tihvavy of Che Cheolo^ical ^eminarjp 
 
 PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY 
 
 •a^D- 
 
 BX 9225 .M48 V3 1891 
 Vail, R. P. H. 
 A tribute to the memory of 
 Alexander Milne 
 
/k^. 1, C^^t^^^/^^ 
 
In iKBprnoriflm 
 
A "TRIBUXK 
 
 ^JUL 1 1944 . 
 
 ' Logical 8tv^' 
 
 TO THE MEMOKV OF 
 
 ALEXANDER MILNE 
 
 Rev. R. p. H. VAIL, D.D. 
 
 DELIVEKED IN THE 
 
 First Presbyterian Church, Stamford, Conn. 
 April ijt/i, iS(^i 
 
 TOGETllEU WITH THE RESOLUTIONS PASSED AT A MEETING OF THE SESSION OF 
 
 THE CHUKCH, HELD MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 13, 1S91, AND A MINUTE 
 
 OF THE HOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE Y. M. C. A. OF THE 
 
 CITY OF NEW YORK. 
 
 lllciii l)orl; 
 
 WM. C. MARTIN PRINTING HOUSE, 111 JOHN STREET 
 I 89 I 
 
SERMON 
 
SCRIPTURE SELECTIONS. 
 
 " Howl fir tree, for the cedar is fallen." 
 
 " Lord I have loved the habitation of Th)- 
 house, the place where Thine honor dwelleth." 
 
 "Thine age shall be clearer than the noon-day." 
 
 " Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, 
 like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season." 
 
 " A good man full of faith, and of the Holy 
 Ghost." 
 
 " The law of truth was in his mouth, and in- 
 iciuity was not found in his lii)s. He walked 
 with me in peace and equity, and did turn many 
 away from iniquity." 
 
 "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having 
 the promise of the life that now is, and of that 
 which is to come." 
 
 " An elder that ruled well, accounted worthy of 
 double honor." 
 
 " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my 
 course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there 
 is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, 
 which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give 
 me in that day." 
 
 " For me to live is Christ ; and to die is gain." 
 
SKRM ON . 
 
 STANDING in this presence, and speaking 
 to you of the venerable and godly man for 
 whose funeral service we are met this after- 
 noon, I am at a loss what text to choose. There 
 is a whole wealth of Scripture that is peculiarly 
 pertinent to such a life and character; and I 
 might go on repeating verse after verse, like 
 those which I have read, while in each you 
 would recognize the portrait of our departed 
 father and friend, and to them all your hearts 
 would honestly respond " Amen." 
 
 Happy the man in whose memory such 
 glowing words from the Book of God may be 
 truthfully spoken! I know of no grander 
 achievement possible for any man than to so 
 pass the time of his sojourn on the earth as to 
 be rightfully entitled, at its end, to such script- 
 ural encomiums upon his character and career. 
 He lies down in peace, while all who knew 
 him rise up to call him blessed. He enters 
 
10 
 
 upon the joy of his Lord, and receives a great 
 welcome there. Such lives make this v^^orld 
 a brighter and better place. They dignif}^ 
 humanity. They exalt our ideas of human 
 nature. They show us something of the 
 image of God in man. They are a benediction 
 as they pass. And they stimulate men to 
 aspire and strive after higher and nobler 
 things. 
 
 This is a well-earned rest which our brother 
 has gained. For more than four score years 
 he has been a toiler in the world. From its 
 earliest 3^ears up to its very close, his life has 
 been one of constant and abounding activity. 
 In the days of his youth, his manhood, and 
 even in his old age, he had no time nor inclin- 
 ation for idle hours. Like the Master whom 
 he served, he must work the works of Him 
 that sent him while it was day: the night was 
 coming when no man could work. So he 
 filled the years with abundant labor; and like 
 his Master also, his chief work and the one in 
 which he took chief delight was in going about 
 to do good. Even in these last months of 
 
1 1 
 
 great physical feebleness, it was difficult to 
 persuade him to sit still awhile with folded 
 hands. He saw some business of his Father 
 that required his attention, and he would sum- 
 mon up his little remaining strength and go 
 forth on a fresh labor of love. The rest upon 
 which this tired man has now entered is a 
 rest well earned. 
 
 He was a strong man and a good man, 
 whose mortal remains we bury to-day. For 
 strength of character he was like the granite 
 of the Scottish hills which he loved so well. 
 In the firmness of his convictions and the fix- 
 edness of his faith he was like a Scotch cedar 
 tree that holds fast, no matter how severe the 
 storms. When he had made up his mind, his 
 mind was made up; and when he had set his 
 hand to any work, he would keep it there till 
 the work was done. A strong character that 
 was based on firm convictions, that was rooted 
 and grounded in righteousness and truth: a 
 strong character that was filled to the full with 
 energy, determination, and a consecration of 
 all its powers to the living God. 
 
12 
 
 It sometimes happens that great strength of 
 character is a most unlovely thing. It means 
 simply stubbornness and headstrong self-will. 
 There is no beauty in it that men should 
 desire it. It was not so, however, in this 
 case. The Scotch granite took on a most ex- 
 cellent polish that was at once beautiful and 
 smooth. In this character strength was al- 
 ways married to beauty; and the sturdy cedar- 
 like traits in the man were ever twined about 
 with graceful vines which blossomed with fair 
 flowers. Firm in his faith, courageous in his 
 convictions, determined in his purposes, out- 
 spoken in his views, he was as inflexible as 
 John Knox himself; and yet there was al- 
 ways a pleasant smile in his heart, a kind word 
 on his lips, and a gentle hand for all, even to 
 the youngest child. He was as good as he 
 was strong. And he moved about among 
 men through these long years of varied activity 
 beloved by many, respected by all. 
 
 I cannot in the little time at my disposal 
 this afternoon undertake to give you a com- 
 plete analysis of Mr. Milne's character, or to 
 
tell 3^011 the complete story ol his long earthly 
 career. I can give you but a brief outline of 
 each, mingling the two together as I proceed. 
 
 If 3'ou ask me what was the secret of this 
 noble character, or what was the corner- 
 stone on which this consistent life was builded, 
 I am inclined to refer you to the first answer 
 in the Shorter Catechism: "Man's chief end 
 is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." 
 Our brother learned that answer when he was 
 a little child in Scotland, and before he had 
 any just apprehension of the significance of the 
 words. But gradually their meaning dawned 
 upon his childish mind and took possession of 
 his young heart. The soil was good in which 
 that seed was sown. At the age of nine }'ears 
 he gave himself to God, and never took back 
 the gift. From then till now this man's chief 
 end has been to glorify God and to enjoy him 
 forever. I can give you no better key with 
 which to unlock the secret of his character 
 and life. 
 
 Mr. Milne was born on the seventh of June, 
 1S07, in the little town of Banff, far up in the 
 
north of Scotland, abreast the Highlands. A 
 Scotchman born, he was a Scotchman till he 
 died — a Scotchman in his love of country, in 
 his earnestness of spirit, in his characteristic 
 humor, in his poetical nature, in his knowl- 
 edge of Scripture, and in his warm interest in 
 all Scotch people who came to him. He was 
 brother Scot to every Scotchman in the town, 
 and loved to talk with him about the heather 
 hills, and the " auld hame " from which he 
 came. 
 
 While yet a mere boy he was set to learn 
 the stonecutter's trade; and he plied his chisel 
 on the blocks of Scotch granite which were 
 given him to shape. It was lusty and vigor- 
 ous work, and it developed a lusty and vigor- 
 ous lad. He enjoyed his work and attacked 
 the solid rocks with sturdy blows. When he 
 became a journeyman stonecutter he wrought 
 side by side with Hugh Miller, in Aberdeen- 
 shire; and he often spoke with pleasure of the 
 days he spent in the society of this learned 
 man, then humble and obscure, but afterwards 
 famous as the pioneer of modern geology. 
 
15 
 
 With his naturally bright mind, and through 
 association with such an instructor as Hug^h 
 Miller, our friend soon became well versed in 
 the wonderful testimony of the rocks which 
 he loved so well. In those da3s of stone- 
 cutting in Scotland he developed a strong 
 and well-furnished intellect, as well as a 
 healthy and vigorous physique. 
 
 On the i6th of April, 1832, at Mintlaw, 
 Aberdeenshire, he was married to Sophia 
 Boulton, and from that bright Spring day in 
 Scotland, 59 years ago this very week, until 
 last Friday when he died, he has been a 
 tender, loving and devoted husband, as gentle 
 and kind and affectionate as in the days of his 
 youthful and ardent courtship long ago. The 
 venerable and feeble widow who survives him, 
 and who placed yonder window in the church, 
 some years ago, as " a wife's loving tribute " 
 to her husband, has not long to wait before 
 joining him again. The tribute window, with 
 its Presbyterian insignia, becomes a memorial 
 window to-day, and henceforth keeps fresh 
 the memory of his honored name, so long as 
 the church itself shall stand. 
 
■ i6 
 
 On the day of their marriage the young 
 bridegroom and bride started out for America. 
 A six weeks' trip in a sailing vessel across the 
 Atlantic was to be their wedding journey, and 
 America was to be their future home. His 
 father-in-law offered to give him a goodly 
 farm in Aberdeenshire, if only they would 
 remain in Scotland. But Mr. Milne's mind 
 was made up, and he declined the offer with 
 thanks, and came. He loved Scotland with 
 its lochs and rocks, its crags and hills, just as 
 every Scotchman does. But he had broad 
 views, and energy, and ambition, and a deter- 
 mination to get on in the world. And he felt 
 that America offered him advantages and 
 opportunities and possibilities that were denied 
 him at home. So with a very few pounds 
 sterling in their pockets, to America the young 
 couple came, landing in New York at the end 
 of May, 1832. 
 
 When he stepped on the wharf in this 
 strange land among strangers, Mr. Milne was 
 25 years of age, a Christian, and a stonecutter 
 and setter. The first thing- he did after get- 
 
ting a boarding-place was to find a church ; 
 the next was to obtain employment. He 
 quickly succeeded in both, as you might ex- 
 pect. Before a week was over he was settled 
 in the old Seventh Presbyterian Church on 
 the corner of Ridge Street and Broome, and 
 had gotten to work at his trade. It was simply 
 characteristic of the promptitude and activity 
 of the man. 
 
 I cannot go as much into detail respecting 
 his church life and his business career as I 
 would like. The story is intensely interest- 
 ing, and furnishes a splendid example along 
 many lines, showing how thrift, industry, 
 courage, honest}', integrity, good sense and 
 earnestness in work bring a grand develop- 
 ment and secure a good reward in the respect 
 of fellow-men and in the accumulation of this 
 world's goods; and showing also how religion 
 may ever be kept just a little in advance of 
 business — nay, how it may permeate busi- 
 ness; and how, in the midst of an intensely 
 busy life the catechism's definition of man's 
 chief end ma}' be realized. This man sought 
 
first the kingdom of God and His righteous- 
 ness, and the other things were added unto 
 him. He was ever diligent in business, fer- 
 vent in spirit, serving the Lord. 
 
 He was not long in the old Seventh Church 
 before a discovery was made of the young 
 Scotchman's gifts and powers, and they were 
 at once called into exercise. It was a strong 
 church, one of the strongest in the City of 
 New York at the time, and full of earnest 
 women and noble men. But within four 
 years — so soon as 1836 — they had called him 
 to the eldership of the church; he was leader 
 of the great chorus choir, and he was super- 
 intendent of the flourishing Sunday-school. 
 Yes, they knew their man — a poor man in- 
 deed as yet, a young man, a foreigner not yet 
 a citizen, but a man, a man of strength and 
 beauty, a man of mind and heart, a Christian 
 man who had laid his splendid powers on 
 Christ's altar and Christ had accepted the 
 offering. Young as he was — but four years 
 in the land — they ordained him to eldership 
 in the Presbyterian Church of the United 
 
/9 
 
 States; they established him, by God's grace, 
 as a pillar in the temple of the Lord. The 
 choir sang with devout hearts earnestly under 
 his leadership after he had opened the rehear- 
 sal with pra3er ; the Sunday-school became 
 larger yet under his superintendency, and 
 hosts of youth gave their hearts to Jesus 
 Christ; the church was revived again and 
 again, grew yet stronger and stronger in the 
 Lord, and became a mighty power for good 
 in all that section of the town, in the days 
 when Alexander Milne, the strong and con- 
 •secrated young Scotchman, the capable Bible 
 student, the earnest and powerful exhorter of 
 souls, served in the eldership. Ordained a 
 ruling elder in 1836, he was still a ruling elder 
 when he died, his term of faithful service hav- 
 ing covered a period of 55 years. " An elder 
 who ruled well, accounted worthy of double 
 honor." 
 
 Mr. Milne began his work in New York as 
 a stonecutter. He was soon a contractor. 
 The Lord prospered him in his way. Archi- 
 tects loved to have him carry out their de- 
 
20 
 
 signs. He was a man whose work they could 
 always trust. He soon became a famous 
 builder. He loved the work. He loved 
 architecture. He loved to see stately build- 
 ings grow, and he loved to have them grow 
 under his guiding hand. In 1854 he became 
 a manager of the Masterton, Smith & Sinclair 
 Stone Dressing Co., and its president in 1858; 
 and partner in the firm of Sinclair & Milne, 
 which succeeded this company in 1S69, until 
 he retired from business in 1879. The quar- 
 ries and stone yards of Sinclair & Milne were 
 second to none in all the land, and the stone 
 for a great number of the most important 
 buildings in New York was furnished by 
 them : Christian churches and Jewish syna- 
 gogues, banks and court houses. Cooper 
 Unions, and Y. M. C. A. halls, and some of 
 the finest private residences which line Fifth 
 Avenue. Yes, he was quite right. He loved 
 dear old Scotland, but he wisely thought that 
 America offered him a better chance. Some 
 day when you are walking down Fifth Avenue 
 and are going by the Brick Presbyterian 
 
21 
 
 Church on the corner of Thirty-seventh Street, 
 look up to the top of the high steeple. When 
 it was beino^ reared there was trouble about 
 the great tinial. There were none of the 
 men who were able to set it. So Alexander 
 Milne, with characteristic promptitude, got 
 into the basket and was pulled up to the dizzy 
 height, and his hands set the linial there. 
 What his workmen could not do he did him- 
 self. Look up and think of him when next 
 you go by. 
 
 Mr. Milne first came to Stamford in 1839, 
 not to reside but to live here awhile and do 
 some work. He at once opened a stone yard 
 at the head of the canal, and went into the 
 old Cong'reg-ational Church. Business with 
 him was never allowed to get ahead of relig- 
 ion. The business prospered, and the church 
 prospered also. He made his presence as a 
 Christian felt in the town at once. That year 
 there was a great revival of religion here. 
 Humanly speaking, Alexander Milne, under 
 God, did more to promote it than any other 
 man. It was he who brought the ministers 
 
22 
 
 here from all the reo^ion round about, who 
 took the general ordering of the meetings that 
 were held, who taught the people how to sing 
 with energy and enthusiasm, who infused life 
 and vigor into Christian hearts, and who, by 
 his Christian earnestness in action and speech, 
 caused the dry bones to rattle in the valley. 
 In those days he was a power in every Chris- 
 tian assembly which he entered. As the result 
 of that revival in 1839 hundreds of souls were 
 aroused, and great numbers turned to God. 
 The dear old man is greeted by multitudes in 
 glory now, who were first led to Christ 
 through the influence of the Spirit in their 
 hearts accompanying his burning words. And 
 that was the kind of a life he lived in the time 
 of his stalwart manhood both here and in 
 New York, always busy in winning souls and. 
 making his Christian influence felt. 
 
 He was made a deacon of the Congrega- 
 tional Church of this village in 1841, but 
 returned to New York in 1843. In 1849 he 
 came again to Stamford, this time to become 
 a permanent resident. He built the house in 
 
which he lived, and where he continued to 
 reside until death came. 
 
 What he has been during his residence 
 here the most of }'ou well know. Simple in 
 his tastes, hearty in his manner, cordial in his 
 greeting to friends and strangers alike, full of 
 the most genial humor, bright and original in 
 his speech, a man of pure life and spotless 
 reputation, a helper to the unfortunate, a com- 
 fort to those in trouble, a man of many friends, 
 cheerful in spirit, liberal in his gifts, an up- 
 right citizen, a consecrated Christian abund- 
 ant in sympathy, love and good works. 
 
 I need scarcely say how thoroughly Mr. 
 Milne has been identified with the Presby- 
 terian Church of Stamford from its inception 
 until now. That story is too rich and full for 
 rehearsal to-day. It was in his heart and mind 
 that the foundations of Presb3^terianism here 
 were laid. He was the father of the church. 
 The meeting in which the idea of it first took 
 shape was held at his house in 1852. 
 
 With George Elder, his companion and 
 friend, he became ruling elder when the church 
 
24 
 
 was organized with 25 members, in 1853. 
 These two men, elders each of them until 
 death, were the Jachin and Boaz of this temple. 
 They were pillars in the house of the Lord. 
 
 Mr. Milne was a Presbyterian to the core, 
 staunch in his faith in its doctrine and polity, 
 and a lover of its assemblies. But his Chris- 
 tianity was as Catholic as his great heart. He 
 was the companion of all them that feared 
 God, by whatever ecclesiastical name they 
 were known; and there was not a Christian 
 in the town towards whom he was not ready 
 to extend his blessing and his hand. 
 
 But it was here that his love centered, and 
 to this church his best toil was given. The 
 record of our indebtedness to him is written 
 in the hearts of all our people. He has been 
 wellnigh everything to this church, and his 
 presence and his power have been a constant 
 benediction. By his fervent prayers, his godly 
 life, his wise counsels, his earnest spirit, his 
 generous gifts, his tender sympathy, his great 
 heartedness, he has helped and blessed us all 
 in wa3's that no arithmetic can measure or 
 
25 
 
 compute. In the days of his strength, his 
 place was seldom vacant in the sanctuary, the 
 prayer meeting, or the Sunday-school. He 
 loved this habitation of God's house, and was 
 never happier than when promoting God's 
 honor here. This church and congregation 
 will never have a more faithful servitor or a 
 more devoted friend than he. It is fitting that 
 the tablet in the front of the tower, bearing 
 the name of the church, should have been the 
 gift of his hand. It is of Aberdeen granite. 
 He wanted a rock from Presbyterian Scotland 
 to be among the stones of the wall. 
 
 It has been a great privilege to be associated 
 in church relations with such a man. To 
 pastor and people he has been a constant in- 
 spiration and delight. Every one of us will 
 miss him sorely in the days to come. There 
 is not a member of our congregation, who, by 
 this death, has not lost a friend with a warm 
 heart and a strong yet gentle hand. 
 
 He came with us for the last time on Easter 
 morning, was happy in the service, and went 
 home to return no more. And now I see him 
 
26 
 
 worshipping in the upper sanctuary — the old 
 man grown young again, the bowed head 
 erect again, the faded cheek faded no longer, 
 but flushed with the bloom of immortal youth. 
 He meets with the great congregation. He 
 sees the King in His beauty. He sings at last 
 the new song. 
 
 May we all join him in the heavenly home, 
 and be greeted once more with a hearty wel- 
 come from his cordial hand ! 
 
 " Servant of God, well done, 
 
 Rest from thy loved employ ; 
 The battle fought, the victory won. 
 
 Enter thy Master's joy. 
 The voice at midnight came. 
 
 He started up to hear ; 
 A mortal arrow pierced his frame. 
 
 He fell, but felt no fear. 
 
 The pains of death are past, 
 
 Labor and sorrow cease ; 
 And, life's long warfare, closed at last. 
 
 His soul is found in peace. 
 Soldier of Christ, well done, 
 
 Praise be thy new employ ; 
 And, while eternal ages run. 
 
 Rest in thy Saviour's joy." 
 
KiRST I'kesbvtf.kian Church, Stamford, Conn. 
 
RESOLUTIONS 
 
RESOLUTIONS 
 
 ADOI'TED BY THE 
 
 Session of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 
 STAMFORD, CONN. 
 
 Whereas, it has pleased God to take to Himself our 
 friend, Alexander Milne, a member of the Session of this 
 church by successive unanimous elections since its organ- 
 ization in 1853, and at the time of his death its Senior 
 Elder, his associates deeply sensible of the loss which 
 they and the church have sustained, desire to place 
 upon their records their tribute of regard and affection 
 for his memory: 
 
 Alexander Milne died April 10, 1891, in the 84th year 
 of his age. His work for Christ and His Church in 
 Stamford began more than fifty years ago, when a young 
 mechanic, he came from Scotland with his wife, and 
 after a residence of a few years in New York, located 
 here. During his stay of about four years at that time, 
 so earnestly and faithfully did he serve his Master that 
 nearly 150 persons united with the Congregational Church 
 of which for two years he was a deacon. Returning to 
 New York, he resumed his connection with the Seventh 
 Church, and his six years of membership were years of 
 almost continuous revival. Upon the opening of the 
 New Haven road he returned to Stamford and soon after 
 
30 
 
 aided in the organization of this church, to which wilh 
 a zeal and affection which knew no abatement nor varia- 
 tion, he gave his prayers, his money and himself even to 
 the end. It is difficult to estimate the debt which this 
 church owes to him and to his dearly-loved friend and 
 associate, George Elder, for their gifts, their example 
 and their prayers during their lives among us. How 
 many during these years were made better and happier 
 because of them we do not know, but we are sure that it 
 has been given to few laymen to exert a stronger or 
 wider influence for good than they. Theirs was the zeal 
 according to knowledge, theirs was the prayer of faith 
 and the labor of love. And for each of them are other 
 words of commendation than ours, even the approval of 
 Him whose they were and whom they served. To 
 human judgment it seems that we may not hope to fill 
 these vacant ])laces with men such as these men were ; 
 but we would not forget their many prayers for this 
 church, and we will trust their God and ours that even 
 for their sakes blessings yet more abundant than those of 
 the past may come to this church which they loved. 
 
 THOMAS G. RITCH, 
 
 Clerk. 
 
MINUTE OP THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 
 
 OF THK CITY OF NEW YORK. 
 MEETING HELD APRIL 22d, 1891. 
 
 Mr. Alexander Milne, a life member of the Asso- 
 ciation, died April loth, in the 84th year of his age. 
 From the erection of the Twenty-third Street building, 
 Mr. Milne manifested a deep interest in the work of the 
 Association. He was long identified with the Seventh 
 Presbyterian Church, and one of the founders of the 
 Presbyterian Church in Stamford, Conn. For business 
 ability, integrity of character, and personal devotion to 
 the Saviour, he was an example worthy of imitation by 
 the young men of to-day, and the Board desire to express 
 to Mrs. Milne their heartiest sympathy in her bereave- 
 ment. 
 
 R. R. McBURNEY, 
 
 General Secretary.