Produced by David Widger
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: WAS HE A CHRISTIAN?
By John B. Remsburg
"I am not a Christian."--Lincoln.
1893
TO THE FRIENDS OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WHO HAVE HAD THE COURAGE TO AFFIRM
THE TRUE AND DENY THE FALSE;
AND
TO THE FRIENDS
OF
TRUTH
WHO WILL HAVE THE HONESTY TO REJECT
THE FALSE AND ACCEPT THE TRUE,
THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED
BY THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE.
Almost immediately after the remains of America's most illustrious son
were laid to rest at Springfield, one of his biographers put forward
the claim that he was a devout believer in Christianity. The claim was
promptly denied by the dead statesman's friends, but only to be renewed
again, and again denied. And thus for a quarter of a century the
question of Abraham Lincoln's religious belief has been tossed like a
battledoor from side to side.
As a result of this controversy, thousands have become interested in a
subject that otherwise might have excited but little interest. This
is the writer's apology for collecting the testimony of more than one
hundred witnesses, and devoting more than three hundred pages to the
question, "Was Lincoln a Christian?"
About few other men has so much been written as about Abraham Lincoln;
while no other American's life has engaged the pens of so many
biographers. A thousand volumes record his name and refer to his deeds.
In a hundred of these he is the central figure. Nearly a score of
elaborate biographies of him have been written. As many more books
pertaining wholly to his life, his martyrdom, and his character have
been published. Of the many works on Lincoln which the writer has
consulted in the preparation of this volume, the following deserve to be
mentioned: Nicolay and Hay's "Life of Lincoln," Herndon and Weik's "Life
of Lincoln," Lamon's "Life of Lincoln," Holland's "Life of Lincoln,"
Arnold's "Life of Lincoln," Raymond's "Life of Lincoln," Stoddard's
"Life of Lincoln," Barrett's "Life of Lincoln," "Every-Day Life of
Lincoln," Arnold's "Lincoln and Slavery," Carpenter's "Six Months at
the White House with Lincoln," "Reminiscences of Lincoln," "Anecdotes
of Lincoln," "Lincolniana," "The President's Words," "The Martyr's
Monument," "Tribute of the Nations to Lincoln," "Lincoln Memorial" and
"Lincoln Memorial Album."
The testimony concerning Lincoln's religious belief presented in this
volume has been derived chiefly from three sources. 1. A part of it
has been gathered from the works above named. In a single volume is
published for the first time matter which heretofore was only to be
found scattered through numerous volumes, some of them inaccessible to
the general reader. 2. A considerable portion of it has been gleaned
from newspapers and periodicals containing statements brought out
by this controversy, many of which would otherwise soon be lost or
forgotten. 3. A very large share of it has been obtained by the writer
from personal friends of Lincoln; and when we realize how rapidly those
who lived and moved with him are passing away--that erelong none of them
will remain to testify--the importance of this evidence can hardly be
overestimated.
The writer believes that he has fully established the negative of the
proposition that forms the title of his book. He does not expect to
silence the claims of the affirmative; but he has furnished an arsenal
of facts whereby these claims may be exposed and refuted as often as
made.
This effort to prove that Lincoln was not a Christian will be condemned
by many as an attempt to fasten a stain upon this great man's character.
But the demonstration and perpetuation of this fact will only add to his
greatness. It will show that he was in advance of his generation. The
fame of Abraham Lincoln belongs not to this age alone, but will endure
for all time. The popular faith is transient and must perish. It is
unpopular now to reject Christianity, but the day is fast approaching
when to accept its dogmas will be considered an evidence of human
weakness. To perpetuate the claim that Lincoln was a Christian is to
perpetuate an idea that in a future age will lessen the luster of his
name.
It will be urged by some that the intent and purpose of this work is
solely to promote the interests of Freethought. But it is not. The
writer advocates no cause that requires the prestige of a great name
to make it respectable. The cause that requires the indorsement of the
great to sustain it is not worthy to survive. He has prosecuted this
investigation, not in the interest of any belief or creed, but in the
interest of truth; and truth is certainly as high as any creed, even if
that creed be true. In proving Lincoln a disbeliever he does not presume
to have proved Christianity false, or Freethought true; but he has shown
that some Christians are not honest, and that an honest man may be a
Freethinker. Atchison, Kan., April, 1893.
INTRODUCTION.
Was Abraham Lincoln a Christian? Many confidently believe and earnestly
contend that he was; others as confidently believe and as earnestly
contend that he was not.
Before attempting to answer this question, let us define what
constitutes a Christian. A Christian is one who, in common with the
adherents of nearly all the religions of mankind, believes, 1. In the
existence of a God; 2. In the immortality of the soul. As distinguished
from the adherents of other religions, he believes, 1. That the Bible is
a revelation from God to man; 2. That Jesus Christ was the miraculously
begotten son of God. He also believes in various other doctrines
peculiar to Christianity, the chief of which are, 1. The fall of man; 2.
The atonement.
Those who in nominally Christian countries reject the dogmas of
Christianity are denominated Infidels, Freethinkers, Liberals,
Rationalists, unbelievers, disbelievers, skeptics, etc. These Infidels,
or Freethinkers, represent various phases of belief, among which are,
1. Deists, who affirm the existence of a God and the immortality of the
soul; 2. Atheists, who deny the existence of a God, and, generally,
the soul's immortality; 3. Agnostics, who neither affirm nor deny these
doctrines.
The following are the religious views Lincoln is said to have held as
presented by those who affirm that he was a Christian:
1. He believed in the existence of a God, and accepted the Christian
conception of this Being.
2. He believed in the immortality of the soul, and in the Christian
doctrine of the resurrection.
3. He believed that the Bible is a revelation from God--the only
revealed will of God.
4. He believed in the divinity of Christ--believed that Christ is God.
5. He believed in the efficacy of prayer, and was accustomed to pray
himself.
6. He believed in the doctrine of experimental religion, and had
experienced a change of heart.
7. Although he never united with any church, he was contemplating such a
step at the time of his assassination.
8. The church with which he would have united, we are led to infer, was
the Presbyterian.
The following is a statement of the theological opinions of Lincoln as
understood by those who deny that he was a Christian:
1. In regard to a Supreme Being he entertained at times Agnostic and
even Atheistic opinions. During the later years of his life, however, he
professed a sort of Deistic belief, but he did not accept the Christian
or anthropomorphic conception of a Deity.
2. So far as the doctrine of immortality is concerned, he was an
Agnostic.
3. He did not believe in the Christian doctrine of the inspiration of
the Scriptures. He believed that Burns and Paine were as much inspired
as David and Paul.
4. He did not believe in the doctrine of Christ's divinity. He affirmed
that Jesus was either the son of Joseph and Mary, or the illegitimate
son of Mary.
5. He did not believe in the doctrine of a special creation.
6. He believed in the theory of Evolution, so far as this theory had
been developed in his time.
7. He did not believe in miracles and special providences. He believed
that all things are governed by immutable laws, and that miracles
and special providences, in the evangelical sense of these terms, are
impossible.
8. He rejected the doctrine of total, or inherent depravity.
9. He repudiated the doctrine of vicarious atonement.
10. He condemned the doctrine of forgiveness for sin.
11. He opposed the doctrine of future rewards and punishments.
12. He denied the doctrine of the freedom of the will.
13. He did not believe in the efficacy of prayer as understood by
orthodox Christians.
14 He indorsed, for the most part, the criticisms of Thomas Paine on the
Bible and Christianity, and accepted, to a great extent, the theological
and humanitarian views of Theodore Parker.
15. He wrote a book (which was suppressed) against the Bible and
Christianity.
16. His connection with public affairs prevented him from giving
prominence to his religious opinions during the later years of his life,
but his earlier views concerning the unsoundness of the Christian system
of religion never underwent any material change, and he died, as he had
lived, an unbeliever.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: WAS HE A CHRISTIAN?
CHAPTER I. CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY
Dr. J. G. Holland--Hon. Newton Bateman--Rev. J. A. Reed--
Rev. James Smith. D.D.--N. W. Edwards--Thomas Lewis--Noah
Brooks--Rev. Byron Sunderland. D.D.--Rev. Dr. Miner--Rev.
Dr. Gurley--Hon. I. N. Arnold--F. B. Carpenter--Isaac
Hawley--Rev. Mr. Willets--A Pious Nurse--Western Christian
Advocate--An Illinois Clergyman--Rev. J. H. Barrows. D D.--
Rev. Francis Vinton, D.D.--Bishop Simpson.
In confirmation of the claim that Lincoln was a Christian, the following
evidence has been adduced:
DR. J. G. HOLLAND.
President Lincoln died on the 15th of April, 1865. In the same year, the
"Life of Abraham Lincoln," written by Dr. J. G. Holland, appeared. In
the fields of poetry and fiction, and as a magazine writer, Dr. Holland
had achieved an enviable reputation. His "Life of Lincoln" was written
in his usually entertaining style and secured a wide circulation. He
affirmed that Lincoln was a Christian, and by means of this work,
and through _Scribner's Magazine_, of which he was for many years the
editor, contributed more than any other person to render a belief in
this claim popular. Referring to Lincoln's administration, Dr. Holland
says:
"The power of a true-hearted Christian man, in perfect sympathy with a
true-hearted Christian people, was Mr. Lincoln's power. Open on one side
of his nature to all descending influences from him to whom he prayed,
and open on the other to all ascending influences from the people whom
he served, he aimed simply to do his duty to God and man. Acting rightly
he acted greatly. While he took care of deeds fashioned by a purely
ideal standard, God took care of results. Moderate, frank, truthful,
gentle, forgiving, loving, just, Mr. Lincoln will always be remembered
as eminently a Christian President; and the almost immeasurably great
results which he had the privilege of achieving were due to the fact
that he was a Christian President" (Life of Lincoln, p. 542).
HON. NEWTON BATEMAN.
Dr. Holland's claim rests chiefly upon a confession which Lincoln is
said to have made to Newton Bateman in 1860. During the Presidential
campaign Lincoln occupied the Executive Chamber at the State House. Mr.
Bateman was Superintendent of Public Instruction at the time, had his
office in the same building, and was frequently in Lincoln's room. The
conversation in which Lincoln is alleged to have expressed a belief in
Christianity is thus related in Holland's "Life of Lincoln:"
"On one of these occasions Mr. Lincoln took up a book containing a
careful canvass of the city of Springfield in which he lived, showing
the candidate for whom each citizen had declared it his intention to
vote in the approaching election. Mr. Lincoln's friends had, doubtless
at his own request, placed the result of the canvass in his hands.
This was toward the close of October, and only a few days before the
election. Calling Mr. Bateman to a seat at his side, having previously
locked all the doors, he said: 'Let us look over this book. I wish
particularly to see how the ministers of Springfield are going to vote.'
The leaves were turned, one by one, and as the names were examined Mr.
Lincoln frequently asked if this one and that were not a minister, or an
elder, or the member of such or such a church, and sadly expressed his
surprise on receiving an affirmative answer. In that manner they went
through the book, and then he closed it and sat silently and for some
minutes regarding a memorandum in pencil which lay before him. At length
he turned to Mr. Bateman, with a face full of sadness, and said: 'Here
are twenty-three ministers, of different denominations, and all of them
are against me but three; and here are a great many prominent members of
the churches, a very large majority of whom are against me. Mr. Bateman,
I am not a Christian--God knows I would be one--but I have carefully
read the Bible, and I do not so understand this book;' and he drew from
his bosom a pocket New Testament. 'These men well know,' he continued,
'that I am for freedom in the territories, freedom everywhere as far
as the Constitution and laws will permit, and that my opponents are for
slavery. They know this, and yet, with this book in their hands, in the
light of which human bondage cannot live a moment, they are going
to vote against me. I do not understand it at all.' Here Mr. Lincoln
paused--paused for long minutes--his features surcharged with emotion.
Then he rose and walked up and down the room in the effort to retain or
regain his self-possession. Stopping at last, he said, with a trembling
voice and his cheeks wet with tears: 'I know there is a God, and that he
hates injustice and slavery. I see the storm coming, and I know that his
hand is in it. If he has a place for me--and I think he has--I believe I
am ready. I am nothing, but truth is everything. I know I am right, for
Christ teaches it, and Christ is God.'
"The effect of this conversation upon the mind of Mr. Bateman, a
Christian gentleman whom Mr. Lincoln profoundly respected, was to
convince him that Mr. Lincoln had, in his quiet way, found a path to the
Christian standpoint--that he had found God, and rested on the eternal
truth of God. As the two men were about to separate, Mr. Bateman
remarked: 'I have not supposed that you were accustomed to think so
much upon this class of subjects. Certainly your friends generally
are ignorant of the sentiments you have expressed to me.' He replied
quickly: 'I know they are. I am obliged to appear different to them; but
I think more upon these subjects than upon all others, and I have done
so for years; and I am willing that _you_ should know it'" (Life of
Lincoln, pp. 236-239).
REV. J. A. REED.
In 1872, seven years after the publication of Holland's work, Lamon's
"Life of Abraham Lincoln" was published. In this work the statements of
Holland and Bateman concerning Lincoln's religious belief are disputed,
and the testimony of numerous witnesses cited to prove that he lived and
died a disbeliever. Soon after Lamon's book was published, the Rev. J.
A. Reed, a Presbyterian clergyman, of Springfield, Ill., delivered
a lecture in which he attempted to refute or modify the evidence of
Lamon's witnesses and prove that Lincoln died a Christian. He admitted
that Lincoln was an Infidel up to 1848, and possibly as late as 1862,
but endeavored to show that previous to his death he changed his views
and became a Christian. The following extracts present the salient
points in his discourse:
"Having shown what claims Mr. Lamon's book has to being the 'only fair
and reliable history' of Mr. Lincoln's life and views, and of what
'trustworthy materials' it is composed, I shall now give the testimony
I have collected to establish what has ever been the public impression,
that Mr. Lincoln was in his later life, and at the time of his death, a
firm believer in the truth of the Christian religion. The Infidelity of
his earlier life is not so much to be wondered at, when we consider the
poverty of his early religious instruction and the peculiar influences
by which he was surrounded." "It does not appear that he had ever
seen, much less read, a work on the evidences of Christianity till his
interview with Rev. Dr. Smith in 1848. We hear of him as reading Paine,
Voltaire, and Theodore Parker, but nothing on the other side.
"While it is to be regretted that Mr. Lincoln was not spared to indicate
his religious sentiments by a profession of his faith in accordance with
the institutions of the Christian religion, yet it is very clear that he
had this step in view, and was seriously contemplating it, as a sense of
its fitness and an apprehension of his duty grew upon him."
In support of his claims, Dr. Reed presents the testimony of Rev.
Dr. Smith, Ninian W. Edwards, Thomas Lewis, Noah Brooks, Rev. Dr.
Sunderland, Rev. Dr. Miner, and Rev. Dr. Gurley.
REV. JAMES SMITH, D.D.
The Rev. James Smith was for many years pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church of Springfield. Lincoln formed his acquaintance soon after
he located there, remained on friendly terms with him, and with Mrs.
Lincoln frequently attended his church. Dr. Smith was one of the three
Springfield clergymen who supported Lincoln for President in 1860,
and in recognition of his friendship and fidelity, he received the
consulship at Dundee. Dr. Reed quotes from a letter to W. H. Herndon,
dated East Cainno, Scotland, January 24, 1867, in which Dr. Smith says:
"It is a very easy matter to prove that while I was pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Mr. Lincoln did avow his belief in
the divine authority and inspiration of the scriptures, and I hold that
it is a matter of the last importance not only to the present, but all
future generations of the great Republic, and to all advocates of civil
and religious liberty throughout the world, that this avowal on his
part, and the circumstances attending it, together with very interesting
incidents illustrative of the excellence of his character, in my
possession, should be made known to the public.... It was my honor
to place before Mr. Lincoln arguments designed to prove the divine
authority and inspiration of the scriptures accompanied by the arguments
of Infidel objectors in their own language. To the arguments on
both sides Mr. Lincoln gave a most patient, impartial, and searching
investigation. To use his own language, he examined the arguments as
a lawyer who is anxious to reach the truth investigates testimony. The
result was the announcement by himself that the argument in favor of the
divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures was unanswerable."
HON. MINIAN W. EDWARDS.
Ninian W. Edwards, a brother-in-law of Lincoln, writes as follows:
"Springfield, Dec. 24th, 1872.
"Rev. Jas. A. Reed:
"Dear Sir--
"A short time after the Rev. Dr. Smith became pastor of the First
Presbyterian church in this city, Mr. Lincoln said to me, 'I have been
reading a work of Dr. Smith on the evidences of Christianity, and have
heard him preach and converse on the subject, and I am now convinced of
the truth of the Christian religion.'
"Yours truly,
"N. W. Edwards."
THOMAS LEWIS.
In corroboration of Mr. Edwards's statement, Thomas Lewis, of
Springfield, Ill., testifies as follows:
"Springfield, Jan. 6th, 1873.
"Rev. J. A. Reed:
"Dear Sir--
"Not long after Dr. Smith came to Springfield, and I think very near the
time of his son's death, Mr. Lincoln said to me, that when on a visit
somewhere, he had seen and partially read a work of Dr. Smith on the
evidences of Christianity which had led him to change his views about
the Christian religion; that he would like to get that work to finish
the reading of it, and also to make the acquaintance of Dr. Smith. I
was an elder in Dr. Smith's church, and took Dr. Smith to Mr. Lincoln's
office and introduced him; and Dr. Smith gave Mr. Lincoln a copy of his
book, as I know, at his own request.
"Yours etc.,
"Thos. Lewis."
NOAH BROOKS. Noah Brooks, a newspaper correspondent of New York, and the
author of a biography of Lincoln, gives the following testimony:
"New York, Dec. 31,1872.
"Rev. J. A. Reed,
"My Dear Sir:
"In addition to what has appeared from my pen, I will
state that I have had many conversations with Mr. Lincoln, which were
more or less of a religious character, and while I never tried to draw
anything like a statement of his views from him, yet he freely expressed
himself to me as having 'a hope of blessed immortality through Jesus
Christ.' His views seemed to settle so naturally around that statement,
that I considered no other necessary. His language seemed not that of an
inquirer, but of one who had a prior settled belief in the fundamental
doctrines of the Christian religion. Once or twice, speaking to me of
the change which had come upon him, he said, while he could not fix any
definite time, yet it was after he came here, and I am very positive
that in his own mind he identified it with about the time of Willie's
death. He said, too, that after he went to the White House he kept up
the habit of daily prayer. Sometimes he said it was only ten words, but
those ten words he had. There is no possible reason to suppose that Mr.
Lincoln would ever deceive me as to his religious sentiments. In many
conversations with him, I absorbed the firm conviction that Mr. Lincoln
was at heart a Christian man, believed in the Savior, and was seriously
considering the step which would formally connect him with the
visible church on earth. Certainly, any suggestion as to Mr. Lincoln's
skepticism or Infidelity, to me who knew him intimately from 1862 till
the time of his death, is a monstrous fiction--a shocking perversion.
"Yours truly,
"Noah Brooks."
REV. BYRON SUNDERLAND, D.D.
Mr. Reed presents a lengthy letter from the Rev. Byron Sunderland, of
Washington, dated Nov. 15, 1872. Dr. Sunderland in company with a party
of friends visited the President in the autumn of 1862. In this letter
he says:
"After some conversation, in which he seemed disposed to have his joke
and fun, he settled down to a serious consideration of the subject
before his mind, and for one half-hour poured forth a volume of the
deepest Christian philosophy I ever heard."
REV. DR. MINER.
The Rev. Dr. Miner, who met Lincoln in Washington, says:
"All that was said during that memorable afternoon I spent alone with
that great and good man is engraven too deeply on my memory ever to be
effaced. I felt certain of this fact, that if Mr. Lincoln was not really
an experimental Christian, he was acting like one. He was doing his duty
manfully, and looking to God for help in time of need; and, like the
immortal Washington, he believed in the efficacy of prayer, and it was
his custom to read the Scriptures and pray himself."
REV. P. D. GURLEY, D.D.
While in Washington, Lincoln with his family attended the Presbyterian
church of which the Rev. Dr. Gurley was pastor. Mr. Reed cites the
following as the testimony of Dr. Gurley in regard to the alleged
Infidelity of Lincoln:
"I do not believe a word of it. It could not have been true of him while
here, for I have had frequent and intimate conversations with him on the
subject of the Bible and the Christian religion, when he could have
had no motive to deceive me, and I considered him sound not only on the
truth of the Christian religion but on all its fundamental doctrines and
teachings. And more than that, in the latter days of his chastened and
weary life, after the death of his son Willie, and his visit to the
battlefield of Gettysburg, he said, with tears in his eyes, that he
had lost confidence in everything but God, and that he now believed
his heart was changed, and that he loved the Savior and, if he was not
deceived in himself, it was his intention soon to make a profession of
religion."
HON. ISAAC N. ARNOLD.
One of the most ardent friends and admirers of Abraham Lincoln was Isaac
N. Arnold, for several years a member of Congress from Illinois. Mr.
Arnold wrote a work on "Lincoln and Slavery," and a "Life of Lincoln"
which was published in 1885. Lincoln's religious views are thus
described by Mr. Arnold:
"No more reverent Christian than he ever sat in the Executive chair,
not excepting Washington. He was by nature religious; full of religious
sentiment. The veil between him and the supernatural was very thin.
It is not claimed that he was orthodox, for creeds and dogmas he cared
little. But in the great fundamental principles of religion, of the
Christian; religion, he was a firm believer. Belief in the existence of
God, in the immortality of the soul, in the Bible as the revelation of
God to man, in the efficacy and duty of prayer, in reverence toward the
Almighty, and in love and charity to man, was the basis of his religion"
(Life of Lincoln, p. 446).
"His reply to the Negroes of Baltimore when they, in 1864, presented him
with a magnificent Bible, ought to silence forever those who charge him
with unbelief. He said: 'In regard to the Great Book I have only to say
that it is the best gift which God has given to man. All the good from
the Savior of the world is communicated through this book'" (Ibid., p.
447).
"His faith in a Divine Providence began at his mother's knee, and ran
through all the changes of his life. Not orthodox, not a man of creeds,
he was a man of simple trust in God" (lb., p. 448).
F. B. CARPENTER.
Mr. Carpenter, the artist, in his popular book, entitled "Six Months in
the White House with Abraham Lincoln," uses the following language:
"I would scarcely have called Mr. Lincoln a religious man--and yet I
believe him to have been a sincere Christian" (Six Months in the White
House, p. 185).
ISAAC HAWLEY.
In the spring of 1887, in going from Springfield to Havana, I met Isaac
Hawley, one of the early settlers of Illinois, and who for nearly twenty
years resided within a few blocks of Lincoln in Springfield. In answer
to the question, "Was Lincoln a Christian?" Mr. Hawley replied:
"I believe that Lincoln was a Christian, and that he was God's chosen
instrument to perform the mighty work he did."
REV. MR. WILLETS.
The Rev. Mr. Willets, of Brooklyn, N. Y., is credited with the following
statement concerning Lincoln's reputed conversion. The information
it contains was obtained, it is said, from a lady of Mr. Willets's
acquaintance who met Lincoln in Washington:
"The President, it seemed, had been much impressed with the devotion
and earnestness of purpose manifested by the lady, and on one occasion,
after she had discharged the object of her visit, he said to her: "Mrs.
--------, I have formed a high opinion of your Christian character, and
now, as we are alone, I have a mind to ask you to give me, in brief,
your idea of what constitutes a true religious experience." The lady
replied at some length, stating that, in her judgment, it consisted of a
conviction of one's own sinfulness and weakness, and personal need of a
Savior for strength and support; that views of mere doctrine might and
would differ, but when one was really brought to feel his need of divine
help, and to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance,
it was satisfactory evidence of his having been born again. This was
the substance of her reply. When she had concluded, Mr. Lincoln was very
thoughtful for a few moments; He at length said, very earnestly, 'If
what you have told me is really a correct view of this great subject, I
think I can say with sincerity that I hope I am a Christian'" (Anecdotes
of Lincoln, pp. 166, 167).
A PIOUS NURSE.
A pious lady, who served in the capacity of a hospital nurse at
Washington, and who sometimes visited the White House, testifies to
Lincoln's belief in the efficacy of prayer. The incident narrated
occurred while a battle was in progress. The report says:
"The possibility of defeat depressed him greatly; but the lady told
him he must trust, and that he could at least pray. 'Yes,' said he, and
taking up a Bible, he started for his room. Could all the people of the
nation have overheard the earnest petition that went up from that inner
chamber as it reached the ears of the nurse, they would have fallen
upon their knees with tearful and reverential sympathy" (Anecdotes of
Lincoln, p. 120).
WESTERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.
Soon after the close of the war, the _Western Chris-tian Advocate_, the
leading Christian journal of the West, published the following:
"On the day of the receipt of the capitulation of Lee, as we learn from
a friend intimate with the late President Lincoln, the cabinet meeting
was held an hour earlier than usual. Neither the President nor any
member was able, for a time, to give utterance to his feelings. At the
suggestion of Mr. Lincoln all dropped on their knees, and offered in
silence and in tears their humble and heartfelt acknowledgment to the
Almighty for the triumph he had granted to the national cause."
The above is quoted by Raymond and other biographers of Lincoln.
AN ILLINOIS CLERGYMAN.
In the "Lincoln Memorial Album" appears what is reported to be Lincoln's
"Reply to an Illinois Clergyman:"
"When I left Springfield I asked the people to pray for me. I was not
a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was
not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg, and saw the graves
of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to
Christ. Yes, I _do_ love Jesus" (L. M. A., p. 366).
REV. JOHN N. BARROWS.
In the "Lincoln Memorial Album," Dr. J. H. Barrows contributes an
article on "The Religious Aspects of Abraham Lincoln's Career," from
which I quote as follows:
"In the anxious uncertainties of the great war, he gradually rose to the
hights where Jehovah became to him the sublimest of realities, the ruler
of nations. When he wrote his immortal Proclamation, he invoked upon it
not only 'the considerate judgment of mankind,' but 'the gracious favor
of Almighty God.' When darkness gathered over the brave armies fighting
for the nation's life, this strong man in the early morning knelt and
wrestled in prayer with him who holds in his hand the fate of empires.
When the clouds lifted above the carnage of Gettysburg, he gave his
heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. When he pronounced his matchless oration
on the chief battlefield of the war, he gave expression to the resolve
that 'this nation, under God, should have a new birth of freedom.'
And when he wrote his last Inaugural Address, he gave to it the lofty
religious tone of an old Hebrew psalm" (L. M. A., p. 508).
REV. FRANCIS VINTON, D.D.
This clergyman, a resident of New York, and a stranger to Lincoln,
visited the White House in 1862, it is claimed, and indulged in an
argument and exhortation, the effect of which was to convert the
President to a belief in the Christian doctrine of the resurrection
and the immortality of the soul. During the interview, Lincoln, it is
reported, fell upon the neck of his clerical visitor and wept like a
child.
Before retiring, Dr. Vinton said: "I have a sermon upon this subject
which I think might interest you." "Mr. Lincoln," the report continues,
"begged him to send it at an early day, thanking him repeatedly for his
cheering and hopeful words. The sermon was sent, and read over and over
by the President, who caused a copy to be made for his own private use
before it was returned" (Anecdotes of Lincoln, pp. 107, 108).
BISHOP SIMPSON.
The most eminent Methodist divine of that period was Bishop Simpson.
During the war his commanding influence and rare eloquence did much to
secure for the Union cause the united support of Northern Methodists.
Lincoln appreciated the services of the distinguished divine, and they
became warm friends. When the remains of the President were conveyed to
their final resting-place at Springfield, Bishop Simpson was selected
to deliver the funeral oration. Alluding to the religious phase of
Lincoln's character, he spoke as follows:
"As a ruler, I doubt if any President has ever shown such trust in God,
or in public documents so frequently referred to divine aid. Often did
he remark to friends and to delegations that his hope for our success
rested in his conviction that God would bless our efforts because we
were trying to do right" (Lincoln and Slavery, p. 673).