The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-02-01
GheGntelIiQencer.
IN MEMORY OF REV. JOHN
MOFEAT.
4 Sermon Delivered Sabbatn
Evening, Jan. 3Oill, 1876, IN inc
SECOND Presbyterian Church'
Wheeling, W. va.
nv nEy. u, ". FISHER, D, D.


ny REy.D. ". FISHER, D. d.
,....,,,.,r them which have the rule over you,
Iar,, ,r,krn unto you the word Of God; whose
lii iollou, considering the end Of ihelr converse
tIon,-Hebyaig H. Z.
Tho phrase here translated, "them
which rule over you" literally means
vgur leaders, and from the explanatory
clause which Immediately fOllOws,-"who
have spoken unto you the word OF God,
ii ia plain that by these We are to un'
dcrstnnd our spiritual teachers ana
especially ministers Of the gospel, Ion
ycrsation," here az elsewhere in tue Eng
Iish Bible, signifies the whole manner t. o., Gt
life. "The end" Of it is the eXl! lrTm .. 'ns
world. The general duty enloineG upon
ma therefore, Is the dcvout remembrance
Of onr snir;tual instructors who are now
Lad 'ELo design Of is that We may be
IoJ n a HOLY lie. For this purpose we
s%onId recall to mind the substance mud
H. ,nanncr of their teaching, their per-
anUai walk with God, and their peaceful
Jonsrtnre from their tolls and sufterings.
Having these sacred recollections, follow
in the way which by preccpt and exam
plc they have marked out for You.
THE OBJECT OF THE SERVICE.
It is evidcnt from this exposition Of the
text that, il conducted in the proper
.nirit, the service for which We are now
me, il in the exact line OF our duty.
The main object which we should have
in view is not to honor the dead. There
is i. is true, a desire natural 10 us al, to
be remembered BY our fellows after our
departure from this lie. In many cases
il ha4 been so strong Us TO seek gratitica-
lion bv means which now serve only to
proclaim the folly Of those who adopted
them. 1t is said that the first act OF an
Egyptian monarch was TO prepare his III.
tuTc "etCrnal abode, pyramid which
was expected to proclaim the name and
the fame Of its builder and fnhabitant to
all coming generations. But their failure
thus 10 accomplish their purpose has
now become proverbial. Nevertheless the
desire TO be remembered after death is lie.
climate, il restrained within due bounds.
Il would be no evidence Of his superior
virtue il we could say Of your deceased
pa.,ort tina, he did not wish to be recollect-
ed BY those who knew him in life.
There is also disposition on The part
OF friends to cndeavor to honor the dead
BY various kinds OF memorials. For this
purpose tho Greeks and Romans Of classic
DAYS protractcd their funeral rites over
weeks. The relatives compounded what
were represented to DO their tears, with
costly balsams, and buried them with the
ashes Of their kindred. In all ages it has
been customary to build splendid tombs,
some OF which have been the wonder
OF the world. And the greatest orators
have used their talents TO celebrate the
deeds Of the departed. There are bounds
within which it is lawful for us to show
our respect for the dead. 1t would be no
credit to you il you did not wish Sd to
rccollcct your deceased pastor.
But it is not mainly in order to mCet
the wish which our departed brother had
to be rccolIected by his earthly acquain
tances, or to crafty our desire TO show
respect for him, that We are now assemb
led. We are here chiefly for our owr
profit. The words which he spake, The
life which he lived, and the death which
he died, we're such that the memory OI
them ought always to remain with us
and il il so continues, it ought to be
greatly to our advantage for time and
eternity. This is the best memorial. Bet
Ter it is that we should thus live By our
influence for good in the character o.
those who survive us, than that we should
be buried with pomp long drawn out, III
the most splendid mausOleum. Better
this, than to lie among the worlds hcrOe:
ina Westminster Abbey. Better this than
that Periclcs or n Demosthenes or Il
Bossuet should pronounce an enloglum
over us, by which our names would be in
scribcd in the temple Of fame.
NEED, there the praise Of the loye-wrlttCn record
The name aud the eRltAPh SMved 90 me stone
Thcthings We have lived for let them be OIlTstorT
We ourselves but remembered by what we haN.
done"
OBJECT OF THE SERMON.
In the nature Of the case it is not to bt
expected that shall be able to tell you
much which you do not already know
But after the photographer has received
upon the plate the impress oithe counte
nance, there is n process which is necesS
AIRY in order to bring out the picture viii
distinctness, and to render it permanent
1t is in the hope Of doing q work some
what similar that l now speak to you
Ny desire is il possible to render NOR
distinct and permanent the recollection
Of your departed pastor.
EARLY IlFE IN SCOTLAND.
Dulnfriesshirc is county which lies il
the south Of Scotland and borders upol
England. To persons who care for sucl
things it is region which is extremel!
interesting on account Of its antlQultle
dating from the times OF the Roman occu
patton. The scenery is varied and at
tractive. A part OF the county rests upo
the Solway Firth, an arm oil the Iris
sea, The northern part is mountainou'
several Of the peaks rising to the heigl'
OF between two and three thousand fee
Many of those little lOchs which rende
Scotland so picturesque are scat
over the region. And three smal
rivers which run from the nortl
border 10 the Solway Firth, divide tn
country into as many districts or dHle'
which arc called after these streams. ],
the extreme eastern border OF the coun
", in the dale Of the Eak, on the bank
Of that river, well up among the. noun
tains, seven miles above Laug holm, at
place called KnoCkmeans, on tn
first day Of January, 1916, John Moia
was born. It was at MotFat, n town ii
Dumiricsshire, that he spent consider
able part Of his time during his recen
visit 10 Scotland for his health. And 4
letter written home he says Of Knock
means, al ought to know something abou
it, for there my little river of life frs
began to flow, and 1t has continued TO ru
on and will continue until it cmptics int
the great sea OF eternity"
When he was quite young his mothe
died. and when he was only ten years OIL
By the the death OF his father he was lei
an entire orphan. Upon the dcccase g
his mother he was taken into tho tamll
Of his grandfather. At the age Of twelv
he began life for himself as shephcr
boy, All the early schooling which b
enjoyed was received before that time. l
the pursuit OF his occupation he travele
over various portions Of tho contiguou
regions Of Scotland and England. l hav
myself noticed that, in preaching, som
oil his happicst illustrations OF truth wer