Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-04-03
was in thy heart .,tha. peace that pagssth

understanding"
A fifth element in his character was cheer
fulness It may be said of him, as Robert
Hall said of Dr. Ryland, ssIt never entered
into his thoughts that religion was an enemy
to the innocent pleasuresJ and social endear-
ments of human life.h And if any man ever
made the Joy of the Lord his strength 1t was
certainly our departed friend. He did not
fight his doubts for he had none to fight. In
his, Christ's sky, the sun was never darken-
ed; and the moon and stars did not cease to
give their light Butts We say in our
earth languaRe-''he is dead and gone"
There il a desire, or a curiosity may L call
it, on the part of some to know what were
| the last words of our departed friend. For
one, I assign but little Importance to these
sayings. Our good deacon who died on Sun
| day, that day of all the week which he loved
the best, in his closing life chapter had talked
| of early days, of friends who had been in
! heaven longer than some of US have been on
earth of the church and religious meetings,
| and other things that pertalned to the king
| dom of God And he seemed to realize that
| he was reaping his own harvest. And he
was. He had been kind to his children, had
done what he could to scatter joy and glad
| ness in their pathway. And they, in turn,
had cared for him. Natures law had killed
| the letter only to make alive the spirit. The
| parent had become child, and the child had
become as one possessing q mothers care.
| Tenderly did she watch over him, Rnd ten
derby did she minister to his wants. And
| never in this life, nor in the life to come,
will child, or grandchild, or great -grandchlld,
| or any that breathe with human breath, walk
under shadow of his casting; for the path
in which he journeyed was one lane of light
| made SO by the Christ life that was in his
heart. But, as remarked, he is dead and
gone. We shall see his face NO more. But
his memory shall be fragrant; and among
| those who wrought nobly for this church of
| Christ in their day and generation. his name
| will hold high and honored place. For
| more than half a century he bore the Office of
deacon of this church, having been appointed
| by the council in 1892 and chosen by the
| church in 1887. At his death he was our
senior deacon by double right.
But the good man has gone to heaven,
gone to be with Christ. And happy, o how
happy; joyous, o how joyous, 1 seem to
| see him among his old friends and neighbors
Sweetly he smiles as they greet him, now
| one, and then another. Presently they
ask him to sing, and uniting their voices
with his, it's the song of the redeemed No
| such song is heard on earth. All the har-
4 monies in all the universe could not equal
| it. And he has gone to stay. Hence, we
need not look for any return. Heaven is
evermore to be his home And surely these
children are not left comfortless.
good name is better than precious
ointment and rather to be chosen than great
| riches. There was no blot or blur on the
name of Isaac Dickerman.' 1t was fair as
| the moon, clear as the sun, and held in high
| esteem by all. And his death was so natu-
raj. Simply the close of the Indian summer
that ends the year" And now in their heaven
| ly home you have father, mother and sister.
And before you stands the open door, and
| the welcome of Christ to come in.
| Afew more hopes few more fears,
And you reach the everlasting years.
Forever and forever with those just sousand true
And what is life that Should moan.
Why make we such ado,
| For all is well, though faith and form
Be sundered in the night Of fear,
| Well roars the storm to those that hear
deeper voice across the storM."
It's the voice of him who says:
Let rot your haArt be troubled " believe in God,
| believe also in
ain my Fathers house many znAnHiors:if it were
\ not So would have told you go to prepare =
.And if Igo prepare place for you'll will come
again, and receive you unto aysSlf; that whore
| there ye may be Also"
| Should it be asked by future generations,
\ who were the children of our departed
friends. this may be the answer: Willis
Dickerman, born February %, 1916; Mary
| Sarah B. Dickerman, born December so,
| 1922; Isaac S. Dickerman, bora February 8,
| 1926; Lucy A. Dickerman, born February 25,
| 1928; Martha J. Dickerman, born January 6,
| 1880. OF these all are living except Lucy A.
Dickerman, who died in the spring of 1855,
! aged 27 years.
! "And the glory OF children are their
fsthsrs.'' And if it DO true that "he that
once is good, is ever great" then this father
of yours will be ever great.
| ''Howeer it be, it seems to me,
| IT'S only nob.e to be good
| And simple faith than Norman blood"
And as already intimated, what a sweet and
| simple faith was his, and how calm and rest
full was his soul That each day to him was a
step heavenward he no more doubted than he
did that the sun was shining in O clear sky
at noon. He trained up his children in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, and he
seemed a kind of Christ magast to all who
lived beneath his roof-tree. And if in
death these shall leave a lane OF
light behind them as bright as the one in
| which he walked, their memory shall bG
blessed. The good, man is persisted out OF
the earth. But 'blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith
the spirit, that they may rest from thsiI
labors, and their works do follow thSna. ,
And when these children are all dead and
gone, this church of Christ will still live AND
it will never forget to speak the praises OF
their honorSd father. l do not wish hin
back, but wish there were more 10 possess
his spirit; more, in times of pressing need, tc
| endure hardness as COED soldiers of Jesus
Christ. If his mantle has fallen upon you
''be thankful for he worked with Goo
with Christ in God" And in his death hi
children and friends felt the truth of those
well known words:
| f'The chamber where the good man meets his fats
Is privileged beyond the common reach Of Virtuout
life, quite on ths verge of heaven"
All, yes, Gods angel had come down to
take him home.
| You heard no noise, not even the rustlipa
| of wings, but you knew the messenger had
| come and gone, and with 1t redeemed soul
had passed in through the gate into the city.
And is it too much to fancy-may it not be
reality-that he greets and is greeted by the
many friends who had gone on before him.
there with his youth renewed like the eagles;
| There, in all the vigor of his glorified man
| hood; there, on the banks of the beautiful
river he tastes the joy ineffable and the
pleasures which are forever more. He had
loved his home here on the earth, but that
building of God," house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens, will he not
| love that better? He will And We too have
houses there. They are not Fastening to de-
cay, they endure forever, and they will be all
furnished at our coming. Would it be stran ge
if our dear friend departed should be to Us a
special neighbor and acquaintance there as
| he has bsen here? Would it be strange should
he live in a house not far away from
mine or Jesus? And would it be
strange should We know more of one
| another there than we ever have known or
| ever could nave Known here on the earth?
But our business just now is ito endure As
seeing him who is invisible To war the
good warfare, to fight the good fight of faith.
to quit ourselves like men, to be thoroughly
in earnest, to heed the words of him who
said, Whatsoever thy hand fipdeth to do
do it with thy might, for there is no work,
nor desire, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the
grace whittier thou goest." And when he
feels like saying.
'tAh Christ, that 1t were possible
For short hour to see,
The souls We loved. that they might tell
What and where they be-"
Then may this thought calm and quiet any
such craving: Had God so wilIed it, so it
would have been" But he has neither
opened the gates, 'snor left them ajar' And
tits enough for us to know that I've shall be
satisfied when we awake with his likeness !"