....




THE LIFE
REV, MlARTIN CHENEY,
BY GEORGE T. DAY,
PASTOR OF THE F. BAPTIST CHURCH, OLNEYVILLE, R I,
PROVIDENCE:
GE 0. H. WHITNEY.
185 3




Entered according to Act of Congress, in1852,
BY C. S. SWEETLAND,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Rhode-Island.
KNOWLES, ANTHONY & CO. PRINTERS.




PREFACE.
T~wo years ago last May, Mr. Cheney stated to me that, ill
answer to the repeatedly expressed wish of his brethren and
friends, he was preparing some Auto-biographical sketches
of his life, and endeavoring to put his papers into such a
state as might somewhat facilitate the preparation of a Memoir, should it be called for after his death; and expressed
a strong desire that I would consent to undertake the preparation of the work, unless providentially prevented.
Mr. Cheney was my friend. Though never having enjoyed
a very extensive personal intercourse with him, yet, in some
sense, he had been my counsellor from the beginning of my
christian life; and our acquaintance had ripened into strong
confidence and affection. Unfitted therefore as I might have
felt for such a task, I could not refuse to comply with his
request, when I saw that his heart was strongly set on such
an arrangement.
In eighteen months from that time his public labors had
closed, before he had completed his intended biographical
sketches, or more than partially arranged his papers. He




4                    PREFACE.
indicated his arrangement for the publication of his Life in
his Will, notwithstanding I had in the mean time taken. up
what was expected to be a permanent residence in a distant
State. The Church and Society at Olneyville summoned me
to occupy the post which his death had made vacant-a measure which probably grew very much out of his own expressed
wishes. That post was finally accepted, and the work, such
as it is, has been performed amidst the very scenes which his
ministry of nearly thirty years had helped to consecrate.
Though, in some respects, a mournful task, it has still
been pleasant to hold such a communion with the departed
man as has been afforded by the inspection of his manuscripts,
by following him along step by step through his significant
life, and by the study and attempted development of his
character. Though dead, he has spoken to his biographer,
in the midst of these labors, with not less impressiveness than
when his form was among us, and his voice was ringing in
our ears.
As to the manner in which the biographer's task has been
performed, I have no expectation that all will regard it as
most wisely or happily executed. It was difficult; not only
from its nature, but from the state and character of the manuscripts, from the peculiar character of the man, from the
somewhat different views entertained respecting him, and
from the rapidity with which, amid the numerous and pressing
duties of a large and newly assumed pastoral charge, it has
seemed necessary to carry the work forward. It was not
undertaken until the middle of August last. These difficul



PREFACE. 
ties, however, can only be understood by him who encounters
them; and their statement is usually accepted by the reader
as a thankless and not wholly unselfish service.
But what is written is written. It has been the aim not
to glorify Mr. Cheney, not to say every thing about him
that could be recollected or learned, not even to record
the whole or the half of the striking things which he may
have said or done, or which were otherwise connected with
his li'fe; but to present, within a reasonable compass, whatever was essential to give a just and distinct view of the man,
in his character and in his life. The facts chosen are selected
as much for the purpose of exemplifying the general facts of
his history, as of presenting, in bold relief, a point in his
character. And in culling from his writings, an attempt has.
only been made to show what he taught in principle, rather
than what he taught in amount; and to represent how he taught.
in general, rather than what his method was in every specific
instance of his teaching. From a bushel of manuscripts, and
the personal recollection of a thousand friends, it would have
been easy to make a larger book, but it would not necessarily
have answered the real purpose better than this. A small
daguerreotype, true to the original, is better than a life-size
portrait, whose chief merit were to consist in its being just
as tall as the man.
It has been the steady object to present the man just as he
was, without magnifying his excellences or concealing his.
defects. There are no perfect men, in the usual acceptation
of that word; or, if there are, Mr. Cheney was not one of,'
1*




6,'PREFACE.
them, at least in his own estimation; and to know that he
was to be represented as such, would have tried no heart more
sadly than his own. If his defects and excesses were to be
studiously kept out of view, his biographer might expect, in
case the two should meet in heaven, and Mr. Cheney had
not parted with his leading characteristics, that the first greeting would be hardly over before a fraternal but decided reproof
would be dealt out to the fond partiality which had shielded
him. His faults lay on the surface of his nature, obvious to
any candid observer; and they who could not love him for
what excellences lay beneath them, he did not wish should
love him at all. There is no need of hiding his slight imperfections, as well as no justice in doing so.  Men who have
no great virtues might fear to have their reputation thus hazarded; but there was enough to admire and venerate in Mr.
Cheney, after making the largest allowance for every defect.
Biographers have generally seemed over-anxious to make
model heroes or demigods of their subjects; thinking, perhaps, that the appeal of unalloyed human goodness will be
more powerful than when its voice gives out some earthly
tones; but it is to be feared that the course has been no more
politic than just. The life has seemed more angelic than
human, as it has been pictured; and few think it hardly
worth the while to try to be angels and live on ambrosia,
while required by circumstances to be men, and while carrying about with them a nature that will be satisfied with nothing
less substantial than pork and beef. The Scripture biographers have certainly not set any such example. The majestic




PREFACE.                         7
ideal of the Poet-King, which seems almost complete, is
marred before us in the plain story of David's human vices.
The picture of Job's martyr-patience needs only a stroke, or
two from the pencil of our imagination to make it perfect;
but that is' anticipated by the hasty and almost cynical words
which the plain historian puts into his lips. Jesus of Nazareth alone stands complete; and his biographers are but half
aware of the glory they are developing. If it will not do to
show but the half of a man, it were better to confess that
only the moiety is seen, or keep the whole hidden.
It is possible, after all, that the view here presented of Mr.
Cheney may be regarded as dependent more or less on the
personal friendship which attached the man and the biographer. If so, this only is to be said-that the biographer is
not conscious of having been biassed at all in any direction
by any such influence. I have sought to give free and independent expression to my own individual impressions.
If they are in any respect unjust, the error is to be charged
upon me, for I have not written at all under advisement.
Considerable portions of the work have, indeed, been read
from the manuscript to a few of Mr. Cheney's friends, but not
a single sentence has been modified in consequence.
The analysis of his character, and the estimate of him as
a preacher, though somewhat novel features in such a work,
it is hoped will prove acceptable. Much, called biography,
has been almost solely confined to the statement of outward
facts;-leaving the spirit of the subject to be inferred if possible from wholly inadequate data.  To exhibit the iman has
been the primary object in the preparation of this volume. It




8                   PREFACE.
has been desired that the body of the work may do for the
inner man, what the engraving seeks to do for the outward.
Probably almost every one of Mr. Cheney's friends will
regret that some sermon which impressed them so favorably,
or some incident which they remember with peculiar interest,
could not have had a place. They will be kind and thoughtful enough to remember that the sermons, as they were
preached, are nowhere to be found; that only a small number
could be selected; that the same thing is true respecting
the personal incidents; that no one else may have been so
peculiarly impressed by the sermon or interested in the incident as themselves; and that every -one else, and especially
the biographer, may be ignorant of the facts. to which they
attach so much importance. The best has been done that
could be under the circumstances, to make judicious selections.
Many sentiments will be found often repeated in the various selections from Mr. Cheney's writings. That could
not be avoided, nor would it have been desirable if it were
otherwise. Dr. Channing says that minds are distinguished
more than in any other way, by the prominence which they
give to certain traits and truths. Here their individuality
appears. The remark is highly applicable to Mr. Cheney.
Certain truths there were which lay uppermost in his mind,
and these he made frequently to appear. The repetition,
however, will seem less striking, if the circumstances connected with each discourse are distinctly kept in mind.
Mr. Cheney had an important and noble mission while in
the flesh. He acted with a strong power on the hearts about




PREFACE.                       9
him,-kindling up their courage and inspiring the purpose
to live worthily in time, by reverencing God and toiling for
the redemption of man. And if, by means of this volume,
that influence may be perpetuated and extended, the author
will feel himself freshly honored in its preparation.
Olneyville, R. I., Dec. 3, 1852.




ERRATA. Page 199; what should have been Chapter XII., is Chapter IX. Page 409; a few copies have Sept. 1852, instead of 1851. A
few typographical errors will be found, which the reader's judgment is
supposed capable of correcting.




CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.                    rage
SKETCHES OF HIS EARLY LIFE.................13
CHAPTER II.
"' HE WAS LOST -AND IS FOUND.................. 27
CHAPTER III.
ENTRANCE UPON THE WORK OF THE THE MINISTRY......... 45
CHAPTER IV.
CI1OOSING AND ENTERING HIS FIELD OF LABOR.............     64
CHAPTER V.
"' THE DISCIPLE IS NOT ABOVE HIS MASTER.............. 79
CHAPTER VI.
MORAL POSITIONS.........94.......................94
CHAPTER VII.
" OPEN THY MOUTH FOR THE DUMB."  MISSIONS AND
MORAL REFORM.................................110
CHAPTER VIII.
" REMEMBER THEM THAT ARE IN BONDS AS BOUND WITH
THEM."............................ 129
CHAPTER IX.
CHANGES IN SENTIMENT. INVIOLABILITY OF LIFE...... f146




12                      CONTENTS.
CHAPTER X.
THE FREEDOM  OF THE TRUTH..................... 166
CHAPTER XI.
COMEOUTISM..................................  182
CHAPTER XII.
SERMIONS................................19............ 199
CHAPTER XIII.
DISCOURSES....................................260
CHAPTER XIV.
MISCELLANEOUS ADDRESSES, INCIDENTS, &C...........            300
CHAPTER XV.
ANALYSIS OF HIS CHARACTER......................3....23
CHAPTER XVI.
ESTIMATE OF HIM AS A PREACHER...................... 371
CHAPTER XVII.
THE PASTOR AND HIS PEOPLE...........3............395
CHAPTER XVIII.
SICKNESS AND DEATH-FUNERAL SERVICES-TES-TETIMONIALS-.40 7




LIFE OF 3MARTIN CHEN EYB
CHAPTER I.
SKETCHES OF HIS EARLY LIFE,
MARTIN CHENEY was born in Dover, Mass. August
29th, 1792. His father, Mr. Joseph Cheney, was in the
war connected with the American Revolution; and
during the latter portion of his life received a small pension from the Government.  He died at the residence
of his son,-the subject of this memoir, in Olneyville7
R. I., in the 76th year of his age.
His mother's maiden name xwas Susannah Wads —
worth. Her relatives were mostly residents of Maine.
She died earlier than her husband,-the precise date is
unknown.
Martin was the fourth of six children, of whom three.
were sons and three daughters. One only of the family survives.
A sketch of his life in the form of an auto-biography, coming down to 1844, is preserved, from which..
most of the items in his earlier history will be drawn.
He closes the succinct account of his ancestry in thefollowing words:2.




14                  LIFE OF
~It will be perceived that I have not been much
a cousining, nor am I much of an antiquarian.  In the
few inquiries I have made respecting my ancestors, I
have found but little of wtealth, office or honors,-unless
it be honorable to be in the army,-for it seems that
my father and one of my grandfathers were in the army
of the Revolution; but in my researches I have never
yet found a charge of dishonesty against one of my
ancestors or connections.  To the best of my knowledge, the coat of arms of my ancestors, was, Poverty,
Honesty, Piety."'
The religious features of his father's family are thus
briefly exhibited:
" My father and mother were both professors of religion, and were members of the Congregational Church
in Dover, Mass.  They lived and died in the Christian
faith. My oldest brother was a member of the Beneficent Congregational Church in Providence. My youngest brother was not a member of any visible church,
but died trusting in Jesus. My two sisters now living*
are members of Baptist churches.
It may be reasonably supposed that, under such influences, his moral nature was not left without an effort
to reach and sanctify it.  The religious education of
children was at that time held to be a matter of high
moment, and was diligently attended to. Of this the auto-biography thus bears witness;-' rom my parents I received religious and moral
instruction, and received it early. I was taught to
reverence and keep the Sabbath, to attend public worx' One has since died.




MARTIN CHIENE  o                15
ship, and from week to week was taught the qu.estions
and answers in the'Assembly's Catechism,' of the
Westminster Divines.  In this manner I learned what
was the chief end of man, &c. and the reason why I
am not a Calvinist is not for awant of early instruction
in his peculiar sentiments; but fronm a decided conviction that, as good as Calvin or my parents might be,
they had mistaken the will of God on that subject."'
There is certainly much to commend in the earnestness with which our New-England ancestry sought to
indoctrinate the youth of their charge. They believed
the sentiments taught in that catechism to be as fundamental in practical religion, as is education in a popular government.  To reject the " Westminster Confession of Faith' seemed to them equivalent to a rejection
of God's plan of saving the human soul.  That creed
they believed was possessed of a divine virtue, wanting to every other series of theological propositions.
And their faith was practical.  Their conviction expressed itself in action.  They felt that their duty was
done only when they had securely deposited within
the storehouse of their childrens' intellects, that whole
digest of theology; and then they waited for religion
to spring up from the soil which their training had prepared.
Nor was their labor in vain.  It might sometimes
have cramped the intellect, by repressing its inquiries,
and curtailing its rational freedom.  It may sometimes
have increased the tendency to fling  the charge of
heresy at the head of every dissatisfied inquirer, and
begotten such a tendency where it was not before.




16                  LIFE OF
It may sometimes have helped to bring on a reaction
from its almost iron rigidity-a reaction which drove
good and discreet men over to licentiousness in both
sentiment and life.  The doctrines of divine appointment and providence imay have sometimes weakened
the feeling of individual obligation, and induced a few
daring minds,-unable to reconcile the statements with
philosophy or consciousness-to  plunge boldly into
skepticism.  After all, that early training operated
powerfully as a conservative force in the moral life of
that early time; and aided in nurturing and developing elements of character that have done much to make
whatever is valuable in American mind and American
institutions. It kept alive a solemn reverence for God,
for truth, for sacred things, for duty, for moral heroism, for the civil magistracy, for age and for order. If
it did not give polish to character, it gave, at least,
force.  If harmony was somnetimes wanting ill the
mental architecture which it developed, it never lacked
basis or massive strength. The maturer reason of the
young might reject some portions of the theology; but
the influence it helped to throw about them  still remained, and acted like the discovered presence of God.
With the other children of his native town, Martin was sent to the District School, and enjoyed such
educational advantages as the schools of that period
afforded.  Alluding to this part of his life, he thus.writes; —" Among the recollections of those early school days
is that of speaking, at a public exhibition, a piece from
the I Columbian Orator,' commencing thus;



MARTIN CHENEiY                    17'You'd scarce expect one of my age,
To speak in public on the stage'"
I could not have been much above five years of age,
and I think I felt something of the spirit of my piece
when I uttered the words
"And where's the boy but three feet high,
Tlhat's made imlprovement more thacn I?"
This was my first appearance in public.  I have often:
in  my  subsequent experience had occasion to say,
" You'd scarce expect, &c.'; for I have been called
where I never expected to be called, to fill places and
discharge duties unexpected to myself and others.
He found his school privileges operating to create and
strengthen a love for reading.  The desire to know
what was contained in books became so strong as
to induce him to lay hold upon nearly evey volume that
came in his way; and nearly the whole of quite a respectable village library was laid under contribution to meet
the demands of his eager spirit.  Had he been put at
this period of his life under the direction of a wise
teacher, and had adequate means of improvement been
afforded him, it is easy to believe that his progress
would have been both rapid and delightful.  As it
was, he read without any regard to order or his own
necessities; for he was too young to appreciate either,
He read as he found opportunity, and such books and
such only as chance threw in his way.  This mental
exercise, however, was not wholly without benefit,
His retentive memory treasured up a multitude of facts
which, in after years, furnished not a little food fot
his reflection.  Dim  visions of iuntellectual eminenec-e




18                  LIFE OF
seem now and then to have floated before his childish
eyes;-always, however, aecepted as visions bright
and brief, to be dissolved in the monotonous stream
of his humble and unpromising life. He says:
" When some of my school mates left to prepare for
college, I much wished to go too.I But my father
was poor, and so I was obliged to see them leave with
regret. It was perhaps all for the best."
At the age of eleven years he came very near losing
his life by means of a fever sore. It was found necessary to perform a severe and painful surgical opertion in order to save him. As an illustration of some
features in his early character, the following extracts are
taken from his own account of the affliction.
"' The doctor retired to the fields, where he remained
nearly an hour; when he returned, called for pen and
ink, and made a mark on the thigh where he was
going to cut. My mother and sisters left the room;all the family, I think, except my father. It was an
afflictive time. The other surgeon said I must be held.
To my surprise and that of all present, Dr. Miller said,
No, he will bear it, I know he will;' and such was.the confidence and courage he inspired in me, that I
did endure it without a groan."
A council of surgeons was subsequently held, who
decided that there was no security for his life unless
the limb was amputated.  It was left to the young
and courageous sufferer to decide whether the operation should be performed. The decision was a negative.
He was removed to the residence of Dr. Miller in
Franklin, and the effort to restore him proved success



MARTIN CHENEY.                 19
ful; though for a year he was obliged to use crutches
in order to walk about.  The narrative thus continues; —
~ I- had the loving attentions of a mother and sister
while among strangers. O what a blessing! The kind
and gentle treatment of Dr. Miller and Dr. Le Prelate
-although his French accent at first alarmed mewon my confidence, and made a deep impression on my
young spirit. I could suffer them to cut my flesh without a groan, while the severe and harsh manners of the
other surgeon repelled me; and when he threatened to
sue my father for his bill, because I had been taken
to Franklin, my feelings rose to such a pitch that, when
I heard of his death-which occurred during my stay
at Franklin-I said' I was glad of it;'-an expression
for which I received a rebuke from my mother. Behold in the conduct of Dr. Miller and its results the
magic power of kindness!"
After his recovery, Martin went to reside for a time
with a brother in Boston, who kept a grocery with the
usual appendages of cider, beer, andwhiskey.  He
says;-" Many gills, pints, and quarts, have I drawn
for the customers, of the liquid fire." His father very
much desired that he should learn a trade, a mode of
life to which the son was strongly averse. If it had
been a school to which the father's wishes pointed,
the son thinks it would have needed no persuasion to
induce him to go. A place was, however, secured in
the employment and family of a deacon of the Presbyterian church. His want of sympathy with his position
predisposed him to look unfavorably upon every thing




20                   LIFE OF
about him, and may possibly have done something to
create the unfavorable opinion of his employer which
he seems to have entertained, and of which he appears
never to have rid himself.  He calls him one of  the
straitest of his sect.' He says;-" Our clothes must all
be of such a make; we apprentices had a table by ourselves; and the provisions were of an inferior quality.
I:staid two weeks and returned home. In truth I did
not intend to stay if all had been as it should have
been, but, as it was, I had a good excuse."  His
father soon learned his real position, and finally told
him that if he was unwilling to learn a trade he must
take some measures to provide for himself.  He finally
decided to attempt the work of making his way forward by his own energy and skill,-prompted thereto,
probably, by much the same feeling as acts on other lads
of similar age. He first engaged himself as an apprentice at the business of making nails, at a distance so
small from home as to allow of his spending his sabbaths in the bosom of his father's family.  The views
entertained in his mature life of these early experiences, he thus indicates:
-" In looking back at this period of my life, there
are two things I would note.  1st. As the leading
tendency of my mind was toward reading, books, and
the study of letters, this mental bias should have been
encouraged more than was done. 2d. I was not kept
strictly enough at some employment; hence, my indisposition to a trade, and my tendency to idleness. Children should have something to do, and their employmenit and recreation should be tunder the supervision




MAR TIN CHENEY.                21
of kind and watchful parents or guardians."  Ancient
wisdom taught just these sentiments, and all modern experience enforces the same lesson.
After having occupied himself for a season with the
duties of his chosen sphere, he went again to Boston to
see whether he would answer the requirements made
in an advertisement for a boy, which he accidentally
discovered in a Boston newspaper. Albundle ofclothes,
prepared by a mother's love, was swung over his shoulder, and he started for the city, recommended only by
his appearance and, as he says, his "awkwardness,"
which was probably accepted as the index to honesty.
He found the place and the man, and hired himself out
at nine dollars per month. The introduction to his new
post, and the picture of the post itself shall be presented
in his own words.'What I was to do I knew not, only that it was
to be work about the house. When dinner timne arrived, my employer took me to his residence in Atkinson
street, led me into his kitchen and introduced me to
his kitchen maid, who, he informed me, would tell me
what I had to do. My work I found to be as follows:
1st. In the morning to build the kitchen and parlor
fires. 2nd. To sweep the parlor, and set the breakfast
table. 3d. When breakfast was prepared to take it to
the parlor and wait upon the table; and when breakfast was over to take the dishes to the kitchen, where
the maid and myself breakfasted. 4th. When my employer went to his store he took me with him, to bring
home for dinner what he purchased from the market on
his way to the store. After this I had little to doe




22                  LIFE OF
sometimes a pair of boots or handirons to clean, or a
note to carry a few rods, and I was left mostly to myself till dinner time. I then went through the same
service as at breakfast, and repeated the service at tea
time. I had plenty of newspapers to read, and plenty
of time to read them. Here, for the first and last time
I had the disease called Home-sickness, which, though
not often fatal, is still extremely disagreeable. 0, how
I longed for Home! Home with its many privations,
still it was' Hone, Home, SWEET HOME,' to me. I
could have embraced even its dust. My father found
where I was and called to see me, but I could not see
him with the feelings which I then had, and so absented myself. After a few weeks I recovered from this
difficulty, and could then talk of home and see my
father calmly.  The people with whom I lived were
church going people, yet they visited the Theatre occasionally, and gave and attended large parties; which,
when they had or attended them, kept me and the maid
up late at night, a thing we often scolded about, behind
their backs of course.
"While here, a circuimstance transpired which had
some effect: I think, on my subsequent life. This was
the hearing of a sermon by a Universalist. I had been
warned by the people where I lived not to go to hear
them, but curiosity prevailed and I went. The text
was,' He that believeth not shall be damned.' Well,
thought I, if he can make that agree with the salvation
of all men, the doctrine must be true; for it then seemed to my untutored mind that these words were absolutely irreconcilable with the sentiment that all will be




MARTIN CHENEY.                  23
saved. However, with my wishes and hopes on his side,
he made out, as I thought, a plausible case. Damnation,
he said, meant condemnation, and this was in the conscience, and did not extend beyond the grave. Christ
had died and brought life and immortality to light, and
as in Adam  all die, so in Christ all would be made
alive. I received the teaching greedily. I was glad
there was no punishment beyond the grave. I feared
not the punishment on this side. I did not then perceive, as I have since done, that Universalism, as well as
its parent, Calvinism, leave out or make of no effective account the conditions of the Gospel.  Alas! if I
mistake not, moral responsibility, human accountability,
with the freedom of the human will, are crushed between the upper and nether millstones of Calvinism
and Universalism. At all events, the effect on me was
such, that I felt less restrained in the indulgence of my
propensities."
After remaining in this family about a year, Martin
decided to leave; not on account of any dissatisfaction
felt toward his employer or family, nor from any want
of sympathy on their part toward him. He was urged
to remain, and larger wages were offered as an inducement, but without avail. He encountered reproach on
account of his position as a servant, and his proud
spirit could not brook the taunt of servility.  Another
year was spent on a farm, where the same wages were
received for constant and severe physical labor, and
where his relation to a master was not less close or obvious than before. Dissatisfied with such a mode of
life, he determined to accept an invitation from an elder




24                  LIFE O'
brother to leave Massachusetts, and live with him in
Rhode-Island. This brother resided in Olneyville, then
called "Tarbridge," "The Hollow," &c. He accordingly started for this latter place in June, 1810, and
after a short journey, mostly performed on foot, he arrived in what was to be his future home and field of
influence. The place differed much, both in character
and appearance, from the Olneyville of the present day.
It contained some twenty dwelling houses, one small
cotton mill,-the third built in this country; some six
rum-shops; one Distillery; no Meeting House; no
Sunday School; no Public School: and not a few of
the inhabitants were irreligious, intemperate, and profane.  "The Hollow" was regarded as a special seat of
almost every form of individual and social iniquity, and
though, as in most cases, the people were probably less
inhuman than they were supposed to be, there was
abundant room for moral improvement. Through this
place Mr. Cheney passed at the time above specified,
on his way to Triptown, North Providence, a short
distance up the stream from Olneyville, where his brother
was temporarily occupied. In November following, he
formally took up his abode in Olneyville. The inferences which he drew from his observations at this
time, were not very creditable to the people, among
whom  he found a snbsequent home.  His advent
among the descendants of Roger Williams, is best exhibited in his own language.
-"My first impressions of Rhode-Island, when I made
my first visit in June, before I came to reside in November, were unpleasant and unfavorable. The people




MARTIN CHENEY.                 25
seemed awkward, uncouth, uncivilized.  But there
were peculiar reasons for these impressions.  I was
somewhat an ignorant, uncouth lad myself. I was
weary and foot-sore when I entered Pawtucket, and
not less so as I approached Providence, Olneyville and
Triptown. Some one or more persons gave me incorrect directions, which vexed me. The first and only
person to whom  I spoke in Olneyville, was -a colored
man, known as Wat Walmsley. I inquired of him the
way and the distance to Triptown. He replied,-' Over Tarbridge, and about a mile.' Of Tarbridge,
I was as ignorant as I was of the Koran, and at a
Rhode-Island mile-with my sore feet —I shuddered;
having been told before, about a mile back, it was a
mile; and when about half a mile farther on I was told
by a woman, who, by her voice and size, I thought
might have descended fiom the Amazonians and done,
honor to her ancestry, that it was about a mile to Triptown, my patience was well nigh exhausted; and I inwardly exclaimed, — O, these Rhode-Island miles! 
Surely, I have got among the natives!' But after it
became my adopted home, I found reasons for changing
my earlier opinions. At that time there was much of
the free, generous, independent spirit of their renowned
ancestor, Roger Williams, among the people, mingled.
with the jealous cautiousness which marks those who'
have been the objects of persecution.
"cc I had come from Massachusetts, where the law
laid its hand on religious observances. There, if a man.
labored on the Sabbath, or went on a journey forpleasure, he might expect to be visited by a minister of'
3




LIFE OF
the'law; thus, the real religious character was not de.
veloped; many were outwardly religious by constraint.
Not so in Rhode-Island.  Nearly every man, woman
and child did religiously what was right inl their own
eyes. It did not affect the reputation of a man whether
he kept the Sabbath or not, whether he went to meeting or not.  It was, indeed, from the beginning,'a receptacle for all kinds of consciences.'  So that first
impressions of Rhode-Island would be likely to be
unfavorable. In short, at that time, to say the least,
there was but small temptation to pretend to be religious in Rhode-Island; hence, more intimate acquaintance always resulted in a higher estimate of her
character.,




MARTIN CHENEY.                  27
CHAPTER II.
~" HE WAS LOST AND IS FOUND.7"
THE state of society into which Mr. Cheney found
himself thrown, has been partially set forth in the extracts from his auto-biography presented in the preceding chapter. A view of his character as it was when,
at the susceptible age of eighteen, he came into the
world of temptation found at Olneyville, may aid us in
apprehending the results appearing in his subsequent
life.
Mr. Cheney at this time, had all the ardor, the buoyancy and hopefulness of spirit, which are.wont to attach
to that period of life. His temperament was nervous
and active; and his energy of character, when roused
into action, was such as to give him influence in every
circle where he acted. As always afterward, so then,
he was respected or feared in proportion as he was
surrounded by friends or foes.  He was, by nature,
joyous. Whatever contributed to human merriment,
was almost sure to meet more or less sympathy from
him; the moral character of the mirth was something
which seldom came in to interfere with his enjoyment
of it. In the circles of pleasure and laughter, he generally found a place; for his own inclinations, and the
wishes of others, combined to carry him there. Even
practised jesters not unfrequently made him the centre
of their circle, and became the convulsed spectators of




LIFE OF
his comic drollery, and the victims of his mischievous,
but not malicious fun. Even at this early age, he was
beginning to develope that firmness and self-reliance,
that impatience of dictation, that iron sternness of will
in carrying out his plans, which appeared so prominently in subsequent life. An effort was not abandoned
because it had once met defeat. He might appear quiet
and forgetful; but he only waited his opportunity, and
when it appeared he bounded with a sudden and decisive energy forward to the object which he had always kept in his eye. These characteristics had appeared early, and they grew with his years. He was
highly impulsive; and yet the movements which betrayed suddenness' and strength of feeling, seemed
guarded with forethought and sagacity. He was disposed to be wilfull; a tendency which he attributes, in
part, to the indulgence which his early illness purchased at the hands of his parents. The religious influences which had acted on him, had temporarily repressed his mirth and his fire, but they had not taken
such a hold upon his understanding, or his heart, as to
control their action. - His spirit was the dwelling place
of strong forces, some of them just waking into life,
and others pent up by outward pressure, but all waiting
to leap out on to the field of action, to do a good or an
evil work, according as they were summoned by worldly
passion, or religious principle.
He had but little acquaintance with the world, for he
had seen it in but few of its phases.  Of what he was
to meet in his intercourse with it, he was ignorant;
and so he had laid down no definite principles of ace




MARTIN CHENEY                     29
tion when he went forth to enconnter its successive
experiences.  Though possessing such definite and
marked features of character, still, the life he was afterward to lead was to depend very much upon the
moulding influences which were to act upon him.
Martin Cheney he would always be, but he might become the efficient leader among the irreligious hosts of
the world, or the inspiring standard-bearer in the ranks
of righteousness. So, Saul of Tarsus, volunteering at
Jerusalem to aid in crushing the heresy of the Nazarene, and Paul the Apostle, stirred by what he saw at
Athens, to raise it to a recognition of the authority of
Christ, are one and the same person. It is a mental
giant giving his strength to the bigotry of the Pharisees, and then consecrating his energy to the philan:
thropy of Christ.
The business in which Mr. Cheney was engaged)
was that of preparing and vending meat; a business
which he regarded as having very little tendency, either
in itself, or in its associations, to improve his morals or
manners.  He lived in the family of his brother who
made no profession of religion, and so enjoyed no influence there adapted to restrain either his passions or
his conduct.  He did not feel it to be at all a home to
him, but simply a stopping place, where very little real
interest was felt in his moral welfare.  Moreover, he
had brought with him the sentiment-if a mere careless acquiescence in such a notion, can be called a sentiment,-that all men would be happy after death, and
so both the love of virtue and the fear of vice were
wanting as motives to his heart.  The result he thus
states:
3*




30                  LIFE OF
" My moral feeling and habits began rapidly to decline. I could play ball, pitch quoits, or play cards on
Sunday, as boldly as any of the Rhode-Island youth.
I commenced spending my evenings at shops where
liquors were sold, and where gambling was often practised. Profane language, corrupting songs, and the free
use of liquors abounded in those places; and from a
looker on, I soon became a partaker. 0, how terrible
in its influence upon me, was the want of an attractive
home, where 1 might spend my evenings! 0, could
my voice be heard by parents and guardians, I would
say earnestly, strongly,' make home attractive to your
children; spare no pains to accomplish this. Let not
the shops, taverns, stables, and streets educate your
children. I have had a sad experience in this species
of instruction.' 7
In the year 1813, he was married to Miss Anna
Brown, daughter of Mr. Fleet Brown, of Foster, and
commenced keeping house in an humble chamber, but
which, to him, was full of sunshine, for honme influences
were acting afresh on his longing heart. In the rousing
of his domestic sympathies and feelings which had lain
dormant for years, he seemed to be living a new life.
Better voices whispered to him, and, for a time, he
listened with gratitude and pleasure. The attractions
of home were sometimes sufficient to overcome the
influences that sought to draw him abroad, at evening,
to the haunts of vice. He says-" I was industrious
and economical, and prospered."
But trial was before him in a new form. The story
of his misfortunes is best told in his own words-=




MARTIN CHENEY.                31
" In the winter of 1815 and 1816, I removed, with
my oldest brother, to Brooklyn, L. I., and went into
the grocery business in New-York city. We engaged
also in the Mackerel Fishery. We were unsuccessful
in both. My brother, while on a journey of business
to Rhode-Island, was taken very sick, and after many
weeks of suffering, recovered only so far as to be able
to walk about, and was in a confirmed. consumption.
We were obliged to sell our small property, which was
left, at a great sacrifice. My brother broke up housekeeping-his wife, with her children, went to her
father's in Lincoln, Mass.; while he, accompanied by
my youngest brother, went to his father's in Newport,
N. H. These events left me in the great city of NewYork, whither I had removed from Brooklyn, among
almost entire strangers, and in a state of almost entire
destitution. All my money was expended in the- removal of my brother and his family,-or, rather, all
his money,-for mine was already gone in the losses
we had sustained. All that remained was an old sloop,
bought for the Mackerel Fishery, which was the joint
property of myself and my brother, Finding no way
to pay my rent, I removed into a hut or hovel, not
much larger than an Indian wigwam, a little above
Hoboken, on the North River. There, with my wife
and: child, and youngest brother, I spent the winter of
18.16 and 1817. And such a winter! It was the winter following what was called the'cold summer,
when the crops were so extensively destroyed by the
frost. Thirty thousand were supplied with soup, daily,
in the city of New-York, that winter-; hundreds were




32                LIFE OF
flocking into the county offering to work for their food,
the farmers refusing to employ them on account of the
scarcity of provisions. Ant there were we, wife, child,
brother and myself, without funds, without work,
among strangers, a cold winter upon us, and starvation
in the land. We were willing to dig if digging could
be had; from begging we revolted. We had fresh
meat once during that winter. We lived on Potatoes
while we could get them, then on Turnips, to save
what little bread we could get for the child. We
freighted a little with the old sloop, until she became
frozen up in the river, then a little chopping of wood
in the New Jersey woods. It was a winter long to be
remembered. 0, how I wished to be where I could
get to Providence River, then I could, at least, get a
few clams. I then thought that if I could get bread
for myself and family, I would never again complain.
Well, the dreary winter at last passed away, and selling the old sloop for a trifle, I was able to get back to
Rhode-Island, stripped of all the property I had when
I left, except a few dollars; my furniture pretty much
a wreck, and, what is to be more lamented than all,
my heart made no better by all these trials."
Previous to the departure for New-York, the brother
with whom Mr. Cheney was living in Olneyville, was
converted, and united with the Beneficent Congregational Church in Providence, then under the pastoral
care of Rev. James Wilson. The voice of prayer in
that dwelling, where religion had been a stranger, was
an unpleasant surprise to Mr. Cheney, and he carefully
avoided the influence of that new spiritual life. Still




MARTIN CHENEY.                  33
it acted upon him. But during the absence from Christian sympathy, occasioned by the removal to NewYork, the religious interest of the convert obviously
declined, and the moral restraint which his faithfulness
had thrown about the younger brother almost entirely
ceased to operate; and  on his return to Rhode-Island
the same associations were renewed, and the work of
moral corruption went on. Home lost its power to
keep him from the resorts of the vicious. Before going
to New-York he had felt desirous to accumulate property; but on his return this desire departed, and he
speaks of being likewise indifferent in regard to his
reputation.  The temporary check laid on his passions
by his brother's religion, his own home, and his pecuniary distresses, was now removed; and he went rapidly downward at the bidding of his impulses. Then.
was written what he calls "a the darkest chapter of his
history." -I-e became an acknowledged leader among
the associates who had been his instructors in the
school of sensual indulgence and passionate gratification. Their circles became incomplete without him,
their gatherings lacked spirit in his absence, and their
wild plots of mischief were deemed imperfect, until
he had endorsed them, and pledged himself to their
execution.  He frequented the  taverns and grogshops; drank freely, though seldom became insensibly
intoxicated; was an habitual attendant upon the theatre; and became more and more averse to moral associations.  This period of his life finds its record in
detail by his own hand, and, for the same reasons that
induced him to recall it, is an outline of it presented




34                  LIFE OF
here. It shows how  "evil communications corrupt
good manners," and pervert high powers; and it will
show the glory and power of that grace which could
redeem  and consecrate that sin-seared, but powerful
nature, to high and holy ends. From the records of
human folly and guilt, as well as from the high illustrations of moral excellence, may be drawn lessons of
practical wisdom  and motives to purity.  The Bible
has its Ahab and its Herod, as well as its Abraham
and its John.
In the autumn of 1817 his wife died. She had trusted in God while living, and she passed away in peace
and hope.  Her death seemed to produce no lasting
or serious impression upon his mind.  It was impossible for him to be the subject of any serious experiences while pursuing such a round of sensual gratification; and he seemed disinclined to break away
from his associations. The voice that would have
spoken to him from the lips of that Faith which had
just disappeared from his dwelling, was drowned in
his thoughtlessness and dissipation.  He had never
intentionally wronged her; and so repentance for the
neglect of his home and the disregard of her religious
influence was not awakened. He found a good boarding place for his child, and went on less restrained than
before. He says:
"I  plunged still deeper and more greedily into
scenes of folly and wickedness. I had now no parents, brother or sisters near,-no wife or home to restrain, and on I went, madly, in the road to death.
From the period of my wife's death till the time that




MARTIN CHENEY.                 35
I experienced a great change in my views and feelings
in 1820, I fairly revelled in the indulgence of sensual
gratifications. And the consequences I now feel to
my sorrow. Not only are the sins of the fathers visited
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, but the sins of youth are visited upon age, and
it is wise and just that it should be so. O when will
young men be wise and understand this?"
His Universalist prepossessions still remained; for
how could he look forward to the future as a scene of
moral and just retribution with satisfaction? He would
sometimes attend, with one or more of his companions, upon the ministry of some preacher of that sect,
and would then go home seeking to strengthen each
other's confidence in the doctrine they were so anxious
to believe.
In October 1819 he was married to Miss Nancy Wilbour, and commenced housekeeping; but the home influence could not, as before, overcome the tendencies
which wedded him to his companions and gratifications abroad. His heart was becoming more and more
the servant of his passions, less and less under the dominion of moral and domestic obligation. The inmpulsions of duty were feeble; inclination acted on him
like the pressure of a tempest. A very remarkable
dream which he had during the winter following his
marriage produced some serious impression upon his
mind, but was inadequate to change the current of his
life.
The year 1820 was distinguished for an extensive
religious interest in Providence and vicinity, in con



6             ~'LIFE OF
nection with which large numbers professed to pass
from death nnto life. Meetings were held every evening in almost every neighborhood, but Mr. Cheney
felt little interest in them. His heart was elsewhere.
lHe attended on one occasion at the baptism of a large
number of persons in Providence, and felt somewhat
impressed by the scene. Subsequently at a Methodist
meeting, when an invitation was extended to any who
might desire it, to go forward to the altar for prayers,
he felt prompted to go forward with others, but the
suggestion of his better nature was scornfully repelled.
Thus God left himself not without witnesses of his
desire that the sinner might be brought to repentance
and life.
The whole account of his mental exercises connected
with his conversion, as found recorded by his own
hand, is so interesting and instructive as to demand an
insertion. No apology for introducing it entire will
be needed. It will be likely to suggest its own lessons
better than a foreign hand could present them. The
occurrences related took place during the same year
as the events above specified.
" At that time in the village of Olneyville there was,
no meeting-house, no church, no Sunday school, no
stated religious meetings. There were but few who
professed to be the disciples of Jesus. These few, with
some from the city, would occasionally hold conference
meetings.  One of these meetings I attended; the why
I cannot tell.  I can only recollect that the man of the
house where the meeting was held was one with whom! had often played cards; this might have induced




MARTIN CHENEY.                  37
my attendance.  His wife professed to be a Christian.
I went to this meeting as careless and thoughtless as
I had previously been, as far as my recollection extends. After sitting in an adjoining room a little time,
I thought I would step into the entry and look into
the room where most of the people were, and see what
the meeting folks were doing. I did so. There was
a man exhorting, who I afterwards learned was Mr. Peter Place. None of his words were impressed on my
mind. I know not what he said, but I received one
distinct impression; —The ~man is sincere.  O that all
speakers might beget this conviction within their hearers! The first thing of which I was conscious after
this, was the breaking up of the meeting; and I had
been standing in that entry as near as I could afterwards judge, about an hour.  It seemed to me that
I had somehow been strongly, unconsciously interested,-as it were, spell-bound. How it was or why it was
I know  not, God knoweth.'  The wind blowethwhere it listeth;" so are God's influences as universal
and incomprehensible as the air we breathe or the wind
that bloweth around us. At the close of the meeting
my principles I suppose remained the same, but my
feelings were wonderfully changed. I felt disposed toconverse on religious topics, and did so on my return
from the meeting. For a number of weeks my mindwas more or less powerfully exercised on religious subjects. I felt disposed to attend religious meetings, and
did so frequently.  I wished to hear prayer.  There
was a meeting held occasionally in the village to prac-~
tice singing, which I was told was. opened' or closed4




38                  LIFE OF
with prayer. I thought I would attend one of them,
as I had been invited to do so. I went, my object being to hear prayer; but to my disappointment no prayer
was offered. I afterwards learned that it was omitted
on my account, lest it should drive me away. What
an admonition to Christians to be faithful! I So anxious
was I to hear prayer that I had a singing meeting appointed at my house to secure the object. As they
were about leaving without prayer, I ventured to request
Mr. Peter Place to pray. A clap of thunder in a clear
day would not have surprised them more. Mr. Place
told me afterwards that he was confounded; that he
did not know whether the question was asked in earnest
or in mockery. To have a leader among the wildest and
most reckless ask him to pray, was so unexpected as exceedingly to perplex him, However he prayed, how he
hardly knew. The meeting closed, and all retired to
ponder upon and talk over the wonder. About this
time I remember being in a barber's shop on a Sunday morning, where was one of my neighbors, a professor of religion. I asked him if he was going to
Fruit Hill to meeting that day. He replied that he
was. I told him I thought I would go with him, and
accordingly I did so. Elder Zalmon Tobey preached.
As I was in the habit of singing sometimes, I was invited to a seat in the choir. I declined, for I did not
feel like singing. The text was;'" They that are
whole have no need of a physician, but they that are
sick."  I was much affected under the preaching. I
recollect also of being at a meeting one evening at.the' Merino Factory.  Elder Tobey and Williams




MARTIN CHENEY.                  39
Thayer were present and spoke in the meeting. I was
deeply impressed and wept through nearly the whole
exercises. I remember too of Elder Potter's calling one
day to see me, but my feelings were such that I could
not converse, and I left the room.
About this time I discovered that the mind of my
wife was deeply interested on religious subjects. One
night after returning from meeting under deep feeling,
being troubled, distressed, and anxious, I knelt down
by the bedside and tried to pray. I know not how I
prayed, and hardly know for what I prayed. I knew
that I was a sinner, I was in trouble and wanted mercy. T suppose, therefore, that I expressed those feelings in some way, but in what words I know not. I
wept much. I was thus exercised for a long time; at
last I fell asleep. I think I was thus exercised alarge
portion of the night. The morning following was
Sunday. I arose as usual, built a fire, &c., and, what
has always appeared singular to me, I have no recollection of my attention's being directed to my exercises
of mind the past night. I was cheerful and buoyant
in spirits without seeming to be conscious of it. While
passing about the house, doing the chores of the morning, I commenced singing:
-" Come listening angels, assist me to sing
The love of my Jesus, my crucified King."
I had formerly sung this hymn with others from a
book. It surprised me on reflection afterwards, that I
had sung the hymn that morning without a book.  The
first distinct thought that seemed to arrest my attention was: It is Sunday, and I shall have nothing




40                 LIFE OF
to do but read the bible and attend meeting; and I
shall be very happy. And as a matter of fact I was
happy. I had delightful feelings. The man who
lived in the house with me, who was a professor of
religion, hearing me singing, came in to see me. He
had known iny previous exercises of mind. He asked
how I felt. I told himl. He replied:  You have experienced religion.' What that meant I did not know
definitely. I only knew that I felt calm and happy,
and that there was a wonderful change in my feelings.
One thing I soon noticed, viz: that I could converse
on religious subjects without being agitated; whereas,
for weeks previous, when anything was said on religious topics it would affect me to tears; I would be
convulsed with emotion.  The expression of my
neighbor rung in my ears:'You have experienced
religion;' and although I knew not what experiencing
religion was, yet I had the idea that they who had experienced religion were Christians, and in the favor of
God, that their sins were forgiven and they were prepared to meet God.
"; The question soon came up in my mind, Have you
experienced religion? This I could not answer. I
asked those who professed to have passed through this
experience how they felt; but none of their relations
agreed precisely with mine. For weeks I continued
this search, but in vain. It was indeed, as I have
since learned,'seeking the living amiong the dead.'
When I had nearly decided that my friend was mistaken, and that I had not experienced religion, all at
once, while at a neighbor's shop where I used to con



MA  T-IN CHENEY.              41
verse on religious things, the thought entered my mind 7
"' How foolish you have been, you have a Bible; if
you had consulted that you would have had your questions solved."  Wondering that I had not thought of
this before, I immediately started for home to consult
the bible on this question.
(I had an old bible which, by the merest chance, I
had bought at auction among other books, but which I
think I had never read. However I went, confident that
my question would be settled by consulting that book.
As I was on my way home, these words came into my
mind, or I found them on opening my bible, (and which
it was, my recollection will not positively say,)'We
know that we have passed from death unto life because
we love the brethren.' It seemed to me'that these
words were written for the purpose of solving the question. Thus I reasoned; —passing from death unto life
means what my neighbor called' experiencing religion.'
It means'becoming a new creature,' or being a Christian. Well, then, the question returned; Have I passed
from'death unto life?' How am I to know whether I
have or not? The words decided this plainly;' because
ye love the brethren.' Yes, I replied to myself, that is
it. If you love the brethren, you have'passed from
death unto life;' you are a Christian. But another
question arose, viz. Who are meant by brethren? My
judgment at once decided that they must be the disciples of Jesus, or Christians. Another question arose;
Do you love the brethren? I felt conscious that I did;
for while I formerly avoided associating with them, I
now desired it. I was conscious:of a great change in
4*




42                 LIFE OF
my feelings towards them. Another question still followed; Do you love them because they are brethren,
because they are Christians? This I found on reflection
to be the case. It was not wealth, nor reputation, nor
color, nor because they showed attention to me, nor association, nor because they were kindred that made me
love them, but because they loved Jesus, loved the truth,
loved the right in a word because they were Christians.
Then it was that the conviction rolled into my mind
with great sweetness and power, I have'passed from
death unto life,' I am a Christian.'Bless the Lord, 0
my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name.'
I had much peace and joy in believing. From such a
source sprang up a hope, which was and is and I trust
will ever be'as an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast,''a hope that maketh not ashamed.' It will be
observed that my conclusion, and the joy resulting from
it, had reference to the fact that I had passed from death
unto life,not to the how or when the change took place;that I was a Christian, not how or when I became such.
" In analyzing this change in my views and feelings
subsequenly, I discovered, first, that I was surrounded
and had been surrounded with the divine goodness all
my days, and that this goodness was urging, leading
me to repentence. Second, that this goodness flowing
to me and the world in such abundance, came from
God's great heart of love, and through the appointed
medium. his only begotten Son. Third, that this goodness operated first, on my perceptive faculties, showing
me what I was, what I ought to be, what I might
be if obedient, and what I should be if disobedient;




MARTIN CHENEY.                 43
secondly, it operated on my emotional nature, my
sympathies, and thus I was affected even to tears. In
this way was I brought to the' valley of decision,' and
the cry was heard: —' How long halt ye between two
opinions?'' Choose ye this day whom ye will serve;,'If any man will be my disciple let him deny himself
and take up his cross and follow me.' Thus divine
goodness brought me, thirdly, to exercise my choosing
faculties or my willing nature, or that Power found in
all moral beings and which determines moral character,
usually described as the'Freedom  of the will'-the
freedom to choose between good and evil, to obey or
disobey the commands of God. Now I perceived that
I'passed from death unto life,' or became a disciple of
Christ, a son of God, not when my understanding was
enlightened to see the truth, nor when my emotional
nature was deeply affected by the truth, but when my
willing or choosing nature chose or preferred to submit
to or obey, the truth. It is when the sinner chooses to
obey God in all things rather than man or any other
power, that he'passes from death unto life,' is' born
again,' becomes'a new creature,''old things pass away
and all things become new.' And it was when I perceived that I did thus choose God and his Son, God's
truth and his people, that peace and joy filled my soul.
I do not say this process was realized at the time, but
in analyzing it afterwards, I found that this was the way
in which I was led to embrace Christ."
Through such a path of darkness, and out from such
" an horrible pit" of sin, was the soul led forth into c a
large place," where the light of life shone gloriously




44                  LIFE OF
sround it. The cords of sin were broken, and the spirit
clapped its hands joyously in its new freedom. With
scarcely less of wonder than was displayed when Saul
of Tarsus knelt before the Saviour he had persecuted,
did Olneyville gaze at the miracle of grace in its midst,
and exclaim; —" Behold he prayeth!"  The leader in
vice had broken his covenant with iniquity, and laid his
strong earnest spirit as a willing offering at the feet of
him who is the Captain of our salvation. Henceforward
we shall find him leading another host, clad in new panoply, maintaining another and a better warfare. We
have seen his power in the flesh making the holds of
iniquity strong; henceforward we are to watch for the
waking of his., spiritual energy, mighty through God
for their overthrow,




MARTIN CHENEY,                   45
CHAPTER III.
ENTRANCE UPON THIE WOPRK OF THE MINISTRY.
THE best proof of the genuineness of conversion is
to be found in its fruits. These afford vital testimony;
the details of the process are of comparatively little moment.  The night of conviction may be more or less
dark; its hours may pass away more or less tardily;
spiritual light may break forth like the sudden flash of
noonday on the newly opened eyes of blindness, or the
dawn of hope may be so gradual as to make it impossible to separate clearly the new life from the old; one
class of truths or another may have been employed to
bring us to God; our experience may be common or
peculiar; it matters not very much.  He who finds his
heart turning itself to God in submission, and faith, and
love, and turning to the world in earnest solicitude for
its spiritual redemption, discovers a better evidence of
his membership in the family of God, than any form or
degree of religious emotion can afford. Not past feeling, but present obedience is to settle the question
whether we be Christ's.  Following the written word
we are safe; to lean on anything else is to be in danger
of having the staff of our confidence fail us just when
we most need it.
It was well, perhaps, for Mr. Cheney, that his earliest
religious developments took on so rational a phase.
The method adopted to settle the question touching his




46                 LIFE OF
own conversion, is simple and unusual, but most natural
and efficient. He laid hold upon a definite principle
which God had revealed, and by it he tested some definite obvious facts furnished by his own consciousness.
It was one of the simplest exercises of the judgment to
compare the facts with the principle, and decide respecting their agreement or disagreement. And the more
simple it was, so much the more confident could he be
that the conclusion was correct. He knew the facts,
and he firmly believed the principle. That he loved
the brethren his own soul told him; that this was a
proof of his being a Christian his Bible told him, and so
doubt was at an end, while the assurance of faith had
begun. This first step in his religious career, indicates
the logical feature of his mind, and its success strongly
disposed him to prosecute every subsequent religious
inquiry in a reverent, yet rational spirit. IHad it not
been so, his ardent nature might have driven him into
many and grievous excesses. His impulses were easily
stirred, and, when roused, acted with a fiery force; and
it was well that he accepted the new influence which
was to wake them into life, with watchfulness and discretion. His understanding endorsed his position; he
could give a reason for his hope, and for his new mode
of life. Hand in hand had his judgment and his heart
walked up and bent themselves before the Cross, and
now hand in hand they had come down girded for the
work set before them. Each leaned on the other in
its weakness; each inspired the other with its own
strength.
It was no slight task which Mr. Cheney had assumed,




MAR TIN CHENEY.                 47
that of walking as a christian, day after day, through
the temples of sin he had himself aided to erect. Many would, perhaps, have left the place where everything
was setting so strongly against the soul. Here he was
surrounded by the former associates he had aided to
corrupt; here were the temptations before which he
would be most likely to fall; here were the suspicious
ones who would hesitate to trust him even when he
was most earnestly sincere; here were a host of things
adapted to dishearten him, by reminding him of his fore
mer shame; and here he would be singled out by all
who hated God, as one to be decoyed back to his old
associations by every possible artifice. But his courage
was equal to the emergency, as it was equal to every
emergency into which life threw him; or, perhaps, it
might be said that emergencies acted on such a nature
as his, to develope its courage and multiply its power
of resistance. He knew the trial, but he would;not
shrink from it. He knew his weakness, but he had
learned where to look for strength. Here he had shown
the power of sin, and here he determined, under the
pressure of duty, to display the power of the gospel
which had come to redeem from it. Here his life had
been a cord drawing others along the "broad way,"
and here he felt it was fitting that it should become a
magnet attracting them to " the strait and narrow
path."  And who can doubt that he chose wisely?
Mr. Cheney was a changed man.  That was not to
be doubted even by those who feared or wished the
change might be superficial or temporary. It was a
mystery to all who had not themselves felt the power




48                 BLIFE OF
of the gospel; and these, as they looked upon him day
after day, firm, faithful and joyous, could only exclaim,-" What hath God wrought!" On the third Sabbath in June, 1821, he was baptized by the Rev. Zalmon Tobey, and united with the Second Baptist
Church in North Providence. Not a few of his old associates were present, and predicting, in his own hearing, that the Christmas and New Year's Holidays would
find him again at " Esek's;" this being the usual appellation of a low grog-shop where he and his companions had been wont to revel. In reference to this, he
says:BCBut Christmas and New Year's came and went,
and came and went, and yet Esek's found me not.
True, they might have found me at Esek's, had they
watched me closely many years after their prediction.
Yes, I was there to speak a word to a sick and dying
man. Yes, I was there, on the very spot where I had
gambled, and drank, and spent whole nights, to speak
to the people on a funeral occasion. That dying man
was Esek; that funeral service was Esek's, the keeper
of that shop who had said, before my change of views,
that he dreaded my coming to his house more than any
other man. Wonderful change!"
"6 The world beheld the glorious change,
And did thy hand confess."
On the third Sabbath in July following, his wife,
having consecrated herself to God, was baptized, and
united with the same church, and his home became a
temple of Faith and Love, a place for mutual counsel
and encouragement.




MARTIN CHENEY.                 49
The year following his conversion, the few Christians in Olneyville established a meeting for mutual
improvement, somewhat like a Methodist class meeting,
which was held from place to place weekly. In these
meetings Mr. Cheney was accustomed to speak, sing
and pray, led on by his own feelings and the wishes of
his Christian friends,-nearly all of whom regarded him
as called to preach the gospel. This conviction was
not unfrequently expressed in such forms as to find its
way to Mr. Cheney's ear, and did something, doubtless,
to turn his thoughts ill that direction. He says of this e
" How much the influence of my friends had to do
in turning my attention to preaching, and how much
divine influence was exerted in the matter, I have been
unable to tell; or whether the influence of my friends
was a means which God used to bring me to think onr
this topic."
He was selected, by the Christian friends who hadi
united in the meeting above noticed, to act as theirleader, and was frequently called on to attend and conduct conference meetings in other places. On attending a meeting in the neighborhood of some friends in'
New-Hampshire, and speaking as he was wont, a dea —
con present sent him a message, to the effect, that if he
did not preach God would punish him. Several aged
and experienced Christians used to express to him theconviction that he was called to preach. One of these
used frequently to say to him;-" They will yet: build'
a meeting house in Olneyville, and you will preach in it."
Rev. Mr. Tobey, who had baptized him, also expressed
to him plainly his conviction, that: he ought to be
5




LIFE OF
preaching the gospel.  Such things as these, together
with his own experiences, directed his attention more
and more frequently and strongly toward the work of
the ministry. He speaks of being present at a meeting
in the Chestnut Street Church, Providence, and heard
Tread a hymn containing these lines:- -
H' is only righteousness I'l know,
His saving truth proclaim;'Tis all my business here below,
To cry,' Behold the Lamb'7
Happy if with my latest breath,
I might but gasp his name;
Preach him to all, and cry in death,-' Behold, behold the Lamb."'
His heart was very deeply moved, and in his tears he
felt peculiarly attracted toward the work of preaching
the unsearchable riches of Christ. He found, however,
similar difficulties to those urged by most who feel
summoned to this sphere.  He says," But who was I, and what was I, and where was I,
that I should think of preaching? Only a limited
school education, in a business that seemed inappropriate to such a work, poor in the things of this world, a
family to maintain, my former character, —all these
things seemed to forbid the attempt.  Then there was
tno Church, no Meeting House, no Society in the place
to aid.  Alas! the future seemed as dark as darkness
itself should I attempt it; yet it seemed, on many accounts, to be duty; and at times I had a desire for the
work.  Thus I was tossed to and fro in my mind."
A severe fit of sickness which he suffered at about
this time, and which some Christian friends regarded as




MARTIN CHENEY.                 51
a punishment from the Lord, sent because he had not
gone about his work, operated to induce him to promise
inwardly that, if his life was spared, he would devote
himself to the work of the ministry. Some time after
his recovery, he related his mental exercises to the
Church of which he was a member, and a meeting was
appointed to be held on the evening of Thanksgiving
Day, in the month of November, 1823, for the purpose
of hearing him preach. He preached on the occasion,
from 2d Peter, 3: 9; "For the Lord is not slack concerning his promise," &c. The auto-biography thus
continues:"' After preaching, I was examined as to my sentiments on doctrine and ordinances, &c. Finding me
Anti-Calvinistic, and a Free Communionist, they informed me that it would be useless for them to approbate me as a preacher, as the ministers of that order
would not ordain me with the sentiments I then held;
and advised me to take a letter of dismission and unite
with a church holding sentiments similar to my own.
They, however, decided unanimously that they thought
I was called of God to preach the gospel.  The
remark of the man who then preached for them, Rev.
Nicholas Branch, impressed itself deeply on my mind.
When asked his opinion of my call to preach, he replied:' If he was a Calvinist, I should think he was
called to preach; and I don't know but he is as it is.',"
Mr. Cheney explains his connection with a Calvinist
Baptist Church, by the remark, that he did not knowas these sentiments were held by the Church at the time
of his uniting there, as the Articles of Faith were not




52;LIFE OF
shown him; and that Mr. Tobey, who was then pastor,
did not hold to these views. The advice of the Church
was complied with, and his membership was removed
to the Fourth Baptist Church in Providence, which was
then under the care of his former pastor.
On the 5th of February, 1824, he preached before
this Church on trial. Text, Jonah, 3: 1. 2. "The
preaching that I bid thee," was the clause to which his
attention was particularly directed.  Expressive of his
feelings at this time, the following little record was
made,-" It is my heart's desire and prayer to God that
I may be ready and willing to declare the whole counsel of God, whether men will hear or forbear. O Lord
help, for from thee is all my strength." After examination by the Church, he was furnished with a certificate, setting forth their hearty approbation of him as a
brother and minister, and commending him earnestly
to the confidence and fellowship of all Christians.
A little time previous to these last related occurrences,
Mir. Cheney commenced holdling meetings in a hall
in Olneyville, connected with the tavern, having been
earnestly solicited-to do so by the little band of disciples with whom he had been associated in the weekly
meeting. This hall was ordinarily used for far different
purposes. It was the gathering place for the wildest
youth, who occupied it for parties, dances, &c. These
were frequently held on Saturday night, and it would
be late on Sunday morning before it was vacated. At
10 o'clock A. M. Mr. Cheney would go to the spot,having sometimes to build his fire and prepare the room
previously-take what the fiddler had occupied for a




ItARTIN CHENEY'                  3
stand as a pulpit, and speak to those who came to hear
of the great things of the gospel. Among his auditors
were often found those who had joined him there previously in the work of noisy mirth; and he who had
been their leader, stood up boldly before them, to tell of
his own redemption through Christ, and to beseech
them to go in penitence and give themselves to God.
Many were attracted by curiosity to see and hear,
and some there were who went for better reasons; but
to them all did he speak in the earnestness of his nature, roused by his new faith, and from the fullness of
his own sad experiences in the life of sin, from which
he sought to rescue them.  That hall stands yet,
almost in the shadow of the temple of worship in which
he afterwards preached to crowds gathered from every
circle of life, and from which his body was borne to
the tomb amid the tears of thousands; the one speaking of the humility and faith of his ministerial advent,
and the other of the glory of his triumphant exit.
In August of this year, (1824) he made a tour eastward as an Evangelist, with Rev. Abner Jones of the
Christian Denomination.  He was absent some two
weeks,-preached on the average about once each day,
attended some conference meetings, and received some
five dollars above his expenses. He preached during
his absence in Salemn, Haverhill, New Rowley, &c,
No events of particular importance appear to have been
connected with this tour. He sowed the seed of truth
in faith and sincerity, and of its springing up and its
fruit God knoweth the history.
At about this time he became associated with several
brethren in the ministry, in what was termed a "Union
5*




54                  LIFE OF
Conference," organized for the purpose of mutual imri
provement.  Z. Tobey, Allen Brown- John Prentice,
Ray Potter, Henry Tatem, and others, had a membership in this body; the association embraced also a few
churches. Mr. Cheney preached several times before
this Conference, and at the instance of its members
wrote and read an Essay on "Q ualifications for the
Christian Ministry," which appears to have been among
the first, if not the first production of the kind. It will
be read with interest, both on account of its character,
and its historical associations. His educational privileges, it will be remembered, had been small, his habits
had been unfriendly to mental growth, his secular business still claimed nearly the whole of his attention
through the week, and the Sabbath was spent in preaching. The following is a copy of the Essay as found
among his papers.
E  SSAY.
" BRETHREN: In offering a few thoughts upon the
qualifications of a Christian minister, the great, the important work he has to perform meets our view. To
announce God's will, to be an ambassador of Christ, to
proclaim the terms of reconciliation to guilty sinners,
to warn the unruly and comfort the feeble minded, to
point penitents to the Lamb of God, to feed the Church
of God and to watch for souls as they that must give account, are some of the duties that belong to the minister
6f Jesus. Our inquiry at this time is: What are the
qualifications requisite to perform these and all other duties which are connected with the gospel ministry? and,




MARTIN CHENEY.               5s
First. We conceive that no one is or can be qualified for this work without having the love of God shed
abroad in his heart.  He must be born again, not of
the will of man but of God. The eyes of his understanding must be opened; —for if the blind lead
the blind both shall fall into the ditch. However,
God may overrule the preaching of unconverted persons for the good of his people, or even for the conviction of sinners; yet as they were not called, so neither
are they qualified to preach the truth as it is in Jesus.
As soon shall you find a blind man who is fitted to be
a judge of colors, as an unconverted man who is qualifled to preach the gospel. For the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, neither can
he know them; and if he do not know them neither
can he communicate them to others: and if he be not
able to do this he is not qualified to preach the gospel
which is spirit and life. Indeed, nothing is more absurd than for one to attempt to teach and instruct
others in those things concerning which he is himself
ignorant. Such an one can only darken counsel by
words without knowledge. How can he open, explains
and apply the law, which is a schoolmaster to bring us
to Christ, if he has not been slain by the law? And
how can he, who has never felt the sun of Righteousness arise in his own soul, cry,'Behold, behold the
Lamb?' However different views may be taken of
those who preached the kingdom of God before the
resurrection of Christ, yet after this event they were
commanded to tarry at Jerusalem till they were endued
with power from on high. Reason, and Scripture




56                 tLIFE OF
which points out to us the practice of the primitive
disciples, decide, as we conceive, that to be qualified to
preach Christ we must experimentally know him.
But farther. All who are the children of God know
him as we have mentioned. But all who thus know
him are not qualified to preach. To be qualified, therefore, one must not only know Christ in his own heart,
but must be able to communicate this knowledge to
others; or, in other words, he must be able to preach
that gospel which to his own soul has become the power of God unto salvation. To do this he should be
well acquainted with the Scriptures. As by these the
child of God is made wise unto salvation, so by these
the minister should be furnished for his work. This is
is the magazine from whence he is to draw his supplies.
This is his sword with which he is to fight. He should
be intimately acquainted with all the truths which the
scriptures contain. The doctrines, precepts, promises,
warnings,, threatenings, judgments, and mercies which
are revealed irt the Bible, should:be well understood and
thoroughly digested. That scripture should dwell in
him richly; and as this is the word of truth which he
is to divide, he should, if he would be a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, be well acquainted with all
its parts. In order to this it will be perceived that he
must possess a good natural understanding. This is not,
indeed, necessary to the receiving of the truth into our
hearts to the saving of the soul, but it is so to him who
is commanded to bring forth from the word of God
things new and old. He should understand the doctrines, precepts, and promises of the bible in their ima



MARTIN  CHENEY.                57
portance and connection with each other. Connected
with a good understanding -he should have a solid
judgment; for he who is destitute of these, which may
be termed natural abilities, is in danger of being carried
about with divers and strange doctrines; but possessing
these he will be enabled to become settled and grounded. Another danger to which, as a preacher, he may
be exposed, is the condemnation of the devil; but possessing a solid judgment, by the grace of God he may
escape this. A preacher should be no novice, nor think
of himself more highly than he ought to think; and
this he may do either through a defect in his judgment,
or too superficial an acquaintance with the scriptures or
his own heart. But to a good natural capacity for receiving the truth, joined to a solid and discriminating
judgment of men and things, connected with a deep
and extensive acquaintance with the holy scriptures and
the love of God shed abroad in the heart, must be added
the gift of utterance. He must not only be able but apt
to teach. Without this, all his knowledge and judgment can never qualify him to be a good minister of
Jesus. His heart must indite good matter, but his
tongue must also be as the pen of a ready writer, so
that he may communicate to others that knowledge
which he has received, with ease if not with high propriety-a propriety founded upon the grammatical construction of words and sentences. A sound mind, good
judgment, clear understanding and ready utterance, appear to be the natural abilities suitable to a good minister of Christ; and to these must be added a change of
heart, a thorough conversion to God, with an acquaint



58                  LIFE OF
ance with the gospel scheme of salvation as contained in
the scriptures, and a hearty desire to this work. Having these, the man of God appears to be furnished with
every qualification which is absolutely and essentially
necessary for the work of the ministry.
But while these are the only, and perhaps some might
say more than the only qualifications which are absolutely and essentially necessary to a gospel minister,
there are yet other qualifications which are highly important and exceedingly useful. Such, we would observe, is a knowledge of the rise and fall of kingdoms,
of the different orders and classes of men in the world;
in a word, a general knowledge as derived from ancient
as well as modern history. A knowledge of the Church,
from its commencement to the present time, is of much,
though not of essential, importance to the minister of
Jesus. Indeed, learning, in all its branches, although
despised and ridiculed by some, and overrated by others,
is, in subserviency to the will of God, of much use to
an ambassador of Christ. The more we know of nature,
the sooner we ascend to nature's God. The more we
know of ourselves, the more ready are we to learn of
Christ. Indeed a knowledge of past ages and of the
present condition of mankind, while on the one hand it
teaches the ambassador of Christ his duty or discovers
to him his work, and presents to him the fields all white
to the harvest, on the other presents him with strong
proofs of the truth and certainty of the holy scriptures,
while ancient and modern historians have presented him
a picture so truly agreeing with that of the bible, of a
xwhole world lying in wickedness. If to these should




MAR'TIN CHENEY.               9g
be added a lively and brilliant imagination, it will add
to the preacher's usefulness, if chastened and corrected
by a sound judgment. By the aid of this faculty, truth
appears more lovely, and virtue more charming, while
vice of all kinds shrinks from before it into its native
darkness.
Shall we proceed to mention that a Christian preach.
er should possess courage? He is called to endure
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus; and not a soldier
simply, but one who is placed in the forlorn hope, to
clear the way, and to gather out the stones. Says the
Apostle, we are made a spectacle to the world, to an.
gels, and to men. He needs invincible courage to meet
the Lion and the Bear, as well as the proud and boasting Philistine. A frowning world is in his path; Prin.
cipalities and Powers oppose his march, and the grand
foe of God and man would desire to sift him as wheat.
The waves of ungodliness rise high and threaten to
destroy the Church; iniquity abounds, and the love of
many waxes cold; friends forsake, and false brethren
deceive; but amidst all this and more, let the language
of the heart be that of the bold and resolute Nehemiah;
Should such a man as I flee?  or of an Apostle as
bold,-None of these things move me. But let this
noble principle be tempered by meekness and humility.
In meekness, the servant of the Lord is to instruct
those that oppose themselves; and although he should
never shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God,
yet he should always remember that it ought to be done
in a gentle, meek, and humble spirit. The servant of
the Lord must not strive, but beseech sinners to be re



60                  LIFE OF
conciled to God. A proud, haughty, and imperious
spirit, manifested in a minister of Christ, is not only an
inconsistency, but will inevitably destroy his usefulness. Let the minister of Jesus, then, while he declares the day of vengeance of our God, beware that
he do not take vengeance into his own hands. Let
him rather clothe himself with meekness, which, in the
sight of God, is of great price. Let him use the sword
of the spirit as the skilful surgeon does his lancet, not
to kill but to cure. And this heavenly temper is also
of great importance to the servant of Christ in reproof.
He is to reprove and rebuke with all long-suffering and
doctrine. But let every one take heed in what spirit
he reproves, considering himself lest he also be tempted.
We would further observe, that the laborer in God's
vineyard has need of patience. In him, in a special
manner, should patience have its perfect work. He
will have numerous occasions for the exercise of this
grace. His friends, his brethren, perhaps, will call for
the exercise of patience. His work, especially when
he sees but little fruit of his labors, calls for patience.
As the husbandman waiteth for the early and the latter
rain, so the minister of Jesus should, in the morning
sow his seed, and in the evening not withhold his hand,
waiting patiently to see whether God will prosper this
or that. In much patience he should possess his soul,patiently endure and suffer persecution and reproach in
the cause of the blessed Redeemer, knowing that hereunto he is called.
Further.  A preacher of the gospel should be a man
of the strictest integrity. No consideration should




MARTIN CHENEY.                    61
tempt him to swerve from the strictest regard to truth.
He should abhor even the smallest approach toward
dissimulation; truth, sacred truth, should dwell forever
on his lips. As the priest's lips should keep knowledge,
so also they should keep truth.  Of him  it should be
said" No slanders dwell upon his tongue,
He hates to do his neighbor wrong."
He should also be a peace-maker! never should he be
found encouraging, much less sowing, discord among
brethren. Let him ever maintain the spirit of his first
salutation,-Peace be to this house.
To all of which we have spoken, should be added
wisdom. This wisdom which, if any man lack, he is
to ask of God, is of the greatest importance; it is, as it
were, a regulator, to enable the man of God to bring
into exercise all the combined powers of body and soul
in the most proper and efficient manner.  It is by this
wisdom, which is from above, that he is taught when,,
where and how to wield the sword of the spirit. It is
this that must teach the minister of Christ how, without sin, he may become all things to all men. It is
this that must teach him of those things which are lav —
ful, but not expedient. It is this that must teach whenl
to speak a word in season, and when to answer a fool:
according to his folly. It is this which will show the
time, the place, and the circumstances, that aid in gaining access to the sinner's heart, with the greatest prospect of success. It is this which will regulate and direct his courage and his zeal, so that success will attend
his labors."
6




6;2                 LIFE OP
This essay will not bear the test of a nice rhetorical
criticism; and, in itself considered, is not a very remnarkable production.  It indicates a lack of finish,
both in the mental culture and compositional taste of
the author; but it bespeaks quite as plainly a power
of close thought and careful discrimination. It is marked by a clear direct simplicity, an acquaintance with
the Bible, and a felicity in the use of scripture quotations and allusions, adapted to excite surprise. That
"' old Bible" had evidently been diligently studied, from
the time it was appealed to with so much success, to
decide the question of his conversion. The effortasurprised the Conference. He says:
"' I was asked where I got those thoughts; if they
came from'Solitary Hill;' (the name of a hill in the
place of my residence.) I had a suspicion that the
Conference thought I had pilfered some of them from
others, and called them mine.  They were, however,
the result of what I had heard, and read, and thought,
all of which had passed through my own thinking
machine."
In the spring of 1825, after being examined by several of the members of this Conference, and others, it
was decided that he should be set apart to the work of
the ministry, by the laying on of hands.
1His ordination took place in the old Johnston Meeting House, near the village of Olneyville, on the 28th
of April:, in this same year, at 2 o'clock, P. M. The
order of exercises were as follows, as appears from  a
record kept by Mr. Cheney:
1. Hymn; —" Go preach my gospel," &ce




MARTIN CHIENEY.                63
2. Introductory Prayer;-by Rev. Mr. Kenneyv of
Bristol.
3. Hymn;-" How beauteous are their feet,' &c.
4. Reading of Scriptures; —by Rev. Ray Potter.
5. Sermon;-by Rev. Zalmon Tobey. Text, John,
13: 15, 16. " For I have given you an example," &c.
Topic, —Christ, the Preacher's Exanzple.
6. Ordaining Prayer; —by Rev. Henry Tateatn
7. Charge;-by Rev. Ray Potter.
8. Right Hand of Fellowship; —by Rev. Allen
Brown.
9. Prayer and Benediction;-by Mr. Cheney.
A large concourse of people assembled on the occasion to witness the exercises, which were full of interest and impressiveness. The work of the ministry
had now been fully assumed, the consecration had   e..
publicly made, and henceforward Mr. Cheney was to
be known as a herald of the cross, a leader among the
hosts of righteousness. His former companions, who
had looked for his backslidings, were now compelled
to feel that their haunts of sin were to be visited by
him again only in his rebukes, and disclosures, and
warnings. He preached the faith he had before labored to destroy. And it is in this work, chiefly, that we.
are hereafter to follow him.




64                 LIFE OF
CHAPTER IV.
CIHOOSING AND ENTERING HIS FIELD OF LABOR.
IT -is well that the future is hidden from human view,
and especially from those who enter upon the life of
Christian faith and obedience.  "c Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof."  To be obliged to add to this
evil the dread of that other evil, awaiting us in the
days to come, would be often to overpower faith and
destroy hope. And especially is this so of those who
consent to take the lead in religious duty. Christ in
Gethsemane, tells us how terrible is the cup of suffering which the prophetic eye sees moving slowly, but
surely, forward to the lip of human weakness. The
sustaining power of his divinity did not keep him from
struggling with resignation, till he was baptized with
the sweat of blood. Moses had hardly faith enough
to walk forward and meet the anticipated difficulties
created by his tardy tongue; what would he have done
if he had foreseen the wrath of Pharoah, the blind,
thankless stubbornness of his nation, the forty years
pilgrimage in the desert, the punishment which buried
the whole generation of his people, and his own tomb
hidden from view in a land of strangers by the rebuke
of God! But for narrowing the sphere of vision to
the present day's trials, there might have been no
Daniel resting in state among the Lions, and no Ie



MARTIN CHENEY.                 65
brew worthies marching in triumph over the flaming
pavement of the tyrant's furnace.  "Sufficient unto
the day is the evil thereof.:"
Mr. Cheney entered upon his ministerial work, not
without forethought and decision. He endeavored to
count the cost; but it was well that he could not counzt
it; that the price was kept out of his view. Not that
he had a bitterer cup, or more terrible hardships than
others have had, but there was abundant to try his
spirit. Of some of these experiences account will be
taken as his life is developed. What effect would be
produced by laying bare the vices about him, he knew
not; what friendships he must sacrifice, what losses
encounter, and what sorrows of heart endure, were
matters to be learned only in the school of coming experience. And his pecuniary circumstances, too, were
such as to awaken distrust. He had no assurance of
being provided for, given by any man or body of men;
for no one or ones had become chargeable with his support. Of this matter, twenty-five years afterward, he
thus speaks:"I wonder, even now, that I ventured to attempt
preaching. I do, indeed wonder, with what willingness I arranged to meet poverty; for although I was
po.or, I saw, if I preached, I must be poorer still. I
wonder how, with willingness, I received second-hand
clothing for myself and family. I remember, when t
had reduced my rent one half, paying but twenty dollars per year, that a minister from Boston called upon
me and tarried over night. He was dressed fashionably
But such a lodging place as he had I cannot describe.,
6*




66                   LIPE OV
A garret of the poorest kind, and as poorly furnished.
But," he adds, " it was the best I had, and I thought
good enough for him, or it might do him good, for I
fear he wvas a ministerial dandy."
But he went forward, and through privation and trial,
grew strong and prospered. When most depressed,
and questioning whether it was really his duty to attempt to preach, the singing of the words which stirred
him in his anxiety"'Tis all my business here below,
To cry,' Behold the Lamb!"'
would rouse his spirit, and consecrate him with a new
faith and courage to his chosen work.
Soon after his ordination, he was invited to preach to
the Church and Society at Fruit Hill, North Providence, some four miles from Olneyville. He accepted
the invitation, and went, on Sabbath, P. M., after the
close of his service in the hall at Olneyville, where he
still preached in the morning, to his appointment at
that place. While thus engaged, the work of erecting
a meeting house in Olneyville had commenced, and,;on the completion of the Vestry, -the meetings were removed to that place from the hall where they had been
formerly held. He continued to preach thus till the:neeting house was completed, or nearly three years
from the time of his engagement at Fruit Hill. During
this time his preaching had attracted not a little attention, both on account of the character of the preacher,
and of the character of the preaching.
Among the hearers, assembling from week to week
in that little unimposing hall, were found men of talent,




MAlRTIN CHtENEY.                67
and influence, and station, who attended on his ministrations with not a little interest. Of these was Dr.
Messer, then President of Brown University, who explained his attendance there by saying that he always
carried away from that humble spot most profitable in.
struction. And the fact that, in two years from the
time that the hall was opened for religious service, there
had been sufficient interest awakened in Olneyville to
erect a good house of worship in the very suburbs of
the city, indicates that he was doing not a little to arrest and control attention.
On the 2d of July, 1827, the House, having been
completed, was dedicated by a public service to the
worship of God. Services as follows:
1. Reading Scriptures; by Rev. Z. Tobey.
2. Singing.
3. Dedicatory Prayer; by Rev. Mr. Seamons.
4. Singing.
5. Sermon; by Rev. Martin Cheney.
6. Prayer; by Rev. Z. Tobey.
7. Singing an Anthem. Benediction.
A large assembly convened on the occasion, and the
services were full of interest.
The written sketches of the Sermon preached on
this occasion,-prepared merely to give definiteness
to the thoughts and something of precision to the language-are found among Mr. Cheney's early papers.
They are scattered over several pieces of paper, in
beautiful confusion; indicating that he wrote just when
and just as the spirit of writing came upon him, and
opportunities were secured. It was evidently closely




68                  LIFE O-F
studied; for some portions of it are written two or
three times.  It is not easy ro pick out his connected
thoughts; but the following copy is probably very
much like what he delivered,-in substance, though it
was doubtless -much amplified in the delivery. For
other reasons than because it appears to have been his
first effort of -this kind, will it be read with interest.
The Introduction, (written two or three times over,)
is omitted, because it is not necessary to the discourse,
aad because it has too much of apology and explanation-a feature in which his efforts of -this kind were
quite apt-to abound.
S E R M 0 N.
"How amiable are thy Tabernacles, 0 Lord of Hosts!" Psalms
lxxxiv: 1.
We have assembled this day to- set- apart or dedicate
this building to the worship and service of the true and
living God; in doing which we hope to meet not only
the approbation of every candid and pious mind, but
that which is of infinitely higher importance, the approbation of the great and blessed God.
It is true that the New Testament affords no positive
precepts upon this subject, to guide and direct our
steps; yet, to us, there seems to be a peculiar fitness
and propriety, when opening a house erected professedly
for. religious worship,. in those services, the tendency
of which is to make all present feel, "This is none
other than the house of God!' That the exercises on




MARTIN CHENEY.                 69
this occasion may, by the divine blessing, have this
effect, is, by your speaker, earnestly desired.
The beautiful Psalm from which our text is selected,
is, by some, supposed to have been written during the
Babylonian captivity, and by one whose language gives
abundant proof that he had not only seen, but felt and
enjoyed the presence of God in his holy temple. Reflecting upon these happy privileges which he had once
enjoyed, he exclaims; -" How amiable are thy Tabernacles, 0 Lord of hosts!"
The word Tabernacle, which, in the text, is in the
plural number, literally signifies a tent or dwelling
place; and in the text doubtless refers to those places
where the power and presence of God had been seen,
and where his name was adored. The word has been
used in a figurative sense by the inspired writers to signify the human body, the humanity of Christ, and even
Heaven itself. The first building which was expressly
designed for the worship of God, of which we have a
distinct and particular account, was erected in the wilderness and called a Tabernacle. The scriptures inform
us of three structures called by this name. The first
was built by Moses, and was called the Tabernacle of
the Congregation. The second was also built by Moses, and the third by David, for the reception of the
Ark when he received it from the house of Obed-Edom.
Of the second of these we have, in the scriptures, a
particular and very interesting account. It was built
according to the pattern given by God himself unto Moses in the Mount; was composed of the most precious
and costly materials, and within were placed, besides




T70                 LIFE OF
other significant emblems, the Ark of the Covenant,
which contained those wonderful tokens of God's power and goodness-the two Tables of Stone, the Pot of
Manna, and Aaron's Rod that budded. The weight of
brass, silver and gold used in the erection of the Tabernacle and its furniture, is said to be upwards of
fourteen tons, and its cost more than half a million of
dollars.  Here the Israelites brought their rich and
costly offerings. Here was spilt that blood which,
though of itself it was unable to reach the conscience,
yet pointed to that which was sufficient.  Here were
offered those lambs which were emblematical of the
Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world;
and here, amid these expressive types and shadows, was
to be seen the pious Israelite in humble prostration, his
prayer ascending with the morning and evening incense all fragraLt to the skies.  Well might a pious
Hebrew exclaim, while reflecting upon scenes like
these;-"' How amiable are thy Tabernacles, 0 Lord of
Hosts!"  We might notice the Temple, which has also
been called the Tabernacle; but as it was erected on
the same plan as the Tabernacle already described, we
forbear, and proceed to the main object of this discourse, which is to point out in a few particulars, the
beauty and excellence of God's house, or in other words.
the place which is appropriated to social and religious
worship.-And,
1st. It is the Lord's house.
It is not the house of a mighty prince, it is not the
palace of an earthly monarch, it is not a house built for
the worship of saints or angels, but it is an house erect



MART-IN CHENEY.                 t
ed expressly for the worship and service of the Lord of
Hosts. This it is that gives peculiar attractiveness to
the building set apart for religious purposes. The ignorant and unenlightened may behold with astonishment, mingled with superstitious awe, those mighty
structures which have been reared by pride and vanity
to perpetuate the name of some idol god or mighty
conqueror;, but the true believer, while viewing the
sanctuary of the Most High, passes by the splendor and
pomp of outward show to the contemplation of that
Being for whose worship and- service it was erected.
And when be beholds the name- of Him who is not only the Father of the spirits of all flesh, but Him whom
also by- the spirit of adoption he can- call Abba Father,
written upon it-, he cries with the man of God; "How
amiable are thy Tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts."
2. The services of God's house point out its beauty
and excellence.
These, under the Mosaic dispensation, were numerous and expensive, but withal glorious; but under the
gospel, the burdensome and expensive parts being removed, the glory is greater. Those under the gospel
we shall proceed to notice.
The first is Prayer.  This is one of the most important parts of that service which is performed- in the
house of worship;-so important that it has given name
to the house. For thus saith the Saviour "C My house
shall be called an house of prayer," &c.; and likewise
the prophet; " I will make them joyful in my house of
prayer." It is when the disciples are gathered together
in one place, and with one accord make supplication to




72                 LIFE OF
God, that the Holy Ghost descends, an awful solemnity
rests on the mind, and all feel to exclaim; —" Surely
God is in this place." Here, while beholding the servant of God pleading for the grace power and spirit of
Christ to be poured out upon the world, when we behold him wrestling like Jacob of old for mourning backsliders, penitent sinners and trembling saints, carrying
their cares and wants to the throne of grace, we exclaim;
"How amiable are thy Tabernacles, 0 Lord of Hosts!"
The second is Singing. This in ancient as well as
in modern times has been considered an interesting and
important part of divine worship; and when hearts and
voices in sweet union join in offering up the grateful
emotions of the soul in praise and thanksgiving to God,
the scriptures teach us that such offerings ascend like
fragrant incense to the skies, and will not be forgotten
amid the loud hallelujahs in the courts above. While
joining in this delightful employment, how often has
the saint of God been led to break forth in the language
of the Psalmist; —" How amiable are thy Tabernacles
O Lord of Hosts!"
The third is Preaching the word. The reading, explaining and enforcing the Holy Scriptures are essential
parts of divine service; and when this has been neglected the house of God has lost its holy and beautiful character, and become a cage for every unclean and hateful
bird. But when this fountain of truth is exhibited in
its native purity; when the servant of Christ [applies
these truths to the heart and conscience, the sinner, cut
to the heart, exclaims;-" This is none other than the
house of God!" When we hear the minister of Jesus,




MARTIN CHENEY.                 73
in the light of the scriptures, point out the character of
the holy and blessed God, his mighty work, his unbounded goodness; when we see him  directing us to
the Lamb of God, and saying;-Behold him living, dying, rising, ascending, able to save to the uttermost;
when we hear him directing us to that spirit which is
to lead into all truth, and be a holy comforter even in
death; when, like Moses the man of God, he ascends
Mount Sinai's awful summit, and there points out the
fitness and propriety of the Law of God; when, with
his eyes a fountain of tears, he shows the sinner his awful danger; and when with love beaming in his countenance, we behold him crying, " Ho every one that
thirsteth, come ye to the waters," we exclaim with the
Psalmist; " There will I dwell for I have desired it."
The fourth is the administration of the Gospel Ordinances.  While the table of the Lord has been spread,
many have experienced the truth of that saying " Truly our- fellowship is with the Father, and with his son
Jesus Christ;" and they have enjoyed fellowship one:
with another.
3. The beauty and excellence of the house of Godt
is seen in the happy influence which it exerts.
There are few, if any, in this highly favored country, but are enjoying directly or indirectly, the blessings
which flow from the the house of God. Many of the
sons and daughters of our land, might I call as witnesses
to this fact. Pointing to the place where prayer is;
wont to be made-to the house of the Lord, to the
temple of Jehovah,-they- exclaim, There were my
eyes opened, there did I first learn of myself, and therej
was mine ear opened to hear the joyful sound of sins,
7




74                 LIFE OF
forgiven and pardon bought with blood. Its happy
influence has been felt by those who, awakened by
the spirit,were laboring and heavy laden. Like Noah's
dove they have found no rest in the world for the sole
of the foot; and, fleeing to the house of God, they
have found it an Ark of safety. The saint as well as
the sinner experiences the happy influence of the
house of God. They are instructed, they are strengthened, they are made exceeding joyfuil in the house of
prayer, and are led to exclaim:-' How amiable are thy
Tabernacles, 0 Lord of Hosts!' It exerts a happy
influence upon the morals of society. We have only
to contrast those places where the house of God is deserted, or where there is none, with those where the
house of God is honored. In the first instance we find
the day and name of God profaned; in the latter we
behold parents early directing the steps of their children
to the house of God, there to be taught their duty to
God and man; and at the hour of prayer we behold
aged, middle aged and youth, wending their way to
the house of God. And when we perceive that the
house of God exerts a happy influence in promoting
peace, harmony and love in cities, towns and villages,
our feelings again break forth in the expressive words
of the text.
4. We would lastly notice the peculiar beauty and
excellence of the house of God, when viewed in connection with that rest that remains for the people of
God.
The true believer reads of the Tabernacle erected
by Moses in the wilderness; he admires its form and




MARTIN CHENEY.                75
beauty; beholds with delight those mysterious emblems which it contains-the Ark, the Tables of Stone,
and the Rod that budded. The Temple of Solomon
passes in review. Its astonishing magnificence and
splendor, its rich and costly furniture, and the nume?
rous offerings made at the altar, are inspected; he beholds the Priests and Levites, the High Priests, their
order and service, but he stops not here. He looks
forward to a greater Priest and a greater Temple. He
looks for a Priest after the order of Melchisidec, and a
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
So will the true believer, while in the house of God,
enjoying the consolations of religion, have his mind
upon that house to which our Saviour alludes, when he
says: " In my Father's House are many man-sions."
WVhen, in holy contemplation, he is lifted in the visions
of God to the throne of the Great Eternal, and in anticipation walks those golden streets; when filled with
holy joy he beholds, in the house of God below, some
glimpses of that glory which fills the house of God
above, like Simeon in the temple, with Christ in his
arms, he exclaims; "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation;
or with David;-," I had rather be a door-keeper in the
house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickednleSS. "
In closing these remarks, permit me to express my
feelings with regard to:this house and this people. We
dedicate, this day, this house to the service of Almighy
God. May it ever be devoted to his service, and may
the doctrines and precepts here inculcated be in strict




76                  LIFE OF
accordance with his Holy Word. May the sinner who,
in the Providence of God, may pass the threshold of
this sanctuary, be faithfully warned. May the Star of
Bethlehem  direct the poor wanderer to the fold of
Christ. And may the Sun of Righteousness here rise
upon all with healing in his wings.
At the expiration of the time for which Mr. Cheney
was engaged at North Providence, he was urged, by
the Society which had built the house at Olneyville,
to occupy its pulpit regularly. The Church at North
Providence sought earnestly to retain him in their service, but he finally concluded that his highest usefulness required that he should be principally devoted to
the moral and religious welfare of the place of his residence. There was, as yet, no Church in the place;
and the pews in the Meeting House were to be rented
for five years to pay the debts incurred by the Society
in its erection.  There was no aid received fromn any
Missionary Society, and the Freewill Baptists were
held low in the public estimation. But, satisfied that
this was the sphere of labor for him, he accepted it in
the faith that, by some means, he should be sustained.
And thus commenced the relations between the Pastor
and the People unbroken for twenty-five years, and
broken up at last by death when the cords of union
had become almost as dear as life. His compensation
was very small for a few years, and he never allowed
himself to receive but a very moderate salary, even after
the society had come to embrace numbers and wealth.




MARTIN CHENEY.T                 77
-But he says, c" Bread has been given me, and my waters
have been sure."
On the 7th of November, 1828, a church was organized in the vestry of the Olneyville Meeting-House,
called the -" First Baptist Church of Christ, in Olneyville."1 At its organization it consisted of eleven members, —five- males and six females.  Rev. Zalmon Tobey was present, and gave the little band the right
hand of fellowship. A Covenant was written by Mr.
Cheney and adopted by the little company, as they
knelt -hand in hand before God. That covenant is
still retained, unmodified save in the change of a single word. There were additions to their number every
month for the first sixteen months from the organization. His preaching was attended with-saving influences, and he was fast rising up to influence, and the Society -increased in ability and social and moral force.
He preached regularly twice on the Sabbath in the meeting-house; but this was only a small part of his ministerial labor. He had been known in his career of sin
beyond the limits of his residence: and he was solicited to counteract the evil influences he had aided to
create abroad, as he was engaged in doing it at home;
and his heart was too warm to allow him to withhold
the service, which promised to save others, so long as he
was able to render it. In meeting-houses, halls and
private dwellings, did he proclaim that gospel of whose
saving, quickening power he was himself so striking a
monument. Many, at first, went to hear him from
curiosity, wondering scarcely less than did the astonished querists, of old who asked;''- Is Saul also among
7



r78              rLIFE OF
the prophets?"' and they went again and yet again, atd
tracted by the earnest sincerity and impressive views of
truth which they had not expected to find.
He had entered upon the work of preaching the gospel with his whole heart, laying cheerfully and gratefully the entire energies of his ardent nature on the altar
of that work; and the mental power, which had been
crushed and hidden by the life of sensuality, now sprang
up beneath the touch of that grace to which it had been
yielded. And so he grew in grace, in knowledge, and
in real intellectual strength. Life had now a purpose,
worthy of all the heart's devotion; and, in the concentration of his powers on the great end set before him, it
could not be otherwise than that the spirit should wax
strong. Most deeply, too, did he feel the want of early
systematic culture; but instead of sitting down despairingly over his loss, it only roused him to do what
he might to repair it by earnest, present effort. The
greatness and responsibility of his work were ever in
his eye; and he made them  mighty motives, forever
urging him to fit himself to honor it. It was not in him
to be contented to occupy a subordinate and dependant
place in the ranks of the ministry; it was opposed to
his tendencies of mind, to his sense of duty, and to the
responsible sphere he had consented to occupy. He
had always been a leader,-he believed the pulpit
should be filled with leaders, and Olneyville especially
demanded a leader. And so with a modest, humble,
but firm self-reliance, he grasped the banner of his new
faith, and dashed into the heat of the moral conflict, gathering courage and strength as he swept on to victory.




M.ARTIN CHENEt.                  79
CHAPTER V.
" THE DISCIPLE IS NOT ABOVE HIS MASTER.?
IT must not be supposed that the marked change in
Mr. Cheney's character and life, attracted all hearts to
him, even froml among the professedly religious; nor
that his first sudden and decisive onsets upon the hosts
of evil, saved him from all future conflict.  The warfare of faith lasts as long as life, and no one act of goodness or courage, establishes forever, in all minds, an
unimpeachable character.  Not a few of the heroes of
history, —the highest examples of merit and faithfulness, have found life a perpetual running of the gauntlet-a skilful warding off the blows of malice, the
darts of opposition, and the feathery shafts of secret
dislike. Toward the highest virtue, and its mission on
earth, the world has generally conceived a dislike; and
on one or another pretence has sought to justify it.  It
quarrelled with John's abstinence, and curled its lip at
Christ's gluttony. It execrates the memory of one of
its prophets for a trait of character, whose absence warranted the stoning of his predecessor. He who goes
resolutely about the work of rebuking prevalent sins,
and reforming society, has no just ground for hoping
an entire freedom from difficulty and opposition. If
there be not courage sufficient to meet him on the real
issue, false ones can be created according to the de



80                 LD? E OF
mand. When the witnesses failed to agree together inl
their accusations against the Savior, in the Sanhedrim,
a fresh charge was ready. If he had not profaned the
temple, he had perverted the nation. If his character
and abilities were above suspicion, still it was certain
he had come from Nazareth! Ten years since, Elihu
Burritt sent a few peace documents, with a notice of a
lecture which he intended to deliver on war in the city,
to a Boston Clergyman; requesting that the notice
might be read from his pulpit. The package, with the
unread notice, was returned to the philanthropist; and
the coarse, brown wrapper, superscribed something as
follows: " Elihu, put on your leather apron and go
back to your anvil "' Still, as in the days of the Great
Teacher, may it be said;-" It is impossible but that
offences should come."
Mr. Cheney's experiences in intemperance had opened
his eyes to the evils of drinking to any degree; and
so at an early day he planted himself firmly on the
ground of total abstinence. The custom of drinking
prevailed all about him. In the hall where he preached,
the very walls were sometimes perfumed with alcoholic
odors-the fruit of the previous night's excesses-when
he entered to commence his Sabbath service, and
members of his audience found it sometimes difficult to
retain an upright position and keep from stupor, in consequence of their indulgences at the adjoining tavern.
What was to be done? The evil was there. He
saw it; he felt it. The bible spoke plainly against this
evil; G od had given solemn warnings against tarrying
at the wine, and: against putting the bottle to the lips




MARTIN CHE]NEY.                81
of a neighbor. He was set for the defence of the gospel,-to be the mouth-piece of God.
True, custom sanctioned the sale and use of intoxicating drinks every where. The grocers would as soon
think of being without molasses as without alcohol;
and an evening party or a wedding feast, without spirits
of some kind, would have been deemed a breach of
courtesy, for which there could scarcely be offered a
satisfactory apology. The advent and exit of life were
alike celebrated by a free use of the bottle of whiskey,
or the decanters of choicer mixtures. Drinking alcohol
was deemed almost a necessity of life. These were so
many facts calculated to lessen the enormity in the
eyes of men, and increase the hazard of openly denouncing the indulgence. Custom, wealth, office, power, influence, and worth, all lent their support to theindulgence; and he who set himself against it, had flung
the gauntlet at the feet of no ordinary foe. It is not
strange that many who saw the evil, and mourned
over it in secret, should still deem it prudent to be silent. With such expediency, however, Mr. Cheney
seemed to have no sympathy. In his sin he had never
been a coward, or a hypocrite, and he had little inclination now to become either. To him, the question,what was to be done? was plain and simple. Sin was
in his presence, and he was set to rebuke and remove
sin. And so the work commenced. The hall, which
had rung but a few hours before with the shouts of
Bacchanals, echoed to the voice that, in clear and earnest tones, set forth the prohibiting law of God. He
analyzed the traffic, and the indulgence, as he was able,




S2                 LIFE OF
and disclosed the immoralities they involved. He was
not driven from the hall as might have been supposed,
but he did awaken some severe opposition, not only
from those actively engaged in the traffic, and those
w-ho largely indulged in the use of alcohol, but not a
few of those who had been his friends deemed him
rash and unwise. After the Society was organized,
and the meeting house erected, he was assured that his
course would disorganize and break up the Society;
and some of his supporters did actually forsake him on
this ground. But he spoke on not less earnestly for
the opposition excited, and the support withdrawn.
These were just the influences that served to confirm
him in his course, and fire his spirit with a new fervor.
He was early and frequently called to attend funerals, as was the case through his whole ministerial
life. And- not a few of those over whose coffins he
stood, were the victims of intemperance; some of them
having been his companions in his wild career. Among
the very first of those whose funerals he attended, was
a man of this character, and one, moreover, with whom
he had gambled and drank. It was a place no one
would covet to occupy. But he stood there and spoke
what he believed the circumstances demanded. These
were terrible scenes, coming up now and then, and
standing in the path of his ministerial faithfulness.
Not unfrequently has it been said by those who listened to him on such occasions, in reproach and hostility,
" hepreached the poor man straight to hell."  The
auto-biography thus speaks of some of his labors in
this cause:-  -




MARTIN CHENEY'                 83
"I recollect two brothers, at whose funerals Ipreached.
They were both picked up nearly frozen to death, on
their way home from one of those places which Dr.
Beecher calls the: "breathing holes of hell," —a grogshop. They were found at two different times, months
apart. The awful death of one did not deter the other
from visiting the same place. They lived but a little
time after they were brought home. At the funeral of
the last one, I obtained leave of the afflicted widow to
speak all I wished on the subject, and the wrath of the
tavern-keeper and grog-seller was aroused.  Homily
after homily has been given me on my want of wisdom.
I went too fast, and too far. I was an ultra; I injured
a good cause; for they-dear souls I-were for temperance. And then the church records began to tell a
story about this fearful, desolating curse, and this was
trying. And then came trials when the temperance
pledge was raised to total abstinence; brethren differ.
ed, and this was a trial. I lectured on temperance in
most of the towns in Rhode-Island; in the city of
Providence, in almost all the churches and halls, in
school houses and meeting houses; ten, twelve or fourteen times a year, for years. Side by side with a Tew,
a Jewett, and a Pierpont, have I labored in this cause,
and urged it in quarterly meeting, and the churches,
and have seen its principles and practice obtain a
mighty triumph."
So, too, did Mr. Cheney find trial in the neglect of
courtesy on the part of older and influential ministers.
Young, timid, hesitating, and unknown as a minister,
he felt that he needed and was entitled to the sympathy




84                  LIFE OF
of those who had been long laboring, professedly, for
just such transformations in character as he was exhibiting. But the sympathy was seldom found. "He
went unto his own, and his own received him not."
The following is a specimen fact, indicating the treatment he was wont to receive:
C" A venerable preacher, pastor of one of the largest
churches in the city, once preached, by invitation, in
the hall where I was statedly preaching. I was present, but he did not notice me, not even so much as to
speak to me."
From  the circumstances, it was evident that the
oversight was intentional. He might have been somewhat related to the clerical dignitary of another city,
who sent back the documents to the " Learned Blacksmith."
While the battle was thus raging without, bereavement came to his house. His second wife was removed
from the circle of his home and the pressure of her
own pleasant cares, to her rest. She died December
23, 1831, in the peace and faith of a Christian, leaving
h.r husband to carry on the moral warfare uncheered
by her sympathy and aid. He unbent himself long
enough to weep over his affliction, and bind up his
bruised heart with the tenderness of past recollections
and the consolations of the gospel, and then he was
back again at his post, with an earnestness and zeal
which seemed to be inspired by the new lesson taught
him, of the speedy coming of the night when no man
can work. He was married a third time, to Miss Lydia
Sheldon, on the 4th of March, 1833, who still survives
to sorrow over her loss.




MARTIN C-HENEY.                  85
A still fiercer conflict was endured -a few years later
in the great struggle of freedom, when mob law pre-vailed in some of the cities, and a formal effort was
made to suppress the discussion of Slavery.  The path
of reflection through which he went forward to the
post of duty and -peril, is worthy of inspection; and
is presented more or less clearly in the light of his own
account.  He says:' My attention was called to the condition of millions in bonds in this country.  It amazes me that my
attention was not called to it before. It was about the
time of -the formation of the American Anti-Slavery
Society, —probably a little earlier. I soon arrived at
the conclusion that the church and pulpit should speak
out fully, plainly,:boldly, lovingly.  Well, I was the
Pastor of a church, and the occupant of a pulpit. I
was fully aware,that no ordinary storm was approaching.'Governors had recommended legislative enactments to suppress Abolition meetings.  A bill was then
before the Rhode-Island Legislature to that effect. I
had decided that the attention of the people in the
place where I preached, ought to be directed to this
great question. But who was to do it. It was suggests
ed, —exchange with some one, and let him do it.  But
the response within was,-will that do your work? will
that clear your conscience? I was forced to reply in.
the negative. Besides, a voice within, as well as cir —
cumstances without,- told me that no one could meet
the storm of unpopularity as well as myself. I felt an
assurance -that if the people would listen to any one on.
this subject, they would listen to me. The conviction.
S




86                  LIFE OF
became strong;-'- Thou art the man.' 0, that all whe
minister at God's altar had come to the same conclusion
and carried it out! We should then have had no Texas
annexation, no Mexican war, no Slavery extension, no
Fugitive Slave Bill. I had settled it in my own mind
that the cause of the slave must be advocated before
the people, and that I must do it. The only remaining questions were-when, and how is this to be doue?
The first was decided thus: As soon as you can do it.
Now is the time. Thy brother is among the thieves.
Now is the time to'lift up thy voice like a trumpet,'
to  cry aloud.' Now it is no time to pass by on the
other side. The second question I answered thus,-I
had been pondering for some months upon the propriety
of lecturing upon the Ten Commandments. I had
been deterred only by a feeling of inability to do justice
to so mighty a subject. I was resolved to do what I
could; and announced to the congregation that I
should deliver a discourse on each succeeding Sabbath
on the Ten Commandments, commencing with the
first. I stated that if it had not seemed like an insult
to the audience, I should have asked if they were willing I should lecture on the Ten Commandments, without omitting any of them; but that, on reflection, I
had taken it for granted that a Christian audience, in a
land of freedom, would not only be willing, but anxious, to hear God's commands explained and enforced.
I commenced; the congregation increased as I proceeded, till the house was crowded. On the sixth commandment, Rumselling in its moral character, effects,
&c., was examined, and offence was taken, and influ



MARTIN CHENEKY                  87
ence withdrawn from the Society, of which I was not
aware till afterwards.  But the lectures went on. On
the seventh and eighth commandments the Slave System underwent a searching examination. Its blasphemous and God-insulting claim of property in man, its
setting the image of God on the auction block, its trampling on inalienable human rights, its entire disregard
of the command,'Love thy neighbor as thyself;' and
of the Golden Rule,-' all things whatsoever ye would,'
&c., were set forth with what ability I possessed, and
with the zeal of a newly awakened attention to a
mighty wrong. Its woes and its wrongs were conmmented on, its fetters, its whips, its gags, its thumbscrews. The scarred and bleeding forms of its victims
were held up to view. The licentiousness of the system was unveiled, and its indescribable pollutions unmasked; and it was my aim to make the wail of the
bondman heard in all the large assemblies.  Our country's guilt and danger were described, the black spot in
her Constitution pointed out,-that compromise with
sin which our fathers made in an evil hour, and which
has brought forth its legitimate fruit-Texas annexation, Mexican war, Fugitive Slave Bill, and, what is
worse, a drugged and stupified church and national
conscience.  Our duty as individuals, and as a nation,
was attempted to be shown, the work of the pulpit, the
press, &c. &c. There were sincerity and zeal in these
lectures, whatever they may have lacked in wisdom —
of this last feature, others are, perhaps, the better
judges."
Some of the results were just what might have been




88-                 LIFE O F
predicted.  Intense excitement prevailed, which drew
in many who wished to see and to hear, and drove away
a few who could not bear such teaching. About seventy dollars, pledged on a subscription of three hundred dollars, were withheld; but this difficulty was
disposed of by the enthusiastic efforts of the ladies, who
raised one hundred dollars to meet the deficiency. Mr.
Cheney's comment upon this and similar experiences is
laconic and characteristic. He says: " So the bread
and cheese argument failed."  He was told that such
preaching would not be tolerated; that it was treasonable; and that he would be dismissed from the pastorate if he persisted; and he was once informed that a
week's time would be allowed him  to consider the
matter. He says:
" I replied, in substance, that I had not consulted the
Church or Society whether I should speak from the
pulpit in behalf of the slave, but had consulted a higher
authority than Church or Society, Court or Constitution; that on my knees before God, I had settled that
question, and therefore did not need a week to decide
upon my course; that I should speak upon the sin of
slaveholding, just as I should on all other sins, whenever and wherever I might deem  it duty thus to do;
that if the Society were opposed to my course, they
had only to dismiss me at their next meeting."7
So spoke the man; and all who knew him  understood him perfectly. But he was not dismissed. The
great mass of the tnembers of the Society, though, perhaps, not ready to go with him in the endorsement of
all his positions, still stood by him in that dark hour,




MARTIN CHENEY.                 89
resolved that his rights should be guarded, and their
pulpit should befree.  The effort to remove him was
confined to a small number, and it seemed to bind him
more strongly to his post. Some few left the meeting,
and he was hailed more or less as a rabid Abolitionist
abroad; but the public controversy was over.  Difficulties and trials he still met, many and fierce ones, in
his advocacy of the cause of the slave; but all were
welcomed, and made the occasion of fresh effort and
fearless speech. His narrative of these events -contains
also the following:
"About these days, a singular phenomenon appeared
in the Olneyville meeting house. A pew, nearly in
the centre of the house, was occupied Sabbath after
Sabbath, for a number of weeks, by colored people.
Their advent no one in the congregation knew, that I
am aware of. The why of their departure was, I believe, also unknown. Their advent and exodus were
as mysterious as the pedigree of Melchisedec.  They
came, no one knew from whence, they went no one
knew where. The pew occupied was owned by one
who had ceased attending the meeting. Many conjectures were raised by the phenomenon. Some thought
it was intended to test the Anti-Slavery feeling of the
congregation. No little curiosity was excited, but no
offence seemed to be taken or suffered. There was no
sneering, no one left his seat on account of it. The
colored people were treated with great courtesy, and a
practical demonstration was given of different colors
mingling in a congregation without harm. Of this
demonstration it might be said, Inone killed; none
wvounded!'"
8*




90                 LIFE OF
Up to the time of this controversy, Mr. Cheney had
been acquiring general influence and popularity as a
preacher among all denominations —that word populariity being used in a good sense, His preaching seemed
to find its way to the hearts of the people wherever he
spoke. Though not the idol or the pet of aristocracy, yet it was true of him as of his Great Master7
that "'the common people heard him gladly;" and
worthy men of learning and influence sat with pleasure
and profit under his ministry. He was invited to
preach on exchange and otherwise before the largest
and wealthiest congregations of the city. But, after
his avowal of anti-slavery sentiments and his public
avowal of sympathy with the objects and efforts of the
abolitionists, these courtesies grew less frequent; and
after he had pleaded the cause of the slave in other pulpits as he did in his own on a few occasions, they nearly ceased altogether; and he incurred not a little of the
odium attaching to abolitionists in those days of tyrannizing public opinion, and silent servility. The effect
on him was to make him feel that the reasons for crying
aloud and rebuking strongly were now numerous
and strong. And so his words grew more fiery as his
heart grew more heated; and seldom did he let an opportunity to utter rebuke that should reach them pass
unimproved. Their repulsion roused his fire, and his
fire drove them still farther away; until some of them
regarded him as a rash and severe enthusiast, and he in
turn regarded them as criminal and cowardly timeservers. Comment on these facts and experiences is
designedly omitted here, with a view of presenting, in




MARTIN CIHENEY.                91
a subsequent chapter, an analysis of his character, and
an estimate of him as a preacher and general public
speaker.
Thus fairly committed to these great moral causes in
their infancy, and wielding a power which every where
commanded respect, he was often summoned abroad to
fight over the battles which had sprung up at Olneyville,
and which had made him accept a life of open conflict
as something never to be shunned. Controversy had
developed his logic and his cutting sharpness of speech,
and given him no disrelish for the work of openly and
formally fighting with a moral evil. He had no such
aspirations for peace and repose as made him willing to
find it by shutting his eyes to peril, or stopping his ears
against the clamor of injustice. And so he was still
bearing the standard elsewhere, before those who coveted his leadership. He shrank from before no reproach
which came in consequence of his quarrel with Rumselling, or his active sympathy for the Slave. He went
abroad and lectured and discussed these great questions;
and his name and reputation and reported speeches went
where he could not go; went sometimes to inspire gratitude and courage; but went also to create suspicion
and rouse enmity. And so, sometimes, in going abroad
simply to preach the gospel, in a place strange to him,
he would find that rumor had been there before him,
sowing the seeds of prejudice and building up barriers
between him and the hearts of those whom he would
fain have led to the cross. The Jewish bigots dismissed the whole question of Christ's authority and Messiahship by the sneering query, —c Can any good thing




LIFE OF
come out of Nazareth?" and not a few turned sullenly
away from the place of concourse, uttering bitter words
when they knew only that the speaker hailed from
Olneyville.
There was one thing which did not a little to keep
alive the sympathy of the people for Mr. Cheney; and
that was his high and obvious sincerity, his lofty conscientiousness, his fidelity to his moral convictions.
That he possessed this trait of character, few, if any,
could doubt, after knowing him for a brief period. He
had sacrificed popularity too much and too freely for
the sake of principle, to leave room for a charge of
selfishness. He grieved too many of his warm friends
in the courses which he adopted, to justify any other
supposition than that he held his convictions more sacred than he did the approbation of those whose smiles
were most grateful to his eye, and whose commendation was sweetest to his ear. Integrity was, with him,
a cardinal virtue; injustice was something from which
his whole nature revolted. On no pretence would lie
voluntarily wrong even an enemy. To him, nothing
was more real than rights; and his reverence for his
own rights made him scrupulous in respect to his dealing with the prerogatives of others. Whatever else
might be thought of him, his honesty was admitted
on all hands. Every business transaction displayed his
care and accuracy in making an engagement, and his
promptness in meeting it.
Blended with this, or constituting a part of it, was
his frankness.  So far as his public policy was concerned, he had nothing apparently to conceal. He




MARTIN CHENEY.                   93
approached no man with a mask. He never made a
mere profession of friendship.  He never assented to
a sentiment or a piece of policy when his judgment
opposed it. He hated ambiguous language, and hated
still more ambiguous lives. He practically believed
with Solomon, that open rebuke was better than secret
love. His dissent from an opinion was just as decided
and just as certain, if he deemed it called for, in
the circles where dissent purchased reproach, as in
those where it invited applause. He nailed his colors
to the mast, and sailed over the sea of life in the clear
light of noon.
The result was, everybody trusted, though some
failed to like him. And so, too, everybody's conscience
proclaimed the wrong of forbidding to speak such an
honest, earnest, sincere, frank, and christianly conscientious man.  All felt as he did when he was
arrested in the hour of his conviction, "' The man is
sincere;" and though some gave no more heed to his
words than he gave to the exhortation of his earnest
neighbor, still they listened with reverence. But for
this he must have been crushed by the influences arrayed against him; for he would have found less to
sustain him within, and his foes would not have found
him so well guarded' by the sense of public justice.
But he lived long enough to silence every tongue disposed to asperse his character, and lay every suspicion
against his integrity to rest, within the circles where he
*was known. Though there might be disagreements
respecting the fittest epitaph for his monument, all
would have conceded the fitness of inscribing it:
a HERE LIES AN HONEST MAN.'"




94                 LIFE OF
CHAPTER VI.
MORAL POSITIONS.
The influences which had been acting on Mr. Cheney were just such as not only to rouse his heroism,
but to quicken his intellect. He was thrown on the
defensive; and he was not to yield without an earnest
resistance.  He attached importance to his public
efiorts; for he knew they were to be criticised and
attacked. He had taken positions hostile to the sentiment which more or less prevailed about him; and so
he was interested, not only to defend them, but to
commend them to the confidence and acceptance of
others. They made him think; and in thought does
the mind find the condition of its growing power.
Those lectures on the Commandments would be
full of interest, both as a history of the time, and as an
index to his own mental progress; but a few of the
brief sketches which he took into the pulpit as a guide,
are all that remain.  The following, on the Sixth
Commandment, will somewhat illustrate his methods,
and indicate the discrimination and love of system
which, at that early day, began to appear, and which
were so prominent in later life. The sentiments differ
somewhat from those adopted at a later day. He
would not have endorsed the " limitations" upon which
he here insists, fifteen years later.




MARTIN CHENEY.                  95
LECTURE.
"Thou shalt not kill."-Ex. 20: 13.
1. This command, as it stands, is universal. In
its letter, it forbids the taking of life in all cases and in
all times; human, animal, and, for aught I can perceive,
even vegetable. Some there are who will not take
animal life; they strain the water which they drink to
avoid it.
2. This Command, then, has no limits, except as
God has limited it.
3. This Command  differs from, "Thou shalt
love," &c.
4. This Command will have no place when and
where immortality reigns.
What are the limitations to this command? for God
can explain his own Law, or, if he please, annul it.
1. The life of animals may be taken in cases where
they are necessary for food, and when hostile to us.
The ox that gored was to be stoned. This right arises
from God's grant. We know not whether this grant
existed before the time of Noah, but it was made to
him; animals were offered to God by his direction in
sacrifice; and Christ made use of animal food. The
blood however was, and still is, absolutely forbidden.
2. The life of man may be taken under certain circumstances. First; under the Patriarchal dispensation.
Gen. ix. 6: "' Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man
shall his blood be shed." That man's life may be taken for murder, has been believed by almost all nations.




-96                 LIFE OF
Second; under the Mosaic dispensation the same grant
continued. Life could be taken for murder, and for
other crimes.
Third; under'the gospel the same grant exists. Says
an apostle,-" The law was not made for a righteous
man but for murderers."  Now if it was morally right
under the patriarchs and under the law to take life by
the magistrate, and if Christ did not repeal the moral
law, it must be lawful for the magistrates to do it now.
Fourth; Life may be taken in Self Defence; which
includes the right of Defensive War.
To this view, objections are sometimes urged by the
Friends and others. But,
1. No one disputes that, under the Jewish institutions,
life might be taken. The same people who had the
Ark, the Tables of Stone, on which was written,"Thou shalt not kill,' were commanded to take the
life of the murderer, and destroy the nations of Canaan.
2. If the words,-"' Whoso sheddeth," &c. be not a
prediction, life was to be taken at that time; and if the
commandment still stands, then human life may -ought
to be taken.
3. The support of Civil Government implies that
life may be taken. Christ -paid taxes, used physical
force, told the disciples to-buy swords, not to -propagate
the gospel, but for self defence. Paul says that the
ruler'"beareth not the sword in vain.'  Mr. Dymond
says,-" It is the duty of the magistrate to repress the
violence of one man upon another,' But how is he to
do this without physical force?"




-MARTIN CHENEY,                  97
It is said, however, that the precepts of the gospel
forbid it; that its injunctions are,-" Love your enemies;" " Resist not evil;" and that no man can take
life and obey these precepts. But were not the Jews
required to love their neighbor? Christ did not alter but
explain the moral law which had always been in force.
Well, then, when:Samuel hewed Agag in pieces, was
he obliged to hate him? When the Jews destroyed the
rnations of Canaan, were they obliged to hate them?
And is that man who takes the life of another in the
defence of his own life, or of his family or of his country, obliged to hate the assailant? Is the executioner
obliged to hate him who is hanged? Does Christianity
require us to extinguish the instincts of nature? What
would -be the result if nations were to abandon the use
of physical force? Where would they find protection?
We allow the permanent authority of the Christian
Law; but we maintain that the Christian law is the
Mo6ral law; that the Christian law recognizes the use
of the sword; that the Christian law does not take.
away man's natural rights.  That God may authorize
man to take life is clear; that he has done it we con —
tend in the recognition of Civil Government.
This command is violated,
1. When life is taken for any other cause than those.
above specified. All laws which make any crime pun —
ishable with death exceptsmurder, violate-this command,.
2. Willingly endangering another's life, or neglecting
to save it when it might be done.
3. Duelling violates it, under aggravating:circum.
stances. There -is a deliberately formed design to Skill'
9




LIFE OF
and, in the spirit of revenge, every element of suecess
is sought.  He acts without just cause; the pretence is
pcorer than that set up by the assassin or highwayman.
For, suppose he gets killed, what then! suppose he kills,
what then! What has he gained? what good done? It
has not made wrong right, or falsehood truth, or cowardice bravery. It has only exhibited two guilty fools
violating the law of God. —He acts against the strongest
reasons: 1. His own life; 2. The duties he owes to
his friends; 3. Injures his country and the world,
4. Aggressive wars violate this law.
R E MAR R K S.
1. What evidence of human depravity is here!
2. Governments should punish duelling-make it
infamous.
3. No man should give his vote to a duellist, till he
has disavowed it, and pledges himself to refrain from it.
4. See the duty of cultivating in children the spirit
of forgiveness.  From whence comes the spirit of murder? From your lusts, &c.
5.  See the wisdom and benevolence of the Law.giver, in laying a prohibition where it is so much
needed.
This discourse is, doubtless, liable to criticism; and
few  would probably criticise it more severely, than
would the author in his subsequent life. But it shows
a thoughtful, inquiring, critical mind, struggling to classify facts, to eliminate and apply principles.  It shows
a dissatisfaction with resting on superficial views, a




IMARTIN CHENEY.                   99
struggle to systematize the truths scattered over the
pages of God's book.
Wider and more comprehensive grew the views of
Christian truth and ministerial duty which found utter-.
ance from the Olneyville pulpit. As the field of study
was explored, as the inspection of the world grew closer,
as the experiences of the heart were modified by time,
the preaching of Mr. Cheney increased in compass, directness, and force. His work grew more and more
significant in his eye, and he applied himself to do it
with the zeal and fidelity which gave success to his
ministry. The house of worship was enlarged, and
not a few were added to the church, who, it seemed,
had been added to the Lord.  A  public discourse,
preached not far from this time, indicates both the views
of the gospel which he was holding, and the rational
grounds on which they rested. No apology is needed
for introducing it here. The question to which the
discourse is intended as a reply is as follows;"' Does the preaching of the whole gospel require the
discussion of such topics as Intemperance, Slavery, &c."
D ISCOURSE.
"Wherefore, I take you to record this day, that I am pure fiom the
blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you
all the counsel of God."-Acts xx.; 26, 27.
To answer this question, it is necessary that we
understand what the gospel is, and what is implied in
preaching it. This question is full of interest and importance in itself; and especially so in view of the fact




100                LIFE OF?
that there exists a wide diversity of opinion respecting
it, among the professed ambassadors of Christ. The
decision has a practical bearing upon the work of the
ministry, and is so vital as to require that it be examined without prejudice, and in a serious and prayerful
spirit.
1. The term  Gospel signifies Good Newos.  It is
called the gospel of the Kingdom of God; it is a message of mercy to a ruined world.  It is contrasted with
the Law; " The law came by Moses, but grace and
truth by Jesus Christ."  It is the announcement of
God's purposes and plans of mercy, and was preached
to Abraham: yea, even to Adam in the garden.
2. It is applied to the history of Jesus Christ by the
four Evangelists-; also to the discourses of Christ and
his Apostles.
3. The term preach signifies to proclaim, to announce, to declare.
4. It is addressed to every creature; and so may
be supposed to be suited to the wants of every creature.
Now man is a moral agent; the gospel approaches him
as such, and must, therefore, we think, solve every
moral question concerning him.
If these statements be correct, then it follows;
1. That the preaching of the gospel, is making
known, God's plans and purposes of mercy to the worid.
This will include the Being and Perfections of God;
his existence as Father, Son and Holy Ghost; his unlimited and illimitable Power, his inflexible justice, his
unfathomable Wisdom; his Love, so deep, so high, so
wide, shoreless, fathomless, boundless, unspeakable.




MARTIN CHENEY.                  101
God, Christ, Angels, Ministers, and all other agencies
employed in carrying these purposes and plans into
effect, should be declared,
2. It is revealing the condition of man; as originally upright and innocent, and as now guilty;
why he now needs the gospel; his guilt, weakness,
danger; his powers, agency, and relations.
3. Making known God's Law; its length, breadth,
purity, spirituality, perfection, its claims, and penalties.
That the law must be preached is clear: for by it is
the knowledge of sin; by it the character of God is
seen; by it man's duty is made known.
4. Revealing Christ.  His incarnation, his birth,
his teaching, sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension,
and advocacy; his wonderful character, as God manifest in the flesh; as our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption; our Prophet, Priest, King,
and Example.
5. Exhibiting Man's Duties; as a sinner, as a
christian; in all his relations,-to God, to his neighbor,
to the Church, and to Society.
Man's obligations arise from the powers he possesses,
from  the relations he sustains, and the opportunities
given him; hence those powers are to be described,
those relations defined, and those opportunities pointed
out, that he may feel the force of obligation.
These powers are of body and of mind; of the understanding, will, and affections. These relations connect him with God, as a subject of his government,
requiring love and obedience; show him a sinner, deserving and receiving punishment, as required to repent,




10'2                tIire  o
believe, and obey.  They connect him to Christ, as
Redeemer, Saviour, Judge; to his race, as citizen,
neighbor, parent or child. All these relations, in connection with his powers and opportunities, create obligations, and determine their nature, extent, and authority.
Now, if this be the gospel, and this what is: implied
in preaching the gospel, what moral question can arise
which is out of the pale of gospel examination? We
are most intimately related to, and most deeply interested in, whatever concerns sin, its nature, power and
results; in knowing what the law is, its claims, and
penalties; what we are, our condition, duty, and dangers; what God, Christ, heaven, and hell are; —and so
to preach the whole gospel, seems to me to imply the
examination of every moral question arising from all
these inquiries in all their branches; in short, it implies the pointing out and rebuking all sin, describing
and enforcing God's law, and describing and enforcing
mall's duty.  So preached Christ and his apostles,
giving principles applicable to all times and circumstances.
We conclude, therefore, that the whole gospel cannot be preached, without discussing these moral subjects. This does not imply that any one man is obligated to preach the whole gospel in one life; nor that
all moral questions are of equal importance.
To this view, objections have been urged; some of
which will be noticed.
1. Paul determined to know nothing save Christ and'him crucified.
But Christ and him crucified, are only other terms for
the gospel.




MARTI~NCHlNEY.                103
Note how Paul preached, and on how many topics
he dilated. On God, man, angels, devils, sins, duties,
relations; he preached in words of exhortation, warning, rebuke.
2. The example of Christ is cited as opposed to this
mode of preaching. Christ says that he sends his disciples as he was sent of his Father. And when asked
to render a decision in relation to a secular matter, he
replies;-" Who made me a judge or a divider over
you?"  "My kingdom  is not of this world," &c.
Great stress is, by some, laid upon this.
In reply to this, we observe,
First. That we mistake if we look for a complete
personal example in Christ. That Christ's personal example is supreme Ewhere we have it, will be admitted;
but there are some points in which there is no pattern.
In relations, there are many we sustain in human life
which never attached to him.
Secondly. That, as a preacher, his example is supreme only in his spirit, and in the great truths which
he uttered. The truths which were to be brought forth
on the different occasions were determined by the character and condition of those whom he addressed; and
we follow Christ, not when we use the same words,
or utter the same truths simply, but when we utter
them under like circumstances.
Thirdly. That we do not know how pointedly and
specifically Jesus might have dealt in rebuke with the
institutions about him. We have but an outline of his
history.   There are many other things which Jesus
dlid," &c.




104                TL'E OF
Fourthly. That an unction was given to his disciples. They were to do greater works than he. Principles are unchangeable, but their application may vary
as the condition of man varies.
Fifthly. He did preach on many just such subjects.
Examples.
3. It is preaching politics.
But if we have any political duty, it should be done
right; and it is the gospel that points out the principles, rules, and spirit that should direct in this duty.' Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all
to the glory of God." And a man is as much bound
to vote as to eat to the glory of God.
4. It is unconstitutional.
If this be admitted, still it must be remembered that
God has a constitution.
5. It produces strife and contention.
That there is strife, &c. is admitted; but who are
the guilty cause? Christ was the occasion of division 
so were the apostles; so was Luther; so Wesley. But
why? If all had been right there would have been no
strife.  Peace is not to be purchased with purity.  No
wonderi there is strife; and if the nation were not
nearly dead to truth and liberty, there would be more
strife.  Gag laws, Lynch laws, mails robbed, Freedomra's temple in flames, the soil of a free State drinking the blood of her martyred son, laws trampled on
by magistrates, men not allowed to speak in their own
temples of worship! No wonder there is strife. There
ought to be, there must be more.
6. A hobby is made of these subjects.




MARTIN CHENEY.                   105
To this we reply, by asking the objector-, —Have you
seriously examined these evils?  If not, how can you
judge whether too much is said?  If you have, are
you prepared to say, at the present time, that these are
not among the weightier matters? Do not some dwell
much and long, without rebuke, on the evidences of
Christianity? others on Missions? others on Sunday
Schools? These are weighty matters; but are the others less so?  Besides, some are set for the defence of
the gospel; to raise up some neglected doctrine or practice from the dust. Why did Luther dwell on the doctrine of justification by faith, or Wesley on holiness,
or the Baptists on immersion, or the Friends on plain-l
ness, or Christ on the self-righteousness of the Pharisees? Surely, because these things were sadly neglected by the masters in Israel, who held the key of
knowledge.
What does Christ term the weightier matters? Is it
names, sects, or ordinances? No, but judgment, mercy,
faith. True, there is need of wisdom, the wisdom of
the serpent; but there is need also of fidelity and
courage.
To preach the whole gospel, then, is to hold forth all
its full, free, rich, and varied invitations; to utter all its
solemn warnings; to administer all its pointed rebukes;
clearly to point out and accurately define man's duty
to his God, his neighbors and himself, in all the multiplied relations which he sustains; and to set before
him, in all their thrilling importance, motives —motives
wide as the earth, broad as the sea, high as heaven, and
deep as hell.




106                 LIFE OF
If there is any moral question touching man, which
is not included in such a gospel as this, we confess our
vision is not keen enough to discern it. We should as
soon expect to find rays of light which had no relation
to the sun, a river which did not find its outlet in the
ocean, as to find a moral question not connected with
the gospel of Christ. Why, sirs, the gospel is the great
central truth, from which all truths emanate, and where
they find their termination; the great central fountain
from which go forth those streams that fertilize and
make glad the whole moral field of man; the grand
catholicon or panacea which is to cure all the moral
maladies of the world.
Thus from the nature and design of the gospel, we
see that it must embrace every moral question, unless
we may suppose the gospel will destroy all moral evil
without being applied to it; which would be about as
wise as to suppose a remedy to be effectual without being taken or applied. The design of the gospel is to
remove all moral evils, and it must then have to do
with them all.
Now, friends, if slavery, intemperance, and licentiousness are not sins, then has the gospel nothing to
do with them. But if they are sins, then has the gospel something to do with them, or there are some sins
for which the gospel makes no provision, and in view
of which there is no call in the gospel to repentance.
And it is interesting to ask how our opponents expect
the jubilee to come.




MART IN CHENEY.                 l7
A P P LI C ATION.
1. We see what a glorious scheme is the gospel. It
is worthy of its great author; worthy, too, of all acceptance by those to whom it comes.
2. We may learn who are the real disturbers of the
peace, the dividers of churches, the troublers of Israel.
Not those who declare all, but a part of the counsel of
God; who keep back part of the price; who crypeace,
when there is no peace.
3. This subject is of thrilling interest to the ministry.
0, brethren, we are to make full proof of our ministry;
to give account, to answer for -souls. We are watchmen, stewards, servants; to reprove, rebuke, &c.  Let
us see to it, that we can say with Paul; I have not
shunned to declare the whole counsel of God; I have
kept back nothing; I am clear from the blood of souls.
Let us see that, in preaching, we lay stress on the
weightier matters.  If the making and vending of intoxicating drinks be a sin, then should the minister of
Jesus point it out, and apply the gospel power for its
removal. Surely, he may reason on temperance with
Paul, or warn with Moses. -If no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God, surely, he may describe
drunkenness, its causes, and effects, and warn against it.
So, if the young man is in danger of entering the
house of the strange woman, shall not the man of God
raise the alarm?
Again. Shall oppression fill the land with groans
and anguish, and tears, and blood;-shall theft and robbery, and lust and pollution, roll in streams over the
moralfield; shall mischief like this be framed into a




-108                LIFE OF
law, and the ministers of purity and righteousness, of
mercy and love, be silent? Shall truth be trampled in
the streets, and ministers of truth not cry aloud?
4. The spirit in which we preach should be closely
watched. The truth should be -spoken, but spoken always in love.
5. Christians should learn that the gospel rule, the
gospel spirit, and the gospel motive, should be with
them always,-in the family, in the shop, at the ballot
box,-cover the whole field of action.  So will Zion
"arise and shine, her light being come, and the glory
of the Lord being risen upon her."
These views of the gospel were not held as a mere
theory. As such, they would have been generally accepted in the churches and pulpits, where.these evils
were  seldom  named.  But, at 0lneyville, they were
often urged from the pulpit, the more earnestly and frequently perhaps, because they were kept back elsewhere.  To raise up these weighty, but neglected
truths, Mr. Cheney counted himself specially called
and he gave himself to the work. Men of heterodox
creeds, and men of no creeds, took hold of these causes,
under the guidance of interest, sometimes, perhaps. and
sometimes impelled forward by their own anxiety to
relieve the suffering, and save the perilled. Many
shrunk back from  laboring with such associates, as if
fearing to be laid under suspicion of unsoundness in the
faith; but Mr. Cheney was at his post, ready to inci!r




MARTIN CUEE NEY4               109
false charges, if need be, in the work of humanity and
religion. He would sometimes say, in explanation of
his course, that he was willing to labor with wicked
men to overthrow wickedness; that he —would have no
objection to carrying one side of a basket of provisions
to relieve a starving family, though Satan himself
should take the other half of the burden. He did not,
however, escape censure and suspicion. Still he went
on, using his influence wherever he could bring it to
bear, to secure a higher prominence for these features of
the gospel. Chiefly through his influence, the church
at Olneyville, in 1837, made total abstinence from ardent spirits, a condition of securing membership in that
body; and the Society had become united in their stern
opposition to slavery, and in their active sympathy for
the slave.




n10                 LIFE 0 F
CHAPTER VII.
" OPEN TRY MOUTH FOR THE IDUMB."
MISSIONS AND MORAL REFORM.
A Pastor's life is more or less hidden, in its most
striking and important features, from  the public eye.
When it appears quiet and even to the ordinary observer, it may be the theatre of the severest conflicts;
and what would be set down to inefficiency by most
men, may be scattering the choicest seed, and reaping
the richest harvests.  The sermon, which is listened to
with pleasure and attention, and then forgotten, in the
ordinary course of Sabbath exercises, may have borne
witness to the most earnest activity of thee intellect,
and the almost agonizing anxiety of the heart. The
inner history is generally unwritten; and human language is all too meagre to give it expression. The
study of the characters with which he has to do; the
fear that he shall fail to affect them favorably through
the want of wisdom; the scrutiny given to his motives, his methods, his spirit, and his teaching; the
struggles to keep his own heart consecrated to his work;
the hopes, fears, elevations, depressions; these are
phases presented to no human eyes,-intermeddled with
by no stranger. Visiting-his people, speaking kindly, yet
faithfully to the sick, ministering in the house of death,




MARTIN CHENEY.                11I
encouraging the timid, cautioning the unwary, reproving the erring, leading back the wanderer, pointing
penitents to the cross, feeding and guiding the church,
expounding the law of duty, exposing the deceptions
of false teachers, pointing the world to God by a pure
life and a faithful teaching, these are tasks, always
striking and impressive, yet often failing to arrest attention and excite interest. Men get used to the hoaryheaded Alps, and to the majesty of Niagara, until they
cease to attract attention; though the first view of them
may have overpowered the soul. Regularity is often a
garment, hiding the form of grandeur, and stripped off
only by the hand of novelty. There is nothing greater
in a miracle than in a thousand constant occurrences;
but the miracle draws attention to the greatness, while
the law hides it.
Mr. Cheney had a character and a method; and so,
striking as they might have been, having once become
familiar, they ceased to startle and impress as they had
done in the beginning. They who heard him once,
when he spoke as he was wont to do in his pulpit,
found much that was striking and impressive,-much
worthy of remembrance; but hearing him repeatedly,
though he grew not less interesting, the impressiveness
arising from the novelty was wanting. He labored on,
month after month, and year after year, in the- same
field, among the same people, and in the same earnest
ways,-doing most, perhaps, when arresting least attention.
In the early history of the Rhode-Island Quarterly
Meeting, he was prominent and influential. He was




112                 LIFE OF
prompt in his attendance on its sessions, and always
doing what he could to render them interesting and
profitable. From a meeting of the church at Olneyyrlle, he seldom allowed himself to be absent, save as
necessity. detained him.  His heart was strongly and
constantly set on his work; and he was always seeking
and embracing opportunities to carry it forward.  The
church frequently received accessions, and revivals of
greater or less extent marked the history of his labors
at Olaeyville. The war which he was carrying on with
public evils, seemed never to blind him to the wants of
his own immediate sphere. Though his public labors
were abundant, and he was often summoned abroad, he
never forgot that he was the Olneyville pastor. For
his own congregation did he feel that he must first provide. They had his deepest sympathies, and his highest efforts.  Frequently away in answer to the multiplied calls which he received, still he bore his people
on his heart; and was always happy if he could learn
something of fresh interest to carry them on his return.
And so, though his pastoral life may have been, for
years, somewhat uniform, still it was the uniformity of
perpetual conflict, of earnest study, of abundant labors,
and of high success.
He was often solicited to preach at the organization
of churches, at the dedication of houses of worship, at
the ordination of ministers, and to act prominently in
the conventions assembled to promote the great moral
causes in which his heart was so deeply enlisted; and,
generally, he was ready to do whatever he was able in
all these varied spheres of labor. His natural activity




MARTIN CHENEY.                   13
had not at all abated by means of his religious conse-'cration; and it now found abundant room for display
in the sphere to which he was wedded.
The Freewill Baptist Denomination became enlisted
in the work of Foreign Missions, at about the time
when his labors were attracting public attention, and
while he was busy in studying the gospel in its practical applications. Hle took hold of this new work with
his usual zeal and strength. Rev. Amos Sutton, of the
General Baptist Denomination in England, who had
been sent as missionary to Hindostan, visited this country in the year 1833, and attended the Freewill Baptist General Conference, with a view of inducing the
denomination to send out missionaries to that foreign
field. His appeals were powerful and not in vain. He
travelled among the churches, and every where was received with confidence, and pleaded with power. The
result was, that two missionaries with their wives were
sent out, a Foreign Missionary Society was organized,
and the churches set about the work of raising funds
to prosecute the enterprise. At a public missionary
meeting, held soon after Mr. Sutton's departure, Mr.
Cheney was invited to be present and speak on the subject. So far as is known, this was his first public effort of this kind. The following copy of the Resolui
tion and remarks, is found among his papers.




114                   LIFE  OF
SPEECH ON MISSIONS.
" Resolved, That we highly appreciate the Christian benevolence
of the English General Baptist Foreign Missionary Society, in
sending and sustaining among us their faithful missionary, the Rev.
Amos Sutton; to set before our churches the perishing condition
of the millions of heathen among whom he has been recently laboring."
MR. PRESIDENT:-In offering the resolution which
has just been read, we do not intend to ascribe to human instrumentality the honor which belongs to God
alone, to give flattering titles to men, or to make invidious distinctions; but simply to give honor to whom
honor is due.
We must advert to the numbers and circumstances
of our English brethren, in order to appreciate, fully,
the amount of their sacrifices, and the extent of their
liberality. They number only about one third as many
as the Free Will Baptists in this country.  They not
only support regular pastors in almost all their churches,
but, for about thirteen years, have sustained a Foreign
Mission in the very heart of idolatrous India.  And
this is done, it should be remembered, while they are
burdened by a system of taxation much severer than
ours-being compelled by law to support the established church. Surely, we can scarcely appreciate too'highly such self-denying, wide-spreading, far-reaching,,heaven-resembling benevolence as this. It bears the




MARTIN CHENEY. 1
stamp and signature of heaven, the broad seal of the
Father of Mercies.
And, sir, we can scarcely help imbibing a portion of
the same spirit, while we contemplate the results of
this heaven-born charity. Not to advert particularly to
India, where converts have been made in sight of the
bloody car of Juggernath, to see a religious body, a
whole connection starting into life, and girding on the
missionary harness, and shouting as it were for the battle,-this is soul-cheering.
Why, sir, we see a Freewill Baptist Foreign Mission
Society formed; auxiliaries multiplying, and missionaries already in the field; a Home Mission springing
into existence as by enchantment; a missionary spirit
spreading, &c. &c. Surely, we have not estimated too
highly that benevolence which, disregarding distance,
locality, nation, and all other minor considerations,
reached even to us and warmed us into a missionary
life.
There is but one topic more to which I will advert
before I sit down; and that is the character and spirit
of their agent who has been among us, and has but recently gone from us. I think I see the character of
our English brethren in their agent. A cold, heartless,
formal, covetous people, would send no such agent as
this. No, sir, I read the character of the society in
their man; and how does it read, sir? Untiring activity, unconquerable perseverance, entire consecration
to God; faith, hope, charity, but, in him, the greatest
of these is charity. We would send our words across
the deep, and say, we ought not, must not, cannot, for



116                 tir. E OS
get the faithful labors of their devoted missionary, dear
to them, dear to us, and dear to all the friends of Zion.
No; his appeals still ring in our ears;his labors will
not be in vain. We would say to them; —We thank
the great Head of the church for directing your attention to us, and you for your liberality in bestowing on
us the labors of your missionary.
Sir; I hope we as a Society may partake largely of
that spirit of missions which pervades the hearts of our
English brethren; that we may be co-workers with
them in cultivating the great field of gospel labor, and
with them share in reaping the harvests of immortality,
In reading these public discourses and addresses of Mr.
Cheney, it must be remembered that he was very little
accustomed to writing, that his preparatory sketches
contained but an outline of what he usually said, and
that the spirit and manner of his public speaking were
such as to fill even common thoughts with freshness
and force. And then his mind was so open to sugge-s
tions from the circumstances surrounding him, so ac,
customed to make the first use of his uppermost
thoughts, that there would sometitnes appear to be but
a remote relationship between the prominent characteristics of his discourse and the previously prepared outline.
In the year 1840, Rev. 0. R. Bacheler, who had -received an appointment as missionary to India, was-pub.
licly set apart to that work by appropriate religious




MARTIN CHENEY.                    117
services. Mr. Cheney was solicited to preach the sermon on that occasion, and accepted the service. Those
who heard the discourse as it was delivered, will probably recognize, in the annexed sketch, but the meagre
skeleton of the living, glowing effort to which they listened. The outline will be valuable, however, for its
thought and its suggestive force; and so it is presented
here.
MISSIONARY DISCOURSEW
" Go ye, therefore and teach all nations; baptising them in the
niame of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen."- liatt. xxvIII: 19, 20.
These words fell from the lips of Him who spake as
never man spake; of Him who bore in his hand the
sceptre, and on his head the crown of triumph over
principalities and powers, as through a baptism of blood,
he came forward and made a show of them openly; of
Him  who having gone down to the grave, came up
with the keys of death and hell in his hand; of Him
who as wonderful, counsellor, and mighty upholder,
exclaims;-" All power bis given unto me in heaven
and in earth." Hear him. Every word is emphatic.'Go,' not remain quiet;-' ye,' that is apostles, chosen,
partially qualified, and in a few days shall be fully so;'-teach,' that is, make disciples of c all nations.'  Mark
has it,-"-' Preach the gospel to every creature,.



118                LIFE OF
From these words, thus uttered, we deduce the following sentiment, viz.: The cause of Missions is the
cause of God. To sustain this position the following
considerations are presented.
1. The nature of the Commission.
Christ says by another Evangelist, " As my Father
hath sent me, so send I you."  In connection with this,
note the Baptismal qualification on Pentecost; the
sheet let down from heaven to urge a doubting one to
open the door to the Gentiles; the calling of Saul of
Tarsus, and his work; the separation of Paul aud Barnabas by the Holy Ghost. In this great commission
and its attendant circumstances, we have the broad
seal of heaven's approbation on the missionary enterprise. It may be objected that this work was confined
to the age of the apostles; which leads us to remark,
2.  That the promise confirms iwhat the commission
requires.
That promise is, —Lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. This promise was confirmed
to the apostles, and has also been to the modern missionary. Add to this the facts, —That they were to
commit the same trust to faithful men; That the world
still lieth in wickedness and needs now the glorious
gospel of the blessed God preached unto it as it did
then; That God has given some apostles, some prophets, &c. for the perfecting of the saints. And finally
under this head, we note the predictions or promises
touching the spread of the gospel, and the mode by
which it shall prevail. All this shows the mission
cause to be of God, as it is the appointed means of fulfilling these predictions.




MAR TIN CHIENE Yo                119
3.  It is in full accordance with the Second Commandment; " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."?
The missionary enterprise bears on its brow the clearest, brighest, noblest, evidence of obedience to this law.
The world was like the man among the thieves; and
this cause approaches it like the good Samaritan.
4.  The example of Christ and his Apostles shows it.
See in Christ the first, the prince of missionaries.
See him divest himself of his robes of glory, and clothe
himself in the robes of a servant. What a picture is
that! It becomes the missionary to study it well, to
look at it till changed into the same image. See Paul,
Peter, Silas, Barnabas, Philip, and a host of others,
hazarding their lives,-not counting them dear, cheerfully laying them down.  And why? There is but one
answer, —the cause was God's. It was this which led
Christ and the Apostles to the labors and sufferings of
the missionary life.
5.  It is seen in its results.
See Paganism in all its strength,-fortified by age,
customs, appetites,-shaking, trembling, falling, before the missionary of the cross throughout the Roman
empire.  To whom  is England indebted for freedom
from savage barbarism; to whom are we indebted for
the spirit of missions and the labor of missionaries?
The exposure of children for sale in the market at
Rome, led missionaries to Britain. See the results.
Should we wonder if similar scenes should lead to missions in our own land? See the results in the British
WVest Indies, in the isles of the sea, in Burmah among
the Karens, and even in our own field in Orissa. Whole




120                LIFE Or.nations have, at least norninally, adopted Christianity;in Greenland;, Labrador, and in more than thirty
islands of -the South Seas, and many villages in the
very. heart of heathenism. A few, years.ago it was
doubtful.whether Judson and Newell.could be supported by the American Church; but now they are counted by hundreds.
And the results reaped by those who have given to
sustain these missions have been striking. Who has
not observed that those individuals and churches prosper most, who have most of the missionary spirit? They
scatter yet increase; they sow bountifully and reap
bountifully.
6. Finally, it is seen in that it bears the image, and
is in accordance with the dispensations, of the great
and blessed God.
Of him it is said that he is Love, and his tender mercies are over all his works. He is good to all in Creation, in Providence, in Redemption.: In goodness he
reigns. God so loved the world that he spared not his
own Son, but delivered him up freely for.the-unthanko
ful and the evil. He gave his word,;Spirit, and the
ministry of the gospel. And why all this? What is
the design? obviously to bless and save men. Well
this is the object of missions, to bless and save; to lift
up man from his ruin; to restamp him with the image
of God; to; lift him up to equality with angels, to fellowship with Christ and the Father; to place the crown
of beauty and glory on his brow.
Now the missionary enterprise is only the flowing of
the stream of benevolence from the heart of the God of




MARTIN CHENEY'.                  21
love.  This cause, in its object, in its sacrifices, in:its
measures, and its results, bears the image and the superscription of him who made all of one blood; who
loved all so well as to give his Son; who in the dispensation of his Spirit invites all to take the water of
life freely. It is full of moral grandeur and sublimity.
Does God love and pity? Do his bowels move? Did
Christ hasten to man's rescue? So is it with the missionary of the cross.
R E M A RK S.
1. If the cause of missions be the cause of God, then
all objections must fall to the ground.
What are some of these objections? First, That the
heathen being ignorant are not accountable, but will
be made so by teaching them.   But is ignorance
bliss? If so, then our knowledge is calculated to make
us unhappy; we ought not to educate our children;and Christ need not have died.-Second; It is in vain to
teach them.  Third; It is not our duty, there is so
much to do at home. Fourth; It is a money getting
scheme.
To all this it would be sufficient to reply, if we had
no other answer, that God has commanded it, Christ
has set the exanmple, and every objection is in direct
opposition to the Second Commandment.
2. We may see also what is the duty and what is
the condition of the church. It is her duty, First; To
pray for the Evangelist, that the word may have free
course and be glorified; that the Lord of the harvest
t 1




-22                 LIFE OF
would send forth laborers; that the kingdoms of this
world may soon become the kingdoms of Christ. Second; To give her gold and silver, her sons and daughters to this cause. Third; To clear herself from guilt,
to be pure, that others may see her good works.
O may we not ask if this is the condition of the:Church! See Mammon enthroned in her temples; and
rather than lose her gains, she will even tolerate, yea
apologise for and sanction the horrid sins of Intemperance, Licentiousness and Slavery. We may well ask
how such churches can have the missionary spirit.
3. We may learn what should be the character of
those who engage in this work.
First.  They must be men of God. It is God's
work; and the men must be men of deep piety, holy
men, pure-minded, single-eyed men, full of the Holy
Ghost, if much people is to be added to the Lord.
Second; Men of discretion, prudence, knowledge; of
zeal, courage and patience.- Third; Above all, they
must have the spirit of faith and hope,-stagger not at
the promise of God through unbelief; though they see
him not, yet they must believe. And finally, he needs
a heart as large as the world of sinners, overflowing
with unquenchable love.
4. If the sentiment of this discourse be true, then
should the heart of the missionary of the cross be cheered: and:strengthened. When trembling with solicitude
about iengaging in this work, let him remember, it is
God's cause. Let this thought cheer him, when he
asks,-" Can I, can I say farewell."  When languor,
disease, and desponding come, when the hour of death




MAR TIN C HENEY.                 123
arrives, still should he remember, the cause is God's,it is well.
5. Finally, stiffer the word of exhortation. Let a
deep conviction that this cause is God's, fasten on your
minds, O ye professed Christians! Weigh the matter
well; and if conviction is produced, then act as though
it was God's cause; give it a large place in the warm
feelings of your heart.
Sinner, if this cause be God's, what is the value and
price of your soul. What goes our brother for? It is
to preach that gospel to others which you have despised
and rejected.  Seeing you judge yourselves unworthy
of eternal life, lo! he turns to the distant gentiles.
Dear brother, bind this truth to your heart.  When
I look at the toils, sufferings, sacrifices you go to encounter; when I survey the field of darkness and peril
within which you are to dwell, I feel that you will need
it. When the heart is faint and the-hope is wasting,
cling still to the promise of your Master, " LO  AM WITH
YOU ALWAYS.: 
The subject of Licentiousness attracted Mr. Cheney's
attention at an early period in the effort for its removal;
and, as usual, he was one of the first to identify himself with the enterprise, when the cry of imprudence
and indelicacy rang out from the public lips. The
cause was supported by truth, and its advocacy was
required by duty; and this was sufficient to settle his
own course. - The following is a sketch of an address




124                  LIFE OF
delivered before the Moral Reform Association of Providence.  It is but a mere outline; but it is an outline
such as he would be likely to fill up with earnest and
burning words.
ADDRESS ON MORAL REFORM.
I.  DEFINITION.
LADIES;  There is an evil in the land; an evil deep,
wide spread, fearful, in the land of bibles and of Christianity, among all ranks in society. It blasts, scorches,
withers, the fair and beautiful. Its name is Licentiousness; and its nature is terrible.
What is this sin?  Ans.  1. The unlawful, unscriptural intercourse of the sexes.  2. It is a violation of
the seventh commandment, as expounded by the Savior.  3. It is a practical abrogation of the marriage
institution.  4. It is giving one class of the propensities
the control over reason and judgment and God's law.
II.  OBJECT.
Now the object of this association is to free the land
from  licentiousness; to lift up the marriage institution to its high and honorable station in the minds of
of all people; to guard our domestic circle with purity
as with a wall of fire; to turn the currents of public
thought and feeling into a pure channel; to purify the
church, so that she may appear clear as the sun; to
purify the great fountains of thought and feeling, that
all that is filthy and offensive to a God of purity may
be done away; to open blind eyes and unstop deaf




M A RTIN CHENEY.                1
ears; to refuse the seducer as well as the seduced our
confidence until the wrong is repented of; to discountenance whatever leads legitimately to this evil.
III.  MEASURES.
1o  Show where the seat of this sin is.
2.  Its alarming prevalence.
3.  Its direful results.
4. The Press and Pulpit must be enlisted.
5.  The Seventh Commandment must find its place.
6. Females must be enlisted.
7.  Marriage Contracts must be formed in the light.
Who shall employ these means?
Ans.  All the wise and good.  But especially Parents-pre-eminently Mothers.  Females, also, by refusing to associate with the licentious.  Ministers have
a work to do also, by precept and example.
-" The pulpit, in the sober use
Of its legitimate peculiar powers,
Must stand acknowledged while the world shall stand,
The most important and effectual guard,
Support, and ornament of Virtue's cause."
IV.  OBJECTIONS.
1.  It is too delicate for public discussion,
This is urged earnestly, and so even ministers leave
it untouched.  But, 1st, God did not think so when,
from the blazing top of Sinai, he said, " Thou shalt not
commit adultery."  2d. So did not Christ when he
expounded this law in his sermon on the mount. 3d,
So did not the prophets when they made such frequent
and striking use of adultery as a figure; and so did not
*:1 




126                     LIFE OF
the apostles. 4th. If the objection be allowed, it seems
that there are some prominent portions of Scripture
which it is not profitable to preach!  5th. This objection seems to be an impeachment of divine wisdom in
giving prominence to this evil.  6th. How, then, are
men, and especially the youth, to be warned of her
whose steps take hold on hell?
V.  MOTIVES.
i. The magnitude of the evil. This is seen from
various considerations.
Ist. It discourages marriage.  This institution keeps
the moral world in being. Once gone, social virtue
would expire, education cease, government be destroyed, and religion there could not be.
2d. In a multitude of cases it supposes seduction.
Treachery, lying, perjury, are the preparatory steps.
3d. It brings untold wo, that treads out the holiest
feelings of the heart.  Look at this picture, from  Pollok, of female wretchedness in its desertion.
" Upon a hoary cliff that watched the sea,
Her babe was found-dead. On its little cheek,
The tear that nature bade it weep, had turned
An ice-drop, sparkling in the morning's beam;
And to the turf its helpless hands were frozen.
For she, the woeful mother, had gone mad,
And laid it down, regardless of its fate
And of her own. Yet she had many days
Of sorrow in the world, but never wept.
She lived on alms, and carried in her hand'Some withered stalks she gathered in the spring.
CWhen any asked the cause, she smiled and said
They were her sisters, and would come and watch




MARTIN CHENEY.                     127
Her grave when she was dead. She never spoke
Of her deceiver, father, mother, home,
Or child, or heaven, or hell, or God, but still
In lonely places walked, and ever gazed nupon
The withered stalks and talked to them;
Till, wasted to the shadow of her youth,
With woe too wide to see beyond, she died."
"' Can a mother forget her child, that she should not
have compassion on the fruit of her womb?"  Yes,
with woe like this she can and does.
4th. It hardens the heart, and speedily destroys all
moral principle. Look into the tenements of prostitution. Whoso enters there seldom returns. Around
these places, impiety, blasphemy, treachery, drunkenness, perjury and murder flourish. It fits speedily for
perdition.
5th. It ruins the peace and hope of families, and covers with shame innocent children.
2.  God has repeatedly expressed his abhorrence of
it. The view he takes of it may be learned from God's
voice heard at Sinai; from the flames that curled around
Sodom; from the plagues that brought thousands upon
thousands of Israelites to a terrible grave; fromn the
awful loathsome disease attending the profligate; from
the groans of the dying, decaying, conscience-smitten
criminal.
3. Love to our neighbor, to the church, and to our
country. Their safety requires our effort.
4. Our own interests, safety, and welfare. God has
linked our duty and interest together. O that we might
see it! We may deem ourselves safe, and so did those
who are now victims. The paths of temptation are




128              LIFE OF
every where open, and the work of destruction is carried on with strange boldness. Who, unless forced to
do so, would believe that sin is bartered in the market
that damnation is held up as a commodity for bargain
and sale; that the destruction of the human soul should
be publicly announced, authorised and guarantied as a
privilege; and that patents should be made out, signed
and sealed, for populating more rapidly and extensively
the world of woe. In such a life, let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall.




MARTIN CHENEY.                129
CHAPTER VIII.
REMEiMBER THEMI THAT ARE IN BONDS, AS BOUND WITH
THEM."
The position taken by Mr. Cheney on the subject of
Slavery, has already been noticed. Nor was it enough
for him to define and maintain a position. His warfare against it was by no means confined to defence.
When released by his local triumphs from immediate
attack, he was busy in carrying the war into the camp
of the enemy. The hold which that subject had taken
upon him was deep and strong; and in proportion as he
saw, or thought he saw, desertion and cowardice among
those who ought to be the defenders of Freedom, did
he multiply and intensify his own efforts. From the
time he entered the lists in the Olneyville pulpit, his
heart was always set on fire by the view of despotism;
and whenever he spoke on that subject his fervor
was almost sure to kindle, and his speech would go
forth in a series of condensed and fiery expressions.
His whole being seemed to become a battery, luminous
with the discharge of red hot epigrams. He could not
reason coolly over the abstract question of the moral
wrong of Slavery. To him, its wrongs were all real,
concrete things. While others were constructing a syllogism or critically examining a text in the Pentateuch,
he was gazing on the sale of souls from the auctionblock, and listening to the wail of African despairs




130                  LIFE OF
He never seemed to covet, in his dealing with American
Slavery, a calm, cool, prudent, passionless wisdom; he
rather strove to approach the offenders in the spirit of a
rebuking prophet. He swept down at once upon the
hosts of oppression, never condescending to a parley,
scorning all flags of truce, and scarcely regarding the
plea for clemency; and those who did not join in the
crusade he could hardly acquit of treachery.  The AntiSlavery conclusions to which other men arrived by
patient reasoning and hesitating steps, he seemed to
grasp by intuition; and wondered, sometimes with
manifest impatience, that while he saw every thing
clearly, others saw only men as trees walking. Whether
this was the best course, is not now the question; we
are not asking what was wisdom, but what was the
fact; not what he should have been and done, but what
he was and did.
The following outline of a speech delivered not long
subsequent to his avowal of abolition sentiments, at a
public convention in Providence, will illustrate what
has been above stated.  The exact date is unknown;
but the allusions, as well as other circumstances, place
it near the period referred to.
SPEEC H.
6 Resolved, That it is the duty of the American Church thoroughly
to examine American Slavery; and if found to be sinful, to use that
peculiar influence which God has given her, for its immediate and
entire removal."
MR. CHAIRMAN;-I think myself happy in being per.
mitted to speak for myself.  Yes, thank God, Slavery




MART IN C HENEY.               131
has failed to shut every meeting house and padlock
every lip. I am happy to speak on such a topic, toothe duty of the Church-and its duty too in relation to
such a subject; —a subject which is shaking the nation.
Incompetent as I am, I feel it to be a privilege to offer
my thoughts on this topic. The spirit of Slavery has
sought to injure my reputation, to drive me from my
pulpit, to -sow discord among my brethren, simply because I sought to expose some of its enormities in the
light of God's word. But it overreached itself and failed.
Moreover, the church among which I labor have come
to the conclusion that Slave-holding, and Slave-trading
are sins, and that Slave-holders and Slave-traders are
sinners, such sinners, too, that they will not admit them
to membership and fellowship; and they have dared to
publish these -conclusions in their official organ. For
this they have been condemned by one of the papers in
this city-a paper making pretentions to fairness and
neutrality. From such fairness and neutrality we may
well say, in the language of the Episcopal Liturgy,
" Good Lord, deliver us.:~
A few queries this political examiner of churches,
has put forth.
1. Why did not -Christ say Slavery wasa moral evil?
2. Why was he silent respecting the whole subject?
3. Why, among the Christians of Judea, Greece,
and Rome, were none dismissed for holding Slaves?
3. Why, among the specifications of immoral acts in
the New -Testament, is this nowhere to be found?
It is no part of my business now to reply -to these
questions; but the very fact that such inquiries are seri



1D3 0LIFE OF
ously made, shows the ignorance which prevails, and
the importance of having this subject discussed by the
church. In support of this resolution I wish to present
the following thoughts.
1. We must examine Slavery in order to know what
it is.
Some say it is a divine institution; others say it is
of the Devil. One part of the church affirms; the other
denies. There is the same division on this subject too
in the ranks of the ministry; one part fellowship and
another disfellowship the Slave-holder.
Now the manifest duty of the church in this case is,
to examine thoroughly in order to learn what and who
is right. Whether it be divine or otherwise, a political
or a moral question, can only be learned by examination.
2. It must be examined in order to learn what relation it sustains to the church.
It may or may not be so located as to be out of the
sphere of the church. The church may or may not
have a duty in regard to it; may or may not be affected by it; may or may not affect it. But how is this to
be known without examination? How can it be known
while the whole subject is tabooed?-forbidden to the
press, the pulpit, the conference and prayer meeting?
3. It must be examined in order to learn the measures necessary to its removal.
Be they Abolition or Colonization measures, they
must-be examined before we can judge of their adaptation or efficiency.
4. Discipline is a duty of the church. Now the question is, do we or do we not fellowship the unfruitful




MARTIN CHENEY.                 133
works of darkness? Slavery must be examined in its
character and relations before we can determine.
5. The precepts of Christ and his Apostles enjoin this duty.  " Search the Scriptures," " Prove all
things," "Come out from  among them  and be ye
separate."
6. The highest interests of the church demand this
examination.  1st, Her Peace. How long before the
church will learn that the peace of God is not to be obtained by smothering discussion! How many rents
must be made before she will learn wisdom! How
can she escape the dark suspicion that she loves darkness rather than light, so long as she shuts her doors in
the face of honest inquiry! 2d, Her Purity. How
can: she keep herself pure if she shuts her eyes to
the character and work of her members; if she refuse to
look at her own spirit and test its features by God's
word? Impossible! She: may become the home of
every pollution and yet know it not, if she refuse examination. 3d, Her Strength. This cannot remain
unimpaired; for truth and purity constitute her strength.
Necessity is laid upon the church. She must act; she
cannot avoid it, for Slavery is in her midst, and she
must either approve or disapprove. The simple question is, —will she act in the dark?
The church is charged with inconsistency in sending'
the gospel to the heathen, and neglecting the heathen
at home; in exercising and requiring examination on
other topics, and in neglecting and refusing it on this.
Do not our Baptist brethren say on the subjects and1
mode of baptism, —come let us reason together?- Do



134                LIFE oV
not our Unitarian and Universalist friends say, —Come1
let us examine? How is it then that Orthodox and'Heterodox here unite, and, strange to tell! unite to stop
discussion! Strange that, in this age of sifting, weighing, guaging, the age whose motto is "' onward," the
descendants of the Pilgrims should be found opposed to
free discussion. Why, it is asked, do churches and
ministers speak against the idolatries, caste, and pollu.
tions of heathenism —against the violations of the Sabbath-against duelling-against all national sins except
man-stealing and the man-traffic?
We must examine. Our character as a church is suffering among the churches abroad; and all the eloquence you may send abroad will not redeem her from
becoming a by-word, unless she set seriously about this
work. A part of God's people have been directed by
the Angel of Truth to look into the chambers of imagery possessed by this dark system, and they have started
back in amazement. In the language of an eloquent
female, "s The Angel of Truth has descended and rolled
away the stone from the door of this dark den, and, as
he sits upon it, directs the world's eye to explore it."
There it is; and the church must be amazingly guilty
which will not examine. They who have been to the
portal and examined have found no soundness in it,have found a system of highhanded robbery,-robbery
of body, soul, wife, children, wages,-all. They have
examined, not by torture; they have looked only upon
what was obvious; but they have found a system that
rivals the Inquisition in its cruelties. It reeks with
licentiousness; it revels in abominations.




MARTIN  CHENEY.                   135
Our resolution says — and if found to be sinful."
What an if is here! If it be sinful to do what?  ~Why
to buy and sell human beings as property!-to turn a
man into a thing!-to annul marriage!-to legalize
fornication and adultery! It is to separate parent and
child, husband and wife; to withhold from the laborer
his hire, and deny himn God's word; to violate the First
Commandment by obliging  the Slave to obey man
rather than God; to violate the Seventh, by selling
husband from  wife and giving them  another, and by
promoting promiscuous intercourse; to violate the
Tenth, by coveting the poor man's wife, and children,
and wages, and even himself; to violate the Eighth,
by stealing men and receiving and holding them when
stolen.  If this be not sin, then it is difficult to tell
what could be sin.
But why is the church bound to use her peculiar influence for its removal?
1. Because Slavery is what it is-Sin.  The Southern church admits this.* This is what Southern politicians are afraid will be proved to the conviction of the
Southern conscience.  Now if it be a sin, and a sin of
such magnitude, it is the real mission of the church to
labor for its removal. The church is appointed to be
the Stone, the Mountain, the Light.  Slavery tram,
-* This was generally true at the time this was delivered. It is
not till recently, that attempts have been made to justify Slavery on
moral and Scriptural grounds. It was generally conceded to be sinful until the practical and disagreeable duty of repentance was
insisted on. And then commenced a defence of what it was determined not to abandon.-G. T. D.




136                LIFE OF
ples on God's law, on God's word, on God's image, on
Jesus Christ in the persons of his members, and has the
church no duty?
2. Because Slavery is where it it is. It is in a Christian land; aye, in the church. Yes, the wolf in sheep's
clothing has leaped into the fold, claiming to have come
from heaven.  Now if Slavery be sinful, then the
church is bound to put it away, or come out from those
who will not do so. She is set by her great Head, to
reprove and rebuke, and- required to have no fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness.  She has armor,-she is bound to put it on; a sword, and she is
bound to wield it.
[The sketch closes here, though it appears unfinished.
The conclusion was, probably, on another sheet, which
has not been discovered.-G. T. D.]
At a date somewhat later, Mr. Cheney was invited
to deliver the Annual Address before the Providence
Female Anti-Slavery Society,-a body embracing, at
that time, a large measure of talent and moral worth.
As in most other cases, a sketch only remains of what
was a strong and impressive effort. The manner of his
speaking it would be impossible to convey; and the
luminous flashes of thought and the impetuous bursts
of feeling which gave a large measure of the force possessed by his efforts, he could never anticipate, and




MARTIN CHENEY.                 137
perhaps never took the pains to recall. These sketches
however, meagre as they are, do not a little to exhibit
the mental features of that life as it flowed on over the
channel of years. Save the personal recollections of
those who knew him, these are all that remain as mementoes of those past years, and they will be prized
somewhat, at least for their intrinsic value, and much
for their associations.
ADDRES S.
RESPECTED FRIENDS; By your invitation, I stand
here to address you, though deeply sensible of my inability to do justice either to my own wishes, your expectations, or the great cause of bleeding humanity which
has brought us together.: But I may-I ought to-expect your candid attention, for the sake of the cause I
am to plead.
This question of Slavery has become the Great
Question of the nation and the world. There has
been much to make it so. Little did I think, when I
7comnmenced the ministry of mercy, that I should ever
be forbidden to ask mercy for the suffering and the
dumb; that I should see the house of God shut by the
spirit of slavery; females mobbed by gentlemen; men
scourged and lynched for speaking the truth; pure
minded men outlawed; the press broken, or basely
bowing at the feet of despotism; the temples of liberty
in flames; God's ministers brutally murdered; man's
decree set above God's law; and, worse than all, these
312




138                 LIFE OF
vile abominatians winked at, tolerated, apologised for, —
by the Priest and Levite, while they march by in stately
dignity on the other side.
Let me advert for a moment to the objects of this
association. Why are the mothers, wives and daughters -of our land gathering together by thousands? Is
it to rebel against him who Ihas been styled the Lord
of creation; to dispute his title to supremacy? No.
Let not the rulers tremble. Is it to insist upon the right
to form marriage connections with the African race-to
amalgamate, as has been charged upon them? If they
did wish this, it would be hardly needful to make any
great expenditure of time or effort to secure it; for it is
now progressing at a fearful rate. Is it to discuss the
ever varying fashions-the next party or ball. Oh no
If this were all, their lordly traducers would hardly
deem them  out of their proper sphere. Nor is it to
present the banner of blood; not to greet the warrior
as he returns from the fields of carnage; nor yet to sing
and dance and be toasted. What then? Why, a wail
is on the breeze of the South-the wail of woman in
her agony. The sound of the lash, and the clanking
of the chain is heard; and that lash and that chain is on
the back and limbs of woman. The voice of the mother
is heard pleading for her child; and then comes the
voice of the virgin daughters pleading for their honor
and their virtue, but pleading in vain. The miseries
and woes of woman —these have roused the matrons
and maids, the mothers and daughters of the North.
But what is it proposed to do?
1. "To sympathize, pity and pray for the slave, and




MART IN CIE NEY.                 139
the so called colored free man, as he lies trodden down
and degraded.
2. To bear their united testimony against the sin of
slavery.  To exhort, reprove, and rebuke the upholders
of this iniquitous system.
3. To aid in turning public attention to this deadly
evil; to fix the agaze of the nation —the church-the
world upon it; to urge mothers to stamp hatred to opk
pression upon the tender heart of every child that nestles in her bosom; to encourage the hearts and strengthen
the hands of their -fathers, brothers, husbands,; and sons
in the great battle of freedom.  It is so to concentrate
the rays of light and of truth upon the foul den of
slavery, that,-scorched, blasted, withered; —it shall flee
to the pit whence it came:and be seen no -more.
Their object will not be gained:till no slave's: foot
shall tread the soil offreedom; till the sound of the lash
and the clank of the chain shall be heard no more; till
the pulpit, the press, and the hall of legislation shall be
unshackled and free; -till the key of knowledge shall
~be put into every hand; till liberty:shall be proclaimed
to all the inhabitants thereof; till the whole land shall
be what it -has been declared,
" The land of the Free and the home of the brave."
But what can woman do, —what measures can she
adopt:?
1.:She can pray —to man, to Congress, to God.
2. She can plead,-with relatives, Christians, opposers, with a persuasive eloquence almost irresistible.
3. She can circulate information. What can she do-?
Let what she has done tell.  She -has proved herself




j40               %LIFE OF
able to lay the naked -truth on the naked heart of the
church, the nation, the world. Who wrote the " APPEAL,"  that thrilled thousands? A woman.  Who
wielded the pen oin the cause of liberty so powerfully
that Napoleon felt his despotic throne in danger? A
woman. Who plead the cause of freedom before the
Massachusetts Legislature? A woman. Upon whose
lips have thousands hung with delight among the cities
and villages of New-England? A woman's. And even in
the pathway of blood, where man's heart has faltered,
she has stood up and stayed the hand of violence. The
very effort to drive her from the field, shows that she
wields a power whose results are feared. But I will
glance at a few OBJECTIONS.
1. Associations are dangerous.
Granted. And so is intellect, and will, and health,
and property, and society. This objection, however
seriously urged, and by however eminent men, seems
to me to impeach the wisdom of God, who has given
man a social constitution, and has associated his people
together to bless the world. Shall good men cease to
act in an associated form because pirates, &c. may do
the same? What is our Glorious Union, so called, but
an association.
2. But it is not the appropriate place and work for
woman.-First; Woman in extraordinary cases has
tilled the ground;-at the South not a few of them are
thus occupied still. Is this perfectly appropriate?
2d; They associate for many other purposes not less
publicly than for this, and no reproof meets them.
3d; It was customary for women to associate for good




MAR TIN CHENEY.                141
in the days of the Savior, and of the Apostles; aswhen
they ministered unto him, and when they brought spices to anoint him.
3. But the North has nothing to do with Slavery.
Ah, if the North had nothing to do with it, it would
have died long ago. It is the North that consented to
its being, and it is the North that has kept it in being,
and it is the strong arm of the North that keeps it in
being now. Look at the votes in Congress; read Jay's
view; observe the influence of the D. D.'s; behold
the Northern pulpits dumb on the subject, or eloquent
with apologies.
4. It is interfering with that with which we have
no concern.
Yes; just as we interfere with the heathen; with
the rumseller, with every other class of sinners.
5. It will lead to amalgamation.
How! 0 the hypocrisy of this charge! Are the thousands of mulattoes at the:South, the fruit of emancipation or slavery?
6. The slaves will cut the throats of their masters.
Will the objector please tell us how many throats
have been cut by emancipated slaves.
7. But the two races cannot live together.
Well, then let them  live apart; only take the yoke
off their necks and see.
8. But they cannot take care of themselves. —It is
quite too late for this objection to have force. Try
them and see. England claimed that the colonies
could not take care of themselves, and that she held
them as dependencies for their good.




142                LIFE OF
Well, then the object is grand, your measures peaceful and powerful, the objections groundless. Then
think of the MOTIVES which urge you on.
1. What has been done.
England has given freedom to theWest Indies. France
is preparing; Denmark is on her way; thousands of
noble spirits male and female are roused, pledged, and
sworn before high heaven to faithfulness in this cause.
2. What is doing now.
A plan for a world's convention is proposed. Abolitionists are multiplying in all circles, and gathering
strength even from their apparent defeat.
3. The solemn requisitions of duty.
Its plea is urged by the voice of millions perishing;
the voice of humanity; the voice of mercy; the voice
of Jesus; the voice of God.
4. The Church is in danger.-The leprosy is on her;
onward to the rescue!
5. The necessities of the country. Either the nation
or slavery must die. Let the blows of your patriotism
fall thick and fast.
6. The world's hope is bound up in this question.
Never while slavery lasts can the world's jubilee come.
Are you indifferent? Listen to the wail of agony till
your hearts are stirred. Are you contending for trifles?
Think of the woes and wrongs of the slave, until his
redemption shall command your power.




MARTIN ICIENEY.                143
Whoever else faltered in the dark days of the antislavery enterprise, Mr. Cheney stood firm. The friends
of the slave looked to him with confidence, and their
confidence was not misplaced. How much he did to
give reputation to the cause of freedom, and to bring
supporters over to it, cannot be known. His ministerial brethren of the same communion were encouraged
in their efforts to bring the churches into the attitude of
hostility to the whole system of slavery. He made it
prominent in all his associations with them. He aided
them in the solution of the problems presented by the
enemies of emancipation. He reasoned, whenever he
deemed argument necessary, and pleaded, where inactivity needed to be overcome. He was confident that
the abolitionists occupied the only tenable ground, and
this confidence made him ready for confliet every
where, and nurtured an enthusiasm which roused almost every spirit that came under his anti-slavery influence.
Among anti-abolitionists he was a marked man.
They knew his character and dreaded his power. They
seldom encountered him in open or private debate. His
character and the character of his efforts made it a hard
matter to sneer at him; in the use of satire and invective they knew him to be rather dangerously expert;
and he had proved his heart to be as impervious to flattery and bribes and threats, as the skin of a Rhinoceros to musket balls. Aristocrats checked their conversation and looked after him significantly as he passed
them in the streets; and demagogues and cowards
stepped aside with averted faces when they encounters




144                  L IFE O
ed his keen piercing eye. In one form or another,
would his hostility to slavery appear in a large proportion of his public efforts. He could show slavery either
as a cause, or effect, or companion of almost every other
evil; from the magazine of its terrible facts, he could
bring forth an illustration of almost every principle;
and, in the form of a conclusion, he could draw out a
weapon from almost every subject with which to wound
it afresh. Few knew him without knowing that slavery was an excrescence in his eye, and a stench in his
nostrils. And wherever there was an effort made to
discriminate between the man and his anti-slavery, to
do honor to the first and dishonor to the second, it
must either be so secret as to elude his vision, or recoil
on the head of the courteous critic. An incident, occurring in the Spring of 1840, will illustrate this. He
was invited to preach and baptize in a manufacturing
village a few miles from his residence, on a Sabbath,
and consented to do so. He baptized at noon, and was
on his way to the ample school house-(where the
Baptist meetings were usually held,) crowded with
people who had assembled to hear him preach. Before
reaching the place of worship a note was put into his
hands. He opened it and found it to be from the Agent,
— and a large owner —of the village, stating that he
was heartily welcome to the use of the Company9s
school house, but specially requesting him to say nothing on the subject of slavery. He read it; stopped,
hesitated a moment, and turned about, saying, as he
folded the epistle,-" I shall not go into that house
with any such restrictions."  He remarked that he did




MA R T IN C  E NEY.           145
know that he should have deemed it necessary to say
any thing on that subject; had made no arrangement
to do so; but that his lips were to be sealed on no such
subject by human dictation. He preached another
discourse that afternoon in a private dwelling, and he
did not forget either slavery or its Northern defenders.




146               LIFE OF
CHAPTER IX.
CHANGES INx SENTIMENT.-INVIOLABILITY OF LIFE.
From what has already been learned of Mr. Cheney's
history and character, it must appear no extraordinary
thing if his opinions on many subjects underwent more
or less striking changes. Serious, earnest thought he had
been very little accustomed to exercise until his serious
life began. He had been educated in the religious tenets of the Puritans;-that was the only system of theology which he had ever really studied.  He had,
to be sure, obtained a mere smattering of Universalist
philosophy, but this operated rather to quiet all thought
on religious topics than to induce study; and besides,
he was too busy in his round of dissipation to leave time
or inclination for sober reflection.
In his religious study he may be said to have begun
with extreme faith. That is, he accepted as unquestionably true the religious opinions held by the great
mass of the christians with whom he had been acquainted. Over the points of Calvinism he had many a weary
struggle when his mind came to be aroused, and he had
come to confide in his logical deductions. He found
himself unable to reconcile the doctrine of election, as
then held, with his notions of divine justice and impartiality. He looked in vain for harmony between the doctrine of total depravity, as then explained, and the obligations of men to love and serve God. He could not




M ARTIN CHENEY.               147
divine how man could retain any responsible freedom,
after God had foreordained whatsoever should come to
pass. The impossibility of falling from grace, found
no support in the testimony of his consciousness or in
his observations upon human character.  And above all,
the reading of his own English bible seemed to build
still higher the barriers between his faith and the generally accredited sentiments for whose sake he was carrying on his investigations. It was suggested to him
by hoary men, whose reputation for piety and wisdom
was high, that the rebellion of his heart against Calvinism  indicated its want of submission to God; that
when his soul was acquiescent in the sovereignty of
Jehovah it would glory most of all in his wise purposes
to save and destroy. Mr. Cheney was troubled.  He
had great confidence in his accusers; he supposed them
speaking from an experience which the gospel had begotten, and for the want of which he feared he was
guilty. But yet he could not believe. His nature
plead stoutly for freedom in all its moral life, and his
bible would impress him yet more and more with the
impartial goodness of God. For much that was done,
he felt that men were responsibly guilty; and his bible
revealed to him the protests of God against all the
works of transgression.  Wretched hours did he spend
on his knees before God, asking for grace to subdue
him if he was yet unsubdued,-pleading for the true
light if as yet it had not gladdened his eyes. Quietness came at last, though not precisely as he had looked
for it to approach. He happily remembered that inspiration had left this testimony; that the offerings of




148                 LIFE OF
human love to God are " accepted according to that a
man hath, and not according to that he hath not."  He
was conscious of a deep love of the truth, of a sincere
desire to know the truth, and of a settled purpose
to obey the truth so far as it was revealed to him.
Satisfied that God asked only what he rejoiced to yield,
he dismissed his fears and prosecuted his study.
The result was, he became firmly settled in the
belief of those sentiments known as Arminian.  He
rejected what is usually called Calvinism in all its phases,
and opposed it with all his force. To him it ever appeared as scripturally fatse, as philosophically absurd,
and as practically evil.  He fought it with texts, with
logic, with ridicule, with the charge of immoral consequences; and seldom  contemplated it in any other
aspect than that of a fearful barrier to the progress of
religious truth.  He traced its parentage to the FATE
of ancient Paganism, and found it latest born in the
philosophical ATHEISM of his own time.'He had never, so far as is known, sympathised with
the church where he first united in respect to Restricted
Communion; but his convictions in favor of the opposite practice gathered strength writh his thought.  In
reply to an inquiry from a brother respecting his method
of disposing of certain objections to Free Communion,
he wrote quite a lengthy epistle, which was subsequently published in the " Freewill Baptist Magazine"
in 1839, and then issued in pamphlet form for the sake
of a wider distribution.  The argument was close and
lucid, and was read with much satisfaction.  No reply
was ever presented to it.




MARTIN CIIENEY.               149
Mr. Cheney's views in respect to Civil Government,
and its authority and prerogatives, were, in the earlier
part of his ministry, those generally entertained about
him. The discourse on the Sixth Commandment, —a
sketch of which is presented in chapter sixth,-shows
plainly that he not only believed in the right of Government to take life for murder and defend itself by war,
but that he had reasons ready to be given for the faith
that was in him. In the sketches of an argument, in
favor of legislation for suppressing the Rum Traffic,
found among his papers, he is discovered insisting most
strenuously upon the obligation of Government to suppress that business by the forcible measures which it is
authorized to employ.  But these views he did not always retain. Sometime about the year 1840, he began
to waver in his support of Government as it was, and
as he had been doing it. He had become acquainted
with the friends of peace; had heard their reasonings,
had read their declaration of principles, and become
deeply aroused by the miseries of war. With a noble
candor he set himself to examine the subject; more
anxious to secure the truth than to preserve a reputation
for consistency. He applied himself to this work of
examination faithfully, and soon reached certain conclusions. The war-spirit was opposed to the spirit of
Christ; no war could be carried on without the wvarspirit; all wars then were wrong —offensive and defensive, domestic and foreign. All preparations for war
were wrong; and so armies and navies were outlawed
by Christianity. All endorsements of the war-spirit and
war-principle were wrong; to support Governments
3 S




150                 LIFE OF
based on the war-principle was, therefore, wrong.  For
the same reasons that Government was forbidden to
wage a war against the lives of the many, it was forbidden to destroy the few; and, for the same reasons it
might not take the life of the individual. Human life
was inviolable, and the love and mercy inculcated in
the sermon on the mount, and exhibited in the life and
death of Christ, were alone to be employed with the
sanction of the gospel, to discipline offenders, and guard
the interests of men.  Whether this was the precise
reasoning which led him on is doubtful; but in some
such order as this did he advance from one conclusion
to another, till he occupied the ultra peace position; a
position which he defended with skill and ability, for
more than ten of the last years of his life.
These views were adopted after careful deliberation
and at some sacrifice.  Mr. Cheney says, " They
brought me into collision not only with my former
self-of whom I entertained a very good opinion-but
also with my best, my dearest friends, who had stood
by me in the darkest hours of former trials.":But truth
was to him more sacred than friendship-duty was to
be consulted before consistency.  What the views were,
in detail, and what the reasons assigned for them were,
will be more fully exhibited hereafter.
This change of sentiment wrought out some practical results. Soon afterward occurred that civil contest
in R. I., between the Government and a large portion
~of the people of the State who had sought to supplant
the existing Government by another, on the basis of a.new Constitution guaranteeing the right of suffrage to




MARTIN CHENEY.                 151
the masses of the citizens. The feeling ran high. The
Auto-biography thus speaks; " It set father against son,
and son against father; mother-in-law  against her
daughter-in-law, and a man's foes were those of his
own household. I was misunderstood and misrepresented.  When I counselled the Suffrage party to
peaceful measures, I was accused of being unfriendly
to their rights; and when I told the Government party,
who had set themselves in battle array against their
brethren, that their weapons were carnal and their measures anti-christian, then I was called a dangerous man
-a no-government man. There were advocates of
both parties in the church and congregation. I was
opposed to both parties, so far as their use of force
was concerned. I could not countenance the forcegatherings on Federal Hill, nor at Chepachet; nor
could I approve the processions and force-movements
of the Government.  I regarded both anti-christian, and
so I frankly and openly declared. Both parties sought
to array all possible power under their banners. My
influence was sought, humble as it was; but I could not
give it to the measures of either party; the object aimed
at by the suffrage party I regarded right, as did probably a large majority of the people. And I conceived that
the Government paity was mainly responsible for the
fearful condition into which the State was thrown; for
at almost any time during the contest, they could have
allayed all the difficulty by an extension of the right
of suffrage, and without the compromise of any principle. I uttered these thoughts, and they who had
been friends were friends no longer. I was represent



152                LIFE OF
ed as a dangerous man; and I was informed by a friend
that my name was on the list of those marked to be
sent to prison. Many supposed me actually incarcerated. I am sure I am ignorant of the reason why I
should or should not go to prison. But I felt but very
little fear or uneasiness about the matter. I have since
wondered why I felt so calm. But so, thank God, it was."
That was a fearful time in many respects. The
State was declared under martial law. Nearly every
bridge was guarded; men were arrested on slight pretences, and peaceable citizens were in danger of meeting
violence. Both parties seemed bent on triumph, and
appeared ready to fight for success; but the contest
ended without much loss of blood. Yet Mr. Cheney was
left unmolested. He had occasion to go out of the State
to attend public meetings, and, without solicitation, was
furnished by the Governor with a pass to go where
and when he pleased. But he had no use for it. He
was so well known that his face was his passport, and
his character his recommendation. Many of the meetings in the State were for a time given up, and Brown
University sent home its students. But the Church at
Olneyville held on its way-though having in it strong
advocates of both party-positions-never lowering a jot
its pulpit testimony. Thus passed the memorable spring
and summer of 1842.
After quiet had been restored, a day of Thanksgiving
was appointed by the authorities.  Of this Mr. Cheney
thus speaks:-" I preached in the morning of that day
in the Olneyville meeting-house.  There were but few
present, and those mostly of the Government party.




MARTINCHEINEY.                153
The other party had no thanks to offer for what seemed
to them a forcible trampling upon their rights. The
Governor of the State was present. My text was;
The wrath of man shall praise him, and the remainder
thereof he will restrain.' I endeavored to show how
the wrath of man had been exhibited on both sides;
how God had made and would make such wrath to
praise him; —that is show forth his glory, wisdom,
power, and love, and how he would restrain such wrath.
It was indeed a trial to me to condemn most decidedly
the course of the Government party, while the Governor and other friends of that party, were present, and
especially as they were my personal friends; but my
convictions of truth and duty required me to do it. The
Governor omitted attending meeting after this discourse; and, with a friend, I called upon him to learn
the cause. He said he did feel unpleasant when I so
pointedly condemned the Government of which he was
the executive; but when I told him that I intended
no personal reflections on himself he seemed much
pleased, and afterward continued his attendance on that
meeting so long as he resided in the place."
In the afternoon of the same day, Mr. Cheney at,
tended a Peace meeting in the Fountain Street Church,
Providence. Mr. Adin Ballou was expected to be present and speak, but from some cause failed to arrive, and
Mr. Cheney was called on to address the meeting, which
he did. Mr. Amos C. Barstow-at the present time,
(1852) the Mayor of Providence-was present and took
notes. He afterward had a public meeting announced
at the same place, for the purpose of replying to Mr. C.,




154t;gLIFE OF
and sent word to that effect in a note addressed to his
opponent, and politely inviting him  to attend.  Mr.
Cheney now took notes, and announced, at the close of
the meeting, that he should reply to Mr. Barstow on thesame evening of the following week. Thus went on
the discussion for several weeks before crowded audiences. At the last meeting Mr. B. was not present, and
so the discussion closed as informally as it had begun.
All agree in representing the discussion as courteous,
able, close, comprehensive, and earnest. It went over
the whole field of argument covered by the questions
of Peace, and the rightful authority of Civil Government.
It is somewhat difficult to present, within any reasonable compass, Mr. Cheney's views on this subjeet,
and the reasons urged in their defence. He said and
wrote much, and the papers left are in a state of confusion. His strongest reasonings on some one point will,
perhaps, be found in the heart of a sermon, or sketched
out as an intended reply to some specious objection.
The substance, however, of what he wrote and said
is probably very well exhibited in the following condensed propositions and reasonings. They lack very
much the spirit and force with which he was wont to
speak on the subject, and something of the force belonging to passages on the same subject scattered over
his writings. But, as a whole, they seem tobe the best
compendium to which access can be secured.




MARTIN CHENEY.                 155
HUMAN AUTHORITY OVER LIFE.
Can one person rightfully take the life of another,
under the Christian Law?
I reply in the negative, and urge the following reasons.
1. Because the Sixth Commandment in the decalogue is still in force, viz. " Thou shalt not kill."
I do not argue that it is unrepealable or unchangeable, but that its authority is recognised by the Savior.
2. The ceremonial and judicial laws of the Jews,
which gave the right to take life, have been repealed
by the Savior. See Exodus, xxi. 23; and Matt. v.
38, 39. And moreover those laws were never in force
among other nations. The mere absence, therefore, of
divine legislation under the new dispensation really abrogates.
3. There is no precept under the Patriarchal dispen.
sation sanctioned by the gospel, which authorizes lifetaking. The passage in Gen. 9: 6, "Whoso sheddeth
man's blood," &c., wears the aspect of a prediction,
and has been so regarded by many able commentators,
who have nevertheless upheld capital punishment. It
seems of the same nature as the prediction of Christ,
"c They that take the sword shall perish by the sword."
A statute of that kind should be explicit. Christ repealed the Jewish law which required life for life, and
is it probable that he would lend his sanction to another
of the same character? And are we to infer that he
does thus lend his sanction, in the absence of any intimation to that effect? And if it was a law of divine




156                 LIFE OF
justice, of perpetual obligation, that the life of the murderer should be taken, why did he so faithfully guard
the life of Cain-setting a mark upon him, lest any
finding him, should slay him?
4. The instinctive love of life and the strong desire
to preserve it, give no authority to take life; for our
instincts are not to control but to be controlled by the
christian law.
This law of instinct or necessity, which is urged so
frequently, deserves exarnination.  We ask,
Ist. Where shall we find this law?  Is it in the
Decalogue, or in the Sermon on the mount? It may
be said that it is found in man's nature.  Is this so?
Is there a law impelling him to take life? May he not,
can he not avoid it? Is he not taught to give up his
own rather?
2d. Who is the author of this law? -above all laws
as it would seem to be. " There is one Lawgiver;"
where among all his statutes is this all-controlling
enactment? I hear his mighty tread on Sinai; let us
examine his Ten Words.  Is it there? Let us listen to
Him in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead;
the expounder of that law written in the heart.
3d. Who is to be judge when this law obtains? a
law that abrogates all other laws.  This is a fearful
question. Has the great Lawgiver told us when all his
laws are null and void, and when might makes right?
Or is it left to man's weak judgment; or to man's
fears, or to man's propensities?
In truth the gospel knows no such law; it is derogatory to the great Lawgiver to imagine it. True, we




MARTIN CIHENEY.                 157
have instincts and propensities given to aid in preserving life. But how they shall operate, the gospel alone
prescribes.  The pirate, duellist, thief, robber, assassin,
all plead this law; and if men are themselves to be
judges, who shall dispute their claim?
But is there no such law?  No!.When necessity
rules there is no accountability, and of course no law.
When man's moral nature is controlled by his physical
nature absolutely, then what is he? Why, simply an
animal.
5. Man's organization shows that God did not
originally design him  to kill.  He has no teeth, no
claws, adapted to such a purpose. And as to his inb
ventive powers, who will dare assert that they were
given for any such end? And when he was to use his
powers for such an unnatural purpose, God prescribed
the mode by a special message.
6. Man has no discretionary power given him over
human life.  This discretionary power over life, if it
exist, is restricted to beast, bird and fish, &c. God has
not given to man dominion over his fellow.
7. The teachings of Jesus forbid it. See his expo —
sition of the Sixth Commandment, Matt. v.: 21, 22;:
of the Judicial Law, Matt. v.: 38, 39; his rebuke of'
James and John, Luke ix.: 55; his rebuke of Peter,
Matt. xxvi.: 52; his explanation of his quietness to
Pilate, John xviii.: 36. Hear him say, " Love your
enemies;": Pray for them that despitefillly use you
and persecute you;" "cWhatsoever ye would that
others should do unto you, do ye even so to them,;'
"c Forgive men their trespasses." The spirit and pracetice here taught seem, to me to forbid life-taking..
14




158                 LIFE OF
S. The example of Jesus. See him reviled, persecna
ted, apprehended, smitten, buffeted, mocked, put to
death. What did he say? what did he do? Now hear
him  say, " Learn of me;" " Follow  me;'  " It is
enough for the disciple that he be as his Master." And
a voice from  the lips of the Eternal cries,-" This is
my beloved Son; hear ye him."
9. The design of Christ's mission into the world.
Luke ix.: 55, 56.  " The son of man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them."
10. Apostolic precept and example. Rom. xii.: 19,
20; " Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves," &c.
1 Pet. ii.: 20, 24. So says Paul; "a Love wvorketh no
ill," &c. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal," &c.
11. The historical fact that the early Christians refused to fight; and gave only the simple reason that
they wvere Christians. This charge is brought against
them by Celsus, and admitted by Origen.-See Peace
Manual.
12. Life-taking in self-defence leads inevitably to
war, civil and national, with all its horrors. And war
in its origin, spirit, and measures, is anti-christian, is of
the devil, and its awful results show it. Says Robert
Hall,-" War is a temporary repeal of all the principles
of morality." It leads to a violation of most, if not all
the commandments of the Decalogue. See its destruction of life, estimated by Dr. Dick at fourteen thousand
millions. See the famine and pestilence which follow
in its train; its cruelty; its licentiousness; it sets brother
against brother with a sort of conscientiousness, and




MARTIN CHENEY,                 159
sends hundreds of thousands of souls to destruction. It
is the place where all Christian virtue is put under ban.
Bonaparte boasted that he could convert his whole army
to Mohammedanism by a single order of the day. He
also said; ", The worse the man the better the soldier;
and if they were not corrupt they must be made so."
Wellington said:-" No man who has any conscientious
scruples about religion, has any business in the army."'
13. It stands in the way of the work of missions. It
opposes the spread of the gospel. See China, India, the
Seminole Indians. The emperor of China once said;'"Wherever Christians go they whiten the soil with
human bones.'"  The Turk at Jerusalem said to Wolfe,
the converted Jew,-" Why do you come to us?" The
reply was,-" To bring you peace." "  Peace!" retorted the Mussulman, —" upon the very spot where your
Lord poured out his blood, Mohammedans are obliged
to interfere to prevent Christians from shedding each
other's blood "
14. It exposes Christianity to the scorn of infidels.
An infidel paper thus comments on a suggestion touching the spiritual improvement of the army;-"T-This
means, we suppose, that if the army and navy become
pious, a sort of holy sanctification will be thrown around
the business of killing, which will secure the eternal
salvation of those engaged in it."
15. We cannot tell when and whom to kill. It must
be all guess work unless God tell us, —and that he lhas
not done.
16. There is no moment in which we-may cease to
love our neighbor, so as not to regard his highest good.
Can we kill him for the sake of his highest good?




160                 LIFE OF
17. It is doing evil that good may come; not a transient, physical, temporal evil merely; but a fatal, final,
eternal evil. Now will property, family, government,
liberty, or even life, or the whole world, compensate
for the loss of a soul? Can the whole creation utter a
groan too deep or shriek too piercing over such a loss?
This principle erected the Inquisition, instituted the
order of the Jesuits, banished the Baptists, hung the
Quakers;-it is the devil's masterpiece!
18. It shows a want of confidence in God. See Raymond's travels among the smugglers of the Pyrenees;
William Penn; the Qualkers in Scotland; Adam Clarke
when beset by a mob.  They confided, and so found
de] iverance.
19. The Christian advocates of life-taking shudder
at their own progeny. Now if fighting be needful, you
should prepare.  But you shrink,-and the more holy
the more you shrink. Satan can go to work with
courage, and in such a contest he will be the victor.
20. Objections brought against this view can be answered, or are not strong enough to set aside the previous reasons. Some of the principal objections will
be noticed.
1st. It denies the right of self-defence, and this is
sacred.  Property, liberty, life we may,-ought to-defend.-But Christ says, give up cloak, coat, life.
2d. The precept given to Noah.-This has been noticed.
3d. The Mosaic code.-This has also been noticed.
4th. We are to obey magistrates-to be subject to
the higher powers-to submit to every ordinance of




MARTIN CHENEY.                 161
man for the Lord's sake, &c.-But what is the extent
of the obedience and submission here demanded? Ans.
We are to submit and obey when the requirements do
not conflict with God's word. When they do conflict,
Peter and John have settled the question by saying,' We ought to obey God rather than man." The
question then resolves itself into this, Does the Christian
law authorise Government to take life, or does it authorise a Christian to take life when the Government
commands him to do so? Now to attempt to answer
this by saying that the Christian law requires obedience and submission, is to give no answer at all; for
the question is, What is the extent of the obedience due?
Now we ask for a "Thus saith the Lord," telling us
that obedience is due even to the taking of lifer
Where does Government get its just powers.  Our
declaration of principles affirms that they originate in
the consent of the governed; and that man has certain
inalienable rights, among which is life. Then it follows-First; That no man has a right to take his own
life. Second; That he cannot confer the right to take
it upon another. Third; Then the people cannot impart any such right to Government. Unless it can be
proved that one man has the right to take the life of
another, then no numbers have that right; or, else God
has given to a number of men called the Government
that right. And if so, has he given to all governmentsor to certain ones that right'? and if only to certain ones,
where and what are those privileged ones? Blackstone
says; " The State has exactly the same power, and no
more, over all its members, that each individual had
naturally over himself and others."
14*




162                  LIFEOF
5th. It is said that we can take life in love.-Well,
admit this to be true, would it not be a dreadful necessity? Lord Hill, when told of the success of the English arms in the East, exclaimed, almost with his last
breath, "Horrible!"  And will not every Christian,
before he imbrues his hands in his brother's blood, wish
as plain a command to kill, as he finds in the Decalogne
against it? What Christian, filled with God's love,
would not rather lose his life than to save it at the expense of staining his hands with the blood of his brother.
6th. God is unchangeable.  He has taken life, therefore we may. He has once authorised it, therefore it
is right now.-God has commanded to kill. He gave
life, and so has a right to take it away; and a right to
take it by what means he pleases-earthquakes, fire,
pestilence or sword. He often uses the wicked as his
rod or sword, and accomplishes his purposes by them
though they think and mean it not. So with Sennecharib and Cyrus; so Abraham armed his servants and
punished the plundering kings.
Now it will be admitted by all that to take life is very
difficult to be reconciled with loving our neighbor as ourselves; and still more with the commandment,-" Love
your enemies," -" Overcome evil with good."  Now
may not all God's approbation of life-taking by human.beings be simply the approval of toleration or pernmission, as was the case with Polygamy, Divorce and Servitude?'" He suffered all nations to walk in theirown
ways." "' The times of this ignorance God winked at."
7th. Consequences are held up. Anarchy, Piracy,




MARTIN CHENEY,                 163
Robbery, the Destruction of Religion are predicted.Ans. 1st; Recollect we are not discussing the question,
whether a wicked world would be better or worse without a life-taking Government; but whether Christians
are authorised to have or sustain such a Government,
and especially in the hands of the wicked.-Ans. 2d;
How did Christ and his apostles get along without the
aid of such a Government; aye, even against the Government, for it was often their fiercest persecutor. —
Ans. 3d; Many of these consequences are imaginary.
See the Friends in the Irish Rebellion. Look at all the
records of Christian faith and submission.
But what have been the consequences of the union
between Christians and life-taking Governments? Look
at the Mother of Harlots,-what is that on which she
rides? A bloody Government! Rev. xvii. 1-6.  Who
has waited to do her bidding, and kindled her fires of
persecution? Who drives Indians from their council
fires? Who tramples on three millions of human beings?
It is Government; and by virtue of the support which
God's people have lent, it baptizes itself with the name
of Christian.
Sth. Much stress is laid on the alleged fact that the
centurion, who was commended for his faith, was not
condemned for his business; and that John Baptist
did not condemn the soldiers who came to him.There is no proof that they did not. The record is
simply.silent; and so it is silent on many other thingsIdolatry, Slavery, Games. Shall we infer that they were
approved?
9th. Christ paid taxes.-Certainly; and in perfect




164                LIFE OF
accordance with his teachings; " Resist not evil," —
" Be subject," &c.
10th. He directed his disciples to buy swords.Certainly; but for what purpose? Not to fight, for he
forbade such a use. But evidently to fulfil the Scriptures, and to rebuke Peter.
11th. Paul appealed to Cesar, and was escorted by
an armed force, and said " if he had done any thing
worthy of death;" implying that there were things
worthy of death. —Paul evidently meant worthy according to the law by which he was being tried, without at
all adverting to the question whether the law was good
or evil.
12th. Tile principle forbids the correction of children,
and the restraining of any being from the commission
of a crime by force.-Not at all. Children, before they
become moral agents, should, must be dealt with by
physical means. So with maniacs. So a murderer
may be restrained by physical force, if done for his
good; perhaps his life might be taken if it could be
proved that it was for his good. But our knowledge is
not the measure of our action here. Our brother's life
must be held sacred till God authorises us to take it.
13th. But suppose a villain was about to take the
life of your wife. —Well, if it would be my duty or privilege to kill him, should I not have the same duty and
privilege in respect to her if she were about to kill
somebody else? No! no! There is no safe guide here
but the Cnristian law. Following that, we shall be led
in the paths of righteousness and safety.




MARTIN CHENEY.
These views Mr. Cheney made particularly prominent during the latter part of his life. Their importance seemed to be ever present to his eye. In their
prevalence he seemed to see the prophecy of the world's
social, civil, and moral regeneration. He inculcated
them frequently from the pulpit, urged them upon the
young, and refused to take any position or endorse any
practice which seemed to sacrifice them. He would
courteously refuse any civil distinction which friendship or confidence or respect sought to lay upon him.
lHe would not support any measures to accomplish a
most praiseworthy object, if, in doing so, his testimony
against life-taking was to lose any of its strength. He
mourned over the miseries of Intemperance, and toiled
as did few men for their removal; but he gave his unqualified approbation to no legal measure to remove
them, however little prospect there was that life-taking
was actually to follow. He longed to see the governmental agencies of the country dedicated to the cause
of freedom, and rejoiced when the strong men of the
land lifted up their voices in the hall of legislation in
the cause of the oppressed; but he would not seek even
the slave's disenthrallment through the political action
which he regarded as an endorsment of the authority
over life, which the Government had assumed to exercise as its fundamental right. His convictions restricted him to the use of moral power in his dealing with
men; and did something to give him his large efficiency
in that great department of action. He charitably allowed others to lean on the civil law, but his support
was the truth and authority of God.




166                 LIFE OF
CHAPTER X.
THE FREEDOM OF THE TRUTH.
Mr. Cheney had seen so much of oppression in life,
and been so much saddened at its fruits, that he became
jealous of every institution and every influence which
seemed tending to fetter either body or soul. He
claimed freedom for himself, and for others. He quarrelled with all sorts of despotism as with a deadly foe.
The tyranny of custom, talent, influence, and public
sentiment,-all alike he opposed with his earnest remonstrances, and his own fearless and defiant rebellion.
Freedom in thought and in its expression, he demanded
for himself and sought earnestly for others. He desired
to see the largest possible equality, consistent with obligation, prevail in every department of life. Voluntary
organizations for moral ends he felt to be necessary;
and yet he ever seemed to fear in them a tendency to
the accumulation of power in a few hands. He did not
suppose that the masses always acted wisely, perhaps
sometimes less wisely than would the few, but he did
not therefore feel inclined to justify the absorption of all
authority by a handful of men. In freedom he knew
there was peril, but he knew also that there was death
beneath the reign of despotism; and so he chose liferunning a fearful gauntlet, —developing its energy as it
struggled on —rather than the torpidity which came
over the soul from the touch of its chains,




MARTIN CHENEY.                167
Religious freedom, especially, did he set himself to
guard. He would have no Bastile dungeons for heresy,
no gags to stop the mouth of honest inquiry, however
irreverent might seem its questions. He believed that
theoretical error might take up its abode with high sincerity; and that harsh condemning words uttered over
such souls, were neither wise nor just. He loved, in
himself, activity of intellect in matters of religious faith.
He did not believe that wisdom had died with any college of cardinals or assembly of divines, who had ever
undertaken to fashion a creed for the world. With
John Robinson, he held that higher light was yet to
break forth from the divine word, under the study of
years and the developments of Providence. He insisted
that no one should swallow unquestioningly the theology of any man's preparation, whether administered in
Botanic or Homeopathic doses. He would have all
men feel that they were responsible for the principles
adopted and the applications given to them. The religious sentiments adopted, and the modes of worship
chosen, he insisted should be left to every individual,
acting under the guidance of his own understanding and
the eye of God.
As a result, he was most strongly attached to the Independent form of Church Government. He disliked
Episcopacy, and could not sympathise with Presbyterianisnm. He did not doubt but these last forms of Government would serve to consolidate, systematize, and
save the churches from excesses. But he liked no consolidation which was brought about by external pressure;
a system which swallowed the individual, which lessen



168                 LIFE OF
ed his strength and restrained his christian freedom, he
could not'approbate; and he would suffer an occasional
excess sooner than assume tyrannical powers to check it.
He believed an individual church the highest-indeed
the only-ecclesiastical tribunal recognised in the New
Testament; and the only one with whose existence the
safety and welfare of the church consisted. Voluntary
association by the churches, for counsel, encotragement,
edification, and moral strength, he heartily approved; but
even these he watched, not without jealousy, lest the
association should gradually exercise and the churches
gradually concede a kind of authoritative supervision.
When he carried a request from the church at Olneyyuille to be admitted into the Quarterly Meeting, before
presenting that request, he obtained an assurance that
the church would be permitted to withdraw from that
body, whenever the church should deem it best to do
so. In matters of discipline, he regarded the action of
the church as final on earth. He protested against the
idea that any other body had rightful power to annul its
decisions, or that any aggrieved member or members had
the right to appeal for adjudication to any other human
ecclesiastical body. He did not claim that the church
would always act wisely or right; but that God had
vested disciplinary power in no other body.   He
regarded this principle a vital one.  Between this
Independence and the Romish Hierarchy, he saw no
stopping-place, save such as was indicated by a local and
doubtful expediency.
This independence he saw, with sorrow, was gradually being sacrificed by the Freewill Baptist denomina



MARtIN CHENEY.                 169
tion. In the year 1844, the Boston Quarterly Meeting
and the Boston church were involved in some unpleasant difficulties.  The Quarterly Meeting regarded the
church as unfaithful to its obligations; and the church
regarded the Quarterly Meeting as unjust in its requirements and oppressive in its policy, An appeal was carried to the Yearly Meeting, and a Committee chosen by
that body to meet a Committee of the Quarterly Meeting and the church.  Of this Committee Mr. Cheney
was chairman —a post generally assigned him in such
cases. A meeting was appointed at Boston, where a
hearing of the case on both sides, more or less full, was
had.  The Report of the Yearly Meeting Committee,
besides a statement of the facts, contained a series of
Resolutions; the first of which asserted the right of a
church in good standing in a Quarterly Meeting, to
withdraw from  such Quarterly Meeting whenever it
might deem it proper. Against this sentiment the Committee of the Boston Quarterly Meeting earnestly protested in a lengthy and elaborate reply, which was
published in the Morning Star, the principal periodical'
of the Denomination. The door of discussion was
now fairly open; the gauntlet had been flung down and
boldly and fairly taken up. On both sides appeared ability, earnestness, sincerity, and inflexibility. The con —
troversy went on through the press, conducted on the
one side, to a great extent, by Mr. Cheney. It was carried to the next session of the Yearly Meeting held at'
Waterford, Mlass., Sept., 1845; where the champions
measured their swords and tested their forces. It was.
an occasion adapted to call out Mr. Cheney's strength,
15




170                 LIFE OF
earnestless, fire and skill.  The Yearly Meeting sustained the Committee by a small majority.  An appeal
was then taken to the General Conference, held at Sutton, Vt., in Oct., 1847. Here the subject was discussed
strongly and earnestly, and after two or three votes,
now supporting the principle and now disapproving it,
the whole subject was referred to the next Conference,
which was held in Providence and Olneyville, in October, 1850, the scene of Mr. Cheney's labors in the gosh
pel.  To that Conference and its action on that question he looked forward with almost a nervous anxiety.
His interest in the matter had rather gathered than lost
strength, and what disposition would be made of it he
could not predict. As the time of assembling approached, he spoke of it often; and though his words were
calm, it was easy to see that his soul could not be wholly
quiet. He had, in past years, not felt all the sympathy
with the Denomination that was desirable.  He had
feared that its spirit was growing conservative, and its
policy was leaning towards ecclesiastical despotism.
But time had drawn him to it again.  The separation of himself from it, which he had previously deemed
a probable event, was now a thing not seriously thought
of. He desired that this mooted topic might be so disposed of as to promote charity and sympathy; but he
felt that he could not sacrifice a jot or tittle of his principles, even for the sake of peace. With deep and
earnest feeling would he speak of it to his brethren in
the ministry, and meekly ask advice.
The Conference assembled. In talent, and the spirit
of consecration which seemed to pervade it, it gratified




MARTIN CHENEY.               171
and surprised even the most hopeful. Mr. Cheney was
chosen Moderator. After the disposition of preliminary
matters, and attending to some of the less important
items of its business, the question of Church Independence came up. Mr. Cheney was out at the time; having been called away to render some pastoral service.
No sooner had he entered the Conference and learned the
topic of discussion, than his eye might have been seen
flashing, and every tone of his voice indicated the activity of an anxiety which he was struggling to hide. He
gazed upon every new speaker, whose position on the
subject he did not know, as though he would penetrate
his spirit and read the fact which he hardly had patience
to wait for the lip to utter. He listened an hour, and
then calling one of his assistants to the chair, announced
his wish to say a few words. But he was too deeply
anxious, to command his power as he desired, or as was
necessary to do justice to himself. His feelings, long
kept under restraint, once finding an outlet, rushed up
impetuously through his lips, like jets from a volcanic
crater. His speech was largely made up of a succession of abrupt questions, announcements, and retorts,
intensified by his vehement manner and his piercing
glances. The very interest he felt to commend that
subject strongly to the understanding and heart of the
Denomination as represented there, was so deep as
to defeat his object. Of this no one was more conscious than himself, and he hardly knew afterward
whether to laugh at or regret it. It is only needful to
add, that the Conference decided that question, so far
as it had authority to decide it, in favor of the Indepen



172                 LIFE OF
dent principle, and in a spirit of conciliation and Christian fraternity.
While this subject was pending, Mr. Cheney was colnstantly interesting himself in the work of impressing
his convictions upon others. To a young man about
to leave the scene of his studies, he wrote;- "I am
happy that young men who are so soon to take the posts
of responsibility in the state and the church, have so
ample an opportunity to fit themselves for their work.
I am only anxious that, while'they avail themselves of
the labors and aids of others, they may still learn to depend upon themselves. I want the young brethren
when they come out from  -  to be free, free as the
wind."....  "I want you to examine seriously this
question of Church Independence, and be prepared to
take and defend a position upon it.  Study it well.  It
is one of the great questions of the age." And at home
in private conversation, in ministers' meetings, in Conferences, and in his own pulpit, he gave ample proof that
his heart was set on what was, to him, a great and important object.
There was a time when he was deeply occupied with
the question; What tests of church membership is it
proper to introduce? The guilt of the churches arising
from their fellowship of slaveholding, he felt to be very
great, and desired to free himself and the church at
Olneyville from all participation in the offence.  To
him, slaveholders seemed almost the chief of sinners, and an apologist for slaveholding seemed to him
a willing partaker of the guilt. Was it proper for the
church to welcome sin? If not, was it proper for her




MARTIN CHIENEY.                 173
to welcome obvious palpable sinners? If not, was it
proper for her to welcome those who joined hand in
hand with the sinner, and endorsed his character as
every way worthy of a seat in the circle of Christian
confidence? Accustomed to trace out a principle to its
logical consequences, he found it difficult to reach a
stopping place in this multiplication of tests; and at last
rested on the principle that Christian character was all
that should be required as a condition of church menm
bership.  This discussion was being carried on in connexion with that of the Independence of the churches;
and was earlier disposed of. His conclusion still left a
difficult question unsettled, viz. What is essential to
Christian character? But he left that question to be an-swered by others; deeming it practical and simple. A
difference of opinion on almost any point of doctrine,
usually regarded as fundamental, constituted, in itself,
no serious barrier to his Christian sympathy.- "To live
and let live," the maxim of social charity, he appended,
"' Think and let think," which he regarded the maxim
of Christian charity.  He had passed through marked
changes of sentiment himself, and been highly honest
and earnestly sincere through them all; and he believed others could:be thus affected as well as hle.  Stuch
changes, indeed, he thought men would be almost certain to experience, if their understandings were kept
awake and their candor tarried with them. He thought
character might be very corrupt even with tile endorsment of a good creed, as most others believe; and he
was equally settled in the conviction, that a most miserable creed might be earnestly held to, and yet the heart
315




174                 LIFE OF
remain the very sanctuary of high Christian goodness;
a sentiment which finds fewer supporters. And so in
dealing with others in his Christian intercourse, he was
usually more anxious to learn what they were in fact,
than what they professed in theory.
Another point of belief there was, which, perhaps,
would have been quite as appropriately developed under the head of changes in sentiment-claiming some
notice.  To outward ordinances and observances he
attached less importance than did many of his brethren,
especially in the latter portion of his life.  Forms,
he was disposed to leave to the choice of those who
were to adopt them. The two ordinances, Baptism,
and the Lord's Supper, he always accepted as enjoined
by the gospel; but beyond these he had no guide but
expediency. His reverence for every thing outward
in religion grew less and less; while his veneration for
that which was inward was perpetually increasing.
Tithe, mint, anise and cummin, were insignificant
things in his eye; judgment, mercy, and faith, were all
vital.  Traditional rites, sustained by testimony gathered up from the fathers, he could smile at with indiffer*ence or incredulity; but a principle developed by Christ,
was to him what the voice from the burning bush was
to the prostrate Moses.  To him, Paul's declaration was
fiull of meaning;'The letter killeth, but the spirit
giveth life."
These views found an application to the question.touching the authority of the Sabbath.  In the early
part of his ministry he held to the sanctity of that day
-as strenuously as any occupant of the pulpit, and urged




MAR TIN CHENEY.                175
its claims as strongly as he was able. In the lectures
on the Ten Commandments he gave prominence, especially, to the Fourth. Several discourses were delivered
on that, and the law of the Sabbath he interpreted and
applied with no ordinary strictness.  The prevalent
laxity in respect to its observance he rebuked sharply.
Not a few among his auditors felt that he was as objectionably plain and severe on this subject, as on
Rumselling and Slavery. He then held the Fourth
Commandment as he held the rest of them; prescribing
a moral duty with the force of a positive enactment;
and so he faithfully taught. In subsequent years his
views, on this subject, underwent a change. He began
to ask whether the observance of the Sabbath could
ever be suggested to the human mind as a duty in the
absence of positive instruction and requirement. And
if it was a positive institution, he began to ask whether
it had ever more than a local and temporary existence,
like the Passover and Circumcision. The Jewish Institutions were in force after Christ, only so far as he
had brought them forward and incorporated them into
that dispensation which he introduced. Had Christ
thus brought forward the Sabbath? and, if so, when
and where and how? And when and where and how
did he make the change from the seventh to the first
day of the week? He studied over these questions,
discussed them more or less, and finally concluded that
there was no such evidence in support of the Sabbath
as a divine institution now, as to justify dogmatism in
respect to it.
The writer is not aware that he ever gave a formal




176
LIPE oF
and full development to his views on this subject, in
any consecutive statement; and so any attempt to exhibit them might do him injustice. He appears to have
meditated this, and once set himself about it; but there
is only found enough to indicate the field of discussion
which he intended to explore, and the manner in which
he proposed to effect it. The following is a copy of
what is found among his papers.
THE SABBATH.
QUESTION. IS THERE ANY CHRISTIAN SABBATH?
I. Will what is said in -Genesis establish it?
IL. Is a Christian Sabbath found in the Fourth Comimandment?
III. Has such a Sabbath been predicted by the Prophets?
IV. Has such a Sabbath been appointed by Christ?
V. Had the Apostles authority to appoint; and, if
so, did they appoint such a Sabbath?
VI. Is the example of the Apostles binding on us?
and, if so, did they observe a Christian Sabbath?
VII. Does man's nature, or the physiological law demand such a Sabbath?
VIII. Does Christianity, or do Christian Institutions,
require the arm of the civil law for their preservation
or propagation?
1. Is the Christian Sabbath found in Genesis.-Here
note the theory of creation. If Geology be true, then
neither Christian nor Jewish Sabbath is here.  But, on




MARTIN CHENEY.                 177
the common opinion, how can a Christian Sabbath be
found here? indeed how can any Sabbath be found here.
God rested and hallowed; and here the record ends.
True, Moses records, in the Fourth Commandment,
that God assigns as a reason for it his resting and hallowing. Here mark that, if there was a Sabbath in the
beginning, there is,
1. No record of any such direct appointment. A belief
that there was such is based on inference or assumption.
2. No directions what to do, or what not to do on
that day.
3. No evidence that such a day was observed by any
till the Jewish Sabbath was appointed. The division
of time into weeks has been urged. But this is assumption, conjecture; the division might have existed for
the sake of sacrifices or other reasons.  If it was like
the Jewish ordinance, or like the so called Christian
ordinance even, should we not have had at least a hint
of it in the history of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lot, down to Moses? God rested, therefore I must
rest. Well, God created, therefore I must create. Must
I do as God did, simply because God did it?  What
God does is not authoritative unless he commands it.
But again.  God never rests.  What then is the
meaning of his resting? &c. It is simply ceasing to do
what he has been doing. But it is said that it is only
a seventh portion of time that is consecrated. Well
then has God designated that portion or not? If not,
then we may choose as we please.
[Here the discussion closes.-G. T. D.]




178                LIFE OF
To these views Mr. Cheney attached importance;
but he never obtruded them uncourteously upon the
attention of others. He held them in prudence, seeming to remember that they might be practically abused;
and, as a matter of fact, he exhibited as little laxity in
his Sabbath life as most of those who held firmly to
the views he had abandoned. He did not, by any
means, attach a low importance to the Sabbath, as a
day of respite from physical toil, as a period for religious
thought and social worship; but he found reasons for
prizing the day without regard to the question of its
positive force. He did not often state these views in
the pulpit, for reasons best known to himself. It might
be that he saw that the Sabbath was sufficiently disregarded, and feared that others would fail to grasp the
moral argument as he had, and that to remove, in their
minds, the positive obligation to sanctify the day, would
be to make them entirely reckless in respect to its observance. What he would have liked to see, was a
more faithful and general devotion of its hours to moral
and religious improvement, because it was so adapted
to human nature and wants; and not because of any
such reverence for it as made it to be regarded the
exaction of positive law. But he may have seen reasons for believing that, just so far as it was taken out
from the sphere of divine legislation, it would cease to
command the respect of the very persons who most
needed its influence. By this it is not meant that he
wanted confidence in the truth, or that he feared to utter it. From such causes he never suffered, but he
probably thought that there was no special cause for his




MA RTIN CHENEY.                179
speaking often on this topic. The practice of his congregation, so far as it supported the observance of the
Lord's Day, was what he desired it to be; and to be
earnest about matters that were simply or chiefly theoretical, was something foreign to his nature. Yet he
never withheld his views on this subject when they
were solicited; and seldomn failed to express his decided
dissent when he heard the opposite sentiment insisted
on.
Few of his congregation, comparatively, and few of
his brethren in the ministry, probably, ever came to
sympathise with him in these views. As he had done
formerly, so they did still regard the Sabbath as, in
some sort, the ordination of God, claiming the service
and reverence of christians as well as of Jews. They
regarded him as deeply sincere in the opinions he entertained on this topic, and in no danger of scandalizing
even the most scrupulous of intelligent christians by any
practical laxity. Even if he had come to feel in regard
to the Sabbath as Paul felt about the meat which had
been offered unto idols, they were satisfied he would
never indulge himself in what was lawful yet not expedient,-in that which, though seeming to him innocent, in itself, would yet cause his brother to stumble.
The liberties which he might conscientiously take with
the hours of the Sabbath, they felt sure he would not
take if it were likely to weaken the restraints of morality upon others. And so, though they might have
regretted his position because they deemed it an erroneous one, it gave him a fresh opportunity of exhibiting




180                LIFE OF
his scrupulous tenderness for weak consciences-his
readiness to sacrifice for the sake of another's feelings.
In the Ministers' meetings, he would open his heart
and lips on these topics with freedom. As the teachers
of others, he wished them to hold the truth strongly, and
exhibit it carefully. He supposed they were not children,
able to digest nothing save the diluted milk of theology;
or if they were thus weak, he evidently thought it time
to put them upon a more manly regimen.  What he
regarded their errors he combatted with argument; and
what seemed to him their superstitions he would sometimes seek to riddle with sarcasm, and shatter with the
blows of what seemed to the antagonist, his irreverent
radicalism. And though, for a time, hearts would seem
sorely wounded by his attacks, he seldom left any other
impression than that he meant it all for their good.
Those Ministers' Conferences, if their history could
be written, or their features Daguerreotyped, would constitute some of the best delineations of Mr. Cheney's
soul.  There he was himself, in all the Varied aspects
of his greatness and of his defects. All that was
characteristic in the man, found there free expression.
Sometimes his soul was before us in the vexed storminess of its vehement feeling; and then there broke out
the touching, pathetic, beautiful tenderness, which fell
on all hearts to melt them. There glanced, light and
feathery, the arrows of his piercing wit, and there his
deep and genial humor broke forth in its freeness.
There he welded the links of his strongest logic, and
there his sudden bursts of eloquence came forth to startle and astonish like the unexpected discharge of an




MARTIN CHENEY,                 1S1
electrical battery. If there was any power of thought
in the natures about him, he would wake it into life;
and some of his abrupt sentences, thrown out at random
apparently, in the course of a close argument or in the
midst of a heated declamation, would furnish a text for
weeks of deliberate thought. Few, who have enjoyed
them  for any length of time, will forget them; and
few will go to them for a long time to come, who were
members in past years, without feeling the greatness of
the vacancy occasioned by the absence of him whose
attendance was so punctual, whose labors were so
abundant, whose counsels were so valuable, and whose
influence was felt like the storm or the sunshine by all
the hearts about him. There hip memory will long be
precious, and lips will tremble with tenderness in the
utterance of his name.




He's          PLIFE OF
COMEOUTISM.
i1rE preceding chapter has exhibited Mr. Cheney s
charity in respect to all mere outward things, and his
tendencies toward a purely spiritual unity of' all who
sympathised in the attachment to great and just principles. But in these tendencies he always Ikept himself
-vithin the bounds of practical moderation; and followed faithfully what seemed to him the clear, steady light
of scripture. In breaking loose from the trammels of
mere human prescription, he ever paused in reverence
before what were to him the appointments of God.
H-e trusted his bible; its clear voice was what settled
many a question for his understanding and his heart.
He approached the law and the testimony, feeling that
it was always safe to confide in the teaching of that
great oracle. He could not be drawn to abandon it by
the cords of personal friendship, nor by the strong attachments of the cause he loved, when it turned its
back upon the wisdom revealed from heaven. On these
points he was testedthoroughly; tested by temptations
presented to the most vulnerable part of his nature, and
presented under circumstances best adapted to gire
them power. How far he would go, and where he
found the " Hitherto," which held him perpetually in
check, this chapter will more or less fully reveal.
Enough has been presented to satisfy the most skep



MARTIN CHENEY.                   8
tical of the reality and strength of Mr. Cheney's attachrlent to the Anti-Slavery enterprise.  And, as a result,
he was most warmly attached to the firm friends of that
enterprise during its stormy and perilous days. They
who braved the popular odium  which Abolitionists
were then meeting, were heroes in his eye; he believed
them  worthy descendants of Huss and John Rogers.
They had proved their sincerity. He regarded them
as the chief shrines of freedom in an age when a shameless despotism, under the shallowest and meanest of all
pretences, was hunting liberty from  the land.  And
when they stood firm, and calm, and uncompromising,
amid the surges of mobocratic violence; when they
cheerfully perilled all for the sake of the poor slave
who had no eye to see, and no tongue to thank them
for their sufferings in his behalf, he gave them his full
heart's confidence, his ready defence, and his cheerful
co-operation. He felt for them more than the ordinary
attachment of a personal friendship; and at the same
time, he felt that their accusers, revilers, and persecutors,
were both insincere and cowardly.
The leaders in this Anti-Slavery work were, to a
great extent, identified with the measures that have usually come to be designated by the term l' Garrisonian,"'
-Mr. William Lloyd Garrison of Boston being, in some
sense, their head and leader.  There were men of high
talent and moral worth connected with this school of
Reformers. Mr. C. frequently attended their meetings,
listened eagerly, and sometimes spoke from their platform.  The startling facts, the strong reasoning, the
brilliant and impassioned oratory, the fierce, withering




LIFE OF
invective, and the radical measures which successively
passed in review before him there, produced a deep impression on his mind.  There was very much there that
found correspondencies in his own nature.  He was
firm, earnest, vehement, radical, impulsive, and benevolent, by virtue both of his constitution and his habits;
and these characteristics all appeared before him in the
development of these champion abolitionists. And so
they were his chosen co-laborerss; and many of them
became personal acquaintances and friends.  Whoever
villified them, was almost certain to meet his rebuke.
Whoever suspected them, he regarded' as either ignorant or bigoted or pro-slavery; and none of these were,
in his eye, venial sins.
A State Society was formed in R. I. under their auspices; and of this Society Mr. C. early became both
a member and an officer, and continued to hold that
station for years; lending his influence and labors to
give it character and efficiency. These leading advocates, grew, gradually, less and less guarded in their
language and policy. Their condemnations grew more
sweeping, and their crusades more fierce. From condemning the ministers as unfaithful men, they began to
condemn the ministry as an order; from contending
against the positions and character of churches, they
came to contend against all church organizations;
from opposing false interpretations of the bible, they
came to oppose the bible itself as a barrier to truth and
freedom. Not all known as Garrisonians went to this
extent, nor did any of them in all places; but this began to be the attidude of the body. Mr. Cheney still




MAR TIN CHENEY.                 185
retained a large measure of his faith.  He insisted,
against the assertions of his friends, that they were misunderstood and misrepresented.  Where a prominent
element of Christianity had been so strikingly exhibited,
it was hard for him to believe that the very foundations of Christianity were wanting.
On the 16th and 17th of November 1842, the R. I.
Anti-Slavery  Convention was held in Providence.
Scarcely was the meeting opened, when its radical
character began to appear. The ground taken by several of the speakers was, that the Sabbath, the ministry,
and the Church, were the great obstacles in the path of
the Anti-Slavery enterprise, and that their abolition was
imperatively demanded.  This sentiment furnished the
principal staple of nearly all the speeches made on the
first day of the session; and the speeches were interspersed with the harshest epithets, and the most severe
and indiscriminate charges levelled at the head of ministers and churches.  Ridicule took the place of facts,
and sneers were used to do the work belonging only to
sober argument.  Moderation seemed to be designedly
abandoned, and courtesy was unceremoniously kicked
out of doors. Of that Convention thus speaks an AntiSlavery man who attended it:" Of all nests of vipers, from the days of the Pharisees who laughed Jesus Christ to scorn, to the time of
holding that meeting in Providence, I never read or
heard of any body which exceeded that Convention in
uncourteousness, scorn, contempt, or contumely, toward every minister that arose to speak, without stopping to hear what he had to say. It was enough to
16*




186                   LIFE OF
know that he was a mlinister, and from  every part of
the house came forth hisses and cries,'0, he is a minister! nobody can be a minister and a man, or a friend
to the Slave;' and slang, that bespoke it the foam
of an irritated but caged serpent of the most venomous
or red dragon sort, was poured forth in torrents.';
One man there was, nominally, at least, of their
number, who opposed this position; but his polished
eloquence and platform  power-scarcely equalled in
this country —did not suffice to turn the current of this
Convention.
Near the close of the first day's session, a young minister of the same denomination with 3Mr. C., whose AntiSlavery labors have always been abundant, arose to
make a brief defence, and indicate what appeared to
him the real obstacles to the progress of the Anti-Slavery enterprise.  Some one asked for the name of the
speaker; whereupon one of the leading men of the Convention responded in a sneering, contemptuous tone;
I6No natter who he is; he's a Clergyman, I'll warrant you."  The speaker was announced, and, amid
hisses and sneers, concluded his speech.
This was too much for Mr. Cheney's endurance. Up
to this time he had been silent, under the influence of
such feelings of disappointment, wonder, and regret, as
may be conceived only in part.  If he spoke at all, he
mnust utter his convictions and express his feelings; and;it was hard to bring himself into a conflict with these
heroic ideals of his former days.  But this attempt to
gag a true man and brother; -this attempt to silence,by sneers and clamor an honest earnest spirit, simply




MARTIN CHENEY.                 187
because of his profession; this exercise of a petty
tyranny never exceeded in injustice and meanness by
any pro-slavery mobocrats; —this was a torch flung into
the magazine of his explosive nature. There was sorrow enough mingled with his indignation to make him
calm; and virtue and worth enough in his cause to
rouse his great courage, that never knew fear, up to its
highest point of activity and development. The mask
had fallen off from his antagonists, and pity did not plead
with him to spare them. The scene which followed
can only be understood by those who knew the parties
and understood the issue. Verbal description it is not
worth the while to attempt.  Suffice it to say that the
rest of that Convention was a close hand to hand moral
battle; and in the front ranks, meeting the enemy at
every turn, and wielding his weapons with a skill and
an energy that made every blow tell powerfully on some
vulnerable part, stood Mr. Cheney, firm as a rock and
dauntless as a lion.
Says that young minister alluded to; " The defence
which Brother Cheney made of my rights, the lashing
which he gave to those who treated me with such
contempt merely because I was a'Priest,' as they
frequently termed it, was searching and annihilating.
Never, I think, did Brother Cheney win a more triumphant victory, or wear the laurels achieved more deservedly."
As a result of this discussion, a new Anti-Slavery Society was formed in the State the same year, and to
this Society Mr. Cheney gave his sympathy and support
till the last. He held himself aloof from the official




188                 LIFE 0F
positions in the old Society which he had befofe ocdupied, and was careful not to become identified with its
policy, or the unqualified defender of its principles or
measures.  Yet even here the tendencies of his mind
discovered themselves.  He did not sweepingly denounce the body, nor take advantage of his ability to
thwart them in all their efforts. There were individual
members of that School of Reformers who would not
endorse this crusade against religious institutions, and
his sense of justice forbade him to treat them otherwise
than as their personal characters and public efforts warranted.  He could still and did still honor their courage
and sacrifices, though condemning their policy and
rejecting some of their principles. He regarded them
as earnest and efficient defenders of freedom, even while
he repudiated some of their chief modes of warfare.
Their practical reprobation of the doctrine of expediency, which seemed to him the great curse of the American people and churches, still conmmzanded his respect;
though he protested against the injustice of their indiscriminate invective. As fearless defenders of the rights
of the weak he wished them  success; though, as violators of the law of Christian propriety, he regarded them
as perpetrating both a wrong and a blunder. He rejoiced
that their exposures were arousing the public conscience; though he regretted that their excesses should
shock and arm it against themselves.  He saw, in the
general indifference to human rights, some sort of an
apology for the extreme methods of defence which they
were adopting; though they were methods opposed
to his idea of duty or wisdom.




MARTIN CHENEY.                 189
Besides, the attacks they received from the political
and religous censors of the land, he regarded as unjust.
If they sinned, he felt sure that they were "1 sinned
against" quite as fearfully and frequently. To him, their
izJidelity was hardly more to be dreaded, than the sanctimonious connivanice of popular ministers and churches
at the sins of Slavery. The popular clamor of indolence
and conservatism for their crucifixion, he would not and
could not aid in swelling. And so his position became
an independent one. All parties alternately looked upon
him as an ally and an opponent.  When he condemned
the infidelity of the Radicals, the Conservatists gave
him their hand; and when he pointed his artillery at
the inconsistencies of the Conservatists, the Radicals
regarded him as passing through the process of conversion to their faith. Partly from an ever growing liberality in his opinions, and partly, perhaps, from his belief
that there were fewer excesses connected with the Garrisonian School; and partly, perhaps, because the encroachments of the Slave Power seemed to demand
more rigorous and radical measures, he had probably
more sympathy with that body of men in the last years
of his life, than for some time subsequent to the Providence controversy. He attended their Conventions more
or less, sometimes spoke from their platforms, and remained an interested subscriber to their paper —"  The
Liberator" —up to the time of his death.  Some of the
leading men of that body he always looked upon as high
examples of ability and worth. He believed them
deeply conscientious, truly benevolent, really full of
courage, ready to sacrifice for the Slave's sake, and, in




190                LIFE OF
spite of their errors and excesses, doing a high service
to the cause of human freedom. And believing all this,
he was at no pains to conceal it, either from the friends
or foes of the men in question.
This detail has been entered into, because it seemed
necessary to make his position understood; especially
since it has been misapprehended.  Some, judging
chiefly from the strong ground taken at the time of the
Convention, have supposed that he always afterward
kept himself entirely aloof from all positions which implied sympathy with, or confidence in the Garrisonians.
Others, having seen him on their platforms and heard
him denounce the position of the Church as he was
sometimes wont to do, set him down as a disorganizer
and conducter. Both alike seem rto have misunderstood
him. He was unqualifiedly attached to no party; was
the servile follower of no leader. He would sympathize
with every party so far as his conscience and judgment
endorsed its principles and policy; and when they could
not do this, he was willing to stand alone. But he ever
clung to the bible and the Church as God's richest gifts
to the world; counting it his chief joy to enforce the
teachings of the one, and labor for the efficiency of the
other.
The following discourse, preached at the dedication
of a house of worship, will, perhaps, be the best exposition of his views touching some of the points involved
in the preceding statements. Grateful to his Christian
friends will it be to know that these were the sentiments which were carried even to his grave.




MARTIN CHENEY~,                 191
DI SCOURS E.
tHE IMPOnTANCE OF CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS.
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is."-Heb. x. 25.
The text suggests for our consideration the importance of Christian Association.  By Christian Association we mean the assembling together of Christians
for mutual benefit and mutual co-operation, to promote
the glory of God in the highest, Peace on earth, Good
will to men.  Their importance may be seen in the fact,
I. That associations of the good have existed from
the time when the morning stars sang together,-from
the time when " men began to call on the name of the
Lord."  In olden time, as indicated by the author of
the book of Job, the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. The Commonwealth of Israel
was an association; and in ancient days they had places
where prayer was wont to be made. Prophets and holy
men of old spoke often one to another, and the Lord
hearkened and heard; and, what is more, a book of remembrance was kept.  It may be seen that God approved of these associations of the good, to receive and
impart benefit.
II. From the fact that Jesus instituted such at Association.  First, when he said, "On  this rock will I
build my church;" and, Second, when he said,-" Tell
it to the church.'" In the first of these remarks he recognizes that great association including all believers
in heaven and earth; in the second, he recognizes a
local association whose members could be reached.




192                 LIFE O0
III.  From the fact that Jesus did so much to reveal
the character of the association. He taught, 1st. The
foundation of such an Association; viz. Jesus Christ.
2d. Who are members of such an Association; viz.
believers, lovers, doers.  3d. Who was its head or Ruler; viz. Christ. 4th. Gave:their rule of faith and
book of discipline. - Taught-how.to labor, in what spirit
to labor; whom and how to exclude, and how to regard
such as were excluded. 5th. Taught the equality of
the members. —" One is your Master, even Christ, and
all ye are brethren."
IV..Association meets a primary want of human
nature.  ist. Man is a social being.  His physical, intellectual, and moral natures all show that he was formed for society. Man's organization utters the same
truth as God's word; "It is not good for man to be
alone."  Now Christian Association harmonizes with
this nature, and meets a part of this want. But, 2d.
Man is a religious being; he has the religious' sentiment.
Deeply has God planted this in the human breast. Now
with a social and religious nature, man needs Christian
Association. Nothing short of this meets his necessities. Man will worship, must worship. Moreover he
will worship with his fellows. It is of vast importance,
therefore, that he exercise himself in Christian worship.
And, 3d. -He is a dependant being-dependant on God
and man; and so needs the prayers, sympathies and aid
of others as they are furnished by Christian Associations.
V. They meet the wants of a world lying in wickedness. Christian Associations are the concentrated
salt of the earth-concentrated for diffusion,-the con



MAR TIN CHENEY.                193
centrated light of the world to illumine it; cities on
its hills; Christian Light-houses to direct the myriads
of tempest-tossed sinful souls how to avoid the whirlpools of despair, the rocks of peril, and the gulf of perdition;-to guide them to the haven of peace.
From these associations are to go forth those principles and practices which are to purify and regenerate
the world.  Here the war-loving and war-practising
world is to behold-taught and lived —a peace that
changes swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks.  Here is to be seen embodied a love that
seeketh not her own-stronger than death.  Here is to
be displayed, to all revengefill, worldly, beholders, the
forgiving spirit of Jesus; —" Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do." Here is to be taught
and practiced that world-embracing and world-harmonizing rule, "Do unto others as ye would that others should
do unto you." Here is revealed, in teaching and life,
the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.
Now we urge that the world needs such salt, such
light, such a practical gospel, such a living embodimenit
of Peace on earth and good will to men; and that
Christian Associations seem alone able to supply that.
need. These world-saving truths needed an embodiment, and they had it in Jesus of Nazareth; they need
it still, and they have it in Christian Associations.
VI. Christian Associations are the  only avenue
through which a Christian can meet the claims of God,.
of his brother man, and of the world, upon him.  If a
brother is perishing in yonder river, or by fire, or wreck,.
and one is:unable to rescue him, two or three or more
17




194                 LIFE OF
others are obligated to aid; united effort is needed,
nay, demanded. And this includes both the spirit and
form of Christian Association in its simplest character.
So if one voice will not appropriately swell God's anthems of praise, then a multitude which no man can
number should be heard; no one would be justified in
such a case in singing on his own hook; his voice
is needed in the band. If one hand, one arm, one
heart cannot perform a required service, there must be a
union of minds, hands, hearts, or the work will not be
done.
NIL. Such associations harmonize with our views
of the heavenly state.  There heart meets heart, soul
meets soul, voice meets voice. It should be so on earth;
for this we are taught to pray; and we should make
earth as much like heaven as possible. A home, a manszion, a city, a multitude, music,-all these speak of
Christian Association. There are strong reasons for
their perpetuity; they are in accordance, 1. With the
uniform practice of the good; 2. With the teachings of
Jesus; 3. With the soul's nature; 4. With the world's
wants; 5. With the claims of God; 6. With the heavenly state; and we may add with every tendency of
a Christian heart. So that if there was no day for
their enjoyment indicated, he would make one; if no
particular time specified, he would set one.
REMARK S.
1. We may see what is true and what is false
Come-outism.  There is a scriptural come-outism.
"Come out," says Paul; " Come out," says the Revelator. But come out from what? The answer is,



MARTIN CHENEY.                  195
Come out from  an apostate church; come out from
man-made, and man-imposed ceremonies; come out
from shadows and antiquated customs that have beenI
abolished; come out from an anti-christian church, the
mother of harlots; but never come out from the Bride,
the Lamb's wife, never come out from a true church,
for that is needful for the soul.
2.  We learn how to test the character of all associations of men, from the system of Fourier upward or
downward.  So far as they leave out the religious element they must fail.  Maia's deepest necessities are the
religious; and associations making no provision for
these are destined to be dashed in pieces like a potter's
vessel. They may be literary, civil, ecclesiastical, or
philanthropic; leave out Christianity in its essence and
they must die, for the spirit of life is not in them. Every association, whatever its character or profession, is
to be tested by this standard.
3.  We see the wisdom and goodness of God in establishing such associations. Christian churches are
these, and no more.  Jesus said, "Go preach," &c.; that
is, in effect, kindle up these beacon lights; where two
or three gather in my name, there is a light. These
circles were to be formed in every land, that thus unto
principalities and powers might be known, by the
church, the manifold wisdom of God.
4. We see that if such associations be of God, then a
great hierarchy with a human head,claiming infallibility,
whether called Roman, Greek, or English, is a mighty
mistake.  And more than that, all jurisdiction, claimed
by one of these bodies over the rest, is assumption. In
other words, Bible Associations-New Testament As



196                 LIFE OF
sociations-are independent bodies; having One Lord,
One Faith, One Baptism, One Foundation, One Head,
and that not human but divine. Hence Presbyterian
jurisdiction, or Episcopal jurisdiction, or Quarterly
Meeting or Yearly Meeting, or Conference jurisdiction,
are equally to be repudiated with Romish claims. They
are of human origin, and have no divine authority.
" Tell it to the church," is the teaching of Jesus; and
the only appeal from that jurisdiction is to the court of
heaven.
5. We see that our individual responsibilities embrace
our social obligations.-We must be judged as individuals, but can never fulfil our duties as isolated beings.
Monasteries and Nunneries are not of God, nor the celibacy of the clergy.  "Am I my brother's keeper?'
will be answered by 1" The voice of thy brother's blood
crieth unto me from the ground." If we neglect the
claims of the poor, the crushed, those among thieves,
we shall meet the censure of him who said, " Inasmuch
as ye did it not unto the least of these, ye did it not to
me."
6. We see the duty of Christians, in villages, towns,
cities, and country. To associate, meet, assemble,
unite, for their own and the world's benefit. The
word of God is to be readl, the sense given and applied;
children are to be trained in Christian principles and
Christian practice; and where can it be so effectually
done as in Christian associations. They are to exhort
one another; pray one for another; aid each other
in bringing Christian principles and practice to every
family and individual within their reach. What a work




MARTIN CHENE                 197Y.
is this! to cast the leaven of the gospel into every department of society.
7. We see the need of a place to meet. A poet has
said, " The groves were God's first temples," but the
groves will not always suffice. And so we have here
this beautiful house.  We attach no peculiar sanctity
to place; yet there is a sweetness and preciousness in
association, and it will sometimes give to a place something of its own interest.
8. We see the need of a time in which to associate.
And hence the fitness of the Lord's Day. And although
we attach no holiness to time more than to place, yet
we can say with Watts, " Welcome sweet day of rest."
WTelcome the time for its fitness-its uses. We do not
confine meetings to one day in seven. Man's social
nature and spiritual wants, and the world's needs seem
to demand more frequent association; and what man
needs, let him have.
9. The Christian Association or Church here, will
see the work they have to do. Not to keep lamp light,
or moon light, or sun light, but Christian light before
this people. Each should be luminous alone, but when
united they should blaze and burn with spiritual radiance and heat; their influence should be seen and
felt in all this region. They have the Sunday School
to organize and sustain-the children to care for. They
have the word of truth to preach; and assemblings for
prayer and conference and exhortation to maintain.
Not a child should be left untaught, not a family unL
visited, not a sinner unwarned, nor a needy, sick or
dying one uncomforted or unaided..:17




198                  LIFE OF
10.  We see of what these associations should be
composed; viz. of new creatures, lively stones, Christians.
11.  We see where these associations should exist.
Where there are two or three disciples there should be
regular associations.
12. The glory and beauty of these associations are
seen, 1st. In their foundation. 2d. Their Head. 3d.
Their stability. 4th. In their gifts and ministry and
power.  5th. In their peaceful character, their simple
but efficient discipline.  6th. In their benevolent spirit.
7th. In the benefits they confer.  8th. In the bow of
hope and promise around and above them-exceeding
great and precious.
Brethren, will you associate and work? Will you all
work? Will you be in charity with each and all? Will
you prove by your spirit and fruits the worth of Chris.
tian association?




MARTIN CHENEY.                199
CHAPTER IX.
SERMO NS.
It seems proper to make a selection from the discourses
of Mr. Cheney, with a view to present the methods of
sermonizing which he adopted, and lay up in a permanent form some of the more striking exhibitions of truth
with which his ministry was marked. His preparations
for the pulpit usually consisted simply of an arrangement of his thoughts, the choice of what he intended
should be his chief illustrations, and the very briefest
designations, in a few particulars, of the languange he
was expecting to employ. And in the heat of his earnest speaking, new thoughts would-occur to him, fresh
illustrations crowd around him, and the phraseology
he had regarded as fixed, would be set aside for that
which gushed up spontoneously as an envelope of his
ideas. The result was that his best sketches were not
always followed by the best delivered sermons; and a
prosy, meagre outline, may have been the herald of a
discourse that startled the audience by its rare force,
and lived in the memory for years, as among the happiest things connected with the ministry of the Olneyville Pastor.
The following discourses have been selected chiefly
on the ground of their variety, and characteristic qualities. They show the author in the various phases of




200                  LIFE OF
his character, and the specific features of his teaching.
And yet even these are exhibited to a great disadvantage; for, to get a just view of Mr. Cheney or his sermon, one needed to hear him preach it. They are selected from among the usual sermons preached to his
own people; and few of them probably produced any
very unusual impression in the delivery. No particular
regard will be paid to the order in which they were
preached; because there seems no necessity for observing it, and because it is a very difficult thing to ascertain.
SERMON.
CONSECRATION TO GOD.
Glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's."I Cor. vi.: 20.
The requirement of this text may be simply stated
as Consecration to God; and, in considering it, I shall
note;
1. Some things implied in consecration to God.
II. What is that Consecration?
III. Give some reasons why such, consecration
should be made.
IV. Make an Application of the subject.
I. What is implied in Consecration to God?
1. The existence of a God to whom this consecration
is to be made. If there were no being who could
rightfully claim such service, there would be no propriety in such a precept.
2. It implies the existence of beings who are rationaJ,




MARTIN CHENEY.                201
and free; capable of making such consecration. No
being destitute of moral perceptions, could do such a
work.
3. It implies a rule, law, or standard, by which such
consecration is defined and enforced. Or in short, a
Being to whom it is to be made; beings by whom it
is to be made, and a method in which it is to be made.
II. What is that Consecration?
To consecrate is to set apart, dedicate, or devote to
the service and worship of God. So to consecrate ourselves, is to devote the powers of body and spirit to the
service of God. Or, in other words, we glorify God
when we use our bodies and spirits as God would have
us use them. In other words still, consecration is obedience of heart and life to the commands of God. It
implies especially, 1. The control of the appetites;
and 2. The government of the passions.
First. We glorify God in body when we eat and
drink and sleep and exercise so as to give the body the
highest degree of physical strength and health; so that
it may be the fitting residence of the mind or spirit,that bright image of the Deity. Health and strength,
and life even, may be sacrificed to the claims of the
higher law, when the law of love demands it. The
Samaritan risked his own life in an act of humanity.
And, in obedience to the higher law, the dungeon, rack,
or stake may be met. A mother may yield the body,
and the law which calls for its highest health and
strength, to the higher claims of a sick and dying child.
Second. We glorify God in body when we make
the appetites and passions of the body submit to the




202             - LIFE OF
commands of God, as they are seen and felt by the reason and judgment. By so doing the spirit will become
clearer and stronger.
We glorify God in spirit,
First. When our affections are placed on the supreme, infinite Spirit; the pure, holy, and lovely One.
Second.  When we aim, strive-to know God, and
Jesus Christ, and the will of Heaven.
Third.  When we yield to that will as fully as we
can learn it, that is, follow our highest convictions of
right.
Fourth. When we copy the' example of Jesus, in
humility, in tenderness, in love, infaith, in diligence, in
boldness, in patience, in endurance.
III. Why should such consecration be made?
1. The Supreme Ruler of the universe demands it.
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,"
is the high, the universal, the unalterable command.
2. God's creating, upholding, and redeeming gifts
are reasons why we should consecrate ourselves to him
who gave such gifts. "'God so loved the world;"
" He made us a little lower than the angels;"  "He
bought us with a price."  The privilege to be and the
power to enjoy flow from him.  Our bodies and spirits
are his; yet they are ours to use, and hence we should
use them right.
3. Not to do so is rebellion against the just Ruler of
the universe. It is to side in with Satan. It is to say;
" We will not have this man to reign over us." It is
to cry, —-" crucify him!" It is to say (( His blood be
on us and on our children.'" This is awfully dangerous.




MARTIN CHENEY.                 203
4. Not to do it is to cut ourselves off from the aid
which we might receive in times of need.- The- hour
of weakness will come, the hour of destitution; the
hour when no human aid will avail. Then shall we
need to be in harmony with God, that his power, wisdom and goodness may flow into the soul. 0 the misery of that being who consecrates himself to any being
or thing short of God-! See the whole world groaning
in its agony, because consecrated to the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
5. Such consecration secures pure enjoyment, unalloyed happiness, permanent peace. It meets the highest
claims of the reason and of the conscience; it meets the
command of God, and the teachings of Jesus. It meets
the wants of all the faculties of both body and spirit, it
gives exercise to them all, and keeps them all in harmony; and hence, peace like a river, joy unspeakable, and
hope so bright and sure.
6. It is the condition of our highest usefulness.  It
is only when thus devoted, that we begin to do ourselves
good. Before tllis, we do ourselves constant harm.
Now we begin to be light to the world. Now, in the
family, in the social circle, in the church, our influence
is felt. Now, with a heart full of love and a countenance
radiant with joy, we go forth like angels of mercy to
bless and save the lost. And when such a consecration
is made, the moral vibration is felt in all worlds. The
moral electric chord is struck, and an influence is sent
from the farthest reach of moral being up to the throne
of God-the great moral centre of the universe. " There




204                   LIFE OF
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."
APPLICATION.
1. We see our duty for to-day;-to consecrate body,
soul, spirit, all.  Reasons high as heaven, deep as hell,
broad as moral obligation urge to this.
2. What a spectacle of beauty and sublimity is presented when blooming youth consecrate themselves to
God! Not to enter the nunnery, or the monastery, not
to bow at the shrine of fashion, not to present standards
to the worshippers of Mars, but to enter a world of
misery, want, and woe, to bless and save it; to enter a
world of temptation and trial, to suffer and endure, to
overcome and triumph.
SERMON.
FREEDOM AND ITS- RESULTS.
"Am I not free?"-I. Cor. ix.: 1. " As free and not using your
liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."I. Pet. ii.: 16. " For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty."Gal. v.: 13.
I. The term freedom is applied, sometimes, to things
which have no internal self-moving power; but act or
move as they are acted or moved upon. We say, in
common speech, " free as air;" "free as the birds."
Now air moves as it is acted on, and birds act from instinct. Neither, therefore, has that freedom which is
the basis of a rational mind; neither has a self-determining power. They move and act as influences
around them compel; and want all controlling power




MAuRTIN CIINEY.                 205
over those influences. Some make all intelligences
subject to the same or similar agencies; not only with
Pope, "' bind nature fast in fate," but, beyond Pope,
bind the human will also-yea, even the will divine.
But we think, Ist. That God is free; bound only by
his perfectly balanced character or disposition; and 2d.
That all rational beings are free; —and are very sure that
vlrnn,  made in the image of God, is free.  We.think so;
1. Because he is in God's image.
2. Because God treats him  as free.  He does this,
I st. By placing him under law. 2d. By threatened
penalties and offered rewards. 3d. By invitations and
persuasions. 4th. By lamentations over his rejection of
truth.  5th. By judging him at the last day.
3. Because man perceives right and wrong; feels
condemned when he-does wrong, and approved when
he does righ t.'4. Because he is consciolus that he is free.
5. Because he is constantly condemning and approving others as if they were free.
The terms free and freedom, then, are mostly applied.
to human beings.
1. They are applied to all human beings who have,
come to years of understanding, except the insane oridiots; to all who are moral agents.  They have power;
to choose or reject, to obey or disobey, that is, so far as.
the will is concerned.
2' They are applied to those who have political
liberty. New-Englanders are therefore called' freei. ia,
opposition to such a people as the Russians.
18




206                  LIFE OF
3,. They are applied to those who have personal libersty; as the people of Rhode-Island in opposition to the
slaves of the South.
4. They are applied to those who have been freed
from sin and brought into the glorious liberty of the
children of God.  So, figuratively, we speak of the freedom of the press, of speech, of the pulpit, of worship.
But freedom to think, act and speak; that is, power,
liberty, or privilege to do this, is man's birth-right,
heaven-descended, God-given.
IL. If this be so, then there are certain RESULTS 0o
consequences.
1. Stch a being-i. e., a free being-is placed under
law. IIe inquires what is right, and it is law that tells
him.  Of course such a being is responsible for his obe-'
dience or disobedience to the law.  Then he can sin.
Then he may continue to sin.  Then he may die in sin.
Then he may be punished for his sin.  Then he may
continue forever to sin. Then endless punishment m'ay
be received.   Admit the freedom, therefore, and you
admit endless punishment as a possible result.
2. The doctrine of absolute predestination and unconditional election cannot be true.  If man is free, he
is certainly not bound.  But God cannot decree who
shall or who shall not repent, and leave the subjects oft
such decree to repent or not.
3. Mian determines his own moral character.  If
there was no freedom, the character of all sentient beings would be fixed by their Maker, as certain as the
hills.  But freedom implies that the character is determined by the possessor.




MARTIN  CHENEY.                  207
4. We see how sin entered into the world.  Freedom
alone could make a pathway for sin.  If there were no
free beings there would be no sin.  But if beings are
-free, then there is necessarily a possibility of sinning.
Hence God is not the author of sin, but of freedom.
MIan is the author of -sin, in tile abuse of his freedom.
5. Through freedomn God receives the highest honor
and the sweetest praise.  The laws by which the material world acts, moves —the mineral, vegetable, aninal,
-indicate wondrous power, skill, goodness; but who
perceives, and appreciates that power, skill, and goodness,
but free beings?  But cottl we perceive and feel all
this, and yet know  that it was all choiceless, what
-would that be compared to the joy arising from a choosing, loving heart.-TWe see, then, that without freedom,
God must have remained an " Unknown God."  Joy
mnight have been felt, but its great source, origin, cause,
must have remained unappreciated and unseen.  Hence
man was made, and man was made free.
APP L ICATION.
If such be the origin, nature, and results of freedom,
then wve may see,
1. That freedom is a God-given right to man.
2. An abuse of this high gift must bring on man the
direst curse. It takes a fallen seraph to make a Devil.
3. How aggravated must be the guilt of those who
would deprive man of this right in any of its forms!
Helnce the guilt of-despotism in Church and State,-of
slavery and caste.
4. We see why there are such conflicts among the Go



208                   LIFE  OF
verunments of Europe.  Freedom, like the burning lava,
vill find its way to the surface, upheaving, overturning.
Despotism struggles to choke freedom; and the contest
convulses the world.
5. True freedom and true happiness are identical.
Where one is there is the other.  The sons of God are
like God, —free and happy.
6. No people can be virtuous, happy, or useful, wvithout fieedom;;-freedom  of speech, of the press, of wvorship.
7. Our privilege and duty are before us; —to be free
and prize it, to defend freedom and spread it.
8. Sinners are voluntary slaves.  Satan binds them
with their consent and aid; until they are sometimes
forced to cry with Paul "0  wretched man that I am,
who shall deliver me from the body of this death I"
Ye slaves of sin and hell,
Your liberty receive,
And safe in Jesus dwell,
And blest in Jesus live:
The year of Jubilee is come,
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home."
SERMON.
GOD'S LAW AND ITS WONDERS.
"Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of
thy law."-Ps. cxix.: 18.
I.  God's law.  This implies;1. The being of a God. If there were no God, there
could be no law; all would be fate or chance.




MAR TIN CHENEY.                  209
2. That God has a rule of action, or is hinmself governed by laxv.  By being thus governed we mean, that he
acts in accordance with his own conceptions of right,
which are always perfect.
II.  What is meant by God's law?
1. God's will or purpose by which he himself acts.
2. God's rule or method of governing worlds of matter.
3. God's rule or method of governing worlds of mind.
4. God's rule or method of governing worlds of moral
beina s.
5. God's will made known to men.T-In his works,the operation of those works in Providence; or as made
known to prophets, apostles, and by his Son.
God's law physical is wonderful.  God's law meintal
is wonderful.  God's law moral is wonderful.
III.  What are its wonders?
i. It is wonderful in in its extent.  Take Mitchell's
farthest star, whose distance is such that it will take
twenty millions,of years for light to reach here, though
travelling at the rate of about eleven millions of miles per
minute.  But God's law reaches that star and regulates
the transmission of those rays.  Take the millions of
animated creatures that populate a single drop of water,
and God's laxw is there.  Takle the divisibility of matter until you are lost; and yet God's law is present in
the least particle. It reaches all- the thoughts of all intelligencies, and all the pulsations of all moral beings.
2.  It is wonderful in its simplicity and its adaptations.  These features are seen in the law of gravitation,
Which wheels the planets and lifts the vapors; whichl
"18




210                 LIFE or
draws the mighty waters to the ocean, and regulates
the weights of commerce.
3. It is wonderful in its inflexibility.  Violate it,
and its penalties are certain, whether it be physical,
mental, or moral.
4.  In its clearness and comprehensiveness.  Look
at the law as it is expounded by Jesus-Love to God,
and love to man.  And then that its just applications
may be known, he directs us to the inner chamber of
the soul, where God has Daguerreotyped the law which
tells us what we are to do to our neighbor.
5. It is wonderful in its spirituality.  It does not
simply take cognizance of action, but reaches down to
the purposes, desires, motives, and thoughts.
APPLICATION.
1. What:a glorious being God must be-the author
of this law!'2.  ~What a glorious being Christ must be —the end,
uthe fllfiller of this law!
3.  What guilty beings men must be, who knowingly violate such a lawv!
4.  The gospel is only a later edition of this law,,developing it in new forrns-the glorious law of liberty.




MARTIN CHIENEY.
SERMON.
THE NATURE AND DEVELOPSMENTS OF GOD'S LOVE.
"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God." —I. John, iii.: 1.
I. The nature of a person or thing is,
1. That which it is in itself, organically, constitutionally.
2. That which it is by custom, practice, habit. By
nature men are said to be children of wrath; and without natural affection.  So there is the nature of the
bird, of the beast, of the fish, and of the insect, and a
vast variety of subordinate natures among all these. So
we have human nature, angelic nature, and divine nature.  So by habit there is found the nature of demons.
Now we cannot speak of God's nature as organic or
constitutional; for, being self-existent and eternal, he
was not organized; but we may and do speak of his
nature as manifested, developed.  And, indeed, when
we speak of an emotion, a passion, as love, we speak
not of a creation, but of an exercise; not of organism;
but of action; not of passive being, but of voluntary
power.  The nature of God's love then, is, negatively,
1. That it is not instinzctive.  The tribes of irrational
animals have this love, some of them in a high degree.
The love of most animals for their young, and of some
for the old and infirm teaches this.
2. It is not simply emnotional.  I do not affirm  or
deny here that God. is the subject of emotions; but




212                   LIFE OF
simply state that such emotional action does not include
all that is meant by God's love.
3. It is not associational; —that which is produced
by associating with each other.
4. It is not sovereign or mysterious, as has sometimes
been asserted.  It is the love of a sovereign, but not
sovereign love.
5. It is not the love of gratitude; for who can bestow favors upon God?
But, affirmatively, the nature of God's love is,
1. Like its author, eternal.
2. It is impartial; that is, loving things and persons
according to their real value.
3. It is unchangeable; not fickle, variable, uncertail; but the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.
4. It is free; not bought or paid for, so much for
so much.
5. It is extensive; heaven-high, and world-wide. It
reaches the smallest animalcule, and embraces the
mightiest angel.  In a word, God's love is associated
with pure truth and justice, and all-embracing wisdom.
-IT.  Let lus look at its developments.
1. In Creation.  Observe the tendency in all creation
to produce happiness, when not abused.  What scenes
of grandeur and beauty for the eye! what melody for
the ear! what variety for the taste! and what capabilities in the eye and ear to receive delight!
What sources of pleasure in the social relation; father,
mother, son, daughter, husband, wife! God's love created all these capabilities. Behold what manner of love
is here! So in the acquisition of knowledge.  There




MARTIN CHENEY.                  213
is delight here, purer and rarer than that which comes
through eye or ear.
And then the highest, purest of all joy, in doing good
to others.  This it is largely that makes the joy of God,
2. In Redemption.  Here we have God's love developing itself in another set of circumstances. A world
has revolted.  Man, made in God's image, has fallen,
is lost.  The crown has tumbled from his head. Now
let is look at infinite wisdom and see its plan to save.
See power unlimited executing that plan; and while
you steadily gaze, you will perceive that all this proceeds from God's great heart, whose pulsations of benel
volence are sending to all the news of mercy, and you
will exclaim, 1" Behold what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us." Ist. In the plan of mercy.
2d. In the promise of a Deliverer.; 3d. In the gift of
his Son.  4th. In the mission of Jesus.  5ith. In his
unfolding and developing his Father's heart. Mark
Jesus tempted, Jesus weeping, Jesus sweating, Jesus
bleeding, Jesus groaning, Jesus dying. What intensity
of affection! what manner of love! See his love in the
Spirit's influence; and also in the great commission,
" Go ye into all the world," &c.
3. In his patience anid long-suffering, his unwillingness that any should perish, He sends rain and sunshine on rebels. Deeper than the compassion of a mother for her child, is the tender, patient affection of God.
Here is the love of pity, tenderness, compassion, dropping tears, uttering groans, sweating blood, and crying,
amid mockery and scorn, " Father forgive them."
4, In the arrangements made for ahigher state of




$1f4               PLIFE OF
bliss for his children.  lst. A mansion, a homne, sweet
home.  2d. A resurectioln.  3d. An incorruptible body.
4th. All that the tree of life and river of life typify;
all that Eden's bowers and John's beautiful city indicated.  All this comes from the same heart that clothed
the earth with beauty, that filled it with fragrance and
music.  Behold what manner of love is here.
APPLICATION.
1. We may see the character of the Ruler of the universe.  "Our Father," is his appropriate name.  Not abeing whose love is fickle, but ever in accordance with
justice, reason, truth.
2. We learn our indebtedness to Christ.  It is in him
and through him that we learn of the Father. God in
Christ is the lovely One.
3. We see what man ought to be, and what he may
be.  He should be like God; and he may rise up as a
son and heir, to inherit all the fulness of his love.
4. We see the folly and guilt of those who reject God
and his wondrous love, Christ and his glorious manifest
tations,
SERMON.
JESUS THE WONDERFUL~
" And his name shall be called Wonderful." —Is. ix.; 6.
The high propriety of this appellation, as applied to
Jesus, may be seen,
1, In the vastness of his views.  He appeared as a




MARATIN (CHENEtY.              - 2l5
Jew, but how wonderfully had he emancipated himself from Jewish bigotry! iHe came to bless nothing
short of a world.  IHe grew up in a carpenter's shop at
Nazareth; and yet his knowledge abashed the sages of
his time.  He lived among the most peculiar of people
and in a most peculiar age; and yet the interest attaching to his character is neither local nor temporary.
2. In the calm confidence which he always cherished
in the accomplishment of his vast otbjects. He proposed
to change the religious sentiment and life of the world.
And yet he knew his own stay was brief; that not even
his own disciples understood his intentions; that he
should meet an ignominious and violent death; and that
civil power, learning, and religion should combine to
crush, into contempt and forgetfulness, his principles
and his name; but he never despaired.  His heart
seemed always full of hope, and his language, bespoke
his calm, settled, quiet confidence in his success, even
when all outward circumstances predicted nothing but
defeat.
3. He was wonderful in the authority which lie
claimed.  IHe wore the robes of a peasant, but he claimed prerogatives that would have seemed presumptuous
in a Roman Emperor.  The Miosaic system and sacred
temple and Sabbath, he handled as though he was their
Lord.
4. lHe was wonderful in-his patience. —Pure and spotless and wise himself, corruption and ignorance and superstition must have tried him in others.  But the mistakes) the prejudices, and the bad spirit of his friends 




z16t LIFE 0O
the bitterness, hatred, and malice of his foes, all demanded patience, and all secured it.
5. He was wonderful in his benevolence.-He did
not share at all in the narrowness of feeling prevailing
about him. Others sought only the glory of Judea;
he sought the good of the world. His benevolence
was world-wide in its expansiveness. It reached the
whole human race. He loved man as man.  See this
in the parable of the Good Samaritan.  As he approached, the prophet cried, " Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." And he closed his ministry
on the earth, that had given him a life of suffering and a
death of ignominy, by the command; " Go ye into all
the world and preach the gospel to every creature."
None of his enemies saw the least indication of revenge;
and every needy outcast felt confident of his sympathy.
His suavity of manners attracted all to him, and his love
was ready with a blessing.
6. He was wonderful in combining the highest dignity of character with the deepest condescension. He
associated with publicans and sinners, yet there was
nothing which encouraged the low and vulgar; side by
side did he stand with earth's loftiest dignitaries, yet
he discovered no pride or ostentation.  With a majestic
calmness he says to Pilate, " I am a king;" and then
with the sweetest humility he washes his disciples' feet.
AP P LI CA T ION
1. We have here a beautiful example. —In dignity of
character, simplicity of manners, sweetness of spirit,
purity of intention, and in a whole-hearted self-sacrifice,




MAR TIN CHENEY.                  217
Jestus stands before us as a pattern.  Wonderfully pure,
lucid and bright is the example of Jesus, woithy of all
acceptation.
2. Here is a Guide of wonderful skill.  No tempter
ever misled him.  Follow him, and ye shall not walk
in darkness.
3. Here is One wonderful in power, all exercised for
the protection and good of such as love and trust him.
Earth, sea, and air, diseases and death, obey his bidding.
Devils tremble, angels minister, the heaven opens, and
the earth quakes at the sound of his voice.  See the
loaves, the fish, the lepers, the blind, the dead, all at
his control.  Wonderful power! and all waiting on the
wants of mortals.
4. And all this you reject, O ye thoughtless sinners.
This is he whom you crucify afresh, O ye backsliders.
Will you do it still?
5. This wonderful One we are about to remember at
his table. Will you go away, 0 ye who profess to love
him?
S ERMON.
JESUS THE BEAUTIFUL.
"lHe is altogether lovely-Songs v.: 16.
The topic suggested by these words, as usually understood, is the beauty of the character of Jesus.  We:
shall inquire,
I.  What constitues beauty or loveliness?
19




218                   LIFE OF
II. What renders the character of Jesus beautiful?
I. What constitutes beauty or loveliness?
To this we reply, in general terms, that the chief
elements of beauty seem to be, 1st, Harmony; 2d,
Usefulness.
1. For any thing or person to be beautiful, it, or he,
or she, must be in harmony with itself, or himself, or
herself.  Ill face, in form, in gait, in manners, if there
be want of harmony, there is want of beauty. It is
harmony of each part with the whole, and of all parts
with each other, that constitutes the beauty of architecture, of painting, of music, of sculpture, and,
2. It must be in harmony with all around it, or with
the Universe.  The architecture, the music, the painting, must be in the right place, and at the right time,
or beauty is sacrificed.  Merry music at a funeral, or a
dirge at a wedding, would not be in harmony with circumstances, and so would not be beautiful. Each of
two men wrought a figure to stand on an eminence.
When seen on the ground, the one received the praise;
when elevated to the intended height, it was given to
the other. The beauty was in the adaptation to place.
So actions which are beautiful in a child, would be
any thing but lovely in old age.  So in oratory and
preaching, adaptation is beauty.  So in style.  " It is
true, by the Gods," is beautifully earnest. But to see
" a passion torn to tatters" over a trifle, —
" Ocean into tempest tossed
To waft a feather or to drown-a fly,"
how absurd, how offensive to good taste, how destitute
of beauty!  So the beauty of the body is having all




MAiRTIN CHENEY.                219
the members harmonise-having the head, the" feet,
&c. just where they should be and just as they should
be.  So the beauty of the mind is in its rightful balance; the judgment, the passions, and all other powers
in their rightful place, and wielding their rightful den
gree of power.  So the beauty of society, ftom  the
family upward, consists in its harmony-each member
being in its place.
So then harmony, proportion, fitness, is an element
of beauty, in things, persons, actions.  So God's worlds
are beautiful; they move in harmony, showing the
happy balancing of forces.
2. The second element of beauty is usefulness,
When God created this world, he pronounced it good,
very good. The bud and the blossom are beautiful, as
they give promise of fruit.  We are terrified at power
without wisdom to direct it; we shrink from skill without goodness, —for we feel that we are in danger.
There is then no beauty of characterjwithout goodness; and the beauty of moral character is holiness.
Hence there is nothing really and truly beautiful that is
not good, or that does not tend to good.
II.  What renders the character of Jesus Christ beautiful?
1. Much has been said of the beauty of his person;
but of this there is no solid evidence.  The beauty of
Jesus is the beauty of character; and he will be found
beautiful in proportion as he is found in harmony with
his relations, in harmony with his declarations, and in
harmony with his mission.




220                 LIFE OF
Let us look at the relations he sustained.
He was God's only begotten, appearing in the forn
and authority of God.  Did he sustain the dignity of
that relation?  Did he do so on the banks of Jordan?
Did he do it in the wilderness in his conflict with the
tempter? Did he in the temple?  Did he when confronting the Lawyers, Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians?
Did he when teaching on the mountain? Did he in
the garden?  Did he before the bar of Pilate? Did
he on the cross?  Did he on the third day as he arose
from  the dead? Did he when a cloud received him
up out of sight into heaven?  Was there a word or act
in all his life that was inconsistent with his lofty origin?
Not one.
Look at him in his relation to the law of God, ceremonial and moral.  Perfect harmony is here likewise.
The law was in his heart.  He magnified and made it
nonorable.  Look at him in his relations to men. How
did he act towards his parents? See his obedience to'
them, and his care of his mother.  His brothers and
sisters, did he disown them? How did he act toward
the suffering? His eyes filled with tears at their woe,
and virtue went out all around from him, to heal and
bless.  How toward the guilty penitent? Go and sin
no more.  How toward his enemies?  Rebukes them
sharply; weeps over them; prays for them; dies for
them.
2. Was he in harmony with his declarations? Who
ever entangled him in his talk into an inconsistency?
Who ever caught him in an untruth? The beauty of
truth shone clear in him; for he -was the truth.




MARTIN CHENEY.                   22
3. Was he in harmony with his mission?  He came
to seek and to save; and when and where did he turn
aside from  this great work?  Did Satan seduce or
frighten him in the wilderness?  Did the Herodians at
Jerusalem entice him to seek a crown? Did toil weary
him of his work?  Did he faint utterly in the garden,;
or quail at the mob?  Did he show any weakness before Pilate?  Did he falter when the hour and powers
of darkness were all around him; when friends forsook
and a disciple denied?  Did he repent of his undertaking when crowds reviled him, wagging their heads.?
Did his conduct in these trying scenes harmonize with
his teachings and mission?  Did he, like thousands,
disavow his declarations and compromise his principles?
No. No.  He scorns to save himself by treachery.
"' Thou sayest that I am a King;" " To this end was
I born," are the frank confessions to Pilate.
Behold in all these scenes the beauty of unbending
integrity, uncompromising fidelity, unshrinking firmness, unwearied patience, and unconquerable love,
" Here his whole name appears complete;
Nor wit can guess, nor reason prove,
Which of the letters best is writ,
The Power, the Wisdom, or the Love."
Here is seen in its full proportions his character, and
it is truth and goodness incarnate, it is indeed beautiful, very beautiful, —" altogether lovely."
19




-222                 LIFE OF
S ER MON.
IMPORTANCE OF ADHERING TO OUR CONVICTIONS OF DUTYe
" Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee."
Daniel vi: 1 G.
Note Daniel's character, condition, and conduct. Its
immediate effect; upon the King; upon his enemies.
1. Such adherence as this is the only ground of inward peace.  We are so constituted that a violation of
a law is followed with pain.  If a physical law, the effeet is physical pain; if a moral law, it is moral pain.
This moral pain involves the loss of self respect; it
implies the condemnation of the conscience, for it cannot be destroyed, and there are times when its voice
will be heard.  And this agrees with the assurance,-' There is no peace to the wicked."
2. It exerts a most happy influence upon the character. It makes its virtues grow strong, its courage enlarge, its moral power multiply. Its absence, on the
other hand, leaves one with no fixed principles. He
has no settled standard, and hence no fixedness of purpose.  He becomes all things to all men, in a most
vicious sense.  His object being his own pleasure or
profit, he can never be trusted.  Trying to please all,
he pleases none.  God made him a man, and he has
made himself a slave.
3. It is the only method of obtaining more light respecting truth and duty.  " Then shall ye know if ye




MiARTIN CHENEY.223
follow  on to know  the Lord."  " He that followeth
me shall not walk in darkness." These assurances, as
well as our own observation, show the dependence of
light upon fidelity.
4. It attracts attention to the truth and to its advocates.  The virtue of fidelity is seldom left unnoticed.
Heaven, earth and hell gaze on the faithful soul.  See
Job.  He was the observed of God, of Satan, of his
human enemies and friends.  It has been so with all
such characters in and out of scripture.  Examples.
5. It advances the cause of truth. Truth, in a fair
contest, is always the victor.  The great difficulty is to
present it fairly, and let it be seen as it is.  Falsehood
resorts to mobs, and fines, and faggots, and the inquisitionl; and what is this but the confession of her moral
weakness?
6. It restrains the wicked. Herod heard John gladly,
and feared him when dead. So vice is always troubled
in the presence of such high virtue.
7. It lays the foundation for great good in the future-a good whose magnitude justifies any cost to
which fidelity may be subjected. The virtue may, perhaps, be sneered at, at the time, but it is reverenced
afterward, and inspires multitudes to practice it.  See
Job's patience, M [oses' meekness, Abraham's faith,
Christ's life, teachings and death.
8. By contrast, it shows the evils of the opposite
course.  See the mother of harlots, once the Bride of
Christ! How came she thus?  See the great ecclesiastical organizations, becoming the bulwarlk of Slavery.
Whence is this?  See the United States' Constitution




224                 LIFE OF
guaranteeing support to despotism. How came it there?
Why has **** a sword in his hand, and a Colonel's
commission in the Massachusetts Volunteers, who once
contended for the inviolability of human life?  Why
does ~****  present that sword to a military chieftain,
after having written a Prize Essay on. Peace? Why
does- **** justify fighting in Rhode-Island, after having once, before the public, solemnly committed himself to the cause of peace? We will not judge the
heart, but fear that fidelity here may have been wanting.
This rule violated, makes sinners, and fills perdition.
This rule kept, makes angels.  This rule adopted by a
sinner, is conversion.
APPLICATION.
1. We see the seal of reprobation set on the doctrine of expediency; viz: That we may do evil that
good may come.
2. We see the power of truth. Truth uttered faithfully, lived faithfully, is eternal and mighty.
3. We see the method in which reforms progress.
The leaders are sacrificed; but in after years their
ashes are gathered with reverence.
4. We need the strength of God in the day of
trouble.




MARTIN CHENEY.                  225
S ERM ON.
THE BETTER COUNTRY.
"But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly."]!ebrews xi.: 16.
I.  What is meant by country?
It. What by the better country?
III.  Why is it a better country?
IV.  WYho will enjoy that better country?
V.  Reflections.
I. What is meant by country?
1.  Country is the place of one's birth.
2.  Our place of residence, or our adopted place of
residence.
3.  Thinly settled; not abounding in cities.
4.  Earth, —in distinction from heaven.
II.  What by the better country?
1.  The land of promise, or Canaan, which Israel
sought through the forty years' journey in the wilderness.
2.  The rest that remains for the people of God,which Canaan typified.
III.  WVhy is it a better country?
1.  It is ftee from  physical evils,-Poverty, dishonor, shame, persecution, sickness, painful separations,
death.
1st. There is no War with its fields of blood, sacked
cities, and its unutterable horrors.  2d. No Slavery




226                   LIFEOF
with its untold abominations; its whips, its gags, its
coffles and prisons, its blood-hounds and infantry to
hunt down flying bondmen. No Slave Ships from
whose holds human beings are taken to feed sharksmore merciful than man. No' land of steady habits' to
refuse the colored man his rights.  No United States'
Constitution, or Court, or Officer, to return the fugitive
slave.  3d. No drunkards or drunkard-makers, to go
through the land followed by a train of woes.
2. It is free from intellectual disease. No insanity;
no such defects in the reasoning powers as makes the
soul the victim of dangerous and destructive errors.
3. The body and intellect are free from weariness.
They shall not tire in their action, shall not lose their
force in the toil to which they shall be dedicated.
4.  It is free from moral evils.  There are no Godhaters; no Jesus Christ-haters; no man-haters; no
malice and rage; no covetous, no seducers.
Those holy gates forever bar
Pollution, sin and shame;
And none will gain admittance there,
But followers of the Lamb."
0, it is better, far better, than this country we now
inhabit.
But again it is better, because,
1st. There is greater knowledge.  2d. There is
greater, more intense, love. 3d. The society is of the
highest, purest kind.  4th. It far exceeds in beauty all
that we have ever seen below. 5th. It excels in music.
Justice and mercy, righteousness and peace, harmonize,
and their blended utterance is full of melody. 6th. It




MAi:RTIN CHENEY.              227
is more extensive. Its fields of glory we can never
explore; its sources of wisdom we can never exhaust.
7th. It is permanent. It will be home, sweet home,
always forever home; our and our Father's home.
IV. Who will enjoy it?
1. The pure in heart.
2. The poor in spirit.
3. Those persecuted for righteousness' sake.
4. The penitent.
5. The believing.
6. The obedient.
RE MARKt S.
1. We are all citizens of one great country, and
that country is the world; and our countrymen are all
mankind. We have all one blood, one Father, one
Savior, one Judge.
2. There is a better country, and we may enjoy it;
a heavenly, a prepared country; and into that shall be
gathered the citizens of every earthly land, whose
hearts are fitted for the heavenly inheritance.
3. That which is often called patriotism, is treason
against God, a trampling upon the second commandment, a crusade against the government of heaven.
4. The prejudices we have against men of other
lands and colors is anti-bible, anti-christian, antidheaven.




%28                  %IFE OF
S E R M O N.
MAKING KNOWN GOD.
"Whoin therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto
you." —Acts xvii.: 23.
In these words we note,
I.  That there is a great fact stated.
II. There is a great duty involved.
The fact is that men ignorantly worship an unknown
God. The duty is that of making known to all men
the character of the true God.
The fact implies,
1.  That there is a great Supreme Being.  All races
of men are impressed with this idea; Idol worship in
all its forms implies this.  Why are all men disposed
to worship, if it be not so that there is a great Being
Wvho made the heart conformable to this service? In
the religious rites which are adopted, savage and civilized nations give their testimony to this great first
truth.  They find it written out on the face of the
heavens and earth. It is imaged in man's organic structure, and daguerreotyped on his heart.
2. It implies- also that man has a capacity for perceiving and feeling that there is a God.  The fool hath
said, and may still say, there is no God; yet a voice
shall be heard within, troubling the thoughts as did the
hand-writing on the wall. He has windows to his soul,
and he has hard work to keep them shut. Phrenology,
consciousness, and observation, prove this.




MART IN CHENEY.                 229
3, It is implied that this Being can be known.
That is, his existence and character and will may be
known; nothis essence. By searching, we cannot find
out God in this last sense.  Nothing but an infinite
mind could grasp an infinite mind.  But it is possible
that very much should be learned of him.
If there be a God, he is certainly able to make beings capable of apprehending him.  Hie will also be
disposed to be known; for we can hardly conceive of
an intelligent being who does not cherish this desire.
A'id the fact that beings exist, endowed with a nature
ever turning itself to the idea of a God, proves God's
disposition to be known.
But how is this to be done?
Ist. By the things that he has made.  These thli"ngs
declare him.  So says David.  "The heavens declare
the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his
handy work."  So says Paul.  " The invisible things
of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made." Old
Ocean, with its hoary locks, and its wild bass in the
anthem of nature, speaks of him.  So do the mountains of granite, the vast prairie. the volcano, the,
tempest, the earthquake, the mighty heavings of material forces; the vast, the grand, the sublime; the:
voice of Niagara. The beautiful things of earth and
sky, scenes, colors, sounds.  The useful materials for
food and raiment; nan, and his capabilities; thei
senses and their uses; the intellect and its powers; the
moral sense with its clear dictations of right; "the
human face divine," that mirror of the soul, showing;
20




230                  LIFE OF
its features to others; all these declare HilMm, who is the
great Master-soul, the Maker of all.
2d. By the teachings of his Spirit.  Holy men of
old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,
This is lproved by the testimony of those who have had
this revelation; by miracles, signs, and wonders, which
God did by them, and by predictions which were fulfilled.
3d. By the teachings of his Son.  " God-hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his Son."  And he
is the great, the reliable Teacher, above all others.
"' No man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to
whom the Son shall reveal him."
4th. It is implied that men may and do mistake the
character and will of God, and so ignorantly worship.
This is clear from the text, and from facts.  Pagans,
Jews, Mohammedanls, Christians, cannot all be correct
in their views of God; much less can all the various
sects among these. The God of Calvin, and of Arminius, in his character and will, must be somewhat
different. It is so of Arius and Augustine, or of Trinitarian and Unitarian.
5th, It implies that there is a cause or reason why
men ignorantly worship. 1st. This fault is not in God;
for he has revealed himself most clearly. 2d. The
fault is in man, when there is fault, for there may be
ignorance in a greater or less degree, even where there
is very high honesty of heart. Yet even this shall have
proceeded originally from some violation of the divine
law.  3d. But the great primary cause is, men have
"not liked to retain God in their knowledge;" they




MARTIN CHENEY.                  23
have " loved darkness rather than light; " they have
been " blinded by the God of this world."
II.  The duty involved, is,
1. To obtain correct views of God; so that the
Being whom we worship shall not be some great (Unknown, some vast abstraction, but a reality.
2.  To make known Him  who is true to all our
race.  0, what a work is here, for the pulpit, the Sabbath School, for every sphere where we may gain access to the minds of mortals 
APP LI C AT I ON.
1. Is not this a glorious Being we have declared
unto you?  It is the God of nature, of the bible, of
mani, of the universe; the pure and living God.  It is
no partial, sleeping Deity; but powerful, wise, and
good.
2. Multitudes worship an unknown God.  The
Greeks had an altar erected, and thus inscribed.  But
all who worship any other than the true God, worship
Gods unknown.  Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Bacchus, were
worshipped of old, but they were all imnaginary, as are
many of the divinities of the present time.  They do
so who worship a God without mercy, justice; who is
partial or terrible as a grim idol, or as passionate and
weak as themselves.
3.  Will not those ignorant worshippers rise up in
judgment against us, if we, in our higlher knowliedge,
do not worship at all?




232                 nLIFE OF
4.  We may see the wretchedness of those who
worship false or imaginary deities.  The soul is consta.ntly crying out for a divinity, bat finds it not.
5.  We may see the tendency there is in us to make
God like ourselves. Men seek thie sanctions of religion:for whatever they resolve not to abandon; and so we
have a War God, a Man-Eating, or a Man-Stealing
God.
SERMON.
THE VISIT TO THIE MiOUNTo
"4 It is good for us to be here." —2ictt. xYii..: 4.
Two questions present themselves.
I.  Was this declaration true?
II. If so, why?
I.  It was true.
1.  Not because the Apostles were always correct in
their opinions or actions.  See Peter and Paul at Antioch, and Paul and Barnabas whea they parted.  But
it was true,
1.  Because they.were led or directed there by their
Master.'" Jesus take tl  Peter and James and Jolhn his
brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain
apart."  It is always good to be where the Master tells
us to be.  In heaven all are where he tells themn to be,
and doilng what he tells them to do.
2.  Because they saw the glory of their Master. ie
was transficgured before them.  He stood revealed in




MARTIN CHENEY.                   233
the brightness of his Father's glory.  It was good to
see this.
3.  Because they heard the Almighty Father's voice,
ratifying and sealing the mission of his Son.  "This
is my beloved Son, in whom  I am well pleased: hear
ye him."  It was good to hear this.  It was adapted
to strengthen their faith; to send them  down more
confident in their Master and their work.
4.  Because they saw and heard Moses and Elias;
thus having the highest assurance of a spiritual world.
5. Because they heard Moses and Elias and Jesus
converse respecting the death of Jesus. Surely it was
good to hear about that which was so important, and
which they would afterward understand more fully.
In short, it is good to be where, 1st. The highest
authority utters its voice; where the highest truths are
announced; 2d. The great Exemplar is pointed out;
3d. The glory of the opening future is seen.:t Tl1e opening heavens around us s}Sne,
With beams of sacred bliss."
APP LI C ATION.
1.  We see the value of a preached Gospel.  The
highest authority is there; the great Exemplar is there;
the glory that eye hath not seen is there.
2.  The value of the Scripture record. The highest
truths are there.
3. - The value of the Conference Meeting.  it is
good to be there, to talk over the great truths revealed
on the mount..9.




.234                LIE OF
4. The value of meditating upon, and understanding the death of Christ.
5. It is good to be where God would have us be;
to hear what God would have us hear; to do what
God would have us do.
6. It is sometimes good to be where it is not good
to stay.  Peter did not see this, and so said, "Let us
mnake here three tabernacles." It is good to be at meeting, but not good to stay always.  It is good to labor,
but it is also good to rest.
7. It is often good to be where we would have
thought it not good to be; to suffer what we think is
not good to suffer.
The following Sermon is founded on the same incident as the former; and among other things it will
serve to show the various uses he made of the same
passage.  It has been often said by himself and others,
that it was almost impossible for him  to repeat a sermon, even when having before him the same outline.
The same general thoughts he could, of course, present
a second time, but the specific impressions left on his
audience would vary widely.  Only a few of the ideas
in the former discourse will be found repeated here.




S E RMO N.
THE GREAT CONFERENCE.-TEXT, Luke, ix.;  28-35.
The Conference described here was not great in its
numbers; for it consisted of only six members-half
the number that afterward assembled in the upper
room. In this respect it did not compare at all with
the gathering on the day of Pentecost, when more than
three thousand listened to the sermon of Peter.  A little
handful. surely, yet we think it was great,
1. It was great in the character of those who composed it.  MosEs was very great in his possession of the
learning and wisdom  of the Egyptians; he was great
in his position; in his nearness to God, as he approached him face to face in the mount; and especially was
he great in his choice to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than *to enjoy the pleasures of sin.
Look at him as he stands before the bush that he may
be prepared to stand before Pharaoh.  Look at him as
he stands with the mysterious rod, stretched out,-the
emblem of coming wrath or of coming mercy.  See the
magicians quail before him. Look at him as he stretches
out )his hand towards heaven to implore mercy on his
foes.  Look at him as he descends from the Mount of
God) his face all radiant with the glory caught in that
sacred comnmunion with Jehovah.  See him, at the age
of 120 years, his eye not dim and his natural strength
not abated, ascending the mount to see the goodly land,




236                 LIFE OF
and then laid to rest by his Maker. Ile is one of this
great conference.
Another is Elijah or Elias. It was he who confronted
alone four hundred and fifty of the priests of Baal, and
proved them liars. See him boldly taunt them with
their folly. Look at him as he builds the altars and has
the water poured upon them.  Look at him in his
prayerful might, as rain is withheld and rain given at
his request, and as fire comes down at his call. See him
as with his mantle he smites Jordan, and piles the waters in a heap. See him in a splendid chariot of fire as
he rises to heaven, while Elisha cries out,- " My Father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof!"
He too is on the Mount, as one of this great conference.
The great heads of the legal and prophetical dispensations are there.
But the representatives of the new dispensation are
there also. There is bold Peter, who first answered
" Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God,"that declaration which was the rock for the foundation
of the church.  The zealous James and loving John,
sons of Zebedee were also there.
And then the son of Mary, the Nazarene, the great
prophet of Nazareth was there. He of whom bards had
sung with rapture, was there. He of whom Moses in
the law and prophets did write, was there. The Shiloah of Jacob was there. The wonderful, the counsellor, was there. The stem and rod of Jesse was there.
David's Lord and son was there. He of whom the angels
had sung in Bethlehem was there. The opener of eyes
and ears was there.  There he stood, all clothed in




MARTIN  CHIENEY.                 237
light, the Son of God, the chief corner stone uniting
the two dispensations; in himself the head over all
things to the church.
And, finally, the Father was there, and his voice was
heard out of the beautiful cloud, saying;   This is is my
beloved Son."  Great in the character of its members
was this conference.
2. It was great in its subject of converse.  The glory
of God in the salvation of the world; peace on earth and
good will to men; the fulfilment of the law and the
prophets; the wonderful decease of Christ; his great
work and mission; the plan by which God could be just
and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus;these were the various features of that great subject
which called together that great conference.
3. It was great in its object.  We may suppose this
to be to make known to his disciples more clearly his
character and mission.  1st. He showed them that he
was greater than Moses or the prophets.  In this conference this was, clearly seen; his transcendant brightness and the voice from heaven clearly decided this.
And this was important, as may be seen in Peter's
strong attachment to Jewish rites.  2d. To show them
that the law and the prophets were closing their mission, and parting with their'authority; that a new dispensation was about commencing.  3d. To open before
themn a glimpse of heaven, or of the glorified state.
See his raiment, his countenance; it was somexwhat
like Paul's journey to the third heavens.  4th. In short
to prepare the three, who were to witness his death, to
stand firm and trustful, not staggering through unbelief




238                 LIFE OF
at the promise of God, but to testify in faith, " This is
the Son of God." And so in after years, Peter says,
"We have not followed cunningly devised fables-but
were eye witnesses of his majesty."
4. It was great in its results.  It did impress them
deeply and favorably.  Peter exclaimed, "It is good
for us to be here."  It did strengthen their faith.  " We
heard him in the holy mount," was the decisive proof,
which was given to skepticism, of Jesus being the
Messiah.
APPLICATION.
I. We do well to ascend the mount for prayer and
meditation, apart, aside, alone, or with a few disciples.
It will be good to be there, especially if we take Moses
and the prophets with us, and Jesus to expound them.
Moses and the prophets to tell us what was and was to
be, and Jesus to tell us what is and is to be.
2. We are taught the transcendant character of the
Son of God.  Greater than Moses or Elijah, greater
even than angels.  Let us hear him reverently, according to the Father's direction.
3. We see how to have a profitable conference. Imitate Jesus in going up to commune with God; and
imitate the disciples in gazing on his glory, and listening to the words of God.
4. We see what it was that specially, deeply interested
them-the decease which he should accomplish at
Jerusalem.  This also is what should most deeply interest us.




MARTIN CIIENEY.                 239
S ERMON.
TI- LOOK 0F LOVE.' And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter." —Lutte xxii.: 61,
This was a wonderful look.  It had a wonderful
effect. There was a mighty power in it. It reached
Peter's head and heart; it touched his conscience and
opened the flood-gates of the soul; remembrance was
awakened and penitential tears began to flow.
It might perhaps be called a look of reproach, called
forth by the deep ingratitude which the disciple had
shown.  Or it might be called a look of wonder, if Jesus
who had foreseen and foretold this denial could feel
wonder. Or it might be regarded as a look of pity over
such weakness as had been disclosed.
It was a revealing look. It revealed the character of
Jesus, the heart of God, and the weakness and guilt of
man.  It revealed the interesting fact that the divine
and human can meet and do meet.
It was a look of love; and our topic will be, TnIE
LoOK OF LOVE.
I.  The eye that first beheld the earth rising from
its formless state into order and life, the beauty of the
beasts and birds and flowers, the first rising and setting sun, the moon in her brightness, the stars in their
grandeur, must have witnessed a most lovely appearance. Morning stars sang together, and the Sons of
God shouted for joy. Something looked on them and
they looked on something, and there was the look of love,




240                  LIFE oF 
Again. Adam slept. He awoke, and there stood before him one so like him and yet so unlike, bone of his
bone and flesh of his flesh;
-~' grace in her steps, heaven in her eye,
In every gesture dignity and love."
Adam looked on his heaven-formed bride, and it was
the look of love. Eve looked on the God-given bridegroom, and it was the look of love.  So when congenial
spirits meet at the bridal-altar, there is the look of love.
Behold the young mother gazing on her first born,
and there you shall see the look of love; and should
that babe be in danger, that look of love shall rise
almost to an agonizing intensity; still it is love's look.
Again. That was the look of love, when God gazed
on the world with that deep interest for its welfare that
gave his only begotten Son for its redemption.  See
that love embodied in Jesus weeping over Jerusalem,
and at the grave of Lazarus.'" 0 for tihislove let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break 1"
And this love looked out in the drapery of mourning
from the cross, when, in the form and words of compassion, it cried, " Father forgive them, for they know
not what they do.'"
And so that look appears when the love of God is
shed abroad in the heart; when the soul perceives the
lovelines of truth, and the beauty of holiness, then by
the soul's eye is the look of love discovered.  And how
shall it irradiate the countenances of the myriads that
no man can number, when, on the mount of heavenly
vision, they shall see Jesus as he is I




MAliTIN CHENEY.                 24i
II.  What is implied in this look?
1.  There is a source, origin, or cause, from whence
it springs. There is a heart in which it is generated,
and out from which it flowS, as a spring of living water.
Thus when we see the material world, with lovely face
beaming upon us, we know there is a source whence all
this beauty springs.  So when we see the moral being
all radiant with moral beauty, we know there is a fountain from which it flows up to our view. So when the
man face divine looks upon us in its sweetness, with
its look of love, we know that down in the depths of
the soul there is a flame of love that the waters cannot
quench.
2. It implies that there is a medium by which this
feeling is communicated.  What a wonderful power has
the human countenance to express the soul's emotions!
Let malice and rage-those fires of hell-be in the
soul, and how soon are they daguerreotyped on the
countenance! When Cain was wroth his countenance
fell. How the face will tell of the troubled sea that
cannot rest! But when peace and joy and love fill the
soul, it will be seen in the eye; the whole face shalt
glow with radiance. Let but the voice be heard, and
it shall harmonize with the soul as it gives out its look
of love.
It implies that this look has its uses; but these we
shall see if we note,
III. Its power.
1. It has a revealing power. It tells of the source of^
love. It leads us back till we come to Him who is said:
to be Love.  1st. Creation is one of God's looks of love..
21




242                    LIFE OF
2d. Redemption is another of these looks of love.  All
along while this plan is being developed, God's face of
love is seen looking out on us from the face of Jesus
Christ.  3d. It tells of the joys which the Father has
prepared for them that love him.  4th. It reveals our
relationship to God, to angels, to the good and the
pure. The look we see and the look we give tell who
we are and to whom we belong. 5th. It reveals true
happiness and how to obtain it.
2.  It has a transforming power.  "S Beholding with
open face as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are
changed into the same image, from glory to glory."
Like begets like.  Hence the proverb, " like priest, like
people;" that is, this is its tendency.  A look of love
has often produced a look of love where it had long
been a stranger.
3. It has a convincing power.  How that look, indicated in the text, convinced Peter!  It gives often
to the sword of the spirit its keenest edge.
4.  it has a reclaiming and subduing power. It lays
hold on every moral chord of the soul, it enters the
holiest of all in the human heart, and there pleads with
the eloquence of tears the cause of Jesus.  It melts the
soul iinto tenderness, and then says, "' return."
AP PPLICATION.
I. We learn the character of God.  " God is love;"
and his looks through Creation and Redemption are the
proofs,
2. Jesus is the lovely One.  In his moral character
we behold it. His love looks out in his life and death




MIARTIN CHENEY.                 %43
with great power to subdue.  0 sitnner, behold that
face; scan that look.  0 backslider, look at that countenance and let it melt you.
3.  We learn how to be happy.  We mnust be loving,
and we shall be beloved. An unloving being is wretched.
4.  We learn how to be useful.  Be filled with love.
This love fills God's heart, and so he creates and redeems.  This love fills the heart of Jesus, anid so lihe
works and dies.  This love filled Paul's heart, and so
he spends all cheerfully for the sake of Christ and of
sinners. It fills Luther, and he becomes nerved for the
battles of the truth.  It fills Howard, and he spends
fortune and life for the godd of the outcast and imprisoned.  Let it fill ours and our work shall be glorious.
5i. We learn the way to teach children. The look
arid the tone of love, prompted by the heart of love,
shall act on them with a magic force.
6.  To give this look in all its power, love  must fill
the soul.  The face is but the mirror, and the eye is
but the window of the soul; and so the look will show
its features and reflect its image.
S ERMO  N.
A RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
"H Iappy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope
is in the Lord his God."-Ps. cxlvi.: 5.
a "Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." —Prov. xvi.: 20.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not
now, but thou shalt know hereafter." —John xiii.: 7.
Happiness has been said by a poet to be the aimr and
end of our being.  Certain it is that all intelligent be



244                 LIFE OF
ilgs, from their very nature, desire and seek it.  This
implies that it is to some extent a lawful object of pursuit, and shows the importance attaching to the subject.
I. What is happiness?  It is enjoyment, more or
less full, complete, perfect.  To have physical, mental,
moral, and spiritual joy; to have all these departme nts
of our nature ministers of pleasure. This is to be happy.
II.  What are the conditions of human happiness?
1.  We must be ill harmony with ourselves.  Every
department and p(ower of our natures must be filling its
true sphere, exercising its just measure of authority,
and doing its appropriate work. The physical must
not be sacrificed to the mental, nor the mental to the
physical, nor the mnoral to either.
2. We must be in harmony with our neighbor. As
social beings we cannot be happy alone, nor indepehdent of the aid of others. God has said, " It is not good
for man to be alone;" and our nature and experience
attest to its truth.  And so he cannot be happy while
hating his neighbor.  He cannot spare his neighbor's
sympathy and confidence. The absence of this harmony with his neighbor fills the world with evil. See
the world as it has been; war, slavery, intemperance,
oppression; would any of these evils exist if the second
command had been kept?
3.  We must be in harmony with God, —with God's
character, will, law. word.  God's law or will is in
harmony with man's highest good; and so harmony
with himself and harmony with God mutually imply
each other.  By self wve do not mean his appetites,
passions, but his nature; what he was designed to be,




MART IN CHENEY.                245
and what he is capable of being. Now if man is in
harmony with God's law, physical, mental, and moral,
he is and must be happy. All beings are happy when
they are fulfilling the end of their existence.
III. What are the chief elements of this harmony
with self, neighbor and God?
1. Faith, trust, or confidence in God. If there be
a God he is all wise, all powerful, all good; and so he
is to be believed, trusted, confided in. As social beings
and dependent, it is impossible to be happy without
confidence. The child, the parent, the wife, the husband, the friend, the christian, find happiness here.
They wish some breast on which to lean, some heart
in which to confide. Look at the holy men of old
when tried, how they looked up in confidence to God
arnd grew peaceful and happy. Without faith happiness has no foundation, life no comfort.
2. A right heart-a good conscience. Without a
right heart no good conscience; and without this last
no happiness. A heart reproaching and condemning us,
a guilty conscience goading us, must destroy happiness.
3. iHope in God. All evils are bearable while hope
is among them; but without hope the heart breaks.
So the Scriptures set a high value on hope.' Hope
thou in God," cries the Psalmist addressing his soul, as
if assured that this would dissipate his sorrow. " Which
hope we have as an anchor of the soul."  " For a helmet the hope of salvation."  Hope is essential to happiness, for often its promise of something better in the
future is all the legacy left us. A wild, waste. howi-ling
wilderness would this world be without it.




246                  LIFE OF
4. Love to God and man; love to truth, goodness,
purity. Faith, hope, charity, or love, these three in
the soul, and happiness is the sure result. When these
three great principles are in full exercise in the soul,
then there is, 1st, a right heart; 2d, a good conscience;
3d, a meek, humble spirit; 4th, self-control; 5th, selfdenial; 6th, an obedient spirit.  Then in wishing all
happy, and in aiming to make all happy, we are happy.
IV. What proof is there that this is the true recipe?
1. Scripture testimony. The Old Testament says,
" IHappy is that people whose God is the Lord;" and the
New Testament says, "'happy are ye if ye do them."'
" Who shall harm you if ve be followers of that which
is good?"' Great peace have they that love thy law,
and nothing shall offend them."  " Fear not little flock,
for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
Kingdom."  "All things work together for good to
them that love God."
2. Scripture exalnples. Enoch and Elijah, Daniel,
Stephen, Simeon, John, Jesus.  They tell of joy unspeakable and full of glory; of peace like a river, passing all understanding.  " Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace."
3. Observation. Men of faith, hope, love, are the
happy ones.
4. Experience.  All who accept this recipe know
that happiness is the sure result.
5. Man's nature, relations, and faculties, all show
that, in order to be happy,. we must believe, must be,clear from guilt, must love God and keep his command-,ments. His nature can only thus be satisfied; his re



MARTIN CHENEY.                 247
lations can only thus be hollored; his duties can only
thus be performed.
APPLICATION.
1. We see one of the great, the almost universal, errors of men, viz: That riches bring happiness. They
dmay aid in increasing and diffusing happiness, but can
never create it.
2. Another error seen here is, that fame will make
one happy. A reputation resting on the popular opinion
is but a bubble on the stream, a vapor in the morning.
The fickle multitude may cry "6 Crucify him," before
the echoes of their " Hosanna" have died away on the
ear. In a word, we may see that happiness is not found
in the outward.
3. We see our duty. If unhappy, we should seek
to know the cause.  Why? why? why?  Is it thy
poverty?  Is it thy misfortune?  Think. Is it not
rather thy ambition? Does not thy soul long to be
greatest. Is it not thy temper unsubdued, and unrestrained? Is it not thy stubborn will that refuses to
bend to truth?  Thy proud mind that will not part
with its haughtiness? In a word, is not thy heart set
on the earth? Do you not sow to the flesh and look
for heavenly fruit? And then our duty is, 1st. To be
happy ourselves. 2d. To teach our children how to be
happy. 3d. To make all around us happy.
4. Who will take this recipe home -with theni and
apply it? Let me tell you, proud young man, vain
young woman, that your visions of happiness, founded
on outward things, will vanish like a dream, and make




248                  LIFE OF 
each year one of bitterer disappiontment, and deeper sorrow.  But take this recipe, and the thousand wishes
breaking, thoughtlessly and seriously, from the lips
about you, will be realized in the enjoyment of a " Happy New Year."
S ERMON.*
THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW.
"W.e ought to obey God rather than men." —Acts, v.: 29.
Let us seriously and thoughtfully ponder this answer
of the Apostle. Seriously, we say; for, if we mistake
not, we are called to decide the same question, at the
hazard of fine, imprisonment, if not of death.
I. Note first, that the authority to which they refused to yield, was the highest ecclesiastical authority
in Judea; and that they acted on the same principle
when commanded to abjure christianity by the Roman
powers, even to martyrdom.
II.  What is implied in these words?
1.. They do snot imply that Family Government
does not rightfully exist.  " Children obey your parents," is a divine command; but even this obedience
is required only in the Lord. We are not directly told,
in the New Testament, what means may be employed
— The date of this discourse is very nearly fixed by its subject,
object, and allusions.




MARTIN CHENEY.                249
to enforce this command.  The Mosaic code admitted
of life taking in Family Government.
2. They do not imply that there is no rightful
Church government. Such government exists, and has
its discipline marked out.  "Obey them that have the
rule over you," &c.
3. Nor do they imply the non-existence of Civil
Government.  " The powers that be are ordained of
God."  These are recognized by the Apostles, and
obedience to them enjoined in all things not contrary
to God's law; and submission to their penalties when
refusing to obey, is likewise required.
But these words do imply,
i. That God is the supreme Ruler, Lawgiver, and
Governor of individuals, families, churches, and nations. This is taught by Reason, by God's law, and
by his Son.
2. That God's law is universally binding on all his
rational creation; on men, angels, devils, churches, nations, courts, judges, juries, commissioners, congresses,
presidents, kings, emperors, and constitutions. This
higher law of the Most High God, is always and every
where paramount.
3. That any law or statute which contravenes the
law of God, is destitute of authority in the sight of
God, and should be treated as null and void;- treated
as Daniel treated the edict of Darius; treated as Shadrach treated the edict to bow down and worship the
image; treated as the Apostles treated the requirements
of the Sanhedrim; treated as the Son of God treated




200                 LIFE OF
the propositions of Satan. It should be said to such
a law, " Get thee behind me."
4. That men are individually responsible to God
for their conduct.  We must give account of ourselves
to God. And, of course, all are to judge for themselves how far they can rightfully obey Church or
State.
5. That unqualified obedience to God's law  is
binding, under all circumstances, in view of all consequences, and in spite of all threatened penalties. That
law is never suspended.
If these propositions be true, then may we not answer a question of deep interest that thrills the hearts
of multitudes in the Free States; viz: What is our
duty in reference to the Fugitive Slave Bill recently
made a law by the United States' Congress? and what
is the duty of the Fugitive Slave?
(Here give the Law, and indicate how it is usually
understood. )
Its aim is to recover the fugitive, whose manhood
prompts him to run the fearful risks of an attempted
escape. It involves the wicked, heaven-defying claim
of property in man; and it requires of all good citizens to recognize that claim and endorse it.
It demands that we aid the Slaveholder in robbing
our brother of his inalienable rights.
It demands of us to crucify conscience, to stultify
reason, and act as though the slave was a beast.
It requires us to put in peril the liberty of every
citizen in the North.
It forbids us to obey the Golden Rule.




MARTIN CHENEY.                 251
It forbids us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked,to do what if we refuse to do we peril our souls.
And now is it asked, what is our duty?
1. To refuse obedience to the law.
2. To testify against the law.
3. To mark and rebuke those who support the law,
and especially the masters in Israel.
4. To exert ourselves in all proper and moral forms
to secure the repeal of the law.
5. To remember and pray for its poor proscribed
victims.
6. To help the panting fugitive, and aid him in
reaching a place of safety from the bloodhounds that
are on his track, and from the liabilities of being taken
back to his fearful prison-house.
Friends, here is the alternative. Which will you
obey, God or man? Jesus Christ or Congress? May
none of us sacrifice mercy, in the persons of God's
poor, to this monstrosity in civil legislation; and, at
last, meet the withering rebuke of Christ,- "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye
did it not to me."




2U2~ ~         LIFE OF
SE R M ON:
Addressed to Young Women.
THE ELEMIENTS OF FEMALE EXCELLENCE.
"Many dalughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them
all."-Prov. xxxi.: 29.
These words are a portion of a most interesting description of a virtuous woman. They are the words
of King Lemuel, which his mother taught him. But
who was Lemuel?  This is unknown.  "Certainly,
not Solomon,'" says Dr. Clark.  The description is
written in the Acrostic form. The text is supposed
to be the utterance of the husband of the woman,
whose character had just been given.
The woman here described, certainly sustained the
marriage relation; —yet she might be a young woman.
Paul teaches that young women should be instructed
to love their husbands. Be that as it may; since all
young women ought to be prepared to sustain with
honor and respect that and every other proper relation
into which they may be called to enter, I propose to
call the attention of the young women of this audience
to some things which I deem needful to form the character of a virtuous woman,-to constitute one of those
daughters which excel.
I. They should be intelligent.
1. Young women sustain many relations, from
which arise many duties. If ignorant of these rela



M ARTIN CHENEY.                9253
tions and duties, how can they honorably sustain the
one or perform the other? And if they fail here, they
fail, utterly fail, of securing the character indicated in
the text.
Every young woman sustains the relation of daughter; usually that of sister, and prospectively that of
wife, and mother. Ignorant of the duties connected
with these relations, she can never be the excellent
daughter, wife, or mother. For example; if she be
ignorant of the laws of health, then may she ruin her
own and that of those most dear to her. This may
be done by badly ventilated rooms, ill adjusted dress,
and badly prepared or improper food.
She should know what dress-is fit for herself, and
what is fit for her husband and children, if she have
them; and she should not only know what is fit, but
how to prepare and keep it in order.  She needs to
know the art of being neat-not simply of seemingo, to
be so-and of keeping others so about her.
She should know how to prepare food that is healthfill and savory. You may, perhaps, smile at these remarks, and be ready to curl your lip with scorn; but
let me say to you young women, in all seriousness,.
that, unless you have a knowledge of household duties, the language of the text can lever apply to you.
Neglect these admonitions you may, but it will be. at
the hazard of one day weeping as did an accomplished
lady, because she could not make good bread. Your
face may be beautiful, your form elegant, your voicesweet, your reading extensive, your performances on
the Piano inimitable; but poor bread from month to,




254                 LIFE OF
month will spoil it all. Fathers, mothers, husbands,
children, need good bread.
2. Yoaung women have minds, intellect, mental faculties, as well as physical. Hence the need of knowing what those faculties are, their use, the conditions
of their improvement; and without such knowledge
you can never excel.
3. Young women have social relations. God has
said, 1" It is not good for man to be alone."  True, this
marriage relation is-optional. But the finger of God
points so clearly in one direction, that we have little
doubt of his will.
How much knowledge is needed here; and yet how
shrouded in darkness and ignorance is this subject,
This relation, so full of importance, and so fruitful of
wide and lasting consequences, is entered into with the
strangest thoughtlessness; and wretchedness, misery,
woe, and premature death-yea, even to the third and
fourth generation-are the results. If in any earthly
relation young women need knowledge, it is here.
But who shall utter a warning voice? Fathers aind
mothers, sons and daughters, seem to treat the marriage
institution as a great speculation, deceiving and being
deceived. He that hath ears to. hear let him hear.
Young women, enter not this relation till you know' its
duties, and can and mean to fulfil them.
In their social intercourse young women should know
what is meant by good manners, good behaviour, the
treatment of all with courtesy.
4. Yolung womeh have souls —have the moral
sense; atd so sustain moral relations.  They have a




MARTIN CHENEY.                  255
Creator, a Redeemer, and should understand their obligations to them.  They have a soul relation to all the
human family, and hence are bound to love their neighbors as themselves.
In short, they should know their physical wants and
how to supply them; what their social needs are, and
how to supply those needs; what their moral nature
needs and how to supply those needs.  They shotld
know their relations and obligations to God; their relations and obligations to their neighbor; the value and
importance of time and influence; what they should
be and what they should do. All this their intelligence,
if it be what it ought to be, will teach them; and all
this ignorance will hide from them.
iI. Female excellence requires the possession of a
good moral and christian character. The elements of
such a character you will find specified in Phil. iv.: S.
Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely,and
of good report. These principles must be set like gems
in your moral nature,-Daguerreotyped on the heart.
Then will you be Kings' daughters indeed, all glorious
within; and a beautiful moral character will be the resuit. When such a character as this is developed, there
will be seen a virtuous woman, excelling even the Jewvish matron.  Such, of course, will be meek, mild, tender, pitiful, courteous, compassionate, making garments
like Dorcas, weeping and breaking the costly box like
Mary, last at the Cross, and earliest at the Sepulchre,
doingwhat they can in Mercy's cause, like the Frys
and the Dixes-'sisters of charity' indeed.  Their
motto will be that furnished by the singing anels,



256                  LIFE OF' Glory to God in the highest, on earth Peace, good
will to men.'
III. The female character can never attain its proper
development, unless the temper be properly cultivated
and controlled.  An uncontrolled temper destroys happiness, and mars character in all; but is peculiarly offensive in young -women-daughters, sisters, mothers.
It utterly unfits for the performance of any duty as it
should be done. Sweetness of disposition will atone
for many, very many, outward defects, but no excellence will atone for a bad temper.  With a sweet disposition, a young woman becomes the desired one of
every circle, bringing light, joy, and happiness, in her
train. She brings a wealth above gold or rubies; a
joy which no beauty could bestow.
Such an one lightens the infirmities of age, and
stamps her beauteous spirit on childhood's tender heart.
On her tongue truly is the law of kindness, and where
she goes she scatters moral sunshine in her path.
"Blessed temper, meek and mild,
Docile as a little child."
Such sweetness of spirit would I have all the young
women possess.
Need I present a picture of the opposite, ill-natured,
violent, passionate, unreasonable, impatient, fretful,
spirit? Alas, for those who possess, and those who are
obliged to endure such a temper as this!
IV. Another thing needed to form a character for
excellence like that in the text, is Industry. Such was
the virtuous woman of King- Lemuel.  She was no




MARTIN CHENEY.                  7
idler, no gossip, no tale-bearer; but she put her hand
to the work. She made'footprints on the sands of
time.' Her influence was felt.  She was a busy body,
not in others' matters, but in her own duties. No inldolent, lazy young woman, can ever win the prize of
excellence.
V. But to be what we ought to be, that must be
done which oug ht to be done. Our duties must not
only be known, but performed, and performed nowto-day.
Our duty to ourselves, body, mind, and soul, must
be done.
Our duty to our children, husbands, fathers, neighbors, &c., must be done.
Our duty to our God and Savior must be done.
Our time must be improved, and our influence exerted.
In fitting ourselves for life's great work and heaven's
great rewards, work is to be done.
Among those duties let me allude to a few.
1. Be decided. Let no consideration induce you to
act contrary to your convictions. Follow not the multitude to do evil.
2. Be careful of your associations, your compan.
ions. Give no countenance to the immoral of either
sex. Remember your character is too valuable to be
trifled with. Give no countenance to a young man of
licentious or dissipated habits, and be not deceived by
professions.  It is possible to smile and smile and be a
villain.
3. Avoid corrupting books. All fictionr is not injurious, but novels in general are trash, or worsXe,




258                LIFE OF
4. Beware of corrupting amusements. The Circus,
the Theatre, &c., are generally of this character.
There may be some good there, perhaps, but, in order
to get it, you run too much risk. Young people have
their parties and plays; they may or may not be innocent. Let your amusements be rational; not childish
or immoral.
5.' Night associations, night company keeping, and
late hours, are bad. They are evil, and tend to evil as
do almost all works of darkness. A word to the wise
is sufficient. In any association where you may be, if
anything immoral is introduced, leave it instantly, if
possible. Make no compromise with sin.
6. Is it needful for me to urge the misery and woe
which the strange woman-the opposite of the virtuous
woman-brings on herself and others? There is no
deep more profound than that to which the viciouls
woman descends. No misery more keen than that
which she feels. No influence more contaminating,than hers. She is a moral malaria, breeding death
wherever she goes. Let young women avoid every
avenue which would lead to such a character and end
as this. May the young women of this congregation
be saved from any such fate.
7. -Do you wish to be loved? I know you do;'loved permanently, to be worthy of being loved, loved'forever; loved by father, mother, brother, sister, hus-'band, children, friends; loved by Jesus, by your Heavenly Father. Then be lovely, be virtuous. If you
izish to be despised, scorned, hated, now and ever



MARTIN CHENEY.                259
which I know you do not-then be idle and vicious,
obstinate and ill-tempered.
In short, motives high, deep, wide, strong, urge you
to be what you should be. I` Educate the mothers,"
said the Indian Chief. "What shall be done for
France?" asked Napoleon of Madame De Stael. "Give
her mothers," was the reply. Let the young women
make themselves what they may be and ought to be,
and the mothers we shall have; and having them we
shall have husbands and fathers and children. Many
a moral desert would bud and blossom as the rose, and
countless thousands rise up gratefully in the good time
coming, and say; "Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all."




260                 LIFE OF
CHAPTER XIIi.
DISCOURSE S.
It has already been stated that Mr. Chteney's public
discourses were seldom  written.  In the last years of
his life, he was induced to write more than formerly:;
and we have a few discourses from his pen which were
fully written out by his own hand before their delivery.
The two Essays which follow, were prepared for the
Rhode-Island Ministers' Meeting, consisting principally
of Freewill Baptist Ministers, who had united for the
purpose of securing mutual improvement. The exercises consisted, chiefly, of reading and criticising Essays on the various moral and religious topics which
were, from time to time, selected and assigned to the
members. They are among the latest of his productions.
E S SAY.
THE ATONEMENT.
"Were the sufferings of Christ in the Atonement
vicarious?"
On this question we remarkl
I. "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save




MARTIN CHENEY.                261
sinners."  Such is the record of the New Testament.
His advent was announced by a Star before unseen,
and heaven's minstrelsy over the plains of Judea. The
wise men's mission, a troubled king and city, were
harbingers of his approach. A stern voice was heard
in the wilderness, crying;-" Prepare ye the way of
the Lord, make his paths straight."  On the banks of
Jordan was seen the emblem of the spirit, and the
voice of the Most High was heard, saying,-" This is
mny beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." That
heaven's power and goodness had come to earth, was
attested by the opening of the eyes of the blind, the
unstopping of the ears of the deaf, by the loosened
tongues of the dumb, the leaping of the lame, and the
raising of the dead. That wondrous wisdom had come
to earth, might be known by the listening thousands
who hung on the lips of Jesus, and wondered at the
gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. Truly
the Light and Life were manifested;-the Son of God
had come into the world.
II. We note that such a Being had been announced
and anticipated. Jacob spoke of a Shiloh, Moses of a
Prophet, and Isaiah of a God with us, of the Wonderful, and of the Lamb; and Malachi of the Messenger
of the Covenant.
III. We note that the Prophets announced that he
would be a sufferer. Isaiah speaks of his face being
marred, of his being wounded, bruised, despised, rejected, and of the Lord's laying on him the iniquity
of us all. He announced himself that he should, must,
and ought to suffer; that he should be taken by wickl



262                  LIFE OF
ed hands and slain; and speaks of laying down his
life and of giving his life a ransom for all.
IV.  We note that he did suffer.  He was reviled,
persecuted, slandered, betrayed and scourged. He was
mocked and nailed to the cross.  " He was obedient
unto death."
V. The Apostles testify that he suffered. Paul says
died —for our sins.  Peter says he died the just for the
unjust; he bore our sins in his own body on the tree.
The Spirit is represented as testifying of the sufferings
of Christ; and Paul speaks of filling up of the sufferings of Christ. And the writer of the Epistle to the
Hebrews speaks of the Captain of our salvation being
made perfect through sufferings.  His agonies, his
groans, his wounds, tell us that he did suffer.  Heaven
and earth attested to this.
VI.  We note that the scripture record is that he suffered for us.  It says wounded for our sins, bruised for
our iniquities.  By his stripes we are healed, says Peter,
quoting Isaiah, who says, the Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all.  Peter says, bore our sins in his own
body on the tree. Paul says, whom God hath set forth
to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare
his righteousness-for the remission of sins.  John says
he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only,
but for the sins of the whole world. Paul speaks of redemption through his blood. Peter speaks of being
redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. The blood
of Christ cleanseth, says John. Shedding of blood, and
giving life, and dying for us, show clearly that our salvation is closely connected with the sufferings of Christ.




MARTIN CIENEY.                263
VIi. We note that the language of scripture and the
names given to Christ indicate that he was the met
dium through or by which we are saved. Thus speaks
Peter; neither is there salvation in any other; for there
is none other name under heaven given among men
whereby we must be saved. Paul says that there is
one mediator; and that God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven us. John says, we have an advocate with the
Father; and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews
says, he ever liveth to make intercession for us as
our great High Priest; and Jesus declares, without me
ye can do nothing; I lay down my life for the sheep; if
I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me; this is my
blood which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
John the Baptist cried, behold the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sins of the world! Paul connects the
death of Christ with the law and sacrifices; thus, —almost all things under the law are purged with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no remission. He
represents that it is impossible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sin, but that the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot unto God, purges the conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. Thus the bloody sacrifices of the law are seen to be the foreshadowing of
that blood which purges according to Paul, which
cleanseth according to John.
And this mediation, and advocacy, and intercession,
and propitiation, and'blood-shedding, and life-giving,
all indicate suffering; and suffering closely connected
with man's redemption, restoration, reconciliation, and
salvation. Yet, let it be observed, that all this work, or




2b11,          fiLIFE Of
endurance, or suffering of Christ, was not to change
God's disposition or character; for all this work and suffering are but the outgushing of that love which spared
not his Son.
We come now to the question, Were the sufferings of
Christ in the atonement vicarious?
Let us get at the signification of these words.  Vicarious is thus defined.' 1. Deputed, delegated.  2. Acting for another; filling the place of another; 3. Substituted in the place of another, as a vicarious sacrifice."
Atonement is thus defined. "' 1. Agreement, concord,
reconciliation after enmity or controversy. 2. Expiation,
satisfaction, or reparation made by giving an equivalent
for an injury. 3. In theology, the expiation of sin made
by the obedience and personal suffering of Christ." To
this question we reply,
1. That, if by vicarious be meant substitutional,
then, if Christ suffered the actual penalty due to sinners,
his sufferings were vicarious.
2. If he suffered an equivalent for the actual penalty,
then were his sufferings vicarious.
3.  If his sufferings were a governmental expedient
intended to show God's hatred to sin and satisfy public
justice, as it is sometimes termed, then were his sufferings vicarious; being substituted for that purpose for
the actual infliction of suffering on the offenders.  For
that purpose, we say, for this theory supposes that
pardon might be bestowed on the condition of simple
penitence, if it would not injure the universe thus to bestow it.
4.  1 do not see but we must also answer this question in the affirmative, even if we adopt Dr. Channing's




MAR TIN CHENEY.                 265
view, or even that of the Unitarians generally. Dr. C.
says:"'A difference of opinion exists among Unitarians in
regard to the precise influence of Christ's death in procuring our forgiveness.  Many suppose that this event
[Christ's death] contributes to our pardon, inasmuch as
it was the principal means of confirming his religion,
and of giving it a power over the mind; in other words
that it procures forgiveness by leading to that repentance
and virtue which constitute the great and only condition on which forgiveness is bestowed.  Many of us are
dissatisfied with this explanation, and think that the
scriptures ascribe the remission of sins to Christ's death,
with an emphasis so peculiar, that we ought to consider
this event as having a special influence in removing
punishment, though the scriptures may not reveal the,
way in which it contributes to this end."
Dr. Dwight makes the agency of Washington, and of
man generally, vicarious.  He quotes James, — Is anry
sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the
church," &c.; and thinks the forgiveness of sin is made
to depend on the intercession of others; and that this
very agency will convert the world, instrumentally.If this be a proper use of the word vicarious, then Christ's,
sufferings are certainly so, and so are the labors and,
sufferings of all good men.
The question however is still before us; What had the
sufferings of Christ to do in procuring man's redemption?!
That they were needful, is seen in the fact that they
were endured and that they are pronounced needful by
the sufferer.  But why needful? we ask. Was it to,,
23




266                 LIFE OF
change the disposition of God, and make him placable?
Was it to take the thunder from the Father's hand and
turn his wrath to grace? So it has been sometimes
thought. But this cannot be correct; for the mission
of Jesus is the fruit of God's love, instead of God's
love being a fruit of Christ's mission.  The love of
God was the same before as after Christ hung-on the
cross.
Why then, we ask again, did Jesus suffer? Was it
to endure the penalty of the law? If this penalty be
what it has been supposed to be-eternal damnationthen we certainly cannot answer in the affirmative; for
whatever be meant by bearing our sins in his own body
on the tree, Christ has not been eternally damned. Or
if it be said that this penalty be moral death or alienation from God, none, surely, will contend that Christ
endured this-he never felt condemnation, nor had any
other than feelings of the deepest sympathy toward
God. Besides, can our sense of justice fail to receive a
shock, when a penalty, due to the guilty, is transferred
to the innocent? And yet this seems to be the view
of this subjet taken by many.  Bearing our sins means,
with them, suffering the penalty which would otherwise have been inflicted on us, and which we justly
deserved. It may be asked again whether, if justice
required its infliction on the guilty, it could be satisfied
with its infliction on the innocent? And if justice demand that it fall on the guilty, will it not require the
infliction of the whole penalty? This view of the subject is full of difficulty, and, in consequence, has been
given up by many.




MARTIN CHENEY.                 267
But the question returns, Why was it needful for
Christ to suffer? Was it that God's law might be maintained?  He had said, "in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die." Now if that threatened
penalty was eternal damnation, then as Milton says —
- die he or justice must; unless
Some other pay the dreadful forfeit."
That is, the sinner must be damned eternally, or some
other one stffer anl equivalent to that penalty. And as
this has not been and cannot be done, we conceive this
was not the import of the threatening. The threatening must have been moral damnation or its understood
equivalent.
But once more the question returns, Why was it needful that Christ should suffer? Was it, as Paul says, that
God might be just and the justifier of him that believeth
in Jesus? This is without doubt the true reason of
Christ's being a propitiation. But why could not God
justify,-that is pardon and accept-a penitent and
trusting sinner without this propitiation? Because, it
is said, that justice demanded, not absolutely the damnation of some one, or the actual infliction of the full
penalty of the law, but it had such a demand that God
could not, in justice to the universe, pardon even a
world of penitents without giving to the universe evidence of his displeasure against sin; and that was done
by the sufferings of Christ; that in the bruised, marred,
scarred, bleeding Savior, was seen that displeasure; that
in the tears, groans, and agonies, of God's well beloved,
was seen, by the universe, the Father's hatred of transgression.  And this, we believe, is the most popular




268                 LIFE OF
view of the orthodox church at present.  Fuller holds
this view and calls it substitution.  So also teach
Dwight and Jenkyn.
Others there are, who see no need of such governmental exhibition, and find no such reason assigned for
his sufferings in the scriptures.  They find, or think
they find other reasons which leaves nothing in his
sufferings unexplained.  They say, Ist. The work he
had to do brought with it the necessity of suffering as
preparatory and associative.  They say that Christ
learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and
that he was tempted in all points like as we are to prepare him to succor us who are tempted; to enable him
to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Thus
it pleased him  in bringing many sons unto glory, to
make the Captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings.
2d. Christ was manifested to destroy the works of
the devil, and this must be done by suffering.  It is
through death that he destroys him who has the power
of death, that is, the devil, and hence it is urged that a
large portion of his sufferings arose from his conflict
with the powers of darkness,-a conflict involved fundamentally in his mission.  The strong man armed
must be bound, and this could not be done without suffering. According to these views, his sufferings were
only what he must of necessity meet in being the light
of the world,-an example to men, in removing the
obstacles to his success.
Others again, dissatisfied with all these views, assert
that it was needful for Christ, in his life and sufferings,




MARTIN CHE oNEY.                269
to consecrate or re-consecrate the desecrated law of God,
and give it a more exact and imminent authority than
it had seemed to possess before, in order to make men
penitent, and feel the need of forgiveness. Says Horace
Bushnell:" IMy doctrine is summarily this:-that,-excluding
all thoughts of a penal quality in the life and death
of Christ, or of any divine abhorrence to sin exhibited
by sufferings laid upon his person; also dismissing as
an assumption too high for us, the opinion that the death
of Christ is designed for some governmental effect on
the moral empire of God in other worlds; excluding
points like these, and regarding every thing done by
him as done for expression before us, and thus for effect
in us,-he does produce an impression on our minds of
the essential sanctity of God's law and character which
it was needful to produce, and without which any proclamation of pardon would be dangerous; any attempt
to subdue and reconcile us to God ineffectual."
"On one side it is affirmed, that God could not; forgive sin without either an equivalent suffering, or an
equivalent expression of abhorrence against sin made
by suffering, in the place of punishment. Oni the other
side, since this doctrine, in either form of it, seems to
involve something offensive to our moral sense, or repugnant to our ideas of God, it is affirmed that God, out
of his simple goodness or paternity can and will forgive
every truly penitent sinner.  Satisfied with neither
doctrine, I venture to suggest, as the more real and reasonable view, that, in order to mnake men pezitent,
and so to want forgiveness —that is, to keep the world
*>c)3




270                   LIFE OF
alive to the eternal integrity, verity and sanctity of
God's law-that is to keep us apprised of sin and deny
us any power of rest while we continue under sin —it
was needful that Christ, in his life and suffering, should
consecrate or re-consecrate the desecrated law of God,
and give it a more exact and imminent authority than
it had before: this too, without any thing of a penal
quality in his passion; without regarding him as bearing
evil to pay the release of evil; as under any infliction
and frown of God; and yet doing it by something
expressed in his life and death."
Well, but what are your views? it will be asked.  I
answer, that I have held and now hold, as far as I
know, the governmental theory.  Yet I may hold some
views which may be thought, and which may be, inconsistent with that theory.
1. I am satisfied that the sufferings of Christ did
not make God placable; because God in his attributes
and character is unchangeable; and because Christ and
his mission and sufferings are the fruit of God's love.
2. I am satisfied that Christ did not bear the penalty
or consequences of our sins actually and fully; for, 1st.
Penitent sinners suffer evens for past sins; which, if
Christ actually bore them in purpose or in fact, would
involve double punishment. And, 2d. As he died for
all, then all have suffered in a substitue, and can justly
suffer no more.
3. Although an innocent being may suffer on account of a guilty one-either voluntarily or involuntarily-yet our sense of justice and equity,-the voice of
%xod in the soul, the man in the breast-is wounded at




MAR TIN CHENEY.               271.
the infliction of a penalty upon an innocent being which
was due to a guilty one. We can look with admiration
on a mother suffering even unto death for a beloved
child; yet how should we be shocked at seeing a mother
nailed to the cross instead of a guilty child! And the
same objections lie against an equivalent. As there is
no transfer of moral character, so there is no transfer
of penalty conformable to our sense of justice. There
may be a reason why the penalty should not be inflicted,
but none why it should be transferred.
4. That whatever of substitution there may be in
Christ's sufferings, the main object of them is to bring
back a revolted and alienated world to God; or to make
men penitent. And, further, I will say that, if all impenitent beings could have been brought to penitence,
or if they would have been as likely to become penitent without as with the sufferings of Christ, I see no
reason why he should suffer. And more still; that, if
a sinner is truly penitent, the character and word of
God teach us that he would be-must be-accepted of
God.
5. And, finally, let it be noted that the terms Mediator, Advocate, Intercessor, Redeemer, &c., indicate the
doing of something by him who bears these names, on
account of which we obtain what we should not have
obtained had not that something been done. And this
something was done for the purpose of effecting a
reconciliation between God and the sinner, or, more
properly, of reconciling the world to God.  " God was
in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." And
further, I would with gladness observe, that, as Media



272                 LIFE OF
tor, Advocate, Intercessor, Redeemer, Savior, the work
and sufferings of Christ are the great and only medium
by which we are brought to repentance, are renewed,
reconciled, made heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ. So that, adopt which theory we may, if we
repent of our sins and believe on Christ as such medium,
we shall at last heartily unite in the song, " Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain!"
E S S AY.
MORAL OBLIGATION.
Christian Brethren:-In accordance with the appointment of your Committee at the last meeting, I
would invite your attention to a few thoughts on Moral
Obligation. The term  Obligation is thus defined by
Webster:' 1. The binding power of a vow, promise,
oath, or contract, or of law, civil, political, or moral,
independent of a promise; that which constitutes legal
or moral duty, and which renders a person liable to coercion and punishment for neglecting it. 2. The binding force of civility, kindness, or gratitude, when the
performance of a duty cannot be enforced by law. 3.
Any act by which a person becomes bound to do something to or for another, or to forbear doing something.
In law, a bond with a condition annexed, and a penalty
for non-fulfillment.1"
The term Moral is thus defined:-' 1. Relating to
the practice, manners, or conduct of men as social bee




MARTIN CHENEY.                  273
ings in relation to each other, and with reference to
right and wrong. 2. Subject to the moral law, and
capable of moral actions; bound to perform social duties. 3. Supported by the evidence of reason or probability founded on experience of the ordinary course of
things. 4. Conformed to rules of right or to the divine law, respecting social duties; virtuous, just. 5.
Conformed to law and right in exterior deportment.
6. Reasoning or instructing with regard to vice or virtue.  Moral law,-the law  of God which prescribes
the moral or social duties.  Moral sense-an innate or
natural sense of right and wrong. Moral Philosophythe science of manners and duty."
With these definitions before us, we proceed to consider, briefly, the Nature and Extent of Moral Obligation. Its Nature will be seen in what is implied in it.
I. The existence of moral beings; or of beings
possessing a moral nature.  Worlds of matter may exist in all the diversified forms given to them by wisdom, grandeur and beauty.  Attraction, affinities, repulsions, light and darkness, cold and heat, tornado
earthquake, volcano, all these may be about us; yet
divide, and subdivide, combine and recombine, add or
subtract, we search in vain among all these wonders for
anything upon which we can predicate moral obligation.  We see motion, but only as bodies are acted on
by foreign powers; we see arrangement, but no arrangement taking place without extrinsic agency. We.
see nothing developing a moral nature in any particle
of matter, or in any combination of its particles. We
are forbidden to ascribe a moral nature to a stone or




274                 LIFE OF
tree, to sun or stars. And why? Because we perceive
certain elements to be absolutely needful to constitute
a moral nature, and these elements are wanting to
matter.
Again. We examine a world of sentient beings.
Beauty, order, and skill are there; yea, more; sensation,
feeling, life, are there; but we search in vain for a
moral nature, a moral being, in all the vast variety of
animated nature.  We find that which seems to make
some approach to a moral nature; there is instinct with
its unerring guidance, and a measure of intelligence,
sagacity, and discernment, which make an approach to
reason. The approach is indeed so close that it is sometimes difficult to discern the difference. Still, among
them all we fail to discern the consciousness of right
and wrong, a sense of guilt, which indicate the presence of a moral nature. As we have said, moral obligation implies moral beings, and moral beings must
have a moral nature;- and, as yet, in the material and
animal worlds such a nature is not to be found.
But what is a moral nature? is an appropriate and
important inquiry. We answer, that a moral nature is
that which has,
1st. The faculty or power of acquiring knowledge;
the possession of the perceptive and reflective faculties
by which the relations of things are seen. It is by
means of this faculty that we perceive the difference
between square and round, and angular, the relation
between two and four, the relation between father and
son, mother and daughter, &c.
2d.  A moral nature is one that has what is some



MARTIN CHE NE.                 275
times called the moral sense, or conscience.  In the
possession of this faculty, there is not only ability to
perceive the relations of matter, scientific relations, the
relations which give rise to the grand, the sublime and
the beautiful, but ability to perceive moral relations,
and to feel impressed by moral qualities. There is a
perception that some things are right and others wrong;
and a feeling of approbation or of condemnation for
things done or undone.
These two united elements will constitute a moral
nature, and a moral nature is necessary to constitute a
moral being. I know not as the perceptive and reflective faculties ever are or ever can be separated from the
moral sense, but both are necessary to constitute moral
beings, or to lay a basis for moral obligation.
II. Moral Obligation implies law. It is difficult, if
not impossible, to conceive of moral beings, as above
defined, without the existence of law. " Those having
not the law, are a law unto themselves, which shew
the work of the law written in their hearts."  That is,
the idea of law is inseparable from a being possessed
of a moral nature.  The scriptures make law essential
to transgression; and where transgression cannot be,
there can be no moral obligation. Law, which is a
rule of life or conduct, is either human or divine; either
positive or moral. Human law rests on human authority; divine law on divine authority. Positive laws are
those which rests simply and solely on the command;
and obligation ceases when the command is withdrawn
or superseded, as circumcision or baptism. Moral laws
are those which are founded in the nature and relations




276                 LIFE OF
of things, and can never be annulled or superseded
while the nature and relations of things continue to
exist. Moral obligation supposes that such laws exist.
III. Moral Obligation implies that there exists an
authority to enact and enforce such laws. All laws
imply a lawgiver; and moral obligation supposes that
rightful authority exists to enact such laws. Moral
obligation implies law. Law implies a lawgiver; and
a lawgiver implies authority to enact law; and moral
obligation will hold only as the law is holy, just and
good, and the lawgiver is possessed of rightful authority.
From these remarks we learn the nature of moral
obligation.
1st. It can exist only among beings possessed of a
moral nature.
2d. It can exist only where there is law,-and law
holy and just.
3d. It can exist only where there is rightful authority to enact laws to bind moral beings. So far as we
can see, take either of these elements away, and there
can be no moral obligation. For, without law, there
could be no moral obligation; and without a supreme
authority there could be no such law; and without
moral beings there could be nothing over which to exercise such authority.
Second.  What is the Extent of moral obligation?
I. It binds all moral beings; —all beings who have
a moral nature, or the moral sense. All beings who
have not the moral sense or conscience, are not morally
obligated-all beings, we say. The beast, the bird,




MAR TIN CHE BNEY.                2 77
the fish, are not under moral obligation, because they
have not the moral sense.  Nor is the infant, or idiot.
or insane man, for the same reason.  The last may
have been under moral obligation, and may be so again,
but is not, and cannot be. while insanity lasts. All else
than these, thus deficient, are bound. It binds Jehovah,
the Lord Jesus, holy angels, holy men, wicked men
and wicked angels, and Satan himself. All these, unless their moral sense is destroyed, are under moral obligation; all being under law; all being under rightful
authority; all having the perceiving powers; all having the moral sense. It may, perhaps, be thought that
the Supreme Being should be excepted.  But he acts
in accordance with the infinite law of rectitude in his
own breast.  Others may say that Satan and wicked
spirits should be excepted. If they are insane, perhaps.
they may, but not otherwise; for, unless they have
lost the powers or the use of the powers which consti —
tute a moral nature, they must still remain under moral
obligation.
II.  It binds them in all time.  In whatever portion
of time a moral being exists, there will moral obliga-.
tion lay its claim upon him; and if such beings exist
eternally, then will they be eternally obligated; unless, as we said before, they lose their moral nature.
III.  It binds them in all places.  Moral obligation.
is not graduated by latitude, or longitude, or altitude.
Cold and heat make no changes in moral obligation,
unless they change the moral nature of beings.' Fromn
Greenland's icy mountains, to India's coral strand;' on
earth's broad prairies or lofty hills, moral obligation re —
24




278                 LIFE OF
mains the same. And, as in science, should another
planet be discovered, we might know that the law
which governed other planets ruled there also; so,
wherever in God's vast universe families of moral beings shall be found, there also will moral obligation as.
sert its claims. In a word, its nature shows its extent.
When and where moral beings exist, then and there
will moral obligation exist.
These views of moral obligation seem to us to be in
harmony with God's word. Paul says, it is accepted
according to that a man hath, and not according to that
he hath not; that where no law is there is no transgression. And Jesus says, Where much is given much
wvill be required; and he asks, "Why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" And in that rule
called golden, he bases the command on that moral nature which perceives and feels what ought to be done.
And, indeed, all God's commands, invitations, threatenings, and admonitions, imply the existence of a moral
nature, of a standard of duty or law, and of a supreme
authority.
But little time has been afforded for the examination
of the sentiments of the various writers on this subject; but we think these views agree with those presented by Wayland, Abercrombie, Mills, &c.; and that
they disagree with those of Humne, HIobbes, Paley, &c.
What has been said prepares the way for a few
REMARK S.
1. There is a difference between Moral law  and
Ceremonial or Positive law. Moral law is that which




MARTIN CHENEY.                 i79
binds in all places, at all times, under all circumnstances, and on all moral beings. Being founded in the
nature and relations of things, it is not, and cannot,
while God remains the same, be suspended; the plea
of necessity, of good to be done, or Dr.'s statement, that the golden rule may be sometimes suspended, to the contrary notwithstanding. Positive law or
legal institutions, although there is a fitness in them, a
reason for them, yet, not being in the nature of things
unchangeable, but of a temporary nature, may and do
pass away when the purpose for which they were introduced is accomplished. The law was a shadow of
good things to come, but the body is Christ. He
taketh away the'first that he may establish the second.
But mark. Moral obligation asserts its claim equally
under positive law and moral law, provided the existence and character of that law be equally clear and
plain. And here we may see that the phrase, moral
law, as applied to the Decalogue, is not strictly correct;
that is, if our definition of a moral nature, and of moral
law be correct; for some of the relations mentioned in
the Decalogue may be, and some of them we are taught
will be, abrogated. The Savior sums up the moral of
the Ten Commrandments in two, viz: "'Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God," &c.; and Paul conldenses
these two, in some sense, into one, when he says,
" Love is the fulfilling of the law." The principle
here is moral and unchangeable.  The Golden Rule
of Jesus is the same; the act to be done, may be, must
be, what circumstances make it; that is, it is not
strictly moral.




280                 LIFE OF
2. We may learn the place which Reason should
occupy in determining duty. We have seen that, without the perceptive and reflective faculties, there can be
no moral obligation, and that the moral sense is inseparably connected with them.  The Reason, the judgment, or the understanding, then, must determine what
is right, what is true, what is good, what is duty. It
is not instinct, impulse, or propensity; not feeling or
impressions arising from the emotional nature, but the
Reason. It is by this faculty that we learn the existence of a supreme authority, of a law-the rule of
moral action-higher than all other laws; of the claims
which that law has on us, and on all moral beings. By
it we decide what that law is, and what are its claims;
and by it we expound and apply that law. By it we
settle the claims of the Bible, the Shasters, the Koran,
the book of Morman, the book of Nature. This is the
faculty in which dwells the light that lighteth every
man that cometh into the world; which made it appropriate for Jesus to say,'Why even of yourselves
judge ye not what is right?' and' Whatsoever ye
would,' &c. Reason is not God, but it apprehends a
God. It is not lawv, but it discerns a law. It is not a
Savior, but enables us to know a Savior. It is not the
light, but the window  which lets in the light, and
without which moral light would do us as little good as
it does the beasts that perish.  This faculty, then, is
that which makes man a little lower than the angels,
and a little less than God; which stamps him with the
divine image and superscription. Reason may and will
receive trustingly, confidingly, and obediently, many




MARTIN CHENEY.                  28i
things which it may not comprehend, but will and
must reject, as of no force, of no moral obligation, that
which is clearly contradictory and absurd. All questions in morals and christianity come before this faculty in man; questions of belief and practice, and its
decisions are final as to man's obligations.  As that decides he must act, or feel the reprovings of his conscience.
3. If Moral Obligation has been correctly defined,
then no circumstances can- absolve from moral obligation, while the moral faculties remain. When it is
proved that there is no God, or that he has no law, or
that there are no moral beings, then it may be said that
there is no moral obligation, but not till then. Human
enactments cannot release from moral obligation which
arises from God's law.  Consequences, good or ill, cannot set aside moral law or moral obligation, and the
Golden Rule can never be suspended. And it will be
seen that the maxim which allows the doing of evil
that good may come, is of Satanic origin; and that sin
organized, framed into a law, is still sin, like the Fugitive Slave Law; only the more destructive and
deadly for its organic and legal form.
4.  We learn that Moral Obligation will exist in the
future life; yea, eternally. As long as a moral being
exists there will be moral law, as long as there is moral
law there must be a lawgiver, and as long as he exists
moral obligation will exist.  Otherwise there would be
no beauty in the future that we should desire it. Moral
obligation carried out by all, constitutes the beauty and
glory of heaven; yea, it is heaven.
24




282                 LIFE OF
5. W~e see the foundation of human responsibility.
i st. There is a supreme authority. 2d. There is a
supreme law. 3d. Human beings have a moral nature
which enables them to see and feel the claims of that
law, and the authority binding them to be holy, just
and good. Hence they feel guilt when they violate
that law and disregard that authority; and hence, too,
the duty to repent and believe, as the conditions of salvation.
6. We add, finally, that it is of the highest importance that the minister of Jesus see clearly and feel
deeply, and that he aim to make his hearers see clearly
and feel deeply, the nature and extent of moral obligation,-both as to what they ought to have been, and
what they now ought to be, and what they ought to
do; so that they may sweep away those refuges of
lies-Fatalism, Calvinism, and its twin brother, Universalisnm; and so that sinners may see that they are
under a moral obligation to repent, because they have
time and ability thus to do.
The following discourse was preached in New York
City, on the occasion of the re-opening of the house of
worship purchased by the First Freewill Baptist Church
-in that city, in September, 1851. Rev. Henry Ward'Beecher, of Brooklyn, preached in the morning, while
Mr. Cheney supplied his pulpit, and in the afternoon
Mr. C. delivered this discourse to the Freewill Baptist
Church and Congregation. It is a very good index to
his views and feelings, respecting the subjects to which
it relates, in the last years of his ministry.




MARTIN CHENEY.                 283
SERMON.
NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL.
"' For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ," &c.-Rozmans,
i.: 16.
In calling your attention to these words of the
Apostle, we remark;
1. That the Apostle makes a strong assertion.
2. That the words strongly imply that some were
ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
3. That the Apostle assigns a reason why he was
not thus ashamed.
Shame is a feeling of the soul, and implies perception and a conscience; or, in other words, rational faculties; and it may well be doubted whether it can be
found in any beings where the moral sense does not
exist. It is a feeling of mortification and disgrace.
All well instructed and well regulated minds feel this
when they find themselves in a wrong position, when
they are doing what is not becoming, or neglecting to
do what is incumbent on them to do. True, there are
those who, having seared their consciences and become
past feeling, glory in their shame.  This feeling may
indicate either a virtuous or vicious state of mind. A
virtuous mind might walk as did the first human pair
in the garden, naked, and not be ashamed —their eyes
not being open to guilt; and yet, when their eyes were
opened to see their own and the world's degradation,




284                 LIFE OF
they might feel it to be a shame even to speak of those
things which are done in secret. On the other hand,
as we have intimated, there are those who have so long
trampled on their convictions of right, that they are
now ashamed of the true and the good;'" whose God
is their belly, whose glory is their shame, who mind
earthly things.' And this feeling is manifested in'treating those sentiments, things, or persons of which
they are ashamed, with neglect or indifference, or with
scorn and contempt. Such, doubtless, there were in
the days when Paul wrote, who treated the gospel, its
Author, disciples, and ambassadors, with scorn. Thus
did they speak:-" Can any good thing come out of
Nazareth?"  " He is a pestilent fellow, a ringleader of
the sect of the Nazarenes."  " He speaks against the
law and Moses and this holy place." They were
ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
Others there were, who, although not so violent,
were still, through the fear of man or other powerful
motives, unwilling to own Christ; like Nicodemus who
came to Jesus by night;. and others who believed, but,
for fear of the Jews, did not confess Christ. At all
events, the Apostle must have had in view those who,
from some cause, were unwilling to own, to confess
Christ, or who, in his strong language, were ashamed
of the gospel of Christ.
We proceed to assign some reasons why none should
be ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
But first let us define the term, and see how it is used
in the scriptures. Webster derives the word from the




MARTIN CHENEY.                 285
Saxon, God-spell; God signifying good, and spell history; and defines it thus;-'" 1  The history of the birth, life, actions, death,
resurrection, ascension, and doctrines of Jesus Christ;
or a revelation of the grace of God to fallen mlan through
a Mediator."
The most simple and expressive development of the
import of this term is, perhaps, that of the angel who
touched his harp over the plains of Bethlehem.  Hear
him:-" Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people." The glad tidings of the
advent of Jesus; this is the GOSPEL. The term is applied to the promise made to Abraham. " And the
scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham,
saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed."-Gal. iii.:
8. Mark says, "' The gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of
God." Paul calls it the'" gospel of God's Son."-Rom.
i.: 9. And the " gospel of God."-Rom. i.: 1. "' My
gospel."-Rom. ii.: 16.  " Gospel of salvation." —Eph.
i.: 13.  " Gospel of peace."-Eph. vi.: 15. The glorious gospel of Christ."'-II. Cor. iv.: 4.
On that memorable day when, in the Synagogue at
Nazareth, the carpenter's son stood up to read, there
fell from his lips these startling words:' The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal
the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captive,
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of
the Lord." And just previous to his ascension he said




286                 LIFE OP
to his Apostles; " Go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature." Another definition might
be, "God's plan of saving sinners;" and still another,
"' The mission of Jesus;" or the principles, precepts,
and doctrines, taught by Jesus Christ.
Such is a brief definition of the term, and an exhibition of its use. Its mighty meaning, its wide sweeping
claims, its implications-embracing all moral relationswill be seen more clearly as we proceed to assign the
reasons for not being ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
1. The first reason I would assign is the origin or
source of the gospel.  From  whence did it come?
Whence this mission of Jesus? these glad tidings of
great joy? Who planned it? Who presided over its
execution? Who had love enough, power enough, skill
enough, to contrive and to carry out the plan of redemp.
tion. There is but one answer to be given to these queries. There is but one mind wise enough, but one arm
strong enough, but one heart large enough, to originate
the gospel of Christ. It must be from him who said, "Let
there be light and there was light;" who spake and it
was done, who commanded and it stood fast. It was
the God who, in the beginning, created the heavens and
the earth; and as the creation of the heavens and the
earth displays his glory, and things that are made make
known his eternal power and Godhead, so the gospel of
Christ which proposes the re-creation of man in God's
own image, makes known, by its sublime teachings,
the source from whence it came. Says Christ, " I came
down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him who sent me."'I must work the works of




MARTIN CHENEY.e               287
him that sent me while it is day."  " For God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son.'"  He
sent his Son not to condemn the world, but that the
world through him might be saved."  These sayings
teach from whence the gospel of Christ emanated. They
show that it came from a heart of unbounded love, from
a mind of infinite wisdom, from a hand of unlimited
power. It bears all the marks of such a heart and such
a hand. Well, therefore, might the Apostle exclaim;
I' t am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ;" and all
the world should say, Amen. Alleluia.
II. The second reason which i would assign is the
object, the design, the purpose of the gospel. That
object is to open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears, heal
wounded hearts, to bring pardon and forgivness within
the reach of the perishing myriads of the human race,
to seek and save the lost, to rescue man from slavery to
his own lusts, to make him truly free, to renew within
him and reenstamp upon him the image and superscription of his Maker, to make God's law supreme, to proclaim peace on earth and good will to men, and thus
to bring the brightest glory to God; to establish the
universal brotherhood of man and the universal fatherhood of God. In the beautiful imagery of the scriptures,
it is to make the lion and the lamb lie down together,
and the weaned child to put his hand on the cocatrice's
den, to introduce the reign of Christ when every knee
shall bow, and the kingdoms of this world shall become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Were
the gospel allowed to have its legitimate influence: every
chain and fetter and manacle would be broken; war,




288                 LIFE OF
intemperance, licentiousness, and oppression would
cease, and one song would employ all nations. H1as
any one a heart to be ashamed of such an object, such
a design as this?
III. We assign, as a third reason, the medium and
instrumentalities through and by which this gospel
was made known. hle who was in the form of God,
and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, made
himself of no reputation, took the form of a servant, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
He who was David's Lord became David's son; he
was born of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
those that were under the law. The brightness of the
Father's glory, veiled himself in humanity, that he
might be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
and taste death for every man. Gospel redemption
could not be by the blood of bulls and goats, by silver
and gold,-only by the precious blood of Christ. In a
word, "' God was in Christ reconciling the world to
himself." Christ is the grand medium by and through
which God takes hold of fallen humanity, to restore and
lift it up where it may anew receive his image. And
around Christ, as a central sun, may be seen revolving
the whole group of the Apostles. It is on Christ the
Rock that the church is built, against which the gates of
hell shall not prevail. And then through Christ we have
the ministration of the Spirit, the mission of the Apostles and of the whole sacramental host of God's elect.
From the day when it was announced that the seed of
the woman should bruise the serpent's head, God, by
angels, by prophets and apostles, moved upon by the




MARTIN CHENEY.                 289
Spirit, has been crying, " Ho every one that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters!"  Here is dignity-One in the
form of God; here are riches unsearchable-the precious
blood of Christ. Here are toil and sacrifice and death;
and all these mighty instrumentalities are brought to
view in that gospel of which Paul says, "C I am not
ashamed." Surely we have no reason to be ashamed
of such a gospel, unless we are ashamed of heaven and
its agencies.
IV. The Doctrines taught in the gospel, we assign
as a fourth reason for not being ashamed of it.
1. The being, character and government of God.
The world has had Gods many, many of them cruel,.
contradictory, and licentious.  But the gospel of Christ
clearly reveals to us that there is but ONE GOD, and lhe,
without variableness or shadow of turning,-the same!
yesterday, to-day, and forever; infinitely wise, powerful;
and good, the true and living God; the Father of spirits,
making his rain to descend on the evil and good, and
and his sun to shine upon the just and unjust; more
ready to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him,
than earthly parents are to give good gifts to theirchildren.
2. The being, character and mission of Jesus; his
divine nature, his lofty position, his mission of love, the
accomplishment of that mission, the going down to the,
grave, the bursting of its fetttrs, the leading of captivity
captive, the abolition of death, and the bringing of life
and immortality to light. This great central doctrine
is clearly revealed in the gospel,-Jesus the Lamb of'
God, the Son of God, the Christ of God. To the ques25




290                 LIFE OF
tion, Whom say ye that I am? it replies,'" Thou- art
the Christ, the Son of the living God." He is revealed
as the Savior and Redeemer of the world; the only
name under heaven given among men whereby we must
be saved.
3. The condition of man is another thing contained
in the doctrinal teaching of the gospel. The gospel
teaches that Christ came not to call the righteous but
sinners to repentance; that he is the propitiation for our
sins; that he tasted death for every man; that if he
died for all then were all dead; that all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God.  And all this
accords with history, observation and experience.
4. And there is another great doctrine, clear and
bright as the river of life, full of hope to a perishing
world, and bringing with it the breath of spiritual life
when received. It is embodied in such expressions as
these; —" The spirit and the bride say come;.....  and
whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.'
"' The Lord is..... not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance."  " As I live,
-saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of him
that dieth."  This soul-cheering truth —teaching God's
compassion and anxiety for sinners-stands out in all
its fulness, in the mission of Jesus, in his tears, and toils,
and death. These great truths or doctrines are in the
gospel of Christ, and, when embraced, will lead to the
true God, the true Savior, and to true happiness.  Well
might the Apostle say that he was not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, when it revealed such soul-cheering
and soul-elevating truths as these.




MARTIN CHENEY.                291
V. As a fifth reason we direct your attention to the
Precepts of the gospel. Listen to them and see if there
be anything of which to be ashamed. Hear Christ as
he sums up the teachings of Moses and the prophets;
{" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and......thy neighbor as thyself."  Listen to that
world-embracing and world-blessing rule, which, on
account of its priceless value, has been called golden;
" Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do
ye even so to them. Who can be ashamed of such a rule?
Read in the gospel the story of him who fell among
the thieves, the conduct of the Good Samaritan, and
then listen to the precept of Jesus; " Go and do thou
likewise," and be ashamed of such teaching if you can.
VI. We urge, as a sixth reason, the great Principle
which pervades the whole gospel. That Principle is
LoVE. The gospel is an emanation from God's great
heart of love. It was born in love, cradled in love,
baptized in love, and goes on its mission of love to men
in the spirit of love. It is a great golden chain of love
drawing all to the greater centre —the heart of God.
"Love is the fulfilling of the law."  " The love of
Christ constraineth us," says Paul.' He that dwelleth
in love, dwelleth in God and God in him."  See it in
its highest form, in the prayer of Jesus; " Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."'
VII. We urge again the Ezample of Christ and his
disciples. Behold their meekness, humility, zeal, patience, boldness. They are always true to the right, true
to principle. Who have made glorious footprints on
the sands of time? Not the time-servers, and compro



292                 LIFE OF
misers; but the Elijahs, the Daniels, the Shadrachs,
the Stephens, and, above them all, the Son of God, who
loved not their lives unto death. The gospel of Christ
presents for our imitation burning and shining lights,
and especially that Light that lighteth every man that
cometh into the world. With such examples before us
we may well exclaim,'" I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ;" and to those glorious ones revealed to us
there, we may gratefully cry out; "' Ye are the salt of
the earth; ye are the light of the world." Of such
none need be ashamed.
VIII. Another reason is, that the teachings of the gospel are in harmony with the teachings of the inner manwith the law on the heart.-The gospel recognizes the
reason, the conscience, the judgment in man, and makes
its appeal to them. In the rule called, golden, he makes
this appeal, " Whatsoever ye would," &c. That is,
whatsoever, conscience, reason, judgment, tell you, you
would have others do to you, do ye the same to them.
And on another occasion it is asked; " Why even of
yourselves judge ye not what is right?"  God's voice
even in the gospel, God's voice in his works, and God's
voice in the soul are in unison. Not a discordant note
in all God's dispensations. The gospel may be and is
clearer, brighter, but is in perfect harmony with that.' elder scripture " traced on rocks and hills, on rivers
and streams, on suns and stars. The righteousness of
God is herein revealed from faith to faith. God is in
nature, God is in Moses, and God is in Christ.
IX. The gospel recognizes the important truth of
human brotherhood.-It knows nothing of man's orig



MARTIN C HENEY.              293 
inating in an oyster or a monkey; knows nothing of
one race as created merely for the service of another
race. It knows nothing of any such curse as gives one
man or one class of men the right to make property of
another class: of men. No. Its language is; "Who
hath made of one blood all the nations of men that
dwelt on all the face of the earth.' Thomas Jefferson
uttered the sentiment of the gospel when, in that memorable instrument, the Declaration of Independence,
he said; "c We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal; and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, —among which are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." It is selfevident, says Jefferson; that is, when the sentiment is
announced it finds a response in every breast. The
gospel teaches one common origin of the human race,
one blood, one common Father.  Our Father, is put
into the prayer that becomes us all. We are: in one
common condition; " All have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God." There is one common Savior;
one common destiny-the grave and the Judgment;
one common load of responsibility-every one shall
give account to God. In a word, the gospel of Christ
is a gospel of freedom, of equality, of right. It makes
every man a neighbor and brother. —If any one is
ashamed of such a gospel, it must be, we think, because
he is either lording it over God's heritage, or wishes
thus to do. He cannot, we think, have received the
truth into his soul, for that makes free. It is such
a gospel as the world needs, to purify and harmonize it.
X. We assign what the gospel has done, as another




294                 LIFE OF
reason. It has enlightened myriads and led them into
the pathway of life; enabled myriads more like Simeon
to triumph over death; and by its exceeding great and
precious promises, it brings life and immortality to light.
It is indeed the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth.
XI. And, finally, we urge as a reason, the rich inheritance which is promised to those who receive and
obey this gospel.  "The Lord will give grace and
glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them
that walk uprightly." Thus does Watts versify the
Psalmist;-'" The Lord my Shepherd is,
I shall be well supplied;
Since he is mine and I am his,
What can I want beside."
And such promises as these show us, in part, the heritage of those who yield to the gospel.  "Fear not little
flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdom."  "All things work together for good to
them that love God." " All things are yours." " Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give me at
that day, and not to me only but unto all them also
that love his appearing."  c" They shall sit with me in
my throne." "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst
any more, &c.   " "They shall walk with me in white,
for they are worthy." Here are sceptres, thrones, and:robes, and crowns; but time would fail to recount a:tithe of those exceeding great and precious promises.
Sulffice it to say in the language of scripture;: Eye




- MARTIN CHENEY.               295
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him."
APPLICATION.
1. This is indeed a glorious gospel. Its origin, its
object, its instrumentalities are glorious. Its teachings,
its principles, its spirit and its examples, are brilliant
with glory. In its power and influence it is full of
glory. It is indeed the ministration of the Spirit which
exceeds in glory, and, were it received in all the earth,
then indeed would peace and love prevail, swords be
beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks.
Then would one song employ all nations, and the great
voice would be heard, saying; " The Kingdoms of this
world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his
Christ."
2. This gospel should be preached to all. The rich
need it, the poor need it, the sick need it, the dying
need it, the rum-seller needs it, the rumn-drinker needs
it, the slave and slaveholder and the slaveholder's apologist need it. The legislators and rulers of the land
need it, so that they may feel when iniquity is framed
into a law, and justice is violently perverted, that there
is a higher than the highest among them who regardeth their work. Much needed is it in this great
city, in its lanes, and alleys, and courts, and cellars;
and not much less is it needed, if we mistake not, in
its splendid pulpits. Aye, would it not be cheering to
have this gospel of universal brotherhood, of Christian
equality, without respect of persons, uttered in all the
pulpits of this city, in all its length and breadth, and




2,96                 t LIIE OP
height and depth? Were this done, many, we think)
would be found as in the days of Nineveh, sitting in
sackcloth and ashes. Were this done, we should- not
be amazed at such astounding assertions as are reported
to have been made by a clergyman of this city; That
if one prayer of his would liberate all the slaves in the
land, he would not dare to offer it.  0, friends, Paul
was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,-of any of
itA; was not ashamed to preach it to all. No Governors or Councils, no Festuses or Felixes deterred him
from uttering before them all, and to them all, the gospel of Christ.
3. The gospel should all be preached.  Paul was
not ashamed of a whole gospel.  The gospel of Christ
was not a one-sided, or a mutilated system.  Its commands, requirements, obligations and duties, are to be
made known, as well as its doctrines, privileges, and
promises. Its penalties, denunciations, and retributions,
are to be announced. Its conditions and applications
are to be declared clearly and fully. There must be
no shunning to declare all the counsel of God, under
the specious but false plea; " The people are not able
to bear it;" when the truth is, the people are able to
bear, but not willing to hear the gospel in its stringent
claims. Did Jesus refrain from uttering the claims of
a whole gospel because Peter said, —" Be it far from
thee, Lord?" or because the young man went away
sorrowful? No, never. Nor did Prophets or Apostles
or early Christians act on such a principle as this.
Their language was; "Break off your sins by righteousness;"' We cannot but speak the things which




MARTIN CHENEY.                297
we have seen and heard;"' I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."  To every
creature should it be preached in its wide-sweeping
claims, its soul-cheering promises, its lovely invitations,
and its solemn admonitions. Nothing should be kept
back that the people need.
4. There is danger of being ashamed of the gospel
of Christ.  That there were some in the days of Paul
who were thus ashamed, we feel assured; it is implied
in the text itself. And as long as human nature is
what it is, and Satan's panorama of the Kingdoms of
the world remains what it is, and the gospel remains
what we have shown it to be, just so long may we fear
that some will be ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
And hence it will follow that, as there are Gods many,
and Lords many, so there will be gospels many, —other
gospels which are not the gospel of Christ; gospels
made like garments, to order; gospels made to harmonize with the pride and luxury and oppression of
man; a gospel that sanctions slaveholding and war; a
gospel that sanctions the doing of evil that good may
come; a gospel that makes Christ's law just what the
powers that be make it; a gospel that makes it a Christian duty to trample on the Golden Rule and all Christ's
precepts, by obeying that Covenant with death and
Agreement with hell,-the infamous Fugitive Slave
Law; a gospel that will not allow a colored man his
equal rights in Church or State; that virtually denies
the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of manll;
a gospel that breathes no prayer for the immediate
emancipation of three millions of Slaves; a gospel that




298                   LI.E OF
would lead one, not to go himself, but to send a mother,
son or brother-I know not which-into all the horrors
of slavery, rather than see the union of these States
dissolved; a gospel that repudiates the higher lawthus virtually condemning the Martyrs, Apostles, and
even Jesus Christ himself-and substitutes the lower
law, the law of man, the law of expediency, the law
of compromise, as the law of God.  This is the gospel
of man, of the Prince of the power of the air, another,
a perverted gospel, and not the gospel of Christ. Let
all beware how they preach, or receive, or obey such a
gospel, lest the anathema of Paul rest upon them;' Let: him be accursed."  Let. all remember Christ's
words; " He that loveth Father or Mother more than
me, is not worthy of me; and he that forsaketh not all
that he hath cannot be my disciple."
5. We see what high, deep, and wide reasons there
are for not being ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It
is just such a gospel as the world needs. It is needed
in all lands; civilized and uncivilized heathen need it;
the earth groans and travails in pain for the want of it.
Slavery, War, Intemperance, and Oppression, tell how
much a pure gospel is needed. Such a gospel is needed
to bring men up to true manhood, women up to true
womanhood.  The very soil on which we tread needs
it to free it from its curse; the beast of the field needs
to feel its influence; and all human beings are to find
their life alone here.. What a world would this be if
the gospel were everywhere received and obeyed! God
would be glorified, Christ exalted, angels would rejoice, and man be saved.  Then would earth's choir




MARTIN CHENEY.                 299
and heaven's minstrelsy unite in one, their " Glory to
God in the highest; on earth Peace; Good will to
men!"
Finally.  Brethren, you, a little band of Christ's
disciples, are to preach this glorious gospel. Preach it
in your lives, in your actions, in your spirit. Let me
say in all kindness, keep this gospel pure. Be faithful
to your high mission. Your Master, Christ, expects
every one of you to do your duty. Take heed that
Protestant Popery find no place among you. Crush
the little Pope in your own bosoms. "All ye are
brethren." Labor in faith, in patience, in zeal; and,
through this glorious gospel's power, you shall be permitted to say,'" Thanks be to God who giveth us the
victory." Amen.




300                 LIFE OF
CHAPTER XIV.
MISCELLANEOUS ADDRESSES, INCIDENTS, &C.
SEVERAL things, which seemed hardly appropriate to
any one of the preceding chapters, have been reserved
for the present place. Nothing like a full, outward
history of Mr. Cheney has been given; both because
the inner history seemed more important, and because
it is not easy to gather up the external incidents in the
order of their occurrence. He was constantly performing services in one and another department of labor,
which'arrested attention, and left his impress on the
hearts about him. What have been selected may serve
as specimens; and if they serve to give a just idea of
his character and life, it is as well as though they had
been greatly multiplied, and accurate dates assigned to
them all. There are, however, some things which
should not be denied a place in these memoirs.
Mention has already been made of the difficulties
growing out of the political contest of 1842, and of
the triumph of the Government party, as it was termed.
There was framed and adopted a Constitution, extending the right of suffrage as widely as it had been extended in other States. That is, a convention of delegates chosen by the people at large, assembled, framed
an instrument intended as a Constitution, and submitted
it to thepeople of the State for their action upon it. It




MARTIN CHENEY.                 301
received a majority of the votes cast in the State, and
so, by its framers and others, was regarded as the organic law of the State. The existing government,
however, refused to sanction it, and declared and treated it as null and void. One party claimed that the
Government could be changed by the direct action of
the people; the other party insisted that such change
could be warrantable only when effected by or through
the Government already existing. The first party proceeded to elect the officers prescribed by the new Constitution, and organize a Government under it. There
were, therefore, two organized State Governments, each
claiming rightful authority, and denying just power to,
the other. The old organization was, of course, exer —
cising the authority, and the new one set itself to wrest
it away. Then came the collision. A large proportion, however, of the suffrage party were opposed to.
taking the authority by force and at the risk of bloodshed, and so hesitated and gave back when the time
came for the gathering of armed forces. Others, however, were ready to fight their way through to victory.
Mr. Thomas Wilson Dorr, who had been elected;
Governor under the new Constitution, was not inclined
to abandon the cause, at whose head the people had
shown their wish to place him. He asserted distinctly
the right of the suffrage party to authority, and prepared, as he was able, to defend that right at the point
of the bayonet. After a few warlike demonstrations
in and about Providence, a small force gathered under
his direction at Acote's Hill, in Chepachet, and comemenced to throw up fortifications.  The Government
26




302                 LIFE OF
party immediately despatched a military force, with instructions to disperse the gathering at Chepatchet, and
capture Mr. Dorr, if possible.  The first part of the
mission was executed; or, rather the company had
mostly dispersed of their own accord, before the arrival of the military.  Itr. Dorr being but feebly supported, deemed it unwise to make any attack or resistance, and left the State. Some time afterward he was
arrested, tried, condemned, and imprisoned. Time
passed on; the feeling grew more calm-Mr. Dorr still
remaining in his cell.  The Government had prepared
a Constitution, submitted it to the people, and it had
been adopted.  Mr. Dorr's health suffered, and it was
feared that his end was not far off. His release was
petitioned for; and it was offered him on condition
that he would take an oath to support the existing Government. This he refused to do, and so still remained
in prison. He had no disposition to wage war upon
the Government, was willing it should be tried as an
experiment, but would not recognize its legality. Time
passed on, and the feeling in favor of his unconditional
liberation grew stronger and wider, and petitions were
carried to the General Assembly, praying for his release,-signed by his friends, the clergy, the ladies,
&c. All these details seem necessary to an understanding of what is about to be stated, regarding Mr. Cheney's effort in his behalf.
In January, 1845, such a petition was sent to the
Assembly, and referred to a Special Committee. This
Committee had a meeting in the Hall of Representatives, for the purpose of hearing any thing that might




MARTIN CHENEY.                 303
be said in favor of granting the petition. With two or
three others, Mr. Cheney was appointed by the petitioners to urge it before the Committee. The day arrived, and the hall was crowded with earnest listeners.
Mr. C. was full of his subject, and so had taken pains
to prepare, in form, only a mere outline of his intended
remarks. The speech, or plea, was regarded, on all
hands, as one of the most able, impressive, and touching, that he ever delivered. A gentleman of some distinction in the city, pronounced it one of the best, if
not the best speech ever made in that hall. The organ
of the opposite party remarked, in substance, that it
%was the first time Mr. Dorr's cause had fallen into hands
that did justice to it. The Herald thus spoke of it:
" Mr. Cheney's address was a beautiful specimen of
easy, unaffected, pathetic eloquence, chastened by a
sound judgment, and a correct perception of what belongs to the time, place, and occasion. His language,
though extemporaneous, was so correct as to read
handsomely if reported verbatim; yet the charm of
his glowing, yet chastened pathos, can never be seen
and felt on paper."'
No full report of the plea, even in its verbal character, was ever made. An outline only appeared in the
papers. The pencilled sketch which he took with him
as a guide, is on a blank portion of the sheet containing the petition, and is simply as follows. It may not
be wholly devoid of interest.




304                LIFE OF
SKETCH.
1. Will the Power of the State be impaired? Mercy weakens no just power.
2. Will the balance of Justice be disturbed? The
hand of Justice grows strong when Mercy is combined
with it, —and especially in a free Government.
3. Will the Peace of the community be disturbed?
Where are the men and means, even if the disposition
remained, to carry on a war against the Government?
Besides, the Prisoner has recognized the existing Government on trial.
4. And certainly Revenge should have no place.
lMere political considerations should be laid aside.
5. Look at the man-his character-motives-the
men who voted for him-the eminent men who agree
with him in his views. Who prayed for his success?
Will you impose a condition which to him shall seem
degrading?  Suppose him obstinate, if you please;
should that prevent you from being magnanimous?
Shall his Father, &c., plead in vain?  Shall the festering wound in the community be kept open? and all
because he will not say that which is against his conscience?
(Solitary confinement is an unusual thing. Shall he
die there? That is now the question.)
Who am I addressing? Not the Court or Jury. Not
those who simply dispense justice, but mercy. You
have the pardoning power. I am not here to establish
the People's Constitution. Not to demur at the proceedings of Court or Jury. This has been, and, per



MARTIN CHENEY.                      305
haps, will be still, examined elsewhere.  Who I am, I
need not say.  I am  a man, and a brother.  These
petitioners are my brothers and sisters.
What a responsibility is resting upon you! On your
report very much depends the hope of parents, friends,
and thousands of petitioners.  Multitudes of eyes will
be turned here; and the peace and quietness of the
community all call on you to grant the prayer of the
petitioners.  Be merciful, that you may obtain mercy.
The speech was concluded by the impressive recitation of these lines from Shakspeare.
" The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd,
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of Kings:
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of Kings,
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice."
All the friends of Mr. Dorr, especially, were very
desirous of securing a copy of the speech for general
circulation; and this desire will sufficiently explain the
following correspondence, which was published in the
Herald —a city paper-and then issued in the form of
an " Extra," and widely distributed.
326




306                 LIFE OF
LETTER OF THE REV. MIR. CHENEY, ON THE LIBERATION OF THOMIAS W. DORR.
Copy of a Notefromn the Benevolent Suffrage Association to the Rev. Mr. Cheney.
REV. SIR:-The Ladies of the F. B. S. Association
give you their unfeigned thanks for your fearless, able
and eloquent Address on behalf of the Petitioners for
the Unconditional Liberation of Thomas Wilson Dorr,
and request a copy, if practicable, for the press,
Yours respectfully,
C. R. WILLIAMS.
Jan. 11, 1845.       In behalf of the Association.
Reply of Mr. Cheney.
OLNEYVILLE, Jan. 14th, 1845.
Ladies of the Benevolent Suffrage Association:Accept my sincere thanks for your friendly and favoraible notice of the Address which I had the privilege of
delivering in the Court House, in Providence, on the
11th instant, before a Committee appointed by the Gen-;eral Assembly, to consider and report upon the Petition'of nearly four thousand citizens of this State, (including that of a Father) for the unconditional liberation,of Thomas Wilson Dorr, from the State Prison in which'he is now confined, in accordance with the sentence of
the Supreme Court of this State to solitary confinement,at hard labor during his natural life.
Believe me, Ladies, when I say to you, that the op



MARTIN CHENEY.                 307
portunity then afforded me, of pleading in behalf of my
imprisoned brother, was one of the choicest, richest,
sweetest, privileges of my life. I felt that my judgment,
my conscience, my heart, and my God approved; and
I do most heartily thank you, for affording me such an
opportunity. I feel grateful for the patient attention
given by the Committee to my remarks, and those of
my brethren, and also for the attention and interest
manifested by a crowded audience. And above all,
I feel grateful to my Heavenly Father, for the feeling
heart, and ready utterance which he afforded me, on
that (to me) novel, but deeply interesting occasion. I
may be deemed presumptuous, but I have felt, and still
feel it, as the deep wish of my soul, that what my Heavenly Father enabled me to utter, before a Committee
of three, might have been uttered before a Committee
of the whole, the whole General Assembly and if it had
been practicable, the whole people of the State and
Union.
You ask for a copy of the address. I wish I could
give it you-you should have it with all mny heart.
But it is utterly out of my power. Who can copy tone,
manner, spirit, when one is pleading for an imprisoned
brother? Who can copy the speakings of the eye, aye
of the whole human face divine, when the soul is on
fire? when "out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh?"  Besides, I had no notes, except a
few points, to which I proposed to myself to call the
attention of the committee, with the exception of a few
lines from Shakspeare.
I have hastily glanced at the report in the Gazette



308                 LIFE OF
it seemed to me that the general outline was correct.
True, the report in that paper is imperfect, is but a skeleton; and such would be any copy which I should furnish.
There is a copy correct and true, on record I trust, where
moth and rust will not corrupt, nor thieves break through
and steal. No, Ladies, I cannot give you a copy, or
any thing that would much resemble it.
But, Ladies, I can tell you of some things which I
intended to say, as-That I was happy in being permitted to speak in that place in behalf of my imprisoned
brother; this I think I did utter, and I felt it, and feel it
still. I intended to say to the Honorable Committee,
that I was not before them to affirm or deny the validity of what is called the People's Constitution, or to
question the rightfulness of the present Government, or
the means by which it has been established, or the authority or jurisdiction of the Court, or the partiality
or impartiality of the jury before whom the prisoner
was tried, and adjudged guilty, and sentenced. These
questions have been, are being, and probably will be
discussed elsewhere. This is not my errand here —but
I am here as a man, to plead for my imprisoned brother.
I am here as a signer of the petition you hold in your
hands, and in behalf of the ladies who originated that
petition, to urge you to report to the body from whence
you came, in favor of granting the Prayer thereof.
I did intend to call the attention of the Committee to
the high responsibilities which rested on them. That
they occupied not the throne or seat of Justice, stern
Justice, but that they, in connection with the body
from whence they came, held in their hand the pardon



MARTIN CHENEY.                 309
ingpower. That they sat in that most interesting and
responsible of all places "c The Mercy Seat," and I did,
I think, urge on the attention of the Committee the
mighty responsibilities which rested on them, when it
was believed by the petitioners, that as they reported
so would the action of the Assembly be.
I did attempt to show that neither the requirements
of justice, or the administration of the law, or the safety
of the government, or constitution, stood in the way of'
granting the prayer of the petition, and that the Honorable Committee and the General Assembly might
enjoy the luxury of dispensing mercy without sacrificing
the claims of justice.
I did intend to call the attention of the Committee
to some of the results of a refusal to grant the prayer of
the petition: And, Ist, It will wear the appearance of
revenge, of retaliation on the part of government. The
question is being asked, through the length and breadth
of the land —Why is Thomas Wilson Dorr kept in prison? Does the safety of the government demand it?
Has not the majesty of the law been vindicated? Why,
then, it will be asked from Maine to Georgia, from the
Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains —why is Thomas W.
Dorr kept in the felon's cell? This question will be
asked in the land of the Metternichs, the Wellingtons,
and the O'Connells, why, in Republican America-in
the land of Roger Williams-is Thomas W. Dorr kept
in the State Prison? Humlanity will ask it —Philanthropy will ask it-Christianity will ask it-Freemen
will ask it, every where, in tones of earnestness, louder
and longer, sterner and stronger-and from you, Gens




310                 LIFE OF
tlemen of the Committee, and from the General Assembly an answer will be expected. Gentlemen, we hope
you will put this agitating question at rest by a right
answer, the opening of the prison doors. I did intend
to say that if this petition be rejected, the verdict of the
civilized world will be: That Thomas Wilson Dorr is
kept in prison to gratify a spirit of revenge; and Thomas W. Dorr will be regarded as a Martyr.
2. I did urge on the attention of the Committee,
that a refusal to grant the prayer of the petitioners would
continue the chief element of strife, which has divided
families, churches, and communities, and that such a
course would crush the hope of the venerable parents
of the prisoner, and cruelly disappoint the hopes of many,
very many, of the friends of the present Government.
I did intend to appeal to the Committee not to clog
their report for liberation with conditions which the
petitioners did not ask, and which they must know the
prisoner could not, as an honest man accept. I did say,
-Gentlemen, suppose in the recent struggle in this
State, you had been the defeated party, would your
defeat have been a sufficient reason for you to have
renounced your principles? You answer as men, nonever! Then ask it not of him, whose whole history
shows him to be honest and true to his convictions of
right, on this great question.
Should it be said, he holds dangerous sentiments,
viz.: that the people are sovereign, above all laws, statutes, or constitutions; be it so-thousands in this
State, and others, believe with him, in this matterand some of them standing high in the legal and political




MARTIN CHENEY.                 311
world. Shall all these be incarcerated in prison?  VI
did appeal to them in the fulness of my soul, by the
memories of their own loved mothers, to report in favor
of the petition. I did ask: Shall the prisoner die in his
cell? Shall the hope of his parents be crushed? Shall
these tearful petitions be rejected?  Shall bitterness
and strife still continue, or shall we have peace?
And finally, for my heart is full, I did remind them
of what we should be, if mercy was withheld from us.
Of Him who sendeth rain on the just and unjust,
and maketh his sun to shine on the evil and the good
without asking. I did ask —do you not pray, and hope
for mercy? and, 0, forget not the words of the great
teacher-" With what measure you mete, it shall be
measured to you again; and he shall have judgment
without mercy, who hath showed no mercy;" and I did
express a strong desire that they might so act, that they
might hear from the lips of the final judge-" Inasmuch
as ye have done unto one of the least of these, my
brethren, ye have done it unto me —enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord."'; Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy."   Yours,
MARTIN CHENEY.
It is sufficient to add that, though the unconditional
liberation was not at this time secured, yet the prisoner
was afterward set at liberty, and Mr. Cheney and he
were warm personal friends. In the sickness suffered
by Mr. D., a few years later, which threatened to be
unto death, Mr. Cheney was solicited to visit him, and
did so frequently, with much satisfaction to both parties.




312               LIFE  OF
In the autumn of 1850, Mr. George Thompson, of
the British Parliament, paid a second visit to this country. It will be remembered that he visited here in
1835, at just the time when the mobocratic spirit was
waking against the abolitionists. The lawless force,
consisting of "gentlemen of property and standing,"
who were concerned in seizing, and leading Mr. Garrison through the streets of Boston by a rope, was organized for the purpose of doing violence to Mr.
Thompson; but not finding him, they seized one of
their own citizens. At that time Mr. T. travelled over
different sections of the United States, and did not a
little in calling public attention to the evils of Slavery,
and the duty of Emancipation. He had labored arduously in the same work at home; and came, bringing
his reputation and his scars of honor with him. His
strong reasoning and powerful eloquence produced deep
and lasting impressions on many minds; but few,
probably, sat before him with more interest than Mr.
Cheney, or remembered him with higher satisfaction.
He had done not a little to kindle up the earnestness and
the zeal which so often displayed themselves in Olneyville and its vicinity. And it was fitting that, when
Mr. Thompson came back to revisit the theatre of his
former toils, Mr. Cheney should be selected to give him,
in the name and in behalf of the friends of freedom in
Rhode-Island, the word and the hand of welcome.
The meeting for his public reception was held in a
large hall in Providence, which was most densely
crowded. The address of welcome, delivered by Mr.
Cheney, went beyond the highest expectations of his




M AR T IN CH   NEY.           313
friends, in appropriateness, beauty, force, and effect.
Few were unmoved, and Mr. T.'s tears flowed freely
during the delivery of some of the passages. The
following somewhat ample sketch will indicate its general character; though it must give but a faint idea of
its actual impressiveness.
WELCOME TO GEORGE THOMPSON, 1M. P.
MR. CHAIRMAN-;The friends of emancipation, in this City and State,.
wished to extend to the Hon. George Thompson, M.
P., of England,-the eloquent advocate of freedom —
a cordial welcome on his reappearance among us, after
an absence of fifteen years; and they have assigned to,
me the difficult, yet delightful task, of tendering it. It
might easily have: been put into abler: hands; but to no,
one would it have given more heartfelt pleasure.
Sir, in doing this, shall I for a moment advert to my
acquaintance with him, whom you would greet, and.
whom you delight to honor?  I: refer not to personal
acquaintance, for as to that, my acquaintance begins to —
night. But through the almost ubiquity of the press,
I became acquainted with our honored friend while he
was doing battle, side by side with Clarlison, and Wilberforce, and Buxton, against British Colonial Slavery,
and urging on the people of Britain the duty of immediate Emancipation. Well do I remember reading with:
admiration those powerful arguments and appeals, withr
27




which he met, face to face, the paid agent of Slavery,
Well do I remember the thrill which I felt, when Slan
very's champion had declared that he could and would
produce a certain law, and there broke from the lips of
a young man upon the ears of the audience, the startling challenge, "'Read the lawv!"  Boldly did the
agent of despotism declare he had the law and could
present it; and then there rung out again the defiant
words,-" READ THE LAW!" Then and there I became
acquainted with GEORGE THOMPSON. I felt the pulsations of his mighty heart, as it throbbed against my
own, and the acquaintance was complete. And when
the Jubilee shout of freedom rose over the British West
India Isles, then I could not fail to be acquainted with
a man so intimately connected with that joyful event.
And then I became acquainted with him through the
patriotic papers of New-York, as they levelled their
artillery of abuse against him.
And then, for the first time in this city, we heard his
eloquent pleading for the slave.
And then came the days of mobs, and Lynch Law,
brick-bats, and bowie knives; and then, when the
boldest held his breath, and the strong men trembled,
our friend was true as steel; and here, if he did not
shake the dust from his feet, it fell from his feet as a
witness to the shame of this nation, as he returned to
his native land.
SiR: Allow me to address you as the George
Thompson of 1835, unabridged and unaltered. We
have watched with deep interest your movements on
the burning plains of India, through England, Scot



MARTIN C-HENEY.               315
land, and Ireland, till-strange to tell-we have seen
you seated side by side with the Law-makers of the
British realm. Yes, sir, we have watched you with
deep interest; and forgive us if I say, almost with
anxiety, while we beheld halting, faltering, and even
open treachery and desertion. We have looked to see
how George Thompson would meet success, and applause, and power. We knew how he could meet
calumny and mobs, but we knew that flattery could
often seduce where mobs could not terrify. We almost trembled when men who told us, that slaves
could not breathe in England, found themselves unable
to breathe freely in America. We knew how he sto9g
in 1835, when his English friends failed him; but now
the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them were
passing in review before him, and we involuntarily
said,-" God help George Thompson!"'
Thank God; our friend, when weighed in the balance, has not been found wanting. For whom have we
here? One from the high seats of power in that most
powerful nation. And what is he doing? Why,
pleading tile cause of the poor and oppressed. It is
the second edition of the "Old Man Eloquent."  All
honor to the Abdiels of Old England,-faithful among
the faithless; not as the hero of the battle-field or of
song, but as the faithful soldier in the moral battles for
the redemption of the poor.
As Abolitionists and lovers of freedom,
We welcome among us the coadjutor and friend of
Clarkson.




316                 LIFE OF
We welcome the man who silenced the paid agent
of West Indian Slavery.
We welcome the man who detected the rottenness
of that system of folly, deception, and cruelty —CoIonization.
We welcome the man who was candid and keen
enough to ascertain the name of that incendiary sheet,
published in Boston, and the name of the madman who
edited it;-the name of the convicted libeller, the tenant of a dungeon, the companion of felons.* We welcome and honor the man whose instincts of humanity
are so true that all the arts of Colonization could not
deceive him.
We rejoice to give the hand of fellowship and welcome to the man who, whether on the plains of India,
in the mobs of America, or seated in the British Parliament, has maintained without compromise and without concealment, the same great principles, the same
unbending integrity, the same high and holy purpose;
the man who, in these almost superhuman labors, has
planted himself on the rock of eternal truth-that truth
which crushed to earth will rise again; and with the
sword of the Spirit he has conquered.
We welcome you, sir, among us, as of a kindred
spirit with him who said; "I am in earnest. I will
not equivocate; I will not excuse; I will not retreat a
single inch.  I will be heard."  Yes, we have seen
that you was in earnest, &c., and that you would be
heard; and we opine you will be heard to-night.
* Reference is here made to Mr. Garrison and his paper, "The
Liberator." Mr. Thompson gave his sympathy and aid to Mr. G.
It is hardly necessary to say that IMr. Cheney speaks ironically here.




MARTIN CHENEY,                 31
We welcome the man whose heart is so large that
it cannot be limited in its action, by latitude or longitilde or altitude; the pulsations of which are felt from
isle to isle, from continent to continent, stirring the
pulse of the world.
We are glad to greet you again, for we need you.
Colonization is again attempting to raise its snaky
head. Freedom of discussion is threatened. That wonder of cruelty, that legislative monster-the Fugitive
Slave Law-has been enacted; and the pulpit, which
has eschewed politics, is loud in demanding obedience
to this infamous political statute. Yes, in these dark
days, we need you to rebuke, instruct, and cheer.
Welcome then to the city of Providence, whose name
is emblematic of the guardian care about thee. Welcome to the spot where Roger Williams found a refugeto the asylum for all sorts of consciences,-to the spot
where civil and religious liberty were first proclaimed.
Welcome to our ears, our homes, our hearts. Not
especially as a true Englishman;-not as the Hon.
George Thompson; —not as the eloquent and accomplished orator;-not as the warm-hearted friend; —not
even as the true Christian do we welcome thee now;
but as the untiring, unfaltering, uncompromising advocate of universal emancipation,-as the eloquent advocate of the universal Fatherhood of God, and the universal brotherhood of man; as the incarnation of a
spirit whose motto is, "My country is the world; my
countrymen all mankind.'"
May God spare thee long, cover thy head in the day
of battle, and give thee to hear another jubilee shout




318                      LIFE  OF
from  the millions of American slaves, unfettered and
free.
Go on!-fbr thou hast chosen well;
On in the strength of God!
Long as one human heart shall swell
Beneath the tyrant's rod.
Speak in a slumbering nation's ear
As thou hast ever spoken;
Until the dead in sin shall hearThe fetter's link be broken.
I love thee with a brother's love,
I feel my pulses thrill,
To mark thy spirit soar above
The cloud of human ill.
lMy heart hath leaped to answer thine,
And echo back thy words,
As leaps the warrior's at the shine
And flash of' kindred swords.
Have I not known thee well, and read
Thy mighty purpose long!
And watched the trials which have made
Thy human spirit strong?
And shall the slanderer's demon breath
Avail with one like me,
*To dim the sunshine of my faith
And earnest trust in thee?
Go on-the dagger's point may glare
Amid thy pathway's gloomThe fate which sternly threatens there
Is glorious martyrdom!
Then onward with a martyr's zealPress on to thy rewardThe hour when man shall only kneel
Before his Father-God."




MA1RTTN CHIENEY.               319
With renewed thanks to the friends who assigned
me this difficult though pleasant task, and to the audience for their kind attention, I present to you, as your
guest and friend, the HON. GEORGE THOMPSON.
Mr. Cheney was accustomed to meet the colored
people of the city and vicinity, annually, on the first of
August, to celebrate the anniversary of West India
Emancipation, and to discuss the successive phases of
the Anti Slavery enterprise in this country. This was
always a privileged occasion, on many accounts, to him.
It enabled him to show, publicly, his sympathy with
the free people of color; to repeat a public protest
against slavery and its appendages and supports; to encourage himself and others, by dwelling on the triumph
of philanthropy over selfishness and distrust in West
India -Emancipation; and win over, if possible, to
active, Anti-Slavery efforts, the opponents or the mere
professed friends of the slave.  Several sketches of
the speeches delivered on these occasions are found
among his papers; but they are probably not necessary
to be presented, in order to give a just idea either of his
Anti-Slavery feeling, spirit, or policy. He was always
earnest and radical, and sometimes severe and personal.
He leaves, also, several outlines of addresses to children, delivered on excursion occasions, and'Sabbath
School Anniversaries and Celebrations. They indicate
both his views and feelings in respect to the character
and training of children. He always gave prominence
to his doctrines of Peace, in these efforts. Henry C.




320                 LIFE OF
Wright's " Kiss for a Blow," may be said to be the text
book from which he drew the materials for his efforts.
He urged kindness towards each other in their intercourse; benevolence towards the suffering; and sought
to attract them to Christ by the exhibition of his tenderness and love. These views were prominent in all
his teachings, but especially so in his instructions to
the young.
He was often called to the chambers of sickness 
and, though he regarded himself as wanting in ability
to make his visits in the sick room profitable, others
felt that there was a singular appropriateness and beauty
and value in his conversations and prayers.  He had
always words of comfort for the mourner; and over the
pious dead his utterances glowed with chastened enthusiasm.
His public labors were so numerous and abundant,
as to leave him little opportunity or strength for taxing,
private labor. Some idea may be obtained of the amount
of his public labors from the following abstracts, prepared for the Ministers' Conference of the Rhode Island
Quarterly Meeting. At the January session of that body,
it has been customary to examine the members, so far
as to require a brief statement of their labors and experiences during the past year, and of their present views
and feelings. The two tables which follow, were prepared by Mr. Cheney, the first being a record for 1S45,
and the second for his last full year of ministerial service
-1850.  They are fair specimens of his annual reports.




MARTIN CHENEY..               321
REPORT OF PUBLIC LABORS-1845.
Attended Funerals,           -       -      55
Funeral Sermons,   -                        37
Other Sermons,.               110
Whole number Sermons,  -   -   -           138
Temperance Addresses,           -    -       7
Addresses on Education,                      2
Organization of Church,    -    -    -       1
Anti-Slavery Addresses,                      2
Thanksgiving Discourse,    -    -            1
Peace Address, -     
Address before a Committee of the Assembly,   1
Essay on Moral Government,   -    -    -    1
Whole number of Public Addresses,   -      310
I have attended the most of fifty-two Sunday eve,
ning Conferences; most of the weekly Temperance
meetings; most of the weekly enquiry meetings;
most of the monthly Church and Covenant meetings;
and some Special Church meetings. Have visited some
on Committees; visited the sick somewhat,-how
much I have no account. It has been a year of God's
goodness to me. Have been prevented from preaching,
by illness, only one Sabbath. It has been a year of
liberty in preaching; a year of declension in the Church;
a year of privilege with my ministering brethren.
REPORT-1850.
I have delivered one hundred and sixteen Sermons
and public Addresses; attended sixty-one Funerals;
with the usual amount of Church, Covenant, and Conference meetings, Sunday School, and Bible Class. I
now meet a Bible Class once a week; and, a part of




322                 LIFE OF
the time, on Sunday mornings, making, in all, about
one meeting a day through the year.
My doctrinal views are, in some respects, different
from what they were earlier in my ministry.
1. I do not now believe in Infant Depravity. I
used to " kind o' believe it, and kind o' not" believe it.
2. On the Atonement my views are somewhat modified.
3. On the Trinity, I have never been very well
satisfied; though called a Trinitarian.
4. On the Sabbath, views are changed. Do not
see that any times or places are set apart by Divine
command under the gospel, as holy.
5. Christianity alone a test of church membership,
and the qualification for communion.
6. Life-taking forbidden under the gospel.
In the latter portion of Mr. Cheney's life he was
obliged to husband his strength as far as practicable,
but his public labors were still abundant.  He lost
nothing of his earnestness, however; parted with none
of his decisive firmness, and still kept himself alive in
the great causes of philanthropy, which had for so many
years enlisted his attention.  He was walking down to
the end and goal of life, seeking to scatter the seeds of
truth and righteousness as he went forward. Activity
had always been his leading characteristic, and, in his
latest years, he had nothing of inactivity. His eventful
life was approaching its close, and it ceased not to be
eventful, even when he was nearing the shadows of
the grave, and the light of immortality.




MARTIN CIENEY.               323
CHAPTER XV.
ANALYSIS OF HIS CHARACTER.
WE have followed Mr. Cheney along through the
various stages of his life, until, worn with labors and
with years, he stands near the mouth of his yet
unopened tomb. Some of the striking events which
marked his history have passed in review before us;
and through these events may be seen, perhaps with
considerable clearness, the various features of his character. Yet it seems appropriate, as we stand where his
life stretches out before us, having made ourselves familiar with his history, to group together the various
elements of his character, after having considered them
in their separate existence. In this way we may be
enabled to obtain a more definite view of the man, and
be prepared to understand and estimate better the developments of his character in the statements already
made.
Mr. Cheney had a character, definite and marked.
His was a separate and independent existence. He was
no mirror, reflecting the features of the life about him,
changing the image as often as he changed his position.
There was no danger of mistaking him for any other
human being, or of supposing that he had ever moulded
himself on the basis of any human model. He stood out
before every beholder, never striving to be more, and
never discovering himself to be less, than MARTIN CHE



324                  LIFE OF
NEY. Yet he never affected eccentricity, nor was he at
all what is usually termed eccentric. He was made up
of striking individualities, yet few if any ever thought
of calling him odd. He was simply natural; and in
yielding to the laws and tendencies of his own nature,
he never appeared as a second edition of any predecessor
or cotemporary, and presented a character which rendered any person who attempted, to copy it, simply
ridiculous.
The formation of that character was, doubtless, somewhat affected both by his physical constitution, and by
the circumstances which surrounded him. And, hence,
it may be well to look for a moment at these outward
things, before commencing the internal survey.
In person, Mr. Cheney was about five feet ten inches
in height, with a well proportioned frame, —in the latter
part of his life being rather thin than full. His organi,
zation was firm, close, compact; with a large amount
of muscular and nervous energy. It was a constitution
naturally elastic and enduring, with an active temperament sustained by high vital forces. The appetites and
propensities, taking their rise in the body, were sufficiently strong and well developed to make his physical
life an important and influential element to him. It
was just such a constitution as is adapted to be the
ally of courage and executive force. And that sort of
courage which makes most of the heroes of war, he did
possess largely. He was never accused of cowardice,
even when he was enlisted in enterprises which his
conscience refused to approve. He was very seldom
cowed by threats, even when his antagonist had the




MARTIN CHENEY.                325
support of a just cause. Opposition would rouse his
resistance; the very fact that others had dictated, was
apt to be a sufficient reason why he should rebel; and
when thus roused, the presence of danger did but little
to excite his fear. Nothing but opportunity needed to
be added to his physical constitution to make of him a
military hero. An incident will illustrate this.  One of
his warm personal friends speaks of having seen him, in
the days of his wildness, at a military review, a few
miles from Providence.  The troops were drawn up,
and the crowd of spectators had been pressing so hard
upon one of the outside companies as to render the
soldiery quite impatient, and they had made a flourish of
their bayonets to disperse them. Just at this stage of
affairs, Mr. Cheney, with two other young men, rode
up to the lines, and drove along so near the ranks asalmost to graze the persons of the company with the,
carriage wheels. Indignant at the intrusion, a cry was>
raised, " Prick his horse s*.  your bayonets;" and a~
dozen sharp points were turned towards the intruders..
With a sudden and decisive movement, Mr. Cheneydrew up his horse, and, with a look in which there seem —
ed to be a flash of lightning, he replied in a low, quick,.
defiant voice,-" Let them do it if they dare."  The
narrator says he appeared as if ready to leap upon the,
very points of the weapons, if he had been provoked by
a single aggressive movement. The soldiery quailed
before him, and looked after him in silence as he proudlyrode away. It will not be difficult to perceive the,
bearing of this physical constitution and its tendencies.
upon many of the facts already presented.
28




326               LIFE OF
The circumstances surrounding Mr. Cheney were
such as to develope whatever of courage and force might
have existed within him. He encountered much opposition, and now and then his fears were sought to be
excited by attempts at intimidation. He lived at the
very time when the contests were going on over the
rnoral questions that were agitating the world. Temperance, and Anti-Slavery, and Peace, were all presented
to him in such aspects as aroused his feelings and gave
a peculiar turn to his efforts. The suspicion with which
he became accustomed to regard popular institutions
and popular men, was more or less the result of his discovery of their unfaithfulness toward the causes which
were obviously embraced within the objects of the
gospel. The strong attachment which he always manifestel for those causes, may have been partly created
and preserved by his abundant labors in their behalf,
and by the necessity imposed upon him to look into
their merits and defend the claims. His early life had:been spent, not in the halls of wealth or amid the temptations of power, but among the masses of the people
and in the society of the vicious; and this had not been
without its influence in quickening and strengthening
his sympathies for the multitude, and making him a
champion -of the rights of the poor and despised. Men
of wealth, talent, and.influence, had encouraged and
aided him when he was weak and unpopular; and'so he was the more ready to recognize the nobleness
of those who, amid strong temptations to tyranny and
selfishness, had gone out into the needy and suffering
world on an errand of benevolence and justice. His




MART IN C HENEY.                327
early outward life had brought trial and difficulty, compelling him to struggle or sink; and in the struggle and
the triumph which it brought him, he had learned to
feel strong and independent in his ability.  When he
became a christian, he was where nothing would inspire confidence and sympathy but the boldest avowal
of his change and the highest religious activity; and
these first decisive steps would naturally tend to make
all his subsequent procedure bold and determined. The
want of early study and mental discipline laid him under a kind of necessity for close observation; and so
would tend to make him specially familiar with, and
interested in, the passing present. His own history had
been crowded with striking and important occurrences;
and so it was but natural that he should'grudge the
space occupied and the food consumed by a lymphatic,
gluttonous, indolent mortal, and be satisfied with no
life which wanted earnestness, energy, and efficiency.
In exhibiting the elements of Mr. Cheney's character, it seems proper to consider, first, his Intellectual,
then his Moral and Religious, and finally, his Social traits.
His moral and religious peculiarities were more or less
determined by the structure of his Intellect, and his
social qualities can only be understood when seen in
their relation to the rest of his nature.
The first thing suggested by a view of his mental
operations, was Activity of Intellect.  His mental processes seemed to be carried on with very great rapidity.
A whole troop of distinct thoughts would pass in review




328                 LIFE OF -
before him) while nmany others were seeking to get a
clear view of the subject which had set them in motion.
No impassioned hurriedness of speech, no condensation
of ideas, no unusual fruitfulness in matter, ever enabled
a speaker to outrun Mr. Cheney's capacity to follow him.
In ordinary cases, he would anticipate a conclusion long
before a speaker was prepared to state it.-And his intellect was not only rapid in its movements when acting, but it was always ready to act. There are many
ininds that are prompt, keen, and efficientt when roused,
and yet, under ordinary circumstances, are sluggish and
dull. To develope their power they must be lashed,
goaded, and stung into activity. It was not so with
Mr. Cheney.  His intellect seemed never to be taking
rest. It seemed to be so accustomed to act as a sentinel, that it slept with its eyes wide open and its weapons grasped firmly in its hands.  Start a topic of interest, and eye and face and form all told that you had one
eager, critical listener. Open a new avenue of thought,
and he was at the entrance, ready for an enthusiastic
exploration.  Hazard a statement which he did not believe, and you were almost certain of being laid under
the necessity of setting earnestly about its defence.
Make a strong argument in favor of a position which
he regarded false, and he was instantly at work testing
every link in the chain of reasoning, giving himself no
rest till he had satisfied himself of its unsoundness, or
given it an intelligent approbation. He carried this
ready intellect with him every where, and it was continually kept at work. He would find an illustration
of some important principle in the prattle of his chil



MARTIN CHE NEY.                329
dren, frame a reply to some opponent while hoeing his
garden, and arrange an impressive sermon for the next
Sabbath while walking home from the city.
Nor did his mental forces wait for any foreign inflaence to summon them into action. He was perpetually
stimulating other minds to effort. Few persons ever
spent an hour with him without being set earnestly at
thinking. Before they were aware of it, he had drawn
them into a position where it was both a necessity and
a pleasure to tax their powers of reasoning.  The young
and timid, who had thought it became them to listen
trustingly to the words of age and experience, felt anew
that they should have opinions and be able to give a
reason for them. He did not set himself to puzzle them,
and then laugh at their perplexity;-such a course would
have increased their timidity and weakened the confidence in themselves; he made them feel at home and
at ease, even when they felt obliged to retract opinions
but recently avowed. He corrected an error so that the
victim felt that he was less liable to fall into another.
He reserved his logical traps for the pompous, selfwilled egotists whom he sometimes met; and while
they were writhing and vainly struggling to loose themselves from durance, he would sometimes encourage the
laugh which their contortions excited. And this he
did, not because he enjoyed the mortification suffered
by his victims, but because, through mortification, he
hoped to teach them the lesson of modesty and cantion.*
* On one occasion he was speaking in the city on the subject of
Peace. He alluded to the prophecy of Micah, that swords should be




330                     LIFE OF
It was this feature, blended with a keen perception
and a power of close discrimination, which gave him
the chief portion of his intellectual power. His mind
was less comprehensive and philosophical than many
others, and, in point of thorough discipline, the absence
of early training  had  left him  somewhat deficient.
His mind was more analytical than synthetical; he
could demolish better than he could construct. Phrenology marked his concentrativeness small; and, as a
matter of fact, he did not seem able to dwell upon any
one nice point in a subject for any length of time.
When he sought to be critical, he often hurried over the
beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning-hooks. At this
point he was interrupted by a clergyman in the back part of the:house, who expressed himself very decidedly to the effect that there
was no such prophecy in Micah. Mr. C. knew his disputant, and
says, "I confess I felt a little roguish."  He replied with a little hesitation, that he certainly had the impression that there was such a
prediction there. More strongly than before came up the denial
tfrom the back part of the house. Mr. C.'s eyes sparkled with rising
-fin; but he simply, in a half apologizing way, expressed his surprise
that he should be mistaken, for he certainly thought he had seen the,prophecy in that book. The third denial from his clerical disputant
was more peremptory, decided and earnest than before; and an intimation was given that before the speaker came to argue such a,question from the bible, he should be familiar enough with it to dis-:tinguish between Micah and Isaiah. Mir. Cheney's time had now
come. His disputant had run himself into the snare, and all that
remained to be done was to draw the noose. He calmlyturned to a.brother seated near him, and requested him to read from Micah 4: 3.'The passage was read, in a clear and distinct voice, and it was now
the critic's turn to be confounded, as peal after peal of laughter rose
from all parts of the congregation. Mr. C. said nothing, but went,on with his argument




XMARTIN CHENEY.               23 1
distinctions and limitations which could only be understood and appreciated by being accurately marked and
considerably dwelt upon. Owing to the same want of
early training and of familiarity with philology and
mental science, his language sometimes wanted precision, his definitions were not always exact, and his
terms were not always happily chosen. He wrote but
little, and what he did write was prepared with reluctance; and, as a result, his compositions lacked literary
finish. These defects, however, if they may be called
such, scarcely diminished his power in the estimation of
those who knew him. What he saw he saw clearly;
and what he attempted to say he made every body understand. Give him a premise, and his mind would
bound forward to a conclusion almost before the statement was completed. You had to point his eye but
once to an idea till now unseen, before his perception
had grasped it. It was seen clearly in itself, though it
may not have been always seen in all its relations. And
as, under the telescope, the starry point separates into
distinct luminous bodies, so beneath his discriminating
gaze, what had been thought a single, simple idea, divided itself into several, wholly distinct from each other.
He was never satisfied with seeing a thing in its outlines; he aimed to penetrate at once into its interior.
It was this intense eagerness to get at the heart or
bottom or end of a matter, that sometimes led him
into the commission of an intellectual fault. Fixing
his eye only on the heart, he did not always perceive
how circumstances might modify its developements.
Straining his vision to reach the bottom, he did not al



332                 LIFE OF
ways thoroughly inspect the steps.  Hurrying to the
end of his inquiry, lessened his care to survey each
point in the path which led him there.  Accustomed to
press a principle to its ultimate conclusions without fear
of consequences, he sometimes found, in surveying the
process, that some of his inferences, though seeming to
be legitimate, were not necessary. Not to mention other
things, his reasonings over the tests of church fellowship
will illustrate this.
An idea seldom grew upon his mind gradually.  A
complex subject might do so; it usually did. But he
never seemed to have any crude, imperfect, half-formed
notions.  He either saw a thing or he did not see it.
And between the time of not discovering a point and
laying hold upon it firmly, it was often difficult to make
a mark. Shapeless objects in the mist, men as trees
walking, seldom appeared in the field of his mental vision; and so, because he saw clearly, he made others
see clearly; because things appeared so real to him, he
made them realities to others. These qualities of activity, keen perception and close discrimination, made
him a careful observer upon human life and character;
and he seldom came into contact with a man without
looking him through, and forming a pretty correct estimate of his abilities and character.  He was not really
suspicious, but he was seldom deceived.  The same
qualities rendered him a skillful debator. There, his
mental activity was increased by pressure, and his perceptive and discriminative powers were wielded with
the highest efficiency.




MARTIN CHENEY.                333
He was a close reasoner; but not alone because the
mathematical or logical or metaphysical feature of his
mind was very unusually prominent. The traits already
indicated aided him largely. His logical processes were
carried on by the combined activity of many powers.
He had a very good ability to analyze and abstract;
and,-but for the necessity of dealing so largely with
actual life, with outward concrete things; but for being so earnest and practical,-he might have been
greatly interested and successful in metaphysics. As it
was, his reasoning power rested, to an unusual extent,
upon his perceptive. He could sometimes see a fallacy
when he could not clearly expose it; and so he was
obliged to pursue the indirect method in his attempt to
meet it;-that is, he would attempt to establish the
opposite sentiment, without presenting any direct reply
to the argument which he wished to overthrow. In
the latter part of his life he came to place more and
more dependence upon his reasonings and their results.
Into new and hazardous fields of inquiry did he take
his reason along with him, feeling that it was highly
safe to lean upon its arm and follow its guidance.
Such a man could not have been very superstitious
or credulous; nor, on the other hand, could he have
been obstinately skeptical. He wanted rational evidence to support a statement before he was ready to
endorse it; and, when this was found, there seemed to
him the same folly in skepticism that there was in
superstitious credulity. He dealt largely with facts and
reason; and both of them convinced him that much
held sacred was false, and yet many things held to be




334                LIFE OF
strange or unreasonable were yet both true and important. He kept his eyes open to every newly developed
field of investigation, and his ears open to the words of
every earnest and sincere teacher. He was not ready
to accept every thing that had passed into society with
the endorsement of men of great reputation, nor did he
wait until a sentiment had become current and popular
before he would take it to his understanding. If his reason pronounced it true and important, he bore it along
with him openly, not caring to ask whether he and it
were to be greeted with hosannahs or maledictions. A
logical absurdity he could not be prevailed upon to swallow, whoever administered the dose; he had rather be
charged with being a skeptic, than be conscious of being
insincere. He had faith in his reasonings on every topic.
On some of the profounder doctrines of revelation he
may have reasoned with too much confidence;-may
have trusted too implicitly to a guide whose inadequacy
God has recognized in the bestowment of super-natural
teaching. Certain it was that, in thus depending upon
his reason, he did not unqualifiedly endorse all the
doctrines of the usually received theology, and did
sometimes lean toward sentiments which are held as
heretical. By this is not meant that he wanted confidence in the bible, but that, as is always the case, his
system of mental philosophy gave color to his interpretations of the bible.  He thought independently,
and gave his convictions a practical application. And,
while he held the opinion, he seemed to regard himself
as set for its defence. He would neither compromise
nor push it out of sight, because it provoked attacks or




MARTIN CHENEY.                 335
exposed him to censure. You must either let him retain
it and develope it when and where and as he pleased, or
convince him that it was wrong; and when this last
thing was done, it was unto him " as an heathen man
and a publican."
His imagination was not remarkably vivid. He could
not have written or conceived a very ingenious novel;
nor would he ever have excelled as a poet. He was
too busy and earnest with practical matters to leave
much time, energy, or inclination for fanciful creations,
such as he was able to originate. Yet he had imagination enough to give freshness and life to his exhibitions of thought, and enough to give him a high
appreciation of the beautiful or the grand creations of
others. A bold metaphor and a beautiful simile were
treasured up as gems in the storehouse of his memory,
and used to dignify and embellish his own productions.
His love of the grand and beautiful, whether appearing in nature, art, or life, was full of intensity and
enthusiasm. He gazed upon the face of creation,
listened to the music that swelled up amid its leafy
temples, breathed the air made fragrant by the incense
of the flowers, as one whose eyes had been anointed to
behold the glory of God. His taste seemed instinctively delicate, and every where he was discovering
something beautiful, half hidden in some niche of the
temples of deformity.
In-his studied efforts, he showed a strong love of system and order. The want of early mental discipline prevented him from systematizing his thoughts, if he was
obliged to present them as they arose in his own mind~




336                LIFE OF
And when his mind was set at work, without special
previous preparation, it might exhibit the lowest or the
highest specimens of his intellectual efficiency. Relying upon his ability to see within and through the topics
presented to him, he sometimes failed to secure the
needed insight; and sometimes a topic, almost wholly
new, yielded up its hidden treasures under the intensity of his momentary mental gaze. But there are some
of the discourses presented in the preceding chapters,
which indicate that his mind was accustomed to act,
in its calmer moods, in conformity to high principles of
order. He had never learned these principles by study
in search of them; if they had been prescribed by another, he would have deemed them spirit-fetters; but,
being an outgrowth from his own tendencies, they
were eminently natural to him. His system became
the body of his thought, whose form and proportions
were determined by the thought itself.
As a whole, his intellect was of a superior order. It
must be remembered that it had but little early cultivation, and that subsequent circumstances were unfavorable to its growth. That, in certain directions, it
had less force than though a liberal course of study
had early put it on the path of progress, is obvious;
but, with all its disadvantages, it was no common
force. Of this, high testimony was furnished in the unabated interest felt in his preaching by men of learning
and talent, and by the general reputation for power
which he acquired and retained in the suburbs of the
city, and among strong men. True, the force of his
preaching did not arise solely from his intellectual en



MARTIN CHIENEY.                337
ergy;-that intellect had powerful -allies, as we shall
hereafter see; but without real mental strength he could
never have held a leading position among the city ministry for twenty-five years. Fifteen years before his
death, in conversation with a mutual friend, an eminent
Baptist minister, said; —" There are many able ministers in the city of Providence, but none of them excel
Mr. Cheney in intellectual strength and acumen." And
there are probably few impartial and qualified observers
who would hesitate to unite in this estimate.
In the Moral and Religious aspects of Mr. Cheney'scharacter were seen the striking qualities of the man.
There was something in his very look which seemed
refusing all compromise with sin. To every form of'
selfishness and hypocrisy his eye seemed to be administering a perpetual rebuke.  There was no hlalf-heartedness in his religious profession. When he broke his,
league with Satan, he proclaimed open and uncompromising war with all his emissaries and works. The
idea of his backsliding and weakening his protest against
iniquity, was a thing which no transgressor dared to;
expect, after he had entered upon his public labor.
Rumor once accused him of breaking his Temperancepledge. One of his former companions in sin was asked,
whether he believed the report was correct. He at once
replied, —" No, but I wish it was true."  So deep and:
general was the idea that the whole force of that nature
was a pillar, supporting its religious faith.
29




33S                 LIFE OF
This strong, firm, couragous adherence to what he
believed to be right, was the regal element of his nature.
Moral law ever appeared to him like the voice of God.
Through all paths of perplexity, amid all forms of excitement, his eye was fixed upon the great principles
of righteousness, as were the eyes of the wise men upon
the star that guided them to the infant Savior. The
claims of duty he saw with unusual clearness, and felt
with uncommon force. The plea of expediency, when
it tended to induce a sacrifice of what was abstractly
right, was, to him, a new edition of Satan's discourse to
Eve. What he thought was wrong he condemned, without stopping to ask who might be pleased or who might
be wounded by his rebukes. His conscience was always
active, and gave decided verdicts over almost every
moral question submitted to it. To him, nothing that
was right appeared unimportant. In his creed no note
was taken of small sins. To violate a conviction willingly, to sacrifice a righteous principle knowing it to
be such, even in the slightest nlatters, was, in his estimation, to do a terrible wrong. In little things as in
great things, his course never deviated an inch from
the straight line of perceived moral duty. Reputation,
friendship, worldly interest, all were nothing, apparently,
when they stood between him and his conscience. He
not only refused to do what he thought was wrong, but
would not refrain from doing what he thought was
right. Not that he had no care for his reputation; few
men were more naturally sensitive than he to the estimate put upon him by others; but duty was more
sacred and precious in his eyes than the public hosans




AMARTIN CHENEY.                 339
nah. A friend's censure pained him not a little; but
it was a pain he could bear much better than the cry of
his wounded conscience. He did not always hurry to
take a decisive position, especially on any new question;
with all his activity of intellect, and his confidence in
his logical deductions, he chose his ground cautiously;
but when he had once planted himself he could not be
stirred a hair's breadth from his stand-point, till he
was dislodged by the conviction that he was wrong.
Threats could wring from him no concessions, bribes
only awoke his contempt, deprecating remonstrances
only made him distrust the sincerity and value of the
friendship which presented them, and the opposition
that threatened to crush him, only petrified his courage
into a rocky strength of resistance. He could die like
Paul, taking as his heritage the crown of martyrdom,
but he could neither betray like Judas or deny like Peter for the sake of security or silver. In the very foreground of his moral qualities stood this unbending
integrity; it was the controlling agency of his mind,
the captain of all his interior forces. Whoever accused
him of indiscretions, no man suspected him of having
compromised his principles.
His sensibilities were active. His mind may be said
to have abounded in nerves, even more than his body.
To be a stoic was, with him, an impossible thing. A
truth never expended its whole force upon his understanding; his emotions lay so close to his intellect that
the intercourse between them was both rapid and free.
He was no cold, stern, soulless, statue of justice, no
passionless incarnation of abstract righteousness.  His




340                 LIFE OF
intellect emitted no more light, than did his passions
radiate heat. Indeed, not a little of his intellectual activity was the result of his emotional activity. He
thought rapidly, because he felt deeply. The movements of his mental machinery were quick, because his
soul supplied such an amount of motive power. His
flashes of thought were often little else than the glow
of his flaming feelings, and his words were the avenue
through which the eye might look to discover them.
The bearing of this feature of his character upon every form of its development, was close and important.
It created not a little of his outward greatness, and explains not a few of his defects. Without it he would
have borne another character; and his biographer would
have had to record another outward history, if, indeed,
in its absence, his outward history would then have warranted any permanent record. His intellect was kept
awake, not simply because it possessed in itself a powerful mainspring, but because it expanded, until it pressed
against its outward environments, under the heat of
emotion. His shades of feeling were nice and delicate,
and so he was prompted to search after the delicate varieties of thought to which they corresponded. He
adhered to a rational conviction, not only because experience had taught him that this was best and safest;
but because he deeply felt the mortification and disgrace
of being unreasonable. He debated earnestly with an
opponent, not only because the moral sentiment advocated by his opponent wanted logical consistency to his
eye; but, also, because his moral feeling revolted at a
false principle. His high appreciation of the beautiful




MAR T IN CHENEY.               341
was not merely the result of perceiving fitness and propriety, but the going forth of his roused soul in joy and gratitude to pay homage at the feet of loveliness. His unbending Christian integrity, his firm adherence to what
seemed duty, sprung, not only from the clear discovery
that the law was holy, just and good, but also from the
deep abiding reverence which he felt for truth; from
the deep feeling that God was abused and the soul disgraced, when it turned its back upon heaven-revealed
duty, and paid its devotions at a sensual shrine.
This active and powerful sensibility explains the
earnestness and vehemence of much of his effort. To
be calm and temperate, when a great and good cause
was in danger of a failure through human indolence and
opposition, was not in his nature. He could not plead
for it according to rhetorical rule, nor rebuke its foes
with careful, tender mildness. His words came to his
lips, glowing with the pale heat given them by the fused
emotions which they had momentarily enveloped. He
cared nothing for exact technical statement. He was
as abrupt, perchance, as the fiery discharges of a volcanic
crater, and as exaggerative as an oriental prophet. He
saw, for the time, little else than a great interest sinking, and strong brawny men sleeping on the brink of
the pit wherein it was disappearing, or quarrelling with
those who were struggling to save it; and whoever
else might caressingly invite them to arise, and meekly
ask them not to stand in the way of others, he was
pretty certain to shake them with some violence, and
utter some hasty and stinging words.
And when a giant evil was before him, —guarded by
*29




342                 LIFE OP
law, custom, influence, and money, subsidizing talent,
triumphing over virtue, stopping the mouths of men
with bribes, and resolving to crush what it could not
corrupt and buy, —he could hardly find rest by day or
by night. It would mingle itself with every current of
his thought, and ally itself with every topic he sought
to develope. It was perpetually goading him into almost a moral fierceness. It seemed like a Nessus-garment enveloping his soul, and stinging every moral
nerve into the agony that makes desperate. And he
who looked, at such a time, for worldly prudence and
timid moderation, must look elsewhere than to Martin
Cheney. He analyzed the evil, held up its elements to
rview till each alone seemed worthy only of reprobation,
developed the connected evils, dwelt on the aggravated
circumstances, then, putting them all together into a
monstrous unity, he held it up on the point of his terri-.ble invective and demanded for it the curses of the
-world.
Nor was it enough for him to deal sternly with the
evil. He never expended his whole force on abstract
sins, or organic iniquities. A sin implied a sinner;
moral evil always spoke of guilt. He never sought to
atone for leaving a wrong-doer undisciplined, by a dis-play of his courage in hurling verbal missiles at the'head of the wrong deed. He lashed those who brought
the evil to the birth; he lashed those who nursed it;
he lashed those who gave it currency and reputation;
he lashed those who bowed down before it; he lashed
those who apologized for it; he lashed those who fear-,ed it; he lashed those who refused to lash it; and he




MARTIN CHENEY.                34~
lashed many of those who did lash it, because they
would not lash it harder. And all this while, instead
of using up his intense moral feeling that spurred him
on, it seemed to be generated by the very process concerned in its expenditure. It seemed as though he
could never be quiet until he had torn the evil itself to
shivers, and driven every one of its supporters to the
confessional of heaven with tears of repentance. This
representation is strong; but it would be almost impossible to exaggerate this feature in his character and life.
That such a man should be constantly offending
against the nice propriety of a compromising age, and
shocking the fastidious taste and careful policy which
are so much commended, was the most natural thing
in the world. Indeed, that he should actually be imprudent, and defeat his object sometimes through excess
of zeal and deficiency of caution, was a thing likely to
occur; —a thing which did, doubtless, more than once
occur. He did sometimes excite prejudice where he
was not known, by the severity which he exercised;
a prejudice which he never overcame. The development was taken as the index to harshness, censoriousness, and discourtesy; it was supposed to denote that
the moral feeling was unusually dull, rather than highly
intense. In warm debate with some of his dearest
friends and brethren over an important moral principle,
he would sometimes deal in a vehemence and severity
which grieved their hearts, and made him appear at a
disadvantage. At the State Peace Convention, held in
Providence, in March, 1850, Mr. Elihu Burritt was
making a plea in behalf of the Peace Congress to be held




344                 tIfEO 
in Europe, and urging its claims in view of the highly
successful effort made the preceding year, in the Peace
Congress held in Paris. Mr. Cheney made a speech on
the occasion, in favor of the object, but, during which,
he took occasion to say that he hoped the Congress
Would submit to have no shackles put on their speech,
that he would not have gone into the Congress at Paris
under any such prohibition as that which required the
members to be silent touching the state of France, or
the French intervention in behalf of the papal power in
Italy. It was uttered in Mr. Cheney's strong, earnest
way; it was the spontaneous developement of his opposition to every thing which sacrificed freedom of
speech. Mr. Burritt evidently felt chagrined.  Two
months afterward, at the annual meeting of the League
of Brotherhood in Worcester, an intimate friend of Mr.
Cheney who was present at the Providence meeting,
was on a Committee with Mr. Burritt, to nominate officers for the ensuing year. For two years Mr. Cheney
had been one of the Vice Presidents of the League.
When they came to the nomination of a Vice President
for R. I. Mr. B. hesitated. The friend suggested the
name of Mr. Cheney. Mr. B. looked up in his peculiar,
impressive, earnest, childlike way, and replied; —l'Elder
Cheney is a strong, able, advocate of Peace, but don't
you think he is rather bitter?"' and then referred to the
incident already related. After a statement or two
touching Mr. Cheney's character, his name was inserted; but it is probable that Mr. B.'s mind was never fully
relieved of that impression.
This strong sensibility, in connection with his high




MARTIN CHENEY.               345
sense of justice, operated in another and much more
amiable form; —it made him a champion in behalf of
the rights of the weak, when they were in danger of
being awed by the terrors or crushed by the power of
the strong. He could not bear tyranny; both because
it was opposed to his convictions of right, and because
it did fearful violence to all the deep moral feelings of
his soul. He could see why the weak and necessitous
had a claim upon the guardianship and help of the
strong, and all his emotions combined to make their
claims appear sacred. And so when power was employed to wrest rights away from those who had not
the ability to defend them, he felt summoned forward
to protest against the injustice, and to give the tyrant
the alternative of restitution, or exposure and conflict.
This explains his uncompromising warfare against
Southern Slavery, and especially his restless, constant,
determined, and almost fearful warfare against that
latest developement of Slavery-the Fugitive Law.
But the same thing, in principle, appeared every where.
With him, equality of rights had a meaning. To him,
the opening sentences in the Declaration of Independence were simple statements of fundamental truths,
however they might have seemed " a rhetorical flourish" paving a way for what was to follow, to Southern
statesmen. And, so, whenever he saw an earnest and
sincere spirit crushed or tethered by the hands to which
nature or accident had given a higher measure of mere
force, he was at the side of the sufferer, lifting his arm
in his defence. The speakers at the Anti-Slavery Convention in Providence, might have been spared that




346                   LIFE OF
conflict with Mr. Cheney, had they not done violence
to his sense of justice, and excited his indignation by
their attempts' to silence a brother, whose only alleged
crime was his profession, and whose self-respect made
him comparatively inefficient in a controversy whose
weapons were coarse epithets and wholesale denunciation. And in the Conferences, he was always careful
to insist most strenuously upon the rights of minorities,
and of young and modest brethren. To treat them
with marked disrespect, was to draw flashes from his
eye and stern protests from his lips. Any ministerial
dictation to churches, any undue attempt to have
the ruling preeminence over private brethren, any tendency to lord it over God's heritage, came within the
same category of sins which were every where to be
resisted.
Another feature in his religious character, was his
freedom from affected sanctimoniousness, from  every
thing that savored of false dignity and cant. He had
no pulpit mannerisms, never made any parade of his
professional badges, or claimed for himself any professional privileges or courtesies. He regarded his rights
as springing from his manhood; not at all as imparted
by the hands of the ordaining council. He never looked
to his post to give him dignity; he rather sought to
increase the estimated importance of his own functions,
by uniting to them a lofty character, and discharging
them with faithfulness and success. Few, perhaps,
would think him a minister as they saw him in the
street; not because he looked and appeared as a minister should not, but because there was nothing about




MAntTIN CHENEY.                347
him that seemed to indicate his profession; because the
nan stood out so prominent that the accidental append
dages were seldom thought of.
And, in dealing with religious truth, there was the
same freedom from every thing artificial. He spoke in
his usual familar tones, and with the same natural,
rational earnestness that distinguished him every where,
There was never any attempt to appear reverent and
awe-struck and impressive. He had, by virtue both of
his constitution and his experience, a mortal abhorrence
of all Pharisaical sanctity and officious egotism; and so
he never pretended to a religious state which was not
his own. In the discussion of theological questions,
he exercised the same freedom of inquiry, the same determination to look through a subject, and demanded
the same logical consistency, which marked his investigations elsewhere. He approached God with his
questions, not through the thick darkness and amid the
quakings of Sinai, but with the quiet familiarity of the
disciple who leaned on the bosom  of Jesus.  His
devotional enthusiasm never carried him an inch farther
than his reason warranted him in going. Amid a tempest of excited feeling, or surrounded by a group of
weeping penitents, his intellect was still on its throne,
and his critical eye was inspecting every developement
about him, —measuring and testing it by the truth acquired through the calm study of the past.  This was
more fully true of him during the last years of his life
than before; but he always wanted a rational basis for
his faith, and a scriptural justification for his hopes.
Being in Boston at the Anniversaries, in the Spring of




348                LIFE OF
1849, in company with a friend, he attended the morning
Prayer meeting at the Winter Street Church, at which
were present some one thousand persons. The exercises
were conducted chiefly by aged and eminent ministers,
some of them returned missionaries, and were characterized by a chastened and solemn interest. At the
close of the meeting, Mr. Cheney passed out with the
friend, and walked along the street some little distance
in silence, and apparently in deep meditation. Suddenly
he looked up and said, with his calm earnestness; —
", I sometimes think that I have no devotional element
in my nature."  Why? it was asked. "Why," he
replied, "I have been occupying myself all the morning in criticising the theology developed in the exhortations and prayers of those reputable ministers, and
trying to form an estimate of their characters for real
moral courage and fidelity to christian principle in an
unpopular cause."
To some minds, this free, daring, unawed manner of
dealing with the things held particularly sacred, seemed
to savor strongly of irreverence. He was deterred from
laying hold of nothing and subjecting it to the severest
logical tests, simply because it had been laid away in
the Holy of Holies in an ancient Cathedral, or stood as
a prime article in the creed of a hoary orthodox sect.
He thought God had desired to be known, and had
revealed himself for that purpose; and that, as he had
given us only human eyes with which to see, and a
human understanding with which to study, it was both
our right and duty to learn of him whatever was within
our reach. He regarded the barriers about Horeb as




MARTIN CHENEY.                 349
broken down, and the veil of the temple rent that all
might gaze freely upon the Shekinah which it had hidden. from the vulgar eye for ages. He was certainly
daring in his speculations, assertions, and denials, when
tried by the usual standards of religious conservatism.
He would criticise some portions of the bible, apply
principles of interpretation to some of its passages, lay
sweeping deductions of philosophy side by side with its
statements, riddle the dogmatic propositions of venerated
and canonized creed-makers, insist upon the authority
of reason and conscience in religious matters, and apologise for much that was branded as infidel, in such
terms as to make cautious men hold their breath and
tremble, lest he should finally topple over into skepticism. Even some of his warm friends and brethren felt
an uneasiness and anxiety on this subject, at times,,
which they made no effort to conceal from him.  He
always received the cautions kindly, but deemed them
unnecessary; thought, instead of parting with his christian faith, that it was gradually losing itself in glorious
visions over which unbelief had no power. He deemed
himself ever learning, ever coming nearer and nearer
to the central light and truth; and so his eager spirit
struggled up the hills of difficulty where the fields of
knowledge were to be spread out more vast and glorious beneath his eye.  Speaking familiarly to some
friends on the subject of his differences in opinion from
some of his brethren, he said, he knew they were tried
with him; and added, that it was only because he wasnearer the summit of the mount than they, and so saw,
some things more clearly than they; that when they
30




350                LIrE OE
came to occupy his position they would see as he did,
though now they deemed him almost a heretic and
infidel.
This feature grew more and more prominent up to
the time when he was laid aside from labor. Point after point in his early Confession of Faith was either laid
aside for another, or, what was more usual, it was modified, both in its spirit and in the form of its statement.
He quarrelled more and more with the prevalent theology in some of its features, and defended his own views
with fresh earnestness and skill. No formal statement
of his theological sentiments or of his usual modes of
preaching is needed here, for both are sufficiently indicated in the Sermons and other Discourses found in the
preceding chapters. Hle grew more guarded in his statement of some sentiments, and less so in the statement
of others; he laid down important limitations where
there had been none previously, and withdrew some
that had been carefully stated and earnestly insisted on
in earlier years.
Notwithstanding what has been said, and in spite of
his own remark in Boston, he was a man of devotional
piety. If he might appear to have less devotional feeling than others, because he never assumed it, he certainly did possess more than many who display great
and uniform fervor in their exercises of worship. His
veneration for God was deep, though it was the veneration that admitted of sympathy and invited to a familiar intercourse.  His reverence was most deeply excited by those very views of God, afforded by his sympathetic tenderness and stooping condescension. Power,




MARTIN CHENEY.                351
knowledge, and wisdom, expanding into infinity, seldom awed him to prostration of soul or body; superadd
to them Justice and Love, and then his soul hasted
joyfully with its offerings to the feet of the Deity. Tile
result was, that he studied God chiefly through Christ..
If he would give definiteness to his conceptions of Jehovah, he did not go back to tile splendid imagery of
the prophets, or to Moses' picture of the smoking mount;
he turned rather to the graphic delineations of Matthew,
as he sketches the features of the Son of Mary, or to
the artless narratives of John, as he tells of the Master
on whose bosom he had leaned unrebuked. He remarked, on one occasion, that, when he prayed, he
sought to bring before his mind the spiritual image of
Jesus of Nazareth, and to speak as he would have spoken if he could have gone and preferred his request at
the time when the blind man was restored to sight, or
when Lazarus was called back from his tomb. His
devotional expressions were usually just what they
might be supposed to be, when determined in their
character, largely, by this habit of mind. He felt that
Christ was great, glorious, sympathetic, calm, just and
wise; conditioning his gifts upon the conscious necesities and reverent humility of the applicant; and so his
prayers were calm, meditative, devout, simple, direct,
comprehensive, and, usually brief. They probably affected different persons differently.  Some, doubtless,
thought them  cold and spiritless; lacking in fervid
earnestness, because they had little noise or vehemence;
but to most pious Christians they were deeply impressive and highly profitable. A true spirit of devotion




352                 LIFE OF
in the heart of the hearer, was almost sure to be borne
up to heaven on the wings of his petition.
The same trait of character gave color to all the derelopements of his personal piety. It was never ostentatious, always humble.  He never boasted directly or
indirectly of his spiritual goodness. He made no profession of usual or of unusual sanctity.  Of having a
good conscience, and of his settled purpose to adhere to
his convictions, he made no scruple of speaking plainly; but in respect to what is usually implied in the
word spirituality, he rather seemed to regard himself
deficient. In personal conversation with inquirers, he
ever sought to fix their attention upon the plain truths
and duties revealed by the gospel; never seeming to
regard his own individual experiences as any standard
by which they were to try themselves.  His allusions
to his phases of feeling were seldom and modest; his applications of christian principle to the heart and life were
earnest and frequent.  Like Paul, he wished that the
faith of Christians might stand, not in the wisdom of
men, but in the power of God.  When he condemned
impenitent persons or indolent professors of the Christian
faith, his censures were usually mingled with the recognition of whatever there might be that was praiseworthy, and they were tempered with discrimination, until he
had reason to believe that they wilfully sacrificed principles which they knew to be sacred and duties which
they knew to be binding; after that, he spared neither
plainness nor severity. True penitence and real sincerity forever commanded his sympathy, and made the




MARTIN CHENEY.                353
guilty or the erring one feel that they had found a friend
whom it was safe to trust.
His Benevolence and Charity might be considered
large or small, in proportion as they were viewed fronm
one or another stand-point. Not every suffering applicant for alms, for the body or soul, carried off either his
gifts or his blessing; and not every high pretender to
honesty or goodness received his endorsing'God speed.'
He steadfastly refused to bestow on many causes that
aimed at good results, and that were suffering from the
want of assistance; and sometimes strongly condemned
distinguished and zealous portions of the church, for
the sentiments to which they subscribed and the policy
which they had adopted. Of political parties, in spite
of their lofty pretensions and the good he acknowledged they might have done, he always had suspicions;
and his condemnations were strong and many. He was
once strongly solicited to be a candidate for a seat in
the R. I. Senate. He at once positively declined, on
moral grounds. His friends sought to reason with him.
"Suppose," said they, "that all men of worth and moral
principle were to keep aloof from the Government, what
sort of society should we have?"'-'A good deal better
than it is now, probably," was the reply. "And so you
wont consent to be a candidate." "No." "Well, do
you know of any one who will consent to run?"  "Yes,
there will be no difficulty in finding men enough who
will jamp at the chance."  "But we mean a man who
is well fitted for the post, a good, able, honest, worthy,
high-principled man."  "It is very doubtfidl whether
you can get such a man as that."
*30




354                LIFE OF
Still, whether his benevolence and charity were or
were not wisely directed in every case, both were prominent in his character. His heart was full of sympathy
for the distressed, and his earnest desire to relieve them
often found the most reliable and substantial expression.
Many of his alms were done in secret, and he was
never known to boast over his benefactions and sacrifices-seldom indeed was he known to allude to them.
Whenever he withheld from an enterprise or an object,
few doubted his conscientiousness, if they did not
always approve his reasons. In his early days, while
his income was small and his economy rigid, a brother,
with whom he subsequently labored many years in the.ministry, was dismissed from his father's door because
he had persisted in entering the ministry. Mr. Cheney,
learning of the fact, promptly came forward and offered
him a home in his own family. The independent and
~couragous young christian declined the offer, but his
gratitude was no less fervent, and the act was no less
-noble and generous.
Mr. Cheney's views, as they have been developed,
Scan be explained only on the ground that his charity
was very broad. He asked no endorsement of all his:sentiments as a condition of gaining a passport to his
confidence and heart. He loved to see opinions held
decidedly, and the reasons for them at hand, even when,opposed to his own. He thrust no man from him be-,cause he had one more or one less article in his creed
than himself. There was scarcely a theoretical doc-,trine in the gospel but might be rejected, and he would.not treat the rejector either as a heathen man or a pub



MARTIN CHENEY.                 355
lican. He believed that men might err sincerely; and
lie believed also that truth was not so weak but that it
might be safely risked in every fair conflict.  Strong
as were his convictions on those subjects, he would
have had no objection to allowing a defender of War
or Slavery to argue the case in his own pulpit, —provided he might be allowed to reply.  Among the members of the Olneyville Church, were those who differed
widely from each other on more than one point of doctrine usually regarded as fundamental; but that was,
with him, no reason for complaint, and no reason for
hostility among themselves. He believed and taught
that there might be unity of the spirit amid diversities of belief.
This must be proof, sufficiently ample, of his high
Catholic liberality. And yet, more than once, he was
accused of being uncharitable; and, no doubt, often
really appeared so. The explanation is not difficult.
He could give his christian confidence to no doubledealer, to no moral coward, to no ministerial aristocrat,
to no temporizing conservatist, to no ingenious demagogue in Church or State, to no one whose life was
radically inconsistent with his profession, to no one
who did not give evidence of being deeply sincere.
And so far as any of these characters acquired influence
and popularity, were his understanding and his moral
feeling set against them.  They might be talented,
zealous, might seem to be doing great immediate good,
his eye was perpetually fixed on what to him appeared
their treachery.  Into this catalogue of insincerity,
varying in the degrees of guilt, he put, either justly




356                 LIFE OF
or unjustly, a large proportion of popular churches,
eminent ministers, successful politicians, &c.  The
consequence was, he suspected these classes of the
community, and his treatment indicated his suspicions.
When others praised them for the good they seemed to
be doing, he could not join in the eulogy; but, instead,
he sometimes uttered the words of doubt and wielded
the lash of rebuke. That this should wear the aspect
of uncharitableness in the eyes of the general community, was a thing which could not have been otherwise.
And that, with his strong moral feeling and peculiar
experiences, he should have been sometimes too hasty
and unsparing in his condemnations, was a thing to be
expected, and a thing which occurred.
And then his strong, stern, sharp, earnest way of
dealing with his opponents in controversy,-a method
which was prompted by his tendencies, which was the
most natural, if not the necessary mode of developing
his spirit's forces,-often had the appearance of uncharitable severity. He would sometimes thunder down
upon his disputant with a fiery force that made a stranger regard him as wanting in kindly sympathies, if not
in justice. He would sometimes become warm, and, in
his warmth, would sometimes sacrifice courtesy, and
fail to give a very high application to his catholic and
liberal principles. But whenever his heat betrayed him
into any such indiscretion, it served to exhibit his frank,
manly, conscientious spirit in a new and endearing
form.  In the meekest manner would he acknowledge
his fault, without the least disposition to extenuate it,
ask the forgiveness of the wounded brother and of all




MARTIN  CHENEY.                  357
who had witnessed the scene, and put himself upon his
guard against a similar offence in the future. The confession was so free and hearty, that every body was put
into a sympathy with the man, more deep, if possible,
than before.  It showed that justice, benevolence and
charity were deeply seated principles, and that they
were never sacrificed,-save as his strong impulses
sometimes buried them in the surges of feeling; but
when the storm had passed, they were still seen anchored to the base of his nature, like the ocean lighthouse resting on the enduring rock.
From what has been stated, it may easily be inferred
that Religion and Morality were never divorced in his
mind; and that whatever was operating to render the
private and social morals corrupt or lax, was regarded
as the greatest foe to Christianity.  He could have
confidence in a person's religion just so far as it led to
a rigid practice of christian morality, and no farther.
Bigoted sticklers for a creed, fervid and impassioned
exhorters in a prayer meeting, seers of heavenly visions
telling them with immoderate rapture or with tearful
solemnity, gained his confidence just so far as they
dealt justly, and loved mercy, and walked humbly before
God. lIe was forever applying the testing principle,
furnished by Christ, to human character,-" By their
fruits shall ye know them." With him, religion was
an all-controlling principle, seated in the heart; not a
gush of occasional feeling, or a mantle for Sundays and
other special occasions thrown loosely over the shoulders of a worldly soul.  He who, in any sphere of life
or department of action, made religious obligation of




358                 LIFE OF
no account, or put it into a secondary or subordinate
position, he thought needed yet to be taught what were
the first principles of the doctrine of Christ.
He could not, therefore, confide in great men or small
men, however high or low might be their profession or
standing, who crowded their religion out of their politics, their business, or their social intercourse.  An eloquent sermon on christian self-denial or the necessity of
repentance, would never atone for ministerial aristocracy
or inhumanity.  The plea of a great statesman for the
sanctity of religious truth, or his impressive public compliments paid to a wise and guiding Providence, made
him look with no complacency upon his political jugglery or his personal vices. The benevolence which
ostentatiously gave a thousand dollars to replenish an
exhausted Missionary Treasury, and then allowed the
donor to oppress his poor tenantry and consent to the
oppression of millions, he regarded as essentially defective in the christian element. No extent of power,
no elevation of functions, no dignity of office, exempted the possessor from the claims of that law which requires all men to be perfect. Indeed, vices in high life,
corruption in places of power and influence, sin invested
with the robes of honor, seemed to him  to be more
wicked and more dangerous, and so requiring the
stronger condemnation. He had no faith in the papal
doctrine of Indulgences, purchasable by wealth or guaranteed to station. If a rigid code of practical morality
was given to the poor and weak; he insisted that wealth
and power were not to be treated to more lax statutes.
lie could forgive a petty crime committed by the beg



MAInTIN CEI]NEY.              359
gar, whose necessities impelled and whose training had
done little to restrain him; but for a rich boaster of
wisdom to project or aid in perpetrating a mighty public
wrong, was to leave a stain of guilt on his soul, effacable only by the bitter tears of a public confession and
repentance.
And hence he labored earnestly to bring public and
civil, as well as private and individual life, into subjection to the gospel.. He bewailed public and organic
sins, and prayed and toiled for public and organic virtues. He wished to put a conscience within corporations, and give the Sermon on the mount a place in
civil Legislatures. He longed to see the marts of commerce become the temples of integrity, and the Judge's
ermine free from  the stains of bribery.  He longed to see Law give proof that it came from the bosom of God, and Government become the just and
benignant Schoolmaster of Society. He could conceive
of no Millenium but Satan's, till the Rulers feared God,
and the people loved to have it so.
It hardly needs to be said that such a moral and religious character attracted attention, both by its unique
individuality, its sharp, distinct, prominent features, and
its intensely active outward force. It became an element
of life in a community that must be recognized; that
was constantly giving every body the amplest proof of
its presence. Other lights might be hidden, but his
always burned where it could be seen. Sleepy as the
souls might be about him, they were kept conscious of
one thing, and that was that Martin Cheney was among
them. Nobody had need to ask who he was, or what




360                 LIFE OF
he was. His influence penetrated every corner of the
community, and was felt in every circle, public and
private. Whether he excited pleasure or dissatisfaction
in the minds about him, he was almost certain to excite
emotions of some sort in every heart. To feel perfectly
indifferent toward him, to pass along day after day just
as though he was not there, was a thing not easy to be
done. Religion uttered a voice through his lips that
fell on all ears to startle, and developed a power through
his life that pressed on all hearts to rouse them.
The Social department of Mr. Cheney's character was
in perfect keeping with the intellectual and moral traits
which have already been developed. He was as far
removed as possible from being a misanthrope, both by
his tendencies and habits. He enjoyed society, he sought
it, and was sought by it. There he unbent himself
from the defiant and defensive attitudes which his public warfare with evil had made necessary. He never
shrunk from the conflict; whenever the trumpet sounded for a charge, he was in the van of the forces, and he
was also the last to leave the field; but when his work
there was done, he welcomed the genial, social afterpart, with a relish that seemed to have been made keen
by the fierceness of the strife.
Yet he never parted with his dignity, or compromised his radical principles, in the most genial of his social
moods. Whoever followed him or invited him home,
from a stern public controversy with an opponent, a




MARTIN CI'ENEY.                361
principle or a custom, hoping to hear him retract in his
calmness or his humor what he had maintained in his
firmness, had mistaken their man. His compliments
were not his principles, and he never laughed away his
integrity. Any attempt to take advantage of his merry
and apparently careless moods to gain from him a compromise, once refused on moral grounds, would change
the relaxed humorist into the rigid expounder of moral
law. "Leviathan was not so tamed."  His watchful
intellect did not thus let in an enemy without warning.
He was not thus thrown off his guard. He seemed to
recognize that as the hour and point of weakness, and
so doubled the number of sentinels. And he loved,
society, not only for itself, but because it was a means
of training him better for his battles with iniquity,-of'
nurturing the christian fidelity he deemed it his special'
mission to illustrate and enforce. And he who was not
ready to endorse the same integrity in private which
had been seen in his public life, or was unwilling to
exercise the same courtesy and respect toward him in
the social circle which wete conceded in the presence of'
the world, would soon find that rebuke could be admin —
istered as well to a colloquist as to a crowd. He was'
the same man in the parlor of a friend as in the pulpit;:
and they who took it for granted that he was otherwise,
and treated him accordingly, would very soon learn themistake into which they had fallen.
Still, while thus unbending in respect to his principles, he was easy, familiar, and talkative in the socialcircle. Save as certain topics were introduced, hisl
courteous, conciliatory, cheerful demeanor, almost fore_
31




362                 LIFE OF
bade one to think of him as the stern, fearless, severe
reformer. The only exception to this remark occurred
when he was thrown among strangers, and especially
among strangers somewhat distinguished or somewhat
sensual. In such cases he usually said little. This
was owing in part to his modesty, in part to his caution,
in part to his habit of trying to read character; and, in
the case of meeting with a group of sensual beings, he
was repelled by the grossness for which he could have
no sympathy. His conversation never flowed briskly,
except when meeting those who could somewhat sympathize with him. He could have preached a sermon
to a crowd of worldlings or conservatists, but that his
sense of propriety seldom allowed him to do without
the consent of the audience. But when he was social,
there was nothing of dogmatism, —nothing which savored of the lecturer. He would never monopolize
the time or the conversation, and nothing but the most
evident wish of the company would reconcile him to
the idea of doing the chief portion of the talking. He
sought to make his inferiors feel at home, and usually
succeeded; to send them away pleased with themselves
and others, and so they were apt to go.
His mental activity and his serious views of life
combined to make his conversations instructive and
profitable. Frivolous chit-chat, neighborhood gossip,
seldom satisfied or pleased him. His mind was always
fruitful in topics, they were usually selected with a judicious reference to the company and the circumstances,
and so made interesting to all. Many of his happiest
things were uttered in these social circles. There was




MARTIN CHENEY.                363
a sparkling vivacity peculiar to himself, and especially
in his genial moods. And here, too, he would develope his subtle powers of analysis, and exhibit the nicety
of his perceptions of thought and of character.
He loved fun. There was a large fountain of humor in his nature. His conscience was scarcely more
fully awake to the wickedness of vice, than was another
portion of his being to its supreme folly and ridiculousness. He could not only denounce a sin, but caricature it. He could not only mourn over Milton's picture
of Satan, despoiling Eden of its divine beauty and man
of his Godlike glory, but could shake himself with
laughter as he saw him " squat like a toad," troubling
the dreams of Eve, and stung into his devilish shape
again by the sudden prick of Ithuriel's spear. He enjoyed the ludicrous with a high relish, and could be
somewhat ludicrous himself. In the circle of a few
confidential friends, after becoming weary with close
thought and taxing business, he would sometimes discharge his jets of wit in constant succession, until the
room seemed to blaze with merriment; and rehearse
the wild, frolicsome adventures of his early life with a
skill and a zest, which made care and weariness alike
to be forgotten. And yet, through it all, no one felt
that he had demeaned himself-that he was any thing
less than the Martin Cheney of their previous conceptions.
His friendships were strong. He probably had but
few intimate friends,-few of whom he made confidants. But when he formed a real personal attachment, it was fervent and deep. He made no profes



364                 LIFE OF
sions of peculiar regard; he left the proof of its existence to its fruits. These attachments were usually
formed on the basis of similar features of character, and
of their confidence in him. He repaid sympathy and
kindness and approbation, with confidence and gratitude and reciprocal kindness. And, as in most other
cases, it was not so easy for him to see the faults of
these personal friends, or to measure their excellencies
accurately, as it was for him to perform the same work
for others. Their virtues, doubtless, seemed sometimes
more numerous and striking than they really were, and
their defects fewer and less worthy of notice. But if
his partiality did make it more difficult for him to discern their errors, it made him if possible more prompt
and faithful in seeking to correct the errors which were
visible.
In his family he was a bright shining light, a perennial fountain ofjoy, an high priest of chastened gladness.
Even strangers who came and shared his ready and generous hospitality, were at once enveloped in an atmosphere of home feeling. Dignified and yet condescending, manly and yet tender, exercising decisive authority
and yet ever dealing in gentleness and love, combining
order with freedom, at once the head and the companion of the group, he seldom produced a happier impression upon an observer than when seen in the bosom of
his home. He treated his wife like a husband, and his
children like a father; he sought to lighten the burdens
of the one, and directed and shared in the sports of the
other. And they who became members of his family,
for longer or shorter periods of time, found it in many




MAR TIN CHENEY.               365
senses and on many accounts, a pleasant and interesting home,-always left with regret and returned to with
pleasure. His children, as, one by one, they went out
from it into the world of temptation and responsibility,
remembered its experiences with tenderness, felt chastened and guarded by the influences which it had
thrown about them, and went back to its fellowships,
as opportunities were afforded, as Noah's dove went back
to the ark.
His pastoral visiting, so far as time and opportunity
allowed him to carry it on, was always a source of high
gratification to those who enjoyed it. That there'
might have been some of the feeling which makes a
minister's calls desired because they who receive them
are thus noticed and made to appear respectable, is
highly probable; but there were other and higher reasons
for esteeming his visits. He was regarded as a friend
of his people and of all, —one to whom they loved to
confide their deepest and dearest interests; with the assurance that he would endeavor to sympathize with and
aid them. They felt encouraged to throw off their
reserve in his presence, and open their hearts before him.
He put himself, courteously, on familiar terms with
them, and so they felt at home with him. He used to
say that he had no talent for visiting; but others deemed themselves authorized, for once, in differing from
him in opinion.
The sick and sorrowful found him a comnforter. He
did not, could not, multiply words in such places,
because he would only say what he believed and felt;
and sometimes he could think of no consolations for
*31




366                 LIFE O'
such sufferers as he met, and sometimes he could give
no adequate expression to his feelings. But all this
made his words appropriate and full of meaning. What
he did say was to the purpose, and so was felt and
remembered the better. His sympathies were keen;
and, hence, he was not inclined to seek suffering which
he could not relieve, to talk where words were but a
mockery, to tarry where he could not profit. But his
visits to the sick room made many a passage to the
grave and to heaven clearer to the departing spirit, and
made the spirit itself stronger and firmer to walk through
the shadowy valley. And as he lifted up his voice
over the dead in tenderness and in hope, many a bereaved circle grew calmer, and learned anew to look
upon its affliction as the work of wisdom and of love,
capable of leaving behind the choicest blessings for the
soul. Nothing could be more touchingly beautiful than
some of his remarks and prayers on funeral occasions.
They were highly appropriate, and often left behind
-the most grateful and lasting impressions; —simply'because they were the natural expression of his deep,social sympathies, chastened and made powerful by his
freligious faith.
Yet his fondness for society never led him to seek a
place in any circle where he could not be admitted as,an equal, even when bringing all his peculiarities and.radicalisms with him. He would accept no compliment paid to the half of his nature, while the rest was
disgraced. If he could not be welcomed as he wasas the veritable unabridged Martin Cheney-he chose
ato go  or stay elsewhere. He made no attempt to




MARTIN CHENEY.
conceal an opinion or a trait if it was passing under a
scathing criticism; indeed, this was usually the very
surest way to bring on an avowal. He would pass
under no yoke so low as to forbid his standing erect;
walk through no door not wide enough for his full
proportions. There were paths sufficiently broad for
his own convenience, and, if he could walk with none
of his neighbors, he could walk alone.
He seldom, if ever, courted admission to any grade
or quality of society. He usually waited for invitations,
or for the proof that he would find a welcome. His
life having been spent among the masses, it is not
strange that he should feel more at home in their cosy
sitting rooms, than in the magnificent parlors of the
aristocracy. He had such an independence that he
went his own way, feeling that he was abundantly able
to take care of his own reputation, when he discovered
that the higher circles were disinclined to take it under
their guardianship. So far as they curled their lips at
him, he turned away pitying their want of good breeding, and half merry and half indignant at their pompous
assumptions of merit. He would have preferred being
a man alone, rather than a cringing sycophant in a
palace.
In short, his social qualities were such as to develope
nearly all the gentler, finer, tenderer elements of his
nature; to show how deeply seated were his religious
principles; to make every body feel that he was a man,
with all the human sympathies in full play; to give
him an easy access to the hearts of the masses; to
chasten his analytical intellect and temper his irmpetu



368                 LIFE OF
ous feeling; to correct the unjust impressions produced
by his frequent severity, and to hold him back from
the excesses into which his roused forces were ever in
danger of hurrying him.
Such were the chief elements of Mr. Cheney's character; modified in their action by circumstances, and
by their reciprocal influence. It had, of course, its
sharp points, and its strong antagonisms. It was not so
balanced as to make either the interior or exterior life
calm and even. The various forces were so strong and
so susceptible, that, when circumstances combined to
rouse any one of them into its highest action, it would
move with a controlling energy before the great regulator could be put into successful operation. He was,
hence, in constant danger of overaction,-of falling
into excesses; and, looking at his character in its elements, the chief wonder is that his excesses were so
few, and his prudence so great. This liability was,
doubtless, in some sense, a defect; but it was a defect
necessarily incidental to his power and excellencies.
Without this ready strength he could never have been
the bold, prompt, vigilant, efficient reformer that he
was. The very qualities that distinguished him,-that
made up his power and gave him his usefulness,-exposed him to danger, excited the fears of his friends,
and laid him and his cause open to the apparently just
censure of his foes. So he himself used sometimes, in
his frank way, to tell his brethren. He knew, he said,
that he must often have tried them, that he sometimes




M{ARTIN CHENEY.               369
tried himself; but that it would spoil him, make him
good for nothing, if those things-sometimes unpleasant
in their developements-were wanting to his character.
He was conscious of tendencies to imprudence; often
said, when his soul was calm, that he knew he had
been imprudent when his soul was heated; that his hasty,
earnest movements, when necessity seemed to be laid
on him to act at once, were not always wisest or best.
Still it was not in him to do nothing because he could
not be sure of doing the wisest thing. And so he is to
be judged, not before the tribunal of a cold, stern, passionless, stoical, indolent nature, seated calmly on its
study cushion; but judged in view of what God had
made him, —in view of his constitutional temperament
and tendencies, and in view of the circumstances which
surrounded him. An indifference to Slavery in a child
of a dozen years, brought up in the family of Senator
Foote of Mississippi, is not to be set down as denoting
the same traits of character that would be recognized
in connection with a similar indifference in a son of
William Lloyd Garrison, who had spent two years in
setting type for " The Liberator." And, judging Mr.
Cheney thus, he must be set down as no common man,
and as having no common merit.
Uneducated, in the usual acceptation of that word,
he nevertheless compelled the highest scholarship to
sit delighted at his feet to learn; and his reasonings
and opinions were received with deference even on the
subject of mental education. Subjected to no other
systematic culture than that which he was able to
develope and apply, amid the constant pressure of heavy
cares, crowding duties, and a perpetual open moral war



370                  LIFE OF
fare, he grew in mental force, even after his head was
hoary; and was a more and more enthusiastic student
of nature, philosophy, science, government, morals, and
the bible, until disease cut short his labors.
For years a reckless leader in vices terribly corrupting,
he became specially distinguished for a strength of moral
and religious character that had few equals. From
being the terror of all good men who knew him, and
the champion on whom the worst sinners relied for a
defence of their cause, he became the scourge of wickedness, and a pillar for the weak faith and trembling
hopes of gray-headed Christians.
With no reputation but for evil doings, in an immoral community which he had aided to corrupt, allied to an unpopular sect, and surrounded by popular
and educated ministers, he established a character for
integrity and ability which made him to be hailed as a
leader and a champion in the great causes of christian
philanthropy; and for twenty years he was perpetually
winning fresh laurels on fields of conflict covered with
giant hosts.
With a soul full of strong passions, a sensibility like
a magazine, and surrounded by circumstances that acted
like torches flung into its heart, he still managed with
a prudence that made him a respected counsellor among
cool and sagacious men, and led a church and society
along, through troublous times, up successive steps of
growth and progress, to high influence and power.
These are significant facts; not to be explained without conceding both greatness and goodness to him of
whose history they make a part.




MARTIN CHE NEY.               371
CHAPTER XVI.
ESTIMATE OF HIM AS A PREACHER.
The sphere in which Mr. Cheney chiefly distinguished himself was the pulpit. He was known, to be sure,
as the philanthropist and the platform advocate of the
great moral enterprises of his time, but in all these
places he was known as the minister of Christ,-preaching and illustrating the very gospel which he preached
at home. It might be possible for one to infer all the
interesting peculiarities of his pulpit life from the
sketches of his Sermons and the various traits of his
character. Still, there seems to be a high propriety in
devoting a single chapter to the presentation of him in
the character of a public religious teacher. It will aid
in giving a fuller view of the man, and may not be
without its benefit to others who occupy the same sphere,
and who covet the highest possible efficiency there.
High pulpit power is seldom wholly the gift of nature or accident. Nor yet is it alone dependent on
moral goodness, or deep religious consecration. Without these last elements no one is fully qualified for the
pulpit; no one can ever honor its functions, or rationally expect a real and large success.  This deep sympathy with the truth which he is to utter, this abiding
faith in God, this earnest solicitude for the salvation of




372                 LIFE OF
his people, is a fundamental qualification of a minister.
Whatever else can be spared, this is indispensable. But
deep piety is not the only thing needed in the pulpit.
There are other qualities, both of a moral and intellectual sort, in whose absence the purest hearts would
act in the pulpit but feebly. And they who have been
distinguished for large efficiency in the pulpit have,
usually if not always, reached that distinction through
much labor. That some must toil more arduously than
others to reach this goal, is true. Efficiency of every
sort offers itself to some hands at lower prices than to
others. But no strong man ever found his strength in
his possession without being able to explain how it
came to him. It has been gathered up by the slow
accumulations of time and effort. Men who stand on
the heights of greatness as quietly and calmly as though
they had inherited the station as a birthright, and never
could be made dizzy, have climbed there by steps many
and wearisome, whether the eye of the observer is able
or unable to discern the long, difficult, dangerous path
which led there. And to this, pulpit efficiency presents
no exception.
Nor does the efficiency which belonged to Mr. Cheney in the capacity of a minister, present itself to us
as the product of accident. It was not alone his genius
or his native talent that gave him the eminence which
was conceded to him here on all hands. His exhibitions of power were not all the sudden gushings of a
perennial fountain, which needed only an outlet to disclose its wealth. Whoever thought otherwise, Mr.
Cheney was a close and earnest student. He knew




MARTIN C  ENEY.                373
what mental application was. Over the subject which
he discussed with ease and confidence and clearness, he
had spent, perchance, weeks of the most wearing
thought. The principles which an unexpected emergency called suddenly forth, and the strong, close, compact reasonings by which they were sustained-though
their novelty might lead his hearers to suppose that
they were the new offspring of his fruitful mind —were
only the exponents of that close, patient investigation
which he might have been carrying on for. months
previous by day and by night. They who were coveting his readiness knew not, perhaps, always, that he
was ready chiefly because the past had borne so high
witness to his diligent preparation.  His active intellect was a great helper without doubt; but not a little'
of his ready force consisted in drawing from the store-'
house of his -mind what previous study had carefully'
labelled and deposited there, for just such occasions as.
those which witnessed its coming forward to the light.
Mr. Cheney had a method of making every thingappear fresh; and this, in part, may explain the impression which he so generally gave of unstudiedness,
and spontaneity. But whoever will look over his manuscripts, will find abundant evidence of the fact that
he made very few random efforts in the pulpit or on
the platform. He very seldom spoke in public, unless;
called to do so without warning, without devoting'
time, with pen or pencil in hand, to specific prepara —
tion; and what he prepared he kept, that it might be
ready for future reference. He probably preached few,
sermons in his life without preparing a sketch of them,32




374                LIFE OF
and he probably prepared very few sketches which
were not faithfully preserved. And in preparing many
of his discourses he would sometimes draw out two or
three plans; then sometimes condense them into one;
sometimes select one in preference to the rest; but the
whole of them would be carefully preserved. An address on the subject of Peace is found among his papers, marked as having been delivered ten times; and,
packed up with it, are not less than ten loose papers,
each of which contains an expansion of some thought
in the address, some new argument or illustration, some
emendation or appendix, a reply to some anticipated
objection, or an enforcement of some position not likely to have its desired weight. If he trusted for some
sort of inspiration to aid him when the excitement of
an effort was on him, he evidently trusted it after he
had done all that he could to remove or lessen the necessity for securing it. He had no carelessness in regard to what he should say on ordinary or extraordinary occasions. He had too much prudence and felt
too deeply the weight of responsibility to leave willingly either his thoughts or words to the influence of
the occasion, or to the miserable guidance of caprice.
He never seemed to feel that the promise given to the
disciples, that the Holy Ghost should teach them how
and what they should speak, had any such application
to himself as to save him from imprudence and error,
if he carelessly refused to take thought beforehand
what he should say. He did not probably take any
very special pains to conceal from others the preparation
which he was wont to make; it was, however, less ap



MARTIN CHENEY.                375
parent to most who knew him than it is made by an
inspection of his manuscripts and papers. And his not
having so strong a symp'athy with the operation of
Theological Seminaries, as many others, might have
given many minds the impression that the systematic
study of theology did not appear very important to
him. BMut his own success as a private and unaided
student, doubtless aided to give him the impression
that private study would do for most men; and the
creed-fetters which he saw keeping down the free and
manly spirit of not a few young men trained in the
Schools of the Prophets, raised the query in his mind,
whether their real benefit warranted the outlay required for their support. Education had few firmer friends
thanl he, and upon ministerial education he earnestly
insisted; but demanded that it should be such education as would aid in making strong, efficient, consecrated men.
So much it has seemed necessary to premise, in order
both to disabuse some minds of the impression that
Mr. Cheney owed his greatness in the ministry to something entirely different from mental application, and to
encourage others situated similarly to " go and do likewise."  Instead of being an exception to the rule that
requires study in order to mental force, he is a high and
striking example of it.
Mr. Cheney's preaching and other public speaking,
like his character; was marked by a strong individuality.
He was no copyist, and he could not be copied. It appeared peculiar both in its matter, its manner, and its impressions. When heard, he was singled out from any




376                 LIFE OF
number of associates as a distinct person, having something distinct to say. Few who listened to him soon
forgot either the man or his discourse. Some thought
or some expression would be almost sure to make
its mark and leave it. The impression might be a pleasant or an unpleasant one, but an impression of some
sort there was almost sure to be. He was not a model
preacher, if, indeed, there can be any such thing.
Minds are differently constituted, and so must find
various modes of developement. Some general rules
may be furnished by both Logic and Rhetoric, but any
one might as consistently expect to write a " Paradise
Lost" by studying Iambic, Spondee and Hexameter,
as to rise to the pulpit efficiency of any able minister
by copying his outlines, noting down his arguments,
recollecting his metaphors, and repeating his gesticulation.  Tried by almost any standard, Mr. Cheney
sermonized defectively; and, in his manner, sometimes
set at naught every ideal which a human imagination
could create or a human taste justify. And it may not
be amiss to note a few of what seem to be defects in
his pulpit labors.
And a fault into which he was very apt to fall when
speaking on a special occasion, and especially if abroad,
was that of explaining, in a sort of apologetical way,
the details of the circumstances under which he was
called to speak. It was no index to his unwillingness
to speak, no indication of a wish to lower the expectation of the audience that he might be surer of their
impartiality and approbation, no assumption that whatever related to him and his present work was important,




MARTIN CHENEY.                 377
no wish to call attention to himself before it should be
arrested by his subject. It was not in him to be over
anxious about these things. It was, perhaps, somewhat
the fruit of his scrupulous conscientiousness, that bade
him let the audience understand all the relations between himself and them; but probably more the result of a habit, formed in his youth when he felt that
his ministry needed explanation and apology, and afterward adhered to without any distinct thought regarding
the impression it was likely to give. These explanations, sometimes long, seemed unnecessary, they curtailed his sermon or his speech, and, of course, were
much less interesting than so much said on the topic in
hand.
And, as if to atone for this defect, he sometimes
developed another.  In his own pulpit, on ordinary
occasions, he began his sermons often with what seemed
a hasty abruptness. Almost without introductory remark of any kind, he would commence the critical
examination of a passage, requiring perhaps closer and
more careful thought than any thing which followed.
Into the very heart of his discourse he would sometimes
seem to have penetrated before the expiration of five
minutes after naming his text. Before the attention of
his hearers had become fairly fixed, he would have gone
over much ground, familiarity with which was more
or less essential to a full apprehension of what was
subsequently developed. His mind would appear like
a panting race-horse pressing forward with its eye on
its goal, and so to follow it, when it had started at the
top of its speed, was a task full of difficulty. It was
3_O




378                LIFE OF
hard work enough to keep at its heels when its rapid
running was expected and provided for; and his hasty
beginnings often made that difficulty too great to be
overcome.
And then he was more or less accustomed to define
the terms in his text or subject by simply copying and
reading, without note or comment, all the definitions
found in Webster's Dictionary.  Examples of this will
be found in the discourses inserted in the preceding
chapters, and especially in the Essays on the Atonement, and on Moral Obligation. Instead of selecting
one of these numerous definitions and using the term
as its equivalent, or of deducing from the whole a general one which was included in each and embraced all,
he was very apt to crowd the multitude of definitions
all undigested before the mind of the hearer, leaving him
to do the work of analysis or generalization without
stopping at all to afford time for its performance. It
was probably all plain to him; but if it interested his
audience enough to secure their close attention, it must
have sometimes mystified rather than elucidated his
-subject.
His tendency to multiply divisions was somewhat
excessive. As they appeared in the form of primary,and secondary and remarks, they sometimes numbered
from twenty to forty. Professor Finney, of Oberlin,
perhaps surpasses him  in this, but it is very hard to,commend it even on the basis of such a precedent. His
-distinctions were so nice, his shades of thought so slight,
That, to common eyes they melted imperceptibly into
-each other; and hence he seemed to be often repeating




MARTIN CHENEY.                 379
himself. Fewer and more general heads would have
left him all the opportunity to exercise his discrimination, and he would have been less liable to confuse his
hearers and overtask their memory. Besides, his discourses lacked the unity which they would otherwise
have had. They seemed too much sometimes, like a
numerous series of propositions, expressing a collection
of independent truths. There was not the great central idea to whose force every subordinate one contributed; instead, the collateral truth might make the deepest impression, by seeming to be the most prominent.
And then the suddenness with which he would develope his ideas, and the rapidity with which he made
his transitions from one thought to another, were not always the most favorable to a deep impression. As an
idea seldom grew upon his own mind gradually, so it
was seldom developed gradually to others. He bounded into the heart of a thought at the first spring, and
sought to teach others to do so. An idea would be
thrown out at once, on the bosom of some condensed
expression, without the least warning of its approach,
and while an audience were recovering from the surprise and preparing to inspect it, a second was blazing
in their very faces, warning them to prepare for the approach of an equally abrupt successor. All this was
highly favorable to strength, but hardly so to depth of
impression; minds would be kept excited, but not put
into the state most favorable to having thoughts melt
into them and become a part of themselves. There was,
therefore, a tendency to carry away the image of the
man and a conviction of his high power, quite as strong




aso                 LIe E OF
as to bear off a deep impression derivable from the truths
he had been uttering. This resulted from the excess
of an excellence, and from the weakness of a faculty;
the excellence was the abundance of instruction crowded into his discourses, the feeble faculty was what phrenologists call concentrativeness. And to these mightbe added, perhaps, an over-estimate of the mental activity and perceptive power of the audience; because a
half dozen words disclosed a thought readily to him, he
did not think perhaps but it might be so with others.
And another defect still was his habit of throwing out
what chanced to lie uppermost in his mind, without consulting the highest propriety or the requirements of circumstances. His discourses were almost sure to indicate the moods of his mind, —not in spite of himself,
but with the consent of himself. His audiences were
pretty likely to know what topics were specially interesting to him, both because they had prominent places
in his public efforts, and the pains which he took to
make them appear, whether importantly related to the
subject in hand or not. In the last years of his life,
his discourses were almost sure to have some place&for
the presentation of the subject of Slavery. Either in
the form of a deducible doctrine, an illustration, an inference, or an application, would some feature of that
abomination appear. For a time after the passage of
the Fugitive Law, his sermons, even on funeral occasions, were likely to be marked by stern condemnations
uttered over the head of that enormity. His convictions
and feelings were a pent up force; he had always been
accustomed to utter his convictions freely, and so no




MARTIN CHENEY.                381
special effort was made to repress them. And, hence,
oil not a few occasions, his hearers, while holding his
pulpit freedom sacred, regretted that he should seem to
be lessening the moral weight of a discourse, by introducing some features that were foreign to its nature.
If there was any thing which he wished to rebuke, it
was always easy for him to spring aside from the path
along which his subject was taking him, deal out the
blows of severity, and resume the beaten way. They
were episodes which showed his ingenuity and his
faithfulness, but they neither showed his moderation
nor added to the finish of his discourse. A nice taste
would be tried by such methods of dealing with whatever he wished to condemn, and by the unceremonious
way in which he sometimes brought all sorts of incidents to set off his points. To him they seemed forcible because he was interested in them, while they lacked force to others because they wanted appropriateness.
Add to this the stern way in which he would oppose
a theological sentiment, the fierce war which he carried
into the hoary creeds which he deemed false and mischievous, and our bill of indictments is made out.
There was little in his manner to conciliate a believer
in the sentiment he was combating, especially if he
chanced to be a stranger. His war was unrelenting.
He used all sorts of weapons which a Christian man
might use. He carried on no guerilla warfare; he made
no secret thrusts; he had no masked batteries. He
took the open field; but when he had taken it, it was
to use all his forces. And the severity of statement
which he indulged at times, was certainly not the most




382                 LIFE OF
likely to make at once friends or converts of his opponents. This method resulted from the discovery that
there was so much shuffiing, double-dealing, and low
policy in other pulpits and by other men. It was, in
some sense, a natural re-action, and could very well be
tolerated in view of the circumstances which gave it
birth; but, though natural and tolerable, it was still an
excess and a defect.
So much respecting Mr. Cheney's pulpit faults. They
may all be regarded as little things, and some of them
are the results of his constitutional tendencies; but it
seemed proper that they should be noticed.
The subject matter of Mr. Cheney's discourses was
ample and varied. His view of the functions of the
pulpit contributed to make it so. To reiterate a few
theological common-places from Sabbath to Sabbath,
did not at all meet the idea of preaching which had
grown up in his mind. All sins of which his hearers
were in danger, he deemed himself set to disclose; all
duties which moral obligation prescribed, he felt bound
to devolope and enforce. He lived among his people,
he knew their wants, their perils, their susceptibilities,
and their lives; and so sought to make his preaching
applicable and practically important to them.  His
audience felt that no monk was muttering to them
mysterious sayings, in a dialect half obsolete, from an
antique monastery, but that a living, earnest man was
standing in the temple of their present life, and speaking
to them of the things with which they were every day
conversant. He was not enough of an antiquarian to
occupy himself with the study of the tomes of the past,




MARTIN CHENEY.                383
nor enough of a prophet to live amid the fancied glories
of the future; and so almost his whole heart and his
whole forces were reserved for the significant present.
And so in exposing present wickedness, and in exhibiting the present work assigned to the hands of men, he
manifested the depth and the constancy of his interest.
CHRIST was specially prominent in all his preaching.
Both his understanding and his heart were strongly
attracted to Jesus of Nazareth. He never grew weary
in his communings with the Son of God. He loved
to dwell on his character, to narrate the touching incidents of his life, to repeat his words, to sit with his
audience at the feet of his wisdom, to gaze tearfully at
the gushings of his love, to climb the hill and listen to
his dying prayer, to follow his gospel on its march of
triumph, to dwell on the brighter world where he reigns,
and anticipate the higher teaching which he waits to
give the spirits that rise up to his presence. He met
a deduction from Moses' law, authorizing a wrong, by
quoting Christ; he rebuked a low-principled expediency
by pointing to Christ; he proved the safety of virtue
by opening the forsaken tomb of Christ; and he demonstrated the efficiency of moral truth and influence by
pointing to the victories of Christ.
As already intimated, he crowded his discourses with
instruction. He attached importance to his weekly or
more frequent religious addresses to the people, and
so prepared himself to profit them. Few ever compressed so much into the same length of time as he.
A text or a topic which seemed barren as it was announced, grew into importance under his developement




384                 LIFE OF
of it. And, usually, when he had done with a subject
which he intended to discuss thoroughly, it was felt to
be exhausted —his work had the aspect of completeness.
Nothing but a capacity too small to comprehend him,
or a carelessness which forbade the hope of improvement, could sit under his ministry without gaining both
knowledge and strength. He both helped his hearers
to think, and taught them to think without help.
His distinct references to the Scriptures were frequent
and pertinent. A point in theology he supported by
proof texts as well as by argument. He had studied
his bible much and closely; for it was the large part of
his religious library in his early ministry, and he consulted it with confidence. Dr. Messer's presence also
contributed to make his references to the bible frequent
and careful. He felt not a little timidity in respect to
preaching before so distinguished a man, and, for a time,
hoped that he would discontinue his attendance.
After he found that he was not likely to do so, he
concluded that he would hazard as little as possible;that he would have chapter and verse for as many of
his statements as could be thus sustained, feeling that
he should be safe so long as he was supported by the
written word. This habit, thus formed, became invaluable to him, and a kind suggestion now and then from
Dr. M. encouraged and strengthened him not a little.
He never appeared as if he had merely undertaken to
go through with a required service. He uniformly
gave his hearers the impression that he felt that he had
something important to say to them, and that he was
earnestly desirous of having them sympathize with him




MARTIN GHEUNEY.               385
in his feeling and efforts. He never suggested religious
formality; every occasion and every sermon seemed to
be a special one; and when it was over he did not
appear satisfied till he was assured his object had been
gained. He watched for the fruit with the same interest that had marked his preparation of the soil and his
scattering of the seed.
His style or manner of preaching it is very difficult.
to describe. It was peculiarly his own; as unartistic
as nature, and as unique as his character which it devel —
oped with singular clearness. In his earlier efforts he.
displayed great strength and depth of feeling, and his
discourses and his style told powerfully on the sympa —
thies and emotions of his audience. He then warned'
even with many tears; frequently recounted with a
choking voice the scenes of wickedness amid which he
had revelled; deplored and bewailed his early influence;pleaded with others not to follow in his footsteps; and
dwelt with a grateful, humble, adoring joy on the mercy,
that had reached and saved him; —and then would he,
urge, with the eloquence of his own deep and overpowering emotion, the impenitent to go in submission and&
faith to the same glorious gospel and Savior. In laterlife there was less of this feature apparent. He remarked'
that he had wept the fountain of his tears dry, and used,
up his sympathetic power. He might have said moreappropriately, that the intellectual element of his naturehad become more prominent, and that he had hence put
himself under its guidance, and depended on it more fullyto exhibit and impress the truth. His earlier preach.ing, therefore, was adapted to produce more immediate:
33




386                 LIFE OF
effect, but to be less powerful in moulding the characters
of those who sat under it.
He seemed to enjoy preaching with his whole soul
and body. His whole demeanor indicated the pleasure
which he found in his work. He seemed to be in his
true element when he stood up to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. If he had felt that wo was unto
him if he preached not the gospel before he entered
upon the work, he indicated afterward that blessing
was unto him while he did preach it. He never seemed
cowering under the threatened visitation of divine chastisement, but was rejoicing under the light shed from
heaven upon his heart and labors. The gospel had
brought life and peace and hope to him, and while he
saw about him those who had neither, his soul yearned
to carry them up to the feet of that same Savior who had
brought him salvation and waked his adoring love. He
seemed to be preaching a gospel,-that is, imparting
the good tidings which he himself had so gratefully
received from heaven.
in much of his preaching he was highly colloquial.
He never appeared to be preaching before his audience,
but talking to them in the most familiar and natural way.
He never seemed trying to be eloquent,-he was too
earnest to secure his object, for that; nor did he ever
seem to be making an effort to maintain a pulpit dignity;-he had too much real manly dignity in himself,
to give him any interest in such an object. He talked
there just as he would talk to an individual neighbor
whom he should meet in the street.  He put on no
clerical airs.  He would now and then indulge an




MARTIN CHENEY.                387
innocent playfulness in the choice of his illustrative
anecdotes, and especially in his attempts to make a custom or a vice appear ridiculous.  Some there were, no
doubt, who thought him too careless in regard to his pulpit demeanor, and sometimes deemed him more than half
irreverent; but he would there, as elsewhere, give the
freest expression to his joyous and humorous moods of
mind. Speaking of Christ's skill in replying to the
questions intended to puzzle him, by proposing searching queries to his catechists, he says it might have been
thought, at first view, that he was brought up in Yankeedom. Speaking of the habits of prayer, and of the
practice of some persons who made it a point to pray
for every body and thing in general, and for nothing
and nobody in particular, he said they reminded him of
Benjamin Franklin when a lad, who, after assisting his
father to fill a barrel with pork, asked why it would
not save time and labor to say grace over the -whole
barrel at once, instead of doing it over a few slices at
each meal. Speaking of the equality of rights and the
unity of the human race, during the war with Mexico,
he said the practical reception of the doctrine of human
brotherhood would speedily revolutionize society, and
change the positions of men at once.   " Why," said
he, " the President would betake himself to his closet,
and even old Rough and Ready would be down on his
knees." If these jets of playfulness had not obviously
been perfectly unpremeditated and spontaneous, they
would have been intolerable; but breaking forth like
momentary flashes of sunlight through the mantle of
cloud, they seemed to detract scarcely at all from the




388                LIFE OF
seriousness of the impressions produced by the general
discourse. His keenest, sharpest, richest, and most
remarkable thoughts and expressions often came unexpectedly forth in the midst of his argument or his
appeal. They were like a brilliant stream of light
suddenly flashing half way across the heavens from the
arch of the Aurora Borealis. Those who did not know
him might have felt that all this was exceedingly unbecoming; but they who did know him, though they
may have felt no disposition to imitate, never thought
him less fitted for the pulpit, or as having weakened
his influence there.
That he was sometimes vehement, stormy, and rapid
in his pulpit developements, has been more than once
impliedly asserted. When his moral indignation was
roused by the view of some great injustice upon which
he was commenting, when he was dealing with the
treachery to righteousness and the poor found among
the leaders in Church and State, he seemed the ideal
of a moral avenger,-the incarnation of a roused conscience busied in its executive functions. His manner,
no less than his words and thoughts, contributed to
make his work a fearful one to the transgressor. He
never seemed to be restrained from doing the highest
work of censure of which he was capable, but to be
goaded on to perform it by the whole force of his convictions and impulses. Few hearts, at such a time,
were cold enough to be unroused; the blood of stoics
would chill and curdle, and men of courage would
shrink into the corners of their pews as if from the
presence of danger.




ZMARTIN CHENEY.                389
Mr. Cheney's physical man, too, was eminently one
to become a strong ally of his spiritual. IMind and
body had numerous and striking correspondencies.
The bodily attitude would generally indicate the
mental state.  Tenderness would relax it in an instant,
defiant courage would nerve it to an inflexible firmness)
and impatient indignation would make it quiver in its
restlessness. Almost every mental state had some natural language for its expression.
More fully than of almost any other man was it true
of him, that his face was the mirror of his soul. Few
countenances were ever capable of so great a variety in
expression.  It would develope the subtlest shades of
feeling, and change its manifestations as rapidly as his
mind could change the phases of its thought. Benevolence would overspread it with the sunniest of smiles)
and moral indignation never failed to impart to it an
expression which conveyed stronger censure to the
transgressor than the most fiery words of some earnest
men.  He would have conveyed to the mind of a deaf
man, through his aspect and action, quite a distinct
notion of the general character of his discourses.  Ie
would create a conviction that he was eloquent by his
address to the eye; while to those who could both see
and hear, it often appeared marvellous how even common thoughts assumed interest and importance as he
developed them. He appeared all interest himself, and
so excited more interest in others. Every thing with
which he grappled wore an importance to him, and so
others felt a measure of the same importance.
There was a varied power too in his voice, that-con



390                  LIFE OF
tributed to his pulpit and platform efficiency. Its tones
were clear, rich, musical, and silvery when speaking on
his ordinary key; it was mellow, soft, and subduing
when he was dealing with the more touching views of
truth; and it was sharp, keen, and ringing, penetrating
every corner as if searching out offenders, when the
inspiration of his fierce energy was on him. And, in
this last case, his flushed face, showing that the heart
and head were in sympathy, and his abrupt, decisive,
rapid and impassioned gestures, all combined to augment
his power. These were the moods which, to most
minds, revealed the highest force of the man.
But the most efficient outward agency which he employed was his eye. To hear Mr. Cheney simply when
he could not be seen, was to lose the half of his effort.
-His look often did as much to give a thought disitinctness and power, as all other agencies combined.
His eye could preach a sermon. It was small, deeply:set, keen and piercing. When arguing closely it would'be half closed, and often suggested the idea of his attempting to look through the intricacies of a complex;and tangled subject.  When he was animated and
joyful, especially under the glory of the higher truths,of the gospel, his eye would be lighted up with a ra-.diance that seemed born from above; and when ad-:ministering his rebukes, it flashed as though there were,thunderbolts behind it, waiting to leap out and salite
tthe offenders. His eye never rested on vacancy. He
-saw-every thing and every body before him. Every
person was made to feel that that eye had singled him
out, and that he was no more lost among a crowd of lis



MARTIN CHENEY.                 391
teners. And in his roused moods he was wont to conclude
every argument and finish every appeal by fixing that
piercing eye on some conntenance belonging to a person
whom he wished to impress, and holding him spellbound for a few seconds, as the serpent holds its charmed victim. It was hard for a courageous man to return
that look for five successive seconds, or feel calm and
easy under it, and yet it was scarcely less difficult to
look away; and when the speaker had withdrawn his
gaze and resumed his speech, the soul felt relieved of
an uneasiness which it had been difficult to endure.
Such were the chief characteristics of Mr. Cheney in
his capacity of preacher. And, having before us the
traits of his character, it will not be difficult to estimate
his power. An interesting, impressive and animated
speaker he always was. He filled his sermons with
thought, and his delivery with the life of animation.
Prosy, dull and heavy as a preacher he could never be.
And so few persons, in the capacity of hearers, were
tempted to sleep or to be occupied with any thing else
than the subject which was being developed before
them. They were made to feel that the gospel had
the most important bearing upon their interests, and
that it was having to do with their every day business
and life. They felt it to be no mere theory calling for
their speculation and criticism, but a great system of
practical law, developed by the highest wisdom and
sustained by the largest authority. They never felt
themselves treated to a graceful reproof of abstract sin,
but every member felt that the inner and outer vices
of his own life were laid bare, and the call to repentance was made to break on every ear.




392                 LIFE OF
He had no ambition to appear learned or profound.
He determined to be understood, and set his heart on
the moral instruction and improvement of his congregation, rather than on making additions to his own reputation. He used no ambiguous langnage, but sought to
render every idea definite, every truth clear, every duty
plain. The result was, all his hearers grew in religious knowledge. They made definite and available
acquisitions. They were taught to be critical, to receive no statement unchallenged, to give themselves up
unqualifiedly to human guidance. He aided them to
hold their religious convictions intelligently, and to be
ready to give to every man that asked a reason for
their hope-a reason which should be recognized as
suchl by others as well as by themselves. He made
God's character appear glorious to worldly men; God's
government was a scene of grandeur and a work of
perfect justice even in the eyes of sinners trenlbling
before its penalties; and when his love and mercy were
the theme of remark, all souls ceased to wonder at the
angelic song which announced its incarnation. All
forms of sin were revealed in the light of that obligation which they had despised, and penitence and love
felt newly encouraged to trust and rejoice in the soul's
great Saviour and Helper. The guilt and danger of
sin were made clear, and the certainty of redemption,
when the heart committed itself in obedience to Christ,
appeared a precious reality under his labors. He made
the thunders of Sinai to be heard distinctly in attestation of the sanctity of lawv, and the prayer of Calvary
fell soothingly on the soul of the penitent as a mother's lullaby on the ear of a timid child.




MARTIN CHENEY.                393
He was no faultless sermonizer or model orator.Every teacher of Homiletics would have complained
and corrected, criticised and protested, and yet, while
finding the most fault, he would perhaps have been
most deeply impressed by the power of the discourse
mnd the effectiveness of the delivery. He had always
the merit of being natural, fearless, independent, sincere
3arnest, and enthusiastic; and, in being so, he often
lisarmed prejudice and made the critic forget his objections in his veneration for the man and his sympathy
with the discourse. It was not hard to find fault with
his speaking when one sat down alone for that purpose,
but he who tried to do that when the speaker was before him, sweeping on in his rapid majesty, was apt to
find no time or inclination for any such tasks. He was
a strong man, and the pulpit would reveal his strength;
he saw grandeur and beauty in the gospel, and his
pulpit efforts were perpetually revealing its grandeur and
beauty to others. He thought closely and felt deeply
over the subjects which he was wont to treat there, and
he had ability to rouse thought and awaken feeling in
others that, in some measure, corresponded to his own.
He could put himself into sympathy with his audience
so that, for a time, their intellects and souls would re.
flect the features and correspond to the workings of the
master mind before them.
That he must have possessed no ordinary measure of
pulpit and platform power, is sufficiently evinced by
facts-facts that lie even on the surface of his life.
That he should acquire and retain such a hold upon
men of thought year after year; that the masses of the




394                 LIFE OF
people should increase in the confidence and veneration
inspired by his abilities; that in such a position he
should always be regarded as decidedly in advance of his
congregation and of the ministry about him; that a strong
and influential society should continue to recognize him
as a reliable leader; that a ministry of nearly thirty years
in the same field should attract a wider and deeper interest even to its close; that some eight hundreds of
persons, from every rank in life, should recognize him
as the instrument of their salvation in his own immediate vicinity; and that his departure should be mourned
by all classes and sects of christians, as the exit of a
strong and leading champion from among the hosts of
God's elect;-that all these things should be, on the supposition that Mr. Cheney was only an ordinary preacher, would be to admit most striking effects, and yet
deny the existence of causes which are alone adequate
to their productiono




MARTIN CHENEY.                  395
CHAPTER XVIIL
THE PASTOR ANTD HIS PEO'PLE.
The relation between the pastor and his people is
one to which there are attached various degrees of importauce under different circumstances. It is sometimes
treated by both parties as a mere secular thing, to be
created like any pecuniary contract, and to be modified
or annulled according to convenience or caprice; and
sometimes it is accepted as a permanent feature of life,
with which no hand but God's has the right to meddle. Both these are extremes, perhaps equally pernicious.  Both parties should evidently have a voice
in the procedure which is to ally them to each other,
and form the connection under a conviction of the responsibility belonging to the relation, with eyes open
to the real objects which are to be gained, with a muc
tual understanding of each other's character and rights.
And having thus formed a union, for no slight cause
should it be dissolved.  Permanency, as a general rule,
is the condition both of the pastor's efficiency and the
highest religious profit of the people. That sort and
degree of christian confidence which are essential to
the free intercourse of a minister with his people, are
usually the growth of time. And where there is faithfulness and prudence on the part of the pastor, and
sympathy, charity and appreciation on the part of the




396                LIFE OF
people, the relation will grow dearer and more sacred
with the lapse of time, the bond will be cemented by
more tender and hallowed experiences, and the calami.
ty of separation will seem more sad and fearful.
All this finds an illustration in Mr. Cheney and
the Olneyville Congregation. There were very many
things-some ordinary and others peculiar-that contributed to attach both parties warmly to each other.
Mr. Cheney was the first, and, for nearly thirty years,
the only pastor. He was widely known before his
conversion, and his name especially was familiar in every
one of the twenty dwelling houses at Olneyville. He was
intimate with nearly all its youth, and sympathised
with them as, in his love of sin, he was able. He became'a changed man, and at once sought to use that
confidence which had been reposed in him, to reach
and save others. He stood up in the Hollow, as the
first striking illustration of what the gospel could do
for a human soul, and let his light shine clearly into
the places of moral darkness. From the circles of its
corruption he had broken loose, and started off on a
mission of purity, calling on his companions to follow
him up to virtue and heaven. He proved his friendship, and demonstrated his solicitude for his associates,
by braving their jeers with a true heroism, and staying
in their very midst for the sake of their salvation.
The few christians who had been wont to meet in
their private dwellings for prayer, half trembling lest
Martin Cheney should appear among them as Satan did
among the sons of God, could do no less than hail his
christian faithfulness with gratitude, and feel a rev



MARTIN  CIHENEY.                 397
erence for his courage and his consecration.  They
felt, doubtless, somewhat as did the men and women
of apostolic times whom Saul of Tarsus was seeking
to- drag off to prison, when they heard his impassioned
eloquence supporting the doctrines of the Cross. And
then when some of his former associates had been led
by him to the Savior, it was but natural that they
should feel toward him  the deep affection of a christian's first warmth,-and lean on him for support in their
christian feebleness, as if they were safe so long as he
was present with his strong arm uplifted in their defence. And when he began to preach, if many hastened to the hall from curiosity, it may well be supposed
that there were some who went there with a gratitude
to God which they could hardly express, and with an
interest in and an affection for the speaker which it
was difficult to conceal. It was not only because theyfelt that they needed better and ampler religious accommodations, but also because they felt that he de-:
served a wider theatre and larger encouragement, that
the various members of the community set about the,
erection of a house of worship, and would be satisfied:
to have none but himself to occupy it. He had allied
himself with- their interests with a generous self sacrifice when they had, little reputation or money with
which to assist him, and they appreciated the service
by giving him what they had to bestow-their small
dignities and their large confidence. And when the
church was organized-a little band of eleven disciples,
some of whom had prayed for him with much earnestness but with little faith:, and thon prayed with him in
34




398                LIVE o]
their gratitude, and then afterward had felt stronger
because he prayed for them, and some of whom
felt that they should have never learned to pray but
for his assistance-whom could they choose for pastor
but him, and how could they do less than give the
whole heart's sympathy and love and hope with the
vote whieh declared him elect to that office? And
when, as often as the month came round, others still
were added to their number, who had felt equally indebted to the man who bade them welcome to the
church of Christ, it was but natural that the ties should
seem both tenderer and more precious.
Nor were the struggles through which he passed a
few years later, in his advocacy of the cause of the
slave and in his faithful rebuke of prevalent sins, without their influence in binding him to the people who
stood by him in his perils. They who approved his
courage and his zeal, (and these were the great body of
his congregation,) were attracted more warmly to him
by the discovery of his readiness to sacrifice in their
behalf as well as in behalf of the truth, and their ready
help and strong sympathy, given just when he must
have been crushed without it, awoke his own gratitude
and wedded him still more firmly to their interest.
His ministerial reputation and pulpit freedom the people had undertaken to guard when surrounded with
perils; and in proportion as they had taken an interest
in them, did they increase in apparent value. There
was a double tie uniting him to their hearts. He was
their dear christian friend, and he was also the embodiment of some great principles which they had learned
to hold both dear and sacred.




M A R T IN CHENEY.            399
And thus he had continued to live and labor among
them. He had always been a prominent and leading
agency in building up all the social and moral interests
which successively arose. In the growth and improvement of Olneyville his influence was felt to have largely contributed. Year after year he had stood in their
pulpit, and instructed and roused and blessed them.
He had been among them in their varied experiences,
sympathising with them in all. He had rejoiced with
those that rejoiced, and wept with those that wept.
He had presided at the marriage altar, and given his
blessing to the cemented hearts, as, in the warmth of
love and the glow of hope, they went forth to their
life-work, leaning trustfully on each other; and when
bereavement was spilling its tears over its recent dead,
he had been wont to approach and speak of the irnmortality lying beyond the tomb, and of the perpetual
fellowships of the pure in the presence of God. Almost every family had passed through some experience
to which he had been intimately related; and thus he had
been bound up closely with the community's life. And
many there were who had been enlightened by him
to see their own lost condition, and who, putting themselves beneath his guidance, had been led to behold
the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the
world. They had sat down with him in the circles
of prayer and meditation and conference, and talked
familiarly together of the christian life on earth, and
of the higher, richer, better life in heaven. He had
spoken words of comfort in their distress, words of
warning in their danger, words of peace in their anx



400                 L IF'E -OF
iety, words of hope in their distress, words of encouragement in their despondency, and words -of cheer
in their faithfulness.  He had never betrayed their
confidence; but, in his character and life, had been
constantly suggesting fresh reasons for their respect
and love. So long and so constantly among them, they
had come to feel that he was almost one of the real
elements of their life-as an important integral part of
Olneyville, which they could never think -of sparing in
response to any summons but God's.
It is -not to be supposed that such a man as Mr. Cheney would be left without solicitations to go to other
fields of labor.  Such solicitations he did receive, and
both moral and pecuniary arguments were brought to
bear on him. He probably never felt very strongly inclined to go, and yet it is probable that he felt -much
less reluctance to listen -to such proposals than did the
society.  Several years previous -to his death he was
strongly solicited to take another important pastoral
charge.  The request he consented to lay before
his people, and a meeting was appointed to consider
the subject. A general attendance was invited, that all
phases of the public feeling might be indicated. The
meeting was crowded and enthusiastic.  Men who seldom  or never entered the place of worship, and had
very slight religious tendencies in any direction, members of other denominations, all alike seemed to feel
that they had a personal interest in the matter. It
was moved, after the subject had been freely considered
and discussed, that Mr. Cheney be earnestly requested
to remain at Olneyville; and, on calling the vote, every




MARTIN CHENEY.                401
person present voted for his stay. He was growing old,
and must soon be so enfeebled as to be laid aside from
labor, or be carried to his tomb, abundance of younger
men could have been obtained to take the vacated
post, but not a man woman or child would consent to
his departure. This new proof of his people's affection touched him deeply, and anew he gave himself to
abundant labors in their behalf.
Mr. Cheney's sympathies were strong, and his gratitude was always roused by kindness. And the testimonials which he was almost perpetually receiving
from his people, made them very dear to him. He
reciprocated their kindness by rendering them the very
highest services of which he was capable. They had
never guarded his reputation with more care than he
guarded theirs. He appreciated his flock not less than
the flock appreciated the shepherd. He never praised
them abroad; he had too much prudence and too pure
a love for them to do that; but he would sooner suffer
an impeachment to rest against his own character, than
hear in silence an insinuation against theirs. He loved
them as a body, with an affection similar to that which
attached him to his few personal friends.
The following extracts from his auto-biography will
indicate his own feelings toward his people, better than
any general or specific statements from others. So far
as they are testimonials, they are such as justice to his
own feelings required him to write, and such as he
would be unwilling should be excluded from these memoirs. After speaking of the heartiness and firmness
with which he was sustained by his people in the days
of peril, he says;34*




402                 L IFE. O F
"Does any one ask why I am  so much attached to
that -people? and so unwilling to leave them  when
higher station- and larger salary have been offered?Among other reasons they may find one in such acts as
above noted."
Again.  "'For the first sixteen months after,the
church w as formed there were additions every month,
either by letter or baptism. The church has had its
seasons of coldness and declension, but -on the whole
it has increased -in numbers till at;the present time,
(1850) it numbers from three to four hundred members.
It has numbered over four hundred, but has decreased
for the seven or eight years past-the dismissions, exclusions, and deaths, having exceeded the additions.Many have been dismissed to other churches since the
organization,- quite a number have been excluded, and
very many have died in the triumphs of faith. I know
not the exact number who have belonged to the church
since its organization, but suppose it may -be from -seven
-to eight hundreds-perhaps more.  There have been,
from time to time, seasons of peculiar religious inter-,est. At one time I baptized fifty-three persons:; at
another time sixty-three. The last of these seasons
of unusual interest was enjoyed about eight years-since,
when about one hundred were added to:the church
in a:few months-a number of these being members
of my own family. Beautiful green spotss are these-.delightful to look back upon.
"With tearful joy I've often seen
The healing waters move;
And many round me, stepping in,
Their efficacy prove."
Then was seen the power of truth and love.




MARTIN CHENEY.                403
I have been the pastor of this church from its organization till now. I have wept with them and rejoiced
with them, and they have sympathized with me in my
trials and afflictions. They have sat down with me
in the house of mourning. While with them I-have
lost by death -a father, a wife and four -children. I
have not been the faithful pastor which -I might have
been or ought to have been in all respects. Yet I have
loved -them and labored for them, and am laboring for
them still; and notwithstanding my short comings, I
-rejoice in the assurance that they love -me and that I
have their prayers.
The church are strong and-decided-on the subject-of
Temperance, and are decidedly Anti-Slavery; and, if
I mistake not, have made some:progress in the noble:principle of thinking and-letting think.  They are now
engaged in sustaining as interesting and flourishing a
Sabbath:School as can be found in Rhode-Island.
Thanks to the Giver of all good."
It has already been stated that Mr. Cheney-was-chosen
Moderator of the General Conference -of Freewill Baptists, which assembled at Providence and Olneyville, in
October,- 1850. He presided over it with dignity and
ability, and found himself, at the-close, warmly attached
to many of its members whom he had met-as strangers.
As it was -about to close, -several of its members addressed a few words of christian sympathy and counsel
to each other. Mr. Cheney was one of the -number.
In the last years of his life he seldom became so-affected
in speaking as to be forbidden to proceed. He arose
on that occasion in a spirit calm and tender, thanked




404                LIFE OF
the Conference for the confidence implied in his appointment, expressed his satisfaction at the general spirit
which had pervaded its sessions, spoke of his pleasure
in meeting and becoming acquainted with so many
christian friends, alluded to the approaching separation
as likely to be final on earth wth many of them, then
gave utterance to a most hearty and sympathetic assurance of the joy he had felt in welcoming the gathering
at Olneyville, and then added in substance;-" Nor
does this feeling attach alone to me; it is shared by
this whole people. No differences or peculiarities in
sentiment or policy which may be entertained here,
have repelled you. You have been among this people;
you have formed for the time a part of their families;
you have seen them in circumstances calculated to give
you an insight into their real spirit; and if you have
not met a cordial, generous, christian welcome, if you
have not been made to feel that you were at least among
warm-hearted and large-hearted friends, then I kno
nothing about the people among whom I have labored, in
my imperfect way, for twenty-five years."..... As he
struck this tender cord his emotions overpowered him;
and, sitting down, his silent tears completed and sanctified the tribute of respect and affection which the Pastor
wished thus to pay to his People.
Such a picture of permanency in the pastoral relation
is rare among us, but less rare than we hope it will be
hereafter. It may not be best that all who preach the
gospel should seek to realize such permanency in their
position; but there is no need of insisting particularly
upon the exceptions now; they are so frequent as almost




MAR T IN,CIIENEY.             405
to make us forget that there is even a -theoretical rule.
But while other churches, seeming at times-to have
more prosperity than the -church at Olneyville, have
faltered, and, at times, have seemed -at the point of death,
it has ever held on its way-, and its light, sometimes
more or less eclipsed by trial and -declension tto be sure,
has beamed forth steadily like the stars of heaven.
-Mr. Cheney's relation to his ministerial brethren of
the same denomination, especially to those situated near
him, was scarcely less important or interesting than his
relation;to his flock. He was one of the earliest Freewill Baptist- ministers who settled as a pastor in Rhode
Island, and w-as one of the oldest at the time of his
death. A large number of the churches about him
were formed with his advice, and a large proportion of
the ministers he had assisted in ordaining.  Step by
step he rose up gradually to high influence in the Quarterly Meeting and Yearly Meeting. He rose by dint
of his own energy —and it was energy expended not
for the -sake of rising, but for the sake of the truth.
When, in his earlier -years, his unanswered reasoning
was overpowered by the overshadowing influence -of
men who had acquired a reputation, he would writhe
in spirit -and bite his lips with determination, but he
patiently bided [-his time, and it came to him. His
younger brethren in the ministry looked up to him -as
a father, but he always welcomed them simply as brethren. So-far from being jealous at the discovery of talent
and promise in them, nothing:pleased him more -than
when he saw public confidence turning towards -those
who had given proof of ability andworth. How much




406               LIFE OF
he did to inspire confidence in themselves and put them
on the road to success, neither himself or they, probably,
could perfectly know. That he did much he must
have known, and others must have felt. In his intercourse with them he was ever on the alert to find out
their peculiarities and state, that he might aid them; and
yet he usually carried on the study and imparted the
benefit without making them aware of the work he
was doing. If he was chairman of a meeting, and
there was present some young, timid, trembling brother,
who needed encouragement and yet who had hardly a
disposition to confess his necessities even to himself,
he was almost certain to invite him to pray; or, in some
other method, equally delicate, he would manage to
inspire the very confidence which was so much needed.
Thus he was perpetually doing something to add to
the efficiency of his young associates in the gospel,
while, at the same time, he never appeared to be conscious of the debt of obligation under which he was
laying them. And so they seldom thanked him for the
work he was doing for them, simply because it did not
seem as though it would be pleasant for him to be told
of his unconscious benefactions. But if the lips spoke
less, the heart felt more; if the gratitude was repressed,
it burned more strongly within. His brethren in the
ministry all felt the strong attachment of a warm personal friendship for him, and felt that all their gatherings
were wanting in one of the important elements of interest and value in his absence. They conceded superiority
to him as a matter of course, and listened with the
deference of children, even when they felt obliged to
dissent from his views.




MARTIN CHENEY.                407
And he, too, seemed to prize his association with
them, as one of the choicest privileges of his life.
Their reputation was dear to him, and though he never
humored their foibles, and seemed forever determined
to make them independent and lean on themselves,
still they felt, not without reason, that, in their deserved
prosperity he felt the liveliest interest, and in their unavoidable embarrassments and trials they were sure of
his sympathy. Faithfully dealing with them all and
teaching them to deal faithfully with each other and
with himself, he united them strongly to his own heart,
and aided to create many of the bonds that held them
to each other in fellowship.




408                 LIF-E O-F
CHAPTER XVIII.
BICINISS AND DEATBH.-F-UNERAL SERVICES-ES.-TETIMIONIALS
IT is not simply a conviction that it must be so, but a
submissive acquiescence in the wisdom and love which
appoint it, that gains our christian consent to the departure of goodness from its earthly sphere and labors. If
our earthly affection would detain it, our christian faith
can bid it a God-speed as it soars up higher.  The
question, " If a man die, shall he live again?" met its
answer from the lips of Him who said,," I am the Resurrection and the Life."  We-do not feel now that the
glorious light which has burned about us is to be
quenched in the grave, but kindled to an immortal
glow. We can take our leave of the christian friend at
the portal of the tomb, assured that all is brightness
beyond it; and then come back to life, confident that
the affection which we treasure up shall find a still
better theatre for its exercise hereafter. It is fitting
that we walk calmly to the grave, for God's appointment has opened it for the rest of the wearied body;
and it is fitting even that joy should kindle up in the
soul of faith, for a voice from heaven breaks musically
there, saying of the spirit, " It is not here, but risen."
So Mr. Cheney has already been followed to the tomb
in fact, and we have now to follow him in history.
For at least fifteen years previous to his death, he
suffered more or less from a cough, sometimes attended




MARTIN CHENEY.                 409
with hoarseness. The cough was more or less the result of a catarrhal affection, aggravated by the exposures
and severe labors incidental to his profession.  Sometimes this affection would be serious, and sometimes it
occasioned very little uneasiness. He was satisfied that
it would eventually become the immediate occasion of
his death. He and others were alike unaware that a
disease, dating back probably in its origin to the period
of his early manhood, was at last to develope itself suddenly and hurry him to his tomb. For several of the
last years of his life his health was not really firmi,
though he was almost constantly enabled to perform a
large amount of ministerial service.
He returned from his tour to New York in Septem —
ber, 1851, —mention of which has already been made —
considerably prostrated. Indeed, while remaining in,
the city, he suffered more or less from illness. He
remained in New York and Brooklyn among his ac-f
quaintances nearly a week, and, on his return, spent a
little time with some friends in Connecticut. He was,
absent from his home and pulpit two Sabbaths-a thing
which had very unfrequently occurred before. Heseemed not quite as well as usual for two or three weeks
following, but his state failed to arrest particularly the
attention of himself or of others. He preached in his
own pulpit as he had done, and some of his hearers
seemed then struck with what seemed to them an unus —
ual interest and impressiveness in his development of.
the fundamental evangelical truths. On the first Sab —
bath in November, he preached at Taunton, Massachu —
setts, on exchange with Rev. T. H. Bacheler, the pastor.
35




410                LIFE OF
of the Freewill Baptist Church in that place;-preached
what proved to be his last sermon. Some of his friends
were struck with his apparent feebleness, as they saw
him preparing to leave home. He suffered much from
dizziness in the afternoon,-so much as to find it
exceedingly difficult to go through the service. He
returned home on Monday morning, really ill; and,
yielding to the advice of his friends, sought medical
aid. On Tuesday he spent an hour in attendance on
an Anti-Slavery Convention in the city, but his pain of
body compelled him to return home. A day or two
smore elapsed, and he was confined to his house and
mostly to the bed. His disease was at once pronounced
to be Chronic Liver Complaint.
After being attended for some three weeks by the
physician whom he at first summoned, another was employed by the advice of his friends, though he himself
seemed to expect very little relief or benefit from their
prescriptions. In the mean time he had requested the
Deacons of the Church to act as a Committee in securing
supplies for the pulpit. The new physician concurred
with his predecessor in regard to the nature of the complaint, but somewhat modified the treatment.  He
attended him a week, during which Mr. Cheney seemed
to be growing weaker; and suffered extremely from
nausea and a violent pain in the back portion of the
head. Both these physicians had adopted the Homeopathic method of practice. At this stage an eminent
Hydropathic practitioner was summoned from Boston to
attend him, and immediately put him upon the course
of treatment usually prescribed by that school of medi



MAR1TIN CHENEY.                411
cal men, —withholding all nutriment. Mr. Cheney's
friends were encouraged to look for his recovery. The
physician spoke hopefully. How far Mr. Cheney himself shared in this confidence is not known, as he said
very little respecting his prospects.  He had seemed to
suffer during nearly his whole life more or less from a
natural shrinking in view of the grave. Death seemed
naturally to inspire him with a sort of terror or dreada result of his constitutional susceptibilities.  The temple of life beyond the tomb was glorious to the eye
of his faith, but the cold dark portal was not without
its horrors. Still, he expressed himself as fully willing
to leave the question whether he should live longer to
the disposal of God's wisdom. Rather than suffer long
and seriously with sickness and pain, being apparently
of no service to the world, he would prefer to die at
once and be at rest, but was cheerful to wait patiently
God's own disposition.
After he had been kept under this treatment for two
or three weeks, he seemed improving. His pain abated,
his appetite seemed more natural, he began to receive
nourishment, and his physician predicted his restoration
at no distant day. But few visited him, and even with
these few he conversed but little —exercising a prudence
which he felt was demanded by his circumstances. He
continued in this state till Saturday, January 3d, 1852,
when he seemed to grow worse. His strength failed,
and his pulse seemed weaker through the day. His
son-in-law watched with him during the night, and
his increased illness was regarded as only a temporary
relapse, until toward morning, when he seemed to be




412                  LIFE OF
fast failing. He sank rapidly, though remaining apparently perfectly conscious of his state, and of what was passing about him.  Toward morning, as his attendant bent
over him, he gave a feeble utterance to his last earthly
words,-" I HAVE A HOPE THAT ENDURETH TO THE
END.'~ His breath grew shorter and fainter as the tide
of life ebbed away, until about half past five o'clock,
on Sabbath morning, January 4th, when the body
quietly sank to its rest, and the spirit soared to its God,
to begin with the dawn of the Sabbath the worship
of the upper temple.
So fades a summer cloud away;
So sinks the gale when storms are o'er;
So gently shuts the eye of day;
So dies a wave along the shore."
With what feelings Olneyville arose from its slumbers and learned its bereavement, it is not for words to
tell. It was well nigh smitten dumb with astonishment
and grief. Not alone in the cottage which his delicate
taste had selected and beautified, and where his form
lay-already growing stiff and cold,-were there sadness and tears; nearly every family circle was a picture
of sorrow, and every person a mourner. And as the
message flew abroad, many, very many bowed down
their heads and wept, feeling that they too were sharers
in a great and sore affliction.
His Funeral services wvere attended at the MeetingHouse, on the following Thursday, January 8th, at
half past ten o'clock, A. M. Business was generally
suspended throughout the community, and the temples
of trade were closed. The tide of worldly life stood




MARTIN CHENEY.                 413
still in reverence before the bier of the dead. His
remains were borne close by the hall where he had
commenced to hold forth the word of life, and set down
in the house of worship which he had dedicated twentyfive years before, and under the very pulpit where he had
stood so long and so faithfully in defence of the gospel.
The organ, and the pillars on either side of the pulpit,
were shrouded in mourning drapery. Four of the members of his church were bearing his pall, and, as immediate
mourners, appeared his widow and five children, some of
them with their families-his only son being detained
by the death of a member of his own family. More
than twenty ministers of the same denomination were
in attendance; and they, with most of that vast congregation, packing every corner of the house, felt that
they too were there, not as spectators, but as sad and
sincere mourners. Rev. James A. McKenzie offered
a prayer full of the most touching allusions, and powerful over the hearts of the assembly by its spirit of
fervor and resignation. He had long been an intimate
friend of the departed, and they had labored much
together in their calling. Rev. M. J. Steere delivered
a most appropriate discourse, setting forth the glory of
the gospel as it had appeared in the character and life
of Mr. Cheney-a task for which his long personal
familiarity with the deceased eminently fitted him.
During its delivery that crowded house was scarcely
less silent than the tomb itself; save as now and then
the sighs that would not be suppressed, and the sobs
that defied all effort to restrain them, told how deep
were the wounds inflicted by the bereavement.




414                 LIFE 0F
The services concluded, the assembly were perlmit-ted to look once more on the face with which most had
been so long familiar. One by one they pressed up to
the coffin, and then turned away feeling as they had
not done before what a desolation had been left in the
heart.  Writing to a distant friend, one present thus
describes the sleeper: —" He lay gloriously in his coffin. He did not simply look natural,-a word often
used to describe the face of the dead, —he looked just
like life. It seemed almost as though he could be only
resting from the toil of some moral battle, and already
to wake at the first tap of the drum.  Or, rather, he
appeared just as you have seen him in conference meeting, with his eyes closed, a calm, half developed smile
on his features, as if communing in spirit with the
high truth and glory of God." The last view had
been taken, the last eyes had grown tearful above his
face, the lid of the coffin was adjusted, and, through
the winter's cold and storm, a large sad company followed all that was mortal of the christian man and hero
to its narrow bed in the dust.
The place of Mr. Cheney's earthly rest deserves a'little detailed description; for it promises to be a spot of
no ordinary interest in the future, and it may prompt
others to good works similar to that which has created,an humble Mecca for the pilgrimages of christian faith:and love.
Two miles south-west from Olneyville, in the town,of Cranston, is a large and beautiful Nursery for the




MARTIN CHE1NEY.                 415
culture of trees, shrubs and flowers, called'Mulberry
Grove.' It is owned by the family of Deacon Daniel
P. Dyer, who has been both a member and an officer
in the Olneyville church for many years. On the west
side of the Nursery is a plot of ground, laid out in the
form of a semicircle, simply yet tastefully decorated,
and appropriated as a family Cemetery. A few years
since the idea occurred to Mr. Dyer of laying out a
similar plot, contiguous to this, as a Cemetery for the
convenience of his Freewill Baptist friends more particularly, and especially for the convenience of his
friends in the Freewill Baptist ministry. The work
was undertaken and most happily executed. It is shut
in on every side by trees, commanding however, a
view of varied scenery, presenting at once to the eye
the graceful blending of artificial and natural beauty,
and the sympathetic fellowship of life and death.
None of the lots have been sold, but given to the proprietors, and, with a very few exceptions, have all been
taken up.
Mr. Cheney had buried his first wife in Foster; his
second wife, his father, and three children in Johnston.
In the autumn of 1849 the remains of them all were
removed to the spot already described, and interred
side by side, and a space at the head of the lot reserved
for himself. After the removal had been effected he
seemed to thinkl of it with much satisfaction, and visited the spot with new interest; and, on one occasion,
remarked in his pulpit respecting his feelings in view
of his own prospective sleeping place. To that place
of beauty, where the sun shines mellow amid the forest




416                  LIFE OF
trees, where the winds sigh in gentleness through the
dark green Firs, and where the unscared birds sing
lovingly over the dead, gentle and affectionate hands
bore Mr. Cheney and left him in his rest. Few spots
there are, more suggestive of sanctified thought and
chastened religious feeling, to those who have lingered
among its graves, than  MIULBERY GROVE CEMETERYo'
The following testimonials to Mr. Cheney's worth
will indicate the views entertained respecting him by his
acquaintances.  They are the independent utterances
of various persons, differently related to the subject to
which they refer, and they may aid in bringing out more
distinctly points of character which the preceding pages
have failed to reveal.  The discourse preached at his
Funeral has been reserved for this place, that the thread
of the narrative might not be broken. The following
extracts are taken from the " Morning Star," where it
appeared soon after its delivery.
DISCOURSE:
AT THE FUNERAL OF THE REV. MARTIN CIIENEYb
BY REV. MARTIN J. STEERE.
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have
kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for mea crown of righteousness, which
lthe Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day." —II. Tim.
iv: 7, 8.
" This is a solemn hour; this is a solemn auditory.
This is a time for solemn meditation.  Whether I look
forth upon this throng of people, or turn to my brethren




MARTIN CHENEY.                417
in the ministry, I am assured that something solemn has
occurred. Alas! it is too true! our brother, our venerable
brother, our beloved brother, our brother in the ministry,
with whom we had so often taken sweet counsel, and
to whom we were so much indebted, is dead! He, the
long tried pastor of this church, and minister to this
society, endeared to all his parishsoners, and respected
by all who knew him, is dead! We are in his funeral!
O  how  dreamlike it seems-how  unlike anything
we had known before! Yet it is true he is dead!
Last Sabbath morning about three o'clock, his spirit
went forth to meet, not his usual congregation, but
the. congregation that never breaks up in a Sabbath
that never ends. He has gone. And now the tears
with which we follow him are not the tears that would
call him back-they are but the burst of affectionate
recollection. They only show how we loved him. We
would not-no, we would not,. if we could, call back
from the abodes of blessedness, to endure over again
the trials, to fight over again the battles of the Christian
warfare, one glorified spirit-no, not even that of our
brother and father in Israel, whose funeral we to-day
solemnize! So may we all feel, and not least this
afflicted family circle, now the object of so strong a
sympathy, and so many prayers. May they, may we
all, have, the spirit of Christian resignation, which he,
whom we to-day mourn, was accustomed so vividly to
set forth in the numerous families to whom he was
called to minister consolation."
[After speaking of the Christian warfare of the Apostle, the various features of which he specifies as original




418                 LIFE OF
strength and vigor of mind; an ardent temperament;
great firmness and moral courage; an uncompromising
fidelity in dealing with the foes of the gospel; activity;
faith in God, in the Holy Spirit, and in the cross;he thus dwells on the character and memory of the
departed.]
" Without saying more of the many things that might
be said of Paul as a Christian warrior, here let us pause.
The warfare of another demands our present attention-that of our brother — 0 God, is he dead-that
of our brother, who last Sabbath morning "finished
his course with joy."'C He, too, had fought a good
fight." His warfare, too, was substantially, though
not circumstantially, the same as that of the apostle
Paul. In a different age, and under far different circumstances, he followed the same standard with him. The
same blood-stained banner waved over St. Paul and the
Rev. Martin Cheney. From the former, we turn for a
few moments to the latter. For he, too, had warred a
good warfare. And we institute no comparison invidious to the apostle, or flattering to our deceased brother
and father in Israel, when we say there were not a few
points of marked resemblance between them.
The last sermon our brother preached to his own people was on Sunday morning, Oct. 26th. The last sermon he preached any where was preached in Taunton,
Mass. Nov. 2d, 1851. From about that time till near
the time of his decease, his friends had been alternately
agitated with hope and fear, [although hope was generally in the ascendant] with regard to his recovery.
But our feelings alternate no longer. He has left us,




MARTIN CHENEY.                 419
and left with us the the savory influence of his life.
He has left us indeed to mourn, but not as those who
are without hope, and not, we trust, without the spirit
of true christian resignation. Such was the nature of
his sickness, that he could talk but comparatively little.
And as he was at last taken away at an hour when the
hopes of his friends, and his own, were strong for his
recovery, he did not leave the much dying counsel
which might otherwise have been expected of him.
But his mind was calm and clear, his confidence in the
salvation of Christ confirmed. His death was the sun
at its setting. And, as if to throw behind him light to
cheer those whose who should feel their firmament
darkened by his departure, and to encourage those who
should thereafter be disposed to run up the steep way
by which he passed to God, he spoke with his expiring
breath, and said, "I have a hope that endureth to the
end!"  And having said this, " he fell on sleep," and
his spirit glided sweetly and softly away to its everlasting rest. Hie died-but not till he had served well his
generation. And now many people are going, and
saying, " Know ye not that there is a great man fallen
in Israel to-day."  And not a few are crying, "Help
Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail
from among the children of men."  Many of us would
like to have gone to the bed-side of the deceased and
received his last blessing. But this, in the inscrutible
providence of God, was doubtless for wise reasons denied us. We can only come to his bier and look upon
what is not he! Yet a blessing we may there receive,
as valuable as we could have received at his dying




~420               "LIFE OF
couch, if we will but imagine his lips to part, and utter
the words of tenderness and love and persuasion, which
we have so often heard him utter while he was yet
with us! This is indeed a trying hour, but above all
its agitation I hear a voice saying to this afflicted people, to this sorely afflicted church, and to this most
keenly afflicted family, ": Be still, and know that I am
God."
Let us now compose ourselves again to briefly notice
a few points in the character of this fallen pastor. And
for brevity's sake, we shall condense what we have to
say as much as possible. And here perhaps as well as
elsewhere we may remark, that,
The change wrought in his spirit and life, which resulted in his enlistment as a soldier of the Cross, was
scarcely less remarkable than that under which the
persecuting Saul was transformed into the Apostle Paul.
He had wrought the will of the Gentiles, as Saul had
that of the persecuting Jews. After his conversion, he
as faithfully wrought the will of God. Like the Apostle, he, at his conversion, lost sight of flesh and blood,
and bent all his energies in the direction of eternal salvation. At once, he commences his plea with sinners
to be reconciled to God, and after but about two years
is publicly recognized by the church as a minister of the
Gospel. This was all apostolic. But we proceed to
remark that,
As a minister of the gospel, the deceased had the advantage of a naturally strong and vigorous mind. This
was well understood by all who knew him. Had he
been blessed with an early and liberal education, some




MARTIN CHENEY.                 421
might, perhaps, have attributed the talent his life exhibited to that cause.  But such was not the case. His
education was very limited, even for the age in which
he grew up. It therefore afforded no possible shadow
of ground for hope of such things as the world has realized from his life. And the fact that right here, under
the very turrets of the city, he, uneducated, and single
handed, established himself as he did, as a minister of
the gospel, and that here he maintained himself as he
did, shows clearly that he must have had a large share
of native mental strength and vigor. In his mental organization, the perceptive faculties decidedly predominated. They were. most thoroughly acute, and acted
with the rapidity of lightning. This made him a
mighty champion in debate. He could thereby throw
so many arguments together, in- the short time during
which a sinner would be disposed to listen, as would
work conviction upon his soul. This consideration, too.
connected with the ardency of his temperament, made
him, as a christian warrior, resemble the general who
prefers carrying cities by assault, rather than by the
slow progress of a regular siege.
We have alluded to the ardency of his temperament.
This was indeed remarkable. His heart was ever warm.
and deeply in earnest.-He, like Paul, knew nothing
of indifference, and ideas lying latent in his breast.
What he loved, he loved much, and what he did, he
did with his collected might. His soul, like Paul's,.
knew no rest. It was forever flashing in his eye, andi
giving it that expression of deep penetration, which not,
a few of us have marked and felt, as we have shrunk.
36




422                 LIFE OF
before its earnest glance.  To look into its depths, when
his whole soul was in motion, was to be conscious of
anl awful presence, and to feel yourself looked through,
While, on the other hand, its smiling and sympathetic
beam, all lambent and easy, gave the fullest assurance
of sincerity and love.
But with his ardency of temperament was joined a
firmness of purpose, which gave him that stability of
moral character for which he was so remarkable.  His
possession of this quality is clearly indicated at almost
every step of his life, and, especially, of his ministerial
life. From the time when he began to preach in that
little hall yonder, across the way, down to the solemn
moment when he said, I have hope that endureth unto
the end, he was the subject of one single purpose, too
firm to be shaken by all the smiles and all the frowns
of the world through which he pressed.  What the
younger Pliny, writing to Trajan, pronounced obstinacy, in the persecuted Christians of primitive times,
was characteristic of his life.  He was as obstinate as
are facts. His purpose was as solid as a pyramid. In
this he was like Paul,-like Jesus.  For his purpose,
like theirs,; was a glorious one. His deep settled conscientiousness, under God, forbade that it should be
otherwise. It constantly secured him against wilfulness.
His sanctified firmness and conscientiousness, acting in
unison, were invincible. We have heard him talk of the
Lions' den and of the fiery furnace, when we have felt,
that however it might be with us, he would shrink
neither from tile growl of the one, nor from the red
glare of the other. And yet, he was cautious. Of the




MARTIN CHENEY.                423
spirit of caution, he had a very large share. Combined
with his naturally low view of himself, it often made
him appear timid, especially among strangers. But how
necessary was this humble quality, to one possessing
such mental activity and propulsion as he did. I How
necessary was this, too, to one whose whole life was to
be watched as his, and who, without Education and
single handed, to break in upon the reigning wickedness of a village, to establish there a church and be
himself its pastor for life, rebuking sin in high places
as well as low. Without cautiousness, how quickly
would his career have been run. But he was not
without it, and hence he never entrapped himself, nor
suffered himself to be entrapped.
He approached the sinner earnestly and cautiously.
Earnestly, because his whole soul glowed with love to
him; and cautiously, lest by injudiciousness he should
defeat the end at which he aimed. But his cautiousness never made him afraid to declare the whole counsel
of God. He could not restrain the free course of the
the Spirit of God in his heart. To do so he knew to
be neither safe nor expedient. His active boldness, as
a minister of God, was, so far as it could in the premises, ever confirming the truth of a remark made by
him in General Conference some twelve or fifteen years
ago. c' If," he said, "I am conscious that I ought to
utter a truth in the pulpit, I will utter it, though a man
stand over my head with a drawn sword, ready to take
it off." Such a remark might seem egotistic, and boastful, to one by whose whole life its sentiment, was not,
as in his, fully certified.




424                LIFE Of0
We have spoken of his Christian cautiousness. This,
for he was only human, sometimes, for a moment, failed
him. In an hour of ardency, when his whole soul was
in motion, it occasionally left him to speak things unadvisedly. But this occurred only to give him opportunity to show his readiness to confess a fault, and seek
forgiveness. How many times have we heard him
request, at the opening of some one of the sessions of
conference, the privilege of making a remark not with
direct reference to the business before it. Leave being
granted, he would proceed to say, " On reflection, I have
thought that some remarks I made yesterday may have
injured the feelings of certain brethren. I intended no
evil, but I spake unadvisedly, and humbly ask their
forgiveness. To tilis, the reply would generally be, Brother Cheney needs no forgiveness.  We regarded the
remarks to which he refers, as being perhaps rather
warm, but kindly intended. Thus was the deceased
both the lion and the lamb. They could lie down together in his great heart.
His benevolent feelings were very strong. Nor was
his love of approbation weak. These two feelings
acting together, would afford some ground to infer that
he was time-serving and compromising, if we knew
nought else about him. But as we all know, be was
neither. He, like Paul, knew no compromise with sin.
He, too, repudiated the idea of doing evil that good
might come. His high moral sense, his sincere love
of truth, held his soul like an anchor. His benevolence
led him not to please men, so much as to do them good.
It was this, that made him a champion for suffering




MARTIN  CHENEY.                 425
humanity.  His ear was first to catch the sounds of
distress coming up from the wretchedness and squalor
of the haunts and homes of Intemperance, and his voice
was first to be lifted up, and his hand first to be stretched
out, for the relief of its victims. His soul was among
the first to feel for the millions whose deep wails of
anguish come up from the cane fields and rice swamps,
of petty, but terrible despotism. Nor could he be indifferent to the horrors of cities sacked; and fields all gory,
in the terrible tread of war.  Wherever was human
suffering, thither his sympathies were flying. Had he
been on his way to Jericho, following hard after the
priest and Levite who passed by the sufferer on the other
side, he would himself have been the good Samaritan.
He was a good Samaritan. And you know, at least
many of you, that as the philanthropist plunges into
the stream to save the drowning man at the hazard of
his own life, so Martin Cheney was ever ready to hazard his reputation and his earthly all as a Christian
minister, rather than be recreant to the spirit of Christian Philanthropy that burned in his heart.  But this is a
point upon which I need not dwell. It has been dwelt
upon by thousands of tongues along all the streets and
by all the firesides in this region. Nor will it be forgotten, or cease to be talked about, while the grave of
the deceased is visited, his name remembered, or independent virtue respected.
As the deceased lived for the world, so also he lived
in it. He knew little of abstraction.  He was a constant observer of the times, choosing to know every
thing, affecting morals or religion, which was occuring
36*




426                 LIFE OF
around him. The past and the future were to him, in
a sense, less important than the present. To use his
own language in reference to himself, he lived only in
the present. He lived a man among men. Every thing
around him had for him a doctrine, out of which arose a
duty, which he was never afraid to find out and practice.
He was eminently the Lord's freeman. He felt free
himself. He would be free himself. And he sighed for
those who were not so. Christian Liberty was a theme
over which his soul ever kindled. Nor was the remark
of one who passed to God a short time before him, "that
he had done more for Christian Liberty in Rhode Island
than any man since the days of Roger Williams," very
extravagant. How often have we seen his soul grow'hot with shame and pity and indignation, as he has;been speaking of others of his own profession who had
basely submitted to the fetters and the chains, which.his own soul had spurned.
I have said he was free. Not however like some
men the world affords, free abroad simply, and among
strangers! Hie was free at home in his own pulpit.
Some of you have sometimes, and for his sake, trembled,at his pulpit boldness, while others, perhaps, felt indig-nant at it. But there it was, and you could not help it.
There he stood and you'could not move him. Feeling'that lie was the Lord's freeman, it was impossible for'him to become a human slave. He died a FREEMAN~
bearing with him down to the grave, the respect of all,
both friends and foes.
We have said of the Apostle Paul, that he ever evinced
*a strong faith in God through the cross. The same we




MA1RTIN CE1NEY.                  27
nay say of ouri' departed brother. It was the sanctifying
influence of the Spirit of God which made him what
he was. From the time when God met him in the way
of his wild career, and wrought in him so mightily,
that he gave up his heart to Him, down to the glorious
end to which his hope endured, he is sanctified to God.
A heavenly influence spreads itself over his whole being.
Henceforth, Christ and his cross are all his theme. The
virtues of Christ he will every where inculcate, while
their opposite vices he will every where denounce.
The example of Christian piety given by Christ is the
pattern upon which he would have all men form their
characters. The atonement of Christ, and the necessity
of redemption through Him, are things which he every
where urges upon his fellow-men. He would have
them not only virtuous but pious; and not only pious
but virtuous. His christian character was alike removed
from cold morality and rationalism on the one hand,
and from spiritualism and superstition on the other. And
it is probably owing to this fact, joined with the fact
that his instructions to young Christians were ever
remarkably clear, that conversions, and the results of
revivals, were, in his congregation, remarkably permanent.
But time fails us now, as it did in preparing for this
occasion. But should we spend any length of time
here, we are assured we could tell to most of this congregation little that could to them appear new. A residence of forty-two years among you, about twentyeight of which were spent in preaching the Gospel to
you, under cireumstances fitted to develope his charac



428               LIFE OF
ter as a man and a minister most thoroughly, has made
you, at least many of you, better acquainted with him
than even the speaker at his funeral. You have not
come together to-day to learn about him. You have
come because you knew him, to pay your deep settled
respect at his bier. May you remember, 0 remember,
the words he spoke to you while he was yet with you!
He did you good by his life. 0 consent to have him
do you more good by his death. Imagine him to speak
on the present occasion. What would you not give to
hear him once more. Would that he could preach his
own funeral sermon to this people, whom he so dearly
loved, and to whose welfare his life was so sacredly
devoted. But the wish is vain. We have thought that
he might have preached ours, but certainly not his
own. 0 how much indebted to him are not a few of
us! How much this place! What changes since he
first opened his mouth for God and your souls, in that
little old hall, where a few gathered to hear him, moved
perhaps, more by curiosity than anything else. How
different that little room into which he went to build
his own fires, from this goodly temple; and how different the music in that place-his own voice perhaps
single, yet musical,-from the solemn notes of your
mourning organ, rolling along these aisles. How different that congregation from this. Little did any of
you think that he who was then opening his mouth
with trembling was to be the future champion of virtue
and religion in this place, —that under his influence
such changes were to be wrought-that he was to
gather such a church, and at last to die thus lamented.




MARTIN CHENEY.                  429
No, you did not' dream of all this.  But thus it has
been, and thus it is. He has done for Olneyville, for
Rhode Island, for the world, a glorious work, and God
forbid that we should be ungrateful for it. But he has
now gone. The sheaf was ripe and ready, and the
angel of death took it and garnered it up for God. He
has gone and left his society, church and family, ah
yes! and not least, his brethren in the ministry, to linger yet in this cold, " earthly world."  But'Twas not darkness gathering round him
That withdrew him from your sight,
Walls of flesh no more could bind him;
And, translated into light,
Like the lark on mountain wing,
Though unseen, we hear him sing.
And his song is that of "Moses and the Lamb9" for
ever! 
Having already consumed so much time, my concluding remarks must be few.
1. To all those who were accustomed to hear the
deceased preach, let me say, take to yourself in this
hour of sorrow the spirit of Christian resignation which
he has so often urged upon you. He often talked of
HEAVEN. He sung of HEAVEN; now cheerfully resign
him to rest there. He had labored long, he needed
rest. God has given it, even the glorious rest that remaineth for the people of God. Do not murmur that
he will no more walk among you. He walks, and
shall forever walk, among the saints in white. But you
can never forget him, Whoever shall succeed him here,
his feet will seldom touch those stairs, but you will




430                 LIFE OF
think of the venerable one who will tread them no
more. But to forget his words were worse than to forget him.  0 remember his words, the words of sober
earnestness with which he was accustomed to address
you from this holy place, —a place seemingly more holy,
because he once and so long occupied it. 0, remember, remember, REMEMBER his words.
2. To this mourning church, I would gladly speak a
word of comfort.  He had been with you so long and
so regularly, that some of you had perhaps almost
ceased to distrust his continuance, as the world long
since ceased to distrust the rising of the next sun. Alas!
how mistaken! He is even now dead. You are in his
funeral! Your loss may justly seem to you great, irreparable.  But while you speak tearfully of loss, he
sings cheerfully of gain! We have compared him with
Paul, and found some poinls of marked resemblance.
Nor does that resemblance cease at death.-As for Paul
to die was gain, so for your beloved pastor. Nor shall
he, more than Paul, lose his crown. Paul departed, according to his desire, to be with Christ.  So has your
pastor. He under whose banner he fought, and the
trophies of whose victories are ye, has at length called
him from the field in which you are to remain yet a little longer. And O! if saints in heaven hear of what
takes place on earth, let your glorified pastor, "hear
of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with
one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel."'
3. And to this afflicted family-O may Heaven give
them consolation. But to you, the very remembrance
of the dQceased is consolation. To have had such a




MARTIN CHENEY.                 431
husband and father, is itself a solace.  Well may you
say with the poet of the footprints of angels,
" 0, though oft depresssd and lonely,
All my fears are laid aside,
If I but remember, only,
Such as he has lived and died."
I would not step between you and the spirit of God.
I can but direct you to the seat of mercy and consolation at which he so often knelt. And here let me say
to the audience, that no where did the character of him
whom you mourn, shine more conspicuously than in
the bosom of his own family. His children all in lovely
subjection, and forming a circle for the morning devotion. 0, it was a scene in which angels might delight to
mingle. But I have no time to go back and gather up
forgotten things.  But in that family he will mingle no
more. No, you will hear his voice no more at the family altar. Well do I recollect a prayer of his for you,
when a few years ago we were together in another
State, and a snow storm was out in its strength.  "0 
thou that temperest the wind to the shorn lamb, bless
our wives and little ones at home." Be assured that
prayer will be answered, —the winds will be tempered
to your condition, now he is gone. You have the
abundant sympathy of both earth and Heaven. God
is schooling you in the severity of his Providence, preparatory, we trust, to meeting again with him who has
gone so little before you to his reward. 0 may the
blessing of him rest upon you who is now hiding his
smiling face behind a frowning Providence.
4. Did the time permit, I would like to say a few words




432                       LIFE  OF
to my brethren in the ministry. —But it does not.  We
shall talk of our brother and father in Israel by the way,
and as we meet in Conference.  We had known him
long.-We shall always remember him with the tenderest emotions. May we be as faithful as he was;
useful, like him, and close our eyes in death, saying,
We, too, have hope that endureth to the end.
", Would ye bewail our brother? He hath gone
To Abraham's bosom! He shall no more thirst,
Nor hunger, but forever in the eye,
Holy and meek, of Jesus, he may look,
tJnchided, and untempted, and unstained!
Would ye bewail our brother? He hath gone
To sit down with the prophets by the clear
And crystal waters; he hath gone to list
Isaiah's harp and David's, and to walk
With Enoch and Elijah, and the host
Of just men now.made perfect. He shall bow
At Gabriel's hallelujah, and unfold
The scroll of the Apocalypse with John,
And talk of Christ with Mary, and go back
To the last Supper, and the garden prayer
With the beloved disciple! He shall hear
The story of the incarnation told
By Simeon, and the triune mystery
Burning upon the fervent lips of Paul!
He shall have wings of glory, and shall soar
To the remoter firmaments, and read
The order and the harmony of stars;
And, in the might of knowledge, he shall bow
In the deep pauses of arch-angel harps,
And, humble as the seraphim, shall cry,
Who, by his searching, finds thee out, 0 God!
There shall he meet his children who have gone
Before him, and as other years roll on,
And his loved flock go up to him, his hand




MARTIN CHENEY.                    433
Again shall lead them gently to the Lamb,
And bring them to the living waters there!
Is it so good to die! And shall we mourn
That he, e'en now, is taken to his rest?
Tell me! Oh mourn ye for the man of God!
Shall we bewail our brother-that he died?"
This discourse which, by request of the church at
Olneyville, was published in the Morning Star, was prefaced by the following obituary notice, written by Rev.
Mowry Phillips, pastor of the Second Freewill Baptist
Church in Smithfield, R. I. The statistics are omitted
in both the sermon and the notice.
REV. MARTIN CHENEY.-The much esteemed pastor
of the Free Baptist church in Olneyville, R. I., calmly
fell asleep in Jesus, on the 4th of January, 1852, in the
60th year of his age.
As a minister, our dear departed brother in Christ
possessed those characteristics which rendered him extensively useful. To a remarkably clear and vigorousintellect, he united a keenl sensibility, an ardent tem-~
perament, an unshaken faith, and a consecration to his:
work which placed all upon the altar of God and hu.manity. To him the gospel was no abstraction, but a,
code of morals and a system of faith adapted to the'
wants and woes of the world-hence he applied it to'
all the great moral questions of the age, with a discrimination of judgment, and a power of eloquence,
which could not fail of producing an impression as lasting as eternity. This made him a reformer in the true
sense of that term. No time-serving policy could'
37




434                 LI!E OF
quench the generous impulses of his large heart, or
check the utterances of his firmn convictions. When
the wail of the bondman fell on his ear, his tender
spirit wept over the wrongs of outraged humanity. Nor
was this all. Commissioned of God-clothed with
the authority of an ambassador of Christ-sustained by
the law of Jehovah —and armed with the majesty of
truth, he uttered soul-stirring words of honest indignation and merited rebuke against the oppressor.
lHe was one of the earliest and most efficient laborers in the temperance reform, and many still live to
bless his memory, through whose instrumentality they
were enabled to break the chains of a depraved appetite, and to enjoy the blessings of a redeemed manhood.
The peace question found in him a warm friend and
a powerful advocate. With him all war was opposed
to the spirit and teaching of Christ-to the doctrines
and principles of the gospel. Having been baptized
into the spirit of religious freedom himself, he was the
uncompromising foe of all intolerance. Probably no
man in Rhode Island, since the days of Roger Williams, has done more than he, to develope and illustrate
the principles of true religious liberty. Christianity
with him was a deep, permanent principle of love to
God and man, which shed a benign influence over his
entire life.  His devotion  was eminently spiritual,
knowing no distinction in times or places. He seemed
conscious of dwelling in the presence of an all-pervading spirit-an omnipresent Deity, before whom his soul
bowed in the deepest adorarion.




MARTIN CHENEY.                   435
His social qualities, which were of the highest order,
constituted him a warm friend, a kind husband, and an
affectionate parent.
He bore his sickness, which was severe, with Christian fortitude. For the sake of others, he desired to
live; but for himself, he preferred to depart and be
with Christ, which is far better.
His reason was unclouded until the last moment;
and his faith in Christ, and the great principles which
he had advocated, remained firm as he approached the
portals of eternity.  His last words were, "I have a
hope that endureth to the end." And then silently
bidding adieu to earth, he entered the valley and
shadow of death without a struggle; and his triumphant spirit soared away to mansions in the skies.
Our loss is his eternal gain.
" He sets,
As sets the morning star, which goes not down
Behind the darkened west, nor hides obscured
Among the tempests of the sky, but melts away
Into the light of heaven."
May the consolations of that religion, which he so
well exemplified in his useful life, and peaceful death,
be the support of his widowed wife and fatherless children, of the church of which he was so long the honored pastor, of the religious associations so long blessed
with his presence, labors, counsels and prayers, and of
the community for whose welfare he so earnestly labored.                               M. PHILLIPS.
January 28, 1852.




436                  LI FE OF
[From the (Providence) Evening Telegraph, January 7th, 1852.1
DEATH OF MARTIN CHENEY.
Elder Cheney, whose decease took place on Sunday
last. 4th inst., after about eight weeks' illness, caused by
an organic affection of the liver, was in the sixtieth year
of his age.  He was a self-made man, of strong mind,a really good preacher-a man who had been the stated
preacher at Olneyville, twenty-eight years. He died
with his harness on, battling for God, truth and righteousness. The many and severe trials he experienced
during his ministry, and attempts made by certain of
his parishioners to eject him from his place as Pastor,
only gave him more faith and courage to be a true Minister of Jesus Christ. He could not be bribed or bought,
(as too many are in similar situations,) but always had
stirring words of rebuke for sinners in high life, as well
as in low. The cause of God and humanity has lost a
noble champion.  Temperance, Anti-Slavery and true
Peace, or Christian Non Resistance, were subjects which
often received his attention in the pulpit, as well as out
of it, being as he averred, important parts of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. Though his tongue is now silent in
death, his earnest and truthful words so often reiterated in that pulpit will be remembered. May his
mantle fall on some courageous soldier of Jesus, and his
place be filled in some good degree by a true disciple
of Jesus Christ,




MARTIN CHENEY.                437
tFrom the (Providence) Republican Herald, Jan. 7th, 1852.]
WRITTEN BY MR. THOMAS W. DORR,
A GOOD MAN DEPARTED.
The death of the REv. MARTIN CnENEY, of Olneyville,
will be learned by many with deep regrets. He departed
this life on Sunday, December 4th, aged sixty years.
He had long been afflicted with a chronic complaint,
which had recently brought him very low. He was
supposed to be recovering, but the strength of his
constitution had failed. Elder Cheney was no ordinary
man. He was indebted to his own labor and perseverance more than to advantages for his rise to an honors
able and useful station.  He possessed strong common
sense, ready insight into character, firmness of purpose,
and a happy mode of communicating instruction,
without rising above or falling below those whom he
addressed. The main counsellor of wisdom to him
was the word of God. He was thoroughly versed in
the scriptures; not seeking to enlighten them, as the manner of some-is, but gathering from them what he sincerel y
believed to be the truth, making them the point of
departure and the place of return in all his ministrations,
His manifest sincerity and depth of conviction opened
to him the hearts of other men. In seeking to draw
others to the ways of everlasting life, he manifested
himself as one who himself was apprehended of Jesus
Christ.
He was deeply earnest, solemn and impressive in all
his efforts in his Master's service. He made no compromises with the infirmities and sins of men, but directed
them to the one oblation for sin by which dthe pardon
37*




438                 LIFE OF
and the repose of the soul have been purchased for a
fallen and dying world. His labors were owned and
blessed, and he became an instrument of much good.
lIe went about seeking to do good. In the house of
want, sorrow, affliction and bereavement, he was a kind,
sympathizing counsellor and friend. At the bed of
sickness and of death he was searching and faithful,
removing all false refuges, and pointing to the only,
unfailing hope. He was very frequently called upon to
perform funeral services, which furnished to him the
occasion of making lasting impressions. Many of us
can recollect him as he stood in the primitive New
England mode, with the coffin for a pulpit, and the
word of God upon it, discoursing of the realities of life
and death, and acting as interpreter between the living.and the dead.  Under his moving words the latter.seemed again to speak to the former of the vanity of all
things beneath the sun, and of the only durable riches
of the soul.
Mr. Cheney comes up to our minds to-day as the friend,of the cause of our liberty in 1842, as the friend of the
prisoner and the captive. Ite was an able advocate of
the cause of temperance, and looked forward to a day.of universal freedom.
For some years past, warned by the inroads of disease,.he has seemed to serve at the portals of the temple,
waiting for them to open before him, and disclose the
rway to a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens. He did not feel himself to be living in his
own, but in God's time; and when called he was pre-,pared to depart with joy and not with grief; willing




MART IN CHENEY.                  439
for his family and for duty, to live on here; happy in
the thought of entering upon the employment and glories of the higher sanctuary.  He has fallen in the vigor
of his talents, and when he was never more useful to
others.
[From the (Providence) New-England Diadem, Jan. 17th, 1852.]
ELDER MARTIN CHENEY.
This well known and much loved minister of Jesus,
died at his residence in Olneyville, the 4Lh instant, in
the 60th year of his age.
Elder Cheney has for some thirty years preached the
gospel of Christ, and faithfully applied its principles to
all the various sins of the age.
As a Preacher and Pastor, he has been successful in
winning many souls to Christ, and in gathering and
sustaining an efficient Church and Society.
He was among the first in our State to plead the
cause of Temperence. When nearly all were silent, his
voice was heard, and in his own pulpit, in behalf of
total abstinence, and his interest and efforts in this
cause continued to the close of his life.
He was also a pioneer in the cause of Freedom.
Elder Cheney preached against slavery when but very
few opened their mouths for the oppressed. The principles of universal liberty were so in harmony with the
spirit of his Master, and with his own liberty-loving
soul, that he could not but preach against slavery everywhere.




440                 LIFE OF
For several years he has advocated the principles of
Peace. Years before the pledge of universal brotherhood was written he cherished its principles, and preached against "all the spirit and all the manifestations of
war.'
He was ready to meet any person, whatever might
be his position in society, on any subject, on a perfect
level. His pulpit could never with truth be called a
"coward's castle."
Elder Cheney was an honest man; always preaching
-and acting according to his convictions and professions.
He was not a party man; for he would follow truth,
let it lead from or to whom it might.
In preaching, he was earnest, logical and convincing.
He was a great man, naturally great, and well educated for his work; he was well acquainted with the
Gospel and with the conditions and wants of men; he
was a self-made man, not having a classical education 
his knowledge was of a practical character.
As a neighbor and friend, he was social; ready to
converse on all practical questions with freeness, and
thus endeared himself to many.
Elder Cheney was a Christian, and not only prepared
for this life but Heaven; and, although he has passed
away in the midst of his labors and usefulness, he has,
during his ministry, accomplished more for the world
than most of those who live many more years.
We hope his mantle will fall on some one who shall,
in his spirit, with some good share of his ability, enter
into his labors as a Christian reformer in our midst.
D.




MARTIN CHENEY.                  441
From the same paper.
[Extract from a speech of Hon. Nathan Porter, of the Rlhode-Island
Senate, at a meeting of the State Temperance Society, held January 13, 1852.]
Mr. Porter took occasion during his address, to speak
of the life and services of the late Martin Cheney, and
his connection with our cause, in a manner gratifying
to the many friends of that faithful apostle in the Temperance reformation. The following are in substance
a portion of his remarks:
Our cause is one which will live through the mutations of time and circumstances; the day which gave
it birth, was a day the records of which will live upon
the pages of our national history, as long as virtue holds
a place in the nation's heart, as long as goodness will
add to our greatness, or our present deeds give greater
lustre to the friends which our fathers bequeathed to us.
Though times and circumstances may change, the
nature of onr cause can never change. Though the
men who are the stoutest warriors of to-day, may be
cut down by the common leveller, death,-on the morrow, in their places, will rise up other soldiers, who,
girding on the armor of those who " have fought the
good fight," will enter with fresh vigor into the cause
of our just war. And thus shall man follow man, and
army follow army, until our malignant and hated foe
shall be entirely exterminated, and driven from the
earth; and man shall every where rejoice in our great
deliverance.
We have been recently called upon to mourn the loss
of one who, for many years in evil and in good report,
has stood by our side and battled in our cause. One to




442                LIFE OF
whom we have looked for the strength of his arm, and
the wisdom of his counsel. One whose heart, when
any good object was to be accomplished, was ever in
the work. Yet who made this, our cause, only secondary to the immediate cause of his Divine Master. I
have known many men in my day, and I have sometimes studied character, and when I find sterling virtue
and manly worth-where I find practice following precept, when I find the mouth speaking from the heart,
and the heart filled with a love of the attributes of
heaven, and all these qualities combined in a single
man, I feel that God has indeed made man but a little
lower than the angels. And sometimes such men do
walk the earth to guide and direct us.
Such a man was Martin Cheney!-We may indeed
say of him-: "His life was gentle, and the elements so
mixed in him, that nature might stand up and say to all
the world, This is a man."
Martin Cheney gave the best proof of his moral
greatness by conquering himself, and having gained
the mastery of his worst enemy, he enlisted for the
benefit of the world. He was, in his youth, addicted
somewhat to the use of ardent spirits, but in the early
days of the Temperance reformation, he was committed
to its principles, aud has ever since labored manfully to
save his fellow men from the disgrace and ruin which
so surely follow a life of intemperance. His own experience had been told, and retold, long before the association of Washingtonians was known, and his mild,
though zealous entreaties led many hearts from dissipation to sobriety.




MARTIN CHENE7Y                    443
Mr. Cheney was, for some: years, the President of the
State Temperance Society, and in that capacity he
served the cause faithfully and with much satisfaction
to the people of the State. But affairs did not suit him.
It was in the lonely walks of life that he loved to labor,
it was in the elevation of his fellow men he found his
chief pleasure.  The great delight of his life was in
following the precepts of Him whose cause he served,
"'in going about doing good."  Hence his great anxiety for the spread of the principles of Temperance.
May his mantle fall on the form of one as faithful,
and a like zeal for our noble cause animate the hearts
of the many friends, whom he has left to mourn his
great loss.
[From the (Pawtucket, R. 1.) Business Directory of Jan. 171]
CHARACTER OF MARTIN CHENEY.
The following is a substantially correct report of the
remarks of the Pastor of the Freewill Baptist Church in
this place, last Sabbath morning, in relation to the
recent death of Mr. Chleney: —
"Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth,; for the faithful fail from
among the children of men."-Psalms xii: 1,
Mr. Williams remarked that probably the text originally referred to the apostasy of those who were or were
supposed to be godly.  But as the loss of salutary influences is in that case similar to the loss when godly men
die, there is an appropriateness in using it in relation to
the death of the godly. In this sense it is peculiarly




444                 tI1E OP
appropriate in respect to the recent decease of Martin
Cheney.
1. He was eminently godly in the purity of his private life. As a man, a friend, a father, a Christian, his
private character was unstained. Though the earlier
part of his life was somewhat recklessly devoted to sinful indulgences; yet from the moment that he became
a Christian, he was a pattern of private and personal
virtues. Many were ardently and often bitterly opposed to his sentiments, and some would gladly have
availed themselves of almost any means to overthrow
his influence, still his private character was never assailed. All who knew him in his private life were
constrained to feel that few men ever possessed a greater
share of that purity which is so prominent an element
of godliness.
2. Godliness was eminently manifested in his devotion to principle. To him religion and the religious
life were not the results of impulse, but the practical
developments of truth. He was devout, not from the
selfish motive of the pleasure of devotion, but because
devotion was right-because it ennobled the heart and
character, by bringing them into harmony with righteousness and the divine will. Hence his religious conduct never depended upon the caprice of feeling. However his sensibilities might have been for the time affected, his constant aim was to do, and do only, what
was demanded by principle. There was therefore only
one way to affect his life. Convince him that he was
wrong, and from that moment his conduct was changed.
In him there was nothing of approving the right and
still pursuing the wrong. Hence,




MARTIN CHENEY.                 445
3. He was eminently godly in exemplifying Christian
principle. His independence and boldness in maintaining and practicing what he deemed to be right are proverbial. No matter how contrary to his own former
convictions or practice, no matter how utterly opposed
to the convictions or practice of society and those around
him, so soon as he deemed any sentiment to be right, he
at once proclaimed his adherence to it. Nor did it matter how much personal sacrifice might be demanded of
him, in consequence. If he appeared likely to lose
place and even influence thereby, it still failed to affect
him. He had much of the spirit of Luther when he
would go to Worms, " though there were as many devils
there as tiles on the houses."
There was moreover little or nothing of pride of
opinion in his character. He never seemed to be at all
hindered from embracing a new opinion because he
might have already committed himself to the expression of a different sentiment. Hence he was among
the first to listen to the arguments in favor of the inviolability of human life; and when he thought them
to be sound, he did not hesitate to disavow his former
sentiments, and repudiate everything-even civil government itself-so far as it involved the taking of
human life. And so of other things. However firmly
we may be convinced that in some respects he was
wrong; yet we cannot but respect the godly integrity
that shuns no necessary sacrifices in order to uphold!
what it deems to be right. It is an element of godlioness that few possess in so eminent a degree as did he
whom we mourn to-day.
38




446                 LIFE OF
4. Godliness was strikingly manifested in the singleness and earnestness of his purpose. Conscientiousness was a prominent feature in his character, and a
ruling principle in his life. It always governed his
other faculties, and led him sternly to question the propriety of every step he proposed to take. However
solicitous he might be for the success of any favorite
measure, he never indulged in sly, underhanded dealing. Possessing a shrewdness and tact that would be
likely to betray him into the arts of management, still
he invariably spurned every advantage that was not
gained by the dint of straight-forward effort. But that
effort was always in earnest. Whatsoever his hand
found to do he did with his might. His was no indolent or wavering disposition.  His sentiments never
lay dormant in lhis mind. They were living, acting,
earnest things; and hence he seldom  failed of accomplishing his purpose. His language, his voice, his
gestures, his eyes, his countenance, all told that he
spake from deep, honest and earnest conviction; and
such speech is seldom  ineffectual.  He repudiated all
seeming that was not also real; and when Martin
Cheney spoke we all knew that it was the sincere, undisguised and straight-forward sentiment of his head
and heart.
5. Added to all this was the light and glow of an
uncommon intellectual ability. Self-educated he indeed was; and yet he was an intellectual giant. No
one ever came in contact with him without finding a
demand for his mightiest energies. His perceptive
and analytical powers perhaps predominated; and hence




MARTIN CHENEY.                447
he was quick to detect and ready te expose a fallacy in
an opponent. Hence, too, he was impatient of the
pen. His perceptions would not wait its toilsome motion. He studied closely and scrutinizingly; but left
behind him little of his pulpit thoughts-save in the
form of brief skeletons. We remember one of his
analytical efforts in this house. His theme was the'a Beauty of Christ."  We were somewhat familiar
with the best definitions of beauty, given by Burke and
others; but so far did he, to our conceptions, surpass
them all, that we felt as if we had never heard a fitting
definition of it before.
But he is gone. The world, the church, the denomination with which he was connected, have suffered a great loss. At our approaching Quarterly Meeting there will be a place vacant that none of us can
fill. We never failed of seeing him at our quarterly
gatherings-but he has attended for the last time. We
shall see him no more, until we meet him at the judgment seat of the Eternal. How appropriate now to
turn to the mercy seat and say:-" Help Lord; for the
godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among
the children of men."
The speaker concluded with some remarks in relation to the necessity of the divine assistance, and the
manner in which it should be sought to compensate us
and the world for his loss.




448                   LIFE OF
[Extracts from a Discourse preached in the Roger Williams Church,
Providence, January 11 th, 1852, entitled the " Elements of Greatness:" By Eli Noyes, D. D.]
"Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this
day in Israel?"-II. Sam. iii.: 38.
A HUMAN MIND, possessing many elements of greatness, has just left us for the spirit world.  That mind
was great; for it did, in many of its attributes, bear a
faint image of the Infinite milnd.  No one who was at
all familiar with MARTIN CHENEY can refrain from saying
that, in his death, a great man has fallen in our modern
Israel.
Many of my hearers have been acquainted with Mr.
Cheney much longer than myself,-have seen much
more of him, and have more frequently listened to his
valuable instructions than it has been my privilege to
do. But during the time of our acquaintance I have
tried to study his character; and the more I examined
it the more I respected it, till, at length, my respect
almost amounted to a kind of adoration. Though, from
motives of prudence, sparing of my praise to his face
and to his intimate friends, yet I felt that I had his confidence and love-I know that he had mine.  I love to
speak of him; a recollection of his excellences awakens
in my soul higher and holier motives; and while I refer
to some of the elements of greatness which made up his
character, I shall speak from my own personal acquaintance with the man.




MARTIN  CHENEY.                 449
Do not suppose that I intend to pay him a tribute
of unmingled worship. Were the good man himself
present, he would be the first to rebuke me for such a
spirit of servility. He had his errors in judgment and
in practice, or at least I thought so; but when we disagreed we soon came to a mutual understanding of the
fact, and it did not mar our christian feeling toward each
other.
In recounting some of the elements of greatness in his
character, I shall first of all notice his Individuality. Ml]r.
Cheney was himself, and no one else.  Some men entirely lose their personal identity in the society to which
they belong; and the most of persons receive such a
denominational stamp, that their peculiarities as individuals are in part lost;-what one is in his sentiments,
habits of thought, tastes, tones of voice, and even physiognomy, so, to a great extent, are all the rest.  So
distinct is the impression made by the respective sects,
that we can almost always detect a man by his address,
and not unfrequently by the very expression of his
countenance.
There are, however, men who have no particular
family likeness to any denomination. There is nothing
in their features, gesticulation, tones of voice, habits of
thought, or any thing else, that would lead you to rank
them with one sect rather than with another.  Such
were Robert Hall, John Foster, Chalmers, Channing,
and Olin, and such, in the Freewill Baptist denomination, was Martin Cheney. I do not mean to say that
he had no doctrines which gave him a stronger affinity
383




450                LIVE OF
for one denomination than for another. He had. 1
do not mean to say that he had no denominational preferences.  He had; and they were strong. I have
often heard him remark that he thought his views
accorded more fully with those of the Freewill Baptists
than with those of any other sect; and I believe his
church has as marked a denominational character, and
their denominational preferences are as strong, as those
of any church in the land; but as far as appearance
and habits were concerned, Mr. Cheney had no denominational tinge. He looked, he talked, and he acted in
the main like other men; but the moment you strike
upon any thing that specially appertained to his character, you will find it emphatically his own...... Mr.
Cheney was himself without either effort or resistance.
He never seemed to pride himself in being unlike his
associates, and yet he, unconsciously to himself I think,
maintained a personal identity that rendered him as
~acceptable to one class as to another.
Mr. Cheney was not a man of liberal education. He
made no pretensions to literary or classic lore; but, after
-all, he was educated. He was a close student of books,
men and things; though he prosecuted his studies under
this own guidance.  His thoughts were to a great extent of his own manufacture, and he kept the mould in
which they had been run for future use....... A large.share of his information he received from conversation.
Not from borrowing the ideas of others, but from analyzing them and recasting them in his own mould, in
-connection with his own thoughts.




MARTIN CHENEY.                451
After a long discussion in a Ministers' Meeting or a
Quarterly Meeting, I have often known him to balance
the arguments, gathering the good and casting the bad
away, with a keenness of perception and discrimination
which I have seldom known to be equalled.
To him belonged great independence of thought.
He claimed liberty of thought and of speech in a very
high degree, both for himself and for others. He was
often heard to say that one might as well eat for him
as to think for him. This trait of character led to great
candor in the discussion of opposing sentiments.  I
shall never forget the time when I came to give a missionary discourse in his church. It was just after some
serious difficulties, which had existed between the two
Quarterly Meetings with which we were respectively
connected. The battle had been fought with too much
asperity on both sides. Mr. Cheney's feelings were
strongly enlisted on one side, and mine were as intensely
enkindled on the other. But when I came under his
roof he exhibited a noble-spiritedness, and an affability
and kindness not to be met with in every opponent.
He was not only kind but really congenial. Being
requested to give an Anti-Slavery discourse in the
evening, I took occasion to say to him that I should be
under the necessity of giving utterance to sentiments
which would be opposed to his views; believing as I
did in the propriety of swearing to protect the Constitution of the United States, and the duty of maintaining
human government though at the expense of human
life. Never shall I forget the dignified look and the
heartfelt earnestness with which he said,-" Brother
Noyes, you can feel just as much at home in the




452                 LIFE OF
expression of your honest convictions of truth in my
pulpit as you feel in your own." The expression evidently came from the heart, and I enjoyed the most
unrestrained liberty in giving the freest expression to
my views; while he, at the close, with great cordiality,
assented to the general sentiments of the discourse, and,
in relation to the points to which he took exception,
simply remarked that the people well knew that his
views differed from mine, but he was nevertheless glad
that the opposite side of the question had been so fairly
represented. This was one of the incidents in my
history which I thought worth remembering.
He had all confidence in the truth, and believed it
safe to follow it wherever it might lead.
In debate he asked nothing for dignity of office, superior abilities, or for gray hairs. If any respect was
yielded for these things, he evidently regarded it as a
mark of good breeding in his opponent, though he disdained to lay claim to such respect. He acted on the
principle that, if his office, knowledge, or age gave him
the advantage over his opponent, that advantage consisted solely in enabling him the more effectually to exhibit the truth. We seldom meet with a man who has
a stronger antipathy against opposing dignity of office
to talent or to truth.
Though he placed but little value upon appearances,
and never aimed to be dignified, yet he was dignified
without effort. No man could ever lay bis hand upon
the shoulder of Martin Cheney unless he intended to
do a mean act.  There was something in his very as



MART IN CHE NEY.                453
pect which seemed to say,-" Approach mle not with
low and vulgar familiarity." He received strangers with
proper courtesy and cordiality, but with no vulgar fondness. It was in the Spring of 1842, that I first became
acquainted with Mr. Cheney, which was at his own
home. I called upon him as a Foreign Mission Agent,
and his dignified though perfectly affable deportment
made a deep impression upon my mind; and I then received a high opinion of his talents and his piety, which
I have had no cause to change. Since that time we
have been more or less intimately associated, but never
have I discovered any of that familiarity which would
have led him to trust any part of his reputation in my
hands. I was never such a confidant with him, and I
doubt whether he had any such confidants.
Another distinguishing trait in the character of Mr.
Cheney, and which, in a peculiar manner, exhibited
greatness of soul, was his strenuous adherence to and advocacy of the cause of liberty. Oppression in all its forms
he detested, whether it consisted in the irresponsible
authority maintained by the master over the down trodden slave, the unjust usurpation of government over the
individual conscience, or the self constituted authority of
Quarterly Meetings to dictate to churches or to annul
their action.   *    *    *    *    *    *
Christian firmness was a distinguishing trait in his
character. From the time when he first embraced the
truth, he continued steadfast unto the end. Some, indeed, were ready to predict he would not hold out a
month; but years passed away and found him steady to
his christian purpose, until, at length, every enemy des



454                  LIFE OF
paired of his halting. The truth as it is in Jesus fed
and fired his soul, and buoyed up his spirit against all
opposition. No obstacles could dishearten him, gold
could not buy him) flattery could not inveigle him, honor could not bedazzle him, and hell could not intimidate him.
"From strength to strength, from grace to grace,
Swiftest and foremost in the race,
lie carried 4ictory in his face,
He triumphed as he ran."
His worst enemies whom he has often beaten, if possessed of a spark of generosity, will honor the memory
of so noble a specimen of humanity, who was so uncompromising in his principles, and who so rigidly adhered to what he believed to be right.
The benevolence of our honored friend was large. It
was seen in his sympathy for the slave, the heathen,
the poor, and all the distressed; and though his face
was set against all sin, yet he never manifested any inclination to crush the erring, or to hedge up the way
to prevent the vilest sinner from returning to the path
of rectitude.
*       *    *       * -     *       *
But caution was the most prominent trait in Mr.
Cheney's character. True, many thought him rash
and hasty, but never was there a greater mistake. He
was the very incarnation of cautiousness. His being the
only preacher in Olneyville for so many years, he owed
in a great measure to his cautiousness.  True, he was
accustomed to make some tremendous bounds, but he
always struck right side up on terra firma.  He would




MARTIN. CHENEY.               455
examine with candor and patience every subject that
came up, whether good or bad; and sometimes I have
thought he would spend more time in the examination
of a subject than it was really worth; but he was one
of the very slowest of men to commit himself that I
ever saw. Sometimes he has been seen in a position
where it seemed that he would be obliged to commit
himself to what would very likely prove to be error,
but he has always escaped the rocks and the breakers.
He continued steadfastly to the end in the christian
faith....... A few weeks before his death, he spoke
to me as a dying man. To my question, if he found
the gospel which he had preached while in health to
be his support on the sick bed, he replied substantially
as follows. C" I have no fears. I doubt not God will
take care of me. True, I do not believe in all respects
just as I did when I commenced preaching. I think I
have been receiving light all the way along, yet I am
firm in the belief that God so loved the world that he
gave his Son to save all who will believe. I do not
profess however to know all about God or Christ, or to
have a full understanding of what Christ has done for
the salvation of the world. But this much I do fully
believe, that all who from their own free will make
Christ their trust, will be saved, and I see no chance for
the rest. Some believe Calvinism, and others believe
Universalism. I believe neither, but think we must be
saved, if saved at all, through voluntarily trusting in
Christ.




456                 LIFE OF
When I remarked that I wished I could do something for him, he replied:-" It would gratify you, no
doubt, bhut you cannot. Pray for me —that is all you
can do. I would like to get rid of this sickness if it is
the Lord's will; but I have no anxiety."
All things considered, MARTIN CHENEY was the
noblest specimen of humanity we have yet lost from
our ministry. His loss will be deeply felt in the denomination, and through this whole State where his influence was so extensive. We, as a church and congregation, shall greatly miss his instructions and friendship.
But more especially will his loss be felt by that church
which has been witness to his entire christian life, and
to which he has sustained the relation of an affectionate pastor from the time of its organization. May God
give them grace to bear their affliction, and send them
a pastor after his own heart.
His presence will no more honor our Quarterly
Conference, where we were accustomed to join with
him in prayer and in friendly debate. Some of us
did, it is true, disagree with him on certain points,
and our discussions have from time to time been warm;
but in respect to them and to him I would adopt the
language of another, uttered in relation to the late
venerable Professor Stuart, who fell on the self same
day with our lamented Cheney.' The ardor of discussion pauses solemnly before
the grave. Those heats of feeling which controversy
may have generated, melt into a milder and more re



MARTIN CHENEY.                        457
fulgent tenderness, as we meditate on the excellence
which death renders lustrous.  And it may well make
heaven more lovely to us, as we remember how many
are yearly and monthly passing thither; to lose all
errors beneath the blaze of God's truth; to drop every
temptation with  the body which is dissolved; to be
purged from all frailty in the fulness of the manifestation of the divine love; to unfold every grace and to
perfect all knowledge in the serene and perfect glory
which spreads forever overhead.  To  that great company may God bring us in his good time."
[Resolutions passed by the Rhode Island Quarterly Meeting Conference, at its session in Providence, January, 1852.]
R~esolved, That this Quarterly Meeting Conference most sincerely
and deeply feel the loss of our highly esteemed friend and brother,
the Reverend Martin Cheney, whose presence animated, whose coun —
sels directed, whose sympathy cheered, and whose bold advocacy of
the truth so often encouraged us in these our Quarterly Sessions; and
we unite in thanksgiving to the great Giver of all good, that we have
so long enjoyed the inestimable aid of so valuable a helper in the
gospel-for whose memory we shall ever cherish the highest Christian
regards.
Resolved, That the whole Christian church, but more especially the
body with which he was immediately connected, together with the
community in general, have sustained a great loss'in the death of'
this eminent servant of Christ.
Resolved, That we tender to his afflicted family, and to the church
of which he was pastor, our heartfelt sympathy, and our earnest.
prayer fbr Divine support in this, their sad bereavement.
Resolved, That we appropriate some time during the present session
for prayer and conference, with special reference to this serious
affliction; and that a sermon be preached at the next session of the:
Quarterly Meeting, commemorative of the character of our departed,
brother.
39




458                  LIFE OF
[In conformity to one of the above Resolutions,
Rev. James A. McKenzie was appointed to deliver a
discourse on the Life and Character of Mr. Cheney, before the Quarterly Meeting, at its session in May following. Circumstances preventing his attendance at
that time, the discourse was delivered at its session in
Foster, R. I., August 18, 1852.  The following are
extracts from that discourse.]
" That ye'be not slothfiu, hat followers of them who throuigl
faith and patience inherit the promises. —Heb vi.: 12.
AMy first personal acquaintance with Brother Cheney
was in North Providence, at the Quarterly Meeting,
in January, 1832.  He had just buried his second wife,
but, with his heart torn, he was at the Quarterly Meet.
ing to preach Christ Jesus the Lord, and fill his place
as a member of that body.  Unknown to each other,
three ministers in succession preached from  the same
text at this meeting.  Unknown to each other I say;
for when the first preached, the other two were absent;
when the second preached the third was absent; and
it was only when the third preached that the whole
three were present.  I was the first, Brother Cheney
the second, aud Thomas Williams the third.  The text
was; " For the love of Christ constraineth us;" and
we all felt as the text saith. From that time Cheney
and myself became intimate, and our regard was mu-,
tual, dear, and strong.
He was a man of christian hospitality.  The best he
had, all that came to him in the name of the Lord




MARTIN CHENEY.                 459
were welcome to; and they were made to feel so. He
was never ashamed of his poverty in the first part of
his ministry, nor ever made it an excuse for turning
any away.....  HIe has told me that he felt
thankful to God when he had a coat the worse for
wear, and other clothes of the same description, given
him. As poor as he then was, he devised liberal things;
and if the loaves were of barley and the fishes little
and few, he used what he had as the Lord's steward.
The first time I went to his house, his little motherless babe, wasted to a skeleton, lay in the cradle; our
venerable and beloved sister-M-other Kelley-(now
dead) whom he had engaged as housekeeper, with a
countenance like Stephen's when it-appeared as an
angel's, sat by the sick; and Brother Cheney, with a
hopeful sadness, as if faith pierced the dark cloud that
hung over him, and saw beyond a clear sky and perpetual sunshine, received and welcomed me to his home.
He has often said to me, " You live in the past as well
as the future-I live only in the future.'"  Hope was
ever with him.
He early saw and felt the deficiency in the system
and operations of the Connexion and the Quarterly
Meeting as to the rights and dues of the ministry. He
took up the subject, and wrote and published a circular
letter or tract on the support of the ministry, urging it
as the due of the minister as the servant of God and
of tile church. And this he did at a time when the
naming of such a thing exposed the minister to the cry
of, " hireling, hireling; a wolf in sheep's clothing;




460                 LI FE OF
seeking the fleece and not the flock; after dollars and
cents and not after souls!"
It was enough for Brother Cheney to see a thing
wrong for him to throw himself in the front of danger,
hostility, and power, to oppose it; and see a thing
right for him to adopt it and identify himself with it,
never hesitating, halting, or turning back in view of
the sacrifices which such a course would call him to
make, or privations it would call him to endure.  " If
it is right I am in for it, with all its consequences; If
it is wrong I am against it, cost me what it may in opposing it," were the declarations of his heart, tongue,
and conduct.
Intellectually he was great, comprehensive, and fruitful......  Among the attendants upon his ministry for years, were found some of the most vigorous
minds-lawyers, senators, and statesmen, who always
listened to him with reverence and satisfaction.
He seized upon truths clearly, rationally, and decisively; he prepared himself by observation, reading,
and reflection to exhibit and defend and press home
what he judged to be true on every subject connected
with the religious interest of the church and of the
world. And religious interest, in his judgment, included everything affecting man mentally, morally,
physically, and socially. With him, four R's went as
other three R's went with John Ryland; who said a
sermon was not a gospel sermon unless it had the three
R's —  Ruin by sin, Redemption by Christ, and Renewal by the Holy Ghost. So Brother Cheney seemed




MARTIN CHENEY.
to think no sermon was complete, unless it embraced as
topics, inferences, or consequences, temperance Reform,
anti-slavery Reform, moral Reform, and Reform from
war, violence, and all wickedness. When he gave his
mind to a subject he seemed to lay hold upon it and
master it at once; as has appeared on various subjects
of local or general interest, on many points of doctrine
and practice, and questions of morals. Whether in sermons, lectures, conversations, or discussions, he ever
seemed perfectly at home. Whoever was his opponent in discussion, whether the scholar of high literary
grade, or the divine of high titular distinction, or the
man of ordinary sense and attainment, they, without
exception, acknowledged his ability by their subsequent
friendship or malignity.......
With all the readiness with which Brother Cheney
seized upon truths, he would look about and over and
under and through a subject before he declared himself;
but when he did so, you and all others knew where to
find him. There were no inuendoes, no double entendres, no statements or observations that might be taken
either way; when he spoke he could be taken but one
way, and that was just the way he meant......... He was never obstinate or dishonest in a
mistake, and never did a thing, right or wrong, only as
he thought it right and that so he ought to do. Convince
him it was wrong, and he was ready to recall it.
He had the heart, the mind, the spirit of a true
christian and servant of Jesus Christ. He never took
state from the greatness of his ability, his prominency
before the public, or the superiority accorded him by
39*




462                LIfE OF
the voice of friend and foe. He ever felt that he was
a brother among equals, and that their rights were as
sacred as his own-they were one and the same. This
was his doctrine-this he designed should mark his
conduct. But his temper was hot. In the heat of discussion, keen, harsh, or perverse argument in opposition
to his position, would send the purple flashing to his
whitening locks. And I have found in him what
seemed a lingering dislike of the person exhibiting such
tact or opposition to him; and I used to talk with him
about it when we would be together by ourselves,
walking or in bed. I would tell him that he plead for
freedom of thought and expression for himself and oth-.ers, and for him to come down like a thunderbolt on a'brother who differed as honestly from his position as he,stuck to it, and think less favorably of an opponent be-,cause of this honest difference, was not doing as he
taught, or as he would be done by; and with all the
meekness of a loving, gentle, little child, would he ac-:knowledge the wrong, and say he would try to guard
~against it. And at the close or returning from a Quar-terly Meeting, he would say to me, " I watched myself
and guarded my feelings; don't you think I am improving?" I would tell him, "Yes; but go on to perfection, and not lay again the foundation of repentance
from dead works."  And thus did we confer together.
He was a devout man; a man of prayer, family, so~cial, and secret. It was not lip work without the heart;
but it was heart's desire and prayer. He loved to pray,,to hear prayer, and join in it. And in it, when his last




MARTIN CHENEY.                463
sickness depressed and held him down, he told me he
found great liftings up to God and joy..
He said to me, L I feel that I am in the hands of God 
if it is his will that I recover, it is my choice; but if it
his will that I should die, I am resigned. His will be
done."
He was laborious in his ministry. He fulfilled his
engagements in his own pulpit and church with diligence and zeal. He preached often at funerals, lectured
often at home and abroad on religious and moral questions, and was often and unwearied on the platform in
the meetings for the discussion of great moral topics, in
Providence, Boston and elsewhere; and seldom failed
to attend the Ministers' and Quarterly and Yearly Meetings in this State and in Massachusetts; and, when
there, whoever excused himself from labor, Brother
Cheney never did it. Not but that he delighted to
listen to others, but he had no heart to sit still because
others had no heart to bestir themselves. Of him in
truth it may be said, " In labors more abundant." He
never excused himself from any needful work, however
thankless, and there was a good deal of that which he
was called to do, and he did it. He never let ease, recreations, excursions, or secular considerations take
him from his work; but every thing succumbed to his
duty to God and man, as a disciple and minister of Jesus
Christ.
Cheney, like Abel, brought the best and all he hadwhich was himself-and, through faith, offered it a liv



ing sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God; like Enoch
he walked with God, and had the testimony that he
pleased him; like Noah, moved by God, he built an
ark for the saving of his house and hundreds more, and
so proved himself an heir of the righteousness of faith;
like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he acknowledged himself a sojourner on earth, and shone as a light in the
world; like Moses he forsook Egypt, and sought to
bring the church with him, not fearing the wrath of
Rumsellers, Slaveholders, Lickspittles, or Aristocrats;
like Gideon, Samson, Jepthah, and David, he was ready
to meet and battle the enemies of God and the truth in
every way which God directed; and like Samuel and
all the prophets and the apostles, he shunned not to declare all the counsel of God, nor kept back any thing
that was profitable to men-saints or sinners. He believed what they believed, and like them through faith
and patience now inherits the promises.
A year ago and he was with us in Quarterly Meeting;
but he has gone. We have seen his face and heard his
voice for the last time on earth. His death has made
a great breach among us. God gave him in goodness
and took him in mercy. A great, good man has passed
away from us, and we are bereaved. But he served
his generation; and having done that by the will of
God, he fell asleep. He has been useful; the good he
has done will live and be increasing when his name
shall have faded from human recollection. Blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord; they rest from their
labors, and their works do follow them. Thanks to
God who gave us such a brother, friend and yoke



MARTIN CHENEY.                  465
fellow, and continued him so long; and though he is
now absent from us, he is present with the Lord, both
ours and his.
[Letter from the Church at Olneyville, to the Rhode Island Quarterly Meeting, held in Providence, January, 1852.]
JANUARY, 20, 1852.
DEAR BRETHREN:-We come before you with sadness: for we are in deep- affliction, on account of the
death of our much loved pastor-who departed this life
on the 4th instant.
Elder Martin Cheney has been with us from the
commencement of his ministerial work, and from the organization of our church, which was in the year 1828.
During all this time he has been steadily laboring for
our interest and the good of this community.
We have ever found him faithful to his mission, as a
servant of Christ, and always ready to defend the right
at whatever hazard.
He has grown old in our midst, and we found him
wise in counsel, prompt in action, and had learned to
regard him as really a Father in Israel.
He lived not alone for us, but for all the human race:
for he recognized the doctrine of the Fatherhood of
God, and the Brotherhood of Man.
He has ever preached to us the whole gospel; applying
its principles, as he understood them, to all the practices
of men.
But he has gone. We shall hear his voice no more.




466                 LIFE OF
We must go to the house of worship, and not find him
in our pulpit, to preach to us the precious words of
Christ's gospel. We shall attend our church and covenant meetings as before, but he will not be with us, to
give that counsel and encouragement which he was
accustomed to do. When we attend your meetings, as
we do by our delegates to-day, we shall not behold
him as we have been wont to, engaging with so much
interest in your proceedings.
But although he is gone, and we most deeply feel
our loss, we are not in despair. But by the grace of
God, we will go forward in our work, until we, like
him, shall have honorably run our race and finished our
work.
In behalf of-the Olneyville church,
Yours in affliction,
D. R. WHITTEMORE,
C. S. SWEETLAND,
Committee.
[Extract from a letter sent by the Olneyville Church to the Quarterly Meeting, held at Scituate, in May, 1852.]
But while we address you, our minds dwell with
special interest on our great affliction. It is known to
you all that our Pastor has left us for a home wvith his
divine Master and Savior inl the spirit world.
We loved our Pastor, for he first loved us. He, as
the friend and servant of Christ, and as our friend, had
been with us for many years. Yes, during all the ever




-MARTIN- CHENEY.              47
Changing scenes of our lives, in health and sickness,
prosperity and adversity, joy and sorrow, in early youth,
at the bridal altar, and when death has taken our parents,
brothers, sisters, companions, and children from us, our
Pastor has been with us. He pointed us to the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sins of the world; and
told us that God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. He bowed
with us when we prayed for mercy, and rejoiced with
us when we submitted to God ard found Christ precious
to the soul. He led us into the baptismal waters, and
gave us the hand of fellowship when we covenanted
with God and the Church to live and die Christians,
We partook of the symbols of Jesus' broken body and
poured out blood —broken and poured out by his hands
which are now cold in the grave. He always sympathized with us, and was ever anxious to promote our
interests,-physical, mental, moral, temporal, and eternal.
We knew not his worth nor how much we loved him
until he was taken from us. But the remembrance of
him is dear to us. With the deepest interest shall we
remember him and his labors of love, so long as these
hearts shall throb with life. We shall think of him in
our Sabbath services, in our recreations and pleasures;
but especially at the house of mourning, in times of
sickness and death.
We remember with peculiar pleasure the moral purity
of his life. From his first profession of the Christian faith
he never faltered —was never convicted of a crime. He




468                LIFE OF
was ever honest, upright, and pure in all the walks of
life; and for years none attempted to oppose him by
even hinting at anything immoral in his conduct toward
his fellow-men. The whole people, virtuous and vicious,
join in the acknowledgement that he was an honest
man and a christian, if there was ever one.
We remember with high satisfaction his true independence of character. He was emphatically the servant
of God, and recognized his direct responsibility to him;
and therefore acknowledged no rightful power in man,
the Church or State, to repeal, suspend, or modify the
law of love —the law of Christ. In all his preaching
and acting he refused to flatter or succumb to popular
opinion; yea, even in his own church; for he was
always in advance of the church as well as of the community in the reforms of the age. We followed after
him in the Temperance struggle, and in opposition to
War, and the great conflict with Slavery.
We fondly cherish the memory of his frankness and
honesty; for we never found him speaking different
things to different men. All knew his opinions and
positions by his words. He was just what he appeared
to be, and always meant just what he said.
His doctrines were just what he preached and argued
at home and abroad.
We cherish the remembrance of his principles, which
we consider the real doctrines of the gospel; and especially his opposition to Slavery, Intemperance and War,
and his advocacy of honesty and benevolence in all the
walks of life —all founded upon the higher law-the
law of God.




MARTIN  CHENEY.                  469
W~e hope that the principles of freedom which he advocated will triumph, until all, like him, shall believe
in free soil, free men, free speech, free trade, free will,
free communion and free salvation.
In behalf of the Church,
C. S. SWELETLAND, Clerk.
To the surprise of almost every one, Mr. Cheney's
Will revealed tie fact that, though his salary had always-.been moderate, he had so economized as to leave
nearly three thousand dollars for the use of his familya provision which reflects credit on himself, and affords them a relief whose absence it would be a hardship to endure.
Soon after Mr. Cheney's death, a meeting of all who
felt an interest in the object was called to consider the
propriety of erecting a suitable tmronuniaent at his grave.
Such a testimonial was unanimously voted of the value
of one hundred and twenty-five dollars; and a Committee was appointed to superintend the erection; and,
in a short time, it was standing above his dust.  The
design is simple, chaste and peculiar. Including the
base, the whole height is about six feet. The shaft is
of fine marble, and, at the base, is about two feet square.
The shaft is surmounted by a plain capital, forming a
small tablet, and on this-crowning the whole-rests a
BIBLE.  The shaft is ifiscribed as follows:
40




4769 -LIFE OF
[EAST SIDE.]
EI HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT;
I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE;
I HAVE KEPT THE FATTH.'
2D TIM. IV.: 7.
[SOUTH SIDE.]
HXE WAS-A WARM PERSONAL FRIEND;
A KIND HUSBAND;
AN AFFECTIONATE FATHER;
A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR LIBERTY AND HUMANITY;
AND A FAITHFUL SERVANT OF GOD.
[WEST SIDE.]
ELDER
MARTIN CHENEY.
BORN IN DOVER, MASS., AUG. 29, 1792;
ORDAINED TO PREACH
APRIL 28, 1825;
WAS INSTALLED PASTOR OVER THE
FIRST FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH AND SOCIETY,
IN OLNEYVILLE,
AT THEIR ORQANIZATION,
Nov. 7, 1828;.AND CONTINUED; SUCH UNTIL HIS DEATH,
JAN. 4x 1852.
HIS LAST WORDS WERE, a I HAVE A HOPE THAT
ENDURETH UNTO THE END.2




-MARTIN% CHENEY.                471
The Society also voted an appropriation of twventyfive dollars, to procure and erect a slab to his memory
in the pulpit which he had so long occupied.  The
form of the slab is that of a shield, the lettering is of
gilt, and the inscription is the same as that on the
vest side of the monument.
Mr. Cheney's pilgrimage is closed. The wearied
body rests; the freed spirit soars in diviner air, where
every breath is an inspiration, and where it never tires
in its climbings toward the mount of God.  Yet long
and deeply shall we and the world feel the pressure of
his influence.  And well shall it be, it these records of
his life are allowed to act as a cord to draw us along the
strait and narrow path which he trod in the flesh,
and which terminates in the excellent glory where he
walks and sings in white.