Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1885-07-03
Tribute to Hon. Richard II. Merrick

At the funeral of Hon. Richard 7. Mer
rick, which took place from his late resi-
dence in Washington on Thursday of last
week, the following beautiful trl butte was
was paid to the deceased 10y Rev. Father
Murphy, S. j., who ot1ciated at the obse
quies:
Though funeral professions meet us daily on
the highways. and thorough experience has
borne home to us the fact that disease can shat
ter the powers OF the strongest Vet 1t seems ever
a new scene when We stand beside the bier of IL
strong man fallen. And, my dear brethren, il is
IA new scene, inaSmuch as it flashes before our
minds an old truth i'll new light. 1t powerfully
and pointedly bids us remember that the worn
way of death must be trodden once bv all, and
that beyond the boundaries of time each one
must pass into the broad eXpanse of eternity.
More than this, it reminds us that earth and time
are the field and the season of eternity, in which
We are to SOW what must he gathered and gar
nered i'll the hereafter They will pass: eternity
remains. How we labor and what we SOW God =
ali-Seeing eye watches ever. OF our earne>tn"SS,
or our success, or our failure, our fellow men can
be at best but puny, guessing witnesses and ille-
ral jurors. They but sean the surface Of life :;
Gods eye perceS to its core, and He alone Is
ing to you of the hnOtiucS of your departed friend
and brother, or OF the spirit which prompted his
deeds >corn To indulge unauthorized forecast
OF the sentence To be passed upOn his life in the
Great supreme Court wherein the one Judge ol
iilt living Sis IN majesty OF JUS
tee beyond the power of deception, and in a
broad bounty of mercy beyond all human meas
urement We faSten our thoughts rather, upon
what We saw and honored in the man whose
timely passing We deplore. He stood before u>
: man of high mental endowlnents, of restless
activity, of vigorous eloquence, of gracious man
nerS To our view, his logic and his energy and
his magnetic speech We're ever faithfully AT d
fearleSSly AT service on the side of right. tie was
man of honor that was icy in its perfection; no
warmth of caiolery, no heat of rleadship could
thaw il. He was loyal in his love, stainless in
his integrity; n husband with the fresh devoted
ness of "a bridegroom, "a father whe Showered his
proNldent love upon all of his many children, a.
ii each We're the first and the only one He was
an honored member of a noble profession. aud
way which led to honorable fame. He was a
patriotic citizen, always ready To take mans
part in the duties OF the hour. More than once
| saw his eyes gSten with enthusiasm and heard
his Voice tremble with emotion when he spoke
OF the struggles and the gories of the ancient
faith he clung 10. What faults he NAV have had
commngied with these conspicuous virtues God
Will Judge with justice-but infinite mercy will
temper the sentence in its uttcring.
-" u Law his body in the earth to-day, and We
pray God To grant eternal rest tO his >oul. The
taperS we burn >ymboiZe the faith which lit his
pathway of life. The water sprinkle has
been blessed in the name of Jesus Christ, and II
implies that the caskef of q Christian soul j.
incense we burn mounts ever upward To signify
that the prayer of Christian sorrow aud love
scars to God, asking Him to grant eternal rest
and peace 10 the departed. In this PRAYER you
join with the earneStneSs which sympathy i'm
parts