Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-01-19

Il
had here SO eoQuenty proclaimed, he closed
his earthly career and assembled to his heavenly
home. You received from his trembling lips,
his last counsels and his farewell words; and
you felt the loss OF a great man IN Israel when
he Was gone. He died as the Christian ouy
dies. tul OF the hope of Immortality and eter-
nal life His impressive person, his large lu
miaous piercing eyes, his beautiful enumeration.
his soaring Imagination, his commanding ora
tory, his encEa,ned auditories, and the charm
and power of the gospel as he preached it, all
that pertained to his christian character, MIL
isterial lite, and his lamented early DEATHS
still fresh IN your memory, and needs no re-
vlvlng. Ills remains sleep in your Cemetery,
and his redeemed spirit dwells with the saint
ed fathers, in the eternal glory of their God
and his
We have only time to pronounce the naucs
of Rev. Thomas Dunn and Rev. W. W. Ball.
and Rev. William Z. Pool, your first pastor,
and that that sweet spirited and excellent
Christian minister Thomas NJ. Wilson. And
we turn with sorrow from the memory of poor,
unfortunate, but seraphicaly eloquent VIM.
| IL. Barnes, whose sun went down beneath il
dark, very dark cloud.
| During your existence Of 43 years, you have
had in the pastoral relation 70 ministers, of
whom ten are deceased; the rest with one ex-
ception are still faithful laborers, under the hon
ored banner of mutual rights bequeathed to US
| by the beloved fathers in the former days.
The memory OF the Pastors, suggests the
| Revivals of the former days, with which they
were connected. y, how many have been the
seasons of spiritual refreshing, which have
! taken place in this house How frequently
thoy were marked by deep religious feeling, all
pervading sOlemnlty, and glorious power.
| What awakenings OF conscience, what reveal
lions OF guilt, what melting Of hearts. what
breaking down of stubborn Wills what coapses
Of rebellion against God What rejoicings of
the newly converted What praise, and what
thanksgiving of triumphing saints, character
lied these extraordinary occasions! When We
think OF them we are constrained to say, Yer
rily God hath been in this place. The lost
| hath He found, and the dead hath He raised
unto life, by scores, and by hundreds.
The most notable Revival took place under
the ministry OF Rev. Levi H. Reese. 1t oc-
Cured on this wise a good brother by the
name of james Thomas was on his way to the
Monday night prayer meeting, doubtless en-
gagged in piOus meditation, when he was sud-
denly and strangely blessed For time he
was unconscious of all things save the happy
state of his soul. And when he recovered his
self.recollection he found himself shouting and
praising God, in the middle Of the street. He
looked around to see if any one was observing
him, fearing he might be suspected OF insanity;
and then mastering his feelings, and alternate
| ly wondering and praisiug, he went on TO the
prayer-meeting Another brother, who still
lives, aud related to me this incident, on APP
preaching the door, was struck with the cx-
ceediug sweetness OF the singing. There see,n-
ed charm in it he had never felt before
| And as he walked down that aisle. 1t appeared
| to him like entering 4 heavenly place. The
PRAYER meeting was one OF extraordinary spirit
ualily All felt and acknowledged the presence
| of the spirit OF God IN an extraordinary mail
ner Aud as the meeting was drawing to a
close, Brother Reese stepped out OF the altar
and said to one after another, " hat think you
| shall We not announce service tor tomorrow
| night? All were Of the same mind. The ser
vice was announced; aud so from night tonight
Soon it was mauciest that the church was III
the midst Of an extraordinary dlspcnSatlon OF
the spirit People througed the church The
| cry for mercy, at times, was heard all over the
house, And about one hundred and fifty souls
were converted. Thus commenced, perhaps
the greatest revival that ever occurred in your
city. But you have enjoyed many gracious
seasons Of Revival, only less notable than tins,
| but we have not time to revive the memory OF
| them.
With the abors Of such ministers as have
| filled this pulpit, from time to time; with the
sanction of heaven in so many gracious out
| pourings of the spirit; and with such excellent
christian men and women as have constituted
YOUR membership from generation to genera
ton, the question naturally arises: ny have
YOU not been a much stronger church? The
correct answer will appear upon an eSamlna-
ton of your church Register: The secret lies
in your losses by removals, without the advan-
tages of immigration, which older and more
generally established branches of the Church,
| have enjoyed. No other answer, as compared
with this one, is worthy of mention Between
eight and nine hundred persons have been al.
mitted into the church since its organization III
1929 If, therefore, your gains by Immigration
had euualed your losses by removals IN the Or
binary course Of events you would number to-
day between four and five hundred. Why;
the children of God, born into the kingdom at
this altar are scattered all over this country,
and several have crossed the great waters.
| Would you estimate the good this church has
done YOU must olow it from its beginning
here to all parts whittier it has gone, and then
aggregate the golden fragments. But for this
finite intelligence is wholly Inadequate. What,
my brethren, if the veil were withdrawn and
you were permitted to behold tine shining COM
| DaDY mat nave SOUe lIOu pie1oo w WY W
festial world What if, looking upon them,
you could count their number, call their names,
and read in their radiant forms-their crowns
of life-their palns of victory-thcir cverlast;;
ing songs of joy, the sum Of glory when ne had
it's beginning, and christian growth IN the MIN
istrations of this sanctuary Of God What es-
innate then would you put upon the Christian
work of the former days? You have wrought
and found gold-but would not this outweigh
all the gold of the earth by an infinite dlfer-
ence? -,
la conclusion Call to remembrance the
former days: you had your dscouragementss
then, as now, but there always came time OF
deliverauce. There was never cloud, but
that lost its darkness, broke into fragments,
melted away, and let the radiant sunshine pour
down upon you again. There was always an
eye that watched, and hand that succored
you. And now the former days come crowd
ing up, each with voice, toned with all the
earnestness Of truth, TO say to us-Stand ye
| 6r,n in humble trllst and take heart, and DC