benjamin f barrett and john h heywood a tribute to the memory of james h perkins cincinnati 1850

7/28/2019 Benjamin F Barrett and John H Heywood A TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY of JAMES H PERKINS Cincinnati 1850

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-A TRIBUTE

TO THE MEMORY OFJAMES H. PERKINS.. I"

(Publlabed by Request or bi Frlendl.)

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.A. DISCOURSE

ON THE OCCASION OF

THE DEATH OF JAMES H. PERKINS,DELIVERED IN

THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

OF C I N C I 1 ' ~ T I ,

ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER !23, 1849.

BY REV. JOHN H. HEYWOOD,Pastor of the Unitarian Church at Louisville, Ky.

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CINCINNATI:WRIGHT, FERRIS di: CO. PRINTERS.

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6the depths of a lowly and conscientious spirit, a spirit whichjudged itself by no varying human standard, but by the everlasting, unchanging standard of God, and which, from itskeenness of perception, and its evident sensitiveness, I shouldtear might be self-reproachful and distrustful, almo!lt to morbidness.

" Touched and impressed by the devotional exercise whichhad revealed to me a spirit of uncommon delicacy and purity,I looked forward to the discourse with eager interest, confidentthat it would disclose an intellect of correspondent beauty.The text chosen for his theme showed that we were not tohave a discussion upon any subject of abstract or metaphysicalnature, but upon one of altogether a practical character. 'TheClaims of the Poor' was the subject which the text introduced.But few words had been uttered before I perceived that thesubject, though familiar as household words, was in the handsof one by whom it would be invested with deep interest.The speaker was evidently a thinker; a profound, earnest,fearless, original t h i n ~ . His thoughts, striking and vigorous, were presented inlanguage of crystal clearness, throughwhich they shone without distortion or exaggeration. Hemanifested a power of analysis, such as I have never witnessedin the pulpit, by which he was enabled to penetrate, as byintuition, to the very heart of the subject and lay it open tothe apprehension even of a child ; and though he spoke withoutnotes, there was no indistinctness of thought, no repetition orinaccuracy of language. Every thought, fully formed, appeared in its own appropriate place and occupied the most effectiveposition. His discourse was as methodical in its arrangement,as exact in expression, as if it had been most elaborately finished and yet there was a glow, an unction about it, which indicated the working of mind at the time of utteranc, eand whichshowed that it came all fresh and living from the heart.

" While observing and admiring the extraordinary intellectual power of the speaker, one could not but be impressed withhis perfect simplicity. He spoke as if utterly unconscious ofany thing remarkable either in thought or expression. Selfwas evidently forgotten. He thought only of his subject and

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7of the poor for whom he plead. And how earnest was hispleading. He spoke, not as one who felt a sentimental interest in the poor, not as one who would speak for them on theSabbath and forget them on the other days of the week, but asone whose heart bled for them, who had perfect knowledge,from personal observation and familiar intercourse, of theirsufferings, temptations, and wrongs, and as one who wouldspare no time, expense, or toil in securing their well-being.

" It was to me a beautiful sight, a sight of moral sublimity,to behold one of such gifted mind consecrating his powers tothe promotion of the happiness of his neglected and unfortunate brother-man. I know not what may be the theologicalviews of this man; I know not what opinions he may hold inregard to the nature of Christ; but this I do know, that no onecould speak for the cause of humanity as he spoke, who didnot possess the spirit of Christ, whose heart did not beat inunison with the heart of his Divine Master; and this, too, Iknow, that one possessed of an intellect of such depth andclearness and of a spirit so lowly and j ~ t could never be a sec-tarian or a bigot." -- Such, we may imagine, to have been the impressionsof a stranger, who two weeks since listened to our departedbrother.

Would not such an impression have been just? Was he notof a most lowly and conscientious spirit, which bowed in allreverence b e f o r e ~ the majesty of God and the sacredness ofduty, and was keenly, painfully alive to every real or imagined defect ? Had he not an intellect of extraordinary clearness, power, and beauty, of singular richness and originality,of judicial candor and impartiality,an intellect, whose clearnessof perception no mists of sophistry, no clouds of self interestcould dim, and which, under the guidance of the most generous Christian spirit, sought and accepted the element of truthin every opinion, and the element of good in every sect anddenomination?

Such an intellect, we know, is not always understood norappreciated. To the careless observer its workings may seemto indicate irregularity and self-contradiction, for a mind of this

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8order must progress; and, accompanied by a spirit unfalteringlyloyal to truth and duty, it will never shrink from declaringthe results which it reaches, however those results may exposeit to the charge of vacillation and inconsistency. But whothat has the privilege of intimate acquaintance with such amind does not regard it as one of God's rarest, most preciousgifts to man?

And the benevolence of our brother, was it not as remarkable for its constancy and its efficiency, as his intellect wasfor its fairness and its power? Reserved though he might beto others, to the poor he was open, affable, and cordial. Charyof his time, when asked for calls of ceremony or by thosewhose circumstances seemed not to demand attention, he heldno time too sacred or valuable to be freely, ungrudgingly givento the humblest outcast, the most degraded of human kind.Fond as he was of intellectual culture, he murmured not atany interruption of his studies, if there was want to be relieved,weakness to be strengthened, or woe to be consoled. In himthe spirit of the age, which seeks to show its faith in thefatherhood of God by.W:s recognition of the brotherhood ofman, was manifested riot in impracticable schemes for theinstant and entire re-organization of society, but in plans welldevised and well executed, by which immediate relief could begiven to suffering, and future suffering be prevented. His be-nevolence was as wise as it was diffusive; for its. aim was,not by lavish and indiscriminate charity to ma,ke exertion lessneedful to the poor, but by kindly and judicious aid at theright moment to help them to become self-helpers; and itsdiffusiveness we see not only in labors in behalf of the poorbut in labors unwearied and cheerful in behalf of every institution calculated to advance the well-being of this city or thecause of humanity.

Would not, I ask again, the impressions of the strangerhave been just? Have we not in the services of that Sabbatha manifestation of the man, an emblem and epitome of hislife? In the consecrated church, on the day set apart forChristian worship, in the name of religion, in the spirit ofJesus, he plead the cause of the poor with all the power and

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9energy of a mind, which never seemed so powerful, so energetic and effective as when pleading their cause. The consecration of all one's powers, in the spirit of Christ, to the welfare of mankind-this is the lesson taught by the services ofthat day, and is it not the lesson impressed in letters of livinglight upon every page of the rich and soul-illumined volume ofhis life?

The services of that day, which so strikingly revealedand so perfectly harmonized with the character of the life ofour brother, were the last services in which he was to engagein the church below. Before another Sabbath came, the earthly labors of the devoted man had ceased; his wearied andover-tasked powers had found rest.

It seems to us a dark and mysterious decree of Providenceby which one so gifted, so useful, and so beloved, should beso early and suddenly removed ; removed, too, from a worldwhich never had more need of wise, far-seeing minds andgenerous hearts than at the present time.

It is a mysterious dispensation. But when is death notmysterious? Come when it may al'!d as it may, heralded bylong protracted disease, or silently and without warning, itspresence is always shrouded in mystery, if not in gloom.

Who has ever beheld the pale messenger enter his home tobear away with him the loved and cherished one, withoutsadness and awe ? Be our faith in immortality strong as itmay, and our confidence in the Divine wisdom and goodnessundoubting and entire, the change from life to death, fromlife with its activity and earnestness, its speaking lip and itssoul-beaming eye, to death so calm, so solemnly still, is sogreat, that we cannot view it except in awe. When God seesfit to remove the objects of reverence and love, around whomour heart's tendrils are entwined, we may be resigned to hiswill as the will of infinite wisdom and more than parentaltenderness, and we may feel that for those beloved ones thechange from earth's cold and often blighting atmosphere toheaven's genial air is blissful ; yet if it were left to us to saywhen they should depart, 0, who could pronounce the farewell word? When, 0, when, could we find an hour in which

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10to untwine the tendrils of affection from the dearly beloved andbid them go even to the blessedness of heaven? Never, never;and our Father in mercy spares us that trial. He, who seesthe end from the beginning, who knows what is for our good,at the fitting moment, not sooner, not later, sends forth hismessenger not in coldness and anger, but in gentleness andlove, and bids him bear the loved one home.

Be it ever remembered, that however untimely death mayseem to us, it is not untimely to God; and when hereafter,from His point of view, he shall permit us to look down uponthe scenes and events of earth, we shall behold all things inperfect harmony. To one standing itpon the lofty heights andenjoying the clear vision of heaven, the landscape of earthwill present a far different appearance from that which itwears now; and then its gloomy valleys will be found as essential as its sun-lit mountains, to the perfectness of the scene.We know, as has been beautifully said by the poet, whoseown mind at times was overshadowed by the cloud of life'sdarkest mystery, that

.."God moves in .ii. mysterious way,His wonders to perform ;"

And we know, too, that though" Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan his work in vain,God is his own interpreterAnd he will make it plain."

Father in heaven! Help us always to bow in childlikefaith before thy will, and patiently wait for thine own interpretation of thy works and ways.We mourn the departure of our friend, because taken in thevery prime of life, and while we regarded him as still young.The years of his pilgrimage were indeed few, but if we measure age not by the flight of time, but by growth of mind, byearnestness and vigor of thought, and by active usefulness,few there are, even of those whose heads are white with thesnows of age, who have lived as long as he. Think of thatwonderful mental discipline by which at any time he could

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11abstract himself from the world, and concentrate all the powers of his mind upon the subject before him, holding it in hisfirm grasp, and wrestling with it as the patriarch wrestled withthe angel, until the blessing asked was obtained, and the subject yielded itself wholly to his power; think of the attainments, rare and varied, with which that discipline caused hismind to be enriched; of the memory, capacious and retentive,which suffered nothing committed to its keeping to be lost; ofthat spiritual generosity which, instead of hoarding its mentalriches with miserly care, scattered them broad-cast to blesswhoever they might; of that practical wisdom by which hisintellectual treasures, though freely dispensed, were not prodigally wasted, but employed so as to produce thirty, sixty, oran hundred fold of good ; think of' these things, and tell mewhere is there one, who, though his frame may tremble underthe weight of four-score years, has lived longer than he, orborne to the spiritual world greater maturity of' mind, or moreripened sffections.

But will you say, that his very richness of' mind and capacity of usefulness only make our loss the greater? True, Iknow that the loss is great, unutterably great, to his family,to the wide circle of' admiring and loving friends, to theChurch, to the whole community; but consider, dear friends,for we must not suffer sorrow to render us selfish, whether thedeparture of our brother, though a loss to us, is not a gain tohim. To him, in the language of the heroic apostle, to livecertainly was Christ, for in the spirit of that Master whom herevered, he meekly went about doing good, making his lifefragrant with Christlike benevolence; and may we not confidently trust that to him to die is gain? He no longer suffersfrom the fearful pains which, from their frequency and se-verity, at times rendered existence almost a burden; nor fromthat sadness and despondency consequent upon physical suf-fering and infirmity, which often covered his firmament withmidnight gloom. He is now where the buoyancy of hisspirit will be unrepressed, where he will no longer be disheartened by the slow progress of good in its conflict with evil.

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12He is where he will be enabled to see that his earnest efforts,which, sometimes to his self-distrustful soul, seemed almostuseless, were never made in vain. He has entered the spiritualrealm, not as a stranger, but as one whose singleness andtransparency of spirit, whose humility and fidelity, have prepared him to find that world a home. In the clear atmos.-phere of the Spirit-land things will be seen by him as theyare, in essential nature and without disguise; and there hewill find a solution of the great problem in which he wasdeeply interested,-the problem of genuine Christian union.There he will find the true-hearted and the good of everyclime and every name, no longer separated by misunderstandings and doctrinal disagreement, but drawn together in onenessof heart, and worshiping God, not as believers merely, but aschildren and brethren, in that perfect love which casts out fear,and reveals the dread Sovereign as a Father all gracious andbenign. Is not our loss our brother's gain? We will not,then, repine; but, though our tears may not cease to fall forourselves, we will be grateful for his blessedness.

And, dear friends, let us bear in mind, that, though removedfrom sight, our brother is still with us. He is with us in thewords of wisdom which he ceaselessly uttered; words whichhave not vaniEhed into thin air, but in the halls of many amind are still sounding their clarion-call to earnestness andactive usefulness. He is with us in his living thoughts, whichfoll upon the soil of many a heart, not to wither and die, butto germinate and produce in due time rich harvests of beneficence. He is with us in the lesson of Christian fidelity sonobly taught in his whole-souled consecration to the good ofhis fellow-beings, of talents and attainments which, had famebeen his idol, might have placed his name high upon her starcrowned register in any department of science or literature.And may he not, though invisible to mortal eye, still bewith us personally? He will doubtless continue to feel a deepinterest in all that was dear to him here, and may he not, under God's providence, be the unseen but active agent of goodto. those whom he loved on earth, and whom he surely willnot forget in heaven? How sweetly accordant with this hope

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13are the thoughts so touchingly expressed by him m his lineson Spiritual Presence:

" It is a beautiful beliefThat ever round our headAre hovering on noiseless wingThe spirits of the dead.It is a beautiful belief,When ended our career,That it will be our ministryTo watch o'er others here;To lend a moral to the flower,Breathe wisdom on the wind,To hold commune at night's lone hour;With the imprisoned mind ;To bid the mourner cease to mourn,The trembling be forgiven;To bear away from ills of clay,The infant to its heaven.Ah! when delight was found in life,And joy in every breath,I cannot tell how terribleThe mystery of death.But now the past is bright to me,And all the future clear,For 'tis my faith that after death,l still shall linger here."

Precious is the faith which unites friends by ties overwhich death has no power. Precious, invaluable, is thefaith which brings the immortal world near to our hearts andour homes. This faith be ours. Let us with. spiritual eyediscern the heavenly mansion, and with the Divine aid makeadmission to its blessedness, the great object of life. Withthis object before us, life will be intensely interesting. In itsduties and labors there will be nothing low or degrading:

" Some softeuing gleam of love and prayerWill hallow every scene of earthly care."

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14Life's affections will continually become purer, tenderer, andmore soul-satisfying, for you know that"Old friends will always dearer beAs more of heaven in each we see."Thus life will daily grow more and more beautiful. I t willbe earnest, serious, spiritual. It will not be haunted by thedreary consciousness of frivolity and uselessness, and everyday, faithfully, devoutly lived, will be attended with the sweetassurance that we are one day nearer Jwme. And when theday of days shall have come, when for us the Father's mansion shall open its doors, and we shall enter in, and shall hearthrilling words of welcome from the Saviour's lips, and shallsee the faces which once gladdened our earthly homes radiantwith more than earthly affection, and shall catch the words,whispered in tones of heavenly tenderness, "no more tearsnor sighing, no more separation nor death;" 0 ! then howgreat will be our gratitude and joy, that God enabled us tolive for heaven while living on earth. And then, as has beenwell said, " Oh, the truths we shall know of, the beauty weshall see, and the friends we shall have. At first, our everlasting life will be like a summer's day, so calm, and beautifuland long. But it will prove a day that will last on, and on,and on. And when no night comes, and we do not get weary,and all things keep on brightening about us, as the eyes ofour understanding open, then, little by little, we shall begin inawe and wonder to feel what it is to be immortal," and thenshall we fully appreciate the earnest words of St. Paul, that"to live is Christ, to die is gain."

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A SERMON ,ON THE OCCASION OF

THE DEATH OF JAMES H. PERKINS,

PREACHED IN THE NEW CHURCH TEMPLE,

ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1849.

BY B. F. BARRETT ,Pastor ofthe First Society of the New Church in Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI:WRIGHT, FERRIS & CO. PRINTERS.

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SERMON.

Rsv. XX. 12.-AND BEii.OLD, I CO'.'tlE QUICKLY; AND MY REWARD IS WITlllllE, TO GIVE KVBRY MAN ACCORDING AS HIS WORK SHALL B E . ~

He who spake these words is called in the next verse, the"Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First andthe Last." Therefore He must be the God of heaven andearth-the Creator of the Universe-the Father of our spirits.He is the Being worthy of our highest love and reverence;for He is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and these we cannottoo highly venerate.

In God, or in the divine idea, there is, properly speaking,no time. We cannot predicate age of the Divine Being.We cannot say of Him that He is young or old, nor thatHe was once younger than He is now. For He is Goodnessitself and Truth itself; and of these divine principles nothinglike age can be predicated. They are above the conditionsof time, as they are also above those of space.Neither does time belong to the spiritual world, nor to thespiritual sense of the Divine Word; for these approach theInfinite, the Absolute, the Perfect. Angels do not grow oldlike men, nor have they any idea of time such as men have ;but instead of time, they have state, for state in heaven corresponds to time on earth. Therefore all idea of time vanishesfrom the spiritual, which is also the heavenly, sense of theSacred Scripture ; and instead of it, there remains the idea ofstate.Quickly, which, in the natural sense, is a term that hasreference to time, denotes, according to the spiritual sense, astate of certainty. By the Lord's coming quickly, therefore,is denoted that He will cert.ainiy come.By the coming of the Lord referred to in the .text, is meantHis real, i. e. His true spiritual advent. We are not to under-

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18stand by i t an outward personal appearing manifest to our natural senses, but the coming of that which is the Lord himself,with power and glory ;- the coming, or glorious manifestation,of the divine truth and the divine goodness to the understandings and the hearts of men. This is the nature of that secondadvent of the Lord so often prophesied of in the New Testament. It is the advent of spiritual or divine truth from Himself; -o f truth, whose heavenly radiance alone can chasefrom human minds the clouds of ignorance, prejudice, superstition, and error, as the rising sun chases away the mists ofthe morning ; -o f truth, to illumine men's minds upon all subjects, religious, social, philosophical, moral, political, and industrial, and especially upon those subjects which most deeplyconcern us as spiritual and immortal beings. "Howbeitwhen He the spirit of truth is come, He will guide you intoall tmth." John xvi. 13.

The extraordinary impetus which the human mind hasreceived in its career of progress within the last century-thenumerous and wonderful discoveries which have been madein almost every department of human knowledge, and the general diffusion of a higher intelligence among all classes, proclaim that a new Light has dawned upon suffering humanity- tha t a new Sun has risen upon the moral world, beforewhose potent beams the mists of ignorance and error are gradually melting and fading away. That Sun is the Lord in hisDivine Humanity. That Light, which has been poured forthwith new and continually increasing effulgence upon the mindsof men for the last hundred years, is in consequence of therevelation of new and higher truth out of the Word of theLord-is itself the light of the New Dispensation. It is allfrom Him who is the True Light which enlighteneth everyman that cometh into the world. It is a manifestation of theLord in his promised second advent to the Church.But besides this second general advent or manifestation ofthe Lord to the minds of men on earth, there is a particularmanifestation of Himself to the mind of every individual whenhe enters the spiritual world. When man passes out of thenatural into the spiritual sphere, which takes place by that pro-

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19. cess which is called dyi,ng, he then comes more fully into thelight of God's countenance-into the light of the spiritualworld. He comes under the more direct influence of thebeams of the Spirituai. Sun; and through the quickening power of these beams, his moral or spiritual character-his interiorand real quality-his ruling love-is rapidl developed ; andwhen developed, it then plainly appears what is the quality ofthe man's life; for it is the real l ~ f e of the individual which isthus unfolded. It then appears what it is that he loves aboveall things, what it is that he delights in most, and what thingshave been nearest and dearest to his heart while he lived inthe natural sphere.Now the light of truth into which every one comes afterdeath, and by means of which his interior quality or ruling loveis distinctly revealed, is light from the Sun of the spiritual world. - l ight from the Lord. It is the Lord in his final advent tothat individual. It is the Lord come to him in judgment-come to perform a last judgment. And the opening andrevealing of his life's love through the powerful manifestationof truth to his mind is the judgment. For what else but truthfrom the Lord, who is Himself the eternal Word, is to be thefinal judge of every individual? " The Word that I havespoken," saith He who is the Truth itself, "the same shalljudge him in the last day." John xii. 48. And how can thetruth judge us except by making manifest our interior l ifeunfolding and revealing the quality of our ruling love?And as every individual must die as to the body, or passinto the spiritual world where his real character will be mademanifest by the light of Divine Truth, therefore the Lord willcertainly come to every individual in the manner just explained. Therefore the words "Behold, I come quickly,"according to their spiritual sense, are true in reference to eachindividual, as well as to the Church generally.

And my reward is with me to give every man according as hiswork 1ha11 !Je. The light and life of heaven, with their blessedness and delights, are all from the Lord, and are the Lordin men and angels. Hence the Lord himself is the exceeding great reward of all those, who, by their works, have

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20brought their minds into a state of spiritual nearness or like-ness to Him-into a state of conjunction with Him. Suchpersons are able to receive, and do receive; with affection, thedivine things which proceed from the Lord. And the morefull and perfect their works have been-their internal and s p i r ~itual works-their works of repentance, refonnation, and regen-eration-the more are they able to receive of the divine thingswhich proceed from the Lord, and the higher is the delightwhich they experience from the reception of them. Thus itis that the Lord's reward is with Him, to give to every manaccording to his works; for it is according to our works inthis world that we are able to receive the Lord so as to becomeeternally conjoined to Him in the spiritual world, and to en-joy that heavenly blessedness, which the voluntary receptionof his life alone can give. Swedenborg, in his exposition ofthis text, says:"By the Lord's saying and my reward u with me, is s i ~ i -fied that He himself is heaven and the felicity of eternal hfe;for reward is intrinsic beatitude, which is called peace, andconsequently external joy also: these are solely from the Lord,and the things which are from the Lord, not only are fromHim, but also are Himself; for a Lord cannot send forth anything from Himself except it be Himself; for He is omnipres-ent with every man according to conjunction, and conjunctionis according to reception, and reception is according to love

and wisdom, or, if you will, according to charity and faith,and charity and faith are according to 1ife, and lite is accord-ing to the abhorrence of what is evil and false, and the abhor-rence of what is evil and false, is according to the knowledgeof what is evil and false, and in such case, according as manperforms repentance, and at the same time looks to the Lord."Apoc. Rev. 649.Nothing can be more plainly taught in the Holy Scriptures

than this, viz. that every individual will be finally judged andrewarded according. to his works. "They that have donegood shall come forth unto the resurrection of life ; and theythat have done evil, unto the resurrection of condemnation.""Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever. I command you.""Jesus said, My mother and my brethren are these, who hearthe Word of God, and do it." "I will visit him according

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21to his ways, and recompense him a.ccording to his works.""Ye shall observe my statutes and my judgments, which, !faa man do, he shall. live by them." "Jehovah will give toevery one according to his ways, and according to the froit efhis works." To the angel of each of the Churches of Asia,the Lord says, "I know tliy work1." And when the bookswere opened, we are told that "the dead were judged out ofthose things which were written in the books, accmdmg totheir works." Such is the uniform language of the SacredScripture-language too plain to be misunderstood.But the works, according to which we are all to be finallyjudged, are internal and spiritual, as well as external and natural. They are the works which our spirits perform, thethoughts and affections which we indulge or deem allowable,the motives from which our outward actions uniformly proceed. Our works, viewed internally, as the Lord viewsthem, are of such a quality as are the affections or motivesfrom which they are performed ;-good, !f the C1Ul, aimed at,or the prompting .motive, be good; evil, if the motive be evil,or what is the same thing, be purely selfish. Swedenborgsays:

"By the deeds and works according to which man isjudged, are not meant deeds and works as they appear in theoutward form only, but also as they are internally and really;for every one knows that every deed and work proceeds fromman's will and thought. I f it were otherwise, they would bemere motions, like those of an automaton or image ; wherefore a deed or work, viewed in itself, is nothing but an effect,which derives its soul and life from the will and thought soperfectly, that it is will and thought in effect, or will andthought in an external form. Hence it follows, that such asthe will and thought are which produce a deed or work, suchalso is the deed or work. If the thought and will be good, thedeeds and works are good ; but if the thought and will be evil,the deeds and works are evil, although outwardly they mayappear the sarne."-Heaven and Hell, 472.

To say that we shall all be judged and rewarded accordingto our works, therefore, is the same as to say, that we shallbe judged and rewarded according to the motives from whichwe have unifonnly acted, the ends at which we have generally

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22aimed, the loves which we have habitually cherished; andthis again is the same as to say, that each one will take hisown life or ruling love with him into the other world, andthat this love, according to its quality, will be the measureof his capacity there to receive good or evil-the delights ofheaven or the miseries of hell.

I deem it not inappropriate to this place, nor to the train ofthought suggested by the text, to depart so far from my ordinary practice in the pulpit, as to pay a humble tribute of respect and affection to the memory of one who has recer.tlydeparted to the spiritual world, and who, though not connected with the New Church, has been long and favorablyknown to most, if not to all, of this congregation. I alludeto the Rev. James H. Perkins, whose recent and melancholydeath has brought sorrow to the hearts, and cast a gloom overthe countenances, of a large number of persons in this community. Were it not that I am, from principle, opposed to thevery idea of people mourning at any event of God's providence, and especially to their encouraging any such disposition by putting on mourning apparel, I should say, that ourentire city has seldom, perhaps never, had so good cause to goin mourning on account of the decease of a single individual,as it has now on account of the sudden removal of that excellent and noble-minded man, whose name I have just mentioned. I speak not of James H. Perkins, the Unitarian,(even he did not wish to be known by that name,) but of JamesH. Perkins the man, the sincere christian, the apostle ofcharity, the devoted philanthropist, the wise counsellor, thepoor man's friend, the kind intercessor of the widow and theorphan, the liberal patron and earnest advocate of every cause-which seemed to him in any way connected with the intellectual, moral, or social advancement of our city or our race.

The doctrines of the New Jerusalem teach us to look atmen and to judge of them, not from the name they bear, or theparticular religious sect to which they may chance to belong,but rather from the kind of life they live-from the natureof the fruits which they bring forth-from the quality of affec-

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23tion and thought which they uniformly exhibit-from the endsof life which they propose to themselves. For Emanuel Swe-.denborg says:-" I f love to the Lord and charity towards theneighbor were regarded as the essentials of all doctrine andworship, in this case the mind would be enlightened by innumerable things contained in the Word, which, otherwise lieconcealed in the obscurity of a false principle ; yea, in thiscase all heresies would be dissipated, and out of many therewould be formed one Church, however the doctrinals flowingfrom the above essentials, or leading thereto, and also therituals, might differ. Supposing this to be the case, allwould be governed as one man by the Lord, for all would beas members and organs of one body, which, although not ofsimilar forms, nor of similar functions, have nevertheless relation to one heart, on which they all and each depend in theirrespective forms; which are everywhere various: then everyone would say of another, in whatever doctrine, and in whatever external worship he might be, this is my brother; I seethat he worships the Lord, and that he is a good man."-Arcana. Cadestia. 2385.

Again, in the same work it is said:-" The severalChurches in the Christian world are distinguished by theirdoctrinals, and they hence call themselves Roman Catholics,Lutherans, Calvinists, or the Reformed and Evangelical Protestants, with many others. This distinction of names arisessolely from doctrinals, and would never have had place, ifthey had made love to the Lord, and charity towards theneighbor, the principal points of faith. Doctrinals wouldthen be only varieties of opinion concerning the mysteries offaith, which true Christians would leave to every one according to his conscience, and would say from the heart, that heis a true Christian who lives as a Christian, or as the Lord teaches. Thus one Church would be formed out of all thesediverse ones, and all disagreements arising from mere doctrinals would vanish, yea, all the animosities of one against another would be dissipated in a moment, and the kingdom ofthe Lord would be established on earth."-Jh. 1799.

In accordance with the spirit and tenor of this heavenly in-

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24struction, then, we may think and spe4k of the Rev. Mr. Perkins as our brother, and as a true Christian, although he didnot altogether agree with us in doctrinals. I .know not-nordo I care to know-precisely wherein he differed from theNew Church in doctrine; but I have the best of reasons forbelieving that he not only held what we regard as the e11entialdoctrines of the true Christian religion, but that these doctrines were so engraven upon his heart, as to have becomewith him living and abiding principles of' action.Mr. Perkins, as I am informed, was the youngest son ofSamuel G. Perkins, a distinguished merchant of Boston.His father intended him for the mercantile profession, and directed his education accordingly. During the years 1827, '8,and '9, he was at the Round-Hill School, Northampton,Mass., which was then a very flourishing institution. Amember of the legal profession in this city, who was at thattime associated with Mr. Bancroft our late minister to England, as an assistant teacher in this institution, remembersMr. Perkins as a boy remarkable for strict attention to hisstudies, and a faithful observance of all the rules of the school.There was this peculiarity about him then, viz , that he didnot sympathize with the other boys in their games and sports,being naturally of a meditative cast of thought, and of a modest and retiring disposition. A variety of innocent and healthful amusements were allowed and encouraged at Round Hill ;but this gentleman does not recollect that Mr. Perkins everparticipated in any of them. Instead of joining the otherboys in riding, dancing, &.c., he preferred to wander alone inthe woods and fields, and indulge his taste for botany andother natural sciences.After leaving the Round-Hill School, he entered the largecommercial house of Perkins &. Co., of Boston, at the headof which was his uncle Thomas H. Perkins, where he servedfor some time in the capacity of clerk, with the view of be-coming a merchant. While employed in this capacity, it issaid, that, although he had no love f'or a mercantile life, hescrupulously performed all the duties of his place; that, instead of indulgiQg iQ 'QY of the amusements of which young

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25men are generally fond, he was in the habit of devoting hisleisure hours to the study of the ancient classics; and thus,through his own industry and rigid economy of time, he be.came liberally educated without ever graduating at any college.

Having, while in his uncle's employ; gained the confidenceof all the partners in the concern, and established a reputationfor integrity, uprightness, and diligent attention to business,he was offered a partnership in the house as soon as he arrivedat his majority, on condition of his residing for a time at Canton, where a branch had long been established. This offerheld out to him the prospect of very large pecuniary profits.Some members of the firm, who had previously acceptedthesame situation, were known to have amassed splendid fortunesin the course of a few years. Notwithstanding this prospect,which, to the eyes of most young men would have been sodazzling-so alluring-Mr. Perkins, to the amazement of hisfriends, declined the offer. And it is said that he declinedit upon high moral grounds. He did not think that the largewealth so rapidly accumulated by those who had resided atCanton, had contributed at all to their spiritual advancement,but had rather exerted a disastrous influence upon their moraland religious character. He feared that its influence uponhimself might be no better-that it might retard rather thanaccelerate his growth; and he was unwilling to jeopardize hisspiritual interests so far as he felt that he should by acceptingthe partnership on the terms proposed :-unwilling to run eventhe risk of losing his soul to gain the world.

I mention this fact in Mr. Perkins' history, because itaffords a striking illustration of the direction which his mindhad already taken, and of the rare elevation of his thoughtsand feelings at this period of his early manhood.

Shortly after this, he resolved to leave the mercantile profession, and to devote himself to agriculture . He accordingly left Boston and came to Cincinnati with that object in viewin the winter of 1831-2. Arriving here at that season of theyear which is most unfavorable for selecting a farm, he concluded to remain in the city until Spring. Meantime not wishing to be idle, and having free access to the law office and

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26law library of Judge Walker, his friend and former preceptorat the Round Hill School, he occupied himself in lookingover law books, and soon became so much interested in themas to think seriously of devoting himself to the legal profession.Accordingly, at his friend's suggestion, he had his name regularly entered as a student of Law. And after completingthe required term of study, during which period he is said tohave been a most devoted student, he was admitted to practice; and the legal talent and acquirements which he earlyevinced awakened in the minds of his friends very high expectations of him as a lawyer.But Mr. Perkins soon found that the legal profession wasnot to his taste-that he could not enter with his whole heartinto the practice of it. He could not endure the many littlenesses, meannesses, and petty quarrels with which the profession made him acquainted, and which seemed to him sounworthy the dignity of man. Then he was too conscientiousto undertake the defence of a bad or unjust cause; and thinking, that, if he continued in the profession, he might sometimesbe obliged to do this, he abandoned the practice before theend of a year,-much to the regret of his friends, who hadformed high hopes of his success.Now, whatever we may think of his judgment in this instance, or of the soundness of the logic which led him to theconclusion that a strictly conscientious man could not remainin the practice of Law, we cannot fail to be struck with thedelicate conscience, and the supreme regard to his moral andspiritual well-being, evinced by his course in this instance, aliin that of his refusing the offer to go to Canton.Some time after quitting the practice of Law he becameassociated with Wm. D. Gallagher, Esq. of this city, in theeditorial department of a weekly paper called the CincinnatiMirror. And the articles from his pen which appeared inthat paper evinced talent of the highest order, and very rarequalifications for an Editor. His articles were always vigorousand racy, often abounding in wit and humor, and usually..,.especially in the latter part of his editorial career-designed toillustrate and enforce some important principle, some social

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27or domestic virtue, or some useful lesson in political economy.He had at this time, it is said, a fault of being rather severe inhis treatment of others, especially of authors whose works heundertook to review. I am told that he seemed to take especial pleasure in tearing books to pieces, and dealing hardblows at the heads of their poor authors. But this propensity,along with some other kindred ones peculiar to a man of Mr.Perkins' strong passions, and of which he became fully conscious, he nobly and successfully resisted; and at last becamescarcely less remarkable for his mild and gentle treatment ofthose from whom he differed. As a public Journalist, it maybe affirmed with confidence that this city has had few, perhapsnone, superior to him.But he had not yet found that sphere of use for which heseemed peculiarly fitted, and to which he afterwards devotedhimself with such untiring industry-such generous self-forgetfulness and zeal. This was in ministering to the wants,both temporal and spiritual, of that portion of society who aregenerally least thought of, and most neglected. About thistime he conceived the noble idea of establishing a ministry atlarge in this city, and of becoming one of that ministry himself; - a ministry to the poor, whose duty it should be towatch over this neglected portion of our population in a kindand brotherly manner, supply their temporal necessities, affordthem that friendly instruction and encouragement which theyso much need. Mr. Perkins saw that money alone is notsufficient to elevate the condition of the poor ; - that whatthey need most of all is, the tender sympathy, the wise counsel, the friendly encouragement, of those who have enjoyedthe privilege of a higher intellectual and moral culture thanthey. He saw, that, to feed, and shelter, and clothe the poor,without doing anything to improve their moral condition, toinstruct and educate them in the economies of life, and tokindle within them the desire, and develop the capability, ofproviding for themselves, was but a miserable kind of charityafter all. He would awaken within them some self-respect.He would kindle in their hearts the manly desire to rise abovetheir state of abject dependence, and to learn bow to take ea.re

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28of themselves. To this end he aimed to establish a morefriendly and brotherly relation between the rich and the poor,through the intervention of a ministry at large ; - a ministry,who should visit the poor at their own homes, become person-ally acquainted with them and with their actual conditionand wants, counsel and instruct them, and make report oftheir doings to the community at large.Mr. Perkins' sympathies had, for a long time, been withthe less favored classes. He had gone about doing goodamong the poor. He had been instrumental in causing to beorganized a comprehensive system of charity in the FirstCongregational (Unitarian) Society of this city, then under thepastoral care of the Rev. William H. Channing, and of whichhe was himself a member. In this enterprise he had the cor-dial sympathies of Mr. Channing and his whole Society;and through his efforts, I am told, large sums were collectedand appropriated to the alleviation of the wants and sufferingsof the poor. He also obtained the friendly cooperation of theRev. Mr. Blake, a clergyman of the Episcopal Church, fromwhom he received essential aid in his philanthropic exertions.He opened an office for attending to the calls of the destitute,for devising ways and means of their relief, and for receivingsuch articles of domestic use and comfort as the poor mightneed, and the rich feel free to give; and so entirely did thosewho knew him confide in his integrity and judgment in dis-pensing the gifts of charity, that they not unfrequently senthim checks, sometimes to the amount of one hundred dollarsat a time, which they allowed him to distribute among thepoor in whatever manner he thought proper, assured that hewould do it more judiciously than they could themselves.

It was a part of his plan to enlist the sympathy and securethe cooperation in this benevolent enterprise, of all the clergy,and, through them, of thP various religious sects, in the city.But owing, it is said, to the prevalence of a strong sectarianfeeling, and to the general and deep prejudice existing againstMr. Perkins, on account of the name he bore (Unitarian), hefailed to accomplish this desirable object. He was left to carryon the work almost alone and single handed. Yet his noble

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29efforts were not unavailing. His labors were, in the end,abundantly blessed; for they resulted in the organization ofone of the most comprehensive and noble charities of ourcity, known as the "Cincinnati Relief Union." Of thisinstitution, which has already done so much, and is doubtlessdestined to do much more, for the relief of the poor in ourmidst, Mr. Perkins may justly be considered the founder.And not only this, but he has been the moving spirit of theSociety ever since its establishment. On its first organizationhe was elected President, which office, at the earnest solicitation of the Board of Control, he continued to fill until the timeof his death. He never ceased to manifest the livliest interestin the concerns of this Society ; for the object contemplatedin its establishment,-the alleviation of human want and suffering, and the improvement of the condition of the poor,was one which lay near his heart. Notwithstanding the distance of his residence from the city, he was punctual in hisattendance on all the Society's meetings, when not preventedby ill health,-was liberal in contributing to its funds out ofhis own resources, and indefatigable in his endeavors to enlistthe sympathies of our citizens generally in its behalf. Andit is a strikingly beautiful circumstance, and well worthy ofnotice in this connection, that the last sermon he preached,which was on the Sabbath before his death, was from thewords : - " Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the


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soThere is another noble enterprise, undertaken by our citynot long ago, which promises to do much for the moral improvement and welfare of that most neglected portion of therising generation among us. I refer to the House of Refugefor boys, now in process of erection within a few miles of thecity. I am told that to James H. Perkins, more than to anyother man, belongs the credit of this noble charity ;- that hemay be considered as the father of this lntitution, having labored long and earnestly to impress the people of Cincinnati

with a due sense of its importance, and having with his ownhand penned the charter.What noble monuments are these, the "House of Refuge"and the "Relief Union," to the memory of this good man!Monuments, proclaiming louder than words can utter, his disinterested benevolence, his active philanthropy, his untiringzeal in behalf of suffering humanity.Mr. Perkins was a warm friend of popular education, andtook an active interest in the public schools of our city, whoseimprovement and prosperity he did much to promote. Hewas, for a long time previous to his death, connected with theBoard of School Examiners; and, I am told, was one of theirmost efficient and useful members.He was also a liberal contributor to the Young Men's Mercantile Library Association of this eity, having, as I learnfrom the Secretary of that Institution, presented their librarywith from five to seven hundred volumes; and he is knownto have been unwearied in his efforts to obtain patronage forthis Association, and to enlist the sympathies of our citizens,and of the young men especially, in its behalf.

In short, I believe it is difficult to name an enterprise ofany considerable magnitude, having for its object the intellec-ReHolutlone unanimously adopted at a special meeting of the All8ociatlon, held1hortly after hie death:

"ResoltJed, That we regard the decease of the Rev. Mr. Perkins at this time,as a public calamity, such as our city has rarely, if ever, experienced in thedeath of a single Individual."Reaol?Jed, That, in his removal, this community ho.a lost one of Its truestbenefactors, society 0011 of Its brightest ornaments, the poor of our city one oftheir most devoted friend, and this Auociatlon Its wisest counsellor and mostfaithful servant."

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:ntual, moral, or social improvement of our city, or the alleviation of human want and suffering, with which Mr. Perkinswas not more or less intimately connected, and whose interests he did not do something-did not do much,-to promote.To ameliorate the condition of mankind, and especially theless favored portion, the laboring classes, the poor, the unfortunate, the neglected, the friendless,-to elevate them intellectually, morally, ahd socially,-this seemed to be his greataim, his constant study. This was the theme on which heloved most to converse. This was the object to which heseemed to have consecrated all his powers. For this he waswilling to spend and be spent. For this he preached, andprayed, and labored, with a zeal and devotedness rarely, i fever, surpassed. Doing good to others, helping those whomost needed help, was with him no accidental pleasure : itwas the business of his life. He did not wait for opportunities, but eagerly sought for them. He was as watchful in discovering objects of charity, as he was judicious and persevering in providing means for their relief. He might almost besaid to have erred through excess of benevolent exertion andanxious care for the lone and destitute. These lines in Goldsmith's "Deserted Village," had they been written with especial reference to Mr. Perkins instead of the village preacher,could hardly have been more applicable to him than they are:

"Thus to relieve the wretched was his pride,And e'en his failings leaned to virtue's side;But in his duty, prompt at every call,He watched aud wept, he pray'd and felt for all."

I know that it is true, and is often taught in the Doctrinesof Heaven, that a man may be very liberal in contributing tothe wants of the poor--very active in devising and executingplans of benevolence-apparently a most devoted philanthropist-and yet may not have taken the first step in regeneration.He may do all this, and not know what it is to shun evils assins against God ; and yet until we shun evils as sins, all ouroutwardly good and charitable deeds are inwardly defiledwith the evil of self-love. While, therefore, many Christians undoubtedly magnify the importance of these outward

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32acts of natural charity, and fall into the error of supposingthat men can really do good before they have begun toshun evils as sins, I fear that the members of the NewChurch-some of them, at least-are much inclined to runto the opposite extreme. I fear that too many of us are in-clined to undervalue the importance of what is called activebenevolence, as a means of overcoming our selfishness ; andthink to justify ourselves in standing aloof from all the philan-thropic enterprises of the day, on the ground of the truth juststated. But, in excusing ourselves from engaging as activelyas many others in deeds of natural charity, we should be care-ful not to do it from such motives, and upon such grounds, asto encourage within us the growth of a mean and hard.heartedselfishness. We should not indulge the vain conceit of beingin a state of spiritual charity, while we are unwilling to denyourselves any selfish or worldly gratification for the sake ofcontributing to the worldly comfort of the indigent.In religion, Mr. Perkins may be said to have been a Chris-tian without belonging to any sect. I have seldom, if ever,met with a man, who seemed to have divested himself morethoroughly than he, of every thing like sectarianism or partyspirit. It mattered not at all to him by what name men calledthemselves, or were called by others. He was as ready to seeand acknowledge truth and goodness in those who were calledRoman Catholics, as in those who bore the name of Protest-ant; would as cheerfully extend a helping hand to a Calvinistor Methodist, as to one of his own denomination. He be-lieved that good and sincere Christians were to be foundamong all religious sects; and deeply did he deplore the prev-alence of that denominational or party spirit, which blinds somany good men to the Christian virtues and graces of others,who happen to bear a different name from themselves, andwhich so often hinders their mutual cooperation. Thoughnominally connected with that class of Christians commonlyknown as Unitarians, he repudiated that name as being alto-gether too narrow and too sectarian in its import; and in adiscourse preached by him, and published more than a yearago, he formally proposed to his people "the abandonment

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33of Unitarianism as a ground of union," or as a basis of theirSociety. That discourse exhibits in a striking manner therare breadth and catholicity of the man, and his deep abhorrence of the mean and narrow spirit of sect.

" In the present position of human culture and christian development," he says, "divisions or sects in the church maybe inevitable; but sects may exist without sectarianism. Sectarianism is that spirit of division, disunion, antagonism,which would PERPETUATE differences instead of doing themaway-which seeks for points of opposition in place of pointsof union-which delights in controversy, contest, and victorywhich cannot conceive that the truth is so large, and man sosmall, that countless differences must of course arise fromman's partial views of that truth, and that those who seem tous oeposed to the gospel, may indeed but be viewing it froma pomt whereon we never stood. To the sectarian, the manwho does not think with him for or against the do9mas inquestion, is of necessity, wrong, and to be combatted.' "But sects may exist without this spirit. Those of various views, in christian humility and love, may seek for thetruth in the views of their fellows, and so grow daily wider.We may remain Congregationalists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and yet not be antagonists, but friends, co-la borers,members of the body of Christ. Sects may be but the various limbs in that body, moving in harmony and health; butsectarianism is a disease, which makes the limb it possessesat discord with all others, adverse to them, worse than useless."Need I spend time in proving that such a spirit is antiChrist? It Is the spirit of selfishness, pride, war, hatred,and cruelty: it is the opposite of that love, humility, gentleness, kindness, long-suffering, which Jesus has revealed to usas the Spirit of God and hrs Anointed. From sectarianismhave come persecutions, burnings, bloodshed in times pastin our day, bard words, accusations, bitterness, hatred, malice.Sectarianism has weakened the power of the church to dogood, to put dowri evil, to advance the cause of the Savior:It has made men look on christendom as the battle-field ofcontending parties-not the great labor-field of united brothers."-p. 4, 5.Thus clearly did he see the evils of sectarianism in our day;thus bitterly bewail, and heartily condemn, its anti-christian

spirit. And all who knew him felt that his words on this, ason all other subjects, came from the bottom of his heart. Nor5

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34does he spare his own people, nor hint to them in this discourse, that they have less of this spirit than others. On thecontrary, he declares the very ground of their union, and thename they bear, to be sectarian. "Does not that union," hesays, " by an act of your own, divide you from the great bodyof the disciples of Jesus? Does it not place you in antagonism to them? Does it not breed in you and them more orless of coldness, unkindness, and enmity ? And is not this ina great measure your own doing-the result of the platformyou adopt? They do not combine against the unity of God:you bind yourselves together against the Trinity. They donot excommunicate you, so m ~ c h as you. cut yourselves offvoluntarily ."-lb.But Mr. Perkins' liberality did not, as is frequently thecase, spring from any aversion to Theology as such, norfrom indifference in regard to religious doctrines, nor froma willingness to tolerate religious errors,-though I cannotmyself' resist the conviction that he did not duly appreciatethe importance of a correct system of doctrinal theology.However this may be, he declares in the discourse just referredto , -

" It is not, then, because I despise or disregard this sciencefTheology] , - i f we may fitly degrade it by such a tenn,-thatl say a platform of to-day must leave minds free upon it: neither is it because I would tolerate all views, and bear with allerrors. I would bear with no error; I would tolerate no falseview; I would discard, as an insult, the name of l i b e r a l i t y ~when it implies, as it too often does, the quiet sufferance oflies."No, my friends, it is not either because I think theologyworthless, or am rellPy to tolerate any falsehoods therein, thatI say our platform should leave all minds free. We shouldleave them free, because in relation to this, the most practical,important, and vital of subjects, we really know so litt/,e-see sopartially-can judge so imperfectly, except for oursdves."P 7, 8.And towards the close of this discourse he evinces the largeness of his heart and his christian liberality of feeling, as wellas his earnest desire for truth, by recommending to his people

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35the adoption of the following declaration as a substitute fortheir then too narrow platfonn :

"We believe that in every fonn of doctrine which has beenthe basis of Christian life, there lies more or less of Divinetruth ; and we regard it as our paramount duty to seek for thattruth everywhere. We would strive, therefore, not to hit themedium of opposing dogmas, nor to tolerate indifferently viewsof every kind,-but bJ the examination of dogmas, and theearnest endeavor to understand the views of our opeonents, toattain, with the help of God, to a more comprehensive knowledge of the infinite truth that was in Christ."-Jb. p. 15.

Mr. Perkins was remarkable for his candor and sincerity.He practised no deception-no disguise. Whether listeningto him in public or in private, in the pulpit or in the parlor,you felt sure, from his every look, tone, word, and gesture,that he was an unusually transparent man-that he was willing you should see him through and through-should see thevery bottom of his heart. He seemed to have adopted, andrigidly carried out in practice, that excellent rule of Dr. Channing, never, in addressing God or man, to say any thingwhich he did not mean and feel. This was one great sourceof his power as a public speaker. However you might dissent from what he said, you could not fail to listen, nor to beinterested; for you felt sure that every word you heard camefrom the depths of a sincere, living, and earnest soul. And itwas undoubtedly this trait in his character, which won forhim, to such a remarkable degree, the confidence of all whoapproached him, and which he continued to enjoy to the closeof his life.Humility was another striking trait in Mr. Perkins' character, as it must be, and is, in the character of every truly greatand good man. I mean not that superficial or spurious kindof humility, which sometimes passes under the name, becauseit wears the outward semblance; but I mean that real humility of heart, which makes the soul of its possessor bendlow in view of his own littleness; which makes him feel, andwilling to confess, that however great his attainments, therelies yet beyond him an ocean of truth which his little plum

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36met has never fathomed. Persons who are much imbuedwith this spirit, are never proud ofwhat they know, and neverthink that they know much. Therefore their minds are everseeking, ever open to the reception of, new truth, throughwhatever channels it may come. They are careful never topass judgment upon a matter which they have not investigated,and never to speak sneeringly of anything new because it happens not to accord with their preconceived opinions. Nowthis true and beautiful spirit of humility, which opens theeyes of its possessor to the amazing shallowness of his ownunderstanding compared with the infinite depth of God'swisdom-this spirit, so child-like, and so rare at the presentday, especially among men of learning, and most of all, I re-gret to say, among the clergy-this spirit Mr. Perkins possessed in a most remarkable degree. There was the least ofanything like self-righteousness or self-conceit about him ofany man I ever saw. He was the least satisfied with himself, with his attainments or his efforts. He seemed totallyunconscious of any merit in himself or in his productions;and, I am told by one of his most intimate friends, that fewthings seemed to displease him more than personal praise,when himself was the subject of it. As an evidence of thelow estimate which he formed of his own productions, it issaid that he was in the habit of destroying all his manuscriptsermons and lectures as soon as he had delivered them, unless{as sometimes happened) they were seized upon and preservedby his wife, or some friend capable of appreciating theirmerits. His reasons for so doing were, first; That his productions seemed to him quite inferior and valueless: second,That he hoped to grow wiser as he grew older, and thereforeto be able to treat the subject more worthily the next time:third, That, if he preserved his manuscript sermons, he fearedhe might be tempted sometimes to fall back upon them, and

Swedenborg says : " The angels refose all thanks on account of the goodwhich they do ; and they are indignant and recede, if any one attributes goodto them. They wonder that any one should believe that he is wise from him10lf, and that he doea good from himself."

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37thus encourage himself in indolent habits, and fail of beingwhat he desired to be-a living, growing, improving man.I have been kindly pennitted the pleasure of perusing hismanuscript lecture on Swedenborg and the New Church,which fonned the closing one of a series delivered in his ownchurch a few years ago, and which, very fortunately, waspreserved by his wife. And perhaps I cannot illustrate thesefeatures in his character, viz. his humility, his honesty, hiscandor, and sincerity-features as beautiful as they are rarebetter than by citing a few passages from that lecture. Aftera few preliminary remarks, in which he says: " In speakingof this body of Christians [the New Jerusalem Church] I feelmore deeply than usual my liability to error," he proceedsthus:

" Let me confess at the outset, then, the limited extent ofmy reading in Swedenborg's works, and my superficial comprehension of the little I have read: and say, that my purposewill be to show the spirit of this church and its adaptation tothe wants of the worla, and not to criticise the opimons heldin i t .-ln my attempt to do this I would approach the subjectas an inquirer, neither believing nor disbelieving, and wouldstrive to/lace before you the origin, the leading points offaith, an the distinguishing spiritual character of the churchof the New Jerusalem as I see them."

He then proceeds to give a brief sketch of Swedenborg'slife, character, and labors; and a. more faithful sketch I donot remember ever to have read from the pen of any manclosing, as it does with this just tribute to the memory of thegreat Swede; "He was a man of the noblest character, trueand pure, generous and tolerant; wholly incapable of deceit orconscious exaggeration."Then turning to the ~ o c t r i n e s of the New Church, he speaksof them in general terms thus: "Their power is evidenced inthe living churches which exist here and elsewhere.-! shouldsay of them generally that they are profoundly philosophical,the productions of a most discliplined and spiritual mind; theyalmost rival the theology of the schools for method, exactness,.and completeness, while in boldness, originality, and true spir-

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38itual insight, they far surpass the results of any save a fewmaster minds of Greece and the Middle Ages."He next proceeds to exhibit a few of the leading articles offaith or points of doctrine of the New Church, which he doeswith most remarkable truth and fidelity. And when he comesto speak of the spirit of this church, he says: "The NewChurch is in its spirit eminently Rational, eminently Scriptural, eminently Spiritual: it is a Spirit of Truth, L o v e , ~ T o l -erance, and Just ice." And after making some objections,which he says, seemed to his mind valid-not so much againstthe doctrines, as against the extraordinary claims of Swedenborg and the New Church--objections stated and urged in thatbeautiful spirit of honesty, kindness, candor, and manliness,which makes even a New Churchman more glad than sorry tosee them, but objections, which a more thorough acquaintancewith the entire system of the New Theology would have shownhim were not sufficiently well founded, he closes his lecturein the following characteristic language :"A deeper study of Swedenborg's works may alter my opinion; but however that may be, I surely shall study them, forI have never found any theological writings which betterrepaid study. And to Swedenborg now and always, I wouldbear my testimony, as a man of genius, purity, and the truestspiritual insight. The Church he founded may not be TheChurch it claims to be; but surely, if it does not becomeexclusive and narrow, it will be a true Church of Christa vast benefit to mankind. As heretics under the Old Church,we owe it our thanks : It has dealt a blow to Calvinism thatCalvinism will never forget or forgive, while it yet lingers inthe retiring shadows of the night of the Middle Ages."Thus favorably, freely, frankly, Ipanfully, did this goodman venture to speak to his own congregation of the muchabused and despised Swedenborg and the New Church.Where among all the clergy of this land, or of any land, willyou find such another instance of candor, fairness, manly

Had Mr. Perkins been more familiar than he was with the works o{ Swedenborg, he would hardly have made thi8 exception-certainly nol in respectto the " spiritual lnsl1ht" evinced by hie writlnr.

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39independence, and true christian liberality, in one who did not,as Mr. Perkins did not, profess any particular interest in thedoctrines of the New Church? Search Christendom through,and your search will be in vain.In his domestic relations Mr. Perkins was most happilysituated, and was all that might be expected from one so generous, just, and disinterested as he ; a tender and affectionatehusband, a kind and loving father. I am told, that, in theabsence or sickness of his wife, he would himself often attendto many little domestic duties which usually devolve on themother of a family, such as dressing and undressing the children, giving them their food, and attending to all their littlewants ; and that he did these things with such gracefulnessand ease, and with such tenderness and warmth of affection,as few, save a mother, could equal. Now it is these littleduties, gracefully and affectionately discharged within thedomestic circle,

" These little, nameless, unremembered actsOf kindness and of love,"perfonned within the narrow precincts of one's own home,which constitute

"That best portion of a good man's life."These show his real character, these reveal the purity, thechild-like innocence and simplicity of his heart, far more trulythan do those greater and less common deeds, on which thepublic are permitted to gaze.Mr. Perkins was also a pattern of industry. Though he suffered much from ill health, few men have ever done more in thesame length of time, or done it so well. Besides preachingon the Sabbath, writing articles for the New York and NorthAmerican Reviews, and other Journals of our country (someof which articles have been republished in England as specimens of elegant American literature) visiting the sick and indigent more than any other man, he found time to read almostevery thing of any merit that came from the press. It was oneof his habits always to carry some book or periodical in hispocket, to read while waiting for the omnibus, or for the tardy

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40members of a committee, or for some individual whom he hadengaged to meet at a certain hour; and in this way he man-aged to turn to good account many scraps of time, which, bymost men, are nearly if not altogether wasted. This singlecircumstance affords a good example of his industry and hismode of economizing time. And his industry, too, was tosome purpose. His efforts were always wisely directed. Hewas eminently a practical man, and aimed at usE in all that hedid. It was upon this ground, it is said, viz. because he didnot consider it particularly useful, that he declined makingwhat are called pastoral visits among his people, and wasexcused by them from doing so. The refined, the fashionable,the gay, the wealthy, he argued, have friends enough to visitthem, and could well dispense with ceremonious calls fromtheir minister. But the lone, and destitute, and sorrowing, andfriendless-such as have few to sympathize with them or speaka word of comfort to their drooping spirits-these, he said,needed his visits-needed all the time he could spend in visiting. To these he felt that his visits might be useful-andfew of these were of his own congregation. While, therefore,he made no pastoral visits, and rarely called upon the wealthyof his own congregation, except in cases of sickness or on business, no clergyman in this or any other city was a more con-stant frequenter of the abodes of want and suffering than he-none more attentive to the cries of distress, or oftener in thechamber of affiiction, or by the bed-side of the sick and thedying.Such was James H. Perkins-a truly good man and a Christian, else it would be difficult indeed to find one. Probablyfew men have lived a more industrious, blameless, devoted,self-sacrificing, useful life, than he. Few have cherishedhigher aims or nobler purposes, or prosecuted their planswith a more meek, kindly, and loving spirit. Few haveenjoyed while living the confidence and esteem of all ranksand ages to the extent that he did, and few have died so deeplyand universally lamented. I do not know that he has left anenemy behind him. By his own Society he was almost idolized; by all who knew him he was much respected and

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41beloved; and best befoved and most respected by those whoknew him best. One of his most intimate friends and oldestacquaintances in this city, who has known him from boyhood,says : " I regard Mr. Perkins as having posse11sed as clear anintellect, as tnte a conscience, and as large a heart, as it hasbeen my good fortune to commune with."But Mr. Perkins had his defects (who on earth has themnot?)-One of his best friends has mentioned as a defect inhis mental constitution, "that he did not sufficiently enjoyand cultivate the pleasures either of memory or hope." AndI could name what seem to me defects in his character bothas a minister and as a man. I should say-though others mightjudge differently-that it was a defect in Mr. Perkins' preaching, consequently a defect in him as a Christian Minister,that he did not draw the attention of his people sufficiently tothe Word of the Lord-did not preach sufficiently from theWord-did not base his teachings sufficiently upon the Word-d id not appeal sufficiently to the Word as to a divine standard of heavenly truth. Powerful, as it is conceded that hispreaching was, I believe that it would have been much morepowerful, and useful too-much more deeply and extensivelyfelt, had it been more from the Word; for then it would havebeen with more of authority-the authority of thus saitk theLord.But perhaps it is hardly right for me to judge Mr. Perkinsin this particular from my own stand-point. For he had notthe key to the spiritual sense of the Word; and acknowledging, as he did, only the -Old and Common rules of Biblicalinterpretation, I can easily see how difficult i t must have beenfor a man like him to appeal often to the Word, and base hisreligious teachings upon it, to an extent which would havesatisfied me.I might, were it necessary or important, point out otherdefects of character in Mr. Perkins, or what seem to me such;but they would be merely as spots on the sun, wholly insufficient to obscure his lustre. By an eye capable of appreciatingthe rich effulgence of his bright and beaming soul, theywould scarcely be noticed.

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42And here I shall be asked, how it happened that so good &

man as I have represented Mr. Perk.ins to be, and as all agreethat he was, could himself have put an end to his natural life.He could not-did not, in his onlinary sane state of mind. Itis impossible to connect together deliberate suicide and JamesH. Perkins as we have seen and known him. No two thingscan possibly be more repugnant. No one acquainted with theman can for a moment doubt that the act which terminated hisearthly career, was committed in a fit of mental aberration.Not a wonl was ever uttered by him, not a syllable ever written, not an act ever performed, which would indicate that anythink like suicide was ever meditated or thought of by him.On the contrary, his well known character, his blameless anddevoted life, his easy pecuniary circumstances, his pleasantsocial and domestic relations, all forbid any such supposition.And, besides, we have a satisfactory explanation of the callseof his temporary mental aberration. For the last five or sixyears he has been known to have suffered intensely from adisease of the heart, supposed to be organic, being often incapacitated by this distressing affection, for the discharge of hisclerical and other duties. At times, particularly when muchagitated, there would be a sudden and violent rush of blood tothe brain, producing vertigo and faintness, sometimes impairing his sight, and throwing him into the deepest despondency;and not unfrequently disturbing the cerebral functions to sucha degree as to affect temporarily his mental manifestations.Now from conversation had with a distinguished medicalgentleman of this city, I learn that it is no uncommon occurrence for organic diseases of the heart to produce at times, inaddition to the mental and bodily affections just mentioned asamong the sufferings of Mr. Perkins, that species of monomania which medical men term moral or suicidal. In the severeparoxysms of this disease the patient feels a strong inclinationto destroy his own life, and this, too, without any of the oidi-

From circumstances which it Is unnecessary here to mention, it Is supposedthat be threw bhmelf into the Ohio r lnr from the Jamestown ferryboat, oathe evening of Friday, December 14th, 1849.

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43nary motives which prompt to suicide. This I have uponwhat I regard as high medical authority.Now what was the state of Mr. Perkins' health the last dayof his life on earth? Did any thing oceur on that day toexcite his nervous system to such an unusual degree as tojustify the belief that temporary monomania was induced bythe violent action of the heart, and consequent sudden rush ofblood to the head? One of his most intimate friends, whohas made himself acquainted with all the circumstances ofthe case, writes thus concerning his death, and the probablecause and manner of it :

"On Friday last, [the day of his departure] a paroxysm ofthis kind [palpitation of the heart] was produced by the agi-tation he suffered in consequence of the supposed loss of twoof his children. In the morning of that day, one of his littleboys, aged nine years, and another aged seven, rode to the cityfrom his residence on East Walnut Hills, with a neighbor,and were to return home in the omnibus, at the stand of whichtheir father was to meet them. Not finding them there at the.appointed time, Mr. Perkins feared that they had lost them-selves, and commenced searching for them. Being unsuccess-ful, he became more and more agitated the farther he went,and finally employed the crier, who met with no better suc-cess. The search was at length abandoned, and in despair,and fatigued as he was, Mr. P. walked home, a distance ofnearly four miles, whither his children had preceded him."He reached his residence about I o'clock, P. M., utterly

exhausted,-but after lying down for a time, rose, and dined.He could not, however, overcome the excitement into whichhe had been thrown, although the children were with him,and well. He was restless and nervous to a degree never beforewitnessed by his family; and so continuing, about 6 o'clockhe told his wife that he would take a walk to calm his nerves,but not be gone long: that he wished to try and allay theexcitement, but would be back before tea time. He went outthus, but did not return, and nothing was seen of him after-wards by his family or friends.

" The supposition, among those well acquainted with the

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44peculiar mental constitution of the deceased, and his severephysical sufferings, is, that his walk instead of allaying hisexcitement, still further increased it, till reason was tempora-rily dethroned. In a wandering mood, not knowing whitherhe went, he had doubtless reached the Jamestown Ferryand in a state of mental aberration, had thrown himself intothe stream."

This, beyond all question, is the truth. There cannot bea reasonable doubt that he threw himself into the Ohio in afit of temporary monomania, brought on in the way here men-tioned.And as human laws do not hold men accountable for whatthey do in fits of mental derangement, certainly the divinelaws will not. And, for myself, I cannot resist the beliefthat Mr. Perkins, in respect to the act which terminated hisearthly existence, was as innocent of all wrong or consciousguilt, as ifhe had died of fever or consumption, or been strickendown by the lightning's shaft. And even had it been otherwise,-had he committed the act in a fit of despondency, of passion,or vexation, it would not have materially altered his future andfinal condition. For a man's state in the other world will depend'not so much upon how he died, as upon how he lived while onearth ; -not so much upon any temporary states of feeling intowhich he may suddenly have been thrown, as upon the gen-eral tenor of his life-the uniform current of his thoughts andaffections. And as the ruling love of a man cannot be sud-denly changed from evil to good at the hour of death-nor atany other hour-so neither can it be suddenly changed fromgood to evil. No. Each one must take his own life-hisown character-his interior and ruling loves, with him intothe other world; and according to the quality of those lovesmust be his future and eternal condition:-with the angels ofheaven, if his loves be good and heavenly, with the devils inhell if his loves be selfish and infernal. The books will therebe opened-the interior and dominant affections of all heartswill there be disclosed-and the dead will be judged out ofthose things which are written in the books, according to thefrworks. There, each one will experience the fulfilment of the

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45words of our text : .And 'behold, I come quickly; and my rewardis with me to give every man according as his work shal1 'be.This is the only rational view of the subject ; and if therebe anything plainly taught in the Holy Scripture, it certainlyis this.Judged of by this Divine standard, then-by his fruits, hisworks, his loves, his LIFE-where, in the spiritual world,should our friend and brother finally go? Where, but intothe society of the angels of heaven? Where else would hedesire to go-where else cmdd he go, according to the greatlaw of spiritual affinity? For although we do not see the interiors of people while they live in this world, and cannottherefore say with certainty what are the ruling loves of anyindividual, yet it may perhaps be said of Mr. Perkins, withas much confidence as of almost any man who ever lived,that his thoughts, affections, motives, purposes, were uni-formly high and heavenly.

I have thus attempted a faint sketch-very imperfect I feelthat it is-of this rare, gifted, and most excellent man. AndI have done it, because I felt that I owed, and that we allowed, at least this humble tribute of respect to his memory.I would not be understood, by anything I have here said, aswishing to claim Mr. Perkins for a New-Churchman, according to the common acceptation of that term. By no means.I am not aware that he had any leaning towards the NewJerusalem Church technically so called, notwithstanding heuniformly spoke of our Church and its doctrines with greatkindness and respect. But the heavenly doctrines which weprofess would be unworthy the high origin claimed for them,if they did not permit us to love and speak the praises of sucha man, bear he whatever name he might. For myself I cansay, that, had he evinced the same noble, manly, devoted,self-denying, self-sacrificing, sincere, and humble spirit, forwhich he was so remarkable, and borne the name of Catholic,Mahometan, or Pagan even, I would have fondly clasped himto my bosom, and been proud to call him brother.He is gone :-gone from the natural sphere-gone from the

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46sight of our natural eyes. And his removaJ may well be regarded" as a public calamity." All cle.sses from highest to lowest mourn his departure ; but next to the sore bereavementwhich his loved and loving \Vife and children have experienced in his decease, his loss will be most mourned, mostdeeply felt, by the poor, the unfortunate, the neglected in ourmidst,-by that large and usually forsaken class,

benjamin f barrett and john h heywood a tribute to the memory of james h perkins cincinnati 1850

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