Morning journal and courier., 1882-01-16

ly, which his salary alone was inadequate to l meet He gave them full return. He loved his people, and trusted them. They trusted and honored him. They had reason to, for after all what pastorate it was His sermons, how simple in construction, how solid in thought, no seeking of display
 but great, strong, manly sermons, not with
 out exquisite passages of unstudied beauty.
 He takes the whole meaning at glance of
 Christian truth and conduct. He set things
 out in the dearest aspects and relations from
 his rich and wide experience. He had wide
 range of thought, sweeping the whole field of faith and practice in single sentence.
 His sermons found their center of inspira- tion in loyalty to Christ.
 His prayers were prayers of great beauty and felicity and were wonderful, and in this outpouring of his mind and heart he came
 closer to his people than in his sermons at their best. He had the instructive faculty to take up and bear the common wants and necessities of our nature and his prayers had often ut terances of sweetness and majesty and 1 beauty that fingered and blessed the listening congregation. There was never anything ] that jared or was inharmonious His hear l CTS rested and went along with him in his prayers, which were full of gracious, de- 1 vout supplications and thanksgiving. No 1 litany was more perfect or delightful than l his prayers. Dr. Walker further spoke of | the prayers of deceased in times of affiiction l ana DSfeaVemenC. lie nau Doen GauSuG Dy ] discipline and personal grief. Personally he | had shared in tribulation. The address now referred to the closing by Dr. Bacon of his career as pastor when G3 years ofage and at his own desire. His eye was not dim nor his natural | force abated, though he was the oldest pastor in Connecticut in effective service. He had done an amount of work as pastor unsur- passed by any. He said he was old enough to ask for relief. The society regarded his implied wishes, and September 19 1865 All years from his installation, he preached his sermon on the pastors retirement from his official work. But he had little of retire. ment. Many of the multiplied duties of the pastorate were filled by the same beloved man. The speaker now referred to Dr. Ba- cons acceptance of post at the theo- logical seminary and his continuance in it for sixteen years, bringing to it his wealth of usefulness and knowledge, and his influence. Wonderful was his work
 in that period which he termed his period of decadence and decay. It was said of Dr.
 Bacon's preaching in this period that it was younger and more alert in the days succeed ing his retirement than before. His contact with young blessed him. A body with such spirit can never grow old. His was the freshest, alertest mind in the Connecti-
 cut ministry to the last. Dr.. Bacons Gene
 sis of New England churches spoken of
 in this connection. Another aspect of the
 life of the old pastor was at his experiencing
 the trial of a successor. Dr. Walker paid @
 beautiful and tender tribute to his deceased
 friend in this aspect, revealing tender pas sage in their relations as shown by quota tlon from letter to him by Dr. Ba-
 con. Dr. Walker bore personal testimony to
 the magnanimous character of the departed,
 to the tender helpful spirit he ever displayed and solicitous' anxiety to benefit and bless.
 To his successor and his successors success sor he was constant guide and comfort.
 The above is a close following of the speak
 CTS lines of thought.
 Dr. Walkers remarks in closing were pe- culiarly beautiful Referring to the almost
 sixty years of service with the church, the
 speaker added: He has left you retrospect
 of service of long devotion, a retrospect of
 his great powers and of his wide generous devotion to saving souls and to the welfare of
 the Kingdom of Christ The retrospect of his ministry is built in the fabric of this old First church of New Haven, and is henceforth an inseparabIe, imperishable part of its career. In all the list of godly men
 who have filled the pastorate of this church and formed @ part of it's history, from the saintly Davenport, whom your pastor so rev. erenced and loved to eulogize, to him whose loss we today deplore, name shines with brighter lustre, or beams with so various or flashing @ ray as the name of Leonard Ba- con.
 Dr. Walker offered a fervent prayer, in which he commended the bereaved family to the great Father, and prayed for the church and it's interests and that suitable leader might be soon found to take the pastoral of fee.
 A part of the 1,2O3d hynn was sung and with the benediction pronounced the impres sive service was concluded. It was an oc- casion which will long. be remembered by the large audience present.
 Dr, Walker oficiated at the service, which lasted until half after 12, with much forti- tude, suffering severe pain from the injury of which he had spoken, having broken the night before one of the small bones of his leg, few inches above the ankle