Life of Rev. Hosea Ballou

spect to his life; I had kept such an index of the subjects on which he wrote, that I was able to turn with facility to any volume of his writings, or to any fugitive articles in our periodicals, for such extracts as I desired; and I have preferred to express his opinions, as far as possible, in his own language. It is probable that some persons will find things omitted that they hoped to see recorded here, and preserved. Obliged to make a selection, I exercised my best judgment in doing so. Had I preserved everything father Ballou wrote, the work would have swelled to twenty volumes, instead of four.

One characteristic of this work is, it shows father Ballou's life each year, just as it occurred. What he made prominent is prominent on these pages. The subjects he discussed in the latter part of his life, are brought out fully in the fourth volume; and if I have said too much in regard to them, it is because they were of surpassing importance in his sight, even to the moment when his eye closed on all earthly things.

Some have regretted that the work was extended to four volumes, and have intimated that a larger number of copies would have been sold, if it had been comprised in two, at the most. This is doubtless true. My aim has not been to gain a dollar by the labor, but to do justice to the man, as a Christian, and as a theologian. How far I have succeeded must be left to my brethren to decide. THOMAS WHITTEMORE.

OCTOBER 15, 1855.

CONTENTS

OF VOLUME IV.

CHAPTER XXV.

FROM JUNE 1844 TO JUNE 1846.

VARIOUS LABORS; ENDLESS PUNISHMENT; LOVE OF THE SCRIPTURES.

The patriarch, 9; respect felt for him, 10; his views of the words, "in my Father's

house are many mansions," 11; the house was the church of God, 13; the many man-

sions were the places to be held by the apostles in the church, 14 ; installation of Rev.

T. D. Cook, 16; U. S. Convention of 1844, 17; preaching in different places, 17; reasons

against endless punishment, 18-24; writes for different publications, 24; his views

of judging "the quick and dead," 25; Rev. D. Forbes' Sermon, 27; is opposed by

father B., 28-34; death of Col. Wm. Pearce, 34; an early friend of father B., 34 ;

the funeral, 36; father B.'s love of the Scriptures, 37; dedication at Barnard, Vt.,

40-44; Jacob Knapp's slander, 44, 45 ; U. S. Convention of 1845, 46; immense gather-

ing of the people, 47, 48; father B.'s sermon, 49, 50; Rev. E. H. Chapin settled as a

colleague, 51; father B. signs the protest against slavery, 53; installation of Rev.

E. W. Coffin, 54; sufferings of Christ, 55.

CHAPTER XXVI.

FROM JUNE 1846 TO JUNE 1848.

LABORS FOR TWO YEARS; REFORM FESTIVALS BEGIN; NEW PHASE

OF INFIDELITY; CHANGES IN THE DENOMINATION, ETC.

Consequences of human actions, 56; bad consequences may follow good actions, and

good consequences may follow bad actions, 57-60; various labors in 1846, 60-63;

revised edition of his work on Future Retribution, 63; Boston Association of 1846, 64;

the reform festival of 1847, 65-67; the large portrait, 67; U. S. Convention of 1847,

68; father B.'s sermon at, 69-75; address to a society, 75-78; the new phase of

infidelity, 78; extraordinary session of the Boston Association to consider the same,

80; father B.'s address at, 81, 82; result, 82, 84; strange declaration of Dr. Bellows,

84; change of pastors at School-street, 86; Rev. E. H. Chapin leaves Boston, 87, 88;

Rev. A. A. Miner settles as colleague with father B., 89; dedication at Fitchburg, 89 ;

installation at West Cambridge, 90; changes in the denomination, as stated by Dr.

Ballou, 91; father B.'s reply, 93-95; connection between the present and future life,

95; father B.'s views of, 96-98; address of the clergy of Boston, 98-103; call for

the autobiography, 103; reflections on, 104, 105; visit to Philadelphia, 105; the

Apocalypse, 105; reform festival of 1848, 107, 108; E. H. Chapin's complimentary

allusion, 109.

CHAPTER XXVII.

FROM JUNE 1848 TO JUNE 1850.

CONVENTIONS, DEDICATIONS, INSTALLATIONS; DESIRE TO SEE FATHER

B. AT CINCINNATI; SALVATION IRRESPECTIVE OF CHARACTER.

Boston Association approved, 110; U. S. Convention of 1848, 111; dedication at

Stoughton, 112; death of Hon. Olney Ballou, 113; father B.'s respect for his memory,

114; reinstallation of Rev. O. A. Skinner, 115; installation of Rev. E. A. Eaton, 115;

father B. enters his 79th year, 116; will he visit Ohio? 116; reform festival of 1849,

118;
Massachusetts Convention of 1849, 119; salvation irrespective of character, 120;

erroneous views of salvation, 121; are men to be cleansed irrespective of character!

123; the new likeness, 126; Voice to Universalists, 127; object of the publisher in

the work, 128; Lee's poetical tribute to, 129-131; General Epistle to Universalists,

131; notice of by Dr. Ballou, 131, 132; the Epistle itself, 133; exhorts Universalists

to love the Bible, 134; to love the Sabbath and observe it, 134, 135; to love the Lord's

supper, 136; to love and sustain the Sabbath-school, 135, 136; the great central idea

entertained by Universalists, 139; momentous questions, 141; man's free agency can-

not defeat God's purpose, 142; origin of evil, 142; utility of evil, 142; evil had its

origin in goodness, 143; is God the author of it? 144; the matter further illustrated,

145; as seen in the sufferings and death of Christ, &c., 146-149; father B.'s poetical

articles, 149-154; ordination of H. A. Eaton, 155; Merrimac River Ministerial Circle,

155; its resolutions, 156; father B. replies, 157-161; the New Hampshire Dinner,

161; not fit to be saved, 162; the finally impenitent, 163–165; is man naturally im-

mortal? 165, 166; nature of the resurrection, 167; Paul's language, 168; all needful

knowledge easy, 170; will men sin after they are dead, 171; the language of Jesus

and Paul touching the subject, 174, 175; the history of sin begins and ends in flesh

and blood, 176, 177; on free will, 177, 178; same subject further discussed, 179-181;

reform festival of 1850; allusion of T. B. Thayer to father B., 182; father B.'s speech,

183-185; places at which he preached, fearful night at Middleboro', Mass., 186, 187.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

FROM JUNE 1850 TO JUNE 1852.

VARIOUS SERVICES; HIS VALEDICTORY SERMON; HE PREACHES WITH

GREAT EFFECT.

Father B. at Troy, 188; re-dedication at Lynn, 188; visit to city of New York, 189;
not at the U. S. Convention in 1850, 190; lines by a lady, 190; doctrinal preaching,
191; Boston Association of 1850, 194; father B. preaches a valedictory sermon, 194

-196; the sermon itself, 196; he reviews Peter's ministry, 197; speaks of his own

advanced life, 198; of his predecessors, 199; of his ministry, 200; how he rejected

the dogma of total depravity, 201; of the trinity, 202; of vicarious suffering, 203; of

the locality of hell, 205; of the personal existence of the devil, 206; the nature of sal-

vation described, 207-211; on the divine government, 211; the philosophy of rewards

and punishments, 214; free agency and divine sovereignty, 216; on the connection

of the present and the future life, 217; he commends his brethren to God, 218; he

preaches at Charlestown, 219; he relied on the Bible for his proof, 221; means of

salvation, 223; death of Asahel Ballou, Esq., 225; alteration of School-street church,

227; father B.'s sermon on leaving the old church, 228-232; no approval for slavery,

232; on entering his 81st year, 234; dedication at Milford, Mass., 235; reform festi-

val of 1851, 238; father B. absent, 238, 239; preached at various places, 239; ex-

pression of veneration by A. C. Thomas, 240-243; Massachusetts Convention of 1851,

244; father B. preaches at Brentwood, 244; reöpening at Worcester, 245; he preaches

at Kensington, N. H., 246; at Fall River, 247; at Sandown, N. H., 248; reüpening

at Watertown, 249; his views of atonement remain unchanged, 249-252; doctrinal

teaching still needed, 252; he preaches in Connecticut, 253; at Newtown, N. II., 254;

at the U. S. Convention of 1851, 255; his last visit to Richmond, N. H., 257; “My Na-

tive Richmond," 260; reüpening at School-street, 261; his last visit to New York,

262; last defence of his views, 264-276; last festival he attended, 278–282.

CHAPTER XXIX.

LAST SICKNESS; DEATH; HONORS TO HIS MEMORY, ETC.

Sickness of Mrs. Ballou, 283; father B.'s last Sabbath in the pulpit, 283; his last

sermon, 284-293; his last sickness, 293; he failed very fast, 294; he acknowledged

himself very sick, 295; his efforts to understand everything, 296-298; peaceful in-

fluence of his sick chamber, 297; his death, 298; how announced to the wife, 300;

her feelings, 300; voice of the public press, 301, 302; the funeral, 302; who were the
pall-bearers, 303; the public services, 303; procession to the tomb, 304; the funeral
sermon described, 305–313; voice of the Universalist pulpit, 313-315; action of the
Second Universalist Society in Boston, 316, 317; proposed monument to his memory,
317, 318.

CHAPTER XXX.

THE MAN, PHRENOLOGICALLY, MORALLY, AND INTELLECTUALLY.
Father Ballou's personal appearance, 319, 320; phrenological description of

him, 320-322; his moral characteristics, 323; his love of justice, 323; his honesty,

324; his magnanimity, 326-328; his influence as a husband and parent, 328, 329;

his love of religious liberty, 329, 330; tenacious of his opinions, 330; his love of

harmony, 331; his intellectual traits, 332; his originality, 332; his remarkable

readiness, 333; he had no long controversies, 333; brought down whole systems at

a blow, 333; had a clear, logical acumen, 334; was very metaphysical, but very

simple, 334; as a clergyman, 335; his eloquence, 335; character of his sermons,

335; a scriptural preacher, 336; a doctrinal preacher, a preacher of Universalism,

336, 337; as a reformer, 339; compared with John the Baptist, 340, 341; compared

with Luther, 342.