USA > Arkansas > Pulaski County > Little Rock > The annals of Christ church parish of Little Rock, Arkansas, from A. D. 1839 to A. D. 1899 > Part 25
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person what we now mean. Person with us signifies will. You cannot conceive of personality without will. It is the very center and core of the person. Take any three persons you know, A, B, and C, they signify three separate, distinct persons, because of their three separate, distinct wills. Now this has been applied rigidly to the Godhead in many theologi- cal books, and to-day it is the popular conception of God. God the Father with one will, God the Son with another will, God the Holy Spirit with still another will.
The will of God the Father is opposed in anger to the man ; the will of God the Son is moved with love to man and He reconciles the will of the Father; the will of the Holy Spirit in a mysterious, miraculous way works upon the wills of men. So we have really three Gods. Unitarianism was the righteous protest against this mechanical theory of God and has resulted in much good. Now in truth there is but one will in the Godhead and in this sense really but one Per- son-the will of the Father, manifested by the Son, energized by the Holy Spirit. According to the ancient teaching God is one in essence but threefold in operation-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
(a.) God is the Father. God is the source from which all things come, as the fountain from which all life pours is the Father. God, the Great "I Am" of existence, the eternal first cause-God in the primeval essence of His Being, is the Father. We do not know all of God, up in the heights we cannot scale, back in the infinite distances we cannot see, God is the Father. "The infinite, eternal energy behind all things," is God the Father. God "whom no man hath seen nor can see" is the Father.
(b.) God is the Son.
But God is not self-contained. the fountain of life is not always shut up. Ever from all eternity God has been and is manifesting, revealing Himself, ever the fountain has been and is sending forth its life. That which comes from and is begotten of God is the Son. The Son is God manifesting Himself, "speaking out in phenomena and fact." God in revealing Himself has revealed Himself perfectly in the man Jesus Christ. "In him dwelleth the
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Godhead bodily." "God was in Christ revealing Himself unto the world." Therefore we call Jesus Christ the Son of God. (Compare John I, i, 16; Colossians I, xv, 21.)
(c.) God is the Holy Spirit. But once more God
has not left the world. He did not make the world and then leave it alone as a mechanie will leave his work. He is living, working, energizing in the world. He is an immanent God. What is the power in human history always turning and shap- ing it strangely upward, onward ? What is the influence in human lives, speaking to conscience, stirring up from sloth and sin, arousing to action, quickening into life, producing holiness ? This power, this influence, is the Holy Spirit of
God. The personality of the Holy Spirit is the personality of God producing holiness, righteousness, in the world. "And this God is indeed the same God who is beyond and above all as the Father and through all as the Son." (Compare John xiv, 26; Romans v, 5; Romans xiv, 17; xv, 13, etc.)
To gather up our truth in a few words : (1.) There is God above all, the Source from which all things come; this is God the Father. (2.) Then there is God manifested through the world, through nature, through human life, supremely through Jesus Christ ; this is God the Son. (3.) And then there is God energizing in human history, living in human life; this is God the Holy Spirit-"one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all and in all." "The Father is the Life Transcendent, the Divine Source "over all." The Son is the Life, the Divine Stream "through all." The Holy Spirit is the Divine Inflow into the individual consciousness, giving inspiration to the conscience of each separate child of the Father of all "in all."*
Now, brethren, is all this theory and idle speculation ? For what good ? Let us see: (a.) What is the first serious question that comes to the human mind ? Is it not this,
*This note is written for any theologian into whose hands this sermon may come. This may be said to be Sabellianism. According to that heresy the Son and Spirit were but transient, temporary modes assumed by God for a purpose; as soon as that purpose was accomplished these modes of being were discarded. But in the above, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are eternal operators of the one God. God is not an ab- stract unit, but a living Being with absolute relations to all that is-these relations are Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is God above us, the Son is God with us, the Holy Spirit is God in us.
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What is the power back, behind all things, at the very heart of the Universe, from which all things come, to which they go ? Is it blind fate ? Varying Chance ? Eternal force ? Is there any power at all ? Ever the mind goes seeking, searching to find the secret. There is no rest until it is found. "Tell me
thy name." The Trinity declares that above and behind all things and life as the source from which they come, as the end to which they move, is the Fatherhood of God. Back in the veiled, mysterious infinity, forward in the unsolved future there is nothing that can hurt us because the Fatherhood fills it. (b.) The second question is this: As we look out over the world with its light and darkness, its good and evil, its beauty and ugliness, we ask, who made it? Is there dualism ? Did the powers of good and evil unite to create it ? Is the Devil equal to God as the builder? The Trinity declares it is begotten of God. The power that governs the
world, the life that fills the world, is the Son of God. The
world is from God. Hope on. Work on. "God shall be
all in all." (c.) The last question is, as we look out on the ceaseless, selfish strife between man, the dark social problems, sin and wrong so strong in human lives, we ask, Is there any higher power with mnan ? Where is God ? The Trinity
declares that the Holy Spirit of God is present in the history and life of man at work, energizing, agonizing, and will give victory to truth and righteousness and will lead men on to the perfect knowledge of God. Oh! fellow-men, the truth of all truths for the world, for mankind, for us, is the Trinity. God above us as the Father, God with us as the sharer of our life, the bearer of our woes, the partner of our struggles, our Brother ; God in us as our Life, our Conscience, our strength- the voice of our prayers. Indeed "if the Trinity is not in the Bible it ought to be."
"Teach us to know the Father, Son, And Thee of both to be but one ; That through the ages all along This may be our endless song --- Praise to Thy eternal merit Father. Son and Holy Spirit."
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A. D. 1896-1898. At the twenty-fourth annual of the Episcopal Church of Arkansas, which convened at Trinity Cathedral, Little Rock, May 7, 1896, Rt. Rev. H. N. Pierce recommended the election of a Coadjutor. Rev. John Gass, Dean of the Little Rock Convocation, chairman of the stand- ing committee, and chairman of trustees of the University of the South, and Rev. C. H. Lockwood, of St. John's Church, Helena, Dean of the Helena Convocation, chairman of the board of managers of the parochial paper, were prominently mentioned for the place, also the Very Rev. Wm. Montgomery Brown, Archdeacon of the Diocese of Ohio. There was no election.
At a special session of the Diocesan Council, which met at Trinity Cathedral December 1, 1897, the last mentioned dignitary was elected, and the majority of the standing com- mittee of the American Episcopal Church signified to the committee of this Diocese on April 5, 1898, their consent to the consecration of Arehdeacon William M. Brown to be Bishop-Coadjutor of Arkansas. From the House of Bishops there came to Archdeacon Brown at Cleveland. Ohio, on June 3. 1898. the following telegram :
"Majority of Bishops' consent received to-dar. (Signed. ) "W. C. DOANE."
Bishop Doane is the acting executive head of the House of Bishops. Accordingly, on the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. June 24. 1898. at half past ten o'clock. in Trinity Cathedral. Cleveland, Ohio. Arehdeacon Brown was duly consecrated Bishop-Coadjutor of the Diocese of Arkansas.
About three months previous. the Rev. John Gass was tendered a eall from St. Luke's Church. Atlanta, Ga .. and on April 22. 1898. it was announced that at the Vestry meeting
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of Christ Church held before the convention of the annual Diocesan Council a letter was read from him, in which, with many expressions of regret, he tendered his resignation as Rec- tor of the parish. Chief among his reasons for changing the location of his work, was that a serious throat trouble which caused him great and continual suffering could only be relieved by a change of climate. This resignation was ac- cepted with profound regret by his Vestry and deplored by the congregation and community at large. On May 29, 1898, he preached his farewell sermon at Christ Church, and on June 7, 1898, he arrived in Atlanta and entered upon the work of his new parish. On Saturday, August 27, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat announced the death of Rev. John Gass in South Carolina, where he had gone for a brief vacation, from acute appendicitis. Through the Arkansas Gazette on Sunday morning, August 29, "the news came as a thunderbolt from a clear sky."
Arrangements were made for a memorial service at Christ Church, to be conducted by the Rev. C. C. Kramer, of New Iberia, La., who was the acting Rector at the time.
This was held on Sunday, September 4, an account of which was given in the Arkansas Democrat of Monday, Sep- tember 5, and is here appended :
HE WAS A GOOD MAN.
LOVING MEMORIAL SERVICES IN HONOR OF REV. JOHN GASS, LATE RECTOR OF CHRIST CHURCH-TRIBUTES SO TEN- DER-ALL BORE TESTIMONY TO HIS GREAT WORTH AS A MILITANT CITIZEN OF THE LORD'S COMMONWEALTH.
Services in memory of the late Rev. John Gass were held yesterday forenoon in Christ Church, of which he was so long
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the beloved Rector. The attendance of parishioners and friends from other denominations was quite large, and the services, conducted by Rev. C. C. Kramer, acting Rector, were very impressive and breathing a spirit of veneration for him in whose memory they were come together. Added inter- est attached to the service from the fact that this was the close of Rev. Kramer's connection with the parish, and the people have learned to love and admire his acting Rectorship. The altar and chancel were beautifully decorated with floral offerings, crosses, crowns and other designs. These flowers will be sent to the bereaved wife of the distinguished divine, who will cherish them, though faded, for the tender memories clustered about their petals.
At the conclusion of the beautiful Episcopal service a number of resolutions were offered, which are given below :
BY THE VESTRY.
"Whereas, Our beloved Rector, the Rev. John Gass, was, on the morning of August 26, called by Almighty God to the life immortal, and we, the Vestry of Christ Church, desire to give expression to our personal loss, as well as that of the Church Militant in which he served so faithfully,
Resolved, That in the death of the Rev. John Gass, Christ's vineyard on earth has been deprived of a distin- guished laborer, who never spared himself in doing his mas- ter's service.
Resolved, That his eminent qualities of mind and heart completely endeared his life to all who tasted of its sweetness and sanctity.
Resolved, That while humbly bowing to the Divine will, and fully believing this faithful workman has been sum- moned to a higher service, we cannot fail to express the irre- pressible sorrow which hovers as a shadow upon those who called him a friend and pastor.
Resolved, That his labors in Little Rock as Rector and citizen were of the highest philanthropic and beneficent nature, and our city has been so abundantly blessed by his four years' residence amongst us that our people will never cease to hold his name in grateful remembrance.
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Resolved, That to those dear ones who knew him as wife and children, whose affliction and grief are of the heaviest and severest character, we extend the most earnest sympathy of our hearts, and we pray that the Divine Comforter will console their sorrow and dissipate their cloud by the bright- ness of His presence.
(Signed :) C. C. Kramer, Priest in Charge; W. A. Cantrell, Senior Warden; Jno. W. Goodwin, Junior Warden ; S. B. Adams, F. M. Jefferson, Treasurer ; Gordon N. Peay, Secretary ; G. S. Brack, J. M. Bracey, H. K. Cochran, C. T. Coffman, A. A. Rutland, J. A. Van Etten.
LADIES' AID SOCIETY.
In compliance with a special request, a brief synopsis of the life of this distinguished divine was prepared by his own hand, and bestowed as a parting gift upon the writer. In its simple modesty it is a fair epitome of his character. In its record of work done there is no doubt of his having been happy in performing it, in reverent imitation of the Master. It is here appended : (Read by J. M. Bracey.)
Rev. John Gass, born Greenville, January 16, 1857; educated at Greenville, and the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn .; ordered Deacon in Christ Church, Green- ville, S. C., by Rt. Rev. W. B. W. Howe, October 29, 1882; first sermon preached November 5, 1882, in the same Church ; married Miss Ivy W. Perrin, of Abbeyville, S. C., January 17, 1884 ; ordained to the Priesthood by Rt. Rev. C. T. Quin- tard in St. Augustine's Chapel, Sewanee, Tenn., July 13, 1884; sermon by the Chaplain, Rev. Thos. F. Gailor, text II Corinthians, iv, 18; first charge was the twin parishes, Winsboro and Ridge Springs, S. C., from June, 1885, to October, 1886; then went to Augusta, Ga., the Church of the Atonement, October, 1886, to June, 1890; served as assistant minister in Grace Church, Charleston, S. C., from June, 1890, to October, 1894 ; was Rector of Christ Church,
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Little Rock, Ark., from October, 1894, to June, 1898. Dur- ing his Rectorship in Christ Church, 188 persons were bap- tized, 151 confirmed, 46 marriages performed, 105 burials."
When the news of his death reached Little Rock a meet- ing of the Ladies' Aid Society was called for Friday after- noon, September 2, at the Church, by the vice president, Mrs. Francis Johnson, who, in the absence of the president, ap- pointed a committee to draft resolutions of respect and sym- pathy. They are here appended :
A new and solemn experience has come to this associa- tion. For more than thirty years it has been, in all seasons, whether of success or failure, the main reliance of the Rector and the Vestry. Many times the members have met to unite in expressions of sorrow at the removal of an associate to a higher plane of service, but never before have they been called together to mourn the passing of their Shepherd from his place among them to the home eternal. Only three short months have slipped away since our beloved Rector, Rev. John Gass, bade farewell to this fold and assumed charge of another, but as his official successor had not as yet assumed the vacated place, and as four years of zealous leadership and loving guardianship had identified him with this parish of Christ Church, Little Rock, it seemed that this congregation should be accorded the place of chief mourner in the far- reaching processional of grief. That he was admired, respected and beloved at St. Luke's may not be questioned, but only this congregation, who knew him at the maturity of his physi- cal strength, in the completeness of his intellectual growth and splendor, and in the perfection of his goodness, "when faith and love, which parted from him never, had ripened his just soul to dwell with God," can do full justice to his memory.
Whether in his robes of office at the font, at the prayer desk, pulpit and the table of Holy Communion, at the mar- riage altar, at the bedside and at the grave, in his daily walks through the streets and environs of the city, wherever one of his flock needed ministrations, he seemed always animated
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with the same single-hearted, earnest purpose, the saving of souls, so that in his warfare with "the world, the flesh and the devil," while not a Goliath in frame, he was a David in might, and a Goliath might envy his unheralded deeds of heroism. Admirals and generals may be commissioned by man, but an apostle, such as he, is only commissioned by God. He died at Pendleton, S. C., at the residence of Colonel B. E. Sloan, on Friday, August 26, 1898, and was buried on Sun- day afternoon at 4 o'clock at Greenville, S. C., the place of his birth. His remains were taken from the residence of his stepfather, Mr. H. C. Markley, to Christ Church, Greenville, where impressive services were held, and simultaneously at St. Luke's Church, Atlanta, Ga., his latest charge. He left a wife, who shared his highest aspirations, and whose greatest happiness was to sustain him in his parochial and apostolic work. He left also a group of lovely children, between the ages of 12 and 6-Ivy, Henry, John and Catherine, and Bessie, the daughter of a deceased brother, who had become his charge. Their best inheritance will be the memory of his virtues. As companions in their sorrow be it
Resolved, That in losing our Rector, the Rev. John Gass, we feel ourselves bereaved of a brilliant teacher, a loving counselor, an affectionate friend, and a worthy examplar, who has passed like a shining light to the courts above. May we follow in the path he made !
Resolved, That we extend the united sympathy of this body to the bereaved members of his family, and the joint prayer that God may "give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for heaviness."
Resolved, That these expressions of condolence be placed on the records of the society for our remembrance and admonition, and that a copy of the same be forwarded to the widow of the deceased.
(Signed.) MRS. W. A. CANTRELL, MRS. SUE CREASE PEAY, MRS. J. M. BRACEY.
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DAUGHTERS OF THE KING.
The resolutions of the Daughters of the King, Advent Chapter, in loving memory of Rev. John Gass, were read by Governor Dan W. Jones as follows:
For years we have walked and worked and sat with him in heavenly places. He was our head, teacher, counselor, friend. He consecrated us and by two simple vows we were pledged to higher, deeper, spirituality. He bestowed on us each the badge of our order, the little silver cross, bearing the Latin inscription, "Magnanimiter Crucem Sustine." (Bear the cross courageously.)
Week by week we met for prayer, for advice and for working orders, for his was a practical religion. "Love is service."
If we grew to be an inspiration to him (and we are grateful for the high praise), it was only the reflection of what he was to us.
The life and character of John Gass were an espistle, . seen and read by all men, telling them that he had been with Jesus and had learned Him.
But sad tidings come to us ! He who was our head has been taken from us, and our hearts are filled with sorrow for his untimely death.
The old accustomed places which he frequented are elo- quent reminders of him-the lecture room, where were spent those never-to-be-forgotten Lenten mornings, the chancel and pulpit which have echoed with his teachings, the altar where was broken the bread and blessed the chalice, seem yet to be filled with his presence.
Not yet can we realize that the eloquent teacher, the ten- der, generous friend, the strong, pure soul, has passed away.
"We have lost him; he is gone : We know him now; all narrow jealousies Are silent : and we see him as he moved.
How modest, kindly, all accomplished, wise,
-24-
.
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With what sublime repression of himself, And in what limits, and how tenderly ; Not swaying to this faction or to that, Not making his high place the lawless perch Of winged ambition, nor a vantage ground For pleasure, but thro' all this track of years Wearing the white flower of a blameless life."
To the one dear Daughter upon whom this sorrow falls with such crushing weight, we extend our tenderest sympa- thies, and for her our prayers ascend.
"May all love, His love, unseen but felt, o'ershadow Thee, The love of all Thy sons encompass Thee, The love of all Thy daughters cherish Thee, The love of all Thy people comfort Thee, Till God's love set Thee at His side again."
JULIA M. BRISCOE, MABLE RITCHIE, Committee.
BIBLE CLASS.
Mr. R. J. Polk presented the following resolutions by the Bible class :
Inasmuch as it hath seemed well to our Father in Heaven to call from earth to paradise our beloved Rector, teacher and friend, Rev. John Gass, we, the members of his Bible class, desire to add our tribute of love and profound respect to his memory and to express our grief at our great loss.
"For nearly three years it was our privilege to meet with him weekly for the purpose of studying God's Word, and it was then that his deep spirituality, universal love and broad Catholicity were best manifested. There we learned from him to know God as our loving Father, and Jesus Christ as
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our tender elder Brother, and to realize, through searching the Scriptures, God's constant care and guidance of those who do His will. The imparting of these spiritual truths to the members of his loving and earnest class was, as he said at our last meeting, the work he had most loved and enjoyed. At times he seemed almost inspired, as if, with St. John, he had been allowed a vision of the holy city, New Jerusalem, and had caught the reflection of its glory. He loved to dwell upon the beauty of holiness and the building of Christ-like character. He kept ever before us the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and God's faithfulness in the fulfillment of His gracious promises to those who keep His commandments.
"We on our part deemed that no greater privilege than being led by him 'beside the waters of comfort' could have come into our lives, and we desire to express our deep appre- ciation of the blessing we enjoyed in being members of his class and listening to his words of wisdom.
"To his loving wife and faithful companion in all his works, and to each member of his little flock, to whom he was a most tender father, we extend our heartfelt sympathy in their bereavement. We grieve with them, and for them, and mourn our own personal loss in his transition from earth to the mansions of God."
"He is not dead, but sleepeth. "Asleep in Jesus ! O how sweet To be for such a slumber meet ; With holy confidence to sing That death has lost its sting."
MRS. RUFUS J. POLK, Chairman.
BY THE CONGREGATION.
Mr. C. T. Coffman read the following, signed by a large number of the members of the congregation :
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"The undersigned members of Christ Church congrega- tion wish to express hereby our deep and sincere sorrow at the decease of our dearly beloved pastor, Rev. John Gass. The intelligence of his death comes with a suddenness that is ap- palling; its unexpectedness makes our grief all the greater. During his pastorate in this Church he had become endeared to us through the tenderest ties, and it is difficult to realize that we will see him no more. To us his life seemed to be an epitome of all the Christian graces, and his soul to be filled with the Master's law of love, which he so eloquently and forcibly taught. We can but pray that the Giver of all good will mercifully comfort his stricken family in their great bereavement."
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Hon. Jos. W. Martin, of the First Presbyterian Church, read the following tribute by the session of that congregation :
"Resolved, That we have heard with profound sorrow of the death of Rev. John Gass, late Rector of Christ Church, and we desire to record here our great love and our high re- gard for this noble Christian man and minister. We bow with you to-day by his newmade grave and shed with you tears of profound sympathy and love. May the God of love minis- ter consolation to his bereaved and loved wife in her great bereavement, and to his sorrowing little orphan children. Though recently removed from us, we feel with all good people of every name and class that not only your Church has lost one of its most valued men, but that his untimely taking off is a loss to his country and to humanity. Truly a great man hath fallen in Israel."
S. C. BOSSINGER, Chairman.
REV. C. C. KRAMER.
At the conclusion of the reading of the resolutions, Rev. C. C. Kramer delivered an eloquent sermon upon the text, "It is expedient that I go away."-John xvi, 7.
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