Name/Title
DiaryScope and Content
2022-08-31 23:12
Hi, Hugh and Connie,
I proofread the diary/sermon notes and tried—usually unsuccessfully—to decipher some of the words I couldn’t read in our first reading. I think this is the best I can do.
Hugh, as Connie and I noted, the themes are clear and repetitive: the irreligious sinfulness of the day, the omnipresence of sudden death, the need for people to straighten up and fly right—and do their duty with all their might. There ain’t a word of comfort or compassion in sight, though at one point he acknowledges the profound losses people are facing. I think Connie’s idea is right—that these might have come from the time of the cholera epidemic.
Hugh, if you have us do another one, please, please let it be of the Bridgerton variety. 😊
Thanks, Connie. That was (sorta) fun.
Margie
Margaret Whalen
G. is God
X is Christ
Page 1
In short every species of irreligion and immorality seem to have become common. It is (a) perfect matter of astonishment to see and hear that conduct… and speaking of some who have been brought up under the light of the gospel. They laugh at divine ordinances, at baptism, and the lord's supper. They say, they and all … are of no kind of service; when they are the appointments of God himself gave particular directions that they should be regarded and men should partake of the supper and do it in remembrance of him and the little children should be suffered to come unto him and not be forbidden … of such was the kingdom of God. It is astonishing to think how sentiments which are pointed at the foundation of all religion, and are calculated to take off all restraints from mankind are scattered about in the present day! In consequence of which we hear boys, creatures of but yesterday who have just knowledge enough to distinguish them from the rest of the animal creation and some men who by their trading and behavior can plainly show they want a guardian speaking of the bible as not worth noticing they say it was written by designing men who endeavored to make (end of page 1)
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as though we have been highly favored in this place in enjoyment of general health yet we have had repeated insistences of mortality, by which surviving friends and near relatives are called to mourn. Two of our numbers in the week past have …. their probationary state, are gone to return no more, and we hope arrived there as a shock of corn fully ripe. I have always avoided giving characters of the dead not quia many excellencies might not be enumerated but quia those who were near connections, were better acquainted with the deceased than myself. This is important, to exhort near connections to imitate departed friends, so far as they … the same mind which appeared in X while here on earth leaving another example that we should follow … it may be important to us all and to man … in particular to call to mind the distances their dear departed friends have been called to experience; that their hearts may be deeply impressed with it … those which they must err long be called to … how distressing are the agonies of dissolving nature! Now affecting to look at our dearest friends sinking under the decays of nature or arrested by some fatal disorder which all the children of God’s physician; or the powers (end of page 2)
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Of medicine cannot control. To see all the powers of body and mind failing and no way in our power to grant them …! These … you have lately experienced … which by now can be but faintly described. May God support you under your trials and … the death of an aged mother to children and grandchildren. The death of … dear companion to a bereaved husband and to his family may you all be lead to reflect with attention upon the uncertainty of conditions of the dearest temporal blessing have your minds placed upon God, and divine things that you may be prepared to follow your dearest friends to the house appointed for all the living when your name shall be … earth and your immortal spirit … may the … of your … afflictions be to take away your sins and … to prepare you for your own great and last change by death. Let the aged in this vicinity be … to … considerations and double their diligence in preparing for eternity the … of your friends and those of your standing should not fail to call up your … of life in service to God (end of page 3)
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Let us all be persuaded seriously to realize that we are bound to eternity and can not avoid the stroke of death! It is certainly coming, can not be far from some of us and may be very near to those who may little think of their being at present exposed. Let us be doing it works of him who sent us into this life, while it is day (end of page 4). [signature?]
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(II) point out the state of human nature and speak upon the certainty that we are all going to the grave.
(III) I proposed to enlarge upon the reasons given why we should be active and industrious in life (viz/quia) there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave.
(IV) close the subject with an application. The two first of these have been considered in a former discourse. Under the first, I spoke of the apostasy of the human race from God of the savior which was provided of the price paid for man’s redemption, of the gospel we enjoy which reveals him the invitation we have to accept of him and the directions given respect our duty to God and man while here. I mentioned the states to which the human race are all … (viz) happiness and misery and the brief business of our whole lives should be to obtain the former and avoid the latter and under all these advantages we are called upon to exert ourselves to the utmost of our power in every laudable pursuit to attend the calls of reason conscience and revelation to attend to the common influences of the spirit of God that we may not have grounds to suppose that we are born again but implore of him who is able to help us given that has been the usual method of providence respecting which such as have been brought out of darkness into light by the power and grace of God in this way men have found favor from a sovereign God while we are upon earth, and should
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should exert every power and faculty which we have to the utmost in doing and getting good; always depending on the mercy and goodness of God in and through X as we are in and of ourselves impotent we are wretched miserable poor blind and naked creatures
Under the second general head in pointing out the state of human nature and showing the certainty that we are all going to the grave I mentioned our exposedness to death in every sense of the word in consequence of our lives … within our power could save us from it and by the grace and favor of God some from from amongst men are raised from spiritual death and saved through X from … which is eternal, yet a temporal death we must all suffer, every one of every character, and though to the righteous will be a comfortable messenger yet to the wicked it will be infinitely dreadful! I endeavored to prove the certainty of death from scriptures from the death of all who have lived in former ages and from which we are now experiencing from the deaths of our friends neighbors and acquaintances and I might have added that we feel the … of death in ourselves which produced those disorders which weakened the frame of our being and which threatened a dissolution of these earthly tabernacles. Withoutfurther repetition I proved to it
(III) general head which was to enlarge a little upon the reasons given why we should be active and industrious in life (viz/quia) there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave. When we look with attention into our feelings we find that mankind are peculiarly distinguished
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Distinguished from the rest of the animal creation … we are endowed with reason understanding will and affection we are capable of meditation of reflection, of knowing, serving and of enjoying God. We are convinced that we are made of flesh and spirit … the form in light of making reason and … we are convinced that we have within us something which is immortal, sparks of being which will never die but which will exist in the … life’s ages. These particulars are generally believed to be truth and however we dispute … we must die … our bodies must be moved into dust and our immortal spirits will go back to God who gave them and we expect to be judged and rewarded according to the deeds done in the body but by the conduct of mankind we do not believe these things as we ought; we certainly do not realize them; if we did we should not be so in inattentive to what we know to be our duty; and we should not deliberately and voluntarily do those things which are contrary to the light of nature, reason, conscience, and revelation if we properly believed this to be which it is, had a proper sense of the evil of it and at the same time considered the one sin unrepented of would defray the soul forever we certainly should be more afraid of committing of it than we in general are; especially when we consider that these may be first a single step between us and death, between us and a final and of a probationary state that our state of trail ends with our existence here.
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In these bodies is the point before us to be considered. This is our only state of trial; here we are placed to act our part in life. We have every advantage to know what is right and what is wrong. We are commanded of God to regard the former and avoid the latter. Our consciences tell us the same and when we knowingly do wrong they accuse us, when we do right they excuse us. If we have a disposition to perform the will of God and to regard all his command to be followers of him from the heart as dear children we shall doubly be happy in eternity; if we live and die without such a disposition we shall certainly be miserable. It is … of the last importance for us to have the principle in our hearts which may influence to fear love and serve God and to perform every commanded duty with our might and to perform with a single eye to God’s glory there must be a principle of true grace in the heart of faith in Christ which works by love and purifies the heart. There must be a real belief in Christ in order to our salvation for our savior says “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Now this must be experienced in life, it never is given after the death of the body no, there is no faith or repentance given in eternity, which can be a prelude to salvation as the tree falls it must lay as our real moral characters at the death of the body they continue; if we die enemies to God
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we shall continue so such as our then filthy will be filthy still as death leaves men, judgment fixes them. Oh, what importance is an habitual preparation for eternity! Oh what importance it is to everyone to do with his might whatsoever his hands find to do! But I now go on to offer something upon the … which are given in my text to enforce such diligence. The first is there is no work in grace whither thou goest here and now, we are traveling to our grave swiftly; and we may be very near it for ought we can tell that there, there is no work to be done. The last step we take in time finishes our period for working. If our work be not well done then it never is. With time we finish probation and immediately enter upon awful retribution. If any have neglected to perform the works which ought to have been done in the day til the night of death, they can never be done. No, our working time will then be over forever. Is not this a most solemn thought? Is it not enough to raise and alarm the most stupid and negligent to attention … while it is called today how many thousands are thus in a gospel land and day who lies in a constant course of negligence who have never regarded the work which God has assigned them in life who have abundance to experience before they can be qualified for God; who are still careless and … when they may be upon the very borders of the grave upon
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The very verge of an unbounded eternity men may neglect God and religion they may idle away their time and neglect to make any improvement of their talents; they may laugh at those who perform external duties and say they have [nihil?] to do in religion with any of its outward means of grace but they are all nonsense and delusion. I say man may thus behave and not feel any immediate disadvantage from it. But if that time should be near to them then God will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh, it would be infinitely dreadful! It is to me probable that multitudes will have to lament such foolish conduct and vain conversation. It is readily granted that our salvation is not obtained by us, by our works; but by no means follows that we are to lay still and do nihil. We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, relying upon God to work in us … our savior says expressly not everyone of faith … this doing this work must be done here or never done for the text is an express in this particular there is no work in the grave; how extremely dangerous then are delays! If we have work to do which we must be sensible from God’s word and our own consciences we … let us think upon it know if it may be done and not put it off until future period quia not we may never have a more convenient season than we have now when we never have any other season than the present may things combined together to show us the folly of boating of tomorrow
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For we certainly know not what a day may bring forth … if we neglect to do the work of this day now in the season of it we may never have another opportunity. Thus the word of God declares this abundant experience confirms and when we get through the dark valley of the shadow of death our work is forever done … as severe distress will then begin in time then every advantage ought to be improved; we should do this with our might and do it now quia now is it accepted him behold now … but another reason is that the text is given for the improvement of every advantage and opportunity now and there is no device in the grave…
INSET
… and if death should come ever to sadden to any of you my hearers you can never say that you have not been solemnly warned of it it is a melancholy consideration that in later times until which can be said to sinners seems to have any affect upon their minds! It seems as though the dead in their graves could not be much more
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It. very verge of bounded eternity! Men may neglect God and religion they may idele away their time neglect to make any improvement of their talent they may laugh at those who perform external duties and say they have nihil to do in religion with any of it outward means of grace with any of its outward means of grace they are all nonsense and delusion. I say man made us behave and not feel any immediate disadvantage from it but if that time be near to them and God will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh it would be infedentaly dreadful! It is to me probable that multitudes will have to lament such conduct and vain conversation (Rest of page is obscured by inset)
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For we certainly know not what a day may bring forth … if we neglect to do the work of this day now in the season of it we may never have another opportunity thus the word of God declares this abundant experience confirms and when we get through the dark valley of the shadow of death our work is forever done … as severe distress will then begin in time then ever advantage ought to be improved we should do this with our might and do it now quia now is it accepted him behold now … but another reason is that the text is given for the improvement of every advantage and opportunity now and there is no device in the grave, where we are going. Many amongst men who are negligent and careless respecting those things which are of the greatest importance yet they are by no means wanting as to natural powers, and they often excel in their invention, in their contrivance, in their craft art and subtlety. Many value themselves highly upon such a knowledge and upon pursuing courses to which such a disposition would naturally direct. And this may often lead to measures quite unjustifiable but many are in their element when engaged in them, they take great satisfaction when their bodies and minds are employed in such pursuits here in my text such a disposition is reproduced. The wise man as much as says to them you had better improve time well such a course of conduct will be of no service to you hereafter there is no device in the grave
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Consider it at a great distance God is now telling such by sudden instances of mortality which have been repeated in this place with such prusuming is little better than madness and if death should come over so sudden to any of you my hearers you can never say that you have not been solemnly warned of it. It is a melancholy consideration which in later times which can be said to sinners seems to have any effect upon their minds! It seems as though the dead in their graves could not be much more
Continued on page 14
More inattentive than men are in the present day. O’ that the spirit of all grace might be poured down upon the children of men and alarming providence might be regarded by us all such as how any reason to hope that they have an interest in God’s favor … unto him for abundant … of grace to be poured down upon sinners so they might be awakened to attend to the most important realities so there might be a shaking amongst dry bones of sinners in Zion
(last two lines are unreadable)
Page 14 right column below insert
The hearts of hypocrites, mankind might awake out of sleep and call upon their God before they drop out of time and into the regions of war and misery
And be influenced more to attend to the duties they owe to God and one another and in this way whatsoever their hands find to do to do it with all their might.
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You are going. Your bodies which are now thus employed will be torpid and motionless and your minds will be quite otherways employed. The art cunning and strategum, which man so highly esteem in themselves, will be over. There will be no room or use for it in the grave. It would be well if less of this was practiced amongst men, and more time employed in whatever our hands find to do in the ways of virtue and religion but I must not enlarge here. Another reason given in my text why we should be active and industrious in life is quia there is no knowledge where we are going. When the human body is defeated by the immortal spirit it becomes a lifeless mass; it soon turns to putrefaction and becomes exceedingly loathsome. When it is put into the grave it remains without sense or motion incapable of actions of any kind. There can be no knowledge peculiar to it. The knowledge mentioned in my text cannot mean that the spirit is not capable of quick conceptions and of vast enlargements. This no doubt greatly increases the joys of [life] and vastly enhances the wiseness of a [life] of war but the meaning is no doubt [life] there is none of the knowledge which is necessary to the salvation to the souls of men ever communicated in future state who has not received it here. In this … alone this knowledge must be obtained or it never can be procured. Knowledge is very definable of every kind human knowledge ought to be sought after with diligence. This is necessary so that mankind might be qualified to feel it
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most useful and important stations in life with dignity; they might be the better qualified to serve God in their day and generation but divine saving knowledge must be obtained by men by the grace and favor of God or none can ever escape future misery and this must be had while we are here or it never can be obtained. There can be none of this had after death in the grave where we are going, this knowledge can not come and as knowledge is necessary to our salvation, surely such as you not stupidly neglegent will strive for it. They will not content themselves to remain ignorant in life; will exert themselves to obtain all that is necessary to the salvation of the soul and not delay in doing it as the grave may be near at hand and we may be just about to step into it where there is none of it to be had. Let us then be persuaded now to awake to righteousness and whatever our hands find to do agreeable to God’s will let us do it with our might. But another reason given in my text why we should be active in life quia there is no wisdom in the grave. Wisdom is used in a capacity of … in God’s word it is taken for the prudence and … which enables men to receive what is to be done according to the time place reasons manners and the circumstance of doing. This wisdom, Solomon says, of … folly as far as light excelith darkness it is taken for laudable in mention it is taken also for … Pharoah said in Exodus … let us deal wisely with the
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Israelites, and set over them taskmasters to prevent their increasing in numbers and power. It is taken for learning and experience; and also for true piety toward God this latter no doubt is what … , which can not be obtained after death. It must be had here or never enjoyed and ergo the soul not saved from misery. How inconceivably important that we should all have the wisdom which is from above which is pure peaceable gentle easy to be entreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and hypocrisy and how strange it is if any in an enlightened age should rest contented without it if any should be eagerly striving after … wisdom which is earthly sensual devilish and be easy in the neglect of that which is from above but so it is man will thus behave when they know they are going to their graves and know not but it may be very soon and suddenly they live in indolence and sloth, in this regard they are … and … while they are … let us without loss of time be persuaded to seek for this Godly wisdom to seek for it as for hid treasure and give ourselves no rest til we have found it. Let us be alarmed and awakened now and whatever our hands find to do let us do it with our might, death the great and terrible messenger of mortality may not be sent to arrest us unprepared and in our hour when we think not. Thus I have gone through with what I prepared by way of doctrine from the words of my text I now go on.
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[IV]
And lastly to close the subject with some application … what has been said abundantly teaches us that we are all swiftly passing the grave in … every time and manner which is pointed out by infinite and unerring wisdom. The word of God those sentences which are given by divine inspiration are very full and express respecting this point. If we believe the scriptures we must be convinced of this truth that all must this [life] and pass into another life of spirits. But we have another corroborating circumstances the deaths of all who lived in former ages and the deaths of such as were advanced in life when the present generation was young. We are sensible, those and gone hence to be here no more. And the present inhabitants of the earth are dropping away one after another some by one disorder and some by another and some seem to have little warning if any at all of the approach of these terrors these things we see and know to be true we have the symptoms of approaching death in ourselves which we feel and know every disorder of body which we experience is an admonition, it is a call upon us to be ready to leave the [life] every death of which we hear admonishes us that our turn is drawing on a pace that it is advancing nearer and nearer. In short the evidences of and certainties are so full and clear that they carry conviction along with them to everyone …
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We do not pretend to know when it will arrive; whether this year or next this month or next, this week or next whether today or tomorrow, this hour this moment or the next. Now when they are our circumstances are we not taught … necessity of the improvement of our time and talents with whatsoever our hands find to do we should do it with our might when we may be in a preparation to leave this life we are called for out of time. Perhaps there never was a people who had louder calls to attention then we have had in this land God has been pleased to … us by a great variety in providence. We have experienced some … and yet in the … of judgment the peculiar … of God were very conspicuously discovered. We have enjoyed peculiar plenty from year to year have had the means of grace and salvation coming to us and have been called upon to attend to the things of our peace and not to neglect the great salvation we have been save from sweeping and distressing disorders the voice of joy and health has been generally herd in our land. God has been trying us with abundant mercies … we should be let alone from year to year to see whether we would bare fruit or not but alas we have reason to mourn our barrenness our unfruitfulness and the neglect of God and the religion of [Christ] which is so apparent in our day. Iniquity is abundant the love of many is waxen cold. The way of Zion mourn quia few come to her solemn part Sabbath and Sanctuary