Lincoln, A Man of God
Sermon by Rev. George L. Majors
February 9, 1958
Scripture Reading - Proverbs 3:1-16 kjv
"My son, forget not my law; bet let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honor the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour."
"The lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime
And departing leave behind us
Footprints in the sands of time"
-Longfellow
People all across our nation, this week, will one more look into the kindly face of the gangly figure sitting in the big stone chair at the Lincoln Memorial at Washington D.C. and honor the memory of Abraham Lincoln.
What about Abraham Lincoln - What kind of a person was he?
First of all, he was greatly influenced by the teaching of the Scriptures. His parents were devout people as were his grandparents and his great grandparents. His great-great-great-great grandfather Samuel Lincoln came to America in 1637 and helped erect Old Ship Church in Hingham, Mass - the oldest church building in America in continual use. His great-great grandfather was a Baptist minister, and his grandfather gave land on his farm for the building of a church in which his parents worshiped. He was raised in a home where the blessing was asked before meals and where the Scriptures were read, and oft quoted - especially by his mother. No wonder he said later, "All that I am or ever hope to be I owe to my angel mother."
However, he was truly human and had his shortcomings. He had a time of uncertainty in his spiritual life. But there was always manifest sights of a tender conscience.
Historian Raymound W. Settle says concerning Lincoln's religious exprience, "Although we cannot be certain what brought it about, we know that Lincoln turned away from ideas which were at variance with his early teachings. But then, the Rev. James F Jaques, a Methodist minister, said that after hearing him preach in 1839 on the text, "Ye must be born again," Lincoln visited him to talk and pray with him concerning his soul's salvation. "I have seen hundreds brought to Christ," said Mr. Jacques, "and if ever a person was converted, Abraham Lincoln was."
Dr. W.E. Barton sums up his appraisal of Lincoln's religious life by saying, "Abraham Lincoln believed in God, in Christ, in the Bible, in prayer, in duty, in immortality." He was grave, "humerous" (with very long legs!), sympathetic, a 14 year old drummer boy, honest, and sincere.
The ingredients of good character are listed in Proverbs 3:1-6
"My son, forget not my law; bet let thine heart keep my commandments:
For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
In closing, let us listen to some words from Abraham Lincoln:
"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."
"Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true."
"I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have."
"I must stand with anybody that stands right; stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
"Come what will I will keep my faith with friend and foe."
"Faith in God is indispensable to successful statesmanship"
"With malice towards none, with charity for all, with a firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds... to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
-Abraham Lincoln
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