Connecticut western news., 1879-09-03
Remarks by the Rev. REr. R cid at the
 Funeral of George $. Gillette.

The words that came to me as specially ap- propriate for this service are: ''Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like His. Numbers, xiii, 10. These words have kept coming to me as I have walked the streets, and especially as 1 have sat by this bedside and noticed how peacefully our friend was passing away. It has been a privilege
 to visit this home of sickness and see what re- ligion can do for one who is drawing near to death.
 1.-The chamber where the good man meets his fate
 Is privileged beyond the common walk
 Of virtnous life, quite in the verge of Heaven"
 I have seldom known death so calm and peaceful. There were no terrors. The sick one seemed to see rather the gates opening to admit him to world of light and joy. It
 pained him to see tears shed and he did not
 wish any signs of excited feeling to be mani
 fested before him. He talked of his depart
 ure as calmly as if he were simply preparing
 to take journey. He thought of the partic-
 ulars and details and seemed to leave nothing forgotten. He would not have the bell to]led
 He would have tho funeral discourse short and free from laudation. He would have a
 plain stone mark the place of his burial He
 arranged all his matters of business as care- fully as the man of large interests commits
 his affairs to others when he is going away AOl o1 IiAlC A4C IllOuSu Ol HIS 1rlGnuS ana neighbors and asked that he might be allowed time to see them, and when they were called
 in, had a special loving word for each. As one of them remarked, it seemed, literally as If he were taking a journey, and you could send message to the friends whom he would soon meet on the other shore. At that bed. side heaven and earth seemed not widely dis tant. To me his death seemed the highest style of Christian dying. There were no rap- lures or ecstacles, no revelations or visions
 but sweet calm resting on Jesus bosom. Raptures and visions may sometimes be the effect of disease or medicine and the stranpe imaginings, remarkable sights and exultant language make us feel that our friend is far ther removed from us; but here was one who held our hand while he talked who spoke to us as Ii from the car platform and made us feel the realness of his going away. It was a faith and piety that seemed positive and at- tainable by others and that suggested the de- sire Let my last end be like His. I remem Der one whose departure was very similar. who seemed to waive his hand till he was out of sight; so our brother Gillette left us. The expressions of pious sentiment that he uttered were fervent and are full of comfort The words of tenderness to his wife and aged mother will never be forgotten. The ceme- tery was to him delightful spot, hallowed by the memory Of many precious forms that are sleeping there. To a friend She said When my sister Fanny died you said in the Sunday school that she had gone to be at rest" Is 1t not probable that in his efforts to beautify the cemetery year ago, matter in which he was most forward, he was thinking of it as place where he expected himself soon to rest. It is quite remarkable that his mind should have been so clear and hls faith so strong. Not fear seems to have troubled him, not cloud darkened his way.
 And yet when we consider his life, it is not surprising that such should have been his death It was life graded up to such a de- parture. One of his fayorite sayings in life to his wife was Mary, if man is going to die right, he must live right"
 MT. Gillette was born in the old home on this lot fifty-three years ago last December. He was but twenty-tWo years of age when his father died and he seemed to the other chil- dren then to take the vacant place and become the father and head of the family; and what is quite remarkable, though not member of the church, he kept up the family altar from that time forward. Through all these years mother and son have had their home together 1 and still the mother is spared to drink m her old age this new cup of bitterness. Our friend, with his sister Fanny, united on pro- 1 7ession of faith with the Congregational Church in this town, April 6, 1856. It was lnder the ministry of the Rev. Mir. Eddy. rhirty-fve other persons united with the l church at the same time on profession. It l vas the largest accession the church ever re- 1 ,eived at one time. Among the number vet | with Us are Mir. Humphrey, MT. and Mrs, !