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IN MEMORIAM: 
 
 astogtaplncal §>ketcl) 
 
 OF 
 
 THOMAS STOKES 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES S. DICKERSON, D.D. 
 
 IJrinteb for |)ribate §);stribntt<m. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 1870. 
 
IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 ^HE moral dignity of the missionary enterprise 
 invests with peculiar and sacred interest all 
 the circumstances of its early origin, and all persons 
 and events which have been vitally related to its 
 subsequent history. Sufficient honor, perhaps, has 
 been paid those illustrious names whose efforts and 
 sacrifices have been conspicuously identified with 
 the progress of this great movement of. the modern 
 church. 
 
 My object in this brief sketch, is to rescue the 
 memory of one of those " veiled heroes " in the his- 
 tory of missions, whose zeal, among the very first 
 to be kindled, burned with a steady flame ; and 
 whose influence was none the less providential 
 and powerful because its field seemed to be more 
 
cfl 
 
 CJ 6 AN EVENTFUL LIFE. 
 
 circumscribed, and its methods more quiet and 
 unobtrusive. And if to the design of making a 
 humble contribution to the early history of missions, 
 I unite a warm desire to honor the memory of one 
 of my loved and venerated ancestors, the double 
 motive will be none the less commended by the 
 thoughtful and the good. 
 
 AN EVENTFUL LIFE. 
 
 Thomas Stokes, a deacon of the Mulberry-street 
 Baptist Church, New York, died in that city, 
 October 10, 1832, aged 67 }?ears, — closing a life of 
 unusual Christian activity and eventfulness, in the 
 full possession of all his mental faculties, and in 
 calm and trustful reliance upon that Saviour by 
 whose grace his life had been redeemed, and to 
 whose service its best powers had been devoted. 
 He left behind him a diary, kept during a portion of 
 his lifetime, which, together with certain rare pam- 
 phlets and other printed matter illustrating the more 
 important events to which it refers, has supplied 
 most of the materials used in this memorial sketch. 
 
 The diary is prefaced with the remark that its 
 author "was born in London in December, 1765, 
 
AN EVENTFUL LIFE. 
 
 and r born again' in 1783." As the religious life of 
 Mr. Stokes chiefly concerns us, and especially that 
 part of it which was identified with early mission- 
 ary history and efforts, we pass over the records of 
 his youth, and notice that soon after he gave his 
 heart to Jesus, he united himself with one of those 
 bands of devoted Christians which had been led 
 out from the Established Church of England by the 
 active zeal and piety of Lady Huntingdon. After- 
 wards it was his privilege for a number of years to 
 worship with the church under the pastoral care 
 of Rowland Hill, of Surry Chapel, London. This 
 faithful and honored preacher organized his peo- 
 ple for missionary and Christian work in a way 
 quite unusual in his day. He selected a company 
 of devoted Christian men, who, under his direction, 
 and animated by the spirit of their indefatigable 
 pastor, went everywhere through the lanes, alleys, 
 and outskirts of the metropolis, doing true mis- 
 sionary labor in its most destitute and neglected 
 districts. Of this working band, Thomas Stokes 
 appears to have been, at least, one of the most 
 earnest and deeply interested. It was in Surry 
 Chapel that Rowland Hill preached the celebrated 
 
 D 
 
8 
 
 AN EVENTFUL LIFE. 
 
 missionary sermon on the occasion of the first 
 general meeting of the London Missionary Society 
 in September, 1795, from the text, "And this 
 gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the 
 world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall 
 the end come;" and at the close of the first meeting 
 of the London Missionary Society he pronounced 
 the benediction with a solemn invocation of the 
 blessing of God on its designs. He was one of its 
 first Board of Managers ; was fervently attached 
 to its interests ; and a zealous and effective pro- 
 moter of all its noble and beneficent designs. It 
 was also in the vestry of Surry Chapel that the 
 proposition was first made that the islands of the 
 South Sea should be the scene of the commence- 
 ment of its efforts.* 
 
 Mr. Stokes occupied a social position in Lon- 
 don beset with the allurements of fashion, and 
 exposed to the enticements of worldly society ; 
 still the records of his every-day life, which have 
 survived him in the diary which has been placed at 
 
 * Newman Hall is the present pastor of Surry Chapel and carries 
 out the original plans of Rowland Hill. 
 
c 
 
 ESTABLISHMENT OF SUNDA Y SCHOOLS. 
 
 our service, give the most delightful evidence that 
 his chief enjoyments were found in the society and 
 communion of the people of God, and in active 
 endeavors to bless the world with the knowledge 
 of Jesus. 
 
 FIRST ESTABLISHMENT OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 
 
 It is no slight honor to the subject of this sketch 
 that he was associated with the now celebrated 
 Robert Raikes in his earliest efforts to organize 
 Sunday schools in the city of London and its 
 suburbs. Converted to God in 1783, the very year 
 in which Raikes published his first accounts of the 
 establishment of village schools on the sabbath 
 day for the religious instruction and training of the 
 children of the poor, the enthusiasm and love of 
 this young disciple were easily won to the novel 
 and inspiring movement. When the attempt was 
 made to plant these schools in London, he gave to 
 the design his hearty indorsement and his active 
 co-operation. To him belongs a share, at least, of 
 that honor and praise which have been gratefully 
 awarded those whose arduous and self-sacrificing 
 labors were blessed during the first five years of 
 
 & 
 
c 
 
 IO DAWN OF MODERN MISSIONS. 
 
 Sunday-school effort, in bringing a quarter of a 
 million of England's most neglected children 
 under the gentle and saving influences of sabbath 
 instruction. 
 
 THE DAWN OF MODERN MISSIONS. 
 
 There is no portion of this simple and unaffected 
 diary which is so full of intense interest to the 
 Christian reader, or which reflects so hallowed a 
 light over the character, spirit, and life of him who 
 in the privacy of his devotional hours penned it, as 
 that which refers to the very inception and infancy 
 of the modern missionary enterprise, and to the 
 circumstances which led to the formation of that 
 venerable and God-honored instrumentality, — the 
 London Missionary Society. 
 
 The solemn utterances of William Carey in 
 1 79 1 respecting the moral accountability of the 
 heathen, and the duty of enlightened Christians to 
 labor for their salvation, had fallen on the ear of 
 a slumbering church like the awakening voice 
 of a prophet. As early as 1792, over the whole 
 United Kingdom there seemed to be felt a new 
 and an intense anxiety for the conversion of the 
 
 C 
 
CZ3ZZ =XZD 
 
 CJ DA WN OF MODERN MISSIONS. 1 1 b 
 
 idolatrous millions of the East. Christians of every 
 name, and everywhere, simultaneously arose at the 
 call of the Master. We know of no more impres- 
 sive argument for the supernatural origin, unity, 
 and forces of the kingdom of Christ than this 
 sudden and general uprising. Nothing less than 
 a stroke commanded and inspired by the Holy 
 One could have evoked this outgush of mission- 
 ary impulse and devotion from the hitherto rocky 
 insensibility of a faithless church. Already these 
 " streams in the desert " were gathering available 
 force and volume in the organization of the Baptist 
 Missionary Society of England, Oct. 2, 1792, and 
 their unhindered flow was yet, through its benign 
 instrumentality, and that of the London Missionary 
 Society, soon to be formed, to bless through all 
 coming time the thirsty nations and the remotest 
 lands. 
 
 The mind of Thomas Stokes seemed from the 
 very first to grasp with an intelligent and far- 
 sighted faith the entire subject of missions, their 
 imperative necessity and solemn importance, their 
 practicability and prospective results. His whole 
 soul was evidently enlisted, and he was ready to 
 
ft 
 
 cr: zcd 
 
 J 12 DA WN OF MODERN MISSIONS. O 
 
 lay upon the altar his best endeavors and a gener- 
 ous offering of the pecuniary gifts with which God 
 had abundantly blessed him. As early as 1783, he 
 speaks of a correspondence which he had carried 
 on with Christians throughout the, kingdom, urging 
 upon them the duty and importance of sending the 
 gospel to the heathen. He also speaks of attend- 
 ing meetings for prayer and consultation on the 
 most efficient means for commencing and carrying 
 on systematic missionary operations. These may 
 be considered as some of the early missionary 
 meetings which were afterwards merged into the 
 stated monthly concert of prayer; and as each 
 person subscribed two pounds for defraying any 
 expenses incurred in prosecuting the general 
 design, they may be ranked with the very earliest 
 of organized missionary instrumentalities. Mr. 
 Stokes regarded as an event worthy of especial 
 and congratulatory notice in his journal, the estab- 
 lishment of the "Evangelical Magazine" in 1793, 
 to be a medium of missionary intelligence, "the 
 profits of which are to be applied to the support of 
 the widows and orphans of deceased ministers of 
 the gospel." A complete set of this magazine, 
 
 e 
 
THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 1 3 
 
 from the beginning, is among the valuable mission- 
 ary documents preserved as a part of Mr. Stokes' 
 cherished effects. 
 
 THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 
 
 The prayer-meetings started in 1793 were favored 
 with an interest so marked and increasing, that in a 
 few months it was deemed advisable to hold them 
 publicly, every other week. Under these auspices, 
 and with the divine blessing, the mission spirit was 
 fanned into a glow, of fervor; and these public 
 demonstrations increased in numbers, spirit, and 
 religious power, until, at length, they were super- 
 seded by the missionary organization to which they 
 gave birth. We presume it is to the later power 
 and efficiency of these very prayer-meetings, that 
 reference is made by a writer who traced, in 
 1802, the immediate circumstances which led to 
 the formation of the London Society, seven years 
 before. He says, — 
 
 " A number of ministers in London, together with 
 some of their country brethren, held, every fortnight 
 during six months, a meeting for prayer and con- 
 sultation on the most effectual means of commencing 
 
c 
 
 CJ 14 THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 
 
 and carrying on a mission among the heathen. This 
 led them to circulate an address to the public, in the 
 f Evangelical Magazine' for January, 1795, and to send 
 circular letters to ministers in each county, entreating 
 their consideration of the subject ; from many of them 
 were received assurances of the mdst cordial approba- 
 tion, and intimations that their own minds had previously 
 been led to fervent prayer for the accomplishment of the 
 laudable purpose." 
 
 The London Missionary Society was formed in 
 September, 1795. Meetings were held on the 
 2 1 st, 2 2d, 23d, and 24th: the first two were pre- 
 liminary. Mr. Stokes speaks of attending with a 
 glowing heart all the services of these memorable 
 occasions. So crowded were the congregations, 
 and so almost rapturous the awakened interest of 
 the people, that it was firmly believed and openly 
 declared, that God had surprised the century with 
 " a new Pentecost of the church." Six famous 
 sermons were preached during these meetings, 
 copies of all of which Mr. Stokes has carefully 
 preserved, bound in a tasteful volume. 
 
 Considering the circumstances under which they 
 were delivered, in the sublimity of their devotion 
 to the cause of the heathen, and in the seer-like 
 
A 
 
 A JUBILEE YEAR. 15 
 
 grasp with which they took in all the magnificent 
 results which were yet to follow from the feeble, 
 and by many despised, beginnings of which they 
 were the heralds, these sermons may be regarded 
 as almost inspired. From a rare copy of the 
 printed minutes of these eventful meetings, we are 
 able to fill out to some degree the too brief state- 
 ments of Mr. Stokes' diary. In addition to many 
 items of deepest interest, we are furnished with the 
 names of the great and good men who preached 
 the missionary sermons, and also with the texts on 
 which their discourses were respectively founded. 
 We give them in the order in which they were 
 preached: the Rev. Thomas Hawies, of Aldwin- 
 kle, from Mark xvi. 15, 16; Rev. George Burder, 
 Coventry, from Jonah iii. 2; Rev. Samuel Great- 
 heed, Newport-Pagnell, from Luke x. 29 ; Rev. 
 John Hey, Bristol, from Eph. i. 10; Rev. Rowland 
 Hill, London, from Matt. xxiv. 14; Rev. David 
 Bogue, Gosport, from Haggai i. 2. 
 
 A JUBILEE YEAR. 
 
 As he listened to these appeals, Mr. Stokes 
 remarks that it was w with feelings of no ordinary 
 
 9 
 
i6 
 
 A JUBILEE YEAR. 
 
 joy." He now beheld the gracious answers to 
 prayers which for years had been mysteriously 
 deferred; he now witnessed the joyful crowning of 
 many hopes which had for a long time been cher- 
 ished amid doubts and fears. Indifference to the 
 cause of the heathen had passed almost entirely 
 away, and inspiring songs were heard where once 
 there had been but the solemn wrestling of falter- 
 ing, and hence unanswered, prayer. Now were 
 fulfilled the glowing prophecies of one who had 
 sung anticipatory of heavenly triumphs, when 
 
 " Hope shall change to glad fruition, 
 Faith to sight, and prayer to praise." 
 
 During the frequent and greatly prolonged ses- 
 sions of public service, the churches were thronged 
 with earnest and intelligent people; and when at 
 times the preachers, in view of all the wondrous 
 events which were transpiring about them, kindled 
 with animated and contagious fervor, the pent-up 
 emotions of the listening multitude could no longer 
 be restrained, but found expression in mingled sobs 
 and prayers and shouts of approval. The printed 
 minutes above referred to confirm all the briefer 
 records of Mr. Stokes' journal. They furnish the 
 
c 
 
 CJ A JUBILEE YEAR. 1 7 
 
 following impressive and characteristic incident. 
 At one of the meetings a minister arose to present 
 a resolution recognizing the call of God in the sum- 
 mons of the church for the salvation of the heathen; 
 but its passage was forestalled with such demon- 
 strations of general and tender approval, that for a 
 time the business of the meeting could not proceed, 
 while many gave vent to their feelings in tears of 
 
 joy- 
 Says a writer describing the scene during the 
 
 delivery of the sermon by Rev. Mr. Bogue: — 
 
 " The whole vast body of people manifested their con- 
 currence, and could scarcely refrain from one general 
 shout of joy. Such a scene was perhaps never before 
 beheld in our world, and afforded a glorious earnest of 
 that nobler assembly where we shall meet all the re- 
 deemed, and in the presence and before the throne of the 
 Lamb shall sing, as in the last hymn of the service, 
 
 ' Crown him, crown him, crown him Lord of all ! ' " 
 
 Mr. Stokes informs us, that at one of the first 
 meetings held at the Castle and Falcon, the liberal 
 designs of God's people were already foreshadowed 
 in a collection for missionary purposes amounting 
 to nearly £800, or $4,000 ! 
 
3 
 
 1 8 THE FIRST MISSIONARY SHIP. b 
 
 THE FIRST MISSIONARY SHIP. 
 
 One of the immediate fruits of this great revival 
 was the establishment of the mission to the South- 
 Sea Islands. The first missionary ship," The Duff/' 
 was soon fitted out, and sailed for Tahiti with 
 twenty-nine missionaries on board, in September, 
 1796. Mr. Stokes gives abundant evidence of his 
 lively interest in this marked event, and makes 
 mention of the fact that he spent on board most 
 of the two last days before she sailed, and was 
 among the last to leave her deck as the almost 
 sacred vessel spread her sails for heathen shores, 
 and left the homes and altars of Christian England 
 forever behind her. 
 
 The editor of the "Evangelical Magazine" thus 
 describes the scenes connected with the departure 
 of the missionaries: — 
 
 " Though they embarked at an early hour, vast multi- 
 tudes attended. The deck was crowded, many of the 
 directors and friends accompanying them down the river. 
 As soon as the boats which brought off the missionaries 
 were removed, the sails unfurled, the noise of the ropes 
 and the moving to and fro of the sailors had ceased, that 
 
THE FIRST MISSIONARY SHIP. 19 
 
 beautiful hymn in the Countess of Huntingdon's collec- 
 tion was sung, * Jesus, at thy command, we launch into 
 the deep,' &c. The sailors in the ships on each side of 
 the river, hearing the singing, stood in silent astonish- 
 ment, and many serious persons on the shore waved 
 their hats, bidding the dear servants of God farewell." 
 " It is highly probable that, since the days of our Lord 
 and his apostles, the bosom of the deep was never before 
 graced with such a vessel. If a prodigy in the heavens 
 above attracts universal notice, no one (we trust) will 
 charge us with enthusiasm, if we express our grateful 
 admiration of a sight so pleasing and unusual in the 
 depths beneath. Surely the hand of the Lord hath been 
 conspicuous in laying the beams of his chambers in the 
 waters, and in establishing a household of faith upon 
 the floods. Every serious person who has been on 
 board, and seen the order which there prevails, and 
 joined in the devotions there offered up, has been con- 
 strained to say, like Jacob of old, 'This is none other but 
 the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.' " 
 
 The following lines commemorate the hour when 
 "The Duff" was passing down the river, with the 
 consecrated band onboard: — 
 
 " Go, destined vessel, heavenly-freighted, go ! 
 For, lo ! the Lord's ambassadors are there ; 
 Faith sits at helm, and Hope attends the prow, 
 
 While thousands swell thy sails with balmy prayer. 
 
c 
 
 CJ 20 THE FIRST MISSIONARY SHIP. 
 
 " Lo ! southern islanders incline the ear, 
 And pause attentive to the sacred word ; 
 Heralds of God, your embassy declare, 
 And win obedient nations to the Lord." 
 
 The venerable Rev. Dr. Haweis who accom- 
 panied the missionaries on ship-board as far out 
 the English Channel as beyond Portsmouth, thus 
 graphically pictures his final parting with them: — 
 
 ff We shook hands all round. I spoke to every brother 
 a word, commending him to the keeping and care of our 
 covenant God. The dear women, with tears streaming, 
 wished me every blessing. The boat was waiting to 
 convey me to the shore ; the evening approached ; our 
 distance was considerable, but the day was beautifully 
 fair. I stepped down the side of the ship, and cast 
 many a mingled look of joy and reluctance behind me, 
 till the ship faded from my view, and, mingling with the 
 multitude of masts around her, was no longer distinctly 
 visible. Early the next morning we looked out; but 
 they had turned the point, and the last of the convoy 
 only was seen clearing the land at St. Helens. Ye 
 people of God, follow them with your prayers ! " 
 
 Even in these latter days of missionary history 
 and experience, and to those who have often wit- 
 nessed the consecration and departure of mission- 
 
c 
 
 A HOME IN THE WESTERN WORLD. 21 
 
 aries to their distant and difficult fields of labor, 
 these parting scenes are always thrilling with the 
 sad yet inspiring eloquence of self-sacrificing, 
 Christian benevolence and lofty moral heroism; 
 how much more impressive and stirring must have 
 been the effect upon the popular heart and mind of 
 this first embarkation, — this costly and experi- 
 mental advance upon the dark and gloomy hosts 
 of ignorant, barbarous and treacherous idolaters ! 
 We do not wonder at the universal interest which 
 it evoked, or at the opposition which it received 
 from the worldly and the faithless. It constituted, 
 however, an epoch in the history of human redemp- 
 tion which shall have its oft-recurring celebrations 
 amid the heavenly eras, when the heathen shall 
 have been given to Christ as his inheritance and 
 the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession. 
 
 A HOME IN THE WESTERN WORLD. 
 
 Not long after these notable events are recorded 
 by Mr. Stokes, we find him revolving the project 
 of leaving his native England, and making his 
 home in this western world. His decision was 
 reached in the spring of 1798, when, accompanied 
 
J 
 
 2 2 A CHANGE OF VIEWS. 
 
 with his wife, child, and servants, he embarked for 
 New York. As communication was not then (as 
 now) by regular lines of packets and steamers, he 
 was obliged to charter a vessel at his own cost. 
 He arrived at New York, in June, landing at the 
 Battery. 
 
 A CHANGE OF VIEWS. 
 
 An act of courtesy, on the part of a stranger, 
 an Englishman, extended to him just as his family 
 had disembarked, introduced to him, under very 
 favorable circumstances, a gentleman who was a 
 Baptist. The acquaintance thus formed ripened 
 into a friendship, which continued while he lived, 
 and was the means of bringing him into the Baptist 
 denomination. He was baptized in the East River, 
 in 1807, by the Rev. Charles Lahatt, pastor of the 
 Bethel Baptist Church, New York City. 
 
 When, under the efforts of the then young 
 and eloquent preacher, Archibald Maclay, the 
 Mulberry- street Baptist Church was gathered, 
 Mr. Stokes united with that body, and was at 
 once elected deacon, an office which he adorned 
 until his death. 
 
 
 
c 
 
 CJ BAPTIST MISSIONARY ORGANIZATIONS. 23 
 
 BAPTIST MISSIONARY ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
 The same zeal for missions which had character- 
 ized Mr. Stokes in his native land, continued to be 
 a powerful impulse with him in after life. The 
 conversion of Mr. and Mrs. Judson and Luther Rice 
 to Baptist views, and their application for support 
 as foreign missionaries, revived the spirit of missions 
 among the Baptists of America, and they at once 
 entered upon the work of Christianizing the hea- 
 then with a zeal which, with the favor of God, 
 gave them a prominent position in the missionary 
 field. 
 
 " The General Convention," which was the first 
 organization of American Baptists for the promo- 
 tion of foreign missions, was formed in Philadelphia, 
 May 21, 1 8 14. Mr. Stokes was present as a deeply 
 interested spectator. His son, James Stokes, of 
 New York City, accompanied him, and, in a letter 
 recently received from him, recounts with much 
 interest the incidents of that meeting, and of the 
 impression made upon his mind, though then but a 
 lad of some ten years of age, by the presence and 
 utterances of those great and good men, — Staugh- 
 
 cm 
 
fi 
 
 24 
 
 THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 ton, Furman, Baldwin, and Rice. Of this organ- 
 ization, whether as " Convention " or " Missionary 
 Union," Thomas Stokes continued a fast friend 
 until the day of his death. 
 
 When in 182 1, in consequence 'of failing health, 
 John Cauldwell, Esq., the first treasurer of the 
 Baptist Missionary Convention, was compelled to 
 resign, Mr. Stokes consented to undertake the 
 arduous and responsible duties of the position. But 
 he soon became convinced that the treasurer could 
 serve the interests of the Convention much more 
 effectively, were he located in Boston, its financial 
 headquarters. Accordingly in 1823 he retired from 
 the office, upon which occasion the Convention 
 gratefully and publicly recognized the value of his 
 services and the spirit in which they had been 
 rendered, in a record of thanks placed upon their 
 minutes. The Hon. Heman Lincoln, of Boston, 
 was appointed his successor. 
 
 FORMATION OF THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. 
 
 While Mr. Stokes' convictions as a Baptist were 
 both strong and clearly defined, his large Christian 
 liberalities of heart and of hand brought him into 
 
 
c 
 
 CJ NEW YORK PEACE SOCIETY. 25 
 
 close and warm sympathy with all the true fol- 
 lowers of Christ, and especially with those who 
 were most actively engaged in His service. 
 
 Hence when in 1816 it was proposed in New- 
 York City to form an organization which should 
 enlist the interest and efforts of all American 
 Christians in the translation and circulation of the 
 word of God, without note or comment, as the 
 British and Foreign Society had evoked and 
 marshalled the sympathies of their English breth- 
 ren in behalf of the same object, he cordially 
 approved the design, and gave an unwonted, 
 personal attention to the founding and subsequent 
 affairs of the American Bible Society. He was a 
 member of its first Board of Managers, a liberal 
 contributor to its funds, and a life-long friend of 
 the noble cause for which that organization has so 
 long, so earnestly, and so successfully appealed. 
 
 NEW-YORK PEACE SOCIETY. 
 
 He was also associated with William Lacld, 
 David L. Dodge, and Anson G. Phelps, as founders 
 of the New- York Peace Society, with whose 
 beneficent mission his spirit was ever in peculiar 
 
cflzf 
 
 d 26 7V£^ YORK PEACE SOCIETY. 
 
 and living sympathy. In his contemplations of 
 the growing empire and coming triumphs of King 
 Emmanuel, his soul ever seemed to drink in a new 
 and a higher inspiration from the thought that " the 
 weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty 
 through God to the pulling down of strongholds." 
 And yet Mr. Stokes belonged to that line of our 
 noblest ancestors to whom the present owes a debt 
 that can hardly be over-estimated, as it can never 
 be repaid, — a national ancestry who made large 
 and costly sacrifices in order peacefully to secure 
 the religious and political liberties which form 
 alike the glory and the strength of this great 
 Republic. Indeed, love for these great principles, 
 with a strong desire to witness their triumph and 
 to enjoy their benefits, made him willing to sur- 
 render the comforts and delights of his early home 
 and to sever the sacred and joyous associations 
 which bound him to his native land. He must be 
 ranked among those quiet and conscientious but 
 sturdy men, who, while they were actuated by 
 a warm love for soul-liberty, and an earnest and 
 honest desire that it should be universally acknowl- 
 edged and respected, were also constitutionally 
 
THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. 27 
 
 averse to war and all angry contention. His efforts 
 to promote the cause of righteous and universal 
 peace were instinctive and persistent, and never 
 ceased until he ceased to live. 
 
 THE AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY. 
 
 When in 1825 the friends of a pure and sanctified 
 literature in the city of New York banded together 
 in the formation of the American Tract Society, 
 Mr. Stokes was found in the front rank of those 
 who were relied upon to promote its success. He 
 assisted in its organization and was placed upon its 
 first Board of Managers. His name is inscribed 
 among its earliest life-members ; and the respon- 
 sible post of Chairman of the Committee on Dis- 
 tribution, to which he was assigned by the Board 
 at its very formation, he held until called to a 
 higher position in the presence and at the summons 
 of the Master. 
 
 At the anniversary of the Tract Society held 
 subsequently to the death of Mr. Stokes, his life 
 and his departure were thus feelingly alluded to in 
 the report of the Board: — 
 
/-\ 
 
 c 
 
 o 
 
 & 
 
 c 
 
 & 
 
 28 SOCIAL ABUSES. b 
 
 "Mr. Thomas Stokes, a devoted friend of this Society 
 from the time of its formation, and Chairman of the 
 Committee on Distribution, has during the year entered 
 into rest. He was engaged in those early missionary 
 operations in London which gave character to the present 
 century ; and until the close of his life persevered in his 
 kind and Christian endeavors, cordially co-operating with 
 all, of every name, who were engaged in his Master's 
 
 SOCIAL ABUSES. 
 
 It is still, doubtless, within the memory of many 
 of the living that there was a time when, especially 
 in the city of New York, and among a very 
 respectable class of its people, wines and other 
 intoxicating drinks were freely dispensed at 
 funerals, until the custom led to many and dis- 
 graceful violations of all the decorum and solemn 
 proprieties of such occasions. It was also quite 
 customary in those days for the pall-bearers and 
 the gentlemen among the immediate mourners at 
 funerals, to wear long streaming scarfs of black 
 silk, or other rich and expensive material, which, 
 however easily provided by the wealthy, neces- 
 sitated a severe and almost ruinous tax upon those 
 
SOCIAL ABUSES. 29 
 
 who could not afford them ; to which, from sheer 
 fear of a false and captious public opinion, they 
 were reluctantly obliged to submit. 
 
 The quick sensibilities of Mr. Stokes were 
 deeply wounded by these injurious and useless 
 fashions of the society of that day; and yet owing 
 to the delicate relations which these customs held 
 to the hospitable entertainment of sympathizing 
 friends and to the expression of sorrow for the 
 dead, which is both natural and proper, as well as 
 out of respect for the sensitive feelings of bereaved 
 and stricken mourners, he dreaded to cope with 
 evils which, confessed by all, were daily becoming 
 more dangerous and excessive. But, at length, he 
 courageously set himself to work, greatly favored 
 in the full co-operation of General Matthew Clark- 
 son, and a few other earnest, sensible men, who, 
 like himself, were not only impressed with the 
 necessity of a correction of these abuses, but 
 were themselves ready to inaugurate a reform. 
 So judiciously and successfully did they enlighten 
 and organize public opinion that the evils were 
 almost at once abated, and soon, in that particular 
 form at least, passed entirely away. 
 
30 DECLINING YEARS. ^ 
 
 DECLINING YEARS. 
 
 After Mr. Stokes had reached his sixty-sixth 
 birthday, Dec. 13, 1831, he was noticeably less 
 disposed to public life and labors, and more and 
 more inclined to retire from secular responsi- 
 bilities and anxieties. A vivid and ever-present 
 presentiment soon after seized upon his mind 
 that his life's work was nearly done, and that 
 death's summons would not be long deferred. He 
 began calmly to set his house in order, never 
 forgetful of those business preparations for dying, 
 the neglect of which on his part might entail 
 inconvenience or loss on those who should survive 
 him. 
 
 A short time before his death, after having finally 
 arranged all his worldly affairs with the aid and 
 advice of his only and tenderly loved brother, 
 Judge William Armstrong Stokes, he signed the 
 last paper demanding his signature, and then 
 calmly remarked, " William, I shall sign the name 
 of Thomas Stokes no more." From that hour he 
 sought the retirement of his chamber, and much 
 of the time, alone and in prayer, seemed most of 
 
 c 
 
 c:: 
 
c 
 
 V DECLINING YEARS. 3 1 
 
 all wrestling to wean himself from his loved and 
 loving family. While no specific form of disease 
 preying upon him could be traced, it soon became 
 evident to all that he was gradually sinking towards 
 the grave. The atmosphere of an unseen world 
 seemed to shed its sacred and peaceful light into 
 the room where the good man lay, illuminating 
 every feature of his venerable and benevolent 
 countenance. His frame of mind was one of calm 
 yet cheerful resignation, constantly illustrating the 
 precious truth that they who find their joy in the 
 service of Christ through life, will in d} 7 ing experi- 
 ence the sweetness of His communion and the 
 power of His saving presence. 
 
 When the morning of Oct. 10, 1832, dawned, 
 it was quite apparent that his last hours drew nigh. 
 As the day declined and the circle of his friends 
 drew 7 closer and closer around his dying-bed, the 
 last accents of worship and of prayer which, as a 
 fitting cadence to such a life of trust and love, fell 
 from his sainted lips, were "blessed Jesus!" and 
 it was difficult to tell whether these sweet words 
 were the rising spirit's farewell to earth, or its first 
 rapturous greeting to heaven. 
 
<^ 
 
 d 
 
 32 THE MEMORY OF THE JUST IS BLESSED. 
 
 THE MEMORY OF THE JUST IS BLESSED. 
 
 The passing away of a venerable man, a patri- 
 otic and public-spirited citizen, and an active and 
 greatly respected Christian, could but produce a 
 marked impression. His funeral was largely 
 attended, and his departure from among the living 
 seemed to be universally and sincerely mourned in 
 the great metropolis where he was so well and so 
 widely known. 
 
 When the news of the death of Mr. Stokes 
 was announced to the Board of Managers of the 
 American Bible Society, they entered upon their 
 records the following notice of their departed 
 fellow-laborer : — 
 
 "By ordinary visitation the Managers are called to 
 notice the death of one of their number, — Mr. Thomas 
 Stokes, of New York. This worthy associate had been 
 a member of the Board and discharged his duties with 
 great cheerfulness and acceptance from the commence- 
 ment of the Society in 1816." 
 
 At the ensuing anniversary of the American 
 Baptist Missionary Union, after alluding to his 
 
THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 33 O 
 
 death, the Managers paid a brief tribute to his 
 memory in the following words: — 
 
 "Thomas Stokes, who served the Board for several 
 years as their Treasurer, was an ardent friend to the 
 cause of missions, and endeared himself to all his breth- 
 ren by his piety, his pure integrity, and his amiable 
 manners." 
 
 Thus honorably and beautifully closed a long, 
 active, and eventful Christian life, which in its first 
 youthful promise had been turned from the vanities 
 and short-lived pleasures of the world and conse- 
 crated to the service and honor of Christ. It 
 affords but another and an apt illustration of the 
 real and practical value of a personal interest in 
 the promises of Him who hath said, K Because 
 he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I 
 deliver him; . . . with long life will I satisfy him 
 and show him my salvation." 
 
 THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 
 
 How instructive and inspiring are the lessons 
 which spring from such a career, inculcating, as 
 they do, faith and a cheerful obedience in under- 
 taking any commission which bears the seal of the 
 
c 
 
 CJ 34 THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 
 
 Master's approval, no matter how small or inau- 
 spicious the beginnings, or in how marked contrast 
 they may stand to great and illustrious ends which 
 they are designed to accomplish! 
 
 When, less than a century ago,'under the leader- 
 ship of the philanthropic printer of Gloucester, 
 the recently converted Thomas Stokes, as one of 
 a small band of active Christians, aided in the 
 establishment of Sunday schools among the poor 
 children of London, little was it dreamed that the 
 enterprise so unostentatiously begun, was destined 
 to grow into a complicated and powerful agency, 
 whose grand and benignant results should hal- 
 low every land and gladden the hearts of every 
 people. 
 
 When, a few years later, some English dis- 
 senters, beginning to feel the inward leapings of a 
 new and heaven-born yearning for the redemption 
 of the heathen world, a small but faith-inspired 
 circle of preachers, championed by the bold and 
 earnest Carey, and a few zealous laymen, repre- 
 sented in the intelligence and devotion of Thomas 
 Stokes, set themselves to work to quicken and 
 inform an insensible and careless church as to its 
 
THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 35 
 
 relations to distant and idolatrous millions, who 
 then, even among the most sanguine and prophetic, 
 would have dared to estimate the triumphant 
 achievements of the religious faith and self- 
 sacrificing heroism which these noble men were 
 striving, by means so inadequate and almost in- 
 significant, to rally and marshal in the name of 
 Jesus? 
 
 Since that day missionary agencies of every kind 
 have been multiplied, until there is no land so dark 
 or distant, until there is no isle of the ocean so 
 lone or desolate, that Christian hands have not 
 carried to their inhabitants the bread of life, and 
 uplifted to their wondering eyes the soul-subduing 
 banner of the Nazarene. 
 
 Since then the Bible has been given, and the 
 glad tidings of salvation published, in almost every 
 language spoken under the whole heaven. 
 
 Since then two millions of the heathen have 
 turned from their idolatrous shrines to the altars 
 of the true God; thence, as pilgrims to a heavenly 
 country, they have taken " the way the holy 
 prophets went," and, singing on earth for a while 
 their songs of sorrow and deliverance, to-day are 
 
 ff 
 
a 
 
 THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 
 
 numbered with the redeemed in glory who grate- 
 fully strike their harps to the new song of Moses 
 and the Lamb. 
 
 Of the wide-spreading and benign influence of 
 the American Tract Society, as related to its 
 comparatively small and humble beginnings, the 
 Rev. Dr. Knox, when in 1846 he laid the corner- 
 stone of the new Tract House, New York City, 
 thus speaks : — 
 
 " Thirty years ago there was an organization for the 
 distribution of religious tracts in this city, in connection 
 with which were John E. Caldwell, Zechariah Lewis, 
 and others, who, like them, having served their gener- 
 ation, by the will of God have fallen asleep. It was 
 small and feeble. We had then a few tracts, poorly 
 printed, on coarse paper, and at large expense. But it 
 was the commencement of good. 
 
 "The organization of the American Tract Society a 
 little more than twenty years ago formed a new era 
 in the history of the tract cause. Upon the labors of 
 this institution God has put the seal of his approval. 
 The judgment will reveal the multitude, by its instru- 
 mentality redeemed from ignorance and error and sin, 
 and converted unto God ; and the greater multitude 
 guided and comforted, sanctified and cheered, in the 
 
THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 37 
 
 path of life. In this service good and holy men have 
 lived and labored and died. Milnor and Page, Willett 
 and Greene, Summerfield, Pierson, and Stokes, now 
 shine in the firmament of glory, in the splendor of those 
 who have turned many unto righteousness. 
 
 "The institution — with the extent, variety, and excel- 
 lence of its publications; its tracts and its volumes, 
 every one of them teeming with vital truth ; its col- 
 porters and agencies — is reaching abroad its influence 
 throughout the land, throughout the world." 
 
 And thus the accomplished results of a century 
 in the history of the church the most remarkable, 
 perhaps, since the apostolic age for the facility and 
 energy with which it has grasped and organized 
 the full idea of Christian evangelism in the employ- 
 ment of instrumentalities, associational as well as 
 ecclesiastic, are confessedly but the outgrowth of 
 the efforts of earnest and conscientious men, who, 
 in a self-denying spirit, and in a practical way, 
 performed the personal, e very-day duties to which 
 God called them, and did them well. 
 
 It has always been true, and it ever will be, that 
 the path of duty is the direct road to earth's best 
 success and heaven's sure reward. To attempt 
 
c 
 
 CJ 38 THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 
 
 deeds because they are conspicuously great, to 
 strive for the attainment of results that will be 
 deemed brilliant, without putting forth a corre- 
 sponding effort of an honest and homely endeavor, 
 is at best but a higher type of "ambitious vanity, 
 and utterly delusive as to the achievement of 
 even the cheap and unsubstantial honors of the 
 world. 
 
 I would scarcely venture to leave the sacred 
 precincts of the faithful and unpretending life that 
 has been thus imperfectly but lovingly sketched, 
 did I not in his behalf, of whom I have written, 
 disclaim all merit for what he attempted and what 
 he accomplished, save that which he derived from 
 Him by whose grace alone he stood, and in whose 
 strength he labored to the end. My reverent love 
 for the dead, whose life-form has in this brief 
 Memorial been chiselled, were there no higher 
 motive, would lead me, as I leave his figure in this 
 modest niche, to give to his sculptured arm that 
 upward inclination that would point towards 
 heaven as the source of the power which had 
 redeemed his soul and animated it with all its best 
 and noblest inspirations. And as an inscription 
 
THE LESSONS OF A LIFE. 
 
 39 
 
 & 
 
 surmounting the name of Thomas Stokes, which 
 shall appropriately voice the sentiment of his whole 
 heart and all his life, I deeply grave the inspired 
 motto: — 
 
 " J3ot unto M, © lorU ! not unto ua, out unto % 
 name gioe glory." 
 

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