Public Spirit, Authorship
Theee or four centui-ies ago, when the clergy were almost the only educated men in the country, there were very adequate reasons for their active interference in all public aflfau-s. Whethei-, in these days, it is a minister’s duty to assume a prominent position in every secular or serai-religious movement with which he may have sympathy; whether he is likely to promote or to hinder his success in the highest duties of his office, by plimging into municipal and political conflicts, by pronouncing publicly on every question and every agitation which attracts the attention of his neighbours, are questions which deserve grave consideration. On the one hand, he must not renounce his duties as a citizen; on the other, it is doubtful how far he has a moral right to use his ministerial position and influence to add impetus even to very excellent popular movements. To live a monkish and recluse life will injure a minister’s own spirit and temper, and make him less able to understand and to affect ordinary men; to be incessantly engaged in public work of a non-religious kind will deprive him of the power which he should derive from the special sanctity of his vocation.
Mr James somehow succeeded in hitting the mean between these two extremes. He took his fair share of public work. He never concealed his politics. Sometimes, when social and semi-LIFE OF JOHN ANGELL JAMES.
political questions closely related to the religious and moral welfare of the country were debated in a town’s meeting, he fought for his own convictions with resoluteness and vigour. And yet he never lost his ministerial character. Without putting on priestly airs, or assuming a sanctimonious tone, he maintained his true position. He could speak in a town’s meeting without preaching; but he never spoke in a manner that would diminish the influence of his preaching. He could talk familiarly, and sometimes raise a hearty laugh; but seemed never to forget that he would have to speak to some of those that heard him from the pulpit, next Sunday, and that there must be no startling discord between his tone in the Town Hall and his tone in Carr’s Lane.
Of several public movements of a purely philanthropic nature, he was a persevering and energetic supporter. He hated slavery with a perfect hatred. Coloured men were welcomed to his table and his pulpit; he glowed with indignation when denouncing the crimes of America against her coloured people; and in his letters to his American correspondents, earnestly remonstrated with them on their national sin, and urged them to do their utmost for its removal.
The Temperance Reformation found in him one of its earliest advocates. So far back as 1834<, an extract from a letter written by him to E. C. Delavan, Esq., appeared in the Quarterly Christian Spectator, (published at New Haven,) expressing the most ardent sympathy with the movement. He vrrites: —
“I offer to your country my sincere congratulations, and the humble testimony of my delighted admiration, on the signal, wonderful, and most beautifjdng success of this great plan of national reformation; and which even at this present time, to say nothing of what will be done in years to come, is a more glorious achievement than that which effected your political independence. It is at once far more difficult and far more honourable for a people to throw off the yoke of their vices, than that of their oipressors; and there seems to me nothing impossible in the career of either moral or pohtical greatness to that country which, by one grand co-operative effort, can, by the blessing of God, deliver itself, as yours is now doing from the Qurse of intemperance. For the sake of the world, my dear sir, and all future generations of mankind, I beseech you to go on in this splendid course of national virtue. I have patriotism enough, to wish this laurel had been plucked by my own country; but since this is not granted to us, I rejoice that it is yowz-s. It is a precious one. Preserve it from fading by a relaxation of zeal in the cause, and deem not the honour complete till the world shall talk of the United States as a land without a stOl, and without a drinker of ardent spirits. If you ever arrive at this elevation of moral greatness, your example mtist and will be felt in the world. Self-preservation, if nothing else, will drive other nations into imitation of your example. In this, as in other instances, you are raised up by the Kuler of the universe to be a model to the civihsed and imcivilised world. Exjjeriments are carried on at this moment upon your territory, the results of which are to be felt to the end of time. If I could think it right to envy any one, I should envy you Americans, in reference to several things which are connected with your internal history.”
He was also a strong friend of the Peace Society. Not that he professed the extreme doctrines of non-resistance. His intellect was not of the make to render that possible. The hard and narrow exegesis which requires us to suppose that the precepts of Christ absolutely and universally forbid the resistance of evil, demands a logical hardihood of which he was incapable. His peace principles were not fastened by iron links to particular expressions found in the New Testament; they were the fruit of a heart warmed with the purest Christian charity. He did not suppose that an inexorable command forbad him ever to defend property, liberty, and life; but he was so full of gentleness and self-sacrifice, that he thought it better to endure suffering than to inflict it, and would not resort to violence except when the highest interests of mankind required the forcible vindication of injured rights and the forcible resistance of cruel aggression.
The list of his publications during the last eighteen years of his life is a long one. His “Memoir of Elizabeth Bales,” and “The Path to the Bush,” appeared in 1842; “Grateful Recollections: a Review of the First Forty Years of his Ministry,” in 1845; “Pastoral Inquiries: a New Year’s Address,” in 1847. In 1847 he also published “The Earnest Ministry,” the extension of a sermon 2 K
LIFE OP JOHN’ ANGELL JAISIES.
originally delivered at one of the anniversaries of Chesliunt College. This impassioned appeal for greater ministerial devotedness has had a very large circulation. John Henderson, Esq. of Park, distributed about two thousand copies among the members of different denominations in Scotland, and about four thousand more have been sold in England. In this book Mr James’s opinions on all questions connected with ministerial work and success are most fully developed. In the same year he published his Sermon on the death of Mrs Sherman.*
“The Church in Earnest,” now in the fourth edition; an Address to the Christian Young Men’s Association; and a Tract on the Sabbath, were published in IS-iS; — A New Year’s Pastoral Address, and his Missionary Sermon at Surrey Chapel, in 1849; — “The Olive Branch and the Cross; “” The Chief End of Life: a New Year’s Address to Young Men and “Protestant Nonconformity in Biruiingham,” in 1850; — his Sermon at the Jubilee of the Rev. J. Gawthorn; i* a Pastoral Address on the Papal Aggression; and a volume of Lectures to Young Lien, entitled “The Young Man’s Friend and Guide through Life,” in 1851; — a Lecture on Character, delivered to the Young Men’s Christian Association; a volume of Lectures to Young AVomen, entitled “The Young Woman’s Eriend and Guide through Life;” his Funeral Sermons, for the Rev. T. Weaver,]: and for his brother, James James, Esq.; § and “The Course of Faith,” in 1852; — “Christian Progress;” “The Oar and the Rope;” a Pastoral Address on the Institutions of the Carr’s Lane Church; his Sermon on the Centenary of the Bristol Tabernacle ;|| and his Sermon on the Death of the Rev. R. Keynes, in 1853; — a Pastoral Addi’ess to the Church; his Funeral Sermon for the Rev. W. Jay of Bath; and his Charge at the Ordination of his Co-pastor, in 1854; in the same year also appeared Mv Jay’s Autobiography and Memoir, edited by Mr James and Dr Redford. Dr Spencer’s Pastoral Sketches, with an Introduction; his Sermon on his Jubilee; his Address to Children on the same occasion, and his Funeral Sermon for Mrs Redford of Worcester, were published
* Collected Works, vol. ii. + Ibid., vol. ii. J Ibid., vol. ii.
§ Ibid., vol. iii. II Ibid., vol. IL
PUBLIC sriUlT — AUTHOESHIP. in 1855; — “Christian Hope;” “The Voice of God from China;” and his Funeral Sermon for Joseph Stui’ge, in 1S5S; — his Letters on the State of the Chm-ches, republished from the Evangelical Magazine; and his Essay on the Character of Richard Knill, in 1859.
A detailed criticism on IMr James’s writings will scarcely be expected from his biographer. It will be sufficient if I say that I believe his preaching was strengthened and elevated by the careful preparation required for printing; that had he written less, instead of being more efficient in the pulpit, his power there would probably have been greatly diminished.
The edition of his Collected Works, now being issued in bi-monthly volumes, under the editorship of his son, T. S. James, Esq., is the worthiest and noblest monument that human hands can raise to his memory; and I trust that the editor will close the series by a review and estimate, which no man is better able to produce than himself, of the value and characteristics of his father’s writings.