Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-19

stances showing the warm friendships
DR.. Ecob had won while a student.
There have been few half centuries
that have constituted sucn transit n
period in Christian thinking and in
depreciation as this half century since
the class Of ~ left the halls of An
dover Seminary. Fifty years ago it
was quite generally held and taught
that the Bible was verbally inspired,
i. G. that every word was dictated by
the Divine Spirit. We were not exact
ly taught that at Andoycr. We were
taught That the books of the Bible
We're written by men who We're i'll
spired, that is. who were under the
control OF the Divine Spirit. a human
element in the Bible, even in the small
est measure, was scarcely recognized"
The sO-caIIod Higher Criticism was
not brought into the class room in our
student days Or. Icob was one of
/ he first to make the transition from
the old To the new point of view. He
was never the slave of cold logic. He
arrived at the truth by intuition, which
| SAVED him from bald liberalism in the
Interpretation Of scripture. The Chris
! tan religion was 10 him a life and not
4 system of co0rdinatcd truths"
a Christian, i'll his estimation, We $
not one who held certain beliefs, who
subscribed to q certain creed, but ono
rather who maintained u certain atti-
tude towards Cod and luau-one who
lived certain Kind of life. He was
not Interested in winning mon to he
come Cungrcgationalists or l'rcsbyte-
rians or UnitaIians. When laboring
successfully in these three denomina-
tons his aim was stcadfastly the
sam2--the winning of people to live
the Christian life"
- have no question that the hap
picst years of Dr. Ecoo's Ministerial
lie were those which, first and last,
he passed IN labor with this church.
When this church was seeking a
minister in 1872 it learned of DR..
Ecob, he was given call, which he
accepted. 1t was in these sacred
walls that he received his ordination
into the ministry. Here he began a
ministry that soon placed him among
the foremost religious leaders in the
State"
WAS ever anything more ideally
fitting than that he should return to
pass the last two years of his minis
try and of his life with the church
OF his first love? Here lac began, and
here he ended his first ministry
Those of us who knew and loved him
are conscious that our lives have
been enriched and blessed by our
contact with spiritual personality
of rare beauty. How fitting that in
this church, where many of the most
enduring and satisfying friendships
OF his life were formed. a tablet to
his memory should be placed"
Dr.. Charles kinsIey
DR.. Charles Kingsley Of New York
City, a lifelong friend of Dr. Ecob
next addressed the congregation at
ter being introduced by the pastor
McWhortcr. DR.. kingslc. opened
his address with a short biography
of his friend, touching briefly on the
incidents Of his life from his birth
at Buffalo, \. Y, in 1874 to his death
in 1'Nshing, L. |. in 1921 at tie age
OF II years.
Dr.. Kingsley then paid eloquent
tribute to DIR. ECob's character: He
possessed the unusual combination
of keen, logical mind and strong
emotional appeal. He was ranked
as one of the first preachers of his
day in eloquence and spiritual in
sight His rare mystical power, his
personal magnetism and earnestness
and the subtle influence of his warm
and sympathetic voice made an indol-
ibIe impression on his hearers"
DR.. ECob's thoughts and teachings
were then touched briefly upon, and
DR.. Kingsley quoted at some length
from a sermon-"The Living Dead"
delivered by the latter at the South
Parish church on March q. 1921.
He dwelt upon DR.. Ecob's passionate
love of nature and the beautiful and
his deep understanding of spiritual
truth. and his natural spiritual lead
ership.
among the larger movements in
which he clearly felt the Spirits lead
ing was that for the union of the
divers sect of Christendom. In this
great work, which now shows sings
OF successful accomplishment DR..
Eceb will always he numbered as
pioneer"
prohibition would have arrived
decades sooner if he could have had
his way. He reioiced in the adaption