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 CHURCH IN THE ARMY; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE FOUR CENTURIONS. 
 
 A SOULDIER MUST NOT DOE 'WICKEDLT : 
 
 A SOULDIER MUST BE VALIANT FOR GOD'S CACSE : 
 
 A SOOLDIER MOST PRAY BEFORE BE GO TO FIfJHT ; 
 
 Betiding of CromicelVs Souldia's Pocket Bible, in 1643. 
 
 BY REV. A^T^I. A. SCOTT, D.D. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 Carleton, Fi/blisher, 413 Broadway^ 
 
 (LATE RUDD k CARLETON.) 
 MDCCCLXII. 
 
Kntered, accorJiiig to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1862, by 
 
 GEORGE W. CARLETON, 
 
 In the Clerk's Ollice of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District 
 of New Yorl^. 
 
^ R :m Y ^'^ isr D N^ A V Y 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNITED STATES, 
 
 THAT OPERATED TOGETHER IN THE CONQUEST OF MEXICO, 
 
 AS AN UUMBLE TOKEN OK REGARD 
 
 FOK THKIll 
 
 COURAGE IN BATTLE, 
 
 AND 
 
 FORBEARANCE AND nCMASITY IN VICTORT, 
 
 THIS LITTLE VOLUME 
 
 13 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 
 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 Seldom, perhaps never, since the foundation of the 
 world, has there been witnessed so much zeal for sup- 
 plying soldiers with religious books as at this moment. 
 Copies of the Sacred Scriptures and tracts and small 
 volumes on religious subjects are now furnished in great 
 quantities to our fellow men as they start for the war. 
 We have also a great desire to do them good, even in the 
 humblest way. It is said that in a group of young sol- 
 diers, not long since, a young man, who was looking 
 attentively over his copy of the New Testament, that 
 had been just put into his hands, was asked, " when he 
 expected to have time to read it?" His reply was, " I 
 think I can find time to read it very early in the morning." 
 Bravely said ! That young man will make a hero, if he is 
 spared to serve his country a few years. His reply re- 
 minds us of what is written in the life of General PIave- 
 LOCK : " He never dared to be ashamed of Clirist, Bible 
 reading was his sacred habit, as also was private and social 
 prayer. He invariably secured two hours in the morn- 
 ing for reading the Scriptures and private prayer. If 
 the march began at six, he rose at four ; if at four, he 
 rose at two.'''' 
 
 It is recorded that Cromwell ordered a pocket Bible 
 to be jirepared in 1613 for the use of his army, which 
 
VI PEEFACE. 
 
 was called " The Soldier's Bible." It " contained the 
 most of, if not all, those places of Holy Scripture which 
 does show the qualifications of the soldier's inner man — 
 that is, of a fit soldier to fight the Lord's battles, both 
 before the fight, in the fight, and after the fight." Mr. 
 George Livermore, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, some 
 years ago, we believe republished this pocket Bible in 
 America; but we have never been able to procure a 
 copy of it. It is said that it was generally buttoned 
 between the coat and the vest, next the heart of Crom- 
 well's soldiers, and that " their success commenced 
 immediately on its publication, and that they never lost 
 a battle afterward." 
 
 Since the Crimean war, the religious literature of the 
 English army has been considerably increased. Numei'- 
 ous tracts and newspaper articles concerning the faith 
 and piety of sevei-al of the heroes of Sebastopol have 
 appeared, besides the memoirs of Captain Vicars and of 
 Captain Hammond ; and more recently still, several lives 
 of the hero of the East India Insurrection, General Sir 
 Henry Havelock, have been published, both in Great 
 Britain and in our own country, and are well known to 
 our own army. A volume consisting, we believe, for we 
 have never seen it, of memoirs of officers and soldiers of 
 the British army, with a few notices of American sol- 
 diers that have been more or less distinguished for their 
 piety, has been published by some tract society, and has 
 had a large circulation. 
 
 The Letters of Captains Vicars and Hammond were 
 not intended for publication. That they were brave and 
 pious men we do not doubt ; but we must say, that not- 
 withstanding the wide circulation they have obtained, 
 we have serious doubts whether their "Memoirs" and 
 
PEEFACE. vii 
 
 " Lives," as given to the public, are calculated to have a 
 healthful religious influence upon our military men. We 
 thank God for their piety, but we doubt exceedingly 
 -whether the publication of the private records of their 
 feelings will do good in the army and navy. There is 
 too much pietism in their ideas of religious experience. 
 The intellectual of the naval and military profession will 
 be repulsed from such records of private feeling, and 
 many of them, we fear, will say, on looking into tliese 
 volumes, if this is the piety of soldiers, we want none of 
 it. The Hves and biographical sketches that we have 
 seen of General Havelock are of a much more healthful 
 and manly tone. He was a man of strong common 
 sense, vigorous intellect, persevering mental application, 
 and of sterling moral as well as physical courage. We 
 think his life much more likely to make a favorable 
 impression on the army and navy than the memoirs of 
 Vicars and Hammond. We prefer it just for the same 
 reason that we like McCheyne, Cecil, and Dr. Thomas 
 Scott's " Force of Truth " much more than Ave do the 
 record of the religious feelings of Brainard and Payson. 
 This volume now oflered to the pubHc is a labor of love. 
 Born amid the scenes of frontier hfe and familiar M'ith 
 Indian Avars from youth, and having considerable knoAv- 
 ledge of the American army, and havmg many personal 
 friends among its officers, this Avork has been long medi- 
 tated by the author. One' of his earliest friends, Avhose 
 name is embalmed in his heart, is an officer in the army. 
 We Lave knoAAn him now for a Hfetime, until he is near 
 the head of his profession, and Ave hesitate not to say, 
 that he is one of the most consistently pious and intelli- 
 gent men aa'c have ever known. But as he, yet lives to 
 adorn his profession, Ave forbear to publish his name, for 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 we know that his feelings are as delicate as his courage 
 is exalted. We remember distinctly his religious habits 
 in the camp and in the barracks. We know that it was 
 his custom, whenever circumstances would at all permit 
 it, to read a chapter in the Bible with Dr. Thomas 
 Scott's notes, and to write out a synopsis of them every 
 day, and on the Lord's day, if no chaplain was present, 
 he conducted a religious service for his men. 
 
 Our aim, therefore, Avhile gratefully recording some 
 of the evidences of piety furnished from the army, is to 
 awaken in the breasts of our young countrymen the con- 
 viction, that eminent piet}^, instead of being a hindrance 
 to success in the honorable pursuits of life, is a decided 
 advantage, and that even in the military profession true 
 religion teaches us to make the best of both zcorlds. 
 The concluding chapters are not necessarily compre- 
 hended in the history of the Four Centurions, nor are 
 they confined to the " Church in the Army;" but, if the 
 author is not greatly mistaken, they illustrate great prin- 
 ciples, and teach lessons, and inculcate duties which are 
 of the greatest importance in all the pursuits of life, and 
 lie at the foundation of all true happiness here and here- 
 after. 
 
 Some substantial repetitions may be found in the fol- 
 lowing chapters — or at least there may be observed a 
 sameness of thoughts with perhaps new illustrations. 
 This could hardly be avoided, as the chapters were pre- 
 pared at different times and under different circum- 
 stances and for different hearers, and yet relate in some 
 measure to the same sort of characters. To correct such 
 repetitions Avould, however, require the rewriting of 
 the whole series, and this would virtually change the 
 nature of the volume. And besides, such repetitions 
 
PEEFACE. IX 
 
 are allowable, because it is our hope that this volume 
 may lind readers in camps and on ships, and during 
 journeys and even on battle-tields, where but a small 
 portion can be read at a time, so that it is desirable that 
 even the same truths may have more than one chance of 
 arresting attention, and that if overlooked in one place 
 they may be observed in another. The divine method, 
 moreover, shows us that truth M'ill bear repeating, and 
 is oftentimes only successful when repeated. 
 
 It is but justice to say, that while Commentaries on 
 the Holy Scriptures have embraced the lives of the war- 
 riors named in the Bible, and also the portions of the 
 New Testament that relate to the Four Centurions, 
 and w^hile many volumes have been published on the 
 lives of martial heroes, still, as far as our information 
 extends, there is no work like this volume — no work 
 that attempts to give a commentary on the lives of the 
 Centurions, illustrated by reference to the lives of pious 
 men in the m^iUtary profession of modern times 
 
 It is true, however, that it is impossible to name accu- 
 rately all the writers to which the author is more or less 
 indebted for facts, illustrations and aid in one way or 
 another, in the preparation of this work. He has care- 
 fully consulted, and as far as he could get aid for his pur- 
 pose, he has exhausted the commentators that he has 
 had access to, and that he 'considei'cd Avorth the time 
 required to study them, in French, Latin and Greek, 
 and partially in German, as well as in English. But as 
 far as he knows, all proper acknowledgments are made 
 in the Avork itself, or by this general statement. The 
 historical facts of the volume are taken from the most 
 reUable sources within his reach, and he hopes they will 
 be found to be correct. 
 
 1* 
 
X PEEFACE. 
 
 The aixthor's reading and personal acquaintance with 
 the armies of other countries do not enable him to say 
 wliether or not instances of piety in modern times have 
 occurred in them similar to those that are referred to in 
 the armies of Great Britain and of the United States. 
 Nor is he able to illustrate his text from the navy, 
 although he does not doubt that the Church of God is 
 in the navy as well as in the army ; but he is not able to 
 furnish the illustrations. The author's highest ambition 
 in these pages is to do good to his fellow men, and the 
 more especially as the times are evU, and the night of 
 death approaches when no man can work. 
 
 W. A. Scott. 
 
 San Feancisco, July ith, 1861. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Introduction 19 
 
 I. — Thk Ckntcrion of Capernaum 25 
 
 1. The Coming to Jesus. — The time of this niiraele — The scene 
 of it —The site of Capernaum — Fate of the city — The Centu- 
 rion was a Roman officer — Why he came to Jesus — Matthew 
 and Lulic reconciled— Proverbial liberality of soldiers and 
 sailors — The sick "servant" — His disease. 
 
 II. — The Cknturion of Capernaum continued 38 
 
 2. 2'he peculiar Excellence of his Faith. — Our Lord's prompt 
 reply to the call for help — We must trust our senses — Faith, 
 what is it ? — Our Lord's wonder at the greatness of the Cen- 
 turion's faith — How it was distinguished — lie had been brought 
 up in heathenism — He was a soldier — The military profession 
 has given many illustrious examples of piety — Havelock. 
 
 III. — The Centurion of Capernaum continued 49 
 
 3. Evidences of this Centurion^ Faith. — Was kind to his servant 
 — Remarkable completeness of this soldier's character — Re- 
 formation not always a true conversion — " Havelock^s saints " 
 Christianity is not built out of the ruins of humanity, manhood 
 or civilization — Insubordination a crying evil in our day — The 
 Centurion's remarkable humility : " I am not worthy " — Did 
 not assume with Anglo-Saxon-like pride to be better than any 
 other people — He makes a true soldier's brief, prompt profes- 
 sion of his faith — Mistaken ideas of true manliness or indepen- 
 dence of character — Nothing " fawning " or corrupt in this 
 soldier's humility — Our Lord not only granted his request, but 
 entered into his heart — His faith distinguished for its inde- 
 pendence of the senses — And also because it disregarded his 
 
 si 
 
Xll COjVTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Roman prejudices against the Jews — His faith assumed a mili- 
 tary form. 
 
 IV. — The Centurion of Capernaum continued 69 
 
 4. This Roman officer still jrreaching the Gospel. — First., here 
 we have our Lord's perfect liuinanity — Secondly, we should 
 not indulge in general and indiscriminating charges upon 
 classes and professions, races or callings — Not necessary for 
 soldiers and sailors to swear, even if the 'Army in Flanders 
 did — Havelock's example — His prayer-meeting in the heathen 
 temple of Shivey Dagoon — A picture wanted of his Rangoon 
 pagoda — Lord Bentick's testimony in favor of Havelock and 
 his " saints " — Some professions are more favorable than others, 
 but none are excused from being pious — Peter no doubt a 
 saint in heaven, whether he was a pope or not — Arnold's 
 treachery does not prove Washington a hypocrite — Thirdly, 
 let us be more charitable — The Gospel kingdom is open to all 
 nations — Fourthly, this miracle a clear reahty — Fifthly, dis- 
 advantages enhance the value of success — Sixthly, our Lord 
 estimates a man according to his faith — Sevent/ily, natural for 
 the Centurion's faith to run in the channel of his profession — 
 ffis military science taught him faith in an invisible presence 
 — So the "wise men" and the "shepherds" were led to 
 Christ in their own calling — The business by which xoe make our 
 living in this world should educate us at the same time for 
 heaven — Wonderful condescension and wisdom in the means 
 by which we are taught the goodness of God — " The crawling 
 beetle" and "the desert moss" — Eighthly, faith instantaneous 
 — Have you received the Almighty Saviour as the Roman 
 soldier did ? 
 
 V. — The Centurion commanding at the Crucifixion 91 
 
 Tliis centurion's position enabled him to give a remarkable testi- 
 mony — His company unite with him — meaning of his words, 
 " Truly this man was the Son of God " — No contradiction in 
 our narratives — "Son of God" critically examined — "Filius 
 Dei" all a Roman could say — The Roman officer certainly 
 meant to decide in favor of Jesus as against the Jews — Re- 
 markable circumstances under which his testimony is given — 
 It is in direct opposition to the verdict of the Sanhedrim, Syna- 
 
CONTENTS. XIU 
 
 PAOB 
 
 gogue and mob — Soldiers and sailors remarkable for quickness 
 of apprehension and correctness of sight — Calvin's idea about 
 the Centurion's conversion — Unconscious prophesyiugs "glo- 
 rified God " — Concurring events that attended the Centurion's 
 testimony — Was he not embraced in our Lord's dying prayer? 
 — Meaning of " Certainly this was a righteous man " — Jesus, 
 though crucified under a judicial sentence was a righteous man 
 — Pilate, and Pilate's wife, and Herod, and even Judas himself, 
 unite in tlie Centurion's testimony, He was a righteous man — 
 His righteousness is ocr salvation — The divine portrait 
 presents us with an Almighty Redeemer — Proof that Jesus was 
 the Son of God — The history condensed — Contrary effects of 
 evidence upon men caused by their prejudices — Our rock is 
 not as their rock, even our enemies being judges. 
 
 VI. — The Centcrion of Cksarea 125 
 
 1. Tlie subject of Divine Grace here introduced. — His name Cor- 
 nelius — His residence — Cesarea, ancient and modern — " The 
 Italian band" illustrated, " Tlie New York regiment," or "Lou- 
 isiana Legion " — Historic proof — Cornelius was a perfect gen- 
 tleman as well as a highly accomplished soldier — He feared 
 God, gave alms and was religious in his household — " Feared 
 God," yet was not an Israelite, nor even a proselyte — " And 
 prayed to God always " — Ofilcial rank and soldier-like habits 
 are not inconsistent with piety — Graveyards and nearness to 
 churches do not sanctify — Plagues in cities have not converted 
 them — Opportunities always found for sinning, when they are 
 sought. 
 
 "VII. — The Centurion of Cesarea continued 138 
 
 2. The means used for his Conversion. — When was he " effectu- 
 ally called" — Process of conviction — Means used for his conver- 
 sion to Christ — His vision — God's angel — " For a memorial " — 
 Joppa — " Simon the tanner" — Peter's trance— Cornelius' cha- 
 racter declared to Peter — Peter's hospitality — His companions 
 to Cesarea — Peter's example for zeal and fidelity — Union of per- 
 sonal and relative duties iu this Roman soldier — Sunday school 
 teachers and parents adnionisheil and encouraged — Union of pie- 
 ty and morality as seen in this Centurion — Tiie eminence of his 
 piety — His benevolence — No controversy between good works 
 
XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 FAOE 
 
 and salvation by Grace — The self-rigliteous and vain moralist 
 condemned by Cornelius — The Gospel offer is universal. 
 
 VIII. — The Centurion of Cesarea continued 166 
 
 3. Peter^s Sermon on the occasion of his Conversion. — Gentile 
 converts received into the Christian church — Olshausen and 
 Prof. J. A. Alexander on his religious status — His history re- 
 cited — Means employed to make Christ known to him — Peter's 
 sheet a symbol — Peter^s sermon : 1st. God no respecter of 
 persons — Bengel — All religions are not equally good — Peter 
 did not invent, but then discovered God's universal regard for 
 all nations — 'id. Peter's sermon was original and expository — 
 " Witnesses chosen before God " were competent and the best 
 in every respect — We must believe upon testimony — 3d. Je- 
 sus is the Messiah according to all the prophets — Ministers are 
 to preach this, and nothing else — 1th. The Holy, Ghost con- 
 firmed Peter's preaching —The baptism of the Holy Ghost and 
 of water — Lessons, 1. The self-denial of the apostles — 2. Proof 
 of the power of Divine grace on a Koman soldier — God's 
 Word honored — The Gospel must be preached not by angels, 
 but by men — 3. Procuring cause is not to be confounded with 
 the evidence or fruit of this man's faith — 4. Observe the moral 
 courage of this Roman officer — Moral courage the great want 
 of our evil times — Have you courage to do right ? Have you 
 courage to profess Christ ? 
 
 IX.^ — Paul's Voyage and Shipwreck 197 
 
 Julius the Centurion in command of the prisoners from Judea to 
 Rome — The course of the voyage from Cesarea — The tempest 
 — The fasting — Paul's vision — His courage and influence on 
 the crew — The wreck — Melita, the barbarians — Paul's miracle 
 and preaching — Subsequent voyage and arrival at Rome — His 
 labors and preaching in the Eternal City. 
 
 X. — Julius, the Centurion of Paul's Voyage to Rome 307 
 
 Melita is Malta — Chips and navigation of the ancients — Occasion 
 of Paul's voyage — His companions— The Centurion Julius com- 
 pared with the three others we have had in the sacred history 
 — Christ's word blessed when uttered by his disciples — Julius' 
 - first acquaintance with his illustrious prisoner — Paul's bearing 
 in the hour of danger — The Centurion's interference to save 
 
CONTEXTS. XV 
 
 PAQR 
 
 the prisoners for Paul's sake — Why did the Centurion take 
 such an interest in the Hebrew prisoner ? — The Roman centu- 
 rion's cliaracter — His baud was the Cohors Aiiguata — Lej)sius 
 — The Centurion's observation of Paul — His opportunities to 
 form a correct opinion concerning him — The course of tlie 
 voyage historically correct — Lardiuer in proof — The difforence 
 between Paul and the owner and master of the ship as to what 
 was to be done in the tempest— Paul a better mariner than 
 they — The failure— The boat taken up like a Mississippi yawl 
 — " Undergirding " the ship — Lord Anson quoted — Nautical 
 phrases used — Paul's vision — Divine interposition at the time 
 of extremity — Paul was not deceived — He was jealous for 
 God's honor — His great influence — " True courage makes one 
 a majority " — 1. Observe the accuracy of Paul's prediction — 
 2. Paul's conversion a proof of the truth of Christianity — His 
 own account of it must have made a deep impression upon 
 this Roman officer — 3. God is sovereign and man free — Bur- 
 kitt's illustration of this — 4. Benefit of being in good com- 
 pany — The other prisoners and all the crew saved for Paul's 
 sake — 5. Was this Pioman Centurion converted to Christ? — 
 6. Deliverances from the perils of battle, or from the dangers 
 of a sea voyage, call for special thanksgivings — 7. Difficulties 
 should not discourage us — Joseph— The Hebrew orphan 
 queen of Persia — Paul in Kome — " Across the river." 
 
 XI. — The Choice of a Calling or Pkofession 241 
 
 The things essentiij for our chief end — Life a battle and death a 
 victory — General Jackson's motto — The brave never die — We 
 have a right to ask God what he would have us do — He will 
 guide us as to a business in life — Paul's case illustrates general 
 principles for us — Paul arrives in Damascus in a very different 
 frame of mind from the one with which he set out — Principle 
 should determine what kind of a business we are to follow — 
 Circumstances unlooked for — Sir Walter Scott — Joseph, the 
 son of Jacob. — 1. Peek to know the will of God as to what call- 
 ing you are to follow — How to ascertain what the will of God 
 is — Personal piety the first requisite — Careful examination re- 
 commended — Consult your own conscience — A delicate and 
 vastly important concern — Strive for a good conscience — Cases 
 
XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOK 
 
 of warning — Saul of Tarsus and the Jews in crucifying our Lord 
 — See whether you haA-e courage and strength for the business 
 or profession you propose to follow — Granite men wanted — 
 The clipper that has outbraved the tempest — Public opinion, 
 how important, irresistible, yet tyrannical — Individual responsi- 
 bility — Dr. Wayland's secret of success — Hold on to the right 
 and the heavens cannot fall — 2. Consider what special qualifica- 
 tions you have for this or that business — A glance at agricul- 
 ture — Biblical instances of divine teaching in the ordinary 
 ■arts — Every man is made on a great life plan — Xapoleon, Wel- 
 lington, Jackson, Havelock — Moses Stuart — 3. Choose a 
 business by -which you may be useful — Art, fine arts and 
 manufacturing— All agree — Bread is king— Mechanical pur- 
 suits — Medical profession— Legal profession — The teacher — 
 Associative toil is man's strength — Ruskin on avarice — En- 
 thusiasm in your calling essential to success — God's rule is, that 
 man must labor under constraint of law — Eminence is within 
 your reach — The place of the Gospel in the world — 4. Follow 
 the intimations of Providence — Early religious training — 
 General Jackson's mother — Havelock's early religious instruc- 
 tion — Take care of your health — A lawyer's case — Look well 
 at the circumstances of your place and times— Great loss 
 sustained by not following providential allotments — Christians 
 are called to do better than others, even in the humblest callings 
 — Our youth are precocious, conceited — Look at the moral ten- 
 dency of the business you are about to choose — Measure the 
 strength of the opposition you will meet — Have a*regard to the 
 recompense^The rule is that we are to be rewarded according 
 to our labors, and not according to our success — Moses — Paul 
 — Dr. Van Rensselaer's report — The " Crown Room." 
 
 Xn. — Our Responsibility for the Salvation of our Fellow 
 MEN 304 
 
 Daniel Webster on responsibility — Omission of duty is guilt — 
 The Mishna's illusU-ation — Cases in point — Egyptians — Men are 
 prone to excuses for neglecting the salvation of their fellow 
 men — God does not accept such excuses — He ponders the 
 heart and considereth our ways — 1. Our fellow men are in 
 danger — " Drawn into death — ready to be slain " — The slaying 
 
CONTENTS. XVll 
 
 PAGE 
 
 of the soul, what it is — Men arc in danger because they are 
 sinning against God — Sin is a dreadful contagion — A man's 
 creed as well as his practice is important — Nor does sincerity 
 in error excuse us from its guilt — 2. All our excuses are in 
 vain — We* do know, or should know, the danger our fellow- 
 men are in — Nor are we excused from some anxiety about 
 their welfare — Ministers not alone in their responsibility — 
 Pearls before stvine misapplied— We are our brother's keeper 
 — The means are to be provided, and then everything done we 
 can do, according to God's own appointed ways, to make them 
 effectual — Case of savage nations illustrated — 3. Reasons why 
 we should strive to save our fellow men Our own expe- 
 rience — We all have influence — If converted to God they are 
 happy — This is the way also to promote our own happiness — 
 Great efforts called for in behalf of our new States and cities, 
 and for our soldiers and sea-going men. 
 
 RKFLECTIOXS. 
 
 1. Have we realized what it is for a soul to be saved or lost? — 
 2. If our fellow men now perish, it will be after the most pre- 
 cious provisions have been made for their salvation — 3. It is 
 something to us that they are ready to be slain —We are under 
 tremendous obligations — Parents, teachers, officers appealed 
 to. 
 
 XIII. — The Piety and Patriotism of Prating for our Civil 
 RuLKRS 351 
 
 Political fathers under tlie same rule as our spiritual and natural 
 fathers — The apostle's teaching on this subject— God still Su- 
 preme Governor — True religion the basis of all order and vir- 
 tue—men prone to extremes — No union of Clirist with Cresar — 
 The powers that be are ordained of God — Illustrations— It is 
 an act of true patriotism and of the most disinterested loyaltv 
 to pray for our civil rulers — Hebrews and early Christians did 
 so — Fear of God and a proper regard for man are found to- 
 gether — Good rulers desire the prayers of the jiious— The 
 Church of God has always taught and practised this duty — Va- 
 rious authorities cited from Barrow, Chrysostom, Origen and 
 Others — The Catechism teaches it — Common charity requires 
 
XVIU CONTENTS. 
 
 it — The human prone to carry us astray — Our civil rulers need 
 our sympathy and prayers — Their post is difficult and danger- 
 ous — They are a part of ourselves — Our welfare depends upon 
 them — Prayer is an essential part of every man's piety. 
 
 XIV.^CiiRiSTiAX Soldiers 395 
 
 Colonel Gardiner — His bravery, patriotism, piety and death — 
 Captain Vicars — His activity as a Christian, noble bearing in 
 battle and death at Sebastopol — Marshal Suwarrow— Russia's 
 greatest general — His heroism, devotion and influence over his 
 soldiers — Genera! Havelock — Sum of his character as a soldier 
 and Christian — Long waiting for his work — Well done at last 
 — His victories — Diligence in acquiring knowledge — A noble 
 example for young officers — The military profession not in 
 itself sinful — Havelock's character and Christian death — Gene- 
 ral Jackson — Pliny's remark — Author's opportunity to study 
 his character — Walpole's rule a failure — General Jackson's 
 moral courage and estimate of it in public men — His attain- 
 ments — His letters — Devotion to his friends — His early reli- 
 gious education — Never altogether lost — Becomes a commun- 
 ing church member — The author his pastor at the Hermitage 
 — His attendance at the Lord's supper — Judge Gayarre's 
 sketch — Difficulty of doing justice to his memory — Cobbett's 
 estimate of General Jackson — His fame will grow greener in 
 coming years — Oft allusions to the help of Providence — His 
 habit of reading the Bible — His pious reflections on the death 
 of a friend and his own failing health — Dr. Esselman's letter 
 describing his death — The closing scene. 
 
 XV. — The Akmt of the Dead still Speaking 425 
 
 The holy catholic Church — Every age and generation connected 
 — Aim of this volume — All great men pious — Illustrations from 
 Homer's heroes — God works by fit agents — Alexander's love 
 for the Iliad — Domestic purity and attachment not inconsistent 
 with the loftiest heroism — The Centurions— Havelock — Jack- 
 son — Such men are to be imitated— Faith in Christ necessary 
 — Our religion must be confessed — Soldiers must try to do 
 good — Catholicity of feeling characteristic of brave men — 
 Havelock not a close communionist — Unfavorable circum- 
 stances may be overcome — Conclusion. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 SOLDIERS MAT BE PIOTTS. 
 
 " Every Inch a soldier and every inch a Christian."— Lord Hardisge's Ecloot 
 ON ({en. Uavelock. 
 
 From an intimate acquaintance with General Jacl£son'3 habits and sentiments, I 
 have no doubt the Rev. Dr. Wilson was correct in saying, that "General Jackson, 
 though not a repular professor of religion while acting President, was, however, the 
 most religious President we have ever had." — The Author. 
 
 "Foe many a year to come, the sword of every rigLteons 
 nation must be whetted to save or to subdue ; nor will it be by 
 patience of others' suffering, but by the offering of your own, 
 that you will ever draw nearer to the time when the great 
 change shall pass upon the iron of the earth ; when men shall 
 beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruu- 
 ing-hooks ; neither shall they learn war any more."* 
 
 If Mr. Ruskin is correct, war is to be the trade of man for 
 ages to come. Alas, alas! that it should be so. But since it is 
 so, and has been so from the beginning, and we fear will so 
 continue for ages to come, it is proper for us to consider brietly 
 the question : 
 
 Can the son of wai\ he a child of God ? Is it possible for a 
 man of Mood to ie a sincere folloicer of the Prince of Peace ? 
 A^u-ious observations and facts are given in this volume as illus- 
 trations of what kind of an answer should be given to this 
 question. Historically, we know that neither the exclusive 
 
 * Ruskin's Lectures, p. 250. 
 
 zlz 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 divine right of kings, nor the doctrine of passive obedience and 
 non-resistance even to tyranny, has been able to prevent wars 
 in past ages. And until human nature shall be vastly changed 
 from what it is, we do not see that wars will cease out of the 
 earth. And as long as wars exist, so long will there be soldiers. 
 Whether war is the natural state of man or not, certain it is, 
 that as it has been, so it is now, and so it will be to the end of 
 our present economy. Does Christianity then absolutely forbid 
 all wars? Is it impossible for a Christian man to engage in 
 war without violating his principles ? That most wars are un- 
 lawful and wholly unjustifiable, we are ready to admit. But 
 all wars are not alike. Peace and war are noble or otherwise, 
 according to their kind and occasion. And even as to wicked 
 and unholy wars, are not tax-payers just as much involved in 
 their sinfulness as the officers and men of the army and navy 
 that are actually engaged in carrying them on? And if all 
 wars are sinful, how is it that God himself ever commanded his 
 chosen people to go to war ? 
 
 Jehovah is never so straitened for means to carry forward his 
 purposes as to do evil that good may come out of it. Never. 
 And moreover, if war is always and essentially a moral wrong, 
 liow are we to look upon the wars of Abraham, Joshua, Gideon, 
 Moses and David? And what are we to say of the acknow- 
 ledged piety of Vicars, Hammond, Col. Gardiner, Gen. Burns, 
 the Lawrences, Nicholsons, Edwardes, and General Havelock, 
 and many others in modern times living and dead, who are or- 
 naments and pillars of the Church of God, and yet at the same 
 time are distinguished for their service to their country in the 
 army and navy ? 
 
 Nor do we find in the New Testament any censure upon the 
 centurions whose history is presented in tlie following pages, for 
 their connection with the military profession. There is not a 
 syllable like this recorded of tlie centurion of Capernaum, nor 
 of Cornelius, nor of the centurion in command at the crucifixion, 
 nor of Julius, who had charge of Paul on his perilous journey 
 to Rome. Nor did John the Baptist, nor our Lord in preaching 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXI 
 
 to soldiers, iiitiinute that tlieir profession was inconsistent -with 
 the ethics of Christianity. And besides this presumptive testi- 
 mony against the objection, that a military man cannot be a 
 good Christian, what is the army or the navy but a national 
 police ? If it is right for a city to have its mayor, sheriflF, con- 
 stables and police, then it is right for a nation to have its army 
 and navy. They are nothing but its police force to suppress 
 insurrection, enforce law and preserve order. Laws without 
 penalties are no laws at all. Then evel-y man must be his own 
 judge and take the laws into his own hand, or he must be sub- 
 ject to a government that will protect him. And for this pur- 
 pose the government must have its police force.. And if a 
 Christian man may be a magistrate, a sheriff, or a constable or 
 member of the city police, then he may be a sailor or a soldier, 
 a commander in the fleet or army. Tiiere is nothing wrong in 
 the one case more than the other. There is no more sin in 
 being a commodore or general than there is in being a justice 
 of the peace or the head of the government. The Rev. W. E. 
 Boardman has briefly and very pointedly presented this idea in 
 some foot-notes to his "Higher Christian Life," which we 
 lieartily conmiend to our readers. "We would also refer those 
 who desire to study the arguments on the justifiableness of war, 
 as against Dr. Wayland and others of his school, who condemn all 
 wars as useless, immoral and wicked, to the introductory chapter 
 of Capt. n. W. Halleck's "Elements of Military Art and Science," 
 and to the authors therein named. This work is a valuable one, 
 combining the results of fine scholarship and of ])atient and ex- 
 tensive study. The introductory chapter, though short for the 
 subject, is so exhaustive as to leave scarcely anything else to be 
 said. "We tliiuk liis positions are ably and triumphantly sus- 
 tained. 
 
 In the New Testament we read : 
 
 "And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And 
 what shall we do? And he said unto them. Do violence 
 to no man, neither accuse any falsely, and be content with 
 your wages." — Luke iii. 14. "We do not know whether these 
 
XXU I2iTK0DUCTI0]S'. 
 
 soldiers were Jews or Eoinans, but the in*obability is, they 
 were proselytes in the service of Herod Antipas, or of Philip, 
 and in either case they were in the Roman service. Tlie 
 Greek term used here does not signify soldiers merely, but 
 soldiers {strateumenoi) actually in arms, or under marching 
 orders for battle. And as we learn from Josephus, that 
 Herod was at this time engaged in war with Aretas, a king 
 of Arabia, it is highly probable that Michaelis is right in 
 saying that the military who came to Jolin were a part of 
 Herod's army, then marching from Galilee, and passing through 
 the region where John was preaching. If this be correct, it is 
 worth}' of special nt^tice, that John does not assume to decide 
 between Herod and the Arabian king, nor say anything as to 
 the lawfulness or justice of the war, but simply, and in his usual 
 boldness and directness of style, tells the soldiers how to behave. 
 In those days, armies were not as well provided for as they are 
 now. They were not under the same discipline that our sol- 
 diers are as to private property. The custom was to make the 
 country occupied by troops support them. And, consequently, 
 the soldiers were strongly tempted to violence. And if they 
 could not obtain such i^rovisious and spoils as they wished from 
 the inhabitants in any other way, they brought charges against 
 them, falsely accusing them of disloyalty, rebellion, conspiracy, 
 or some crime, by which they could justify tliemselves for 
 taking by violence what they wanted. Hence the propriety of 
 John's Knox-Latimer style of preaching to tliem. "Do vio- 
 lence to no man, neither accuse any falsely ; and be content 
 with your wages." As if he had said, Take nothing by unlaw- 
 ful means. Do not manufacture charges against the people. 
 Accuse no one falsely. Be faithful, obedient, enduring. Find 
 no fault with your service. Murmur not at your pay. Ob- 
 serve, then, John does not condemn their profession. He does 
 not say, it was sinful for them to be soldiers, and that they 
 must leave military service before they could please God. But 
 he does tell them that they must not do any wrong thing under 
 pi'etext that their calling required or excused it. Men in the 
 
INTRODUCTIOIf. XXIU 
 
 arm}' and the navy, as in all other professions^, and everywhere, 
 should be Christians. 
 
 The state of the question, then, is this ; Most wars we think 
 are wicked, unlawful and unjustifiable, either jn the sight of 
 God or man ; but wc do not believe that every war is sinful. 
 Nor do we believe that the Gospel forbids the followers of 
 Christ to engage in the military profession. We not only do 
 not find any direct prohibition of war in the Bible, but on the 
 contrary we have in the Old Testament " the wars of the Loi-d." 
 We find God commanding war and conquest. And if all wars 
 are unjustifiable and sinful, how is it that our Lord and his apos- 
 tles have not expressly prohibited the military profession in the 
 most unequivocal and positive terms ? And, moreover, if every 
 war is sinful, how is it we find so many pious men in the army ? 
 fnen as eminent for piety as for courage in the march, patience 
 in the camp, and efficiency in the storm of battle ? And the 
 centurions whose history we are here studying are as commend- 
 able for their faith and extraordinary devotion as for their loy- 
 alty in the service of the pagan emperor of Rome. Our pur- 
 pose here, however, is not to encourage war. We believe that 
 most of the wars of our day are unnecessary and unjustifiable. 
 And we believe the tendency of the Gospel is to do^away with 
 them from the earth ; and that if all men were fully under its 
 influence there would be no wars. Our pur[)Ose in the tbllow- 
 ing pages, is mainly to show that it is not impossible for sol- 
 diers to be pious — that their condition is not in itself so sinful, 
 that they are to be excused from a religious life, because they 
 are soldiers or marines. 
 
 It is no doubt true that it is much harder for some men to be 
 religious than others, just as it costs some men more to bo 
 decent than it would cost others to become saints. Some men 
 are so constitutionally wicked — have so professionally and 
 thoroughly devoted themselves to sin, that they are not only 
 totally depraved, but their faculties are severally and alone, 
 each by itself in need of an entire conversion for itself. But 
 what then ? Must we despair ? By no means. jEsrs CiiinsT 
 
XXIV INTEODUCTION. ' 
 
 13 THE Saviour of sijtners, even of the chief of sinners. 
 And the more desperate the case, the more glory to the medi- 
 cal man that can heal it. Our great aim, then, in this volume, 
 is to give an expository history of the Four Centurions, offi- 
 cers of the Roman army in Judea in apostolic times, who were 
 to a greater or less degree brought under the power of the Gos- 
 I)el, or at least made acquainted with our Lord's history and 
 doctrines ; and to illustrate the fact, that eminent piety in a 
 soldier is consistent with the loftiest courage — that in truth, 
 the Church of God may and does exist in earthly armies. It is 
 certainly very desirable that military men, officers and privates 
 in the array, should be constantly reminded that there have 
 been found in all ages in their profession, men whose piety, to 
 say the least, would bear a comparison with that of any other 
 profession. It. is a necessary encouragement to them to know 
 that men of their own class, men in every respect by birth and 
 education and daily circumstances like themselves, have been 
 truly pious. This should keep them from despairing. The 
 cases we have tried to illustrate show, also, that God employs a 
 great variety of means or instruments by which to bring men 
 to a knowledge of saving truth ; and that in some instances a 
 high standard of piety has been displayed under great disad- 
 vantages. Men in tlie army and navy are accustomed to deci- 
 sion, promptness in action, and to meet with opposition and to 
 endure discipline, to display a lofty courage and a devotion to 
 their country and the cause they defend. It is pei'fectly con- 
 sistent, therefore, that when it pleases God to reveal himself to 
 them, they should show the same manful decision and courage 
 in behalf of the Gospel. 
 
I. 
 
 THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him 
 a centurion, beseching him, and saying. Lord, my servant heth at 
 home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto 
 him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, 
 Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but 
 speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a 
 man under authority, having soldiers under me ; and I say to this 
 man, Go, and he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; and 
 to my servant. Do this, and he docth it. When Jesus heard it, he 
 marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I 
 have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, 
 That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with 
 Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : but the 
 children of the kingdom shall be cast out»into outer darkness : there 
 shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus •said unto the 
 centurion. Go thy way ; and as thou hast believed, so be it done uuto 
 thee. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour. — Matthew 
 viii. 6-13. See also Luke vii. 1-10. 
 
 1. — The Coming to Jesu^. 
 
 It seems to us that this naiTative is one of 
 the most beautiful gems that so profusely adorn 
 the Gospel histoiy. It is the picture of a reli- 
 
 9. V, 
 
26 THE CENTURIOjN' OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 gious soul in a lovely and cLild-like form, re- 
 vealing an extraordinary faith under great dis- 
 advantages. 
 
 And lolien Jesus was entered into Caiper' 
 naum. The time of this miracle was shortly 
 after our Lord came down from the mount 
 where he had delivered his inimitable sermon, 
 and not long after the miracle at the wedding 
 in Cana of Galilee. 
 
 The scene of this miracle was the city of Ca- 
 pernaum, celebrated in the history of our Lord, 
 though scarcely known in Old Testament times. 
 Though born in Bethlehem of parents who be- 
 longed to Nazareth, our Lord made his own 
 home chiefly at Capernaum. While in subjec- 
 tion to his parents — from early childhood till 
 he was thirty years of age — he seems to have 
 dwelt in Nazareth ; but about the time that he 
 commenced his public ministrations, or soon 
 after his baj^tism, he " came and dwelt in Ca- 
 pernaum." This city was therefore the centre 
 of his operations. To it we find him generally 
 returning from his various itinerant missions. 
 It was situate on the northwestern side of the 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUJI. 27 
 
 lake of Gennesareth, called also the sea of Ga- 
 lilee. It was a Jewish city, at this time held 
 by a E-oman garrison in Herod's pay. There 
 is still some doubt whether the precise spot on 
 which it stood has been identified. Hitter and 
 others suppose the Tell Hum of our day to 
 mark its site; but our countryman, Dr. Robin- 
 son^ and others, think Kalin Minyeli^ about 
 three miles farther north, is its true site. How- 
 ever this may be, it is incontrovertible that our 
 Lord's prediction concerning this city has been 
 long since fulfilled. " Thou, Capernaum, which 
 art exalted unto heaven, shalt be broucrht 
 down to hell ; for if the mighty works which 
 have been done in thee, had been done in So- 
 dom, it would have remained until this day. 
 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolei*- 
 able for the land of Sodom in the day of judg- 
 ment than for thee." 3£atth. xi. 23, 24. 
 
 Although this city was our Lord's home dur- 
 ing the years of his public ministry, and not- 
 withstanding He gave its inhabitants many 
 evidences of his power to work miracles and to 
 save, still they were remai'kable for their infi- 
 
28 THE CENTURION OF CAPEENAUM. 
 
 delity, impenitence and general wickedness, 
 and lience his denunciation of their sins for 
 rejecting Him and continuing in their rebel- 
 lion. Their abuse of great privileges aug- 
 mented their guilt until their condemnation 
 was greater than that of Sodom. 
 
 There came unto Tlim, a centurion. Our 
 word centurion is from the Latin centu7n^ a 
 hundred, and means literally a Koman officer 
 commanding a hundred men, corresponding 
 neai'ly to our captain. (See Adams' Rom. 
 Antiq., p. 370.) The title centurion was, how- 
 ever, used with so much latitude, that it some- 
 times signified one who led a subdivision of a 
 Roman legion, without fixing precisely its num- 
 ber. In the following places we find mention 
 made of persons called centurions. Beside the 
 passages referred to as texts above, Mattli. 
 xxvii. 54 ; Acts xi., xx., xxii., xiii., xxiv., xxvii., 
 xxviii. The first convert to Christianity after 
 the crucifixion from among the Gentiles whose 
 name is known to us was Cornelius, a centu- 
 rion of the Italian band at Cesarea, of whom 
 we have more to say in another chapter. At 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPEENAUM. 29 
 
 least four centurions are favorably spoken of in 
 tlie New Testament. 
 
 Some think tke centurion of Matthew now 
 before us the same who is called a nobleman of 
 Capernaum in John iv., who came to Jesus, and 
 begged mercy for bis son. But there is no rea- 
 son to suppose them the same. There are some 
 striking points of reseml:)lance, it is true, in the 
 two naiTatives ; but our Lord was never strait- 
 ened for motives nor for means of showing his 
 mercy. In both cases, the person asking help 
 occupied a high position in society, and the 
 person at the point of death w^as young, and 
 the cure was A^TOught at a distance ; and in 
 both cases, the faith of the person making the 
 application was remarkable ; and our Lord was 
 glorified by both miracles. Still there are 
 points dissimilar — so dissimilar that the cases 
 must be distinct. The one was a Jewish no- 
 bleman, looking for the Messiah ; the other was 
 a Roman ofiicer, who had but little, if any, 
 information concerning the great Hebrew that 
 was so long and so ardently looked for as the 
 Messiah. The Jewish nobleman makes appli- 
 
30 THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 cation to Jesus in behalf of a son, who was 
 nigh unto death with a fever ; the Koman offi- 
 cer applies for aid for a servant (a slave), who 
 was afflicted with ]3aralysis. One miracle was 
 wrought by our Lord when he was at Cana, 
 the other when he was in the streets of Caper- 
 naum. But that which most distinguishes 
 between the miracles was the faith of the a23pli- 
 cants. The Jewish nobleman's faith was feeble. 
 He besought our Lord that he would come and 
 heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 
 John iv. 27. He seems not to have thought 
 that Jesus could heal his son, unless he visited 
 him, and, like a medical man, on the spot 
 should examine the patient, and prescribe ac- 
 cording to the symptoms. Hence, we hear him 
 saying, " Sir, come down ere my child die." 
 But the centurion said, " Lord, I am not wor- 
 thy that thou shouldest come under my roof: 
 but speak the word only, and my servant shall 
 be healed." 
 
 There is some difference of o23inion among 
 interpreters as to the identity of the cases re- 
 corded by Matthew and Jjiike. Cavillers have 
 
THE CENTUKION OF CAPEKNAU3[. 31 
 
 attempted to make out a contradiction between 
 tliem. In regard to wliicli, let it be remem- 
 bered, we have no positive proof tliat botli 
 evangelists refer to the same case. It is not 
 im230ssible but that there were two instances 
 very much alike. Their circumstances may 
 have been mainly coincident, and yet not iden- 
 tical. But on the supposition that we have 
 two accounts of the same case, we find no diffi- 
 culty in harmonizing them. They agree as to 
 the characters, time and place, and substantially 
 in the details. The only diiFerence is that Liik^ 
 is more particular in his chronology-, and is 
 more full, and gives us more details of outward 
 events than are preserved in Mattheiu. LuJce 
 says the centurion sent the elders of the Jews, 
 who besought Jesus to grant his request, say- 
 ing that he was worthy, for he loveth our na- 
 tion and hath built us a synagogue. But 3Iat- 
 tlieiv^ in saying that the centmion came unto 
 Jesus, does not contradict Lulne's statement. 
 He does not say that he had not sent his 
 friends the elders of the Jews, nor does Liihe 
 say that he did not folloAV after them himself. 
 
32 THE CENTUKION OF CAPERlSrAUM. 
 
 The probable state of the case was, that at first 
 he sent, and being anxious, he followed after- 
 ward himself. And each of the evangelists 
 records that part of the transaction which 
 made the deepest impression on his mind, or 
 seemed to him the most important. And as 
 Imke was most familiar with Gentiles, and 
 seems to have written his memoirs of our Lord 
 especially for them, he records that this Koman 
 officer was so kind to the Jews that their elders 
 were his friends and interceded in his behalf, 
 while MattlieiD^ writing for his own country- 
 men, the Jews, was the most impressed with 
 the fact that the centurion, a Roman officer, 
 came himself to our Lord, who was a Jew. 
 And besides, if this explanation is not sufficient, 
 then we may adopt the legal maxim, and say — 
 that which we do through or by another, is 
 done by us. We may appear in court by our 
 attorney or la^vyer. We may be said to build 
 a house, though we employ a carpenter to do 
 it. A farmer may be said to plough and reap, 
 although he emj)loys laborers to do it for him. 
 Such language is common, and obtains in all 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUSr. 33 
 
 tongues. There is then no handle here for the 
 enemies of the Gospel with which to work up 
 a discrepancy between the evangelists. There 
 is no contradiction between them ; but on the 
 contrary, by a candid and intelligent compari- 
 son of the two accounts, we obtain a more full 
 history than we could get from either sepa- 
 rately, and at the same time have an incidental 
 or undesigned proof of their truthfulness as 
 writers. Such minor variations are common in 
 all written and oral narrations. 
 
 The elders sent to convey the centurion's 
 message interceded for him, saying : " That he 
 was worthy for whom he should do this, for 
 he loveth our nation, and hath built us a syna- 
 gogue." — Liiike vii. 3-5. 
 
 A synagogue was a chapel or place of wor- 
 ship, where the Jews held their meetings for 
 reading and expounding the holy Scriptures, 
 but perhaps not common among them till after 
 the captivity in Babylon. And as the centu- 
 rion commanded the Roman garrison at Caper- 
 naum, he probably thought it would have a 
 good effect upon the restless, turbulent Jews, 
 
 0* 
 
34: THE CENTUEIOlSr OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 wlio were so bitter in tlieir j)rejiidices against 
 tlie Romans, if lie showed tliem kindness. Sol- 
 diers and sailors are proverbially liberal with 
 tlieir means, and prompt to support public 
 institutions. It was, however, a remarkable 
 instance of good feeling, even if there was a 
 measure of political expediency in it, for a Ro- 
 man centurion out of his small salary to build 
 a Hebrew synagogue. 
 
 We must not think, however, that we can 
 purchase the grace of God by our charities. 
 The centurion did not think of claiming the 
 divine interposition because he had built a 
 synagogue for the Jews. He did not s]3eak of 
 this at all. Nor is there any merit in religious 
 duties to atone for our sins, or to give us a 
 claim upon divine mercy on account of them. 
 We should no doubt build houses of worship, 
 and support the institutions of the Gospel, and 
 we should read the Word of God, and hear his 
 Gospel preached'; but the means of grace are 
 not to be substituted for Christ. The divine 
 promise is that we shall find a blessing, if we 
 seek, but not because we seek. The use of the 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 35 
 
 means of grace is not the procuring cause of 
 salvation, but the channel or way in which we 
 are to find it. They bring Christ before us. 
 It was when Lydia was in the synagogue on 
 the Sabbath day that she heard Paul preach, 
 and the Lord opened her heart to understand 
 what she heard. It was when the Ethiopian 
 Avas reading Isaiah, as he was retui^ning from 
 the worshipping of the Lord at Jerusalem, that 
 the Spirit sent Philijj to him to preach unto 
 him Jesus. They were all found in the dili- 
 gent, prayerful use of the means. 
 
 "Beseeching him and saying, Lord, my ser- 
 vant lieth at home, sick of the palsy, grievously 
 tormented." My servant — literally " my boy " 
 — a common and familiar term as gargoii in 
 French, or as we use the word hoy for a favor- 
 ite servant without res^ard to his ao-e. LulvS 
 calls him a slave, and so interpreters generally 
 understand the word doidos. Calvin suggests 
 that he was a slave of rare fidelity and endow- 
 ments, and hence the master's greater solicitude 
 to save his life. 
 
 Lieth at home — literally is prostrate in the 
 
36 THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 honse — sick of the jyalsy. It would seem tliat 
 paralysis is not wholly a modern disease, as 
 neuralgia or dyspepsia are said to be. Critical- 
 ly speaking, tliere may be some difference be- 
 tween palsy and paralysis, tliougli tlie first 
 term seems to be only a contraction of tlie lat- 
 ter; but in the New Testament they seem to be 
 spoken of as quite the same thing, and as com- 
 ing under our term apoplexy. The original 
 here signifies a relaxation of the nerves of one 
 side. The palsy prevailed in our Lord's day, 
 and does still in the East. But there is scarce- 
 ly any description in the New Testament of 
 the diseases that prevailed in Judea in his day. 
 Grievously tormented — terribly, fearfully dis- 
 tressed — is in great agony and at the point of 
 death, as in Luhe. Now it is entirely a mis- 
 take, as some critics say, that in such a case of 
 palsy there was no consciousness, no agony, no 
 suffering. It may be true that torment or 
 agony does not always accompany the palsy. 
 But there is a form of this disease that is at- 
 tended by violent cramps and sti'ong pains, and 
 is exceedingly dangerous. Trench says the dis- 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPEENATJM. 37 
 
 ease in this case was paralysis, with conti'action 
 of the limbs and joints, and was, therefore, a 
 case of extreme suffering as well as of great 
 danger. The Greek term for grievously tor- 
 mented is from the name of a Lydian stone, 
 upon which metals were proved, and hence it 
 came to be used for applying an engine of tor- 
 ture in the examinatior of criminals, and meta- 
 phorically to afflict, torment. And hence here 
 it is applied to a paralytic who is suffering vio- 
 lent pains. 
 
II. 
 
 THE CENTUEION OF CAPEENAUM CONTINUED. 
 
 2. — The Peculiar JExcellence of his Faith: 
 
 And Jesus saith unto hhn^ I will come aiid 
 Ileal him — tliat is, I will grant your request. 
 I will save your servant. I am ready even to 
 go to your house. Our Lord's reply then was 
 prompt and gracious, marked with a confidence 
 and dignity that showed that he was conscious 
 of inherent power to work such a miracle as 
 would save this servant. And now in the cen- 
 turion's reply and our Lord's commendation of 
 him we have an instance of extraordinary faith 
 — of strong and discriminating faith — and of a 
 miracle wrought without personal contact or 
 immediate presence. Happily for us, this case 
 will enable us to consider the nature of faith, 
 which is an essential thing both in society and 
 in religion. For such is our constitution that 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. 39 
 
 we cannot live without faith. We must have 
 faith in ourselves and in one another, and in 
 God and in his Word and works. It is by 
 faith we know the history of the creation, and 
 receive all our knowledge of past ages. We 
 live by faith from day to day. We go to sleep 
 at night confident of the coming morning, 
 whether we live to see it or not. We have 
 faith in the ordinances of heaven, and trust in 
 the regularity of the laws which God has im- 
 posed upon natui-e. They are all his servants. 
 We trust in our senses^ though they have 
 often deceived us. We have faith in o\xv fellow 
 men, though they have often cruelly deceived 
 us. A. battle is fought and a kingdom is risked 
 through faith in the intelligence of a spy. The 
 merchant sends his vessel to the other side of 
 the globe in charge of his captain, or ships a 
 vast amount of goods to his corresj^ondents, or 
 buys thousands of dollars' worth of exchange, all 
 on faith. The general must trust his officers and 
 men, and they must have faith in him and in 
 one another. And though some soldiers have 
 turned traitors, and some clerks and consignees 
 
40 THE CENTUMOjST OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 have been heartless villains, still, so essential 
 is the principle of faith in society, that we 
 must act on it. We cannot do without it. 
 Without faith the affairs of society must stand 
 still, and society itself is nothing but a moun- 
 tain of sand. Faith, then, is not a mere ab- 
 straction, nor the invention of cunning priests 
 by which to put a yoke upon the people's 
 necks to hold them down while they help 
 themselves to their purses. Faith is not some- 
 thing merely bound up in the Confession and 
 Thirty-nine Articles. Nor is it a new faculty 
 of the mind made to priestly order by the 
 Council of Nice, or by the Synod of Dort, or 
 by the Westminster Assembly, or by the Brit- 
 ish Parliament. In general, faith is not a super- 
 natural thing. It is a simj^le, familiar jorinci- 
 ple of every-day life. Intellectually and in a 
 religious sense it is the same thing. It is be- 
 lief, trust, confidence. But religiously, it is 
 trust in God, belief in all God has said to us, 
 because He says it, and confidence in his mercy- 
 through his well-beloved Son Jesus Christ. 
 . Such a faith is the gift of God. It is produced 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPEENAUM. 41 
 
 by his Spirit. It is " a saving grace whereby 
 we receive and rest upon Jesus Christ alone 
 for salvation, as he is offered to us in the Gos- 
 pel." We may then see why it is that the 
 Scriptures speak of faith as being so important, 
 and tell us that mthout faith we cannot please 
 God, nor be saved. And it is certainly re- 
 markable that the two most extraordinary 
 instances of faith recorded in the New Testa- 
 ment should have been found among the 
 heathen, and not in the Hebrew Church— this 
 centurion and the Syro-Phcenician woman in 
 Matthew XV. And of her case, our Lord did 
 not speak of her toil and travel, nor of her 
 expense and perseverance, submission, patience, 
 humility and maternal solicitude in coming to 
 Him, but specifies her faith as most worthy of 
 notice; so here it is not the benevolence, nor 
 charities, nor rank, nor soldierly demeanor, nor 
 humility and perseverance of the centurion that 
 our Lord commends as most worthy of admira- 
 tion, but his faith. " Verily I say unto you, 
 I have not found so great faith, no, not in 
 Israel." 
 
42 TPIE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 In tlie fa'st place^ then, is tliere anything in 
 the centurion's case that justifies our Lord's 
 commendation ? Even lie marvelled at it. That 
 is, was filled with wonder, admiration, aston- 
 ishment, speaking after our manner, that so 
 discriminating and strong a faith in him should 
 be professed by a Roman officer. And the 
 Holy Spirit has no doubt j)reserved this record 
 of our Lord's admiration, to teach us that this 
 man's faith is to be imitated as well as won- 
 dered at. It was wonderful that a man under 
 such natural disadvantages as had encompassed 
 this pagan and soldier in his education and 
 youth, and profession in manhood, should re- 
 coo^nize what the Jewish rulers failed to see, 
 and should profess a greater faith than any of 
 their race — a race heroic by faith — had ever 
 before displayed. 
 
 First. It was to be marvelled at that such 
 faith was found outside of the Hebrew Church. 
 The term faitli used in the text does not of 
 itself necessarily imply saving views of Christ 
 as a Eedeemer ; but from its connection, we 
 think it proper so to consider it. Primarily it 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 43 
 
 means here confidence in Jesus as having power 
 to Ileal without personal contact. But s])ecik 
 the word only, said he, and my servant shall he 
 healed. Wetstei7i and some others understand 
 this to mean : " Command by a word and my 
 servant shall be healed." This was certainly 
 an extraordinaiy profession of faith for a man 
 to make in a Hebrew, who had not himself 
 been brought up in the creed and catechism 
 of Abraham. JVo, not in Israel — that is, not 
 among the chosen people. Not one of the dis- 
 ciples or apostles, even, had as yet made such 
 a profession of faith in him. They had the 
 prophets and Moses, whose writings clearly 
 pointed out the work and character of the 
 Messiah, yet they had not professed such faith 
 in him. Not in Israel is emphatic. Israel 
 was the memorial name of Jacob for his having; 
 prevailed with God so as to become a prince, 
 and from him all Jews prefer to be called 
 Israelites, just as the people of Rome assumed 
 to be called Komans in lionor of Romudus. 
 The meaning then is: I have not found such 
 an instance of faith among the Jews, who are 
 
44 THE CENTUEIOlSr OF CAPEENATTM. 
 
 distinguislied for tlieir princes, wlio liave pre- 
 vailed witli God on account of their faith. 
 They have had men of heroic faith, "but not 
 such an instance as this. 
 
 The distinguishing excellence of the centu- 
 rion's faith, then, did not consist in his having 
 an exalted idea of God, and believing that he 
 was the Creator and governor of all things. 
 David had as great faith in the works of crea- 
 tion and Providence as he had, and no doubt 
 knew a great deal more than he did. And 
 Cicero and many of the heathen had some 
 grand ideas of the Divine power. He could 
 say : " Mhil est quod Deus efficere non posset, 
 et quidem sine labore ullo," etc. {Be Kat. D.^ 
 UK 3.) 
 
 Nor did the peculiar excellence of the centu- 
 rion's faith lie in his belief in miracles. All 
 Jews, and even all the heathen, believed in 
 miracles. It was a j)art of the common faith 
 of the whole world, and is so still, with excep- 
 tions as rare as idiots. The peculiarity, the dis- 
 tinguishing excellence, then, of this man's faith 
 consisted in this — that he, being a Gentile and 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPEENAUM. 45 
 
 a Roman officer, accustomed to see men having 
 influence and autliority regarded with great 
 ceremony, should believe that Jesus, who was 
 outwardly a mere man — a Hebrew — in hmnble 
 circumstances, and without any of the pomp or 
 signs of power that he was accustomed to re- 
 cognize, wielded the heavenly powers, and had 
 as complete a control over them, and over all 
 diseases and spirits as he had over his servants 
 and soldiers. 
 
 Second. It was worthy of special attention 
 that such faith was found in a soldier. Our Lord 
 was at this time surrounded by the Scribes, and 
 probably in the house of a Pharisee, but it was 
 in the Roman soldier that he found tlie greatest 
 faith. As the profession of arms is not in it- 
 self sinful — is not a sin fefr se — so neither is the 
 term soldier synonymous ^\dth cruelty or blood- 
 thirstiness, nor with diinking, debauchery and 
 lawlessness. If there are butchers among sol- 
 diers like Nana Saliib^ there are also Havelochs 
 who are as distinguished for refinement and 
 kindness of feeling as for lofty courage. We 
 regard Avar as a terrible thing, but it is some- 
 
46 THE CENTUEIOlSr OF CAPEENAUM. 
 
 times the less of two evils. War is better tlian 
 national disgrace, or sucli loss of national honor 
 and position as should destroy our self-respect 
 and happiness. Gladly would we have our 
 cannon turned into church l^ells, and our shot 
 and balls into railroads, and our men of war 
 into merchant ships, if it were expedient. But 
 it is not, nor will it be, until men shall learn 
 war no more. Such is the depravity of man- 
 kind that one sword is necessary to keep an- 
 other in its scabbard. It is not necessary here, 
 however, to enter upon the question about the 
 lawfulness of war in Christian states. The 
 only point here insisted on is, that because a 
 man is a soldier, he is not of necessity the 
 greatest of sinners. A man is under no neces- 
 sity to serve Satan, because he serves the gov- 
 ernment as a soldier. The army is not a favor- 
 able school for piety. The military profession 
 presents occasions and temptations to idleness 
 and manifold wrong-doing. It is an excited, 
 spasmodic, irregular kind of life. The soldier 
 and the sailor are often without Sabbaths and 
 sanctuaries, and under peculiar temptations to 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAU5I. 47 
 
 forget Gocl, yet it lias pleased God tliat his 
 grace should have many heroes even in armies 
 and camps and naval ships. If the military 
 profession was a sin ^er se^ then, instead of 
 having chaplains to preach the Gospel and 
 administer the sacraments of the Chiu'ch in our 
 army and navy, they should urge the men to 
 desertion. But when the soldiers crowded to 
 hear John the Baptist preach, as well as the 
 Scribes and Pharisees, did he tell them to 
 desert, and join a Peace society? No; but he 
 did tell them to do no violence and to be con- 
 tent with their wages, and not to accuse any 
 man falsely. Soldiers are found also listening 
 to the words of truth as they fell from the lips 
 of the Great Teacher himself But he did not 
 tell them to leave their profession because it 
 was a sin. In the New Testament we have 
 four different centurions brought under the 
 power of the Gospel. The one before us owed 
 allegiance to a heathen emperor, yet he pos- 
 sessed greater faith than any in Israel. And 
 what shall we say of Abraham, Moses, Joshua 
 and David — men of preeminent faith, and yet 
 
48 THE CENTUKION OF CAPEENAUM. 
 
 heroes in battle ? And wliat sliall we say of 
 Colonel Gardiner, General Burns and General 
 Sir Henry Havelock, and many others in our 
 times ? 
 
III. 
 
 CENTUEION" OF CAPEENAUM CONTINUED. 
 
 3. — Evidences of the CenturiorCs Faith. 
 
 In tlie next place^ then, let us look at the 
 proofs or evidences of tlie centurimi! s faith. 
 And here observe, First. His tender care for 
 his servant. But could not a Roman officer be 
 kind to his servants and faithful to his sol- 
 diers, without having any knowledge of the 
 true religion? Do not the heathen practise 
 many virtues ? We answer, certainly they do. 
 There are some actions recorded of heathens 
 that are worthy of imitation. But admitting 
 that there are some few things lovely and 
 excellent among Pagan nations, Ave do not by 
 any means admit that their ethics are to be 
 compared with those of Christianity, or that 
 they are not in need of the Gospel. By no 
 
 means. The picture drawn of them by the 
 
 3 « 
 
50 THE CENTUEION OF CAPEKlSrAUM. 
 
 apostle in liis epistles is still true. Nor do we 
 allow tliat tlie admission of any good thing to 
 heathendom is antagonistic to the Gospel. The 
 morals of heathendom, even if they were a hun- 
 dred times better than they are, do not contra- 
 dict nor supersede Christianity. The teachings 
 of tradition, the light of nature, and of con- 
 science and God's Spirit are the teachers of all 
 men, and are quite sufficient to account for the 
 glimpses or guesses at truth that we find 
 among the heathen. Considering the physical 
 and moral unity of all human races, it would 
 be strange if there had not been found in 
 heathendom an unconscious prophesying that 
 proves the necessity of a Saviour, just as their 
 sacrifices prove a conscious need for some 
 atonement for sin. Indeed it would be strange 
 if there were not some fragmentary truths in 
 all nations and in all ages, resembling one an- 
 other, and altogether bearing testimony to 
 God's own original copy and to the complete 
 edition of his own revealed truth. 
 
 Second. The completeness of this Moman sol- 
 dier^s character^ as seen in the care of his ser- 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. 51 
 
 vant as well as in his public spirit, deserves 
 special notice. His attention to the religious 
 wants of the people around him, nurtured his 
 humane feelings for his own household. His 
 charity did not all go abroad. He did not 
 make his generosity toward the Jews an excuse 
 for neglecting home duties. His public regard 
 for the Hebrews was not made a A^eil to cover 
 up selfishness. And as a historic fact, it is to 
 be observed, that true religion is always found 
 developing what is lovely and of good report, 
 noble, kind and reasonable. This centurion's 
 anxiety for the recovery of his slave is, how- 
 ever, the more remarkable when we consider 
 that he was a Koman, and the age in which he 
 lived. His conduct is a remarkable contrast 
 with that of the eloquent Cicero, who thought 
 it necessary to excuse himself for having had 
 some feeling at the death of one of his house- 
 hold. Ordinarily in that age and among the 
 Romans, slaves were denied the sympathy that 
 belonged to other human beings. 
 
 In Avhatever Avay we may account for the 
 morality and tenderness of this Roman officer 
 
52 THE CENTURION OF CAPERISTAUM. 
 
 toward liis servant, we find them in connection 
 with, colored by, and developed in an extraor- 
 dinary faith. His benevolence and charity, if 
 not called into being by his religious faith, 
 were certainly ennobled and made more deli- 
 cate by it. It is indeed true that morality is 
 not piety, but there is no consistent or true 
 piety without good morals. It is true, that high 
 social affections, amiable instincts, commercial 
 virtues — promptness in business, capacity for 
 business, and integrity on 'Change, are not to 
 be substituted for penitence and faith in Christ, 
 yet they are in every way commendable. But 
 the instinct of kindness toward a servant or 
 dependent may in itself be no more in a reli- 
 gious way than instinct tenderness toward a 
 horse or dog. And does not this instinct ten- 
 derness for animals exist among the heathen 
 who have never heard of the name of Jesus ? 
 May not a deist^ who does not believe in the 
 Bible, bind a poultice to his wounded hound, 
 or an atheist, who denies immortality, and says 
 there is no Cod, weep over the groans of his 
 dying steed ? May it not be, then, that a man 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPEENAUM. 53 
 
 is sober, intelligent, and industrious — that lie 
 has been a dutiful son, and is a faithful hus- 
 band, an indulgent father, a kind neighbor, a 
 good citizen, an upright and honest man, and 
 that still he is not a Christian? If he is all 
 this, let us thank God for it; but let us 
 remember that one thing he lacks yet, and 
 that one thing is love to God — a supreme 
 regard for his mil — an habitual reference of 
 all to his law as the standard of right and 
 ■wrong — an habitual trust in God as a sinner 
 reconciled to Him throu2:h Jesus Christ. Now 
 is it not fairly a matter within your own expe- 
 rience or observation, that a man may have 
 amiable instincts and social and business vir- 
 tues, and yet not have the fear of God before 
 his eyes ? There is want of spirituality spread 
 over all he is and does. There is no spirit of 
 prayer, of love to God, nor panting after holi- 
 ness, nor habitual striving to please God. Is 
 it not true that a lady may be found weeping 
 at the theatre over a tragedy, who has never 
 wept over her guilt as a sinner, for rejecting 
 Christ ; or in ecstasy at an opera, who has 
 
54 THE CENTUKIOlSr OF CAPEElSrAUM. 
 
 never rejoiced in tlie love of God slied abroad 
 in her heart by tlie Holy Ghost ? A taste for 
 poetry and the fine arts does not always imj)ly 
 a love of holiness. Nor does a reformation of 
 manners always imply regeneration, though 
 regeneration is seen only by a reformation of 
 life. Every conversion to God yields the fruits 
 of true obedience to his laws. Salvation by 
 grace does not lead to licentiousness, nor does 
 justification by faith excuse us from good 
 works, but the rather impels us to them, so 
 that those who believe in justification by faith, 
 and in salvation by sovereign grace, are of all 
 men the hardest and most persevering workers. 
 They work diligently because God works in 
 them, and they believe God is helping them. 
 It is not true, then, that Christianity diminishes 
 in any measure a man's tenderness for his fellow 
 men; nor does it make a man any the less 
 trustworthy as a mechanic, merchant or soldier. 
 On one occasion the general in command of the 
 English army in India was told that the insur- 
 gents were about making an attack on one of 
 his positions, and he ordered out a certain regi- 
 
THE CENTUEIOlSr OF CAPERNAU]\r. 55 
 
 ment to oppose them ; but his aid replied, that 
 regiment could not go, for "they were all 
 drunk." " Then," said the commander, " call 
 out Havelock's saints ; they are never drunk 
 and Havelock is always ready." Accordingly 
 the bugle sounded — the ranks of the " saints " 
 closed sternly up, and ^^dth him at their head, 
 who had so often led them in prayer, the troops 
 charged on the enemy and scattered them in 
 flight.* This true history is its own interpre- 
 ter. For the soldiers who were so sober and so 
 much given to singing psalms, reading the 
 Bible, and prayer, that they were called Have- 
 locVs saints y because he had so taught them, 
 were the very men of all others to meet the 
 enemy. And never did they fail to perform 
 their duty faithfully to their general, their 
 country and theii- God. The history of war 
 from the beginning till now, does not present a 
 record of greater courage or of more lofty hero- 
 ism in battle, than we find in Havelock's In- 
 dian campaigns with his Highlanders and the 
 13th Infantiy. 
 
 * Headley's Life of Havelock, p. 48. 
 
56 '" THE CENTUEION OF CAPEENAUM. 
 
 It is not tlien true, that tlie Gospel builds up 
 the Church on the ruins of civilization. Christ- 
 ianity wages no war against the fine arts, nor 
 does it preach any crusade against the elegant 
 accomplishments or proprieties of society. Go- 
 ing to church is not to make people vinegar- 
 faced ; nor is true enlightened piety a lowering 
 gloom, nor a moping melancholy. A man does 
 not cease to be a gentleman by becoming a 
 Christian. On the contrary, he is only half, 
 and the least half of a gentleman before, for 
 until he is a Christian, even if he is all that a 
 gentleman should be toward his fellow men, 
 he has not done his duty to his God, and is 
 therefore sadly wanting in that Gomplete7iess — 
 that high finish of character that constitutes 
 the highest style of a gentleman — a tlwroughly 
 honest man both toward his fellow men and 
 God. And shall we not imitate this Koman 
 officer in his tenderness toward his servant ? 
 Among the great evils of our times are the in- 
 subordination of domestics, the precocity of 
 children, and the selfishness of masters and the 
 heads of establishments. Flunkies aifect to be 
 
THE CENTURIOlSr OF CAPERNAUM. 57 
 
 lords, and " tlie queens of society " are in tlie 
 kitclien. So feelingly and so nniversally is the 
 remark made, tkat " servants are the greatest 
 plagues of life," tliat we are almost ready to 
 wisli our times were thrown back to the feudal 
 asjes, when, if there was a distinction in rank 
 there was also some care for subordinates, and 
 some household pride and affection. But now 
 household relations are transient, spasmodic, 
 uncertain — a mere convenience or necessity for 
 dollars and cents. The social and religious 
 improvement of the one part, and the promot- 
 ing of the welfare of the other part, are re- 
 spectively overlooked. Nor is it easy to see 
 where the remedy lies. We can, however, look 
 back to former years, and sigh that in this par- 
 ticular the past is better than the present. The 
 evils of society, as it now exists among us, are 
 very serious, both as it regards the well-being 
 of its members in this world, and the si^iritual 
 necessities of both masters and servants, heads 
 of establishments and the young under their 
 care. It is perfectly obvious that we are tend- 
 ing in our day to anarchy and lawlessness, and 
 
 3* 
 
58 THE CEISTTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 to a system of pauperism, Avliicli only the 
 strongest governments of Europe are able to 
 bear. And the root of this evil is the neglect 
 of home education, the want of family govern- 
 ment, instruction and religion. 
 
 Third. Another evidence of this centurion's 
 fjilth is seen in his remarkable humility. His 
 address to our Lord, saying, I am not worthy 
 that thou shouldest come under my roof, is the 
 more remarkable when we consider the relative 
 position of the parties. Jesus was a Jew — ^be- 
 longed to a people despised by the Romans. 
 There was no earthly pomp or greatness about 
 him. But here we see an officer of the Roman 
 army commanding in a conquered province, 
 whose master was the conqueror of the world — 
 rich, influential and powerful — so struck with 
 the dignity and moral excellence of Jesus, that, 
 wholly regardless of the disparity of their rank, 
 he openly professed himself unworthy to re- 
 ceive a personal visit from him. Indeed, so 
 remarkable was his humility, that if our Lord 
 had not commended his faith, we should have 
 been at a loss which to admu'e the most. In- 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. 59 
 
 deed, tliey were inseparable, and are so still. 
 The root of liis humility was his faith. The 
 excellence of condescension is that it proceeds 
 from true gi-eatness. His humility is seen in 
 his declaration of unworthiness, as well in 
 sending the Jewish elders as in his declara- 
 tion about our Lord's coming to his house. 
 "Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy 
 to come unto thee." " Lord, trouble not thy- 
 self : for I am not worthy that thou shouldest 
 enter under my roof" Lulne vii. G, 7. How 
 vastly different this from the style of the 
 Pharisees. The Gentile soldier was a better 
 Christian than the Hebrew elders. So great 
 was his humility that he did not consider him- 
 self good enough, nor of sufficient value to 
 have the honor of our Lord's personal presence 
 at his quarters. 
 
 But it deserves to be remembered that such 
 humility as this is found only in connection 
 with true faith. Without reverence there is 
 no piety. The Koman soldier was not given 
 to stereotyped and vain phrases. He was not 
 quick to make vain professions. But in a few 
 
60 THE CENTURIOJST OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 words declared wliat lie felt. "Speak the 
 word only, and my servant sliall be healed." 
 Short, explicit, and full of meaning, just such 
 words as such a military man would be likely 
 to use. He knew nothing about the lore of 
 the schools. He had no catechetical defini- 
 tion of faith on hand. He had never read a 
 theological treatise, hence he made his profes- 
 sion of faith in the language that his profession 
 suggested. And as faith is the same thing, 
 whether found in a heathen, a Jew or a Christ- 
 ian, whether found in the heart of a soldier, a 
 sailor, a merchant, or of a philosopher, so there 
 is no mistake as to his meaning. The forms 
 and modes of expressing our faith may be 
 greatly diversified ; but faith itself is the same 
 thing. Hence he, referring to. his own expe- 
 rience and to his own official power, said: "I 
 say to one. Go, and he goeth ; and to another, 
 Come, and he cometh ; and to my servant. Do 
 this, and he doeth it ;" so says he, I believe you 
 have the will and the power to heal my servant. 
 " Sj^eak the world only, and my servant shall 
 he healed." This is a most lively, laconic pic- 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUSf. 61 
 
 ture of Roman authority, brevity of command 
 and promptitude of obedience. 
 
 Now as faith is trust in God, so it is alto- 
 gether a different thing from the haughty and 
 ignorant spirit of self-conceit, which is some- 
 times called independence or manliness. Now, 
 if by being indej)endent, a young man means 
 that he will earn his OAvn living by honest toil 
 and owe no man anything — that he will rise 
 in the world by his own exertions and not owe 
 it to the patronage of others — that he will be 
 honored by his own labors rather than by 
 those of his father and mother, then we bid 
 him God speed. This may all be quite right. 
 But if by independence, he means that he will 
 be bound by no ties to other human beings — 
 that he will owe no allegiance to any will but 
 his own, and live mthin and by himself — then 
 we say, he is quite at fault. He is trying to 
 do what is w^holly impracticable. He ^vill 
 never be able to pay his God, his parents and 
 his countiy what he owes them. Nor can he 
 live alone. Without a fiiend the world is a 
 desert. Without something to love and con- 
 
62 THE CENTURION OF CxVPERNAUM. 
 
 fide in, man is a miserable creature. This mor- 
 bid, affected love of indej)endence tliat throws 
 off the obligations of society — that frees a man 
 from the moral princij)les taught him by his 
 parents because they are old-fashioned, and 
 affects to make a man his own lord and master, 
 is vevolutionoA'y in politics, atlieisUc in religion, 
 and a monstrous deformity. And it proves 
 jealousy and littleness on the part of him that 
 indulges it, rather than true manliness of char- 
 acter. 
 
 Do not eiT, however, as to the centiu-ion's 
 Tiy/tnility. He was not blindly pinning his faith 
 to anybody's sleeves, nor was he impaling his 
 heart for daws to peck at. He was not fawn- 
 ing (yn the Emperor of Rome, nor flattering the 
 commanding general of the Roman legions, nor 
 telling lies, nor offering bribes to the Governor 
 of Cesarea, nor electioneering for a nomination 
 to high places and emoluments. His homage 
 was voluntary, and proceeded from his own 
 conviction. He came to Jesus of Nazareth to 
 save his dying servant. And according to the 
 divine promise, having humbled himself^ he 
 
THE CENTUETON OF CAPERNAUM. 63 
 
 was exalted. He did not think himself worthy 
 that Jesus should enter his house, but our 
 Lord entered his heart. His humility was be- 
 fore honor. It was just the reverse with the 
 Pharisee — he considered Jesus unworthy to be 
 in his house, or that he was doing him a great 
 honor to invite him to his house, and our Lord 
 did not enter into his heart. 
 
 Fourth. It is in evidence as a proof of the 
 centurion's extraordinary faith, that he did not 
 requii'e any assistance from the senses. His 
 confidence was implicit, perfect in the presence 
 and power of a will, which was itself not visi- 
 ble. Is it not remarkable that he did not de- 
 sire Jesus to go with him — that he did not 
 consider his bodily presence necessary for work- 
 ing the miracle ? He did not consider any per- 
 sonal contact necessar}^ He looked for the 
 desired result not by any ordinary treatment, 
 much less by any trickery. His faith was in 
 the power of the Supreme Being, whose agent 
 he believed Jesus to be, if he was not the very 
 God of God himself, manifest in a human form. 
 It is well known that even the heathen had 
 
64 THE CENTURION OF CAPEENAUM. 
 
 some idea of the Grod of tlie Jews, and of angels 
 and spirits, and liad some notion of God's 
 assuming liuman forms, and coming among 
 men. Homer is full of this. The centurion in 
 command at the crucifixion had some confused 
 idea of Divinity on earth, or that the Son of 
 God could suffer as a man on the cross. I am 
 satisfied that the ordinary method of explain- 
 ing the faith of this centurion and of Cornelius 
 the centurion of Cesarea, by considering them 
 l^roselytes to Judaism, is not correct. It is not 
 affirmed in either case, nor fairly implied. In- 
 deed the veiy reverse seems to be implied in 
 the terms used to express their piety, and by 
 the contrast with Israel, in the history now 
 under consideration. It is, however, true, that 
 though brought up in the creed of Paganism, 
 still he had of late years, by his residence in a 
 Jewish town, sufficient oppoiiunities to become 
 familiar with Hebrew opinions and somewhat 
 acquainted with the fame of Jesus. The mira_ 
 cles and history of the former ages of the Jew- 
 ish nation were no doubt substantially kno\vn 
 to him and believed in by Inm. Nor would 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. 65 
 
 this imply at all tliat lie was a proselyte of the 
 gate ; but only that he was no longer a gross 
 idolater, and had respect for the Hebrew faith 
 and people. It is not easy to define how much, 
 and just what kind of faith the centurion had 
 before he came to Jesus ; but we are sure, from 
 the result, that he did right in applying to 
 Jesus, and that he had faith enough to save his 
 servant, and we hope faith enough to save his 
 soul. 
 
 FiHTi. The centmion's case is also the more re- 
 markable, on account of the national prejudices 
 that existed toward the Jews in the minds of 
 all other nations, and which were returned 
 with compound interest by the Jews toward 
 all other people. The prejudices of race and 
 religion were exceedingly strong between the 
 Komans and the Jews, and at this time, their 
 political subjection made the Jews more bitter 
 than usual. The proud Roman usually felt 
 contempt for the conquered Jew. But this 
 centurion betrays no such feeling ; nor does he 
 assume any patronizing air on account of his 
 military command, nor for what he has done 
 
66 THE CENTUKIOlSr OF CAPEENAUIT. 
 
 for tlie Jews, nor does lie resent tlie peculiar 
 claims of the Hebrew religion. Taking the 
 whole history into review, we cannot but hope 
 that this centurion was truly converted to God. 
 He could not have been ignorant of the main 
 doctrines of the Hebrew religion. He must 
 have known that they believed in one only 
 living and true God, and that they claimed 
 peculiar privileges as the ]3eople of God de- 
 scended from Abraham; and as we find him 
 here acknowledging himself unworthy of the 
 personal regards of a Jew, and yet possessed 
 of an unwavering faith that he could exercise 
 as unquestioned power over diseases, as he 
 himself could over his soldiers ; and the more 
 so, because this sense of unworthiness and this 
 deep humility imply a sense of sin that could 
 be produced only by the Holy Spirit. When, 
 therefore, we put together his consciousness of 
 sin — his feeling of unworthiness, and his high 
 opinion of Jesus, and remember that his educa- 
 tion as a Roman officer had been completed by 
 gaining considerable knowledge of the world, 
 and especially some knowledge of the Hebrews 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPEENAOI. 67 
 
 and of the religion of tlie God of Abraham, 
 Isaac and Jacob — we conclude that the sick- 
 ness of a favorite servant was overruled by a 
 gracious sovereignty, so as to be made the occa- 
 sion of his comino; into direct contact with the 
 Son of God, and of bringing out this confession 
 of faith in Him. 
 
 Sixth. The form of his profession of faith 
 proves its strength. "For I am," says he, "a 
 man imder authority, having soldiers under 
 me : and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; 
 and to another, Come, and he cometh ; and to 
 my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." There- 
 fore, says he, "speak the word only, and my 
 servant shall be healed." This was emphatic- 
 ally a military profession. It was logical, sim- 
 ple, brief and straight out. His argument was 
 a fortiori — from the weak to the stronger — ^from 
 the less to the greater. He institutes a com- 
 parison between his military authority over 
 his soldiers and servants and the power of 
 Jesus over all tilings, or at least over spirits 
 and diseases ; and he says, I believe that you 
 have all the powers of the invisible world under 
 
68 THE CENTUKION OF CAPEENAUM. 
 
 your command as fully as I have command 
 over my soldiers. And even more than this 
 seems implied. It is as if he had said, I, who 
 am but a subordinate officer, issue my orders 
 and they are promptly obeyed, although I am 
 myself under the authority of my suj^eriors, 
 whom I implicitly obey ; then much more have 
 you the power to make diseases go or come at 
 your simple word. I am an humble officer, 
 and have command over only a few soldiers 
 and servants, but thou art in command of the 
 armies of heaven, and all things are obedient 
 to thee. His belief that Jesus could heal at a 
 distance implies his idea that our Lord pos- 
 sessed omniscience and omnipresence. 
 
IV. 
 
 THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM CONTDfUED. 
 
 4. — This Ronimi officer still 'preaching the 
 Gospel. 
 
 First. Here is an incidental illustration of 
 the perfect humanity of our Lord. "When 
 Jesus heard it, he marvelled" — wondered^ or 
 more literally, was astonished, spoken in refe- 
 rence to his humanity. Our Lord's estate of 
 humiliation was as real as his estate of exalta- 
 tion. His body and soul were as truly human, 
 as his Divinity was truly that of the Godhead. 
 His human nature was perfect, and in it he 
 was capable of grief, anger, wonder, or joy. 
 The only difficulty here is " the mystery of god- 
 liness : God manifest in the flesh." The mean- 
 ing of our Lord's marvelling, then, is not that 
 he did not know the state of the centurion's 
 mind before he spoke. He was as well ac- 
 
 60 
 
70 THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 quainted witli the nature of liis faitli, and tlie 
 grounds upon wliicli it rested, before tlie cen- 
 turion liad professed and explained it as lie was 
 afterward. The term used here also embraces 
 the idea of admiration — such as is felt for the 
 greatness and beauty of a thing. Our Lord 
 then designed to express his admiration for the 
 centurion's faith as extraordinary in this — that 
 though nurtured in heathenism, yet his faith 
 was superior to any he had met with among 
 the children of Abraham. And this admira- 
 tion the evangelist has expressed in natural 
 language. 
 
 Second. We should learn from this history 
 not to indulge in general and indiscriminate 
 reflections upon whole communities and profes- 
 sions. We must not condemn men as classes. 
 In the soldier's or sailor's life, in camps and 
 fleets, there are many drawbacks to a Christian 
 life ; but where sin reigns, grace has abounded, 
 and even reigned more gloriously. The profes- 
 sion of arms is not without its army of saints, 
 confessors and martyrs, who have waged suc- 
 cessful war with other than carnal weapons. 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 71 
 
 And if some la\v}"ers liave given occasion for 
 calling their offices " dens of thieves," it does 
 not follow that none of them are honest. If 
 some merchants have sworn to false invoices, 
 and sold goods inferior to their samples, it does 
 not follow that they are all guilty of fraud. 
 And if some officers of the army and navy do 
 so far forget themselves as to swear as if they 
 were with the army in Flanders, it does not 
 prove that all soldiers must take the name 
 of God in vain, nor that it is necessary to 
 swear profanely in order to maintain authority 
 over sailors and soldiers. Havelock did not 
 swear at his men. But he did often pray and 
 sing psalms with them, read the Bible to them, 
 and teach them about Jesus Christ. 
 
 A most striking instance of this is recorded 
 by the Rev. Mr. Brock, in his Life of Havelock, 
 in his first campaign. The J^nglish army had 
 just taken Rangoon, in which there is " a fa- 
 mous heathen temple devoted to the service of 
 Boodh, which is known as the magnificent Shi- 
 vey Dagoon Pagoda. It is deemed the glory 
 of the city. Of a chamber of this building. 
 
T2 THE CENTUEION OF CAPEENAUlVr 
 
 Havelock obtained possession for his own pur- 
 poses. All around the chamber were smaller 
 images of Boodh, in the usual position, sitting 
 with their legs gathered up and crossed, and 
 the hands resting on the laj) in symbol and 
 expression of repose. No great changes were 
 necessary to prepare the place for Christian 
 service. It needed no ceremonial exorcising to 
 make it fit either for psalmody or prayer. 
 Abominable idolatries had been witnessed 
 there beyond all doubt, but no sacerdotal purifi- 
 cations were requisite ere adoration of the true 
 God could be offered and service well-pleasing 
 to Him, through Jesus Christ. Havelock re- 
 membered well that ' neither in this mountain 
 nor yet at Jerusalem' were men to worship the 
 Father now. To the true worshippers any place 
 might become a place for worship. Even the 
 pagoda of Shivey Dagoon might be none other 
 than the house of God and the gate of heaven. 
 "Accordingly, it was announced that that 
 would be the place of meeting. An ofiicer 
 relates that as he was wandering round about 
 the pagoda on one occasion, he heard the 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUiL T3 
 
 sound, strange enough as lie tliouglit, of sing- 
 ing. He listened, and found that it was cer- 
 tainly psalm singing. He deteiTnined to fol- 
 low the sound to its source, and started for the 
 purj)ose. At length he reached the chamber, 
 and what should meet his eye but Havelock, 
 with his Bible and hymn-book before him, and 
 more than a hundred men seated around him, 
 giving earnest heed to his proclamation to 
 them of the glad tidings of great joy. How had 
 they got their light by which to read, for the 
 place was in dark shade? They had obtained 
 lamps for tlie purj^ose, and putting them in 
 order, had lit them and placed them one by 
 one in an idol's lap. There they were, those 
 dumb but significant lamp-bearers, in constant 
 use; and there they ^vere, we may be well 
 assured, to suggest stiiTing thoughts to the 
 lieutenant and his men." 
 
 Here is a subject worthy of a painter. The 
 city of Rangoon and its glory ; a young British 
 officer in a heathen temple with his Bible and 
 hymn-book before him, and more than a hun- 
 dred men seated around him, listening to the 
 
 4 
 
^4 THE CENTUEIOlSr OF CAPEENAUM. 
 
 glad tidings of tlie Gospel, and tlie lamps that 
 gave tliem light sliining out of tlie laps and 
 skulls of idols. Troops just led througli tlie 
 fury and smoke of battle, liere assembled for 
 prayer and singing psalms. This was an ex- 
 traordinary siglit. But it did not disqualify 
 either the men or their commanding officer for 
 the hardships and perils of war. The voice of 
 Havelock, so often heard in prayer to the 
 throne of grace in time of need, and in thanks- 
 giving after great deliverances, was strong and 
 steady in battle. When complaint was made 
 to the Governor-General of India against Have- 
 lock, that he was " a pietist," " a ranting Me- 
 thodist " or " a fanatic Baptist," and that he did 
 nothing but pray with his men and teach them 
 to sing psalms, and that his highest aim was to 
 ha])tize them, Lord Bentick having examined 
 into the subject, dismissed the complaint, say- 
 ing, he wished Havelock " had baj^tized the 
 whole army," for that, after a rigid examina- 
 tion of the official records, he found that Have- 
 lock's saints were the most sober, obedient and 
 best behaved men in the regiment — " in short, 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. ^5 
 
 the model soldiers of the army" — "and that 
 wherever hard fighting was to be done, Have- 
 lock's saints were relied upon." Certainly, no 
 commander ever had the confidence and obedi- 
 ence of his men more fully than he had. He 
 was remarkable for the accuracy of his drill 
 and the rigidness of his discipline. No other 
 troops on earth have shown more coolness and 
 precision under the rattling hail of musketry, 
 nor amid the murdering crash of artillery, nor 
 have any soldiers on earth surpassed Have- 
 lock's in the bayonet charge. ]S"or have we any 
 knowledo^e of braver men in action than Vicars 
 and Hammond before Sebastopol, and Law- 
 rence and Havelock at Cawnpore and Luck- 
 now, and yet these men were distinguished as 
 men of prayer. 
 
 Some professions are, indeed, more favorable 
 to a religious life than others ; and yet it is in 
 these unfavorable ones some of the brightest 
 examples of the power of tnie godliness are 
 found. Tliere the reigning of grace over 
 abounding sin has made it preeminent. The 
 more temptations men have to resist, the more 
 
76 THE CENTUEION OF CAPEKNAUM. 
 
 evil propensities tkey liave to subdue, tlie 
 more difficulties they liave to struggle with, 
 the more is tlieir success to be commended. 
 The more terrible the conflict, the brighter the 
 victor's crown. Although the reputation of 
 Nazareth was proverbially bad, yet out of it 
 came the world's Redeemer. Shall we not, 
 then, be cautious in judging of professions and 
 classes, and not let our prejudices or passions 
 lead us to erroneous, hasty, uncharitable judg- 
 ments ? 
 
 There are many more good and truly pious 
 people in the world than we generally suppose. 
 And there are a great many people that we 
 should love, if we only knew them better. All 
 men are not reprobates because some are. Ju- 
 das was one of the twelve, yet the rest were 
 true men. Peter loved his Lord, though he 
 did once deny him, and is now no doubt a saint 
 in heaven, whether he ever was a Pope in 
 Kome or not — perhaps all the better saint, be- 
 cause he was not. Arnold's treachery does not 
 prove that Washington did not love and serve 
 his country till his death. What, then, if 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAUM. TT 
 
 some cliui'cli members are rude, unpolished, or 
 even starclied hy]30crites, it does not follow 
 that Christianity is not the true religion. We 
 cannot have a community fit to live in until 
 the practice of wholesale slandering, and cruel, 
 rash, unfounded judgments are corrected. Pub- 
 lic sentiment must be elevated and purified 
 from the vulture-seekino; of a neio-hbor's wronsr- 
 doings, and by speaking only the truth, and 
 the truth only when necessary. 
 
 Tldrd. Let us learn then to be more chari- 
 table. God is no respecter of persons, but who- 
 soever feareth Him and worketh righteousness 
 is accepted of Him. Salvation is indeed of the 
 Jews, but not to be confined to them. It was 
 with them as a reservoir until the fulness of 
 time for causing it to flow forth to all the 
 world. We rejoice that ours is not the only 
 time Chui'ch — that we have no patent for ours 
 as the only way to heaven. " Many," says our 
 Lord, " shall come from the east and the west, 
 and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, 
 and Jacob in the kino-dom of heaven." 
 
 The centurion being a Roman — a Gentile — 
 
Y8 THE CENTUEION OF CAPEEJSTAUM. 
 
 sucli as the Jews considered altogetner ex- 
 cluded from tlie privileges of Messiah's king- 
 dom, our Lord took tke occasion to declare tke 
 sovereign grace of G-od toward tlie Gentiles, 
 and to teack the Jews tkat tkeir prejudices 
 were wrong, for tkat all parts, even tke remo- 
 test quarters of tke eartk, skould receive tke 
 Gosj^el, and all nations flow into tke kingdom 
 of God. And tkat tlie cliildren of the Mngdom^ 
 tkat is, tke Jews wko claimed to kave a pecu- 
 liar and exclusive rigkt to tke j)rivileges and 
 blessings of Messiak's kingdom, because tkey 
 were Abrakam's descendants, slioHl he cast out 
 into outer darkness : there shall he weeping and 
 gnashing of teeth. " Outer darkness and Aveep- 
 ing and gnasking of teetk " are a fearful image 
 of tke wi^etckedness and woe of tkose wko fail 
 to enter tke kingdom of God. It is founded 
 upon tke banquet-ckamber of tke preced- 
 ing verses, illuminated and filled witk joyous 
 guests ; but outside, in tke cold and ckeerless 
 dark, wkere is notking but weeping and wail- 
 ing and gnasking in rage and spite, are tkose 
 tkat considered tkemselves tke favorites of 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CAPERNAU.^I. T9 
 
 God, and sure of heaven, because of their de- 
 scent from the patriarchs. Oh, how dreadful 
 to be an outcast fi'om God's kingdom ! How 
 awful will be the disappointments of the day 
 of judgment ! 
 
 Fourth. The proofs of the reality of this 
 miracle are easily apprehended. No collusion 
 was possible. The household, the Je^vish 
 rulers and the public are all acquainted with 
 the facts, and all admit the main jDoints, 
 namely : the centurion's servant is very ill — in 
 the very agony of death — and the centurion 
 coming to Jesus besought him to speak the 
 Avord only and his servant shall be healed. 
 And Jesus neither goes to his house nor touclies 
 nor sees the dying servant, but speaks the 
 word and he is healed. Multitudes hear and 
 know and admit that all this was tme. And 
 the common belief of all the people at that 
 tim« in Capernaum is embodied in the simple 
 and plain narrative of our evangelists. Christ- 
 ianity then is true. Jesus Christ is the Son of 
 God, and the Almighty Saviour of all who be- 
 believe in Him. 
 
80 THE CENTUEION OF CAPEENAIBI. 
 
 Fifth. Learn that disadvantages are not in- 
 superable. Great difficulties in our way may 
 "be overcome. Not only is to bear, to conquer 
 our fate ; but to a heroic soul in tlie path of 
 duty, " Danger's self is lure alone." And the 
 greater the difficulties overcome in coming to 
 Jesus, the greater our faith. The e'arly disad- 
 vantages of the centurion resulted in giving 
 superiority to his faith. His want of education 
 in the knowledge of the trae religion in his 
 youth, and the unfavorable influences of his 
 profession, made his faith all the more dis- 
 tinctive. The 23roudest triumphs of art, science, 
 government and arms have been achieved by 
 men who have reached success not from aristo- 
 cratic loins, nor by royal road, but by overcom- 
 ing almost insuperable difficulties. The men 
 who rule us from their urns, and who had, 
 while living, the greatest influence upon man- 
 kind, %OGre sdf-made ^nen — men who have pur- 
 sued knowledge, truth and godliness under 
 difficulties — who have risen superior to great 
 disadvantages — who have carved their way 
 to fame and fortune with their own hands. 
 
THE CENTURIOIi OF CAPEENAU3r. 81 
 
 We must stiive to enter in, if we would "be 
 saved. 
 
 Sixth. In our Lord's commendation of tlie 
 centui'ion, we see that it is according to tlie 
 degree of a man's faitli, that lie is to be esti- 
 mated. As if he had said he is the strongest 
 man who 'has the most faith, for faith takes 
 hold of omnipotence. The words, Verily^ I 
 say unto you^ are intended to mark the com- 
 mendation of the centurion's faith as somethinc: 
 special. His faith Avas stronger than that of 
 the nobleman who had come to Jesus for his 
 dying child. We read of others who applied, 
 saying : " If thou canst do anything, have com- 
 passion on us and help us." And the sisters 
 of Bethany said, "Lord, if thou hadst been 
 here, my brother had not died." And the 
 father of the demoniac in agony and in uncer- 
 tainty, cried out: "I believe, help thou my 
 unbelief." But none of them said, Speah the 
 loord only, and the work of mercy is done. 
 Martha and Mary seem, like the nobleman, to 
 have thought our Lord's bodily presence neces- 
 sary to heal. But the centurion has no if, nor 
 
 4* 
 
82 TUE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 idea of sj^ace in liis faith, and hence our Lord's 
 commendation was unqualified. His faith, was 
 unparalleled in Christ's j)ower to heal at a dis- 
 tance, and without any personal contact. 
 
 Seventli. As the centurion's mind naturally 
 run in the channel of his profession, and as in 
 casting about for expressions or terms in which 
 to declare his faith in Jesus, we find him build- 
 ing his faith upon the elements which his pro- 
 fession readily fui^nished, and declaring his 
 faith by the forms of speech which his own 
 mode of life suggested; so we should learn 
 from his case, that God accepts our faith and 
 our profession of oui* trust in him even when 
 it is drawn out in the form of our calling or 
 mode of life. The rules of military science 
 among the Romans gave form to his profession 
 of faith.'^ He felt and believed in the presence 
 and power of the Roman emperor, though his 
 person was not in Capernaum. As an officer 
 in the army, he was under a present will, 
 though no bodily form was present; and so 
 
 • " Sed banc exceptionem concoquit sapientia fidelis ex ruditate 
 militari pulchre elucens." — Bengel. 
 
THE CENTURION OF C.VPERNAUjM. 83 
 
 lie believed that Jesus could heal without per- 
 sonal contact. 'Nov is this the only instance. 
 The heavens are always telling the glory of 
 God. The daisy and the dewdrop declare the 
 presence of God as well as the mightiest planet 
 in the highest heavens. Nor is there any trade, 
 calling or profession that is according to the 
 laws of God; that may not in its way educate 
 our soul for God and immortality, while it 
 enables us to gain an honest living in the 
 body. Perhaps we may illustrate this from 
 the case of the shepherds and of the wise men 
 of the East. Shepherds, like sailors, are close 
 observers of the weather, winds and skies. 
 They are proverbially superstitious, as people 
 also usually are who dwell much alone among 
 the mountains. To them the sighing of the 
 storm, the moaning of the night winds, the 
 clouds AVi'eathing themselves around the head- 
 lands, or rolling up in columns, and marching 
 off in unequalled grandem* over the mountains 
 — all seem to be instinct with more than mor- 
 tal life. It was natural, therefore, if such an 
 expression may be used, where all was siqyei'- 
 
84 THE CENTUEION OF CAPEEISTAUM. 
 
 oiatural, tliat tlie voice of angels sliould come 
 to the slieplierds on tlie winds from tlie melo- 
 dies of tlie skies : " A multitude of tlie heaven- 
 ly hosts praising God, and saying, glory to 
 God in the highest, and on earth peace, good 
 will toward men." They heard the glad tidings 
 of a Saviour born, while watching their flocks 
 by night on the Bethlehem plains — while en- 
 gaged in their humble, honest occuj^ation. 
 And so of the Magi. In the clear starlit skies 
 of the East, where one seems almost to see 
 through the cerulean vaults to the eternal 
 throne, the wise men were engaged in their 
 profession, which was the study of the heavenly 
 hosts, and while engaged in this study, a star 
 is sent to guide them to the infant Kedeemer. 
 And so should it be with all our pursuits, 
 whereby we make a living, and are brought 
 into contact with the laws of God. The man 
 that spades up the ground and sows the seed, 
 and he who converts the solid rock into lime, 
 and he who builds the brick with mortar into 
 a solid wall", and the sunburnt sickle-man, and 
 the hard-handed miner, who grinds the gold 
 
THE CENTUKION OF CAPEENAUM. 85 
 
 from tlie quartz, or attracts it from tlie sandy- 
 mass, no less than the electrician and astrono- 
 mer, are all working witli and by the laws of 
 the Creator. The ladder by which Newton 
 climbed fi-om his apple-tree to the outposts of 
 the universe was made by the laws of God. 
 The Almighty went before him and laid his 
 hand upon all space and matter, or the philoso- 
 pher could never have climbed to the limits of 
 our system. And shall we not adore the wis- 
 dom, the goodness, and the sovereign grace of 
 God, that makes a man's business for him — so 
 that it is a school for him, both for this life as 
 well as for the life to come ? Our callino: or 
 pursuit in life should be according to the will 
 of God, and then our diligence in business, as 
 well as our fervency in spirit, will be a means 
 of grace — in both we shall serve the Lord. It 
 is intended to educate us for heaven as well as 
 gain for us a living upon earth. It is possible 
 for us to make the best of both worlds. The 
 Roman soldier read throuo-h the recculations of 
 the art of war a personal will^ and he knew 
 that his authority extended in like manner to 
 
86 THE CENTUEIOl^ OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 those that were placed under him ; and in the 
 unity and harmony, variety and yet concentra- 
 tion, movement, strategy, logistics and tactics 
 of an army, he saw clearly the presence of an 
 all-controlling, designing, suj)reme mind. And 
 all this process he transferred to Jesus, and 
 made all the invisible world as subordinate to 
 him, as the inferiors of an army are to the 
 commanding officer. 
 
 Wonderful is the condescension of our 
 Maker ! We are indeed poor, feeble creatures. 
 We are almost invisible particles in the vast 
 universe, yet each one of us is so bound up 
 with other atoms in the divine volume of Di- 
 vine benevolence and omnipotence, that not 
 one of us is forgotten before God. The hairs 
 of our head are numbered by him. The spar- 
 row, though not remarkable for plumage or 
 voice, cannot fall to the ground without the 
 permission of our Heavenly Father, and then 
 falls according to his laws. But we are of 
 much more value than many sparrows. There 
 is no place beyond the jurisdiction of our 
 blessed Creator. There is no escaping, or 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CAPEENAUM. 87 
 
 being exiled out of liis reach, nor beyond his 
 eye. His laws are all around us. Nor is there 
 in all the amplitude of the universe, a flower 
 or a star, a spear of grass, an insect, an atom 
 or a planet, that does not teach us the pres- 
 ence of God's laws, and illustrate the beauty 
 of holiness, and the sublime lessons of the 
 Cross. It is not then incredible that a beetle 
 should have been commissioned to teach the 
 way to a crown, and a little moss in an Afi'ican 
 desert should have preached the presence and 
 goodness of God to a wearied and exhausted 
 traveller when he lay down to die ; but thus 
 having his faith strengthened he put his trust 
 in Him, who had made so tiny and beautiful a 
 thing to grow in so vast and dreary a solitude, 
 and revived and lived. It is an evidence of 
 Divine goodness, that we may find " sermons 
 in stones," theology in a crawling beetle, or in 
 a desert moss, and " good in everything." 
 
 Eifjlitli. As the success of faith rests upon 
 the power of Him in whom it is exercised, so it 
 is instantaneous. Christ is able and willing to 
 save to the uttermost all that come to God 
 
88 THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 
 
 tliroiigli Him. And wliosoever comes to Him, 
 He will in no wise cast out. All our hope is 
 in God. All our safety is in Him. The pro- 
 mise is, if we believe. The result of true faith 
 is immutably certain. Christ is sufficient. So 
 Jesus said unto the centurion, " Go thy way ; 
 and, as thou hast believed, so be it done unto 
 thee." Our Lord condescended to comply with 
 his terms. The centurion did not ask him to 
 go to his house. He did not enter it. He 
 asked Jesus simply to speak the word. Jesus 
 did speak the word, and his servant was healed 
 "in the selfsame hour." The recovery was im- 
 mediate. So the poor leper was cured instan- 
 taneously, who had come saying, " Lord, if thou 
 wilt, thou canst make me clean." "As thou 
 hast believed, so be it done." Happily for us 
 the simplicity of faith requires not the mastery 
 of any system of doctrines nor the acquisition 
 of any learned science. We are not to wait to 
 know what faith is, but receive Christ as He is 
 offered to us, and we have a Saviour. It is 
 not by merely consenting to receive as true a 
 system of doctrines, but by receiving the great 
 
THE CENTURION OF CAPERNAUM. 89 
 
 Redeemer himself that we are saved. The sud- 
 denness of the cure of the centurion's servant, 
 the time when it happened, and the working 
 of the miracle without any prescription or any 
 kind of medical treatment had a convincing 
 eftect upon the people. And perhaps in no 
 other case is the saving power, or the simpli- 
 city of faith, more happily illustrated than in 
 this one. Faith is confidence, trust. It takes 
 hold upon Ilim who is invisible and yet able 
 to save to the uttermost all that come to Him. 
 " If thou canst believe, all things are possible 
 to him that believeth." "He that believeth 
 shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall 
 be damned." " He that believeth on the Son 
 hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not 
 shall not see life." " All things whatsoever ye 
 ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." 
 Marh xvi. 16 ; John iii. 36 ; 2fatth. xxi. 22 ; 
 Mom. X. 
 
 But what are all these promises, if we no not 
 feel our need of salvation ? Is it true that you 
 feel yourself to be a poor, miserable sinner ? 
 Then Jesus, in whom the centurion believed, 
 
90 THE CENTUEIOISr OF CAPERKAIJM. 
 
 has come to seek and save you. He offers liim- 
 self to you as an Almiglity Saviour. You are 
 now called to repent and believe, and tlirow 
 yourself into the outstretched arms of mercy. 
 No matter how humble your employment may 
 be — no matter how high and honorable it may 
 be, you have only to accept of Jesus Christ as 
 He is offered in the Gospel, and you will find 
 peace and salvation. Have you received Him ? 
 Will you trust in Him ? 
 
V. 
 
 THE CENTUKION C03IMANDING AT THE CEUCI- 
 FIXION. 
 
 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching 
 Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they 
 feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. — Matth. xxvii. 
 54. 
 
 And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that 
 he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said. Truly this man was 
 the Son of Goi.— Mark xv. 39. 
 
 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, say- 
 ing, certainly this was a righteous man. — Luke xxiii. 47. 
 
 These verses manifestly describe tlie effect 
 of tlie scenes of the crucifixion on tlie mind of 
 Koman officer in command, and havinQc cliars'e 
 of tlie execution of tlie sentence of deatli 
 passed upon our Lord. 
 
 Tlie centurion whicli stood over against Mm, 
 in full sight of him, or standing in front of him. 
 This was the natural and necessary position of 
 the officer presiding at such an execution. And 
 
92 THE CENTUEION AT THE CEUCIFIXIOK 
 
 from it we see tliat tlie centurion liacl tlie cir- 
 cumstances of tlie crucifixion under liis own 
 personal observation. The whole scene was 
 before him ; and when he saw how Jesus ex- 
 j)ired after he had cried out, he exclaimed: 
 " Truly this man w'as the Son of God." As if 
 he had said, This is a most extraordinary case. 
 This very man, against whom so much has 
 been said, and who has been so cruelly treated, 
 and so shamefully put to death as an impostor, 
 must have been what he said he was — the Son 
 of God. 
 
 This testimony, therefore, was the honest 
 conviction of his own mind from what he him- 
 self had seen and heard. Nor was he alone. 
 Now when the eentuy'ion^ and they that were 
 witli him, watching Jesus, saw the earthqiialcej 
 and those things that were done, they feared 
 greatly, saying, Tridy this was the Son of God. 
 
 Probably only four soldiers were employed 
 in nailing Jesus to the cross ; but a consider- 
 able number, perhaps his whole command, 
 acted under the centurion as the guard, and 
 watched him while he was hanging on the tree. 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 9B 
 
 And thus it was tliat no part of tlie Gospel his- 
 tory is destitute of eye witnesses. The centu- 
 rion is considered by some as having made his 
 declaration because Christ spoke with a loud 
 voice and expired, and that he simply exi^ressed 
 his astonishment that Christ should have had 
 so much strength after such suffering and ex- 
 haustion. It was true that our Lord did not 
 die of mere exhaustion, or from faintness and 
 want of strength. For he gave up his life. 
 He died voluntarily. Others, however, think 
 the centurion meant to applaud our Lord for 
 his constancy in calling upon the name of God 
 to the last moment. 
 
 But it seems to us we are to take his confes- 
 sion as the utterance of a conviction produced 
 in his mind by all that he saw and heard, by 
 the mii-acles and the words of Christ applied 
 to his conscience by the Spirit of God. More 
 literally, having thios cried out^ not having 
 ■reference merely to the last expiring agony, 
 but to the previous cry of " Eloi, Eloi, lama 
 sabachthani." The sense seems to be this : 
 when the centurion saw what was done, and 
 
94 THE CENTUKIOlSr AT THE CEUCIFIXION. 
 
 heard wliat our Lord said, and felt tlie throes 
 of tlie earthquake, and heard what had hap- 
 pened in the teni]3le and among the dead in the 
 neighboring tombs, and then turning to Jesus 
 saw that he had given up the ghost, and while 
 looking on his dead body as it hung there on 
 the cross, where only the bodies of slaves and 
 of the vilest \vretches were wont to be found, 
 he exclaimed : " Truly this man was the Son of 
 God." 
 
 There is no contradiction between the state- 
 ments of the three evangelists, neither as to 
 what was said, nor what was omitted, nor as to 
 whom what Avas said is attributed; Matthew 
 says, " when the centurion and they that were 
 with him, Avatching Jesus, saw the earthquake, 
 and those things that were done, they feared 
 greatly, saying," etc. ; while Marie and Jbiiko 
 represent the centurion alone as speaking. 
 They do not, however, say that the soldiers 
 who were with the centurion did not speak. 
 The probability is, they felt as their command- 
 ing officer did, and that they caught up his 
 words and repeated them. Mere silence or 
 
THE CENTUEION AT THE CEUCIFIXIOlSr. 95 
 
 omission in a contemporary wiiter is not a con- 
 tradiction. And as to what was said, Matthew 
 and Marh say : " Tinily this man was the Son 
 of God," while Liilce says : " Certainly this was 
 a righteous man," Now, on the supposition 
 that the soldiers as well as the centurion united 
 in the declaration, it is easy to see that it 
 would be repeated many times, and sometimes 
 might be slightly varied — that some would use 
 one form of the phrase, and others another, ex- 
 pressive of the same idea. There is no intima- 
 tion in the naiTatives that either of them 
 exhausted all that was said, and that nothing 
 else was said, or that the wiiters meant to do 
 any such thing. The two fonns of exclamation 
 may have been used by different persons and 
 at different times. There is, therefore, nothing 
 strange in the fact that two evangelists should 
 have recorded one, the third the other. In 
 fact it is highly probable this would have been 
 in conformity with custom ; that when the cen- 
 turion and a part of his command exclaimed, 
 " Truly this man was the Son of God ;" that the 
 other part responded, saying : " Aye, certainly 
 
96 THE CENTURION AT THE CEUCIFIXrON. 
 
 tliis was a righteous man." And besides, as 
 we shall see, these exclamations mean substan- 
 tially the same thing. For if he was a right- 
 eous man, he was the Son of God, for as a right- 
 eous man his professions must be honest and 
 true, and we know that he claimed to be the Son 
 of God ; and if he was the Son of God, then he 
 was righteous. The one expression explains 
 the other. For as Jesus was crucified for claim- 
 ing to be the Son of God, so if he was right- 
 eous, that is, innocent of any crime or wrong in 
 what he said -of himself, then he was unjustly 
 condemned ; and if so, then he was ti'uly the 
 Son of God. There is then no real discrepancy 
 between the two expressions. "What then is 
 the meaning of the centurion's testimony con- 
 cerning Jesus ? Did he know the force of the 
 terms he used ? Some tell us that he knew no 
 more what was meant by the appellation " Son 
 of God," than the king of Babylon did when 
 he said, " Lo ! I see four men loose, walking in 
 the midst of the fire ; and the form of the 
 fourth is like the Son of God." Dmi. iii. 25. 
 But however vague his idea may have been, he 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 97 
 
 doubtless meant that tlie " Son of God " pos- 
 sessed superior excellence, supernatural good- 
 ness, and power divine. He kne^v^ that tlie 
 controversy between our Lord and the Jews 
 was about this very point. That his enemies 
 denied that he was the Son of God, and charged 
 him with blasphemy for saying that he was 
 the Son of God. And he knew that Jesus still 
 declared himself to be the Son of God. By his 
 confession, therefore, he meant to say, whatever 
 this man has said of himself is true. He is an 
 innocent and righteous man, and whatever he 
 meant by saying that he was the Son of God is 
 true. The objection urged by some that the 
 want of the article in the original makes the 
 expression weak, only proves the coiTectness of 
 our evangelist, and leaves the argument for our 
 Lord's divinity quite as strong as it could have 
 been with the ai-ticle. It is true, the original 
 text is literally without tlie article — Son of 
 God. It is neither tJie Son of God, nor a Son 
 of a God, nor of the God, but indefinitely. Son 
 of God; and so doubtful is Dr. George Camp- 
 bell as to the proper rendering of this text, that 
 
 5 
 
98 THE CENTURION AT THE CEUCIFIXIOIN'. 
 
 he professedly avoids any decision by translat- 
 ing it GocVs Son. But let us remember, on this 
 point, til at tlie evangelist is recording tlie lan- 
 guage of a Roman officer, who has not been 
 taught the Athanasian creed. How would a 
 polytheist and a Roman express Son of God ? 
 Filius Dei is all he could say. As there is no 
 definite article in the Latin language, he could 
 not have used a more definite exj)ression. The 
 evangelist, therefore, was coiTect in giving his 
 expression without the article. Nor does the 
 omission of the article weaken the meaning of 
 the centurion's testimony. In the passage 
 where the disciples came to Jesus after he had 
 quelled the storm, and worshipped him, say- 
 ing. Truly thou art the Son of God, the article 
 is wanting, just as in the passage before us. 
 
 Indeed, some of the ablest Socinian critics 
 have admitted that the use or omission of the 
 article in the original here proves nothing, for 
 that the expression means exactly the same 
 thing with or without the article. It is true 
 that So7i of God, as the Polytheistic Romans 
 understood theology, would have signified no 
 
THE CENTUEION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 99 
 
 more than a hero^ an eminent or divine person^ 
 but in this case the centurion is not speaking 
 of tlie opinion of lieathen Polytlieists, but in 
 reference to a specific case and a specific charge. 
 His phraseology was certainly suggested to 
 him by, and adopted from, what he had heard 
 of the charge alleged against the extraordinary 
 person that was then hanging dead before him 
 upon the cross. The whole connection requires 
 such an application of this testimony. The 
 meaning is definite. This is frequently the 
 case Avhere the article is omitted, but in this 
 case it could not have been used. The centu- 
 rion beinc>: a heathen and usino" the Latin Ian- 
 guage, meant to say, as nearly as he could, that 
 Jesus was just what he claimed to be. His 
 testimony cannot, therefore, with any faii'ness, 
 be interpreted in a mere polytheistic sense, but 
 according to the issue then j^ending between 
 our Lord and his adversaries. It is impossible 
 to conclude that such a man as this centurion 
 Avas ignorant of the main points of the dispute. 
 As a Roman oflicer on duty in the ecclesiastical 
 capital of Judea, and near tlie proconsular judg- 
 
100 THE CENTURIOJNT AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 
 
 I 
 
 ment seat, lie must have "been a man of some 
 considerable education and intelligence, and 
 must liave known tliat tlie Jews worslii2')ped 
 Jeliovali as tlie one living and true God, and 
 he must also have known that the ecclesiastical 
 charge on which Jesus was crucified was blas- 
 phemy, and that this charge w^as made against 
 him by implication from his claiming to be the 
 Son of God, or a partaker of the nature of the 
 su2:)reme divinity ; and he must also have felt 
 satisfied in his own mind that the Supreme 
 God, who was the author of these prodigies by 
 Avhich they were then so deeply impressed, 
 intended them to attest the truth of the claim 
 set ujD by the suiferer, and thus to vindicate 
 his innocence. And it was in view of all these 
 facts — under all these circumstances — that the 
 Koman ofiicer in command on the day of the 
 crucifixion meant to declare that it was his 
 conviction, without knowing or caring or trou- 
 bling himself about the ceremonies and creed 
 of the Jews, that Jesus, in whatever sense he 
 claimed to be divine, or to be the Son of God, 
 was to be believed. He meant to take part 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CKUCIITXION. 101 
 
 witli Jesus as against liis accusers. He meant 
 to affirm most emphatically what the Jews de- 
 nied, and to confirm what Jesus had professed 
 concerning himself. It was not, therefore, a 
 mere random heathen expression of admiration, 
 but an earnest, full-hearted confession, as far 
 as he understood the subject, that he believed 
 Jesus was the Son of God. The adverb tndy 
 is not without its force in this passage. In the 
 original it is emphatic. Certainly, without 
 doubt. It is no longer to be disputed. TJiis 
 ivas the Son of God — in antithesis to the asser- 
 tions made by our Lord himself, when he said, 
 He was the Son of God. And let us remem- 
 ber that the whole object of the Gospel is to 
 bring us to make this same confession — to be- 
 lieve in our heart that Jesus Christ is the Son 
 of God, and when truly made, this confession 
 is salvation. Let us now attend to the circum- 
 staiices under lohicli this testimony was given. 
 Matthew says: "'V\nien the centurion, and they 
 that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the 
 earthquake, and those things that were done, 
 they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the 
 
102 THE CENTUEION AT THE CEUCIFIXION". 
 
 Son of God." This language plainly implies 
 that there were other supernatural occurrences 
 — other things besides the earthquake that 
 made a deep impression on the centurion's^ 
 mind. As the testimony of a layman on reli- 
 gious matters about which he is sufficiently 
 conversant to give an o|)inion, may be more 
 impartial than that of a priest or minister, so 
 the centurion's testimony is valuable, because 
 of its manifest impartiality. He was not a 
 member of the Sanhedrim. He was no eccle- 
 siastic. Whatever prejudices he may have had 
 on the subject of religion were doubtless di- 
 verse to the claims of Jesus, and he was with- 
 out any private or personal spite. He was in 
 every respect capable of judging calmly and 
 imj)artially of the evidence before him. And 
 he was a soldier, which, however, does not dis- 
 qualify him from giving testimony, nor from 
 being pious. Soldiers and sailors are 23rover- 
 bially honest, open and candid, quick to apjDre- 
 hend what they see and hear, and ready to ex- 
 press their convictions. Their lives often de- 
 pend upon their quickness of ap2:>rehension and 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIITXION. 103 
 
 . upon the accuracy witli ^vliicli tliey can see and 
 bear, and the courage and promptitude A^ith 
 which they can act. Necessity and habit de- 
 velop these faculties. And we see how they 
 were employed in the case before us. While 
 the priests, ecclesiastics and members of the 
 Sanhedrim were so l^linded by prejudice and 
 enraged by passion that they could neither see 
 nor hear the proofs of Jesus' messiahship, the 
 centurion perceived them, and was bold enough 
 to say, " Truly this was the Son of God." lie 
 did not ask whether it was safe or expedient 
 to do so or not, but, soldierlike, speaks out the 
 sentiment of his heart. The persons then mak- 
 ing this confession were the Eoman officer iu 
 command and the guard of soldiers under him 
 who executed the sentence of execution. As 
 Gentiles, they knew not the Scriptures, and 
 their testimony is an undesigned admission of 
 their truth. 
 
 The direct or apparent means of their convic- 
 tion were the earthquake and the wonderful 
 things that accompanied the crucifixion. Nature 
 expressed her abhorrence of the guilt of man, 
 
104 THE CENTUKION AT THE CEUCIFIXION. 
 
 and lier sympathy with the illustrious sufferer.. 
 This was admitted even by heathens. And 
 even now God makes both his judgments and 
 his mercies ministers for working conviction of 
 sin. The manifestations of their conviction were 
 twofold, namely : their alarm and their confes- 
 sion. Guilt makes men cowards. They were 
 terrified lest the earth in its heavings should 
 open her jaws and swallow them up. Their 
 noble confession was a testimony extorted from 
 enemies on the very point then in dispute. 
 The issue plainly made was : Is Christ the Son 
 of God or not? Calvin does not think the 
 centurion was converted to God, but was only 
 for a moment made the herald of Christ's di- 
 vinity; just as men, under some sudden and 
 transitory imj)ulse, are struck with the fear of 
 God as they see some alarming display of his 
 power ; but not having the root of the matter 
 in them, they soon cease to have any feeling 
 on the subject. In this instance, however, this 
 great theologian and commentator does not 
 seem to have considered the text and its paral- 
 lels in the original. For Matthew says the 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 105 
 
 «enturion and tJio.se that were with him toere 
 greatly terrified — epliobetliesan spTirodra ; and 
 Liike says the centurion glorified God — edoxase 
 ton Theon. But it has, indeed, sometimes hap- 
 l^ened that persons have been led to utter 
 words that contained more meaning than they 
 knew or intended. Indeed, it is an open ques- 
 tion whether or not men under the ]3rophetic 
 ecstasy understood what tliey were saying at 
 all. Balaam's pro]3hecy is a case in point. 
 What he said was true, but it is not clear that 
 he was the willing agent of its utterance, or 
 that he fully comprehended what he said. 
 And so Caiaphas declared that it was " expe- 
 dient for us that one man should die for the 
 people, and that the whole nation perish not." 
 Jolui xviii. 14. In this remarkable declaration 
 there is a great and precious truth ^vhich Caia- 
 phas did not mean to express, for of it there is 
 no reason to suppose he had any conception. 
 What he did mean to say is the dangerous doc- 
 trine that the end justifies the means — the un- 
 principled assertion that expediency is more 
 than right or justice. And so also when Pilate 
 
106 THE CENTUKION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 
 
 caused the trilingual inscrijDtion to be put over 
 our Lord's liead, " Jesus of Nazareth, the King 
 of the Jews," he had but an imperfect idea of 
 his regal character — in fact, did not see his true 
 glory at all ; yet his inscription was a most im- 
 portant declaration of our Lord's true charac- 
 ter. And so, when the infuriated Jews cried 
 out, his blood be upon us and upon our child- 
 ren, they did not comprehend the terrible 
 meaning of the vengeance they invoked upon 
 themselves. And thus it may be, the centurion 
 did not comprehend the meaning of his own 
 confession. His words may mean more than 
 he knew or intended. 
 
 Nothing is kno^vn with any certainty about 
 this centurion beyond what is contained in the 
 text. The exclamation may have been the 
 expression of a momentary feeling, and may 
 have been forgotten, though we trust the tra- 
 ditions of the ancient church are correct, and 
 that he became a Christian and a saint. "We 
 understand Jyuke's expression, glorified God^ to 
 mean, that they gave God praise by theii' con- 
 fession that Jesus was his Son, and so mani- 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIl^IXION. 107 
 
 festecl forth his glory. Tliey feared greatly— 
 Av^ere intensely excited by the scenes trans^^ir- 
 ing. And may we not suppose the spirit of 
 God opened their hearts and that tliey made 
 confession of their sins to God, and deprecated 
 his wrath when they declared that Jesus Avas 
 most certainly his Son ? From such a view of 
 their case, as well as from the foct that they 
 must have been included in the Saviour's inter- 
 cessory prayer — and " Ilim the Father always 
 heareth " — " Father forgive them ;" it seems to 
 us we are authorized to conclude that their 
 convictions at the crucifixion resulted in their 
 conversion, and that they became followers of 
 him whom they had nailed to the cross or seen 
 crucified as a malefactor. 
 
 Previous to this moment, however, there is 
 no reason to suppose that this centurion had 
 expressed any faith in or friendship for Christ. 
 The general impression in regard to him is, 
 that he was the Roman officer in command, 
 under whose orders the crown of thorns, and 
 the arraying in the purple robe and the smit- 
 ing and the spitting on our Lord's face had 
 
108 THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 
 
 been permitted. It is not probable that lie 
 commanded siicli deeds of cruelty and outrage 
 to be done ; but lie did not j^revent tbem. As 
 tlie officer appointed by Pilate to execute his 
 sentence, it was by him the cross was prepared, 
 by his order the nails were driven through the 
 hands and the feet of Jesus. He was the offi- 
 cer presiding at the execution. His confession, 
 therefore, when the bloody deed was done, and 
 he looked upon the dead body and said, " Cer- 
 tainly this was a righteous man " — " Truly this 
 was the Son of God," is the more remarkable. 
 We find Matthew's account more full than 
 Mark's. He says : " Now, when the centurion 
 and they that were with him, watching Jesus, 
 saw the earthquake and those things that were 
 done, they feared greatly, saying. Truly this 
 was the Son of God." It seems to be implied 
 here that many wonderful things were done in 
 that solemn hour ; many of which are not 
 named or described. Among these things we 
 know were the rending of the veil of the tem- 
 ple from top to bottom; the rending of the 
 rocks ; the opening of the graves and the com- 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRrClFIXION. 109 
 
 ing foi-tli of many of tlie saints ; the supernatu- 
 ral darkness ; and a great earthquake. Nature 
 seemed in convulsive throes, and the last judg- 
 ment at hand. It is also clear from the evan- 
 gelist's record, that the soldiers shared the cen- 
 turion's profound emotions. They felt as he 
 did ; yes, the very men who had spit upon his 
 face and smote him on the cheek, and had 
 mocked and derided him for the purpose of 
 pleasing the Jewish populace — the very men 
 by whose hands he had been crucified, felt 
 as their commanding officer did, when he said, 
 Truly this man ivas the Son of God, Certainly 
 this was a righteous man. It is true, that 
 the centurion and the soldiers with him could 
 not have witnessed all tliese wonderful things 
 themselves. They were either wholly igno- 
 rant of some of them, or knew only of 
 them by report ; but they heard the crashing 
 of the rocks and timbers, and were sensible 
 of the supernatural darkness and of tlie earth- 
 quake's throes. Then we must also take into 
 the account just here what the centurion had 
 seen and heard that day. He was accustomed 
 
110 THE CENTUEION AT THE CEUCIEIXION. 
 
 to the shock of battle and the crash of arms, 
 to scenes of blood. He had doubtless wit- 
 nessed many an execution before, but never one 
 like this. He had some knowledge of the 
 alleged crimes of the sufferer. The presump- 
 tion in his mind no doubt at first was that he 
 was guilty, and deserved all he had to en- 
 dure. But through the day he must have been 
 imj^ressed with something supernatural in the 
 bearing of the victim. He saw him arraigned, 
 he heard his defence ; saw him insulted and 
 tortured, and nailed to the cross, and that still 
 he opened not his mouth, that He bore all 
 without a murmur. He was surprised that the 
 storm of abuse and blasphemy hurled at him 
 was not resented. Nor could he have failed to 
 know something of the admonition : " Daugh- 
 ters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for 
 yourselves, and for your children." 
 
 And he must have known that Jesus had 
 said to the penitent thief with whom he was 
 ci-ucified, " Verily I say unto thee, to-day thou 
 shalt be with me in paradise." And he must 
 have heard the prayer, " Father, forgive them, 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. Ill 
 
 for tliey kuow not wliat they do." A prayer 
 that embraced himself and his soldier band. 
 Nor did the words : " Eloi, Eloi, lama sabach- 
 thani ; My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
 saken me ?" and " It is finished," escape his 
 ears, nor the expiring words : " Father, into thy 
 hands I commend my spmt." These particu- 
 lars were unusual. They were fresh. They 
 could not have been unnoticed by a Roman 
 centurion on duty. No other crucified man, 
 Hebrew or Gentile, innocent or guilty, had 
 ever displayed such a spirit, or exhibited so 
 sublime a picture of magnanimity and benevo- 
 lence. The centurion's confession was, there- 
 fore, produced by the pressure of external 
 occurrences, and by the conviction forced upon 
 his mind by reflecting on what he had 
 learned — what he had heard and seen. But 
 what is the meaning of the exclamation, " Cer- 
 tainly this was a righteous man ?" What did 
 he mean by rigliteous f He was not a Jew. 
 There is no evidence that he was even a Jewish 
 proselyte. Nor could he have known much, if 
 anything, concerning the expected Jewish Mes- 
 
112 THE CENTURION AT THE CllUCIFIXIOlSr. 
 
 siah. The sources of liis knowledge as to what 
 constituted a righteous man must have been, not 
 Eevelation — not the laws of Moses ; but com- 
 mon sense, the light of natural conscience, and 
 the force of his military education as a Roman 
 soldier and officer, aided by the glimmering 
 light of tradition. He must have had some 
 distinct conviction that there was a difference 
 between right and wrong. And he must have 
 felt that there was a difference between Jesus 
 and the other two malefactors crucified with 
 him. The two thieves made no impression on 
 his mind. He saw nothing in them that was 
 remarkable. One of them, indeed, professed 
 penitence, but that was not unusual. Nor is it 
 probable that they died without many out- 
 cries ; one of them at least uttered bitter blas- 
 phemies to the very last. But Jesus, on the 
 other hand, as a sheep before her shearers is 
 dumb, so he opened not his mouth against 
 those that crucified him. From the whole, 
 then, we conclude the centurion meant to say : 
 this man is certainly innocent of the crimes 
 alleged against him. He is certainly the Son 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 113 
 
 of God. The conviction on his mind was very 
 strong that superhuman excellence and power 
 were concentrated in this man. Nor is this 
 view unnatural to a heathen. For they were 
 familiar with making gods of heroes, and with 
 the descent of the deities to earth, and with 
 their assuming or dwelling in human forms. 
 And nature had spoken here in such a manner 
 as to show that the event was an extraordi- 
 nary one. 
 
 Nor is the fact that Jesus was executed un- 
 der a judicial sentence any conclusive evidence 
 asfainst the correctness of the centurion's de- 
 
 o 
 
 claration, tliat he certainly was a righteous 
 man. For many a judicial murder has been 
 committed. Many an innocent man has been 
 put to death by violence and even with the 
 authority of the laws. The earth has drunken 
 the blood of many martyrs, and yet the heavens 
 gave no signs at the time that a righteous God 
 would avenge their blood. It was a j^roper, a 
 very natural inference, therefore, of the centu- 
 rion, that the supernatural phenomena that he 
 witnessed were to be understood as the testi- 
 
114 THE CENTUEIOK AT THE CKUCIFIXION. 
 
 moiiy of Nature in "belialf of the innocence and 
 divinity of Jesus. The expression in Jbiike 
 seems to be a reference to the message of Pi- 
 late's wife, who, when Jesus was before her 
 husband, sent to him on the judgment seat, 
 saying : " Have thou nothing to do with that 
 just man." This the centurion, from his posi- 
 tion, was very likely to have heard, and coming 
 to the conclusion that she was right, he cries 
 out as Pilate's wife has said : " Truly, this man 
 was a righteous man." Jesus was righteous 
 both as to the precepts and the penalty of the 
 Divine law. He perfectly obeyed it. He was 
 without sin. And he endured its penalty for 
 his people. The law of God was in his heart. 
 It was his delight to do it. He fulfilled all 
 righteousness. None of his adversaries could 
 convict him of sin. In regard to the whole 
 law of God he was faultless. He knew no sin, 
 and yet he was a sin .offering for us. As a 
 righteous man he deserved no suffering, but 
 the " Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all. 
 He was wounded for our transgressions, he was 
 bruised for our iniquities; the chastisements 
 
TUE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 115 
 
 of our peace was upon liim; and witli his 
 stripes we are healed." " He gave himself for 
 us an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet- 
 smelling savor." " He bare our sins in his 
 own body on the tree." "He suffered the just 
 for the unjust, that he might bring us to 
 Grod." Little, then, did this Roman officer know 
 when he declared that Jesus was a righteous 
 man, that he was declaring the fulfilment of 
 insi:»ired prophecies, and pointing him out to 
 us as the Righteous One, the Just One, and 
 THE Holy, in whom we have righteousness and 
 salvation. But what is the meaning of his 
 declaration — " Truly this was the Son of God ?" 
 This is not tlie first time that Ave meet with 
 this appellation as applied to Christ. A voice 
 from heaven proclaimed at his baptism — "This 
 is my beloved Son." DeA^ils have also said, 
 " We know thee who thou art : Thou art the 
 Son of God ;" and we have heard his disciples 
 confessing amid the tempest on the sea, " of a 
 truth thou art the Son of God." And in John 
 ^v^i find the Jews charging it uj^on him as blas- 
 phemy — that calling himself the Son of God, 
 
116 THE CENTURIOISr AT THE CRUCIFIXIOK 
 
 he liad made liimself God. The Jews said : 
 " He made himself equal with God because he 
 made himself the Son of God." Jolin xix. T. 
 And in Luke^ we read : " Then said they all, 
 Art thou then the Son of God ? And he said 
 unto them, ye say that I am." That is, Avhat 
 you say is true. I am what you call me. And 
 then the Jews, said, " What need we any fur- 
 ther witness ? for we ourselves hav« heard of 
 his own mouth." Now, it must have been in 
 reference to this accusation that the centurion 
 made his declaration. It is as if he had said. 
 You call it blasphemy for this man to assume 
 to be the Son of God, and you may prefer a 
 murderer, but in spite of the verdict of your 
 Sanhedrim and of the decrees of your syna- 
 gogues, 1 tell you. He is the Son of God. Let 
 us see, then, if this declaration of the centurion 
 is true. Was he justified in saying that Jesus 
 was truly the Son of God ? We think he was, 
 jirst^ because Jesus meets the prophetic re- 
 quirements of the promised Messiah. Accord- 
 ing to the Scriptures, the Messiah was to come 
 of the seed of the woman, and of x\braliam's 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 117 
 
 seed througli the tribe of Juclali and of tlie 
 family of David. And lie was to come wliile 
 tlie second temple was standing, and wliile tlie 
 sceptre was still in Judali, and a lawgiver and 
 a king was yet among tliem, and he was to be 
 born in Bethlehem, and he was to work such 
 miracles and preach such doctrines and suffer 
 such thinors, and was to die with malefactors 
 and make his grave with the rich, and to rise 
 again from the dead, and to live and reign for- 
 ever as Head over all things. In short, every 
 promise, every prophecy, everything required 
 according to the Scriptures to constitute the 
 proofs that he was the Messiah is found in the 
 coming, life, words and works of Jesus Christ. 
 The promises and prophecies are all fidfilled in 
 him. Second^ the perfection of his character is 
 such as none but the Son of God could exhibit, 
 and its description such as none but inspired 
 men could write. There was no such character 
 for them to copy from. There was none be- 
 fore ; there has been none since like it. The 
 character which the Evangelists have given to 
 Christ proves, therefore, Ijoth the divine in- 
 
118 THE CENTUEION AT THE CEUCIFIXION. 
 
 spiration of tlieir narratives, and that one so 
 holy, so perfect, was truly the Son of God. 
 
 It can hardly be necessaiy to dwell at length 
 lipon the attributes dis23layed in his life that 
 prove his j)ortrait to be divine. His meekness 
 was united with ineifable majesty. He made 
 others rich, but remained himself so poor that 
 he had to work a miracle to pay his taxes. 
 The Lord of angels and of all worlds, he could 
 yet say : " The foxes have holes and the birds 
 of the air have nests ; but the Son of Man hath 
 not where to lay his head," nor was his humili- 
 ty any less conspicuous than his majesty. Wit- 
 ness his example when he would teach his fol- 
 lowers to be humble and self-denying. At the 
 last supper, he took a towel and girded himself 
 and washed the feet of his clisciples. Observe, 
 also, not only the perfection of his character, 
 but the extraordinary wisdom that is seen in 
 all his actions throughout his whole life. Be- 
 gin with the record of his conference with the 
 doctors in the temple, and study his words till 
 he said, " It is finished," and jou will find that 
 " never man SDake like this man." 
 
'THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 119 
 
 And liis piety was as remarkable as Lis wis- 
 dom. Being truly man as well as God, it can- 
 not be improper to speak of tlie piety of Jesus. 
 He liad a creed, an experience, and a practice 
 in his religion. And in all these things he 
 was an examj^le. We should believe what he 
 believed and follow his example in our con- 
 duct. He was truly a man in everything ex- 
 cept sin. And in trjdng to get a full face view 
 of Him, we must never lose sight of his hu- 
 manity. We must keep in mind his estate 
 of humiliation as Avell as his estate of exalta- 
 tion. How he suifered and died, and how 
 he arose from the dead, and now lives and 
 reigns in glory. And his beneficence was un- 
 ceasing. His miracles were never for himself 
 merely. They were not wrought merely to 
 display his power, nor to confound his ene- 
 mies. They were as fall of grace as of omnipo- 
 tence. He healed the sick, the lame, the blind 
 and the deaf He raised the dead. He preached 
 glad tidings to the poor. Nor was his sympa- 
 thy less remarkable than his beneficence. 
 When the disciples rebuked those mothers who 
 
120 THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 
 
 brouo-lit tlieir rao-ored and almost naked child- 
 ren to him, suj)posing it an insult, or tliat lie 
 ought not to be troubled with them, mark his 
 conduct. He said, suffer little children to come 
 unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is 
 the kingdom of heaven. And he took them 
 into his arms, and j)ut his hands upon them, 
 and blessed them, saying, of such is the king- 
 dom of heaven. 
 
 The history of our Lord's last moments and 
 of the centurion's confession, may be collected 
 and condensed from a harmony of all the evan- 
 gelists into the following narrative: As he 
 breathed his last the veil of the temple in the 
 presence of the officiating high-priest, who was 
 engaged at the evening sacrifice, w^as miracu- 
 lously rent from top to bottom ; and the earth 
 did quake and the rocks rent ; and the graves 
 in the rocks were opened, and many bodies of 
 the saints which slept arose, and came out of 
 the graves after his resurrection. That is, the 
 graves were opened by the earthquake at our 
 Lord's death, but the dead not arise and come 
 into the city till his resurrection. As the rend- 
 
THE CENTURION AT THE CRUCIFIXION. 121 
 
 ing of the veil of tlie temple was typical of the 
 opening of the gospel kingdom to all nations, 
 so the resurrection at this time of a number of 
 saints from the dead, was a demonstration that 
 the power of death and of the grave was 
 broken. Our Lord's victory, therefore, over 
 death and the grave was complete. ^'- And 
 when the centurion and they tliat were with hwi^ 
 ivatching Jesus, tvhich stood over against him, 
 saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost 
 — saw the earthquake, and those things that were 
 done, he glorified God, saying. Certainly this 
 loas a righteous man — Tridy this man was the 
 Son of Godr Bengel well s^ays in this place : 
 " Great commotions in created things went on, 
 in continuous succession, from the moment of 
 Christ's death to his resurrection, exerting their 
 influence especially in the kingdom of things 
 invisible." 
 
 It is well here to observe the difference of 
 the effect produced on different persons by the 
 same things. The jirodigies accompanying our 
 Lord's death convinced the heathen officer and 
 his guard of soldiers that Christ was the Son 
 
 6 
 
122 THE CENTUKIOlSr AT THE CEUCIFIXIOJSr. 
 
 of God, but left tlie Jewish doctors and rulers 
 more confirmed in their obstinacy and unbelief. 
 Their prejudices against Jesus were so invinci- 
 ble, that they Could be convinced neither by 
 the miracles nor doctrines, nor by the manner 
 of his life, nor by his demeanor in death, nor 
 by the utterance of nature in attestation of his 
 innocence. Truly none are so blind as they 
 that are so filled with prejudice that they will 
 not see. But nevertheless, wisdom is justified 
 in all her children and in all her ways. For 
 all God's administrations to us have an effect. 
 They either soften or harden; save or destroy. 
 Every mercy and every judgment is a saviour 
 of life unto life, or of death unto death. It is 
 astonishing how great an amount of incidental 
 or undesigned evidence might be gathered up 
 for the truth of Christianity. The undesigned 
 coincidences of the sacred writers themselves 
 would form quite an overwhelming mass of 
 evidence to prove that they were capable, 
 honest, truth-telling eye-witnesses. The testi- 
 mony corroborative also from enemies is exceed- 
 ingly strong. We have before us the testimony 
 
THE CENTURION AT TIIE CRUCIFIXION. 123 
 
 of a Koman officer and of Lis command of tlie 
 time and the place of our Lord's crucifixion, 
 tliat lie was a righteous man and the Son of God. 
 Even devils on several different occasions dur- 
 ing his lifetime made the same confession. 
 Peter and the other disci]3les had also made the 
 same declaration. Pilate and Herod said there 
 was no fault in him. He had done nothins; 
 worthy of death. Pilate's wife declared him 
 to be an innocent and just person. And so 
 Judas himself testified that he had betrayed 
 innocent blood. All soi-ts of people in many 
 lands, and through all past ages, have borne 
 testimony to Jesus Christ, that he is 'the Son of 
 God, and the Saviour of the world. How then 
 can we escape if we believe not in him ? It is 
 remarkable how often in the Scriptures we find 
 the material universe, l)y means of physical 
 occuiTences, giving witness of the events which 
 accompanied the utterance of great moral or 
 spiritual truth. This was the case at the giv- 
 ing of the Law at Mount Sinai ; and the vision 
 of angels at the birth of Jesus is a similar 
 instance of the sympathy of the spiiitual world 
 
124 THE CENTURION AT TIIE CRUCIFIXION. 
 
 with man's history. In the great turning 
 points of man's moi'al history, the material uni- 
 verse appears in j)eculiar connection with him. 
 As at the birth, so at the death of Jesus, 23hy- 
 sical phenomena attest the sympathy of mate- 
 rial things with human redemption. The 
 supernatural darkness, the rent veil, the torn 
 rocks, and the earthquake, are but expressions 
 by which the God of Nature through physical 
 prodigies made known his abhorrence of sin 
 and the greatness of the salvation that is 
 offered to us, through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 
 
VI. 
 
 THE CENTUKIOT^- OF CESAEEA. 
 
 There was a certain man in Cesarea called Cornelius, a centurion 
 of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that 
 feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, 
 and prayed to God always. — Acts x. 1-2. 
 
 Having read the wliole of the interesting 
 chapter from which the above text is taken, we 
 invite you to consider : 
 
 1. — The subject of Divine Grace here introduced 
 — His Antecedents and Circumstances. 
 
 His name was Cornelius; a name distin- 
 guished among the Komans, especially as con- 
 nected with the Scipios and Scyllas ; by birth 
 a Gentile and most probably a Koman, and by 
 profession a soldier, and by position an officer 
 stationed at this time with his company at 
 Cesarea, in command of a part of the Ro- 
 
 125 
 
126 THE CENTUKION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 man forces, then holding Palestine in subjec- 
 tion. 
 
 This Cesarea was called Cesar ea Palestina^ 
 to distinguish it from Cesarea PMlipjn^ which 
 was a city about one hundred and twenty miles 
 north of Jerusalem and near the sources of the 
 Jordan in the mountains of Lebanon. Cesarea 
 Palestina was formerly called Strato's tower. 
 It was on the sea shore about sixty miles from 
 Jerusalem ; built by Herod the Great in honor 
 of Augustus Caesar, twenty-two years before 
 the birth of Christ. It was a city of great 
 beauty and wealth, and at this time the seat of 
 the civil government of Judea, as Jerusalem 
 was of the ecclesiastical. It was distinguished 
 for its semi-circular mole, which was one of the 
 most stupendous works of antiquity. Within 
 its inclosure a large fleet could ride in perfect 
 security in all weathers. The stones of this 
 mole were immense blocks and brought fi^om a 
 great distance, and sunk twenty fathoms in the 
 sea. It was chiefly inhabited by Gentiles, 
 though some thousands of Jews lived there. 
 Vespasian made it a Roman colony, exempting 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 127 
 
 it from capitation and ground taxes. In tlie 
 New Testament it is several times referred to 
 besides in the case before us. Here Philip the 
 evangelist resided for some time, and Paul spent 
 the space of perhaps two years here, on his way 
 to Rome, and from this city he sailed when he 
 commenced his voyage to Italy, during which 
 he was wrecked at Malta. Here he made his 
 speech before Festus and Agrippa, and here, in 
 the amphitheatre, Herod Agiippa was smitten 
 to death for not giving God the glory. It was 
 a renowned city, and the seat of the Roman 
 Coui*t until Judea ceased to be a Roman pro- 
 vince. In the commencement of the wars with 
 the Jews, twenty thousand Jews of Cesarea 
 were massacred by the Gentiles. A most 
 graphic and thrilling account of this massacre 
 is given in one of the works of the late Dr. 
 Ware, of Boston. This city is noted in later 
 times as the birth-place and episcopate of the 
 great Church historian of the fourth centuiy, 
 Eusebius. A pile of ruin, now called Kaiserah, 
 marks the site of this once courtly city. It is 
 seldom visited. The present inhabitants of the 
 
128 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 old castle and surrounding ruins, wMcli cover 
 a great space, are jackals, wild boars, snakes, 
 lizards and scorpions. 
 
 A centurion of the hand called the Italian 
 hand. Band means cohort or division of the 
 Koman army, consisting sometimes of four or 
 six hundred, or of a thousand footmen, of 
 whom the chief was called a tribune or mar- 
 shal, corresponding to our colonel of a regiment. 
 These cohorts were subdivided into companies 
 of a hundred each, the captain of which was 
 called the centurion. Usually a legion was 
 composed of five bands, that is, of about live 
 thousand infantry. Italian hand means that 
 they were soldiers from Italy, as we say, " the 
 New York regiment," or " the Louisiana le- 
 gion," or as English officers in India are distin- 
 guished from the Sepoys. An old inscription 
 mentions "the cohort of Italian volunteers 
 which is in Syria." Arrian also speaks of the 
 foot soldiers of the Italian band. Though the 
 Roman armies were increased by levies from 
 the conquered provinces, their chief strengh 
 was drawn from the mother country. Soldiers 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 129 
 
 from Italy no doubt claimed a preeminence 
 over those enlisted from other places. Josephus 
 speaks of Cesarian cohorts as distinguished 
 from the Italian legion. And even if, as some 
 think, the Italian legion of Tacitus and Jose- 
 phus was not formed at this time, all admit 
 that there was an Italian cohort^ which answers 
 quite as well as the original. It was probably 
 the life-guard of the Eoman governor or pro- 
 consul who resided there, and called the Italia/n 
 cohort by way of distinction from the others, 
 who were raised from the provinces. For it 
 was the custom of the emperors to distribute 
 their forces so as to occupy the chief cities of 
 the empire by garrisons, in order that sudden 
 uproars, insurrections or invasions mi^^-ht be 
 met and at once put down. 
 
 The second verse is an amplification of the 
 completeness of the centurion's character. He 
 was a perfect gentleman. He feared God, re- 
 garded man, and took the proper care of his 
 household. He kept both tables of the divine 
 law. His faith was orthodox, and his life 
 proved it to be fruitful. He had a church in 
 
130 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 his house. Its members were obedient unto 
 him in godliness. 
 
 A devout tncm — according to some, means 
 that he was a religious heathen. Others, and 
 this is perhaps the general opinion, say that he 
 was a " proselyte of the gate," that is, had re- 
 nounced idolatry, and had so far embraced the 
 Jewish religion, that he kept the seven precepts 
 of Noah, and was kindly disposed to the Jews, 
 but had not yet been circumcised. The argu- 
 ments in favor of this last opinion are : 
 
 First. It is said \^ feared God^ whereas if he 
 had become a full 2:)roselyte, he would have 
 been numbered with the Hebrews and have 
 been spoken of as a Jew. Second, His hours 
 of prayer were according to Hebrew custom. 
 And it is clear also that he was acquainted with 
 the Old Testament, for when Peter preaches to 
 him, we find him appealing to Hebrew Scrip- 
 tures for proofs that Jesus is the Messiah. 
 This implies his acquaintance with them and 
 belief in them, at least so far as to receive them 
 as true historical records. And then, third, he 
 was kindly disposed to the Jews. It is not 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 131 
 
 absolutely certain, however, tliat lie was " a 
 proselyte of tlie gate." Wetstein says he feared 
 God and worsliipped Him as tlie true God, dis- 
 tinguishing correctly between the original terms 
 for fear and ivorslii/p^ which are not the same, 
 and concludes that the meaning is, he feared 
 and acknowledged God as the one only living 
 and true God, and that he regulated his life by 
 the rule of nature, and not by Mosaic precepts, 
 and that, consequently, we are not to look upon 
 him as a Jewish proselyte, but as a pious Gen- 
 tile. This seems to us the correct opinion. He 
 was at least a Gentile by birth, name and pro- 
 fession, and he was a. devout man^ whether 
 he had ever been recognized as a conveii: to 
 the Hebrew religion or not. Another (^fourtK) 
 reason, however, which we think conclusive 
 that he had not professed himself a convert to 
 Judaism, is, that as a Roman the laws prohi- 
 bited him from receiving any new or strange 
 religion ; and certainly he was as yet a Koman 
 officer, and holding an honored position in the 
 government. The whole force of the narrative 
 seems to us lost, if he were a Jewish convert. 
 
132 THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 
 
 The intent of tlie history is to sllo^\t liow the 
 Gosj^el Church was oj)ened to Gentiles without 
 the intervention of Judaism. 
 
 The character of this man is more exalted, 
 if, as we look at his uprightness, courtesy to- 
 ward men and devotion to God, we remember 
 who he was, whence he was, and his peculiar 
 temptations. Brought up in heathen supersti- 
 tion, he has already been converted to the wor- 
 ship of the true God ; to the worship of Jeho- 
 vah, the God of the Jews, who were a despised 
 and conquered people. The Hebrews were at 
 this time held in peculiar contempt, and it 
 shows the strength of this man's character, that 
 he could rise superior to prejudice, and appre- 
 ciate the excellence of a religion that was held 
 by a people that his country esteemed so exe- 
 crable. And then again, he was not only a sol- 
 dier, but an Italian officer in a conquered coun- 
 try, and under such circumstances, the Roman 
 cohorts often ran over the provinces like hun- 
 gry wolves, making a prey of all they could 
 get. " They had," says Calvin, " for the most 
 part no more religion than beasts ; they had as 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 133 
 
 great care of innocency as cut-throats, for whicli 
 cause the virtues of Cornelius deserve the 
 greater commendation, in that leading a sol- 
 dier's life, which was at that time most corrupt, 
 he served God holily, and lived amongst men 
 without doing any hurt or injmy." His piety 
 is, moreover, the more remarkable because the 
 lives of the leading professors of the Hebrew 
 religion at that time were anything else than 
 commendable. Instead of allurins: the heathen 
 among them to the worship of the true God by 
 their sincerity, humility and charity, the Scribes 
 and Pharisees were censorious, proud, cold, for- 
 mal and hypocritical. But he feared God with 
 all This Jiouse^ that is, family. This means that 
 he governed and instructed them. True piety 
 is always accompanied by a sincere desire for 
 the salvation of others, especially of those with 
 whom we are closely connected, or for whose 
 welfare we feel especially responsible. How- 
 ever it may have been with other Roman offi- 
 cers, this one, in fearing God himself, was suc- 
 cessful in makinor his sentiments and conduct 
 prevail over his household. Nor was his influ- 
 
134 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 ence confined to his own house — for he gave 
 much alms to the people. Ahns here are used by 
 a figure of speech for all that a charitable and 
 bountiful man, with the love of God in his 
 heart, would do for his fellow-men. " Blessed 
 is he that considereth the poor : the Lord will 
 deliver him in the time of trouble." — Psalm 
 xli. 1. 
 
 And prayed to God always — that is, con- 
 tinually. He observed the regular seasons of 
 prayer — did not neglect the morning and even- 
 ing sacrifices. " Rejoice," says Paul, " in hope ; 
 patient in tribulation; continuing instant in 
 prayer." And our Lord has taught us that 
 men ought always to pray and not to faint. 
 Inike xviii,, and also 1 Tliess. vi. Daniel 
 prayed three times every day. The early 
 Christians were careful to pray at the thii'd, 
 sixth and ninth hours ; that is, at nine, twelve 
 and three. It is also to be remembered that 
 Cornelius, as a soldier and an officer on duty, 
 had much to do, and many hindrances to over- 
 come ; but while he was faithful, punctual and 
 prompt in the duties of his office, he could also 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 135 
 
 find time for prayer. His heart was always in 
 a praying mood. If we incline our ear unto 
 wisdom, and apply our heart to understanding ; 
 if we cry after knowledge, and lift up our voice 
 for understanding ; if we seek it as silver and 
 search for wisdom as for hidden treasures ; then 
 we shall know the peace of the Lord, and find 
 the knowledge of God. Prov. ii. 2-5. Blessed 
 are they that keep his testimonies, and that 
 seek him with the whole heart. Ps. cxix. 2. 
 
 It is a happy remark of Chrysostom, the 
 golden moutli, that the Ethiopian eunuch, treas- 
 urer of Queen Candace, and the Centurion Cor- 
 nelius, are not mentioned because of their offi- 
 cial rank and station, but because their official 
 duties and rank did not hinder them from serv- 
 ing God. If there is not as much piety, there- 
 fore, in the army and navy as we should ex])ect 
 from the education, jjrofession and position of 
 the officers and men, it is not for the want of 
 examples in both ancient and modem times. 
 It may indeed be true, that the precariousness 
 of life amid the dangers of war, instead of 
 awakening the mind to a proper preparation 
 
136 THE CENTUKION OF CESAREA. 
 
 for eternity, is turned into an argument for ne- 
 glecting religion, if not made a plea for dissipa- 
 tion. It is a well known fact that in some of 
 our cities nearness of tlie graveyard raises a 
 suspicion of low morals — tliat plagues and epi- 
 demics, instead of reforming a city, have been 
 noted for prevailing violence and licentiousness. 
 We know historically that this has been true 
 of Jerusalem, Bagdad, Cairo, London, and of 
 some cities on our own continent. A most 
 remarkable instance of this is seen in the his- 
 tory of Florence in the fourteenth century, when 
 the plague almost depopulated the city and 
 surrounding country; and yet the morals of 
 the survivors grew worse and worse as the 
 plague raged the more and more deadly. The 
 tales of Boccaccio illustrate that familiarity with 
 sickness and death, exposure to shame and 
 peril, does not convert men. Nor are the judg- 
 ments of God miracles of themselves sufficient 
 to bring men to salvation. They always har- 
 den rather than soften, unless accompanied by 
 the grace of God. It is at least painfully true 
 that the hazards of military life do not always 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 137 
 
 make men mindful of their duty to God. Still, 
 as a class, they are not excluded from the offer 
 of the Gospel. Nor is it right that prejudices 
 against any class of men or profession should 
 be a hindrance in their way to salvation. It is 
 certainly not an impossibility to belong to the 
 military profession and at the same time be 
 truly pious. It may require much courage to 
 dwell in camps and resist temptations to evil 
 doing ; yet it is hardly worse than to be a law- 
 yer or a merchant. Op2)ortunities for sinning 
 and temptations to WTong-doing are in all occu- 
 pations and in every one's path. But a long 
 list of military and naval heroes could be given 
 who were as remarkable for their piety as for 
 their success in war. It is never proper to 
 allow our prejudices to be excited against men 
 as classes or professions that are not in them- 
 selves sinful. 
 
yii. 
 
 THE CENTURIOlSr OF CESAEEA CONTINUED, 
 
 Having considered this Roman officer as a 
 subject of divine grace — liis antecedents and 
 circumstances, we proceed : 
 
 2. — The Means or Agents eonployed to hring 
 about and develop Ms Conversion to Christ- 
 ianity. 
 
 In his case we are not told when he was 
 "effectually called," or regenerated; but we 
 may see clearly that his regeneration was be- 
 fore his conversion. In fact, he was pious be- 
 fore he knew what conversion meant. He was 
 devout and feared God, and gave alms and 
 prayed always and constrained his household 
 to do likewise, before he knew anything of the 
 Gospel as a system of divine grace. Not, in- 
 deed, before his heart was under divine inilu- 
 
 188 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 139 
 
 ence, but before lie knew anything of tlie proofs 
 that Jesus was the Messiah, and that salvation 
 was only through him. A child eats bread 
 and is nourished by it long before he knows 
 how to analyze the bread and call it by its 
 chemical names. And we breathe the air, and 
 live upon it, and may never be able to describe 
 it j)hilosophicall3''. So in Cornelius we find the 
 evidences of divine grace before he has learned 
 how or whence he received it. How far God 
 sends his Holy Spirit to open the hearts of the 
 heathen, who are without the Gospel or his 
 wi'itten Word, we cannot say. It is not for us, 
 however, to limit the Holy One. And though 
 divine influence is to be expected chiefly in 
 connection with the Word read and preached, 
 yet the Holy Ghost is not dependent on the 
 Scriptures. The holy Scriptures have not 
 created the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the 
 Scriptures were written by men moved thereto 
 by the Holy Spirit. We dare not aflarm — we 
 do not believe that God cannot convert and 
 save men Avithout his written Word. Still, it 
 is true that it is chiefly by his Word read 
 
140 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 and* preached that men are converted and 
 saved. 
 
 In Cornelius, we can see liow liis mind might 
 be led through the whole process of conviction 
 for sin, and to faith and repentance without his 
 ever having learned to distinguish theologically 
 between regeneration and conversion — convic- 
 tion natural and saving, repentance legal and 
 repentance evangelical. A man may plough and 
 plant and reap, who knows nothing of the 
 scientific nomenclature of agricultural chemist- 
 ry. We must not suppose, however, that Cor- 
 nelius was a pious man at or from his natural 
 birth; nor that he was made pious by the 
 mere culture of military discipline. However 
 much his education may have done for him — 
 still his military code did not produce his piety. 
 The efficient cause of his piety was supernatu- 
 ral before he ever heard of Peter or the Holy 
 Ghost, and it was produced by means. And 
 in his case, the means were the light of Nature, 
 the teachings of conscience and of tradition, and 
 the direct influence of the spirit of God by and 
 with and through these instruments upon his 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAKEA. 141 
 
 heart. We do not, therefore, look for, nor do 
 we find in the wonderful narrative before us 
 any metaphysical or formal account of this 
 man's regeneration. All we have is a very 
 brief statement of the effects of his regenera- 
 tion, namely, his conversion to Christ. That 
 is, of his embracing Christianity as preached 
 by the Apostle. Now, as the power of mag- 
 netism is one thing, and the actical turning of 
 the needle to the pole is another ; and as the 
 law, power, nature, or whatever it is that is in 
 the sunflower that causes its attraction toward 
 the sun, is quite a different thing from, but 
 essential to the flower's turning its face toward 
 and following the sun: so regeneration and 
 conversion are inseparable, but distinct. Cor- 
 nelius was a pious man, but not converted to 
 Christianity before he heard Peter preach. God 
 had touched his heart, and now the effect is 
 seen. 
 
 The means of his conversion, then, were 
 extraordinary and ordinary — supernatural and 
 common. Human and divine agency wrought 
 effectually and in perfect harmony, and without 
 
142 THE CENTUEION OF CESAKEA. 
 
 any violence to tlie freedom of tlie human will. 
 And the agencies employed in this case were 
 precisely the same that are employed now in 
 every essential, though the details and minor 
 agents are different. 
 
 He saw in a msion. Verse 3. Eichhorn, Ro- 
 senmuller and others say in a dream. And 
 Heinrich will have it nothing but a com- 
 mon dream, which, however, Storr has ably 
 refuted. The language does not suggest a 
 dream. It was not the time for sleep or dreams. 
 It was at the horn' of prayer, the ninth hour, 
 when it was full daylight, that the angelic vis- 
 ion appeared. Cornelius was not only awake, 
 but engaged in the most solemn prayer of the 
 day. 
 
 Commentators have enumerated seven ways 
 in which God formerly revealed himself to men, 
 namely : by dreams ; by apjoaritions while they 
 were awake ; by visions while they slej^t ; by a 
 voice from heaven ; by the Urim ; by inspira- 
 tion or auricular revelation, and by ecstasy or 
 rapture, by which a man was snatched up into 
 heaven, which Lightfoot says was " of all other 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 143 
 
 modes the most excellent." See Rev. i. 10 ; 
 2 Cor. xii. 2. 
 
 Evidently — manifestly, not dimly or doubt- 
 fully — lie was conscious of eveiytMng and per- 
 fectly sure of what lie saw. It was not likely 
 that a Roman officer, at such an hour, or under 
 such circumstances, could have been deceived 
 or imposed upon. 
 
 An angel of God from heaven — one of those 
 that attend around his throne as his ministers, 
 waiting to do his will. The same angel, pro- 
 bably, who appeared to Manoah, Moses, Daniel, 
 and Zachariah. This messenger from the world 
 of superhuman spirits appeared clothed as a 
 man ; generally at first mistaken for a man of 
 God, that is, one of the prophets. So Manoah 
 thought at first the angel that appeared to him 
 was a man of God. The popular idea that an- 
 gels always appeared mth wings is erroneous. 
 The cherubim and seraphim had wings, and pro- 
 bably it is from them this idea that angelic 
 visitors to earth are always represented as hav- 
 ing wings has obtained. But the angels that 
 appeared to Abraham to tell him about Sodom 
 
144 THE CEjSTTURIOlSr OF CESAREA. 
 
 and Gomorrali liad no wings. There is some- 
 thing unartistic and absurd in the pictures of 
 Old Testament angels that we sometimes see — 
 walking on the earth and with men and like 
 men, except that their wings are somehow 
 folded up on their backs or over their shoulders. 
 The true representation of angelic visitors to 
 man is to clothe them in the ordinary dress of 
 the religious teachers of the people to whom 
 they were sent. 
 
 The vision was to him as an oracle from God 
 — not in the night season, but in open day- 
 light — and accompanied with such seals or 
 assurances, or marks of certainty imprinted 
 upon his mind, as left him in no doubt of its 
 truthfulness. It was not an illusion, but a 
 reality. It was a vision from God. The fear 
 that seized him when the vision appeared, was 
 that of a brave and sensible man. Perceiving 
 that it was God that had sent the vision, and 
 that he had now to deal with Him, he very 
 properly asked: What is it, Lordf Lord 
 here is no more than our Sir. And the an- 
 gel answered: "Thy prayers and thine alms 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 145 
 
 have come up for a memorial before God." 
 Verse 4. 
 
 Oome up is an allusion to tlie offering up of 
 incense, whose fragrance and smoke ascended 
 toward heaven, and were then considered as 
 acceptable to Grod. 
 
 i^6>r a metnorial — that is, are remembered 
 before God. The force of this assurance lies in 
 the fact, that as he was a Gentile, had not been 
 circumcised, and did not conform to the rites 
 of the Mosaic law, he was still in doubts whether 
 his prayers were heard, or his alms acce23ted as 
 evidences of his faith and piety. The angel's 
 words were, therefore, peculiarly fit words for 
 Cornelius. And they, moreover, contain a great 
 truth as to the divine method of dealing mth 
 mankind : that God prefers the offering of the 
 heart to external forms, however imposing or 
 ceremonious, however pompous and costly. 
 God requireth not so much sacrifice, nor whole 
 burnt offerings, but obedience. 
 
 And now send men to Joppa — a seaport town 
 difitant about thirty-five miles, the nearest port 
 to Jerusalem on the Mediterranean. This is 
 n 
 
146 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 doubtless one of tlie oldest towns in the world. 
 Its origin is lost in the twilight of time. Its 
 antiquity is lost in a mass of classic fables. 
 Pliny asserts that it existed before the Deluge. 
 Many Greek and Jewish traditions may be 
 found that ascribe its foundation to Noah, and 
 say that he built the ark here. We know at 
 least that it was a city at the conquest of 
 Joshua. To this port Hiram, King of Tp'e, 
 sent the lumber from the mountains of Leba- 
 non for the building of Solomon's temple, and 
 from hence it was carried up by animals to the 
 holy city. This city is mentioned in the his- 
 tory of the Asmonean princes ; but is referred 
 to in the New Testament only in connection 
 with Peter's visit. Here he raised Tabitha 
 from the dead, and was lodging when the cen- 
 turion sent for him. We have found Jonah, 
 the old Hebrew missionary to Nineveh, taking 
 ship at this port to flee from the Lord. In the 
 Crusades, and in Napoleon's Syrian wars, Joppa 
 was a place of importance. It is still a town 
 of about 5,000 inhabitants, one-fourth of whom 
 are reckoned to be Christians. 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 14 Y 
 
 jind call for one Simon^ tvliose surname is 
 Peter: lie lodgeth with one Simon^ a tanner. 
 Our word tanner comes from tanit^ cognate 
 with Frencli teindre^ to stain. The Greek word 
 used here is hurseus^ which means a sMnner 
 — that is, of animals ; and here used in the 
 sense of a skin-softener, a leather-maker, a tan- 
 ner. This occupation was not highly esteemed 
 by the ancients. Simon was probably one of 
 the early converts to Christianity. In ancient 
 times tanners used have their houses and work- 
 shops, as is common with us, out of the city, or 
 apart from the main crowded thoroughfares, on 
 account of the fetid odor arising from the dead 
 animals and raw hides, and near rivers for the 
 convenience of water. At Joppa may mean 
 no more than that he was near to it, or in 
 the suburbs. The Hebrew Mishna required 
 all such emplojrments to be carried on at some 
 distance from the towns. 
 
 In Europe and the East it is common to 
 give a specific address to every letter, and to 
 describe in all legal documents a man's rank, 
 occupation or profession. A. B. is a gentle- 
 
148 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 man. C. D. is a barrister at law. E. F, is a 
 medical man. G. H. is a weaver, a farmer, 
 a machinist, or a currier or tanner. And so 
 in passports from one government to another. 
 Simon a tanner is designated. He resides there 
 and is known. Peter was only there on a 
 vi^it, and his profession was not known, at 
 least not among the people. If Cornelius had 
 sent for Peter the Pope^ he would not have 
 found him even to this day, or even for Peter 
 the Apostle, he would not have found him. His 
 messengers, however, did find Simon a tanner, 
 and Simon Peter upon his housetop engaged in 
 prayer. Observe all these characters are re- 
 markable for prayer and for visions. Cornelius 
 prays, and has a vision to send for Peter. Pe- 
 ter is praying when the messengers arrive, and 
 falling into a trance, has a vision by which he 
 is convinced that he ought to go with them. 
 Peter's host was a j)oor man ; he probably had 
 no prophet's chamber ; no upper room for his 
 accommodation. It was common, however, in 
 that country, for the people to retire to their 
 housetops for meditation, rest or prayer. This 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 149 
 
 custom is often alluded to in the Bible. The 
 tops of the houses in the East are flat. A tra- 
 veller may now go almost all over the city of 
 Cairo, Damascus, or Jerusalem, on the roofs of 
 houses, without ever descending to the streets. 
 He fell into a trance. Verse 10. Greek is, 
 there fell on him an ecstasy, which seems to 
 mean a preternatural state of mind, which was 
 intended to prepare him for the vision. In this 
 kind of a trance the mind seems to retire from 
 the body, and to be wholly absorbed with spi- 
 ritual or internal objects; a rapture of soul giv- 
 ing the face a look of astonishment, and render- 
 ing the subject for the time insensible to exter- 
 nal objects, or to anything else than the subject 
 then occupying the soul. The books mention 
 many extraordinary cases, which it is impossi- 
 ble fully to understand or explain with our 
 present knowledge of the connection that sub- 
 sists between the mind and the external world, 
 the soul and the body. The whole subject of the 
 connection of the mind and the body is yet to be 
 studied. I should not wonder if we are on the 
 eve of great discoveries in religious psychology. 
 
150 THE CENTUEIOlSr OF CESAEEA. 
 
 Please read here verses 9 to 33, inclusive. 
 Observe tlieir address and skill in opening their 
 errand to Peter. And tliey said^ Cornelius the 
 centurion^ a just man, and one tliat feareth God, 
 arid of good report among all the nations of the 
 Jews, was warned from God hy an holy angel 
 to send for thee into his house, and to hear words 
 of thee. This is one of the most happily con- 
 ceived and successfully applied addresses in 
 the world. They admit at once that their mas- 
 ter is a Roman officer, but to remove the preju- 
 dices which might be in Peter's mind as a Jew 
 against him, they say, although he is a centu- 
 rion, he is a just man — though an officer in the 
 Roman army that has conquered and still holds 
 your country in subjection, he is a man of inte- 
 grity and courtesy, and he fears God and wor- 
 ships the one living and true God of the Jews ; 
 he is not a cruel, savage idolater ; and he has 
 an excellent reputation among your own coun- 
 trymen ; and God has sent his hoi}' angel to 
 tell him to send for thee ; and to send for thee 
 to come into his house, to hear words of thee. 
 The point made was very strong. God had 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAKEA. lol 
 
 shown SO mucli regard for Cornelius as to send 
 an lioly angel from heaven to tell liini to send 
 for Peter, and to tell Peter that he must go to 
 the Roman officer's quarters, and there preach 
 to him about Jesus. The messao-e was from 
 
 O 
 
 heaven. Peter was certainly called of God to 
 go to Cesarea. And remembering Peter's vision 
 on the housetop, we are not surprised that in 
 spite of his prejudices, he was convinced and 
 Avent. 
 
 Then called lie tlieiii in^ and lodged tliem. 
 Aiid on the morroio Peter went aivay ivith 
 them^ and certam brethren from Joppa accom- 
 panied them. 
 
 As a matter of respect to Peter, Cornelius 
 had sent two of his household, and a devout 
 soldier as a guard. The roads were not free 
 from robbers. In the East a person seldom 
 travels alone. They are from habit, if not from 
 necessity, a gregarious people. They live in vil- 
 lages. Their transactions and journeys are 
 always made in companies. It ^vill frequently 
 happen, if you ask a man why he came to the 
 place where you find him, he will point to an- 
 
152 THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 
 
 otlier man who seems to be the greater busi- 
 ness man, and say, I came because he did. In 
 the East, if a man go to a court of justice, he is 
 followed by as many of his acquaintances as 
 possible, who canvass all the probabilities of 
 his case, and have a salvo for every exigency, 
 and a salaam for every one they dare to hope 
 they can influence in his behalf. They are 
 warm-tempered and social in their habits, and 
 then it is always necessary to have witnesses to 
 all and everything that is said and done. This 
 custom exj)lains the importance attached in the 
 Bible to the company a man keeps, and the 
 solemn warnings given against evil companions. 
 Nor are these warnings any the less important 
 now and among us. One sinner destroyeth 
 much good. The companion of fools shall be 
 destroyed. 
 
 Certain hretliren went with Peter. How 
 many we do not know. Perhaps six. It was 
 respectful to Cornelius for Peter to have some 
 friends with him. His companions were no 
 doubt also, at least in part, acquainted with 
 his trance and vision. And as he was going 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 153 
 
 on a new and difficult mission, tliey went with 
 liim to comfort liim, and be witnesses of wliat 
 should befall him, or of what he should do. 
 And surely it was a gracious Providence that 
 moved them to go with him. It was desirable 
 they should be witnesses of his reception by 
 Cornelius, and of his preaching, and of the 
 grace of God shown to the centuiion ; and be 
 able to testify of these things when Peter 
 should be called to an account by his country- 
 men for having gone among the Gentiles. And 
 now, before we enter upon the consideration of 
 Peter's sermon, let us gather up some reflections 
 from the history. And 
 
 First. As Peter stands before us, we have an 
 admirable example of piety, zeal and faithful- 
 ness. He is engaged in his proper mission at 
 Joppa — earnestly praying when he falls into a 
 trance, receives a vision from heaven, and is 
 prepared to understand the messengers of Cor- 
 nelius, who were then just arrived in Joppa. 
 And when he reached Cesarea, and Cornelius 
 tells him all that he had done, and all that had 
 been told to him, and says to him : " And thou 
 
154 THE CEISTTUKION OF CESAREA. 
 
 hast well done that tliou art come. Now, there- 
 fore, are we all here present before God, to hear 
 all things that are commanded thee of God ; 
 then Peter opened his mouth and said — j)i'^^c^- 
 ing peace by Jesus Christ," etc. Peter was far 
 from being sinless, but he was a man of prayer 
 and of earnest simplicity. Like David, he 
 prayed and called upon God evening and morn- 
 ing; and as more is given to him that hath, 
 that is, to him that uses aright what he has, so 
 we find the enlightening, converting process 
 carried on in Peter's mind until he has over- 
 come his narrow prejudices against the Gen- 
 tiles, and with a clear conscience 023ens to them 
 the kingdom of Christ. That which at first he 
 could not at all apprehend — which was dark 
 and unaccountable — is made plain. And just 
 so it was with the Roman officer. He is dili- 
 gent in the use of the best means and of all the 
 light he has, and then more is given to him. 
 In proportion as we are willing to know the 
 truth, and seek for it with an honest heart as 
 for hidden treasure, in the same proportion we 
 shall find it and be sanctified by it. It is by 
 
THE CENTUKION OF CESAREA. 155 
 
 the truth we are to be made free from tlie 
 bondage of error and the tyranny of Satan. If 
 any man, says our Lord, Avill do the Avill of 
 God he shall know of the doctrine, whether it 
 be of God or not. 
 
 Second. We have here a beautiful union of 
 personal and relative duties. This Roman offi- 
 cer " feared God with all his house." So did 
 Abraham, and for it he received special divine 
 commendation, and so did Joshua and Lydia. 
 There is nothing more im2:)ortant to the well- 
 being of cities and states than family religion. 
 The purity and intelligence of our families lie 
 at the very foundation of our social and civil 
 prosperity. The elements of our strength are 
 in our families. One of the greatest causes of 
 social degradation and political insubordination 
 is the want of family religion and instruction. 
 Public schools, Sunday schools, and the press 
 and the pulpit are powerless without the co- 
 operation of parents. The fountains that flow 
 over the land, covering it in all its lengtli and 
 breadth, rise in our households and receive 
 their qualities of good or evil chiefly where 
 
156 THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 
 
 they first break forth. Parents are teachers by 
 their example ; but this is not enough. They 
 must do as well as teach. They must govern, 
 restrain and instruct. Every parent is called 
 upon by all the love he has for his child and 
 for his country, and as he values his soul, to 
 say like Joshua, " as for me and my house, we 
 will serre the Lord." 
 
 " They who rock the cradle rule the world." 
 
 Third. ^Ve have here the union of piety 
 and morality. Cornelius gave alms to all the 
 people, and he prayed to God always. Piety 
 and morality are both blessed realities, but 
 they must not be confounded. A pious man 
 must be a moral man, but a man may be re- 
 spectable in his morals who is not pious. A 
 man may reform himself from bad habits be- 
 cause he finds they are injurious to his reputa- 
 tion and his health. And this is well, and in 
 so far he is to be commended ; but before he 
 can claim to be pious, he must fear God and 
 pray to Him, and put his trust for salvation in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ as He is offered in the 
 
TIIE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 157 
 
 Gospel. Piety is a living reality — a beauty 
 that is "a joy forever." It is more than the 
 forms of a ritual. It is a dynamic power that 
 permeates the whole man from the heart out- 
 ward. But as fatal errors are common on this 
 subject, let us look at it for a few moments. 
 Some seem to think they must be Christians, 
 and talk of their communion with God, who 
 are cruel, hard-hearted, close-handed and unjust. 
 But this cannot be so. They are deceived. 
 God never joined such things together. " Who- 
 so," saith an apostle, " hath this world's goods, 
 and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth 
 up his bowels of compassion from him, how 
 dwelleth the love of God in him ?" Others are 
 amiable and well to do in the world, and have 
 a fair reputation with their fellow-men, but 
 they live without God. Their Maker is not in 
 all their thoughts. They have no love for Je- 
 sus Christ. They are dead in trespasses and in 
 sins. Indulging their sensual passions, they 
 vainly hope, by a few gifts of charity, to cover 
 a multitude of sins. But Avhat saith the Bible 
 on this very matter ? " Pure religion and un- 
 
158 THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 
 
 defiled before God and the Fatlier is tliis, to 
 visit tlie fatherless and mdows in their afflic- 
 tion, and to keep themselves unspotted from 
 the world." James. 
 
 Fourth. Here also we have a union of reality 
 with eminence in the true religion. " He gave 
 rmich alms to the people, and prayed to God 
 alicaysy Now, there cannot be eminence in 
 grace without reality; but there may be a 
 reality where there is not eminence. But as 
 Christians, it is our duty to grow in grace and 
 in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 addino; the excellences of relisjion to its essen- 
 tials. We should have life, and have it more 
 abundantly. Our hearts should be enlarged. 
 We should seek to be filled with all the full- 
 ness of God. 
 
 It were, however, wholly to misconstrue this 
 portion of the Word of God, and to contradict 
 the teaching of all the apostles, if we were to 
 conclude that Cornelius was accepted of God 
 on account of his morality and alms. We can 
 be justified only by faith — not by works. We 
 are saved by grace — ^not by our own merits. 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 159 
 
 It is, therefore, a palpable abuse of tliis his- 
 tory to make it a plea for trusting in our own 
 righteousness — for trusting in our own morality 
 and culture — as if the having of such things 
 justified a man for rejecting Christ. This did 
 not the centurion. He feared God, worshipped 
 him, 23rayed to God always, and gave alms to 
 the people; and just as soon as he heard of 
 Jesus Christ, he believed in him and was bap- 
 tized, professing his full conversion to him. He 
 was ready to receive salvation by the Gospel, 
 notwithstanding his good works. He was an 
 honest, earnest man — humble and teachable as 
 a child. And in all these 2:)articulars he differs 
 widely from the self-righteous of our day. 
 They are full of cavils and technicalities — self- 
 confident and wiser than their teachers. They 
 boast of their decency and refinement, their 
 love of the fine arts and of poetry, and are 
 good enough to be saved vdthout Christ. Now 
 the Roman centmion was as good a man by 
 nature, and by practice, and by self-culture, to 
 say the least, as any of these self-righteous 
 Pharisees, and probably much better, and yet 
 
160 THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 he did not think it enough to be moral and 
 respectable. He did not rest satisfied with 
 such things. He continues to pray to God for 
 more light and grace, and God hears him, and 
 as soon as he is told what to do, he obeys. He 
 sends to Joppa, and when Peter arrives, says, 
 now we are all here before God to hear words 
 from thee as to what we must do to be saved — 
 all things that God shall command thee to say 
 unto us. And when Peter explains to him 
 who Jesus is, and that it is the Divine method 
 of salvation that all men, Jew and Gentile, 
 must believe in the Son of God and confess 
 him with the mouth unto salvation, then Cor- 
 nelius and his household were obedient — be- 
 lieved and were baptized. The moral and 
 decent and respectable men, therefore, instead 
 of being justified by the centurion's case for 
 not believing in Christ and j)rofessing faith in 
 him is condemned — most strongly condemned 
 by him. 
 
 Nor is there ever any controversy between 
 good morals and the Gospel. The alms and 
 prayers of the centurion were a memorial in 
 
THE CENTUKIOX OF CESAREA. 161 
 
 Ms behalf before God. And it is true that all 
 due honor is given to him for his piety and 
 good works, heathen though he was or had 
 been — for he was not yet circumcised, nor up 
 to this time does he seem to have known any- 
 thing about believing in Jesus as the Messiah. 
 But surely God is not straitened for means 
 by which to reach the human heart. He called 
 Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees. And Job 
 in the land of Uz was a pious man. Melchize- 
 dek was a pious king amid heathen neighbors. 
 And here we find Cornelius,' a Roman officer — 
 a devout man and one that feared God. And 
 so in all lands and cities some are prepared to 
 receive the Gospel as soon as it is preached. 
 
 But it is not said that Cornelius was ac- 
 cepted of God for his mere morality. Nor does 
 it appear that he himself ever thought of de- 
 pending upon it. From the history the very 
 reverse would appear as true. His heart was 
 evidently touched. He did not trust to his 
 alms, nor to his forms of prayer ; but was de- 
 vout- — sincere and fervent in his worship of 
 God according to the best light he had. Is it 
 
162 THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 
 
 not an abuse, then, for any man to argue that 
 as Cornelius was a good man before he heard 
 of the Gospel, that he may be a good man who 
 hears it and rejects it \ This Cornelius did not 
 do. He was a devout man according to all 
 that he knew, and was ready to receive the 
 Gospel as soon as he heard it. The case, then, 
 is a very different one from that of a man who 
 depends u]3on his mere external morality in a 
 Christian land as a substitute for Christianity. 
 Cornelius was found in the way of obedience to 
 all known duty. Not content with his prayers 
 and alms, he is seeking to know and to do 
 more, and as soon and as far as he is instructed, 
 we see him acting promptly. But where is the 
 man amono; us who boasts of his fashionable 
 morality that does this ? Cornelius is diligent 
 in all the forms of religion that he knew how 
 to use, and maintains them successfully in his 
 family, and then gladly embraces Jesus Christ 
 as his Saviour as soon as he is preached to him. 
 This the man among us, who thinks himself 
 good enough to be saved without a Saviour, 
 does not do. He improved the light he had, 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 163 
 
 and more was given unto Lim. His good works 
 sliow tliat Le was under divine influence even 
 when lie was ignorant whence it came. He 
 was a subject of free and sovereign grace, and 
 as soon as Jesus is preached to him, he accepts 
 of Him as a Saviour. The man, therefore, 
 among us who attempts to justify his neglect 
 of the Gospel by the case of Cornelius, only 
 condemns himself. And as Cornelius was not 
 a vain, self righteous man, so neither was he an 
 antinomian. He was no fatalist. His religion 
 was a working religion. Without knowing 
 anything of Paul, or of his preaching or epis- 
 tles, he was obeying, with all his might, the 
 injunction given to the PTiiliiypians : Work out 
 your own salvation with fear and trembling, 
 for it is God that worketh in you both to wdll 
 and to do of his good pleasure. 
 
 Finally, this liistory illustrates the uiiiver- 
 sality of tlie Gospel dispensation. We have 
 recently found that a Hebrew missionary (Jo- 
 nah) was sent from Joppa, in a way that he 
 did not choose, to preach to the Ninevites ; and 
 here we find Peter sent from the same place to 
 
164 THE CENTUEION OF CESAKEA. 
 
 open up tlie kingdom of God to tlie Gentiles. 
 By an extraordinary vision lie is convinced tliat 
 the higli wall between the Jews and the Gen- 
 tiles was broken down. 
 
 The Jewish idea that a man was to be saved 
 certainly and simply because he was born a 
 Jew is no longer to prevail. It never was cor- 
 rect. God does not save any man because of 
 his birth, rank, talents or external privileges. 
 Nor does God exclude any man from his favor 
 on account of these thinsfs. 
 
 The New Testament shows most clearly that 
 in the matter of salvation, there is no difference 
 between Jew and Gentile, bond and free. God 
 is no respecter of persons. He will not save a 
 man because he is a Jew or because he is an 
 Anglo-Saxon. Nor will he condemn him sim- 
 ply because he is a Chinese or a Walla- Walla 
 Digger. The whole human race lie before God 
 upon the same level — stand on the same plat- 
 form. None are to be saved merely on account 
 of external privileges — none are to be lost 
 simply or merely for the want of them. All 
 are guilty. All have come short of the glory 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 165 
 
 of God. If any are saved, it must be owing to 
 God's sovereign mercy. And now it liatli 
 pleased liim that all men everywhere should 
 believe the Gospel, repent and be saved. " But 
 in every nation, he that feareth him and work- 
 eth righteousness, is accepted with him." " The 
 sacrifices of God are a broken spirit : a broken 
 and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not 
 despise." 
 
VIIL 
 
 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA CONTINUED. 
 
 3. — Peter'' 8 Sermon on the Occasion of his Con- 
 version. 
 
 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that 
 God is no respecter of persons : But in every nation he that feareth 
 him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. The word 
 which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus 
 Christ : (he is Lord of all :) That word (I say), ye know, which was 
 published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the 
 baptism which John preached ; How God anointed Jesus of Naza- 
 reth with the Holy Ghost and with power : who went about doing 
 good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was 
 with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both ru 
 the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem ; whom they slew and hanged 
 on a tree : Him God raised up the third day and showed him openly : 
 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even 
 to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 
 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that 
 it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and 
 dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name 
 whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 
 
 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them 
 which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed 
 166 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAKEA. 167 
 
 were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the 
 Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they 
 heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered 
 Peter : Can any man forbid water, that these should not be bap- 
 tized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ? And he 
 commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then 
 prayed they him to tarry certain days. — Acts x. 34 to ctid of chapter. 
 
 This chapter contains an account of the re- 
 ception of Grentile converts into the Gospel 
 church without the intermediate state of Juda- 
 ism. The introduction to the conversion of 
 Cornelius (chap. ix. 31-43, and chap. xi. 1-18) 
 is the appendix. The whole history is one of 
 great interest to us. The main facts in regard 
 to this distinguished convert are, his countr}^, 
 his profession, rank and residence, and that we 
 are to regard him as the representative man of 
 all Gentile nations; the first who was received 
 into the Gospel Church after the day of Pente- 
 cost, and without passing through the gate of 
 proseljiiism to Judaism. This interesting sub- 
 ject of converting grace we have found where 
 we should not antecedently have looked for 
 such a history.; we have found a pious heathen, 
 a Roman officer, who was devout, feared God, 
 
168 THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 gave alms to all tlie people, and prayed aiways. 
 We have, therefore, found the church of the 
 living God in the Roman army, in the service 
 of a Pagan emperor. And in looking for the 
 means employed for producing such a result, 
 we discover them to have been ordinary and 
 supernatural ; the light of nature, the strength 
 of the natural conscience, the force of tradition 
 and the direct illumination of the Spirit of 
 almighty grace. And for the purpose of mak- 
 ing known to this distinguished man the way 
 of salvation through Jesus Christ, we have seen 
 that he has a vision, and an angel of God is 
 sent to tell him to send for Peter. Accordingly 
 the centurion's messengers travel some thirty- 
 five or forty miles from Cesarea to Joppa, and 
 find Peter lodging with one Simon, a tanner, 
 and when he is convinced that it is his duty to 
 go and preach Jesus among .the Gentiles, and 
 even to a Roman centurion, he lodges the mes- 
 sengers with him till morning, and then goes 
 with them to Cesarea. Olshausen concludes 
 Cornelius was not a proselyte to the Hebrew 
 religion, but was in the process of becoming 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAKEA. 169 
 
 one. Perliaps already so far advanced as to be 
 " a proselyte of the gate." But tlie wliole force 
 and meaning of tlie narrative is, we tliink, lost 
 if Cornelius liad embraced Judaism. The de 
 scrij^tion given of him is not that of a proselyte 
 " in any technical or formal sense, but of a Gen 
 tile whom divine grace had prepared for the iiu 
 mediate reception of the GosjDel, without pass 
 ing through the intermediate state of Judaism 
 although long familiar with it, and indebted 
 to it for such knowledge of the word of God 
 as he possessed." Prof. J. A. Alexander in loco. 
 But in calling Cornelius a;pious lieatlien\Nib are 
 not to be understood to mean that he was 
 saved without or independent of Jesus Christ. 
 Peter declares that his case proved that who- 
 ever in every nation feareth God and worketh 
 righteousness, is accepted of him. Righteous- 
 ness toward oui* fellow-men, and piety toward 
 God, must indeed go together. But no man is 
 justified in the sight of God, except through 
 the mediation of Jesus Christ. But infants, 
 idiots, and such heathen as Cornelius, who have 
 no knowledge of the Son of God, or are inca- 
 
170 THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 
 
 pable of knowing who lie is, may nevertlieless 
 receive tlie grace of God for liis sake and be 
 saved througli him. It is the opinion of Owen, 
 one of the ablest Biblical interpreters and one 
 of our greatest theologians, that the angels who 
 have kept their first estate, are confirmed in 
 glory by the death of Christ. It is on this 
 ground that we hope for the salvation of Socra- 
 tes. For while no one is saved independent of 
 Christ, such as we have named may be saved 
 by him ^vithout being aware of it till their sal- 
 vation is com2:)leted. The character and pre- 
 vious history of Cornelius are therefore worthy 
 of special attention. He was a devout man, 
 pious not merely in a heathen sense, \)wi feared 
 God, the one only living and true God. He 
 was diligent in keeping the seven precepts of 
 Noah, which forbade idolatry, profanity, incest, 
 murder, dishonesty, the eating of blood or of 
 anything strangled, and required all murderers 
 to be put to death. This was the sum of the 
 relio-ion of the whole world, until heathenism 
 began to prevail, and then it was still the reli- 
 gion of the Patriarchs, from Abraham to Moses. 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 1*71 
 
 It is plain from the Old Testament tliat some 
 recoo-nition of Jehovah as the God of the He- 
 brews, was common among the surrounding 
 nations, and not inconsistent ^vith their poly- 
 theism ; but Cornelius had abandoned all false 
 gods and all idolatry, and feared the true God 
 in ojDposition to the gods of heathendom. And 
 he taught all his family to do the same. He 
 feared God loith all his house. His religion 
 was also a living reality, for he abounded in 
 charities, and was punctual and spiritual in his 
 prayers, asking wisdom from God to direct him 
 in all thino^s. Now in the brinsrino^ of this 
 ipan into the Church, we see how divine provi- 
 dence arranges the means and provides- the 
 agents for performing the parts assigned to 
 them. The providential means used for the 
 centurion's conversion were twofold, a vision 
 to himself and a trance and a vision to Peter. 
 The first was to assure Cornelius that God had 
 a perfect knowledge of his ways, and designed 
 to show him mercy, and direct him what to do 
 in order that he might be saved. The other 
 vision to Peter was intended to convince him 
 
172 THE CENTUEION OF CESAKEA. 
 
 that the old liigli partition wall between Jews 
 and Grentiles was now broken down, and that 
 he should, therefore, meet the advances of Cor- 
 nelius though he was a Roman centurion. It 
 was a kind providence that took Peter to 
 Joppa and detained him there, for Joppa was 
 easy of access from Cesarea. And it was a gra- 
 cious providence that overruled the time and 
 the manner of the two visions, and that fur- 
 nished Cornelius suitable men for his message 
 to Joj)pa. The divine regard for Cornelius is 
 seen moreover in sending an angel to him, and 
 in giving Peter so instructive and impressive a 
 vision. The sheet let down to him, the Tlion% 
 was emblematical of the extending of the Gos- 
 pel to all men, and its four comers knit to- 
 gether aptly typical of the four quarters of the 
 globe, south, east, north and west, that are 
 embraced in the Gospel offer. As there was 
 an earnest and worthy purpose in the vision to 
 Cornelius — the vision was not designed to 
 amuse, frighten, or astonish him, but to direct 
 him how to proceed in order that he might 
 know his whole duty — so also, the details of 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 1^3 
 
 Peter's vision, and tlie story of the men from 
 Joppa, and their account of God's manifestation 
 to their master, and the enlightening of his 
 mind at the time by the Spirit of God, all con- 
 curred in preparing the Koman officer to meet 
 Peter, and in preparing Peter also to meet him. 
 A blessed Providence was working all the time 
 with both of them, though at first they knew 
 it not. How wonderful and gracious was the 
 chain of providence that brought about the 
 conversion of Cornelius ! A vision to him and 
 a trance upon Peter — wonderful coincidences 
 preparing the way for the opening of the door 
 of Christ's kingdom to the Gentiles ! But God 
 is no less wonderful and gracious now than he 
 was then. He is full of compassion. He knows 
 all our trials and temptations. He knoweth 
 our frame and remembereth that we are but 
 dust. How often do we overrate ourselves and 
 underrate God's mercies ! His grace is always 
 sufficient. To him be all the glory. 
 
 Beginning at Galilee. Verse 37. Please read * 
 here from verse 34 to the end of the chapter. 
 According to Peter and the evangelists, the 
 
174 THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 order of our Lord's manifestations is on this 
 wise: He was baj^tized by John, then goes 
 into the desert and remains forty days, then 
 returns to John the Baptist, who was at Betha- 
 ny or Bethabara, and made disciples of An- 
 drew, Bartholomew, Peter and Philip, and went 
 afterward to Capernaum and wrought many 
 miracles in Gralilee. These things had been a 
 long time so notorious, that Peter presumes 
 Cornelius to be acquainted with them. 
 
 First. Peter's sermon before the centurion 
 shows that he was now able to understand the 
 natural theology of human races. God is no 
 respecter of persons — that is, the divine favor 
 is not, as we have heretofore taught, confined 
 to Israelites — a pious Gentile, a man who, 
 like Cornelius, fears God, is accepted in his 
 sight, though he has not the same form of wor- 
 ship that the Jews have, or that we Christians 
 have. A wicked man is not accepted of God 
 on account of his external advantages. His 
 » race and wealth and honors and forms of reli- 
 gion may all be proper in their place, but it is 
 not for them that he is to be saved. The di- 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 1*75 
 
 vine rule is to regard the lieart and proceed 
 with, men according to their true and real char- 
 acter. It was a fatal mistake, therefore, for his 
 countrymen to think that they could not he 
 lost, however wicked they might be, because 
 they were descended from Abraham ; and that 
 a Gentile could not be saved, however pious 
 his manner of life might be, simply because he 
 was born a Gentile. God is a sovereign, and 
 bestows his gifts, both temporal and spiritual, 
 after his own will and pleasure. Peter's vision 
 presented in the same sheet, animals clean and 
 unclean ; that is, such as were used in Hebrew 
 sacrifices and such as were forbidden according 
 to the ceremonial law. And the force of this 
 vision is also the more clearly apprehended 
 when we remember that unclean animals were 
 considered by the Jews as an image of the Gen- 
 tiles. In the book of the Ilevelation of St. 
 John, four heasts and four and twenty elders 
 are supposed to represent the Gentile and Jew- 
 ish churches ; that is, converts from among the i 
 heathen and the Jews. "What God hath 
 cleansed that call not thou common or unclean." 
 
176 THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 Bengel lias very happily remarked here that it 
 is not an indifferentism of religions, but an 
 indifferency ; that is, an impartiality as to the 
 acceptance of nations that is spoken of. Peter 
 does not say as some of the savaiis of our day 
 do, that all religions are equally good, but that 
 whoever is truly and practically pious in every 
 nation God accepts without any partiality as 
 to their nationality. " Peter is not here deny- 
 ing a sovereign and discriminating choice, but 
 one founded on mere national distinctions. I 
 now at length understand that although God 
 bestows his favors as he will, he does not mean 
 to limit them hereafter as of old to any one 
 race of people." Alexander. But was not this 
 always true? Most certainly. It was true 
 from the beginning, that whoever feared God 
 and wi'ought righteousness was accepted of 
 him. But Peter had not perceived it before ; 
 the fault, however, was his own. And his dis- 
 covery of the truth now was not owing to his 
 superior learning or intellectual investigation, 
 but to God's revelations to him. Nor does his 
 discovery add anything to the store of sover- 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 177 
 
 eign grace. It is not more true in itself now 
 than before; but his eyes are oj)ened to see 
 what he had not been able to see. Even as 
 long ago as Cain's transgression, we find the Al- 
 mighty remonstrating with him as to his un- 
 reasonable views of sin and his moral condi- 
 tion." "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be 
 accepted ? If not well, sin and its punishment 
 lieth at thy door." Gen. iv. 7. It had alwaj^s 
 been true that the kingdom of God consisted 
 not in meat and drink, but in righteousness, 
 joy and peace in the Holy Ghost. But now 
 this truth is made more manifest. Now it is 
 clearly seen that in Christ Jesus there is neither 
 circumcision nor uncircumcision, but a new 
 heart — a new creature. The inquiry at the 
 last day will not be as to what nation or coim- 
 try we belonged to, nor whether we were bap- 
 tized in this church or in some other, but how* 
 hare wQfelt and acted toward God and our fel- 
 low men ? Our conduct, our faith and actions 
 toward God and man will be the subjects ex- 
 amined into at the judgment of Almiglity God. 
 Second. Peter's sermon Avas an original dis- 
 
 8* 
 
178 TnE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 course — a new one. It contained trutlis as old 
 as tlie creation, but not known to him or to Ms 
 liearers before. Columbus' discovery of Ame- 
 rica did not create the continent, nor did New- 
 ton's discoveries in astronomy call the heavenly 
 bodies into existence. Peter's preaching was 
 new only in tlie sense of apprehending and ex- 
 plaining the will of God, which on these points 
 he had not before understood. And hence we 
 find his discourse historical, doctrinal, exposi- 
 tory, and practical. And although the Gen- 
 tiles who lived among or near the Jews were 
 more or less acquainted with their religion, 
 and the histories of their Scriptures, they knew 
 little if anything at all about the character, life, 
 doctrines, preaching and precepts or true claims 
 of Jesus as the Messiah, until they were especial- 
 ly instructed by the preaching of the apostles. 
 ' Tliat iDord^ ye hiow, ivMcli ivas publisJied 
 throughout all the Icviid of Judea — that is, a re- 
 port of Jesus and his miracles was well known 
 among the people, even from the baptism and 
 preaching of John. "And of all that I now 
 preach, we are witnesses of all things which he 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAIJEA. 179 
 
 did both in tlie land of tlie Jews and in Jeru- 
 salem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree ; 
 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed 
 him openly not to all the people, but unto wit- 
 nesses chosen before of God." Verses 39-41. 
 
 Not to all the i)eople. Why not ? 1. Be- 
 cause the times were sadly out of joint ; suspi- 
 cious and seditious. It would have caused 
 commotion or trouble. Some would have cried 
 this is he, and others have said, it is like him ; 
 and others would have denied evervthino- in 
 the confusion, and the validity of the testimony 
 would have been weakened rather than estab- 
 lished. 2. The right kind of witnesses were 
 chosen of God, namely : such as kne^v him in- 
 timately, had known him a long time, and who 
 had nothing to gain by giving false testimony. 
 It was impossible for them to have been mis- 
 taken, or to find a reasonable motive for them 
 to deceive others, nor was their testimony ever 
 successfully impeached. They were his daily 
 companions for more than three years before 
 the crucifixion, and " they did eat and drink 
 with him after he rose from the dead." They 
 
180 THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 saw tlie prints of tlie nails and tlie gasli of tlie 
 spear, and they saw tim ascend into heaven, 
 and if this was not trne, why did not their 
 enemies produce his body ? 3. The testimony 
 of these eye witnesses was as perfect as if Jesus 
 had been shown to great multitudes. In the 
 law the testimony of two or three is as good as 
 a hundi'ed. One demonstration in mathematics 
 is as conclusive as a thousand. The witnesses 
 were sufficient in number. They were in every 
 way competent. Their knowledge was accu- 
 rate. Their veracity above reasonable suspi- 
 cion. Their motives absolutely unquestion- 
 able. And then, after all, our conviction of 
 the truth of all these things must rest upon tes- 
 timony. Before our conversion, we have no 
 proof of the truth of religion but upon testi- 
 mony. We do not know anything that we 
 have not seen or felt ourselves, except from the 
 testimony of others. We are shut up to the 
 necessity of receiving conviction by faith. So- 
 ciety is a rope of sand without a reliance upon 
 human testimony. We cannot live without it. 
 And even if Jesus had been shown with all 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 181 
 
 the marks of Ms crucifixion palpable to every 
 man, woman, and child in the Hebrew nation, 
 still we must believe upon testimony, and the 
 testimony we have is as strong as human wit- 
 nesses can make it. Peter, therefore, shows 
 that the resurrection of Jesus was a proof of 
 his Messiahship, and appeals to it as a fact then 
 publicly known, at least to a sufficient number 
 of the most competent witnesses — witnesses 
 chosen before of Grod to bear this testimony, 
 and in order that they might do so understand- 
 ingly, they were intimately acquainted vA\\i 
 him before his death, and they were with him 
 repeatedly and in a great many different places, 
 and at many different times after his resurrec- 
 tion ; and had a great deal of free conversation 
 with him, " who did eat and drink with him 
 after he rose from the dead." It was impossi- 
 ble for them to be deceived. Nor was there 
 any motive for them to deceive others. 
 
 Third. The fort i/-t7iird verse is the conclusion 
 of Peter's sermon. " To Him give all the pro- 
 phets witness, that through his name, whosoever 
 believeth in him, shall receive remission of sins." 
 
182 THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 
 
 As if tlie preacher had said, Our testimony is 
 indeed that of honest, competent witnesses, and 
 about things that have recently taken place, 
 and concerning which if we have not told the 
 truth, we can soon be exposed ; but our testi- 
 mony is also confirmed by all the prophets, and 
 they all come to the same conclusion, namely : 
 that whosoever believeth in Jesus of Nazareth 
 shall receive remission of sins, for their testi- 
 mony proves him to be the anointed of God, 
 the long-promised Messiah. Like the prophets 
 and apostles, ministers of the Gospel then are 
 to preach to the people concerning Christ. 
 They are his ambassadors, and should them- 
 selves be witnesses of his power to save. The 
 subject matter of their preaching is the remis- 
 sion of sins through faith in his name. That 
 is, that the forgiveness of sin is to be obtained 
 for his sake ; that therefore all men are sinners ; 
 that there is need for the atonement ; that it is 
 a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation 
 that Jesus Christ came into the world to save 
 sinners, even the chief of sinners ; and that the 
 great need of all men is the remission of their 
 
TILE CENTUKIOjST OF CESAREA. 183 
 
 sins, and holiness, witliout wliicli tliey cannot 
 see Grod in peace. By tlie taking away — " tlie 
 remission of sins " — Peter means tlie removins; 
 of their guilt, power, nature and consequences. 
 And this implies their pardon and our accept- 
 ance with God, reconciliation to Him, sanctifi- 
 cation and complete redemption — a glorious 
 SALVATION. The apostle is careful to speak of 
 the dignity of oui* Lord. He is the anointed 
 of God ; and yet He was diligent in his work, 
 and died for our redemption. He also reminds 
 Cornelius that the Gospel which he was then 
 hearing was venerable for its antiquity. It 
 has always been the true and only religion for 
 man as a sinner. 
 
 Fourth. The results of Peter's sermon. 
 " The Holy Ghost fell on them which heard 
 the word." Verse 44, etc. 
 
 1. The Holy Ghost, then, is something dis- 
 tinct and separate from the Word ; and yet is 
 necessary to make the Word effectual, even 
 when spoken by an inspired man. The Spirit 
 of inspiration was on Peter, and wliile by it he 
 was speaking, the Spirit fell on his hearers. 
 
184 THE CENTUKION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 Tlius was God honored in Ms Word, and tlius 
 did lie honor the word and ministry of his ser- 
 vant. 
 
 2. The Holy Ghost fell uj)on these Gentiles 
 hefoi'e they were baptized. So Abraham was 
 justified by faith before he was circumcised. 
 Cornelius and his friends, while yet Peter is 
 preaching, received the Holy Ghost. This 
 proves that baptismal regeneration is not ac- 
 cording to the Gospel. Here was the baptism 
 of the Holy Ghost before and wholly inde- 
 pendent of the baptism with water that was 
 subsequently administered. And here also we 
 have a plain proof that God is not confined to 
 any set of ordinances or external signs. The 
 Holy Ghost was no respecter of modes. The 
 flesh profiteth nothing. It is the Spirit that 
 quickeneth. 
 
 3. But it certainly is an error to say that 
 water baptism is unnecessary to those who 
 have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 
 for the very reason given for baptizing them 
 with water is that they have been baptized 
 with the Spirit. It is enough for us to know 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 185 
 
 that baptism with water is a sacrament ap- 
 pointed by our Lord, and that lie has made 
 it the door of admission into his visible church, 
 and a seal of the new covenant. Though the 
 Holy One of Israel is not limited in his works, 
 nor fettered by ordinances as we are, yet we 
 have no right to presume on his grace in any 
 other than in his own appointed ways. We 
 are not to trust in, nor neglect the ordinances 
 of religion. They are divinely appointed chan- 
 nels of grace and salvation, and yet they do 
 not of themselves convey essential grace ; but 
 lead to Christ who is all in all. 
 
 4. Can any man forhid ivater f clearly means 
 — who can forbid that water should be brought 
 in ? There is no probability — scarcely, indeed, 
 is it possible — that there was any immersion in 
 this case. There was no preparation for such 
 a mode of baptism. The Roman centurion was 
 not likely to have had a baptistery or baptismal 
 font in his quarters. And if he had, and they 
 were going to it, then the form of the expres- 
 sion would have been : Who can forbid us to 
 go to the water ? The distinction between ap- 
 
186 THE CENTUEION OF CESAKEA. 
 
 plying tlig subject for bajDtism to the water, or 
 applying the water to the subject, is important, 
 for it goes very far toward settling the question 
 about the mode of baptism. And surely in 
 this case the water was applied to Cornelius, 
 and not Cornelius to the water, and it was 
 applied by pouring or sprinkling. " Can any 
 man forbid water" — ^however rio-id a Jew he 
 may be — however ceremonious he may be — 
 can he forbid water, " that these should not be 
 baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost 
 as well as we?" The argument is perfectly 
 conclusive. "What God hath cleansed, that 
 call not thou common or unclean." Shall we 
 deny the sign to those who have received from 
 God himself the thing signified? Are not 
 those on whom God has bestowed the grace of 
 the covenant plainly entitled to the seals of 
 that covenant ? Surely we should follow God's 
 example, and receive those into our communion 
 whom he hath taken into fellowship with him- 
 self by giving them his Holy Spirit. This rule, 
 applied to the subjects and mode of baptism, 
 and also to the order of ministers and mode of 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 18V 
 
 their consecration and worship, would teach us 
 to be liberal in our views, and to love all who 
 love oui' Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 A few points of Christian character and of 
 practical divinity developed in this history of 
 the conversion of Cornelius, are worthy of a 
 distinct notification. 
 
 1. One cannot but observe it as a remark- 
 able featiu'e in apostolic character, that they 
 were self-denying and disinterested in theu' la- 
 bors. After the day of Pentecost, where and 
 when do we find them wanting: in courao;e, or 
 showing any symptoms of selfishness f Never 
 do we find them pursuing schemes of ambition 
 or of worldly glory. They were so intent on 
 the glory of their Master and the salvation of 
 the souls of men that they were themselves con- 
 tent to be forgotten and overlooked. They 
 were never tired of, though sometimes weary 
 m, the service of God. 
 
 2. In tlie conversion of a Roman centurion 
 'we Imve a proof of the power of the Gospel cis 
 well as of its expansiveness. 
 
 It is strange the apostles should have con-. 
 
188 THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 ceived that tlie command to go and disciple all 
 nations, meant only such nations or persons as 
 had embraced the Jewish religion; yet this 
 was their idea at first, and it was very difficult 
 to remove it. But here we have an illustration 
 of God's method of honoring his word, the 
 preaching of which he has made the great in- 
 strument or means of converting and saving 
 men. Cornelius was not taught what to do by 
 any direct illumination. Nor was the angel 
 employed himself to preach the Gospel, but to 
 introduce the preacher — to tell Cornelius where 
 to find Peter, who should tell him what to do. 
 This is a striking demonstration that it is God's 
 will for every one to do just what he is told to 
 do, and also of the worth of combining human 
 and divine agency in the work of Christian- 
 izing the world. It was as easy for the angel 
 to have told Cornelius of Jesus as to tell him 
 of Peter. But the divine purpose was to bring 
 Peter and Cornelius together — a Jew and a 
 Gentile. The supernatural messages to Peter 
 all carried their great lesson with them, until 
 Peter is prepared to go to a Gentile. God thus 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 189 
 
 opened up Peter's heart to tlie largeness and 
 liberality of the Gospel economy, and prepared 
 the way for him to meet Cornelius, and in the 
 meantime Cornelius has been so prepared, that 
 when he is brought into personal contact with 
 Peter, his mind is ojoened, and Peter's words 
 convey life and power to him. We must not 
 forget that this was done by divine aid. The 
 Holy Ghost fell on them. God hath joined 
 means and ends together. God's works of 
 creation and providence, and also of grace, are 
 all wonderful. They all display his wisdom, 
 power and goodness. In Cornelius we see that 
 the Holy One of Israel is not limited. Oracles 
 are good, but no mere outward rites of religion 
 are sufficient. They are helps. They are not 
 to be despised or treated with neglect, neither 
 are we to trust in them. To what extent God 
 operates on the minds of individual heathens 
 we know not. A remarkable case is recorded 
 of the Flathead Indians of the Rocky Moun- 
 tains, who sent a deputation of four to St. 
 Louis, in the days of General Clarke, to know 
 what was taught in the white man's Bible. 
 
190 THE CENTURION OF CESAREA. 
 
 Speaking witli reverence, it was just as easy 
 for Grod to liave commanded tlie angel to tell 
 Cornelius what to do, as to tell him to instruct 
 Cornelius to send to Joppa for Peter. This 
 would have saved the centurion a great deal of 
 trouble and time ; but this was not God's me- 
 thod. The means appointed for the conversion 
 of the world must be honored. The treasure is 
 indeed in earthen vessels, that the excellency of 
 the power may be of God and not of man. It 
 hath pleased God by the foolishness of preach- 
 ing to save them that believe. Angels may be 
 employed in carrying messages of love to other 
 worlds. They have summoned some of our 
 own race in past ages, to listen to the glad tid- 
 ings of free grace ; but God's great plan is to 
 convert men chiefly by the preaching of the Gos- 
 pel by men of like passions with ourselves — 
 men who are converted and called to the work 
 by the Holy Spirit ; who can sympathize with 
 us, and tell us from their own experience what 
 religion is, and how sinners are to be saved. 
 3. In admirino- the excellent character of Cor- 
 nelius, we must be careful to distinguish be- 
 
THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 191 
 
 tween the 2ywcu7'mg cause of liis salvation and 
 tlie evidences of liis piety. And we must avoid, 
 as we liave already said in the former discourses, 
 confounding his morality witli }i\^jpiety^ or sul)- 
 stituting his alms and prayers for his accept- 
 ance of Christ when preached to him. Exem- 
 j)lary and amiable and sincere in his bearing as 
 a man and as a soldier, his morality led him to 
 Christ. He did not think of depending on it 
 and of rejecting Christ because of it. His piety 
 was personal, earnest, social and domestic, as if 
 he had been trained in the camp of that heroic 
 general and prince, who said most firmly be- 
 fore an assembled nation : "• As for me," even 
 if you are faithless, •" as for me and my house, 
 we will serve the Lord." His piety and works 
 of righteousness were accepted of God, but did 
 not merit divine grace. And so now we must 
 use the means of grace, for although they do 
 not of themselves save, yet we have no right to 
 expect salvation without them. 
 
 4. Nor should we forget to observe the mo- 
 ral courage of this Roman. He breaks away 
 first from the idols he was taught to worship 
 
192 THE CENTUEION OF CESAEEA. 
 
 in his youtli, and adopts tlie religion of Noali ; 
 and tlien lie has the courage to own his change 
 of religion and to practise its holy precepts. 
 And this he does in the face, first, of the con- 
 tempt which all the world had for the Jews, 
 and especially for their religion ; and secondly, 
 in opposition to the law of the empire that for- 
 bade any Koman citizen to receive any strange 
 or new religion. But he was obedient to the 
 heavenly vision and sent for Peter, and then 
 heard his preaching, and submitted to the 
 terms of admission into the Christian Church. 
 He was baptized and became a member of 
 Christ's Church. And it may be, that it is 
 just here many of my hearers fail. They have 
 knowledge. It may be they are even learned ; 
 but they have not moral courage. Without 
 some touch of the heroic spirit, there is not 
 much that is great or good effected in our 
 world. In every department of life, it seems 
 to us the great want of our times is courage 
 to do right. In business, there are so many 
 temptations to do wrong, that a man of a 
 weak and vacillating temper is almost sure 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 193 
 
 to go astray. And in the religious enterprises 
 of the day, there is need not only of an 
 honest heart, but of a courage and a resolu- 
 tion that will shrink from no toil or weari- 
 ness. That religion is very weak that evapo- 
 rates in sentiment. Knowledge is worth but 
 little that is not applied. Elegant culture is a 
 graceful ornament, but it does not renew the 
 heart. It is but as the pale moonbeams on the 
 waves, that can do nothing to stop their rag- 
 ing. What our age wants is moral courag-e — 
 high moral integrity united to a heart that 
 knows no fear. And yet it is much more rare 
 to find a man of true moral courage than to 
 find one of amiable qualities, or of learning. 
 There are thousands who 
 
 " See the good, and approve it too, 
 
 Abhor the wrong, and yet the wrong pursue," 
 
 because they have not firmness of principle, 
 nor courage to make a stand against the wrong. 
 We find Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable 
 counsellor, a disciple of Jesus, " but secretly, for 
 fear of the Jews." He was convinced that 
 
 9 
 
194 THE CENTUEION OF CESAREA. 
 
 Jesus was tlie Messiali, and designed, when lie 
 should be acknowledged and proclaimed as 
 such, to profess his faith in him ; but God gave 
 him grace to declare his faith sooner than he 
 designed. This honorable man was a sincere 
 but a timid and faint-hearted disciple, and it is 
 indeed wonderful to see how heroic he became 
 in professing his attachment to a dead Christ, 
 whom living he had not had courage to own. 
 But it is substantially so now. Some men in- 
 dulge the hope that they are Christians, or that 
 God has been gracious to their souls, and yet 
 delay to make an open profession of their faith. 
 They in eifect conceal their love for God and 
 their hope of salvation through fear of their 
 fellow men. This is a dangerous practice. It 
 is contrary to the plainest commands of God 
 our Saviour. He has again and again told us, 
 we must take up the cross and follow him. If 
 we are ashamed of him before men, he will be 
 ashamed of us before his Father and his holy 
 angels. If we do really love him, we will keep 
 his commandments. If we have satisfactory 
 evidence that Jesus is Clirist, we have no right 
 
THE CENTURION OF CESAEEA. 195 
 
 to witliliold our testimony in his behalf. We 
 liave no right to hide our light under a 
 bushel ; nor is it to be exj)ected that we 
 shall have any comfort in religion, if we do 
 not obey all the known commandments of 
 God. What, then, are the commandments of 
 God which are unto life ? We must at least 
 have faith in him and in his word, and to 
 discern the Lord's body, before we are pre- 
 pared to take the holy sacrament. Christ 
 says : " Do this in remembrance of me." But 
 you say: How can I know whether or not I 
 am prepared to obey this command ? We an- 
 swer by asking you. Do you believe in your 
 heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God 
 and the Saviour of sinners, as he is set forth 
 in the Gospel ? Do you feel that you are a 
 sinner in the sight of God, and that you must 
 trust in Christ or perish in your sins? And 
 are you resolved, by the help of God, that you 
 will forsake all known sins and try to live a 
 Christian life I As far as you know yourself, 
 do you accept of Jesus Christ as the only Sa- 
 
196 THE CENTUKION OF CESAKEA. 
 
 viour, and put all your trust in Mm ? Then 
 we say, Come and welcome. Come to the 
 Lord's supper, and whosoever cometh unto 
 Him shall be saved. 
 
IX. 
 
 Paul's voyage and shipwreck. 
 
 And when it was determined that we should 
 sail into Italy, they delivered Paul, and certain 
 other prisoners, unto one named Julius, a cen- 
 turion of Augustus' band. And, entering 
 into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, 
 meaning to sail by the coast of Asia ; one Aris- 
 tarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being 
 w^th us. And the next day we touched at 
 Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, 
 and gave him liberty to go unto his friends 
 to refresh himself. And when we had launched 
 from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because 
 the winds were contrary. And when we had 
 sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphilia, 
 we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. And there 
 the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sail- 
 ing into Italy; and he put us therein. And 
 when we had sailed slowly many days, and 
 
 19T 
 
198 Paul's voyage and shipwreck. 
 
 scarce were come over against Cnidus, tlie wind 
 not suffering ns, we sailed nnder Crete, over 
 against Salmone ; and, liardly passing it, came 
 unto a place whicli is called The Fair Havens ; 
 nigli wliereunto was tlie city of Lasea. 
 
 Now wlien mucli time was spent, and wlien 
 sailing w^as now dangerous, because tlie fast 
 was now already past, Paul admonished them, 
 and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this 
 voyage will be with hurt and much damage, 
 not only of the lading and shijj, but also of our 
 lives. Nevertheless the centurion believed the 
 master and the owner of the ship, more than 
 those things which were spoken by Paul. And 
 because the haven was not commodious to win- 
 ter in, the more part advised to dej^art thence 
 also, if by any means they might attain to Phe- 
 nice, and there to winter; which is a haven 
 of Crete, and lietli toward the southwest and 
 northwest. And when the south wind blew 
 softly, supposing that they had obtained their 
 purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by 
 Crete. But not long after there arose against 
 it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. 
 
Paul's voyage and shipwkeck. 109 
 
 And wlien tlie ship was cauglit, and could not 
 bear up into the wind, ^ve let her drive. And 
 runnins: under a certain island w^hich is called 
 Clauda, we had much work to come by the 
 boat: which when they had taken up, they 
 used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fear 
 ing lest they should fall into the quicksands, 
 strake sail, and so were driven. And we 
 being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the 
 next day they lightened the ship; and the 
 third day we cast out with our o\^^l hands the 
 tackling of the ship. And when neither sun 
 nor stars in many days appeared, and no small 
 tempest lay on us, all hope that we should 
 be saved was then taken away. 
 
 But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth 
 in the midst of them, and said. Sirs, ye should 
 have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed 
 from Crete, and to have gained this harm and 
 loss. And now I exhort you to be of good 
 cheer : for there shall be no loss of any man's 
 life among you, but of the ship. For there 
 stood by me this night the angel of God, whose 
 I am, and whom I serve, saying. Fear not, Paul; 
 
200 Paul's voyage and shipweeck. 
 
 tliou must be brought before Cesar: and, lo, 
 God liatli given tliee all tliem that sail with 
 thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer : for I 
 believe God, that it shall be even as it was told 
 me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain 
 island. But when the fourteenth night was 
 come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, 
 about midnight the shipmen deemed that they 
 drew near to some country ; and sounded, and 
 found it twenty fathoms : and when they had 
 gone a little further, they sounded again, and 
 found it fifteen fathoms. Then fearing lest they 
 should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four 
 anchors out of the stern, and wished for the 
 day. And as the shipmen were about to flee 
 out of the ship, when they had let down the 
 boat into the sea, under color as though they 
 would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 
 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 
 Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be 
 saved. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of 
 the boat, and let her fall off. And while the 
 day was coming on, Paul besought them all to 
 take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth 
 
Paul's voyage and shipwreck. 201 
 
 day tliat ye have tarried and continued fasting, 
 having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you 
 to take some meat : for this is for your health : 
 for there shall not a hair fall from the head 
 of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, 
 he took bread, and gave thanks to God in 
 presence of them all : and when he had broken 
 it, he began to eat. Then were they all of 
 good cheer, and they also took some meat. 
 And we were in all in the ship two hundred 
 threescore and sixteen souls. And when they 
 had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and 
 cast out the wheat into the sea. And when it 
 was day, they knew not the land: but they 
 discovered a certain creek with a shore, into 
 the which they were minded, if it were possi- 
 ble, to thrust in the ship. And when they had 
 taken up the aiichors, they committed tliem- 
 selves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder 
 bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, 
 and made toward shore. And falling into a 
 place where two seas met, they ran the ship 
 aground ; and the forepart stuck fast, and re- 
 mained unmovable, but the hinder part was 
 
202 Paul's voyage and shipweeck. 
 
 broken with tlie violence of tlie waves. And 
 the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, 
 lest any of them should swim out, and escape. 
 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept 
 them from their j^urpose ; and commanded that 
 they which could swim should cast themselves 
 first into the sea, and get to land : and the rest, 
 some on boards, and s.ome on broken pieces of 
 the shi]3. And so it came to pass, that they 
 escaped all safe to land. 
 
 And when they were escaj^ed, then they 
 knew that the island was called Melita. And 
 the barbarous people showed us no little kind- 
 ness : for they kindled a fire, and received us 
 every one, because of the present rain, and be- 
 cause of the cold. And when Paul had gath- 
 ered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the 
 fire, there came a vij)er out of the heat and 
 fastened on his hand. And when the barba- 
 rians saw the venomous beast hang on his 
 hand, they said among themselves. No doubt 
 this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath 
 escaped the sea, yet vengeance sufiereth not to 
 live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, 
 
PAULS VOYAGE AND SHIPWRECK. 203 
 
 and felt no harm. HoAvbeit they looked when 
 lie should have swollen, or fallen doAvn dead 
 suddenly: but after they had looked a great 
 w^hile, and saw no harm come to him, they 
 changed their minds, and said that he was' a 
 god. 
 
 In the same quarters w^ere possessions of the 
 chief man of the island, whose name was Pub- 
 lius; who received us, and lodged us three 
 days courteously. And it came to i>ass, that 
 the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of 
 a bloody flux : to whom Paul entered in, and 
 prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed 
 him. So when this was done, others also, which 
 had diseases in the island, came, and were 
 healed : who also honored us with many hon- 
 "ors; and when we departed, they laded us 
 with such things as were necessary. And after 
 three months we departed in a ship of Alex- 
 andria, which had wintered in the isle, whose 
 sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at 
 Syracuse, we tarried there three days. And 
 from thence we fetched a compass, and came to 
 Rhegium: and after one day the south wind 
 
204 Paul's voyage and shipwreck. 
 
 "blew, and we came tlie next day to Puteoli : 
 where we found brethren, and were desired to 
 tarry with them seven days : and so we went 
 toward Rome. And from thence, when the 
 brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as 
 far as AjDpii-forum, and The Three Taverns : 
 w^hom Avhen Paul saw, he thanked God, and 
 took courage. And when we came to Rome, 
 the centurion delivered the prisoners to the 
 captain of the guard : but Paul was suffered to 
 dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. 
 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul 
 called the chief of the Jews together : and when 
 they were come together, he said unto them, 
 Men and brethren, though I have committed 
 nothing against the people, or customs of our 
 fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jeru- 
 salem into the hands of the Romans. Who, 
 when they had examined me, would have let 
 me go, because there was no cause of death in 
 me. But when the Jews spake against it, I 
 was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not 
 that I had aught to accuse my nation of. For 
 this cause therefore have I called for you, to 
 
see you, and to speak with you: because that 
 for the hope of Israel I am bound with this 
 chain. And they said unto him, We neither 
 received letters out of Judea concerning thee, 
 neither any of the brethren that came showed 
 or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to 
 hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as con- 
 cerning this sect, we know that everywhere it 
 is spoken against. And when they had ap- 
 pointed him a day, there came many to him 
 into his lodging ; to whom he expounded and 
 testified the kingdom of God, persuading them 
 concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, 
 and out of the prophets, from morning till 
 evening. And some believed the things which 
 were spoken, and some believed not. And 
 when they agreed not among themselves, they 
 departed, after that Paul had spoken one word. 
 Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the 
 jirophet unto our fathers, saying. Go unto this 
 people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and 
 shall not understand ; and seeing ye shall see, 
 and not perceive : for the heart of this people 
 is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hear- 
 
206 Paul's voyage and siiipweeck. 
 
 ing, and tlieir eyes liave they closed ; lest they 
 should see with their eyes, and hear with their 
 ears, and understand with their heart, and 
 should be converted, and I should heal them. 
 Be it known therefore unto you, that the 
 salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and 
 that they will hear it. And when he had said 
 these words, the Jews departed, and had great 
 reasoning among themselves. And Paul dwelt 
 two whole years in his own hired house, and 
 received all that came in unto him, j)reaching 
 the kingdom of God, and teaching those things 
 which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, wdth all 
 confidence, no man forbidding him. Acts xxvii. 
 and xxviii. 
 
X. 
 
 ■Ir 
 
 JULroS, THE CENTUEION OF PAUL S VOYAGE TO 
 EOME. 
 
 Tlie island of PauVs sliipioreck was called 
 Melita^ wliicli we liave no doubt is the Malta 
 of our times. Almost all the local traditions 
 of Malta, about Paul and the incidents or cir- 
 cumstances of the voyage, and of the wi'ecking 
 of the vessel as given in the Acts, are approved 
 of by Dr. Kitto, Mr. Smith, of Jordan-Hill, and 
 by other recent and able writers.* So well 
 
 * A knowledge of the ships and navigation of the ancients, and of 
 the form and structure of Greek and Roman vessels, and of the way 
 in which they were worked, and of the trade and travel carried on in 
 the apostle's day between Alexandria and Europe, removes many of 
 the difficulties that at first seem to rise up in the minds of inquiring 
 students as they read the history of Paul's voyage to Rome. In the 
 great and scholarly works of the late Admiral Sir Charles Penrose, 
 and also of James Smith, Esq., and of Conybeare and Howson, this 
 whole subject has been ably treated. The eye of a sailor and the 
 pen of the scholar have been so united in these works for the eluci- 
 dation of the voyage and wrecking of the apostle, that but little more 
 can be desired. 
 
 20T 
 
208 JULIUS THE CENTURION. 
 
 satisfied are we of tliis, that we consider it time 
 lost to refute the opinion that the island of the 
 shipwreck was Venice or Meleda in Dalmatia, 
 The Malta of our day was the Melita of the 
 Acts. Nor is there any difficulty about Adria, 
 for the Adriatic sea, according to ancient usage, 
 means all the Mediterranean between Greece 
 on the one side and Italy and Sicily on the 
 other. It was sometimes called the Gulf of 
 Adria. 
 
 And when it was determined — decided upon 
 by Festus the Roman governor. This does not 
 mean, however, that any violence was done 
 either to the free-agency of the apostle or of the 
 Roman governor. It was God's purpose that 
 Paul should stand before Caesar in Rome ; and 
 for the fulfilling of that purpose, the apostle 
 himself is left free to make his appeal to the 
 emperor, and the authorities acting according 
 to their own judgment and pleasure determined 
 to send him. We probably means Paul, Timo- 
 thy, Aristarchus, and Luke the writer, as well 
 as other prisoners. Paul's companions were 
 not sent as criminals or prisoners, but went as 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION. 209 
 
 his Mends and fellow laborers wlio felt a deep 
 sympathy for him, and thus desired to show 
 their love for the cause in which he was labor- 
 ing and for which he suffered so much. This 
 Aristarchus is probably the same who is 
 mentioned Col. iv. 10, and if so, for some cause 
 or other, he was also made at a subsequent 
 time the apostle's fellow-prisoner. The cen- 
 turion of Capernaum, and the centurion in 
 command at the crucifixion, saw and heard 
 the Lord Jesus themselves in the days of his 
 flesh ; but Cornelius, the centurion of Cesarea, 
 and Julius, the centurion Avho had charge of 
 Paul during his voyage and shi^Dwreck on his 
 way to Rome, do not appear to have known 
 an}' thing of our Lord except what they learned 
 from the apostles Peter and Paul. And 
 though this fact may seem scarcely worthy of 
 note, it is not without signification. For it 
 proves to us that the Gospel preached by 
 Christ's ministers has the same effect that it 
 had when preached by himself And this is 
 according to his promise and to his prayer in be- 
 half of all who should hear of him and believe 
 
210 JULIUS THE CENTUEION. 
 
 upon him tlirougli tlie "Word ; that is, the doc- 
 trines which he commanded his ministering 
 servants to teach and preach in all the world. 
 Accordingly, when Peter preached to the cen- 
 turion at Cesarea, and Paul became acquainted 
 with the centurion who had charge of him to 
 take him to Kome, we suppose the effect was 
 similar to that produced on those who bsCw our 
 Lord's miracles and witnessed his conduct 
 amid his sufferings and in death. 
 
 1. The circumstances under which we first 
 make the acquaintance of the centurion Julius, 
 the Roman officer in command during the voy- 
 age and shipwreck of Paul on his way to Rome, 
 are worthy of consideration. When the ship 
 struck and was about to be dashed to pieces by 
 the violence of the sea, we find the military 
 authority of Rome on board the "wrecking ship. 
 A number of prisoners were crowded together 
 in that ship on their way to the imperial city. 
 It was natural at such a time that every one 
 should try to save himself, and that the prison- 
 ers should not only save themselves from a 
 grave in the sea, but escape also from their 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION, 211 
 
 keepers. But the soldiers knowing that if this 
 should happen they would be blamed, pro- 
 posed to put the prisoners to death to prevent 
 the possibility of censure for their escape. 
 Here it is that the centurion Julius arrests our 
 attention. Being in command, his authority is 
 used to prevent the killing of the prisoners. 
 Not that he was less familiar than his soldiers 
 to deeds of cruelty and blood, but because of 
 his regard for Paul. He does not seem to have 
 had any care for the lives of the other prisoners, 
 but wishing to save Paul, he kept them from 
 their j)urpose. — Acts xxvii. 43. 
 
 But why did the centurion desire to save the 
 apostle? We are told when it was decided 
 that Paul should be sent into Italy, that he was 
 delivered with other prisoners " unto one 
 named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band, 
 and that when the ship touched at Si don," 
 Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave 
 him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh 
 himself. Verses 1-3. Here is a happy contrast. 
 A military officer shows more kindness to the 
 apostle than his o^vn countrymen, or the civil 
 
212 JULIUS THE CENTUEION. 
 
 authorities have done. Felix and Festus and 
 the Jews were unreasonable in their enmity and 
 prejudices. But should we not expect, in the 
 military profession, and on the part of those 
 who are educated to be gentlemen and to have 
 the command of bodies of men, and to be in- 
 trusted with the most important events and 
 negotiations, such lofty sentiments, such a keen 
 sense of honor, and such nobleness and gene- 
 rosity as to overcome all prejudice, and to treat 
 those in their power not only with justice but 
 with kindness. This we are prepared to ex- 
 pect from this man's education and profession, 
 and such was in fact the conduct of all the cen- 
 turions referred to in the Gospel. 
 
 Julius belonged to Augustus' band — Cohors 
 Augusta — was the emperor's body guard. Le'p- 
 siu-s on Tacitus,- His. lib. ii., says he has identi- 
 fied the very name of this cohort on an ancient 
 marble. (See also Suetonius' Nero.) This 
 band, therefore, has no reference to the city of 
 Sebaste, but to service in immediate connection 
 with the emperor. It was a cohort belonging 
 particularly to the emperor, or had charge of 
 
JULIUS THE CEISTTUKION. 213 
 
 his palace and person. Julius, then, was not 
 an ordinary officer. He had been selected be- 
 cause of his eminent character and services for 
 a post of peculiar trust. He must then have 
 possessed more intelligence than most others; 
 was no doubt well acquainted with the world ; 
 a good judge of men ; has travelled and read 
 much ; conversed with the most intelligent of 
 many countries and nations ; is qualified to give 
 information and advice at a moment's notice to 
 the emperor. He has been to Judea, and is 
 now returning to Rome, and the prisoners are 
 put under his care. He was able at once to see 
 that Paul, though a man of rather small statui'e 
 and no great bodily presence, was, however, no 
 common man. Paul was now full of years. 
 Has been a minister of Jesus Christ for nearly 
 thirty years. And as a man's appearance, his 
 expression of face, is modified by the society he 
 keeps, the business he follows, and more than 
 all by the sentiments he indulges, so no doubt 
 to some extent the apostle's countenance was 
 an index to his principles and feelings. There 
 are of course exceptions, but somehow or other 
 
214 JULIUS THE CENTURION, 
 
 religious creeds are seen even in the shape and 
 exj^ression of men's faces. Long continued 
 thought and deep feelings mould the counte- 
 nance. Paul's face, then, must by this time 
 have beamed with lofty motives and heavenly 
 hopes. Nor would such an observing officer as 
 this centurion fail to become acquainted with 
 the malice of his enemies, or to have heard of 
 the selfishness and bribery of his judges, nor 
 would he overlook the zeal and self-denial, and 
 ungrudging, whole-hearted devotion of the aj^os- 
 tle to the service of Christ. How long the cen- 
 turion has been absent from Kome we do not 
 know ; nor how long he was at Cesarea ; but it 
 is probable as Paul was a Roman citizen, and 
 had been two years in prison at Cesarea, that' 
 he had learned something of him before the 
 voyage commenced. And as Paul was famed 
 for learning and eloquence, and had several 
 times been permitted to make an oration in his 
 behalf, it is not at all impossible — but is in- 
 deed very probable — that Julius had at some 
 time heard the apostle plead his cause before 
 some of the distinguished persons of Cesarea ; 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION. 215 
 
 had heard the wonderful story of his conversion ; 
 and how he had been persecuted, and was still 
 willing to preach and suffer and die for the 
 faith he had once endeavored to destroy. It is 
 not asking too much to believe that he was 
 more or less acquainted with Paul's history be- 
 fore he received him as a j^risoner to be con- 
 veyed to Rome. And as a man of the world, 
 with the clear eye of a well-educated and tra- 
 velled officer, and comparatively without the 
 malice or j^rejudices of sects or race, he was 
 satisfied that Paul was a man greatly misrepre- 
 sented and abused, and was a man of an extra- 
 ordinaiy character. He could see that Paul 
 was a man of great learning and of intellectual 
 power ; that he was not ignorant, vain, self 
 conceited, nor morbid, nor devoted to pleasure, 
 nor the seeking of fimie nor power. He felt 
 satisfied that his motives were pure ; that he 
 Avas neither knave nor fanatic. There was 
 something about the apostle that at once 
 attracted the intelligent Roman officer's kind 
 regards, and this impression would only be the 
 deeper, if he had previously learned anything 
 
216 JULIUS THE CEISTTUEIOK. 
 
 of his character or of his doctrines that caused 
 him to feel a peculiar interest in him, and wish 
 to preserve his life for their sake. What was 
 it, then, that attracted the kind regards of the 
 Koman officer? It could not have been his 
 sacerdotal character. For Paul was not of the 
 Levitical tribe, nor did he wear priestly robes. 
 Indeed it would seem that but few Jewish 
 priests, but few of the tribe of Levi, ever be- 
 came Gosj)el ministers. We read in Acts vi. 7, 
 that a great company of the priests were obe- 
 dient to the faith ; but we do not hear of them 
 again. There is no record of any of them hav- 
 ing become Christian ministers. At all events 
 Paul was not a priest. There is in fact but one 
 priest who has power to mediate between God 
 and man : the " great High Priest, who has 
 passed into the heavens." The Church has had 
 prophets and apostles, and now has evangelists, 
 pastors and teachers, but only one priest — 
 Jesus Christ. It was not, therefore, because 
 Paul claimed any peculiar attention as a priest 
 that the centurion desired to save him. 
 
 The Adramittium of the naiTative was not 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION. 217 
 
 Hadrumatum of Afiica, as some say, and have 
 thereby brought confusion into the history, but 
 the Adramittium of Asia Minor. At M}Ta of 
 Lycia, a flourishing seaport in Asia Minor, the 
 centui'ion transfers the prisoners into a ship 
 laden with corn, bound from Alexandria to 
 Rome. Tliis was a large ship — five hundred 
 tons — having on board, beside her cargo, two 
 hundred and seventy-six persons. The voyage 
 with corn from Egypt, which Avas then the 
 granary of the Roman Empire, to Italy was a 
 common one, and this course from Alexandria 
 to Puteoli the ordinary one. Lardiner has also 
 proved that it was common at this time to send 
 prisoners from Judea and other provinces to 
 Rome. Nor was it strange that this vessel was 
 found at Lycia, for not having the compass, 
 they pursued a circuitous route, scarcely ever 
 going out of sight of land. 
 
 The progress of this vessel seems to have 
 been beset with many dangers. And by and 
 by, we find the centurion following the advice 
 of the master and> owner rather than taking 
 the counsel of Paul. This was natural. Paul 
 
 10 
 
218 JULIUS THE CElSTTUEIOlSr. 
 
 was neitlier owner nor pilot, nor Avas lie an old 
 mariner. The centurion may have thought this 
 is a subject out of his line ; but still he found, 
 in the end, that Paul was right, even about 
 navigating the ship. 
 
 Read here verses 9, 10, 11, 12 of chapter 
 xxvii. 
 
 As nearly as we can make it out, the case 
 was on this wise : The direct course of the ship 
 would have been along the north coast of the 
 island of Candia, anciently called Crete. This 
 island is about forty miles broad and one hun- 
 dred and eighty miles long. It would, there- 
 fore, have been a guide to the mariners for at 
 least two hundred miles. But the wind blow- 
 ing from the northwest, instead of going along 
 the northern shore of this island, they steered 
 under its shelter on the south side, until they 
 passed Salmone and came to a place called 
 Fair Havens. Here a difference of oj^inion 
 arises as to what should be done. As they 
 had neither compass nor steam, and the winter 
 Avas upon them, and the safe season for navi- 
 gating the Mediterranean was over, it was pro- 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION". 219 
 
 posed to spend the winter there or at some 
 port on the southern coast of Candia, or to 
 double Cape Matala, and try to get to Phenice, 
 some fifty miles farther, where there was a 
 more commodious harbor. Paul advised them 
 to remain at Fair Havens ; but the oj)inion of 
 the master and ship-owner prevailed, and they 
 attempted to reach Phenice, and with what 
 result we shall soon see. Accordingly they 
 hoist anchor and give their sails to the breeze 
 for the poi-t of Phenice, and with a few hours 
 of fair wind would have reached it ; but a ty- 
 l^hoon comes after them from the northeast, 
 and it is in vain they tiy to get to the desired 
 haven. All they can do is to let the vessel 
 scud — drive before the wind — and instead of 
 gaining Phenice, they come up under the lee 
 of Clauda, an island twenty or thirty miles 
 south of Phenice. But now something must 
 be done, for they are rushing to certain destruc- 
 tion on the quicksands of Africa. But it seems 
 that then as now, every ship had a boat or 
 boats, and that as the ships in those times for 
 the most part crept along the coast and kept 
 
220 JULIUS THE CENTURION. 
 
 ujD an almost every day's communication witli 
 the land, so the boat was not taken up and 
 secured on deck as with us at the commence- 
 ment of the voyage, but was kept on the water 
 attached to the stern by a rope, ready for use, 
 as we have often seen them tied to the steam- 
 ers on the Mississippi Kiver. Hence we are told 
 that they secured the boat — that is, took it 
 upon board the vessel so as to keep it from 
 being swamped, and " undergirded the ship " * 
 — "frapped it," which means passing strong 
 ropes under and around her hull, to strengthen 
 and prevent her from springing a leak or going 
 to pieces under the blows of the heavy seas 
 that struck her. 
 
 Then they "strake sail,"f that is, set the 
 
 * Lord Anson, in his voyage round the world, speaking of a Span- 
 ish man of war in a storm, says, " they were obliged to throw over- 
 board all their upper-deck guns, and take six turns of the cable round 
 the ship, to prevent her opening." Other cases are also cited in the 
 books. 
 
 f Several expressions are used here that are obscure. It is evi- 
 dent they lightened the ship by casting over the cumbrous wares. 
 The tackling means anchors, cables and baggage not absolutely neces- 
 sary. By straking sail is probably meant letting down the mast, or 
 cutting it away. They were already under bare poles. 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION. 221 
 
 storm sails so as to steady the vessel, and 
 steered as nearly as they could in a north- 
 westerly course. But on the third day, the 
 tempest continuing violent, they threw over- 
 board the heavy tackling of the ship. This 
 proves that she was now leaking, and that they 
 judged it necessary to lighten her as much as 
 possible. Then followed many days of dark- 
 ness and most painful uncertainty. Neither 
 sun nor stars appeared — no compass — no vision 
 of land. They knew not what moment they 
 might be dashed to pieces on rocks, or driven 
 on a lee shore. The vessel is strained more 
 and more, and the leaking increases. If she is 
 not dashed to pieces, she must soon sink in the 
 waves. What ^^dld emotions — what feelino-s, 
 fears or hopes must have filled the minds of 
 this crowd of two hundred and seventy-six per- 
 sons, as they contemplated the prospect of be- 
 ing Avi'ecked on some unknown coast ! But 
 now we see the blessing of ha^^ng a man of 
 God on board. One whose heart is stayed upon 
 God, and can hold intercourse with heaven by 
 prayer. 
 
222 JULIUS THE CENTURION. 
 
 Paul's visio]!ir. 
 
 2. "But after long abstinence, Paul stood 
 forth in the midst of them, and said. Sirs, ye 
 should have hearkened unto me, and not have 
 loosed from Crete, and to have gained this 
 harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be 
 of good cheer : for there shall be no loss of any 
 man's life among you, but of the ship. For 
 there stood by me this night the angel of God, 
 whose I am and whom I serve, saying. Fear 
 not, Paul ; thou must be brought before Caesar ; 
 and lo, God hath given thee all them that sail 
 with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer : 
 for I believe God, that it shall be even as it 
 was told me. Howbeit, we must be cast upon 
 a certain island." 
 
 Whose J am, with the correlative, wJiom 
 J serve, is the whole of religion. To belong 
 to God is the height of our faith and happi- 
 ness. Every blessing is comprehended in this 
 — that we are God's, and that we serve him 
 with . all our mind and with all our soul and 
 with all our strength. Surely these were glad 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURIOlSr. 223 
 
 tidings — good news, and emj^liatic, too, every 
 one is to be saved — not one of tlie two liundred 
 and seventy-six persons on board is to be lost 
 by the wreck. Tliey were all sinners, and all 
 except three or four, heathens, yet all are to be 
 saved for the sake of Paul, the servant of Jesus 
 Christ. The wicked are often delivered from 
 temporal afflictions for the sake of the pious 
 among whom they live. The tares are allowed 
 to grow for the sake of the \theat. Tliis was 
 God's gracious opportunity. It was man's ex- 
 tremity. Helpless, comfortless, cheerless, hope- 
 less — it was God's favored moment to appear 
 for the help of his servants. " And God shall 
 help her, and that right early," that is most oj)- 
 portunely. And we have here also an illustra- 
 tion of the apostle's sincerity and boldness. For 
 if he is not truly authorized as a messenger of 
 heaven to make sucli a promise — if he is de- 
 ceived himself, or is seeking to impose upon 
 others — soon his prophecy wdll fail and destroy 
 his reputation and show that the faith he pro- 
 fessed is a miserable delusion. But he says, I 
 know that it shall be just as I have said, for 
 
224 JULIUS THE CENTUEIOlSr. 
 
 " tliere stood by me tliis niglit tlie angel of 
 Grod," and I know it shall be as God has said. 
 Two things here must have arrested the atten- 
 tion of the other prisoners, and especially the 
 master and ship-owner ; namely, that they had 
 made a mistake about leaving Fair Havens, 
 and that Paul's sagacity as a seaman was to be 
 relied on more than theirs ; and, secondly, that 
 now he had what they had not, a communication 
 from the Su]3reme Being — " the angel of God, 
 whom he served" — ^had declared to him the 
 particulars of their escape which he had gladly 
 announced to them. For the apostle was care- 
 ful to let them know that it was not from his 
 own natural sagacity or superior seamanship, 
 nor by magic or witchcraft, that he was able 
 to give them so joyful an assurance, but that it 
 was from the God of heaven whom he served. 
 He honors his blessed master by telling them 
 that all he knew on the subject had been re- 
 vealed to him. The centui^ion must now have 
 felt more than ever an interest in him, when he 
 discovered that he held direct communication 
 with heaven. If he was favorably impressed 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION. 225 
 
 with his prisoner when he first received him at 
 Cesarea — if he felt an interest in him because 
 of his learning, eloe[uence, sincerity and zeal, 
 or because he seemed to him to be a persecuted 
 man, having a clear head, an honest heart and 
 a good conscience, how much more may we 
 suppose that he felt concerned for his safety, 
 when he saw that he was filled with the in- 
 spiration of the most high God ? If he had 
 admired him before, because his skill and know- 
 ledge had enabled him to give an advice about 
 wintering at Fair Havens, which was better 
 than the opinion of the owner of the shijo, and 
 wiser than all the wisdom of the army and 
 navy on board the ship, how much more must 
 he have reverenced him now as one whose wis- 
 dom was directly from heaven ? And must he 
 not also have been constrained to believe that 
 the religion taught by such a man was the true 
 religion ? 
 
 And the history is the more remarkable just 
 here, because it shows how completely Paul, 
 though a prisoner, is now the actual master of 
 the vessel. In fact, he is in command, and not 
 
 10* 
 
226 JULIUS THE CENTUEIOF. 
 
 tlie ship's master nor tlie captain of tlie guard. 
 It was under Paul's orders tlie soldiers cut the 
 ropes of the boat and let her fall into the sea, 
 thereby seeming to deprive themselves of the 
 best, if not the only means left for effecting 
 their escape. Here, again, we see how true 
 courage makes one a majority. We see how 
 completely a man of mind — one mind self pos- 
 sessed and stout-heaj?ted, and at perfect peace 
 ivith itself, and stayed upon God, gains an 
 ascendency over others. Tinily, it was sublime. 
 Paul the despised Jew — the prisoner under vari- 
 ous charges in custody of soldiers — on his way 
 to the Mamertine dungeons — yes, this is the 
 man who, when all on board are exhausted by 
 anxiety, fear, toil and fasting, stands up and 
 says : " I pray you," excellent sirs, master, ship- 
 owner, Koman commandant, and soldiers and 
 mariners, fellow prisoners — all of you, " I pray 
 you take some meat : for this is for your health : 
 for there shall not a hair fall from the head of 
 any of you." " Then were they all of good cheer, 
 and they also took some meat." This was j)ro- 
 bably the only thing like a meal they had taken 
 
JULIUS THE CENTUKIOl^T. 22*7 
 
 since the beginning of tlie storm. And after 
 tlius refreshing themselves, we find them again 
 using the means that seemed best calculated to 
 secui-e their escape. Tliey lightened the ship 
 by casting the corn into the sea. JSTor could it 
 at this time have escaped so intelligent a man 
 as the centurion, to observe how much more 
 confident and composed the apostle was than 
 the rest of the company. He alone could say 
 anything hopeful. He alone could say : " Sirs, 
 be of good cheer : for I believe God, that it 
 shall be even as it was told me." Blessed in- 
 deed is the gift of faith. Blessed is he that 
 believes God! This is happiness. This is a 
 refuge that never fails. Here is the source of 
 true courage. The heart stayed upon God can 
 well afford to be magnanimous, cheerful, fear- 
 less. " I fear God, and know no other fear," is 
 truly sublime."^ 
 
 1. The accuracy of FauVs prediction is re- 
 marlcaUe. The vessel was to be lost, and they 
 were to be cast upon a certain island, yet not a 
 soul on board was to perish. He himself was 
 
 * " Je crains Dieu, et n'ai point d'autre craiate." 
 
228 JULIUS THE centurion. 
 
 to be l-)rouglit before the emperor. It miglit 
 have seemed probable that they would be 
 wrecked on an island where there were so 
 many, and that a few of the persons would be 
 saved, but who could confidently declare that 
 every one on the ship should escape from a wa- 
 tery grave ? This prediction he could not have 
 . made without divine authority. But each and 
 every particular of the prophecy was verified. 
 
 2. The conversion of Paul has long been re- 
 garded by Lord Littleton and others as one of 
 the strongest arguments in behalf of Christ- 
 ianity. But if the argument from his conver- 
 sion is so irresistible now, why was it not 
 equally so when the centurion was made ac- 
 quainted with it from the apostle's own lips ? 
 Surely, the demonstration of the truth of the 
 religion he professed from his own account of 
 his conversion when it was accompanied by 
 prophecies and miracles that proved him to be 
 in communication with God, could not have 
 been weaker than it is now. We should 
 think the conviction on such a mind as that 
 of the centurion, under all the circumstances. 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURIOlSr. 229 
 
 must been very strongly in favor of Clirist- 
 ianity. 
 
 3. Let us observe also in this history a re- 
 markable illustration of the philosophical Bible 
 tnith, that God is sovereign and man is free. 
 The apostle pointedly declares to the centurion : 
 " Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be 
 saved." Verse 31. By which we understand 
 the apostle at one blow to cut the Gordian 
 knot about sovereignty and free agency. He 
 has declared that the angel of God has told 
 him that every soul is to be saved from the 
 \^olence of the sea, and he " believes God that 
 it shall be even as it was told him ;" yet here 
 he says, the means adapted to prevent our per- 
 ishing must be used : " These must abide in 
 the ship, or ye cannot be saved." The end and 
 the means must always go together. They are 
 always so in the divine mind. To trust to 
 means is to despise God, and to neglect the 
 use of the means he has appointed is presump- 
 tuous; is wicked; is to tempt God. It was 
 God's purpose that all should be saved from 
 death at that time, and in order to this result 
 
230 JULIUS THE CENTURION. 
 
 it was liis purpose tliey should all remain in 
 tlie ship. " Almighty God," says the pious 
 Burkitt, " likes not to be tied to means himself, 
 but it is his pleasure to tie us. Sometimes, to 
 show his sovereignty, he is pleased to work 
 without means ; sometimes, to show his omni- 
 potence, he works against means. The fire shall 
 not burn, the water shall not drown, the iron 
 shall swim, the sun shall stand still. The 
 First Cause can suspend the power of second 
 causes when he pleases. But as the care of 
 the end belongs to God, so the care of the 
 means belongs to us, and must be used when 
 they may, and where they can be used. Ac- 
 cordingly here the mariners, in order to their 
 own and others' preservation, stay in the ship, 
 lighten it, undergird it, cast out their anchors, 
 hoist up the mainsail, loose the rudder-bands, 
 and do everything to their preservation which 
 was needful. The purpose of God to prolong 
 our lives must not lessen our care for the pre- 
 servation of our lives : when God has ordained 
 and appointed means, we cannot ex23ect to find 
 safety in the neglect of those means." Human 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION. 23X 
 
 means are not to be neglected because we have 
 gracious and sovereign promises, but tlie ratlier 
 to be diligently used. The certainty of an 
 event as seen by God does not render it im- 
 proper for us to use the means. The determin- 
 ing of the event comprehends the means requi- 
 site to eifect it. And it is our duty to use 
 these means as they are put into our power and 
 according to the divine directions, just as dili- 
 gently as if we could save ourselves, and then 
 to trust in the grace of God as wholly as if we 
 could do nothing at all. Salvation is of free 
 grace, through the appointed means. 
 
 4. We have here an illustration of the bene- 
 fits of being in good coin])any. For Paul's sake 
 the rest of the prisoners were saved from death, 
 either from a watery grave or from a summary 
 execution by the soldiers. One sinner destroy- 
 eth much good. The companion of fools shall 
 be destroyed. But ten righteous men would 
 have saved Sodom. For the elect's sake the 
 evil days are shortened. Let young people 
 then remember that human history is full of 
 illustrations of the truth of the fable that 
 
232 JULIUS THE CEI^TURIOjST. 
 
 teaches the danger of bad company. The les- 
 sons of our streets and of every-day life demon- 
 strate its truth. Common sense as well as the 
 Bible warns us to beware of evil doers. 
 
 5. If you ask us whether or not Julius, the 
 centurion of Paul's voyage and shipwreck, be- 
 came a Christian, we answer that our history is 
 altogether silent on the subject. We cannot 
 answer categorically ; but we hoj)e he did. It 
 is seen from our examination of the narration, 
 that he was under the influence of a man full 
 of faith and of the Holy Ghost ; of an apostle 
 who was intent, like his great master, not to 
 destroy men's lives, but to save them ; and to 
 save them not only from death temporal, but 
 from everlasting death. And we have seen 
 that there are circumstances in the centurion's 
 connection with the apostle well calculated to 
 convince him that the apostle's religion was dif- 
 ferent from and superior to that of the Jews 
 and Komans ; that by having direct intercourse 
 with heaven, he was clothed with credentials 
 that asserted the truth of the religion he pro- 
 fessed; and we have found that as a centurion 
 
JULIUS THE CENTUEIOlSr. 233 
 
 of the royal Augustan cohort, lie must have 
 been a favorite officer, a man of superior merit, 
 probably on account of his learning, experience 
 and talents; that he was intelligent and well 
 travelled, and possessed of a mind compara- 
 tively free from prejudice and well disciplined. 
 What then is to hinder our belief that he was 
 converted to Christianity ? He certainly had 
 every opportunity to know the truth. Not 
 only had he been in the Holy Land, and been 
 made somewhat acquainted with the facts of 
 our Lord's life, death, and resurrection, and of 
 Paul's conversion ; for we cannot suppose such 
 a man to have travelled from Rome to Judea at 
 that time, mthout having learned more or less 
 about these things; and then he is in daily 
 contact mth Paul on the voyage, and has an 
 opportunity of hearing him preach for some 
 three months that they remained on the island, 
 where probably every day Paul was the chap- 
 lain of the cohort and of his fellow-prisoners 
 and of the crew. The centurion must have 
 known of Paul's miracle, and of his influence 
 among the people of Melita. Nor can we be- 
 
234 JULIUS THE CENTURION. 
 
 lieve tliat Paul failed to take pains, as far as 
 was becoming in a prisoner, to acquaint him 
 with the character of Christ and the proofs of 
 his Messiahship. And then we must remember 
 that the last mention we have in the sacred 
 narrative of the centurion, like the first, is con- 
 nected with kindness toward the apostle. 
 When they all reached Rome, chap, xxviii. 16, 
 the centurion delivered his prisoners to the 
 captain of the guard, and Paul was allowed to 
 dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. 
 This is recorded as a S23ecial favor granted to 
 the apostle, and was doubtless secured for him 
 by the influence of the centuiion. And so we 
 have no doubt the unusual liberty and kind- 
 ness shown to Paul, when he was allowed to 
 dwell two years in his own hired house in 
 Rome, and received all that came to him, 
 preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching 
 those things which concern the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, with all confidence, no man forbiddino" 
 him ; that all this was obtained for him by the 
 centurion's favorable report of his character 
 and conduct. It is not then, we trust, presum- 
 
JULIUS THE centueio:n". 235 
 
 ing on liistory, to lioj^e tliat, like the jailer of 
 Pliilipi3i, lie inquired wliat lie sliould do to be 
 saved, and receiving a similar answer, was 
 made a partaker of the great salvation. 
 
 6. Deliverances from the perils of a journey 
 by land or of a sea voyage, and especially from 
 the dangers of a battle or of a shipwreck, call 
 for special thanksgiving, and increased devo- 
 tion to God and the things of eternity. 
 
 T. We should not allow ourselves to be 
 discouraged because we meet wdth difficulties 
 in the way of duty. Joseph was a favorite ^vith 
 his father and with heaven, yet his early years 
 were crowded mth ^vhat the world calls bad 
 luck or sad mishaps. Esther is left an orphan 
 in captivity, but her God prepares her for the 
 crown of Persia, and then places it on her 
 head, and brings her to the kingdom to de- 
 liver his church and save his people fi'om 
 their enemies. The Hebrews are in the way 
 of duty, though just after they leave Egyjjt 
 they are shut in at the Red Sea. Difficulties 
 at the beginning of a journey or of a voyage, 
 or at the opening of a* new business, are no 
 
236 JULIUS THE CENTUEION. 
 
 signs tliat it is not going to turn out prosper- 
 ously. The proverb is, that " a bad beginning 
 has a good end ;" and in the sense of meeting 
 with hindrances or obstacles, it may be re- 
 garded as true. The omens of Paul's voyage 
 were both good and bad. The worst feature 
 about it was the bad company with whom he 
 was to make a long voyage. Many a convict 
 from Great Britain to Botany Bay was compa- 
 ratively innocent at the beginning of the voy- 
 age to what he was when he arrived at its end. 
 The associations of the voyage were from bad 
 to worse all the way. And so the corruption, 
 the utter loss of shame and of self-respect, has 
 often been completed, and the way to ruin has- 
 tened by confining juvenile offenders with those 
 that were more skilled and hardened in crime. 
 To a man of the education and refinement of 
 Paul, a long voyage mth such j)risoners and 
 soldiers must have been a severe trial. But it 
 was a kind Providence that put such a gentle- 
 man as the Koman officer, Julius, in command 
 of the guard on that ship. Paul had appealed 
 to Rome and was to st^nd before Csesar, think- 
 
JULIUS THE CENTURION. 237 
 
 ing that, as lie was a Roinau citizen, lie could 
 find justice there rather than among his own 
 countrymen, or at the comi; of the pro-consul at 
 Cesarea ; but his voyage w^s in many respects 
 one of the most disagreeable and dangerous on 
 record. Nevertheless it was God's will that he 
 should testify of Jesus at Rome. It was not 
 then because Paul was on board that there was 
 a storm and the vessel was lost. Paul was in 
 the way of duty, yet ever^i^hing seemed to be 
 working against him. The Jews laid in wait 
 for him, and when he had escaped their hands, 
 then contrary winds and waves are against him. 
 The malice of his enemies, the unreasonable 
 prejudice of his own countrymen, and the wars 
 of the elements, are all permitted to work 
 against him; yet they were all overruled. 
 They all worked together for his good. And 
 if no adverse circumstances had followed this 
 voyage, if no Divine interferences, no ship^^Teck 
 and no miracles, then there had been no chiu'ch 
 at Malta. "The Lord hath indeed prepared 
 his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom 
 ruleth over all." " He maketh the wrath of 
 
238 JULIUS THE CENTURION. 
 
 J* 
 
 man to praise liim, and the remainder lie re- 
 strainetli." God can make all occurrences and 
 events promote the welfare of his holy Church. 
 Why then should we not leave the government 
 of the world in his hands, and trust most lov- 
 ingly to his gracious promises ? Hitherto he 
 hath done all things well. And his wisdom, 
 power, and goodness are as ample for the fu- 
 ture as they were for the past. The absolute 
 assurance, however, of God's promises is never 
 to be construed into a neglect of the appointed 
 means. It is God's plan to work by miracles 
 when ordinary means are used to the utmost. 
 " The gods help those who help themselves." 
 The Divine promise is, that God's presence 
 shall always go with his servants. The Lord 
 God is a sun and a shield ; he will give grace 
 and glory, and no good thing will he withhold 
 from them that walk uprightly. He can raise 
 up friends for them in the darkest hours, and 
 from the most unexpected sources. When he 
 allows them to be sent to prison, he will send 
 his angel with them, and give them a keeper 
 such as he sees it is best for them to have, and 
 
JULIUS THE CENTUEION. 239 
 
 give tliem favor in tlie sight of their keepers. 
 And if, as in this case, saints and sinners are 
 mixed together, ei*owded up on board the same 
 shij), still God knows his people and will 
 make a great diiference between them and 
 those that serve him not. The special, gi'acious 
 presence of God is a sufficient and sure support 
 for his people under all the trials of life. It 
 was no doubt a great comfort to the apostle, 
 that he had such companions as Timothy and 
 Aristarchus for the whole, or even a part of 
 this voyage, and that he was permitted to land 
 at Sidon and see the brethren there, and re- 
 ceive refreshments and supplies from them for 
 his tedious voyage ; and that at Puteoli, hav- 
 ing escaped the pei'ils of the wreck, he should 
 find brethren who entei*tained him seven 
 days, and thence on his voyage to Rome, 
 till he met other brethren who came to meet 
 him " as far as Appii Forum and the Three 
 Taverns, whom when Paul saw, he thanked 
 God, and took courage." And after his arrival 
 in the imperial city, his greatest joy was to 
 write to the churches and to preach Jesus and 
 
240 JULIUS THE CENTUEION. 
 
 the resurrection, and salvation through him, 
 "both to Jews and Gentiles. But how blessed, 
 how much more triumphant his departure to 
 the New Jerusalem, which is above, the eternal 
 city of God ! Then he finished his course with 
 joy, and put on his crown of glory and immor- 
 tality. 
 
 " Dear Jesus grant when our work is done, 
 When the battle 's fought, the race is run, 
 We may hear thy voice calling us home, 
 Across the River. 
 
 " And though its waves may be dark and cold, 
 May our hope be bright, our faith be bold, 
 'Till we are gathered safely in thy fold 
 
 Across the River." 
 —Mrs. C. D. S. in the " Pacific Expositor.''^ 
 
XL 
 
 THE CHOICE OF A CALLIIfG OE PROFESSION.* 
 Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? — Acts ix. 6. 
 
 The three grand essentials to oiir chief end, 
 wMcli is happiness in this life and in the world 
 to come, or as the catechism more definitely 
 and forcibly expresses it, " to glorify God and 
 enjoy him forever," are something to do, some- 
 thing to love, and something to hope for. And 
 in finding this something to do, to love and to 
 hope for, and in this doing, loving and hoj^ing, 
 is the battle of life. And a ^reat battle it is. 
 To be born into life is a victory, and to die is 
 a battle, but whether unto victory or defeat 
 depends upon the manner of our life. All tlie 
 
 * This is taken from a discourse entitled : " Some thoughts on the 
 principles which should guide a young man in the choice of a calling 
 or profession, dchvered in Calvary Church, San Francisco, Sabbatli 
 evening, 14th April, 1861, as the fifth of the series before the Young 
 Men's Christian Association. By Rev. Dr. Scott." 
 
 11 2*1 
 
242 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 way, however, from the cradle and oiir first 
 campaign into the world, to the coffin and our 
 last campaign, AY^en we leave the field, it is all 
 a battle. Nor can it be otherwise. Nor is it 
 desirable it should be otherwise. Nor is it 
 wise or manly to deplore that it is so. 
 
 Life is a battle, a stern battle, that must be 
 fought, and fought all the way up hill and 
 against an enemy's batteries. But were it not 
 so, where were the glory of success? If 
 there was nothing to struggle against, where 
 were the honor of winning ? Opposition stimu- 
 lates courage ; difficulties enhance the glory of 
 success, until, as the poet says, " Danger's self 
 is lure alone." It is only the coward who sinks 
 into the dust because a lion is found in the 
 path, or a mountain avalanche has fallen across 
 the road. A close view, if his eye is fixed only 
 on going ahead in the right way, will show 
 him that the lion is chained, or that there is a 
 way over the mountain. There is no lion in 
 the way of duty that does not quail before an 
 honest eye and a bold heart. It is not only 
 true, as Greneral Jackson said, that " true cour- 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 243 
 
 age makes one a majority," but it is true the 
 brave " never suiTencler." Tliey never die. The 
 flames may turn their goods to ashes or con- 
 sume their dwellings. The waves may swal- 
 lo^v up their ships. Thieves may rob their 
 safes and carry off their gold; but the truly 
 brave are never conquered. When they fall it 
 is to live again. Their principles live. Theii' 
 example is imperishable. The Sage of Marsh- 
 field, in his own dying words, still lives. Even 
 on earth they generally win more than they 
 lose. The highest and purest happiness is 
 found in a firm adherence to principle and a 
 faithful discharge of duty. Having ascertained 
 our duty, then, we must perform it. It is more 
 than life. We must conscientiously and scru- 
 pulously live up to our principles, if we would 
 be happy. The consequences of doing our duty 
 belong to God. An analysis of the text gives 
 us three points that may help us to open up 
 our theme, which is some thoughts on the 
 
 PEIN"CIPLES WHICH SHOULD GUIDE A YOUNG MAN" 
 IN CHOOSING AN EMPLOYMENT OR CALLING FOR 
 LIFE. 
 
24:4: THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION". 
 
 First. Tlie text shows that God's power is 
 absolute over all creatures and agencies, and 
 that it is sometimes displayed with the design 
 of saving, when, to our view, it would seem 
 that his purpose was to destroy. Saul was 
 struck doAvn, not to die, but to be raised up 
 again a new man, that he might become Paul 
 the apostle of the Gentiles. 
 
 Second. We have here the sincere prayer and 
 earnest cry of a truly converted man. Lord., 
 what wilt thou have me to do f 
 
 It is not what shall my neighbor do ; but 
 what wilt thou have me to do X It is not what 
 wilt thou have me to say., but what wilt thou 
 have me to do ? It is not the man of profes- 
 sions merely, the talker and maker of fair 
 promises that is the Christian; but he that 
 doeth the will of God. The true inquiry of 
 eveiy renewed heart is to know the mind and 
 will of God, and then to conform to it — to know 
 his duty and do it. We may as well look to 
 find matter without form or gravitation, or lire 
 without heat, as to find a man converted to 
 God without operative grace. 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 245 
 
 Third. We see that God is pleased to give 
 an answer to tlie serious inquiry : " What wilt 
 thou have me to do V Arise, said the Lord, 
 aTid go into the city, and it shall he told thee 
 what thou must do. Before he was going into 
 the city to do the devil's- bloodiest work — to 
 persecute the followers of Christ unto death. 
 Now God tells him to go into the same city 
 for a very different purpose. His authority, 
 before, was from the high priests, and his tra- 
 velling escritoire was full of commissions giving 
 power to destroy; now his authority is from 
 heaven, and to be instructed unto salvation for 
 himself and for others. And although Paul's 
 conversion and call to the ministry and apostle- 
 ship are miraculous, yet his case suggests that 
 it is a proper inquiry for every one to make : 
 " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" 
 
 1. It is obvious that our choice of a pursuit, 
 employment, calling, profession or the kind of 
 business we are to follow by which to make a 
 living, and in which to serve oui' generation, 
 our country and our God, shoidd he determined 
 hy prin^ple, aiid not merely from chance or tlie 
 
246 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 lohims of a moment. It requires no argument 
 to prove that young men, as free agents and 
 rational, intelligent beings, should be governed 
 by high correct principles in their choice of a 
 profession for life. It is nevertheless true, that 
 apparently trivial occurrences have exercised a 
 controlling influence over the whole course of 
 the lives of distinguished men. Sir Walter 
 Scott's lameness probably had a great deal to 
 do in shaping his habits, and enabling him to 
 Avrite the border tales and historic novels that 
 have made him immortal in the English tongue. 
 Washington's love for his mother kept him 
 from being a sailor, and prepared him to be- 
 come the leader of the American armies and 
 the Father of his country. Joseph's many 
 colored coat excited the envy of his brethren, 
 who threw him into a pit till the Ishmaelites 
 came along, and then sold him into Egypt, and 
 the removal of Jacob and the bondage all fol- 
 lowed. Who could have anticipated such re- 
 sults from Joseph's coat the bright morning he 
 left Hebron to seek for his brethren who kept 
 their flocks near Shechem ? or who could have 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 247 
 
 predicted that Moses' blow on an Egj^ptian's 
 head as he was striving with a Hebrew in the 
 field, would lead to his exile and his forty 
 years' education in the mlderness around 
 Mount Sinai, that was to qualify him for the 
 great business of his life— the leading of the 
 Hebrews out of Egyi^t and through that same 
 wilderness to the borders of the promised land? 
 But the occurrences or events that exerted a 
 controlling influence over their whole subse- 
 quent life were small only in appearance. They 
 were in reality great events— great because 
 they were essential parts of "the stupendous 
 whole " in the hands of an all- wise and Al- 
 mighty Providence. They were the spring 
 heads of a mighty stream. Although it is a 
 part of the plan or economy of the Supreme 
 Providence to produce great results from small 
 beginnings, it is not true that there is any 
 chance in the divine economy. All things are 
 governed by laws. Eternal principles lie at 
 the beginning of every man's coui-se in life as 
 well as in the production of the universe. 
 The first thing, then, to be known in rea-ai^ 
 
248 THE CHOICE OF A PKOFESSIOIST. 
 
 to the clioice of a business for life is, tliat it is 
 according to tlie will of God. This is essen- 
 tial. For his will is the supreme law — the 
 only infallible rule of right and wrong. No 
 matter, therefore, how great the inducements 
 held out to do this, or engage in that or the 
 other business, if it involves a sin against God, 
 or requires the violation of any of his command- 
 ments, you must not choose it. How can you 
 sin against God, and do that great wickedness 
 in his sight? How, then, are you to know 
 what is according to his will ? There are va- 
 rious methods by which we may find out what 
 is agreeable to the will of God, but the main 
 thing for a young man in choosing a business 
 or profession, is to have a satisfactory answer 
 in his own conscience to the question : " Lord, 
 what wilt Thof have me to do?" Gifts and 
 opportunities are to be considered, but the 
 main question is transferred from time to eter- 
 nity, from earth to heaven, and, as it were, from 
 our own bosom to the mind of our Maker. 
 What pursuit in life is" it the will of God, who 
 li^s made me, who is daily to support me, and 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PR0FESSI01S-. 249 
 
 who is to be my final Judge, that I should 
 choose? This is the first and main que'stion. 
 And in seeking an answer, the first thing is to 
 obey God in reference to our personal salva- 
 tion. If any man will do the will of God, he 
 shall know of the doctrine whether it be of 
 God or not. What, then, is God's will ? Our 
 Lord says : He that heareth my word and he- 
 lieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting- 
 life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but 
 is passed from death unto life. And when the 
 Jews asked him, saying: What shall we do, 
 that we might work the works of God ? Jesus 
 answered and said unto them, This is the work 
 of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath 
 sent. John v. 6. And again, we know that it 
 is the commandment of God, that we should 
 believe upon his only begotten Son Jesus 
 Christ. Accordingly the disciples were sent to 
 preach everywhere repentance toward God and 
 faith in Christ. The first duty of every one, 
 therefore, is to believe the testimony God has 
 given of his Son Jesus Christ, and to accept of 
 him as he is offered in the Gospel as our pro- 
 
 11* 
 
250 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 23liet, priest and king. Until we are reconciled 
 to Gad tlirougli tlie blood of Jesus Christ as 
 our passover sacrificed for our sins, and feel our 
 ignorance and need of divine illumination and 
 guidance, we are not prepared to apprehend 
 fully tlie momentous question of life : Lord^ 
 wliat wilt tlioih have me to do ? It is then our 
 duty first to seek the kingdom of God and his 
 i*ighteousness. It is first both in point and in 
 importance. But how may a young man know 
 what the will of God is ? Are we to rely upon 
 dreams, or visions, or to expect voices from 
 heaven, or are miracles to designate the busi- 
 ness we are to follow? By no means. The 
 age of such miracles is past. But there are 
 considerations which, when properly and prayer- 
 fully apprehended, wdll enable a young man to 
 know what his pursuit in life should be, quite 
 as satisfactorily as if mii^acles were wrought. 
 For example, when he is debating in his mind 
 whether he shall engage in this business, or 
 choose this or that profession, let him ask him- 
 self : Is the business or profession which he is 
 about to choose, the one that is the most promi- 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 251 
 
 iient in his mind, wlien lie is nearest to God — 
 when lie is tlie most humble before God 
 and has the most exalted views of the divine 
 character, and the profoundest reverence for 
 the revealed will of God ? Has the calling or 
 profession he is about to choose the strongest 
 hold upon his mind, when he fixes his eye most 
 steadily upon death and the judgment seat ? 
 Is it the business he would prefer to be engaged 
 in when death shall overtake him ? "Will it 
 bear the light of eternity, and the scrutiny of 
 the Judge of quick and dead ? And, secondly^ 
 let every young man be careful that the busi- 
 ness he selects has the approbation of his own 
 conscience. The whole human heart is exceed- 
 ingly deceitful ; but the conscience is the most 
 delicate, susceptible, sensitive organ of the 
 human soul. It is so delicate, and so important 
 is the moral faculty within us, that I would fain 
 have you protect it from any abuse and from 
 every violence. So wondrous is the moral 
 economy under which we live, that he who 
 cannot resist temptation is wanting in the first 
 attribute of humanity. The very first pelding 
 
252 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIOlSr. 
 
 to temptation debases us. Every unrigliteons 
 deed does tlie actor ten thousand fold more 
 liarm than it inflicts upon the sufferer. The 
 false man is more false to himself than to any 
 one else. So that it is literally better to be 
 sinned against than to sin ourselves. Better 
 suffer ten thousand wrongs than to commit one 
 v^rrong in trying to avenge ourselves. The fire 
 of a guilty passion may scorch and wither 
 others, but it burns the hottest at the centre, 
 which is the sinner's own heart. And if this 
 relation ceased at death it were not so terrible ; 
 but death only makes it worse by increasing 
 the intensity of the woe, and adding eternity to 
 it. Every time a man does a wrong thing, he 
 subtracts so much from the delicacy and energy 
 of his moral nature. And as our medical men 
 tell us that all suffering and all violence done 
 to our physical system, before birth, impairs 
 our constitution, and sends us into the world 
 shorn of much of the energy, or blunted in the 
 fineness of the perceptions we should other- 
 wise have possessed : so every violation of con- 
 science in this life sends us forward into eter- 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIO]!^. 253 
 
 nity maimed and crippled, and incapable of the 
 liigliest flights of bliss wliicb we might have 
 reached by maintaining our moral nature more 
 perfect. " Every instance of violated conscience, 
 like every broken string in a harp, will limit 
 the compass of its music and mar its harmonies 
 forever." It is of the utmost consequence, then, 
 that you preserve a good conscience. It is your 
 most important faculty. And yet it is exceed- 
 ingly difficult to keep it from being led astray 
 through ignorance, or by prejudice or passion. 
 So tender and susceptible is it of impressions, 
 that it has been educated to sanction somewhere 
 or other every sin and crime that fills the pages 
 of human guilt. It is impossible, therefore, to 
 overstate the necessity of having a good con- 
 science ; a conscience enlightened by the word 
 and spirit of God. For, unless our moral na- 
 ture respond to our intellectual, our bosom is 
 the seat of terrible war. There must be peace 
 at home. The conscience must be satisfied with 
 the choice of the profession we make, or we 
 shall want moral courage for its prosecution. 
 To undertake the pursuit of a business that 
 
254 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 our own lieart is all the time telling us is wrong, 
 is like a general marching an army into an ene- 
 my's country and leaving the fortresses and 
 forces of his enemy unconquered in his rear. 
 They will of course annoy him, cut off his sup- 
 plies, and finally destroy him, unless he is able 
 to turn upon them and crush them. But it is 
 not eveiy conscience that is a safe guide. An 
 hour ago Saul of Tarsus had as clear a con- 
 science that he was right when going to Da- 
 mascus to persecute men and women unto death 
 for being the followers of Jesus, as when he 
 went to Caesar's block to be beheaded for his 
 faith in Jesus as the Son of God. The Jews 
 did not know that Jesus was the Son of God 
 and the Lord of glory when they crucified him. 
 They put him to death with a good conscience, 
 thinking they were serving God and their 
 country ; yet they did it with wicked hands. 
 They committed an a^vful crime, though uncon- 
 scious of it at the time. While, therefore, the 
 conscience is not always to be trusted — for 
 there is a blind conscience, an ignorant, unen- 
 lightened conscience — it becomes every one to 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION 255 
 
 try Lis conscience by prayer and by tlie Word 
 of God, and be sure to have its apj)robation 
 at the moment that he feels the eye of God 
 beaming most fully upon him. And again — 
 
 Thirdly. Let a young man, in choosing his 
 pursuit for life, examine carefully whether the 
 business he is setting his heart upon inspires 
 him "with a strength of will to execute all the 
 23lans which are necessary to carry it out. It 
 is folly to choose any calling that we have not 
 courage to follow. So tremendous is the power 
 of the "svill as an administrator of human affairs, 
 that under God, and next to God, it is omnipo- 
 tent. In debating in j^our own mind, then, 
 whether or not you should choose this profes- 
 sion or that calling, strive to ascertain which 
 one it is that inspires your soul mth the great- 
 est strength, and girds you up the most for dif- 
 ficulties and for victory. In relation to which 
 pursuit of life do you feel that success is in 
 you ? As you look at its difficulties and dan- 
 gers, and greatness, do you feel A\dthin yourself, 
 God helping, that you have the elements of 
 success within you ? 
 
256 TIIE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 
 
 One of our countrymen long devoted to our 
 educational institutions, in desci'ibing the men 
 we want in our day, said : " We want no men 
 wlio will cliange like tlie vanes on our steeples, 
 witli tlie course of the popular wind ; but we 
 want men who, like mountains, will change the 
 course of the winds." These are just the men 
 wanted now : men who, like mountains of gra- 
 nite, will change the course of the winds. Men 
 who are not at all distressed about the hosan- 
 nah of the crowd ; men who leave poj)ularity 
 for dolls, and remember, with an ancient, that 
 the path of the gods is steep and craggy ; men 
 who are willing sometimes to go to Coventry, 
 and let the populace howl on their coldest con- 
 tempt ; men who prefer the right to the great- 
 est temporal advantage or honor ; who can con- 
 test the frowns of fortune, and make good their 
 course over the roughest seas. The ancients 
 thought a virtuous man bearing misfortunes a 
 far nobler sight than to see him basking in the 
 sunshine. It is pleasant to see a clipper come 
 flying into our glorious Gate with sails all set 
 and colors flying ; and yet, more heroic feelings 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION". 257 
 
 are stirred witliin us when we see a noble ves- 
 sel that has battled with winds and waves for 
 six months, still making good her harbor, 
 though some of her sails are torn and some of 
 her masts shivered, and eveiy timber in her has 
 been tried by the tempest. 
 
 It is impossible to overestimate the im23oi't- 
 ance of a rigid adherence to right principles 
 where public sentiment is so fickle and yet so 
 potential as with us. Public sentiment — the 
 embodied opinions of the public — is like the 
 atmosphere. It is sweet and fresh, pure and 
 gentle, or hot and feverish, just as the breath 
 that is breathed into it is hot or fresh. When 
 it comes from the marsh or the fever-s^uarded 
 district, it is sickly ; but if from the lovely vale 
 or tlie pure mountain heights, it is healthful. 
 But when the hot sands and sulphurous blasts 
 of the desert gather into the moving mass, then 
 their course is marked mth desolation. The 
 particles of air and grains of sand are in them- 
 selves small and feeble. It is their aggregation 
 that makes them powerful. It is the i')oison 
 they gather in coming over the infected district, 
 
258 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 
 
 and the momentum they acquire in their pro- 
 gress, that make them so pernicious. And it 
 is just so with public opinion. One man's call- 
 ing, plans, thoughts and preferences by them- 
 selves may be so insignificant as to have but 
 little influence ; but when joined with those of 
 his neighbors, they assume a shape and a 
 weight that make them influential. There is 
 then an individual responsibility resting on 
 every one for his part of public sentiment. As 
 threads make the web, so do individual opin- 
 ions form public opinion. And when, as is 
 sometimes the case, public opinion is wrong, 
 then it is we are to show our attachment to 
 our country and our adherence to principle, by 
 maintaining the right, regardless of the fury of 
 the storm. A time-serving trimmer deserves 
 nothing but contempt. Let us know what a 
 man really is, and then, even if we differ from 
 him, still we respect his honesty and courage. 
 We know where he is, and that he stands 
 by his principles and is true to his flag; 
 that he will not sail under false colors. But 
 one says, it is of no use, because I cannot realize 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 259 
 
 what I wish. The public are against me. I 
 cannot resist the tempest. Now it may not be 
 given ordinarily to one man, nor to any one 
 age, or class of men, to mould public opinion 
 all at once. It is usually the growth of many 
 days, and the product of many minds ; but still, 
 an individual responsibility rests on every one 
 for his part of it. Nor is it given to any one to 
 know how great the effect may be of a single 
 utterance of the right word, or of a good exam- 
 ple, or of the lifting up of the right banner at 
 the critical moment. The Rev. Dr. Wayland, 
 of Rhode Island, holds some views that we 
 cannot receive, yet we respect his character, and 
 commend the follo^ving explanation of his suc- 
 cess as an author, a teacher, and as a minister. 
 It is reported that when asked how he had 
 been able to do so much, and to live so lone" 
 and so happily in the same community, he re- 
 plied : " Whatever success I may have had in 
 life, is owing simply to my holding on and 
 sticking to my appropriate work." Yes, young 
 gentlemen, this is just it. Hold on and ham- 
 mer on, and look up, and never yield to difficul- 
 
260 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 ties. Never think of giving up and lying down 
 in despair. You may not be responsible for 
 tlie storm ; but you are responsible bow you 
 bear it — for holding to right principle — and so 
 far at least, it is your duty to make a stand 
 aa:ainst the flood. There is nothino- more sub- 
 lime than honesty. Be sure, then, to ascertain 
 what true principles are ; and then hold on to 
 them, come what may. In all your business 
 transactions, whatever profession or calling you 
 choose, let justice be your pole-star. The pro- 
 verb, "Let justice be done, though the heavens 
 fall," seems to imply a fallacy. For the more 
 justice is done, the more the heavens will not 
 fall. It is impossible for the heavens to fall, if 
 justice is done. It is only by wrong doing the 
 pillars of the skies can be shaken down. If 
 then already, or even at the threshhold of life, 
 you should find that you have made a mistake 
 and chosen a calling that is not morally right, 
 then you should leave it as quickly as you 
 would leap from a vat of boiling brimstone, if 
 you should fall into one, and be left with 
 power to exert yourself to get out. If a barber 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIOT^. 261 
 
 should batter liis razor's edo;e on a flint stone 
 as a preparation for sliaving, you would not be 
 likely to trust yourself his hands. Why then 
 will you risk Avearing off or gaping or dulling 
 your conscience by daily putting it into con- 
 tact with known error, or moral wrong doing ? 
 2. In the second place, allow me to say, some 
 regard should be had to your special qualifica- 
 tions for the pursuit in life wJiicli you are to 
 follow. The gifts which God bestows upon 
 his creatures are indications of their sphere of 
 existence. The fins and breathing apparatus 
 of fish are adapted to the sea ; and so the wings 
 and shape of birds indicate that their home is 
 in the air. And the human form and constitu- 
 tion clearly point out oiu' adaptedness to the 
 world in which we live ; into which we have been 
 born and out of which we are to die, when our 
 course is finished. But we have a more specific 
 adaptation than what is here indicated. God 
 in all ages has endowed some men Avith special 
 qualifications for certain pursuits. A careful 
 study of history shows that all the ages of man- 
 kind are united as links in a chain ; that all 
 
262 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION". 
 
 generations of men, like the geological dynas- 
 ties and periods of tlie planet, are connected to- 
 gether, and exert an influence upon and are 
 preparatory to all that follow. Past genera- 
 tions lap over upon us, just as we will do upon 
 the one that follows, and through it upon all 
 that shall follow to the end of time. And so 
 also different nations and races act upon one 
 another, and each age of the world and each 
 nation has had, and still has its peculiar, dis- 
 tinctive mission in the world to fulfil. And 
 for its mission, providence allotted to it the 
 proper gifts and opjDortunities. But again, this 
 is true of individuals as well as of ages and na- 
 tions. Cain was the first builder of cities, and 
 from him we have our word civilization. Jabal 
 was the leading agriculturist of his age, being 
 " the father of such as dwell in tents and have 
 cattle," and his statue should therefore crown 
 the entrance to our cattle-shows and agricultu- 
 ral fairs. And Jubal, his brother, was "the 
 father of all such as handle the harp and the 
 organ ;" and his statue should therefore prevail 
 over all the images of gods and goddesses of 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSIOW. 263 
 
 the heathen in our concert halls. And Tubal 
 Cain, the Vulcan of the Old Testament, should 
 preside over the blacksmith and the whitesmith 
 and the goldsmith and the mechanic's hall for 
 he was the father of all *e mechanics,- "the in- 
 structor of every artificer in brass and iron " 
 We are authorized also, by the word of God to 
 say that gifts and talents of men, by which they 
 are adapted to the various employments of life 
 are imparted to them by the Creator. " There' 
 IS a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the 
 Almighty giveth him understanding" The 
 classic page as well as the inspired writers tell 
 us that God has taught man how to sow the 
 wheat, thresh out the corn, and to get riches, 
 and to fell the trees, and even how to fi.ht 
 It was God that gave Moses administrative 
 power, and to Aaron the gift of eloquence. 
 Othniel, Samson, Gideon, and Daniel were 
 raised up to be wamors ; and so were Alexan- 
 der the Great, Wellington, Napoleon, Have- 
 lock, and Jackson. And Cjn^s was the Lord's 
 anointed for the special purpose of delivering 
 his church out of Babylon. "And the Lord 
 
264 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 
 
 spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by 
 name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, 
 of the tribe of Juclah : and I have filled him 
 with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in un- 
 derstanding, and in# knowledge, and in all 
 manner of workmanship : and I, behold I 
 have given him Aholiab, the son of Ahisha- 
 mach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the 
 hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put 
 wisdom, that they make all that I have com- 
 manded thee." And so of statesmen, artists, 
 orators and philosophers, they were specially 
 blessed with the gifts or endowments that were 
 fitted for the positions or works in life which 
 they accomplished. Let every young man, 
 therefore, carefully examine and see whether 
 his mental and moral endowments fit him for 
 the business he is about to choose, or whether, 
 at least, he feels within himself that he has the 
 capacity and the energy that will enable him 
 to prepare himself for it. It is said in the Life 
 of the late Moses Stuart, one of the best men 
 and best scholars of our country and of our age, 
 that the trustees of Andover elected him to a 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFE&SIO]^. 265 
 
 professorship, not because lie was prepared, but 
 because tliey were satisfied it was in him, and 
 that he would thoroughly prepare himself for 
 it. And nobly did he justify tlieii' confidence. 
 Be sure, then, that you are fitted for- the place, 
 rather th^t it is merely for you. 
 
 3. In the third j)lace, young men should con- 
 sider it as a great j^rinciple to follow in choos 
 ing their occuj)ation, that it is one hy wliicli tliey 
 may hope to he useful, to do good in tlie tvorld. 
 Having determined that all men are not equally 
 fitted for all pursuits, but that some are better 
 qualified for one employment, and others for 
 another, it is plainly the will of God that labor 
 should be divided, and that the arts and pur- 
 suits of life should be so multiplied and meted 
 out, that all should have something to do. The 
 rule by which callings are graduated is not a 
 rule to determine which are the highest or the 
 lowest. It has reference only to two things, 
 namely : that the calling is a righteous or law- 
 ful one in the sight of God, and that Ave have 
 gifts from God for its prosecution. True honor 
 lies in the manner of filling such a calling. No 
 
 12 
 
266 THE CHOICE OF A PROEESSIOIf. 
 
 f 
 
 matter wliat it is, if it is one that God a]3proves 
 of and lias called us to ; then, if we fill it well, 
 it is honorable. One of our old divines has 
 said, that if God were to commission two an- 
 gels, the one to rule an empire and the other to 
 sweep the streets of a city, both would proceed 
 to their work with equal alacrity. As preju- 
 dice may exist in some minds simply from the 
 want of clearly apprehending the distinction 
 and relation that must exist between the differ- 
 ent callings and em2:)loyments of men, we 
 have here a few words to say concerning them. 
 Art., and the Fine Arts, and Mamifacturing, 
 are terms in everybody's mouth, and yet but 
 few seem to see how they are united in concord. 
 The lowest or simplest idea of manufacturing 
 is suggested by the etymology of the word, 
 which is from the Latin, and means " the mak- 
 ing of an3^thing by the hands ;" that is, with- 
 out the help of instruments or machines. And 
 yet our manufactured wares and goods are 
 almost all made in whole or in part by ma- 
 chinery. The literal signification is, therefore, 
 so limited that it properly applies to but few 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 267 
 
 things. For we liave but few articles that have 
 j)rocee(ied from the human hand only, acting 
 mechanically ; but the moment a dii'ecting in- 
 telligence is seen in the working of the hand, 
 then we have A/i. Hence we find in the books 
 and in constant use the phrases, " the art of 
 ship-building ;" " an art in making tools, wag- 
 ons and ploughs," and the like. And one step 
 more, and we have the Fine Arts,, namely, the 
 l^ursuits of man in which his hand and his head 
 and his heart are all workinof tos^ether. The 
 hand is at the bottom and it is at the top of 
 eveiything. Without manufacturing nothing 
 is done ; and without intelligence to dii^ect the 
 hand, nothing is done ; and without taste, an 
 enlightened heart, with the directing mind, there 
 is no Fine Art. And as this triple group is 
 combined to a greater or less degree in all our 
 pui'suits and enjoyments, and thus the whole 
 man is consulted and honored, so it is wdth all 
 the proper pursuits of mankind. They are all 
 honorable and they are all united. The farmer 
 has need of the merchant and banker, medical 
 man and mechanic, and all these depend upon 
 
268 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 the farmer for tlieir bread. Tlie universal law 
 is, I have need of you, and you have need of 
 me. 
 
 But still the question is not answered: Is 
 the young man to be a farmer, a mechanic, a 
 merchant, a physician, a teacher, a lawyer, a 
 sailor, a soldier, or a minister of the Gospel ? 
 All these employments and the multitudinous 
 branches or modifications of them, that are too 
 tedious to be enumerated, are lawful and mo- 
 rally right in the sight of God. The cultiva- 
 tion of the earth is, of course, the oldest pur- 
 suit of man, and its importance is obvious. All 
 other professions and pursuits depend upon 
 agriculture. The temporal wants of the world 
 must be supplied. And here we notice a popu- 
 lar fallacy which has long occupied the minds 
 of our countrymen. They have been disputing 
 which was the greatest, "King Commerce," 
 "King Gold," "King Cotton," or "King La- 
 bor," whereas, in fact, the true and mightiest 
 king is Bread. And while there are millions 
 of mouths to be fed, and millions of acres that 
 want hands to till them, it is clearly the will 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIOX. 269 
 
 of lieaven that millions of our race should find 
 the pursuit in which they are to do the most 
 good by toiling in the field. And of mecJian- 
 'iced industrij^ we may say it is essentially con- 
 nected with agriculture, because it lives upon 
 the produce of the ground, and it gives the 
 farmer his house and barns, mill and imple- 
 ments, and then it builds ships wdiich the mer- 
 chant employs in carrying the products of the 
 farmer's lands from one country to another. 
 And thus the farmer, mechanic and merchant 
 are component parts of human society mutually 
 or reciprocally dependent upon each other, and 
 the banker is but another member of the same 
 firm, and Providence indicates by gifts and 
 resources which branches of this business each 
 one is to pm-sue. The medical profession is 
 ancient and honorable. The great Redeemer 
 was a healer of the bodies of men as well as 
 the Saviour of their souls. It is manifestly our 
 duty to take care of the body. For sound 
 health, and a body perfect in all its members, 
 is necessary as an instrument for servino- our 
 fellow men. But few consider how much so- 
 
270 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 
 
 ciety owes to tlie medical profession. But few 
 consider liow mucli suffering tliey save us 
 from, and liow many lives tliey prolong and 
 how niucli usefulness and happiness they pro- 
 duce in the world. The world is ungrate- 
 ful to medical men. In learning, talents, dili- 
 gence, science, self-denial, toil and usefulness, 
 it is difficult to take too high a view of the 
 professors of the healing art. But perhaps 
 stronger prejudices exist against the legal pro- 
 fession than against the medical. But where- 
 fore ? It is not sinful, j[)er se. It is impossi- 
 ble to think so, or to maintain any such an 
 opinion. For God himself is a lawgiver and 
 judge and a law executioner by his laws, which 
 he has made to pervade ever^^thing. Does not 
 the legal profession expound the principles of 
 truth, and teach us what equity and justice are, 
 and vindicate the rights and redress the wrongs 
 of society ? The history of the legal profession 
 shows that human learning, science and liberty 
 and ci\Hlization and of Christianity owe a great 
 debt to its members. The profession of the law 
 is indeed a noble one. Its true object is to pro- 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION". 271 
 
 mote ^vliat is just, equitable and right. Statute 
 and civil law embrace a large i^ortion of Imman 
 history, and the common law has its deep 
 foundation in man's moral nature, and regu- 
 lates his whole ethical economy. If it is not 
 always administered by able and true men, it is 
 not for the want of a training, discipline and 
 excitement that should produce such. And as 
 a body, we believe, legal men are men of high 
 principles, and the conservators of human rights 
 and of eloquence and sound learning. But, 
 perhaps, the work of the teacUr is more im- 
 portant still. In all the other pursuits of men, 
 the work is done with the materials furnished. 
 In all other departments of human labor, even 
 the office of the pulpit, the influence exerted is 
 upon and through agencies that have been 
 already developed, either physical, scientific, 
 military, philosophical, political or literary; 
 but it is the teacher's office to form the mind 
 and the character— to prepare the instruments 
 by which all the other pursuits of life are to be 
 carried on. Thus it is the law of heaven that 
 man's work should be associative. One man 
 
272 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION 
 
 can neither build a navy nor carve a whole 
 cathedral himself; but he can do his part, and 
 when others do their part, and the results are 
 associated, the work is done. And thus, also, 
 the j)romotion of our own individual welfare is 
 not only lawful, but a duty, when it does not 
 interfere with our higher duties to God and 
 our fellow-men. The true aim of all personal 
 improvement should be the glory of God and 
 the happiness of his creatures. For whatever 
 is truly great in humanity is the expression of 
 man's delight in God's work. It does not fol- 
 low because a man is forced to mechanical labor 
 for his bread, or to wear away his life in ceiled 
 chambers behind a desk, or to dig his life out 
 of dusty furrows, that he is cut off from the 
 teachino-s of his Maker. But if a man allow his 
 profession or occupation to lead him away from 
 the Great Teacher, and blind his eyes to the 
 splendor of his works, and bind up his life- 
 blood from its beating responsively to the calls 
 of his omnipotent love, then indeed he is blind 
 and helpless and miserable. But it is not 
 wrong — rather it is a man's duty to support his 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSIOlSr. 273 
 
 family, or to help his parents in old age, or to 
 win a bride, or to endow a college by making 
 money ; but when at his work, or engaged in 
 his profession, he should love, and love every 
 touoh and every blow and every step that it 
 requires to make it square work, perfect work, 
 finished work, such as the great Grand Master 
 will accept. It is only when a man has an en- 
 thusiastic love for his calling, that the spirit is 
 upon him, prompting him to its highest attain- 
 ments. A love for one's calling is essential to 
 success and hap23iness. Fame and money and 
 position are j)roper objects to aim at in a sub- 
 ordinate degree. But the love of these things 
 must never be the first motive in the choice of 
 a profession. Mr. Ruskin, in one of his lectures 
 on Art, lays down the rule for his pupils in 
 this way: "Does your art lead you, or your 
 gain lead you ? You may like making money 
 exceedingly ; but if it come to a fair question 
 whether you are to make five hundred pounds 
 less by this business or to s2:)oil your building, 
 and you choose to spoil your work, there's an 
 end of you. So you may be as thirsty for fame 
 
 12* 
 
274 THE CHOICE OF A PROEESSIOlSr. 
 
 as a cricket is for cream ; but if it come to a 
 fair question, wlietlier you are to please the 
 mob, or do the tiling as you know it ought to 
 be done, and you can't do both, and choose to 
 please the mob, it's all over with you ; there's 
 no hope for you ; nothing that you can do will 
 ever be worth a man's glance as he passes by. 
 The test is absolute, inevitable — Is your art 
 first with you V ^' 
 
 It is essential, moreover, to this depth of feel- 
 ing in one's profession, that it should be viewed 
 in its relations to the works and laws of God 
 as the Creator and governor of the universe, 
 and that the mind should not be allowed to 
 dwell on petty and mean cares. Things are 
 very much as we conceive of them as to their 
 effect upon us. Whatever business, therefore, 
 you are to follow, do not let its little chagrins 
 and disagreeable points fill your head. The 
 constancy of small emotions will make your 
 mind and heart little, if not mean. Strive to 
 overcome all littleness, all jealousy and preju- 
 dice. Never mind" what others think or say of 
 
 * Lecture on the Influence of the Imagination. 
 
THE CHOICE OF A TKOFESSION. 275 
 
 .your calling, if you feel within yourself that it 
 is right according to the will and providence of 
 God. Keep your eyes and ears open, and your 
 hands employed, and your mind quiet, peaceful, 
 stayed upon God, so that you may forget your- 
 self, and live out of yourself in your work, and 
 in the calm and beauty, or grandeur and mighti- 
 ness of God's great and lovely world. If there 
 is grandeur in your own soul, you will see it 
 outside of yourself, and find it in others also. 
 Miracles only come to those who believe in 
 mii^acles. The proverb says : " If you meet with 
 no gods, it is because you harbor none." 
 
 It is then the law of God that man should 
 labor, and labor under constraint of law. It is 
 an error to say that we are born free, and that 
 the fewer laws we are 'bound b}^, the fewer 
 penalties we shall have to endure. This never 
 was true. The laws of God are barriers to keep 
 us from rushing over the precipice. It is only 
 the lower animals that are comparatively ex- 
 empt from laws.. "No human being, however 
 great or powerful, was ever so free as a fish. 
 There is always something he must, or must 
 
276 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIOIST. 
 
 not do ; while tlie fisli may do whatever lie 
 likes." Indeed, it is in man's moral restraint 
 ratlier than in his liberty, that we see the gi-an- 
 denr of his nature. If the butterfly is more 
 beautiful and free than the bee, still the bee is 
 the more honorable, because it is the subject of 
 laws. And so it is throughout the universe. 
 It is a compend, a code of laws, and the re- 
 straint of laws distinguish the higher and more 
 noble creatures and things from those that are 
 inferior. The archangel and the insect; the 
 orbits and the oscillations of the heavenly bo- 
 dies and the mote in the sunbeam ; the power 
 and glory of all things and creatures are in 
 their obedience to law. The king of day has 
 no liberty, but a dead leaf on the hill-side 
 has much. The three talismanic words of na- 
 tional existence are labor, law, and coueage ; 
 or the plough, the restraint of laws, and the 
 sword ; so are they also the elements of indivi- 
 dual strength and happiness. But as no true 
 and lasting peace has ever been won by subter- 
 fuge, so there is no peace for you but that 
 which you shall win over self, shame and sin. 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION". 277 
 
 It is altogether a mistake to talk of factory as a 
 chance. There is no chance and no blanks in 
 your history. All you have to secure is your 
 own verdict for right doing, and you have your 
 cause. Every work well done is a victor}^. 
 And as gaslight is the best city police by 
 night, so God has ordained laws for the uni- 
 verse, by which to protect it ; for by these laws 
 he brings to light and to a pitiless publicity, 
 sooner or later, all wi'ono^ doins^. The wa^es- 
 of sin is death. Darkness is the true friend of 
 no man. For all sin, like murder, will out. 
 And, moreover, by the very same laws, God has 
 guaranteed that to the powers of sanctified in- 
 tellect all recesses shall be opened, and all 
 secrets revealed. Eternal sunshine glows around 
 it. To it there is no height inaccessible, no 
 depth that cannot be fathomed, no distance it 
 cannot traverse. For .all created thintrs are 
 governed by laws, and as far as we understand 
 them so far the Creator invests us Avith his own 
 attributes. It is by a knowledge of God's laws 
 that we approach his attributes when we speak 
 with the flaming tongue of lightning across a 
 
278 THE CHOICE OF A peofessio:n". 
 
 continent, or navigate our way tlirougli clouds 
 and thick darkness, and contrary winds, to a 
 desired port on the other side of the globe. 
 Be assured then, young gentlemen, the condi- 
 tions of life and death in yourself are the con- 
 ditions of life and death in the nation of which 
 you are a part. What is true here is true eve- 
 rywhere. Essentially the whole world and all 
 its ages and races are alike. Do not deceive 
 yourselves then with the idea that you may be 
 advancing in unconscious ways to God and to- 
 ward success. Do not go about to find an 
 oracle or soothsayer to predict what you may 
 become. You have it, each one of you has it 
 in his power, at this very instant, to determine 
 in what direction he will turn his steps, and 
 what he will become, Grod helping him. Ac- 
 tions of resolute virtue are within the reach of 
 every one of you. Honesty of purpose, single- 
 ness of mind, and steadfast devotion to a lawful 
 patriotic business are within your reach, and 
 challensre the admiration of mankind. And the 
 
 o 
 
 best way of gaining strength of mind and ele- 
 vation of purpose is to dwell long and fondly 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 279 
 
 Oil, and ponder seriously on most wortliy ex- 
 amples. As the prophet, by steadily gazing on 
 the way by which his preceptor ascended to 
 heaven, obtained his mantle, and a double por- 
 tion of his spirit. 
 
 The Gospel mestistet is a profession of vaster 
 scope and greater importance than any other. 
 It must be so unless it is a gross imposture. 
 If Christianity is what it claims to be, and the 
 ministry of the word of reconciliation is a 
 divine institution, then the preaching of the 
 Gospel is the greatest work that can be com- 
 mitted to man. It is not necessaiy now to 
 prove the divine origin of our holy religion, nor 
 to show that God has a Church in the world 
 having sacraments and ordinances, and an order 
 of men called to preside in it, and administer 
 its sacraments and expound the di\dne word to 
 the people, showing them the Avay of salvation. 
 The Apostle Paul has briefly stated the argu- 
 ment. The word is nigh thee ; even the word 
 of faith which we preach, namely, that if thou 
 shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, 
 and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
 
280 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSIOK 
 
 raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 
 For with the heart, man believeth tinto right- 
 eousness; and with the mouth confession is 
 made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, 
 Wnosoever believeth on him shall be saved. 
 
 How then shall they call on him in whom 
 they have not believed ? And how shall they 
 believe in him of whom they have not heard ? 
 And how shall they hear without a preacher ? 
 And how shall they preach except they be sent ? 
 But the time does not allow us to dwell on the 
 call and qualifications of the Gospel ministry. 
 
 4. Let me urge you, young men, in the next 
 place, to endeavor most carefully to find out the 
 intimations of Providence in regard to tJie husi- 
 Qiess you should follow. I have reference here 
 to your education, health, and place of resi- 
 dence. The influence of early training is felt 
 and acknowledged by all. It was ascertained 
 a few years ago, that out of one hundred and 
 nine theological students, ninety-seven had 
 either a pious father or mother, and eighty- 
 eight had parents both of whom were pious. 
 And the history of revivals of religion, and 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 281 
 
 even of conversions late in life, sliows that tliey 
 are almost all to be traced to early religious 
 instruction. The seed grows after having long 
 remained dormant. Samuel and Timothy, Au- 
 gustin and Doddridge, are well known examples 
 of parental piety giving shape to the character 
 of their children. 
 
 General Jackson's rigid adherence to the 
 articles of religion as a matter of faith— articles 
 which he never allowed any one to dispute or 
 ridicule in his presence without rebuke, is with- 
 out doubt to be attributed to his mother's 
 catechism and influence upon him in his ear- 
 liest years. His affection for his wife and re- 
 gard for her religious feelings are equalled only 
 by the veneration he had for his mother. So 
 strong were his convictions of the divinity of 
 Christ and the inspiration of the Bible, that it 
 was displeasing to him to hear them preached 
 upon. He considered it useless to argue with 
 a man that did not believe them. On one 
 occasion at dinner with some British officers 
 and others, one of his guests suggested that if 
 we left the Bible out of the question he could 
 
282 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIOIS". 
 
 prove liis position to be true, upon wliicli the 
 old liero, bringing liis hand down with con- 
 siderable violence upon the table, said : " Never 
 give up the Bible, sir, we can't give up the 
 Bible." And Greneral Havelock's whole reli- 
 gious character can be easily traced to the care- 
 ful religious training of his mother during his 
 infantile years — perhaps to the first six years 
 of his life, while he was yet under his father's 
 roof. It was his mother's custom to assemble 
 her children regularly around her knees every 
 day, and read a portion of the Bible to them, 
 and pray with them, and explain religious mat- 
 ters to them. It was thus the English mother, in 
 her humble house in Kent, was educating the 
 British hero for Birmah, Affghanistan and In- 
 dia. It was there he learned those sterlins; 
 principles that gave him strength for the day 
 of trial. And at the first school he attended, 
 so remarkable were his habits, that he was 
 nicknamed " old ijlilosj'' that is, the philosopher. 
 And at nine years we see ''the man of fifty- 
 seven through an inverted telescope." And, 
 of course, you must consider your health and 
 
TIIE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 283 
 
 physical qualifications for tlie occupation you 
 propose to follow. Health and capacity to 
 labor and endure have a great deal to do with 
 success in the world. A dumb man is not 
 called to be an orator, nor is one of incurable 
 stammering or of lungs so weak that he cannot 
 engage in public speaking, called to be a law- 
 yer or a preacher of the Gosj)el. The matter 
 of health is too often overlooked. It is as much 
 a sin to neglect the body as it is to neglect the 
 heart. A spendthrift of health is a suicide 
 where more than blood is sj^ilt. For good 
 health has a great deal to do ^nth talents and 
 success in life, and is not without its influence 
 upon the realities of eternity. "Take," says 
 one, " a lawyer's life through, and high health 
 is at least equal to fifty per cent, more brain. 
 The credit awarded to intellect is often due to 
 digestion. Endurance, cheeifiilness, wit, elo- 
 quence attain a force and splendor, with health, 
 which they can never approach without it." 
 
 You must consider, also, the circumstances 
 of the place where you live. Such as to which 
 calling or profession has the greatest o2:)eniT]g 
 
284 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 for usefulness. Where your country has the 
 greatest need of farmers, sailors, soldiers, me- 
 chanics, merchants, physicians, lawyers or min- 
 isters of the Gospel, and which calling or pro- 
 fession is the most crowded. As those born 
 inland in farming districts are apt to become 
 farmers, and those born on the seashore are 
 jilore aj)t to become seafaring men, so you 
 should consider whether your residence near 
 an institution of learning and opportunities to 
 obtain a liberal education, are not providential 
 allotments, directing you to literary pursuits 
 and some one qf the learned jDrofessions. While 
 one's youthful tastes or inclinations are not 
 always infallible as to what kind of business is 
 to be followed, still they should be most care- 
 fully considered. For, as the best medical 
 treatment is to work with nature in her strug- 
 gles to throw off ailments and overcome ob- 
 structions to her healthful functions, so as far 
 as possible we should try by education and 
 our daily pursuits to supplement nature, and 
 help her to her highest aspirations. As our 
 fallen nature is sinful, we must be careful how 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 285 
 
 we yield ourselves to oui' natural preferences 
 in choosing^ a business for life. That sucli 
 youthful preferences are not ahvays right, is 
 clearly proven fi'om the fact that they are not 
 always successful, nor are they abiding. On 
 the contrary, they are found to be spasmodic 
 or fickle. A slight change of circumstances, or 
 the flight of a few years, or the presence of a 
 new acquaintance, or the absence of an old one, 
 sometimes creates new tastes, or awakens just 
 as strong preferences for another pui'suit as 
 were entertained a short time ago for a totally 
 different one. Such preferences are often mere 
 fancies. They are often delusions. The point 
 should be decided upon principle. Numerous 
 cases, and of distinguished men, too, could be 
 given, in which it was found after years of 
 trial, and a great loss of time and energy, that 
 a mistake had been made in following these 
 natiu'al preferences in youth, and a radical 
 change was made. There can be no doubt but 
 that sometimes it is the duty of a man to 
 change his business or his profession. This 
 cannot be wrong in itself, but on the contrary, 
 
286 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSIOIS'. 
 
 from healtli or otlier circumstances it may be- 
 come a duty. A few years' experience may be 
 necessary to develop what pursuit or kind of 
 business we are tlie best fitted for. It is veiy 
 evident either that some men have made a mis- 
 take in their calling, or else they are fit for no 
 business at all. They are either in the wi'ong 
 business or they do not attend to the right 
 business in the right way, and in either case, 
 the sooner they correct their mistakes the bet- 
 ter for themselves and others. They are so 
 fretful and unhaj^py, and attend to their calling 
 so badly, that it is clear they are in the wrong 
 place, or else not fitted for any place. Our 
 doctrine on this subject is, that many men are 
 attempting to do what Providence never called 
 them to do, and that they ought to change either 
 their calling or their manner of attending to 
 it. For we hold that it is the duty of every 
 _ Christian man and woman to strive to excel 
 in whatever they profess to do. If a Christian 
 woman has to nurse, or spin, or sew, or teach, 
 the should aim at being the best nurse and the 
 best worker. And if a Christian gains his liv- 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PKOFESSION. 287 
 
 ing by gardening or making boots, let him 
 have the best vegetables and make the best 
 boots in market. And so of every calling, from 
 the hmnblest to the hio-hest. That such should 
 be our aim as a matter of policy and gain, may 
 be taken for granted ; but that is not enough. 
 Christians are to covet earnestly the best gifts. 
 It is their duty to seek superior excellence. 
 They are to do more than publicans and sin- 
 ners. And on this point, also, two remarks 
 seem to be called for ; first^ as a general rule in 
 our country, young people commence business 
 or begin the duties of life too early. This has 
 a serious and most baneful effect upon them in 
 after life. It destroys the enthusiasm, cheer- 
 fulness and vigor that should uphold them 
 in mature years. It is better that om* boys 
 live in less luxury, or even without some com- 
 forts at home, than that they should begin to 
 make and spend money in their minority. 
 
 And secondly^ it is a common fault in our 
 day that our youth are so conceited, self-willed 
 and obstinate, that they will not take the ad- 
 vice of parents, teachers, and friends of 
 
288 THE CHOICE OF A PKOFESSIOI^. 
 
 advanced years, as to wliat kind of business 
 tliey should engage in. Parents, friends, and 
 pastors may not always know " what manner 
 of child this should be ;" yet surely every 
 young man should examine well his endow- 
 ments and qualifications, and let the multitude 
 of years speak to him, and age give him coun- 
 sel, in deciding what business or profession his 
 special gifts and circumstances may j)oint out 
 to him as his pursuit for life. Again, it will 
 hardly be doubted that the moral tendency 
 of the business we are deliberating about should 
 be well considered ; such as its liability to 
 temptations to Avi'ong doing, or its adaptation 
 to promote our intellectual and spiritual im- 
 provement. We are not, indeed, to seek only 
 our own interests ; and yet we cannot help pro- 
 moting our own highest good by choosing the 
 right profession, and the right profession for us 
 is the one in which we can get and do the most 
 good. Some callings afford greater opportuni- 
 ties than others for reading, and others are 
 more favorable for the development of the reli- 
 gious sentiment. For although the sweat of 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 289 
 
 the man at the plough or at the anvil is just as 
 honorable as the sweat of the lawyer at the bar, 
 or of the statesman in the forum, still the 
 ploughman and blacksmith have not the oppor- 
 tunities for mental cultivation that belong to 
 the la-\\yer or senator. The toil of the mer- 
 chant may be as honest, and as pious, and as 
 acceptable to God as that of the pastor, but it 
 is not so favorable for the genial studies and 
 pursuits of cultivated minds. And it is no 
 doubt because seculai' business, trade, and the 
 learned j)rofessions are so engrossing that they 
 do not allow or enoourao-e that devotion to the 
 culture of the mind and heart, that are requi- 
 site to eminence, that so few, comparatively so 
 few are found earnestly pursuing secular avo- 
 cations, that are at the same time eminent for 
 their piety. Ordinarily eminent piety is pre- 
 ceded by, and still nurtured with much prayer 
 and special attention to the reading of God's 
 word. And this requires time and energy. 
 Aud hence we should expect more piety, eleva- 
 tion of thought, and culture of intellectual 
 powers in the ministry than in any other em- 
 irs 
 
290 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIOlSr. 
 
 ployment. As tlie subjects witli wliicli tlie 
 teacliers of Cliristianity are familiar are tlie 
 most momentous tliat can occupy the liuman 
 mind, so we naturally expect that a devotion to 
 tliem would quicken and strengthen the intel- 
 lect and improve the heart. The greatest ene- 
 mies of human happiness are the trinity of 
 human depravity : " the world, the flesh, and 
 the devil." And it is perfectly clear that some 
 callings are more beset by these than others. 
 The love of ease is natural to the carnal mind. 
 Sloth is a dangerous foe to all improvement. 
 To hide our talent in a napkin is to betray our 
 trust and dishonor our creation. And so also 
 A^anity and ambition, or the inordinate desire 
 for fame, has slain its thousands. " How can 
 you believe," said our Lord, " which seek 
 honor one of another, and seek not the 
 honor that cometh from God only ?" Let 
 not the wise man glory in his wisdom; nei- 
 ther let the mighty man gloiy in his might; 
 let not the rich man glory in his riches; but 
 let him that glorieth, glory in this that he 
 understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 291 
 
 LoED wliicli exercise loving kindness, judg- 
 ment, and rigliteousness, in the eartli : for in 
 these things I delight, saith the Lord. Jere- 
 Qiiiali ix. 24. 
 
 The love of the things of this world grows 
 by indulgence. The root of all evil is the love 
 of money, " which while some coveted after, 
 they have erred from the faith, and pierced 
 themselves through mth many soitows." " They 
 that will be rich, fall into a temptation and a 
 snare, and into many hui'tful and foolish lusts, 
 which drown men in destruction and perdi- 
 tion." Observation fully confirms these texts 
 of Scripture as to the blinding, absorbing, de- 
 moralizing, dangerous tendency of the inordi- 
 nate love of the world. It is important, there- 
 fore, that a young man in choosing his business 
 for life, and in the prosecution of it, should 
 well consider the temptations it will present to 
 him, and the hindrances that may be connected 
 with it in the way of his mental and moi'al im- 
 provement. And the more so, because it is by 
 these professional avenues, adaptations or pecu- 
 liar tendencies that the evil one always makes 
 
292 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSIOTT. 
 
 his most deadly assaults. Is the calling, then, 
 you are about to choose favorable or otherwise 
 to your mental growth and spiritual welfare, or 
 is it one that will deprive you of such advan- 
 tages, and expose you to idleness, luxuiy or 
 vice ? Will it help or hinder you in your way 
 to heaven ? If then, as we have seen, our own 
 personal well-being is not inconsistent with our 
 duty to our fellow men and our Creator, but is 
 a part of it, it must also be true that virtue 
 should be its own reward, at least in part, in 
 this world ; and that we should seek for glory, 
 honor, and immortality in the world to come. 
 It is according to the Scriptures that we should 
 have respect unto the recompense of rewards. 
 Moses is commended for this. It is given as a 
 proof of his heroic faith, that " he refused to be 
 called the son of Pharaoh's daughter ; choosing 
 rather to suffer aiHiction with the peoj^le of 
 God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a 
 season: esteeming the reproach of Christ 
 greater riches than the treasures in Eg3rpt : for 
 he had respect unto the recompen-?ie of the re- 
 loardP Several points are revealed in the 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 293 
 
 AVord of God as to tlie rewards of eternity, that 
 should be well considered. 
 
 1. Tliey are to be in proportion to the trials 
 of this life. We understand our Lord to teach 
 this principle when inculcating self denial as at 
 the very beginning of our discipleship. "If 
 any man will come after me, let him deny him- 
 self, and take up his cross, and follow me. For 
 ^vhosoever will save his life shall lose it, and 
 whosoever Avill lose his life shall find it. Then 
 Peter said, Lo, we have left all and followed 
 thee. And he said unto them, Yerily, I say 
 unto you, there is no man that hath left house, 
 or parents, or Ijrethren, or wife, or children, for 
 the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not re- 
 ceive manifold more in this present time, and 
 in the world to come life everlasting." And 
 so Paul teaches, when he says : " For I reckon 
 tliat the sufferings of this present time are not 
 worthy to be compared with the glory that 
 shall be revealed in us?" "Rejoice, inasmuch 
 as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, 
 when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be 
 
294 THE CHOICE OF A PKOFESSION. 
 
 glad also with exceeding joy." " A witness of 
 the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of 
 the glory that shall be revealed." " Yea, doubt- 
 less, and I count all things but loss for the ex- 
 cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my 
 Lord ; that I may know him, and the power of 
 his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suf- 
 ferings, being made conformable unto his death ; 
 if, by any means, I may attain unto the resur- 
 rection of the dead." The rule is, If we suffer 
 WITH Christ we shall reigk with imi. The 
 enjoyment of heaven "will be the more glorious 
 because of the trials we j^ass through. " That 
 the trial of your faith, being much more pre- 
 cious than of gold that perisheth, though it be 
 tried with iire, would be found to praise, and 
 honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus 
 Christ." " What are these which are arrayed 
 in white robes ? and whence came they ? And 
 he said unto me. These are they which came 
 out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
 robes, and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 295 
 
 of God, and serve him day and night in his 
 temple : and he that sitteth on his throne shall 
 dwell amono; them." 
 
 2. The rewards of eternity are to be accord- 
 ing to every TnarCs labor done in the body. This 
 labor must be, however, from pure motives, 
 from love to God and man. The love of Christ 
 must constrain us to the consecration of om-- 
 selves to his cause. .The great Calvin, in ex- 
 pounding the text : " They that be wise shall 
 shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and 
 they that turn many to righteousness as the 
 stars forever ;" says it means, " that the sons of 
 God who, being devoted entirely to God and 
 ruled by the spirit of wisdom, point out the 
 way of life to others, shall not only be saved 
 themselves, but shall 2:)ossess surpassing glory, 
 far beyond anything which exists in this world. 
 Hence we gather the nature of true Avisdom to 
 consist in submitting ourselves to God in sim- 
 ple teachableness, and in manifesting the addi- 
 tional quality of carefully promoting the sal- 
 vation of our brethren." The rule is that in 
 bestowing eternal life upon his followers, a ■ 
 
296 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 
 
 special reward is attached to special gifts and 
 services. Our Lord accordingly promised to 
 the apostles, in view of the extraordinary trials, 
 sufferings and labors through which they were 
 called to go, that they should " sit on twelve 
 thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." 
 Paul was, therefore, authorized to say, when he 
 contemj)lated the end of his mortal race, con- 
 flict and labor here below : " Thenceforth there 
 is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, 
 which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give 
 me at that day : and not to me only, but unto 
 all them also that love his appearing. The 
 plain meaning of which is, that a special crown 
 was prepared for him in proportion to his 
 labors performed out of love to Christ. Paul, 
 in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Oor. iii.), 
 expressly tells us that, neither is he that plant- 
 eth anything, neither he that watereth : but 
 God that giveth the increase. Now he that 
 planteth and he that watereth are one: and 
 every man shall receive Ms own reward accord- 
 ing to Ms own labor. And then he explains, 
 that according to the character of a man's work, 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 297 
 
 wlietlier it be gold, silver, precious stones, or 
 wood, liay, stubble — wlietlier it abide the trial 
 by fii'e, for tlie fire shall try every man's works 
 of what sort it is — so sliall lie receive a reward. 
 And every man shall receive his oivii reivard 
 according to his own labor. Not according to 
 talents, gifts or station ; not according even to 
 our successors, but according to our labors, we 
 are to be rewarded. Diversity of gifts in unity 
 of purpose is God's law in all his works. Min- 
 isters and teachers and persons in all pursuits 
 have diiferent gifts, and different services to 
 perform, and the rule by which they are to be 
 rewarded at last, is according to their labor. 
 It is a great comfort to see the fruit of our 
 labors now, but if not, our record is on high. 
 In one of the publications of the A. S. 8. Union., 
 there is an allegory to the following effect. We 
 do not attempt to recite it word for word, but 
 give an abridgment of it from one of the an- 
 nual reports of the late Rev. Dr. Van Rensse- 
 laer, of the Board of Education, to the General 
 Assembly. Indeed, we are indebted to this 
 report for suggesting this discourse, and for 
 
 13* 
 
298 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 
 
 many liints and thonglits, all of whicli we have 
 freely used. The allegory is called "The 
 Crown Room," A pions yonng man of prom- 
 ising talents and prospects felt impressed with 
 the idea that it was his duty to preach the 
 Gospel. He was exceedingly reluctant, how- 
 ever, to devote himself to the service of God in 
 the Gospel of his Son. The struggle was 
 continued for months. His worldly ambition 
 and wealthy and fashionable friends pleading 
 on the one side, and the voice of his soul seem- 
 ing to rise up from its depths, saying, "Woe is 
 me, woe is me, if I preach not the Gospel." At 
 last he thought he had rightly settled the 
 question. He determined not to preach the 
 kingdom of God, engaged in business, and his 
 immediate success he considered as a proof that 
 he had done right. He soon became a man of 
 large wealth. Nor did he forsake the cause of 
 Christ. He maintained his Christian profes- 
 sion, and was punctual at the prayer meeting, 
 and gave liberally at the missionary concerts. 
 After being at a large meeting in behalf of 
 missions, he returned home, and soon fell asleep, 
 
TIIE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSIOI^. 299 
 
 when he dreamed that an angel of great glory 
 approached liim and invited him to follow him. 
 He did so until he reached the gate of a stu- 
 pendous edifice. After entering its apartments, 
 whose dimensions and magnificence amazed 
 and awed him, "This," said his angel guide, "is 
 the Crmvn Room, and here you see deposited 
 the crowTis which await the faithful when they 
 have finished their course." And oh, what a 
 sight was there presented to his eyes! Ar- 
 ranged in glittering rows, one above the other, 
 suspended from the lofty dome and piled up 
 on every side, were innumerable crowns of 
 every size, form and device. Some of these 
 were simple circlets or crescents of gold, con- 
 taining here and there a single jewel; others 
 more thickly sprinkled with brilliants or stud- 
 ded with gems. Long and earnestly did he 
 look at the glories that surrounded him until 
 his guiding angel reminded him that it was 
 time to return, and began to move out, but 
 said, " Thy crown is yet to be won." But being 
 reluctant to leave, his eyes were at last fixed 
 npou a crown which he liad not before ob- 
 
300 THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION 
 
 served. It was gorgeous witli brilliants, and 
 as lie gazed upon it a strange fascination seized 
 liim. He trembled as be gazed, and tears fell 
 from bis eyes as be exclaimed : O eartb, eartb ! 
 wbat canst tbou offer like tbis ? Tell me, ob, 
 tboii sbining one ! for wbat favored being can 
 tbis glorious cro^vn be reserved — wbo sball be 
 wortby to wear it at last ? " Alas ! alas !" said 
 tbe angel, " I know not ! once, indeed, it seemed 
 ready for tbee, but tbou knewest not tbe time 
 of tby visitation. Tbou didst turn away from 
 yonder glittering crown. I know not wbo 
 sball stand in tby lot, or wear tbat res})lendent 
 diadem !" Startled, be awoke from bis slum- 
 bers. Tbe scales fell from bis eyes, and be saw 
 bow be bad temporized witb duty, and bad 
 offered gold^ gold, GOLD instead of tbe living 
 sacrifice. How be bad allowed tbe pleasures 
 and gains of eartb to delude bim. He strug- 
 gled long and earnestly for forgiveness. He 
 now prayed, not "I pray tbee bave me ex- 
 cused," but in tbe very words of our text, 
 " Lord, wbat wilt tbou bave me to do ?" " Here 
 am I," said be, " send me now, O Lord, if tbou 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSION. 301 
 
 canst after so mucli unworthiness and so great 
 neglect of duty." Bitterly, most bitterly did 
 lie moui'n over his folly and repent his waste 
 of talents, loss of time and misuse of precious 
 gifts. But at length, finding peace, and be- 
 coming assured that it was his duty to preach 
 the Gospel, he took up his cross and went forth 
 as Christ's ambassador. Domestic ties and 
 many worldly cares were now a serious hin- 
 drance in his way, but by divine grace he was 
 enabled to strive for the prize set before him, 
 and to do a great and blessed work in the ser- 
 vice of his gracious Master. Young men, let 
 me beseech you to choose an occupation that 
 will bear the scrutiny of the last day. Con- 
 sider well the principles laid down and briefly 
 alluded to or illustrated in this discourse. 
 Your happiness now and through a boundless 
 eternity, as well as that of those whose life and 
 being tnay be bound up in yours, depends very 
 much upon your making choice of the riglit 
 kind of an employment or pursuit in life. 
 Choose, then, your calling in the fear of God, 
 and so pursue it as to show that you are called 
 
302 THE CHOICE OF A PEOFESSIO]^-. 
 
 of God to it, and tliat in it you are seeking to 
 please Him who is invisible, and to gain glory, 
 Lonor and immortality in tis presence. Make 
 your choice deliberately and according to higli 
 and noble principles, and tlien pursue your em- 
 ployment boldly, conscientiously, devotedly, 
 persistently. A wrong choice, or a negligent 
 pursuit even of the right calling, is a life of 
 monotony for your own souls, a palsy in your 
 own homes, and a misguiding or injustice to 
 others ; while, on the other side, he that is wise 
 is wise not only for himself, but for others — a 
 wise choice and a wise j)ursuit is the life of the 
 crowned and reigning spirit. Thy croivn^ young 
 man, is yet to he won. God help you to gird 
 on your armor, and help you to win it. It is a 
 resplendently glorious crown, to which your 
 age, your country and your God calls you. It 
 is for you to become a light always moving in 
 the creation of God, in a wider and a higher 
 sphere — discovering always, illuminating al- 
 ways, gaining every hour in strength for bolder 
 and more lofty flights, yet bowed down every 
 hour into deeper humility ; sure of being always 
 
THE CHOICE OF A PROFESSION. 303 
 
 and iiTesistibly in an upward progress ; liappy 
 in what you have achieved, happier still in the 
 greatness of the way before you, and happiest 
 still at the close of life, when all other names 
 of dearest ties may fade from the memory, to 
 be refreshed by the recollection of that name 
 which is above every name, happiest at the 
 close of life, when the right hand begins to for- 
 get its cunning, to remember that there was 
 never a touch of your chisel or of your pen or 
 pencil, nor a deed done by your hand, nor a 
 2:>uqoose of your heart, but has added to the 
 kiiowledge and happiness of your fellow-men. 
 
XIL 
 
 EESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SALVATION OF OUK 
 FELLOW MEN. 
 
 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn uuto death, and 
 those that are ready to be slain ; If thou sayest, Behold we knew it 
 not ; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it ? and he that 
 keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it ? and shall not he render to 
 every man according to his works? — Proverbs xxiv. 11, 12. 
 
 One of tlie best remarks of the late Daniel 
 Webster is liis answer to tlie question : What 
 is the greatest subject a man can think upon ? 
 " His responsibility, his responsibility to God, 
 sir, is the most important subject that can enter 
 his mind." ^ 
 
 We propose now, in a plain way, with God's 
 hel|), to offer some thoughts upon our responsi- 
 bility as. Christians for the salvation of our fel- 
 low men. To understand this j)assage of Scrip- 
 ture, we must consider, first, the sin here de- 
 clared to be so displeasing to God. It is a sin 
 
 804 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 305 
 
 of omission. It is tlie neglecting of our duty to- 
 ward our fellow men, and tliougli originally 
 applied to their natural lives, it is equally true 
 as to neglecting tlieir souls. The original allu- 
 sion seems to be to the case of an innocent per- 
 son brought into visible and extreme danger, 
 either by severe oppression, or by a sudden 
 assault upon his person, or by some unjust pro- 
 cess of law. As for example, if a person is con- 
 demned by false witnesses, and it is within our 
 power to furnish the proofs of the perjury of 
 the witnesses and the innocence of the party 
 accused, then it is our solemn duty to do it. 
 Among the Jews, it was allowed that if any 
 person could oifer anything in favor of a pri- 
 soner, after sentence was passed, it was his duty 
 to do so before the execution. Accordinc: to 
 the Mishna it was usual when a man was led 
 to execution, for a crier to go before him and 
 proclaim : " This man is now going to be exe- 
 cuted for such a crime, and such and such are 
 witnesses against him : Whoever knows him to 
 be innocent, let him come forth and make it 
 appear." Quoted by Dr. Doddridge. 
 
306 eespojS^sibility foe the 
 
 It is admitted tliat if any one is attacked by 
 force, and his projoerty and life are in danger, 
 it is our duty to fly to Ms assistance, if tliere 
 is a greater probability tliat we can save bis 
 life than tbat we should lose our own in the 
 attempt to save Mm. Thus, if we see any one 
 through ignorance or thoughtlessness exposing 
 himself to danger, or about to walk over a pre- 
 cipice, or to fall into the hands of thieves, or to 
 take a wrong road, or get into any other dis- 
 tress, as strangers, travellers, and ships at sea, 
 and all such cases ; then, though it might be 
 with exj)ense, toil and trouble to ourselves, and 
 even with great difficulty and peril, and with- 
 out any i-eward or even return of gratitude, 
 still it is our duty, because of the great bonds 
 of human brotherhood, and for the love of God 
 the great Father of mankind, to hasten to their 
 help and deliverance. Among the Egyptians, 
 " to be the accidental witness of an attempt to 
 murder, without endeavoring to prevent it, was 
 reckoned a capital offence, which could only be 
 palliated by bringing proof of absolute ina- 
 bility to act. To be present when any one 
 
SALVATIOiS^ OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 307 
 
 inflicted a personal injury on another without 
 interfering, was tantamount to being a party to 
 tlie evdl done, and was punishable according to 
 the extent of the assault." ^ 
 
 And if the neHectino; of the natural lives 
 and estates of our fellow men be so highly- 
 criminal, it must be much more heinous in the 
 sight of God, to permit the ruin of their charac- 
 ter, or the defamation of their families, or the 
 perdition of their souls, without doing eveiy- 
 thing in our power to save them from being 
 drawn unto death and slain by the sword of 
 eternal justice. 
 
 Secondly/. It is supposed in the text, that they 
 who neglect to deliver those that are drawn 
 unto death and are ready to be slain, are 
 prompt to excuse themselves for this neglect. 
 And this readiness to offer excuses is evidence, 
 Jlf'st, of a consciousness of guilt ; and secondly^ 
 of having offered violence to the best feelings 
 of human nature. For our first impulse on see- 
 ing distress, is to endeavor to relieve it. Our 
 hearts then leap into our bosoms, and we are 
 
 * "Ancient Egypt," by the Carters, vol. 1., p. 80. 
 
308 respojS'sibility for the 
 
 ready to run to tlieir relief; but when cold and 
 selfish calculation enters into the heart, then we 
 forbear. And here is the force of the terms — 
 if tlwu forbear to deliver them — that is, if thou 
 check, or restrain, and hold back from doing 
 what your heart prompts ; then " he that pon- 
 dereth the heart, and keepeth thy soul, doth 
 not he know it ? And shall he not render to 
 every man according to his works ?" 
 
 Thirdly. All such excuses, however, are vain. 
 They are unavailing. If we succeed in excus- 
 ing ourselves to ourselves and to our fellow men, 
 it is a trifling matter. It is a light thing to be 
 judged of man's judgment; he that judgeth 
 thee is the Lord ; and he pondereth the heart ; 
 he weighs in a most accurate balance, all its 
 most secret sentiments. He that keej^eth thy 
 soul, doth he not know it ? His are all thy 
 ways, even to the deep thoughts of thine 
 heart; and he will render to every man ac- 
 cording to his works. 
 
 Human laws may not punish for the neglect 
 of our own or of the souls of our fellow men. 
 The grand jury may not bring in an indict- 
 
SALYATIOX OF OUK FELLOW MEX. 309 
 
 ment for profane swearing, or for dmnkenness, 
 nor for destroying tlie habits of oui' young men, 
 or for adultery and fornication, and lying and 
 corruj^ting our public morals. It may be tlie 
 police cannot prevent men from exercising tbeir 
 ingenuity in decoying tlie innocent and delud- 
 ing the unwary stranger. There may be no 
 statute against the omission of duty to the souls 
 of men. The laws of the land may not be able 
 to punish for the sins of the heart, or to enforce 
 filial piety and love to God, and charity to our 
 fellow men, still he that trieth the reins of the 
 heart, knoweth all these things. And besides, 
 there is the common law of humanity, the writ- 
 ten law of benevolence, engraved on the hu- 
 man heart and proclaimed ffom the statute 
 book of heaven, requiring us to deliver those 
 that are drawn unto death and are ready 
 to be slain, and the supreme law-giver tvtlII 
 render at last to every one according to his 
 works. 
 
 The doctrine raised from this explanation of 
 the text is, that there is a great responsi- 
 bility RESTING UPON us TO DESIRE AND LABOR 
 
310 RESPOlSrSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 EAENESTLY FOR THE SALVATIOJST OF OUE FELLOW 
 
 MEN". And this view of tlie text implies, 
 
 1. That our fellow men are in danger ; and 
 that the wicked, the impenitent, and ungodly 
 are in a dangerous condition is clear from the 
 Word of God. This danger is pointed to by 
 the words : " If thou forbear to deliver them 
 that are drawn unto death, and those that are 
 ready to be slain." 
 
 Drawn unto death — ready to he slahi^ are 
 fearful words. And all the more fearful when 
 we remember that it is of the soul rather than 
 of the body that they are spoken. Have you 
 ever seriously considered what is meant by the 
 slaying of the soul — by the death of the soul ? 
 What is the death of the soul ? Is there, in- 
 deed, any reach of the human mind so capacious 
 and all penetrating as to apprehend what it is 
 to be lost ? If eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
 nor heart of man conceived, what are the joys 
 of heaven : so neither hath eye seen, nor ear 
 heard, nor heart of man conceived what is 
 meant by the portion of the finally impenitent ; 
 the cup of trembling and wrath which an om- 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 311 
 
 nipotent L,and compels them to drink, because 
 they rejected offered mercy and despised the 
 free grace of God. Weej^ing and wailing, and 
 gnashing of teeth, and outer darkness and ban- 
 ishment from the presence and glory of God, 
 are some of the terms by which the doom of 
 the wicked is described in the holy Scriptures. 
 But, oh, situation how dismal ! 
 
 " Dungeon horrible on all sides round 
 As one great furnace flara'd, yet from these flames 
 No light, but rather darkness risible 
 Serv'd only to discover sights of woe, 
 Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace 
 And rest can never dwell, hope never comes 
 That comes to all ; but torture without end 
 Still rages, and a fiery deluge, fed 
 With ever-burning sulphur unconsum'd." 
 
 And yet, is it not true that multitudes around 
 us are living in sin and dying out of the present 
 Avorld every day without any preparation for a 
 better life ? Does not a thoughtful survey of 
 our streets confirm the Scripture view, that the 
 wide gate and the broad way which leads to 
 death are crowded, and that there are but few 
 
312 EESPOIS^SIBILITY FOE THE 
 
 in tlie narrow way wliicli leads to life ? Is it 
 not true if we judge from our fellow-men at 
 large as tliey pass and repass before us in their 
 thousand thousand ways of conflict, suffering, 
 li\dng and dying, that Christ's fl.ock is small 
 and the devil's herd is large ? If the destroy- 
 ing angel was commissioned to pass over the 
 cities of Christendom, and commanded to smite 
 with instant death all those who dwell in 
 houses not marked mth the blood of the great 
 Paschal Lamb slain from the foundation of the 
 world to take away its sin, to slay the first-born 
 of all those families that do not call upon Grod 
 by morning and evening pra^^er — who do not 
 reverence the holy name of the God of Israel — 
 who do not keep his day holy, and who do not 
 take up their cross and follow Christ — brethren, 
 would not loud and long wailings rise up from 
 many of our dwellings if such a test as this 
 were now applied in order that it might be 
 seen who is on the Lord's side and who is not ? 
 It is fearful to move over a field of battle, when 
 the missiles of destruction are flying, rolling, 
 rattling and crashing in every direction ; or to 
 
SALVATIOX OF OUR FELLOW IVIEN". 313 
 
 go througli a populous city when an epidemic 
 is prevailing, and death rides on every breeze ; 
 but, there is no epidemic like sin. It kills both 
 body and soul, and kills beyond the grave. 
 There is no death like etei-nal death, which is 
 the second death — a death forever in the ex- 
 tremest agonies of dying, and yet can never die. 
 With all the allowances which that charity can 
 make which believeth all things and hopeth all 
 things, is it not true, that the marks of eternal 
 death are on many of our fellow-men — that is, 
 they are ungodh^, impenitent, self-righteous, 
 disobedient, utterly careless or indifferent about 
 'religion, or they are profane, prayerless, im- 
 moral, vicious ? And on others on whom the 
 marks of evil doing are not displayed, there 
 are, however, no signs of spiritual life. They 
 are not seeking to be saved. They are not 
 given to prayer. They do not love God, nor 
 obey his Son Jesus Christ. And if the right- 
 eous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly 
 and the sinner appear? What shall be the 
 end of those who know not God, and obey not 
 the Gospel of his Son ? O that the dreadful 
 
 li 
 
314 RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 contagion of sin could be destroyed ! But 
 alas ! it is an epidemic that ragetli everywliere 
 in our fallen world, and ragetli evermore win- 
 ter and summer, seed time and harvest. It 
 ne"v«r abates. Sin abounds and death reigns. 
 "For death from sin, no power can separate." 
 Now a few considerations ivill make it plain, 
 that the impenitent are in danger of eternal 
 death. First , they are in a great measure care- 
 less on the subject of religion. Intelligent, 
 energetic, Avhole-hearted on all other subjects, 
 they are indifferent to this the first and great- 
 est concern of every human being. Their care- 
 lessness may arise from a variety of causes, but 
 in every case it is dangerous. Some think 
 themselves wise and increased in goods, while 
 in fact they are stupid, ignorant and miserably 
 poor. Their prosperity is either a mere fancy, 
 or it is the verdui^e of the hill-side just below 
 the volcanic crater, whose groanings are already 
 to be heard as notes of preparation for the over- 
 flowing flood of fire that will sweep all below 
 to destruction. They are sick, but think them- 
 selves in health. They will die, if no physician 
 
SALVATIOI^ OF OUE FELLOW MEN. 315 
 
 saves tliem ; but they do not feel their need of 
 one. Their carelessness is the calm that pre- 
 cedes the storm. It is a calm produced by ig- 
 norance or stupidity, if not by an entire with- 
 drawing of divine influence. Indifferent, uncon- 
 cerned, no mind or heart for eternal realities • 
 how can they be saved ? The Lord's day they 
 do not keep holy. Their backs are turned 
 upon the Lord's house, where his word is 
 preached; and their Bible, the gift of a parent 
 or of a "sister dear" who has passed into the' 
 skies, if not lost, is at least not read; nor do 
 they now repeat "Our Father" and lift up 
 their hearts to God as they were taught to do 
 m prayer in the home of their youth. How, 
 then, can they be saved who neglect so great a 
 salvation? Those Avho despised the law of 
 Moses died without mercy; but to despise the 
 Gospel IS a greater crime, and deserves a great- 
 er punishment. Those who seek not mercy 
 now, according to the Gospel, shall never have 
 It. TUs is the acceptable time; this is the 
 day of salvation. If it be neglected, there is 
 then no more hope. But, secomlly, our impeni- 
 
316 RESPOlSrSIBILITT FOE THE 
 
 tent fellow-inen are in great danger, because 
 the manner of their lives is contrary to God's 
 laws, and therefore exposes tliem continually 
 to his righteous judgments. Some men are 
 content with a mere name for decency and 
 good manners ; others are amiable and correct 
 and well to do in the world ; and others even 
 have the form of godliness ; and yet all these 
 are without true piety. Some even draw nigh 
 to God with their mouth, and honor him with 
 their lips, whose heart is far from him. Then 
 there are others who are living in open sin. 
 They glory in their shame. Their sins are 
 open beforehand, going before to the judgment, 
 and some men's sins follow after. The works 
 of the flesh, which are the works of the wicked 
 One, are manifest, which are " adultery, forni- 
 cation, uncleanness, wrath, murder and drunk- 
 enness." And they that do such things show 
 too clearly that they are of their father, the 
 devil, and the lusts of their father they will do. 
 They are servants of sin, and living after the 
 flesh, they must die — For the unrigliteoiis can- 
 not inlierit the Tcingdom of God. Thirdly. An- 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW :ME]S". 31 Y 
 
 Other proof of the imrainency of the danger that 
 threatens our impenitent fellow men, is that 
 great and fundamental errors are abroad in the 
 world — and many are led away from the truth 
 as it is in Jesus, and many even substitute 
 these false doctrines and damnables heresies, as 
 an apostle has called them, for the vital doc- 
 trines and true views of our holy religion. 
 They receive as and/o?' the precious Gospel of 
 Christ, what is in fact another Gospel. The 
 fancies and traditions and commandments of 
 men are substituted for the commandments of 
 the living God. A "will-worship" is put in 
 the place of the worship God has appointed. 
 Human means are made sufficient ^\dthout the 
 atonement of the Son of God. Now it cannot 
 be true that all religions are equally good. It 
 cannot be true that a man is not responsible 
 for what he believes. It cannot be true that it 
 makes no difference what a man believes if he 
 is only sincere. If this were so, then there 
 would be no difference between right and wrong. 
 Nor could there be any standard of right and 
 wi-ong. But we know there is such a. differ- 
 
318 EESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 ence, and tliat there is sucli a standard, and tlie 
 proof of this is the universal conscience, con- 
 fession and practice of the human race. And 
 we know also that as a man thinketh in his 
 heart, so is he. We know that truth appre- 
 hended is a principle, and that a principle ap- 
 prehended excites an emotion, a desire, a will, 
 and leads to action, so that from believing 
 comes thinking, and then doing. Truth in 
 itself is infinitely jDrecious, It is separated by 
 an infinite space from error. And while truth 
 is saving, error is destroying. It does, there- 
 fore, make a great difierence what a man be- 
 lieves, for without his intending it, or perceiv- 
 it, his conduct is moulded by his belief And 
 besides, a man is as much accountable for the 
 doctrines he believes, the sentiments he holds, 
 the opinions he utters, as he is for the example 
 he sets or the actions he performs. Nor does 
 a man's good intentions excuse him for wrong 
 doing, when he could have known what was 
 right by taking heed to the will of God. Nor 
 does a man's sincerity in his belief save him 
 from responsibility. A man's sincere belief 
 
SALVATION? OF OUR FELLOW MEZs". 319 
 
 that iiis neiglibor was honest does not save 
 liim from the loss lie sustains when that neicrh- 
 bor runs away with his money. Nor does a 
 man's perfect honesty save him from death, if 
 by mistake he has taken poison that kills 
 instead of the powder that w\as to heal. It is 
 our duty to, know and believe the truth, and 
 nothing but the truth. And for this very pur- 
 pose God has endowed us ^vith reason, Intel- 
 lectual powers, speech and the means of know- 
 ledge, and has revealed his will for our salva- 
 tion. It is by the truth we are begotten to a 
 lively hope, and made free from sin. A man's 
 life cannot be in the right, if his f\iith be in the 
 WTong ; for his conduct will flow from ^^^:oncr 
 
 o 
 
 motives and aims — his actions will be the pro- 
 ducts of erroneous principles, and however sin- 
 cere, error never can produce right. 
 
 Since, therefore, it is philosophical as well as 
 scriptural that some errors are " damnable," it 
 is of the greatest importance that men should 
 have clear and proper views of the divine cha- 
 racter—of the la^v of God and of themselves— 
 of its reach, spiriturdity and requirements, and 
 
320 EESPOXSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 of tliemselves as guilty in tlie sight of God, and 
 of tlieir need of Christ as a Saviour, and be 
 able to apprehend his willingness and suffi- 
 ciency as a Redeemer. And since, according to 
 the Word of God, we cannot be saved without 
 holiness — without being born again — without 
 repentance and faith, and since so many are 
 living around us Avho give no evidence of re- 
 pentance toward God, nor of faith in Jesus 
 Christ, is not the conclusion forced upon us, 
 iJiey are draion unto deatli^ and are ready to he 
 slain f What becomes of the thoiisands of 
 souls that leave our mortal shores every year ? 
 Whither do they go ? What reasonable, scrip- 
 tural hope is there that the majority of those 
 who are now intent on gain or pleasure, and 
 elbowing their way through our streets, will be 
 saved when they die ? Around how many of 
 their dying couches will be gathered a praying 
 band to commit the departing S2)irit to Jesus 
 Christ ! Ah ! is it not enough that they die 
 in wretchedness — ^that they die under the stare 
 of strange faces, and among a j^eople they have 
 not known ? Is it not enough that no mother, 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW ]ME^. 321 
 
 sister or wife will be tliere to watcli tlieir last mo- 
 ments with angel love, and when death has done 
 its work, to close the eye and commit the body 
 to dust— to strange dust, where sleep not the 
 bones of fathers and their kindred ? Is this all ? 
 Very far from it. This is only the death of the 
 body. But — 
 
 'Tis not the whole of life to live, 
 
 Nor all of death to die ; 
 Beyond this vale of tears 
 
 There is a life above, 
 Uumeasured by the flight of years. 
 
 And all that life is love. 
 There is a death whose pang 
 
 Outlasts the fleeting breath ; 
 Oh, what eternal horrors hang 
 
 Around the second death !" 
 
 2. Let us consider next, some of the excuses 
 xisualhj made or offered against our res^onsi- 
 Ulity for the salvation of our fellow men. 
 
 First. It is sometimes given as a reason for 
 neglecting the spiritual welfare of those around 
 us, that we do not know, and that indeed it is 
 not our business to know anything of their spi- 
 ritual state. Now, if by this is meant that every 
 
 14* 
 
322 EESPOlSrSIBILITY FOR TIIE 
 
 man must stand or fall before Lis own master; 
 tliat every one has to appear before God for 
 himself and not for another, and stand alone in 
 the judgment as to his own individuality; — if 
 by this is meant, that we are to mind our own 
 business, and not meddle with the affairs of 
 others, and that every one must work out his 
 own salvation with fear and trembling, then it 
 is all right. But if by tliis is really meant that 
 we are ignorant of the dangerous condition of 
 our impenitent fellow men, and that we are ex- 
 cused from feeling any anxiety or from doing 
 anything to save their souls, then it is a wicked, 
 atheistic, cruel fallacy, alike contrary to com- 
 mon charity and Gospel fraternity. Do not 
 'know that sinners ag-ainst God are in dano;er of 
 his judgments ! And is it true, that you do 
 not know that the wrath of God is revealed 
 from heaven against all ungodliness and un- 
 righteousness of men ? Are not our fellow men 
 out of Christ, living in sin, in the gall of bitter- 
 ness and the bondage of iniquity, dead, abso- 
 lutely dead in trespass and in sins ? Do you 
 not believe that all men are sinners against 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW ^lEN. 323 
 
 God, and therefore cliildren of wi'ath, and that, 
 as the Scriptures say, we must be born again, 
 become new creatures in Christ, and have a 
 new heart, or we cannot see the kingdom of 
 heaven ? And are you not fully satisfied that 
 human life is frail, short and uncertain ; that 
 ten thousand casualties and diseases are hurry- 
 ing our fellow mortals to the gates of death 
 and into an unchanging eternity ? And does 
 not the wrath of God abide on ever}' unbeliever? 
 Will he not render indignation and wrath, 
 tribulation and anguish, upon every man who 
 dies in his sins impenitent, unpardoned, unre- 
 newed ? Are not the wicked and all they that 
 forget God to be turned into hell ? Now, my 
 brethren, do you not profess to receive the 
 Scriptures as the Word of God ? How, then, 
 can you say you do not know the danger of 
 your fellow men who are living in sin ? Have 
 you not yourself fled from the wrath to come, 
 and do you not know that your friends who 
 are yet living in sin are exposed to it ? What 
 would become of your friend, relative, child, or 
 neighbor, Avho is now Christless, whose heart 
 
324 EESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 lias not been renewed by tlie gi-ace of God, if 
 they should die tMs moment? Witliout re- 
 pentance, must they not perish ? Oh, say not, 
 you know not their danger. Rather cry mightily 
 to God that they may be saved, even as it were 
 by pulling them out of the fire. 
 
 Second. Others say they do not feel the re- 
 sponsibility of which we are speaking, because 
 they have their own affairs to attend .to, and it 
 is the minister's business to save the souls of 
 men. Undoubtedly. It is true, you have your 
 own souls to save and your own work to do, 
 and it is the great business of ministers of the 
 Gospel to labor to save the souls of men. They 
 are set to watch for them as men that must 
 give an account to God. But then have you 
 no humanity ? Are you without the milk of 
 human kindness ? Have you no sympathy, no 
 fellow feeling for your own flesh and blood ? 
 It is the pri\dlege and the duty of parents, 
 sabbath-school teachers, and preachers, to show 
 unto the people the way of salvation — to tell 
 them what they must do to be saved — but 
 does this excuse any of God's people from 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 325 
 
 striving for the happiness of their fellow men ? 
 If our country is plunged into a war, and our 
 coasts are to be defended against a foreign, in- 
 vading foe, would it then be enough to say, let 
 the officers of the government attend to our de- 
 fence. They are the sons of the sword, let 
 them fio;ht for us. It is their business. True 
 it is their business, but their duty does not 
 excuse you from the claims of patriotism and 
 honor. And what can the officers do without 
 soldiers ? They gain no victories with men of 
 straw, nor with cork soldiers. It is theirs to 
 plan, to lead, to command ; but the bone and 
 sinew, the hand and the heart of the soldier in 
 the rank and file must be there to stand by the 
 undaunted leader of the host, or all is lost. 
 And just so it is with the ministers of the 
 Gospel. They are God's servants, Christ's am- 
 bassadors ; but they cannot do their own duty 
 and that of the members of God's church also. 
 Aaron and Hur must hold up Moses' hands 
 while he prays, and Joshua leads the charge 
 against the Amalekites. It is only thus the 
 Philistines can be put to flight. The apostles 
 
326 KESPOlSrSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 were emj^owered to work miracles and to speak 
 with tongues, and inspired to preack and write 
 by the Holy Spirit, yet we find tkem, and 
 particularly Paul, the bravest and the most 
 learned, most eloquent and intellectual one 
 among them all, repeatedly and most earnestly 
 asking the prayers of the Christian Churches. 
 Should you not then pray for your pastor, look 
 over his failino;s, "to his faults be a little 
 blind," and love and obey him ? If you sin- 
 cerely desire to remember his words, to profit 
 by his instructions, you must pray for him and 
 be a co-worker with him. 
 
 Third. Others say, we are commanded not 
 to cast our pearls hefore swine^ and therefore 
 we must just let our fellow men alone in their 
 sins. And has the devil become a Bible col- 
 porteur ? Do I see him carrying his green bag 
 of books, and quoting the sacred Scriptures ? 
 This is not at all improbable. He quoted the 
 Bible in his temptation of our Lord in the wil- 
 derness, and our Lord conquered by quoting 
 Scripture texts. The devil quoted to pervert 
 and lead astray ; our Lord quoted to correct his 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. o27 
 
 wicked perversions, and to vindicate tlie ways 
 of God. It is true tliat some men do more 
 Iiarm than good by being imprudent. Tlieir 
 words are not fitly chosen, or the time and 
 place were not wisely selected. There is a zeal 
 that is not according to knowledge. It is pos- 
 sible to be overmuch zealous. New wine is 
 not to be put into old bottles. The children 
 of the bride chamber are not to fast while the 
 brideoToom is with them. There must be mod- 
 eration, and some attention to what is fit and 
 becoming in times and places, characters and 
 circumstances. But what miserable logic have 
 we fallen on? Because a man may be impru- 
 dent, therefore he cannot be prudent. Because 
 a man may be righteous over much, therefore, 
 he must have no zeal at all. It is just the 
 same logic that Milton puts into Eve's mouth, 
 when she proposes to Adam to kill themselves 
 to keep from dying. It is as practicable a 
 method of doiiig our duty, as if we should say, 
 it is possible we may be choked to death by 
 eating, therefore, we will starve to death. Our 
 Lord does indeed tell us not to cast our pearls 
 
328 EESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 before swine. Are all impenitent men, there- 
 fore, swine? Is there no way to administer 
 reproof for sin ? The Saviour's admonition im- 
 plies that there is a prudent way by which to 
 win the souls of men, and hence He warns us 
 against defeating bur purposes, and bringing 
 upon ourselves contempt by injudicious at- 
 tempts. There is an officious pietism, a cant — • 
 a long-faced whining and prajang in the streets, 
 and intruding evangelical tracts and conversa- 
 tion uj^on travellers, and even into people's 
 houses, that is certainly unbecoming and highly 
 injurious ; but surely it does not follow, be- 
 cause of such ignorant and rude abuses, that 
 we should all sit still, and see our fellow men 
 drawn unto death and ready to be slain, and do 
 nothing to save them. Was it not Judas, who 
 said, what is that to us ? And was it not Cain, 
 who said : Am I my brother'' s 'keeper ? Away 
 with all companionship with such cruelties, away 
 with such miserable sophistry as this, which the 
 devil puts into men's heads to the everlasting 
 undoing of multitudes of precious souls ! 
 Fourth. Others say, our fellow men are able 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 329 
 
 to take care of tliemselves, they Iiave tlie means 
 of grace — tlie Lord's day, the cliurcli and the 
 minister, an open Bible, as good an education 
 as we have — they are free agents — they know 
 their duty ; let them attend to their own souls, 
 why should we trouble ourselves about them ? 
 And truly it is a blessed thing to live in our 
 day — to have the mantle of Puritan, Huguenot 
 and Covenanter sires, who were the elect of 
 heaven to preach the Gospel on this continent, 
 and make the wilderness vocal with the wor- 
 ship of God. It is a great privilege to have 
 ministers of the Gospel among us, who show 
 unto men the way of salvation. It is, indeed, 
 our crowning excellence, tliat we have houses 
 of worship and schools for all sorts of children, 
 and that the word of God runs swiftly over the 
 land, and the printing press is casting the fruits 
 of the tree of life abroad over all continents, 
 and that a greater and a more decided Christ- 
 ian influence prevails over mankind than ever 
 before since the foundation of the world, but 
 still all these privileges do not excuse God's 
 people from personal anxiety and efforts to 
 
330 EESPOlSrSIBILITY FOE THE 
 
 advance Ms kingdom in tlie world. Tlie mere 
 letter of the Gospel does not convert and save. 
 It is not by might nor hy power, saith God, 
 but by my spirit that men are converted and 
 saved. And God's spirit is given in answer 
 to prayer. His well-beloved son is to ask him 
 for the heathen, and then he gives the utter- 
 most parts of the earth to him for a possession. 
 And, besides, it is well known that those who 
 are most in need of the saving power of the 
 Gospel do not themselves feel the need of it. 
 They are dying for the want of bread, but have 
 no appetite. Dying for the water of life, but 
 have no thirst for it. They must be assisted, 
 or they will never get into the pool when the 
 waters are troubled. They must be encouraged 
 or even led to the house of God or they will 
 never hear the words of everlasting truth. It 
 is known historically that savage nations are 
 never civilized by an indigenous outgrowth. 
 It has always been the result of something 
 introduced from abroad. The germ of their 
 civilization has always been planted among 
 them by somebody else. It is philosophical 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW SrE'N. 331 
 
 tliat it sliould be so, for tlie stream cannot rise 
 hio-lier than the fountain. Like beQ:ets like. 
 The eartli is of the earth, earthy. It is then 
 most clearly our duty, if God, for Christ's sake, 
 has opened our eyes, to pray to him to open 
 the eyes of our fellow men, and to endeavor to 
 get them in the way that is most likely to 
 prove availing to them for such a blessing. It 
 is plainly our duty to furnish places of worship 
 and the means of Christian instruction to all 
 our fellow men, and then to do all we can to 
 induce them to profit by such opportunities. 
 If, by any fatal depravity, our fellow-citizens 
 were so obstinate that they would sit in their 
 counting-houses or stores, or starve to death in 
 their parlors rather than procure and take their 
 daily bread, would it not be charitable in us to 
 supply them, and to persuade them to take it 
 until they should so far recover as to know its 
 value and seek it for themselves*? Is it not 
 within the prudent, modest reach of the influ- 
 ence of every one of you to induce a companion 
 or acquaintance who does not now attend to 
 religious things, to go to church and to keep 
 
332 RESPOlSrSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 the Lord's day lioly? Is it not within the 
 proper sphere of every one of you to bring 
 some one to the Sunday school, the prayer 
 meeting or the solemn assembly of God's peo- 
 ple on the Sabbath ? One word, one page, one 
 prayer, one effort, with God's blessing, might 
 be the means of saving many souls from death. 
 And after all, my brethren, is it not to be 
 feared that the true reason of our nea-lectins: 
 the souls of our fellow men is, that we do not 
 realize the importance of salvation — we do not 
 really feel enough for their souls^we do not 
 sufficiently realize s]3iritual and eternal things 
 — we' do not apprehend the greatness of salva- 
 tion, nor the preciousness of the blood of 
 Christ. If we only apprehended what it is to 
 be saved, or what it is to be lost, then surely 
 we should do more to deliver the souls of men 
 from death. And the main reason Avhy we do 
 not realize these stupendous things is the want 
 of faith. We want more depth of feeling, be- 
 cause we are ignorant and unbelieving. AVe 
 have not a deep feeling for our fellow men be- 
 cause we do not truly believe what the Word" 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEX. 333 
 
 of God says, nor do we pray for them, and love 
 their souls as we should do, considerincr that 
 we are redeemed by the blood of the Son of 
 God. 
 
 3. A fexo reasons why we should earnestly 
 strive to deliver our fellow men from death. 
 
 First. Our own experience should teach us to 
 have compassion on the souls of others. Were 
 we not in the same state by nature childi^en of 
 wrath even as others ? Were we not on the 
 very brink of destruction, when sovereign mer- 
 cy found us ; and shall we not seek to extend 
 that mercy to others ? We have found him of 
 whom Moses in the law and the prophets did 
 write, and shall we not invite others to come 
 and behold him. We have looked to Jesus 
 that we might live ; and shall we not point 
 others to the Lamb of God that taketh away 
 the sins of the world ? We have tasted that 
 the Lord is good and gracious ; and shall we 
 not desire that all about us may have the same 
 happy ex]3erience of his grace ? We have ob- 
 tained the forgiveness of sin through faith in 
 his name; and shall we not, like David, en- 
 
334 RESPONSIBILITY FOE THE 
 
 deavor to teacli transgressors his ways? Oh, 
 shall we not love the souls of others, as Grod, 
 for Christ's sake, hath loved us — shall we not 
 have compassion on our fellow-servants, as the 
 Lord continually hath j)ity on us ? 
 
 Second. We are so constituted that we have 
 
 much INFLUENCE UPON OUE FELLOW MEN. Noue 
 
 of US can live to ourselves. Each one has a 
 share of influence. All covet influence, and 
 yet but few realize what it is to be a man of 
 influence. So great, indeed, is the influence of 
 mind upon mind, of heart upon heart, that it 
 requires much zeal and prayer on our part for 
 our neighbor, lest we be guilty of neglecting 
 his soul. " Be ye not partakers of other men's 
 sins." If we forbear to deliver them that are 
 drawn unto death and those that are ready to 
 be slain — are we not partakers in their ruin ? 
 
 Tliird. We should earnestly strive to save 
 the souls of our fellow men, who are drawn 
 unto death and ready to be slain, l>ecause when 
 they are converted to God, tliey are inade hap- 
 ])y. The pleasures of religion are great both 
 objectively and subjectively. The pious are 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW 3IEX. 335 
 
 not only saved from the wratli to come, but 
 they enjoy at present in the life that now is, a 
 good hope through grace and the sense of par- 
 doned sin, a persuasion of the favor of God 
 toward them, a belief that all things are work- 
 ing together for their good, and that when they 
 die they shall go to heaven ; and besides, the 
 pious find great delight in ^^rayer and praise, 
 in hearing and reading the Word of God, and 
 in conversation with religious people. These 
 are joys that satisfy and sanctify the mind, and, 
 compared to which, all the frothy mirth and 
 carnal pleasures of the wicked are mean as the 
 toys of children, and hui'tful as the sports of 
 madmen. 
 
 " The men of grace have found 
 Glory begun below, 
 Celestial fruits on earthly grouna 
 From faith and hope may grow." 
 
 Wisdom's ways are w^ays of pleasantness and 
 all her paths are paths of peace. Not a few 
 have tried both the pleasures of sin and the 
 pleasures of religion, and have found that there 
 is more happiness in one hour's communion 
 
336 EESPOXSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 witli God, than in days and months of sinful 
 indulgence. The love of God is shed abroad 
 in their hearts, which is unspeakable and full 
 of glory. And the end of their faith is salva- 
 tion — the joys and glories of the heavenly world. 
 The Holy Scriptures teach us that Christ is 
 gone to heaven to prej)are mansions for his fol- 
 lowers — that he will come again and take them 
 to dwell with him where he is. The pure in 
 heart shall see God. Verily there is a reward 
 for the rio-hteous. 
 
 Fourth. We sliould earnestly desire and lobar 
 for the salvation of our fellow men, because 
 thereby ice shall proraote our own present and 
 future happiness, the good order and peace of 
 society, and the glory of God. Christians are 
 the salt of the earth. Ten righteous men would 
 have saved Sodom ; and, verily, except the 
 Lord had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, 
 and been made like unto Gomorrah. The 
 prayers of the pious are a greater defence to 
 their country than all its fleets and armies — 
 and that government is most likely to flourish 
 in which the people of God are the most nu- 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW jrEK 337 
 
 merous, and where trutli and righteousness 
 most abound. As the meanest service we can 
 do for Christ has great refreshment in it, so 
 whatever we can do for the souls of men from 
 the love of God in our own hearts, increases 
 oui" own happiness. Whatever is done unto 
 one of the least of his disciples is done unto 
 himself They that be wise shall shine as the 
 brightness of the firmament, and they that turn 
 many to righteousness as the stars forever and 
 ever. Our blessed Lord sendeth us not on a 
 warfare at our own charge ; not that we can do 
 anything to bring God under obligations to re- 
 ward us ; for all we are is of free grace ; and 
 after we have done all, Ave are poor, unprofita- 
 ble servants. Still it is a great honor to be the 
 instniment of saving others. Such is the econo- 
 my of grace, that in doing good to others, we 
 ourselves are blessed. He that watereth the 
 souls of others shall himself be watered. It is 
 a glorious privilege to be made the means of 
 bringing in a revenue to God's gloiy, year after 
 year, and age after age. A good impression 
 made in the Sabbath school, the influence of a 
 
 15 
 
338 EESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 single word, or prayer, or tract, or the educa- 
 tion of a single yontli, or the sending out of a 
 single missionary, and thus to j^reach Christ by 
 j^roxy, may be the means of bringing in a har- 
 vest of souls every year to the end of time. 
 Herein is our highest honor, that we are co- 
 workers with God and made like our merciful 
 Father, who bestoweth his gifts upon us. 
 
 What can we do to save our fellow men ? 
 We should cherish a deep and ardent love for 
 their souls ; we should set them an example of 
 faith and holiness, and invite them to the house 
 of God; provide places of worship for them, 
 that they may have no excuse ; we should pray 
 fervently for their conversion ; Paul' may plant 
 and Apollos water, but God giveth the increase. 
 The love of oui* neighbors requires that we 
 should pity and help them in time of sickness, 
 in poverty or other temporal distress; how 
 much more, then, should we care for their souls 
 and labor earnestly to prevent their eternal 
 ruin ! Solicitude for the health of their bodies 
 and the well-being of their families and estates 
 is esteemed friendship and love toward our fel- 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 339 
 
 low men ; liow mucli more, tlien, innnitely 
 more, sliould we care for their souls ; for wliat 
 is time and all its multitudinous cares to tliat 
 vast abyss of eternity, " whose end no eye can 
 reach ?" For what is a man profited if he shall 
 gain the whole world and lose his own soul l 
 or what shall a man give in exchange for his 
 soul? Matthew xvi. 26. It were exceedingly 
 important in such a city as ours, and in all new 
 countries, and among all classes and assem- 
 blao-es of men who are from home or cut off 
 from the enjoyments of social and domestic 
 life, that the influence of our social nature 
 could be secured on the side of virtue and reli- 
 gion. Much good and much evil is done by 
 example, by conversation and by thromng 
 newspapers, tracts and books in one another's 
 way. One moment's reading while waiting in 
 the parlor for the appearance of the friend 
 called upon, or one sight of a picture, or one 
 evening at a play or at the house of God, may 
 fix the whole future character and eternal des- 
 tiny of a young man or young woman. And 
 if the children of the world are gregarious, and 
 
340 TlESPONfllBILITY FOR THE 
 
 invite ana even drag each other into the drink- 
 ing saloon and to the theatre and to the cham- 
 l)crs of 2)olluti()7i and dc^atli ; liow niucli more 
 should Christian young men deliver th(Mn tliat 
 are drawn unto dcsath and ready to be slain ! 
 Perhaps no one thing destroys more; men, espe- 
 cially young men, in our large towns and newly 
 settled States, and in our army and navy, than 
 the want of proper femahi society. Permanent 
 resident families are few in comparison with 
 the mass, and thc^y are from different parts of 
 tlu; world, and ai'o engrossed with tlieir own 
 social circles, and indifferent about widening 
 tlieii), and, <'()ns(!(|ueiitly, husbands, bi'otliers 
 and ^omi away ffovh ho7}ie^\\\ sueli a, community 
 Jiave but few of the enjoyments of pro2:)er 
 society. They seldom have opportunities to 
 enjoy such refined delights, or to be strength- 
 ened in their puj'poses of well-doing by the re- 
 straints of sisters and niotliei's and ])ious female 
 fi'iends. Oh, it is gi'catly to he' (h'sii'CMJ among 
 us, that the Jiallowed intluences of hoiu(! should 
 )je thrown once more; around the masses of men 
 that are digging in our mountains, toiling in 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW ^lEN. 3-41 
 
 our valleys, or elbowing each other .sharply- 
 through our streets and our crowded saloons. 
 
 REFLECTIONS. 
 
 First. Have we ever thoughtfully considered 
 what is meant by the death of an iininortal 
 soul ? Do we believe in its anniliilation, or 
 the destruction of its faculties, or the weaken- 
 ing or stupefying of its sensibilities ? No. The 
 death of the soul is its separation from the de- 
 lights of tho pious, from the joys of heaven, the 
 raptures of redeeming love, and from the favor 
 of God, its eternal Father. And what is more, 
 the death of the soul is not only the loss, the 
 unspeakable loss of (irod and heaven and all 
 that makes heaven, but it is to be shut nj) in 
 hell, with ghosts and damned spirits scratched 
 and scarred with the thumlerbolts of omnipo- 
 tent vengeance. To be excluded from heaven 
 is to be cast into hell. To be driven from the 
 glory of God is to have his wrath poured upon 
 the soul ; and this is its death — woe, positive, 
 lasting, deathless. But few of us desire to see, 
 
342 EESPOIS'SIBILITY FOE THE 
 
 or can bear to witness one of our fellow men 
 die as a terror to evil doers by the hand of the 
 la^vful executioner. Even where the method 
 and instrument of execution are as kind and 
 gentle as human ingenuity can make them, still 
 the spectacle is tragical — so tragical that I am 
 persuaded it would rend many of you to the 
 heart to see one of your number dragged out 
 into the street and executed on the scaffold or 
 under the guillotine. But what would this 
 deplorable circumstance be in comparison to 
 the destruction of the soul ! How much more 
 deeply would it pierce your very souls to see 
 the impenitent — however nearly related or by 
 whom begot it will not avail — to see them led 
 forth to that last dreadful execution, when 
 Christ shall say : " As for these, mine enemies, 
 who would not that I should reign over them, 
 bring them forth and slay them before me." 
 Then will begin cries and wailings that shall 
 never end! Truly, as the apostle says, "He 
 that shall turn a sinner from the error of his 
 ways shall save a soul from death." 
 
 Second. Should it not excite us to more fer- 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 343 
 
 vent prayer and to greater exertions to save 
 our fellow men, when we reflect tliat if they 
 perisL. they perish after the most precious pro- 
 visions have been made for their salvation? 
 Every possible means has been taken to pre- 
 vent their death. There is balm in Gilead. 
 There is a kind and an almighty physician 
 there. We have the glorious Gospel of the 
 blessed God offering pardon and peace to all 
 men. The glad tidings of liberty are pro- 
 claimed to the captive. Health is offered to 
 the sick ; life to the dying. God so loved the 
 world, that he gave his only begotton Son that 
 whosoever believeth on him should not perish, 
 but have everlasting life. Alas ! alas ! that 
 men should be so stupid as to choose death 
 when life is freely oftered. Truly the ox know- 
 eth its owner, and the ass his master's crib, but 
 my people, with God, doth not know, doth not 
 consider. Alas ! that our fellow men should 
 so shamefully reject the messages of eternal 
 love, and obstinately refuse to believe on the 
 Son of God. The consequences of this rejec- 
 tion is that they shall not see life, but the 
 
344 EESPOXSIBILITT FOE THE 
 
 wi'atli of Grod abidetlL on tliem. Fearfully 
 great must be tlie depravity of that lieart that 
 perverts all the means of grace into the savor 
 of death. How melancholy it is that immortal 
 souls should die under the Gospel ! that they 
 should abuse pri\Tleges so great and cut them- 
 selves off from the mercy of God ! Verily, it 
 shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, for 
 Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment 
 than for the impenitent from Gospel lands. 
 
 Third. I am persuaded that it is so cruel 
 and narrovr, pitiable and mean a plea — " that it^ 
 is nothing to you that others are in danger" — 
 that none of you intend seriously to put it 
 forth in abatement of your responsibility. It 
 is one of the noblest feelings known to the 
 human breast, that, in some measure, we are 
 our brother's keeper — that his happiness is in 
 part in our hands, and ours in his. A generous 
 sympathy that makes heart throb responsive to 
 heart, as shoulder to shoulder we toil up the 
 hill bearing the burdens of life, marks heaven's 
 true nobleman. If the people shall curse him 
 who withholds corn in time of famine, shall 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW :\rEX 345 
 
 not they curse lilm ^vlio mthholds tlie bread 
 of life from tlie famishing, and the cup of the 
 wine of consoLation from the dying, the water 
 of life from lips parched with the fever of sin, 
 and " goodness from such as are hound in afflic- 
 tion and iron ?" Yea, God himself will send a 
 curse, the bitter curse of Meroz, on all who 
 come not to the help of the Lord against the 
 mighty. 
 
 Fourth. Are we all conscientiously eno-ao-ed 
 in trying to deliver those who are drawn unto 
 death and are ready to l)e slain ? God alone 
 can give a new heart to our fellow men ; but 
 we know also that the effectual fervent prayer 
 of the righteous availeth much. Our heavenly 
 Father is a God who heareth prayer. He is 
 overcome by the importunities of his peoj^le. 
 He is prevailed upon l:>y the urgencies of the 
 house of Israel. Are you then a husband or a 
 wife, whose bosom companion knows not the 
 Lord ? If so, cease not to pray for him or her, 
 with that humble confidence that is given to 
 the Christian as he comes to the mercy seat. 
 And, if you are a parent having an ungodly, a 
 
 15* 
 
346 RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 far wandered and prodigal child, then, like 
 God's friend, Abraham, cry mightily unto Him, 
 saying, that Islmiael miglit live before thee ! or 
 like the father in the Gosj^el, Lord, have mercy 
 upon my son. Offer prayer in secret, in the 
 house of God, and in the family. Of Abra- 
 ham, God says to his commendation : " I know 
 him that he will command his children, and his 
 household after him." And of Job, it is said, 
 he rose early in the morning and offered up ten 
 offerings for his ten children ; because he feared 
 they had sinned against God in their feasts 
 with each other. He cannot love the souls of 
 his family and fellow men much, who does not 
 pray for them. 
 
 Our subject addresses itself with peculiar 
 force to men of influence and distinction, to 
 heads of business houses, officers of the army 
 and navy, commanders of ships, employers of 
 others, and parents and teachers, editors and 
 publishers, and all who from any cause are 
 heads of the people, and leaders of others. It 
 is a fearful thing to live; but to live under 
 obligations to be useful — ^to live in such a city 
 
SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW MEN. 347 
 
 as this — to live wliere you must be active in 
 laying tlie foundations of tlie state and of tlie 
 churcb, wMcli are to be a blessing or a curse 
 for generations to come — to live and set an 
 example, and be resj)onsible for such influences, 
 is a fearful trust. Has God given you wealth, 
 or genius, or position? And are you using 
 your influence to deliver those that are drawn 
 unto death and ready to be slain ? Are you 
 doing all you can to diffuse useful knowledge, 
 and suppress intemperance and vice, and to ele- 
 vate and purify public sentiment, to promote 
 the right and prevent the wrong, and to bring 
 your fellow men to a knowledge of the truth 
 which is in order to salvation ? Are you doing 
 as you would that others should do to you ? 
 Young men and women are around you upon 
 whom you can exert an influence for good — are 
 you doing so ? Suppose your sons and daugh- 
 ters away from home, situated as many of these 
 are that we see among us, and what would you 
 not give to secui-e for them the example and 
 the prayers, and the counsels and the restraints 
 of honest, sober, praying. Christian people? 
 
348 RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE 
 
 How mucli it would gladden your heart to 
 know that the people of God, in a distant city, 
 were throwing around your children there the 
 softening and elevating influences of the family 
 circle and of good libraries, and leading them 
 to the house of prayer and praise ! Shall we 
 not then do for the young people among us, as 
 we would that the Christians of another city 
 should do for our sons and daughters? As 
 good citizens are we not bound to set a good 
 example, and to deliver from death those that 
 are drawn unto it by ignorance or intemper- 
 ance, or evil companions, or any other wrong 
 thing ? And let us remember that what we do 
 must be done quickly, for we are swiftly pass- 
 ing away. The season of harvest is short, and 
 when it is past it is gone forever. I ask you, 
 therefore, upon your conscience, and as you 
 shall answer upon a dying bed, and at the 
 judgment seat, are you doing all you can to 
 deliver those that are drawn unto death and 
 ready to be slain ? But let all impenitent men 
 know, that, however short of duty the mem- 
 bers of the church may fall, still the condem- 
 
SALVATION OF OUK FELLOW MEN. 349 
 
 nation of their unbelief will rest upon tlieir 
 own heads. Every one must give an account 
 to God for himself. There is zeal enough in 
 the church, and piety enough among its mem- 
 bers, to be witnesses for God that religion is a 
 reality. A thousand times has the conscience 
 of the ungodly man told him of a truth, God 
 is among these people. Ten thousand times 
 has he felt the influence of their example, and 
 the power of their prayers, when he neither 
 knew nor acknowledged it. Nor mil it at all 
 mitigate the doom of the im23ehitent to know 
 that the church failed in much of its duty. 
 They themselves knew their duty, and did it 
 not, and though there is censure upon the 
 church, still their condemnation is that they 
 would not accept of Christ; they would not 
 come to Him that they might have life. If 
 some are deluded; if some are hypocrites; 
 if some are unfeeling and rude : still the ques- 
 tion for the impenitent soul at the judgment 
 seat will not be concerning the conduct of 
 Christian professors, but what has he him- 
 
350 SALVATION OF OUR FELLOW 'MEN. 
 
 self done in regard to this great salvation? 
 May Almighty God, of his infinite mercy, grant 
 you repentance unto life, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and 
 ever. Amen. 
 
XIII 
 
 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OF PRAYIISTG FOE 
 OUE EULEES.* 
 
 Holding with tlie Catechism, and according 
 to the interpretation of almost all commenta- 
 tors, Jewish, Catholic and Protestant, ancient 
 and modern, that the " Fifth Commandment re- 
 quireth the preserving the honor and perform- 
 ing the duties belonging to every one in their 
 several places and relations, as superiors, infe- 
 riors, or equals," we design this morning to 
 dwell on the Christian duty and pat/riotism, of 
 praying for our civil rvlers. Our last discoui'se 
 of this series was on the duty of children to 
 parents. In the present we shall confine our- 
 selves to one branch of the duty required of us 
 
 * This chapter is abridged from a discourse preached as pastor in 
 1843, in New Orleans, to the First Presbyterian Church and congre- 
 gation of that city, and published by them. It was then widely cir- 
 culated, but is now out of print. A few sentences referring to pass- 
 ing and local matters have been changed or omitted. 
 
 851 
 
352 THE PIETY a:nd patriotism of 
 
 toward our superiors. The precept tliat re- 
 quires us to obey and lioiior our natural parents 
 is so broad and compreliensive, spiritual and 
 dynastic in its react, tliat it requires us also to 
 honor and obey our S])i7'itual fathers, and our 
 economical^ that is, our social and domestic 
 fathers ; and to honor and obey our political 
 fathers. The duty which, however, we are now 
 seeking to illustrate and enforce, is plainly 
 taught by the apostles, and is specifically the 
 duty oi praying for our civil rulers. And we 
 take our text for this subject from Paul : 
 
 I exliort, therefore^ that^ first of all, supplica- 
 tions, prayers, intercessions, and giving of 
 thanhs he tnadefor all men : for Icings and for 
 all that are in authority ; that we 7nay lead a 
 quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and ho- 
 nesty. For this is good and acceptable in the 
 sight of God our Saviour ; ivho will have all 
 m^en to he saved, and to come unto the knowledge 
 of the truth. — 1 Timothy, ii. 1-4. 
 
 In these words of the great apostle to the 
 Gentiles we have a duty enjoined and the 
 
 REASONS GIVEN. 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 353 
 
 TTie duty is to offer ])rayer for all tnen^ for 
 hings and for all that are in autliority. The re- 
 lation of subject and magistrate resembles very 
 mucli in kind, if not in degree, tlie relation of 
 child and parent. The very same reasons in 
 part, which bind the child to reverence and 
 obey the parent, bind the subject to obey and 
 pray for the magistrate. It is certainly true 
 that the duty of praying for our rulers, implies 
 the duty of praying for all properly constituted 
 authorities in the church and the world — pa- 
 rents, teachers, legislators, judges, officers of the 
 army and the navy — and for all that are pos- 
 sessed of wealth, learning or talent, or any other 
 consideration that gives them influence among 
 their fellow men. 
 
 The reason given for enforcing the duty is 
 very similar to the reason given for obeying 
 our parents — temporal as well as spiritual 
 blessings are promised. First, that we may 
 lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness 
 and honesty. 
 
 Secondly, for this is good and acceptable in 
 the sight of God our Saviour. To offer prayer 
 
354 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OF 
 
 for constituted authorities is good in itself, be- 
 cause it is useful to ourselves and to tlie public, 
 and it is acceptable, accompanied with a godly 
 life, in tlie sight of God our Saviour. This is 
 the highest of all sanctions ; and what is well- 
 pleasing to God, is the supreme good and hap- 
 piness of man. Duty and interest are always 
 united. 
 
 A third reason is the encouragement offered : 
 That God will have all men to he saved and to 
 come unto the Icnowledge of the truth. That is, 
 God is no respecter of persons : hut in every na- 
 tion he tliat feareth hmn and worlceth righteous- 
 ness^ is accepted with him. 
 
 Divine mercy is offered alike to the beggar 
 and the prince, to the slave and to the master, 
 to all without money and without price. And 
 since salvation is offered to all, that some of all 
 classes — every one that repents and believes — • 
 may be saved; therefore, God wills that the 
 Gospel should be preached to every creature, 
 and that all men should be the subjects of our 
 prayers. 
 
 It is here assumed, there is a God who is the 
 
PEAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 355 
 
 Supreme Grovernor of tlie universe ; that prayer 
 is instrumental in 2:)rocuring his blessings ; that 
 our forefathers were men of prayer. Their 
 school-houses, judicial benches and legislative 
 halls, and battle-fields, were consecrated with 
 prayer. It is assumed, also, that what Cicero 
 and Montesquieu call virtue, but what Bible- 
 taught politicians call religion, is essential to 
 the well-being of society. Keligion and virtue 
 are, indeed, the main pillars and foundation of 
 public peace and prosj)erity. If any doubt on 
 this point, let them read, not the rantings of a 
 bigot, nor the superfluities of a schoolman, nor 
 the harangues of political clergymen, but the 
 " Vindication of Natural Society," and " Keflec- 
 tions on the Revolution in France," by Edmund 
 Burke, and doubt no more."'^ 
 
 And it is here assumed that civil government 
 is necessary to the welfare of society ; that it is 
 the guardian of the public peace, and the secu- 
 rity of every man's person, property and privi- 
 
 * These papers are as remarkable for philosophical acumen, pro- 
 found research, extensive and minute knowledge, as they are for 
 eloquence. See the Works of Edmund Burke. 
 
356 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 leges. It is by tlie exercise of civil authority 
 tliat we are secured in our civil rights, public 
 interests and domestic institutions. But my 
 chief purpose is to insist upon tlie Christian 
 duty of praying for civil magistrates. 
 
 Whether phrenology or animal magnetism 
 can account for it or not, it is certainly true 
 that man is prone to go from one extreme to 
 another. The safe medium he is rarely content 
 to observe. Wherever the Church and the State 
 have been united, manifold evils have resulted, 
 alike disastrous to civil liberty and ecclesiasti- 
 cal purity. And on the other hand, where the 
 Church has been happily freed from the tram- 
 mels of State, there pious men seem to have 
 ceased to feel sufficient interest in the State, 
 they have given up the management of politi- 
 cal affairs too much to the ungodly, and the 
 members of Christian churches have not looked 
 for sound principles in the men seeking their 
 suffrages, nor have they sought, as was their 
 duty, the divine blessing upon their rulers. It 
 is not agreeable to a pious man to forego the 
 quietness of his home and the devotions of the 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 357 
 
 altar, and bear tlie heat and burden of political 
 strife, yet some should certainly be found of self- 
 denial and grace enough to engage in political 
 life, and still preserve their Christian character 
 above suspicion. From our practice, it would 
 seem that when we are not compelled by law 
 to pray for our rulers, then we consider our- 
 selves released from all moral oblierations to do 
 so. But the very reverse should be the effect 
 of such liberty on the heart of an enlightened, 
 patriotic and pious citizen. As prayer must in 
 its very nature be a free offering of the desires 
 of the heart, to God ; so the more free we are 
 from legal coercion or restraint as to our reli- 
 gious duties, the more fervent and frequent 
 should our prayers be in behalf of our govern- 
 ment. And yet it must be confessed, the ten- 
 dency of things among us, has been to neglect 
 this plain duty. As since the Revolution we 
 have not been required by law to pray for the 
 king, and all the " Royal Family," so we have 
 neglected to pray for the President and those 
 in authority over us. But it is not true that 
 this neglect is because Americans are not as 
 
358 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OF 
 
 loyal or patriotic as other nations. Nor is it 
 true tliat our religion is defective in this mat- 
 ter. The error is not in our Protestant faith, 
 but in our practice. The patriotism and lofty 
 courage of our countrymen have been too often 
 l^roved to need a word of defence. Nor should 
 their piety be less conspicuous. I wonld not 
 be misunderstood. I will yield to no man 
 either in love for my country, or in zeal to keep 
 the Church of Christ free from all alliance with 
 party politics. It is very well known that I 
 do not believe either in the divine right of 
 kings, nor in the supremacy of the pope, the 
 Czar, or any other potentate. I do not say, 
 therefore, that any denomination of Christians 
 should array themselves as a political party, 
 and cast their votes for such candidates only as 
 can pronounce their shibboleth. Nor do I say 
 that our religious press and pulpits should en- 
 gage in the' political strife of the day. No ; 
 Grod forbid. All such things are, on every ac- 
 count, to be deprecated. All we mean to say 
 on this point is, that men of acknowledged 
 ability, and of sound principles and pure morals 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 359 
 
 should be selected to administer the affairs of 
 State, and that all Christians are bound to 
 obey, honor and pray for their civil magis- 
 trates. 
 
 THE DUTY OF PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 
 
 1. We believe neither in the supremacy of 
 the pope, nor in the divine right of kings ; but 
 we do believe that the powers that he are or- 
 daimd of God. The heavens do rule. The 
 Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and 
 giveth it to whomsoever he \vill. Promotion 
 Cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, 
 nor from the south. But God is judge; he 
 putteth down one, and setteth up another. A 
 man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord 
 directeth his steps. The lot is cast into the 
 lap ; but the whole disposing thereof is of the 
 Lord. Dan. iv. 32 ; Ps. Ixxv. 6, 7 ; Prov. xvi. 9, 33. 
 
 Statesmen and politicians may cast up crowns 
 and play for kingdoms, and calculate upon 
 their chances, and boast of their acumen and 
 foresight, but Jehovah alone is King: of kins^s, 
 and the Most High alone is the supreme dis- 
 
360 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OF 
 
 poser of powers, princedoms and dominions. 
 The flight of the tallest archangel before the 
 eternal throne, and the immense sweep of com- 
 ets and planets through the highest heavens 
 are not more certainly directed by an Almighty 
 hand, than are the evolutions of the sparrow. 
 It is a hand almighty that crowns the angels 
 with goodness and glory, and it is nothing less 
 that paints the tulij^ and the rose, and feeds 
 the young ravens when they cry. It is the all- 
 seeing eye that directs the torch of discovery 
 which philosophy bears round the globe, and 
 kindles up on the outskirts of creation beacon 
 lights for the advancement of coming genera- 
 tions; and it is nothing less that takes know- 
 ledge of the wants of the pious. The Lord 
 knoweth them that are his. He approveth of 
 their way. He numbereth the hairs of their 
 head. His ear is ever open to their cry, his eye 
 is ever upon them for good, and his hand is 
 always stretched out for their relief 
 
 The ^powers that he are ordained of God. 
 That is, pious rulers are raised up as God's 
 ministers for good ; and wicked rulers are per- 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 361 
 
 mitted as a scourge and chastisement for their 
 people's sins. In the world we often see the 
 poisoned chalice emptied by those who drugged 
 it for others. He that dlggetli a ]jit falleth into 
 it. Haman's gallows for Mordecai was the 
 instrument of his own execution. And often 
 the very effort of our own evil thoughts — of the 
 vaulting ambition of wicked men — 
 
 "O'erleaps itself 
 
 And falls on t'other side " — — 
 
 so it was with Pharaoh, with Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, and with Pilate, and with many others. 
 "Wicked men ma)^ l^e raised to power, and may 
 propose to themselves mighty schemes by 
 which to extend and concentrate their influ- 
 ence, and they may labor most perseveringly 
 for their accomplishment, and \^'ith the con- 
 sciousness of success walk in the palace of their 
 imagination and say : " Is not this great Baby- 
 lon, that I have built for the house of the kin^- 
 dom, by the might of my poAver, and for the 
 honor of my majesty ?" But there is an over- 
 ruling Providence, just and good, that guides, 
 
 16 
 
362 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OF 
 
 nevertlieless, tlie wheels of the universe, and 
 brings harmony out of the seeming chaos of 
 human affairs. Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar 
 were as truly the servants of God, in accom- 
 plishing his will, as Moses and Daniel. Surely 
 the Loi'd maketh the wrath of man to praise 
 him, and the remainder of wrath he restraineth. 
 
 " There's a Divinity that shapes our ends, 
 Rough hew them how we will." 
 
 The civil power, then, is in some sort the 
 representative of the divine government. Our 
 rulers ,are the image of the Divine Ruler. 
 Magistrates are God's officers. To render them 
 that respect and homage which is well pleasing 
 in his sight, is to acknowledge his providence. 
 It is an act of religious worship. It is an act 
 of homage to God from whom all power ema- 
 nates. It is an act of adoration. It is then a 
 duty as well as a privilege to offer thanksgiving 
 to Almighty God for our laws, liberties and 
 institutions, and most worthy praise to his holy 
 name for the warriors and statesmen, patriots 
 and pious men that he has raised up for us, and 
 
PEAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 363 
 
 to pray fervently for our rulers — for their per- 
 sonal welfare and the happiness of their fami- 
 lies, and for the divine blessing to rest upon 
 their official labors. 
 
 2. To ])raij for our rulers is an act o'f true 
 'patriotism. As it is our duty to reverence and 
 obey them, so it is our duty to pray for them. 
 No external form of respect can so fully demon- 
 strate our affection for them, as the pouring out 
 of the desires of our heart before the Lord for 
 their welfare. Nothing can be a stronger argu- 
 ment of the esteem and consideration in which 
 we hold them than the practice of praying for 
 them. It is a practice without fee or emolu- 
 ment. It is difficult to conceive of any act so 
 purely free from sinister motives, as the making 
 of intercessions to Almighty God for our rulers.* 
 
 * " A foe to God was ne'er a friend to man." He that feareth not 
 God rcgardeth not man. "As he who is not loyal to the king, can 
 never well obey his officers, so he that subjecteth not his soul to the 
 original power of his Creator, can never well obey the derivative 
 power of earthly governors." " Magistrates are as truly God's offi- 
 cers as preachers; and, therefore, as he that heareth preachers, 
 bcareth him, so he that obeyeth rulers obeyeth him." See much 
 more on this point, in Baxter's Works, London, 1830, vol vi. pp. 37, 
 SS, et seq. 
 
364 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OF 
 
 Nor is it surprising ttat even lieatlien princes 
 should have required the prayers of their sub- 
 jects in their behalf. Thus, in Ezra, we find a 
 decree of the king of Persia, charging his offi- 
 cers to furnish the Jewish elders with sacrifices 
 — all " that which they have need of, both 
 young bullocks and rams, and lambs for the 
 burnt offerings of the God of heaven ; wheat, 
 salt, wine and oil, according to the appointment 
 of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be 
 given them day by day without fail : that they 
 may offer sacrifices of sweet savors unto the 
 God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king 
 and of his sons." Ezra vi. 9, 10. 
 
 And so, also, Pliny informs us concerning 
 the Koman emj^erors, even in their heathenish 
 state. "We have," says he, "been wont to 
 make vows for the eternity of the empire, and 
 for the welfare of the citizens, yea, for the wel- 
 fare of the princes, and in their welfare for the 
 eternity of the empire." * 
 
 * " Nuncupare vota et pro seternitate imperii, et pro salute civium, 
 imo pro salute principium, ac propter illos pro ffiternitate imperii sole- 
 bamus." — Fl. Paneg. 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 365 
 
 3. Pious rulers^ arid all tvlw acknowledge the 
 Supreme Government of God^ desire an interest 
 in the prayers of their people. And even tliose 
 wlio seem not to feel tlieir dependence upon 
 the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, are pleased 
 to have the people pray for them, for it is an 
 act of loyalty that few will perform who are 
 not sincere. It is a decent testimony of resj^ect 
 toward them, and greatly tends to establish 
 theii' authority and secm'e obedience to their 
 commands. How can we- sincerely honor and 
 reverence our rulers, if we have no heart to 
 offer up prayers for them to him who has re- 
 quired us to pray for all men, especially for 
 rulers and all that are in authority ? It is the 
 divine command, that "every soul be subject 
 unto the higher powers, not only for wrath, but 
 also for conscience' sake. For, for this cause 
 pay ye tribute also : for they are God's minis- 
 ters attending continually upon this very thing. 
 Render, therefore, to all their dues ; tribute to 
 whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, 
 fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor." It 
 is, then, an act of patriotism, and of gratitude 
 
366 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OF 
 
 and obedience to God, and of justice and chari- 
 ty toward our rulers to pray for them. How 
 can we be faithful to our rulers, if we are not 
 obedient " to the Most High, by whom princes 
 rule and judges decree justice ?" 
 
 If we sincerely and habitually pray for our 
 country, we shall daily grow in attachment to 
 it, and if we daily remember our rulers in our 
 devotions we shall not fail to love and obey 
 them. To neglect this duty is to be wanting 
 in patriotism, as well as in obedience to the 
 divine commandments. The best Christian is 
 the best patriot, the most faithful subject, and 
 the bravest warrior. A Christian is truly "the 
 highest style of a man." 
 
 I exhort that — grayer he made for all men^ 
 for Ixings and for all that are in authority, that 
 we Qnay lead a quiet and peaceahle life in all 
 godliness and honesty. 
 
 4. The piety and patriotism of praying for 
 our rulers are seen in the practice of the Church 
 of God in cdl ages. The apostle's command in 
 the text is positive. And it has been the jDrac- 
 tice of the pious in all past ages, and in all 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 367 
 
 countries to hold their civil rulers in esteem 
 and to pra}' for them. It is a duty taught in 
 the Bible, both by precept and example. God 
 commanded the people by his prophet, when 
 the Jews were conquered by the king of Baby- 
 lon, and carried away captives, " Seek the peace 
 of the city whither I have caused you to be 
 carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord 
 for it ; for in the peace thereof shall ye have 
 peace," Tlie Scriptures abound in instances 
 of the efficacy of prayer, both in regard to pub- 
 lic and private blessings. Thus Abraham's 
 prayer healed Abimelech and his family of bar- 
 renness ; the prayers of Moses quenched the fire, 
 and cured the bitings of the fiery serpents, and 
 so of the prayers of Joshua, of Hannah, of 
 Elijah, of Elisha, and of others. The prayers 
 of Asa discomfited a million of Arabians, and 
 those of Jehoshaphat destroyed a numerous 
 army of his enemies by his own hands, and 
 those of Hezekiah brouo-ht down an ano;el from 
 heaven to cut off the Assyrians, and those of 
 Manasseh restored him to his kinsfdom, and 
 those of Esther saved her people from the brink 
 
368 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 of ruin, and tliose of Neliemiali inclined a pagan 
 king's heart to favor Ms pious designs, and 
 tliose of Daniel obtained for liim visions, and 
 tlie interpretation of dreams. Noah, Job and 
 Samuel, and a host of saints have been power- 
 ful through much prayer, and as 2:)rinces have 
 prevailed with Grod. "All things," says the 
 blessed Saviour, "whatsoever we shall ask in 
 prayer, believing, we shall receive — He that 
 asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, 
 and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." 
 " As the good bishop," says Dr. Barrow, " ob- 
 serving St. Austin's mother, with what con- 
 stancy and passionateness she did pray for her 
 son, being then engaged in ways of error and 
 vanity, did encourage her, saying : It is impos- 
 sible that tlie son o^ these devotions should perish : 
 so may we hopefully presume, and encourage 
 ourselves, that a prince will not miscarry, for 
 whose welfare many good people do earnestly 
 solicit ; Fieri non potest ut princeps istarv/m 
 lacrymarum pereat^ * 
 
 * Dr. Barrow's Works, vol. i., serm. x., p. 95. Et sic etiam " Si 
 Stephanus non orasset ecclesia Paulum non habuisset." 
 
PKAYING FOR OUE EULERS. 369 
 
 It is a remarkable saying of a Jewisli master, 
 " Pray for tlie happiness of a kingdom or gov- 
 ernment ; for if it were not for tlie fear of that, 
 men would devour one another alive." And- 
 Josephus tells us, that " when the Jews were 
 made subject to the Romans (though it was by 
 conquest) tmce a day they offered up sacrifices 
 for the life and safety of the emperor." The 
 apostle in the text directs that " fii*st of all sup- 
 plications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of 
 thanks, be made for all men : for kings, and 
 for all that are in authority." Here is a 2^osi- 
 tive command. The Apostolic Constitutions, a 
 very old work, though not the work of the 
 apostles themselves, speaks of the prayers of 
 Church, on communion occasions, for rulers. 
 Tertullian assures us the " ancient Christians 
 always prayed for all the emperors, that God 
 would grant them long life, a secure reign, a 
 safe family, valiant armies, a faithful senate, a 
 loyal people, a quiet world, and whatever they 
 as men, or as emperors, could msh. This they 
 did," say^ he, " even for their persecutors, and 
 
 16* 
 
370 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 often even in tlie pangs of the most cruel suf- 
 fering and death." 
 
 Chrysostom says of the Christians of his 
 time : " That all communicants did know how 
 every day, both at even and morning, to make 
 supplications for all the world, and for the em- 
 peror, and for all that are in authority." ^' 
 
 Lactantius saith to Constantine, "We with 
 daily prayers do suj)plicate God, that he would 
 first of all keep thee, whom he hath willed to 
 he the keeper of things; then that he would 
 inspire into thee a will whereby thou mayst 
 ever persevere in the love of God's name; 
 which is salutary to all, both to thee for thy 
 happiness, and to us for our quiet." f 
 
 So Cyprian : " We pray to God, not only foi 
 ourselves, but for all mankind, and particularly 
 for the emperors." 
 
 And Origen : " We pray for kings and rulers, 
 that, with their royal authority, they may be 
 found possessing a wise and prudent mind." 
 
 * For the originals of Tertullian and Chrysostom, see Dr. Barrow's 
 Works, vol. i. p. 97. 
 f Lactant. vii. 26. 
 
J'RATING FOR OUE RULERS. 3^1 
 
 So, also, the ancient liturgies contain divers 
 prayers for tlie emperors. And the confessions 
 of faith and directories for public worship of 
 all Protestant churches, recognize due obedience 
 to magistrates and the duty of praying for 
 them. 
 
 "We are to pray for the whole Chm-ch of 
 Christ upon earth, for magistrates, and minis- 
 ters, for ourselves, our brethren, yea, our ene- 
 mies, and for all sorts of men living, or that 
 shaU live hereafter; but not for the dead, nor 
 for those that are kno^^Ti to have sinned the 
 sin unto death." Larger Cat. ans. to 183 qiies., 
 and also the ans. to the 127 ques.'^ 
 
 5. It is but common Chris'tian charity to 
 pray for our rulers, first, because, they are but 
 men— our fellow men, and, secondly, they are 
 more in need of om- prayers than common men. 
 "There are no men," says the late Dr. A. Alex- 
 ander, "among us, who would be rendered 
 more useful by Christian piety than those who 
 are intrusted with power and official influence. 
 
 • See Vindications of Protestants in the point of obedience, etc. 
 By Pet<>r Du Moulin, D.D. An excellent work. 
 
372 TIIE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 Tliey are exalted above their fellow citizens, 
 and sliould be exemplary in proportion to their 
 elevation. Those who are delegated by the 
 people to make laws for the protection of life, 
 property and liberty, have an authority given 
 them which is accompanied with a fearful re- 
 sponsibility. So few who engage in political 
 concerns are governed by a regard to the glory 
 of God, and the best interests of men, that the 
 requiring that such would-be pious men, sounds 
 strangely, and will appear unto many a novel- 
 ty. That ministers of the Gospel, and other chief 
 officers, should be religious men, all will admit, 
 but that legislators and lawyers should be such, 
 seems not to be 'evident. But there is no class 
 of men in society to whom i^iety is more neces- 
 sary and important than civil rulers. They 
 need this ennobling principle to enable them 
 steadily to pursue those objects which are con- 
 nected with the public welfare." 
 
 There are some people who seem to think 
 riches and titles, and offices of honor and trust, 
 are vices of themselves, and that poverty and 
 obscurity are much the same thing as godliness. 
 
PRAYmO FOR OUR RULERS. 373 
 
 They presume on tlie goodness of God to give 
 them eternal life in the world to come, simj^ly 
 because they have evil things here. They per- 
 suade themselves that all men above them are 
 like the rich man in the Gospel, who fared 
 sumptuously every day and was clothed in fine 
 linen, but who died, and lifted up his eyes in 
 hell, being in torment; and that they them- 
 selves are like Lazarus. As though God would 
 send men to perdition merely because they 
 were rich, and possessed of influence and stand- 
 ing among their fellow men, and save the poor 
 and wretched merely for being poor. This 
 class of individuals consider themselves as the 
 supporters of the rich, whom they look upon 
 as the caterpillars of society. To use their own 
 style, the rich, or those intrusted with wealth 
 and honors, live upon their labors, like drones 
 in a hive ; and salaried officers, whether in the 
 state or the university, or on the bench, they 
 consider as mice and vermin, that eat the honey 
 which they, the poor laboring bees, have long 
 been gathering. Such envious— I should have 
 said wicked— thoughts are as far from truth, 
 
3*7 4 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 from just views of society and from tlie princi- 
 ples of tlie Bible, as they are evidence of a 
 mean and contracted spirit. These very per- 
 sons, by indulging such jealousies, show that the 
 grapes are sour. They would act on the dog- 
 in-the-manger principle if they could. They 
 would themselves be what they suppose the 
 rich and the great to be, if they knew how to 
 attain such a condition. The most domineering 
 and haughty are usually such as have been, by 
 some freak of fortune, raised to wealth and 
 power from humble circumstances. The most 
 cruel masters are such as have once been slaves, 
 but are now set over their quondam fellow-ser- 
 vants. The most haughty aristocrats — those 
 that make the loudest pretensions — are often 
 the merest upstarts. Families of the greatest 
 pride are not unfrequently such as have once 
 stood exceedingly low on the social scale. I 
 am not objecting to every one improving his 
 condition, if he do it honestly. I am not op- 
 posed to the apprentice becoming master, and 
 the steward ow;ner. I only mention these cases 
 to show that the prejudice and ill will which 
 
PEAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 375 
 
 tlie laboring classes are too prone to indulge 
 against the ricli, tlie learned, or tlie professional 
 classes of society, are unjust, for there is no 
 royal road to knowledge and power. The door 
 is open to all. The highest gift of the freest 
 nation on the globe may be obtained by the 
 poorest freeborn man-child of America. These 
 prejudices too, I am sorry to say, are proof of 
 as much depravity in the laboring people, not 
 as may actually exist among office-holders and 
 the learned professions, but as they are sup- 
 posed to possess. Those who are most apt to 
 complain know not their own hearts. 7^^ thy 
 servant a dog that he should do this tiling? 
 And yet, says an old writer, "the dog did 
 do that very thing." The bird flies high, 
 but the arrow may bring him down; the 
 fish swims deep, but the hook can bring it up : 
 but the human heart, who can comprehend? 
 It is an exceeding deej), who can find it out ? 
 The Bible teaches us that riches and worldly 
 consideration are not absolutely inconsistent 
 with piety ; but that it is more difficult for a 
 man to be pious, who is encumbered with the 
 
376 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 possessions and lionors of this world. This is 
 perfectly obvious. Many of the pious men, 
 however, named in the Bible, as Abraham and 
 Lot, Job and David, were men of great wealth. 
 Many kings and politicians, and lawyers and 
 physicians, and j)hilosophers and scholars, have 
 been eminently pious men. Such instances may 
 be rare, but they are by no means impossible. 
 Poverty is not always accompanied with godli- 
 ness, but rather the reverse. Godliness ivith 
 contentment is great gain. Eags and filth and 
 sin, are much oftener found on the same person, 
 than that a righteous man should be found 
 begging bread. A man is not to lose his soul 
 because he has estates, but for placing his affec- 
 tions upon them, and the neglect of his duty 
 toward Grod and his fellow men. Nor is a man 
 to be saved, because he is as poor as Lazarus, 
 but because he is pious in his poverty. The 
 Gospel knows no distinction of j^ersons accord- 
 ing to the flesh. All are concluded under sin. 
 The same terms are propounded to all, whether 
 rich or poor : namely, repentance toward God, 
 and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He that 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 3 77 
 
 believeth shall be saved, and he that believeth 
 not shall be damned. 
 
 And as it is in grace, so it is in society. We 
 are all members one of another. We are all 
 parts of the same great web. We all have need 
 of one another. I have need of you, and you 
 have need of me. The happiness of each, one 
 is included in the well-doing of every one. 
 Every one is his brother's keeper. In this great 
 family there is, however, a great diversity of 
 gifts and offices. One is tlie head to do tlie 
 thinking^ mid his thinking is really as much to 
 the productive industry of the country^ as the 
 ploughing of the farmer. Another is the hand 
 to do tlie working, and his working is as essen- 
 tial to the 'political and moral welUeing of 
 society as is the thinking of the other. And 
 tliey are both equal. 
 
 Our rulers, then, are doubly entitled to oui- 
 daily intercessions at the throne of heavenly 
 grace. They are lone of our lone and flesh of 
 our flesh. They are oui- creatures. They are 
 of us, but they are above us. Being of us, they 
 are but men, fallible like ourselves. Beino-' 
 
378 THE PIETY AND PATEIOTISM OP 
 
 above us, tliey are by that very elevation the 
 more in need of our charity and prayers. 
 
 First. Their duties are peculiarly difficiilt. 
 The affairs which they are called upon to guide 
 and settle are of great weight ^nd importance, 
 involving in their decisions the well-being of 
 hundreds and thousands and millions of their 
 fellow men. Measures of great consequence 
 have to be examined, discussed, proposed, 
 adopted. And even when there is much wis- 
 dom and ability and courage, and the purest 
 intentions, it is not always an easy matter to 
 hear a cause upon its true, merits, and render a 
 righteous decision. The burdens of office to a 
 high-minded and virtuous man are never light. 
 They that are great among their fellow men, are 
 servants of all. Those possessed of estates and 
 honors, talents and influence, are also possessed 
 of vast entailed responsibilities. JSTor can they 
 escape from res23onsibility. It is as inseparable 
 from them as their identity, and as lasting as 
 their immortality. He that increciseth hiow- 
 ledge^ increaseth sorrow. Much more does he 
 increase his cares and labors that increaseth his 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 379 
 
 riches and heapetli up honors, and runneth 
 after and gaineth the homage of his fellow men. 
 Our rulers are more to be pitied, to be loved 
 and prayed for, than to be envied. " The 
 world continually doth assault them with all 
 its advantages ; mth all its baits of pleasure, 
 with all its enticements to pride and vanity, to 
 oppression and injustice, to sloth, to luxury, to 
 exorbitant self-will and self-conceit, to every 
 sort of vicious practice. Their eminency of 
 state, their affluence of wealth, their uncontrol- 
 lable power, their exemj^tion from common con- 
 straints, their continual distractions and encum- 
 brances by varieties of care and business, their 
 multitude of obsequious followers, and scarcity 
 of faithful friends to advise or reprove them, 
 their havino; no obstacles before them to check 
 their wills, to cross their humors, to curb their 
 lusts and passions, are so many dangerous snares 
 unto them ; wherefore they do need plentiful 
 measures of grace, and mighty assistance fi'om 
 God, to preserve them from the worst errors 
 and sins ; into which, otherwise, 'tis almost a 
 miracle if they are not plunged." " All princes 
 
380 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 having many avocations and temptations hind- 
 ering them to pray enough for themselves, do 
 need su23plemental aid from the devotions of 
 others." — Dr. Barrow. 
 
 Second. They are exposed to peculiar dangers. 
 As their field of labor is enlarged, so are the 
 facilities for the gratification of appetite and 
 passion increased, and the sources of temptation 
 multiplied. And just as they are elevated 
 above their fellow men and above their former 
 condition in society, they are apt to forget their 
 responsibility. Sometimes the height makes 
 them dizzy. Sometimes even a trij) to Wash- 
 ington makes our representatives forget their 
 constituents and their kindred. Sometimes a 
 voyage to Europe absolutely turns the heads of 
 simple republicans. They come home full of 
 lords and ladies, fetes and routs, and stars and 
 ribbons and buttons, all such anti-American 
 trumpery. Now their own dear native land 
 grows nothing worthy of them. Their dress 
 and china must be purchased in London or 
 Paris. Alas, j^oor human nature ! It is not 
 every one of us that can bear elevation. He 
 
PEAYING FOK OUR EULERS. 381 
 
 that can swim in liis father's mill-j^oncl, may be 
 carried down with violence by the muddy tur- 
 bulence of the great river. It is an observation 
 of old Humphrey, that " like j^aper kites in the 
 air, we do pretty well while checked with a 
 strong string; but cut the string, and let us 
 have our own way, and, like the poor kite, we 
 come tumblino- down into the mire." He that 
 
 o 
 
 does very well "with a thousand, may be utterly 
 ruined by a hundred thousand. " It is harder," 
 says some one, " for that bird to fly, that hath 
 many pound weights tied to keep her down, 
 than that which hath but a straw to carry to 
 her nest. It is harder mounting heavenwards 
 with lordships and kingdoms, than with less 
 impediments." Even those that can bear an 
 elevation to power are under temptations to 
 make their license for doing whatsoever they 
 will. Whereas, in fact, the greater power and 
 authority any one hath, the less liberty he 
 hath to do anything that is 'S'STong or of 
 questionable integrity.* For the greater the 
 power and authority that God hath invested 
 
 * In maxima quaquc forfuna minimum liocrc. — Cicero. 
 
382 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 any man with, tlie greater are Ms obligations 
 to be good himself, and to do good to bis 
 fellow men, because the greater is bis influence 
 and means to do good to others. The more 
 influence a man's example has, the greater 
 are his obligations to set a good one. What 
 a delightful sight would it be to see those 
 who are eminent in ]3lace and power contin- 
 ually setting an example of godliness ! What 
 would it not do for the moral character of 
 our city, if all our authorities would uupon 
 conscience respect the Lord's day and the in- 
 stitutions of the Bible? 
 
 It will be admitted that those who are most 
 worthy of our charities, are the proper objects 
 of benevolence, and that it is our duty to pray 
 for all men, then especially for our rulers, for 
 they are TYien ; and they are biu'dened with 
 peculiar labors and trials, and exposed to pe- 
 culiar dangers. They are like sentinels placed 
 upon the top of a barren mountain, exposed 
 to the merciless peltings of every storm for 
 our safety, while we dwell quietly in the 
 flowery vale below. The most fortunate of 
 
PRAYESTG FOR OUR RULERS. 383 
 
 them liave open enemies and insidious foes. 
 They are surrounded by the jealous and the 
 narrow-minded, or by disappointed office-seek- 
 ers. Beset by the officious servility or para- 
 sites of flatterers, who soothe them in their 
 faults, and humor them in their passions, and 
 fire up their corrupt and vicious inclinations, 
 whenever there is a possibility of advancing 
 their own selfish designs. Exposed to violence 
 and treachery, the cares of office, and tempta- 
 tions of place and power, who are so much in 
 need of our prayers as our rulers ? 
 
 Has not the ablest of thejn need to pray with 
 Solomon : " Give thy servant an understanding 
 heart, to judge thy people, that I may discern 
 between good and bad ; for who is able to 
 judge this so great a people." It is not by 
 mere human msdom and streno-th that man 
 prevails. The race is not to the swift, nor the 
 battle to the strono;. Salvation is of the Lord. 
 " There is," says the psalmist, " no king saved 
 by the multitude of an host." Except the Lord 
 keepeth the city, the watchmen wake but in 
 vain. Except the Lord preserve our laws and 
 
384 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 liberty and institutions, our army and navy, 
 patriotic and brave as tliey are, will be but as 
 cLaff before the tempest. 
 
 Third. To pray for our rulers is then a duty 
 to ourselves and our children, as well as to 
 them and to the public. The good of the com- 
 monwealth is greatly affected by the princij)les 
 and character of its rulers. 
 
 Where the people are the sovei'eign, rulers 
 are the creatures of their will. The nation 
 lives and has its breathing in its rulers. In 
 oriental style a ruler is compared to a tall ce- 
 dar, whose shadow is for protection and com- 
 fort ; and his death is likened to its fall, that 
 shakes the earth. That is, the death of a wise 
 and virtuous ruler is a great j)ublic calamity. 
 It is an interrupting of the regular administra- 
 tion of the affairs of state. It is a loss to the 
 public of precious experience, well-tried abili- 
 ties, patiently acquired confidence, and the con- 
 sequent peril of putting , public interest into 
 hands untried. Hence King David is called 
 the light of Israel., and hence the people once 
 said to him out of the overflowing of their 
 
PRATING FOR OUR RULERS. 385 
 
 patriotic hearts, TJiou art worth more than ten 
 thousand of us. And so, also, Neliemiali and 
 Daniel eacli complimented Ms sovereign by 
 saying, O Ung live forever, which is trans- 
 lated in England into God save the Queen. 
 As when the sun shines brightly the day is 
 clear; as the ship is in good condition when 
 out in open sea, with a good pilot, and sails 
 crowded with prosperous breezes hastening to- 
 ward the destined port, so the people are hap- 
 py and prosperous when wise and good men 
 guide the affairs of state. But woe to the 
 land whose ruler is a child — weak, wayward, 
 fickle. V 
 
 The character and deeds of our rulers are 
 inseparable from our national honor and pros- 
 perity. Our chief magistrate cannot say, I am 
 the State; still, from the highest office in the na- 
 tion's gift to the lowest, there is an inseparable 
 connection between the national glory and the 
 character of its rulers. The rulers and their 
 electors are members of the same body. Their 
 fortunes mutually reflect each other. The ex- 
 ample, opinions and manners of men in office 
 
 17 
 
386 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 are the models of our young men wlio aspire 
 to take tlieir places. It is, therefore, of the 
 most vital importance that they be pure-minded, 
 upright men — men of good morals and sound 
 princijjles. 
 
 The public welfare is essentially connected 
 with the character and well-doing of rulers. 
 The honor and prosperity of rulers should be 
 the glory of the people. They are inseparably 
 united. The people cannot live happily if 
 their rulers are in peril. They mutually par- 
 take of each other's fortunes. They make but 
 one civil and political body, and what part 
 soever of it suffers, all the other parts sympa- 
 thize. 
 
 Thus Tertullian* says, speaking to Gentile 
 magistrates, "We pray for you, because with 
 yt)u the empire is shaken : and the other mem- 
 bers of it being shaken, assui^edly even we, how 
 far soever we may be thought removed from 
 the calamity, are found in some place of the 
 fall." The very same consideration the apostle 
 introduces as the reason why we should pray 
 
 * Tertul. ApoL, c. 32. 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 38*7 
 
 for oui* rulers, " I exhort yoii to make prayer 
 for kings — that we may lead a quiet and peace- 
 able life in all godliness and honesty." 
 
 The connection between the moral character 
 and prosperous administration of rulers and 
 the happiness of the people is obvious. 
 
 1. Fwin their influence upon the people. 
 Their example has great influence. "A king 
 sitting in the throne of judgment scattereth 
 away all evil with his eyes." " His power is 
 the shield of innocence, the fence of right, the 
 shelter of weakness and simplicity against vio- 
 lence and frauds. His very look is suflicient 
 to advance goodness and suppress wickedness." 
 The example of a pious man in power is a liv- 
 ing law to the people, and does more than ten 
 thousand statutes in precept alone, to mould 
 and fashion public sentiment. The politicfil 
 opinions, the moral sentiments and the man- 
 ners of civil magistrates are caught up, imitated 
 and followed. If they are mse and good, sin 
 is rebuked and the righteous are encouraged. 
 If they are duellists and gamblers, i? they are 
 profane. Sabbath-breakers, neglecters of reli- 
 
388 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 gion, licentious and infidel in tlieir sentiments, 
 and given to mucli strong drink, the pious 
 mourn, and the wicked are emboldened in tlieir 
 iniquities. 
 
 2. The influence of rulers upon the people is 
 obvious from the dose connection there is between 
 their moral character and the happiness of the 
 people. 
 
 Righteousness exalteth a nation and establish- 
 eth the throne — when it goeth well with the 
 righteous the city rejoicet\ for hy the blessing 
 o^ the upright the city is exalted. Ten righteous 
 men would have saved Sodom. For the elect's 
 sake, our Saviour informs us, the days of ven- 
 geance were shortened.- The effectual fervent 
 prayer of a righteous man availeth much. It 
 is a munition of rocks for national defence. 
 N6w, since the Scriptures say so much of the 
 piety of private persons, then how much more 
 important is the example of j)ious rulers. Is 
 it not said in the Biljle that God, for David's 
 sake, preserved Judah ffpm destruction, even 
 in the days of Hezekiah, when the king of 
 Assyria invaded the land ? God by the mouth 
 
PRAYING FOR OUR RULERS. 389 
 
 of Isaicali declared: I luill defend tlie city of 
 Jerxisalein^ for mine oivn sake, and for my ser- 
 vant David''s sake. Wlio can tell how often 
 God has spared our guilty land for Ms servant 
 Wasliin2:ton's sake, and for the sake of the Hu- 
 guenot and Pilgrim Fathers, whom he win- 
 nowed out from Europe, and brought over to 
 this then wilderness continent, to give it the 
 Gospel, and to make it blossom and bloom as 
 the garden of the Lord. 
 
 There are numerous instances in the Holy 
 Scriptures which teach us that there is a moral 
 connection of inerit and guilt between rulers 
 and theii* people. Mutually each is rewarded 
 for the virtues, or punished for the vices of the 
 other. For the people's sin sometimes misfor- 
 tunes fall upon their ruler, and he is removed 
 from them, or he brings upon them some ca- 
 lamity. Thus, Samuel said to the Israelites : 
 If ye do wickedly, ye shall he consumed, both ye 
 and yoK/r king. And so, on the other hand, 
 for the sins of rulers, the people are afflicted. 
 Thus Solomon's iniquities brought evil to all 
 Israel. And so also in the case of David, when 
 
390 THE PIETY AKD PATEIOTISM OF 
 
 he mim'bered the peoj)le ; and of Aaron, when 
 lie made the golden calf, and so also in regard 
 to the sins of Saul and Jeroboam. And of 
 Manasseh, it is said, notioitJistanding all the 
 good deeds of Josiah^ still the Lord turned not 
 from the fierceness of his great ivratli, tvhereivith 
 his anger was Icindled against Judali, because 
 of all the provocations wherevAth Manasseh 
 provohed him. And Hezehiah rendered not 
 again according to the benefit done nnto him ; 
 for his heart loas lifted %ip ; tlierefore there was 
 wrath iipon him^ and npon Judah and Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 We are too apt to impute all our misfortunes 
 to our rulers, and take all our prosperity to 
 ourselves. We often blame the administration 
 of affairs, when we are ourselves chiefly in 
 fault. Where, as happily with us, the people 
 elect their own rulers, there the people are 
 more to blame than the rulers. If they place 
 over themselves a weak and wicked man, they 
 become partakers in all his evil deeds. If they 
 give power into the hands of a wicked man, 
 they sin themselves, and they cause him to sin, 
 
rr.AYIXG FOPw OUR RULERS. 1^91 
 
 and partake in all liis sins. Wliere there is 
 sucli sovereignty, there is a fearful responsi- 
 bility. 
 
 3. It is our duty to do good to all men as we 
 have opportunity — and to pray for all men ; 
 and, therefore, to do good to, and to pray for 
 our rulers, for they are not stocks, nor stones, 
 nor angels ; but men — our fellow men, and the 
 more in need of our prayers, as their labors and 
 cares are increased. And to pray for our rulers 
 is the cheapest, and yet the most effectual way 
 of doing them good. However rich a man may 
 be, he cannot dispense alms to every one ; but 
 he may enlarge his heart in ])rayer for the 
 whole human race. " Our prayers can reach 
 the utmost ends of the earth ; and by them our 
 charity may embrace all the world." By prayer 
 the wido^v and tlie orplian may l)ecome bene- 
 factors to the rich, and the humblest citizen 
 heap the choicest gifts upon the civil magis- 
 trate. 
 
 Since the breath of all men is in the hands 
 of him who fashionetli and turneth their liearts 
 whithersoever lie will, it is our duty and privi- 
 
392 THE PIETY AND PATRIOTISM OF 
 
 lege to pray to God to direct our rulers in tlie 
 right way, and incline their hearts to what is 
 well pleasing in his sight — ^that they may so 
 administer justice with mercy as to secure peace 
 of conscience and the approbation of jthe Judge 
 of all — that in health and prosj)erity they may 
 long live; and, finally, after this life, attain 
 everlasting joy and felicity where all the pious 
 shall reign as kings forever, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 It is then a plain duty enjoined upon all 
 Christians to pray for the civil magistrate un- 
 der whom they live. The character of the 
 mao;istrate and the manner of reaching: the hio;h 
 place of authority has nothing to do with the 
 Christian duty of praying for him. It were 
 difficult in the whole range of history to find 
 magistrates more wicked and cruel than those 
 actually in power, when the apostles wrote so 
 plainly upon the duty of Christians to obey the 
 powers that he^ and to pray for those in authori- 
 ty. Historically also we have found it to be 
 the teaching of the Church of Christ from its 
 foundation, that Christians should pray for 
 
PRAYrNG FOR OUR RULERS. 393 
 
 tlieir rulers. And we do seriously call in ques- 
 tion botli the Christianity and tlie patriotism 
 of any man that does not habitually pray for 
 his country and its rulers. It is the divinely 
 appointed economy that we should use means 
 to obtain the divine blessing. And one of 
 those means is prayer. Without prayer to 
 God, we have no right to expect the divine 
 blessing either upon ourselves or our country. 
 If we call upon God, he has promised to hear 
 us. But the nation or people that xoill not serve 
 Mm, he will destroy. The liand of the Lord is 
 upon all tlieni for good that seek him, hut his 
 power and his wrath is against tliem that for- 
 sake him. Them that honor m^, saith God, I 
 will honor, and tliey that despise me, shall he 
 lightly esteemed. 
 
 The man that lives without prayer lives in 
 continual sin against his maker. And if he 
 continue pray erl ess, he cannot go to heaven. 
 And sui'ely, if it is a Christian duty for all men 
 to pray for their rulers, it is the duty of civil 
 magistrates to pray for themselves and for the 
 people. Parents and teachers esteem it a privi- 
 17* 
 
394 PRAYIlSrG FOR OUE EULERS. 
 
 lege to pray for those committed to tlieir care. 
 Mucli more slionld civil magistrates pray for 
 themselves and for those over wliom they exer- 
 cise authority. And ivhosoever shall call on the 
 name of the Lord shall he saved. 
 
XIV. 
 
 CHKISTIAN SOLDIEES. 
 
 Colonel Gardiner — Ccfptain Vicars — Field- 
 Marshal BuxvarroiD — General Havelock — 
 General Jackson.^ 
 
 We allude again to Col. Gardiner, not to give 
 any detailed account of his life. This is unne- 
 cessary, seeing that the history of his life and 
 Christian character has long been familiar to 
 the reading world. We would, however, have 
 
 * The author does not profess, of course, to give anything like an 
 exhaustive notice of these distinguished warriors, nor to exclude 
 many others from the right of being enrolled in a similar place in 
 Tlie Church of the Army. He has introduced these rather than 
 others, because he was better acquainted with their history, and also 
 because their characters seemed to him to be most fit illustrations of 
 the main jioints in hand. The religious opinions of our own great 
 Washington are too well known to need a remark. Indeed, it is be- 
 lieved that all our Great Captains are and have been believers in 
 Cliriiitianity, and most of them communing members in the Church 
 
 of Christ. 
 
 895 
 
396 CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 
 
 it distinctly remembered, tliat lie was as well 
 known for Ms love of country and for valor, 
 tested in many a battle-field, as lie was for 
 piet}-. He was as brave and skilful in defend- 
 ing virtue against vice, and the trutli of God 
 against infidelity, as lie was in leading kis men 
 into tke thickest of the figkt. During ki's earlier 
 years, he often expressed a wish that it might 
 be Grod's will for him to sacrifice his life in de- 
 fence of religion and of the liberties of his coun- 
 try. This prayer was answered. The last re- 
 cord we have of him, written by himself, is in 
 the following terms : " The enemy are advanc- 
 ing ; but I trust in the Almighty God, who do- 
 eth whatsoever he pleases in the armies of hea- 
 ven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. 
 I have OTie life to sacrifice to my country's 
 safety, and I shall not spare it." This was only 
 the day before he fell beneath the blow of a 
 broadsword in the battle of Preston Pans. 
 The sublimest part of his life, however, was his 
 example of godliness amid the profaneness and 
 dissipation of the camp. Of Captain Vicars we 
 have also spoken, and while we do not think 
 
CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 397 
 
 his memoirs just tlie kind of a record tliat 
 miglit do the most good, we do greatly admire 
 the man as a Christian soldier. His lofty cour- 
 age, self-denial, and diligence in doing good are 
 ever to be remembered. He found time to pray 
 and read the Bible, to visit the sick, attend 
 meetings for prayer, and to cheer up his men 
 amid the hardships and labors and perils of the 
 camp as well as of the battle. We find him 
 wi'iting thus to his sister : " Be assured you will 
 feel far happier in this world, even, by making 
 religion your chief pursuit and study, than by 
 all the pleasures and gaieties which your young 
 heart may now be longing after. I tell you 
 candidly and seriously, that I would willingly 
 part with every earthly pleasm-e for life, for 
 one hour's communion with Jesus every day !" 
 And again : " Oh, that the Lord God would 
 come among us with a high hand and with a 
 stretched out arm; that he would, by the 
 mighty power of the Holy Ghost, change and 
 soften the hard hearts of those who despise the 
 riches of his grace, and who make a mock of 
 sin while standing on the verge of eternity; 
 
398 CHEISTIAN SOLDIERS. 
 
 tliat lie would plant tlie rose of Sliaron in all 
 its freshness and fulness in tlie ground of every 
 troubled, sin-laden heart." Such was the heart 
 of the man, who gave his own blankets to his 
 soldiers, and slept on leaves, and, like Jacob, 
 had a stone for his pillow. Such was the 
 Christian soldier, who roused his little band of 
 two hundred in the dead of night to meet the 
 attack of two thousand Russians in the trenches, 
 by shouting : " Now, O^th, up and charge !" 
 He himself led the way, and when a bayonet 
 wound drew the blood copiously from his 
 breast, his voice rose higher still, as he cried : 
 " Men of the 9Yth, follow me !" as he leaped 
 the parapet and charged the enemy. For a 
 moment the moonbeams fell on his flashing 
 sword as he waved it for the last time and gave 
 his dying cheer to his men : " This way, 97th !" 
 And he fell amidst his foes, but fell in the arms 
 of victory. 
 
 FLELD-MAESHAL SUWARROW. 
 
 This officer is the greatest general Russia 
 ever produced, and the most extraordinary man 
 
CHEISTIA]^ SOLDIERS. 399 
 
 of liis time. He combined the hio^liest talents 
 for war mth. tlie most extraordinary devotion. 
 He liad a superstitious influence over tlie minds 
 of liis soldiers. His deeds in arms are almost 
 fabulous, and his manner of life sinmilar. He 
 had a philosophical contempt for dress, and 
 might often have been seen drilling his men in 
 his shirt sleeves. By exercise, cold baths, and 
 frugal diet, which he always shared with the 
 soldiers, he kept himself, even to old age, in a 
 vigorous state of health. He was a rare exam- 
 ple of temperance. He scrupulously kept all 
 the fasts of the Greek Church. War and its 
 duties were the whole occupation and diversion 
 of his life. He insj)ired his soldiers with a 
 courage that made them invincible, no matter 
 how great the numbers or adverse the circum- 
 stances. He was a man of incorruptible hon- 
 esty, immovable in his purposes, and inviolable 
 in his promises. As he shared all the hard- 
 ships and perils of his soldiers, so they never 
 refused to follow iiim. He could march them 
 farther, carry them through greater fatigue, and 
 make them victors over gi-eater odds, than any 
 
400 CHEISTIAX SOLDIERS. 
 
 man in Europe. Devoutly religious, lie would 
 often stop his soldiers on their marcli for prayer 
 or exhortation, and especially on Sundays, if 
 opj)ortunity offered, deliv^er them a lecture. 
 He also obliged his captains to pray aloud be- 
 fore their companies, and abused those foreign 
 officers who were not acquainted ^\'ith the Rus- 
 sian prayers. To the love of his country he sa- 
 crificed every other sentiment, and consecrated 
 without reserve all the faculties of his nature. 
 So unbounded was the confidence of his soldiers 
 in his sanctity and caj)acity to lead them, that 
 they regarded him as the man chosen and sent 
 by the Almighty to lead them to victory. Rus- 
 sian soldiers under liim never surrendered, 
 though surrounded by the enemy. They died 
 embracing the image of their saints, which was 
 attached as an amulet to their necks, but never 
 surrendered. Of Suwarrow himself it was said, 
 he "was never cold, afraid, nor defeated." 
 For this estimate of this great field-marshal of 
 Russia, we have relied mainly on Fowler's 
 " Lives of the Sovereigns of Russia." 
 
CHRISTIA?^ SOLDIERS. 401 
 
 GENERAL IIAVELOCK. 
 
 .Among the Indian heroes of the British 
 army, where shall we iind a name more honored 
 than that of Haveloek, and where shall we find 
 a character more like the Puritan, God-feariuc 
 ironsides of Cromwell ? A late revieAv, Ly no 
 means fond of evangelical views, says of him: 
 "His religion was no outward virtue, but a 
 deep, living, all pervading principle, which was 
 rooted in his very being, and tinged his whole 
 character. He was one no more ashamed of 
 praying than of fighting; but would sin- 
 J3salms before all the army with as much cour- 
 age as he Avould lead it to victory." His were 
 the characteristicts of the true hero. An ear- 
 -nest religious conviction united with great 
 military zeal and skill. His piety in no way 
 detracted from his military duties. In the 
 British army there was none more resolute or 
 steadfast than Haveloek. "And by a happy 
 accident," says the Westminster Review, " there 
 was allotted to him just such a duty as his 
 
402 CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 
 
 soul loved. It was a time of sore trial for 
 British India. The rebels were in the first 
 flush of success. Kegiraent after regiment had 
 fallen away from our standard. The British 
 authority seemed to have dissolved all over 
 the Northwest. In the lower provinces there 
 were not more than some two thousand British 
 soldiers to uphold our dominion. There was a 
 general panic in Calcutta. It was then that 
 Havelock was called to the command of the 
 troops proceeding northward. The extraordi- 
 naiy series of efforts by which he retrieved 
 our fortunes, beat back the torrent of revolt, 
 ^vrouglit Cjuick vengeance upon the fiend of 
 Bithoor, and finally, after nine victories gained 
 against armies numbering from ten to twenty 
 thousand men, he succeeded in fighting his 
 way, in spite of every obstacle, to the Luck- 
 now Residency, and in averting its hourly im- 
 minent fall, is a portion of the history of this 
 mutiny most familiar to the British public. In 
 all this astonishing enterprise, pursued under 
 the burning sun of an Indian summer, the 
 great merit of Havelock is this, that with un- 
 
christia:?^ soldiers. 403 
 
 flinching tenacity of purpose, lie stuck to liis one 
 chief object — the relief of Lucknow. From the 
 task which he set before himself at startino- he 
 neyer turned aside. Onward, with iron stead- 
 fastness, he urged it through all hazards ; on- 
 ^vard, through rain, sun and fever; onward, 
 through countless liosts of a desperate enemy, 
 ^vitll the motto — ' Eemember Ca^\Tipore — Ke- 
 mendjer the ladies !' No knight of romance 
 strove more earnestly for the Holy Grail — no 
 Crusader more stubbornly pursued his sacred 
 ])ilgrimage." 
 
 Ilavelock waited long for the work of his 
 life. "Toiling painfully and obscurely for 
 nearly half a eontuiy of the best years of his 
 lite,, the work came at last to him which he 
 Avas to do. He did it and died. He lived to 
 see the crowning of his noble purpose, but not 
 to receive the full meed of his country's appro- 
 l)ati(^n. The brave spirit had worked out its 
 l)uny tenement, and sped to the God of its 
 faithful service. Since the death of Nelson and 
 of Moore, never death of any man has excited in 
 England such wide and deep sorrow — a sorrow 
 
404 CHRISTIAN SOLDIEES. 
 
 almost domestic in every English liome." — 
 Westminster Review on Indian Heroes. 
 
 Haveloclv was remarkable for liis diligence, 
 sobriety, strengtli of intellect and soldierly 
 bearing, as well as for liis piety. When com- 
 pelled to remain inactive, in the daily routine 
 of camp or post duty, he spent his time in the 
 study of languages, of military science and the 
 history of war, in the discipline of his troops 
 and in the religious instruction of the men 
 under his charge. He devoted himself so suc- 
 cessfully to the study of Oriental languages 
 that he became military interpreter in the 
 British army in Persia and Burmah. It is ob- 
 vious that one of the great evils of the military 
 service is the idle time that hangs on the hands 
 of young officers, at isolated or remote posts. 
 But it is within their power to turn all their 
 time to advantage. Havelock passed nearly 
 half a century in preparation for the crowning 
 events of his life. Twelve years between the 
 Burmese war and the Affsfhanistan war, he 
 spent in the daily routine of military duties. 
 But he lost no time. For it was then that 
 
CHEISTLVN SOLDIEES. 405 
 
 Oriental languages and the science and his- 
 tory of war, and religious literature and the 
 work of Christian missions occupied his time. 
 
 Havelock was proud of his profession and 
 loved active military service. The profile view 
 of any such man must therefore be manifestly 
 unjust. We must take a full face view, recon- 
 ciling as well as we can his Christian character 
 Avith his deeds as a warrior ; and to do this we 
 have first decided that the profession of arms 
 is not in itself sinful, though we believe almost 
 all wars are unjustifiable, wicked and unneces- 
 sary. But we do not see how a subaltern offi- 
 cer or a private is any more guilty for serving 
 in an unjustifiable A\ar than the citizens who 
 pay taxes to support it. And besides, who is 
 to decide on the character of a war ? Is every 
 private to sit in judgment on the war before he 
 consents to obey orders and fight? This is 
 subversive at once of all government. The 
 powers that be are to be obeyed by Christians 
 in going to Avar as in other things, exce2:)t 
 Avhere their commands are clearly contrary to 
 the commandments of God. So the early 
 
406 CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 
 
 Christians understood the Gospel precepts on 
 this subject. Some of the best soldiers in the 
 armies of the pagan emperor of Kome were 
 devout Christians. They considered it their 
 duty as Christians to pray for them and to 
 fight for the empire. 
 
 General Havelock's greatness of character, 
 then, seems to us to have consisted of his 
 strong common sense, vigorous intellect and 
 abiding religious impressions from early youth. 
 The religious training of his mother is seen in 
 all his career. The child of six years under 
 his father's roof in Kent was father to the 
 man and to the hero dying in India. The man 
 of sixty was seen in his boyhood as through an 
 inverted telescope. His military greatness was 
 not a mere chance. Nor was it the growth of 
 an hour, but the rijje fruit of a lifetime of 
 severe study, of self-denial, of self-government, 
 obedience to orders, strict temperance, and of 
 arduous service for his country, both in the 
 camp and in the field. He was himself an ex- 
 ample of what he wished his men to be. A 
 most rigid disciplinarian for the drill, and in 
 
CHEISTIAN SOLDIERS. 407 
 
 action he led bis men tlirough the most stirring 
 scenes with the coolness and accuracy of a 
 parade diill. The foundation of his great suc- 
 cess-was laid in the fearlessness of his course 
 and in the open, honest, full-heartedness of his 
 religious faith. '' It was not in Havelock's na- 
 ture to hide his colors. His uniform did not 
 more fully declare his profession as a military 
 man, than did his uniform Christian .conduct, 
 his position in the church militant." " His en- 
 listment was as hearty under the banner of the 
 Lion of the tril)e of Judah as under the lion of 
 Britain. He is an illustrious example, both 
 from the lustre of his name and the lustre of his 
 course, and from the dark sky out of which his 
 star shone so steadily in its undimmed, ever-in- 
 creasing brilliance." — Boardman^s Higher Life. 
 " Come and see how a Christian can die. I 
 have so ruled my life for more than forty years, 
 that when it came I mij^^ht face death without 
 fear. I die happy and contented. Thank God 
 for my hope in the Saviour. We shall meet in 
 heaven." "I am not in the least afraid. To 
 die is gain. I die happy and contented." And 
 
408 CHKISTIAN SOLDIEES. 
 
 his last words were to liis loving son, wlio liad 
 shared with him the perils of the battle-field, 
 " Come," said, he, " come, my son, and see how 
 a Christian can die." 
 
 Such is the end of an uj^right and pious man. 
 In death tranquil, confident, hopeful, joyous. 
 Such is the end of those that live a life of faith 
 upon the son of God, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, 
 but without any confidence in the flesh. 
 
 GENERAL JACKSON. 
 " There gleams a coronet of light around our hero's brow." 
 
 But our sketch would be sadly defective 
 without a reference to General Jackson. Pliny, 
 in his letter to Atrius Clemens, says that he 
 had " an op2:)ortunity to look into Euphrates, 
 the philosopher, being frequently at his house, 
 and that he knew him to be a shining example 
 of polite learning." It was our privilege for a 
 considerable time to know General Jackson, and 
 to be often as guest and pastor in his hospitable 
 mansion, and even share his own private cham- 
 
CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 409 
 
 ber wlieii his house ^vas crowded with visitors 
 and strangers. We had the best possible 
 opportunities "to look into his character" and 
 know his inmost heart. We have heard him 
 talk in many a most unguarded moment, anel 
 when under great excitement, and when he 
 was without any possible motive for conceal- 
 ment, or for acting a pai-t. And it is our 
 deliberate judgment, that he was a truly won- 
 derful man. We believe that he was one of 
 the noblest and purest patriots that ever lived. 
 Horace Walpole's canon, that every man had 
 his price, altogether failed in regard to him. 
 He was incorruptible. He possessed both phy- 
 sical and moral courage in an eminent degree. 
 Perhaps his moral courage was even more 
 remarkable than his physical courage. Moral 
 courage like his is certainly very rare. His 
 admiration for it was unbounded. Repeatedly 
 have we heard him at his own table or fireside 
 sketch briefly, but with singular comprehension 
 and insiglit into character, living men, and 
 after summing up the salient points, say, " but 
 he is not to be trusted. He lacks moral 
 
 18 
 
410 CHEISTIAN SOLDIEES. 
 
 courage." Many of these sketclies were true 
 propliecies, as the history of subsequent times 
 has verified. The intellectual powers of Gene- 
 ral Jackson have not been ]3roperly ap^^reciated. 
 He was a man of more intellectual culture, had 
 a more extensive knowledge of books and of the 
 history of the world, and a greater reach of mind 
 than has been generally supposed. His instincts 
 were better than most men's reasoning powers. 
 His career as a laivyer, a jndge, and a member 
 of Congress, is proof of respectable attain- 
 ments. We have seen many of his letters, and 
 still have some written by his own hand, that 
 are well written in every respect. And surely 
 nature never j)resented the world with a more 
 perfect sj)ecimen of the high-toned gentleman 
 in his own house and among his neighbors. 
 The errors of his youth were the errors of his 
 day, of his times, and of the best society in 
 the country. Though born to be an Agamem- 
 non — a king among men — an iron man, and 
 the bravest of the brave, he Avas nevertheless 
 as easily influenced by his friends as a child. 
 Holding in perfect contempt the recklessly 
 
CHRISTIAN SOLDIEES. 411 
 
 ambitious and the self-seeking, he seemed to 
 think others were as honest as himself. Per- 
 haps indeed the weakest point in his character 
 was his yielding to the importunities of his 
 friends in whose moral courage and princi- 
 ples he reposed implicit confidence. Not a few 
 of his sorest trials arose from his attempt, like 
 Ajax, to cover his friends Avith his own shield. 
 But it is especially in reference to his ster- 
 ling honesty and belief in Christianity, and his 
 professed faith in Christ, that we desire to 
 consider him in this place. Being of a Scotch- 
 Irish family, he was early taught the West- 
 minster Catecliism, Watts' Psalms and Hymns, 
 and to read the Holy Scriptures, and to reve- 
 rence the Lord's Day, and to respect ministers 
 of the Gospel. And even in those periods of 
 his life, when it might be thought that he had 
 forgotten all these things, there is abundance 
 of proof that he never ceased to feel their 
 influence. He cherished the j^rofoundest reve- 
 rence for his mother and the most ardent love 
 for his Avife, to the day of his death. The copy 
 of Watts' Psalms and Hymns used by his A\-ife 
 
412 CHi^ISTIAN SOLDIERS. 
 
 he kej^t under his 23illow to his death, and wore 
 her miniature next liis heart. After the expi- 
 ration of his last term as Chief Magistrate, he 
 made a public profession of his faith in Christ 
 and became a member of the Old School Pres- 
 byterian church at the Hermitage. It was 
 then that we served him as Pastor, and often 
 administered the Lord's Supper to him. And 
 never shall we forget his reverent and pious 
 demeanor in the sanctuary. In mid-winter, 
 when the ground and the suiTOunding forests 
 were all covered with ice or snow, we have 
 often gone to the house of worship and found 
 no one there but General Jackson and his ser- 
 vant-man. On such occasions he was usually 
 seated near the fire, superintending the heating 
 and arranging of the audience room, so as to 
 have it as comfortable as possible w^hen the 
 congregation should assemble. His white 
 craped hat and well known figure are vivid in 
 our memory ; but especially his attendance at 
 the Lord's Supper. It was then that he was 
 seen leaning on his stafi", and supported by his 
 adopted son's wife, whom he loved as tenderly 
 
CHRISTIAIT SOLDIERS. 413 
 
 as if she were his own child, coming up to the 
 communion table, which was set before the 
 pulpit in the aisle as in olden times, literally 
 bathed in tears. And surely, if the great 
 apostle to the Gentiles could confess that he 
 preached the Gospel and wrote his epistles 
 " with many tears," it should not be considered 
 unmanly or weak for such a man as General 
 Jackson to partake of the holy communion 
 w4th " many tears." Still it was a sight that 
 we ourselves could scarcely bear, to see those 
 eyes, that never quailed before his country's 
 foes, melted into tears in view of the sufferings 
 of the Son of God, and the divine forgiveness 
 shown to us as sinners through him. We do 
 not doubt the genuineness of his piety. 
 
 An interesting sketch of General Jackson, 
 compiled chiefly from his own private letters to 
 his friends, was read some years ago by an 
 accomplished, learned and eloquent gentleman^ 
 to the New Orleans Academy of Sciences. It 
 was published by the special permission of the 
 Academy, but has not had, we fear, the circu- 
 lation its merits richly deserve. The author is 
 
414 .CHEISTIAN SOLDIEES. 
 
 Hon. Cliarles Gayarre, well known for some 
 able and valuable contributions to tlie history 
 of Louisiana. 
 
 These letters effectually silence the charges 
 so long and so often made against General 
 Jackson, that he was narrow-minded and given 
 to unreasonable prejudices, and a rough, aus- 
 tere man, and yet loose in his ideas of morals 
 and of Christian duties. No charges could 
 have been farther from the truth. No more 
 high-toned, or more noble and patriotic senti- 
 ments can be found than are breathed in his 
 numerous j^rivate letters. Nor could any man 
 have a more orthodox faith in the Bible, and 
 in its moralities, than he. We fear there are 
 few of the politicians and statesmen of our 
 day who can say, as he did : " I never have 
 seen an occasion where candor and truth were 
 not j)roper." 
 
 Our estimate of General Jackson's character 
 may be summed up in a few words, and to this 
 effect: He possessed a determination of will 
 and a degi^ee of courage as great, or greater, 
 than Napoleon the First, Julius Caesar or Han- 
 
CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 415 
 
 nibal ever liad. And for energy, and fixedness 
 and loftiness of pm-pose, and perseverance, lie 
 never had a superior. His greatness lies in 
 the strength and purity of his character. As 
 Judge Gayiirre lias tersely said, " His energy 
 \va9» indomitable in the lield and in the Cabi- 
 net, and his thorough honesty of pm-pose AViis 
 proof against all temptation, and which never 
 permitted him to hesitate or to halt in his march. 
 His intellect was of a sound texture. It was 
 compact and strong ; it was gifted with quick 
 perception and decision, with superior discrim- 
 ination and judgment. It Avas irresistible, 
 like the club of Hercules within arm's 
 length." 
 
 The memoirs, lives and eulogies of General 
 Jackson that have fallen under our observation 
 fail, singularly fail, to come up to his full mea- 
 sure. Some even of the most elaborate will 
 appeal* to those who kncAv the man and the 
 Christian as he was, kind, truthfid, brave, hon- 
 est, confiding and benevolent, as mere carica- 
 tures. It usually falls to men of great streno^th 
 and positiveness of character, to have stron^^ 
 
416 CHRISTIAN SOLDIEES. 
 
 friends and bitter enemies. And hence tlie 
 descrij)tions given of sucli men will be the re- 
 verse of each other, and neither exactly true. 
 This arises from the blind partiality of friends, 
 and the unreasonable animosity of enemies. 
 By the first they are painted gods, by the lat- 
 ter devils ; and yet they are neither gods nor 
 devils, but human beings, situate between the 
 two extremes. 
 
 Mr. Cobbett, who was himself a remarkable 
 man, and a good judge of character, in his de- 
 lineations of the life of General Jackson, de- 
 clares that, in his judgment, he was " the brav- 
 est and the greatest man living, or that had 
 ever lived in this world, so far as my know- 
 ledge extends." If we are to measure the 
 greatness of names by the hold they have had 
 and still have u2:)on the public heart, and the 
 influence they have had and still have in mold- 
 ing the political institutions of the country, it 
 is beyond controversy, that American history 
 up to the present 3^ear has had no greater name 
 than that of Andrew Jackson. And in dis- 
 tant generations, we believe, the United States 
 
CIirjSTIAN SOLDIEES. 41 Y 
 
 will seem to have had but two Presidents, 
 WASHEsrGTON and JACKSOisr. Mr. Polk's admi- 
 nistration was one of the ablest and most suc- 
 cessful in the history of our country; it was 
 however but little more than the supplement 
 or sequel to the life of General Jackson, and 
 of the present and the living we now say no- 
 thing. The time has not fully come even for 
 wi'iting the life of General Jackson. . The 
 ashes of partisan strife are yet too warm under 
 our feet. Justice has not yet been done to his 
 lofty character. Two New Englanders, John 
 Quincy Adams and George Bancroft, seem 
 to us to have appreciated his true character 
 more fully than any other contemporaries. 
 Mr.' Lawson's lines addressed to him on leaving 
 Washington for the Hermitage are beautiful 
 and appropriate : 
 
 " Come, stand the nearest to tliy country's sire, 
 Thou fearless man of uncorrupted heart, 
 Well worthy undivided praise thou art, 
 And 'twill be tiiine when slumbers partly ire." 
 « * * » 
 
 " Thy worth shall with thy country's name endure 
 And- greener grow thy fame through every coming year." 
 18* 
 
418 ^ CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 
 
 We conclude tliis sketch witli a few selec- 
 tions that will make tlie reader somewhat bet- 
 ter acquainted with General Jackson's religious 
 sentiments and habits. His religious convic- 
 tions were clear and strong and abiding. 
 They ran through the whole of his life from 
 earliest youth, strengthening to the day of his 
 death. Like General Washington, he was re- 
 markable for his pious allusions to an all-wise 
 and overruling Providence. The heaviest be- 
 reavements and sorest trials of his life, he 
 regarded as the dispensations of ''■ a kind and 
 benevolent Providence." In a much more 
 pious and modest frame of mind, than character- 
 ized Alexander and Caesar, or even the great 
 Napoleon, he confided in his propitious star, or 
 guiding angel. He seemed to feel that he had 
 " a calling to fulfill " — a high destiny to work 
 out for his country and generation. In no 
 sense a pharisee or a fanatic, he was remarka- 
 ble for alluding to the assistance he had 
 received from Providence. On one occasion, 
 he said : " For thirty-five years before my elec- 
 tion to the Presidency, I read at least three 
 
CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. 419 
 
 chapters of the Bible every day." Again: 
 " The Bible is true. The principles and sta- 
 tutes of that holy work have been the rule 
 of my life, and I have tried to conform to its 
 spirit as near as possible. Upon that sacred 
 volume I rest my hope for eternal salvation, 
 throuo;h the merits and blood of our blessed 
 Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." 
 
 In speaking of the death of one of his 
 friends, we find his affectionate and pious feel- 
 ings gushing out in the follomng style : " I 
 have met with a great bereavement. I have 
 lost my friend. He was my steadfast friend ; 
 pure, upright, and an honest man, but a kind 
 Providence has removed him from me to a hap- 
 pier clime than this. I will soon follow him, 
 when I hope to meet with him in the realms 
 of bliss, where the wicked cease to trouble and 
 the weary are at rest." Again : " I thank you 
 and your amiable family for the interest you 
 take in my health and life. A kind and bene- 
 volent Providence has thus far prolonged my 
 existence here below, regardless of the wishes 
 of my enemies. How much longer it may be 
 
420 CHRISTIAN SOLDIEES. 
 
 liis gracious will to prolong my days, God 
 knowetb. I await patiently liis call, always 
 ready to say, ' tlie Lord's will be done !' " 
 And yet again : " My own laealtli is not im- 
 23roved. I am suffering under great debility 
 and shortness of breatli, but submitting to tlie 
 Lord's Avill witL. calmness and resignation." 
 
 It was his habit to keep the Lord's day as a 
 day of rest and for religious service. If he had 
 company — as he almost always had — still he 
 would attend public worship as long as he was 
 able to go. Sabbath morning, he informed his 
 guests, that it was " his custom to go to church, 
 and that he would be haj^py to have their com- 
 pany, and that carriages and horses would be 
 at their service. But, ladies and gentlemen, 
 you will please do as you like in my house. 
 The parlor and library are at your disposal, if 
 you do not wish to go to church, but you must 
 excuse me." 
 
 The first item in General Jackson's will is 
 in these words : " I bequeath my body to 
 the dust whence it came, and my soul to God 
 who gave it, hoping for a happy immortality 
 
CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. ' 421 
 
 tlirougli the atoning merits of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, the Saviour of the world." 
 
 On receiving the communion a few days be- 
 fore his death, he said he was " ready for the 
 final summons. Death has no terrors for me. 
 When I have suffered sufficiently, the Lord 
 will take me to himself; but what are my suf- 
 ferings compared with those of the blessed Sa- 
 viour, who died on the accursed tree for me ? 
 Mine are nothino;." 
 
 Dr. Esselman, of Nashville, his physician in 
 his last sickness, gives the following picture 
 of closing scenes : " In a few seconds reaction 
 took place, and he became conscious, and raised 
 his eyes, and said : * My dear children, do not 
 grieve for me ; it is true I am going to leave 
 you ; I am well aware of my situation ; I have 
 suffered much bodily pain, but my sufferings 
 are but as nothing compared with that which 
 our blessed Saviour endured uj)on that accursed 
 cross, that we might all be saved who put their 
 trust in him.' He first addressed Mrs. Jackson 
 (his daughter-in-law), and took leave of her, 
 reminding her of her tender kindness mani- 
 
422 CIIEISTIAN SOLDIERS. 
 
 fested toward liim at all times, and especially 
 during his protracted illness. He next took 
 leave of Mrs. Adams (a widowed sister of Mrs. 
 Jackson, wlio had l^een a member of the general's 
 family for several years) in the most kind and 
 affectionate manner, reminding lier also of lier 
 tender devotion toward him during his illness. 
 He next took leave of his adopted son in the 
 most affectionate and devoted manner. He 
 next took leave of his grandchildren and the 
 children of Mrs. Adams. He kissed and 
 blessed them in a manner so touchingly im- 
 pressive that I have no language that can do 
 this scene justice. He discovered that there 
 were two of the boys absent — one of his grand- 
 sons and one of Mrs. Adams'. He inquired for 
 them. He was informed that they were at the 
 chapel, attending Sunday school. He desired 
 that they should be sent for. As soon as they 
 came, he kissed and blessed them also, as he 
 had done to those with him. By this time, 
 most of his servants had collected in his room 
 or at the windows. When he had taken leave 
 of them all, he delivered one of the most im- 
 
CHRISTIAN SOLDIEES. 423 
 
 pressive lectures on the subject of religion tliat 
 I liave ever heard. He sjDoke for nearly half 
 an hour, and apparently with the power of 
 inspiration ; for he spoke with calmness, with 
 strength, and, indeed, with animation. I regret 
 exceedingly that there was no one present who 
 could have noted down his precise words. In 
 conclusion, he said: 'My dear children, and 
 friends, and servants, I hope and trust to meet 
 you all in heaven, both white and black.' The 
 last sentence he repeated — 'both white and 
 black,' looking at them with the teuderest soli- 
 citude. With these words he ceased to speak, 
 but fixed his eyes on his granddaughter, Rachel 
 Jackson (who bears the name of his own be- 
 loved wife), for several seconds. What was 
 passing through his mind at that moment I 
 will not pretend to say ; but it did appear to 
 me that he was invoking the blessings of 
 heaven to rest upon her." 
 
 The closing scene is thus described in Par- 
 ton's Life: "Where is my daughter and Ma- 
 rian? God will take care of you for me. I 
 am my God's. I belong to Him. I go but a 
 
424 CIIEISTIAN SOLDIERS 
 
 short time l3efore you, and I want to meet you 
 all, white and black, in heaven." His last 
 words were: "Be good children, and we will 
 all meet in heaven." He died without a strug- 
 gle or a pang, and his countenance seemed to 
 say, I am gone upward, follow me. He was 
 great and just in life, calm and resigned in 
 death. 
 
 " Know we not our dead are looking 
 Downward with a sad surprise ; 
 All our strifes of words rebuking 
 With their mild and loving eyes ? 
 Shall we grieve these holy angels, shall we cloud these blessed skies ? 
 Let us draw their mantle o'er us 
 
 Which have fallen in our way ; 
 Let us do the work before us, 
 Cheerily, bravely, while we may, 
 Ere the long night silence cometh, and with us it is not day." 
 
XV. 
 
 THE AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKTNG. 
 
 " Pigmies are pigmies still, though perched on alps; 
 And pyramids are pyramids in vales. 
 Each man makes his own stature, builds himself: 
 Virtue alone outbuilds the pyramids ; 
 Her monuments shall last, when Egypt's fall — 
 'Tis moral grandeur makes the mighty man." 
 
 Young. 
 
 In giving . some brief sketches in former 
 numbers of tlie "Cliurcli in tlie Army," we 
 have not been speaking of the Armenian 
 Church, nor of the Greek Church, nor of the 
 Church of Rome, nor of England nor of Scot- 
 land, nor of any one branch, sect of denomina- 
 tion of Christians, but of the Chuech of the 
 LIVING God. It is not confined to one nation. 
 Its members are gathered out of every nation, 
 kindred and tongue. It "is the kingdom of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of 
 God." The holy Catholic or Universal Church 
 
 425 
 
426 AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 
 
 consists of the wliole number of tlie saved. It 
 is the spouse, the body, the fullness of Christ, 
 who filleth all in all. " There is no other head 
 of the Church, but the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 And there is but one true catholic Church, 
 There can be but one, though its members may 
 be, and are, called out of many nations and 
 countries, and are known by many different 
 names, but are all branches of the same holy 
 catholic Church. Adam and Eve were mem- 
 bers of this Church. It has existed through all 
 ages, even when and where there was as yet 
 neither altar, nor ark, nor tabernacle, nor cir- 
 cumcision, nor passover, nor temple. 
 
 " One family we dwell in Him, 
 
 One church above, beneath : 
 Though now divided by the stream, 
 
 The narrow stream of death. 
 Let saints below his praises sing. 
 
 With those to glory gone ; 
 For all the servants of our King, 
 
 In heaven and earth are one." 
 
 It is obvious that Providence has intended 
 every age and generation to exert an influence 
 
ARMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 427 
 
 upon tliose that follow, and that this connec- 
 tion shall continue more or less directly to the 
 end of time. iS^or are individuals lost in this 
 action. All persons are not equal in influence 
 neither living nor dead ; but Providence has 
 assigned to every man his place in the universe 
 and the universe has need of him — has claims 
 upon him to serve his Maker and his fellow- 
 creatures. 
 
 Our aim. throughout these pages has been to 
 awaken in the hearts of our young countr}'men 
 the idea that they may make " the best of both 
 worlds" even as soldiers, and that instead of 
 being excused from the duties, or denied the 
 privileges and joys of religion, because they 
 are soldiers, it is their duty to aim at eminence 
 in piety in spite of the disadvantages or diffi- 
 culties that may be in their way. We would 
 have them remember that the great heroes and 
 warriors, in fact all the great men of antiquity, 
 were deeply pious after the religion of their 
 age and country. Their wars were declared, 
 armies marched and battles fous^ht in answer 
 to oracles, and after sacrifices and prayers. 
 
428 AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKHSTG-. 
 
 One of the finest passages in tlie Iliad is that 
 one of the third book which describes the sacri- 
 fices and prayers preparatory for the battle be- 
 tween Paris and Menelaiis. The prayers oftei'ed 
 by the aged Priam and the aged warriors over 
 the sacrifices, and their submission of the fate 
 of the day to the gods above, saying as old 
 Priam did when he leaves the field unable to 
 view the combat of his son : 
 
 " Whose arms shall conquer, and what prince shall fall, 
 Heav'n only knows, for heaven disposes all." 
 
 And in the midst of the fight, after he had 
 received Paris' first blow from his lance — 
 
 " Atrides then his raassy lance prepares 
 In act to throw, but first ■prefers his prayers.^'' 
 
 No one can read Homer without observing 
 that his counsellors and warriors are wise and 
 brave, because of the assistance of some divin- 
 ity. This was true both of Trojans and Greeks. 
 The gallant exploits of Hector are the fruits 
 of his piety. He had never been victorious 
 but for the favor of Jove. And it was Pallas 
 
ARMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 429 
 
 that warmed Diomecl's bosom, and breathed 
 into his soul the power of lofty doing. And 
 Pallas, in selecting her agent to wound Mene- 
 lalis, chooses one renowned for strength, 
 although we might suj^jiose a goddess could 
 disable or kill a mortal by a weaker instru- 
 ment. But as Plutarch has well shown in his 
 treatise on the Pythian oracle. Homer does not 
 make the gods use all sorts of persons indiffer- 
 ently as their agents or as the secondary means 
 of working out their designs, but each one 
 according to the powers he has by nature 
 and art. If Minerva's wish is to persuade 
 the Greeks, she employs Ulysses, 
 
 " Great in the council, glorious in the field." 
 
 Whose elocution flowed, "soft as the fleeces of descending snows," 
 " Who spoke no more than just the thing he ought." 
 
 — //. iii. 278, 283. 
 
 And when she would conquer Diomed, and 
 when she wishes to make the Trojans dissolve 
 the league by beginning the fight after the 
 truce in which Paris and Menelatis had fought, 
 she selects not a Trojan, for Paris was not 
 beloved h\ his subjects. They were quite 
 
430 AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKINa. 
 
 willing to do him an ill turn. Slie therefore 
 goes among Priam's allies and selects Panda- 
 rus, who belonged to a nation noted for per- 
 fidiousness, and his own soul was so avaricious 
 that he was willing to accept any service that 
 would increase his gold. He left his horses 
 and chariots at home when he came to the war 
 lest he should lose them, or for fear of the 
 expense of kee23ing them. Minerva rightly 
 judged that a man so avaricious would be a fit 
 instrument of any treachery. And so palpable 
 is this that it may be regarded as a divine rule 
 that there is for and in every individual a life 
 plan for the full development of which he is 
 made capable. God and evil sj)irits always 
 select fit agents. Judas was not more fit for 
 his work than was Paul for his. If martial 
 deeds are to be done, David is the man after 
 God's own heart for the work. If the way of 
 the Lord is to be prepared by a bold reformer, 
 John the Baptist is sent in the S23irit and power 
 of old Elijah. Alexander the Great nursed 
 his desire to make himself the conqueror of the 
 world by anointing the tomb of Achilles. Ilis 
 
AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 431 
 
 ambition for military glory was inflamed still 
 more hy a visit subsequently to the grave of 
 Cyrus the Great. This, however, was but the 
 development of his education. The seed was 
 sown in his heart by his great teacher, Aris- 
 totle, who early and thoroughly acquainted 
 him with the works of Homer. He revised 
 and corrected a coiij of the " Iliad " for his 
 pupil's use. Alexander greatly admired this 
 work. He called it the " best provision for a 
 warrior." He carried the " Iliad " with him 
 and read it every day. It is said he never laid 
 down at night without reading some passage 
 of it, and then placed it with his sword under 
 his pillow. Now, if one of the greatest heroes 
 of the world regarded the " Iliad " as the best 
 book to prepare a man for martial deeds, mucli 
 more may we recommend the Word of God as 
 the best, and indeed the only book to teach us 
 how to fight the great battles of life, whether 
 in courts or camps, on farms or fields of car- 
 nage, in shops or senates. And as Alexander 
 was inspired by the " Iliad," so should we 
 drink deep from the living fountain of truth. 
 
432 AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 
 
 If he kept the " Iliad " near him day and night, 
 much more should Christian soldiers make the 
 Bible their constant companion. It teaches us 
 our duty to God and our fellow men — teaches 
 us how to live and how to die, so that we may 
 rise to glory, honor and immortality at the 
 resurrection of the just. 
 
 1. From the cases that have passed in review 
 before us, we see that eminent military attri- 
 hutes and serviced are not inconsistent ivith 
 the most ardent social and domestic attachments. 
 The Centurion of Capernaum, and Cornelius 
 the Centurion of Cesarea, and Washington, 
 Jackson, and Havelock, are as well known for 
 their |)urity of character in their family rela- 
 tions and for their domestic attachments as for 
 their achievements on the battle-field. Absence 
 from home and dwelling long in camps wrought 
 no estrangement of feeling in their households. 
 Havelock, in his solitary and perilous posts on 
 the Ganges or the Jumna, never forgot his wife 
 and children on the Rhine. None on earth 
 were so dear to him as those that dwelt in 
 Bonn, and waited for every mail from India, 
 
AR]\[Y OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 433 
 
 and not in vain, for missives of love. And 
 General Jackson's ardent attacliment to liis 
 wife, and reverence for liis motlier's memory, 
 is proverbial. Not long before liis death, lie 
 said : " Heaven will be no heaven for me, if I 
 do not meet my wife there." No man loved 
 little children more fervently, nor enjoyed the 
 bliss of the family circle with greater satisfac- 
 tion. He never, seemed more happy than with 
 one of the little ones of his household on his 
 knee, or in his arms. His favorite recreation, 
 as long as he was able to mount his horse, was 
 to take one of the little children l)efore him on 
 the saddle and ride over his farm. 
 
 Now what such men as Vicai-s, Hammond, 
 Jackson and Havelock have done, others should 
 imitate. Indeed it seems to be a law of our 
 natm*e, that great men who are loving and 
 pure, tender and affectionate at home, arc as 
 bold and fearless as lions abroad or in the 
 defence of their country and the inmates of 
 their homes. The names we have given prove 
 the possibility and illustrate the imperative 
 duty of maintaining religious principles in the 
 
 19 
 
434 AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 
 
 camp as well as at home, and show tliat sol- 
 diers should preserve the conjugal and parental 
 relations untarnished even to the ends of the 
 earth, or the utmost bounds of the ocean. 
 
 2. These cases illustrate, that mere human 
 virtues are not to he substituted for rejpentaoica 
 toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. Vir- 
 tuous and patriotic in the highest sense, unsel- 
 fish, benevolent, kind, forgiving, temperate, 
 truthful, sound-minded and right-hearted, and 
 full of deeds of greatest courage, yet faith in 
 Christ was added as the only way of salvation. 
 We have found Cornelius believing with all his 
 heart upon Christ as soon as he is preached to 
 him, and submitting himself to the righteous- 
 ness of God. And so did Havelock and Jack- 
 son. They believed in Christ and depended 
 upon him alone for salvation. By faith they 
 were justified and their sins forgiven. They 
 were accepted in the Beloved, and made com- 
 plete in Christ. Their example says, depend 
 not upon loyalty, patriotism and courage, nor 
 upon more than Roman virtue. Be a good 
 father, a good neighbor, a faithful and tender 
 
ARMY OF THE DEAD STUL SPEAKING. 435 
 
 husband, a good citizen, but dej^end not upon 
 tliese tilings for justification in tlie siglit of 
 God. When you are all these, you have no 
 merit at all. You are still a sinner against 
 God, and must accept of pardon through his 
 Son Jesus Christ. You must take him as he is 
 offered in the Gospel, a prophet, priest and 
 king, a complete, all-mighty, willing Saviour. 
 " The blood of Christ," and " the merits of aton- 
 ing blood " and " the sufferings of the Son of 
 God for us sinners," were favorite expressions of 
 both Havelock and Jackson. 
 
 3. We learn from these cases, that ojyposition 
 to religion^ and even 'persecution for our faith^ 
 must not cause us to deny it. Joseph of Arima- 
 thea, the centurions of Capernaum, of the 
 Crucifixion and of Cesarea, were under pecu- 
 liar temptations to deny Jesus ; but they felt 
 their obligations to him to be paramount to all 
 others. Nor are our modern military heroes 
 wanting in moral coui*age. Whenever Have- 
 lock's convictions of duty were ascertained, no 
 sarcasm, nor contempt, nor sting of the scoffer, 
 nor charge of fanaticism, or of pietism, could 
 
436 AEMT OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 
 
 move him from doing his duty. Obedience to 
 God was his highest standard. It was his con- 
 stant effort to preserve a conscience void of 
 offence toward God and toward man. And 
 when he was reproached with being a fanatical 
 Baptist, a ranting Methodist, a pietist, the Go- 
 vernor-General of India examined the charges, 
 and was so delighted with the discipline and 
 influence he had over his men, that he said he 
 Avished to God Havelock had baptized the 
 whole army. 
 
 And General Jackson not only always main- 
 tained a high regard for the Bible, the Church 
 and her ministers and ordinances, but he was 
 always ready to avow his convictions in their 
 behalf He was never ashamed of the catechism 
 of his mother, nor of the religion of his wife. 
 " The holy Sabbath," said he, " is ordained by 
 God, and set apart to be devoted to his wor- 
 ship and j^raise. I always keep it as God's 
 holy day. I always attended service at church 
 when I could." 
 
 4. Let us learn, wherever we are, or in what- 
 ever profession or business we may be, to try to 
 
ARMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 437 
 
 do good. One centurion we find, building a 
 synagogue for the Jews at Capernaum; ano- 
 ther, Cornelius, giving alms to all the people, 
 and another saving the life of Paul and other 
 prisoners from the violence of the soldiers. 
 And at the Shivey Dagoon of Rangoon and on 
 the beach after a shipwreck, and on the tented 
 field and at Jellalal^ad, and at Cawnpore and 
 Lucknow, we have Havelock always a confessor 
 for Christ, and fervent in his prayers and 
 efforts to make him known to his soldiers. 
 And when but a subaltern, we find him sacredly 
 devoting one-tenth of his entire income to reli- 
 gious purposes. Though one of the bravest of 
 the brave, and one of the most active soldiers 
 for forty years, spent in camps and armies, 
 in marches and sieges, he always found time 
 for prayer and the reading of God's holy word. 
 And so also the church at the Hermitao-e was 
 built, and rebuilt and \nt^i up chiefly by the 
 contributions and influence of General Jackson. 
 He was not only generous as Hatem in his hos- 
 pitalities, but his purse was always open for 
 the support of ministers of the Gospel. He 
 
438 AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 
 
 never was a2")pealed to in vain for tlie poor, or 
 for aid to su2:>port tlie worsliij) of God. Gen- 
 erosity is closely allied witli bravery. 
 
 5. These liistories teacli us to be catliolic in 
 our feelings. The learned professions and the 
 studies and pursuits of military and naval 
 science, travel and acquaintance with mankind 
 have a tendency to liberalize our ideas, but 
 this is perhaps preeminently so with soldiers 
 and sailors. In the almsgivings of Cornelius, 
 the synagogue built at Capernaum for the Jews 
 by a Koman centurion, and the kindness of 
 Julius toward Paul, we have instances of vic- 
 tory over national prejudices and all narrow- 
 ness of mind. Now while we have no sympa- 
 thy with indifferentism or latitudinarianism, 
 we do hold it to be a high Christian duty to 
 love and fellowship all who love our Lord Je- 
 sus Christ in sincerity. We have no sympa- 
 thy with an exclusive, intolerant bigotry. 
 Wherever the spirit of Christ is, there we 
 acknowledge Christ himself; and we know 
 that if we have not the spirit of Christ we are 
 none of his. A happy instance of the catho- 
 
AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKLNG. 439 
 
 licity of General Havelock is found in Ms fel- 
 lowship with the Presbyterians of the Free 
 Church of Scotland at Bombay, with the mem- 
 bers of which he delighted to worship. " He 
 took a part in their prayer-meetings, and his 
 hand and purse were both open to assist them 
 in carrying out their various plans for the edu- 
 cation and religious instruction of the natives. 
 Havelock was wholly destitute of that narrow 
 sectarian prejudice which impairs the excellence 
 of so many even true Christians. He communed 
 with all evangelical denominations, and regard- 
 ed creeds as of small consequence com'pared 
 with true 'piety. Once in a meeting at Bom- 
 bay, this question of denomination being re- 
 ferred to, he explained fully and freely his 
 views. Though he ' should part,' he said, ' mth 
 his Baptist principles only with his life, he was 
 willing cordially to fraternize with every Chris- 
 tian who held by the Head, and was serving 
 the Redeemer in sincerity and truth. And 
 here he would protest against its being alleged, 
 as adversaries would insinuate, that when men 
 of various denominations met, as this evening, 
 
440 AEMY OE THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 
 
 in a feeling of brotherhood, they could only do 
 this by paring down to the smallest portion, 
 the mass of his religion; on the contrary, he 
 conceived that all brought with them their 
 faith in all its strength and vitality. They 
 left, indeed, he thought, at the door of the 
 place of assembly, the husks and shell of their 
 creed, but brought into the midst of their breth- 
 ren the precious kernel. They laid aside, for 
 a moment, at the threshold, the canons, and 
 articles, and formularies of their section of 
 Christianity, but carried along with them, up 
 to the table at which he was speaking, the very 
 essence and quintessence of their religion.' " — 
 Headleifs Life of Havelock. 
 
 Such feelings we believe are common with 
 enlightened minds, but especially so with 
 brave men. They love piety better than creed. 
 No man disliked petty jealousies and narrow 
 sectarian feelings and denominational shibbo- 
 leths more cordially than General Jackson. 
 Though a Presbyterian by birth, education, con- 
 viction and preference, both as to doctrines and 
 modes of worship — ^as to faith and church 
 
AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 441 
 
 order and government — still his views on reli- 
 gious subjects were truly broad and catholic. 
 No man was more ardently devoted to religious 
 freedom, nor more tolerant of the rights of con- 
 science. 
 
 6. Let us learn that no circumstances, how- 
 ever unfavorable to pious efforts, are a suffi- 
 cient excuse for neglecting personal religion. 
 The Roman centurion of Capernaum and of 
 Cesarea were remarkable for theii' attention to 
 their households. Their education, position, 
 and profession were much in the way of their 
 devotion to God, yet we find them overcoming 
 every obstacle. And surely no man could 
 have greater turmoil and care than Havelock 
 had in Affghanistan and Oude, yet his religious 
 habits were kept up without intermission. He 
 was not a day without his Bible, and often en- 
 gaged not only in silent prayer, l3ut in its out- 
 ward act. It was a special object with him, 
 somehow or other, to be left alone both morning 
 and evening, that he might bow down and wor- 
 ship God. He was constantly at church or chapel 
 whenever an opportunity was offered. The 
 
442 AEMY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 
 
 first thing eveiywliere witli Mm was the king- 
 dom of God and his righteousness. His whole 
 life, and his death declare that " where there is 
 a will to serve God, there is a way." Yicars 
 and Hammond also found time for much pious 
 meditation upon God's Word. And we have 
 seen also that General Jackson was never with- 
 out his Bible, and always attended church 
 when he could. Surely, then, the distractions 
 of business, the urgencies of a learned profession, 
 and even the anxieties of the tent and of the 
 battle-field, are no excuse for neglecting the one 
 thing needful. What has been done may be 
 done again — may be done by American sol- 
 diers. 
 
 The speaking dead, the voices from glory, all 
 
 " Remind ua, 
 
 We can make our Uvea sublime, 
 And departing, leave behind us 
 Footprints on the sands of time — 
 
 " Footprints, that perhaps another, 
 Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 
 A. forlorn and shipwrecked brother, 
 Seeing, shall take heart again. 
 
ARIVIY OF THE DEAD STILL SPEAKING. 443 
 
 " Let us, then, be up and doing, 
 With a heart for any fate, 
 Still achieving, still pursuing, 
 Learn to labor and to wait." 
 
 THE END, 
 
A LIST OF 
 
 BOOKS 
 
 ISSUED BY 
 
 CARLETON, PUBLISHER, 
 
 (LATE RUDD & CARLETON,) 
 
 413 Broadway, 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 MSt 
 
LIST OF BOOKS rUBLISEED 
 
 liOve (li' Amour). 
 
 A remarkable and celebrated volume on Love, translated from 
 the French of M. J. Michelet, by Dr. J. W. Palmer, $1.00, 
 
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 Tlie Sea (La Mer). 
 New work by Michelet, author " Love" and " Woman," $ 1 .00. 
 
 Tlie Moral History of Women. 
 Companion to Michelec's "' L'Amour," from the French, $1.00. 
 
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 upon the famous " Mother Goose Melodies^" illustrated, 75 cts. 
 
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 Being entertaining reminiscences and recollections of ancient 
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 by G. Ruffini, author of "Lorenzo Benoni," etc., etc., $1.25. 
 
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 A new love-story, by the author of "Doctor Antonio," $1.25. 
 
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 An amusing Parisian novel, by author " Doctor Antonio," $ 1 .00. 
 
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 travels andlabors, with an introduction by Bayard Taylor, $1.25. 
 
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 With VarnhagenVonEnseand other European celebrities,$l. 25. 
 
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 An historical novel by F. D. Guerrazzi, from the Italian, $1.25. 
 
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 An historical novel by the author of "Beatrice Cencl," $1.25. 
 
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£Y CARLEVOtr, NEW YOliiC. 
 
 Cesar Hirottean. 
 
 The first of a series of selections from the best French novels of 
 Honore de Balzac. Translated from the latest Paris editions by 
 O. W. Wight and Frank B. Goodrich (" Dick Tinto"), §1.00. 
 
 Petty Annoyances of ITIarried Lilfe. 
 The second of the series of Balzac's best French novels, Si. 00. 
 
 Ttic Alchemist. 
 The third of the series of Balzac's best French novels, 81.00. 
 
 Engonic Grandct. 
 The fourth of the series of Balzac's best French novels, Si.oo. 
 
 Tho National Scliool for llie Soldier. 
 
 An elementary work for the solciier ; teaching by questions and 
 
 answers, thorough military tactics, by Capt. Van Ness, 50 cts. 
 
 The Partisan Leader. 
 
 The notorious Disunion novel, published at the South many 
 years ago — then suppressed — now reprinted, 2 vols, in 1, Si. 00. 
 
 A Tl'^onian's thonghts about Women. 
 
 A new and one of her best works, by Miss Mulock, author of 
 
 " John Halifax, Gentleman," " A Life for a Life," etc., $1.00. 
 
 Ballad of Bable Bell. 
 
 Together with other poems by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, 75 cts. 
 
 The Course of True liove 
 
 Never did run smooth, a poem by Thomas B. Aldrich, 50 cts. 
 
 Poems of a Year. 
 
 By Thomas B. Aldrich, author of " Babie Bell," &c., 75 cts. 
 
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 The Diamond Weddiny:. 
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 The Prince's Ball. 
 A satirical poem by E. C. Stedman, with illustrations, 50 cts. 
 
 A Life of Hugh ITIiiler. 
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 Eric; or, Little by Little. 
 A capital tale of English school-life, by F. W. Farrar, Si. 00. 
 
 Lola miontez. 
 Her lectures and autobiography, steel portrait, new ed., Si. 25 
 
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 Or j The Plumb-Lin«. papers, by Rev. T. M. Hopkins, Si. 00 
 
6 LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED 
 
 Tom Tiddler's Gronnd. 
 
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 National Hymns. 
 An essay by Richard Grant White, 8vo. embellished, $i.(5o. 
 
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 Literary essays reprinted from the British Quarterlies, 81.25. 
 
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 Novel by Anthony Trollope, author of " Doctor Thorne," $1.25. 
 
 General Nathaniel Lyon. 
 
 The life and political writings of this patriot soldier, $1.00. 
 
 Twenty Years Around the World. 
 
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 A new American novel, one vol. i2mo., cloth bound, $1.00. 
 
 Nothing to AVear. 
 
 A satirical poem by Wm. A. Butler, with illustrations, 50 cts. 
 
 Political History of NeTV York. 
 
 By Jabez B. Hammond, LL.D., 3 vols, steel portraits, $6.00. 
 Vernon Grove. 
 
 A novel by Mrs. Caroline H. Glover, Charleston, S. C, 1 1.00. 
 
 The Book of Chess liitorature. 
 
 A complete Encyclopajdia of this subject, by D. W. Fiske, $1.50. 
 
 From Haytime to Hopping. 
 A novel by the author of" Our Farm of Four Acres," $1.00. 
 
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 The Afternoon of Unmarried Life. 
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 Fast Day Sermons 
 Of I 86 1, the best Sermons by the prominent Divines, 81.25. 
 
 A Guide to Washington. 
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 Doesticlis' Letters. 
 The original letters of this great humorist, illustrated, $1.25, 
 
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 A comic history of America, by "Doesticks," illus., $1.25. 
 
 The Elephant Club. 
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 The Witches of New York. 
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BY CARLETOy, NEW YORK. 
 
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 A novel by the Hon. Benjamin Wood of New York, *i.oo. 
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 in five separate parts; by Edward E. Dunbar, per set, §).oo. 
 
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 Tbcssalonica. 
 
 Or; the model church, by H, L. Hastings, i2mo., 75 cts. 
 
 Poemis by E. G. Holland. 
 
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 Sybcllu 
 
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LIST OF BOOKS PUBLISHED 
 
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 Romance of a Poor Young Man. 
 
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 Flirtation 
 
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 A legend in verse, by Sarah W. Brooks, Providence, 50 cts. 
 
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 Tlie Cliristmas Tree. 
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 The Captive Niglitingale. 
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 Abraham Lincoln. 
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