USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Norfolk > History of Norfolk, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1744-1900 > Part 36
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I cannot but allude to the tender and touching conclusion of his farewell sermon, in which he anticipates the time when he must yield the first place in the affections of his people to his suc-
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cessor in office, and to the magnanimous wisdom with which he charges them beforehand to transfer their confidence and love to another. That he knew that this event would bring some trial to his own feelings, bespeaks the largeness of his heart. His people cannot doubt that a heart so true and tender in its affection re- members them still, even in the heavenly temple, and will continue to speak peace to the flock, on whom he has expended such con- stant and warm affection. Let the peace and harmony and ele- vated Christian living which you shall exemplify, be a perpetual testimony to the affection which you cherish for his name.
What Dr. Eldridge was to the Churches of this County, and especially of this Consociation, many of you who hear me can ap- preciate and set forth more fully and forcibly than myself. These Churches have been honored of God for the evangelical and the missionary spirit of their pastors since that memorable reviving of God's work among them which occurred a little before the end of the last century. The spirit of Christian love and sacrifice, when enlightened by education, always tends to Christian unity and co-operation. The free, enterprising spirit which has been fos- tered by the bracing air and the vigorous life of this hill-country, has inspired these pastors and their flocks with a fellow-feeling for one another's welfare. In no part of our State, and in no part of New England, have the Churches seemed so near to one an- other, however far they might seem removed by distance and the difficulty of access. Dr. Eldridge entered from the first most fully into the spirit of this fellowship, and labored from the first to sus- tain its traditions in their original efficiency. You are all aware that he took special pleasure in vindicating that organized fellow- ship of the Churches which has so long been maintained in Litch- field County, in an address at Norwich, entitled "Consociated Con- gregationalism," which well illustrates his practical good sense and his fraternal feeling. His argument is simply an enumera- tion of the good results of the system as he had observed its work- ing spirit of enlarged Christian sympathy. He had been faithful to the many engagements which grew out of this union of Churches; he had cheerfully incurred the fatigues and exposures which were incident to their fulfillment. So far from excusing himself from these duties and sacrifices for reasons of health or convenience, or the remoteness of his parish, he turned the special circumstances of his position into arguments for a more exemplary fidelity and a warmer sympathy with his brethren and their Churches. His brethren who are here present all bear witness that he has been to them a faithful brother in all their discouragements and trials; that he has been a wise counsellor in their personal difficulties and in dissensions among their parishes, and has schooled himself and
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his people to stand foremost in the ranks whenever there were signs of discouragement or cries of alarm. As he was from the first, so was he to the last. After his resignation of his pastoral charge, he did not desire to renounce the privileges and obligations of fellowship to his brethren and their Churches, but formally and affectionately renewed his original covenant of love and hospitality with them as long as he should live.
These pastors and their flocks will not soon forget these words and acts of friendly interest and communion; and as they are now and here present to pay deserved honor to the father and brother who has bequeathed to them such a legacy of affection and fellow- ship by words and deeds, they will renew over his grave and at each remembrance of his presence and his name, their vows of faithful sympathy, in the higher name of the blessed Master, in whom all the members of His Body are one.
I am reminded that the only occasion on which I was ever in Norfolk before the burial of Dr. Eldridge was in September, 1833, at a meeting of the Litchfield North Association. Dr. Eldridge was then, I think, the youngest member. All the members of the body who were then present, and, I think, all who then belonged to it, are no more on the earth. Dr. Eldridge, who had then been pastor a little more than a year, was at the time of his resignation the only survivor of that venerable company. As I return to this place, and meet the representatives of the same Churches, united closely by the same bond and animated by the same spirit as then, I cannot but be reminded of the power which perpetuates the Christian Church from one generation to another. Nor should we fail to recognize the value of the labors of him who was then the youngest, in preserving and transmitting this fraternal spirit to another generation. His magnanimous manliness, which scorned everything narrow and mean; his lofty generosity, that could neither tolerate nor understand any petty jealousies; his large- hearted and practical understanding, that was above all narrow dogmatism; his earnest and practical spirit, that sought always to build up and unite, and never to weaken or divide, have been a great power for good, for more than one generation, in all these Churches.
Dr. Eldridge was also at the time of his resignation the oldest active pastor of this State. How universally he was respected, and how enviable and unique was the place which he held in the affec- tion and honor of the ministers of Connecticut, he himself was the last to suspect. His wise counsel, and his active sympathy in many boards of trust, were more and more appreciated. His eloquent utterances on several public occasions, when exciting topics had roused his intellect, kindled his imagination and moved his heart,
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were sometimes an astonishment to himself as well as a delight to all who heard him. His interest in education and his loyal affec- tion for his Alma Mater made him a zealous and most useful friend to Yale College, of whose Corporation he was for more than twenty- seven years an honored member.
I ought not to attempt to describe what Dr. Eldridge was to his family and in his home. His large and affectionate heart found here its most satisfying enjoyments and its richest rewards. As his children grew up before him, he was stimulated by their intellectual activity, he sympathized with their ardent interest in culture, and was refreshed and excited by their merriment. Few men have had a happier home than he, and very few men have enjoyed it more. He sought the best things for his children-intelligence, usefulness, an honorable name, and, above all, an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. He taught his children more by example than by precept; but his word when uttered was a law which could not be broken, and his wishes, however gently inti- mated, were supreme. The tenderness of his affection for wife and children was a quiet stream-rarely overflowing its banks-but always filling them to the full. To his relatives and kindred be was uniformly trustworthy and true.
He had hoped and expected to enjoy a quiet evening of life, amid many enjoyments, in the alternations of pleasant activity and innocent relaxation, in the interchange of generous hospitality and sweet affection, with hallowed worship and serene anticipations of heavenly rest. His friends had anticipated for him a sunny old age, surrounded by the people whom he had blessed so richly by his teaching and his example. His family had looked for the light of his presence in the house which he had built, and in which all his children had been born, and which had never been darkened by the shadow of death.
The anticipated evening of his earthly life has been exchanged for the bright morning dawn of that life which is immortal. The quiet rest and sweet repose of the earthly twilight has given place to the serene and perfected noon of the heavenly rest. The enjoy- ment of the earthly friends who remain has been exchanged for the society of the just made perfect, among whom are numbered many-oh! how many-who were known and loved by him on earth. From the home which he had built and had blessed so long, he has passed into the building of God-the house not made with hands-eternal in the heavens. That home will never be darkened by death. We cannot doubt that, content though he was to remain a little longer here, he is altogether satisfied to have entered the home that is there. His bodily presence no longer blesses his house and his household on earth, but the remembrance of what
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he was. and the thought of what he now is, will be a blessing and an inspiration to that house and household till the last survivor shall have been taken upward, and the separate links of the family circle shall again be united in a chain which shall remain un- broken forever.
An estimate of Dr. Eldridge is given by a native of this town, who saw him in an entirely different light from most of us; one who was not in his youthful days a member of Dr. Eldridge's congregation, but, as he mentions, was deeply impressed by his preaching in "the great revival of 1857," and under that preaching was brought into the king- dom. Influenced and encouraged by him, the young man took a thorough course in Yale, prepared for the ministry, preached most successfully to different churches, and for many years has been the pastor of the Congregational Church at Barre, Mass.
The following sketch is by Rev. Joseph Fitch Gaylord, son of Mr. Anson Gaylord, a native and life-long resident of this town. Mr. Gaylord says:
"You have asked me to give in brief form my impressions of Dr. Eldridge. It is probably a general law of human experience that, as life advances, the objects and the men with whom one was familiar in early years lose somewhat in the estimate made of their proportions. With a larger experience with men and things, the forests seem less vast, the mountains less lofty, and human character less worthy of favor than in the period of youth. Such is the general law; but in my impressions of Dr. Eldridge there is an exception to this law. On the contrary his life and character seem more noble as seen through the perspective of increasing years. It was my privilege to know him, not only as a pastor and preacher, but also as a member of the ministerial association and conference of churches to which I belonged. At my ordination his hands were laid on my head and he offered the ordaining prayer. My connection with the association and conference continued only about two years, but I recall very pleasantly my relations to him during those years. He was, I think, the oldest member of those organizations, and certainly the one who exercised in each the strongest influence. I recall especially his kindly interest in those of us who were just commencing the ministry. I have often thought that his bearing in this relation was ideal. There was no air of superiority, and nothing overbearing in his spirit toward us. On
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the other hand, there was a genial and kindly interest in us and in our work, and a large charity for the crudeness and imperfections which he must have seen in us. Many years ago I hung his picture in my study, and there it hangs and looks down upon me as I am now writing; and as I am growing old, and am surrounded by ministers, nearly all of whom are much younger than myself, it has often seemed to speak to me, teaching me, among other things, what should be my bearing in my relations with these younger brethren.
But I presume it is more especially of Dr. Eldridge as preacher and pastor that you wish me to write. During my earliest years I was not connected with his congregation, and was never a mem- ber of his church; and yet with scores and even hundreds of others, I can truly say, that for my early religious experience and train- ing. I owe more to him than to any other minister.
I recollect especially the great revival of 1857 and '58, when not less than a hundred of us in Norfolk, largely young people, gave ourselves to the service of Christ. It was a period of great revivals throughout the country, and I remember how arduous and effective were the labors of Dr. Eldridge. It is easy to see that for more than forty years the church has felt the influence of that revival, and the large ingathering, to which its records bear witness, gives evidence to the fidelity and power of its pastor, as well as of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The preaching of Dr. Eldridge showed him to be a man of strong, comprehensive, and well balanced mind. Not only were his intellectual resources large, but he was a man of wide reading and observation. His style in preaching was simple, but clear, logical and vigorous. Often he spoke in a calm and Instructive, rather than oratorical manner; but there were times when he seemed inspired by the magnitude of his theme, and raising his voice above its usual key, he spoke with marked eloquence and power. He loved to dwell on the high themes which have to do with God; his greatness, his sovereignty, and his goodness. One sentence of his, uttered in such a connection, still lingers in my memory. Speaking of the questions and perplexities which center about the future condition of the unsaved, he said, "God will do what is right,"-a luminous and helpful statement. Of his pastoral work I cannot write from the fullest knowledge. I have been told that at some meeting of ministers, he himself spoke somewhat dis- paragingly of his ability in that relation; but it is evident that no one who was very deficient in that office could have endeared himself so fully to his people, and held their loyal devotion for so many years.
To any thoughtful observer it was apparent that he bore upon his heart the interests of all in his parish, of whatever class or condition. He was quick to discover the humorous features that
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often come to view in the relation of a pastor to his people; but this did not mar the cordial and genial interest which he felt in every one. His church loved and revered him, and trusted him to an unusual degree, as their spiritual guide. In theology he was conservative, but not narrow, holding fast to the great evangelical doctrines, and strict in his loyalty to what he deemed the vital truths, but tolerant of all minor differences of belief. His work was done before the discussions of the last few years had begun much to disturb the peace of our churches. But I have raised in my own mind the question, had he lived, what would be his attitude in these discussions? From my knowledge of his course and habits of thought, I believe he would look with some degree of distrust on present theological tendencies, but at the same time would study the things which make for peace.
Were I to sum up the qualities which account for his long and successful pastorate, and his strong and unbroken hold upon his people, I should name in particular these three :- His unswerving fidelity to the great truths of the gospel; his large mental resources, and the marked degree in which he concerned himself with the welfare of all in his parish.
Dr. Eldridge was a man of large public spirit, interesting him- self not only in the affairs of his town, but also those of the state and nation. I was a student in college at the time of the attack on Fort Sumter, that event which roused the nation to arms, but chanced to be at home the Sunday following, and remember the strong, patriotic sermon which he gave. It was indicative of his course through all the fearful ordeal of the civil war. Nor was his attention confined to our country. He watched with deep in- terest the movements which were going forward in other parts of the world, and his sermons often bore some reference to men and events in other lands.
In particular he was devoted to the great movement of our country to carry the gospel to heathen countries, and the cause of missions, both at home and abroad, had in him one of its truest friends.
It need hardly be added that he was honored and loved not only by his own people, but also among the neighboring churches, and in the state organizations of our denomination his influence was well recognized and beneficent. But it was of course upon his own church and congregation that his life and character and work made the deepest impression. In the history of the town, the record of his long, useful and successful pastorate will always form a most interesting chapter. As occasionally I return to Norfolk, its beauti- ful village and the whole place seem associated with his presence, and the walls of the church in which he preached for so long a
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period, seem almost vocal with his voice. He lives not only in the memory of a generation which is now fast passing away, but also in the strong character of the church, to which he gave the entire public service of his long and useful life."
"He being dead, yet speaketh."
In an entirely different aspect of his life and character let us look at him for a moment:
Great man that Dr. Eldridge was, scholarly man, as estimated by the eminent authorities already given, he was not too great, too scholarly, nor too busy to interest him- self in the boys who grew up about him. How vividly does the writer recall that, in the winter of 1854, meeting one day several boys from the Academy, he stopped, greeted them cordially, expressed a desire to get acquainted with them, and invited them to come and see him in his study a certain evening. The invitation was so hearty that, as he passed on, the boys with one accord said, 'let's go,' and they did call at the time mentioned. One or two of these boys were from out of town, attending the Academy, and on the way to the house their hearts almost failed them, as the idea of going to see the minister in his study was right before them, and a word from one or two of the foremost ones would have caused a stampede of the half- dozen; but they kept on, were most cordially received, and soon began to feel at rest, as the good man told them some things about his own boyhood and early life in that far country, Yarmouth, on Cape Cod, which to some of the boys seemed like the very end of the earth. Then he told them of some funny things that happened when he was a student in Yale, apparently enjoying recalling as fully as the boys did his relating them. When he saw that he had won the hearts of the boys, in such a kindly, affectionate way, he spoke of his interest in us, of his earnest desire to assist us in any possible way, and of his wish to see us all entering into the Christian life while we were young. With a few words, so kind and fatherly, to each one, then asking all to kneel with him in a word of prayer, with an invitation to come and see him again, he bade the boys good-night.
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Is it in the least strange that such a man won the love of the boys and held the hearts of his people? Nay, verily.
Most fortunately, a report of what a stranger saw and heard in Dr. Eldridge's church a few weeks before the close of his pastorate, has been preserved, and, showing as it does the estimate of those outside of his little parish who were eminently qualified to give an opinion of the man, and measure him with the foremost men of his time, it is here given.
Dr. W. L. Gage, pastor at that time of the Pearl Street Church, Hartford, spent Sunday, September 13, 1874, in Norfolk, and what he there saw and heard he gave to his own people the following Sunday. The next Tuesday it was published in the Hartford Courant, and so was handed down to us.
Dr. Gage took for his text the words, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace," and in part said:
"A well-known professor in Amherst College chose for his theme last Sunday evening at the Park Church, "A Sunday in Russia." Perhaps a Sunday in a Connecticut village might be quite as practical a theme, and quite as congenial with the pur- poses which have called us together. We often get our clearest views of truth, not in abstract ideas, but in concrete and living forms; and a church at work may perhaps indicate to us our bless- ings and our wants as much as any vague discussion of principles might do.
Under this conviction I am going to try to lead you to some useful reflections by asking you to follow me into the country, and to listen to a sketch of personal experiences.
It was a great and unexpected pleasure for me to worship last Sunday in one of the hill towns of Connecticut, to take my place in the pews, and to be a listener to the word. I need not name the town; it was hardly fifty miles away; one of the wild, untutored places, where trees and granite are the most manifest productions. A few fertile farms meet the eye, rescued in the past generation from the hands of a reluctant Nature. A pleasant mill-stream ripples down the hills, and stores away much unused power. A few trim lawns and solid old houses decorate the tops and sides of the hills, and a quaint, old-time New England "meeting-house" binds the whole landscape together in itself.
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The burying-ground, the post-office and the school-house are of course not far away, and the ambition and progress of the present time are read in the telegraph poles, the trim railroad depot, and public house; not the old-time tavern, with veranda and loafers, but the modern and pretentious "hotel."
It was very pleasant to hear the Sunday morning bell sound out the hour of worship, and to see the throng of men and women, young men and maidens, in carriages and on foot, going up the hillside to the church. And very pleasant was the rustle in the sanctuary as they seated themselves, and looked around and nodded to one another in neighborly kindness; a compact congregation, quiet, reverential, expectant. And very pleasant was it to see the minister come in; the oldest settled pastor in the state, who began his labors there forty-two years ago, and will close them next month, with hair not yet wholly gray, and with form rather bending with study than with years.
Not yet accustomed to glasses, and with voice not touched with tremulous tones of weakness, the good man opened the service with a brief and most fitting prayer. The large choir then sang a psalm while the minister's daughter played the organ and a near kinsmen led the singing. And then the Scriptures were read, in- telligently, with a rare perception of meanings which seldom come out, yet with the utmost quietness and dignity,-perhaps I might say with an almost studied neglect of theatrical or oratorical effect. And then the people sang; they really sang; the air was full of music, as the choir and the congregation joined in that act of worship, which in our usual Congregational order can alone be the vehicle of common praise and prayer. And this service, bare and meager as it was, and unsatisfactory as it is to me almost always, and not to me alone but to hundreds who feel as I do, was in this instance so genuine, the realness was so manifest and undeniable. that it was worship,-as true and moving as if it had been in St. Paul's or Westminster Abbey.
And then came the sermon, from the text, "Then the children of men began to call upon the name of the Lord." Plain, terse, scriptural, but vigorous and practical. From first to last not a waste word, not a straggling idea. One manly foot march across open country, with the troops all in order. The theme was of course prayer; the old theme which in a master's hands is always new. Real prayer, private prayer, household prayer, all enforced in a hearty, human fashion, the whole based in theology, but grow- ing out of theology, and translated into life. I do not know when I have heard anything more ergreifend (impressive), as the Germans so well say; which so took me up, and held me, and carried me breathless to the end. I don't know when I have found tears in
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my eyes under a sermon, but I did last Sunday. The effect height- ened of course by the reverence which I felt for the preacher, and the fact that his ministry is now coming to an end, had an effect such as I have not felt for many a day, and what I would go twice forty-four miles to receive.
In making this sketch, which I am doing for reasons that will presently appear, I will not conceal from you nor from myself that there are circumstances in this case, aside from the one just men- tioned, which are peculiar. Six years ago I heard Dr. Bushnell say that "that very village pastor is, in force of intellect, second to no man in the United States whom he had ever met." Four years ago I heard Governor Jewell indicate him as one of the noblest and most Romanesque men whom he knew; and at the state confer- ences I had marked that he is Nestor in the band of picked men.
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