Qass. 
 Book. 
 

 The Life and Character of Abraham Lincohi. 
 
 j^ DISOOURSE ^^/(^c 
 DELIVERED IN THE M. E. CHURCH 
 
 AT A TJNIOK MEETING OF THE 
 
 Baptist, MoTluxJist and Presbyterian Congregations of Panama, 
 Ai>ril 30tlx, 1S63. 
 
 BY REV. C. BURGESS, 
 
 Pastor of Presbyterian Chnrch. 
 
 Piat>lisliecl by Recjxiest. 
 
The Life and Character of Abraham Lincoln, 
 WITH SOME LESSONS FROM HIS DEATH. 
 
 J^ IDISOOXJRSE 
 
 j)K]j\i:kei) in the m. e. church 
 
 A Iiiimi }M'm nt' llic Bapli^t. Mdlimlisi and I'ri'sliytn-ian fousre^ations of Panama 
 
 April 30, 1865. 
 
 BY IIY.Y. C. BrRGESS, 
 
 PASTOR OF PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 
 
 IPTJBXjISHEX) B"2" IiEQ,"U"EST. 
 
 .JAJIESTO^\'^^ K. V. 
 
 BISHOI' HROTHEBS, PRrSTEBS 
 1865. 
 

 rr)iMu:si'().\i)iv\(^K. 
 
 l'vN\.M v. June 1st, 1st;.'.. 
 Rev. V. Bi T.iiKss; 
 
 Uic.vn Sii;: — Tlie iunU'rsij;iu(l, liuviiit,' listciu-il with ^reul iiliasurp ti. 
 your stM-nioii preached at a Uuion service lieltl in the JI. K. Church iu PaiiHiiiu, April 
 aoth, 18(i.'>, in reference lo tlie death of onr hite and lamented Prcxident, .\hr.\h.\m Lin- 
 coln, and believing tliat it contains sentiments of yreat importance, and worth.v of a 
 wider ditlusion than tlie\ had on that oci-asion, wc therefore respectfully reipU'st a 
 copy for publicaticn. 
 
 W. L. SK.SSIONS. L. B. SESSIONS. I.. II. SOlTllLANh. 
 
 I-KSTKK CIJANK. U. MOURE, I.. C. ItlNnKJ.!., 
 
 \V. .1. WM.KADT, \V. K. COOK. .1. .1. MOOIIK. 
 
 Kin. I. N. TKASK. l!i:\. -I . II. l.VuN 
 
 I'aN \m k. -niui- Nt, l.S(..'.. 
 
 MkhSIIK. .S|>Mip.S>. ANIiOlHKUs; 
 
 (Iks 1 l.lMisN : — Vnur ni'te, asking a ci>|i.\ i.l ni.\ dl.-cunrse, 
 jM just received. 
 
 Sinci', in my jiulKnuiit, wliilivcr ha> aii.x < oiiui-ctiiui with mir late niarl,\rc<l Presi- 
 dent derives, from that fact alone, an inipurtancc which il could nut ilaim fnini its own 
 merit. I clK-erfully comply with .vonr i'ci|ucst. 
 
 Yunr.-, 'rnil> . 
 
 <. MlliUKSN. 
 
ID I S C O XJ pe. S E 
 
 ■• Cease ye IVoiii luau wlicisc lu'eatli is in bis nostrils." — [Isaiali 2: 22. 
 •■ Xliojiiy of our heart is^ ceased; our dance is turned into mourning."— Lam. ,5: 15. 
 
 It is an aiK-ient maxim tliat he has lived a day too loug, who has 
 survived by a .single day, his country's rnin. And this sentiment is 
 as just as it is ancient, for what generous mind could wish to linger 
 upon the scene when all that is august and noble, all that is virtu- 
 41US or good, or glmions in the institutions and prospects of his 
 native laud had vanished forever. 
 
 The force of tliis sentiment is not weakened by the lapse of time. 
 It is felt as deeply to-day, and it glows as brightly among us who 
 dwell in these western climes, as when it throbbed in the A-eins of 
 the gallant Greek or the haughty and valiant Roman, prompting 
 tliem to those deeds of civic skill and martial prowess which have 
 tilled the world with the fame of their temples and the glory of their 
 arts and arms. It is not the design nor is it the effect of Christianity 
 to diminish the force or ardor of this sentiment. While it points us 
 away indeed from all transitory scenes, and reveals to us a ' ' better 
 and more enduring country," and while it bids us fix our afltect- 
 ions and place our treasures onli/ there, it does not teach us to be 
 indift'erent to our present home. It rather inspires a more genuine 
 love of country and places it on broader foundations. It feeds the 
 tires of true patriotism by nourishing the virtues which give them 
 birth. Though you may search the scriptures in vain for any single 
 precept enjoining attachment to one's native land, yet they every- 
 where call into exercise all those feelings which give rise to .such 
 attachment, and hence noAvhere, in either ancient or modern story, 
 is there exhibited a purer or stronger patriotism than that which 
 has prevailed in christian lauds. Where among the ilhistrious 
 patriots and heroes of pagan antiquity can you find names which 
 .shine with purer lustre than those of Moses, and Joshua, and David, 
 and Jeremiah, or Nelson, and Wellington, or Washington, and 
 Hamilton, and Adams, and Franklin, and Lincoln of more modern 
 times? And what is true of these heroes and patriots of the ancient 
 
anil moileni world is true :ilsu of tlu- rtt-Uls of military glory. Sala- 
 mis, and Marathon, and Tliermopyb", and Caunas and Pliarsalia 
 are matclied and more by Waterloo, and Dunbar, aii.l Saratoga, and 
 Yorktown, and Donelson, and Gettysbnrg, and Fort Tislier, and tlu- 
 scene of those brilliant victories which ended in the capture of 
 Richmond. The deeds performed on these late fields we think 
 surpass those of the earlier, just as the principles which were here 
 put at stake were broader and deeper than those of the earlier. In 
 our jndgment no thorough and cantlid student of histf)ry can fail to 
 reach the conclusion that the truest religion is the best nurse of the 
 truest patriotism. Just in the ratio in which mankind have advanc- 
 ed in knowledge, and virtue, au<l piety, has the love of country 
 grown broader, au.l deeper, and purer. With the Greek and the 
 Roman, patriotism meant little else than the advancement and the 
 glorv of his own state, though purchased at the expense ..r the ruin 
 of every other. With the true c-hristian the h.ve of country which 
 he cherishes is a far ut)l)l.r aiul more expansive principle. He 
 plans, he labors, he pours his blood on his country's altars, not 
 simpiv that his native land may be rescued fr.mi faction and eon- 
 tinue^o greaten and smile under tlie reign of law and order, but 
 that from it a glory and a blessing may go forth upon i>ther lauds 
 an.l other peoples." His feeling is not unlike that of David wheu lu- 
 implored the Divine favor upon Israel that thus God's >• way might 
 l)e known upon the earth and his saving health among all nations." 
 His desires therefore are not expressed l.y that narrow motto. " My 
 country for itself," but rath.'r l)y this nobler <.ne, -My .-..untry 
 
 for the- world.'' 
 
 But whih- we thus .•lain. f..r patiiotisni in chnstain lands, that it 
 has constautlv beeonir i.nnr and l.n.ader with thi- wid.-ning stream 
 <,f i-hristian eivili/.ati.-n. and that its ehampii.ns f.ir outshine th.- 
 illustrious heroes of th.- past, we are compelled to admit that in n.v 
 counlrv ..r age ha.s tr.-ason. and nl.ellion, and crime ivaciied s.u-h 
 heights ..f audu.-ity au.l infamy as in our own agv and our own lan.l. 
 It is not simpiv that .rime is now .seen in a stronger light and s.t 
 i„ .nor.-trikinge.mtrast with its opposite virlu.-. but we have t.. 
 ronf.ss that it has in.hv.l .h.rker stains an.l mo.v e..h.ssal propor- 
 tions This may I..- but a neees.sary att.ndant upon .-very high 
 degr.-.. ..fehristian .ivili/.ation s.. hmg .us that civili/.atloU is not 
 iUM.jf universal. It .> in th.- t,.riid /..mes ..f our globe, where 
 vegrlation puts on forms of 1,-auly and luxurian.-.- unknown to 
 
 eoM.r.li ..an.l >sh-.v hinl ami bea-st attain tlu-ir highest de- 
 
 ore..s of stivngth. an.l swiftm-s. ami h.-aiitv that poison plants and 
 noxious n.ptihs most aiM.uu.l. It is her.- prc..Mu.n..ntly t.mt serpents 
 hiss ami vipers sting. The s-.lar ..rb s.-ems t., .-al up. as hough 
 ,,v , , .....tv .,f its uatuiv. aliU.- th. beautiful and th.. .Ief..nu.-,1. 
 
so that tlie vilest of creatures are oft found ne>tlin,n- and .sheltered 
 under the noblest of trees and the fairest of flowers. Is it not on 
 this principle that we are to explain the occurrence of such trage- 
 djes and the existence of siicli wretches as have lately clothed our 
 land in mourning? Nowhere has christian light shined so brightly 
 as here, and nowhere have good and evil reached such giant growth 
 or been in such deadly grapple. The serpent of slavery has crawl- 
 ed over other lands and left there his slimy trail; but nowhere has 
 he fomented such a rebellion, or in his dying agonies inflicted sucli 
 a stroke. As when the har|)oon is buried in some monster of the 
 deep that monster in his mortal rage and i^aiu is sometimes able, 
 Avith a single stroke of its tail, to sweep oti' the boatmen and dis- 
 mantle the vessel. So has slavery, in its dying convulsions, been 
 permitted to strike off our jiilot and fill our hearts with horror; but. 
 thank God, the staunch ship still rides the sea. and has not waited 
 a day for a commander. 
 
 It is now more than two weeks since a crime, which scarce finds 
 a parallel in history, was enacted in our nation's capital, and the 
 nation is but slowly rect)yering from the first stunning effect of the 
 blow. We hardly thought it pos.sible that a creature clothed in 
 iiesh and blood could be capable of such an atrocity But four 
 years ago we hardly thought it possible that such a disaster could 
 overtake us as the Great Rebellion. We live, truly, in a time of 
 strange events. It seems as though some mighty sorcerer had walk- 
 ed up and down our land, sowing the mists of an infernal enchant- 
 ment among our people. And from such sowing there had ipaickly 
 si^rung up a wide harvest of treason, and rebellion, and assassina- 
 tion, and wo; — for all these woes have come from the same fruitful 
 source. The leaders of the rebellion and the assassins of our civil 
 rulers have danced around the same witches' cauldron, and have 
 fed upon the same " viper broth." It is as though Macbeths were 
 multiplied among us in real life by the hundred thousand. It is as 
 though 
 
 " Kye of newt, and toe of frog. 
 Wool of bat, and tongne of Aoy, 
 Adder's fork, and blind worm's stin;;. 
 Lizard s leg, and owlet's wing," 
 
 Had indeed l)een mixed into a "charm of powerful trouble," and 
 had crazed the lu'ain, and cau.sed a third part of our people to fall 
 from their first estate. We are not forgetful that other rulers have 
 been assassinated and other governments assailed; but we afHrm 
 that history shows no instance like ours. It was an awful scene, 
 indeed, when the Eoman Senate, venerable and unresisting, were 
 cut down by the Gallic invader; but this did not happen in an en- 
 lightened age and in a christian land. The act, shocking as it was. 
 
was till :ict of rude. iunoviUit li.irliariaiis. Hriiry the Fourth Jind 
 Williiini. Prince dI Oranj^,., tell liy tlie luiuds of assassins, and per- 
 )ui])s tliey t'lirnish the nearest parallel to the case of our murdered 
 Pn'sident. Jn luost respects they were both excellent rulers, and 
 live embalmed in tlie atlectionate memory of their peo])le; but the 
 Biirgundiiin who killed the (ine, and the fanatic monk wlio slew the 
 other, ilid not at the sime time -.nw the dagger or the pistol-shot at 
 the jturest and the mildr'st of rulers, and the freest and most benefi- 
 eeJit of governments. Eriitus, Charlotte Corthiy, Ijewis Hand. Ra- 
 vuillac. <Tcrard; all the regicides and assassins of the past stand con- 
 fessi^dly ontdoui' in infamy by those tiendish murderers who killed 
 our President and stabi)ed our Secretary of State. 
 
 To-day we nu'et to iiay a tribute of respect to this best of Presi- 
 dents—a victim to the worst of criminals. W'c come to twine a 
 wreath for his coflin and to weep the tears of patriots over a jiatri- 
 ot's tomb. Citllfil out from the obscure position of citizen-life, and 
 placed in the high .seat of our government, in the most diiticult 
 point of its career, the life and (haracter of Abraham Lincoln t1n> 
 nation would do well to study and ]>onder the lessons taught them 
 by his death. Tim'.' will allow us only the briefest outline on this 
 occasion. Born in ISOVI in the State of Kentucky, of liumble i)a- 
 rentage who earned their daily bread by daily toil, Abraham Lin- 
 <-oln po.sse.ssed Imt few early ad\antages for acipiiring knowledge 
 or distin<'tiou. His father, Thomas Lincoln, becoming disgusted 
 with slavery, ami seeing uo chance of successful competition with 
 that species of industry, removed to Indiana when Abraham had 
 only reached his eighth year. We are told that on this occasion 
 the home Wius sold and the household goods placed on a raft, and 
 young .\braham with his father and the family Jloated ofi' toward 
 tlie free State of Indiana. Now. we think that raft was emblennitic 
 of his future life; for to our mind he .seems never to have ceased 
 rioating further and fnrtlier from the bhu-k sea of slavery, until at 
 hist he stood (piit^- disenthralled on the fair shore of imirrrsul riiiun- 
 lipiiiiini. The home of the futur*' President for twelve years, or 
 untd he had reiwlied the age of twenty, was a lt»g hut with only <U)e 
 room below and one above. Here his pious mother taught him to 
 read tiiat l»est of books, whidilnis done so much to form his charac- 
 ter and conduct him in patlis of goodness and grcatu«'ss. At about 
 thi" age of twenty-one he set out to He«>k iiis own fortune, laboring 
 on the farms in the neighbiu'liood, lu-ting a^ clerk in a store, and 
 Mcrving as ('a)>t4iin in the Mlack Hawk war, and gaining cn-dit for 
 bravery and lldelity. His short military career closing, his jxditi- 
 i-al life iMgan, ax <'andidute for the legislature <»f his State, and 
 though unsucceHHful lie giiinetl all the votes iu Iuh precinct except 
 seven. In '.'M he was ••lecfed to the Illinois legislature, in '^Ct was 
 
licensed ;is a Inwyev, and the following year removed to Sjiriugiield 
 and entered on the practice of his ])rofession. He was eliosen to 
 Congress in '-46; took ground in opposition to the Mexiciin war; fa- 
 vored the right of petition; moved the abolition of slavery in tlie 
 District, and voted, as he himself says, in one way and another, for 
 the Wilu)ot Proviso abont forty times. In 'i8 he was delegate to 
 the convention which nominated Taylor to the Presidency and i*an- 
 vasse<l his State in his behalf. In '49 he was nominated for Sena- 
 tor from his State, but failed on account of the opposite politics of 
 the Legislature. In '54 he took strong grounds against the repeal 
 of the Missouri Compromise. In '55, '!y{i, '57 he Avas prominent in 
 denunciation of the outrages in Kansas. In '56 he was put in nom- 
 ination with Dayton a.s candidate ft)r the A'i(,"e-Presidency. In '58 
 he canvassed his State with Douglas as rival candidate for the office 
 of U.S. Senator. And here occurred that famous, curious race 
 between craft and honesty, impersonated in the two rival candidates, 
 in which honest, plain, good sense got so much the advantage, tliat 
 the great debate was nsed as a most valuable campaign document 
 by Lincoln's friends, on the occasion of his nomiriatiou and election 
 to the Presidency, whicli occurred in 18ij0. 
 
 Such is a brief outline of the career of Abraham Lincoln up to 
 the time of his taking the Presidential chair. He had earned the 
 confidence of the people before, in an unusual degree, and we think 
 that we shall but echo the sentiment of every loyal Jieart, when we 
 say that that confidence had been steadily increasing in volume and 
 strength up to the very hour of his assassination. He came to tiie 
 office when it was surrounded with difficulties never known before; 
 when himself was the object of a hate and a i^arty rancor unprece- 
 dented in the government, and yet no man has been more cons})ic- 
 iious lor the absence of all bitter feeling than he. No man has 
 shown a more constant and uniform regard for tlie interests and 
 welfare of tlie whole people than he. No man lias more sedulously 
 and impartially guarded the rights of both friend and foe than he, 
 and perhaps no man more emphatically deserves the title of " I'he 
 People's President." Taking the helm of our national Ship when 
 she had drifted out to sea; when the preceding helmsmen had play- 
 ed into the hands of a mutinuous crew; when the dead calm of 
 concession and compromise had given place to the high winds of 
 treason; when the heavens were covered with cloud and the sea 
 lay boiling under the lash of the gale, his head has been clear and 
 his hand has been steady, and under his firm and skillful manage- 
 ment our noble ship has breasted every billow, and now with a 
 majesty and grace she never had before, every mast standing an<l 
 every pennon flying, is rapidly uearing the port oi uni\ersal freed< mi 
 and we hope perennial peace. In sliort Abraham liiiicoln lias ad- 
 
iiiinistei'f'd our jiovcnmuut in the most difticult (•ri>,is of its histovv 
 ;iU(l administered it successfully'. He liad l)ut just entered upon 
 liis secouvl term of oiHce. The most stupendous and unprovoked 
 rebellion the world has e\er seen was fust sinkin.i;- under his well- 
 directed blows. He had visited the eaptured seat of its false and 
 suiTeptitiousg^overnment. He had given a receiJtion to loyal citizens 
 in the very mansion of its infamous chief, and had safely returned 
 to Washington, with tlie admiration and love of the peopK-, and the 
 reasonable ]irosj)ect oi enjoying tlie reward of his incessant toils — 
 the presidency of .in undivided, peaceful, prosperous country. 
 Exactly four years had elapsed since the opening of the war. He 
 had moved amidst snares from the first; had been the object of 
 several organized conspiracies against his life, and Inid escaped 
 them all. He had lircathed in an atmosphere of treason and had 
 come out unscathed from its malaria. He had lived to rejoice with 
 the unspeakable joy which thrilled through the country on the re- 
 placing Sumter's flag. His life seemed more precious than ever, 
 the day he was to die at the seat of government by the hand of a 
 brutal assa.ssin. On the .same day of the mouth that Casar fell by 
 the hand of Brutus, expired tlu' idol of our i)eople in the nation's 
 <'apital. " Rememl)er the ides of March" was long the succeeding 
 ery heard at Konu'. Remember the ides of April, may well be the 
 motto of loyal men when they come to adjust the claims of traitors 
 on national clemency. 
 
 A few hours l)efore the nation had been intoxicated with joy. 
 Now, as it were in a moment, " Our joy is ceased and our dance is 
 turned into mourning." Is it possible that such an event can hap- 
 pen in this country? Are we living in the nineteenth century— in 
 a land of freedom and law? Are we to believe that goodness and 
 paternal tenderness exhibited in a ruler, can draw down upon him 
 tlie same fate which sometimes attend the lilood-stained usurper in 
 monardiical lands? Su<di are the iiuestioiis wliich rise to the lips of 
 loyal men in this time of national grief. Shakspeare's words in 
 regard to the death of Duncan, only changing Duncan for Lincoln. 
 !ire far more a])])lical>k' now than when fust sj)oken. 
 
 " Bonitles this, I.iiii'tiln 
 Hath luiriii* hih fucullics ho luci-k, liiitli burn 
 Sii ilfur 111 hie j!rcut olMi'ii, tliut hin vlrlui's 
 Will |)lra(l, hki> aiiKclH. truiiii>ut-tuiiuufd, unuiii--i 
 The- iU-<<|) (liiiiiiiatlon of hU taking ofl." 
 
 What vengeance is fit to bt! visited ujxtn such an assassin and 
 upon the leaderH of such a rebclliou; for one spirit animates both, 
 one lihxid cin-ulates in both. For nearly two wi-eks the body of 
 our Martyr J'resident lui-s lieen passing from State t<j Stati- and 
 from city to city thnuigh the land, and thus his slain, lifeless form 
 
9 
 
 has been making a mute aud toueliing appeal to the people, asking 
 for justice— not simply like the blood of Abel crying from the 
 ground, but rather*like tliat abused companion of a certain Levite, 
 of wliom we read that her lifeless body was divided into twelve 
 parts, and a part sent to each of the twelve tribes, calling in this 
 silent and visible way, more expressive than any words, for justice. 
 And on eiich of the tribes to whom a portion of that dead body was 
 sent, was called upon to " consider of it, to take advice and to speak 
 their mind." So is this nation now called to consider this national 
 calamity. And as those tribes, upon inquiry of the Lord, were 
 directed to avenge the crime, so let this nation prostrate itself be- 
 fore God, and learn the dut}^ of the hour, not certainly an unre- 
 stricting, pitiless vengeance upon the masses in rebellion, !>ut an >in- 
 sparing inflictloii of the proper pemiUieH of th.e law upon crime and 
 the execution of tlie demands ofjusllc'^, itpon those whose hands are red 
 rnlth ten thousand murders. May it not be Avitli reference to this 
 needed infliction that God has permitted the removal of one ruler 
 and the introduction of another. He may have thus thought best 
 to spare the tender hearted and merciful one the stern work which 
 may yet recpiire to be done. Wliile we are gathered in this house, 
 paying these funeral lionors to our martyred President, his body, 
 conveyed with such solemn pageant and splendor, has nearly 
 reached his beloved Springtield. All tlmt is mortal of Abraham 
 Lincoln will soon be consigned to the tomb. His spirit is engaged 
 this day in other scenes. Ah! how diflerent from those of earth. 
 From all the cares of state; from all the warrings of earthly passions, 
 he has ascended to the eternal tranquility of the skies. But we will 
 not attempt to imagine or i^ortray the scenes in which he is now 
 mingling. We leave him as Ave must every departing soul, in the 
 hands of his Father aud his God. Four years ago he went forth 
 from that same city of Springfield, to assume the duties aud perils 
 of an untried and most responsible position. He then asked the 
 nation's prayers, and he has had them. He now returns at the end 
 of life's journey amidst a nation's tears, and he deserves them. 
 Yes, thou good and noble man, thou illustrious patriot, made im- 
 mortal by a nation's struggle aud the manner of thy death, a na- 
 tion's affection shall guard thy dust, and a nation's tears shall fall 
 around thy tomb. 
 
 " Our hearts are sad, our eyes are dim. 
 We hoped long years of rest for him ; 
 To enjoy the peace for which he wrought. 
 The peace with his own life-blood bought. 
 But he has rest, 
 Among the blest, 
 And with the Christ he loved. 
 Enough — his work was done, 
 
10 
 
 The viltors iTiiwii was won: 
 And frod hiniRclf removed. 
 
 The patriot martyr to his home. 
 KuouKh — /ii'-' task was done; * 
 
 for ii.-i remains to guard Jiis tomb; 
 
 To bid the willow wavo 
 
 Around the sacred grave, 
 
 Ol' him who loosed the slave; 
 
 And weave the fanit.', 
 
 Of Lincoln's name, 
 
 With that of Washington." 
 
 Let us now tinii for a few moments to survey the character of 
 the late President. And we premise that we do not intend an ex- 
 haustive discussion. We sliall simply glance at some of the chief 
 and most prominent traits. And we will name that tirst which 
 would doubtless lie tirst in the mind and on the lips of every mau 
 whether friend or foe — ///>• nnimjienrhable hunesti/. Abraham Lin- 
 coln was an honest man. His course had been so marked by this 
 before Itis presidency, that he was best known by the title, " Hou- 
 cxl Ahe nf tlti' Wt'nt.'^ And what was true of him in the humble 
 spheres, as he advanced through them step by sti'p, was still more 
 conspicnously manifesttnl in the fiery f)r(h'al of four years' continu- 
 ance tlirough which he has but just pa.sscd. Where this (piality of 
 character has Iteen scarcest, he has caused it to shine the brightest. 
 It had come to l)e regarded as nearly if not (piite impossible for a 
 man to kee)> this jewel of the soul at the scat of our government, 
 and es))('ciajly when entrusted with the luanagenuMit of large jmblic 
 aftairs. It had been so iipt to dissolve in tlic furnace-heats of tempta- 
 tion, that ntost of those who had gone there with the ivputed 
 possession of this treasure, on coming away were found quite insol- 
 vent, their treasure aW (lissip;ite<l and g(»ne. IMcsident liincoln 
 lias ill this piirtieuhtr. redeemed the presidi ntial otlice and the 
 hoii'ir of political life generally. He has shown it po.ssible to min- 
 gle with tlie seltish, the ambitions, the tricky, and yet to live above 
 Hnsi)icion. He has shown it pos«*ibl(^ to acipiire and to keep the 
 character of an houi'st man. his enemies themselves being judges. 
 Now w( regard this as no nnimi»ortant ac((uisitit)n to the moral 
 wealth of onr country. For now once more we behold the highest 
 ollice iindiT onr government, tlecked w'th that fragrant, imperisha- 
 ble laurel honesty. Hnnian ii:itiire and the .\nierican nanu> have 
 been at once iioiioied in tin- view of all lands, and aiiotlier shilling 
 example of tins rardin.il virtue has l)een added to tiiat givi'n by 
 ♦)nr tirst |iiesidetii tor the lieiielit of the youth of ///(.-• and succe«'d- 
 ing generations. 
 
 Another trait in tiie ehaiai-tcr ol our <le|iarti<l |)ie.sident we shall 
 call Hiui'iiihi, or wiiaf an old writer calls " clear, roundabout, c(mj- 
 nioii Mense." He seeiiicil to have a sort of intuitive perception of 
 
11 
 
 the merits of a case. It w:is not easy to coufuse his iniud with 
 side-issues. However entangled a question might become in the 
 course of debate, though the web of sopliistry might appear to other 
 minds inextricable, he would often by a single sentence cut through 
 the whole and lay the fallacy bare. There is no evidence that he 
 had what is called a metaphysical mind, or one trained to abstract 
 thought, but his ready apprehension of tlie truth seems to have 
 been almost an instinct. His mind operated like a magnet. When 
 brought in contact with an arguuaent it quickly extracted the t>-uth 
 from amidst a mass of surrounding erroi-. This, .so abundantly ev- 
 ident in his great debate in Illinois, became still more conspicuous 
 during the progress of the war. In all the knotty questions arising 
 so constantly during the past four years whose mind has been so 
 uniformly right as that of the President? And even at times when 
 he seemed to have made a mistake, how often have the lapse of 
 time and succeeding events justified his position. Time will not al- 
 low illustrations or further expansion of this topic, but we can all 
 see how inestimably imjiortant in our national exigencies was just 
 such an endowment. Called to conduct the aliairs of our nation iu 
 ^circumstances altogether new — in the midst of a gigantic civil war 
 — with a thousand and one ad-sisers in all parts of the land, and aU 
 inexperienced as himself, he needed just that sagacity, that intui- 
 tive perception of what was fit and true, which he so eminently 
 possessed. Indeed, we think that when the bustling and tumultu- 
 ous events of these times and the actors in them shall have settled 
 into the calm repose of history, the sagacity and the ability w'ith 
 which Abraham Lincoln has met each event, as it arose, and con- 
 ducted this nation through a trial which has no precedent in the 
 past will but aj)pear the more conspicuous the more it is pondered 
 lay succeeding ages. 
 
 We name as another characteristic his great kindness of heart. It 
 is believed by those who have been associated with him in the daily 
 intimacies of life, that never by a written line, or by a spoken word, 
 •or even by a look, has he indicated any bitter or rancorous feeling 
 toward even his most inveterate enemies. And when we remember 
 what bitterness of invective has assailed him — how his steps have 
 been thronged by enemies and tracked by assassins, how the entire 
 .south not only, but a vast company of traitors and semi-traitors at 
 the north also, have by every possible misrepresentation and abuse 
 tested to the last extremity this temper of his mind, we are inclined 
 to think him the more remarkable for the possession of tliis ti'ait 
 than either of the preceding. That he should in no single instance 
 have been thrown off his balance and returned railing for railing. 
 That he should stand year after year as a target for the envenom ed shaft 
 
12 
 
 of traitors, aud yet to the hust, with a paternal tenderness seek to woo 
 them back to patlis of loyalty and safety — that he slionld i^laee him- 
 self as it were, like another Moses, between his foes aud the wrath 
 they so richly deserved, is truly unique in the history f»f puV>lic men. 
 And in this respect we deem his example -worthy universal imita- 
 tion, with this sole exception, that mercy should never be suffered 
 so to obstruct the demands of justice, as to weaken the authority of 
 law or jeopard the safety of society. A beautiful instance of this 
 kindness of heart was that scene of which you have all read, and 
 which occurred not many months since, when after the weary hand- 
 shaking of two hours or more with the dij^nitaries and other citi- 
 zens, who pressed their way intt) the receiitiou rcjom, he brightened 
 uj) and rallied his strength to receive with a smile a lai-ge and mot- 
 ly company of colored men aud women, who half distrustful before 
 now sought his liaiul, only to feel re-assured by his warm i\nd friend- 
 ly greeting and retain pleasant nxemories for the rest of their life- 
 time. This trait of character shines all the brighter when we think 
 how early and how long he was placed in the school of adversity. 
 That in such circumstance he should have contracted no acerbity of 
 disposition, but on the other hand have grown constantly in mel- 
 lowness and kindness of heart, is surely most convincing proof of 
 intrinsic greatness of character. This severe discipline of adversity 
 in early life renders it thi' more singular that he should have pos- 
 sessed another trait for whicli lu' Wius distinguished— ///'// <>/ Ininwr. 
 This trait, like a vine ilimbiug over a sinuewhat rough frame-work, 
 relieved what might have otherwi.se appeared angular and dry. He 
 loved to hear a witty story and to tell one but it is said that his an- 
 ecdotes though sometimes exceedingly droll and laughter-provoking 
 were never coarse and always illustrated .some important point. His 
 view was sufficiently i-oniprehensive to embrace the conucal as well 
 an the sober side of tilings. Tho.se who have read hisspeej'hes will 
 not lack for specimens illustrative. We forlx'ar citing any on this 
 occlusion. We will iiowever ([Uote his first political .sjx'cch as an 
 illustration not mainly of his drollery but ratlu r of his sim]ilicity 
 <jf character. It was made in IS:Vi when he was in nomination for 
 the Illinois TiCgislaturc: •• (butlcinen fellow citi/.ens, I presume 
 you all know who 1 am. 1 am humble .Vbnilnim [jincoln. I have 
 been solicited by many friends to become a canilidate for the legis- 
 lature. My politics are short and sweet. I am in favor ol a Na- 
 tional Hunk. I am in favor r.t the internal iini»rovement system and 
 a Iiigh i»rotcctive tariff. These :ire my sentiments and political 
 prin<-ipies. If elected i shall lie thaiikfid. If not it will be all the 
 same." There was idso in the .haractcr of our deeea.sed President 
 II remarkidile si/itinftri/or happy bahince of faculties. There wh« 
 MO onesided or monsfions devejopnicnt of one faculty, wliileothers 
 
■were left in the shade. Conservative and radica] teudeut-ies were 
 so harnessed together as to preserve a sahitary eciuilihrium. It was 
 thns that he was enabled to keep abreast with the march of events 
 and fulfill so well ail the demands of the hour. He did not so an- 
 chor himself to an old opinion as to be incapable of discerning the 
 current of progress or moving along with it. In reference to his 
 own progress, he says that he '• had not so maeli controlled events 
 as events had controlled him."' And, for one so firm in liis own 
 convictions, he was singularly ready to listen respectfully to the ad- 
 vice and opinions of others, always reaching however his own inde- 
 pendent conclusions. 
 
 His cliaraHer as a writer too is remarkable when we consider how 
 he had to pick up his knowledge and training amid the chill oi' 
 poverty and the hurry of business. His style is not indeed ornat^^ 
 or elegant but it has a quality more essential than either — perspicn- 
 itif, or directness. It is never difficult to tell what he means. There 
 is also great brevity and force. No more Avords are used than 
 are necessary to convey the meaning and convey it well. His style 
 has been fiiiapantly called " homespun '' by some, but it were cer- 
 tainly easy to select passages, not a few, that are conspicuous for 
 their rhetorical beauty, as witness his last Inaugural, which contains 
 some exquisite gems, both of thought and style. Language as used 
 by Lincoln was not employed, as it would seem to have been by 
 some others in high station, to conceal ideas, but to express them. 
 And as he had the rare faculty of j^utting a great deal of thought 
 into a few words, his state papers, however much they may lack in 
 polish, wdll compare, we think not unfavorably, with those of souk.^ 
 of his predecessors whose long-drawn and fine-spun specimens of 
 rhetoric seem to have been written as though on purpose to see how 
 close one may come to saying a thing and yt;t not say it, 
 
 To crown all, our lamented President was distinguished by a truly 
 reverent and relir/ious sjyirit. He never lost faith in God or a newm 
 of his responsibility to him. In one of the darkest hours of the 
 great struggle, when all around seemed to despond, he said to a 
 company of clergymen and others who had called to pay their res- 
 pects: " Gentlemen, my hope of success in this great and terrible 
 struggle rests upon that immutable foundation — the justice and thii 
 goodness of God. And when events are very threatening and pros 
 pects very dark, I still hope that in some way man cannot sec all 
 will be well in the end, because our cause is just and God is on (rar 
 side. " He was familiar with the scriptures and was evidently 
 guided by their divine counsels. He recognized his dependence 
 upon God and realized his sustaining power; for he is said to havo 
 observed to a friend that he believed he should die under his bur- 
 
14 
 
 deub, if he could not n'tii-i- to soiin: sci-i-ct jiIjuh' aiid roll l]ivni ii])oii 
 iin Almighty arm. 
 
 President T,incoln was not ashamed to pray nr ask the jirayers of 
 (rod's peoph- in behalf of liimself and the nation, and devout eliris- 
 tians will find groat satisfaetion in tlie following incident which I 
 have seen several times in print. To one visiting Washington, and 
 <:harged by a friend with the sijecial request that he would ascer- 
 tain the President's feelings toward the Saviour, asking him in so 
 many words " Do you love Jesus?" he made this reply, •' When t 
 left Springfield to assume the duties of this responsible phiee I 
 asked the nation's prayers, V)ut 1 was not a ('hristian. When I lost 
 my son — the severest trial of m^- life, 1 was not a Christian then. 
 But when I went to Gettysburg and looked on that field covered 
 with our l)ra\<- lieroes who liad there given their lives for their 
 country, I then and there consecrated my heart to (iod. / ifo lovn 
 .lesiisi/' And who that has n-ad that short sja'ech of his at (iettys- 
 burg which will tliiill the hearts of posttrity as will not even the 
 elocpient words of our most elo(]uent orator, and the main thought 
 of which urges the dedication not so nincli of the cemetery as of 
 American hearts still living and glowing with patriotism, can doubt 
 that our good President then dedi<ated himself anew, not simply 
 to the work of serving liis (-(mntrv, but to the still higher work of 
 .serving his (rod. 
 
 Hn short, his stainless morality — his tireless industry -his incor- 
 ruptible integrity —his wonderful simplicity--his firmness and inde- 
 pendence — his intuitive perception of truth -his sagacious wisdom, 
 his amiable temper- his happy balance of faculties---his gentlemanly 
 bearing- his paternal kindness and readiness of access by the ]>oor 
 and tiie friendless his drollery and wit his gentleness and unsel- 
 fishness his reverent sjjirit toward CJod — hia intense and fervid i>iit- 
 riotism- yea his entire absorption in the one work of saving his 
 t^untry and his tragical end as a martyr t»> the caus«> of human 
 liberty, lombim- to form a characU'r which will always be justly 
 dear to the common jieojjle and dear to all in every land who regard 
 th»' rights of the common people and lalK>r foi- the mural and polit- 
 ical elevation of man. 
 
 W«! have occupied y«»urutt«intion alrotuly perhaps sulUciently long, 
 but we should leav*' unsecured one <»f the chief objects of this oiv-a- 
 sion, did we i-onclude witln^ut pjiutiug y<.>ur minds U^ some of the 
 leKsons which (iod i« tea<-.iiing the nation by tllis dcatli. W*) pre- 
 hume not to intvriiret with certainty aJl the purposes whi<'h (Jod 
 liad in the removal of our beioved diief. lint We think this is evi- 
 th'ut tlmt ruuoug other things (iod i« teaching tliis nation the lesson 
 o{ thn t<!Xt; . " C'CUise yii from luiiii whose breath is iu his nostrils. " 
 for we see in it most impret*KiVely tlic vimity of man " at Ids l)est 
 
15 
 
 estate," aud liow the tower of a nation's eoutident-e mny in a mo- 
 meut, l»e removed. (lod would have us look more to liim and less 
 to any outward instrumentalitv. He must be reeoguized as really 
 the sole ruler— the only source of national success and prosperity. 
 He re^iuires us to look through aud beyond all earthly agencies and 
 ascribe unto him •' the glory due unto his name." Now the natural 
 and universal proneness of man to overlook the Divine authority is 
 perhaps increased by the very nature of our institutions ; for it is 
 the tendency of our free form of government to exalt man and clothe 
 him with power and dignity'. And in this general elevation, this 
 new sense given to every man in the republic of his own importance 
 and essential dignity, this consetiuence very naturally flows that we 
 .should be apt to lose sight of our depeiulence upon a Suprem^^ 
 Power. There has been nothing more remarkal>le all along in this 
 gi'eat struggle than the pains Clod has taken to teach us our de- 
 pendence upon himself. He has not suftered us to center our re- 
 gards long around any (nn' earthly delivei'er. He has either removed 
 such an one from his place or permitted him to betray our confidence. 
 He has thus caused to stand out before the eye of the nation these 
 admonitory words, •• Pnt uot your trust in princes. Make not the 
 arm of flesh your trust. " Perhaps the great man and ])ure patriot 
 We mourn to-day had come to be too generally regarded as essential 
 to our success, and the Divine arm too little thought of, and God 
 has found it necessary to remove him from onr sight. Whether 
 this is .so or uot the chastisement thus l)rought ui)on us should have 
 the effect to increase the nation's sense of dependence upon the arm 
 of Jehovah. The carnage of our battle-fields, the disasters that 
 have been sustained during the war, the unparalleled sutterings eii- 
 dured in rebel prisons, sufferings which it shocks our nerves to 
 read of or even to think, siifferings by which the Black Hole of Cal- 
 outta has been relieved of its immortality of infamy, men having 
 been systematically starved to death by thousands, or knocked down 
 And fed to blood-hounds, while yet alive -tliese inflictions have not 
 snflSced to stay the tide of extravagance and worldliness and pride 
 in our land. And God has now touched the nation in a new Avay, 
 find poured upon it a universality of sorrow which compels the 
 giddy to stay awhile from his levity, the hand of greed to relax its 
 covetousness, aud the whole nation to stop suddenly every sound of 
 joy and join in a general wail of grief. The morning of the Presi- 
 dent's death, it were as though the pulso of the nation's life stood 
 still, and like the clock in Fifth Avenue Hotel, " which goes no 
 fiatore, fewt ever points to one sad houi-, the hour of 7:22," a .sudden 
 arrest was laid upon all business and all rejoicings, aud all other 
 griefs even, and the whole nation was summoned to listen, while, 
 as^ Tsith a voice from heaven, these words were proclaimed in the 
 
mitioiia! t';u, '• Cease v<? I'roni man Avliose bi'fath it« iu bis nostrils.'* 
 Let us take this providence as a rebuke to our i>ru)ienes.s to trust 
 iu man whom a pistol shot can iu a momeut remove. Let us take 
 it as a reproof to oar pride and arrogauee, our hot chase after 
 wealth, our awfn.l profanation oi" God's name, and the many other • 
 forms of sin so aggravated and so generally uurepented of which 
 charaderize us of the North. Ijet -us not make the South a seapeA 
 goat for tlie sins of the whole nation, or with Pharasaic pride re- 1 
 gard ourselves as righteous above others, but let us ea<."h humble 
 our way bt^fore Him to whom "the shields of the earth belong. " If we 
 will live as a nation, we must be distinguished for the opposite of 
 pride, for our simple virtues and iiumble feeliugK. Pi'ide and luxu- 
 ry and oppression, liave kilhnl all the empires of the past, and we 
 shall be added to the number unless we build upon the foundations 
 of equal and impartial justice and are pervaded by the spirit which 
 w I- : ■laplitied in the Redeemer of men — the simple and ohildike 
 It is written " The meek shall inherit the earth." and that 
 !^:i' .<'!■ which is least characteri/.ed by pride and boasting, and most 
 distinguished for that simplicity so linely illustrated in the chai*- 
 acter of our late President will be most likely to live. The removal 
 «jf onr ('l'i< I INf.isistrate is teachiag our nation to rem'ir /'> >h---'ion 
 ■',ioii tiiid to seciirr' f/n' Just pHiii.<liri>ent < '/ 
 
 ■ r,' i,.v.,i ^Ulv.l is ''rich in mercy and would not thai .>...> .. ..Id 
 perisii,"' yet inflexibly insists upon the maintenance of law and jus- 
 tice throughout his realm. And we have abundant evidence from 
 the scriptures that he is not well pleased with the indiscriminate 
 pardon of great criminals by human authority. Now he who Viy 
 lii>- .ni ilities of character has been so fitted to conduct us success- 
 ' ough thifi struggle, wits perhaps by one of those qualities 
 in;, nntitted for the work now before the government. He had 
 perhaps an excess of C8ntii>n, IT. .i rtainly had an excess of mercy, 
 so tiial, as Saul spa. for it was removed from being 
 
 kiuK, our merciful I'l' have l^een tempted to spare 
 
 the .11.1; ti. liter liiuisi-ll. .Now we believe that the men who have 
 bitu ;.t tlie iiead of tlie rebelliuu. and who wjU stuud in the pillory 
 i>f time as exceeding all the criKlly of the past, cauuot be suffered 
 to. iialty duo his 'hout doing sea-ious injury 
 
 U) r law, RUil b !'i»n us the lb vino frowu. 
 
 The Magistrate " mu.st D' -• sword in vain." and rulers 
 
 luii-i Ih' . 'iiiicr t,, . vil ,>ll us a praise to those who do 
 
 \^, a free government that it 
 
 all. apathy, and thus nuder the 
 
 il, . es defeats the cud of jus- 
 
 tice. lliH '■'go uuwhipt of 
 
 juntiee. wr; . .-rs, ciuhI away our 
 
17 
 
 statute books, and jfovei'u the state thvougbout by persuasion. 
 The calamity that we mourn to-day, though it fills all hearts with 
 unspeakable sadness, Jieaudftilb/ iUuntrales the slahlUty of <jur uisd- 
 lidions. For the most important officer of our government and the 
 most popular man in the nation has been suddenly removed and 
 the next highest functionary disabled, and yet not a function of 
 that government has been paralyzed — not a wheel 1)ut moves as 
 regularly and as powerfully as before. The solemn pageant which 
 began with the nineteenth of April — the day which saAv the tyrant 
 Andros deposed — which saw the first gun of Lexington — the first 
 blood of this struggle shed in Baltimore — a day for long years ded- 
 icated to liberty now more solemnly set apart by the death of its 
 latest martyr that pageant which beginning on such a day has 
 been daily moving westward with the daily motion of the sun, and 
 is not yet completed, we regard as truly the most touching spectacle 
 in the annals ol our history. And yet we think the sublimest fact 
 of all that stand connected with this national tragedy, is this, that 
 when the Head of the nation is sti-icken down and the national 
 heart throbs wildly with mingled grief and indignation, the ma- 
 ■ehinery of our noble government moves harmoniously' on, as though 
 •not a cog were gone, or the least friction felt. From a monarchical 
 government take away the head and it might lead to a war of many 
 years duration, like that of the Spanish or Austrian succession. It 
 xnight convulse the land from one end to the other, but here it is 
 followed by no more derangement than when a like change takes 
 •place in a ship's commander, when the captain's place is supplied 
 by the mate, or by any other one of equal skill among the crew. 
 ♦So difficult is it to kill the sovereign of a republic, where all are 
 sovereigns. And here let me commend to your earnest prayers and 
 hearty confidence that patriotic man, whom this providence so sud- 
 denly elevates to the highest office in the nation. 
 
 The removal of our beloved President, and indeed the entire 
 struggle in which we have been engaged, pours new light upon a 
 cei'tain passage in the " Farewell Address'' of the Father of our Coun- 
 try, " Beware of all secret associations. " The author of this tragedy 
 and his accomplices, are supposed to be connected with that secret 
 order known by .several names, but best perhaps as " Knights of 
 the Golden Circle.' We have reaped fruits enough in the arrested 
 plots, and developed conspiracies of this most wicked association, 
 •to teach us the soundness and utility of Washington's advice. The 
 principle upon which such organizations are built, is a principle 
 capable as we have seen of the most extensive and irreparable mis- 
 chief. If other lands have at various times found it necessary to 
 banisli from their realms the order of the Jesuits, the necessity is 
 
18 
 
 far greater with us to break up all sucli orgauizations, atul to ilis- 
 continiie the principle upon which they are founded. 
 
 Once more we are reminded by this event of the iKitimud need of 
 a naiioiia/ hnptlsm hi/ Oic linh/ Ghi>st. It is not in the power of tleets 
 and armies to preserve a nation's life. They may successfully bat- 
 tle against the visible and organized enemies of the laud, but there 
 are foes vastly more powerful, subtle, and universal than those 
 which array themselves with sword and bayonet iipon the opeu 
 field. It is a nation's vices and these aloiu^ wliich procure a na- 
 tion's ruin. And unU'ss other and still more glorious victories are 
 gained iu this land, the retaking our forts, the surrender of rebel 
 armies, the disappearancre of all organized treason from among us, 
 and the welcome return of smiling peace to our troubled land will 
 be in vain. The victories to which we refer are those whidi are\ 
 gained by the Holy Spirit, when he subdues tlu- rebel in the hu-| 
 man heart, and establishes the supremacy of law, throuofh the me- 1 
 dium of grace. That religion which has power to save a hr. man 
 soul is the only conservative force which can avail to save a nation's 
 life. The destroyed seats of a.icient em[)ires, the solemn warnings 
 of God's word, the terrible intliction of divine wrath which we have 
 suffered for the last four years preach one and the same lesson -the 
 les.son that christiauty alone can .save the state. Who does not 
 know that if the simple virtues enjoined and produced by true re- 
 ligion had i)revailed in all sections of this land, the treason, the re- 
 bellion, tht^ a.ssassination wliich we deplore would never have oc- 
 curred, and who does not believe that were tins nation now to pros- 
 trate itseif before (rod in humble and sincere penitence each one 
 from the highest magistrate to the lowest subject, turning every 
 one from his inii[uity. ami crying " What have I done? " Were our 
 churches to be filled and our Sabbaths to be liouoied, and CJod's 
 name and law to bi« reverenctid. that peace and unity would stnui 
 return, to (;ontinue so long as tlie nation kept humble and walked 
 in wavsof ))iety. Oh, how would that inveterate hate t»f the South 
 toward the North, that mad amliition for mere party power and all 
 that pride which disintegrates into rival sections, ami corrupts so 
 many of our people, melt away under tin- mighty subduing power 
 of the Spirit of (iod. L.t every christian then ju-ay for a revival. 
 Let every patriot pray for a revival of religion. I^et all do this and 
 join a«*tion to prayer. Let all live holier, purer, engaging earnestly 
 in doing witiiout del ly whatever iluty. whatever moral work may 
 lie nearest to him. Thus blending and supportin;.- patriotism with 
 piety, the natiiMial sky will be serene and tli.- national lite will be 
 heulthful and parennial. 
 
 Wo cannot conclude witliont coMinieiidiii;^ tiie lilV an. I e.\ami>leof 
 our departed I'rcsi.leiit to tlie v"'''"' '""■ ' ""' '* is woitliy your 
 
19 
 
 diligent study, your earnest imitation. A new and most striking 
 illustration is here furnished of what is possible to the young man 
 of most obscure origin, even when surrounded with the greatest 
 difficulties. Very few in our entire land can be more luimble in 
 their birth or early career than the late, or the present incumbent 
 of the President's chair. If he who lived on the frontiera of civili- 
 zation, who labored constantly for his own support, who was him- 
 self almost his sole teacher, who picked up his knowledge in scat- 
 tered fragments of time, could work his way up to positions of 
 great influence and usefulness in early manhood, and finally reach 
 a station which earth's proudest monarch might envy, and die em- 
 balmed with a nation's affections, let every young man take heart, 
 and fired with the sam-^ noble purpose of self-improvemc^nt, make 
 the most of his time and of his faculties. It is lamentable to see 
 what a waste there is of intellectual endowment, and of opportuni- 
 ties for moral and literary culture, and useful exertion in our land! 
 What a nation of great and useful men, yea of lofty intellectual and 
 moral stature should we become, could every y >uug man be ani- 
 mated with the resolve to make the most of himself, and live as 
 Lincoln did, true to his convictions of right from first to last. That 
 a young man of his rising reputation and his limited means and his 
 strong aspirations after political elevation, suould so steadfastly 
 adhere to his convictions when his party was hopelessly in the mi- 
 nority and all chance for elevation in that direction was cut off", 
 that he should con.scientiously decline large lucrative employment 
 from the opposite party lest he mighv seem to compromise his 2>rin- 
 ciples, that this young man by an undeviating course of honor and 
 honesty, should rise step by step to the highest place in the nation, 
 and be enshrined as he is now in that nation's heart of hearts, is an 
 instructive example to all who wish for permanent success in life. 
 Looking upon the life of Abraham Lincoln to-day does not the 
 .truth of that old proverb appear, " Honesti/ is tlte best polioj.'" 
 
 Young men, the man in whose honor this funeral gathering is 
 held, and whose body lies in state to-day in the capital of Indiana, 
 said in that same capital four years ago, " In all trying ijositions in 
 which I shall be placed my reliance will be upon you, and upon 
 the iseople of the United States, and I wish you to remember now 
 and forever that it is your business and not mine; that if the union 
 of these states and the liberties of this people be lost it is but little 
 to any one man of fifty-two, but a great deal to the thirty millions 
 of people who inhabit these United States, and to their posterity in 
 all coming time. It is your business to rise up and preserve the 
 union and liberty for yourselves and not for me." Acting in the 
 spirit of these words, living not for himself but for others, he has, 
 with the assistance of the peoj)le, and the blessing of God, .saved 
 
20 
 
 this repultli<', ami sjived it not for himself. He hassacd it fur ijou. 
 He has illiistnitrd the virtues of honesty, of industry, of temper- 
 ance, of kindness to friend and foe, and of piety toward God, and 
 he has illustrated them for tfon . Contemplate his virtues. Gather 
 lip your energies. Fbrm your resolution, and emulate his ex- 
 Hmplc. 
 
 Two cDiisttdliitions have now gathered in our American tirma- 
 luent, and are sending down their .serene and cheering light upon 
 this and upon other lauds. One of these constellations has been 
 now, for more than half a century, imrsuing its solemn, silent march 
 across the heavens. The stars that compose it are the patriots and 
 heroes of the ]\evolutiou. Each shines with its own unborrowed 
 light, with its appropriate breadth of disk, its distinct and peculiar 
 lustre. With beauteous and Dlended rays, they hang a glorious dia- 
 dem on the brow of night, ever guiding the true patriot, near or 
 from afar, as he seeks on life's stormy sea, the sure haven of liber- 
 ty. But the star of flrst magnitude, that magnificent orb which is 
 central to the rest, and which shines steadiest and jjurest and 
 brightest, is the Foitndek of our nation, our own immortal 
 WASHINGTON. 
 
 When the smoke of this bloody war .shall have fully cleared away, 
 tliere may be seen a little way from the first cluster, gleaming out 
 upon night's deep a^ure, another and more numerous gala.xy. The 
 stars that compose it have ascended from "much tribulation," 
 from many a blood-stained field, from many a hospital and rebel 
 prison, and from many a station too of official trust, and civil duty. 
 Joyful they tak*; their places on the blue field of their glory. They 
 follow in th(* track of the eld(!r cluster. Already they send down 
 from their pure spheres a sacred fire and a holy light— a fire which 
 .sheds a genial glow ou their comrades yet in the battle, a light that 
 Hhall deepen with the progress of ages and reach the remotest gen- 
 eration. But the central orb in that vast and V»rilliant trroup— the 
 orb which sends out its pure fiame farthest into tlie darkness, is 
 that great and noble man, that incorruptible patriot, the BKsroUKU 
 of our nation, our own plain, simi)le, honest, piou.s, beloved, mar- 
 tyred, immortal President - LINCOLN.