The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-01-12
Mr.. Lincoln's Religious Belief.

o DGllGls
From tho Philadelphia North Americana
+ What was the religious belief O
Abraham Lincoln? To what order O
variety Of Christian belief did he belong
It seems but yesterday that the tidings o
his sudden taking of settled down upoI
the Republic like pail. The sorrowfu
pageant Of his obsequies seems Just t
have passed by. And with all this il
the memory, and usually in the neal
retrospect, men enter into fruitless con-
troversy over the faith and belief OF tht
illustrlous dead. Here was q man dis
tinguished Tor uprightness OF life, consci-
entious devotion TO duty, incapable o.
hatred toward any human being, tolerant
in the broadest sense OF federation, pos
sesstng his soul in patience in the moment
OF supreme trial, more patient than Han,
nibal, accessible alike to the approach
oil the humblest as to the highest
and tender.hearted as the most wo-
manly woman. A man who harbored
malice toward none" and who enjolued
charity toward ALL" doing the right as II
vas given him to see the right; q meek,
humble, grateful, rcVerent man, called to
preside over great nation IN q time oil
great trial, and so Justly welding the
power delegated to him that the wrath OF
enmity was turned away and prejudice
was dumb. This man, who, like Moses,
was permitted TO see the smoke ofcopAict
clear away and 20 behold for a moment
the unclouded skies of peace, was struck
down and passed on TO his reward. And
now It IS gravely asked was this man a
Christians What did he believe? Did
he believe anything? Was he an infdel ?
Was he orthodox And again, hearsaY
comes forward and whispers: "Lincoln
had doubts" Most wonderful thing A
man Of brains, Of large soul, and Of lively
conscience, and therefore a seeker after
truth; and he had doubtsl Well,
NE never know tho Joy OF hope
TIL he had known despair"
And thousands Of earnest men never had
any intelligent belief until they had spent
q day and anight in the gloomy labyrinth
ol doubt. Not TO doubt Is not 10 question,
and not 10 question Is TO fall the prey Of
the dominant "ism, ," whether false or true.
The man who never had q doubt in mat.
tiers Of religious belief Is to be pittied; and
the man who suffers doubt to eclipse his
soul is oil all men the most unfortunate.
Doubt Is dangerous only TO the superficial
man.
Technically Abraham Lincoln made no
public profession OF his religious creed
Had he done this the unseemly Quarrel
over his belief Gthat ofends equally against
good taste and common decency, would
not have arisen. Had Abraham Lincoln
"tithed the Mint" his religious status
would not be doubted. But there arc two
orders Of Christians, one Of which is
known by what its members say, and into
whose lives you may examine with tel.
escope and discover nothing to indicate
Christian belief. The other order Is
known BY the hearty response Of the lives
Of Its members TO their professions. To
this order Abraham Lincoln certainly be.
longed. So much Of his life as Is best
known proves It. The virtues to which
we have briefly alluded, as exemplifed
In his life, though they have characteriz.
ed few men IN every age OF the world,
are nevertheless essentially Christian
virtues.