The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-10
OLD PREACHERS AND OLD TIMES.
"reminiscences Suggested by the Death Of
Rev. Thomas Lockhart.

Rev. Thomas Lockhart, who died few days
ago at Clayton. in this State, will be remembered
by few old residents as one of the pioneer
preachers of the/ Christian (then oftener called
disciple" or ''Campbellter) Church, contem-
poraneously with Rev. John O'Kane, James Nc
yey. l.. H. Jameson, James Challen, Walter Scott,
David S. Burnett, John B. New and others of more
or less extended acquaintance in the West Mr.
Lockhart's services and acquaintance were
mainly local in this county and Hendricks, where
he lived, and few others; but within the range
of his acquaintance no man was better esteemed
or better deserved it. Forty five years ago he
was well on to fifty years old, very
bald, rather rotund, with a fresh COM
plexion, cordial manner, and a sunny
temper-like other sunny things, not unlikely to
get hot sometimes-and an earnest manner in
the pulpit that made him. though but slightly
educated, one of the most efficient evangelists of
his denomination He was one Of the ''moder-
ators' in the debate between Rev. John OKane,
Disciple" and Rev. Mr. Haynes, Baptist, in
Bellevie. Hendricks county, in 1888 or 1880
His contemporaries and associates of the pulpit
of all denominations are all gone except Rev.
Love III. Jameson, and he is well over his three
score and ten.
Mr.. Lockhart was the oldest preacher of his
church that visited indianapolis at the remote,
not to say legendary period alluded to, except
years old on the ed day of M..rch,
and preached his last sermon that day.
Like Rev. John L. Jones, whose present
blindness and past history were referred to in
the journal sometime ago, Mr.. Lockhart
possessed a large share of native eloquence, due
to his strong convictions, his deep earnestness
and a natural gift of ready and apt expression
uho nd NJ .,,h Iox-
near fifty years ago, when ne preached occasion
ally in the old brick Baptist Church. on the
southwest corner of Maryland and Meridian
streets, will readily agree with the Journals in
moving eloquence than his sermon on the
text from Ezekiel: II will take the
stony heart out of their flesh, and will give
them a heart of flesh.n Some passages in it, as
aptly described by Wirtss account of
the Blind Preacher" in his British Spy" as
the effort actually in the authors contempla-
ton. Mr.. Lockhart sometimes was equally eff
fective. in the plain old pulpit of the old church
on Kentucky avenue, near whore the Cleveland
block stands abandoned the third of century
ago, and now turned into boarding house, or
tenement house, or some such use.
Another Hendricks county man, an associate
of Mr.. Lockhart, and about the same age, was
Thomas j. Matlock. If he wasn't preacher by
profession, he preached, or 'exhortedr some
times in the kentucky-avenue church, and pos
sessed the same sterling virtues and winning
qualities of his old friend. With these
more distinctively identified with the church in
the city, was frequently associated Rev. AIRY
Holingsworth and Rev. Samuel Frazier both of
Pike township Neither was a professional pull
piteer or evangelist, and would hardly have
recognized himself as Reverend but both
Eere excellent men, and by no means inefficient
preachers. Far more pretentious men have been
Intellectually less and done less than they In
their denomination they, and the others alluded
to. held much such position as John Strange
or Edwin Ray, or William G. Smith, held among
the Methodists in this State. or Peter Cart
wright or John Finley in other Western States
There are not many in the city now who remems
Der them. but they hold place in its religious
history, or should.