Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-10-05
MEMORIAL Tablet
UNVEILED


morning to do honor to the memory OF
former pastor, the Rev, Charles jew
ett Collins, who died in New York,
March 18th, 1906 Mr.. Collins was the
first pastor of the Grove Presbyterian
church and was in charge from 1866 tc
1865.
a feature of the services was the un-
yelling of memorial tablet presented
to the Grove church by the widow and
three daughters of the Rev. Charles
Jewett Collins, a full description of
which was given in these columns Sat
urday.
The sermon Sunday morning,
which was preached by the pastor,
Rev. w. @. Mccormack, ID. D., had
as its subject: "Other Men Labored. -
and was most eloquent and appropri-
ate discourse.
The text was from John ", 3Sth
verse "Other men labored ye Are en-
tered into their labors.
The Savior uttered these words to
his disciples when the result of his
own teachings to the woman at Syc-
hars we'll began to be seen. He wish
ed to stimulate the disciples to effort
to show them that they were only
joint workers in great harvesting,
that they were the nontinuers in the
work began by others. He did not
even claim as altogether his own the
evident results of his words to the wo.
man at the we'll, who became mis-
sionary. He knew that Others had
labored before he came in the flesh.
He with divine humility put himself
on level with the "others. "
The passage teaches US how to esti-
mate spiritual effort and our debt to
the past. Our Lord noticed all that
had been done for him and rightly
estimated it -"Others had labored. y
He did not say others had done lit
tie. but "they labored."
Privileges come to us all in such an
easy way that we are apt to forget at
what cost they have been obtained.
Continuing DR.. Mccormack said: If
we who worship in such a church as
this look back we shall see that behind
the noble men who have filled its pas
torates since its erection there were
many who worked with them-worked
by suggesting the organization-work
ed together in the nucleus of congre-
CATION and Sunday school. And many
more worked before them. by tongue
and pen, by purse and influence, by
suffering and loss. These men may lie
now in forgotten graves, but they once
labored and their work is not forgot
ten We honor them for what they
did. The debt that we owe to them
and to our divine Master we can never
repay. The minister who can be un-
moved at the thought of what he owes
to others is not worthy to fill the
office. All honor to those who have
labored and into whose labors we have
entered.
Christ shows us in what spirit any
new work is to be undertaken. Pros
pective influences rather than immedi'
ate are to be considered. Our Savior's
disciples were already longing fol
thrones and kingdoms, but He wanted
them to build ON rock and build fol
the eternities. He taught them not tt
act on the principles of small profits
and quick returns, as are followed il
too many of our churches today. Tc
make a sensation, a splurge may give
brief success but bring final failure
Success is often in proportion to the
struggle. Christianity never occupied
a more prominent position in the eye
of the world that it does today. The
church, too, is on its mettle. The
calm tries as much as the storm. To
day the church must take account o.
the tidal wave of democracy. The
church must get into line; it has tt
guide, for people now think for them
selves.
Christ not only wanted His disciples
to put their aims in the future, but he
wanted them to have an increased
sense of responsibility because Others
labored.
"This morning." the speaker con
tinued, 1--WE unveil tablet to TIN
memory of one who labored IN the
Lords vineyard in this place-th
Rev. Charles Jewett Collins. the frs
pastor of the Grove Presbyterian
} church. DR.. Collins ministry durin
the formative period of the church wa
! eminently successful. The period o
, his pastorate was nine years, durln
, which time the country was plunge
in civil war. The pastorate and tn
sermons preached by DR. Collins ar
still recalled by many of the member
of this church. He labored and W
: have entered into his labors.
During the sermon DR.. McCormac
very effectively applied the lesson
drawn from the text to show that til
first pastor of the Grove church ha
very closely lived up to Christ S idea
, The church records bear ample evit
: ence, he said, of steady growth and il
$ fuence during DIR. Collins pastorat'
Q Among it's members were found
: deepseated conviction and courage
!, Gus adherence to all that the churc
u stood for One might look in vain, Il
speaker said, for record of revival
for sensations and splurges with the
= quick profits and small returns, bl
the growth was steady and a fir
; foundation was laid. In DR.. Collin
:, pastorate men and women of Godl
a devoted lives came into the congreg
+ tion and stood as pillars in the churc
- during the years of its subsequel
y history. AS to DR.. Collins. himsel
i the polity of the church is as
q moulded it and his very life and cha
|. acter has left its impress.
At the close of the sermon the hym
"For all thy saints, who from the
labors rest'' was sung and the We