ii.t 
 
 K IR AA ( ) X 
 
 ^ 
 
S E R M o :Nr 
 
 PREACBBD IN 
 
 ON THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT, 
 Decejiber 14, 1862, 
 
 ON THE DEATH OP THE 
 
 REV. WILLIAM DEHON, RECTOR, 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. C. P. GADSDEN, 
 
 KKCTOB OF ST. LUK«'8 CHURCH. 
 
 PUBLISBED BY REQUEST OP THE VESTRY OF ST. PHILIP'S CHCRCH. 
 
 CHARLESTON : 
 
 STKAM-POWKR PRESS OF EVANS St COGSWELL, 
 
 No. 3 Broad and 103 East Bay streets. 
 
 1863. 
 
Charleston, 15«/j Deeemher, 1862. 
 Reverknd and Dkar Sir: 
 
 I am directed by the Vestrv of St. Philip's chnroh to request that you will 
 furnish us for publication with a copy of your eloquent and impressive Sermon, 
 delivered at St. Philip's church yesterday, ou the occasion of the death of our 
 beloved and lamented pastor and rector, the Reverend William Dehon. 
 
 Our pastor was so dear to his congregation that su'^h a record of his life and 
 sketch of his character as your Sermon contains will be very highly prized by 
 them. 
 
 With great re;:jard and esteem, 
 
 Yours very truly and respectfully, 
 
 W. ALSTON PRINGLE, 
 
 Chairman of the Vettry. 
 To the Reverend 0. P. Gadsden, 
 
 Charleston. S. C. 
 
 » 
 
 Chari.estok, December 16, 1862. 
 
 Dbau Sir : 
 
 Your note, convoying the request of the Vestry of St. Philip's church, that they 
 be furnished for publication with a copy of the Sermon preached at the request of 
 your Assistant Minister, on the occasion of the death of your beloved rector, has 
 been handed me. 
 
 If you think that the imperfect sketch of his charaiiter which I have attempted 
 will be at all useful in embalming in the memory of an affectionate and bereaved 
 flock the Christian graces and pastoral faithfulness of the departed, I do not feel at 
 liberty to decline. 
 
 With the sincerest sympathy, and the earnest prayer that the Great Head of the 
 Church will comfort your afflicted congregation with the precious consolations 
 of his grace, 
 
 T ri'm.ain very truly and respectfully, 
 
 Y'our friend and servant in Christ Jesus, 
 
 C. P. GADSDEN. 
 Hon. W. Alston Pringle, 
 
 Chairman tif the Vestri/ of St. Philip't church. 
 
"Ye, who your Lord's commission bear, 
 His way of mercj' to prepare ; 
 Angels He calls j'ou : be your strife 
 To lead on earth an angel's life. 
 Think not of rest, though dreams be sweet. 
 Start up, and ply your heavenward feet. 
 Is not God's oath upon your head, 
 Ne'er to sink back on slothful bed, 
 Never again your loins untie, 
 Nor let 3'our torches waste and die. 
 Till, when the shadows thickest fall, 
 Ye hear your Master's midnight call?" — Keble. 
 
SERMON 
 
 "Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish uiy course with 
 joy, and the ministry which I have received ot the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel 
 of the grace of God." — Acta .vr, 24. 
 
 So spake the blessed Paul. It was the language of 
 heroic consecration, manifesting the true spirit of the 
 martyr. Duty called him to Jerusalem, and he would obey 
 at every hazard. And yet it was no unreasoning impulse 
 which moved him, but the calm consideration of his respon- 
 sibility to God. The "course" of life before him could 
 only be "finished with joy" if it was spent in devotion to 
 his Master. He had "received a ministry of the Lord 
 Jesus," and it must be exercised "iu testifying the gospel 
 of the grace of God." The Apostle was, in this respect, 
 "a man of one idea." He had surrendered himself to the 
 pursuit of a single object. And here you have the seci^et of 
 his power, the motive of his unsurpassed heroism. The love 
 of Christ feeds tlie flame of holy resolution, and the com- 
 mand of Christ is a call of duty which makes death itself no 
 obstacle to obedience. 
 
 And the spirit of Paul has been found wherever the 
 shadow of the Cross has fallen ; the faith of the Crucified 
 has been prolific of martyrs; the grace of Jesus causes men 
 to be, like their Saviour, self-sacrificing. Nor is it only in 
 times of persecution, when the rack and the stake test the 
 believer's endurance, that this grace has exercise. The 
 spirit of devotion is ever the mark of Christ's true ministers, 
 without which they cannot fulfil their high and holy 
 mission. 
 
In yonder church-yard, brethren, sleep the earthly re- 
 mains of one, who was in his whole ministerial career as 
 true an illustration of the Christian principle of self-sacri- 
 fice as could anywhere be found. A man, of whom I may 
 say, and I knew him well, that duty was his watchword, 
 and to "finish his course with joy, and the ministry which 
 he had received of the Lord Jesus,'" the single efibrt of Jiis 
 life. 
 
 When, standing beside his remains, and beginning to 
 realize how much the Church of God had lost in his 
 removal, I was asked by your minister to attempt the 
 tribute of affection which calls me here to-day, the words 
 of the text were immediatcl}- suggested to my mind. They 
 seemed to be the embodiment of his character, and a fitting 
 epitaph to grace his tomb. 
 
 Unselfishness and generosity are always attractive, but 
 when they take the form of Christian self-sacrifice, they 
 glow with the beauty of heaven. Your late rector was a 
 man upon wiiom the grace of Jesus had legibly wriften 
 these excellencies, and his life, though it flowed in quiet 
 channels and with little of the noise and bustle of noto- 
 riety, was a deep and rapid current which was ever rush- 
 ing on to the music of its own ripple, to bear its tribute to 
 the oceaa of divine love. To him "to live was Christ," 
 and even to die in such a service, he counted '-gain." 
 
 With a trembling hand I proceed to sketch the outline 
 of his excellence. The story of his life is soon told, but 
 the memory of its beauty will not easily be obliterated 
 from our hearts. 
 
 William Dehon, the youngest son of the Right Reverend 
 Theodore and Mrs. Sarah Dehon, was born in the City 
 of Charleston on the 30tb of September, 1817. He was 
 given by God to a widowed mother, while the recent death 
 of his father shaded her dwelling with a great sorrow, and 
 filled the Diocese with grief for the loss of a beloved 
 Bishop. At the altar beneath which the remains of her 
 .sainted husband were buried the bereaved survivor dedi- 
 cated her infant in baptism, and prayed that the Lord 
 
would accept him for his servant, and in due time call him 
 to be an ambassador of his Son. From thence, like Han- 
 nah, having "lent him to the Lord," she endeavored, in 
 faith and prajer, to train him to be a Christian and a 
 minister. 
 
 If it were a sad loss to the boy never to have known the 
 guidance of such a father as death had deprived him of, it 
 was a blessing enjoyed by few to have been the child of 
 such a mother. Her pious memory is fragrant in the 
 Church, and many "rise up and call her blessed." It has 
 often been remarked how manifestly God hears the prayers 
 and crowns the eflbrts of believing mothers in regard to 
 their children. In every age the Church has pointed with 
 grateful emotion to her Augustins, Xewtons, ancl Cecils, 
 the jewels with which holy women have, through prayers 
 and tears, adorned the courts of the sanctuary. The in- 
 stance before us is another proof of Jehovah's faithfulness, 
 and a strong incentive to the handmaids of the Lord to 
 train their offspring for his service. Xor were the labors 
 of the most excellent of mothers unsupported in the holy 
 nurture of her son. Like Timothy, our friend was doubly 
 blessed, for of him it might be said, in the words of the 
 Apostle, that "the unfeigned faith that was in him, dwelt 
 first in his grandmother, as well as in his mother," and 
 thus by a double cord of holy aiFection was his youthful 
 heart drawn to the love and obedience of Christ. 
 
 From the earliest childhood, we are told by those who 
 knew him best, he was an amiable and correct boy. The 
 habit of prayer was acquired at his mother's knee, and 
 "from a child he knew the Holy Scriptures which were 
 able to make him wise unto salvation, through faith which 
 is in Christ Jesus." His blameless deportment, attention 
 to study, obedience to his superiors, and unl)lemi3hed 
 morals, made him to be admired among his youthful com- 
 panions, and caused no pang to his mother's heart. But 
 theHfe was a higher work to be accomplished in him, and 
 ere he was new created in Christ Jesus he passed through 
 a deep experience which, before he obtained "peace," and 
 
8 
 
 by personal faith in a crucified Redeemer was delivered 
 from the condemnation of the law, caused him protracted 
 suftering, and schooled him for that ministry which he 
 afterward exercised witli so much tenderness toward 
 those who were oppressed with the burden of guilt. It 
 was while he was at college that Satan thus "desired to 
 have him that he might sift him as wheat," but the inter- 
 cession of the Redeemer was offered in his behalf^ and he 
 found acceptance at the foot of the Cross. May we not 
 pause here to remark how commonly God suffers the 
 chosen instruments of his mercy to be severely tried ? If 
 they are to be useful, their religion must be an experience 
 as well as a belief The Master himself was "led of the 
 Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil " 
 before he entered upon the ministry of the word, and his 
 people have very generally been called to follow him into 
 the presence of the enemy, that they may learn the use of 
 the "armor of salvation" and "the sword of the Spirit." 
 
 Mr. Dehon graduated at the College of Charleston in 
 1835, taking the first honor in his class. About a year 
 afterward he became a candidate for holy orders, and hav- 
 ins: been matriculated in 1838 in the General Seminarv in 
 New York, commenced the study of theology. I have had 
 it from his own lips that it was a severe struggle with him 
 to ascertain the path of duty in regard to entering the 
 ministry. His mother's wishes and prayers could not be 
 absent from his thoughts ; like a holy spell they rested 
 upon his spirit and forbade the |Hirsuit of any merely secu- 
 lar calling. His own desires were in the same direction, 
 but he had a very high estimate of the qualifications neces- 
 sary for an ambassador of Christ, and was not the man to 
 run in such an errand without a clear and decided call of 
 the Holy Spirit. What was his duty became a subject of 
 serious reflection, and humble, earnest prayer, and the 
 result was'a conviction that he was "inwardly moved by 
 the Holy Ghost to take upon him this ofiice and ministra- 
 tion to serve God, for the promoting of his glory and the 
 edifying of his Church." 
 
During the three years of his course in the seminary, 
 our friend was assiduous in his studies and attentive to the 
 regulations of the institution, winning for himself the ap- 
 proval of his teachers and the esteem and regard of his 
 fellow-students. It was a period of angry controversy in 
 the Church ; old errors were heing revived under new and 
 attractive influences, and some of those who were asso- 
 ciated with him in the study of theolog}' were led into 
 dangerous extremes ; but the mediaeval fancies of Oxford 
 found little favor with him, and he preferred the tried 
 principles of the old divines of the English Church to the 
 modern developments of Newman. With intellectual. im- 
 provement was combined useful labor in the Sunday- 
 schools connected with churches in the vicinity of the 
 seminary, and his preparation for the pastoral office 
 was found in visiting the poor and sick of the crowded 
 metropolis. 
 
 His course of study being completed, and the period t)f 
 candidateship having expired, he returned to this city, and 
 was ordained Deacon by the late Bishop Gadsden, in 9t. 
 Michael's church, on Sunday, September 19, 1841, It miy 
 be imagined with what satisfaction the friend of his father 
 performed this hoi}- duty, and how deep and fervent must 
 have been the gratitude of his mother, when she saw her 
 prayers answered, and her hopes fulfilled, at that very altar 
 where, in the day of her sorrow, she had uttered her pious 
 vows. 
 
 As soon as he was commissioned -for the work of the ». 
 ministry, Mr. Dehon entered upon it with that ardor which 
 has ever marked his course. His first field of labor was 
 the mission on the Wateree river, where his principal work 
 was preaching the gospel to the blacks. It was here that 
 he became interested in the truly missionary effort of 
 making Christ known to the negroes, which ever afterw^ard 
 was a marked feature of his ministr3\ He Avas occupied 
 for a year in . this vicinity, visiting the plantations and 
 exerting all his energies for the instruction of those en- 
 trusted to his care. A portion of the summer was spent in 
 
10 
 
 'Greenville, where he supplied the place of the rector of 
 Christ church, who was absent in search of health. 
 
 In November, 1842, he accepted a call to the united 
 parishes of St. Stephen's and Upper St. John's, where, on 
 the 3d of March. 1844, he was ordained to the priesthood. 
 In this field he labored for sixteen years, exercising an 
 influence for good which has rarely been equalled, and* 
 securing for himself the confidence and affection of the 
 - whole community. Ilis charge consisted of three distinct 
 congregations, having separate places of worship, and em- 
 braced a field not less than thirty miles in length. The 
 religious condition of the neighborhood, when he accepted 
 tke rectorship, was far from promising. There were but 
 few male communicants. The churches had been without 
 a pastor for two years. Public worship had been irregu- 
 larly performed, and was but scantily attended, and there 
 was coldness and indiff'erence to the cause of Christ. The 
 parishes, although they had been supplied with Episcopal 
 ministrations, were not in union with the Convention of 
 tlfe Diocese, and took no part in the general concerns of the 
 Church. Mr. Dehon, by a judicious exercise of his personal 
 influence, succeeded in correcting these informalities. The 
 parishes sought and obtained admission to the Convention.* 
 One of the churches, which had become decayed, was taken 
 down -and tastefully rebuilt, and, together with the other 
 two, was consecrated by the Bishop according to the ritual 
 of our Church, and services were established, with regu- 
 ^larity, in each upon every third Sunday. A Sunday-school 
 was organized, and all the machinery of a well regulated 
 paris^h was put in operation. 
 
 Nor was it the outward form of piety alone that was 
 revived. By a faithful exhibition of the gospel from the 
 pulpit, and a laborious and afiectionate performance of 
 pastoral work, a decided impression was made upon the 
 community. One after another, individuals were brought 
 to receive the Saviour. Candidates for confirmation, care- 
 fully instructed, and impressed with the solemnity of their 
 vows, and the sacredness of the resulting obligations, were 
 
11 
 
 presented to the Bishop on his visitations. The table of 
 the Lord was filled Avith earnest commnnicants, and the 
 whole tone of" the parish, hi a religious point of view, was 
 
 »ated and improved. There was no grfiat outpouring of 
 Spirit, such as is sonietimes vouchsafed in answer to 
 prayer and as the reward of ministerial faithfulness, but 
 there was the gentle and steady dew of divine grace, bless- 
 ing an earnest pastor, and constantly giving him souls for 
 his hire— ijewels to sparkle in Emmanuel's crown. 
 
 In nothing was the life of the parish more apparent than 
 in its steady and liberal contributions to missions, both 
 domestic and foreign : the result, under God, of the rec- 
 tor's wise and persevering efibrts to awaken and keep in 
 exercise a missionary spirit. 
 
 In addition to the hibors in the parish churches, the un- 
 tiring minister devoted himself to the instruction of tlie 
 large number of slaves owned in this neighborhood. Many 
 of the plantations were under his pastoral charge, and twice 
 on Sunday, and once or twice in every week, he preached to 
 this humble portion of his flock the unsearchable riches of 
 Christ. Xever did he seem more the servant of Jesus than 
 when, in some cabin or unoccupied cotton-house, or open 
 shed, often exposed to the severity of a winter's night, or 
 the burning heat of a summer's sun, he was preaching the 
 gospel to the negro, or preparing candidates for the sacra- . 
 ments, or catechising the children of the plantations. ]S^o 
 minister was more indefatigable or more successful in this 
 work. Large numbers of servants, always admitted with 
 caution, and after protracted trial and instruction, connected 
 themselves with the Church. Their aifection and reverence 
 leir pastor was unbounded, and to no hearts will the 
 of his death carry truer and deeper sorrow, 
 able himself to accomplish all that he desired in this 
 work, he sought to enlist the masters and mistresses in the 
 cause. He induced many to undertake the instruction of 
 their dependents, procured upon several plantations the 
 erection of chapels for assembling the negroes, and with 
 signal success introduced among them the use of our 
 
 f^i^ei 
 Tfbti 
 
12 
 
 liturgy in public worship. As his opportunities were en- 
 larged his exertions kept pace with them, and he was 
 ''willing to spend and be spent "^in this lowly ministry. At 
 last he was compelled to procure assistance, and throi^jh 
 the providence of God it became my privilege to pass.^j^p 
 diaconate under his roof, instructed beyond what I can ever 
 express by the beauty of his example and the heavenly 
 earnestness of his spirit. For five years we labored side by 
 side, and I can testify, as an eye-witness, to the self-sacrifice 
 of his eftbrts and the exhausting nature of his ministry. 
 Again and again was he prostrated by his untiring dili- 
 gence, while his strength was overtasked, and, with the 
 Apostle, he "counted not his life dear unto himself so that 
 he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry which 
 he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of 
 th6 grace of God." 
 
 Other assistance wae secured when I removed to the city, 
 and at last a division was made in the parish, and one of 
 the congregations of which he had been rector was placed 
 under separate pastoral care. But still he was overtasked, 
 and in 1858 he was so completely broken down that he 
 was compelled to seek a change of climate, and crossed 
 the Atlantic with the hope of obtaining renewed strength 
 for his work. 
 
 On his return from Europe, only partially recruited, the 
 vestry of this church placed before him a call which he did 
 not feel at liberty to decline. It was hard parting with his 
 bel4|ved flock, and their devotion to him made it all the 
 more diflScult; but duty was his watchword, and he thought 
 he saw the leading of Providence guiding him to this field. 
 I have ne\:er doubted it for an instant. I need not say how 
 admirably adapted to this ministry you have found Jttp- 
 He has served you only too faithfully, with too little re^pd 
 to his own health and, at last, by the sacrifice of his life. 
 
 He took charge of St. Philip's church as rector on the 
 Ist of January, 1859. A sorrowing flock bade him adieu 
 in St. John's, and he was welcomed here with a warmth of 
 affection which increased with each year of his abiding . 
 
 y 
 
13 
 
 among you. It is not for me to say how he has fulfilled 
 his ministry. His record is on high. The last da}-^ of health 
 was spent in this desk and pulpit, and the earnest and faith- 
 ful messages which he has delivered willgneet you at the bar 
 of God' ISTor was it only here in the sanctuary that he 
 labored, but "from house to house," as the loving pastor, 
 has he gone, and his advice, his words of consolation, and 
 prayere of faith cannot be without spiritual fruit. 
 
 On the day after his last presence with you he was 
 stricken with disease. It was the third illness within a 
 twelvemonth. Besides his pulpit and parochial duties, he 
 had worn himself dr)wn with untirino; work amonfir the 
 soldiers in the hospitals, and daily ministrations among the 
 poor and, sick of his flock. He never spared himself, and 
 at last he sunk under the weight of his labors. Soon after 
 he was taken ill he remarked that he "'feared he was about 
 to have a serious and protracted sickness." It proved more 
 serious than he supposed. A sudden change, when his 
 friends fondly hoped that the crisis of his disease was 
 passed, hurried him down to the gates of death. 
 
 The violence of his malady prevented his bearing that 
 testimony to the gospel which he profes^d, and the 
 Saviour in whom he trusted, which his friends would 
 have loved t(5 preserve among their most sacred memories. 
 But such a life needs no seal from the death-bed. Icwas 
 radiant all through its course with the grace and presence 
 of the Redeemer, and, if clouds attended its setting sun, 
 the obscurity was so brief that the blush of beauty had 
 not had time to fade from the landscape. "When the 
 disease had spent its strength he breathed forth his spirit 
 from the wasted tabernacle as gentl}- as the sigh of an 
 iflknt falling asleep upon its mother's bosom. " He rests 
 from his labors, and his works do follow him." • 
 
 It only remains that we endeavor to form an estimate of 
 his character, and -mark the principles which gave beauty 
 and harmony to his life. 
 
 By nature Mr. Dchon was amiable and affectionate, 
 retiring, indeed, in his manners, and of unusual modesty, 
 
14 
 
 which gave to his intercourse with strangei-s somewhat the 
 air of reserve ; but to those wlio penetrated beyond this ex- 
 terior and were admitted to his intimacy he discovered the 
 keenest sensibility ,and the truest tenderness of heart. His 
 mind was strong and active, but he was slow in ex||ressing 
 in ordinary society the opinions which he yet formed with 
 clearness and held with decision. There was a dignity 
 in his manner and a gravity in his behavior which im- 
 pressed all who came near him; yet in liis family and with 
 liis children there was a playfuhiess of disposition and 
 kindliness of heart whicli made liim the centre of the 
 gushing sensibilities of home. He was felt 'to be at once 
 the strength and the joy of his household, the father, and 
 yet the friend and companion of his chihh'cn. 
 
 ITc had with all his gentleness a strong element of com- 
 mon sense. He knew men, was an excellent jndge of 
 character, and seldom^ made a mistake in his intercourse 
 with others. His power over those who were brought 
 under his influence was somewhat remarkable, and it often 
 surprised you to see one so quiet and unobtrusive able 
 to eftcct so much in guiding and directing those around 
 him. Under all circumstances he exhibited the refine- 
 ment of the gentleman and the quiet dignity of the cler- 
 gyman. 
 
 But if nnture had done so niuch for our friend, it was 
 grace which clothed him with beauty and fitted him for 
 large usefulness in the Church of Ciod. His Christianity 
 was of the truest stamp. The work of the Holy Spirit 
 upon liis heart was real and deep. He realized in the 
 profoundest manner that he was a sinner, and fied for 
 refuge, with childlike faith, to that only name under 
 heaven whereby we must be saved. Christ waa^ 
 ground of his confidence and the joy of his heart, 
 to the iSaviour was the nnirked characteristic of his 
 resembling him to that "beloved disciple" who "leaned^ 
 upon the bosom of his Lord." 
 
 And as he looked upon the work of Jesus and realized 
 the depth of his mercy and the fulness of his compassion,- 
 
 s^ke 
 
16 
 
 his heart was kindled with the spark of heavenly affection, 
 and poured forth the wealth of its charity upon all " for 
 whom Christ died," Seldom has a man been seen in whdra 
 there was a tenderer fount of affection for his fellows. His 
 love was not the language of the lips, easily uttered and 
 as easily forgotten, but it was the gushing freedom of a 
 soul penetrated with the spirit of the Redeemer, cheering 
 and refreshing all to whom it flowed. It was that Chris- 
 tian grace of "charity," so beautifully delineated by the 
 Apostle, which "suffereth long and is kind, beareth all 
 things, believeth all things, hopetli all things, endureth all 
 things." Ko one ever heard him utter an unkind or cen- 
 sorious remark, or pass a severe judgment upon the actions 
 or motives of his fellow-men. If he could say nothing in 
 favor of any one who was reproached in his presence, he 
 evinced by his silence how painful if was for his gentle 
 heart to think evil of any one. 
 
 In works of active benevolence he was always ready ; the 
 poor regarded him as their best friend ; the widow and 
 orphan never appealed to him* in vain; and he would pro- 
 vide for the sick and suffering at any expense of comfort 
 and personal ease. As Vice-President of the Church Home, 
 he exerted himself to the utmost for the best interests of 
 the needy and friendless, and Avas deeply interested in the 
 ^success of a plan of benevoTence which he regarded as 
 embodying high principles of Christian duty. 
 
 The personal piety of Mr. Dehon was marked by his pro- 
 found reverence for Scripture, his delight in retirement and 
 communion with God, and the .constant habit of prayer 
 which made his study a Bethel, and his preparation for the 
 pulpit a holy exercise of devotion. I have seldom met a 
 
 Swho was more habitually praj-erful. It was at the 
 e of grace that he sought to be anointed for his 
 , and refreshed after the labors of his office. Some 
 ministers are too much engaged in active exertions, and 
 are in danger of having their own souls starved and their 
 spiritual growth dwarfed by the incessant round of their 
 professional duties. Others, attracted by the enjoyments of 
 
lU 
 
 the closet, are crippled iu their usefuhiess. aud restrained 
 from pastoral intercourse with their flock, but our friend 
 happily combined communion with Chrit*t with labor in his 
 vineyard, and, while he constantly refreshed himself in the 
 presence of his Saviour, went forth from his retirement to 
 imitate the example of Him of whom it is recorded, "lie 
 went about doing gooclj" 
 
 And this leads me to speak of him as a minister of 
 Christ. It was in this office, assumed by him with the 
 highest sense of its responsibility, that he preeminently 
 exhibited the self-sacrificing spirit of the Apostle in our 
 text, "lie counted not his life dear unto himself so that he 
 might finish his course with joy, and the ministry which he 
 had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the 
 grace of God." All who saw him perceived at once that 
 his whole sonl was in his work. Those who knew him most 
 intimately were reminded of the prophetic words spoken 
 of that Divine Master who was his strength and his exam- 
 ple: " The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." He Viced 
 for but one purpose: he died in the endeavor to accomplish 
 it. The glory of Christ in the salvation of souls 'was the 
 great end before him, and with the tender love of one who 
 had himself found mercy, and the sympathy of a heart 
 which had felt the burden of sin and rejoiced in the salva- 
 tion ol' Jesus, and an earnestness which was derived IVom 
 a realizing sense of the value of the soul and the nearness 
 of eternity, he "preached tlie word." His theme was Jesus 
 Christ and him crucified," and there was an impressive 
 solemnity in his faithful handling of it. Sinners were 
 atfectionately warned. Believers were tenderly admonished 
 and built up in the Lord, and the sorrowing and afflicted 
 had a large share of his regard, while he sought " to^^n- 
 fort them in their trouble by the comfort whercwi^Pie 
 himself was comforted of God." 
 
 The earnestness which gave power t<^ his appeals in the 
 ]»ul]»it made his performance of the service in the desk 
 peculiaily impressive. The book of Common l^'rayer Vas 
 enshrined in the dearest affections of his heart, while his 
 
17 
 
 taste and cultivation made him an ardent admirer of its 
 words of eloquent supplication, and when he opened it for 
 worship his whole nature seemed solemnized ; the tone of 
 h\s voice, hecauie fervent and moving; his eye was lit with 
 the beauty of heaven, and his countenance glowed with the 
 highest expression of devotion. His propriety and taste in 
 conducting all the services of our ritual gave indeed a 
 special charm to his public ministry, and few could listen 
 to him as he led in jirayer without realizing that they were 
 in the presence of God. 
 
 In the lambs of his flock he took a peculiar interest. No 
 clergyman was more assiduous in catechising the children 
 of his charge, and it was with a loving anxiety that he 
 watched the development of their religious hopes, and, 
 when, having "come to -years of discretion," they were 
 inquiring the way of life, with careful instruction he pre- 
 pared them in public and })rivate for the rite of conflrma- 
 tion and admission to the table of the Lord. 
 
 But it was in the sphere of pastoral duty that our 
 friend's chief excellence was found. A more faithful and 
 laborious shepherd the Church has seldom enjoyed. His 
 friendly visits, and cordial greetings, and hearty sympathy 
 in all their joys and sorrows secured for him a place in the 
 hearts of his people, and he ever used his influence for the 
 advancement of' the cause of his Master, and the highest 
 interests of his kingdom. It is perhaps in this respect that 
 he will be longest remembered. You will miss him from 
 your family circle, from the bedside of the sick and the 
 dying, and from all those scenes and occasions when your 
 domestic life was solemnized with the presence of one 
 whom you felt to be "a man of God." His brethren ot the 
 ministry may learn a lesson of the utmost importance from 
 his example., and his memory to those who loved him will be 
 a constant stimulus to pastoral faithfulness. 
 
 As a theologian, Mr. Dehon, next to the word of God 
 and the liturgy and oflices of the Church, valued the 
 standard divines of the Church of Ens^land. Thonirh 
 remarkably modest and unobtrusive in the expression of 
 
18 . 
 
 his views, his principles were fixed and decided. IIo whs, 
 indeed, no partisan, and had a lieart large enough to 
 encircle in tlie warmth of his love his brethren of every 
 schorj of theology. His own judgment led him to em- 
 brace the principles of such divines as Bancroft, and 
 Pearson, and Horseley, and he illustrated his churchman- 
 ship with the meekness of Ken, the devotion of Andrews, 
 and the godly simplicity and earnestness of Herbert. One 
 of his favorite authors was Bishop Hall, and a volume of 
 his "Contemplations" Avas always to be seen niion his 
 study table. Stronglv attached to what he couscientiously 
 believed to be Apostolic order, he was no less earnestl}' 
 devoted to the maintenance of Evangelical truth. The 
 Church he valued as the divinely authorized conservator 
 of that truth. The sacraments he highly prized and duly 
 administered as appointed means of grace, and the prayer 
 book he loved as the voice of his mother and the beautiful 
 echo of the word of inspiration. But it was Ciirirt whom 
 Jie sought to honor in all these things, and to the Cross 
 and its atoning blood his heart turned with the steadiness 
 of the needle to the pole. "To testif\' the gospel of the 
 grace of God" was the end and aim of his ministry. 
 
 I might go on and speak of his virtues as u citi/.en. I 
 might mention the ardent love of country which made him 
 watch with the intensest interest our present struggle for 
 independence. I might tell you how his heart burned with 
 atfection for his native Carolina, and for the city of his 
 birth, but I must forbear. If this feeble etfort of one who 
 loved him as a brother shall aid you in recalling the 
 excellencies of your departed rector, and shall stimulate 
 you, through grace, to emulate his character, my end will 
 be attained. You have lost,' my brethren, one whom it is 
 not easy to forget; the deepest sorrow is but an a[»propriate 
 tribute to his goodness. But let us "not sorrow as those 
 that have no hope." lie sleeps in Jesus. lie rests from his 
 labors. Ilis course is finished. Ilis crown is won. Now, 
 with the gathered saints in Paradise, he communes with 
 his gloi-ified Lord; and when the great resurrection morn 
 
19 
 
 shall dawn upon our earth j'ou shall see him again with 
 "the King in his heauty;" that "life"- which on earth he 
 "counted not dear unto himself" made immortal in the 
 presence of his Lord. 
 
 Only remember that in that day when he shall give 
 account of his stewardship, you must answer before the bar • 
 of God how you have hearkened to his message, and what 
 fruit his ministry has borne among you. And if any of 
 you have' neglected his tender admonitions, may you now 
 find grace to yield yourselves at his grave to that Saviour 
 whom he so ardently loved. 
 
 O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send 
 thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee, grant that 
 the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise 
 so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts 
 of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that, at thy 
 second coming to judge the world, we may be found an 
 acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest 
 with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world 
 without end. Amen. 
 
J 
 
" ' ■5?«^ 
 
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