Lovely day, clouding however towards night. Usual exercises. Evening to Mr. Brooks’.

This was one of our most charming mornings. After the usual exercises with Louisa I attended as usual divine exercises at Chauncy place and heard Dr. Dewey of New York1 preach in the morning from Job 23. 1 to 5, too long to quote. He began by a general sketch of the book of Job preparatory to his introduction of the particular purpose of quoting the text which was to show a tendency in man perpetually to look upward from the mere business of this world and seek a higher power freed from the struggles of this life. This aspiration was only to be satisfied by Religion. The afternoon was upon a collateral subject. Matthew 4. 4. “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Religion being the desire of man this could only be gratified by the exercise of faith and virtue. Dr. Dewey is a very popular preacher and is to some extent deserving of esteem. But his sermons left me cold as they found me and created rather an idea of excessive pretension than of fulness of wisdom or piety.

I had a very pleasant walk with the children round the Common and after service read a Sermon by Dr. Clark from the English preacher, Proverbs 10. 9. “He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely.” It was a new version of the old maxim, “Honesty is the best policy,” which after all is not at the summit of all moral excellence. Yet it is a safe practical guide for men who will not refine.

Evening, Thomas and Francis Frothingham came in for an hour after which we went to Mr. Brooks’ house but not finding him at home, sat with Mr. and Mrs. P. C. B. Junr. The Account from Quincy 329today by Thomas who brought in Louisa C. Smith is not favorable. She had not entirely recovered her Speech as predicted. My fear is that there was a combination with the medicine of a more powerful kind to bring about the effect.