"I am interested in everything you write about in your last letter; but among the items of deepest interest is the fact of the religious feeling manifested by the young men; and I pray God it may take deep root, and grow, and become the controlling power in forming their character for immortality. I trust they will count the cost, and act consistently. May God speed them in this holy work!"
A few days later, he writes on the same subject:
"And now let us turn to matters of more importance; the awakening of the young men of your college to their highest interest,—the salvation of their souls. I have been moved to tears in reading the simple statement of the case, and I pray God to perfect the good work thus begun. I have much to think of to-day, this being my sixty-sixth birth-day. The question comes home to me, What I am rendering to the Lord for all his benefits; and the answer of conscience is, Imperfect service. If accepted, it will be through mercy; and, with this feeling of hope, I keep about, endeavoring to scatter good seed as I go forth in my daily ministrations."
The following correspondence was not received in time to be placed in the order of its date, but is now given as an illustration of Mr. Lawrence's views on some important points, and also as an instance of his self-control. In the autumn of 1847, he became acquainted with the Rev. Dr. ——, a Scotch Presbyterian clergyman, then on a visit to some friends in Boston. During a drive in the environs, with this gentleman and the Rev. Dr. Blagden, Mr. Lawrence made a remark of a practical nature upon some religious topic, which did not coincide with the views of his Scotch friend; and a debate ensued, which was characterized by somewhat more of warmth than was warranted by the nature of the subject. Mutual explanations and apologies followed, and the correspondence, which was continued after the return of Dr. —— to Scotland, shows that the discussion on the occasion referred to had caused no diminution of their mutual regard or good-will.
The Rev. Dr. Blagden, in a note to the editor, dated Boston, April 18, 1855, writes as follows:
"As the result of our incidental conversation on Monday last, let me say, that the facts of which we spoke occurred during a drive which the Rev. Dr. ——, of Scotland, and I were enjoying with your father, in his carriage, at his kind invitation, in October, 1847.
"Without being able to recall the precise connection in which the remarks were made, I only now remember that Mr. Lawrence was led to speak with some degree of warmth, but with entire kindness, on the great error of relying on any idea of justification before God by faith, without corresponding works; so that, to one not familiar with the religious events in the history of this community, which, by operating on Mr. Lawrence's habits of thought, might well lead him to be jealous of any view of faith which did not directly express the necessity of good works, his remarks might very readily have seemed like a direct attack on that great truth of justification by faith, which Luther affirmed to be, as it was held or rejected, the test of a falling or rising church.
"Immediately, that which the late Edward Irving, in one of his sermons, under the name of 'Orations,' calls the 'ingenium perfervidum Scotorum,' burst from the Rev. Dr. ——, with something of that zeal for the doctrines of Knox and Calvin for which I understand he has been somewhat remarkable in his own country. He vehemently declared his abhorrence of any such denial of the first and fundamental truth of the Gospel, evidently taking it somewhat in the light of an insult to us as the preachers of that truth. He ended by saying, with much force and warmth, that the apostle Paul sometimes condensed the whole of the Gospel into a single phrase; and one of these phrases, as expressed in the Epistle to the Philippians, he commended to the notice of Mr. Lawrence, namely, 'We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit; and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.'
"Mr. Lawrence met this strong, and apparently indignant and truly honest expression of feeling, with entire courtesy and self-command, but with evident and deep emotion; and, repressing all expression of displeasure, he gradually led the conversation to less unwelcome subjects, so that our ride ended pleasantly, though the embarrassment created by this event continued, in a lessening degree, to its close.
"It will probably add to the interest of the whole transaction, in your own mind, if I state, not only what you seemed aware of on Monday, that your father sent me, a day or two after, 'Barr's Help' (I believe is the name of the volume), with a very kind and polite note, alluding to what had passed, and a paper containing some development of his own religious belief; but Rev. Dr. ——, also, soon after, in alluding to the circumstances in a note to me, on another subject, and which is now before me, wrote:
"'I regret the warmth with which I did so. Alas! it is my infirmity; but it was only a momentary flash, for I was enabled, through a silent act of prayer, to get my mind purged of all heat, before I ventured to resume the conversation on the vital topic which our good and kind friend himself was led to introduce.'
"I suspect this will reach you at an hour too late entirely for the use which you thought might possibly be made of it. It may, however, have some little interest, as a further development of the excellent character of your father; and it refers to a scene of which I have never been in the habit of speaking to others, but which I shall always remember with great interest, as one among many pleasing and profitable recollections of him."
The following extracts are taken from the paper referred to in the preceding communication:
"Boston, November 4, 1847.
"To Rev. G. W. Blagden, D.D.
"Rev. and dear Sir: Our interesting ride last Thursday has peculiar claims upon me as a teacher and a preacher for a better world. To one who knows me well, my unceremonious manner to our friend would not seem so strange; but it was none the less unkind in me to treat him thus.
"My first impressions are generally the right ones, and govern the actions of daily and hourly experience here; and these impressions were entirely favorable to our friend; and my treatment, up to the moment that you 'poured your oil upon the waters,' had been such as I am now well pleased with. But the conversation then commenced; and the lecture, illustrations, arguments, and consequences, were all stereotyped in my mind, having been placed there twenty-seven years ago by a learned and pious Scotchman, whose character came back to my memory like a flash of light. It is enough to say that a multitude of matters wholly adverse to my first impressions left me no command of my courtesies; and I stopped the conversation. * * *
"I believe that our Saviour came among men to do them good, and, having performed his mission, has returned to his Father and to our Father, to his God and our God; and if, by any means, he will receive me as a poor and needy sinner with the 'Well done' into the society of those whom he shall have accepted, I care not what sort of ism I am ranked under here.
"There is much, I think, that may be safely laid aside among Christians who are honest, earnest, and self-denying. Again I say, I have no hope in isms, but have strong hope in the cross of Christ.
"The little book[15] I send is a fuller exposition of the Kirk's doctrine than our friend's. I have reviewed it, and see no reason to alter a prayer or an expression. Return it at your leisure, with the two notes of our friend to me since our drive. Soon after I left you, I came home, sat down at my table to write a note as an apology to him for my rudeness in stopping his discourse, fainted, went to bed; next day, ate three ounces of crusts, rode out, and went to bed sick with a cold in my face. For the following forty-eight hours, I did not take an ounce of food; the slightest amount of liquid sustained me; and yesterday was the first day of my being a man. To-day, I called to see and apologize to you." * * * * *
(TO A FRIEND IN SOUTH CAROLINA.)
"Boston, June 12, 1852.
"My dear Friend: The announcement of the death of your beloved wife, and the queries and suggestions you made, touched me in a tender place. You and your dear wife are separated, it is true; but she is in the upper room, you in the lower. She is with Jesus, where, with his disciples, he keeps the feast; and, not long hence, he will say to you, 'Come up hither.' Your spirit and hers meet daily at the same throne,—hers to praise, yours to pray; and, when you next join her in person, it will be to part no more. Is not the prospect such as to gild the way with all those charms, which, in our childhood, used to make our hours pass too slowly? * * * * *
"My connection with the people of your State, growing out of my marriage, has brought me into personal intercourse, for more than thirty years past, with a great family connection, embracing in its circle many of your distinguished characters. All the M. family, of whom your present Governor is one, came from the same stock; and the various ramifications of that family at the South include, I suppose, a great many thousand souls. I, therefore take a lively interest in everything interesting to your people. We have hot heads, and so have you; but I think your people misjudge, when they think of setting up an independent government. The peculiar institution which is so dear to them will never be interfered with by sober, honest men; but will never be allowed to be carried where it is not now, under the Federal government. Politicians, like horse-jockeys, strive to cover up wind-broken constitutions, as though in full health; but hard driving reveals the defect, and, within thirty years, the old Slave States will feel compelled to send their chattels away to save themselves from bankruptcy and starvation. I have never countenanced these abolition movements at the North; and have lately lent a hand to the cause of Colonization, which is destined to make a greater change in the condition of the blacks than any event since the Christian era. * * *
"You need no new assurance of my interest in, and respect for, yourself, and the loved ones around you. I enjoy life as few old men do, I believe; for my family seem to live around and for me. My nephew by marriage, Franklin Pierce, seems to be a prominent candidate for the 'White House' for the next four years. He is the soul of honor, and an old-fashioned Democrat, born and bred, and to be depended on as such; but, as I am an old-fashioned George Washington, John Jay Federalist, from my earliest days, and hope to continue to be, I shall prefer one of this stamp to him. * * *
"With a heart overflowing, I hardly know where to stop. We shall meet in the presence of the Saviour, if we hold fast to the hem of his garment; and I hope may be of the number of those whose sins are forgiven.
"Ever yours,
Amos Lawrence."