SERMON FROM THE CAPITOL; 
 
 (Ljjc |i!ipcris()ab(c ;inb f^abinj M'orbs of (thrift. 
 
 DELIVEP.ED, 
 
 IX T'T U\fT OF Tlir. iinrsr op REPRESENTATIVEn 
 
 SABBATH MORNLXG, MARCH IS, 1860, 
 
 >n)OKTON, CilAl'l.AlN, H. 11. 
 
 
 TEXT: 
 
 ■ n e a r c n n n .1 Earth s h n 1 1 pass a w ny , but my words shall 
 uot pass away." — Matt. 24: 35. 
 
 \VASllIX*iTOX: 
 
 PRINTKD BY LKMUBL TOWEHS, 
 
 1860. 
 
> o 
 
CORRESPONDKNCK 
 
 "House op Representativv:s, 
 
 " Wasiiincton, March 19, ISilO. 
 '■ Uev. T. ]I. Stockton, 
 
 "DkauSiu: The uiuli-rsigneil Menibera of tlie House would resjioctfully r<^. 
 ([uest a copy of your salutiitory Sermon, delivered yestenla}- in the Hull of the 
 House. We wish it for publication, thnt its influence may be widcdy extended 
 b^' tlie circulation we shall give to it. If it comport witii your inclinations and 
 convenience, a compliance with this request will greatly oblige 
 
 " Your fiicnds. 
 
 "S. S. COX, 
 JNO. HICKMAN, 
 K. JOY MOUKIS, 
 Til OS. A. VS.. NKLSON, 
 A. A. BUUNIIAM, 
 JOHN McLEAN, 
 JNO. A. ]5INGUAM, 
 
 r.oBKKT Mcknight, 
 
 JAS. 15. McKK.VN, 
 E. 11. FUENCH, 
 JOHN IIUTCUINS, 
 
 O. W. PCU ANTON, 
 W. HOWAUl), 
 THOMAS JJ. FLOUENCE, 
 JNO. O. DAVIS, 
 JAS. C. ROBINSON, 
 J. W. STEVENSON, 
 liOGEU A. rUYOU. 
 C. L. VALLANDIGIIAM, 
 J. K. MOORHEAD, • 
 C. 15. SEDGWICK, 
 WM. PENNINGTON." 
 
 Wa^iiingtox, March 22, ISGO. 
 Gentlemen: 
 
 Your request was us much a surjirise ns my election. Humbly trustinsr, how- 
 ever, that there is a vindicating and progressive Providence in these incidents; 
 and wishing, most devoutly, to be enabled to answer its purposes, I rcspectfullj' 
 commit my discourse to your disposal. 
 
 As you ajjpropriately intimate, it is a simple salutallon: prepared h.astilv, 
 but not without prayer or care; designed to announce certain main principles, 
 and connect them with suitable reminiscences and exhortations. If, in looking 
 at the manuscript, (containing a few verbal corrections and additions of per- 
 sonal names,) you .=till deem it likely to do good, I sliiill be grateful for the use 
 you may make of it. 
 
 With all respect, I remain, 
 
 Your servant, for Christ's sake, 
 
 T. II. STOCKTON. 
 
 lion. Wm. Pennington, Speaker of the House of llejire.senta'ivcs. 
 " John McLean, Judge of the Supreme Court. 
 " S. S. Cox; Hon. Jno. Hickman; 
 " E. Jov MoKEis; and other Members of the House. 
 
SERMON. 
 
 '•Heaven iinJ Earth sliall pass away, but "^ • \v..r.^ -Imll not pn^;^ awuy."— 
 JlATTHiirw, 24 : 35. 
 
 Wc need elevation. As men, Americans and Christians, 
 w'Q need elevation. In onr persons and families, states and 
 chnrclics, we all need elevation. Properly speaking, it i.s im- 
 possible to desire too great elevation. The woe of the world 
 is the want of a true ambition. 
 
 To prevent ns from taking nnjnst advantage of this truth, 
 it is enough to remember the Gospel maxim : "J*o/' lohosocver 
 exalteth himself shall he abased; and he that humUeth him- 
 self shall he exalted.-'' This maxim both commends the object 
 and directs the pursuit. 
 
 And now — see ! One da_y, a young Galilean carpenter, fol- 
 lowed by a few lake-shore iishermen, entered the Temple at 
 Jerusalem, as a company of our countrymen, from any rural 
 district, on any day, entei-s this Capitol. Soon after, as they 
 left the Temple, some of the 3'oung man's friends invited his 
 attention t" certain fine ornaments and massive stones, charac- 
 teristic of the general and incomparable richness and strength 
 of the buildings. But he replied to them: '•'■See ye not all 
 iliese tilings I Yerilij I say iinto you., there shall not he left 
 here one stone upon another., that shall not he thrown down.^'' 
 
 What did they think of that? "What would we think of a 
 rustic visitor, who sliould leave this Capitol, saying to his 
 companions — and in a manner implying imminency of the 
 event — not one stone of it shall be left upon another ! 
 
 Strange as it may seem, that Galilean group had no little 
 confidence in their leader; and, therefore, Avhen thej^ had 
 come with him, out from the city, dowu the hill, over Ke- 
 dron, and up Olivet, until they reached a suitabli.' jxisitiou for 
 
a wide reaurvey of the scene, no sooner was he seated than 
 they drew near to him with the question : " Tell us when shall 
 these things 'bef What then? Did he withdraw what he 
 had said, or make light of it, or intimate any possibility of 
 mistake? Not at all. Rather, he gave them a prolonged and 
 speciiic answer ; in the course of which, ascending, with infi- 
 nite ease, to an infinitely siiblimer assumption, he did not hesi- 
 tate to declare : " Heaven and Earth shall iKiss away^ hut ony 
 loonls shall not ^XC'SS away /" It is, as tliough he had said — 
 There reposes the Holy City ; girt about with all the defences 
 of art and nature ; and glittering all over with the concentrate 
 wealth and power and pride of a great nation, during a long 
 succession of royal and priestly ages. There expands, pre- 
 eminently and most impressively, the peerless magnificence 
 of the venerated and impregnable Temple. To you, it seems 
 marvelous that I should predict the destruction of all. But, 
 to me, that olden glory is only as the fading pageant of a 
 summer sunset. Look away from the city, beyond and above 
 it. Behold the mountains round about it ! Behold the firma- 
 ment bending over it ! Nay, let your thought exceed your 
 vision. Think of the fullness of heaven and earth : of conti- 
 nents, islands and seas ; of sun, moon and stars ; of the divine 
 origin, grandeur, perpetuity, and government of all. Think 
 well of these things, and then remember — that my vroi'ds are 
 mightier and more enduring than all. Not only shall Jerusa- 
 lem pass away, but heaven and earth shall pass away ; and, 
 yet, my feeblest word, the faintest sound of my voice, the 
 gentlest breath from my lips, shall never pass away. 
 
 Did they believe him ? Yes ; and with good reason. They 
 witnessed, to a great extent, the power of his words, xittract- 
 ed by those words, cities were emptied and deserts filled. x\t 
 his word, the "common people," who "heard him gladly," 
 grew wiser than the wisest of their teachers. At his word, 
 the hierarchs of genius and learning, of law and religion, 
 blushed and trembled, darkening with rage or paling with af- 
 fright. At his word, his humble disciples were qualified and 
 commissioned to supercede "the wisdom of the world," and 
 become themselves the apostles of nations and instructors of 
 numkind. At his word, every scene of his presence became 
 a circle of divine enchantment : where deaf men listened, 
 
and duiiil) men spoke, iiiul liliml men lor>l-od, rtini lame 
 moil leapi'd, ami llio [utnilytic btuod Btill, and tl»o leper was 
 clean, and the maimed made wlnde, and tlie M'itliered restored, 
 and the sick revived, and the lunatic calmed, and the demo- 
 niac dispossessed, and the dead, just risen from their tomhs, 
 exchanged new greetini^s with the pressing midtitudes of tlie 
 living. True, their faith was sorely tried : chiefly, when their 
 yontlifnl leader exjured on the cross. Ihit, he soon rose from 
 the dead, ascended into heaven, and thence "gave gifra nnto 
 men." Tlius, their faith was renewed and confirmed, forever. 
 Then they repeated and recorded his words; conmiitting 
 them, in trnst, to all nations and ages. In fulHllment of the 
 prediction specially referred to, before that generation passed 
 away the Temple was destroyed and Jornsalcm witli it : and 
 the people were scattered and their institutions overthrown. 
 The carcass of Judaism lay stretched along the hill-side, and 
 from the whole cope of heaven the eagles of Rome hurried 
 to the festival. Since tlien, the words of that young man 
 have become tlie law of the world ; and miracles, correspond- 
 ing with those of his transient ministr}-, have been multiplied 
 on a larger scale and in more enduring relations. At his word, 
 deaf nations have listened ; and dumb nations, spoke ; and 
 blind nations, looked; and lame nations, leaped ; and para- 
 lytic nations have been strengthened; and leprous nations, 
 cleansed; and maimed nations, made whole; and withered 
 nations, restored; and sick nations, revived; and lunatic na- 
 tions, calmed; and demoniac nations, dispossessed; and dead 
 nations, brought forth, exultant, from their graves. Even 
 these miracles are "as notliing — less than nothing, and vani- 
 ty," in comparison with others which are yet to come: mira- 
 cles in behalf of all nations, and of our M'hole race, and of the 
 M'orld itself. And still, Avith tlie same eas}', natural, infinite 
 sublimity as at first, he assures us all : ^^Ileaven and Earth 
 shcdl pam moa>jy hut m>j loords shall not jxiss awayy 
 
 Kow, therefore, rises the all-important question : Tio we be- 
 lieve him? We live more than eighteen hundred years after 
 his advent. We live in a new world ; unknown to the old, in 
 which he lived, until within less than four hundred years ago. 
 A new soil is under our feet, and a new sky over our heads. 
 We show, on a vast area, fn-f ;md nni'iiibari-.!--od. \\\o bc<t r.-- 
 
suits of a tiiuwofviirl aor-.ial revolutions. To us, the most of the 
 old things of the old world iiavo passed away: old govern- 
 ments, old mythologies, old philosophies, old sciences, old a^i-ts, 
 and old manners, customs and usages. To us, nearly all things 
 have hecome new. But, have the old words of that young 
 Nazarene passed away from us? Or, has any new master su- 
 perseded his authority over us ? Not in the slightest degree ! 
 His authority is still supreme, and every syllable of his utter- 
 ance as sure as ever. As it has been, and is, so it always shall 
 be. With gratitude for our history, in vindication of our 
 honor, and in acknowledgment of the true and only source of 
 our power; in due remembrance of our fathers, with due re- 
 spect for ourselves, and due regard for ou-r children, I here 
 arise, on this highest height of the nation, as a representative, 
 however humble, of our people at large, of every State in the 
 Union, and of the United States in whole, and thus, with lifted 
 hand, repeat our solemn, national affirmation — our official and 
 perpetual proclamation to all mankind — that: Heaven and 
 Earth shall pass away, but the woeds of otjr Lord and Sa- 
 vior Jesds Christ shall not pass away! 
 
 I contemplate the heaven and earth of the old world : the 
 oveiTulings of Providence and changes of society there. I 
 think of the passing away of the whole circle of ancient Medi- 
 terranean civilization. I think of the dark ages of Europe. 
 I think of the morning of the Eeformation, and the fore-gleam- 
 ings of "the latter-day glory.'' I think of Art, and her print- 
 ing-press ; of Commerce, and her compass; of Science, aud 
 her globe ; of Eeligion, and her Bible. I contemplate the 
 opening of the heaven aud earth of the new world : the over- 
 rulings of Providence and changes of society here. I think 
 of the passing away of savage simplicities, and of the rude 
 semblances of civiHzation in Mexico and Peru, and of earlier 
 and later declensions. I think of the gracious reservation of 
 our own inheritance for present and nobler occupancy. I 
 think of our Eevolution, and its result of Independence. I 
 think of our first Union, first Congress, first prayer in Con- 
 gress, and first Congressional order for the Bible : and of 
 our wonderful enlargement, development and enrichment 
 since. And, in view of all — of the whole heaven and v.'hole 
 earth of the whole world; and of all changes, social and 
 
ii^itural, ])ast, ].i\'sont and futnro; profoundly and unaltora- 
 l)ly assured, as I trust wo all are, that the truth as it is "in 
 Jesus"' is tlie only stability in the universe — I feel justified 
 in invokiuLT, this day, your renewal of our common and con- 
 stant confessiou — that: Heaven ami earth shall i)ass away, 
 l)ut the M'onis of Christ shall never i)ass away. And, stan«l- 
 ins: where we do, on the central summit of this i^reat Con- 
 federacy, uneq\ndled in all history for all manner of bless- 
 ir.gs, if we did not so confess Christ ; if we did not cherish 
 the simple confidence of his primitive disciples, and hail tlio 
 coming of our Lord with hosannas; if we could ii^noljly hold 
 our peace ; tiie very statues of the Capitol " would immediately 
 cry out:" the marble lips of Columbus, Peun, and Washing- 
 ton; of "War and Peace; of the Pioneer and of Freedom, 
 would ])art to praise Ilis name: and the stones of the founda- 
 tion and walls, of the arcades and corridors, of the rotunda 
 and halls, would respond to their glad and grand acclaim. 
 
 l)Ut, we do confess Him! From Maine to Florida, from 
 Florida to Texas, from Texas to California, from California to 
 Oregon, and from Oregon back to Maine; our lake States, 
 gulf States, and ocean States, our river States, prairie States, 
 and mi»untain States, all unite in confessing and blessing His 
 name : beholding his glory, surrounding His throne, high and 
 lifted up, and ever crying, like the six- winged seraphim, one 
 to another, far and near, from the Xorth and the South, from 
 the East and the West : " IMy^ holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, 
 the lohole earth is full of his glory!''' 
 
 But — where nre the words of Christ '( and — v)hat are they ? 
 He did not write them ; but merely spoke them, and that 
 during a brief ministry. Xevcrtheless, they were recorded: 
 and not ojily such as were nttered in the llesh, but others with 
 which the writers were inspired by His spirit, ])oth before and 
 after His advent — the revelations of the proi)hets and apostles. 
 All alike are His words: and, here they are— in the Uible! 
 The Bil)le, from beginning to end, is the book of Chrisf. And, 
 therefore, athrmi ug of the whole what is true of every ]>art, 
 I hold up the 151 ble, and, in the name of Christ, })roelaini 
 to the country and the world : Hkaven and kauth suall 
 
 I'ASS AWAY, BLT — TUK BiBLE, TUE UOLV AM> IJLESSEU BlULE, 
 SHALL NOT PASS AWAY ! 
 
10 
 
 What, then, are the words of Christ ? or, as the Bible, thip 
 whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, is the inspired and 
 authoritative record of them — what is the iUhle? 
 
 We hear much of the higher Law ; and the application of 
 the phrase to civil affairs has excited great prejudice and 
 given great oflence. Bat, what is the higher Law ? It is said 
 to be something higher than the Constitution of the United 
 States, Can there be a law, within these United States, higher 
 than the Constitution of the United States? If there can be 
 and is such a law — what is it? I need not and will not recite 
 inferior, questionable, and inappropriate answers here. But, 
 is there not one unquestionable answer? Suppose it be said, 
 that, in relation to all subjects to which it was designed to 
 apply, and properly does apply, the Bible is a higher Law 
 than the Constitution of the United States? Will any man, 
 unless an utter infidel, deny this ? Surely not. Waiving its 
 practical operations, certainly, as an abstract propcsition, this 
 must be admitted as true. It may be extended, so as to in- 
 clude all our State constitutions, and all our Church consti- 
 tutions, and all our more Social constitutions. Put them all 
 together, magnify and boast of them as we may, not only is 
 the Bible a higher law, but it is an infinitel}^ higher law. 
 For thus saith the Lord : "^s the heavens are higher -than the 
 earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts 
 than your thoughts.''^ Therefore5 also, the universal and per- 
 petual prophetic challenge : " earth, earth, earth, hear the 
 %oord of the Lord ! " 
 
 If this be not true, my mission, at least, is an entire mistake, 
 and my commission ends. But, it is true : and, if tliere were 
 no other argument to prove it true this one M^ere all-sufficient. 
 All human constitutions, social, ecclesiastical and civil, are 
 changeable, and contain provisions for change : but — the Bible 
 is uncliangeable. Instead of any provision for change, it is 
 guarded, at all points, against change. The writer of its first 
 five books declares in the last of the five : " Ye shall not add 
 unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diaiinisit 
 from it, that ye may heejj the commandments of the Lord your 
 God, which L command youP And, in like manner, tiie 
 author of its last five books, declares in tlie last of the five : 
 "7/" any man shall add ^into these things, God ■^hall add unto 
 
11 
 
 him i/ic jda'jut's thai are written in thi« hoolc: and if any man 
 shall TAKK AWAY from the words of the hook of thin prophccij^ 
 God iih<(/i take aicay hia part out of the hook <f life, and out 
 of the holy city ^and from the things lohieh are written in this 
 hooky And so Isuiali, stamlin^ midway between Moses and 
 John, exclaims : " Lift itp your eyes to the hvaems, and lonk 
 upon the earth hencath ; for the heavens shall vanish away like 
 smoke, and the earth shall vhix old like a (jannmt, and thiy 
 that da\ll therein shall die in like manner: hut my S(dvati<ni 
 shall he forever, and my righteousness shall not he aholished.''^ 
 Tlierei'oiv, it is (.nly in accoi-danco witli tlio testimony of all 
 liis witnesses, that Christ liimself avers: '■' Tliink not that I 
 am come to destroy the law, or tlte prophets : J am, not come to 
 destroy, lut to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven 
 and earth jjass, one jot or otic tittle shall in no tcise jtass from 
 the law, till all hefulfUed^ And so again, in the text itself: 
 '-'■ Heaven and earth shall pass away, hut my words shall not 
 pass away.'' 
 
 Thank God, for one book above amendment! '-'- Forever^ 
 O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven."" And here, in our 
 place and day, we respond to the psalmist on Zion — Forever, 
 O Lord, thy word is settled on earth. No man or set of men ; 
 no king, priest or scribe ; no popidar convention, ecclesiasti- 
 cal council, or national congress ; would dare to erase one 
 letter from tlio record. ' Let our own countrymen, in particu- 
 lar, treat other books as they think they have a right to do, 
 or feel it their duty, or make it their interest or pleasure to • 
 do; by amendment, abridgement, or enlargement, by inter])o- 
 lation or expurgation ; not one among them, North, South, 
 East or AVest, would presume to tench, with any such purpose, 
 the sacred ark containing the higher Law of God. Here is 
 our shrine of worship, the oracle of our wisdom, and the glory 
 of our power. 
 
 13ut, a higher Law implies a higher Judge, and a Iiigher 
 Administrator. And who is the liigher Judged The Holy 
 Siuurrl the Sj-irit of truth, promised unto us to guide us into 
 all truth ; making us spiritual and giving us sjjiritual ap]ire- 
 hensions; aiding us in the comparison of spiritual things with 
 spiritual; searching the deep things of God, as contained in 
 the ImI ^^ .mimI nvfuling them unto us. And who is the 
 
12 
 
 higher Administrator? Christ himself! into whose hands 
 the Father has committed all power " in heaven and in earth," 
 to qnalify Ilim fully for the duties of this sovereign office. 
 Does any one object to the higher Administrator? Does any 
 one object to the higlier Judge? Then, why object to the 
 higher Law? They go together, are all divine, and all su- 
 preme for ever. So that we may say with the prophet : " The 
 Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our 
 Mng • he will save us.'''' 
 
 " lie will save us ! " Blessed conclusion : without which 
 all else were in vain, and worse than in vain. He deigns to 
 become onr judge, law-giver and king only that He may save 
 lis; and, if we do not thwart Him by our iniquities, lecause 
 He is our judge, law-giver and king He will save us. 
 
 Tell me. Oh tell me, what is it we need? Do we need 
 health, or genius, or learning, or eloquence, or pleasure, or 
 fame, or power? Do we need wealth, or rank, or office? 
 Does any one of us need to be chaplain, or clerk, or represent- 
 ative, or senator, or speaker, or vice-president? an officer of 
 the army or navy? a member or head of any department? a 
 foreif^n minister? a cabinet officer? or even a successor in the 
 line of presidents of the United States? Is such our need? 
 Ah, no ! we need, salvation. 
 
 What did I say in the beginning ? Did I not say? we need 
 elevation : as men, Americans and Christians, we need eleva- 
 tion : in our persons and families, states and churches, we 
 ^eed elevation. Certainly I did thus speak, and meant all I 
 said. 
 
 Oh, my Friends! All the distinctions alluded to, such as 
 we know them here, are comparatively little things. Greater 
 things are in prospect ; but these things, though they seem 
 great, are really little. Pause, think, recall what life has 
 taught you— wliat observation and experience have combined 
 to impress most deeply upon your consciousness — and begin 
 your review with the sad words, after all ! After all, health 
 is a little thing, and genius is a little thing, and learning, and 
 eloquence, and pleasure, and fame, and power, and wealth, 
 and rank, and office, all earthly things are little things. How 
 little satisfaction they yield while they last, and how soon 
 they pass away I 
 
1-5 
 
 Ask tho most successful anniml 3-. mi, in tliese rohitlons, it' 
 they have yet suitiilii-d their hi<,'host need? As tho general 
 rule, the more successful they have been tlie older y<m will 
 find them. They have not attained their coveted jtosts of 
 honor by a sin^^do leap. Tliey have risen ornulually, thmngh 
 years of earnest toil. And the soberness of reflection is now 
 about them. And tho anticipation of a hasfenini; end is with 
 them. Ask them, and they will answer: After all, wo have 
 spent our lives in little thin<;s. We yet need true elevation. 
 
 I would tell ymi more particularly, of whom to in(piire — 
 were it not that you would prove it in vain to seek them. 
 Twenty-six years ago, at tho age of twenty-five, I was first 
 called to this office. Two years afterward, I served again. I 
 now compare, though briefly and imperfectly, the present 
 with the past, 1 find a new Hall and a new Henate-Cham- 
 ber: but the old Hall and old Senate-Chamber are still here. 
 I find also a new House and a new Senate : but where are 
 the old House and old Senate? How many reminiscences 
 crowd upon mc ! — forms, and faces, and voices, and gestures, 
 and elaborate speeches, and casual debates, and social re- 
 marks, and current incidents : all impressed on youthful sen- 
 sibilities, and not yet effaced. But, I cannot describe them. 
 "Where are Jarvis, of Maine ; and Cushman and HriiUAKD, of 
 New Hampshire? Where are Adams, Calhoun, and Choate ; 
 Davis, Jackson and Lawrence ; Lincoln, Phillii'S, and Heed, 
 of Massachusetts? Where are Ellswortu, Huntington, and 
 JuDSON, of Connecticut? Where Bukgks and Peaece, of 
 Rhode Island ? Where, Allen, Evereit, and Slade, of "Ver- 
 mont? Where, Bokee, Ciiilds, and Cramer; (tran(;er and 
 Lansing ; Lee, Moore, and Wardwell, of New Yoik i AVhere 
 is Parker, of New Jersey ? Wliere are Beau?i[ont, Chambers, 
 and Denny; Hduley, McKennan, and Mann; Miller, Mrii- 
 lenberg, and Watmougii, of Pennsylvania ? Where is Milli- 
 OAN, of Delaware? Where are Dennis, Heath, and Jenuer ; 
 McKiM and Speele ; Stoddert and Washington, of Maryland i 
 Where, Bouldin, Coles, and Deomgoole ; Jones, !Mason, and 
 Mercer; Patiun, Stevenson, and Taliaferro, of Virginia'^ 
 Where, Conner, DEiniRRv, and INIcKa^' ; Shepparp, Speioht, 
 and Williams, of North Carolina ? Where are Blair, Camp- 
 bell, and Davis ; Griffin, McDuffie, and Pinckney, of South 
 
u 
 
 Ciiroliiia ? Where, Gla.scock, Grantland and IIaynes ; IIol- 
 SEY and VViLDK, of Georgia? Where are White, of Florida? 
 and Lewis and Muki'iiy, of Alabama? Where are Bullaed, 
 Garland, and Ripley, of Louisiana ? Where is Sevier, of 
 Arkansas? Where are Carter, Crockett, andDuNLAp; For- 
 rester and Huntsman ; Polk, Pope, and Standefer, of Ten- 
 nessee? AYliere, Allen, Boyd, and French; Graves, Hardin, 
 andilAWEs; Johnson, Lyon, and Williams, of Kentucky? 
 Where is Ashley, of Missouri ? Where are Duncan and May, 
 of Illinois? AYhere, Boon, Davis, and Hannegan; Kinnard, 
 Lane, and McCarthy, of Indiana? And where are IIamer, 
 Lytle, and Sloane; Spangler, Thompson, and Vance, of Ohio? 
 All these, if mj quest has been rightly answered, have passed 
 away, not only from this House, but, from the world : and, 
 doubtless, many of their colleagues, if not already gone, are 
 just about to follow. At least, they are not here. Scarcely 
 a relic is left ! And so, of tlie Senate. Where are Clayton 
 and CuTHBERT ; Goldseoeough, Hill, and Hendricks ; Kent, 
 King, and Knight ; Moore and Porter ; Southard and 
 Sprague ; Tipton, Tomlinson, and Yv'all ? Where, the ven- 
 erable White, and the good-natured Grundy, and the sharp 
 PoiNDEXTER, and the learned PtonBiNS, and the handsome Linn, 
 and the graceful Forsyth, and the sagacious Weight, and the 
 indomitable Benton, and the gentle-tongued Leigh ? Where 
 is the easy, all-elate, sonorous, and majestic eloquence of Clay ? 
 Where, the calm, cool, clear, and massive maguiticence of 
 Webster? Where, the affable dignity, the intellectual and 
 moral loftiness of Calhoun ? Passed away — all passed away ! 
 Or, will you leave the Halls of Congress? Do you think of 
 the Army ? Where, then, are Macomb and Gaines ?— of the 
 Navy ? Where, then, are Rodgers and Barron ? Will you 
 enter the Supreme Court ? Where is Marshall — ^Chief of 
 the Judges? and where is Wirt — Chief of the Attorneys? 
 Or, will you at last repair to the Presidential mansion? 
 Where, tlien is Jackson? Chief of the Heroes. Passed 
 away — all passed away ! How many of their companions, 
 how many of their successors, have also passed away, I have 
 neither time nor knowledge to declare. It is but a little while 
 and a limited area of which I speak, and yet — what a scene 
 of honored dust, in sacred silence, alone remains! 
 
I'' 
 
 U, it' I cuiiM direct you to tliom, aiul yon could find tlieni, 
 
 and should ask tlieni — after all, what is human need i Would 
 
 they not say, it is elevation, it is salvation — salvation by hu- 
 
 . niiliation, in accordance with the life, ami death, and triunijdi 
 
 of the meek and lowly Nazareno i 
 
 Hearken to mo, this day, men, brethren, and fathers! 
 Christianity is the most |)raetical thin<x, the most immedi- 
 ately and substantially important thin«^ in the univei-se. Vis- 
 ionary! Fanciful! Impractical! The occupation of dreamers, 
 enthusiasts, and fanatics! Aha! Did I n(jt tell you that we 
 need elevation i How can any, how dare any })rate thus of 
 our laith i 
 
 Hearken to the truth! If wo need heallli, it is ])erfect 
 health, and that forever I If we need f]jenius, it is perfect ge- 
 nius, and that forever! If we need learning, it is i)erfect 
 learning, and that forever ! If we need eloquence, or pleasure, 
 or fame, or power, or wealth, or rank, or otHce — whatever Ave 
 need, it implies constitutional and conditional perfection, and 
 that forever! 
 
 Let me speak for you, one voice for humanity. I need a 
 perfect soul. I need a perfect body, to contain, identity, and 
 obey my soul. I need a perfect home. I need a perfect so- 
 ciety. I need perfect employments. I need a perfect govern- 
 ment. I need the fulness of eternal life, with God, in heaven. 
 I need the attainment of my true destiny, to stand, as a per- 
 fect man, before the perfect God, acknowledged as His child, 
 His image, and His heir. 
 
 The Son of God knew this need, and, therefore, became 
 the Son of Man, that he might supply it. Therefore, ke aj)- 
 peared as the young Galilean carpenter, despised and rejected 
 of men, but loved and accepted of the Father, making peace 
 by the blood of the cross. Therefore, already overlooking 
 the place of His crucilixion, He nttered the memorable pre- 
 diction : '' Heaven and J^arth shall pass aioay^ hut my words 
 sliall not i>(i>is avoayP His words are words of pardon, words 
 of purity, words of triumph over death, words pertaining to 
 the resurrection of the dead and the inheritance of life ever- 
 lasting. Did the stones of the Tem^jle understand Him? 
 Did the palaces of Jerusalem catch His meaning? Did the 
 mountains around the city, and the sky above it, startle at 
 
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 the sound ? Did lieaven and earth, any wh 
 show the slightest consciousness of His utterance 
 all senseless, utterly senseless, these are the things that pass 
 away. But, something was there, nobler than all these — 
 something destined to outlast all these, to flourish only the 
 more, and still inore forever, when heaven and earth, shall 
 vanish like the dream of a night. I mean the immortal 
 soul ! Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, the Saviour and 
 Sovereign of the world, committed His words of redeeming 
 and sanctifying truth to the immortal soul of man, and, there- 
 fore, in form, as well as in essence and authority, they remain 
 imperishable. ' 
 
 And so, my friends, in conclusion, I this day commit these 
 words to your immortal souls, that, by God's blessiiig, they 
 may abide with you in saving virtue forever. Only four 
 months ago, by these same fingers, the eyes of my dear little 
 Jessie were closed in death. That was a more important 
 event to me than the rise, progress, and fall of a thousand 
 empires. Pity me. Oh pity me ; I speak not for myself alone, 
 but for all humanity, one voice for humanity. Think of your 
 own homes, of those you love, and have loved, and loved only 
 the more in death. We are all alike in these relations. And 
 where is our hope of reunion with the lost? Ah, never 
 would the Lord Jesus have uttered the words of the text had 
 lie contemplated merely a series of social changes. But He 
 knew and sought our true interest. He fulfilled His humble 
 miniatry, and suflered and died that He might secure for us 
 entire and eternal personal redemption — an elevation above 
 all earthly things, and the enjoyment of the fullness of His 
 grace and glory in heaven. Let us cherish his spirit and im- 
 itate His example. Let us take due advantage of His media- 
 tion, and humble ourselves before God in all penitence and 
 laith, that, in due time, we, with Him, may be truly and for- 
 ever exalted.* 
 
 * This Inst paragraph is an efF(ji't to recover the substance, at least, of a purely 
 extempore close, a half-restrained yielding to natural impulses iu hope of spirit- 
 ual profit.