Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-25
Good Men HOnOred.

The Rev, Benjamin johnson was the del
egate from the Reformed Episcopal church
to the Southern Presbyterian church. He
prefaced his speech with the following
hearty expressions of regard for good men,
dead and living account myself happy
that have been charged with the saluta-
tions of my church to your venerable body.
Pleasant, indeed, are the personal memories
called up by this privileged occasion-mem-
ories running back through my life and
ministry, even to my earliest childhood.
Pardon me, that introduce myself and my
message, by recalling few of these precious
and fadeless associations. The first relig-
ious impression of my life stands connected
with that well-known Presbyterian evangel-
ist, whose great work for Christ filled the
ranks of our various churches with faithful
confessors and ministers of the gospel, the
Rev. Daniel Baker Hundreds Of sermons
have | since forgotten, but that sermon
stands out distinctly and wildly tonight as
the earliest memory of my childhood His
subject was the tremendous responsibility
of hearing Gods word since faith that
justified came by that hearing, and by that
hearing of faith the Spirit of life was re-
ceived The thunder tones of the great
preacher yet ring in my ear, as he reiterated
that solemn charge of Jesus, He that hath
ears to hear, let him hearp Years rolled
on. A careless, needless college boy, on
bright Sabbath afternoon, | strayed into the
gallery of the old Presbyterian church in
Columbia, S. G. A servant of God filled the
pulpit. His voice was music. His soul was
love. His theme was heaUen. Some one has
described heaven as that land whose glory
is the light of setting suns Such it seemed,
heart A divine warmth suifused my soul
As went forth from that house of God, it
seemed, indeed, as though the gate of
heaven had opened there aud closed The
preacher fingers still among us, "a venerable
pilgrim of faith, on the borders of that bet
ter land. would breathe the prayer for the
patriach of your assembly, DR.. Howe, that
his remaining days be indeed as the days of
heaven upon earth But the memory OF my
college life calls up another form and pres
ence, one whose name is household word
in all our Southern land He, too, was a
Presbyterian, loyal to your historic faith;
but also a scholar whose ambitious research
exhausted the learning of all schools;
60 A sage, on wisdom's throne supreme,
Who made the world his academe.
"James II. Thornwel The matchless
reasoner by the severe aud perfect light of
whose logic no sophistry could live for
moment; whose preaching exhibited the
gospel in its majesty; the splendor of whose
genius was equalled only by the radiant sim
plicity of his virtues, the childlike purity OF
his life Happy the church enriched by
the opulent heritage of such an intellect
Happy, in the gifts he held from heaven, for
the defence aud illustration of the gospel !
Happy, in his equal and eloquent biogra-
pher As we gaze upon the portraiture
which so faithfully enshrnes his character
and his fame, that noble sentiment of Taci
tus rises to mind with which he sums up
the virtuous renown of his beloved kinsman
Agricola, 'FOrmd mentiS eternd p But week
ago Christian lady OF Philadelphia asked
me, DO you know dear old DIR. Plumer? ?
answered, No. but quickly recalled my an.
swer. Yes know DIR. Plumer; | have
walked with him, how often through that
beautiful garden which the Lord God had
planted in the midst of the field of his word,
for the refreshment and joy of the church in
all ages-the book OF Psalms together how
often have We culled the bright pansieS of
spiritual thought which gem that rare and
wonderful garden together inhaled the fra
grant roses of promise which cluster there
in fadeless luxuriance. God preserve him
long, for these works of grace, aud increase
upon his patriarchal brow the light of the
Saviour's blessing"