Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-07-27

while her affection chung with undylng to-
nacity to her only orphan boy, yet ner last
hour was more like scene OF triumph
than of death. There were heavenly vlsl-
tants around her bed; she sald that IN =
few minutes she would be in heaven. And
with the sweet melody of " Rock of ages
cleft for me" rolling from her bloodless
/ lips, she peacefully fell asleep In Jesus.
| She leaves behind her an orphan boy,
without father or mother. Will not the
member of his mothers Church give him
such sympathy and attention as an orphan
sadly needs2 Brethren, l commend hIm
| to your Christian confidence and regard.
The second of this glorifed num-
| Der was Jonathan Mills. He died in
| his 9th year. He made a profession of
| religion and Joined the Church In his 18th
| year. His religion was of spiritual char.
| acter, and was the chief source of his en-
joyment. His faith was strong and his
love ardent. He was an honest, sincere
man, and, in his hum BILE way, served God
to the utmost of his ability. His illness
was also protracted and brought forth
many of the peaceable traits of righteous
ness. His death was one of great triumph.
Just before his exit he said: The time of
my departure is at hand, my way is c ear
the blood of Jesus cleanses from all SIM"
Having spent forty-seven years in the SER
vice of God, his end was great peace.
tie Julia McClung She died at the age of
one year and few months. She came
into the world on the very day that this
house was set apart to the worship OF Al
mighty God. She was also the first infant
dedicated to God in this sanctuary by the
act of holy baptism. She brought reve-
nue. of sunshine and gladness to the home
of her birth. Beautiful and tender, she
Inspired great promise, and was the idol of
her home and large circle of relatives
and friends. In the mysterious provi-
dence of God, who is too wise to err, and
too good to do wrong, she has been torn in
her innocence from the bosom of fond
parents, and transported to her home be-
yond the river, before the influences of this
uncertain existence had cast the slightest
shadow over her immaculate life While
we worship in this sanctuary below, she
worships with the angels above-a fl
place ana fit company for such an emblem
of purity. May the sweet perfume of her
innocent life linger in perpetual breezes
around the home from which she has been
so prematureiy taken.
But the fourth and last of this noble
band that have SO recently gone to their
final reward was one whose memory will
be revered, whose character will be cher
ished, and whose life will be regarded as
the soul of honor and integrity by genera
lions yet unborn, He died in the GID year
of his age, full of usefulness and honors.
His child GOD and youth were without
blemish. a id to this the genuine graces
and charms of experimental religion,
which his young life en- bodied at the early
age of IL years and you have the secret
foundation of that transparent and symet-
rical character, the wholesome and perma-
nent influence of which has been SO sue
| cessfuIly stamped upon the age and gener-
alton in which he lived. He was indeed
and in truth an lSraelite in whom there
| was no guile. his whole life, though
ICheckered by ath lotion, has been one of
uninterrupted usefulness and activity.
| Having to contend with The infrmities of
| frail, delicate constitution, performing
| some of his most arduous duties when suf
I fering severe physical indisposition, he has
| accomplished more in the field of ad-
vanced thought and scientific inquiry, as
also inthe work of instructing and elevat-
ing the young men of our land, than per-
shaps any other man would have done under
similar circ instances. How his generous
heart yearned over the young men of our
country. In fancy | can see him to day.
after having gone through the txhausting
duties of the week. standing in his accus-
toned pew, in front of his Sabbath School
class, with the Greek Testament in
his ematIated hand, expOunding
the words of eternal life to his boys.
Dung men were never blessed
with wiser counselor, frmer
friend, and more self-sacrifciDg instructor.
And, young men before me to-day l know
of no model character of human kind
| that can more unreservedly commend to
your emulation than the character of Prof.
4. l.. Kirk patrick. In the social circle,
in private life, in the chair of science, in
the pulpit, in ichness, in health, in every
relation to his family and to society at
large, his whole life is marked by the same
uniformity of answering devotion to the
principles of duty as set forth in the G ospel
of Christ. He was my ideal of the Chris
tian religion formulated into practical life
Pure in thought chaste in words, beautiful
in act, patient in suffering, and sublime in
death, he challenges your profoundest rev
erence and admiration. But in viewing
his life and character, rs | am endeavoring
to present them to you this morning,
do not think for moment that he was SUI
perhuman, or that nature had lavished her
gifts more munlfcently upon him than
upon the generality of mankind, for he
was nothing but man, having all of the
temptations and infrmities to contend with
so common to the generations of ca tn.
By subordinating his life and actions to the
will of God as revealed in Christ, he over
| came his infrmities, improved his faculties
| and perfected and adorned his moral char
| acter. ln this consists his highest praise.
man can do by mortity ing the deeds of the
! flesh, and following the commandments of
| God. And what he has done through the
| assistance of the Holy Spirit, so can every
| young man do by submitting his life to the
same processes of seltdenlal ard subdu-
cation to the divine will.
Had he been so disposed, he could have
misapplied his life and capacities just like
many of the young men and older ones
who hear me day are doing by their in
temperance prodigality and convivial liv-
| ing. But, instead of this, how glorious and
| sublime has been his existence. He has
| made himself blessing and benefactor
| to his race. Unborn generations will rise
up and call him blessed. Where is the
young man so lost to every virtue of the
true, the beautiful and the good that does
not admire and covet such a life and chars
acter? He cherished no higher ambition
while living than have young men follow
him as he followed Christ. And, now that
he has gone to his final reward, leaving his
works to follow him, may he still be sa-
vor of life unto life to all who were blessed
| with his acquaintance and association.
| With sadness that can find no competebt
words for expression, we have committed
ms mortal remains to the ground, ''earth
to earth, ashes TO ashes. dust to dust" but
we praise God for the life, the character
and the memory of such a man
In: view of the character and religious
experience of such members of the church
as these whom death has removed from US,
it is not astonishing that ere is sorrow in
their families and in this congregation.
| But we mourn not as those who have nc
! hope. They spent their lives in the service
of the Naster, they have died like valient
soldiers of the cross. As stood by their