£5/3 5 $5 d * c E 513 .5 35th Copy 1 SERMON DELIVERED, OCTOBER 19, 1862, AT THE FUNERAL OF GEORGE F. WHITING, Who died at Middletown, Maryland, Oct. 5, from a woond received at the Battle of South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862. BY CALVIN S. LOCKE, UINLSTBB OF THE UNITARIAN SOCIETY IN WEST DEDHAM. $rtnteo for tfje jFamtljj. BOSTON: PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON, 5, Water Street. 1862. Cjk IMrioik fflohmtm : SERMON DELIVERED, OCTOBER 19, 1862, AT THE FUNERAL OF GEORGE F. WHITING. "Who died at Middletown, Maryland, Oct. 5, from a wound received at the Battle of South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862. BY CALVIN S. £OCKE, MINISTER OF THE UNITARIAN SOCIETY IN WEST DEDHAM. ^rtrtteo for tfje Jamtlg. BOSTON: PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON, 5, Water Street. 1862. Hi*** So uU » SERMON. 2 Sam. i. 19: "The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen !" IT is the claim of Christianity that it furnishes conso- lation for every variety of distress. If it cannot remove bodily pain, it stimulates us to bear it with forti- tude. If it cannot heal disease, it offers those subjects for meditation which will do much to relieve the tedium of sickness. If it cannot repair worldly losses, it instructs us to place such an estimate upon them as causes them to sink into comparative insignificance. If it cannot wholly remove the distress which comes from disappoint- ment and calamity, it teaches us how to make these experiences productive of valuable spiritual qualities. It teaches us — " To so forecast our years As from our loss a gain to snatch, And reach a hand through time to catch The far-off interest of tears." If it cannot at once bring back the friends who have been taken from us, it cheers us by the prospect of re-union ; and, when its assurances are received with fulness of faith, it renders us contented that those we love are taken from our poor protection, to the tuition and guardianship of those wiser, holier, and more loving, than ourselves. Let us seek, my friends, in these services, to apply the consolations of Christianity to our present requirements. Let us seek to hold them vividly before our minds, and apprehend their full significance. God grant that they may bring comfort to hearts weighed down with an unut- terable burden of sorrow ! God grant that they may cause us to repose with tranquillity in his providence, and to receive with resignation all the events of life ! The circumstances which call us together seem to me peculiarly sad. They are sad, first, because of the cha- racter of our young friend, for whom we are performing the last offices of affection. He was modest and retiring in his disposition ; and only those who had long been acquainted with him could appreciate the worth of his character. Probably, no one ever heard him utter a vul- gar or profane or angry word. Probably, no one ever felt a suspicion, that he would be unfair in his transac- tions. The air of honesty, integrity, and frankness, was as much the life of his soul as the atmosphere was the breath of his body. The families of his neighborhood will not soon forget his ready helpfulness ; and his filial defer- erence and cheerful household assistance will never pass from his mother's mind. He was a constant and attentive worshipper in the services of the Lord's Day, a valued member of the choir, a faithful and interested teacher in the Sunday school. He was gradually taking his proper social place where his good qualities would undoubtedly have been most salutary in their influence. Young men, how many of you, if called away at his age, can leave behind you a record so spotless and blameless as his? How many can be confident, that they have made their lives so valuable to themselves and others as he did by his diligent use of opportunities, his regular habits, and faithful improvement of his time ? He was one of those whom it is hard to spare from the community. There was such perfect certainty that his stand would always be on tin' side of justice and humanity, that he would be an enemy to whatever is corrupt and demoralizing, that he would be more and more the active promoter of good influences, that the loss is not a light one which his neigh- borhood, this religious society, and the town itself, are called upon to sustain. Again : this occasion is peculiarly mournful, because our friend was taken away in the freshness of manhood. A few weeks ago, he was among us, strong, vigorous, and hopeful ; looking forward, like others of his age, with bright anticipations, marking out his plans for the future, and active in the discharge of his daily duties. It seems as if his work in life had hardly begun ; that it was yet the early summer of his existence ; and that the more valuable and lasting fruits of his character were yet to ripen. When the aged veteran, at the close of a useful life, departs to his reward, we can hardly weep for him ; " Who, having won The bound of man's appointed years at last, Life's blessings all enjoyed, life's labors done, Serenely to his final rest hath passed; While the soft memory of his virtues yet Lingers, like twilight hues when the bright sun is set." But, when those whose work of usefulness is just begun are taken, our grief is most natural ; and it is then that the heart is most inclined to question the superintending Pro- vidence, which often permits corrupt and pernicious men to send forth malign influences for threescore years and ten, while the good, the brave, the generous, are taken ; which permits Pilate, Herod, and Caiaphas to live and rule, while Jesus, in the prime of manhood, suffers on the cross. 1* Our grief is also aggravated by the circumstances of his decease. He was not taken from the world simply by sickness, which is the divinely appointed method of our departure ; but he fell, wounded by the enemies of his country, in the severe struggle by which their efforts at invasion were rendered futile. Although he had all the attention which the kind and diligent care of a faithful comrade could give, still the alleviation which comes from familiar scenes and faces, and the comforts which home affords, were missing. It is most touching to remember, that, while the tide of life was gradually ebbing away, he sang " Auld lang syne " and " Sweet home." What memories of early days, of old schoolmates, and custom- ary labors, and familiar scenes, must have been passing through his mind ! We lament the departed, on account of his character, which deserved our esteem ; on account of his youth, which wore the promise of a useful manhood ; on account of the circumstances of his death, which are to us of unusual painfullness, — though, alas ! they are now too common through the length and breadth of our land. But, severe as our calamity is, there are consolations which outweigh it. Nay, the very cause of our grief contains within itself a remedy for its cure. The charac- ter, which fitted him to discharge well his duties here, prepared him for the higher opportunities of another world. The great object of our existence here, as far as we are concerned personally, is to develop good, spiritual qualities. If our experiences have brought us to the pos- session of a Christ-like spirit ; if they have disciplined us to self-control, to patience, to a cheerful trust in God's providence ; if we have become thoroughly loyal to duty, and the good- will of the gospel has its reign in our hearts, — then this life has but little more for us. We have garnered its richest harvests, and are ready to enter into higher, celestial privileges. To what extent our friend had developed the qualities which belong to the Christian character, it would be presumptuous to pronounce. The religious affections often shrink from expression, and it was not his nature to thrust forward his merit ; yet, if his life is considered, we shall find it marked with those moral virtues which pertain to the kingdom of God. Let, then, the character which endeared him to us, and which makes our loss so heavy, be also our consolation. Let us have faith that this world had fulfilled its mission for him. Let us hear, in the event which has removed him, the voice of the Lord's invitation, saying, " Come up higher." There are causes for deeper grief than death occasions. When a child sinks into evil courses ; when he perverts to unworthy ends the powers given him ; when he be- comes degraded, vicious, sordid, sensual, a pest to society, — it is a fit occasion for the heartiest anguish. ' But when a brave spirit is promoted, and enters into the joy of his Lord ; when he who has ruled faithfully over a few things is made ruler over many things, — we may mourn for ourselves, but cannot mourn for him. He acted according to his sense of duty, which is nothing less than God's voice within the soul. He was imbued with a spirit of pure patriotism ; and he joined the army of his country, after having counted well the cost, and knowing well the hardships and dangers which he must encounter. Would not his fate have been worse, had he cowardly shrunk from what he deemed his duty ? Is not that soul nobler, and more to be honored, — is it not better off, — which exposes the body to danger in a worthy cause, than one which, for the sake of protecting for a brief period its perishable mortal tenement, disobeys the divine call ? Again : although the circumstances under which he passed away are distressing in their character, yet may not the cause in which he suffered do something to alle- viate our grief? When he fell on the field of battle, he was fighting, not to serve the ambitious purposes of any man, or class of men ; not with the selfish design of conquering a feeble people, in order to add new territory to our public domain ; but to preserve national institutions whose value is inestimable, — institutions formed by the wisest statesmen who were the heirs of the instruction gleaned from the governmental experiences of the human race for five thousand years, — institutions which have rendered our government, for almost a century, the mild- est and most beneficent on the face of the globe, — institu- tions which were purchased by the blood shed at Bunker Hill and Saratoga, by the privations of Valley Forge, by all the immense sacrifices of the Revolutionary patriots. Liberty, good order, obedience to law, a stable govern- ment, — blessings whose worth it is impossible to appre- ciate until they are taken from us, — are involved in the contest in which our friend was desirous of taking an active part. The well-being of future generations, the interests of humanity in all coming time, depend upon which way the contest is decided. Our departed friend entered the ranks, knowing well the points at issue ; and he was determined to do what was in his power to estab- lish a durable peace and a union between the several States which shall be as lasting as the continent itself. He fell, beneath the flag of his country, in the cause of civil order, humanity, freedom, and an improving condi- tion of the human race ; the same cause in which martyrs of all ages have suffered. It is by the voluntary sacri- fices of the good that the world is to be redeemed. It is by painstaking and effort, and the surrender of life, that the era of peace and good- will is to be inaugurated. All honor, then, to those who, from patriotic impulses and a conviction of duty, have gone forth in the cause of their native land ! If a heathen writer could say, that, for such a republic as was that of Rome, it is befitting and sweet to die, — it is much more so to give up life for a land which has been the refuge and hope of all nations ; in which, if right counsels prevail, posterity is to have such a glorious future as finds no parallel in the empires of past ages. Again : we derive consolation from the influences which our friend leaves behind, and which are intensified by the manner of his death. A good man may live fourscore years, perform well his part in society, and still produce no marked effect upon it. From year to year, his ener- gies fail ; and one source of enjoyment after another is cut off, until the inferior and worn-out body is willingly left by its immortal inhabitant. The sum total of the influen- ces exerted by such a life upon the character of neighbors, associates, and family, is by no means inconsiderable ; yet their effects are not very plainly traceable. He has fulfilled his work. Earth has nothing more for his recep- tive faculties or his active energies. But, when a young person of good character is removed while his energies are yet undiminished, his excellences stand out prominently before us. The very untimeliness of his decease and the worth of his character bring him often to our remem- brance ; and it is impossible for us to call these excellent traits to mind, without experiencing a desire to cultivate them within ourselves. Thus the death of one person, by reason of his spiritual qualities, may prove the life of many souls, — may stimulate them to excellence, and compel them to carry forward the work which he left unfinished. 10 The considerations which have been presented, it seems to me, should do something to render the stroke of bereavement less weighty. He Avas prepared, by his character, for death. He gave up his life in a good cause ; and his influences, emphasized by the mode of his decease, may accomplish even greater results than his exertions would have produced, had he lived. But these considerations belong rather to the province of reason than of religious faith. Let us rise to those of a higher nature. Let us not suppose, that this event happened apart from the Divine Will. Because our friend fell by a shot fired by the enemy, let us not suppose that human agency merely was concerned in his death. It is true that this event happened in strict accordance with physical laws. The projectile took the course determined by the weapon from which it issued. No special providence operated to guide, or to turn aside, the ball. Yet, while we recog- nize the uniform operation of natural laws, is there no room left for the workings of Divine Providence ? It would be presuming too much to say in what particular way the hand of God affected the event, — whether by influencing the assailant in the choice of his aim, or the wounded in the choice of his position, or in some other method equally hidden from our scrutiny : still it is plain, that a margin is left for the operation of the divine agency. We often make a double error by excluding human agency too much from being the occasion of those diseases which result in death, and by excluding the divine agency from those events which appear to us to depend principally upon the human will. If not a spar- row falls without our Father, if not a lily blooms apart from his agency, we may believe that no human soul leaves its earthly habitation except with his consent. In 11 the events of battle, as well as in the issues of sickness, we may trace his ruling hand, and feel that the Giver of life has simply taken what he himself bestowed. Chris- tianity does not pretend to solve for us all the mysteries of our existence. It does not explain to us the purpose of God in permitting the prevalence of such evils as war, or in allowing the generous and the brave to be taken in the midst of their usefulness. It does not solve the problem which the varied condition of the different members of the human family presents. It does not make every thing plain for our vision : but it gives us this one grand assu- rance, that God is over all ; that he regards each soul with parental tenderness, and will do for such as shall be for its highest good. Let not our minds, then, be need- lessly troubled by the mysteries of his providence ; but let our souls confide in his infinite love. Let us have faith that the Maker of all worlds has purposes, in respect to each individual soul, too large for our finite minds to comprehend ; and, though the agony of our grief should equal that of our Saviour when he wept and prayed in the garden, let his filial words also be ours, " Father, not my will, but thine, be done." Let us not harass our hearts with reflections as to what might have been : but let us cheerfully accept, with Christian submission, whatever happens, as in accordance with the divine appointment ; and strive, by means of every sorrow and every joy, to draw so near to God that the undisturbed tranquillity of heaven shall make its abode within our breasts. 11 Up, up ! the day is breaking: Say to thy cares, 4 Good-night ! ' The troubles from thee shaking, Like dreams in day's fresh light. Thou wearest not the crown, Nor the best course canst tell. God sitteth on the throne: He doeth all things well. 12 Trust him to govern, then: No king can rule like him. How wilt thou wonder, when Thine ej'es no more are dim, To see those paths which vex thee, How wise they were, and meet ! The works which now perplex thee, How beautiful, complete ! Faithful the love thou sharest; All, all, is well with thee: The crown from hence thou bearest With shouts of victory. In thy right hand, to-morrow, Thy God shall place the palms : To Him who caused thy sorrow, How glad will be thy psalms ! " LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 704 129 7 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 704 129 7 »