A memorial of the Rev. Bird Wilson ...

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MEMORIAL

REV. BIRD WILSON, D.D., LL.D.

Preface

It having been suggested to the present writer, that he should attempt a sketch of the life and character of the late Dr. Wilson, the work was undertaken under an oppressive sense of his own incompetency for the task.

But having been the almost constant inmate of that good man's house during three years of Seminary study, and having also been blessed with the privilege of ministering unto him, as occasion offered, during the distressing illness which ended in his removal hence, by God; he enjoyed the rare opportunity of becoming familiar with the daily life of this distinguished son of the Church, in a degree, perhaps, accorded to none other.

It has been a labor of love, thus to retrace, as memory could suggest them, some of the steps of a long life of eminent greatness, and of uninterrupted usefulness.

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PREFACE.

Would, that in dismissing these pages to the Press, the author could be permitted to feel that he had been enabled to do aught in cancelling a debt of gratitude, which has been the accumulated product of many years of kind interest, and a truly fraternal regard for the promotion of his own highest welfare.

Aside from the authorities quoted in the notes, the author has been dependent mainly upon his own recollections, and a few delicate suggestions of the beloved niece of Dr. Wilson, — the sole connecting link which now remains unbroken by the hand of death.

Two Sermons, from the pen of Dr. Wilson, are added with a view of enhancing very materially the value of this Memorial, and also as specimens of the thoroughness and completeness of his preparation for the Pulpit.

They will be found to be clear, earnest, and instructive; well illustrating the principle that the most consistent practice is ever based upon a definite, intelligent, Scriptural faith. The first in order is a masterly one, particularly as a model of Biblical interpretation. It is a style of Sermons eminently characteristic of the Primitive Church, and of the ablest Divines of the Church of England, and one far more attractive to the intelligent laity of the present day than is generally surmised. And by a gradual return to it, our people would be taught, what should be the great aim of all preaching, rightly to comprehend the word of life, but

PREFACE.

vii an end seldom attained by the fanciful flights, or commonplace generalities (not to say puerilities) which characterize too large a share of modern sermonizing, and in which the elements of sober, manly, thoughtful study would seem to have had but little p&rt or lot.

The clergy are ordained teachers, and although debarred from none of the treasures of a chastened imagination, a cultivated taste, or the beauties of the most finished literature of any age, yet, all these are to be valued and employed only as subsidiary to the great work of building up God's people in His true faith and fear.

A volume of great value to our Theological literature might be drawn from the manuscript Sermons of Dr. Wilson. At present we are necessarily restricted in the selection.

Philadelphia., 1864*

A MEMOEIAL

REV. BIRD WILSON, D.D., LLD.

The oft-repeated remark, that but little of thrilling interest is to be found in the lives of literary men, has become well-nigh stereotyped. To the lovers of the new and the incredulous this must needs be a sad defect, an almost insuperable objection; more especially at a period like the present, when martial prowess, deeds of fearful daring, and the almost daily acquaintance with scenes of carnage and blood, seem to have thrown utterly into the shade the virtues and amenities of a quiet, retired, and peaceful life; which, assuredly, in the sight of Heaven, are of far higher value,

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A MEMORIAL OE THE and for whose speedy return, it behooves us all ever to cry mightily unto God.

There is, and ever must be in the life of the student, an air of sameness. His battles are with forces of which a bustling world knows and cares to know but little. His victories are triumphs over difficulties and doubts which have baffled others in the campaign for truth. But they are noiseless, quiet victories, awakening no public plaudits — the sources of gratulation to himself alone; or if, perchance, the feeling extend beyond self to others, it is onlv to the limited band of co-workers, who have watched his progress, and now rejoice in the complete success of his painful labors.

Fortunately, for their own good, all are not of this Athenian class, caring for nothing but " to hear or tell of some new thing." There are those who seek their true and lasting peace in the more retired and quiet paths of life. With some, this is the bent of natural inclination, — thus has it always been with them; while with others, it is the result of chastened feelings, and a truer appreciation "of things seen and temporal/' — a juster estimate of human life.

They have been jostled by the crowd — have eddied hither and thither in the whirlpool of excitement — have grown tired of the feverish strife, and the constant recurrence of some new and absorbing object of interest — and, like thoughtful Mary, are now to be found rather at the feet of the great Master, drinking in lessons of heavenly wisdom, and making careful preparation for the hour when, to them, time, with its ten thousand distractions, shall be no more. And if this be so, then must it be evident that the latter is "the more excellent way;" and that sooner or later, its attractions shall be seen and realized : —

" When from our better selves we have too long Been parted by the hurrying world, and droop, Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, How gracious ! how benign its solitude !"

It is the quiet, tranquil haven, whither we are all found tending, and which we shall hail as a happy exchange for the raging billows, and boisterous tempests of a restless deep.

Such as have been described, are to be numbered among the " simple men" whom good old Izaak Walton so characteristically describes, — -an expression, against whose misapplication he enters his ready and most heart-felt protest. It is not the absence of one single manly grace or noble endowment, as some would dream, but that gentle quietness, "that harmlessness which was usually found in the primitive Christians, who were quiet men, and followers of peace; men, that were so simply wise, as not to sell their consciences to buy riches, and with them, vexation and a fear to die; such simple men as lived in those days when there were fewer lawyers; when men might have a lordship conveyed to them in a piece of parchment no bigger than your hand, though several sheets will not do it safely in this wiser age."

Such men have all the spirit, upon which this world doats so fondly. It is the mainspring of their character, — giving tone, and energy, and completeness to all they do or may attempt. But, the difference consists in this, that the harsher features of that spirit have been softened, aye, and ennobled too, by the hallowing influences of divine grace. That spirit still exists, only its temper is changed; no longer betraying its presence to the worldly vision, in worldly types and manifestations. Human nature, in the persons of such, seems to have realized the beautiful vision of a firm and lasting peace, so inimitably described by the prophet, and applied, in anticipation, to the church of Christ, "the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them."

In other words, the stern, rugged, and repulsive traits, which, in their coarser expressions in life, the world dignifies as spirit, manliness, or heroism, are all veiled beneath an

2* overspreading, all-pervading atmosphere of gentle, child-like love, which, in its perfect development, is the highest type we have, the most endearing and exalted conception we can form of the blessed nature even of God Himself.

Well must it ever be, then, to turn away from the tinselled specimens of human greatness, which some particular age or passion has canonized, to those who wear more of the livery of every-day men, whose greatness is of too spiritual a character to arrest the gaze of the superficial and time-serving; but who are destined to live on in the thoughts and affections of men, long after the idols of to-day have ceased to receive the adulations of their favorites.

To the class, of which Walton was so beautiful and endearing an instance, is to be added the venerated name of the subject of this unpretending Memorial. He reflected all the features of the highest description of his class. A man of quiet tastes, — quiet habits, — quiet pursuits, — of a deep, but quiet love. One, known fully, only by the comparative few who were so favored as to have been brought within the quiet circle in which he moved; and by them, known only to be revered for his distinguished abilities, the purity and saintliness of his character, for his meek and noiseless, but winning affection.

Any work intended to sketch the history of Dr. Wilson would be incomplete, as well as lose much of its interest and value, without, at least, a passing notice of his honored father, who occupied so distinguished a position in the revolutionary era of our country; — a period when all the varied talent, and that too of the most brilliant order, seemed to have been consecrated to the mighty work of building up a government which should deserve, which should command the respect and confidence of the entire civilized world. And now, when from the sadly altered condition of a once united and happy republic, the disposition is shown on all hands, to go back to the history of that early period, (and it is one of the most hopeful of signs,) narrowly scrutinizing the great principles by which they were governed, and the motives which actuated the public heart, it seems to be peculiarly fitting^ that the names of father and son should be associated in an undying union.

James Wilson was born in Scotland in the year 1742. His father was a highly respectable farmer, and from letters still in the possession of his granddaughter, it would appear that the family were in very moderate circumstances, plain and simple in their habits and tastes, but withal, possessed of that native refinement and strength, both of character and intellect, which we find so generally prevalent in the eastern portion of our country, where the state of society presents so many striking points of resemblance to that of Scotland.

Doubtless, the early manifestation of decided talent, and the love of study, pointed his family to himself as one who should receive a finished education at whatever cost, and despite the personal sacrifices they might be called upon to make to that end. At all events, we find that he was educated at Glasgow, St. Andrew's, and Edinburgh, under the supervision of some of the highest lights of Scottish literature.

Having completed his education, he seems to have turned his thoughts toward America, as the most promising and attractive field for a young man, absolutely dependent upon his own exertions and resources, in which to begin the great battle of human life. Reaching Philadelphia some time during the year 1766, he became connected with the college in that city in the capacity of tutor, where he made for himself an enviable reputation by the extent and accuracy of his classical attainments. He had recourse, doubtless, to this plan, as numbers since his day have done, to acquire the requisite means for the prosecution of the study of some one of the learned professions.

His choice was that of the law, the study

A MEMORIAL OE THE of which he pursued in the office of the celebrated John Dickenson. His first field of practice was at Reading, Pennsylvania, and subsequently at Carlisle, where his studious devotion to his work, and his eminent ability in its discharge, soon secured for him not only an extensive practice, but a commanding social position also.

Mr. Wilson had made America the country of his adoption. All the ties, save those of family, which bound him to the Old World, were severed. The land of his choice had shown her appreciation of his worth, respected his talents, and had thrown wide open to him the avenues to fame and affluence. And hence, when that trying period came which was to end, as but few at the outset anticipated it would, in the utter and irrevocable severance of the Colonies from the Mother Country, he had no scruples, no misgivings as to the part which he was, in duty, required to perform in the great and sanguinary drama which was about to open.

He had sought and found a new home. To its defense and support all his energies, in all their strength and freshness, were clearly due. His lot had been cast with us whether for weal or woe. And when the moment came for the drawing of that line which should separate the friends of a nation, struggling for freedom and glory, from the advocates of a servile continuance of the reign of vassalage and oppression, he, discarding the prejudices of a foreign education, and ignoring the claims of his native land, gave himself fully and unreservedly to the work of sustaining, by his counsels and example, that noble band who had dared to raise their feeble arms against one of the most powerful of nations. They had appealed solemnly to God for the rectitude of their intentions, and with an unshaken faith trusted to His providence to bring them in safety through the conflict.

In 1775 Mr. Wilson was elected to Congress. He was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence, where his name now stands, associated with those of men of whom America will have reason to be proud so long as "she shall have a name to live." To these distinguished honors others were soon added, and all pointing to him as one of the most prominent of that bright galaxy of intellect and moral worth.

In 1777 he sat in the convention called to frame the Constitution; nay, more, he was one of the committee of five by whom the American Magna Charta was actually drafted; and from that hour to this, the highest judicial tribunal of our land has signalized its deep sense of the grave importance of their labors, by its constant reference, upon all disputed questions of interpretation, to the recorded opinions of those noble sages who had devoted all the might of their brilliant, cultivated intellects to its original construction.

In revelling amid the bright memories of those golden days of the nation's history, how often must the melancholy "utinam" be

REV. BIRD WILSON, D.D., LL.D.

uttered from many an honest and patriotic heart, Oh! that such men were " lived over again !"

In the labors of the convention above referred to, Mr. Wilson was associated with the following distinguished delegation from Pennsylvania, viz.: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Mifflin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, Thomas Fitzsimmons, Jared Ingersoll, and Gouverneur Morris.

For six out of the twelve years, between 1775 and the call of the convention of 1787, Mr. Wilson was a member of Congress. In the History of the Constitution of the United States, by George Ticknor Curtis, its distinguished author bears the following testimony to the part performed by Mr. Wilson, in reference to the adoption of the Constitution: "This great idea of representative government was, in fact, the aim of all Mr. Wilson's exertions; and when the Constitution was formed, he enforced the idea in the Convention of Pennsylvania with singular power.

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His speech in that body is one of the most comprehensive and luminous commentaries on the Constitution that has come down to us from that period. It drew from Washington a high encomium, and it gained the vote of Pennsylvania for the new government against the ingenious and captivating objections of its opponents."*

"It drew from Washington a high encomium/' says Mr. Curtis, in which he may allude to a remark of that great man which has descended traditionally, somewhat in this wise. Washington is said to have made the remark, suggested, in all probability, by the eloquent speech alluded to, "that the Convention to frame the Constitution of the United States was made up of the wisest men in America, and that among the wisest of them was James Wilson." His grandchild having heard this anecdote from her father, repeated it, upon a certain occasion, to her uncle, Dr.

* History of the Constitution of the United States, vol. i. p. 464. See also vol. ii. 520-522.

Wilson, and asked him if it was true. That venerable man, with his characteristic modesty, simply replied, "I believe it to be true." That such a complimentary remark should have been made, as thus reported, we can readily believe, more especially as we have Washington's elevated opinions of Mr. Wilson's character and labors recorded in a letter, which shall be quoted presently. An additional high mark of his confidence is to be found in the fact that Washington placed his own nephew, Bushrod, under him as his legal preceptor, the distinguished scholar living to succeed his distinguished teacher as a judge of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1786 Mr. Wilson was elected a member of the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, a body which has always maintained a very high character for the purity and learning of its members. The certificate of membership is signed,

B. Franklin, President.

John Ewing,

X,

William White,

Vice-Presidents.

In the year 1789 he was appointed one of the associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. The commission bears date the 29 th of December. It is engrossed on parchment, signed G. Washington, and bears the great seal of the United States, with the thirteen stars clustered above the head of the eagle, forming the body of the sun, from whence rays of light emanate in all directions. This document was accompanied by a letter, in the handwriting of a secretary or clerk, but signed G. Washington. The letter is well worthy of transcription for several reasons. It is dated, "United States, Sept. 30th, 1789," the day after the issue of the commission, and is addressed "to the Honorable James Wilson, Esquire."

"Sir: — I experience peculiar pleasure in giving you notice of your appointment to the office of Associate Judge, in the Supreme Court of the United States.

"Considering the judicial system as the chief pillar upon which our national govern-

REV. BIRD WILSON, D.D., LL.D.

ment must rest, I have thought it my duty to nominate for the high offices in that department, such men as I conceived would give dignity and lustre to our national character. And I flatter myself that the love which you bear to our country, and a desire to promote general happiness, will lead you to a ready acceptance of the enclosed commission, which is accompanied with such laws as have passed relative to your office.

"I have the honor to be, etc."

The following sketch of Judge Wilson's characteristic reply is also preserved.

"Sir : — Your commission appointing me one of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, and your very obliging letter with which it was accompanied, I have had the honor of receiving.

"Be assured, sir, that I entertain a just sense of the delicate and pleasing manner in which you describe the motives and the objects of your choice.

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"Permit me to add, and I hope I do it with justice and without vanity, that you are correct in your conjecture concerning the principles which lead me to an acceptance of your commission. I have taken the qualification prescribed by the law, and hold myself in readiness to perform the duties of my office

"I have the honor, etc."

The above is addressed "to the President of the United States," and bears date October 8th, 1787.

The letter, above quoted, transmitting the commission, may well settle forever the point as to the actual standing of Judge Wilson. It emanates from a source, as we all know, whence mere idle flatteries and fashionable commonplace compliments were never wont to have their origin.

General Washington was proverbially a man of but few words, and those most warily chosen. They were never words of mere compliment, which some are given to ex-

REV. BIRD WILSON, D.D., LL.D.

change so currently, and which are soon learned to be rated at their true value. He felt most deeply the grave responsibility devolved upon him in the selection of good and competent men to fill an office which must ever be regarded as the very highest of all, within the gift of the Chief Magistrate.

The bare appointment, therefore, is in itself evidence of the eminent standing of Judge Wilson. But the honor, great as it was in itself, is exalted fourfold when we take in connection with it the flattering terms in which it was pressed upon the favorite nominee. And aside from this, which was the primary object in the reproduction of the letter, it possesses peculiar value and an especial interest for us, when we recur to it, as we may and should, as a proof of what should be our estimate, in all coming time, of a leading branch of the Government, which is the most important of any. Washington refers to "the judicial system as the Chief Pillar upon which our national government must rest," in which

A MEMORIAL OE THE few, but solemn and pregnant words, are conveyed at once a weighty admonition to those with whom may rest the responsibility of the appointing and confirming power, as well as to those who, as citizens, are called upon to bow with reverence to the decisions of a tribunal, than which we have none higher. To the one party it counsels grave deliberation, much caution, and an entire freedom from all political bias, or personal friendships even, in the selection, that we may have over us men of singular probity, of undoubted lore, whose hands are pure and can adjust the trembling scales with an impartial accuracy. To the other, to the party of the second part, to us, as citizens, bound to obey and to uphold the law, it counsels reverence for its august decisions, and a peaceful acquiescence in all its requirements. Be our private views or predilections what they may, all must be surrendered, utterly abandoned, when once our line of duty shall have been clearly marked out for us by an authority which has no earthly superior, with which alone it rests to determine what is law, and what our bounden duty under it. It is a dangerous experiment indeed, which would make light of such a department of our Government, which would do aught to undermine the deep reverence we have been educated from early childhood to cherish for all its solemn decisions. When such a court, entrusted with such vital interests, both personal and national, shall have become corrupt, incompetent, or poisoned by party affiliations, or, whenever the body of our people shall have ceased to yield a reverent, cheerful submission to its wise determinations, we will have reached an appalling crisis in our national history, and may ruefully anticipate the day when it shall have become established, beyond all peradventure, that the theory of popular government has proved at best but a cruel fallacy.

The venerable Henry Clay, upon the floor of the Senate, on one occasion, pronounced the Supreme Court to be one of the few great conservative elements of our Government.

Let us, then, guard well against the approach of aught which may tend in any way or to any degree, either to vitiate or to destroy that conservative character. But a greater even than he, the immortal Washington, in words of most singular, not to say prophetic, significance, speaks of that venerable body not as a pillar only, but as 66 the Chief Pillar on which our national government must rest." Let us beware, then, of the destruction, of the undermining, of the weakening even, of that mighty prop; lest the whole beautiful fabric shall crumble in ruins about us, and we become a by-word, and a reproach among the nations of the earth.

There were other positions still, occupied by Judge Wilson, which attested the general appreciation of his worth as a man of unquestionable ability, tried integrity, and great executive talent.

In 1782, or thereabouts, he had been appointed by the President and Supreme Executive Council, a counsellor and agent for Pennsylvania, in the controversy between that State and the State of Connecticut, relating to certain lands within the charter boundaries of Pennsylvania, but claimed by Connecticut. The decision was in favor of Pennsylvania. He had also a commission from Louis XVI., still preserved among his papers, as Advocate General for the French government, in the United States; u an office, the duties of which were both arduous and delicate."

It can be readily understood from the conspicuous positions occupied by him, that J udge Wilson's associations with the leading great men of America must have been both frequent and intimate. This is abundantly evident from the fragments of correspondence still preserved. There are letters from such men as Gen. Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, Paul Jones, Gen. St. Clair, who wrote him a very interesting description of the capitulation at Yorktown; from Bishop White, and others. This list embraces persons only whose names, very naturally, made an impression while hurriedly glancing over his papers, — a list which might be very materially extended, were it necessary.

With Mr. (subsequently the venerated Bishop) White, his relations from early manhood on through life, were of the most intimate, affectionate, and confidential character. It looks oddly enough to us of this generation, to see that hoary prelate addressed familiarly as " Dear Billy." We can scarcely bring ourselves to realize that he could ever have been otherwise than as we have seen him in the discharge of his holy functions, and at whose approach, "all rejoiced to do him reverence." And, were it not intrenching upon the delicacy and reserve which attach to the confidential letters of two young men, who were accustomed, without the shadow of restraint, to unbosom to each other their every feeling, care, or anxiety; it were easy to draw from their correspondence, matter which would afford the fund for no little amusement.

There is a passage in one of the letters referred to, which I shall take the liberty of quoting from, for its vivid description of one of the masters of his profession — to whom, Bishop White was often heard to allude in his later years, as possessed of oratorical powers never since equalled. It is his description of the celebrated David Garrick. The letter is written from London, under date of Feb. 14th, 1772. "The greatest phenomenon I have seen in England," says he, "is Mr. Garrick. I thought it impossible for human powers to reach so far. The other day I saw him in Hamlet, which is one of his best characters. If a painter could draw him, following his father's ghost off the stage, it would make the best picture I ever saw; but I think it impossible to represent his attitude, and the passions of his countenance exactly. No doubt you have often admired a passage in this play,

(Act II., scene 6th,) which begins thus: 'I have of late, wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth,' etc. etc. Now, figure to yourself the most graceful man you ever saw, with a better pronunciation than you ever heard, repeating that passage, and still your idea will be defective; for you cannot help thinking of him as an actor; but in Garrick, there is nothing like an actor, except that he stands upon a stage. The closet interview with his mother was the most admired. Every spectator must have felt the horrors which Shakspeare intended to excite by it."

In now drawing this sketch to a close, one event remains to be noticed. It is Judge Wilson s comparatively early, and speaking from an earthly stand-point, we might be tempted to say, his premature decease, at the age of 56 years. This event occurred while on his circuit in North Carolina, and in the discharge of his official functions. He closed his life on earth, at Eden ton, on the 28 th day of August, 1798.

"As a lawyer and judge, Mr. Wilson was eminent for talent and integrity. In private life he was courteous, kind, and hospitable. His political and legal disquisitions are extant in three volumes, and much esteemed."*

Pennsylvania had reason to be proud of her adopted son; and throughout our land, so long as that spirit is cherished which gave birth to a nation designed by God, as we humbly trust, to fulfil a great, noble, and glorious mission, shall his name be held in grateful and undying remembrance.

The history of the period on which we have thus dwelt, is read amiss by such as seek to draw therefrom the materials only for vapid, wordy, noisy declamation.

Nor is it used to much better purpose by those whose only aim shall be to gratify the pride of family, and where, it may be, there can be no other claim than that of bare descent from men, whose sterling virtues they