the later life and religious sentiments of
abraham lincoln[73]
while the fate and future of the christian religion in nowise depends upon the sentiments of abraham lincoln, yet the life and character of this remarkable man belong to the public, to tell for evil or for good on coming generations; and as the attempt has been made to impute to him the vilest sentiments, even to his dying day, it is fitting and just that the weakness and infidelity charged upon his later life should not go down unchallenged to posterity. the latest biography of mr. lincoln, published under the name of col. w. h. lamon, but with the large co-operation of mr. w. h. herndon, concerns itself with the endeavor to establish certain allegations injurious to the good name of the illustrious man, whose tragic and untimely death has consecrated his memory in the hearts of a grateful nation. two charges in this biography are worthy of especial notice and disproof,—the charge that he was born a bastard, and the charge that he died an infidel. mr. lamon begins his pleasing task by raising dark and unfounded insinuations as to the legitimacy of his hero, and then occupies from twenty-five to thirty pages with evidence to prove that mr. lincoln was a confirmed infidel, and died playing a "sharp game on the christian community"; that, in his "morbid ambition for popularity," he would say good lord or good devil, "adjusting his religious sentiments to his political interests." in meeting these insinuations and charges i shall necessarily have recourse to political[pg 315] documents and papers, but it shall not be my aim to parade mr. lincoln's political opinions, further than to eliminate from his writings and speeches his religious sentiments.
as to the ungracious insinuation that mr. lincoln was not the child of lawful wedlock, i have only to say that it is an insinuation unsupported by a shadow of justifiable evidence. the only thing on which mr. lamon bases the insinuation is, that he has been unable to find any record of the marriage mr. lincoln's parents. just as if it would be any evidence against the fact of their marriage if no record could be found. if every man in this country is to be considered as illegitimate who cannot produce his parents' certificate of marriage, or find a record of it in a family bible anywhere, there will be a good many very respectable people in the same category with mr. lincoln. such an insinuation might be raised with as much plausibility in the case of multitudes of the early settlers of the country. it is a questionable act of friendship thus to rake "the short and simple annals of the poor," and upon such slender evidence raise an insinuation so unfounded. but i am prepared to show that if mr. lamon has found no record of the marriage of mr. lincoln's parents, it is simply because he has not extended his researches as faithfully in this direction as he has in some others. it appears that there is a well-authenticated record of the marriage of thomas lincoln and nancy hanks, and, in the same connection, the birth of abraham lincoln and sarah lincoln. hearing that the hon. j. c. black, of champaign, ill., a warm personal friend of mr. lincoln, had in his possession several papers given to him soon after mr. lincoln's death by a member of the family, and among them a leaf from the family bible containing the record of the marriage of mr. lincoln's parents, i at once telegraphed to him in relation to this record, and have in my possession the following letter, which will explain itself:
champaign, ill., jan. 8th, 1873.
j. a. reed:
dear sir—your telegram of the 7th reached me this a. m. in reply permit me to say that i was in possession of the leaf of which you speak, and which contained the record of the marriage of thos. lincoln and nancy hanks, the birth of abraham lincoln and sarah lincoln. the leaf is very old, and is the last page of the apocrypha. it was given to me, with certificate of genuineness, by dennis f. hanks in 1866. i have sent both record and certificate to wm. p. black, attorney at law, 131 la salle street, chicago, ill., and duly by him delivered to the illinois[pg 316] historical association. hon. i. n. arnold called on my brother and obtained the originals for use in a revised edition of his life of lincoln, and i understand that since then they have passed into the hands of robt. lincoln, esq., where they were when i last heard from them. hoping that what i have written may be of some use, i remain
very truly yours,
j. c. black.
presuming that the first of colonel lamon's libels upon mr. lincoln's memory is thus sufficiently disposed of, i proceed to consider the charges against his religious life and character. the best refutation of these charges lies on the pages of the book in which they are advanced. however skeptical mr. lincoln may have been in his earlier life, mr. lamon persists in asserting and attempting to prove that he continued a confirmed skeptic to the last: that he was an unbeliever in the truth of the christian religion, and died an infidel; that, while "he was by no means free from a kind of belief in the supernatural, he rejected the great facts of christianity as wanting the support of authentic evidence"; that, "during all the time of his residence at springfield and in washington, he never let fall from his lips an expression which remotely implied the slightest faith in jesus christ, as the son of god and the saviour of men"; that "he was at all times an infidel." from twenty-five to thirty pages of evidence is produced in proof of this allegation.
but all this positive statement as to mr. lincoln's persistent and final infidelity is contradicted by the admissions of the book itself. it is admitted that there did come a time in mr. lincoln's life at springfield when he began to affiliate with christian people, and to give his personal presence and support to the church. it is admitted that he did so plausibly identify himself with the christian community that "his new salem associates and the aggressive deists with whom he originally united at springfield gradually dispersed and fell away from his side." here is the fact, openly and squarely stated by mr. lamon, that mr. lincoln, even while at springfield, did make such a change in his sentiments and bearing toward the christian community, that "the aggressive deists and infidels with whom he originally united gradually dispersed and fell away from his side." he no sooner turned away from them in sentiment than they turned away from him in fact.
but how does the biographer attempt to explain this? how does he account for this admitted and observable change in mr.[pg 317] lincoln's life, that relieved him of the presence of so much aggressive deistical company? why, by means of an explanation that kills the accusation itself—an explanation that fastens upon mr. lincoln the very charge of hypocrisy against which he professes to defend him. he accounts for this admitted and observable change in the attitude of mr. lincoln towards the christian community, not by supposing that there was any sincerity about it, but by affirming that he was trying "to play a sharp game on the christians of springfield!" it was because "he was a wily politician, and did not disdain to regulate his religious manifestations with reference to his political interests"; and because, "seeing the immense and augmenting power of the churches, he aspired to lead the religious community, foreseeing that in order to his political success he must not appear an enemy within their gates." and yet, if we are to believe colonel lamon, he was an enemy all the while at heart; and while attending church, and supporting the gospel, and making sabbath school speeches, and speeches before the bible society, he was at heart a disbeliever of the truth and an antagonist of the cause which he professed to be supporting. in other words, he was all these years playing the arrant hypocrite; deceiving the christian community and wheedling it for political purposes; playing the role of a gospel hearer in the sanctuary, and a hail fellow well met with profane fellows of the baser sort in the private sanctum of infidelity or "aggressive deism."
strangely enough, however, colonel lamon and his companion in authorship not only praise mr. lincoln's greatness, but laud his singular conscientiousness and integrity of motive almost to perfection. says mr. herndon, "he was justly entitled to the appellation, honest abe"; "honesty was his pole star; conscience, the faculty that loves the just and the right, was the second great quality and forte of mr. lincoln's character." "he had a deep, broad, living conscience. his great reason told him what was true and good, right and wrong, just or unjust, and his conscience echoed back the decision, and it was from this point he spoke and wove his character and fame among us. his conscience ruled his heart." [see herndon's letter in carpenter's life of lincoln.]
in confirmation of this, mr. lamon goes on to show that mr. lincoln scorned everything like hypocrisy or deceit. in fact he makes his hero to be such a paragon of honesty and[pg 318] conscious integrity of motive that he would not undertake to plead a bad cause before a jury if he could possibly shift the responsibility over on to some other lawyer, whose conscience was not quite so tender. he brings in the testimony of a most reputable lawyer of another place in confirmation of this, who states: "that for a man who was for a quarter of a century both a lawyer and a politician, mr. lincoln was the most honest man i ever knew. he was not only morally honest but intellectually so. he could not reason falsely; if he attempted it he failed. in politics he never would try to mislead. at the bar, when he thought he was wrong, he was the weakest lawyer i ever saw." "in a closely contested case where mr. lincoln had proved an account for a client, who was, though he knew it not, a very slippery fellow, the opposing attorney afterward proved a receipt clearly covering the entire case. by the time he was through mr. lincoln was missing. the court sent for him to the hotel. 'tell the judge,' said mr. lincoln, 'that i can't come; my hands are dirty and i came over to clean them.'"
page after page is thus taken to show mr. lincoln's singular conscientiousness and honesty, his incapability of hypocrisy or deceit, as a lawyer, a politician and a gentleman. and yet these consistent biographers go back on all this testimony of their own mouths when they come to explain the admitted change in his life when he began to lean toward the church, and the "aggressive deists" parted company with him. then they find it convenient to call him a "wily politician," who is "playing a sharp game with the christians"; "the cautious pretender who does not disdain to regulate his religious manifestations with reference to his political interests." they saddle upon him the vilest hypocrisy and deceit, and make him "act the liar's part," in order to send him down to posterity an infidel. on one page they reason that mr. lincoln could not have made any such admissions of his belief in the christian religion as have been maintained, as such admissions would be contrary to his well-known character; on the next page they affirm that mr. lincoln could not act the hypocrite; and on a third they do not hesitate to attribute to him the very grossest duplicity, in their zeal to fasten on him the charge of permanent skepticism. they go back on their own logic, eat their own argument, and give the lie to the very charge they are laboring with such considerable pains to establish.
[pg 319]
the book, therefore, i repeat, bears on its own pages the best refutation of the charge it makes against mr. lincoln. surely, such serious inconsistency of statement, such illogical absurdity, even, could hardly have escaped the notice of the biographers if some preconceived opinion had not prejudiced their minds and blinded their eyes. the animus of the book and the purpose for which it was written are only too apparent.
perhaps it might suffice to rest the refutation of this charge against mr. lincoln's religious character on the internal evidence of colonel lamon's volume with which i have thus far been occupied. but there is something to be said concerning the authenticity and accuracy of the testimony by which the charge seems to be supported.
i have been amazed to find that the principal persons whose testimony is given in this book to prove that their old friend lived and died an infidel, never wrote a word of it, and never gave it as their opinion or allowed it to be published as covering their estimate of mr. lincoln's life and religious views. they were simply familiarly interviewed, and their testimony misrepresented, abridged and distorted to suit the purpose of the interviewer, and the business he had on hand.
the two gentlemen whose names are most relied upon, and who stand first on the list of witnesses to establish the charge these biographers have made, are the hon. john t. stuart, and col. jas. h. matheny, of springfield, old and intimate friends of mr. lincoln.
hon. john t. stuart is an ex-member of congress, and was mr. lincoln's first law partner,—a gentleman of the highest standing and ability in his profesion, and of unimpeachable integrity. mr. lamon has attributed to mr. stuart testimony the most disparaging and damaging to mr. lincoln's character and opinions,—testimony which mr. stuart utterly repudiates, both as to language and sentiment, as the following letter shows:—
springfield, dec. 17th, 1872.
rev. j. a. reed:
dear sir—my attention has been called to a statement in relation to the religious opinions of mr. lincoln, purporting to have been made by me and published in lamon's life of lincoln. the language of that statement is not mine; it was not written by me, and i did not see it until it was in print.
i was once interviewed on the subject of mr. lincoln's religious opinions, and doubtless said that mr. lincoln was in the earlier part of[pg 320] his life an infidel. i could not have said that "dr. smith tried to convert lincoln from infidelity so late as 1858, and couldn't do it." in relation to that point, i stated, in the same conversation, some facts which are omitted in that statement, and which i will briefly repeat. that eddie, a child of mr. lincoln, died in 1848 or 1849, and that he and his wife were in deep grief on that account. that dr. smith, then pastor of the first presbyterian church of springfield, at the suggestion of a lady friend of theirs, called upon mr. and mrs. lincoln, and that first visit resulted in great intimacy and friendship between them, lasting till the death of mr. lincoln, and continuing with mrs. lincoln till the death of dr. smith. i stated that i had heard, at the time, that dr. smith and mr. lincoln had much discussion in relation to the truth of the christian religion, and that dr. smith had furnished mr. lincoln with books to read on that subject, and among others one which had been written by himself, some time previous, on infidelity; and that dr. smith claimed that after this investigation mr. lincoln had changed his opinion, and become a believer in the truth of the christian religion: that mr. lincoln and myself never conversed upon that subject, and i had no personal knowledge as to his alleged change of opinion. i stated, however, that it was certainly true, that up to that time mr. lincoln had never regularly attended any place of religious worship, but that after that time he rented a pew in the first presbyterian church, and with his family constantly attended the worship in that church until he went to washington as president. this much i said at the time, and can now add that the hon. ninian w. edwards, the brother-in-law of mr. lincoln, has, within a few days, informed me that when mr. lincoln commenced attending the first presbyterian church he admitted to him that his views had undergone the change claimed by dr. smith.
i would further say that dr. smith was a man of very great ability and on theological and metaphysical subjects had few superiors and not many equals.
truthfulness was a prominent trait in mr. lincoln's character, and it would be impossible for any intimate friend of his to believe that he ever aimed to deceive, either by his words or his conduct.
yours truly,
john t. stuart.
similar testimony, to the extent of a page or more of finely printed matter, mr. lamon attributes to col. jas. h. matheny, of springfield, ill., an old acquaintance of mr. lincoln, an able lawyer and of high standing in the community. mr. matheny testifies that he never wrote a word of what is attributed to him; that it is not a fair representation of either his language or his opinions, and that he never would have allowed such an article to be published as covering his estimate of mr. lincoln's life and character. here is what this gentleman has to say, given over his own signature:—
springfield, dec. 16th, 1872.
rev. j. a. reed:
dear sir—the language attributed to me in lamon's book is not from my pen. i did not write it, and it does not express my sentiments of mr. lincoln's entire life and character. it is a mere collection of[pg 321] sayings gathered from private conversations that were only true of mr. lincoln's earlier life. i would not have allowed such an article to be printed over my signature as covering my opinion of mr. lincoln's life and religious sentiments. while i do believe mr. lincoln to have been an infidel in his former life, when his mind was as yet unformed, and his associations principally with rough and skeptical men, yet i believe he was a very different man in later life; and that after associating with a different class of men, and investigating the subject, he was a firm believer in the christian religion.
yours truly,
jas. h. matheny.
it is unnecessary that i occupy more space with the rest of the testimony, as there is none of it given over the signature of anybody, save that which is given over the signature of w. h. herndon. all aside from this bears evidence of having been manipulated to suit the purpose for which it is wanted, and is either contradictory, or fails to cover the whole of mr. lincoln's life. judge davis, for instance, is made to say: "i don't know anything about lincoln's religion, nor do i think anybody else knows anything about it." of what value can the testimony be that is prefaced with such declarations of knowing nothing about the matter?
john g. nicolay is made to testify, that "to his knowledge mr. lincoln did not change his views after he came to washington"; and yet he states in immediate connection that "he does not know what his views were, never having heard him explain them."
jesse w. fell either testifies, or is made to testify, to mr. lincoln's skeptical notions. and yet mr. fell admits that it "was eight or ten years previous to his death" that he believed him to be entertaining the views of which he speaks, "and that he may have changed his sentiments after his removal from among us." all this would be strange kind of testimony on which to convict mr. lincoln of murder in the presence of a judge and jury. but with such evidence it is sought to convict him of infidelity.
we are enabled to see, therefore, in the light of this revelation, of what "trustworthy materials" this book is composed; how much mr. lamon's "names and dates and authorities, by which he strengthens his testimony," are to be depended upon; and what reason unsuspecting or sympathizing critics and journalists have for arriving at the sage conclusion that mr. lincoln "was, in his habit of thought, heterodox in the extreme to the close of his life, and a very different man from what he was[pg 322] supposed to be." the evidence of this book, so far as the prominent witnesses are concerned, and so far as it relates to the later years of mr. lincoln's life, is not only utterly untrustworthy, but even an ingenious and romantic invention.
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. gideon welles, formerly secretary of the navy, in a recent article in the galaxy, in accounting for the late and peculiar manifestation of faith which mr. lincoln exhibited, says: "it was doubtless to be attributed in a great measure to the absence of early religious culture—a want of educational advantages in his youthful frontier life." this, together with the fact that his youth and early manhood were spent chiefly among a rough, illiterate and skeptical class of people, is amply confirmed by mr. lamon's narrative.
on the same authority it appears that mr. lincoln had in his former life read but few books, and that everything he had read, of an intellectual character, bearing on the truth of the bible, was of an infidel sort. 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. the men by whom he was surrounded in his earlier life, it seems, kept him well supplied with their kind of literature. he was familiar with some of the master spirits of infidelity and theism, but had never grappled with the evidences of christianity as presented by the great defenders of the christian faith.
but then mr. lincoln's mind was of too much greatness and intellectual candor to remain the victim of a false theory in the presence of clear and sufficient intellectual testimony. and he no sooner, in the providence of god, was placed in possession of the truth, and led to investigate for himself, than he stood firmly and avowedly on the side of the christian religion.
[pg 323]
in proof of this statement, i first of all produce the testimony of rev. dr. smith, mr. lincoln's pastor at springfield. in relation to mr. lincoln's opinion of dr. smith, it is only necessary for me to state that he stood so high in his esteem, that he gave him the appointment of consul to glasgow. dr. smith was in scotland at the time of mr. lincoln's death, and soon after this sad event, mr. herndon conceived the notion of collecting materials for his intended biography. he accordingly addressed a letter to dr. smith in scotland, with the view of getting some information from so respectable a source to prove that mr. lincoln had died an infidel. in this however he was mistaken, to his evident chagrin and disappointment. i shall give some extracts from dr. smith's printed letter, which is to be found in the springfield journal of march, 1867, in which he gives his opinion of both mr. herndon and mr. lincoln.
east cainno, scotland, 24th jan. 1867.
w. h. herndon, esq.:
sir—your letter of the 20th dec. was duly received. in it you ask me to answer several questions in relation to the illustrious president abraham lincoln. with regard to your second question, i beg leave to say it is a very easy matter to prove that while i was pastor of the first presbyterian church of v 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. i am constrained, however, most respectfully to decline choosing you as the medium through which such a communication shall be made by me. [omitting that portion of the letter which bears on mr. herndon, i give what is written in vindication of mr. lincoln.—j. a. r.] my intercourse with abraham lincoln convinced me that he was not only an honest man, but pre?minently an upright man—ever ready, so far as in his power, to render unto all their dues.
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. i could say much more on this subject, but as you are the person addressed, for the present i decline. the assassin booth, by his diabolical act, unwittingly sent the illustrious martyr to glory, honor, and immortality; but his false friend has attempted to send him down to posterity with infamy branded on his forehead, as a man who,[pg 324] notwithstanding all he suffered for his country's good, was destitute of those feelings and affections without which there can be no real excellency of character. sir, i am with due respect your obedient servant,
jas. smith.
n.b.—it will no doubt be gratifying to the friends of christianity to learn that very shortly after mr. lincoln became a member of my congregation, at my request, in the presence of a large assembly at the annual meeting of the bible society of springfield, he delivered an address the object of which was to inculcate the importance of having the bible placed in possession of every family in the state. in the course of it he drew a striking contrast between the decalogue and the moral codes of the most eminent lawgivers of antiquity, and closed (as near as i can recollect) in the following language: "it seems to me that nothing short of infinite wisdom could by any possibility have devised and given to man this excellent and perfect moral code. it is suited to men in all conditions of life and includes all the duties they owe to their creator, to themselves, and to their fellow-men."
j. s.
mr. lamon, aware of the importance of dr. smith's testimony, attempts to break the force of it by the argumentum ad nauseam. he alludes to dr. smith as a gentleman of "slender abilities for the conversion of so distinguished a person, and as having in his zeal composed a heavy tract out of his own head to suit the particular case, and that he afterwards drew the acknowledgment from mr. lincoln that it was unanswerable," and that he himself is the only man that can testify of such an admission on the part of mr. lincoln. this is all the gratuitous assertion of a man who is driven to the wall for evidence to prove his point. now john t. stuart has already testified to dr. smith's abilities as a theologian and a metaphysician having few superiors. he testifies to the fact that dr. smith's work was not written to suit mr. lincoln's case. it was written previously, before dr. smith ever saw mr. lincoln. nor is it true that dr. smith is the only one who can testify to an admission on the part of mr. lincoln of a change of sentiments. there are many residents of springfield, both ladies and gentlemen, who can testify to this admission. i give one or two letters as a sample.
springfield, dec. 24th, 1872.
rev. jas. 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.
[pg 325]
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, &c.,
thos. lewis.
there are many others who can testify that mr. lincoln, both publicly and privately while at springfield, made the admission of his belief in the truth of the christian religion. he did it in most unequivocal language, in addresses before the bible society and in sabbath school.
i next refer to the testimony of rev. dr. gurley, mr. lincoln's pastor at washington city. even if, before his election to the presidency, mr. lincoln had entertained the sentiments attributed to him, after he had reached the pinnacle of political elevation, there was certainly no necessity for him any longer to be "playing a sharp game with the christians," and destroying his peace of mind by wearing the mask of hypocrisy. he was surely free now to worship where he felt most comfortable. but we no sooner find him in washington than we find him settling down under the ministry of dr. gurley, a sound and orthodox minister of the gospel of jesus christ. dr. gurley was his intimate friend, and spiritual counselor and adviser, during the most trying and difficult time of his life. he was with him not only in the hours of his personal family bereavement, but when his heart was heavy and perplexed with the welfare of his country. having been associated with dr. gurley in the charge of his pulpit for a time previous to his death, and being intimately acquainted with him, i have had the opportunity of knowing what his views of mr. lincoln's sentiments were. in the funeral oration which dr. gurley delivered in washington, he says:
"probably since the days of washington no man was ever so deeply and firmly embedded and enshrined in the hearts of the people as abraham lincoln. nor was it a mistaken confidence and love. he deserved it—deserved it all. he merited it by his character, by his acts, and by the whole tone and tenor[pg 326] of his life.... his integrity was thorough, all-pervading, all-controlling and incorruptible. he saw his duty as the chief magistrate of a great and imperiled people, and he determined to do his duty, seeking the guidance, and leaning on the arm of him of whom it is written: 'he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.'
"never shall i forget the emphatic and deep emotion with which he said in this very room, to a company of clergymen who called to pay their respects to him in the darkest days of our civil conflict: 'gentlemen, my hope of success in this struggle rests on that immutable foundation, the justness and the goodness of god; and when events are very threatening i shall hope that in some way all will be well in the end, because our cause is just and god will be on our side.'"
this was uttered when dr. gurley was not aware, as i suppose, that mr. lincoln had ever been charged with entertaining infidel sentiments. while sitting in the study one day with him, conversing on mr. lincoln's character, i asked him about the rumor of his infidelity then being circulated by mr. herndon. he said, "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 teaching. 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 saviour, and if he was not deceived in himself, it was his intention soon to make a profession of religion." language to this effect mr. lincoln, it appears, used in conversation with other persons, and i refer next to the corroborating testimony of noah brooks, esq., now associated with the new york tribune. this gentleman has already published most interesting testimony in relation to mr. lincoln's religious sentiments in harper's monthly of july, 1865. in order that his testimony may be fully appreciated, i will here state, on the authority of a mutual friend, that "mr. brooks is himself an earnest christian man, and had the appointment of private secretary to the presi[pg 327]dent, to which office he would have acceded had mr. lincoln lived. he was so intimate with the president that he visited him socially at times when others were refused admission, took tea with the family, spending evenings with him, reading to him, and conversing with him freely on social and religious topics, and in my opinion knows more of the secret inner life and religious views of mr. lincoln, at least during the term of his presidency, than any man living." the following is a letter which i have received from mr. brooks in relation to his views of mr. lincoln's religious sentiments:
new york, dec. 31st, 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 saviour, 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.
the following extract i add also from mr. brooks's article in harper's monthly of july, 1865: "there was something touching in his childlike and simple reliance on divine aid, especially when in such extremities as he sometimes fell into; then, though prayer and reading the scriptures was his constant habit, he more earnestly than ever sought that strength which is promised when mortal help faileth. he said once, 'i have been many times driven to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that i had nowhere else to go. my own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that day.' at another time he said,
[pg 328]
'i am very sure that if i do not go away from here a wiser man, i shall go away a better man for having learned here what a very poor sort of a man i am.'"
mr. carpenter, author of six months in the white house, whose intimacy with mr. lincoln gives importance to his testimony, says that "he believed mr. lincoln to be a sincere christian," and among other proofs of it gives another well-authenticated admission (made by mr. lincoln to an estimable lady of brooklyn, laboring in the christian commission) of a change of heart, and of his intention at some suitable opportunity to make a profession of religion.
mr. newton bateman, superintendent of public instruction in the state of illinois, a gentleman of rare literary attainments, and of unquestionable veracity, has given very important testimony in relation to one particular point, more especially, mr. lincoln's belief in the divinity of jesus christ. both mr. herndon and mr. lamon persist in asserting that mr. lincoln never used the name of jesus christ except to deny his divinity, and that mr. bateman is "the sole and only man who dare say that mr. lincoln believed jesus christ to be the son of god."
mr. bateman testifies that in 1860, mr. lincoln in conversation with him used the following language: "i know that 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 and a work for me, and i think he has, i believe i am ready. i am nothing, but truth is everything. i know i am right, because i know that liberty is right, for christ teaches it and christ is god. i have told them a house divided against itself cannot stand; and christ and reason say the same, and they will find it so," &c. this testimony was originally given in holland's life of lincoln. mr. herndon, at first unwilling to impeach mr. bateman's veracity, suggests a doubt "whether he is correctly reported in holland's history"; presently, however, summoning courage, he ventures the affirmation: "on my word the world may take it for granted that holland is wrong; that he does not state mr. lincoln's views correctly." he then goes on to say that "between himself and dr. holland, mr. bateman is not in a very pleasant situation." we have seen, however, that mr. herndon's "word," in a matter where his prejudices are so violent and his convictions so obstinate, is hardly a sufficient denial with which to oppose the deliberate[pg 329] and unretracted statement of an intelligent and reputable witness. and mr. bateman has no need to be disturbed, so long as the "unpleasantness" of his situation is occasioned by no more serious discomfort than mr. herndon's unsupported contradiction. as the matter now stands, mr. herndon offers a denial, based on general impressions as to mr. lincoln's character, against the direct, specific, and detailed testimony of a careful and competent man as to what he heard with his own ears. mr. herndon simply did not hear what mr. bateman did hear; and is in the position of that irishman on trial for his life, who, when one witness swore directly that he saw the accused commit the crime, proposed to put upon the stand a dozen witnesses who could swear they did not see him.
mr. lamon also states that mr. bateman is a respectable citizen, whose general reputation for truth and veracity is not to be impeached, but his story, as reported in holland's life of lincoln, is so inconsistent with mr. lincoln's whole character that it must be rejected as altogether incredible. unfortunately, however, for mr. lamon, he has not so impressed us with the trustworthy nature of the materials of his own book, as that we can afford to distrust the honesty and integrity of either dr. holland or mr. bateman for his sake. if anybody's story of mr. lincoln's life and sentiments is to be "rejected as inconsistent and altogether incredible," the testimony thus far would seem to indicate that it is mr. lamon's story. at least that is the "unpleasant situation" in which we shall leave the matter, so far as mr. bateman and dr. holland are concerned in it.
but mr. bateman is not the only one who can testify that mr. lincoln did use the name of the saviour, and believed him to be the christ of god. i have given several instances already in which he used the name of christ as his saviour, and avowed that he loved him. moreover, he could not have avowed his belief in the truth of the christian religion, as many witnesses testify, if he did not believe jesus to be the christ of god.
to the various testimony which we have thus far cited it only remains for me to add the testimony of his own lips. in his address to the colored people of baltimore, on the occasion of the presentation of a copy of the bible, mr. lincoln said: "in regard to this great book, i have only to say, it is the best gift which god has ever given to man. all the good from[pg 330] the saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book."
to the hon. h. c. deming, of connecticut, he said that the "article of his faith was contained in the saviour's condensed statement of both law and gospel—'thou shalt love the lord thy god with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.'"
mr. herndon affirms that mr. lincoln did not believe in the "christian dogma of the forgiveness of sin": he believed that "god would not and could not forgive sin. he did not believe in forgiveness through christ, nor in fact in any doctrine of forgiveness. in reading mr. lincoln's proclamations, however, we find that he does very distinctly recognize the doctrine of the forgiveness of sin on the part of god, and very earnestly implores the people to seek the forgiveness of their sins. in his proclamation of a fast day, august, 1861, are these words:
"and, whereas, it is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the supreme government of god; to bow in humble submission to his chastisements; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions, in the full conviction that the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom, and to pray with all fervency and contrition for the pardon of their past offenses, and for a blessing on their present and prospective action," etc.
read also his proclamation enforcing the observance of the christian sabbath in the army and navy, and ask yourself, could an infidel have done this?
the president, commander-in-chief of the army and navy, desires and enjoins the orderly observance of the sabbath by the officers and men in the military and naval service. the importance for man and beast of the prescribed weekly rest, the sacred rights of christian soldiers and sailors, a becoming deference to the best sentiment of a christian people, and a due regard for the divine will, demand that sunday labor in the army and navy be reduced to the measure of a strict necessity. the discipline and character of the national forces should not suffer, nor the cause they defend be imperiled, by the profanation of the day and the name of the most high. at this time of public distress, adopting the words of washington in 1776, "men may find enough to do in the service of god and their country without abandoning themselves to vice and immorality." the first general order issued by the father of his country, after the declaration of independence, indicates the spirit in which our institutions were founded and should ever be defended: "the general hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country."
abraham lincoln.
[pg 331]
besides all this, we find mr. lincoln often using the very language of the saviour, as not only expressing but giving the sanction of divine authority to his own views and opinions. what a remarkable instance of it in the solemn words that fell from his lips in his last inaugural, as he stood on the steps of the capitol! standing upon the verge of his grave, as he was that day, and addressing his last official words to his countrymen, his lips touched as with the finger of inspiration, he said:
"the almighty has his own purposes. 'woe unto the world because of offenses, for it must needs be that offenses will come; but woe unto the man by whom the offense cometh.' if we shall suppose that american slavery is one of these offenses which, in the providence of god, must needs come, but which, having continued through his appointed time, he now wills to remove, and that he gives to both north and south this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern any departure therein from those divine attributes which the believers in a living god always ascribe to him? fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that the mighty scourge of war may pass away. yet if god will that it continue until all the wealth piled 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 with another drawn by the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so must it still be said, 'the judgments of the lord are true and righteous altogether.'"
thus it appears, that whether mr. lincoln was ever accustomed to blaspheme the name of jesus christ or not, or whether he was ever accustomed to deny his divinity or not, as his defamers allege, he is willing, in the last eventful days of his life, standing at the nation's capitol, in the hearing of the swelling multitude that hangs upon his lips, to use the sanction of divine authority to one of the most remarkable sentences of his official address.
hon. isaac n. arnold, of chicago, an intimate acquaintance of mr. lincoln, and who is engaged in a review of his work on mr. lincoln's life, writes me that "from the time he left springfield, with the touching request for the prayers of his friends and neighbors, to the day of his death, his words were the words of a christian, revering the bible, and obeying its precepts. a[pg 332] spirit of reverence and deep religious feeling pervades nearly all the public utterances and state papers of his later life."
the following interesting testimony from rev. dr. byron sunderland, of the first presbyterian church of washington city, gives us a little insight into the philosophy of mr. lincoln's mind and religious sentiments:
washington city, nov. 15th, 1872.
rev. jas. a. reed:
dear bro.—it was in the last days of 1862, about the time mr. lincoln was seriously contemplating the issuing of the emancipation proclamation, that i, in company with some friends of the president, called upon him. 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. he began by saying—
"the ways of god are mysterious and profound beyond all comprehension—'who by searching can find him out?' now, judging after the manner of men, taking counsel of our sympathies and feelings, if it had been left to us to determine it, we would have had no war. and going further back to the occasion of it, we would have had no slavery. and tracing it still further back, we would have had no evil. there is the mystery of the universe which no man can solve, and it is at that point that the human understanding utterly backs down. and then there is nothing left but for the heart of man to take up faith and believe and trust where it cannot reason. now, i believe we are all agents and instruments of divine providence. on both sides we are working out the will of god; yet how strange the spectacle! here is one half the nation prostrated in prayer that god will help them to destroy the union and build up a government upon the cornerstone of human bondage. and here is the other half equally earnest in their prayers and efforts to defeat a purpose which they regard as so repugnant to their ideas of human nature and the rights of society, as well as liberty and independence. they want slavery; we want freedom. they want a servile class; we want to make equality practical as far as possible. and they are christians, and we are christians. they and we are praying and fighting for results exactly the opposite. what must god think of such a posture of affairs? there is but one solution—self-deception. somewhere there is a fearful heresy in our religion, and i cannot think it lies in the love of liberty and in the aspirations of the human soul.
"what i am to do in the present emergency time will determine. i hold myself in my present position and with the authority vested in me as an instrument of providence. i have my own views and purposes, i have my convictions of duty, and my notions of what is right to be done. but i am conscious every moment that all i am and all i have is subject to the control of a higher power, and that power can use me or not use me in any manner, and at any time, as in his wisdom and might may be pleasing to him.
"nevertheless, i am no fatalist. i believe in the supremacy of the human conscience, and that men are responsible beings; that god has a right to hold them, and will hold them, to a strict personal account for the deeds done in the body. but, sirs, i do not mean to give you a lecture upon the doctrines of the christian religion. these are simply with me the convictions and realities of great and vital truths, the[pg 333] power and demonstration of which i see now in the light of this our national struggle as i have never seen before. god only knows the issue of this business. he has destroyed nations from the map of history for their sins. nevertheless my hopes prevail generally above my fears for our own republic. the times are dark, the spirits of ruin are abroad in all their power, and the mercy of god alone can save us."
so did the president discourse until we felt we were imposing on his time, and rising we took our leave of him, confident that he would be true to those convictions of right and duty which were derived from so deep a christian philosophy.
yours truly,
byron sunderland.
the rev. dr. miner, pastor of the first baptist church of springfield, who was intimately acquainted with mr. lincoln, and visited him and his family in washington previous to his death, has left most interesting testimony in reference to mr. lincoln's religious sentiments, confirmatory of what has been given, and which is preserved in the archives of the university of chicago. dr. miner sums up his impressions of mr. lincoln as follows: "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." and here i would relate an incident which occurred on the 4th of march, 1861, as told me by mrs. lincoln. said she: "mr. lincoln wrote the conclusion of his inaugural address the morning it was delivered. the family being present, he read it to them. he then said he wished to be left alone for a short time. the family retired to an adjoining room, but not so far distant but that the voice of prayer could be distinctly heard. there, closeted with god alone, surrounded by the enemies who were ready to take his life, he commended his country's cause and all dear to him to god's providential care, and with a mind calmed with communion with his father in heaven, and courage equal to the danger, he came forth from that retirement ready for duty."
with such testimony, gathered from gentlemen of the highest standing, and much more that i could add to confirm it, i leave the later life and religious sentiments of abraham lincoln to[pg 334] the dispassionate and charitable judgment of a grateful people. 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. he did not ignore a relation to the christian church as an obsolete duty and an unimportant matter. how often do we hear him thanking god for the churches! and he was fast bringing his life into conformity to the christian standard. the coarse story-telling of his early days was less indulged in in his later life. hon. isaac n. arnold, and mr. carpenter, as well as mr. lincoln's physician at washington, dr. stone, all testify that "while his stories and anecdotes were racy, witty, and pointed beyond all comparison," yet they "never heard one of a character needing palliation or excuse." his physician, dr. stone, testifies that "mr. lincoln was the purest-hearted man he ever came in contact with."
his disposition to attend the theater in later life (if to anyone it seems to need apology) was not so much a fondness for the playhouse as a relief from his mental anxiety, and an escape from the incessant pressure of visitors at the white house. "it is a well-known fact," says dr. miner, "that he would not have been at the theater on that fatal night, but to escape the multitude who were that evening pressing into the white house to shake hands with him. it has been said that mrs. lincoln urged her husband to go to the theater against his will. this is not true. on the contrary, she tried to persuade him not to go, but he insisted. he said, 'i must have a little rest. a large and overjoyed, excited people will visit me tonight. my arms are lame by shaking hands with the multitude, and the people will pull me to pieces.' he went to the theater, not because he was interested in the play, but because he was care-worn and needed quiet and repose. mrs. lincoln informed me that he seemed to take no notice of what was going on in the theater from the time he entered it till the discharge of the fatal pistol. she said that the last day he lived was the happiest of his life. the very last moments of his conscious life were spent in conversation with her about his future plans, and what he wanted to do when his term of office expired. he said he wanted to visit the holy land and see the places hallowed by the foot[pg 335]prints of the saviour. he was saying there was no city he so much desired to see as jerusalem; and with that word half spoken on his tongue, the bullet of the assassin entered his brain, and the soul of the great and good president was carried by angels to the new jerusalem above."
