1 January 1843
adams-john10 Neal Millikan Religion Health and Illness
381 Washington Sunday 1. January 1843—

1. VI:30. Sunday—

Tayloe Benjamin Ogle Mrs Benjn. O. Tayloe Sedgewick Theodore Campbell Archibald jr Adams Joseph Harrod Thomas Dr John M

I attended public worship this morning at the hall of the house of representatives— Mr Tiffany read the short episcopalian service of the circumcision morning without the litany, or any part of the communion, or the first lesson of the day: and from the second lesson, he took his text. James 4.13. [“]Go to, now, ye that say, To-day, or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that.” The uncertainty and instability of human life, and the propensity in human nature to forget or cast aside this Law of its own existence is the perpetual admonition both of the old and of the new Testament. It is one of the common places of Christian morality, upon which there is nothing new to be said, and upon which what has been said cannot be too often repeated— It is one of my subjects of self reproach, that conscious as I am of this tenure of my existence I continue to disguise it to myself, and instead of setting my house in order, I live on as if my end were yet remote, unprepared for the inevitable hour. Mr Tiffany’s exhortation was edifying—but not very impressive.— After the service, on my way home, I visited Granger and Kennedy in 3d. Street—then Mr and Mrs John Pope, at Cudlip’s, and Mr Samuel Gordon, but neither of them was at home— Then the Mess at Hyatt’s; of whom I only saw Mr John Taliaferro. Mr Maynard, and Mr and Mrs Morgan, with their two small daughters— Their dinner bell rang, and I came home.— Visits from Mr and Mrs B. O. Tayloe—from Mr Theodore Sedgewick of New-York; and from Mr Campbell, who together with Joseph H. Adams dined with us. After dinner at St. John’s church, Mr Hawley read the evening service of the day, and premising that he had been disappointed in the expectation of assistance from a professional brother to preach for him, he gave a brief extemporaneous exposition from Isaiah 11.2. “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord”—all of which he considered as applicable to the Messiah— This is not now universally admitted; but Mr Hawley had no time to discuss it controversially— After church I visited Mr T. B. Johnson whom I found sitting up in his armed chair, somewhat revived from his late paralytic shock; but very feeble and helpless— Isaac Hull, and Campbell cheered the Evening with sacred music

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