man was to
him the fulfilment of all law; love of God was the essence of all
Christianity. Retaining to the day of his death the forms and
phrases of the New England theology in which he had been reared, he
poured into them a new meaning and gave to them a new significance.

"He probably did more than any other man in America to lead the
Puritan churches from a faith which regarded God as a moral
governor, the Bible as a book of laws, and religion as obedience to
a conscience, to a faith which regards God as a father, the Bible
as a book of counsels, and religion as a life of liberty in love."

As a sample of Beecher's eloquence, this extract from his sermon on the
death of Lincoln reveals his quality as well perhaps as anything he ever
said:

The joy of the Nation came upon us suddenly, with such a surge as
no words can describe. Men laughed, embraced one another, sang and
prayed, and many could only weep for gladness.

In one short hour, joy had no pulse. The sorrow was so terrible
that it stunned sensibility. The first feeling was the least, and
men wanted to get strength to feel. Other griefs belong always to
some one in chief, but this belonged to all. Men walked for hours
as though a corpse lay in their houses. The city forgot to roar.
Never did so many hearts in so brief a time touch two such
boundless feelings. It was the uttermost of joy and the uttermost
of sorrow--noon and midnight without a space between. We should not
mourn, however, because the departure of the President was so
sudden. When one is prepared to die, the suddenness of death is a
blessing. They that are taken awake and watching, as the bridegroom
dressed for the wedding, and not those who die in pain and stupor,
are blessed. Neither should we mourn the manner of his death. The
soldier prays that he may die by the shot of the enemy in the hour
of victory, and it was meet that he should be joined in a common
experience in death with the brave men to whom he had been joined
in all his sympathy and life.

This blow was but the expiring rebellion. Epitomized in this foul
act we find the whole nature and disposition of slavery. It is fit
that its expiring blow should be such as to take away from men the
last forbearance, the last pity, and fire the soul with invincible
determin