The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-29

unity, unity which holds together all
aspects of life and questions. just be-
cause he trusted in the reality of Gods
presence in history. and to the absolute
ness Of the Divine Love everywhere, he
did not and could not compromise be-
tween contending truths and statements.
One of his strongest and most character
istic sayings was, II cannot degrade
God" And | may add in the name Of
the religion he professed, that he could
not degrade man, but must needs reach
| down to his most ignominious sorrow,
| and give his splendid mind and his
matchless moral strength to mans ele-
walton.
And l may say, even at the risk OF
abruptness, that the root Of this good
mans Joy was in the assurance that the
battle of the moral life will be winning
! ore. Failure, perhaps, is among the
! last words concerning man, but it is not
the last. This is what this sturdy,
| Christian optimist said to struggling.
| suffering men and women. Could there
be better message for the needy world?
Did ever man give to it clearer or
more unembarrassed utterance. From
the day which sealed his ordination
vows, down to his last address to poor
men Of despised race, the very evening
before he fell asleep, one strain of hope
| pervaded all he saba constant sense
of the ultimate community of God and
man within the realm of goodness. This
wide faith moved in all his action. i'm
polling to sacrifice, directing his benefi-
cence, and shaping all plans. Every
deed of his, whether as pastor, educator,
reformer, trustee or president OF
college, was but the expression, the
forth. putting of an instructed Christian
soul.
Prayer-Rev. Dr. Eaton.
Rev. DIR. G. III. Eaton, of New York,
then addressed the Throne of Grace in
the following words:
o. Thou Almighty All Loving God,
who art ever the same. though men may
come and go, to whom can we turn in
the hour of sorrow and loss, but unto
Thee? Thou didst give us life. Thou
hast surrounded us by all that makes
life desirable; and in the hour of death
Thou art very near unto US ALL Human
words are vain and human strength is
but weakness; wilt not Thou but speak
unto US from the mists and shadows
that surround us, and extend Thy faith
erly hand, that we may feel it's immortal
clasp.
We thank Thee. O God, for the life of
| this strong and noble hearted man whom
Thou hast taken unto Thyself, We
bless Thee for all the ruggedness of bis
character, and all the sweetness of his
sympathy. We thank Thee that in
brain and in heart he was 80 wisely and
Sd completely furnished that wherever
he touched our lives he added signif
canoe and gave inspiration to them. We
bless Thee for the strong and tender
hand that has been placed upon our
head and upon our shoulders and for
the greatness of the Judgment and the
beauty of the ideal that he has given
us. We thank Thee that across the
greatness and the wealth of his life fell
The sunshine of tender and PERSONAL
love, and that our eyes have been opened,
our ears unstopped and our lives bap-
tized in the waters of eternal truth. be-
cause we have passed beneath his gaze
and touched his human heart. We
thank Thee, o God, for his broad view
of life, for his pure and patriotic citizen
ship, for the lofty standard of civic duty
which he reared, and for the example so
completely embodying these ideals, for
that inner and holy motive that shone
in his face and quickened his feet and
nodded and transformed his life until
he became not only benediction but q
constant inspiration.
We praise Thee for every stalwart
word he has uttered against wrong, for
every pure ideal that came into his life,
and so was impaired to the lives OF
others until ideal became actual. We
thank Thee for the Christian man, the
minister of the eternal truth of Thy law
and Thy love, the awakener from the
death of sleep and sin, the enlarger of
the conviction of humanity the opener
of the gates of the immortal city. We
praise Thee that during all these years
he gave himself with absolute allegiance
and with a strength of thought and with
depth of love beyond compare to the
work of building up Thy kingdom among
men.
We praise Thee. o God, as we stand
with reverent feet upon the threshold of
his home, for all that he has been in
this city and in the purity Of love in
that home. Thou didst make him, Our
Father. what he was. Thou didst crown
his manhood. Thou didst absolve him.
Thou didst purify and consecrate him
unto the work of building up Thy own
character in the hearts and in the lives
of men. Thou didst make him the
tender and generous husband. Thou
didst give him love which he showed to
one who was as child unto him, and in