Qass £457, 
 
 Book 
 
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 SEEMON 
 
 SUGGESTED BY THE ASSASSINATION OF 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 
 
 PREACHED IN THE WESTMINSTER CHURCH, TROVIDENC E, R. 1. 
 
 Sunday, April IG, 1865, 
 
 AUGUSTUS WOODBURY 
 
 PROVIDENCE. 
 
 SIDNEY S. BIDER AND BROTHER 
 1865. 
 
 H-* 
 
WUt ^m of ®0tf mlUtU tft^ §mA to iil^. 
 
 SEEMOISr 
 
 SUGGESTED BY THE ASSASSINATION OF 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 
 
 PREACHED m THE WESTMINSTER CHURCH, PROVIDENCE, R. I., 
 
 Sunday, Apkil 16, 1865, 
 
 BT 
 
 AUGUSTUS WOODBUET. 
 
 PEOVIDENCE: 
 
 SIDNEY S. RIDER AND BROTHER. 
 1865. 
 
e:^ 
 
 Knowles, Anthony & Co., Peinters. 
 
At a meeting of the Westminster Congregational Church and 
 Society, held April 16th, 1865, the following resolutions were unani- 
 mously adopted:— 
 
 Resolved, That, as members of the "Westminster Congregational 
 Church and Society, in common with our loyal fellow citizens, and 
 our fellow Christians of every name, we would hereby express our 
 profound and heartfelt grief for the sad event, which, by the hand of 
 an assassin, has deprived th« na,tion of its honored and beloved 
 President. 
 
 Resolved, That we will cherish the memory of Abraham Lincoln as 
 that of a good, true and just man, an honest and sagacious statesman, 
 a wise and humane ruler, and a faithful servant of the Most High God, 
 in promoting the welfare of the children of men. 
 
 Resolved, That we hereby pledge and consecrate ourselves anew to 
 the unwearied support of the great principles of liberty and justice, 
 for the sake of which the President has fallen a sacrifice, until every 
 vestige of barbarism, injustice and slavery shall have disappeared 
 from our country, and the land shall enjoy her peace. 
 
 Resolved, That we ofter our cordial sympathy to the family of our 
 deceased ruler, in their severe affliction, and earnestly pray that God, 
 in his infinite mercy, will give them consolation in their bereavement, 
 and that the truths of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ will be 
 their stay and comfort. 
 
 Resolved, That the Church in which we worship be appropriately 
 draped for the space of three months, as a slight token of our sorrow, 
 and a mark of respect for the memory of our departed Chief Magis- 
 trate. 
 
 Seth Padelford, President. 
 
 William B. Daet, Secretary. 
 
SERMON 
 
 Tlie hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice 
 of the Son of God ; and they that hear shall live. — John y, 25. 
 
 Two interpretations of this passage have been given. 
 The advocates of the theory of the resurrection of the 
 body are disposed to find, in the language, a warrant 
 for their belief, confirmed by the words of the 28th 
 verse : " The hour is coming in the which all that are 
 in the graves shall hear his voice, and come forth." 
 Those who believe that the Gospel of Christ is per- 
 forming a spiritual work in the hearts and souls and 
 lives of men ; that Christ speaks the word which calls 
 those who were dead in trespasses and sins to a life of 
 righteousness and virtue ; that the soul has its resurrec- 
 tion ; that the spirit of man is to be endued with 
 power to break its bonds, and rise into newness of life 
 when it hears the Divine Word, regard the language 
 as strengthening them in their faith. The words, 
 "All that are in the graves shall hear his voice" — 
 are but a repetition of the same thought, expressed in 
 stronger and more emphatic terms. The Divine Word 
 has such exceeding power, as to call up from death to 
 life not only those that were dead, but those also who 
 were buried. If they had done good, they should 
 1* 
 
receive resurrection unto life. If they had done evil, 
 they should be condemned by the enlightened con- 
 science of mankind, and by the just judgments of God ! 
 When Jesus cam'e and taught his truths. He lighted 
 up the darkness of the world, applied new principles to 
 the conduct of men, awoke those that were asleep, and 
 called the dead to life ! 
 
 Consider then, first, what that which we call death, 
 is — that familiar, yet mysterious event. It is, in its 
 most obvious aspect, the cessation of bodily activity. 
 The body, at its death, returns to its original dust. It 
 moulders away. It enters into the soil in which it is 
 buried, or, if it be burned, it is turned to ashes. St. 
 Paul, who rarely uses language incorrectly, has ex- 
 pressed the exact truth, when he speaks of this '' earthly 
 tabernacle " as being " dissolved." The word which he 
 employs means to " disband," to " dismiss," to " dis- 
 unite." It is as though the spirit had dismissed the 
 body as of no farther use. The connection was forever 
 dissolved. There was no more union between the two. 
 The body and the spirit had done with one another. 
 They needed not to act together any longer. Is it 
 possible that, after the lapse of uncounted ages, these 
 original elements are to be again combined, are to have 
 the gift of immortality bestowed upon them, and are to 
 be re-united as a body to the renewed spirit ? What 
 then, meanwhile, is the spirit to be engaged in ? Is it 
 to be unconscious and inert, with no vital power, wait- 
 ing for that final day, when all things earthly will come 
 to an end ? Is it then to take upon itself the body 
 which it had lost so long ago ? Must it be compelled 
 to delay all active life, all enjoyment of the bliss of 
 Heaven, the praise of God, the loving service of man, 
 
the sublime duties of the heavenly life, vmtil it can 
 again secure the body which once it had ? Is Heaven 
 to be a place of silence and Hell a solitude, until the 
 last great day ? . It certainly derogates and detracts 
 largely from our ideas of the power of the spirit to 
 believe, that the blessed life and the grand attainments 
 of Heaven are dependent upon the re-union with the 
 spirit of the body which was its feeble instrument dur- 
 ing its brief sojourn on the earth. Whatever some 
 among the Apostles may have thought, I doubt if 
 Jesus or Paul ever believed or ever taught any such 
 doctrine. 
 
 St. Paul taught a resurrection, not of a natural, but 
 of a spiritual body. The natural body would die and 
 return to the dust. It would fall away, like the husk 
 or outer shell of the seed. But the principle of life, the 
 spirit, would rise out of that decay, and ascend up on 
 high, wearing the spiritual body. What was that 
 body ? It was the form which the spirit would take 
 upon itself, which, indeed, it would produce from itself, 
 shaping itself according to the proportions, the quality, 
 the attainments, the power of the spirit. " There are 
 celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial." What particu- 
 lar form the spirit will take from out of the infinite 
 variety of the Divine mind, it is not for me or any 
 other person to say. But, I think, that there can be 
 no difficulty in believing, that the predominating facul- 
 ties of the spirit will make their own forms ; that the 
 spiritual body will be shaped according to the produc- 
 tiveness of the spirit in beauty, goodness and virtue. 
 If the spirit of a man or woman is vicious, vile and 
 wicked, it will assume a corresponding form. If it is 
 faithful, true, lovely in its consecration to things beau- 
 
8 
 
 tiful and divine, it will clothe itself In the beautiful 
 garments of the heavenly life. Perhaps, as sometimes 
 happens, the noble and beautiful soul is here allied to a 
 deformed, decrepit, ungainly body. But, in the spirit- 
 ual world, it will take upon itself its native grace, 
 nobility and beauty. The spiritual body will be the 
 form of the spirit. Shall we, by such means, recognize 
 our friends ? Most certainly we shall, and much more 
 readily, it seems to me, than though w^e took again the 
 bodies that now we have. For what is it that we love 
 to recognize in our friends here ? Is it not the innate 
 grace and virtue that shine out of the eyes and give 
 expression to the face, and illuminate every feature of 
 of the countenance ? Who are our friends indeed ? 
 Are they not those, with whom we have most affinity 
 in thought, temper and spirit ? Do we chose them for 
 their outward or their inward beauty ? Do we know 
 them, except as we know the character of their minds 
 and souls ? How can we recognize them in Heaven, 
 except through the medium of their high spiritual 
 qualities ? The beauty of the soul which here attracted 
 our admiration and love, will be more attractive still 
 in the heavenly life, and will draw us more closely to 
 its love. Do we need the medium of the body to be 
 thus again united ? Plaving a " house not made with 
 hands," " a building of God eternal in the heavens," 
 we certainly shall not sigh to occupy again *' the 
 earthly house of this tabernacle" which has been once 
 "dissolved." 
 
 I am aware that there is a difficulty in understanding 
 this truth, because of our liability to carry into our 
 thoughts of the heavenly life, the same ideas which we 
 have respecting the functions of the body and the spirit 
 
here. The body is, here, the instrument of the spirit. 
 We are in communication with each other through the 
 medium and by means of the senses. We speak to, 
 hear, and see each other, and we cannot understand 
 how otherwise we can do our proper work in the world. 
 But I do not think that we are justified in carrying the 
 same ideas into our communication with one another, 
 in the world to come. We know nothing about our 
 methods of intercourse there. But, presuming that they 
 will be the same there as here, we have scarcely made 
 the attempt to ascertain what they really are, and have 
 contented ourselves in the belief, that we shall require the 
 same sensuous medium; and so many have hoped, and 
 have believed, indeed, that the body will have its res- 
 urrection, and be rendered incorruptible and immortal. 
 What methods of intercourse the Divine love will be- 
 stow upon us, in the heavenly life, we cannot tell. We 
 would not, indeed, assume to be able to determine. 
 But we can well believe, that they will be such as will 
 conduce most effectually to our highest spiritual welfare, 
 and our completest spiritual growth. 
 
 There is another thought connected with the subject. 
 We are apt to look upon the bodily senses as methods 
 of expression only. We must also bear in mind, that 
 they are methods of constraint likewise. We are 
 sometimes fettered by the senses. We sometimes chafe 
 against the power which holds us fast. Our souls 
 sometimes cry out, " Would that I had wings like a 
 dove, that I might fly away from this earthly scene." 
 We seek to stretch beyond ourselves, and to rise up 
 into a purer atmosphere and a more blessed state of 
 being. But we soon find that such longings are vain. 
 We earnestly seek to be free, and we are made, some- 
 
10 
 
 times painfully, to feel that we are bound. If the 
 senses sometimes afford us enjoyment, if they are also 
 the instruments of our labor ; they are also sometimes 
 our masters, and the enjoyment wliich they give is but 
 the recreation which they furnish to alleviate our ser- 
 vitude. We are subject to constraint here, and the 
 hour of our freedom Is yet to come. Is It possible, then, 
 that In the future life, we are to be bound by the same 
 constraint, limited by the same force, confined by the 
 same bonds ? The spirit struggling with difficulties 
 and temptations here, hopes that its freedom hereafter 
 will be for its glory and joy. But the spirit, which 
 here conceals its iniquity and baseness, must be un- 
 veiled hereafter, and left free to pursue its evil tenden- 
 cies ; must pass through the ex])erience of shame and 
 sorrow, for Its discipline and ])urIficatIon. Thus, the 
 future life, either to satisfy our aspirations, or to cor- 
 rect our wickedness, must be a Hie of freedom. 
 
 Consider, once more, if you please, the fact that the 
 spirits of just and good and true men — of saintly and 
 excellent women departed — exercise an Influence upon 
 the world after they have left their earthly state. We 
 are encompassed with a " great cloud of witnesses." 
 We are guided by unseen agencies. We are watched 
 over by invisible beings. '' Are they not all minister- 
 ing spirits ?" Every thoughtful man knows, that he is 
 not living to and within himself alone. Every studious 
 and devout reader of the Bible knows and feels, that 
 there comes down to him, from those holy men of whom 
 he reads, an influence to Instruct and elevate his life, — 
 nay, he feels that they are a part of himself. Abraham, 
 and Moses, and David and Isaiah, and the prophets of 
 the olden time ; Christ, and the Evangelists and the 
 
11 
 
 Apostles of the later time, live again in him and he 
 holds sweet counsel with them over the inspired pages 
 of the Divine Word ; he is purified and blest by their 
 presence with him. There are saints and martyrs, too, 
 and the brave and good of all ages, that come and 
 teach us all to live as bravely and faithfully as they. 
 When we read the biography of a good and great man, 
 when we contemplate his character, what is it that 
 touches us, and instructs us and lifts us up? What is 
 it but the spirit of the departed that, for the time, con- 
 verses with our spirits .? 
 
 But, it is necessary to bear in mind, there is a certain 
 experience, even in the present earthly life, which may 
 well be called death. There is a species of deadness — 
 there is a kind of burial, even while the body lives. 
 The soul may be dead. The best part of human na- 
 ture is buried beneath the worst part. Pure desires, 
 holy aspirations, the spirit of prayer, the love of virtue, 
 truth and God, may all be so weak as not to exhibit 
 any signs of vitality, or life or power. Life seems to 
 have departed from the soul. As a j)erson of feeble 
 physical constitution succumbs to the power of disease, 
 so one of feeble moral and spiritual nature falls beneath 
 the attacks of sin. Or, it may be that the difficulties 
 and troubles of this earthly life overpower and subdue 
 the spirit. Faith and hope disappear. Virtue is but a 
 dream, liberty a delusion, justice an impossibility, truth 
 a vain and empty pretense. The soul dies within the 
 body of doubt, disappointment and despair. 
 
 We read, in the New Testament, of those who are 
 " dead in trespasses and sins." There are, unquestion- 
 ably, those whose evil propensities so predominate as 
 to warrant the declaration, that they are naturally dis- 
 
12 
 
 posed to wickedness. They seem to have a genius for 
 crime. They are born with the stamp and stain of 
 depravity upon their souls. Education, culture, asso- 
 ciation, the power of law, of society, of public opinion, 
 exercise all their influence in vain. The tendency is so 
 deeply seated and ingrained Avithin the souls of such 
 persons, as to pervert all their faculties. The mind is 
 turned away from the truth. The conscience is dark- 
 ened and cannot see the way of righteousness. The 
 will is enervated for any act of goodness. But, on the 
 other hand, the faculties of mind, soul and body are 
 wonderfully active in the practice of evil. The pas- 
 sions, appetites and desires are all turned towards the 
 commission of sin. The mind sustains, the conscience 
 approves the wrong. The will is almost irresistible in 
 its power to carry to a horrible consummation the most 
 criminal plans. Is not the soul, in such a case, dead ? 
 Ignorance has oppressed it. Folly has ensnared it. 
 Passion has strangled it. Sin has slain it. It is dead 
 and buried in the grave of earthliness ! 
 
 " The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God 
 and they that hear shall live." There is a resurrection 
 from the dead. The spirit freed from the body, hears 
 the voice of the Son of God, and rises into newness of 
 life. The spirit within the body hears that voice and 
 lives. If weak, it is strengthened, as it feels the new and 
 divine impulsion which is applied to it. Christ comes 
 to the timid and trembling soul and gives it courage, 
 vitality and power. His voice is a voice of comfort 
 and encouragement to the struggling, doubting, des- 
 pairing spirit. He helps it out of its difficulties, teaches 
 it how to trust in God, awakens its hope, inspires its 
 faith. It is the voice of Jesus, that animates the droop- 
 
13 
 
 ing spirit and bids it live. To the soul dead in tres- 
 passes and sins, it is a voice of warning, as the Son of 
 God admonishes of the consequences of wrong-doing, 
 and of "the second death," from which there is no res- 
 urrection. It is a voice of persuasion and entreaty, as 
 He calls the sinning soul back to its fluty and its love. 
 It is even a voice of forgiveness and mercy, a voice full 
 of pity and compassion — a voice ])laintive and sad as 
 when a mother would woo a disobedient child back to 
 its obedience. What benignity to the sinner breathes 
 through the Gospel ! What freedom from a spirit of 
 animosity or vengeance ! How willing is Jesus to 
 receive, how ready is the Father to pardon the sinner 
 returning tearful and penitent, to ask for forgiveness ! 
 But will the soul that is dead in sin refuse to hear that 
 voice, still prefer its error and sin, and still pursue its 
 course of malevolence ? What then saith the Scrip- 
 tures ? "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh ; 
 for, if they escaped not who refused him that spake on 
 earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away 
 from Him that speaketh from Heaven." Ah ! let us 
 rather believe, that "they that hear shall live" — that 
 the Son of God will not speak in vain to the souls of 
 guilty men ! 
 
 In the hour of its resurrection, the soul rises into 
 new and better life. It is freed from its weakness, its 
 despair, its doubt, its sin. It takes upon itself strength, 
 hope, goodness. It puts on the robes of righteousness, 
 of joy, of peace. It forsakes the evil way, and walks 
 thence forward in the paths of virtue. It comes out 
 of the darkness into God's exceedinii: llti^ht, the beautiful 
 day of the divine love. It gives up its own wiUfiiil pur- 
 poses, and surrenders itself wholly to the will Q.f God^ 
 
14 
 
 Its weakness is gone. The clouds that were about it 
 have dispersed. Dead to sin, it is alive unto God. 
 Then, indeed, it truly lives, for it has heard the one 
 all-animating voice ! 
 
 The truth of the spiritual resurrection which I have 
 endeavored to illustrate, and to Avhich I have turned 
 your thoughts, as most fitting to this occasion, is the 
 only sure source of consolation in tlie hour of bereave- 
 ment. There is some essence of life, in a good and 
 true man or woman, which cannot die. The frail body, 
 overcome by disease, overtaken by accident, overborne 
 and destroyed by the blow of open hatred, or the secret 
 assassination, must be always subject to death. But 
 the spirit that dwells within the body for a time, can- 
 not die. It rises out of the grave. It is not subject to 
 death, neither, indeed, can be. Separated from the 
 body, it enters into heavenly life and heavenly blessed- 
 ness. It puts on its heavenly garments, and in the 
 courts above, dwells forever free from the accidents, 
 misfortunes, pains and troubles of the earthly life. It 
 still lives, moreover, in the world. It still diffuses its 
 influence amonoj all the communities of men. It broods 
 over the hearts and souls of those who still remain upon 
 the earth, and gives to their lives a blessing whose 
 Talue they may not be able to estimate. There can be 
 no death to virtue. It may be subject to great perse- 
 cution, it may fall by the hands of traitors, it may be 
 carried to the cross. But it is the body only that can 
 become the object of such indignities. The tortures of 
 persecution, the sword of violence, the agony of the 
 cross, only affect the body. The spirit rises above all 
 such enmities and violence, and, with ever renewed 
 strength, goes out into the world of living men, and 
 
15 
 
 moves tlirough all ranks and conditions, with its benef- 
 icent impulses and insi)irations. From the scaffold 
 where the champion of liberty lies bleeding and lifeless, 
 proceeds a voice which rouses the nations to a better 
 manhood. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the 
 Church of God. The cross, to which the hands of 
 cruel men affixed the innocent Christ, becomes the 
 symbol of the world's redemption. Have any of tlie 
 champions of human freedom died? Is the martyr, 
 who was slain for the Word of God and the testimony 
 which he bore, without life ? Is Jesus dead ? Do they 
 not all live more forcefully in the spiritual power which 
 they exercise ? And is not the Christ with His disci- 
 ples, even unto the end of the world? 
 
 In what other words than these could I speak to you 
 this morning? From what other source could I seek 
 consolation for the terrible affliction which has come 
 upon us ? "^ The intelligence of yesterday struck us all 
 ao-hast. The crime of assassination, we had thought, 
 was a stranger to the American mind and conscience. 
 When it was committed, and our kind, humane, beloved 
 ruler was the victim, we were shocked and stunned into 
 silence. The blow, which was so fatal to the President, 
 seemed to shatter our own hearts. How willingly would 
 we have died, if he could have been spared. Why 
 Divine Providence should have permitted such an 
 atrocious deed, we cannot tell. Why this man, on 
 whom we have so much and so trustfully depended, in 
 whom we have confided so completely, and under whose 
 guidance we had hoped, by the blessing of God, to 
 witness a national resurrection, — why he, above all 
 others, should thus be selected so unerringly for the 
 sacrifice, — we do not know. Words are powerless to 
 
16 
 
 express our grief. Our loyal communities weep copious 
 tears. We had learned to love him so well, — we had 
 learned to, look through the ungraceful form, feature, 
 bearing and utterance, to the noble, beautiful, honest, 
 true and graceful soul within ; he seemed so important 
 to us and so necessary for the national welfare, that we 
 cannot, even now, endure to think that he is dead. Are 
 we evermore to be deprived of the wisdom of his coun- 
 sels ? Shall we no longer be guided by that shrewd, 
 sagacious, honest, truthful intellect ? Are we no more 
 to feel the tranquillizing influence of his calm, tender, 
 cheerful, humane heart ? We ask each other, — we ask 
 ourselves almost in fear : What next shall we do ? To 
 whom shall we <j,o ? Who will lead us throuo-h the 
 mazes of the future ? What mind so stable for justice, — 
 what heart so fixed in its love of liberty, will now direct 
 us ? What soul so reverent and so strong in its faith 
 in God and His truth, will now teach us the way of 
 national salvation? Had we been among the disciples 
 of Jesus, the day after the crucifixion, we should have 
 heard them discoursing in tones of sorrow which could 
 not be comforted. For their hope, their love, their all 
 was gone. What darker day than that could have 
 dawned upon the world ? But the third day was 
 brighter. * The resurrection morning came, and the 
 Eternal Father taught the disciples then, as He has 
 been teaching the whole race of man since — as He is 
 teaching us now — that truth and nobleness and justice 
 cannot die ; that the Christ has risen ; that the Son of 
 God had a voice that could call the dead to life. We 
 seek our comfort from the same source. There must 
 also be a day of resurrection for us. The truth of 
 Christ and of God cannot fail, and we must patiently 
 
17 
 
 wait the development of the Divine plans. The disci- 
 ples waited, and they were rewarded by an increase of 
 power. The church has waited for these many centu- 
 ries, and the church has been blessed beyond compare. 
 We, too, must Avait in patience and faith, until God 
 shall indicate His will. 
 
 It is impossible, to-day, to speak at length of the 
 character of Mr. Lincoln. The estimate which we are 
 to make of it must be formed in some calmer hour than 
 the present. I can only sketch, in brief, the outline 
 which, on some subsequent occasion, I will endeavor to 
 fill. During my absence from you, in the early days 
 of the war, I enjoyed the privilege of seeing Mr. Lin- 
 coln almost daily. He was a frequent visitor in our 
 camp, and we were enabled to observe his character in 
 its most familiar aspects. He walked about among the 
 soldiers in the freest manner, and with a kind word for 
 every one whom he met. I saw him at graver times. 
 On the Tuesday after the battle of Bull Eun, he visited 
 our quarters, in company with Mr. Seward, to hear the 
 story of our regiment, to inspect its condition, to ex- 
 amine its Hag rent with the bullets of the foe, and to 
 inquire into the losses which we had suffered. As he lis- 
 tened to the tale, his grave face grew graver still, and it 
 seemed as though he felt the affliction as a personal 
 bereavement, so warm was his sympathy, so sincere his 
 sorroAV. A man of the people himself, he fully appre- 
 ciated the sacrifices which the people were making for 
 himself and the country. He had reached, in despite 
 of the most unpropitious circumstances, the highest 
 position within the attainment of an American citizen. 
 Yet his elevation had detracted not a whit from his 
 simplicity. Undaunted by failures, unspoiled by suc- 
 • ,2* 
 
18 
 
 cesses, he passed through all fortunes, and, at the 
 height of his glory, still simple, unaffected and sincere, 
 he has died without a stain. His heart was aifectionate, 
 generous, magnanimous and trusty. His mind was 
 clear, perspicuous and exact. Honest and guileless, 
 just and truthful, he went forward on his course of 
 duty, if slowly, always surely. He has conducted our 
 public affairs through difficulties from which the most 
 experienced statesman might well shrink, and with a 
 success of which the ablest might be proud. He has 
 exhibited a caution and a courage, a skill and wisdom 
 which the impatient and the unwise could not compre- 
 hend till they witnessed the permanent results which 
 he had wrought out. He has been subjected to slander, 
 ridicule, misrepresentation and calumny of tlie meanest 
 and most malignant kind — making no answer — till, by 
 his patient continuance in well-doing, he has outlived all 
 the slanders of his foes, and has proved, by a complete 
 triumph, the honesty of his intentions, the wisdom of 
 his plans, the firmness of his purposes, and the ability 
 .of his performance. A'N^ithal, he has shown such loyalty 
 to liberty, such devotion to the rights of his humblest 
 fellow-citizens, such love of justice, such faith in truth 
 and such trust in God, as to attract and command the 
 esteem and love of all the loyal people of the Republic 
 and the friends of freedom throughout the world. All 
 classes and conditions of men unite in paying homage 
 to his excellence. 
 
 Amidst the lamentation of the hour, one or two 
 thoughts become prominent. The first is this : — Mr. 
 Lincoln has died for the sake of a great, true and just 
 princl[)le. He has been " slain for the word of God 
 and the testimony which he held." He stands, forever- 
 
19 
 
 more, before the eyes of mankind, as one of the chief 
 martyrs of freedom — chief among those whose life blood 
 has been licked up by the flames or devoured by the 
 sword. It is for his unswerving devotion to the cause 
 of his country's deliverance, and to the liberty of all 
 within its borders — for his genuine, unselfish patriot- 
 ism and humanity, that his life has been wrenched away 
 from him. Plow false and foolish the words of the 
 murderer : " Sic sei7iper tyraiinis I " " Thus always 
 to tyrants I" He was the farthest possible from being 
 a tyrant. No man was ever so free from a love of des- 
 potic power. Up to the very last moment, his mind 
 was given to thoughts of pacification, and plans for the 
 welfare of those who madly and wickedly sought to 
 take his life. He loved justice indeed, and he endeav- 
 ored to do justice. But he loved mercy no less. He 
 has done all that he could to remove the foul stigma 
 which slavery has put upon the Republic. He has 
 ever been the faithful friend of the oppressed. We 
 thank God, that he has been spared so long, and that 
 he has done so much for the welfare of those who were 
 ready to perish — that he has done his work with such 
 perfect fidelity. He has been the redeemer of an 
 entire race of men. The people whom he redeemed 
 felt a gratitude of which we scarcely know. They 
 rejoiced in him. They trusted in him, as no man was 
 ever trusted before. They thought that he could do 
 everything, for had he not already wrought miracles in 
 their behalf? He did not disappoint them. With 
 unpretending goodness, he struck off their chains, in- 
 voking upon the solemn act of Emancipation, "The 
 considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious 
 favor of Almighty God." 
 
20 
 
 They were not unmindful of tlie gift which they 
 received. You remember what was the character of 
 the President's reception at Richmond — how those 
 enfranchised people thronged his steps, calling down 
 blessings upon his name, with tears of joy streaming- 
 down their swarthy cheeks, and praises to God burst- 
 ing from their grateful lips. In their eyes, the homely 
 features of the President were transfigured, and they 
 hailed him as a Messiah — a man really sent from God. 
 If they had had palm branches, they would have strown 
 them in the way, and shouted " Hosanna !" The last 
 time I saw Mr. Lincoln, was about a year ago, when I 
 stood by his side, as the 9th corps passed in review 
 before him, on its way to the Virginian campaign. 
 In that corps was a division of colored regiments — 
 nearly six thousand men — the first colored troops that 
 had ever passed through Washington. As those sol- 
 diers caught sight of the tall man who, with head un- 
 covered, witnessed their march, a spirit of wild enthusi- 
 asm ran through their ranks. They shouted, they 
 cheered, they swung their caps, in the exuberance of 
 their joy. The good President looked smilingly on, 
 courteously acknowledging their expressions of affec- 
 tionate respect. They were now freemen. They had 
 a glorious object to live for. They would now make a 
 history for their race, and there was the man who had 
 done it all for them ! That was a sight at which many 
 eyes grew moist and dim. To no persons in all the 
 country, will the tidings of his death cause a sincerer 
 and profounder sorrow, than to the freedmen and their 
 families. His enfranchised spirit goes up to the gates 
 of Heaven with the blessings of those who were ready 
 to perish, as his passport to the realms of eternal bliss. 
 
21 
 
 His memory will be clierished among the simple- 
 hearted people whom he has freed, as the memory of 
 a sainted benefactor. He will live in the grateful 
 remembrance of mankind, as the ruler of the Ameri- 
 can Republic, who, in the day of compromises, stood 
 faithful to justice ; in the day of treason, was always 
 loyal to liberty ; and, in the day of national distress, 
 preserved his country from destruction and saved 
 her from the sin of slavery ! We read what he says 
 in his inaugural address, with a sorrowful interest : — 
 " Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this 
 mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, 
 if God wills, that it continue until all the wealth piled 
 up by the bondman's two hundred and fifty years of 
 unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of 
 blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another 
 drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years 
 ago, so still it must be said, ' The judgments of the 
 Lord are true and riohteous altoo-ether.' " How little 
 did he think, how little did we think, that, in the dawn- 
 ing of the day of peace, his sacrifice — the blood of the 
 innocent — should be the culmination of the woe we 
 were to suffer. Yet, if ever he did think of it, there 
 can be no question, that he was ready— entirely ready, 
 always ready — for that sacrifice. If it were necessary 
 that he should die for the people, whom he had deliv- 
 ered, he was fully prepared. He could say, with St. 
 Paul : " Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and 
 service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all." 
 
 The second thought upon this painful theme is this : 
 The sacrifice assures the victory of freedom. Hence- 
 forward, the cause of the rebels is stripped of all dis- 
 o;uises and shows itself the monstrous, vile, loathsome, 
 
22 
 
 crime that it really is. There can be no sympathy 
 now, amono' reasonable or humane men, with a cause 
 which seeks such instruments and perpetrates such 
 iniquity. " A struggle for independence " is now 
 proved to be only a name for cold-blooded murder and 
 midnio^ht assassination. Amono; our own communities, 
 it is deprived of every vestige of support, except from 
 those who rejoice in blood. The abettors of the rebel- 
 lion, — wherever they may be, whoever they may be, — 
 hereafter become accessories of this great crime, and 
 are to be so marked, by a just and indignant people. 
 In the nations across the sea, also, the cause of the re- 
 bellion must sink beneath the execrations of the civilized 
 world. The most hardened and the most prejudiced of 
 the allies of despotism in Europe are not yet prepared 
 to sympathize with such an enormity of wickedness. 
 The barbarism of slavery, in striking this blow, — for 
 this is the power which is behind all this war, and 
 bloodshed and murder, — has committed suicide. The 
 cause of the South is doomed to be forever, after this, 
 the horror of the human race. 
 
 Yes, my friends, the sacrifice assures the victory of 
 justice. It has been so in the past. Many and many 
 a time has the cause of liberty and truth seemed to 
 depend upon a single man's life. Yet, when that life 
 has been extinguished, the cause has still gone forward 
 to triumph. The spirit of the martyred statesman, 
 leader, soldier of freedom, has still breathed upon those 
 who remain, and they have girded up their loins with 
 renewed energy and a more resolute determination, and 
 the invisible power of the great man departed, has led 
 them on to victory. Encompassed with dangers, Mr. 
 Lincoln has been spared by divine mercy, to witness 
 
23 
 
 the triumph of a portion of his great plans, and to have 
 the assurance of greater triumphs stilL He has led us, 
 as Moses led his delivered countrymen, to the very 
 border of the promised land. He caught a sight of the 
 glory, but was not permitted to enter in and enjoy it. 
 It Is a terrible calamity. But Divine Providence Is 
 always wise and good. I can recall no parallel in re- 
 cent history, more striking than the death of WllUam 
 of Nassau, Prince of Orange. The people of the Neth- 
 erlands, in the 16th century, accepted the Protestant 
 principles of the Eeformers. They wished to be free 
 from the dominion of a despotic church. Philip H, of 
 Spain, bigoted, cruel and tyrannical, endeavored to force 
 upon these people, then under his jurisdiction, the 
 accursed institution of the Inquisition. The people 
 revolted against such an attempt to deprive them of 
 their religious liberties. William was their great leader, 
 and, by his wise administration as a statesman, his 
 bravery and skill as a soldier, he succeeded in baffling 
 the plans of the despotic Philip, and of securing, in 
 part, the independence of his country. In 1580, Philip 
 offered a larire reward for his assassination. Several 
 attempts were made upon his life, which were unsuc- 
 cessful, till at last, on the 10th of July, 1584, he was 
 shot dead. In his house at Delft, a short time after din- 
 ner, as he was passing from the dining room to an 
 adjoining staircase. The assassin was soon captured, 
 and executed. The character of William was that of a 
 great deliverer, and had many traits strikingly similar 
 to that of Mr. Lincoln. Silent as to his plans, he car- 
 ried them forward with unwearied constancy. Exact, 
 practical and just, he was steady in the pursuit of the 
 chief object of his life. He was fearless in spirit, saga- 
 
24 
 
 cious in mind, quick in perception, but cautious in 
 maturing results. He was constant in disaster, hope- 
 ful in defeat, magnanimous in victory. He had a rare 
 faculty in managing men, and a rare honesty in 
 regulating himself. He was eloquent as a speaker, 
 " sometimes impassioned, oftener argumentative, al- 
 ways rational." So able, upright and truthful was he, 
 that '' there was always a hope, even in the darkest 
 hour, for men felt implicit reliance, as well on his intel- 
 lectual resources as on his integrity." " His tempera- 
 ment was cheerful. In his hours of relaxation, he was 
 always animated and merry, and this jocoseness was 
 partly natural, partly intentional. In the darkest hours 
 of his country's trial, he aflPected a serenity which he 
 was far from feeling, so that his apparent gaiety, at 
 momentous epochs, was even censured by dullards, 
 who could not comprehend its philosophy nor applaud 
 the flippancy of William the Silent." Unaffectedly 
 pious and fearless, he took little or no precautions 
 against danger. " God, in his mercy," he said, " will 
 maintain my innocence and my honor, during my life, 
 and in future ages. As to my fortune and my life, I 
 have dedicated both, long since, to His service. He 
 will do therewith what pleases Him, for his glory and 
 my salvation." Such a man, the " Father William " 
 of his people, fell by the hand of a hired assassin. 
 " But the victory was to the dead hero, not to the liv- 
 ing monarch." William, says the historian, " was a 
 conqueror in the loftiest sense, for he conquered liberty 
 and a national existence for a whole people." A nation, 
 deprived of its beloved head, mourned as those who 
 were bereft of hope. Yet, the cause for which he 
 died was not thus defeated. The spirit of WilHtan, 
 
25 
 
 having a glorious resurrection, led on his country — the 
 " United States of the Netherlands " — to the heights of 
 national greatness. It became, in after years, " the first 
 naval power and one of the most considerable common- 
 wealths in the world." Mr. Lincoln — the " Father 
 Abraham " of our affections — pursued by the same ma- 
 lignant hate, has fallen in the same holy cause, has 
 achieved the same glorious triumph. " Liberty and a 
 national existence for a whole people " are now assured 
 to us by this great sacrifice. The week which we 
 began with rejoicing, ends in gloom. But, out of the 
 gloom ariseth the light of the resurrection morning. 
 The dead shall live. The voice of the Son of God 
 calls us all to life. The national resurrection comes 
 through this great sacrifice. 
 
 Yes, a national resurrection ! For this great aflflic- 
 tion, with those seasons of sorrow through which we 
 have before time passed, is for our purification as a 
 people. We have slumbered in times past. The na- 
 tion seemed dead. It had no great word to speak, no 
 great work to do, for the welfare of the human race. 
 The Union as it was, existing and enlarging itself for 
 the strengthening of slavery, was the natural body, in 
 which the spirit of liberty was gradually sinking to 
 destruction. But Divine Providence does not permit a 
 people to perish whose death would be a misfortune to 
 mankind. The Son of God calls them up to life. The 
 Divine Word is spoken. It will be heard. The nation 
 is not dead, but sleepeth. It arouses itself at the voice 
 which calls it unto life. Its eyes are opened. Its 
 heart is quickened. Its mind is enlightened. Its con- 
 science is vitalized. It begins to love justice and 
 libsrty. It repents of its sins, and, inspired by the new 
 3 
 
26 
 
 power which it feels, it becomes the most potent instru- 
 ment, in the hands of Divine Providence, for the 
 enlio^htenment and elevation of the human race. What 
 magnificent achievements it then aspires to I What 
 greatness it becomes capable of ! What virtue it seeks 
 to practice ! It has become free from its old body of 
 sin, and lives henceforth to righteousness and God. 
 
 This, then, is our day of resurrection, my brethren. 
 The Union as it is to be, existing and enlarging itself 
 for liberty, is the spiritual body which we, as a nation, 
 are to put on. We have come back to life, — not the 
 old worldly, selfish, cowardly life, that once we had, 
 but — to a brave, generous, just and true life, full of 
 vigor and full of promise for the future. We have, 
 indeed, been smitten and chastised. The heart of the 
 Republic has wept even tears of blood. The best and 
 bravest have been given up. The noblest man of our 
 American Democracy has been stricken down. Slavery 
 and treason had clothed the Republic with cerements 
 for its burial. We have cast them aside, and are put- 
 ting on the garments of salvation. Surely all this 
 experience cannot be for naught. It cannot come and 
 go and leave no trace behind. These habiliments of grief, 
 these sorrowful countenances, these tearful eyes, are 
 not the hollow manifestations of a people's ostentatious 
 woe. They are the sincere expressions of our sorrow. 
 They are also the pledges of our future fidelity to the 
 memory of him whom we mourn, and to the principles 
 which he practised. We can take no step backward. 
 Our present ruler can take no step backward. Inau- 
 gurated into office under such solemn auspices, he will 
 not retreat from the grand career which now opens 
 
27 
 
 before him. We all hear the voice of the Son of God 
 speaking to our souls. We hear and live ! 
 
 I have only this more to say, dear friends, we must 
 consecrate ourselves anew to the principles for which 
 our President has died. The truths which he has lived 
 to illustrate and died to seal, are the truths for which a 
 greater than he has lived and died. Pledging our cor- 
 dial support to his successor, let us go forward in the 
 course, which the illustrious dead would have us pursue. 
 The end is not doubtful, if we are still faithful to him 
 and to ourselves, if we are still trustful in our God. 
 Let us be comforted in our sorrow, and believe that 
 there is a day coming to us — a great and notable and 
 glorious day of the Lord — a day of national resurrec- 
 tion, when we shall come forth and live in newness of 
 spirit, a just and free and righteous people, for the well- 
 being of the world. Again, I recall the words of the 
 inaugural address — fitting words to be spoken on the 
 verge of the unseen grave that was opening before him 
 who spoke : " With malice towards none, with charity 
 for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to 
 see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are 
 in ; to bind up the nation's wounds ; to care for him 
 who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and 
 orphans ; to do all which may achieve and cherish a 
 just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all 
 nations." O day of resurrection ! shine in upon our 
 souls for our strength and peace forever ! 
 
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