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5 I 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
 ON THE 
 
 LIFE AND CHARACTER 
 
 OF 
 
 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS 
 
 DELIVERED IN THE 
 
 UNITARIAN CHURCH, 
 
 FEBRUARY 27, 1848. 
 
 BY GEORGE W.HOSMER. 
 
 BUFFALO: 
 STEAM PRESS OF JEWETT, THOMAS & CO. 
 
 Commercial Advertiser Buildings. 
 
 1848, 
 

 To the Rev. George W. Hosmer : 
 
 Dear Sir — la sympathy with a desire expressed by a large number of your 
 auditors on Sunday evening last, we unite with them and request a copy of that 
 discourse for publication. Whatever, at first view, may suggest itself as to 
 propriety, growing out of haste in composition — two days only having elapsed 
 from the announcement by telegraph of the death of Mr. Adams, and the preaching 
 of the sermon — we trust you will waive in our behalf. 
 
 Believing that example has been set, and that life lived for the benefit of others, 
 it will contribute to our happiness to be, in howsoever humble a way, the medium 
 of propagating such views and reflections as are combined in your discourse. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 NOAH P. SPRAGUE, 
 
 S. N. CALLENDER, 
 
 WM. LOVERING, 
 
 HIRAM BARTON, 
 
 O. G. STEELE. 
 Buffalo, Fcbnuiry 28, 1848. 
 
 Messrs. N. P. Sprague, S. N. Callender, and others : 
 
 Gentlemen — I am happy that my discourse of last Sabbath evening met 
 your approbation. Your kind note makes it unnecessary for me to speak of the 
 circumstances under which it was written. I submit to your judgment ; and 
 herewith place the manuscript at your disposal. 
 
 I am, dear Sirs, 
 
 Very truly your friend, 
 
 G. W. HOSMER. 
 
 linffalo, Ftbmunj XJ, 1848. 
 
DISCOURSE. 
 
 Isaiah III: 1, 2, ;i. 
 
 BEHOLD, THE LORD, THE LORD OP HOSTS, DOTH TAKE AWAY THE MIGHTY 
 
 MAN THE JUDGE AND THE PROPHET AND THE PRUDENT AND THE 
 
 ANCIENT THE HONORABLE MAN, AND THE COUNSELLOR AND THE 
 
 ELOQUENT ORATOR. 
 
 This whole nation may take up the lamentation of the 
 prophet. That venerable man, who has stood so long* 
 in the midst of our national councils, who has outlived 
 the asperities and jealousies of party feeling - , whom all 
 men have regarded as a judge and a prophet and a 
 father, has been taken away. The last survivor of a 
 departed generation has gone ; the link that united this 
 age to the times of our revolutionary and political 
 fathers, has given way. The aged patriot was smitten 
 down at the post of duty, where he had so long- watched 
 and toiled for his country's welfare ; and the sons and 
 grandsons of those with whom he commenced his 
 public career, sorrowfully bore him to his death-bed. 
 The great law of Nature must be verified, " One gene- 
 ration passeth away and another generation cometh." 
 That seat of the ancient counsellor, which his col- 
 
leagues, from filial reverence, have always given him, 
 is now to be vacant ; his voice is silent ; his wasted 
 form, bowing under the weight of four-score years, 
 is gone. Days no more will speak from his lips, nor 
 multitude of years teach wisdom. His death has crea- 
 ted a deep and wide spread sensation. Men of all 
 parties lament his departure. The sad intelligence is 
 at this moment rapidly spreading through the land; 
 and in every hamlet and woodman's cottage it will be 
 received with sadness. 
 
 Such a death is a great lesson. It should not pass 
 unheeded ; and I have thought it might be good for us, 
 and a wise improvement of this Sabbath hour, to 
 indulge such meditations as this death suggests. Be- 
 hold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away the 
 mighty man, the judge, the prophet — and all the land is 
 filled with sadness. But let it be remembered, that what 
 the Lord takes away he also gave. We are apt to be 
 selfish in our sorrow for the loss of what we value. 
 A.11 grief for blessings withdrawn should be mingled 
 with grateful joy that such blessings were granted ; 
 and when a great and good man, after a long and 
 useful life, has been gathered to the garner of Heaven, 
 like a shock of corn fully ripe, grief should give place 
 to joy for the gift of such a blessing to the nation and 
 to mankind. The great and good man is one of God's 
 best gifts, and the noblest subject of contemplation that 
 this world contains. We admire the vastness and 
 
grandeur of the material universe ; our souls are awed 
 by the roaring" cataract ; the uplifted mountain ; the 
 heaving- ocean ; but when we think of a great and 
 good man, the material universe seems small and 
 almost insignificant. The capacities, the acts, the 
 influence of such a man, open so many subjects of 
 quickening* thought. He reveals the meaning" of human 
 life ; shows us what we are made to be and to do ; 
 lifts us above the mists of our ignorance, and out of the 
 boundaries of our selfishness, and discloses the paths of 
 our capability. In his life we see the vast reach of 
 thought, magnanimity of affection, energy of will, lofti- 
 ness of purpose, and the clear sight and humble 
 confidence of faith. The great and good man is a true 
 prophet ; the present is filled with his light, and his 
 aims and tendencies foretell the future. He is a reve- 
 lation from God. He is the grace of God made flesh 
 to dwell among us and quicken and guide us. 
 
 The great and good will be held in reverence. Even 
 bad men will revere them. Prejudice may blind us ; 
 but if we recognize the great and good, the law of our 
 nature binds us to revere them. The devils believe 
 and tremble. And what should awaken a deeper 
 gratitude than to dwell in the light of a great and good 
 soul? Who can measure the uplifting influences of 
 such ones as the Puritan Winthrop and Eliot, Wm. 
 Penn, the patriotic Franklin and Washington, and all 
 that host of worthies which God has given to our coun- 
 
try ? How often have such ones rebuked us, taught 
 us, inspired us. cheered us ! Indeed, what would this 
 world be, but for the great and good ones; the patriots, 
 martyrs, prophets, who have gone up in courage and 
 patience, and opened paths to the realms of true life 1 — 
 what, but a night without stars ! 
 
 Perhaps the great and good have been near us ; we 
 have listened to their living voice, communed with 
 them at the fire-side, and now, with tears of gratitude, 
 we consider what we owe to their clear thoughts and 
 pure affections and holy purposes. But for them, where 
 and what might we be ? Weak and imperfect as we 
 now are, but for them we mi^ht have been worse, the 
 dominion of sense stronger, and the stains of sin deeper ; 
 but for them, the great and good who have been near 
 us, we might be out of sight of truth and right and 
 peace. As we look back over our way, from the morn- 
 ing of childhood, do we not see good angels who have 
 strengthened us ? And to the present moment, our 
 souls bear the mark of their influence. The principle 
 which they instilled, the impulse they gave, the resolve 
 they taught us to cherish, the hope which their life 
 inspired, these are the very jewels of our souls. And 
 as their forms rise before us, and memory brings the 
 record of their services in our behalf, we are filled with 
 veneration and gratitude. It would be a disgrace to 
 humanity, if thanksgivings were not ready to break 
 from our lips. Sorrow for the departure of the great 
 
and good should always be marked with gratitude for 
 their eminent services. 
 
 And to whom shall we dedicate our song- of praise ? 
 Shall it be to the angels who have ministered to us, 
 to the great and good who have taught, quickened and 
 guided us, or to Him who makes angels his ministers, 
 and kindles the bright light in the great and good man's 
 soul ? Through this question, there breaks upon my 
 mind a subject of unspeakable significance. The near- 
 ness — the very union of God and the great and good 
 man. The man is the image of God. The divinity 
 resides in him, and shines in his life. God and his 
 faithful child can hardly be separated in our thoughts. 
 " He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." The 
 very being of God's faithful child — what is it ? Whence 
 his capabilities ; the influences that quicken him ; the 
 opportunities in which he acts 1 Whence come his 
 breathing thoughts, burning words, and the riches of 
 his heart 1 By what mysterious affinity is his gifted, 
 laboring soul bound in sympathy with other minds, till 
 they catch the heat that burns in his bosom ? We 
 tremble with awe and joy when we think how God 
 is with him. He and his Father are fellow-laborers. 
 God is in him and he in God. They are one. The 
 great and good man is anointed and sent of God ; 
 else he were neither great nor good — else he were 
 nothing. This commingling of divinity and humanity ; 
 this union of good men with God which at the same 
 
8 
 
 time awes and encourages us, is a scripture doctrine ; 
 Christ declared it, and both Paul and John taught 
 and illustrated it. 
 
 To whom, then, shall we pay our tribute of gratitude 
 for the influence of the wise and good 1 Most surely, 
 these faithful ones who have done nobly for their coun- 
 try and their race are not to be forgotten. Had they 
 indulged the love of ease, had they drawn their sym- 
 pathies within the circle of selfishness, their light 
 would not have fallen upon our paths. Those worthy 
 men who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their 
 sacred honor, and laid the foundations of our national 
 welfare ; whose memories are treasured up in the 
 hearts of the American people, might have done ignobly, 
 and lived in selfish sloth. Thanks to their risen spirits 
 that they did not. Thanks for all their worth, and al] 
 their generous sacrifices. But the faithful man cannot 
 be separated from God, in whom he lives and moves ; 
 and when the services of the wise and good rise in our 
 memory and pass before us, our souls should ascend in 
 an anthem of praise to God, that he hath given the 
 mighty man — and the judge and the prophet and the 
 prudent and the ancient — the counsellor and the elo- 
 quent orator, to guide human affairs, and to enlighten 
 the world. 
 
 John Quincy Adams was born in Quincy, Mass., in 
 1767. He was of the old Puritan stock : a descendant 
 of the sixth generation from Henry Adams, who came 
 
from England among- the early settlers of Massachu- 
 setts. His mother was hardly less remarkable than 
 his father. She was the daughter of the Rev. William 
 Smith, of Weymouth, and grand-daughther of Colonel 
 Quincy, of Mount Wallaston, now Quincy, who was 
 the ancestor of the distinguished family of that name 
 in Massachusetts. She is said to have been " a lady 
 every way worthy of her husband ; endowed by nature 
 with a countenance singrilarly noble and lovely, and 
 with a mind whose fine powers were improved by an 
 excellent education. Her ardor, in the cause of her 
 country, was as elevated as that of her husband's ; and 
 her piety was unaffected and exemplary." In her 
 admirable letters to her husband, when absent from 
 home, she gives us some glimpses of the early youth 
 of their distinguished son, and of the nature of his 
 primary education. He was brought up in all the sim- 
 plicity of life, peculiar to the country towns of New 
 England at that day. 
 
 At quite an early age he went, with his father, who 
 was appointed a Commissioner, to Europe ; where he 
 spent several years ; during which time, he travelled 
 through Europe; and in the Public School of Amsterdam, 
 and afterwards in the University of Leyden, enjoyed the 
 best opportunities for study. He returned home and 
 entered Harvard College, a junior, and was graduated 
 with distinguished honor, in 1787. The Oration which 
 he delivered on the day of his graduation was received 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 with distinguished applause. From his infancy he had 
 breathed the air of patriotism. His country was then 
 struggling' to escape from the weakness and disorder 
 of the Old Confederation. The sages of the land were 
 deliberating upon the principles of a new constitution ; 
 the youthful student had caught the key note ; his Ora- 
 tion was in unison with the employment of the master- 
 spirits of the time. Dr. Jeremy Belknap, the historian 
 of New Hampshire, and one of the first literary men 
 of his time, solicited a copy of the Oration for publica- 
 tion. Mr. Adams objected ; and Dr. Belknap wrote in 
 continued solicitation. " Can your modesty suffer by 
 yielding to a proper request ? And why should the 
 name be suppressed? — a name which calls up every 
 grateful and affectionate feeling in the breasts of Ame- 
 ricans ? Without the name your Alma Mater will be 
 deprived of half the honor which she deserves ; but if 
 that be added, the friends of liberty and virtue will 
 have the satisfaction to see the features of the parent 
 in the son ; and, I may add, your country will have a 
 pledge of a succession of abilities in the same family, 
 still to aid her cause and espouse her interest." Mr. 
 Adams finally left the matter to Dr. Belknap ; and the 
 Oration was published, with his name, in the Columbian 
 Magazine. He studied law in Newburyport, and 
 commenced its' practice in Boston; but he was soon 
 called into public lite. At the age of twenty-seven, he 
 was appointed by Washington, Minister to the Batavian 
 
11 
 
 Republic ; which court, at that period, on account of its 
 central position and national relations, was regarded as 
 the best school of diplomacy in Europe. He was 
 thence transferred to Portugal, thence to Prussia, thence 
 to Sweden ; and from all these embassies, he returned 
 to this country after an absence of seven years. 
 
 But he was not permitted long* to remain a private 
 citizen ; he was chosen to the Senate of Massachusetts 
 for one year ; and two years afterwards, to the Senate 
 of the United States, which position he occupied for 
 five years. Three years he was Professor of Rhetoric 
 and Oratory in Harvard College, having- at that time 
 the reputation of unequalled accomplishments, both as a 
 scholar and an orator. While in this Professorship, he 
 was also, a part of the time, in the Senate of the United 
 States, and part of the time, in the practice of the law 
 in Boston — performing- prodigies of labor. At this 
 period, being- about forty years of age, he was appointed 
 by Mr. Jefferson Minister Plenipotentiary to Russia, 
 where he performed signal services for his country. 
 While at St. Petersburgh, he was appointed a Judge of 
 the Supreme Court of the United States. This appoint- 
 ment he declined. He was at the head of the Ameri- 
 can delegation in the august conference of Ghent ; then 
 Minister to England ; then for eight years Secretary of 
 State ; then President for one term. 
 
 Upon his retirement from the Presidency, he went to 
 his mansion, at Quincy — the home of his childhood — 
 
12 
 
 where his venerable father had spent his old age. He 
 had now passed through nearly sixty years of most 
 interesting experience; had held the highest offices ; and 
 had reached a time of life when repose becomes grate- 
 ful to most of men. But Mr. Adams was too wise to 
 seek happiness in inactivity; he delighted in labor. 
 His fellow-citizens had learned to confide in his ability 
 and uprightness : and they solicited him to represent 
 them in Congress. Had he been a lover of official 
 forms and dignities, he would have refused to stand in 
 a subordinate position after having occupied the highest 
 place ; but he had no ambition except to be useful ; 
 though he had governed, he was willing to serve, and 
 cheerfully yielded to the request of his fellow-citizens, 
 and became their representative ; and as such he has 
 remained for seventeen years ; till death, as though 
 observant of the old man's wish, came and touched 
 him at his post of duty — gently helped him to change 
 his vesture and ascend to the mansions of immortality. 
 
 Such is a meagre sketch of Mr. Adams' public career. 
 No other man in this country has given to the public so 
 many years of service ; and no other one has held 
 so many, so various, and so important offices. From 
 the time he was twenty-seven years of age, till he was 
 eighty — more than half a century — with the exception 
 of two or three years, he has given his energies to his 
 country's welfare. No man, in this age, has done more 
 
13 
 
 hard work than he : fifty years of unceasing- toil and 
 wearing- care, with eminent talents and all the treasures 
 of profound learning-, and long- experience — what a sacri- 
 fice to be laid upon the altar of patriotism ! How such 
 an example rebukes the heated, noisy scramblers, who 
 would rush at once into the temple of fame, and for 
 some adroit political manoeuvres, or brave adventures, 
 insist upon being- recorded as immortal patriots, and 
 claim that ever after their country shall maintain them 
 in luxury and uselessness. 
 
 It would be difficult to determine in what points of 
 his great career, Mr. Adams was most distinguished or 
 most useful. He created an era of remarkable splen- 
 dor in the history of the university in which he held a 
 professorship. His lectures were listened to with 
 admiration ; and, it would be interesting', could we 
 look into the lives of those young- men who enjoyed 
 his services, to see with what hope and courag-e he 
 inspired them. As a diplomatist in foreign courts, his 
 extensive knowledg-e, his deep penetration, and his 
 eminent talents were every where acknowledged. He 
 was an honor to the country which he represented. 
 It is doing- no injustice to say, that no one among his 
 cotemporaries was regarded as his equal in statesman- 
 like diplomacy. Mr. Madison acknowledged his supe- 
 riority when he placed him at the head of our embassy 
 to Ghent, and immediately after the last war with 
 England, sent him to the Court of St. James. From 
 
14 
 
 1817, for twelve years, Mr. Adams was the master- 
 spirit of our national administration : eight years Sec- 
 retary of State under Mr. Monroe : and four years 
 President. I suppose that men of all parties will not 
 hesitate to say, that our government, during that time, 
 was faithfully, and ably administered. 
 
 And now we turn to these last seventeen years of ser- 
 vice in the House of Representatives. Many of the 
 friends of Mr. Adams would have dissuaded him from 
 entering the House in 1831. It seemed that he had 
 done enough — that the measure of his fame was full ; 
 and some feared that his reputation might suffer in the 
 conflicts into which he would be brought. It was a 
 novel sight to see one, who had been clothed with the 
 highest dignities of the Republic, standing again among 
 the people's representatives. All eyes were upon the 
 time-worn veteran, who had gone from the chief com- 
 mand to bear again the brunt of the ranks. All will 
 admit that he has fully sustained himself, and never 
 received a larger tribute of respect and homage, than 
 during these last seventeen years. It is difficult, I 
 repeat, to say at what point of his noble services he 
 has been most distinguished and useful. Indeed, in his 
 public life there are no lonely mountain-peaks shooting 
 up by sharp and ragged ascent from the plain around, 
 fearfully and unprofitably covered with smoke and 
 flame : his life was a grand mountain-chain, ranging 
 through the whole landscape of his times, with its high 
 
15 
 
 tables and successive elevations, and all covered with 
 verdure and harvest fruits up to the very summits. 
 
 Some will be more interested with his conduct when 
 abroad, and others with what he did at home, when in 
 the cabinet, or in the Presidential chair. But, I love best 
 to think of the departed patriot as a representative of 
 the people. He has presented a noble spectacle ; vene- 
 rable by wisdom and dignity, as well as by years, he 
 has stood there in his country's Capitol the impersona- 
 tion of true conservatism ; with one hand pointing- to 
 history and to the Fathers of our Republic — with the 
 other, indicating the hope of futurity, and earnestly 
 calling upon the younger men around him to be just 
 and fear not. The influence of such a man, as we might 
 conjecture, and as a thousand circumstances have 
 shown, was very great indeed. All men revered him ; 
 all acknowledged his consummate ability ; all knew 
 him to be honest and patriotic ; and all prized his appro- 
 bation. While grateful that his life has been spared so 
 long, we cannot but deeply regret his departure at this 
 juncture of our national affairs. The great question of 
 slavery is pressing upon us, and must be settled before 
 many years. The crisis is come ; every month it is 
 growing more and more intense ; the excitement it 
 creates is every where felt ; the whole fabric of our 
 Republic trembles ; — it will tremble more and more, till 
 impassable limits are set to the slave-power. On this 
 terrible subject, Mr. Adams' influence was invaluable. 
 
16 
 
 He was no party man ; but a republican patriot. He 
 stood up boldly for the rights of man — of all men, 
 black and white. How firmly he has resisted the 
 aggressions of slavery ; how earnestly contended for 
 the right of the people to lay their petitions before 
 their representatives ; and yet, the abolitionists did not 
 own him. There he stood, on his own ground — upon 
 the great principles of constitutional liberty. Would 
 that he had been spared yet longer to mediate between 
 extremes, and ward off the shock of inexperienced and 
 heated partizans. 
 
 History has recorded but few deeds so grand as that 
 of John Quincy Adams pleading for ten hours for the 
 poor Amistad captives, before the Supreme Court of 
 the United States. That scene would be a fine subject 
 for a painter. Such clients ! Such an advocate ! and 
 before such a tribunal ! What contrasts ! what sublime 
 disinterestedness ! What a triumph of truth and right ! 
 
 For fifty years, Mr. Adams has been almost constantly 
 in the employment of the public, and has held all the 
 higher offices of our government, and yet he has never 
 been what is usually called a popular man. He has had 
 no noisy crowd of street friends to shout his name ; per- 
 haps I may say that he never has fully pleased his own 
 party ; and sometimes, he has greatly grieved them. 
 And why is this ? In the first place, his person and 
 manners were not such as make a man popular. There 
 was no easy compliance in his look and bearing ; he 
 
 
17 
 
 had no unmeaning- speech — no smiles and compliments 
 for all sorts of people. He was a leader by the power 
 of truth and right, rather than by the persuasiveness 
 of his address. He had too much personal indepen- 
 dence, to be a popular politician. He would not go 
 with his party, right or wrong — he insisted on doing 
 what seemed to him right, and for the welfare of the 
 country; he was his own party — and has often been 
 called a stubborn, untractable man ; sometimes he was 
 obstinate, and it would be strange if he were always 
 right — but he was always honest — and who can 
 withhold respect from the honest man, though he be 
 obstinate in his honesty — stubborn in his uprightness? 
 Mr. Adams was never popular, certainly not until these 
 latter years, when his venerable old age won for him an 
 affectionate reverence ; but his honest independence 
 always commanded respect, and his acknowledged 
 ability won for him the confidence of his countrymen. 
 Mr. Adams' fame has not yet reached its meridian. 
 His public life was not one to strike the first gaze : he 
 built upon broad, deep foundations. His greatness was 
 not in circumstance and detail — in brilliant enthusiasm, 
 and electrifying eloquence. He condescended to no 
 little artifice, to win admiration. He preferred to 
 shine with a steady brightness, rather than send flashes 
 of lightning out of prevailing darkness. The picture 
 of his life had no glaring colors in it; it was like the 
 chef d'ceuvres of the old Masters, and required observa- 
 
18 
 
 tion and study to bring- out the points, and appreciate 
 the excellence. He stands higher now, than at any 
 former period ; and as time rolls on, and party animosi- 
 ties die away, his ability and great worth will command 
 still higher admiration, and his name will shine with a 
 clearer lustre. 
 
 The life of this distinguished benefactor of our coun- 
 try, contains many lessons for all who aspire to be 
 patriots in the walks of political preferment. It teaches 
 that party subserviency is not necessary to the highest 
 success — that in the long run, honesty will win the 
 victory over duplicity and finesse ; that persevering 
 industry is the only sure way to eminence and large 
 usefulness ; and it teaches all men every where, that 
 temperance and purity are of great value to the public 
 man, and that they can be maintained amidst the 
 strongest temptations. 
 
 And, my friends, this life has lessons for us all, what- 
 ever be our position, or the direction of our purposes ; 
 especially it gives us lessons of hope, and should create 
 earnest aspirations in the bosom of every young man, 
 be his occupation what it may. It teaches us how 
 much man can accomplish ; what ample territories he 
 can conquer from the realms of darkness ; how large, 
 and full, and rich a life he can live. 
 
 Are you ready to say, that such a life as that which 
 we have in view to night, is no example to us ? Yes ; 
 I anticipate this. Few, it will be said, have the natural 
 
19 
 
 endowments of Mr. Adams, and still fewer have such 
 a felicitous combination of friends and circumstances to 
 help them forward in life. Undoubtedly, it is true that 
 Mr. Adams possessed superior endowments ; but I 
 suspect that he owed his eminence quite as much to 
 his industry and methodical perseverance, as to his 
 remarkable endowments ; and it is also true, that an 
 opportunity was given him ; but of what avail would 
 it have been, had there not been in him a resolute, 
 faithful spirit to improve it ? The history of great 
 men teaches us, that even the humble cottages of the 
 poor are more propitious goals from which to start in 
 life, than the mansions of the rich and powerful. The 
 forest tree that is fostered in the sheltered nursery, and 
 about which the selectest influences are gathered, will 
 almost certainly be inferior in size and strength to the oak 
 which springs up on the woodland hill, and wrestles with 
 the storm, and conquers its opportunity for existence. 
 But, my time admonishes me, that I must not linger ; 
 that view of the character of the departed patriot, which 
 interests me most, I have not yet presented. He was 
 a deeply religious man — hardly less a saint than a 
 patriot ; faith in God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
 filled his heart, his mind, his soul; he was humbly 
 reverent, and habitually devout. No man was more 
 conscientiously observant of Christian requirements. 
 The Bible was the book of his daily counsel ; he read 
 it in many languages ; studied its deep meaning ; and 
 
20 
 
 was familiar with its contents. It was his law book. 
 He was a constant attendant upon public worship. 
 He hallowed the Sabbath day. 
 
 As you know, his convictions and sympathies were 
 with the Unitarian denomination : but let it not be 
 thought, for a moment, that I come here to make a 
 sectarian boast out of his great name. We have seen 
 too much of such poor attempts. We rejoice, as we 
 justly may, that so great and good a man was with us 
 in religious faith ; we feel strengthened in our assu- 
 rance, because we know that he was an independent 
 inquirer, had a reverent heart, and was capable of 
 making* the most thorough investigation. We rejoice 
 to remember him as presiding- over some of our public 
 annual meetings, and as being a communicant in our 
 churches ; but it is in no sectarian spirit that I allude 
 to his peculiar opinions and connexion with our denomi- 
 nation. He was no sectarian ; he would no more be 
 confined by a sect than by a party ; he was a free, 
 devoted, humble follower of Christ ; and, as such, his 
 example is a noble incitement to us all. In his life, 
 piety and moralijy were joined into one homogeneous 
 stock, from which arose and spread the branches of his 
 virtues, and his patriotism. If it be true, as we see it 
 asserted, that he read a portion of Scripture every day 
 of his busy and crowded life, what a lesson is given us 
 in that fact ! would that every public man might follow 
 such an example ! would that we all, amidst our busi- 
 
21 
 
 ness, cares, and pleasures, might have daily seasons to 
 search for divine truth, and commune with God in the 
 secret silence of our souls ! 
 
 Mr. Adams was as happy in the circumstances of his 
 death, as in those of his life. He was useful to the last 
 moment : he was smitten at the post of his duty ; he 
 died in the Capitol, in the midst of the Representatives 
 of this Republic, to which, under God, he had given 
 his long life ; sinking, like Chatham, into the arms of 
 his country, to be borne to his rest. And those half 
 uttered words, that dropped from his dying lips : " This 
 is the last of earth ! I am content !" What mean- 
 ing they convey ! One stage of his immortal career 
 was finished ; the light of earth was gone : but he 
 did not repine — he was not surprised; long he had 
 been waiting for the silent messenger ; he was ready 
 to depart; he had laid up treasures in Heaven, and 
 trusted in God, through Jesus Christ, that a glorious 
 morning would break upon the shades of death. 
 
 Good old man — true patriot — venerable sage — fare- 
 well ! The genius of thy country bewails thy depar- 
 ture! The hearts of millions are saddened by the 
 thought that thy useful labors must end. Would that 
 thou couldst have lived to see the affrighted dove of 
 peace alight once more upon the Capitol ; would that 
 thou couldst have staid to help guide us through the 
 threatening storm : but as it cannot be so, thanks be to 
 God who has given thee to our nation so long. And 
 
22 
 
 while we think of thee in that spirit land, with thy 
 venerated father, who has long" awaited thy coming*, and 
 with our Country's father, who was thy early friend, 
 and with that noble band of patriots, into whose labors 
 thou on earth didst enter, we will emulate thy virtues, 
 and send up our prayers to Heaven for blessings upon 
 our beloved country. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 On Monday, the 21st of February, 1848, John Quincy Adams sunk in his seat in 
 the House of Representatives, smitten by paralysis ; and died in the Speaker's 
 room, in the Capitol, at a quarter past seven o'clock in the evening of the 23rd of 
 February ; with the officers of the House, and the Delegation of Massachusetts 
 around him. As he fell, he said, "This is the last of earth ; I am content." 
 These were his last words. 
 
 On the 24th, both Houses of Congress assembled, and most affecting eulogies 
 were pronounced upon the departed patriot, in the House of Representatives, by 
 Mr. Speaker Winthrop and Messrs. Hudson, of Massachusetss ; Holmes, of 
 South Carolina ; McDowell, of Virginia ; and Vinton, of Ohio ; and in the Senate, 
 by Messrs. Davis, of Massachusettes, and Benton, of Missouri. 
 
 The funeral, at Washington, took place February 26th. It was celebrated with 
 great solemnity. Says an eye-witness, "A more impressive scene was never 
 witnessed in this city. Minute guns were fired from sun rise til! twelve o'clock. 
 The Executive Departments, and many of the private buildings on Pennsylvania 
 Avenue, were put in mourning. The stores were closed, and all business suspended. 
 The crowd in, and around the Capitol was unprecedented." 
 
 At ten minutes before twelve o'clock, the Speaker called the House to order ; at 
 which moment the bell on Capitol Hill commenced its solemn tolling, as the signal 
 for the commencement of the ceremonies. The President of the United States, 
 and Heads of the Departments entered the Hall — the former taking his seat at 
 the right of the Speaker. The Judges of the Supreme Court in their gowns ; the 
 officers of the Army and Navy in full uniform ; the Foreign Ministers and their 
 suites, in splendid costume, followed, and took their seats upon the right and left 
 of the area in front of the Speaker's chair. The Senate of the United States then 
 entered with the Vice President — the latter taking his seat on the Speaker's left. 
 Mr. C. F. Adams, and others of the family and friends of the deceased, occupied 
 a range of seats provided for them at the left of the area. 
 
 After a prayer of some minutes, Senators Webster and Davis, and the Massa- 
 chusetts Delegation, as mourners, in black scarfs and bands, entered the Hall, 
 preceding the coffin, which was brought in in charge of Pall-Bearers and the 
 Committee of Arrangements. ThePA ll-Beakers were 
 
 Hon. J. J. McKay, N. C. 
 Hon. Linn Boyd, Ky. 
 Hon. John C. Calhoun, S. C. 
 Chief Justice R. B. Taney. 
 General George Gibson. 
 Hon. W. W. Seaton. 
 
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 VI 
 
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 Hon. Truman Smith, Conn. 
 
 Hon. J. I.NGERSOLL, Pa. 
 
 Hon. Thomas H. Benton, Mo: 
 
 Hon. Justice J. McLean. 
 Com. Charles Morris. 
 Hon. Thomas H. Crawford. 
 
 The coffin was placed on the bier in the area, in front of the Speaker. After 
 depositing the coffin, those who had it in charge remained standing around it a 
 number of minutes in impressive silence, while the whole assembly arose. 
 
 The coffin, which was of lead, inclosed in mahogany, was silver mounted, and 
 covered with black silk velvet, trimmed with silver. A silver heart-shaped plate r 
 
24 
 
 decorated with a~spread eagle, bears the following inscription, which was written 
 at the request of the Massachusetts Delegation, by Daniel Webster, to wit : 
 
 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, 
 
 BORN, 
 \N I Nil. MUTANT OP MASSACHUSETTS, JULY 11. 171.7. 
 
 DIED, 
 A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 IN THE CAPITOL, AT WASHINGTON, 
 FEBRUARY 33, 1848. 
 
 HAVING SERVED HIS COUNTRY FOR HALF A CENTURY, 
 
 AND 
 
 ENJOYED ITS HIGHEST HONORS. 
 
 On Monday, the 28th, the corpse of the deceased was taken from Washington, 
 to be removed to Quincy, Mass., under the care of the Committee of the House. 
 
 Quincy is a small village, eight miles south-east from Boston. The Church of 
 the Congregational (Unitarian) Society is a fine structure, built of granite, with a 
 pediment in front, supported by four Doric pillars, the shaft of each being a single 
 block. The elder President Adams bequeathed valuable property to this Society. 
 Their Church was built in 1828 ; and under it is a tomb containing the remains of 
 John Adams and his wife. On the end opposite the door, by the side of the pulpit, 
 is a mural monument, surmounted by a bust of John Adams, from the chisel of 
 Greenough. On the tablets beneath the bust are the following inscriptions : 
 
 Libertatem, Jlmicitiam, Fidem Retinebis. 
 D. O. M. 
 
 Beneath these walls 
 Are deposited the mortal remains of 
 
 JOHN ADAMS, 
 
 Son of John and Susanna (Boylston) Adams; 
 
 Second President of the United States; 
 
 Born October 19, 1735 ; 
 
 On the Fourth of July, 1776, 
 
 He pledged his Life, Fortune, and Sacred Honor 
 
 To the Independence of his Country; 
 
 On the third of September, 1783, 
 
 He affixed his Seal to the definitive Treaty with 
 
 Great Britain, 
 
 Which acknowledged that Independence, 
 
 And consummated the redemption of his pledge; 
 
 On the Fourth of July, 1836, 
 
 He was summoned 
 
 To the Independence of Immortality, 
 
 And to the Judgment of his God; 
 
 This House will bear witness to his piety; 
 
 This Town, his birth-place, to his munificence; 
 
 History to his Patriotism; 
 Posterity to the depth and compass of his mind. 
 
 At his side 
 Sleeps, till the Trump shall sound, 
 
 ABIGAIL, 
 
 His beloved and only wife, 
 
 Daughter of Win. and Elizabeth (Quincy) Smith; 
 
 In every relation of life a pattern of 
 
 Filial, Conjugal, Maternal, and Social Virtue; 
 
 Born November 11. 1744, 
 
 Deceased October 28, 1818, 
 
 EX. 74. 
 
 Married October 26, 17o"4. 
 
 During an union of more than half a century, 
 
 They survived, in harmony of sentiment, 
 
 Principle, and affection, 
 
 The tempest of civil commotion ; 
 
 Meeting undaunted, and surmounting 
 
 The terrors and trials of that Revolution 
 
 Which secured the Freedom of their Country; 
 
 Improved the condition of their times; 
 
 And brightened the prospects of Futurity 
 
 To the race of man upon Earth. 
 
 PILGRIM, 
 
 From lives thus spent thy earthly duties learn. 
 From Fancy's dreams to active Virtue turn ; 
 Let Freedom, Friendship, Faith, thy soul engage, 
 And serve like them thy Country and thy age. 
 
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