The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-01-06
Rev. John Newland Mafitt.

celebIat man whose name heads this ar
ticle was the Whitfield of the Americas |
pulpit. From the Penobseet to the Col |
orado, from Galena 10 the pillars Of the |
Capitol, the fame aud the victories of the |
orator oscillated like the Indian Ocean, |
the ebb and flow of which resembles most
the sAins Westey preaehad in the |
Babylons of England. Scarcely even IL
the Papal City did one man exercise
more potent influence than, in his mad
career, did John Newland Mafitt-
Wherever he went, whether in the crowd
ed metropolis or the hushed wilderness
whether the religious atmosphere was
cold or hot-iS was one continued
scene of almost miraculous triumph -
Friendship was converted into q feeling
akin to alteration, and enemies were me-
amorphosed into friends.
He had but one hobby-it was that of
the cross, and, as if the vision of Constan-
tine was ever before his eyes, the preacher
held in the heavens of his soul the august
aud ballowed emblem. Like the Roman
Emperor, he beheld inscribed upon it, IN
letters of ineffable beauty In this ]
conquer !"
Men recognized in him everywhere
! ~,
an apostle. He accomplished among
'ievery nation, kindred, tongue aud peo-
ple." It is idle to say, that radically
corrupt being-a cheat and ahypocrite-
knave clothed in sacerdotal habiiimenis
could have met with such unbroken tri-
umpbs the moment his feet touched the
portico of the church. Frailties he un-
questionably bad, but who had greater
\
him !? Calumny rose up like mountain
in his path--people of infinite turpitude
-enemies thousand fold more venom
GUS than vipers, Kissed with poisonous aud
forked fangs: but he trdd upon and tram
pied them down, and stood as erect and
comp!aeent as ever Berreyer thundered
down the murmurs around the French
Tribune-this man, rebuked, withered,
excoriated-but it was in the language Of
the Sermon on the Mount, when the Di-
vine Nazarepe checked the iasolence of
the Scribes and Pharisees!
At length, far away in the land of Bicn-
vile, hunted down, with faded reputa-
ton, stricken and i'll, but with unbleach,
iug spirit and upabated fire, the orator Of
a quarter of century lay down to die !?
| The malaria of death was in his nostrils
and the last inevitable hour had come
Would he swing loose without hope of
Immortality ? Would be dash headlong
into the vast ocean of eternity, when the
bosom of the great deep was swelling,
distorting, bursting in the agony of the
storm? Or, would he leave the world
with that tranquil chivalry which always
characterizes the Christian worshipper? :?
Silence? GENIUS is upon the rack ?
| With his dying breath he declared
himself calumniated man. Thou Sian
deler, think of that He said thatduring
bis pastoral life he had been guilty of
many frivolous, but no criminal acts
forgave his enemies, expressed an unalte-
rable trust in the Maker of the Stars, and
did not doubt but that all would be WELL.
/ Thus passed away John Newland Maf-
fit; and if the reador will visit Toulmin-
vile, from whence can be seen the spires
| of Mobile, in an unobtrusive grave in
that tranquil village, his eyes will rest
upon the spot where sleeps the most splcn-
did Pulpit Orator likely to be seen ip
half century to come The Star which
arose in the East. over the bright waters
of the deep and silent Shannon, culmina-
ted in the American Heavens, and went
! down in the West
Upon a post mortem examination, the
left wall of the heart was found to be worn
to the consistence OF thin paper The
physician, skilled IN the subtieties OF MS
art, would giTethis condition OF the hear
term knownsi m net, medieai science out We
nave mucn less lecnhlcal name 10. III
saster IKE TINS, nappening unoer tne CIT,
cumstances, . 70 tne greas central organ o.
ire. SENSITIVE ieeiipgs ~ Is.'oase VI,
4 gani1a'ion, icog ane po|erlany IolAeu :..'
!, neration Which, creating emotions of an.
guish almost unutterable, and sending the
crimson tide with soothing violence along,
mig-t break the heart and loosen the
silver cord .
" lIn a rev WORDS aoops mI, u ami II
rrs.snra~a,.s;oeotjv - "a an orstor Tswss nsc.
ton. action. action tsGtbat made him
!. vital in every part y in the pulpit. He
had boen acesscd of theatrical gesture
l.