The Soul of Abraham Lincoln

by William E. Barton

Irwin had interviewed Colonel James H. Matheny and quoted Matheny as denying that he had ever heard Lincoln admit that he was an infidel and did not himself believe it. Irwin himself had known Lincoln personally for many years and had known large numbers of men who were intimately acquainted with him and he said:

"I have never yet heard one single man express the belief that Lincoln was an infidel. Mr. Herndon, it is true, did have opportunities over others in knowing Mr. Lincoln's religious opinions, but other men had some opportunities, as well as Mr. Herndon, and to them I shall have to appeal, for I do not claim to personally know anything about Mr. Lincoln's religious faith. Though personally acquainted with Mr. Lincoln for twenty-eight years and often in his office, I never heard him say a word on the subject of his religious belief."

It will be noted that while the statements concerning Mr. Lincoln's alleged infidelity have been published over the name of Lamon, Herndon was held responsible for them in these controversies. The impetuous Herndon possessed none of the reticence of Bateman; and while denying that he wrote Lamon's book, rushed in as Lamon's champion and covered himself with wounds if not with glory.

Irwin's article proceeds to quote these old neighbors and friends of Lincoln, whose testimony, added to those adduced by Dr. Reed, was of very great weight. I have copied these[37] from the files of the Illinois State Journal in the Library of the Illinois State Historical Society in Springfield and here produce three of them, reserving others for later comment.

One of the letters quoted in full by Irwin was from Thomas Mostiller, of Pleasant Plains, Menard County, Illinois. He professed to have heard Lincoln when he was a candidate for Congress in 1847 or 1848, when he was charged with being an infidel and explicitly denied it. Said he:

"I was present and heard Josiah Grady ask Lincoln a question or two regarding a charge made against Lincoln of being an infidel, and Lincoln unqualifiedly denied the charge of infidelity, and said, in addition, his parents were Baptists, and brought him up in the belief of the Christian religion; and he believed it as much as anyone, but was sorry to say he had or made no pretensions to religion himself. I can't give his exact words, but would make oath anywhere that he positively denied the charge made against him of infidelity. That was the first time I ever heard the charge of infidelity against Lincoln. Grady did not say that he would not vote for Lincoln if he was an infidel, but my understanding from Grady was that he would not vote for Lincoln if he was an infidel; and Grady did, as I suppose, vote for him. I understood him that he should."

Another statement was by Jonathan Harnett. It was not made in a letter, like the others, but was verbally stated to Mr. Irwin, who wrote it from Harnett's dictation, and was then read to him and endorsed by him. Mr. Harnett related an incident which he declared himself to have witnessed in Lincoln's office in 1858, when an argument was held on the truth of the Christian religion, a number of men participating. He affirmed that Mr. Lincoln ended the discussion by a cogent argument based on the restitution of all things in Christ, and the ultimate salvation of all men.

This line of argument, attested by a number who heard Mr. Lincoln in these discussions, will be readily understood by those who have heard, as he had heard from his infancy, the typical argument of the backwoods Baptist preacher, and who appreciates Mr. Lincoln's theory of the irrevocability of the Divine will, and the relation of the atonement to the restitution of all things. The essential difference between Lincoln's point of view and that of these preachers was that the preachers saw in the work of Christ the basis of personal forgiveness of sin; and Lincoln saw in it rather a manifestation of the irrevocable law of God for the ultimate salvation of the race.

Another of the letters included in the Irwin article was one from Isaac Cogdal, who related a conversation in Lincoln's office in Herndon's presence, in which Lincoln expressed himself somewhat as follows:

"He did not nor could not believe in the endless punishment of any one of the human race. He understood punishment for sin to be a Bible doctrine; that punishment was parental in its object, aim and design, and intended for the good of the offender; hence it must cease when justice was satisfied. He added that all that was lost by the transgression of Adam was made good by the atonement; all that was lost by the fall was made good by the sacrifice; and he added this remark, that punishment being a 'provision of the gospel system, he was not sure but the world would be better off if a little more punishment was preached by our ministers, and not so much of pardon of sin.'"