The record-union., 1892-02-15
STAL WART CHRISTIANITY.
PauPs Words to Timothy Given
Special Application.
Interesting Memorial Sermon by Rev.
g. p. TindalI on the Death of the
Late William Ingram, Sr.


Ilndall, preached a memorial sermon on
the death of William Ingram, Sr., taking
for his text: For know whom 1 have
believed, and am persuaded He is able
to keep that which l have committed unto
Him against that day." q Tim. l., 12.)
/ These are the words of Paul. while pris-
Onef AT Rome on account OF the gospel. to
Timothy, whom he had been instrumental in
converting to the Christian faith. He gives to
| his young friend and Christian brother, whom
! also ne is pleased TO call his spiritual son, a
reason why he had exposed himself to danger
Gus and deadly persecution. He was endur-
ing imprisonment, and expected soon to suffer
aeath, Tor preaching the gospel of Christ. And
he says: ~ know whom l have believed :" in
whom have trusted and in whom am now
trusting. He had committed his immortal
soul to Jesus Christ his Savior, aud ne
| knew he was both able and willing to save
him. He said God had given unto him and
ms associates mot the spirit of fear. but of
love ana OF power and of q sound mind" He
had GOOD and abundant reason for the part he
was acting, for the course he was taking for
what he was doing as servant and an apostle
OF the Lord Jesus Christ. He could face death
II necessary without fear.
Our aged friend aud Christian brother,
whose life we this hour commemorate was OF
just this stamp of mind and spirit. He could
say, and often did say, II know whom have
trusted" In his last illness, when his eldest
son son said TO hlm, Father. you will soon be all
| right" he replied, '.Yes / VII soon be all
| right; L know ii, and you know it," In this
he meant to say, at is well with my soul"
@ WilIlam ingram, Sr., was born in Aberdeen,
ScotIand He had the advantage OF living
| among people reputed TO be among the most
| highly enlightened by Christian civilization
IN no no part OF the earth to-day do so many
| people, according TO population attend
church as in Scotland In that favored land
our holy religion has borne its ripest and fair
! est 1rult Three hundred years before William
| !ngram ST., was born, John Knox was born
i In that rugged country. He became the man
! VINO, 1t may be Said gave back to Scotland
Inc true, simple Christianity. OF him the
| English historian Froude writes: 'He was
| perhaps, in that extraordinary age its most
extraordinary man, and whose character be-
| came the mold in which the later fortunes of
MS country were cast-the one man without
! Whom scotland, as the modern world has
known 1t, would have had no existence. His
| was the voice which taught the peasant of the
| Lothians that he was q free man the equal in
| the sight OF God with the proudest ueer or
prelate that had trampled on his forefathers
| ne IL was who raised the poor commons of
ms country into stern and rugged people
| whom neither king, noble, nor priest could
Iorce AGAIN TO submit to tyranny"
ana think can say that there scarcely
| llVed more ardent admirer of this foremost
man of Scotland than the plain man whose
! Christian life to-day speaks to u.s. He had the
same faith with Knox; he fully believed
| the same Bible doctrines; he enjoyed reading
the same holy scriptures; and he evidently
had the same courage of his convictions He
was worthy descendant of the stalwart men
who sat under the teachings of ministers who
| preached with carbines leyeled at their heads
In respect to what he thought was right he
| was simply immovable. If as the trustee of
church he thought it was not right 10 mort
gage the church to raise money for repairs
his name would never be on that mortgage. If
! ne was losing money by fulfilling a contract to
| build a house, that house would be built 10
the driving OF the last nail. In him we could
! see the stuff reformers and covenanters and
martyrs were made of
In the merciful providence of God he had q
very clear conversion. Hetoo his Bible to his
place OF retirement. Alone with God he read
and rejected, and prayed till Christ was re-
vealed TO him as his Savior. He
saw the truth, he felt its power. he
tasted its sweetness and never doubted.
He lived in the midst of strong
! CHRISTIAN people and he loved the religion OF
! his fathers. He became a constant student of
! the Bible. He never lost interest in its sacred
word. He ever had in hand the best edition
/ OF the Holy Scriptures and when he breathed
! his last there lay on his table his Bible which
| shows for itself how thoroughly it had been
thumbed and read. The wear on the book
! tells US how often he had read and reread the
! psalms and the gospel by John. This was the
| food which daily nOurished his believing soul.
ne ne llVed on the bread OF God that came down
! rom heaven, and he increased in spiritual
| strength even to the last day of his life In
| the Bible class he showed 81 mind active in
| formed by reading up on all current religions
news, and heart full to overfiowing with ap.
| probation of our holy religion. In him we
| could see the style of culture and training OF
| its sturdy strength, its manly vigor of doc
trine. he knew the catechisms, shorter and
| longer and the Westminster Confession. From
| q youth he had been taught them and he hod
! learned them thoroughly, because he loved
the truth, and took delight in committing to
memory the clear statements and definitions,
Very early in life he became active and use
ful i'll the church. He was fond of music, and
! he was always on time, never behind. Hence
/ he was inducted into the Office of Precentor
! The minister like him, for the singing never
! Jagged when he led the congregation He left
! his native land at the age of 23 when ali
! Scotland was resounding with the fame and
elOquence of Chalmers, whom he specially adj
mlred as the ablest preacher of his day He
| came to New York and was soon appreciated
! as a master workman at the carpenters trade
| III the foreman had erred in his drawings he
corrected them when he made what was
! needed. Removing TO New Orleans he was 81
| good Judge OF orthodox preaching. AS soon
as ne heard the young DR.. Scott he was
1 pleased and for fifteen years enjoyed his min
! istry. He came. a ''forty-niner," to California
| He worked with other like-minded men to
| draw DIR. Scott to San Francisco. He ever en-
! joyed his instructive ministry. When the
doctor started little paper, the Occsdent he
took 1t and kept taking it till his life ended
with his last subscription.
In the course OF years removing to this CITY
he at once sought a Presbyterian congregation
and was active in what has been called q
reorganization of the church in this city and
became trustee. IN the discharge Of the
duties of this Office he showed high degree of
manly conscientiousness. When this church
was organized he threw his whole soul into
the enterprise, became q deacon in It, and
nearly every part of this building, if it could
/
What he put together never easily came
asunder. His manner was often blunt. and
his style of governing and training may seem
unduly rigid, but we must remember The
times in which he lived and the sturdy neo
pie among whom he was trained and we
must not forget that he was successful And
to-day his sons are not complaining of his
strictness, but are full of appreciation, and
are saying his precepts were enforced by ex-
ample His life illustrated what he taught
and we had to believe. In fact he was very
IL DeOple and n6xyt1
| do for them what would benefit and also
please them. He was a successful Sunday
school teacher till hearing in q measurs failed
| him. We will all miss his handfwork on
festival occasions. Seldom has there been a
general entertainment when his assistance
has not been gladly accepted, and as if pre-
pairing for and anticipating his departure
when last he put away the staging in his
shop he said to his eldest son: II wish to tell
you where / have put it and how l have
marked it, for may not be here"
In his domestic life, and the training of his
family, he was efficiently aided by his most
worthy companion. Few children have had
the love and the prayers OF as devoted q
Christian mother US the children of this fam
lily. The parents were the united head of the
family, thoroughly sustaining each other.
they We're not unequa!ly yoked together
They were in perfect accord religiously. and
hence they had the pleasure, having trained
up their children in the nurture and admoni-
tIon of the Lord of seeing every one OF them
not departing theretronl. And what is there
in human life SO beautiful and so comforting
and joyous, as 10 see sons and daughters hon
oring their parents in The Lord. How blessed
to be able to say in the day of final account
Here, Lord, am land the children thou hast
given me-"
Mr.. Ingram always had abundant enjoy
ment of his religion. It ever afforded him the
richest and most sacred pleasure. 1t never
failed to relieve the burden of life. Christian
song was his delight. Perhaps the last hour
OF this sort of soul comfort before his sudden
illness was in reading and medtating on a
paraphase OF the forty-first chapter of Isaiah
"Why pour'st forth, thine anxious plaint, de-