The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-06-02
Funeral Address.

The foli0'ring are The remarks of Rer. J
w. CRLDER, upon The occasion of the
funeral serr"es 9f Mr.. E!yah T. Crock
cit and Mrs Rachael Wylie, on the 26h
"H'mo, published by request ef The friends
Of The parties.
Dear friends and brethren we are Assem-.
bIed together this evening to pay the last
tribute of respect and esteem to our d.ur
departed friends. and may the God of aIl
grace assist us that our mcditations NAV b..
in accordance with his teaching, and r. suit
in great good to us all.
il is ,hc dictate Of philosophy and religion
to cherish the memories which bind us 10
The past. TO turn occasionally from the
string scenes around us, to hold commun
ION with the persons and events Of that si.
lent world which follows on the march of
time, is aIik profitable and pleasant. For if
Jndlci"lly controlled il assists us in estima.
ting and aPprcriating that which is. while
II qualities us for that which is to come
The past is nm immense depository VIII, re
by gone ages have strowed their treasures.
Our fathers, onr mothers. our children and
friends are pas ing away, and we too are
following hard after them. Thither then
should we repair. to gather the gold of ex.
PerIence, and the gems of wisdom.
Lessons of rare value may be cleaned
hom the scroll of time. For i, is only af.
ter we have surveyed the ample page of
history, aud wandered along that great high
way which begins in Eden, and npon which
the worlds population have journeycd ior
more than six thousand years, and carfully
stuflcd the movements of their intellectual
and moral tTiumphs, that We learn the ca.
J pabiliIics of the human mind. And it is in
! like manner, from carefully contemplating
the trials and misfortunes of those who ha, q
gone before us, that we may gather fori'
tude TO arm ourselves for lifcs conflicts and
wisdom 10 derive lasting good from tn , ad.
versi'ies incident TO our earthly pilgrimage
But it is not so much upon distant ages
that we would fix our meditations, nor yct
to hold communion with distinguished O,
remote periods, but TO point you TO those
now cold in death, with whom we .nce took
sweet counsel, . and whose forms are still
enshrined in The sanctuary Of our soul. And
that it Is in accordance with the divine will
that we should sometimes be occupied in
such exercises, seems manifest from the ma.
tuIe of our mental and moral constitutions.
Our benevolent Creator has bestowed
upon ns mn organization which neither
binds ns to the present, nor makes us ex.
clusively dependent upon surrounding OBJ.
Jects for all our enjoy ments. lie has en-
dowed US with memories OF such retentiye
powers, that all The events painful or pleas.
ant, which make up the record Of our ex-
perience "re summoned mt our pleasure be
tore the wind. Upon that page is painted
with grea, accuracy all the scenes Of other
days Those rural scenes, amid which we
spent the morning or our existence, have
left such delightful impressions, that they
are contemplated with great satisfaction,
even to the close Of life. And to remem-
Der the companions who shared in the en-
joymenis Of those scenes and participated
10 the aIuuseusnls Of our.cbiIjhood, cloth.