The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-05-05
For THE CENrRA1 PREssYrER1AS.

Memorial of the late Lyttleton Waddell, Sr.,
Adopted by the Session Of Loah Willow
Church, at a meeting held on the 18th day
Of April, 1859.
We are called, in the providence of God,
to record the death of Lyttletons Waddell,
Sr., the oldest member of the session of
Loch Willow church. He died March 18th,
1869, in the 10th year of his age. He was
the youngest child of Rev. James Waddell,
D. D., so well known as "the blind preach
err" and the last survivor Of the family
AT the age of twenty. one he found Christ
precious to his soul, and united with the
Presbyterian church at Staunton, Va, in
which also he faithfully discharged the du-
ties of ruling elder for many years. Thus,
consecrating himself, in youth, to the service
of the Lord, he exempli6ed the ordinary ef-
feet of early piety, by steady growth in
personal holiness and usefulness. This fea-
ture of his character, however, was more
marked in his late years, when it pleased
God to realize to his experience the gracious
discipline, SO needful, in every case, to the
sanctifcation of believers, and so tenderly
expressed in the words of the Apostle
"Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. "
AS father, affectionate almost to feminine
tenderness, he was called to bury six of his
children in their youth. Added to this, was
the partial loss of sight, which finally grew
to almost total blindness. He was thus de-
prived of the privilege of reading, which had
been one of his chief sources of pleasure,
and his wife, who had hitherto been the
helper of his JOY and the sharer of his sor-
rows, now became doubly endeared to him
by supplying, in this respect, the lack of
vision. Thus was he dwelling and walking
with her in companionship, rendered closer
and sweeter by an affliction SO keenly felt
by him, but lghtened by her sympathy and
aid, when it pleased the Lord to take her to
himself. Though deeply stricken by this
heavy blow, instead of yielding to despon-
dency and doubling the goodness of God in
thus dealing with him, he found comfort in
the promise: "Thou wilt keep him in per-
feet peace, whose mind is stayed on thee"
From this time, especially, some of his
pious friends observed marked increase of
spirituality. Like Enoch, he walked with
God. He became eminent as a man of
prayer. Goodness, kindliness, simplicity,
and guilelessness were blended in his char
acter with high degree of frmness, and
these impaired to his manners dignity and
which commanded the respect and
won the confidence of every observer.
1t was at this stage of his pilgrimage
that, in the providence of God, his lot was
cast among us. When, in October, 1866,
Loch Willow church was organised by the
of Lexington, he was unani-
mously chosen as .one of its ruling elders.
We soon felt that he had been sent, by the
hand of the Lord, as blessing to our infant
church. He entered into all our plans with
the cheerfulness and alacrity of youth, and,
unless prevented by positive inability, was
never absent from single ordinance of
Gods house. The voice of his example, in
this respect, was in striking accord with the
words of the Psalmist, "a day in thy courts
is better than a thousand" Our social
prayer meetings owed much of their interest
and profit, especially while the church was
without pastor, to his peculiarly edifying
prayers. In reverence, humility, simplicity,
and JUNCTION, as well as in that important re-
quisite, brevity, they were models. They
breathed a filial confidence and sense of &C.
cess to the mercy seat which impressed an
listener with the idea that he was
wont to be much alone with God.
The death of this venerable servant of the
Lord was as peaceful as his life had been
marked by an implicit trust in the Saviour
On the day before his death, he remarked
to son at his side, "What a glorious
thought it is, that, in leaving our dear friends
on earth, we only go to rejoin others i'll
heaven" Among his last words, he said to
his pastor, "Christ is the only foundation of
my hope" In another hour, he fell asleep
in Jesus, and found the realization of his
hope.
In recording the death of our beloved
brother, we have nothing to mourn but his
absence from us. He is now present with
the Lord. May his example of faith inspire
US to follow him as he followed Christ, until
it be our privilege to rejoin him before the
throne of God and of the Lamb.
Blessedness of Trusting in God.
0, the blessedness of that man who has
heen enabled In realize the moot ont;ra con-