Those who believe George Washington was a Deist argue that he essentially did not believe in heaven either, or that he believed that heaven was irrelevant. Joseph J. Ellis in his recent book, His Excellency, argues that the only type of “immortality” that Washington believed in was not the Christian kind. He claims that Washington believed that immortality was simply being remembered by future generations. Ellis writes:
Never a deeply religious man, at least in the traditional Christian sense of the term, Washington thought of God as a distant, impersonal force, the presumed wellspring for what he called destiny or providence. Whether or not there was a hereafter, or a heaven where one’s soul lived on, struck him as one of those unfathomable mysteries that Christian theologians wasted much ink and energy trying to resolve. The only certain form of persistence was in the memory of succeeding generations, a secular rather than sacred version of immortality....3 (emphasis ours)
Meanwhile, as noted repeatedly, the classic work on George Washington’s religion is Paul Boller Jr.’s, George Washington and Religion.4 As we have seen, Boller’s perspective is well summarized in his phrase, “Washington and his fellow deists.”5 As we turn our attention to the question of George Washington’s beliefs about heaven and eternal life, or immortality, we must consider Professor Boller’s views in regard to this question. Boller writes, “There is some evidence, though it is far from conclusive, that Washington believed in immortality.”6 But is this very tentative statement regarding immortality even consistent with his thesis of Washington the Deist?
DEIST BELIEF IN IMMORTALITY
It appears to us that this hesitating “far from conclusive” interpretation of the evidence is strange, since if Washington were a Deist, he ought to have believed in immortality, since it was a foundational belief of the Deists. To have doubted or denied immortality would have placed a thinker in Washington’s day in the category of an atheist, even beyond a most hardened Deist. Even Thomas Paine, the most vehement Deist of his day, believed in immortality.7 Thus, in the secularists’ quest to make Washington into a Deist, he has been made into even more of an unbeliever than the Deists were!
Consider Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1581-1648), often called the father of English Deism. He evaluated everything, including religion, in light of the new emphasis on reason. As seen in his work, Religion of the Gentiles With the Causes of their Errors, published in 1645, his essential articles of faith were: (1) the existence of God; (2) the worship of God; (3) the practice of virtue; (4) repentance of sin; and (5) a faith in immortality. He believed these truths, including immortality, to be self-evident and accessible by all men everywhere, since these beliefs were (supposedly) rationally based.8
Thus, if Washington were a Deist, he ought to have believed in immortality, since it was not only a tenet of Deism, but it was also a claim of the other Deist-leaning founders such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.9 To the best of our knowledge, there was not a single founding father that denied the immortality of the soul. Not one.
MASONIC BELIEF IN IMMORTALITY
But there is even further reason why we insist that Washington believed in immortality. He was a Mason.10 As we saw in the chapter on Washington’s Masonic beliefs, a foundational claim of the Masonic Order was a belief in immortality. In this context, consider Washington’s correspondence with the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1792. The Lodge wrote,
To these our grateful acknowledgements (leaving to the impartial pen of history to record the important events in which you have borne so illustrious a part), Permit us to add our most fervent prayers that after enjoying the utmost span of human life, every felicity which the Terrestrial Lodge can afford, you may be received by the great Master Builder of this World and of worlds unnumbered, into the ample felicity of that celestial lodge in which alone distinguished virtues and distinguished labors can be eternally rewarded.11 (emphasis ours)
This is a clear statement of belief in immortality. Washington wrote the following to his Masonic brothers, which reflected a belief in eternal life,
Fellow Citizens and Brothers of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. I have received your address with all feelings of brotherly affection mingled with those sentiments for the society, which it was calculated to excite.
To have been in any degree an instrument in the hands of Providence, to promote order and union, and erect upon a solid foundation the true principles of government, is only to have shared with many others in a labor, the result of which, let us hope, will prove through all ages a sanctuary for brothers and a lodge for the virtuous.
Permit me to reciprocate your prayers for my temporal happiness and to supplicate that we may all meet thereafter in that eternal temple, whose builder is the great architect of the universe.12
Immortality would have been a strongly held belief of Washington, not just because he was a Mason, but also because Washington’s Masonic Order was a fraternity of “Christian Masons.”
ANGLICAN BELIEF IN IMMORTALITY
A foundational tenet of Christianity is the certainty of immortality through faith in the saving work of Christ. The Thirty Nine Articles of the Anglican Church that Washington had adopted as his confession of faith when he became a vestryman said in the eighteenth Article:
Of Obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ. They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, That every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.13
One of Christianity’s foundational claims is eternal life through faith in Christ. So, regardless of how one views Washington in his historical context, whether as Deist, Mason, or Christian, each of these potential identifications of Washington anticipates his belief in immortality.
The scholarly confusion must be set straight concerning Washington’s view of immortality. To help us appreciate his views on the reality of heaven, the attainment of eternal life or immortality, we must begin with a discussion of his views of death and dying.
GEORGE WASHINGTON ON DEATH AND DYING
Death came early to the Washington household, since George’s father died when he was a child of eleven. George’s mother was the second wife of his father Augustine. His first wife had died, and so George had two half-brothers. As we have seen earlier, Mary Ball Washington was a very serious student of the scriptures and raised her family as a single mother. Her key textbook was Sir Matthew Hale’s Contemplations Moral and Divine, a copy of which was in Washington’s library when he died. This was his mother’s copy, with her signature and well-marked and used pages. We have a copy of the 1685 edition—the same one that the Washingtons had. The very first article is, “Of the Consideration of our Latter End and the Benefits of it,” a study based on Deuteronomy 32:29, “Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their Latter End!”14
Young George’s home training and early experiences taught him the reality of death and to prepare to face the “grim king.” He wrote to Richard Washington on October 20, 1761, as only a twenty nine-year-old man,
Dear Sir: Since my last of the 14th July I have in appearance been very near my last gasp; the Indisposition then spoken of Increased upon me and I fell into a very low and dangerous State. I once thought the grim King would certainly master my utmost efforts and that I must sink—in spite of a noble struggle but thank God I have now got the better of the disorder and shall soon be restord I hope to perfect health again.15
The primary text in Washington’s worship life, of course, was the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The Washington family used a book written by Thomas Comber that taught them how to use the classic book of Anglican worship.16 When we examined this text in the Boston Athenaeum, we found that it was owned by George’s father and signed by both of his wives as well. The book had been well used by the family. In fact, the pages that address coping with the sorrow of death appear to be tear stained. This book bears George’s earliest extant signature.
Indeed, George saw many deaths throughout his life. The word “death” appears approximately 555 times in his collected writings. He saw the death of his two stepchildren. His adopted grandson, G. W. P. Custis wrote of the death of Washington’s stepdaughter Patsy, “Her delicate health, or, perhaps her fond affection for the only father she had ever known, so endeared her to the ‘General,’ that he knelt at her dying bed, and with a passionate burst of tears, prayed aloud that her life might be spared, unconscious that even then her spirit had departed.”17 His stepson Jacky Custis died of camp fever in the wake of the victory at Yorktown.18
Washington often counseled family and friends at deaths calling on them not to “murmur” but to “submit” to the “will of God” and his sovereign “decrees.”19 He arranged for the funeral of his nephew.20 He saw his mother for the last time just weeks before she died as he left to assume the presidency.21 He wrote at the death of his brother Charles, “I was the first, and am now the last, of my father’s Children by the second marriage who remain.”22 (emphasis in the original) And, of course, he was in charge of the American army in the nation’s longest-lasting war, a war which saw terrible death and destruction. No wonder he spoke of death as the “grim King.”
Washington had learned as a child to turn to the Book of Common Prayer for solace in the face of death, and clearly continued to do so throughout his life. In the chapter entitled “Washington the Soldier,” we saw Colonel Washington performing by torchlight “The Order for the Burial of the Dead” for his fallen commander, General Braddock.
Four decades later, on April 9, 1793, he wrote to his friend the Reverend Bryan Fairfax: “Dear Sir: At One o’clock in the afternoon on Thursday next, I mean to pay the last respect to my deceased Nephew, by having the funeral obsequies performed. If you will do me the favor to officiate on the occasion, it will be grateful to myself, and pleasing to other friends of the deceased. No sermon is intended, and but few friends will be present....”23
The omnipresence of death in the lives of everyone in the eighteenth century, and particularly so for an active military man, meant that reflection on death was not just a philosophical pursuit. Numerous times throughout Washington’s life, he had participated in the “funeral obsequies” of the Book of Common Prayer.24
At the end of the war, Washington dreamt of “the private walks of life; for hence forward my Mind shall be unbent; and I will endeavor to glide down the stream of life ‘till I come to that abyss, from whence no traveler is permitted to return.”25 The traveling image was Washington’s euphemism for death: “The want of regular exercise, with the cares of office, will, I have no doubt hasten my departure for that country from whence no Traveller returns;” “He is, I believe not far from that place, from whence no traveler returns.”26
WASHINGTON AND THE PREVENTION OF PREMATURE DEATH
Understandably, Washington developed an interest in the prevention of premature death. (In Washington’s day, premature death often occurred because of an incomplete understanding of human breathing.) His interest in preventing an early death can be seen in his correspondence with Reverend Dr. John Lathrop,27 who had recently delivered a medical religious discourse to the Humane Society. Lathrop explained how certain medical procedures were applied to people who were considered to be dead—due to a sudden death incident—that sometimes restored them to life. Washington wrote to Lathrop on June 22, 1788,
Reverend and respected Sir: Your very acceptable favour of the 16th of May, covering a recent publication of the proceedings of the Humane Society, have, within a few days past, been put into my hands. I observe, with singular satisfaction, the cases in which your benevolent Institution has been instrumental in recalling some of our Fellow creatures (as it were) from beyond the gates of Eternity, and has given occasion for the hearts of parents and friends to leap for joy.28
This new method was championed by the Humane Society that had started in Amsterdam. Humane Societies had spread over Europe and now had arrived in Boston. Their work had had remarkable success in rescuing those “apparently dead.” This included cases of drowning, choking, and those who had been struck by lightning. In one instance in Europe, a person had been dead for three days. When a physician looked in the coffin, he decided the body was worthy of an attempt at resuscitation, which proved to be successful. Lathrop at that point wrote, “This instance should caution us against hastening the body of our friends to the grave. In cases of sudden death, the last solemn rite should not be performed until there be evident marks of putrefaction.”29 As we shall see, Washington readily embraced this advice.
When Washington wrote of his “singular satisfaction” in reading of the work of the Humane Society, he expressed a level of praise that he offered only on five other occasions in his vast writings.30 (Some of those other occasions were in his praise to Christ-centered sermons.)
The subject of Lathrop’s discourse had an evident impact on Washington. He wrote:
Sir: I have received your letter of the 28th. Ulto. accompanied by the three pamphlets which you did me the honor to send me. You will do me the favor, Sir, to accept of my best thanks for the mark of polite attention in forwarding your discourses to me.
The one delivered before the Humane Society is upon a subject highly interesting to the feelings of every benevolent mind. The laudable view of Institutions of this nature do honor to humanity. The beneficence resulting from them is not confined to any particular class or nation; it extends its influence to the whole race of mankind and cannot be too much applauded.31
DID “HIS EXCELLENCY” FACE DEATH AS A CHRISTIAN OR A STOIC?
When Washington faced his own “sudden death” experience twelve years later as he lay on his death bed, almost unable to breathe, he made it very clear to his assistant Tobias Lear that he was not to be put in the tomb until three days had passed. But did this in some way suggest an expression of unbelief in Christianity? One might be led to believe so if Joseph J. Ellis’ 2004 bestseller, His Excellency: George Washington, is considered in this context. Ellis wrote,
Washington believed that several apparently dead people, including perhaps Jesus, had really been buried alive, a fate he wished to avoid. His statement [to be placed in the vault in less than three days after he died] also calls attention to a missing presence at the deathbed scene: there were no ministers in the room, no prayers uttered, no Christian rituals offering the solace of everlasting life....The historic evidence suggests that Washington did not think much about heaven or angels; the only place he knew his body was going was into the ground, and as for his soul, its ultimate location was unknowable. He died as a Roman stoic rather than a Christian saint.32
In this brief paragraph, Ellis piles up several assertions that impact on the topic of Washington’s Christian faith—without any attempt to provide evidence. We will here briefly consider the unsubstantiated statements that Ellis offers to discount Washington’s Christian faith:
1. “Perhaps, Jesus, had really been buried alive.” Ellis here suggests that Washington may have entertained the notion that Jesus hadn’t died, but instead swooned on the cross. Let it simply be said that there is not a shred of evidence to substantiate this assertion. It is inconsistent with history, in that the Romans were masters at execution. When they declared one of their victims dead, he was dead. This theory is also inconsistent with the Anglican faith that Washington knew and practiced. And, as we will see below, the Reverend Dr. Lathrop’s message and the work of the Humane Society were deeply committed to historic Christianity. Moreover, modern unbelief did not arise until long after Washington’s death. Not until the twentieth century did liberal unbelieving Christianity begin to substitute the swoon of Jesus on the cross for his physical death on the cross to account for his appearance on Easter Sunday morning and to dismiss the biblical claim of bodily resurrection. Ellis’ suggestion is entirely out of historical context. The “swoon theory” of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection would have been utterly unknown to Washington.
2. “His statement [to be placed in the vault in less than three days after he died] also calls attention to a missing presence at the deathbed scene: there were no ministers in the room,...” It is true that there were no clergy present. But one of Washington’s closest lifelong friends was present, namely, Dr. James Craik. Dr. Craik was a devout Scotch-Irish Presbyterian who was later buried in the Presbyterian church yard in Alexandria. Dr. Craik’s assessment of Washington’s last day of life is significant. Dr. Craik’s simple description of Washington’s death says, “During the short period of his illness, he oeconomised his time, in the arrangement of such few concerns as required his attention, with the utmost serenity; and anticipated his approaching dissolution with every demonstration of that equanimity for which his whole life has been so uniformly and singularly conspicuous.”33 Dr. Craik, who had known Washington throughout his adult life, saw no change in his dying moments from his whole life. What was the secret of Washington’s “utmost serenity” or profound tranquility that was joined with his “conspicuous equanimity,” or remarkable calmness? Craik knew Washington’s unwavering trust in the care, protection, and provision of divine Providence, as we saw in the chapters on “Washington and Providence” and “Washington the Soldier.”
3. “No prayers uttered,...” While it is true that Tobias Lear’s account of Washington’s death records no uttered prayers, it should be remembered that Martha Washington was praying with her Bible open at the foot of the bed. Bishop Meade addresses the question this way,
It has been asked why he did not, in the dying hour, send for some minster and receive the emblems of a Savior’s death. The same might be asked of thousands of pious communicants who do not regard the sacrament as indispensable to a happy death and glorious eternity, as some Romanists do. Moreover, the short and painful illness of Washington would have forbidden it. But his death was not without proofs of a gracious state. He told to surrounding friends that it had no terrors for him—that all was well. The Bible was on his bed: he closed his own eyes, and folding his arms over his breast, expired in peace.34
4. “No Christian rituals offering the solace of everlasting life....” Along with the comment just cited from Bishop Meade, it should be remembered that Washington’s fatal sickness only lasted a mere twenty-four hours. Washington’s illness was a swollen throat that was so severe that he could not swallow, and eventually could not even breathe. Even if Washington could have swallowed, as a Low Churchman in the Virginian tradition, he would not have sought the Eucharist on his sickbed.
5. “The historic evidence suggests that Washington did not think much about heaven or angels.” This statement is fascinating for three reasons. First, it suggests that Ellis knows what Washington may have been thinking on his deathbed. One may rightly wonder how he has access to such knowledge. If he claims that it is based on Washington’s writings, then we simply must disagree. Second, the historic evidence shows, as we will summarize below, that Washington referred to “heaven” over 130 times! Ellis is utterly incorrect. Washington clearly did think much about heaven. And third, as to Washington’s alleged non-reflection on angels, Ellis apparently was unaware of the letter that Martha Washington wrote relating her husband’s dream that he had had only weeks before his death that included an angel. We will consider Washington’s dream below. It was that very dream that prompted Washington to write his last will and testament, the very document he asked to review as he slipped away in his brief battle for life on his death bed.
6. “The only place he knew his body was going was into the ground,...” It is true that Washington knew he would be buried. His will called for the eventual construction of a new crypt.35 But when that was done, his family’s actions suggested that the Washington family’s faith was not just that the body would go in the ground, for they placed on the tomb, the first verse used in the funeral service of the Book of Common Prayer, that Washington had prayed and used throughout his life. That verse, John 11:25, gives the words of Jesus, where he declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
7. “And as for his soul, its ultimate location was unknowable.” If this were true, why did he write the prayer to his fellow Masonic brethren, as we just saw above, that declared that after living this earthly life, “that we may all meet thereafter in that eternal temple, whose builder is the great architect of the universe”? We will challenge Ellis’ unsubstantiated claims more fully below by a careful consideration of Washington’s idea of “heaven,” the “hereafter,” the “next world,” and his use of phrases such as “the road to heaven,” “the hope of an approving heaven,” “the hope our religion gives,” etc.
8. “He died as a Roman stoic rather than a Christian saint.” Washington’s “serenity” and “equanimity” or tranquility and calm in the face of death may well have resembled a stoic-like resignation. But it was perfectly matched by the same attributes in Mrs. Washington as well. Washington’s last words were, “’Tis well.” Martha’s first words in response to the news of her husband’s death were “’Tis well.” Her equanimity was the same as her husband’s. No one denies that Martha was a Christian. Could it be that Washington’s peace and calmness at death were indistinguishable from Martha’s because they reflected the same faith in the sovereign Providence of God? Compare here Washington’s words of spiritual consolation with those of Martha. Washington wrote to Frances Bassett Washington, the widow of George Augustine Washington, on February 24, 1793,
My dear Fanny: To you, who so well know the affectionate regard I had for our departed friend, it is unnecessary to describe the sorrow with which I was afflicted at the news of his death, although it was an event I had expected many weeks before it happened. To express this sorrow with the force I feel it, would answer no other purpose than to revive, in your breast, that poignancy of anguish, which, by this time, I hope is abated. Reason and resignation to the divine will, which is just, and wise in all its dispensations, cannot, in such a mind as yours, fail to produce this effect.36
But compare the following from Martha Washington to Mercy Otis Warren, written from New York, June 12, 1790:
...But for the ties of affection which attract me so strongly to my near connections and worthy friends, I should feel myself indeed much weaned from all enjoyments of this transitory life. ...
In passing down the vale of time, and in journeying through such a mutable world as that in which we are placed, we must expect to meet with a great and continual mixture of afflictions and blessings. This a mingled cup which an overruling providence undoubtedly dispenses to us for the wisest and best purposes...and as you justly observe, shall we shortsighted mortals dare to arraign the decrees of eternal wisdom—that you and your may always be under the kind of protection and guardianship of the providence is the sincere wish of....
Consider also these words from Martha Washington which she wrote to Janet Livingston Montgomery on April 5, 1800:
...your affliction I have often marked and as often have keenly felt for you but my own experience has taught me that griefs like these can not be removed by the condolence of friends however sincere – If the mingling tears of numerous friends—if the sympathy of a Nation and every testimony of respect of veneration paid to the memory of the partners of our hearts could afford consolation you and myself would experience it in the highest degree but we know that there is but one source from whence comfort can be derived under afflictions like ours. To this we must look with pious resignation and with that pure confidence which our holy religion inspires.37
George and Martha’s granddaughter, Nelly Custis, saw a spiritual union between her grandparents in this context as well. She wrote, “She [Martha] and her husband were so perfectly united and happy that he must have been a Christian. She had no doubts, or fears for him. After forty years of devoted affection and uninterrupted happiness, she resigned him without a murmur into the arms of his Saviour and his God, with the assured hope of eternal felicity.”38
WASHINGTON’S AIM TO PREVENT PREMATURE DEATH
Returning then to Washington’s positive response to Reverend Dr. Lathrop’s advice regarding the delay of burial in the face of sudden death, we then must ask, was there a religious motivation as well as a scientific motivation for Washington’s request to delay his entombment for three days? By a quick review of Reverend Lathrop’s sermon, we can discover that the answer is yes, and the motive was not Ellis’ implication of Washington’s disbelief in Christianity. The evidence shows the exact opposite. This is clear in the heading of Reverend Dr. Lathrop’s Discourse, which quotes Luke 9:56, “The Son of Man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” 39
DID WASHINGTON BELIEVE IN HEAVEN?
Did Washington even believe in heaven? If we were to listen to Joseph Ellis, it would seem that he did not, but Washington did in fact believe in heaven. This helps us to understand that his idea of immortality was not merely figurative, but was, instead, a reality that informed his daily religious life. First, we must emphasize that Washington used the word “heaven” more than 130 times. Remarkably, heaven as a concept in Washington’s theology has been entirely overlooked by the scholars who have addressed his concept of immortality. Since this is the case, it warrants a brief summation of this important concept for Washington. For once his understanding of heaven is established, his remarks about the after-life and immortality make much more sense. (The following phrases are all easily found by using the search feature of the Writings of Washington at the Library of Congress.)
1. Washington addressed heaven with phrases such as “prayers” or “vows” to heaven” (16x), “I wish to heaven” (2x), “invoked heaven” (1x), “heaven grant it” (1x) and emotionally laden phrases expressing dread (“Heaven avert”—7x; “Heaven forbid”—2x), longing (“would to heaven”—4x), relief (“Thank heaven”—4x), frustration (“In the name of Heaven”—2x; “By Heaven”—1x; “For Heaven’s sake”—3x), confidence (“Heaven knows”—8x; “Heaven alone can foretell”—1x), earnestness (“Heaven is witness”—3x).
2. Accordingly, Washington believed that heaven was active in the affairs of his life, and so in this sense it was a synonym for Providence: “interposing hands of heaven,” “events produced by heaven,” “events left to heaven”; “Heaven saves” or “rescues,” “helps” (3x), “Heaven assist me” (1x), “protects” (5x). And “an appeal to heaven” (3x), was a synonym for a prayer that was offered at the time of battle.
3. The graciousness of heaven was captured by Washington with phrases such as “blessings of heaven” (10x), “smiles of heaven” (11x), “under the smiles of heaven” (2x), “favor of heaven” (5x), “fostering influence of heaven” (1x), “as heaven could flourish” (1x), “heaven crowns blessings” (3x), “bountiful heaven” (1x), “benediction of heaven” (1x), “indulgent care of heaven” (1x), “gracious indulgence of heaven” (1x), “not forsaken by heaven” (1x), “that heaven may continue to you...” (1x). By way of contrast, the nation was reminded that it must consider “the vengeance of heaven.” (1x). Washington also used a figure of speech comparing romantic love to heaven: “heaven taken its abode on earth.”
4. Washington understood that the work of heaven was sovereign. This is reflected by these phrases, each of which was used once: “Heaven determined,” “heaven ordains,” “heaven has spared us,” “the will of heaven whose decrees are always just and wise,” “heaven inspires,” “approved by heaven,” “heaven points out,” “precepts of heaven,” “under heaven” (2x), “moving heaven and earth.”
5. Washington wrote of the “road to heaven,” “to repent and be forgiven are the precepts of heaven,” [emphasis in the original] and “in the hope of an approving heaven” giving expression to the basic ideas of Christian teaching on salvation.
6. Man’s response to heaven is “gratitude” (4x), “sincere acknowledgement” (1x), and “dependence upon heaven” (1x).
Based upon Washington’s extensive use of the idea of heaven, it is clear that he held to the concept of the efficacy of prayer and the Providential care of God, according to God’s own purposes in history. Because of this vital interconnection between heaven and earth, Washington called on men to have a grateful dependence upon God. Further, Washington affirmed that there was a “road to heaven”40 for man, and stated that “to repent and be forgiven are the precepts of Heaven,”41 and that there was a “hope of an approving heaven.”42 Given this Christian doctrinal matrix that is woven throughout his writings, we must thus take Washington’s affirmations of eternal life and eternal destiny in the historic Christian sense. To refuse to do so is to uproot Washington from the historic milieu in which he lived as an Anglican Christian and as a Christian Mason—each of which were deeply committed to immortality.
Not only did Washington have an understanding of heaven, but as we saw in the chapter on Washington’s Christian world view, he also had an extensive recognition of the Christian doctrines of the last things. Washington’s phrases that reflect the Christian understanding of the last things, or what is called eschatology by theologians, include the following:
• Raise the dead43
• Send to life eternal44
• Throne of grace45
• Reward of good and faithful servant46
• Separation of wheat and tares47
• Blessings of a gracious God upon the righteous48
• Wise man counts the cost49
• The millennial state50
• Last trump51
• Until the globe itself is dissolved52
Given all of this, did Washington have a belief in an afterlife in heaven? It seems to us he did. Consider, for example, Washington’s remark about the usefulness of conscience:
Conscience again seldom comes to a Mans aid while he is in the zenith of health, and revelling in pomp and luxury upon ill gotten spoils; it is generally the last act of his life and comes too late to be of much service to others here, or to himself hereafter.53
In light of Washington’s extensive commitment to Christian eschatology, it does not seem inconsistent to understand him to be committed to immortality and eternal life when he speaks of this concept.
WASHINGTON ON IMMORTALITY
Given the Christian understanding of heaven that is at the heart of Washington’s perspective, we must take his claims for belief in immortality seriously. He speaks of immortality from a philosophical standpoint: “You see how selfish I am, and that I am too much delighted with the result to perplex my head much in seeking for the cause. But, with Cicero in speaking respecting his belief of the immortality of the Soul, I will say, if I am in a grateful delusion, it is an innocent one, and I am willing to remain under its influence.”54 But he also speaks of immortality with a Christian vocabulary as well: “May the felicity of the Magistracy and Inhabitants of this Corporation, be only limited by the duration of time, and exceeded by the fruition of a glorious immortality.”55 Consistent with this, Washington also uses phrases such as “the other world,”56 “eternal happiness,”57 “the Sweet Innocent Girl [his step-daughter Patsy] Entered into a more happy and peaceful abode than she has met with in the afflicted Path she hitherto has trod,”58 “happier clime,”59 “happier place,”60 “happiness here and hereafter,”61 “heaven’s favours here and hereafter,”62 and “must be happy.”63 Also, in Washington’s reciprocal prayers, he affirms the ideas of a heavenly rest,64 the salvation through the Lamb of God.65 We have also encountered his use of the concepts of the hope of religion,66 the hope of the approbation of heaven,67 the reward of good and faithful servants,68 the throne of grace,69 “the gates of eternity,”70 and “life eternal,” and “eternal happiness.”71 To these can be added his phrases “land of spirits,”72 “world of spirits,”73 and the classical name “Elysium,”74 the abode of the honored dead.
Given Washington’s extensive use of the term “heaven,” and the doctrinal ideas that he coupled with it, these multiple phrases are clearly intended to be taken in the sense that a Christian would have normally used them. Simply put, when Washington’s writings are taken in his own context, not in the context of secular doubt, then it is completely evident that he was an advocate of immortality. As we have already seen, even the Deists of Washington’s day believed as much. Certainly the Christian Masons did as well. It is simply time to dismiss the evasions that have been put forward on this topic by many contemporary historians of Washington.
WASHINGTON’S PREPARATION FOR DEATH
Washington’s preparation for death was not only somber, there was even a bit of good-natured humor that was shared by Washington and founding father Robert Morris. (Morris was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was known as the financier of the American Revolution. Furthermore, Washington stayed with him during the summer of 1787, when the Constitution was written). Apparently the two made a pact not to die before 1800. Washington only missed his lighthearted promise by a few weeks, since he died on December 14, 1799. (Morris died in 1806.)
On September 22, 1799, just eleven weeks before he died, we find Washington preparing for death as he writes to nephew Burgess Ball from Mount Vernon who had informed him of the death of George’s brother:
Your letter of the 16th inst. has been received, informing me of the death of my brother [Charles Washington]. The death of near relations always produces awful and affecting emotions, under whatsoever circumstances it may happen. That of my brother has been so long expected, and his latter days so uncomfortable to himself [that they] must have prepared all around him for the stroke though painful in the effect.
I was the first, and am, now, the last of my father’s children by the second marriage who remain. When I shall be called upon to follow them, is known only to the Giver of Life. When the summons comes I shall endeavor to obey it with good grace.75 (emphasis in the original)
These words quietly reflect several Christian ideas. Death for Washington is not just a natural or unavoidable occurrence that is borne with a stoic or Deistic indifference of unyielding resolve. Rather, Washington believed that his death would occur when he was “called upon” by the “Giver of Life,” who issues a “summons” that he intended to “obey with good grace.” Each of these phrases reflects an element of Christian biblical teaching:
• called” upon (Romans 8:28)
• by the “Giver of Life” (Job 1:21)
• who issues a “summons” (Luke 12:20)
• that he intended to “obey with good grace” (Matthew 26:39)
Washington’s language is consistent with the lifelong education that he had from his religious tradition and the books he held in his library that addressed this topic. As mentioned before, the childhood family spiritual text read by Mary Washington to her family was Sir Matthew Hale’s Contemplations Moral and Divine addressed this topic. “Of Our Consideration Of Our Latter End,” the first study in Hale’s work, finishes with these words:
...we are to be thankful for our life, and not be desirous to leave our Post, our Station, our Business, our Life, till our Lord call us to himself in the ordinary way of his Providence; for he is the only Lord of our lives, and we are not the Lords of our own lives.76
Washington’s words also seem to echo another book he had in his library entitled, The Sick Man Visited. It was published in London in 1745 by the Reverend Nathanael Spinkes, the Prebendary (that is, one who received a stipend from the Church) of Sarum. His prayer “For One of Middle Age” says,
Suffer me not to set my affections upon any thing here below, but upon the eternal enjoyment of thee, and thine inestimable rewards in Heaven; nor to reckon upon the wonted vigour of my age, but upon my present inability, and the nearness I am possibly in to death, and a future state. Teach me a perfect submission to thy holy Will, that I may account of life, only as an opportunity of doing thee farther services; and may use it whilst continued to me, to be in a great readiness for death, that whensover that comes, I may receive its summons without surprise, and may willingly quit all that I have here, to depart, and be with Christ, which is far better. My time at best is short; but if thou art pleased to make it shorter than might have been expected, by taking me away in the midst of my days, I commit myself into thy hands, to do with me as seemeth thee good. Only, I beseech thee, remove me not hence, til thou shalt have fitted me for a better and more lasting state, through Jesus Christ my only Saviour and Redeemer. Amen.77
And Washington’s words above (about his readiness to die) also reflect the classic prayer of “The Order For The Visitation Of The Sick” in 1662 The Book of Common Prayer that says, “...give him grace so to take thy visitation, that, after this painful life ended, he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”78
WASHINGTON’S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT: A WILL WITHOUT WITNESS?
We must now address the question of Washington’s last will and testament. Why did Washington write his will without any express witness to faith in Christ? It did begin with the traditional words of taking an oath: “In the name of God. Amen.” Yet we cannot answer the question of why Washington did not explicitly declare his faith in his will by any statement in Washington’s writings. It is possible that Washington felt that a witness in a will, such as the one he had copied as a youth as a writing exercise, was not the best way to express one’s faith.
Washington’s creed was deeds not words. So while we cannot give an explicit reason in Washington’s writings for why he chose not to mention his faith in his will, we would point out that such an act is not required by the Christian faith. Further, if the absence of such a witness is a proof of Deism, then, on the basis of this argument, Martha Washington was a Deist too, since her will makes no mention of her faith in Christ. But this would be clearly false. No one doubts Martha Washington’s Christian faith. Thus, the argument is a non sequitur. In fact, Washington uses the name of Jesus more often than Martha, since there seems to be no instance where Martha wrote the name of Jesus Christ.
As we saw in the chapter entitled, “Did Washington Avoid the Name of Jesus Christ?” there was a common practice to refrain from using the name of Jesus Christ to honor Christ’s name. This was not intended to be an expression of unbelief. Martha’s not writing the name of Jesus Christ could not be used as a testimony against her faith. It seems that the historic Trinitarian use of “God” as captured by the Anglican tradition of using the Athanasian Creed, along with the sincere Virginian Anglican desire not to profane the name of Christ, kept her, like her husband, from writing the name of Jesus Christ in common or ordinary correspondence.
The point here is clear. If this reticence to mention Jesus in writing proves Deism, then it proves that both George and Martha were Deists. But this is clearly absurd. Thus, the argument is specious and can carry no persuasive force. We believe that George was no more a Deist than Martha. Moreover, Washington’s will was not explicitly Christian, yet it was implicitly Christian, as one considers what he says he wanted done with regard to his slaves, a specially bequeathed Bible, his views of war, and his love expressed to his family.
THE DREAM BEFORE HIS DEATH
As we consider this important question, let us return to Joseph Ellis’ claims that we have already briefly considered. Above, we mentioned that Washington’s writing of his will seems to have been motivated by a premonition. This came in the form of a remarkable dream, which was preserved for history through a letter by Martha Washington. This clearly stands in tension with what Ellis wrote, “The historic evidence suggests that Washington did not think much about heaven or angels.” Ellis apparently was unaware of the letter that Martha Washington wrote relating her husband’s dream about his death that included an angel.
This incident occurred just a few months before Washington’s death. It was this dream that prompted Washington to write his last will and testament, the very document he asked to review on his deathbed as he slipped away in his brief battle for life. Martha wrote:
At midsummer the General had a dream so deeply impressed on his mind that he could not shake it off for several days. He dreamed that he and I were sitting in the summer-house, conversing upon the happy life we had spent, and looking forward to many more years on the earth, when suddenly there was a great light all around us, and then an almost invisible figure of a sweet angel stood by my side and whispered in my ear. I suddenly turned pale and then began to vanish from his sight and he was left alone. I had just risen from the bed when he awoke and told me his dream saying, “You know a contrary result indicated by dreams may be expected. I may soon leave you.” I tried to drive from his mind the sadness that had taken possession of it, by laughing at the absurdity of being disturbed by an idle dream, which, at the worst, indicated that I would not be taken from him; but I could not, and it was not until after dinner that he recovered any cheerfulness. I found in the library, a few days afterwards, some scraps of paper which showed that he had been writing a Will, and had copied it.79 When I was so very sick, lately, I thought of this dream, and concluded my time had come, and that I should be taken first.80 (emphasis in the original)
Clearly this dream had a direct impact on Washington, since it caused him to write his last will and testament.
Washington enjoyed good health for the remaining months before his death—so much so that at the middle of November, Martha and he were invited to attend the dancing assemblies in that town, as they had frequently done. Washington replied:
Mount Vernon, 12th November, 1799.
Gentlemen: Mrs. Washington and myself have been honored by your polite invitation to the Assemblies at Alexandria this winter, and thank you for this mark of attention. But, alas! Our dancing days are no more. We wish, however, all those who have relish for so agreeable and innocent amusement all the pleasure the season will afford them.81
WAS THERE NO CHRISTIAN WITNESS AT WASHINGTON’S DEATH?
The two arguments raised against Washington’s Christian faith that emerge from his family context are that his last will and testament was written without any express witness to faith in Christ, and that when he died, he did not call for a clergyman, and thus did not receive the Sacrament.82 While we have already considered these objections, we now address the second in more detail.
On December 13th, just a month from the date of his note declining the opportunity to attend the dance, Washington rode over his farm on horseback for several hours in a storm of sleet. He sat down to dinner without removing his damp clothing, and during the succeeding night he experienced a severe throat infection that nearly prevented both his swallowing and his breathing. Physicians came, and soon so reduced his strength from blood-letting that he did not have enough strength left to fight the disease. He died near midnight on December 14, 1799. His death was marked by an extraordinary peace and confidence in the face of an unexpected illness and sudden death. This was in itself an expression of an ideal of the Christian faith. (See John 14:27.)
CONFIDENCE IN THE FACE OF DEATH
Throughout his life, Washington was constantly reminded that he needed to be ready for death.83 He was often afflicted with life-threatening illnesses;84 he had been in danger continually as an officer in combat.85 From childhood on, he saw several members of his family and several of his own friends die. Whether in spite of these struggles or because of them, his last spoken words were filled with confidence, gratitude, and peace. Tobias Lear, Washington’s personal secretary recorded the events as they unfolded, and kept track of many of his statements.86 They include: (as the now-rejected medical procedure of blood letting commenced), he said, “Don’t be afraid. The orifice is not large enough. More, more.” Concerning his swollen throat, he said, “Tis very sore.” He then called for Mrs. Washington and selected one of two existing wills and had one burned. He remarked, “I find I am going, my breath can not last long. I believed from the first that the disorder would prove fatal.”
To Tobias Lear, his secretary, the dying Washington said, “Do you arrange and record all my late military letters and papers. Arrange my accounts and settle my books, as you know more about them than any one else, and let Mr. Rawlins finish recording my other letters which he has begun.” He then asked if Lear recollected anything which was essential for him to do, as he had but a very short time to continue among them. Lear said he recollected nothing, but that he hoped he was not so near his end; Washington observed smiling, that he certainly was, and that it [death] was a debt, the debt that all must pay. He looked to the event with perfect resignation.
As Lear assisted him, he said to him, “I am afraid I shall fatigue you too much.” When Lear said that it was his wish to give him ease, Washington responded, “Well it is a debt we must pay to each other, and I hope when you want aid of this kind, you will find it.” He asked when Mr. Lewis, his nephew, and Washington Custis, his grandson, would return, since they were in New Kent, Virginia. Lear said on the twentieth. At five o’clock Dr. James Craik came again to check on his lifelong friend. Washington said to him, “Doctor, I die hard; but I am not afraid to go; I believed from my first attack that I should not survive; my breath can not last long.”
When the doctors had him sit up, he said, “I feel myself going, I thank you for your attentions; but I pray you to take no more trouble about me, let me go off quietly, I can not last long.” Lear then heard his last words, “I am just going. Have me decently buried; and do not let my body be put into the Vault in less than three days after I am dead. Do you understand me?” When Lear said he did, Washington spoke his last words, “Tis well.” Martha Washington had been seated by his bed the whole time with her Bible.87 Lear’s narrative concludes, “He expired without a struggle or a sigh! While we were fixed in silent grief, Mrs. Washington (who was sitting at the foot of the bed) asked with a firm & collected voice, ’Is he gone?’ I could not speak, but held up my hand as a signal that he was not more. ‘Tis well,’ said she in the same voice, ‘All is now over I shall soon follow him! I have no more trials to pass through!’”88
Lear’s account concluded on Christmas Day, 1799: “I this day sent to Alexa. for the Plumber to come down & close the leaden Coffin containing the General’s Body, as Judge Washington [Bushrod Washington, Washington’s nephew and future U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and heir of Mount Vernon] had arrived, and did not incline to see the remains. The Plumbers [those who soldered the coffin shut] came. I went with them to the Tomb—I took a last look—a last farewell of that face, which still appeared unaltered. I attended the Closing of the Coffin—and beheld for the last time that face which shall be seen no more here; but which I hope to meet in Heaven.”89 (emphasis in the original)
Washington’s death was faced with a confident acceptance of the decrees of God, as a debt that all must pay, to be looked upon with perfect resignation.90 Thus he could say to his dear friend, Dr. Craik, “I die hard; but I am not afraid to go” and “I pray you to take no more trouble about me, let me go off quietly, I can not last long.” So he could address his burial and conclude his life with the last words of “’Tis well.” These were expressions of a confident faith.
THE LETTERS OF CONSOLATION TO MRS. WASHINGTON
As we conclude our discussion of Washington’s view of immortality, it is significant to note that he not only wrote of his belief in immortality, but those who wrote to Martha and to whom Martha then answered all affirmed their belief in Washington’s salvation and entrance into eternal life.
Martha, grieving at the passing of her illustrious husband, was ministered to with words of encouragement such as the following from Theodore Foster, a Rhode Island political figure,
...For he was so universally belovd that his Eulogy is now and will continue to be a delightful Theme, for the good, the Sentimental and the ingenious in all future Time. That Almighty God may preserve you, in Health, console you by the Supporting Influence of his Spirit, and bestow on you all possible Happiness is the sincere Prayer...91
On behalf of Martha, family secretary Tobias Lear wrote him back:
While these evidences of respect and veneration paid to the memory of our illustrious Chief, make the most grateful impression on the heart of Mrs. Washington, she finds that the only source of Consolation is from that Divine Being who sends Comfort to the Afflicted, and has promised to be the Widow’s God. Your prayers for her health and happiness are received with gratitude, and reciprocates with sincerity.92
Meanwhile, Martha herself replied to acquaintance Catherine Garreston with the following,
The kind sympathy which you expressed for my affictive loss – and your fervent prayers for my present comfort and future happiness, impress my mind with gratitude. The precepts of our holy Religion have long since taught me, that in the severe and trying scenes of life, our only sure Rock of comfort and consolation is the Divine Being who orders and directs all things for our good.
Bowing with humble submission, to the dispensations of his Providence, and relying upon that support which he has promised to those who put their trust in him, I hope I have borne my late irreparable loss with Christian fortitude. To a feeling heart, the sympathy of friends, and the evidences of universal respect paid to the memory of the deceased,—are truly grateful.—But while these aleviate our grief, we find that the only sense of comfort is from above.
It gives me great pleasure to hear that your good Mother yet retains her health and faculties unimpaired,—and that you experience those comforts which the Scriptures promise to those who obey the Laws of God.—That you may continue to enjoy the blessings of this life—and receive hereafter the portion of the Just is the prayer of your sincere friend & obt Serv.93
CONCLUSION
Washington lived his life with a hope for the approval of heaven.94 Those who corresponded with him became convinced that he wrote as a Christian.95 In the minds of Washington’s family and friends, George Washington died as he had lived—as a Christian with the hope of eternal life. It only stands to reason that those who knew him personally are better qualified to testify as to his faith and attitude toward life and death than modern scholars two hundred years later, some of whom seem to have a point to make: that Washington was a Deist.
So, note what Washington’s own contemporaries said about him after his death. The Earl of Buchan wrote,
I have this day received from my brother, at London, the afflicting tidings of the death of your admirable husband, my revered kinsman and friend.....He was one of those whom the Almighty, in successive ages, has chosen and raised up to promote the ultimate designs of his goodness and mercy, in the gradual melioration of his creatures and the coming of his kingdom, which is in heaven.... His course is finished...in the hopes afforded by the Gospel of pardon and peace! He therefore, Madam, to continue my parallel, may be accounted singularly happy, since by dying according to his own Christian and humble wish expressed on many occasions, while his credit was nowise impaired, his fame in all it splendor, his relations and friends not only in a state of comfort and security, but of honor, he was probably to escape many evils incident to declining years. Moreover, he saw the government of his country in hands conformable to our joint wishes and to the safety of the nation, and a contingent succession opening, not less favorable to the liberties and happiness of the people.96
Washington’s close confidant, David Humphreys (Washington’s only chosen biographer), wrote,
I know you were ever exposed to listen to the voice of friendship, reason, and religion....he has gone before us from these mutable scenes of trouble to the mansions of eternal rest. We too, are hastening to follow him “to that undiscovered country from whose Bourne no traveller returns.”
...and may you not derive some rational comfort from the recollection that the great and good man whom we now mourn as having been subject to the lot of mortality, has faithfully discharged every duty in life; from a belief that he has now entered upon a glorious immortality; and from a conviction that, after having rendered to his country more important services than any other human character ever performed, his example will continue to be a blessing to mankind so long as the globe shall exist as a theater for human action?97
Humphreys again wrote,
...It seems not unreasonable to suppose (from the wonderful change of sentiments which has since taken place in France) that his death was ordained by Providence to happen exactly at the point of time, when the salutary influence of his example would be more extensively felt than it would have been at any other period....
In either extremity of life so immediately does the lot of Genl Washington appear to have been the charge of Heaven. Since the mortal as well as the natal hour if unchangeably fixed, it becomes our duty to acquiesce in the wise dispensation of the Deity. The illustrious father of his Country was long since prepared for that event. You will remember, when his life was despaired of at New York, he addressed these words to me: “I know it is very doubtful whether ever I shall arise from this bed and God knows it is perfectly indifferent to me whether I do or not.”—Amidst all the successes & all the honours of the world he knew “that no man is to be accounted happy until after death. Happy is it that the seal of immortality is set on the character of his, whose counsels, as well as his actions were calculated to increase the sum of human happiness.98
Jonathan Trumbull, the son of one of Washington’s closest political allies, Connecticut Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, wrote to Martha:
A second Father, as he has been, in many respects to me, -his Death has opened afresh the deeply impressed Wound, which the Loss of my first venerable parent had formerly occasioned. But he is gone and our Duty, however hard it may be at the first instance, is to Bow submissive to the Divine Will—His own words, written to me on a similar occasion (the Death of my Father) are so peculiarly consolatory at the moment, and are also so particularly applicable to my subject as well as to himself that I am impelled to give them to you without apology, etc99
This is the letter where Washington wrote of Governor Trumbull, “All these combining have secured to this memory universal respect and love here, and no doubt immeasurable happiness hereafter.”100 The point is that young Jonathan Trumbull is declaring that Washington’s words of his father’s immortality applied equally well to Washington. Martha Washington agreed. She wrote in return,
...the good Christian will submit without repining to the Dispensations on Divine Providence and look for consolation to that Being who alone can pour balm into the bleeding Heart and who has promised to be the widows God...your kind letter of condolence of the 30th of December was greatfull to my feeling. ...the loss is ours, the gain is his.
For myself I have only to bow with humble submission to the will of that God who giveth and who taketh away looking forward with faith and hope to the moment when I shall be again united with the Partner of my life. But while I continue on Earth my prayers will be offered up for the welfare and Happiness of my Friends among who you will always be numbered being. Dear Sir, your sincere and afflicted friend, Martha Washington...101
It is clear that Martha believed her husband was a Christian and had entered into the immortality of heaven. Her faith was “I shall be again united with the partner of my life.” Martha and her friends believed that Washington had lived and died as a Christian.
Scholars today may not accept that Washington believed in immortality, but it is clear that those who knew him were sure he was a true Christian.102
Washington clearly expressed a belief in everlasting life by the mercies of God’s grace. When scholars reject Washington’s belief in immortality, they do so in spite of the ample record of Washington’s faith in eternal life. A scholar’s unbelief in immortality, should that be the case, does not permit this conclusive evidence to be dismissed. There is indisputable evidence that Washington, as well as the Washington family as a whole, had a sincere belief in the hope of eternal life.