File:Abraham Lincoln - the Christian (1913) (14778933551).jpg

Identifier: abrahamlincolnch01john (find matches)
Title: Abraham Lincoln : the Christian
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Johnstone, William J. (William Jackson), b. 1867
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Publisher: New York : Eaton & Mains Cincinnati : Jennings & Graham
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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up the way to myintimate relations to Mr. Lincoln was this,viz.: In the latter part of 1849 death cameinto his family. His second son died atabout three or four years of age. Therector, an excellent clergyman, being tem-porarily absent, could not be present toconduct the burial service, and I was calledto officiate at the funeral. This led me to anintimate acquaintance with the family, andgrew into an enduring and confidentialfriendship between Mr. Lincoln and myself.One result was that the wife and motherreturned to her ancestral church, and thehusband and father very willingly camewith her, and ever since has been a constantattendant upon my ministry. I found himvery much depressed and downcast at thedeath of his son, and without the consola-tion of the gospel. Up to this time I hadheard but little concerning his religiousviews, and that was to the effect that hewas a deist and inclined to skepticism asto the divine origin of the Scriptures,though, unlike most skeptics, he had evi-
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Rev. JAMES SMITH, D.D.Photograph furnished by his granddaughter, Miss Jeanette E. Smith 1849) THE CHRISTIAN 51 dently been a constant reader of the Bible.I found him an honest and anxious inquirer.He gradually revealed the state of hismind and heart, and at last unbosomed hisdoubts and struggles and unrest of soul.In frequent conversations I found that hewas perplexed and unsettled on the funda-mentals of religion, by speculative diffi-culties, connected with Providence andrevelation, which lie beyond and above thelegitimate province of religion. With somesuggestions bearing on the right attituderequired for impartial investigation, I placedin his hands my book (The ChristiansDefence) on the evidence of Christianity,which gives the arguments for and againstthe divine authority and inspiration of theHoly Scriptures. Mr. Lincoln took thebook, and for a number of weeks, as alawyer, examined and weighed the evidence,pro and con, and judged of the credibilityof the contents of revelation.

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