Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-05-20

at Lexington was conspicuous sue
cess from first to last. Inspiring hi
pupils with some measure of his owl
enthusiasm, it was impossible for then
to escape the fascination which tn
brilliant lecturer threw around every
subject he touched. He made thei
class room eminertly attractive, ant
their studies delight. He was mor'
companion and trusted advisor. Hi
interest In them was not limited te
their mental improvement while under
his tuition, but extended to all thai
pertained to their highest moral an6
spiritual well-being. And this inter
est was amply rewarded, for he enjoy
ed their unbounded admiration an6
devoted love Every one OF then
mourns the loss not only OF an honored
and revered professor, but also of a be-
loved and sympathizing friend.
Intensely sad as this occasion is to
many who are ) ID. there is a mourn.
full satisfaction in paying this tribute
Of affection to the memory of our dis
tinguished friend-utterly inadequate
and unworthy though it be. 1t is a
solace to our bereaved and burdened
hearts to dwell for a little upon the
noble qualities which endeared him to
us, before we follow him to the silent
tomb and commit ''earth to earth,
ashes to ashes, dust to dust.''
But we have better ground of conso-
lation than even those which the hal
lowed memories of his character and
life afford. We follow him to the city
of the dead, sustained and comforted
by the blessed truth which Gods
Word so plainly teaches, that there is
Life and Hope beyond the narrow
house where we must leave him-a
life, upon the fullness of which he has
already entered, and hope, the frui-
tion of which he already enjoys. The
sweetest thought in reference to him
now is, not that he was man of COM
nlanding intellect and splendid elo-
quence, taking rank with the ablest of
our statesmen, and the pYofoundest Of
our jurists; but that he was man of
simple faith in God, and an humble
follower of Christ.
In his insatiate thirst for knowledge,
he had not neglected the knowledge of
"the only true God, and of Jesus
Christ whom He has sent" And these
studies resulted in his thoroug cOnvic-
tion that Christianity is from God. I
have never known man more entirely
satisfied thar he was with the suffici-
ency and conclusivness of the Chris
tian evidences. His confidence in them
was never disturbed in the least. He
was not without his youthful doubts
when he entered upon deliberate
investigation of the question upon
which our eternal destiny depends,
but after sitting and weighing the evil
dences, for and against, with the can
dor of an honest inquirer after the
truth, and with thoroughness which
allowed nothing to escape his scrutiny,
and with a capacity for the task which
few possess, he took his stand deter
minately upon "the irrefragable Rock
of Gods Word" And that stand be
maintained till death. With a firmness
which no argument, or sophistry, or
ridicule could shake. he believed the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testa-
ments to be a supernatural revelation
from Heaven, teaching what man is
to believe concerning God, and what
duty God requires of man." Nor was
his belief in Scripture mere inteliec-
tual assent to its truth based upon an
investigation of it's evidences; with his
whole soul he believed in 1.-The Christ
of God" the Redeemer of lost men,
aud he had a good hope through grace
that he personally had experienced
that saving change of heart which we
call the new birth.
He never thrust his religious views
upon another, though always ready to
give reason for the hope that was in
him. But in the close relations it was
my privilege to sustain to him, cover
ing period of nearly half century,
our conversation would drift, not un-
frequently, to the subject of personal
religion; when his abiding trust in
God, his savior and his hope of immor-
tality, would be distinctly and CRATE
fully avowed. Again and again he has
avowed to me his unquestioning faith
in the great leading doctrines of the
gospel-the absolute sovereignty of
God in the manner of salvation; the
fall and sinfullness of man; the divine
sonship OF Christ; the reality, necessi-
ty and efficacy of the Atonement; the
need of being born again by the Holy
spirit; and salvation through faith in
a crucifed Redeemer. His own per-
sonal hopes were always and distinctly
based on the promises of God through
the cross of Christ.
1t was not my privilege to be with
our beloved friend in his last illness,
when the world and the things of ths
world were fading away before him.
But we may be sure that Randolph
Tucker did not Idle as the fool dieth. -
When the silver cord was almost loos-
ed, and the golden bowl was ready to
break. his faith-i the mercy of God,
through Christ, remained unshaken
With the calm assurance of one whose
peace had bean made with God, he
looked off into the eternal world, upon
whose realities he was soon to enter,
and claimed an interest in its blessed
ness through the grace of his redeemer
He knew whom he believed, and that
He would keep that which he had
committed to Him against the day that