CHAPTER X.
THE TEST OF THEOLOGY.
THE Doctor went immediately to his study and put on his best coat andhis wig, and, surmounting them by his cocked hat, walked manfully outof the house, with his gold-headed cane in his hand.
‘There he goes!’ said Mrs. Scudder, looking regretfully after him. ‘Heis _such_ a good man!—but he has not the least idea how to get along inthe world. He never thinks of anything but what is true; he hasn’t aparticle of management about him.’
‘Seems to me,’ said Mary, ‘that is like an Apostle. You know, mother,St. Paul says, “In simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshlywisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in theworld.”’
‘To be sure,—that is just the Doctor,’ said Mrs. Scudder; ‘that’s aslike him as if it had been written for him. But that kind of way,somehow, don’t seem to do in our times; it won’t answer with SimeonBrown,—I know the man. I know just as well, now, how it will all seemto him, and what will be the upshot of this talk, if the Doctor goesthere! It won’t do any good; if it would I would be willing. I feel asmuch desire to have this horrid trade in slaves stopped as anybody;your father, I’m sure, said enough about it in his time; but then Iknow it’s no use trying. Just as if Simeon Brown, when he is making hishundreds of thousands in it, is going to be persuaded to give it up!He won’t—he’ll only turn against the Doctor, and won’t pay his part ofthe salary, and will use his influence to get up a party against him,and our church will be broken up and the Doctor driven away,—that’sall that will come of it; and all the good that he is now doing tothese poor negroes will be overthrown,—and they never did have so gooda friend. If he would stay here and work gradually, and get his Systemof Theology printed,—and Simeon Brown would help at that,—and only dropwords in season here and there, till people are brought along with him,why, by-and-by something might be done; but now, it’s just the mostimprudent thing a man could undertake.’
‘But, mother, if it really is a sin to trade in slaves and hold them, Idon’t see how he can help himself. I quite agree with him. I don’t seehow he came to let it go so long as he has.’
‘Well,’ said Mrs. Scudder, ‘if worst comes to worst, and he will do it,I, for one, shall stand by him to the last.’
‘And I, for another,’ said Mary.
‘I would like him to talk with Cousin Zebedee about it,’ said Mrs.Scudder. ‘When we are up there this afternoon, we will introduce theconversation. He is a good sound man, and the Doctor thinks much ofhim, and perhaps he may shed some light upon this matter.’
Meanwhile the Doctor was making the best of his way in the strength ofhis purpose to test the orthodoxy of Simeon Brown.
Honest old granite boulder that he was, no sooner did he perceive atruth than he rolled after it with all the massive gravitation ofhis being, inconsiderate as to what might lie in his way:—from whichit is to be inferred, that, with all his intellect and goodness, hewould have been a very clumsy and troublesome inmate of the modernAmerican Church. How many societies, boards, colleges, and other goodinstitutions, have reason to congratulate themselves that he has longbeen among the saints!
With him logic was everything; and to perceive a truth and not actin logical sequence from it a thing so incredible, that he had notyet enlarged his capacity to take it in as a possibility. That a manshould refuse to hear truth, he could understand. In fact, he had goodreason to think the majority of his townsmen had no leisure to giveto that purpose. That men hearing truth should dispute it and arguestoutly against it, he could also understand; but that a man couldadmit a truth and not admit the plain practice resulting from it was tohim a thing incomprehensible. Therefore, spite of Mrs. Katy Scudder’sdiscouraging observations, our good Doctor walked stoutly, and with atrusting heart.
At the moment when the Doctor, with a silent uplifting of his soul tohis invisible Sovereign, passed out of his study, on this errand, wherewas the disciple whom he went to seek?
In a small, dirty room, down by the wharf, the windows veiled bycobwebs and dingy with the accumulated dust of ages, he sat in agreasy, leathern chair by a rickety office-table, on which were a greatpewter inkstand, an account-book, and divers papers tied with red tape.
Opposite to him was seated a square-built individual,—a man of aboutforty, whose round head, shaggy eyebrows, small, keen eyes, broadchest, and heavy muscles, showed a preponderance of the animal andbrutal over the intellectual and spiritual. This was Mr. Scroggs, theagent of a rice plantation, who had come on, bringing an order fora new relay of negroes to supply the deficit occasioned by fever,dysentery, and other causes, in their last year’s stock.
‘The fact is,’ said Simeon, ‘this last ship-load wasn’t as good a oneas usual; we lost more than a third of it, so we can’t afford to putthem a penny lower.’
‘Ay,’ said the other—‘but then there are so many women!’
‘Well,’ said Simeon, ‘women a’n’t so strong perhaps to start with; butthen they stan’ it out, perhaps, in the long run, better. They’re morepatient;—some of these men, the Mandingoes particularly, are prettytroublesome to manage. We lost a splendid fellow, coming over, on thisvery voyage. Let ’em on deck for air, and this fellow managed to gethimself loose and fought like a dragon. He settled one of our men withhis fist, and another with a marlinespike that he caught,—and, in fact,they had to shoot him down. You’ll have his wife; there’s his son,too,—fine fellow, fifteen year old by his teeth.’
‘What! that lame one?’
‘Oh, he a’n’t lame!—it’s nothing but the cramps from stowing. You know,of course, they are more or less stiff. He’s as sound as a nut.’
‘Don’t much like to buy relations, on account of their hatching upmischief together,’ said Mr. Scroggs.
‘Oh, that’s all humbug! You must keep ’em from coming together, anyway.It’s about as broad as ’tis long. There’ll be wives and husbands andchildren among ’em before long, start ’em as you will. And then thiswoman will work better for having the boy; she’s kinder set on him; shejabbers lots of lingo to him, day and night.’
‘Too much, I doubt,’ said the overseer, with a shrug.
‘Well, well,—I’ll tell you,’ said Simeon, rising. ‘I’ve got a fewerrands up town, and you just step over with Matlock and look overthe stock;—just set aside any that you want, and when I see ’em alltogether, I’ll tell you just what you shall have ’em for. I’ll be backin an hour or two.’
And so saying, Simeon Brown called an underling from an adjoining room,and, committing his customer to his care, took his way up-town, in aserene frame of mind, like a man who comes from the calm performance ofduty.
Just as he came upon the street where was situated his own large andsomewhat pretentious mansion, the tall figure of the Doctor loomed insight, sailing majestically down upon him, making a signal to attracthis attention.
‘Good morning, Doctor,’ said Simeon.
‘Good morning, Mr. Brown,’ said the Doctor. ‘I was looking for you.I did not quite finish the subject we were talking about at Mrs.Scudder’s table last night. I thought I should like to go on with it alittle.’
‘With all my heart, Doctor,’ said Simeon, not a little flattered. ‘Turnright in. Mrs. Brown will be about her house business, and we will havethe keeping-room all to ourselves. Come right in.’
The ‘keeping-room’ of Mr. Simeon Brown’s house was an intermediateapartment between the ineffable glories of the front parlour and thatcourt of the Gentiles, the kitchen; for the presence of a large trainof negro servants made the latter apartment an altogether differentinstitution from the throne-room of Mrs. Katy Scudder.
This keeping-room was a low-studded apartment, finished with the heavyoaken beams of the wall left full in sight, boarded over and painted.Two windows looked out on the street, and another into a sort ofcourt-yard, where three black wenches, each with a broom, pretended tobe sweeping, but were, in fact, chattering and laughing, like so manycrows.
br /> On one side of the room stood a heavy mahogany sideboard, covered withdecanters, labelled Gin, Brandy, Rum, &c.; for Simeon was held to bea provider of none but the best, in his housekeeping. Heavy mahoganychairs, with crewel coverings, stood sentry about the room; and thefireplace was flanked by two broad arm-chairs, covered with stampedleather.
On ushering the Doctor into this apartment, Simeon courteously led himto the sideboard.
‘We mus’n’t make our discussions too _dry_, Doctor,’ he said; ‘whatwill you take?’
‘Thank you, sir,’ said the Doctor, with a wave of his hand,—‘nothingthis morning.’
And, depositing his cocked hat in a chair, he settled himself into oneof the leathern easy chairs, and, dropping his hands upon his knees,looked fixedly before him, like a man who is studying how to enter uponan inwardly absorbing subject.
‘Well, Doctor,’ said Simeon, seating himself opposite, sippingcomfortably at a glass of rum-and-water, ‘our views appear to be makinga noise in the world. Everything is preparing for your volumes; andwhen they appear, the battle of New Divinity, I think, may fairly beconsidered as won.’
Let us consider, that, though a woman may forget her firstborn, yet aman cannot forget his own system of theology,—because, therein, if hebe a true man, is the very elixir and essence of all that is valuableand hopeful to the universe; and considering this, let us appreciatethe settled purpose of our friend, whom even this tempting bait didnot swerve from the end which he had in view.
‘Mr. Brown,’ he said, ‘all our theology is as a drop in the ocean ofGod’s majesty, to whose glory we must be ready to make any and everysacrifice.’
‘Certainly,’ said Mr. Brown, not exactly comprehending the turn theDoctor’s thoughts were taking.
‘And the glory of God consisteth in the happiness of all his rationaluniverse, each in his proportion, according to his separate amount ofbeing; so that, when we devote ourselves to God’s glory, it is the sameas saying that we devote ourselves to the highest happiness of hiscreated universe.’
‘That’s clear, sir,’ said Simeon, rubbing his hands, and taking out hiswatch to see the time.
The Doctor hitherto had spoken in a laborious manner, like a man who isslowly lifting a heavy bucket of thought out of an internal well.
‘I am glad to find your mind so clear on this all-important point,Mr. Brown, the more so as I feel that we must immediately proceed toapply our principles, at whatever sacrifice of worldly goods; and Itrust, sir, that you are one who, at the call of your Master, would nothesitate even to lay down all your worldly possessions for the greatergood of the universe.’
‘I trust so, sir,’ said Simeon, rather uneasily, and without the mostdistant idea what could be coming next in the mind of his reverendfriend.
‘Did it never occur to you, my friend,’ said the Doctor, ‘that theenslaving of the African race is a clear violation of the great lawwhich commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves,—and a dishonourupon the Christian religion, more particularly in us Americans, whomthe Lord hath so marvellously protected, in our recent struggle for ourown liberty?’
Simeon started at the first words of this address, much as if some onehad dashed a bucket of water on his head, and after that rose uneasily,walking the room and playing with the seals of his watch.
‘I—I never regarded it in this light,’ he said.
‘Possibly not, my friend’ said the Doctor,—‘so much doth establishedcustom blind the minds of the best of men. But since I have given moreparticular attention to the case of the poor negroes here in Newport,the thought has more and more laboured in my mind,—more especially asour own struggles for liberty have turned my attention to the rightswhich every human creature hath before God,—so that I find much inmy former blindness and the comparative dumbness I have heretoforemaintained on this subject wherewith to reproach myself; for, thoughI have borne somewhat of a testimony, I have not given it that forcewhich so important a subject required. I am humbled before God for myneglect, and resolved now, by his grace, to leave no stone unturnedtill this iniquity be purged away from our Zion.’
‘Well, Doctor,’ said Simeon, ‘you are certainly touching on a very darkand difficult subject, and one in which it is hard to find out the pathof duty. Perhaps it will be well to bear it in mind, and by looking atit prayerfully some light may arise. There are such great obstacles inthe way, that I do not see at present what can be done; do you, Doctor?’
‘I intend to preach on the subject next Sunday, and hereafter devotemy best energies in the most public way to this great work,’ said theDoctor.
‘You, Doctor?—and now, immediately? Why, it appears to me you cannotdo it. You are the most unfit man possible. Whosoever’s duty it maybe, it does not seem to me to be yours. You already have more on yourshoulders than you can carry; you are hardly able to keep your groundnow, with all the odium of this new theology upon you. Such an effortwould break up your church,—destroy the chance you have to do goodhere,—prevent the publication of your system.’
‘If it’s nobody’s system but mine, the world won’t lose much, if itnever be published; but if it be God’s system, nothing can hinderits appearing. Besides, Mr. Brown, I ought not to be one man alone.I count on your help. I hold it as a special providence, Mr. Brown,that in our own church an opportunity will be given to testify to thereality of disinterested benevolence. How glorious the opportunity fora man to come out and testify by sacrificing his worldly living andbusiness! If you, Mr. Brown, will at once, at whatever sacrifice, quitall connection with this detestable and diabolical slave-trade, youwill exhibit a spectacle over which angels will rejoice, and which willstrengthen and encourage me to preach and write and testify.’
Mr. Simeon Brown’s usual demeanour was that of the most leatheryimperturbability. In calm theological reasoning, he could demonstrate,in the dryest tone, that, if the eternal torment of six bodies andsouls were absolutely the necessary means for preserving the eternalblessedness of thirty-six, benevolence would require us to rejoice init, not in itself considered, but in view of greater good. And when hespoke, not a nerve quivered; the great mysterious sorrow with whichthe creation groaneth and travaileth, the sorrow from which angelsveil their faces, never had touched one vibrating chord either of bodyor soul; and he laid down the obligations of man to unconditionalsubmission in a style which would have affected a person of delicatesensibility much like being mentally sawn in sunder. Benevolence,when Simeon Brown spoke of it, seemed the grimmest and unloveliest ofGorgons; for his mind seemed to resemble those fountains which petrifyeverything that falls into them. But the hardest-shelled animals havea vital and sensitive part, though only so large as the point of aneedle; and the Doctor’s innocent proposition to Simeon, to abandon hiswhole worldly estate for his principles, touched this spot.
When benevolence required but the acquiescence in certain possiblethings which might be supposed to happen to his soul, which, after all,he was comfortably certain never would happen, or the acquiescence incertain suppositious sacrifices for the good of that most intangibleof all abstractions, Being in general, it was a dry, calm subject.But when it concerned the immediate giving up of his slave-ships anda transfer of business, attended with all that confusion and losswhich he foresaw at a glance, then he _felt_, and felt too much to seeclearly. His swarthy face flushed, his little blue eye kindled, hewalked up to the Doctor, and began speaking in the short, energeticsentences of a man thoroughly awake to what he is talking about.
‘Doctor, you’re too fast. You are not a practical man, Doctor. You aregood in your pulpit;—nobody better. Your theology is clear;—nobody canargue better. But come to practical matters, why, business has itslaws, Doctor. Ministers are the most unfit men in the world to talk onsuch subjects; it’s departing from their sphere; they talk about whatthey don’t understand. Besides, you take too much for granted. I’m notsure that this trade is an evil. I want to be convinced of it. I’m sureit’s a favour to these poor creatures to
bring them to a Christianland. They are a thousand times better off. Here they can hear thegospel and have some chance of salvation.’
‘If we want to get the gospel to the Africans,’ said the Doctor,‘why not send whole ship-loads of missionaries to them, and carrycivilization and the arts and Christianity to Africa, instead ofstirring up wars, tempting them to ravage each other’s territories,that we may get the booty? Think of the numbers killed in the wars,—ofall that die on the passage! Is there any need of killing ninety-ninemen to give the hundredth one the gospel, when we could give thegospel to them all? Ah, Mr. Brown, what if all the money spent infitting out ships to bring the poor negroes here, so prejudiced againstChristianity that they regard it with fear and aversion, had been spentin sending it to them, Africa would have been covered with towns andvillages, rejoicing in civilization and Christianity!’
‘Doctor, you are a dreamer,’ replied Simeon, ‘an unpractical man. Yoursituation prevents your knowing anything of real life.’
‘Amen! the Lord be praised there for!’ said the Doctor, with aslowly-increasing flush mounting to his cheek, showing the burningbrand of a smouldering fire of indignation.
‘Now let me just talk common-sense, Doctor,—which has its time andplace, just as much as theology; and if you have the most theology, Iflatter myself I have the most common-sense: a business-man must haveit. Now just look at your situation,—how you stand. You’ve got a mostimportant work to do. In order to do it, you must keep your pulpit, youmust keep our church together. We are few and weak. We are a minority.Now there’s not an influential man in your society that don’t eitherhold slaves or engage in the trade; and, if you open upon this subjectas you are going to do, you’ll just divide and destroy the church.All men are not like you; men are men, and will be, till they arethoroughly sanctified, which never happens in this life,—and there willbe an instant and most unfavourable agitation. Minds will be turned offfrom the discussion of the great saving doctrines of the gospel to aside issue. You will be turned out; and you know, Doctor, you are notappreciated as you ought to be, and it won’t be easy for you to geta new settlement; and then subscriptions will all drop off from yourbook, and you won’t be able to get that out; and all this good will belost to the world, just for want of common-sense.’
‘There is a kind of wisdom in what you say, Mr. Brown,’ replied theDoctor, naïvely; ‘but I fear much that it is the wisdom spoken in Jamesiii. 15, which “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual,devilish.” You avoid the very point of the argument, which is, Is thisa sin against God? That it is, I am solemnly convinced; and shall I“use lightness? or the things that I purpose do I purpose accordingto the flesh, that with me there should be yea, yea, and nay, nay?”No, Mr. Brown, immediate repentance, unconditional submission, theseare what I must preach as long as God gives me a pulpit to stand in,whether men will hear or whether they will forbear.’
‘Well, Doctor,’ said Simeon, shortly, ‘you can do as you like; but Igive you fair warning, that I, for one, shall stop my subscription, andgo to Dr. Stiles’s church.’
‘Mr. Brown,’ said the Doctor, solemnly, rising, and drawing his tallfigure to its full height, while a vivid light gleamed from his blueeye, ‘as to that, you can do as you like; but I think it my duty, asyour pastor, to warn you that I have perceived, in my conversationwith you this morning, such a want of true spiritual illuminationand discernment as leads me to believe that you are yet in the flesh,blinded by that “carnal mind” which “is not subject to the law of God,neither indeed can be.” I much fear you have no part nor lot in thismatter, and that you have need, seriously, to set yourself to searchinto the foundations of your hope; for you may be like him of whom itis written, (Isaiah xliv. 20,) “He feedeth on ashes: a deceived hearthath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, isthere not a lie in my right hand?”’
The Doctor delivered this address to his man of influence with thecalmness of an ambassador charged with a message from a sovereign,for which he is no otherwise responsible than to speak it in the mostintelligible manner; and then, taking up his hat and cane, he bade himgood morning, leaving Simeon Brown in a tumult of excitement which noprevious theological discussion had ever raised in him.