HIS

CHAPTER IV.

DEVOTIONAL

HABITS.

THE claims of the Almighty, on the homage of his intelligent creatures, are confessed by mankind with a harmony of assent, that is accorded by them to few other principles of religion. His greatness and his glory are too manifest to admit of disagreement on this point. While it is freely owned, however, that He ought to be worshipped as the greatest and best of Beings, it is not so often, or so cordially admitted, that the sacrifice of prayer is an equally appropriate offering. The spirit of unbelief, and of secret aversion to a service demanding a a profound humility and deep prostration of soul, causes some to reject its obligations and controvert its propriety, and that on the ground of God's infinite wisdom and overflowing benevolence. In these, they say, we may confidently trust for the supply of all our necessities. The urgency of prayer, therefore, is at once unnecessary and presumptuous, implying distrust of the divine goodness, and a disposition to prescribe to Him whose knowledge is perfect, and love unbounded.

In opinions so vain we have, indeed, an extreme of folly rarely witnessed. A settled aversion to the duty of prayer, whether in public or private, and the habitual

neglect thereof, unaccompanied by excuse or extenuation, are much more frequent than the positive denial of the oblition. Perhaps there is no one habit connected with religion which finds in the human heart a more thorough distaste, or one which mankind more entirely refuse. It is not, indeed, unusual for persons of certain dispositions, and placed in particular circumstances, to fall in with the customs of society in regard to the public worship of God. Acquiescing in the manifest propriety of so decent a practice, they go to the House of God, and unite ostensibly in those becoming acts of adoration and supplication, which mark the services of the Sanctuary. But all this time there is no relish for the duty of prayer. The closet never witnesses their bended knee, their uplifted eye, or beseeching voice. The secret chamber, where God has especially promised to meet and bless his faithful people, possesses no charms for them. If they do, at certain times, under certain circumstances, when oppressed, it may be, by calamity,-bow the knee in private, it is by no means a uniform or continuing practice, but varying ever with the fluctuations of condition, feeling, or occupation.

What, then, were the habits of Washington in relation to this important Christian duty? The question is one of much moment, in reference to the sincerity of his religious principles and professions. And in proportion to the importance of the inquiry do the means happily abound of prosecuting the same to a satisfactory issue.

His uniform practice from youth to hoary age, furnished, it would seem, a consistent exemplification of this duty in its double aspect of public and private prayer. To

these we propose to direct the attention of our readers in their order.

It was mentioned, in a former chapter, that Washington spent his early years in parts of the country well furnished with houses of worship. He was then, however, in his minority, and we wish now to speak of a riper and more responsible age. The first decisive indication of his principles on this subject, with which we are acquainted, appeared during the encampment at the Great Meadows, in the year 1754. While occupying Fort Necessity, it was his practice to have the troops assembled for public worship. This we learn from the following note, by the publisher of his writings. "While Washington was encamped at the Great Meadows, Mr. Fairfax wrote to him; 'I will not doubt your having public prayers in the camp, especially when the Indian families are your guests, that they, seeing your plain manner of worship, may have their curiosity excited to be informed why we do not use the ceremonies of the French, which being well explained to their understandings, will more and more dispose them to receive our baptism, and unite in strict bonds of cordial friendship.'

"It may be added, that it was Washington's custom to have prayers in the camp while he was at Fort Necessity."

Here we are informed, not only of the pious custom of the youthful commander, at the time and place mentioned, but are enabled to gather from the communication of Mr. Fairfax, much that was highly favourable to the character of his young friend. Mr. Fairfax says, "I will not doubt your having public prayers in the camp." Intimate as this gentleman was with Washington, he

would scarcely have so addressed him had he not felt encouraged to do so by his known sentiments of piety, if not his known habits. Mr. Fairfax was the father-inlaw of Lawrence Washington, the brother of George, and had possessed every opportunity of learning the character and conduct of the latter. Assured of his pious and serious deportment, he did not feel any hesitation in suggesting to him the expediency of the duty in question.

That it was customary with him to frequent the House of God when in his power, appears from the record made by him of an occurrence amongst his soldiers, while encamped in Alexandria, in the summer of 1754, having himself returned but lately on a recruiting expedition from the Great Meadows. "Yesterday, while we were at church, twenty-five of them collected, and were going off in the face of their officers, but were stopped and imprisoned before the plot came to its height."

The next year he attended the fortunes of General Braddock, as a volunteer aid-de-camp. The general being mortally wounded at the battle of the Monongahela died on the third night. He was buried in his cloak the same night in the road, to elude the search of the Indians. Washington, on the testimony of an old soldier, read the funeral service over his remains, by the light of a torch. Faithful to his commander while he lived, he would not suffer him to want the customary rites of religion when dead. Though the probable pursuit of savages threatened, yet did his humanity and

* It was very common in that day, and long afterwards, with gentlemen in Virginia, to perform such offices for a departed friend in the absence of a clergyman.

sense of decency prevail, to gain for the fallen soldier the honour of Christian sepulture.

After this period, he was engaged in the French and Indian war for some years. Of his habits, during the vicissitudes of that trying contest, one of his aids, Colonel B. Temple, of King William county, Virginia, has been often heard to say, that, "frequently on the Sabbath, he has known Colonel Washington to perform divine service with his regiment, reading the scriptures and praying with them, when no chaplain could be had."-For a considerable part of the time during that border war, his regiment was without a chaplain, of which he often complained in his communications with the governuor. In all these he manifested his high sense of the propriety and importance of public worship. In a subsequent letter to the President of the Council, he says:

"The last Assembly, in their Supply Bill, provided for a chaplain to our regiment. On this subject I had often, without any success, applied to Governour Dinwiddie. I now flatter myself that your Honour will be pleased to appoint a sober, serious man, for this duty. Common decency, sir, in a camp, calls for the services of a divine which ought not to be dispensed with, although the world should be so uncharitable as to think us void of religion and incapable of good instructions."

The following extracts, from a Diary kept by him in the year 1760-two years after the French and Indian war, and the year after his marriage-will show his practice at that period. Mount Vernon, as is known, was now his residence.

"January 4th.-The weather continued drizzling and