The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-12-12

this oheque to his unlimited admiration
The Charleston divine preached on the SUI
ceeding Sabbath in the Prayer Hall of tn
College to crowded audience, composed
Nassau Hall and Seminary students, Profes
sors and ladies. We distinctly remember ri
text, "He that believeth on the Son hat
everlasting life, and he that belisveth no
the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath
God abideth on him." 1t was powerful
and eloquent appeal. And yet We were no
transported to Botany Bay, because we nev
er approved of an indiscriminate admiration
of sermons, or efforts in the forum, or speech
es in Parliament or Congress. We heard
him on subsequent occasion, when ne tooh
part in the celebration of the Lords Supper
Very properly he made no attempt at elo-
quence, but spoke with subdued tender
ness. He charged US to walk consistently
with the profession We had just made, for we
were going from that church into land of
enemies to the gospel of that Redeemer
whose decease at Jerusalem we had remem-
bered. Christians are often concerned about
their feelings at the Sacramentsl service, but
if they would make it simple and exclusive
act of the memory, their feelings would all
be right.
In the year 1913, Keith, of Charleston,
died, and not long after the Georgetown
pastor received letter from DIR. Finn
Containing no secrets it was handed over to
the writer. It expressed wish to obtain
some materials for the funeral sermon which
he expected to preach in honor of the de-
ceased. The text which he intended to use
was stated, I" Help Lord, for the godly man
cesseth, and the faithful fail from among the
children of men," 1t was answered by the
person to whom it was addressed. He men,
toned, no doubt, that the deceased was grad.
usted at Princeton in 1775, in the same
class with the Rev. Samuel Doak, President
of Washington College, Tenn, and Charles
Lee, who became Attorney-General of the
United States, that he took charge of the
Presbyterian church in Alexandria, joined
the Presbytery of Baltimore, was called to
Charleston about 1870, and was succeeded
by DR.. Muir from the Summer isles. saw
DR.. Keith in my Juvenile days. He had
been to the North, not on a rail car, but in
his private carriage. He breakfasted at
Msmre, and the pastors talked over their
former intimacy. But the South Carolinisn
was in hurry, for he wanted to see his AL
sxsndria people.
DR.. Finn, when well prepared, was among
our most popular preachers. l heard him
cnce in Baltimore, when l supposed that he
had been somewhat remiss in his prepara-
ton. But he was travelling at the time, and
this fact might have been the cause of the
apparent failure. But the best of preachers
occasionally fail. Longinus was not always
sublime, and Burke more than once spoke to
3 scanty audience. DR.. Finn was in tenn
permanent suited to the people among whom
he exercised the ministerial Office. They
were ardent, and he impulsive and mercu-
rial they were gentle, and he was Suff-
GENTLY courteous. Some of them were de-
scended from the Huguenots, and he would
have been one of that class, had his lot been
cast in France. They were attached to their
own palm tree State, and he certainly would
have gone with them in all their resolves.