i£x ICtbrtB SEYMOUR DURST When you leave, please leave this book Because it has been said " £ver'thinc) comes t' him who waits Except a loaned book." Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library FUNERAL EULOGY, OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF GENERAL WASHINGTON. DELIVERED FEBRUARY Md, 1800, ■ BEFORE THE NEW-YORK STATE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. By WILLIAM LINN, D. D. NEW-YORK: PRINTED BY ISAAC COLLINS, NO. 189, PEARL- STREET. l800. » « I © 4 At a meeting of the Society of the Cincinnati of the State of New-York, held at the City of New-York the 22d day of February, 1800. Resolved unanimously, THAT the thanks of this Society be prefented to the Rev. William Linn, D. D. for the eulogium this day deliver- ed by him at their requefl on the late General WASHINGTON, Prefident General of the Society of the Cincin- nati, and that a copy thereof be requeft- ed for publication. This Society, in tes- timony of their entire approbation of the faid eulogium, and as a tribute to the patriotifm and abilities of the faid Wil- liam Linn, do further unanimoufly refolve, that he the faid William Linn be, and he hereby is admitted an honora- ry Member of this Society. Extract from the Minutes , JOS. HARDY, Sec. pro tenu t To the Officers and Members of the New-York State Society of the Cincinnati. Gentlemen , TO whom can I more properly dedicate the following Eulogy than to you ? > Befidcs that it was delivered, and is now publifed at your requef, you food in fever al endearing relations to the illufrious man deceafed. He was your Leader in war, and the Prefident of your General Society. The only objeclion to your claim of chief mourners is, that none can be chief where all our citizens fo deeply lament^ and where the wife and the good in every part of the world fo largely partake in the grief When you honored me with your requefi, I trembled. Centuries may elapfe before fuch another theme occurs. I had, certainly, Jhrunk for ever from the mighty tajk, had vi DEDICATION. not your partiality impofcd an obligation which I could not refufe. Few have been able to fuccced in this fpecies of eloquence. The more exalted the fubjecl, the greater the danger of failure ; becaufe the public expect- ation always outruns what human abilities can perform. In the prefent cafe the difficul- ty was increafed by the Orations and Dlf- courfes which were daily ijfuing from the prefs. Affiured of your indulgence , I am, Gen- tlemen, with fentiments of gratitude and high refpeel, Tour mofi obedient And mqfl humble Servant, WILLIAM LINK New-York, Feb. 22d, 1800. FUNERAL EULOGY. 1 HIS folemn aflembly and thefe fable enfigns proclaim no common grief. Al- ready has every American wept ; already have the fad funereal proceffions moved ; and already have the virtues and the fer- vices of Washington been celebrated from the pulpit, and from the roftrum. Why are we again affembled ? And why is the tomb uncovered ? It is that we may all take another look. This is the 8 A FUNERAL birth-day of the beloved man. Was there no other which could have been chofen than that on which we have fo frequent- ly rejoiced ? It is kindly intended to give indulgence to our forrow, to teach us that no character is exempt from the ftroke of death, and especially to induce our fub- miffion to the will, and our adoration of that Almighty Being who " gave and " who hath taken away." We find from the earliefl records of time, that the practice has been ufual in all ages and in all nations, of honoring thofe who were diftinguifhed by their excellence, and were efteemed public blef- fings. Trophies have been decreed to them while living, and at their deceafe, their bodies have been fome times em- balmed ; monuments, elegies, and fune- ral orations have perpetuated the memory of their honorable deeds. This has a happy tendency to enfure a noble and virtuous conduct, and to excite EULOGY. 9 the imitation of others. The love of fame, when fubordinate to the general good of mankind, is infeparable from him who is truly great ; and he carries his views beyond the grave to the reward which pofterity {hall beftow. Were there then no other reafon for praifing the illuf- trious dead, this would be fumcient. But there is an obligation of ftill high- er moment. Eminent men are qualified for their work by God. They are his fervants. In honoring them, we honor Him. It is true that the Heathen glori- fied not God, but fubftituted creatures in Jiis room ; and there is danger that even we, with the cleared revelation, may be guilty of idolatry in not lifting up our hearts to Him from whom " cometh " down every good gift, and every per- " feet gift." Let us afcribe the glory to God, and we may fafely extol the man whofe lofs this day we deplore. America claims as her own, one who B lO A FUNERAL was juftly the admiration of the world. And {hall fhe be filent in his praife ? Perhaps filence would have beft exprefled the merits of him* who is beyond all eu- logy. The language of mortals can with difficulty, if ever, reach fo noble a theme. The name is above what Grecian or Ro- man ftory prefents, and it would require more than Grecian or Roman eloquence to do it juftice. One advantage indeed it poffeffes, that hardly any thing can be faid which will be thought extravagant ; and what would, in other cafes be deem- ed flattery, will fink far below the con- ceptions of the public mind. Flattery was ever confounded in the prefence of Washington, nor will it dare to ap*- proach his allies. That humility, how- ever, which was the conftant ornamene of his virtues, mould not now obftrudt the offerings of a feeling and grateful people at his ihrine. Nay, they rufh with greater eagernefs to teftify their fenfe of his tranfcendent and inestimable worth. EULOGY. To the hiftorian it belongs to relate in full, the birth, the education, the early, and the later achievements of George Washington. From the hiftoric page, we expect a minute defcription of his ci- vil and military, of his public and private life. Though a limple recital of thefe might be the higheft encomium, and it might be faid, " RaisM of themfelves, their genuine charms the}' boa ft, " And thofe who paint them trued, praife them mofr,"* yet they would lead the fpeaker into too large a field ; he would not know what to feledt, and what to refufe, where all powerfully folicited his regard. Let hif- tory or biography, at prefent, ferve only to develope and illuflrate the character. When God in his adorable providence intends to accomplifh fome glorious work upon earth, he provides and prepares his inrtruments among the children of men. Who does not fee that Mofcs, by the * Addifon's Campaign- 12 A FUNERAL manner in which he was preferved, the inftruction which he received, and the habits of life to which he was inured, was fitted to lead the people of Ifrael ? Who, that Cyrus, had we not been ex- prefsly informed, was " girded by the " Lord ?" The intention is frequently hidden from the perfons themselves, and may not be obvious to others ; though they will fometimcs difcern prefages of future greatnefs. Washington was endued from his youth with a military fpirit. When a {tripling, like David, he encountered the enemies of his country. His firft deftination was to enter as a midfhipman in a Britilh veffel of war. This was happily prevented, that fo, in- ftead of the Admiral, he might become the General. He gave fuch early and un- common indications of heroifm as occa- iioned public mention of him by an emi- nent divine, in a difcourfe delivered foon after Braddock's defeat.* The fubjedl * The Rev. Samuel Davics then fettled in Virginia, and afterwards Prcudcnt of the College of New-jcrfey. EULOGY. 13 was religion and patriotifm. " As a re- " markable inftance," faid he, " I may " point out to the public that heroic youth " Col. Washington, whom I cannot " but hope Providence has hitherto pre- " ferved in fo fignal a manner, for fome " important fervice to his country." We will not call thefe words prophetic, but they have been repeatedly quoted as a teftimony of the budding honors of the American hero. God prepared his fervant, and in due time opened to him a vaft fcene, on which all his talents had their utmoft exertion, and expanded in full difplay. It having become neceffary for America to oppole by force the unjuft pretenfions of Britain, he was elected a member of the great council, and foon after unanimoufly ap- pointed Commander in chief of the ar- mies. This honor his modefty forbade him to feek, and his love of country would not allow him to refufe. The choice was directed by Heaven. " I feel 14 A FUNERAL " great diftrefs," faid he on his accept- ance of the command, " from a confciouC- " nefs that my abilities and military " experience may not be equal to the " exteniive and important truft : however, " as the Congrefs defire it, I will enter " upon the momentous duty, and exert " every power I poflefs in their fervice, " and for fupport of the glorious caufe." Modefty ever accompanies great merit ; and diffidence of abilities, when it cafts not into defpondency, excites vigilance, and roufes energies of foul concealed from the poflefTor himfelf. General Washington had not feen much military fervice, and what he had feen was on a fmall fcale. His army for a long time was undifciplined, and con- tinually changing by temporary enlift- ments, or impatient militia ; and fome- times he had fcarcely the fliadow of an army. He was deftitute of the necefla- ries for their fupport, and of the inliru- ments of war. He was called to create EULOGY. 15 before he could command. In this filia- tion he had to oppofe the numerous and formidable legions of Britain, amply fup- plied with all the apparatus of death, and led on by the moft renowned generals. The hero of Monongahela, and the plant- er of Potowmac, nobly enters the lift ; fnatches the laurels which had been gathered in Europe to adorn his own brow. To eftimate properly the merits of a general, we muft attentively confider the circumflances in which he is placed, and the means in his power. The American Leader was never at the head of fuch ar- mies as cover the fields of Europe. No ; with a naked and diftrefled handful, he kept the enemy in terror ; impofed on them by a parade of numbers and ftrength ; now fought fecurity in retreat ; and now dared the fiffht ; " fwifter than " an eagle and ftronger than a lion." He who thus baffled the acknowledged ikill and bravery of Britons, would, furniflied i6 A FUNERAL with the means of war, march to the re- motefl ends of the earth. We are willing to liften to the higheft ftrains in favor of Britifh valour, becaufe thefe redound to the honor of our Chief. Every wreath which is woven, is tranf- ferred to him. Either our invaders would not, or they could not fubdue us. If they would not, then they were unfaithful to their truft ; if they could not, then the barrier was the American arms. Will any rather choofe to compromife the mat- ter, by refolving the independence of America into the decree of Heaven ? Great God, we adore thy juft decree ! To thee was the appeal made ! Thou didft fight for us ! In tranfport we cry, " The " fword of the Lord, and of Gideon." Permit me to fay that he whofe obfe- quies we perform, had advantages which few enjoy. The caufe in which he en- gaged was of the moft exalted kind, and he was deeply penetrated with its juftice EULOGY. 17 and importance. He undertook not from motives of ambition or gain, but from the pure love of country, to which he continually facrificed his eafe, his fafety, and his life. His attention to the duties of his fta- tion was inceflant. In the field no op- portunity efcaped him to harafs or attack the enemy ; and he was never found un- apprehenfive of their deligns, or unpre- pared to meet them. In winter quarters he revolved and digefted the operations of the next campaign. He was not feen indulging in the amufements of a theatre, diffipating his time at a gaming table, or reclining on the lap of a Delilah. His bed at camp was often hard. He often lay down in his daily drefs.* His horfe flood equipped near him. Or, he fat in council. Or, he examined the vigilance of his pofts. Or, he penned the difpatch. * The night after the battle of Monmouth, he " repofed liimfelf in * his cloak, under a tree, in hopes of renewing the a Cdon the next « day." PUmfay'i Hiftory. C A FUNERAL The concerns of America wholly occu- pied his mind. Americans, you may well love him, for he faved you much blood and treafure. He watched for your fafe- ty while you flept. His patience and perfeverance were unexampled. To be obliged to retreat is at all times humiliating to a general, and dangerous to his fame. To him folely is calamity imputed. Though in con- ducting a retreat, the greateft fkill is oft- en difplayed, yet this, and the necefllty are not generally known ; and a people animated with the love of liberty, are apt to be fufpicious. Here was the great trial of Washington, and here a principal trait in his military character. He re- treated from Long Ifland in the face of a far fuperior foe. He retreated from New- York ifland in the face of total ruin* And he carried the fmall and dejected remains of his army ; one while prefent- ing a feeble front to the enemy, and an- other while retreating ; until he crofled EULOGY. ig the Delaware. No hope was left but in the prefence of Washington. It pleaf- ed God that he (till lived ; and he was, perhaps, the only man who did not dei- pair. If he had tumultuous paffions, if fame was dearer to him than his life, what a conflict was here ! What a victo- ry over himfelf ! Whifperings and mur- murings ; imputations of unfkilfulnefs, of cowardice, and, it may be, of unfaith- fulnefs, were infinitely harder to bear, than to fight. Thefe required a fortitude fuperior to what was neceflary to meet death in any fhape. To endure thefe fhowed real greatnefs. Saul the firft king of Ifrael, after his defeat at Mount Gil- boa, flew himfelf with his own fword ; but Saul fell below Washington in every thing, except the towering fize of his perfon.* * Saul " was higher than any of the people, from his fhoulders " and upward." Washington was fall fix feet and half an inch in ftature. The hiftorians and orators have generally mentioned his per- fonal appearance. " His perfonal appearance is noble and engaging.'* Gordon's Hiftory. " His perion was confiderably above the middle " fize, but of a dignified and graceful form." Strong's Difcourfs. A FUNERAL The American Chief, having col- lected a little ftrength, braving the win- try waves and fkies, recroffes the Dela- ware, and like an angry lion ? chafed by the huntfmen, fprings upon the foe, and thofe who flee not perifh by his ftroke. A far-famed hero marches at the head of numerous and veteran troops, but arriv- ing near night, w r aits only the next dawn to revenge the havoc. Let us be thank- ful that the American army was at this time fo weak ; for had there been any thing like an equality to the enemy, or the moft diftant profpedt of fuccefs, the morning fun had flione upon fields of carnage and blood. Washington di- reeling fires to be kindled in the night, and to be kept conftantly burning, led his army by a circuitous road ; and his cannon at Princeton firft awaked the drowfy Britons whom he had left. The ■ His form was noble — His port majeftic." Morris's Oration. " Moun- " tain air, abundant excrcife in the open country — the wholefome toils " of the chafe, and the delightful fcenes of rural life, expanded his limbs " to an unufual but graceful and well proportioned fize." Ramfay \ Kiftory. EULOGY. 21 frozen clod was flamed on the march with blood from the naked feet of his men.* There was obtained another, though a dear bought vidiory. There Hazelet and Mercer fell, two thunderbolts of war. Mercer ! Let me lift the mantle from thy mangled body ! — Covered with wounds like Casfar in the Senate-houfe ! — Alas, not Cafar now, but Brutus fell ! We find in General Washington a mind capable of planning and execut- ing great enterprifes. u The world," fays an hiflorian, " has been miftaken in " one opinion refpecling his Excellency, H whofe natural temper poflefTes more of " the Marcdlus and lefs of the Fabius than " has been generally imagined." f We are afTured that he meditated defigns which the refources of the country would * Dr. Ramfay in his hiftory mentions the fame circumftance as hap- pening on another occafion. " The American Army," fays he, " might W have been tracked, by the blood of their feet, in marching without u {hoes or ftockings over the hard frozen ground, between Whitemarlh. f* and Valley-Fcrge." f Gordon, 22 A FUNERAL not admit of being carried into effect ; and whenever his force promifed the leafl impreffion, we fee hirn either boldly re- ceiving the enemy, or advancing to attack them. Witnefs the battles of Brandy- wine, of Germantown and of Monmouth. In thefe places, as well as at Haerlem and Princeton, he expofed himfelf to the thick- eft dangers, and courted a glorious death. A fwell of paffions had nearly burft his manly breaft. He faw vidlory, but had not the means to obtain it ; he had victo- ry, and it was fuddenly fnatched from his grafp. * At length God interpofed for his re- * When the enemy landed upon New- York ifland, the Americans fled before an inferior force. General Wafhington rode up and at- tcmptad, in vain, to rally them. This " raifed a tempeft in his ufually " tranquil mind. He hazarded his perfon for fome confiderable time in