OBERLIN
276
OBERLIN
When he heard of the spiritual destitution that existed ainoiij^ brethren of' liis faith in tlie United States he was read}^ to respond to the earnest Macedonian or}', " Come over and help us." He had determined to immi- grate to this country, where, it seemed to him, there was so nnich work to be done for the German popula- tion, and his arrangements were nearly completed, when liis designs, greatly to his sorrow, were frustrated by the American Revolution. His work evidently was not yet done in the Ban de la Koche, or Providence would have opened the way for his departure. As the population of the Ban increased, Oberlin introduced among the peasants cotton-spinning and weaving, the art of dyeing, and various branches of manufacture. The flourishing settlement began to attract attention from abroad, and in 1818, in testimony of his services to mankind, and especially in the science of agriculture, a gold medal was presented to the worthy pastor by the Koyal Agricultural Society of Paris. The decoration of the Legion of Honor was also awarded him by Louis XVIII as an appreciation of his services to humanity. He was visited, too, by distinguished travellers from different parts of Europe, who expressed their utmost gratification with the order and happiness which pre- vailed, and their astonishment at the great changes that had been effected. Oberlin's influence over his parish continued to the last. As he advanced in years, and physical infirmities increased, he resigned to his son-in-law his more active duties; but there was no abatement of his interest in the work. With a face habitually serene, his life presented one of the finest specimens of happy old age. When he could no longer labor, with unfaltering devotion he prayed for his be- loved people; and that no one might be passed by, he was accustomed to keep a list of his parishioners and pray for them individually; and frequently he would ^.rite on his door the names of such as claimed special attention, lest they might be forgotten. He also spent a portion of his time in epistolary correspondence, and in writing essays on religious subjects for the instruction of his people. Every sentiment he uttered seemed ani- mated bj' the spirit of the Master — an earnest desire to do good and to fulfil the object of life, by simple-hearted faith in God and patient submission to his will. His last illness was brief. On the morning of June 2, 182G, in the eighty-sixth year of his age, and the sixtieth of his ministry in the Ban de la Koche, he gently passed to his rest, the place " which sin can never touch nor sorrow cloud." As the intelligence of the good man's death spread through the district it was received with un- feigned sorrow. The peasants in a vast concourse came from all directions, through dreucliing rains and muddy roads, to look for the last time upon the countenance of their father and friend, to pay their tribute of gratitude and affection to the memory of him who had been so closely identified with their interests, and who had steadfastly and enthusiastically dedicated his life to their moral elevation. When the procession with the corpse, on w-hich were placed the Bible from which he had so long preached and the robes which he had worn in the pulpit, preceded by the oldest inhabitant carry- ing a cross designed to be jjlaced by the grave, reached the church — a distance of two miles — the mourners had not yet all left the house. At the funeral services in the church, which, although closely packed, only a small portion could enter, a paper written by Oberlin many years before in prospect of this event was read. Among other things, the following tender and impres- sive language occurs : " God will neither forget nor for- sake thee, my dear parish ! He has towards thee, as I have often said, thoughts of peace and mercj-. All things will go well with thee. Only cleave thou to him. Forget my name, and retain only that of Jesus Christ, whom I have proclaimed to thee. He is thy Pastor; I am but his servant. He is the (Jood ]\Iaster who sent me to thee that I might be useful. He alone is wise, good, and almighty; I am Init a poor, fallen,
wretched man. Pray, my friends, that you may ail be- come the beloved sheep of his pasture. There is salva- tion in none other than Jesus Christ. Jesus loves you, seeks you, and is ready to receive you. (io to him just as you are, with all your sins and infirmities. He alone can deliver you from them, and heal you. He will sanctify and perfect you. Consecrate yourselves to him. Whenever any of you die, may j'ou die in him, and may I meet you, with songs of triumph, in the mansions of the blessed, before the throne of the Lamb."
There is much that is attractive in the faithful labors of Jean Frederic Oberlin, and the lessons derived from his useful life may be profitable in their relation to our own personal efforts to do good. There have been men of more brilliant talents, of greater erudition and more varied attainments, but few individuals have been more earnest and devoted to their work, or more successful in the influence which they wielded and the results they accomplished, than this humble Lutheran minister. He was the ideal of a good pastor — holy, harmless, separate from sinners ; a man of warm heart and generous im- pulses, of great simplicity, of a frank, genial nature, uniform kindness, and unsidlied integrity. He possessed energy, industry, unconquerable perseverance, and a wonderful power of endurance. He was a man of me- thodical habits, a lover of order and subordination, sin- cere and unreserved in his intercourse, practical in his character, and entirely consecrated to the service of the Master. His career was one scene f)f active benevolence and zealous piety, an exhibition of a loving heart, a blameless life, and a tireless hand. He was thoroughly evangelical in his views, importunate in prayer, and strong in faith, and strikingly illustrated in his own walk and conversation the power and blessechiess of the Gospel. Notwithstanding the comparatively obscure and humble sphere which he occupied, he became the beloved patriarch of a renovated country and a regen- erated people. His fame as a philanthropist has ex- tended over the world, and his example has stimulated and guided others in their Christian efforts to advance the welfare and elevate the character of the race. See North Amer. Rev. 1831, p. 453; Princet. Eepos. 1830, p. 532; Bullet. T/ieol. Oct. 25, 1869, p. 310; Neander, Ziiffe. aits dem Leben v. Wirken des Pastor Oberlin (1835) ; Mer- lin, Le Pasteur Oberlin (1833) ; Eothert, Leben J. F. Oberlin's (1847) ; The Ban de la Roche and its Benefac- tor (Lond. 1820); Lutteroth, Notice sur ,T. F. Oberlin (1826); Stoeber, Vie de J. F. Oberlin (1834); Schubert, Ziige aus dem Leben Oberlin's (1854); Sims, Brief Me- morials of Oberlin (Lond. 1830) ; Memoirs of Oberlin (8th ed. Lond. 1838) ; Afemoirs of John Frederick Ober- lin, Pastor of Waldbach, in the Ban de la Roche ; com- piled from authentic sources, chiefly French and Ger- man, with a dedication and translation, by the Rev. Lu- ther Halsev (N.York, 1855); Blackie, Morals, p. 270; Hurst's Ha"genbach, Ch. Hist, of the ISlh and Wth Cen- turies, ii, 380 sq. (:\I. L. S.^