 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||
The South was sincere in its advocacy of slavery. Its people had been educated to believe in its justness. They had been taught that it was divine. The Bible sanctioned it, and the church upheld it. Those who believed in the divinity of this institution -- those who were reduced from affluence to poverty by its abolition -- can never become wholly reconciled to the new order of things. But aside from these the South as well as the North now rejoices that the Union was preserved and the Republic saved.
The great statesman who ruled with gentle hand, and guided with wondrous skill the ship of state on its perilous voyage, and the great captain who with consummate ability, valor, and perseverance, conquered the rebellious hosts, were Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. By nearly all the North, and by a large portion of the South, these men are held in loving remembrance as the Saviors of our Republic.
While the president of the Confederacy, and the general of its vanquished armies -- a statesman of acknowledged worth, and a soldier unsurpassed -- were devout believers in Christianity, their victorious adversaries, Lincoln and Grant, were dis-believers. If the God of Christians be the God of battles, as claimed, he fought a losing fight, or deserted the standard of his devotees for that of aliens.
As a result of this controversy, thousands have become interested in a subject that otherwise might have excited but little interest. This is the writer's apology for collecting the testimony of more than one hundred witnesses, and devoting more than three hundred pages to the question; "Was Lincoln a Christian?"
About few other men has so much been written as about Abraham Lincoln; while no other American's life has engaged the pens of so many biographers. A thousand volumes record his name and refer to his deeds. In a hundred of these he is the central figure. Nearly a score of elaborate biographies of him have been written. As many more books pertaining wholly to his life, his martyrdom, and his character have been published. Of the many works on Lincoln which the writer has consulted in the preparation of this volume, the following deserve to be mentioned: Nicolay and Hay's "Life of Lincoln," Herndon and Weik's "Life of Lincoln," Lamon's "Life of Lincoln," Holland's "Life of Lincoln," Arnold's "Life of Lincoln," Raymond's "Life of Lincoln," Stoddard's "Life of Lincoln," Barrett's "Life of Lincoln," "Every-Day Life of Lincoln," Arnold's "Lincoln and Slavery," Carpenter's "Six Months at the White House with Lincoln," "Reminiscences of Lincoln," "Anecdotes of Lincoln." "Lincolniana," "The President's Words," " The Martyr's Monument," "Tribute of the Nations to Lincoln," "Lincoln Memorial" and "Lincoln Memorial Album."
The testimony concerning Lincoln's religions belief presented in this volume has been derived chiefly from three sources. 1. A part of it has been gathered from the works above named. In a single volume is published for the first time matter which heretofore was only to be found scattered through numerous volumes, some of them inaccessible to the general reader. 2. A considerable portion of it has been gleaned from newspapers and periodicals containing statements brought out by this controversy, many of which would otherwise soon be lost or forgotten. 3. A very large share of it has been obtained by the writer from personal friends of Lincoln; and when we realize how rapidly those who lived and moved with him are passing away -- that erelong none of them will remain to testify. -- the importance of this evidence can hardly be overestimated.
The writer believes that he has fully established the negative of the proposition that forms the title of his book. He does not expect to silence the claims of the affirmative; but he has furnished an arsenal of facts whereby these claims may be exposed and refuted as often as made.
This effort to prove that Lincoln was not a Christian will be condemned by many as an attempt to fasten a stain upon this great man's character. But the demonstration and perpetuation of this fact will only add to his greatness. It will show that he was in advance of his generation. The fame of Abraham Lincoln belongs not to this age alone, but will endure for all time. The popular faith is transient and must perish. It is unpopular now to reject Christianity, but the day is fast approaching when to accept its dogmas will be considered an evidence of human weakness. To perpetuate the claim that Lincoln was a Christian is to perpetuate an idea that in a future age will lessen the luster of his name.
It will be urged by some that the intent and purpose of this work is solely to promote the interests of Freethought. But it is not. The writer advocates no cause that requires the prestige of a great name to make it respectable. The cause that requires the indorsement of the great to sustain it is not worthy to survive. He has prosecuted this investigation, not in the interest of any belief or creed, but in the interest of truth; and truth is certainly as high as any creed, even if that creed be true. In proving Lincoln a disbeliever he does not presume to have proved Christianity false, or Freethought true; but he has shown that some Christians are not honest, and that an honest man may be a Freethinker.
ATCHISON, KAN., April, 1893.
Before attempting to answer this question, let us define what constitutes a Christian. A Christian is one who, in common with the adherents of nearly all the religions of mankind, believes, 1. In the existence of a God; 2. In the immortality of the soul. As distinguished from the adherents of other religions, he believes, 1. That the Bible is a revelation from God to man; 2. That Jesus Christ was the miraculously begotten son of God. He also believes in various other doctrines peculiar to Christianity, the chief of which are, 1. The fall of man; 2. The atonement.
Those who in nominally Christian countries reject the dogmas of Christianity are denominated Infidels, Freethinkers, Liberals, Rationalists, unbelievers, disbelievers, skeptics, etc. These Infidels, or Freethinkers, represent various phases of belief, among which are, 1. Deists, who affirm the existence of a God and the immortality of the soul; 2. Atheists, who deny the existence of a God, and, generally, the soul's immortality; 3. Agnostics, who neither affirm nor deny these doctrines.
The following are the religious views Lincoln is said to have held as presented by those who affirm that he was a Christian:
IN confirmation of the claim that Lincoln was a Christian, the following evidence has been adduced:
"The power of a true-hearted Christian man, in perfect
sympathy with a true-hearted Christian people, was Mr.
Lincoln's power. Open on one side of his nature to all
descending influences from him to whom he prayed, and open on
the other to all ascending influences from the people whom he
served, he aimed simply to do his duty to God and man. Acting
rightly be acted greatly. While he took care of deeds
fashioned by a purely ideal standard, God took care of
results. Moderate, frank, truthful, gentle, forgiving, loving,
just, Mr. Lincoln will always be remembered as eminently a
Christian President; and the almost immeasurably great results
which he had the privilege of achieving were due to the fact
that he was a Christian President" (Life of Lincoln, p. 542).
"On one of these occasions Mr. Lincoln took up a book
containing a careful canvass of the city of Springfield in
which he lived, showing the candidate for whom each citizen
had declared it his intention to vote in the approaching
election. Mr. Lincoln's friends had, doubtless at his own
request, placed the result of the canvass in his hands. This
was toward the close of October, and only a few days before
the election. Calling Mr. Bateman to a seat at his side,
having previously locked all the doors, he said: 'Let us look
over this book. I wish particularly to see how the ministers
of Springfield are going to vote.' The leaves were turned, one
by one, and as the names were examined Mr. Lincoln frequently
asked if this one and that were not a minister, or an elder,
or the member of such or such a church, and sadly expressed
his surprise on receiving an affirmative answer. In that
manner they went through the book, and then he closed it and
sat silently and for some minutes regarding a memorandum in
pencil which lay before him. At length he turned to Mr.
Bateman, with a face full of sadness, and said: Here are
twenty-three ministers, of different denominations, and all of
them are against me but three; and here are a great many
prominent members of the churches, a very large majority of
whom are against me. Mr. Bateman, I am not a Christian -- God
knows I would be one -- but I have carefully read the Bible,
and I do not so understand this book;' and he drew from his
bosom a pocket New Testament. 'These men well know,' he
continued, 'that I am for freedom in the territories, freedom
everywhere as far as the Constitution and laws will permit,
and that my opponents are for slavery. They know this, and
yet, with this book in their hands, in the light of which
human bondage cannot live a moment, they are going to vote
against me. I do not understand it at all.' Here Mr. Lincoln
paused -- paused for long minutes -- his features surcharged
with emotion. Then he rose and walked up and down the room in
the effort to retain or regain his self-possession. Stopping
at last, he said, with a trembling voice and his cheeks wet
with tears: I know there is a God, and that he hates injustice
and slavery. I see the storm coming, and I know that his hand
is in it. If he has a place for me -- and I think he has -- I
believe I am ready. I am nothing, but truth is everything. I
know I am right, for Christ teaches it, and Christ is God.'
"Having shown what claims Mr. Lamon's book has to being
the 'only fair and reliable history' of Mr. Lincoln's life and
views, and of what 'trustworthy materials' it is composed, I
shall now give the testimony I have collected to establish
what has ever been the public impression, that Mr. Lincoln was
in his later life, and at the time of his death, a firm
believer in the truth of the Christian religion. The
Infidelity of his earlier life is not so much to be wondered
at, when we consider the poverty of his early religious
instruction and the peculiar influences by which he was
surrounded."
"It does not appear that he had ever seen, much less
read, a work on the evidences of Christianity till his
interview with Rev. Dr. Smith in 1848. We hear of him as
reading Paine,
Voltaire, and Theodore Parker,
but nothing on the other side.
"While it is to be regretted that Mr. Lincoln was not
spared to indicate his religious sentiments by a profession of
his faith in accordance with the institutions of the Christian
religion, yet it is very clear that he had this step in view,
and was seriously contemplating it, as a sense of its fitness
and an apprehension of his duty grew upon him."
"It is a very easy matter to prove that while I was
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Mr.
Lincoln did avow his belief in the divine authority and
inspiration of the scriptures, and I hold that it is a matter
of the last importance not only to the present, but all future
generations of the great Republic, and to all advocates of
civil and religious liberty throughout the world, that this
avowal on his part, and the circumstances attending it,
together with very interesting incidents illustrative of the
excellence of his character, in my possession, should be made
known to the public. ... It was my honor to place before Mr.
Lincoln arguments designed to prove the divine authority and
inspiration of the scriptures accompanied by the arguments of
Infidel objectors in their own language. To the arguments on
both sides Mr. Lincoln gave a most patient, impartial, and
searching investigation. To use his own language, he examined
the arguments as a lawyer who is anxious to reach the truth
investigates testimony. The result was the announcement by
himself that the argument in favor of the divine authority and
inspiration of the Scriptures was unanswerable."
Springfield, Dec. 24th, 1872.
Rev. Jas. A. Reed:
Dear Sir --
"A short time after the Rev. Dr. Smith became pastor of
the First Presbyterian church in this city, Mr. Lincoln said
to me, 'I have been reading a work of Dr. Smith on the
evidences of Christianity, and have heard him preach and
converse on the subject, and I am now convinced of the truth
of the Christian religion.'
Yours truly,
N.W. Edwards."
"Springfield, Jan. 6th, 1873.
Rev. J.A. Reed:
"Dear Sir --
"Not long after Dr. Smith came to Springfield, and I
think very near the time of his son's death, Mr. Lincoln said
to me, that when on a visit somewhere, he had seen and
partially read a work of Dr. Smith on the evidences of
Christianity which had led him to change his views about the
Christian religion; that he would like to get that work to
finish the reading of it, and also to make the acquaintance of
Dr. Smith. I was an elder in Dr. Smith's church, and took Dr.
Smith to Mr. Lincoln's office and introduced him; and Dr.
Smith gave Mr. Lincoln a copy of his book, as I know, at his
own request.
Yours etc.,
Thos. Lewis."
"New York, Dec. 31, 1872.
Rev. J.A. Reed,
"My Dear Sir:
"In addition to what has appeared from my pen, I will
state that I have had many conversations with Mr. Lincoln,
which were more or less of a religious character, and while I
never tried to draw anything like a statement of his views
from him, yet be freely expressed himself to me as having 'a
hope of blessed immortality through Jesus Christ.' His views
seemed to settle so naturally around that statement, that I
considered no other necessary. His language seemed not that of
an inquirer, but of one who had a prior settled belief in the
fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion. Once or
twice, speaking to me of the change which had come upon him,
he said, while he could not fix any definite time, yet it was
after he came here, and I am very positive that in his own
mind he identified it with about the time of Willie's death.
He said, too, that after he went to the White House he kept up
the habit of daily prayer. Sometimes he said it was only ten
words, but those ten words he had. There is no possible reason
to suppose that Mr. Lincoln would ever deceive me as to his
religious sentiments. In many conversations with him, I
absorbed the firm conviction that Mr. Lincoln was at heart a
Christian man, believed in the Savior, and was seriously
considering the step which would formally connect him with the
visible church on earth. Certainly, any suggestion as to Mr.
Lincoln's skepticism or Infidelity, to me who knew him
intimately from 1862 till the time of his death, is a
monstrous fiction -- a shocking perversion.
"Yours truly,
"Noah Brooks."
"After some conversation, in which he seemed disposed to have
his joke and fun, he settled down to a serious consideration of the
subject before his mind, and for one half-hour poured forth a
volume of the deepest Christian philosophy I ever heard."
"All that was said during that memorable afternoon I
spent alone with that great and good man is engraven too
deeply on my memory, ever to be effaced. I felt certain of
this fact, that if Mr. Lincoln was not really an experimental
Christian, he was acting like one. He was doing his duty
manfully, and looking to God for help in time of need; and,
like the immortal Washington, he believed in the efficacy of
prayer, and it was his custom to read the Scriptures and pray
himself."
"I do not believe a word of it. It could not have been
true of him while here, for I have had frequent and intimate
conversations with him on the Subject of the Bible and the
Christian religion, when he could have had no motive to
deceive me, and I considered him sound not only on the truth
of the Christian religion but on all its fundamental doctrines
and teachings. And more than that, in the latter days of his
chastened and weary life, after the death of his son Willie,
and his visit to the battlefield of Gettysburg, be said, with
tears in his eves, that he had lost confidence in everything
but God, and that he now believed his heart was changed, and
that he loved the Savior, and, if he was not deceived in
himself, it was his intention soon to make a profession of
religion."
"No more reverent Christian than he ever sat in the
Executive chair, not excepting Washington. He was by nature
religious; full of religious sentiment. The veil between him
and the supernatural was very thin. It is not claimed that he
was orthodox. For creeds and dogmas he cared little. But in
the great fundamental principles of religion, of the Christian
religion, he was a firm believer. Belief in the existence of
God, in the immortality of the soul, in the Bible as the
revelation of God to man, in the efficacy and duty of prayer,
in reverence toward the Almighty, and in love and charity to
man, was the basis of his religion" (Life of Lincoln, p. 446).
"His reply to the Negroes of Baltimore when they, in
1864, presented him with a magnificent Bible, ought to silence
forever those who charge him with unbelief. He said: 'In
regard to the Great Book I have only to say that it is the
best gift which God has given to man. All the good from the
Savior of the world is communicated through this book'"
(Ibid., p. 447).
"His faith in a Divine Providence began at his mother's
knee, and ran through all the changes of his life. Not
orthodox, not a man of creeds, he was a man of simple trust in
God" (Ibid., p. 448).
"I would scarcely have called Mr. Lincoln a religious man
-- and yet I believe him to have been a sincere Christian"
(Six Months in the White House, p. 185).
"I believe that Lincoln was a Christian, and that he was
God's chosen instrument to perform the mighty work he did."
"The President, it seemed, had been much impressed with
the devotion and earnestness of purpose manifested by the
lady, and on one occasion, after she had discharged the object
of her visit, he said to her: "Mrs. ----, I have formed a high
opinion of your Christian character, and now, as we are alone,
I have a mind to ask you to give me, in brief, your idea of
what constitutes a true religious experience.' The lady
replied at some length, stating that, in her judgment, it
consisted of a conviction of one's own sinfulness and
weakness, and personal need of a Savior for strength and
support; that views of mere doctrine might and would differ,
but when one was really brought to feel his need of divine
help, and to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit for strength and
guidance, it was satisfactory evidence of his having been born
again. This was the substance of her reply. When she had
concluded, Mr. Lincoln was very thoughtful for a few moments.
He at length said, very earnestly, 'If what you have told me
is really a correct view of this great subject, I think I can
say with sincerity that I hope I am a Christian'" (Anecdotes
of Lincoln, pp, 166, 167).
"The possibility of defeat depressed him greatly; but the
lady told him he must trust, and that he could at least pray.
'Yes,' said he, and taking up a Bible he started for his room.
Could all the people of the nation have overheard the earnest
petition that went up from that inner chamber as it reached
the ears of the nurse, they would have fallen upon their knees
with tearful and reverential sympathy" (Anecdotes of Lincoln,
p. 120).
"On the day of the receipt of the capitulation of Lee, as
we learn from a friend intimate with the late President
Lincoln, the cabinet meeting was held an hour earlier than
usual. Neither the President nor any member was able, for a
time, to give utterance to his feelings. At the suggestion of
Mr. Lincoln all dropped on their knees, and offered in silence
and in tears their humble and heartfelt acknowledgment to the
Almighty for the triumph he had granted to the national
cause."
"When I left Springfield I asked the people to pray for
me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest
trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to
Gettysburg, and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers,
I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. Yes, I do love
Jesus" (Lincoln Memorial Album, p. 366).
"In the anxious uncertainties of the great war, he
gradually rose to the heights where Jehovah became to him the
sublimest of realities, the ruler of nations. When he wrote
his immortal Proclamation, he invoked upon it not only 'the
considerate judgment of mankind,' but 'the gracious favor of
Almighty God.' When darkness gathered over the brave armies
fighting for the nation's life, this strong man in the early
morning knelt and wrestled in prayer with him who holds in his
hand the fate of empires. When the clouds lifted above the
carnage of Gettysburg, he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus
Christ. When he pronounced his matchless oration on the chief
battlefield of the war, he gave expression to the resolve that
'this nation, under God, should have a new birth of freedom.'
And when he wrote his last Inaugural Address, he gave to it
the lofty religious tone of an old Hebrew psalm" (Lincoln
Memorial Album, p. 508).
The most eminent Methodist divine of that period was Bishop Simpson. During the war his commanding influence and rare eloquence did much to secure for the Union cause the united support of Northern Methodists. Lincoln appreciated the services of the distinguished divine, and they became warm friends. When the remains of the President were conveyed to their final resting-place at Springfield, Bishop Simpson was selected to deliver the funeral oration. Alluding to the religious phase of Lincoln's character, he spoke as follows:
"As a ruler, I doubt if any President has ever shown such
trust in God, or in public documents so frequently referred to
divine aid. Often did he remark to friends and to delegations
that his hope for our success rested in his conviction that
God would bless our efforts because we were trying to do
right" (Lincoln and Slavery, p. 673).
IN the preceding chapter has been presented the Christian side of this question. It has been presented fully and fairly. Even the Christian claimant must admit that it is the longest and most complete array of testimony that has yet been published in support of his claim. This evidence is explicit and apparently conclusive. To attempt its refutation may seem presumptuous. And yet, in the face of all this evidence, the writer does not hesitate to declare that Abraham Lincoln was not a Christian, and pledge himself to refute the statements of these witnesses by a volume of testimony that is irresistible and overwhelming.
Before introducing this testimony the evidence already adduced will be reviewed. This evidence may properly be grouped into three divisions: 1. The testimony of Holland and Bateman; 2. The testimony of Reed and his witnesses; 3. The testimony of Arnold and the miscellaneous evidence remaining.
Holland's "Life of Lincoln," from a literary point of view, is a work of more than ordinary merit. It possesses a beauty of diction and an intellectual vigor seldom surpassed; but as an authority it is unreliable. Like Weems' "Life of Washington," it is simply a biographical romance founded upon fact, but paying little regard to facts in presenting the details. Following the natural bent of Christian biographers, Holland parades the subject of his work as a model of Christian piety. He knew that this was false; for, while he was unacquainted with Lincoln, he had been apprised of his unbelief -- had been repeatedly told of it before he wrote his biography. But this did not deter him from asserting the contrary. He knew that if he stated the facts the clergy would condemn his book. They needed the influence of Lincoln's great name to support their crumbling creed, and would have it at any sacrifice, particularly when its possession required no greater sacrifice than truth. Holland was equal to the emergency. When one of Lincoln's friends in Springfield suggested that the less said about his religious views the better, he promptly replied: "Oh, never mind; I'll fix that." And he did. With dramatic embellishments, he presented to the delight of the orthodox world the now famous, or rather infamous, Bateman interview.
The publication of this story produced a profound sensation among the personal friends of the dead President. It revealed to them the unpleasant fact, assuming Holland's account to be correct, either that Newton Bateman, who had hitherto borne the reputation of being a man of veracity, was an unscrupulous liar, or that Abraham Lincoln, whose reputation for honesty and candor, long anterior to 1860, had become proverbial, was a consuramate hypocrite; and loath as they were to believe the former, they rejected with disdain the latter.
Referring to this story, Lamon, in his "Life of Lincoln," says:
"There is no dealing with Mr. Bateman except by a flat
contradiction. Perhaps his memory was treacherous or his
imagination led him astray, or, peradventure, he thought a
fraud no harm if it gratified the strong desire of the public
for proofs of Mr. Lincoln's orthodoxy" (Life of Lincoln, p.
501).
"I doubt whether Mr. Bateman said in full what is
recorded there. I doubt a great deal of it. I know the whole
story is untrue -- untrue in substance, untrue in fact and
spirit. As soon as the [Holland's] 'Life of Lincoln' was out,
on reading that part here referred to, I instantly sought Mr.
Bateman and found him in his office. I spoke to him politely
and kindly, and he spoke to me in the same manner. I said
substantially to him that Mr. Holland, in order to make Mr.
Lincoln a technical Christian, made him a hypocrite; and so
his 'Life of Lincoln' quite plainly says. I loved Mr. Lincoln,
and was mortified, if not angry, to see him made a hypocrite.
I cannot now detail what Mr. Bateman said, as it was a private
conversation, and I am forbidden to make use of it in public.
If some good gentleman can only get the seal of secrecy
removed I can show what was said and done. On my word, the
world may take it for granted that Holland is wrong -- that he
does not state Mr. Lincoln's views correctly" (Lamon's Life of
Lincoln, p. 496).
"My notes of our conversation bear date December 3, 12,
and 28, 1865, Our conversations were private, I suppose.
However, I can say this much: that Mr. Bateman expressly told
me Mr. Lincoln was, in the conversation related in Holland,
talking politics and not religion, nor Christianity, nor
morals, as such. I have persistently dogged Mr. Bateman for
the privilege of publishing my notes, or to give me a letter
explaining what Mr. Lincoln did say, so that I might make
known the facts of the case. Mr. Bateman has as stoutly
refused."
"He [Lincoln] was applying the principles of moral and
religious truth to the duties of the hour, the condition of
the country, and the conduct of public men -- ministers of the
gospel. I had no thought of orthodoxy or heterodoxy,
Unitarianism,, Trinitarianism, or any other ism, during the
whole conversation, and I don't suppose or believe he had."
Dr. Bateman privately asserts that he was not correctly reported, that Holland's version of the interview "is colored." It is to be regretted that he had not the courage to state this fact to the public, and his plea, "My aversion to publicity in such matters is intense," is a poor apology for refusing to do so.
As previously intimated, this story is probably founded on fact and has an element of truth in it. Lincoln and Bateman had a political interview, and the object of this interview was the examination and discussion of the list of Springfield voters. This list revealed the fact that twenty out of twenty-three clergymen and a very large majority of the church-members of Springfield were opposed to Lincoln. The significance of this fact Dr. Holland and Dr. Bateman have apparently overlooked. Why was the church opposed to him? It must have been either because it was opposed to the Republican party, or because he was personally objectionable to the members of that party. His political principles were the principles of his party, his ability was conceded, and his moral character was above reproach. It is fair to assume that the political sentiment of the Christians of Springfield was substantially the political sentiment of Northern Christians generally. Now, was the Northern Church overwhelmingly in favor of the extension of slavery? Were eighty-seven per cent. of Northern Christians Democrats? Or did the Christians of Springfield oppose Lincoln because he was an Infidel?
Holland makes Bateman affirm that Lincoln "drew from his bosom a pocket New Testament." It is generally believed by Lincoln's friends that he did not have a New Testament, that the only book used in the interview was the book containing the list of Springfield voters. One of them says: "The idea that Mr. Lincoln carried the New Testament or Bible in his bosom or boots, to draw on his opponents in debate, is ridiculous." It is possible, however, that there was a New Testament in the room, and that Lincoln used it to enforce an argument. Indeed, there is internal evidence in the story, aside from the declaration of Bateman, that such was the case. The central idea in his political creed -- the keynote of his campaigns, both in 1858 and in 1860 -- was contained in that memorable passage, "'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' This government can not endure permanently half slave and half free." The figure quoted was a familiar and powerful one, and Lincoln recognized its force in dealing with the masses. It was taken from the New Testament, and from the words of Christ himself. That he should use it against those Christians who were acting contrary to this well-known truth, is not strange. Immediately after the declaration, "Christ is God," he is reported as saying: "I have told them that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and Christ and reason say the same." This furnishes a solution to the whole story. This shows what he was doing with a New Testament. In connection with this, nothing is more natural than that he should exclaim: "Christ teaches it, and Christ is [their] God!" That he was terribly in earnest, that he was deeply agitated and pained to learn that his Christian neighbors were opposed to him, is not improbable. Thus the incidents of a simple political interview that were natural and reasonable have been perverted to make it appear that he was a Christian. A mere reference to the New Testament and Christ have been twisted into an acknowledgment of their divinity. Bateman himself admits that Lincoln said: "I am not a Christian." Why not accept his statement, then? Why then distort his words and in the face of this positive declaration attempt to prove that he was a Christian? Bateman reports him as modifying the statement by adding: "God knows I would be one." Yes, "God knows I would be one were I convinced that Christianity is true, but not convinced of its truth, I am an unbeliever."
Lincoln is also reported to have said that in the light of the New Testament "human bondage can not live a moment." But he did not utter these words. He did not utter them because they are untrue, and none knew this better than himself. He knew that in the light of this book human bondage had lived for nearly two thousand years; he knew that this book was one of the great bulwarks of human slavery; he knew that there was not to be found between its lids a single text condemning slavery, while there were to be found a score of texts sustaining it; he knew that that infamous law, the Fugitive Slave law, received its warrant from this book -- that Paul, in the light of its earliest teachings, had returned a fugitive slave to his master.
In this story Lincoln is charged with the grossest hypocrisy. He is declared to have professed a belief in Christ and Christianity, and when Bateman observed that his friends were ignorant of this, he is made to reply: "I know they are. I am obliged to appear different to them." Now, to use Lincoln's own words, "A sane person can no more act without a motive than can there be an effect without a cause," and what possible motive could he have had for such conduct? Supposing that he was base enough to be a hypocrite, what could induce him to lead the world to suppose he was an Infidel if he were not? In the eyes of the more ignorant and bigoted class of Christians, Infidelity is a more heinous crime than murder, and an Infidel is a creature scarcely to be tolerated, much less to be intrusted with a public office. Freethinkers generally detest the dogmas of Christianity as thoroughly as Christians possibly can the principles of Freethought. But free thought and free speech are the leading tenets of their creed. They recognize the fact that we are all the children of circumstances, that our belief is determined by our environments, and while they reject Christianity, they have nothing but charity for those who conscientiously profess it. They may repudiate a bigot, but will not oppose a man merely because he is a Christian. If Lincoln were an Infidel, discretion might urge a concealment of his views; if he were a Christian, policy would prompt him to give it as wide a publicity as possible, especially when he rested under the imputation of being a disbeliever. Had he changed his belief and become a convert to Christianity, a knowledge of the fact would not have lost him the support of his friends, even though some of them were Freethinkers; while it would have secured for him a more cordial support from the Republican side of the church, many of whom had been alienated on account of his supposed anti-Christian sentiments. It is hard to believe that Lincoln was a hypocrite; but this story, if true, makes him not only a hypocrite but a fool. If he believed in Christianity there can be but one reason advanced for his desiring to keep it a secret -- he was ashamed of it.
Holland, in trying to explain away the inconsistencies of this fabrication, repeatedly blunders. In one of his attempts he makes use of the following remarkable language:
"It was one of the peculiarities of Mr. Lincoln to hide
these religious experiences from the eyes of the world. ...
They [his friends] did not regard him as a religious man. They
had never seen anything but the active lawyer, the keen
politician, the jovial, fun-loving companion in Mr. Lincoln.
All this department of his life he had kept carefully hidden
from them. Why he should say that he was obliged to appear
differently to others does not appear; but the fact is a
matter of history that he never exposed his own religious life
to those who had no sympathy with it. It is doubtful whether
the clergymen of Springfield knew anything of these
experiences" (Life of Lincoln, pp. 239, 240).
A Christian writer, apologizing for the absurd and contradictory statements of Holland and Bateman, says, "They aimed at the truth." I do not believe it. It is clearly evident that they aimed at a plausible lie. But in either case they made a bad shot.
In his "Life of Lincoln," Holland endeavors to convey the impression that Lincoln was always a devout Christian. He declares that even during the years of his early manhood at New Salem, "he was a religious man;" that "he had a deep religions life." When Herndon and Lamon exposed his shameful misrepresentations he retreated from his first position, and in Scribners Monthly wrote as follows:
"What Abraham Lincoln was when he lived at
New Salem and wrote an anti-Christian tract (which the friend to
whom he showed it somewhat violently but most judiciously put in
the fire) is one thing, and it may be necessary for an impartial
historian to record it. What he was when he died at Washington with
those most Christian words of the Second Inaugural upon his lips,
and that most Christian record of five years of patient tenderness
and charity behind him, is quite another thing."
Smarting under his exposure, with that whining cant so
peculiar to the vanquished religionist, Holland finally sent forth
this parting wail and virtually abandoned the whole case:
"The question is, not whether Abraham Lincoln was a
subscriber to the creeds of orthodoxy, but whether he was a
believing -- that is to say, a truthful Christian man; not
whether he was accustomed to call Jesus Christ 'Lord, Lord,'
but whether he was used to do those things which Jesus Christ
exemplified and enforced. He was accustomed, as we know well
enough, to speak of an Almighty Father, of whom justice and
mercy and sympathy with weak and suffering humanity were
characteristic attributes. Who was it that revealed to man a
God like this? Who was it that once 'showed us the Father and
it sufficed us?' Whoever it was that made this revelation to
mankind it was of him that this man, even though he knew it
not, had learned, and it was in his spirit that he acted"
(Scribners Monthly).
"Moderate, frank, truthful, gentle, forgiving, loving,
just, Mr. Lincoln will always be remembered as eminently a
Christian President; and the almost immeasurably great results
which he had the privilege of achieving were due to the fact
that he was a Christian President."
Moderate, frank, truthful, gentle, forgiving, loving, just, Mr. Lincoln will always be remembered as eminently a Liberal President; and the almost immeasurably great results which he had the privilege of achieving were due to the fact that he was a Liberal President.
OF the twenty Christian witnesses whose testimony is given in Chapter I., ten admit that, during a part of his life, Lincoln was an unbeliever, or Infidel. Of the remaining ten, not one denies the fact. It is conceded, then, that he was once an Infidel. Now, it is a rule of law that when a certain state or condition of things is once proven to exist, that state or condition is presumed to continue to exist until the contrary is proven. If Lincoln was, at one time, an Infidel, it is fair to assume that he remained an Infidel, unless it can be shown that he changed his belief and became a Christian. This Dr. Reed attempts to do.
His lecture, under the caption of "The Later Life and Religious Sentiments of Abraham Lincoln," will be found in Scribnr's Monthly for July, 1873. The evidence presented by Lamon had placed Dr. Holland in a most unenviable light. As Reed's lecture reaffirmed the claim made by Holland, and brought forward fresh evidence to substantiate the claim, it was naturally regarded by many Christians as a vindication of Holland's position, especially by those who had not read Lamon's work. Holland was particularly pleased at its opportune appearance, and cheerfully gave it a place in his magazine.
Reed's individual testimony proves nothing. He does not profess to know, from personal knowledge, what Lincoln's religious views were. The object of his lecture was to invalidate, if possible, the testimony of those who affirmed that he died an Infidel, and to present, in addition to what had already been presented by Holland, the testimony of those who affirmed that during the last years of his life he was a Christian. To answer his witnesses is to answer his lecture.
The Rev. Dr. Smith affirms that he converted Lincoln to a belief in "the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures." It was imperative that he should, for, said he, "It was my honor to place before Mr. Lincoln arguments designed to prove the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures." As a matter of course, "the result was the announcement by himself that the arguments in favor of the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures were unanswerable." Consequently, "Mr. Lincoln did avow his belief in the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures."
Impressed with a deep sense of the gravity and importance of his work, he declares that "It is a matter of the last importance not only to the present but to all future generations of the great Republic, and to all advocates of civil and religious liberty throughout the world that this avowal on his part, ... should be made known to the public," coupled with the more important fact, of course, that it was Dr. Smith who did it. It is to be regretted that his waiting until after Lincoln's death to announce it, prevented the convert's Christian friends from tendering their congratulations and extending the hand of fellowship. It is possible that he counseled Dr. Smith not to divulge the secret for fear it might injure his political prospects. Certain it is, his neighbors were ignorant of this remarkable change. When Holland canvassed Springfield, in 1865, eager to obtain a morsel of evidence upon which to base his claim that Lincoln was a Christian, he failed to catch even the faintest whisper regarding this alleged conversion.
When Dr. Smith's letter was made public, the Christians of Springfield generally smiled, but said nothing, while unbelievers laughed outright and pronounced it the acme of absurdity. Dr. Reed read it to his audience and tried to look serious.
Concerning this claim, Lincoln's biographer, Colonel Lamon, says:
"The abilities of this gentleman to discuss such a topic
to the edification of a man like Mr. Lincoln seem to have been
rather slender; but the chance of converting so distinguished
a person inspired him with a zeal which he might not have felt
for the salvation of an obscurer soul. Mr. Lincoln listened to
his exhortations in silence, apparently respectful, and
occasionally sat out his sermons in church with as much
patience as other people. Finding these oral appeals
unavailing, Mr. Smith composed a heavy tract out of his own
head to suit the particular case. 'The preparation of that
work,' says he, 'cost me long and arduous labor;' but it does
not appear to have been read. Mr. Lincoln took the 'work' to
his office, laid it down without writing his name on it, and
never took it up again to the knowledge of a man who inhabited
the office with him, and who saw it lying on the same spot
every day for months. Subsequently Mr. Smith drew from Mr.
Lincoln an acknowledgment that his argument was unanswerable
-- not a very high compliment under the circumstances "(Life
of Lincoln, p. 498).
"Mr. Lincoln received a book from Dr. Smith on
Infidelity. He placed it on our law table. He never opened it
-- never read it to my knowledge."
Mr. Reed was a trifle more successful than Dr. Holland in obtaining witnesses; for while Holland was able to secure but one witness in Illinois, Reed was able to summon two -- Ninian Edwards and Thomas Lewis.
The testimony of Mr. Edwards, providing that he was the author of the letter accredited to him, can only be accounted for on the following supposition. Being a believer in Christianity himself, he considered Lincoln's Infidelity a grave defect in his character, and was vexed to see that this controversy had given it such wide publicity. To assist in removing this stain, as he regarded it, from his kinsman's name, he allowed to be published over his signature a statement which, unless his memory was very treacherous, he must have known was untrue.
It may be that Lincoln did change his views in regard to some historical or doctrinal point connected with Christianity, and informed Mr. Edwards and other friends at the time of the fact. He might have changed his opinions on a hundred theological questions without having in the least changed his views in relation to the main or fundamental doctrines of Christianity. An admission concerning some trivial question connected with Christianity has been tortured to convey the idea that he accepted the whole system.
A prominent and respected citizen of Springfield, a gentleman whose name has, as yet, not been mentioned in connection with this controversy, had a conversation with Mr. Edwards relative to this subject, soon after Reed's lecture was published, and, as the result of that conversation, he writes as follows: "Mr. Edwards was not as good a witness on oral examination as he was in print."
The letter of Mr. Edwards is dated Dec. 24, 1872. On Jan. 6, 1873, the letter of Thomas Lewis was written. After two weeks of arduous labor, Reed, it seems, succeeded in finding one witness in Springfield who was prepared to corroborate the testimony of Edwards -- Thomas Lewis.
In a lecture on Lincoln which appeared in the State Register, of Springfield, Mr. Herndon disposed of this witness as follows:
"Mr. Lewis's veracity and integrity in this community
need no comment. I have heard good men say they would not
believe his word under any circumstances, especially if he
wore interested. I hate to state this of Tom, but if he will
obtrude himself in this discussion, I cannot help but say a
word in self-defense. Mr. Lincoln detested this man, I know.
The idea that Mr. Lincoln would go to Tom Lewis and reveal to
him his religious convictions, is to me, and to all who know
Mr. Lincoln and Tom Lewis, too absurd."
I have reason to believe that the letters of Edwards and Lewis were drafted, not by the persons whose signatures they bear, but by the Rev. J.A. Reed.
We come next to the testimony of Noah Brooks. Mr. Edwards, supported by Mr. Lewis, states that Lincoln was converted soon after Dr. Smith located at Springfield, and about the time of his son Eddie's death. Dr. Smith came to Springfield in 1848, and Eddie died toward the close of the same year. Dr. Smith, in his letter, does not state when Lincoln's conversion took place, but it is understood from other sources that he claimed that it occurred about the year 1858. Mr. Brooks, in his letter to Dr. Reed, says: "Speaking to me of the change which had come upon him, be said, while he could not fix any definite time, yet it was after he came here [Washington], and I am very positive that in his own mind he identified it with about the time of Willie's death."
Willie's death occurred in February, 1862, nearly fourteen years after the death of Eddie, and four years after Smith claimed to have converted Lincoln. Thus it will be soon that these witnesses nullify each other. The testimony of each is contradicted and refuted by the testimony of the other two. Mr. Edwards says that Lincoln was converted in 1848. This is contradicted by the testimony, of both Smith and Brooks. According to Dr. Smith his conversion happened about 1858. This is contradicted by the testimony of both Edwards and Brooks. Mr. Brooks is quite positive that it took place about the time of Willie's death, in 1862. This, in turn, is contradicted by the testimony of both Edwards and Smith. If Mr. Edwards is right, both Dr. Smith and Mr. Brooks are wrong. If Dr. Smith is correct, both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Brooks are incorrect. If Mr. Brooks has stated the truth both Mr. Edwards and Dr. Smith have stated falsehoods.
The testimony of these witnesses does not strengthen Reed's case, but weakens it. The testimony of two of them is self- evidently false, and this is a sufficient reason for doubting the truthfulness of the third. Had the evidence of neither Edwards nor Smith been invalidated by the evidence of the others, the fact that Lincoln is so generally conceded to have been an unbeliever up to the time that he became President, would render it unworthy of consideration. The testimony of Brooks alone demands notice. Did Lincoln change his belief after he left Springfield and went to Washington? The evidence upon this point is decisive.
The man who stood nearest to President Lincoln at Washington -- nearer than any clergyman or newspaper correspondent -- was his private secretary, Col. John G. Nicolay. In a letter dated May 27, 1865, Colonel Nicolay says:
"Mr. Lincoln did not, to my knowledge, in any way change
his religious ideas, opinions, or beliefs from the time he
left Springfield to the day of his death."
After his assassination Mrs. Lincoln said: "Mr. Lincoln had no hope and no faith in the usual acceptance of these words." His lifelong friend and executor, Judge David Davis, affirmed the same: "He had no faith in the Christian sense of the term." His biographer, Colonel Lamon, intimately acquainted with him in Illinois, and with him during all the years that he lived in Washington, says:
Never in all that time did he let fall from his lips or
his pen an expression which remotely implied the slightest
faith in Jesus as the son of God and the Savior of men."
If he was converted, why was the fact not revealed before his death? Why did these men wait until he died to make these statements to the world? Simply because the dead can make no reply.
Had Lincoln been converted, the news would have been wafted on the wings of lightning from one end of the continent to the other. It would have been published in every newspaper; it would have been proclaimed from every pulpit; it would have been a topic of conversation at every fireside. When Henry Wilson, a man of far less note than Lincoln, was converted to Christianity, the fact was heralded all over the land.
Lincoln's home was twice visited by death during his lifetime, and both occasions have been seized upon to assert that he experienced a change of heart. The death of a beloved child is no common sorrow, and the womanly tenderness of Lincoln's heart made it doubly poignant to him. "When death entered his household," says his friend, George W. Julian, his sorrow was so consuming that it could only be measured by the singular depth and intensity of his love." That Mr. Edwards and Mr. Brooks did each observe a change in the demeanor of the grief-stricken father, following the sad events referred to, is not improbable. But a manifestation of sorrow is no proof of a theological change.
Three of Reed's witnesses remain -- three clergymen -- Dr. Sunderland, Dr. Miner, and Dr. Gurley. Dr. Sunderland is a man of distinction. He has had the honor of praying for the United States Senate and officiating at the marriage of a President. Yet, distinction is not always the badge of honesty. W.H. Burr, a literary gentleman, of Washington, writing to a Boston paper in 1880, paid the following tribute to Dr. Sunderland's veracity: He can probably put more falsehood and calumny in a page of foolscap than any priest out of prison."
Mr. Sunderland called upon the President in 1862. In his letter to Reed he says: "For one half hour [he] poured forth a volume of the deepest Christian philosophy I ever heard." Notwithstanding ten years had elapsed since that visit, he proceeded to give, from memory a verbatim report of Lincoln's remarks. The report is too long to reproduce in this work, and even if correct, would add but little to the weight of Christian evidence already presented. It is merely an ethical discourse, and aside from a few indirect admissions in favor of Christianity for which Sunderland doubtless drew upon his imagination, there is nothing that Paine or any other Deist might not with propriety have uttered. Those who wish to peruse Mr. Sunderland's letter will find it in Scribners Monthly for July, 1873.
Dr. Miner, like Dr. Sunderland, had a quiet chat with the President, and what was said he assures us is too deeply engraved on his memory ever to be effaced. But, unlike Dr. Sunderland, he, does not favor us with a transcript of it. He does not repeat a word that was uttered. He states, however, that, "If Mr. Lincoln was not really an experimental Christian, he was acting like one." But how does an experimental Christian act? If he behaves himself, if he is intelligent and honest, his actions are not materially different from those of a good Freethinker. Dr. Miner did not believe that Lincoln was an experimental Christian, and in his article there is an implied admission that he knew nothing about his religion.
He says that, "Like the immortal Washington, he believed in the efficacy of prayer." The comparison is happily drawn. Lincoln probably did believe as much in the efficacy of prayer as Washington; that is to say, he did not believe in it at all, in the evangelical sense. There is no evidence that Washington believed in prayer, no proof that he ever uttered a prayer. That story about his praying at Valley Forge is as truly a myth as the story about the hatchet. The Rev. E.D. Neill, an eminent Episcopal minister, and a relative of the person who is reported to have seen Washington engaged in prayer pronounces it a fiction.
Dr. Gurley is represented as saying: "I considered him sound not only on the truth of the Christian religion, but on all its fundamental doctrines and teachings." This, remember, is from a Calvinistic standpoint. Lincoln, then, not only accepted Christianity, but its most ultra variety -- Calvinism. He believed in original sin, predestination (including infant damnation), particular redemption, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. Because he sometimes went with his wife to the Presbyterian church, of which she was an adherent, the priests of this denomination have the contemptible assurance to assert that he was a rigid Calvinist!
When he died Dr. Gurley, being Mrs. Lincoln's pastor, delivered the funeral oration in Washington. In that oration Dr. Gurley did not affirm that Lincoln was a Christian, a thing he would not have failed to do had it been true. Long after Lincoln's death, Dr. Gurley, if Reed has correctly reported him, makes a statement that he had not the courage to make over his dead body.
A reputable Christian gentleman, of Springfield, who desires to have his name withheld from the public, declares that Dr. Gurley knew and admitted that Lincoln was a disbeliever in Christianity.
It is quite probable that Gurley did not state in full what Reed reports him to have stated. A man who can take up his pen and at one sitting indite a score of falsehoods and misrepresentations, as Reed, on a subsequent occasion, is shown to have done, can not be relied upon for accuracy as a reporter.
The reader has doubtless not failed to notice the introduction of a claim by Reed to the effect that Lincoln at the time of his assassination was intending to unite with the church. That the idea was suggested by Reed is shown by the fact that no less than three of these witnesses, including Reed, allude to it. Reed says: "While it is to be regretted that Mr. Lincoln was not spared to indicate his religious sentiments by a profession of his faith in accordance with the institutions of the Christian religion, yet it is very clear that he had this step in view." Dr. Gurley is made to say: "It was his intention soon to make a profession of religion." Mr. Brooks says: I absorbed [the porosity of some of these witnesses is remarkable] the firm conviction that Mr. Lincoln ... was seriously considering the step which would formally connect him with the visible church on earth."
This dernier resort of an argument has been repeated respecting nearly every notable person who has died outside of the church. Soon after the publication of Reed's lecture, the New York World contained the following pertinent answer to this stale fabrication
It is admitted by Mr. Reed and everybody else that Mr.
Lincoln was a working Infidel up to a very late period of his
life, that he wrote a book and labored earnestly to make
proselytes to his own views, that he never publicly recanted,
and that he never joined the church. Upon those who, in the
face of these tremendous facts, allege that he was
nevertheless a Christian lies the burden of proof. Let them
produce it or forever hold their peace. In the mean time it is
a sad and puerile subterfuge to argue that he would have been
a Christian if he had lived long enough, and to lament that he
was not 'spared' for that purpose. He had been spared fifty-
six years and surrounded by every circumstance that might
soften his heart and every influence that might elevate his
faith. If he was at that late, that fatal hour standing thus
gloomily without the pale, what reason have we to suppose that
he intended ever to enter?"
One important feature of this subject Reed has either inadvertently omitted or purposely ignored, and that is in regard to the validity of the Bateman story. As the result of previous controversy this evidence had been rendered valueless. Lincoln's partner had declared it to be false, had asserted that Mr. Bateman in private conversations acknowledged it to be in part untrue, and announced his readiness to substantiate his assertions if Mr. Bateman could be prevailed upon to permit the publication of his notes of these conversations taken at the time. If Mr. Herndon's affirmations were true, it destroyed the testimony of Holland and Bateman; if untrue, it challenged Mr. Bateman to reaffirm the statements recorded by Holland, and allow the seal of privacy to be removed from his conversations on the subject. Why did Mr. Reed not rehabilitate this damaged evidence? Did he forget it? No, it is plainly evident that he did not dare to attempt it.
In reviewing this Calvinistic coterie of witnesses (they are all Calvinists, and nearly all Presbyterians), one is struck with the formidable display of theological appendages. What an imposing array of D.D.'s! Rev. J.A. Reed, D.D.! Rev. James Smith, D.D.! Rev. Byron Sunderland, D.D.! Rev. Mr. Miner, D.D.! Rev. Mr. Gurley, D.D.! It was a desperate case -- divinity was sick and needed doctoring. The doctors of divinity were accordingly called in, and prescribed "The Later Life and Religious Sentiments of Abraham Lincoln," after which it was supposed that divinity would recover. He may be better, but it is painfully apparent that some of these D.D.'s are themselves sadly in need of a doctor.
WITH the Christian masses whose minds have become warped by the bigoted teachings of their clerical leaders, nothing affects the reputation of a man so much as his religious belief. Public men who are disbelievers are fully cognizant of this, and generally refrain from expressing sentiments that would tend to alienate those upon whom the retention of their positions depends. Biographers understand this, too, and are likewise aware that a dead Infidel is as cordially hated as a live one. They know that a cold reception awaits their works unless they are able to clothe the characters of their subjects in the robes of popular superstition. Mr. Arnold realized this when he wrote his "Life of Lincoln." He had been most forcibly reminded of the fact by the fate of two biographies of his own subject which had already appeared -- Holland's and Lamon's. Holland's work by catering to popular prejudice, regardless of truth, had been financially a success; Lamon's work by adhering to truth, regardless of popular prejudice, had been financially a failure.
Determined to profit by these examples, and intimidated by the threats and entreaties of those who had resolved to secure for Christianity the influence of the Great Emancipator's name, Arnold dare not give the facts regarding Lincoln's religious belief. Nor is it to be presumed that he desired to. He had previously appeared as a special pleader for the popular faith.
He affirms that "No more reverent Christian than Lincoln ever sat in the Executive chair, not excepting Washington." The fact is, when Arnold wrote his biography of Lincoln, no very reverent Christian ever had occupied the Executive chair. Previous to the installation of Gen. B.H. Harrison no real orthodox Christian communicant had held the office of President.
If Mr. Arnold knew no more about Lincoln's religion than he appears to have known about Washington's, a more charitable reason than those suggested might be assigned for his statements concerning the former. Washington, like Lincoln, has been claimed by the church; yet, Washington, like Lincoln, was a Deist. This is admitted even by the leading churchmen of his day. Three of the most eminent divines of his age, and the three to whom be was most intimately related in a social way, were Bishop White, Rev. Dr. Abercrombie and Rev. Dr. Ashbel Green. Bishop White declares that Washington was not a communicant, as claimed by some, and intimates that he was a disbeliever. The Rev. Dr. Abercrombie, whose church he attended while he was President, said: "Washington was a Deist." The Rev. Dr. Ashbel Green, chaplain to Congress during his administration, said: "Like nearly all the founders of the Republic, he was not a Christian, but a Deist."
Arnold presents the following as the basis of Lincoln's religion, and proofs of his Christianity: "(1) Belief in the existence of God, (2) in the immortality of the soul, (3) in the Bible as the revelation of God to man, (4) in the efficacy and duty of prayer, (5) in reverence toward the Almighty, and (6) in love and charity to man."
When the subject of Lincoln's belief was once mentioned to Mr. Arnold, he said: "Lincoln was a rational Christian because he believed in morality." With equal propriety one might say of an upright Christian, "He is a rational Freethinker because he believes in morality."
"His reply to the Negroes of Baltimore," he says, "ought to silence, forever those who charge him with unbelief" This alleged reply of Lincoln was as follows:
"In regard to the Great Book I have only to say that it
is the best gift which God has given to man. All the good from
the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this
book. But for this book we could not know right from wrong.
All those things desirable to man are contained in it"
(Lincoln Memorial Album, p. 340).
The first two sentences contained in this speech (the only part of it that Arnold has quoted), Lincoln, if a Christian, might have uttered. They are words that any intelligent Christian might, from his standpoint, with propriety affirm. We are familiar with these claims. We are also familiar with the claims embodied in the last two sentences. They are repeatedly made. But they are made only by very ignorant persons, or by clerical hypocrites who try to impose upon the ignorance and credulity of their hearers. Had Lincoln been a Christian he would not have used these words, because he was too intelligent to believe them, and too honest to pretend to believe them.
Concerning this speech, Lincoln's partner, Mr. Herndon, thus vigorously, yet truthfully, remarks:
"I am aware of the fraud committed on Mr. Lincoln in
reporting some insane remarks supposed to have been made by
him, in 1864, on the presentation of a Bible to him by the
colored people of Baltimore. No sane man ever uttered such
folly, and no sane man will ever believe it. In that speech
Mr. Lincoln is made to say: 'But for this book we could not
know right from wrong.' Does any human being believe that
Lincoln ever uttered this? What did the whole race of man do
to know right from wrong during the countless years that
passed before this book was given to the world? How did the
struggling race of man build up its grand civilizations in the
world before this book was given to mankind? What do the
millions of people now living, who never heard of this book,
do to know how to distinguish right from wrong? Was Lincoln a
fool, an ass, a hypocrite, or a combination of them all? or is
this speech -- this supposed -- this fraudulent speech -- a
lie?"
Arnold says: "The veil between him and the supernatural was very thin." Yes, so thin that he easily saw through it and recognized the greater part of it to be a sham.
"His faith in a Divine Providence began at his mother's knee, and ran through all the changes of his life." I do not desire to charge Mr. Arnold with plagiarism, but the foregoing recalls the following much admired passage to be found in Holland: "This unwavering faith in a Divine Providence began at his mother's knee, and ran like a thread of gold through all the inner experiences of his life" (Life of Lincoln, pp. 61, 62).
There is much in Arnold's biography, aside from the above, to suggest that Holland's work formed the basis and model of his own. While more accurate in the main than Holland's "Life," Arnold's "Life" is in some respects equally unreliable, and less readable.
Adverting to the many fraudulent stories that have been circulated concerning Lincoln, in an address delivered in London, Mr. Arnold said: "The newspapers in America have always been full of Lincoln stories and anecdotes, some true and many fabulous." Unfortunately for the cause of truth, Mr. Arnold has himself recorded some of these fabulous stories, not because he deemed them authentic, but because they agreed with his preconceived prejudices, or the prejudices of those whom he wished to please.
Mr. Carpenter says: "I would scarcely have called Mr. Lincoln a religious man, and yet I believe him to have been a sincere Christian."
In a letter, Mr. Herndon makes the following correction in regard to his friend Carpenter's statement
"Mr. Carpenter has not expressed his own ideas correctly.
To say that a man is a Christian and yet not a religious man
is absurd. Religion is the generic term including all forms of
religion; Christianity is a specific term representing one
form of religion. Carpenter means to say that Mr. Lincoln was
a religious man but not a Christian, and this is the truth."
"I would scarcely have called Mr. Lincoln a religious man, and
yet I believe him to have been a sincere Christian." -- Carpenter.
"I would scarcely have called Mr. Lincoln a Christian, and yet
I believe him to have been a truly religious man." -- Herndon.
I would scarcely have called Mr. Lincoln a religious man, and
yet I believe him to have been a truly moral man. -- Author.
As Lincoln was in a certain sense a Deist, the religious element was not entirely wanting in him, and hence the statement of Mr. Herndon that he was a religious man is, in a degree, true.
The basis of Carpenter's work was a series of articles contributed to the New York Independent. When it was decided to publish these in book form, to swell them into a volume of the desired size, to his personal reminiscences he added many of the stories pertaining to Lincoln then going the rounds of the press. Although he was as it were a member of Lincoln's household six months he failed to hear from Lincoln's lips a word expressing a belief in Christianity. These apocryphal stories, and these alone contain all the evidences of Lincoln's alleged piety to be found in Carpenter's book. And his admission that Lincoln was not a religious man disproves them.
Mr. Hawley professed to believe that Lincoln was a Christian, but he bad no personal knowledge of the fact, although his neighbor for many years. The only reasons he was able to adduce upon which to predicate his belief were the Bateman story and his farewell speech on leaving Springfield. The former has been exploded, the latter proves nothing.
During all the later years of his life Lincoln generally refrained from expressing his anti-Christian opinions, except to friends who shared his views. This silence, in connection with his sterling moral character, might lead some of his Christian neighbors to suppose that he was a believer, the more especially as Christians are generally ignorant of the extent of unbelief, and are loath to believe that a person, unless he openly avows his disbelief, can be an Infidel.
According to Mr. Willets, Lincoln, during the war, had an attack of what he thought might be a "change of heart." He consulted a pious lady in regard to it and requested her to describe to him the symptoms attending this theological disease. She defined "a true religious experience" as "a conviction of one's own sinfulness and weakness, and personal need of the Savior for strength and support." She said that "when one was really brought to feel his need of divine help, and to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance, it was satisfactory evidence of his having been born again." Lincoln replied that if what she had told him was "a correct view of this great subject," he hoped he was a Christian. But was this a correct view of it? I was not aware that conviction constituted conversion. We have been taught that conviction is but a preliminary step toward conversion. If Lincoln relied upon this as a true exposition of this doctrine, the genuineness of his conversion may well be questioned.
It is to be regretted that Mr. Willets did not give the name of his informant. As it is, we do not know whether to credit "a lady acquaintance of his," or himself, with the invention of a first-class fiction.
In regard to the story of the "Pious Nurse," we have not even a clergyman to vouch for its authenticity. We do not know the name of this witness; we do not know whom she communicated the story to; we do not know when nor where it made its first appearance. We only know that for years it has been floating through the columns of the religious press, a companion-piece to Washington's devotional exercise at Valley Forge.
"History," said Napoleon, "is a set of lies agreed upon." Of the many lies agreed upon by Christian writers in making up the history of Lincoln, none has become more thoroughly established than the one originally published by the Western Christian Advocate. It has been incorporated into the works of a score of historians and biographers, and is almost universally accepted as a historical fact.
Nearly all the pious stories relating to Lincoln, while palpably false in the eyes of those who knew him, are yet of such a nature as to render a complete refutation of them extremely difficult. The story under consideration, however, is of a different character. Its truthfulness or falsity could at the time of its publication have been easily ascertained. If true, any member of Lincoln's Cabinet could have verified it. I knew that it was untrue -- at least I knew that a Cabinet meeting had never been transformed into a prayer meeting at Lincoln's suggestion. I finally resolved to demonstrate its falsity if possible. But a quarter of a century had passed away, and every member of Lincoln's Cabinet was dead save one, Hugh McCulloch, his last Secretary of the Treasury. With the aid of a friend, Mr. N.P. Stockbridge, of Ft. Wayne, Ind., an old acquaintance of Mr. McCulloch's, I succeeded in bringing the matter before this only surviving witness, and received from his pen, in February, 1891, the following prompt denial:
"The description of what occurred at the Executive
Mansion, when the intelligence was received of the surrender
of the Confederate forces, which you quote from the Western
Christian Advocate, is not only absolutely groundless, but
absurd. After I became Secretary of the Treasury I was present
at every Cabinet meeting, and I never saw Mr. Lincoln or any
of his ministers upon his knees or in tears.
"We were not especially jubilant over Lee's surrender,
for this we had been prepared for some days. The time for our
great rejoicing was a little earlier. After Sherman had
commenced his celebrated march to the sea, and long and weary
days had passed without any reliable reports from him, we were
filled with anxiety and apprehension. It was when the news
came that he and his army, in excellent condition, were in the
neighborhood of Charleston, that our joy was irrepressible;
not only because of their safety, but because it was an
assurance that the days of the Confederacy were nearly ended.
With Grant before Richmond in command of superior forces, and
Sherman with the finest army in the world, ready to move
northward, everybody felt that the war must be soon concluded,
and that the Union was safe.
"We were, of course, happy when General Lee and his
severely tried soldiers laid down their arms, but this, as I
have said, was not unexpected. It was when our anxiety in
regard to Sherman was succeeded by hopefulness and confidence
that our joy became exuberant. But there was no such
exhibition of it as has been published by the Advocate."
Reed did not present this evidence, doubtless aware that his lecture already contained a sufficient number of discrepancies. He was thoughtful enough, however, to anticipate it. He had Dr. Garley refer to Lincoln's conversion as taking place "after the death of his son Willie and his visit to the battlefield of Gettysburg." These events are referred to as if they occurred in close proximity to each other; whereas the death of Willie occurred during the first year of his administration, his visit to Gettysburg less than seventeen months before his assassination.
The passage quoted from Dr. Barrows contains six specific affirmations.
Collect all the utterances of Abraham Lincoln, all the letters he ever wrote, all the speeches he ever delivered, all the state papers he gave to the public; and from this full store of words that fell from his lips and flowed from his pen, I challenge Dr. Barrows to produce one word expressing a recognition of Jehovah. Jehovah was to him, not "the sublimest of realities," not "the ruler of nations," but a hideous phantom. He recognized a God, but his God was not Jehovah, the God of Dr. Barrows.
When he wrote his immortal Proclamation he did not invoke "the gracious favor of Almighty God." This instrument, as drafted by Lincoln, contained no allusion to God. The paragraph containing the words quoted was drafted by Secretary Chase and inserted in the Proclamation at his urgent request after it was printed and ready for delivery.
A "Christian lady from Massachusetts" (name unknown), and a Christian gentleman from New York (Noah Brooks), declare that Lincoln was accustomed to pray. This declaration is echoed by Arnold, and reechoed by Barrows. If true, is it not strange that a hospital nurse and a newspaper reporter were in possession of the fact while his most intimate friends were entirely ignorant of it?
This is the fifth time that Lincoln gave his heart to Christ. The above statement is the vital one in Dr. Barrows's testimony -- the keystone in the arch comprising "the religious aspects" of Lincoln's Presidential career. The others, even if true, only prove a Theistic belief. This statement affirms that he became a Christian -- a statement evidently based upon the anonymous story of the "Illinois clergyman. Between the original presented by the "Illinois clergyman" at large, and that presented by the Illinois clergyman from Chicago, however, a grave discrepancy appears. From the time that "the clouds lifted above the carnage of Gettysburg to the time that Lincoln visited its cemetery, a period of twenty weeks had elapsed. Now, did Lincoln give his heart to Christ when the battle ended on the 3rd of July, as stated by the one, or not until he stood upon the battle-field on the 19th of November, as asserted by the other? This is a question that we leave for the Illinois clergymen themselves to decide.
This simple Deistic phrase, "under God," is the only utterance of a religious character to be found in that oration. When this speech was delivered, Lincoln, it is claimed, had experienced a change of heart, and consecrated himself to Christ. This address furnishes an overwhelming refutation of the claim. At the dedication of a cemetery, surrounded by thousands of graves, he ignores Christianity, and even the doctrine of immortality.
This is true; and it is likewise true that in that document he made no more reference to Christianity than did the Hebrew psalmist who lived and wrote a thousand years before it had its birth.
The story of Dr. Vinton, too absurd to demand serious consideration -- apparently too incredible for belief -- is yet believed by thousands. When such fabulous tales are told by men who are looked upon as the exponents of morality, and published in papers and periodicals that are presumed to be the repositories only of truth, it is not strange that such stories as Washington's Praying at Valley Forge, Ethan Allen and His Daughter, Don't Unchain the Tiger, Paine's Recanting, and a thousand and one other pious fictions of a similar character, have gained popular credence. To read the fabrications of this class pertaining to Lincoln alone, one would suppose that this astute statesman, this Chief Magistrate of a great nation, this Commander-in-Chief of two millions of soldiers, engaged in the most stupendous civil conflict the world has known, occupied the greater portion of his time in studying the Scriptures, poring over doctrinal sermons, participating in prayer-meetings led by pious nurses, and weeping upon the necks of clerical visitors.
Bishop Simpson's remarks have been presented, not because they furnish any proofs of Lincoln's reputed Christianity, but because he was one of the clergymen who officiated at Lincoln's funeral, and because his words on that occasion have been cited in support of this claim. But he does not assert that Lincoln was a Christian. He simply testifies to his belief and trust in God -- to his Deistic faith -- nothing more.
I am aware that in some of the published reports of his address there have been interpolated words intended to convey the idea that Lincoln accepted Christ. Bishop Simpson, I am sure, never authorized the insertion of these words. They express a claim he never made -- a claim he certainly did not make on the day of Lincoln's interment.
In his funeral address at Washington, Dr. Gurley did not affirm that Lincoln was a Christian, or that he was intending to make a profession of religion. Bishop Simpson, in his oration at Springfield, made no mention of these claims, and Dr. Gurley and Bishop Simpson are known to have held a consultation before that oration was delivered.
This silence is conclusive evidence that these men knew that Lincoln was an unbeliever. Commenting on this notable omission, Mr. Herndon says:
"Bishop Simpson delivered the funeral oration, and in
that oration there was not one word about Mr. Lincoln's
Christianity. Bishop Simpson was Lincoln's friend; Dr. Gurley
was Lincoln's pastor in Washington. Now these men knew, or had
reason to know, Lincoln's religion, and the world would have
heard of his Christianity on the day of his burial if it had
been known. But Simpson and Gurley are silent -- dumb before
the Christian world."
I have now reviewed the testimony of these witnesses. Tested in the crucible of honest criticism, little remains of their statements save the dross of falsehood and error. I may be charged with unjust severity toward these witnesses, nearly all of whom are men of recognized respectability and distinction. But a majority of them have testified to what they know to be false, and against those who knowingly bear false witness no censure can be too severe. Thousands of Christian men and women, misled by this false testimony, honestly believe and contend that Lincoln was a Christian. Against these I have not an unkind word to offer. But I am resolved to disabuse their minds of this erroneous belief. Painful as the birth of an unwelcome idea is, they shall know the truth.
HAVING presented and reviewed the evidence in behalf of the affirmative of this question, the evidence in support of the negative will next be given, and in consideration of his long and intimate association with Lincoln, and the character and comprehensiveness of his testimony, the first to testify will be Hon. Wm. H. Herndon, of Springfield, Ill.
In 1843, Lincoln formed a partnership with Mr. Herndon in the law business, which existed for a period of twenty-two years, and was only dissolved by the bullet of the assassin. The strong attachment that these men had for each other is illustrated in the following touching incident, related in "The Everyday Life of Lincoln:"
When he was about to leave for Washington, he went to the dingy little law office which had sheltered his saddest hours. He sat down on the couch and said to his law-partner, Herndon, 'Billy, you and I have been together more than twenty years, and have never "passed a word." Will you let my name stay on the old sign till I come back from Washington?' The tears started to Mr. Herndon's eyes. He put out his hand. 'Mr. Lincoln,' said he, I will never have any other partner while you live;' and to the day of the