TO praise such as have lately died, is the in­stinctive conduct of sorrow. From those who sur­round the bed of a departed friend, the first accents, which succeed the involuntary burst of anguish, are enumerations of his real or supposed virtues. Even in the mouths of the intelligent, and in the chambers of the refined and delicate, the praise is warm and unqualified, and nature overleaps every bound, rais­ed by artificial decorum. Among nations less en­lightened, open and strong commendations of the dead are inwoven in the established manners, and demanded by common decency; while, among sa­vages, funeral songs, replete with passionate senti­ments, glowing imagery, and excessive panegyric, are prominent features of national character, and splendid parts of public celebration.

TO this general voice of nature Revelation has added its supreme sanction. The text, which I have just now read, is an eulogy of the highest kind. [Page 6] When we remember the numbers, and the charac­ter, of the prophets who followed Moses; when we consider that of this number were Samuel, Da­vid, Isaiah, and Daniel; we cannot but feel, that it would have been difficult to ascribe to him a more honorable character.

WHAT then has been the cause, that no efforts of the mind have been less approved, than funeral eulogies; and that an insipid panegyric is become proverbial phraseology? Has it not been, on the one hand, that grief, and not reason, has given birth to the praise, and that grief alone can admit its truth, or feel its propriety? Has it not been, on the other hand, that the Eulogist has come, in form, to make the most of his theme; to create a character which has not existed, and to supply worth which he does not find; to display his ingenuity, rather than the features of the deceased; and to gain applause for his own talents, rather than respect for the sub­ject of his panegyric. For these or some other rea­sons, few attempts of this nature have succeeded; and the effort to gain esteem for the dead has ter­minated in producing contempt for the living.

BESIDE the difficulties, always attendant on attempts of this nature, the present occasion in­volves some, which are peculiar. The subject of eulogy at this time is so splendid, as to in­duce, and authorize, every man to demand all that can be said by the human genius, and to stipu­late for its noblest efforts only; so near to the heart of an American, as to warrant an unqualified re­jection of whatsoever falls beneath its expectations and its wishes; so often and so illustriously panegy­rized, both at home and abroad, as to have little chance for novelty, or success. The very [...] of Washington has become an equivalent to the high­est human dignity and worth, and all additions to it [Page 7] have long passed rather for the mere unburdening of an American heart, than for the means of honour­ing his character. Where so much is demanded, and so little will be accepted, temerity only can fur­nish confidence to the speaker, and persuade him, that he shall satisfy the wishes of his fellow citizens.

TO some person, however, the task, assigned to me, must have fallen; and to none could it have fallen without anxiety. I have ventured upon it, with an intention to perform a duty, not with a hope to fulfil expectation. Funeral panegyric I have always shunned; and would more willingly have avoided it on this occasion, than on any other.

THIS apology, which may probably seem long, and useless, will, it is hoped, nevertheless prove of some use to the speaker. It is hoped, that it will, in some degree, justify the undertaking, and explain and vindicate the manner in which it will be execu­ted; that it will lead my audience to expect, and shew the reasons why I shall exhibit, a plain and chastized account of my subject; and that it will in­duce them to consider what I shall assert, however it may differ from their opinions and feelings, as be­lieved and felt by me.

HUMAN greatness is of many kinds, and appears under many forms; but the diversities of personal greatness have their foundation in the intellect, and in the heart. How far this is, in either case, the result of the original structure of the mind, and how far of effort and acquisition, it is probably impossible for man to determine. We see some actually great; but the cause, and the means, have in a degree been, hitherto, in a state of uncertainty.

IN all cases, in which this distinction has been atchieved, whether intellectual, or moral, there must [Page 8] to superior endowments and attainments, be super­added, by Providence, a happy field, in which they may be advantageously displayed. Some object seen, and felt, by the mind, to be of sufficient im­portance to justify high and ardent efforts, and to repay the labours, and the sufferings, which attend them, must be presented to the understanding, and lay hold on the heart. In this situation, if ever, the man rises above himself, feels his powers in a new manner, exerts talents of which he was before unconscious, and virtues which had hitherto been dormant. Himself, as well as the world, is aston­ished at what he is, and at what he does; the fish­erman is changed into an Apostle; the ^* trader of Mecca becomes the founder of a religion, and an empire, embracing a fourth of mankind; and the ^‡leader of a gang of thieves ascends the throne of Persia, and places beneath his feet the scepter of Hindostan.

AMONG those occasions, which have lifted man above his ordinary sphere, none have displayed with more splendor, either talents, or virtues, than the revolutions of religion and empire. The conquest of nations, and the subversion of governments, form­ed, as well as exhibited, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Ghengis, Timur-bec, Kouli Khan, Frederic, 2d. Hyder Al [...], and various others of a similar character. To all these the pride of victory, the extension of conquest, and the increase of dominion, rose in full view; and, with a fasci­nation wholly irresistible, prompted them to con­trive, to dare, and to attempt, beyond the limits of ordinary belief. When we contemplate these men, however, our admiration is always mingled with disgust; and the few things in their characters, which claim esteem, are lost in the multitude of those, [Page 9] which force abhorrence. The lustre shed around them is gloomy and dismal; a glare of Avernus; a "darkness visible;" at which the eye gazes with a mixture of astonishment and horror. We sicken, while we read their exploits; and blush, that such scourges of the world should have claimed a com­mon nature with ourselves.

BUT there have been happier occasions for call­ing into action, and into light, the superiour facul­ties of man. Empire and religion have, at times, changed for the better. Men have arisen, whom the world has not only admired, but revered, and loved; to whom applause was not the mere outcry of astonishment, but the silent and steady testimony of the understanding, the cheerful and instinctive tribute of the heart. When oppression was to be resisted, government to be reformed, or the moral state of mankind to be renewed, the Ruler of the Universe has always supplied the means, and the a­gents. Where to the human eye the whole face of things has worn an uniform level; where every fa­mily was lost in insignificance, and every citizen was a peasant, and a slave; energy, asleep under the pressure of weary circumstances, and talents, veiled by humble and hopeless obscurity, have been roused into action, and pushed forward to distincti­on and glory.

AMONG the men, who, at such periods, have risen to eminence, the Prophet, who is the sub­ject of my text, is unquestionably the first. In all the talents which enlarge the human mind and all the virtues which ennoble the human heart, in the amiableness of private life and the dignity of a ru­ler, in dangers hazarded and difficulties overcome, in splendor of destination and the enjoyment, and proofs, of divine complacency, he is clearly with­out a rival. Companions, perhaps superiors, he [Page 10] may find in some single walk of greatness; but in the whole progress he is hitherto alone.

FOR this preeminence he was plainly fitted by nature, and education, by the manner of his life, and the field of his employment. Born with a soul superior to his kind, educated in the first school of wisdom, trained to arms, and to policy, in the most improved and powerful court in the world, and nur­tured in wisdom still more sublime in the quiet re­treats of Midian, he came forth to his great scene of public action, with the most happy preparation both for success and glory. God was about to ac­complish a more important revolution than had ever taken place, and had formed and finished the instru­ment, which so illustrious a design required.

IN whatever course of life, in whatever branch of character, we trace this great man, we find al­most every thing to approve, and love, and scarcely any thing to lament, or censure. When we see him at the burning bush, sacrificing his diffidence to his duty, and resolving finally to attempt the first great liberation of mankind; when we accompany him to the presence of Pharaoh, and hear him demand the release of the miserable victims of his tyranny; when we behold him laying Egypt waste, and sum­moning all the great engines of terror and destruc­tion to overcome the obstinacy and wickedness of her monarch; when we follow him to the Red Sea, and behold the waters divide at his command, to o­pen a passage for the millions of Israel; and at the same command return, to deluge the Egyptian host; when we trace him through the wonders of Sinai, and of the wilderness; when we mark his steady faith in God, his undoubting obedience to every divine command, his unexampled patriotism, im­movable by ingratitude, rebellion, and insult, his cheerful communication of every office of power and [Page 11] profit to others, and his equally cheerful exclusion of his own descendants from all places of distinction; when we consider his glorious integrity in adhering always to the duties of his office, unseduced by power and splendour, unmoved by national and sin­gular homage, unawed by faction and opposition, undaunted by danger and difficulty, and unaltered by provocation, obloquy, and distress; when we see him meek beyond example, and patient and persevering, through forty years of declining life, in toil, hazard, and trial; when we read in his writings the frank records of his own failings, and those of his family, friends, and nation, and the first efforts of the historian, the poet, the orator, and the law-giver; when we see all the duties of self government, benevolence, and piety, which he taught, exactly displayed in a life approximating to angelic virtue; when we behold him the deliverer of his nation, the restorer of truth, the pillar of righteousness, and the reformer of mankind; his whole character shines with a radiance, like the splendour, which his face derived from the Sun of Righteousness, and on which the human eye could not endure to look. He is every where the same glorious person; the Man of God; selected from the race of Adam; called up into the mountain, that burned with fire; ascending to meet his Creator; embosoming him­self in the clouds of Sinai; walking calmly onward through the thunders and lightnings; and serenely advancing to the immediate presence, and converse, of Jehovah. He is the greatest of all prophets; the first type of the Saviour; conducted to Pisgah, unclothed of mortal flesh, and entombed in the dust, by the immediate hand of the Most High.

IN a sphere, in some respects less splendid, but in the eye of wisdom and virtue scarcely less honour­able, Paul, also, rose to finished glory and great­ness, as the enlightener, and reformer of mankind. [Page 12] He was not, like Moses, the emancipator of a na­tion, the head of a new church, or the founder of an empire; but he was the most illustrious follower of the Son of God, in establishing Christianity, and in accomplishing the salvation of men. No labours of man claim a higher moral distinction, than his; no mind was ever so expanded, or elevated, with the noblest knowledge; no heart was probably ever warmed with more various, or more exalted virtue. No man ever struggled more firmly with dangers; or rose more gloriously above difficulties; regarded friends with more affection, or enemies with more compassion; felt for himself less, or his fellow men more; or attained a more sublime and unmingled piety, than Paul. To his labours mankind are, di­rectly, more indebted, than to those of any other man, for the moral wisdom, the virtue, the peace, and the happiness, which they now enjoy.

SUCH excellence we are not to look for among those, who have received no supernatural assistance; yet, in similar revolutions of empire, similar eman­cipations of mankind, and similar renovations of the human character, both talents and virtues have ap­peared with high lustre and dignity. As proofs of this assertion, many names of no small celebrity might be recited here, were it necessary; but it will be sufficient for the present occasion, to mention three only, as distinguished, in my view at least, a­bove others. These are the first, and second Gus­tavus, of Sweden, and Alfred the Great, of England. Were not his character clouded by some serious de­fects, I should add to this list Henry the fourth, of France.

THE first Gustavus accomplished for Sweden what the great man, whose character and death we are assembled to commemorate, accomplished for us; a deliverance from political thraldom, and the [Page 13] establishment of political freedom and safety. Illus­triously descended, distinguished in early youth for a series of honourable actions, and already the ob­ject of governmental confidence and public hope, he was trepanned by the treachery of Christiern the third, of Denmark, one of the most faithless, proud, and bloody tyrants, that ever disgraced the name of man; was thrown into prison, and secretly order­ed to be put to death; solely because his claims of power in Sweden were great, and his worth gave the fairest promise of seeing them substantiated. Released from his dungeon by the good offices of a generous Danish Nobleman, he escaped through many dangers to his native country. There friend­less, forsaken, seen only to be shunned, and known only to excite the dread of death for not betraying him to Christiern, he at length betook himself to the mountains of Dalecarlia; a province yet but half subdued, and inhabited by a generous band of pea­sants, glowing with the unconquerable love of liber­ty. Here unknown but by distant rumour, without authority, without a friend, without a shilling, and hunted by the Usurper and his creatures through every solitude and cell, he wrought in the mines, to procure his daily bread. But such a man cannot be long obscured. The peasants of Dalecarlia he found still brave and sincere, and boldly invited them to victory and freedom. Charmed by his dignity and gracefulness of person and demeanour, fascina­ted by his eloquence, and secure under his conduct and bravery, these plain men followed him eagerly into the field of conflict; to any other a field of des­pair; to him, of hope and triumph. At their head, he met the veterans of Denmark, only to defeat them; and sat down before their castles, only to take them. Within a short period, he overran, and redeemed the whole of his native country; every where present; the animating, informing, directing [Page 14] principle of the army, and of the nation; and by the unanimous voice of the Estates was advanced to the throne. In this high station, enjoying every testimony of public respect short of adoration, for his distinguished wisdom, gallantry, patriotism, and piety, he revived the agriculture, renewed the wast­ed cities and villages, restored the commerce, re-established and improved the justice, secured the li­berty, reformed the religion, and engrossed the hearts, of his grateful nation. "In all other respects," says the Catholic ^* writer of his life, "except the in­troduction of Lutheranism into his kingdom, he de­serves the praise and admiration of posterity."

THE second Gustavus, having, from the age of 18, reigned in Sweden, with singular wisdom, equity, and glory, for twenty years, appeared in Germany, 1631, in the illustrious character of Defender of the Protestant religion, against the last great efforts of the Catholics, in that country, for its destruction; and gloriously lost his life in establishing the cause, for which he died. He is thus described by a res­pectable modern historian. ^§

"NO prince, ancient or modern, seems to have possessed in so eminent a degree, as Gustavus Adol­phus, the qualities of the hero, the statesman, and the commander; that intuitive genius which con­ceives, that wisdom which plans, and that happy combination of courage and conduct which gives success to an enterprise. Nor was the military pro­gress of any leader equally rapid, under circumstan­ces equally difficult; with an inferiour force, a­gainst warlike nations, and disciplined troops, com­manded by able and experienced generals."

"BUT Gustavus had other qualities beside those [Page 15] of a military and political kind. He was a pious Christian, a warm friend, a tender husband, a duti­ful son, an affectionate father. The sentiments suit­ed to all these softer characters are admirably display­ed in a letter from him to ^*Oxenstiern, written a few days before the battle of Lutzen, in which he lost his life." In this letter is the following memorable passage.

"Consider me as a man, the guardian of a kingdom, who has struggled with difficulties, and passed thro' them with reputation, by the protection and mercy of heaven; as a man, who loved and honoured his relations, and who neglected life, riches, and happy days, for the preservation and glory of his country, and faithful subjects; expecting no other recom­pense, than to be declared the prince, who ful­filled the duties of that station, which Providence had assigned him in the world."

"THE merit of Alfred (says Hume) both in public and private life, may with advantage be set in opposition to that of any monarch or citizen, which the annals of any age or nation can present to us. He seems indeed to be the model of that per­fect character, which, under the denomination of a sage or wise man, philosophers have been fond of delineating, rather as a fiction of their imagination, than in hopes of ever seeing it really existing: so hap­pily were all his virtues tempered together; so just­ly were they blended; and so powerfully did each prevent the other from exceeding its proper boun­daries! He knew how to reconcile the most enter­prising spirit with the coolest moderation; the most obstinate perseverance with the easiest flexibility; the most severe justice with the gentlest lenity; the greatest vigour in command with the most perfect [Page 16] affability of deportment; the highest capacity and inclination for science with the most shining talents for action;" ^* and, let me add, the warmest devo­tion and piety with the utmost candour and liberali­ty. "His civil and military virtues are almost equally the objects of our admiration; excepting only, that the former, being more rare among prin­ces, as well as more useful, seem chiefly to chal­lenge our applause."

AS a fourth in this dignified groupe, may, with the fullest confidence, be placed the hero, statesman, and father, of our own country. I have introduced a summary account of these great men into this dis­course, that by comparing his character with theirs, and seeing them stand side by side, my audience may be enabled to form a more accurate estimate of his worth. Greatness is a term wholly comparative; its true import is, therefore, to be seen by compari­son only. On the one hand, superiority to the com­mon mass, and on the other approximation, equali­ty, or eminence, with respect to such as have been thus superior, is all that is intended by the word. As Moses and Paul were the greatest human cha­racters among such as have been supernaturally as­sisted; and the three princes, whom I have here characterized, were, if I mistake not, the first a­mong those, who have become great by means mere­ly natural; to sustain a fair resemblance to these men must be highly honourable; to be near them, an enviable distinction; to equal them, the crown of the most exalted ambition.

AS the sphere of Paul's exertions was peculiar, he must of course be passed by in such a design. As Moses was inspired, and sustained by a peculiar agency of the Most High, the comparison with him [Page 17] must in many respects be unfairly instituted. Yet a strong resemblance between him and the hero of our own country is so evident, that the recital of it is become almost proverbial. The occasions, the ta­lents, the virtues, the divine interpositions, and the issue, were so similar, as to strike the most undiscri­minating eye, and to find an easy acknowledgment from every tongue. Particularly, the preeminence of Moses to all the great men in Israel, marked so strongly in the text, and the like distinction justly claimed by the American leader, not only over his countrymen, but over all men of the present age, form a most honourable ground of comparison.

THAT General Washington is, with propriety, introduced as a proper companion to the three il­lustrious princes, whom I have mentioned above, as a companion, whom, on equal terms, they may be fairly supposed cheerfully to welcome to their num­ber and rank, will, I trust, appear from a just ac­count of his character.

THERE are two methods, in which such an ac­count may be advantageously given; a recital of what he has done, and an exhibition of the attri­butes which he manifested.

IN very early life, he began to be, in a sense pro­phetically, distinguished for wisdom and conduct superior to his years; and executed so ably several important commissions, which he received from the legislature of Virginia, as to secure their confidence, and command the applause of the whole country. Such trusts have been rarely committed to so young a man, and have probably been never better lodged in the hands of any man. That in the existing cir­cumstances success was, in one of the cases, comple­tely atchieved, that, in a second, so little disaster ensu­ed; [Page 18] and that, in a third, total ruin was prevented; is plainly and chiefly to be attributed to the skill and firmness of a youth between nineteen and twenty-three, acting in the last case only in a voluntary office.

AFTER acquiring, both in public and private life, the universal esteem, through the following sea­son of peace, he was chosen, in the year 1774, one of the Representatives in the first Congress. Here his former reputation, and the proofs which he dai­ly gave of superiour wisdom and worth, induced that body to choose him, in 1775, commander in chief of the American armies, employed to resist the hos­tilities of Great-Britain. This hazardous office he accepted with a ^* modesty, which always accompa­nies and announces merit, and with a firmness of decision, which no future embarrassment could move. Under a government just formed, and marked with infantine weakness; in a country com­posed of separate and deranged sovereignties; amidst a people now first seriously connected; at the head of armies formed of mere militia, a band of scouts and yet to be made soldiers, and of officers ignorant of the discipline which they were to teach, and of the movements which they were to guide; strangers, rivals, and sometimes enemies; without ammunition, arms, clothes, or money; enlisted for a summer; and plunged by inexperience into all the exposures, discouragements, diseases, and miseries, of unpro­vided military life; he became the body of union to the people, and to the soldiery, guided the one to wisdom, and led the other to victory. In his own letters, ^‡ not less illustrious commentaries than those of Caesar, and on a more glorious war, he is seen, through the veil of his modesty, to have been the pillar, on which the country suspended itself; the [Page 19] soul, by which the army was formed, quickened, and actuated. In the midst of the immense and mo­mentous concerns, lying alway on his mind, no want, nor its supply; no suffering, nor its relief; no evil, nor its remedy; no improvement in the affairs of the army, or the country, nor the means by which it might be best accomplished; eluded his attention. He is there proved, and without intend­ing it, to have been the source of almost every im­portant measure, the origin of the great mass of me­liorations, in our system.

IN this war, for which we were so unfurnished, as to render it, in the eye of sober judgment, more like Quixotism than justifiable enterprise, his cauti­ous wisdom, more necessary, more varied, and more extraordinary, than that of the celebrated Ro­man, justly gained him, abroad, as well as at home, the title of the American Fabius. To the minds of unskilful, ardent, and partial judges, however, this wisdom, without which we now clearly see our country must have been lost, appeared to result from imbecility and fear. So far did this opinion, toge­ther with some concurring circumstances, operate, as to engender a serious attempt to raise a foreigner, in every respect his inferiour, to the supreme com­mand. Had not this childish and wretched at­tempt been ably and strenuously opposed, had not the great body of officers of distinction solemnly pledged themselves to each other never to serve, while he lived, under any other commander, there is rea­son to fear, that it would have succeeded. Of this glaring attempt against him his mind, superior alike to savour and to frowns, took no other notice, than what has been buried in silence. Satisfied with himself, and strong in the attachment of those whom he commanded, he rose above every attack, dan­ger, and enemy.

[Page 20]A country, an army, situated as were ours, car­ried misfortune in their face. The country was un­skilled and unfurnished; and its councils, composed indeed of great and good men, were yet in no de­gree versed in the business, which they were now called to direct. The army was formed of brave and hardy soldiers, and of gallant and sensible offi­cers; but it was gathered, and dispersed, in a day; and, when most necessary, and presented with the fairest opportunities of successful enterprise, had dis­appeared. Never did he appear greater, than in these seasons of trial and depression. No enterprises of his shine with more lustre, than his decampment from ^*Long-Island, his retreat from General Howe through New-Jersey, his descent upon Trenton, ^† his elusion of Lord Cornwallis at Trenton, his con­sequent march through New-Jersey, in which he defeated the British corps at Princeton, and the ad­dress, with which he preserved the appearance of a considerable force at Morristown, where, through the winter, he had only eleven or twelve hundred men, and these under a successive inoculation, to re­sist the whole British army.

BUT his military life had also its seasons of prospe­rity. His successes were, however, almost always obtained at the head of a force, inferior to that of his enemy, and of consequence were, in an eminent degree, the result of his own efforts. Like the il­lustrious men, to whom I have compared him, he had the happiness of ending the great controversy, in which he had engaged, and in which his country was the stake, with a final and complete triumph. All that, for which he fought, and that the greatest prize, which excites human contention, he gained; and lived long enough to reap a glorious reward of [Page 21] his labours in the peace and safety, the veneration and blessings, of his countrymen.

HIS political, was not less honorable than his mi­litary, career. When, under the weakness and in­efficiency of the Confederation, these States were falling asunder, and tumbling into anarchy and ruin, he contributed, at the head of the General Conven­tion, more, by his wisdom, virtue and influence, than any other man, to the final adoption of the Fe­deral Constitution; and thus saved his country a second time. Twice summoned by the unanimous voice of the nation to the Presidency of the General Government, he there, in a series of wise, firm, and generous measures, stepped often between the State and destruction. His Proclamation of Neutrality, particularly, was the hinge, on which, at that time, the whole well being of our country turned. No public measure was ever more necessary, more happi­ly timed, or more prudently conducted. To that measure is it probably owing, that we are allowed thus peaceably to assemble, this day, in honour to his memory.

THE lustre of all his military and political actions, and the glory of his whole character, apparently in­capable of addition, he has nevertheless enhanced by two singular traits of distinction; his refusal to accept of a compensation for his services; and has repeated, voluntary resignation of his high offices, whilst in the entire possession of universal veneration, and perfectly assured of the unanimous public suf­frage. I do not here intend, that great men ought of course to decline pecuniary rewards; or to retire, in all circumstances, from public to private life. It could not have been the duty of either of the prin­ces, whose character I have given. But no duty forbade him to do both; and in doing both he has [Page 22] secured a glory, which is singular. Nothing could have so discovered his selfpossession, evinced his su­periority to ambition, or proved his mind to be the residence of patriotism and principle.

IN private life he was the same dignified charact­er. All his affairs were superintended by himself, and were of course always in exact order and prosper­ous thrift. To his neighbours, to the public, to all men, he was just, generous, and humane; to the ^* poor a steady, and conspicuous benefactor; and to his family whatever is found in the fullest and most a­miable discharge of the domestic duties.

THROUGH the plantation, on which he resided, ran a stream, stored with fish. This fishery two days in the week he made, together with his own boats and nets, the property of the surrounding poor; and frequently directed his servants to aid them in taking and curing their booty.

IN the course of the war, he wrote, as I have been well informed, to his friends in Virginia, a proposal to free his servants, should the Legislature think it consistent with the general welfare. This plan he has realized in his will; and the public are already informed, that it will be speedily executed by his most respectable Executrix.

AFTER the surrender of Yorktown, he returned, at the end of eight years absence, to visit his family. His servants had voluntarily arranged themselves in two lines, from his mansion house to the creek which runs before the door. When he came in sight, these humble and affectionate domestics sent up a shout of joy, and uttered an extravagance of trans­port; the women by shrieking, beating their breasts, and rending their hair; and the men by cries and tears, and all the gesticulations, with which nature, [Page 23] in uninformed and unpolished society, gives vent to excessive passion. When he had crossed the creek, he delayed his progress to his beloved abode, to shake all the adults by the hand, and to speak ten­derly and affectionately to the children. "Never," said the gentleman, from whom I received this in­formation, "was I so delightfully affected, except at the surrender of Yorktown; and then, only be­cause I considered the independence of my country as secured."

ON the attributes, manifested by this great man in his conduct, I beg leave to make the following observations.

GENERAL WASHINGTON was great, not by means of that brilliancy of mind, often appropriately term­ed genius, and usually coveted for ourselves, and our children; and almost as usually attended with qualities, which preclude wisdom, and depreciate or forbid worth; but by a constitutional character more happily formed. His mind was indeed inven­tive, and full of resources; but its energy appears to have been originally directed to that which is practical and useful, and not to that which is shewy and specious. His judgment was clear and intui­tive beyond that of most who have lived, and seem­ed instinctively to discern the proper answer to the celebrated Roman question; ^* Cui bono erit? To this his incessant attention, and unwearied observa­tion, which nothing, whether great or minute, esca­ped, doubtless contributed in a high degree. What he observed he treasured up, and thus added daily to his stock of useful knowledge. Hence, although his early education was in a degree confined, his mind became possessed of extensive, various, and ex­act information. Perhaps there never was a mind, [Page 24] on which theoretical speculations had less influence, and the decisions of common sense more.

AT the same time, no man ever more earnestly or uniformly sought advice, or regarded it, when given, with more critical attention. The opinions of friends and enemies, of those who abetted, and of those who opposed, his own system, he explored and secured alike. His own opinions, also, he sub­mitted to his proper counsellours, and often to oth­ers; with a demand, that they should be sifted, and exposed, without any tenderness to them because they were his; insisting, that they should be consi­dered as opinions merely, and, as such, should be subjected to the freest and most severe investigation.

WHEN any measure of importance was to be acted on, he delayed the formation of his judgment until the last moment; that he might secure to himself, alway, the benefit of every hint, opinion, and cir­cumstance, which might contribute either to con­firm, or change, his decision. Hence, probably, it in a great measure arose, that he was so rarely committed; and that his decisions have so rarely produced regret, and have been so clearly justified both by their consequences and the judgment of mankind.

WITH this preparation, he formed a judgment finally and wholly his own; and although no man was ever more anxious before a measure was adop­ted, probably no man was ever less anxious after­ward. He had done his duty, and left the issue to Providence.

TO all this conduct his high independence of mind greatly contributed. By this I intend a spi­rit, which dares to do its duty, against friends and [Page 25] enemies, and in prosperous and adverse circumstan­ces, alike; and which, when it has done its duty, is regardless of opinions and consequences.

NOR was he less indebted to his peculiar ^* firm­ness. He not only dared to act in this manner, but uniformly sustained the same tone of thought and feeling, such, as he was at the decision, he ever after continued to be; and all men despaired of ope­rating on him unless through the medium of con­viction. The same unchanging spirit supported him through every part of his astonishing trials, du­ring the war; and exhibited him as exactly the same man after a defeat, as after a victory; neither elated nor depressed, but always grave, serene, and prepared for the event.

FROM other great men he was distinguished by an exemption from favouritism. No man ever so en­grossed his attachment, as to be safe, for a moment, from deserved reproof, or censure; nor was any man ever so disrelished by him, as, on that account, to fail of receiving from him whatever applause, or services, his merit could claim. Hence his friends feared, and his enemies respected him.

HIS moderation and self government were such that he was always in his own power, and never in the power of any other person. Whatever passions he felt, they rarely appeared. His conduct, opini­ons, and life, wore unusually the character of mere intellect. Hence he was never found unguarded, or embarrassed; but was always at full liberty to do that, and that only, which expediency and duty de­manded. A striking instance of this trait in his character is seen in the well known fact; that he ne­ver [Page 26] exculpated himself from any charge, nor replied to any calumny. His accusers, for such he had, had opportunity to make the most of their accusa­tions; his calumniators, if their consciences permit­ted, to sleep in peace.

HIS justice was exact, but tempered with the ut­most humanity, ^* which the occasion would suffer. His truth no sober man, who knew him, probably ever doubted. Watchful against his own exposures to error, he was rarely found erring; jealous of do­ing injustice, if he has done injustice, it is yet, I be­lieve, unrecorded.

HIS reservedness has been at times censured. To me it appears to have been an important and neces­sary characteristic of a person situated as he was. In familiar life a communicative disposition is gene­rally pleasing, and often useful; in his high stations it would have been dangerous. One unguarded or ambiguous expression might have produced evils, the remedy of which would have been beyond even his own power. No such expression is recorded of him.

HIS punctuality was extreme. He rose always with the dawn; he dined at a given minute; he attended every appointment at the moment. Hence his business public and private was always done at the proper time, and always beforehand.

NO person appears to have had a higher sense of decorum, and universal propriety. The eye▪ fol­lowing his public and private life, traces an unex­ceptionable propriety, an exact decorum, in every action; in every word; in his demeanour to men of every class; in his public communications; in his convivial entertainments; in his letters; and in his [Page 27] familiar conversation; from which bluntness, flatte­ry, witticism, indelicacy, negligence, passion, and overaction, were alike excluded.

FROM these things happily combined, always seen, and seen always in their native light, without art, or affectation, it arose, that, wherever he ap­peared, an instinctive awe and veneration attended him on the part of all men. Every man, however great in his own opinion, or in reality, shrunk in his presence, and became conscious of an inferiority, which he never felt before. Whilst he encouraged every man, particularly every stranger, and peculi­arly every diffident man, and raised him to self-pos­session, no sober person, however secure he might think himself of his esteem, ever presumed to draw too near him.

WITH respect to his religious character there have been different opinions. No one will be surprised at this, who reflects, that this is a subject, about which, in all circumstances not involving inspired testimony, doubts may and will exist. The evidence concern­ing it must of course arise from an induction of par­ticulars. Some will induce more of these particu­lars, and others sewer; some will rest on one class, or collection, others on another; and some will give more, and others less, weight to those which are in­duced; according to their several modes, and stand­ards, of judging. The question in this, and all o­ther cases, must be finally determined before another tribunal, than that of human judgment; and to that tribunal it must ultimately be lest. For my own part, I have considered his numerous and uniform public and most solemn declarations of his high ve­neration for religion, his exemplary and edifying at­tention to public worship, and his [...] devotion, as proofs, sufficient to satisfy every [Page 28] person, willing to be satisfied. I shall only add, that if he was not a Christian, he was more like one, than any man of the same description, whose life has been hitherto recorded.

AS a warrior, his merit has, I believe, been fully and readily acknowledged; yet I have doubted whether it has always been justly estimated. His military greatness lay not principally in desperate sallies of courage; in the daring and brilliant ex­ploits of a partisan: These would have ill suited his station, and most probably have ruined his cause and country. It consisted in the formation of exten­sive and masterly ^* plans; effectual preparations, the cautious prevention of great evils, and the watch­ful seizure of every advantage; in combining hete­rogeneous materials into one military body, produ­cing a system of military and political measures▪ concentering universal confidence, and diffusing an ^‖ influence next to magical; in comprehending a great scheme of war, pursuing a regular system of acquiring strength for his country, and wearing out the strength of his enemies. To his conduct, both military and political, may, with exact propriety, be applied the observation, which has been often made concerning his courage; that in the most ha­zardous situations no man ever saw his countenance change.

PERHAPS, I shall be thought to have dwelt too long, and too minutely, on his character. I hope I shall be justified, partially at least, when it is re­membered, that I have been seizing the best oppor­tunity, which I shall ever enjoy, of teaching, in the most affecting manner in my power, the youths committed to my instruction, and forming a part of [Page 29] this audience, the way to become great, respectable, and useful.

SUCH, my friends and fellow citizens, was the man, whose death we are assembled to lament, and whose worth we commemorate. Like the illustri­ous subject of my text he stands alone in his nati­on. Like him he was great in the splendor of de­signation, in wisdom, in effort, in success, in the im­portance of his talents, virtues and labours, to the nation over whom he presided in war and peace; in the estimation, the love, and the tears, of his country. On this resemblance I have dwelt less, because I suppose others have dwelt more; yet I can­not forbear to add, that in the death of these distin­guished men there is a similarity not a little striking. Both died in advanced years, but without any previ­ous decay of faculties, or glory; both left their res­pective nations, not indeed established, but so far advanced, as not absolutely to demand a continuance of their superintendency; and both were honored by a national and spontaneous mourning, as the last tribute of public veneration. Miraculous support our nation could not hope for under any leader; but the signal interpositions of Heaven in our behalf, while under his guidance, ought never to be for­gotten.

TO Americans his name will be ever dear; a sa­vour of sweet incense, descending to every succeed­ing generation. The things, which he has done, are too great, too interesting, ever to be forgotten. Every object which we see, every employment in which we are engaged, every comfort which we en­ioy, reminds us daily of his character. The general peace, liberty, religion, safety, and prosperity, strong­ly impress, in every place, what he has done, suffer­ed, and atchieved. When a Legislature assembles [Page 30] to enact laws; when Courts meet to distribute jus­tice; when Congregations gather to worship God; they naturally, and almost necessarily, say "To Washington it is owing, under God, that we are here." The farmer pursuing his plough in peace, the mechanic following the business of his shop in safety, ascribes the privilege to Washington. The house which, uninvaded, shelters us from the storm, the cheerful fireside surrounded by our little ones, the table spread in quiet with the bounties of Providence, the bed on which we repose in undisturbed security, utters, in silent but expressive language, the memo­ry, and the praise, of Washington. Every ship bears the fruits of his labours on its wings, and ex­ultingly spreads its streamers to his honour. The student meets him in the still and peaceful walk; the traveller sees him in all the prosperous and smil­ing scenes of his journey; and our whole country in her thrift, order, safety, and morals, bears, inscri­bed in sunbeams, throughout her hills and her plains, the name and the glory of Washington.

FROM a subject so singular, and so edifying, it is not easy to fail of gaining useful practical instructi­on. Particularly, the inestimable benefits which we have derived from the efforts of this great man. cannot but prompt every ingenuous mind to remem­ber, with unceasing gratitude, the goodness of God in bestowing upon us such a blessing; God, who formed and furnished him for labours so useful, and for a life so glorious. In what a manner must the late war have closed, had the supreme command of our armies fallen to a weak or unprincipled man? What would have been its issue, had the powerful attempt to displace him, and to substitute a foreigner, succeeded? Think, I beseech you, of the uniform condition of a conquered nation; a nation too, con­sidered as rebels by their conquerors. Think what [Page 31] it would have been to have had your armies betray­ed▪ your lands ravaged, your houses burnt, your best citizens brought to the halter, your wives and daughters dishonoured, and your children houseless, naked, and famished. Think of the long and hope­less period, through which the broken spirit, the ru­ined morals, the wide-spread ignorance, and the lost energy, of your country would have perpetuated your miseries, and prevented your posterity from e­merging again to the character of men, and the blessings of freemen.

TO these wretched scenes contrast your present freedom, peace, safety, glory, and felicity. To whom are they owing? The heart spontaneously an­swer, "First to God, and next to Washington." I mean not to detract from the wisdom, bravery, or worth, of his generous companions in the council, and in the field. Cheerfully do I render to them the illustrious honours, which they have merited, and won; and heartily do I rejoice to see those, who still live, sustaining and increasing, in so many in­stances, the high estimation, which they had so am­ply deserved of their country. But in all that I have said of their illustrious Chief they will be the first to unite, because they have known him more intimate­ly than others. With them will all their country­men instinctively accord; for his labours have been so great, so good, so endearing, that they cannot but be seated in every American heart. May our grati­tude to the Author always accompany, and totally transcend, our admiration of the instrument; let it inspirit every reflection, and mingle with every joy.

BY him, also, are our rulers, at the present and at every future period, taught how to rule. The same conduct will ever produce substantially the same effects; the same public well being, the same [Page 32] glory, the same veneration. To be wise and good; to forget, or restrain, the dictates of passion, and o­bey those of duty; to seek singly the public wel­fare, and lose in it personal gratification; to resist calmly and firmly the passions, and pursue only the interests, of a nation, is the great secret of ruling well. When these things are exhibited in the strong light of example, and crowned with success and ho­nor, they are taught in a manner beyond measure more impressive, than can be found in rules and ar­guments. Here they are already tried, and pro­ved. Here they are seen surrounded by all their delightful attendants, and followed by all their hap­py consequences. The conviction produced is com­plete, the impression supreme. From this great ex­ample all rulers may learn wisdom, and our rulers more than any other. They are rulers of the very people, who loved and reverenced him, and who will, of course, love and reverence them, so far as they tread in his footsteps. They, also, know and feel his character, and success, more than is possible for others. Wisdom, therefore, and duty demand of them, and in a peculiar degree, studiously to co­py so glorious a pattern.

THE youths, also, of our country, who wish to become great, useful and honourable, will here find the best directions, and the most powerful incite­ments. To be great, useful, and honourable, they must resemble him. The very actions, which he performed, they may indeed not be called to per­form; the sufferings, which he underwent, they may not be obliged to undergo; but the attributes, which he possessed and displayed, must, in a good degree, be possessed and displayed by them also.

LET them particularly remember, that greatness is not the result of mere chance, or genius; that it [Page 33] is not the flash of brilliancy, nor the desperate sally of ambition; that it is, on the contrary, the combi­ned result of strong mental endowments, vigorous cultivation, honourable design, and wise direction. It is not the glare of a meteor; glittering, dazzling, consuming, and vanishing; but the steady and exal­ted splendour of the sun; a splendour which, while it shines with preeminent brightness, warms also, enlivens, adorns, improves, and perfects, the objects, on which it shines: glorious indeed by its lustre; but still more glorious in the useful effects pro­duced by its power. Of this great truth the tran­scendant example before us is a most dignified ex­hibition. Let them imitate, therefore, the incessant attention, the exact observation, the unwearied in­dustry, the scrupulous regard to advice, the slowness of decision, the cautious prudence, the nice punctu­ality, the strict propriety, the independence of thought and feeling, the unwavering firmness, the unbias­sed impartiality, the steady moderation▪ the exact justice, the unveering truth, the universal humanity, and the high veneration for religion, and for God, always manifested by this great man. Thus will future Washingtons arise to bless our happy country.

AS a nation we may derive from him many kinds of instruction and profit. This occasion will, howe­ver, allow me to insist on one only: The steady pursuit of that policy, which he so uniformly and successfully pursued, and has so forcibly recommend­ed. In his farewell to the country which he so lov­ed and defended, we have his last, and to us his dy­ing words; a most impressive recommendation of the best means of our national welfare; the sum of all the political wisdom, which he had imbibed from his vast experience; the substance of that policy, by which alone our safety and happiness can be ensur­ed. In it we are most affectingly taught to preserve [Page 34] our union; to despise trifling discriminations; to reverence our constitution; to reject watchfully all associations and factions, formed to oppose it; to preserve a well balanced administration; to encou­rage literary institutions; to promote, as of primary importance, morality and religion; to cherish public credit; to observe justice and good faith towards all nations; to cultivate harmony and peace with all; to indulge antipathies and favouritism towards none; to resist, as dangerous and deadly, all foreign influence; to connect ourselves, politically, as little as possible; and to hold, as much as maybe, a strict and perpetual neutrality towards powers at war. Here all the national interests of America are con­sulted; here all its political wisdom is summed up in a single sheet. Nothing can be added, nothing without injury taken away. How greatly are these precepts recommended by the character of their author, and by the success with which they have been followed in practice. How strongly are they enforced by his labours for our country, by the glo­ry which he attained while steadily pursuing them, and by the manner, and the time, in which they were delivered. Happy, beyond measure, is it for these States, that he pursued them so long; that they have been so closely followed by his able and virtuous successor; that they are now the only poli­cy of our government, and the efficient policy of our country. Happy, beyond measure, will it be, if our nation should henceforth make them its great political creed, and the only rule of its political measures, at home, and abroad. Faction, party, dissention, will then cease; murmurs be lost in peace and prosperity; intrigues be rendered infamous and hopeless; foreign influence no more lift up its snaky head; the danger of invasion vanish; the govern­ment our country totter no more; the great politi­cal problem, Whether a free and happy Republic can be durable, be finally and propitiously solved; [Page 35] and Americans find less reason to lament, that Washington is dead; because they will still see him live in the policy and glory, the safety and peace, the virtue and felicity, of his beloved country.