GOD’S AWFUL JUDGMENT IN THE BREAKING AND WITHERING OF THE STRONG RODS OF A COMMUNITY
Ezek. xix. 12.—Her strong rods were broken and withered.
I come now to apply these things to our own case, under the late awful frown of divine Providence upon us in removing by death that honorable person in public rule and authority, an inhabitant of this town and belonging to this congregation and church, who died at Boston the last Lord’s day.
He was eminently a strong rod in the aforementioned respects. As to his natural abilities, the strength of reason, greatness, and clearness of discerning and depth of penetration, he was one of the first rank: it may be doubted whether he has left his superior in these respects in these parts of the world. He was a man of a truly great genius, and his genius was peculiarly fitted for the understanding and managing of public affairs.
And as his natural capacity was great, so was the knowledge that he had acquired, his understanding being greatly improved by the close application of mind to those things he was called to be concerned in, and by a very exact observation of them and long experience in them. He had indeed a great insight into the nature of public societies, the mysteries of government, and the affairs of peace and war: he had a discerning that very few have of the things wherein the public weal consists, and what those things are that do expose public societies, and of the proper means to avoid the latter and promote the former. He was quick in his discerning, in that in most cases, especially such as belonged to his proper business, he, at first sight, would see further than most men when they had done their best; but yet he had a wonderful faculty of improving his own thoughts by meditation, and carrying his views a greater and greater length by long and close application of mind. He had an extraordinary ability to distinguish right and wrong in the midst of intricacies and circumstances that tended to perplex and darken the case: he was able to weigh things, as it were, in a balance, and to distinguish those things that were solid and weighty from those that had only a fair show without substance, which he evidently discovered in his accurate, clear and plain way of stating and committing causes to a jury, from the bench, as by others hath been observed. He wonderfully distinguished truth from falsehood and the most labored cases seemed always to lie clear in his mind, his ideas properly ranged—and he had a talent of communicating them to everyone’s understanding, beyond almost anyone; and if any were misguided, it was not because truth and falsehood, right and wrong, were not well distinguished.
He was probably one of the ablest politicians that ever New England bred: he had a very uncommon insight into human nature, and a marvelous ability to penetrate into the particular tempers and dispositions of such as he had to deal with and to discern the fittest way of treating them, so as most effectually to influence them to any good and wise purpose.
And never perhaps was there a person that had a more extensive and thorough knowledge of the state of this land and its public affairs, and of persons that were jointly concerned in them: he knew these people and their circumstances, and what their circumstances required: he discerned the diseases of this body, and what were the proper remedies, as an able and masterly physician. He had a great acquaintance with the neighboring colonies, and also the neighbor nations on this continent, with whom we are concerned in our public affairs: he had a piece of far greater knowledge than any other person in the land of the several nations of Indians in these northern parts of America, their tempers, manners and the proper way of treating them, and was more extensively known by them than any other person in the country: and no other person in authority in this province had such an acquaintance with the people and country of Canada, the land of our enemies, as he.
He was
exceeding far from a disposition and forwardness to intermeddle with other
people’s business; but as to what belonged to the offices he sustained and the
important affairs that he had the care of, he had a great understanding of what
belonged to them. I have often been surprised at the length of his reach, and
what I have seen of his ability to foresee and determine the consequences of
things, even at a great distance, and quite beyond the sight of other men. He
was not wavering and unsteady in his opinion: his manner was never to pass a
judgment rashly, but was wont first thoroughly to deliberate and weigh an
affair; and in this, notwithstanding his great abilities, he was glad to
improve [by] the help of conversation and discourse with others, and often
spake of the great advantage he found by it; but when, on mature consideration,
he had settled his judgment, he was not easily turned from it by false colors
and plausible pretenses and appearances.
