The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-07-26 00:00:00

THE REV. T. NEAVE ON THE DEATH OF DEAN

STANLEY.

The Rev. T. Reeve, in en impressive sermon at the I
Congregational Chapel on Sunday morning. made feeling
allusion to the loss sustained by WI climes of Christians ,
by the death of Dean Stanley. lie said'—We are all ,
deeply impressed with the lost which is surtsined when ,
Wrest and good lives we removed from us. While they
live we we do not seem to value them, or to think much
of the service which they have rendered, but when the
light of their life has gone out, we feel how much poorer
Is life without them; and how much darker become the
mysteries and problems of human life, which. usuhr the
light of their wile and searching intellect, were constantly
receiving some helpful explanation. if not complete solu-
tion. These thoughts are, from time to time, premed home
en one's attention, as God, in his iuscrutable wisdom, is
calling one after after another of the great and good men
of the nation away who have worthily lilted some of its
most conspicuous pieces, whether in the Church or State.
• good sad great man has just been removed from this
nation, who for many years has occupied a foremost plaice
amongst its religious and philanthropic teacher', and
whose life. as one of the most tender and beautiful of its
age, has been devoted to further amongst his countrymen,
of all creeds and distinctims, the spirit of a genuine
Ctuistianity, which is the spirit of charity and goodwill
one toward mother. in manifold ways, and amongst all
classes, has the life which has just terminated been
devoted to this true and Cbristlike aim, and such lives
In our various churches are not so numerous that we
can afford to be indifferent to the many lessons
which their presence and their low inydve. To
many in all sections of the Church of Christ (for
it was the peculiar distinction of D ao fl;anley. to l„„
the good men of all sections of the Church of Christ, end
to he loved in return 1, his somewhat sudden death will
awaken the langnege of Mlisha as he gazed on the depart-
ing prophet "My father, me father, the chariot of Israel
and the horsemen thereof." To-day In the sanctuaries
of our land, alike in cathedral and conventiate, many
eloquent voices will give tender expresdon to tie ceureh's
lees in the beentiful and Christlike life which has just
closed its career amongst us, and to the many and rare
gifts devoted by the &itemised to the cows of Christ. The
rev, gentleman then went on to speak of the blessing
which the presence of • good man confers on men:
the low which is suet deed by his removal ;
the provision which God makes to sum, y the
low Baying dwelt with considerable power on
thewe refeta, and on the importance of such lives as Dean
StanleYs in a nation's welfare, he went en to thy :—llow
much need there is for earnest beseschieg that God
weld bind the hearts of the people together more ;
that the barriers which divide na might be brok.m down
that good men might be better known and under.
stand each other; an& that the noble work done by Dean
stualey—the earnest reconciler of his air. beyond all
ether men, might find =ay succeerri, who will wino.
the charity and cadholideff cl our h ily religion, and
Mash us to love all whe love ocr Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity and truth. May 00,1 bogie, the whole Cu-ch
with the spirit of love and charity, and may the ilay
soon COMM which now seems t Us Very fir off, wh,c
God., psopie will be united together in bole toes sod
eervice, and when the purpose for which the noble end
oted servant of Christ, whose lies to-day all sec • lons of sihe
Christian Church enfelened'y mourn, so earnestly and
strenaooely laboure& com have In this England of ours
boa in all the earth its oemplete fruition, and Gel's will
be done on earth even as it is done in Heaven. The
preacher concluded by quoting the following graceful
tribute to the late Dean's worth, which aopoir in cne
of the leading Nonconformist organs, as ex oreesive of the
hub regard in which he was held by the Nonconformists
col tie/lend, ands. expressive of the irreparable loos which
the Church of Ch. Ist hoe sustained in his death There
has been no man in our generation who has tow-bed so
ewe so deeply the various classes of society, from
ihTelaMeet to the lowest, and none certainly has done so
meek to draw together by his personal influents men of
virtue who Witt' and naturally take up positions or
sato/rout= and wend the tocsin of strife. TM Dean—
mid it is si leant that when "the Dean" WU mentioned,
everybody knee what Dean was meant—Was eminently a
reconciler, lii an ate of fleece eontention, he, more than
boy man of our day, spent his time. thought, and energy,
ha revealing to men why they shoold be one with etch
other, end in showing how much Wronger are the concords
the.the discords of human rociety. tau object suns so
dear to his heart through his long and &Viva life as
minimising the influences which divide end oppose, and
magnifying those which eom'Ane and confederate men. it
is a noble and beautiful feature of character, and all too
AIM but in the D an of Weatininater !,t was aoaBPlaaaaa