The Autobiography of Lyman Beecher: Volume II: Cross, Barbara M.: The Autobiography of Lyman Beecher. Volume II

I INTRODUCTION IT has already been made apparent that the one idea of Dr. Beecher's life was the promotion of revivals of religion, not merely in his own congregation, but as a prominent instrumentality for the conversion of the world, and the speedy introduction of the millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.As we are moving on in the present volume toward more controversial eras, it is our desire still to keep this great idea uppermost, as the real ground of all his interest and concern in those discussions in which it was his destiny to bear a part. It is not strange that the attempt to carry forward revival work should lead to controversy, and even to divisions among good men. Our Savior distinctly declared that he had not come to send peace, but division.The work of conviction and conversion of sinners, in a world like this -the work of building up a Church on principles entirely superior, and even opposed to those of selfish society, can not be carried on without resistance on the one side and mistake on the other. It was natural that the primitive churches should make mistakes, and incorporate errors into their teaching. It was natural that the adversary should take advantage of those mistakes as one important means of prolonging the conflict. So it was natural that the Reformation from popery should not be absolutely perfect, and that even in Puritan theology errors should lurk which the adversary should employ, together with other means, to cause that theology to be undermined, even in the strong-hold of its power, as the world has seen at Geneva, and in the city of pilgrims.It was inevitable, then, that any one of Dr. Beecher's ardent and uncompromising character, who should attempt, under the circumstances in which nominal Christendom was placed, to carry on revivals, on a broad and comprehensive scale, would sooner or later be involved in controversy. With sinners, of course, he would be in controversy from the beginning, endeavoring to convince them that they are rebels against God, whose instant duty is submission, and that all their objections are unreasonable.With all sects, of whatever name, who, as the necessary and 3 III CORRESPONDENCE, 1824-1825 DR. BEECHER TO DR. CORNELIUS."August 31, 1824. I OUR letter was received, and, amid the pressure of very urgent and incessant application of mind, was laid down and forgotten, until I concluded that my silence would be as a negative answer to your request. I long to come -feel the importance of the moment, and am inclined to believe that as much good might be done to souls by my labor at such a time with you, as in a year or more in Litchfield. But if it is the will of God that I should be a stated pastor, I can not be an evangelist, though I sometimes think I would, if a regular and permanent support could be secured. And if it is the will of God that I should be an author, I must stay at home and write. Besides, we have enough to do, just now, to defend ourselves, and can not well go abroad to fight. I am committed for this and the next week in urgent public business, and, when that is ended, must hasten home to prepare sermons for the press."So the case stands. You have all my heart and soul, but you can not have my hand and tongue." CATHARINE TO EDWARD."January 8, 1825. "The paper goes on finely. Father has prepared some rare pieces for it. He is much animated with the success of the paper. There is nothing makes me feel so happy as to be with him, and nothing so stimulates my intellect as his conversation." DR. BEECHER TO EDWARD AT ANDOVER."Middletown, January, 1825. "DEAR SON, -I have been so pressed by public concerns at Danbury, at home, at Hartford, and here, that I have been literally unable to write to you. \* \* \* The Observer begins with about 1400 subscribers. The first number strikes well, and the second, ' Socinianism denied the divinity and atonement of Christ and interpreted the crucifixion as God's method of drawing men to Himself. VII BOSTON IN some respects the Boston of to-day is a different city from the Boston of 1826. At that time it was a much smaller city, with a more nearly homogeneous population, and, therefore, far more susceptible of being influenced perceptibly by a single mind.Boys then skated in winter where now rise some of the finest public buildings and most sumptuous private residences in the country. It is estimated that the Back Bay lands alone will have added in 1870 two hundred acres to the city area.East Boston, now a beautiful part of the city, was then a thinly settled pasture on what was called Noddle's Island. The Worcester Dépôt, that vomitory of the travel and the trade of the Great West and South, with its spacious freight and passenger accommodations, and numerous blocks of buildings adjoining, stand on ground obtained by filling up what was then known as South Cove.While the area of the city has been greatly enlarged by these and other additions, the population has advanced from fifty to not far from two hundred thousand.The character of the population has, at the same time, been materially affected by the introduction of the railroad system. Stages then were in their glory, and a visit to Andover or Groton, or some such suburban town, occupied a good half day or more. One can almost hear even yet the rattle of hoofs, crash of wheels, and impatient thundering at the front door at two o'clock in the morning, when such a journey was to be undertaken. Now stages, with all their poetical associations, are gone, and seven principal lines of railway converge in Boston. Space is partially annihilated. Practically, the city suburbs are extended an hour's ride by rail in all directions.The consequences are incalculable. The wealthier classes, once inhabiting the older-built portions of the city, where streets are narrow and crooked, and houses dingy, have moved to the newlybuilt portions of the city, or are distributed in the surrounding towns, leaving the ground to business and immigration. Thus the material on which the mind of Dr. Beecher energized is largely \* Pages from the Ecclesiastical History of New England. J. B. Dow, Boston, 1847. + Dr. Bacon's Commemorative Discourse, Andover Memorial, p. 88. Î Andover Memorial, p. 216. 'Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) and Thomas Belsham (1750-1829), English Unitarians, taught that Christ was a man. Most American Unitarians then considered Christ as more than a man, though subordinate to God. 2 Jared Sparks (1789-1866), Unitarian pastor in Baltimore (1819-1823), editor of the North American Review (1817-1818) and the Unitarian Miscellany (1821-1822). Professor of History at Harvard (1838-1849), president of Harvard (1849-18J3), he wrote many volumes on American history. 'Bernard Whitman (1796-1834), advocate of temperance and slavery, became Unitarian pastor of Waltham, Mass., in 1826, after a division of the liberally inclined church over the issue of the dismission of the Calvinist minister. 5 Andrews Norton (1786-1853), Professor of Sacred Literature at Harvard Divinity School, critic of Trinitarians and of Transcendentalists, wrote a history of the New Testament canon based on outside evidence. "John Pierpont (1785-1866), poet and business man, studied at Litchfield Law School (1810-1812) before graduation from Harvard Divinity School. His Boston congregation disliked his reforming zeal, and he was dismissed in 1845. Orville Dewey (1794-1882), Andover graduate, became a prominent Unitarian minister in Boston and N.Y. \* Pages from the Ecclesiastical History of New England, pp. 87-93. 1 Ithamar Pillsbury (1794-1859), evangelist among the poor of N.Y. and Boston (182J-1830), in 1835 founded a colony in III. that he hoped would bring piety and learning to the West. President of a new, impoverished Western college (i8jo-i8jj), he finally took charge of an Old School church. 'Samuel Green (1792-1834), pastor in Reading, Mass. (1820-1823), and in the Union St. Church, Boston (1823-1834). 'George Whitefield (1714-1770), English evangelical preacher, leader of the Calvinist Methodists, conducted large, emotional revivals in America during the Great Awakening. AUTOBIOGRAPHY Unitarians, with some doubts whereunto the thing may grow; which doubts the Lord will solve, I fully believe, before many years, if I am permitted to live and enjoy health, together with my fellow-workers here and around. The revival has added about sixty to the number for whom we hope, and is now putting on a more interesting appearance than ever. Our last inquiry meeting was nearly double in numbers to any preceding one." CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS I INTRODUCTION II THE CONNECTICUT OBSERVER III CORRESPONDENCE, 1824-1825 IV CORRESPONDENCE, 1825 V SIX SERMONS ON INTEMPERANCE VI REQUEST FOR DISMISSION, READ BEFORE THE CONGREGATION VII BOSTON VIII CORRESPONDENCE, 1826 IX THE REVIVAL X THE GROTON CASE XI CORRESPONDENCE, 1826-1827 XII NEW MEASURES XIII REMINISCENCES XIV THE SPIRIT OF THE PILGRIMS XV CALL TO PHILADELPHIA XVI INFANT SALVATION XVII YOUNG MEN – MUSIC XVIII CORRESPONDENCE, 1829 XIX THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL XX CORRESPONDENCE, 1828–1829 XXI LECTURES ON POLITICAL ATHEISM XXII CORRESPONDENCE, 1830 XXIII CORRESPONDENCE, 1830, Continued XXIV LANE XXV CORRESPONDENCE, 1832 XXVI CONCILIATION XXVII FIRST IMPRESSIONS XXVIII THE DECISION XXIX THE JOURNEY XXX SKIRMISHING XXXI GETTING UNDER WAY XXXII WALNUT HILLS XXXIII STUDENT REMINISCENCES XXXIV ANTI-SLAVERY IMBROGLIO XXXV PLEA FOR THE WEST XXXVI CORRESPONDENCE, 1834-1835 XXXVII THE TRIAL XXXVIII A FAMILY MEETING XXXIX BROKEN TIES XL CORRESPONDENCE, 1836-1837 XLI PERILS XLII FAMILY HISTORY XLIII CORRESPONDENCE, 1837-1838 XLIV REVOLUTION XLV CONSEQUENCES XLVI CORRESPONDENCE, 1840-1842 XLVII WESTERN COLLEGES XLVIII THE BROKEN LINK XLIX THE LOST FOUND L RECOLLECTIONS OF NETTLETON LI CORRESPONDENCE, 1845 LII AUTUMN LEAVES LIII VISIT TO ENGLAND LIV QUO WARRANTO LV FRATERNAL REMINISCENCES LVI CORRESPONDENCE, 1847-1851 LVII RETURN TO BOSTON LVIII THE LAST OF EARTH LIX MISCELLANEA LX CONCLUSION INDEX