Well, we're continuing on our study of the spiritual lives of the presidents of the United States. And we come to the 20th president, James A. Garfield. He was born November 19th, 1831 in Orange Township, Ohio. And he became president on March 4th, 1881. But almost four months later, he was shot by Charles Guettaw. He died while in office two and a half months later. And, uh, so as we usually do, we start out with some, um, facts concerning fun facts concerning these presidents. So he grew up in poverty. He was the last president to be born in a log cabin. And his father died when he was 18 months old. He and his siblings tried to work with their mother at their farm to make ends meet. And he worked his way through school. during that time. He moved to the Eclectic Institute, today it's called Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. While he was there he taught some classes to help pay his way through school and one of his students was Lucretia Rudolph. They started dating in 1853. And married five years later on November 11th, 1858. And she would later be a reluctant first lady for the short time that she occupied the White House. He became the president of a college. the age of 26, he decided to continue teaching there at the Eclectic Institute after graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts. And in 1857, he became its president. And while serving in that capacity, he also studied law and he served as an Ohio State Senator. Well, he became a major general during the Civil War. He was a staunch abolitionist. And at the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, he joined the Union Army and quickly rose through the ranks to become a major general. And by 1863, he was chief of staff to General Rosencrantz. And he was in Congress for 17 years. He left the military when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1863. He would continue to serve in Congress until 1880. He is part of that committee that had given the election to Rutherford Hayes in 1876. In 1876, Garfield was the member of that 15 man investigative committee that awarded the presidential election to Rutherford B. Hayes over Samuel Tilden. Tilden had won the popular vote and was just one electoral vote shy of winning the presidency. The awarding of the presidency to Hayes was known as the Compromise of 1877. And it is believed that Hayes agreed to end reconstruction in order to win. And the opponents had called this that corrupt bargain. In 1880, Garfield was elected to the United States Senate for Ohio. However, he'd never take office due to winning the presidency in November. He was not the Republican party's first choice as a nominee. In the election of 1880, after 36 ballots, Garfield won the nomination as a compromise candidate between conservatives and moderates. Chester Alan Arthur was chosen to run as his vice president and he ran against Democrat Winfield Hancock. campaign was a true clash of personality over issues. The final popular vote was extremely close with Garfield receiving only 1,898 more votes than his opponent. Garfield, however, received 58%, which was 214 out of 369 of the electoral votes. And because of that, he was able to win the presidency. While in office, the Star Route scandal occurred and President Garfield was not implicated. It was found that many members of Congress, including those of his own party, were illegally profiting from private organizations who purchased postal routes out West. Garfield showed himself to be above party politics by ordering a complete investigation and the aftermath of the scandal resulted in many important civil service reforms. On July 2nd, 1881, a man named Charles J. Goutard who had been denied a position as the ambassador to France shot president Garfield in the back. Guitart said he shot Garfield to unite the Republican party and to save the Republic. Garfield ended up dying on September 19th, 1881 of blood poisoning due to the unsanitary manner in which the doctors attended to his wounds. Goutal was later hanged on June 30th, 1882 after being convicted of murder. So lots of things come to mind as we look at this book, The President's 250 Years of American Political Leadership by Ian Dale. It talks about the 20th president of the United States, and it says it can basically summed up in one word, potential. James Abram Garfield, orator, lawyer, preacher, linguist, general, congressman, senator-elect, president, only served six months. And it was an election that, as we have already heard, wasn't necessarily as popular as landslide. So we have a situation where this president comes into play and he is someone that when you think about his private life, he He really did love his wife and it talks about in the book, James A. Garfield by Ira Rutgell, he talks about the private Garfield and it says, despite their early difficulties, the middle and later years of the Garfield's marriage were marked by a strong sense of togetherness and familial bonding. Indeed, Garfield wrote to a friend, you should polarize your life by love and marriage at home. The physical inconveniences and financial difficulties of living apart prompted the Garfields in 1869 to build a squarish brick house on the northeast corner of 13th and I streets in Washington. I am sure if our home should be really finished and you permitted to take me into it, wrote Lucretia, I shall feel more than ever before that I am your wedded wife, taken to your hearth and heart. And so this three-story residence enlarged in 1878, served as their domestic base and a social center when Congress was in session. Now the Garfields grew into a large close-knit family with seven children, five of whom survived into adulthood. Garfield's mother, a domineering, doting, and opinionated woman, lived with them. Having joined the Washington household after accusing her son of not properly caring for her, Eliza Garfield's presence and intolerant disposition caused considerable family friction. Garfield's daughter, Molly, would later write of her grandmother, such a woman as she is, I just can't stand. And despite these minor family tensions, every year brought Garfield increasing marital happiness as he and Lucretia reveled in the growth and intelligence of their children. In the book by David C. Whitney, The American Presidents, he talks about the fact that Garfield is the second president to be killed by an assassin. He served only 200 days as a chief executive, and for 80 of those days, he lay near death with a bullet through his spine. The six foot blue-eyed Garfield brought unquestioned talents to the White House, but he had little opportunity to demonstrate whether they would be used more for the benefit of his country or for the benefit of his party. This is the last president, as we've already said, to be born in a log cabin. He was a self-made man in the tradition of Horatio Alger, who was then at the height of his popularity. And Garfield worked as a canal boat tow boy at 17, became a college president at 26 and was the youngest general in the union army at 30. And in 17 years in Congress became leader of the Republican party in the house and one of the finest orators of the day. In fact, President Hayes, who felt that the nomination of his friend and fellow Ohioan was a vindication of his own administration, wrote glowingly of Garfield in his diary. He said, quote, the truth is no man ever started so low that accomplished so much in all our history, not Franklin or Lincoln even. He is the ideal candidate because he is the ideal self-made Well, we come to the spiritual aspects of his life and in the book, The Presidents and Their Faith by Darren Grinder and Steve Shaw. It says this, James Abram Garfield is the only American president who was also a minister. Upon being elected to the presidency in 1880, Garfield left the ministry declaring, I resign the highest office in the land to become president of the United States. It's one of the least remembered presidencies. And we have already mentioned the fact that he was assassinated so early into his administration. We see as a preacher in 1857, Garfield delivered a sermon, the material and the spiritual in which he urged his listeners to follow him, not as the Nazarene, the man of Galilee, the carpenter's son, but as the ever living spiritual person full of love and compassion who will stand by you in life and death and eternity. And as a Campbellite, and that name comes from Thomas and Alexander Campbell, the founders of the disciples of Christ. It said, especially until the time of the Civil War, when he began to move away from some of the tenants of the church, Garfield considered himself an Orthodox Christian. He believed in the divinity of Christ and traditional Protestant Christianity with an emphasis on adult baptism, reason over mere emotion and a central focus in the Bible rather than detailed creedal affirmations. Garfield was considered a zealous believer, often engaging in theological disputes with Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. And at one point, he argued in favor of the proposition, Christians should not participate in political or governmental affairs. So we see a man that later changes his mind. And in 1880, he's nominated for president by the Republican party on the 39th ballot. And he was elected over Winfield Hancock. by less than 1% of the popular vote. And at his inauguration on March 4th, 1881, Garfield's Bible was opened to Proverbs 21.1. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will. And among other subjects, his inaugural address focused on the nature of the union following the civil war, which Garfield had seen as a holy crusade, given his strong anti-slavery views. It also focused on the need for education. As he said in referencing Isaiah 11.6, let our people find a new meaning in the divine oracle which declares that a little child shall lead them, for our own little children will soon control the destinies of the Republic." Well, in the book, The Faith of the Presidents by John M. Wiley, he mentions later, after he had been shot, he says this, conceal nothing from me, doctor, for I remember I am not afraid to die. And he wasn't even four months into his presidency. He had been shot by this deranged political office seeker. He's confident of his place in eternity and regardless of whether or not he would survive his gunshot affliction. There are many researchers believe that Garfield truly died not directly from the wound, but from the infection brought on by the medical malfeasance. President James Garfield provides an insightful example of one of our president and reminds us of the mysterious providence of God, that sometimes God allows tragedy to occur. And still his response of facing attorney with confidence offers a sobering example regarding the brevity of life. Though his tremendous accomplishments be obtained throughout the life cut short by political violence also prompts us to redeem the time because as Ephesians 5, 16 notes, the days are evil. Well, even though he only occupied the office for merely a handful of months, he was rather adamant about the importance of the first amendment. He argued the constitution guarantees absolute religious freedom. Congress is prohibited from making any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. And the territories of the United States are subject to the direct legislative authority of Congress and hence the general government is responsible for any violation of the Constitution in any of them. It is therefore a reproach to the government that in the most populous of the territories the constitutional guarantee is not enjoyed by the people and the authority of Congress is set at naught. An extremely well-read man and Almost always cordial, Garfield noted to a disciple's minister as he was in his older years, I recognize the fact that my genuine views of religion have broadened, but I hope that they have not weakened my faith in the central doctrines of Christ. I care less for the denominational doctrines, but more for the Spirit of Christ." Though it is also clear he was greatly concerned of the polygamous views espoused by some of the Mormons in his day. This gentleman, Isaac Errett, who was an early co-worker with Garfield, while both served in preaching capacities in the disciples movement, gave the following funeral oration upon the president's death. And we look at these words and they give us a helpful glimpse into his life and faith. Quote, let no one be disturbed because there was no minister of the gospel with the president in his dying moments. Those who regard the preacher, the priest, as clothed with power to give efficacy to the sacraments and to intercede with God may be disturbed, but his brethren believe that he as a Christian was a royal priest in the house of God. and had a right to bring his own offerings to the altar without other mediation than that of the one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus. It would have been comforting, could he have been blessed with the presence and prayers of his brethren, but that his salvation depended upon it, no enlightened Christian believes. Those who knew him intimately knew that his faith did not falter. that his religious life grew stronger with the advancing years, that his trust in God was beautiful in its simplicity and in the humility ever attending it, that his reverence for truly spiritual men was great and his observances of the Christian ordinances constant and reverent in life and in death, in the active employments that filled up the one and the patient and heroic endurance that marked the other. He has left behind him the most unquestionable testimony of love to God, faith in Christ, and devotion to the best interests of man. What better testimony than that can be said?