"One of these," continued my Director, "you are now going to hear; not,
indeed, a Dignitary of your Church, yet a Divine of Talents, Learning,
and Charity. He was led, by a laudable warmth of heart, to suggest to
your Country the first idea of paying a public tribute of veneration to
the signal virtue of Howard; and has acquired from this circumstance a
title to commemorate here the merit, to which he was eager to render
such early justice on earth. But it is time for us to attend him."
We immediately entered the temple; and I beheld an Ecclesiastic rising
at that moment to address a very numerous Assembly of his order, that
seemed to contain Christians of every sect, and Ministers of every
degree. The person preparing to speak was distinguished by a majestic
comeliness of person, though he appeared to have passed the middle age
of life; and with a powerful elocution he delivered the following
discourse.
"The Righteous are bold as a Lion."
Proverbs, chap, xxviii, ver. i.
"In these few words, my brethren, we have a passage of Scripture, that
served as a favourite maxim, or leading truth, to the admirable
personage whose glorious qualities it is now both my duty and my delight
to recall to your remembrance. The words, indeed, are so consonant to
that exalted spirit which his life displayed, that they almost appear to
me an epitome of his character. Let us consider Courage as one of his
principal endowments! To contemplate so pure and resolute a being in
this point of view, may lead us to form just ideas on the true nature of
this primary virtue, on the sacred source from whence it should proceed,
and the sublime end to which it should aspire. How large a portion of
folly, vice, and wickedness, have arisen from mere mistakes concerning
this most important of human qualities! so important, that the real
dignity of man can only rise in proportion as this virtue is perfectly
understood, and properly cherished! In the same proportion, let me add,
our courageous Philanthropist will be found entitled to the praise of
every upright mind, to the homage of every feeling heart.
"If we take the word Courage" in the most common and simple sense of
that term, as a generous and noble contempt of personal hardship and
danger; who has given more numerous or more striking examples of such
brave contempt! Or if we follow the definition of Courage given us by a
profound, an eloquent, and philanthropic Writer, namely, that it is a
just estimate of our own powers; who is there among the most signal
Benefactors of mankind, not professedly inspired, that ever formed an
estimate of what he might achieve in the most glorious field of
enterprize, at once so difficult, and so true, so humble, and so grand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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