{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_36946/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_36946","id":"gutenberg_36946","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36946","summary":null,"tags":["Ballou, Hosea, 1771-1852","Category: Biographies","Category: History - American","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Clergy -- United States -- Biography","Universalists -- United States -- Biography"],"text":"</pre>\n\n\n\nProduced by Julia Miller, Mary Meehan and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This\nfile was produced from images generously made available\nby The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                      BIOGRAPHY OF REV. HOSEA BALLOU.\n\n                           BY HIS YOUNGEST SON,\n\n                            MATURIN M. BALLOU.\n\n\n     \"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was\n     strong in faith, giving glory to God: and being fully persuaded\n     that what he had promised he was able also to perform.\"\n\n\n    BOSTON:\n    PUBLISHED BY ABEL TOMPKINS.\n    1852.\n\n    Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by\n                         ABEL TOMPKINS,\n    In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of\n                         Massachusetts.\n\n    STEREOTYPED BY\n    HOBART & ROBBINS,\n    NEW ENGLAND TYPE AND STEREOTYPE FOUNDERY,\n    BOSTON.\n\n\n                           TO THE\n                 SECOND UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY\n                         OF BOSTON,\n    THIS BIOGRAPHY OF THEIR LATE PASTOR IS RESPECTFULLY\n                         Dedicated,\n                  BY THEIR HUMBLE SERVANT,\n                         THE AUTHOR.\n\n\n[Illustration: Portrait of REV. HOSEA BALLOU, Engraved by H. W. Smith]\n\n\n\n\nAUTHOR'S PREFACE.\n\n\nTo say that the author experiences a degree of diffidence in writing\nupon the theme and subject of these pages, would but inadequately\nexpress his true feelings on taking up the pen for this object. But he\ndoes it with a purpose of strict adherence to facts, nor will any matter\nbe suppressed or one iota added to the truth. No one who shall read a\ndozen pages herein relating to the early life of Rev. Hosea Ballou, but\nwill at once acquit the author of any false pride as it regards\nchronicling the events and circumstances of the subject's life. He is\nmost happy to state the facts literally, and he is satisfied as to the\nverdict that every unprejudiced mind will render.\n\nIt may be said that a son cannot write a faithful history of a\nparent--that such a production must needs be partial,--though we have\nnumerous instances of the contrary. To such an objection the writer\nwould reply, that there is but one side to truth, and it is this, and\nthis only, that the reader will find in these pages. He offers no\nlabored extenuation or defence,--there are no circumstances that require\nit; no appeal or pleading for a verdict of acquittal,--for there are no\ncharges to refute; but he gives a simple, unvarnished biography of a\ntrue Christian and a faithful disciple of the gospel, whose whole life,\neven from earliest youth, has been a beautiful and consistent tribute to\ntruth. For some time previous to the decease of the subject of this\nbiography the author contemplated the present work, and for this purpose\nhas, at various times, kept minutes relative to dates of his father's\nmovements; and he has also been briefly assisted by memoranda and short\narticles from his father's pen, which are embodied herein, relative to\nhis feelings concerning himself and his doctrine. The framework, so to\nspeak, of the book, has therefore been in hand for a considerable\nperiod; and the placing of it in a proper form for the printer has been\nall the author has attempted since the death of his respected father.\n\nM. M. Ballou.\n\n_Boston, Sept., 1852._\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n    CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY                                         9\n\n    CHAPTER II. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE                                14\n\n    CHAPTER III. EARLY LIFE                                        22\n\n    CHAPTER IV. BECOMES A PROFESSOR OF RELIGION                    38\n\n    CHAPTER V. COMMENCES TO PREACH                                 52\n\n    CHAPTER VI. BECOMES A SETTLED MINISTER                         64\n\n    CHAPTER VII. REMOVES TO PORTSMOUTH, N. H.                      89\n\n    CHAPTER VIII. SETTLES IN BOSTON                               103\n\n    CHAPTER IX. COMMENCES THE UNIVERSALIST MAGAZINE               120\n\n    CHAPTER X. COMMENCES THE UNIVERSALIST EXPOSITOR               136\n\n    CHAPTER XI. DOMESTIC AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS             173\n\n    CHAPTER XII. MR. BALLOU AS A CONTROVERSIALIST                 231\n\n    CHAPTER XIII. SPIRIT OF HIS DOCTRINE                          258\n\n    CHAPTER XIV. SENTIMENTS RELATIVE TO DEATH                     322\n\n    CHAPTER XV. END OF HIS EARTHLY MISSION                        366\n\n    CHAPTER XVI. CONCLUSION                                       392\n\n\n\n\nBIOGRAPHY.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nINTRODUCTORY.\n\n\nThe gratitude of mankind has not failed to record with honor the names\nof those who have been the inventors of useful improvements in the arts,\nor the authors of scientific discoveries, of brave warriors and wise\nstatesmen; ancient history reveals to us the time when the inventors of\nletters and the plough, were revered as divinities. If there are any who\nare actually worthy of being remembered by the world, they are those who\nhave proved themselves, by the lives they have led, and by their holy\nteachings, to be benefactors of the human family, and true followers of\nChrist.\n\nIt is conceded by all, that biography is a most important species of\nhistory. Through its agency, men who have been distinguished for merit,\ntalent, or any peculiar virtue, are remembered, and, though they may be\npersonally lost to us, yet the good influence they exerted during their\nlives, is made to continue for our benefit. The biography of any eminent\nindividual must be, in some degree, a chronicle of the times in which he\nlived, and thus, though the production may be of the most humble\ncharacter, the pages of history are enriched, and the records of the\npast perfected. We think it was the Rev. John Ewart, M. A., a noted\nEnglish divine, who set it down as one of the most interesting\nreflections relative to biographical reading, that we may see and know\nin heaven, those whose life and excellent works we have read of here.\nThis is, perhaps, rather a peculiar argument, but not inappropriate in\nthis connection.\n\nFor our own part, we have ever perused, with the liveliest satisfaction,\nany book of a biographical character, and believe that such works are\nalmost universally read with avidity and profit. With living men and\npresent measures, there is generally some prejudice or passion\nconnected. But when death has set his seal upon a worthy character, and\nhe has departed from the din and conflict of the world, then we can\nreceive the full benefit of his example. For it is very true that genius\nrarely shines with full lustre until death hath unroofed it of envy. It\nwill, therefore, be my object in these pages to adhere to those facts\nbest fitted to illustrate the personal character of Mr. Ballou, and to\nfurnish the means of estimating aright the services he rendered to his\nown and subsequent times, that his memory may remain to us in evergreen\nfreshness and beauty, and thus renew to posterity the savor of a good\nlife.\n\nIt is the usual practice with biographers to dwell at length and in\nexplanation upon the discoveries and doctrines of the object of their\nlabors, forgetting, apparently, that these things are almost universally\nknown already, and that the main design of a biography should be to make\npublic and illustrate the private life of those whom the world already\nknows as philosophers, statesmen, divines, or otherwise. It is said of\nMallet, that he wrote the life of Lord Bacon, and forgot that he was a\nphilosopher. But this is rarely the case, for it is the prevailing\ncustom, and has ever been, to forget the man in the remembrance of the\nphilosopher. It is the traits of personal character, those slight, yet\nimportant incidents and anecdotes which mark the individual's every-day\nlife, that, when preserved and recorded, form the great interest and\ncharm of biography. Plutarch, the writer of half a hundred lives, in\nthat of Alexander says:--\"As painters labor the likeness in the face, so\nmust we be permitted to strike off the features of the soul, in order to\ngive a real likeness of these great men.\"\n\nHence, biography written in a true spirit, while something quite\ndifferent from history, is, nevertheless, an important supplement and\naid to it, throwing light into its dark corners, and explaining its\nobscurity. For the historian, in the spirit of the painter or poet, must\ndispense with all the minutiae of detail which would interfere with the\neffect of his conception. He has a broad canvas, crowded with many\nfigures, and in the grouping of these, the bringing out of strong\npoints, the handling of the light and shade, many minor points must be\nobliterated, or thrown into the background. He presents us with truth,\nindeed, but not with the whole truth. The historian shows us the warrior\nin the hour of battle, on the field of review, or in the pomp of a\nmilitary triumph; the statesman in the light of a senatorial victory, as\nhe appears before the broad gaze of the world; the divine clad in his\nsacerdotal robe, at the high altar, or in the pulpit, at the moment of\naddressing listening crowds, and swaying the hearts of men by the fervor\nof his eloquence.\n\nThe biographer, on the other hand, dealing with individuals and not with\nmasses, painting portraits and not groups, is permitted a more elaborate\nfinish in the treatment of his subject. He shows us the soldier not only\nin the hour of battle, but in the privacy of his tent, or in the bosom\nof his family; the statesman in his study, or unbending from his public\ntasks in social intercourse; the divine in the daily walks of life, in\nthe discharge of parochial duties, amid the toils and trials common to\nall humanity. The biographer is often at variance with the historian in\ntreating the same subject. He often shows us the littleness of the\ngreat; for many a prominent actor in the world's great drama wears a\nmask upon the public stage that conceals his real features. Few men are\nfound abroad, beneath the searching light of heaven, with the same\naspect of soul, the same undisguised native promptings, visible in every\nact and word, as characterize them at their own firesides, and\nsurrounded by those who know them most intimately. It is truly going\n\"behind the scenes\" to enter the domestic circle, for there the\nartificial man must be dropped, the cloak that is sometimes worn before\nthe eyes of the world is laid aside, and we have the soul unmasked\nindeed.\n\nIt will be our endeavor, in the following pages, to illustrate the\nperfect harmony of a Christian character, the daily beauty of whose\nprivate life accorded with that of his public career; through whose\nexistence religion ran like a silver thread, linking all its component\nparts together,--who \"showed the path to heaven and led the way.\" The\nworld is anxious, when it contemplates the memory of such an exalted\ncharacter, to know the steps by which the subject rose to the situation\nwhich he filled, as well as the incidents by which he terminated his\nnoted career. We are gratified to observe such characters in the private\nwalks of life, to follow them into their families and closets, and to\ndiscover thus how those who challenged the respect and admiration of the\ntimes in which they lived, conducted themselves amid those cares and\nduties common alike to the humble and the exalted. These remarks will\nintroduce the reader to the plan of the present work.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nBIRTH AND PARENTAGE.\n\n\nHosea Ballou was born, April 30th, 1771, in the town of Richmond, New\nHampshire, a small village situated in the county of Cheshire, in the\nsouthern part of the State; at that time little more than an uncleared\nwilderness. The site of his birth-place is now a most attractive and\nlovely valley, scooped out from the rough hills and mountains of the\nGranite State, and known as Ballou's Dale; surrounded by the most\nromantic scenery, the beauties of which he used to dwell upon in after\nyears, and to sing their praise in verse. The neighboring country is of\na bold and rugged character, and is to this day but thinly settled. It\nwas here that he first drew breath in an humble cottage-home among the\nhills.\n\nThe influence of nature in the formation of character has been much\ninsisted on by metaphysicians, and not without ample reason. The\nqualities of men are found to assimilate very closely to the\ncharacteristics of the country they inhabit. Thus the mountaineer is\nbold, rugged, hardy, independent, and fond of liberty. In Europe,\nsurrounded on every hand by despotism, Alpine Switzerland has preserved\nits political independence for ages. But especially is the power of\nnatural scenery witnessed in the nurture of deep religious feeling.\n\n    \"The groves were God's first temples.\"\n\nThe first prayer uttered by man was breathed to his Creator in a garden,\namong the olive trees of Eden. The disciples of our Saviour listened to\ntheir Lord in the deep wilderness, in the awful solitude of rugged\nmountains. In the heart of mighty forests and by the shores of\never-rushing rivers, the littleness of man, contrasting with the\ngrandeur of creation, speaks to his awakened soul of the omnipotence and\ngoodness of God. Where men are banded together in great cities, in the\nmidst of splendors and triumphs of art, they are apt to feel a pride and\nself-reliance which abandon them in the face of nature. Apart from the\nfrequent spectacle of man's handiwork, the dweller in the country learns\nhow all human skill is impotent to imitate the smallest feature in the\ngreat work of creation; to create the lightest blade of grass that bends\nin the summer breeze; to fabricate even the minutest grain of sand that\nsparkles by the river shore. Then, as he lifts his eyes from earth to\nheaven, and beholds at night the starry host above him wheeling\nunerringly upon their appointed courses, his mind cannot but\nacknowledge the existence of God, and the immeasurable greatness of his\nattributes.\n\nIt will be seen, in the course of this narrative, that the influences we\nhave alluded to must have produced a powerful effect upon a mind\nconstituted like that of the subject of this biography.\n\nIn relation to the genealogy of the family, we have it in detail as far\nback, on the paternal side, as his great-great-grandfather, Matteaurian\nBallou,--so the name was spelled by him,--who came from England, though\na Frenchman by descent, about the year 1640. He occupied a portion of a\nroyal grant of land, about that time purchased from the Narraganset\ntribe of Indians, by the agent of the crown. This tract was situated in\nthe present State of Rhode Island, where descendants of the family still\nreside. This Matteaurian Ballou's oldest son was named John, whose\nsecond son was named Matteaurian, who, also, had a son named\nMatteaurian, who in turn had eleven children,--six sons and five\ndaughters. The youngest of the family was named Hosea, the subject of\nthese memoirs.\n\nHis father, Rev. Maturin Ballou, was remarkable for his unostentatious\nmanner, his forgiving spirit and meekness, and the strict consistency of\na life devoted, as he truly believed, to the service and glory of his\nDivine Master. He remained a highly respected and influential member of\nthe Baptist church until the time of his death, at the age of eighty-two\nyears. When his son differed from him so materially in faith, though it\nsorely grieved the parent's heart, it never for one moment influenced\nhim in his affection for his child. His conduct towards him was\nuniformly kind and solicitous, as was also the son's regard for his\nfather of the most loving and respectful character. Whenever referring\nto his father, the subject of this biography never failed to do so with\nthat respect and honor for his memory that was ever cherished by him,\nand which formed a beautiful trait of his character.\n\nIn this connection it may not be inappropriate nor uninteresting to say\na few words concerning the brothers and sisters of Hosea, the youngest\nmember of the family. Benjamin, the oldest, was a man of strict\nintegrity, and possessed a penetrating and powerful intellect. For some\nyears the power of early influences and associations moulded his life,\nand he preached the Baptist religion, but was subsequently converted to\nUniversalism, by his younger brother, Hosea, and lived and died in its\nfaith, continuing to the good old age of eighty-two years. This was the\ngrandfather of Rev. Dr. Ballou, of Medford, Mass.; Rev. William S.\nBallou, of Strafford, Vt., and Rev. Levi Ballou, of Orange, Mass.\nMaturin was the second son, who was also a Baptist minister, of strict\nmorality and honorable career, but who died at the early age of\nthirty-five years. In his manuscript, Mr. Ballou says, relative to this\nbrother: \"He grew very liberal in his sentiments towards the last of his\nlabors, and was one of the most loving and devout Christians that I ever\nknew.\" David was the third son, and he also preached the Baptist faith,\nbut, like the eldest brother, was ere long persuaded of the truth of the\ndoctrine of universal salvation, which he preached for many years,\npossessing a strong and well balanced mind, and powerful argumentative\nabilities. He died at the age of eighty-two. This was the father of Rev.\nMoses Ballou, of Bridgeport, Ct. The fourth son was named Nathan, a man\nof remarkable mental and physical strength, who gave his attention\nmainly to agricultural pursuits, and who lived to be nearly eighty years\nof age. This was the grandfather of the present Rev. Russel A. Ballou,\nof West Bridgewater, Mass. Stephen was the fifth son and combining many\nof the best qualities of his elder brothers, and possessing a most\nupright and conscientious disposition, was yet remarkable for the\nendowment of a large degree of native wit and good humor. He also\ndevoted himself to agriculture, and lived to nearly the age of seventy.\nAll of these brothers were possessed of a handsome competency, realized\nby their own economy and industry. The daughters were variously\nespoused, and lived, all but one, who died at the age of twenty, to be\nvenerable and honored in years, and with a numerous offspring.\n\nOn the maternal side, these children were descended from Lydia Harris,\ndaughter of Richard Harris, who, like his ancestors, was a Quaker. His\nforefathers came to this country to escape the persecution of the\nseventeenth century in England, when the infatuated and tyrannical\nCharles was oppressing his subjects by restricting the freedom of\nindustry, and billeting soldiers upon the people in times of peace; when\nthe private papers of citizens were searched on mere suspicion, and when\nthe bigoted Laud ruled with as high a hand and reckless a purpose in the\nchurch, as his royal master did in the state. Citizens claiming the\nright of freely uttering what they honestly believed to be true, on the\nsubject of religion, were fined, whipped, and imprisoned. Ministers and\neducated citizens were branded on the forehead, their noses slit, and\ntheir ears cropped, for dissenting from Popish rites and ceremonies. To\nescape such intolerable persecution, Quakers crossed the ocean. But,\nalas! persecution followed them even in the wilds of America.\nIndividuals who had left home, friends, country and all, to gain the\nprivilege of worshipping the Almighty after the dictates of their own\nconsciences, did not hesitate to deny others that privilege for which\nthey had themselves sacrificed so much, simply because they differed\nfrom them in form of faith.\n\nWe should not omit to mention in this place the remarkable degree of\naffection that ever actuated the subject of this biography towards each\nand all of the members of his father's extensive family; and this\nfeeling was reciprocal too; especially have we personally observed this\non the part of the brothers, whom he frequently visited, through the\nentire period of their lives. Much older than himself, as far back as\nour memory of them extends they were venerable and grey-haired men, and\ntreated Hosea more like a son than a brother. Their meetings together,\nfrom time to time, were reunions of great satisfaction and happiness.\nFully admitting his superior scriptural knowledge and judgment, they\ndelighted to converse upon the theme of religion, and mutually to\nexpress the strength of their faith and the joy they found in believing.\nIt was this younger brother who converted them to the belief of God's\nimpartial and free grace, and they died at last with their minds freed\nfrom every doubt as it regarded the subject. One or two of these\nbrothers had believed what was called Universalism quite as early as had\nHosea, but they had believed it as it was then taught on the old\nCalvinistic principle, which made it in reality anything but\nUniversalism. It was from this ill-defined platform, this faith of\ninconsistencies, that Hosea brought their minds to embrace that creed\nwhich is now acknowledged as the doctrine of the Universalist\ndenomination. When he spoke to them and of them, it was with that tender\nand affectionate regard with which his heart was ever filled to\noverflowing.\n\nI have taken some pains to state the foregoing facts of genealogy thus\ncarefully, merely for the sake of completeness, and not for the purpose\nof establishing the fact that the family is \"an old one.\" The idea that\nto be able to trace back one's pedigree any great length of time,\nimparts any degree of merit or distinction in itself, is a palpable\nabsurdity, inasmuch as the further back we refer ourselves in our\norigin, the more nearly do we approximate to the same ancestry with the\nveriest serf in the world. Sir Thomas Overbury said of a man who\nboasted of his ancestry, that he was like a potato plant,--the best\nthing belonging to him was under ground! Mr. Ballou was no pensioner\nupon the dead. The laurels that surrounded the brow of his riper years\nwere self-earned, and worthy of emulation.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nEARLY LIFE.\n\n\nThe life of Hosea Ballou may be said to have commenced with one of the\nsaddest of bereavements, for at the tender age of two years he had the\nmisfortune to lose his maternal parent, who died, leaving him the\nyoungest of eleven children. Thus it was his unhappy lot never to know\nthe fond regard and pure affection of a mother, that holiest tie of\nhumanity. Concerning this matter, Mr. Ballou says, in the brief memoir\nor outline of his life with which he has furnished us, \"My mother died\nwhen I was about two years old, and, of course, I do not remember her;\nbut from all I can learn of my mother, I am satisfied that she was of a\nmost tender and kind disposition. But the treasure was gone before I\ncould realize its value.\" The care and guidance of the family then fell\nupon the father, whose means for providing for his children's\nnecessities were of the most simple and limited character. This parent,\na pious and devout preacher of the Calvinistic Baptist denomination,\nendeavored, to the best of his ability, to bring up his large family to\nfear and serve a God who was merciful to those whom from all eternity he\nhad elected to be heirs of eternal life, but who was full of holy wrath\ntowards the greater portion of mankind;--a faith which the honest parent\nlittle thought, at that time, his youngest son, through the\ninstrumentality of Providence, would so successfully battle against in\nthe spiritual warfare of after years.\n\nIn this connection, Mr. Ballou says:--\"We were all taught, and in our\nyouth all believed, that we were born into the world wholly depraved,\nand under the curse of a law which doomed every son and daughter of Adam\nto eternal woe. But at the same time God had made provision for a select\nnumber of the human family, whereby they would be saved by the\noperations of the divine Spirit, which would result in what was called\nconversion, sometime during the life of those elected. Those who were\nnot elected would remain without any effectual calling, die, and be\nforever miserable. When I was a youth it was the sentiment of all\nChristian people, as far as I knew, that not more than one in a thousand\nof the human family would be saved from endless condemnation.\n\n\"Youth were taught to be moral, but that morality was no security\nagainst divine wrath. The conversion of the soul from the state of\nnature in which all men were born into the world, was the only security.\nOne of the worst things ever taught to youth was, that in this world\nthere is more enjoyment in the ways of vice, iniquity, sin, and\nunrighteousness, than in the ways of obedience to the commandments of\nGod. But we were taught at the same time that the wicked were running an\nawful risk, for should they die without repentance, their everlasting\ncondemnation was sure. All the risk there was, lay in the possibility\nthat death might be sudden, and give no time for repentance. But the\nfact that there is _in_ the way of strict morality, _in_ the path of\ntrue religion, _in_ the road of righteousness, all the rational\nenjoyment which our nature is capable of, and that any departure from\nright is an equal departure from true happiness, was not taught, to my\nknowledge, at that time. Nor did I ever understand this great truth\nuntil taught it by the Scriptures, and my study of them, and by my own\nexperience.\"\n\nIt was the conscientious belief of Mr. Ballou's father that he ought not\nto receive any remuneration whatever, either pecuniary or otherwise, for\nhis professional services; and, as he devoted himself with the utmost\nzeal and the most untiring assiduity to his calling, and was possessed\nof little or no personal estate, his family were all obliged to labor\nvery hard, merely to obtain a simple subsistence. But \"even in this was\nHeaven ordinant.\" Thus, from his earliest childhood, Mr. Ballou was\naccustomed to toil and labor, and this too under the hardships of a\nscanty supply of food and clothing. So destitute even of the most\nordinary articles of raiment, or the means of procuring it, was his\nfather's family, in the times of his boyhood, that many a long week has\nhe passed without an under garment of any kind upon his person, and\nwithout shoes or stockings for his feet, even during the inclemencies of\nwinter, when his employment would frequently call him abroad for a large\nportion of the day!\n\nNotwithstanding all these privations and hardships, there was no\nrepining; the rich glow of health was upon his cheek, and a light and\nhappy heart, in spite of iron fortune, throbbed in his young breast.\nThough such was his early experience, and such the vicissitudes of his\nyouth, yet in subsequent years he was destined to enjoy freely of the\nliberal bounties of Providence, and, through his own frugality and\nindustry, to be able to give with open hands in charity to others. In\nthese years of prosperity and honor, when revered and beloved by a whole\ndenomination, and when ranked among the most powerful intellects of the\nage, did he forget, or desire to conceal, the humble character of his\nyouth, its hardships and trials, or the companions of his early days?\nLet those answer to whom he has related these things in censure of false\npride and the vanity of the world. Would it become us, then, who have\nseen and realized the full bent of this noble spirit in him, to fail to\nspeak clearly of these matters? We opine not, and therefore these\nrecords will be found to be full and complete.\n\nThe reader will probably agree with us, that there is something\nexceedingly striking, as well as most affecting, in the domestic\ncircumstances to which I have alluded. The character of Mr. Ballou's\nfather, reminds us of one of those stern old Cameronians of Scotland,\nso well described by one of the first writers of the age. With but\nlittle sympathy for his creed, we must nevertheless respect his\nsincerity; nor can we wonder at all, with his education in the faith\nwhich he preached, and hampered by the illiberal spirit of the period,\nwhich seemed to mildew every generous prompting of the human heart, that\nhe clung to it with inflexible tenacity. But we must contemplate with\nunqualified admiration the heroic self-denial, the martyr-like firmness,\nwith which this servant of the Lord pursued what he believed to be the\npath of his duty, amidst circumstances of such extraordinary\ndeprivation. Truly, he abandoned all to serve his Master. His severest\ntrial must have been to witness the privations of his family. A man can\nendure in his own person what it costs him agony to witness inflicted on\nthose nearer and dearer to him than life itself. The struggles of that\nlittle flock, bereft of a mother's tender care and guidance at the very\ntime when they most required it, must have given many an anxiously\npainful day and night to a father's heart. Yet, we have seen how they\nwere sustained.\n\nThis is probably by no means an isolated case of trial. It is but a type\nof the condition of many of the early settlers in a new country,--in\nshort, a picture of American pioneer life. It is from such beginnings,\nand under such circumstances, that the most useful and energetic of our\ncountrymen have sprung. It is not to the lap of luxury that we are to\nlook for the source of manly character and manly virtues. The rough\nnurture of his early years most unquestionably fitted Mr. Ballou for\nthe battle of life which he was destined to fight. It trained him for\nthe long and severe journeyings of his apostolic missions, and it warmed\nhis sympathies for the poor, while it gave him that indifference to ease\nand luxury which so largely conduces to true mental independence. It\ntaught him also to rely under Providence upon himself; and these early\nprivations, while they strengthened and indurated him, rendered the\nhonorably acquired competence and comforts of his later years in life\ndoubly grateful and acceptable.\n\nNotwithstanding this stern experience of his tender years, and in spite\nof every hardship, and the severe labor he was obliged to perform under\nsuch unpropitious circumstances, still he grew up strong, healthy and\nvigorous, both in mind and body, possessing a form and face of manly\nbeauty, with expression and intelligence reflected in every feature. In\nstature he grew to be six feet high, his figure very erect, with finely\nformed limbs, and a bright, clear blue eye. His whole appearance\nindicated good health even to advanced old age, his constitution being\nnaturally excellent, and his frugal and temperate habits seconding the\nkindly purpose of nature. Heaven had marked him for its servant, and\nbreathed into his soul a spirit of energy and unflinching perseverance,\nthat no hardship could quench or diminish. Christ chose his disciples\nfrom among the lowly fishermen of Galilee; God herein took an humble but\nfaithful follower from a cottage amidst the mountains.\n\nAlthough descended from a devout and eloquent preacher of the\nScriptures, the reader will at once observe that Mr. Ballou was not\nindebted in the least particular for the future lustre of his reputation\nas a powerful and original thinker, writer and teacher of the gospel, to\nhis birth, or early condition in life, but that, on the contrary, he was\nliterally a self-made man, owing his position strictly to individual\nmerit alone. Enjoying none of the educational advantages resulting from\nwealth, or even from a simple competency, yet he steadily rose above\nevery impending obstacle in his path, to the truly enviable position\nwhich he attained in the hearts of thousands upon thousands who were led\nthrough his teachings, both orally and through the productions of his\nprolific pen, to see their God and Father as he is in all harmony and\nbeauty. Thus it is that poverty of condition and wealth of intellect go\noften hand in hand.\n\n\"Where, in modern history,\" asks Rev. A. E. Abbott, in his late eulogy\nupon Mr. Ballou, \"can another instance be found of a man laboring under\nsuch disadvantages, in the face of such opposition, and yet performing\nsuch a work? Those who have heretofore accomplished much in that field,\nhave had all the advantages which the most thorough culture of their\ntimes could give. Like the giant of Gath, they have taken the field\nencased in polished armor; he, like the stripling of Bethlehem, came to\nthe contest with only the shepherd's sling and the smooth stones from\nthe brook.\"\n\nAs no general rule can be adduced for the formation of human character,\nso long as the power of early association, the influence of education\nand example, each and severally produce in different individuals exactly\nopposite effects, so no general rule can be applied as to the result of\ncertain accessory circumstances. Therefore we deduce no result from the\nmere fact of Mr. Ballou's father having been a professed minister upon\nthe character of his son, having no belief that genius is hereditary, or\nthat paternal authority can influence its natural course. Indeed, the\nreader is doubtless well aware that the opposition of a father to the\nnatural bent of his child, rarely fails more strongly to develop the\noriginal taste and purpose, generally arousing in the end a spirit of\nresistance, that is pretty sure to strengthen by opposition.\n\nBefore the age of sixteen, by the utmost perseverance, ingenuity, and\nindustry, the subject of this biography had learned to read and write\nwith facility, almost entirely by his own unaided exertions, or with\nlittle assistance of any kind; for had there been a school in the\nneighborhood of Richmond, which was not the case, he could have found no\ntime to attend it, being ever laboriously engaged from morning until\nnight. He learned to form the letters of the alphabet in the following\ningenious and original manner, which he related to us when a mere child,\nwe were making the first advances in the use of the pen. After not a\nlittle thought and sober calculation as to how he should accomplish his\npurpose,--for pen, ink and paper were luxuries his father's means could\nnot command,--for paper he substituted thin pieces of birch bark,\nneatly prepared for the purpose by his own hands, and for pen and ink he\nused coals taken from the fire. With these rude materials, after the\nlabors of the day were over, seated on the floor, by the light of the\nfire,--for candles were too expensive to be afforded in the frugal\nhousehold of his father,--he taught himself to write. A student,\nactuated by such resolution and determination of purpose, must soon\nbecome a proficient, in defiance of every minor obstacle; and thus he\nspeedily improved with these humble means.\n\nSome further idea of the limited means of his father's family, and the\nextraordinary disadvantages under which his early progress was made, may\nbe gathered from the fact, that the only books the house contained, or\nin fact that the family had access to at all, were a Bible, an old\ndictionary, and a well-thumbed pamphlet of the scriptural story of the\ntower of Babel. A newspaper in the days of which we write, in the town\nof Richmond, would have been considered a most rare curiosity. Perhaps\nthis very dearth of literary material led Mr. Ballou to be the more\nintimate with that volume\n\n    \"Within whose sacred pages lies\n    The mystery of mysteries,\"\n\nwith which alone no student can be poor, without which the largest\nlibrary is incomplete. It has been remarked of the sacred volume, that,\nas the face of nature is bedecked with colors and adornments to render\nit agreeable to the senses, so its pages are filled with that luxury of\npoetry and language and incident which commends it to every imagination.\nEven the half-unbelieving Byron confessed that nothing in literature was\nfiner than the poetry of the Old Testament. Thus the word, like the bow\nof promise, is gilded with the fairest hues. The solemn march of\nhistorical narration, the sublime hymns of triumph, praise and\nrejoicing, the records of battles and heroic deeds, the familiar\nnarrative, the interesting parable, the pithy proverb, the terse and\nvigorous delineation of character, the sublime visions of inspired\nprophecy, are all there. Of almost every style of literary composition\nthere is an example, captivating alike to the humblest reader and the\nmost cultivated critic. It is the beginning and the end of learning. In\nthe midst of the sublimest flights of human genius, amid the most\nburning words of modern eloquence, introduce a passage of scripture, and\nhow poor will seem the language and the thoughts by which it is\nsurrounded!\n\nNeed we count that house poor in literary possessions which contains a\nBible?\n\nIf it be true that there are certain ennobling qualities, to produce\nwhich a soil of privation and poverty is requisite, the reader is\ndoubtless already prepared to allow that Mr. Ballou was not deficient in\nthe necessary experience for their possession. A lack of those\nadvantages which are enjoyed in the \"schools of human learning\" did not\nlead him in the least to undervalue the humble opportunities for\nacquiring mental discipline and useful information that every-day life\ngraciously affords to all. But the clear, free river of knowledge and\nunbounded information, that now pours out its wealth at the feet of the\npeople, was then undiscovered. It has been left to these more modern and\nfavored times for inventions in the arts to so revolutionize the means\nof disseminating knowledge, as to lay the wealth of wisdom at the poor\nman's door.\n\nAt the age of sixteen he left the paternal roof for the first time, and\nmade a journey on foot to Guildford, Vt., a distance of about forty\nmiles from Richmond. Here he visited an elder brother, and, after\nworking with him upon his farm through the season, returned to his\nfather's house again in the fall. About one year from the time of his\nvisit to Guildford, he visited another brother who resided in Putney,\nVt., where he also labored for a season upon the farm, employing all his\nleisure moments to the improvement of such simple means as were within\nhis power to command, aided by the greater experience and better mental\ncultivation of his brother. He remained through that season only at\nPutney, however, and returned again in the fall of the year to Richmond.\n\nAt the age of eighteen he went to Smithfield, R. I., where many of his\nrelations, on the paternal side, were settled. Here also he devoted\nhimself to constant labor during the day, and to the eager perusal of\nany and all books to which he could obtain access, during the evenings\nand a large portion of the nights. He remained in Smithfield but about\nsix months, again returning to the place of his nativity. In making\nthese changes he was almost solely actuated by a desire for instruction\nand general information, and this being his great aim, we have seen how\nmuch he improved every available means to consummate it, and thus his\nexploring and impressible mind was not a little enriched. The time\npassed at home during the intermediate and subsequent periods to those\nreferred to, was employed by him upon his father's farm, in the tilling\nof the soil, and in constant efforts to improve his mind. Those who were\nolder than himself were earnestly questioned for their experience. Those\nwho had enjoyed any educational advantages were eagerly sought after,\nand regarded by him as favored beings, and their conversation listened\nto with avidity.\n\nThe improvement and development of a mind in this condition, a healthy\nmind in a healthy body, is exceedingly rapid. It is then\n\n    \"Wax to receive, and marble to retain.\"\n\nIt seizes eagerly on all the food placed before it, and rapidly digests\nevery acquisition. The condition of a mind with every appliance for\nimprovement at hand, is not unlike that of a person with every variety\nand quality of food set before him for the gratification of a bodily\nappetite. Repletion, satiety, and indigestion, follow in one case\nprecisely as in the other. Many of our modern students are crammed and\ngorged with study. The mental appetite is over-indulged; and an attempt\nto master too much is doubtless the besetting literary sin of the\npresent day. The cases of mental dyspepsia are as common as those of\nthe body. Sound scholarship consists not so much in the quantity of\nmaterial consumed, as in the quantity properly prepared for intellectual\nnurture. A man may possess a fund of encyclopedic knowledge, and yet his\nmental powers may be weakened by the very process of grasping so many\ndetails. He may be good authority to appeal to, but will hardly prove a\nsound thinker or a good logician. \"Not many, but good, books,\" was the\ngolden advice of a wise man on the formation of a library. Self-made\nmen, like Mr. Ballou, are apt to make judicious selections in culling\nthe great field of knowledge, while those who pass through a regular,\nsystematic, academic training, are often forced to fill their minds with\na mass of matter for which they have no use, and to waste much time in\nquestionable acquirements, simply because in so doing they comply with\nthe requisitions of a prescribed formula.\n\nIt was customary for the young men of all classes in those days to\npursue athletic exercises, such as pitching the bar, leaping, wrestling,\nand the like, these being regarded as the surest tests of bodily\nstrength. Possessing a powerful and active frame, he was ever the victor\nin those sports; and from his marked success among his comrades in this\nrespect, and his fair and impartial disposition, he was universally the\numpire in all disputes growing out of these and like contests for\nsuperiority that arose between one and another. In the matter of his\nphysical strength, particularly when young, he ever cherished, a\nlaudable degree of pride, and delighted in accomplishing a large amount\nof work within the hours devoted to labor.\n\nIn this connection, Mr. Ballou says:--\"I have the comfort, even in my\nold age, of remembering that I was deemed in our family circle to be a\ngood child, and marked for giving evidence of being less averse to\nnecessary labor than others. Though this contributed somewhat to make me\nproud, and to think well of myself, in other respects it was of some\nadvantage to me to be held in esteem by my mates, who ever showed that\nthey had a peculiar regard for me.\"\n\nMr. Ballou undoubtedly owed the vigorous health which carried him\nthrough the exertions of a life protracted beyond the allotted span, to\nthe athletic training of his youth, in his labors and in his sports. One\nof the besetting sins of the present mode of education is the almost\ntotal neglect of physical training, and the forcing system applied to\nthe mind at the expense of the body. We hear much about sanitary reform\nand the necessity of exercise; we write and read voluminous treatises on\nthe best mode of preserving bodily health, and almost all of us can talk\nlearnedly upon the subject, and yet in practice we set at naught all our\nelaborate theories. How rare it is to see a vigorous, ruddy-cheeked\nstudent. The ancients were wiser than ourselves in this respect, for\nwith them mental and physical training went hand in hand. A popular form\nof instruction was that given orally in the open air; and thus, during\nthe very hours of study, the frame was submitted to the healthy\ninfluence of pure air. The subject of these memoirs often referred to\nthe pale cheek, stooping form, and defective vision which are\ncharacteristics of the American student, and he never failed to\ninculcate on all proper occasions the preservation of health as a high\nmoral duty.\n\nWhile of tender age, and in each successive year, he evinced an ardent\nand constantly increasing desire for scriptural knowledge; and the\nearliest dawnings of his young mind among his brethren were of a\ncharacter that gave promise of the Christian grace and excellence to\nwhich he attained in after years. It is interesting and curious to trace\nthe unconscious, and, so to speak, the providential adaptation of the\nearly life to the future calling of riper experience. Mr. Ballou says,\nin relation to this subject:--\"I was remarkably inquisitive, even when a\nmere boy, about doctrines. I was fond of reasoning on doctrinal points,\nstudied and talked much upon the subject of free will and necessity. I\nwell remember to have surprised my honored father with such a question\nas the following: 'Suppose I had the skill and power out of an inanimate\nsubstance to make an animate, and should make one, at the same time\nknowing that this creature of mine would suffer everlasting\nmisery,--would my act of creating this creature be an act of goodness?'\nThe question troubled my father, and I let it pass without an answer.\"\n\nThese frequent questions had the effect of causing the father much\nuneasiness of mind, and he used often to express great solicitude and\nfear for the present and future welfare of his son. Many were his\nendeavors to convince Hosea of the dangerous character of the sentiments\nthat seemed to be springing up spontaneously in his heart, but the\nunprofitable nature of these efforts soon became apparent, from the fact\nthat the simple, natural arguments of the son confounded the father. Boy\nas he was, he yet would not take the assertions of faith for argument,\nbut insisted upon reason, and understanding at all times the \"root of\nthe matter.\"\n\nTo the honor of this truly pious and devout parent, it should be\nremembered, however, that these controversies never elicited an\nunchristian spirit, or the least anger towards his child. This was a\nnatural and beautiful characteristic of his father's disposition.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nBECOMES A PROFESSOR OF RELIGION.\n\n\nAt the age of nineteen, there being what was termed a reformation in the\ntown of Richmond, Mr. Ballou was induced, believing it to be his duty,\nto become a professor of religion, and accordingly at that time he\njoined the Baptist church, of which his father was pastor, in the month\nof January, 1789. It is very evident that he was partly induced to this\ncircumstance by the bearing of external circumstances and the immediate\nassociations about him, such as observing the conduct of others of his\nown age, who at that time made a formal and public profession of faith,\nand also by what he knew very well to be his father's earnest desire. It\nseems, therefore, that these matters, rather than any earnest mental\nconviction of faith, were instrumental in leading him to join the church\nas he did,--inasmuch as none of those objections which he had often made\nto his father's belief, had yet been cleared up to his mind.\n\nBut this joining of the church was plainly of immediate advantage to\nhim, as it led him to think still more seriously and earnestly upon the\nsubject of religion; but, owing to early prejudices, and his limited\nmeans of acquiring information, or of possessing himself of any books\nupon such subjects as would have been useful to him, his progress\ntowards the light of truth was but slow. Mr. Ballou says, in relation to\nthis conversion:--\"I was much troubled in my mind because I thought I\ndid not stand in such fear of the divine wrath as I ought to do, or as\nothers had done before they found acceptance with God. I well remember\nthat as I was returning home from a conference meeting, one evening,\nwhen about a quarter of a mile from home, being alone, I stopped under a\nlarge tree, and, falling on my knees, prayed as well as I could for the\nfavor I sought.\" His connection with his father's church, though it\ncontinued but a short period comparatively, seems to have made no slight\nimpression upon his mind and feelings, for he says:--\"I have always felt\ntowards this people (the Baptist denomination) as one feels towards his\nfamily, and though the religion of Christ consists in love to all men, I\nhave a peculiar feeling for the Baptists.\"\n\nIn his researches and reading concerning the creed that he had now\npublicly professed, he found it impossible to bring his heart to conform\nto the doctrine of eternal reprobation, and this in itself, as he\nafterwards remarked, was an evidence of no inconsiderable importance, to\nhis mind, that it could not be true; for why should his Heavenly Father\nhave implanted in his heart an earnest desire for the salvation of all\nmankind, unless that desire was susceptible of gratification, as is\nevery appetite, mental or physical, with which we are endowed by nature?\nSuch thoughts caused him much and incessant anxiety of mind, because the\nvery fact of his entertaining them, if the doctrine he had professed was\ntrue, endangered his eternal salvation; while, on the other hand, if\nthis creed was not that taught by God's revealed word, then he was\nneedlessly suffering, to a degree that greatly depressed him.\n\nNo wonder that this double incentive led him to search the Scriptures\nwith the utmost care and attention, and to weigh and decide in his own\nmind the relation that one portion bears to another, and finally, with\nthe help of Heaven, to make up his mind as to the true spirit and\ndoctrine of the whole. The reader can easily imagine the fervent prayers\nhe uttered, the sleepless nights he passed, and the arduous study he\nperformed, in his search for the light of truth. After all this anxious\nsolicitude, this solitary mental struggle, this prayerful communication\nwith Heaven, he at length declared himself a believer in the _final_\nsalvation of the whole human family.\n\nGreat was the surprise, disappointment, and chagrin of his father and\nfriends generally. Being looked up to by the young men of his own age as\na sort of leader in their secular plans and games, the influence of his\nexample was greatly feared as operating upon the younger portion of the\nchurch; and as his joining it had been the occasion of much rejoicing at\nthe time, so his declaration of unbelief in its faith was the cause of a\nproportionate degree of sorrow. His new declaration was at once\npronounced to be downright heresy, and he was accordingly excommunicated\nfrom his father's church, the document with which he was honored on the\noccasion carefully stating that nothing was found against him, but that\nhe believed in the doctrine that God would finally save all men.\n\nIn relation to this subject, Mr. Ballou says:--\"Above all else, my\ntheological bias of mind predominated, and engrossed most of my\nattention. As I had formerly been in the habit, while with the Baptists,\nof speaking in their meetings, and of offering up prayer at conference\nmeetings, I now sometimes spoke my sentiments at meetings in my\nbrother's house. The church of which I was still a member thought it a\nduty to call me to answer for the course I had taken, and I was called\nupon to meet the accusation of believing in the salvation of all men. I\nattended, but did not feel it my duty to deny the charge, or to renounce\nmy belief. I was therefore excommunicated from the church, my letter of\nexcommunication carefully stating that no fault was found in me, my\nbelief in the salvation of all men excepted. I shall ever remember the\ntears which I shed on this solemn occasion.\"\n\nIt was about this period that Mr. Ballou, ever in search of improvement,\npossessed himself of some book of a liberal religious character as to\nthe sentiments it inculcated, when his father, chancing to see him\nreading it, told him decidedly that he would not have Universalist books\nin his house. Promptly acquiescing, as he always did, in his father's\ndirections, a few days subsequent, the parent, on returning home, found\nHosea reading a book beside the wood-pile, out of doors. \"What book are\nyou reading there?\" he asked. \"A _Universalist_ book,\" replied the son,\nrespectfully. An expression of dissatisfaction escaped the father, as he\nturned away and entered the house. Watching until his son had placed the\nbook in the wood-pile, and left the spot, the parent resolved to possess\nhimself of it, and perhaps even destroy it. But, lo! when he opened it,\nhe found it was the Bible.\n\nIn an article written many years subsequent, relative to his conversion\nto the faith of God's impartial grace, Mr. Ballou says:--\"I found, when\nconversing upon the subject, that my Calvinistic tenets could be made\neither to result in universal salvation, or to compel me to acknowledge\nthe partiality of the divine favor. This gave me no small inquietude of\nmind, as I was unable to derive satisfaction from sentiments which I\ncould not defend. That which more than anything else contributed to turn\nmy thoughts seriously towards the belief of Universalism, was the ardent\ndesire with which I found myself exercised that sinners might be brought\nto repentance and salvation. I found it utterly impossible to bring my\nfeelings to consent to the doctrine of eternal reprobation, and I was\ncompelled either to allow that such feelings were sinful, or that my\nHeavenly Father, in giving them to me, had implanted an evidence in\nfavor of the salvation of all men, the force of which I found no means\nto resist.\"\n\nAs to Mr. Ballou's having been brought up in the faith of Calvinism, it\nwas not without its benefits upon his after life, for it gave to him a\nmost unlimited and perfect knowledge of the various items of faith\nprofessed by that sect, as well as the common tenets of all those who\nbelieve in the partial salvation only of the great human family. Owing\nto an early desire to understand the doctrine of Christianity aright,\nwhile yet of tender age he became familiar with the arguments used in\nsupport of predestination, election, reprobation, the fall of man, the\npenal suffering of Christ for the elect, and many other items of creed\nrelating to the moral agency of man. Concerning this subject, Mr. Ballou\nsays:--\"As to the doctrine of Calvinism, in which my honored father was\na believer, and which doctrine he preached until nearly the end of his\npublic labors, my acquaintance with its various tenets, while quite a\nyouth, was by no means very limited, owing to the pious endeavors of a\nparent whose affection for his children rendered him extremely anxious\nfor their spiritual welfare, and to an early desire of my own to\nunderstand the doctrine of Christianity correctly.\" It was necessary\nthat he should understand these matters as he did, and as he could only\ndo, by serving an apprenticeship to them, so to speak, in order the\nbetter to enable him to refute them in after years, when he should be\narrayed in a moral conflict against them. Thus the pious and well-meant\nendeavors of his parent to inculcate the principles of his own faith in\nthe mind of his child were but a part of the well ordained purpose of\nthe Almighty, in raising up an able champion for the gospel of truth.\n\nMr. Ballou says, referring to the period just previous to his\ndeclaration of faith and consequent excommunication:--\"In the spring\nafter I joined the church in Richmond, I went, with my brother Stephen\nand our cousin Jeremiah Harris, to the town of Westfield, in New York.\nThis town is now called Harford. Here we labored together during that\nseason, attending Elder Brown's meeting. He was of the Baptist order.\nEven before I left home my mind had become somewhat shaken in regard to\nthe doctrine of endless punishment. I found it utterly out of my power\nto reconcile it with what all Christians professed of love to the\nunconverted; nor could I reconcile it with many plain declarations of\nScripture; but I was by no means persuaded that salvation was for all\nmen. My brother, knowing that I had trials of mind on this great\nsubject, expressed a desire that I should have a conversation with Elder\nBrown relative to it, hoping thereby that my doubts would be removed. A\nconference was therefore appointed, at the house of one of the elder's\ndeacons. There were a number present, and the elder requested me to name\nsome passage of Scripture which to my mind favored universal salvation;\nexpressing at the same time perfect confidence that he should be able to\nshow me that the passage did by no means favor such doctrine. I opened\nto the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and read the\neighteenth verse, as follows:--'Therefore, as by the offence of one\njudgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness\nof one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.' The\nelder did not appear to be at all acquainted with the text, for, instead\nof directing his remarks to it, he seemed to wander far off, and to talk\nvery loud, and nothing to the subject. When he paused, I again read the\ntext, and asked the elder if the same _all men_ mentioned in the first\npart of the text, were not mentioned in the last? This simple question\nseemed to embarrass his mind; he was evidently out of humor, and\nmanifested a bitter spirit, which being discovered by my brother, caused\nhim to desire that the conversation should close, and it did. This\ncircumstance tended rather to strengthen my mind in favor of universal\nand impartial grace, and to induce a more thorough examination of the\nScriptures and the subject. I had no other book than the Bible, and all\nmy early education lay like a broad sheet to cover that book from my\nvision. But one or two passages were found, and from them I found my way\nto others which seemed to agree with the first, and it was not long\nbefore I was astonished at my ignorance of the Scriptures. The Bible was\nno longer the book it had been to me. I became entirely convinced of the\ntruth of the doctrine of Universalism.\"\n\nIt was therefore in the town of Westfield, N. Y., that Mr. Ballou came\nfully to believe in the final salvation of all mankind. We do not mean\nto be understood that he came at once to the full belief of the\ndoctrine that he afterwards taught, but that he made at this time the\nearliest and most important advance towards the belief which he\nsubsequently declared, and which has since become the creed of\nnine-tenths of the Universalist denomination. At this period he believed\nthe doctrine, as he says he preached it not many months afterwards,\nbeing the fall before he was twenty-one, \"when I began to speak in\npublic,\" he says, \"believing and preaching universal salvation, on the\nCalvinistic principles of atonement and imputed righteousness.\" The few\nUniversalists that then existed, having obtained proof, to their\nsatisfaction, that none of the human family would suffer endless\npunishment, thought they had sufficient cause for rejoicing, and seemed\nto be content to rest their discoveries there. Further _progress_ upon\nthis subject was left for Mr. Ballou to make and promulgate, as by\ncareful and unaided research he should come more fully to understand\nthis most important subject.\n\n\"At this time,\" he writes in his manuscript before us, \"fully realizing\nthat the basis of all spiritual knowledge was the Bible, that blessed\nbook was ever with me, and not one moment in which I was freed from\nnecessary labor was occupied save in its perusal. I learned to love it,\nto consult its pages with reverence, and prayerfully, that I might\nrightly interpret its true meaning. I became very familiar with the\nvarious important passages, which frequently gave me great advantage in\ncontroversy, at that time, on points of faith; for it was the practice\nof those days to blindly give credence to such faith as was taught from\nthe pulpit, and, leaving the minister to reason for the whole\ncongregation, they themselves rarely consulted the holy text, in a\nspirit of inquiry, though they deemed themselves most devout and\nreasonable Christians. By individual and careful explorations, I found\nmy Bible was able to teach me all I desired to know, and that, at the\noutset, I had been miserably deceived in my early impressions of God's\nword, by not examining and weighing the subject matter of divine\nrevelation for myself. But such is the force of habit that those early\nimpressions were at first constantly recurring to my mind, and acting as\nstumbling blocks in the way of my onward progress.\"\n\nIt is often said that Rev. John Murray was an earlier preacher than the\nsubject of this biography; that he is called the father of Universalism\nin America; and that Mr. Ballou received his opinions direct from him.\nBut those persons who say thus, or entertain themselves such an idea,\nare mistaken; indeed, as often as this remark is made, it must always be\nby those who have thought little, and known less, of the history of\nUniversalism. No one venerates the memory of Rev. John Murray more than\nthe author of this memoir, who, indeed, out of respect for his Christian\nvirtues and excellence, bears his name; but these records must be\nfaithful in all respects. So far from Mr. Ballou's having obtained the\nopinions which formed the great and distinctive features of his doctrine\nfrom Murray, that venerated minister did not believe the creed of\nUniversalists as taught by the subject of this biography, namely: _that\nthe Bible affords no evidence of punishment after death_. Even at the\ntime of Murray's death he held most tenaciously to his early belief; and\nhe even preached the doctrine on the old Calvinistic principles, between\nwhich and the doctrine promulgated by Mr. Ballou there is a wide\ndifference.\n\nWhile in the town of Westfield, a serious accident occurred to Mr.\nBallou, by which he nearly lost his life, being, by some accident, most\nfearfully scalded. After much suffering from the injury thus received,\nhe perfectly recovered, and soon after returned once more to Richmond,\nbeing not yet twenty-one years of age. He now first commenced the study\nof the English grammar, and attended for a period a school kept in the\nQuaker meeting-house in his native town.\n\nMr. Ballou says of this first attendance at school:--\"It was a private\nschool, the first one ever opened in the town, and was supported by a\nfew young people with whom I united; and here I obtained the first\ninstruction in English grammar. I now set myself to work in earnest to\nobtain learning. I studied night and day, slept little, and ate little.\"\n\nAt the close of this school, being actuated by an earnest desire to\nobtain knowledge, and realizing more than ever the immense advantage it\nbestowed, he determined, for a period, to devote his entire earnings to\nthis end; and, in pursuance of this purpose, he immediately entered the\nChesterfield (N. H.) Academy, where, by industry and incessant\napplication, allowing himself but a brief period of time out of the\ntwenty-four hours each day for sleep, in a very short space of time he\nacquired a good knowledge of the ordinary branches of an English\neducation of those days. The tuition received by Mr. Ballou at this\nacademy was the first worthy of mention that he had ever enjoyed, and\nwas of vastly more importance to him than all he had been taught before,\nor had himself acquired, as it regarded the rudiments of his native\nlanguage. Fortunately, the instructors employed were men of sound\nability, and consequently from his studies here he realized most\nimportant and lasting benefit.\n\nIt was not alone the additional theoretical knowledge that he acquired\nhere that we refer to as being of so much advantage to him; it was also\nthat which he saw and realized while at this school. It was the spirit\nof emulation that was imparted to his disposition by observing others in\ntheir progress, as it regarded mental culture, and the acquirement of\nuseful knowledge. His early associations had been among that class who\nhad paid but little attention to mental cultivation. He had enjoyed but\na limited opportunity thus far to judge of the incomparable power and\nimportance of education; but now he realized it at a glance, and,\ndetermining to let no means within his power remain unexercised in the\ngreat purpose of obtaining knowledge and of cultivating intelligence, he\ngathered his golden harvest from every available source, and stored it\nin the cells of his brain.\n\nWe have heard him refer particularly to this period, as having devoted\nthe hours of the night, as well as those of the day, to enable him to\nkeep pace with more experienced minds and better cultivated intellects,\nand how apparently gratified the preceptor was to see him able and\nthorough in his recitations, knowing the strong disadvantages under\nwhich he labored. It was his good fortune to make the acquaintance of\nthe teachers on good terms. They seemed prepossessed in his favor, and\nwere exceedingly kind, and even assiduous, in rendering him every needed\nassistance in his studies. This was of unquestionable advantage to him,\nand made him, if possible, more attentive than he would otherwise have\nbeen as to studies and recitations, that those who had been so kind to\nhim might see that their labor was not thrown away. \"I well remember,\"\nsays Mr. Ballou, \"the kindness and consideration exercised towards me by\nProfessor Logan, the principal of the academy, who seemed resolved that\nmy tuition should be of real benefit to me.\" And thus, indeed, it really\nproved, forming a foundation on which to rear a structure of useful\nknowledge, and the better to enable him to arrange and discipline his\nmind.\n\nOn leaving the academy, he obtained a certificate testifying to his\nsound moral character and ability, which document proved of considerable\nbenefit to him afterwards in obtaining various situations as a teacher.\nSchools for the young were then kept but a short period at a time in New\nEngland, and thus the teacher had often occasion to change the field of\nhis operations. Though thus engaged in the calling of a school-master,\nhis mind, he has frequently told us, was at all times, when not\nimmediately engaged with his pupils, occupied with the one great subject\nthat had already taken such root in his heart,--that of religion. His\nBible was ever in his hands or about his person for frequent reference,\nand his earnest and constant prayer to Heaven was that he might be able\nrightly to comprehend and analyze its doctrinal teachings.\n\nHe found his daily increasing knowledge of the Bible to be of great\nadvantage to him, as he says himself, in argument with others, and also\nas it regarded properly weighing and arranging in his own mind its\nvarious parts, and the bearing each sustained to the other. The early\nknowledge thus obtained of the holy text never left him, and was\nretained with most miraculous power and correctness through his entire\nlife.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nCOMMENCES TO PREACH.\n\n\nWhile Mr. Ballou was yet but twenty years of age, he made one or two\nunsuccessful attempts to preach a regular discourse. That is, he\ndelivered sermons once or twice at the period referred to, before small\nassemblies of his personal friends and relations. But so far from\nsatisfying himself in relation to his ability for public speaking, he\nwas quite disheartened by the result that attended these his first\nefforts. Yet, by the constant solicitations of those who were curious to\nhear him discourse upon the topic of his peculiar views, he continued to\nspeak, despite of the advice of his immediate friends and relations,\nuntil he not only soon satisfied himself as to his abilities, but also\nreceived the cordial approval of a large number of those who would, at\nthe outset, have discouraged him entirely.\n\nIn relation to this period of his life, Mr. Ballou gives us his own\nwords, and to the point. But the reader will please to mark that when he\nspeaks at this period of Universalists, he refers to those who thus\ncalled themselves, but who would, in these days, be more properly\ndenominated Restorationists. The correctness of this statement will at\nonce be seen from the fact of his saying that he met John Murray, etc.,\nat the first _Universalist_ convention which he ever attended, while\nthose who are acquainted with that honored teacher's tenets of faith are\naware, as we have already stated in these pages, that he lived and died\nsolemnly believing in a state of future suffering or punishment; and\nmore latterly during his life he sustained many controversies with Mr.\nBallou on this very subject.\n\n\"In September of the year preceding my beginning to preach,\" says Mr.\nBallou, \"I went to Oxford with my brother David, to attend the first\nUniversalist convention I had ever met with. Here I saw John Murray for\nthe first time, and George Richards, and some other public preachers.\nThe next summer after I was twenty years old, I labored with my brother\non his farm, and late in the fall made my first attempt to preach. This\nwas on an evening, and at the house of Deacon Thayer, in Richmond. Mr.\nThayer had been a deacon in the Baptist church, but had become a\nUniversalist, and still retained his office with the last-named\ndenomination. My brother and Rev. Caleb Rich were present to hear my\nfirst attempt to preach; and, according to what I could learn, they had\ntheir doubts whether I had a talent for such labor, but were not without\nsome hope. The second time I attempted to preach was in the town of\nBrattleboro', Vt., where my brother preached in the daytime, and I\nundertook to speak in the evening, being overpersuaded to do so; but\nthis attempt was a failure, and I was greatly mortified, and thought,\nfor a time, that I would not engage in a work for which I was not\ncompetent. However, it was not long before I became encouraged to try\nagain, after which I met with no remarkable failure to produce\ndiscouragement.\"\n\nThe comparative failure of Mr. Ballou's earliest attempts at public\nspeaking, although soon afterwards followed by complete success, is not\nat all surprising. It is exceedingly rare to find the first efforts of\norators satisfactory to themselves and to their friends. The first\nattempt of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the most brilliant orator of his\ntime,--if, perhaps, we except Burke, who was, however, more\ndistinguished by the eloquence of his diction,--was a complete and\ndecided failure. But, knowing himself, he declared emphatically that \"it\nwas in him, and must come out.\" When General, then Colonel, Washington\nrose to respond to a complimentary address of the legislature of his\nnative colony, he found it impossible to express himself; and the first\nefforts of the illustrious and lamented Henry Clay gave no promise of\nhis future eminence. It would be easy to multiply illustrations of the\nfact that it is only step by step that fame and honor are attained. No\none springs at a bound to the summit of his reputation and usefulness.\nIt is only shallow pretenders who sometimes shine with a false lustre\nat the outset of their career, soon to sink into utter insignificance.\nBut the true man, the man of sterling genius and worth, conscious of a\nhigh mission, and confiding in Providence for the energy and inspiration\nnecessary to fulfil it, is not daunted with the obstacles that present\nthemselves at the outset of his career. They are regarded as trials and\ntests as to his adaptedness to the purpose for which he is created. From\nevery rebuff he acquires new strength; he puts forth redoubled energy,\nuntil at last he triumphs over every impediment, and stands forth in the\nfull energy of his being.\n\nHad not Mr. Ballou been prompted by such a spirit as this, had he not\nbeen possessed of an extraordinary vigor of character, for which he was\never remarkable, he would hardly have persevered in his attempts to\npreach under these discouraging circumstances. It will be remembered\nthat he did not sit down and compose a discourse which he afterwards\nread to his audience; this is comparatively an easy task. He spoke\nextemporaneously then, as he ever did afterwards. In subsequent years he\nwas frequently called upon for manuscript copies of his discourses for\npublication. But the sermons were not written until after they had been\ndelivered; and it was not his practice to put on paper even the heads of\nhis discourse to take into the desk with him for reference in delivery.\nTrusting entirely to his powerfully retentive memory, the arrangement of\nhis sermons was as methodical and correct as though penned in the\nseclusion of his study. We have heard some persons, more nice than\nwise, speak of his extemporaneous delivery as an objection, and find\nfault because he did not write his discourses, and thus deliver them\nfrom his notes in the pulpit. We have a word to say in relation to this\nsubject, since it has been thus referred to.\n\nTo speak extempore and at the same time to speak well and to the\npurpose, to arrange certain points and arguments mentally with nice\nprecision, so as to deliver them with fluency and effect, must require a\nstrong and healthy intellect, a powerful and original mind. But a man\nwith an ordinary degree of mental cultivation, who cannot write a\ndiscourse and read it afterward, must be singularly deficient in his\nintellectual capacity. It is impossible for an audience to feel so deep\nan interest in the service as that which is felt in listening to the\nspontaneous outbreakings of a warm and ardent mind while it is engaged\nupon the holy theme. The speaker must invariably grow enthusiastic in so\nglorious a cause as he advocates, and his audience necessarily partake\nof his feelings. But when there is any particular degree of spirit or\nanimation evinced by one who is reading his discourse _verbatim et\nliteratim_, it is of necessity a preconcerted exhibition, and as such\nmust fail of its effect with the majority. It may be said that no man\ncan lay out so well his matter, nor give so good and sound an argument,\nspontaneously, as when he commits his ideas to paper. This, as a general\nthing, must be conceded, for there are comparatively few intellects\nsufficiently powerful to adopt the opposite course.\n\nThe advantages of extemporaneous speaking are doubtless many. It enables\nthe individual to place himself in closer contact with the feelings of\nhis audience, giving him the power to take advantage of any bright\nthought that unexpected impulse may impart. An experienced commander\narranges the general plan of an engagement before going into battle, but\nhe can do no more, for circumstances must guide him in the conflict. He\nmust improve the opportunity to throw forward his forces just at the\nright moment, not too soon nor too late, as such an indiscretion might\nchange the fortunes of the day, and lose the battle to him who would\nelse have won it. So with the preacher; he must watch the inner man of\nhis hearers, and, as he gains ground in the heart, follow up his\ninfluence by well-sustained argument, and strengthen his position by\nproper means made available at the appropriate moment,--neither too\nlightly nor yet with too much force, but be guided safely by the\nstrength of the position he already holds in the minds of his audience.\n\nSuch things cannot be correctly anticipated, and laid down beforehand,\nby comma and period, in the study. Mr. Ballou's arguments were arranged\nwith the utmost precision, his reasoning followed in the most logical\narray, and all the while he was talking to the people in the most\nunconcerned and familiar manner, as though each respective member of his\ncongregation was sitting by his own fireside and the preacher had\nhappened in. This is the mode of preaching which is effectual, and all\nthe flowers of rhetoric may seek in vain to attain a like influence\nover the hearts and sympathies of an auditory. The latter mode of\npreaching may please, but the former will convince; the first will make\nworshippers, the last admirers. Thinks the reader that the simple\nfishermen of Galilee--yet the chosen of God--sought by the vain and\ngaudy ornaments of elegant delivery and studied eloquence to please the\npeople? No! They preached the holy word in all meekness, striving to\nexalt not themselves, but rather the name of him who had sent them.\n\nMr. Ballou says, relative to the period when he commenced to\npreach:--\"Mr. Logan, the preceptor, gave me a certificate when I left\nthe Chesterfield Academy, which was sufficient to enable me to get a\nschool in Bellingham, Mass. Here I taught school during the other days\nof the week, and preached on the Sabbath. When I first engaged in\npreaching, it was not with the most distant expectation that I should\nsupport myself by the ministry; but I thought I could keep school some,\nand labor some with my hands, and live with but a little income. From\nBellingham I went to the town of Foster, R. I., where my father formerly\nlived, and there my father taught a large school and had good\ncompensation; and here also on the Sabbath I preached in the\nschool-house where I taught. From this place I went to Scituate, in R.\nI., where I preached and taught school. My meetings grew very large, and\nI was called on to go to different places,--to Smithfield, Providence,\nPawtucket, etc. After I had spent about two years in keeping school and\npreaching, I found that I had used up all my earnings, had laid up\nnothing, except that I had more costly clothing than when I first began.\nAnd now, at the age of twenty-four, I was so much called on to preach\nthat I gave up keeping school, and devoted my time to the ministry,\nreceiving now and then some compensation for my services.\"\n\nMr. Ballou's life as a public minister may be said to have commenced at\nthe age of twenty. From that time, as it became known that he preached\nthe doctrine which was deemed by nearly all to be such a heresy, there\nwere numerous invitations, as he shows us above, pouring in upon him\nfrom all quarters, to come and address the people concerning the faith\nhe had espoused. His labors were by no means confined to Rhode Island,\nbut he preached in the neighborhood of Richmond, and in various parts of\nVermont and Massachusetts, improving every moment of leisure time in the\nmost careful study of the Scriptures. He no longer preached on the\nSabbath only, but also on nearly every consecutive evening of the week.\nIt was easy to gather an audience, anxious and ready to listen to the\nnew and most happy doctrine that the preacher taught, and even at this\nearly period of his ministerial career he began to address those\nspontaneous mass assemblies that in after years always gathered from all\ndirections to listen to him whenever he appeared. Entirely forgetting\nhimself, and with but one great object in view, that of preaching God's\nimpartial grace, and of convincing all who would listen to him of the\nglorious truths of Universalism, he counted not the hours of mental\nlabor which now increased upon him, but labored hard and willingly with\nhis hands to clothe himself, receiving but a mere trifle for his\nprofessional labors. Pay, at this period, he never demanded, and very\nrarely expected; he was fully contented with the inward recompense which\nhe realized.\n\n\"At this period of my life,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"my health was very\nindifferent. I had most of the time a severe pain in the pit of my\nstomach, and my appetite was far from being good, and so debilitated was\nI in strength that I have even been obliged to sit while I preached. It\nbecame necessary for me to procure a vehicle to journey in, being too\nweak to ride on horseback; however, by care and good advice, I gradually\nrecruited. My travelling for that period was extensive, from Cape Ann\neast, to the Connecticut River west, to Richmond north, and New London\nand Hartford south. All my Sabbaths were employed, and many lectures\nwere attended during each week. I preached in meeting-houses when they\ncould be obtained, sometimes in school-houses, sometimes in barns, and\nnot very seldom in groves and orchards, and often in private houses.\n\n\"To the people, the doctrine I preached was new, and the opposition\nlacked not for bitterness; and such was my condition that I was\nconstantly in conflict, and never allowed to put off my armor to rest,\nday or night. All manner of evil reports concerning me were invented,\nand the worst of slander circulated, all tending to make me regardless\nof what my enemies said. My answer to all this slander was, while they\nspeak thus falsely of me, I am in no danger; if I am injured I shall do\nthat myself.\"\n\nTheology was a subject of most sombre hue at this period in New England.\nCalvinism had twined its choking fibres so closely about the sacred\ntree, that its branches drooped, and its leaves withered in the sunshine\nof truth. The doctrines taught from the pulpit, while they were listened\nto as a duty, were yet repulsive to the heart of the hearer, and\nabhorrent to his very soul. The principle of divine love was clouded\nwholly from sight by the dark mass of murky error that enshrouded all\nscripture teachings. The duties of man to his Maker and to himself were\nheld forth under fearful threats, as a penalty for disobedience, but the\nidea that in the performance of our duty real happiness is alone to be\nfound, while sin most surely brings its own punishment, was never\npublicly advanced. Sinfulness, aside from the liabilities of eternity,\nwas not held up to be avoided, but rather acknowledged to be pleasant\nand desirable, while those who trod the paths of righteousness were\ntaught to consider themselves as self-sacrificing martyrs, and told to\nlook for their reward in eternity. It was these obvious inconsistencies\nthat at first challenged the attention of the subject of this memoir.\nAnd when he stood up and boldly exposed these palpable errors, when he\npreached _love_ while others preached _wrath_ to the people, it is not\nsingular that those who were so diametrically opposed to him in faith\nshould be ready to believe and propagate any stories that might reflect\nupon his character, and thus detract from his influence as exercised\nupon those who so eagerly listened to him, and in whose hearts, in the\nvery nature of things, he was sure of an answering and approving\nsentiment.\n\nIt is a matter of regret that Mr. Ballou has left no record of his\njourneyings and labors during this important period of his clerical\ncareer, as such a narrative would have been most deeply interesting to\nhis family and friends. The amount of labor he performed must have been\nprodigious, and fully accounts for the enfeebled bodily condition to\nwhich he alludes. Every fibre of his intellectual frame must have been\nconstantly in a state of extreme tension; for his was not the easy task\nof preaching on the Sabbath a written discourse which he had taken a\nwhole week to prepare, but, as we have said, he was called upon almost\ndaily to address large audiences and promiscuous assemblies. Nor was his\nthe pleasant duty of the navigator who follows the course of the stream\nand the tide. He was a pioneer; he preached a new doctrine; and, as he\nsays, \"the opposition lacked not for bitterness.\" It is not surely an\nexaggeration to declare that Universalism in those days was popularly\nregarded with as much hostility as Infidelity itself is now. Hence, in\naddition to the severe fatigue of travel, the necessity of finding\nconstantly new arguments and new illustrations, to sway the minds of\nconstantly changing auditors, he had to battle valiantly, like a soldier\nof Christ, against the most vigorous and determined opposition.\n\nIn this condition, how mentally and physically trying must have been his\nincessant labors in his Master's vineyard! Neither by night nor by day\ncould he for a moment lay aside his armor. Standing alone, there was no\nrespite to his exertions. Later in life he beheld a host of able\nfollowers ready to relieve him of a portion of his duties. His doctrine\nwas no longer the theme of obloquy and outrage. He outlived calumny and\ndetraction. But it will be seen that even in extreme old age he did not\nspare himself; he did not suffer sloth to creep upon his spirit, nor\nrust to gather on his armor. He was still the favored champion of his\ncause, and ever ready to minister to the spiritual wants of his brethren\nin the faith.\n\nWith the close of his itinerant labors, we now come to another important\nand interesting epoch in his life.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nBECOMES A SETTLED MINISTER.\n\n\nThe first place in which Mr. Ballou engaged permanently as a settled\nminister was in the town of Dana, Mass., in 1794-5. The society here,\nnot feeling able to pay for an engagement which should occupy him the\nwhole time, engaged him for a portion, leaving him to supply the\nsocieties in Oxford and Charlton, Mass., also, a portion of the time.\nHaving now become located, and his residence known, large numbers of\npeople from a distance gathered to hear him, not only on the Sabbath,\nbut frequently for several consecutive days of the week besides. Many\nthere were who held his doctrine to be such damning heresy that they\ncounted it a sin even to listen to it; while others of his religious\nopponents, holding that \"there is no error so crooked but it hath in it\nsome lines of truth,\" came and listened, and the seed not unfrequently\nfell into good soil, bringing forth a hundred fold.\n\n\"Often was I greeted at this time,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"by people who\nwould say, 'Sir, I heard you preach a sermon, a few weeks since, from\nsuch a text,' naming it, 'and I have been uneasy and anxious in my mind\never since. If your doctrine is true, I must understand and believe it.\nBut, alas! I fear it is too good to be true; it is so different from\nwhat I have been brought up to believe that I cannot divest my mind of\nearly prejudices sufficiently to receive it, though Heaven knows how\ngladly I could do so.' Then the individual would quote some passages of\nscripture which seemed to him to be insuperable objections to the\ndoctrine I professed, and I would do all in my power to explain these\npassages to his mind, in the way I had myself already learned to\ninterpret them. Usually, with the blessing of Divine Providence, I was\nsuccessful, at least in a large degree, and on the following Sabbath I\nwas pretty sure to find the honest seeker after truth among my\ncongregation, and the following Sabbath he would be there again,\nattentively listening to the word, until, finally, he came forth and\nopenly espoused the blessed doctrine of God's impartial grace. Thus\nencouraged with the growth of the seed that I strewed by the way-side,\nmy task was a grateful one to my soul, and I was constantly gladdened by\nthe visible fruits of my efforts in disenthralling men's minds of the\ndogmas and blind creeds that early prejudice and the schools had\ninculcated.\"\n\nLet it be borne in mind that at this period he was preaching\nUniversalism on the principle of the final restoration of the whole\nhuman family, not having satisfied himself yet that there would be no\npunishment in a future state of existence, or, indeed, ever thought upon\nthis subject to any great extent. Owing to the very trifling amount of\nhis remuneration from the society in Dana, while he resided there,\nbesides tilling a small portion of land, he was obliged to keep school\nduring the week, and this engagement was often broken into for lecture\npurposes. His keeping and teaching school was a benefit to him beyond\nthe pecuniary consideration he received, inasmuch as it familiarized him\nwith many branches of an English education which he would perhaps\notherwise never have acquired, or at least not nearly so thoroughly as\nhe did by this means.\n\nUninfluenced by the sneers of his opposers, and the poor remuneration he\nreceived for the preaching of his belief, he never for one moment\nwavered in a steadfast purpose, even at this early period, to preach\nChrist and him crucified, and the unsearchable riches of God's goodness.\nIn this connection we are reminded of the remarks of the editor of the\nNew Covenant, Chicago, Ill., who, in his obituary notice of the decease\nof Mr. Ballou, says:--\n\n\"But now we are called to mourn the departure of one who, when our cause\nhad scarcely a name to live,--when it was the subject of the sneer of\nthe bigot, as well as of the profane curse of the irreligious, and even\nits warmest friends scarcely dared to hope for its resurrection to honor\nand respect,--bent the energy of a giant mind to a life-long defence and\npromulgation of the truth,--by his unanswerable arguments turned the\nsneer of bigotry into a smile of hope, and the curses of the profane\ninto blessings,--of one who has done more in this age for the\nliberalizing of religious sentiment than all his contemporaries\ncombined. Strong in the faith he preached, and steadfastly believing it\nmust at last triumph, from early youth to mature old age he has kept on\nhis armor and fought the good fight of faith, and death even found him\nat his post as a faithful sentinel, and in the midnight hour he could\nanswer, 'All is well!'\"\n\nAt the age of twenty-five, and while resident in the town of Dana, he\nbecame acquainted with the family of Stephen Washburn, in the town of\nWilliamsburg, Mass., and, after an intimate acquaintance of about a\nyear, he married their youngest daughter, Ruth Washburn, who was some\neight years younger than himself. His wife, like her husband, had been\nbrought up to habits of industry and economy; she proved a kind,\nconstant, and devoted help-mate through his entire life, sharing with\nhim every joy and every burthen, and, by the influence of a naturally\nstrong and well balanced mind, a cheerful and gentle disposition,\nexercising a most goodly influence upon his life and labors. She became\nthe careful and prudent mother of a large family, nine of whom lived to\nrear families themselves during the life of their parents. Through their\nwhole lives there was a remarkable oneness of feeling, and a depth of\naffection evinced by each for the other, that years served only to\nincrease, and old age to cement the more closely. But of this matter we\nmay yet speak more fully.\n\nMr. Ballou resided in the town of Dana for about seven years, devoting\nevery spare hour to careful study of the Scriptures, systematizing his\ntime by a careful division of the hours of the day, and permitting\nhimself but a very brief portion of time for sleep.\n\nWhen we say that he devoted his time so assiduously to study, we do not\nmean that he occupied himself in the perusal of books alone. He\n_thought_ much, communed with himself alone, and even at that period\naccustomed himself to a degree of inward or mental communion with\nhimself, that would seem to exclude the world about him, for the time\nbeing, from his sense of seeing or hearing. This was more observable in\nlater years, when he often sat long in his study thus, sometimes with\nhis eyes closed, sometimes with their pupils directed to the floor or\nthe ceiling of the room, his lips moving, and at last, having seemingly\nweighed well some important matter, he would rouse again as if from a\ntrance, and look about him with apparent satisfaction at the result he\nseemed to have accomplished. Sometimes these moments were followed by\nthe use of the pen for records in his note-book of texts and sermon\nheads, sometimes by a reference to the Scriptures, and sometimes by a\nwalk in the open air; then his lips would be seen to move, and he would\nbe quite oblivious to all outward circumstances. He studied thus,\ncarefully and deeply. At times he would walk in the fields or the woods\nwhile thus occupied; and the family never disturbed him by any remarks,\nor by calling his attention, while he was thus mentally absorbed. In\nanother part of this biography, reference will be found concerning this\npeculiarity, as exhibited at a later period of his life, and observed by\none who was an inmate of his family, and a student of divinity with him.\nThe family were accustomed to his mood in these matters, but it usually\naffected a stranger, or one not familiar with him, in quite an\nimpressive and solemn manner; it seemed so much as though he was\ncommuning with unseen spirits, and a power that was invisible to those\nabout him or to himself, save through the powers of his mental vision.\n\nIt would seem that the little bodily rest which he allowed himself at\nthis period must have induced physical debility; and yet it did not\nappear to do so. In travelling, a large portion of his short journeyings\nwere made in the evening; sometimes at midnight even, and often before\nthe break of day, in order to fulfil necessary appointments without\nencroaching upon his arrangements at home. When stopping for his horse\nto take rest and food, himself much fatigued, he would take his watch\nfrom his pocket, and, laying it upon a table near some place where he\ncould find a recumbent position, he would carefully mark the time, and\nsay distinctly to himself, \"I will sleep now for just one hour, when I\nmust awake and go on.\" Singular as this may seem, he has told us that he\nnever failed to awake at the expiration of the hour, and, much\nrefreshed, he would mount his horse and press on to fill some\nprofessional engagement, perhaps twenty or thirty miles from the\nstopping-place. At other times, while his horse was eating, he would\ndeliver a sermon, and, having completed it, would, without stopping for\nany physical refreshment for himself, start off once more on his\nmission.\n\n\"In searching the Scriptures,\" he says, \"to enable myself to preach as\nthe divine oracles taught, I became satisfied that those who were then\ncalled Universalists had founded their doctrine on wrong principles, as\nwell as other denominations. The doctrine of man's native depravity, of\noriginal sin, of the deserts of eternal misery, of the vicarious\nsufferings of Christ, by which he endured, in man's stead, the divine\npenalty of God's law, whereby man could escape the punishment due to his\nsins, was believed by those who called themselves Universalists, as well\nas by Calvinists: also, the doctrine of the Trinity, holding that Christ\nis equal to God, or, in other words, is God, being the second person in\nthe holy Trinity. All these notions, as it appeared to me, were\nessential errors, constituting a mass of confusion. I soon renounced all\nthese views, and preached only God, and one mediator between God and\nman, the man Christ Jesus. All my brethren in the ministry, and all our\nfriends, stood on the old platform, and I found that I had to contend\nwith Universalists as well as with partialists. But I went to my work in\nearnest, laboring, with all my skill and with all my limited talents, to\nconvince my brethren in the ministry, and all who heard me preach, that\nthe doctrines of the Trinity, of depravity, of eternal penalty, etc.,\nwere neither the doctrines of the Scriptures nor of reason. The\nopposition to my sentiments fast gave way among Universalists, though\neven among them I met with as bitter opposition, in some instances, as\nfrom other denominations. The first time I preached in Bro. Murray's\nchurch, in Boston, was during his absence in Philadelphia, and I then\ncame out fully with my Unitarian views, which produced great\ndisturbance. Some were violent in their opposition, while others, and\nnot a few, fell in with my manner of explaining the Scriptures. I was\nthen twenty-eight years of age.\"\n\nMr. Ballou says that his declaring his views on this occasion was the\ncause of \"great disturbance.\" This disturbance was so earnest that some\nfew of the audience, more bitter than the rest, rose in their seats and\ndeclared that the sentiments which had been uttered were not in\naccordance with Mr. Murray's views, etc. Whereupon Mr. Ballou simply\ninformed them that he had been invited, without solicitation on his own\npart, to preach in that desk; that he came there to preach no one's\nconvictions but his own; that he never had consulted, and never should\nconsult, the taste of his audience as to the doctrine he preached to\nthem; but that he should proclaim the truth, as, by the help of Heaven,\nhe had been enabled to learn it from the Bible, and the truth only!\n\nOn the subsequent day Mr. Ballou was formally waited upon by a committee\nfrom the Society, who thanked him for the discourse, and a majority\ncoincided also in his peculiar views.\n\nThe conclusions as to doctrine at which he arrived were based upon\nsevere study and profound reflection; and when we consider the age at\nwhich he had elaborated and enunciated a creed of such vast importance,\na creed so entirely in advance of his contemporaries, we cannot fail to\nbe most forcibly impressed with the extraordinary originality and\nremarkable precocity of his intellect. Such early vigor and maturity\nwould have been astonishing in one who had enjoyed all the advantages of\nearly training, all the aids afforded by the best theological\ninstitutions and instructors; but in one who had passed through so many\nhardships, overcome so many difficulties, and was so emphatically\nself-taught and self-made, they can only be regarded as evidences of the\nhighest genius, and the immediate favorable interposition of Divine\nProvidence.\n\nHis unshaken faith and inflexibility of conviction are evinced by the\nfact that he stood firm, not only against the opposing sects, but\nagainst the disciples of the improved doctrine which he first preached.\nIt requires not a little energy to confront declared foes; but to\ncontend with friends, to risk the loss of their favor and support, is a\ntrial which few have the boldness to sustain. But the subject of this\nbiography knew not what temporizing meant; his whole life, his whole\nintellect, all his energies, were devoted to the discovery of truth, and\nthe enunciation of the truth he discovered. Had he stood entirely alone,\nwithout one single friend, without one single proselyte, he would have\nspoken as he did, boldly, earnestly, candidly, the apostle and defender\nof his faith. The inspiration of his mission was from on high; neither\napplause nor opposition changed his views, or in the least affected his\nserene and constant equanimity.\n\nThe patient and unruffled manner in which he always held a controversy\nhas been often remarked of him; himself the mark for all manner of\npersonalities and low reflections, he never descended to such a mode of\nwarfare, being fully content in the justice and power of his cause, and\nconsidering that as more than equal to low cunning, or, indeed, any\ntrickery of those who opposed him so bitterly. Flattery would have been\nequally powerless in effect upon him, for he looked not to man for\napproval, but to his own conscience and his God. Love of applause is a\nmost natural trait in our dispositions. The hero of a hundred battles\nfeels his heart glow afresh at the grateful meed of praise; the\npolitician reads the glowing accounts of his own eloquence with secret\ngratification; and who is there so humble that is not susceptible of\nflattery, who so high in worldly honors that they do not acknowledge the\npotency of applause? And yet we shall be sustained in the remark by all\nwho knew the subject of these memoirs intimately, when we say, that\nneither ridicule nor flattery moved him in the least, the single purpose\nof his life being his Master's business; and he ever acknowledged\nhimself, that he really endeavored to be (and beyond which he aspired\nnot) the servant of all men. Few persons, with his power over the\nmasses, and holding the position that was universally accorded to him,\nbut that would have often brought themselves as _individuals_, with\ntheir _personal_ interests and desires, before the public;\nself-aggrandizement will almost always discover itself more or less in\nprominent public men. But he knew no such incentive; he had one grand\nobject in view, one which he never lost sight of, and which was more\nthan paramount to everything else combined;--it was to inculcate the\nreligion of God's impartial goodness and eternal grace.\n\nIn the thirtieth year of his age, he was induced to accept of the\ninvitation of the towns of Woodstock, Hartland, Bethel, and Barnard,\nVt., making the latter place his home. While resident here he devoted\nhimself to ardent and constant study, and in the year 1804 produced his\n\"_Notes on the Parables_,\" one of the most popular and useful books,\neven to the present day, in the Universalist library. It has passed\nthrough numerous large editions, and a new one, at this present writing,\nis about to be put to press. It is a book containing nearly the same\namount of matter as the present memoir in the reader's hand. This book\nwas written and published at a time when Mr. Ballou's health was really\nsuffering from the effects of his unremitting labors, both mental and\nphysical.\n\n\"My health,\" he says, \"in those years which I passed in Vermont, was\ngenerally very good. I had some time, previous to removing from Dana,\nbeen gaining health and growing more corpulent, so that my uniform\nweight for several years was about two hundred pounds.\" But at the time\nwhen he wrote the \"Notes,\" for a considerable period he had been\nover-tasked, and so much so as to materially affect his health. The\nroads about the country were of a very poor character, and being unable\nto use a vehicle on many of the routes over which he passed, he was\nfrequently obliged to accomplish his journeys on horseback, which was a\nsevere draft upon his strength. In his first preface to the edition of\nNotes on the Parables, the author thus refers to the subject of the\nbook:--\n\n\"In my travels through the country in discharge of duties enjoined by\nthe ministry of the Saviour of sinners, I have met with more opposition\nto the gospel preached to Abraham from false notions of the parables of\nthe New Testament, than from any other source. Often, after travelling\nmany miles and preaching _several_ sermons in a day, I have found it\nnecessary to explain various parables to some inquiring hearer, when my\nstrength seemed almost exhausted. At such times I have thought a volume,\nsuch as the reader has in hand, might save me much labor, and I have\noften said to myself, If God will give me a few weeks' leisure, I will,\nwith his assistance, employ them in writing 'Notes on the Parables.'\nThis favor has at length been granted, though it was by depriving me of\nthat degree of health that was necessary to the performance of the\njourneys which I had already appointed, yet preserving so much as to\nrender me composed in my study.\"\n\nThis is undoubtedly one of the most valuable books in the Universalist\nlibrary; particularly valuable from the fact of its treating, in the\nclearest and most forcible manner, upon those peculiar doctrinal points\nwhich, more than all others, have been the theme of contention among\nprofessed Christians. At the time when Mr. Ballou published this work,\nhis mind was not fully made up as to the subject of punishment after\ndeath; but the matter had already resolved itself to this in his mind;\nthat if any suffer in the future state it would be because they would be\nsinful there. It was not long subsequent, however, that he came to the\nfull knowledge and conviction that the doctrine of future punishment was\nnowhere taught in the Bible, and this creed he thenceforth ever most\nassiduously preached on all occasions.\n\nIn his preface to the fifth edition the author says:--\"On account of so\nmany of the parables being used by believers in endless punishment to\nsupport and enforce that sentiment, the author of the Notes was induced\nto study them with special reference to the question whether they might\nnot, with more propriety, be applied in a different manner. Of this fact\nhe became fully satisfied; even as much so as he is now. But, though he\nentertained no scruples on that point, he was not so happy as to be\nfully satisfied, in every case, as to the true intent of the parable. In\nthis situation he cautiously endeavored not to apply any parable to a\nsubject which was not found to be embraced in the system of truth which\nthe Scriptures clearly and evidently support. Little harm is done by\napplying a parable to a subject to which it was not intended by the\nauthor to apply, provided the subject to which it is misapplied be a\ntruth clearly supported by either Scripture or man's experience; but to\nmisconstrue any passage of the divine testimony so as to give support to\nwhat is not true, is unquestionably no small damage; and if the error be\nof magnitude, whereby our Heavenly Father is represented in an unlovely\ncharacter, or our confidence in his goodness diminished, such\nmisconstruction is not only a reprehensible violence on the Scriptures,\nbut a dishonor to their divine Author. I am persuaded that a just\nknowledge of the parables is almost indispensably necessary to a\nknowledge of the doctrine preached by Christ, as much of his public\ncommunication was in this way. It is in the parables of Christ that we\nlearn the nature of the two dispensations or covenants; the situation of\nman by reason of sin; the character of the Saviour as the seeker and\nsavior of that which was lost; the power of the gospel as a sovereign\nremedy for the moral maladies of man, and its divine efficacy in\nreconciling and assimilating the sinner to God. It is by the parables\nthat we learn the unprofitableness of legal righteousness in point of\njustification to eternal life; the absolute necessity of becoming new\ncreatures, in order to enter the kingdom of God; the true character of\nthe Saviour as the Lord our Righteousness, and his divine power to make\nall things new.\"\n\nThe \"_Notes on the Parables_\" have unquestionably led thousands of minds\nto valuable improvement in the knowledge of the Scriptures, and\nconverted many a longing soul to the precious and joyful belief of\nuniversal salvation. At the time when these Notes were written, the\nlight which has now become so general and evident to nearly every candid\nseeker after truth,--the true light of the gospel of Christ,--seemed to\nbe but just dawning; the warm and genial sun of the true faith but\nfaintly tinged the east; but ere long it rose steadily and majestically,\nuntil it radiated its noon-day warmth, in meridian splendor and beauty.\nWe should remember that the author of the \"Notes\" enjoyed the use of no\nother book than the Bible in forming and promulgating his own opinions,\nwhich have since become the general belief of the Universalist order.\nThe book is especially lucid and original in its style, and bears in its\npages constant evidence of deep and careful research.\n\nIn an excellent book lately issued by the publisher of this biography,\nentitled a Memoir of Rev. S. R. Smith, written by Rev. Thomas J. Sawyer,\nD. D., of Clinton, N. Y., we find the following incident related,\nreferring to this period of Mr. Ballou's life. It is from the pen of the\nsubject of the memoir, Rev. Stephen R. Smith, concerning whose Christian\nexcellence too much cannot be said.\n\n\"By what means the intelligence that Hosea Ballou would preach on the\nfollowing Sunday, in a place fifteen miles distant, could have been\nconveyed to a very young man, who did not then know a single\nUniversalist in the world, is not remembered. He went, however, and\nheard a discourse in the morning, from Zech. 6:13; and, for the first\ntime in his life, felt that he had listened to a sermon that neither\ninvolved an absurdity nor a contradiction. The congregation was not\nlarge, and occupied a school-house in the present city of Utica, then a\nmeagre and muddy village. A larger congregation was anticipated in the\nafternoon, and arrangements were made for the service in the open air,\nunder some trees, on the bank of the Mohawk river. There, in due time, a\nlarge auditory assembled, and listened to one of Mr. Ballou's best\ndiscourses, from Deut. 33: part of the 16th with the 17th verse. It was\na glorious day, early in June. The silence of Sunday was around us; the\nbright blue heavens above us, partly veiled by the branches of a few\nscattering oaks; the clear, quiet river at our side; the ruddy and\nhealthy preacher, in all the vigor of manhood, before us, and pleading\nthe cause of God and humanity with a group of most attentive hearers.\nSuch a scene is not to be forgotten; and, altogether, it was one, in\nevery respect, calculated to make the most lasting impression. And such\ncertainly were its effects upon the mind of the writer. For, while it\nleft him without any pretension to the knowledge or belief of\nUniversalism, as a system of religious truth, it certainly satisfied him\nthat it was consistent with itself, and with all that we see and know of\nthe Deity and his moral government. It is scarcely to be doubted that\nsimilar impressions were made on many persons in that congregation.\"\n\nWhile resident in Barnard, he wrote also his \"_Treatise on Atonement_.\"\nThis book, though written so many years since, is still as popular as\nwhen first issued from the press, and has passed, like the \"Notes,\"\nthrough several large editions. It is contained in a volume of between\ntwo and three hundred pages, and is justly esteemed as one of the\nsoundest productions that has ever emanated from the author's pen, and\nwe may, perhaps, add without apparent arrogance, one of the most\nthoroughly philosophical and argumentative works of the age. In the\nModern History of Universalism, the author, in speaking of the change of\nopinion generally from the ideas preached by John Murray, Winchester,\nand other early ministers, says that the belief in the Trinity,\natonement, and kindred notions, was discarded through the influence of\nthis book.\n\n\"The labors of Hosea Ballou, of this city,\" says the author, \"may be\nregarded as one of the principal means of the change. In the '_Treatise\non Atonement_,' he has treated the subject at length, maintaining the\nsubordination of the Son to the Father, the eternal and impartial love\nof God to all creatures, and holding forth the death of Christ not as\nthe cause, but as the effect of this eternal principle of the divine\nnature. The very wide circulation of this work evinces the high\nestimation in which it has been held by the American Universalists.\"\n\nWe subjoin also the following notice of the \"Treatise,\" because we think\nit a most truthful critique relative to the book, which we desire to\nhave the readers of this biography to understand. In this review, which\nappeared not long since in the Evangelical Magazine, the editor says:--\n\n\"The decided manner in which the doctrine of vicarious atonement is\nrejected, the prominence given to the belief that Jesus was a dependent\nbeing, dependent like ourselves on a common Father and God, and that he\nwas sent to preach the truth and illustrate its requirements, and by his\nexclusive influence to reconcile man to his Maker, were subjects so new,\nso startling, that for a time the work appears not to have been very\nwell received. But the important object was attained. The public\nattention, and especially that of Universalists, was drawn to the\nconsideration of these fundamental and momentous doctrines. The author's\nviews were very generally adopted by the order, and the book obtained\nunbounded popularity. It deserves this distinction, for it doubtless\nwrought the great revolution that transformed Universalism from the\nUnitarian hypothesis, with all its concomitants, into the simple and\nintelligible system formed in the doctrine of the indivisible oneness of\nGod. It is, perhaps, impossible to estimate the influence which this\nwork has had upon the so-called Unitarian controversy in New England.\nBut this much is quite certain, the 'Treatise' was one of the earliest\npublications that openly and distinctly rejected the doctrine of the\nTrinity, and manfully met the prevailing prejudices respecting that\nsubject. But aside from these matters, there is not another book in the\ncountry, on the same subject, that has been read by half the number of\npersons, or wrought conviction of the truth of the doctrine of the\nDivine unity in one half so many minds, as this '_Treatise on\nAtonement_.'\"\n\nThese notices, as we have just intimated, are introduced here to give\nthe reader, who may not be otherwise acquainted with the \"Treatise,\" a\ncorrect and clear idea of the work. Though among the earliest of Mr.\nBallou's publications, this book is far from being deficient in any\npoint, either as to sound logical reasoning, or in force and earnestness\nof style. Simple, yet profound, it is within the capacity of the\nhumblest to comprehend and fully understand, while it cannot fail to\nchallenge the admiration of the scholar and philosopher. It is written\nin the plain, straightforward manner which so distinguished his after\nproductions, and which never failed to carry conviction with it. \"The\n'Treatise' has been pronounced by one of the strongest minds of the\nage,\" says the publisher of the sixth edition, \"to be one of the\nsoundest arguments in the English language.\" Were the author's\nreputation to rest solely upon this work, we should feel satisfied at\nthe manner in which his memory must be handed down to posterity.\n\nIn his preface to the first edition of the book, he says:--\"Many\ncircumstances might be mentioned, which, in their associations, have\ninduced me to write and publish the following treatise; but I can say\nwith propriety, that the principal object was that in which I always\nfind the greatest happiness, namely, to do what I find most necessary in\norder to render myself useful to mankind.\"\n\nAt the time of the publication of this \"Treatise,\" Mr. Ballou had by no\nmeans arrived at such a degree of understanding and belief upon the\nsubject of the Scriptures as was the case in after years, and, with wise\nfore-thought, he thus speaks his mind in the preface to the first\nedition:--\n\n\"I have often been solicited to write and publish my general views on\nthe gospel, but have commonly observed to my friends that it might be\nattended with disagreeable consequences, as it is impossible to\ndetermine whether the ideas we entertain at the present time are\nagreeable to those which we shall be under the necessity of adopting\nafter we have had more experience; and knowing, to my satisfaction, that\nauthors are very apt to feel such an attachment to sentiments which have\nbeen openly avowed to the world, that their prejudice frequently\nobstructs their further acquisition in the knowledge of the truth, and\neven in cases of conviction their own self-importance will keep them\nfrom acknowledging their mistake.\"\n\nThough he was thus cautious (and what judgment, prudence, and cool\nreasoning are evinced in this paragraph), the only change that\nexperience did bring about, in the author's mind, was, that he became\neven more fully convinced, as the experience of years ripened the\nharvest of his wisdom, of the truths of his former belief, and made\nstill further _progress_ (a word that he loved and lived up to), in\naddition to certain points that are but lightly touched upon in the\nwork.\n\nThe following letter, relating to this and other works, was elicited by\nthe presentation to Mr. Ballou of a set, in a new and uniform edition\nwith some of his subsequent publications; the constant call for these\nbooks, even after several large editions had been exhausted, and a long\nperiod of years had elapsed since their first being issued, requiring\nthis fresh publication of them. Mr. Ballou having parted with the\ncopyright at the time of publication, they were of course in the hands\nof the trade. This letter is introduced here as illustrative of the\nhumble estimate he put upon his own important labors and discoveries,\nand is also in style very like him. It bears date 1844, and was written,\nconsequently, when he was seventy-three years of age. It was addressed\nto the editor of the Trumpet, and appeared in the editorial columns of\nthat paper.\n\n     \"BR. WHITTEMORE: Please permit me to acknowledge with gratitude a\n     favor I have received from Br. Abel Tompkins, consisting of four\n     volumes of my writings: my Notes on the Parables of the New\n     Testament; my Treatise on Atonement; my course of Lecture Sermons,\n     and my Select Sermons. It gives me much pleasure to learn that\n     these works have been so favorably regarded by the denomination\n     with which I have had the happiness to hold an unbroken and\n     uninterrupted connection for more than half a century, as to\n     warrant this new edition. The improved style in which these volumes\n     now appear cannot fail to give entire satisfaction to all who have\n     a good taste, and will doubtless facilitate their sale.\n\n     \"When, more than forty years ago, I wrote my 'Notes' and\n     'Treatise,' I had never seen any work in defence of the doctrine of\n     the Divine unity, and the dependency of the Son upon the Father.\n     When this circumstance is duly considered, the reader will be\n     satisfied that the writer must have exerted the limited powers of\n     his mind to their utmost capacity. This is all the credit he\n     claims.\n\n     \"HOSEA BALLOU.\"\n\nMr. Ballou has long been allowed the credit, which is also most justly\ndue to him, of having been the first Unitarian writer in this country;\nfor, as he says above, he had never seen any book in defence of the\ndoctrine of the Divine unity when he wrote in favor of those principles\nin the works referred to. Another evidence of the fact is, that Mr.\nBallou's sentiments at that time were considered most strange and novel\nby all.\n\n\"In this Treatise,\" says Rev. Thomas Whittemore, \"Mr. Ballou took the\nground that God was never unreconciled to man; that man was the party\nwho needed reconciliation, for God is love from eternity to eternity,\nand that God's love to sinners was the cause of Christ's being sent by\nthe Father to redeem them. He held that Christ was not God himself, but\nthe Son of God; a distinct being from the Father,--a _created_ being;--a\ndoctrine which he had believed and preached for ten years, having\ncommenced to preach it as early as 1795. He must therefore be regarded\nas the earliest defender of Unitarianism the country has produced.\"\n\nMr. Ballou says, relative to the doctrine of the Trinity:--\"I had\npreached but a short time before my mind was entirely freed from all the\nperplexities of the doctrine of the Trinity, and the common notion of\natonement. But in making these advances, as I am disposed to call them,\nI had the assistance of no author or writer. As fast as these old\ndoctrines were, by any means, rendered the subject of inquiry in my\nmind, they became exploded. But it would be difficult for me now to\nrecall the particular incidents which suggested queries in my mind\nrespecting them.\"\n\nThe reader will at once be prepared to admit that Mr. Ballou must have\nexpended much time and labor in the research and study of the\nScriptures, necessary to enable him to write and publish these works, in\na cause, and upon a theme, wherein he was a pioneer. He steered his\nbarque into new waters, and was obliged himself to stand ever with the\n\"lead\" in his hand, to ascertain the true soundings, and keep thus in\nthe narrow channel of truth. Concerning this matter, he has said, in an\narticle furnished for a work entitled \"Modern History of\nUniversalism:\"--\n\n\"I never read anything on the doctrine of universal salvation before I\nbelieved it, the Bible excepted; nor did I know, that I can now\nrecollect, that there was anything published in its vindication in the\nworld. Nor had I ever heard a sermon on the subject, except in boyhood I\nonce heard Brother Rich, but concerning that sermon I realized nothing.\"\n\nIn speaking of his advance towards the knowledge of the truth, after his\nconversion, he says, in a published article:--\n\n\"It may be proper for me to state one circumstance which had no small\ntendency to bring me over to the ground on which I have for so many\nyears felt established. It was by reading some deistical writings. By\nthis means I was led to see that it was utterly impossible to maintain\nChristianity as it had been generally believed in the church. This led\nme of course to examine the Scriptures, that I might determine the\nquestion, whether they did really teach that Jesus Christ died to\nreconcile an unchangeable God to his own children. You cannot suppose I\nwas long in finding that, so far from teaching such absurdities, the\nScriptures teach that 'God was in Christ, reconciling the world to\nhimself.' The question concerning the Trinity was by the same means as\nspeedily settled.\"\n\nIt is an interesting and curious fact that he should have been aided, as\nit were, by the darkness of error to find the light of truth. The\nobvious inconsistency in his former belief, made evident by the deist,\ndid not win him to the faith of the latter, but rather led him to\ninvestigate for himself, and to find a religion more congenial with the\nnative promptings of his own heart and the evidences of the Bible. His\nwas an exploring mind; he was not content to receive this faith, or that\nposition, because others believed it, or because it had remained so long\nthe unchallenged and unquestioned creed of the church. He must look into\nthe matter and understand for himself, and make all parts of a doctrine\nto harmonize with each other, before he could reconcile it with his own\nreason and convictions.\n\nThis was a trait of character not alone observable in him as it related\nto the subject of religion; he applied the same rule to the affairs of\nevery-day life, to political economy and business arrangements. He was\nalways open to conviction, to reason and evidence, but could never\nembrace blindly any proposition whatever. Because the political party\nwhich the nearest assimilated to his views of the proper mode of\ngovernment adopted this or that policy, he did not by any means consider\nit his duty to coincide with them, against his sober conviction, and he\nnever did so; on the contrary, as often criticising the measures of one\npolitical party as another, and frequently finding much excellence, and\nprinciples worthy of commendation in the national policy of both. For\nthis reason he could not be a politician, had he experienced an\ninclination that way. He was too honest.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nREMOVES TO PORTSMOUTH, N. H.\n\n\nAfter the expiration of a period of six years from the time of his first\nsettlement in Barnard, Vt., and during which season he enjoyed an\nuninterrupted flow of kindness and good fellowship with the societies of\nhis charge, he accepted the invitation of the society of Portsmouth, N.\nH., to become their pastor, and to devote his whole time to the good of\nthe cause in that place. He had formed within the circle of his\nprofessional labors in Vermont a host of kind and warm-hearted friends,\nand it was a considerable period after the proposition had been made to\nhim, before he could make up his mind to accept it. He did so, at last,\nhowever, influenced by several reasons.\n\nFirst, the large field over which he was obliged to travel, while\nsettled in Barnard, involved not only much physical labor and expense,\nbut also the loss of a large amount of time, that might be devoted to\nmore profitable pursuit. Then the pecuniary emolument offered him at\nPortsmouth was considerably larger than he had yet received, and his now\ngrowing family rendered such a fact to be a necessary consideration. And\nyet, let it not be supposed that there was any mercenary trait in his\ncharacter; such was as foreign to his nature as was deceit, or guile of\nany sort, as the progress of this biography will show. He realized,\nalso, that, while such a change would diminish his physical labors, it\nwould doubtless enlarge the sphere of his usefulness, bringing him in\ncontact with larger audiences and more miscellaneous assemblages than\nusually gathered to listen to his public communications in a less\nthickly settled district.\n\nHe says, in this connection:--\"I have found throughout my life, that\nwhatever place I have long tarried in, I have become greatly attached\nto, and to the people with whom I associated. This was peculiarly the\ncase in Barnard, and among the neighboring societies, with whom I was,\nfor a period of six years, most agreeably, and I trust profitably\nassociated. I long weighed the proposal from my friends in Portsmouth in\nmy mind, before I could consent to break up a connection which had\nafforded me so much real satisfaction. But might I not render myself\nmore useful by accepting this call? Was it not the design of my Master\nto enlarge my sphere of usefulness in his service? These things I\nweighed carefully in my mind, and prayed for counsel and power to enable\nme to judge of my duty aright; until, finally, believing it to be my\nduty, I accepted the call of my brethren in New Hampshire, and\naccordingly removed to Portsmouth.\"\n\nDuly weighing these matters, he deemed it his duty, as he says, to bid\nhis brethren in Vermont farewell, and he removed to Portsmouth in the\nyear 1807, being in the thirty-sixth year of his age. Here he was\ninstalled, Nov. 8, the sermon on the occasion being preached by Rev.\nEdward Turner, then of Salem. Though the pecuniary emolument, before\nreferred to, was somewhat more than he had formerly received, yet it\nrequired an exercise of the utmost frugality and prudence to enable him\nto support his family comfortably. Indeed, this could not be done upon\nhis salary as pastor of the Universalist Society alone, and therefore,\nin addition to his other numerous and arduous duties, he again taught\nschool for a considerable period, while resident in this place, assisted\nby Hosea Ballou, 2d, now Dr. H. Ballou, of Medford. If it be true, as\nLord Bacon has said, that reading makes a _full_ man, conversation a\n_ready_ man, and writing an _exact_ man, then teaching certainly\nembraces the advantages to be derived from all three; and this Mr.\nBallou found to be the case, as he has often said.\n\nWhile resident in Portsmouth, notwithstanding the labors of the week,\nthe necessary preparation for the Sabbath, and the earnest efforts that\nwere required of him upon that sacred day, still he pursued a course of\nreligious investigations into the subject of the holy text, that we are\nat a loss to know when he found time to consummate. It was at this\nperiod that he wrote his \"Candid Review,\" in reply to a work by Rev.\nIsaac Robinson, A. M., upon some important doctrinal points. It is\ncontained in one volume of two hundred pages, and adduces some of the\nstrongest arguments in favor of impartial and universal grace that have\never been published, either by himself or others. This book was\nexceedingly popular at the time of its first appearance, and created not\na little excitement among religious controversialists in New Hampshire,\nand, indeed, throughout the New England States.\n\nHe also wrote, while resident in Portsmouth, a series of letters\naddressed to the Rev. Joseph Buckminster, upon important doctrinal\nsubjects, which was published in one volume. A Controversy with Rev. Mr.\nWalton was written and published here, besides one or two minor works,\nincluding a school catechism, for a long period of years in general use\namong the denomination. In addition to the labor necessary to produce\nthese in connection with his regular professional duties, he was also\nassociate editor of a religious quarterly, entitled the \"Gospel\nVisitant,\" in which, however, he had no further interest than his\neditorial connection. His contributions to this work were copious, and\nmarked by the same profound reasoning capacity and lucid style that have\ncharacterized every work he has produced. It was while engaged in\nediting this publication that he came to the full belief that there was\nno punishment after death, and ever after, he preached the doctrine of\nuniversal salvation in this spirit, and labored strenuously in its\ndefence and support.\n\nRelative to this subject Mr. Ballou has written:--\"I cannot say that I\nwas fully satisfied that the Bible taught no punishment after death,\nuntil I obtained this satisfaction by attending to the subject with Bro.\nEdward Turner, respecting the doctrine of the Scriptures upon this\nquestion. We agreed to do the best we could, he in favor of future\npunishment, and I on the contrary. Our investigations were published in\na periodical called the 'Gospel Visitant.' While attending to this\ncorrespondence, I became entirely satisfied that the Scriptures begin\nand end the history of sin in flesh and blood, and that beyond this\nmortal existence the Bible teaches us no other sentient state but that\nwhich is called by the blessed name of life and immortality.\"\n\nIn another article relative to the same subject he says:--\"The doctrine\nof punishment after death has, by many able writers, been contended for;\nsome of whom have argued such punishment to be endless, and others\nlimited. But it appears to me that they have taken wrong ground who have\nendeavored to support the latter, as well as those who have labored to\nprove the former. They have both put great dependence upon certain\nfigurative and parabolical expressions, or passages of Scripture, which\nthey _explain_ so as to cause them to allude to such an event. It\nappears to me that they have not sufficiently attended to the nature of\nsin, so as to learn its punishment to be produced from a law of\n_necessity_, and not a law of _penalty_. Had they seen this, they would\nalso have seen that a perpetuity of punishment must be connected with\nan equal continuance of sin, on the same principle that an effect is\ndependent upon its cause.\"\n\nThis brief paragraph will show the reader how Mr. Ballou was accustomed\nto argue upon this subject, of such vital importance to all, and which\nis a question still in the minds of many of our Universalist brethren,\nboth ministry and laity.\n\nAt the expiration of six years from the date of his settlement in\nPortsmouth, and during which time his association with the people of his\ncharge, and others in that place, had been not only of the most pleasant\nand agreeable character, but also highly profitable as it regarded their\nmutual spiritual advancement, up to the period of the war with Great\nBritain, he made his arrangements to leave Portsmouth, having received\nan invitation from the Universalist Society in Salem, Mass., to settle\nin that town, and to devote his professional services to their especial\ngood. Mr. Ballou says of his connection with the society in\nPortsmouth:--\n\n\"My connection with the people of Portsmouth was very cordial and happy,\nuntil that gloomy war-cloud which brought on a conflict with England\ncame over the land. The anti-war party was numerous, and very\ninfluential; and, as I could not consent that my country was in the\nwrong, a bitter spirit became manifested towards me, which so operated\ntowards the close of the war, that I became satisfied it was my duty to\nstay in that place no longer; and as the society in Salem was without a\npastor, I received an invitation, which I accepted, to remove to that\ndelightful place.\"\n\nThis was by no means a solitary instance or evidence of the warm\npatriotic fire that ever burned brightly in his bosom. He was ardently\nattached to the republican principles of our government, and never\nfailed, on every suitable occasion, to evince the most earnest\nattachment for his country. Though a constant and untiring student of\ndivinity, yet he was by no means a novice in political economy; the\nbasis of our institutions, and their true spirit as set forth by the\nconstitution, the influences and natural results of our style of\ngovernment, and the political soundness of the nation, were themes on\nwhich he was more than well informed, but yet he always carefully\navoided mingling in party politics.\n\nHe removed to Salem in the month of June, 1815, where he found many\ncordial and true friends, whose memory and companionship he cherished to\nthe close of life. While resident here he wrote a pamphlet in reply to\none by John Kelley, A. M., entitled \"Solemn and Important Reasons\nagainst becoming a Universalist.\" This review was comprised in a\npamphlet of eighty pages, and is a strong and powerful argument in favor\nof the principles which the author believed, and which he advocated with\nsuch successful zeal. These minor publications of Mr. Ballou's, when now\nreferred to, convey but a faint idea of the interest which they then\nproduced. Their extended and immediate influence was evident. Vast\nnumbers were sold; some zealous people, rejoicing at the joy\nunspeakable to which they had themselves attained through the author's\nwritings and public communications from the pulpit, purchased them by\nwholesale, and distributed them gratis, far and near. His hearers, too,\nlargely increased in numbers, and he was rewarded for his labors by\nwitnessing the rich harvest that he was reaping in his Master's\nvineyard, and the number of souls he was leading in the paths of truth.\n\nWhile resident in Salem, he also wrote a series of letters in reply to a\nseries addressed to him by Abner Kneeland, inquiring into the\nauthenticity of the Scriptures. The book formed of the letters referred\nto makes a volume of two hundred and fifty pages. The first edition was\npublished in Salem, in 1816, the second in Boston, in 1820. The origin\nof these letters, which created no small degree of attention, at that\nperiod especially, was as follows: Rev. Mr. Kneeland having at various\ntimes expressed serious doubts and fears relative to the genuineness of\nthe holy Scriptures, and the system of Divine revelation therein\ncontained, solicited Mr. Ballou to enter into a correspondence with him\nupon the subject, in which Mr. Kneeland agreed to do his utmost to\ndisprove the truth and authenticity of the Bible, while Mr. Ballou\nshould take the opposite ground, and as strenuously defend it.\n\nIt was thought that this mode of discussion would be of mutual benefit\nto them, and at the time of its commencement was designed solely for\ntheir private use. But they were finally published, at the solicitation\nof friends, and with the hope that they might be productive of more\nextended good. These letters, which are somewhat lengthy, and indeed\nnecessarily so on the part of Mr. Ballou, who assumed the laboring oar,\nwere always written, as he has told us, at a single sitting. They are\nhighly valuable, and were more particularly so at that period, as\nforming a powerful chain of evidence in favor of Christianity, and are\ncharacterized, on Mr. Ballou's part, by a vigorous accuracy and earnest\ndesire after truth, which prepossesses the reader in their favor.\n\nMr. Ballou knew very well the misgivings as to the truth of the Divine\nrevelations by which Mr. Kneeland's mind was exercised, and,\nnotwithstanding other pressing duties and regular engagements, he\nconsented to a discussion which must needs cost him many hours of study\nand labor, hoping thereby to lead one soul, at least, to a full and\nclear belief in the gospel of Christ. These letters reached the number\nof ten on either side before the correspondence was brought to a close,\nwhen Mr. Kneeland was compelled by the force of evidence frankly to\nacknowledge his entire satisfaction and conversion; and having found\nsuch joy in believing, such relief at being released from the iron\nthraldom of doubt and fear, he was exceedingly anxious to publish the\nentire series of letters.\n\nIt should be remembered that at the present day, when we have so many\nexcellent books to consult, and can avail ourselves of the experience\nand research of so many able minds,--men who have fought the good fight\nof faith,--it is a very easy matter to sit down and defend the gospel\nagainst the arguments of the sceptic, the ground being already\nthoroughly canvassed for us pro and con, and weapons keen and bright\nplaced in our very hands. But Mr. Ballou enjoyed none of these\nadvantages; his tools were wrought from the native ore, and skilled\nafter the fashion of his own mind. Every line he wrote, every opinion he\nadvanced, was the result of deep and careful study, without the\nassistance of any other book save the Bible itself.\n\n\"As 1815 was the year after the war closed,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"all kinds\nof provisions were extremely dear, and my salary was so poorly paid,\nthat I could not get money enough from my friends to meet my expenses;\nand during the two years and four months I tarried here, I was compelled\nto spend about three hundred dollars more than I received, of money\nwhich I had by me when I came to Salem.\"\n\nWhile resident in Salem, he applied himself with unremitting industry\nand diligence to his studies, devoting his time wholly to writing upon\nthe subject of his faith, and the exercise of his professional duties as\na minister. His labors here were particularly blessed with success, and\nthe converts to his church were many. The Salem society under his charge\nvastly increased in influence and numbers, and Mr. Ballou had reason to\nrejoice at the very evident success of his labors with this people. When\nhe first came to Salem, his doctrine, even by professed Universalists,\nwas thought to be too radical, too universal, in short _too good_; but\nere he left them, they had fallen almost unconsciously into his mode of\nbelief, gradually, step by step, though the passage had been so easy\nthat they had not realized the change until they found themselves\nalready convinced.\n\nIt was not his practice to assail the unbeliever at once with blunt,\nopen refutation of his principles, nor to stagger him by an array of\nunanswerable arguments, but realizing that a casual analogy often\nconvinceth when the mind will not bear argument, he adopted an easy and\nsoothing course of reasoning, and thus gradually and easily sought his\nobject. Thus was many an otherwise hopeless spirit turned from the\ndarkness of error to the light of truth. Endeared to all his\nacquaintances by his unostentatious character, and by his mild, patient,\nand prudent habits, the separation from his society in Salem was\nmutually a hard task.\n\nAs soon as it was understood that Mr. Ballou had been talked of as\npastor of the Second Universalist Society in Boston, Rev. Paul Dean, of\nrespectable and influential standing in the order, and settled in\nBoston, strove by every manner of means to defeat this purpose. He\nfeared the bold, unflinching, and manly style of preaching, for which\nMr. Ballou had already become widely celebrated. Himself a man who\navoided all sectional controversy in his preaching, he foresaw that the\nadvent of Mr. Ballou in Boston would compel him to come out openly and\nacknowledge either that he was a Universalist or that he was not. He was\nnot willing to risk his popularity in the matter, and therefore strove,\nby letters and orally, to dissuade Mr. Ballou from coming to Boston,\nand finally he declared to him that if he came hither he should consider\nit a breach of fellowship, and should ever after treat him accordingly.\n\nMr. Ballou was not one to be intimidated by threats; personal fear was a\nquality that he never realized. He came to Boston, and the sequel shows\na result that is perfectly satisfactory to his friends. Mr. Dean was not\nprepared to make any great sacrifice for the sake of truth; it was not\nat that time popular for him to preach downright Universalism. The\nopinions of most men are governed by circumstances, quite as much as by\ntruthful evidence; but Mr. Ballou, with a single eye to truth, never\ncatered for the popular taste, never asked whether the promulgation of\nthis or that great principle of truth would be acceptable and popular;\nhe had no such policy in his composition, but dealt only in wholesome\ntruths, and such as his own heart had baptized in the clear, welling\nwaters of conviction.\n\nThe editor of the _Christian Freeman_, Rev. Sylvanus Cobb, not long\nsince published an account of his first interview with Mr. Ballou, which\nwe subjoin in this connection, as being applicable in placing the\nsubject of the controversy, which is well known to have existed, between\nMr. Ballou and Mr. Dean, in a proper light. In speaking of his first\nvisit to the city of Boston, from his home in Maine, the writer says:--\n\n\"At this time the scheme was in vogue with a few brethren, among whom\nBrs. Turner and Dean were conspicuous, for a division of the\ndenomination, and the erection of a new order, which it was calculated\nwould be the leading order, nearly swallowing up the other, to be\nentitled 'Restorationists.' We impute no evil motive to any one; but\nthose on whom we called before reaching Bro. Ballou, felt it to be their\nprivilege to make the projected scheme the chief subject of\nconversation, and to express much of the feeling of dissatisfaction\ntowards Bro. Ballou. We were made to feel quite unhappy; and as we had\nheard of Bro. Ballou as a stern and severe man, we expected to be even\nmore harassed with a talk of 'troubles and difficulties' when in company\nwith him. At length we were introduced to his presence, and took his\nfriendly hand. He sat down by us, and with much interest and affection\nhe inquired into our labors and prospects, and into the interests of the\ncause in Maine. We waited to hear him introduce the subject of the\n'difficulties' but we waited in vain. At length we attempted to draw him\nout, by asking him of the nature of the 'difficulties' among the\nbrethren here. 'I am ignorant,' said he, 'of any real difficulties.\nCertain brethren are believers in a limited future punishment; but I\ncannot see that that is any occasion for difficulty. Certainly I know of\nno reason why I should have any trouble with these brethren, or esteem\nthem any the less for their seeing cause to believe as they do. But if\nthey require me to believe it as essential to the Christian faith, I\nfeel that it is proper for me to call on them for the proof of the\ndoctrine. We cannot see with each other's eyes; we must be willing to\nallow each other to judge for himself. I love those brethren, and wish\nthem prosperity and happiness.' And tears started from his eyes when he\nspoke. We felt that he spoke from the heart. There was no envy, no\nscheming, no party spirit about him. He sought a knowledge of God's\nword, and would 'speak God's word faithfully,' and accord the same right\nto others.\n\n\"And such we have ever found him. We have lived in neighborhood with him\ntwenty-four years, and have found him one of the most modest,\nunassuming, liberal-minded and true-hearted men we ever knew. He was\nalways pained to see one crowding upon another. He would see all working\nand prospering, and rejoicing in each other's prosperity and happiness.\nMay his spirit be with us all.\"\n\nWe might dilate upon the subject of this controversy, but it is not a\ncongenial theme. Suffice it to say, then, that the shafts of envy and\nambition launched forth against Mr. Ballou, were as innocent and\nharmless, as it regarded him, as the summer winds. It is true that they\ncaused him anxiety of mind, and not a little annoyance, in disproving\nthe malignant charges brought against him; but, in the end, these tests\nonly caused his purity of character to shine out with more surpassing\nbrilliancy.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nSETTLES IN BOSTON.\n\n\nAfter a peaceful and happy residence in Salem, of a little more than two\nyears, Mr. Ballou received a cordial invitation from the Second\nUniversalist Society of Boston to become their pastor. The invitation\nwas accepted; and, in the forty-fifth year of his age, he removed to\nthis city, and was installed December 15, 1817, in the church which was\nbuilt with the avowed purpose of obtaining his ministerial services; and\nhere he continued to preach to the people for over thirty-five years.\nHis letter of acceptance, addressed to the society, is as follows:--\n\n     \"SIR: The call of the Second Universalist Society, in Boston,\n     inviting me to the labors of the Christian ministry with them,\n     together with the liberal terms which accompany said invitation,\n     have been duly considered; and, after weighing all the\n     circumstances relative to the subject, so far as my limited mind\n     could comprehend them, I have come to the conclusion that it is my\n     duty to accept their call on the conditions therein stated. I\n     largely participate in the 'peculiar pleasure' afforded by the\n     consideration of the unanimity of the society, and entertain an\n     humble hope that, with the continuance of this harmony, we may long\n     continue to enjoy all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.\n\n     \"The society's most humble servant in Christ,\n             \"HOSEA BALLOU.\"\n\n     \"To JOHN BRAZER, Esq.\"\n\nRev. Thomas Whittemore, a devoted, constant, and consistent friend of\nMr. Ballou, and who was also regarded by the subject of these memoirs\nalmost like one of his own family, thus speaks of this period:--\"This\nsociety had just finished their house, the present venerable structure,\non School-street. They never for a moment had a thought of seeking any\nother pastor than the Rev. Hosea Ballou, if it were possible to obtain\nhis services; and, accordingly, two months before the house was ready\nfor dedication, a letter of inquiry was dispatched to him, to draw out\nhis sentiments in regard to a removal to Boston. In the mean time the\nhouse was hurried on to completion. Rev. Messrs. Jones, of Gloucester,\nTurner, of Charlestown, Ballou, of Salem, and Dean, of Boston, were\ninvited to join in the dedicatory services; Father Jones being invited\nto preach the sermon, and the others to arrange the remaining services\nat their discretion. The dedication took place on Wednesday, October 16.\nMr. Ballou was not present, as he was at the time in the country. On\nthe following Tuesday a meeting of the proprietors was holden, and Mr.\nBallou was invited to take the pastoral charge by a _unanimous_ vote.\nThe salary was fixed, at first, at thirteen hundred dollars per annum,\nto which donations of fuel were occasionally made. He was installed on\nDecember 25, 1817. Rev. Paul Dean preached, on the occasion, from Acts\n20: 24. He also gave the fellowship of the churches. Rev. E. Turner, of\nCharlestown, made the installing prayer, and gave the charge. Rev.\nJoshua Flagg, who had succeeded Mr. Ballou at Salem, offered the\nconcluding prayer.\n\n\"Thus was Mr. Ballou duly installed as pastor. The congregations that\nattended on his ministry were exceedingly large. He soon became widely\nknown for his eloquence and boldness, and the novel nature of the\nsubjects discussed by him. His preaching was of a controversial and\ndoctrinal character. He explained, in his discourses, those texts which\nhad been supposed to teach the doctrine of a judgment in the future\nstate, and endless torment. He was repeatedly called on, by letter, from\ninquirers after truth, to preach from particular texts of this\ncharacter; and, as he gave public notice of the time when he would\nexplain such passages, his audiences were immensely large. It was usual,\nfrom Sabbath to Sabbath, to see the meeting-house filled, in the\nforenoon, so that it was difficult to obtain a seat. In the afternoon,\nmany would be obliged to stand, especially in the galleries, and around\nthe head of the stairs; and in the evening the aisles would be crowded,\nabove and below.\n\n\"For the last six or eight years preceding the rise of the Second\nUniversalist Society, Universalism had produced little or no excitement\nin Boston. The First Society remained stationary. Mr. Dean, its pastor,\npreached little on those subjects on which he differed from other sects.\nIn the vicinity of Boston there was no movement in favor of\nUniversalism. There were scarcely ten Universalist pastors in\nMassachusetts. The cause was evidently languid. The rise of the Second\nUniversalist Society in Boston, and the removal of Mr. Ballou thither,\nproduced a new state of things. There arose a commotion among the\nelements; but the effect was to purify the atmosphere, and give men a\nclearer and more extended vision. New societies, holding Mr. Ballou's\nsentiments, soon began to arise around Boston.\"\n\nOn settling in Boston, he at once found a host of true and solicitous\nfriends, whose interest in his ministry, respect for his character, and\nattention to his general welfare, enlisted in their behalf his warmest\nfeelings of regard; sentiments which were ever cherished by him to the\nlast, and frequently recurred to at his own fireside, and in the quiet\nof his family circle. Exercised by a realizing sense of this fact, the\nmore keenly when he remembers that his father can give oral form to\nthese feelings no longer, the author of this humble biography has at\nits commencement dedicated it to the subject's cherished friends.\n\nWe have thus given a memoir of Mr. Ballou's life up to the period of his\nsettlement in Boston, where he was destined to operate upon a more\nextended field of action,--where his mental and physical powers,\nthoroughly trained and tested as they had been, were to be taxed more\nheavily still; and where he was destined to build for himself a name\nthat will live in the grateful memory of future generations, and to\nerect for himself a monument that points further heavenward than eastern\npyramids,--the savor of a truly Christian life.\n\nImmediately on his becoming settled in Boston, in addition to the duties\nof his pastoral charge, and that of writing for two or three religious\nperiodicals, Mr. Ballou was obliged to answer the frequent demands that\npoured in upon him, from every quarter, to lecture and to preach in the\nnumerous towns within ten, twenty, and often fifty miles of the city, at\na time when the means of communication were, at best, but very\nindifferent,--rendering it necessary for him to drive his own vehicle,\nin order to reach the desired point without loss of time. So frequent\nand urgent were these demands for his services, in towns and villages of\nNew England, that week-days, as well as Sundays, were occupied in\nholding forth to the people, who came from far and near to hear him. Not\nunfrequently were several consecutive days thus employed; portions of\nthe night even being improved in travelling between the several places\nwhen at a great distance apart, and sleep, or rest of any sort, being\nbut sparingly indulged in. But so zealous was he in the glorious cause\nthat filled his whole soul,--so thoughtless of self, and so wedded to\nhis Master's business,--that his own labors seemed to him as nothing;\nand neither his energies nor his spirits were wearied for a single\nmoment. The bow of his mind and body both seemed ever strung and bent,\nyet never to lose their elasticity. The amount of actual physical labor\nwhich he thus performed can hardly be estimated; but certain it is that\nhe must have been almost miraculously sustained, to have endured so much\nfatigue without most serious injury.\n\n\"Soon after coming to Boston,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"opposition to my\nUnitarian views, and to the way in which I explained many important\npassages of Scripture, put on a serious aspect. Most of this opposition\nwas exercised by professed Universalist preachers. There was much\nhypocrisy and low cunning set to work in order to check my success; but,\nthough this was a source of much grief to my heart, it was the means of\ncalling into action all my resources, which I found it necessary to put\nin requisition for the defence of the truth. All this resulted in good.\nMy editorial duties, my necessarily long sermons three times on every\nSabbath, giving evening lectures at home and in the neighboring towns,\ntried to the utmost my physical powers of endurance. With all these\nengagements, I was writing and publishing the two volumes of my Lecture\nSermons, and my Select Sermons, which proved too much for my strength,\nand I brought on a weakness in my left side that has affected me for\nyears.\"\n\nThe weakness here referred to was doubtless caused by sitting for hours\ntogether at his writing-table in his study, with only such brief\nintervals as were necessarily consumed in taking his frugal meals. At\nsuch times he partook very sparingly of any kind of nourishment,\ndeclaring, when solicited on this point, that his brain was clearer, his\nmind more vigorous, when he ate but little, than when he allowed himself\nfully to satisfy his appetite. During the hours devoted to writing he\nwas never disturbed; his children never for one moment forgot that he\nwas thus engaged; and though they might pass through his apartment,\nstill it was with a careful step and noiseless way, that showed their\nconstant consideration for one whom they so much venerated. When he was\nthus engaged, for the last thirty years, having become relieved of the\nimmediate domestic cares of her family, his wife always sat with him,\nsewing, knitting, or reading, but never interrupting him. Thus they\ngrew, year by year, when he was in the house, more and more inseparable,\nand the tender regard of each seemed to increase for the other as year\nafter year whitened their venerable locks.\n\nConcerning the period of his early settlement in Boston, Rev. Sylvanus\nCobb says:--\"When Mr. Ballou entered upon his labors here, benignantly\nwarring upon the hurtful errors which enslaved and paralyzed the common\nmind, and elucidating those prominent gospel truths which are the bread\nof life to the soul, there was an extensive movement of mind in the\ncity, and in the region round about, far and near. When the Twenty-six\nLectures, published by Henry Bowen, were in the process of delivery, the\nchurch was usually filled an hour before the set time of beginning, and\nmultitudes would be going away who could not find entrance. He had done\nmuch before this, by his ministry in other places, and the publication\nof his Notes on the Parables, Treatise on Atonement, and controversy\nwith Robinson, to advance the cause of truth; but he was now\nprovidentially placed at a commanding stand-point, a central position,\nthe commercial emporium of New England, whence his influence went out\nthrough all the land. Business men, from different parts, who had\noccasion to be in Boston over the Sabbath, would go in at School-street\nchurch, become convinced by the able expounder's arguments, go home,\ntaking with them some of his publications, and commence a work in their\nrespective neighborhoods, which, in many cases, resulted in the\nformation of societies.\"\n\nAs a sample of the spirit he was forced to encounter, and the animosity\nfelt against Universalists generally, and their teachings, by the clergy\nof other persuasions, we relate the following anecdote. Being in the\ntown of Mattapoisett, Mass., during one of his short journeys into the\nneighboring country to fulfil professional engagements, Mr. Ballou found\nthat he must stop there for the night. It was soon known in the village\nthat he was to remain for this period, and he was at once waited upon\nby a committee chosen for the purpose, and informed that the town's\npeople were exceedingly anxious to hear him preach, and that permission\nhad been obtained for him to hold forth in the Orthodox meeting-house,\nif agreeable to himself. Mr. Ballou cheerfully consented to their\nwishes, and the people were notified accordingly. It is proper to state,\nthat several among those who invited Mr. Ballou to preach here, were\nthemselves large share-holders in the meeting-house, and in two\ninstances members of the church. Notwithstanding all this, when Mr.\nBallou came to the meeting-house, not anticipating the least opposition\nto his purpose, he was met at the door by the Orthodox clergyman then\nofficiating here, and who positively forbade his entrance. In vain did\nMr. Ballou attempt calmly to reason with him; still the excited pastor\ninsisted most vociferously that he should not enter, although fully\ninformed of all the circumstances. Nor would he yield until at length he\nwas absolutely dragged away forcibly by his own friends.\n\nErasmus, the reformer of the fifteenth century, \"who stemmed the wild\ntorrent of a barbarous age,\" was not more strongly opposed by the\nbigoted Catholics of his day, who charged him with having \"laid the egg\nthat Luther hatched,\" than was Hosea Ballou by the partialists of his\ntimes. Particularly was this the case during the early and middle period\nof his public labors. The reformation begun by Luther has been well\ntermed \"an insurrection of the human mind against the absolute power of\nspiritual order.\" Its earliest fruit was the vigorous but narrow belief\nof Puritanism; then followed the more liberal creeds of the subsequent\nperiod; but it seemed to be left for Mr. Ballou to strike out and\nillustrate the doctrine of perfect freedom through Christ, of entire\nimpartiality and free grace, which the doctrine of universal salvation\ninculcates.\n\nRelative to the bigotry and unreasonable spirit often evinced towards\nthe subject of this biography, and the cause he advocated, we are\nreminded in this connection of another anecdote, which is authentic, and\nwhich the subject of these memoirs related to his family.\n\nNot long after Mr. Ballou's settlement in Boston, he received a pressing\ninvitation to visit the island of Nantucket. The inconvenience of\ncommunication between the island and the main land was considerable, but\nhe consented, and passed some ten days there, preaching every successive\nday and evening to large and interested audiences, creating a very\nearnest movement in the matter of religion. On his return, arriving at\nNew Bedford, he took the stage coach for Boston, and in it found but one\nother person. Scarcely had the journey commenced, when his\nfellow-passenger opened the conversation by saying,--\n\n\"You are just from the island, I suppose?\"\n\n\"Yes, sir,\" was the reply.\n\n\"Well, they say old Ballou is over there, preaching his heresy. Did you\nsee him?\"\n\n\"Yes, I saw him,\" was the calm reply.\n\n\"Well, he's a rough old fellow. I don't like him.\"\n\n\"Why not?\" asked Mr. Ballou.\n\n\"Because he preaches that all men will be saved and go to heaven in\ntheir sins, and no man in his senses can believe that.\"\n\n\"But, sir, did you ever hear him preach?\"\n\n\"No; I hope not,\" said the man.\n\n\"Then you may be misinformed as to what he does preach,\" said Mr.\nBallou, mildly. \"Now I think he would say, if he were here, that he did\nnot believe nor preach as you have represented.\"\n\n\"But what does he believe, then?\" said the stranger, somewhat earnestly.\n\n\"I think he would say that sinners are to be saved _from_ their sins,\nnot _in_ their sins. Christ came to save the world from sin, not in sin;\nand furthermore we are told in the Scriptures that 'he that is dead is\nfree from sin,' and he that is freed from sin must surely be holy, and\nconsequently happy.\"\n\n\"Sir, if I may be so bold,\" said the stranger, after looking for a\nmoment somewhat critically, \"where do you live when at home?\"\n\n\"I live in Boston, sir.\"\n\n\"Whose church do you attend?\"\n\n\"Mr. Ballou's church, sir.\"\n\n\"What is your name?\"\n\n\"My name is Ballou,\" he replied, pleasantly.\n\nThe man was of course confounded. He stammered forth some excuse; but\nthough he listened to Mr. Ballou's kindly-meant remarks with the utmost\nattention, yet he was evidently very ill at ease, and, watching his\nopportunity, left the stage at the next stopping-place.\n\nBy careful study, aided by his natural quickness of conception and\nvigorous powers of mind, he had, without other assistance than that of\nbooks, acquired a practical knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew languages,\nwhich greatly assisted him in his profession, by enabling him to\ntranslate the most important passages from the original Scriptures, and\nthus to throw light upon many points that had heretofore been in some\ndegree shrouded in mystery, by the one-sided and partial translation\ngiven in our own version of the Bible. At the present day it is well\nknown that our common translation of the Scriptures is deficient in\nseveral instances, and this too at the most important and most critical\npassages. This being the case, Mr. Ballou found the power of translating\nfor himself to be of the utmost importance as an aid to repel false\nargument, as well as being a matter of much personal satisfaction and\nenjoyment.\n\n\"At different times, and for several years,\" says Mr. Ballou, in\nreference to this subject, \"I have attempted to solve peculiar passages\nof Scripture, which were so difficult to understand as to lead me to\nquestion the correctness of their reading from the original. In order to\ndo this, I have studied Greek, and have had some aid from Greek scholars\nand Greek lexicons, and have consulted various commentators; possessed\nmyself of the Septuagint, or Greek Testament, and other Greek works.\nWith all these helps and efforts, I have been enabled to satisfy myself\nrelative to any particular passage. I have found but little benefit from\nthese means in regard to the Old Testament; in respect to the New, I\nhave often been assisted, and found that my little knowledge of Greek\nhas been more useful. For similar ends and purposes I obtained a Hebrew\nBible, lexicon, grammar, etc.; but, though I have bestowed not a little\nlabor on the Hebrew, my other avocations and cares have prevented any\ngreat degree of proficiency, though I have experienced much aid and\nassistance in elucidating many points. I might say about as much of my\nLatin Bible, lexicon, grammar, and reader. I have made some considerable\nuse of all these books, and have given many of my leisure hours to the\nHebrew, Greek and Latin languages, but I profess to know so little of\nthem that it is hardly worth naming; though I must acknowledge I have\nfound them of considerable use when some arrogant disputant should think\nto silence me by an appeal to the original. But it is a fact that I have\nnever met with many college-learned ministers who appeared to have\nretained much of their Greek, if indeed they ever had much. I think it\nwould require no little study and observation to determine the question,\nwhich amounts to the most, the benefit which the public gain by the\nextra learning of their clergy, or the imposition they suffer by\nestimating that learning above its value.\"\n\nThis last reference should not be misconstrued by the reader, as\nconveying the idea that the subject of this biography was opposed in\nany way to education, or educational movements. Those who knew him best\nwill bear ready testimony to the contrary. Indeed, his own struggles in\nobtaining knowledge had given him a just estimate of the true value of\nsuch conveniences as should facilitate the dissemination of intelligence\nfar and wide. \"When I look about me,\" he says, \"and contrast the great\nimprovements in the means for gaining knowledge,--when I behold the\nyouth of to-day and remember the youth of my own boyhood,--I am struck\nwith the contrast that facts present relative to education. I am also\nrendered thankful to a Divine Providence, which has been pleased to\nadvance the improvement in mental culture and the facilities for\nlearning, in an equal degree with the surprising advancements which have\nbeen accomplished in the arts and sciences. Few are so poor or lowly now\nthat they may not enjoy the advantages of schools and able teachers, and\nI may add that few there are who do not avail themselves of the rich\nopportunity which is offered them for storing their minds with\nknowledge, and thus preparing themselves for useful members of society.\nHalf a century since, the case was very different; schools were little\nthought of among the poor, and children in the country could seldom be\nspared from home to attend those that were occasionally opened. Yet I am\nsatisfied that the advantages which were offered at that time were even\nmore assiduously improved than they are at this period. This, however,\nwas but natural, under the circumstances.\" No man put a higher estimate\nupon knowledge than he did, but it was useful, practical knowledge that\nhe valued. He had no respect for mere titles and college honors. He had\nseen the eclat of a college diploma go further with many simple people\nthan a sound argument or the possession of sterling wisdom would have\ndone, and it is not surprising that the observation of such weakness\nshould have led him to speak out, as we have seen him do in this\nconnection. He may have felt the remark, too, which his opponents\nsometimes sneeringly made of him, that he never enjoyed a classical or\ncollegiate education.\n\nWe have a few words to say relative to this reflection. Now, we solemnly\nbelieve, and are prepared to argue, that a collegiate education would\nhave materially detracted from his _usefulness_. A scholastic or classic\ncourse of study seems to unfit men in a great degree for active life.\nThe practical too often becomes merged in the ideal, and the mind grows\neffeminate. A theoretical knowledge of human nature is imbibed, and we\nare led to contemplate our fellow-men through a false medium; for\nessayists write of men as they should be, but rarely as they are. Mr.\nBallou was acknowledged by all who knew him, to possess a remarkable\ndegree of knowledge concerning human nature, but it was gathered from\nmen, not books, from experience,--Time's free school,--not from theory.\nNo other kind of knowledge would have fitted him for the peculiar path\nhe was born to pursue. A pioneer should be what he was; a follower, the\nroads once cleared, and the track made smooth, might, perhaps, without\ndanger, be less practical and more imaginative. Education, to be truly\nuseful, should be unequalled in its ability to instruct us in the things\nabout us, and to strengthen us for the duties that lie in our path of\nlife. The true being, end, and aim of all study should be, \"to improve\nmen in the best reason of living,\" while any learning that aims above\nthe practical interests of life is comparatively unimportant. Even in\nthe ministry,\n\n    \"Church ladders are not always mounted best\n    By learned clerks and Latinists professed.\"\n\n\"That learning which makes us acquainted with ourselves,\" says Mr.\nBallou, \"with the powers and faculties of the human mind, with divine\ntruth, which is plainly revealed, with its power on the mind and heart,\nwith the concatenations of cause and effect, and to understand our\nevery-day duty, which grows out of our wants and the wants of those\nabout us, is learning of a better quality than that which only enables\nus to call things by different names, without giving us a knowledge of\ntheir natural qualities either for good or evil.\"\n\nThe main characteristic of Mr. Ballou's habit of mind was that of\nlooking at all things in a practical point of view. The importance and\nreal value he attached to things were deduced from his estimate of their\n_use_. He regarded life as made up of constantly recurring duties, and\nhis appreciation of principles, of religion or philosophy, was carefully\nregulated by this standard, as to the application they bore to every-day\nmatters.\n\nThe great end of all acquirements should be the ability to discharge\nmore effectually our duties as men and citizens. \"He who is not a better\nneighbor, brother, friend, and citizen,\" says an eminent writer,\n\"because of his superior knowledge, may very well doubt whether his\nknowledge is really superior to the ignorance of the unlettered many\naround him.\" Or, to state this great truth more in brief, a man knows no\nmore to any purpose than he practises.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nCOMMENCES THE UNIVERSALIST MAGAZINE.\n\n\nOn the third of July, 1819, Mr. Ballou commenced the publication of the\nUniversalist Magazine, in connection with a practical printer,--Mr.\nHenry Bowen. As usual in every enterprise wherein he embarked, he\nentered into the purpose and plan of the paper with all his heart, its\navowed object being the more extended dissemination of the gospel of\ntruth, and the elucidation of Christ and his mission on earth. It will\nbe observed that in whatever new position we find the subject of these\nmemoirs, it is secondary to, or rather in furtherance of, his Master's\nbusiness; he could have entered into no other pursuit, could have been\ncontented and happy in no other occupation. It was meat and drink to\nhim, it was the very breath he drew, and the only great object and\npurpose of his life-long career.\n\nThe object of the Magazine, as stated in the editor's salutatory\narticle, was to discuss the principles of doctrine, religion, and\nmorality, and all articles calculated to promote improvement in these\nessential matters would be freely admitted into its columns. \"The\nUniversalist Magazine invites the sentiments of different\ndenominations,\" says the editor, \"to evince themselves to the best\nadvantage, clothed in their most simple light, and shining in their\npurest lustre, that the mind of the reader may be able to know where to\nbestow a justifiable preference.\" Those persons laboring in their minds\nunder difficulties and doubts concerning any passage of Scripture, were\nurged to communicate the same to the Magazine, where they would be\npublicly answered, and thus many might reap the advantage of the queries\nand the answer. \"All articles calculated to elevate the mind to the\ncontemplation of divine things, to reduce haughtiness, to humble pride,\nto exalt the Divine Being, to endear the Saviour, to cultivate piety, to\nadmonish, to warn, or to justly rebuke, to administer comfort and\nconsolation, will be gratefully received, and as speedily as convenient\ncommunicated to the public.\" These were the main objects, and this the\nplan of the paper, and to which the editor strictly adhered. Some of the\nstrongest arguments in favor of universal salvation, which ever emanated\nfrom the pen of Mr. Ballou, were first printed in this paper, and the\ninfluence it exerted was too evident not to challenge the attention of\nboth friends and foes at that period.\n\nThe Universalist Magazine was destined to attain to the most extended\npopularity, and proved to be of eminent service to the cause which was\nso ably treated upon in its columns, each number for a series of years\ncontaining an essay upon some important passage of the holy text, with\nthe original construction as put upon it by Mr. Ballou, besides the\nelaborate reviewal of numerous discourses and articles which appeared in\nother religious magazines, opposed to Universalism. The paper was issued\nweekly, and drew very largely upon his time and pen. In his editorial\ncapacity, even as early as this period, when a systematic effort in the\ncause of temperance had scarcely been thought of, and the subject was\nseldom if ever referred to in public, we find some forcible articles\nfrom him upon this subject.\n\nThis spirit was strictly in accordance with his private life and habits.\nLiving at a period when it was universally customary to offer a guest or\ncaller a glass of wine, let him come at what hour of the day he might,\nand when the decanters and glasses always stood invitingly upon the\nside-board, yet he never used ardent spirit as a beverage, never partook\nof it at all, even in after years, when perhaps a partial stimulant\nmight have been of physical benefit to him, because of a fixed principle\nin his own mind concerning its pernicious effects. But, as we have\nbefore intimated, this temperate habit was by no means confined to\nardent spirit alone; the same abstemiousness characterized his daily\nmeal. He partook only of the simplest food, and of that sparingly. This\nexcellent habit grew to be a second nature to him, and in all places and\nunder all circumstances was always exercised.\n\nIn connection with essays, leading articles, reviews and sermons, which\nhe furnished for the Magazine, he also contributed many fugitive poems\nto fill the poet's corner. It should be remembered that they were\ngenerally written at a few moments' warning in his sanctum, and in\nanswer to the printer's call. All of them are, however, indicative and\ncharacteristic of the spirit and state of mind which possessed his\nheart. The following piece, taken at random, is a sample.\n\n                 IMMORTALITY.\n\n    \"That orient beam which cheers the morn,\n      And drives the murky gloom away,\n    Through trackless ether swiftly borne,\n      To welcome in the infant day,\n    Reminds me of the heavenly light,\n      Whose rays, dispersing error's gloom,\n    Open to man a glory bright,\n      In a fair world beyond the tomb.\n\n    Those varying scenes of beauty fair,\n      Which welcome in the youthful spring;\n    The blooming fields, the fragrant air,\n      The leafy groves and birds that sing,\n    Remind me of that promised day,\n      When from the dead mankind shall rise,\n    As pure as light, and wing their way\n      To spring eternal in the skies.\"\n\nFor some years Mr. Ballou continued as sole editor of the Magazine, in\naddition to his other writings, and the ever pressing duties of his\nprofession. After gaining a firm footing, this publication passed into\nthe hands of Rev. Thomas Whittemore, an able and zealous man, who is\nstill the editor and proprietor. Mr. Ballou continued to write for its\ncolumns regularly for more than thirty years. Mr. Whittemore has changed\nor added to its original title, so that it is now known as the Trumpet\nand Universalist Magazine, one of the most largely circulated and\npopular publications in the whole denomination.\n\nDuring the year 1819 and the year preceding it, Mr. Ballou had occasion\nto make several replies, in pamphlet form, to reviews of his sermons\nwhich he was at that time delivering before the Second Universalist\nSociety, and which he was induced to write out and publish, by their\nrequest. The reviews here referred to were written by the Rev. Timothy\nMerrit, a Methodist minister of this city. In the year 1820, Mr. Ballou\npublished a pamphlet of some length, entitled \"Strictures on a published\nSermon, by Dr. Channing.\" During this year he also compiled a collection\nof hymns, for the use of the denomination generally, but more especially\nfor the convenience of the School-street Society, with which he was\nconnected. This collection contained about _fifty_ original hymns from\nhis own pen, and is the second book of the kind he published, the first\nbeing issued while he resided in Barnard, Vt.\n\nIt was about this period that the following incident occurred, and which\nwe give herewith in Mr. Ballou's own words:--\n\n\"By the following anecdote it may be seen into what inconsistencies men\nare liable to be drawn by an intense desire to maintain favorite\nsentiments. I had an appointment to preach a lecture in the town of\nCanton, Mass., where Universalism was quite new, and where there were\nbut few who believed it. At the time appointed I was there, and among\nthe many who were present as hearers, was a Methodist minister, whom\nbefore I had never seen. After our introduction, he very civilly asked\nme if I was willing, after I got through my discourse, that he should\nhave the liberty of offering some remarks in relation to it. I replied\nthat I should have no objections to his having that liberty, reserving\nto myself the right to reply to his remarks. To this he agreed. As I\nknew my hearers had assembled with an expectation of hearing the\ndoctrine of Universalism held forth, I took for my text a passage which\nseemed to me a strong one in favor of the doctrine: First Tim. 2:\n4,--'Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge\nof the truth.' In my discourse, I relied on the will of God as the\nfoundation of my belief in the final salvation of all men. My sermon was\nlengthy, and I endeavored to strengthen my arguments, as well as I\ncould, by many scriptures and various illustrations, but still relied on\nthe will of God as the foundation on which stood the superstructure I\nraised. When I had got through, I signified to the congregation that our\nworthy brother, the Methodist minister, desired to make some remarks on\nmy discourse, and that I hoped they would candidly listen to what he had\nto say.\n\n\"He then rose and remarked on various points of my arguments, allowing\ntheir justness and propriety. 'But,' said he, 'as the conclusions which\nhave been drawn in favor of the salvation of all men rest entirely on\nthe will of God, if we can prove that God's will is not done, in many\ninstances which may be named, it follows necessarily that the doctrine\ncontended for may not be true.' This he then labored to make out. Now,\nfeeling confident that he had shaken my foundation in the minds of our\nhearers, he proceeded to quote passages upon which he relied to prove\nthe endless misery of the wicked. When he had got through and sat down,\nI arose and told the people that I knew no better way to answer to what\nour brother had urged, than to allow that he had refuted the doctrine of\nthe salvation of all men by proving the failure of God's will in many\ninstances; and this being granted, it also must be granted that God's\nwill in regard to the endless misery of sinners might fail of being\naccomplished also! This reply came so suddenly on the minds of the\ncongregation that it brought them on their feet, and the aspect which\nthey presented was so peculiar as to abash our brother, and induce him\nto say something more, which the people did not stop to hear. He then\nturned to me, and said that he did not mean what I had stated to the\naudience. I told him in reply that what I had to do with, was what he\nhad said.\"\n\nThis is but an example of the various incidents, controversies, and\nadventures that he was constantly encountering on his frequent missions\ninto the country; vicissitudes that taught him much of human nature,\nand rendered him ever prompt and ready in reply, familiarized him with\nvarious temperaments, dispositions, and phases of character, and thus\nenabling him to speak and act more understandingly when again assailed\nin a like manner, as well as to put his experience to other available\nuse.\n\nIn the latter part of the year 1821 and the beginning of '22, Mr. Ballou\npassed a considerable period in the cities of New York and Philadelphia,\nwhich places he was induced to visit by the united invitation of the\nseveral societies in these two cities. While in the latter place, he\ndelivered eleven sermons, which the societies procured a stenographer to\ntranscribe in short-hand, as delivered extemporaneously from the pulpit.\nThese sermons were published soon after in Philadelphia, making a book\nof two hundred pages, a second edition being published in Boston about\nten years after. Mr. Ballou's manner of delivery was so distinct, his\nenunciation so clear, his language so impressive, that a practical\nshort-hand writer could easily transcribe every word he uttered in a\ndiscourse. There was never any hurry, no impetuosity, no excitement that\nbetrayed the speaker into undue haste, but, though all was tempered with\nwarmth and zeal, still it was such admirably controlled earnestness as\nnever to confuse the mind that followed his spontaneous utterance. We\nwell remember when the book herein referred to was handed to him for the\nfirst time. \"I am surprised,\" said he, \"for this seems almost\nmiraculous; here are my own words and thoughts literally as I uttered\nthem, in living and indelible lines upon these pages, while my pen has\nnever transcribed one letter of the matter. I might have improved this\nby reviewing it for the press, but, after all, _it is as God sent it_!\"\nReading on, he would pause now and then to say, \"I should not have\nremembered that I said that, if it was not so literally recalled to me.\"\nThese sermons being upon important doctrinal points and subjects, as\nindeed were nearly all his sermons, are of peculiar value. The book is\nalso a very excellent sample of Mr. Ballou's extempore style of\npreaching, as these sermons were printed from the reporter's notes,\nunrevised by the author, who, indeed, did not see them until they were\nsent to him in Boston in book form. At the time these sermons were\ndelivered, the churches were always crowded to their utmost capacity.\nThe Sabbath was not only thus occupied, but also many days and evenings\nof each week, the simple announcement of a meeting being quite\nsufficient to ensure a large and attentive audience for the occasion. In\nthe mean time, in private circles, Mr. Ballou was forming extensive\npersonal acquaintance with the hospitable citizens, among whom he\ncounted some of the warmest friends in the cherished host, who continued\nsuch with him to the closing hours of his earthly career.\n\n\"The largest audience I remember to have addressed,\" he says, \"was in\nWashington Garden Saloon, Philadelphia, which my friends had procured\nfor me, finding the meeting-houses far too small to accommodate the\ncrowds that thronged to our meetings. This hall, which will accommodate\nsome six thousand people, was crowded to excess. On no former occasion\ndid I ever feel more pressed with the weight of duty which lay upon me,\nnor a more sensible need of divine assistance. The attention of the\naudience, and the multitude of friendly hands which were extended to\nreceive my adieu, seemed to speak a language which signified the\napprobation of my divine Master, which, to me, is far better than life.\"\n\nOne of the most marked peculiarities of Mr. Ballou's character was not\nonly his almost inexpressible degree of simplicity, but his perfect\nself-possession, and unmoved and placid calmness, under any and all\ncircumstances. When he arose to address an audience of thousands, as was\nthe case above referred to, they awed him not; he would have spoken the\nsame in a private dwelling of New Hampshire, before a few hastily\nassembled friends, or, with the same prophetic unction, in a barn;--the\nvillage school-house or the city church were all alike to him. When he\narose to address an audience, whether of thousands or of scores, it was\nalways with a heart so full of his theme, so lowly and humble before his\nMaker, that not a thought betrayed itself in action of a character to\nindicate that he considered _himself_ in the slightest degree, or that\nthere was such a being as self in existence. And then, when he spoke, it\nwas not with the adornments of rhetorical elegance, nor with a striving\nafter effect; not one useless or unnecessary word fell from his lips;\nit was simplicity and impressiveness personified. Such preaching was\n_natural_; there was not an artificial element in it. No wonder that it\nproduced such results; no wonder that he should witness the visible\nfruits of his labors ripening about him.\n\nIt was no spirit of fanaticism that created such a furore in the public\nto hear him, it was not _fear_ for their own good hope of salvation that\nbrought people together in such masses; it was not excitement, that\ngrand agent of revival meetings generally. No; it was a far worthier\ninfluence than these; it was a desire to hear the good tidings that the\npreacher dispensed, as he alone could do. It was to partake of the bread\nof life that they came, and they were filled. He was emphatically the\nmessenger of \"peace and good will to men;\" and the multitudes who came\nto hear the words of promise from his lips, received them as the\nshepherds did to whom the angels bore the glad tidings as they \"watched\ntheir flocks by night.\"\n\nAfter the departure of Christ, and the death of his immediate disciples,\na darkness had crept upon the hearts and souls of mankind; faith in the\nboundless love of the Creator had been weakened, as belief in his\nvengeance strengthened, and nearly all Christian creeds were gloomy,\ndisheartening, and repulsive. To dispel these erroneous views,--to\nwithdraw the clouds that hid the brightness of the bow of promise,--to\nreveal all the priceless tenderness and love of the divine nature,--to\nradiate the light of hope upon a darkened world, was a task as glorious\nas ever fell to the lot of man. What more thrilling discoveries ever\ndawned upon the human intellect than those which revealed themselves to,\nand rewarded the prayerful search of, him of whom we write? We can\neasily understand how the greatness of this mission strengthened and\nsustained him in his arduous duties, in his daily gospel labors, in his\nlong journeyings, in his voluminous exertions with the pen and in the\npulpit. Verily the hour and the man had arrived. It mattered little that\nhe did not spare himself, that he gave himself up wholly to his\nvocation; it was not destined, not designed, that he should succumb in\nthe good fight; vigor and energy were given him to support him through\nall his trials, up to the very verge of a long and eventful life, when\nthe chief end of his existence had been accomplished.\n\nNot long subsequent to his return from this journey to New York and\nPhiladelphia, he published a series of \"_Lecture Sermons_,\" in one\nvolume of four hundred pages. This book, like every one that ever\nemanated from his pen, had a very extensive sale, passing through\nseveral large editions, and still finds a ready market. These \"Lecture\nSermons\" give, like the \"Treatise on Atonement,\" an evidence of the fact\nthat the author was always working in new veins of thought. He was not\none contented to follow in the beaten track of others; his motto from\nthe outset was _progress_; and each new work that emanated from his pen\nand comprehensive mind, gave fresh token of research and discovery. Not\nlong after the issuing of the \"Lecture Sermons,\" he published another\nbook, entitled \"_Select Sermons upon Important Passages_,\" making a\nbook of three hundred and fifty pages. Like the previous work, this book\nis peculiarly characteristic of its author, and treating, as it does,\nupon deeply interesting and doctrinal points, it has found a wide\ncirculation. These books are distinguished alike for patient research,\nwise reflections, deep penetration, and the soundness of their moral\ninfluence. The last work has passed through seven editions.\n\nMr. Ballou was frequently heard to remark, that if we would reason in\nreference to the divine economy as we do concerning other matters, we\nshould soon discard many of the false notions which do so much towards\nenshrouding our spirits in darkness, and thus preventing our progress\ntowards the goal of gospel truth. In illustration of this, we subjoin\nthe following anecdote, in his own words, as furnished for the\nUniversalist Magazine at the time of its occurrence. It happened to him\nwhile on a journey from Boston to Watertown, New York, in the year 1824.\nWhile absent from his paper, Mr. Ballou was in the habit of supplying\nhis editorial columns through the mail, partly made up of correspondence\nfrom the points he visited, and relating to such matters and themes as\nwere calculated to interest a mind of his peculiar character. The\nfollowing anecdote is taken from one of these letters.\n\n\"The day following, a widow belonging to Pittsfield, Mass., entered the\nstage in that town to go to Denmark, New York, to visit her young son,\nwhom she had not seen for six years, and who is now about fifteen. This\nlady I found to be quite orthodox in her views, and disposed to\nquestion me concerning mine. At the inn in Albany where the stage stops,\nwe had some serious conversation on the subject of the ignorance and\nunbelief of man. Her queries concerning this subject were directed in\nthe usual way, and were designed to prove that in consequence of\nunbelief in the Saviour, the sinner is expected to be cut off forever\nwithout mercy. Having noticed in this lady an anxious desire to find her\nson, and perceiving that her affections were tender towards her\nfatherless child, I thought proper to try to open her eyes by means of\nappealing to her natural affection.\n\n\"'Madam, do you think your son will know you?' I asked. She, with\nmanifest emotion, replied, 'It is so long since he saw me, that I do not\nthink he will!' 'And should you find that he has forgotten you, so as\nnot to recognize your person and countenance, do you think he would be\nin danger on that account of losing your favor?' Tears started into her\neyes, and the weight of the question was sensibly manifest. She replied\nin the softest accents in the negative. 'Well, madam,' I continued,\n'should you find that your son has forgotten your countenance, and\nshould you inform him of the fact of which you find him ignorant, and\nyet he should not believe you, should you then feel unkindly towards\nyour son?' She fully appreciated the question, and answered in the\nnegative. I then called her attention to the remarkable passage in the\nforty-seventh chapter of Isaiah, in which the divine kindness is\ncommended to exceed the compassion of a mother to her tender offspring.\nShe signified her satisfaction, and gave me to understand that the\nargument had reached its object.\"\n\nThis anecdote, striking and beautiful in its bearings, is also\nparticularly interesting as being so perfect an illustration of Mr.\nBallou's style of argument. He always brought the subject home to the\nfeelings and affections of his hearers, illustrating his theme by the\nsimplest facts. His examples by way of explaining his subject were ever\nso aptly chosen, as to seem to have occurred almost solely for his use;\nthese illustrations were ever drawn from every-day life, and from the\nmost familiar subjects about us. The family circle afforded an infinite\nvariety of bearings and illustrations, exceedingly well fitted to\ndelineate his belief; and those who have been accustomed to hear him\npreach, will remember how frequently he referred to the homes of his\nhearers for illustrations. In this respect his discourses were a close\nimitation of his Master's, who spoke as never man spoke.\n\nThere lies open before us at this moment the autobiography of Rev. Abel\nC. Thomas, where he speaks of Mr. Ballou on the occasion of his (Mr.\nThomas's) first visit to Boston, and his meeting with the subject of\nthis biography. \"No one will deem me invidious in mentioning Hosea\nBallou. There he stood in the simplicity and maturity of a child-man.\nWas it marvellous that his heart-speech should tingle within me as the\nvoice of a father? He stood up the taller in his manhood for having\nbowed to brotherly fellowship with a boy. There was no distinguishing\ngrace in the act; it was his way _alway_, and he was only the taller on\nthat account. He was preaching then (O! how luminously and forcibly he\nwas preaching!) at the age of threescore.\"\n\nIt was ever thus that strangers were impressed on meeting with him. They\nhad heard, of course, much of Hosea Ballou, they had read his books, or\nhis essays through the newspaper press; by name and reputation they had\nlong known him. Some had imagined him proud, austere, and distant. They\napproached a man, for the first time, who had reached to his extended\nspan of life, to his experience and world-wide celebrity, with some\ndegree of awe; but his warm pressure of the hand, the tender and soft\nexpression of his eye, the soothing and melodious voice, (that gentle,\nsoothing, yet impressive voice, how strongly our senses recall it now!)\nthe kind word,--these instantly dispelled any feeling of distance that\nmight have arisen in the breast of the new comer; and he found impressed\non every word he uttered, on every lineament of his features, on every\nsentiment of his heart, a spirit of divine _simplicity_.\n\nArrogating nothing to himself, unassuming to the utmost degree, he\ncounted his own services as nothing, and only aspired to be known as his\nMaster's follower, and the servant of all men.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nCOMMENCES THE UNIVERSALIST EXPOSITOR.\n\n\nDuring the year 1831 Mr. Ballou commenced, with his nephew, Rev. Hosea\nBallou 2d, the editorship of the \"Universalist Expositor,\" a quarterly\npublication. He continued for two years as editor of the work, and\nafterwards as a regular contributor for a number of years.\n\nIn November, 1834, Mr. Ballou was again induced to make the cities of\nNew York and Philadelphia a professional visit. He had, previous to this\ndate, and repeatedly afterwards, been earnestly solicited to settle in\nNew York, as well as in Philadelphia. Indeed, a systematic effort was\nmade in the former city to obtain his services permanently, and he was\noffered the pecuniary consideration of several hundred dollars more per\nannum than he then or ever after received from the Second Universalist\nSociety in Boston. Besides this increase in salary, there were several\nother important inducements offered in order to influence him to settle\namong them. But Mr. Ballou had, after so many years' residence and\npastorship in this city and over a society he so much loved, become\ndeeply and ardently attached to the associations of his charge, and had\nformed ties of friendship and love that were almost too strong to sever.\nHe, however, returned an answer at last to these reiterated applications\nand proposals, that he would lay the subject before his society, and\nthey should decide the matter for him. The society in New York signified\ntheir willingness to have the matter thus settled; and he accordingly\nrepresented the same to the Second Universalist Society, telling them\nexactly his own feelings, and bidding them to decide the matter for him.\nThere was but one voice in the society; the feelings he had expressed\nwere entirely reciprocated; the vote that he must remain with them, was\nunanimous; there was not one dissenting voice. He had been tried, and\nfound faithful. Cheerfully acquiescing in this decision, the subject was\ndropped,--an understanding being had, and indeed a promise given on Mr.\nBallou's part, that he would visit New York professionally as often and\nfor as long a period at a time as he could make it convenient.\n\nThe following letter was written to his wife from New York, during his\nvisit to that city in this year. It is one in his usual style, and will\nshow the reader the tender relationship of his domestic associations,\nand also the reliance in Divine Providence which ever actuated him. He\nnever wrote the briefest letter without expressing the same religious\nsentiment. The letter is dated New York, October 30, 1834.\n\n     \"MY DEAR: It is with gratitude to the kind Protector of our lives,\n     that I inform you of our comfortable health. We had a very good\n     passage from Boston to this city, except that the sea was quite\n     boisterous, which caused our daughters to be quite sea-sick during\n     the night. We arrived in this city about nine o'clock, A. M., and\n     were kindly received by Col. Harson and family, where we are at\n     home until to-morrow morning, when we expect to leave for\n     Philadelphia. Clementina and Fiducia\" (the two daughters with him)\n     \"rode about the city yesterday, and had a view of nearly all its\n     beauties. We took tea with Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer last evening, where\n     we had the pleasure of meeting with Bro. Fuller, who will supply my\n     desk and bring you this letter. I preached in Bro. Le Fevre's\n     church on Tuesday evening, and have an appointment in Bro. Sawyer's\n     church for this evening. I hope that your cold has subsided, and\n     that the family are in good health. You will remember that Bro.\n     Fuller is a stranger in Boston, and that he will need those\n     attentions which will make him feel at home. Give our love to all\n     the inmates of our house, and, by the blessing of Heaven, expect us\n     at the time appointed.\n\n     \"Affectionately yours,\n            \"HOSEA BALLOU.\"\n\n     \"Ruth Ballou.\"\n\nWe need hardly pause here to analyze this letter. The reader will at\nonce recognize, in its composition, the affectionate husband and father,\nthe devout Christian, and the thoughtful friend, all of which were\ninnate qualities in the writer's heart. The address of the letter was\nthe style he always adopted towards his wife. The commencement of the\nsame is a perfect type of his constant acknowledgment of the Divine\nfavor. The reference to the children who were with him, evinced the same\nthoughtfulness for their enjoyment and comfort that exercised his mind\nto his last days; his inquiry for his wife's health, hoping that her\n\"cold\" was better, was another evidence of his solicitous affection for\nhis companion; and, finally, his recommending the bearer as he\ndid,--\"You will remember that Bro. Fuller is a stranger in Boston, and\nthat he will need those attentions which will make him feel at\nhome,\"--are all most significant of his mind and heart.\n\n\"Immediately after my first visit to Philadelphia,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"a\nsecond society was formed, and a large meeting-house was built in\nCallowhill. From this society I received a very urgent invitation to\nbecome their pastor; but, as my Boston friends felt desirous to have me\nstay with them, I could not think it my duty, for a few hundred dollars\nmore remuneration for my services annually, to leave them, as my salary\nwas at that time sufficient for my wants. So late as the year 1844, by\ninvitation from the Callowhill society, I visited and preached for them\nfor four weeks. While I was there, my friends proposed sending to Boston\nfor Mrs. Ballou, with a desire that I would continue with them for an\nindefinite period. But my age admonished me not to undertake too much.\"\n\nWe may add here the following memorandum from notes which he gave the\nauthor of these pages relative to a subject before alluded to,\nconcerning the matter of a larger pecuniary offer for his professional\nservices:\n\n\"At one time, while I tarried in New York, the Pine-street Society\npresented me with a pressing invitation to settle with them, offering me\nsome hundreds of dollars more than I was then receiving for my\nprofessional services, to induce me to remove to New York city. This\nofficial invitation, together with a very brotherly letter from the\nsociety in New York to my own in Boston, in which they endeavored to\nassign good reasons for my removal, I took with me to the Second\nUniversalist Society, in School-street. I had previously given my\nfriends in New York to understand that I would not be persuaded to leave\nBoston, unless my society would give their cordial consent to such a\nmeasure. After submitting this letter to my society, I was given to\nunderstand, in an official manner, that, by a unanimous vote, my society\nhad resolved that I must remain with them. This of course ended the\nmatter, as their wish was my guide.\"\n\nWe have related these circumstances more particularly to show the reader\nthat Mr. Ballou was actuated by no mercenary motive in this matter, and\nindeed to prove that it was a principle altogether foreign to his\ncharacter. We see that the offer of a greater pecuniary emolument (we\nbelieve the New York society offered him eight hundred dollars more than\nhe was then receiving per annum, and also to bear the incidental\nexpenses attendant upon his removal) had no influence upon his mind. If\nhis society no longer desired his services, he was ready to leave them\nat once. If they were still attached to him, and preferred his\nministration to that of any other individual, no pecuniary inducement\nshould part them. We may use his own words, and say that the evidence of\nthe unabated regard of the people of his charge, of their undiminished\nattachment to him and his services, rendered him far happier than any\namount of silver and gold could possibly have done. Indeed, there was\nnot one spark of mercenary feeling existing in his heart; it was\ncontrary to his very nature.\n\nThose who knew Mr. Ballou best were well aware of his punctilious\nnotions as it concerned money affairs. He would not himself owe any man,\nand he liked \"short settlements,\" believing in the old adage that they\n\"make long friends.\" He was scrupulously exact in his dealings, and\nwould be careful not to be overpaid or underpaid in a money transaction;\nand these peculiarities may have, with some, led to a belief that he was\npenurious in his disposition, though this was by no means the case.\nCould we with propriety refer to his numerous private deeds of charity,\nto the open-handed dealing that evinced the generous nature of his\ndisposition and the liberality of his heart, we could exhibit a list of\nfacts that would disabuse the mind of any one of such an unfavorable\nimpression. We feel tenacious upon this point, realizing as we do the\nuntruth of any such deduction; and for any one to make such a remark or\ninference, would be at once to expose his own personal ignorance of the\nman.\n\nMr. Ballou was not one to give injudiciously; he was not lavish in his\nbestowals; but what he gave to charitable purposes, more or less, he was\ncareful to know would be productive of real benefit. Once satisfied of\nthe worthiness of the purpose, he always gave in accordance with his\nmeans. His generosity was unostentatious, and sought such channels as\nrun beneath the shades of domestic necessities, rather than those\nexhibited on hilltops, or that advertise themselves in open places. The\nauthor of these pages has witnessed from childhood a most liberal and\ncharitable spirit as exercised by the subject of this memoir.\n\nWhen he was solicited for assistance, he always listened attentively to\nevery appeal, and carefully examined the case and its merits, when,\nbeing satisfied of its claims for aid, he not only gave himself, but\ntook pains to interest others for the same end. At times he would call\non his society, either collectively or individually, and thus do a great\ngood by affording timely pecuniary aid, in many cases. He never asked of\na person his religion before he gave him in charity; all were considered\nas members of the same great family, and \"where want resided, he knew\nthe door.\" The needy found in him a firm and judicious friend; one who\nwas careful not to do them a harm, in the spirit of kindness, by\nencouraging a slothful or idle spirit, but who sent them away wiser and\nhappier than they came to his door.\n\n\"Among the many moral duties,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"which contribute to the\nmitigation of the misfortunes of human life, and to administer to the\nenjoyments of social beings, that of charitably bestowing a part of what\na liberal Providence has put into our hands, on those who have been\nunfortunate in the loss of property, or by sickness, or other\nunavoidable visitations, should claim our earnest attention. This virtue\nat once combines many moral excellences, and seems to call into action\nsome of the best qualities of our social nature. It is that, too, which\nseems to resemble the bountiful conduct of the Giver of every good and\nperfect gift; and in some degree compares with the grace of our Lord\nJesus Christ, who, though he was rich, for our sake became poor, that we\nthrough his poverty might be made rich, and greatly ornaments the gospel\nprofessions of brotherly love. This, too, is a virtue which never loses\nsight of the good of its agent, who, being blessed with the genuine\nspirit of heaven-born charity, realizes that it is more blessed to give\nthan to receive. Nor is there anything more acceptable to the Divine\nmind of universal goodness, than to see rational beings exerting\nthemselves to assist one another. 'To do good and communicate, forget\nnot, for with such sacrifice God is well pleased.'\"\n\nWhile Mr. Ballou was in Philadelphia during the year 1834, he preached\nnine sermons, which, like those delivered in the same city at the close\nof 1821 and the commencement of '22, were taken down by a stenographer\nin short-hand, and published in a volume of two hundred pages. In the\npreface to this volume, which, having been, like its predecessor,\nobtained through the reporter, was never seen by the author until in\nprint, Rev. Abel C. Thomas, the publisher, makes the following remarks;\nvaluable as coming from a discriminating and intelligent mind, and one\nwhich would scorn flattery as it would falsehood.\n\n\"Mr. Ballou is in the sixty-fourth year of his age, yet his eye is not\ndim, nor his natural force abated. His public communications are\ndistinguished by extraordinary penetration, perfect knowledge of human\nnature, aptness of illustration, and closeness of reasoning. In private\nintercourse he manifests the feelings of a heart baptized into the\nspirit of the living God. It is impossible to listen to his public\nexhibitions of love divine without according to him the meed of\nsincerity and intellectual power, and it is equally impossible to mingle\nwith him in the walks of social life without loving him from the heart.\"\n\nMr. Ballou was in the habit of making frequent use of the scriptural\nstory of Joseph and his brethren, the parable of the Prodigal Son, the\ncase of Saul of Tarsus, and other familiar parables, to illustrate the\ndoctrinal points of his discourses upon the holy text. These\nillustrations, however, were always apt and appropriate, and any one who\nreads the Scriptures must very well know that these parables present\nalmost innumerable bearings. Although he never did so without\ncommunicating some new point or bearing in the narrative, yet the\nfrequency of these references was argued by some as an objection to his\nstyle of preaching. In reference to this subject, Rev. Abel C. Thomas,\nin an appendix to the book referred to, relates the following\nanecdote:--\n\n\"After the delivery of a certain discourse in one of our cities, by Mr.\nBallou, one Universalist minister said to another, in a good-natured\nway, 'The old man is always _harping_ on Joseph and his brethren, the\nProdigal Son, and Saul of Tarsus.' 'Well,' said the other, 'it is a good\nharp, nevertheless, and Mr. Ballou knows how to play upon it. He always\nplays a new tune, and I could listen to him all night.'\"\n\nHis book of nine sermons embraces some of the most stirring and able\narguments that the author ever produced, and it has been read by more\npersons probably than any book of the same character in the country. The\nfirst edition was a large one, but was rapidly followed by others.\n\nMr. Ballou ever delighted in promoting the innocent amusement of his\nchildren in every reasonable way. He never adopted that stern and\nunapproachable disguise that but too often estranges the affections of\nthe child from the parent. He was fond at times of unbending, as it\nwere, from the extreme tension of mental effort, and entering into the\nchildish amusements of his family circle; it was only long enough,\nhowever, to endear himself to that circle, for his time was too precious\nto admit of much relaxation, however grateful this might be to his\nfeelings.\n\nIt was not with the subject of this biography as with those who wear two\nfaces, one when at home and another when abroad; there was no deceit in\nhim; he carried forth from his home the same face he wore there, the\nsame aspect of mind and body, evincing precisely the same\ncharacteristics in public as he did in private. He knew no change, but\nwas always eminently natural everywhere.\n\nHis social character was such as ardently to endear him to every member\nof his large family. While he maintained the dignity and authority\nappropriate to his general character, still he ever evinced an\nexuberance of good nature, and was amiable, gentle, and even playful at\ntimes, in his domestic and public intercourse.\n\nDuring the year 1834, Mr. Ballou wrote and published a work entitled,\n\"An Examination of the Doctrine of Future Retribution,\" contained in one\nvolume of three hundred pages. This is affectionately dedicated to the\nsecond Universalist Society of Boston, as a token of regard, by the\nauthor, who had so long presided over this brotherhood in the most happy\nfellowship.\n\nIn the following extract from the preface to this book, the reader will\nfind not only the spirit of the work referred to, but will also observe\nthat the author states, in plain and unmistakable terms, some important\npoints of his faith,--points wherein he differed from some respected\nbrethren of the order, but which, however, form almost the universal\nbelief of the mass of Universalists. Our quotation from this preface\ncommences as follows:--\n\n\"It has always remained the fixed resolution of the writer of the\nfollowing essay to keep a mind open to conviction; always active in\ninvestigating religious truth; constantly ready to profess and hold\nforth any opinion, however unpopular, and however opposed by divines, by\nthe schools, or by his dearest friends, when convinced of its truth.\nThis course has led him to give up many religious tenets which were\ntaught him in his youth, and not a few which were embraced by the\ndenomination to which he has from his youth belonged. Travelling this\ncourse, he early renounced the doctrine of endless punishment; the\ndoctrine of the Trinity; that of native depravity; that of the\nimputation of sin and of righteousness; that of the vicarious sufferings\nof Christ; and, nearly eighteen years ago, the doctrine of punishment in\nthe future state. It has been his lot to meet with much opposition on\nmost of these points, from various denominations, and not the least\nstrenuous from those of the denomination with which he has been happy to\nhold connection. For the painful travail endured from all this\nopposition, he has been abundantly compensated by seeing the rapid\nadvance of the doctrines which he has embraced and endeavored to\nadvocate.\n\n\"The object of the writer of the following pages is to place his views,\nrespecting the doctrine of a future state of retribution, before the\npublic, and to preserve his arguments on that subject, that when the\ntime shall come, as he believes it will, when people in general will\nnumber the tenet of future punishment among those corruptions of\nChristianity which will then be abandoned, it may be known that the\nwriter disbelieved it in his day; and also that the arguments with which\nhe opposed it may then be known.\n\n\"Universalists now take a pleasure in looking back and tracing, from\nOrigen down to our time, the progress of the doctrine which embraces the\nsalvation of all men; and so they will doubtless continue to do in\nfuture ages.\n\n\"Some may query whether a proper regard to the opinions and feelings of\nhonest, faithful, and affectionate brethren, who believe in the doctrine\nof future retribution, but yet earnestly contend for final restoration,\nwould not incline the writer to be silent on the subject, and not to\ncome out with this publication. To this inquiry it is replied, that such\nbrethren, with their many commendable qualities, are warmly cherished in\nthe affections of the writer's heart, nor are they the less regarded\nbecause they do not adopt his opinions. And he feels confident that such\nbrethren will entertain no suspicions of his want of respect for them.\nThey will not fail to consider that the views of the writer, on the\nsubject of retribution, are not so wide from theirs as theirs are from\nthe views of those authors whom they quote as authority in support of\nfuture retribution. They would doubtless sooner embrace the opinion of\nno future sin and misery, than defend the doctrine maintained by that\ngood man, exemplary Christian, and faithful minister, Elhanan\nWinchester, which supposed that the wicked, in the world to come, would\nsuffer, for ages and ages, inconceivable torment in literal fire and\nbrimstone. Such torment is now denied by our doctors, who maintain\n_endless_ punishment, and rejected also by those who believe in a state\nhereafter of discipline which shall end in an entire reformation. Such\nbrethren will also cordially respond to the assurance that the writer of\nthe following work will never withhold a sincere fellowship from a\nfaithful brother, because he disagrees with him on the doctrine of\ndivine retribution.\n\n\"It is very possible that some, who have a strong desire that nothing\nshould be done which should tend, in the least, to endanger the harmony\nand cordial fellowship of Universalists, may think that prudence would,\nat least, plead for a delay, and suggest the propriety of deferring this\npublication to some future time, when it might give less offence. Such\nmay be assured that their good wishes for the harmony and fellowship of\nour order are duly respected; but they cannot be ignorant of the fact\nthat the doctrine of a future state of punishment has been disbelieved,\nby ministering brethren of our order, for many years, and that much has\nbeen published with a view to disprove that doctrine; and, moreover,\nthat now that doctrine is generally disbelieved by Universalists of our\nconnection; and yet much harmony prevails, and our fellowship remains,\nand is warmly cherished between brethren whose opinions disagree on the\nsubject of this doctrine. The writer would further remark, that both\nage and infirmity admonish him that what he feels it his duty to do, he\nought not to delay; and he cannot believe that any of his brethren can\nfeel, in the least, wounded because their aged brother should finish his\nlabors in accordance with the dictates of his own understanding. It is a\nhappy circumstance, that in the denomination of Universalists, no one\nfeels bound to defend and support the particular opinions of another,\nany further than he is himself convinced of their truth and importance.\nOur platform of faith is general, and allows individuals an extensive\nlatitude to think freely, investigate minutely, and to adopt what\nparticular views best comport with the honest convictions of the mind,\nand fearlessly to avow and defend the same.\"\n\nIn perusing this book, or indeed any of Mr. Ballou's numerous works, the\nreader cannot fail to be struck with the complete simplicity and purity\nof the author's style, at the same time being deeply impressed with the\nmagnitude of the subject treated upon: he finds the book to be more like\na familiar friend with whom he is conversing, than the deep logical work\nit really is. This is caused by the peculiar clearness and force of the\nstyle, while all is so conceived and put down as to be within scope of\nthe humblest understanding. All his comparisons and illustrations are\ndrawn from the most familiar objects about us, bringing our every-day\nlife and experience to bear upon the theme; and thus his arguments were\ndoubly forcible and plain. It was the common remark that little\nchildren could understand his sermons, and remember the moral\ninculcated. \"If I can only make my subject so plain that children will\nunderstand me,\" he once said in relation to this subject, \"my purpose\nwill be gained, and I shall not be preaching in vain.\" Probably there\nnever was a public speaker who possessed more fully the power of making\nhimself perfectly and clearly understood, in every bearing of his\nsubject, than did Mr. Ballou. This was commonly remarked of him by all,\nand more especially by those in his own profession of the ministry, who\nhad learned by experience what a difficult matter it sometimes is to\nimpress an audience with the precise idea intended by the speaker.\n\nAbout this date, in Mr. Ballou's manuscript memoranda he says:--\"I well\nremember a conversation I had with a learned doctor of divinity of this\ncity, some years ago. It happened that we were both going into the\ncountry, and took the same stage. We had not travelled far before the\ndoctor very politely addressed me, expressing a desire to know my\nopinion on a certain passage of Scripture, as he did not know how it was\nexplained by those of my opinion in religious matters. The stage being\nquite full of gentlemen who were strangers to me, but to whom I was\ndoubtless well known, I was somewhat surprised that the learned divine\nshould introduce a scriptural subject, and especially one concerning\nwhich he supposed we entertained different views. However, I was well\nsatisfied that he expected to see me embarrassed in presence of the\npassengers, whose curiosity was evidently excited. I replied that I was\nnot unwilling, on any proper occasion, to give my views on any passage\nof Scripture when desired to do so, provided I was satisfied in my own\nmind concerning its true meaning.\n\n\"There was the most profound attention evinced, and the doctor\nintroduced Gal. 6: 7 and 8. 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for\nwhatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap. For he that soweth to his\nflesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the\nspirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting:' the passage being one\nwith which many occasions had made me quite familiar. I replied\nimmediately, as follows: 'I presume, sir, you will understand all you\nwish to know of my views of this text, if you hear me repeat it, and\nduly observe where I lay especial emphasis;--Be not deceived: God is not\nmocked; for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that\nsoweth to his _flesh_ shall of the _flesh_ reap corruption; but he that\nsoweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.' The\nmoment I pronounced the words of the text thus, there was a smile on the\ncountenances of all in the stage, and a movement which signified\nsatisfaction. I merely remarked, in conclusion, that no man who should\nsow in one field, would think of going to another to reap. The doctor\nmade me no reply, nor did he ask any more questions.\n\n\"The above is but a sample,\" continues Mr. Ballou, \"of the unnumbered\ncases in which I have seen how utterly abortive is a liberal education,\nwith the addition of a theological school, in freeing the human mind\nfrom religious errors. So far from effecting any such desirable end,\nthese so highly esteemed advantages generally serve to puff up the mind\nand heart with pride, and close every avenue through which light might\nbe received.\"\n\nThe engrossing habits of a student, and the employment of a large\nportion of his time in writing, brought upon Mr. Ballou the weakness in\nhis left side, before referred to, and which was still more augmented by\nhis continued use of the pen. This trouble became at last a seated and\nirreparable one, and a source of much bodily suffering to him until the\nclose of his life, though serious attacks of it were but transient, and\nusually lasting but a few hours at a time. This affection was of rather\na peculiar character, so that when anything occurred, of an unpleasant\nnature, to trouble or distress his mind,--bad news of any sort, the\nsudden death of a relative or friend, or any matter of this\ncharacter,--it would seem to affect the weak side, and there distress\nhim.\n\nMr. Ballou was often solicited, by letters from a distance, for his\nautograph, with which he complied in a brief line, most generally; but\npersonal applications for this object were very frequent during his\njourneyings from home. Being asked for his autograph by a young lady in\none of the neighboring towns, who handed him her album for the purpose,\nhe sat down and wrote the following verses impromptu, and which have\nbeen handed to us for insertion here. They will serve to show his ready\npower of versification; he never studied to be a poet, nor ever\n_labored_ upon a piece of poetical composition. He found little time to\nplant and rear flowers along his pathway of life. At an early period the\nsoil he tilled was of too bold and rugged a character to cultivate aught\nsave the sterling literal seeds of truth, the sweetness of whose\nblossoms is fragrance to the soul. If subsequently he sometimes plucked\na lily or watered a rose-bud, it has been at breathing-spells between\nthe holding of the plough and the planting of seed in his Master's\nvineyard. He lacked not for refinement and delicacy of taste, or for the\nnatural promptings of the poet, but there was more important business\nfor him to perform, and he realized too fully his responsibility to\nallow himself to forget for a moment the great aim and business of his\nmission. The poem referred to above is entitled\n\n                THE MYRTLE.\n\n    \"Come, take the wreath I've twined for thee,\n      'Tis wet with morning dew;\n    And lessons rare of love and truth\n      These flowers shall bring to you.\n\n    The half-blown rose, whose spotless leaves\n      Speak of thy hopes as fair,\n    And spicy balm, with healing breath,\n      Are mingling odors there.\n\n    The sweet geranium so green\n      A fragrance doth impart,\n    True as the gentle breath of love,\n      That fills the youthful heart.\n\n    But most of all I'd have thee mark\n      The modest myrtle bough;\n    It speaks of love that e'er will be\n      As pure and bright as now.\n\n    For though the rose may fade and die,\n      The balm may cease to cure,\n    Through summer's light and winter's shade\n      The MYRTLE will endure.\n\n    Then take the wreath I've twined for thee,\n      'Tis wet with morning dew;\n    And many a lesson true of love\n      These flowers shall bring to you.\"\n\nWe find a letter among our papers, written about the period of which we\nnow speak. It is from his pen, and bears date New York, April 21st,\n1839, on the occasion of a brief visit to that city, and was addressed\nto the author of these pages.\n\n     \"MATURIN: A kind Providence brought me to this city early yesterday\n     morning. I had a very pleasant passage hither, and the good company\n     and kind attention of Capt. Parker. I am at the Walton House, which\n     was Washington's head quarters during the Revolutionary war. It is\n     now between nine and ten o'clock, Sabbath morning. My health is\n     good as when I left home. My friends expect me to preach three\n     sermons this day and evening. Whether I shall return on Monday to\n     Boston, or remain another week here, I have not now the means of\n     determining. I pray God to preserve the health of the family, and\n     return me soon to enjoy that circle from which it is painful to be\n     absent, though I have every attention and necessary accommodation\n     for my comfort. Take good care of your health, and tell your mother\n     that I shall endeavor to be careful of mine.\n\n     \"Affectionately,\n         \"HOSEA BALLOU.\"\n\n     \"M. M. BALLOU.\"\n\nThis, and a private letter previously given in these pages, are not made\npublic for any particular information they communicate, but simply to\nshow the reader the feelings of the writer as expressed between himself\nand those whom he loved and in whom he confided. These letters might be\ngreatly multiplied, but this would perhaps serve our object no better\npurpose. If a hundred were to be submitted to the reader, they would\nconvey no other spirit than is evinced by the two already given. Mr.\nBallou's private correspondence was never very extensive; his letters\nwere nearly all of a domestic nature, or brief notes relating to\nexchanges with other brethren at a distance. The reason that his letters\nwere so much of this nature, was, that when he transcribed his thoughts\nto paper it was for the press. Most men of strong and active minds are\nin the practice of relieving them, as it were, by writing down their\nthoughts, from time to time, to valued friends; it is a sort of\nnecessary relief that some minds could not get along without. But Mr.\nBallou's writings were so universally made public, and he was so\nconstantly supplying the public press with matter, even to the very last\nweek of his life, that his mind and pen were quite sufficiently worked\nin this vein, without seeking any other channel.\n\nDuring the fall of 1843, Mr. Ballou, then at the age of seventy-two\nyears, made a long journey to the West, to attend the national\nconvention of Universalists, held at Akron, Ohio. On the route thither,\nin company with Rev. Thomas Whittemore and some other friends, he\nvisited, for the first time, Niagara Falls. Mr. Whittemore, in writing\nhome a description of their visit to his paper, the Trumpet,\nsaid:--\"When we came to Table Rock, Father Ballou stood in amazement,\nand when we urged him to go back over the river before dark, 'Oh!' said\nhe, 'how can I go away?' He said his thoughts were like those of Peter\non one occasion: 'It is good to be here; let us build tabernacles, and\ndwell upon the spot.' A prism was handed to him, through which he could\nsee the rapids in colors ineffably glorious. 'Oh! my soul! oh! glory to\nGod!' were his exclamations.\"\n\nNo man had a more thorough appreciation of all that was grand and noble\nin nature, no one a keener eye for her myriads of charms that gladden\nour daily lives and illumine the pathway of life.\n\n\"We heard him, for the first time,\" says the editor of the American\nPhrenological Journal, \"at a Universalist general convention, Akron,\nOhio, in September, 1843, where he preached to a very large gathering,\nwith the ablest men in the denomination preceding and following him.\nMany of them delivered more elaborate and carefully studied discourses,\nbut there was no other who made the brown faces of the old farmers so\nfairly _shine_ with admiration and delight as 'Father Ballou.' Many of\nthem had heard him in New England thirty or forty years previous, and\nnow, hearing that he was to attend the convention, had come thirty or\nforty miles to listen to him once again, and for the last time on earth.\nThough then past man's allotted period of 'threescore years and ten,'\nhis distinctness of utterance, clearness of statement, aptness of\nillustration, and force of argument, might well have been taken as a\nmodel by a young preacher; and, though he spoke more than an hour, a\nvery general regret was evident that he closed so soon. In person Mr.\nBallou was tall and slight, with a bearing of unaffected meekness and\nhumility.\"\n\nIn the summer of the succeeding year he made another visit to New York\nand Philadelphia, in accordance with the promise made some years before,\nto come as often and for as long a period as was convenient to him, and\nalso in compliance with the earnest solicitations of the societies in\nboth these cities at that time. As we have before remarked, he had\nformed many personal friends in both these cities, and it was, as we\nhave heard him often declare, refreshing to his heart to meet them and\nenjoy their liberal and kind hospitality. He felt, too, an earnest\nsolicitude for the spiritual welfare of those societies, before whom he\nhad so often spoken with such satisfaction to himself and profit to\nthem. During this journey southward, by the solicitations of the\nsocieties in Baltimore, Mr. Ballou extended his visit to that city,\nwhere he stopped for a short period, which time he improved by the\ndelivery of sermons day and evening. On his return to Boston, he\npreached a sermon, we well remember, relative to the condition of the\ncause of Universalism, and was made glad at heart by the state in which\nhe found it in these cities, and at being able to make such goodly\nreport at home. It was like the husbandman going abroad in his master's\nvineyard, and counting the harvest of his lord, which he had himself\nplanted.\n\nThe kind and hospitable treatment which Mr. Ballou always received, in\nthe cities particularly of New York and Philadelphia, seems to have made\na most indelible impression upon his heart. Often has he spoken of it in\nhis family circle, until we have felt almost as though we had\nindividually shared the delightful reunions which he described. True, it\nwas thus wherever he visited, as it regarded making warm and lasting\nfriends, but he has left memorandums that signify his remembrance more\nparticularly of the societies of these cities. He says:--\"In New York\nand Philadelphia, I have ever been made by the brethren to feel that I\nwas at _home_; kind hearts and hands have ever greeted me in either\nplace, and some of the happiest and most profitable moments of my life I\nthink have been passed in ministering to the beloved societies in these\nplaces. Had my Heavenly Father seen fit to render my services less happy\nand fortunate in their result in Boston, I should have found a happy\nhome in either New York or Philadelphia. As it is, my frequent visits to\nboth have afforded me undiminished satisfaction, and much social\nenjoyment. My sincere prayers are constantly offered for their\nhappiness, well-being, and spiritual good.\" The great and moving cause\nof his exerting such an influence by his words and manners over the\nminds of people in his religious teachings, as well as his private\nintercourse, was the spirit of sincerity that imbued every motion, while\nthe beauty and purity of his moral character seemed to sanctify every\nword and action, which emanated from him. With not the slightest stain\nupon his character from boyhood, he was such a being as people could\nafford to reverence, respect, and love.\n\nThrough the whole of his long and active career, Mr. Ballou never once\nturned aside from the one great object and purpose of his heart, that of\npromulgating God's fatherly and impartial love to all mankind, as\nevinced in the holy Scriptures and the dispensations of Providence.\n\nIn a poem, ending with the two following verses, he has himself\nexpressed his devoted zeal better than we can do.\n\n    \"Not all thy foes on earth can say\n    Can turn my heart from thee away;\n          And yet my heart is free;\n    These wounds and scars, that men despise,\n    Are jewels precious in thine eyes,\n          And this is all to me.\n\n    \"Had I ten thousand years to live,\n    Had I ten thousand lives to give,\n          All these should be thine own;\n    And that foul scorn thy foes bestow\n    Still prove a laurel to my brow,\n          And their contempt a throne.\"\n\nIn this service he never wrote or uttered a single sentence that was not\npeculiar to himself for its plainness of purpose, yet depth of thought,\nand for strong logical reasoning to this grand end. He possessed for his\npurpose a large share of ready, manly eloquence, not nervous and\nstartling, but cool and convincing; and this, coupled with a natural\nquickness in discovering the strength or weakness of an argument, ever\ninsured him victory in religious controversy. No sarcasm, no reflection,\nno imputation could throw him off his guard for one moment. He was ever\nunruffled, yet forcible, evincing the spirit of the doctrine which he\nadvocated at all times. It was perfectly impossible to so excite him in\ncontroversy as to lead him to say the least ungentlemanly, or even\nabrupt thing. He stood for years as a target for the poisoned arrows of\nmalice, bigotry and envy, and bore all with a serene dignity of spirit,\nwhich a firm reliance in Heaven could alone have given.\n\nIn his public teachings he never indulged in abstractions, never ran\naway from his theme, upon abstruse and visionary ideas. He was in this\nrespect, as in all others, eminently natural, eminently practical,\neminently _original_. We do not find nature teaching us by adducing\nvague notions of facts, but rather by a display of the facts themselves.\nAbstractions and transcendentalisms are but thick fogs to cloud the\nmental vision, while plain matter-of-fact is the clear, bright view of\ntruth, with the soft, rich perspective of wisdom. It is exceedingly\nquestionable, when we hear a minister dilating upon the arts and\nsciences, or leading his hearers off in a vein of visionary philosophy,\nwhether that man has a religion worth preaching, or that is congenial to\nhis own heart.\n\n\"He _was a man of great originality and remarkable power_,\" says Rev.\nMr. Miner. \"He walked not in a beaten track. His method of\ninterpretation was all his own; it was evolved by the new faith which\ninspired him, and maintained throughout a self-consistency unknown to\nbiblical writers fifty years ago. Though his labor consisted in dealing\nwith the most familiar statements, yet he never failed to shed upon his\ntheme a new and diviner light, and to invest it with rare and universal\ninterest. It is no condemnation of his method of interpretation to say\nthat it seemed, to the perverted understanding of that time, to be\nforced and unnatural. The value of this circumstance may be justly\nestimated by the fact, that the current methods of the world have been\nconstantly assimilating to his method, ever since it has been in\nconflict with them.\n\n\"It was in his style of exposition and clearness of illustration, rather\nthan in his form of statement, that his originality consisted. It was\nmanifested not so much by rhetorical aids, as by his vivid embodiment\nof the principle he would inculcate. In the early part of his ministry,\nhe had too much hard work to do, too many open and covert foes to\ncontend with, too many hurtful errors to overthrow, to permit him to\nloiter in the fields of literature for the gathering of verbal and\nrhetorical bouquets. He needed not these aids. His thought was rare, and\nburned with the truths of God. Howsoever expressed, it was sure to be\nremembered. The hearer might have no recollection of the dress. Whether\nclothed or unclothed, whether 'in the body or out of the body,' he might\nnot be able to say. One thing, however, he could say; a new thought,\nglowing like the sun in the heavens, with a light all its own, had found\na place in his heart. He who possesses such a power need seek no other.\nThe trappings of literature can never do the work of truth. They may\ndazzle the imagination; but truth alone can warm the heart. They may\nlead to the admiration of man, but never to the adoration of God.\"\n\nThis is so much in the spirit of what we have before remarked, that the\nquotation is most applicable.\n\nSeveral short poems are introduced into these pages from Mr. Ballou's\npen. They are generally taken at random from his published fugitive\npieces, unless designed to illustrate some particular trait of character\nor frame of mind, some cherished principle of the writer's heart. Though\nwe claim no fame for Mr. Ballou as a poet, yet his productions in this\nline of composition are numerous. A volume of his poems has lately been\ncollected and published, but these pieces were thrown off in the hurry\nof an editor's duty, and evince no care on the writer's part. He has\nleft us scraps of verse, however, which show that the power was native\nin him, and the poet's genius a part of his natural endowment. The\nverses that will close the last of this volume, though written in old\nage, compare favorably with those of any production of the kind we have\never met with. As late as the year 1844, he was an occasional\ncontributor of poems to the press, of a character calculated for the\ntimes. These verses were given to the public under the signature of\n\"Spectator,\" and were designed to effect some prominent end, to reform\nsome acknowledged impropriety, or to commend that which was good and\nuseful. These, however, were never attributed to him, nor was it known\nout of his family circle that he had written them. Some of them were\nhumorous, some pathetic, some patriotic. His poems were always easy and\nliquid in versification, full of point and meaning, expressing much in a\nfew words, while the ideas are clothed in the sweetest garb of poesy.\nWitness the following, which is the only one at hand at this time:\n\n         HYMN FOR FOURTH OF JULY.\n\n    \"Arise and hail the jubilee,\n    The day that set our nation free;\n    In song his honor chant who gave\n    Counsel and victory to the brave.\n\n    Ye daughters fair, fresh garlands weave,\n    With chaplets strew the warrior's grave;\n    Lo! from the mould'ring sod shall rise\n    Fame's sweetest incense to the skies.\n\n    Fifty bright summer suns have smiled,\n    And fifty harvest moons beguiled\n    Childhood and youth, since vernal showers\n    First moistened freedom's lovely flowers.\n\n    Let joy throughout our land inspire\n    Each manly heart with holy fire;\n    And freedom's song, by Miriam sung,\n    Be heard from every female tongue.\"\n\nWe well remember to have been present on one occasion, when a\nconversation took place between Mr. Ballou and a visitor who had come\nfrom a distance on purpose to see and talk with him on the matter of\nreligion. He was vacillating in his faith, but was by no means persuaded\nof the truth of Universalism. He was a man of wealth, had retired from\nbusiness, but having had his mind brought to a serious turn by a very\ncritical illness, which had nearly proved fatal to him, he had resolved\nto make the Scriptures his study until he should be able to say that he\nhad joy and peace in believing. This he told Mr. Ballou, who commended\nhis resolution, promised to afford him any and all light within his own\npower to impart, and sitting down together, they conversed for some\ntime.\n\n\"I cannot see,\" said the visitor at last, \"why it is that a religion\nwhich promises its believers and followers eternal life for obedience,\nand the woe of eternal misery for disobedience, does not make more\ntruly religious people than your doctrine, which holds forth only\ntemporary evil for disobedience, and temporary reward for obedience. The\nmatter seems very plain to me.\"\n\n\"I will tell you the reason of this,\" said Mr. Ballou, \"and in so doing\nI will give you an evidence also of the truth of the doctrine I profess.\nThe reason is found in the very nature of man, his disposition, and\nnatural promptings. Give to him a task to perform, threaten him with the\nmost fearful sufferings and torment if he fail to accomplish the duty\nyou have prescribed for him, and his calculation will naturally be to do\njust as little of the hated work as it is possible for him to do and\navoid the punishment. Now, on the other hand, you give him an occupation\nwhich he is satisfied will be productive of his own happiness and good,\nthat in the very nature of things will produce him an ample and abundant\nreward, and the selfishness natural to man will lead him to be\nfaithful.\"\n\n\"It would most certainly seem to be so,\" answered the visitor,\nthoughtfully.\n\n\"Certainly this is plain philosophy,\" was the answer.\n\n\"But I do not exactly understand your application,\" said the stranger.\n\n\"That is just what I am coming to. Present to man a religion of which\nthe services are calculated to promote his rational enjoyment, which\ntakes nothing from him without returning more than its value, and in\nthe spirit of which increase of duty is an increase of happiness, and\nthere is but little danger but that they will eagerly accept it. This\nworld is full of labor, toil, and traffic, and the whole is carried on\nby the power of this principle.\"\n\n\"I must acknowledge that religion has seemed to be too much sustained by\nthreats and promises,\" said the stranger.\n\n\"To be sure it has,\" said Mr. Ballou. \"The idea that we perform any\nservice in order to escape punishment, renders that service tedious and\nirksome to us; while, on the contrary, duty is supreme delight when love\nis the inducement and the labor.\"[1]\n\n[Footnote 1: The recollection of this conversation was recalled to the\nwriter's mind by lately reading one of Mr. Ballou's published sermons,\nwhere a very similar argument may be found.]\n\nThe individual above referred to was an Englishman, who came often to\nMr. Ballou's house afterwards, and held similar conversations. This was\nno unusual case. Perfect strangers came and sat for hours sometimes,\nevidently seekers after truth, and anxious ones too. To such Mr. Ballou\nwas ever condescending, patient, and took delight in answering all their\nqueries upon certain doctrinal points, explaining each passage referred\nto, showing its bearing upon others, and challenging the visitor's\nrespect by his urbanity and never-varying politeness in all things.\n\nMr. Ballou was ever ready and prompt at an answer, and his replies were\nfrequently tempered with a quick and pungent wit. He was on a certain\noccasion, on his way to deliver a lecture in the town of Reading, Vt.,\nsurrounded by a number of people, when an Orthodox deacon, confronting\nhim suddenly, asked, with a taunting air and self-sufficient bearing,--\n\n\"Will you answer me one question, Mr. Ballou?\"\n\n\"Certainly, if I can do so at such short notice,\" said Mr. Ballou,\nsmiling at the man's impetuosity.\n\n\"Well, sir,\" said the deacon, \"what will become of a man who goes out of\nthe world cursing and swearing, and calling on God to damn his soul to\nhell?\"\n\n\"Do you believe, my dear sir,\" said Mr. Ballou, \"that a righteous God\nwould answer the vile prayer of such a wicked wretch?\"\n\n\"Why no,\" said the deacon, \"of course not.\"\n\n\"You have answered your own question then,\" said Mr. Ballou, quietly,\nwhile the deacon turned away much disconcerted.\n\nIt is so true that Folly's shallow lip can ask the deepest question,\nthat it is well to remember sometimes, that a fool should be answered\naccording to his folly.\n\n\"The frequency of his times of preaching, in the former part of his\nministry,\" says the editor of the Repository, \"can be but ill imagined\nnow, nor the intense interest with which his message was listened to by\nthe multitude. At times he would preach between two appointments, while\nhis horse was feeding,--his pulpit the base of a noble oak, and the\ncongregation reverently standing in its broad shadow. Taking advantage\nof his haste in leaving, some question would be asked him by some\nrestive, dogmatic deacon, and the undreamed of answer, that came as the\nlightning's flash, would add new fuel to the fire of interest he had\nkindled in the midst of the people.\"\n\nIn this connection we are reminded of an anecdote, for which we are\nindebted to Rev. Sylvanus Cobb, of the Christian Freeman. We introduce\nit here to show Mr. Ballou's power of argument without the least\ntincture of ostentation. It was often his way in debate to ask some\napparently simple but natural question, which his opponent answering, as\nhe obviously must do, would almost certainly refute his own fragile\ncreed or position, and himself and others would be led to see where the\ntruth really was. Mr. Cobb says:--\n\n\"The world at large have known much of the powers and genius of Mr.\nBallou's mind from his published works, but he had most lovely traits of\ncharacter which a personal acquaintance only could discover. While an\nintellectual giant in strength, he was unaffectedly modest and\nunassuming, and never engaged in mere disputations. He would never enter\ninto a combat for mere personal mastery, nor pursue a noisy contest with\none who showed himself to be insincere and trickish; while his own\nmeekness and simplicity of spirit, combined with his clearness of\nperception, would generally cut down the swaggering, cavilling spirit,\nif he came in contact with it.\n\n\"An interesting incident, illustrative of this amiable trait of\ncharacter, once occurred in a brief exchange of words between him and\nAbner Kneeland. Mr. Kneeland had become an atheist, and one day came\ninto an apartment where there was a little company of our ministering\nbrethren, among whom was Mr. Ballou. Mr. Kneeland was forward to\ncommunicate this supposed new light to those with whom he was formerly\nassociated in the ministry of Christ. He could dispense with the use of\na creator of the world and of man, regarding the physical universe and\nthe human species as eternal in their being without beginning. Yet he\ngot in the idea, in the course of the conversation, that man is composed\nof the elements of nature.\n\n\"Mr. Ballou had been sitting in silence, with his elbows resting upon\nhis knees (an attitude he often assumed when listening attentively to an\nargument). At this point he raised his head, and assumed an erect\nposition of body, and said:--\n\n\"'Bro. Kneeland, you seem to have thought a great deal on these\nsubjects, and perhaps you can give me some useful information. Now we\nsee around us, in the city and country, a great many wooden houses. Of\nwhat are these houses made?'\n\n\"'They are made of timbers, boards, shingles, and the like,' answered\nMr. Kneeland.\n\n\"'And out of what,' said Mr. Ballou, 'are these boards and shingles\nmade?'\n\n\"'Out of trees,' replied Mr. K.\n\n\"'Then,' said Mr. Ballou, 'all wooden houses were made out of trees. If\nso, must there not have been trees before there was a wooden house?'\n\n\"'Yes,' said the other, 'of course.'\n\n\"'Well, I thought so,' said Mr. Ballou; 'and now,' continued he, 'here\nare many brick houses,--of what are they made?'\n\n\"'They are made,' answered Mr. Kneeland, 'out of bricks, which are\ncomposed of clay and sand.'\n\n\"'Well, then,' said Mr. Ballou, 'if all brick houses are made of bricks,\nwhich are composed of clay and sand, must there not have been bricks\nbefore there was a brick house, and clay and sand before there was a\nbrick?'\n\n\"Mr. Kneeland now, perceiving what application Mr. Ballou was about to\nmake of his concessions, to explain his philosophy of having men\ncomposed of the elements of nature and yet having no elements of nature\nbefore there were men, began to equivocate! He would not admit the\ninference from the fact that all brick houses were made of bricks, etc.,\nand he even retraced his steps, and took back what he had admitted in\nrespect to wooden houses.\n\n\"'What!' said Mr. Ballou, 'if all wooden houses were made of trees, must\nthere not have been trees before there were wooden houses?'\n\n\"'No,' replied Mr. Kneeland, 'that need not follow!'\n\n\"'Well, then,' said Mr. Ballou, '_how stupid I am_!'\n\n\"And as he uttered these words, he dropped his head again, and let\nhimself back into a posture of quiet rest. Mr. Kneeland at the same time\nchoked and blushed, and attempted to recover himself for renewed\nconversation, but he evidently could not, and so took his departure.\n\n\"This is but one of many incidents which might be cited to illustrate\nMr. Ballou's simplicity in the pursuit and love of truth, his readiness\nwith argument for its support and advancement, in connection with a\nmodest, unassuming habit, and a hatred of bluster and noisy strife.\"\n\nA volume might be filled with anecdotes equally characteristic of Mr.\nBallou's manner and style of argument, had we the necessary time to\ncollect them. But we trust that the few that are compiled and given to\nour readers herewith, may sufficiently familiarize them with the\nsubject's character, both as a Christian and as a theologian. Since\ncommencing this work, a vast number of anecdotes have suggested\nthemselves to the writer's mind, and others, new to him, have been\nsubmitted by friends; but only such as have been considered valuable as\nillustrating his character, and which are known to be authentic, have\nbeen selected for publication in these pages.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nDOMESTIC AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS.\n\n\nAll who knew Mr. Ballou intimately, can bear witness that his home was a\nhappy one. This, of course, was owing to the manner in which he had\nframed and modeled that home after his own heart and the dictates of the\nreligion he professed. He was the master mind there; his word was law,\nhis simplest wish strictly complied with. He was looked up to with a\ndegree of respect and veneration by his children, that was an abiding\nevidence of his true character. In the government of his family, he\n_led_, but never _drove_, his children, endeavoring, to the utmost of\nhis ability, to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,\nand, taking his divine Master for his example, he governed them by love\nand kindness alone.\n\nHe was strongly characterized for his fondness of domestic enjoyment,\nand throughout his whole life, to the very end, evinced the most\nconstant and tenderest solicitude for each and all of his children. Even\nafter they had married and settled in life, with families about them,\nthis solicitude continued as ardent as ever; nor was there one of those\nchildren who would undertake any matter of importance without first\nconsulting his wishes in the premises, and seeking his advice upon the\nsubject; so highly were both respected and esteemed. This is mentioned\nin this connection, not as an encomium upon the family, but simply to\nshow the reader the universal love and respect that its head always\ncommanded. We find this subject referred to by Rev. Henry Bacon, in his\npublished remarks concerning the decease of the subject of this\nbiography. He refers to the respect in which his advice was held upon\nsecular matters, not only in his own family, but by others of his\nacquaintance.\n\n\"He was great,\" says Mr. Bacon, \"in the clearness with which he saw the\nessential truths of the gospel, and in the power with which he\ncommunicated them to others, by that spirit of calm earnestness, and\nthat wondrous faculty to make himself intelligible, which peculiarly\ndistinguished him. He was great as a logician; great in wisdom that\npenetrates to the reality of character, and opens the real motives that\nsway the man; _and his counsel in matters far removed from his peculiar\nwalk in life was weighed as the utterance of an oracle that must not be\nslighted_. Simple in his habits, he lost nothing of life in indulgences\nthat rob existence of its serenity; fixed in a few great principles, he\nmade everything contribute thereto for the enlargement of his views of\nmen and things; and, reverencing the Scriptures with a depth of\nreliance that was beautiful to behold, he brought forth the harmonies of\nthe divine Word in a manner that suggested more than he ever expressed,\nthough he expressed enough to satisfy millions of souls.\"\n\nMay we add here, how grateful such words of appreciation are to the\nhearts of his family.\n\nThe following was furnished us by Rev. Thomas Whittemore, and would seem\nto come most properly under this chapter of Domestic and Personal\nCharacteristics. Mr. Whittemore was solicited for something relative to\nthe subject, being so old and valued a friend of the deceased, and he\nthus speaks:--\n\n\"The life of Hosea Ballou is, in almost every respect, pleasing to\ncontemplate. It was a very active life. He travelled much, he preached\noften, he studied continually, and he wrote not a little. In the earlier\npart of his life he joined teaching of the young in the common sciences\nto his other avocations. No small portion of his leisure time he spent\nin reading; but he _thought_ more than he read. He was always digging\nfor gold; not, however, in books, but in the mine of his own intellect.\nHis mind was very active.\n\n\"The most pleasing part of his life was his serene old age. The writer\nof this remembers him well when he was forty years of age. Ten years\nafterwards, the writer entered his family to pursue a course of studies\nfor the ministry. Mr. B.'s mind at fifty seemed never at rest. If not\nreading, he was busily engaged in mental effort. Often, when he was\nwalking in the streets, have we seen his lips move, as if he were\ntalking. At his home, he would sit frequently with his eyes closed, his\nlips moving, as if holding conversation with some invisible person; and\nwhen he apparently came to some crisis in his meditations, he showed\nsome outward sign of his feelings, sometimes by a smile, at others by\nsuppressed laughter, at others by a sigh.\n\n\"A mind thus active is in danger of disturbing, if too much indulged,\nthe proper action of the digestive powers, which, in their turn, react\nupon the mind, and produce lowness of spirits and gloom. Mr. Ballou at\nfifty was troubled in this way. His heart had an affection sympathetic\nwith the stomach, and its action was irregular and intermittent. At this\npoint of his life, he had lived but three or four years in Boston; and\nhe had had occasion to perform a large amount both of mental and\nphysical labor. He had preached three times almost every Sabbath; had\nedited, for two years, the 'Universalist Magazine;' had visited many\nparts of the country to preach the gospel, sometimes under very\nanimating circumstances; and these complicated labors were too much for\nhim. His most sagacious friends then had fears either that he would not\nlive to old age, or, if he did, that his later years would be unquiet.\n\n\"We remember, with very great satisfaction, the exceeding gentleness and\namiability of his wife, in the days of which we speak. While this\nexcellent lady still survives, it is not proper for us to express all\nthat may be justly said of her. She presided over her household with a\nfidelity, a blandness, a kindness, steady as the current of a river, and\nunruffled as a lake in the calmest day. This season of intermixture of\nhealth and sickness, joy and sadness, light and shade, continued for\nsome half dozen years, when it was very gratifying to Mr. B.'s friends\nto see that each change denoted that his life might be protracted\nperhaps to old age, and that, peradventure, his old age should be as\nserene as his earlier days had been laborious and useful. Such proved to\nbe the fact. He died in his eighty-second year, and his life grew more\nand more serene unto its close; like the sun, obscured somewhat by\npassing clouds at noon, but shining clearly during the rest of the day,\nmaking its course through the western sky, and passing away from the\nearth, as it were, into the boundless heavens beyond.\n\n\"This quiet old age I attribute to several circumstances. Mr. Ballou was\na man of sound sense. It was his aim to make the best of everything. He\nwas a Christian philosopher. He sought to rule his own spirit. He\nbelieved that humility and meekness were the brightest jewels in the\nChristian's crown. He had a firm trust in his Maker's goodness. He\nbelieved that God was the Sovereign of the universe, a Father of\ninfinite goodness, as well as of infinite power, who executed his will\nin the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and\nwho, by everything which he did, and by everything which he permitted\nto be done, was seeking infallibly the good of his creatures. What an\ninfluence would such a faith exert on Mr. Ballou's life!\n\n\"Added to this, he had a wife whose constant effort and highest joy was\nto make her husband happy. Few such women have lived. It is my duty to\ndeclare, that, during thirty years' acquaintance with her, I never have\nheard the first unkind word from her lips, respecting any human being.\nTowards her husband, there was a devotion that never tired. It was her\nconstant desire and aim to make him useful and happy. She appeared well\nin any society, but home was her genial sphere. Much of the quiet of\nFather Ballou's old age must be attributed to her. His children, also,\nhave been sources of great comfort to him. They diligently aimed to make\nhim happy. He loved them all with surpassing tenderness, and they loved\nhim in consequence. Had anything unfavorable happened to either of his\nchildren, it would have been like a dart driven through his soul. We\nknow that, even in that case, his religion and his philosophy would have\ncome to his aid; he would have believed that God had a wise purpose in\nit; but, even with that alleviation, it must greatly have disturbed his\nlife. No such affliction, however, awaited him. Two of his sons became\npreachers of the same gospel which he had defended, and by their prudent\nlives gained the respect of all who knew them. They have not, like many\nclergymen, moved frequently from place to place, but, for about a\nquarter of a century, have remained stationary pastors. In respect to\nthe goods of this world, they have been prudent, and have prospered. * *\n* * The daughters have all been married to faithful, kind, and prudent\nhusbands, of whom two are preachers of the gospel, and all, men of\nrespectability, intelligence, and thrift.\n\n\"Such have been the circumstances of Father Ballou's family. But we have\nyet to mention another source of the happiness of his last days. He saw\nhimself standing at the head of a large and prosperous body of\nChristians, who loved and venerated him for his labors, the purity of\nhis character, and the good he had done. He saw their regard for him\nmanifested at such times, and in such ways, that he had reason to\nbelieve it was not done for effect, but was the outgushing of the real\nfeeling of their hearts. At the meetings of conventions, associations,\nand other public bodies, all were happy to greet the old soldier of the\ncross. His strength was spared to him to such a degree, that he was able\nto travel and preach up to the close of his life. His last sermon was\ndelivered within eight days of his death. He used frequently to say that\nit seemed to him no man had more to be thankful for than he. Prudence in\ndiet; prudence in labor; a kind heart; an affectionate companion; loving\nchildren; ease in his worldly circumstances; the homage of the class of\nChristians to which he belonged; the respect of mankind at large;\nability to pursue his favorite calling to the end of life; a strong\ntrust in God, whose commands he sought diligently to obey;--these were\nthe causes of the serenity of his old age. 'Mark the perfect man, and\nbehold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.' Psalm 37:37.\"\n\nEspecially was he fond of children and infants. This was a markedly\nprominent feature in his feelings; and children, too, never failed to\nmake friends with him at once. In our own humble experience, we have\nmade this a criterion of judgment in character. He who warmly and\nquickly interests a child,--whose temperament is such that infancy can\neasily assimilate with it,--whose sympathies are of a nature quickly to\nunite when brought in contact with childhood,--that man has at heart\nmuch of the real _purity_ and _innocence_ which are the main\ncharacteristics of those whom the Saviour blessed. We never saw a child\nshun or turn away from him; but we have seen scores of those who were\nstrangers, put out their little hands and go willingly to him. In his\nown family circle his love of children found ample scope and a genial\nfield for exercise.\n\nMore than forty of his own grandchildren might have been gathered\ntogether at one time during his life. But, as we have intimated, it was\nnot with these alone that the spirit we refer to was evinced; it was the\nsame with one as with another. All children he dearly loved, and\nparticularly noticed. There seemed to be a magic power in his voice, and\nin the gentle beaming of his clear, expressive eyes, that carried\nassurance to their timid bosoms; and they would nestle happy and\nundismayed in his arms, or listen to his words, so cunningly adapted to\nthe powers of their tender intellect.\n\nThe secret of Mr. Ballou's remarkable success in his family government,\nwas, doubtless, his following those rules which he has so well expressed\nand laid down for others. It is a valuable excerpt that he has left, and\nwe doubt not that the reader will thank us for introducing it here, and\nin his own words:--\"When giving to your children commands, be careful\nthat you speak with a becoming dignity, as if not only the right, but\nthe wisdom also to command, was with you. Be careful not to discover a\njealousy that your injunctions may not be attended to; for if the child\nsees that you have your doubts, they will lead the child to doubt too.\nBe cautious never to give your commands in a loud voice, nor in haste.\nIf you must speak loudly in order to be obeyed, when it is not\nconvenient to raise your voice you must expect to be disobeyed; and if\nit be convenient for you to speak loudly, you must remember it is\ninconvenient for others to hear it.\n\n\"But, with regard to manner, be careful to speak in a soft, tender, kind\nand loving way. Even when you have occasion to rebuke, be careful to do\nit with manifest kindness. The effects will be incalculably better. When\nyou are obliged to deny the request that your child may make, do not\nallow yourself to do this with severity. It is enough for our dear\nlittle ones to be denied of what they may think they want, without\nbeing nearly knocked down with a sharp voice ringing in their tender\nears.\n\n\"If you practise severity, speak harshly, frequently punish in anger,\nyou will find your children will imbibe your spirit and manners. First\nyou will find that they will treat each other as you treat them; and\nafter they arrive to a little age, they will treat you with unkind and\nunbecoming replies. But if you are wise, and treat your little ones with\ntenderness, you will fix the image of love in their minds, and they will\nlove you and each other, and in their conversation will imitate the\nconversation which they have heard from the tenderest friend which\nchildren have on earth.\"\n\nIn this connection we are reminded of a letter, lately published, from\nMrs. C. A. Soule, relative to her impressions touching the death of the\nsubject of this memoir. It will be remembered that her husband was a\nwarm and cherished friend of Mr. Ballou's, and that he was associated\nwith him as colleague over the Second Universalist Society, in\nSchool-street, Boston, as late as 1845.\n\n\"As vividly as though it were but yesterday, does memory bring to me\nthat sunny April day, in 1844, when I first entered the sanctuary where\nhe had ministered so many years. There was a dedication service, and I\nthought then, and I think now, that I never gazed upon a more impressive\nsight than was presented at that moment, when the aged pastor took in\nhis arms the little helpless babe, and in touching words consecrated it\nto Him who said 'Suffer little children to come unto me.' That picture\nof infancy and age,--how I longed for a pencil to sketch it! Thank\nHeaven, memory, with faithful touch, inscribed it on my heart, and it\nwill ever hang there, one of its most beautiful pictures. And now I see\nhim at my own threshold. I meet him, and present him my own little one,\nmy firstborn. How tenderly he caresses it! Long he looks into her\nlaughing eyes, and then exclaims, in a tone I can never forget, 'How I\nwish I could read her thoughts!' Then, sitting down, he tells me that he\nnever yet looked on a babe without longing to know the workings, the\nthoughts, of the infant mind; and afterwards gave me some excellent\nadvice about so training that little one that when age should enable her\nto reveal her thoughts, they might all be pure and beautiful. How\nlife-like is the portrait I have of him in my mind's eye! It seems so\npalpable that I almost feel the light as it streams from that thrilling\neye, and hear the eloquent words that tremble on that 'heaven-touched\ntongue.'\"\n\nIn illustration of the feelings which influenced him as it regarded\nintercourse with his children, and consideration for their enjoyment,\nand sympathy with them even in many seeming trifles, we relate the\nfollowing anecdote, which, though perhaps trifling in itself, is by no\nmeans without value in point of application.\n\nWhen Mr. Ballou engaged, in 1834, to go to New York and Philadelphia, it\nbecame known to one of his parishioners, who desired to send his child,\na young lady, to the latter city, on a visit to some relations or\nfriends. His request to take charge of the young person was cheerfully\nacceded to by Mr. Ballou. It so happened that the person who was to\naccompany him was a classmate at school and a very intimate companion of\none of his own daughters, the eldest then at home. When this daughter\nlearned that her classmate was to accompany her father on his journey,\nshe could not but express a wish that she were going also. There were no\nrailroad conveniences then, nor were scarcely any of the present\naccommodations for travelling perfected. It was not only considerable of\nan undertaking to commence a journey of three hundred miles, but it\nnecessarily involved not a trifling expense.\n\nIt came to the ears of Mr. Ballou that his child really desired to\naccompany him; and, when he understood the circumstances, he immediately\ngave his consent,--telling her, playfully, not to say anything to her\nyoung friend of this, but that he would manage an agreeable surprise for\nher. The stage came to the house very early on the morning appointed for\nstarting,--long before daylight. Mr. Ballou and his daughter got in, and\ntook their places on the back seat, the latter well wrapped up about the\nface. They then drove to the house of her schoolmate, who was to\naccompany them. She also took her place in the vehicle, exchanging a\nsalutation with Mr. Ballou, and they drove off in the darkness. It was\nnot long before the young lady took occasion to remark, casually, to Mr.\nBallou, how agreeable it _would_ have been could Elmina (the daughter)\nhave accompanied them. \"Very,--very indeed,\" said Mr. Ballou; and they\nstill drove quietly on. At last, the city being now left far behind, and\ndaylight having appeared, Mr. Ballou asked the young lady if she knew\nthe person by her side. On hearing this inquiry, she turned to see her\nneighbor's face, and lo! it was her classmate and dearest friend with\nwhom she had been thus seated so long without recognizing her! The\ndaughter has since often declared that she knew not which enjoyed the\nruse most on this occasion,--father or child.\n\nDuring the year 1845, Mr. Ballou, being then seventy-four years of age,\nwrote and published two or three essays in the Universalist Quarterly,\nupon certain passages of scripture which had seemed to be a\nstumbling-block to many of his own denomination. One of these texts was\nthat commencing, \"In my Father's house are many mansions,\" etc. This, by\nsome of the order of Universalists, was supposed to signify that in the\nfuture state there would be different degrees of blessedness, in\nproportion to the worthiness of the spirit, or to its moral character\nand mental cultivation. This idea was thoroughly exploded, as it\nregarded many minds, by the article referred to, which was thus the\nmeans of converting many doubtful minds, as they acknowledged, some of\nthem orally, and some by letters addressed to him from at home and\nabroad. The clear, logical style of reasoning evinced in this essay, and\nin one published by him not long subsequent in the Quarterly, relative\nto the question as to what influence our present being may have on our\nfuture existence, showed conclusively that the full strength and vigor\nthat originally rendered his writings so forcible were with him still,\nthat his mental vision was as keen as ever, and that none of his powers\nof intellect had waned in their fire.\n\nThese articles were penned as correctly and distinctly, as it regarded\nthe chirography, as was his early custom, and generally written, if not\nat one sitting, within the space of a few hours; for, when he had\nanything to do, he could not feel contented until it was done. The\narticle completed, he would carefully fold it, and wend his way\npersonally to the publishing-house in Cornhill, and deposit it there,\nnever failing at the appointed time to read the proof, concerning which\nhe was very sensitive, and very correct. It was but a few days prior to\nhis decease that he read thus the proof-sheets of his last article,\nfurnished for the Universalist Quarterly.\n\nIn the manuscript which Mr. Ballou furnished the author of this\nbiography, there appears written about this period, the fall of 1845,\nthe following interesting paragraph relative to the immense change that\nhe had lived to see transpire in the religious world about him.\n\n\"Since I came to this city, I have enjoyed the happiness of seeing the\ncause of religion prosper, and the different denominations growing more\nliberal and more charitable towards each other. I have seen, too, my own\npeculiar views received very generally, and regarded very favorably by\nthe denomination to which I have belonged from the commencement of my\npublic labors. Since I came here I have been rejoiced to see the\nwonderful increase of Universalist societies in Boston and the\nneighboring towns, as well as in the other States of our Union. There\nare firmly established ones now in Roxbury, Cambridgeport, East\nCambridge, Medford, Malden, etc., besides five or six in Boston, to the\ncommencement and building up of which I have had the pleasure of adding\nmy mite by way of labor.\"\n\nIt was very natural that he should then contrast the state and condition\nof the cause with its feebleness when he first came to Boston. A few\nscattered believers were all it numbered then; persecution and obloquy\ngreeted its defenders at every step. To be called a Universalist was\nequivalent to being called anything vile and wicked, and the name was\nheld as one of reproach by nearly all. But how vastly different was the\nprospect that presented itself to his view in the closing days of his\nlife, and how grateful this must have been to him who had borne the\nburthen and the heat of the day! He saw the denomination vastly\nextended. He saw Universalists respected not only for numbers, but for\nthe goodly influence they exerted far and wide.\n\nHe saw that there were now nineteen annual state conventions, eighty-two\nassociations, eight missionary societies, ten hundred and seventy\nsocieties, professing the doctrine; seven hundred and ninety-nine\nmeeting-houses devoted to this worship, and some seven hundred preachers\nin his Master's vineyard, who taught the doctrine of God's impartial\ngrace. These, and other facts equally illustrating the wonderful change\nhe had witnessed, caused him, when toasted and called upon at the late\nfestival of brethren in Boston, to speak to them, to say, that as he\ngazed on the crowd before him, and thought of the multitude they\nrepresented, he was reminded of the beginning of Universalism in New\nEngland, and to quote the words of the prophet: \"There was a handful of\ncorn in the top of the mountain, but its fruit shall shake like\nLebanon!\"\n\nHow apt and true the quotation.\n\nWe have seen that the vigor and keenness of Mr. Ballou's mind had in no\nway abated, that every mental faculty still shone brightly as at the\nprime of his manhood. Let us show the reader statistically what that\nmind had performed in its time. During his professional life he\ndelivered _over ten thousand sermons_. This calculation, which at first\nappears to be so very large, is nevertheless strictly correct, and will\nnot seem to be overrated, when we call to mind the fact that for more\nthan thirty years of his ministration he not only preached three times\nevery Sabbath, but _frequently_ for several consecutive days of the week\nbeside. Until within five or ten years past, three sermons on the\nSabbath has been his usual performance, in the line of his professional\nduty. And after his sermons in country towns, the answering of\nquestions, and the conversation he was obliged to hold in private with\nhonest seekers after truth, were quite as laborious, in fact, as were\nhis public services in the pulpit. We have known him to occupy nearly\nhalf the night, not unfrequently, in this manner, patiently and\nzealously.\n\nIncluding his essays and treatises upon doctrinal subjects, his fugitive\nsermons furnished for the different magazines and papers of which he was\neditor for a long period of time, and afterwards a constant contributor\nto the very end of his life, beside a large number which appeared in\npamphlet form, and of which no particular mention is made in these\npages, and the works herein referred to, Mr. Ballou has written and\npublished enough to make one hundred volumes, containing the same amount\nof matter as the one now in the hands of the reader. The mere mechanical\nlabor of writing such a mass of composition is in itself a Herculean\ntask; but when we consider that each page is characterized by careful\nreasoning upon points that required much thought and study, and that the\nwhole is largely original; that the author was unaided by any other\nbooks, save the Bible, in the formation of his arguments and opinions;\nand that he was a self-made man withal, we shall come to the conclusion,\nthat, to say the least of it, the subject of these memoirs was\nparticularly blessed and aided by Divine Providence.\n\nOne secret of his having accomplished so much, is the fact that he was\nnever idle, never contented to sit down with folded arms in his chair\nand do nothing; a book or a pen was ever in his hands, except when he\nwas taking the ordinary and necessary daily exercise. His life had been\ntoo stirring and active for him ever to relapse into dormancy, while\nhis faculties were left to him. How well we can see him at this moment,\nin the mind's eye, as he used to appear at the centre-table, with his\nbook close by the lamp, of an evening, and his wife opposite to him,\nlistening to the work which he was reading aloud to her; such is almost\nthe last evening scene we can recall in connection with him; his clear,\ndistinct pronunciation, proper emphasis, and fine voice, even in old\nage, seeming to portray with singular accuracy the author's ideas, and\nto add a charm to the subject treated upon.\n\nMr. Ballou had always deprecated the idea of capital punishment,\nbelieving the law based on a wrong principle that would take the life of\na human creature, while none but God could give it. During the winter of\n1845, there was more than the usual interest evinced by the public on\nthis subject, and numerous public meetings were held relative to the\nsubject, and to endeavor to bring about a reform in the criminal code,\nso as to exclude the death penalty altogether. At several of these\nassemblies Mr. Ballou made eloquent addresses upon the subject, and\nwrote a number of articles, which were published, advocating the cause,\nin which he felt a very great interest. We subjoin the following poem,\nwritten by him at this time. It is peculiarly illustrative of his plain,\nstraightforward style of composition.\n\n            THE CRIMINAL CODE.\n\n    If in the heart the virus dwell\n    Of murder, can we that expel\n    By dire revenge, or shall we find\n    We miss the law that governs mind?\n\n    To quench a flame should we engage,\n    And fuel add, behold the rage!\n    Now fiercer still the flame ascends,\n    And fear with consternation blends.\n\n    Man kills his neighbor. Why? Because\n    His passions rise against the laws,\n    Which God hath written on his soul,\n    Unmanned the man, and made a fool.\n\n    To cure the evil, now the law,\n    With tiger rage and open jaw,\n    Cries out for blood, for blood it cries,\n    Seizes the culprit, and he dies.\n\n    Two men are dead in room of one;\n    And now the work is but begun:\n    The virus spreads, and everywhere\n    The deadly taint infects the air.\n\n    And murder now becomes more rife;\n    Lighter esteemed is human life\n    And he who could not just before,\n    Now coolly looks on human gore.\n\n    Revenge is wrong; cannot subdue\n    The vile affections, but renew\n    Their actions to a flame more dire,\n    To rage like a consuming fire.\n\n    When will our legislators learn,\n    That blessed, heavenly truth discern,--\n    When will it well be understood,\n    That evil is o'ercome with good?\"\n\nMr. Ballou always had a purpose in view when he wrote, whether prose or\npoetry, and to this end, more than to the musical cadence of the verse,\nhe exerted his ability at composition, and always successfully.\n\nThe subject of this biography was far from being loquacious, and seldom\ntalked without some important and definite purpose in view. Yet, though\nhe might be said to be somewhat reserved in speech, he was by no means\nsecluded or abstracted in his habits, but, on the contrary, generally\nevinced the liveliest interest in the conversation of those about him.\nHe was not one to break in upon the conversation of others, and if his\nopinion was given at all, it was almost always because it was solicited.\nThere is such a thing as eloquent silence; and when we see a mind, much\nenriched by study and experience, offered as it were uninvited, at all\ntimes and on all occasions, we see very plainly that there is something\nwanting. Sidney Smith said of Macaulay, that he only wanted a few\nbrilliant flashes of silence to make him perfect!\n\nThere are few old people, or such as have reached the advanced age of\nthreescore and ten, who have not stored up in their memories a fund of\nstories and personal anecdotes, many, perhaps, of their own individual\nexperience. These they are in the habit of relating frequently as they\ngo on their way of life, and often do so over and over again to the same\nindividuals, through mere forgetfulness. This is perhaps one of the\nearliest evidences of mental decay. Although, in the course of his long\nand chequered life, Mr. Ballou had experienced many interesting\nincidents, and learned many curious anecdotes, yet it was a very rare\nthing for him to relate one, unless when, in conversation or argument,\nsome one peculiarly applicable to the subject in hand, suggested itself\nto his mind as illustrative of some feeling or passion of our natural\ndispositions. When he did speak, those about him always _listened_. It\nwas on such occasions, that, like the sage of \"Rasselas,\" he spoke, and\nattention watched his lips; he reasoned, and conviction closed his\nperiods. This was particularly the case in his large family circle,\nwhere his opinion, as we have before observed, was sought and repeated,\non all subjects and on all occasions. While there never was a parent\nmore truly respected, there never was one more dearly beloved. This\ncould not be brought about by an iron rule, and a stern, inflexible\ncharacter. No. It was accomplished on his part by the exercise, in his\ndomestic relations, of that holy fatherly love which formed the basis of\nhis creed, and which he worshipped in his God.\n\nFor a number of years Mr. Ballou was in the habit of carrying a\nsnuff-box in his pocket, and of using the article as freely as is\ngenerally the case with those who carry it about them. We all know,\ndoubtless, how very easy a matter it is to contract a habit, and more\nparticularly is this the case in advanced years. But if it is difficult\nfor young people to abandon any bad habit, when the practice has once\nbeen fairly contracted,--if it is hard for them to conquer a pleasant\nbut baleful appetite, with the many channels of amusement, occupation,\nand substitutes that youth and physical vigor present,--how much more\ndifficult must it be for those who are aged and infirm, and who are\nthrown so much upon their own resources for amusement, and the means of\nagreeably passing their leisure moments. After having made habitual use\nof snuff for several years, Mr. Ballou found that it cloyed the nasal\norgans or passage, and thus slightly affected his voice as to\ndistinctness in public speaking. Perceiving this, he laid by the article\nat once, without a murmur, and did not use it at all for three years,\nand never again habitually. This instance of resolution simply serves to\nshow the natural firmness of his character, and the complete\nself-control which he exercised over himself.\n\nThere is still another illustration of this spirit, which we will give\nhere.\n\nAbout a year subsequent to the period of his discontinuing the use of\nsnuff, a physician suggested to him the propriety of smoking tobacco\nafter each meal, and being at that time slightly dyspeptic, it was\nthought that it might aid and stimulate the digestive organs. The\nsuggestion was therefore adopted, and Mr. Ballou consequently soon\nacquired the habit of smoking regularly after each meal, three times a\nday, which practice he continued for a period of some two years. This\nhabit is universally acknowledged to be one of the most seductive in its\ncharacter, and one which will draw stronger upon the inclination and\nappetite than any other, except perhaps the use of ardent spirits. One\nday we observed that the old gentleman did not light his pipe as usual,\nafter dinner, and we asked him if he had forgotten it. \"No,\" said he.\n\"I have been thinking that I am becoming a slave to this habit, inasmuch\nas I find that I have to do it _regularly_ every day at certain periods.\nIt is no longer a medicine, but a pleasant habit, and I shall leave it\noff until I find that I require it again for my health's sake.\" His pipe\nwas thenceforth laid aside, as his snuff-box had been, without a murmur,\nor any external advice to influence him; thus showing the strict\nself-denial he exercised.\n\nThe careful reader will follow out the application of this spirit, for\nit was adopted by Mr. Ballou in every bearing in which it was possible\nto affect himself, in accordance with the dictates of his better\njudgment, not only as it related to simple appetite and agreeable habit,\nbut it was one of his fixed and fundamental principles of character,\noften evinced. Probably no person who possessed the means, ever desired\nmore to travel over his own and foreign countries, than did the subject\nof this biography. Well read in ancient and modern history, and familiar\nwith geography, frequent reference was made by him to this desire to\nvisit more particularly Palestine and the East generally. But when urged\nto gratify what his children knew to be so strong a wish, and with every\nfacility offered him, and one or more of his children to accompany him,\nhis spirit of self-denial caused him to say:--\"How much there is to do\nyet, that I may accomplish in my Master's vineyard. To gratify this\ndesire would indeed be delightful to me, but what benefit could it ever\nbe to my fellow-men?\"\n\nHe was assiduously kind and thoughtful in relation to animals. For many\nyears, and until latterly, he kept a horse and vehicle for his own use,\nand he was always particular to see _personally_ that the animal was\nproperly fed and protected. He was accustomed daily to prepare from his\nown plate, after dinner, food for a large dog that belonged to a member\nof the family, as late as his seventy-eighth year. This kindly\nsolicitude and thoughtfulness for the dumb animals about him was an\nevidence of the natural goodness of his heart. Animals soon learn to\nlove those that are kind to them, and even the family cat purred more\ncheerfully when resting by his feet, while he often gave it a kind\ncaress.\n\nMr. Ballou was very regular as to his personal habits, particularly\nduring the last twenty years of his life. We refer to the taking of his\nmeals, his sleep, exercise, and the like. In late years he was\naccustomed to retire early at night, and to rise very early in the\nmorning. In former years, as we have shown, he borrowed much of the\nnight for his hours of study. This was particularly the case when he was\nengaged in his earlier writings, and when acting as sole editor of the\nvarious papers with which he was at different times connected. He was\nindeed remarkably frugal in his diet, and to this may be attributed, in\na large degree, the constant good health he enjoyed. He ever preferred\nthe most homely and simple food, partaking of little meat, and more\nfreely of milk and bread. Before the noon-day meal on the Sabbath, with\nhis family assembled about the board, he always asked the divine\nblessing, in a most impressive manner, but on no other day was he\naccustomed to do so aloud.\n\nHis hand upon the door, or his footfall upon the sill, was a sweet sound\nto us all; for it was with him as Dr. Doddridge said of his venerable\nfriend Dr. Clark, of St. Albans,--\"He brought joy into _every_ house\nwhich he entered, but most of all into his own house, when he returned\nto it.\"\n\nWe have once already referred in these pages to Mr. Ballou's wife. Our\nfeelings would naturally prompt a much more elaborate allusion to her\nmany virtues, both as a mother and as a wife. But as we design this\nbiography to be strictly a memoir of Mr. Ballou, we only refer in these\npages to such other matters as are deemed necessary to mention, in\nfurtherance of the main object of the work. Mr. Ballou was fortunate in\nallying himself to a companion who was in every way worthy of him, one\nwhom he loved with the most tender and undying affection through his\nwhole life, and who was to him all that a wife should be. Her\ncharacteristics were remarkable industry, simplicity of heart,\ndevotedness to him, and untiring domestic assiduity. With a naturally\nstrong intellect and good judgment, she also coupled the agreeable\nattraction of personal beauty; but the outward comeliness of her person\nwas far eclipsed in his eyes by more enduring loveliness.\n\nWe have already given, in these pages, some remarks from the pen of the\neditor of the Trumpet, who, in a notice of Mr. Ballou's life, given on\nthe occasion of a full-length portrait being completed of him, for the\nSchool-street Society, at the age of seventy-six, says of his\ncompanion:--\"Sept. 15, 1796, he was married to his present wife, a woman\nof unsurpassable goodness, concerning whose praise it would be almost\nimpossible to speak too highly.\" Mr. Whittemore was, some years since,\nan inmate of the family for a considerable period of time, and his words\nmust therefore have weight, as coming from one who spoke advisedly.\n\nMany of us know from personal experience how great is the influence upon\nour lives and actions of her to whom we have been bound by the holy tie\nof matrimony. Characters are often made or marred by this association.\nThe calm dignity of demeanor, the evenness of temper, the perfect\ncontentment and general life of the subject of this biography, all\nmanifested the true character of his home relations, influences, and\nassociations. Had those relations been different from what they were, a\nsterner hue would have tinged his character, and a different spirit\ndoubtless have imbued his whole career in life; at least the inference\nis but natural.\n\nThe following lines were written by Mr. Ballou, then at the age of\nseventy-four years, in an album which he had presented to his wife, and\nare introduced here to show the affectionate regard that existed between\nthem at this advanced period of life. No comment is necessary, save that\nthe lines were written by a husband to his wife after _fifty years_'\ncompanionship.\n\n              TO MY WIFE.\n\n    \"Thou dearest of the dear to me,\n      Of the beloved the best,\n    Could'st thou but read this heart and see\n      The treasures of my breast,\n    Assurance surely would be thine\n      That undiminished love,\n    By age grown better, like to wine,\n      Can never faithless prove.\n\n    Not when the virgin rose of youth\n      Blushed on thy snowy breast;\n    Not when we pledged ourselves in truth,\n      And were by Hymen blessed,\n    Could strong affection boast as now\n      Of such resistless sway,\n    When age sits wrinkled on my brow,\n      And mortal powers decay.\"\n\nThe patient reader who has followed us thus far in this desultory\nmemoir, must feel more than a passing interest in her who was the bosom\ncompanion of Mr. Ballou; and in this connection we therefore introduce\nthe following extract from a communication to the Christian Freeman,\ndated Sept. 5, 1851, which refers to a visit to the house of Mr. Ballou,\nwho had been indisposed for a few days. After a brief introduction, the\nwriter says:--\n\n\"I wish to say a word through you respecting our venerable and beloved\nfather in Israel, H. Ballou. As your report last week spoke of the\nindisposition of this good brother, and knowing there would be a great\ndesire, both at home and abroad, to know how he might be at this time, I\ndid myself the pleasure, last Thursday, August 20, to call upon him at\nhis own peaceful home. Here I met this aged saint, with his faithful\ncompanion, who have lived together over half a century, enjoying that\nundisturbed domestic peace and felicity, which it is to be feared that\nbut few, comparatively speaking, attain to. Indeed, Father Ballou's\nfamily may well be called a '_model_' family, for love and attachment,\nfidelity and trust; while the happiness of all is that of each, and the\nhappiness of each is that of all. They have had eleven children, and\neight are living to bless their declining years.\n\n\"Mrs. Ballou has not been so extensively known to the _world_ as some;\nbut as a _wife_ and _mother_, none can excel her, and her amiable and\nhappy disposition has enabled her to retain her former pleasant and\naffable manner, so that she is the same interesting and agreeable\ncompany that she was when I first knew her, thirty years ago. And hers\nis the privilege to have her children rise up and call her blessed.\n\n\"And now, with regard to the present health of Father Ballou. I was\npleased to find him much more comfortable than I had expected. He has\nbeen suffering very much from a severe cold which he took about two\nweeks since, and which has been attended with a bad cough. He was quite\nunwell last Sabbath, and fears were entertained that he would be obliged\nto relinquish some of his appointments, which his friends are depending\nupon with such deep interest. But the simple remedies which have been\napplied, finding such a perfect and unimpaired constitution to work\nupon, have wrought a very favorable and happy result; so that, on\nThursday, he seemed very comfortable, though his cough was not wholly\nremoved. He seemed to have no apprehension but that he should yet, for\nsome time to come, be able 'to be about his Father's business.' And many\nwill be the fervent prayers that will ascend from the altar of pure and\ndevoted hearts, that this faithful watchman on the walls of our\nspiritual Zion may be yet spared to us, to teach us the blessed truths\nof that glorious doctrine which, for sixty years, he has most faithfully\nand perseveringly preached, never shunning to declare the whole counsel\nof God.\n\n    'And when he dies, how many hearts will mourn.'\"\n\nThis communication is from the pen of the sympathizing lady of Rev.\nSylvanus Cobb. It is sufficient to show the opinion held by other people\nof Mrs. Ballou, and will also evince the general anxiety and interest\nrealized at any symptoms of illness experienced by one whom so many\nloved and revered.\n\nThe only game that Mr. Ballou ever engaged in at all was the very simple\none of chequers. This he would sometimes, though very seldom, sit down\nto on a long winter's evening, with one of his children, or perhaps some\naged companion who was fond of the game. It is the most common thing for\ntwo persons, who are good players and thus engaged, to evince not a\nlittle feeling at the result of the game, either of pleasure at success,\nor of chagrin at being defeated. But as it regards this matter, we\nnever saw him evince the least feeling either way, beyond one of his\npleasant smiles, as often caused by defeat as by victory. He was what\nwould be called an excellent player, but he evinced only a passing\ninterest in the game.\n\nAt the age of seventy-eight Mr. Ballou was still as fluent and distinct\na speaker as at the age of forty. His sermons were still characterized\nby the same powerful reasoning on every point, as well as bearing\nevidence of constant study, showing also most conspicuously one\npeculiarity of his, that of the practical as well as philosophical\ncharacter of his investigations. One might think that, having preached\nfor a term of nearly sixty years at the date of which we write, there\nwould from necessity be a disagreeable sameness and repetition of ideas\nin his sermons; but this was far from being the case. We have heard old\nmembers of his society, who have listened to his public communications\nfor more than thirty consecutive years, say that they have never heard\nhim deliver a discourse without learning from his lips some fresh and\nbeautiful evidence of the gospel truths,--some new and touching\nillustration of the ennobling sentiments he professed.\n\n    \"Age could not wither him, nor custom stale\n      His infinite variety.\"\n\nHe has himself often remarked that each successive year of study made\nhim happier than before, in the fresh truths and manifestations of\ndivine goodness developed in that never-failing source of\nknowledge,--that flowing river of wisdom,--the Bible.\n\nIn his style of speaking, Mr. Ballou was very peculiar. There was none\nof the study and pomp of declamation in his delivery,--no attempt at\neffect; but he ever spoke to the people, before whom he raised his voice\nas that which he professed to be, an humble servant of all men. And yet\nhe was eloquent, at times brilliantly so, and his oratory has been cited\nby competent judges as a rare example to follow. There are comparatively\nfew men in these days, when the style of ranting, and tearing plain,\nstraightforward sentiment to tatters, is so prevalent, who can so absorb\nan audience as he always did. When he commenced to speak, he would lay\nthe subject before his hearers in a quiet but distinct tone, so as to\nplace it within the capacity of a child, calmly and with judgment. Then\nas he proceeded he grew by degrees animated, and anon enthusiastic, yet\never to the purpose, while the expressive countenances of his hearers\nevinced how fully they entered into the spirit of the speaker. And when\nthey retired from the place of meeting, the people were accustomed to\nfeel that they had listened to profitable matter, and to follow out the\ntheme which he had so distinctly and legibly marked for them.\n\nIn this connection, and as being illustrative of that which we have just\nremarked, we quote here from the sermon of Rev. Otis A. Skinner, of\nBoston (having been kindly permitted to do so), delivered before his\nsociety, relative to the decease of the subject of this biography.\nThese remarks are as follows:--\n\n\"His sermons were all characterized by strength. They were not pretty,\nnot declamatory; but noble, grand, strong. The hearer always felt as\nthough his arguments were unanswerable, his conclusions above dispute.\nWho can gainsay that? That is unanswerable! Such has been the feeling of\nthousands at the close of his sermons. I question whether there was ever\na preacher who made so many converts by his pulpit labors, as Father\nBallou. Thousands on thousands have been convinced by him; and his\nconverts were always those most remarkable for ability to reason, and\nfor hearts of benevolence. He was ingenious as well as strong. The\nmoment he began to open his subject, you began to be interested. You saw\nso much ingenuity in his mode of reasoning, in exposing error, in\nillustrating truth, that whatever you might think of his subject, you\ncould not refrain from listening with marked attention. It was no\nuncommon thing for him to excite a smile, to move his whole\ncongregation; but usually that was done by some ingenious argument that\nwould electrify every mind present. In his preaching he was never light,\nnever irreverent, but always grave, serious, devout; but he was\ningenious, and his ingenuity often created a smile.\"\n\nHis discourses in the city generally averaged about thirty-five minutes;\nbut in the country, where people came many miles to hear him speak,\nfrequently crowding the place of worship to overflowing, and even\nstanding at the windows on the outside, so thronged was the house\nwithin, he would sometimes speak from one to two hours. Inspired by the\nundeviating attention of the mass of honest seekers after truth who were\nbefore him, and incited by their eloquent countenances, in which he\ncould read the influence of his words, it was difficult for him to know\nwhen to stop. At such times he was ever zealous, yet prudent, devout\nwithout ostentation, vigorous and unyielding in his opposition to error,\nbut still always kind and conciliatory. He always complained that on\nsuch occasions he could not find one-half the time he wanted, while\nspeaking upon the holy theme, and that minutes never flew more quickly\nthan under such circumstances. The power of his eloquence upon the\npeople at such times can be but poorly described; it must have been\nwitnessed to be realized and understood. Honest countenances beamed with\ndelight, calm and peaceful joy sat on the wrinkled brow and face of age,\nthe eyes of the young sought each other in sympathy, full of a realizing\nsense of the riches of God's goodness. Even children were thoughtful,\nand forgot the restraint that the services had put upon them. As has\nbeen said in an extract herein, his converts were many. We do not mean\nthat by one discourse he accomplished this reformation in their minds;\nbut he removed the clouds from their mental vision, showed them the\nloveliness of the gospel as it is in Christ, and by hints shrewdly\nstrown and arguments most potent to convince, with references beyond the\npoint of his discourse, he led them to study and judge for themselves,\nwhen he had left them.\n\nRev. A. R. Abbott, in a discourse before his society, has expressed in\nbrief, and very truthfully, some of the characteristics of his style of\npreaching. He says:--\"His discourses were always simple, powerful,\nclear, perfectly intelligible to all, yet made so, apparently, without\nthe least effort. You find there no attempt to carry his points by any\nartifice of oratory. Everything is plain and direct. Even the most\nintricate and perplexing subjects, under his treatment, gradually became\nclear. His thoughts were like clear waters;--their perfect transparency\ndisguised their depth. When speaking upon any intricate topic, perhaps\nno one ever listened to him attentively, under favorable circumstances,\nwithout being astonished at the apparent ease with which he removed the\ndifficulties from his subject, and at the felicity with which all his\nillustrations were chosen. Often, when his hearers have been wrought up\nto an intense and painful interest by some apparently insuperable\nobstacle or unanswerable objection to a point he was laboring to\nestablish, they have been both surprised and delighted, by the\napplication of some well-known truth or familiar text of Scripture, to\nsee the light break in upon the dark point like sunlight through a\nparting cloud. And when they saw how clear the subject then appeared,\nthey were vexed with themselves to think that so obvious an explanation\nhad never occurred to them. His treatment of a subject was like the\nprophet's healing the Syrian leper;--the method was so simple that its\nefficacy was doubted, till its success was manifest.\"\n\nRev. A. A. Miner has kindly furnished us with the following authentic\nanecdote, which is very appropriate in this connection, illustrating as\nit does the magic-like power of Mr. Ballou's eloquence, and the delight\nwith which he was listened to by the masses, when his mission carried\nhim into the country.\n\n\"He had an appointment to preach,\" says Mr. Miner, \"some years ago, in\nthe town of Berlin, Vt. There was residing in that town a\nhighly-respectable gentleman by the name of James Perly, with whom I was\npersonally acquainted. Mr. Perly was exceedingly anxious to hear Mr.\nBallou preach; but, unfortunately, he was so lame with the rheumatism\nthat he could not get into his carriage. The distance to the meeting by\nthe travelled way was some two miles; but a cross-way, through a piece\nof wood, was much shorter. With crutches in hand, he started at an early\nhour, determined, if possible, to reach the place of meeting by the\ncross-way. He had not proceeded far, however,--having just entered the\nwood,--when, to his great annoyance, he found himself arrested in his\nprogress by a large tree, lying directly across his path. To go round it\nwas impracticable, from the obstruction of the underbrush; to step over\nit was impossible, on account of his lameness. What could he do? After\nstudying the problem for a time, he threw over his crutches, and,\nbalancing himself on the body of the tree, managed to roll himself to\nthe other side, and to regain his feet. At length he reached the place\nof meeting, and listened with even more than his anticipated delight.\nThe speaker was all that he had been led to expect, in person, voice,\nand power of reasoning. He was more than pleased,--he was charmed by his\ndoctrine. The word of divine grace found a most welcome reception in his\nheart, and the very glories of the upper world seemed to possess his\nsoul.\n\n\"The meeting over, he wended his way homeward again; 'but whether in the\nbody, or out of the body, he could not tell.' As he entered his house,\nevery hand was upraised in astonishment; and with one voice his family\nexclaimed, 'Why, Mr. Perly! where are your crutches?' Sure enough, where\nwere they? The eloquence which had enraptured his soul had heated the\nbody, and made the lame to leap for joy. He had quite forgotten his\ncrutches, and returned home without them!\n\n\"I give this narration,\" says Mr. Miner, \"on the authority of a sister\nof Mr. Perly, herself not a Universalist. To many persons such a story\nmay seem incredible; but those who are acquainted with the effects of an\nintense pleasurable excitement, will find little difficulty in believing\nit fully true. Few persons, sympathizing with him, could have heard Mr.\nBallou, on the occasions of his visits to the country, without being\nable, from their own experience, to understand something of this\nwonderful influence. The writer of this first listened to him at the New\nHampshire State Convention of Universalists, held at Walpole, in 1838;\nand rarely, if ever, have I seen a man so deeply interest an audience as\nhe did on that occasion. Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of\ngrey-haired fathers, as the hopes of the gospel burned anew in their\nhearts. Such scenes are remembered with gratitude by thousands of\nbelievers throughout New England.\"\n\nA certain brother in the ministry said to the writer of these\npages,--\"You are preparing a biography of your father?\" We replied in\nthe affirmative. \"Well,\" said he, \"you have sat down at home and\nlistened to his preaching before his own society, and have doubtless a\ntrue appreciation of his ability; but you should have seen him before a\nbody of ministering brethren, at a state or national convention. You\nshould have seen him there, to write truly of him. When it was announced\nat such assemblies that Father Ballou would preach, we all knew what to\nexpect, and all reaped a harvest of rich thoughts, pure doctrine,\noriginal arguments, and available material for our own future use in a\nmore limited sphere. He was not only eloquent, he was electrifying; and\nwhile we reverenced him, we also loved him like a father.\" And this we\nfeel positive is not merely the opinion of one man, but of the order\ngenerally.\n\n\"Would that I could renew the sights I have seen,\" says the Rev. Henry\nBacon, \"where thousands, in a crowded and heated assembly in New\nHampshire, were held in wondering and admiring attention, as the\nvenerated preacher set forth the 'exceeding great and precious promises'\nas exhibitive of creating and preserving Love. The riches of grace were\npoured upon the souls of the people as a refreshing shower on the earth;\nand hundreds of old men, who had been awakened from the nightmare of\ntraditional theology, or the sleep of indifference to God and his\nservice, listened, while the tears coursed down their furrowed cheeks,\nas he renewed in their souls the raptures of the past. O never can I\nforget one sermon thus delivered, when he spake to us of those who knew\nGod's name and would put their trust under the shadow of his wings,\nwhich wings were stretched over time and eternity! Eloquent, was he?\nYes, if rapt attention, if profound emotion, if lasting enthusiasm and\ntearful gratitude be any test of the effects of eloquence. With no\nexertion, that wondrously clear and silvery voice would float over the\ncongregation, and the auditor who was the farthest removed from the\nspeaker, caught the simple words, conveying the grandest thoughts most\nfelicitously illustrated. There was no pretension in his oratory; he\nspake right on, warming with his subject, setting up the noblest claims\nfor adoring obedience to God, in all his requirements, exhorting the\npeople to religious duty by the mercies of God.\"\n\nThe effect of his words, in public delivery especially, was greatly\nheightened by the truly benevolent expression of his countenance, and\nby his remarkably venerable appearance. It has been beautifully said of\nPresident Kirkland, that his face was a benediction; and we have often\nheard similar comparisons made by those who have known and been familiar\nwith Mr. Ballou. He wore his hair, white with age, parted smoothly in\nthe centre of the forehead, and resting behind the ears, but not long in\nthe neck. In a number of lithographs, engravings and miniatures, in the\npossession of his family and others, the hair is represented as short,\nand parted thus; but latterly he wore it long, as described above.\n\nThere was expressed in his countenance a serenity of disposition that\nwas peculiar to him, a philanthropy of purpose which characterized all\nhis dealings, and a wisdom and calm dignity that led even the stranger\nto feel a degree of respect for him at once. The blamelessness of his\nlife and the gentleness of his disposition alone form a theme over which\nmemory and friendship have poured their consecration. As to the matter\nof his personal manner and bearing, while he avoided the strict rules of\nforced etiquette, yet he was scrupulously attentive in society to the\ndictates of true politeness. His form was as straight and erect at the\nage of seventy-five as at twenty.\n\nAs he advanced in years, his style of delivery grew perhaps more\nsubdued, but none the less distinct and impressive. He spoke perhaps\nwith less of the fire of zeal, yet with none the less spirit and real\neffect. He could not treat of the divine love and sufferings of Christ,\nor of the deep and unbounded grace of God, without evincing the warmest\nfeelings, and moving the audience to tears by his eloquence upon these\ntouching subjects. He would not unfrequently be completely overcome\nhimself, in dwelling upon this theme in public.\n\nHis was a noble example of a well-balanced mind, without any of that\nstartling, comet-like splendor, which has usually been considered as the\nvery light in which genius lives and moves. His faculties were all\nbrought into admirable harmony, and thus operated with powerful and\nnever-failing effect. There were no contending elements in his nature;\nno struggles of ambition; no strife of penuriousness; no battling of\npassion. Like the beautiful harmony of the elements of nature, his bosom\nwas redolent of concord. And what a worshipper he was, too, of the forms\nof nature, and her mysteriously glorious works about him! There was no\nobject in nature so minute or so apparently unimportant but had\nattractions for his scrutinizing eye. He was exceedingly fond of\nflowers,--those \"illumined scriptures of the prairie,\"--of the rural\nscenery, the lowing herds and various tenants of the grove. Often have\nwe heard him praise and dilate upon these, when, a mere boy, we have\ntravelled with him upon his various missions into the country. He was\none to\n\n    \"Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,\n    Sermons in stones, and good in everything.\"\n\n\"Stay for a moment,\" he said to us, on a certain occasion, as we were\nriding through the country, and had just surmounted a high elevation,\ncommanding a beautiful view of the outspread plain below. It was the\nclosing of a clear autumnal New England day. \"What a mild and holy\nreligion is breathed by nature in such a scene as this! How soft the\ninfluence that steals over the senses! Though fresh from God's own hand,\nand quickened by his presence, it teaches us no terror, no gloom; it\nrouses no fierce passions within the heart; it is calm, meek, forgiving;\nand equally for all breathing things. How hallowed and God-like are the\nblissful teachings of nature!\"\n\nHe gazed so long, in silence, upon the silvery Connecticut, where it\nthreads its course not far from Holyoke Mountain, following out the\ntheme of his thoughts, that we marked well what he had just said, and\nremembered it. We had just risen a hill that overlooked the verdant\nplains of Hadley, and the scene is as fresh to us now as though but an\nhour had intervened. Such appreciations and realizations were most\nnatural to him; and a vein of illustration, drawn from these lovely\nexhibitions of nature, will be found running through the broad meadows\nof his doctrinal arguments, like a purling stream, refreshing and\nvivifying the verdure of divine truth. A reference to nature in her\nrural dress and belongings, as illustrative of the great plan and\npurpose of God's goodness and impartiality, was a favorite custom with\nhim. He would draw thence so many incentives for thankfulness, such\nunmistakable tokens of Omnipotent impartiality and universal love, such\npowerful reasons for disbelieving the unhappy creed that imputed to a\nBeing, whose works are redolent of loveliness, attributes so repugnant\nto the heart of his children, that few could listen unmoved,--few\nrefrain from outwardly evincing the realizing sense he produced in their\npliant understandings. With a full appreciation of these divine\nevidences of God's goodness, we say it was most natural for him to pause\nthus; and, with eyes drinking in of the spirit of the scene before us,\nexclaim, as he did, that it \"taught no terror, no gloom; but that its\ninfluence was meek, forgiving, and equally for all breathing things.\"\n\nBy strict frugality and industry, Mr. Ballou acquired for himself a\ncompetency, besides dividing a handsome sum of money between his\nchildren; and in this latter respect he was somewhat original in his\nmode of carrying out a disposition of his property. He chose to give to\nhis children while he lived, preferring to witness the pecuniary\nassistance he might render to his family, and to participate in its\nenjoyments in his own life-time. His means were acquired solely through\npatient labor and frugality. He never enjoyed a farthing in the way of\nlegacy, nor by any fortunate turn of business or speculation. These\nmatters he never engaged in at all, and often said that he was perfectly\nsatisfied with a return of six per cent. for his money; and that if\nothers felt the same, much of misery and misfortune would be spared them\nand the world at large. Some idea may be formed of the careful manner in\nwhich he considered his responsibilities by the following facts, namely:\nhe never placed his name to a note, or due bill, in the whole period of\nhis life; never borrowed money; never kept an account at any place of\nbusiness, but always paid for that which he bought at the time of\npurchasing, however large or trifling the amount; and, after his long\nexperience of life, he endeavored to impress upon his children that an\nadherence to these rules, as far as was practicable, would be productive\nto them of much good, and prevent a vast deal of trouble, and needless\nanxiety of mind, in relation to secular matters.\n\nBy the different societies over which Mr. Ballou officiated as pastor,\nhe lost, in all, a considerable amount of money, through want of good\nfaith in the payment of his salary. This refers to his associations\nbefore he came to Boston. In one instance, the sum of money thus\nsacrificed by him exceeded one thousand dollars; yet he was never known\nto institute a suit against any individual or society, but left them to\nsettle their unfaithfulness with their own consciences.\n\n    \"Some write their wrongs in marble; he, more just,\n    Stooped down serene, and wrote them in the dust.\"\n\nHis greatly improved prospects, and increased pecuniary means, never in\nthe least influenced his manner of living, his habits or demeanor. These\never continued to be characterized by the same simplicity and prudence\nthat marked his course from earliest manhood. At his house there was\never the same open and free hospitality exercised; and every one, who\nknows anything about the life of a settled clergyman, is aware that he\nmust, of necessity, have constantly about him a large number of visitors\nand partakers of his hospitality. Besides which, as we have before\nsignified, his hands were ever open for the needy, whose wants he\ndelighted to supply; enjoying in return that happiness that true charity\nalone can impart.\n\n\"It always appeared to me inconsistent,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"with the\nprofession of a minister of the gospel, to live expensively; that is,\nfar beyond what is required for the necessities and comforts of life. As\nthe minister is supported by the people of his charge, the propriety of\nhis living beyond the income of his parishioners in general, seems\nquestionable. Moreover, it has best suited my natural taste to avoid\nextravagances and superfluities.\"\n\nTupper, the erudite and truthful author of Proverbial Philosophy, has\nvery beautifully said,--\"The choicest pleasures of life lie within the\nring of moderation.\" Believing thus, Mr. Ballou wrote contentment on\nevery dispensation of Providence that fell to his share.\n\nThe work we have in hand might be filled alone with the most sincere\neulogiums from ministering brethren, who have referred in public to the\nlife and character of the subject of this biography; but, in the few\nwhich we have selected and introduced here, we have been guided by the\npurpose of presenting only such as have seemed to us--knowing the facts\nfrom long experience--to be the most truthful in the delineation of the\ncharacter and disposition of Mr. Ballou. Moreover, the reader will,\nperhaps, be too often led to remember that it is a son who writes this\nbiography of a father; and when he can bring to bear the mind and\nevidence of older and abler writers than himself, as treating upon the\nsubject before us, the work may be thus strengthened and enriched. In\nthis spirit, and under this chapter of \"Domestic Characteristics,\" the\nfollowing extract from the discourse delivered upon this subject by Rev.\nHenry Bacon is given:--\n\n\"I am not now to speak of a stranger, known only by reputation, but of\none with whom I have been familiar from my earliest childhood. The more\nI attained power to judge his qualities, the more have I learned to\nesteem the man, his character and ministry. He came to Boston, as pastor\nof the Second Universalist Society, when I was scarcely four years old,\nand though my parents were members of the First Society, yet their house\nwas one of his homes. The impression made in boyhood by the stately form\nof Mr. Ballou,--his meekness, his speech of singular clearness,\nadaptedness and wisdom, his singular temperance at the table, and his\nkindness to childhood,--was never removed; and I use no strained and\nforced language when I say Hosea Ballou was a great man. I say this, not\nlooking from a sectarian point of view, but as guided by the principles\nthat ought to govern us in our judgment of men, comprehensively\nregarding their qualities, and what they have been to their age.\n\n\"He is a great man who is impelled to bear the new truth abroad, that,\nlike its Great Source, he may be 'found of those who asked not after\nhim;' to make the hill-side and the grove, the river shore, the barn,\nthe humble farmer's room, or the shadow of a great tree, his church, and\nthere proclaim the gospel in its wholeness, with a readiness that shows\nthe heart is full of the matter, and with a willingness to answer any\nqueries, and respond to any voice that speaks a word against the\ncompleteness of the redemption proposed in Christ. By his keen insight\ninto human nature, his rare powers of logic, his unique use of words,\nhis intelligibility to the humblest capacity in treating of the greatest\nsubjects, and his profound wisdom in choosing means to reach directly\nthe ends desired, Hosea Ballou was a great man. In an instant he\nstripped away all the show and tinsel of learned ignorance, or drove the\ndart between the joints of the harness of barbarian bigotry, and laid\nlow the pretender. By his unshaken and majestic faith and trust; by the\nsteadiness with which he kept the honor of God, in the supremacy and\nefficiency of the Scriptures, ever before him; and by the willingness\nand capacity to receive any new application of the great principles of\nthe gospel, he was a great man. All this was crowned and glorified by\nhis personal character, by the purity of his walk and conversation, his\nrare temperance amid the most solicitous temptations, and the harmony he\nbreathed into all his children and the rule he swayed over them; he was\na great man, abiding the last, best test of greatness, 'being such an\none as Paul the aged.'\"\n\nAs will be surmised by previous remarks in this work, Mr. Ballou, in the\nmatter of politics, had of course his preferences of principles and of\nmen, and he always voted for them, besides keeping himself well read in\nthe most important political matters of the day, pro and con, and\nweighing well in his own mind their bearing upon the true principles of\npolitical economy; but here his interest ceased. He took no active part,\neven in conversation, upon the subject, though at times he would show by\nhis remarks that the great principles of either party were familiar to\nhim. Still he always avoided, as a topic of conversation, a subject\nwhich is so often the theme of bitter contention between those who in\nall other respects are excellent friends. He never changed his political\nsentiments, which, however, for very good reasons, were scarcely known,\nor, at least, not intimately so, out of the family circle.\n\nHis irreproachable life was in itself one of the strongest arguments in\nfavor of his religion; his mild and dispassionate manner on all\noccasions, his unblemished integrity and unimpeachable character,\nthrough his whole life, rendered him universally beloved, as well as\nshowing a living example of the divine principles he endeavored to\ninculcate in his public teachings. There is an energy of moral suasion\nin a good man's life, passing the highest efforts of the orator's\ngenius. The visible but silent beauty of holiness speaks more eloquently\nof God and duty than do the tongues of men and angels. A minister's\nreligious faith should be delivered to his people, not as a matter of\ntheoretical knowledge,--something learned in the study,--but as\nsomething experienced. \"Nothing,\" says Bishop Stillingfleet, \"enlarges\nthe gulf of atheism more than the _wide passage_ which lies between the\nfaith and lives of men pretending to teach Christianity.\" Religion is\nnot a didactic thing, that words can impart or even silence withhold: it\nis spiritual and contagious glory, a spontaneous union with the holy\nspirit evinced in our daily lives and example. Those who have true\nreligion make it the garment worn next the heart, but, alas! too many\nmake a cloak of it. The most learned divine or philosopher that the\nearth has ever known, though he spoke with an eloquence and wisdom near\nakin to inspiration, must yet be powerless as to spiritual and godly\ninfluence, if, at the same time that he points to wisdom's way,\n\n    \"Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads.\"\n\nHooker has very beautifully remarked, that \"the life of a pious\nclergyman is visible rhetoric;\" and some one else, with equal truth,\nthat \"to preach sound doctrine, and lead a bad life, is building up with\none hand and pulling down with the other.\" Preaching, to be available,\nmust be consistent.\n\nMr. Ballou may be said to have _lived_ the doctrine he professed, in the\nstrictest sense of the phrase, and to have followed the glorious example\nset him by his Divine Master. His ambition was to be an imitator of the\nmeek and lowly Jesus.\n\n    \"His preaching much, but more his practice wrought,\n    A living sermon of the truths he taught.\"\n\nTouching this subject he was wont to say to his hearers:--\"Brethren, I\nwant a doctrine that I can prove by reducing it to practice; for we are\nenjoined to 'prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.' People\nmay go to the house of devotion, they may hear learned ministers hold\nforth the doctrine of future rewards and punishments, they may admire\nthe beautiful oratory and flowery rhetoric in which such sentiments are\ndressed, but they must leave them all behind them when they go home to\ntheir beloved families. They can never practise the domestic virtues and\nduties on these principles of doctrine. The doctrine of Jesus is a\npractical one, and we can never do our duty in the family circle unless\nwe live and conduct according to it.\"\n\nThis is an example of Mr. Ballou's style of argument and of\nillustration. He brought everything _home_, where all could understand\nthe analogy; he never went abroad to seek for illustrations, never\nindulged in deep philosophical dissertations, thus hoodwinking his\nhearers and marring his subject. The reader will at once be struck by\nthe force and truth of the remark, that, however sincerely a person may\nbelieve the doctrine of future rewards and punishments, still, on\nleaving the house where these principles are taught, he must leave them\nbehind him. No one, not even the most zealous supporter of such a creed,\never attempted to practise it in his family circle. Washington Allston\nhas pithily said, \"A man cannot lie _all over_;\" so it is a fact that\nhe cannot be utterly wrong from top to toe; though his mind may be\ndeceived, and his sentiments indicate partial delusion, yet his _heart_,\nten to one, will be right. Some token of his nicely constructed nature\nwill turn itself into \"king's evidence\" against his false theories. And\nthus we find men, sincere Christians at heart, who believe and\npromulgate the doctrine of partial grace, all the while evincing in\ntheir home influences and general lives, the truth of the gospel of\nChrist.\n\nWhen Mr. Ballou was last in New York, some one of the brethren in that\ncity induced him to visit the office of the American Phrenological\nJournal, where his head was examined after the rules of the science, and\nthe following characteristics were written out by the examiner, as is\ncustomary in such cases. Since the decease of the subject of these\nmemoirs, they have been made public through the journal referred to. To\nmany this extract will possess more than ordinary interest, and we have\ntherefore given it place here, under the head of personal\ncharacteristics.\n\n\n                      PHRENOLOGICAL CHARACTER.\n\n     \"His organization is very favorable to long life, good general\n     health, and uniformity of mind. The vital temperament was\n     originally decidedly strong. He has an amply developed chest, lungs\n     and digestive apparatus, which have imparted health and prolonged\n     life; and the muscular system is also fully represented. His mind\n     is active, but not so much so as to prematurely exhaust his\n     organization; nor is he particularly excitable. He has general\n     harmony and evenness, rather than eccentricity or want of balance.\n     The tone of his organization is such as to give him energy and aim\n     to carry through his purposes, without friction or waste of\n     strength. The size of brain is average, and the vital functions are\n     sufficient to supply the exhaustion of mental action; hence he has\n     been able to live within his power of sustaining mental labor for\n     so long a time.\n\n     \"He is remarkable, phrenologically, for evenness of development;\n     none of the organs are extreme, and he is not inclined to those\n     excesses which cause eccentricity.\n\n     \"One of his leading traits arises from Adhesiveness, which gives\n     attachment to, and interest in, friends.\n\n     \"He still clings to his youthful friends, and enjoys their society.\n     This quality of mind enters largely into the whole tone of his\n     feelings.\n\n     \"He is also kind to children, and interested in them, and quite\n     successful in entertaining them, and adapting himself to them.\n\n     \"He is interested in woman, and capable of enjoying the marriage\n     relations highly, especially the social, domestic relations. He is\n     a strong lover of home, but lacks continuity of mind; his thoughts\n     and feelings are easily diverted, although he may finish a subject\n     that he commences; yet he enjoys variety in the general exercise\n     of his mind.\n\n     \"His Combativeness is of the higher order, connecting with the\n     reasoning and moral, rather than with the animal nature; and it\n     gives him the disposition to overcome the obstacles in his way, and\n     to argument rather than the quarrelling propensity.\n\n     \"He has fair energy, without any surplus, and a full degree of\n     appetite, without being excessive. He values property for its uses,\n     and is not selfish in money matters. He is remarkable for his\n     candor, frankness, open-heartedness, truthfulness, and\n     disinclination to deceive; he speaks the real sentiments of his\n     mind, as far as he speaks at all. He is not suspicious, but\n     confiding, and prefers to rely on the honesty of mankind rather\n     than to guard himself against the dishonesty of others. He is not\n     vain or showy; has merely ambition enough to stimulate him to do\n     what is his duty, without any reference to publicity; but he is\n     decidedly independent and self-relying.\n\n     \"He does not lean on the judgment of others, nor does he feel that\n     his character depends on their opinions; he merely states his own\n     opinion, and allows others to judge for themselves.\n\n     \"Firmness is another strong feature of his mind: he is uniformly\n     firm, each day successively; not stubborn one day, and\n     over-yielding the next, but consistently steady and persevering.\n\n     \"He is very anxious to do as he agrees, and is just as honest at\n     one time as another; is consistent in his professions and\n     pretensions, and has always studied to harmonize and balance his\n     character, rather than to encourage any extremes.\n\n     \"He neither hopes nor fears to excess; enjoys what good there is to\n     be enjoyed, and makes the best of an unfortunate occurrence. His\n     mind is open to conviction, is ready to look at new things, and to\n     be instructed; but is slow to believe, and requires positive\n     evidence before he gives his assent. He has a marked feeling of\n     worship, deference, and respect, and regard for superiority and\n     sacred subjects. Few persons have naturally more of the disposition\n     to worship than he.\n\n     \"His sympathies are also strong. His feelings are tender towards\n     objects of distress, either mental or physical. Imagination and\n     sense of beauty and perfection are decidedly strong. He is disposed\n     to beautify his ideas, and make as much of them as possible,\n     especially by way of elevating the idea, and giving it a refined\n     direction.\n\n     \"He is not inclined to mimic and imitate others; his ways are\n     peculiarly his own.\n\n     \"He is mirthful, and enjoys fun as naturally as his food, and it\n     has been difficult for him to suppress the disposition to joke. His\n     intellectual faculties are well balanced; the perceptive faculties\n     are all large. He is quick of observation, readily forms\n     conclusions from what he sees, and is very much interested in all\n     classes of experiments.\n\n     \"He is disposed to make himself as much acquainted with this world\n     as possible before leaving it, and is particularly inclined to\n     study character and motives, and the conditions of mind. He has a\n     good perception of forms, outlines, shapes and proportions, and has\n     a good memory of places, localities, and the whereabouts of things.\n\n     \"He is quite particular as to order and arrangement, and must have\n     everything done correctly: is precise in his style of doing his\n     work, or in arranging his ideas. His memory by association is good;\n     he is a very punctual man in his engagements, and careful not to\n     consume the time of another. He is never in the way of others, and\n     does not go where he is not wanted; and, from diffidence and fear\n     that he may intrude himself, he does not go where he is really\n     desired. He is copious in the use of language, yet is not wordy;\n     his language is direct and to the point. He has a clear mind,\n     adapted to analytical logic, and drives as straight to a conclusion\n     as the bee does to a flower; yet he reasons more by association and\n     analogy than from cause to effect.\n\n     \"He readily sees the adaptation of one thing to another; he seldom\n     makes enemies, or fails to perceive the character and motives of\n     others; is more successful than most persons in making friends,\n     because he knows how to adapt himself to others, and make himself\n     agreeable. He says and does things in a human-nature way.\n\n     \"The six leading traits of his character are,--\n\n     \"1st. His affection and friendship.\n\n     \"2d. Independence and self-reliance.\n\n     \"3d. Honesty, justice and circumspection.\n\n     \"4th. His devotion and respectful disposition.\n\n     \"5th. Sympathy and interest in the welfare of others, and general\n     philanthropy of spirit; and,\n\n     \"Lastly, His practical common sense, and system, and availability\n     of intellect.\"\n\nMr. Ballou was once asked, in a most triumphant manner, by a religious\nopponent, in the presence of a large number of individuals, \"If your\ndoctrine be true, sir, how is it that it has never been preached before?\nHere in the nineteenth century it would seem to be a new discovery.\" He\nreplied, in his usual calm and effective manner, \"Friend, it has been\ntaught by two eloquent witnesses at least, so long as the sun has shone\nand the rain fallen on mankind. These faithful agents of Almighty love\nhave ever taught the doctrine of impartial grace to all men; they\ndispense their blessings on rich and poor, high and low, and thus bear\nwitness of the character of Him who sends them.\"\n\nWe well remember being present on a certain occasion when an intimate\nfriend of Mr. Ballou's asked him,--\"Do you not think that the life of a\nclergyman is far from being a desirable one, when you consider all the\nsorrow and grief that the discharge of the duty attendant upon the\nprofession necessarily makes one acquainted with?\" He replied, evincing\nthe peculiar light that was ever emitted from his eyes when he spoke\nearnestly, \"Were I to live my life over again, knowing what I now so\nwell know, by more than half a century of experience, I would choose\nagain the same profession I have followed so long. The humble and\nfaithful servant of Christ enjoys an inward happiness that none but his\nMaster may know. There is no employment more fitting for the human\nheart, more ennobling to the nature of man, than the study of God's\nword, and none from which so great and reliable happiness may be\nderived.\" These evidences of his experience were treasured by many who\nwere accustomed to seek his society for the benefit and pleasure of his\nconversation. The brethren throughout the order, and indeed every one\nwho knew him, seemed actuated towards him by a spirit which the\nuniversal title he bore served to indicate; they always called him\n_Father_ Ballou. I do not think there was one minister in the numerous\norder of Universalists who did not acknowledge his preeminence in\noriginal talent, wonderful reasoning faculties, and unblemished moral\nexcellence.\n\nAs illustrating this fact, we will let one of these brethren's remarks\nupon this subject speak for us here, by again quoting from the eulogy of\nRev. Otis A. Skinner, delivered before his society in this city.\n\n\"But he was not merely our leader to the promised land; he entered it\nwith us, and for more than half a century he continued with us, standing\nfirst in our esteem and affection, honored and beloved, with no effort\nto obtain authority, and no ambition to be a leader. The place which he\noccupied was voluntarily assigned to him; it was given in consequence of\nhis true heart, his profound judgment, his undeviating attachment to\nprinciple, his entire freedom from art and management. Envy hurled at\nhim its arrows, but they fell harmless at his feet; ambition sought to\nrise above him, but it sought in vain. There he stood like a father at\nthe head of his family, content to exercise the sway which he obtained\nby his superior judgment, his commanding talents, and his devoted\nservices. He never dictated; he was never impatient when opposed; he was\nnever unkind to those who differed from him; he comprehended fully the\ntrue idea of religious liberty, and in no instance exhibited a desire to\nact the Pope. We doubt whether, in all the history of the church, an\ninstance can be found in which a minister has had so high a rank in his\nsect, and yet manifested a less desire to bear rule.\n\n\"Nothing is more natural than for old men to oppose departures from\ntheir measures. All sects have had those who bitterly denounced every\nstep taken beyond what they themselves had gone; but our honored father,\nwhen he saw movements for progress, when he saw new men proposing new\nplans of operation, placed himself on a level with the humblest, freely\ndiscussed the plan, and yielded with cheerfulness when convinced. Not\nonly did he yield, but held his mind open to conviction, and on, several\npoints he came in and worked faithfully for what at first he hesitated\nto sanction. He was not like some advanced in years, ever looking to\nthe past, and talking as though all wisdom was concentrated in it; he\nbelieved that new discoveries were yet to be made; that progress was a\nlaw of the true church, and that measures must be suited to the times.\nHence the most radical, those most desirous for reform, never felt that\nhe stood in the way: for there was not a reform which engaged the heart\nof the philanthropist that did not have his sanction. He was a modern\nman, and lived in the present time, as much, almost, as the youngest in\nour ministry. _Let us go forward_, was his motto.\"\n\nSuch was the universal meed of honor that was accorded to him by his\nbrethren in the ministry.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nMR. BALLOU AS A CONTROVERSIALIST.\n\n\nAs passage after passage of scripture, which had heretofore been\nmisapplied, was satisfactorily explained by his clear and far-seeing\nmind, thousands, who had before believed in a partial faith, were\nbrought to a knowledge of Christ and the gospel. Mysteries were made\nplain, and dark ways were lighted, and the veil was thus removed from\nthe eyes of the prejudiced, or those upon whom the force of education\nand early association had exercised supreme sway in matters of religion.\n\"I have often been led to wonder,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"forcible as is my\nown realizing sense of the evidence of impartial grace, that brethren,\nbrought up and educated in a religion so diametrically opposite, should\nyield so readily, as they often do, to the arguments which we present to\nthem, and not unfrequently being won to our belief and service with the\nleast exertion on our own part. The reason of this is, that there are\nsome independent minds, that boldly think for themselves; that\nacknowledge no blind obedience to the dogmas of the church, when those\ntenets of faith desecrate the rules of reason and justice. The very fact\nthat it seems to be a part of the faith of partialists to give blind\ncredence to the declarations of the church, and to consider it an actual\nsin to question the assertions of the minister relative to the\nsignification of the Bible, has done much to keep the minds of men in\ndarkness. My own youthful condition was an humble example of this fact.\nIt was only by thinking for myself,--by receiving nothing without\nevidence,--that I at last came to that knowledge of Christ and the\ngospel which has since been to my life such a sustaining and precious\nlegacy.\"\n\nBut he was called upon to encounter much opposition in the advancements\nwhich he made, and in latter years, perhaps, quite as often from\nprofessed Universalists as from those who openly opposed the doctrine he\ntaught. There are many, even at this day, who seem to avoid the subject\nof future punishment, and who will not speak out openly whether they\nbelieve or disbelieve it. Such talk vaguely of policy, and the propriety\nof preaching _moral_ sermons instead of doctrinal ones, which argument\nis, in itself, a most inexcusable aspersion upon the gospel. What kind\nof a faith must that be which will not bear to be preached? This\nsingular idea seems to have extended, in some degree, to the preachers\nthemselves, who have, in many instances, acquiesced in the caprice of\ntheir hearers upon the subject, or, at least, that portion of them who\nreason in this way upon doctrinal matters.\n\nThe true reason that doctrinal sermons are decried by some of the\nministers is, that they afford no opportunity for them to introduce,\nperhaps, some style or course of reading that inclination may have led\nthem to adopt. True scriptural teaching calls for sound argument, and\nsubstantial treatises upon the word, and is a strong test of mental\ncapacity; whereas such sermons as are too often delivered to the people\nrun upon miscellaneous themes, that were more properly left for\nnewspaper or magazine articles, and are of a school of composition that\na shallow brain may become a proficient in. We are most forcibly\nreminded in this connection of the words of a certain English bishop,\nwho was travelling in this country a few years since, and who made the\nremark, that ministers here take a text from the Bible and preach about\nrailroads, astronomy, statuary and painting; but that in his country\nthey not only select their texts from the Bible, but they make its\ndoctrines and principles the subject of their discourses. That wise old\ndivine, Jeremy Taylor, found it necessary in his day to chide these\nfashionable preachers. \"They entertain their hearers,\" said he, \"with\ngaudy tulips and useless daffodils, and not with the bread of life and\nmedicinal plants, growing on the margin of the fountains of salvation.\"\n\nThe true doctrine of the Scriptures is the very fountain-head of all\nmorality, and those who talk so much about preaching moral sermons and\navoiding doctrinal ones, should pause and consider well their own\ninconsistency. Mr. Ballou's sermons were strictly doctrinal ones, ay,\nemphatically so; but they were none the less moral also. The principles\nare synonymous, as must be evident to any thoughtful mind. That was\nexcellent advice given to a pious son by Rowland Hill, to preach nothing\n_down_ but the devil, and nothing _up_ but Jesus Christ.\n\nThe pulpit in these modern times has been sadly perverted by some in all\ndenominations; its legitimate and holy purpose has been lost sight of by\nmany; and any predominating hobby of its occupant is rode rough-shod\nover the heads of the congregation, to the almost entire detriment of\nhis usefulness as a religious teacher. They dress up the tenets of faith\nin modern livery to please the popular taste, and, perhaps, their own\nvanity, forgetting that \"religion helmeted is religion no more.\" The\nminister seems, too, often thoughtless of the fact, that while he\npreaches, Almighty God is one of his hearers; the various _isms_ of the\ntimes are made to take the place of holy writ, and sermons are\novercharged with abstruse questions and transcendental ideas; or perhaps\nso labored with rhetorical flourishes and ornaments, that the hearer,\nwho seeks to be led by the straight and narrow way, finds himself losing\nsight of the grand purpose and end of wisdom, while he tarries by the\nway-side to admire the gaudy-colored flowers that line the road.\n\n\"Eloquence, to be profitable, must come from the heart,\" says Mr.\nBallou; \"none other will prove effectual. I have heard men speak in\npublic, yea, in the sacred pulpit, with an apparent effect that was\nevinced in every hearer; but when I turned away from the temple whither\nwe had come up to worship the living God, and was led to review the word\nas spoken to that people, I could only recall the minister's excellent\noratory, his faultless gesticulation, his admirable _performance_. Alas!\nwhat great truth had he illustrated, whom had he glorified save himself,\nwhom enlightened as to the unbounded grace and goodness of God? And then\nI have prayed that Heaven would turn the noble endowments with which it\nhad blessed that brother to a more worthy use, and fill his heart with\nthat meekness and self-sacrificing spirit that is as a sweet and\nacceptable incense before the throne of Jehovah.\"\n\nMinisters who follow this style of rhetorical and flowery preaching are\nnot unfrequently pronounced very eloquent, and indeed are able to fix\nthe attention, and much to interest an audience. But it is unprofitable\neloquence; like the cypress, which is great and tall, yet bears no\nfruit. Pope has truthfully said,--\"Flowers of rhetoric in serious\ndiscourses are like the blue and red flowers in corn, pleasing to the\neye, but prejudicial to the harvest!\" Keeping at the greatest distance\nfrom such errors, Mr. Ballou looked upon man as an intellectual and\nresponsible being; believing that truth is the food for that intellect\nto thrive upon, and keeping the whole range of man's natural duties\nbefore him, his discourses were weighty, not in decorations for the\nfancy, but in sound reasoning upon the holy text, and in impressive and\nuseful practical sentiment. This was his principle of theology, and,\nmoved by such feelings, he never wasted time\n\n    \"In sorting flowers to suit a fickle taste.\"\n\nOr, as the editor of the Christian Freeman says, relative to this trait\nof his character:--\"It was not so much his concern to be a man-pleaser,\nas to be a teacher and benefactor of men. Hence he would grapple with\nthe errors of men, and take them out of the way; he would explain and\nelucidate the Scriptures; he would appeal to the reason and the moral\nsense of the people; and all in the most kind and magnanimous spirit.\nThus he excited the active opposition of the conservative and\ncreed-bound, elicited the earnest inquiry of multitudes of the people,\nand 'filled the world with his doctrine.'\"\n\n\"He lived faithful to his own convictions of truth,\" says Rev. W. A.\nDrew, of the Gospel Banner, \"never sacrificed a principle to the love of\npopularity, stood by his integrity as resolutely as ever martyr stood at\nthe stake, brought no reproach upon his cause, but lived in the\nadornment of his profession, and died consistently with his life.\"\n\nWe have felt disposed to dwell somewhat upon this point, and to speak\nthe more feelingly upon it, for the reason that this was one of the most\nfrequent objections brought against Mr. Ballou's style of preaching, by\nthose who found fault at all; and here we are fortunate in being able to\ngive his own words and views upon the subject. It is true, the extract\nwhich we give does not contemplate the subject in precisely the same\nphase as that in which we have considered it, yet it has its bearing.\nThe objection was brought, of course, mainly by those who, although they\nbelieved, or partially believed, the doctrine of universal salvation,\nwere yet too timid to acknowledge it. The argument is brought home at\nonce to our understanding and earnest conviction by the simplicity and\nforce of the illustration.\n\n\"We have often been asked why we preach the doctrine we profess, as this\ndoctrine maintains that our Creator has made the eternal state secure to\nall men, and that the happiness of that state rests on the divine favor,\nand not on any influence which we may exercise in this life. No doubt it\nseems unaccountable to our opposers that we should argue so much, preach\nso much, and write and publish so much, when, after all, we do not\npretend that our eternal state of happiness depends on these exertions.\nThey do not see why, allowing our doctrine true, it would not be good\npolicy to say nothing about it. Then we might enjoy the esteem of the\npious of all denominations, and be regarded by the religious community,\navoid all the censure that is now put upon us, and still enjoy our\nopinion in silence. Now that our conduct in this respect is not so\nunaccountable as our opposers seem to think, a few remarks will serve to\nshow.\n\n\"Suppose my acquaintance with my earthly father to be such as to give me\nthe most favorable opinion of his whole character, so that I view him as\none of the best husbands, one of the most provident and kind fathers,\nand a man of uprightness in all his conduct, against whom nothing in\ntruth can be spoken. Suppose, under these circumstances, being full of\nlove and reverence for my father, I hear him evilly spoken of, and that\ntoo by those who profess to be acquainted with him,--yea, by those to\nwhom people in general look for information, and in whose testimony the\nmost of people are disposed to place confidence. They go so far in this\nevil speaking as to represent the parent, whom I love, as guilty of acts\nof injustice and cruelty which deny him the smallest share of humanity.\n\n\"What am I to do in this case? I have proof in my hands to stop the\nmouths of these evil reporters, and I can do it effectually. To be sure,\nI must exert myself in the use of the means which are at my disposal,\nand I shall no doubt incur the displeasure of my father's traducers. All\nthis is, of course, to be expected. But here I am told that almost all\nthe people composing the community at large, are really of the opinion\nof those who thus speak evil of my father; and that, even if I knew\nthese reports to be false, I had better say nothing about the matter, as\nit will only bring me into discredit. Suppose I should be weak enough to\nhesitate, and even shrink from the defence of my venerable father's\ncharacter, should I not feel justly ashamed of myself? What could be\nmore base in me than silence and inaction?\n\n\"Look again, and see how such a case would be aggravated by\ncircumstances. My father told me that these traducers would speak evil\nof him, and on this very account put into my possession every kind of\nevidence which is necessary to refute all these evil reports, and\ncharged me, by the dear relation in which we stood to each other, and\nthe love which we have reciprocated, to be faithful in the defence of\nhis character. Shall I be silent? Shall I be afraid that those who\ndespise my father will also despise me? Shall I purchase their smiles at\nthe expense of a character which is dearer to me than my life? What\nwould it avail to urge in this case, that almost every one in the\ncommunity would be against me? Is not this circumstance my\njustification? Surely; for, if people did not believe the false reports\nbefore mentioned, there would be no use of disproving them.\n\n\"But the subject admits of argument still more forcible. Suppose those\nwho speak evil of my father are my brethren, and his own beloved\nchildren; and suppose, furthermore, that all who are deceived by this\nevil speaking are so likewise. We now have the whole difficulty in our\nfamily. My brethren are deceived concerning my father's character and\nconduct; he has never done those base things which they think he has.\nBut they really believe these errors, and are tormented day and night\nwith fear that they and their children will fall under the dreadful\nscourge of our father's wrath! Now, as I know that all their notions are\nfalse, and that it is a fact that the whole family are abundantly\nprovided for, day by day, by the kindness and love of our father, can I,\nunder these circumstances, be justified in not making even an effort to\nconvince them of their errors? Here we see the honor of our father, the\ncause of truth and justice, all unite in calling upon me to open the\nevidence which our father has put within my hands for this purpose,--to\ngive the knowledge of the truth to those who need it. With all these\nmatters forcibly impressed upon my heart, which I have given to you in\nthis simple form, how can I justify myself in doing otherwise than I do,\nhumbly endeavoring at all times to dispel the cloud of error that\npartialists have contrived to throw about the received idea of our\nFather in heaven,--how can I reconcile it to my own heart to avoid\ndoctrine, and preach aught else to the people while they starve for\ntruth?\"\n\nMr. Ballou was declared to be aggressive, in his spiritual warfare, as\nwell as defensive; and so he was. Every great reformer must be so; every\none that has left a worthy title to that name has done likewise. With a\ngreat truth to promulgate, with new light to diffuse, with a subtle\nenemy to encounter, it would not have been enough for him to take a\nposition and hold it; the war must be carried into the enemy's country,\nand the white cross of truth must be made to surmount the loftiest\npoints in the castles of error, and to float over the banners of\ninfidelity and partialism. And this was his mode of warfare against\nbigotry. He spared neither himself nor the common enemy; his standard\nwas reared everywhere, even in the very citadel of his religious\nopponents; and, strong in the gospel truths he advocated and trusted in,\ntheir arrows of wrath, steeped in the poison of superstition, found no\nunguarded point in his armor of gospel mail, but fell harmless to the\nearth, or more frequently rebounded to the harm of those who had sent\nthem. His warfare against error was indeed aggressive; he seized upon\nevery weak point, and never failed to thrust home. \"I call God to\nwitness,\" he says, \"I feel no enmity towards any name, denomination or\nsect, under heaven; but I have a certain object in view which comes in\ncontact with their errors.\"\n\nAgain he says:--\n\n\"In all the statements which I have made of the doctrinal ideas of\nothers, I have been careful to state no more than what I have read in\nauthors, or heard contended for in preaching and conversation; and if I\nhave, in any instance, done those ideas any injustice, it was not\nintended.\n\n\"The reason,\" he continues, \"why I have not quoted any author, or spoken\nof any denomination, is, I have not felt it to be my duty nor\ninclination to write against any name or denomination in the world; but\nmy object has been, what I pray it ever may be, to contend against\nerror, wherever I find it, and to receive truth and support it, let it\ncome from what quarter it may. For the sake of ease, however, in\nwriting, I have reasoned with my _opponent_, _opposer_ or _objector_,\nmeaning no one in particular, but any one who uses the arguments and\nstates the objections which I have endeavored to answer.\n\n\"It is very probable that some may think me too ironical, and in many\ninstances too severe on what I call error. But I find it very difficult\nto expose error, so as to be understood by all, without carrying, in\nmany instances, my arguments in such a form as may not be agreeable to\nthose who believe in what I wish to correct. I confess I should have\nbeen glad to have written, on all my inquiries, so as not to have\ndispleased any, but to have pleased all, could I have done it and\naccomplished my main design; but this, I was persuaded, would be\ndifficult. I have, therefore, paid particular attention to nothing but\nmy main object, depending on the goodness of my reader to pardon what\nmay be disagreeable, in manner or form, as inadvertencies.\" But all he\ndid and said was in the spirit of the true Christian. He fought against\nerror,--not against those who walked in the ways of error; it was a\ncreed he decried, not his fellow-men;--and the battles he won were far\nmore glorious than the blood-stained fields that follow in the train of\nmortal warfare.\n\nLet us add that the triumphs of truth are the more glorious for being\nbloodless, deriving their brightest lustre from the number of the saved,\ninstead of the slain. Personally he could have no enemy,--he would not\nhave recognized any human being as such; but against error he waged a\nmost open and resolute warfare, throughout the entire course of his\nlife.\n\nIn May, 1841, the society over which Mr. Ballou had so long held sole\nministration voted to engage a colleague to assist him in the duties of\npastor, and the Rev. T. C. Adam was engaged by them in this capacity. It\nwas understood between Mr. Ballou and his assistant that each should\npreach on certain Sabbaths; so that when Mr. Ballou did not preach in\nhis own desk, he might be able to answer some of the constant and\nincreasing demands upon his services from the neighboring towns.\nAlthough at this time seventy-three years of age, he preached every\nSabbath, frequently delivering three discourses during the day and\nevening. Mr. Adam was not long attached to the society; but other\nministering brethren, at the desire of the society, assisted from time\nto time in the pulpit. From May, 1842, to May, 1844, Rev. H. B. Soule, a\npure-minded and eloquent brother in the ministry, was the junior pastor,\nexercising a most godly influence by his teachings, and making in this\nperiod a host of sincere friends. In January, 1846, Rev. E. H. Chapin\nwas installed as junior pastor, which situation he filled to universal\nsatisfaction and continued usefulness for some two years; when, having\nresigned his connection with the society, Rev. A. A. Miner was\nunanimously invited to become the colleague of Mr. Ballou, and was duly\ninstalled May 31, 1848; retaining his situation until the decease of the\npastor, Mr. Ballou, whose desk he now fills.\n\nThe connection of these several brethren with Mr. Ballou personally was\nof the most agreeable character, friendly, and profitable to their\nmutual spiritual interests. But, without appearing to reflect in the\nleast upon the other associates in this connection, concerning this\nlatter brother's union with the subject of this biography, we should be\nunfaithful did we not refer to it in the terms it merits, and should\nfail to do that which Mr. Ballou himself would have desired. For more\nthan four years the most uninterrupted and delightful intercourse\ncontinued between them. No son could have been more considerate, kind,\nand assiduous, no father more affectionate and grateful, than in this\ncase. Mr. Ballou has often declared, in our hearing and in his family\ncircle, the earnest friendship he realized,--nay, the affection which\nentirely filled his heart towards one in whom he found no guile, and who\nseemed sent by a kind Providence to smooth the declining steps of his\nprofessional career. It is hardly necessary to add here, that this\nfeeling was shared in by every member of Mr. Ballou's extensive family.\n\nRev. Henry Bacon says, relative to the period when associate pastors\nwere connected with him:--\"Mr. Ballou was out of his element in\ninactivity, and therefore he travelled extensively in many of the\nstates, especially the New England, 'preaching the glad tidings of the\nkingdom of God.' Many feared that he was thus perilling his fame, going\nforth after the threescore years and ten were passed; but he wisely used\nthe labors of his years of full strength, and seemed to renew his youth\nas he entered into the expositions of the Divine Word. I never heard\nmore enthusiastic encomiums on his preaching than within the few last\nyears; and there was power in the very aspect of the old man's form, as\nhe stood in the sacred desk, in an old age that was indeed 'frosty but\nkindly,'--with a winning and impressive venerableness, full of the\nraptures of early years, and casting a beautiful shadow in the way of\nthose who needed such a guidance to the realms of immortality and\nglory.\"\n\nNot unfrequently, when some of his old friends were called home to their\nGod in advance of him,--men who had perhaps been converted in their\nyouth by his teachings, and felt thus strongly endeared to him by the\nties of friendship and spiritual interest,--they would in their last\nmoments express an earnest desire to have him perform the last ceremony\nover their mortal remains. When this was the case, notwithstanding his\nadvanced age, and even at times in the depth of winter, he always\ncomplied with their desires.\n\nWhen he had finally made up his mind to the performance of anything, and\nwas satisfied that it was his duty to do it, nothing in the shape of\nordinary impediments could possibly prevent him from carrying out his\npurpose. A case of this kind occurred, for instance, in the winter of\n1845, during one of the most severe storms that had been experienced in\nthis region for years. Mr. Ballou, with the snow of seventy-six winters\nupon his head, persevered in accomplishing and performing one of these\nChristian deeds of kindness on the occasion of the death of Col. Pierce,\nof Gloucester, Mass., a man widely known for his goodness of heart, and\nas a warm believer and advocate of universal salvation.\n\nHe seemed to have no dread or fear of the elements at all, or of\npersonal exposure to them; and let the storm rage as severely as it\nmight, he always kept his appointment, and to the very last was never in\nthe habit of riding to the place of worship, but walked, in all weather,\nin sunshine or in rain. He retained his physical faculties in the same\nremarkable degree of preservation as was the case with his mental\nendowments. His hearing, up to the last week of his life, never\nperceptibly declined; and in his funeral discourse Mr. Miner\nsays:--\"Though the weight of more than fourscore years was upon him, his\nvigor was scarcely abated, and his unassisted sight enabled him to read\na Bible of fine print with ease.\" His step was firm, and his strength\npermitted him to walk from one extreme of the city to another, even to\nthe last time he left his house. The simple deduction from these facts\nis, that he was never guilty of excess, or of the abuse of those\nfaculties which a kind Providence had bestowed upon him in such\nperfection.\n\nIt was his practice to pray most earnestly with the sick, to whose\nbedside he was constantly being called. We would that every reader of\nthese pages might once have seen him on such a mission of holy\nconsolation. His step was so quiet and noiseless in the sick room, his\nexpression of countenance so peaceful and hope-inspiring, his words so\ngentle and so redolent of heavenly assurance, that a spell of silence\nand peace seemed to surround all things. In prayer with him, \"that key\nwhich opes the gates of heaven,\" did the sick and dying seek for\nconfidence and consolation in their trying moments.\n\n    \"----In his duty prompt at every call,\n    He watched and wept, he prayed and felt, for all.\"\n\nWe have been present when, \"beside the bed where parting life was laid,\"\nwith his voice pitched to a low, soft cadence, and the sick one's hand\nheld gently within his own, he has breathed such heaven-inspired\nlanguage of peace, held forth the cherished promises of Christ, and\nshown the divine character of our Heavenly Father in its true light so\nclearly, yet so mildly and persuasively, that a smile of contentment\nwould light up the pallid features of the sufferer, giving token of the\nsame light of hope shining within his soul, and leaving an impression on\nthe hearts of those who knelt with him in that presence never to be\neffaced. O! it is a glorious mission thus to be the herald of peace and\ngood will to the struggling soul at its last moments,--thus to pass it\nover, as it were, in confidence to God who gave it!\n\nOften have we heard it said, \"I had rather hear Father Ballou pray than\nany other person; it seems almost impossible not to follow him in every\nthought and expression.\" The truth is, his whole heart was in the\nprayer; he felt what he said; he humbled himself in sincerity before the\nthrone of Jehovah; while the easy and spontaneous flow of devotional\nlanguage that fell from his lips was calculated to charm the ear of the\nlistener, and lead him to nearer communion with the omnipotent Being\nwhom he heard so sincerely addressed. His prayers were void of that\nunpleasant hesitancy of speech which unfortunately too often\ncharacterizes the delivery of ministers in this exercise. His effort\nproved one smooth and liquid flow of devotional thoughts, from a soul\nfully baptized in the love of God. On such occasions, the altar of his\nheart seemed lighted, and it burned pure and bright before the throne of\nhis Father in heaven. The immense power of prayer can hardly be\noverrated, or its real influence upon our minds properly conceived of,\nwhen uttered in such a manner as we have described. It then becomes the\npeace of our struggling spirit, the rest of our care, the calm of our\ntempest.\n\nIt was thus with all his religious exercises. He never failed to impress\nthe hearer with his own sincerity, and to imbue his spirit with a\ndevotional feeling that brought with it refreshing influence and\nvivifying hope.\n\nHis devotedness to his profession, his untiring zeal in the cause which\nhe advocated, his frequent self-sacrificing exertions in its behalf,\nwere the constant theme of his brethren in the ministry. His\nnever-varying and earnest pursuit of his grand object,--that of\nconvincing the world of God's impartial love to all mankind,--his\nperfect reliance on an overruling Providence, his perfect faith in the\nomnipotence of truth and virtue, were all so ardently realized and\nmanifested in his heart and dealings with his fellow-men, as to be the\nremark of all who knew him. His own experience had taught him to place\nthe fullest reliance upon the Divine goodness, for it had strangely\nsupported him through adversity, and had carried him through many dark\ntrials, triumphantly supporting him amidst discouragements which must\notherwise have inevitably overwhelmed a less confiding spirit.\n\nIt was a most extraordinary circumstance for him to miss a single\nSabbath from church; and we do not think this occurred a score of times\nup to his seventy-ninth year. The weather, however violent, either in\ntown or country, as we have before remarked, never prevented him from\nattending to his professional appointments. Even in physical illness he\nnever faltered, and has more than once fainted in the desk from bodily\nweakness, caused by attending to his services at church when physically\nunable to do so. We are forcibly reminded here of a portion of a letter\nfrom Rev. H. B. Soule, then colleague with Mr. Ballou, to Rev. Stephen\nR. Smith. Both of these brethren, whose light burned so bright and\nlovely at that time, were called home by their Maker before this elder\nservant in their Master's vineyard.\n\n\"You will want to hear a word of our Father in Israel. He continues in\ngood health for a man seventy-three years old; he preaches yet as strong\nas most men at forty. Nothing but death will ever bring rest to his\nlabors. Most men, at his age, would sit down, and in dreamy idleness or\nmere social converse wait their call. Not so with him; his God-given\nmission will not be finished till his lips are sealed forever. He will\npreach as long as he can stand; and as long as he does preach his\npreaching will be reverenced. Preach as long as he can stand! yes, and\nlonger! When that aged frame, pangless and cold, sleeps in the grave;\nwhen that voice, eloquent so long with 'good tidings of great joy,'\nshall be hushed on earth, then will Father Ballou preach as he never did\nbefore. His life, with its sainted virtues, its noble toil, its\nChristian zeal, will be a sermon,--how thrilling, how divine, they will\nknow who read it. May it be long ere it is written! God bless him in his\nold days, and sanctify his example to the young servant who stands\nbeside him!\"\n\nThe young brother who thus wrote spoke most truly. He studied well the\ncharacter of him with whom he was associated; he realized the present\neffect of his words, and the future influence they must inevitably\nexercise. \"His life,\" says the junior pastor, \"when that voice shall be\nhushed upon earth, will preach as he never did before.\" That time has\nnow come; we now realize this period referred to. \"Though dead, he yet\nspeaketh.\" Full of honors and of years, he has lain him down to sleep\nhis last sleep; but he will still preach to us as eloquently as ever,\nperhaps with increased influence, through the memory of his pure and\ngodly life, and the power of the works he has left behind. \"By the world\nhe will be remembered as the apostle of Universalism,\" says T. A.\nGoddard, the superintendent of his Sabbath-school, in his address to the\nschool, \"the advocate of the paternal character of God; and he will\nspeak to men as of old, when he charged them to cast away their creeds\nand superstitions, and to search the Scriptures for themselves. To his\npeople he will speak whenever they enter this temple, reminding them of\nthe many years he dwelt with them in peace, and of the glorious truths\nthat have dropped from his lips. To _us_ he will speak, with his\nbenignant eye, as often as we enter this room, telling us, in the\nlanguage of the apostle, 'Beloved, let us love one another; for love is\nof God.' This theme--the love of God--was, indeed, one which he\ndelighted to dwell upon; and with what unction would he treat it in all\nits length and breadth!\" Yea, though his personal work be ended, yet the\ninfluence of his life-long labors will be perpetuated for centuries.\n\nMr. Ballou was particularly remarkable for his punctuality, and always\ntook precaution that no matter, of whatever description, should be\ndelayed by him. This was a point upon which he was always exceedingly\ntenacious. Often have we heard him say that punctuality is not merely a\nduty that we owe to others, but absolutely a duty to ourselves, and one\nof the most important principles that can be adopted and observed in\nevery and all relations of life; and upon this belief he ever acted. If\nhe had an engagement to proceed to any of the neighboring towns to\npreach, or was about to commence a journey of any considerable length,\nwhich was very often the case, he always allowed a reasonable period of\ntime to _spare_ at the place of starting, and took good precaution that\nhe should never find it necessary to hurry in any emergency. In short,\nhe made it a strict and abiding principle to be _punctual_ in every\ncase, important or comparatively otherwise. This was one reason why he\nwas enabled to accomplish so much,--the proper division of time, and\nadherence to the appointed period for each specific purpose, giving him\ngreat command of his resources. Thus it has been said of him that he\nseemed completely independent of time and place, and so it would almost\nappear.\n\nBurning with a constant desire to be about his Master's business, he\ncould not remain idle for a moment when he realized that he might be\nprofitably employed to the end of promulgating and enforcing the\nreligion he taught. As we have before said, personal convenience or\ncomfort were not taken into consideration at all; he was ever ready,\never willing, to respond promptly at each call; but so numerous were\nthese, that he was obliged to adopt the principle of supplying the\nsociety first who came to him first, and those persons who read our\ndenominational papers will have noticed that his appointments were\nfrequently announced, up to the very last, for weeks in advance. The\ngood that he undoubtedly accomplished in these itinerant missions must\nhave been incalculable. Realizing that he could occupy but an hour or so\nin a place, he usually took up some prominent point of theology, and, by\nhis masterly handling of the subject, cleared its questionable character\nentirely from the hearer's mind; and thus having gained one step before\nthem which would impart a degree of confidence in his faith and general\nmode of explanation, he would then go over a most extensive field of\nfaith, pointing out features here and there, and the props that should\nbe raised to sustain this portion and that, and leaving the minds of the\npeople, at last, strongly impressed with a system of theology that they\nmight themselves understandingly pursue and reason upon, taking for a\ngroundwork or platform that which he had clearly elucidated to their\nminds as the true fundamental basis of the gospel of Christ.\n\nIn reference to his frequent travels about the country, we would that it\nwere possible to obtain more of the numerous incidents, so illustrative\nand characteristic, that used so constantly to occur to him. One\nanecdote strikes us at this moment, which is not without its bearing, as\nit relates to his power for repartee, or rather, we should say, his\nability to turn the most familiar subjects into argumentative use and\nadvantage.\n\nWhen it is remembered that Mr. Ballou's belief was that salvation is\n_the process_ of making people happy, the point of the following\nanecdote will be appreciated. It happened, on one of his short\nexcursions in the neighboring country, that he stopped at a public\nhouse, where he had occasion to pass through a room which a woman was\nabout to engage in cleaning. She had heard that he was at the house,\nand, being of a different faith, she determined to ask him, if an\nopportunity offered, just one single question, which, in her simplicity,\nshe conceived to be perfectly unanswerable by those who believed in the\ndoctrine Mr. Ballou advocated. As he came in, she began:--\"Your name is\nBallou, I believe, sir?\"--\"Yes, madam,\" said he, \"my name is\nBallou.\"--\"I'm told that you preach,\" said the woman, \"that all mankind\nare going to be saved.\"--\"Yes,\" replied he, \"I do.\"--\"Well, Mr. Ballou,\"\ncontinued she, \"do you believe they will be saved without first becoming\nperfectly holy? Do you believe they will be saved _just as they are_?\"\nHe looked at her mop. \"What are you going to do with that mop?\" he\nasked.--\"Why, sir,\" replied she, \"I'm going to mop up the floor.\"--\"Are\nyou going to mop up the floor,\" he asked, \"before it becomes perfectly\nclean? Are you going to mop it up _just as it is_?\"\n\nCould a more happily conceived answer have been given to the woman, if\nhours had been consumed in its preparation? We opine not; and herein the\nreader will observe the instantaneous and lightning-like operation of\nMr. Ballou's mind.\n\nHis conversational powers were most remarkable,--remarkable because ever\ntempered with such a fund of logical clear-sightedness, such profound\nacumen, and such convincing argument upon the topic under discussion;\nthen we have to add to this the effect of his speech, so distinct and\nimpressive. Hazlitt's remark of Coleridge, that he was an \"excellent\ntalker,--very,--if you let him start from no premises and come to no\nconclusion,\" would in no way apply to the subject of these memoirs; for,\nat the outset of Mr. Ballou's conversation, you would at once divine the\nend he aimed at, and would only be surprised at the velocity with which\nyou found him leading you to the desired result, always established in\nhis own mind, though he addressed you with the calm and collected\nexpression that was a second nature to him. No mountain of error seemed\ntoo lofty for him to surmount, with giant strides and unbroken strength;\nand you would find his white flag of truth waving from its summit, and\nyourself breathing freer and deeper at the consummation of the rough\nascent, before you had fairly found time to realize the power of reason\nnecessary to surmount the rugged obstacles of the path. And once\nelevated above the murky haze of error, his descent with you again to\nthe lowlands and plains of every-day life was as easy and graceful as\nhis ascent had been majestic and lofty.\n\nOften, in private conversation with those who had come to his own\nfireside to meet him, he was most efficacious. In the grandeur of his\nconception, the glory of his theme, and the unequalled sincerity with\nwhich he advocated it, his soul would seem to expand, his eyes to kindle\nin the expression to a surprising brilliancy, his lips and countenance\nseemed like those of one inspired, while you would have been almost awed\nat the man, had not his theme so much more power over your heart. But,\nhaving uttered such language as few could frame, having challenged your\nadmiration and wonder by the adaptedness of every word, and the\nconviction that he forced upon you, he relapsed again into the quiet,\npeaceable, domestic soul that he was, and you would seem to look around\ninstinctively to behold the spirit which had so entranced your faculties\nbut a moment before, it seeming impossible that it was he who sat so\nquietly beside you.\n\nMr. Ballou's reading was confined almost entirely to sacred history,\nand, comparatively speaking, he consulted little else, though he was\nwell versed on all general subjects, and he carefully perused at least\none daily newspaper regularly. We remember to have asked him, at a late\nperiod of his life, why he did not vary his reading somewhat from the\ngreat theme of divinity, arguing that it might afford some relief to his\nmind, and be of both mental and physical benefit to him, by somewhat\nrelaxing the constant exercise of his brain. He answered us in the words\nof Milton,--\"The end of learning is to know God, and out of that\nknowledge to love him, and to venerate him;\" adding, that this was the\ngreat actuating purpose of his labors and study; in short, the being,\nend and aim, of his existence. \"That which seems to you to be labor,\"\nsaid he, \"is to me as refreshing recreation. No course of reading could\nafford me the pleasure and delight that I find in that which has engaged\nme, heart and soul, for more than half a century.\"\n\nHis whole library did not exceed three hundred volumes, but these were\nof a character that particularly indicated the nature of his mind and\npursuits, being well worn by constant use, and relating to such subjects\nas might be supposed to occupy and interest him. His thorough\nacquaintance with the Scriptures was almost unprecedented, and he was\nnever at fault as to any passage or quotation from its wealth of\nknowledge. It was the book he had studied more than all others put\ntogether; nor was there any passage, in the whole of the sacred record,\nwhich had been made the theme of controversy or misunderstanding, that\nhe had not also made the subject of careful study and exposition.\n\nEvery unoccupied moment was given to mental exercise upon the subject\nnearest to his heart. We have seen him thus occupied often in the\nstreet, when all the turmoil and bustle of life passed him by unheeded.\nOn this peculiarity, Mr. Bacon says, in the eulogy before referred\nto:--\"He wasted no power in frivolity, but as he walked the streets he\nseemed to be unaffected by the crowd about him, meditating some new\nutterance of the truth. I remember being amused, and yet impressed, by\nbeholding him, in my youth, walking along with his head bent, and his\nlips moving as in speech, heeding not the passers-by or the shows in the\nstreet, appearing as quiet amid the noise and bustle as in the solitude\nof his own study. Yet should any one greet him by name, he would\ninstantly pause, fix his sharp, keen eye upon the face before him, and,\nas he recognized the friend, one of the sweetest smiles that ever\nillumined a human face would spread over his countenance, deepening till\nthat countenance was youthful indeed; then, with ready utterance of kind\nfeeling and warm interest in the happiness of others, he made his\naffectionate regards known.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nSPIRIT OF HIS DOCTRINE.\n\n\nMr. Ballou ever strove to make the word and the principles which he\ntaught appear attractive, by representing them in their appropriate\ndress, the livery of joy and peace, and from the principles of fatherly\nlove and kindness he gathered the strongest motives for humility,\ngratitude and obedience. He would tell you that God has written upon the\nfragrant flowers of the field, on the breezes that rock them, and the\nrefreshing sun that nurtures them, indelible tokens of his fatherly\naffection, and would refer you to the blooming clover, and the falling\nrain, as blessings not to be misconstrued, in God's own hand-writing, a\n\"way-side sacrament,\" free to all. He would never tire of depicting the\nAlmighty through the spirit of the most beautiful emblems in nature, and\never deducing from them the most amiable and glorious traits of Deity.\n\nThe employment he made of the familiar images of nature will remind the\nreader of what we have already said touching the influences of his\nbirth-place. The blue skies, the green pastures, the gushing rivulets,\nthe everlasting hills that rear their giant summits to the glorious\neffulgence of the noon-tide sun, or the cold kiss of the midnight moon,\nspoke to his heart a language that his intellect faithfully interpreted.\nThe constant contemplation of beautiful natural scenery almost\ninvariably inspires devotional feeling. In the wonderful solitudes of\nnature the sneer of the infidel is hushed upon his lips, and the worldly\nman forgets the passions, the jealousies, the intrigues, the\nheart-burnings and frivolities, of his daily artificial life. But the\nheart of the true, thoughtful, right-minded man does something more than\nmirror the images presented to his eye. It is not like\n\n    \"----a sleeping lake,\n      That takes the hue of cloud and sky,\n    And only feels its surface break\n      As birds of passage wander by,\n    That dip their wing and upward soar,\n    Leaving it quiet as before.\"\n\nBefore the mind's eye of such a man, the beauties of nature do not glide\naway like the figures of a painted panorama, serving only to amuse,\ncharming the eye for a moment with grace of form and beauty of manner,\nand then passing away like an idle dream, the \"baseless fabric of a\nvision.\" In the true man, the child of God, the inner, the spiritual\nsense is awakened in sympathy with the material organs of vision. For\nhim each lineament of nature is a revelation, each feature a symbol.\nThe flowers are to him, as some one has beautifully remarked, the\n\"alphabet of angels.\"\n\nWe have labored somewhat in these pages, even at the risk of repetition,\nto inculcate the idea that Mr. Ballou was one of these students of\nnature; and this was the case in a most eminent degree: the teachings\nthat he received at her feet in youth he garnered up in his heart, to be\nrepeated, to be illustrated, and illumined with new light from the\nbrightness of his intellect, to be poured forth again to thousands who\nrequired so eloquent an interpreter. He had learned a lesson he could\nnever forget, from the beautiful creations of God, of his fatherly\naffection. The fierce midnight storm, with its thunder-peals and\nlightning-flashes, had no terror for him; he knew better than to\ninterpret it as a manifestation of the wrath and vengeful fury of the\nDeity; for he knew that it was to be followed by a purer and healthier\natmosphere, by the glowing bow of promise, and by brighter smiles from\nthe unshadowed sun.\n\nIn none of the varied phenomena of nature did he behold the God of\nwrath, the God of vengeance, the pitiless Deity of the dark theology,\nwhose horrors he was destined to dissipate and overcome. Far from this.\nHe deduced from every phase of nature the great truth of the\nall-prevailing and inexhaustible love of the Almighty for the children\nof his creation. Thus, by the simple symbols and tokens he had\ndiscovered, strewn like flowers along the pathway of life, he sought to\nawaken the torpid sense of those \"who, having eyes, saw not, and having\nears, heard not,\" the wonders of the glad tidings the angel-messengers\nof the Deity were commissioned to communicate to man.\n\nMr. Ballou's examples and illustrations of God's unbounded grace and\ngoodness, as drawn from visible nature, were very frequent. God's word\nfirst, and then God's works, were his strength and shield. Let the\nfollowing show his mode of reasoning in this particular. He says:--\"If\nour Creator has so bountifully provided for our existence here, which is\nbut momentary, and for our temporal wants, which will all soon be\nforgotten, what has he not done for the security of our immortal state,\nand for our enjoyment in the everlasting world? Pause, and behold what\nboundless scenes of riches and glory are opening to our view in Jesus,\nby whom life and immortality are brought to light! We have seen the\nbrightness of the morning sun, have known the renovating majesty of his\nnoon-tide rays, have seen a fair creation blest with his universal light\nand heat! But this is only a symbol of the Sun of Righteousness; his\nbrightness is above that of the morning sun, his heat is more renovating\nthan the rays of the noon. In him our Heavenly Father hath given unto us\neternal life. As the life of the natural is in the sun, so the life of\nthe moral creation is in Jesus, the light of the world, the life of man.\nIf the _earth_ be full of the goodness of the Lord, have we not in this\na fair specimen of the rest of his vast creation? Have we any reason to\nbelieve that the _earth_ is more favored with the divine goodness than\nany other part or parts of creation? No, surely we have not. All those\nworlds which sparkle in the wide expanse of heaven are full of the\ngoodness of the Lord; and if time be all full of divine goodness, so is\neternity; and if God be universally good temporally speaking, so is he\nin relation to spiritual things. What infinite reason have we to\nexercise our hearts in gratitude to God, and our affections in love to\nhim, who giveth us all things richly to enjoy! With what propriety may\nwe say, 'Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!'\"\n\nObserve how vastly different was the effect produced by the tenets of\nfaith preached by many around him! How far from lovable was the\nportraiture drawn of God and Heaven by those who held forth the creed of\nthe old school!\n\nHow many preachers of this school have won their ephemeral reputations\nsolely by awakening the terrors of their auditors, and have been\nesteemed great in proportion to their ability to produce fainting,\nconvulsions, tears and groans, among women and children! The perverted\nvision of such men rests on no image of nature, except such as they can\ndistort to symbolize some imaginary dreadful attribute in the God of\ntheir theology. He is clothed by them in storms and clouds, as the\nheathen Jove was depicted grasping in his hand a sheaf of thunderbolts.\nFrom their portraiture every gleam of light is excluded,--it is a murky\nand repulsive mass of shadows. The gentle and fragrant flowers, the\nsweet perfumes and rainbow colors with which the face of nature is so\nprodigally decked, claim no word or thought of theirs; they cannot\nemploy these images in their illustrations, they cannot reconcile them\nwith their gloomy theories,--their very existence is unaccountable to\ntheir perverse vision.\n\n\"That gloomy, heart-dejecting something,\" says Mr. Ballou, \"which has\nbeen maintained in our world at an incalculable expense of treasure, of\ncomfort, peace and joy,--at the expense, also, of the tender charities\nof the heart, and the benevolent sentiments of the soul,--though called\nreligion, is all counterfeit. It has drawn a sable curtain over the\nmildly radiant countenance of our Father in heaven, and in room of\nleading the mind to contemplate the Divine Being with pleasure and\ndelight, it has attached a horror to the sacred name, which gives a\nstupefying chill to the heart, repels the mind, and forces it to seek\nrelief in the contemplation of visible and sensible objects; and after\nbecoming the author of this horror and disgust in the soul, it artfully\ntakes the advantage of the deception, to inculcate a belief that the\nreason of these feelings is the natural depravity of the human heart!\nSuch are the views which youth are led to entertain of religion, that\nthey contemplate it as something calculated to deprive them of their\npresent comforts, and only useful as it relates to a state of existence\nhereafter, where, as a recompense for sacrifices which they make of\nhappiness in this world, they are to receive extensive and lasting\nblessings. With such reflections, it is natural to delay the concerns\nof religion as long as possible, with an intention to submit to its\nunpleasant requirements in season to win the prize. This is evidently\nthe reason why youth are so little inclined to employ their thoughts on\ndivine things, and to prefer amusements and trifling vanities to the\nacquisition of Christian knowledge.\n\n\"But true religion presents the Father of our spirits as the most lovely\ncharacter of which the mind can possibly conceive. It directs to the\ncontemplation of that almighty power which controls a universe, and to\nview all its elements in harmony with the unchangeable love of God to\nhis creatures. In youth, while the heart is tender, and sensibility\nquick and lively, what an exquisite delight the mind is capable of\nenjoying, by penetrating through visible objects and the beauty of\ntemporal things, to the contemplation of that wisdom, power and\ngoodness, which are manifest through the medium of these outward forms!\nIf the fragrance of the rose can so gratefully delight the sense, how\nmuch greater is the pleasure to the rational mind which flows from the\nconsideration of that wisdom and goodness which gave this power to the\nrose, and this capacity to sense! From this single item let the mind\nglance through all creation, and freely indulge the reflection that the\nuniverse is as full of the divine goodness as the rose or the lily of\nthe valley. Freed from superstition, what heart would not be charmed\nwith the character which the Saviour gives of our Heavenly Father?\n'Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap,\nnor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not\nmuch better than they? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;\nthey toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you that even\nSolomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.'\"\n\nThese mute, but beautiful and eloquent testimonials of their Maker's\nlove and gentleness, would rebuke the dogmatism of the schools; and\nhence they naturally avoid to mention the graceful, refined and touching\nfeatures of nature. They prefer rather to revel in their own dark and\nunwarrantable conceptions of a future state, to gloat over the\nprospective agony of their brethren, to conjure up horrid pictures of\nfuture suffering and woe, and madly to pronounce all as being necessary\nto the full glory of God, and the exemplification of his almighty power.\nWhat wonder, then, that thousands, turning with loathing and shuddering\nfrom the image of a deity clothed with all the repugnant attributes of\nthe most debased humanity, plunge into hopeless unbelief, refusing all\ncredence in such a being, and in any future state whatever? Was it not a\nHerculean task to combat the immemorial and prescriptive dogmas of\npowerful and learned preachers, armed with all the rhetorical imagery of\nthe schools for working terror and despair in the hearts of their\nlisteners?\n\nAgain Mr. Ballou says:--\n\n\"The preacher of the old school exhorts his hearers, above all things,\nto the practice of the most rigid self-denial; and assures them that\nGod will be highly pleased with their abstaining from those pleasures\nwhich he has placed within their reach. The most innocent amusements,\nthe most harmless recreations, he declaims against with the utmost\nvehemence, as damning sins. He considers religion essentially to consist\nin a perpetual effort to suppress and eradicate that propensity to\nacquire temporal happiness which the God of nature has made to be the\nspring of our actions. But on no subject does he delight to dwell so\nmuch as on the future punishment of the wicked and impenitent. He\ndresses up the Father of the universe in the awful robes of eternal\nwrath and unbounded indignation, filled with incessant anger at the\ncrimes of the wicked, exerting infinite wisdom in devising the modes and\naugmenting the severity of their punishment.\n\n\"The eternal din of future punishment soon loses all effect in\nfrightening the people, and has no influence but to impress a melancholy\ngloom on their minds. Mankind are to be animated to strive to enter the\ngates of heaven by the love of God and of goodness. He who attempts it\nthrough fear of damnation exhibits no evidence of holiness of heart. As\nwell may we call a man honest who, having an inclination to steal,\nrefrains for fear of the whip, as we may a man religious, who, having\nvicious inclinations, restrains them, and conforms to the exteriors of\nreligion, for the purpose of escaping the flames of hell. It is matter\nof much regret that the amiable religion of Christianity should be so\ndisfigured and misrepresented as to deprive many people of the\nhappiness of enjoying it. Jesus Christ has in the clearest manner\ninculcated those duties which are productive of the highest moral\nfelicity, and consistent with all the innocent enjoyments to which we\nare impelled by the dictates of nature. Religion, when fairly considered\nin its genuine simplicity and uncorrupted state, is the source of\nendless rapture and delight. But, when corrupted with denials,\nmortifications, and a punctilious observance of external rites, it\nassumes a form disgusting to men of taste, and a relish for social\nhappiness, and is productive of the most destructive consequences. It\ndrives one part of mankind into the practice of superstition, hypocrisy\nand bigotry; and, by exciting a distaste and aversion in the minds of\nthe other part, it excludes them from the rational pleasure arising from\nthe practice of genuine religion. The road to heaven is pleasant and\ndelightful, if mankind will go the right way; and certainly God will bid\nthe saint as sincere a welcome to the realms of immortal felicity who\nhas in the journey of life tasted the temporal delights of innocence, as\nhe will him who has abstained from them. Why, then, should we leave the\npath that is strewed with flowers and roses, for the purpose of going in\nanother through a wilderness beset with thorns and briars, when both\nparts will terminate in the same happy country?\"\n\nPeople listen to the dogmas of the schools, and are filled with awful\nforebodings; terror is the predominating principle in their bosoms, and\nsorrow takes possession of their hearts, speaking out from their\nfaithful countenances in sadness. How far is the true influence of the\ngospel from inducing such results as this! Mr. Ballou believed, with\nFenelon, that \"true piety hath in it nothing weak, nothing sad, nothing\nconstrained. It enlarges the heart; it is simple, free, and attractive.\"\nIf this were not the true nature of the gospel, how could there be\n\"peace and joy in believing\"?\n\nHe held that the true way to cleanse the hardened and rebellious heart\nis to inundate it with a deluge of love, the only weapon of Omnipotence.\nReason with the sinner, he will meet you with subtle argument; threaten\nhim, and he will meet you blow for blow; against future interest he will\nadroitly balance present pleasure. The human heart rises against\nseverity or oppression, while it is soothed by gentleness, as the waves\nof the ocean rise in proportion to the violence of the winds, and sink\nwith the breeze, until it becomes a gentle zephyr, into mildness and\nserenity. Love, the warm sunshine of our existence, subdues the sinner\nat once; there is not one in a thousand whose heart is so hardened that\nits genial warmth will not melt it. True it is that force can subdue\nnumbers, cunning conquers force, intellect can master cunning, but love\nconquers all. There is a vast difference between a wounded heart and a\ncontrite spirit. You may break ice by force into a thousand pieces,--it\nis ice still; but expose it to the warm sun, and behold! how quickly it\nwill melt!\n\nWe have enlarged somewhat upon this doctrine of divine love, and trust\nthat our readers will bear with us in our desultory career, since this\nprinciple is the fundamental basis of Universalism,--the starting-point\nand the goal, the Alpha and the Omega, of Mr. Ballou's spiritual\nexperience and teaching. By it he reconciled the impulses of his heart\nand the promptings of his intellect. The principle of God's perfect,\nunchanging and eternal love of man, was the great discovery of his\nearliest manhood, the object of his self-imposed mission, the\ninspiration and solace of his labors, the spirit and joy of his\nexistence. His adamantine belief in this great idea, daily strengthening\nby the study of God's works and word, was his shield and spear. It\ntouched his lips with living fire, as he stood in the pulpit, or beneath\nthe blue canopy of heaven, where he often preached; in the solitude of\nhis study, in the busy haunts of men, it fed the flickering lamp of life\nwhen it waned with severe exertion, and it shone like the brightest star\nof heaven on his dying bed. It was no solitary joy; the treasure he had\nfound he journeyed through the land to share with others. From his lips\nthe glad tidings rang through every nook and corner; and he lived, as we\nhave seen, long enough to hear the accents caught up by the willing and\nfaithful watchmen of the gospel, and the cry of \"All's well!\" echo from\nport to port, from battlement to battlement, on the castles of Zion,\nthrough the vast circumference of his native land. He saw his\ndenominational congregation swollen from a little band of eager\nlisteners to an auditory numbering hundreds of thousands. He saw the\nshadows of unbelief flying from the face of truth, as the mist of\nmorning disappears before the rising sun. And he felt joyful, but not\nproud or elated, in the consciousness that his sacred mission had been\ncrowned with such complete success, and that multitudes recognized the\ntruth which he first enunciated, that _the law of God was the law of\nlove_.\n\nBut let us give place here to his own words, beautifully expressed, and\nillustrating his belief, and the _spirit_ of his doctrine, as appears in\na poem he wrote upon this theme, some years since. It is entitled\n\n                 GOD IS LOVE.\n\n    \"When lovely Spring, with flowery wreaths,\n      Comes on young Zephyr's wing,\n    And every bird soft music breathes,\n      'Tis love that makes them sing.\n\n    Love blossoms on the forest trees,\n      And paints each garden flower,\n    Gives honey to the laboring bees\n      In every sylvan bower.\n\n    Love breathes in every wind that blows,\n      And fragrance fills the air;\n    Meanders in each stream that flows,\n      Inviting pleasures there.\n\n    Love brings the golden harvest in,\n      And fills her stores with food;\n    It moves ten thousand tongues to sing\n      Of universal good.\"\n\n\"If we believe that God so loved us that he sent his Son to die for us,\nwe ought to love one another,\" he says. \"Shall I not love those objects\nwhom my God loves? Shall I not love all those for whose sins he sent his\nSon to be a propitiation? Most assuredly. This is a consequence\nnaturally to be expected from our belief. I do not say that all who\nprofess the doctrine do love one another as they ought; but I have the\nconfidence to say that no one who possesses the real sentiment, the real\nprinciple, in his heart, can do otherwise than love all mankind. And\nhere you will easily perceive that all the commandments of the gospel\nare to be obeyed. For when we love one another and love God, what duty\nis there that will be neglected? If this will not lead us to our duty,\nwhat will? Will terror make us do our duty? No; for, referring once more\nto the similitude, what drove your children away? It was believing the\nstory they were told of your character. What _brought_ them back?\nKnowing you were good. And know you not that it is _the goodness of God\nthat leadeth to repentance_? Why, then, should not his goodness be\npreached to sinners? Why should we be told such awful stories with\nregard to eternity? Why should we be told that there is an everlasting\nstate of burning, in order to induce us to love our Father in heaven? O!\nincongruous doctrine! Let it be banished from the world, and let the\nangel of the covenant proclaim the love of God to mankind; and may the\nworld be converted. Man will then love his fellow-man; we shall all see\nthat we are the children of God, that we are all the objects of God's\nlove, and all the objects of our Saviour's grace. Believe this truth,\ntreasure it up in your hearts, let your affections move with assent,\nlove God and love one another, and the God of love and peace shall be\nwith you.\"\n\nAll his writings and all of his conversation, both public and private,\nwere thoroughly imbued with this belief and principle of universal love;\nit ran like a golden stratum through all his life and conduct, imbuing\nevery sentiment and every thought. His doctrine was such that a\nrealizing sense of its character must invariably thus affect the firm\nand relying believer. He never held forth dark threats, nor adopted,\nlike many preachers about him, the doleful tones of grief when he talked\nabout religion. \"If good people,\" says Archbishop Usher, \"would make\ntheir goodness agreeable, and smile instead of frowning in their virtue,\nhow many would they win to the good cause!\" Mr. Ballou was affected, in\nhis cheerful and happy belief of universal salvation, like Haydn, who,\nin answer to a query of the poet Carpani, how it happened that his\nchurch music was ever of an animating and cheerful character,\nanswered,--\"I cannot make it otherwise. I write according to the\nthoughts which I feel;--when I think upon God, my heart is so full of\njoy that the notes dance and leap as it were from my pen.\"\n\nHow many there are among us who, the moment the subject of religion is\nmentioned, put on long faces, and talk as if they were mourning their\nown lot and that of all creation, \"in hopes to merit heaven by making\nearth a hell!\" Such people, by their example and bearing, would lead us\nto believe that churches are institutions reared for the purpose of\nencouraging long faces and dyspepsia, instead of pure altars from whence\nmay ascend the glad incense of grateful hearts. How strongly it is\nimpressed upon us that \"God loves the _cheerful_ giver!\" and did not\nChrist reproach the Pharisees for disfiguring their faces with a sad\ncountenance? To use the forcible language of another, they make of\nthemselves \"Hypocrites, who, to persuade men that angels lodge in their\nhearts, hang out a devil for a sign in their countenances.\" \"It is quite\ndeplorable,\" says Lady Morgan, \"to see how many rational creatures, or\nat least who are thought so, mistake suffering for sanctity, and think a\nsad face and a gloomy habit of mind propitious offerings to that Deity\nwhose works are all light and lustre, and harmony and loveliness.\"\n\nSuch was the philosophy of the subject of these memoirs, such his\nreligion, such the doctrine which he taught. He found no cause for\nsorrow in his belief, but a never-failing fountain of joy ever welled up\nin his breast, pure and sparkling.\n\nMr. Ballou's religious belief, the faith which he promulgated with such\nzeal and wonderful effect, can be summed up in a few words. He held that\nGod judges the human family in the earth; that every man must receive\naccording to the sin he hath done, and that there is no respect of\npersons. That the \"righteous shall be recompensed in the earth, much\nmore the wicked and the sinner.\" That the future state of existence will\nbe one of unalloyed happiness for the whole human family. That God is a\nbeing who governs the world with a parent's regard, and not with the\nwrath of a tyrant; that the world could be led to love him, but never\ndriven to do it through fear. That love, not wrath, should be preached\nto the people. That all punishment is designed by the Divine Spirit for\nthe reformation of the sinner, and consequently must take place where\nthe sin is committed. That the reward of good deeds is to encourage well\ndoing, and must come when and where the worthy acts are done. He\nbelieved in no more dreadful hell than is produced by the consequences\nof sin about us, with the still, bitter gnawings of conscience; and in\nno sweeter or more desirable reward than an approving conscience, and\nthe natural consequences of doing good. He taught that man must be saved\nfrom his _sins_, not from the _punishment_ of them,--_that_ is\nimpossible,--and that to be happy we must \"do justly, love mercy, and\nwalk humbly with God.\"\n\nHe believed that, in order to prove that misery will exist in the future\nor eternal state, it must first be made to appear that sin will exist in\nthat state. But this he did not believe could be proved from any\nscriptural testimony; on the contrary, he was fully convinced that the\nBible taught that \"He that is dead is freed from sin.\" To quote his own\nwords on this point: \"We have shown, in order for justice to require the\nendless misery of any moral being, it must, of necessity, require the\nendless continuance of sin, than which nothing can be more absurd.\"\nAgain he says: \"We have sufficiently argued that man cannot be miserable\nin consequence of moral condemnation, any longer than he is, in a moral\nsense, a sinner.\" And we have often heard him make the remark, in regard\nto limited future punishment, that if any one would produce but only one\npassage of scripture which proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that sin\nor the sinner will exist, as such, in the eternal, immortal state, then\nI give up my doctrine of no future punishment; but until this is done, I\nshall hold to the doctrine that the Scriptures do not teach the\nprinciple even of a limited future punishment. Mr. Ballou would not\nallow analogy to take the place of scriptural proof on so important a\nsubject as the destiny of man in the immortal state. He had nothing to\ndo with mere assertions, which had not a \"thus saith the Lord\" for their\nsupport, on any doctrinal point.\n\nThis feature of his mind cannot be too strongly insisted upon. He was\nnot content with relying on the _spirit_ of the Scriptures, which would\nhave fully sustained his doctrine, but he conciliated the spirit and the\nletter, and rested every proposition he advanced on this immutable and\nimpregnable basis. If ever a man strictly obeyed the injunction to\n\"search the Scriptures,\" it was Mr. Ballou. They were the armor from\nwhich he drew the shield that sheltered him in conflict, and all the\nshafts that garnished his quiver. He had the very words of Christ and\nhis apostles for every item of his creed, and such creed alone would he\naccept as might be adapted to this standard. He was not one of those\nself-complacent and easy theorists, who readily support their favorite\ndoctrine by a few ambiguous texts, or an arbitrary construction of a\nmooted passage. He was far too conscientious for this; the language of\nlearned commentators, however elegant the phraseology and plausible the\nreason, never satisfied him. His standard was fixed in the Bible.\n\nThere was little of the enthusiast,--to use the term in its common\nacceptation,--nothing of the bigot and fanatic, in his nature. He first\nconvinced himself of the truth of his ideas; he reflected and pondered\nthem deeply by himself, in some of those abstracted moods peculiar to\nhim, examining them in every light, trying them by every test,\ndispassionately and calmly; and then gave them to the world, armed at\nall points, and ready for defence against attack. And how prompt and\nready he was to defend what he had satisfied himself was the truth, we\nneed not reiterate here. The language in which he enforced his arguments\nwas simple and clear, because his ideas were so. They needed not the\ntinsel garb of rhetoric, the flowers of a refined oratory, to make them\npresentable to the world; they needed no foreign or artificial aid;--no,\nthey stood forth clear, simple, strong, arrayed in the garb and radiant\nwith the light of truth and of nature. They stood the test of public\nscrutiny, because they had been refined in the alembic of his own severe\nand critical mind. This simplicity, which is fast becoming an\nold-fashioned virtue, commended the preacher to the earnest seekers\nafter truth. It is a pretty fair inference to arrive at, when you hear a\nreligion preached which requires disguise and ornament, that the truth\nis not in it. Where truth is there need be no such garbing; it is only\nerror that requires to be gilded, like the covering to bitter pills,\nused to render them sweet. The gospel of Christ appeals to the judgment,\nnot to the taste.\n\nIn relation to the argument of analogy, as used to prove the doctrine of\npunishment in a future state, we subjoin the following, in his own\nwords:--\"Another ground on which the advocates of a future state of\nrewards and punishments place much dependence for the support of the\ndoctrine, they denominate _analogy_. We think it too hazardous to\nattempt anything like an accurate statement of the particular arguments,\nwhich are made to depend on this principle, in favor of this doctrine;\nfor we might be liable to some mistakes, which would represent the views\nof its advocates differently from their mode of representing them. Our\nliability to misrepresent in such an attempt seems unavoidable, on\naccount of the fact that there has been nothing like a system of\nreasoning yet exhibited on the general subject. We feel safe, however,\nin saying, that, as far as we have been informed, those who rely on what\nthey call analogy to support the doctrine of future retribution, hold\nthat, in all respects which are necessary to carry sin and its miseries\ninto the future state, that state will be analogous to this mode of\nbeing. So that, reasoning from analogy, as moral agents sin, and\nthereby render themselves miserable in this world, the same moral agents\nmay continue to do the same in the world to come. In connection with\nthis argument it is urged, that, as it is evident to our senses that sin\noften escapes a just retribution in this world, it must be recompensed\nin another state, or divine justice must forever be deprived of its\nclaims.\n\n\"On reasonings of such a character, we shall use the freedom to say,\nthat they appear to have no higher authority than mere human\nspeculations injudiciously managed. That they are nothing more than\nsimple speculations, is evident from the fact that they are not founded\non any divine authority. We presume that their own advocates never\nventured to support them by scripture authority. And that they are\nmanaged injudiciously, is very apparent from the circumstances, that\nwhile they profess to be justified by the principle of analogy, they are\na direct denial of the very analogy on which they depend. Theologians\nwho endeavor to exert an influence over the minds of people by means of\nthese speculations, are constantly urging that in this world we see sin\nprocuring for its agents the riches and honors of the world, while it\nescapes judicial detection, and goes unpunished. Now, if they were\nconsistent with their analogy and with themselves, they would see at\nonce that in the next state of existence sin will procure for its agents\nthe riches and honors of that world, and there, as well as here, escape\njudicial detection, and go unpunished. They would likewise see that as\ndivine justice can quiet its own claims in this world, without\nadministering a full and adequate retribution of human conduct, it may\ndo the same in the future state. In this way we might proceed and make\nthe future state precisely like the present; for we have no more\nauthority for carrying sin and its miseries into a future world, than we\nhave for carrying all other things into that state which we find in\nthis. Reasoning from all that we know, we must believe that, so long as\nmen sin, they will do so from the beguiling power of temptation. If,\nthen, we believe that sin will exist in the future state, we must\nsuppose that temptation will there act on the mind with a deceiving\ninfluence. In this world the wicked are allured with the hopes of\ntemporal gain, and these attractions are strengthened by the belief that\ncrime will not be detected, and that punishment will be avoided. Were it\nnot for these hopes and allurements, no wrong-doing would be practised\nin this world; and to suppose that we shall transgress the law of God in\nthe future world, without any temptation, is a speculation altogether\narbitrary and capricious, as well as contrary to _analogy_.\"\n\n\"Of late, the writer of this,\" says Mr. Ballou, in one of his last\npublished sermons, \"has seen an inclination, in some of the professed\npreachers of Universalism, to adopt some of the peculiar opinions of our\nUnitarian fraternity. Among other things, is the opinion that men carry\ninto the next world the imperfections of this; so that their moral\ncondition hereafter will depend on the characters they form while here\nin the flesh; but that they may and will improve and progress in virtue\nand holiness in the spirit world. This opinion being rather newly\nadopted, and as it seems to ingratiate them into favor with Unitarians,\nit is quite natural for such preachers to devote not a small share of\npublic labor to lead the minds of their hearers to the adoption of such\nviews of the future state. Whenever the writer of this discourse comes\nin contact with these labors and opinions, he feels it to be his duty,\nin a friendly, brotherly, and candid manner, to endeavor to bring them\nto the test of some acknowledged standard. It is worthy of\nconsideration, that the New Testament gives us but little on the subject\nof man's future state. There can be no doubt but Jesus was known to\nbelieve and preach a doctrine embracing the fact of the resurrection,\nand an immortal state for the human family. All this is clearly\nmanifested by the question asked him by the Sadducees respecting the\nresurrection. In the answer which Jesus returned, we have all which\ngives us any account respecting the state of man hereafter which was\nspoken by him. In this answer, we are told the following facts:--1st.\nThat, in the future world, they will neither marry nor be given in\nmarriage. 2d. That, in that state, men will be the children of God,\nbeing the children of the resurrection. 3d. That they will be equal unto\nthe angels, and that they can die no more. 4th. That the doctrine of\nthe resurrection was shown by Moses, and that God is not the God of the\ndead, but of the living, for we all live unto him. St. Paul says more on\nthe subject of the resurrection, and of the future state, than did\nJesus. He says, 'As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made\nalive.' He also distinguishes man's state and condition in the future or\nresurrection state, from his condition here, as follows:--'It is sown in\ncorruption, it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor, it is\nraised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is\nsown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.' Thus we are taught\nthat our future state will differ from the present as incorruption\ndiffers from corruption; as glory differs from dishonor; as power\ndiffers from weakness; as a spiritual body differs from a natural body.\nNow, if we allow ourselves to carry our speculations respecting our\nfuture state not only beyond all the Scriptures say on the subject, but\nso as to adopt distinctions in that state, which evidently conflict with\nthe divine Word, do we not say, by so doing, that divine Revelation is\nnot only incomplete, but also inaccurate?\"\n\nHe believed that all those promises which give the assurance of the\nfinal _holiness_ and _happiness_ of the entire race of man depend solely\non the will and power and goodness of God, and not on any conditions for\nthe creature to perform. While dwelling upon this theme, which he\ndelighted to do, he says:--\"Let us pass to the prophecies of Isaiah; see\nChap. 25: 6, 7, 8.\n\n\"'And in this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto _all_ people a\nfeast of fat things. * * * And he will destroy in this mountain the face\nof the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over\nall nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will\nwipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall\nhe take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.' No\none will doubt that the provisions here spoken of are those which are\nprovided in the gospel of salvation,--made for all people. The vail of\ndarkness which is over all people is to be taken away. Death is to be\nswallowed up in victory, and tears wiped from off all faces. The rebuke\nof God's people shall be taken from off all the earth. And the proof is\nin the above passage, 'for the Lord hath spoken it.'\"\n\nMr. Ballou says:--\"I look with strong expectation for that period when\nall sin, and every degree of unreconciliation, will be destroyed, by the\ndivine power of that love which is stronger than death, which many\nwaters cannot quench, nor the floods drown; in which alone I put my\ntrust, and in which my hope is anchored for all mankind; earnestly\npraying that the desire of the righteous may not be cut off. The fulness\nof times will come, and the times of the restitution of all things will\nbe accomplished. Then shall truth be victorious, and all error flee to\neternal night. Then will universal songs of honor be sung to the praise\nof Him who liveth for ever and ever.\"\n\nIn relation to the subject of his faith, Rev. A. A. Miner, in his\nfuneral sermon delivered on the occasion, says:--\n\n\"Let me say, then, that he was _a man of unswerving faith_. He believed\nin the Bible as the treasury of divine revelation. His ministry was\nbased upon it. Few men have confined themselves so exclusively to its\nthemes. None have treated those themes with greater clearness and power.\nHe studied the sacred page with a spirit equally removed from the\nGermanic philosophy, on the one hand, and from Calvinistic bigotry on\nthe other. In the fulness of its promises, the riches of its grace, and\nthe blessedness of its hopes, his soul continually delighted. It was to\nhim the 'Book of books;' and, at the advanced age of more than fourscore\nyears, its truths, still fresh in his memory, continually employed his\nunderstanding, and its glories enraptured his heart.\n\n\"He believed also in God;--in God as the supreme good. He believed in\nhim as sovereign,--not simply as a candidate for sovereignty, but as\nalready sovereign; nor alone as sovereign to create, to uphold, to rule,\nto condemn, and to chasten or destroy. So far had the _world's_ faith\ngone. He regarded him as sovereign, not to do evil, but to do good, and\nto do good only. He believed God limited by his very nature to the doing\nof good,--that he is no more able to do evil than he is to be untrue.\nAnd, since it is admitted, on all hands, that there are moral influences\nby which some will be saved in perfect harmony with the exercise of\ntheir own voluntary powers, he believed that a God who is really\nsovereign in his moral domain can accomplish in all souls whatever is\npossible to be accomplished in any. Thus, from the character of God he\nsaw freely flowing the blessed promises of his word.\n\n\"His faith, too, in Christ stood related to the affectionate Father as\nthe sovereign cause. Christ was God's messenger to man. He came not to\nprocure the Father's love for the world, but as a testimony of that\nlove. He came not to open to man the door of mercy, but to strengthen\nman to walk in the already open door. His mission was not simply to\nexplore the wide-spread moral waste, but to possess and cultivate it;\nnot to make salvation possible, but actual; for God 'hath appointed him\n_heir_ of all things,'--'hath given all things into his hands, that he\nshould give eternal life to as many as God had given him.' Thus it was\nhis mission to _accomplish_ a work, rather than to _offer_ to accomplish\nit; and, by his ever-memorable prayer on the cross, he perfected the\npower by which the world will be saved; as he said, 'And I, if I be\nlifted up from the earth, _will draw all men unto me_.'\"\n\nNo one who has thus far followed this unpretending but truthful\nbiography, can fail to admit the full justice of the foregoing analysis\nand eulogy of Mr. Ballou's moral and mental nature. The faith of which\nMr. Miner speaks was the strongest characteristic of the man. It\nillumined his whole life. His intellect was not clouded by doubts. In\nthe geniality and genuineness of his faith he proceeded to the study of\nthe book of books; every leaf he turned in the sacred volume confirmed\nthe steadfast belief of his soul. He read it not as a verbal critic, not\nas a worldly philosopher, ambitious to found some system on the hints he\nmight discover, but as a Christian seeking, where he knew he should\ndiscover it, the eternal light of truth. It was, indeed, to him a source\nof unsullied, uncloying, constant delight. Daily and hourly he\ndiscovered new beauties and new truths in its pages. Its story rolled\nbefore him like a wave of unbroken harmony, until his mental vision\nbecame almost microscopic in its powers of detection. Thus filled with\nthe word, thus made conversant with its glowing truths and beauties, he\nconstantly renewed and multiplied the means of awakening and confirming\nfaith in others.\n\nAs we have labored to show, his reverence and love for his Maker were\nboundless; they absorbed his whole being--not, however, to the exclusion\nof earthly objects of affection, for he well knew that a true love of\nour Father in heaven is totally incompatible with the neglect of his\ncreatures. Therefore, he was as unlike as possible to those ascetics of\nthe middle ages, or the recluses of our own day, who fancy that a strict\nseclusion from the world, and a complete abandonment to religious\nexercises, is the most acceptable offering that can be made at the foot\nof the altar. This was an idea that found no sympathy in his bosom; he\nknew that there was nothing inharmonious between religious and social\nduties, and that to love our fellow-creatures is a proof of love towards\nGod. His devotion was filial, but of that transcendent nature which far\nsurpasses all the affections of this world. His boundless love of God\nrested on his vivid conception of his nature, as all-powerful,\nall-merciful, and all-good, the enthroned sovereign of the universe, the\nFather and Benefactor of each and all of the human race.\n\nIn a recent letter to the \"Star in the West,\" Rev. George H. Emerson\nsays:--\n\n\"The theological mission of Hosea Ballou was this:--_to assert the\nbenevolent and perfect sovereignty of Almighty God_. I once said to him,\n'Suppose the idea of God's sovereignty were taken out of you, how much\nwould there be left of you?' His answer was significant, and comprised\nthree words,--'_O my soul!_' Of course, these three words, of themselves\nsimply, convey no answer; but the tone with which they were uttered\nsaid, very distinctly, that, the idea of God's sovereignty taken away,\nthere would be no Hosea Ballou. But this great man did not simply\nbelieve that God is a sovereign, but, further, that God is a\n_benevolent_ sovereign; he not only believed that God ruled in the\narmies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, but that he\nruled them with the especial object of bestowing happiness; he not only\nbelieved that God worked all things after the counsels of his own will,\nbut that it was God's will that all should be saved and come to a\nknowledge of the truth. Every one who has heard or read him will\nrecollect how frequently he would illustrate his views of the divine\ngovernment by the beautiful story of Joseph and his ten brethren:--'But\nas for you, _ye_ thought evil against me; but _God_ meant it unto good,\nto bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive.' This\nverse contained volumes of meaning with Father Ballou.\"\n\nSuch was the sum and substance of his doctrine, his life-long mission,\nthe creed he held forth to the people for more than sixty years.\n\nSome of his religious opponents have frequently charged him with\ncard-playing, an amusement which we conceive to be of no evil import in\nitself, but the charge was designed as a matter of reproach against him.\nNow, we happen to know, and can say for a certainty, that Mr. Ballou did\nnot know one card from another, nor could he have named a dozen cards\nrightly, had his very life depended upon his doing so.\n\nThis may be thought, perhaps, a trifling matter to notice; but the truth\nis, his religious opponents, finding no evil in him that they might\nexpose, invented this charge to prejudice the public mind, and one\nminister in New England more than once publicly declared it from his\npulpit; though, when called upon by one who heard him, and who knew the\nsubject of this biography, he was puzzled to produce the name of his\ninformant. It is within our own recollection that these stories were\nrife, and that they were very generally talked of. It was also\nsneeringly said that he preached to the lowest classes of society, and\nthat respectable or intelligent persons never attended his meetings;\nthat some of the most wicked and sinful of the community were found\nlistening to him, and that they were always welcome!\n\nThese declarations were often made as evidences, weighing not alone\nagainst him, but also against the truth and godly character of his\ndoctrine; they were preferred by clergymen from their pulpits, and often\nin opposition religious papers; but, of course, this was more frequently\nthe case during his early settlement in Boston than in subsequent years.\nThe first part of the latter charge brought against him needs no\nrefutation; an intelligent public can judge of its truth; but we cannot\nrefrain from calling the attention of the reader to the spirit that\nprompted the last clause. How very like it is to that evinced by the\nPharisees of old, who said reproachfully of their Divine Master, \"This\nman receiveth sinners and eateth with them.\" And now mark the reply of\nJesus to these grumblers:--\"The whole,\" says he, \"need not the\nphysician, but they that are sick.\" \"The most wicked and sinful of the\ncommunity,\" said Mr. Ballou's revilers, \"are found listening to him, and\nthey are always welcome!\"\n\nThe truth is, that Mr. Ballou made no distinction or selection among\nauditors; he as readily preached to the poor and humble, as to those\n\"clad in purple and fine linen,\" who \"fared sumptuously every day.\" He\nnever withheld his services; it might be, perhaps, that he preached with\nmore fervor to those who stood in the clearest need of consolation and\ngood tidings, than to those who enjoyed every opportunity of mental and\nintellectual culture. But it is certain, that a preacher with the\nuniversality of Mr. Ballou's vocation neither can nor ought to draw\ndistinctions; he is summoned to speak whenever and wherever his services\nare needed, and the preacher of the gospel who should refuse because the\ncall came from the sinful would be as much to blame as he would be to\ndisregard the call of the righteous. The true soldier of Christ and the\ngospel recognizes no distinction of rank; his consolations are as warmly\ngiven to the nameless sufferer, as when beside the couch of the\nmillionaire.\n\nStill less is the minister of the true religion to refuse to afford\nwords of encouragement and advice to the unfortunate being who is\nstruggling in the toils of sin. To such an one his mission is absolutely\nimperative; he must wrestle with the perturbed and darkened spirit, he\nmust aid the awakening conscience, struggling to throw off the burthen\nof evil passions, he must point to the undying love of God to man, and\nbid the tears of the sinner be dried up in the effulgent smile of\nOmnipotence. If, therefore, sinners crowded to hear the discourses of\nMr. Ballou, it was a tribute of which a preacher of the gospel might\nwell be proud. \"To comfort and help the weak-hearted, and to raise up\nthose who fall,\" is essentially the province of the conscientious\npreacher; and no one, however hardened his heart, could have listened to\nthe sincere and earnest words of the subject of these pages, without\nderiving some hope, some consolation, and some strength, from the\nglorious doctrine he preached so eloquently; and that there were very\nmany who were thus ransomed from the thraldom of sin and consequent\nmisery, there can be no reasonable doubt.\n\nWas it true that \"sinners flocked to hear him,\" as has been said so\noften by his opponents in the way of reproach against his doctrine, as\nbeing conducive to the pleasure of such persons? Let us pause for one\nmoment, and review what he used to say that was particularly pleasing to\nthis class of hearers. The following, for instance, will suffice us,--it\nis from his own pen:--\"The vile affections of sin will burn to the\ndestruction of the sweetest harmonies of nature; the whitest robes of\ninnocence are stained with its indelible crimson; the soul is drowned in\nthe black waters of iniquity, and the whole mind, with every faculty, is\nplunged into the hell of moral death. Yet, listen to the worst of\ntorments, in consequence of sin. 'A wounded conscience who can bear?' A\nfire that burns all the day long, a sword that continually pierceth the\nsoul, a sting that cannot exhaust its poison, a fever that never turns\ntill the patient dies. 'A dart struck through his liver.' What ails the\nsinner?--why his hand on his breast? There gnaws the worm that never\ndies,--there burns the fire that is never quenched. A consciousness of\nguilt destroys all the expected comforts and pleasures of sin. How\nstrange it is that, after a thousand disappointments in succession, men\nare not discouraged! O sin! how you paint your face! how you flatter us,\npoor mortals, on to death! You never appear to the sinner in your true\ncharacter; you make us fair promises, but you never fulfilled one; your\ntongue is smoother than oil, but the poison of asps is under your lips;\nyou have impregnated all our passions with the venom of your poison; you\nhave spread gloomy darkness over the whole region of the soul; you have\nendeavored, with your stupefactive poison, to blunt the sword in the\nhands of the cherubim, which, for your sake, keeps us from the tree of\nlife. A mistaken idea has been entertained of sin, even by professors. I\nhave often heard sincere ministers preach, in their reproofs to their\nhearers, that it was the greatest folly in the world for people to\nforego salvation, in a future state, for the comforts and pleasures of\nsin in this. Such exhortations really defeat their intentions. The wish\nof the honest preacher is, that the wicked should repent of their sins,\nand do better; but, at the same time, he indicates that sin, at present,\nis more productive of happiness than righteousness; but that the bad\nwill come in another world,--that, although doing well is a hard way,\nyet its advantages will be great in another state. Just as much as any\nperson thinks sin to be more happifying than righteousness, he is\nsinful; his heart esteems it; though in some possible cases, for fear of\nthe loss of salvation in the world to come, he may abstain from some\noutward enormities, yet his heart is full of the desire of doing them.\nIt is as much the nature of sin to torment the mind, as it is the nature\nof fire to burn our flesh. Sin deprives us of every rational enjoyment,\nso far as it captivates the mind. It was never able to furnish one drop\nof cordial for the soul; her tender mercies are cruelty, and her breasts\nof consolation are gall and wormwood.\"\n\nMr. Ballou's style of preaching was of a kind calculated to create\nregret in the hearer's heart at his own shortcoming, and to plant a\ncontrite spirit there, rather than fear for the punishment of his sins.\nThe object of his sermon was not to terrify the sinner, but rather to\nlead him into the ways of peace and pleasantness. His sermons were of\nthe character referred to by Louis XIV., when he told that eminent\npreacher, Massillon, \"Father, I have heard many great pulpit orators,\nand I have been much pleased with them, but every time I hear you I am\nexceedingly displeased with myself;\" alluding to the sorrow for sin\nwhich Massillon's sermons created in him. This is the true and effectual\nstyle of preaching, such as will convert sinners from the error of their\nways, by inducing a correct feeling in their own bosoms, not by\nfrightening them out of their senses. Representing before men's eyes\nsuch oceans of wrath that they feel as though they were sinking to\nperdition, will undoubtedly lead them sometimes to _profess_ religion,\nas a drowning man would catch at a straw; but their profession is made\nby instinct, not conviction,--by an undefined consciousness of\nnecessity, not by any incentive of love.\n\nIt might be said of Mr. Ballou's sermons as Thomas Fuller said of\nPerkins in his eulogy: \"His sermons were not so plain but that the\npiously learned did admire them, nor so learned but that the plain did\nunderstand them. Unshelling theological controversies of their school\nterms, he made of them plain and wholesome meat for the people.\"\n\"Children can understand him,\" was the constant remark of the\nministering brethren, in relation to Mr. Ballou's sermons; and he has\nsaid often, \"If I can make children understand me, then I am satisfied;\nfor surely it must then be that older minds will comprehend my words.\"\nIn this connection we are forcibly reminded of the true incident of the\nminister and the child. Forcible, simple as it is!\n\n\"Mother,\" said a little girl, seven years old, \"I could not understand\nour minister to-day, he said so many hard words. I wish he would preach\nso that little girls could understand him; won't he, mother?\"\n\n\"Yes, I think so, if we ask him.\"\n\nIt was not long after that the little girl's father saw her going over\nto the minister's, and calling her back to him, he asked:--\n\n\"Where are you going, Emma?\"\n\n\"I am going over to Mr. ----'s, father,\" was her innocent reply, \"to ask\nhim to preach small!\"\n\nA hint this that many might improve by.\n\nTo the place of his birth Mr. Ballou was fondly attached, and often\nvisited it during the latter years of his life, in company with his\nchildren. He seemed thrice happy among those well-remembered hills and\ndales, where \"the dreams of youth came back again.\" Aside from the fact\nof its being the home of his childhood, which in itself will strew with\nroses the bleakest spot in Christendom, the valley of his nativity had\nmany picturesque and glowing natural beauties, of a character to impress\nthe lover of nature with admiration. Here he had set his snares at the\nskirts of yonder wood, and here made his morning ablutions in the clear\nrunning brook. Adown the crevices of this huge old rock, when a little\nboy, surfeited with the abundance of wild strawberries, he had pressed\nout their juice, and adown the green crevices in the mossy stone the red\nliquid had made its way. These old stumps, now decayed, and like himself\npassing away, once bore the orchard fruit that he had watched with\nanxious eye to its ripening. And this mass of rocks, this ruined cellar,\nis the only remnant left of the cot where he was born. Not a stone nor a\ntree was forgotten,--not one but brought back its peculiar legend to his\nquickened heart. And here was the old burial-ground, on the hill-side,\nwhere the dust of his father and kindred reposed. With what awe had he\never looked upon that place when a boy! How many times strolled\nthoughtfully among the rank grass and moss-grown slabs, whose gray old\nforms, now bending hither and thither with age, gave faint and feeble\ntoken of names long, long since passed away,--\n\n    \"With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture decked.\"\n\nWhile on a visit to this spot, accompanied by his second son, Rev.\nMassena B. Ballou, in 1843, he lingered long and thoughtfully among the\ntomb-stones, and at last said:--\"I believe I could sleep sweeter here,\namong the hills of Cheshire, by the side of my early home and kindred,\nthan in the grounds of Mount Auburn.\" And this was in truth\ncharacteristic of him and of his feelings, as the reader will have\ngathered ere this. A retiring spirit governed him at all times, unmoved\nby one single prompting of ambition or a desire for fame, and only\nzealous in the service of his Lord and Master. His works he desired to\nleave behind him as perfect as might be, because he hoped that, even\nafter he had himself ceased to live, they might be productive of good to\nhis fellow-men; but it was the only memento he wished to leave behind.\n\"I can hardly conceive of language,\" he says, \"to express the flood of\ntender emotions that overflow my heart, when I look upon that valley and\nthose well-remembered hills. I seem as if touched by some potent wand,\nand to be changed from age to youth again. It becomes impossible to\nrealize the crowd of incidents and experiences that have thronged my\npathway for more than half a century. I am once more in that frugal,\nhappy home, where contentment ever smiled upon us, and the kind words of\nmy brothers and the affection of my sisters, more than compensated for\nwhat by some would have been considered not an enviable lot. Though that\ncottage is now levelled by Time's ruthless hands, yet how prominent it\nstands before my mind's eye! That aged and beloved parent now rests on\nyonder hill-side. Those brothers and sisters,--how various the fortune\nof each! All, _all_ have now passed that portal to which my own\nfootsteps are steadily wending.\" He was often inspired to pour out his\nfeelings in song, after visiting Richmond and the haunts of his youth,\nfor his heart was full of the memories of those days that had endeared\nthe spot to him. The following lines upon this subject were composed for\nhis children to sing with instrumental accompaniment, and are written in\nthe metre of one of his favorite songs, the air of \"Dumbarton's Bonny\nBelle.\"\n\n             BALLOU'S DELL.\n\n    \"There are no hills in Hampshire New,\n      No valleys half so fair,\n    As those which spread before the view\n      In merry Richmond, where\n    I first my mortal race began,\n      And passed my youthful days,--\n    Where first I saw the golden sun,\n      And felt his warming rays.\n\n    There is no spot in Richmond where\n      Fond memory loves to dwell,\n    As on the glebe outspreading there\n      In Ballou's blithesome dell.\n    There are no birds that sing so sweet\n      As those upon the spray,\n    Where, from the brow of 'Grassy Hill,'\n      Comes forth the morning ray.\n\n    Unnumbered flowers, the pride of spring,\n      Are born to flourish there,\n    And round them mellow odors fling\n      Through all the ambient air.\n\n    There purling springs have charms for me\n      That vulgar brooks ne'er give,\n    And winds breathe sweeter down the lea\n      Than where magnolias live!\"\n\nThis is but one of a large number of pieces composed by Mr. Ballou while\ninspired by the same theme. It will serve to show the reader the\nhallowed and inspiring feelings that lived in the writer's heart, as his\nmemory went back in freshness to the days and associations of his\nboyhood, as in retrospection he shook away the snow of time from the\nevergreen of memory.\n\nThe attachment to one's birth-place, to the home of early youth, \"be it\never so humble,\" is a beautiful trait of character, and is significant\nof a refined and noble spirit. It is in masses one of the first and most\nprolific fruits of civilization, distinguishing a stable community from\na nomadic tribe; and, as another peculiarity of the trait, it is most\ntouchingly exhibited in the least fortunate members of the human family.\nThe Icelanders, dwelling in a hyperborean region, where for a large\nportion of the year they are deprived of the light of the sun, and\ndepend upon the stars and the Aurora Borealis to guide their footsteps\nin the long, long winter midnight, are accustomed to say, with a spirit\nof unmistakable fondness and affection, Iceland is the fairest country\nof the globe! The poor Highlander regards the smoky hut where he was\nborn with enthusiastic love. As life draws gradually towards its close,\nthis feeling deepens in the human breast. Standing on the extreme verge\nof existence, and just about to leave the world forever, man, as he\nturns to survey the pathway he has travelled, overlooks its midway\nstations, and fixes his eyes upon the starting. The beginning and the\nend of the journey are then brought close together; from the earthly to\nthe eternal home there is but one step; from the tenderest recollections\nof his earthly parent he passes into the presence of his Father in\nheaven. Love of home! what a theme for the essayist!\n\nIt would almost seem as if the deprivations and hardships of his\nyouthful days must have thrown an unhappy spell about his early home,\nand as though the memories that came up to him from the long vista of\nyears would be laden with recollections of want and severe trial, of\npersonal endurance, of scanty food and more scanty clothing; in short,\nof all the stern realities of his childhood's home. But this was very\nfar from being the case with him. He has often said to us, in relation\nto this subject, that he deemed his life at that time anything but\nunhappy,--that what now appeared to be so great hardships, by\ncomparison, were then but trifling discomforts, and matters of course.\nHe was never inclined to set up for a martyr, or to gather any credit\nfor having endured patiently, and risen in time above the fortunes of\nhis youth. He could only recall this period of his life with feelings of\npleasure. Such feelings as these force upon us the conviction that there\nis ever about the place of one's birth a spell that hardship seems only\nthe more closely to bind about the heart,--that deprivation and want but\nthe more strongly cement. The cheerful allusion to the affectionate\nregard of his brothers and sisters, and the remark that contentment ever\nsmiled upon his early home, show the true spirit of the man, and the\nnatural trait which ever influenced him to make the best of everything.\n\n\"How I used to cherish a kind word from my father, when I was a boy!\"\nsays Mr. Ballou. \"He was in some respects an austere man; and when I was\nborn, being the youngest of our large family, he had got to be advanced\nin years, and looked with a more serious and practical eye on the events\nof life and all things about us. He was Puritanic, strictly religious,\nas he interpreted the meaning of that word, and his mind was ever\nengrossed upon serious matters. But when he put his hand sometimes upon\nmy head, and told me I had done well, that the labor I had performed\nmight have been more poorly done by older hands, or that I was a good\nand faithful boy, my heart was electrified beyond measure; and I\nremember his words and smile, even now, with delight.\"\n\nHow the simplicity and purity of the man shine forth in this little\nparagraph!\n\n\"It may be interesting to your readers to know how Father Ballou was\nregarded in the town of his nativity,\" says the Rev. Joshua Britton,\nJr., of Richmond, N. H., in a communication addressed to the Christian\nFreeman. \"He was accustomed to visit this place once in every few years,\nand always received a cordial and hearty greeting. It was my privilege\nand happiness to spend a few days with him on the occasion of his visit\nhere in October last. I removed to this town in October, 1850, and soon\nlearned that there was a general desire among our friends to see and\nhear their fellow-townsman again. The approach of cold weather prevented\nour taking any immediate steps to accomplish this object. In June, 1851,\nI saw him at the meeting of the State Convention in Chicopee. He had\nmany affectionate inquiries to make respecting his friends in Richmond,\nbut then he could not name any time when he would visit us. In July I\nwrote him, and he replied August 5, and said:--'I want very much to\nvisit Richmond, and will on one of the days you have named.' He\nsuggested that we could complete the arrangement at the convention\nmeeting in Boston. We did so, and fixed upon Sunday, October 12th, as\nthe day when he would be with us. He was careful to have no appointment\nfor the following Sunday, in order that he might remain in this\nvicinity. He was met at Fitzwilliam depot, by one of our friends, on\nFriday, October 10th, and conveyed to his residence. Sunday was a\nfavorable day for meeting, and there was a large audience from this and\nthe adjacent towns in this state and in Massachusetts. It was a happy\nday for us all; but I must not dwell here.\n\n\"Though I enjoyed the meeting very much, yet my enjoyment was still\ngreater on the following week, in the society of our aged friend and\nfather, at my own home and the homes of our mutual friends in this town.\n\n\"It may be proper to state that Father Ballou had no very near\nrelatives here. None, I believe, by the name of Ballou. He was a cousin\nof Father Luke Harris, and with him and his family he spent a portion of\nthe time quite pleasantly. He seemed happy in being once more in his\n'native Richmond.'\n\n\"Three days the writer accompanied Father Ballou while he made calls\nupon various families in different parts of the town. We were uniformly\nkindly received; and those not acquainted with Father Ballou can hardly\nconceive the ease and success with which he familiarly approached\nall,--the young, the middle-aged, and the aged. We had brief interviews,\nbut they were agreeable and profitable. Prayer was offered with and\nconsolation afforded to the sick. In one or two instances we met with\nthose whose minds were in doubt on doctrinal points: these, of course,\nlistened to a few words of explanation. Then there was the going back to\nformer days, and a rehearsal of time's numerous changes. We visited the\nold burying-ground, and stood by the graves of the parents of my aged\ncompanion. We visited the old homestead, the place where he was born,\nand spent his boyhood. This was changed, and unchanged. The buildings,\nfences, and some of the fields, presented a new aspect, but the valleys\nand hills remained as before. At the homestead we entered the orchard,\nwhere the owner was engaged picking apples. We walked about and found\napples, of which my companion ate, though he declined taking any, a\nshort time previous, on an adjoining farm. We also, by invitation, dined\nhere, and had a pleasant chat with the family. This farm is a mile and\na half east of our meeting-house. Grassy Hill is on its eastern border,\nand overlooks the valley in which it is situated. Some will recollect\nthe poetry of our friend, 'My native Richmond.' He repeated this, at my\nsuggestion, at a dwelling in full view of this eminence; and as the\nwords 'Grassy Hill' were spoken, he gracefully waved his right hand in\nthat direction, his countenance expressing satisfaction and delight.\n\n\"Several times, during his stay, the inquiry was agitated,--'Will you\ncome to Richmond again?' His reply was, ''Tis uncertain,--I may; should\nlife be spared, and my health remain as good as it is at present, I\nthink I may.' But, as we had some reason to expect, this proved to be\nhis last visit. He was conveyed to Winchester on Friday, where he\npreached on the following Sabbath. He returned on Tuesday, Oct. 21st. I\nmade a few calls with him on the afternoon of that day, and in the\nevening he spent an hour at our singing-school, tarrying with us at\nnight. On the following morning we bade him 'good-by,' and he proceeded\nhomewards to visit a daughter, rejoined his wife, and in due time\nreached their home in Boston.\"\n\nIn Mr. Ballou's letter to the Trumpet, describing this visit, he says:--\n\n     \"When I arrived at the depot in Fitzwilliam, I was met by a worthy\n     and respected friend, from Richmond, who came on purpose to convey\n     me to his hospitable dwelling in the neighborhood of the place of\n     my birth. Our road passed through the farm on which I was born,\n     and on which my childhood and youth were spent. All around lay the\n     hills and the mountains, the valleys and streams, which I always\n     carry with me on the map of fond memory. But where were the father,\n     the mother, the brothers and sisters, who watched over my infancy\n     and guided my youth? The hope of the gospel answers, in HEAVEN!\n     Before the Sabbath, I was conveyed by our worthy Brother Britton,\n     the beloved pastor of the Universalist society, to the dwellings of\n     a number of my kindred and friends, who received me with a welcome\n     corresponding with the esteem in which they were held by me. But\n     some bitter drops were mingled with the sweet cordials of\n     friendship and love. Some deaths had recently removed the beloved\n     and respected, causing those sanctifying sorrows to which love and\n     friendship are heirs. When the Sabbath came, I was conducted by\n     Bro. Britton to the house of devotion, and into the pulpit where he\n     is wont to break the bread of life to the flock of his charge. I\n     was agreeably surprised at beholding the crowded congregation,\n     which filled the house to its utmost capacity with people, who came\n     not only from all parts of Richmond, but from all the adjoining\n     towns. * * * * When I beheld this large assembly, all of which\n     seemed to be moved with one spirit, every countenance presenting\n     the same expression of desire and expectation, I felt oppressed\n     with a sense of my weakness, and lifted my desires to Him who is\n     able to strengthen the weak, and from what seems a scanty portion\n     to feed the multitude.\n\n     \"I could not avoid a comparison between what I then saw with the\n     condition of the cause of divine truth sixty years ago, when I\n     first attempted to speak in its defence in a private dwelling in\n     this Richmond. Then, but a few could be collected to hear the\n     impartial and efficient grace of the Redeemer proclaimed and\n     defended.\n\n     \"The Universalist meeting-house in Richmond is quite respectable\n     for size, conveniently constructed, and neat in appearance. The\n     society who worship here is not very numerous, yet I believe more\n     so than that of any other denomination in town. As far as my\n     acquaintance enabled me to judge, I had reason to believe that\n     better disposed disciples of the Divine Master are seldom found.\n     Bro. Britton preaches here one-half of his time. He is a sober,\n     candid, well-educated and faithful pastor, and highly esteemed by\n     his society here, and also in Winchester, where he labors\n     successfully the other half of his time. His family consists of an\n     amiable companion, who knows the importance of her station, and is\n     faithful in the discharge of its duties, and an adopted daughter,\n     who is justly held in high esteem both by those whom she regards as\n     her parents, and by all her acquaintances.\n\n     \"The Sabbath following my appointment in Richmond, which\n     appointment was on the second Sabbath in October, I preached in\n     Winchester. The day was extremely rainy and cold, and few\n     comparatively attended meeting. The society here has a very good\n     and convenient house, and its condition at present is said to be\n     promising. The friends of truth here are firm and steadfast, full\n     of hope and confidence, promising perseverance unto the end.\n\n     \"After my labors on this rainy Sabbath, I found myself much\n     exhausted, and was sensibly unwell. My friends were kind and\n     attentive to me, and the worn-out servant was well provided for. On\n     Wednesday a respectable merchant of Richmond brought me in his\n     carriage to the depot in Fitzwilliam. By aid of Divine Providence I\n     arrived the same day at Lancaster, where I found my wife and our\n     family connections in good health, and my own somewhat improved.\n     Thanks be to God for all his mercies!\n\n     \"HOSEA BALLOU.\"\n\nWith other numerous calls upon his time and attention, and in addition\nto his never-ceasing professional and parochial labors, Mr. Ballou has\nhad at various times over _twenty_ ministerial students, who, for the\ntime being, generally became residents of his family, and who studied\nthe profession with him. To these young men he devoted his powers with\nthe same untiring zeal that characterized his other professional labors.\nHis mode of instruction with these students was peculiar; he went with\nthem always, to use one of his favorite phrases, \"to the root of the\nmatter,\" and was never content until he had imbued their minds with at\nleast a portion of the realizing sense he himself experienced relative\nto all the main points of the faith he advocated. His words of advice to\nthem were few, but they were just what each one needed, and no more. He\nwas never fulsome with them, but complimented when it was deserved,\nchecked when it was necessary, and suggested when improvements might be\nmade, but ever inculcating those Christian qualities which shone forth\nas a burning light in his own loveliness of character. Nearly all of\nthose students are now teachers of the gospel of Christ, men honored for\ntheir Christian spirit, and as true disciples of the gospel. Most of\nthese are settled in the New England States; and, as we write, we easily\nrecall the names of numbers who are much respected and beloved by the\ndenomination to which they belong.\n\nIn the instruction and guidance of so large a number of candidates for\nthe sacred calling of the ministry, he assumed a very weighty addition\nto his constant labors. We have seen that his parochial, ministerial,\nscholastic and editorial duties, were exceedingly onerous, and many\nwould have shrunk from the idea of adding to such an accumulation of\nlabors. But it was a principle of Mr. Ballou's life never to neglect a\nsingle opportunity of serving the great and sacred cause in which he had\nembarked; he felt the full force of his mission, and to it he was\nconstantly ready to devote every energy of his physical and mental\nnature, every moment of his time, looking to the source of all power for\nthe strength and inspiration necessary to sustain him in his task.\nAmong those who felt a vocation to preach the word of God, there was an\nearnest desire to pursue its study under the guidance of one who was the\nfather and oracle of the creed they had espoused. They felt that,\ntransmitted through other mediums, many of the rays of light that beamed\nfrom his original mind must necessarily be lost; they sought to derive\ndirectly from him the clear instructions, the vigorous reasoning, the\nstraightforward mode of investigation, which distinguished him. They\nwished to be near him, to follow his example in everything pertaining to\na Christian's duty. As to himself, he was never so happy as when\nimparting instruction to those who really desired and sought it. His\ninquiring and intelligent spirit constantly sympathized with minds of\nkindred stamp, nor did he ever lose his warm sympathies for youth. With\nthe motto _progress_ inscribed upon his banner, he was at heart and in\nsoul as much with the young as the hoary-headed. The child-like\nsimplicity of his nature brought ardent youth very near to his vigorous\nand green old age, harmonizing the two extremes in a wonderful manner.\n\nIn biographical writing there is often an obvious and studied obscurity\nin regard to some certain portion of the subject's life. The reason for\nsuch a course, on the part of the author, is very plain; for there are\nfew public men, who are deemed worthy the notice of a biographical\nrecord, who do not look back with regret, and often with deep\nmortification, to some heedless act of early life;--some deed wherein\nthe laws of right and wrong have been disregarded, and honorable and\nupright principles trampled under foot; some thoughtless moment, when\nthe tempter has found them with their armor off, and has led them into\ncontact with evil that has pierced their defenceless bodies, and left\nthere scars deep and rankling, as monuments of the frailty of their\nnature. In reference to this subject as it relates to Mr. Ballou, there\nis not one hour of his life which will not bear the scrutiny of strict\njustice. From his very boyhood he was remarkable for firmness of\nprinciple, and unwavering integrity of purpose. Had he a personal enemy\nin the world, that person could not point to a single act of his life\nthat it would not give us pleasure to chronicle here!\n\nWe know that this is saying much, and that the reader will be apt to\nlook back and re-read the last passage; but, while we write this strong\nlanguage, we wish to be understood as doing so in all calmness and\njudgment; each word, as written, is duly set down and abided by. Now, we\nhumbly ask, how many are there, among those to whom the world accords\nthe meed of greatness, that can have this language applied to them and\ntheir characters in truth? I do not mean to signify that there are no\nsuch men; but to say--and the experience and personal knowledge of all\nwill bear testimony to the fact--that such cases are very rarely found\nin this every-day world.\n\nWhen we go back and consider Mr. Ballou's early life, the very limited\nmeans he enjoyed of mental cultivation, and all the vicissitudes through\nwhich he has passed, and contrast this view of his life with the\nstation which he ultimately filled, and consider the works of his pen\nand mind, we are led to remember that it has ever been the fate of\ngenius to climb the rugged steeps of fame and honor under the greatest\ndisadvantages; that the brightest gems the exploring mind has brought\nfrom the caves of knowledge have been wrought, before they were given to\nthe world, with the poorest means, and the least available tools. It is\nthe circumstance of those very disadvantages that has elicited more\nmental diamonds than all the schools and richly-endowed institutions in\nthe world.\n\nThough the difficulties and impediments that thus environ the path of\ngenius seem like a heavy stone about the neck, yet they are very often\nlike the stones used by the hardy pearl-divers, which enable them to\nreach their prize, and to rise enriched. Adversity is to genius what the\nsteel is to the flint,--the fire concealed in the one is brought out\nonly by contact with the other. \"Hard is the task,\" says Coleridge, \"to\nclimb into the niches of Fame's proud temple; rough and cold is the\nroad; but rougher and stronger than the rocks that strew it are the men\nwho toil over it. Up they climb from the cottages and lowly homes of the\nworld; over Alps and Alps do they stride, heaving the millstone of\npersecution from their towering heads, and bursting into the sunshine of\nglory, despite of all that circumstances could do to keep them down.\"\n\nThe experience of all mankind shows that nothing great can be\naccomplished without labor. The original difference between men who\nhave achieved greatness, and those who have died in obscurity, is,\nperhaps, after all, very inconsiderable; but the same ideas which in the\nlatter died in their birth for want of culture, in the former, fostered,\nsustained and developed, by assiduous labor, flourished, and produced\nboth flower and fruit. Uncultivated genius is a melancholy spectacle; it\nis like the light of a shooting star, brilliant, flashing, but\nevanescent, dazzling the eye for a moment, and then sinking into outer\ndarkness; while cultivated genius, blazing with a steady, constant and\npure flame, dispenses a surer and vivifying warmth far around it,--its\nlight is not that of the meteor, but the planet. All history and all\nexperience go to show that the bane of genius is not adversity, but\nprosperity. It was not Alpine toils, but \"Capuan delights,\" that\ndecimated the ranks of Hannibal's army, and wasted them away; it is not\nthe cold north wind, but the genial sunshine, that destroys the mighty\navalanche. The soul of genius, like the iron of the mine, must undergo\nthe ordeal of fire, ere it can become steel. We might quote many\nexamples of history to prove that this is a universal law of our nature.\nIt is true that some have achieved greatness when their worldly\ncircumstances were easy and affluent; but in such cases the gift of\ngenius has been accompanied by a mental organization which imposed\ninternal struggles, and hence the rule may be said to be without\nexceptions.\n\nBooks, thoughts, deeds, imperishable memorials of their author, so\nlaboriously accomplished, do not die with the body. No; a thought once\nexpressed never dies;--it must exert its influence, and be the pioneer\nto many more. Like the gentle ripple upon a calm, placid lake, it starts\nupon the world a speck, but ceases not to expand its force until it\nreaches over all extent. Man does not die with the body; as the soul\nshall live forever, so does the influence he has exerted upon society\nlive after him, and by that influence is he judged. Is not this thought\nin itself a strong incentive to virtue and well-doing? What man or woman\nis there, however humble be their sphere of action, but desires most\nearnestly to leave behind a good and honored name?\n\nAn ancient maxim avers that \"spoken words fly away, but written ones are\npermanent.\" But modern science teaches us that no sound uttered by the\nlips of man is lost,--that the vibration of the air bears it onward and\nonward, through all time. How very few there are in this world whose\nwords, written and spoken, are so considered that they are willing to\nhave them consigned to immortality! How few whose utterance of a year\nold will bear the test of their own judgment! There are moments of\nexistence, generally the closing ones, when all our words and deeds\ncrowd back upon the memory with overwhelming force. There are records of\nmen in seasons of extreme casualties, who have testified to the painful\naccuracy of memory under such imminent circumstances; and there are few,\nindeed, who so shape their lives as to be enabled to bear with\nequanimity a retrospective glance on the panorama of their existence. So\nto have lived that, in ceasing to live, they have no reason to blush\nfor their existence, as it regards the daily duty of the\nChristian.--Alas! in seasons of trial and temptation this duty is often,\nvery often, forgotten; the way-side of life is strewn thick with\ntemptations and allurements to win us from the straight and narrow path.\nFruits of golden promise tempt the hand to pluck them, and it is only\nafter tasting that we discover them to be only dust and ashes, like\nthose which grow on the fated shores of the Dead Sea. Happy, then, and\nworthy of all reverence, is he whose unwavering course through life has\never been onward and upward. The summit gained, whence both the promised\nland and that of his earthly pilgrimage are in view, he can turn back\nand say, as his vision embraces the line which his feet have trod so\ntoilsomely, yet ever so cheerfully:--\"I have held that path without\nvariation; no temptation has seduced my footsteps to the right or to the\nleft, nor have my lips uttered aught upon that journey which a wish, in\nthis trying moment, would recall!\"\n\nThere have been, at various times, and in different works, short\nbiographical sketches of Mr. Ballou's life given, from various\npens;--these, of course, contemplate only his public career, and are\nquite brief. In the third volume of the Universalist Miscellany,\npublished in 1846, there appear the following remarks from the pen of\nthe editor, which we subjoin. After giving a short account of his public\ncareer, the writer of the sketch referred to goes on to say:--\n\n\"We have not time, even if we had the ability, to give a just\ndescription of him as a man, a Christian, and a preacher. We will not,\nhowever, permit the occasion to pass without offering a word on each of\nthese points.\n\n\"We presume no one was ever more highly beloved and truly respected by\nhis acquaintances than Mr. Ballou. Pleasant in his disposition, and\nhonest in his dealings, he has uniformly enjoyed their confidence and\nesteem. Though he always sustains a becoming dignity of character, and\nis never light or trifling, he has a pleasantry and shrewdness which\nrender his company peculiarly agreeable.\n\n\"As a Christian, Mr. Ballou is firm in faith, and catholic in spirit.\nWhile he believes with undoubting confidence what he preaches, and has\nno respect for what he considers error in doctrine, he never manifests a\nwant of kindness towards those of an opposite faith. We are aware that\nmany entertain a different feeling; but they misjudge him. It is true\nthat for the insincere and hypocritical he has no feeling; and, if he\nhad, he would not be faithful to his ministry.\n\n\"As a preacher, Mr. Ballou, for clearness of conception and power of\nargument, has few, if any, superiors. We have often heard him preach\nwith an unction and power that we have never heard surpassed. But we do\nnot design, in this article, to speak at length of his qualities as a\npreacher.\n\n\"No man ever enjoyed the respect of our denomination more than does Mr.\nBallou. He is cordially loved and esteemed by all who believe in the\nsalvation of the world.\"\n\nThese remarks are valued the more highly as coming from one who was\nintimate with the subject of this biography for a long period, and also\nas a fair and unprejudiced tribute to his character and life by a\nbrother-laborer in the vineyard of Christ. The number of the Miscellany\nwhich contains the remarks we have quoted is embellished by a mezzotint\nlikeness of Mr. Ballou, from a painting by E. H. Conant, and engraved in\nthe finest style of art by Sartain. This picture, however, is inferior,\nas to likeness, to many others which are preserved of him.\n\nWe conceive the following, from the pen of the venerable and beloved\nFather Streeter, the oldest minister in the Universalist denomination\nnow among us, to be of great interest; the work in hand would be quite\nincomplete without it. It is the impression of a faithful brother\nconcerning the deceased, from the commencement to the close of his\nprofessional career.\n\n     \"I first saw Father Ballou a short time before the commencement of\n     his public ministry. It was in the town of Vernon, then called\n     Hinsdale, in the State of Vermont. At that time there was but one\n     open and decided Universalist in the place. This solitary champion\n     of the common salvation had long been impressed with a desire to\n     have the gospel of the grace of God, in the fulness of its\n     universality, preached to those of his neighbors who might feel\n     disposed to give it a hearing. An arrangement was at length made\n     with the Rev. David Ballou, an elder brother, to deliver a lecture\n     in the place.\n\n     \"The day was designated, and due notice of the meeting given. At\n     the appointed time the preacher came, and Hosea came with him. He\n     was then a tall, slim young man, with an aspect, however, which\n     indicated profound thought, and a deep solemnity of feeling. In his\n     general appearance there was a marked peculiarity, a certain\n     something which arrested and fixed the attention, and which\n     impressed the beholder with the conviction that no ordinary\n     individual was before him,--that the germs of eminence, the genuine\n     elements of intellectual greatness, were embodied within him.\n\n     \"Such, at any rate, was the impression among the more inquisitive\n     and discriminating who attended that meeting. At the close of the\n     sermon, Hosea gave an exhortation, and offered the concluding\n     prayer; and this effort was spoken of, especially by the less\n     conservative and bigoted, as one of rare spirituality and power. It\n     became the topic of general remark, and of high encomium.\n\n     \"The next day, if I mistake not, he made his first attempt as a\n     preacher of the everlasting gospel, as a public advocate of the\n     sublime doctrine of the salvation of all men 'by the blood of the\n     cross.' It was, as I have often heard him say, a partial failure.\n     The exordium went off very well; but, as he proceeded with the\n     discussion, he often hesitated, now and then came to a pause, and\n     was finally obliged to sit down before he had reached the original\n     design of the discourse.\n\n     \"He was deeply mortified. He was discouraged. He resolved to\n     abandon all thoughts of the ministry. He felt himself utterly\n     incompetent to the efficient discharge of its high and momentous\n     duties. His friends, however, interfered in the premises. They\n     succeeded in changing his purpose. They persuaded him to persevere\n     in the work of a Christian minister, and it was not long before he\n     made his second attempt at sermonizing. The effort succeeded. It\n     was a complete triumph. The manner in which he acquitted himself\n     was a matter of deep astonishment to his friends, and to all who\n     heard him. In that meeting his lofty and invaluable career finds\n     its legitimate date. It was followed by no faltering, no\n     irresolution, no shrinking from toil, however laborious, or however\n     wearing to the physical frame or to the mental powers.\n\n     \"He soon became immensely popular. His fame went forth as on the\n     wings of every wind. From all quarters, far and near, the\n     Macedonian cry, 'Come over and help us,' poured in upon him. These\n     calls, so far as it was possibly practicable, were promptly and\n     cheerfully honored. His labors, of course, became exceedingly\n     abundant,--almost, indeed, without intermission. By day and by\n     night he was found at his post, and zealously doing his great work.\n\n     \"He frequently held meetings in the town where he was born and\n     brought up, and in nearly all the towns in that region. His\n     circuits often embraced some hundreds of miles, and in making them\n     he preached almost every day, and not unfrequently several times in\n     a day; and wherever it was generally known that he was to hold\n     forth, immense crowds rarely failed to be present, that they might\n     listen to his testimony. Though a mere youngster, I myself once\n     walked, or rather ran, eight miles and back, to hear him. The news\n     of the meeting did not reach me till somewhat late on Sabbath\n     morning, and no mode of conveyance to the place could be obtained.\n     I was, of course, reduced to the necessity of either losing that\n     rare spiritual treat, or of making my way to it on what Mr. Murray\n     used to call 'apostolical horses;' in other words, on foot. And so\n     great was my anxiety not to lose a word that might fall from his\n     lips, that I forgot to take with me a crumb of anything for a\n     lunch, and so I lost my dinner; or, rather, I had to make it on the\n     sermon and the prayers which I had heard, and it was truly one of\n     the most luscious meals which it has ever been my good fortune to\n     eat. It was devoured with a high relish.\n\n     \"The subject of these remarks was the youngest of five brothers,\n     three of whom were preachers; and I once had the privilege of\n     attending a meeting at which four of them, with the venerable\n     father, were present. Hosea was the preacher. He seemed to have\n     made special preparation to meet the peculiarities of the occasion.\n     Contrary to his usual custom, the sermon was written. At the proper\n     time he commenced its delivery. The old father--himself a Baptist\n     clergyman of considerable note--and the elder brothers, were seated\n     around him.\n\n     \"He was not familiar with the use of a manuscript, and, of course,\n     to read from one he found to be a new and somewhat awkward\n     business. For a little time, however, he persevered in the effort.\n     The experiment was far from being satisfactory either to himself or\n     to the congregation. In spite of him, the eye would quit its hold\n     upon the contents of the paper, and wander about among the dense\n     masses who filled the seats below. These excursions caused him to\n     lose his place. He often found it again with no little difficulty,\n     and sometimes not without a most vexatious delay.\n\n     \"At length his patience gave out. Its power of endurance was\n     completely exhausted, and, taking up the manuscript and rolling it\n     between his hands, he deliberately put it in his pocket.\n     'Brethren,' said he, 'I shall weary your patience with these\n     notes.' This was the end of all hesitancy. He proceeded in the\n     discussion of his subject with his accustomed fluency, and\n     everything flowed onward with the smoothness of oil. It was a\n     season of deep and thrilling interest.\n\n     \"The venerable father, though not a Universalist, and with no\n     disposition to become one, listened to the arguments and\n     illustrations of this youngest of his sons with the profoundest\n     attention. I carefully watched the muscles of his face, and plainly\n     saw that mighty emotions were stirring within him. Every now and\n     then a large tear would start out from the eye, and course down\n     the furrows in his time-worn and manly cheek. It is not strange\n     that such should have been the case, for the discourse was one of\n     peculiar tenderness, and of uncommon pathos and power. Probably it\n     was rarely, if ever surpassed, even by the speaker himself, in the\n     palmiest days of his ministry.\n\n     \"Indeed, Father Ballou's pulpit powers were of an exceedingly high\n     order. Taken as a whole, my impression is that I have never known\n     his equal. Never have I seen a man who could hold his hearers so\n     perfectly under his own control. They were entirely at his command.\n     He clothed them in smiles, or melted them to tears, and these\n     things he seemed to do at pleasure. This power embodies the chief\n     component in true eloquence. We often refer, and with profound\n     admiration, to the pulpit talents of Griffin and Beecher, of\n     Channing, and Dewey, and Chapin. And to these men the meed of rare\n     eloquence unquestionably belongs; but still, taken all in all, they\n     fall far below the standard of Father Ballou. Theirs is an\n     eloquence of another and a humbler type. They deal chiefly with the\n     intellect,--with the demands of a literary and refined taste; he\n     dealt more especially with the latent chords of the heart,--moved\n     and controlled the deeper sympathies and more refined affections of\n     the human soul. Relying but little upon books, he went principally\n     upon the profundity and strength of his own resources. The\n     structure of his mind approached very near to an actual intuition.\n     He grasped the whole of a subject at a glance. His powers of\n     analysis were prodigious, and singularly accurate. He stopped not\n     to inquire what others had thought or done. He examined every\n     subject for himself. Like the diver for pearls, he plunged to the\n     depths of divine truth; and, when he had found a precious gem, he\n     rose with it to the surface, held it up before the eyes of the\n     people, and said to them, This belongs to you, and there are more\n     of the same sort where I found it,--enough for you all, and for the\n     millions of the race to which you belong.\n\n     \"But it was not in the office of a Christian minister, merely, that\n     Father Ballou excelled. He was admirable in every sphere of life.\n     As a husband and a father, the head of a numerous family, he was\n     truly a model man. He knew how to rule his own household. His word\n     was law, and obedience to it was prompt and cheerful by all around\n     him. There were no family jars in that well-ordered and happy home.\n     The idea, perhaps, is an extravagant one, but I have often thought\n     that his house was the nearest fac-simile of the great mansion of\n     the Infinite Father on High of which I could form a conception.\n\n     \"And then as a brother and a friend he had no superior. With the\n     exception, perhaps, of some members of his own family, there is no\n     one living who enjoyed so long and so intimate an acquaintance with\n     him as myself; and it is one of the happiest reflections of my\n     life, that, in all our intercourse, not a single unkind word or\n     emotion ever passed between us.\n\n     \"Indeed, I never knew his kindly regards mastered but once, and\n     that was after the endurance of many gross and most cruel\n     provocations. But on one occasion his philosophy and his religion\n     failed him, and then his brow was mantled with the very majesty of\n     wrath, the frowning aspect of a deep and withering indignation. The\n     roll of a moment or two, however, and it was all over. The old\n     saint was himself again, and never, from that time to the day of\n     his death, did I ever hear him utter an unfriendly word in relation\n     to the individual by whom he had been so grossly and wickedly\n     abused. But I must not enlarge. I have no wish to deal in flattery;\n     but, injustice to my own feelings, and to the memory of our\n     departed father, I must say that he was one of the very best men\n     with whom it has been my happiness to associate. Indeed, I doubt\n     whether he had a solitary failing,--so far, I mean, as the\n     convictions and purposes of his own mind were concerned.\n\n     \"S. S.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nSENTIMENTS RELATIVE TO DEATH.\n\n\nMr. Ballou was ever governed by a calm resignation to the decrees of\nProvidence, and as it regarded the subject of his own death,--that\nthought which is said to make cowards of us all, that theme upon which\nwe are too much inclined to dwell with feelings of dread and fear.\n\nNotwithstanding we are taught by Christian philosophers that life should\nbe a preparation for death, there are very few of us who regard this\ninevitable event in its proper light. Dr. Young uttered a most profound\ntruth when he said:--\n\n    \"Each man thinks all men mortal but himself.\"\n\nA man recognizes the certainty of this event's taking place with regard\nto his neighbor, his friend, and the members of his own family. He feels\nthat the hour of separation from his aged and beloved parents must come;\nthat the brother or sister, whose infant joys and sorrows are his own,\nwhose sympathy has cheered his manhood, must one day be taken from him;\nthat the wife of big bosom must close her eyes in death; that the stern\nmessenger may at any time smite the darlings of their little flock,\ngathered around his knee in play or prayer; and while they are yet in\nlife he prepares for them the last resting-place in some sheltered spot,\nsome woodland cemetery, where the brightest smile of nature may gild the\nplace of their repose. But he cannot realize that he himself, in the\npride of his manhood, the blood coursing cheerily through his veins, a\nsense of vitality giving an elasticity to every movement, will be called\nupon to lay down this glorious panoply of life, to feel the bounding\nblood curdle and become as ice within his veins, and the bright vision\nof the world fade into nothingness before his glazing eyes. He himself,\nby some miracle, must be snatched from the universal doom. Thus death\nfinds almost every man unprepared. The very criminal, upon whose ears\nfall the deep tones of the funeral knell, hopes for a reprieve even at\nthe foot of the scaffold. The soldier cannot think of death as he mounts\nthe \"imminent deadly breach;\"--his comrades may fall, but he must\nescape. Thus, in our strange, delusive sophistry, even if we think of\ndeath, we seek to alienate the idea from ourselves.\n\nAs it regarded the death of any member of his extensive family circle,\nwhat a tower of strength and consolation he ever was to the mourning\nhearts of his children! How calm and serene he would appear when called,\nin the providence of God, to sympathize with them at the loss of their\nlittle ones, near and dear to their parental hearts! However deep the\ndistress of soul which exercised the breast of any member of his family\nby the solemn visitation of death, his venerable presence would always\nrestore peace to the almost broken heart, and make the sunshine radiate\nonce more in the mourner's bosom. He had several trials, and keen ones,\ntoo, through which he passed, of this character. His third daughter,\nMrs. Whittemore, wife of Rev. Benjamin Whittemore, was called upon to\nlay one and another of her tender offspring in the grave, until, at\nlast, when the third was placed there, she exclaimed, in the agony of\nher heart, that she could not leave the tomb where half her loved ones\nlay in death. But for his presence even reason might have deserted her\nthrone; but his calm and sainted expression, his holy balm of religion,\nhis simple words of hope, were as oil upon troubled waters. So again was\nhe similarly exercised, through visitations of death, in the family of\nhis eldest son, Rev. Hosea F. Ballou, and Rev. Massena B. Ballou; in the\nfamily circle of his third daughter, Cassendana, wife of Joseph Wing;\nand again in the home of his fourth daughter, Elmina, wife of Rev. J. C.\nWaldo; and also in the circle of the sixth daughter, Fiducia, wife of\nAbijah W. Farrar.\n\nBut more particularly was this power of consolation evinced as exercised\nin his own family, when the eldest daughter, Fanny, widow of Leonard\nHolmes, was taken from life. It was the first death that we had known in\nour immediate circle of brothers and sisters, and the stroke had all\nthe power and force of a first great sorrow. Then his spirit shone forth\nin all the Christian beauty and loveliness of its influence. Then the\nmajesty and holy power of his religion was evinced in letters of light.\nAnd while referring to this family,--for there were six orphan children\nleft behind,--we might appropriately refer to the munificent bounty of\nhis hand towards them; of a home purchased and given to them; and of\nmuch fatherly kindness and generosity towards those orphan children.\nThis spirit of resignation he infused largely into his children, who in\nturn offered to his own spirit that strength of hope and divine reliance\nwhich in periods of trial he had imparted to them. This might be said to\nbe particularly the case with Clementina, his fifth daughter, wife of\nIsaac H. Wright, who, without the domestic care of a family, was enabled\nto be much and often at home,--especially if any physical illness\naffected either father or mother,--and who, with others of the children,\nwas with him night and day, constantly, during his last illness, and the\nclosing hours of his life.\n\nWe have before referred to the grateful influence his presence exerted\nin the sick room, and when called upon to lift up his voice with the\ndying; but so prominent a trait of character, as evinced in his home\nrelations, should not be omitted here. It may be interesting to remark,\nin these domestic notes, that Mr. Ballou resided, for over thirty years,\nwith his second daughter, Cassendana, and her family, in Boston. A more\ncheerful and happy home it would be difficult for fancy to paint. There\nwas no contention there,--no jealousies, no jarring of interests;\neverything seemed to take its hue from him; and calm domestic joy and\nserene contentment reigned over all. He seemed to exhale the atmosphere\nof peace, and no contending elements could withstand the soothing\ncharacter of his presence.\n\nMr. Ballou's idea of death, as being but the portal to blissful\nimmortality, may be gathered by the following, from his own pen:\n\n\"The idea of immortality makes everything in life valuable. Here we may\nlay up all our treasures, where neither moth nor rust can corrupt, nor\nthieves break through and steal. Here God's bright favor will never grow\ndim, nor will our love and gratitude ever decay. Do you see Hope's\ncelestial form, leaning on her anchor, and, while the raging waves of a\nrestless sea dash against her, she remains unmoved? Do you observe her\naspect firm, and her eyes turned towards heaven? And would you wish to\ncast her down, and wreck her on the quicksands of dismal doubt? Go,\nbrother, to the chamber of sickness, where life's waning embers can no\nlonger warm the dying heart; there hear from cold and quivering lips\nthis hope expressed: 'I long to be with Christ,--I long to be at rest!'\nWould you blast this amaranthine flower? Would you plant in its stead\nthe nightshade of despair? Listen no longer to the wild suggestions of\nfancy and wandering imaginations, under the specious pretence of\nsearching after truth. For Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.\n\n    'Give me the light of this bright sun to see;\n    All other lights like meteors are to me.'\"\n\n\"I think one thing is certain,\" says Mr. Ballou, in one of his last\npublished articles, \"and that is, that the opinion that we immediately\nenter on that state into which the resurrection introduces mankind is\nfar more desirable, to all people, than the opinion that ages of\nunconscious sleep succeed our brief existence here in the flesh. * * *\nIn conclusion, I will say that I am sensible that there are passages of\nscripture which seem to favor the opinion of a general, simultaneous\nresurrection, which appear difficult to reconcile with such as I have\nabove noticed; but that they outweigh them I have no sufficient reason\nto allow. The supposition that all who have died have until now remained\nin an unconscious state, seems more like annihilation than well accords\nwith our glorious hope.\"\n\nMr. Ballou's mind was ever made up to meet death at any moment; and,\nwith implicit reliance on the goodness and fatherly care of Him in whose\nhand we all are, and who does not permit even a sparrow to fall to the\nground without his knowledge, he left all to the wise decree of Heaven,\nand loaded not his soul with fear of the result. He conversed but little\nupon the subject; but when he did so, it was with a cheerful spirit and\ncontented mind.\n\nHis profession was such as to make him familiar with death in all its\nforms. It was no strange subject to him; but, on the contrary, one which\nhad engaged much of his thought and earnest consideration. With so full\nand implicit a reliance in the complete sovereignty of the Almighty as\nhis religious belief imparted, he could have no fear or doubt as to the\nperfectness of the decrees of Providence. He literally argued everything\nfor good, and that nothing transpired without a purpose of the Director\nof all things; and in that purpose he recognized but one principle,\nwhich was the _good of the children of men_. These premises once\nestablished in his mind, what fear could he possibly entertain of death?\nIt is a part of the Divine economy,--that was enough for him. Applied to\nany dispensation of Providence, or to tenets of faith, this same\nreliance will be found evinced in all his ministrations and life. He\nsays:--\"We have ever this pleasing reflection,--this sublime, this\ninstructive lesson,--that the wisdom which constitutes the vast frame of\nthe universe, and which organized all nature,--the power that raised\nthis glorious superstructure upon its basis,--has ever been directed,\nand ever will be directed, towards the _good_ and _benefit_ of mankind.\nThat there can be no such thing as partiality, or anything like cruelty,\nin all the system of God, as the moral governor of the world, is as\nplain a proposition as can possibly be stated. There is not in the bosom\nof our Father in Heaven any principle but goodness to his children.\nThere is not in the bosom of our Heavenly Father, nor can there be,\nanything like cruelty or partiality; but his eternal wisdom is ever\nworking for the benefit of his creatures.\"\n\nHe held the grave to be a calm, safe anchorage for the shattered hulls\nof men,--the portal through which the spirit passes to God who gave it.\nConcerning this subject there are a few lines from his pen so applicable\nin this connection, that we cannot refrain from transcribing them here.\nIn common with those pieces which we have already given the reader,\nthere is no effort at grandeur in the piece; the beauty and propriety of\nthe poem is undisguised by metaphor, being put down in the tender and\npersuasive language of a Christian heart, pleading for the good of man,\nand the honor of its Maker. Mr. Ballou's poetical productions are such\nan index of his soul, his real character, that we are induced again to\nrefer to the fact. They are ever like himself, simple, yet forcible, and\nnever without a purpose, and most incontrovertible argument, expressed\nor implied. The following poem was written in his seventy-third year,\nand is entitled\n\n            FEAR NOT DEATH.\n\n    \"Why call we death to man a foe?\n      Why should we fear to die?\n    Does heavenly wisdom teach us so?\n      Let us the question try.\n\n    Is he of independent might?\n      Does he himself sustain?\n    These questions if we answer right,\n      Will make our subject plain.\n\n    See ye his scythe, his dart, his spear?\n      Who placed them in his hand?\n    Know this, and give the winds your fear;\n      Dauntless before him stand.\n\n    Death is a messenger of God,\n      And God is love, we know;\n    Nothing can come from him but good,--\n      No enmity can flow.\n\n    Death only comes when he is sent,\n      Commissioned from on high;\n    And all his weapons, too, are lent,--\n      Why fear we, then, to die?\n\n    Death comes, a friend to mortal man,\n      To set his spirit free;\n    Nor he, nor any creature, can\n      Reverse the blest decree.\n\n    Had death on us an evil eye,\n      Would he our pains remove,\n    And set our spirits free to fly\n      To peaceful realms above?\n\n    Teach not your children, parents dear,\n      To dread what God may send;\n    Nor fill their tender hearts with fear\n      Of Him who is their friend.\"\n\nThere is a lesson here that it would be well for us to remember, a\nprinciple that should be planted and nurtured in our breasts. Death has\nbeen too long looked upon as \"the great enemy of our race,\" while it is\nin truth but the calling home of the spirit by the Great Shepherd. 'Tis\nbut the wedding of the soul with Paradise, the starting post for heaven.\nThese were the sentiments entertained by Mr. Ballou, and which governed\nhis mind even to the last.\n\nHe says, relative to this deeply interesting and important subject to\nus all:--\"We are as pilgrims and strangers on earth, as were all our\nfathers. The places which now know us will shortly know us no more. How\nreasonable, then, is it, that we should often bring this great truth\nunder serious consideration! If duly considered, it will exert a\nfavorable influence in relation to the estimates we may make of all\ntemporal things, and give a favorable direction to our purposes and\ndeterminations. Our fleshly bodies, like the grass of the earth, are\ncomposed of the elements of nature; these elements support both the\ngrass and our fleshly bodies; and as the grass finally withers and\nreturns back from whence it came, is decomposed and joined with the\nelements of which it was composed, so do our bodies return to the earth\nfrom whence they came. Dust we are, and unto dust we must return. The\ncertainty of our mortality is as apparent to us all as it can possibly\nbe made. However seldom we may think on the subject, however we may\nendeavor to put it out of our minds and thoughts, however we may\nendeavor to drown the subject by devoting our attention to worldly\nobjects and worldly pursuits, we know that in a short time we must be\ncalled to leave all this bustle of life, close our eyes on all earthly\nthings, and return to the bosom of our common mother, the earth, from\nwhence we came.\n\n\"As the question whether man should exist or not was not submitted to\nhim, no more is it left to him to say whether he will continue in this\nstate forever, or depart out of it. 'All flesh is as grass, and all the\nglory of man as the flower of grass; the grass withereth, and the flower\nthereof falleth away.' So hath the Creator appointed and ordained; and\nit is not in the power of man to prevent this withering of the grass,\nand this falling of the flower of grass. However endearing are the ties\nof consanguinity, however tender and affectionate are kindred hearts\ntowards each other, with whatever longings and fond desires fathers and\nmothers may look on their sons and daughters, and with whatever devotion\nthey may nourish these flowers and watch over them, they are altogether\nlike the grass and the flower of grass. They are perishable. It is not\nin the power of children, however affectionately they may love their\nfathers and mothers, and however they may desire the continuance of such\nkind friends, to prevent that waste of constitution and strength which\ntime and disease are sure to bring. The whitened locks, the wrinkled\nface, the tottering frame, the palsied limbs and faltering voice, are\nsure indications that the time of departure is at hand.\n\n\"How wonderfully beautiful is the full-grown grass, with its blushing\nand fragrant flowers! We cast our eyes over the luxuriant meadow; with\npleasure we behold its beautiful flowers, seeming to vie with each other\nin glory; and though we may fancy a preference for this or for that, no\nperson ever beheld a blossom that was not beautiful to the eye. So we\nbehold the society of man in health and in the prime of strength; and\nhow pleasing is the sight! Look at these sweet babes! we may fancy a\npreference for the beauty of this or that, but no one can help admiring\nevery such endearing object. Look around and behold the sparkling eye\nand blushing cheek of youth and beauty; but remember these are flowers\ngathered for the tomb! Whether we see them or not, Time has wings;\nwhether we realize it or not, his flight is rapid. What is time when it\nis past? Nothing!\"\n\n    \"He taught us how to live, and O! too high\n    The price for knowledge! taught us how to die!\"\n\nTouching the matter of death-bed scenes as they refer to religious\nbelief, and the influence that such scenes and circumstances exerted\nover his own mind, he says:\n\n\"It has often been said, by the enemies of the doctrine for which I have\ncontended, that it would do to live by, but not to die by; meaning that\nit would not give the mind satisfaction when sensible it was about to\nleave a mortal for an immortal state. As to the truth of the assertion I\ncannot positively say; that moment has not yet been experienced by me:\nand as those who make the remark have never believed the doctrine, I\ncannot see how they should know any better than I do. Thus much I can\nsay: I believe I have seen, and often heard, of persons rejoicing in the\ndoctrine in the last hours of their lives; but I do not build my faith\non such grounds.\n\n\"The sorrows or the joys of persons, in their last moments, prove\nnothing to me of the truth of their general belief. A Jew, who despises\nthe name of Christ from the force of his education, may be filled with\ncomfortable hopes, in his last moments, from the force of the same\neducation. I have no doubt but a person may believe, or pretend to\nbelieve, in the doctrine of universal salvation, when he knows of no\nsolid reason for his belief, but has rather rested the matter on the\njudgment of those in whom he has placed more confidence than he has, in\nreality, on the Saviour of the world; and I think it very possible that\nsuch Universalists may have strange and unexpected fears, when the near\napproach of death, or any other circumstance, should cause them to think\nmore seriously on so weighty a subject.\n\n\"What my feelings might be concerning the doctrine which I believe, was\nI called to contemplate on a _death-bed_, I am as unable to say, as I am\nwhat I may think of it a year hence, should I _live_ and be in _health_.\nBut I am satisfied, beyond a doubt, that if I live a year longer, and\nthen find cause to give up my present belief, I shall not feel a\nconsciousness of having professed what I did not _sincerely believe_;\nand was I called to leave the world and my _writings_ in it, and at the\n_last hour_ of my _life_ should find I had _erred_, yet I am satisfied\nthat I should _possess_ the _approbation_ of a _good conscience_ in\n_all_ I have _written_.\"\n\nThat Mr. Ballou felt fully prepared to die, there can be not the least\ndoubt, though he did not say so in the exact words that would express\nthis state of mind. He frequently, during the last two or three months\nof his life, made use of expressions, as relating to current events, in\na way that led those about him to see that he was striving,\nparticularly, to have every matter of business, or family arrangement,\nso completed as not in any way to be contingent upon himself. Then his\nfrequent observations relative to the idea that he was nearly worn out;\nand in his sermons, too, his often repeating at this time how near he\nwas to the brink of the grave, and that those who heard him might\nrealize the honesty of his reasoning and the sincerity of his doctrine,\nsince, with so short a span of existence left to him, he could not in\nany instance bring himself to support what he did not most solemnly and\nreligiously believe to be the gospel of Christ, and in full accordance\nwith the word of God; the caution already referred to as given to his\nwife, and various other simple but expressive tokens that he evinced\nduring the few weeks previous to his decease,--all go fully to show that\nhis mind was made up to die, and that he foresaw, as it were, the\napproach of his demise, with almost prophetic vision. The philosophy, or\nsophistry, therefore, as to looking upon death as the inevitable\nvisitant to others, but as something which must miraculously pass him\nby, did not exist in his mind. He looked upon death as \"the messenger of\nGod, commissioned from on high;\" and he held himself calmly ready to\nanswer the blessed decree of Heaven.\n\nThough almost constantly engaged at his study of the holy text, or in\nother reading and writing, still, so domestic was Mr. Ballou in his\ndisposition and feelings, that he always took a lively interest in all\nthe arrangements of the family, and in each one's well-being, seeking to\ncause as little unnecessary labor as possible on his own account. No\nmotives other than those of the kindest character could possibly have\ninduced this thoughtfulness, on his part; for all those about him, even\nthe servants, always deemed it a pleasure to serve him in his slightest\nexpressed desire, while his children ever sought to anticipate his\nwishes. In his directions to those called upon to attend him, there was\nnone of the austerity or sternness of a master evinced in his manner of\nspeech. The order direct we never heard from his lips, but, in giving\ndirections, it was ever in the form of permission,--\"You _may_ do this,\nor you _may_ hand me that;\" and the appropriateness of this mode of\nspeech was most apparent, since it was a privilege to us all to fulfil\nhis desires.\n\nWith profane history, ancient and modern, he was well acquainted; and at\nthe age of seventy-four, five and six, he devoted some considerable time\nto the reviewal of both, and particularly to the history of our own\ncountry. With Rollin, Plutarch, Smollet, Hume, Prescott, Bancroft, etc.,\nhe was perfectly familiar. At this period he was engaged, as we have\nsaid, in re-perusing the works of his library, treating mainly upon\nprofane history. As may be supposed, to one of his disposition, home was\nvery dear, and he was always happiest with his family.\n\n    \"To them his heart, his love, his griefs, were given;\n    But all his serious thoughts had rest in heaven.\"\n\nDuring the whole of his public ministrations and professional career, he\nnever labored with more evident effect and general influence than at\nthis time. The ripened harvest of his experience was poured forth in the\nmost simple and touching truthfulness, and his discourses were redolent\nof holy manna to the souls of his hearers; the sober arguments of\nconviction obtained even more fully than in former years, when the vigor\nof ripened manhood added its physical powers to the balance. Persons who\nhad sat under his preaching for many years would listen with the most\nabsorbed attention, as well as with surprise, to hear the easy flow of\neloquence that seemed to come from an inspired heart, bearing witness to\nhis quick, sure discernment, and boundless fertility of invention,--the\ntruth and exemplifications of divine goodness were ever so fresh and\nabundant in the feast he spread, the arguments so logical and\nconvincing. He was endowed in many respects with the great requisites\nfor a lawyer, possessing a mind exceedingly active, capable of\nconstantly commanding its own resources, and a faculty of tenaciously\npursuing his argument with exceeding force and power.\n\nIt really seemed, latterly, that, realizing how brief must be his\nlabors, and how near he was to the end of his earthly mission, he\nlabored with increased zeal, and consequent success. His eyes, when in\nthe desk, seemed to kindle with superhuman fire, his thoughts to flow\nwith inspired eloquence; and those who heard him must have entered most\nthoroughly into his own spirit, for we have heard, from all directions\nwhere he preached, very earnest remarks of the striking effect produced\nby his discourses. And this effect was by no means confined to the\nlaity; many of his ministering brethren have told us that they had never\nheard him discourse with more power, nor ever with such decided effect,\nas was the case within the last two years of his life. It was impossible\nfor him to answer all of the demands upon him, but neither ordinary\ninconveniences nor distance ever caused him to decline to respond to\nthose who, at this late period of his life, sought his counsel. In vain\ndid we beseech him to consider his bodily comfort, and not risk his\nhealth and try his strength so much, at his advanced age, by these\nconstant travels. \"I am vain enough,\" he said, \"to believe that I still\ndo some good, and I am never so happy as when exercised by such a\nrealizing sense; but, whether at home or abroad, I am still in my\nMaker's hands, and he will do with me as to him seemeth good.\"\n\nMr. Ballou's manuscript was always remarkably plain and correct, being,\nin many respects, very characteristic of himself. It was regular,\nexceedingly neat, and well executed, yet unostentatious, and in no\ndegree ornamental. For our own part, we would give more for a scrap of\nthe hand-writing of one whom we had never met, or even of him whom we\nhad casually seen, to enable us to judge of the general characteristics\nof the individual's disposition, than for the testimony of many an\nintimate friend. It is, of necessity, in a very great degree, a sample\nof the man; and when we look upon it, and think that it was the work of\nhis hand, the emanation of his brain, mechanically and mentally his, it\npossesses peculiar interest.\n\nMr. Ballou was sometimes addressed, by letter, from a distance, from\nthose who were strangers to him, and sometimes by brethren in the\nministry, who would request him to reply to certain queries which they\nproposed, that they might reap the advantage of his wisdom. These\nletters were various in their character; some related to religious\nquestions, some to his own history, and some as to its bearing upon his\nbelief in the tenets of faith. One who professed to have read his\nnumerous works, and who was also an ardent believer in the doctrine of\nuniversal salvation, converted through his writings, sent the following\nqueries to him in a letter some time in 1847, during his seventy-sixth\nyear. Having the letter and reply, we subjoin the spirit of the former,\nand give the latter to the reader entire.\n\n\"_Queries._--With what feelings do you look back upon your past life,\nits influence and results, its commencement and its end? As it regards\nyour published works and writings, has experience strengthened the\nopinions and points laid down in them, or have you after years of study\nand reflection found cause for change? What is the present end and aim\nof your life, and how does it differ from the morning of your existence?\n\n\"_Reply to Query 1st._--When I survey the course of my past life, as I\noften do, I am filled with wonder; and a clear conviction that, as a\nwhole, it has been appointed and directed by Infinite Wisdom, all but\nreduces me to nothing. True, I can simply realize that I exist; and can\ncompare myself to a drop of water in the midst of the ocean, dependent,\nas I always have been, on that Being who holds the unmeasured deep in\nthe hollow of his hand. I am fully satisfied that none of the eventful\nincidents of my life would have been what they were, had not an\noverruling Providence disappointed my own plans and purposes in many\ninstances. Pursuant to these considerations, in viewing the apparent\n'influences and results' of my labors, I should be quite at variance\nwith the conviction of my own understanding, should I indulge a feeling\nto credit them to myself. With such views of the past and present, I\nfeel satisfied, and even thankful.\n\n\"My childhood and youth were, like most of others, full of vanity. My\npublic life commenced with no extensive prospects. I do not know that\nthe thought ever entered my mind that my public labors would ever\nprocure me a livelihood.... My main desire now is that it may please Him\nwhose I am and whom I serve, so to direct that what remains of my\nfleeting days may in no way dishonor, but promote, the cause of his\ntruth, to which I have so long been devoted.\n\n\"_Reply to Query 2nd._--All the _important_ doctrinal points contained\nin the several works which I have published are still my honest\nconvictions; and as they were widely different from the views generally\nentertained by theologians, I examined them with all possible care, and\nhave never seen cause to rescind them. And I can add, that I have never,\nin my public labors, allowed myself to present to my hearers any\nsentiment, or to expound any portion of scripture, but in accordance\nwith the sober convictions of my understanding.\n\n\"_Reply to Query 3d._--The main object by which I was actuated at the\ncommencement of my public labors was to understand the true doctrine of\nthe Scriptures, and by all possible means to convey conviction of its\ntruth to the understanding of all who had ears to hear; and my present\naim is to finish, in the best manner I can, these labors, by persuading\npeople, not only to understand the true nature of the gospel, but to\ncherish its blessed hopes, and to faithfully practise its precepts.\"\n\nDuring a visit of the author of this biography to the Southern and\nWestern States of the Union, in the summer of 1846, he had an\nopportunity to witness the most evident token of the popularity of Mr.\nBallou in these sections, and the high esteem in which his writings are\nheld. This was particularly the case in the State of Ohio, the most\ndistant point from his home that Mr. Ballou ever visited. Here, in\npassing through the state, we had frequent occasion to register our name\nand place of residence, which often led to our being asked whether we\nwere a connection of Hosea Ballou's; and when the existing relationship\nwas made known, there were no bounds to the hospitality that was urged\nupon us. In Cincinnati, it so happened that an original lithographic\nprint of Mr. Ballou was being struck off just as we left the city, and\nwe were kindly furnished with the first dozen impressions taken from the\nstone. This lithograph is from a crayon drawing taken from life, at\nAkron, Ohio, during the visit of Mr. Ballou to that town in 1844, by an\nartist sent up from Cincinnati for the purpose. The likeness is a good\none in many respects, but much inferior to several taken in Boston, both\nas it regards likeness and as a work of art.\n\nDuring the summer of 1847, Mr. Ballou visited his eldest son, Rev. Hosea\nF. Ballou, at his residence and farm in Whitingham, Vt., where for\nseveral days he applied himself to labor on the land; reaping, mowing,\nand the various departments of farming, during the week, and to public\nservices in that and the neighboring towns on the Sabbath. These few\nweeks of healthy toil invigorated him to a most surprising degree, and,\nthough more than seventy-five years of age, I was assured by those who\nwere on the spot that he did the work of a day-laborer with ease, and\nthat his hand wielded the scythe with the steadiness and effect of early\nyears. He told us afterwards himself how sweet his food tasted, how\nrefreshing his bed felt, and how clear and invigorated his brain was, by\nthis homely labor, and the sweat of the brow. He would sometimes sigh at\nthe constraint of his town life, and eulogize the green fields and\nverdant hill-sides. He says: \"All of us have our prescribed duties, and\nthe economy of nature requires certain tastes and temperaments that\nwill apply themselves to the various concerns of life. We find the\nmechanic, the farmer, the minister, the artisan, the lawyer, all endowed\nwith some prominent qualities, which particularly fit them for the\nproper discharge of their peculiar calling; and this is necessary, that\nall things may be done well and harmoniously. But, of all the business\noccupations of life, it has always seemed to me that the farmer's\nemployment must be the most agreeable. The country is real, the city is\nartificial; one is nature, the other is art. In the earlier portions of\nmy life, I gathered some experience in tilling the soil; in boyhood and\nearly youth, it was almost my sole occupation. Even as late as my\nresidence in Salem, I was accustomed to plant and cultivate a portion of\nground. The great charm of the farmer's element is that it brings him in\nsuch close contact with nature; his labor, so healthful and\ninvigorating, being performed to the soft hymns and sacred melodies that\ncreation ever chants in open fields and woodlands.\"\n\nDuring this season Mr. Ballou travelled considerably in the New England\nStates and New York, in accordance with letters of invitation sent to\nhim from every direction. During the month of August he preached at\nnumerous places in the vicinity of Montpelier, Vt., and the route\nthither from Boston. This journey was peculiarly gratifying to his\nfeelings; everywhere he was received with that warmth of heart and real\nsincerity that invigorate the soul. Meeting-houses were abandoned as\ntoo small, and temporary pulpits were erected in the open air, from\nwhence he addressed the thousands who came from far and near to listen\nto his words. His name was so well known, and his character so beloved,\nthroughout the order, that the simple announcement of his presence drew\nmultitudes together, who listened with the utmost avidity to his words,\nwhich carried with them the \"clear running wine of conviction.\"\n\nHere let us pause for a moment, and ask the reader to consider what a\npowerful and godly influence the life of such a man must have exerted\nupon community, and those persons with whom he was brought into frequent\ncontact. There was such perfect harmony, such a beautiful consistency,\nbetween his pure Christian life and the religion he taught, that the\nmost thoughtless could not but observe and note it. We heard an old man\nsay, but a few days ago,--\"Before I knew your father I heard that he was\none of the vilest of men; that he was intemperate, profane, vulgar, and,\nin short, everything that was bad. But when I saw him, meek,\nunostentatious, gentle, reverential, and preaching such glorious truths,\nI said to myself, so was his Divine Master reviled and persecuted!\" This\nwas the false report that was raised against him thirty and forty years\nsince. The subject of this biography did not answer these calumnies; he\n_lived_ them down, and manifested as strong an argument in favor of his\ndoctrine by his every-day life, as by his oral communications from the\npulpit. His writings, too, evincing the same spirit as his personal\ncareer, manifesting so much sincerity, and logical force of argument,\ngarbed in such simple language, and yet conveying such sublime truths,\nand these so largely enforced by a personal knowledge of their\nauthor,--at least throughout a large portion of the eastern\nstates,--must have exerted, and will continue to exert, an influence of\nalmost incalculable extent.\n\nIt is in perfect unison with the analogy of nature that the sunset of\nlife should be more cheerful and joyous than the meridian. The sweetest\nnotes of the nightingale are heard at evening, the woods put on their\nmost cheerful aspect in the autumn of the year, and the sun is the\nbrightest when about to sink beneath the horizon. It was at this period\nof life that Mr. Ballou seemed to have arrived at the goal of his\nambition, actuated only by\n\n    \"Those calm desires that ask but little room.\"\n\nThe principles which he had so long and so strenuously advocated\nprevailing beyond all precedence, his family happily settled in life\nabout him, and himself respected and beloved by an entire denomination\nas a faithful disciple of Christ and a true Christian. In a conversation\nwith him upon the comforts and troubles of old age, we asked him, one\nday, about this period, what was his greatest trouble. He facetiously\nreferred us to the reply of Fontenelle, who was asked, in extreme old\nage, what inconvenience he experienced, when he replied, \"None, but that\nof existence,\" signifying by this answer how really happy and contented\nhe was.\n\nFor the last twenty years of Mr. Ballou's life, it was not an uncommon\noccurrence for strangers from a distance to call on him and introduce\nthemselves, as desirous of looking upon him and making his acquaintance.\n\"I have read your works, and it has seemed as though I knew you well\nalready, for they are like familiar conversations.\" This would be the\npurport of their language. \"Your books,\" they would say, \"have made me a\nUniversalist; and I could not feel satisfied until I had seen personally\none to whom I am so much indebted, and whom I so highly respect.\" This\nwas the case in more than one instance, at different periods, when\nEnglishmen declared that it was the great purpose that had influenced\nthem in visiting the Union. In such cases they met with a cordial and\nhospitable welcome at his house and table, and hours of pleasant\ndiscussion would ensue upon the doctrines of the Scriptures, and\ncongenial themes. Many were the visitors from various parts of the\ncountry with the same avowed purpose, and similarly influenced.\n\nIn the latter part of 1848, owing to some unfortunate exposure to the\nweather, he was most violently attacked with ague in the face, so severe\nas to cause the whole face to swell so much as to close one of the eyes\nentirely. The attack lasted in its effects for several days, and was\nexceedingly painful. Though moved with the keenest regret at the pain we\nknew he must suffer, still we could not but admire the strength of mind\nand calm philosophy with which he endured it. Not a murmur escaped his\nlips, and intervals occurring between the most severe moments of his\nsuffering were devoted to writing or study, while the constant kind\noffices of those about him, and more particularly those of his\ndearly-beloved partner and children, were ever received with grateful\nwords, and tokens of a full appreciation of the warm love that prompted\nthem.\n\nIn the summer of 1847, the School-street Society requested of Mr.\nBallou, through its standing committee, that he would sit for a\nfull-length portrait, to be the property of the society, and to be hung\nin Murray Hall, adjoining the church. Mr. Ballou agreed to their\nproposition, and granted the requisite sittings, and a magnificent\nportrait was produced. The picture is as large as life. The preacher is\nrepresented standing in the pulpit of the School-street church, the\nfingers of the right hand inserted in the Bible, the left slightly\nextended. The likeness and expression are perfectly life-like, and true\nto the original. From this excellent painting several copies have been\ntaken for his family and friends.\n\nThis painting was the source of a great degree of satisfaction to the\nsociety and Mr. Ballou's friends generally, for, in common with many\nothers left of him, it is excellent as a likeness, and therefore is a\npregnant page in his history; for, of the three principal channels of\njudging and arriving at the knowledge of character, namely, looks, words\nand actions, the former is the most faithful. Professions pass for\nnothing, actions may be counterfeited, but a man's _looks_ he cannot\nhide. A modern writer, in language perhaps too forcible, says:--\"A\nman's whole life may be a lie to himself and others, and yet a picture\npainted of him by a great artist would probably stamp his true character\non the canvas, and betray the secret to posterity.\" Subscribing in a\nlarge degree to this principle, we consider that the paintings, busts,\nmedallions, and likenesses generally, of Mr. Ballou, may be highly\nvalued as speaking his true character in the expression, and telling a\nfaithful story of the original.\n\nAs it regards the likeness which the publisher has placed in the\ncommencement of this biography, to those who have not seen the subject\nof the picture within the last few years, it may look perhaps a little\ntoo aged; but in this respect it is the most truthful of any likeness of\nhim extant. He has been often represented, as the reader is aware, at\nalmost every period of his life since his thirtieth year; and with more\nor less correctness, in each instance, as it regarded his expression and\nformation of features at that time; but it strikes us that those who\nhave been familiar with Mr. Ballou's face to the last of his career will\nesteem this engraving, aside from its superior artistic excellence, as\ntranscribing for us the _last_ looks of his dearly-loved face.\n\nIn a notice of the large painting now hanging in Murray Hall, which\nappeared in the Trumpet of Sept. 4th, 1847, the editor says:--\n\n\"He (Mr. Ballou) is now in excellent health, firm, erect, and preaches\nvigorously; his mind is unimpaired; he is strong in the faith to which\nthe labors of his life have been given, and we do not see why he will\nnot be able to preach for ten years to come, should his life be spared.\nHe can preach three sermons with but little fatigue, while some of the\nmiddle-aged can hardly find strength to preach twice of a Sunday.\"\n\nIn the fall of 1847, Mr. Ballou, then in his seventy-seventh year,\nattended the Universalist convention in New York city, where he\ndelivered a sermon before the brethren assembled there, which created no\nsmall degree of notice, and was pronounced by those who heard it to be\none of extraordinary power and force. Some of the brethren at once\ncalled upon him for a copy for publication; but when he told them that\nhe had no copy himself, and that it was entirely extemporaneous, their\nsurprise was great. That one of his advanced age could deliver a\ndiscourse of so remarkable a character, with every point arranged in the\nmost exact order, abounding in powerful and well-sustained argument and\nvaried phases, unless assisted by notes, seemed almost impossible.\n\nSo much sensation did this discourse create, that Mr. Ballou acceded to\nthe earnest solicitations that besieged him, and wrote it out for the\npress, and it was published in pamphlet form. He remarked to us,\nconcerning the matter, that it was much harder for him to write it than\nit would have been to have written two sermons from a given text, since\nhe had to _recall_ what he had spoken extempore weeks before. But this\nwas done so exactly as to create surprise in those who had listened to\nit from the pulpit, for its correctness and likeness to the oral\ndelivery.\n\nWe subjoin a short sketch from this sermon, because it is so\ncharacteristic of the spirit that actuated Mr. Ballou at all times; a\nspirit of the utmost simplicity,--one of the striking peculiarities of\nreal genius,--both in his public teachings and private life, and also as\na specimen of his purity and force of style at this period of life. The\ncontrast drawn between the gospel of Christ and the polished creed of\nthe schools is striking and obvious.\n\n\"With all the pomp, with all the glory, with all the wealth, and all the\nlearning of the schools, among both Jews and Gentiles, let us, for a\nmoment, compare the simplicity that was in Christ. Born in a family\nwhich was supported by mechanical labor, brought up in laborious habits,\ndestitute of wealth and the honors of the schools, he commenced his\npublic labors. To assist him in the ministry of his doctrine, a few\nfishermen, and others of useful occupation, were chosen. The doctrine\nwhich Jesus taught was as simple and easy to understand as the common\naffairs of life. His sermon on the mount, containing the sublimest\nbeatitudes, and all the duties of life, requires but ordinary talents to\nunderstand. His manner of teaching by the use of parables communicated\ntruth in the most simple manner. When he justified his favor to\npublicans and sinners, of which he was accused by the Pharisees and\nScribes, how simple was his method! 'What man of you, having an hundred\nsheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in\nthe wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? and\nwhen he hath found it he layeth it on his shoulder, rejoicing. And when\nhe cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying\nunto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.'\nAnd how sublimely simple, if I may so say, was his application of his\nparable! 'I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one\nsinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons,\nwhich need no repentance.' On foot, see him travel from city to city!\nFatigued and weary of his journey, see him resting himself by Jacob's\nwell at Sichar; and mark the simplicity of his conversation with the\nwoman of Samaria! To set his disciples an example of humility, behold\nhim who gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, healing to the\nsick, soundness to the maimed, and life to the dead, gird himself with a\ntowel, and wash their feet!\n\n\"How poorly has the simplicity which is in Christ been maintained by the\nChristian church! Read its history, in which we learn its conformity to\nsuch worldly institutions and customs as are pleasing to human ambition,\nand all the vain pride and corruption which characterized pagan\nidolatry. That subtilty with which the serpent beguiled Eve is\nconstantly at work, persuading us to seek to render religion popular in\nthe eyes of the world. That spiritual wickedness may be maintained in\nhigh places, high places must be established and supported. So deeply\nis the love of popular esteem rooted in the heart, that it is to be\nfeared many are inclined to concede to opinions and customs inconsistent\nwith their better judgment, for the sake of that shining phantom.\"\n\nWe remember an incident which occurred to Mr. Ballou in January of 1848,\nwhich he related to us at the time. He had occasion to enter an omnibus\nto proceed from one extreme of the city to another, when, having\nscarcely become seated, an elderly woman, who was occupying a seat\nimmediately opposite, said to him,--\"Mr. Ballou, do you not constantly\npreach to your congregation, 'O ye generation of vipers! how can ye\nescape the damnation of hell?'\" Mr. Ballou turned his keen, piercing eye\nupon her, and seeing that some bigoted and fanatical individual had\nrecognized him, and desired to commence an argument, replied,--\"No,\nmadam; that class do not attend my church!\" The woman had not\nanticipated so decided an answer, and, shading her eyes with her hands,\ncontemplated the floor of the coach the remainder of the passage.\n\nSo little self-pride had Mr. Ballou, and so little comparatively did he\nthink or care about having any biographical sketch appear of him after\nhis death, that it was with the utmost difficulty that we persuaded him\nto attempt a manuscript of even a few pages, that a more authentic\nrecord might be preserved for the aid of the subject when it should be\ntaken in hand. But all that we were able to procure from him the reader\nwill find duly credited in these pages. Mr. Ballou had an ambition,\nhowever, that his written works should be preserved after him; for in\nthem he had labored for the good of mankind, and he hoped those labors\nmight not prove unavailable. His wish was highly gratified, in this\nrespect, during his life, by the very wide circulation they attained,\nand the numerous editions of them which were published, showing that\nthey were largely read and valued by the Christian world.\n\nHaving partially yielded to our reiterated solicitations for some few\npages of manuscript, if only relating to the simplest affairs, he sat\ndown, and commenced a sheet of paper in the same humorous vein in which\nhe was always sure to treat the idea of writing of himself. This\ncommencement was as follows:\n\n\"I have never learned that there were, before my birth, any prophecies\ndelivered by any one, or that any one had dreamed anything concerning\nmyself. If there happened, at the time of my birth, an earthquake, or\nthe appearance of a comet, or any other phenomenon of nature which\nindicated anything relative to me, or signified what manner of person I\nshould become, in what employment my life should be spent, whether I\nshould become useful to society or a nuisance, the fact has never come\nto my knowledge.\"\n\nThe life of Mr. Ballou is so intimately woven with the annals of\nUniversalism that the account of the one must be an almost complete life\nof the other. He nursed the first dawn of belief in impartial and free\ngrace to all mankind, and lived to see the blessed doctrine grow and\nspread over the land, like the day, from its breaking to the meridian.\nHe was the pioneer, the leader, the propagator, of Universalism.\n\nDuring April, 1848, he visited and preached in Philadelphia, New York,\n&c., and on his return expressed himself as he always did of the\nbrethren in those cities, and that he had been made most happy in his\ncommunion with them.\n\nAbout this period, an infatuated preacher of future punishment,\nsomewhere in the northern part of New York State, while in a high state\nof excitement, declared to his audience that Universalists and Infidels\nalways renounced their belief before they died, and absolutely instanced\nold Hosea Ballou, as he termed him, who had _lately_ died, penitent and\nfully repentant for his evil life, entirely refuting all his former\nbelief, and praying to be saved from the wrath to come. Equally\nridiculous allusions were made to his wife, who was said to have showed\nmore consistency, and to have died stubbornly adhering to her old\nprinciples. This ridiculous assertion was reported in a paper published\nin the vicinity, and a copy marked and sent to Mr. Ballou.\n\nWe asked him if he had not better address a brief letter to the editor,\njust to confound the propagator of the falsehood. \"No,\" said he; \"I have\nlearned, by experience, that libels, if neglected, are forgotten; if\nresented, they too frequently pass for merited satire.\"\n\nIn the month of June, 1849, Mr. Ballou visited Troy, N. Y., for a few\nweeks, and preached there and in the neighborhood, with his accustomed\nvigor and mental power. His clear, musical tones of voice were as\nperfectly modulated as ever, and his mental and physical vigor was the\noccasion of remark by all who listened to him.\n\nOne of Mr. Ballou's latest impromptu efforts at versification was\nelicited by a request for his autograph, by a young lady, who presented\nher album for this purpose, and in which he wrote the following lines:\n\n              THE MAID I PRIZE.\n\n    \"The maid I prize may not be one\n      Whose beauty dazzles vulgar eyes;\n    Those glowing folds 't were wise to shun,\n      Where death in hidden poison lies.\n\n    The maid I prize may not rely\n      On costly robes my heart to win;\n    The rose's blush, the lily's dye,\n      Can ne'er commend a breast of sin.\n\n    The maid I prize has tears for grief,\n      And soft compassion for the poor;\n    'Tis her delight to grant relief;\n      Where want resides she knows the door.\n\n    The maid I prize hath chosen that part\n      The golden Indies cannot buy;\n    And garnered in a pious heart\n      A treasure far above the sky.\"\n\nAs late as December, 1851, and January, 1852, Mr. Ballou passed five\nweeks in the city of New York, preaching to the societies there\nfrequently three times of a Sabbath, and at conference meetings during\nother days of the week. He was often called upon for lengthy remarks,\nwhich he most cheerfully and heartily gave. He was never so happy, never\nso well, as when engaged about his Master's business; and though, at\nthis age,--eighty-one,--his form was a little bent, and his step less\nfirm than of yore, yet in the pulpit he stood as erect as at fifty. His\nwhole soul seemed to dilate, and his firmness of voice and body to be\nlike iron; so much so, indeed, that it was usual to hear remarks to this\neffect, from all quarters, wherever he appeared.\n\nDuring this his last visit to New York, he wrote to us as follows:\n\n     \"MATURIN: A kind Providence brought me safely hither in due course,\n     and I have already made several appointments and promises relative\n     to my services while I tarry here. As in years gone by, I find the\n     same cordial hospitality here, and brotherly love extended towards\n     me still. I need hardly say how grateful this is to my feelings. We\n     grow, perhaps, more sensitive, as we advance in age, as to these\n     little kindnesses and attentions, that unitedly go to make up the\n     quiet peace and happiness of private life.\n\n     \"Our Heavenly Father has smiled upon the sacred cause in this\n     place, and the churches flourish here exceedingly. Even now I am\n     about to proceed to New Jersey, to dedicate a new temple, raised to\n     the service of the living God. To me, the increase of the\n     denomination with which I have so long been identified is a source\n     of peculiar satisfaction. My bodily health is fully as good as when\n     I left Boston; and, by the blessing of Divine Goodness, I trust\n     again to be at home in a brief period, to enjoy the society of\n     those near and dear to me. Please tell your mother to duly regard\n     her health, and remember me kindly to all the family.\n\n     \"Affectionately,\n     \"HOSEA BALLOU.\"\n\n\"After the singing of another anthem,\" says the correspondent of the\nTrumpet, in a letter from Newark relative to the dedication referred to,\n\"came the sermon, by our venerable and beloved Father Ballou, from the\nfitting words recorded in 1 Chron. 16: 29. The audience was not large,\nbut respectable in number; and from the first moments when the\ngray-haired speaker stood up before the people till he sat down again,\nthe most marked and almost breathless attention was given. The speaker\nbelieved that 'the name of the Lord' expressed all the attributes of His\nadorable character. He proceeded to notice some of those attributes,\nwith wonderful power and simplicity, enforcing the truth that _goodness_\nmust be coextensive with _wisdom_ in the Divine character. He\nillustrated the workings of the law of love, as opposed to the law of\nfear, by the examples of the grateful offerings of our people to the\nbeloved Washington and Lafayette. The people honored them, not because\na terrible penalty was threatened should they refuse to yield the\ntribute, but because they loved them. Worship, true worship, cannot be\n_bought_; it must be _free_. It can be offered only to a God infinite in\ngoodness and mercy. Father Ballou affectionately exhorted the people to\ngive unto the Lord, in the neat temple they had reared, the glory so\njustly due for all his revelations of good will to the children of men.\nAs children, filled with gratitude, should they come into his courts. A\nsevere, yet _kind_-spirited rebuke, was administered to those who go to\nchurch simply to display fine apparel, or because it is fashionable. In\ndoing our duty, we are happy, we offer unto the Lord; while they who\nserve fashion and popularity have just their reward, _and no more_.\n\n\"I have never listened to this aged servant of God with greater delight\nand profit than on that occasion. It hardly seemed possible that so\nclear, and forcible, and eloquent a production, could come from the\nmouth of one who has borne the brunt of eighty-one years.\"\n\nAt the age of four score, Mr. Ballou preached before the New York\nConvention of Universalists, at Boston, in September, 1851. Concerning\nthis occasion, Rev. A. C. Thomas, in the autobiography before quoted\nfrom, says: \"He (Mr. Ballou) is an exception to the 'labor and sorrow'\naffirmed of those who, by reason of strength, attain that period of\nlife. He was, indeed, feeble in body; but 'his eye was not dim, nor his\nnatural force abated.' He saw as clearly as ever into the 'root of the\nmatter,' and largely exemplified his peculiar force of argumentation.\nWas there ever a clearer or more forcible illustration than the one he\npresented regarding a mother and her child?--'Your child has fallen into\nthe mire, and its body and its garments are defiled. You cleanse it, and\narray it in clean robes. The query is, Do you love your child because\nyou have washed it, or did you wash it because you loved it?'\"\n\nMr. Ballou's contributions to the press largely increased during the\nlatter years of his life, and the articles he wrote, at various times,\nduring this period, will bear the most critical examination, as it\nregards the soundness of their doctrinal points, the excellence and\npurity of their style, and the Christian spirit they invariably show\nforth in every line. These contributions to the press have appeared\nmainly in the \"Trumpet and Universalist Magazine,\" the \"Universalist\nQuarterly,\" and the \"Christian Freeman.\"\n\nIn 1851, at the solicitation of Rev. Mr. Usher, book publisher, Mr.\nBallou edited a collection of his sermons, and wrote some original\narticles, which were published under the title of \"A Voice to\nUniversalists.\" This book also contained a collection of Mr. Ballou's\nfugitive verses, published many years since, and written for the poet's\ncorner of his paper. We can, perhaps, give no better review or reference\nto this book, than by copying Rev. Thomas Whittemore's published review\nof it, which we subjoin.\n\n\"The '_General Epistle to Universalists_' is itself worth the price of\nthe book. Tell us not that this might have been published in tract, or\nany cheap form. It would never have served its mission thus to be read\nand thrown away. It should have been where it is, in a large, splendid\nbook, to grace our centre-tables, and to be taken thence and read as\noften as once a month.\n\n\"The same remarks may be made in relation to the '_Advice to Young Men\nwho design to enter the Ministry_.'\n\n\"The '_Short Essay on Universalism_,' '_The Doctrine of Universal\nSalvation shown to be included in the Divine Commands_,' and '_The\nUtility of Evil_,' are likewise valuable mementos of their author; and\nso are the two _Convention Sermons_.\n\n\"And then, in respect to the metrical compositions, we could not spare\nthem from this book. True, the author, as he modestly says in a note to\nthe reader, makes no pretensions to being a poet; yet his poetry is to\nus exceedingly precious. It is in this we discover more clearly the\nmoral likeness of the man. In the frontispiece we have a satisfactory\nlikeness of the outer man; and how should we consent to tear from the\nbook this no less accurate likeness of the soul? In these hymns we see\nthe author in his characteristic meekness of spirit, self-abasement,\npure and ardent devotion, and all-sustaining faith in the wise and\nperfect government of God. Here, too, in these hymns and poems, are\nspecimens of the author's clearness and precision of intellectual\ndiscernment, and his argumentative acumen. The work shall go down to\nposterity as a memento of Father Ballou.\"\n\nThe article in this book entitled the \"Utility of Evil\" is one of great\npower and force. Mr. Ballou's theory is, that what _we_ call evil does\nnot exist without the wise permission and appointment of the infinitely\ngood and gracious God. In the article on this subject he says:\n\n\"Reader, do not be offended at the title of this short article, and call\nit impious. Will you say you never before heard that evil is useful?\nWill you say the suggestion is wicked, and could be made by no other\nthan one who is wicked? Well, suppose all which you imagine be true, may\nit not be well to be calm, and deliberately consider that, though you\nhave never before heard of this thing, it may, notwithstanding, be a\ndivine truth? If you will be candid, and bring your mind into a suitable\ncondition to be reasoned with, we will call you to the consideration of\nquestions which, if properly answered, will lead us into the true light\nof our subject. 1st. Is evil self-existent? If no one will allow this,\nthere is no need of argument to disprove it. It follows, of course, that\nevil had a cause which produced it; this is self-evident. 2d. Is it not\nequally self-evident that the cause which produced evil is good? If we\nsay that the cause which produced evil was evil, we thereby say that\nevil existed before it existed! When these several points are\nunderstood, we are prepared to state the following axioms:\n\n\"1st. That which had no beginning had no cause to produce it. 2d. If we\nshould say that good had an origin or a cause, We should be compelled to\nsay that that cause was evil! 3d. If we allow that evil had an origin or\ncause, we must allow that the origin of evil is good.\" pp. 115, 116.\n\nFrom the commencement of 1852 until within a week of his death, we find\nhim constantly active, with the weight of fourscore years and more; yet\nhe never for a moment faltered in his mission. During the last year of\nhis life he preached in seven different states, and in about forty\ndifferent places. His pen was still as busy as ever. One Sunday found\nhim in Maine, the next in New Hampshire, the third in Vermont; now he is\nin New York, New Jersey, or Rhode Island, preaching the word with\nunabated zeal and surprising effect in all directions. The copy of the\nTrumpet that announces his death contains two articles from his pen,\ncommending to the order two lately published biographies, showing forth\nas illustrations of what a true and noble aim will empower the soul to\ndo amid the humblest circumstances, one of the strongest illustrations\nof which is his own life. His last paragraph reads thus: \"We need not\nlook forward to the good time, for it is now come, when ministers are\nesteemed for their knowledge of divine truth, and their ardent love for\nthe same, together with their faithfulness in dispensing it to the\npeople, and their living and walking in the precepts of Jesus.\" At the\ntime of his death he had two appointments already arranged, one in\nMassachusetts and one in New Hampshire, besides several under\nconsideration.\n\n\"Verily, he was at his post to the last,\" says Rev. T. B. Thayer, in his\neulogy upon Mr. Ballou; \"and when the messenger came, he was ready. He\nfell in the full armor of God, with the helmet of salvation on his head,\nhis spotless heart covered with the breastplate of righteousness, his\nfeet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In one hand he\nheld the shield of faith, and in the other the sword of the spirit,\nwhich is the word of God,--the sword which he had for sixty years\nwielded with such success in his multiplied battles with error and sin,\nand by which at last he was, through Jesus Christ, made conqueror, and\nmore than conqueror, over death and the grave. Verily, the old man died,\nas he had lived, faithful, courageous, serene, victorious, to the last.\"\n\nIt was in these ripened days of his experience that his counsel was\neagerly sought by all, laity and clergy, in private and in public. His\nactivity and anxiety to be about his Master's business carried him\nconstantly into the midst of all important denominational assemblies;\nand here he was ever received, both his presence and his counsel, with\nprofound respect. If there was contention, misunderstanding, or\ndifficulty of any sort, all eyes were turned upon him who sat so quietly\nand thoughtfully in their midst; he was their peace-maker, his calm\nvoice stilled the tempest, his finger pointed the way towards the\nright. As Mr. Thayer says in the eulogy just quoted from:\n\n\"It will be a long time before we shall get accustomed, in our\nassociations and conventions, to the absence of that venerable form,\nthose gray hairs, and that voice of wisdom, and gentleness, and love,\nwhich came like oil on the troubled waters of debate, and drew out the\nentangled threads of thought, and by quaint queries, by questions which\nanswered themselves, questions plainer than most men's answers,\npenetrated to the heart of every subject, and showed us, as by a flash\nof light, the exact point where the truth lay. We shall often desire in\nour councils his presence, his clear thought, his persuasive language,\nhis gentleness of manner, and his conclusive logic.\"\n\nMr. Ballou had a most remarkable faculty of seeing through any abstruse\nquestion or subject that came up for discussion before any body with\nwhich he was sitting in fellowship, and could at once seem to set all\nright in their midst, by a few shrewdly-uttered words. Another brother\nhas said of him in this respect:\n\n\"It was wonderful how he would put the needle in amid the tangled skein\nof reasonings, in a debate, and untie the knot just where the whole\nmight be wound off without any difficulty; and how he would hold to the\nessential point in an important discussion, and dissipate every\nobscuration that threatened to darken and eclipse it, was astonishing,\nand showed where his power as a master reasoner lay. Such was the man.\"\n\nWe must now turn from these desultory remarks and references, to\ndescribe the end of his earthly mission.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nEND OF HIS EARTHLY MISSION.\n\n\nHow shall we speak of the close of that life which we have so feebly\nsucceeded in portraying,--how depict the sunset of his soul upon\nearth,--how describe the unfeigned and unbounded sympathy and mourning\nof a whole denomination,--how refer to the appropriate ceremonies--the\nfuneral obsequies--that were so beautifully and tenderly performed by\nthe society over whom he had so long held such heart-sway, and whom he\nloved better than all else on earth, save his family? How shall our\nfeeble pen portray these striking and long to be remembered scenes?\nThroughout this entire subject we have written tremblingly, and with a\nfull realizing sense of the magnitude of the theme, and the humble\nability of our pen. But here we feel our hand indeed too feeble, our\nsensibilities too acute, and shall call to our aid stronger minds and\nabler pens.\n\nIn no more appropriate place than here can we refer to his parting with\nthe loved companion of his bosom. His wife had been confined to her\nchamber for some weeks, by severe indisposition, just previous to his\nown last illness, nor was she able to leave it until some time after the\nlast obsequies in honor to his memory. On the morning that Mr. Ballou\nwas taken ill, he came to her from his own dressing-room, kissed her\ntenderly, and bade her adieu, with all the gentle and affectionate\nsolicitude with which a young husband might have left his bride; and,\npassing down stairs to the parlor, was preparing to depart for the scene\nof the convention at Plymouth, when he was suddenly taken in a fainting\nfit. A couch was immediately removed to the room where he was taken so\nsuddenly ill, and he was not removed from it until he fell quietly\nasleep in death. Little did the fond wife and companion of his bosom\nthink, when he bade her thus farewell, that it was for the last\ntime;--that it was the last time she should ever behold, on this earth,\nthat countenance that had never been turned upon her save in love and\ntenderness,--that noble brow that had been her pride and glory in its\nsublime truthfulness and purity of expression,--those eloquent lips that\nhad been such a well-spring of heavenly truths! But such it was. Herself\ntoo ill to be removed from her chamber, she never saw him afterwards;\nand she still cherishes his memory as associated with that fond and\nendearing look that accompanied his last kiss and farewell!\n\nIn relation to the manner in which he had prepared the mind of his wife\nfor the event which he seemed so clearly to foresee, Rev. Mr. Miner, in\nhis farewell sermon, said:--\n\n\"He had often exhorted his companion to hold herself in readiness for\nhis departure, forewarning her that every separation from her might be\nthe last. But a few days previous to his death, he had renewedly\nimpressed this upon her mind. What a sublime spectacle was this! At more\nthan fourscore years of age, braving the rigors of mid-winter and the\nextreme heat of summer, and regardless of the dangers that attend the\nrapid conveyances of our time, this veteran preacher 'takes his life in\nhis hand,' and goes forth continually to promulgate the everlasting\ngospel!\"\n\nWe must not omit to give the reader a brief article which Mr. Ballou\nleft among his papers, relating to the close of his earthly career. It\nwas folded in with his accounts, will, and other important papers, and\nwas written in his usual legible hand. It was in the spirit of a preface\nto the will which followed, and in which every matter had been plainly\narranged, with that regard for impartiality, strict justice and\ncompleteness, that was in accordance with his nature, and all that he\ndid or said in relation to any subject in which he engaged.\n\n     \"In view of that solemn event, which must unavoidably take place,\n     which will end my mortal days and close my labors on earth, I make\n     this serious and important declaration: I humbly and earnestly pray\n     that the Father of the spirits of all flesh may, in that mercy\n     which he has revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, forgive all that in\n     my whole life he sees amiss in me. This prayer is offered in that\n     _faith_ for which I adore him who hath given it to me.\n\n     \"I heartily regret that I have not been a better husband, a better\n     father, and especially a better and more useful minister of the\n     gospel of divine grace. For my faults in these particulars I ask\n     the forgiveness of the kind and faithful wife of my bosom, of my\n     dearly-beloved and dutiful children, and of the discerner of my\n     heart and thoughts, to whom I offer devout and unfeigned gratitude,\n     that, by his favor, I have been enabled to do as well as I have in\n     the relation of a husband, and father, and minister of the gospel\n     of Christ. I sincerely return thanks to all my brethren in the\n     common faith, for all their kindness to me. I sincerely thank the\n     great fraternity of Christians, united with me in the precious\n     faith in which we believe, and especially the church and society\n     with whom, for more than thirty years, I have lived in love, and\n     with whom I have labored in word and doctrine, for all their\n     numerous favors.\n\n     \"Hosea Ballou.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n     \"A great man has fallen,\" says the editor of the Trumpet. \"There\n     have been but few such men as Father Ballou. We can truly say that\n     those who knew him best loved him most. Those who had heard him\n     preach the oftenest, and who had read the most thoroughly what he\n     had written, felt more than others the power of his mind, and were\n     more deeply convinced than others that he was intellectually, as\n     well as religiously and morally, a great man. His life was\n     protracted beyond fourscore years; he enjoyed a very large share of\n     health and strength through that whole time. He was never idle; he\n     worked, up to the last week of his life, in the harvest-field, and\n     actually died with the sickle in his hand. He was taken sick at his\n     own house; and, after six days of comparatively light suffering, he\n     gently fell asleep in death, quietly as an infant falls into\n     slumber, and at the moment when he seemed to be putting his body in\n     the posture for the coffin.\n\n     \"It is in vain for us to attempt to give, in this brief sketch, an\n     account of the travels of Father Ballou; the small but interesting\n     and instructive incidents of his life,--his sermons, his\n     controversies, the different books he wrote, the judgment of\n     impartial men concerning him,--all these things must be left to be\n     described at a time and under circumstances when full justice can\n     be done to the illustrious man. His character, too, must be drawn.\n     For ourself, we say, most unreservedly, we never knew a better man.\n     We say this, after having lived in his family under his immediate\n     tuition, and since that time spent more than thirty years side by\n     side with him, 'in journeyings often,' in mutual consultations, and\n     in very frequent interviews. If we ever saw a person equally\n     amiable, kind, upright, gentle and true, it is the aged widow who\n     survives him. If he was more than a father to us, she was more\n     than a mother. She can never be honored too much for her goodness.\n     To her must be attributed much of the ease and quietness he enjoyed\n     in life, and without which he could not have accomplished the full\n     measure of the good for which he is now beloved and reverenced. So\n     much for the moral qualities of this venerable man and woman. There\n     remain yet to be described (but it cannot be done here) the\n     child-like simplicity of the man; his benevolence; his blindness to\n     the faults of others; his open eye to their virtues; his strong\n     sense of rectitude; his remarkable and long-continued habits of\n     justice; his wonderful mind, so clear, so strong, to the last; his\n     eagle-eyed sagacity; his strong faith in God and his word,--a faith\n     like a mountain for its towering height and firmness; his devotion\n     to the truth; his love of the work of the ministry; his truly\n     religious character; his susceptibility to deep devotional feeling;\n     his love of conventions and associations for the seasons of public\n     worship they gave him so many opportunities to enjoy; his love of\n     conference meetings; his power over the people; his closing sermons\n     at conventions; his prayers at the separation, when all, old and\n     young, male and female, clergy and laity, would be melted into\n     tears;--ah! who shall attempt to describe all these things?\"\n\n     \"For myself (for I will throw off the editorial style), I\n     acknowledge that I feel most deeply the loss of this steadfast\n     friend. I mourn, not for him, but for _myself_. To me he had been a\n     father. He found me in my early manhood, and drew me out from\n     seclusion. He taught my lips to pray. He turned my attention to the\n     ministry; and he sought and obtained the means to support me, when\n     I had not a cent with which to help myself. He was in the desk with\n     me when I stood up tremblingly (in the town-house in Roxbury) to\n     preach my first sermon. He introduced me to the society in Milford,\n     Mass., where I had my first pastoral charge, and where I formed the\n     tenderest relations of human life; and he was the cause of my being\n     invited, in the year 1822, to settle at Cambridgeport, where I ever\n     since have lived. For six years thereafter, I was associated with\n     him in conducting the 'Universalist Magazine;' and from that time\n     to his death he has been a constant contributor to the columns of\n     the 'Trumpet,' refusing for the last ten years all pecuniary\n     compensation, although repeatedly pressed upon him. He has been the\n     earnest, steadfast friend of my wife and children; my earthly guide\n     and counsellor, who has reproved me, but not too often; my teacher\n     to the end of his life; a man of whom I have learned more\n     concerning God and the divine word, and the relation between God\n     and man, than I have learned from any other human source. How can\n     the event of such a man's death transpire, without exciting in me\n     extraordinary sensations? And yet I am not inconsolable. When I\n     reflect upon what he was, upon the length of his life, upon the\n     great measure of good he accomplished, upon the fact that he was\n     permitted (although so much away) to die at home, surrounded by\n     his most exemplary and loving children, after a very brief\n     sickness, and to die so gently, almost in the act of binding\n     sheaves in the harvest-field,--I cease to mourn. I thank God for\n     what he was; and if I could call him back to earth, I should not\n     dare to do so. I thank God that I saw him within an hour of his\n     death, and that he knew me, and extended his hand, and that I was\n     permitted to take it and kiss it. And now, although there never\n     will be, for there never can be, another man to me like Father\n     Ballou, I will be reconciled. And I will close this brief sketch\n     with the words of Job,--'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken\n     away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'\"\n\nPassing over the feelings of sorrow, yet of calm resignation, that\nexercised the aged widow and mother, and the large circle of devoted and\nloving children, who have so fully realized the solemn character of this\nbereavement, we wish to give here the series of resolutions presented to\nthe mourning family by the second Universalist society, over which Mr.\nBallou had presided for a period of so many years. They were\ncommunicated to the family in the same delicate and feeling manner in\nwhich all else relating to the melancholy event had been performed by\nthose engaged in it. They are as follows:\n\n     \"Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to call to himself our\n     venerable father in Israel, Rev. Hosea Ballou, the senior pastor of\n     this society, who departed this life on the 7th day of June, 1852,\n     aged 81 years; and whereas, in recurring to the events of his long\n     and memorable life, we bring to mind the time when he first\n     appeared as the fearless advocate of what he then and ever\n     afterwards felt to be God's truth as revealed in the Holy\n     Scriptures; the moral courage with which he sustained that truth\n     amid all the assaults of learning, bigotry and tradition,\n     continuing faithful to the last in the path that was revealed to\n     him as the path of duty; therefore,\n\n     \"_Resolved_, That the present prosperous aspect of the Universalist\n     denomination, and the gradual infusion of its principles into those\n     of other Christian denominations, are monuments of honor to its\n     pioneers, of whom Hosea Ballou was one of the chief.\n\n     \"_Resolved_, That the denomination of Universalists have therefore\n     lost, in this dispensation of Divine Providence, a champion whose\n     latter days they have delighted to honor; a practical example of\n     the working of the faith once delivered to the saints; and one who\n     has most ably worn the breastplate of righteousness and borne the\n     shield of faith, and who has gone down to the grave 'full of years\n     and full of honors.'\n\n     \"_Resolved_, That as sole pastor of this society during a period of\n     about twenty-seven years, and as senior pastor for about eight\n     years, his career has been uniformly marked by a wisdom and\n     kindness, in all his intercourse with its members, both\n     individually and collectively, which prevented even the approach of\n     any discord between them; and by a large and broad charity, which\n     made all mankind his brothers, and children of the same paternal\n     God.\n\n     \"_Resolved_, That in the death of this venerable Christian, whom we\n     have so long looked up to as a pastor, yea, even as a father, this\n     society especially has met with a heavy loss; and while we feel\n     deeply the weight of this afflicting bereavement, yet we would\n     gratefully acknowledge the kindness of an all-wise Providence in\n     having spared his life and continued his usefulness in so signal\n     and uninterrupted a manner, during the protracted period of his\n     connection with us.\n\n     \"_Resolved_, That in the simplicity of his daily life, which was\n     most truly a life without guile, we see a proof of his devotion to\n     principle worthy of all honor; and in his inflexible integrity he\n     has left an eloquent lesson, which all, young and old, may read\n     with profit.\n\n     \"_Resolved_, That we sympathize most sincerely with the afflicted\n     widow, children and other relatives, of our deceased pastor, in\n     their bereavement; that we feel the poverty of language to\n     administer consolation, and can only point them to the sublime\n     truths of gospel grace which their departed relative spent his life\n     in teaching; that we fervently commend them to Him who 'tempers the\n     wind to the shorn lamb;' and, while we can hardly expect to assuage\n     their grief with the wound yet so fresh, we would bid them sorrow\n     not as those without hope, but remember how many a weary soul has\n     found rest from the teachings of him they now mourn, and direct\n     them to the glorious faith that he is 'not lost, but gone before.'\n\n     \"_Voted_, That the foregoing resolutions be signed by the Moderator\n     and Clerk, and published in the 'Trumpet' and 'Freeman,' and that a\n     copy of the same be forwarded to the family of our deceased pastor.\n\n    \"G. W. Gage, _Moderator_.\n    \"Newton Talbot, _Clerk_.\"\n\nIt still remains for us to describe the funeral ceremonies; and here\nagain we copy from others. The description is as it appeared in the\nTrumpet.\n\n\"The funeral of this venerable man, and faithful old Christian teacher,\ntook place on Wednesday, June 9th. Prayer was first offered at the\nhouse, in the hearing of the widow, who had not left her chamber, and\nscarcely her bed, for some thirty days. This part of the services was\nstrictly private. The corpse was then taken to the church, with the\nmembers of the family in carriages.\n\n\"The church had been very appropriately put in mourning for the\noccasion. The large portrait in the vestry was shrouded in crape,\nshowing nothing but the figure of the aged preacher, as he stood in the\npulpit. In the great chapel, the pulpit, and the recess back of it, were\ndressed in drapery of black crape. The entire front of the gallery, all\naround the house, was festooned with black. The organ, also, was\nappropriately dressed in mourning, in good keeping with the other\narrangements.\n\n\"The house was thrown open for the public at two o'clock, at which time\nlarge crowds were waiting at the doors; and for a full half-hour before\nthe services were commenced, every seat and foothold upon the floor,\naisles, window-sills and recesses, excepting reserved pews, were\noccupied. At three o'clock the corpse arrived. The clergy, numbering\nsomewhere between sixty and a hundred, proceeded from the vestry to the\npews assigned them. The members of the Second Universalist Society also\nhad their appropriate places. The corpse was borne to the position in\nfront of the pulpit, the bearers proceeding in the following order:\n\n\n    Rev. Dan'l Sharp, D. D.,     THE BODY.       Rev. Edward Turner,\n    Rev. S. Barrett, D. D.,                      Rev. S. Streeter,\n    Rev. S. Cobb,                                Rev. T. Whittemore,\n    Rev. L. R. Paige,                            Rev. Josiah Gilman.\n\n\"During the entrance, the organ gave forth a mournful prelude. The sight\nwas a most affecting one,--so vast a multitude with such an expression\nof sorrow upon their countenances.\n\n\"1. The services were introduced by a funeral chant, after which\n\n\"2. Scriptures were read by Rev. O. A. Skinner.\n\n\"3. The following hymn was sung, many of the congregation joining their\nvoices to that of the choir.\n\n                  HYMN.\n\n    \"On Zion's holy walls\n      Is quenched a beacon-light;\n    In vain the watchman calls,\n      'Sentry! what of the night?'\n    No answering voice is here;\n      Say,--does the soldier sleep?\n    O, yes,--upon the bier,\n      His watch no more to keep.\n\n    Still is that heaven-touched tongue,\n      Pulseless the throbbing breast;\n    That voice with music strung\n      Forever put to rest\n    To rest? A living thought,\n      Undimmed, unquenched, he soars,\n    An essence, spirit wrought,\n      Of yon immortal shores.\n\n    Peace to thee, man of God!\n      Thine earthly toils are o'er;\n    The thorny path is trod,\n      The Shepherd trod before.\n    Full well he kept his word,--\n      'I'm with thee to the end;\n    Fear not! I am the Lord,\n      Thy never-failing friend!'\n\n    We weave no dirge for thee,--\n      It should not call a tear\n    To know that thou art free;\n      Thy home,--it was not here!\n    Joy to thee, man of God!\n      Thy heaven-course is begun;\n    Unshrinking thou hast trod\n      Death's vale,--thy race is run!\"\n\n\"4. Prayer, by Rev. Thomas Whittemore.\n\n\"5. Hymn, 'Vital Spark of Heavenly Flame!'\n\n\"6. Sermon, by Rev. A. A. Miner, junior pastor, from 2 Cor. 5: 1,--'For\nwe know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we\nhave a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the\nheavens.'\n\n\"7. Hymn, 'Unveil thy Bosom, Faithful Tomb.'\n\n\"8. Concluding Prayer, by Rev. Sebastian Streeter.\n\n\"9. Benediction.\n\n\"During the singing of the last hymn, persons began to press around the\ncoffin, to get a last view of the departed. Notice was therefore given,\nat the close of the service, that the coffin would be placed in the\nentry, and all would have an opportunity to see, as they passed out;\nbut, on account of the great number, each must content himself with a\nbrief farewell view. The funeral procession was formed in the following\norder: 1st. Bearers, in carriages. 2d. The body. 3d. The committee of\nthe society. 4th. The clergy of the Universalist denomination, amounting\nto nearly a hundred. 5th. The members of the Second Universalist\nSociety. 6th. The friends from the neighboring towns. 7th. The mourners,\nin carriages.\n\n\"This procession extended from the head of School-street to the corner\nof Boylston-street, being nearly half a mile.\n\n\"An immense body of people had arrived at the ground previously to the\nfuneral procession. The corpse was borne to the temporary\nresting-place, in the burying-ground at the foot of the Common, where it\nwas deposited. The lid of the coffin was raised, and those who desired\npassed by once more, and then the solemn scene was closed.\"\n\nThe last Sabbath that Mr. Ballou preached was on the 30th of May,\n1852,--eight days before his death,--at Woonsocket, R. I. The texts were\nthe following:\n\n\"FORENOON.--Ecclesiastes 12: 13, 14. 'Let us hear the conclusion of the\nwhole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole\nduty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every\nsecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.'\n\n\"AFTERNOON.--Titus 2: 11, 12. 'For the grace of God that bringeth\nsalvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying\nungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and\ngodly, in this present world.'\"\n\nThe fact of Mr. Ballou's having preached his last sermon in Rev. John\nBoyden's desk, a brother who had once been an inmate of his family as a\nstudent of divinity, has elicited the following letter, which seems\nparticularly appropriate here:\n\n     \"DEAR SIR:--\n\n     \"I rejoice most sincerely to learn, as I do this day, that you are\n     so soon to give us a memoir of Father Ballou. And, if it be not\n     asking too much, I should be glad of a little space, that I may\n     record my tribute of filial affection. He was to me a father,\n     indeed; and to him I owe more than to any other man,--and, perhaps,\n     all others,--for the little good I may have accomplished as a\n     minister of Christ. He was my teacher when he knew it not.\n\n     \"When I was about fourteen years old, I heard him preach, in the\n     town of Brookfield; and I am sure the impression that sermon made\n     will remain to the end of my life. It was designed to unfold the\n     riches of Christ Jesus. As the theme opened, the audience became\n     intensely interested; and, as the preacher gathered and arranged\n     the sacred testimony, to unfold the gracious purposes of our\n     Heavenly Father as manifested through the Redeemer, we seemed like\n     hungry children, watching the maternal hands that feed them. And\n     when he laid the precious burden before us, he would exclaim, in\n     all his wonted earnestness, '_Do_ you _see the unsearchable riches\n     of Christ?_' Again he would go forth, gathering other fruits of the\n     divine love, and again repeat, as a part of his text, 'Do you see\n     the unsearchable riches of Christ?' This was the conclusion of each\n     division of the discourse; and it served not only to rivet it in\n     our minds, but, by the involuntary mental response which it\n     induced, made us almost co-workers with the speaker, and thus gave\n     us growing interest in the theme.\n\n     \"From that hour, and from the influence of that single discourse, I\n     had a strong desire to aid in unfolding the 'unsearchable riches of\n     Christ' to my fellow-men. My young heart felt, for the first time,\n     that there was a fulness in the provision which our Father had made\n     for us that the world had not known; and it seemed to me I _must_,\n     some time, preach that blessed gospel. Not more than three or four\n     years after that time, I heard him preach one of his masterly\n     sermons, in Charlton, which fired my soul anew with a desire to\n     enter the ministry. His text was, 'For we preach not ourselves, but\n     Christ Jesus the Lord,' &c. After reading the text, he carefully\n     folded his glasses, put them in his pocket, as was his custom, and,\n     while the audience were waiting with breathless attention, that\n     they might secure the first word that should fall from his lips, he\n     began thus:--'The text _supposes_ that there _is_ such a thing as a\n     man's preaching _himself_.' The audience _breathed_,--a token that\n     they already possessed the key to the sermon. But it was a\n     remarkable characteristic of his sermons, that, though you might\n     early anticipate the conclusion to which he was coming, yet you\n     could not foresee the _process_ by which he was to lead you, since\n     that was peculiarly original. That sermon strengthened my\n     conception of the glory of the gospel as we understand it, and\n     especially when he contrasted with it the fading and sickly glory\n     of all forms of partialism. He made us understand how easy and\n     agreeable a duty it was to preach Christ; because in him there was\n     neither inconsistency, partiality nor cruelty. A sermon from this\n     text, I know, has been printed; but _that_ sermon I have never seen\n     on paper, nor can my poor pen describe the heavenly glow of\n     feeling expressed by the countenances of that assembly. Perchance\n     the record is in heaven.\n\n     \"On the fourteenth day of May, 1829, I entered his family as a\n     student; and let me here say it was _home_. There were my adopted\n     father and mother, brothers and sisters; and never were the\n     beautiful relations indicated by these endearing words in a single\n     instance marred. God bless them, for the words of sympathy and\n     encouragement that fell upon the ear of the timid young man! The\n     recollections of my experience in that family tell me that no man\n     knows the good he is doing, if his heart be right. There is a world\n     of power in a single word, when it falls on a needy and congenial\n     soil.\n\n     \"During the last week of that month, and when I had, as yet,\n     written but one sermon, Father Ballou engaged with Father Leonard,\n     of Gloucester, that I should supply his desk the following Sunday.\n     I remonstrated. I had never spoken in public, except to declaim as\n     a school-boy; and it seemed to me I _could_ not stand up alone and\n     preach all day, and especially so soon after formally commencing my\n     studies. But to all this his reply, in substance, was, that the\n     gospel was very easy to be understood; that the matter of it was\n     all furnished to my hands; that I was only a _steward_ of God's\n     grace, and had only to give to the people what was given to me in\n     the divine word. Well, I told him I would go, if he said so; but he\n     would have to bear the responsibility, if I failed.\n\n     \"In the morning, before leaving for Gloucester, I read my last\n     sermon to him; and then it was that he gave me a word of\n     commendation, that was like a generous shower upon the parched\n     ground. And this was followed by the well-remembered injunction:\n     'Brother Boyden, I have only one word to say in reference to your\n     labors, and that is, _be in earnest_. Don't speak one word without\n     making the people understand and feel that you believe it with all\n     your heart.' This was the only charge he ever gave me, till, at my\n     ordination, in Berlin, Ct., in 1830, he enjoined it upon me to\n     carry the spirit of our holy religion into all my labors, and\n     especially when I should go to the chamber of sickness, and to the\n     house of mourning. The tremulous words, as they fell from the lips\n     of the father upon his son, stirred the whole audience with\n     emotion. They were treasured in many hearts, and often repeated,\n     both by the old and young, who waited on my ministry.\n\n     \"For myself, I must say they made a lasting impression on my mind;\n     and often, since that time, as I have visited the sick and dying,\n     has that venerable form preceded me, renewing the tender\n     injunction, 'Come in the spirit of the blessed Redeemer.' I trust\n     those words were not thrown away. And when, as will happen with\n     most men, my wearied frame has imparted languor to my speech, I\n     have sometimes been aroused by the sudden recollection of that\n     stirring appeal--'Be in earnest.' I know it has often quickened and\n     warmed my zeal; and when I remember that it was the motto of his\n     life to the last, I pray that it may be to me as a live coal from\n     the altar.\n\n     \"_Punctuality_ is another of the sterling virtues that cluster\n     around that name, and his example has been of special service to\n     me. It characterized all his labors. I have known him much for\n     twenty-three years, and I never knew him to be late in fulfilling\n     any engagement, and he always took time, so as not to be in a\n     hurry. On the occasion of the installation of Bro. A. Bugbee, of\n     Charlton, some years ago, he delivered the scriptures and gave the\n     charge. In the course of his address, he dwelt upon the above-named\n     virtue with no little feeling. 'Bro. Bugbee,' said he, 'when you\n     come to church, _come in season_. Don't let the people come here\n     and wait, and wonder within themselves, saying, Where is Bro.\n     Bugbee? Is Bro. Bugbee sick? And O, don't forget to take time,\n     before you commence your services, to put up a silent prayer to\n     God, that he may aid and assist you in the discharge of your sacred\n     duties.'\n\n     \"I know that that occasion was one of peculiar joy to many hearts,\n     and it was as the blessing of God on my soul. The religious spirit\n     within us was quickened; and many a time since, in my humble\n     efforts to preach the gospel, that 'silent prayer' has brought\n     celestial fire from heaven, and imparted new life to my spiritual\n     being. Doubtless there are many in the ministry whose experience\n     accords with my own in these things, and whose usefulness may be in\n     a good measure attributed to the personal influence of that great\n     and good man, who, great as he was, could not have comprehended\n     the vast results of which his unostentatious life was the agent.\n     And may we not all be encouraged to hope, that, if we live good\n     lives, the harvest will extend beyond the ken of the sower?\n\n     \"But the most interesting fact, to me, in the life of my spiritual\n     father, is, that he closed his public services in my own pulpit, in\n     the presence of a delighted congregation, and, as I believe, of an\n     approving God. His last sermons are well remembered, even by\n     _children_. He has never preached here with greater zeal, power,\n     and comprehensiveness. We accept his services as the blessing of a\n     dying hour, and our veneration for the man is mingled with\n     gratitude to the everlasting Father, for so great a gift to our\n     world.\n\n    \"Fraternally yours,\n    \"J. BOYDEN, JR.\n\n    \"_Woonsocket, July 6, 1852._\"\n\nThe following is taken from the report of L. W. Ballou, superintendent\nof the Sabbath-school attached to the Woonsocket Universalist Society,\nwhich school the subject of this biography visited and spoke before on\nthe day referred to. It is especially interesting as being connected\nwith his last public efforts.\n\n\"On the thirtieth of May it was our privilege to be visited by, and to\nreceive the last public instructions of, our venerable Father Ballou;\nfor in one week from the time he left us 'the golden bowl was broken,'\nand that voice to which we had so recently listened, and which had\nbreathed life and joy into so many souls, was hushed forever. But in his\nworks, in his example, in the glorious doctrines which for more than\nsixty years he labored to establish, he still lives and speaks, and will\nlive and speak for ages to come. Long, I trust, shall we remember that\nvenerable form, that cheerful and benevolent countenance, and the words\nof encouragement and hope with which, for the last time, he addressed\nus, rejoicing that we were no longer taught as in times past, and as\nsome are even now, that by nature we are children of wrath, and under\nthe curse of God; but that God is our father, our benefactor, our best\nfriend,--that he cares for and is blessing us always. Thus did our aged\nfather close his public ministrations, in proclaiming the same great\ndoctrine which he had spent his life to establish,--the unbounded,\nuniversal, and unchangeable love of God to man.\n\n\"Let us be as faithful to the truth, and in the performance of our duty,\nin the sphere in which we move, as he was in his, and the same rich\nblessings will attend us.\"\n\nThe subject of this biography entered most heartily and sincerely into\nthe spirit of Sabbath-schools; and since their general introduction in\nour societies, throughout the order, he has taken peculiar satisfaction\nin improving every suitable occasion for addressing and encouraging both\nteachers and scholars in the object which engaged them, wherever he was\ncalled to preach. In his own society he had seen the great good to be\nderived from such an institution, as it regards the rearing of the\ntender mind in the garden of the Lord; and he often mingled\nprofessionally with children and teachers. The able and feeling remarks\nof the superintendent, Mr. Goddard, as given above, will show the\nappreciation in which the members of the school had been taught to hold\ntheir pastor, and the spirit that actuated the hearts of the teachers\ntowards him, under whose Christian teachings they had, most of them,\nbeen brought up from childhood.\n\nThe following verses, an invaluable legacy to Mr. Ballou's family, and\nto all those who really loved him, were written by him in anticipation\nof the closing hour of his life. The date we cannot give, as the\noriginal paper bears none; but, from accessory circumstances, and\nremarks which he made to his wife, that he felt he was \"nearly worn\nout,\" and that she must be prepared to hear of his decease at any\nhour,--perhaps, even, away from home,--they may be supposed to express\nhis feelings more particularly within a very few days of the close of\nhis life. They require no dedication from us. They are priceless, and\nbeautiful in the extreme.\n\nThe verses are thus introduced:--\n\n     \"A minister, experiencing certain infirmities of body which\n     strongly suggested to him that he might be suddenly called away,\n     wrote the following\n\n               FAREWELL ADDRESS.\n\n\n                    I.\n\n    No more thy beams mine eyes delight,\n    Thou golden sun! the shades of night\n        Are o'er my vision cast.\n    Adieu to thy bright, cheering rays,\n    Thy morning light, thy noon-tide blaze,\n        Thy settings in the west.\n\n                   II.\n\n    And thou, sweet moon, whose silver beam\n    Did on my evening rambles gleam,\n        I need thy light no more;\n    And you who twinkle in the skies\n    No more shall set, no more shall rise,\n        To me, as heretofore.\n\n                  III.\n\n    Ye waves of ocean, fare you well;\n    Adieu to mountain, hill and dell,\n        Rich fields and gardens too;\n    Your flowery robes and fragrance sweet\n    No more my peaceful walks shall greet;\n        I bid ye all adieu.\n\n                 IV.\n\n    Ye murmuring streams, whose winding way\n    Through flowery meads and woodlands lay,\n        And every limpid rill,\n    And all ye feathered tribes of air,\n    With voices sweet and plumage fair,\n        Accept my last farewell.\n\n                   V.\n\n    Adieu, sweet Spring, the time of flowers!\n    Thy zephyrs soft, thy falling showers,\n        No more have charms for me;\n    Maternal Summer, too, adieu!--\n    These eyes no more thy beauty view,\n        Nor thy rich treasures see.\n\n                  VI.\n\n    Autumn and Winter's social glee\n    Afford their charms no more to me,--\n        They but a moment last;\n    For life's short season now is o'er,\n    I taste its joys, its griefs, no more,--\n        The transient scene is past.\n\n                  VII.\n\n    Ten thousand friends, and more, farewell!\n    With gratitude affections swell\n        Within this breast of mine;\n    And you, my foes, although but few,\n    Do share in this, my last adieu,--\n        May mercy on ye shine!\n\n                 VIII.\n\n    Thou sacred desk, where oft I've stood\n    To plead the cause of truth for God,\n        To you I say farewell;\n    That I've been faithful to my Lord\n    I call for witness on his word,--\n        His word he will fulfil.\n\n                  IX.\n\n    And you, my congregation dear,\n    Kindly regard the farewell tear,\n        So freely shed for you;\n    For all your favors to your friend,\n    May Heaven blessings to you send,\n        And every grace renew.\n\n                  X.\n\n    One struggle more shall end the strife;--\n    My children dear, my loving wife,\n        Ye dearest joys of earth,\n    Accept this last, this fond adieu;\n    While I have lived I've lived for you,\n        But now resign my breath.\n\n                  XI.\n\n    That Power which does for birds provide,\n    And clothes the grass in all its pride,\n        Much more shall nourish you;\n    On that kind arm in peace recline,\n    Submissive to the will divine,--\n        Believe his promise true.\n\n                  XII.\n\n    And now my work on earth is done,\n    To thee, my Lord, my God, I come,\n        Still trusting in thy grace;\n    As earth recedes may I arise,\n    To be with Jesus in the skies,\n        And see his lovely face!\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nCONCLUSION.\n\n\nA modern writer says, after a visit to the splendid tomb of David Hume,\nat Edinburgh, \"When I looked upon the spot, I could not forget that his\nbest powers had been deliberately exerted to load the minds of men with\ndoubts of their God.\"\n\n    \"To poison at the fountain's source\n    The stream of life throughout its course.\"\n\nLet us contrast the feelings thus naturally arising in the mind, as it\ncontemplates the life of the English historian, with those that will\nspring up spontaneously in the heart of him who looks upon the last\nresting-place of the subject of this biography. His whole life was a\npractical plea for the glorious character of his Heavenly Father, and\nevery power of his nature, both mental and physical, was entirely\ndevoted to and expended in bearing witness of God's love and impartial\ngrace. Who covets the world-wide fame of the infidel historian? Who\nwould not leave behind him the glorious memory of the true Christian?\nGreatness may build the tomb, but goodness must write the epitaph.\n\n    \"Only the actions of the just\n    Smell sweet, and blossom in the dust.\"\n\nWe have thus brought the narrative of Mr. Ballou's life down from its\ncommencement to its close. In the execution of the task, it is feared\nthat many imperfections and deficiencies will be detected; but we have\nthe consolation of reflecting that, at least, we have not been guilty of\nexaggeration, and throughout have sought only to present the truth in\nthe clearest light, and with the same simplicity that the subject of\nthese pages would have commended. We have most ardently endeavored to\nmake manifest the pure character, consistent conduct, the high\nintellectual ability, the unaffected piety, and laborious and unremitted\nservices of the deceased to the great cause he espoused in early life.\nHad he placed a higher estimate upon his own labors, he would have left\nbehind him a complete record of his toils, that would have interested\nthe most careless and worldly reader. But, while he never spared\nhimself, he appears to have seen no unusual merit in his unexampled\nlabors; he was simply discharging his duty to his Maker and his\nfellow-men. The thought of challenging admiration for his sacrifices of\ncomfort, for his exposures and trials, seems never to have occurred to\nhim; and hence the minutes of his personal adventures are brief and\nimperfect. He has only given us enough to enable us to guess at the\nextent of his toil. For the result of his labors and travels, we have\nonly to look around,--to behold the multiplied churches springing up\nwhere he first preached in school-houses, dwelling-houses, or even\nbeneath the fruit-trees, to numerous congregations that have found faith\nand hope through his ministrations, who fondly regard him as the father\nof their order, and who rise up to bless his name. Though his lips are\nnow sealed forever, yet his doctrine, a precious legacy, is left for us\nstill, in his own language; and, with the example and influence of his\npure life, we may find the surest guide to the understanding of the\ngospel as it is in Christ.\n\nIt is true that the bow is broken; but the arrow is sped on its message,\nand will pierce the heart of error. The subject of these pages was not a\nman for his own time alone; he has lived for all time. We find in the\npages of history actors upon the stage of life peculiarly fitted for the\nimmediate period in which they lived; men active, bold, successful, and\never ready for any emergency; men governed by principles and incentives\npeculiarly adapted to the day and hour, without whom it would have been\ndifficult to realize the seeming destiny of man, and the results and\nhistory of the times. Yet those persons, if they were to exist now,\nwould be out of their element; there would not occur the same exigencies\nto call forth their particular endowments of courage and endurance. They\nillustrated tangible matter, and performed deeds of personal prowess;\nbut Mr. Ballou enunciated, defined, elucidated and illumined, a great\nprinciple, a fundamental truth, something that will live through all\neternity,--not the ephemeral act of an hour, which, however timely and\nimportant at the moment, is forgotten with the casualty that gives it\nbirth. No! Mr. Ballou was not for his own time alone,--he was for all\ntime.\n\nHis advent in the religious world was the commencement of a new era in\nthe church; and from that day and that hour the little glimmering of the\nlight of truth which was seen as afar off grew daily larger, and\nbrighter, and clearer, as, in the onward journey of his years and his\nunderstanding, he came to behold the gospel as it is in Christ, and to\npreach it to the world. Nature about him had taught this impartial grace\nand goodness of God for ages and ages, but the tongues of men had been\nfabricating and declaring another creed. It was no new truth that he\nillustrated and believed; but he gave it oral form, and depicted it\nbefore men's eyes.\n\nOur task draws now to its close; we have recorded the closing incidents\nof that life on whose eventful record we have reverentially dwelt, and\nwe must soon resign the pen with which we have feebly depicted the story\nof departed worth. It remains for us to give a rapid retrospective\nglance at the career we have traced, with a brief recapitulatory view of\nthe subject. The author has made no attempt at fine writing, and has\nsought only to present a \"plain, unvarnished tale,\" in keeping with the\nunostentatious simplicity of the subject of his pages. In these busy and\nstirring days, most readers crave an exciting book of thrilling\nincident. In preparing the life of a distinguished warrior, or a bold\nadventurer, startling incidents and scenes crowd upon the writer, till\nthe task of condensation becomes both imperative and difficult. The\nturbulent stream, rushing from its mountain home, tumbling amidst rocks\nand dashing over precipices, affords a picture at every point of its\nprogress; while the course of a river, that rises in some placid lake,\nand pursues its pathway noiselessly and tranquilly, till lost in the\nworld of waters that swallows up its individuality, however pleasing an\nobject of contemplation, is little fitted to figure in an elaborate\npersonal record, or to minister to the restless eye of the lover of the\nbold and startling in nature.\n\nThe life of the subject of these pages may be compared to that of a\nquiet streamlet, making itself felt by the verdure and freshness it\ndiffuses around it, but not startling the ear by the tumult of motion.\nHence, those who merely take up a book for amusement or excitement, will\nfind themselves disappointed with this biography. It was not, however,\nfor such tastes that the book was designed. It is rather a medium of\ncommunication between filial affection, and that scarcely colder feeling\nof friendship and respect, shared by a large and increasing denomination\nof Christians, whose common love for the subject of these pages will\nsecure indulgence towards the author.\n\nThey will rather follow the delightful traits of Christian character he\nevinced, will admire the truth and genuineness of his nature, the sweet\nsimplicity of his soul, and the magnitude and glory of his doctrine,\nthan pause to criticize the simple garb that has clothed these special\nand important matters. It will be the kernel, not the shell, that our\nreaders will discuss; and if we have, in our humble way, succeeded in so\nportraying the life of our parent as to place it any more clearly and\nfaithfully before men's eyes, then we have done a good work, and our\nlabor has not been in vain. If, by the exhibition of his happy faith,\nand the application of his own arguments, we shall have succeeded in\nconfirming even one soul in the sacred and cheering faith he advocated,\nwe shall have sufficient reward in our own heart for the toil of this\nwork. He would have labored continually and unceasingly to lead a soul\nin the straight and narrow way; no fatigue, no disappointment, was ever\nany hindrance in his path, when duty held the lamp. His eyes were turned\nonward and upward; they overlooked the rugged way, strewn with rocks and\nquicksands, over which he strode towards the great goal of his life, the\npromulgation of God's fatherly love to man.\n\nMore fortunate than many whose works have enriched the world, we have\nseen that Mr. Ballou lived long enough to enjoy an honorable fame. Long\nbefore he died the voice of calumny was hushed. He had accomplished what\nBurke had advised for the refutation of slander,--he had \"lived it\ndown.\" The shafts of malice fell harmless from the shield of his\nunspotted conscience. He had achieved a greater triumph yet than the\nsurviving of the assaults aimed against his reputation as a man; he\nlived to behold the truth he had so advocated, in which and for which he\nlived, adopted by hundreds of thousands as the staff of their lives and\nthe rock of their salvation. It would be difficult to find, in any age,\nthe record of a greater victory of intellectual power.\n\nAs we have fully shown, Mr. Ballou started in life with no aids for the\ndevelopment of his mental energies. His circumstances were such as would\nhave completely crushed a majority of gifted minds. Isolation,\nprivation, the want of mental stimulus, surrounded him. The example and\naid of elder scholarship was wanting. The steps to the temple of\nknowledge were hewn by his own hands out of the rugged and unyielding\nrock. He had no strong hand to grasp his own, and bear him up, and stay\nhis tottering footsteps. Yet, with an iron grasp, he seized upon the\nrudiments of knowledge, and made them his own. And, while satisfying the\ncravings of his nature, he neglected no duty of life. Those who had\nclaims upon his industry suffered no injury or loss from this source,\nfor the hours devoted to his early studies were heroically subtracted\nfrom hours of repose. When others rested from bodily toil, he was\nwakeful and toiling mentally.\n\nThe energy displayed in his pursuit of knowledge, under such\nextraordinary difficulties, prepares us for the yet greater energy\nexhibited in his subsequent course. Accustomed to accomplish his purpose\nby severe labor, we find him continually proposing to himself questions\nof difficulties to be solved only by severe intellectual exertion. He\ncultivates his moral intellectual nature so rigidly, that he is not\nlightly satisfied on any subject. But we are most impressed with the\nbeauty of his spiritual nature. Most energetic minds are, we think,\nprone to scepticism. They doubt, resolve their doubts, and then cling\nfirmly and forever to the truths they have established.\n\nIt is said, \"A resolved doubt is the strongest proof.\" Paul began by\nopposing religion, and ended as one of its champions. But with Mr.\nBallou there was no necessity of going through with this usual process.\nHis existence and his belief were identical. He recognized his Maker in\nhis words and in his works; faith was his earliest companion, and she\nwas with him to the last. Her light illumined his earliest and his last\nstep; as it beamed upon him with its morning radiance, and cheered his\nnoon-tide with its glow, so it was the broad, unshadowed sunset of his\nlife.\n\nWe have seen how early his inquiring and steadfast mind began to pierce\nthe shadows and darkness with which dogmatism had obscured the true\nnature of God, and the spirit of his law. The clouds were not dispelled\nall at once. By degrees they rolled away, as his vision strengthened,\nuntil, at length, his eyes beheld the full glory of God in its effulgent\nsplendor. The moment when the last veil was withdrawn, and he beheld the\nglorious form of Truth embodied in the creed which he ever afterwards\nprofessed, was the crown and summit of his existence. Then he found and\ngrasped a treasure which the world could not take away. Years might\npass before the many would embrace his doctrine; but he knew that it\nmust eventually make its way to men's hearts and understanding, and that\nit would be universally recognized and triumph in the end.\n\nFrom the moment of his discovery, his mission was decided, his calling\nconfirmed, his path through life traced out as clear as daylight. He\nfelt called upon and inspired to preach the gospel of love to all\nmankind; and he went forth upon his mission, resolved to fulfil it to\nthe utmost of his strength and talent. Surely no man ever more\nfaithfully performed his allotted task. In the discharge of his duty, we\nbehold him fearing no toil, sparing no exertion, shrinking from no\nobstacle. A man loving peace and quiet, yet he hesitated not to assume\nthe weapons of controversy when his doctrines were assailed. With him,\nindeed, the truth was everything,--himself nothing. Hence, we are left\nno record of his many journeyings, his lonely wayfarings, his midnight\nlabors. He accounted these things as nothing, as dust in the balance,\nweighed against the service he espoused, and the gospel interests which\nhe strove to advocate.\n\nThe following letter addressed to us from Manchester, N. H., a few years\nsince, now lies open before us, and will serve to show the reader the\nindomitable perseverance that the subject of these memoirs brought to\nbear upon his professional duties;--how little he spared himself in the\nprosecution of his great mission; how totally he disregarded bodily ease\nor comfort, when brought in opposition to the prosecution of his sacred\nmission on earth. It is also another of those brief, meaning and\naffectionate epistles such as he ever wrote, exhibiting the same\nreliance upon Divine Providence that ever exercised his bosom:--\n\n     \"MATURIN: Last Sabbath was to me a day of severe trial. Early in\n     the morning I was attacked with a sudden illness, which so weakened\n     me by meeting-time that, although I made two determined efforts to\n     go on with my discourse, the last was as unsuccessful as the first,\n     and I was finally compelled to yield to my bodily weakness, giving\n     the people to expect my services in the afternoon. Dr. Colburn\n     kindly conveyed me to his house, and he and his good lady so nursed\n     me that, by meeting-time in the afternoon, I walked to church and\n     went through with my usual services, sparing myself the labor of\n     reading the hymns. Through the goodness of an all-ruling\n     Providence, that has ever sustained and supported me in every\n     trial, I am now recovering, and am quite as well as before this\n     attack, save that I am very weak.\n\n     \"The reason I have written you particularly is, that your mother\n     and the family generally may not be alarmed by the report which\n     will very naturally reach you before I can return home. Please send\n     me a few current newspapers. Affectionately,\n\n     \"HOSEA BALLOU.\"\n\nHe neglected no means for the advancement of truth; discourses from the\npulpit, colloquial discussions, written essays, poetical effusions, all\nwere brought to sustain the one great idea he advocated. Though his oral\ninstructions were poured forth on every occasion, he well knew the\nmighty power of the press over the minds of community, and he wielded\nthis agent with vigor and effect. As his example in the pulpit was\nfollowed by a host of disciples, so did his essays in the press give\nbirth to a race of vigorous literary champions of the gospel. But, above\nall, was the \"daily beauty of his life\" the strongest evidence of the\nsincerity of his convictions, and the truth of his doctrine. The example\nthat teaches better than precept was manifested in his social existence.\nHis cheerful deportment, his resignation under trials, were proofs of a\n\"peace which the world cannot give.\"\n\nHis principles forbade him to teach or to show that this beautiful world\nwas created as a gloomy prison-house to the sons of men. Late and\ncopious extracts from his own pen, in these pages, will abundantly show\nthis. He delighted to point out the radiance of the raiment with which\nour Heavenly Father has gladdened our temporary abiding-place. He loved\nto trace the \"smile of the Great Spirit,\" in the gushing water-courses,\nthe verdant meadows, the bright skies, the murmuring woodlands, the\nflower-enamelled fields, and the blue arch that bends over all,\nenclosing it within a crystal sphere. He was no enemy to social\nenjoyment; no frown of his ever checked the joyous laugh bursting from\nyoung lips, or dimmed the brightness of the domestic fireside. In the\nrelations of husband, father, friend, he was loved and revered,--how\ndearly and deeply, let the sorrow that has fallen on our hearts at\nparting speak!\n\nHe has gone from our midst! His stately form will no more gladden our\neyes, the music of his voice will no more warm our hearts, the pressure\nof his hand will no more answer responsively to ours. But he has\ndeparted, full of years and fame, to that bright world above, whose\nglory was the theme of his existence. Emulating the virtues which his\nwell-ordered and beautiful life exhibited, cherishing the gospel truths\nin all their purity, simplicity and attractiveness, as he taught them,\nmay we improve our own lives by the recollection of his, and open our\nhearts to the still yet eloquent sermon he now preaches to us from the\nsilent tomb! And let that sacred belief, which he taught us to rely upon\nand to hold as most dear to our hearts, fill us with a hope and\nassurance of a final and happy reunion with him in heaven! In his own\nfamily he fully succeeded in implanting a spirit of belief in and entire\nreliance upon God's love to his children; and, could the reader behold\nthe influence that this belief now exercises over the heart of his aged\nwidow, what a tower of strength and calm resignation she realizes from\nthe faith he impressed upon her, he would find fresh reason for\nChristian fortitude, and new hope and faith in the gospel.\n\nAnd now, ere the reader closes these pages, permit the author to ask for\nthe book a kind consideration, and to solicit the lenient judgment of\nthe public for these records of a parent's life, written and compiled\namid the arduous duties attendant upon his editorial calling. The work\nhas little else to recommend it, save the homely truthfulness of its\nrecord, and the sincerity that has dictated its composition.\n\nTo the many friends of Mr. Ballou, and more particularly to the\ndenomination, clergymen and laity, with whom he has so long held\nfellowship, the author trusts this book may prove an acceptable memento\nof one whom they delighted to honor.\n\n\n\n\nNEW WORKS,\n\nJUST PUBLISHED.\n\n\nMEMOIR OF REV. S. R. SMITH.\n\nBy Rev. T. J. SAWYER, D.D. With a splendid Portrait. Pages 432. Price,\nin plain binding, $1; in full gilt binding, $1.50.\n\nDr. Sawyer has had an acquaintance with the subject of this Memoir for\ntwenty years; besides, he has in his hands all the papers which Mr.\nSmith left behind him, copies of letters, &c. The work is made up, to a\nconsiderable extent, from those various materials, and may therefore be\nregarded as in a manner an autobiography. The last words written for the\npress by Father Ballou relate to this book and the Life Sketches of\nGeorge H. Clark, hereafter referred to. Mr. Ballou says:\n\n\"Having carefully read this Memoir, and by it having been made\nacquainted with many particulars in the life of a highly-esteemed\nbrother in our ministry, with whom I have, for many years, enjoyed a\nmost cordial and affectionate fellowship, it is a pleasurable duty to\nrecommend the work to the favorable consideration of the whole\nfraternity of believers in the gospel of a world's salvation.\n\n\"The learned writer of the Memoir has taken much pains to bring together\nmuch of the writings of his favorite subject, whereby he has rendered\nthe work in a great degree autobiographical, and made his readers\nacquainted with the strength of mind, temper, spirit and taste, of our\ndeparted brother. This work carries us back to the parentage, birth,\nchildhood and youth, of one who has distinguished himself, by the\nevident aid of divine wisdom, as an able, faithful, and successful\nminister of the gospel of our Divine Master. And if our young men, who\nare desirous of making the ministry of divine truth their profession,\nwould carefully read this work, poverty in its more meagre shapes would\npresent no formidable objection. Br. Smith, having successfully grappled\nwith poverty, and won a praise and a name which throw crowns and diadems\ninto the shade, seems now to be looking down on these youth, and\npointing them to the path which he has trod, to bid them put their trust\nin Him by whose aid he has won an unfading crown.\n\n\"Br. Sawyer surely deserves the gratitude of our denomination for the\njustice he has done to the character of our departed brother, and for\nthe encouragement which this Memoir is calculated to give to our\nbrethren who are laboring in our Master's vineyard. And our thanks and\npatronage should be generously rendered to the publisher of this work,\nnot only for the handsome style in which it appears, but for his\nlaudable devotion to the cause of truth, and his successful labors for\nits prosperity.\"\n\n\"Great interest has been excited in the denomination by the promise of\nthis book. * * The life of such a man, from the pen of one so highly\ndistinguished and so gifted as Rev. Dr. Sawyer, cannot but awaken a\nwide-spread and anxious desire for its appearance. It has now been given\nto the public, and well does it sustain the reputation of all parties\nconcerned in its publication. * * A work of this class has never\nappeared in the denomination which, for fineness of paper, beauty of\nprint, and neatness of binding, has excelled this. We predict that it\nwill have a very large sale.\"--_Christian Ambassador._\n\n\"It will be read with great interest by all.\"--_Trumpet._\n\n\"Mr. Sawyer has done well in allowing his hero to tell so\nmuch of the story of his times through his own letters and\nreminiscences.\"--_Christian Inquirer._\n\n\"His example is full of encouragement to others, and cannot fail to\nstimulate thousands, who are drooping, to push on in the career of\nself-improvement.\"--_Yankee Blade._\n\n\"This is one of the most thoroughly executed Biographies that we have\nmet with among recent publications of the kind. * * * The Memoir is\nworthy of the author and of the venerated subject; and, if we mistake\nnot, it must exert a powerful influence for good upon the Universalist\nConnection, as well as upon others, through the more noble example it\nholds up of a true minister of Jesus Christ. By it, he, 'being dead, yet\nspeaketh.'\"--_Universalist Quarterly._\n\n\"This is a specimen of true Biography. We have attentively and\ngratefully read it, and our estimate of the man, the greatness of his\naims, and the thoroughness of his devotion thereto, has been increased.\nThere is nothing of the spirit of man-worship here; and if there be any\nlack, it is on the side of enthusiasm of personal friendship, holding\nback the writer from a full expression of heartfelt admiration of his\nsubject.\"--_Ladies' Repository._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nGRACES AND POWERS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.\n\nBy Rev. A. D. MAYO. 12mo., about 300 pages. Price 75 cents.\n\n\nThis is a series of twenty sermons, by Mr. Mayo, on the above subject,\nwhich cannot but prove a valuable acquisition to our Denominational\nLiterature.\n\n\"This is a beautifully printed book, and its interior life and its ideal\ncorresponds with its actual. * * The style of the author is modern and\ngraceful, and the moral influence of the work cannot be otherwise than\nsafe and good.\"--_Banner._\n\n\"Mr. Mayo's composition reveals a pure spark of genius, gleaming, if it\ndoes not blaze, running like a bright thread and clue through the\nlabyrinth of thought, and bringing to light many a blessed region of\ntruth and peace.\"--_Christian Register._\n\n\"We have been greatly charmed in reading it, both by the earnestness and\ndepth of its thought, and the sweetness and purity of its\nstyle.\"--_Blade._\n\n\"Its influence, wherever it circulates, will be most elevating and\nsanctifying.\"--_Christian Ambassador._\n\n\"We take pleasure in saying that this volume of sermons has our hearty\nfellowship, and the prevalence of the spirit in its pages would enlarge\nvastly the communion of liberal Christians.\"--_Christian Inquirer._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nLIFE-SKETCHES OF REV. GEORGE H. CLARK.\n\nBy his Brother. With a fine likeness. 16mo. 160 pages. Price 50 c.\n\nSketches of the eventful life of this early-fallen brother were written\nby the request of many friends. The volume embraces a rapid succession\nof scenes and incidents, drawn from numerous papers left by the\ndeceased, and portrayed by one dearly familiar with him from early life.\nFather Ballou's note of this work is as follows:\n\n\"This brief memoir of our young and esteemed brother in the ministry of\nGod's universal efficient grace commends itself as an affectionate\ntribute to the memory of the departed, from the pen of a loving brother.\nIt must also be grateful to the whole family circle, who survive the\ndeparted son and brother, to have in their possession so valuable a\ntreasure.\n\n\"This work will be read with interest and profit by youth in general,\nand especially by such as think of devoting their lives to the\nministerial profession. When such shall learn the fact, that moderate\ncircumstances and limited means do not necessarily prevent a young man\nfrom becoming a minister and a pastor, highly esteemed and beloved by a\ngood and respectable church and society, they need not shrink from a\nhope of success.\n\n\"We need not look forward to the good time, for it is now come, when\nministers are esteemed for their knowledge of divine truth, and their\nardent love for the same, together with their faithfulness in dispensing\nit to their people, and their living and walking in the precepts of\nJesus.\"\n\n\"The subject of these memoirs died young. He had been in the ministry\nbut a few years. He had lived, however, and labored, a sufficient length\nof time, to prove himself to be an able and eloquent preacher of the\ngospel, and to become endeared to all who formed his acquaintance. It\nabounds with incidents in the life of the deceased.\"--_Christian\nAmbassador._\n\n\"The book abounds in incidents, and is very interesting.\"--_Banner._\n\n\"The book is one of thrilling interest.\"--_Freeman._\n\n\"The book is a record, traced with a loving, sympathetic, and brotherly\nhand, of the trials, hopes, joys, sorrows, life experiences and death,\nof a professional as well as a natural brother.\"--_Springfield\nRepublican._\n\n\"This is an affectionate tribute to the memory of a worthy man,--one of\nthe many instances where high aims are unfortunately united with slender\nmeans, rendering life not so much 'a battle and a march,' as a perpetual\nstruggle. We respected the brother whose life is here sketched, and have\nthoroughly read the volume with interest.\"--_Ladies' Repository._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nGLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS,\n\nDuring a Voyage and Visit to London and the Great Exhibition, in the\nSummer of 1851. By Rev. W. A. DREW, Commissioner of the State of Maine.\nWith a Portrait. About 400 pages. Price $1.\n\nThe undersigned issues, in connection with the publishers of the Gospel\nBanner, the above work. It is one of the most attractive and instructive\nvolumes of travel ever published.\n\n\"This volume consists of letters written by the author to the _Gospel\nBanner_, of which he is the well-known editor, during his recent visits\nto Canada and England. During their original publication they were read\nwith keen interest by the numerous patrons of that paper, as well as by\nthe Maine public generally; and it was a happy idea to gather them into\na volume for more distant readers, as well as for future perusal and\nreference. The author has a sharp eye for observation, as well as great\nfelicity in description; writes in an easy, off-hand, yet vigorous\nstyle; and, on the whole, has placed before us the clearest and most\ngraphic picture of London and the sights in the Crystal Palace that we\nhave yet met with. Not the least interesting portions of the volume are\nthe descriptions of Montreal, Quebec, and their environs, to the\naccuracy and felicity of which we can testify.\"--_Yankee Blade._\n\n\"An interesting series of sketches.\"--_Univer. Quar._\n\n\"It is highly attractive in narration of incidents, scenery and sights.\nWhat makes it more valuable to us is a very natural likeness of the\nauthor, executed with much skill and beauty.\"--_Christian Ambassador._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\nTHE WORKS OF REV. HOSEA BALLOU.\n\nThe death of this Patriarch of the Universalist Ministry gives\nadditional value to his Works, and especially to those written in the\nyears of his strength and vigor.\n\nThe subscriber is the publisher of those works, and will furnish sets of\nthe same, or single volumes, issued in the best style of typography and\nbinding.\n\nI. Notes on the Parables of the New Testament. One vol. 12mo., 297\npages. Price 50 cents. First published in 1804.\n\nII. A Treatise on the Atonement. One vol. 12mo., 328 pages. Price 50\ncents. First published in 1805.\n\nIII. Series of Twenty-six Lecture Sermons. Delivered in the\nSchool-street church, Boston. One vol. 12mo., 375 pages. Price 62-1/2\ncents. First published in 1818.\n\nIV. Twenty-five Select Sermons. Delivered on various occasions, from\nimportant passages of Scripture. One vol. 12mo., 360 pages. Price 63\ncents. First published in 1828.\n\nThese are the works in which the convictions of Father Ballou are best\nexpressed, and circulation should be given to them by all who are\ndesirous of diffusing the wisdom of that sainted man. The \"Notes on the\nParables\" are remarkable examples of Scripture interpreting Scripture;\nthe \"Treatise on Atonement\" is a piece of mental reasoning intelligible\nto the humblest capacity; and the \"Lectures\" and \"Select Sermons\" are\nrare expoundings of the divine word, and the great principles of\nScripture truth.\n\n\nThe subscriber is also preparing to issue a fine edition of the above\nworks, to be bound in a uniform style with the Biography; and the whole\nwill then be sold at $4 per set.\n\nA. TOMPKINS.\n\nBOSTON, August, 1852.\n\nAGENTS WANTED TO CIRCULATE THE FOREGOING WORKS.\n\n\n\n\n\n<pre id=\"pg-footer\">","title":"Biography of Rev. Hosea Ballou","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":103727}