USA > New York > Erie County > Buffalo > Manual, catalogue and history of the Lafayette St. Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, N.Y. > Part 15
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Other countries than these, and of more renown in sacred and profane history, have passed under your observation. Nothing could afford you greater enjoyment, or inspire your mind with more enthusiasm, than a visit to those places where the events transpired of which you have studied and preached.
We can imagine the joy you experienced in standing on Mars Hill, where the Apostle to the Gentiles preached with so much fervency and power, and what thoughts possessed your mind as your eyes gazed upon the "Eternal City !"
How you hastened over into Egypt, a country made forever renowned by the mighty miracles and wonderful doings of Jehovah !
You were carried back almost to the creation by your visit to Damascus, "Pearl of the East," which has retained its name and beauty for more than four thousand years, and is probably the oldest city of the world.
But none of these places can compare in interest or awaken such thoughts in your mind as the sight of Jerusalem and the Holy Land-the birth-place of Chris- tianity and its Divine Author ! Here the Saviour of men taught that great doctrine of love to God and love to man, which has been the delight of your ministry and the special theme of 'your teaching. Here He suffered crucifixion and death, here He triumphed over the grave by His resurrection ; and from this hallowed place where your feet have stood He ascended from earth to heaven.
But it was not a selfish object which induced you to travel over these countries and enrich your mind alone by the visit. You will experience no less enjoyment in communicating the information to others which you have gathered, as opportunity may afford, than you have in obtaining it.
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During your absence your pulpit has been supplied, most ably and acceptably, by Mr. Nason, whose study it has been to develop and foster every interest dear to your heart and Church. He has proved himself a faithful minister of Jesus Christ in word and doctrine, and from the rich treasury of his learning has spoken to us of the "flowers of the field," of the uses and delights of music and sacred song in the sanctuary, of the Christian virtue of temperance ; has given wise counsel and judicious instruction to the children, the young men and maidens ; has endeared himself, by sympathy and Christian kindness, to the sick and the dying, and those who have been called to sorrow and mourning ; and, through the abundant good- ness and mercy of our Heavenly Father, has been permitted to gather into the fold of the Church a large number of the dear youth from our families-a harvest that has been garnered from the precious seed sown during your ministry.
The Trustees have attended to the " things temporal" of the Church and Society as well, perhaps, as could be expected. Paying due regard to that vigorous organ- ization, the "Cordon of Temperance," they have introduced " Niagara water" into the church building. The "Ladies' Association " have renovated the church and supplied new carpets, upholstery and furniture, and out of sympathy for the advanc- ing age and failing sight of many of us, have set above us these lights which shine down upon us to-night in such brightness and beauty.
" Things spiritual" have suffered no neglect from your absence, though its mem- bers are greatly diminished from various causes. Bristol, who for so many years has been your right-hand man and "strong staff," has joined himself to an " idol," and taken himself away.
During the comparatively short period of your absence changes have occurred in our city. Death has been busily at work and removed many of your friends and acquaintances. He who has been honored with the highest office which our country can bestow, your former associate as Trustee of the Grosvenor Library, who, at your departure from among us, walked our streets in perfect health and manly strength, has been suddenly and unexpectedly called away.
Two of our most distinguished jurists, who have honored the Bench by purity of life, uprightness and integrity of character, and eminent fitness by learning and judgment, are with us no more.
Our city mourns the loss of several of our most useful, generous and distinguished citizens, well known and honored by us all.
Coming down to your own Church and people, to whom has been measured out their full share of sorrow and affliction, we mourn the loss of Parker, who was quickened into a religious life through your instrumentality ; a capable and faithful officer of our Church, whose privilege it was to stand in the place I now occupy, and speak words of sincere and hearty welcome on your return from the Pacific coast some five years ago; Barker, beloved and honored by all who knew him for his warm heart and fervent piety ; Kibbe, in the dew and beauty of his youth ; Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Whitney, severing domestic ties which leave bleeding hearts, and many others which time fails me to mention here.
These all, whom you and all of us who knew them will ever remember with affectionate and tender interest, have been called during your absence from this life of sorrow and trial to the rewards of the just in heaven.
But, dear pastor, I am occupying the time of others who are here to express their joy for the opportunity afforded of meeting you again. All the members of your
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parish rejoice that you return to us with health restored, and earnestly desire again to hear your voice in the sanctuary and meet you at their homes.
The retirement of Dr. Lord from the ministry, since you left us, brings you to the front. The young and inexperienced minister of thirty years ago, who entered upon his work with fear and trembling, is to-day the VETERAN PREACHER of our denom- ination in this city. We pray that God will spare your precious life and permit you to labor in His vineyard, and encourage your heart as He has in days that are past, by the abundant bestowal of His grace and loving kindness, until, at a good old age and full of years, having passed through the discipline appointed for you in this life, He shall honor you in the life immortal by a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Mr. Childs having concluded his remarks, Rev. A. T. Chester, D. D., read, with fine expression, the following
POEM. BY MISS MARY A. RIPLEY. I. Ah ! fairly falls the morning light Upon the crowded foreign bay ; The wanderer, so long away, Sits wishing for the tardy night ;
For then the lazy sails shall fill, And all the bounding waves shall rise, And waft him toward those western skies Where loving hearts await him still.
And will they watch to see me come ? And will they greet me in my place? And shall I see in every face The love that is the welcome home ?
Forgot are Orient isles and seas, The buried towers of elder lands, The ancient toil of moldered hands, The growths of slow-paced centuries.
Forgot is all the wondrous art That glorifies Rome's marble dust; A younger city holds in trust That which shall glad the lonely heart.
For there are friendships tried and true, The warm hands waiting for his clasp, The good his own grand strength shall grasp, The love in which his manhood grew.
II. 4
Sweet Summer sits in maiden state, On grassy meadow, dancing wave ; Her soft touch clothes the lonely grave, And stirs the dreamy flowers that wait.
The trees put on their fresh attire, The hills invite the weary flock, The green moss creeps about the rock, And all things unto life aspire.
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O, roses cluster round his door, Whose swift feet haste from o'er the sea ; Seal up your fragrance till he be Within the home he loved before.
O, little birds that sing your song Among the happy garden bowers, Make vocal all these joyful hours; He comes, shall never do you wrong.
Whose goodness shelters bird, or flower, Or fallen man, or helpless child ; Whose gracious nature, unbeguiled, Sheds fragrance on each passing hour.
Who, with a generous, kindly hand, Shall scatter all his good abroad ; A chosen shepherd sent by God, Whose royal soul was nobly planned.
III.
The organ strains are wondrous sweet, And sweet the chime of silver bells ; The tide of gladness grows and swells, And breaks in music at his feet.
He stands once more within the aisle, He knows not if to laugh or weep; And from their slumber long and deep A thousand memories wake and smile.
He sees old faces near him now, And hears familiar words again ; But who shall know the sacred pain Whose longing sits upon his brow ?
For some are gone he loved to greet, Beneath the gentle summer rain ; They lie with quiet heart and brain, Whom his quick faith goes forth to meet.
But he will shut the grief away, And take the broken words we bring, And all the welcome that we fling Before him on this festal day.
Our grateful songs in praise ascend, No heart but keeps this happy time, No bells but ring the happy chime, O, welcome ! welcome ! Pastor, Friend !
Rev. John C. Lord next delivered the following address in behalf of the clergy.
REV. JOHN C. LORD'S ADDRESS.
My Dear Brother :
I suppose I have been selected to represent my brethren in the ministry because I am most largely acquainted with the past ; because I knew you from your childhood. You was born here, and I was here at an early day-about fifty years ago. I remember your boyhood. You were a roguish boy and diffi- cult to manage. [Laughter.] But it pleased God to bring you to the obedience
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of faith, and after that, my dear friend, I have known nothing of you but to admire. I remember your promising youth ; I remember you in the College and Sabbath School, and as a member of my congregation. I remember that your father was for many years a member of my congregation in its early history, so I welcome, first for niyself, second for our brethren ; and we welcome you back gladly, because we know your large and generous heart. We have had your aid in counsel and in friendship, and in circumstances of difficulty, and we have always found you a sure and fast friend ; not a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, but one inter- ested in his brethren and friends. So we cannot but welcome you back, because you have peculiar gifts which some of us want. You have a hold upon the commu- nity here-not your own Church in particular, but of the Presbyterian Church and all Churches, for you have a large and catholic heart. Now, it is most difficult for most clergymen to come in contact with those men who praise not God. They are a class of men difficult to meet ; they are a class of rough riders; but, my dear brother, you have a gift of riding with the roughest without losing your kindness. It is a rare gift, too. There are times when your presence is necessary for a fair representation of the Church. I say you have that gift, and all this congregation and community recognize it. You are now to represent the clergy on public occa- sions in many instances. No man can fill your place, so we cannot very well fill your place, and we rejoice in receiving you back again. And for another reason we rejoice to see you back again. We are a little doubtful of the influence of for- eign travel and foreign associations. I speak for myself particularly, but I think my brethren have made the same observation, that this great rush of Americans to the continent of Europe brings no new graces to anybody. I think on the whole it is demoralizing; the Sabbath is less regarded, and there is a laxity, espe- cially in Germany, which is apt to affect the finest men. Perhaps I am mistaken. I am very much prejudiced against this rush of American people from their own country, these grand savannahs, these everlasting mountains and perpetual hills, things that are not to be found there and have no comparison there. A friend of mine was going to London in a few weeks, and had to engage passage a month in advance. The vessels were all loaded, I suppose French ships, too, with the death's head on them. He had to leave his family associations days before he intended starting, because otherwise he could not go. And now, my dear brother, we do not think you were likely to be demoralized in Germany ; but we do not be- lieve you were ever improved there. We think our American modes and thoughts far superior to those of antiquated Churches. As Mr. Childs has said, your heart may have become touched by becoming familiar with sacred places, but I cannot think any man can be filled with greater faith and ardor. On the whole, I think that our Americans come back neither improved in manners, inorals, nor education. [Laughter.]
I can tell more about some cities in Europe that have been visited by our coun- trymen than they have brought back with them. So you see I am prejudiced, and I think our whole interests are against this feverish rush to Europe, with this vast expenditure of money. However, it is not likely that anyone will mind what I say, . but I like to bear my testimony, and I do protest against our countrymen spending the money of this country, and spending their time there, and taking their children there, for what is worse than useless. What do we care for the French and German
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systems of education, especially the French system of education. The French system of education is admirable-where young girls are shut up as though they were not to be trusted out of sight-out of anyone's siglit before they are married- are watched as the ancient duennas used to watch the Spanish maidens, but we do not suppose you have been hurt. I would be willing you should go to the Fiji Islands if you would come back with your health. We hope the cannibals would not be attracted by your nice person. But we want you to have your health, even if you go to the North Pole.
We rejoice that you are back from those influences in Germany which do not, to say the least, spiritualize the people. I am sorry to say, many do not come back aș pious and spiritual-minded, as earnest as they were. So then we receive you gladly, because we like to have you under the shelter of our wings here to see that you are kept straight. [Laughter.]
I must not take up too much of your time, my dear brother ; the whole commu- nity welcome you. You are a favorite in this community and always have been. You have natural eloquence which attracts the community. You can speak on political subjects, which it is not always safe for ministers to do, unless they have your gift. You can make a fine impression whenever you wish, for you have the natural gift of popular eloquence, as your father had before you. I often think of your father when I hear you speak. I do not know but that he exceeded you, and there were times when he appeared to be inspired. In a ten minutes address I don't know that I ever heard a man that could excel him.
You are now at the head of the Presbyterian ministry in point of age and time, and it seems strange to me that I can see my successor here. But, my dear friend and brother, I rejoice to see you. I always loved you and always admired you, though we have not always agreed on some theological matters; but we are both catholic enough to look over that. I hope God will give you a long life and fill your ministry with abundant blessings-with abundant fruits, that the multitudes may find this place the house of God, the gates of Paradise. May God add many years to your life, and give you, as seals of your ministry, crowns of rejoicing, that many may bless God that they sat under your ministry within these sacred walls. [Applause.]
Dr. Heacock then spoke substantially as follows :
DR. HEACOCK'S RESPONSE.
Mr. Chairman, Brethren and Dear Brother :
And my honored brother who has welcomed me so kindly-I will not say to my congregation-for I see faces looking up in this company which are not of those con- nected with any particular Church or sect, who are bound together by the ties of . that greater bond of Christian faith, and associated in different Churches in the advancement of one common kingdom. It is rather a congratulation to me that among the clergy appointed to welcome me to-night, should be the pastor and friend of those whose memory is dearer than all earthly memories. Some of the references which he has made to-night, has brought back before me faces and forms of dear and sainted ones, around which gather the tenderest love of my youth and the strongest affections of my manhood. We came upon the coast, dear brethren, on the morning of the Christian Sabbath. We could not hear the
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bells that were making vocal the towers of a thousand churches, but we knew that countless numbers of those who love that dear name by which we are called, were rendering praises in our Christian sanctuaries, and making the whole air tremulous with the thanksgivings of the Sabbath. If to all of that ship's com- pany it was a pleasure to see the land that they sought, how much more was it to me, as a Christian man and a Christian minister, to welcome it, baptized in the broad, blessed and cloudless sunlight of the Christian Sabbath. I think that I under- stand the value and the privilege of the Christian spirit of America. Expectation, we are told, excites in the human mind the largest enthusiasm of humanity, but what a field of triumph and of glory yet awaits it in this land of Sabbaths and sanctuaries, open Bibles and Christian inspiration !
Now, my dear friends, I agree very much with what my very excellent and hon- ored friend of the ministry has said about the influence of foreign travel. I hope that you will not realize any of those deplorable effects in me which he ha's indi- cated, but still there are some things to qualify that expression in the lands of Europe. There are elements of great cheer and encouragement to the Christian heart, there, in the reaction of this great Christian land and Christian republic, upon the millions of those lands, borne down, and hedged in, as they are, by the debris of old institutions that have come down to them, and which is not their fault, and for which they are not responsible.
We must admit the enormous and glorious work which the established Church of England-established though it be-has done. The fetters of State privilege are upon its limbs ; let us give credit to the great and good, the Christian, the noble, in every land-surrounded by difficulties, and hampered by obstacles-that do so hinder the advancement of Christianity. But I will not go into that. We shall have time to discuss these questions, dear friends, in the leisure of weeks and months that are to follow.
It was a singular felicity, and very agreeable to my feelings indeed, that you should have appointed my honored brother to welcome me in behalf of my con- gregation and Church, whose kind and generous forethought proposed to your consideration, the welcome plan for my leave of absence from among you, steadily supporting it with kind words and generous actions. He opened the way for the kind relief from twenty-five years of almost continuous labor here. He was the last to waive us off as the ship bore us from the docks of New York, and to welcome us by his goodly presence last Monday morning, when we did not suppose there would be anybody there to welcome us back again. So when we saw crowds gathering upon the dock and waving their handkerchiefs, we fell back to the rear. But very soon, like a tower of strength, the form of my brother appeared before us, and we found that we had friends welcoming us, and we crowded to the front to receive their congratulations. He has told you of the privilege which has been granted me of visiting the old lands of story and song. As was intimated in the beautiful hymn of welcome, I forget turret and tower, minaret and dome-all the lands of song and story-as I look to-night in the faces of the dear friends now before me.
You remember the Persian legend, when the Prince was taken prisoner and brought before the monarch and condemned to die and his wife to die with him ? He pleaded that his life might serve a double office, possibly by stand- ing in the place of his wife, and that he might give his life for himself and her
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The monarch in his absolute power granted the request and spared the lives of both. The Prince said, after they had retired from the presence of the King, "Did you notice the King, his manner, form, and appearance ?" Said the wife, "No, I only saw him who was willing to give his life for mine." So I say to-night, as I think of all these privileges of travel, sojourn and rest, recovery from sickness, opportunity for observation, the sight of ancient lands, and the many scenes of interest-all the outgrowth of your kindness and generosity. I say, my dear friends, I forget turret, dome and capitol; column and shaft sink into oblivion, as I look down into the generous faces of those whose hearts beat before me in steadfast love, and whose munificent kindness has given me this rest, this re- covery, this privilege of travel and observation, for I have received so much of such kind expression to-night, that I wish to return some of the same kind, and I will simply say for this dear Church and congregation, that their conduct in this has been munificent, munificent ! When I was in New York, hurrying away, my friends telegraphed to me : "Do not hurry ; stay as long as you like, and at our expense." My dear friends, it has been all at your expense, from beginning to end. It has been all the gift of your generous and all-abounding love. But I must not dwell upon this theme longer. I pass it then, may I not, to recognize with sincere gratitude the success of the youthful, energetic and accomplished minister who, during the interval of my absence, has done so much to build up and strengthen this congregation, which God has crowned with so many tokens of His success? Brethren, I heard far across the water of your appreciation of him, and I may say that knowing his gifts and graces, his qualities and character, I should prize your love less, if you had not loved him as you did. I am proud of every testimony of your affection for his most successful and accomplished ministry among you.
And now an allusion has been made to the shadows of change that have passed over this dear congregation. Dear friends, the theme is to me in one sense full of sorrow and anguish and agony. In another, it is full of joy. How near do we not stand to that congregation of dear ones-the sainted and glorified forms that have passed before us ! "Come, let us join," says Wesley, in one of his beautiful hymns, "come, let us join our friends above," and we do join them to-night. Our heart and faith and hope pass forward to the blessed and glad company, who have gone up from among us, to rejoice with the saints of God in an eternal worship in heaven.
"Part of the host have crossed the flood, A part are crossing now."
This change has come among you, and when I cross again your thresholds and see the vacant places in, your households, it will be with the deepest sorrow and tenderest sympathy ; but let us not feel as though they were separated from us, but that they are near to us and to be with us and of us forever-the dear, sacred, changeless, loving memories of our households and our hearts, forever !
And now, dear friends, I have never had any home but this. I have never had any people but this. And you are my all of life and labor and prayer. As I have seen you at the distance and thought of your scattered households, journeying onward toward the eternal city, I have asked myself how well and faithfully have I accom- plished the pledges of my ministry here? I can only say this, that, if God shall permit me to retain the affections of your hearts, I have determined more than ever
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to consecrate the highest energies of my being to Christ Jesus our Lord. And I can take the language of that ancient Scripture and say, "Your household shall be as my household ; your home as my home ; your hope as my hope, and your God as my God, henceforth and forever." Amen. [Applause.]
Speaking with the strong feeling which characterized Dr. Heacock's remarks, and with the familiarity which the occasion justified, he was difficult to report, and the most accurate reproduction of his response could convey no adequate idea of his eloquence, or the tearful emotion that had possession of his heart. . Many in the congregation were seen to brush away the tears, and the speaker himself was almost overwhelmed.
The rendering of " Home, Sweet Home," by Mrs. Charles A. Clark, was daintily done, and the chorus by the congregation was given with a will.
An eloquent prayer was then offered by Rev. J. G. K. McClure, acting pastor of the Church, after which was sung by the congregation the hymn, "Blest be the tie that binds."
Benediction by the Rev. Dr. Hotchkiss, and a voluntary on the organ by Miss Lucy I. Howe, organist of the Church, brought these memorable exercises of welcome to a close.
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