William Wirt, 58
William Wirt, 1772-1834.
(9 minutes)
God doesn’t usually call famous or powerful people to salvation (1 Corinthians 1:26-29), but sometimes He does. William Wirt was a prominent lawyer in the early United States, and he was one of those exceptions.
Today, probably no one knows his name, but he left at least one legacy that as Americans we appreciate: he wrote the first biography of Patrick Henry, and in his research for the book, he interviewed men who knew Henry. Without Wirt, we wouldn’t know about the time that Henry demanded “Liberty or Death.”
In his day, Wirt served as Attorney General of the United States under presidents James Monroe and John Quincy Adams. After leaving office, he represented the Cherokee nation in their Supreme Court case against the State of Georgia.
He was also a Christian and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore.
After he died, his pastor, William Nevins, wrote a tribute to him. In that tribute, we see an example of how the Christian faith can and should affect a person, regardless of his position in society. It’s hard today to find an example of Christ-like character in a well-known leader, but Wirt’s story is proof that such a thing is possible.
The late Mr. Wirt, by William Nevins (excerpt)
This distinguished man who for so long filled such large a place in the public eye and mind, has passed away. I will let others who are more gifted write about the good he has done for our nation. But I will make a brief record of the part of his life that connects him with the church. Few names have ever been written on earth in larger and more brilliant letters; but his name was also written in heaven—he had a record on high.
From the first time I met him, I always found him ready to listen and learn on the subject of religion, even from those who were far below him in intellect and general knowledge. I never knew a man more open, candid, and gentle, than he; and yet, he would never accept a new thing without a good reason for doing so. When he had ascertained that it was to God whose words he was hearing, his faith was implicit towards him; but his understanding refused to bow to man.
A skeptic who became convinced of biblical truth
There was a time when he had doubts about the truth of Christianity; but, after inquiring and examining, his doubts departed, and his mind rested in the confident belief that God had given revelation to man, and that the Bible contains that revelation. Perhaps this work of conviction was not fully completed in him until a few years ago, when (as he as often told me) with the greatest satisfaction and profit, he read Horne's Introduction to the Critical Study of the Holy Scriptures, a work which many have read at his recommendation, and with similar results.
Not content with head knowledge
But Mr. Wirt was not content while the Christian faith possessed only his intellect. He was aware that it equally deserved a place in his affections; and having for a long time yielded to Christ the allegiance of his understanding, he at length received him into his heart.
It was in the summer of 1831, that, on a profession of faith and repentance, he became connected with the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, of which he remained a consistent and exemplary member until his death.
A letter to his pastor, deep things on his mind
Shortly after he joined the church, I received a letter from him. This letter shows, among other things, how the Spirit of God had taught this great man to think carefully of the human character and heart. He writes from the Sweet Springs of Virginia. [A popular resort built near mineral springs.] —
“My mind has been distracted by the noise and commotion that comes with staying at a public lodging house, or traveling and tossing over rough roads.
Too distracted, I mean, for continuous and systematic meditation and cultivation of religious feelings which are my duty, and which I think I would find a delightful duty; but perhaps I deceive myself in this, because I do not trust my own heart's evaluation of myself.
I feel that I lack that supreme love of my God and Savior that I pray for. I feel the lack of the warming and purifying love, the sanctifying and cheering Holy Spirit who supports the Christian in his warfare with the world, the flesh, and the great enemy of our souls.
Yet I must not be ungrateful. I have had some sweet moments. Sometimes my heart soars as I look at the great works of God that surround me. As it rises in praise to my Creator, I think with gratitude on that much greater work of His, the salvation of a guilty and fallen world by the death and mediation of His only Son.
But I am an exceedingly poor and weak Christian; and I often fear, too often for my peace, that there is no reality to my profession of faith, and that I may have mistaken the excitement of a strong imagination, for the strong and steady fire which characterizes a true Christian, and bears him victoriously on his course.
Only God truly knows the state of my heart. I think I am trying to be sincere. But I may be mistaken, and my perceived sincerity may turn out in the end to be one of those tricks which the deceiver uses to destroy our souls. On the other hand, it might be one of his schemes to make me despond, and thus defeat the operation of the Spirit.
Oh, there are so many enemies against us—treachery within and without. Nothing remains for us but to watch and to pray, lest we enter into temptation. God forbid that the public profession which I have made of religion should result in dishonor of His cause. It is the fear of this which has so long held me back, and not the fear of man.
I am grieved to learn that my having gone to the Lord's table has been put into the newspapers. That was not a proper subject for a paper. Of what consequence is it to the cause of Christ that such a poor reptile as myself should have acknowledged Him before other worms of the dust like myself.
I feel humbled and alarmed at such an announcement. It will cause the eyes of a hypercritical and adversarial world upon me, and, I fear, it will tend to tarnish the cause of Christ more than to advance it.”
Humbled by his inconsistency, but longing for more
“I long for more fervor in prayer—for more of the love and Spirit of God shed abroad in my heart—for more of His presence throughout the day—to be anchored more firmly in Christ, to keep this heart of mine and its affections from tossing to and fro on the waves of this world and the things of time and sense—
I long for a brighter and a stronger faith—and some assurance of my Savior's acceptance and love. I feel as if He could not love me—that I am utterly unworthy of His love—that I have not one loveable point or quality about me—but that, on the contrary, He must still think of me as one who is a foreigner to His kingdom and a stranger to His love.
But, with the blessing of God, I will persevere in seeking Him, relying on His promise, that if I come to Him, He will not cast me off.”
It may be of interest to some of my readers that the favorite religious authors of Mr. Wirt were Isaac Watts and William Jay. More recently he became acquainted with the writings of John Flavel (a Puritan), and the subject of the last conversation that I had with him was Flavel's Saint Indeed, which he had just been reading with great interest.
Things to ponder
Today, we might have good reason to think that there can be no good Christians in high places. In an age when even many pastors are known for their love of money and fame, it’s hard to picture a politician who could be genuinely humble. But Wirt teaches us that this it is, and his example teaches us to think well about how we carry the name of Jesus Christ.
