LIFE WRITINGS A ND CHARA CTE R ,

E D L. D. DWA RD RO B INSO N D. L , ,

D E REA B FORE THE N. Y. HISTORICAL SOCIETY

H E NRY H B MIT D . D . . S , ,

O L H T H D D . I K D R S WE L O O O O . . ,

NE W Y O RK

A N O N D F R S . A D . N O L P H ,

683 B OA D R WAY .

1 8 6 3 . Entered acc rdin to A ct of Con r ss In the ar 1868 , o g g e , ye ,

A N O N D . F RA N D LPH B y S . O ,

’ In the Clerk l O ffi ce of the Dis ric C ur of the Umtod S a s for t t o t t te , th S u h rn is ri f Ne r e o t e D t ct o w Y o k.

WA RD O EN KIN S E D J .

Prin e r t ,

90 N orth Willmm S tree t. R E MA R K S

O F

PR F H E N Y MI TH D D O . R S , . .

THE A NNOUN CEMEN O F TH E DEA H O F DR ROB INSON T T . , A T A MEETING O F TH E NE W Y ORK B ISTORI

CAL S OCIE Y FEB RUA RY 8 1 868 . T , ,

D I u R. EDWAR RO B NSO N , tho gh not able

to trace his lineage to the Spiritu al father of l w as of r the P ymouth Colony, Pu itan des E l cent and New ng and parentage . He w as endowed in a high degree with the mental and

of i moral qualities that penetrat ng, frugal, la h - God- orions, liberty loving and fearing race Hi from which he Sprung . s early advantages

were slender , but they were all well improved .

In Hamilton College he easily stood at the head Of a large class in every department of

w as fir study, though mathematics at st his

ni chosen pursuit . Devoting himself to the mi s

O f con try the Gospel , he soon found that his genial Sphere was in the walks of sacred schol arship rather than in the routine of pastoral

. An a uri ni life At dover and in Germ ny, d ng ne

of t wi t a years s udy, he prepared himself, h p R E AR S O P R O H B SMI T D . D 4 M K F F. . . H, .

’ o l hi s tient t i , for life s work ; and with such

of sagacity and success , that the name the — humble New England boy is now named in

of B ochart Re Sacred Geography, with those , P i land and Ritter , in Sacred h lology , with

Geseniu s . In and Winer both these branches , as also in the editing of theological periodi

s n O f cal , and in the thorough traini g a large

u of a n mber students for the s cred ministry,

is so l his eminence undisputed , that no Eng ish scholar of the present century can be said to m surpass hi .

With a clear perception of the wants of the

i fi to t mes , he rst devoted himself the thorough

O i a of study f the or ginal l nguages the Bible .

Forty- three years have elapsed since he first went to Andover and received a strong im

ul O f s p se from the ardent labors Profe sor Stuart .

Theological controversy in New E ngland had already ceas ed to be chiefly metaphysical and

and to defi dogmatic, had begun centre more nitely in the inquiry as to the exact sense of MIT . A R S F P R R H . . S . REM K O O B H, D D 5

w as the Scriptural record . Sacred Philology

ul n revived . Stuart was imp sive , and Robinso

one w as . x methodical ; the bold , the other e act ; l the former inspired , the atter instructed With patient Skill ; what the one began with enthu si

d i labb a . asm, the other perfecte w th e r te care ’ — S ulla dies sine line r m Luther motto , N a the maxi o an of f assiduous toil, d that other maxim con

r Dies diem docet stant prog ess , , which Gese ni t in of H us pu the front his ebrew Lexicon, . ’ give us the clue to Dr Robinson s scholarship .

all Such labor may be c ed plodding , but it is

r su e ; thus alone can a thesaurus be made , a

Th e mine for all scholars . process is Slow , but

of the result is a monument, defying the tooth

of a time , and above the envy the aspir nts for

is of am fugitive applause . It worthy a noble

ition of b , and a high reward for years toil , to be assured that a work has been completed to

of ni which scholars every commu on , in many

r a m lands , and th ough long ye rs ust resort, there

wi to learn sdom and knowledge. I can only allude to what Dr . Robins on achi eved for the grammar of the classic Greek

of t and the New Testament scriptures , by rans lations from the German ; for Hebrew lexi co ra h his t of Geseniu s g p y, by edi ion ; for sure l and carefu interpretation, by various essays

all and prolonged instruction ; and above , for

s of a u n the exegesi the New Test ment, by his

a of equaled Lexicon , itself concordance most of the words and a commentary on all the more diffi cult passages . His Harmony of the

Gospels , too , has a high and deserved repute .

But I may add a word on the principles whi ch

i t r . n gu ded all his in erp etations His Simple , si gle aim was to give the exact sense of the sacred

s u writers , unprejudiced by dogmatic a s mptions

r A o preconceived theories . s the Germans sa betw een i y, he did not read the l nes , but he li read the nes themselves . He belonged to the staid historico- philological school of exegetes

— E rn esti Geseniu s the school of , Winer , , De

Tholu ck Wette , , Meyer, and many other well MIT A O . R S . . E M R F P . R KS O F. H B H, D D 7

known philologians . He belonged to this

School without Sharing the rationalizing ten den cies of some of its adherents; for he rested reverentially in the declarations of the Divine

Word . He had no sympathy with either mys ticism or t rationalism . He accep ed revealed

mysteries without being a mystic , and he used all the lights of reason Without being a ra tionali st. Disdaining the cheap notoriety which ffi may be won by exaggerating di culties, Whether

or arithmetical , chronological , geographical he preferred the wisdom which attempts their explanation and harmony ; and where all was l f not yet clear , he strugg ed aithfully for further light . Because there are sometimes clouds in

su n . the sky, he did not deny the and the stars

SO And his criticism helped his faith , and also the faith of others . For those taught by

an d un him were forewarned , not to be taken aw areS by any new and adventurous display of

- old and oft answered objections . And his con

’ fidence was ever firm, that the more God s word is studied, the more it will be prized . He feared

not the progress of the sciences , nor any honest research ; believing that there is no dishar

“ mony between what Kepler calls the fin ger and

” God s o . the t ngue of , his work and his word i Geography , not less than ph lology, has fi t grown in scienti c digni y in these later days . The great Ritter has elevated it to a high posi tion ; treating it not merely as a description of

’ the material structure and outlines of the earth s

e Surface , but also in its intimat and vital rela

of tions with the whole fauna and flora creation,

al of l and especi ly as the abode a rationa race ,

of the arena human history . And among all the

of lands of the earth , the land the Bible is still the one pervaded by the most hallowed memo

of of l ries , the theatre the life that wonderfu

all people , which has given a faith to civilized

th e nations , and itself remains , dispersed all over

n wi to i of its earth , beari g tness the authent city own records and confirming the prophecies of its

of ra own Books . The land Ab ham and of A P R S MI T RE M R S O F . H . . K OF B H, D. D. 9

of of of Jacob , David and Solomon , the prophets

old of the dispensation, and the evangelists and — apostles of the new the land made holy by the — presence of the Son of God will always be

h ou t l soug t by the feet of pilgrims , and di igently

of D investigated by the student the ivine Word .

This sacred region, sacked by the Romans and

fil ed o de by the Saracens , long remained in obs n

i of rity, but the irrupt ons Crusaders in the mid dle ages made it again familiar to Europe ; and then many an ecclesiastic legend claimed to iden tify scenes and places named in the Word of f God and the traditions o the Church . Exact investigations were needed even after the labors

of B . In r Reland, aumer , and Ritter two p o longed visits Dr . Robinson explored with a sharp eye and exact measurement all the most import ant Sites ; and though he could not see much

ha d nl that others reported , he certai y described many things which they had not observed ; though he dissipated some monastic fables and

ae medi val superstitions , he more than supplied 1 -36 their place by accurate descriptions and certified

’ l . as resu ts He acted upon Cicero s rule , applica

t ble to geography as to history : P rimer. his orioe

' Zecc es t 726 u id a ls i dzcere au dea t n e u id vert , q f , q non au dea t . He substituted scientific explora tions for legendary lore ; and his four volumes on this subject have received from the best au

nfortu thorities the highest commendation . U natel s y, the Manual , which was to digest all the e

researches , is not completed . But the results of

e hi s careful scrutiny are p rmanent . Here and

there , a fact or statement may be revised by fresh

explorations , but most even of the details are

of secure and trustworthy . Some his positions

have , indeed , been Sharply impugned ; but Dr .

w ho Robinson , never sought, did not avoid con troversy and he was not a comfortable antagon ist , because he judged by weight and measure .

Hence he was seldom foiled . His works on the Holy Land stand at the head of the literature of hi l i t s subject, not on y in th s country but in the civilized world . A F P R F B S MIT M R O . E S H . . R K O . . H, D D 1 1

What our revered colleague was as a professor

and teacher , especially in the Union Theological

"

Seminary for over twenty years , is known to

more than a thousand pupils , chiefly ministers of ou r own the Gospel , now dispersed all over

ns off land, and in missionary statio afar in the isles of the sea and to the ends of the earth where his ow n missionary zeal so largely con

tributed in sending them . He could hardly visit a remote land in which his hand was not warmly grasped by a grateful scholar . Exact

and punctual himself, he expected diligence and

thoroughness in others . Every day he prepared

himself anew for his task , because every day he w as still a learner ; and , like all the great mas

ters in science and art, he knew that progress is conditioned upon always having the elements of

a le rning bright and burnished for daily use .

His deep voice , sometimes strong and clear as a

bell , gave weight and emphasis to his deliberate

. NO W and clear conceptions and then , having

fini d ll shed the etails , or when cha enged by a RE MAR S O P B . SIlII TH D . 1 2 K F R OE H. , . D

Special occasion, he would enter into the process of u no a prolonged and lumino s argument, fact fi neglected , no dif culty slurred over , which , in its

con combined result, would produce a profound viction and impression . And the honesty and

simplicity of his nature, his evident love of truth

ow n id for its sake, always lent sol ity and gravity to his spe ech . Francis Bacon— whom royal letters patent nee dlessly and vainly authorize us to call Baron of V — erulam tells us , that there are three kinds of : workmen Spiders , who Spin all from their own

w ho bowels ; ants , who simply collect ; bees, R collect and work over . Dr . obinson is to be

the se ranked among latter of these clas s , having

t fi lef something , well worked over , for the bene t f o mankind . He w as emphatically a working

man, seduced neither by the pleasures of imagin

re ation , nor by the subtleties of metaphysical

“ ” n m finement. A large rou dabout com on sense characterized all he did and said . An inflexible honesty presided over his investigations . Of RE MA R S O F P R B S MI T . H. . . . K OF H, D D 1 3

himself and his own works he rarely Spoke ,

unless solicited, and then briefly ; but he was

always ready to impart What he knew, that he

um might increase the s of knowledge . Attached

to the faith in which he was bred , he was never a polemic ; he never took part in ecclesiastical agitations ; he stood aloof from doctrinal con trovers y, and ever showed a truly catholic and

’ magnanimous Spirit . He chose his life s work ,

and did it well , faithful to the last .

w as In person, he built upon a large and even massive scale ; with broad shoulders and

muscular limbs , that denoted capacity for great endurance and toil ; crowned wi th a head of l unusua volume, a broad and open forehead , with perceptive powers predominant ; a Shaggy

- eye brow, a full , bright, piercing eye , though

fi firm usually Shaded through in rmity ; a , yet im pliant mouth ; and , altogether, giving the

O of pression , even to a casual observer, f a man weight and mark . His garments were worn

of not of for the sake convenience and fashion . ; His address was frank , direct , sometimes ab hi ff rupt and decisive . Yet s a ections were warm and deep he was tenacious in hi s friend ships ; and the centre of his life was in his own

i of home , adorned by the companionsh p one ,

u herself well known to fame . Any nusual ex pression of esteem or confidence would call

forth a quick, responsive emotion . Intolerant of sentimentality , he honored all genuine feel m ing , and sy pathized with whatever is noble

nl and ma y . An honest, earnest , resolute and

- self reliant Spirit, he also clung to others , and his soul was poised in God .

s m In his character , habits , association , and y

w as pathics , he every whit an American , and

of loved his country more , the more he knew other lands . He died in the midst of the perils and darkness caused by the “ weight of armies and the shock of steel ; but he did not doubt the final triumph of the cause of liberty and

. t law His loyalty was heigh ened , when trait ors struck down our flag ; hi s patriotism be

RE MA R S F P R 0 17 B SMI T D O : H. . 1 6 K H, . D. and ten he had finished the work given

wi to do , and he parted th that

earthl y load of Death

” Called Li e hi ch o fe doth e e f , w us fr m Li s v r .

And upon hi s monument coming write

a an H ere lie s an Americ n Christi Scholar . T H E

CHA RA CTE R

ARD R BIN DD D O S N . L D RE . W L V E O .

H 4 1 863 MARC 2 , .

B Y RO E L D H IT H O CK D S L . C C W . D , . ( 1 7) N O E T .

T H E m aterials for the introductory part of the

follow mg disc ou rse hav e been draw n from the B iog ra h of the Rev WILLIA M RO B IN SO N w itten b his p y . , r y

son th e P ofe o and inte for i ate distribu , r ss r, pr d pr v

tion in 1 8 . Sho l thi a t of th e Di c o e at 59 u d s p r s urs ,

fi t i ht e em to be dis r0 ortionate1 lon the rs s g , s p p y g, author hope s it w ill be fo und to have its u se in throw ing some light upon the charac ter he has

u n e taken to o t a R. D. H . d r p r r y. ( 1 8) V the atican there is a gallery, a thousand

on feet in length , lined either Side with tab

of l lets , most them sepu chral , taken from the

of Catacombs Rome . On the right are Pagan l tab ets , chiseled with dreary, bitter, rebellious

sorrow . On the left are Christian tablets , l chiseled with tranqui resignation , trust, and

so n triumph . And they stand co fronting each other : the Pagan and the Christian estimate

of . one death On the Side is blind nature , wringing her hands over an irreparable loss ; on - the other, clear eyed faith , bending meekly

nl over a form not dead , but o y sleeping , whose

ull tenant has moved joyf y away, in full assur

n ance of a joyful return . On the o e side there is a passionate bewailing of hopelessly ru ptured

n of nu ties ; o the other , a serene recognition broken fellowship . T 2 0 IN R OD UCT OR Y.

n ow That gallery is repeating itself in us .

Here , as there , the Pagan antedates the Chris tian . Our first feeling is that of profoundest

and most poignant grief. For ourselves, and for of e the scholarship Christ ndom, we lament

of a soreness bereavement seldom equaled . A

of great light , fed by the studies half a century,

nl ou t ou r has sudde y gone , darkening Sky, dark enin fi rmament f g the whole o letters . Nor had

those studies fairly rounded their goal , as they

or might have done in two three years more .

has The shaft that rose so steadily, been denied

The of its capital . crowning work that busy

so so life , long and eagerly revolved , well out

so e l n lined , and w l begun, has bee left, and must

fi . remain, un nished The calamity is greater

of n . than fou dered ships , and lost battles

our And yet over against great sorrow, there stands a greater consolation . This is no stroke

of e of . fat , but Providence To such as have

to . lived aright it is gain die The service here ,

t or on to wi hout arrest interlude , joins a loftier R INS A N O E S TO RS O F DR . OB ON . 2 1

t ur service beyond the vail . Even as i regards o

it selves , may be that the departed , for all the fi ner uses of fellowship , are nearer to us than they were before . Or if there be no bond b e

u s of tween but that memory, at all events , they

u th eIi' rouse and r le us from urns , as they never roused or ruled us with their living tongues .

So death enriches while it robs us . It takes

ur r away o scholars , but tu ns them into sages .

our It takes away Christian comrades , but turns

hi our them into saints . It t ns ranks upon the fli fi n new . eld , but quickens the co ct by memories

E ES ORS O F DR. ROB I O TH ANC T NS N .

. out Dr Edward Robinson, whose translation of i to l fe into history we are now met celebrate,

f old r stock of New w as o the Pu itan England . The name naturally suggests descent from the

fir of famous John Robinson , st Pastor the Ply

fl ock mouth Church , who led his little from

of Scrooby, in the north England, to Amster

to dam, and from Amsterdam Leyden, where N A O E S TO RS O F R O IN S ON . 2 2 DR. B

1 625 his he died in , and whence widow, and,

s one son at lea t, , four years afterwards , mi Am . has grated to erica Such descent , indeed, been claimed in some branches of the family to

ur him which o late associate belonged . But he . in of self, a biography his father, printed for 1 859 private distribution in , sets aside this

of claim, concluding his statement the case with the characteristic remark “ However much I might rejoice in a rightful claim to an ancestry so honorable , I am, nevertheless , loth to claim it

” re at the expense of historic truth . " uite

centl 1 855 w as Rev . y, in , it discovered , that the

of John Robinson, Duxbury, through whom this

w as of Massachu descent had been claimed , the

setts Bay, and not of the Plymouth Colony . The earliest ancestor of the family in this country

w as of . William Robinson, Dorchester The hi church in t s town , whose organization in Eng land preceded the settlement of the town itself 1 630 16 35 in , was entirely broken up in by the

of of e removal the greater portion its memb rs ,

A N E S TO R O R B IIVS IV O S F . O G 2 4 DR .

to the . 17 1 8 General Court He died in , at the

The third in des cent w as Rev . John Robin son b r s 1 671 , orn in Do che ter in , and graduated at Harvard College in 1 695 the scholarly but

i u s eccentric m nister of D xbury , who e handsome

ro ro his e e p perty , inherited f m father, nabl d him

fine b to collect a li rary , who went through the c t t fi re oldest win ers wi hout a in his study ,

r a s p eached lways in a short jacket, e chewed o - co s s ar e i a ver at , had many h p disput s w th

r fi re penu ious people about his salary, nally s n d f ig e his pastoral charge , and , a ter a pretty e off of “ mphatic shaking the dust of his feet as .

“ ” an s i everlasting te t mony against the vipers, r to L a o emoved eb non , in C nnecticut, the resi d n of son - in - fi e ce his law, the rst Governor Trum bu l w e e the r of l , her he sp nt last six yea s his life , and 1 745 of - f H is died in , at the age seventy our .

f w as a s e n of n the wi e de c nda t Joh Alden , one of f er of m Th ound s the Ply outh Colony . e Ply mouth sepa ratism thus blended with the Massa A N E S TO RS O F DR R O IN S O . B ON . 2 5 chu setts Bay nonconformity in the views of the

Robinsons , as they had already blended in the

of ecclesiastical life New England .

son m The youngest of this eccentric clergy an , 1 720 born in Duxbury in , inherited at once the

of Lebanon homestead , and his full Share the — paternal eccentricity . His name was Ichabod ,

- l and he lived to be eighty eight years o d. By

- in - appointment of his brother law, Governor

ll w as Trumbu , then Probate Judge , he for a

of P time Clerk the robate Court ; but , with this

a exception , rose to no higher civil trust than th t

- u a r f of Key keeper and G ge . He was a man o

of peevish temper and queer ways , jealous his

l of relatives , the Trumbu ls , the terror all mis chievous urchins , not much loved even by his own immediate family, and yet respected by his

neighbors , because really respectable by reason of his intelligence and moral strictness . He

n kept a store in Lebanon, buyi g his goods e chi fly in Boston, though sometimes importing them from England ; and made a comfortable 2 A R INS N 26 THE F THE R O F DR . OB O :

re living by the business . Our Dr . Robinson

as c wi ffe n membered him , he onfesses , thout a ctio , and yet speaks with gratitude of the use he w as

’ permitted to make of the old gentleman s li

“ brar i of y, wh ch contained many the best works , which appeared in England for the half century

’ prior to the American revolution . Special men

’ tion is made of the original edition of Defoe s

s of of Robinson Cru oe , the Spectator , and the

’ his f Gentleman s Magazine , to which grand ather

w as . our n for ten years a subscriber We , in tur , must not fail to be grateful to this country mer

“ sit chant , who permitted the hungry boy to in

” - i r . We his great arm cha r, and devou his books

his slen must also pass it to credit , that, out of a

tw der income , he managed to bestow upon o f hi o s sons an education at Yale College .

THE FA HE R O F DR. ROB I O T NS N .

son R v e . The second of this Ichabod , was the l f o our . Wi liam Robinson, the father Professor

n of His mother was Lydia Brow , a woman strong A F R IN T E R O S N . THE F H DR. OB O 2 7

mind and energetic character , through whom

he inherited , from the Browns, great size and

of t of strength body, with great solidi y judg

w as e of his ment . He spared the inheritanc

’ ’ H e father s and grandfather s eccentricities .

’ i bo who w as w as h s mother s y, and his mother,

u of to always o t bed before daylight, used take

To of him with her . this habit early rising , thus

to d formed , and adhered through life , he ascribe

f " no small share o his success . From the cele brated Grammar School of Master Tisdale in

t of Lebanon, which , wi h the possible exception

w as that of Master Moody in Newburyport, then the best school in New England , he went to Yale

w as 1 773 . College , where he graduated in

Amongst his classmates were James Hillhouse, afterwards United States Senator ; Benjamin

of Tallmadge , Member Congress ; and Nathan

“ H - s of ale , the martyr py the Revolution . One of his tutors in college was Joseph Lyman , after

. . Of fi Mas wards the Rev Dr Lyman Hat eld , sachu setts ; between whom and himself there continued E A T E R O F R IN S N 2 8 TH F H DR. OB O .

during their lives the most cordial friendship .

As illus trating the commercial progress of the

nation since then , it may be worthyof mention , that the average expenses of young Robins on in - five college, were only about seventy dollars

A s of a year . indicative his mental tone , it may

u r also be mentioned, that, amongst the books p

’ in Prideaux s chased by him his senior year, were

’ Rob Connection , Rollin s Ancient History , and

’ ertson s History of Charles the Fifth . Before

o graduating , he took the Blakeley prize for de la

’ co of mation , which that year was a w Mill s

Septuagint and when he graduated , it was

’ with a high reputation both for ability and scholarship . After two years of teaching at

to Windsor, he returned New Haven, and began to prepare for the Christian ministry , having

Timothy Dwight and Joseph Buckminster , then

tutors in the college , as his companions in

* a t th o e on of Dr Rob n on an d w a It c e n o e . s m i p ss ssi i s ,

e d b h to th e la t O n th e fl - lea of th e fi t ol e us y im s . y f rs v um ’ ” n c be d G u lielmi Rob n on Dh m u s ro decla mando in is i s ri i s s p ,

ha t b bl of P dent Da ett th e n d n o a e . wri i g, pr y, r si gg T E A T ER O F R O INS ON H F H DR . B . 2 9

e theological study . He commenc d preaching in

1 776 h e in wit what measure of succ ss , may be ferred from the effort made to induce him to preach as a candidate in the pulpit once occupied by Jonathan Edwards in Northampton . Declin

ing this , and all other overtures , he continued to

reside in New Haven , one year as tutor in the

college , studying, and preaching as opportunities ff 1 780 o ered, till , when he settled down in

w a Southington , a town about half y between

- one New Haven and Hartford , where , after forty

of on - da years service , he died his birth y, Aug

- 15th 1 825 of . ust , , just seventy one years age

According to the estimate of his abilities enter tained by those who knew him intimately, he ought to have taken high rank amongst the theo

f of logical giants o his day . In the type his

theology , closely allied to Dr . Bellamy, it was fl believed he might have rivaled him in in uence .

Only two years younger than President Dwight,

w as s he , at the time , con idered quite equal to him

77 com in intellectual power and promise . As THE A T E R O F R IN S 30 F H DR . OB ON.

pared with Dr . Smalley , Dr . Chapin once ex h t e O . pressed pinion, that though Dr Smalley

mi . ght be the more acute , Mr Robinson had the

wi larger grasp and the der vision , of the two . It w as evidently a matter of very painful reflection

our i no to fr end the Professor, that his father did more to realiz e the expectations entertained of

of him by his early contemporaries . The secret his comparative obscurity is easily discovered . m Co mencing his professional life , when about

- twenty Six years of age , in a farming town , at

one of a that time the poorest in the St te , with a

“ ” as w as of settlement, it termed , two hundred

n of one pounds , and an an ual stipend barely hun

- five fire - dred pounds , with twenty cords of wood , the necessities of a growing family soon com pelled him to cast about for other means of su p

port . He became a farmer ; and , being a man of shrewd , strong sense , he became an exceed in l g y thrifty farmer . He bought fields and pas

tures , cows and oxen, and also kept bees all of

to u n which he used let o t o shares . He also

T E A T E R O F R IN S O 3 2 H F H DR. OB N .

n one in Con ecticut, not lived upon his salary , or

a w s expected to live upon it . They all half sup

s ported themselves . And ome of them, whether

u or more fortunate , more fr gal , more sagacious i than others , acqu red considerable estates . Even

off. ff f Dr . Bellamy was very well The o ence o

. w e are to Mr Robinson , as called upon measure

. w as it, was mainly against himself His fault , that when he had secured a competency for him did self and his family, he not stay his hand , and

' ou t efl orts lay his great strength in studies and , which might have won for him the leadership for which nature designed him . If ever there . w as real greatness undeveloped , which some

have questioned , here , doubtless , was an exam f ple of it in the person o the Rev . William Rob

0 one inson of Southington . N who reads the memorial of him prepared by his distinguished

on to of s , can fail be struck by the many points resemblance between them . Unlike as they i were in their opportunities and ach evements,

to with respect physical constitution , and certain TH E FA T E R O F R IN S H DR. OB ON. 3 3

of one elements character , description might very

f r well answer o them both . The Connecticut

of pastor was a man large frame , and massive e head , with light sandy hair, and grey ey s over hung by shaggy brows . He had uncommon

O sub ec depth and delicacy f sentiment, held in j

nl tion by a clear understanding and a ma y will .

P of romptness , and severity method , were con spicu ou s in all his doings . His Opinions were

fi to. carefully matured , and then rmly adhered

his son of Although , as says him, not a biblical c s holar after the present fashion , he had great

familiarity with the Scriptures , and laid special stress upon Christian doctrine as the bas is of

t of r n Chris ian life , and the inspiration Ch istia f . o o duty In p litics, he belonged to the school

no man Washington , and could endure whose principles appeared to him to be at w ar with

or i of the virtue , the honor , the nstitutions his

n A S cou try. a preacher, he attempted no flights

of eloquence , but dealt out solid , sober truth , in

mascu solid and sober style . His piety was a 29t THE A T E R F R INS O N . 34 F H DR. OB O

t too line conviction , mellowed by a enderness

u d of deep for vol ble iscourse . Dying the same

son disease which took away his , with few words ,

he gathered his mantle about him , and moved l hi on calm y to meet s God .

of ou r M er Such , through all the generations

w as ican history , the descent, and such the imme

of diate parentage , our great scholar . If we do

b e not believe in hereditary rank, we must yet

of lieve in blood . And all human blood , none can be better than that of the Old English Puri e tan , a rated for two such centuries on such a con tinent as this . New England may well be proud

of having given such a scholar to the country .

And the country may well be proud of having given such a scholar to the world .

His w as father three times married , and three

fi of times a widower, within the rst nine years his residence in Southington . Of the four chil

dren by these earlier marriages , not one survives .

His fourth wife was Elizabeth Norton of Farm

’ in ton t not g , a farmer s daugh er ; elaborately edu DR R IN S N S E A RL Y LI E . . OB O F 3 5

d u t of . cate b . , a good stock , the Rev Dr Asahel

of Strong Norton , Clinton, Oneida county , New

of York , and Professor Seth Norton , Hamilton

College , being her brothers ; a woman of gentle

of w of piety, admirable sense , and al ays fond

a of six reading . She w s the mother children

* onl y three of whom are now living . Her sec ond son our w as was Edward , who born in South

in ton l 0th 1 794. g , April ,

’

DR . ROB INSON S EARLY LIFE .

son O Although the f a clergyman , that clergy

w as m man , as we have seen , also a far er , carry ing on a large business and it w as this secular

of mi side the fa ly life , which made itself most felt

’ f o in the early training o the s n . His father s l ibrary w as not a large one . It contained the

of Writings his distinguished contemporaries ,

Bellamy, Hopkins , West, Smalley, Strong , and

Dwight ; as also the works of. the elder E d

’ of i wards . These , with Ridgley s Body Div nity,

h di d in 1 24 S e e 8 . R IN S O ’ . S E A RL Y LIFE 3 6 DR OB N .

ll were about a that the library contained of sys tematic 1 816 theology, till , in , the Philadelphia

’ i w as e edition of Calv n s Institutes add d . In the

of l line regu ar commentary, the only apparatus

’ a posses sed w as Poole s Annot tions . The minis

of ter, it is true , spent the early hours each day in his study and a chapter or tw o in the Greek

Testament un iformly constituted a portion of his f daily task . But the atmosphere o the house

of savored more the farm than of the study.

The common sitting - room of the family was the kitchen , whose most vividly remembered mus ic

“ in after years was the bus y hum of the Spin

” - ning wheels , both large and small , responded to

“ ” of - by the click the loom in the wash house .

hi of For many years , the clot ng the family, both

w as of nu linen and woolen, all home ma facture .

of of The sons the family, till the age thirteen

r t o o four een, were brought up to lab r with the

hired men upon the farm . Edward, however, being of a slender constitution, shared only in

w as the lightest of thes e labors. He early noted ’ . IN S O S E A RL Y LIFE DR R OB N . 3 7

for his mechanical ingenuity . Many contriv

ances , for the facilitating of manual labor in the

on house and the farm, attested at once his Skill,

and his care for the comfort and happiness of the

family . He became an expert weaver ; . a bean

tiful blanket of his handiwork being still care

fully preserved as a memento of his youthful

A S n f industry . described by o e o his younger

E s . of brothers , Charles Robinson, q , New Haven, to whom I am indebted for these and other par ticul ars of his w as re early life , he at this time markable chiefly for the kindliness of his dispo sition of , the maturity his practical judgment,

of the soundness his moral principles, and the f general propriety o his deportment . His brother

Of O i is the pin on, that he had no great mental

w as precocity, and not at first a remarkably bright scholar but another member of the fam

has ily said, that his companions in the village School always considered him the first scholar

w a n among them . He s certainly very fo d of

books , and if he lacked anything in quickness R O IN S N ’ S E ARL Y LI E 3 8 DR. B O F .

and brilliancy, it was more than balanced by his

’ eager thirst for knowledge , combined with an i l untiring industry and an ron di igence , which enabled him in the long run to outstrip all com

. an O petition He never missed pportunity , and

“ ” w as . of i never idle The loss a m nute , he once said to a younger brother who had laid down his

“ to u so of book eat an apple , is j st much loss

”

. An d life this was his watchword to the last .

of Between the ages ten and sixteen , having gone with credit through all the branches of study pur sued in the common schools of his na"

tive town , he appears to have resided for some

time as a pupil in the family of the Rev . Mr .

of Woodward Wolcott, an adjacent parish . It is related of him as an eminently characteristic di incident , that while resi ng in Wolcott, in the midst of a great excitement in regard to in ocu lation with kine pox as a protection against

Small pox , then a recent discovery, he took some of the virus home with him and successfully vac cinated the whole family . He was then about

HIS ONNE ION WI H H A MIL ON OLLE E C CT T T C G .

His scholastic career was now fairly begun .

P - His uncle , rofessor Norton, then thirty two

of years age , was a good classical scholar , and a very successful te acher . His tutor in mathe m aties was Theodore Strong, since then a dis tinguished professor and author . Some three or four years ago Dr. Robinson was heard to

sa of his . y, that all teachers Mr Strong was the one who had done most towards shaping his course in life by thoroughly rousing his mind to

w as com study . The college, it is true , just mencing its existence on the very verge of the

s wildernes , and almost within sight of the wig wams of the Oneidas. But the class to which

in young Robinson belonged , considering the

of t a fancy the institu ion , was quite respect ble in

numbers , and more than respectable in ability

e and promise . Of the sevente n who se names

are now in the Triennial catalogue , two have

of a been members Congress, two h ve received HA MIL T N LLE E O CO G . 41

f D. . . o . the title D , and three the title of LL D O f the Six or more who have died, one was the

D. re Rev . Luther F . Dimmick , D . , a highly spected and influential clergyman of Newbury

s . port, Mas achusetts Of those who survive , the

Su Hon . Philo Gridley of Utica , Judge of the

of . preme Court New York , and the Hon f . o Charles P Kirkland New York city , are too well known to require remark . Robinson was

of the eldest them all , being at the time he entered college eighteen years of age . Of his

personal character and habits as a student, not

much was then known , or if known , not now

remembered , by his surviving associates . He

lived very much by himself moved thereto , not more by the disparity of age between himself

and his classmates , than by his greater maturity

nk of character and aim . His ra as a scholar

w as . I of soon determined n every branch study,

and equally in all , he stood easily, and without a

of rival , at the head his class . He was then

of especially fond mathematics , for which his AMIL T N LLE G 42 H O CO E .

tu l w as na ra aptitude , perhaps , greatest, but was

ui n also an accurate ling st , and was crow ed with acclamation by his classmates as the finest writer of them all . So strongly pronounced was his

so his dil ability, and remarkable igence , that

ho those w knew him then, would have been

t l of dis greatly disappoin ed , had he fai ed a i i h t ngu s ed career .

To what employment he first betook himself 1 816 after his graduation in , I have not been

to . 1 817 re able learn But in February, , he

New paired to Hudson, York, where he spent

ffi of the summer in the law o ce James Strong ,

. f o . Esq , afterwards member Congress Had he

s on w e l pu hed in this direction, shou d now, per

of one of haps , be lamenting the decease the

" ablest jurists in the land . A very different des

him w as tiny awaited , towards which he now beckoned by the offer of a tutorship in Hamilton

. re College Accepting this appointment , he

one o turned to Clinton, and for year gave instru

tion in mathematics and Greek . This service LLE GE HAMILTON CO . 43

of 1 81 8 t ended, in the early autumn "Sep ember d 3 ] , he was married to Eliza Kirkland , youngest daughter of the Rev . Samuel Kirkland , the well

O n eidas . a of known Missionary to the , man

m . strong character, and al ost romantic life To fi bene t the Indians , amongst whom he had la

at bored, he founded the Oneida Academy Clin

ou t of l ton, which grew Hamilton Co lege , as Dartmouth College had previously grown out of ’ fi Dr . Wheelock s Indian school, rst established

re at Lebanon, Connecticut , and afterwards

. of moved to Hanover, New Hampshire One his three sons was the brilliant John Thorn

* of ton Kirkland , President Harvard College ,

u of of and a thor the biography Fisher Ames ,

ne of of our o the choicest American classics .

One of his three daughters was the mother of the Rev . Dr . Lothrop of Boston . The young est was Eliza , some years older than Mr . Robin son , but a woman of superior intellect and edu

F o 18 1 0 to 1 8 28 . H e died in 1 840 at th e a e of r m , g A MIL TON OLLE 44 H C GE .

cation, and of uncommon personal attractiveness .

She died in less than a year after their mar ria e g , leaving him in possession of the large and

fi ne w ho farm inherited from her father, had

* died some years before . Here Mr . Robinson

his m continued to reside , dividing ti e between l m study and the care of the farm, ti l the autu n

1 821 n Massachu of , whe he went to Andover ,

of fir setts , for the purp ose publishing his st

book . This was an edition of eleven books of

l — fir the I iad the st nine , the eighteenth and the

- twenty second , with a Latin introduction , notes ,

and other apparatus of study ; a reproduction ,

of for the most part, the editorial labors of

n m Hey e , Wolf, and others , but with so e changes , and many omissions and additions . This volume ff probably a ords us an indication, not only of

bu t what his recent studies had been , also of his literary plans and aspirations for the future . He appears to have chosen the Greek language i d and literature as h s stu y for life .

In 1 808 . A T AND VE R 4 5 O .

AT A NDOV ER .

But at Andover he fell under the singularly

of magnetic influence Professor Moses Stuart ,

ir i who soon launched him in a new d ect On . His 1 2 82 . Iliad was put to press in May , About

one this time he is remembered, by who was then a member of the Junior class in the Theological

* n t Semi ary, as discussing, in the one of a novice ,

the Hebrew vowel points , which Professor Stuart had but recently been willing to adopt . But

i so w as when once fa rly started , rapid his prog

of 1 823 ress , that in the autumn , Professor Stu art had him appointed Instructor in Hebrew in the Seminary . Upon him in a great measure devolved the labor of correcting the proof Sheets

’ of the second edition of Stuart s Hebrew Gram 1 2 8 3 . mar , which appeared in September, In the “ i preface , credit is given him for many of the m

rovemen ts p in manner , not a few in matter , and

9“ Th e R v E a t an e . 0 . on e of th e ec eta e of th e A s m , s r ri s me r ican T act S oc et w h o then occ ed a oo as did al o r i y , upi r m , s R n h . ob on in t e ho e of th e Re Dr Wo v . od Mr i s , us . s . A T AND VE R 46 O .

” for much of the minute accuracy of the new

. sa edition Professor Stuart then goes on to y,

“ that the radical knowledge which Mr . Robin son of has acquired this language , is a happy indication of the progress which the study of it is making in our cou ntry and holds ou t in re gard to him a promise of extensive usefulness in

” the department of sacred literature . So much had he accomplished in less than two years .

or of Whether scribe pharisee , as he said l himself playfu ly, and not without some just ’ ” A d pride , he had been put into Moses seat mirably did he sustain himself in this diffi cult

1 823 1 826. position for three years , from to

Right under the eye , and under the dazzling reputation of the Magnus Apollo of biblical Am scholarship in erica, he held his place with

marked ability, and succeeded in making a rep i u tat on of his ow n . If Stuart was the more

fi hi s u brilliant, adventurous , and electric , ring p

pils with enthusiasm , Robinson was looked upon

as the more careful , exact, and thorough . He

IN 4 3 RE S IDE N CE GE RMAN Y. s eav of i has e h es a rich harvest , wh ch b en equal

f r ed nowhere outside o Ge many .

RESIDEN E IN ERM C G ANY .

In 1 826 a r , h ving resigned his place at Andove ,

h - f . s w o o Mr Robin on , was then thirty two years a e set of g , sail for Europe, in quest philological

o O pp rtunities and helps , such as Europe only

co ff . uld a ord After staying awhile in Paris , w here the venerable De Sacy was still vigorously

* at w a his w a to m fi t ork , he m de y Ger any, rs

i GOtt n en spending a few weeks at g , to get well

a d . o st rte in the language , and then g ing to Halle . w h he ere plunged into his favorite studies , with so cl a so e r a vision of what he wanted , and deter m n d a s f to i e purpo e in its pursuit, as could not ail

to s . In insure an accomplished cholarship steady,

d n a t plo di g diligence, he bec me a German amongs

the e m s . s d G r an He remained four year abroa ,

m s residing o tly at Halle and Berlin . but making hims elf familiar with other interesting localities

H e di d in 1 8 3 e 8 . RE SIDE N O IN GE R MA E NY. 49

in Germany, and visiting the northern countries of Europe , as well as France , Switzerland , and

- Italy . His residence in Germany was well timed .

n Ma y eminent scholars , since deceased , were

Geseniu s then in their prime . At Halle were ,

We scheider g , and Thilo , who have Since died ;

h i r T olu ck ROd e . besides and g , who are still alive

B u ttmann At Berlin were , Hegel , Schleiermacher,

Marh eineke Z u m t Savi , Neander, p , Ritter, and g n y, all now gone ; with Hengstenberg , Bekker, l and Bopp, who are sti l among the living . At

GOttin en fe l d an d g he m the two Plancks , father son Liicke , Pott, Blumenbach , Heeren , and , not one of whom survives . Those with whom he ap

Geseniu s pears to have had most to do , were ,

Tholu ck ROdi er and g at Halle , and Neander at

Geseniu s 1 82 . 6 Berlin , in , was about forty years of e age , and was at the height of his r putation , with five hundred students crowding his lecture

Tholu ck - room . was but twenty seven years of

. ROdi er age , and had only just come to Halle g , m the exact gram arian , a favorite pupil of Gese 3 50 RE SIDE N CE IN GE RMAN Y

fi nius , and now, perhaps , the nest Arabic scholar

w as living, younger still , and did not begin to

1 828 . teach at Halle till Neander , at the time

w as - Mr . Robinson in Berlin, was thirty eight

u fi years old , and had iss ed the rst volume of his

r History two years before . Our American schola did not put himself in contact with any of these

men, to be moulded by them . He had by nature

w as too much intellectual independence , and by

discipline too mature a thinker , to be bent away

of from the line development , in which , on the

infl u other Side of the Atlantic , and under the h ence of ot er institutions , he had begun to move .

And yet he learned much of his German teachefs

ni and companions in study . Gese u s he admired

“ ” fir as the st Hebrew scholar of the age . Nean der he regarded as not only the first ecclesias

” “ of on e tical historian the age , but also as of

the best , if not quite the best exegetical lecturer

” on ta the New Tes ment in Germany . Towards

“ Tholu ck he w as drawn not merely by his nu

” common and unquestioned talents and learning , R IDE N E IN E RMAN E S C G Y. 5 1

of but also by the fervency his religious life .

But whatever may have been his indebtedness to l i iv ng teachers and scholars , the great advantage

he reaped from his residence in Germany, was the perfect mastery it gave him of the German l of r of criti anguage , and thus all the treasu es i m c s which that language contains . But Ger

’ many s best gift to him w as that of a domestic

w ho to sur companion , , for his sake , consented

render associations and plans and prospects , such as have rarely been surrendered by any woman

a for any man . Therese Albertine Luise von J cob was the youngest daughter of Staatsrath von

i Jacobfi Professor of Philosophy and Political

ni of a Science in the U versity Halle . She w s born and had lived in Halle till the family were driven Ou t by the storm of war which burst upon 1 that part of Germany in 806 . After ten years of fi of exile in Russia , rst at the University Char

. t kow and then at St Pe ersburg, Professor von

Jacob returned with his family to Halle . Mr .

Wh o d ed in 1 82 i 7. IDE N E RMA 5 2 RE S N CE I G N Y.

Robinson was introduced to their social evening

one i reunions by of the r relatives , who chanced

GOttin en to travel with him from g to Halle , as an American gentleman who “ Spoke but little Ger

” man . , and was melancholy and rather homesick

His natural reserve and bashfulness , aggravated

of by his imperfect knowledge the language , were him at first very much against . But all this w as

as presently overcome . There w one at least who recogn ized in him a man of no ordinary powers .

And she herself, introduced to public notice by

Goethe , had already attained distinction as a

on th of A writer . They were married the 7 u

1 828 . gust, After spending nearly a year in

Switzerland , France, and Italy, they returned to

Halle , where they remained through the winter — 1 829 30 . of , Mr Robinson abandoning with ex treme reluctance the plan he had formed of win 2d tering in England . On the of July, after a

of tedious voyage two months , they landed in

America . Of the years that have followed , years

of sacred domestic tenderness , not less than of IP T AND VE R P R OFE S S ORSH A O . 5 3

fi diversi ed literary toil , and Splendid literary

n ot . achievement , I may presume to Speak It is not for me to unveil either those ministries of

or love which once gladdened, these vigils of heavy sorrow which are now hallowing the schol

’ ar s home .

PROFESSORSHIP AT A NDOV ER.

hi s 1 830 Shortly after return from abroad in ,

Mr . Robinson w as appointed Professor Extra ordinary of Sacred Literature and Librarian

n at Andover . He had ow reached the fulness of his strength , and began at once to put it forth

of for in a Succession labors , as remarkable their 1 1 . 83 variety as for their value In January , ,

“ appeared the first number of the Biblical Re

” ositor of p y, which he was the founder and sole

u editor, and which , for fo r years , was conducted by him with an ability and judgment that gave it almost oracular authority on both sides of the

Atlantic . He himself furnished a large propor

of fi tion the matter which lled its pages . Of P FE S S O RS HIP T O VE R 54 R O A AND . the on e hundr ed and one articles contained in

fi o - the rst f ur volumes , forty seven were from his ow n of pen ; twenty which were original essays ,

- and twenty seven translations and compilations , the translations being chiefly from the German .

“ Two learned articles on the Slavic language

” of In its various dialects , were from the pen

r . M s . Robinson Fourteen original essays were

ni . fur shed by his colleague , Professor Stuart

The other thirty- eight articles were contributed

of by several scholars , most whom are well

n of know , and acknowledged authority , in the

“ ” theological world . The Review , which was ’ finally (in 1851) united with the “ Bibliotheca

Sacra , continued for some years longer to main

a t in a high rank but the earlier volumes , edited

by Professor Robinson , are more sought after

of than all the rest . Beyond most other works

the kind , they are laden with matter of perma

of re re nent value , and are special interest as p

senting the fir st grand impul se given to the

evangelical theology of America by the evan

P P A T AN D VE R 5 6 R O FE S S O RSHI O . shoul d be made of a suggestive and stimulating essay on “ The Aspect of Literature and Science in the United States as compared with Europe besides articles on “ The Resurrection and As

” “ cension of ou r tu of our Lord , The Na re

’ ” “ - Lord s Resurrection Body, and The alleged Discrepancy between John and the other Evan

’ ” elists g respecting our Lord s Last Passover ,

of which are models thoroughness , and very valuable contributions to the exegetical litera ture of our language . di l ’ 1 832 . In , Dr Robinson e ted Tay or s trans

’ of Calmet s lation Dictionary of the Bible,

greatly enhancing the value of it by such re

trenchments and additions as his more critical

and extensive scholarship enabled him to make .

This portly work , of more than a thousand

pages , went rapidly through a large number of i ed tions ; but as he had no copyright in it, and

as t w soon immersed in other studies , he bes owed

r no further labor upon it , and gave no fu ther

to attention it, except to make it the basis of a P R O FE S S O RS HIP T AND VE R A O . 5 7

“ much smaller work , which, under the title of A

of Dictionary of the Holy Bible , for the use

” w as Schools and Young Persons , issued by

of 1 833 . Crocker Brewster, Boston , in This

’ B u ttmann s i same year , Greek Grammar was g ven M to the erican public , in a translation which he had made of it during the last winter of his resi dence in Halle . With such favor was this work

so for received , and steady continued the demand

a 1 839 . it, th t, in , while Dr Robinson was in

Germany, on his way home from Palestine , his

friend , Professor Stuart, was constrained to put

forth , though without change , a second edition of it . This edition also soon went out of print .

Another edition was long and loudly called for .

five Meanwhile , new editions of the original , by

’ B u ttmann s son , had been published in Ger

in many ; the last two of which, there had been

of an almost entire reconstruction the syntax, with improvements and additions throughout the 1 . 5 8 0 . whole work In , Dr Robinson took in hand the eighteenth German edition of this 396 P R E S HIP A T AN 5 8 O F S O RS D O VE R.

be bulky grammar, as , more than twenty years

had h fore , he taken in and the thirteenth , and so made B u ttmann once more a teacher in our schools .

Dr . Robinson spent three years at Andover .

He was there as Professor Extraordinary , no endowment existing for his support . Professor Stuart had encouraged him to expect that such

u nfor an endowment would be secured ; but ,

tunatel . y for the Seminary , it did not come

Meanwhile Dr . Robinson was taxing the strength of his constitution beyond all prudent bounds .

Repeated attacks of epilepsy thr eatened his life . t It is rue he got the better of this malady , but

his constitution was for the time shaken, and his

* health was utterly broken down . He there

ofii ce 1 833 fore resigned his , and in removed to

Boston .

’ For a edical tate ent of th e ca e s ee Dr Mu s s e s m s m s , . y “ ” e cent book H ealth i F end and its Foe B o ton : ts . r , ri s s s , — 1 862 P 289 96 . . p . IN S T BO ON . 5 9

IN B OSTON .

In Boston , as soon as his health permitted , he

wi ardOr resumed his studies th renewed , subject to none Of the interruptions incident to the call

fi of ing of a theological professor . The rst fruit

t 1 834 of these s udies was , in , a revised edition

’ New come s G of on reek Harmony the Gospels , f ’ im the basis o Knapp s text . It was a great provement upon the Andover edition of 1 814 ; and a still greater improvement upon the orig

of 1 8 inal Dublin edition 77 . And yet no radi cal changes were made . The work was still

’ essentially New come s ; his chronological order

his being generally followed , and preface , sec i n al t o divisions and notes retained . Eleven 1 45 8 . years later , in , Dr Robinson published a

ow n Greek Harmony of his , which was wholly a new and independent work . Its leading fea

’ tures were , the substitution of Hahn s text for that of Knapp ; a new chronological arrange IN S TO 6 0 BO N.

ul es ment in several important partic ars, but pecially of the events belonging to the last Six

’ months of our Lord s life ; and the appended

ew come notes , substituted for those of N , remark able for the exactness and solidity of their learn

ing . The more important changes referred to ,

ou t ow n fi 1 838 of grew of his identi cation, in , 54 the city of Ephraim mentioned in John xi . ,

Tai ib eh with the modern y , some twenty miles

* north of Jeru salem . This established a paral

i . 54 22 lel sm . between John xi and Luke xiii , and enabled him to harmonize those portions of

Matthew, Mark and Luke , which had previously

. ffi f been the most di cult to dispose o . This

Greek Harmony immediately took its place at the head of all similar works . The London Re ligiou s Tract Society soon issued an English

fol Harmony, based upon and almost entirely

’ arr n eme ' lowing Dr . Robinson s a g ntxl It was

Bibliotheca acra v ol ii 39 —40 S ee S . . 8 0 , . pp .

O nl a few an d li ht chan e e e ade on th e a tho f y s g g s w r m , u r ’ it of G resw ell s H armon ia van elica 1 830—3 a d W e e y E g , 4, n i s ’ le Chron olo is che S na se 1 843. r s g y p , IN OS T B ON . 6 1

of also taken as the basis a French Harmony, 1 1 which was published in Brussels in 85 . In 4 1 8 6 . , Dr Robinson himself put forth an English

Harmony, making such changes in the notes as seemed advisable in order to adapt them to

u se d popular , but making no change in the or er of of one time , except to correct a slight error da y in the Greek Harmony, into which he had

“ been led , as he says , by relying too implicitly upon the authority of the learned Lightfoot .

A revised edition of the Greek Harmony was 1 1 published in 85 .

But in Boston, during the three years which

ou t he spent there , his strength was laid mainly

of in the department Biblical Lexicography .

The 1 81 5 edition of the Hebrew- German Lexi

of Geseniu s con , had been translated by Pro fessor Gibbs in 1 824 ; and this was followed by 1 828 an abridged Manual in , which passed into

1 832 . a second edition in But , during all this

Geseniu s time , himself had been making rapid progress in his favorite Science ; so that his IN S T 6 2 BO ON.

- 1 833 Hebrew Latin Lexicon , which appeared in , was greatly in advahce of all he had done be

. of fore This new work , the best Lexicon any

language which the world had seen , being the

first to exemplify the historicO - logical method f o . lexicography, was faithfully translated by Dr 1 83 . Robinson, and laid before the public in 6

A second edition, with additional matter from

Thes au rus of Geseniu s w as in the , published

42 of 1 8 . A third edition , a good part which w as fil rther stereotyped , with additions from the

Thes a u rus n 1 849 , appeared i ; a fourth edition 1 850 fi i in ; a fth , and the last in wh ch any

1 854. . w a changes were made , in Dr Robinson s ffi careful to say, that he performed no other o ce in connection with this work than that of a i translator, adding noth ng of his own , except an

a or occasion l remark reference , always with his

Geseniu s signature . The changes which himself

his ow n . w as bu t made in work , Dr Robinson too happy to incorporate into the successive is

of t l i Geseniu s so sues the rans ation, s nce frankly

6 4 IN BOS TON .

so references , that the Lexicon became , in more

e - e e than sev n ighths of the words , a compl te

Concordance of the New Testament. In some points of interpretation he had found occasion

" to ff . rru s ii a di er with Wahl One article , n , an

of a article no little import nce, he had entirely

. so recast In Short, he had gone far in the mat

of m ter making changes , that it see ed to be both

his right and his duty to drop Wahl altogether,

n and prepare a Lexicon of his ow . This he now

la ms . C of did The , a new edition which had

v fou nda appeared in was , e idently, the

tion upon which he built and properly enough ,

. since it was the best existing Lexicon of the New

Testament , and much of what enters into every

good Lexicon must needs be common property .

’ B retschneider s Ma nu al , which had reached a

1 829 u e s d. second edition in , was also freely t

of e Schleusner , likewise , was some s rvice to

Wahl d ed in 1 8 55 The e ha e b ee n thr ee edit on of i . r v i s

' his la re : in 1 2 2 1 8 29 an d 1 843 C i s 8 , .

’ 1 B rets ch n eider s Man u al h as appeare d in three editions 8 24 2 an 840 1 , 1 8 9 , d 1 . N S I B O TON. 6 5

* re him . But Schleusner , in some important s ects p , was far behind the times in his scholar ship and even with Wahl and B retschn eider he

n had points of difference o every page . Dr .

. ’ Robinson s Lexicon was , therefore , in every just sense of these terms as employed in such a con

nection . , a new and independent work As such

it was received , and received with great avidity ; three rival editions of it being Speedily issued in Great Britain . And yet when he sat down 1 847 in to revise it for a new edition , so far

was it from answering his own demands , that he

- re of . r wrote a large part it This great labo , which must have taxed his patience to the u t most, consumed three full years . These three years added to the three he had spent upon the fi rst edition , and these again to the two years ,

' which he had probably bestowed upon the O la ms of Wahl , make in all eight years of severe toil , the fruit of which is given us in the Lexicon of

S c le n e d ed in 1 831 His h us r i . Lexicon w as published in 1 92 1 00 1 8 a 7 , 8 , 08 , n d 1 8 1 9 . IN 6 6 B OS TON.

1 8 50 . It is , unquestionably, the best Lexicon of the New Testament in existence . The method of Gesenius is rigidly applied throughout , so far as that method can be applied to the New Tes

of tament lexicography . The meanings words

are traced , from the root, in their true logical order . The discriminations are sharp . The

to to references the Septuagint, the later and to

the Attic Greek , are abundant and apposite .

n - of of In ine tenths the words , instead the seven

of is eights the previous edition , the Lexicon a complete Concordance of the New Testament ; so that the student may almost dispense with

'

. m Bruder And , further ore , so much care has been taken to interpret all the more diffi cult

Concor passages , that the Lexicon is not only a dance , but also a Commentary . One may not

always agree with the Commentator, but if he

fi to nds peace in his disagreement , he will have

A - wrestle for it . singularly self possessed and vigorous intellect challenges his judgmen t at every step . O VE S TO NE W OR REM Y K. 6 7

W RE MO V ES TO NE Y ORK.

1 837 fi In , soon after publishing the rst edition

f . o . his Lexicon, Dr Robinson came to New York

He had been solicited , the year before , to accept

of a chair in the University New York , but de lin c ed . it The Union Theological Seminary,

then recently established , was more successful in fi i its suit . He signi ed his w llingness to accept ff the o ered Professorship of Biblical Literature , on of eu the condition being permitted , before

tering upon its duties , to be absent for three or four years for the purpose of exploring the Holy

. set Land This condition acceded to , he sail , 1 7 1 837 with his family, from New York , July , ; passed rapidly through England to the conti

“ ” nent ; up the glorious Rhine to Frankfort ;

and from Frankfort to Berlin , when he bade

set adieu to his family, and his face towards the

Orient . In Athens , he trod the Acropolis with all the e nthusiasm of a scholar ; but not till he had first set his foot upon the Areopagus with O TO NE ’ O K 6 8 REM VES W Y R .

of r . all the reverence a Ch istian In Egypt , he saw the Pyramids , and ascended the Nile to

Thebes . From Egypt, along the route taken by

the Hebrews , he went to Sinai and from Sinai ,

Akab ah . by way of , to Palestine His travelling m companion was the Rev . Eli S ith , since de

ceased , missionary of the American Board , an

accomplished Arabic scholar ; and , between

of them , they searched the Land Promise to somewhat better purpose than Caleb and Joshua . 1 2 h 1 838 They started from Cairo March t . ; were at Sinai on the 23d ; reached Jerusalem

April 14th ; explored Arabia Petraea in May ; were at Nazareth June 1 7th ; went from Nas areth to the Lake of Tiberias ; from there to

of Safed ; and from Safed , by way Tyre and

Sidon, to Beirut, where their journey ended 2 h 7t . June Hastening back to Germany , by h w a t e . y of Danube , Dr Robinson fell sick in

V a ienna , and barely esc ped with his life . This severe sickness at V ienna was a crisis in his

life . From this time , the exclusively vegetable R RE AI O VE S TO NE W YO K. 6 9 diet prescribed for him some years before at

Andover, was abandoned , and his health under went a marked improvement . In October he got 1 840 to Berlin and in August , , after nearly two years of severe but delightful labor amidst the librari es and scholars of the most learned capi

B iblical tal in Europe , the manuscript of his

Resea rches was ready for the press . These two years in Berlin were among the e happi st and most golden of his life . He saw

Tw esten much of Neander , Hengstenberg , , Bopp ,

Z u m t Rau mer p , , Ranke , and Petermann , although the work upon which he was engaged left him

but little time for society . With Karl Ritter, the great geographer, whose pe rsonal acquaint ance he then made , he was especially intimate .

Ritter was a man after his own heart ; learned ,

of u n afi ected modest, generous , and most and fervent piety . Common tastes and studies drew 1 2 5 . . 8 them very closely together In , when Dr

on Robinson was again in Berlin , the eve of his r f departure , Ritter gave him a flattering p oof o T NE R 70 REMO VES O W YO K.

his affection . As he came to take tea with him

“ m : for the last ti e , he said I came near losing

hi . t s evening The King sent for me , but I sent

word to his Majesty , that I must be excused this

as time , it was the last evening which I could

” Spend with my friend Robinson . And it was 1 859 indeed the last, for Ritter died in , and

Dr . Robinson was not again in Germany till

1 862 .

The original manuscript of the Res ea rches is

of Semm ar now in the Library the Union y , neatly bound up in eighteen volumes ; a precious

to treasure us , as it will be more and more pre

'

. B erlin it cions to those who come after us In , w as translated into German by a competent

Mrs . hand , carefully revised by Robinson , and afterwards carried through the press at Halle by Professor Rediger . The sheets struckoff in

Boston were sent , in advance of their publication

to 1 841 here , London ; so that in the work was

ta issued simul neously in America , in England ,

n of and in Germany . The publicatio this work

7 2

Damas cus went up through Coele - Syria to Baal

" bek and Ribleh cross ed the mountains to El

H u sn ; an d from El Husn passed down southward

u 1 9 the to Beir t , Where he arrived June th ; on

1 7th of ed July , join his family at Salsburg, amongst the Austrian Alps and on the 27th of

c the O tober , was back again in his chair at

n r . s e o as Semi a y On thi s c nd journey , he had com a s c s his the p nions in u ce sive stages of route ,

v i o th Re . El ef e . Smith, as b re ; Rev W . M .

: o o f Thomson ; and the Rev . S R bs n ; to all o w hom he renders du e tribute of acknowledgment

for a es e e . 1 856 import nt servic r nder d him In , he gave us the n ew volume of his Resea rches"

M ' h r S . Ro i s o e J b n n , as went on with the p epara f t t or . ion of it , ranslating it him into German

He looked upon this as the great work of his life et not o e of ; and y this , but an th r, which I

far be bu t the preparation and the prelude . As back as the time of his firs t res idence in Ger man inS ire b his lov e for the o of y, p d y W rd God, RE O VE S TO NE W Y O R M " . 7 3 he had conceived the design of exploring the

Land of God . Through many laborious years , his studies were shaped with reference to it ; so that when the auspicious hour came for him to

of start, he was well prepared to make the most

. B ochart his opportunities Men of learning , like

of of and Reland , had treated the Geography P alestine , without having personally explored

* B ochart . it ; Reland , most admirably , not On

the other hand , unlearned men in abundance had

traversed Palestine , and returned to repeat and B perpetuate its monkish legends Only aumer,

i of Burckhardt, and Laborde had wr tten books any great value to science . Even the map of

B er ha u s Syria by g , till then the best , was found to be so inaccurate as to be of little service .

The time had come for a scholar , equal to

of Reland in acuteness and breadth judgment, to fi enter this tempting eld with thermometer,

’ Th e Hieroz oz con of B och art is of perman en t value ; b u t his

“ Geograp hia S acra aboun ds with un ten able hyp othe se s an d ” an d t a n e d et olo e s r i ym gi s . O V S TO N E W O 74 REM E Y RK.

s - telescope , compa s , and measuring tape , but ,

- ffi above all , sharp eyed and su ciently skeptical , and then make report of what he had seen and

measured . Such a man was our late associate , h raised up , endowed , and trained , for t is very

purpose so keen of vision , that nothing escaped

his notice ; so sound and solid of judgment,

so that no mere fancy could sway him learned , that nothing of any moment pertaining to his

so work , was unknown to him ; and yet, withal ,

ff to ardent in his religious a ections , as pursue his task like a new Crusader . There never was a man better suited to his calling .

B iblica l B e w are/M8 Of this great work , the , in which his achievements of discovery are now

r . ensh ined , we have no need to speak Since Rit

ter has pronounced its encomium , its authority

fi . is sealed, and its fame is xed In form , this

is Mau ndrel work a journal , after the manner of

and Burckhardt . On this are engrafted , at

tr great cost of time and toil , historical illus a tions and discussions “ of various points relating H IS U FI IS H W N N ED ORK. 75

to the historical topography of the Holy Land .

The materials ou t of which the work was

wrought, were the very full separate journals

kept by Dr . Robinson and his travelling com

panion , which were usually written up each night from pencil notes taken upon the spots f . w as o visited during the day . Dr Robinson

’ O “ the Poet Gray s pinion , that a single line

written upon the spot, is worth a whole cart

” load of recollection . Of his indebtedness to b Dr . Eli Smith , which has een sometimes not

very generously alluded to , Dr . Robinson makes repeated and most frank acknowledgment . The more important and interesting results of the

journey, he says , are mainly to be ascribed to

the Arabic scholarship , and other accomplish

of ments , his travelling companion .

HI U F SHE O K S N INI D W R .

And yet this great work , which will send his name down through every human generation to

en d of the time , was but preparatory to another, HIS UNFINIS HE D WO K 76 R . to h which , throug long years and consuming

d as stu ies , he looked steadily forward the crown 1 5 ing labor of his life . In 8 6 he wrote as fol lows “ The great object of all these travels and

o as lab rs has been, formerly announced , to col

" lect materials for the preparation of a syste matic work on the physical and historical geo

’ of . so graphy the Holy Land To this work ,

much needed , should my life and health be

” to Spared , I hope speedily address myself. To f im this work he did address himsel , and that mediately . Even before the last sheets of his

set later Researches had left his hands , he had

fi of about the new and nal task . But instead

ow n any report of my , I prefer to transcribe the accoun t kindly furnished me by Mrs . Robin son :

“ 1 855 or 1 856 In the year , while his later

Researches were printing , he commenced a work on the Geography of the Bible , which he called

“ ” cri tu re eo ra h . t S p G g p y Of his work , which he

five fi nd divided into parts , I the full plan, the IS H W H IS UNFIN ED ORK. 77

introduction , and seventy closely written quarto

pages besides notes , additions, etc . “ In this work he was interrupted by an attack — of gastric fever during the winter of 1 856 7 . He never considered himself as perfectly cured during the following summer ; and this Opinion was confirmed by another severe attack in 1 857—8 t of the same complaint, assuming a y h id o e . p charact r, which greatly prostrated him

w as Although he felt decidedly better of that , it some time before he coul d make up his mind to resume his more severe studies . He wrote the f o . memoir his father meanwhile Of course , he

kept thinking of his great work , and examining it from all sides but when he took it up again

on he decided to recast it completely , and began 1 th e 3d 859 . of June , , to write a new work I

find the full title of it written out by him : B ibli

ra h . l . cal Geog p y V o I . The Central Region

w Palestine , ith Lebanon and Sinai , by E . R .

V ol . II . Outlying Countries . m Of these two volu es, he hoped to be able to HIS UN FINIS HE D WO 7 8 RK.

fi fi nish at least the rst . But God has decided fi e. otherwis This rst volume , of which the plan

ou t : is distinctly laid , he divided into three parts

1 . 2 Geo ra Physical Geography . . Historical g phy . 3 . Topographical Geography .

sa fi It pains me to y, that only the rst part,

P h sical Geo ra h the y g p y, is written ; and even this not completely, for the last two chapters on

V . egetable and on Animal Life , are still missing

They could , however, be easily supplied from

the older manuscript, as there is no reason to believe that this portion of the work would have been materially altered by him . The seven hun dred and fifty pages of this manuscript were written in exactly two years ; or rather in the winter and spring months of two years ; for

during the months of July, August, and Septem

ber he hardly ever wrote . They were com menced 3d 1 859 on the of June , , while the last

w as w 3d u 1 86 1 . page ritten on the of J ne , On

1 8th of the June his eye was operated upon, and he never was able to resunie his studies .

HIS A S T DA rs 8 0 L . had done for him all that was possible under the circumstances . The seven weeks which were Spent in the Infirmary at Berlin helped his gen eral health ; but an Operation u pon the remain

ing eye was not deemed advisable , and he was

to to compelled leave , with nothing better com

a fort him than the fact, th t the cataract was

making apparently no progress . Meanwhile ,

another disease , the nature of which was not

w then kno n , was undermining his constitution , and wastin g his strength . And yet he had great enjoymen t of life . In Switzerland he ascended

- Rhi i. KOsen the g At , a watering place near .

Halle , and wherever else his family went , he l joined cheerful y in their recreations . In Halle he was very happy among the friends of his

wife . In Berlin he had the society of Roediger ,

Of of Tw esten of Petermann , , of Ranke , Lepsius,

f Wet tein of . o s , and Kiepert The attentions him i paid by these distingu shed scholars , who him both admired and loved , were not more

evenl n s flattering than friendly . The g they HIS A S T S L DA Y . 8 1 spent together were as genial as any he had

ever known . He was enjoying , though he knew

it not, the mellow Indian summer of a life , which was soon to close . He got back to New York

of re about the middle November, and at once mi 1 5 h sumed his duties in the Se nary . On the t of December the family physician was called in to prescribe for new and more threatening symp

toms, which had appeared . With the Christmas

- holidays his labors ceased . And at half past ’ 27th nine o clock on Tuesday evening, January , hi 1 863 s . , he peacefully breathed last It is not certain that he knew he was passing away . him Nor was it needful that he shoul d . Behind lay a long life of faithful Christian service and

now, in dying, he had no new testimony to give .

Or if he knew that his time had come , he had only to grasp silently the hand that was reached ou t to him in the deepening Shadow, and step h calmly through . And so e died . Had he lived

see l 0th of l to the April, he wou d have been

- Sixty nine years old . 496 HIS A S T S 8 2 L DA Y .

With sorrow , which no words can measure ,

we now take our leave of this great, good man . In summing up the achievements of his labor

ious career, it would be enough to recite the

titles of his books but especially of three , which stand like monuments of granite piled up by his

own hands . His record is the best Greek

Harmony as yet prepared ; the best Lexicon of the New Testament Greek in any language and a Journal of Travels in Palestine absolutely

without a rival in the world . And yet the three

are but one in impulse and intent . It was the

to Supreme ambition of his life explain and illus;

n e trate the Holy Bible . The o adjective in our

B iblical language which he loved the most, was .

It was the watchword of all his studies ; and

- now we carve it upon his tomb stone . Of his

Special achievements in geography , it might suf

fi ce o to say in general , what Ritter has s em

’ phatically said , that Dr . Robinson s work on

Palestine is the beginning of a new era in B ibli cal Geography . The readers of these volumes HIS A S T A S L D Y . 8 3

not do need to be told , how many places spoken of e fi a in the Bibl he has identi ed , how m ny lying

legends he has routed . What if some call him " an iconoclast Who wants to be cheated , even into holy rapture over the Church of a sepu l " chre , which was somewhere else At any cost,

a let us have only the truth . It w s he that did more than any man had ever done before to wards determining the true topography of Jeru

on salem , by identifying the fragment of an arch Mount Moriah with the bridge Spoken of by

Josephus as leading from Moriah to Z ion . A desperate effort was made to tear this laurel

* from his brow ; but the laurel remained . And

what he did for Jerusalem , he did also for the f dl whole o Palestine . It is har y too much to

S cole an E n l s h a ch te ct h ad o e ea be o e Mr . s, g i r i , , s m y rs f r , e e te d Cathe ood to ea ch for an e a n h ch r qu s Mr . rw s r y r m i s w i th e e ht b e of th e b d e of Jo e h In 1 8 3 3 r mig ri g s p us . Mr .

Cathe ood d co e e d th e e n ant of an a ch bu t s o tte l rw is v r r m r , u r y h ad th e e t on of S cole ade d o h e o sugg s i Mr. s f fr m is m m ry, th at h e thought of th e arch only as b elonging to some old

a e d ct or ad ct. Its ident cation w as ade b Dr qu u vi u ifi m y . Rob n on in 1 8 38 i s . HIS HA T R 8 4 C RA C E .

say, that he found it afloat like an island in the sea s an d , almo t like a cloud in the Sky of fable , left it a part of Asia .

HIS CHA RA CTER.

Of his character, I might well hesitate to

Speak ; for although some features of it were as

as of bold and rugged the outline Lebanon itself,

tu to other fea res of it, little known the world, were as delicate and charming as the rose of

Sharon . His intellect was one of great native solidity and vigor . For metaphysical subtleties he had no relish whatever . What he sought for ' w as u not truth in spec lation , but truth in life ;

of s and, most all , the truth of God, a revealed

for human guidance in duty . This, he thought,

n might be surely k own, and clearly stated . He had great respect accordingly for the real com m u nis sens as of mankind ; and very little re

of us ul not spect, some wo d say, respect enough ,

for the established terminology of the schools .

w as mi to see What he saw, he deter ned clearly . H T HIS O ARA O ER. 85

What he could not see clearly, he did not desire

so to look at at all . If the word were not com mouly used in a bad sense exclusively, I Should say that he was naturally skeptical . But his

Skepticism was of that sort which Bacon com

mends in the Problems of Aristotle , which not only saveth philosophy from errors and false

” or hoods , but serves also as a sucker sponge

” of to draw use knowledge . Till he was quite

of ul ffi sure a thing, he wo d not a rm it ; and it h required more to assure him, t an it does most

men . This trait was constantly appearing , even in the most unreserved social intercourse ; so that his family used to call him “ The Chancel

” lor , in allusion to some lines they had met with in their reading

Pa ke ad th c d . e e a e a ke Mr r r m s r r,

Which w as dark en ough without ;

ee ch ade a S eech Mr . L m p ,

A n d th e Chan cello a d: I dou bt r s i .

of And yet this habit doubting, appears never to have been let loose against the teachings of HIS O HA RA OT R 8 6 E .

u . so Script re Persuaded , as he was thoroughly,

mah that has need of a Divine revelation, and having satisfied himself that a Divine revelation

has been made , and that the Bible is that revela

e of tion , he n ver dreamed impugning its doc

trines . His only question was What are those doctrines " And when once established by a

legitimate but rigid exegesis , he no longer treated them as aliens . What God had clearly

Spoken through Paul to the Romans , was as full

fi as of authority, and as nal , to him , what was

spoken from Sinai to the Hebrews .

Being thus a man of clear and positive convic e tions , he was no less clear and positive in utt r

or ance . He had little facility, power , in what

extem re H i is called p o discourse . s thoughts came feebly to their birth upon his lips . But

when he wrote , it was always with singular com

leteness p , precision, and force . Sometimes there is great felicity of diction ; but commonly the

on beauty is of that severe sort, which gleams

d - man h the e ge of the b attle ax e . No w o pro

8 8

fi fi neness of bre . In composition , he was always under the necessity of waiting upon his moods ; and wondered at the men who can write just

when they will . Sometimes for days together he could make no headway in his higher tasks .

r His scholarship was real , down ight scholar ship . It was also more various than was com

u . mo ly supposed In his earlier life , he played

the flute, and was fond of poetry . With Shakes

peare and Milton he was especially familiar .

u He was a caref l reader of the best newspapers,

religious and secular, and closely watched cur

It m rent events . might al ost be said , that what

He he failed to notice , was not worth noticing . cherished no foolish conceit of independence upon the acquirements of those who had gone

before him , in whatever department of study . He was guilty of no meanness in concealing the

his e to amount of indebt dness them . He used

t O freely wha ever lay pen to be freely used . But

he took the learning of others , whether dead or

’ for co to e on living , not a Ja b s pillow sle p . but H RA T HIS C A C ER. 8 9

’ for a Jacob s ladder to climb by . He began by translating the works of others ; he ended by producing better works of his ow n . He ex em plifi es the great difference there is between

’ s riding upon other men s back , and standing

’ upon other men s shoulders . Unquestionably, he had his full share of ambition as a scho lar . His reputation , hard earned and slow in coming , was precious to him ; and he was

careful never to compromise it himself, nor per mit to be compromised by others . It is very

of plain to me , from an inspection his works , that he expected them to live ; and he accord ingly weighed well his words . One seldom finds in the writings of any man so many tokens of a

- n - proper self conscious ess and self respect . He was not u naware of the important services he

was rendering, and had no lower aim , as surely he ul co d have had no higher , than to make those ser vices as effective for good as possible . A touching example of this appears in his valedic tory to the patrons of the B iblica l Rep ository in HIS O H A RA OT R 9 0 E .

“ 1834 : , in which he says Under these circum

stances , and bowed down with broken health , he

feels it to be a duty which he owes to himself, to

his family , and perhaps to the churches , to with draw from the station which he has hitherto

” occupied as the conductor of a public Journal . Of an overweening estimate of himself and his

services , I find nowhere any trace . Nor do I know of any thing in his treatment of other

writers entering his special domain, to warrant

“ the charge against him of being at once janitor

and judge , Cerberus and Rhadamanthus over all travellers and books having relation to the Holy

” Land . A critical notice of the volumes of Mr.

Commercial Stephens , which he inserted in the

A dvertiser , and which some pronounced severe ,

Mr . Stephens himself was so well pleased with , as to regret that it had not appeared in the

th A ri ie w e N or me ca n Rev . C rtainly , no modest

Scholar ever asked his assistance in any enter

wi prise , thout abundant occasion for gratitude ; and no scholar ever added any thing to the R HIS OHA RA O TE . 9 1

of a stock human knowledge , without his p plau se .

u He was likewise an able teacher ; c rt, blunt,

al and peremptory in manner , it is true ; but

of su b eht al ways thoroughly master his j , and w ays best liked by the best scholars . He re

quired no genius in his pupils , knowing well how rare that is ; but he did require a proper

O fi deference to his pinions , and , above all , delity and diligence in study ; and no man ever gave proof in his class - room of having slighted a

lesson , without smarting for it . And yet his

severity was never relentless . A student , whose

remissness had greatly plagued him , and who had consequently suffered what he thought rather

rough treatment at his hands , was one day over

“ heard praying, that God would bless Dr . Rob him ” inson , and teach better manners . This

prayer was reported to Dr . Robinson , and the

t resul was , that the student, whether he deserved

of the relief or not , had less to complain after

r . wa ds Some years later , when that student HI HA R 9 2 S C A CTE R .

to s . happened be in distres , Dr Robinson took the lead in getting up a subscription in his be

. of half Usually, the number those in each

successive class , who came into close personal h relations with him , was small but the few w o

“ did know him socially, knew him , but to love

“ ” him , as now they name him , but to praise .

As an interpreter of Scripture , he may have leaned rather strongly towards a cer tain bald f ness of exegesis , as though he were in quest o the minimu m of meaning but what he did find

in a passage , you might be pretty sure was really there . His own favorite commentators were De Wette and Meyer not from sympathy

with their doctrinal prepossessions , but because of their rigid adherence to what he considered

’ the best method of interpretation . Meyer s

Commentary on the New Testament, was one of the few books kept within easy reach upon

’ A cts at . the desk which he studied Hackett s ,

it may be added , was another . S It is with the Union Theological eminary , HIS OH A R A O T ER.

that his fame as a scholar and teacher , will , in

the time to come , be most intimately associated .

Connected with it almost from its earliest be

of ginning , devotion to its interests was one the strongest passions of his life . Its metropolitan location commended itself to his judgment as affording some of the facilities for professional study most needed by candidates for the Chris

tian ministry ; while the perils involved , are only such as may serve to test and settle the character of the student . However long the

institution may stand , and whatever may be its

n fi - five future e largement , the rst twenty years of its history will forever shine with the light of his labors and his renown . Till he returned from his first visit to Palestine he drew no pay from its treasury . To its alcoves he made large and valuable contributions from the Shelves of

. of his own library On many its alumni , who are set now preaching the word of life , he the

stamp of a superior scholarship . Within the

shadow . of its walls he lighted for years his HIS O H A OT R 9 4 RA E . morning lamp ; performed a good part of the best work of his life ; and died at last with a

t l repu ation encirc ing the globe . A S a man he was little known . A natural reserve veiled his innermost character from the

d to knowle ge of the world . He might seem be lethargic and unimpressible but in reality noth ing which transpired in his presence escaped his notice . When he appeared to be seeing and

hearing nothing , he was seeing and hearing all .

to Many people , no doubt, thought him be hard and cold . He was any thing but hard and cold .

“ ” H omo s u m of The Terence , was never better

nervods exemplified than in him . The strong i him element in his constitution, wh ch exposed to fi ts nl of melancholy , made him kee y alive to

os all human interests . He was also largely p m i sessed of genuine hu or, wh ch seldom missed

its Opportunity . In the midst of grave discus

sions going on in his presence , I have heard

b - of from him , in an undertone , a y play pleas

autry , which , if overheard , would have convulsed

9 6 H IS OHARA OTER .

l e On y a few weeks before he died , happ ning to

' of a hear young man , once , though for a Short

t n as time only, connec ed with the Semi ary , hav ing come to the city for medical advice not

to him m likely keep fro the grave , Dr . Robinson sent him a handsome sum of money through the

of hands a friend , strictly charging that friend not to let the young man know w ho sent him the fi money . As the benefactor and the bene ciary l l are now both dead, I fee myse f at liberty to

ds divulge the secret . Many such good dee went before him to his final account . If he had the

of the of hi . head a Jupiter , he had heart a c ld

Nor in these sad and shameful days of treasofi in its of l arms behind ramparts, and a stil baser

a be ore w e tre son f those ramparts, may forget to c h ommemorate, with t anksgiving and with pride , the burnin g patriotism Of our departed friend .

w as in him a of fire . It , and about him, like a fl me

all Like true scholars , like all good men , he loved his country as he loved the grave and the memory of his mother . HIS CHA A CTE R R . 9 7

as l In his religious , in his socia character, Dr .

Robinson was not at all demonstrative . It

ul as wo d be absurd to say, that his religion w not that of feeling ; for religion is essentially a h thing of feeling . But with him t ere was no forwardness in the expression of religious feel

. i was one ing His l fe a hidden , and the deeper

God for being hidden . His peace with appears

not to have been early made . I have been able to learn at what time he joined himself to the

Vi n of . sible commu ion the Church I only know, that in the earliest of his manuscripts which I have seen (and I have had before me sermons

w as - of written when he twenty eight years age) , there are the clearest tokens of a well - advised and most settled faith in the person and work of the great Redeemer . The Gospel as a super

u of of is nat ral economy healing and help, , in

r these sermons , su veyed with great distinctness of vision, and laid hold upon with great vigor

no and steadiness of grasp . He knew other

Christianity than that of the canonical Scrip 5 HIS OHA A OT 9 8 R ER.

u . t res , authenticated by miracles and prophecy

He knew no way of being saved but by the grace

of God . k , abounding above his sin And he new

no warrant for his Christian hopes , but what was furnished by his own patient continuance in

- well doing . He w as never a parish clergyman but during his residence at Andover he w as li censed to preach by the Hartford Association in

all Connecticut ; wrote in nine sermons , leaving

also the fragment of a tenth , which are still pre served received Presbyterian ordination at the

of hands the Third Presbytery in this city , in compliance with the requirements O f the Consti

' tution of i one of the Sem nary, when he became its Professors and Often preached in the earlier

of his i part professional l fe , for the last time , I

on e of of believe , in the Dutch churches this city 1 846 in , although he has left no sermon written 1 f 826 . o s later than Each these sermon , is , in its

s of and plan, exhau tive the topic discussed , all are marked by great breadth and maturity of sen i t ment. His trial sermon, which he rarely

HIS HA A 1 0 0 O R OTER .

or his . louder, more urgent, than in sending them e i The glob is dotted over with m ssionary posts , at which the intelligence of his death will be t received wi h profoundest grief. The eternal shore is now trodden by the feet of many pagan

s u a hi s convert , whose spirit l fathers were chil dren .

Al no as , my father, thou art gone, to return more " That massive form will be seen no more upon our surging streets . That deep voice will be heard no more in the hall s of Christian sci

u l ence . That sober, st rdy inte lect will invite no f more the audience o learned men . That loyal heart will beat no more in answer to the call of

n or of . one of cou try, home The great scholar,

t on our t as has the grea est con inent yet, done

hi s work , and folded his hands , and the account

“ His r hi s is closed . body is bu ied in peace, but

” name liveth evermore .