ro :;fE:i=3rXti::3C?:.a&^=3?«ir:H3JiaE^::^^^ THE w ^< ^ Q^Yo. ■A Sxp^33aF^*SgiB^i3:5^i:53K'*?::-:=^--« Columbia ©niDerjSttp intlieCttpoflfttigark THE LIBRARIES Bequest of Frederic Bancroft 1860-1945 "#^^. -y^djuan^ Son? from a Da'^^* ^evv - AUTOBIOGRAPHY or EEY. ABEL C. THOMAS: INCLUDING RECOLLECTIONS OP PERSONS, INCIDENTS, AND PLACES. We spend our years as a tale that is told. THIRD THOUSAND. BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY J. M. USHER, 37 CORNHILL. 1852. ^ Ov' V ^ ^ r3W Entered according to Act of Congress, in the yeaar 1852, by ABEL C. THOMAS, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. STEREOTYPED BY L. JOENSOW & CO. PHTLADELPHIA. -^-ZJV^/^ 5> > § PREFACE. This Book was written by repeated solicitation of personal friends, whose partiality for the author may have biassed their judgment in regard to the general interest of the publication. It was commenced in the early part of November last, and pleasantly occupied such winter-hours as could be spared from current duties. There are many difficulties in writing a self-history, not the least of which is in the troublesome Ego. Even when circumlocution is resorted to as a means of hiding him, that respectable gentleman insists on rising up as a Saul among the children of Israel, even though it be on tip-toe or on stilts. He has, in some sort, a right to be seen and heard, and if he shall unreasonably ob- trude in these pages, the reader, it is hoped, will chari- tably consider the infirmity of the Ego tribe. The way-marks of youth are rarely forgotten. The order and dates of manhood-events were determined, partly by private memoranda, partly by the minutes of ecclesiastical bodies, and partly by the papers with which the writer has been connected, editorially or otherwise. Some of the incidents have before been published, a few have been recalled by persons acquainted with the 4 PREFACE. facts, others have been revived by association, but chief reliance has been placed on a retentive memory. It is not pretended that the precise phraseology has been retained, in dialogue, but always the substance. The book is not a journal, but a sort of hop-step-and- jump narrative. It is not a chain, but a succession of seemingly independent links. Every inch of the road has been travelled, but only a few foot-prints have here been registered. Every thought, feeling, and fact of the journey has had its part in the relations of cause and effect, but only the prominent incidents have here been recorded. Many passages in the unwritten-diary of every man, are blotted out by Time — even many which might be reviewed with profit. The evil is compensated by the erasm'e of many paragraphs which w^ould serve no use- ful pm^pose in the perusal of remembrance. Recollec- tions themselves should always be subject to prudent discrimination when types are in prospect. Let good intentions apologize for any present mis-judgment in this respect. The choice would naturally fall on incidents which have greatest interest with the author. With a spirit naturally gay, and a disposition to join the circles of consistent good-humor, he could readily have filled these pages with general instruction and amusement. He preferred, however, to indulge largely in elucida- tion and defence of those trustful views of the Supreme Being which underlie, embrace, and crown all Religion and Morality. The book would not be a faithful por- PREFACE. 6 traiture of the man, "were it not distinctly doctrinal, and he has done injustice to his object if it be not emi- nently practical. Undoubtedly there are sections in a merrier vein than may be agreeable to mono-maniacs in religion — such j^ersons, namely, as expect a clergyman to be a loco-motive Creed or Psalm. The writer is neither. It would grieve him to give offence to any by depart- ure from the standards of clerical propriety, but it would grieve him more sorely to learn that the mirror- symbol of his biography is doubted. Few localities have been described in these pages, partly because the writer possesses small facility in that line, but mostly because the excitement or grati- fication of local interest was not an object. Places, whenever mentioned, are meant to be subordinate to the incidents. Few names of persons have been entered of record. In his several pastoral locations, a large number of ex- cellent people laid the author under perpetual obliga- tion by uniform kindness and love ; and in the wide range of his missionary service, and in attending As- sociations, Conventions, and the like, he formed many pleasing acquaintances and friendships, among both the ministry and the laity. Merely a register of names would be unsatisfactory, and any acceptable commen- tary of character, excepting incidentally, would occupy more space than could reasonably be allowed. He hopes the assurance will be generously accepted, that every once-familiar face is in the portrait-gallery of his me- 1* b PREFACE. mory. On nearly all of them he looks with unmingled pleasure. Only a few have been turned to the wall. It will be observed that the names of professional opponents, generally, have been withheld, — (sometimes perhaps when strict justice would demand their inser- tion) — especially when the incidents would presumably be disagreeable to their families or friends in the nar- ration. There are cases of a different character, in w^hich the mention of names might give offence without a countervailing advantage. The author has written much in his day, with the in- tention of benefitting children, believers, and inquirers — also somewhat for the behoof of opponents. He feels entitled to some gratification on this score, forasmuch as he has received little else for the use of his pen. He has been in seventeen States of the Union, and has travelled and preached, more or less extensively, in fifteen of them. If the mission to which he is now appointed shall be prospered in the way of health and life, he may publish a second volume of auto-biography. In any event, he hopes to be remembered as one who meant well, and who was always grateful for the gene- rosity of his friends. A. c. T. Philadelphia, Mat, 1852. CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS. INTRODUCTORY.— Abel Thomas, my paternal grand-father, a Quaker preacher for 56 years — Some account of him and of his family — My parents — Quaker Marriage Certificate, and Witnesses — My maternal grand-parents — Maiden-creek valley — Quaker Meeting-house — Family Memoranda. CHAPTER I.— Date of citizenship— Our Family Bible— Flood in York — Old Joe Wren — The higher law and the lower law — My school-days — Discipline — Crossing the River — Usherdom in Lan- caster — Studies Medicine — Lampeter Quaker Meeting — William Webb's Farm — ' The young Doctor' becomes a Pedagogue — Pine Barrens — My * wig-wam' — Its advantages — ' Barring Out' — Robt. Hammersly — Universalism first heard of — The Parting — Removes to Marietta — Acquaintance with A. B. Grosh — Teaches School — Becomes a Universalist — Is opposed by sectarism — Becomes a Printer — The Devil seen in my eyes — Is a journeyman-printer in Philadelphia — Universalist churches — Quaker crisis — Thomas Wetherill — Penn's Elm — Franklin's Grave — Returns to Lancaster — Determines to become a Preacher — My father's desire — My own expectation — The Deacon's opinion. CHAPTER II. —Preaches in Philadelphia— New Brunswick— Stock of sermons — ' Poor preach poor pay' — Quaker prejudice — Question of salary — Factotum in New-York — My privileges — The old ser- pent in Masonic Hall — Preaches in Lancaster and Marietta — Con- troversy — Ye shall die in your sins — Complacency and Compassion — Tempted of the Devil — Ague and a hot sermon — Visits interior New- York — Elias Hicks — My enemy pursues me — We part com- pany — Grand-st. church — Hard times and pleasant memories — Rev. T. J. Sawyer — I settle in Philadelphia — Lorenzo Dow — Geo. Rogers — Preaches in Theatre, Market House and Woods — My mo- ther's views — Suffering and Punishment — Innocence and Right- eousness — Subordinate Issues — Love of God — Distinctive Univer- salism — Unitarian Mohammedanism — Distinctive Christianity — A modal Trinity — Dr. George De Benneville — Remarkable history — First Universalist preacher in America. 7 8 CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS. CHAPTER III.— Preaches in Quaker Meeting— Called to account — Special inspiration — Is ' dealt with' by the Quakers — Member- ship discontinued — Not a hireling — Brown clothes — Ordinances — Music — Discussion in Easton — A Pagan Christian — Visits Bos- ton — Hears Hosea Ballou — Preaches in Ballou's church — Sketch of the sermon — Visits Hartford — Adding one word — Judgment after death — Eternal death — Bible and candles taken away — House stoned in Columbia — Preaches on the tow-path of the Canal — Presbyterian divine in a pet — Visits Potter's Meeting- House — Relics — Pre-emption proffered gratis — Visits Northern Pennsylvania — Miss Julia H. Kinney — Rev. Geo. Rogers — Lacka- wanna Gulf — A Methodist clergyman with horns — He pushes hard at the Quakers — And at the Universalists — Finds his mistake — *If Universalism be true, what is the use of preaching it?' — A crazy objection. CHAPTER IV.— Questions without Answers— Trouble in the Dutch Reformed Camp — Preaching all night to a clergyman in Easton — Sheep and goats — Everlasting destruction — Date of judgment — Attacked by a clergyman in Easton Court House — Preaching in an orchard — A time of it in Lancaster — Preaches in the Allen- town Market House — Sketch of the sermon — Denounced as an Infidel — Rev. Savilion TV. Fuller — Delineation of his character — * Ely and Thomas Discussion' — Dr. Ely's dream — And its counter- part — His Atheistical colleague renounces Universalism ! — Utility of Endless Punishment considered — The saint at the Wissahicon — Funeral of a suicide — Suicide considered — Case of Judas — Sceptic Evangelism — Abner Kneeland — Conversation with him — Grove Meeting — Close of the year. CHAPTER v.— Judgment in Eternity— Day of Probation — Two sorts of Judgment — Conversation with a partisan spy — Free Agency — Warp and Woof — Dialogue — Arminio-Calvinism — Rev. Albert Barnes, and no ray of light — Jubilee in Hell — Tour in New- England — Lowell — Lynn — Quakerism — Wentworth — Rev. John G. Adams — Spiritual Union — Papist hope and Protestant un-hope — Deerfield — Visit to Maine — Jubilee session in Hartford — Rev. S. R. Smith's sermon — Rev. Russell Streetei- — Winchester's Grave — - Leigh Hunt — Discussion with Rev. Wm. L. McCalla — Anecdotes — Singular freak of a Universalist Minister — Death of Bishop White — Episcopal lady and the new birth — "If there is not an endless hell, there ought to be"— Hanging and Damning privately — Dr. George De Benneville. CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS. 9 CHAPTER VI. — Relief season — Blossom and bloom — Niagara Falls — Sermon on Table Rock — Lewiston bee-liouse — The 'near wheel- horse' — Ohio River — * Very low bridge' — Getting up in the world by steam— Going down by gravity — Canonical black-board — Me- thodist and Presbyterian — Both right and both wrong — Presby- terian Force-pump — ' He that believeth not shall be damned ' — Change after death — A consistent Universalist — Voyage by Sloop — Visionaries — Faith and Sight — Religious Tests — An inconsist- ent Quaker — A consistent Roman Catholic — Judges Grosh and Galbraith — A Discussion in Baltimore — My room-mate — Clerical gloom — Journey of Life — Scenes in Mt. Auburn — Voyage to Long Island — A bachelor's ' Snakeology' — Geo. Combe — Hymns of Zion — Contest of Reason and Feeling — My first extemporaneous ser- mon — Can these dry bones live ? — I depart from Philadelphia. CHAPTER VIL— Settlement in Lowell— My Society— City Hall— Burning up of the world— The theory considered— Second coming of Christ — Bible metaphors — Visit to Pennsylvania — Death of Rev. S. W. Fuller — Questions without Answers — Congregational Creed — Death of my father — 'Lowell Offering' — Its origin and history— Thanksgiving Day—' Star of Bethlehem'—' Both sides' — 'What a get-off!' — Visit to New-Hampshire — Wentworth — ' Your pulse is calm' — Rumney — Temperance Agency, and a long visage— Rev. M. H. Smith— His history— The Smith War— Dis- cussion with Rev. Luther Lee — Knappism — Maltreatment of my wife — Change of heart — Universalism in death — Chaplain of a Regiment — Visit to the Shakers — Sons of the prophets — Depart- ure from Lowell. CHAPTER VIII.— Rambles in Pennsylvania— Schuylkill Valley— Maiden-creek — Good girls and sour vinegar — Pottsville — Down into a coal-mine — Settlement in Brooklyn — Sun-shine and Shadow — Marriage — Journey to Fort Ann — Snow-bound in returning — Visit to Lake Otsego — New church dedicated in Brooklyn — Dr. Ely's reported conversion — Dr. Coxe's fermentation — 'One of their gang' — Modification of endless misery — Thanksgiving Day — Journey to Lowell — Five miles of ice — Journey to the West — Ohio River — ' Orthodox oaths' — Cincinnati — A Vivid Experience — Miami valley — Alone in Louisville church — ' Father of Waters' — ' The Grave Yard' — Prairie-country — Lewistown, Pa. — Sermon by moonlight — Devil's doctrine — Discussion in a grove — Rich man in hell — God out of Christ— Cincinnati — Departure from Brooklyn — An escort of love. 10 CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS. CHAPTER IX. — Settlement in Cincinnati — Our own home — Accli- mation — My neighbor Gurlej — Rev. E. M. Pingree — Rev. I. D. Williamson — Two chances — Mine own opinion of myself — Ohio Convention — The journey — Thunder and Lightning — Fanaticism and Enthusiasm — The Doomed Wolf — Death of Rev. Geo. Rogers — My mother's visit — Miami Association — ' Prepare thy chariot' — My mother's decease — Ten days in the country — Negro Sermon in a log-cabin — Mr. Gurley's farm — Pastoral relation dissolved — My successor — Settlers in the green woods — Farewell to the West — Passage to Pittsburg — Steamboat race — Hard a-ground — Moun- tain benediction — Pottsville — Visit to New-England — My printer- craft — City of Reading — An * eclipse' sermon — Retrospection. CHAPTER X. — Re-settlement in Philadelphia — Changes and Me- mories — ' The old oak' — Dials — Visit to Pine Barrens — Scenes of recognition — My 'wig-wam' — Rev. A. B. Grosh — Callowhill-st. Church — Visit to northern Pennsylvania — Beauteous spring-time — My opinion of city-preachers — ' Meeting of the Water.s' — ' The Narrows' — Lycoming valley — Rock Run — Death of Rev. James M. Cook — Papal Controversy — Domestic Bereavement — ' Lord, bless my brothers' — Susquehanna county — Seneca Lake — Niagara Falls — Rochester — An incident of '37 — Epistle to Rev. Hosea Ballou — Matin and Vesper Bells — General Convention — Universalism — * Don't look into the Bible' — The unpardonable sin — Visit to Ira- nistan — Mission to England. AUTO -BIO GRAPH! OF A.C.T. INTRODUCTORY. Abel Thomas, my paternal grand- father, a Quaker preacher for 56 years — Some account of him and of his family — My parents — Quaker Marriage Certificate, and Witnesses — My maternal grand- parents — Maiden-creek valley — Quaker Meeting-house. Abel Thomas, my paternal grand-father, was a distinguished Minister in the Society of Friends, called Quakers. I remember having seen him once, and only once. I was a small lad, yet his short, thick-set figure — his penetrating yet kindly dark eyes — his solemnly-cheerful countenance — his plain gar- ments, in both material and cut — his broad-brimmed hat, which he constantly wore, in winter to keep his bald head warm, and in summer to screen it from the flies — the string which he alternately twisted and untwisted, as he walked up and down the room in deep thought, — how distinctly are these characteristics of our good grand-father daguerreotyped upon my memory ! The ^ bull's eye watch' which he carried from his youth upward, will not soon be forgotten, for it is in my possession, an heir-loom in the family. He may certainly be pronounced a distinguished Minister in the Society of Friends. He commenced his testimony, in that capacity, about the year 1760, 11 12 ABEL THOMAS being then very little past his majority, and continued in the same honorable relation until his decease in 1816 — a period of 56 years. During the first twenty years of his ministry, he had '' visited the Meetings of Friends generally, from Nova Scotia to Georgia, and many of them several times over." And so he continued throughout his life, preaching all over the land, the radius of the circle shortening as he approached the end of his course. At the date of his death, he had undoubtedly traveled more extensively as a Preacher, and had been heard by a larger number of people, and was more generally known, than any other Minister in that connexion. I have traveled much, myself, during the past twenty-five years, and have been treated with peculiar regard by many venerable Quakers, in widely-separated districts, on account of their per- sonal remembrance of Abel Thomas. And numerous anecdotes, and pleasing and instructive incidents in his life, have been related to me by those who knew him w^ell, and loved him. These relations were not complimentary to me. On the contrary, I have often been questioned, in the most kindly way, as to what my grand-father would say to me, if he were now living, and knew me to be a Universalist ? To which I have replied, that if he were now living he would be a Universalist him- self! The inference is hardly logical, but the answer was about as sensible as the question. In the extensive journeyings of the elder Abel, much privation was patiently endured for conscience sake. . He was deeply attached to his family, and nothing but sternest conviction of duty impelled him to missionary service. Sometimes he resisted < the AND HIS HISTORY. 13 spirit's call,' but home was always shrouded in dark- ness thereby, and obedience was the only means of bringing himself again into the light. On several occasions he was in imminent peril during the War of the Revolution. In 1778 he was taken prisoner in the vicinity of New York, and sent under guard to Princeton for trial, on a charge of treason, as he expressed it, though probably on the accusation of being a spy in the garb of a Quaker. His defence (which is on record) is a plain straight- forward narrative, bearing the truthfulness of honest sincerity. It proved so satisfactory that the Council of Safety, William Livingston, President, granted him as comprehensive a Pass as he desired. In 1781 he was repeatedly a prisoner in the Caro- linas and Georgia, and would not, on any occasion, accept freedom with the condition of turning back. He was on his Master's business, he said, and dared not return until he had finished it. Ultimately his case came to the knowledge of Gen. Greene, who had himself been a Quaker. The Pass of that dis- tinguished officer, saved the persevering Preacher from farther annoyance and peril, so far as the American Army was concerned. He seems to have kept out of the way of the British forces. Let me not pursue his history. Persons who heard him preach very frequently, affirm that he was uni- formly instructive in his discourses — which is more than can lawfully be said of his grandson. He was undoubtedly a man of sound understanding, and of as sincere a heart as ever throbbed. I think he was deceived in supposing that the Lord had specially enjoined him to be absent from his family, so large a portion of his life — but that he conscientiously obeyed 14 ABEL THOMAS what he deemed the orderings of the Supreme Being, no one could doubt who had knowledge of the man. Unless the j^articular above-mentioned be an excep- tion, he was not superstitious. Being asked by one of his sons whether he believed in a personal devil, he replied, that he deemed it most judicious to quote the Scriptures as he found them — that it was his business rather to lead men into practical righteousness, than to dispute about things which he did not understand. Being charged by a Presbyterian clergyman with breaking the Sabbath, by allowing his workmen to take care of a hay-crop on first-day, there being apprehensions of a storm, he replied that every-day was the Lord's day with him. "What special use dost thou make of one day in seven ?" said he, in con- tinuing the conversation. "We meet on the Sabbath," was the answer, "to worship God and seek the pardon of our sins." " Our people also love to worship the Lord on an appointed day of rest for man and beast," responded the Quaker ; " but we seek to be always in a worshipful frame of mind. If thou shouldst depart on seventh- day night, — wouldst thou not be a week in arrears?" He thus expressed the rational sentiment that Re- ligion is a perpetual concern, and he was accustomed to illustrate the thought by declaring that ' the Lord is on his judgment-seat at all times.' Consciousness of divine presence imparted proverbial cheerfulness to his manner, and no one passage of the Scriptures was more thoroughly exemplified in his history than this : « He hath showed thee, man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?' Micahvi.8. AND HIS FAMILY. 15 His life was indeed a commentary on the text. It was a life of that true worship which is both a hymn and a sacrifice. A Hymn that reaches the ear of the Lord of Sabaoth while the anthem of the great cathedral goes away into silence. A Sacrifice, ac- cepted when the cattle on a thousand hills have been burned to ashes, the smoke thereof going up as an abomination in the sight of God. Abel Thomas was twice married. The second wife, Ellen Roberts, from whom my lineage is recorded, was a woman of much determination and management — both of which qualities were needed in a mother whose husband was so frequently absent from home. She survived him several years, and is afi'ectionately associated with my later-boyhood recollections. How kindly she spoke to us all, always — how concerned she was for our comfort — and what a perpetual knitter she was ! Her undimmed eyes seemed not to be of service in the operation, the copartnership of fingers and needles being all-sufiicient for the purpose. Nor w^as sight needed in her pilgrimage-journeying, for she walked by the habitual vision of faith, and passed happily through the dark valley to the land of light. Two daughters by the first marriage, and four sons and one daughter by the second, constituted the family of Abel Thomas. The second of the sons, Abner Thomas, married Esther Worrall. They had three sons and four daughters — myself being the third in the series of seven. — Few persons outside of the Quaker connexion, have ever seen a Quaker Certificate of Marriage. As a matter of curiosity, I present the following. It is a verhatiin copy of the original document. IG MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE. NAMES OF WITNESSES. 17 •4-3 g H 00 03 T^ >^ ^ o^ "^ !l! ^ Cb 02 ^ H O H CC 02 i-q H? h^ <^ 02 w ^? a B, s 9 g H w H S N ^--5CZ2l-5a2<1<^l-502a2P02^-^^l-:,l-5P^ 18 MY mother's parents. What here occupies two pages in print, is on an open sheet in the manuscript — an admirable specimen of round, distinct penmanship. The names of witnesses which occur twice, represent different persons of the same stock. How rapidly the fashion of the world passeth away ! Here are the names, we may say, of the entire Quaker settlement of Maiden-creek in 1803, together with two or three visiters. The old were there, and have long since departed. The young were there, full of the life which is expressed in the joys, and hopes, and loves of the youthful. Those groups, as overflowing with merriment as the presence of the staid elders w^ould allow, were soon scattered in pursuit of business or pleasure : shortly they were diminished, and still further diminished, in numbers — and only four or five of the entire wedding-gathering remain on the face of the earth ! The first two names in the right hand column, by custom and courtesy, were the parents of the bride. They resided in Windsor township, close to the line of Maiden-creek. I remember them, distinctly and gratefully. Grand-father Worrall's once tall and straight figure was bent, and the hands that had been so ingenious in the construction of all sorts of useful things, in wood and metal, grasped only the staff which sustained him in personal inspection of his farm. Yet his eye, as black as jet, and sparkling, denoted the acuteness of the mind that looked out of those windows in his head. i' Men will yet travel rapidly over the land without horses," said he, more than thirty years ago ; and the neighbors declared that George Worrall was becoming crazy ! It was but a fancy of his. He had no plan MAIDEN-CREEK VALLEY. 19 to propose, no means to specify. He was not a reader of books of science, nor did many papers reach his dwelling. But he felt assured that what had been done on the water, would yet be done on the land. ^' Can thee tell me," said he to me one day, very near to the close of his life, and a helpless invalid in his bed ; ^' Can thee tell me how far up in the air it is, at midnight, where the rays of the sun meet?" I could not tell him then^ though in my early man- hood — and I could not tell him noiv ; but his spirit shortly passed the point of convergence, far into the glories of eternal day. His companion had preceded him, several years. In visible presence, she was one of your hale, motherly women, who are never so well pleased as when they can do something for the well or the sick, especially the latter. There were few flowers in her garden — she had not time to attend to them, — but balm, and thyme, and sweet marjoram, and the mints, and other medicinal herbs, were there in abundance ; and dried bunches of them were always dependent from the rafters in the great open garret— at the service of whomsoever should need them. Her larder also was as full and as open as her heart, to minister to the necessities of the poor. And so she joyously filled her mission in the house- hold, and in the neighborhood, and in the solemn Quaker meeting, until, like Enoch, she '' was not, for God took her." That ancient Quaker neighborhood — how it has been broken up since the earliest of my own recollections ! By removals of families to the west, and by removals to ^'a better country," many of the noble farms have changed hands, and are changing — the Germans being 20 QUAKER MEETING-HOUSE. mainly the purchasers. I cannot avoid regretting thia supplanting operation in Maiden-creek valley. There stands the stone Meeting-House in which my parents were married ; in the ground adjoining, they were buried ; and it is a saddening reflection that the olden associations of the Quaker neighborhood are being broken up. Married — Buried ! There is but a dash between those words, as here printed — yet how much of life's alternations was crowded into the intervening space of time ! Surely, ^ we spend our years as a tale that is told.' Let me tell mine. FAMILY MEMORANDA. Abel Thomas died in Monallen, Adams county, Pa., 16th of 3d month, 1816. A brief Memoir of his life was published in Philadel- phia in 1818, and re-printed in London in 1824. — Ellen Thomas died on the 3d of 9th month, 1828. George Worrall died in Windsor Township, Berks county. Pa., 31st of 3d month, 1832. — Deborah Worrall died on the 30th of the 8th month, 1825. Children of Abel Thomas by his first marriage : Rebecca mar- ried George Allison — Lydia married Daniel Richards. Children of Abel and Ellen Thomas : Rachel married William Wright — Jacob — Abneb — Eli — Joseph R. Children of George and Deborah Worrall: Esther, my mother — Deborah, married Abraham Brown — Hannah, married Thomas Lee — Sarah, married Isaac Wiley — Rebecca, married Charles Lee — George, died young — Ann, married J. Thompson — Elizabeth, married Daniel Lee. Children of Abneb and Esther Thomas : Ellen, married Benja- min Walton — George W. — Abel C. — Amanda R., married Mordecai jjQQ — William R. — Sarah Ann, married Joshua Lee — Eliza Jane, married George W. Lee. These Lees are the sons of Thomas Lee, above named, the eldest of them by a former marriage. At the date of present writing, (1852,) my four sisters and younger brother reside in West Fallowfield, Chester County, and my elder brother in Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pa. DATE OF CITIZENSHIP. 21 CHAPTER I. Date of citizenship — Our Family Bible — Flood in York — Old Joe Wren — The higher law and the lower law — My school-days — Dis- cipline — Crossing the River — Usherdom in Lancaster — Studies Medicine — Lampeter Quaker Meeting — William Webb's Farm — ' The young Doctor' becomes a Pedagogue — Pine Barrens — Bar- ring Out — Universalism first heard of — Removes to Marietta — Acquaintance with A. B. Grosh — Teaches School — Becomes a Universalist — Is opposed by sectarism — Becomes a Printer — The Devil seen in my eyes — Is a journeyman-printer in Philadelphia — Universalist churches — Quaker crisis — Thos. Wetherill — Penn's Elm — Franklin's Grave — Returns to Lancaster — Determines to become a Preacher — The Deacon's opinion. My advent to citizenship in this world was in Exeter township, Berks county, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1807. The date is set down as the 11th of the 7th month, in the records of our Family Bible — an olden book which was much damaged in what is yet spoken of in York, Pa., as the Great Flood. This was in 1817 — one of the memorable periods, in that region, of the ' Seven- teen Year Locusts.' Every man has recollections of his earliest life which, though pleasing to himself, would be little interesting to others. In the present case, let me compromise with the reader — he allowing me to mention a few in- cidents, and I guaranteeing to save him the necessity of skipping the many. — The creek called Codorus runs through the borough of York, to which place my father had removed in 1811. We lived on the western side of the stream — the eastern and western portions of the town being connected by a massive stone-bridge. At this point the creek flowed northward at right angles 22 FLOOD IN YORK. with the street, but a fourth or a third of a mile above, it came round in a rapid curve from the south-west. The portion of the town-plot thus nearly half-embraced, was somewhat low, the land beginning to rise at about 200 yards from the bridge, following the main street westward. There had been a heavy rain. I remember it well, for I was thoroughly drenched in going home from school at noon. The creek was swollen to the utmost capacity of its banks ; drift-wood, stacks of hay afloat, &c., choked at the bridge ; mill-dams, two or three miles distant, broke away, and the wild current spread on every hand. Especially was there overflow and wreck on the western side of the creek. Our dwelling was in the midst of it. Father' was absent from home on the eastern side, and knew not of the difficulty until it was too late to cross. how distinctly I remember my mother and her children escaping just in time to the higher ground, by wading through the rapidly-rising waters ! This was about the gathering of dusk. What a night was the one that soon set in ! People collected shavings, and light wood, and all the tar-barrels within reach, and kept up great bon-fires, to give light and encouragement to the many families who did not think of leavinor their houses until it was too late. And still the whirling, rushing, moaning flood increased, until that awful midnight. The scene was tersely described by old Joe Wren. He was a little old man, a bachelor, of vigorous con- stitution, who had been a sailor, and was now knitting nets for a living. He occupied a one-story stone building, free of rent, and the neighbors were all kind to him, notwithstanding he was frequently drunk — OLD JOE WREN. 23 not noisily so, for he was a man of very few words — but sadly so, for either a young man or an old. On the day of the great rain, old Joe seems to have taken his grog unusually strong, for before the middle of the afternoon, he was fast asleep in a neighbor's garret. The basement of the house was of brick, the upper part of framed-timber. It was situated in the deeply-flooded part of the town, a fierce current setting directly toward it from an open lot on the southern side of the street. The upper part of the building floated away, and presently was driven into an eddy, and lodged on a stout apple tree. As it parted from the lower section, the proprietor and his wife, a highly respectable couple past the meridian of life, were drowned. Old Joe was fast asleep in the garret, perched on the tree ! About midnight, the waters began to subside, and by day-dawn the Codorus was within its banks. Up the street old Joe waded through the deep mud, to reach his home on the higher ground. His adventure was related in few words. He said he was awakened in the night by a roaring, rushing noise ; and looking out at the trap-door in the roof, he saw great fires and great waters. Not understanding what it meant, he concluded to lie down again, and sleep till dawn. Alas ! twenty-three persons (if I rightly remember) never saw the day-light who had seen the sun-set of yester-eve. Several houses were destroyed. Even when the buildings stood firm, there was wreck and ruin to furniture within. This was the case with our dwelling. Little of any value was saved entire, on the main floor. The Family Bible was lying in the muddy slime and water, its binding perished and its leaves saturated and sullied. But its associations were too 21 OUR FAMILY BIBLE. sacred, in our view, to abandon it thus ; and so, with patient nicety of labor, it was restored and rebound. Even after the lapse of thirty-five years, I cannot hear the creaking of a tavern-sign in the wind, with- out revival of the scenes of that terrible night, and the desolation visible the next day. There was a tavern five or six doors east of our house, and the creaking of the sign, as it swayed to and fro on its hinges, has been fastened in my mind as the symbol of all things bleak and lonely and sad. The first use made of that Family Bible, after its restoration, was at the dedication of the Bethel African Church, and we prize it the more on that account, because the circumstances expressed our father's in- dependence of character. Clerical aid was denied to the church, on the score that it had no connexion with sectarism, and tAvo Quakers, my father being spokes- man, attended and dedicated the building to the wor- ship of Crod over all. His interest in the colored people w^as no new thing. His early manhood was spent in a county bordering on Maryland, and fugitives from slavery were some- times traced to the neighborhood, for the usual pur- pose. On one occasion, the young Quakers (among whom my father was distinguished for strength and activity) were congregated for customary gymnastics, and a stout negro rushed by at full speed, followed by a constable in full chase. " Abner Thomas," said the latter, "I command you in the name of the Law to pursue and aid me in the capture of that absconded slave !" Here was a difiiculty — ' the higher law' and < the lower law' being in decided conflict. To be tossed on the horn of the latter, would be uncomfortable — to be A QUAKER RUSE. 25 goaded by the other would be a serious business — and so the dilemma was avoided by a between-position. He ran, as commanded, without any reservation as to Jioio fast he should run, his reputation in that line being established — and soon outstripped the constable, his own companions being in the wake. The worst of it was, that a few more leaps would place the terrified fugitive in the grasp of ' the lower law' by proxy — and so, in obedience to ^the higher law,' the pursuer providentially tripped at a root, and fell ! The pursued party was out of sight in an adjoining woods ere the rear of the chase closed up to the prostrate foreman, and much sympathy was excited by his symptoms of suffering. It was a ruse which some may condemn in theory, but it is doubtful whether there is a man of any soul in the Commonwealth who would not seek, in some such way, to avoid both the whip of the law and the scourge of conscience. — My school-days in York had nothing to distinguish them. Like many other boys, I sometimes got a whipping that I did not deserve, and sometimes de- served a whipping that I did not get. The cases of escape did not seem to off-set the cases of injustice, and I remember having silently vowed to thresh the master sorely when I became a man. He had smitten me so severely on my right hand with a ferrule, that my fingers were benumbed for hours — and that too for a slight breach of order ; and when next I was called to the judgment-seat, he bade me bring my fingers and thumb into a group, so that he might smite me on their ends! Silently refusing to obey, he grabbed at me, but I escaped into the street, and shortly 'reported progress' at home, begging ' permission not to sit 3 26 MY SCHOOL-DAYS. again.' Never before had I seen mj father wroth— not expressed in angry words, but in that form of solemn indis^nation which even a child can understand. He visited the Teacher in 'the cool of the day,' and the pupil who resumed his seat the next morning, was not rebuked for the flight of yesterday. Another evil was visible to me in those early school- years — an evil which might be expressed by a crossing of the Teacher's wrists when he pronounced a blessing. Personally I had no cause of complaint, for a liberal share of the benediction fell undeservedly to my lot — but its unphilosophy is worthy a few paragraphs of illustration. Even in this age of reformed school- instruction and discipline, it is often visible. The same lessons are given to children of unequal natural capabilities, with the implied conviction that what one can do, can as easily be done by another, with equal diligence ; and if the accompanying expectation be not realized, scourging, or some ignominious privation, is administered to him who is lacking — whereas in every thing that is really meritorious, he may be the wor- thiest pupil in the class. I see the same wrong — perhaps of ignorance — in many departments of society, and in some families. Thanks, however, to the labors of Combe, and many others, the evil is diminishing, and will sometime be utterly abolished. If the reform shall reach the Churches, it will be well. There is many a Pulpit Ignoramus who treats mankind as though they were all precisely alike in their mental and moral organization — constitutionally, I mean, — and who announces heaven as the inheritance of those who are convinced and converted by his in- structions, and hell as the portion of those who are not. ^•EED OF REFORM. 27 Undoubtedly there is difference in the degree of merit of anv two men ; but I question whether there is a thousandth part of the difference between the worst man on earth and the best, when viewed by the eye of Omniscience, as when viewed by the most searching human vision. One child is born of parents who are constitutionally, (or at all events, habitually) vicious. His natural bias, his associations, the examples placed before him, and the precepts thus made legible, all operate to make him what he is in the meridian of life, a gross criminal. — Another child is born and trained under entirely different circumstances, and at mid-life he is renowned for his vii'tues. Anv theology which shall seek to reform and redeem the former, (possibly by the aorencv of the latter, and of a Being better than he — possibly by a course of painful discipline.) must meet the approval of both principle and expediency : any theology that abandons him to perpetual blindness and misery, is an abomi- nation in the sight of both justice and charity. In the spring of 1818, my father (who had been eno-aged in the manufactui'ing of edge-tools during the late War) removed to Lancaster, Pa., having made arrangements to resume the vocation of his earlv man- hood, namely, teaching a school. The distance was 2-4 miles, and we must needs cross the Susquehanna River, at Columbia, by means of a bridge. It was nearly one mile and a fourth in length, and had two passage-ways, to accommodate people traveling in opposite directions. The structure rested on many stone pillars, firmly built on the rocky bed of the River, and was covered in and enclosed on both sides 28 CROSSING THE RIVER. from end to end, there being occasional openings for light and ventilation. Mj father had me by the hand, the carriage and wagons being a short space in the rear. After enter- ing the bridge from the western side, there was a gentle descent for a few yards, and then the floor was level the whole distance. On looking straight ahead, I saw at the other end, a hole that seemed to be no larger than my fist ; and I was troubled to know how we should get through it. ^'Father," said I, ''how in the world shall we ever get through that little hole?" He laughed at my dijfficulty, and said he had no doubt that we should find a way of getting through it in due time. As we journeyed along, the opening seemed to grow larger and larger, and by and bye we passed through an arch as large as the one we had entered at the other end of the bridge. It was only because of the distance, that the arch appeared so small. This incident, very trivial in itself, has ever been of great service to me ; and if Franklin was more than pardoned for his story (and accompanying moral) of buying a whistle, a person of less consequence may be excused for briefly moralizing on crossing the river. Whenever a difficulty in the future has presented itself to my vision, the incident of passing that bridge has been recalled, and my father's encouragement has given me hope of finding a way to get through it in due time. The thought is associated with religious trust. " Fear thou not, for I am with thee ; be thou not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee," saith the Lord; and the believing soul confidently responds, "Though I walk USHER AND STUDENT. 29 through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me : Thy rod and Thy staif, they comfort me." The moral of that bridge-crossing was needed in Lancaster. A spacious room had been secured for the school, in the old Quaker Meeting-house. The building stood back from the street, on rising ground, and the large well-shaded lot was an admirable play- ground. The location could not be equalled any- where in the city, but the new-comer was unknown, excepting to a few — he was not disposed to make large pretensions, but simply announced his purpose, and waited for scholars. Only five appeared on the first day ! Confessedly, the opening was rather small for a large family to pass through. It gradually widened, and ere long the school-room was crowded. When I was about 12 years of age, I was exalted to the station of Usher, in the branches of Grammar and Arithmetic ; and about one year afterward, was transferred to the office of Dr. Samuel Humes, as a compounder of simples and student of medicine. ' Anatomy' was at first as dry as the skeleton in the closet, but became more interesting as knowledge increased of how wonderfully and fearfully we are made. Materia Medica was not tedious, but Chemis- try was attractive from the beginning, perhaps because it enabled me to play pranks upon my fellows with explosive compounds. Meanwhile my father was himself a student in earnest, but not so as to neglect his school. How diligent he was, no one knew so well as myself. He had the encouragement and enjoyed the personal friendship of the most distinguished men of Lancaster, both in the medical profession and out of it. 3* Q QUAKER MEETING. — Our Lancaster experience of the kind of religious *7orship we preferred, was small. There had formerly been a Society of Friends in the city, but during the Revolutionary "War their fine large meeting-house had been despoiled by a section of the army — Dragoons, I believe — and the peaceful Quakers all remoted. A few times in the course of a year, a carriage was hired to convey the family to Lampeter, a settlement of Friends about 7 miles east. More frequently, father and the elder children would walk — more frequently still, the children went alone — sometimes to and fro the same day, but generally we went on Seventh-day afternoon and returned on First-day evening. It may as well be acknowledged, for it will naturally be inferred, that my elder brother and myself thought more of the social visit than we did of the religious meeting. I will not speak for the girls, but am sus- picious that they were not widely different, in that respect. We were uniformly welcomed ajid affec- tionately treated by the families of Friends, and never returned to Lancaster without seasonable pre- sents for those who remained at home. Hannah Gibbons and Sarah Parry were the princi- pal speakers in meeting. They were among the ex- cellent of the earth, well-educated, and impressive in their delivery. Both of them long since joined the congregation above. So also have nearly all the venerable worthies of that day. How distinctly I remember them ! John Ferree sat at 'the head of the meeting.' He was far advanced in life, and mostly sat with his eyes closed. How we boys, on the back bench by the south window, watched to ascertain whether he was asleep ! how wo waited for his movement to dissolve the assembly, by WILLIAM Webb's farm. 31 < shaking hands' with the elder who sat next to him ! how we noted the shadow approaching the mark we had made on the window-sill ! Our visits were less frequent at Lampeter than at the farm of William Webb, a mile east of Lancaster. He was a widower, without children — of the Dr. Franklin tjpe of economy. He was nevertheless generous, in granting us access to fruits in their season, both for home-gratification and present con- sumption. Usually, however, he made the pre-con- dition with me, that I should solve some specified problem in Arithmetic or Geometry. This was done in his spacious kitchen. It was kept as neat as wax by his matronly house-keeper. How I remember the tall old clock in the corner, with its solemn pendulum — none of your modern rattle-brained ticking of time away, as if by a high-pressure-steam clock, but a slowly-moving pendulum, marking the solemn march of time. On the rug, slept the fat brown dog — and by his side the tortoise-shell cat. Brightly-burnished brass and tin utensils were on the wall ; and on the table, Poor Richard's Almanac, an antiquated ink-horn, and a turkey-quill pen. In the straight-backed, slat-bottomed arm-chair, sat William Webb. How distinctly every thing is before me when I shut my eyes ! — Meanwhile, my father's studies occupied his attention, without any relaxation. His opportunities for acquiring the experience of practice were sin- gularly great. His tutor was Physician to the Hos- pital, Aims-House, and Jail — and there, nearly every form of disease was presented for medical treatment. The Lord forgive me for my aversion to acting even as Apothecary in the midst of so much pitiable 32 SOME EXPERIENCE. humanity ! Especially may the Lord pardon the ignorance of that day, as exemplified in confining lunatics in gloomy cells ! In 1822, my father established himself in the Prac- tice of Medicine at Elizabeth-town, in the north- westerly part of Lancaster county. Established him- self — for though high testimonials introduced him to leading citizens of that region, he was established only by eminent success in the medical profession. It was a country practice mainly — ^the average di- ameter of his circle being fully twelve miles. Very laborious it was, as any one acquainted with the Conewago hills will testify. Yet he was a man of vigorous constitution, and stood more travel, by day and by night, than suited the comfortable condition of two good horses. My own cognomen throughout that country, was t' the young Doctor." Small claim had I to any such title, and it grew « smaller by degrees and beautifully less' from month to month. It was a pleasurable duty to obey orders with alacrity, in the preparation of medicines, and in such other ways as I could relieve my indefatigable father — but my feelings were not in a profession which, as I had many proofs, so severely tried his sympathies. Often did I know him walk the floor of his office during the night- watches, intermitted only by hourly visits to a village- patient whose disease was approximating its crisis. No temptation of fame or fortune could induce me to persist in a study which would involve me in similar tribulation ; and I told him very plainly that I wished to be at something else. He tried to shake my purpose, by reminding me of the knowledge already acquired as a foundation — A PEDAGOGUE. 33 spirred me with hints of my adaptation to the pro- fession — addressed me on the usefulness and respecta- bility of the vocation, — but all would not serve his design. I wished to be at something else. "What does thee propose to do?" he inquired. "I will teach school," said I. <^ Does thee remember that thee is only seventeen ? And does thee hope to be employed, a mere boy, as a Teacher ?" was his interrogative rejoinder. "Suffer me to try it," was my answer; and I did try it, by letter to an uncle in York coimty, who applied for a neighboring school in my behalf. En- couragement being given, behold "the young doctor" traveling south-west, on foot, with a staff in one hand, a bundle in the other, a little money in his pocket, and a confident heart, to seek his fortune as a Pedagogue ! The distance was little more than 20 miles. At the end of the first six, there was an insignificant village called "Hard-Scrabble!" most significant of my coming experience ; but, crossing the Susquehanna at that point, directly below the Conewago Falls, I entered "York Haven," which sounded more aus- piciously. Thence to my uncle's house the road was merrily passed. A cordial welcome awaited me among my kindred — but the Trustees were to be visited to-morrow, and the issue was not certain. A mile or so brought a cousin and myself to the honest yeomen, of German extraction, who controlled the log school-house, as to its occupancy. Of course, the applicant for favorable consideration put on as much of the man as possible, but his beardless chin was clearly against any large pretensions in that way. "You look rather young, to take charge of a school 34 PINE BARRENS. of our big, rough boys," said one of the Trustees — evidently a good-hearted man of middle age. « Certainly, — and justly — for if there be devotional THE USE OF PREACHING. 131 influence in contemplating the starry spheres in their sublime order, the same may safely be affirmed of con- sidering all souls finally redeemed from chaos and brought into harmony with God. — But your objection travels in a lesser circle than this. I will illustrate by a supposition. Have you a family ?" " Yes, sir, a wife and two children, and I expect to meet them to-night," said he. "What is the use of that expectation?" I inquired. «' It makes me very happy ; and that is use enough," was his reply. " Truly ; and yet you can see no use in preaching or believing that we shall meet a ransomed, universal family in heaven ! — Let us suppose that yonder ap- proaching horseman should stop the stage and inform you that your house was burned to ashes last night, and that your wife and children are believed to have been consumed. How would you feel?" "Awfully ! Why do you ask me such a question ?" "And suppose that another horseman should imme- diately follow, having a message from your father that your wife and children are perfectly safe and happy in his house : would there be any use in delivering the message ?" " Why do you ask me such a question ?" said my fellow-passenger. "He ought to tell me forthwith." " What difference could it make ? You would ascer- tain their safety when you arrived at home ; and your present knowledge or belief of it would not alter the fact. What difference could it make?" "Ah, I see what you are at. There would be a vast difference in my feelings on the journey home ; and you have answered the question, ' If Universalism be true, what is the use of preaching or believing it ?' " 132 A VALUABLE SECRET. . "I hope it has been answered satisfactorily," I con- tinued, " but you do not yet fully understand the value of Universalism. You have a wife and two children, parents, brothers and sisters perhaps, and other kin- dred, besides friends whom you love as dearly as if they were of your own immediate family-stock. If an endless hell be not sheer imagination, it will probably be a reality to some of these. Nay, the probability is equal to a certainty." "I cannot deny it," said my neighbor. "Now, sir, let us suppose that / have positive, un- deniable proof that all whom you love will be saved, and that I am mean enough to hold the fact and the proof as a thing of sale for money : how much would you give me for it ?" " I would give you every thing I have in the world, if I could not get it for less," said he. " I am glad to hear you say so, for any other answer would have lowered you in my estimation. And yet the purblind masses (yourself included until now,) have not seen the use of preaching Universalism, even if it be true ! — But I have not yet done with the objection. You love your family, other kindred, and friends. Could you sincerely love a God who would doom a single soul of them to endless torment, under any cir- cumstances ? Your wife, for example — or one of your children." '' I never considered that," responded my neighbor, thoughtfully ; " but it seems clear that I could not sin- cerely love any being who would so terribly outrage my sincere love for others." ''I am glad to hear you say so, for you speak the language of nature, reason, and religion. Grant the same feeling to all other persons, and you must see SINCERE LOVE OF GOD. 133 that the love of God with all the heart, implies the truth of Universalism. Christianity even comes nearer to our selfishness, and makes our love for ourselves the standard of our love to our neighbors. We certainly do not love every soul of our race as we love ourselves — neither are we, in any respect, what the gospel re- quires us to be. But we must seek a harmony between the preceptive morality and the doctrinal truth of Christianity. Its preceptive morality requires the love of God supremely in connection with the love of man universally ; and if any thing short of Universalism be its doctrinal truth, all thought of harmony between precept and doctrine must be abandoned. The doc- trinal truth of Universalism is the means of awakening love to God and love to man ; yet ' orthodox' foolish- ness inquires, 'If Universalism be true, what is the use of preaching or believing it !' " " Your argument touches me closely when you speak of my wife and children," said he, "but it is less forcible when you comprehend the whole race." "No doubt, no doubt ; but the defect is in you^ and not in my argument. Every man is the centre of the universe of souls, and the first circle is his own family. It is truly said that ' charity begins at home.' All good afi'ections must begin in the centre ; but the de- fect in general practice is, that they do not travel ex- tensively. Orthodoxy does not allow them to travel to the circumference of Humanity." " How do you prove it ?" said my neighbor. " I prove it thus : Orthodox doctrine builds a glow- ing hell beyond a certain circle, and yet ' orthodox' 'precept enjoins supreme love to the God who kindled and fans the endless fire ! If you loved all mankind as you love your wife and children — in other words, if 12 134 A CRAZY OBJECTION. you were like Christ, ready and willing to die even fo? your enemies — could you sincerely love such a God as that?" "I am certain I could tzo^," said he. " The love of God with all the heart is the first and all-comprehensive precept of the gospel. Universalism is unquestionably the only doctrine that perfectly har- monizes with the precept — yet a half-witted ' ortho- doxy' inquires, ' If Universalism be true, what is the use of i^reaching or believing it ?' Viewed in any aspect you choose, the objection is too silly to be even ridiculous." " Is it ever presented in any aspect besides the three in which you have now considered it ?" inquired my candid friend. " Yes, its name is Legion, and, like the crazy man who dvvelt among the tombs, it breaks away from all chains of reason. It appears to be constantly crying out, ' What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God V It has nothing to do with him. The objection is one of the many forms of anti-Christ. It says, ' If Universalism be true, what is the use of worshipping God ? If Universalism be true, what is the use of preaching or believing it ? If Universalism be true, what is the use of leading a virtuous life?' And sample Christians, of the most ^ evangelical* type, declare, that if thei/ believed in Universalism, they would not be at the trouble of worshipping God ! They would care nothing for preaching or faith ! They would give loose rein to sensual appetite, and ' roll sin as a sweet morsel under their tongue !' — Pardon me, sir — ^ou have said none of these things ; but tell me, candidly, what has the cited objection to do — what have such professors of religion to do with Jesus the THE NINE LEPERS. 135 Son of the most high God ? He disowns both it and them.'' "I really believe your severity is just," said my neighbor ; and he added, with quite as much earnest- ness as courtesy, '-^Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." I saw him at my meeting the Sunday evening fol- lowing, and occasionally afterwards during the winter, and then he passed from my observation. If living, he is probably numbered with the many attendants at < orthodox' churches who are represented by the nine lepers noted in Luke xvii. 17. Of every ten persons redeemed from the torment of false doctrine by Uni- versalism, not more than one gives glory to God by open profession, advocacy, and support of the truth. The nine are not hypocrites, strictly ; and even their sin of ingratitude may be modified by the fact, that their present relations are silently operative in the direction of liberal sentiment. 136 MINISTRY IN PHILADELPHIA. CHAPTER IV. Questions without Answers — Trouble in the Dutch Reformed Camp — Preaching all night to a clergyman in Easton — Sheep and goats — Everlasting destruction — Date of judgment — Attacked by a clergyman in Easton Court House — Preaching in an orchard — A time of it in Lancaster — Preaches in the Allentown Market House — Sketch of the sermon — Denounced as an Infidel — Rev. Savilion W. Fuller — Delineation of his character — 'Ely and Thomas Discussion' — Dr. Ely's dream — And its counterpart — His Atheistical colleague renounces Universalism ! — Utility of Endless Punishment considered — The saint at the Wissahicon — Funeral of a suicide — Suicide considered — Case of Judas — Sceptic Evan- gelism — Abner Kneeland — Conversation with him — Grove Meet- ing — Close of the year. I HAVE said little, in the preceding chapters, of my ministerial labors in Philadelphia. Let it be under- stood, once for all, that missionary operations and the like, were not suffered to interfere with the central interests of my life, in the midst of a most devoted and considerate people. My pulpit and pastoral duties re- quired both attention and industry, and it affords me much pleasure to feel assured, that occasional absence only quickened my energies in behalf of the church which I sincerely loved. My pen was sufficiently employed in preparation of sermons and in joint-editorship of a paper, as afore- said — yet I occasionally published a pamphlet. Never, however, had I either inclination or leisure to write a book, until now ! I think the fact may be urged as an apology, in advance, for any infirmity of that sort with which I may hereafter be afflicted. QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS. 137 In June, 1833, I wrote and published a Tract of 12 pages, which, though a small affair and requiring only a little tact in its preparation, excited an interest highly advantageous to the cause of Universalism. On this account, solely, is it mentioned in this place. Reference is had to "213 Questions without An- swers," the title being sufficiently expressive of its character. The Questions related to Universalism, directly or indirectly, and were so framed, with few exceptions, as to admit of Yea or Nay in reply. They were meant to train up the inquirer in the way he should go, or involve him, by natural Answers, in the inconsistencies of the popular theories. A large edi- tion was printed and circulated at the time — and hun- dreds of thousands of copies, by estimate, have since been issued, in various forms, by others. The first public assault on this pamphlet was made in September, in the ' Christian Intelligencer,' a large folio sheet, the organ of the Dutch Reformed Church in New York. It came in the shape of a notice to a correspondent who had sent a copy to the editors, and Answers were promised on condition that the corre- spondent would pay for publishing an edition. Being in New York immediately after, I called at the office and had the offer transferred to myself, hav- ing personally assumed the position of pay-master. On sober second thought, however, the writer of the notice aforesaid replied the next day, through the business agent of the establishment, that he declined fulfilling his promise. " The writer says that on sitting down to a re-examination of the Questions, he finds some of them will require a column, or nearly so, to answer them, and he cannot attend to them ; and for this reason he declines." 12* 138 ANSWERS AND REJOINDERS. These facts were presented to the public in the N. Y. < Christian Messenger,' with such comments as might have been expected ; and the Dutch Reformed Organ was down upon me, shortly afterwards, in a most be- coming style. The article was so rich a specimen of (■ evangelical' earnestness, that the following extracts may be allowable : " We cannot inflict upon the Christian ears of our readers, the 213 Questions of the Unitarian Universalists. There is no diffi- culty in answering every one of them. They are the production of a weak mind, but of a heart gigantic in wickedness ! . . . . The writer of them demonstrates himself to be a cold-blooded Infidel .... We cannot put into our columns the essence of silliness and wickedness .... We cannot spread out oh our pages the blas- phemy and revolting moral pollution of the 213 Questions, merely to show how very easily they can be answered," &c. The editors of the Intelligencer had not wit enough to see that all this was " grist to the Universalist mill." We took up the matter with a calmness con- trasting creditably (it was thought) with the fury of the assailants, and large editions of all that had been written on both sides of the affair, were distributed with a liberal hand, especially among the Dutch Re- formed Church members. This was termed a ' Tem- pest in a Tea-pot' by our classical friends, but they found in the end that the Tea was scalding hot ! The Questions awakened attention in more benign latitudes. A Methodist clergyman, of excellent re- pute, replied to them, seriati7n, in a respectful tone ; and the Questions, Answers, and Rejoinders were pub- lished in the Messenger in 1834. Another Methodist clergyman assumed the respondent's task, and was fol- lowed by Rejoinders — the whole being inserted in the ' Star of Bethlehem' in 1841. Two other clergymen furnished Answers, and each published his effort in a NIGHT-LONG PREACHING. 139 large pamphlet, but I have not had either leisure or inclination to rejoin. Replies from the pulpit have been numerous — an evidence that the Tract made ' no small stir.' A visit to New England in August, afforded a brief respite from labor, and the kindling glow of the Rock- ingham Association was a fit preparation for the au- tumn campaign. It may be said to have commenced in the close of September — for on the second of Octo- ber our Association met at Allentown, on the Lehigh, and in journeying thither I took Easton in the way, for the purpose of delivering lectures on Monday and Tuesday evenings preceding. After the second lec- ture, a singular incident occurred. As the stage for Allentown was to start before day- dawn, my quarters were taken at the Green Tree Hotel, and several friends remained with me till 10 o'clock. They were aiding me in packing up the remainder of my books, (for in those days we usually scattered the seed by selling our best publications,) when the landlord came into the room, with the infor- mation that a clergyman, in an up-stairs private parlor, wished me to send him a copy of each of the works on hand, with a statement of the aggregate price. Of course, the request was complied with, and in a few minutes the money was placed in my hand, accom- panied by the clergyman's desire to see me. This also was complied with. As I entered the room, he arose and welcomed me with a goodly grasp of the hand. After mentioning his name, he informed me that he had been attending a session of the German [perhaps he said DutcK] Re- formed Church. <'I heard you preach this evening," he continued, <■' and must confess that you sorely used 140 SHEEP AND GOATS. up that Methodist preacher who questioned you. 1 know nothing about Universalism, and want to under- stand it, if possible. The landlord stated that you were to leave for Allentown at 5 o'clock to-morrow morning. I shall start for Philadelphia at the same hour. Let me beg you, as a special favor, to sit up all night and talk with me." You may be certain that I said '' Yes, with all my heart" — and forthwith we took our seats by the table. My companion was about my own age, fully six feet tall, and handsome — having an intelligent, expressive countenance, not at all belied by "the inner man," as developed in conversation. He was well educated, and a complete gentleman in his manners. Opening a quarto Bible, he acknowledged his incom- petency for a discussion of Universalism — declared that controversy was not his object, but explanation of cer- tain passages which, to him, appeared to contravene the doctrine of my sermon, &c. He was plainly a seeker — and / as plainly an expo- sitor throughout that blessed night. He needed but a clue, and I had some facility, in those days, in grouping kindred texts, and explaining them all by one simple key. The plan served an admirable purpose with the present inquirer, as the following example may illustrate. The passages which seemed to be chief hindrances in his way, were of the class selected, usually, by those who have not looked minutely into the doctrine of Universalism — such as the closing part of Matt, xxv., in which the separation of the righteous and the wicked is illustrated by the sheep and the goats ; and 2 Thess. i. 5-10, in which everlasting destruction from the pre- sence of the Lord, is mentioned, with strong adjuncts. The first position to be determined, said I, is the COMING OF CHRIST. 141 TIME to which these passages refer. One of them dates it, ' ivhen the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him' — for it is declared that < then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory,' that is, in his kingly capacity, for the judgment of everlasting punishment, &c., mentioned in the verses following. Do you see that I am correct ? '' Yes, that point is perfectly clear," was the seeker's reply, and the expositor continued. The other passage is dated (-when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day.' " The passages evidently refer to the same period," was the prompt admission. And now the question comes up, as to the date of that coming of Christ. It certainly was not his first coming, for that was as the babe of Bethlehem in humiliation, whereas this is a coming in glory as a King and Judge. Now note Matt. xvi. 27-28 : < For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be — [surely it would not be proper to stop suddenly here, as Doctor Beecher once did, with a view to annul the context. Rather let us continue the quotation, at all hazards — thus :] There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.' And what is this but Christ's coming as both King and Judge ? — precisely answering our inquiry of date. The event is distinctly referred to a period within the natural life-time of some of those who heard the Saviour's discourse. 142 EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION. " Have you any other quotation of similar import ?" was the natural suggestion. There are several. < They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory/ is affirmed of a period immediately after the tribulation of the days of Jerusalem's siege ; and the more definite assurance is subjoined, ' This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be fulfilled,' Matt. xxiv. 30-34. Examine all the places in which the phrase this generation is used, and you will see that its uniform sense is, the men of this age. " Your position is very distinct, and I cannot gain- say it," said the candid seeker. ''But there are ex- pressions in the passage from Thessalonians which seem to forbid your interpretation. How could ' everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power,' be a judgment inflicted at the date of Christianity's establishment in the earth?" Let me answer your question by asking another. "No, sir, I am here to ask questions, not to answer any," said he, with a laugh. Nevertheless, let me inquire how Jonah could flee from the presence of the Lord by going to Tarshish ? Jonah i. 3. Or how could the Jews be cast out from the presence of the Lord and destroyed, by seventy years of captivity in Babylon ? 2 Kings xiii. 23, xxiv. 20. Or with what propriety could any such temporal visitation of judgment be called a casting out from the presence of the Lord, and an everlasting reproach and perpetual shame ? Jer. xxiii. 39, 40. In this sort of expository conversation we spent that blessed night — the topics of inquiry covering a wide range of thought. Mainly, however, they related to supposed proofs of endless woe, the doctrine of univer- HEATHEN DOCTRINES. 143 sal holiness and blessedness being so akin to the gene- rous spirit of the seeker, that he needed only the breaking away of the clouds to welcome into his heart the radiance of eternal truth. The stage-horn sounded ere the cock-crowing. My companion thanked me heartily for the courtesy and instruction of the night, and we parted in separate coaches at the door. What became of him I never heard. If he be still living, and still a clergyman of any ' orthodox' order, he is probably one of that nume- rous and increasing class of preachers who believe in Universalism, but suppose that the full time for preach- ing it openly has not yet arrived. Should he ever see these pages, I hope he will be gratified by my remem- brance of our night-interview. The questioning of the Methodist preacher, above referred to, was on this wise : The Heathen, and the Jews of our Saviour's day, believed in the doctrine of endless punishment. Can you prove that the New Testament denies that doctrine ? Answer : Paul gives some account of the Heathen, in the first chapter of Romans. ^When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing them- selves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the truth of God into a lie.' This, as I judge, is the origin of the doctrine of endless woe. The Heathen, uni- formly, maintain that lie, connected with their notion of a future day of judgment. The Egyptian theology had these elements, promi- nently ; but Moses discarded them, in confining all rewards and punishments to the present life — as many 144 POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE. of the most distinguished Commentators, of every sect, agree. If the Jews of our Saviour's day, believed in a future day of judgment and endless punishment, they could not have derived those notions from Moses, but obtained them from the Heathen ; and in charging them with having made void the law of God, through their traditions, the Great Teacher condemned every opinion among them that was condemned in the dispen- sation of the Law. Are you answered ? No, was the reply : I want a direct denial of the doctrine of endless punishment, in any text of Scrip- ture, if you can produce it. Rejoinder : I submit to the congregation that it is your place to produce a direct affirmation of that doc- trine from the Bible, if you can. I sought, in my sermon, to prove Universalism by express warrant of sacred Scripture ; and you have now an opportunity to gainsay my testimony, in any way you please. There was no response, and I thus continued : At- tempt to show, if you think you can, that Universalism is not taught in the Bible testimony advanced — and if you are successful, I will accept your effort as a posi- tive denial of Universalism on Bible grounds — for I have brought my most direct proofs. Still there was no response, and the interview was closed as follows : You are a preacher of the doctrine of endless misery. Be as fair as / have been. Bring forward your most direct proofs of that doctrine, and I will either show that you misinterpret and misapply the passages of Scripture, or openly acknowledge that you have adduced a direct denial of Universalism from the Bible. — This is the whole affair, compactly and truly ex- ASSOCIATION AT ALLENTOWN. 145 pressed — yet the redoubtable champion of Heathenism afterwards boasted that he had overwhelmed me in controversy ! After parting with my friend, Nicodemus the Re- formed, I had a ride of eighteen miles from Easton to Allentown. The interest and excitement of the night- long interview debarred all sense of weariness for the time, and it was not until the whole affair had been narrated to the brethren assembled, that < tired nature sought the sweet restorer, sleep.' There were no professed Universalists in Allentown. Our Association was held there, by appointment, for the double purpose of awakening and satisfying inquiry. The Delegates and Ministers had their quarters at a Hotel, on the usual footing, and the Meetings for business and worship were to be held in a Hall in the same building, without extra charge. As might be supposed, one preacher was absent from the social circle until noon of that day, but he ' stood in his lot' durino- the remainder of the session. That lot was in the Market House on Thursday afternoon. The Hall was not sufficiently central — besides which, the novelty might bring a larger audience. So it proved. It was not in a great city, where < caste' might be endangered by attendance in such a place — but in a town of a few thousand people, where every man's position was fixed because every man was known to his neighbor. And so the Doctors, who had few patients on hand — and the Lawyers, who had little to do excepting in Court week — and the Merchants, with whom buyers were scarce — and gentlemen of leisure, who had nothing better to do — and Mechanics, who could spare an hour or two for the purpose — came 13 146 SKETCH OF A SERMON. into or near the Market House, and listened attentively to a practical discourse. It was doctrinal too — but I confined its bearings directly to the practical interests of the present life — substantially as follows : I should be glad were your clergy here present, for they should have liberty to state their strongest objection to Universal- ism, and should be pressed to stand their ground in an open field and fair play. But as they are absent, providentially or pruden- tially, let me state in their behalf what they will probably state in my absence — namely, that ' Universalism is a demoralizing doctrine, and therefore ought to be discountenanced by every well-wisher to a wholesome morality.^ If they were present, and shcTuld succeed in establishing this objection, there would be at least one less Universalist preacher at sun-down than there is now. Christ's gospel is for sinners, to restrain them from vice and to constrain them to virtue ; and any doctrine which inverts this order, is not of God. Let us begin on the question of restraint — for this is what your clergy mostly insist upon. They honestly wish to put the best possible check-brake on the wheels which are hurrying sinners down-hill into flaming fire. They employ the fear of endless torment for this purpose — believing that it will keep the sinners out of hell, and at the same time keep hell out of the saints. There are two defects in this policy movement : 1st. It puts the evil day afar ofi"; and 2d. It makes the issue an uncertainty, by holding up the hope of escape. There are Merchants here present. You have valuable articles in your stores, and there are men who would steal if they had the opportunity. To which of the two, as a guard against thieves, would you rather trust your wares — A visible cross dog, or an invisible devil ? There are Lawyers here present. You have occasion to try all sorts of criminals. To which of the twain would you rather trust, as a means of restraint against Burglary — The certainty of being " sent down" to the Penitentiary for one year, or the uncertainty of being sent lower down for ever ? See now, on the other hand. There are Mechanics here pre- sent. For whom would you rather work, — for the man who pays cash down, or the one who asks a long credit, even witli higher wages ? Do you like the credit-system in business ? Yet your clergy adopt it in theology, and tell you that Universalism is de- moralizing because we take the very ground you occupy, in the SERMON IN AN ORCHARD. 147 practical concerns of life ! " The wages of sin/' its daily pay is death ; the wages, the daily pay of virtue is life. AYhy should the Devil be considered a more punctual pay-master than the Lord ? The amount of the matter is this : The farther off you put pay-day, and the more uncertain you make its awards, the less is its power over the conduct of men, AVriters on criminal juris- prudence insist that the nearer you can bring the punishment to the crime, the better — the more certain you can make the con- nection, so as to link them, if possible, as cause and effect, the wiser is the arrangement. The Creator has done so, perfectly, throughout universal nature. It is that sort of Universalism which I preach to you this day. This of course is but an abstract of the sermon. Any extravagance of expression must be imputed to the oddity of the meeting-place, coupled with a desire to make an impression of thought, even though charge- able with personal eccentricity. A few weeks previously there had been a terrible spitting of venom against Universalism, in or near Hightstown, N. J., by a Methodist clergyman. Due notification was given, indicating due preparation, and the Universalists attended. This was on Sunday. On the next day, I replied — not to him merely, for I re- membered the experience of the honest farmer, w^ho testified that "it wrenched him terribly to kick against nothing" — but the reply embraced both the defence and proclamation of the Gospel, as affecting all gain- sayers and inquirers. I was indebted to Mr. Salmon C. Bulkley, who then taught school in the neighborhood, for minutes of the Methodist onslaught. He has since become an efiicient Minister of our order, and will remember the immense gathering in Col. Johnes' orchard, and their profound attention to the reply. On the trees, on the grass, on benches made of rough boards, on chairs, in carriages, 148 THE prisoner's box. ^lie people sat, listening to the preacher in the wagon- pulpit. 0, those were days in which the w^arm blood of the heart kept up a rapid communication with the head ! And it was well that it should be so, at that juncture, for it seemed as if the Devil had specially broken loose, and was roaring against Universalism on every hand. There was roaring of that kind in Lancaster, in De- cember, by another Methodist minister. I had visited that city in the early part of the month preceding, to attend the wedding of one of my sisters, and embraced the opportunity to preach two evening lectures in the Court House, the use of which had been obtained by consent of the County Commissioners. The house was completely crowded by an attentive auditory, and no small stir ensued. The resident clergy were disin- clined to any dangerous experiments in the way of reply, and so Boanerges was sent for, and extensive notice given of the speedy demolition of Universalism. The Methodist Church was not deemed sufficiently central, and so the Court House was obtained as the arena of triumph. On the first of the four appointed evenings, I took my seat in the prisoner's box, having gone thither from Philadelphia, sixty miles by stage, for the pur- pose of hearing, at all events, and of doings if there should be opportunity. The champion began by announcing that he meant to ' blow up the magazine of Universalism' — that he should preach one sermon in the Court House that evening, and three in the Lutheran Church the next day, (the latter being a new arrangement, of course for my accommodation !) — that he was ready to discuss Universalism in any of the papers in Lancaster, (know- STIR m LANCAilER. 149 ing that no paper in that city would venture to publish both sides of such a discussion, and that he was there- fore in no danger of trouble !) and then we were fa- vored with a discourse of three mortal hours, during which, contradiction and refutation were vociferously challenged ! The prisoner in the box arose, at the conclusion, and asked permission for a few remarks. Liberty was peremptorily refused at first, but afterwards gi anted, with stipulation that the sermon should not then be attacked. "lam prepared to prove," said I, "that the speaker has added to the words of the Book, and God will add to him the plagues written therein ; also that he either is grossly ignorant of Universalism or has wilfully and wickedly misrepresented it, and if I do not prove all this, and more, I will make suitable acknowledgments." The further proffer was made to meet the speaker, or any clergyman of the city of Lancaster forthwith, in a public oral debate — and I defied an acceptance of my challenge. This was declined, peremptorily. He had an en- gagement for to-morrow, and could not attend to a discussion. Then, sir, let it be this very night, or to-morrow night, or the day after to-morrow, or the day after that — or next week, or at such other time as will better suit your convenience. The proposition was met by an unqualified Nay. Then, sir, I pronounce you a coward, who will not and dare not face Universalism in a fair debate ! There were certainly some very emphatic words in these brief sentences ; and, under different circum- stances, I should have regretted the succeeding greater emphasis of feet and hands in that great assembly. 13* 150 THE STIR CONTINUED. The Fair-playites were decidedly with the prisoner's l^ox, or its occupant ; and some foreshadowing of this fact adjourned the Gag-ites to the Lutheran Church for the next day. My self-chosen seat, provokingly chosen I fear, was in the broad aisle of the ' city of refuge,' and after each adjournment of that day, I took the preacher by the button, who had previously clung to the horns of the altar, and besought the pleasure of using him up in a public debate ! He persisted in refusing — where- upon I urged the <■ cloud of witnesses' who constituted his body-guard, to select a champion in behalf of the ministerial group. All this was done in good-humor — rather waggishly, I suspect. The spirits were earnestly called from the vasty deep, but they would not come. One of them however announced after the close of the series of Boanerges, by my request, that I should reply in the Court House, commencing the following evening. Friday and Saturday evenings, the annunciation was redeemed, in the presence of a crowded and pro- foundly attentive audience — there being some oil in the entertainment — of vitriol, it was supposed. Full liberty was given for rejoinder, and none was at- tempted, excepting very feebly and briefly by the resident Methodist preacher. He was a slow sailer, and had no guns a-board. Notice was given for a continuation on Monday and Tuesday evenings follow- ing ; but the alarm had been sounded, and the Com- missioners were prevailed upon to close the Court House against me ! No other place could be ob- tained ; the weather was too cold to meet in the Market House — and the matter ended, so far as open review or any public discussion was concerned. A DAY OF FASTIXG. 151 Great was the rejoicing in Gagdom, at this triumph of a lock-and-key Theology ; and Boanerges has made it a topic of glorification, whithersoever the Conference has sent him, that the Court House in Lancaster was closed against a Universalist preacher ! The Callowhill St. Church in Philadelphia was dedi- cated in 1824. Rev. William Morse was the first Pastor. Rev. Stephen R. Smith succeeded him, and was followed by Rev. Z. Fuller, who in turn was suc- ceeded by Rev. Dr. Andrews. The latter resigned the charge in the summer of 1833, and Rev. Savilion W. Fuller received and accepted an invitation to the vacancy, his engagement being dated the first of November. I had seen this brother for the first time in June, 1832, and complimentary reports were more than con- firmed by his presence. He was then on a visit of two or three weeks to Philadelphia. It was in the cholera season of that year. We were much together — one of the occasions being both peculiar and exciting. A notice had been published, signed by a number of clergymen, calling a meeting of ' Ministers and Chris- tians of the various denominations, to consider the expediency of setting apart a day for fasting, humilia- tion and prayer.' The meeting was held in the Court House. Mr. Fuller and I attended. Several distinguished clergymen urged the measure on the usual grounds, and I opposed it in a speech of some length and point. My objections were based in sanatory and rational considerations, closing with the fact that the Lord had denounced precisely the sort of Fast contemplated, and enjoined an entirely different one, Isa. Iviii. 5-8. 152 REV. S. W. FULLER. Some discussion ensued, in which I was denounced as an Infidel, and several saints tumultuously suggested that I should be put out of the house. The ' previous question' was called, and a day of Fasting appointed, according to the standards of ' orthodoxy.' The accompaniments of this incident revealed to me the energy of Mr. Fuller's character, though he took no part in the debate, being merely a visitor in Phila- delphia. His spiritual value had previously been esta- blished by social intercourse. So favorable was the impression he made in the Callowhill street Church, that he received a most cordial and pressing invitation to become the pastor. Sense of duty to his parish- ioners in New York State, debarred a change of loca- tion at the time ; but the invitation was renewed a year or so later, and accepted — greatly to my satisfaction. Mr. Fuller was nearly four years my senior, though I had entered the ministry a few months the earlier. We were both bachelors. He had suffered much from illness, but was now in good health, excepting that he was lame. There was no exception as regarded his spiritual manhood. In every respect of social-no- bility, I never knew his superior. * He bore, through suffering, toil and ruth, Within his heart the dew of youth, And on his lip the smile of truth.^ He carried sun-shine into all circles of the young and the old, the literary and the religious. Even the house of mourning seemed radiant in his visitations of loving trust. Generosity of spirit and amenity of manner were with him always. His keen wit was without asperity, and his ardent zeal was uniformly tempered by charity. His beaming face was a true index of the inner man. MY ESTIMATE OF HIM. 153 Nor was phrenology at fault in scanning his head. With Mm^ perception was quick, reflection was rigid, and stern conscience denounced what logic condemned. His mind was comprehensive. His power of analysis was displayed alike in conversation and sermonizing. He was a student oi facts and a reader of theories, but in respect of Religion and Morality he relied on his own independent thought, subject only to consistent interpretation of the Bible. As a public speaker he was unequal. Sometimes he was tame ; at others, mightily stirring by forcible thought embodied in unusually glowing language. The average placed him in a high rank among the eloquent men of the age. He was a faithful friend and devoted Universalist. He knew no envy, uttered no evil speech of his brethren, rejoiced in the prosperity of his neighbors, actively sympathized whenever and wherever there was need. In a word, he ''followed peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man can see the Lord." Se saw Him — for he was one of <'the pure in heart." I write this eulogium deliberately, with the advan- tage of six years of closest personal intimacy. At nearly all religious meetings, excepting those which separated us on Sundays as pastors, we were together. At our alternate Conference Meetings, at our volun- teer lectures in Carpenter's Hall and Kensington Hall, at the sessions of our Association and our State Con- vention, we were together. So also in the social groups of Ids people and mine, and frequently at funerals, — still more frequently at each other's dwellings, — and I cannot recal one single instance in which he was other than the Christian gentleman^. Into this, all 154 ELY AND THOMAS DISCUSSION. encomium must be resolved at last. Permit me there- fore to express myself unreservedly, in relation to a true yoke-fellow who has passed to the kingdom above. His removal to Philadelphia was of great service to our cause, both directly as an efficient preacher and pastor, and indirectly as a member of several literary circles. No man is more affectionately remembered than Ae, among hundreds of people who had not and have not any connexion with our churches. Their love of the man could not fail to impress the thought- ful with respect for his theology. At all events, the friendships thus formed could not do less than promote that gentleness of spirit wdiich is akin to godliness. Mr. Fuller commenced his pastoral charge in Phila- delphia, Nov. 3, 1833. In the month following, he and I united in a letter to four distinguished clergy- men, inviting them to lecture in our churches, or to permit us to lecture in theirs, on the points of doctri- nal difference between the parties. On New Year's Day preceding, I had published a general invitation to a discussion, either oral or written, addressed to the clergy of Philadelphia, hoping that out of so many, there would be a volunteer. The effort was fruitless. The particular invitation above mentioned was suc- cessful in part. Two of the reverend gentlemen did not answer. From a third we received a reply of postponement which never amounted to any thing ; but K-ev. E. S. Ely, D.D., came fairly to the work in a letter addressed to myself. A controversial corre- sjDondence ensued. It is known as the ' Ely and Tho- mas Discussion.' There w^ere probable reasons why the choice should fall on me, I jiad longer been a resident of Philadel- REV. DOCTOR ELY. 155 phia, and was better known than Mr. Fuller. Dr. Ely's church was within one square of mine, and our congregations intermingled somewhat, socially. The invitation referred to, if accepted at all, would natu- rally be accepted with a neighbor^ especially under such circumstances. My colleague made several attempts, in other direc- tions, to obtain ' a foeman worthy of his steel,' but in vain. Very sorry was I that he did not succeed, for he was admirably fitted, by both talent and candor, to make ' a battle of opinions' profitable. The controversial correspondence between Rev. Dr. Ely and myself commenced in January, 1834, and was protracted, by interruptions on his part, until March, 1835. He was editor of The Philadelphian, in which paper his letters first appeared, and mine in The Chris- tian Messenger. They were mutually copied and ex- tensively transferred to Universalist periodicals, but not to any Presbyterian print. The correspondence was afterwards published in book form, and attained a wide circulation. There had been slight personal acquaintance of the parties. I knew him — and who did not ? — as a cele- brated divine, the Stated Clerk of the General As- sembly — and he must have had a favorable opinion of me, or it is not likely he would have accepted an invi- tation to discussion. Farther back than the celebrated '' Christian party in politics," as proposed by him, Dr. Ely had been famous both as a preacher and a writer. Once, in his less experienced days, he ' dreamed a dream.' Among other strange fancies, he dreamed that, as a departed spirit, he searched heaven through, and could not find 156 DE. ELY REVIEWED. a single Universalist ! As there are but two apart- ments in the invisible world, according to ^ orthodox' standards, he concluded that the Universalists were all stowed away in disagreeable quarters. He was answered by some wag, who also dreamed a dream. He dreamed that he searched hell throughout, and did not see a single Presbyterian ! " How is this ?" said he to the Adversary : <•<• Are all the Presbyterians in heaven ?" "0 no," was the reply, "we keep them down be- low." Whereupon he lifted a trap-door by means of a great ring, and up popped Dr. Ely ! <■<- Put him down!" cried Beelzebub; "if once he gets out, we shall never get him back !" This was decidedly answering foolishness by folly ; and I hope my reverend friend, in after years, re- gretted his visionary presumption. I sometimes attended his Church, on Sunday after- noon, and on one occasion heard Universalism bela- bored in right good earnest. It nevertheless amused me, because the smitings were w^ide of the mark. A closely-written sheet of good-humored spicy review was in the hands of one of his church-members before the next evening. A day or two following he called on the family, with which he was intimate. Opening the Bible to read a passage, the manuscript was before him. " This appears to be a review of my sermon on Sun- day afternoon," said he — "and by a Universalist, if I do not mistake. Who wrote it?" Being informed, and also that I sat in their pew and took notes, the Doctor's eye ran over the paragraphs. He smiled, put the paper in his pocket, and I did not hear of it afterwards. UNIVERSALISM RENOUNCED. 157 This incident is here mentioned, not as possessing interest, but as probably one of the links which subse- quently brought us into the relation of correspondents. The main cause, however, must be sought in his know- ledge that Universalism, in the autumn of 1833, was attracting more than usual attention in Philadelphia, and in the region round about. The columns of his paper, during the correspond- ence, evinced that some of his friends were uneasy under the operation of things — not perhaps because they thought he had the disadvantage of me, but be- cause a leading Presbyterian print was spreading Uni- versalism among thousands who else had not heard of it, as taught by one of its advocates. The Doctor himself seemed willing to encourage questionable in- struments to off-set these adverse tendencies — whereof the following is an example. The Philadelphian of January 8, 1835, contained the subjoined editorial an- nouncement — the name being here suppressed, because I do not desire to perpetuate personal infamy : " Universalism Renounced. On Saturday evening the 10th instant, in the Session Room of the Third Presbyterian Church, Mr. , who has long been a Universalist, will state his reasons for renouncing the doctrine of Universal Salvation, to all who attend." Forthwith I informed Dr. Ely, by letter, that though his protege had many years previously professed Uni- versalism, he had long been an open Atheist in New York — adding a series of questions which, being answered, would render my testimony in the premises unnecessary. As an additional check, I notified the public of the fact that the Presbyterians and Infidels had joined hands in the warfare against Universalism ! These admonitions were in possession of my reverend 14 158 THE CONVERT EXPOSED. friend in advance of the advertised < aA\-ful disclosures,' but it seemed too late for him to recede. Accordingly his colleague delivered a speech — proving, as well aa he could, that endless punishment is taught in the Bible, this being inferentiallj the reason why he had renounced the heresy of Universalism. The audience consisted chiefly of persons who re- ceived the sweet morsel lusciously from the lips of the new convert — but there were also ' lookers-on in Vi- enna,' one of whom was there by my request. After the address, the reverend Doctor pulled my letter from his pocket, and put certain plain queries, as therein set down. <■<■ Do you believe that the Bible is a revelation from God?" was the first question in order. It was instantly clear to the late spokesman that his ' orthodoxy' was more than suspected, and so he promptly answered, ^'I do not.'' <' That is bad," rejoined the Doctor. ''Do you be- lieve in life and immortality beyond the grave?" was the second question. " I do ?iof," was the equally prompt answer. ''That is worse," said the Doctor. "Do you be- lieve in the existence of Almighty God?" "No, I do not,'' was the response. " Worst of all — out of the frying-pan into the fire," said the mortified colleague of the out-spoken Atheist. The object of each party was of course defeated, most effectually. The deceiver desired to draw atten- tion to himself as a lecturer on a certain branch of physiology, and with that view appealed to anti-uni- versalist zeal, through Dr. Ely. The latter was de- ceived, and richly deserved the consequences, because he accepted the co-operation of a man of whom he QUESTION OF UTILITY. 159 knew nothinir, either personally or by vouchers of character. lie ' caiin;ht a Tartar' — and a Tartar caught him! In the progress of my Discussion with Dr. Ely, I had many letters of inquiry from abroad ; and not a few anonymous communications reached me, couched in reproachful and abusive terms. To the latter, no reply could be returned, and the former were briefly answered, so far as the topics of inquiry were not al- ready on hand in the letters. Private interviews at my own house were also sought, by persons of various disposition and object — mostly sincere inquirers. The conversation had with one of these was written down, shortly after it occurred, and published. The substance of it may be interesting and instructive to the reader of these pages. My visitor, an intelligent, candid gentleman of mid- dle age, a Presbyterian by profession, desired to be made acquainted with my strongest objection to the doctrine of endless punishment, on the score of reason ; and I answered, briefly, that I could not see any utility in a punishment strictly endless. It could not benefit the sufferer by reforming him, because there is no afterward to eternity : It could not benefit the spectators, that is, saints and angels, unless we suppose them thus restrained from sinning — for there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth : And no one will pretend that the Supreme Being could be benefited, in any way, by the never-ending wickedness and misery of a part or portion of His off- spring. Now, sir, inform me, if you can, what good, imme- IGO ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. diate or remote, what utility, direct or indirect, there could be in endless punishment, as a reality ? " May it not be both useful and necessary as an ex- ample in the government of worlds ?" said my visitor. Surely not of other worlds any more than of this; and I am not now treating of endless punishment as a doctrine preached to restrain ungodly persons, but of endless punishment as a woful reality. Besides, we should have nothing to do with possibilities or con- jectures, in an inquiry such as this. Please proceed on the question of utility. «' Perhaps the following may meet the case," said my friend. '<■ God gave a holy, just and good law to man ; man violated, and in violating, offered indignity to and dishonored that law. Now in order to vindi- cate the law, and make it honorable, it is essential that the penalty should be rigorously inflicted." You here assume endless punishment to be that penalty. I will not ask you to attempt the proof of this position by the Scriptures, because you desire to converse, at present, on other than Scriptural grounds. I will simply propose this question : Has the holy, just and good law of God been dishonored by man's unholiness, injustice, and evil conduct in general ? ^' Undoubtedly — because a holy, just and good law, must require holiness, justice and goodness." I will propose another question : If unholiness dis- honors a holy law, in what way can that law be honored ? «' Plainly by holiness." Correctly answered, beyond cavil. But did you not contend, a few moments since, that God would pro- nounce the doom of endless woe, in order to magnify His law and make it honorable ? "I perceive the contradiction," replied my candid THE LAW OF THE LORD. 161 visiter. <'It now appears to me that could all man- kind be brought into conformity with the .spirit of the law, the law would more eflfectually be honored than it could possibly be in the event of endless punishment, which latter would imply endless unholiness." I am pleased to discover so much unity in our views. For their further confirmation, let me direct you to Psalm xix : ' The law of the Lord is perfect, convert- ing the soul ; the testimony of the Lord is sure, mak- ing wise the simple ; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart ; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.' The perfection, sta- bility, righteousness and purity of the law of the Lord, are argued from its tendency to enlighten the mind, convert the soul, and rejoice the heart. The holiness, justice, goodness and perfection of the divine law, are herein manifested. It is dishonored by iniquity : it is honored by holiness and righteousness. "Your ideas appear reasonable — but may not this be an answer to your objection : The Lord will doom the wicked to endless punishment, in vindication of his own character and for the manifestation of his own glory" If you are candid, you will presently relinquish this ground. It is written, 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' If man, in this world, comes short of the glory of his Maker by sinning, is it rational to suppose he can ever come up to the standard of that glory, if he be placed in a condition in which it will be impossible for him to reform ? "I confess that your arguments stagger me," ac- knowledged my friend. <■<■ I never before beheld the doctrine in which I have long been instructed to be- lieve, in so appalling a form ; and I shall be under the 14* 162 A GROVE MEETING. necessity of admitting your objection unanswerable, unless you will suggest to me a more defensible an- swer than I have yet produced." Verily, <■ you are not far from the kingdom of Grod.' I will give you the theory of the Hopkinsians, as they are called, for they are the only consistent advocates of endless woe. They afiirm, that the misery of the damyiecl will augment the happi^iess of the saints for ever ! i' Merciful God ! And do they thus reply to your question of utility ?" Verily, they do ; and in the blindness of their fool- ish hearts, they even affirm that mothers will shout Amen, to the endless perdition of their own offspring in flames of fire ! Why do you shudder ? The mystery of iniquity is consistent, only, when linked with this appalling result. — The interview closed, with what permanency of effect I am unable to say. If any one thinks he could have managed the case better than did my can- did visiter, let him try it in his own meditation. If he pursues the inquiry faithfully, he will inevitably reach the hypothesis ascribed to Dr. Hopkins. I have met with few persons who were willing to en- dorse that appalling (yet consistent) view of the sub- ject — yet there are cases vividly in my remembrance — the more vivid, because examples so rarely occurred. One of these is dated near Flowertown in 1832, the first year of the Cholera in Philadelphia. Announcement of a grove-meeting, on the bank of the Wissahicon, attracted a large assembly. Uni- versalism was of course the theme of my sermons, and as usual there were contrasts instituted of the affirma- tive and the negative — the question of utility coming OBJECTION CONSIDERED. 163 in for prominent consideration. Liberty of reply was given, but not accepted until the congregation was dismissed. Immediately, a Presbyterian layman, who had some brains and more tongue, and less heart than either, (as the conversation demonstrated,) attempted to answer my argument. He was (and is) an < Under- taker,' resident in Philadelphia. "You have found fault with the sentiment of Dr. Hopkins that the saints will say Amen, alleluia, to the endless torment of the lost. How will you explain the fact that the Apocalypse ascribes that very language to the redeemed in glory ? They said, Amen, alleluia — and the smoke of her torment rose up for ever and ever. They shouted Alleluia, for the Lord God Om- nipotent reigneth." Rev. xix. 3-6. "Your doctrine of endless torment," I replied, "bears no analogy to the case in the Apocalypse. The one is clearly a judgment in this world, connected with the downfall of Paganism, and therefore not final as affecting the soul. The other is placed in the future world, is affirmed of individuals as such, and is sup- posed to be endless. We might, as a people, rejoice over the defeat of an enemy's army, even though myriads were slain on the battle-field. If you should thence infer that we would also rejoice in the endless wretchedness of the individuals slain, I, for one, must beg to be excepted." " But does not the text say, that her smoke rose up for ever and ever?" he inquired, in triumph. "Yes, certainly, her smoke," was my answer; "and so it was declared by the prophet, that the burning pitch and brimstone that consumed Idumea should not be quenched night nor day ; ' the smoke thereof shall go up for ever .... from generation to generation it 164 DOCTRmE OF DEVILS. shall lie -svaste ; none shall pass through it for ever and ever,' Isa. xxxiv. Yet this was distinctly a judg- ment in the earth, and the same is true of the passage in the Apocalypse, as the connexion shows. " But, sir, let us come to matters of fact, as within your own breast. No matter by what means convinced of the doctrine of endless misery, tell me plainly, do you unite in that sentiment of Dr. Hopkins ?" «« Unquestionably I c?o," was the reply.- «' And would you rejoice in heaven over any one of these people in hell, provided such should be your rela- tive final destiny?" <'I have no reason to doubt it," he said, promptly. <' Then, sir, you are the less worthy of heaven and the more worthy of hell, of the two — for I do not be- lieve there is a person in this assembly, excepting your saintly self, who would rejoice over the endless misery of even a dog !" ^'But you forget," he protested, ''that I speak with reference to the glory of God." <■<■ And of course you would thus rejoice over the end- less misery of even your own children?" was the next query. ''Yes, sir, on the same principle," he replied. "I am consistent from beginning to end, and should even be willing to be damned myself, if it should be for the glory of God." " Saints and angels would also be willing, I suppose, on the same score, and would shout Amen," I added. " Certainly." " And devils would also be willing, and shout Amen, Alleluia!" was the additional suggestion. "I presume they would," answered the consistent believer. THE DOCTRINE EXPLODED. 165 " Then, sir, the case seems to be clear regarding yourself. You are decidedly the fittest subject for endless damnation that I have ever seen. You are fit^ because ivilling. I am not willing to be so dealt with for the glory of either God or Devil — for I am not willing to blaspheme the one and be in fellowship with the other, either here or hereafter. Let us not, however, forget the children. Your affections ought to be twined around them in deathless union ; yet the cup which would be wormwood if now pressed to your lips, will be changed into nectar by the alchymy of the resurrection ! You could not shout Amen in be- holding your offspring slowly consuming at the stake, obedient or disobedient, glory or no glory ; yet you believe you will do more than shout, should you see their smoke rising up for ever from the fire and brim- stone of nethermost Tartarus ! The Lord have mercy on you !" <' You forget," was the reply, uttered in extremity, "you forget that believers are to be changed in a moment." "No, sir, I have not forgotten it ; but I have yet to learn that the resurrection will be a change for the worse. It will be a change for the better — a change from glory to glory. Abandon, I pray you, abandon the abomination that maketh desolate, standing where it ought not, in the holy place. Cultivate the hope of being better in heaven than you are here. Cherish kindly sympathies for the whole race, and thus grow constantly in likeness to Christ. Then shall you be brought to see that if there be 'joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth,' there will be fulness of joy in that blessed life, only when the last rebel shall be re- deemed. In that sublime consummation, the Universe 166 FUNERAL OF A SUICIDE. shall be filled with rejoicing, as the highest illustration of the glory of God." — This interview may not have varied the opinions of my Presbyterian friend — certainly it did not vary mine. An effect was visible in the assemblage around us. I could even hear and feel the chill shuddering of several who stood nearest, when the fearfully-con- sistent speculations of my respondent were uttered. Possibly the emotion was transient, not awakening vital thought, yet I do not understand how that theory can be considered for an instant, without exciting ever- lasting abhorrence. In June, 1834, a dramatic writer of celebrity com- mitted suicide, by drowning in the Schuylkill. It would serve no useful purpose to record his name. He was the author of 'Metamora,' an Indian tragedy written for Edwin Forrest. The principal part was no less adapted to the talents of that eminent actor than to popular taste for Indian history, and the au- thor of the piece was reputed accordingly. Mr. Forrest, in company of a friend of his, called to invite my attendance at the funeral. * Neither of them was a Universalist, and with neither of them had I any acquaintance. The service was to be at the late boarding-house of the deceased — an elegant establish- ment in Walnut street — and was appointed for Sunday morning at 9 o'clock. Of course I attended. The spacious parlors were filled, mostly with theatrical people, some of them highly distinguished — the noble form of Mr. Forrest, with folded arms, being prominent in the group. I could but feel my littleness as a public speaker, in the presence of so much talent in that line — yet the re- FUNERAL SERVICE. 1G7 "membrance of tvho I was, representatively, and of why I had been invited to that house of mourning in pre- ference of all clergymen in Philadelphia, gave to my spirit a consciousness of dignity never before experi- enced. An only child of the deceased — a bright boy of pos- sibly ten years — sat on one side of the coffin, weeping — alas, poor lad ! — and the preacher stood on the other side. I spoke substantially as follows : Why was /sent for to attend the funeral of this man of genius? Passing by the many distinguished and experienced divines of this city, a young man, almost unknown, and certainly not ac- knowledged in the popular religious circles, was invited — and he is here. Why did the friends of the departed make selection of me f — Only because you knew that / could not consistently, and WOULD not, sit in harsh judgment on him, nor afflict you by doom- ing him to the harsher judgment of the Almighty. [Mr. Forrest bowed his head in acknowledgment, and the preacher went on.] The compliment is not to me, but to that view of the govern- ment of God which, only, can impart comfort to the sorrowing without stifling thought or searing sympathy. Let Thought travel upward, downward, abroad, in this great Universe, and Sympathy may lawfully be by its side — for this great Universe is circumscribed, and shall be sanctified and glorified, by the Infinite anS Everlasting Love. The departed — how the billows and the waves must have rolled over him, ere he sought repose from their bufietings in the depths of the dark waters ! How this child loved him, and wails for him ! How you loved him, and how you pity him, when you think of the woe that wearied him of life ! And shall not the great God love and pity him too ? Not as a critic do I stand before you, but as a comforter, by means of that holy Gospel which builds our hopes of immortality, not on the quick-sands of contingency, but on the eternal Rock — not on what man is, or may be, or may become, but on what God is, and what His absolute purpose embraces as the issue of His plans. Through instruction, through sufl"erings and disci- pline perhaps, but certainly, every soul shall finally be brought out of darkness into marvelous light. 168 ONE BLESSED GOSPEL. Such was the strain of the funeral service. There was clear evidence of approval among the persons pre sent — but this was of small account to me. There was higher meed within — not of self-praise, but of quiet- ened conviction that Universalism only could answer the soul's necessities in its greatest need. And I wrapped mj cloak around me, and went out into the cold rain of that Sunday morning, and Avalked to my church, with a heart that sang psalms in the kingdom of heaven. The author of ' Metamora' was buried in Machpelah Cemetery, and Mr. Forrest erected a fine monument over him. It is on the west side of the main avenue, as you enter the grounds from Washington street. — It has fallen to my lot to attend the funerals of six or seven suicides in the course of my ministry. In not one instance was the deceased a Universalist. In at least two cases the entire family connexion was of a strictly ' orthodox' school, and in every case, except- ing perhaps the preceding, the lynx-eyes of ^ ortho- doxy' watched me narrowly. But those eyes were generally otherwise employed ere the service was closed, — giving token (I thought) of deep thankful- ness that there was at least one Gospel to reach all emergencies. It was not surprising that they should watch me narrowly. According to popular standards there is no hope for him who lays violent hands upon himself. If he lays violent hands upon another, as in murder, and has a short space for repentance, it may be well with him — for though Paul declares that unrighteous persons shall not inherit the kingdom of God, no one applies the passage to such as repent, 1 Cor. vi. 9-11. But all possibility of repentance is barred by self-de- SUICIDE CONSIDERED. 169 struction — and so we often hear the quotation, ^No self-murderer shall enter into eternal life.' There is no such passage in the Bible. The nearest like it, is 1 John iii. 15: "Whosoever hateth his bro- ther is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in hirrC' — which is certainly true, for eternal life cannot exist independently of the love of God and man. It is a suggestive fact that the Bible nowhere men- tions any judgment as connected with suicide. Reve- lation appears to assume the natural love of life as its sufficient guard. Men, in dark ages, superadded the penalty of indignity to the body — by exclusion from interment in consecrated ground, or by burial at cross- roads, or the like — and priests denounced a more awful doom of exclusion for the spirit, accompanied by the baptism of endless fire. Humanity, in these latter days, treats the dead body with greater respect. Alas that Divinity should still maintain the barbarism of the past in respect of the living soul ! The Bible nowhere mentions any judgment as con- nected with suicide. Judas is not an exception. He was lost from among the disciples, while others were hept, this being the contrast, John xvii. 12. He swerved by transgression, and left the <■ ministry and apostleship that he might go to his own place,' Acts i. IT, 25 — that is, he returned to his former habitation or calling, in the same sense that Balaam returned to to. Numbers xxiv. 25. "It had been good for that man if he had not been born," Matt. xxvi. 24, was a proverbial saying among the Jews, signifying merely that such an one was a miserable being. " Woe unto that man," would better be rendered, " J.Zas for that man," as expressive of pity rather than condemnation. 15 170 ABNER ZNEELAND. Surely Judas was to be pitied, whether we suppose that he hanged himself by reason of conscientious smitings, or that he was suffocated with anguish from the same cause. The summer of 1834 was a season of much excite- ment among the Sceptics of Philadelphia. Their ex- citement seemed to be pleasurable, but in what the pleasure consisted I could not learn. They were united in a denial of Divine Revelation — some of them doubted a future conscious existence — others denied it without qualification — and a few were open Atheists, as affecuiig any intelligent creative First Cause. Amonu the latter was Mr. Abner Kneeland, who came hi^ther from New York, in July, on a mission of Sceptic Evangelism ! He duly entered life as a Bap- tist clergyman — served some time as a Universalist — and was raised to the sublime degree of a Believer in all Unbelief, by Miss Frances Wright. He has gone home, we trust, to a world in which there is no dark- ness and no sorrow — where all is light and blessedness for ever. Let me not speak of him unkindly. With all his errors of judgment, he was a man of excellent moral character, of amiable spirit and imperturbable calmness — and never have I seen a person of more venerable and commanding presence. Our personal relations were always agreeable, notwithstanding our direct antagonism in opinion — a fact which it affords me much pleasure to remember. Mr. Kneeland was both credulous and incredulous. Two little girls in New York, by looking into a tum- bler of water, ascertained the spot on the North Biver where Captain Kidd's money was buried — so they as- SCEPTIC EVANGELISM. 171 sured Mr. K., — and he believed them, and invested all he had in the world in a digging operation. Yet he denied the ancient seers of Holy Writ ! It was this liability to deception, and a morbid seek- ing after new things, that led him, step by step, into a gulf so deep and dark that he could not see even a gleam of the meridian sun — nor stars ! He had been pastor in Philadelphia from 1818 till 1825, and now, in 1834, he asked permission to lecture in the same church, at that time under my charge. "The Trustees must decide," said I, "but I will use all my influence in behalf of your wish, provided you will tell me some good you can effect with your sentiments that Z cannot accomplish with mirier " The ' orthodox' might ask you the same question, under similar circumstances," said he. " I should pronounce it a fair question, and should answer it," was my reply: "Will you answer me.'' "How would you answer them?'' was the inquiry of the experienced debater. " Thus : ' I frankly acknowledge that your religious views bring many joys, and are of practical value in many respects. But I have something better. I pro- pose to remove all doubts and tormenting apprehen- sions from your hearts. Your vision of mercy and salvation shall be enlarged and quickened. Y^ou shall behold the universe of souls redeemed and glorified, and the prospect shall fill you with unutterable joy.' — That, sir, is somewhat the way in which I should an- swer the « orthodox.' How will you answer me?" " I want to rid the Universalists of their supersti- tious notions," was the reply. " That does not meet the question, Mr. Kneeland. Tell me what evil there is in what you term our « su 172 CLOSE OF THE YEAR. perstitious notions' — and also what good would accrue from your proposed substitute ? Should we be more happy in the new order of things than we are at pre- sent ? Are you as happy now, as when you believed in Universalism ?" " I am not sensible of any difference," said he, with his usual calmness. "You have a beloved daughter in Charlestown. You left her alive and well. Let us suppose you journeying homeward. Would that journey be as pleasant with the certainty of finding her dead, as it would be w^ith the expectation of finding her in better health and happier than when you saw her last?" "I don't know that it would make any difference," was his reply. " Pardon me, sir, but I do not believe you. Desire to sustain your position, over-powers your candor." The conversation was at an end. He would scarcely have pretended that his feelings in the supposed jour- ney would be the same, on the ' orthodox' hypothesis of finding his daughter alive, tortured perhaps in every fibre by disease. He was Stoical to a fault — but there are some things which can reach the quick, through all mail and harness of controversy. A grove-meeting held near Cantwell's Bridge, Del., in August, was exceeded in pleasantness by the session of the General Convention, at Albany, in September. But < home, sweet home,' was especially attractive in November, because we were favored with 'Nine Ser- mons' by HosEA Ballou. The visitation, with its social accompaniments, closed and crowned the year ■with a blessing. WOKK IN PHILADELPHIA. 173 CHAPTER V. Judgment in Eternity — Day of Probation — Two sorts of Judgment — Conversation with a partisan spy — Free Agency — Web and Woof — Dialogue — Arminio-Calvinism — Rev. Albert Barnes, and no ray of light — Jubilee in Hell — Tour in New England — Lowell — Lynn — Quakerism — Wentworth — Rev. John G. Adams — Spiritual Union — Papist hope and Protestant un-hope — Deerfield — Visit to Maine — Jubilee session in Hartford — Rev. S. R. Smith's sermon — Rev. Russell Streeter — Winchester's Grave — Leigh Hunt — Discussion with Rev. Wm. L. McCalla — Anecdotes — Singular freak of a Uni- versalist Minister — Death of Bishop White — Episcopal lady and the new birth — "If there is not an endless hell, there ought to be" — Hanging and Damning privately — Dr. George De Benneville. My correspondence with Dr. Ely continued until March, 1835. January was somewhat interesting, by reason of a singular renunciation of Universalism in the Doctor's Session Room, as before narrated. It was not singular that I should take lawful advantage of the circumstance, by both pen and speech. The latter was comprehended in two Sunday evening lec- tures, duly announced and largely attended. The first assigned my reasons for having renounced the doctrine of endless punishment ; the second assigned my rea- sons for having embraced the doctrine of Universalism. These lectures were succeeded by a series in proof of Divine Revelation. There was another matter which excited some inte- rest. We held meetings for instruction and worship on Sunday afternoons, in the Commissioners' Hall in Kensington, a sub-urban district of Philadelphia. Mr. Fuller and I officiated alternately. It was truly re- 15* 174 DAY OF PROBATION. freshing in January, to learn tliat Rev. William A. Wiggins, a Methodist clergyman in Kensington, had appointed a special lecture in proof of an after-death judgment. A stenographer was employed to report it for the press, and publication followed, accompanied by a review. The pamphlet, entitled "Judgment in Eternity," was largely circulated — much inquiry was drawn to the question — and several visitors sought conversation at the reviewer's residence. One of these assumed the position of a seeker for truth, but his lack of candor unveiled him as a parti- san spy. Illustrations of his perversity would serve no useful purpose, but the instructive parts of the con- versation may be interesting. The topic was Proba- tion, with its adjuncts. " The Bible," said he, <' plainly teaches the doctrine of a judgment, here or hereafter, as neither of us can deny. Let it be in this life, or in tJie future life, a judgment implies a reckoning, a calling to account for previous conduct, during a period longer or shorter — • there being no judgment meanwhile, — and tJiat period is strictly a state of probation, or trial." Such was the substance of his argument, compactly presented. "You are partly correct and partly in error," was my reply. " You are correct in relation to one class of judgments, but not in relation to another class. For example : The prophets denounced a woful doom on Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, if the people be- came corrupt and persisted in crime. John the Bap- tist called upon them to repent, and so did Christ — implying that reformation of life would avert the pre- dicted judgment." "I thought you denied that any judgment can be averted by repentance," said the spy. DOCTRINE OF JUDGMENT. 175 " Then, sir, you thought wrong, and I hope you will not think so again. Christ said to the wicked Jews, crew' was at the helm — and the preachers were stowed into a dingy hole about the size of a hogshead. We faced ' the skip- per' side-wise, and found entertainment in his stories and songs of Whale-dom, dm^ing the dark hours of our voyage to Greenport. Arriving past midnight, we rested at a hotel — and the next day, through the rain and in a carriage so leaky that we had to dodge the streams, we reached Southold in season for our appointments. The weather cleared up, and the enjoyments of oui' visit would have recompensed two such trips — provided a reasonable interval were allowed. Among the points of visitation at Southold was one which some of our friends considered peculiarly appro- priate for me. It w^as the residence of a canonical bachelor — one who declared (and his sincerity was not doubted by those who knew him) that the women were HIS SNAKEOLOGY. 247 the occasion of all the mischief in the world, from Adam downward. He lived alone, strictly — and his habitation was clear evidence that woman's tidy hand never meddled with the premises. He cooked for himself, and washed and mended his own clothes — the wherewithal of livelihood being derived from a few acres which he cultivated with his own hands. He had peculiar doctrinal notions. He held that Cain was literally the son of the Devil, — to which he added, a year or so later, that the Locomotive which rushed through a field of his, bisected by the Rail Road, had the same origin. The moon, he insisted, did not cause the tides : it would be as sensible, he thought, to affirm that the tides effected the changes of the moon. The earth, in his theory, was a living creature that breathed twice in twenty-four hours, causing the ebb and flow of the sea — and, when ex- cited, an earthquake. His system of both Nature and Theology, was known in the neighborhood as < Snakeology.' It was certainly a scandal to speak of my bachelor- ism in connection with hi% — but in respect of stern in- tegrity of character, no one could truthfully regard it a disparagement to be likened to that singular man. The dawn of New- Year, 1839, brought with it a pre- sent from a friend, without clue to the donor. It con- sisted of an elegant copy of the Bible, and a set of tickets to George Combe's Lectures on Phrenology. I had studied the Scriptures with some diligence for many years, and had been one of the first to greet the Fowlers in Philadelphia, as exponents of the doctrines of Gall and Spurzheim. My friend probably knew how 248 GEORGE COMBE. closely Revelation and Phrenology were associated in my thoughts. I had said in the pulpit, plainly, that next to the Bible, in importance and practical value, I placed the book entitled "The Constitution of Man." And so the present combined a copy of the former with tickets of admission to hear the author of the latter. Was it not remarkable that only three clergymen attended that first series of Combe's Lectures in Phila- delphia ? Elder Frederick Plummer, Rev. S. W. Fuller, and myself. The fact was not remarkable, for <■ orthodoxy ' has never countenanced the beginnings of any science. The bearings and distances are always taken and nicely calculated, before the Chm'ch Navy will even speak a stranger-craft with civility. There is loud boasting of trained officers, and trusty crews, and great guns, in the huge Men-of-War — but fear of Infidel Pirates sug- gests that ' discretion is the better part of valor,' and each Vessel of Science must first establish an ' ortho- dox' character — or must show its irresistible magazine of Facts — before its flag is so much as saluted on the high seas ! It is needless to say that Mr. Combe greatly instruct- ed us, nor that he was greatly pleased to find even three inquiring clergymen in Philadelphia. The number was enlarged at his second course. Meanwhile Mr. Fuller and myself formed a pleasant acquaintance with the distinguished lecturer, and hoped that he afterwards remembered us, not as independent thinkers merely, but as his personal friends. Attention to Phrenology, together with current du- ties, debarred any missionary operations for a season. Nevertheless extra labor was not lacking. I had a work on hand which hardly justified the time bestowed HYMNS OF ZION. 249 upon it. The reference is to a volume of Hymns and appropriate Music, denominated * Hymxs of Zion.' The motive to prepare it was as little selfish as any one may lawfully claim, and the execution was creditable. But the book, as a whole, did not compensate the atten- tion devoted to it. The deficit is diminished by the consideration that sundry psalmody- compilers have derived much unacknowledged aid from my lyrical compositions, including my emendations of preceding authors in that line. • Why is it that so much limping rhythm, and barba- rous rhyme, and uncouth doggerel, is sanctified by the custom of worshiping assemblies ? It would almost seem that ' orthodox ' theology, which is so hard in the preaching and the believing, has demanded a corre- spondence in gospel lyrics. I do not now allude to the theology/ of the latter — for people should sing (and also pray) as they believe, and so the Pulpit and the Pew be in accordance, however doleful the strain — but I al- lude to the lack of euphony and beautiful imagery in church hymns. Little skill have I in the latter item — but it has long appeared a burning shame that senti- mental songs should have so greatly the advantage of gospel lyrics, in respect of poetical expression. Besides the enjoyments and labors of the winter of '38-'39, my mind was greatly exercised by thoughts of a removal from Philadelphia. Commencing my pas- toral charge with small preparation for so important a station, extraordinary exertions were essential to the respectable discharge of its pulpit duties. I might have gotten along with less earnest study, because there would have been more time for it, had I been less of a Missionary between Sundays. But so it tvas, for good 250 KEASON AND FEELING. or ill, and the need of relaxation, by travel or another settlement, was strongly present in my cogitations. Let me not be charged with vanity in alluding to the stout and unanimous Nay of my Society. I felt myself worthy of their attachment, and they were worthy of mine. The tenth year of harmony was rolling away. My people besought the son of their adoption to exor- cise the spirit of un-rest, take things easily, and remain in the Family always. how mightily Reason and Feeling strove for the mastery ! The former prevailed in May — how incon- gruously with the time of flowers ! — and I tendered my resignation as Pastor. The letter, believe me, had scalding tears upon it. Were you ever turned around, when traveling on a steam-boat, or the like ? Has Feeling ever told you that you were journeying in one direction, while Rea- son decided that you were journeying in a direction exactly opposite ? Such was my situation. It was a fierce struggle, and Feeling cried like a child when Reason prevailed. That conflict taught me a lesson of charity — rather, let me say, it illustrated the principle of the charity which the Gospel had taught me long before. Thou- sands of sincere people are convinced that God has revealed the doom of endless sorrowing, — and the pro- bability is that some of their own immediate kindred will be among the doomed. How terribly Feeling re- bels ! The head says. Yes — the heart says. No. The head preaches for it — the heart prays against it. Which of the twain shall triumph ? which must yield ? The answer comes with authority: ' God's word tes- tifies in the affirmative — and it is only depraved hu- man nature that rises up in the negative.' A SERIOUS CONFLICT. 251 And sOj as God cannot be changed, human nature must be. The change comes by miracle — (the Lord knows it could not come by any other means 1) The renewed believer trembles and shudders somewhat at first — (for the Divinity has not yet wholly sanctified the Humanity) — but he gets used to it gradually — and by and bye he says, (as the saint said at the Wis- sahickon,) ' I can shout Amen, over the endless wretch- edness of even my own children ! * Great God ! is there any account, in thy Holy "Word, of an unpardonable sin ? If there be, surely it is this ! — My conflict of Reason and Feeling had no such awful consummation. The former said. Go. The latter only sang, tearfully, ' Home ! sweet Home !' — Was there ever another such song as that ? The lesson of charity bids me rather pity than con- demn the people — how fearfully sincere they are ! — the people who are so deluded by false interpretation, as to believe in ceaseless torment, and to regard it a re- ligious duty to stifle every tender sympathy by way of eff"ecting unity. God has threatened that doom, say they — and as He will not change to suit us^ we must be changed to suit Him. The Lord knows they have a hard time of it, and he pities them : let Universalists pity them too. 'But do you affirm,' say they, 'that Reason must give way to Feeling ?' Yes, when Reason is wrong and Feeling is right. Not otherwise. '* ' But how shall the question of right or wrong be de- cided ? You seem to argue that heart-prayer, in the example of endless punishment, must not give way to head-conviction, but the contrary. You acknowledge you were ' turned around on the steam-boat' in your 252 JUDGMENT WITHOUT MERCY. own case — jet Feeling had to give way. How will you explain, consistently ?' Thus : The question was between two scenes of use- fulness and personal happiness — one of them at home, the other abroad. It therefore bore no analogy to your doctrine of a personal willingness to be damned for the glory of God ! It had no relation to my own misery, nor to the misery of any other being in the Universe. Had it been otherwise, conscience would have assigned the victory to Feeling. ^How do you satisfy yourself that it would have been just and right for you to do so ?' In several harmonious ways. I begin by assuming that all divine doctrine is practical, leading directly to the love of God and Man, in unity. The Christian Spirit assents to no permanent misery, even for ene- mies, but pleads for their redemption, and is satisfied only when Faith beholds the consummation in holiness. Conscience declares that < he shall have judgment with- out mercy who showed no mercy,' and the Christian Spirit weeps as Christ wept over Jerusalem. Shall that Spirit weep always ? no ! Shall its sensibili- ties be seared as with a hot iron ? no. Beyond the Judgment without Mercy visited upon the merciless, Faith beholds Mercy rejoicing and glorying against Judgment ; and in contemjolating universal salvation as the final result, the Christian Spirit shouts aloud ! But mark well ! it never can say Amen to the endless wretchedness of any soul. Only the Spirit of the Devil can do that ! — Behold how I have travelled from the narrative ! Let me return to it. Return to Philadelphia perhaps — for in my letter of resignation, a couplet from Gold- smith's <■ Traveller' was cited, and self-applied : OUR ANCIENT CHURCH. 253 " He still had hopes, his weary wanderings past, Here to return, and die at Home, at last." But there was a preliminary question in the Family : Shall he leave Home at all ? We will not accept your resignation now. You shall have leave of absence for a few months, and we hope you will then withdraw your letter. Also my excellent yoke-fellow, Mr. Fuller — how alive he was with a kindred hope ! During a visit of mine to New England, starting in July, he published an article in which, after mentioning certain complimen- tary facts regarding my church and its prosperity, he wrote as follows : " I miss him much — most in my thoughts. Many hearts are full of good wishes in his behalf, and our bosoms are alive with the hope that he will be so refreshed with his journey, and find such a welcome when he returns, that he will feel there is no place like home, and no home for him like Philadelphia." That noble soul did not doubt that T missed Am, but he could not know how greatly I should miss him nine years afterwards. — Let me apologize for this section of personal history, and draw a veil over the sundering of my pastoral charge in the city of brotherly love. My labors in that Chm-ch were prospered and ap- preciated. Beginning with a small assembly of de- voted friends, worshipping in an antiquated building, the congregation gradually increased in numbers and resources, (also, we trusted, in knowledge and grace,) and in 1836 the ancient meeting-house was remodelled at a large expense. Two years previously a Session Room had been built for Sunday-School and Confer- ence purposes. It was likewise occupied by an associ- ation of young men, known as the First Universalist Institute, organized in the Spring of 1834. I have 22 254 MISSIONARY SERVICE. pleasure in remembering my imremitted personal at- tention to these means of social and religious culture. Those material improvements were effected mostly by voluntary taxation, but outside indebtedness, including an old mortgage, troubled the Church for many years. All obligations were finally discharged by the sale of a large lot in Moyamensing and a small dwelling-house in Lombard street. This was in 1842. The surplus constituted a fund, the benefit of which may be enjoyed for centuries. Little do the younger believers know of the difficulties encountered by both People and Pastor, to accomplish this end. — My missionary service was wholly of the volun- teer order. Seldom, excepting in Reading and in Easton, did I receive any < material aid ' beyond the expenses of travelling, and most generally my private purse (never over-burthened) was leaner when I re- turned to my home than when I departed. Besides the places named in the preceding narra- tive, I have now before me a list of more than thirty towns and neighborhoods, within one hundred miles of Philadelphia, in which I preached more or less fre- quently. In many of these, interesting incidents oc- curred, but I shall not attempt to narrate them in these pages. I cannot however close this chapter without re- cording the circumstances of my first extemporaneous sermon — that is, extemporaneous in the popular sense. My worthy friend, Thomas Amies, a celebrated paper-manufacturer in his day, resided on the ^ Dove Mill ' property, in Lower Merion, about 11 miles north of west from Philadelphia. I frequently accompanied him from the city, and spent happy days with his hos- pitable family. In the evenings we had meetings in a school-house. SERMON TO TREES. 255 Roaming one afternoon in the woods — it was in 1830 — I stood on what was termed the 'Pulpit Rock,' alone. The birds were singing sweetly all around, and I said, ' Why should I not preach V A subject which had been revolving in my mind was present — and the text was forthwith announced. 2 Cor. v. 19 : ' God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto him- self, not imputing unto them their trespasses.' And then and there, my first extemporaneous sermon was delivered, to a congregation of trees ! They were not critical, else they would not so often have nodded — unless they were asleep ; but my heart glowed with the theme, and it seemed to me, in the issue, that all the trees of the forest clapped their hands, and shouted ! At the sentiment^ mark you ! Not God out of Christ, as many would say in treating of our God as a consum- ing fire — but ill Christ as the Mediator, consuming the dross and refining the silver of men. Reconciling, not God to the world, but the world to God. Not re- proaching sinners with their unworthiness, but reveal- ing unto them the infinite worthiness of the Father. how kindling was the sentiment ! and how it glowed in the sermon delivered to that congregation of trees ! They clapped their hands, and shouted aloud. It did not prove so satisfactory, I thought, when repeated in my church on the next Sunday morning. There was no nodding, in either sense, as aforesaid — and perhaps all the diff'erence was in myself. Pro- bably it was — yet partial friends commended the new order of things, and counselled me to abandon ' stilts,' thenceforward. The advice was well meant, and gradually adopted. Self-possession, facility of utterance ofi-hand, and other 256 SKETCHES OF SERMONS. natural consequences, answered me a good purpose many a time — yet I have long regretted ceasing to •write my sermons in full. Perhaps, on the whole, it •was best that I adopted the advice referred to. I am sorry to record, that most of the sermons com- mitted to paper at that time, and afterwards, were committed to the fire before I left Philadelphia. They made some light in the ending of their history, at least. Sketches of sermons, usually called « skeletons,' abounded, and were preserved. And as I looked at them lying in my desk, a voice seemed to say to me, < Son of man, can these dry bones live V There was no intentional irreverence in the answer, « Lord God, thou knowest.' Certainly I did not know — but only hoped that if they could be clothed with flesh and skin, and if the Lord would graciously breathe upon them, they might spring to their feet, < an exceeding great army.' MY SETTLEMENT IN LOWELL. 257 CHAPTER YII. Settlement in Lowell — My Society — City Hall — Burning up of the world — The theory considered — Second coming of Christ — Bible metaphors — Visit to Pennsylvania — Death of Eev. S. W. Fuller — Questions without Answers — Congregational Creed — Death of my father — ' Lowell Offering' — Its origin and history — Thanksgiving Day— 'Star of Bethlehem'— ' Both sides'— ' What a get-off!'— Visit to New Hampshire — Wentworth — ' Your pulse is calm' — Rumney — Temperance Agency, and a long visage — Rev, M. H. Smith — His history — The Smith War — Discussion with Rev. Lu- ther Lee — Knappism — Maltreatment of my wife — Change of heart — Universalism in death — Chaplain of a Regiment — Visit to the Shakers — Sons of the prophets — Departure from Lowell. The new locality to which Reason directed mj Body as its instrument of work, was Lowell, Mass. Feel- ing was left in Philadelphia, to join the absent duality at its leisure. It followed in due season, but its fibres connected both places, always. Lowell had at that time a population of about twenty thousand, each with a soul presumptively, and most of them evidently. It was not an old manufacturing dis- trict, mark you ! where the operatives have become fix- tures, and where the great majority know nothing but the single branch assigned them in the subdivision of labor, and where the wages are nicely adjusted to the amount requisite to keep soul and body together — but it was a new manufacturing district, in iVetd^-England, with plenty of work, good wages, and many social ad- vantages. The population, in respect of enterprise and intelligence, impressed me very favorably, and I was not loth to pitch my tent in that industrial camp. 22* 258 A ZEALOUS PEOPLE. The pastoral charge of the Second Church, recently vacated, was promptly tendered to me, unanimously. It was not strictly Uove at first sight' with me, nor love at first hearing with the people — nevertheless, I deemed it prudent to guard against the evils of ' mar- rying in haste.' An acquaintance of five or six weeks appeared to prove that ^the match' was a suitable one, and about the middle of August I accepted the over- ture for a pastoral settlement. A union had previously been celebrated between Rev. Thomas B. Thayer and myself, by spiritual affini- ty. We were both bachelors, (the more the shame and sorrow,) and we made the best of that form of isolation by becoming yoke-fellows in spirit and plan. ' Co-ope- ration' was the motto determined upon in the begin- ning, and joint-efi"ort was the practical commentary even unto the end. The early months of my settlement were devoted to preaching in a quiet way, and to pastoral visitation. The latter had not a wide range, for my society con- sisted mainly of single folks. Never have I seen so large a congregation with so few children. There is no necessary connection of the facts, but never have I known a more thoroughly-earnest company of believers. The (■ working-men' of the Society were mostly Over- seers, Machinists, and Artizans, employed in the Mills — men of little worldly substance excepting as earned by their own hands, — but their love of truth prompted such liberality with their means, and such industry with their intelligence, as must always highly distinguish them in my remembrance. I scarcely know how to record the incidents of my connection with that zealous people. Seldom was I ab- sent on missionary service, — for which reason this PREDICTED CONFLAGRATION. 259 chapter will be nearly barren of interest in that usually exciting line, — and our home-operations were rather of the continuous order than of the occasional sort. The latter were the more awakening at the time, and pre- sumably would be the more readable in the narration : the former were of the greater value, because the more permanent in their influence. Each however did good service, and I shall endeavor so to combine the ' con- tinuous' and the ' occasional' in these pages, as to j^re- sent a reasonably interesting account of the busiest three years of my life. Our meetings for worship were held in the morning and the afternoon. About New Year, the pastors com- menced the delivery of Sunday evening lectures, al- ternately, Mr. Thayer in his own church, and myself in the City Hall. This building stood within a few rods of my church, and was preferred because it would accommodate a much larger number of people. I had been accustomed to crowds and excitement, but the early part of 1840 was a new page in my his- tory of Rational Revivalism. It suited me precisely, and it precisely suited my co-operators. Two lectures of an unsectarian character, addressed to the youth of Lowell, attracted much attention. Other lectures fol- lowed, devoted mainly to doctrinal exposition — and then a peculiar theory came up for consideration. < Millerism' was rife at that time in all the land. There was to be a total burning up of the world in 1843 — certainly there was — and preachers of the the- ory were plenty and diligent. Listeners were abun- dant everywhere, and converts were numerous and rapidly multiplying. Is it surprising that such a popu- lation as that of Lowell should be deeply moved? Thousands of young people were there, afar from home 260 REVIEW OF MILLERISM. and kindred. Checks to fanaticism, as existing in the reason of the many, were overwhelmed by companion- ship and sympathy with impressible subjects. And so there was prospect of a consuming < strange fire.' The worst of it was, that the settled preachers, ex- cepting the Universalists and the Unitarian, fanned the flame. They countenanced the fanatical tendency of things. Each seemed to consider <; Millerism' a means of ^ grist to his own mill,' and treated it accordingly, with a saving non-committalism. ' We know,' said they in substance, ' we know that the world is to be burned up sooner or later. We cannot tell precisely in what year it will happen. Perhaps in 1843. Mr. Miller may be right. His calculations appear to be exact. At all events, it is best to be prepared.' A Review of the theory, having both Confutation and Instruction as its object, was the natural suggestion. I devoted three lectures to the subject. They were delivered to a Christian measure of people in the great City Hall. It was <^ good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.' I could not pronounce the theory either ingenious or plausible. Close inspection discovered it to be a rope of sand, but there was a difficulty in the fact that close inspection was debarred by the general persuasion of Christendom that there is to he a grand conflagration some day. ' Figures cannot lie,' saith the adage — yet facts mis-dated, and figures perversely related, may utter the most monstrous falsehoods. It was thus with the theory of Mr. William Miller. It run its race, and died out, never to be revived in the same form — for which reason, it would be a waste of space to record his calculations. Nevertheless a few paragraphs may be allowable, on the score of curiosity. A PLAIN FACT. 261 The light of the theory dawned when Mr. Miller discovered that the date of the edict for rebuilding Jeru- salem, Before Christ 457, subtracted from Daniel's prophetical 2300 days, (assumed to signify so many years,) left Anno Domini 1843 ! The numb-scull of a theorist did not seem to reflect, that Christ had know- ledge of the premises, and probably knew how to sub- tract — yet we do not find that A. D. 1843 is mentioned in the New Testament. It remained for an unlettered zealot in the nineteenth century, to reveal what Chi'ist did not understand, or thought proper to withhold ! In all other calculations of the theory, there was a similar presumption. The premises, as to numbers, dates, and interpretation, were all professedly derived from the Old Testament ; and nothing more than the simplest elements of arithmetic was necessary in obtain- ing A. D. 1843 as the period of a grand conflagration, — yet Christ and his apostles were either so ignorant or so unfaithful as to leave the world in gross darkness on the matter until the advent of Mr. William Miller ! It seems very surprising, now, that this single con- sideration did not restrict the influence of the theory to his own credulous fancy; yet it required analysis and confutation of every branch of the 'notion,' includ- ing both its principles and details of chronology, to stay the progress of the delusion. Despite of even multiform demonstration of its falsity, there were mul- titudes who clung to it until the last subterfuge of modi- fication was exploded by time. In the first of my three lectures I used a large black- board. On this, all the calculations were distinctly presented to the audience, accompanied by the pre- scribed proofs ; and then they were severally analyzed with a view to confutation. 262 END OF THE WORLD. The second and third lectures were designed to de- stroy all fancies of the sort. The Christian Church has been disturbed and disgraced at many periods of its history, by calculations — and all these have origi- nated in, and been fostered by, false notions of < the second coming of Chi'ist.' ^ It is certainly a yet future event,' say the clergy of standing and talent — and the religious community lends its eyes and ears to any ignoramus who may choose to meddle with figures of date or figures of speech. The calculations fail — the ignoramus ^goes to his own place,' and the phrenzy-fever subsides. By and bye another ignoramus comes up from <■ the bottomless pit' of speculation, and preaches another crusade against prophecy, chronology, and arithmetic. <• The second coming of Christ is certainly a yet future event,' say the clergy — and the people are tormented by the overflowing scourge. It will always be so until the people learn for them- selves (for the clergy will not teach them) that Christ predicted his second coming, as within the natm-al life- time of some who heard him in the days of his flesh — as before the then existing generation of men should pass away. Matt. xvi. 27, 28, xxiv. 30-34. That ' com- ing' was connected with the second (national) death of the Jews — the first by Babylon, the second by Rome. The date was ' the end of the world,' not of KOSMOS, the material universe, but of Aiox, the Jewish age or era. The two words are used in connection in at least two passages of the New Testament, and are plainly contradistinguished. Matt. xiii. 38, 39, Heb. ix. 26. The field and the foundation belong to KOSMOS : the end belongs to aign. All the accounts we have in the New Testament of BIBLE METAPHORS. 263 the darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of stars, &c., are but figm-es of speech, denoting great changes in the condition of things upon the earth. They are common in the Old Testament. For examples, see Isa. xiii. 9-14, Babylon: xxxiv. 4—10, Idumea: Ezek. xxxii. 7, 8, Egypt : Joel ii. 28-32, Jerusalem. The Son of Man coming in the clouds, Dan. vii. 10-14, is joined with giving him a kingdom — plainly referring to the establishment of Christianity in the earth, after the abolition of Judaism. Thus the old heaven and the old earth passed away, and a new heaven and a new earth were established, Isa. Ixv. 17, Rev. xxi. 2. 2 Peter iii. 3-14, is of like import. The metaphors are bold, but the event of which he treats was nigh at hand. He had so taught it, else seeming delay could not have given rise to scoffing some 1800 years ago. Either the apostle was mistaken in date, or modern theorists are mistaken in fact, as regards the meaning of the passages on which they rely. — The Review embodied in those lectures accom- plished its mission, by both speech and pamphlet. The prairie was on fire in ' orthodox' quarters, and a counter-fire worked well. Alas, it left a black spot in the churches where the flame had been fanned ! In other quarters the fii'e was stayed by cutting down the tall, dry, rank grass and weeds. A visit to Pennsylvania in the spring of 1840, grati- fied me greatly, both by the cordial welcome of Phila- delphia friends and the heart-greetings of my kindred in the interior. The increasing infirmity, by disease, of a near relative, marred the visit, but hope of his restoration to usual health was quick within us all. 264 DEATH OF MR. FULLER. There appeared to be no grounds for siicli hope In the case of our worthy brother, Rev. Savilion W. Ful- ler, whom I visited in Philadelphia. A cough which had troubled him for more than a year, proved to be the fore-runner of pulmonary consumption. My largest expectation reached only to temporary relief by the pleasant weather of spring and summer ; but his earthly career was ended on Sunday morning, May 17, 1840. His departure was solemnly triumphant, and befitted such a man. Deeply grateful for the attentions of friendship, his spirit specially glowed with devotion to the Father. Christianity, as unveiled to his under- standing, was inwoven with his life. " I am to preach to your people to-morrow," said a brother-minister on Satm^day : " What shall I say to them?" '' Tell them," said the dying Christian, ^'tell them that I shall undoubtedly die, believing all that I have ever preached to them." Ere the message was delivered, his spirit tranquilly passed to the realities of the immortal life. ' Let me die the death of the righteous ; let my last end be like unto his.' — During the summer, there was the quietness of Christian growth among our people in Lowell. Our churches were united, each within itself and by co- operation, in furthering the knowledge and enjoyment of the truth. Conferences held on Sunday evenings, in our meeting-houses alternately, were times of spe- cial union and gratification. The growth referred to was not interrupted, though it was not so quiet as previously, for a few weeks, com- mencing in August. Some excitement was caused by Tract operations on our part. We had issued a series DEATH OF MY FATHER. 265 cf pamphlets, compactly written and printed, and thou- sands were judiciously distributed by our people. No. 1 consisted of < Questions without Answers.' The Pastor of the First Congregational Church announced that he had so frequently been called upon to furnish replies, that he should review the Tract in several Sunday- evening lectures. — Notes were taken and rejoinders delivered in the City Hall, progressively, on Wednes- day evenings. My reverend friend intermitted his lectm-es for a fortnight, by reason of absence from Lowell, but our meetings were continued — the Creed of the First and Second Congregational Churches being up for con- sideration. Examination brought out the hopeful fact, that these churches had the same creed precisely in 1832 — that the Second reformed its theology a few years afterwards, distinctive Calvinism being entirely stricken out — and that the Third Church, organized in 1839, adopted the new order of things in prefer- ence to the old. The fact was hopeful. It was a sign of progress. Meanwhile, letters successively brou^rht sad tidings from afar — and in early autumn there came an epistle with a black seal. Dr. Abner Thomas departed this life, in Berkeley Township, Berks county, Pennsylvania, on the 17th of October, 1840, in the 59th year of his age. I must not recall that great grief for commentary in these pages. <- The heart knoweth its own bitterness :* let me not obtrude the sorrows of mine. Let me say, however, that my first consolation was derived from faith in God ; my second, from a knowledge of my father's useful and honorable life ; my third, from hav- ing endeavored to fulfil the duties of a son. Alas that 23 266 IMPROVEMENT CIRCLES. there should also be regret ! Alas that I ever failed, in any particular, from childhood upward, to evince the love and gratitude due to so excellent a father ! — He sleeps in a ground where no monument is allowed. His record is in the hearts of those who knew his manly qualities. His memory is sacred with his children. — News of our family-bereavement reached me at a period of pressing interest in Lowell. It was like singing merry songs to a heavy heart, to think of busi- ness matters while in deep affliction — but necessity for activity prevented the mind from preying on itself. The first number of the 'Lowell Offering' was issued in October. That unique magazine made some stir in its day, which will justify a few paragraphs re- lating to its history. During the previous months of the year. Improve- ment Circles were held in the Session-rooms of our two churches. Improvement in composition was the prin- cipal aim, and whosoever felt disposed, was invited to furnish original articles. These were corrected by the Pastors, (who were severally in charge of the Circles,) and publicly read at the meetings, with suggestive com- ments, to large assemblies. By this process, surprising advancement was visible among those who persevered, and several persons of extraordinary talent were dis- covered, mostly females. Why should we not make a selection of the best articles, and present them to the public in print ? The suggestion became a reality in four occasional num- bers, the expenses being paid by sales of copies. Why should not the suggestion be extended to a monthly publication, with a regular list of subscribers ? This also became a reality, the projector being both editor and publisher. The peculiarity of the magazine LOWELL OFFERING. 267 was in the fact, that all the articles were written by Females employed in the Mills — or, as they are popu- larly called, ' Factory Girls.' It was decidedly ' a new thing under the sun'— and meritorious also, without any reference to the position of the writers. The articles were bona fide what they professed to be, and editorial corrections were very few and unimportant. All sectarism was rigidly excluded from the work, while it was under my control, and my name was inserted only once, namely, at the bottom of the last page of the second volume. The succeeding volumes were issued under other auspices. The magazine was highly commended by distin- guished authors of America and England. In the lat- ter country, a selection was published in book form, entitled ' Mind among the Spindles' — with the under- standing of course, that it was the mind of a popula- tion not degraded into factory-fixtures — the active mind of New England — mind having the advantage of an admirable system of Common Schools — and even that mind brought out in cultivation by the Improve- ment Circles of Lowell. No department of our pastoral work (I speak for Mr. Thayer no less than for myself) is more pleasurable in the remembrance, than the attention we devoted to the young people, in the way of social and intellectual culture. Generally, they were far from home, among strangers, and busily occupied during the day. They needed recreation and yearned for proper companion- ship. The Circles referred to answered these neces- sities, and at the same time cultivated thought and promoted facility in its expression — all these influ- ences and tendencies being made subservient to re- ligious trust. 208 THANKSGIVING DAY. « Thanksgiving,' a festival long honored in New England, was celebrated in November, 1840. How / was engaged on the occasion may be learned from the following. It is here inserted by special desire of several friends. The suoforestion of universal observ- ance was nearly realized eleven years after the article was written. All the States of the Union excepting two or three, celebrated November 27, 1851, as THANKsaivma day. An engagement to ofl&ciate at the wedding of an intimate friend, required me to mount my horse before the peep of dawn on Thanksgiving Day, 1840. The parents of the bride, at whose house the nuptials were to be celebrated, resided in a village fourteen or fifteen miles distant. I arrived in season to break- fast with the parties, and, having performed the ceremony, started homeward about 11 o'clock — being disposed to return by another and less frequented route. As I journeyed leisurely along, I perceived, at nearly every farmer's habitation which I passed, the usual evidences of hap- piness on a Thanksgiving Day. Families were congregated, and old folks and young folks seemed to me to have pleasing prospects of turkeys and pumpkin-pies — for these things have intimate relation to the social enjoyment of such occasions. Ad- mirable custom ! said I. that it were observed throughout the whole land, and everywhere on the same day ! For would not the happiness of each family be increased by the reflection, that every other family was enjoying the same blessing? And why should not the wealthier folks see to it, that their poorer neighbors are amply supplied for the occasion? And why should not the tenants of our Almshouses, yea, and of our Prisons also, be provided with a great abundance, ani of the very best, on that day ? Verily, the dinner of the Rich would be more savory, if they knew that the Poor had reason to be specially thankful ; and surely we should not partake of our good things with less relish, if we knew that even the Prisoners rejoiced together! These and similar thoughts, together with some speculations as to how such a universal observance might be effected, so deeply occupied my mind, that I lost my way about noon ; and stopping at a very genteel house to inquire the road, was invited THANKSGIVING DAY. 269 to dismount, and partake of a Thanksgiving dinner. The courte- ous manner of the invitation, and the venerable appearance of the good man of the house, encouraged inclination, and I entered his dwelling, first overhearing the instructions given to " the boys," namely, that my beast should also have a Thanksgiving repast. I was introduced to the wife, and sons, and daughters, and sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law, and soon found myself grati- fying philoprogenitiveness, by playing with divers youngsters of the third generation. " Happy family ! here ye are all to- gether," said I, "while I am some hundreds of miles distant from my kindred." " One of ours is also absent from home," said the good matron; " if he were only present, our joy would be full." I saw a tear in her eye as she spoke, and thought proper to change the conversation. And to what should I change it, but to my plan for a Universal Thanksgiving? The thought was well received ; and we talked about it in the free flowing of full hearts — for on Thanksgiving Day, if at no other time, the heart will have its way, the head to the contrary, notwithstanding. In this case, however, there was perfect unity with head and heart. Presently dinner was announced, and a goodly company were we, and happy also, as we moved in procession to the large room. First in order went the old folks, (man and wife for nearly forty years ;) then came I, (as an honored guest,) with a buxom daugh- ter on my arm ; then followed the other members of the family ; and the ploughman brought up the rear. And what a famous dinner met our view ! The large oaken table with a cloth as white as snow, was well-nigh covered with all manner of dishes, a large turkey being most prominent. There was enough for thrice our number, and to spare. The seating of the company was admirably arranged, and seemed perfectly understood. At the head of the table sat the worthy pair, and, by courtesy to the stranger, my partner and myself occupied the other end. Right and left of us, the other members of the family were seated ; and I noticed a vacant chair and plate about midway on the side next the father. My partner softly whispered to me, that the vacancy was left for her absent brother ; and before I had time to make an inquiry, the vene- rable patriarch thus spake : " Our worthy Chief Magistrate has recommended us to set apart this day as a special season for Thanksgiving, Praise, and Prayer ; and our duty as good citizens to comply, is in harmony 270 THANKSGIVING DAY. "with our duty as Christian people. And I hope our hearts may be suitably impressed by the blessings of the Lord, to return him our hearty thanks for all his mercies, and to implore a continu- ance of his divine benediction.'' I cannot give a faithful sketch of the thanksgiving and prayer "which ensued. It vv^as indeed melting — so simple in its diction — so fervent in its expression — and withal so brief. Every heart •was touched ; especially, when the full soul of the father was Tented in a prayer for the reformation and return of his prodigal son : " Thou seest, Lord ! that a chair and plate are here for him ; and thou knowest, great God ! that our hearts and arms are open to receive him." So affecting was the scene, that I freely wept; and none more fervently responded Amen, than did the invited guest. After a moment's pause, carving was silently commenced in several places around the table, my own included — but the ope- ration was suddenly suspended by the inquiry of a little grand- daughter. " Gran'-papa/' said she, "why didn't you pray for uncle John as well as for uncle William ? You prayed for them BOTH last Thanksgiving." A flood of tears was the only reply. "Won't he come home from hell ?" she continued. In an instant I understood the whole story. John and William were both wayward sons : the latter was still in the land of the living ; the former had departed to the undiscovered country ; and his simple-hearted niece had been told that he was in hell ! ^^ Can't he come home ?" she eagerly inquired. ye who yearn so fondly over the quicJi! have ye no sympathy for the dead f nay, for the quick who icoidd but can- not die ? Be seated at the feet of that little child, and listen to the pure language of divine humanity ! Smother not the flame: it was lit by a coal from heaven's own altar ! Quench not the Spirit : it is the breathing of the living God ! Will ye pray for the prodigal's return from earth's wild waste to the Thanksgiving of an earthly home, and not pray that your own erring child may be brought from the world of wo to the Thanksgiving in the home above ? Verily, I say unto you, Your creed may seal your lip — but in the heart ye pray nevertheless. Nay, ye pray not : it is the Si)irit that maketh intercession with groanings that can- not be uttered. And shall there be also an answer ? Yes, an answer also ; and it shall be the answer of the Lamb of God ! " My dear grand-daughter," said the old man with a tremulous voice, " we hope uncle John is enjoying a better Thanksgiving than this." "Have they any Thanksgiving in hell?" said the little girl. THANKSGIVING DAY. 271 "My child, we hope your uncle is in heaven," replied the grandfather, greatly agitated. I heartily desired that the conversation on that subject might here be closed; but the child, in all simplicity, subjoined, "My Sabbath-School Teacher told me that uncle John died without a change of heart, and that he is in hell." Answer me, ye believers in a partial salvation : The iron which entered the soul of that venerable man and all his adult kindred-^was it not forged on your own anvil, an^ pointed with the serpent's tooth by your own hands ? " Perhaps he did — perhaps he is ; we hope he did not — we hope he is not" — replied the aged sire in brokenness of voice, and greater brokenness of spirit. The scene was too painful for me, and I said to the innocent cause thereof, " My little sister, our Father in Heaven loved your uncle John better than your grandfather ever did; and He is a great deal more merciful. You believe your grandfather would bring your uncle to the heavenly Thanksgiving, if he could ; and you may be sure our Father in Heaven will not do less." Immediately I introduced another subject, and exerting my colloquial powers to the utmost, succeeded in diverting the at- tention of the family from the mournful topic. They saw my object, and I did not need words to be assured of their gratitude. A chastened pleasure was enjoyed by the whole company ; and, at the close of the meal, my host invited me to return thanks. It was a Thanksgiving unmingled with tears ; and we retired to the sitting-room in a joyousness of spirit unfelt for the preceding hour. The circumstances detailed, had evidently been forgotten by the children ; for in the free hilarity of the day, they soon began their wonted pranks —and I was glad to see it, not only because it amused and gratified me, but because the older members of the family enjoyed it. I even joined in the gambols of a sprightly black-eyed boy, until his merry laugh was echoed from every part of the room. Presently, however, the youngsters betook themselves to the spacious kitchen, for a game of blind-man's-buff; and I made preparations to depart. " I know not who or what you are," said the old man ; " but I know that we have this day entertained an angel unawares. A melancholy thanksgiving dinner should we have eaten this day, had it not been for you — for I frankly confess, that my little grand-daughter was too much for me. You know the whole story. You greatly relieved us. You did it by silencing the tongue of the prattler." 272 THANKSGIVING DAT. " And I silenced her, my aged friend, "by convincing her," said I, "though I fear that the rest of you were only relieved. You were not convinced." "Confessedly," said the worthy old man, "there are awful doubts still resting on my mind ; and I fear that the questions which I could not answer an hour ago, will long ring in my ears, and bring down my hoar head in sorrow to the grave." After a deep gush of emotion, in which the family largely participated, he continued :, " I may never meet you again. If you can throw a ray of light on the darkened path-way of an old man's pilgrim- age, my soul shall bless you till my dying hour. Tell me, why you think you silenced the little girl by conyincing her. Tell me, why your assertion should have greater force in her mind, than the assertion of her Sabbath School Teacher ?" "Good friends, let us be seated," said I, " and we will talk this matter over. First of all, admit it to be a fact, that your son died without a change of heart. The little girl's teacher made an as- sertion, and she believed it. /made an assertion, and she be- lieved it — though mine was the opposite of his. He had greatly the advantage of me in one respect: she knew him well — I was a stranger to her. But I had vastly the advantage of him in an- other respect : he addressed the education of the head, not yet con- firmed — 1 addressed the spirit of the heart, not yet tainted by the doubts and evil of the world." " I see it, I see it," said the old man, thoughtfully. " I pray you repeat the argument you used to her." "It was substantially this," said I: "You fondly love your son, and would bring him to the heavenly Thanksgiving, if you could. God is more merciful than you are : will He do less ?" " But," quickly responded the mother, " has not God said, that those who die without a change of heart shall never be brought to Zion ?" "No, good mother," said I. "He has not; yet you have long believed that He has. My argument therefore does not convince you ; but it convinced your little grand-daughter — for her mind is not yet darkened by education. She is as God made her — simple, pure, confiding. ' Of such is the kingdom of heaven.' She will believe any thing you teach her — but yet awhile the feel- ings of her heart will be stronger than the lessons you address to her head. "Worthy friends, if you would have joy and peace in believing, you must learn a lesson from that little child." After a brief pause, I thus continued; " Mary and Martha had so much faith in the power of the Saviour, that they severally said to him, 'Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not THANKSGIVINa DAY. 273 died/ And Martha also added, ' But I know, that even now, "whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee' — yet she had not faith that he could bring back Lazarus, because he had been dead already four days ! Worse than this is the doubting of many Christians. They believe that Christ can save one minute before death — but not one minute afterward! Oh, friends, Christ's power extends even into the realm of death ! " Besides : is there any one who believes that infants who die in infancy, and idiots, will always be infants and idiots ? or that even the best men do not require and will not experience any change after death ? Surely, surely, if the good be changed at all, the bad may consistently be changed for the better ; and thus all our race, including children, and those who once were idiotic, be on the upward and onward march forever." Perceiving that these rational views of the divine economy were received as a bright and beautiful revelation, I pro'^eded to ap- ply them : " We must never depart from these divine truths — that God is infinitely wiser and more merciful than we are, and that the Redeemer's grace abounds much more than the sin of man. God was as merciful one hour after your son died, as Ho ■was one hour before ; and it is only the spirit of unbelief which gays, that the Saviour's grace cannot change the sinner's heart as well one hour after as one hour before his death. Your little grand-daughter as yet knows nothing of that wisdom of this world which limits the operations of an all-present, all-knowing, all- merciful God, to the short span of human life. And therefore she undoubtingly yielded to my argument. I addressed to her a sentiment taught me by the Wisdom from above : and her heart heard it, and believed it, and was satisfied." "Your words are indeed like unto oil poured out freely on the troubled waters," said the old man ; " and I feel as if the weight of a mill-stone was taken from my mind. But is there, then, no punishment for sin ?" "Yea, verily there is," I replied, "but it is a punishment meted out by the wisdom of the same merciful Father, to bring his ransomed children to Himself. Your departed son, for whom you did not pray, is in the hands of the same Divine Being as is the living child, for whom you poured out your soul in the full- ness of a father's love. And they shall both be brought home, perhaps tlirougli great tribulation; nevertheless, they shall both be brought home to the Universal Thanksgiving of our Fa- ther's House; and the joyous assurance shall be heard, 'We are ALL HERE !' And thus shall be verified the testimony, that when all things [God only excepted] shall be subdued, then shall the 274 STAR OF BETHLEHEM. Son also himself be subject unto Him that put all things undei him, that God may be all in all/' 1 Cor. xv. 24 — 28. As I rose to depart, the old man grasped my hand. His heart ■was full, and he could not speak. "Be not faithless, but believ- ing," said I, as I presented ray other hand to his wife — " Be not faithless, but believing, and the peace and blessing of God shall be abundantly yours. Receiving the true faith of Holy Writ, ye shall rejoice vt'ith joy unspeakable and full of glory, having the presence of The Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth." I bade adieu to one and all, vrith many thanks for social hos- pitality, and was soon on my homeward-way. The conscious- ness of having ministered to the comfort of a worthy household, gave to me an elasticity of spirit which prompted a rapid move- ment, and my well-fed horse was in a similar mood. At a sud- den turn in the road, however, I nearly lost my balance. The effort to recover my position awoke me ; and, behold ! it was a dream ! Nevertheless, a dream of much truth. During the latter half of 1840, ' Zion's Banner,* a paper published by the Free-Will Baptists, became urgently hostile to Universalism ; and in December the Methodists joined the crusade by issuing the « N. E. Christian Advocate.' With their accustomed prompt- ness and energy, the Universalists determined to have an organ of print-communication, and the first number of the ' Star of Bethlehem' appeared in the beginning of January, 1841. It was edited gratuitously by the resident pastors, and all expences were guaranteed by a < Fraternal Association.' Some aid was afterwards tendered by two clerical brethren in New Hampshire, but nearly all the labor and all the responsibility cen- tred in Lowell. Our enterprise was eminently successful. Beginning ■without any subscribers, we closed the first year with a list of nineteen hundred — a remarkable fact when the local character of the publication is considered. Not a member of the Association was called upon for a READING BOTH SIDES. 275 dime beyond the regular subscription price of the paper. Very different was the history of the « Banner' and the 'Advocate.' They involved large losses — which certainly did not grieve the Universalists of Lowell, for one of those papers was projected, and both were published, with a view, prominently, to the hindrance of our advancing cause. The « Star' did not rise until the ' Banner' was hung from the walls of Babylon, nor until the 'Advocate' began his plea for the dogmas of Paganism. "We did not wail when the one trailed in the dust, nor when the other was literally starved out by the lack of fees. 'Star of Bethlehem!' How gloriously it shines in the heavens of our memory ! It was radiant only by reflection, and valuable mainly because it directed the people to the Spiritual Light. — The ' Questions without Answers' which had trou- bled a clerical neighbor, claimed the attention of Rev. Luther Lee, editor of the Advocate. His Answers were transferred to the Star, accompanied by Rejoin- ders. This course was pursued so long as he was pleased to be respondent, but he stopped short, leaving nearly half of the Questions unanswered. He could be neither persuaded nor shamed into copying my Rejoinders. 'You will find,' said a Universalist to a Methodist, 'you will find that we examine both sides of the great question of Universalism.' '0 as to that matter,' replied the Methodist, 'I read nothing on religious subjects excepting the Bible and Mr. Lee's paper.' 'And that,' rejoined the Universalist, 'is clear proof that you examine both sides. I hope you will yet be convinced that the Bible has the best of the argument.* 276 MR. THAYER CHALLENGED. Mr. Lee was a man of talent, thongh the inversion of his name expressed the symbol of his genius. The principal editor of the ' Banner' was below mediocrity in both talent and education — yet he had the presump- tion to challenge Mr. Thayer to a written discussion ! Very amusing was the history of that aifair, and as I had somewhat to do in winding it up, let me relate it. Mr. Thayer called on the editor, and said to him, frankly, 'I hope you will withdraw your letter. You stand well, morally, and in piety too, I suppose — but the people have no confidence in your ability as a con- troversialist. Certainly you are not the man to step forward in such a discussion as you propose. I should dislike to publish your letter ; it would not appear well in type ; and I therefore hope you will withdraw it.' oG DISCUSSION IN CINCINNATI. vras on terms of liappy intimacy — but they were so fre- quently absent (and one of them so engaged in secular business) that I reckoned them as visitors rather than as residents. Rev. George Rogers, whose family had been located in Cincinnati since their removal to the West, "was one of these. lie came home on a visit about two months after my settlement in the Queen City. I had not seen him for many years, and right cordial was the meeting and the greeting. Early in the winter above-mentioned, a public oral discussion excited much attention — the parties being Rev. E. M. PiNGREE, Universalist, and Rev. N. L. Rice, Presbyterian. The former invited the interview, sub- mitting the choice of locality to the latter. Cincinnati was chosen, the discussion being held in a spacious Hall. It was largely attended. Physical in&mity debarred me from being present. Mr. Rice was highly reputed as a debater in the world of 'orthodoxy,' and Mr. Pingree in the world of 'heterodoxy.' As usual, the victory was claimed by the friends of both sides, but the advantage of influ- ence could not be otherwise than with Universalism. Multitudes heard it proclaimed for the first time who else had probably remained in ignorance of its teach- ings, whereas Calvinism was both familiar and abhor rent with Universalists. The result might have been difi'erent had Mr. Pingree been a weak man. He was greatly otherwise. To more than ordinary talent and energy he superadded the advantages of an excellent self-education, and the grace of gospel zeal. Univer- salism, in the advocacy of such a man, must be victori- ous in its influence, against any opponent. Sectarism has nothing to do with this judgment. In all cases, heterodoxy has the advantage in controversy, provided REV. E. M. PINGREE. 337 there be a talented advocate ; and hence it is that orthodoxy generally avoids an investigation before the people, such investigation being what heterodoxy craves. It is related of Mr. Pingree that he was extremely quiet in his manner when he entered the ministry, and modesty for some time veiled the power of his mind. A brief residence in the West entirely transformed him. He became vehement and impetuous in his de- livery, and eagerly sought public disputation, with a view to disseminating the principles he so highly valued. He was a close student, a clear thinker, and a strong writer, as every reader of the < Star in the West' will acknowledge — for none can have forgotten the able articles of the associate editor, < E. M. p.* He was Pastor in Louisville, Ky. Alas that so use- ful a man should shorten his days by over-taxation of strength ! Inward warnings and outward warnings were alike unheeded — not because he doubted the judgment of his friends or questioned his own con- sciousness, but because he feared the cause of Univer- salism would suffer by refusal to engage in controversy when challenged, or by declining to challenge when opponents were boastful of a champion. My last con- versation with him was in the summer of 1847. In answering my expostulations, he frankly acknowledged his error, and declared his intention to be more care- ful in future. It was too late. Pulmonary consump- tion soon marked him as a victim, and he departed Jan. 6, 1849, in the 32d year of his age. — The opening of spring-time in 1845, found me striving against diminishing bodily strength, and the opportunity of procuring Rev. I. D. Williamson as a supply for a few months, induced me to solicit permis- 29 338 REV. I. D. WILLIAMSON. sion to spend the summer east of the mountains. It was granted. Mr. Williamson has certainly had ' hard luck' in this world. A bronchial affection, joined to spasmodic asthma, compelled him to leave New-England and the Middle States, and seek relief in the milder climate of the South. Our intimacy of friendship was established durino; his residence in New-York and mine in Brook- lyn, though our acquaintance and mutual esteem dated many years previously. He was in Mobile at the period alluded to, his family-residence being on the Ohio, about 40 miles above Cincinnati. It precisely suited him to devote the summer months as my substi- tute, and it precisely suited me, I hope never to see another mortal suffer as he suf- fered in my house, late in the autumn of 1846. He was on his way to Memphis, to spend the winter months. Spasmodic asthma was upon him in all its horrors, and after an hour's struggling for breath, he was sufficiently relieved to say to me, faintly, '' Do you wonder that I wish to go South?" "No," was the emphatic reply; "I would go to the Desert of Arabia, if necessary, to be rid of such visita- tions as these." He is now settled in Louisville, Ky., and it gratifies me to learn that he suffers less than he did formerly. It would please me better to hear of his perfect re- covery. Leaving my family in Pennsylvania, where we had passed the summer in quietness, I returned to Cincin- nati in the close of September, 1845. Not seeking conversation, little conversation sought me. On only one occasion did it amount to more than the saluta- DANGEROUS DOCTRINE. 339 tions of courtesy. The exception occurred on the pas- sage from Pittsburg. I had been looking over a parcel of Universalist papers, and had laid them on a trunk in my state-room. A fellow-traveller passing by the open door on the guards, requested permission to ^read the news' — which of com^se was granted. Alas, ^ the good news' proved better news than he had been ac- customed to hear. It was ^ too good to be true' — a proclamation exceedingly perilous to the souls of men ! In about an hour he returned the papers, with thanks, adding, ''I am sorry to learn that you are a Univer- salist — for such I presume you are." "And I am sorry to learn that you are not a Uni- versalist," said I. "We are both sorry, therefore. It would be a sad thing to part without gladness on one side or the other. Have the goodness to tell me ^v}ly you are sorry that I am a Universalist ; and I will tell you afterwards why I am sorry that you are not of the same faith." My neighbor was a gentleman in both appearance and manner — of about forty years of age. Who he was, or whence he came, or whither he was journeying, I did not inquire. It was enough that he returned the papers with evident intent of religious conversation, and his anticipation of triumph might be inferred from the fact, that several persons accompanied him to the door of my state-room. All were within hearing, and the dialogue proceeded. "Have the goodness to tell me why you are sorry that I am a Universalist?" " Universalism is a dangerous doctrine," he replied. " That does not meet the case, sir. Have the good- ness to inform me why it is dangerous. You may assert that it is dangerous, delusive, demoralizing, or 340 HOPE AND CHANCE. any thing else ; but my question still comes back, why is it so? Please assign a reason why you are sorry." "I meant," said he, «'that Universalism is an unsafe doctrine ; and my reason is, that I am safer than you are. All the chance you have, / have ; and I have a chance which you have not.'' «' Please tell me, sir, what chance you have that the Universalist has not. To aid yom- reply, you will bear in remembrance that the only hope of the Universalist is in the purpose of God. I use the word hope instead of chance — for the scriptures read better in this way. Paul does not say, ^ We are saved by chance' — nor does he speak of « the chance of the gospel' nor of ' the chance of salvation.' Nevertheless, let me hear what chance you have, additional to the hope of the Universalist." ^'Let us not be over-critical about words," replied my neighbor. " By chance I mean guaranty, security — very much as when a man says, ' I have two strings to my bow.' If one breaks, he has another." "That is," said I, "if God's goodness breaks down, or fails, it is all over with the Universalist. His only chance, guaranty, security, is gone. Tell me, sir, what other 'string' you have to your 'bow?' I am suspi- cious that you stand on the platform of the ' orthodox' Sunday School Teacher, who always made her scholars curtsy when they read the name ' Devil' in the Bible. It is safest to do so, said she. She reasoned thus : 'Ei- ther there is a Devil, or there is not. If there is not, it is only so many curtsys lost : if there 2S, some con- sideration may be gained by politeness.' This was her additional chance!" My neighbor and his companions smiled, and I pro- ceeded to apply the illustration : "You appear to reason in the same way ; Either there THREE CHANCES. 341 is an endless hell, or tliere is not. If there is not, you are as safe as the Universalist : If there is, you have a chance which he has not. In this, and in this alone, consists the extra safety, guaranty, security, chance, of which you boast ! Either you are, or ought tc be a Ro- man Catholic." "I am not, nor do I see why I ought to be," said my neighbor, with some emphasis of piety. i' You admit, I suppose, that being a Roman Catholic is no absolute bar to salvation. In other words, you admit that a Roman Catholic may be saved." "I hope to meet all good Roman Catholics in hea- ven," was the reply. " I am glad to hear you say so ; but Roman Catholics do not hope to meet any Protestants in heaven — because all Protestants are heretics, and all heretics are bad. So they reason — and forasmuch as you are seeking the position of greatest safety, it behooves you to wait upon Bishop Purcell forthwith, and be admitted to the three chances of Roman Catholicism. One chance as a Uni- versalist ; TWO chances as a Presbyterian ; three chances as a Roman Catholic ! If you do not feel safe enough even there, you may add several chances by becoming a Mohammedan — and if faith in seven hells be not a sufficient guaranty of salvation, your case is hopeless !" "Your raillery is ingenious, but not candid," replied my neighbor. "I acknowledge that ^]\. good Catholics will be saved; but I deny that they are any safer than Jam." "Truly, sir, but you will not deny that there are good men who are Catholics, and you hope to meet many of them in heaven. They would return the com- pliment, so far as the personal virtue of many Protest- ants is concerned, but they have no hope of meeting 29* 342 SAVED BY HOPE. either orthodox Protestants or heterodox Protestants in heaven. They reason more strongly against you, than you do against us. You admit that Universalists have a chance, and Roman Catholics a chance; but they do not admit that either you or we have any chance at all ! You deny that they are any safer than you; and / maintain that Universalists are as safe as any other persons — for all safety, at the last, must rest on the purpose of God." ^'But suppose it should turn out, at the last, that endless misery is true : where would the safety of Uni- versalists be?" queried my neighbor. " Suppose it should turn out, at the last, that Roman Catholicism is true: where would the safety of Pro- testants be?" was my reply. This supposition perplexed him sorely, and he said, after a pause, ''I am suspicious that you are yourself a Roman Catholic, and not a Universalist!" . ^'Re assured, sir, that I am a Universalist, and a Protestant. As a candid truth-seeker, you would not urge an objection against me, which might as pertinently be urged against you by a Roman Catholic. In 7ny view, the only final safety oiany man, as I said before, is in the purpose of God. Christians 'ARE saved hy hope;' and herein consists my reason for being sorry that you are not a Universalist. You hope to be saved hy and hye, and you think you have two chances of salvation to my one; but, sir, your hope is not of the right sort. It does not save you noiv. You are not included in the number who are saved." "I do not understand you," said my neighbor. " The salvation which distinguishes the Christian — - his peculiar privilege, I may say, is in his hope, not in his chance. Chence is an uncertainty, a hazard; the WITHOUT HOPE. 343 hope of the Christian is sure and steadfast, anchored within the veil. Hope of immortality redeems from the bondage of the fear of death. 'Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope,' said Paul. But you have no such hope, else you would not seek to strengthen it by a chance, denied to the Universalist. Your hope is within the veil, but you are fearful the gospel cable will break — and so you seek an additional cable for your anchor. You wish to have two strings to your bow!" ""But what will you say of those who 'have no hope and are without Grod in the world?' for Universalism comprehends these." " The fact that men are without God, does not prove that there is no God, but only that He is not in their thoughts. The fact that men are without hope, does not prove that there is no hope for them, but only that they have not fled for refuge to take hold of it. Mean- while, those without God have not the joys of faith in Him, and those without hope are not saved. In the next grade of people, we find those who, like yourself, make up their lack of faith in God by faith in them- selves — professors of religion who twine a rope of sand around the gospel cable, and then declare that they h.a,Ye a chance additional to the hope of the Universalist !" "Your pleasantry does not ofi'end me," said my neighbor, "neither does it fairly answer my objection to Universalism as an unsafe doctrine. I still insist that a good man is safer than a bad man." "That, sir," I replied, "might be true, and yet Uni- versalism be the only safe doctrine known among men. But do you not see that you have abandoned your two- chance objection?" "How so?" he inquired. ^■ 844 PRACTICAL GOODNESS. " You began with assuming a chance of safety, extra, by reason of your rejection of Universalism as a doc- trine ; and all you now contend for, is, that a good man is safer than a bad man ! You admit that a good Jew, though pronouncing Christ an impostor — a good Pagan, though an idolater — a good Mohammedan, though an infidel — a good Roman Catholic, though a disciple of