網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

under the caption, "Cudworth Defended and Unitarianism Delineated," also to divers controversial papers in The Spirit of the Pilgrims, The Quarterly Observer, and Christian Spectator, and to a pungent letter to the conductors of the Christian Examiner, headed "The Course and System of Unitarians Plainly and Solemnly Surveyed."

Mr. Cheever early entered the lists as a cham. pion of the temperance reform, aiming at the root of the evil, and striking powerfully at distilleries, of which there were no less than four in the im mediate vicinity of Salem, that produced 500,000 gallons annually of New England rum. He wrote an imaginative article for the Salem Landmark under the guise of a dream with dramatic accessories and machinery, entitled, "Inquire at Amos Giles's Distillery." This at once flashed through the country at large, was caught up and pictured by the artists, and created a commotion in Salem and vicinity, the like of which had not been known since the days of witchcraft. Its publication was immediately followed by a nocturnal attack upon the Landmark office, and by a personal savage assault on the author at mid-day in the public street, by the foreman of a Salem distillery. This was succeeded by an indictment of the author for libel upon the owner of the distillery, and his speedy trial and sentence to thirty days in the Salem jail,* notwithstanding the support of very able counsel and the "absence of proof that the article was written with any malicious or injurious intention whatever." He was there confined in the cell next to that occupied by one of the murderers of White, * And a fine of $1000 paid by E. C. Delavan, of Albany, N. Y.

in whose trial Webster made his celebrated plea. This whole affair, together with his exhaustive defence before Chief Justice Shaw in abatement of judgment for his having shown up the pernicious business of distilling, and a similar arraignment of brewing by his widely circulated story of "Deacon Jones' Brewery," gave great notoriety to the author and made an era in the temperance reform.

Re

Soon after serving out his sentence he had leave of absence from his people for a voyage to Europe, and became correspondent for a year from Spain and the Orient, for the New York Observer. turning, he was at once invited to the pastorate of the Allen Street Presbyterian Church, New York, in 1839, where he delivered the celebrated lectures on the Pilgrim's Progress, and on Hierarchical Despotism, defending the principles of the Puritans"a church without a bishop, and a state without a king." He also maintained a public debate with J. L. O'Sullivan, Esq., for successive evenings in the old Broadway Tabernacle upon Capital Punishment, proving its right, obligation, and expediency, from Scripture, reason, the nature of things, and the history of mankind. These, together with a volume under the name of "God's Hand in America," showing a governing and retributive providence among the nations, were at that time. given to the press.

His health becoming impaired by exhaustive labors in the pulpit, on the platform, and in the press, he revisited Europe for recreation as correspondent of the New York Evangelist in 1844, and gave the result of his travels to the public in vol

umes entitled, "Wanderings of a Pilgrim under the Shadow of Mont Blanc and Jung Frau, issued in repeated editions both in this country and Great Britain. Returning after an absence of nearly two years, he became associated in the editorship of the Evangelist. At the same time he yielded to the overtures of personal friends and coadjutors and united in the formation of the Church of the Puritans in New York, which proved such an impregnable fortress of Freedom in the times that tried men's souls, soon after its stately walls were providentially reared on Union Square in 1846. Not long after this he became associated with the New York Independent, as a contributor, along with Leonard Bacon, Richard S. Storrs, J. P. Thompson and Joshua Leavitt, who, over their several initials, gave it the richest results of their independent thinking, at a time when its merchant proprietors tersely informed their Southern buyers and their pro-slavery Northern backers that "they were selling their goods, not their principles."

This period was one of great spiritual activity and productiveness. Beside numerous literary lectures, special discourses, and the exactions of pulpit and parish, he carried through the press, "Powers of the World to Come," "The Hill Difficulty and Other Allegories," "Windings of the River of the Water of Life," ""Voices of Nature to Her Foster-child, the Soul of Man," " Voyage to the Celestial Country," "The Journal of the Pilgrims," "Lectures on Cowper," "The Right of the Bible in Common Schools," "God Against Slavery and the Duty of the Pulpit to Rebuke It."

When the repeal of the Missouri compromise by Congress came, the Fugitive Slave Law, the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, and finally in 1857 the DredScott Decision of the Supreme Court, denying the right of Congress to prohibit slave-holding in the Territories of the Union, and proclaiming it as the doctrine of our Revolutionary fathers that "the negro had no rights that white men were bound to respect," the thunder of the pulpit of the Puritans was heard, and its protracted peals reverberated through the political heavens. All over the land its voice was heard through the Monday metropolitan press, reporting its burning words, as from one" of the old Hebrew prophets risen from the dead." The arraignment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, out of the Scriptures, in the name of Jehovah, was terrific but unanswerable:

"A prophet's solemn word; And in its hollow tones were heard The thanks of millions yet to be."

It was whispered, and even published in the New York Observer that the preacher at Union Square had gone mad, and that his proper place was the lunatic asylum. But he held on with a lofty courage and tenacity, level-headed and sublime, his feet unmovable upon the Word of God, which he wielded with a majesty and might that gave his hearers a new revelation of the power of the Bible, and its richness of resource to godly ministers and reformers in combating the sins and evils of the times.

Not all the church, however, could bear it; or the stand taken by the pastor in defence of John Brown, and in the hospitality given to the radical Church Anti-Slavery Society, whose anniversaries. were held in the Church of the Puritans, and its position of non-fellowship with slave-holders sustained by the pastor. Aided from outside an effort was made to dislodge and silence the preacher by cutting off supplies; and a number withdrew from the church. Early, therefore, in the summer of 1860 Dr. Cheever went to Great Britain with a commission from his church to represent its position to British Christians in regard to emancipation in America, and to procure co-operation and assistance in holding its place. In his absence, an ex-parte council held in May, 1861, after hearing the statement of certain disaffected and suspended members of the Church of the Puritans, recommended that the fellowship of the Congregational churches in this country be withdrawn from said church. This was followed by a recommendation at the annual meeting of the Church Anti-Slavery Society in Boston, May 29, 1861, "to all Congregational pastors and churches to disregard the advice of said ex-parte council, to regard the Church of the Puritans as a sister church in affliction, and to regard the action of said council as erroneous, dangerous, and unscriptural."

On motion of Lewis Tappan it was also resolved. "That we highly approve of the manly and Christian efforts made by the Rev. Dr. Cheever, during his present sojourn in Great Britain, in advocating the Christian Anti-Slavery movement in this coun

« 上一頁繼續 »