Morning journal and courier., 1894-01-10

9RW { ermons. He confined himself to no set orms of thought or expression, and to DO subiscts, but drew from all Iources for their enrichment. He brought Icience and nature, poetry and art under ;ribute to their elucidation. He had e Rondsrful aptnsss of illustration and used ,kilfully his fund of anecdote with which ae would enliven his sermons and Iender them impressive, while some of his most cutting and sarcastic rebukes would be In an anecdote which would pro- duce smile while 1t became home thrust l at some delinquency in duty or some pub lic wrong.
 His preaching was on the great themes of Christ and His salvation, and he treated the old, old story as ever new, and pre- sented it in such attractive phases that 1t won your admiration and embrace.
 It was said of the lats Bishop Brooks that Chs never gushed in religion. He always respected the inborn nobility of men, and addressed himself to the sinner as if he were child of God" This, think, was true of Dr. Willard; but there was with him also, such a deep and underlying principle of loyalty to Christ and reverence for divine things and consecration to the work of saving souls that 1t might be said of him, as was said of Bishop Brooks. "No one could listen to him for five minutes without feeling that he had message from God and that he was trying to bring men near to the Christ whom he loved and whom he served"
 But whiie this was true of him he did not fail to discuss the great questions or the day. The older members of the con- areRation will remember his patriotic sup port of the government dur1ng .t tne !ete Oaptsin Willard, was killed on the field of battle. And on all the important questions which relate to the best interests of the country he took broad views and stood firmly for the right and did not hesitate to diecuss them before his people.
 AS PREACHER
 He was earnest, fearless and attractive. He did not fear or hesitate to attack with sharpness the faults of the times or to at tack the great moral svils which threaten society and prey upon the national life. He presented the great themes of the gos- pel in an impressive manner and did not fail to declare the whole council of God, but like Paul he reasoned of righteousness temperance and a judgment to come. Hs was an attractive preacher, and not only held his congregation, but men who were not in the habit of attending church when they came to reside in the place found themselves conceived to the sanctuary and naturally drawn into his congregation, and once in he held them there.
 Dr. Willard was an earnest preacher. It is told of the late Dr. Hiram Eddy that in giving the charge to newly installed pas tor he said to him: Don't preach with your lips alone, preach with your eyes, preach with your hands, preach with all that is in you" And 50 1t was with Dr. Willard, he more than realized the charge thus given, for when aroused aud under the full glow of his theme he would not only preach with his voice and hands and eyes, but unconscious ly he would bring his feat down with an emphasis and his whole body would seem to partake of the fores and fire with which he would sat home the truth.
 DR. wn.LAaD's pAsroRATK AND AS A PASTOR. If now we speak of Dr.. Willsrd's pastor ate and its results, and of him as pastor, we should say that the pastorate of Dr. Willard was peculiar in some respects and partook of the personality of the man. He had distaste for cant and sensation al preaching. He believed in the suprem- acy of the pastor, and that he was bishop of his flock and was it's overseer and guide, and that from his inner view and knowl- edge of the various influences operating in \ society and of the habits and tempera ments of those who were under his watch and care, he knew better than any one else what mode of operations and what meanf would best promote the spiritual welfare of his church, and for this re ason, while he was liberal towards all the modern or ganizations of Christian activity wherever they were adopted he did not adopt then himself.
 He held that the church stood for then all, and if rightly trained it should in it
 own life, in It's own individual and col
 leetive activities, realize them all. Hi
 ideal way, which he believed was tn
 Scriptural way, of promoting the spiritua
 prosperity of the church and extending tn
 Kingdom of Christ was by an inward pro
 cess of growth in faith and consecration o
 the members of the csuroh, and not by ex
 ternal influences. It should be growtI
 from the activities of Gods people, bor1 in the closet, and not from mere temporsr appeal to the emotional nature.
 This explains his devotion to this churc
 and his prayerful and self sacrificing effort to promote its growth within itself. To thi
 end he aimed ts give his best efforts an the best energies of his life, and b
 sought to secure in his own people tru ; conservation of their best energies to tn spiritual prosperity and fruitfulness o
 his church, and this also explains his con fning himself so closely to his own church ) Not . few were the solicitations to him t take prominent part in the meetings c general interest to the churches and tn public meetings connected with the denom
 ination, but such solicitations were usuall
 declined, and meetings of this class
 rarely attended, and for the reason in par
 that he felt that his homo work, the worl
 in the heart of his parish and in the heart
 of his parishioners stos first as hfs duty
 and doubt not his love.
 The history of this church shows thu
 wisdom of his course. Its growth has bee phenomenal in form, as well as in number ! and strength. It has been a growth fron within, and is the result of the united ef fort of pastor and people. It has com not from outside pressure but from it's in ternal spiritual life, and he could say ss h |; looked upon tho steady acquisition o members, as did Paul to the Corinthians
 'Ye are our epistle written in our hearts
 known and read of all men, they are tn | 1fu1C or the pR6tOx anu tn0 cnuIcn III Iuel
 steady and consistent Christian living an,
 Christian activities, and this explains wh,
 his young people and the church an
 parish loved him 50, and why he had sucl
 firm hold upon them and they upon him
 that they seemed bound together as witl hooks of steel.
 But tho growth of the church under hi
 culture has been phenomenal as to number
 and strength. At the beginning of his pas
 torate it was weak. Up to the time of hi
 settlement 1t had received aid from tn
 Home Missionary society. Under his in spiration 1t at once came to self support and has grown in strength ant influence to the present time. had . small membership, but i now takes rank among tho strong churches of the denomination. This has not beer secured by large additions at one time ant then period of spiritual drought, but i
 has been by . steady growth from year te year; rarely has year passed without nu merous additions to its membership.
 AsAPAsToR.
 Dr. Willard was a loving and sympa thising pastor. He came into your homel bringing sunshine and hope when lovinl hearts were joined in one. He had 6 cheer full word for you in your sorrows. He was comfort to you in your hours of bereavs
 ment. He was faithful in his pastoral wis its. The demands of the age for the bes | oy,n oov, o; 3u ho 1~r1v,lk f,oo fn,