USA > New York > Erie County > Buffalo > Manual, catalogue and history of the Lafayette St. Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, N.Y. > Part 12
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THE MORNING SERVICE.
The church was filled to overflowing at an early hour. The interior was pro- fusely decorated with evergreens and flowers, the work of the ladies of the con- gregation. Over the pulpit appeared the following, wrought in evergreens :
1845. "WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT." 1870.
On the front of the organ-loft, was the motto, also in evergreens :
" OUR PASTOR-FAITHFUL THROUGH ALL."
The services were commenced with an invocation by the Rev. A. H. Plumb, of Chelsea, Mass. The Rev. Albert G. Bale, of Melrose, Mass., read the parable of the laborers, contained in the twentieth chapter of Matthew. Prayer was offered by the Rev. Charles C. Johnson, of Holley, N. Y. The pastor, the Rev. Dr. Heacock, then delivered his Twenty-fifth Anniversary Discourse, which in these memoirs is superseded by the Thirty-first.
At the close of the discourse, the Rev. William Kincaid, of Rushville, N. Y., offered prayer, after which the following hymn, written for the occasion, by Miss Mary A. Ripley, of Buffalo, was sung to the tune of " Old Hundred ":
O God, we own the guiding love That sets our feet in pleasant ways ; We praise that power which from above Beholds and blesses all our days.
Our father's God ! from age to age Thy chosen servants lead Thy flock, Where cooling streams their thirst assuage, Within the shadow of the Rock.
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To-day we bless the shepherd's care Which guards with jealous watch this fold ;
Which calls us into pastures fair, And shelters us from heat and cold.
Keep Thou his soul from doubt and fear ; Be Thou his strong and secret tower ; When foes rise up, O be Thou near, To shield him with Thy mighty power.
Still may he break the heavenly bread, When failing, fainting spirits cry ; Still may his life a brightness shed- Reflected from Thy throne on high.
And when his sacred service done, He lays his staff and burden down,
Within the mansion he has won Grant him a fair and fadeless crown !
EXERCISES IN THE EVENING.
The evening exercises were attended by a very numerous congregation, every portion of the church being thronged. The pulpit was occupied by the Rev. Dr. Heacock ; the Rev. Dr. Clarke, of Buffalo ; the Rev. Joseph Backus, of Thomas- ton, Conn .; the Rev. Albert G. Bale, of Melrose, Mass .; the Rev. Anson G. Chester, of Buffalo ; the Rev. Charles C. Johnson, of Holley, N. Y .; the Rev. Wil- liam Kincaid, of Rushville, N. Y .; and the Rev. Albert H. Plumb, of Chelsea, Mass. The services opened with a solo, " How Beautiful upon the Mountains," written by Everett L. Baker, and sung by Mr. J. W. Bixby, after which the congre- gation joined in singing the 1040th hymn. Dr. Clarke read from the Scriptures and offered prayer. Dr. Heacock then arose and said that it had occurred to him that in no way could the present anniversary be more fittingly celebrated than by calling back to dear old Lafayette Street the six brethren who had gone forth from her altar to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the request that they would present to those who might be assembled in the evening of the anniversary Sabbath, their views in relation to the ministry. He was happy to say that all had responded in the affirmative to the invitation of the Church and its pastor, and he would begin the further duties of the evening by introducing to the congregation the Benjamin of his ministerial family, the Rev. Anson G. Chester, of Buffalo. Whereupon Mr. Chester spoke as follows :
REMARKS OF THE REV. ANSON G. CHESTER.
Christian Brethren and Friends :
We are here assembled to celebrate the ecclesiastical Silver Wedding of this beloved and honored brother and the Church to which he was married in his youth, and to extend our most loving Christian congratulations to the bridegroom and the bride.
I can hardly misinterpret the feelings of those who, with myself, have been appointed to speak to you to-night, when I say that I am sure they would delight- as I should delight-to deal with the legitimate sentiment inspired by this interesting and joyful occasion ; to yield to his tender and solemn, and, I believe, edifying and profitable suggestions ; and to attempt an interpretation of the poetry which haunts it like a celestial presence. Since, however, he who is its central figure, whose
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guests we are, and whose authority we are bound to recognize, has seen fit, in his introductory remarks, to indicate the direction in which he desires us to send our thoughts, we must either treat him and the proprieties of this occasion with disre- spect, or repress our inevitable inclinations and speak to the text which it has pleased him to select for us. I know not which to admire the more in our beloved Doctor, the modesty which prompted him to make this unfruitful endeavor to divert attention from his own person to others, or the ingenuity by means of which he has been so gracefully trundled into the background.
But we may magnify the office, if not the man. And certainly it must always be a privilege and a pleasure for those whom God, by His grace, has called to the work of the ministry to bear testimony to the joys and the rewards of which it is the source. Coming into the vineyard, as I have, at the eleventh hour, and coming so recently, my ministerial experience must, necessarily, be frugal in incident. Others may thrill you with declarations drawn from a longer and larger experience; it remains for me only to express to you the more general convictions inspired by my new love and my new life.
I have been long enough in the ministry to know that its joys are, at once, abundant and substantial. They possess, I think, a flavor which God does not per- mit to be imparted to any other joys. The bitter of the ministerial life may be very bitter, but its sweet is very sweet. If there is hemlock in its trials, there is honey in its satisfactions. And I am sure, dear brethren in the Lord, from whom I have indeed gone out, but with whom I shall ever remain in heart, sympathy and desire-I am sure you can neither estimate nor appreciate the gratitude and the joy of soul with which I declare here in your presence to-night, in the presence of all who have assembled to rejoice with you, and in the presence of Him who makes this sanctuary His dwelling place, that I would rather be the obscure and humble minister of Jesus, that I am, than to rule the destinies of empires, be the most illustrious commander that ever led his legions to victory, or possess a million times the wealth of all the world. There is this to encourage even the most unpre- tending laborer in the spiritual vineyard-that the Lord thereof gives him credit for what he conscientiously seeks to do, as well as for what he actually performs. In the kind eyes of this most loving and considerate of masters, the motive has merit, as well as the accomplishment-the endeavor, as well as the deed. It is the privileges of the ministerial office which constitute its peculiar preciousness-the privilege of guiding the ignorant, confirming the doubtful, bringing back the wan- dering, pointing the anxious to the cross, and to Him who died thereon; making glad the poor, lifting up the lowly, comforting the sick, sustaining the dying, and bringing solace to the bereaved and sorrowing-the privilege of thinking, toiling, speaking, suffering, and wearing out for Christ. God only knows why it is, that when the glory and joy of the ministry exceed those of all other human vocations, when He needs thousands of helpers where now He has but one, when His cause is lan- guishing, when His church is so inactive, when there is so much to be done and when there are so few do it-He only knows why it is that, in the face of these facts, the feet of so small a portion in each community are turned in the direc- tion of the pulpit. Alas ! that the laborers should be so few, when the harvest is so plentiful and so ripe.
And now may the God of all grace and mercy preserve, encourage, sustain and bless this His dear and devoted servant in all the days of his future, and continue
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unto him the love and the help of those whose spiritual interests are committed to his charge.
May this people, mindful of his faithfulness and zeal, who is appointed to min- ister unto them in holy things, show their gratitude to God, and him, by concord and consecration, and by an unceasing exhibition of the beauty of holiness in their lives.
And long after this night shall have been turned back upon its silver hinges into the past, may its memories be to him, to them, and to us all, a fragrance and a joy.
We believe that the nuptials whose twenty-fifth anniversary we here commemo- rate, were sanctioned of Him, without whose endorsement marriage becomes a sorrow and a pang.
" What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."
Rev. Dr. Heacock then introduced the Rev. Charles C. Johnson, of Holley, N. Y., who said :
REMARKS OF THE REV. CHARLES C. JOHNSON.
If brother Chester is entitled to the appellation of the Benjamin of this band of sons, may not I presume to be called the Joseph ? Allow me to set Dr. Heacock right in regard to the date of my marriage. I took me a wife just previous to matriculation at the Theological Seminary, that I might not be led to violate the rule of that institution relating to matrimony. In the discourse of the morning, our Pastor alluded to evangelistic labors at Clarkson, N. Y. In the early spring of 1853, he came to assist the young pastor at that village in a revival. My acquaint- ance with Dr. Heacock began then and there. During the week that he preached at Clarkson, I found peace in believing in Christ. I have reason to believe that his personal interviews with me were blessed of God, as instrumental in leading me to the Saviour. Shortly after I made my first visit to Buffalo, and heard Mr. Heacock (not then a D. D.) in his own pulpit. I remember that, attending the young people's prayer meeting of Lafayette Street Church, I had not then the courage to "stand up for Jesus." Three years later I made my home in Buffalo. I found a warm welcome from the young brethren of this Church, as I timidly joined their prayer circle. I united with this Church by letter in 1856, and was identified with it for ten years, or until I left Buffalo to pursue Theological studies at Auburn. The loving words and spiritual counsel of the pastor ; the earnest type of piety of his people ; the sympathetic kindness of the brethren were matters of thankful- ness then, and to me proved a means of healthy development. The moral atmos- phere of such a Church was invigorating ; the spirit of work for the Master was contagious. The kind encouragement of some of the brethren to me, a diffident country lad, is not forgotten, nor its influence lost. With them I have since labored in mission work in various Sunday Schools and mission stations.
Memories come thronging back to-night bringing so many incidents that I hardly know which to select : Memories of revivals, when scores of souls found Christ as their Saviour under the guidance of our Pastor; memories of signal trophies of grace, some of the subjects of which, having witnessed a good profession, have passed over the river, and whose glorified spirits are looking from the bright shores beyond with delight on these scenes of to-day.
My attention was called early in my Christian experience to the question of entering the Gospel ministry. After years of wavering and partial decision, and some preliminary preparation, I was induced through the personal influence of Dr.
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Walter Clarke to leave business and enter on the study of Theology. Thank you, brother ! (addressing Dr. Clarke) for loosening the fetters which were binding me to a secular avocation ! Thank you, brother ! (addressing Dr. Heacock) for lead- ing me to the Saviour, and first directing my thoughts to the ministry ! Thanks be to Thee, my Saviour ! for permitting me to work as an humble laborer for the upbuilding of Thy Kingdom ; for the privilege of preaching the unsearchable riches of Thy Gospel !
Is it a wonder that any of us should have formed a strong personal attachment to our beloved pastor, who has so long and faithfully performed the duties of an under-shepherd ? Am I overstepping the bounds of propriety, if thus, publicly, I acknowledge my own regard and affection for him? With him I have been on the march and in the bivouac. From his lips I have heard repeated messages of admonition, encouragement and consolation. Is it at all a wonder that tendrils of affection should bind my heart in strong attachment to his? Before me I see the words, "OUR PASTOR-FAITHFUL THROUGH ALL." I apprehend that to be less than the truth. He has been not only faithful through all, but faithful in all. His great heart, warm and loving, has made his influence a blessing to all upon whom it has been exerted. He shines a brighter light than that in yonder lighthouse, for he has lighted many a soul to the harbor of peace and eternal joy. But his light is, after all, only a reflected light, the light reflected from the Sun of righteousness, the spirit of his Lord and Master shining out through him. The unconscious influence of such a spirit is even beyond our apprehension. Like the leaf-print in the solid sandstone, produced by the falling of a leaf upon the clay, which afterward indurates to rock, so the influence of an earnest, devoted, consistent life and exam- ple has made an impression on plastic minds and character never to be effaced. And now may I wish for us who are following his footsteps in this glorious calling and work, as best we may, according to the strength and opportunity given us, the same faithfulness and success. May the Lord graciously prolong his days, and increase the measure of his usefulness. May he, our beloved pastor, long hold up the standard of truth ; may he hold it up until his tongue shall lack the strength for its utterance ; may he hold up its pure, unsullied banner until his right arm shall fail ; may he hold it up in all its loveliness and beauty, until its white folds shall enfold him in a winding-sheet, and he be gathered unto his fathers.
The next speaker was the Rev. Albert G. Bale, of Melrose, Mass. His remarks follow :
REMARKS OF THE REV. ALBERT G. BALE. (From the Courier of June, 1870.)
Mr. Bale spoke of his reception of the invitation to be present on this occasion, and related how his great desire to be present induced him to overcome all obsta- cles. He graphically detailed the burning of his first church in Utica, a year and a half ago, and used the fact that the spire fell without injuring the cross at its apex as a symbol of the truth that, whatever may fail, the cross will triumph. He alluded to his sensations during a visit to Niagara Falls on the previous day, when memories long slipped away, came back with overpowering force. So, in the place where he stood, thoughts had come to him which it was beyond his power to recall. That place was very dear to him, for there his heart had first been led to God. He spoke of a sermon of Dr. Heacock's, that had first impressed
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him deeply, and of his subsequent tender care for the welfare of his soul, and wise direction of his thoughts to the ministry ; and attributed his entrance upon that work directly to his connection with Lafayette Street Church. He would like to enlarge upon the fact, that this pastor and this Church, conformed com- pletely to his ideal of what such should be. He had been amazed at the memorial service in the morning, to hear from what small beginnings this result had been attained. . But the work of the Church was only begun. This was their twenty-fifth anniversary, and it would repeat itself for glory or reproach. He exhorted the Church to labor in all Christian work. The great battle between Romanism and Protestantism was to be fought in this State and the West. If Lafayette Street Church would go on as it had begun, its part in the conflict would be ably performed.
The Rev. William Kincaid, of Rushville, N. Y., was then presented to the audi- ence, whom he thus addressed :
REMARKS BY REV. MR. KINCAID.
I have seemed to myself, dear friends, during the affecting and precious memo- rial services of this day, like unto one standing before a canvas upon which a dis- solving view is gradually, point after point, appearing. Now, at the close of the day, the picture stands complete and well defined before me. I see a strange boy, clad in country homespun, entering shyly the door of the Lafayette Street Church that was, dropping timidly into a seat, and drinking in, with swelling heart, the words of spirit and of life spoken by the pastor. I see him a few weeks after retiring from the evening service, refreshed and strengthened by what he has heard, but with a feeling of isolation and home-sickness in his heart, and saying to the friend with whom he happens to be, almost his only friend in the city, that "young people's meeting, of which notice was given to-night, I should like to attend it." I see a loving arm thrown around his neck from behind, and I hear a kindly voice saying, " Would you though ? Come with us, then, to-morrow night, and welcome !" I see him there, week after week, in the young people's meeting not only, but in the Bible Class and Mission Sabbath School, acquiring for the first time a taste for, and a taste of, labor for the Saviour, and afterwards in the pastor's study confess- ing his desire to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ unto others. Still later, I discern him pushing his way, by the help of God, through innumerable difficulties and discouragements, to the sacred desk, and at last proclaiming with a humble measure of success, it may be, but with a glorious measure of happiness, the Gos- pel to his fellow-men. When all this picture rises before me, I exclaim, "Can it be possible that that boy was I ?" And then my heart rises in gratitude, first to God, and then to our beloved pastor, for all the way in which I have been led to this present happiness.
Allusion has been made to-night to the influence exerted by our pastor on the young men who have gone forth from here. Well, there is a happy influence, I think, which his intensely earnest and positive character has exerted upon our outward characteristics and peculiarities ; I mean, and I shall be pardoned for alluding to it, upon our deportment, style of thought, manner of speech and so on. It has been said that you always may recognize a Lafayette Street man by half an hour's conversation with him. There is truth, I think, in that remark. I remem- ber a short time ago I was called to preach a sermon before an association of min-
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isters. When the services were over a clerical brother took me by the hand and said, "I thank you for that sermon ; it was good, there was so much Dr. Heacock in it." Well, I have never consciously imitated any man in these respects, much less so poor a preacher as Dr. Heacock has just represented himself to be ; never- theless, I have no doubt his stamp has, to a degree, been put upon me, and I rejoice in it ; I glory in belonging to the type of Lafayette Street men. I have read somewhere of a venerable Scotch Presbyterian divine, who had brought up in his congregation and prepared to preach the Gospel, a young man, to whom he sur- rendered his pulpit one Sabbath morning, while he, himself, sat below to criticise him and try his parts. After the service some one asked the aged minister how he liked the sermon. "It was excellent," said he, "but some confidential friend of that young man should tell him that he has a disagreeable shrug of his shoulders, which destroys the force of almost all he says." "Why, Doctor," exclaimed the questioner, " that shrug he has learned from you. I never knew you when you were without it." Now, I think my brethren in the ministry here, will agree with me, when I say that we have learned nothing in this way from our beloved pastor that we could wish to unlearn.
But of that, his higher and more precious influence, which shaped in so large a degree, our characters, purposes and lives, how can I befittingly speak? What principles of freedom and reform, of loyalty to God and loyalty to our country, of siding with the right as against the wrong, with the weak as against the powerful, with the oppressed as against the oppressor ; what ideas and purposes of a higher spiritual life, a nearer and more blessed work and fellowship with God have we derived from his teaching and example! Ah, those precious Sabbaths of '57 and '58 ! Never shall I see their like again, for never will any Sabbath so appeal to my boyish imagination. The solemn tones of the organ, the sweet notes of the singers, the tender voice of prayer, the touching appeal to the sinner ! How often have we sung at the close of the evening service the lines,
" How sweet a Sabbath thus to spend, In hope of one that ne'er shall end."
When I have felt them through and through, and have thought that such a Sabbath as this was my highest ideal of heaven.
But those scenes and associations have passed forever. It remains for us to do the work of to-day. And it seems to me that the conditions of success in that work are exactly expressed in the mottoes that are gracefully displayed at either end of this auditorium : " What hath God Wrought," and "Our Pastor-Faithful through All." The faithfulness of God and the faithfulness of man; the divine promise, "Lo, I am with you always," and the human vow to be " Steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord ;" Christ, the great Captain, at the head, and that glorious Apostolic succession that has been referred to to-night, the succession of faithful men able to teach others also.
The subjoined remarks were then made by the Rev. Albert H. Plumb, of Chelsea, Mass., who was the next speaker introduced :
REMARKS OF THE REV. ALBERT H. PLUMB.
We have come to you, my friends, at the call of this Church, and we all desire to thank the Church for bringing back so many of its former members to this dear and consecrated spot.
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It is in accordance with philosophical principles, and with the constitution God has given us, that we should be drawn by peculiar attachments to the place where memorable events have occurred, and that their influences of especial power should be felt. Poets range up and down history to find the place where mighty deeds have been wrought, and in person or in spirit, they visit that spot seeking inspiration for their song. But what place can be more hallowed, more rich in holy memories, more mighty in inspiring influences, than the place where the Lord Almighty comes down to work like himself, regenerating and sanctifying man? We recognize this endeared and familiar place, where we are gathered, as such a spot. Whether we think of that little room in the basement of the old church, where we used to meet for prayer, of the Sabbath School rooms, or of the well-remembered pews where the sword of the Spirit so often pierced us through, that which thrills our hearts to-day is the feeling that here God made bare his holy arm. Looking back over the long years, we bow before Him to-day, and exclaim, "What hath God Wrought " in giving us " Our Pastor-Faithful through All" !
Personally, I come to own my debt of gratitude to this Church and its pastor. Already feeling, when I came here, the baleful influence of the allurements of a large city upon my religious life, it was here that influence met a counteracting force. The cordial manner of the members of this Church, their zeal and love, and the faithful voice of our pastor recalled me, I trust, to a more spiritual life. And I verily believe it was the unconscious influence of the example I had before me that fanned into a flame my trembling desire to become a preacher myself; and the fact that I am a preacher, is to-day, as it has been amid the burdens and bless- ings of all these intervening years, my consolation and my joy.
Since our pastor has charged us to be sparing in our references to him, I will try to give you now my idea of a model ministry; to tell you what kind of a minister I like, without saying who is the man, or where the ministry has been fulfilled.
Certainly the grand characteristic of a true preacher should be spiritual life. He must be a devoted man, so much so that his single-mindedness, like the honesty of Lincoln, shall be beyond doubt. Assuredly it is a great advantage; I used to regard it such in dealing with caviling minds, to be able to point to one's pastor, and to have the mouth of the gainsayer stopped by the sight of a life unre- servedly given to the Kingdom of God. Such a man, and only such an one, can preach with fidelity and with good effect, the solemn messages of the Bible against sin.
Another desirable quality in a minister is energy. He has important offices to fulfill, and he should give himself to them with all his might, mind and strength. With an enthusiasm of earnestness let him lift up his voice for the truth. With a solemn appreciation of the dignity and value of his humblest offices, let him throw his whole soul into their performance, and he will be an efficient minister of the Word. Even the reading of the hymns in the service such a man conducts, will be of lasting benefit. It is seventeen years since I left the congregation of one such man, and I can remember to-day the very tones with which he used to render certain hymns. When his Church adopted congregational singing, though I regretted the change, since I think there are some valuable kinds of church music which no congregation can give, I remember saying, "that Church can better dis-
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