passages from an old volume of life-第31章

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poet　of　〃The　Day　of　Doom；〃　and　Charles　Chauncy；　the　second　president　of　Harvard　College；　were　instances　of　this　twofold　service。　　In　politics　their　influence　has　always　been　felt；　and　in　many　cases　their　drums　ecclesiastic　have　beaten　the　reveille　as　vigorously；　and　to　as　good　purpose；　as　it　ever　sounded　in　the　slumbering　camp。　　Samuel　Cooper　sat　in　council　with　the　leaders　of　the　Revolution　in　Boston。　　The　three　Northampton…born　brothers　Allen；　Thomas；　Moses；　and　Solomon；　lifted　their　voices；　and；　when　needed；　their　armed　hands；　in　the　cause　of　liberty。　　In　later　days；　Elijah　Parish　and　David　Osgood　carried　politics　into　their　pulpits　as　boldly　as　their　antislavery　successors　have　done　in　times　still　more　recent。

The　learning；　the　personal　character；　the　sacredness　of　their　office；　tended；　to　give　the　New　England　clergy　of　past　generations　a　kind　of　aristocratic　dignity；　a　personal　grandeur；　much　more　felt　in　the　days　when　class　distinctions　were　recognized　less　unwillingly　than　at　present。　　Their　costume　added　to　the　effect　of　their　bodily　presence；　as　the　old　portraits　illustrate　for　us；　as　those　of　us　who　remember　the　last　of　the　〃fair；　white；　curly〃　wigs；　as　it　graced　the　imposing　figure　of　the　Reverend　Dr。　Marsh　of　Wethersfield；　Connecticut；　can　testify。　　They　were　not　only　learned　in　the　history　of　the　past；　but　they　were　the　interpreters　of　the　prophecy；　and　announced　coming　events　with　a　confidence　equal　to　that　with　which　the　weather…bureau　warns　us　of　a　coming　storm。　　The　numbers　of　the　book　of　Daniel　and　the　visions　of　the　Revelation　were　not　too　hard　for　them。　　In　the　commonplace　book　of　the　Reverend　Joel　Benedict　is　to　be　found　the　following　record；　made；　as　it　appears；　about　the　year　1773：　〃Conversing　with　Dr。　Bellamy　upon　the　downfall　of　Antichrist；　after　many　things　had　been　said　upon　the　subject；　the　Doctor　began　to　warm；　and　uttered　himself　after　this　manner：　'Tell　your　children　to　tell　their　children　that　in　the　year　1866　something　notable　will　happen　in　the　church；　tell　them　the　old　man　says　so。'〃

The　〃old　man〃　came　pretty　near　hitting　the　mark；　as　we　shall　see　if　we　consider　what　took　place　in　the　decade　from　1860　to　1870。　　In　1864　the　Pope　issued　the　〃Syllabus　of　Errors；〃　which　〃must　be　considered　by　Romanistsas　an　infallible　official　document；　and　which　arrays　the　papacy　in　open　war　against　modern　civilization　and　civil　and　religious　freedom。〃　　The　Vatican　Council　in　1870　declared　the　Pope　to　be　the　bishop　of　bishops；　and　immediately　after　this　began　the　decisive　movement　of　the　party　known　as　the　〃Old　Catholics。〃　　In　the　exact　year　looked　forward　to　by　the　New　England　prophet；　1866；　the　evacuation　of　Rome　by　the　French　and　the　publication　of　〃Ecce　Homo〃　appear　to　be　the　most　remarkable　events　having　Special　relation　to　the　religious　world。　　Perhaps　the　National　Council　of　the　Congregationalists；　held　at　Boston　in　1865；　may　be　reckoned　as　one　of　the　occurrences　which　the　oracle　just　missed。

The　confidence；　if　not　the　spirit　of　prophecy；　lasted　down　to　a　later　period。　　〃In　half　a　century；〃　said　the　venerable　Dr。　Porter　of　Conway；　New　Hampshire；　in　1822；　〃there　will　be　no　Pagans；　Jews；　Mohammedans；　Unitarians；　or　Methodists。〃　　The　half…century　has　more　than　elapsed；　and　the　prediction　seems　to　stand　in　need　of　an　extension；　like　many　other　prophetic　utterances。

The　story　is　told　of　David　Osgood；　the　shaggy…browed　old　minister　of　Medford；　that　he　had　expressed　his　belief　that　not　more　than　one　soul　in　two　thousand　would　be　saved。　　Seeing　a　knot　of　his　parishioners　in　debate；　he　asked　them　what　they　were　discussing；　and　was　told　that　they　were　questioning　which　of　the　Medford　people　was　the　elected　one；　the　population　being　just　two　thousand；　and　that　opinion　was　divided　whether　it　would　be　the　minister　or　one　of　his　deacons。　　The　story　may　or　may　not　be　literally　true；　but　it　illustrates　the　popular　belief　of　those　days；　that　the　clergyman　saw　a　good　deal　farther　into　the　councils　of　the　Almighty　than　his　successors　could　claim　the　power　of　doing。

The　objects　about　me；　as　I　am　writing；　call　to　mind　the　varied　accomplishments　of　some　of　the　New　England　clergy。　　The　face　of　the　Revolutionary　preacher；　Samuel　Cooper；　as　Copley　painted　it；　looks　upon　me　with　the　pleasantest　of　smiles　and　a　liveliness　of　expression　which　makes　him　seem　a　contemporary　after　a　hundred　years'　experience　of　eternity。　　The　Plato　on　this　lower　shelf　bears　the　inscription：〃　Ezroe　Stiles；　1766。　　Olim　e　libris　Rev。　Jaredis　Eliot　de　Killingworth。〃　　Both　were　noted　scholars　and　philosophers。　　The　hand…　lens　before　me　was　imported；　with　other　philosophical　instruments；　by　the　Reverend　John　Prince　of　Salem；　an　earlier　student　of　science　in　the　town　since　distinguished　by　the　labors　of　the　Essex　Institute。　Jeremy　Belknap　holds　an　honored　place　in　that　unpretending　row　of　local　historians。　　And　in　the　pages　of　his　〃History　of　New　Hampshire〃　may　be　found　a　chapter　contributed　in　part　by　the　most　remarkable　man；　in　many　respects；　among　all　the　older　clergymen　preacher；　lawyer；　physician；　astronomer；　botanist；　entomologist；　explorer；　colonist；　legislator　in　state　and　national　governments；　and　only　not　seated　on　the　bench　of　the　Supreme　Court　of　a　Territory　because　he　declined　the　office　when　Washington　offered　it　to　him。　　This　manifold　individual　was　the　minister　of　Hamilton；　a　pleasant　little　town　in　Essex　County；　Massachusetts；the　Reverend　Manasseh　Cutler。　　These　reminiscences　from　surrounding　objects　came　up　unexpectedly；　of　themselves：　and　have　a　right　here；　as　showing　how　wide　is　the　range　of　intelligence　in　the　clerical　body　thus　accidentally　represented　in　a　single　library　making　no　special　pretensions。

It　is　not　so　exalted　a　claim　to　make　for　them；　but　it　may　be　added　that　they　were　often　the　wits　and　humorists　of　their　localities。　Mather　Byles's　facetie　are　among　the　colonial　classic　reminiscences。　But　these　were；　for　the　most　part；　verbal　quips　and　quibbles。　　True　humor　is　an　outgrowth　of　character。　　It　is　never　found　in　greater　perfection　than　in　old　clergymen　and　old　college　professors。　　Dr。　Sprague's　〃Annals　of　the　American　Pulpit〃　tells　many　stories　of　our　old　ministers　as　good　as　Dean　Ramsay's　〃Scottish　Reminiscences。〃　　He　has　not　recorded　the　following；　which　is　to　be　found　in　Miss　Larned's　excellent　and　most　interesting　History　of　Windham　County；　Connecticut。　　The　Reverend　Josiah　Dwight　was　the　minister　of　Woodstock；　Connecticut；　about　the　year　1700。　　He　was　not　old；　it　is　true；　but　he　must　have　caught　the　ways　of　the　old　ministers。　　The　〃sensational〃　pulpit　of　our　own　time　could　hardly　surpass　him　in　the　drollery　of　its　expressions。　　A　specimen　or　two　may　dispose　the　reader　to　turn　over　the　pages　which　follow　in　a　good…natured　frame　of　mind。　　〃If　unconverted　men　ever　got　to　heaven；〃　he　said；　〃they　would　feel　as　uneasy　as　a　shad　up　the　crotch　of　a　white…oak。〃　　Some　of　his　ministerial　associates　took　offence　at　his　eccentricities；　and　called　on　a　visit　of　admonition　to　the　offending　clergyman。　　〃　Mr。　Dwight　received　their　reproofs　with　great　meekness；　frankly　acknowledged　his　faults；　and　promised　amendment；　but；　in　prayer　at　parting；　after　returning　thanks　for　the　brotherly　visit　and　admonition；　'hoped　that　they　might　so　hitch　their　horses　on　earth　that　they　should　never　kick　in　the　stables　of　everlasting　salvation。'〃

It　is　a　good　thing　to　have　some　of　the　blood　of　one　of　these　old　ministers　in　one's　veins。　　An　English　bishop　proclaimed　the　fact　before　an　assembly　of　physicians　the　other　day　that　he　was　not　ashamed　to　say　that　he　had　a　son　who　was　a　doctor。　　Very　kind　that　was　in　the　bishop；　and　very　proud　his　medical　audience　must　have　felt。　　Perhaps　he　was　not　ashamed　of　the　Gospel　of　Luke；　〃the　beloved　physician；〃　or　even　of　the　teachings　which　came　from　the　lips　of　one　who　was　a　carpenter；　and　the　son　of　a　carpenter。　　So　a　New…Englander；　even　if　he　were　a　bishop；　need　not　be　ashamed　to　say　that　he　consented　to　have　an　ancestor　who　was　a　minister。　　On　the　contrary；　he　has　a　right　to　be　grateful　for　a　probable　inheritance　of　good　instincts；　a　good　name；　and　a　bringing　up　in　a　library　where　he　bumped　about　among　books　from　the　time　when　he　was　hardly　taller　than　one　of　his　father's　or　grandfather's　folios。　　What　are