Weekly Trinity journal., 1864-01-30
PRESIDENT LIscoLS,-In his Thanksgiving ser

PRESIDENT LIsCoLS.-In his Thanksgiving ser
mon at Auburn, n. Y, Rev. II. Fowler drew til
following picture of President Lincoln, which
will be recognized as n striking one in MANY
particulars:
The progress of the President illustrates the
progress of the people. Arthur Stanley speaks
OF Samuel, the prophet, as mediator betw cen the
old and new Jewish history. His two-sided SYM
pathy enabled him to unite the passing and com
ing epoch. Such an epoch of perplexity trans
itlOn and change is not often witnessed. In ev-
cry passage OF Il nation there ought to be char
acter like that of Samuel, Misunderstood and
msrepresented at the time attacked from both
sides charged with not going far enough and
going too far charged with saying too much
and too little, he slowly, conscientiously and
honestly works out the mighty problem. He was
not founder of a new state of things like Moses :;
he was not a champion of the existing order of
things like Elijah. lie stood between the two ;
the living and the dead between the past and
the present between the old and the new with
that sympathy for each which at such period
is the best hope for any permanent solution of
the question which tOrments it. His duty is to
distinguish between that which is temporal and
that which is eternal. He has but little praise
from partisans but is the careful healer binding
up the wounds of the age in spite of tself-the
good surgeon, knitting together the dislocated
bones of disjointed times.
Such q man was Samuel among the Jews, such
nmarwas Athanasius among the early Christians;
such a man is Abraham Lincoln in this day
The explanation for his every act is this he ex-
ecutes the will of the people. He represents
controlling majority. If he ne slow it is because
the people arc slow. If he has done a foolish
act, it was the stupidity of the people that i'm
PEELED it. His wisdom consists in carrying out
the good sense Of the nation. His growth in po-
litical knowledge, his steady movement toward
emancipation are but the growth and movement
of the national mind. Inc ed in character and
culture he is fair representative of the average
American. His awkward speech and still more
awkward silence, his uncouth manners, his
grammer, sclf-taught and partly forgotten, his
style miscellaneous. ccrcretcd from the best au-
thOrs like a reading book, and yet of Saxon force
and classic purity his humor argument, and
his logic joke both unreasonable at times, and
Irresistible always his questions, answers, and
his answers, questions his gucsses, prophesies,
and fulfllment even beyond his promise honest,
YET shrewd, simple, yet reticent, heavy and yet
energetic never despairing and never sanguine
careless in forms, conscientious in essentials
never sacrificing good servant once trusted
deserving good principle once adopted
not afraid of new ideas, not despsing old ones
improving opportunities to confess mistakes
ready to learn, getting at facts, doing nothing
when he knows not what to do hesitating at
nothil Z when he sees the right lacking the rec
ognze2 qualifications of party leader, and yet
leading the party no other man can sustain
ing his political enemies in Missouri to their de-
feat sustaining his political friends in Maryland
to their victory conservative in his sympathies,
and radical in his acts Socratic in his styeand
Baconian his method his religion consisting
in truthfulness temperance, asking good people
to pray for him, and publicly acknowledging III
events the hand of God. he stands before you as
the type of - Brother Jonathan" not perfect
snan and yet more precious than fine gold