The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-24
Senator Summers Religion.


1. / incline to call him the. most reIlg! !g.t
!. statesman of this or any age, because ~
N life was devoted to the ideal me1nod
Q Deity. To his earliest years belonged al
o instinct that he must seek career tina
r would test his sense OF truth, of loyalty
70 oo,oe PRINCIPLES that stand at the CEN
y -. ~ human we'll. being. j tell you II wa!
4 sSd;T;ne work, such as only d religious
Soui can dedicate itself to and carry out to
tbe end. know that he sank deep into
. meditation, like diver who leaves nc
part of himself behind, through his sense
of absolute Iectitude, BE went .deepint0
linward committing, out OF the daylight,
to reach silence, selt-reco veryS certainty
of being in the right. But this movement
toward the invisible was not converted
from light into heat. None, ofsit was
Squandered in the emotion which is
claimed for piety, and which is not so
easily reconyefted again to light BE was
| nota = piousn man. If he had tended to
| "piety by nature, think he would have
been saved rom it by grace. When he
saw how piety rode in Omnibus bills"
after fugitive slaves, he never became en-
amored with American piety, nor eager
to be admitted to its pew. n
Our Senator'S personal religion did not
depend upon any theory OF inspiration OF
the Scriptures, upon any form OF the
lmediatoriaF scheme of doctrine It was
not indebted to even the most liberal of
the Unitarian Christologies. He enjoyed,
as person, none of those emotions which
technical religion claims to derive from
its attitude toward the invisible. Ideal
convictions seemed to him the natural
thoroughIare between the finite and inf
mite, and to suggest to man the most re-
ligious gesture he can make-that ofwalk'
ing to and fro upon them in child Like sim.
plicity. Our statesman seldom aired his
Christianity. There was not man in
America who could draw up on paper q
theological statement to which he would
subscribe. He never attributed any ofhis
internal; feelings to intercourse with
Christ, and he never believed that he had
met that august brother. Lord, when
did ever see thee naked, sick or in pris-
on ?" "What aims gave for thy detected
state" "Four million times you saw me
detected me beneath four million duskyr
skins" Was he not man of prayer He
kept the hands of these lowly wards of
his continually stretched toward the
throne of grace.
The three Americans whom We can
separate from our history on the strength
OF their character for being righteous men
are the three men who could never have
received clean bills of health from any
theological council. They are Wash
ington, Lincoln, Sumner. The most'dis'
tfnguished for righteousness have been
most poorly off for creeds. It seems to
me that the burden lies with the popular
theology to show how these three unique
representatives OF absolute morality could
cultivate these, qualities which are for
the healing of the people, without the
aid of schemes Of doctrine. How did
they become possessors of these essential
attributes of salvation, without passing
through experiences OF Conversion" and
the technical emotions of Evangelical
liie?" Are the most illustrious men ex-
empted from the training which is i'm
posed by theological fiction upon COM
mon menu Is there one way to produce
the highest style of virtue in our heroes
and martyrs, and another way to secure
a lower average OF morals in. ordinary |
persons? should reply that there can
be but one faith in God, but one direction
OF the soul toward the source OF its light |
and power, but one condition for the |
maintenance Of such fortitude, yalor,
obedience and worship of the highest
things, as have Just ceased in the person
of Sumner-to revive, we trust, and to |
be maiestically incarnated in your hearts
and the hearts of this people. Can we
to the young men OF America
a more excellent way than the one which |
led him into pure and undefiled religion ?
When his death surprised US there was
but one voice to recognize his admirable
qualities. It has been lifted unconciously |
by every sect and creed before they |
thought about the matter. His death was
30 sudden that they had not time to adj
just themselves between the glory of his |
virtue and the pauperism of his creed.
In a moment OF enthusiasm for goodness
and of gratitude for deeds which it &C.
men have unGuardedly besI
trayed the instinct that is at the bottom
Of every mans mind and heart-that
is SdlUGtion.