Many sermons and orations marked the occasion of President Lincoln's death on April 14, 1865. Among the most famous is the sermon delivered at Lincoln's funeral, held at the Executive Mansion in Washington, D.C. on the nineteenth of April, by Reverend Phineas Gurley (1816-1868).
Death-bed of Abraham Lincoln. Print reproduction of a painting by John H. Littlefield. (Image ID: 3346)
Portrait of Reverend Phineas Densmore Gurley (1816-1868).
Reverend Gurley had been the Lincoln family's pastor for four years at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington. His funeral sermon reveals how Lincoln's pastor viewed the president's place in history:
"Where reason fails, with all her powers, There faith prevails, and love adores."
The original cover page of Rev. Gurley's sermon. Click to read the full text. (Image ID: 3347)