INTRODUCTION. 13 that that noble personal appearance, of intellectuality, dignity, and courage, incased a soul of more than ordinary rank in the intellectual scale. The power of reasoning in this mind was strong and forcible. A sound judgment and discrimination were predominant. A generous, innate nobility was there. The social qualities were his in the highest degree. Nothing mean, or low, or inconsistent, or disreputable belonged to him, and yet he never knew how to assume, to dictate, or raise, or sustain himself at the expense of any human being. Equal rights, in all respects, he awarded to all, and would neither claim, receive, or exact more than what every one would concede to him, as entirely his own. The talents of Mr. Walker were such as would enable him to shine in any department, whether as a lawyer, a statesman, or a jurist. As to a truly-religious character, he possessed it in a high degree. He enjoyed it in its first elements, and in its mature attainments. While he was well conversant, experimentally, in repentance, faith, regeneration, and the witness of the divine Spirit, he was no stranger to those higher attainments of grace which compose the character of the mature Christian. He was a sanctified Christian, and professed it in that modest way in which the purest Christian professed it. The work of the Spirit on the heart, as the convincer of sin, the regenerator of the soul, the comforter and the sanctifier, was fundamental in his creed, and deeply im bued, nay, controlled, his religious experience and his practice; and as a practical Christian, he was ready for every good work; and this he proved by contributions and services, in behalf of every benevolent object, to the utmost reach of his ability. If we consider him as a minister of Christ, we rarely find his superior. His fidelity to every trust in the Church was such, that in no instance, during his whole life, did he even swerve from the exact line of trustworthiness. In labors and toils, he was unsparing of himself, so as to be constantly at work in his sacred calling. His success, too, in the ministry was very great. On every circuit, station, and district on which he labored, to a greater or less extent, his labors were blessed to the enlightenment and conviction of sinners, to their conversion, and the edification of believers. Many thousand souls were brought to Christ through his instrumentality. Great wisdom and prudence, as well as unbending firmness, marked his entire administration in Church matters. And any who differed from him could not be displeased with him as an opponent. In ecclesiastical forensics he excelled. This was fully manifested on many occasions. In his own annual conference, he was master in this field. In the General conference, at several sessions, he exhibited superior powers and acquirements in this line. In 1848, at Pittsburg, he delivered an argument on the property question, which no one there INTRODUCTION. 15 could answer, and no one ever will be able to answer it. The truth is, he studied this subject, to our knowledge, from the best law books, and made himself master of the fundamental principles of the subject, as contained in the Roman law, and as the points have been settled by the great jurists of the world, and decided in all the respectable courts of equity in Christendom. In 1852, at Boston, he was among the foremost there in all such matters. At Indianapolis, in 1856, his arguments in several appeals, as well as his speech on the greatest question before the body, placed him among the foremost on any question of the sort, that did, or could come before the conference. The foregoing brief survey of Mr. Walker, and the references to the present volume, give only a faint and imperfect survey of his character. But the perusal of the book will very fully present the whole in an advantageous, yet true light. The performance shows that the biographer has come to his work with the advantages of previous training in such composition, and this is very manifest indeed in this volume. Much pains have been bestowed in the composition. Mrs. Walker furnished, herself, a portion of the material, with all the devotion worthy of herself and her noble and generous husband. Yet Mr. Gaddis has done a work that few would ever try to do; and most of those who would try, have not the industry or the tact to accomplish the task. Well, the Methodist Episcopal Church is in debt to Mr. Gaddis for this very timely and useful volume, and all the relatives and friends of Mr. Walker owe thanks to his biographer. We need not, nor do we, exhort any to buy this book. It will, we doubt not, be bought, and read with great avidity, by thousands. Every one who knew Mr. Walker will buy and read it, and so will thousands of others. The news of Mr. Walker's death reached me while in Iowa. On the occasion, I felt as if I had lost all my nearest relatives. I said to myself, there is not another George Walker left in the Cincinnati conference, among all its able and excellent ministers. A similar feeling pervaded multitudes of other persons, as I since learned. CINCINNATI, Jan. 1, 1857. CHARLES ELLIOTT. CONTENTS. Ancestry, paternal and maternal-Natives of Maryland-Emigration to Ohio Country new and thinly settled-Roman Catholics-No church or priest near them-Mr. Walker performed mass for the repose of the departed spirit of his father-Interposition of a wise Providence--- Settles near Chillicothe-Is surrounded by Protestants-No fellowship with heretics-Church of Rome infallible-Example of Protestants-. John Walker's family-Nine children, of whom Rev. George Wash- The Monnett family-A resort to "guile"-A large dinner party-The Walker family invited-An unexpected guest-The circuit preacher- The introduction and surprise-Confusion of Mr. John Walker and lady-The consultation-The conclusion arrived at-Rules of eti- quette Fear of violation-The kindness of the minister-Conduct during preaching-The character of the sermon-Kneeling on one Earthquakes and the holy Scriptures-Strange convulsions of the earth- |