in the spring of the year 1850, after the death of their little son eddie, mr. and mrs. lincoln visited mrs. lincoln's relatives in kentucky. while they were on this visit, mr. lincoln picked up a book entitled the christian's defence, by rev. james smith. he was interested, for dr. smith was a townsman of his, and in the absence of mrs. lincoln's rector dr. smith had conducted the little boy's funeral service in the lincoln home. lincoln read a part but not the whole of the book while on this visit. dr. smith, as the book showed, had himself been a doubter, but had become convinced of the truth of the christian religion, and had become a valiant defender of the faith, and an eager debater with skeptics. out of a three weeks' discussion with one of these this book had grown.
on his return to springfield mr. lincoln took occasion to secure the book, and to cultivate a closer acquaintance with its author.
lincoln found him well worth knowing; and the reader of this book deserves an introduction to him and his work.
i have obtained from miss jeanette e. smith, of springfield, granddaughter of rev. james smith, a considerable body of manuscript and other material relating to her grandfather.
james smith was born in glasgow, scotland, may 11, 1801, and died in scotland july 3, 1871. he was the son of peter and margaret smith. in youth he was wild, and in his opinions was a deist; but when converted he became a fearless defender of the faith. he was a big, brainy man, with a great voice and with positive convictions. he was called from shelbyville, kentucky, to the first church of[pg 157] springfield, his pastorate beginning march 14, 1849, and closing december 17, 1856.
he was a strong temperance man. his sermon on "the bottle, its evils and its remedy," from habakkuk 2:15, was preached on january 23, 1853, and printed at the request of thirty-nine men who heard it, abraham lincoln being one of those who signed the request. "friends of temperance" they called themselves. i have a copy of this remarkable sermon. in one part it essayed a vindication of the distiller and liquor-seller, affirming that a community that licensed them had no right to abuse them for doing what they had paid for the privilege of doing; and that the state with money in its pocket received as a share in the product of drunkenness had no right to condemn the saloonkeeper for his share in the partnership. he called on the legislature then in session to pass a prohibitory law, forbidding all sale of intoxicating liquor except for medical, mechanical, and sacramental purposes.
such sermons became abundant forty years afterward, but they were not abundant in 1853. dr. smith was one of the men who held these convictions, and abraham lincoln was one of the men who wanted to see them printed and circulated.
it is remarkable that all knowledge of the massive book which dr. smith wrote and published should have perished from springfield. lamon manifestly knew nothing of it as a book, but thought of it as a manuscript tract, prepared especially for the ambitious business of converting mr. lincoln. his sarcastic description implies this, and herndon, who may have known better at the time, had apparently forgotten. both men were disqualified for the discussion of it by their ignorance of it, as well as the violence of their prejudice.
on february 12, 1909, a service was held in the old first presbyterian church in springfield, then occupied by the lutherans, the presbyterians having erected a larger building. the address was given by rev. thomas d. logan, dr. smith's successor, whose pastorate had begun in 1888. in all the[pg 158] more than twenty years of his ministry in springfield, he had never seen this book. he had never known of it as a book at the time he wrote the first draft of this centenary address. the substance of the address he sent in advance as an article for the lincoln number of the continent in february, 1909; but in the revision of the proof he inserted a footnote saying that dr. smith's granddaughter, miss jeanette e. smith, had come into possession of a copy of her grandfather's book, which he had just seen.
the prime reason for this complete ignorance of the book, even in the church which lincoln attended, is that it was published six years before dr. smith came to springfield, in a limited edition, and completely sold out before it came from the press; so that it never came into general circulation in springfield.
miss smith has placed at my disposal her own copy of this book, which was her grandfather's, and i have been able to locate about a half-dozen copies in various public libraries, and by rare good fortune to buy one for myself.
dr. smith's statement was made in a letter from cainno, scotland, dated january 24, 1867:
"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 investigate truth investigates testimony. the result was the announcement made by himself that the argument in favor of the divine authority and inspiration of the scriptures was unanswerable."—rev. james a. reed: "the later life and religious sentiments of abraham lincoln," scribner's magazine, july, 1873, p. 333.
mr. thomas lewis, a lawyer whose office adjoined that of mr. lincoln in springfield, and who for a time was in the same office, was an elder in the church which lincoln attended.[pg 159] in 1898 he wrote his recollections of dr. smith's book and its influence upon mr. lincoln:
"i was an elder, trustee, treasurer, collector, superintendent of the sunday school, and pew-renter. the following tuesday, after the second sunday, mr. lincoln called on me and inquired if there were any pews to rent in the church. i replied, 'yes, and a very desirable one, vacated by governor madison, who has just left the city.' 'what is the rent?' said he. 'fifty dollars, payable quarterly.' he handed me $12.50. said he, 'put it down to me.' from that date he paid each three months on said pew until he left for washington; and from the first sunday he was there i have not known of his not occupying that pew every sunday he was in the city until he left. the seat was immediately in front of mine. the third sunday his children came in the sunday school.
"shortly thereafter there was a revival in the church, and mr. and mrs. lincoln, when he was in the city, attended meeting. in his absence she was there. they attended not only the regular meetings, but the inquiry meetings also, and it was the belief that both would unite with the church. when the candidates were examined mr. lincoln was in detroit, prosecuting a patent right case, a branch of the profession in which he had acquired an enviable reputation. mrs. lincoln stated that she was confirmed in the episcopal church when twelve years of age, but did not wish to join the church by letter, but upon profession of faith, as she was never converted until dr. smith's preaching. she was admitted [1852]. mr. lincoln never applied. some months later the session of the church invited mr. lincoln to deliver a lecture on the bible. when it became known that mr. lincoln was to lecture in the presbyterian church it assured a full house. it was said by divines and others to be the ablest defense of the bible ever uttered in that pulpit.
"from the introduction of mr. lincoln to dr. smith their intimacy was of a most cordial character. at their last meeting previous to mr. lincoln's leaving for washington, as they parted, mr. lincoln said, 'doctor, i wish to be remembered in the prayers of yourself and our church members.'"—illinois state register, december 10, 1898.
[pg 160]
a very interesting bit of testimony to the relations of mr. lincoln and his pastor, dr. smith, was given by rev. william bishop, d.d., in an address at salina, kansas, on february 12, 1897, and published in the local papers at the time. dr. bishop was graduated from illinois college in 1850, and for a time was a member of the faculty there. in the summer after his graduation, he supplied dr. smith's pulpit during his vacation:
"i first met dr. smith in the summer of 1850 in jacksonville, at the commencement exercises of illinois college, from which i had graduated and had just been appointed a member of the faculty of instruction. the acquaintance then formed ripened into mutual and congenial friendship. and during the two years of my connection with the college i was frequently a visitor and guest at his house in springfield, and when, by reason of removal to another institution in another state, the visits were fewer and farther between, 'a free epistolary correspondence' continued to strengthen and brighten the links of fellowship. with his other accomplishments, dr. smith was an interesting and instructive conversationalist—in fact, quite a raconteur, somewhat like his friend lincoln, always ready with a story to illustrate his opinions, and which gave piquancy to his conversation. whenever he had occasion to speak of lincoln he always evinced the strongest attachment and the warmest friendship for him, which was known to be fully reciprocated. democrat as he was, and tinged with southern hues—though never a secessionist—there seemed to be a mystic cord uniting the minister and the lawyer. this was subsequently beautifully shown on the part of mr. lincoln, who never forgot to do a generous thing. when he was elected president dr. smith and wife were getting old, their children all married and gone, except their youngest[42] son, a young man of twenty-three or four years of age. one of lincoln's first official acts, after his inauguration, was the appointment of this young man to the consulate at dundee, scotland. the doctor, with his wife and son, returned to the land of his birth. the son soon returned[pg 161] to america, and dr. smith himself was appointed consul, which position he retained until his death in 1871.
"in the spring of 1857 dr. smith, anticipating a necessary absence from his church of two or three months during the summer, invited me to supply his pulpit until his return. being young and inexperienced in the ministry, with considerable hesitation i accepted his urgent invitation. so i spent my college vacation performing as best i could this service. mr. lincoln was a regular attendant at church and evidently an attentive hearer and devout worshiper.
"as a college student i had seen and heard him and looked up to him as a being towering above common men; and, i confess, i was not a little intimidated by his presence as he sat at the end of a seat well forward toward the pulpit, with his deep eyes fixed upon me, and his long legs stretched out in the middle aisle to keep them from [using one of his own colloquialisms] being scrouged in the narrow space between the pews. my 'stage fright,' however, was soon very much relieved by his kindliness and words of encouragement.
"on a certain sunday, the third, as i recollect it, in my term of service, i delivered a discourse on the text, 'without god in the world.' the straight translation from the greek is, 'atheists in the world.' in discussing atheism, theoretical and practical, i endeavored to elucidate and enforce the fallacy of the one and the wickedness of the other. at the close of the service mr. lincoln came up and, putting his right hand in mine and his left on my shoulder, with other impressive remarks, said, 'i can say "amen" to all that you have said this morning.' from that time on my interest in him grew apace.
"he was then known extensively all over the west as a great and good man, and only a year afterward he bounded into national fame by his victory in the great debate with douglas, who, up to that time, was regarded as a debater invincible.
"during my brief sojourn in springfield i had many opportunities of meeting lincoln, hearing him, and talking with him at home, in church, in society, and in the courts of justice.
"dr. smith returned in due time to resume his pastoral[pg 162] functions. in reporting to him, in general, my labors in the church as his substitute during his absence, and in particular my conceptions of lincoln's religious character, he intimated that he knew something of lincoln's private personal religious experiences, feelings, and beliefs which resulted in his conversion to the christian faith. after some urging to be more explicit, he made the following statement, which is herewith submitted, couched substantially in his own language. the doctor said:
"'i came to springfield to take the pastoral charge of this church [first presbyterian] about eight years ago [1849]. during the first of these years, i might say, i had only a speaking or general acquaintance with mr. lincoln [then forty years old]. two or three years previous to my coming here mrs. lincoln, who had been a member of our church, for some reason changed her church relations and was a regular attendant at the services of the episcopal church. mr. lincoln, at that time, having no denominational preferences, went with her. and so the family continued to frequent the sanctuary for a year or more after i began my ministry here. the occasion which opened up the way to my intimate relations to mr. lincoln was this, viz.: in the latter part of 1849 death came into his family. his second son died at about three or four years of age. the rector, an excellent clergyman, being temporarily absent, could not be present to conduct the burial service, and i was called to officiate at the funeral. this led me to an intimate acquaintance with the family, and grew into an enduring and confidential friendship between mr. lincoln and myself. one result was that the wife and mother returned to her ancestral church, and the husband and father very willingly came with her, and ever since has been a constant attendant upon my ministry. i found him very much depressed and downcast at the death of his son, and without the consolation of the gospel. up to this time i had heard but little concerning his religious views, and that was to the effect that he was a deist and inclined to skepticism as to the divine origin of the scriptures, though, unlike most skeptics, he had evidently been a constant reader of the bible. i found him an honest and anxious inquirer. he gradually revealed the state of his mind and heart, and at last unbosomed his doubts and struggles[pg 163] and unrest of soul. in frequent conversations i found that he was perplexed and unsettled on the fundamentals of religion, by speculative difficulties, connected with providence and revelation, which lie beyond and above the legitimate province of religion. with some suggestions bearing on the right attitude required for impartial investigation, i placed in his hands my book (the christian's defence) on the evidence of christianity, which gives the arguments for and against the divine authority and inspiration of the holy scriptures. mr. lincoln took the book, and for a number of weeks, as a lawyer, examined and weighed the evidence, pro and con, and judged of the credibility of the contents of revelation. and while he was investigating i was praying that the spirit of truth might lead him into the kingdom of truth. and such was the result, for at the conclusion of his examination he came forth his doubts scattered to the winds and his reason convinced by the arguments in support of the inspired and infallible authority of the old and new testaments—a believer in god, in his providential government, in his son, the way, the truth, and the life, and from that time [nearly seven years] to this day his life has proved the genuineness of his conversion to the christian faith. for this i humbly ascribe to our heavenly father the honor and the glory.'"
in an earlier statement than that previously quoted, mr. thomas lewis, under date of january 6, 1873, said:
"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 view of the christian religion, and he would like to get that work and 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 dr. smith gave mr. lincoln a copy of his book, as i know, at his own request."
this is a very different story from that which lamon tells, of a self-advertising preacher, ostentatiously preparing[pg 164] a tract to convert mr. lincoln, and thrusting it upon him uninvited and thereafter to be neglected.
that mr. lincoln was impressed by the book is as certain as human testimony can make it. he told dr. smith that he regarded its argument as "unanswerable," and lamon's slighting remark will not stand against so emphatic a word.
moreover, hon. john t. stuart, whom lamon had quoted as saying, "the rev. dr. smith, who wrote a letter, tried to convert lincoln as late as 1858, and couldn't do it," repudiated that statement, declared he never had said it; and on the contrary affirmed that he understood from those who had reason to know that dr. smith's book had produced a change in the mind of mr. lincoln.
ninian w. edwards, mr. lincoln's brother-in-law, on december 24, 1872, entered the discussion with this emphatic statement:
"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 am now convinced of the truth of the christian religion.'"
just what doctrines he was convinced were true, we may not know. but we do know that he requested the book and declared it unanswerable, that he and his wife changed their church affiliation and he became a regular attendant, that dr. smith became his friend and was honored and recognized by him as long as lincoln lived, and that those who knew lincoln best were told by him that some change had come in his own belief.
under these conditions, the word and work of rev. james smith are not to be thrown unceremoniously out of court. they have standing in any fair consideration of the question of lincoln's religious faith.
i have looked through many lives of lincoln to discover whether any biographer of lincoln had ever looked up this book, and thus far have not discovered any. i have inquired[pg 165] for the book at the chicago historical library and the illinois historical library, and neither of those libraries contains it, nor had it been thought of in connection with lincoln. mr. oldroyd does not have it in his matchless collection, where i hoped i might find the veritable copy that lincoln read, and he had never heard of it; nor does the matron of the lincoln home at springfield know anything about it.[43]
i shall give in the appendix of this book an outline of the contents of dr. smith's solid work, that the reader may judge for himself whether such a book, placed in the hands of mr. lincoln at such a time, may not have had upon his mind all the influence that dr. smith ever claimed for it.
