the Sixth Annual Report of the American Temperance Society, in which the system of license was ably
discussed. In that letter he said,
"' I have read with great satisfaction the Sixth Annual Report of your society, and especially that portion of it between pages 44 and 69, on the immorality
of authorizing by law the traffic in ardent spirit as a
drink. It is almost unnecessary to say how fully and
heartily I concur in the views and principles that are
therein so ably sustained. If the use of ardent spirits
be wrong, it seems to be a result of inevitable deduction that the traffic in it is at least equally so. And
hence, while many have ridiculed, I have always honored the conduct of those persons who, under honest
convictions of the evils of intemperance, have renounced all connection and terms with ardent spirits,
broken in the head of the cask, and poured out the destructive poison on the ground. This was a noble
tribute to principle that would not hesitate between
the cold calculations of avarice, and the high claims of
duty, and the peace of a pure conscience. How can a
just mind engage in a commerce all the details of
which are fruitful of evil?
"' The use of ardent spirit is attended by peculiar
circumstances. It is not an ordinary and harmless
beverage, as to which every man may be safely trusted with his own keeping, but it is an insidious and
dangerous practice, that gradually forms an artificial
and depraved appetite. It deranges and inflames the
whole organic system of the body, aggravates instead




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 249
of allaying thirst, and creates an inward craving that
has, in some cases, seemed to me like the gnawings of
despair.
"'And, worse still, this habit relaxes the hold of
good principles by impairing the moral sense. A
man's self-respect falls among its first victims. These
sad results are confined to no class or condition. The
strong men and the feeble are equally exposed to its
ravages. The truth is (and every grave-yard proves
it), the man who habitually drinks ardent spirit, no
matter how temnperately, has cause to tremble, for his
danger is not only real, but imminent.
"'To a subject, therefore, of such peculiar and dreadful energy, reaching so far and assailing so many interests, we must apply peculiar remedies. It is mere
tampering with temptation to come short of positive,
decided, and uncompromising opposition. We must
not only resist, we must drive it. To stand on the defensive merely is to aid in its triumph.
"' The second inquiry which you have proposed
presents one of the most interesting questions of public duty. The ground taken in your report is, beyond all serious controversy, among the clearest and
soundest conclusions of right reason: " That the laws
which authorize the traffic in ardent spirit as a drink,
by licensing men to pursue it, are morally wrong."
"' Law-makers are, of all men, bound to seek the
public good. So broad is this duty, that they are under peculiar obligations to consecrate the influence of
a pure and personal example to the promotion of the
general welfare; but, first of all, should their legislation be pure; not only preventive of evil, but persuasive to good. No man fit to represent a free people
will deny these propositions. Then what can we urge
in excuse for the countenance given to the use of ardent spirit on almost every statute-book? On one
page you will read of heavy penalties denounced
against drunkenness, riots, and public disorders, and
L2




250         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
the next chapter authorizes the retail of the very poison which, all admit, brings on these outbreaking
transgressions. Who can reconcile these glaring contradictions?  It is time, every reflecting mind exclaims, it is high time to emancipate ourselves from
these humiliating practices. The use of ardent spirit
has introduced a course of reasoning and conduct that
libels human nature. Who can dwell upon it without feelings of shame, that we should have gravely
provided, by public law, that if men will pay for the
mischievous faculty, they may set up a tavern, and sell
as much rum as they please, short of drunkenness;
may scatter firebrands and death all around them;
beguile unwary youth, and poison the very fountains
of moral purity, and inflict an amount of injury on the
vital interests of the community that neither time nor
law can repair.
"'I rejoice, my dear sir, that you are endeavoring
to bring this subject before the scrutiny of public men.
You can not fail in a purpose so fraught with benefits. We owe it to our history, to our free institutions,
and, above all, we owe it to Him whose benignant
providence has so richly blessed us, that we purify our
laws. And if men will engage in this destructive
traffic-if they will stoop to degrade their reason and
reap the wages of iniquity, let them no longer have
the law-book as a pillow, nor quiet conscience by the
opiate of a court license.
"' I am persuaded that the course of past legislation
has greatly increased the evil of which we complain.
How could it be otherwise?  AMen can hardly avoid
looking up to the halls of legislation for standards of
duty; they expect to find models there that.may be
safely followed; and when these high places have deliberately sanctioned the use of ardent spirits when
under legal regulations, the conclusion has been natural and prompt that, when it was clothed in these legal forms, it was not only excusable, but lawful. Men




CONNECTION WITH BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. 251
would not take time to question the moral power of a
Legislature to make that right which God declares to
be wrong. The lamented fact has been, they did not
wish to believe in any defect of power; they loved to
have it so, and accordingly reposed on the plausible
authority of a positive statute.
"' I trust and pray that light will very soon become
strong enough to expose all these delusions, and that,
by your laudable efforts and the blessing of God, our
public men, our state and national Legislatures, with
the whole body of our people, will address to this subject the just and deep reflection that it deserves, and
will, with heart and hand, by one combined and blessed effort, shake off forever the bondage under which
our land has groaned.'
" On the adoption of the Prohibitory Law by Maine
and other New England states in 1851,1854, and 1855,
he made an address before the New Jersey State Society at New Brunswick, endorsing the whole, and
commending it most warmly to his fellow-citizens.
The impression was most happy. But his most fervent prayer was that the ministry and the churches of
our land might clear themselves from all participation
of guilt in the existence and spread of intemperance,
both for their own sake, and that the greatest hinderance to the conversion of sinners, the spread of the
Gospel, and the evangelization of the world might
speedily be removed.
"' We all, sir, have reason to bless God that we have
had a Frelinghuysen among us; that he has been associated with us; that he has taught us how to bear
scoffings and revilings, how to breast opposition, how
to persevere amid trials and disappointments, and how
to cast all our care upon Him who careth for us, and
will finally cause His people to triumph in every place
to His own glory.
"Fearing I have written you too long a letter, yet
having much more to say, I am yours respectfully,
"JOHN MARSH, Cor. Sec. A. T. U."




252         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE CLOSING SCENE.
Origin of his Sickness.-Fear of Death.-Fear overcome.-Profound
Humility.- Submission.-Temptations.-Remembrances.-Interview with Dr. Campbell. —Advice to a Youth.-Desire to Depart.
— The peaceful End.
DURING the greater part of his life Mr. Frelinghuysen enjoyed good health. In the latter portion of it
his constitution became impaired, and constant care
was required to keep him in working condition. He
felt especially the need of exercise in the open air, and
this he was accustomed to take with great regularity.
But the weather during the winter of 1861-62 was
unfavorable for this purpose, especially to a man of
his years. There were frequent falls of snow; and although no large quantity fell at any' one time, yet
there was enough to cover the ground, and when, after partially thawing, it froze, the roads and paths were
coated with ice, and the walking became very unsafe.
Mr. Frelinghuysen was thus cut off from his usual and
necessary outdoor rambles, and, in consequence, the
general tone of his system was lowered. About this
time the proclamation of President Lincoln was issued,
recommending the people to meet in their usual places
of public assemblage on the anniversary of Washington's birthday, and attend the reading of the Farewell
Address of the Father of his Country. The second
Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in New Bruns



CLOSING SCENE.              253
wick, the one in which Mr. Frelinghuysen regularly
worshiped, was opened on that day, and he attended
the services. But the day was a chilly one, and the
house imperfectly warmed, so that he took a severe
cold. He employed the remedies to which he had
been accustomed, and enjoyed the benefit of skillful
medical attendance; but, although the disease was
subdued, his stomach began to fail, and he became unable to retain any nourishment. First one kind of
food was rejected, and then another, until the whole
list was exhausted, and he could take nothing but stimulants. At last even these were nauseated, and then,
of course, the end drew rapidly on.
In the earlier period of his sickness he had no apprehension of a fatal issue, and even when the symptoms became more formidable he still cherished the
hope that he should not die, but live, and labor still
longer in the Master's vineyard. But at the commencement of the last fortnight the issue became very
clear to his mind, and he looked death steadily in the
face. Here occurred one of the most delightful surprises of his life.
During his whole previous career he had been,
through fear of death, subject to bondage. It was
not, as has been the case with many eminent Christians, that he dreaded dying, the physical act, the unknown pang which attends the article of dissolution.
His apprehensions went deeper than this. It was
death itself which alarmed him, the cessation of this
earthly sojourn, where the means of grace are enjoyed, and there is time and room for securing the salvation of the soul. Death introduces man into the pres



254        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
ence of his Judge and the retributions of eternity. ISe
feared that when this occurred he would not be found
prepared, but make shipwreck of his soul. No one
else shared in the least in these apprehensions, and he
himself could not justify them when calmly studying
the case in view of the Savior's finished work and the
Father's everlasting covenant. Still the fear remained, or, if for a time removed, it would recur again, and
make death a hideous thing to his soul. Thus, just
before the worst symptoms of his disease appeared, he
had passed a tolerable night, and awoke in the morning refreshed and encouraged, when one of his nieces
coming into the room, he said to her, "Ah! it is a solemn thing to be so near eternity." She replied, " We
indeed feel that, but it should not seem so to you."
To this his answer was, "Yes; but my shortcomingsmy shortcomings!" The sense of his own sinfulness,
the imperfections of his life, the vast distance between
what he was and what he ought to be, ever pressed
upon his mind, and overshadowed the fullness of that
grace which alone can furnish a basis of hope to any
enlightened mind. It was not because he expected
to attain heaven by works and saw their insufficiency,
but because he knew we must be born again in order
to enter the kingdom of God, and it seemed to him as
if his defects of obedience proved that he had not experienced the great change.
But, whatever be the precise origin or ground of his
distressing apprehensions, they all disappeared at once
and forever in the closing weeks of his life. For nearly half a century he had been carrying this grievous
burden, which reason and faith seemed alike unable to




CLOSING SCENE.              255
throw off, but when the hour came, the burden, like
Christian's at the wicket-gate, fell away of itself, and
he saw it no more. He entered into the full assurance
of faith and of hope. Not a cloud lingered in his sky.
Faith performed its perfect work. Love was kindled
into ecstasy. Beams from the heavenly glory played
around his bedside, and his face was as if illumined by
the aureolct of the saints. This calm and sweet peace
which diffused itself through his soul was not the
dream of delirium, nor the excitement of fever, nor
the rebound of tensely-strung nerves. It had no earthly or physical cause. It was the release which the
Lord might be expected to bestow on his faithful servant, in anticipation of the unbounded liberty of the
upper skies. Perhaps it had been needful, as part of
the restraining discipline called for by the temptations
of his life, that such a devoted Christian should walk
so long in this bondage; but now, when the end was
so near, when he had finished his course and concluded his warfare, it seemed good to the Lord to
crown the holy and useful life with a happy and triumphant death. The dying man himself never grew
weary of expatiating on the marvelous change, and
praising the grace which had wrought it.
His profound and unaffected humility was often exhibited. I-Ie had nothing to say of his past life-that
life so full of faith, love, charity, so pure, and simple,
and stainless, so honorable to the Gospel, and so blessed to man. It had been, in the ordinary acceptation
of the term, "a well-spent life;" one which, all things
considered, has rarely been equaled in our own age or
any other; yet no part of his peace, comfort, or hope




256        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
was derived from looking back upon it, upon its years
crowded with deeds of usefulness and continually advancing in holiness. His own oft.repeated words were,
"I am nothing —nothing at all, only a poor sinner
saved by grace." Not the thief who hung by the Savior's side-not the outcast saved so as by fire, depended more simply or more entirely upon the riches of
free grace than did this honored Christian philanthropist, who was crowning a long life of active godliness
with a death of serene triumph.
One of the greatest trials caused by death was the
parting it involved from friends on earth. He was
surrounded by a large circle of kindred and connections, in whom he took a deep interest, to whom he
was always a faithful and unwearied friend, and by
whom he was regarded with an affectionate reverence
which it is not easy to describe. To these his house
and his heart were always open, and it was one of his
highest earthly pleasures to enjoy their society. But
as the end drew on, the ties which bound here below
were sensibly relaxed, and he looked forward with
greater desire to the heavenly rest. This result was
accelerated by his bodily sufferings, which were protracted and at times very severe. Once, on being told
that he seemed to suffer much, he replied, " Yes; how
glad I shall be to rest this weary head on my Savior's
bosom, to tell Him how often I have grieved Him, and
to speak of all His mercies to me."
The following more detailed account of what occurred in his sick-room has been kindly furnished by one
who was present:




CLOSING SCENE.             257
"MY DEAR SIR, —I take the first opportunity to
give, as requested, some account of the closing scene
of Mr. Frelinghuysen's life. To that I must confine
myself, or I become his eulogist. I knew him as well
as one man ever knew another, and I found in him
less to condemn and more to admire than in any other
man I ever knew. Nature had done much for him
in his person, his voice, his mien, his genial, high-toned
piety, in the easy play of his emotions, and in his gift
of eloquence.
"Education, intellectual and social, did much for
him. At school, in college, in his profession, in the
councils of the nation, and as the head of literary institutions, he seems always to have been placed where
the powers of a naturally strong and comprehensive
mind could be advantageously developed; while at
the home of his boyhood, as well as at his own family
circle, he was always surrounded by those refining influences which do so much to purify taste and elevate
sentiment. But it was to grace that he was the greatest debtor; its renewing and sanctifying influence was
constantly observable in his life; and if I were asked
what one thing did most to make him what he was, I
would answer that it was his inflexible, undeviating
habit of daily communion with his God. It was as
his character assimilated to that of our Savior that he
was most admirable.
" Pardon me, it was some account of his death-scene
you desired. You are aware that Mr. Frelinghuysen
had always been much afraid of death. Not that he
was a coward; for what he did not dare to do, which
was right to be done, no man would ever dare to do.
His dread of death arose from his appreciating better
than many others the fearful responsibilities of the
change from time to eternity, and from the fact that
while grace to live by had been freely given him, he
had not yet received to his satisfaction dying grace.
" I had visited him several times after he was taken




258          LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
sick, and when he was still able to move about in his
room. About ten days before his death he made the
first allusion to any impression that this might be his
last sickness. He then said,'I feel that matters are
coming to a close with me. I can not bear this disease much longer.' On being told that there was a
prospect of his recovery, he said,'Perhaps so;' and
then exclaimed,''How gracious God in Christ is! and
I feel happy in hearing Him say, Come up, come up.'
On being prayed with, he expressed the pleasure which
extemporaneous prayers, coming from the heart, gave
him.
" In conversation I said to him,'You were always
much afraid of death, but seem now to contemplate its
approach calmly.' He said that that fear had been removed, and that, some weeks before, God had placed
in his way some beautiful lines [by a living English
writer, Mrs. A. L.Waring], the spirit of which he fully
felt.  He then repeated them to me:
I love to think that God appoints
My portion day by day;
Events of life are in His hand,
And I would only say,
"Appoint them in thine own good time,
And in thine own best way.' All things shall mingle for my good,
I would not change them if I could,
Nor alter Thy decree.
Thou art above and I below,
Thy will be done, and even so,
For so it pleaseth Thee."
"The last week of his life I was constantly with
him. He was always cheerful, sometimes indulging
in pleasantry, in alluding to old anecdotes and scenes,
and he never for a moment doubted his entire safety
in the Redeemer. His interest in the affairs of time
continued, and he frequently spoke about the condition of the country; but his views on that subject, as
he had retired from the political world, I will withhold.




CLOSING SCENE.             259
"It was an interesting feature of his last days that
he had almost constantly, night and day, by his bedside, four persons, the heads of families, two gentlemen
and two ladies, whom he had befriended in their orphanage; not alone by pecuniary aid-no, that is the
least worthy of note. tHe had been to them a true father, loving, counseling, caring for them, continuing
his interest through life, looking upon their children
as his, to them all giving his dying benedictions and
prayers. One of these, an accomplished and most interesting Christian lady, on one occasion when he was
restless, leaned over the bed, took his hand, and with
a voice full of melody, quietly repeated to him the
twenty-third Psalm,'The Lord is my Shepherd,' etc.'May God bless you!' was the response of the aged
saint. It was a beautiful scene. I thought, while
standing there, with what exquisite tenderness God
makes return to the benevolent man for each generous act.
" Another of the four persons alluded to was a skillful physician, who by night and day, with unremitting attention, nursed and cared for his benefactor.
He kissed him farewell. He performed the last offices
of friendship, and then stood unmanned beside the remains of him who took care of him when an orphan
boy.
" I had frequent conversations with him. At one
time when he was restless, and the family were sent
for, the last twelve verses of the eighth chapter of the
Epistle to the Romans were read to him. After prayer, he called me to the head of his bed, for he was very
weak, and said that Satan was tempting him to doubt
the divinity of the Savior; suggesting that the disciples performed miracles, and therefore the fact that
Christ performed them was no evidence that he was
God. He said that he met the suggestion by saying
to the tempter that the disciples could not have possessed the power to work miracles, because Christ




260         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
never gave it to them; that power He held in His
own hands. They performed miracles in the name
of Jesus of Nazareth, but Christ by His own power.'Oh,' said he,'it is a precious Gospel. It is the value
of my soul. It is now my stay. Study it, my,
study it, day and night. It is solemn for me, on the
verge of eternity, to be thus urging you. I should
like to talk more, but am too weak.' On being told
that it would be strange if, in his weak state, he met
with no temptations, he said,'When I am tempted, I
go to the promises from Genesis to Revelation, and
from Revelation to Genesis. I seem to know them
all.'
" To another gentleman of mature years, whom Mr.
Frelinghuysen had cared for and educated, he said,'This is a trying hour, but the Lord has sustained me.
Hie promised that He would, and He always will do
it.' Then bidding him farewell, he expressed the hope
that they would all meet in heaven.
" One of the leading members of the New Jersey
bar called to ask after his health, and told me that it
was to Mr. Frelinghuysen's conversations with him, as
they walked in the morning together when attending
court at Trenton, that he, attributed his first religious
impressions. WVhen this was repeated to Mr. Frelinghuysen, he replied,' Those are precious remembrances.'
"One day, as we were leaving his room to go to
dinner, some one pleasantly said,'Uncle, we wish you
could take dinner with us.'' Ah! my son,' he replied,'I am going to eat of the bread and drink of
the wine of everlasting life.'
"A day or two before he died, the Rev. Dr. W. H.
Campbell, who afterward became his successor as president of Rutger's College, called on him. I was not
present during the whole interview, and, as I came
into the room, I beheld what was to me a striking
scene. Dr. Campbell held the almost dying man by




CLOSING SCENE.             261
the hand, and, the tears coursing rapidly down his face,
said, with a cheerful, manly voice,'Farewell, Mr. Frelinghuysen, farewell. I expect soon to join you. I
shall not remain long here. Farewell, sir.'' Farewell, my friend,' was the reply;'but you must stay
here. God has a work for you, and you will yet accomplish great good.' Then, as the reverend gentleman left the room, he said to one standing by his bed,' You do not know that man; he is an honest, manly
Christian.'
" Afterward, a youth of about seventeen years, the
son of a friend, called, at Mr. Frelinghuysen's request,
to see him.'I have sent for you, my son,' said he.'I want you to see how a Christian can die. I have
been all my life in fear of that hour, and yet for seven
weeks I have seen death day by day approaching, and
never was.calmer. Did you ever see me more calm?'
Receiving no answer, he repeated the question, and
then receiving a reply in the negative, continued,'Now, my son, do not despise parents' prayers, mothers' tears, and sisters' supplications, but turn unto God.
Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.
Seek the Lord, and you will find Him; despise Him,
and He is a consuming fire. He has not come away
from heaven and died upon earth to be lightly rejected. I have here a little keepsake for you; it is the
Bible from Genesis to Revelation, published by the
American Bible Society. I don't want to exact from
you a rigorous promise, but I do want you to say that,
by God's grace, you will try to do what I have done.
For fifty-no, forty-five years, I have made it a rule,
at noon, or as near to it as I could-perhaps there
would not be an opportunity before tea-time-to read
a chapter in the Bible, and spend fifteen minutes in
private devotion. My son, farewell. Go now, and
seek God's grace.'
"On one occasion, when he seemed to suffer, I asked
what it was that troubled him. He replied,' When I




262        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
was a boy, I went to see Grandma Hardenberg when
she was sick, and asked her how she did, and she said
to me, " Schilde, I want to go home, and they won't
let me."' With that anecdote, he seemed to consider
that my inquiry as to what troubled him was answered.
" At another time, one present said to him that he
had been enabled to do much good in life, and that
should be a comfort to him now. And then was read
to him that part of the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew's Gospel, in which the King is represented as
saying to those on his right hand,' Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye
gave me drink,' etc., etc. But he said that his only
plea was,'God be merciful to me a sinner.' When reminded that those on the right hand used the same
language, saying,'When saw we Thee an hungered,
and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink?' etc.,
he made no reply, but shook his head. He took much
pleasure in listening to the parable of the Prodigal
Son, recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Luke.
" The attending physician came into the room at a
time when he was very low, and he said,'This, I think,
doctor, is my last struggle; and it is all peace-Christ
is precious.' The doctor replied that we could do
nothing without Christ.'Yes,' said Mr. Frelinghuysen,' I often said that, but did not realize it. Now I
feel it. Christ has opened to me the truth. If there
had been no sin, we should not have known how gracious God is.'
" He had, during the last week of his life, many interesting interviews which I have not referred to. He
suffered but little. His mind was perfectly unclouded. He made every arrangement for his departure.
Hie spent hours in endeavoring to reconcile his true
wife to their separation. He frequently through the




CLOSING SCENE.             263
day asked that a short prayer might be offered. His
faith was firm and confident.
" On the morning of the 12th of April it was manifest that he was sinking, and I, who had so often endeavored to cheer him when he was desponding, said,
without fear of alarming him,' You can live but a little while longer. You are almost gone. You may
possibly live two or three hours, but probably not so
long.' He asked if that was the opinion of the physicians. I told him that it was. He then took leave
of the family and friends. The physician to whom I
have referred as benefited when an orphan by him,
and myself, kissed him farewell. I then asked him,'Is it peace with you now?' He answered,'All
peace, more than ever before.' Shortly afterward he
expired.' Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.'"




264          LIFE OF FRELINGIUYSEN.
CHAPTER XIV.
CONCLUSION.
The Gift of God.-Mlr. Frelinghuysen's Completeness of Characteri.General Recognition of it.-Proven by Trial.-Theme of Gratitude
to God.-Encouragement to others.-A Proof of Christianity.An Example of cheerful Piety.-Its fundamental and characteristic Element.
AT a large meeting held in 1844 to ratify the Whig
nominations for national offices, Governor Lumpkin,
of Georgia, pleasantly played upon Mr. Frelinghuysen's Christian name, Theodore, which, according to
its origin, means gift of God, saying that this eminent
Christian statesman was God's gift to the nation for
the office of Vice-president. The result showed that
this was an error, the fond anticipation of a political
and personal friend, who thought that one who combined so many excellencies of character could not be
defeated if fairly brought before the popular eye.
Still the playful suggestion had an element of truth,
although in a different application from that which
the eminent civilian who made it intended. Theodore Frelinghuysen was the gift of God to the American people; not for the temporary occupation of any
office, however dignified or important, nor for the accomplishment of any civil or secular aims, however
lofty, but for a bright and shining example of the
thorough and consistent Christian in all the walks of
life, public and private.




CONCLUSION.               265
There are many blameless believers on earth of
whom the world is not worthy, but they are usually
found either in the ministry or in private life; but
here was a man whose necessary avocations led him
into the whirl of business and politics, who was thrown
into contact with all classes of society, who passed
through prolonged scenes of the highest excitement,
who took his full share of the duties devolving upon
educated and professional men under the popular institutions of our country, and yet never once abated
from the strictness of a holy life, never once gave occasion for unfriendly observers to bring a charge of
inconsistency. Not that he was, or claimed to be, perfect; he had infirmities, as he himself was painfully
conscious, both while he lived and when he came to
die; but all who knew him would, with one voice, declare that they never saw the man who had so few.
His life was long, extending several years beyond
the ordinary limit. It was, for the most part, a very
active one, spent in arduous and engrossing employments. It was varied, leading him into many different circumstances and associations; yet throughout
it was the life of " a good man and a just." He was
not excellent at one time or in one relation only, but
at all times and in every relation. Intimate friends,
casual acquaintances, and those who knew him only
by observation, all had but one opinion respecting
him. HIis prominent connection with great enterprises in which Christians at large took a deep interest, rendered his name familiar to all the people of
God in this land, and multitudes who never saw his
face in the flesh looked uip to him with affectionate
M




266        LIFE OF FRELINGHIUYSEN.
reverence as a tried and chosen leader of the sacramental host. They mourned his death as a public calamity, and felt the stroke as keenly as if it were a
personal bereavement. The keenness of their regret
was not owing to their lack of full information on the
subject; he for whose removal they sorrowed was
one who did not loom largest when seen at a distance,
but was more highly appreciated the longer and better he was known. Lofty as the figure seemed when
seen through the mists of current reports, it lost none
of its stately proportions when viewed standing in the
clear sunlight of close personal knowledge. Perhaps
there were no more hearty admirers of his character
than the friends of his boyhood, residing in his native
county, who had watched his career from the beginning to the end. One of these was present at his funeral, and heard the just and touching eulogy pronounced over the remains of the deceased by the Rev.
Dr. De Witt; but, after the services were over, he exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, "All that the speaker
said was true, but oh! he did not tell the half; it is
only we who have seen that man at home in his everyday life who know his real worth."
That worth was not a mere negative excellence; it
was not simply the absence of common faults, but the
possession of rare virtues exercised for a great length
of time, and amid manifold and searching temptations.
The more the gold was tried, the purer it was found.
He passed through the furnace of political life at the
national capital, and came out without even the smell
of fire upon him. Boy and man, advocate and senator, chancellor and president, church member and




CONCLUSION.               267
church officer, citizen and Christian, he bore his faculties so meekly, and discharged his duties so faithfully,
that even the breath of slander never tarnished his escutcheon. There is nothing in his course or character which needs excuse or even explanation. The entire career speaks for itself. Men might differ from
him in political opinions, in religious belief, or in minor questions, but none ever doubted the solid integrity of his principles, or the perfect conscientiousness
of his life.
Many men have been quite as distinguished as he
in professional and political life; many, too, have been
just as eminent for Christian consistency, but very
few, if any, have ever united the two kinds of distinction so thoroughly and successfully. As a civilian,
statesman, and patriot, he did his full duty on the
earth, yet held perpetual communion with God in
heaven. He commanded respect by his intellectual
gifts and attainments, yet won universal love and confidence by his meekness of wisdom. True to his clients, to his party, and to his country, he was also true
to the Gospel and the Cross in every situation. He
was not a different man at different times, combining,
as it were, by mechanical cohesion, two opposite
spheres of character and conduct-in one company or
place the zealous Christian, in another the busy politician or lawyer; but his religious faith interpenetrated
his whole life, and gave to it its characteristic tone.
iHe was just as much a Christian in the court-room, or
on the floor of the Senate, or at the hustings, as in his
closet, or the Sunday - school, or a prayer - meeting.
While never parading, he never cloaked his convic



268         LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN.
tions. Instead of being held loosely, they were a part
of himself, and could not be hid. Wherever he went,
whatever he did, an exquisite combination of justice
and goodness, of intelligence and meekness, of wisdom
and love,
Rose like a steam of rich distilled perfumes,
And stole upon the air.
Such a life as the preceding pages have imperfectly
unfolded calls for profound gratitude to Him who has
been pleased in our generation to erect such a precious memorial of the ennobling and sanctifying power of His heavenly grace. An eminently good man, in
any relation of life, is a great gift of God to those who
behold the rays of the burning and shining light; but
especially is this the case when the good man lives
long, has wide influence, is extensively known, passes
through trial and temptation, is uniformly consistent,
is destitute of eccentricities, is actively useful as well
as passively blameless, mingles in public and prominent scenes, avoids even the appearance of evil, and
perseveres to the very end-that end fitly crowning
the work. Such was Theodore Frelinghuysen; and
what he was God made him. Providence did much
for him in bestowing his fine bodily presence, his
plaintive but melodious voice, his penetration and sagacity, his dignified station, his winning personal address; but grace wrought far more in moulding such
an elevated Christian character, so spiritual, humble,
and uniform, so sweetly blending the virtues of contemplation and of action, so full of love to God and
love to man, so prominent in the features which are




CONCLUSION.               269
distinctively evangelical, so complete and harmonious
in outline and detail.
Such a life is full of encouragement and stimulus to
all the children of God. It presents an exalted picture of human excellence, yet one exactly proportioned to the means and agencies employed. Although far exceeding the ordinary standard of believers, it does not transcend what they are taught to aim
at and expect. Given in any case the same habits of
faith, conscientiousness, and prayer, the same result
might be looked for, modified only by the differences
of temperament and situation. All Mr. Frelinghuysen's natural advantages in constitution, birth, training, and position, would have amounted to but little
but for the grace which was given him. It was this
rich grace, so perseveringly sought, so largely received,
and so carefully cherished, which made him what he
was. This was his own life-long profession, sealed
and confirmed over and over as he lay upon his deathbed. That grace has not exhausted its stores; there
is enough yet to advance the whole Church permanently to the high position held by him, who, when
he died, left behind him no equal in the completeness
Qf his Christian character. If any fall short, it is not
because they are straitened in God, but because of
their own remissness.
To unbelievers in the Christian religion, Mr. Frelinghuysen's life presents an insoluble problem. His
lofty and stainless integrity was, as has been said, acknowledged universally. There is literally no dissenting voice. No public man has ever lived in this
country respecting whom so many persons would




270        LIFE OF FRELINGHUYSEN,.
unite in saying that they never knew any one who so
nearly approached perfection in all the relations of
life as he; yet this man habitually ascribed whatever
excellence he was enabled to exhibit to the Gospel of
the grace of God. Nor was this mere prejudice, or
the force of education, or the result of fanatical excitement, but the conviction of a mind eminently cool,
cautious, and collected, accustomed to weighing evidence, wont to take comprehensive views of things,
and always swayed by what appeared to be the truth.
If, then, he made no mistake in the matter-and mistake is hardly possible in the circumstances-his life
was a genuine product of Christianity, and the fruit,
according to an invariable law, testifies to the character
of the tree which bears it. A baseless system could
not have produced such an illustrious example of public and private virtue. Whether Christianity be deemed a delusion, or an imposture, or a gradual hardening
of mythical elements into a fixed belief, it must have
lacked the power to shape a character so pure, complete, and rounded. The guiding principle would
have betrayed its own defects by corresponding defects marked and manifest somewhere in the product;
but none such are to be seen. Mr. Frelinghuysenrs
infirmities were either constitutional, and, as such, held
under a control which was only not constant and habitual, or they were an excess of those Christian virtues
which are most difficult of attainment. The question
therefore remains, How could a system of faith and
practice, cordially and intelligently embraced, lead to
such a spotless life and character amid every variety
of temptation, unless it were from God?
To those who identify godliness and gloom-who




CONCLUSION.               271
confound Christian seriousness with austerity and melancholy, the life described in this volume administers
a pointed rebuke. Here was a man whose conscientiousness was unequaled in any generation of believers-whose abstinence from the pleasures of sii was
complete and life-long-whose religious convictions
were so intense and pervading as to shape his whole
life, and yet no one of his contemporaries enjoyed so
much happiness as he. Nor is reference had here
simply to the joy of communion with God, or to that
which springs directly from spiritual duties and privileges-although, in his case, both of these were great
-but to the ordinary kinds and sources of pleasure in
common life. In all domestic and social scenes, Mr.
Frelinghuysen was happy himself, and the source of
happiness to every one around him. In consequence
of his sensitive organization, and of occasional attacks
of a depressing disease, there were times when his face
was clouded. But these were exceptions. In the general, he entered with a keen zest into every form and
scene of rational enjoyment.
Even his habitual dread of death, and the constant
apprehension of unfitness for the judgment which he.unfortunately and mistakenly cherished, could not
break the spring of his character or chill the warm
current of his social impulses. His manly sense rejected asceticism in every form. He believed that
godliness had the promise of the life that now is as
well as of that which is to come, and he showed his
faith by his works. Cheerfulness without levity, wit
without coarseness, familiarity without rudeness, gave
an additional charm to his generous table, and made
his society a coveted possession to persons of all ages




272          LIFE OF FRELINGIUYSEN.
and classes. IIis piety, instead of quenching his natural tendency to mirth, only purified and increased it.
It remains only to add a few words respecting what
was the fundamental element in this remarkable career.* There is no possibility of mistake upon this
point. It was so constantly avowed, on proper occasions, by Mr. Frelinghuysen —it shone out so clearly
in his speeches, letters, conversations, and prayers —it
did so much toward the shaping of his outward course
-it entered so deeply and pervadingly into his religious experience, that all other influences must be
deemed subordinate or auxiliary. This was his simple and absolute faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.
With this he began his career in the morning of life,
and with this he ended it amid the gathering shades
of the dark valley. He never seemed for a moment
to rest upon his virtues, services, or honors, upon any
thing which grace had enabled him to be or to do;
but always and only upon the finished work of the
one atoning Savior who had loved him and given
Himself for him. The revelation which Scripture
makes of the incarnate Son of God, as.living, dying,
rising, and reigning for the salvation of His people,
fully satisfied his reason, his heart, and his conscience.
He rested here with a conviction which nothing could
shake. Whatever excursions he might make in the
wide range of religious inquiry —whatever attention
he bestowed upon the Christian evidences, he always
came back to the one common foundation of all just
and certain hope for the fallen children of men. He
was a sinner and Christ was a Savior, and with his
whole heart he believed in tIim as such.




CONCLUSION.                273
This faith made him what he was. It was the great
granite foundation underlying all else that was true,
and just, and pure, and lovely, and of good report in
his whole development. It gave the tone to his
thoughts and aspirations, to his domestic and social
life, to his private charities and public usefulness, to
his constant shrinking from  self-assertion, and yet
equally constant endeavor to win others to his own
happy experience of Christ's preciousness, to his immovable adherence to principle, and yet graceful and
easy concession in things indifferent. Believing as he
did in all Scripture truth, his faith fastened itself with
a peculiar intensity upon Him who is its sum and substance —upon Him who, as a personal Savior, by His
great act of condescension and love, sheds a new sanctity upon every duty, and invests every privilege with
a fresh attractiveness. To his mind Christ was first,
last, and midst, in all theology, in all experience, in
all hope. To Him his mind, as it were, instinctively
turned from every pursuit, in every temptation, sorrow, or perplexity.  The "Blood Theology," which
to some is so repulsive, to him was the perfection of
reason, the glory of the Scriptures, the last result of
God's manifold wisdom and grace. His faith in it
never wavered. To the end it was Christ and Him
crucified to whom he looked for pardon, peace, holiness, and life everlasting. This faith controlled him
while he lived and sustained him when he died. Nor
did it cease its operation until the happy period when,
having passed the dark river, to use his own sweet
words, he laid his aching head upon the Savior's
breast, and thanked Him for all His mercies.
M2








APPENDIX.
THrE following sketches of the two brothers of Mr. Frelinghuysen,
and of his oldest sister, are appended here chiefly because of the influence which all of them exerted upon his character, and also because not a few of the persons into whose hands this book is likely to
fall will be gratified with even a rapid outline of those whose memory, on various accounts, is precious to them.
" Ohil bless'd are they who live and die like these,
Loved with such love, and with such sorrow mourned!"
I. JOHN FRELINGHUYSEN, ESQ.
JOHN, the eldest son of General Frederick Frelinghuysen, was born
March 21, 1776, near Millstone, N. j. His infancy was spent amid
the clash of arms on the battle-field of the Revolution, and his youth
under the languor which pervaded the whole country upon the conclusion of peace and until the national government was firmly established. He was, however, enabled to receive sufficient instruction to
fit him for entering Queen's College, New Brunswick, then under the
direction of its first president, the Rev. Dr. Hardenbergh. He was
graduated in the year 1792, and immediately entered upon the study
of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1797, and in the same year
was married to Louisa, daughter of Archibald Mercer, Esq., then residing at what is now called Blackwell's Mills. In 1801 he purchased
the estate which is still in the possession of his family; but a few
years later, owing to the death of his father, he returned to Millstone,
where he took the charge of his father's family, and superintended
the studies of his two younger brothers. Here he was bereaved of
his wife, who died, after a short illness, in March, 1809. She had
been a great blessing to him, especially in the formation of his relig.ious character.
In 1810 he returned to his own property near the county seat, and
the next year was married to Elizabeth Mercereau, the eldest daughter of Michael Van Veghten, Esq.
Owing to an unconquerable aversion to public speaking, he figured




276                      APPENDIX.
but little in pleading before the courts, but in the quieter branches
of the profession pursued a large and profitable practice. For a
number of years in succession he represented his native county as
member of the State Council, and afterward was appointed surrogate of the county for three consecutive terms of five years each. His
capacity and integrity caused him very often to be made the executor
of the estates of deceased persons, and these trusts were always administered by him with the strictest care, probity, and honor.  When
he lay upon his dying-bed, he said to his wife, "This property will
remain in your and the children's possession, for none of it has ever
been taken from the widow and the orphan-these I have never
wronged-but all is the fruit of my own honest toil."
lie inherited from his father a taste and a fitness for military life.
At the time of the second war with Great Britain, he was for several
months encamped with a regiment of the New Jersey militia, which
he commanded, at Sandy Hook, with the view of preventing the enemy's vessels from passing up the bay to attack New York. No such
attempt was seriously made; but the soldiers on service at the HIook
were considered to have been instrumental in deterring the hostile
squadron from any near approach. After the war, Mr. Frelinghuysen
was made a brigadier general, by which title he was usually known
and addressed. He was naturally adapted to be a successful military leader, for he had a quick eye, a clear head, a rapid decision, a
sound judgment, a strong will, and invincible courage.  He seemed
to be quite insensible to fear. At one time there was, in the county
of Somerset, a resident who, having become heavily involved in pecuniary embarrassments, and being threatened with legal process,
shut himself up in his house with loaded arms, and declared that he
would shoot any person who attempted to serve a warrant on him.
As the man was known to be of very determined character, it was difficult to find any one willing to approach the house. General Frelinghuysen, on being informed of the fact, took the paper and declared that he would serve it. As he came near the dwelling, its
occupant called out to him to return, or he would fire.  "I No you
won't," was the reply, as the courageous man coolly continued his
course until he reached the door, when he made legal service of the
paper.
His first serious convictions on religious matters seem to have been
produced by the conversion of his first wife. After a considerable
struggle with himself, he was led to make a public profession of his
faith while yet residing at Millstone. Being naturally of a somewhat imperious disposition, it was not easy for him to cultivate the
peculiarly Christian graces of lowliness, meekness, and patience, yet




JOHN FRELINGHUYSEN.                     277
he did so with wonderful success. He feared God above many. If
ever he fell through infirmity, his penitence and self-abasement were
deep and earnest, and he sought anew pardon and peace from the
ever-flowing fountain of the Savior's blood. Hle was a bold and decided Christian. The courage which was a part of his natural constitution gave tone to his religious life. In every relation, and among
every class of persons, he acted up to his professed principles, sometimes pushing his consistency to an unusual degree. For example,
he felt that every believer should not only himself sanctify the Lord's
day, but labor for its observance by others.  He was known frequently to arrest travelers on the post-road, in front of his dwelling, who
violated the law of the land by journeying on the Lord's day. If
they declared their inability to bear the expense of lying by until
Monday, he would assume that expense himself. While on service
at Sandy Hook, he frequently conducted public service at the head
of his regiment, and used every opportunity to enforce the claims of
personal religion upon the men. After the war, many letters were
received by him firom persons desiring to acknowledge the benefit they
derived from these appeals, and to express their thanks to him.
He was a man of large heart, and devised liberal things. Pleasant, affable, social, he was far from being an anchorite, but enjoyed
life abundantly. Yet he thought continually for others. Hand and
heart were open to the poor or afflicted; and it was his constant study
not only to provide for temporal wants, but equally to provide the
means of grace for the destitute, and, so far as lay in his power, to secure the due improvement of those means.
In the midst of his usefulness, he was cut off by a bilious fever on
the 10th of April, 1833.
A gentleman, who was for many years a leading member of the bar
of Somerset County, has kindly furnished the author with the following notice of General Frelinghuysen:
" My acquaintance with the late General John Frelinghuysen commenced in 1814, and ended only with his death. We were neighbors, members of the same Church, and often associated in busincs;
transactions. These opportunities of knowing the man only made
me esteem him the more highly in every relation of life. I know of
no good quality, as a man or a Christian, which he did not possess in
an eminent degree.
"He was a man of great business tact, a skillful and accurate accountant, prompt in the discharge of duty, systematic in his arrangements, and punctual to every engagement. Being very popular in
the community, and enjoying the confidence of every one, he became
extensively occupied in public affairs, and held, in turn or together,




278                      APPENDIX.
nearly every county office. As executor, administrator, guardian, or
trustee, he handled more money than any other five men in the county, and never was there even a whisper of complaint as to his management of these trusts.
"iHe inherited from his revolutionary father a strong love for his
country and its republican institutions. When called to serve in the
field during the war of 1812, he took a very high position for courage, capacity, and self-sacrificing patriotism. His care of his regiment was unequaled.  The sick soldier was sheltered in his tent and
ate at his table; and when, by the neglect of others, the supplies of
food for the regiment were inadequate in quantity or quality, he freely used his own means to relieve their wants, even going so far as to
embarrass his estate for this purpose.," He was a man of profound and ardent piety. This shone out
on all occasions. Without any seeming effort on his part to produce
such an impression, no one could be in his company, even for a short
time, without feeling that he was a sincere and earnest Christian; yet
he was humble and unostentatious. In the Church he was esteemed
as a pillar. He was active in every good work, a devout attendant
upon ordinances, a constant friend and liberal supporter of the minister, fond of the social prayer-meeting-which he usually conducted,
and where his prayers seemed to be offered in the very presence of
God and eternity-ever ready to contribute to benevolent associations,
prompt to rebuke open sin, to warn impenitent persons, or soothe and
comfort the afflicted. In the councils of the Church, his opinions
were always looked for with interest and received with respect. The
poor of every class looked upon him as their counselor and friend,
and he spared no pains to administer promptly and efficiently to their
relief in things spiritual and temporal.
"Indeed, considering General Frelinghuysen's activity, consistency,
and uniform excellence in so many varied relations, it may with truth
be said that he was a public benefactor. The place made vacant in
the county of Somerset by his death has never been filled, and will
not be for a century."
II. MARIA FRELINGHUYSEN,
WIFE OF THE REV. JOItN CORNELL.
Maria, the first daughter and second child of General Frederick
Frelinghuysen, was born in March, 1778. When about twenty years
of age she was married to the Rev. John Cornell, a young clergyman,
who, after studying for a time in the famous Log College at Neshaminy, Penn., entered Queen's College at New Brunswick, where he




MRS. CORNELL.                       279
completed his course in the year 1795. He then pursued the study
of theology under Dr. Livingston, at Flatbush, L. I., and was licensed
to preach about the year 1798. After performing missionary service
for a year or two, he was called to the charge of the Presbyterian
Church in Allentown, N. J.  Here he remained for twenty years, a
laborious, faithful, and successful pastor. Afterward he for seven
years conducted the Classical Academy at Somerville, and then (in
1828), induced by the state of his health, retired to the homestead of
his wife's family near Millstone, at that time in the possession of her
brother Theodore. Here Mrs. Cornell ended her days on earth, in
March, 1832.
Mrs. Cornell was a remarkable woman for vigor of mind, intelligent piety, persistent charity, and practical usefulness.  She united
thought, reading, and conversational gifts with the diligent discharge
of every domestic duty, in this latter respect resembling more than is
common in our day the picture of the virtuous woman drawn iA the
closing chapter of the Book of Proverbs. She was an admirable
helpmeet to her husband in his pastoral office; and, wherever she resided, secured the unbounded respect and affection of the community. Her deep interest in the cause of temperance is worthy of especial note. Long before there was any public or general agitation of
the subject, and while the decanter was invariably to be found on every hospitable sideboard, ardent spirits were banished from her house,
and her whole influence thrown on the side of total abstinence.
There is still in existence the " Constitution Book," as it is called, of
an association established at Allentown in the year 1805, under the
name of the "Sober Society," with fifty-eight signatures attached, in
which the signers pledge themselves to abstain from all use of ardent
spirits as a beverage. There is no doubt that the animating spring,
if not the originator, of this first temperance society in America was'
Mrs. Maria Cornell.
Being nine years older than her brother Theodore, she naturally
exerted a considerable influence over him, both in person, while he
was still under the paternal roof, and afterward by letter, when he
was pursuing his education, collegiate and professional. He has frequently been known to acknowledge his obligations to her intelligent,
judicious, sisterly affection, and in a letter to the Rev. Dr. Hay, written in 1832, he thus expressed himself on the subject: "I have sustained a sore bereavement in the death of my sister. She stood in
the early relation of a mother to me. I was deprived of my mother
at six years of age, and this dearly-cherished sister, by a kind Providence, was ordained to fill her place, which she did most tenderly and
faithfully. I bless God that He has been pleased to spare her to us




280                      APPENDIX.
so long, and has now afforded such precious assurances in her life
that He has taken her to His own holy habitation."
After her death, which occurred March 13th, 1832, there appeared
in the columns of the Christian Intelligencer a very touching obituary
notice from the pen of the Hon. Peter D. Vroom. Governor Vroom
bears high testimony to Mrs. Cornell's fidelity as a wife and mother,
to her unusual excellencies of mind and heart, to her boundless charity, to her assiduous ministrations among all the children of sorrow,
to her intelligent piety, to her humble, holy, exemplary life, and her
calm, peaceful death.
From some of the statements made in this notice, it would appear
that, notwithstanding her consistent walk, she was exposed to seasons
of religious darkness, when a deep sense of unworthiness clouded every prospect. On one such occasion she thus expressed herself to an
intimate friend: "I am sometimes ready to conclude all past experience delusive. And what then? Shall I remain satisfied, and give
the enemy cause to triumph and the world to reproach? Oh no; I
will not, can not give over the pursuit. If I perish, it must be by the
way of the Cross. There, and there only, hang all my expectations,
all my desires." In mere secular sorrows and trials her faith was
triumphant; in the worst of them her language was, " If God in Christ
is the portion of my soul, surely I may rejoice even in this valley of
tears; and although billow after billow may be commissioned to roll
over me, still will I rejoice. He can, and will say,' Peace, be still,'
whenever the design of His providence is effected."
III. FREDERICK FRELINGHUYSEN, ESQ.
Frederick, the fourth child and youngest son of General Frederick
Frelinghuysen, was born at the family homestead at Millstone on the
8th of November, 1788.
He received the rudimentary elements of his education at New
Brunswick, in company with Theodore, and afterward followed him,
at the interval of two years, in the academy of Basking Ridge, in the
College of New Jersey, and in the law office of Richard Stockton.
He was graduated at Nassau Hall in the year 1806, and four years subsequently was admitted to the bar. He commenced practice in Somerset County, fixing his residence at Millstone. In the year 1812 he
was married to Jane, the eldest daughter of Peter B. Dumont, Esq.,
an old and influential citizen of the county. Mr. Frelinghuysen soon
secured an extensive and lucrative practice, which a few years afterward was greatly enlarged by his appointment as prosecutor of the
pleas for the counties of Somerset, Middlesex, and Hunterdon-an




FREDERICK FRELINGHUYSEN.                   281
appointment which he continued to hold up to the time of his death.
During this time he formed many intimate acquaintances at the bar
and in social life, but none which ever eclipsed or interfered with the
close ties which bound him to his brother Theodore. "The love which
these brothers had for each other was, in its depth and warmth, almost
romantic. Their greatest pleasure was to be together, and the lively
sallies of the younger brother never failed to dispel the depression of
spirits to which Theodore was sometimes subject. The period of
twelve years, extending from 1808 to 1820, was spent by them in professional life, but they were all the while framing pleasant excuses
and urgent reasons why Theodore should go to Millstone or Frederick come to Newark. Were they to go to court, one must go by the
house of the other, to enjoy as quickly, and continue as long as possible, the brother communion." Frederick was perhaps more of a natural orator than either of his brothers. His imagination was fervid,
his temperament buoyant, and his sensibility very lively. Persons
yet living, who in their youth heard him plead in jury trials, speak enthusiastically of his power and success.
On two occasions he delivered public orations which excited great
interest at the time, and led the community to form high expectations
of him, which, however, were blasted by his early death. One of these
was before the Washington Benevolent Association at New Brunswick in 1812, the other before the Somerset County Bible Society at
Somerville in 1820. Both of these were committed to the press, and
a few copies are still extant.
A month or two after pronouncing the address before the Bible Society he was attacked with what proved to be a mortal disease. His
religious views at first were clouded, but soon he was enabled to rest
upon the Savior in simple faith, and thenceforward to the close of his
five weeks' illness all was peace. The world was dismissed from his
thoughts; he had no solicitude for his recovery; in weakness and
suffering Patience wrought her perfect work. His sole anxiety was
for those who were still out of Christ, and his communion with his
Lord was such as to outweigh "ten thousand times ten thousand
worlds." After bearing an ample and most intelligent testimony to
evangelical piety, he fell asleep November 10th, 1820.
On the 14th of November, a meeting of the members of the bar of
New Jersey was held at the State-house in Trenton, when Richard
Stockton was called to the chair, and Joseph C. Hlornblower appointed secretary.  " The meeting being organized, L. H. Stockton, Esq.,
in an appropriate manner, announced the recent and solemn dispensation of Providence in the death of Frederick Frelinghuysen, Esq.,
a. counselor of the Supreme Court of this state. Whereupon, the




282                     APPENDIX.
members of the meeting being deeply impressed with the irreparable loss sustained by society in this event, it was unanimously resolved,
"1. That we do most sincerely, cordially, and affectionately sympathize with the bereaved widow, the orphan children, and the other
near relatives of our deceased brother on this afflicting dispensation
of Divine Providence, which has deprived the bar of the society of
an honest and honorable man, peculiarly endeared to his country by
the characteristic traits that distinguished him, not only as an able
and eloquent advocate, but as a Christian, a scholar, and a gentleman.
" 2. That, in testimony of our attachment to his memory, and respect to his public and private character, we will wear the usual
badge of mourning thirty days.
" 3. That these resolutions be published in the several newspapers
of this state, and that they be communicated to John Frelinghuysen
and Theodore Frelinghuysen, Esqs., the brothers, and also to the widow of our deceased friend.
" By order of the meeting.  RICHARD STOCKTON, Pres.
"JOSEPH C. HORNBLOWER, Sec."




IND EX.
African colonization, Mr. Freling-  ican Sunday School Union at
huysen's interest in, 222.     Washington, 233.
Alexander, Dr. Archibald, on Mr. Brevity  of Mr. Frelinghuysen's
Frelinghuysen's eloquence, 128.  speeches, 122.
Alexander, Dr. James W., on Mr. Briggs,' Governor, his interest in
Frelinghuysen's character, 145.  the Congressional prayer-meetAnnexation of Texas, its influence ing, 157; in the temperance
on presidential election of 1844,  movement, 246.
92; on subsequent fate of the Brougham, Lord, on a lawyer's
nation, 93.                     duty, 156.
Atoning Savior, Mr. Frelinghuy- Brown, Rev. I. V:, his Life of Dr.
sen's faith in, 165, 272.      Finley, 32.
Attorney General of New Jersey, Brownlee, Rev. Dr., at Basking
Mr. Frelinghuysen's appoint- Ridge, 32.
ment to the office, 46; his dis- Burnet's Life of Hale quoted, 155.
charge of its duties, 47; one reason of his accepting it, 154.    Calhoun, John C., 59.
Campbell, Lord, on a lawyer's duty,
Baccalaureate addresses, Mr. Fre-  156.
linghuysen's at Rutger's Col- Campbell, Rev. Dr., at Mr. Frelege, 109, 110.                linghuysen's funeral, 113; his
Baldwin, Judge, decides the pro- funeral sermon quoted, 164,
prietary case, 56.              192; Mr. Frelinghuysen's partBar of New Jersey, 42, 48; wis-  ing interview with, 261.
dom of Mr. Frelinghuysen's Cannon, Rev. Dr., his opinion of
leaving it, 57.                General Frelinghuysen's piety,
Basking Ridge, academy there, 31.  26; speech at Mr. FrelinghuyBaxter's Saint's Rest, Mr. Freling-  sen's inauguration, 104.
huysen's fondness for, 121.  Catholicity, Mr. Frelinghuysen's,
Benefits of affliction, 209, 211.  99, 118, 164, 217; its limits, 165.
Bible, Mr. Frelinghuysen's dili- Censoriousness, Mr. Frelinghuygent study of, 122, 139, 140,  sen's freedom from, 149, 192.
149, 261.                    Chambers, Hon. E. F., his letter to
Bible Society, American, Mr. Fre-  Mr. Frelinghuysen, 186.
linghuysen's connection with, Chambers, Hon. George, class218-222; his love for, 169.    mate of Mr. Frelinghuysen, 33;
Bradish, Hon. L., author of Bible  testifies to his diligence in study,
Society's minute on the death  36; to his legislative character,
of Mr. Frelinghuysen, 221.     64.
Breckinridge, Rev. Dr. John, pro- Charities, Mr. Frelinghuysen's,
cures a meeting for the Amer-  163, 164, 224.




284                          INDEX.
Cheerfulness, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, Dawson, Hon. Mr., 81.
115, 141, 152, 258, 271.       Death, Mr. Frelinghuysen's fear of
Cheever, Rev. E., quoted, 161.      253; his victory over, 255, 258 
Children,  Mr.  Frelinghuysen's  his own at a fit time, 111; of
fondness for, 116.                Frederick Frelinghuysen, Esq.,
Choice of a profession, Mr. Fre-   131; its character, 132, 281.
linghuysen's counsel on, 207.   Demarest, Rev. William, translaCholera, fist day for, 78.          tor of "Frelinghuysen's SerChristian Intelligencer, The, quot-  mons," 16.
ed, 280.                       De Witt, Rev. Dr., pastor of Mr.
Clay, Henry, in Senate, 59; opin-  Frelinghuysen, 160; receives a
ion of Mr. Frelinghuysen, 81;  letter of condolence from  him,
nominated for President, 87;  212; speaks at his funeral, 112.
popularity of, 117; letters to Mr. Dickerson, Hon. Mahlon, 59.
Frelinghuysen, 175-180.         Doddridge's Rise and Progress
"Coetus," the, origin of, 19.       recommended, 205.
Colonization Society, American, Dumont, Peter B., 330.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's connection Duryea, Rev. J. T., reports Mr.
with, 222; speech for, 127; re-  Frelinghuysen's words on a cerview of, 223; life-long interest  tain occasion, 134.
in, 224.                        Dutch Church, Mr. Frelinghuysen
"Conferentie," the, origin of, 19.   born in the, 129; his love for
Congressional life, its moral risks,  the, 165.
158; 1Mr. Frelinghuysen's views
of, 195, 196.                  Edwards, President, refers to T. J.
Conscientiousness, Mr. Freling-   Frelinghuysen's ministry, 16.
hnysen's, 129, 143, 144.       Edwards, Rev. Dr., Mr. FrelingConstitution of the United States, huysen's letter to, 248.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's love for, Elder, Mr. Frelinghuysen's activi45, 110.                          ty as such, 161.
Conversion of Mr. Frelinghuysen, Election  campaign  of 1844, its
agencies in, 130; its character,  earnestness, 88; Mr. Freling133.                              huysen's views of, 177; Mr.
Cornell, Rev. John, sketch of, 278.  Clay's, 178.
Cornell, Mrs. Maria, character, Ellsworth, Hon.T William, AMr.Fre279; influence on her brother,  linghuysen's letter to, 88.
279; piety, 280.               Elmendorf, Dr. James B., marries
Cornell, Rev. Dr. J. A. 11., Mr.  Elizabeth Frelinghuysen, 27.
Frelinghuysen's letters to, 209- Eloquence, Mr. Frelinghuysen's,
212.                              42; character of, 50; instances
Courage of General F. Frelinghuy-  in Newark, 123; in Boston, 124;
sen, 25; of JohnFrelinghuysen,   power of, 124; not capable of
276; of Theodore, 257.            report, 125; Dr. Magie's remCox, Rev. Dr., orderly sergeant of  iniscence, 126-128; before the
Captain Frelinghuysen, 44.        American Bible Society, 220.
Crosby, Rev. Dr. Howard, on Mr. Evarts, Jeremiah, remarks on one
Frelinghuysen, 106-109.           of Mr. Frelinghuysen's speech" Crown lawyer," anecdote, 49.      es, 76.
Everett, Hon. Edward, letter from,
Davis, Hon. John, 87.               82, 83.




INDE:X.                          285
Faith, simplicity of Mr. Freling-  his birth, 28; education at New
huysen's, 133; strength of, 148.  Brunswick, 31;  at Basking
Fast-day for cholera, Mr. Freling-   Ridge, 32; at Princeton, 33;
huysen's speech upon appoint-  studying law, 36; marriage, 40;
ing, 78.                          success at the bar, 42; patriotFasting, Mr. Frelinghuysen's prac-  ism, 44; attorney general, 46;
tice of, 139.                     legal characteristics,  48; in
Fillmore, Hon. M., 87.              Quaker case, 50; in Proprietary
Finley, Rev. Dr., his school, 32;  case, 56; in Senate, 61; on the
his  religious  influence, 130;  Indians, 66; on Sunday mails,
founder of American Coloniza-   73; on appointing a fast day,
tion Society, 222.                78; returns to Newark, 84;
Flag-raising at Rutger's College,  Chancellor of University, 85;
45.                               nominated for Vice-president,
Flattery, Mr. Frelinghuysen's ab-  87; result of election, 91; not
horrence of, 136.                 to be regretted, 92; removes to
Forgiveness of injuries, Mr. Fre-  New  Brunswick, 104; death,
linghuysen on, 141.               111; funeral, 112; person, 114;
Frelinghuysen, Mrs. Ann, her mar   social habits, 115; mental traits,
riage, 27; happy influence on   112-120; reading, 121; eloher husband's children, 31.       quence, 122 - 127; conversion,
Frelinghuysen, Mrs. Charlotte, her  130; faith, 133; humility, 1o35;
marriage, 40;  character, 40;  devotions, 138; conscientiousdeath, 109.                       ness, 143; hospitality, 152; leFrelinghuysen, Ferdinandus, 17.    gal integrity, 156; activity as
Frelinghuysen, General Frederick,   elder, 161; in Sunday-schools,
his birth, 22; education, 23;   162; charities., 163; concern
Revolutionary services, 24; in  for souls, 171; President of A.
U. S. Senate, 25; death, 26;  B. C. F. AM., 214; of American
children, 27.                     Bible Society, 219; of AmeriFrelinghuysen, Frederick, Esq.,  can Tract Society, 226; his in28, 29, 131, 280-282.             terest in African colonization,
Frelinghuysen, Mrs. Harriet, 109.   222; in American S. S. Union,
Frelinghuysen, Henricus, 17.        232; in American Temperance
Frelinghuysen, Jacobus, 17.         Union, 245; dying exercises,
Frlelinghuysen, the  Rev. John,  252; summary of his character,
birth and education, 18; mar-  264.
riage, 21; death,  19.         Friends, society of, their division,
Frelinghuysen, John, Esq., his in-  50; their creed, 52.
fluence on Theodore, 36; youth, Friends, Mr. Frelinghuysen's fond275; integrity  and  courage,  ness for, 142, 152, 256.
276; piety, 277.
Frelinghuysen, the Rev. Theo. Garrison, W. L., his lines to Mr.
Jac., his birth, 13; call to   Frelinghuysen, 70.
America, 14; ministry, 15; Geniality of Mr. Frelinghuysen's
success, 16.                      piety, 141.
Frelinghnysen, the Rev. Theodore, " Gift of God," Mr. Frelinghuysen
his education, 16; character,  really such, 264.
17.                            Grant, Mrs., of Laggan, her notice
Frelinghuysen, Hon. Theodore,  of the Rev. Theodore Frelinghlysen, 17v




286                         INDEX.
Griffin, Rev. Dr., 130.           ion of, 83; Professor Lewis's,
Gurley, Rev. Dr., letter from, 223.  95-97.
Industry, its value to the young,
Haines, Governor, his speech at  194, 195, 198, 200, 202-3.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's inaugura- Ingersoll, Hon. J. R., a classmate
tion, 104.                      of Mr. Frelinghuysen, 33; letliall vs. Grant, 50.              ter from, 33-35.
Hall, Rev. Robert, an audible pri- Insight, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, 63;
vate prayer, 139; on religion,  into character, 117; into books,
210.                            117.
Hallock, Rev. Dr., letter from, 225; Integrity of Mr. Frelinghuysen, 80,
Mr. Frelinghulysen's letter to,  81, 82.
227.
I-ardenbergh, Rev. Dr., his char- Jackson, Andrew, character, 61;
acter and marriage, 21.         on Indian question, 65, 69; on
HIardenbergh, the Jufvrouw, her  Mr. Frelinghuysen's integrity,
piety, 20; marriage, 21; second   81; commended by Mr. Frelingmarriage, 21; death, 22; desires  huysen, 157; his annual mesher children to become minis-  sage in 1834, 204.
ters, 22; influence on Theodore Jackson, John P., Esq., Mr. Clay's
Frelinghuysen, 129; longing for  letter to, 81; his testimony to
death, 262.                     Mr. Frelinghuysen, 189.
Harlan Page's example, 230.     Jackson, Rev. William, marries
Hasbrouck, Hon. A. B., President  Anna Frelinghuysen, 18.
of Rutger's College, 103.     Jay's Exercises, a favorite book of
Hay, Rev. Dr., letter of Mr. Fre- Mr. Frelinghuysen's, 121.
linghuysen to, 329; his intima- Jefferson, President, on  Indian
cy with, 160.                   question, 67; has a fund for edHenry, Rev. Dr. C. S., 99.         ucating colored children, 224.
Hodge, Rev. Dr., at Mr. Freling- Job, quotation from, applied to
huysen's funeral, 112.          Mr. Frelinghuysen, 164.
Home, Mr. Frelinghuysen's piety Johnson, Professor, 99.
at, 151.                      Johnson, Hon. R. M., his reports
Hope, Dr., anecdote of, 152.       on Sunday mails, 71, 72.
Hornblower, ChiefJustice, 42, 282. Judd, Rev. Dr. Gideon F., marries
Hospitality, Mr. Frelinghuysen's,  a daughter of General F. Fre117, 152, 153.                  linghuysen, 27; his death and
Humility, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, its  funeral, 210.
extent, 100, 102, 135; expres- Judge of Supreme Court of New
sions,  136, 254, 256, 262;  Jersey, Mr. Frelinghuysen apgrounds, 137, 148.              pointed, 47.
Humor, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, 99; Judgment, Mr. Frelinghuysen's
anecdotes, 115, 123.            soundness of, 49, 62; accuracy
of, 119.
Imagination, Mr. Frelinghuysen's,
120.                          Kirkpatrick, Rev. Dr., a classmate
Indian Bill, its nature, 64; Mr.  of Mr. Frelinghuysen, 32; conFrelinghuysen's speech  upon,  versation with him, 155.
66; subsequently approved in
Georgia, 82; Mr. Everett's opin-,Last sickness of Mr. Frelinghuy



INDEX.                          287
sen, its origin and progress, 252  linghuysen's eloquent effort in,
-253.                            42.
Law, Mr. Frelinghuysen studies,
36; practices, 40; forsakes, 57, Nassau Hall, Mr. Frelinghuysen
85.                             studies there, 33.
Legal profession, its moral charac- Neilson, Colonel James, 28.
ter, 154; why Dr. Spring left Neville, Rev. Dr., reads service at
it, 171.                        Mr. Frelinghuysen's grave, 113.
Lewis, Professor Tayler, letter Nevius, Hon. J. S., Mr. Frelingupon Mr. Frelinghuysen's char-  huysen's letter to, 184-186.
acter, 95-102.                Newark, Mr. Frelinghuysen's setLincoln, Hon. Heman, Mr. Fre-  tlement there, 40; returns there
linghuysen's letter to, 168.    from  Washington, 84; speaks
Lindsley, Rev. John, rector of  there on Henry Clay, 181.
grammar-school at New Bruns- New Brunswick, N. J., scene of
wick, 28.                       Rev. T. J. Frelinghuysen's laLindsley, Rev. Dr. Philip, a class-  bors, 14, 15; final residence of
mate of Mr. Frelinghuysen, 32.   Jufvrouw Hardenbergh, 22; Mr.
Livingston, Edward, replies to Mr.  Frelinghuysen at school there,
Frelinghuysen's speech on Sun-  28; removes there, 104; buried
day mails, 73.                  there, 113.
Lord's day, John Frelinghuysen's
zeal for, 277.                Packard, Frederick A., Esq., letLumpkin, Governor, approves Mr.  ter from, 232.
Frelinghuysen's course on In- Parker, C., Esq., on Mr. Frelingdian Bill, 81; calls him "gift huysen's character, 41-44,154.
of God," 264.                 Patriotism, Mr. Frelinghuysen's,
44, 46.
Magie, Rev. Dr., letter from, 126 Peacemaker, Mr. Frelinghuysen's
-128.                           skill as such, 161.
Marsh, Rev. Dr., letter from, 243 Pennington, Hon. William, 42;
-251.                           letter from, 184.
Meekness, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, Personal efforts for souls, Mr. Freanecdotes of, 141.              linghuysen's, 149,171-174; his
Mercer, Archibald, 40, 325.        speech upon, 228-231.
Messler, Rev. Dr., his estimate of Pirtle & Prentice, Messrs., Mr.
the first Frelinghuysens' success,  Frelinghuysen's letter to, 89,
16; his writings, 27.           90.
Milledoler, Rev. Dr., President of Poets, Mr. Frelinghuysen's favorRutger's College, 103.          ite, 121.
Ministers of Gospel, Mr. Freling- Popularity of Mr. Frelinghuysen,
huysen's desire to become one,  its cause, 117.
170; his respect and care for, Power of kindness, 229.
160.                          Prayer, Mr. Frelinghuysen's habMissions, Foreign, A. B. C., Mr. its of, 138-140,146, 261.
Frelinghuysen's speeches for, Prayer - meetings, Congressional,
123, 124; president of, 214;  157; in general, 149, 160.
resignation, 215; farewell let- Presidential election  in 1844ter to, 216.                    warmth of the canvass, 88; its
Murder case at Newark; Mr. Fre-  result not to be regretted, 92;




288                         INDEX.
Mr. Frelinghuysen's views of,  ical Seminary at, 19; Mr. Fre177; Mr. Clay's do., 178, 179.   linghuysen's speech there, 89.
Princeton, Mr. Frelinghuysen stud- Smith, Rev. Dr. S. S., 23.
ies law there, 39.             Smith, Rev. J. Few, his historical
Prohibitory Liquor Law, Mr. Fre- discourse, 130; at Mr. Frelinglinghuysen's views upon, 248-  huysen's funeral, 112.
251.                          Smith, Dr. Ephraim, 28.
"Proprietary case," 56.         Southard, Hon. S. L., classmate of
Mr. Frelinghuysen, 32; on the
"Quaker case," its nature, 50;  bench, 43; in the Senate, 59;
Mr. Frelinghuysen's argument  at the bar, 51.
in, 53; result, 55.            Spring, Rev. Dr. G., his letter to
Queen's College, origin and found-  Mr. Frelinghuysen, 170.
ers, 103; its grammar- school, Statesmanship, Mr. Frelinghuy28; graduates, 275, 278.         sen's, 63, 64.
Stockton, Hon. Richard, 42; Mr.
Randolph, John, testifies to Mr.  Frelinghuysen studies law with,
Frelinghuysen's religious char-  39; Frederick F. also, 330.
acter, 137.                   Strong, Rev. Dr. T. C., at Mr. FreReading, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, 41.  linghuysen's funeral, 112.
Religious conversation, Mr. Fre- Studdiford, Rev. Dr., on Dr. Finlinghuysen's fondness for, 100.   ley, 130.
Resignation, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, Student, Mr. Frelinghuysen always
258.                             a diligent one, 34, 36, 41.
Romeyn, Rev. Thomas, marries Style, Mr. Frelinghuysen's, 122.
Margaret Frelinghuysen, 18.   Sunday Mail Bill, its character,
Romeyn, Rev. Theo. Frel., minis-  71; Mr. Frelinghuysen's speech,
ter at Raritan, 18.              73; results, 77.
Rutger's College, history of, 103; Sunday-schools, Mr. Frelinghuy-n
Mr. Frelinghuysen made presi-  sen's interest in, 126, 161-163,
dent, 104; prosperity of, 105;  243.
raises flag at, 45; addresses at, Sunday-school Union, American,
109, 110.                        Mr. Frelinghuysen's connection
with, 232; his speech before,
Saturday afternoon, Mr. Freling-  234-237.
huysen's, 163.                 Synod of New Jersey, Mr. FrelingSenate of United States, its mem-  huysen's eloquent speech before,
bers in 1829-1835, 59; bril-  127.
liancy, 60, 83; Mr. Frelinghuysen's course in it, 62, 156-159. Tallmage, Gen. James, at Mr. FreSergeant, Hon. John, 87.          linghuysen's  inauguration  as
Sharswood, Judge, his work on   chancellor, 85.
professional ethics quoted, 153. Taylor, Rev. Dr. W. J. R., sermon
Simplicity of Mr. Frelinghuysen,  on Mr. Frelinghuysen, 124; let147, 148.                       ter concerning, 219-221.
Slander case, Mr. Frelinghuysen's Temperance cause, Mr. Freling;
argument in, 50.                huysen's interest in, 145, 244 -
Slavery, its overthrow in United   his efforts for, 247; Mrs. Cor
States, 92-94.                  nell's, 279.
Somerville, New Jersey, Theolog- Temperance Union, American, Mr.




INDEX.                           289
Frelinghuysen's connection with, Waddlell vs. 3zartin, 56.
245.                           Wall, Hon. G. 1)., 51.
Temptations, Mr. Frelinghuysen's War of 1812, Mr. Frelinghuysen's
in his last illness, 259.        exertions in, 44; John FrelingTennent, Rev. Gilbert, his account  huysen's, 276.
of Rev. T. J. Frelighuysen's Waring, Mrs. A. F., quoted, 258.
success, 15.                   Washington, Mr. Frelinghuysen's
Tract Society, American, Mr. Fre-  first experience there, 195.
linghnysen's  connection  with, Wayland, Dr., his sermon on the
225; President of, 226; resigna-  Apostolic Ministry, 168.
tion, 227; address before, 228. Webster, Daniel, 59, 233, 245; on
Training of youth, its importance,  Mr. Frelinghuysen's character,
234, 241.                        80; letters to Mr. F1relinghuyTreat, Rev. Dr., letter fiom, 214.    sen, 182, 183.
Whisky Insurrection, Gen. FredUnion of the states, Mr. Freling-   crick Frelinghuysen in the exhuysen's zeal for, 45, 46, 110.   pedition against it, 25.
University of the city of NewYork, Whitfield, Rev. George, his refer,
Mr. Frelinghuysen made chan-  ence to Frelinghuysen's success,
cellor,  84; inauguration, 85;  16.
success, 86; resignation, 95.   Wilson, Rev. Dr. HIugh N., at Mr.
Frelinghuysen's funeral, 112;
Valedictory at college, Mr. Fre-  testimony concerning, 121.
linghuysen's, 35.              Wood, George, Esq., 42, 51.
Van Buren, Hon. Martin, Mr.'roe- Woodbridge, Rev. Dr., at Mr. Frelinghuysen opposes his confirm-  linghuysen's funeral, 112; letter
ation as minister to Great Brit-  concerning him, 147.
ain, 62.                       Wordsworth's Excursion quoted,
Van Nostrand, Caspar, 22.           116, 126.
Vice-president of United States, Wyckoff, Rev. Dr., his obligations
Mr. Frelinghuysen's nomination   to Mr. Frelinghuysen, 37, 38.
for the post, 87; competitors, 88;
election, 89; the result, 90; con- York, the old colored man, 144.
sequences, 91-94.              Young, Mr. Frelinghuysen's fondVisiting the sick, Mr. Frelinghuy-  ness for, 116, 142.
sen's diligence in, 161.       Young lawyer, Mr. Frclinghuysen's
Vroom, HIon. Peter D., his obitu-  agency in his conversion, 187.
ary of MIrs. Maria Cornell, 280.
N








"They do honor to American Literature, and would do
honor to the Literature of any Country in the World."
THE RISE OF
THE DUTCH REPUBLIC.
% fgisforq
BY JOHN LOTHROP MOTLEY.
New  Edition.  With a Portrait of WILLIAM  OF ORANGE.  3 vols.
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2     DIOTLEY'S  RIBS   OF  THIE  DUTCII REEPUBLIC.
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Mr. Motley's volumes will well repay perusal. * * For his learning, his liberal
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.Mr. Motley, tlhe AnLrican historianC of the United Netherlands — we oawe him
English homage.-LoNDoN TIMES.
"' As interesting as a romance, and as reliable as a proposition of Euclid."
History of
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OF TIIE ORIGIN AND DESTRUCTION OF TIIE SPANISH
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and intelligently examined, his materials arranged with a just idea of their importance in the story, while his judgments are well considered, unbiassed, and
reliable. His style is clear, forcible, and sententious.-(Christian Register.
Mr. Hildreth is a very concise, vigorous, and impartial writer. Hits entire
history is very accurate and interesting, and well worthy a place in every American library.-Louisville Journal.
He is laborious, conscientious, and accurate. As a methodical and very full
narrative, its value is undoubted. — Neo  Orleans Bee.
The calmness and ability with which he has presented his narrative will give
his work rank among the standard histories of the country.- Watchmzan and
Observer.
* * We have, therefore, read his book with distrust. But we are bound in
candor to say that it seems to us valuable and very fair. Mr. Hildreth has confined himself to, as far as possible, a dispassionate collection of facts from the
documents he has consulted and copied, and his work fills a void that has sensibly been felt in private libraries. As a documentary history of the United
States, we are free to commend it.-N. Y. Freeman's Journal.
Mr. Hildreth has rendered an essential and permanent service.-Providence
Daily Journal.
The volumes will be regarded as indispensable-it will take its place as a
standard work. The author's style is dignified, perspicuous, and vivacious.Church Review.
The work is very complete. The marginal dates, the two indexes, and running heads at the tops of the pages, render it very convenient for reference,
points which scholars will find all important for utility.-Newark Sentinel of
Freedom.




2        HIILDRETI'S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.
We should like to know what other book upon American history, or even upon
any limited portion of it, presents any thing like the same distinctness of view,
or can at all compete with it in that "lucid order" which is one of the first merits of every historical work.-Boston Atlas.
His work fills a want, and is therefore most welcome. Its positive merits, in
addition to those we have before mentioned, are impartiality, steadiness of
view, clear appreciation of character, and, in point of style, a terseness and conciseness not unlike Tacitus, with not a little, too, of Tacitean vigor of thought,
stern sense of justice, sharp irony, and profound wisdom. —Mlethodist Quarterly
Revieow.
It occupies a space which has not yet been filled, and exhibits characteristics
both of design and of composition, which entitle it to a distinguished place
among the most important productions of American genius and scholarship.
We welcome it as a simple, faithful, lucid, and elegant narrative of the great
events of American history. It is not written in illustration of any favorite
theory, it is not the expression of any ideal system, but an honest endeavor to
present the facts in question in the pure, uncolored light of truth and reality.
The impartiality, good judgment, penetration, and diligent research of the author are conspicuous in its composition.-N. Y. Tribune.
In our judgment, this is the ablest, best, and most judicious popular history
of the United States that has yet appeared.  It will be a standard book on
American history, and will not fail to secure a high reputation as a writer to its
modest and unpretending author. — Washington Union.
This work is a valuable addition to our historical literature. It is the fruit
of wide research and hard labor. It has those features of severe simplicity and
truthfulness which will render it an enduring legacy to the future. —Christian
Watchnman.
Mr. HIildreth's work will be a standard of reference for the student of American history, and will become a favorite in proportion as it is known.-Nat. Era.
his narrative is lucid and succinct, his facts carefully ascertained and skillfully grouped, and his conclusions on all mooted questions are ably sustained
and impartially weighed. —ets Orleans Bee.
The most valuable work of the kind yet issued. It presents, in a clear, graceful, and forcible style, a full and faithful picture of the country from its first
settlement down to the end of the Sixteenth Congress. It is marked no less by
its completeness than its accuracy and the beauty of its narrative.-Troy Daily
In a most graphic, terse, and elegant style, it gives the history of each state,
with its institutions, progress, and enterprise, civil, commercial, and agricultural, which makes the book a valuable addendum to the historical literature of
the great republic.-St. John's Morning Nezvs.
No better chronicle of the more recent periods of our history has been given.Albany Evening Journal.
The prevailing characteristic of Hildreth's history is its stern and inflexible
impartiality.-Boston Journal.
The author has shown a most commendable industry.-Baltimore Patriot.
The chief merits of Mr. IIildreth's work are fidelity and candor of spirit, and
perspicuity and terseness of style.-Soutthernz Literary Gazette.
It is a plain, dignified, impartial, and fearless exhibition of facts. - Genesee
Evangelist.
The author's grouping of men and events is skillful, and renders his rapid narrative pleasant reading.-N. Y. Evening Post.
These handsome volumes should be on the table of every American who desires the most thorough and clear report of our nation's history yet published.Rochester Democrat.
The history is a reliable, and, in all respects, an admirable one.-Ontario Repository.
The author makes every thing plain and clear which he touches.-Southern
Christian Advocate.
A history of the United States that could be regarded by all men as a standard
of authority, as well as a model of impartial labor. —Forcester Palladium.
A work which should be in every American's hands.-Springfield Republican.
His style is clear and forcible, and his work is very valuable on account of the
political information it contains.-Savannah RepvqbtiWcan.




HILDRETH'S HISTORY OF THE ULNITED STATES.
Written with candor, brevity, fidelity to facts, and simplicity of style and mannei, and forms a welcome addition to the library of the nation.-Prot. Churchman.
Mr. Hildreth is a bold and copious writer. His work is valuable for the immense amount of material it embodies. —De Bow's Review of the Southern and
W}estern States.
We may safely commend Mr. Hildreth's work as written in an excellent style,
and containing a vast amount of valuable information.-Albany Argus.
His style is vigorously simple.  It has the virtue of perspicuity. - Zion's
Herald.
We value it on account of its impartiality.  We have found nothing to indicate the least desire on the part of the author to exalt or debase any man or any
party. His very patriotism, though lhigh-principled and sincere, is sober and
discriminate, and appears to be held in strong check by the controlling recollection that he is writing for posterity, and that if the facts which he publishes
will not honor his country and his countrymen, fulsome adulation will not add
to their glory.-N-i. Y. Comnmerscial Advertisesr.
We are confident that when the merits of this history come to be known and
appreciated, it will be extensively regarded as decidedly superior to any thing
— that before existed on American history, and as a valuable contribution to
American authorship. These stately volumes will be an ornament to any library, and no intelligent American can afford to be without the work. We have
nobly patronized the great English history of the age, let us not fail to appreciate and patronize an American history so respectable and valuable as this certainly is.-B-iblical 1Repository (Bibliotheca Sacra).
This work professes only to deal in facts; it is a book of records; it puts together clearly, consecutively, and, we believe, with strict impartiality, the events
of American history. The work indicates patient, honest, and careful research,
systematic arrangement, and lucid exposition.-Home Journal.
To exhibit the progress of the country from infancy to maturity; to show
the actual state of the people, the real character of their laws and institutions,
and the true designs of their leading men, at different periods, and to relate a
sound, unvarnished tale of our early history, has been his design; and we are
free to acknowledge that it has been executed with marked ability and triumphant success. Every lover of impartial history will accord to Mr. Hildreth his
due meed of praise for the able and honest manner in which he has given the
true history of the United States.-Penszsylvanian.
This work is full of detail, bears marks of care and research, and is written
under the guidance of clear sight and good judgment rather than of theory,
philosophical or historical, or of prejudice of any sort whatever. We trust that
it will be widely read. —N-. Y. Courier and Enqeir'er.
We pronounce it unsurpassed as a fills, clear, and truthful history of our
country so far. We rejoice that a work so important to our nation has been so
ably performed.-Litercary American.
Interesting, valuable, and very attractive. It is written in a style eminently
clear and attractive, and presents the remarkable history which it records in a
form of great simplicity and with graphic force. There is in it no attempt to
palliate what is wrong, or to conceal what is true. It is a life-like and reliable
history of the most remarkable series of events in the annals of the world.-N.
Y. Journal of Comnzerce.
It is a valuable acquisition to American literature.-Baltinmore American.
The history of our country with a scrupulous regard to truth.-BYff alo Courier.
We believe this to be a truthful, judicious, and valuable history, worthy of
general acceptation.-Philadelphia N orth American.
The first complete history of our country.-Chronotlype.
Published by HARPER & BR OTHIERS,
Franklin Square, 1Vew York.
*I *IARPERa  & BROTHERS will send the above Work by Mail. postage paid (for
any distance in the United States under 3000 miles), on ieceipt of the Money.




COMPLETION OF GROTE'S HISTORY OF GREECE,
A HISTORY OF GREECE,
FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE CLOSE OF THE GENERATION CONTEMPORARY WITH ALEXANDER THE GREAT.
BY GEORGE GROTE, ESQ.
Vol. XII. contains Portrait, Maps, and Index. Complete in 12 vols. 12mo,
Muslin, $12 00.
It is not often that a work of such magnitude is undertaken; more seldom still
is such a work so perseveringly carried on, and so soon and yet so worthily accomplished. Mr. Grote has illustrated and invested with an entirely new significance a portion of the past history of humanity, which he, perhaps, thinks the most
splendid that has been, and which all allow to have been very splendid. He has made
great Greeks live again before us, and has enabled us to realize Greek modes of thinking. Hte has added a great historical work to the language, taking its place with
other great histories, and yet not like any of them in the special combination of
merits which it exhibits: scholarship and learning such as we have been accustomed to demand only in Germans; an art of grouping and narration different
from that of Hume, different from thIat of Gibbon, and yet producing the effect of
sustained charm and pleasure; a peculiarly keen interest in events of the political
order, and a wide knowledge of the business of politics; and, finally, harmonizing
all, a spirit of sober philosophical generalization always tending to view facts
collectively in their speculative bearing as well as to record them individually.
It is at once an ample and detailed narrative of the history of Greece, and a lucid
philosophy of Grecian history.-London Athenceum7,.7larch 8, 1856.
Mr. Grote will be emphatically the historian of the people of Greece.-Dublin
University Mlagazine.
The acute intelligence, the discipline, faculty of intellect, and the excellent erudition every one would look for from Mr. Grote; but they will here also find the
element which harmonizes these, and without which, on such a theme, an orderly
and solid work could not have been written.-Examiner.
A work second to that of Gibbon alone in English historical literature. Mr.
Grote gives the philosophy as well as the facts of history, and it would be difficult
to find an author combining in the same degree the accurate learning of the scholar with the experience of a practical statesman. The completion of this great
work may well be hailed with some degree of national pride and satisfaction.Literary Gazette, March 8, 1856.
The better acquainted any one is with Grecian history, and with the manner in
which that history has heretofore been written, the higher will be his estimation
of this work. Mr. Grote's familiarity both with the great highways and the obsceurest by-paths of Grecian literature and antiquity has seldom been equaled, and
not often approached, in unlearned England; while those Germans who have rivaled it have seldom possessed the quality which eminently characterizes Mr.
Grote, of keeping historical imagination severely under the restraints of evidence.
The great charm of Mr. Grote's history has been throughout the cordial admiration he feels for the people whose acts and fortunes he has to relate. * * We bid
Mr. Grote farewell; heartily congratulating him on the conclusion of a work which
is a monument of English learning, of English clear-sightedness, and of English
love of freedom and the characters it produces.-Spectator.
Endeavor to become acquainted with Mr. Grote, who is engaged on a Greek
History. I expect a great deal from this production.-NIEBUHR, the Historian,
to Professor LIEBER.
The author has now incontestably won for himself the title, not merely of a
historian, but of the historian of Greece.-Quarterly Review.
Mr. Grote is, beyond all question, the historian of' Greece, unrivaled, so far as
we know, in the erudition and genius with which he has revived the picture of a
distant past, and brought home every part and feature of its history to our intellects and our hearts.-London Times.
For becoming dignity of style, unforced adaptation of results to principles, careful verification of theory by fact, and impregnation of fact by theory-for extensive
and well-weighed learning, employed with intelligence and taste, we have seen no
historical work of modern times which we would place above Mr. Grote's history.-Morning Chronicle.
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE, N. Y.




STANDARD WORKS
OF
i10coctir  atb  butnturt in 2dfri a
PUBLISIIED BY
HARPER  & BROTHERS, Franklin Square, New York.
C   Sent by Mail, postage prepaid, on receipt of price.
The amount of travel litera ture which HARPER & BROTnERS have published, relating to Africa,'makes a ceriZous list, and illustractes the bent of geographical
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Livingstone, Du Chaillu, Davis, and a neumber of other celebrated travelers, formn
a small library, all the result of the last few years' devotionl to African exploration.-N. Y. JOURNAL OF COMMERCE.
SOUTH AFRICA.
BALDWIN'S AFRICAN HUNTING.  African Hunting from Natal to the
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By WILLIAM CHARLES BALDWIN, Esq., F.R.G.S. With Map, Fifty Illustrations by Wolf and Zwecker, and a Portrait of the Great Sportsman. Small
Svo, Cloth. $1 50.
SOUTHWESTERN AFRICA.
THE OKAVANGO RIVER: A Narrative of Travel, Exploration, and Adventure. By CIARLEs JOHN ANDERSSON, Author of " Lake Ngami." With Steel
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English Edition) showing the Regions explored by Andersson, Cumming, Livingstone, Burton, and Du Chaillu. Svo, Cloth, $2 50; Half Calf, $3 75.
NORTHERN AFRICA.
CARTHAGE AND HER REMAINS: Being an Account of the Excavations
and Researches on the Site of the Phoenician Metropolis in Africa and other
Adjacent Places, under the Auspices of Her Majesty's Government. By Dr.
N. DAVrIs, F.R.G.S.  Profisely Illustrated with Maps, Wood-cuts, ChromoLithographs, &c., &c. Svo, Cloth, $3 00.; Half Calf, $4 25.
EQUATORIAL AFRICA.
EXPLORATIONS AND ADVENTURES IN EQUATORIAL AFRICA;
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and of the Boston Society of Natural History. With Maps and numerous I1lustrations.  Svo, Cloth, $3 75; Half Calf, $5 00.
SOUTH AFRICA.
MISSIONARY TRAVELS AND RESEARCHES IN SOUTH AFRICA;
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across the Continent, down the River Zambesi, to the Eastern Ocean. By
DAVID LIVINGSTONE, LL.D., D.C.L. With Portrait, Maps, and numerous Illustrations. Svo, Cloth, $3 00; IIalf Calf, $4 25.




2        WtVorlks of Discovery and Adventure in Afr ica.
CENTRAL AFRICA.
THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA.  A Picture of E xplora.
tion.  By RICHARD F. BURTON, Captain HI.M.I. Army; Fellow and Gold
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mWood. 8,o, Cloth, $3 75; lllf Calf,,p 00.
NORTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA.
TRAVELS AND DISCOVERIES IN NORTH AND CENTRAL AFRICA.
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Government, in the Years 1S49-1S55.  By HIF,sRY BARTH, Ph.D., D.(C.L.
Profusely and elegantly Illustrated.  Complete in 3 vols, Svo, Cloth, $9 00;
Sheep, $9 75; Hlalf Calf, $12 795.
SOUTHWESTERN AFRICA.
LAKE XNGAMI; or, Explorations and Discovories during Four Years' Wanderings in the Wilds of Southwestern Africa. By CH'IIARLES JoIN ANr)ERSSON.
With numerous Illustrations, representing Sporting Adventures, Subjects of
Natural History, Devices for Destroying Wild Animals, &c. New Edition.
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SOUTH AFRICA.
FIVE YEARS OF A HUNTER'S LIFE IN THE INTERIOR OF SOUTH
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MADAGASCAR.
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