Bethel Presbyterian Church, East Orange, N.J. : an historical discourse preached at the twenty-fifth anniversary of its organization, November 10th, 1895, Part 3

Author: Irving, David O
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: [Newark, N.J. : Thistle Stationary Co.
Number of Pages: 68


USA > New Jersey > Essex County > East Orange > Bethel Presbyterian Church, East Orange, N.J. : an historical discourse preached at the twenty-fifth anniversary of its organization, November 10th, 1895 > Part 3


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Confession and Covenant of Bethel Church, the year text and prayer meeting topics for 1890, the annual report for 1889 and the programme of the order of services of laying of corner- stone.


After the stone had been placed in position by the workmen the pastor formally pronounced the stone laid, using a silver trowel, which was provided for the occasion. A prayer of thanksgiving and dedication was then offered by Rev. George A. Paull, pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, of Bloomfield. After the congregation had sung one verse of the hymn, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty," the benediction was pronounced by Rev. William F. Whitaker, pastor of the St. Cloud Presbyterian Church, of West Orange. On the following Sunday a sermon appropriate to the occasion was preached by the pastor.


The new building was completed in November, 1891. The interest in its success may be judged from the special donations which were given. Three large and handsome memorial windows were donated, as follows : The East Window, repre- senting Elijah fed by the ravens, was a memorial to Mr. Calvin Dodd, one of the first elders of the Church, a gift of Mrs. Amzi Dodd. The South Window represents Faith, and was in memory of Mrs. Hannah Condit Dodd. It was donated by Mr. Samual Dodd, of St. Louis, Mo. The West Window, containing the symbols of the Cross and Alpha and Omega, was a memorial to Rev. David Irving, D.D., a gift of Mrs. Elizabeth F. Irving and Rev. David O. Irving. A smaller window on the west represents a dove and was in memory of Mrs. Martha Tucker, for many years one of our members, and was a gift of members of her family. The steam heating was a donation of Mr. Amzi T. Dodd. The Sunday school contributed the bell and furnished their own school room. A class of young men provided the pulpit and communion furniture, suggesting that the pulpit should always keep in touch with the young. The Ladies' Aid Society furnished the pews and carpet in the Church and the Young Ladies' Missionary Society donated the cathedral glass windows in the Sunday school room. The organ was the


38


Balinesa.


INTERIOR OF NEW CHURCH


gift of a few of the members who agreed to raise the necessary funds to secure it.


On Sunday, November Ist. 1891, farewell services were held in the old Church building before a crowded audience. The services in the morning consisted of reminiscences, and in the evening a bright and hopeful outlook, under the guidance of God's Spirit, was set forth. In the afternoon the Sunday school was addressed by the superintendent, pastor and teachers. On Tuesday evening of that week the last prayer meeting was held in "the place where prayer was wont to be made." It was a meeting full of tender recollections, blessed associations and hopeful anticipations. Testimonies from this one and that one who had been born into the kingdom of God in that place were feelingly given.


The dedication Sabbath, November 8th, was a bright and beautiful one, and the new building was crowded by the regular members of the congregation, former members, and friends of the Church. The services opened with the singing of the doxology, which was followed by the prayer of invocation and the Lord's Prayer. The hymn "Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty," was then sung by the congregation. A specially prepared Scripture lesson was then read responsively. The prayer of dedication was then offered by the pastor. After singing the hymn beginning, "O Thou whose own vast temple stands," the sermon was preached by Rev. M. W. Jacobus, professor in the Hartford Theological Seminary. The dedica- tion offerings were then collected, and the services closed with the familiar hymn, " All hail the power of Jesus' name."


In the afternoon the Sunday school held a special service, which was largely attended. The school met at half-past two in the Sunday school room, where two hymns were sung and a prayer dedicating that room to Almighty God was offered by the superintendent, Mr. William S. Mills. The school then marched into the Church where they were addressed by Mr. David L. Wallace, superintendent of the Central Church Sunday school, of Orange; Mr. Silas M. Giddings, president of the Brooklyn Sunday School Union ; and Rev.


James H. Marr, pastor of the Beacon Presbyterian Church, of Philadelphia.


In the evening the Christian Endeavor Society held a short service, and in the Church another large congregation gathered to hear Rev. Mr. Marr, the former pastor, preach. On Monday evening a service of welcome was held when addresses by the following Presbyterian pastors of the Oranges were made : Rev. Henry M. Storrs, D.D., of the First Church of Orange ; Rev. Henry F. Hickok, D.D., of Brick Church ; Rev. James M. Ludlow, D.D., of First Church of East Orange; Rev. William F. Whitaker, of St. Cloud ; Rev. Stanley White, of Hillside avenue ; and Rev. S. J. McClenaghan, of Elmwood Mission. A letter of congratulation was read from Rev. Rufus S. Green, D.D., who was detained at home by illness. On Tuesday - evening a very earnest prayer meeting was held, the first in the new Church. On the following evening another service of wel- come was held when addresses were delivered by Rev. E. D. Clough, of the Washington Street Baptist Church ; Rev. Mr. Clement, of the Watsessing M. E. Church ; and Rev. Mr. Kem- ble, of the Ferry Methodist Church. Letters of regret were read from Rev. F. W. Baldwin, of the Trinity Congregational Church and Rev. Mr. Dickinson, of the North Orange Baptist Church.


The following Sabbath was observed as a sacramental one, when we welcomed into our number eight on profession of their faith in their Saviour and nine by letter from other churches. In this manner we entered upon the larger work in our new building, praising God for His goodness and relying upon Him for His help and guidance. The prayer and desire of many could be well expressed by the poet Bryant:


"May faith grow firm and love grow warm And pure devotion rise, While round these hallowed walls the storm Of earth-born passion dies."


In moving into our new edifice we incurred a larger debt than we had hoped to carry, owing to the failure of some funds


42


we were led to expect to receive. But the people nobly shouldered the burden of seventeen thousand dollars, and by the realization of three thousand and five hundred dollars from the sale of our old lot and building and by the aid of the Debt Lifting League we have been able to reduce this amount by more than one-half, and we are led to believe that the remainder will soon be wiped out as one practical result of our twenty- fifth anniversary. The load was at first very difficult to carry, as we all felt the recent depression of the times, while the rate of interest to be paid was unexpectedly increased. But the Lord stood by us and we render all the glory to Him. With a smaller financial burden to carry we will be able to bear a larger share of our responsibility in the work of the Universal Church in extending the cause of Christ throughout the world.


In glancing at the spiritual history of the Church we can rejoice that we have been making some progress through the blessing of God upon our efforts. The original twenty-seven members have increased to three hundred and twenty. There has been received into membership since the organization of the Church a total of four hundred and seventy-seven. Two hundred and twenty-four of these on profession of faith in Christ and two hundred and fifty-three by letter from other churches. We have lost by death thirty-one and by removals one hundred and twenty-six. Our growth has been gradual rather than rapid. There has been only one season of revival during the twenty-five years, and that was in 1893. At that time our Church united with other churches of East Orange in the evangelistic services held in the Munn Avenue Presbyterian Church from November 6th to 13th, under the direction of Rev. B. Fay Mills. These meetings were productive of great bless- ings. As a result of those special services, we received twenty- five into our fellowship on profession of their faith in Jesus Christ, many of whom were representatives of the young people. But we cannot tabulate in figures the spiritual benefits derived in the deepening of the religious feeling, the quickening of Christian zeal and the awakening of the individual conscience, showing that God's Spirit was at work in our midst. Those who


43


were present at the prayer meetings, held in our lecture room the week after the general meetings were finished, probably will never efface from their memories the delightfully solemn im- pressions then made, as night after night for three weeks the people crowded into the room of prayer and consecration. All other engagements were given up for those evenings and little else could be talked about during those days. One very hope- ful and interesting feature of the work was the effect it had upon the young, especially in the Sunday school. Sabbath, November 12th, was a day of religious interest, when one hundred and twenty-two scholars signed cards signifying their desire to become Christians or to lead a more consecrated life. Nor did the work stop here, for the influence of these children was felt in the home, and parents were brought to the Saviour, thus confirming the words of Scripture, that "a litttle child shall lead them."


While this has been the only revival to record since our Church was organized, yet it would be unfair to draw any lesson from it showing lack of zeal for the welfare of souls or want of desire for the presence of God's power. The Holy Spirit, like the wind, cannot be directed whence He cometh nor whither He goeth. Many faithful ones have been praying and working for the salvation of souls, and their history is written by the Heavenly Historian in the records on high. So far as their influence has been felt in the history of our Church we can only describe it in a general way. But their prayers and faithful efforts have helped in many ways to keep alive the spiritual interests of the Church, while the lack of the outpouring of the spiritual blessings upon us has been a source of sorrow to them.


One evidence of the Holy Spirit's blessing may be seen in the increased interest taken in the subject of missions. Not only by our gifts is this interest to be measured, but by the growth of the missionary societies and their increased work. Even the young in the Sunday school and in their various societies have felt the claims of the needy upon them. By their reading, their different missionary meetings and their wide-awake interest in returned missionaries, many have proved that this cause is


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Hallest


INTERIOR OF OLD CHURCH


becoming dearer to their hearts. While this spirit is not as active nor as extensive as some of us would like, yet its growth is a cause for congratulation and a hope of a brighter future. While we give of our means to the cause of missions, let us also give ourselves to this great work of evangelizing the world. In all our Church's history we cannot record the name of a single missionary who has gone out from our midst. Let this past neglect be more than met in coming years by the consecration of many earnest souls for the Lord's work in foreign lands. In fact we have but one from our membership who has gone out to preach the gospel, the Rev. Samuel Warrender, who united with the Church September 2d, 1873. If parents would only conse- crate their children to this work of the Church and seek to influence them in this direction the coming years would show a greater gain in the missionary spirit and missionary work. Our Church is sufficiently strong and large to be personally repre- sented on many of the mission fields of the world.


" We sow in tears ; but let us keep Our faith in Christ and trust Him still ; Yonder our harvest we shall reap, Where gladness every heart shall fill."


In glancing forward we should see our needs so as to meet them as speedily as possible, and hold out hopes so as to fulfill them as ambitiously and earnestly as we can, relying wholly upon Divine grace and guidance. But it may not be amiss to refer to a few points upon which we can improve.


I. We should seek as soon as possible to pay off all of our indebtedness. This we can do if we earnestly and consecratedly set ourselves to do it. This we ought to do for our own temporal and spiritual good, and for the benefit which we can render to others. We have been enabled to reduce the mortgage more than one-half since we started four years ago and with faith and effort we will soon see it vanish entirely, leaving us free to do greater work for the Lord.


2. The Church should support its own Sunday school. Our circumstances and history make the relation of the school


47


to the Church rather unusual, but the Church is now strong enough financially to care for the school. This would be only about one hundred dollars additional every year and it would leave the school free to train the scholars in the work of benevo- lence. Perhaps the Sunday school would then be able to undertake by itself to erect a larger and more suitable bu lding in which to hold its sessions. Already the infant department is obliged to meet in the old Church on account of its crowded condition, and other parts of the school give an indication that larger accommodations will soon be needed. It has been sug- gested that a more commodious structure of wood be erected on the property adjoining the present building on the north for the Sunday school and that the rooms we already have be used for the prayer meetings of the different societies, as well as for all social meetings of the Church. It is hoped that this suggestion may meet with favor and that some practical means of carrying it out may soon be found. The important work of our Church has always been the Sunday school, and this department should not be overlooked. In our Sunday school work we should keep in touch with the more advanced educational ideas and we should use the most approved methods to make that branch of the Church the most successful.


3. It may be a question for us to decide in the future whether we should seek to make our work more of the nature of an institutional church and, if so, to what extent. We have always maintained the voluntary system of support so that none need feel that they are too poor to come to God's house. We want them to feel at home with us and we should strive to make them feel at home in our Bethel. Providence has given to us a grand opportunity and we should not refuse to accept God's leadings. With a free library and reading-room open every week-day evening, where many could go, who have now no place to resort which is elevating, we might be able to reach many careless ones who would not be attracted to our religious services. A sewing class for the children of the poor would prove a blessing to many a needy home. The employment of a Bible reader to bring the story of Jesus and His love into many


48


a neglected household would be another instrument in the hands of God of reaching and saving souls, besides brightening their homes. Let no one think that these ideas are visionary, for if the Lord opens the way let our faith and courage be strong enough to follow.


4. A last suggestion could be given about the developing and training of children for the ministerial and missionary life. Our Church is large enough to have many workers on the field. But parents must consecrate their children when young to this service and bring them up with earnest and believing prayers for such a work. Let there be a deepening of spiritual life and a quickening of faith in God and an arousing of love for souls and then there will be many pressing into the ministry, saying, "Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel of Christ."


May this prospect cheer and encourage, arouse and enkindle all in this Bethel to come to the help of the Lord in this place, while the retrospect may increase our faith as it shows how much can be done when there is united effort, even if it is by the comparatively humble and feeble exertions.


NAMES OF THE MEMBERS WHO JOINED BETHEL CHURCH AT ITS ORGANIZATION, NOVEMBER 13THI, 1870 :


CALVIN DODD,*


ELIZA DODD, JR .. +


JOSIAHI F. DODD,*


NANCY M. DODD,*


ELEANOR DODD,


SARAH 'S. DOWNS,


DAVID HUNTER,*


MARY E. DOWNS,


MARGARET HUNTER,*


PETER S. VINCENT, +


ELIZA HUNTER,


ELIZA L. VINCENT, +


MARGARET MCLANE,*


JULIA VINCENT,


SARAH MCLANE,


WILLIAM S. VINCENT, +


SARAH A. RAY,


WILLIAM S. MILLS,


PHEBE VAN ORDEN,*


ELIZABETH MILLS,*


ALEXANDER HUNTER, +


ISRAEL DODD,


ANNIE HUNTER, +


ANGELINE DODD,


ELIZA DODD, SR.,*


ANNA M. TAYLOR, +


CHARLES M. DAVIS.+


* Deceased.


+ Dismissed to other churches.


ELDERS OF BETHEL CHURCH.


ELECTED.


CEASED TO ACT.


CHARLES M. DAVIS


. November 20th, 1870


1875


CALVIN DODD.


January


5th, 1872


1874


JOSIAH F. DODD


. January


5th, 1872


1875


IRA H. PATREY.


. May


4th, 1875


1878


W. IRVEN SOVEREL


.May


4th, IS75


CHARLES M. RIKER


May


4th, 1875


WILLIAM S. MILLS.


January


8th, 1878


GEORGE K. SUTPHEN


January


IIth, 1881


JAMES R. T. MCCARROLL


. January


12th, 1887


A. B. SPINNING.


January 13th, 1888


HERBERT F. SOVEREL.


January,


1892


WILLIAM B. MARTIN


.April, 11th, 1893


DEACONS OF BETHEL CHURCH.


ELECTED.


CEASED TO ACT.


CALEB RIKER


.January


5th, 1872


1876


CHIARLES M. RIKER


.January


5th, 1872


1878


ALEXANDER HUNTER


January


5th, 1872


1874


WILLIAM S. MILLS


.January


IIth, 1874


1880


IRA DODD.


January


11th, 1876


1879


LEWIS SMITH, SR.


January


8th, 1878


JAMES GILMOUR. ..


January


14th, 1879


1891


W. W. WESTERVELT


January


12th, 1880


1883


IRA H. PATREY


January


9th, 1883


1887


GEORGE M. TYLER


March,


1887


HENRY SMITH .


March,


1887


HERBERT F. SOVEREL. .


January


15th, 1891


1894


GEORGE B. HICINBOTIIAM


January


17th, 1894


1892 December 8th, 1892


* Died February 7th, 1892.


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TRUSTEES OF BETHEL CHURCH.


CEASED TO ACT.


NICHOLAS ALBEY


January


13th, 1874


1877


W. I. SOVEREL


January


13th, 1874


1891


LEWIS SMITH, JR.


January


13th, 1874


1877


HENRY SMITH


January


13th, 1874


1877


IRA PATREY


January


13th, 1874


1876


ALEXANDER HUNTER


January


11th, 1876


1877


THOMAS WALKER


January


9th, 1877


GEORGE H. KUTCHER.


January


9th, 1877


W. M. VAN NESS


January


9th, 1877


1889


CALEB RIKER


January


9th, 1877


1879


JAMES GILMOUR.


January


8th, 1879


1881


BENJAMIN PARKHURST.


January


IIth, 1881


1888


CHARLES M. WHITLOCK


Jannary


IIth, 1888


1890


STEPHEN W. HERDMAN


January


IIth, 1888


1889


FLETCHER PLACE, JR


January


16th, 1889


1895


SILAS W. DODD.


January


16th, 1889


GEORGE LAW.


January


15th, 1891


1894


JOHN H. MOORE


January


15th, 1891


DAVID W. BALL


Jannary


17th, 1894


H. A. HICKOK


January


17th, 1895


SUNDAY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS


JOHN CONDIT WILKINSON


1832


1842


DAVID RIKER .


1848


1859


CHARLES CRANE


1859


1865


I. H. GERRY


1855


1871


CHARLES M. DAVIS.


1871


1873


JAMES GILMOUR. .


1873 (January to June.)


CHARLES M. DAVIS


1873 (June.)


1875


REV. JAMES H. MARR


1875


1882


THOMAS J. DAVIS. ..


1882


1884


WILLIAM S. MILL.S.


1884


1893


WILLIAM B. MARTIN


1893


1894


WILLIAM S. MILLS


1894


1896


YEAR TEXTS.


1886 "Let us put on the armour of light." Roms. 13:12.


1887 "Holding forth the Word of life." Phil. 2:16.


1888


" Who went about doing good." Acts 10:38.


1889


"Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matt. 4:10.


1890


"Christ in you the hope of glory." Col. 1:27.


I891


"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 3:11.


1892 " Walk as children of light." Eph. 5:8.


1893 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ." Roms. 8:35.


1894 "Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead." Roms. 6:13.


1895 "All things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23.


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ELECTED.


BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE


OF


REV. JAMES H. MARR.


James Hervey Marr was born in Lewisburg, Pa., April 3d, 1842. His father, Rev. P. B. Marr, was pastor of the Presby- terian Church of that place. He thus came from a ministerial family, as not only his father, but also his grandfather on his mother's side, had served the Lord in that capacity. The unfeigned faith of the parents was thus transmitted to the son. It was only natural that he should have inherited the taste, as well as the right, for the gospel ministry, having descended from such godly ancestors and reared amidst such sacred influences. Having been early given to the Lord by these parents, the Heavenly Father accepted the gift and shaped his course so that he could be useful in his chosen field.


One who knew him well has written about his early life in these words : "His mother had often remarked that original sin showed itself before a child was six months old. She had made it the rule to repress the evil from infancy, and, though he was the fourth child, she had never failed in bringing the youthful rebels under control at an early period. When James was to be subjugated she found a difficult problem on hand, as he scarcely knew how to yield. She was perplexed, and expressed her alarm to an experienced friend, who told her that the strong will might be a source of great good ; that she should rely on prayer and the good example of the older children to bring the boy into the paths of righteousness. It seemed to her a dangerous experiment, but she waited. The early tendencies of the boy were in the main correct. He showed an indomitable energy and unyielding determination


52


in everything he undertook. He dug and planted a large garden at some distance from home, often rising at four in the morning to carry on the task outside of shady hours, and in due season he had the satisfaction of turning in a quota to the family support. It was a household of activity and he was ready to bear his part of the burden .*


"He entered the University of Lewisburg and completed his course in 1860. Graduating when only seventeen years old, the youngest in his class, he took the first honors. He then entered the junior class of Princeton College from which he was graduated in 1862. He soon had a high position in his class there, though making his support largely from his own exer- tions. After leaving college he entered the Princeton Theolog- ical Seminary. When he graduated in the Class of 1865 he was well equipped for a scholarly life in some settled pastorate in the East. The German and French tongues were at his com- mand as well as the classic. It was his habit early in his min- istry to read a chapter in the Bible each day of the week in dif- ferent languages."


After he was licensed to preach the gospel he spent a short time in Baltimore as a stated supply, then a few months in Central Pennsylvania. Like the great apostle, he sought to avoid building upon another man's foundation. The needs of the West then opening for the farmer, miner and pioneer, called him to bear the standard of the cross to those destitute portions. Accordingly, in 1866, he settled in Minnesota as a home mission- ary, and established the three churches at La Crescent, Hokah and Brownsville. Blessed by nature with a strong and wiry constitution, he was not afraid of hard work, and his willingness in this respect often had an opportunity to exercise itself in those frontier towns.


The next year he proceeded to San Francisco. His trip to California was a specimen of his daring and energy. He fretted under the slow progress made by the caravan through Texas, and taking a large mule as his only aid and companion, he started


* "G." in The Presbyterian, June roth, 1895.


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on ahead to ferret out the way through New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. He traveled by night to escape the murderous Indian, and sought obscure retreats during the day. He joined the Presbytery of San Francisco and was ordained as an evangelist on the twenty-first of March, 1868. He established the Howard Street Church of that city and remained as its stated supply until 1869, when feeling that his enterprise there was well established he turned toward the East. His return was waited for by his parents with eager longing. His first token of filial affection and old-time solicitude for his mother's comfort was shown by handing her out of his scant savings a hundred dollars in gold which a kind friend had given him as he departed from the land of gold.


In the Summer of 1870 he settled in East Orange, and when the Bethel Presbyterian Church was organized in November of that year he was chosen as the stated supply. The name " Bethel " was suggested by him, and that name will always be a benediction from him since he has gone home to worship God in the Heavenly Bethel, "the house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens."


The discouragements of the new undertaking would have wearied the heart of many another minister, but Mr. Marr, with his characteristic determination and perseverance, conquered all of these difficulties and built up a strong and well organized church, free of all indebtedness, with a large membership and a still larger Sunday school. Many of the poor and needy of the community, whether members of the Church or not, felt the influence of his self-denying and persistent labor.


After having served this Church for more than eleven years, he departed in January, 1882, to become the pastor of the Cumberland Street Presbyterian Church in the Kensington district of Philadelphia. That church had greatly run down, but his organizing force was largely felt in its upbuilding. The next year the name of the church was changed to the Chandler Memorial Church, and in 1886 it was again changed to the Beacon Presbyterian Church. He became associated with Rev. Francis Robbins, D.D., who looked chiefly after the


54


finances while Mr. Marr attended largely to the routine work of the pulpit and parish. Together they planned the large organi- zation it afterwards became. Thus from a membership of only sixty-five and a Sunday school of four hundred and ninety- seven, meeting in what had been a mill, the work grew in eleven years into a church membership of six hundred and fifty and the Sunday school of one thousand and ninety-six, meeting in a large and handsome building, with rooms for sewing classes, cooking classes, night schools and a free medical dispensary.


He resigned his position as co-pastor of the Beacon Church in 1893 and supplied vacant churches whenever he was called upon. When death came he was at his house near Point Pleasant, N. J. On June 3d, 1895, " he had risen from the table with the remark that he felt in perfect health, and he submitted to the summons, which came in about an hour after, with a protest, saying that there were some things he wished to accomplish before going. But when it became apparent that the summons was peremptory and a final call from above, he acquiesced, saying that he was ready if it were the Father's will, and that it was in accordance with his wish to die in this speedy manner. After giving a few words of consolation to his wife and of admonition to his boy, he turned over and breathed his last." "The rapid action of occult pneumonia alone accounted for the sudden collapse of his vigorous consti- tution." He thus passed away apparently in the midst of health.


Mr. Marr was a man of a strong physical constitution and an iron will. He worked through Summer's heat and Winter's cold. "Ile never took a vacation in his twenty-eight years of service nor missed an engagement through illness." He was self-denying, thinking but little of his own needs but much of his people's requirements among whom he worked. Capable of filling a lucrative position in the mercantile world, he gave his talents to the Lord's cause, receiving but small compensation in all of his fields of labor. He was a man of warm piety and decided character. He loved to preach the gospel and he was untiring in pastoral work, especially among the poor, the needy


55


and the sick. From childhood his "characteristics were an indomitable will and energy, conscientiousness and courage ; always cheerful, strictly honorable and having remarkable self-control." These characteristics he maintained throughout his life. No word of jealousy escaped his lips nor spirit of indictiveness showed itself in him. He was remarkably guarded in his statements about others. Socially he was genial and affable ; his friendships were of the strongest. He was happily constituted so as to accommodate himself to his surroundings, and in his different fields of labor his circumstances were not always the most comfortable. He has finished his course as a true son of God and a faithful helper of man.


Minute adopted by the session on the death of Rev. James H. Marr :


It is with deep regret that we have heard of the sudden death of Rev. James H. Marr, the first pastor of this Church, at his home at Beacon-by-the- Sea, New Jersey, on June 3d, 1885.


We, as a session, desire to put on record our high regard for his Christian character, his deep piety, his earnest zeal for the Master's cause, and his love for all things which related to the Lord's kingdom. As the organizer of this Church, he worked with indomitable perseverance, courage and charity until he had developed it from a small mission church, to a self- supporting one. Its success is largely due to his ability, fidelity and dis- criminating judgment.


We realize that by his death this Church has lost a true friend and helper, and that the church at large has lost a faithful and zealous worker. We submissively bow in resignation to the All-wise Providence of God in thus removing from his earthly work one of His zealous followers.


We tender our sincere sympathy to his widow and family, and we offer our prayers for God's blessing and comfort.


We direct that a copy of this minute be sent to the family and that it be spread upon our records.


By order of the Session.


DAVID O. IRVING, Moderator.


WILLIAM S. MILLS, Clerk.


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