The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-09-24

tarics Hunt, Window, LiDc0ln, Kirkwood,
and Postmaster. General James with their
ladies. The crowd kept standing until all
had arrived and taken their seats,
did likewise. The President occupied
seat at the head of the casket with Cen
Grant and Gen Hayes at the opposite SIDE
When all were seated, Rev. DR.. Power, pas
tor of the Christian Church, who conducted
the services, assembled the reading desk and
announced that the services would COM
mcncc with the singing of an anthem,
whcrcupon the choir sang with beautiful
effect tho hymn
"Aslecp I'm Jesus
Rev. Dr. Ranken then read selections
from the Scriptures appropriate to the oc-
casion, which was followed by fervent
invocation to the Almighty by Rev. Isaac
Errctt, of Cincinnati, editor of the Chris
tian Standard, the official organ of the
Christian Church. During this touching
prayer the
President Seemed Deeply Affected
and shielded his face with his hat to hide
his emotion. He aftcrward took down his
hat and covered his eyes with his hand. DR..
Errett said "Our beloved President is
dead. He was stricken down by the hand
of an assassin, but to quote from our late
beloved one,
God Reigns and the Government ut
Washington Sti1l Lives
We humbly pray that the President who
succeeds may be endowed with wisdom to
perform the responsible duties of President
Of this great country"
DIR. Errett's reference to the noble family
of the late President brought tears to many
eyes. He closed by asking the blessing of
God on the new President and his Cabinet.
Text Of Rev. DIR. Powers Discourse.
Mr.. Power said The cloud so long pend
ing over the nation has Mt last burst upon
our heads. We sit half-crushed amid the
ruin it has wrought. A million million
prayers and hopes and tears, as far as human
wisdom sees, were vain. Our loved one
has passed from us. But there is relief
We look away from the body. We forget,
for time, the things that are seen we re-
member, with joy, his faith in the Son of
God, whose gospel he sometimes himself
preached, and which he always truly loved.
And we see light and blue sky through the
cloud structure and beauty instead of
ruin; glory, honor, Immortality, spiritual
and death. We see the goodness of
God which crowds all His works,
and the Fathers love from which no might
no terror, no relentless force in nature, no
stangeness of lot or circumstance, no power
of evil in man, no unbending necessity of
any law, can ever separate us. Peace
throned above sorrow, and love the bright
infinite power over all. In the light of rev.
elation it matters little where man stands
in this life, or how feeble u platform of
worldly prosperity, in how deep slough of
despond, or how lofty a pinnacle, or how
lowly plain. They look upward and see
far beyond all clouds of doubt and sin, all
tile brightness and glory and fading gloom
of this earth, oil the sphere of mans
strength, and even all the scope of mans
comprehension beyond all human hopes,
and elevations, and imaginings, as we'll as
human burdens and trials sorrow and pain
and sec dwelling with God, as vast as He is,
rs eternal as He Is, as universal as He
is, Us benevolent rs He is, as sure and stead
fast Us He, are love, mercy, pardon,
redemption, the rich promises of God, the
power of the life to come, the great, loving,
sparing, plying, provident hand of the
Father stretched to all points of the needy
earth and showering blessing and peace.
1t is the hand of God. In 1t we confde.
Into it we commit onr beloved. Beneath it
we rejoice; as 1t beckons us We follow. We
are reminded to-day as we stand beside the
nations dead, that the King of Kings and
Lulu VI lLOIuo 10 oupECLuCb bhtU bhC
gave and the Lord taketh away, and his
name is blessed in both the giving and the
taking; that the Lord killeth and maketh
alive. He bringeth some to the grave and
bringeth up; that the Lord maketh poor
and maketh rich, bringeth low and
exalteth, and that though man goes
to his long home and the mourners go
about the streets and the body returns to
the earth as it was, still the spirit shall re-
turn to God, who gave it and the dead
that die in the Lord are blessed. Christian
faith dwells not upon the body, but looks
away to the spirit at rest with God. The
chief glory of this man, as we think of him
now, was his discipleship in the school Of
Christ. His attachments rs scholar and
statesman will be the theme of our orators
and historians, and they must be worthy
men to speak his praise worthily. But it
is as Christian that we love to think of
him now. Speaking of his attendance upon
the little church on Vermont avenue, he
said to me: f" I am not there as President of
the United States am there simply as q
disciple of Christi" and it is in this
attitude that he stands to-day before the
God whom he SO sincerely wOrshiped. He
was a wonderfully symmetrical man; rarely
have men seen so much physical beauty it
took deadly bullet to waste it, Seldom
have men known such vigor of intellect.
No task seem beyond him. Equally COM
plete was his spiritual life. He approached
the unrcvealed mysteries of God with
deepest reverence; the revealed duties Of
man he accepted without question. HUI
mility is Che base of every virtue and in
religion, as in the world, is the avenue to
all true. glory. There was gcnuineness
and simplicity about his religious life that
was exceedingly beautiful. When 10 years
ofage he made public confession of Christ
in schOol-hOuse. When at Williams he
would walk twelve miles to little
church of the Disciples to break
bread ON the Lords day When he entered
public life in this city he met weekly with
his brethren in the City Hall, and after
their occupancy ofthe little frame house of
worship his place was regularly filled. He
would singI with heartincss the songs of
praise, partake devoutly of the emblems of
the body and blood of Christ, and grasp
kindly the hands of his brethren as he
passed with his aged mother on his arm.
The church was ever restful home
to him. In his last illness, knowing of our
daily prayer for him, he was heard to say :
"The dear little church on Vermont ave-
nue. They have been carrying me as q
great burden. When i get up they
shall not regret it. =" And when God saw
fit to afilict him sorely in the death of his
little son, five years ago, he said to me
Come and hold brief service of
reading and prayer, and ask few of our